Damn... less people reviewing... you guys must prefer the gory stuff, huh?

Story alert said Chapter 7. Obviously, I meant 27.

Anyway, the fic's almost done! I wanna see more reviews! Come on. You guys have done 14 per chapter... twice. I don't wanna set a limit, but... seriously!

Even MORE StanKyle stuff here! More than ever, actually... though maybe not as much as next chapter. But seriously. The lack of reviews is making me think you HATE STANKYLE! Or should I just kill Kyle and catch your attention?

Stan could see them. Through the crowd of the cafeteria, though a small one, he could see Kyle's bright red hair and Kenny's bright orange clothing. They were standing against a wall of the cafeteria deep in conversation, and from how they were standing Stan could tell it was a serious subject. Their hands were not entwined, much as they normally had been for the past few weeks. Arms were folded across the chest, for each boy, and their positions lacked the closeness that had kept them together for so long.

In a way, Stan was happy. For once, it seemed, the two boys were not within an inch radius of each other, and they were giving each other room. It also left Stan devoid of the jealous feeling that had developed inside of him, after watching them together for days upon end. Yet inside he felt bad. He had been a major cause of the discussion. His behavior at his own house the night before, to that at the movies, and even to their small footsies competition a few seconds before... It was almost as if Stan was forcing a feeling upon him, one that he might not necessarily want, and would thus cause Kyle to act differently.

He watched as he balled up his paper bag that once contained his lunch. He kept sight of the two boys, shifting his position at the table to ease the task. He could see Kyle's head shake vigorously, strongly opposing an idea, followed shortly by Kenny's profuse nodding. Stan began to wonder what they were talking about. He wanted to think that Kenny was breaking up with Kyle, but the conversation still seemed too casual to suggest it. Stan thought of other ideas, but none seemed to quite fit with the ocular proof he was given. The only logical thing he could come up with, and still being decent, was that they were discussing what to do for a one-month celebration, though he did not know if it had already passed or not.

Stan continued to watch as the two conversed, and he leaned forward in his seat as he watched the two keenly. Kyle had nodded slightly, removing his arms from their folded position. A spark ran through Stan as Kenny extended his arm to comfort Kyle's shoulder, and suddenly Kyle seemed more fragile and weak than he had been. Stan watched as Kyle dug himself into Kenny's arms, still nodding yet seemingly crying. Stan couldn't tell anymore.

And then, a sideward glance towards the table.

Stan immediately shot his glance down to the table. He knew Kyle had caught him staring. He didn't dare turn back to the scene, unsure it he was still being watched. It was as if time had slowed down to a complete stop, and nothing seemed to be happening. Stan stared at his ball of a lunch bag for ages, anticipating the two's return. It seemed like forever, and even though nothing was really occurring slower to Stan it felt like it.

He felt Kyle slide in at his side, with Kenny opposite them. For a few seconds Stan questioned their change in seating, and that perhaps their conversation had been a cause; however, he soon remembered that it had been he who changed seats to begin with. He didn't want to look up, not wanting to have to face the embarrassment of being caught. He didn't know what to say, nor did he know what to do or feel. He only continued to stare at the paper ball, keeping a keen eye on it as if his life depended on it.

"I'm gonna go now," said Kenny, and he left the table soon after. He expected Kyle to follow him, maybe to stop him or to talk to him. Instead, Stan heard no noise, and only continued to sense his presence beside him.

"Should we... get going?" Stan tried asking, and as he did so he picked up the paper ball and stood up. He looked down on the boy, who remained unresponsive and motionless. He patted Kyle on the back several times, and produced no result. What was he supposed to do? Stan didn't want to leave Kyle there, but... what other option did he have? The bell was going to ring any second, and he would have to leave for his fifth period class soon.

"Stan..." Kyle spoke, though he already had Stan's full attention. "After school... today... can I talk... to you?"

"Sure dude," said Stan, not looking at Kyle as he said so. From the way Kyle spoke he was nervous, and seeing him nervous wouldn't produce a positive effect for Stan. "Are you okay?"

"Not... I'll talk about it later, okay?" Stan nodded, and in the following silence a bell rang. Students arose from their seats, picking up their stuff as they walked out of the cafeteria. Stan remained at Kyle's side as they followed the crowds; the clangor around them was enough to defeat the silence.

"I'll see you after school?" Stan inquired, and Kyle nodded. Stan turned away to leave for his own fifth period, but before he could begin moving he felt a hand upon his shoulder.

"Stan...?" And as Stan turned he was met with piercing green eyes, more noticeably green than ever before. But there was something else to his eyes that Stan noticed now, something he was almost positive hadn't been there before: sadness.

"Yes?" Stan asked, but Kyle only hung his head.

"Thank you," he muttered, "and I'm sorry." But before Stan could ask about the matter any further Kyle strode away, the image of dazzling green eyes instilled in his mind.

- - - - - - - - - -

Naturally, Stan was worried about Kyle's situation. He knew it had been caused because of the conversation he had with Kenny, but it was clearly more than that. During the passing period between fifth and sixth classes, Stan noticed Kyle and Kenny talking to each other, and even though Kyle was not as animated as usual he was still talking to Kenny more than he had with Stan.

Stan initially had felt both pleased and saddened by the conversation, but as it was now the latter seemed to be the more prominent emotion. Stan was saddened by the fact that Kyle was being particularly nervous and sad around him, and Stan knew that the conversation had been more than just a "rendezvous location for their one-month celebration." It was painful to think about. Stan wanted to find hope in the situation and that, perhaps, Kyle's condition was a good thing; however, he kept no faith in it.

Regardless, Stan knew that the conversation had been about him.

He didn't quite know what it was exactly, though he had several ideas. It was fairly obvious to Stan; Kenny was questioning Kyle's loyalty, and based on what he observed he knew that Kyle wanted Stan instead. Of course, it was a biased conclusion, and it favored Stan's outcomes. Stan wanted to know what had happened, and so, in his curiosity, he decided to ask. Sixth period was the last class that Stan had with Kenny for the day, and as their teacher was oblivious to everything it was the perfect opportunity.

"Kenny, what happened today?" Stan asked quietly. Their sixth period class, Semantics, had the desks arranged in groups, almost suggesting cheating and talking during class.

"Hrm?" asked Kenny. "What'd you mean?"

"Kyle," replied Stan simply. "He's... suddenly depressed. I don't know what's wrong with him, and he won't talk to me... or at least, not until this afternoon."

"Then wait," said Kenny. "It's only a couple of more hours. You'll find out soon enough, I'd expect."

"But I don't wanna wait, dude!" said Stan, glancing at their ignorant teacher. "I wanna know now! What's wrong with Kyle? What if it's serious?"

"Oh, well, I'm sure you'll figure out soon enough," said Kenny. Stan frowned at him; he was being a little too... uncaring.

"You know don't you," accused Stan, causing Kenny to gape at him. "Did you break up with him or something?"

"Well..." Bull's-eye. "...Yeah. I did. But it was a mutual thing, though. I'm sure what's bothering him isn't that." Stan nodded, images of the conversation returning to him. Kyle cried in Kenny's arms; Kenny was probably telling the truth.

"Okay," said Stan. "But what's wrong with Kyle?"

"Relax, dude," said Kenny, looking over his shoulder and making sure that their teacher hadn't caught on to their conversation yet. "He'll tell you, don't worry. But you know what I think?"

"What?"

"You seem to care for him a lot." Stan was taken aback by the statement, feeling slightly confused.

"Of course I do, dude. He's my friend."

"You know what I mean..." said Kenny. "As if you... love him." And as he said this Stan realized where he had been getting at. All those times at the beginning, where Kenny had made the accusations of him loving Kyle, and all those times Stan declined. But now...

"I do love him," admitted Stan. "I mean, it's weird admitting that to someone who just dated him, but... I do love him..." Stan bit his lip, looking at the blonde nervously.

"Stan... you've definitely changed," said Kenny, patting the boy on his back. "But you have to trust me. He'll tell you what's going on, okay?" Stan nodded, turning to the overhead, and thinking only of what could possibly occur after school that day.

- - - - - - - - - -

Children racing down halls, footsteps thundering, teachers wrapping up lessons, lockers banging, bags falling, cell phones ringing, buses rolling in, cars driving up, and gossiping voices chattering. This was the environment that was established at the end of the day. Stan didn't care about the information he was learning in his Biology class, letting it go in one ear and out the other. On the outside he was calm, collected, and not paying attention. On the inside... nervous, anxious, and not paying attention. The seniors, who held a privilege of leaving class five minutes earlier than the underclassmen, were already loquacious, doing almost all they could to create a racket. Stan's Biology teacher tried her best to finish her lesson, but clearly no one was paying attention.

Five... Stan wondered what Kyle wanted to tell him. It had been bothering him since lunch, and it was about time he figured out what it was.

Four... What did Kyle mean by "Thank you, and I'm sorry" when he said it at lunch? Thank you for what? Sorry for what? Stan didn't understand what it was that he was thankful and sorry for. Perhaps the thank you had been for the ability to talk to him, but why was he sorry?

Three... Kenny knew that Stan loved him. He had finally come around to telling Kenny, as opposed to the many times that he had denied it. But what significance was there in that? Kenny wasn't bothered by the idea that he liked his ex-boyfriend, despite how soon it had been. Stan knew Kenny knew what was going on.

Two... Stan wanted to relax, but his insides were tearing him apart. He didn't know why he bothered himself so much with Kyle's affairs, but whatever the reason had been he knew that it wasn't helping him now. Of course... he could say that he "cared so much for Kyle's welfare" because he loved him. Yeah... that was it.

One... Any second now, Stan would see Kyle. He didn't even know what he wanted to say, yet Stan was dying to know. He was only moments away from leaving the classroom and finding Kyle, leaving to find a quieter place to discuss Kyle's problems.

Zero... And as Stan shot his head up to look at the clock the dismissal bell had rung. More footsteps joined those outside, creating an utmost disaster. Stan allowed the class to empty before getting up. He wasn't quite sure what class Kyle had seventh period, so he made his way to Kyle's locker instead.

Navigating was disastrous. Upperclassmen felt the need to push people out of their way, creating a wave effect that rippled through the halls. Stan could've sworn that their school had a small population, yet it definitely did not seem like it. He made his way through the crowd, and Stan mumbled under his breath as he went against the crowd. After much pushing Stan found himself at Kyle's locker.

He wasn't there.

Panicking, Stan looked around the area. Where was Kyle? It was like taking candy away from a baby, though not in the same sense it was always used. Stan looked around, trying to find his object of desire, and as he couldn't locate it he felt desperation fill his insides.

"Stan...?" Stan swiveled on the spot, and upon seeing the boy he leapt into his arms. Kyle remained shocked, though he was able to mildly pat Stan's back.

"Kyle, you're here!" exclaimed Stan. "I thought you ditched me or something..."

"I went to your locker, and you weren't there," said Kyle with a frown. How ironic. "Can we find... somewhere to sit?" Stan nodded, leading Kyle through the dissipating crowds. He led the boy to the courtyard, though almost immediately he felt his stomach wretch.

Clyde had asked Stan out here...

Stan did his best to not think about, not wanting to ruin whatever Kyle had to say. There had been several benches in the courtyard at least, and so he picked one furthest away from where he had sat the previous time. They seated themselves quickly, but both remained silent for some time. Stan turned to Kyle to see if he was all right, but he was met with the same sadness in his eyes, the same piercing green.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Stan asked. Kyle looked at him grimly, and opened his mouth to make a response.

"I never said I was," Kyle muttered.

"Tell me what's wrong then," said Stan. He could sense the boy's uneasiness, something that he had experienced quite frequently.

"Stan... I'm sorry," Kyle muttered, taking Stan aback.

"Why?"

"Well... for how I've treated you..." For how he treated him?

"Dude, you've been just fine to me," said Stan. "I don't remember you letting me down at all. Especially after Clyde's death." He cringed after mentioning his name, being so close to a place that brought back memories...

"I mean... before that..." said Kyle. Stan frowned at him.

"Dude, we've already went over this," said Stan. "You said that you have Kenny, and that I lost my chance."

"And then I said you didn't really lose that chance, remember?" Kyle asked, and as he continued Stan could tell where he was getting at. Whether or not it was for the better... he didn't know yet. "Stan... just hear me out, okay?"

"Okay," Stan said simply.

"Okay, well... I liked you initially. But then, you turned me down and stuff... and then, not even long afterwards, Kenny asked me out. I said yes to him, Stan, but it was only because I was desperate to find something to cling on to. I wanted someone I could turn to, especially after being beat up. I wanted someone who loved me, even if it wasn't the person I loved the most. I settled with Kenny.

"But... I don't know what it is with you, but I still felt like I wanted you. I tried convincing myself that I had Kenny, to settle once more. But there's something about you that made me question myself, and it wasn't a plesant feeling. I told myself that I wouldn't rely solely on you, and so I turned you down.

"I didn't want to tell Kenny about it because, well, he'd be heartbroken. But lately he's been noticing how I've been acting, and today he pulled me out of lunch to talk to me about it. I felt bad, but as I listened to him I learned something about him too: He had dated me out of pity. Rather, he dated me because my brother wanted to see me happy. It made me feel happy, that someone would do that to see me happy. But at the same time... I felt bad, because the whole time I had been denying someone who actually liked me, and I let go of that chance... And that's why, Stan, I'm sorry." The boy concluded by hanging his head, not wanting to look up at Stan. Stan already knew most of what he had said, and the only bit of news he didn't know was Kyle's personal motives. Inside he was happy, merry, and ecstatic. Outside, he was calm, collected... and still ecstatic.

"Kyle," said Stan raising Kyle's chin with his fingertips. He was met with Kyle's piercing green eyes once more, welled slightly with tears, and even though it wasn't the same Kyle he was used to seeing he could see some of the sadness in his eyes disappearing. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's forgiveness. I understand what you've done, I understand why you reacted the way you did. And... I've already forgiven you for it, and I will once again." Stan raised his fingers to Kyle's cheeks, and he wiped away the tears that were beginning to make their downhill run down his cheek.

"Stan... I really do like you," Kyle muttered under his breath. "Have I... lost that chance?" Stan smiled, and he let all the joyful feelings inside of him let loose. He hugged the boy tightly, releasing all of his emotions in every way possible. It was just as he wanted it. It was finally the way it should be, the way it should've been.

Stan grinned madly, rubbing Kyle's back as he let himself absorb his euphoria. "Of course not," he muttered, and nothing else was said. What words were necessary in such a situation? Actions spoke louder than words; no verbal communication was necessary to display such happiness.

Stan knew what Kyle wanted. And this time, he stated that it was exactly what he wanted as well.

Wow, talk about fluff... now you BETTER review this, since I finally got the two together. Comments, constructive criticism, etc.

Yay happy ending! Except... it's not the ending. what could possibly happen for three more chapters? Review and you might find out.

A TON of references from previous chapters. The most prominent is the very last line, from chapter 5. Read back if you don't understand some of the links.

Chapter 28 comes if I get a decent amount of reviews. Not... three, like last chapter. That made me sad.

AND, read my story! It's the one I was talking to you guys about last chapter. It's not really AU as I thought it would be, but... give it a shot, review it, etc.

-Zakuyoe