When Seasons Collide
There was something in the air that afternoon. It seemed as if all the boys could feel it too, because the four lifelong friends all stared into the green-grey horizon with such a sense of contentment and peace about each of them. Even Cartman.
…Although it appeared as if he was trying to strangle the life right out of the tree branch he was swinging from.
"Cartman, you're gonna snap that branch right in half if you keep that up," The red-headed one called lazily, rolling his eyes of which shone several shades brighter than the green in the sky.
The heavy brunette stopped swinging for a moment and dropped his head back, staring right through the bare branches of the tree he was abusing and into Kyle's eyes. "It's helping me think."
The raven haired one raised his eyebrows slightly, still staring into the late winter's sunset shrouded in clouds. "Are you sure you mean thinking?" he asked, resting his dark hair into the tree trunk he was leaning against. "Not conniving, or scheming, or plotting?"
The blonde one laughed.
"Yeah, fucking hilarious, Stan," Cartman said sourly, glancing over to the skinny teen.
Stan smiled back at him. "Alright, I'm sorry. What are you thinking about, then?"
"How about what I did with Craig in the boy's bathroom at school today?" Kenny suggested, taking the time to stretch out on the ground; which was coated with a thin layer of packed snow. The blonde rolled over onto his back and crossed his arms behind his head, grinning to the sky and squinting through his hair. "I know I am."
Kyle twirled a stray curl of hair that escaped his puffy green hat around his finger and stared at Kenny, not having the luxury of stretching out unless he wanted to fall out of the tree. "What? Why? What did you guys do?"
"Dude, why do you want to know?" Stan asked, shaking his head and grinning.
"Ugh, you guys, I'm seriously…" Cartman muttered, re-adjusting his grip on the tree branch. "Stop homogenizing my friends, Kenny!"
"Homogenizing?" Kenny asked, lifting his head to stare quizzically at Cartman.
Stan and Kyle did the same.
"Yeah, me and Craig were like, um, gonna go pick up chicks at the mall this weekend and now we, um, can't, because you made him a homo. And the last thing I need is more queer bait hanging around me," Cartman drawled on stupidly.
"Hah!" Kenny laughed. "You mean Craig would charm the ladies and you would sit by the big water fountain and chug orange smoothies, like you always do when you go to the mall."
Cartman attempted to kick snow at Kenny from the air and failed.
"Funny how only you can relate something like coming out of the closet with food, Cartman," Kyle said. "Homogenize… now I want some milk and cookies."
Stan blinked up at Kyle and then looked back to Cartman. "Are you kidding, Cartman?" he said. "Girls love gay guys, or at least guys that seem gay. Why do you think Kenny and Butters always attract so many girls?"
Kenny lifted a finger in protest. "I resent that… wait… nevermind." The orange sleeved arm fell back to the earth lazily.
Cartman sighed. "Chicks are too fucking confusing."
"Is that what you were thinking about, Eric? Chicks?" Kenny asked, as he slid his arms and legs on the ground in the shape of a snow angel.
"No," Cartman answered, reaching his toes to the ground in order to rest his arms. "I was…"
"You shouldn't focus on women so much anyways, Cartman," Kyle said. "You should be focusing more on homework on the weekends, instead of going to the mall and wasting money on food."
Cartman rolled his eyes. "Pffft, everything's a waste of money, in your Jew mind," he retorted.
Kyle snapped a twig off the tree and tossed it onto Cartman's head. "I'm serious, fatass."
Cartman finally released the branch, making it spring back into place and the tree shudder from the sudden movement.
"Hey, be careful, buttlord!" Kyle called down, making his way down the tree after a moment.
Stan abandoned his position at the trunk and wandered directly under the branches Kyle was climbing down and looked up, smiling. "Nice unders, Kye."
Kyle stopped and looked down, blushing. "What?!"
"There's a tear in those old jeans, finally," Stan announced, still staring.
"And you're staring at Kyle's balls why, Stanley?" Kenny asked, sitting up and grinning. The blonde shook his hair and stood up carefully, inspecting his snow angel. "Whaddya think, Eric?" Kenny asked, pointing at his work of art proudly.
Cartman twirled the twig Kyle had thrown at his head in between his fingers and walked over to Kenny once Kyle dropped from the tree safely. "I think it's like, ten years late, Ken."
Kenny shook his head and slung his arm around Cartman's neck. "Aw, lighten up dude. How can you be anything but happy and… what's the word… optimistic, when you look at this?"
Kenny wasn't pointing at his snow angel anymore though; he was pointing down the hill they were standing on towards South Park. It might've been the warmest the little town ever looked in winter.
"Woah, dude," Kyle said, walking over beside Cartman with Stan on his other side. The Jew crossed his arms and fixed his eyes on his home. "The town looks beautiful right now."
Cartman turned his head and blinked at him, and then turned back to the town.
"Yeah, it does," Kenny agreed.
Stan nodded.
"…but not as beautiful as Bebe Stevens in a thong," Kenny said after a moment, breaking the silence.
"Annnnd the moment's gone," Kyle announced, grinning. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his dark green coat and began stepping down the snowy hill.
Stan zipped his thick black hoodie up and followed. "You guys wanna go to my house and play FFR on my laptop?"
"You mean let us watch you show off your skills at FFR?" Kenny laughed, following Stan.
Cartman continued to stand at the top of the hill, watching his three best friends. He turned and gazed up at the big oak tree he'd just wasted hours at with them. He took a deep breath of the cool air and twirled the twig in his fingers. "…I was just thinking how glad I am that you fags are my friends."
Kyle turned halfway down the hill to look at Cartman. "Hey, fatass! Aren't you coming?" he yelled, smiling.
Cartman smiled just as wide as Kyle and tossed the twig to the ground before whirling around, running after Kenny. "Yeah I'm coming, Jew!"
A/N: Yeyyy :B This is like, the happiest I've been with a story of mine in a long time. Tell me if you feel the same. :D -nudge nudge-