A/N: Sorry for being so late on this, guys. I've had to deal with my….depression? Yeah, sure, and then I found Soul Eater. And it is AWESOME. So I've kinda been involved with that, but here it is, a new chapter. Remember, this is generally my improv from here on out!

Kyle Broflovski was in a very, very complex predicament.

Reason A? He rejected his long time crush and best friend, Stanley Marsh, whose parent's were recently going through a divorce triggered by his ex girlfriend.

Reason B? His other best friend, Kenny McCormick, was dating him to protect Stan. But he seemed to be hiding something from him, and he agreed all too easily. And sometimes, he kinda liked it when Kenny kissed him unexpectedly or gave his hand a reassuring pat. It was freaking his brain out.

Reason C? Eric Cart man, his longtime rival, was acting kindly toward him. And he confessed that he was in love with Kenny, but Kenny had never loved him in return. He'd tried, but it never worked.

Reason D? He was guilt tripped into tutoring Stan, who constantly flirted with him nowadays, and he would've felt guilty even if he turned his friend down.

Reason E? His reasons exceeded the letter 'A.'

So as he strolled lazily down the partially snow covered sidewalk toward his destination, he was not in the best of moods. Plus, his textbooks were heavy in his bag, weighing it down and making it cut off the circulation in his shoulder. It might have only been a four minute walk to Stan's house, but his grudging pace made the trek take a total of fifteen minutes.

The red head raised his green clad fist and rapped lightly on the dark blue door, not really wanting to unleash the horrors of two people in the midst of a divorce, and crazy sister with a temper problem, and a walking libido of a best friend.

"Heya Kyle, c'mon in. The 'rents are out with Shelley to tighten her braces up and then visit Aunt Flo. It's weird, 'cause Aunt Flo usually comes here…" he trailed off, ushering his friend inside. Mentally, the red head sighed, wary of this 'coincidental' absence of adult supervision. Getting straight to business, he turned to Stan and got started.

"So, where're we studying?" he asked, the exhaustion of his sleepless nights showing in his voice. Apparently, the other boy picked up on it, cocking his head slightly in question but nonetheless answering.

"I have my books out on the kitchen table, Kyle. But…are you sure you're okay? You seem like you're kinda under the weather." They were on their way into the kitchen as their conversation droned on, with Kyle's feeble and sketchy explanation of the tiredness that was apparently visible on his features and Stan's reluctant acceptance of the answer.

Frustrated, Stan pulled out a wooden chair from the table and plunked down in it, while Kyle leaned back against one of the orange tiled counters.

"Right Stan, so what subjects do you need help in again?" The onyx haired boy smiled ruefully and piled up all the textbooks of the topics he needed extra assistance in, and after the fifth book, Kyle couldn't help but chuckle at the blush creeping onto Stan's face.

"Hey! Not all of us were born with everything, dude!" he argued, crossing his arms in mock anger.

"Right Stan, because being smart is all you need in the world. You gotta have a likeable personality too, and in some cases you need looks and charm as well," he laughed to himself, closing his eyes. It was kinda…refreshing how Stan's playful nature could invigorate him again. Suddenly, he could feel another breath on his lips, and as he opened his eyes in question, he was greeted by a glittering pair of mahogany irises.

"And I believe you have all of the above, Kyle," he said, keeping his voice and expression cool. His arms slowly made their way to rest on either side of the red head, gripping the counter tightly and encircling Kyle.

"S-stan, I think you're under a lot of stress right now. This is why we really need t-to –Stan, stop touching there! –we really need to get you some tutoring," he rushed, slapping his best friend's hands away from his body. Briefly, Stan stopped all movement and stared at him, holding Kyle's gaze. The red head saw several emotions run deep within the depths of Stan's eyes, but all too quickly the other boy was seated at the table again.

"So, wanna start with the worst subject so we can get it out of the way?" he chirped, his cheerfulness obviously forced. Kyle arched an eyebrow, but in hopes of not being molested, ignored it.

"Sure, sure. So that'd be Calculus for you. Alright, let's get started," he mumbled halfheartedly. His mind was wandering now, but nonetheless, he cracked open the heavy book and sat down opposite Stan.

…

After Stan had finally gotten down the Calculus, History, and Biology material that he needed, they decided to take a break. After all, teaching Stan the purpose of a Punnett square was more painful and difficult than taking your bottom lip and pulling it over your ear.

Snapping the Biology book shut, Kyle rose from his chair, using the back of his legs to push the chair out from underneath him. Yawning, he stretched upward, crossing his arms behind his head and cracking a few joints. As he took his seat again, he saw Stan staring down at the table, a lost look on his face.

"Hey Stan," he murmured, trying to coax the boy into telling him what was bothering him, "is there anything you wanna talk about? I'm here for you if you-"he was abruptly cut off by Stan's quivering, yet harsh sentence.

"Why don't you like me, Kyle?" he plead, begging for an answer. His eyes shone with unshed tears, and somewhere in Kyle, it saw the irony. He was always supposed to be the weak one. When did things become so messed up?

"I…Stan, I…." he fidgeted, uncomfortable. He didn't want to hurt his best friend, especially in his current state. Not that he would want to hurt him otherwise, but now he really couldn't afford to let Stan hurt anymore.

"No Kyle, don't play with your words and try to avoid the subject. Just tell me, flat out." He was standing in front of the red head now, trembling with a mixture of anxiousness and sadness, but his expression was hard. Kyle swallowed, trying to find his voice. This was a topic that haunted his thoughts at night, but that he preferred to lock away into the refines of his mind during the day.

Well, wasn't he in for a fun night.