Chapter 5

After school that same day, many of the students began walking home. Kenny and Wendy happened to be two of those students. Kenny approached the girl with a simple question on his mind.

"Got a smoke?"

Wendy shivered. "Gross, Kenny, you know I don't do that sort of shit." She looked over at the grinning blonde, making a face. He was really quite the attractive boy. Just his habits were unappealing to her.

"Alright, then. Just asking!" he replied. After walking with her for quite some time, he decided a new approach to talk to the headstrong girl. "So you and Stan, huh?" He didn't know exactly what he was getting at, but he sure as hell didn't want her to hit him, or hate Stan, so he decided it was best not to say he knew about their fucking schedule.

"What about me and Stan?" she questioned.

"Oh, just, how's that going?"

"...Fine." She blinked. "Do you need something, or..?"

Ken shook his head. "Just making conversation. Gotta do something while we walk home."

Wendy stopped in her tracks, looking over to Kenny strangely. "You never walk home with me, Kenny."

He, too, had stopped. "So that means a guy can't change his ways? God, you'd think someone would appreciate a friendly face. But noooo, not Wendy Testaburger."

At the mention of her name, Wendy's eyes fell to the ground, a cloud of guilt surrounding them. "Okay, Kenny, what's your point."

"Just saying I wanna walk with you." Kenny replied.

They began walking again, Wendy still somewhat reluctant.

"So, how was your day?" she asked, hoping to at least become the one to initiate the conversation. It gave her at least a small bit of power in the situation, and she felt more comfortable that way.

Kenny ran through the highlights of his day in his head. Listened to Stan and Kyle have a fight about Stan posing naked for Kyle. Kyle confessing his feelings about Stan while being naked. Kyle jacking off to Stan while he was naked... "Oh, you know. Same old, same old," he said with a grin. It was probably best if Wendy didn't know all of that.

Wendy looked to the 6' dirty blonde. "Did you see Stan today?"

"I see him every day." Kenny replied. "So?"

Wendy frowned. "I didn't see him today."

"I think he's been ignoring me lately," she continued.

Kenny raised an eyebrow. There was a chance of that, for any number of reasons. Still, he did his best to keep his mouth shut about the Kyle factor.

"Well, he doesn't have to see you -every- day dude." Kenny reasoned.

Wendy shrugged. "You see him every day. And I'm sure Kyle sees him every day too." She sighed. "He likes Kyle a lot, doesn't he."

Kenny's ears went red and eyes went wide. "Wh...why would you say that?"

"Cause he'd rather hang out with him than his own girlfriend," she said glumly.

"...Heh..." Kenny searched his brain for a moment, trying to think of something reassuring to say. Anything. Anything unincriminating.

"He's only with Kyle right now so much to do an art project."

STUPID! How will that work out! She'll ask what it is...and...I'll have to tell her, he thought.

"Oh?" Her ears perked up. "What is it?"

"Stan doesn't even take art," she thought a loud.

"It's...Um..."

"...It's what?" she questioned. "Why won't you tell me?"

He laughed nervously. "It's...I-it's just this, really stupid, uh...It's a pretty gay project, really."

"Gay? How?" she asked, genuinely confused. Her interest was peaked now.

"Just...Kyle needs help on -his- art thing, so of course Stan volunteered. Ya know?"

It was true. It was all true. He had gotten it out truthfully yet innocently. Now he just had to pray silently that she'd shut up about it.

Wendy's eyes looked over Kenny, registering for any withheld information. His face was blank. She narrowed her eyes, searching deeper. "That doesn't sound so "gay", as you put it. What is the project about? Seems I would have heard it from another advanced student from somewhere..."

Kenny fidgeted. "Er...Look, who cares? It's no big deal." he promised. "Kyle just has to draw somebody. You know, like, a model."

"A model?" she inquired curiously. Frowning and looking around, she mumbled, "Yeah, Stan's hot enough for that." She stopped to look at Kenny. "But so are you."

Kenny blushed.

"Thanks" he said. "You aren't too bad yourself ya know." He gave Wendy a wink.

Wendy's blush was hidden in the blush on her cheeks. She smiled warmly. "Kenny, why are you talking to me today? What is the special occasion?"

Kenny shrugged. "I wanted a cigarette. 'Sides, it's not like I hate you or anything. Do you -not- want me talking to you?"

Wendy thought about that question for a minute. "I like talking to you," she concluded. "And you know I don't smoke, Kenny."

They continued to walk, not saying much to each other, but not parting ways until they reached the Testaburger residence. Little did Wendy know, Kenny had went an extra mile out of his way to walk her home, when her own boyfriend was preparing for the next night at Kyle's house.

"Thank you, Kenny," she said, gratefully. "We should do this again sometime. Soon." She couldn't explain it, but there was some kind of connection there. Not just physically either.

"Sure" Kenny agreed, calmly but without hesitation. "Why not?"

Stan was probably why not, but for some reason, Kenny didn't think that'd matter for much longer.

---

"Hold still!" Kyle cried, barely able to contain his laughter. Stan's silly faces were turning this session into comedy hour. Of course, it kept him from thinking about other things too.

Likewise for Stan, if he made faces, he wouldn't have to worry about something...else...happening.

"Dude, I gotta finish this." Kyle insisted in a serious tone."

"Okay" Stan agreed quickly. Damn! Now he'd have to sit like a good boy and wait for this thing to be over again. The waiting felt even longer now that he knew what he knew about Kyle, even though it would probably be the shortest amount of posing yet.

As Stan toyed with the strings of the rather worn-down carpet in front of him, his thoughts drifted to the sight he saw the previous night. Kyle. His best friend. Awake. In front of him. Stan had been naked. Kyle was jacking off...

Stan pulled at the carpet harder, falling silent and allowing Kyle to go to work. Like a bolt of lightning that electrified his body, he felt this internal shock that just kept him frozen.

Thinking of Kyle doing that didn't turn him off. No, it didn't even disgust him. It actually kind of...flattered him.

"Almost done" Kyle told him. Though he wished he wasn't. This would probably be the last time he'd get to see Stan naked. He'd try to keep the picture saved after it was turned in for a grade, but who knows what the teacher might do with it.

Stan, on the other hand, thanked God this was almost over. Not because it was unpleasant, but more so because he was feeling way too uncomfortable once again. And not even in a homophobic way.

Stan looked up to Kyle, watching him make what seemed like the final touches on the painting. He spied a visible tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth, as if he was hard at work. Stan caught himself staring at that tongue, that face...that boy...

"We are almost...finished..." Kyle explained. He was, indeed, putting on the finishing touches. Stan could feel himself blushing as Kyle's eyes traveled up and down his body to catch anything left unpainted.

Stan's phone rang suddenly. He crawled over to his removed pants and answered it. Neither boy minded this time, since the paint job was almost done. This only prolonged the nakedness. Kyle was fine with that, and Stan seemed to be too, for some reason.

"Hello? ...Oh, hey Kenny."

"Hey dude," Kenny breathed into the phone. "What's up?"

Kyle could hear Kenny from across the room. Knowing Ken, he was probably yelling on purpose so that Kyle could hear him too.

Stan looked his body up and down. "NOTHING!" he said almost instantly. "Nothing," he repeated. He also knew Kenny, and knew that anything he said had double meaning.

"So, how're things going with Wendy?" Kenny wondered.

"...Dude, is this important?" Stan asked, avoiding the question. "I'm busy!"

"It might be." he answered honestly.

Stan rolled his eyes. "They're...okay. Haven't seen her much," he admitted. He didn't want to talk about Wendy.

"So I hear...Are you happy with her?"

Stan glared at his phone. "I gotta go."

"Dude, just follow me on this one. I do have a point."

"Then GET TO IT!" Stan growled, growing increasingly angry. His eyes shifted to a slightly smiling Kyle, still busy at painting.

"What if I took her off your hands?" Kenny asked.

The only way to describe Stan's expression was annoyance and pure confusion. "What!"

Kenny repeated his question.

"...Dude, that's so..." Stan searched for the words. "...You don't -ask- a guy that! Jesus Christ!"

Kenny shrugged. "I'm an honest guy."

"No shit you are!" Stan cried, very fed up with his conversation. "What, did you get a glance up her skirt when the wind blew or something and now you want in her pants?"

Kenny paused. "Actually, it's not like that at all."

Stan acted pissed, but it wasn't even because his good friend was asking if he could take his girlfriend away. It was because he was having this conversation when he could be hanging out with Kyle. The realization that Stan didn't really care if Kenny wanted Wendy or not rested deep within his mind.

"Look dude, just...Just..."

"...Stay away from her?"

"Yeah that! Or else I'll...I'll uh..."

"...Kick my ass for stealing the girl you love?"

"...Yeah right. Okay!"

"Okay, okay. I just think you'd both be happier with someone else. That's all."

Stan froze. He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't form any audible words. He frowned, unsure of what Kenny meant, but not quite sure he disagreed with the boy.

Kyle heard Kenny's comment, dropping his paint palette all over the carpet immediately. He jumped off his stool and began collecting the spilled paint and washes...only to get up and get caught underneath his painting, sending it toppling forward. Stan acted on reflex, jumping up to his rescue and capturing the painting from hitting the ground. He could hear "hello?" in the speaker of his phone, resting across the room in a pillow.

Kyle looked up quickly, his heart racing. He breathed an immense sigh of relief when he saw Stanley protecting his masterpiece. "Thanks" Kyle said as he caught his breath. It was then that he noticed he was in a rather...precarious position with the naked boy.

His eyes locked with Stan's. Stan felt himself stop breathing. Naturally, because he didn't want Kyle's hard work to be ruined either, right?

"STAN!" he heard the muffled yell of Kenny still on the phone. "Ah, fuck it, I'm out." Dial tone.

Stan continued to look at Kyle, who in return couldn't tear his eyes away from the intense deep blue eyes of his crush.

Stan set the work back down, ever so gently. "N...No problem," he assured Kyle modestly.

Stan had to force himself to stop looking at Kyle and instead observe the finished work of art. His breath was literally taken away once again upon sight. It was beautiful. Kyle had captured every aspect of Stan perfectly, making him appear quite attractive. He saw that Kyle had noticeably paid close attention to Stan's genitals, as they were seemingly the most detailed, and quite the generous size. Stan blushed. "Kyle...this is...incredible!" he said, still naked.

"Really?" Kyle smiled. "You aren't just saying that to be nice?"

"No dude. Seriously...This is...Holy shit...And you've -failed- at art before?" he asked, surprised.

Kyle, too, felt his cheeks redden. "Yeah. Which is why I had to take it over."

"This is amazing, Kyle!" Stan continued to gush. He looked over the painting, running his fingers over the visibly dry parts. "You really outdid yourself this time. This just...wow, dude."

Kyle shyed away from his naked companion. "Thanks, Stan. I had a good subject," he whispered.

"...So...You're done then?" Stan asked reluctantly.

"...Yeah." Kyle had to admit. "Nothing left to do but wait for it to dry."

"Oh. I see..." Stan said, finding no words to describe how he was feeling at the present moment.

"So uh...thanks again for everything, Stan," Kyle said. "You have no idea how much I appreciate this." It was true. He didn't.

Stan smiled. He was happy he could have helped out his friend. But most importantly, he was blown away by the painting. So that was how Kyle saw his best friend? Damn. He didn't want to be egotistical, but he was starting to understand why Kyle had done what he did that past night.

"My pleasure dude." Stan said without really thinking his words through before he spoke them. Oh well.

"...Do um...Do you -have- to go?" Kyle asked. "You can hang out if you want...Maybe call Kenny back or something."

Stan honestly didn't want to call Kenny back. He honestly didn't care if Kenny was over at Wendy's at that present moment trying to take her away. This newfound emotion had grounded him, allowing him to not feel his legs or ignore the tingly sensation he felt in his stomach. "I'll stay," he said with a sincere tone. What was going on, he wondered.

Kyle smiled happily. "Great!" His words were a bit too enthusiastic.

Some time passed. The boys stayed up, talking and playing video games into the night as they usually did. And as they usually did, they outlasted their parents. The Broflovski's without a playmate had fallen asleep hours ago.

Kyle could hear his mother's droning snoring from her bedroom, and he looked over to Stan. "Guess that means we have the house pretty much to ourselves." He grinned. "What should we do?"

Stan shrugged. "No idea. Gotta do it quietly enough though."

Kyle laughed. He wasn't sure why, but the thoughts running in his head would cause them to be anything BUT quiet. He mentally slapped himself. Stan is my friend, he thought. FRIEND.

Bored of the video game, Stan looked back over at Kyle's now dry, completed painting.

"You're gonna get an A." he said with total certainty.

Kyle dropped his controller and looked to where his FRIEND'S eyes had shifted. It was the first really good look he took since the almost catastrophe. "You think so?" His eyes followed the movement of the painting, starting at Stan's semi-smiling expression all the way down to his toes.

"Totally...So do you even, like, enjoy painting? You're pretty good at it dude. You should probably stick to it or something."

Kyle turned back to face Stan, who was looking directly into his eyes. His deep blue eyes pierced through Kyle. He felt a cold shiver even though the heat was blowing directly on him.

"Yeah. I do, actually," he decided right then. Maybe he just liked painting that particular subject.

"Cool then." Stan said. "I really like that...You...You did a good job."

"Thanks" Kyle replied, blushing ever so slightly. "I...I just did my best."

"...What're you gonna do with that when you're graded?"

Kyle paused his thoughts. He hadn't thought that far ahead. "I...have...no idea. Probably keep it up in my room." He smiled, allowing Stan to know he was joking. But he really wasn't.

Stan blushed. "The whole school is going to see me like this," he said flatly. It didn't really bother him that much...he was just so proud of being Kyle's best painting.

Kyle smirked. "Well, everyone in my art class anyway. But hey, it's fine. All it says is you're comfortable in your natural form...And that, ya know, you have nothing to be ashamed of."

Why is this making me so embarrassed, Stan thought. Its just Kyle! Kyle's just paying me a compliment. That's all. "I don't, really," he agreed.

"Good," Kyle finished. He looked into his friend's eyes. "You shouldn't."

"Kay..." Stan said, staring back into Kyle's eyes.

Kyle fidgeted with the controller before him. "So...whatcha wanna do?" he repeated. The awkward tension between the two boys was so thick, he felt it creep into his already dry throat.

"...I...I-I wanna drink."

"Huh?" Kyle blinked, not expecting that response at all.

Stan nodded, his own throat equally dry. "It's friggin' hot in here." he complained, though it was probably just his rising body temperature.

"Dude, drinking won't quench your thirst," Kyle explained. "It will only make you more thirsty. So then you'll drink more." He shrugged his shoulders. "But what else is there to do." He said it more to himself than Stan.

Stan knew exactly what else there was to do, but he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

"I'll be back," he announced as he stood up, heading for Kyle's bathroom right away. Once in the sanctuary of the room with a lock on it, Stan unzipped his pants. He didn't use the room for its intended purpose, however. Instead, he did what Kyle had done only a night ago, Stanley now the one in search of desperate relief.

---

"Stan? You awake?" Kyle asked quietly to the sleeping boy beside him. The night had grown long, sleep eventually overcoming them. Stan was the first to fall asleep, probably due to the physical exertions earlier that evening. Kyle curled up next to him not soon after.

Stan turned over in his sleep, inadvertently cuddling up to Kyle as well.

"Whoa," Kyle breathed. Stan had almost nuzzled his head into the crook of Kyle's neck, causing Kyle to pull his arm around Stan's shoulders. He smiled warmly. This felt right.

Stan mumbled in his sleep. He gave a small, unconscious smile. Apparently his brain thought it felt right as well.

Kyle froze as he felt the warmth of a stray hand fall upon his chest. Though he was fully clothed, the fingers touched his skin. They even grasped for their surroundings. Kyle brought his hand up to it, placing it around. As long as Stan was sleeping, he could very well think Kyle fell into this position as well.

Stan's breathing was normal, allowing Kyle to know he was fast asleep. Kyle lifted his head up ever so slightly and placed a single loving kiss on Stan's forehead. He rest his head back down as he drifted into dreamland happily.