Snowed Under

I. The Carousel

"Who's that?"

Kyle sighed at Kenny's question as he eyed his best friend. "I don't know. Some guy from our physics class."

"What's he doing with Stan?"

"What does it look it?" Kyle turned away from the sight of best friend trying his hand at flirting with another guy. From the look on the other guy's face, Stan was doing a pretty decent job.

Kenny rested a hand on Kyle's shoulder, ignoring the fact that Kyle flinched. "Just say the word, and I'll lick your wounds."

"No thanks," Kyle responded curling his lip in slight disgust. Sometimes it was hard for him to determine if Kenny was speaking literally or figuratively.

"Kyle," Kenny said his name softly before he had a chance to walk off. He turned back to face him waiting for him to continue. "Are you going to be okay?"

He paused before answering the blonde, "I'll be fine…what about you?"

Kenny grinned as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I'll be fine too."

"Good," with that Kyle turned and headed for his next class, not bothering to wait for Stan.

After Kyle had turned a corner, disappearing from his view Kenny turned back to look at Stan. He and the other guy were laughing over something and the other guy was blushing. Stan, as usual, looked calm and collected, but Kenny could feel his friends' nervousness at what he was doing.

They weren't exactly in plain sight for everyone to see, but they were still in a school building, and while Kenny didn't think Stan would care much for what people thought of him, he'd still be cautious, just in case. After a few more brief moments of talking the other guy took off and Stan turned toward him exhaling with a smile. He immediately spotted Kenny and his smile turned into a grin as he approached him.

"Hard at work I see," Kenny said casually as he nodded in the direction of the retreating male figure Stan had just entertained.

Stan laughed, and glanced back at the guy, "he's called Ryan."

"Ryan's attractive," Kenny commented and started to walk in the direction his own class. Keeping in step with him Stan seemed to think his statement over.

"Yeah, he is."

"So, you really are talking a walk on the male side. Fairing okay, need any pointers?" Kenny grinned.

Stan laughed and shook his head, "I think I'm okay. It's different though I'll give you that."

"Better than girls?"

Stan shrugged, "the same…which do you like better?"

"It isn't about that with me anymore. There's only one person I like, and I wouldn't care if he was a guy or a girl."

"Oh yeah…you do have the guy you won't tell me about," Stan muttered more to himself.

"Experimented on Kyle yet?" Kenny suddenly piped up eyeing Stan carefully, and quietly sighing in relief when he saw Stan's face heat up as he shook his head violently.

"Dude…I just can't do that. Not with Kyle, I mean…how can I? It's Kyle, you know?"

Kenny refrained from shaking his head. Because he didn't know, if he could he'd experiment with Kyle until there was nothing left to discover.

"I don't even know how he feels about me and…" Stan gave a flowing gesture of his hand. "My new interests…he's seen me flirt and stuff with some guys, and he hasn't said anything about it to me…you think it disgusts him?" Stan frowned thinking of Kyle's recent reactions.

Kyle was a lot more distant with him, and it started pretty much the exact time that he started having his interests in other guys. Kyle never said anything against it, he never said that he didn't like it, but he didn't ask about it either. Even just now…Kyle had been standing with Kenny and had ended up walking off without him.

They always went to class together and now…Did discovering these new interests he had mean that he would have to give Kyle up as a friend?

Kenny resisted rolling his eyes as he saw the troubled look on Stan's face. Poor guy. But really, no matter that he had to watch the guys crestfallen look he couldn't get it in him to really feel sorry for him. If Stan would just open his eyes a little bit things would be resolved more quickly.

"I don't think it disgusts him," he finally answered him. "He'd just rather not watch your attempts," he added honestly.

"Yeah…maybe I should calm down around him…maybe talk to him about it….maybe I should introduce him to Ryan?"

"Dude…don't."

"You don't think that's a good idea?"

"It's a horrible idea." Kenny sighed and listened to both sides of his conscience for awhile before he said anything. "Today, whenever you guys get a handful of free time, talk to him. I thought you two were best buds? All of a sudden I feel like the mediator."

Stan nodded and they stopped walking as they reached his classroom. He glanced in and saw that Kyle was already inside and was sitting calmly at his seat talking with a few casual friends. "I'll do that," he nodded to himself and glanced over at Kenny.

Creasing his brows in confusion Stan looked back and forth from Kenny and Kyle. Kenny was giving Kyle an odd look, but it was a little hard to decipher. It was something he had noticed a few days ago when, at the time, he had planned on introducing Kyle to his then girlfriend.

"Hey…Kenny?" He asked softly, noticing that Kenny didn't turn to look at him.

"Hmm?"

"…is it Kyle?"

Kenny turned his head slowly to look at Kyle. One of his eyebrows rose as he viewed Stan before he broke out in a small tight smile. "I was wondering how long it would take you to see the obvious."

"Really?" Stan breathed out as he looked over at his best friend.

"Yeah," Kenny trailed off turning to look back at Kyle himself.

"How – when…when did that happen?"

"I'm not sure," Kenny muttered quietly.

"But didn't...didn't you say that the guy you liked didn't like you back, that he liked someone else?"

"I did say that."

"…Kyle hasn't ever mentioned anything like that to me…who does he like? I haven't seen him raise interest in anyone in a long time…"

Kenny could hear the anger start to rise in his friend.

"He hasn't told me anything of the sort, and I'm his best friend, but he told you?! I tell him everything….absolutely everything!"

Kenny didn't say anything and he turned his attention back to Kyle, who was just now realizing that he had been the focus of two pairs of eyes. He watched as the redhead looked toward the door and watched as his eyes widened at seeing him and Stan stare back at him. Kenny waved slightly, and he smiled when Kyle gave him an unsure wave back. He turned back to Stan and dropped a hand on his shoulder.

"Talk to him…and if you can't deal with what you hear, hand him over to me, got it?"

Stan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at what Kenny said, but he nodded uncertainly anyway at the blonde. Kenny gave him a few more pats before heading toward his own class.

"What were you guys doing out there?" Kyle asked once Stan entered and took his seat next to his friend.

Stan stared at Kyle taking him in. This was the guy Kenny liked…no Kenny had said he loved Kyle…but the feeling wasn't mutual. Kyle felt that way about someone else. He wasn't sure why, but that angered him. After spending so much constant time with him, he couldn't imagine what things would be like if Kyle finally got the person he cared so much about. Would that mean that their time together would be limited, would he get the back seat?

"Can we talk after class?" He finally spoke up.

"Uhh, yeah…of course," Kyle studied Stan trying to figure out what was wrong with him, but he simply turned to face the front of the classroom as their instructor came in.

Once the lesson was over Kyle turned to Stan, "what did you want to talk about?"

"After all our classes are over," Stan confirmed and Kyle nodded slowly not bothering to question him further on it.

The remainder of the day Kyle constantly eyed Stan, wondering what he had to talk to him about. He frowned when he thought it might be another introduction. Maybe Stan wanted to introduce him to one of the guys he had been flirting with recently. He hoped that wasn't it, he didn't know what he would do if that was the case. But he had a feeling he'd probably grin and bear it, because Stan…was his best friend.

"Alright, what's up?" He asked. Classes were finally over and he finally got to figure out what Stan needed to talk about so seriously. He was a little nervous too, for reasons he didn't quite know.

Stan scratched his head before he said anything. "Do you…have issues with me?"

"What?"

"Don't act like you haven't been seeing the people I've been flirting around with…they're guys…is that bothering you?"

"What?!" Kyle questioned appalled.

"Is that why you've been acting a little distant with me and then not telling me who you like, but telling Kenny?"

"What?!" Kyle asked for the third time. "What the hell has Kenny told you?"

"Nothing," Stan responded annoyed. "Just that I should talk to you. So there is someone you like then? How come I don't know about it?"

"…I didn't mean to act distant."

"Well you have been."

"Sorry…" Kyle paused. "It's not because you like guys all of a sudden."

"I don't just like guys," Stan argued automatically.

"Fine."

"Kyle who is that you like? Is it someone I know?"

Kyle shifted his eyes to the side, "yeah."

"Who?"

"I don't think you'd understand."

Stan's jaw almost dropped, "you don't think I'd understand? What kind of bullshit nonsense is that?!"

"It's not bullshit nonsense; I really don't think you'd understand!" Kyle responded frustrated.

"Try me!"

"I like you," Kyle answered back right away, almost challengingly.

"…yeah I like you too..."

"…that isn't…" Kyle shook his head and to Stan it looked like he was debating something. Eventually Kyle shrugged as he sighed and Stan froze as he realized that Kyle was leaning in toward him.

His eyes widened as Kyle met their lips. He couldn't even think to respond; he simply stood, trying to process the thought that Kyle, his best friend since kindergarten, was kissing him. The kiss wasn't short, but he wasn't sure if you could call it a kiss. Kyle's eyes were closed; he could see that since his weren't. But Kyle wasn't moving his lips either; they were simply resting against his. He wasn't adding pressure; in fact he was as still as Stan was.

Finally though, Kyle pulled away with his eyes still closed. Eventually he slowly opened his eyes and examined Stan who was still staring in shock, but it wasn't at Kyle. He was looking straight through him.

Kyle sighed with a smile and darted his eyes to the side. "I think you understand now," he spoke up and rubbed his shoulder slightly. "Well…just take your time."

Snapping himself out of his shock, Stan looked at Kyle but he was already walking away and he couldn't think of anything to say so he let him go. When he had gained his voice back he glanced to the side.

"Kenny-" he started but was quickly interrupted.

"Based on your reaction does that mean you're handing him over to me?"

"I didn't – I don't…" Stan rushed a hand through his hair in confusion and aggravation.

"Sorry Stan, but I think Kyle needs me more, you understand right?"

Stan nodded slowly and watched Kenny walk off in the direction Kyle had disappeared toward.

As Kenny turned the corner of the street he released a long sigh. "Handing him over to me…" he muttered to himself. "As if Kyle wants me…" Shaking his head he took up a jog looking around for Kyle and finally seeing him on a park bench that faced away from the street. He viewed him from where he stood, not allowing Kyle to see him right away.

He looked at Kyle's hunched shoulders as he rested his arms on his knees with his head looking down. Groaning to himself he rolled his eyes and sighed dejectedly as he approached Kyle.

"Did you see what I did?" Kyle questioned Kenny the second he sat down beside him.

"Yeah, I saw. Bold move."

"Mhm, he didn't move an inch."

"I think you shocked him."

"I shocked myself. I can't believe I did that…I was resolving only a few days ago to not do anything about this. I was really going to try and let it go."

"But you couldn't."

"Nope. Maybe not the best way to go about doing things?" Kyle asked softly.

"Maybe, maybe not. Do you need anything?"

Kyle shook his head and pulled himself up only to lean casually against Kenny's side, "but do you mind if I keep leaning on you?"

"Nah, not a problem dude."

"…this doesn't affect you or anything, does it, since…I know you still like me and all."

"I love you."

"…oh."

"So I don't mind comforting you…" Kenny took a deep breath. "Kyle as odd as it might sound, I want you to be happy, and if that's going to be with…Stan, then fine, be with Stan. Just make sure I get a little bit of your attention every once in awhile?"

"I guess I can do that."

Kenny smiled when he looked down and saw Kyle smiling slightly, "you guess," he muttered mockingly and left it at that. He was going to relish in the fact that Kyle was leaning on him for support so he wasn't going to mention that Stan was around the corner watching them.

No, he'd pretend he didn't see him for a bit longer.

-FG

AN: My own laziness ceases to amaze me. This entire story is written, and I can't seem to get myself to remember to post it. Anyway, one more chapter.