Kyle stumbled down the street, trying to get as far away from the school and Stan as he possibly could. It was only 9 something, and he didn't feel like going home just yet. He didn't want his mother to pester him with questions about why he was home early. What would he tell her? That Bebe hated him suddenly, that he had kissed Stan? He sure as hell didn't have a good time.

Kyle slowed, fighting the tears that threaten to escape from his eyes. He had forced himself to be rational about liking Stan, but remembering the shock in Stan's eyes strangled his heart. Stan would probably be scarred for life—who wouldn't after having someone who you thought was best friend kiss you?

Stubbornly, he blinked and breathed deeply, and his seemingly unpreventable sobs subsided. He looked up to see that he was at South Park Elementary. It was only a fifteen-minute walk from the high school, and he was unexpectedly glad to see it. Back in elementary, he had actually been happy. His hormones weren't raging uncontrollably, and his feelings for Stan weren't as strong as they were now. Although they had been there, just hanging out with Stan satisfied Kyle. But as he grew older, he had wanted so much more. He had grown selfish; and look where it had got him. Sitting alone on a swing on Halloween night, dressed up like a motherfucking princess.

Kyle let out a bitter laugh as a group of kids and their parents walked by the playground, and seeing him, they sped up and were soon out of sight. They probably thought that he was some weird pedophile, even if he was really only a kid himself.

Kyle pushed his feet off the ground, and he began to swing. He went higher and higher, until he was almost convinced that he would soon swing around the part where the chains attached to the bar above his head.

As he swung, he wondered what would happen between him and Stan. They would probably never speak again, and Kyle would have to move away. He shuddered when he thought about telling his parents that he wanted to move back to San Francisco, but if Stan didn't want him around, Kyle would just have to buck up and accept that. He knew running away wasn't really an answer, but his feelings were so mixed up that he didn't know what, if anything, was sane in his life anymore.

Kyle heard the sound of footsteps running past the playground, and he didn't bother turning around. Probably some kids whose lives hadn't been totally screwed up by them kissing their best friends. Maybe it was a psycho with a crowbar who was going to bash Kyle's brains out. Kyle didn't really care at this point, he would just let fate take its course, whatever happened.

The footsteps faltered, then came to a halt. Kyle stopped pumping his legs, and the swing slowed to a complete stop. The sound of feet hitting the earth came closer and closer, and Kyle turned around.

His voice caught in his throat when he saw the one person he never thought it would be standing there: Stan. He was still decked out in his green and gold prince outfit, but the crown on his head on his head was missing and his chest was heaving up and down. Stan was an excellent athlete, so it must have taken him only 5 minutes to get to the elementary school. But why was he there, anyway?

"Hey Kyle," said Stan, shifting from foot to foot a little nervously. He gestured to the swing next to Kyle. "Mind if I join you?"

"Nah," Kyle said, glancing sideways at Stan and smiling a bit as the swing creaked under its newfound weight. Stan turned to look at him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm on a swing, guess that means I'm swinging."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

An awkward silence ensued, which was unusual. The two of them had never run out of things to talk about when they got together, but tonight they were tongue-tied. It wasn't a usual night, so Kyle thought it was to be expected.

"I can swing higher than you," Stan blurted out suddenly, and without waiting for Kyle's response, he began to swing. Kyle, always up for a challenge, began to swing as well, and the night was still except for the swishing of air as the pair went higher and higher. Just when Kyle thought his legs would fall off if he swung anymore, Stan slowed and stopped, breathing noisily.

Kyle slowed right after him, and smiled mischievously when he had planted his feet firmly on the ground.

"Guess I won, huh? Who's better at sports now?"

"Swinging isn't a sport, idiot."

"In my world it is."

Stan turned looked at Kyle intently, and Kyle forced himself not to look away and held Stan's gaze. His eyes were amazing, liquid pools of every hue of blue mixed together to create something more brilliant than the sky on a sunny summer's day. His charcoal hair was slightly matted to his forehead after the exertion of swinging, and his cheeks were flushed pink, whether from exhaustion, the cold, or something else. All in all, Kyle had never thought Stan to be more handsome than he was at that moment, and he resisted the urge to kiss him. Again.

"About the janitor's closet," Stan declared softly, looking somewhere past Kyle's left ear, "that was…"

Kyle jumped up from the swing, his knees weak. He didn't want to hear it, he didn't want his world to come crashing down with Stan's polite rejection of Kyle's friendship.

"I already said I was sorry," Kyle whispered, his voice catching in his throat. His heart jolted when he felt Stan get up and stand right beside him. Kyle could feel Stan breathing in his ear, which tickled, but in a very pleasant way. God, what the hell was he doing now?

Stan placed his hands on Kyle's hips, and pulled Kyle closer to him, smiling at the endearing expression of puzzlement on his face. Kyle's bright green eyes, his bright copper curls, his full mouth: Stan had always harbored the thought in his heart, but now it revealed itself.

"Kyle, you don't need to be sorry, when you're as cute as you are," Stan told him simply, bringing his face nearer to Kyle's.

Kyle's heart was beating rapidly in his chest, but he boldly wrapped his own hands around Stan's waist. He had no fucking clue what was going on, but he saw the same expression in Stan's eyes that he had often felt in his own: lust, desire, and maybe…love?

"You're pretty hot yourself," Kyle grinned, and felt a shiver run up and down his spine when Stan gently removed his hands from Kyle's hips and held Kyle's face in his hands.

"It took me way too long to tell you this, but—" Stan's voice broke a little with emotion as he spoke to Kyle, and Kyle's heart flooded with warmth. Poor Stan, he was so shy whenever romance came into play. And that just made Kyle like him even more.

"But?" Kyle questioned, half expecting Stan to yell "Just kidding!" and run away laughing to join Cartman who was hiding somewhere in the bushes videotaping all of this.

"I love you," Stan finished, tenderly pressing his lips to Kyle's before he had a chance to reply.

Kyle had dreamt of this moment for so long, and now his dreams had become a reality. After years of waiting, after keeping so many things to himself, Stan had finally realized that Wendy wasn't whom his heart belonged to.

The two of them stayed like that for a while, lips moving in sync, hearts beating together. Stan wondered how he had actually thought that Wendy's kisses were passionate compared to Kyle's; hers had lacked so much feeling. Stan regretted all those years he had wasted pining after Wendy, a girl that he didn't really love after all. He swore to himself, that from now on, he would never let Kyle down again.

Kyle finally pulled away, and Stan wanted to kiss him again. And again, and again. Kyle, sensing Stan's horniness, smiled giddily. Stan was finally on the same page he was.

"Stan, why'd Bebe suddenly hate me so much at the dance?" Kyle asked, having a strange feeling that Stan had something to do with it.

Stan looked uncomfortable, before looking pleadingly at Kyle.

"I wrote her a note that said she was a cow. And signed your name."

"…Oh."

"Cartman said he'd get Wendy and me together if I broke you guys up."

"Stan."

Stan heard the disapproval in Kyle's voice, and sighed sadly. He had screwed things up, just when they had begun to be perfect again.

Kyle saw the worry on Stan's face, and took hold of his hand. Stan looked at him, and broke into a smile when he saw forgiveness in Kyle's eyes.

"It's okay, Stan. I'll apologize to Bebe tomo—"

"No, I'll do it. I should, 'cause it wasn't your fault."

"Okay. Stan?"

"Yeah?"

"Wendy looked really mad when she saw us together."

"She did?"

"I think she still likes you."

"She should've done something about it earlier, I did wait for her all those years."

"Stan, if you want, you could get back together with her."

"I don't want to, not when I'm already with the person I was destined for."

Kyle blushed at this, and Stan squeezed his hand comfortingly. Kyle led Stan back to the swings, and they sat together, connected by their linked hands.

"Stan?"

"Mm?"

"I love you too. I've loved you for a while now."

" I know."

And with that, they turned to each other and kissed, knowing that they had many more blissful memories ahead of them. Even if Cartman mocked them, even if Bebe and Wendy still hated them, they would always have each other.

And Kenny. Kenny was pretty cool, too.

Fin