Hide away (Stan Marsh x Kyle Broflovski)

Chapter 2

Stan inhaled and knocked against the door gently, no response. Another knock, still no response. "Kyle?" Nothing.

Stan huffed and knocked again; the door opened a bit. Peaking inside, he didn't see Kyle through the crack or hear anything. Where the hell was he if he wasn't in the bathroom? Shuffling with the towel and clothes in his hand, Stanley walked into the bathroom.

"Hey, I'm sorry to barge in, but I forgot to give you something-Oh, my god!" Stan dropped the stuff in his hands once his eyes landed on Kyle. His body was fully submerged under the water, and he didn't seem to notice Stan's presence. Stan quickly ran to the tub, grabbed Kyle's arm, and pulled. Kyle's eyes shot open as he looked at Stan and gasped for air; he suddenly wasn't in Stan's bathroom anymore.

Kyle walked down the hall in line with many others. They were led by a man in a lab coat. Kyle couldn't remember his face. The group Kyle was in was told to get into these individual pools of water. Once everyone was in their pool, they were told to get under the water and hold their breath. Kyle frowned, wasn't that dangerous? Some kids listened and dunked their heads under immediately; others were wary of the task, just like Kyle.

"Defiance gets you nowhere in life. Hold your breaths now." The labcoat man clicked his tongue, and Kyle felt something grab him by his ankles. He screamed but was forcibly pulled into the water before any sound came out. Kyle thrashed and kicked around in the water. He couldn't breathe! Peeking his eyes open, the redhead realized he couldn't see the bottom of the tub. Was he going to die? Are they going to drown him? Suddenly the machine holding Kyle down let him up, and he could breathe again.

He quickly climbed out of the tub as others had, leaning against it as the man came down each row, marking something down on his clipboard as he passed each kid. Kyle whimpered. Little did he know he would have to do the same thing once a week until he left. After each test, Kyle's ability to hold his breath became better, and his lungs grew more robust. The test was called Breathing Adaption through habitat, otherwise known as a

B.A.T. H.

Kyle gasped as Stan pulled his shoulders, so his head was out of the water, and he stared at him, confused. "What are you doing?!" Stan asked before Kyle could even open his mouth. Kyle tilted his head, a frown now replacing his confused look. "A... A bath...?" Kyle asked; he looked at the pool of water surrounding his body, not understanding what was happening. Stan sighed as he ran his hands through his hair.

"That's not... That's not what a bath is," Stan said, and Kyle looked shocked, "I'll just... I'll give you a bath." Stan said, and Kyle whimpered. Stan grabbed the rag he had brought for him and the soap. Kyle backed away from the rag, looking at Stan skeptically. "I promise it's not bad. I don't know what happened when you, but I promise this won't hurt you." Stan said and gently pressed the rag to Kyle's skin. Stan scrubbed Kyle's skin with the rag gently, making sure not to be too rough.

Kyle breathed in, making sure his eyes didn't leave the rag in Stan's hand. It didn't hurt, and he noted that in the back of his mind. It felt really good, but still, he remained stiff. The soap bubbled against his skin as Stan looked away from him. Stan stopped scrubbing when he got to the bandages on Kyle's upper arm.

"I know you said that these stay, but I need to clean you," Stan whispered. Kyle jumped back, pressing himself against the tub wall. He moved his hands to the bandages and held them tightly. He was protecting himself. Stan frowned and lifted his hands up in defense. "Look, I'm sorry. If you don't want me to remove them, then I won't." He said and grabbed the rag again, reaching for Kyle again, but the redhead jumped back.