Author's Note: It took me a while to push this out because I got into a phase of drawing again and I might have been binge reading some amazing ff/ao3 fics out there like WOW. There are some really great authors out there and you guys made me want to write again (I would love to give a huge mention to The Brat Prince on and OmmissionSoul on FF/AO3 for inspiring me to go back to my own fics haha).

Anyways, this fic might be wrapping up soon? Just a couple more chapters to go! But for now, enjoy some fluff between kyle and stan here hehe :3

(Stan's POV)

My eyes flicked open to soft light filtering into the cave. I sat up and yawned, blinking my eyes and looking around. Kyle was still sleeping soundly right next to me, curled up into a fetal position. The sight of his cute sleeping face and position made me smile and I quickly pecked his forehead before getting ready for the day.

I got up and softly tucked the blanket around Kyle's body, ensuring he didn't get cold from any wind drafts. I made my way to the entrance of the cave and saw that the sky was still a bit cloudy and gray, but the rain had let up for now. We had exhausted the boar meat from a couple of days ago and needed to get another food source, fast. Luckily, the stream that we passed by looking for the cave we were staying in had some fish flapping around from my observations.

My mind automatically wanted to leave and get things done for the day, until Kyle came into my side vision. Every time I wanted to leave our camp, he woke up alone, wondering where I had gone. That was why he had that dream. He worried that I would wander off scavenging for something and never return. If that happened, Kyle wouldn't know what to do.

Kyle's anxious about losing me.

I stopped in my tracks and headed back into the cave, deciding to leave a little message for him if he was wondering where I was. On a small slab of rock, I carved out a small message that said: "Hunting for food." and placed the slab next to the fire pit I had made last night. That way, if he was wondering where I went, he knew that I didn't just abandon him to fend for myself. Now that I thought about it, the thought of someone completely abandoning you was such a selfish thought and Kyle's feelings were valid towards feeling that way.

I got up and left the cave area, heading to the stream that Kyle and I crossed, picking up pebbles and skipping them over the water's surface as I walked. Surprisingly, I spotted the long stick cane that Kyle had been using as a crutch discarded off to the side. I was surprised that the storm from last night hadn't picked it up and thrown it around wildly into the air. Holding the stick in my hands, I turned it over to gauge its weight and density. It was heavy enough to smack around some fish, but it needed some sharpening at the bottom to use for spearfishing. I sat cross-legged next to the stream of rushing water and got to work, sharpening the stick with my pocket knife. After I was done peeling away the layers to create a sharp point, I took off my shoes and socks and rolled up my pants legs to make my way into the stream.

—

"Guess what I found Kyle!" I sang into a tune and veered around the entrance of the cave to see Kyle, who smiled upon seeing me. I lifted my spear with my huge fish trophies - around five to seven that I had caught in total. It took a while to catch this much, but I was super proud of the outcome. Honestly, it was either starve to death or make use of the little fish buddies. Unfortunately, we had to do the latter. By the time I returned, the sun had shifted from one side of the sky to the other. Maybe about an hour or two passed by? "I got enough to last us through lunch and dinner."

I set down the fish onto a flat slab of rock in the cave and got to making the fire again to set up for lunch. "I missed you," I hear Kyle say from beside me, and he moves to nuzzle his face into my shoulder. I wasn't aware that Kyle was such a romantic type, but the feeling of him against me made my cheeks tinge. It felt like I was floating on a cloud with the attention I got from Kyle. He put his head against my shoulder and holds it there as if he was contemplating a thought. Sure enough, he speaks up, "There's something I've been wondering, Stan."

"Yeah, and what's that?" I prepared the flat piece of wood that I carved from last night and cut off small pieces of curved wood to create a bundle to contain the fire.

"Why are you so good at this surviving thing? Like being out in the wild and stuff comes first nature to you. I haven't seen you panic at all since we landed here." Kyle's eyes are watching my every move, as I spin a long stick into a divot of the flat wood piece.

"It's a…long story." As I spun the stick into the flat piece, I placed the bundle underneath the piece so the smoke would transfer into the ball of wood. I blew on it gently, and the fire started to get bigger and emit little flames. Then, I placed the smoky bundle into the firepit that I had made last night, throwing spare sticks and branches from my collection point on one side of the cave. Kyle watched with awe as I calmly set the fire up and put the slab of fish onto the fire, beginning to sizzle and crackle from the heat.

"While we wait for our food to cook, you can tell me…it's not like I have anything else to do anyway." Kyle cozied up next to the fire and put his hands out to warm them up.

I poked at the fish with a stick, making sure they were turned over when one side looked fairly done. "When I was younger, my dad would sometimes have his head up way too far up his ass to care about raising me. He would always come up with the stupidest shit, like growing a marijuana farm or trying to sell some kind of weird product that would end up backfiring in the end. It caused a lot of friction for my family and me. My sister would rebel and try to date some dumbass guy who treated her terribly. My mom didn't even give two shits about stuff half the time - she was done with my dad but she had to stay, for Shelley and I. I had to get away from it all somehow," I nodded my head back and forth in disbelief at the memories that started to resurface for me. "Sometimes, I would visit my uncle and his friend. He loved hunting and would participate in the local open season events," I paused for a second, remembering the times that my Uncle would try to get me to come to them. "I hated that my Uncle hunted. I was a die-hard animal lover and would do anything to save them. But my Uncle was desperate to have some kind of connection with me. He said that he swore he would never hunt again if he at least showed me how to do some kind of survival skills out in the wild.

I looked over to see Kyle watching me intently, hanging on to every word.

…To me, my uncle felt more of a dad than my own ever was." Kyle watched me quietly from across the fire pit, nodding his head like he was in some kind of mutual understanding. I continued hesitantly, "But then, he got sick. He was in the hospital the whole time I was in university and when I finally came back to visit, I got news that he passed away." With my stick, I was now starting to shove them underneath each of the fish and flipped them over roughly to cook their other sides. "I was working hard for my future, while he lost his own."

I hear Kyle sniffle across from me, his legs drawn to his chest once again for comfort. He was hugging them closely, his eyes gazing into the fire. "Gosh Stan…I'm really sorry that happened to you."

It was silent for a moment, but it was a comfortable one. We both watched the flames lick at the flat stone slab, the juices from the fish sizzling away and evaporating into the air.

I sighed and decided to move across the fire pit to sit directly beside him. "You don't have to be sorry. It's been a long time since he passed. Now, I just honor his memory by doing what I can. Surviving. Living yet another day," I gave him a soft smile and rubbed his head to reassure him that I was fine. "Anyways, you asked how I was so put together. If I could be completely honest, when I first got here, I wasn't put together at all." I gulped when I remembered the smoky black air that morphed into clouds, stemming from the shipwreck that hovered above the ocean. "When I woke up and saw the shipwreck, I was a mess. I cried a lot. I blamed myself. I thought it was my fault that all those people died.

From the corner of my eye, I see Kyle shift uncomfortably from the topic. I know that he lost his mom in the wreckage, but I continued speaking. He needed to hear my side of the story, to understand what keeps me going. What keeps me living. "But then I realized that wasn't my fault at all. I'm lucky I'm here today. That I'm living. That I'm surviving. I do feel bad, but I have to remind myself that I just need to keep going. That's what I can do, to honor those that were lost."

Kyle buried his head into his legs pulled to his chest, taking in some heavy breaths. I could tell that he was still upset about his mom, especially since I brought up why we were here again. I put my arm around him and took him into my side, kissing the top of his curly-haired head. As he cried quietly, I whispered into his hair softly. "Don't worry, Kyle. Help is coming. I promise you."

…I promised him we would survive, but exactly how the hell are we going to get out of here?

—

We finished lunch promptly and packed the rest of the extra food into cooler areas of the cave to preserve them. Kyle looked a little bit worn down, but I could understand why. He had been staying in the cave for most of the day - he needed to get out and walk around. Being in dark spaces for long periods can dampen your mood and make you depressed; believe me, I know.

"Hey, why don't we go out for a bit?" I mention to Kyle, making his ears perk up and look in my direction. "You've been in here for a while, it's not great to dwell in dark areas for a long time."

Like a puppy, Kyle's eyes became wide and started sparkling. "Yeah, let's go out. I hate being all holed up in here while you're being a boss bitch out there."

I laughed at his comment and took his hand in mine. "That's great, dude. I know a place."

—

We walked down the stream, talking alongside each other and holding hands. The stream led up to a swimming hole with clear blue waters, rushing down and creating the stream we were walking against.

"Whoa," His breath left his mouth when he saw the sight and stared down in awe. "Stan, this place looks beautiful…"

I smirked, knowing that bringing him here would uplift his mood and decided to make things a little interesting. "We're gonna swim in here today," I was met with a frown, but I had already guessed that he was going to do that. "I'll help you float if your leg isn't feeling too great. Plus, it's been forever since we took a proper shower. I stink, dude."

"Fair enough," Kyle shrugged and I moved to take off my shirt, grasping the ends and pulling it over my head. I smirk, seeing Kyle's face start to redden at the sight of me removing my clothes without hesitance. When his eyes met mine, he looked away at the ground.

"You're still embarrassed?" I give him a sly smirk and walk towards him, fully stripped down. "Do I need to remind you that I was inside you last night?"

He covers up his face with his hands, mumbling, "I know, I know..! But…we were in the dark that time, and I didn't properly see how…"

"...how?"

"...how good you looked.." Kyle makes a garble of noises after finishing his sentence and I notice that his ears were a bright pinkish color.

"Hehe, okay that's enough teasing for now," I smile and pat his head softly. "Do you need help taking your clothes off?"

Kyle's cheeks were now glowing a dark red, the blood rushing to his cheeks. "S-shut up, Stan. I can at least take my clothes off."

"Fine, fine," I wave him off and strip myself of my attire, turning my back to him for his privacy. He was so embarrassed being around me and showing his own body when we did much more than that last night. Kyle disposes of his garments onto the cool rock below and I smile, escorting him down carefully to the swimming hole below. "Do you need help getting in?"

He clutches his hand to his chest and looks hesitantly off to the side, his cheeks still a light tinge of pink. "No, I'm not some kinda baby that doesn't know how to do anything, Stan," He rolls his eyes and lets go of my hand, gently descending into the water. "Of course, I know how to swim."

"Then, you wouldn't mind if I did this right?" Before he could make any movement away, I squatted down and jumped into the swimming hole, clutching my knees close to my chest for maximum splashback. "-CANONBALL!"

What came next was a huge wave of water, pushing out from underneath me and creating large ripples of water inside the pool. I hear Kyle from above the water yell out, "Oh come on dude!"

My chest feels a light chuckle coming up so I swim up to the surface, whipping the water out of my hair and clearing the excess out of my face and eyes. "Hehe, did you like that?"

I see Kyle glare at me from another side of the swimming hole, his fluffy, wavy locks now drenched and soaking wet. "...Very funny, Stan."

"Oh, you look hilarious right now." I chuckle, bringing a hand to my mouth to stifle incoming laughter.

"My hair is very thick so if you put any kind of water on it, it weighs down and I start to look like a drenched poodle." Kyle breathes out, flipping his sopping wet hair over his forehead. He looked gorgeous, there being a stark contrast between the warm palette that made him and the cool blue waters of the pool. It felt like time stopped as I waded over towards him, a goofy smile plastered onto my face.

"Would you believe me if I told you that you looked gorgeous right now?" I breathed out, now inches apart from his face.

"And would you believe me if I told you that you are abso-fucking-lutely lying?" Kyle clenched his teeth together and bit down his lip, trying to hide his embarrassment. It didn't work. I could always tell that he was uneasy because his face was never able to hide the color that it changed.

I smiled and took his chin with one hand, tilting it to meet my lips.

"S-Stan…not here," Kyle's cheeks tinge a pinkish hue, and he looks around the area to survey for prying eyes.

"Why? Nobody is watching. It's just us here," I slid my hand against his cheek and planted another kiss on his wet lips. His movements were hesitant, one that swiftly went away as my tongue met contact with his bottom lip, begging for entrance. I pulled away teasingly, admiring the dazed look that appeared on Kyle's features. "That means I have you all to myself."

Kyle clumsily found his way through the water, suddenly grabbing my forearm and body to pull me closer. His desperate movements to feel my touch made a warm knot form in my stomach, and I resisted no longer. I brought him closer to me, the cool waters contrasting against the fiery warmth of our bodies.

—

A short while later, I came out of the pool and felt the cold breeze immediately hit my skin. The sun was setting in the sky now, creating cool wind drafts across the ground and going through the trees. Once I got out, I turned around to offer my hand up to Kyle, saying, "Let's head back so we can make ourselves warm and get dinner started."

He smiled up at me and took my hand in his, the water sliding down from gravity - creating little rivers of water dripping off of his skin. "Can't wait."

The walk back was quiet, save for our feet crunching through the branches and leaves. I noticed that Kyle was shivering visibly, so I pulled him closer and wrapped one of my arms around his waist for support. Soon, we were back in our cozy cave, the sun's rays resting and finally subsiding beneath the horizon. We finished up some leftover food from the day's spoils and settled against each other beside the fire. The firelight made our shadows dance with each other on the walls of the cave, and it felt overall so cozy. Over the campfire, we shared stories of our pasts with each other. Kyle had a few funny stories to share about his childhood growing up while I cleaned up after our meal.

"So I told the fatass that if he wants to lose weight, he's gonna have to find a vegetarian KFC out there–"

"Hahaha! Seriously?" I laughed, with tears in my eyes.

"Yes, dude! Gosh, he used to piss me off so much with his stupid Jew jokes." I could see Kyle's eyes sparkle in the light of the cave, keeping my face and chest warmer than the fire could ever make me.

"Ha…I wish I was there. That sounds like a lot of fun."

Kyle shifted his posture to rest his hand on top of mine to give me comfort, then turned to me. "Stan…?"

I looked at our hands and intertwined them, wanting to feel more of his warmth seep into my skin. There was something about Kyle that made me feel calm and at peace, like everything was going to be okay. I then looked up at his face, searching his expression for what he was about to say next. "Yeah?"

"...I…I'm really glad that I met you," Kyle squeezes my hand. "This is going to sound really cheesy, but it kinda feels like you're the part of me that I didn't know I've been missing. For a long time, my mom…" Kyle hesitates and I can see that besides the fire dancing in the pupils of his eyes, there lay a sad expression there. "She would always try to convince me to settle on a girl that I liked and marry her. She wanted to be there when I had grandkids. Over time I realized that…that wasn't what I wanted, but I didn't have the heart to tell her. And now, I know why."

Kyle looks up at me, a strained smile across his face. A deep part of me wishes to replace those sad feelings with happy ones. I hated seeing Kyle in pain.

"I'm really glad I met you too, Kyle," I squeezed his hand back in response, to show him that I'm there for him in return. "I mean, you were kind of an asshole when we first met but you're not all too bad." I joked, seeing his smile turn into a pout.

"To be fair, you were also an asshole too. I had the feeling that you were some fuck boy that just wanted to get laid by chicks," Kyle sighed and shook his head back and forth. "Isn't that why you went to the swimming pool, anyway?"

"Yeah…?" I shrugged and continued, "But I found something better than all of those chicks combined - I found my little redhead here," I poked him teasingly in the side, causing him to emit a high-pitched yelp that made me recoil in response. Kyle lets go of my hand in shock and turns to face me, a more noticeable pout on his face. Gosh, his expressions and reactions are too cute. "...Are you ticklish?"

"Stan," Kyle warned when he sees a goofy grin splay out across my lips. "I'm going to bed right now if you don't quit it."

"C'mere, I just want to see!"

"No! Stan!"

The rest of the night was spent talking with Kyle and making him giggle. Frowns and sad smiles didn't fit his facial features. For now, I just wanted to make him as happy as I could until rescue arrived. That was the only thing that I could do, to not lose ourselves.

Soon the fire started to die out and the only light we could see in the cave were the embers slowly dying out. Our eyes started to droop and close lazily, and we could feel that sleep was nearing. I hung our wet clothes over tall rocks in the cave and aired out the blanket, soon draping it over myself and Kyle.

"Let's get some sleep, yeah?" I say to Kyle, and he rolls over in the dark underneath the blanket with a small hum. He tugs it close to himself and I join him momentarily under the covers. It was quiet for a moment- all the two of us could hear were the sounds of nature from outside. I hear Kyle quietly breathing from next to me and it's all I need to feel comfortable and warm inside.

As I close my eyes to welcome sleep, I hear Kyle whisper from next to me. "Thank you, Stan."

His voice sounded light as air but with a tinge of sadness to it that made my chest heavy. It only made me think of the situation we were in. I was happy if I could live out the rest of my days with Kyle here. I wouldn't have to worry about anything else back home- especially my familial problems. But…Kyle still had family back home, and I am sure as hell they were worried about him. His mom was so kind and endearing to him in a protective way, even if that trait of hers might have bothered him from time to time. But me….

What did I have waiting for me back home?

I feel Kyle turn over and rest his head in between my shoulder and chest area, making himself comfortable in that space. My hand felt guided to touch and run my hands through his now-dry curly locks to ease the sudden anxiety I had from my late night thoughts.

"Goodnight Kyle," I whisper back, and grant him a kiss upon his forehead.

A small hum is his response and a "Goodnight Stan" before we both drift off to sleep for the night.