AN. Okay, I'm submitting this earlier. But know that may mean you have to wait over a week for the next chapter. My plan is to sumbit every Sunday, but someone asked me. So here it is. Just a reminder I don't own the characters, they belong to South Park creators, also the storyline is based off of Bare: a pop opera, and each chapter title is a song title from the earlier mentioned show. I hope you all still like it :)

At the end of the day Kyle walked with Kenny towards the parking lot. Both boys had books and notebooks filled with homework. The two had become somewhat of study buddies. Kyle had told Kenny it was his personal mission to get him to go to college. So every school day for the last two years the two would see each other or talk on the phone about their homework. In a way I guess Ken is my new best friend now that Stan is something more… Kyle thought to himself as they reached the parking lot.

"So dude, I'll call you after I take care of Little Kenny and we can figure out what to do about tonight's homework."

"Sounds good, Ken." Kyle waved at him as he rushed towards Mindi's car.

Kyle was slowly making his way over to Stan's car. For his fifteenth birthday Stan's dad had bought him a brand new car. It was a nice car, not one of the best in the world, but the best of all the teens in South Park. Stan and Kyle both learned how to drive in that car. Kyle thought back to the day Stan got it, he had called Kyle right away to tell him so excited about being able to just leave if he wanted to.

*"Of course anywhere I go I'll take you with me. Now that you know, we're like… you know."

"If you can't even say it…" Kyle started.

It had been like this for the entire beginning of their relationship, Stan just couldn't bring himself to say they were boyfriends. Kyle could understand not wanting to tell people right away, but there was nobody else on the phone with them.

There was a long pause he could hear Stan breathing, and in the background he heard typing. Obviously Stan was distracted with something, that's how it always seemed to go. They would start to have a conversation about dating the Stan would become preoccupied and not be able to talk anymore.

"Listen," Kyle said with intentions of changing the topic, "I'm super stoked about the car. I can't wait to see it. You totally need one with how much stuff you do in school and everything. You deserve it! What color is it?"

"It's deep red. Listen I have to go. I have plans. So I'll be seeing you tomorrow at school. I guess we can hang after." With that Stan hung up the phone.*

Kyle thought for a moment then remembered why he didn't think of that day very often. It sucked to find out the next day that Stan ditched talking to him to drive illegally over to Bebe's to show her and Wendy his new car. Kyle pushed the memory away however, because that was the past, and this was the present.

When Kyle was in the car and buckled Stan pulled away from the school without a word. He didn't say anything the entire ten minute drive to the neighborhood. Kyle didn't mind the silence, but then he watched as Stan drove right passed the Marsh's house. He pulled into Kyle's driveway and Kyle sat there stunned momentarily.

"I have practice." Stan said with a tone that said he wanted Kyle out of his car. "Listen I'll call you later. Right now I have a football practice to go to and then I have to go to a swimming meeting after that. I really need to get going. I'll call you."

Kyle leaned towards his boyfriend and kissed his cheek. Stan pulled away slightly. Kyle knew it was because they were outside of his house. Stan's house was one thing, his parents were never there, and when they were they never paid attention. Whereas Kyle's mother had nothing better to do than wait by the window and watch for her two baby boys to come home.

Kyle waved at the car as Stan pulled away. Stan smiled but that was about it. He wasn't as affectionate as Kyle was. There were days Kyle felt like he must be suffocating Stan. The All-State jock wasn't one to hold hands or cuddle; he had no girly side to him at all. Kyle knew that, it was one of the things he loved about him. He was a man all the way through, down to his very core.

As Kyle walked in the front door he knew his mother had to be somewhere close by. The front door had been unlocked for him, which his mother would never allow. Kyle closed and locked the door then walked towards the kitchen. He wanted nothing more than to find Ike waiting for him instead of his mother. When he walked to the kitchen archway he saw his mother sitting at the kitchen table. Her face was stained with tears and she had a half finished bottle of wine sitting next to her. Kyle sat down, knowing she couldn't have gotten this far into the wine had it been because she saw him kiss Stan's cheek.

"Mom?" he asked quietly.

"He's extending the job. They gave him a choice to work online from home or stay there. Oh bubba I don't think he's ever coming back." Her voice cracked as she said the words and more tears ran down her face.

Kyle didn't know what to say. His father was an ass that pretty much summed it all up. But he knew his mother kept on hoping each and every day that Gerald would change his mind and come home. Not that they were separated or even nearing a divorce but Kyle's mother wasn't stupid.

Six months earlier his parents had started fighting, just about little things. Then the little things turned into big things and the fighting never stopped. Kyle had thought it was very convenient for a job opportunity to arise during all of their problems. There was a case they needed a good strong lawyer for, and so they called on Gerald. He told his family it was to get more money to help them continue living in the lifestyle they had become accustomed to. But he would be in California for who knows how long, and they needed to stay behind because Kyle and Ike had to finish school out with their friends. He never cared about my friends before Kyle thought to himself.

"Why doesn't he want to be with us anymore bubba? I know we had our fights, but I wasn't that horrible to him was I?"

Kyle didn't feel like he could honestly answer. Because the truth was neither of his parents ever showed any affection towards each other. They seemed stone cold when it came to each other. Kyle wasn't sure how to answer his mother without upsetting her more. He couldn't say any of his true feelings, and he didn't have the heart to lie. So he just hugged his mother and left her in silence.

As he walked into the living room he passed the family shrine. It was the wall right by the staircase. Every inch was covered in pictures. Ike and Kyle when they were little, family pictures, wedding pictures, and random pictures of the family doing things together. As he looked at the frames he saw his father smiling in every picture. His father, looking as happy as can be just months before leaving. The images made him tear up, he missed his father.

When he got into his room he turned the television on and flipped through channels. Every few seconds glancing back at his phone. He muted the television and grabbed his phone from the stand. As he dialed his father's number he knew it could be a bad choice. Yet he let the phone start to ring, then keep ringing.

"Hello, you've reached Gerald," it was a woman's voice and Kyle assumed it was an answering machine, "who is this?"

Kyle was stunned, he pulled his phone from his ear and double checked the number. It was his father's home phone.

"Who are you?" Kyle asked the woman.

"I'm Gerald's personal secretary. If you'd like to leave a message I'll need your name."

"It's his son, Kyle. Don't bother, he won't call back." Kyle pressed the end button and threw his phone back onto his bed.

A woman he thought, a woman at my father's house. He didn't want to over think anything, or make assumptions, but it didn't look great for his dad at the moment. He glanced back at the phone shook his head and turned back to the television. He tried to just watch the show without thinking of anything in particular.

When his phone rang it was a nice break from the thoughts in his head. He jumped to his phone and looked at the caller ID. He pushed the talk button and smiled as he answered.

"Hey Ken! Are you done visiting my should have been god-son?"

With a laugh Kenny responded, "Yeah I just left. I have an hour before work. Is that okay?"

Kyle laughed a little. Kenny knew he could come over anytime. Kyle would wake up at two in the morning if that was the only time there was to help him. In the past Kyle stayed up all night just because Kenny wasn't sure when he'd be over. Kenny wasn't calling to make sure it was okay, he was just calling to call. Kenny loved having a phone so much he just wanted to use it.

"You know its fine. I'll see you in a minute."

The minute was extremely short. Kenny walked into the bedroom just after hanging up. He smiled at the redhead and threw his backpack on the floor. His first move was to walk to Kyle's closet and rummage through the shirts that were hung up. He grabbed a plain black shirt and after pulling off his tight blue shirt threw on Kyle's.

"Why's do you wear clothes that are so tight you sweat? I think I've lost half my clothes because you steal them."

"But being my only gay friend you have a better sense of style than anyone else, maybe I just want to steal your clothes."

Kyle shot Kenny a dirty look, "Be careful what you say Ken. You can't go saying stuff like that while we're in my house."

"Oh come on, your mom is downstairs almost done with a bottle of wine, your brother isn't home yet from school, and if anyone heard me I'd just make a joke and say I wish. Everyone knows my bi ass wishes you were gay. Then everyone would laugh and drop it."

"You've thought about this way too much."

"Well you're way too nervous."

Kyle couldn't argue with him. He knew that if people found out he was gay it wouldn't be long before they found out about Stan. The thought of Stan being forced to confront the world before he was ready scared Kyle. Stan was socially and physically really strong, but his mental and emotional strength weren't to par.

Stan was a wonderful boyfriend, but Kyle didn't think he could handle being open about it all yet. For now it was easier if no one knew about either of them. Kenny was the only person besides Stan that knew Kyle was gay. It had taken a lot for Kyle to tell him, he debated over it for months. In the end he realized they were best friends, they told each other everything recently and Kenny needed to know. So now Kyle worried about Ken figuring Stan out, but he trusted Kenny.

"Ken, what do you need help with tonight? We don't have long before you go to work."

Kenny pulled out an English paper. Kyle knew which one immediately. It had been assigned during the summer for some of the classes. It was a basic paper, but it was due by Friday. Kyle gave Kenny a look, disappointed he hadn't worked on anything since they got the letter in the mail about the paper.

"Hey I've got a title, that's a pretty good start."

Kyle grabbed the paper from him. All that was written on the paper was: Secrets, the Death of America. Kyle was confused slightly, the assignment was about suicide awareness. It had been assigned over the summer after a student shot themselves.

"How does this title apply Ken?"

"Think about most suicides are caused from people holding things in, not letting the world know the truth. They don't talk about how hurt the bullying makes them feel, or how alone they are, or how scared they are, and in some cases they just don't tell the world who they are at all."

"You think I'm going to kill myself because South Park doesn't know I'm gay?"

"Not you," was all Kenny said before he took his paper back.

Kyle didn't need to help Kenny much. He wrote the paper on his own in the hour that he had with Kyle. All Kyle really did was agree to keep it and proof read it that night. Kenny wasn't good with grammar or spelling. Their English teacher, Ms. Harp, was a bitch about those sorts of things. So Kyle read through the paper once Kenny had left. He circled a few words, and made some notes about sentences, but the ideas and the paper itself was wonderful. He smiled knowing Kenny had actually learned something from him in the last few years.

It was late when Kyle finally started settling into bed. He plugged his phone in and laid down. He was upset that he had never heard from Stan. He should have gotten a call soon after Kenny left. Just as he glanced over at his phone it lit up, Stan's name flashed on the front.

"Hey," Kyle said as he put the phone to his ear.

"Sorry, I'm really sorry. I didn't think about sending you a text. We finished practice late so I had to have a private meeting about swimming. When I got home I did my homework and I was tired so I fell asleep. I'm sorry I didn't think."

Kyle smiled, even though he had been ignored all day hearing Stan's voice cheered him up. He no longer cared that Stan hadn't sent a text or called. His night turned around with just the first word he heard from Stan's mouth.

"It's all right. I totally understand. Thanks for calling now. That was sweet of you. You're sweet in general."

"Okay. Sorry it's late, go to sleep." Stan said in a kind and soothing voice.

"Okay, goodnight. I love you."

"Love you." Stan said and hung up the phone.

Kyle smiled as he set the phone down. He knew that Stan wasn't perfect. But he at least could make things right, he never left messy ends for them to worry about. They would always go to bed happy with each other. He never once went to sleep worried about where they stood with each other, never once did he wish things during the day had been completely different. When it came ot him and Stan, things just seemed right.

AN. Okay, so there it is. Chapter Two. I hoep you guys are enjoying it so far. R&R, let me know how I'm doing even if it isn't all the best comments, I will really love to hear from you.