AN: Just a little one-shot that was on my mind for a while. It didn't turn out how I thought it would but I hope you enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: Don't own South Park.

Love is Like Falling Because You Can't Skate

For a brief moment all Kyle can hear is a muffled sound as he blinks owlishly up at the cloudy sky before his eyes, but soon the sound grows in volume, breaks through his consciousness and he realizes it's laughter. Loud, obnoxious laughter. It grates on his nerves, makes his head hurt and his nails dig into the frozen ground beneath him, makes him wish he was anywhere else but where he was now.

His face turns into an ugly sneer when he begins to recognize the voice behind the laughter.

"Shut up, Fatso!" He shouts up at the sky, his eyes focusing on the other when he comes into view.

Cartman is clutching his stomach, leaning forward and tears streaming down his face. The ice underneath Kyle is hard and cold, but the boy laughing at his misery is even worse, especially since even now, after all the laughter racking Cartman's body, he stays where is, balancing on the metal of his skates, not once falling over like Kyle. Kyle feels a spike of envy over this, but he takes care to push it away from his mind, try's to get his nails to let go of the ice under him and shoulders to stop tensing. It's harder than he first expects.

Kyle forces himself to a sitting position and grimaces at the wet snow soaking his pants. His hands are cold from where he had dug his nails in for too long and his hat has fallen off. He's quick to put that back on, frowning at the still laughing mess that is Eric Cartman.

This had been a bad idea to begin with.

Cartman had shown up at his door just a few hours ago, begging Kyle to go skating with him before the ice melted (he'd been trying to get Kyle to go for weeks now) and reminding Kyle he has skates but he never uses them and 'come on let's go before your bitch of a mom try's to stop us!'. Usually Kyle would have been angry at such an accusation about his mom, but Cartman had been pulling at his arm, leaving painful red marks and Kyle had no other chose but to follow the asshole to Stark's Pond, where they were now.

This isn't worth it, Kyle thinks in disgust, rubbing angrily at one of his cheeks which had hit the ice and gone red at some point in this sick adventure of his.

"Y-you're s-so bad at this!" Cartman says through his laughter, throwing his head back. The movement causes him to skate a few inches backwards, reminding Kyle of just how good Cartman was at this and that Cartman was right.

He was really bad at this.

"Fuck you! I told you I didn't want to do this. Now you know why!" Kyle growls through gritted teeth. He doesn't bother to get up, knowing he'd only fall down again, the snow seeping through his pants and red print on his cheek is a reminder of that.

Cartman pauses in his laughter and tilts his head at Kyle. Kyle hates when he does that. It made it look like Kyle was some specimen that Cartman was studying and would later experiment on. It disgusted him.

"I didn't know Jews couldn't skate. Should I teach you how, Kahl?"

Kyle growls and hurls the nearest snow clump at the other. Cartman easily (almost gracefully) dodges it, but he's now a little angry, so Kyle think he gets some points for that.

"Ay! I'm trying to help." Cartman whines, an annoying pout curling at his lips that makes Kyle want to kick him with his skates so he would bleed instead. Something in his expression must show that because Cartman seems to calm down, that same amused smile back on his lips.

He lives for annoying Kyle.

"Are you done yet?" Cartman asks, batting his eyelashes at Kyle as to further irritate the other.

It's working.

"Are you?" Kyle shoots back.

Cartman just shrugs and shakes his head in mock disappointment.

"Sometimes I don't get you, Jew. Why did you come if you were just gonna argue with me? That doesn't make much sense now, does it?"

Kyle narrows his eyes, but doesn't answer, knowing Cartman wants one.

He knows damn well I didn't come here on my own free will!

Kyle breaks out of his thoughts when a hand appears in front of his face. Following that arm, Kyle spots the sweet but fake smile on Cartman's lips and the way he's leaning forward in an obviously inviting way. Kyle almost forgets he shouldn't trust Cartman.

Almost.

When Kyle doesn't take the hand offered to him, Cartma sighs, growing annoyed himself.

"Come on, I said I'd teach you how to skate, didn't I? Or do you want to sit here in the snow for a few days, Kahl?" He drawls out Kyle's name like it's slick wine travelling down his throat instead of just another name to speak. It makes Kyle frown, makes him think something more is said in Cartman's words than Kyle can tell.

He's still offering his hand to Kyle, too patiently for Cartman and Kyle's still suspicious of him, but either way he'd be where he started (back on the ground with the cold and wet ice and snow) so what will he really lose over this?

Sighing, annoyed over his own thoughts, Kyle grabs Cartman's hand and gasps in surprise when he's pulled sharply to his feet. He can just catch the sly grin on Cartman's face and the hidden amusement in his eyes.

"Oops, too fast for you?" He asks.

Kyle doesn't respond.

Cartman is quicker than he looks and somehow has Kyle's other hand in his grip before Kyle had time to pull away. The grip on his hands are bruising and might be drawing blood with the surprisingly sharp nails digging into his skin. Kyle doesn't wince, doesn't do anything really. Just stares at Cartman, waiting for something stupid to happen. It always did.

Something does happen. It isn't what Kyle had been expecting at all. Cartman begins to move backwards, pulling Kyle with him and before Kyle realizes it, they're skating together. He looks around them (it's better than looking at Cartman) and sees how no one is near them, no one can see them. It's colder than usual today and people weren't out at all. Just him and Cartman.

It makes him sick.

He looks back at Cartman as he turns them around; they're going the other way now. Kyle doesn't see him look once where they're going and that envy is back along with something else he can't place. Something that makes him look at Cartman more. Cartman looks back, a smirk with underlining amusement on his lips. He seems relaxed.

Kyle looks away before something weird happens...

...and promptly falls on his ass.

"Sonofabitch!"

He comes to quicker than last time and that ever present laughter is back.

"I guess I should have warned you I was going to let go, huh, Jew?"

Kyle frowns, that feeling from before gone, but somewhat missed.

Why do I date such an asshole?

The laughter continues, undisturbed and Cartman's now skating circles around him.

"Hahahaha, you're such a terrible skater! Hahahaha!"

Suddenly Cartman falls as well, on his knees, but it's more on purpose compared to Kyle's and he's smiling affectionately down at Kyle like he really does care for him and maybe that's why Kyle's dating him? Kyle can't really think much with aching bones and bruised skin. All he manages to do is dig his nails (still numb from the cold) in Cartman's outstretched hand (which is placed on Kyle's knee, almost absentmindedly) and closes his eyes.

Love is complicated, He thinks, but skating's even harder.

He doesn't know if he said that out loud, but Cartman's laughing again (he's a ass, of course he is), so maybe he did.

AN: I like to imagine this is very early on in their relationship. Things are really new (and complicated) between them and I hope I captured that somehow. They're probably 16-17ish here. ;)

Also, I have a headcanon that, just like dancing, Kyle can't skate. So that's where that came from! :D

Please review if you liked this silly one-shot!

-xXxShiningDarknessxXx-