The Scenic Route

The Scenic Route is a fanfiction written and published on FanFiction.Net and AO3 by hollycomb.
==Synopsis==
The boys embark on a six day road trip to California before separating for college. Cartman is a pain in the ass, Kenny has no future, Butters is in crisis, and Kyle doesn't know how he'll say goodbye to Stan.
==Plot==
The story starts out with Kyle attending his high school graduation with his best friend Stan, and other classmates. This is their last night in South Park before they all take off on a camping road trip to California where Stan will be spending the rest of his summer for football training camp at his college to be UCLA. Kyle is bummed out that Stan will be leaving him, and wants to be able to enjoy every last minute he has with him.
The boys attend a graduation party later on, and Stan relays to Kyle that their friend Butters can no longer go on the road trip with them because his parents grounded him for not making valedictorian. Crushed that this might mean that they won’t be able to afford to go on their trip, Stan suggests they take their “friend” Eric Cartman instead. Kyle isn’t thrilled with the idea but reluctantly agrees so they’re still able to go on their trip. Kyle gets a little drunk at the party and Stan carries him back to his place so he can sleep it off.
The boys leave a bit later in the morning and together with their friend Kenny and Cartman they take off on their trip. As the boys make various pit stops along the way at camping grounds the tension between Kyle and Stan grows as Kyle isn’t able to keep denying his feelings for Stan, and he becomes frustrated by Stan’s obliviousness towards them.
The boys make an impromptu stop in Arizona to pick up Butters, when they find out that he ran away from home. It turns out, Butters’s parents didn’t ground him from the trip due to him not making valedictorian, but because they found out that Butters and Kenny were in a relationship together. Butters and Kenny are reunited and the group heads to Vegas where they get a hotel room and enjoy themselves at a casino. 
Things get a bit steamy between Stan and Kyle and almost lead to something, but bad eating habits land Kyle in the hospital due to hypoglycemia. Kyle makes it out okay, but discovers that Stan received a large sum of money for his football scholarship and has been using some of it to pay for meals and the hotel room during the trip and also his emergency room expense.
By the time the group makes it to California, things come to head between Stan and Kyle. Certain that his feelings are plainly obvious, Kyle makes a move on Stan and Stan does not reciprocate. Feeling dejected and rejected, Kyle takes a cab back home before the trip is over.
Fast forward to Thanksgiving break of freshman year of college, Kyle has opted to stay at Penn State instead of going home for the holidays. He hasn’t spoke to Stan at all since the rejection, and he’s been ignoring his calls and texts. To Kyle’s shock, Stan surprises him at his dorm room and explains to him that he’s sorry for rejecting him before, and he only did because he was afraid that he would scare him off. The two make up and come to the conclusion that they both have feelings for each other. The two mess around in bed together and during their time together they consummate their relationship. Not wanting to carry on a long distance relationship with Kyle, Stan talks Kyle into transferring to UCLA stating that he’ll pay for his tuition considering Kyle wouldn’t be able to afford to pay the tuition either way.
The story ends with the epilogue. The boys are graduating from university, and Kyle is making preparations to move in with his aunt and uncle in New York for a graduate law program, and Stan is to follow along with him despite the fact he doesn’t have any school aspirations out that way. Butters makes a speech at their graduation having made a name for himself along with Kenny doing porn out in LA, and Wendy, Stan’s ex-girlfriend now good friend, manages him as an entertainment lawyer. Both Butters and Kenny toss around the idea of moving to New York with their friends so they can all stay together. They have a big graduation party after the ceremony with friends and family. After it’s all over and Stan and Kyle are all alone together, Kyle congratulates Stan for making it to graduation by wearing a cheerleading uniform with Stan’s last name on the back. Wanting to make their relationship permanent, Stan proposes to Kyle and takes a picture of the two of them together.
==External Links==
*"The Scenic Route" on FanFiction.Net
*"The Scenic Route" on Archive of Our Own
Category:Fanfiction
Category:Fanfiction on FanFiction.Net
Category:Fanfiction on Archive of Our Own
Category:Fanfiction by hollycomb
Category:Fanfics Dealing with Drama/Angst
Category:Fanfics Dealing with Romance
Category:Fanfiction involving Style
Category:Fanfiction involving Bunny
Category:Featured Articles