When Christophe wasn't working, he was bored. And lately when he was bored, he called Kyle and invited him over. They'd gotten into a routine of watching shitty TV together, sometimes while high, or hopped up on the copious amounts of caffeine from the coffee Christophe always made, but they were always content to sit together, making fun of bad commercials and ripping apart the gaping plot holes in nearly everything they put on. Christophe was surprised to find himself glad to have the company, but he was frustrated that Kyle was sending him such mixed signals. He would allow Christophe to kiss him until they were panting and rubbing against each other, only to push him away when Christophe tried to go any farther, and offering absolutely no explanation for his change of heart. But Christophe could take a pretty good guess at why Kyle kept pushing him away... He found himself growing more and more fond of the redheaded boy, but increasingly irritated with Kyle's obsession with his best friend. He talked about him a lot, and was always particularly morose when Stan would blow him off to spend time with his girlfriend.

Christophe had always been very practical, and had always been able to work around his more "irrational" emotions, if he wasn't able to banish them completely. Even when Gregory had broken his heart, he'd simply picked up the pieces and moved on, finding other things to take care of instead of letting himself be miserable. So for someone as intelligent and strong as Kyle to wallow in self-pity over someone who would obviously never return his feelings was completely bewildering to Christophe. Especially when Christophe kept throwing himself at him, knowing full well that Kyle returned at least some of his feelings. Just not enough of them to forget about Stan, apparently.

After a few weeks of this routine, Kyle called him late one Saturday night, very, very drunk, and sobbing. Apparently he'd drunkenly tried to kiss Stan at a party. Apparently Stan hadn't appreciated it in the slightest, and had avoided him for the rest of the night. After trying to apologize several times, and eventually being told off by Wendy, Kyle had turned to Christophe for comfort.

"Why doesn't he like me?" Kyle sobbed over the phone.

"'e's straight, Kyle. And 'e 'as a girlfriend," was Christophe's impatient reply.

Kyle didn't respond to this, and Christophe listened to him cry for several more minutes before he spoke again.

"Am I just your back-up guy? For when Stan rejects your sloppy advances?" he asked.

"No! Yes. I don't know. I'm drunk. I'm sorry. This is so fucked up."

Christophe agreed with that whole-heartedly.

"Well, that's kind of shitty, really. I don't want to be the person you take advantage of just because you're feeling sad."

"I'm not taking advantage of you, though!" Kyle shouted emphatically, "You like me!"

"Yes, Kyle, I like you," he admitted, "Which is why you calling me only when you're not getting what your little heart desires is cruel to me! Figure out what the fuck you want, and stop fucking around with me, ok?"

He hung up the phone without waiting for Kyle's response.

X

He didn't hear from Kyle for two months. It was a Saturday afternoon, some time around May when the school year was over, or nearly over, or something, and Christophe was surprised to find Kyle hunched over in front of his apartment door as he came home from running errands. He had apparently been there a while, because he was asleep, his chin resting on his knees. Christophe nudged at him with his boot, smirking as he awoke with a start.

"Oh shit," he said sleepily, "What time is it?"

"Time for you to go 'ome, I think," Christophe replied, unlocking his apartment door and pushing past Kyle. He wasn't in the mood for another Stan-related sob fest.

"I'm not going home," Kyle said, scrambling off the floor and following Christophe into the kitchen, "I came to talk to you."

"Oh, well, I sure do feel special."

"Don't be an asshole," Kyle said, scowling.

Christophe sighed and set down the bag of groceries he was carrying. He looked over at Kyle, whose face was slowly turning red. He looked angry, and a little defeated.

"Look," he said, "I came here to apologize, ok?"

"Ok," Christophe said, and stared at Kyle expectantly, "Go ahead."

Kyle flushed, and gave Christophe a dirty look.

"You aren't making this easy," he said.

"I'm not trying to."

"Christ, were you always this much of a dick?" Kyle muttered, seemingly to himself, "Alright, well... Um. I'm sorry?"

"For what?" Christophe asked, crossing his arms. He was enjoying this a little too much.
"For being an asshole to you, ok? It wasn't fair of me to lead you on, or to come crying to you every time Stan upset me. I've been thinking a lot about what you said, and you're right. I was being cruel. So, I'm sorry."

Christophe watched him for a moment, taking in the expression on his face. He did seem regretful, but Christophe couldn't be sure just yet.

"Did you and Stan 'ave a fight or something?" he asked, "Is that why you are 'ere?"

"No," said Kyle, looking really angry, "For your information, he hasn't spoken to me much at all since that party. It's been really awkward, ok? I've been spending most of my time alone, actually, and it's given me a lot of time to think."

"About what?" Christophe asked, genuinely curious. Kyle seemed to do a lot of thinking, and yet very rarely divulged what was going on in his head.
"You, and what happened between you and your former best friend. And Stan and me. And ….you and me, I guess," Kyle said, fidgeting as Christophe slowly approached him, "Um.. I just... I mean, I think you were right. I was stupid to be so hung up on Stan. It's been hard for me, because, you know, we've been best friends our whole lives, and I thought... well, I don't know what I thought. I guess I just hoped maybe he'd some day see me the way I saw him."

"Saw?" Christophe said, running his fingers up Kyle's arm.

"Hm?"

"You said saw. Past tense."

"Oh. Well. The way he's treated me since I stupidly tried to kiss him has been kind of eye-opening. I mean, I get that he's uncomfortable, but he wouldn't even let me talk to him about what happened. I mean, if he's willing to just throw 16 years of friendship away because of one stupid mistake, then maybe he isn't who I thought he was, you know?"

"So, what," Christophe said, running his hands from Kyle's arms to his back, "You guys are just... done? Not friends anymore?"

"Well, I hope not," Kyle said, shivering slightly as Christophe's fingers moved under his shirt, "Stop that, will you?"

Christophe sighed, pulling away, and set about putting the groceries he'd brought home away.

"Um. Well I didn't mean you had to..."

"No," Christophe said, "I need to put this shit in the fridge, anyway."

"Oh. Well. Um. Yeah, I actually really hope Stan and I can fix our friendship. I mean... he's been there for me through a lot of shit. I just... I guess I've just realized I should stop wasting my time pining after him."
"Hm," was Christophe's only response.

"And anyway... like I said. I've been thinking about you a lot, too. How shitty I was to you. And, um... how much I like you. I've missed hanging out and stuff."

"Yeah?" Christophe said, putting the milk away, and determinedly not looking at Kyle.

"Yeah. Um. You know. I've missed Stan a lot in the last few months, but I was kind of surprised how much I missed you, too. I mean, I liked just being around you, and having an unbiased person to talk to, and... um... the other stuff, too. I mean, not just that, of course. It was just nice to have someone around as cynical as me who didn't make me feel like a total asshole for not thinking the world is all sunshine and rainbows. Uh, fuck, I'm totally rambling, but that's what I wanted to tell you," he said, looking embarrassed.

Christophe closed the fridge door, and stood, staring at Kyle, wondering what he should do. He decided to ask the question that had been on his mind since the first time he kissed Kyle.

"Why do you freak out every time I put my hand under your shirt?"

"What?" Kyle said, startled, "Where did that even come from? I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you."

"It's just something I've noticed, and it seems odd to me. Every time we'd kiss you always seemed really into it, but the second I put my fingers under your shirt, you'd freak out. Like just now. I tried to touch your waist, and you became flustered. Why?"

"Um," Kyle said, his eyes watering a little, "I just... I don't want you to see..." he trailed off, staring at the floor.

"What?" Christophe asked, "You 'ave zits? You're really, really 'airy? What are you so worried about?"

"Can we just get back on the subject here?"

"I think we were done with that conversation anyway," Christophe said, "I like you, you like me, you're sorry you were being a dick, Stan is a bad friend, et cetera. Let's move on, shall we? What is so 'orrible about your body that you won't let me see it?"

Kyle just glared at him for a minute, before slowly pulling the hem of his shirt up. He revealed a large scar that started a few inches under his right rib, and wrapped around his side to his back.

"I had a kidney transplant when I was a kid," he explained, "and I hate this scar. Ok? I'm not comfortable with anyone seeing it, much less touching it."

Christophe stared at him blankly for a moment, before laughing.

"What the hell is so funny?" Kyle shouted, clearly offended. He scrambled to pull his shirt back down over the scar, and crossed his arms over his chest, hunched over self-consciously.

Christophe pulled up his own shirt to reveal the patchwork of scars that were scattered sporadically across his body. He watched as Kyle's eyes darted across his torso, his jaw dropping open slightly. Instead of turning away in disgust as Christophe might have expected, he stared intently until his face became flushed, and he licked his lips before averting his eyes.

"Well, that's not... I mean... they look good on you," Kyle sputtered at him.

"Yeah?" Christophe asked, slowly pulling his shirt down. He watched as Kyle's eyes followed the movement of the fabric.

"Um. I should... I should go," he said nervously.

"Why?"

"Because you're busy."

"No I'm not," said Christophe, approaching Kyle once more.

He heard Kyle's sharp intake of breath, as he flattened himself against the wall, unable to draw back any farther.

"What are you so nervous about?" Christophe asked him.

"I'm not nervous," Kyle said.

"You're shaking," said Christophe, settling his hands on Kyle's hips, "You are obviously nervous about something."

"I just-oh," he gasped, as Christophe began to plant gentle kisses along his neck, "Um. Fuck. I just, I thought I was more ready for this than I am, I think."

"Ready for what?"

"You know... whatever... you had in mind."

"Who said I 'ad anything in mind?" Christophe asked, pulling away slightly and regarding Kyle's flushed face.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you've wanted to fuck me since that first night we hung out," he responded, his face turning bright red.

"True," Christophe admitted, "but I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do. You certainly 'ave proven adept at turning me down, anyway, so I don't know what you're so worried about."

Kyle laughed nervously fiddling with the bottom of Christophe's shirt.

"You know I'm a virgin," he said, not making eye contact.

"I 'ad guessed as much, yeah," Christophe said.

"I've never even... um... I mean... I've never done anything but kiss. You know? I just figured you should know that," Kyle said, his face turning redder still.

"I told you, I'm not going to pressure you to do something you're not ready for," Christophe answered, running his fingers through Kyle's hair.

Kyle nodded, still staring at his shoes. "Can, um. Can we go to your room?"

Christophe laughed under his breath, placing kisses on Kyle's forehead, before taking his hand and pulling him down the hall.

XXXX

Ok, sorry for the long wait, and sorry for the short chapter, too. I was bogged down doing my SPBB fic, and had a major death in the family, and then when I went to work on this I got some hardcore writer's block. So I figured I'd give you guys what I have at least, so I don't get lynched by my readers. =p

But if you're into Gregstophe or Style or WWII or just my writing you should go to and look for my fic on there. I worked my ass off for it, and it's definitely the best thing I've written. And it's got GORGEOUS art to go with it. And if you read it, I'd LOVE some feedback. No reviews hurts my precious little feelings.

Anyway, I'll TRY to get the next chapter up before too long, but no promises. Finals are coming up, fast. But there will be smut next time. I promise.