"What-what-what-what-WHAT the hell??"

Stan dragged Kyle down the hall, still with a death grip on his hand but without the smile he had on in the lunch room. Kyle gave him a bewildered look.

"Seriously, Stan. WHAT THE HELL??? You just- and in front of the whole SCHOOL- and oh my GOD we-" In the middle of his babbling, Kyle was cut off when Stan spun round quick and pulled him by the shoulders into a kiss. It was definite and determined but at the same time lacking the fierceness of Cartman's style.

Kyle just melted into it.

Red and flustered as ever when Stan finally let him go, Kyle just stuttered more illogical phrases.

Stan leaned against a locker, holding the bridge of his nose in a very Marsh-fashion. "I'm really sorry about that, Kyle. Really."

Kyle looked sadly at Stan and leaned back next to him. "It's ok…" He mumbled. "It wasn't bad or anything, just, you know, surprising."

"I mean in the lunch room," Stan added dryly.

"Oh," Kyle said, staring at the opposite wall. "That." He sat there silently for a few minutes after that, feeling very stupid.

"I just…" Stan let out a frustrated sigh, messing up his hair frantically. "I couldn't just NOT do anything… After you told me about Cartman… I had to do something."

Kyle nodded, understanding as always. They sat quietly for another beat.

"I'm really sorry, too, Stan. I should have just told you about it sooner. Or right after Cartman first talked to me. I can't believe I waited this long to do it. I should have trusted you more."

Stan stared at his shoes. "Yeah, well… I should have trusted you too."

And it was when they had the egg in elementary school all over again.

"I noticed a week ago. I left it alone because I was hoping you would talk to me about it soon enough… but after a few days I just… I couldn't wait anymore. I wanted you to do something, but you didn't, so I had to…"

Kyle gave Stan a scrutinizing look but didn't interrupt.

"I sort of… I asked Wendy to talk to you. I hoped that if she bothered you enough you would crack. But then she said she didn't want to push it anymore and she wouldn't say why. So my plan kind of backfired."

Stan stopped and looked to Kyle, hoping for some sort of reaction. The redhead just looked at the floor, brows furrowed. He went on, "If you hadn't come to my house, I don't think…" But he didn't really know what. All he did know was that he was glad he found out what was going on, and ashamed that he may have made it worse just now.

"You know what, Stan?" Kyle stared at the floor and almost wanted to grin. "My dad is the only lawyer in South Park, and after living with him for all my life I can't believe you found a loophole and I didn't."

Stan turned red around his ears and also tried not to smile. "Well, you know. At a certain point, insanity tends to make things much clearer."

They both laughed a little, although it was completely inappropriate considering the circumstances.

"…What do you think Cartman'll do now?" Stan ventured to ask.

Kyle frowned then. "Well, nothing I guess. His only treats were to tell the school and my parents. The whole school knows now, even the kids not at our lunch considering the speed of rumors. And I'll just bet that our parents will be in that office waiting." Kyle's eyes widened a little; just barely thinking about his mother finding out about this was scary enough.

"Oh my GOD." Kyle covered his face with his hands, slamming hard into the lockers behind him. "Stan, my mom- She's going to kill me. Or worse, be disappointed. Oh god oh god ohgodohgodohgod-"

"No… just me." Stan pushed off the wall of lockers and started toward the office again. "Don't worry about a thing, Kyle, ok?"

Kyle put his hands down, giving Stan a confused look. "S-Stan? You're not going to… What are you doing, Stan?"

Stan kept walking, "I'll take the blame, Kyle. I don't mind."

"What? You can't… Stan!" Kyle ran to catch up with the other down the hall. "Stan stop it. Stop for a second." Kyle stood in front of the other, looking at him while not looking at him, however he did that. "You can't just take the blame for all of this… You're parents-"

"They'll understand. More then yours would anyway."

"What about your reputation? The team?"

"Well… even if I hadn't done that just now, Cartman would have told every one in school. So either way my rep is down the drain. As far as the team goes… I don't know. They do need a quarterback. And they can't just kick me off for, you know, being a fag… However I'll probably be getting some shit for it." He shrugged it off almost too easily for Kyle to take. He interlocked his arm in the others, friendly as always. "Don't worry about it, ok? The worst that can happen right now is… probably a lawsuit. But that's not gonna happen, so don't worry."

"…My dad once took every case in the whole town and became a millionaire."

"…Well, yes, while that is true, I think that everyone learned a lesson from that experience." Stan grinned at Kyle, nudging him with his elbow. "It's ok! Come on, Kyle, it's either I take the blame for everything or… well, or you'll probably have to move far, far away and never hear the end of it from your mom and we'd never see each other again, ever."

Kyle grumbled something quietly as they finally reached the principal's office.