"The Pet Store"
So I've been hoping that posting some stories I've written will help me with my writer's block… if that makes any sense.
Going shopping is one of Clyde's favorite things to do. For shoes, clothes, hats, sports gear, video games, anything was fun to browse through and look at. The only bad side to a full day of shopping with Craig was that Craig, unlike Clyde, hated shopping. In the event that Craig did need something he didn't own, or on more occasions, something he owned broke, Craig would go to his Mac book and order whatever he needed off the Internet.
However, this did not stop Clyde from dragging Craig to every store on the mall strip. Every store Clyde took Craig into Clyde tried to find at least one thing that he thought Craig would like to look at. Craig would do his best to look interested, but it was hard for Craig to look interested in anything, except maybe Clyde.
This is why Clyde was so surprised when Craig stopped their walk to their car and said, "I wanna go in here."
Clyde stopped with Craig; multiple bags in his hand from the previous shopping, and just watched him. "You… want to go in here… You want to go in somewhere?" Clyde was pretty excited. He would finally have a store that he could turn to for birthdays, Valentine's, and anniversary presents.
"Just for a sec, come on." Craig let go of Clyde's free hand and walked towards the store he took interest in.
Clyde's feet did not move. Once Craig noticed Clyde wasn't following, he took two big steps back, grabbed Clyde's hand, and dragged him towards the store. Clyde let himself be dragged. Although he was the bigger of the two, Clyde secretly enjoyed hearing their friends comment how Clyde had his prince charming.
"Pick up your feet and walk, duck-butt."
Yes, Clyde had his own, special, prince charming.
Craig was in the door before Clyde got a good look at the store. Clyde backed up and looked at the sign on top of the store.
"South Park Pet Stop"
They were at a Pet Store.
Clyde should have figured, of course Craig liked pet stores. He loved Stripe and always had fun little gadgets for him to play with or tasty treats to munch on. Clyde never told Craig, but whenever the two stayed the night at his house, Clyde would pretend that Stripe was theirs, together. Almost like a child they had together.
Clyde noticed Craig looking in at some treats for guinea pigs. He turned his attention to the rabbits in the middle section of the store. Clyde saw how soft his face went. This was the first time Clyde has ever seen Craig look so sweetly at something, other than himself of course.
Clyde pushed the door open. His ears immediately filled with dogs barking and birds chirping. Even a few babies crying could be heard with the whispers of human voices.
Clyde noticed the puppies and automatically began walking over to play with them. He never had a pet when he was younger like a lot of the other kids in South Park did. He knew Stan had a dog and Cartman had a cat, even Kenny had a turtle or two stored in his house somewhere.
Before Clyde could walk to the puppies Craig's voice caught him.
"Let's look at the fish first," Craig casually hooked his arm through Clyde's, leading them to the back.
It was pretty hard for Clyde to focus on fish. To him, fish never reacted to his actions, the merely swam along, like their tank was the only place in the world. He watched as Craig would stop and look into each tank, almost as if he was searching for a certain fish. Thankfully, Craig was a quick browser and didn't take much time finding what Clyde thought to be his favorite fish.
"That one," Craig said as he lightly placed a finger to the tank.
"Which one? I want to see!" Clyde clutched Craig's arm extended to the tank as if that was his only way of seeing the right fish.
"See him?" Craig said, sounding half as hard as his usual tone.
"Where? Which one, the all look the same!" Clyde wanted a good image of the fish. Fish were inexpensive, the perfect gift to give for someone like Clyde.
"He's in the back, look, he's coming." Clyde noticed that as Craig said this, his finger had been pressed gently to the glass he whole time. Clyde watched the fish tank and still struggled to find Craig's fish.
"Come here, buddy," Craig said quietly as a fish swam straight up to Craig's finger. Clyde was trying to figure out how out of the thousands (more like 40) of fish in the tank, how Craig picked the one single fish that looked exactly like all the others. Craig slowly let his finger glide in front of the glass, his chosen fish following it.
Clyde tried getting a fish or two to follow his finger, but none of the fish were interested in his finger. Clyde watched as Craig unknowingly grew a smile on his face. Suddenly, Craig took his finger away and the fish began to swim back into the fish crowd. Clyde made a mental note to try to put that fish on hold until he had enough money to come back and buy him.
Their next big stop in the store was the birds and small pets. Like many pet stores, 'South Park Pet Stop' held its smaller pets; bunnies, guinea pigs and ferrets, along with the parakeets, in a small open box in the middle of the store. That way, people can come and pet them, pick them up and hold them without needing a worker's assistance.
Clyde knew the two would be stopping at this station. Clyde didn't mind the stripe look a likes and his cousins, but the parakeets were driving him insane.
They were constantly squawking and whistling at one another. "Shut up," Clyde said lowly to the birds. The birds paid no attention to his request.
Clyde made sure Craig didn't hear him talking to the birds. Craig had his left hand in the bunny bin, palm side up, and smiled a distant smile as he let the three bunnies rub against his fingers, each one getting a soft message between their ears from the dark haired boy.
One bird had made its way to the top of a fake branch, right next to Clyde's ear. Once Clyde noticed, he tried to smile and pet the bird, only to have a sharp whistle in his ear.
"Fuck! Shut up! Fucking birds!." Clyde kicked at the large four-sectioned bin, causing Craig's bunnies to retreat into their bunny house.
"Relax Fuckface," Craig put an arm around his clearly irritated boyfriend. Craig bumped hips with Clyde, sharing the space in front of the bird section. Once Craig approached the bird section Clyde watched all the birds look up, staring. It was unbelievable to Clyde, they were all quiet.
"Why are they so quiet?" Clyde whispered, his voice trembling. He was trying not to make any sudden noise to upset the birds.
Craig just watched the birds then began to whistle.
Before Clyde could tell him to stop, that he'll probably cause a bird uprising, the bird echoed Craig's whistles. After about thirty seconds all of the tiny birds were whistling the same tune Craig whistled for them.
"You can't just shut them up, you just have to make them sound good." Craig said as he watched his little bird choir sing happily.
"How did you do that?" Clyde followed as Craig walked towards the puppy and kitten play area.
"I like animals," was Craig's explanation that explained nothing to Clyde.
"Would you like to walk in the puppy play room?" The young woman working asked/yelled at the two boys.
"Fuck Yeah I would!" Clyde excitedly pushed the doors to the puppy playroom. Craig silently followed, petting every puppy he passed. Clyde loved dogs, they were so lovable and friendly. Clyde spotted a little golden retriever, sleeping by himself and tried waking him up. Once Craig sees how good I am with animals, he'll wanna start a guinea pig family with me! thought Clyde.
"Come on boy, you wanna play?" Clyde clapped his hands and made kissy faces at the puppy.
The puppy didn't budge.
Clyde tried rubbing the dog's ears and poking his little belly, but he still didn't wake up. Clyde was too frustrated to notice Craig walk up next to him, joining him at the puppy's side.
"What's wrong." Craig said.
"He won't wake up," Clyde whined, knowing Craig would help him wake the puppy up.
Craig remained silent as he watched the puppy sleep.
"Just pet him." Craig watched as the puppy rolled over on his stomach.
"But I—" Clyde didn't care how whiny he sounded.
"It'll wake him up, dumbass."
"Some Prince Charming," Clyde muttered under his breath.
"What you say?" Craig raised an eyebrow.
"I said I'd like to go farming!" Clyde tried to cover, which, in his opinion, he did quite a good job.
"Oh," Craig turned so Clyde couldn't see his smirk, "I thought you said the puppy's breath is alarming." Craig the clever joked.
"Now, that makes no sense, Craig." Clyde was being serious.
"Just pet the damn dog."
"You're upsetting it, its okay puppy," Clyde said as he touched the top of the puppy's ear. Just as he touched the ear the puppy began to snarl. Clyde immediately withdrew his hand.
Craig open his mouth to jeer the rounder boy, "Maybe he doesn't like being bothered," Craig reasoned once he saw tears form in his boyfriend's eyes. Before the full on water works started Craig grabbed Clyde's arm and led him to the Kitten room, "Let's go look at the kitties."
Clyde had had it. As the two crossed to the room labeled, Kittie Korner, Clyde decided he was no longer going to touch the animals. He was going to let Craig do all the petting. Everything Clyde touched went crazy. Maybe Stripe was the same way. Clyde had always thought he was just trying to talk to him. Clyde stayed standing as Craig bent down to pet all the kittens.
"Meow," Clyde heard next to his leg. He looked down to see a small orange kitten with pale green eyes.
"Hi, Kitty." Clyde said unenthusiastically.
"Meow." The kitten rubbed itself against Clyde's legs, weaving in between them.
Clyde, although hesitant, bent down and ran his fingers across he back of the kitten. The kitten began purring.
"Oh God, I broke it!" Clyde dropped to the ground, upset.
"She's purring you r-tard, she likes you." Craig joined the pair.
"Really?" Clyde watched as the kitten walked across his lap and sat on his legs. "I like her, too." Clyde smiled down at the kitten.
"Alright, let's go adopt her." Craig stood and made his way to the cashier.
"Really!" Clyde hugged the kitten who didn't seem to mind.
"Yep, it'll be ours. Together."
On the ride home Clyde watched his new kitten sleep in his lap as his boyfriend packed up a bowl.
"Thanks again Craig," Clyde usually went home and spread out all of the new things he got, but this time, he couldn't wait to get home to set up a play area for their new kitten.
Craig gave Clyde a glance as he drove with his knee and hit the piece.
"I'm glad we have a family!" Clyde smiled wide.
"Yeah," Craig exhaled, "just don't compare me to prince charming ever again."
Thanks for reading, reviews are appreciated~