changing my major

~ • ∆ two ∆ • ~

“Stupid hair,” Stan heard Kyle groan as the two of them continued to get ready. Stan’s thoughts continued to race while he glanced over to the redhead, trying to figure out why his mind was going a mile a minute. He kept trying to reassure himself that this really wasn’t a date, but now - with Kyle trying to look presentable (which, Stan thought he damn well was) - it really just felt like that stupid thing with Wendy. It didn’t really help that they were going to an aquarium on a Saturday, either, because Kyle hated crowded places and screaming children, yet he was so willing to give that all up. It really made the whole thing feel planned. Maybe it wasn’t, but Kyle just seemed so ready. Why was he so calm and casual about this?

It’s not like there was anything to not be casual about, he reminded himself. They’re just two guys, pretending to be a couple to get into an aquarium for half the price they’d normally pay. Kyle was very thrifty, after all, and maybe he was making himself look all presentable just so the people at the gate genuinely thought they were a couple. Or something like that. In any case, it was working - Kyle looked adorable in the sweater and leggings he had picked out, and--

“Dude?” Kyle inquired, interrupting Stan’s trail of thoughts. “You’ve been staring for, like, two whole ass minutes. Hurry the hell up.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Stan chuckled, trying to pretend he wasn’t just thinking about how cute Kyle looked. Kyle rolled his eyes with a snicker, reaching in his jacket pocket for his keys. As soon as he found them, Stan managed to drag himself off the couch and over to the apartment door.

The door unlocked with a click, and Kyle shoved his keys back into his pocket as he turned the doorknob. Their apartment was weird, because you had to have the keys to unlock it from both ends. The one time Stan asked, Kyle just shrugged and said “rent’s cheap” because neither of them were really able to pay for anything more expensive and the apartment was a decent size for two guys in college.

“You driving?” Kyle asked. Stan usually drove the two everywhere, because it was his Jeep - a Hybrid Wrangler, of course, because he’s Stan, what else would it be? - and he was very particular about what went into it and how it was driven. It wasn’t an issue for either of them, and if Kyle needed to, like, make a trip to the store for milk or something, Stan would let him drive. They practically shared everything, and the Jeep wasn’t an exception.

“Yeah, guess I am,” Stan shrugged. Their apartment was on the eighth floor - mostly because it was cheaper than the first floor for whatever reason - so the two of them made their way over to the elevator.

The elevator ride was rather uneventful, with Stan and Kyle sharing occasional glances but nothing more. As Kyle watched the numbers change on the digital display, Stan just thought more. This wasn’t a date. It wasn’t and will never be considered a date because the two of them aren’t gay for each other and if anyone were to suggest otherwise their claim would be absolutely preposterous.

Right?

And anyways, Stan has liked women in the past. Wendy’s a woman - or, they were a woman, but they transitioned to agender in their freshman year of high school. They said it’s who they felt they were and were more confident in their identity that way, and Stan completely and utterly respected them for that. But that’s besides the point, because when Stan dated Wendy, they hadn’t transitioned, which meant that they presented as a woman and Stan was attracted to a woman. Well, a girl, but still female.

The elevator ding interrupted Stan’s thoughts once again. He let out a frustrated sigh, which earned a small quirk of the eyebrow from Kyle. Stan just shrugged, as if to say “I dunno man” before they started walking out. Kyle kept his head down and hands shoved in his pockets while Stan gave a friendly wave to the woman working at the front desk. Kyle and Stan were completely different when it came to people - Stan loved to interact with others and hear their thoughts while Kyle was definitely the more reserved of the two. Neither of them minded their obvious differences, and Stan even found it endearing when Kyle would get so flustered in social interaction that he could barely speak, because then Stan could reach over and hold his hand, giving it a small squeeze to make sure he’s okay. Kyle was diagnosed with GAD - general anxiety disorder - in the sixth grade, and it hasn’t really gotten better, but Stan does his best to help in any way he can. The two have a way of supporting each other that Stan thinks is really unique to them, because he’s never really seen two friends so attached at the hip.