Work Text:
For some time now, Kyle had forgotten about the idea of getting a girlfriend. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in having a romantic relationship—in fact, it was something he would have liked. But he was so in love with his best friend that, at some point, he stopped seeing it as plausible. He knew it was one-sided and would never be reciprocated, and that confessing it would ruin their friendship or make it awkward. And it was impossible to get over it when he spent time with Stan every day.
How do you get over a love when that person is your best friend, someone you spend most of your free time with?
Still, he couldn’t go on like this. It was inevitable that he would end up hurt—especially because Stan was dating Wendy. Ever since they were little, despite breaking up several times, they always got back together, and now, in middle school, they were still in a relationship. And it seemed to be going well.
Kyle could only be happy for his best friend. Even if, deep down, every time he saw them together, he felt a sharp sting in his chest.
“Sorry, dude. I can't play today… Wendy wants to watch that fucking movie I told you about.”
Another afternoon, Stan’s words saddened the redheaded boy. Lately, Stan had been going out with Wendy a lot. It was normal—Kyle knew that.
“Oh, it's fine. Don't worry, we can play Warcraft another day!”
Over time, Kyle had perfected his smile to hide his true feelings, pretending that he didn’t care and that he understood.
But Stan could see right through him. He couldn’t hide anything from him. After so many years together, Stan knew him perfectly.
“Are you sure you are okay?” he inquired with concern.
However, Stan was also a bit of an idiot. He knew Kyle was sad, but he didn’t know it was because he was in love with him and they couldn’t spend time together that day.
“Yeah, I told you we can play another time!” Kyle denied it immediately.
At that moment, a stupid and very bad idea crossed Stan’s mind. He had heard Cartman talking about a new dating app for teenagers. And although he would never be capable of installing such garbage on his phone, maybe it would be good for Kyle. Or at least, that’s what he thought.
“Hey, dude! Why don't you try this app?” he suggested, searching for it on his phone and showing it to his friend.
“What? A dating app?!”
“Wouldn't it be nice if you get a girlfriend too? We could have double dates!”
In reality, Stan was also sad about not being able to play with Kyle that day. And if Kyle got a girlfriend, then they could spend time together during double dates. It was a perfect idea.
“I’m not sure, Stan…” he sighed, looking at the app with distrust.
A dating app for teenagers? It sounded horrible. Nine out of ten users were probably pedophiles, and Kyle didn’t want to deal with that. Besides, it felt way too superficial.
Still, Stan was the one who had suggested it. He really had no chance with him; otherwise, he would never have suggested that he get a girlfriend.
“I could give it a try I guess.”
Maybe it could work. Maybe he could stop being so in love if he met other people.
The first date was better than he expected.
That same day, he had installed the app and filled in all the necessary information about his tastes, hobbies, and photos. Within seconds, he matched with a girl, and they both agreed to meet that night.
A girl with long black hair, blue eyes, a bit slow at times, and with the same sense of humor. Some things about her reminded him of Stan—maybe that’s why it was a pleasant experience.
The next day, during class, it showed on his face. And it didn’t go unnoticed by Stan.
“Hey Kyle! How is it going with the app?” Stan inquired with some curiosity.
“Oh, it was better than I thought!”
Seeing him happy also made Stan happy.
“Really?! Did you match with someone cool?”
“Yeah! We went out yesterday and it was so fun.”
“Wait, what? You already went out…?”
The smile on Stan’s face disappeared within seconds. Had Kyle already spent time in person with someone from that app? Weren’t they supposed to chat for a few days first and then, maybe, decide to meet? In reality, Stan had no idea how those apps worked.
All he knew at that moment was that he didn’t feel as happy as he thought he would. He felt a strange stomachache that seemed to rise up to his throat. And he didn’t understand why.
“Yeah, she's a really cute and fun girl.”
“Oh, I see, that's good.”
Kyle raised an eyebrow in confusion when he noticed the sudden change in his best friend’s mood.
“Stan, what's wrong? You don't seem very happy.”
“It's nothing! I was just thinking about the boring movie from yesterday.” He tried to hide his mood, which he didn’t even understand himself. “Anyway, do you wanna play Warcraft today?”
He just needed to spend an afternoon with Kyle to cheer himself up. Stan knew that any moment with his best friend was the best thing in the world.
“Oh, uhm… I might have a second date so I don't think I can.”
Now the stomachache got even worse. Inevitable stings in his throat when he heard those words.
“Oh.”
Stan wasn’t used to that feeling. Being rejected by Kyle because he already had plans. It was strange; he always said yes. He was always available for him, unless there was an important exam—but even then, many times they just studied together.
Now, however, Kyle had plans. He wasn’t going to spend the afternoon with him. He was going to spend it with some random girl who would probably mess with his heart—or at least, that’s what Stan thought.
Maybe he didn’t feel like that because of being rejected. Maybe it was the fact that Kyle was going to be with a girl and not with him.
“And where are you guys going for the date?” he inquired, clearly with ulterior motives.
“Oh, we are gonna watch the movie you watched yesterday.”
“Don't, dude! It's so boring!” he replied instantly.
Stan felt the urge to ruin that date. He couldn’t help it. He wanted it to be canceled. The idea of it not happening made him feel better. He needed to feel better—that strange pain in his chest felt unbearable.
“Almost every movie is boring for you, Stan…” the redhead sighed, determined to watch the movie with his date.
“Whatever, do what you want.” the black-haired boy finished, frowning and sounding somewhat resentful, leaving Kyle very confused.
Had Stan gotten mad? It didn’t make sense. Kyle couldn’t understand that sudden attitude.
Still, he decided not to give it much importance. He had probably had a bad date with Wendy or something like that.
But maybe he should have paid attention. After classes, ready for his date, what Kyle saw when he arrived made him rub his eyes, thinking he was imagining things. What was Stan doing at the entrance of the movie theater talking to his date?
In fact, Stan had been camping out at the entrance the whole time. And when he saw a girl waiting, he approached her to strike up a conversation and, effectively, ruin Kyle’s one-on-one date.
“Stan?!” he exclaimed with a mix of surprise and concern as he approached them. “What are you doing here?!”
“Hey dude!” he greeted as if what he was doing wasn’t a big deal at all. “I was just talking with your date and she agreed we can watch the movie all together.”
“Yeah, I don't mind. He said you guys are best friends.” the girl said, not giving it much importance.
Kyle had no words at that moment. He would talk to Stan later. What he didn’t understand was why Stan was doing this.
“Didn't you watch the movie already and said it was boring?” Kyle whispered to him as they walked to buy the tickets.
“Yeah, but it's probably cooler if I watch it with you.” he admitted with a shrug, giving him a smile; that was the only reason he would watch it again.
Kyle brought a hand to his face, covering his mouth with it, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. Stan always said the most embarrassing and cheesy things so casually. And even if it made him happy, it was a bit unfair. Especially because Kyle was still just as in love as ever.
The worst was yet to come. Because Stan didn’t just sit between them to watch the movie—he also leaned toward Kyle and shared his popcorn with him. It was as if the girl was the third wheel.
And even though Stan had ruined his date, Kyle couldn’t get mad at him. Especially because it felt like the date was between them, and that made him very happy. Was it okay to take advantage of Stan’s cluelessness just to keep feeling butterflies in his stomach?
For one day, it didn’t matter.
But it wasn’t just one day.
After that, Stan always found an excuse to show up at his dates—either to insert himself or to cancel them and scare his date away.
The black-haired girl he had gotten along with had stopped talking to him, saying goodbye with a message that read, “Why don't you date your best friend instead? He's clearly into you.”
Kyle still couldn’t believe he had any chance with Stan. But it was obvious that he had been acting very strangely.
And those acts of sabotage from Stan continued with many more girls, all of whom seemed to pick up on the hints easily and understand that Stan wanted his best friend all to himself.
On top of that, he seemed happy every time Kyle told him about how things were going with his latest dates, who had—unsurprisingly—stopped texting him.
“Wait, are you happy about it?!” he confronted him, frowning.
“No, no, it's not that!”
“You were clearly smiling…”
“No, Kyle, I just remembered a joke you told me last time…”
“Yeah, sure, dude.”
But how was he supposed to stay mad when faced with that beautiful smile he loved so much? Seeing Stan enjoying himself by his side and laughing like always only made him feel better. It was as if all his failed dates didn’t affect him at all. Besides, Stan had been giving him so much more attention than before, and he obviously appreciated it.
“Whatever… The next one will be better.” Kyle sighed, pulling out his phone to look for the next match.
“The next one?!” Stan complained, his expression shifting to one of concern the moment he heard that.
They were both in Kyle’s room, spending time together after school. Lately, Stan hadn’t been making plans with Wendy, which the redhead found strange.
But enough was enough. It was clear that his best friend had been doing it on purpose. And even if Kyle didn’t mind that much, at some point he had to put an end to it—or at least hear an explanation.
“Alright, that's enough, Stan.” he confronted, standing up from the bed they had been sitting on and facing him with his arms crossed.
“What do you mean?”
The confused expression on Stan’s face made him hesitate for a few seconds—it was too adorable. Sometimes Kyle couldn’t stand how weak he was when it came to Stan. But he had to be strong and get an answer.
“This whole time you’ve been trying to ruin all my dates!”
At first, he hadn’t minded much. After all, spending time with Stan was better than going on a date with a complete stranger. But as the days went by, it became way too obvious that Stan was sabotaging him.
“I don't know what you mean…”
He obviously knew.
“Stan… you’ve been sabotaging all my dates. It's been so obvious!”
“I was just…”
“Do you really dislike the idea of me getting a girlfriend…?” he continued, starting to feel a little bad for saying it.
Was it possible that Stan was jealous—but not in the way he wanted? That, in reality, Stan wanted Kyle to stay single forever while he enjoyed his romantic relationship and his best friend’s full availability?
No, Stan wasn’t that kind of person.
“It's not that!”
“What is it then? Because for me it looks like you don't want me to get one. Do you just want me to stay single forever?”
“No… Kyle, I swear it's not that.”
Stan seemed to be starting to feel bad about it.
“I mean, it's probably easier for you since you already have Wendy.” he continued, this time letting out his real feelings and the jealousy he had been trying to hide.
“We broke up.”
A brief silence filled the room. Kyle’s eyes widened in surprise, and an unwanted sense of relief ran through his body. He shouldn’t feel happy hearing that.
And why hadn’t Stan told him anything? Every time Stan and Wendy broke up, Kyle was always the first to know and to try to help him. But this time, Stan had kept it to himself.
“What…?”
“I don't enjoy being with her anymore. It's not fun.” he confessed, a hint of sadness in his voice.
“Stan, is that the real reason?” Kyle asked, doubtful, finding it hard to believe those words.
“I mean… I guess she also told me that I should be with the person I really want to.”
Another brief silence. What did that mean? It was as if the little hope Kyle had was slowly starting to resurface.
“Is that why you sabotaged all my dates…?”
“I guess… I was a bit jealous.”
“Of who?”
Stan swallowed. He couldn’t hide it anymore—he had to be honest with Kyle.
“Of them. Because they could have dates with you… and I hated that idea.”
How was Kyle supposed to interpret that? Was it a confession? No, probably not. It was normal to feel jealous if someone was taking up all your best friend’s time. It didn’t have to be romantic.
“So… you don't wanna share me with a random girl?” the redhead sighed, trying to calm himself and not make things awkward.
“Yeah! Exactly!”
Kyle let out a soft laugh at that.
“Dude, isn't that a bit gay?”
Stan fell silent for a few seconds, looking down as he tried to find an answer that made sense.
His expression shifted to worry and panic when something clicked in his brain.
“Oh god, there's no way.” he said, bringing his hands to his head.
Kyle, concerned, sat down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
“Stan, are you okay?”
“No, Kyle! Everything makes sense now!”
“What makes sense?”
“All the pain I was feeling when you were telling me about your dates, the relief of knowing they weren’t working out for you… I’m just in love with you, dude!” he confessed, blurting everything out at once, his voice filled with terror as if what he was saying meant the end of the world. “It's over… I’m gonna ruin it.” he continued, thinking that maybe that would be the last day they would remain Super Best Friends.
Kyle struggled to process what he had just heard. Stan had confessed to him—and it seemed like it had taken him a while to realize it himself.
A deep happiness filled his chest until a wave of nerves began to take over. Did he have a chance? Could his feelings be returned? Kyle wasn’t going to let this slip away now that he had such a clear answer.
“Stan, look at me.” he called softly, gently tugging at his arm to make him lift his face.
“Dude… I can't, this is so lame.”
But he refused to look him in the eyes, still hunched over with his hands on his head, hiding his gaze.
“Why do you think is lame?”
“I already told you why…”
“Well, then I might be lame too.”
A brief silence followed. Finally, Stan straightened up and turned to look at his best friend’s face, which now looked a little embarrassed.
“Kyle…? What do you…”
“Yeah, Stan, I’m in love with you too.” he finally let the words out, feeling the immense weight he had carried for so many years lift off his shoulders.
The black-haired boy stared at him in shock, a warm feeling spreading through his chest at those words.
“Since when…?”
“Elementary school… maybe.”
Kyle couldn’t believe he was admitting that. He had sworn he would take those feelings to the grave.
Stan let himself fall against Kyle’s shoulder, letting out a sigh with a faint smile.
“I can't believe it, dude.”
“Me neither.”
They stayed like that for a few seconds, trying to find the right words for what they were both thinking. It was obvious what the next step was—the one they both wanted so badly.
“So…” Kyle began, his heart racing and a bit desperate to ask the question. “Do you want to…”
“Yeah.” Stan answered immediately, straightening up to look at him, not even letting him finish.
“Should we keep it as a secret?”
“I don't mind, unless you prefer not to.”
Even though Kyle loved the idea of dating Stan, of being boyfriends, he didn’t really like the idea of making it public so soon. Especially because he already knew how much Cartman would mess with them, and Kyle didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of having something to mock.
After exchanging sweet looks that confirmed the start of their relationship, they both fell back onto Stan’s bed, looking into each other’s eyes, still unable to believe it was mutual.
“So… how did you fall for me, dude?” Stan started with a small smile, far too curious to know more.
“I'm not sure, it just happened.”
“Come on!”
Stan knew there was more to it.
“Alright… I guess you’ve always been there for me and at some point the feeling kept growing until… yeah, you know.” he admitted, a bit embarrassed, unable to meet his eyes.
And hearing that, Stan couldn’t contain the happiness he felt or the smile that gave him away, so he sat up and pulled Kyle into a warm, affectionate hug.
“Stan!” he complained as he was squeezed between his best friend’s arms.
But he couldn’t deny that Stan’s hugs were the best. And even more so now, when he could cuddle into him without caring if it was too “gay.”
“Now it's your turn.” he whispered into his ear, making the black-haired boy shiver and swallow.
“I actually don’t know…”
“Dude!”
“Okay, okay! I mean, I’ve always found you cute. And I’ve always loved your smile and your voice. And spending time with you has always been my favorite activity…”
Kyle buried his face in Stan’s neck as he heard all that. His heart couldn’t handle so many sweet words coming from him.
“Okay, okay, that's enough…” he whispered, completely embarrassed.
“Hey, you wanted to know. But I guess I was never aware of my feelings until you were going out with those girls…” Stan continued, frowning slightly as he remembered it.
“Yeah, I wonder who suggested it.”
“Mistakes happen.”
They both let out a soft laugh and pulled back slightly to look at each other, their gazes full of love and happiness.
Stan thought it was the perfect moment to kiss. They were officially dating—it would be normal. But before he could close the distance between their lips, Kyle broke it by hugging him again and resting his chin against his neck.
“I love you, Stan.”
The black-haired boy smiled softly as he felt Kyle’s arms around him and returned the embrace, butterflies fluttering in his stomach at the sweet contact and those words spoken in the voice he adored the most.
“I love you too, Kyle.”
And Stan didn’t mind at all if they took things slowly. Now he could hug Kyle as much as he wanted. And he didn’t have to feel jealous anymore—he didn’t have to share his best friend with anyone else.
And Kyle felt like he was dreaming. Because everything seemed too perfect to be real. He didn’t have to repress his feelings anymore.
Because there was nothing better than being honest and showing all his love to his Super Best Friend.