South Park: An Adventure Into the Deep

The First Day of Summer

Kyle sat up in Stan's bed, wearing his purposefully childish Terrence and Phillip shirt from the day before and boxers. He remembered falling asleep with socks on but when he woke his right sock was gone and the left was barely hanging onto his foot. He ran his fingers through his hair, only for them to get caught on several knots. Stretching, his fingers free of his deadly curls, he glanced around the room for his jeans.

It didn't take him long to find them, dark blue and lying in a twisted ball next to Stan's bed. He tugged them on as he got out of bed and stumbled to the door. As Kyle walked downstairs he heard Stan faintly singing along to an unfamiliar song, only stopping to hum the words he didn't know.

Kyle followed Stan's voice to the kitchen, "Morning." Kyle croaked, his throat dry. Stan turned from the stove to look at him, he was already in fresh clothes. His black hair was damp at the ends, showing he'd had a shower. "Hey man!" He smiled, turning back to the pan on the stove-top. "I'm making chocolate chip pancakes," He looked at Kyle over his shoulder with a smirk. "Want any?"

"Hell yeah I want some." Kyle took a seat at the island and extended his hand dramatically in front of himself as he spoke, "Stan Marsh's famous double c pancakes! Count me in." Stan laughed and said,  "They aren't that good." Kyle gave him a playfully stern glare. "Damn right they're that good."

Stan pretended to ponder this new point before nodding his head, "Now that I think about it, yeah you're totally right. I should be a pancake chef." Kyle took a pancake off of the plate Stan set on the island to cool. Ignoring the heat, he took a bite and with burning chocolate filling his mouth he said "Oh, absolutely." They both laughed, despite Kyle's now sore mouth.

One delicious breakfast, a harmlessly burned mouth and half an hour later Stan and Kyle were in the living room looking for something to watch on tv. Kyle sat on one corner of the couch, Stan on the other. Though they were both so sprawled out and comfortable that their legs overlapped. Kyle was trying to read the description of different shows but Stan was scrolling through so fast that he could only grasp a couple of words before the text changed. On the bright side it made for an interesting Frankenstein description in his mind.

Looking at his friend, Kyle saw his blue eyes were glazed over with boredom directed at the tv. Thinking for a moment he decided, rather the bags under his eyes decided, that they could go get some coffee. He stood, playfully kicking Stan's legs away as he did. Stan broke his bored gaze at the tv and replaced it with a quizzical look in Kyle's direction. "What's going on?"

Kyle shrugged, "I figured we could go visit Craig and Tweek, annoy them for some coffee." He attempted to straighten the legs of his jeans only to hear Stan speak. "Dude, you look great." He reassured Kyle but when he looked down at his wrinkled shirt and not quite clean jeans he sneered and mumbled, "I look frumpy." With a head tilt reminiscent of a dog and an attempted smile Stan spoke, his voice ending with the upturn of a question. "Frumpy is good?" Kyle laughed and brushed his hand over his shirt, "Right, that's why I get all the ladies." Stan scoffed as they tugged on their shoes, "Says the guy who's never even had a girlfriend."

Kyle shrugged, "Hey, you don't know that for sure. Maybe I had a little something when I was in Jersey." Stan scoffed again, just as playfully as Kyle. "Yeah, right" He grinned.  Opening the door for Stan and closing it behind himself, Kyle smiled back. "Alright, we'll make it our mission this summer to find a girlfriend for me." Stan shook his head. "No way man, those adventures and missions are in the past." He paused and shuddered. "I am not going back to Hell."

*    *    *

Stan's truck rattled as he pulled over the dip in the road to the entrance of the Tweek Bros. Coffee parking lot. Kyle recalled the first few times they'd been in this truck, they both jumped when it rattled or made an odd noise. Now, though, Kyle simply sat up properly in his seat and held onto the plastic bar above the door to steady himself.

The large windows that were the walls of the shop gave a perfect view of Tweek and Craig inside. Walking to the entrance with Stan, Kyle noticed that there was only one other customer, Clyde Donavan. Clyde has light brown hair, laid stylishly atop his head. His face only a bit chubbier than Stan's, the same going for the rest of his body. He isn't overweight, barely close to it, but he is a little on the heavy side. Though, as a popular football player, he claims it's muscle.

Kyle waved to Clyde and, looking up from his phone, he waved back. Kyle wasn't at all surprised to see him here. He is, after all, one of Craig's close friends. Kyle turned back to the others behind the counter just in time to see Craig with a small smile and Tweek offering a shakier version in response to Stan's grin. Tweek is a relatively short guy, a full head smaller than his boyfriend Craig. He has social anxiety and trichotillmania, causing him to be on edge and absently pull out his hair. At times, when he's having  anxiety attacks, he'll yank out clumps of his hay colored feathery hair. Because of this, Craig has recently started making him pin back his hair to get it out of his face. 'Out of sight, out of mind.' He said. This worked for a few weeks before Tweek developed the habit of biting his nails.

Tweek stood, anxious behind the counter but ready to help, picking off the colorful nail polish on his left hand. Another attempt to break his bad habits by Craig. Craig is a bit of a recluse. With messy black hair and grey eyes that pierce your soul, it isn't hard to see why. Being a master of resting bitch face doesn't make it any harder. He likes it, though. He only needs Tweek and a couple of friends, though he's passive to mostly everyone.

"Hey Kyle, Stan." Craig spoke, looking at each of them as he did. "What can I get for you today?" "Just the regular, for me. You, Kyle?" Stan looked at him expectantly. "Oh, just an espresso, thank you." Craig nodded, tapping the screen in front of him. "Small?" He asked. "Yes, please." Kyle answered, Tweek piping up afterward. "Good choice, Kyle. Stuffs really strong, almost too strong for me."

Tweek blushed, a nervous blush that reached the tops of his ears. Smiling, Kyle thanked him for the advice and told him that he'd keep it in mind. Tweek's response was a slightly too rushed nod and pulling at the joints in his fingers. Kyle had once overheard him tell Craig that touching his bones calmed him. To each their own.

The boys chatted with the pair while Tweek made their coffees. "So," Craig began when the conversation came to a standstill. "What's uh, this?" He wagged a finger between Stan and Kyle, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Stan smiled and snaked his arm around Kyle's waist. "You know. Three months going strong." Kyle laughed, leaning into his friend's embrace and playing along. Clyde sounded from behind the group. "Oh, you guys are a thing now?" Stan and Kyle laughed and pulled away from each other. "Nah," Kyle said. "We're just messing with the boys." He gestured to Craig and Tweek.

Clyde furrowed his eyebrows, seemingly unconvinced by Kyle's claim. It was true, of course. Stan and Kyle are just friends, really close and caring friends but only friends all the same. "Unfair." Craig whined jokingly, giving them their coffees. "But really, you guys do what feels right. Not what you think others want you to. It worked out well with me and Tweek, but we actually are gay. Not every pair of close boys is." Kyle nodded, taking every word seriously. Stan didn't seem to be too interested, though.

No one was really pressuring them to be together, a few jokes every so often but nothing more than that. Kyle couldn't help but wonder, though, what being closer would feel like.