my curly haired bestie [Bendy and Style]

what i cannot do

Stan ran after Kyle like his life depended on it.

He didn't care about how the jeans he was wearing were uncomfortable and definitely too tight to run in. He didn't care about the keys in his coat pocket that kept swinging and hitting his back.

He didn't care that his shoes slipped on every manhole he stepped on, barely managing to not fall each time.

He just cared about reaching Kyle; not even thinking about what just happened. He was confused, and afraid he did something that hurt his friend, and that their friendship might be ruined forever because of something he did without even knowing.

"DUDE, WAIT!" he shouted, only a few meters away from him. Kyle stopped and turned to look at him. His eyes were full of tears, making Stan's stomach twist.

He stopped to catch his breath, right in front of his friend.

"What happened? Did I somet-" he was interrupted before he could finish speaking.

"I.. Just go, Stan. I don't wanna talk about it" murmured Kyle, stuttering a bit.

"No, dude, you can't just.. just run away like this and brush it off. What's wrong?" he replied, still breathing heavily. If it wasn't for the situation he would've probably been ashamed for how much he struggled to run so little.

Kyle breathed in deeply, as if he wanted to calm himself down, then opened his mouth:

"You always get back together with Wendy. Ok. It's fine. I'm supportive. I check your texts before you send them so you don't mess anything up. I help you pick gifts for her when you don't have any ideas. I'm cool. When the others call you an idiot for keeping trying to get back with her I jump in to defend you, because you truly love her. When you break up, I'm right here to comfort you. When you get drunk because you're sad I come to your house, clean you up, wipe your tears when you apologize. Ok? I do what I can and it's not a burden for me" he sighed.

Stan felt like an asshole already, never stopping to think about how much his friend did for him and never thanking him enough for it.

"I can live with it. I'm fine with you and Wendy always getting back together. I'm happy for you, alright?" he continued, his words carrying a bittersweet note. "I can put up with everything, as long as you're happy. I care about you being happy, above everything else. I may think you're dumb for keeping chasing her, even if she treats you badly, even if she's dating Tolkien, but I'll always be there for you. Because I care about you".

Every word felt like a sting on Stan's heart. He wanted to say something, to make the other boy understand and stop hurting, but couldn't come up with anything.

"What I cannot do- What I don't want to do" he breathed in again, looking like he was holding back from bursting out crying. "-Is staying there, beside you, being treated like an idiot. What the fuck was that, Stan? You ask me to come on a double date, fine, I can do it. I can come to support you. But I can't stand you barely even trying to put any effort in this and- And acting like you're flirting with me, instead".

A tear rolled down his cheek, which made Stan's eyes watery too.

Of course, his stupid fucking idea backfired. Of course Kyle got the wrong idea, and of course Stan messed everything up. Why didn't he just confess like a normal person?

"What kind of sick joke is that? What the fuck are you doing, using me to make Wendy jealous? Are you trying to mess with my head? I don't get it" he sobbed, voice cracking wh ile Stan's eyes narrowed as he tried to process what was happening.

"There's only so much I can take, and honestly? Being told those things, seeing you act that way with me, is too much" Kyle's voice caught in his throat, his heartache painted across his face.