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The Freedom Pals were returning from a mission. They just intervened at the mall for what was supposed to be of the utmost importance, but turned out to be only shoplifting. It seemed so important at first that the leader of the team, Doctor Timothy himself, also went to the scene, something he usually doesn't do. Annoyed at the lack of action, they decided to go for a milkshake. But first, they had to go do their report on the mission back at the headquarters. Super Craig, not having much to say about it, moved towards the center of the room. He stopped for a moment, and looked around the colorful basement. Then, he noticed something that wasn't here before on the desk with an old computer. He started going, but Wonder Tweek beat him to it, and grabbed the unknown object with a strong hand. -"It's a letter !!" he shouted. "What if it was a bomb threat ?? The HQ has been found ! We're screwed !" Before the thunder guy could dig his hands into his thick blonde hair, his boyfriend grabbed his arm and took the letter from him. It was a simple envelope, with tiny writing in black ink : "For Jimmy." -"This is not a bomb threat, Tweek." Craig reassured him while patting his shoulder. "It is a letter for Jimmy. Fastpass !" The speedster turned around. -"There's a letter. For you." The whole team turned around ! -"A letter ?" Jimmy said while taking it from Craig. Many words of astonishment escaped the superheroes' mouths, becoming a heated discussion. Everyone wondered what might be inside that envelope. -"Shut up, guys ! He's going to read it !" Mosquito shouted, impatient. -"If he's the one reading it, we'll still be here tomorrow."-"Shut it, Eric. You're nothing."-"Give it to me, Jimmy. I'll read it." the Human Kite said, annoyed by the surrounding chaos. "Quiet now !!" The team sat down at the round reunion table. Kyle stayed up with the letter in his hands, nervous. Fastpass wondered who could have written that. He wasn't currently dating anyone, so the possibility of it being a love letter wasn't something to be thrown out so quickly. He was a little hopeful, deep down. A secret admirer ? That would be exciting. -"Read for me, bard !" he declared, dramatically putting a hand over his forehead. "Take me role for this Sunday afternoon only !" Everyone was looking at Kyle, who opened the envelope. The paper was made from a squared sheet, like all those found at school. The redhead looked down and started his reading. -"Alright." he started. "Dear James Valmer. It did take me some time to gather courage to write a letter. The words i am about to share have been on my mind for quite a while now, and today, i realized keeping them hidden would be injustice to me and betrayal to you."-"Ooh, that's a love letter ! That's a love letter !" Tupperware said excitedly.-"I wish i would get letters like that..." Captain Diabetes added.-"There is something truly special about the bond we share.
It is in the way you can know what i think just by looking at me, the comfort i surprisingly find in your presence.
We went through the entire spectrum of hate and friendship together, and you can understand me in ways no one else is capable of.
But between everything, something deeper has unfortunately taken root within my mind." They all held their breath, expecting an absolute one-liner. -"I have fallen for you." Everyone shouted with joy, surprised at the sentence. -"Congrats on coming out, Kyle !"-"Shut the fuck up ! I didn't write that !" Jimmy was smiling from ear to ear : that was exactly what he thought ! A secret admirer ! -"Keep reading ! Maybe there's a name at the end !" Some confirmed Toolshed's words at the table. -"I am terrified of losing what we have, but am equally afraid of never letting you know how deeply i care for you. Whatever your response, know that my feelings do not come with expectation. You mean the universe and back to me.Take your time, and if you happen to share my feelings, know that my heart is open to you. If not, i hope we can be the incredible friends we are still." Everyone clapped and turned their heads at the speedster, very much surprised by what he just heard. Doctor Timothy taunted him with an elbow, grinning big. -"Very well, what do we do now ?" he asked after regaining his seriousness.-"Nothing !" Kyle answered. "We give the letter back to Jimmy and let him investigate by himself." He didn't want to get involved in this matter, which only concerned his colleague. But the latter was not of the same opinion. -"Oh come on, you're no f-fun Kyle ! It could be a n-nice investigation subject !" The table agreed. -"Yeah ! It may not even be a real letter !" Toolshed suggested.-"It is a DISGUISED bomb threat !!"-"No honey, it's a love letter."-"But from who ?" Mosquito asked.-"Do you think it's Nancy ?" Tupperware said. "Is she trying to get you back ?"-"It cannot be her !" the Human Kite declared. "Look at that !" He turned the letter over, and pointed to the bottom right corner : here was the stamped Freedom Pals symbol. Everyone gasped ! -"That can only mean one thing..." Mysterion, who didn't say anything since the beginning, declared. "The author of the letter is a guy." He raised his head. -"And he's one of us." The superheroes exchanged suspicious looks while Jimmy was laughing like crazy, but still a bit disappointed. -"We must launch a thorough investigation into this strange missive... Not knowing the end of the story risks affecting our performance."-"Yeah, that's it, clear it Timmy." the Raccoon said. "Do you think we'll see nothing in your little mind games ?"-"But it can't be him, Eric !" Captain Diabetes said. "He doesn't know how to write !" It is true. Due to his unvoluntary hand movements, the Doctor couldn't write on paper without leaving pen streaks. That is the reason why he used a laptop at school. He shrugged, a big smile on his face. He was innocent. He then rolled into the small space hidden by a curtain, and after a moment, he came out with a whiteboard, the photos of all the members displayed on it including his own, on which he had placed a red magnet to indicate he was not a suspect. There was also one on Jimmy's photo. -"Alright. Now we have to think." he declared. "I suggest we exempt everyone who already has a partner. Which means..." He placed a magnet on the heads of Super Craig and Wonder Tweek, Toolshed and Tupperware, which left five suspects. -"It means nothing !" Mosquito said. "Maybe they're in conflict and trying to make the other jealous !"-"We are not in conflict." Super Craig dryly answered. The three others agreed to Clyde's dismay. -"Oh, fuck that."-"Woow ! The noose is tightening, you guys !" the Raccoon said. "We will soon find a jew hanging from the ceiling !"-"I did NOT write that, fatass !"-"You guys are all s-s-suspects... It's scary ! Ooh !"-"Let me see that !" Toolshed said as he took the letter. He re-read it carefully : it is written in black ink in a strangely clean handwriting, without any stains or excess lines. -"We need to do some analysis on this thing..."-"You should keep it, Toolshed. You have the tools to do such work."-"Yeah ! You'll bring it back n-next time."-"It all seems very complicated to me..." Tupperware said, scratching his head. "The guy who wrote that hides his game well !"-"He does." Mysterion agreed. "Anyway, i think only a genius could love a man like him." As some people laughed at the musical reference, the Doctor stopped in his tracks.A genius ?? HE was the genius of the team ! They walked back upstairs, chatting frantically. Timothy put the whiteboard away, and when he came back, he saw Mysterion, sitting at the bottom of the staircase. -"Mysterion."-"Doctor." They looked at each other in silence. -"...What are you going to do now ?" The Doctor said nothing. Kenny was also a boy who could not be understood when he spoke underneath his parka. Ever if he wanted to tell someone, nobody would be able to decipher his words. So, by this common thing they have, Timothy trusted him in such matter. -"I am not going to act on the investigation. I am already out of the question." Silence. The psychic had questions. -"How did you ?" he asked.-"Only you write like that. With words that no one knows ! "Injustice to me and betrayal to you" ? You sound like a fucking poet !"-"That is bare minimum English class-level writing ! Those who don't understand are illiterate, that's all !" Mysterion laughed. -"I really wasn't expecting this outcome. You, liking Jimmy... In no world would i have seen that happen !"-"Oh, stop rubbing salt in the wound, Kenneth ! I know oh so well that nothing is possible, and now i am starting to regret my actions !" He sounded worried, taking his head in both hands. Mysterion then remembered something. -"Do you remember what Doctor Mephesto said while we were in his lab ? "Stop second-guessing your choices, you'll become mad.". You did the right thing ! At least, for now." The psychic thought for a bit. -"I am safe for a moment. They are closer to abandon the search than they are to find me, because i am off the list of potential suspects."-"And i assure you i will not say that to anyone, man."-"You better not."-"... But why stamping the Freedom Pals logo though ?"-"I don't know what came over me." They got upstairs, one anxious and the other pretty amused, but both curious about what would happen in the coming days. As for Jimmy, he was taken aback. A member of his superhero team, and one of his closest friends, like-liked him !He really didn't distrust them though, because he wasn't like that. But he impatiently waited for the end of the story. And even if he didn't want to accept it within his mind, he had already a little preference...
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
At Tweek Bros cafe, the undercover superhero team had split up to two different tables. On the outside, those who have been exonerated. On the inside, the potential authors of the letter, accompanied by Jimmy. -"Hmmm... One of you here is in l-love with me..." he taunted the group, pointing to each of them with a finger.-"It's true." Eric added. "I suggest a writing test, so we can compare which handwriting looks more similar to Kyle's."-"Good God ! What in the world makes you think that it could be me ?!"-"He's not wrong though." Clyde said. "You are the one with the good handwriting."-"If it turns out it's him !" Kyle got angry. "He say lots of stuff and ends up saying nothing useful in the end !"-"That's a g-good point, Kyle." Jimmy noted. "Why are you trying to blame him, Eric ? Are you embarrassed ? F-Flustered ?" Kenny found Jimmy's attitude about the situation... suspicious. -"Damn, you seem to really enjoy the fact that a guy has a crush on you. Aren't you the one who's gay in the end ?" Jimmy had a little pause. -"Until you hear it from my mouth, it's not real. B-Besides, I'm kind of sad for the guy. Imagine being in love with your best f-friend ! The culpability would... c-crush him." Scott spit out his extremely dark sugar-free coffee, not because the joke was funny, but because it was far too bitter. -"Well, that's the sign !" Eric declared, slamming a hand on the table. "Grab the papers !" The suspects then all wrote on a squared sheet a paragraph who has to contain all the letters in the alphabet, therefore it was a good way to judge and compare the writing of the potential authors. Kenny's handwriting was so messy that he was instantly crossed out from the list. The papers where then brought to the innocents table and given to Stan. The group of exonerates observed the papers and the letter in turn, searching for similarities. -"It's crazy !" Tolkien said. "Not even one of these match !"-"We should face the facts, guys." Craig responded. "Maybe we should abandon that investigation."-"I do not agree with you, Super Craig. This is an important matter."-"You say that because it concerns Jimmy, but I'm starting to get tired of it !" Tweek declared. "It's not a love letter, it's a trap ! It's going to get out of hand and one of us will be on the verge of death !"-"No one's going to die, Wonder Tweek. I am sure we'll find the one who wrote this in no time." Stan then wondered something. -"Still, what are we going to do once we find him ?" he asked.-"To avoid the awkwardness, we should fire him from the team."-"Nobody will be fired, Super Craig."-"Yeah, but like... it's going to be weird."-"It will, Toolshed, but we'll have to get through it as a team." Timmy was a very good actor. With such an attitude, he was sure that no one would ever unmask him. He looked behind the table, and saw someone approach Stan. -"Hello, Toolshed !"-"Oh, hi Wendy." Here stood Callgirl, who was stepping into her role as an undercover vigilante. -"Greetings, Callgirl. We are in the middle of a very much important matter."-"Jimmy received a letter, and we're trying to find out who it could be from." Tolkien said.-"Yeah, and the only thing we know is that he's a Freedom Pal." Wendy's face lit up. Finally an interesting thing ! -"Really ? Let me see !" Stan gave her the letter, and she read it throughly. As her eyes moved across the paper, she wondered how the superhero team didn't pick on some important clues given by the letter. The vigilante had her answer. She looked up at Timmy, and laughed lightly. -"You still don't know ?" she taunted the team. "I found the culprit in like two secs !"-"Really ?" Tolkien asked, surprised by such speed.-"Nah, she didn't ! She's lying !" Tweek answered, not believing a word of what she'll have to say.-"Enlighten us with your knowledge, Callgirl." Timmy said, very confident. No way she could have found it so easily ! She was surely going to come up with a false proposition from her little brain. -"First, I'm going to tell you that it's... one of the six of you !" The six gasped at the revelation. -"But it's impossible !" Tolkien said. "All the suspects are inside the cafe !"-"Very well !" Wendy said defiantly. "It is written right there that the writer of the letter hated Jimmy at first, but eventually became friends with him. There's not a lot of people who match this description." What ??? Craig looked at Timmy, who was struggling to remain impassible, hands clasped together tightly on the table. -"And, if you need any more proof, do you know someone who speaks in a very unconventional and impossible to understand manner, but who Jimmy somehow manages to understand with no difficulty ?"
The bastard.
The eyes turned to the psychic, who was taking a sip of his chocolate milkshake, looking everywhere except at his fellow colleagues. -"... I think you owe us an explanation, man." Stan said, breaking the awkward silence.-"And why so ? Do you believe her ?"-"I don't know chief, her reasoning seems pretty clean !"-"Oh shut up, Timmy !" Tweek snapped, happy that the letter was not a disguised bomb threat. "We caught you red-handed !" Timmy dropped his head face first onto the table with a long "Aaah..." of abandon. -"Wow, dude, it's actually true ?!" Tweek said, actually surprised.-"Well, i guess i owe Clyde ten now..." Timmy suddenly raised his head and looked at Craig with wide eyes. -"You did a bet with Clyde ?" Tolkien asked.-"He bet on Timmy, i bet on Cartman. I lost." The psychic dropped his head again and sighed. -"Don't give him your money now !" Wendy warned Craig. "If you do, he'll know that you know !" The debate between if he should keep his money or not started, and Stan broke it off. -"So we're all going to ignore the fact that Timmy likes Jimmy ?!" Attention turned to him, and he raised his head for the last time, his gaze full of destroyed honor and completely silent.He closed his eyes and brought his hand to his forehead, taking a deep breath. -"I, as the leader of the Freedom Pals, order you all not to divulge anything about the topics discussed during this discussion, as well as potential investigative elements provided that could be useful in any way, shape of form, to any member of the team, and even if they ask you for it. Am. I. CLEAR ?" He insisted on the last word. -"But, if you didn't want us to know, why did you put it next to the computer ?" Tolkien genuinely asked. "Everyone could see it !"-"I have no damn idea, Tup. This is probably because i didn't sleep much last night. Fatigue makes you do stuff you'll never do in pure consciousness of mind."-"But like... You love him ? Really ? In a gay way ?" Stan asked, taken aback. In fact, the hero with the toolbox didn't see it coming. Unlike himself, Timmy wasn't constantly trying to keep himself from throwing up when hanging out with Jimmy. Also, he had already noticed that these two had a rather special friendship, no pun intended, and were really tactile will one another. They weren't much last year : the destruction of their summer camp has sure changed them a lot. Timmy ignored the question, turning his head to Craig. -"Anyway, if there's anyone who really, REALLY shouldn't know about that, it's Cartman." The others turned to him, but Tweek understood well what he meant by that. -"Yeah. Did you see what happened to me and Tweek ?" he continued. "He will tell everything to the Asian girls, and this is going to be a total yaoi fest."-"The Asian girls won't be a problem at all, Super Craig."-"Why wouldn't they be ? They've been a nuisance for a whole month !" Tweek said. Timmy turned to him and declared in a solemn mind voice : -"They do not know how to draw disabled people."-" That kind of makes sense !" Tolkien said.-"Well, my mission here is over !" Wendy, that watched the whole discussion in silence, declared. "I hope my help was useful. Farewell, Freedom Pals ! And good luck, Doctor." She winked at him, and he shown a bored face. She had just casually revealed his biggest secret in front of his friends.But in the end, it turned out better than he expected. At that moment, the suspect group left the cafe, Kenny leading. -"Mysterion. How is the investigation going ?"-"The results are clear, Tim. It's either Kyle or Cartman. My handwriting is too messy, Scott has the literary skills of a wooden beam, and Clyde said he had a date with Bebe later this afternoon.-"By the way, i think he already left..." Scott said. The last two suspects exchanged dark glances : the both of them knew they were innocent, and therefore thought the other guilty. -"Okay, but where are YOU with the investigation ?" Jimmy asked, eager to know what details Timmy and his crew had collected. The latter stared at all his colleagues with a menacing look, reminding them of his words in case they forgot them. -"Well, i analysed the ink used to write the letter, and found no match to any existing pen !" Stan said, but not inventing though. "That doesn't get us much further..."-"Well I'm going home ! Kyle declared, angry. "I told you i didn't want to get involved in this matter anyway." He walked away, carried by the wind on his back. -"Why is he so angry all the time ? He's becoming more and more suspicious..." Eric underlined. -"We better go home too !" Tweek added. "It's getting pretty late !" The other superheroes agreed. The streetlights were coming on. On their way, they still discussed the famous letter, every ally of Timmy hiding their game well. After some more time and an encouraging thumbs up of Kenny, Timmy and Jimmy found themselves alone on their way home, living the farthest from Tweek Bros, and next to each other. -"This s-story is crazy !" Jimmy declared, intrigued. "There's a guy, a GUY, who likes ME ! This is the craziest thing that happened to me after the time i j-joined a terrorist g-group."-"Jimmy ? (What do you think about that, Jimmy ?)"-"I don't know... I think the atmosphere will be veeeeery awkward af-fter that." He laughed as the duo arrived home. Toward the hedge that separated their two houses, Jimmy stopped and turned to his friend. -"I know you're n-not one of the s-suspects but i know that if it ever was y-you who wrote that l-letter..." He patted Timmy on the shoulder with a big smile. -"I wouldn't resent you i think." he said fast."We would still be s-s-super best friends !" He let go of his shoulder, surprised by what he just said. -"Well, s-see you at school tomorrow, Tim-Tim !" He hurried towards the door of his house. This attempt at a subtle message was the first thing of this kind he did since last summer.The summer Timmy destroyed camp, and also the summer he had fallen in love to his greatest dismay. Timothy was still sitting there, next to the hedge, his face frozen and burning at the same time. Super best friend ! That's what Jimmy called him ! The psychic placed his hands on his cheeks, a stupid smile on his face. Also, he told him he wouldn't resent him if he was the author of the missive ! Maybe that was a sign ! No. Never. The psychic quickly came to his senses and rolled home, his head full of movies and songs.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Cartman was brooding in his room. He didn't think at all like his colleagues : in fact, their behavior lately seemed suspicious. How come they didn't find anything at all ? No information ? With Doctor Timothy, the smartest of the team ? It was too big to be true. He had to investigate for himself. The superhero sat down at his desk and took out an A3 sheet of paper. He made simple portraits of his teammates' faces and wrote underneath each of them what advanced the investigation. "Doctor Timothy : Close to the victim, protective of him. Doesn't know how to write.""Toolshed : Most likely to be gay. Dating a girl.""Tupperware : Asks a lot of questions. Is suspect by nature.""Human Kite : Prime suspect. Previously held victim's hand. Strongly denies being guilty." Cartman connected faces, crossed out lines of text, and redrew his teammates several times. He couldn't find anything coherent. He then tried to remember the details about the letter. Tweek found it next to the computer after they returned from their mission to the mall. It was placed in plain sight, but it wasn't there when they left : he had to look for the last ones to leave the Freedom Base. It was Stan and Kyle : they were debating on who was the strongest Marvel character. But then, the boy remembered that Timmy had not gone through the "Freedom Base" box, but arrived a little late on the mission site. He could have very well taken advantage of the absence of the superheroes to put it there ! The idea of Doctor Timothy could be credible if we forgot the fact that he can't write. But how would he have done it ?Could he have written it on a computer, then printed his text ?Impossible, it was written on school paper. Then, another idea got to Cartman's mind : he could have hired a Mexican to write his stupid letter ! Cartman wrote that under his drawing of Timmy, on which he was now focused on. He secretly hoped it was him. "They would look so beautiful together !" the little voice in his head told him. It was like with Tolkien and Nichole : they had something "in common" that made it more "logical" that they end up together. But it was necessary to find numerous damning proofs, hammer arguments ! The boy first and foremost had to have the original letter in possession. It was at Stan's house, probably in his room. Unfortunately, his parents had installed an alarm system due to their neighbor's burglary, which would make infiltration much more difficult. Determined, Cartman put on his superhero costume and mask, eyes staring defiantly at a nonexistent camera, opened his bedroom window and jumped into the snow, landing kind of awkwardly. He sped like a shadow in the night towards the house of his neighbor and arch enemy, who was none other than Professor Chaos.It was a much regretted alliance, but necessary for this all-important mission. Once in his backyard, he grabbed a handful of rocks and threw them at his window, hitting the panes. Butters was sleeping, a peaceful expression on his face. When a stone larger than the others broke a pane, he woke up with a start, ran to his window and saw Cartman. He then noticed that it was not Cartman, but the Raccoon. He so entered his role as Professor Chaos. -"What are you doing here, Raccoon ?" he asked. "How dare you infiltrate my domain, at night, during my evil hours of sleep ?"-"I'm not here out of joy, dumbass !" the Raccoon answered, shouting so his foe can hear him. "I need your help. Bring the guinea pigs." Chaos was somewhat afraid, because even the worst of supervillains had parents, and parents who were still awake so late at night. He put on his costume while looking in the same nonexistent camera as his colleague, grabbed the guinea pig from his cage and put him in is supervillain bag.He then also jumped out of his window, landing better than the guy next to him. -"Okay, stop showing off, we're going." The villain bursted into maniacal laughter and the two ran away, having something to check out before heading to Stan's house. They arrived in front of Moving Truck Rental, in the industrial section of the town. There was a group of Mexicans hanging around the gates, drinking beer. -"Holà !" the Raccoon said. "¿ Que paso ? ¿ Que paso ?"-"Uuh, what are we doing here ?"-"I'll tell you later. ¿ Que paso ?" A Mexican in a tank top turned his head towards the duo. He knew them well... -"Si ?"-"Entonces, have you, you or any of you, done a favor, a PAID favor, for a redhead in a wheelchair recently ?" The men exchanged glances. -"Eh ? Silla de ruedas ?" the Raccoon continued. "Pelirrojo ? ...Cabeza grande ?" Chaos didn't understand anything about the conversation or what was going on. The Mexican denied the superhero's comments. The Raccoon turned around, disappointed : how the fuck did this bastard do if he doesn't know how to write ?! -"Okay, we're going to Stan's now." he said, pissed.-"But why ?!" the Professor asked, pissed as well.-"Timmy is fucking gay ! He wrote a love letter to Jimmy and now he doesn't want to admit to it ! But I'm gonna make him ! He'll thank me later !!" Before the Professor could process all the information, his colleague started running as fast as he could, and he followed him. All he remembered were the names of the two protagonists of this strange romance novel. The lights were almost out in the Marshes' house. The two colleagues faced the asleep home. -"What do we do now ?" Chaos asked, hands on hips.-"We have to find where the alarm circuit breaker is and turn it off.-"Uuh... Is it that thing ?" He was pointing at a small metal box below the left window. -"Yeah, it's that." the superhero confirmed. "Go all out !" The supervillain unsheathed the guinea pig from his bag, and took off. He twirled his arm around and finally let go of the little animal. It landed right into the circuit breaker with an explosion that forced both boys to cover their ears. The guinea pig fell back, and Chaos ran towards it. -"Mass Destruction... Your sacrifice will not be in vain !"-"Who cares, it's a guinea pig. Come on, let's go in.-"Pfff... Say that to Craig's face now, my guy..." he mumbled. The Raccoon gently opened the door. The father of the family had fallen asleep on the sofa in front of the still on TV. The duo passed by with no trouble, and conferred in front of the stairs. -"I'm going to Stan's room to get the letter, you keep watching downstairs." the superhero whispered.-"Can't i come and help ?"-"Absolutely not ! You don't know what it looks like ! And tinfoil makes noise !" But when going upstairs, he also made noise due to the steps squeaking. The first floor was not entirely silent. In fact, the superhero heard the muffled sound of a coming of age movie : Stan's older sister was still up... And Stan was fast asleep, mouth half open. He couldn't hear the boy rummaging through his stuff. The boy didn't even need to, because the letter was on Stan's desk, next to his toolbox. -"There you are... It's for the best, Timmy..." The letter was missing a piece of text, which was in a small glass vial : Stan had returned the ink to it's original state. The hero put the vial in his pocket. He never had the opportunity to have the letter in hand, and he finally took it. He read it quietly, amusing scenarios playing out in his head as he skimmed the lines. The "I have fallen for you." had a little shivering effect on him. It was then that he noticed something particular : the letters were strangely similar, in a way that all e's looked like the other e's, and it was that way for all the letters, like for a computer font.But the font was special, and Eric didn't remember seeing it on any computer. This once again confirmed his first theory : Timmy's computer may have a resource pack that contained this font ! But as he put the letter in his pocket, Chaos bursted into the room, shouting loudly. -"Eric ! The dog's awake ! And he's chasing me !!!" To make matters worse, Stan was starting to wake up to the sound of the Professor's screams. The Raccoon grabbed his colleague and they threw themselves out the window as Stan got up from his bed. -"Sparky ? Why the hell are you barking like that ?!" The boy turned to the wide open window, and looked out. No one. But he turned back to his desk and got wide-eyed seeing the absence of the letter and of the ink vial. He rushed downstairs and dialed Kyle's number, but he didn't answer. He then went back to his room, distraught. Who did that ? The two colleagues were speeding through the night, out of breath. Professor Chaos followed the Raccoon, who knew perfectly well where to go next : Timmy's house. This is where he would get his ultimate confirmation, all he wanted. -"You'll see, Timmy !" he shouted. "THIS is what happens when you forget the Coon from the Freedom Pals' name !!"-"Yeah !" Meanwhile, Jimmy wasn't sleeping. He was thinking. This whole thing started to worry him : in his head, he didn't know if he should hope the letter was from Timmy. If it wasn't, it would change nothing to their friendship. If it was... It would change everything between them. In fact, he was ashamed of himself. He wasn't supposed to feel this way, not at all. It would be terrible if Timmy found out, but even more if his own parents did. Long ago, they had forbidden Jimmy from being friends with him. Even if they kind of let go of him about that, their thoughts would come right back if they ever found out. Maybe they'll even move back to Brooklyn ! In the end, he hoped with all his soul that it wasn't Timmy who wrote the letter : it would be easier to reject someone he didn't like. He tried to sleep, lulled by the fast footsteps of two boys on the street corner.
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-"Guys ! Guys !" Everyone turned to Stan, who quickly sat down at the cafeteria table. -"Someone stole the letter !" he said.-"What ? No way !" Kyle added.-"This complicates things." Timmy declared. "Whoever did that makes himself suspect."-"What if they use the letter for blackmail ?! That's too much pressure !"-"Why are you so worried ? You're not the one getting b-blackmailed, are you ?" Jimmy teased the boy.-"Careful, James." the psychic warned him. "Stay serious : you are not talking to a single man."-"Oh come on !" He wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulders. -"You defend ev-veryone, that's pretty w-weird..." he said, tapping him on the forehead. "Couldn't you be the culprit in the end ? In any case, you're h-hiding things..."-"Don't be silly, Jimmy. Don't be silly."-"... You are weird." Clyde declared. The undercover hero gang was joined by Butters, who sat down at the end of the table. -"Hey fellas !" The table got silent. Butters noticed that after a while and immediately understood what it was about. He raised his head. -"Oooh... You're talking about the letter, huh ?" he whispered. "I wonder who could have done that..." The silence become very heavy... -"... How do you know that ?" Jimmy asked.-"It's true, what are you, a spy ?" Eric added. Realizing his blunder, he turned back to Jimmy. -"It's you who told me that last time, right ?" he said, unsure. "During group work ?" They had, in fact, been teammates for group work lately. Jimmy thought he must have let that slip unintentionally. But this was before his train of thought got interrupted. -"He's lying." Everyone turned to the psychic. -"After analysis, i can confirm that Professor Chaos and the Raccoon robbed Toolshed's house last night."-"Hey ! It's cheating !" Butters said.-"You're not allowed to use your powers off-mission !" Cartman added.-"You cheated too." Craig declared.-"Yeah ! You investigated off-mission !" Tolkien added.-"And you pacted with the enemy !" Scott concluded, pointing to Butters. Taking advantage of the chaos, Timmy telepathically delved into his enemy's head. He widened his eyes slightly, very much surprised by his discovery. -"Timmy !" Eric called out to him. "Don't try to hide anymore ! You're screwed !"-"You say that because YOU are the prime suspect and YOU are trying to clear yourself !" Kyle shouted.-"I'm just trying to help him ! Imagine being a cripple AND a homo ! Double trouble !"-"You really are a fucking asshole, Cartman !" Clyde and Jimmy were laughing like crazy, banging their fists on the table. -"Hey !! What the hell are you doing, Kenny ?!" He was rummaging through Cartman's backpack and holding the letter tightly in his left hand. He then stormed running towards the door of the cafeteria, dodging the hand of his friend who tried to grab his parka. -"Damn, fuck you Kenny !" he shouted, getting up from his seat to run after him. Butters ran away to the other side, and Timmy's alliance began rushing to the cafeteria door. Wendy, at the girls' table, also stood up, aware that something was happening. As soon as he left the school, Kenny became Mysterion, and ran without knowing where to go. His plan was doubtful. -"Freedom Pals ! We must protect Mysterion at all costs !" the Doctor sent to the alliance. "Given his current attitude, the Raccoon risks doing the irreparable."-"They're running towards the main street !" Callgirl announced, watching dots move on her phone.-"You put TRACKERS on us ?!" Tweek exclaimed.-"Nope..." The thunder guy flew away in a flash to get a comprehensive view of the city, but he couldn't see either Mysterion or the Raccoon. In an alley, the two heroes faced each other. -"Give me the letter, Mysterion !"-"Never ! What are you going to do with it anyway ?!" His opponent took a deep breath and joined his hands. -"Have you noticed Timmy acting weird around Jimmy lately ? I think there's something to be dug up there."-"Are you stupid or what ?!" Mysterion exclaimed. "They've always been like that ! It's their whole thing !"-"I just want to help them !" the Raccoon justified himself. "You know very well Timmy never had a boyfriend !" Their discussion got suddenly interrupted by whirring sounds behind the Raccoon. -"Oh well, speak of the devil..." Doctor Timothy was at the other end of the alley, staring at him. -"You are cornered now, Eric. Give up."-"You're not gonna do shit !" the Raccoon answered. "I've got plenty of evidence against you ! I just want to help !"-"You'll be more helpful if you left Mysterion alone and dropped the case."-"Ah ! There you are !" Toolshed called across the street, reaching for his toolbelt. -"Move over, Doctor !" he shouted. He then threw something flying at high speeds towards the Raccoon who, way too easily to Toolshed's liking, threw it back at the Doctor, who fell down from his wheelchair. -"Seriously, Stan ? You throw soo bad !"-"Timothy !" Lying on the ground, he looked at his hands : he no longer saw them. Indeed, they were tied behind his back by Toolshed's trap. He was therefore not able to use his psychic powers. Mysterion ran towards him and the Raccoon clawed his face, causing him to fall. His opponent then grabbed the letter and Timmy, and put one in his pocket and the other one over his shoulder before running away. -"You fucking yaoi obsessed freak !" Mysterion shouted. Meanwhile, Kyle, Scott, Clyde and Jimmy were left in the cafeteria, having no idea of what was going on. -"We should get to them, right ?" Clyde asked concertedly.-"Oh no !" Kyle declared. "We leave them in their mess !"-"I'm going !" Jimmy said as he got up from the table.-"Me too !" Scott followed.-"Well, guess I'm going too..."-"Aw, come on ! Always sticking your nose into stuff that doesn't concern you." As soon as they left the school, Jimmy received a notification : Callgirl was calling him ! -"Fastpass ! We need you in the northern sector on the town ! The Raccoon is holding Doctor Timothy hostage !" He opened his eyes wide and got closer to his phone. -"Eh ?! But w-why ?"-"He suspects him of being the author of the letter, and says he has plenty of proof ! Come on, boys !" Jimmy stopped as Callgirl hung up, eyes fixed on his phone and face slightly red.Please no. -"Come on, let's hurry !" Mosquito flew away, and Fastpass and Captain Diabetes ran towards the chase. Tupperware had placed turrets on each side of the street, whose fire the enemy avoided by hiding behind cars. -"Just you wait, bastard !" he shouted as he sped. "I'm going to rip your secret out of your fucking mouth !"-"TIMMY !!!" An argument broke out between the two as the Raccoon broke down the door to the town's hospital. All heroes except Wonder Tweek, who was in the wrong side of town, soon followed. -"Going through ! We are superheroes, we can do that !" Callgirl exclaimed around the hospital. They arrived on the roof : the Raccoon was waiting there, wind blowing under his cape, holding Timmy's handcuffs. Super Craig tried to approach him, but he backed away, coming dangerously close to the edge. -"You move, he falls !" he declared. -"TIMMY !"-"You don't have to do that, dude !" Toolshed said. Wonder Tweek finally found his way and landed in a rush. -"Holy shit ! What's going on ?!"-"Hostage situation." Super Craig said.-"Holy shit !"-"I am not letting him go unless he admits that he wrote the letter !" The psychic didn't expect the matter to get this big. Wonder Tweek was right : he is now on the verge of death ! No ideas were running through his brain, he had no idea how to get out of the position he was in. -"I'm sure you are all on on this !" the Raccoon declared in the silence. "But I'm going to wait a little, because we're not in the best part yet ! You called Jimmy, right Callgirl ? I see why they call you that now." She realized her mistake : by calling Jimmy, she was risking the Absolute Public Shame for Timmy ! She witnessed this phenomenon before, when a boy asked her friend Bebe out. The poor guy had been crying all day long... But before she could grab her phone to call him back, the door to the stairs opened wide, and Fastpass sped onto the roof, alone. Callgirl gestured to him to stay away, but he moved forward into the superhero crowd and faced the Raccoon from afar. -"Oh hey ! The star of the afternoon !" he said like a TV host. "We were all waiting for you !"-"Everything he says is wrong, Fastpass !" Tupperware warned him. "Don't listen to him !" Timothy had wandering eyes, looking everywhere except in front of him. -"I'm just saying, but i have proof that your best friend here has a crush on you... This may be info that you don't want to hear..." But Jimmy was curious : he wanted to hear what his current enemy had to say.He wanted his proof, he desperately wanted to hear it but deep down, he was disgusted of himself. -"Go ahead. As long as you d-don't throw him into the v-void." the speedster said with an inscrutable voice, feeling a burst of courage run through him. His fellow superheroes were surprised by his reaction. -"He's confident..." Toolshed whispered. -"Let him cook." Mysterion answered, holding his bleeding face with both hands. "That's not enough to ruin a friendship like theirs." Timmy turned his face away, burning from the inside. He was psychologically preparing himself for what he was about to face. The Raccoon cleared his throat, and began his speech. -"Alright. When we left for the mall on the day of the mission, your dear colleague was not in the base with us, but only arrived AFTERWARDS, which allowed him to leave the letter here. No need for the keys, because he can teleport, right ?" Jimmy nodded. Wendy covered her ears, protecting herself from the second-hand embarrassment. -"Right. So, while investigating on my own, i immediately placed Timothy here as the prime suspect due to the rather... special nature of your relationship. With no bad pun intended, of course. But then, i asked myself a big question..."-"How did you manage to be so stupid ?"-"No, Super Craig, no. I asked myself : how did he write a whole letter if he doesn't know how to actually write ? I'll spare you the Mexican part, but i went to Toolshed's house and stole the letter AND the little ink bottle on his desk."-"But why the bottle though ?" Tupperware asked.-"Don't encourage him, dude !" Toolshed said.-"That's the best part ! After Stan's, i went to Timmy's. I remembered his dad is an author, and broke into his office. Then i opened his printer, a very expensive one by the way, i wonder how he paid for that, and constated that the ink in the bottle was the SAME as the ink in the printer !" Timmy glared daggers at him. This bastard had gone through his dad's office ! What else could he do if he was capable of doing that ? -"But... This is not the only place i visited..." Oh fuck. -"Obviously, he deleted the letter from his files. But then i opened a text file, and noticed with great surprise that the last font used was the SAME font used for the letter ! Because yes, it is possible to print a text file on a squared sheet. And what's more ? It belonged to a paid font pack that the school computers DON'T have ! What's do you say about that now, huh ?" The superheroes were speechless. Everything was coherent and pretty convincing : the Raccoon had erased every possible doubt about the author, who was sitting on the ground, terribly embarrassed. -"So ?" the Raccoon said. "What do you think, Jimmy ?" The latter's mind was fuzzy and his hands were gripping the handles of his crutches tightly. He looked at Timmy, whose face drastically changed. He was looking at his colleague straight in the eyes, having a message to convey. He had a plan. -"Untie him !" Jimmy said. "He's got s-something to say." The Raccoon surprinsingly did so, and Timmy smiled slightly as he placed his hand on his temple. -"First of all, I'd like to congratulate Eric Cartman here for his intelligence and incredible investigative mind. Of all the Freedom Pals, he was the one i least expected of being capable of solving the case." The heroes were surprised again by such an answer : what was he doing ? Was it an attempt to manipulate his captor ? -"Second of all, i also didn't expect this matter to go this far. And i thank everyone who managed to keep my culpability a secret, which are all of you expect Fastpass and the Raccoon." Jimmy turned to his colleagues in disbelief. -"You KNEW ???" They looked away and shrugged. They weren't denying it at least. Timmy laughed. -"And finally, i announce here and now that this entire investigation was a test aimed at verifying your team cohesion and your capacity to resolve problems." This absolutely incredible made-up conclusion was the best Timmy could come up with at the moment, and he looked around hoping no one would notice his nervousness. A very loud "WHAT ???" emerged from the shocked crowd. They've been fooled ! Everything was fake ! But not for Mysterion, who already knew the truth. -"You wimp." he whispered, and Callgirl turned towards him. Jimmy was extraordinarily relieved. He wouldn't have known how to act otherwise. -"All of that for a fucking test ?!" the Raccoon said, grabbing Timothy by his tie. "You really are a coward until the end, are you ?!" In intense anger, he grabbed Timmy's wrists and tied them back together again. -"L-Let him go, you son of a bitch !" With a swing of his arm, the psychic fell into the void. He knew very well that he was not going to die there. He had someone. -"Oh shit ! On the verge of crashing d-down ! You okay, man ?" Obviously. Jimmy was now princess carrying him with a worried face. His colleague felt tears of laughter welling up in his eyes as Jimmy untied his arms. -"Hey, w-why are you laughing ?" Because you f-fooled everyone with your shortsighted conc-clusion ?" Jimmy said, bringing his face closer to his friend's. "Just kidding, just kidding !" Timmy pushed away his head with a hand, looking away with a burning feeling in the chest. -"I think he's just upset that his ships aren't canon." he managed to say, and Jimmy bursted out laughing. -"Ah, you're there !" The two turned their heads to Mosquito and Captain Diabetes, out of breath. They ran through the entire city ! -"Don't worry, fellow Freedom Pals ! The matter is solved !" Jimmy announced. "It was a team cohesion test !" Timmy gave a confirmatory thumbs up. The two who just arrived sighed loudly in annoyance. -"All that for this ?" the captain said, out of breath. -"It's disappointing !" Mosquito added. In the end, Timmy was certainly a big wimp, but frankly, he didn't care. The main thing is that Jimmy didn't know anything. He succeeded in his mission at the same time he failed it, and that was much better. As for Jimmy, he couldn't stop himself from being a little hurt. But the outcome was kind of what he hoped for and the best thing that could have happened. He could just repress his feelings a bit longer. After all, their friendship suited him well. "Case closed : no culprit. Test of cohesion and problem resolution. Test passed." Tupperware typed back to the headquarters.