Several cups, each containing a sip of cheap beer, rattle around as the table is leaned on by a few too many people. The single full cup in the center is overflowing as it moves, the spilling liquid coats the area around it, dim light from the nearby house making it all shine. The whole backyard smells disgusting, a strong mix of sweat and alcohol takes everything else over. Both the beer that's been consumed and the beer that's spilled all over the table are making the game even harder to play. However, nobody there truly seems to care.

"I really, really do not understand how to play," Kyle laughs to himself, taking a drag of his cigarette and watching as his peers try to bounce ping-pong balls into the empty cups in front of them. Occasionally someone slaps a cup out of the way, and someone else drinks. He can't pick up what pattern is causing these actions, which makes the whole game difficult for him to follow.

"Ya just gotta..." Kenny McCormick starts gesturing with his hands wildly, but shortly gives up,

"Get the hang of it by playing," he grabs the cigarette from Kyle to take a drag himself. They often share rather than each smoking their own, since they're both trying to cut back. Kyle doesn't stop him, he just continues to watch from afar until Wendy Testaburger, who had been witnessing this whole conversation from nearby, decides to step in and save the day. As she so often does. She puts a hand on Kyle's shoulder to get his attention and begins to point out examples as she explains,

"Just get the ball in the cup. You do it on your first try, and you get to give it to anyone." Craig Tucker had done just that, and quickly slides the cup to Heidi Turner across the table,

"Any later than that? Just pass it to the side. If you try to give someone a cup and they already have one, slap it," Token Black slaps the cup in front of Clyde Donovan, which sends it flying across the yard,

"And then they have to drink." She punctuates her sentence by sipping the fancy beer she'd brought for herself in unison with Clyde at the other end of the table.

"Okay, that kinda makes sense," Kyle nods slowly, but just as soon as one question was answered, another comes to mind,

"But why do you know that? These games don't really seem like your thing." He takes back his cigarette from Kenny, who was pretty distracted by the game anyways, before he wanders off to another part of the yard, bringing her along with him. It was so loud at the slap cup table, and very crowded. Heading over to the empty area of the backyard with a hammock, however, creates an illusion of peace and quiet that he felt was needed at the moment. He tries to settle into the hammock without spilling his drink or dropping his cig, but one is unfortunately lost along the way. He defeatedly sips his beer once finally in a stable sitting position, mourning his loss. Wendy just laughs, both at the awkwardly moving boy in front of her and his question,

"I dated Stan, do you really think he didn't try to teach me drinking games?" Rather than attempting to join him, she just stands nearby to take in the sight of the whole party, before continuing her thought,

"I'm surprised he never tried to teach you."

"Well I don't do things like this much..." He hadn't meant to answer so quickly, but he felt the need to defend himself. It's not like he and Stan were ever dating like Stan and Wendy had, but it did seem odd to him that it never really came up.

"He probably thought I wouldn't care." This was, generally, true. Drinking games really weren't his thing, but still. If he went through the trouble of teaching it to her, who also wasn't that interested, why did it never come up with him?

"Where is he anyways?" Wendy twirls a strand of her long, black hair, between her fingers,

"I figured you two would come together?" She takes another sip, seeming to finish her drink. Unfortunately there were no nearby trash cans, so she just had to hold on to it for however long this conversation was going to go.

"I don't know." He responds quickly again, why was everything going so fast tonight? He's disoriented, this whole party thing was still new to him, he's out of his element here.

"He's just been off recently, I'm not sure why. He hasn't talked to me about it but something just feels wrong, ya know?" Apparently his inebriation allows him to speak more freely, as normally he wouldn't have started that conversation, at least not here and now or with her.

Kyle can't remember exactly what moment had led him to the conclusion that something was wrong with Stan, but over the last few weeks there had felt like there was a distance between the two of them that wasn't there before. Maybe it had to do with the timing of Stan and Wendy's breakup, but that was a relatively peaceful thing so he couldn't see why that would have caused it. Despite this, a look of concern spreads across her face,

"You don't think... I did-" Wendy is cut off before she even puts the idea out there,

"No, I don't. I think it's just something like, within him, ya know?" Kyle twists his position in the hammock to look up at the girl who was humoring him by even having this conversation. She was someone he'd grown up alongside and always considered a close, good friend, someone he wants to comfort in this moment of doubt she seems to be having. He tries to reach out a hand to her but can't quite reach, so instead he just lets it fall back down and continues to talk,

"Don't think you did anything wrong, you're fine."

She laughs again, clearly amused at his drunken attempt at empathy. The two of them had always had each other around, but rarely spent time alone together. This was a strange encounter for both of them.

"Thanks, Kyle." She smiles down at him, glad that he doesn't now hate her for breaking up with Stan. Some guys would never even talk to the girl that broke it off with their best friend, she's just relieved there was no bad blood.

Soon after that she wanders off to find Bebe or Heidi or someone else to talk to, probably about a lighter subject. After his few minutes of silence at the hammock, Kyle decides it's time to find a new spot. While his current position was pretty far away from the large groups of people, it was still in an open space so others could easily approach him. He wanted to be alone, so he could just zone out until one of the guys he came here with texted him that they also wanted to leave.

On his way to find a quiet spot he passes by the game table once again, seeing Kenny cheering along as Clyde has to drink the full cup from the center of the table this time. Inside the house a similar energy remains. Just walking through the living room he witnesses pretty much all the people he'd known his whole life, going as crazy as they want without a care in the world. Plenty of people making out, taking shots, and saying things they'll regret in the morning. This was kind of why he usually didn't come to these things, he didn't like having regrets. He's still not sure how Kenny had managed to convince him to tag along for the night, that boy just works in mysterious ways.

Normally if he did come to a party like this, he'd be with Stan and stay by his side all night. But since he was nowhere to be found, wandering Token's big house alone was going to be the next best thing. Climbing stairs is harder than normal in his current state, so once making it up to the second floor he decides not to go any further up. Since those stairs brought him to a long hallway, he figures he may as well explore what was before him. This one happens to be decorated with pictures from every event from when they were kids. Nostalgia takes over for a moment, and he starts remembering the times before all the alcohol use and partying began.

Not that they didn't all get into trouble back then, but it was trouble of a different kind. His eyes meet his own younger eyes in a group shot from someone's eleventh birthday party, at some themed restaurant. Their whole class was pictured, sitting at one huge table, they must have driven the whole staff at this place crazy. His gaze drifts to the figure next to himself in the picture, Stan. His face was obscured because he was burying it into Kyle's shoulder, trying to contain his own laughter. In every group picture he sees as he continues to walk down this hallway, Stan is always by his side.

The silence of Kyle's walk down memory lane is suddenly interrupted by a ringing phone. It takes a few moments for it to register it is in fact his phone that is ringing, and he needs to answer it.

"Hello?"

There is silence for only a moment, before a quick response.

"Hey dude, where are you?" Stan's voice comes from the other side. Kyle somehow hadn't even realized that's who was calling, despite the fact that Stan has his own personal ringtone on his phone. Jesus, just how much had he had to drink? After probably too much silence, he finally answers,

"Token's, did you forget tonight was his big birthday thing?" Silence for another moment, followed by the sound of rustling keys.

"Oh, shit... yeah, hey though, would you be okay leaving?" Odd.

"Sure man, what's going on?" Kyle hears a car door and then starting, and just silently prays that Stan hadn't had anything to drink tonight. He was usually good about that, but some small part of him always worries regardless.

"Just stuff. I just wanna talk to you and... it doesn't matter. I'll be there in a few, wait outside?"

"Yeah, dude." Stan hangs up, at least for sure deciding not to have that distraction while driving, which is good. Kyle quickly tries to snap himself out of his haze, with at least some success, and begins to retrace his steps through the maze of Token's house. He manages to follow the sounds of loud music and chanting about chugging to get back to civilization. If you can even really call it that.

Aside from getting down the stairs without stumbling, locating his jacket is probably the hardest part of all of this, due to it being in a pile of about a million others. He manages to find it after several minutes of tossing coats out of the way, and he makes his way to the front lawn. He starts typing out a text to Kenny, explaining that Stan was having some crisis and needed him, so he's going home now and won't need transportation later. However, his mind is working against him at the moment and he can't focus on getting all of that across. The text ends up just saying something along the lines of 'I'm going with Stan', which could be interpreted in multiple ways. That's something he'll deal with later.

At this point in the night it's far less populated on the front lawn, yet a few people are hanging around and chatting. Kyle lights up another cigarette, something about the tone in Stan's voice made him concerned and he wanted to try to calm down, so he sits down and tries to wait patiently on the steps, ignoring the people around him.

Despite this, his mind is still racing. What was so wrong that Stan was freaking out this much? What happened? Is this the same thing he's been weird and distant about? All these questions and no answers. His mind soon switches to trying to remember how far Stan's house was from Token's, to have some estimate of how long he should be waiting here before needing to worry about how Stan's drive was going. Luckily by the time he starts getting frustrated with himself for not remembering, Stan pulls into the driveway.

He puts out his cigarette before standing, knowing Stan isn't a fan of him smoking in or around his car. Once he's up, he wastes no time by running over and getting in. He's immediately met with a tight hug from his best friend. After allowing the embrace for a few moments, he decides to actually say something,

"Dude, are you okay?" Kyle pulls away slightly, just enough to make sure his words are heard, not quite enough to see the other boy clearly.

Stan shakes his head a little, not quite up and down and not quite left to right, and just sighs,

"I'll explain in a bit. Do you wanna go like, to McDonalds or something? Or a diner? Anything like that." He pulls away and looks at his phone for a moment, before looking up and coming eye to eye with Kyle. The redheaded boy is a little confused, but the tired expression on his friend's face indicates he needs to just roll with this.

"Diner please. McDonalds will make me sick." Kyle shifts to get in his seat properly, and rubs at his eyes, trying to bring everything back into focus. Luckily, Stan seems sober, just anxious, which brings some peace to his hazel mind as the car begins to move. After a few moments the sound of the loud party and all their friends fade away into the distance.

"I can't believe I miss the one time you actually let loose at a party," Stan laughs a little bit as he's stuck at a red light, letting his focus drift from driving to his drunk friend. They still have a few minutes left before reaching their destination, but the silence in the car was starting to get to him.

"What makes you think I let loose?" Kyle tries to question it but realizes his tone of voice was probably enough to give him away. He didn't think there was that much of a difference between his drunken self and his sober self, it was just that things got fuzzier on his end and it was harder to move around.

"Well I saw Kenny's Snapchat story for one thing," Stan glances over at Kyle before the light turns green and he can move again,

"You actually stood kind of near the slap cup table. Which is more than I can ever get you to do." No wonder Stan didn't every try explaining the game to him.

"I still barely understand the game. It's too fast paced for me." Kyle whines, crosses his arms and looks out the window. All of those actions just further proving Stan's observation to be true.

"It's fine, that's a weird one." Stan just laughs, he still seems on edge but he's at least trying to enjoy the conversation in the moment. The rest of the ride is quiet, but it's not too long. Their car is one of three in the whole parking lot, which was probably for the best. Less people around is often a good thing in this town.

"So are you actually hungry, or do you just wanna talk?" Kyle stretches as he gets out of the car, nearly hitting his head on the door frame. He's tempted to go for another cig but decides against it for the moment, he really does need to cut back.

"Mainly talk, but I can always eat pancakes." Stan makes his way through the door and leads his friend over to an empty booth, waving a hand at one of the waitresses as he passes her by. The only other people in the restaurant are a few of the goth kids and the waitresses, giving the place a calm and quiet atmosphere. Despite this, Kyle's head is pounding, the bright lights giving him the start of a headache.

Once they'd ordered pancakes and coffee, the breakfast (and dinner) of champions, Kyle finally blurts out the blunt question that's been on his mind,

"So dude, what's going on? Are you okay?" He sits with his elbows on the table and his hands on the sides of his face, waiting for an answer.

Stan just sighs, and slowly reaches up to take off his hat. He often liked to play with his hair when he got really nervous, and it's clear that's what's happening right now.

"My dad got.. uh..." he starts but then stops suddenly, right as he gets a notification on his phone. It's just another Snapchat from Kenny, so he locks his phone and continues.

"He got in a car accident." It becomes so silent the only thing Kyle can hear is his friend's uneven breathing.

"He's pretty bad. They're uh..." he bites at his lip, trying to find the right words, and looking like he's holding back all the emotions he's feeling,

"They're not sure if he's gonna wake up."

The stunned silence is swiftly interrupted by their waitress returning with two mugs of coffee.

As soon as she's gone, Kyle moves as quickly as his body will allow him to and joins Stan on his side of the booth, pulling him into a hug and holding him close.

"I'm so sorry, Stan." He feels like he can't hold the other boy tight enough. He wants nothing more than to take away everything that's bothering him, but that's not something he can do.

After staying like this for a minute or so, Stan pulls himself away, creating a small space between the two of them

"Thanks, dude." He begins to pour everything he can into his coffee, lots of creamer and more sugar than he usually uses. Kyle across the table to his cup, and slides it to this side. In that moment he commits to staying directly at Stan's side, where he belongs.

"Is there anything I can like, do?" He turns his head to the side, observing this coffee preparation.

"Like, for you?" That addition was probably unnecessary, but he wants anything besides silence right now. He wants to be a good, supportive friend here. Not that he really knows what he can even do to help here, but damn if he wasn't going to try his best. Stan doesn't answer at first, letting the question hang in the open air, before answering,

"Just be here." He doesn't even look up, like he's almost ashamed he just said it.

"I just don't wanna be alone right now, you know?" Still no eye contact, he actually closes his eyes as he presses his lips together, holding something back. Kyle immediately grabs his nearest hand in his own, looking intently at his best friend.

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

Stan opens his eyes and finally looks up, his expression is sad, but there's a visible attempt at a smile. He tries to make words come out but the best he can do is mouth 'Thank you' subtly enough that anyone else would have missed it, but not Kyle. Maybe their connection wasn't faltering as much as he was thinking it had. Their pancakes come shortly after, which lightens the mood at least a little bit.

"I don't think I could ever truly be that upset while eating chocolate chip pancakes, you know?" Stan is absolutely trying to repress his emotions as a way of coping with them, something Kyle's seen him do a million times before. He decides not to call him out on this yet, knowing that would probably come later in the night when they're not in public.

"I'm not as food-motivated as you and your dog, so I can't quite relate." Kyle only just now, with a fresh stack of pancakes in front of him, realizes just how not hungry he is. They had sounded like such a good idea, but now his stomach churned from even looking at them. Not wanting to seem entirely disinterested he cuts up one of them into smaller and smaller pieces as the conversation continues. Stan just looks at him like he's crazy,

"I mean yeah I guess, but dude. Pancakes." He's shoveling them in, stopping only to take sips of his disgustingly sweet coffee.

He's gonna feel sicker than I am in the morning, Jesus, Kyle thinks to himself, that thought being the only thing stopping him from offering up what's on his own plate.

Instead he asks for a to-go box with their bill. He only managed to get through half a pancake by the time he and Stan finally left, around 1:30am.

Stan's fumbling around, searching his pockets for his keys as they exit the building. It's colder now than it was when they first went in, and they both just want to head out.

"So, could you spend the night?" He already knows what will likely be the answer, but he doesn't want to just assume and be wrong.

"Do you really think I could step foot in my house like this?" Kyle gestures to his whole body, trying to refer to his still somewhat drunken state but not really making a concise point. Regardless, Stan knows what he means,

"But even if that weren't the case," They have now made it to the car, and Stan has found his keys so they can both get in,

"I would anyways." This makes a small smile sweep across Stan's face, along with what looks like a slight blush. It's dark outside, so it's hard to tell.

"My hero." Stan's comment was soft enough Kyle isn't sure if he was meant to hear it or not. He decides not to think too much of it, and gets in the car. As Stan starts the car, the smile from before lingers, which is good. At least something is cheering him up right now, when he really needs it.

For the ride home they just listen to the low hum of a local radio station, neither of them having too much to say. Kyle's head hurts too much, and Stan's mind seems to drift back to what was previously preoccupying it. As they approach the Marsh household, Kyle notices something out of place.

"Dude, where's your mom's car?" Its way later than she'd be out most nights, she was usually home and in bed by 11, it's been that way for most of their lives.

"She drove out to Denver earlier to go see with my dad," Stan shuts off his engine and stays sitting there for a bit,

"Like they're not together anymore, but she still cares about him, you know?" After checking his phone for any updates, and finding none, he continues,

"So it's uh... just us tonight."

Kyle nods, silently kicking himself for not realizing that pretty obvious answer and making Stan remind himself of the situation. When he gets out of the car he does light one more cigarette for the night, to release some tension. Stan stays by his side this time, rather than creating space between them like he usually would when smoking's involved. They walk towards the house slowly, no rush or sense of urgency for once in their lives.

"I'm gonna go get us some water, you need it especially." While they had been walking, Stan had gotten the right key ready, Kyle hadn't even noticed, and while speaking he starts moving more swiftly towards the door,

"Meet me inside?"

"Of course, dude. Just give me a minute." He smiles back at his best friend as the door closes, and then exhales. This whole night doesn't feel real. From the party, to hearing about Randy, to now, he can't really wrap his head around all of it. The only thing that feels real in all of this is Stan, and the fact that Stan really needs him right now. He drops his cigarette to the ground and crushes it with his boot, then retraces Stan's footsteps to the door.

When it opens, he sees Stan sitting on the couch petting Sparky, at the sound of the door they move their heads in sync to look. Stan takes one of the glasses of water in front of him, and holds it out to his friend with a smile. After he kicks off his boots and hangs up his coat, he moves towards the couch and takes it.

"Thanks, dude." Kyle sits down and drinks the whole thing in under a minute, not having realized until that exact moment how little water he'd had throughout the night.

"No problem," Stan leans back into the couch, spreading out his arms along the back. He lets his head loll from side to side, trying to relax his body. He always carried so much tension everywhere, so this was probably a good thing.

There's silence again, but it's more comfortable than some of the silence earlier in the night. It's broken, however, by the sound of Kyle getting a text. He rushes to check his phone, wondering who was even awake right now. Somehow he'd momentarily forgotten there was a whole party probably happening in town.

[1:53 am] Kenny: nice! have fun n be safe u guyz wrap before u tap :P when did he even show up lol

Kyle tries to remember what message he possibly could have sent to get that response, but his mind fails him. He gives up and just scrolls to see his earlier text.

[12:37 am] Kyle: im goin home with stan now byee 3

Ah, that'll do it. Kyle sighs, while everything is still a bit fuzzy, his mind is definitely clearer than it was when he sent that. He shakes his head a little bit, and begins to wonder why it took Kenny so long to answer.

"What's up?" Stan shifts his position as he notices Kyle's changing facial expressions, he's not trying to pry but he is definitely curious.

"Just worded something weird, and… Kenny's weird, you know?" He quickly types out a response and sets his phone down.

[1:55 am] Kyle: He wasn't there, he came to get me. Do you still have a safe way home?

He had chosen not to address the innuendo, it was far from the first time Kenny had implied something should happen with he and Stan, and it was far from the last. Drunk partying Kenny was even more inclined to push that agenda, so rather than encouraging it by acknowledging it, he just made the conscious decision to ignore the subject.

"Yeah, he definitely is." Stan puts his own phone down too, and turns to his best friend.

"Thanks for like, being here." He seems unsure of himself, like he's saying something he shouldn't or that he should be ashamed of.

"Stan, I'm always gonna be here for you. Whenever you need me, and even when you don't want me here." Kyle scoots closer to his friend, and puts an arm around him, trying to be comforting and reassuring. Being like this was something he often struggled with, past girlfriends criticized him for being too closed off when they needed emotional support, but it was never like that with Stan. He was always the one person he was decent at making feel better.

"I love you." Stan blurts out suddenly, this wasn't the first time he's heard that from him, but it seemed heavier this time.

"I love you too, dude." Kyle smiles, and pulls him into a more proper hug, figuring this was what he needs right now.

Stan buries his face in his best friend's neck, red curls tickling his nose, and just takes in all that is Kyle. He doesn't want to pull away, but realizes he can't just stay there forever or it might seem weird. Soon enough he gets a text that breaks the silence this time, and rushes to check it.

[2:03 am] Mom: He woke up… He's still not 100%, he won't be for a while, but they think he's gonna be okay. Hope you see this soon, I love you

Stan feels like he can't breathe for a moment, but in a good way. His relief about this news mixed with the nervous excitement that came from being so close to Kyle is too much for him. He stands up as quickly as he can and runs for the bathroom before throwing up, an old habit that never really went away. He makes it into the room but not quite to the toilet when it happens, but hey, tile flooring is easier to clean than carpet.

"Stan is everything okay?!" Kyle is normally just as fast as his best friend, but while still feeling buzzed his coordination is all off and he trails behind.

"He's okay!" Stan wipes his mouth, and looks down at the mess on the floor. He steadies himself with a hand on the sink, and runs his other hand through his messy hair. He catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror and realizes how shitty he looks, cringing at the sight, part of him hoping Kyle wouldn't make it there to see him like this.

"Your dad? Dude that's awesome-" His voice is getting closer regardless, and he finally gets to the door before continuing,

"But are you okay?" Stan sees the reflection of Kyle before turning to see the real person, and just shrugs in response.

"Just… exhausted. Emotionally more than anything else," At least that is the truth, just for more reasons than he can really explain right now. This wasn't the right time.

"Then you should head to bed. It's like, really late, you've had a long day." Kyle moves closer, placing his hands on his best friend's shoulders. Kyle was always slightly taller than the other boy, but with how hunched over he was at the moment Stan just seemed so small. He tries to start leading him out of the bathroom, carefully avoiding the puke on the floor,

"I need to clean that up though-"

"I've got it, just focus on yourself right now." He smiles, taking him by the hand and leading him dow the hall. Stan tries to put up some resistance but realizes he really doesn't have it in him right now. He's experiencing every emotion he can think of all at once, he's so happy that his dad is probably gonna be okay but he's so angry at his dad for drunk driving and causing this situation in the first place. He's nervous because wow, Kyle is holding his hand right now and trying to take care of him, but he's sad because he can't let it be known just how excited that makes him. He's just feeling too much of everything, and he's so lost in thought he doesn't even realize he's already in his room as Kyle starts to speak,

"Get comfy, I'll be back in a little while." His door shuts, and he's alone again. Back to how it was earlier in the night when he'd been getting ready to go to the party. Before he'd gotten the news about his dad, and then had a panic attack alone in his room, before he called Kyle in a frantic panic once he was able to form words, before it all. He stares down at his phone, finally deciding to check all those snapchats and texts he'd gotten from Kenny earlier. Lots of pictures of people drinking and smoking, a broken lamp, Token looking like he was about to kill Clyde, Kenny with Craig and Bebe on either side of him. Things that look fun, but are too overwhelming for right now. The texts are something he can actually respond to.

[10:39 pm] Kenny: ky agreed to come, just had to work my magic B) idk why you couldn't just bring him yourself

[10:41 pm] Kenny: jk jk jk i know you wanna make a move on him and didn't wanna make it awkward if he said no

[10:44 pm] Kenny: he won't tho. you guys are like, made for each other it'll go fine

[11:46 pm] Kenny: dude where r u?

[12:03 am] Kenny: U CHECK MY SNAP STORY BUT DONT REPLY TO MY TEXTS? RUDE

[12:49 am] Kenny: kyle says hes goin home with u? is it actually happening?!

And then nothing. Stan's really only been reading texts from his mom this whole time, he managed to miss a lot apparently. The timing everything tonight was just so unbelievably bad.

Shortly after his breakup with Wendy, he'd confided in Kenny and let him know what was going on. He'd realized he was gay, and had feelings for Kyle, so obviously he had to break up with her. She'd taken it well, and was very supportive, but encouraged him to talk to people rather than just trying to work through his feelings alone. Since Kyle was obviously not an option, Kenny was his next closest friend to talk to. Over the last month they'd really bonded, created a kind of support system for themselves. Kenny was out as being pansexual, but he still had insecurities about everything, the two of them were able to help each other sort through emotional stuff.

Kenny'd had this plan though, for Stan to finally approach the subject with Kyle, letting himself play the wingman. A party seemed like a good setting to start everything, so that people would be a little more loose and anything said that was too stupid could be blamed on alcohol. Stan's dad getting into a drunken car accident, however, was not a part of this plan and threw everything out of whack. This night going so horribly just cements in his mind that it was all a bad idea. This was the universe's way of intervening before Stan ruined his friendship forever, he should just accept things the way they are and get over it.

After sulking and getting lost in his thoughts, he realizes he should let Kenny know he's alive at least.

[2:24 am] Stan: hey dude. sorry, family stuff came up. kyle's with me but not like That. he's just being a good friend rn

Once it is sent, he just lays on his bed, holds his phone above him and rereads the text his mom had sent. Who knew that so few words could bring so much relief? The phone buzzing with a response from Kenny startles him so much that he drops it on his face,

[2:26 am] Kenny: oh geez i hope everythins ok 3 sorry tnight didnt work out tho its gonna happen eventually

Stan's not really sure what else to say, or even do. Rather than respond, he just starts to wait for Kyle to get back, and watches stupid videos on youtube.

In the bathroom, Kyle is lost staring into his own eyes. He's already finished cleaning up Stan's mess, it's not like this was the first time, but was losing track of his own mind. He feels like something is still wrong, or at least still bothering his friend. He just looked so tired, so stressed, and he has for a long time now. Not that he didn't occasionally go through these spells, but normally Kyle would be the first person to know what caused it. It's definitely not like Stan's mad at him or anything, or else he wouldn't have come to him tonight. So what was it?

Kyle's phone getting a text snaps him out of it,

[2:28 am] Kenny: yeah dude im walking home with bebe she lives close

[2:29 am] Kenny: how has your night with stan been goign ;)

Kyle just rolls his eyes, Stan is going through enough right now, he doesn't need to deal with Kenny trying to set them up.

[2:31 am] Kyle: It's not like that. He had a family emergency and needed me here. Glad you're okay though, let me know when you're in for the night?

He always had to be responsible, even while's still coming down from partying himself. He washes his hands again, trying to get any remaining traces of vomit to go away. He's honestly a huge germaphobe, and cleaning up someone else's puke is probably one of the most anxiety inducing things he could do, but when Stan's in need what else is he gonna do? Once his hands are finally clean enough, he begins the walk back to Stan's room down the hall.

He doesn't bother knocking, part of him thinking the other boy would already be asleep. Surprisingly he's awake, sprawled out on his bed staring at his phone. Kyle softly closes the door behind him, and then strips down a bit. The sweater, nice shirt, jeans, and everything were a bit too much for him to be comfortable sleeping in. Undershirt and boxers? Much better. Once he's comfortable he joins his best friend on the bed, it's a tighter fit than it used to be when they were young, but it works.

Kyle fits so naturally into Stan's arms in that moment, that neither of them really question the position they get into. Kyle rests his head on his friend's chest, and holds him close. Stan is reminded of how Wendy used to cuddle up to him the same way when she'd sleep over, and feels his heartbeat start racing. What was supposed to be a calming deep breath just sounds like a content sigh. He slowly moves his arm to rest around his friend's frame, fully recreating his memory.

"Dude are you just watching someone play Minecraft?" Kyle suddenly looks up at the phone suspended above the two of them, trying to hold back a teasing smile. This causes Stan to suddenly lock his phone where it is,

"Uh… Maybe?" He laughs too, it's something so ridiculous to feel embarrassed over, but here he is regardless.

"No judgement! Just an observation." Kyle puts his head back down, but keeps looking at his best friend. He doesn't think it's the right time to tease, tonight had been a lot for both of them, he doesn't want to say the right thing and make it go bad. At that moment, Stan's phone lights up, a text from Kenny.

[2:46 am] Kenny: hey im goin t sleep now, tell ky im safe and sound and also good luck man you can do it make yr move 3

[2:46 am] * 3

There's silence for a moment, Stan reads the texts quickly and then puts down his phone, not sure if the other boy read them or not. He feels Kyle laughing softly, before starting,

"Is he trying to get you to make a move on me?" He runs one of his hands up through his messy red curls, and scratches his neck, an awkward move in their current position. Stan is panicking, because no, Kenny's just trying to be a cheerleader here, he didn't come up with the idea.

"Uh, I guess," Stan is quiet, he's not sure what to do and his mind isn't working fast enough to handle this situation. Especially not with how cute Kyle looks right now and how goddamn close he is.

"Weird."

"Yeah."

Silence fills the room, neither of them really sure what else to say. Some part of Stan wants to just use this moment to confess, the topic's already been brought up, it could be fine? Maybe not everything, maybe he just…

"Kyle, I have something I need to tell you." He sits up, shifting the other boy along with him. He can't back down now, this is happening. At least something is. Kyle is surprised, but feels almost excited, is he finally gonna explain what's been bothering him recently? Can things just go back to normal after this?

"Go for it dude, whatever it is, I'm here." He separates himself from the other boy and shifts over so he can look him in the eyes. They're both cross legged on the bed now, just like they used to do when they'd gossip as little kids.

"I'm…" He pauses, the word is still hard to get out it's so new to him. Kyle's just looking at him expectantly with his beautiful green eyes, an encouraging smile on his face.

"I'm gay." It feels like the world stopped for a moment. Stan can feel himself sweating, he can't read Kyle's face, and the silence is eating away at him. He wants to yell, he wants to grab his face and kiss him, he wants something to happen.

"That's fine, dude." Kyle breaks the silence, and smiles. He reaches out to hold his friend's hand,

"That doesn't change anything. You're still my best friend. You always will be," He squeezes tighter, and Stan feels his face turn red. He wants to keep going, he wants to tell the full truth, but that's a lot in one go. He'd rather not throw up from anxiety again tonight.

"I love you, Kyle." Is all that comes out. That's the only sentence that could come to his mind, because god it's true. He loves Kyle, he's absolutely in love with Kyle. He has been for a long time, but he's only recently realized just in what way.

With those words many gears slide into place in Kyle's head, things start making more sense. The breakup, the odd distant behavior, Kenny trying to play matchmaker. It all adds up, and he's forced to face a possibility he hadn't honestly considered before: Stan likes him. Like, like likes him. In his mind, Stan was always unavailable, not even an option. They were best friends and that was always going to be their dynamic, for the rest of their lives. Something changing that hadn't even occurred to him as being possible.

Acting purely on impulse, adrenaline, and that little bit of remaining buzz, he leans in to try something. He's met with softer lips than he expected, some part of him always imagined Stan to be so rough in romantic situations, but he just melts. They're both timid, unsure of what's happening, while Kyle has his eyes closed Stan's are wide open with shock. This can't be real, this can't be happening, I'm already asleep and this is a dream, right? If he thought his brain was lagging before, he had a big storm coming.

After a few moments, Kyle pulls away from this kiss he initiated, to look his best friend in the eye. They're both breathless, sweaty, and tired, but there's a certain glow coming from them. Stan's so flustered, he's just stammering trying to come up with something to say. Rather than let him suffer through that any longer, Kyle breaks the silence,

"I love you too, Stan." He's not really sure about much in this moment, except that those words are true and that he wants to kiss him again.

A/N: I'm sorry if I got the rules to slap cup wrong thats how it was explained to ME by a beautiful girl at a party two weeks ago