A/N: strictly a pwp drabble. Please forgive gammar/punctuation errors, as I know that they are here aplenty. I have edited and re-edited this, and I still can't get it to turn out just how I want it to *sigh* but this is as close as I can get it to acceptable for me without completely rewriting the entire story. They still feel a bit ooc to me, but maybe I'm being oversensitive... idunno.
My personal issues aside, dear reader, allow me to brighten your day with some fluff. If you like, maybe brighten mine with a review? Yes? No? Either way, enjoy!
Rain
It was raining.
It was always raining here it seemed.
Not that anyone minded too much.
Stan came in through the doorway of the apartment, banging open the door with such force that the ginger in the kitchen nearly dropped the glass coffee pot that he held in his hands. Thoroughly immersed in his own good mood, he immediately kicked off his shoes and swept further into the entryway. A few feet found him standing before the aforementioned redhead, glass pot clutched tightly in freckled hands.
"Sorry about that babe" he said softly, wrapping Kyle in his arms and pecking him on the lips. Kyle allowed himself to be held for a few seconds before drew back a bit. "You're soaking wet." he said equally as softly, mock-glaring at Stan for the cold wetness that now spread down the front of his pale blue apron.
Looking down at himself, as if noticing for the first time, Stan reluctantly let go of him. "That I am" he said with a slight smile. Not able to help himself, Kyle broke his pouting glare and smiled back a little bit as well.
"Well, go get some dry clothes on" he said, turning Stan around toward the bathroom and giving him a light pat on the behind. Stan gave a smirk over his shoulder that sent a decidedly warm shiver down Kyle's spine before heading off to get changed.
Kyle turned back around and began to untie the soaked apron, a rosy hue spreading to his cheeks and a deeper smile rising to his lips. Humming a nonsensical tune to himself, he put the coffee pot in its place in the maker and slid the machine back next to the wall where it belonged. His hands lingered on the counter and he found his eyes being drawn to the window.
The sky was much darker than its usual grey raining color and the not-so-tiny droplets streaked down the glass pane, distorting view of the outside world. Kyle always found the rain to be comforting and calming, even more so now in the November twilight. The sun's rays were long gone, but the caramel hues cast by the streetlights outside always gave him a deep sense of serenity. He shivered as the warm palm of his hand came into contact with the cool glass. He was not even aware that he had moved his arm in the first place.
He jerked his arm back as he heard the shuffling of Stan behind him. Turning around slowly, he felt a pleasant surge of warmth at seeing his boyfriend in nothing but a pair of Kyle's flannel pajama bottoms. Stan was busy retying the waistband to make them accommodate his larger frame, but a smile worked its way onto his face as he looked up and saw Kyle watching him with some interest. He sauntered across the floor to the window and again wrapped Kyle in his arms, kissing him for longer this time. "Better?" he asked, bending down slightly to be able to look Kyle in the eye. Despite himself, Kyle giggled a little. "Better."
Stan then unexpectedly pulled him to his chest and picked the redhead up, causing Kyle to shriek a little to himself.
"Sta-a-a-n" he cried, mockingly hitting the raven's shoulders "Put me down!"
Stan carried him into the living room area and sat down on the couch, pulling Kyle onto his lap. "Not 'till you tell me how your day was" he smiled, ruffling Kyle's hair. Kyle smiled back. "If your good mood is any indication, I'd hazard to guess that yours was much better. You'd probably better tell me about yours first."
"Well okay, if you insist." Stan smiled wider, simply beaming back at Kyle.
"Come on, tell me." Kyle whined, pouting again.
Stan smiled wider. "That asshole in accounting finally got fired last week, and the boss can suddenly afford to *acehm* furnish my salary a bit more."
Kyle's eyes lit up. "You got a raise?"
Stan smiled back. "I got a raise."
Kyle leaned forward and hugged Stan as hard as he could, and Stan was only willing to comply, squeezing back with the same ferocity. After a few seconds the two pulled apart and stared at each other, smiling.
Kyle was preparing to get up, when Stan's hand unexpectedly reached out and touched his cheek. His smile immediately dimmed as he caught the suddenly serious look in Stan's eyes. He opened up his hand and Kyle leaned his face gently into it, willing to comply with the unforeseen (but not unwelcome) display of affection.
Stan's hand led him back down and he kissed him for even longer this time, gently savoring the feeling of the small amount of shared warmth. Hesitantly, he pulled back and looked his boyfriend in the eye, the slightest of blushes beginning to tinge his cheeks.
It was then that the clock on the mantlepiece decided to chime the hour, and Kyle began to squirm in his arms. Looking toward the kitchen he meekly mumbled "I have to make supper."
A brief look of disappointment washed over Stan's face, but he let Kyle go, his eyes lingering on the doorway to the kitchen long after he had disappeared. His hand instinctively began searching for the remote and he flipped on the TV, where the weather forecaster was saying something about a severe thunderstorm moving into the area. He could only half concentrate on the TV the entire time that Kyle prepared their food.
As usual, Stan was the first back to the living room after eating, trying to find a movie on that was halfway decent. In the kitchen he could hear Kyle loading the dishes into the dishwasher and starting it up.
It seemed like forever before Kyle appeared in the doorway, looking markedly tired as he flopped onto the couch next to him. Stan pulled him a little closer just as thunder rumbled ominously in the distance. Kyle looked toward the window as if he could see the source of the noise. Stan gave him a reassuring squeeze, and Kyle couldn't help smiling back a little. He cuddled up to Stan's side and watched him flip through the channels, finding nothing and stopping on the weather again. The weatherman was pointing out the large thunderstorm that was due to arrive any minute, according to the radar.
Stan made a small sound that sounded like a snort. "We moved out here thinking it would be a far cry from South Park. I guess it is. Instead of always snowing it's always raining."
And as if to prove his point, the lights flickered briefly. Kyle opened his mouth to reply, when the lights flickered for a longer time before going out. Both sat in the dark for a second, unsure of what to do, before Stan rose.
"I'll go get some candles" he said, disappearing into to the door to the kitchen. Kyle sat in the darkness, listening to Stan rifle through the drawer and noticing how much colder the house already seemed to be. He shivered to himself a little and grabbed for a blanket when Stan reappeared in the doorway, although he was only a dark shadow to Kyle. He sat and watched as Stan methodically set small candles up around the living room and lighting them. Within a few minutes he had the room bathed in a warm amber-tinted light before rejoining Kyle on the couch.
"Cold?" he asked needlessly, getting under the blanket and snuggling close, already enjoying his boyfriend's body heat. Kyle nodded needlessly before looking up at Stan. "What now?"
Stan wrapped his arms around Kyle's waist and pulled Kyle's face a little closer. Kyle took the hint and closed the space between them slowly, lingering there for the longest time that day.
He pulled back, only when the need to breathe became too great, and stared down into Stan's face, bathed in candlelight. Stan kissed the redhead's forehead, pulling him gently to his chest. Kyle nuzzled his face into the crook of Stan's neck, immersing himself in the achingly familiar musky scent.
They lay there for some time, before Stan could hear Kyle's breathing deepen and slow tellingly. Careful not to wake his sleeping lover, he minutely repositioned himself to a more comfortable position, falling asleep to the surprisingly gentle sound of the rain.