This is based on a headcanon from Foxydodo on tumblr:
"Asks each other "Who would you rather kiss in our class?" type of questions which leads to "You ever thought of kissing another guy?" and ultimately becomes "Yeah. We could try it. Just between the two of us, nobody needs to know. It's just an experiment." Then they kiss and realise they like it more than they're supposed to."
"This project is so lame," Kyle groans irritably to the air as he lets his head flop back onto Stan's pillows, his friend glancing up from where he sat on the ground just beside the bed. Stan smiles, setting aside his notepad to pay more attention to Kyle's impending rant. "When I decided to take speech and debate I didn't think we'd have to go through fake interviews! I don't even care about half the questions I've written down! If we have to do this all year I am gonna lose my shit."
"Yeah? That's just 'cuz you want to pick fights, dude," Stan teases with a grin on his face, turning himself around to lean over the edge of the bed and bask in the heated glory of Kyle's blush when he guessed right. Kyle huffs and crosses his arms, leaving his notebook exposed for Stan to peer at. "Huh. 'What college appeals most to you?' Wow, yeah, that is a boring question. Who were you going to interview, anyway?" he asks, shifting his blue gaze curiously to Kyle. His friend winces, cheeks flushing a bit darker more out of stubborn defensiveness than true embarrassment.
"You, probably," he grumbles, Stan snorting in surprise at him. He takes the notebook then, skimming over the basic inquiries with an amused grin on his face.
"Dude, you already know the answers to like, all of these. You're my best friend after all, if you didn't know the answers I'd honestly be offended!" his laugh is airy and light, and Kyle can't help but to fixate on the crinkles in the corners of Stan's closed eyes, and the way his hand slips up to his head to touch his hat. Kyle huffs again, demonstrating just how grumpy he is over the situation.
"Yeah, I figured I could just fill in the responses on my own if I already know them, no one in the class is gonna care anyway. I bet they'll all just be texting again," Kyle scowls at Stan, waiting for Stan to agree wholeheartedly with him over the disappointing state of youth who text during class. Stan looks a bit sheepish, his smile wavering but remaining on his face.
"Dude, you're the only kid I know who doesn't text in class."
"Do you text in class?" Kyle gasps, Stan grimacing through his little smile. Scoffing, Kyle leans over and bats Stan upside the head, the little shove not enough to hurt. Earning another breathy laugh from his friend, Kyle easily cracks under Stan's good humor, a smile growing on his face to match. "Besides. You're probably the only person I'd wanna text during class anyway. Kinda lame to do it under the table when you're sitting right next to me."
"Yeah, that would be pretty lame," Stan chuckles and adjusts himself on the floor, laying his cheek on the comforter as he glances over the questions again. "Almost as lame as these, dude. I mean, really? 'How many hours do you sleep at night? Lame."
"God, shut uuuup, I get it, they're boring. Geez, what more do you want from me anyway?" Kyle groans, covering his face with a pathetically grumpy noise, Stan smirking and setting his friend's notebook aside, sitting up on his knees now.
"Well, come on! Ask me a better question!"
"Like what?" Kyle pouts, moving his hands away and rolling his face to look at Stan's irritably cute face. Damn it. He honestly could think of hundreds of questions to ask in that moment, but none of them would be exactly tasteful, and none of them would be appropriate for a school project. Stan thinks for a minute to himself and then shrugs, tilting his head.
"Come on, there's gotta be something you wanna know about me. What if- okay, let's try this. Pretend I'm someone else. What nosy question would you wanna ask someone else about me?" he suggests, and his genuine interest in Kyle's 2 point homework assignment had to be admirable. Kyle sucks in a breath and holds it, filtering through at least seven different ways of coming up with how to ask what he wanted to know.
"Fuck it. I dunno, dude," he chickens out after leaving Stan on the edge, his best friend pouting when his efforts refused to bear fruit. Kyle huffs and rolls onto his side, unable to maintain eye contact with Stan any longer. Sitting up, Stan leans over and pats a hand to Kyle's shoulder, giving him a desperate little shake.
"Aw, come on, I'm only trying to help," he sighs, glancing to his door and wondering if he should just drop the subject altogether. Kyle shivers under his touch and curls up a bit tighter, embarrassed to have his friend dote on him like this. "Maybe you just need to try it from a different angle, dude. Like- pretend you're some kind of saucy magazine author wanting the big scoop on a celebrity."
Rolling onto his back again, Kyle smirks in disbelief at Stan, an arched eyebrow raised teasingly. "You? A celebrity?" he mocks, but Stan isn't offended at all. They share a short laugh, Kyle sitting up fully now with his hands folded in his lap. "Alright, since you're so desperate to spill all your secrets, Mr. Celebrity… what was your first kiss like?"
Stifling a snort, Stan covers his mouth with the back of his hand, shaking his head at the silly question only school kids would be interested in knowing the answer to. "Dude. You were there. You know how it went," he giggles, Kyle grinning back as if somehow that further proved his point that he knew everything about his best friend.
"Oh please, I insist, we must have the answer straight from the source!" he continues their little game, Stan's grin taking on an edge of malice as he shoves Kyle's shoulders, standing up if only to clamber on the bed next to him. Sitting across from each other now, one of Stan's legs dangling off the edge and the other tucked under him, Kyle couldn't help but notice Stan had the beginnings of what would only turn into a very embarrassing T-shirt tan line around his neck. The star quarterback scoot a little closer, getting comfortable.
"Well, if you must know," Stan snickers, leaning in to divulge his well-known secret. "It was absolutely terrible. The day we finally decided to give it a try, she sent me a text in the morning saying she was ready, and I had to sit with that knowledge aaaaall day, and mind you this was sloppy jo's day-"
"How on Earth could I forget?" Kyle grins wickedly, Stan's smile pursuing with pretend annoyance, the two of them barely able to contain themselves as the memory resurfaced.
"-Anyway. I spent all day thinking about it, and when we finally met up after school, right in the pick up area of the parking lot, she leaned over to me, asked if I was okay… I said yes, of course, because like hell I was gonna tell her no, and I leaned in a bit closer-"
"Oooh, my favorite part," Kyle rolls his eyes and this time gets a real push from Stan, his friend nearly tackling him down to the pillows.
"Jeez dude, I'm trying to answer your question, you know, since you wanted to know so bad!" Stan grins a little wider if that was even possible at this point, Kyle giving him a push back.
"Oh, what, that you threw up your lunch all over her face the second you connected? Yes, Stan, that would be a great story to tell the entire class. I bet they'd all be shocked- if they didn't already know it," he laughs again, Stan sitting back with a satisfied look on his face, as if proud of himself for turning Kyle's mood around so easily. He waits for Kyle to catch his breath, leaning back to rest his weight on his hands.
"Alright, alright," he brings Kyle back around to the topic at hand, which was the homework interview. Kyle straightens, rolling his shoulders back a bit to fix his posture. "So everyone knows about that failure of a kiss. You wanna ask anything else?"
"Actually, yeah, I thought of a good one," Kyle nods to himself mostly, Stan blinking in surprise at him. Leaning in closer, Kyle dropped his silly expression in favor of a more serious one, his green eyes burning with an intense curiosity that took Stan a bit off guard. "Is there anyone else you wanna kiss?"
"What- dude, geez," Stan squirms under the pressure of his gaze, unable to maintain eye contact with him. "You wanna scale that down a little bit? 'Anyone' is kind of broad-"
"Alright, fine. How about our class? You wanna kiss anybody there?" Kyle continues, his intensity lessening slightly in favor of embarrassment, feeling a bit guilty for getting Stan so flustered. His friend thinks for a minute, then shrugs.
"Yeah."
"Yeah? That's it, just yeah?" he pesters, leaning closer until Stan cracks under his gaze again, Kyle almost to the point of crawling into Stan's lap. His friend laughs breathily and scoots away, sitting up and sheepishly avoiding his gaze.
"Yeah. Just yeah," he teases, and when his gaze flicks back to Kyle's face he realizes Stan still had interest in their little game. Quirking his lips slightly, Kyle eases off again, knowing the two could go on for hours in circles like that. "What about you?"
"Huh?" Kyle blinks, startled at having the conversation turned to him. That cheeky expression on Stan's face brightened a bit, Stan propping his chin in the palm of his head as he looks back at his friend.
"Dude. We're working on the same assignment, and trust me, my questions for you have been just about as boring as the ones you were gonna ask me. So. Anyone in class you wanna kiss?" he chuckles, looking relaxed and so at peace with his friend right there…
Fuck, Kyle's shoulders hunch with embarrassment, the one person he wanted to kiss more than his desire for his next breath of air sitting across from him patiently, awaiting his response. "Yeah," he answers lamely, crushing his eyes shut at his copycat reply. But Stan doesn't mock him for it, looking genuinely surprised.
"Oh. Shit, really?" he asks to be sure, Kyle's grumpy silence answer enough for him. He scoots closer again, his blue eyes sparkling in awe at his friend. "Who? Bebe?"
"What? No! Gross, dude, she's slept with like half the class," Kyle snarls, Stan easing off.
"No, but I thought Kenny confirmed those were just rumors," he frowns back, Kyle rolling his eyes.
"Like Kenny's one to talk, he's slept with half the class."
"You know that by that logic Kenny's slept with some dudes, right?" Stan snickers, his blush darkening a little bit when Kyle frowns at him pointedly.
"You think that stopped him?" he rolls his eyes, giving Stan the minute he needs to laugh awkwardly at the handful of mental images that probably brought up for him. They stare at each other for a little while, their faces varying shades of innocent blush at this point.
"Okay, well fine- if not Bebe, somebody else? Heidi maybe?"
"That flame died a long time ago," Kyle shakes his head, Stan blinking and moving closer. Desperate to get to the bottom of it, he goes through the girls one by one, Kyle shaking his head no with each one until-
"Dude. That's like literally everyone in the class," Stan scowls, rubbing his forehead as he went through the class roster again in his head, scratching off all the names until none remained. Frustrated, he squints at Kyle suspiciously. "You're not pulling my leg, are you, dude? Come on, you have to tell the truth!"
"I-I am!" Kyle huffs, absolutely mortified when he realizes the trap he caught himself in. Shit, it was only a matter of time until-
"So, what, if it's not a girl, then is there some guy you're interested in?" his dim friend finally puts the pieces together, Kyle groaning and covering his face with embarrassment, his red ears a dead giveaway. Stan gasps, the final noise before the room goes quiet, save for Kyle's racing heart.
"G-guys and girls aren't the only genders, asshole," is his best defense, and a weak one at that. Stan leans in closer then, ducking his head until he catches Kyle's gaze from where he's peeking between his fingers.
"It's totally a guy."
"Agh! Fine! Okay! It's a guy!" Kyle pushes him away and rolls onto his stomach, covering his head with his hands and praying God would strike him dead in that moment, not even caring if it would or wouldn't be a swift death. Death would be easier than seeing what kind of face Stan was pulling right then anyway. But when his friend doesn't say anything, Kyle eventually succumbs to his nerves, glancing back over his shoulder to see Stan studying him carefully, a small smile on his face.
"Dude, it's okay, you don't have to get so defensive," Stan promises him in that kind voice Kyle hated him for, his easy nature constantly a welcomed surprise but a surprise all the same. Stan lays down beside him then, both of them on their stomachs now facing Stan's pillows, the bed just barely big enough for the two of them. Kyle struggles not to focus on how wonderful Stan's elbow feels brushed up against his, glancing up at his friend in search of acceptance. "Guys are cool, I guess."
"Guys are cool, you guess," Kyle repeats in a mocking tone, squashing his face to the sheets in dismall shame, trying his best to not feel so embarrassed about Stan's instant acceptance. He's grateful, sure, but now Stan was probably picturing him making out with the other half the class Kenny hadn't gotten around to yet. Which of course would include-
Stan tilts his head a bit, before laying it down on his crossed arms, just watching his friend as if trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to say. "Yeah. They are. I mean, you're cool and stuff. I'm cool and stuff."
Kyle raises his head and gives Stan a deadpan stare, his friend swallowing thickly under his piercing gaze. "You really- and I mean really, one-hundred percent, don't care if I wanna kiss a dude?"
"No, I really don't- mind. I don't mind. I care though, dude. Honest. I mean, you'd care if I told you I thought about wanting to kissing a guy too, right?" Stan's voice tapers off near the end, his words twisting around in Kyle's head when- no way. No way-
"Do you?" he asks in a quiet whisper, as if fearful someone might hear them. Stan's face flushes a little darker, but his nod is unmissable when he leans in a little closer. All it would take would be a handful of inches for their lips to collide, Kyle's brain melting to putty at the very idea. Stan had interest in guys? No way… What kind of guy would Stan want to kiss?
"Maybe. I dunno. I've thought about it," Stan dodges the question, and he's laying so close, so so close- Kyle nearly yelps when he feels Stan's leg roll up against his own, his heart too loud in his ears to think coherently. Stan smiles shyly at him, but his gaze droops before returning to Kyle's eyes. Oh, God, did he look at his lips just then? "Just kinda… what it'd be like. You know. I wonder if it'd be good?"
"Me too," Kyle breathes, his lips quivering as he glances at Stan's lips, shaken through to his core. Stan kept himself well maintained, paying at least a bit more attention to his appearance than most other teens their age, but… what on earth would his lips feel like pressed up against Kyle's, and how would his tongue feel as well- Blushing at the way his thoughts turned so quickly, Kyle stuffs his face back into the sheets, banishing the impurity from his mind.
"Wanna try?"
The whisper is so soft Kyle isn't even sure if he really heard it, keeping his face down until he feels Stan shifting next to him. He turns to look, finding Stan has rolled onto his side then, just watching him and waiting for a reaction. Unable to determine if reality just took a backseat or not, Kyle grunts up a confused noise. Smiling slightly, Stan shrugs and glances away.
"Wanna try? With me," he repeats, shy and quiet, before a nervous grin splits his face. "I promise I won't puke on you."
"You better not," Kyle warns during the split second it takes to lean over and kiss Stan, catching his friend off guard. The world froze over, the both of them staring completely wide-eyed at each other, Kyle's vision crossing as he tries his best to keep Stan in focus. Neither move, neither breathe, both just locked together there on Stan's bed in his quiet house, an eternity passing before Kyle finally pulls away first, his eyes flicking from one side of Stan's face to the other, searching, desperately for any sign of anything.
"T-told you I wouldn't," Stan stammers awkwardly, letting out a shaky exhale as time began to move again. Kyle nods just so, but that isn't exactly what he wants to hear Stan say. The silence stretches on, and on, Kyle's brain still too short-circuited to make sense of himself yet. Just when he finally regains some composure, Stan's lips are back on his, catching the first breath of sound from him into another kiss.
Kyle catches Stan's shoulder before the larger teen could roll him onto his back, holding him steady as their lips worked against one another's again, slowly, experimentally, feeling the slopes and contours, the lingering taste of mint chapstick and the cookies they'd shared when they first got to Stan's house…
"Sh-shit," Kyle gasps when he tries to pull away again, but Stan pushes closer for more, and fuck, did he really want more? Steeling himself, Kyle surges forward and pushes Stan successfully onto his back, kissing harder than they had been before from his new angle on top of his friend. A noise chokes its way up from Stan's throat, Kyle suddenly jerking himself upright when reality really hits.
"Kyle?" Stan manages to speak first, breathless and red faced beneath his friend, Kyle's hands gripping the front of Stan's tee shirt with a certain fury, the fabric twisted up in his grip. "Are- are you okay, dude?"
"I'm fine," Kyle lies and slips off of Stan, tucking his knees up close to his chest as he sits where he had been sitting all afternoon, a shaky hand trembling as it strokes across his lips. Stan needs a moment to collect himself as he sits up next to him, awkwardly staring down at his lap when he couldn't bear to see Kyle's face.
"... was it okay?" he cringes, hugging himself tightly as he looked again to Kyle, pleading for some kind of reaction, any kind of reaction-
Kyle gapes at him, his eyebrows raised and worried together, his lips open as if he wanted to say something. Slowly, slowly he nods, his voice lost and his arms hugged tightly around his legs, as if somehow he could hide from Stan like this. His friend turns to him on his knees then, Kyle's skin burning where Stan touches him with a warm hand.
"Why'd you stop?" his soft, sweet, wonderful voice asks, Kyle's broken heart splintering just that much more.
"We should get back to our homework," Kyle insists, Stan wincing at his harsh tone.
"Oh- yeah, the homework," Stan gulps and looks away, Kyle watching as his hand slipped away from him, the heat of it immediately missed. They sit there silently, Stan working his lower lip under his teeth as he stares at the abandoned scribbles on the pages, the pencils nearby but not at all appealing. Neither move to get them, but Stan turns to Kyle again. "I don't really want to do it."
"Me neither," Kyle admits readily, kicking himself for ruining the mood, again. Fuck, to think they'd been just laughing so carelessly a minute ago to now this awkward unease- Kyle shudders when Stan touches his arm again, leaning closer to his face than Kyle expected he would after their shared kiss.
"Can we kiss again?" Stan pleads with him, and as much as Kyle's heart screams at him to say yes, he hesitates.
"Why?"
Stan recoils, blinking in surprise at his standoffish tone. "Why- what do you mean, why?"
"Why'd you- why'd you let me do that to you?" Kyle asks softly, shaking just a bit. Stan remains quiet for a moment, and Kyle is able to hear him swallow.
"Because I wanted to- wanted you to- yeah. That's why," he admits, Kyle raising his head to stare across at him, taking in Stan's downturned gaze and hopeful smile. Kyle sits a little straighter, stretching his legs out and opening his chest for Stan. His friend takes his opportunity and wraps his arms around Kyle, holding him there, pressing his face into the side of Kyle's neck.
"You did? Really? Why didn't you tell me?" Kyle chokes, feeling his eyes start to water with newfound hope. This had to be a dream, and yet Stan felt so real in his arms, right where Kyle knew he belonged. Stan's laugh puffs against the tingling skin of his neck, his broad hands squeezing Kyle more fully into his embrace.
"You're my super best friend. I guess somehow I thought you already knew," he smiles, pulling away to continue, but Kyle swoops in before he can speak again, kissing him once more. A hand lifts to Stan's cheek and cups his face, holding him still as Kyle finally shuts his eyes and enjoys their closeness.
"Do you know how much I love you, Stan?" Kyle counters, his friend stiffening a bit in surprise at the sudden confession. Kyle's face is still red but he isn't embarrassed anymore, the truth somehow so easy to speak after being hidden away for so many, many years. Stan reaches up and holds Kyle's face as well, the two of them mirroring each other as they looked into one another's eyes.
"I-" he stumbles, but Kyle is there to catch him, his lips so soft and warm and starting to even swell a bit. They pull away from the kiss at the same time now, breathless in the blissful moment to follow. "I always hoped, I guess. I never knew."
"Well, now you know," Kyle huffs stubbornly, a happy tear spilling from one eye. Stan gasps and catches it with his finger, brushing it away into Kyle's cheek with a gentle swipe.
"F-fuck, dude, I- yeah. Yeah, I guess I do," he laughs softly, and his lips return, Kyle losing track of how many kisses they share before they bubble away into giggles, and maybe Kyle's crying too hard to tell if Stan is too. "I love you too, dude. Kyle. So much," he shivers, and then squeezes Kyle back into another crushing bear hug, and Kyle holds him back. "I love you, Kyle…"
"I love you, Stan," Kyle whimpers back, not knowing when exactly they'd gone back to laying next to each other, but glad to find himself with Stan in his arms and his face next to his, the two just smiling across from each other, separated by the smallest of gaps.
"We're gonna have to do that homework some other time," Stan whispers to him, Kyle smirking just so at his reminder of the outside world.
"Or just not at all. I want you to kiss me again."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," Kyle nods, and Stan is eager to please. They inhale and exhale together, Kyle the first one to open his eyes afterwards, but Stan isn't far behind. "I guess I'll just have to do my homework before coming over from now on, or neither of us will get anything done."
"Yeah. I won't be able to focus on school if your lips are across from me," Stan grins, Kyle snorting at his cheesy reply.
"We'll have to ask all our teachers to change the seating assignments then, or I won't be able to focus either."
"Maybe you'll finally start texting in class," Stan giggles, nuzzling a little closer and pressing his face to Kyle's chest, sighing softly against his shirt. "Since we won't be able to whisper to each other when they move us."
"Maybe," Kyle mumbles, stroking Stan's hair as he cradled him, exhausted from his crying fit that only just then seemed to be easing up. Is this heaven? Stan cuddles with him for a bit longer before eventually sitting up, rubbing at his eyes sleepily before giving Kyle a little smile.
"I'm gonna go order some dinner, okay? What do you want?"
"Whatever's good, just get back here quick, okay?" Kyle requests, Stan leaning down and kissing his forehead.
"Why, so we can go back to kissing?" he teases, Kyle quirking his lips before giving him a little shove.
"Yeah. So hurry up."
"Roger that, Kyle," Stan winks and slips out into the hall, Kyle shutting his eyes and letting peace wash over him.
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