Title: The Scars

Chapter: one shot

Author: Griffin Maxwell

Fandom: South Park

Pairing: Stan/Kyle

Rating: pg-13

Summery: That list always haunted Kyle.

Warnings: slash, just some kissing, nothing graphic

Notes: some spoilers from The List

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

The incident with the list haunted Kyle every day. Even if it was manipulated, it didn't matter. He was at the bottom.

Kyle sat on the bleacher over looking the high school football field, watching the team practice. He watched the whole team; he had always liked the way they moved together, the teamwork involved. But really he mostly watched the quarterback; Stan Marsh.

Kyle and Stan had been friends for as long as Kyle could remember. Stan had been there every time he needed him.

He smiled sadly as he looked back down at the sketch book in his lap, wondering how he ended up with such a beautiful and caring best friend. After middle school and half of high school, they had become almost opposites, Kyle the nerd and art geek and Stan the sports star.

"Hey, Kyle!" Kyle looked up to see Stan trekking up the bleachers towards him, still in complete uniform.

"Hey."

Stan smiled as he sat down next to Kyle. "What are you still doing here? It's freezing; thought you would have gone home, or at least inside."

Kyle shrugged. "Decided to stay and draw for a bit. And wait for you."

"Can I see what you were drawing?" Stan asked. Kyle bit his lip and looked at the book in his lap. "Uh-oh." Stan knew that look. Kyle was in a slump, depressed again.

While Kyle was rarely ever proud of anything he did, he usually showed people his art, because it was the one thing he felt other people liked about him. But when he got like this, he felt the art wasn't good enough for anyone to see, even if it was as good as the rest.

Stan wrapped his arms around Kyle. "What is it this time."

"Nothing, I just couldn't draw anything good enough today."

"You're an awful liar, Kyle. What's wrong?"

Kyle glanced around, making sure that anyone left on the field was too busy to notice the two of them (not that the two of them hadn't been caught before) before leaning into Stan's hug. "I just…I don't understand how you still like me, even though I'm so, you know, nerdy and ugly."

Stan sighed. "I hate this issue," he muttered. "Kyle, yes, you are nerdy, but I love that. Even if you refused to continue to help me with all the shit I don't understand, I'd still love that about you.

"And you're not ugly. At all. You've been adorable since we were kids. If you're thinking of that stupid list shit again, stop. You are beautiful, and always have been, and always will be."

Kyle didn't respond, just looked back down at his sketchbook. Stan sighed and kissed Kyle's cheek. He knew nothing he could say would actually make Kyle think any different, no matter how true it all was. The incident with that list scared him.

"Come on, Kyle," Stan said as he stood up, helping Kyle up as well. "Let's go into the locker room, let me get changed and we can go see a movie, okay?"

Kyle shrugged. "I guess."

Stan smiled and kissed Kyle. "What's the worst movie out right now?"

Stan was delighted to see a smile form on Kyle's face. "We could just ask that kid who sells the tickets what movie has sold the least. Then go to that one."

"I like your thinking," Stan said, before kissing Kyle one more time and heading to the lockers.