KylexCraig or CraigxKyle.
I love this pairing. Oh my Jebus.
Hanukkah was completely different from Christmas.
As someone who was Jewish and didn't celebrate the holiday, he was fairly excited to help someone decorate for once. He thought of paper snowflakes and sugar cookies baking in the oven, something relatively simple. But he was surprised when Craig Tucker came crawling from his basement with a large Christmas tree in tow.
Green, prickly and bushy. Of course all pine trees were, but this one was... different. Sure, it was fake; but it wasn't exactly a pine tree anymore. It was a Christmas tree.
Kyle Broflovski retrieved two boxes from the Tucker basement that were labeled crudely, 'Christmas shit.' He set after them since Craig struggled to get the tree up the stairs by himself and stated multiple times he didn't need help. Kyle was convinced that Craig thought of himself as a self-proclaimed 'He-Man'.
He carried them to the base of the tree, slipping onto his knees to riffle through them. Beside him Craig sat, with a bowl of popcorn in his lap, threading it onto string. Kyle would have never guessed he was good with his hands-
Erm, well, not like that! Well, maybe… no! Kyle shook off the thought. Thinking about what those large hands could do made his stomach flip. The chullo man did have a talent. He was wearing his very own knitted Christmas sweater after all… The redhead muttered an offhand, 'Oh god' under his breath. Those hands must have been incredibly talented to do all kinds of things…
Craig interrupted the inappropriate thoughts, his nasally voice shattering through them like glass. "Are you going to sit there and day-dream or are you going to help me?"
"O-oh yeah, yeah dude. I was just thinking about how excited I am-" his eyes peered down to the noirette's steadily working fingers for a moment before raising a few octaves, "T-to place the ornaments on the tree!"
Maybe Kyle had a hand fetish or something?
Kyle swallowed audibly, trying to hide the blush on his face. He was known for getting embarrassed and his ears, in turn, became bright red. Even brighter than his locks. It was like some kind of twisted Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer shit.
He had to swallow again, as if there was cotton stuck in his throat. He was turning into Kenny, slowly but surely.
"Great."
Kyle sighed off the embarrassment, instead he set his attention on the boxes. He opened the first one, setting his eyes upon the ornaments. "Wow!"
"Wow, what?" Craig snapped slightly, looking over the redhead's shoulder. "Is there a wolf spider in there or something? Gold maybe?"
Kyle fished up two red orbs, holding them up, peering at his reflection in the bauble. "It's just, really pretty."
"Stop rubbing my balls." Craig joked. By looking at him you really couldn't tell it was a joke. He always sounded the same and his monotone expression never changed. Get Christophe and Craig in a room together and there would be many laughs to be had.
Of course that's sarcasm.
Because they're assholes.
The Jew gave him a rather sly smirk, rubbing them slightly. "Huh, I always thought they would be a bit bluer."
"Wow, you're so funny. You're a comedic genius. I think people need to really hear a few of your stage acts. You're just that talented."
Kyle gave the man a look, placing the baubles back in their box. The redhead opened the other box and right away noticed the rather large knot of tangled lights. Kyle heard about people getting pissed off about Christmas lights and now he understood what they meant. It looked nearly impossible and Kyle knew if he touched it, he would make it a lot worse.
So, instead of admitting he needed help, he oh-so subtly pushed it into Craig. The man, while not even looking up, scooted them back in the Jew's direction with scoff. "You wanted to do this."
The redhead scooted unconsciously closer to Craig, working on untangling the cords. Tugging and pulling and yanking… Here he thought he would be baking cookies or something. Then something popped into his head. He stopped for a moment, looking to the noirette. "Hey, why doesn't your family decorate the Christmas tree?"
Kyle could have mentally beat himself up right then and there.
Craig snapped the string with his teeth and tied the end with a knot. His popcorn string complete. "After dad left with Ruby, mom doesn't want to do holidays anymore. But just because she's selfish about it doesn't mean I don't want to celebrate it."
That was just that. Craig's father, Thomas, had divorced Laura a while ago. Craig's mother was known for being… strange. A drunk, a bad mother and completely enveloped in her son's life. At least, that was what Kyle had observed.
Basically, Craig didn't have a family.
The only family he had… was himself.
"I-I didn't mean to say it like that… I-I was just-"
"…That's why I have you," He cut off the redhead, "So I don't have to do it by myself."
Kyle hid his face. He wanted him around? Well, apart from bringing up his family issues, everything was going swell. He brought his attention back to the knot before Craig yanked it out of his hand, undoing it in a few quick motions. See? He was amazing with his hands. He took it and began to whirl it around the tree along with the strand of popcorn.
"So, Craig," Kyle started timidly, "Do you like Christmas or something?"
It was a stupid question but a question nonetheless.
"What do you think?"
"I mean, why?"
"Why not?"
A good enough answer for a stupid question.
Craig finished with his job, flopping back beside Kyle. It seemed like he was an expert on it already. Craig had a lot to teach Kyle… being more experienced anyways. He could teach him a lot about those tricks he does with his hands-
Kyle shuttered at the thought and turned his attention back to the ornaments. He fished out an ugly-looking snowman and grinned. "This looks like a preschooler made it."
Craig's eyes flicker to it as he scoffed. "That's because it was. Note the initials 'CT' on the bottom."
Kyle peeked under it and sure enough, CT stared back at him. A Craig Tucker original.
He thought of the noirette as a bright little boy, smiling and happy. Making a crude snowman for his mother and fath-
It must have been hard growing up alone.
But that crude little snowman, it was a good thing. A happy thing. He could sense it. Kyle couldn't keep himself from smiling as he took it, lifting it to a high branch. "I'll put it near the top-"
And just like that, the string suspending the snowman snapped and the ugly thing dropped onto the floor, shattering to bits. Craig watched with his mouth agape. Kyle's eyes led to the snowman then back to Craig's shocked face. He broke it. A memento. Something he made back when he was a cute little shit. Gone. Poof. Broke.
Kyle waited for the insult, but it never came-
"Way to go, Butterfingers. Why don't you just dump the box onto the floor and get it over with?"
He scooped it up, looking down to the pitiful snowman. "Dude, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."
"Whatever, let me just help you so you don't break anything else."
Kyle placed the pieces of the snowman back into the box. And the two began to hang the ornaments. Craig got the tippy top and Kyle got the bottom. You know, the bottom was for the less experienced anyways.
Kyle took a smaller ornament and Craig stopped him, his hand brushing against his. "No, you have to put the bigger ones at the bottom. Smaller one's go on the top."
Kyle wasn't sure but how he said it… sounded extremely sexual. Kyle was smaller and Craig was bigger. He let his mind wander for a moment, hiding a flush as he pretended to admire his work. He didn't know but Craig was watching him, observing him.
"Wanna get the star at the top?" Craig asked suddenly.
"But you're taller."
"This is your first time. I'll let you do it."
Kyle looked all around, seeing no way to get to the top without sending the tree over with him in the process of trying to reach it and keeping it secure. "Could I step onto your back?"
Craig rolled his eyes, snatching up the man and boosting him upward. Kyle felt Craig's face burrow into his chest as his gasped, trying to keep a hold of the star. Kyle shivered, feeling his breathes making their way past the fabric.
He couldn't take anymore.
He set the star on clumsily. Completely distracted by Craig, he gave the man a tap on the head. "Dude, put me down!"
The two were finished and Kyle sat back on the dingy carpet, seeing it in its whole. Craig bent down and plugged the lights in and it came to life in colors. "Wow dude, we did pretty sweet job."
"Yep." Craig responded simply, scooting beside him.
Out of the blue, the lights around them died, a low noise accompanying it. The whole house went pitch black.
It seemed like everything Craig wanted to go right, went wrong.
"I forgot to remind mom about the electric bill… Again." Kyle glanced over to the man with the not-so obvious look of disappointment on his face. He continued to look at the Christmas tree, even though it wasn't lit. He drew his knees to his chest. "…Merry Christmas."
"Hey, it's still just as pretty as it is off." Kyle tried to sound reassuring. "Merry Christmas Craig… It's been a lot of fun decorating with you."
Craig lips twitched upward. His only sign of a smile.
Kyle thought for a moment what Stan or Clyde would do in this situation. So, he pulled the man in a bro-hug. Kyle leaned in, attempting to kiss his cheek and say something sweet to warm Craig's heart but it didn't go exactly as planned…
Craig tilted his head last-minute and their lips met.
The redhead yipped in surprise as the friendly kiss turned somewhat rough, Craig's fingers running through his hair, yanking and tugging. Kyle melted at the mere thought of his hands running through his jewfro.
He sucked in a breath. Was it even happening? Craig yanked him tighter into his side, clawing into him, urging for more as he drew his lip into his awaiting mouth. Now Kyle wasn't the type to get 'fresh' with just anyone. Craig, who wouldn't want to get a little frisky with him?
…Not a lot of people.
Kyle felt the warmth of his lips leave him and the redhead sat there with his eyes shut and lips puckered. He peeked an eye open and Craig gave that same deadpanned look.
He hid a blush, clearing his throat loudly. "You must have hung up a mistletoe or something like t-that I didn't, you know, like see… right?"
Craig ignored him, instead yanked him roughly into his arms, "Thanks for helping with the tree, Rudolph. It's been a lot of fun decorating with you too."
Kyle held his ears as the chullo man buried the Jew into his chest, looking on at the silhouette of the tree and the soft snowfall outside the window.
Hanukkah was completely different from Christmas.
Because Christmas had Craig.