He bolted up with a gasp, soaked in a cold sweat from the nightmare. It had been so vivid. It was so real. He never knew dreams could affect him like that. He was shaking still, the feeling of cold dead skin lingered on his finger tips, a ghost of the dream. His old blue blanket was wrapped around him, tangled from his tossing and turning. Moonlight poured in through the window, the only source of light aside from the gentle glow of his alarm clock. Everything seemed inappropriately peaceful, as if the night was mocking him. He didn't notice this however. He was too consumed with his thoughts. He had no way of knowing how long he sat there, on his bed, shaking. All he could do was shiver, and remember. All of a sudden the thoughts became too much and he got up, slipped into a coat and some shoes and left.
Kyle was woken up by the sound of his bedroom door opening. Groggily, he managed to shift enough to get a look at the large figure entering his room. Normally he would have been angry and confused at seeing who it was that had barged into his house in the middle of the night, but he was still sleepy right then and couldn't think beyond, "Cartman...?" He yawned. "What...?" He was too tired to finish the sentence. "Shut up." Came the choppy reply, "And move over." Mentally Kyle shrugged. He was too out of it to argue. He managed to squirm to the left side of his bed, allowing Cartman to crawl in beside him. He didn't even twitch when the other boy wound his arms around him. Instead his half-asleep body subconsciously wriggled closer to the new source of heat, before falling asleep once again.
The second Cartman opened his eyes the next morning, all the memories of the dream came flooding back, as fresh in his mind as if he had just had it again. Panicking he glanced at the room around him before his gaze fell on the sleeping body tucked under his chin. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw the other boy safe and tightened his arms around him, as if holding him close would keep him from disappearing. Then Kyle woke up.
Kyle was not a morning person. It took him about 3 minutes of staring at Cartman's face before he realized the position they were in. Then he was awake.
"AAUUUUGUH! CARTMAN ! WHAT THE HELL!" Vague memories of the night before started to resurface in his mind.
"Why were you in my room at 2AM? In my bed!" Then he saw the other's face. Cartman's cheeks were stained a brilliant red, and he was averting his gaze from Kyle, glaring instead at the opposite wall, tears prickling the edges of his eyes. Kyle had never seen that kind of look on his face before. Sure he'd seen him cry before, but this was something different. The awkward look on his face, and the way he couldn't look him in the eye, was something new from the bigger boy. Kyle found himself curious, and a little worried. What could possibly have put that kind of expression on his face?
"Cartman...? Dude, what's the matter with you?"
Whatever Kyle was expecting, it wasn't to be lunged at and pulled into a tight embrace, Cartman mumbling into his hair, telling him to shut the fuck up and that he was glad he was alive. It was so unlike the other boy to act so clingy. It was oddly endearing, seeing the boy who was usually so crude, so vulnerable. He smiled slightly. It was nice to know that Cartman was still human, despite how he acts. So he let himself be held. It's not like he was uncomfortable, at least not physically. It was warm and cozy, and only a little awkward, since he was more concerned with what had happened to Cartman then the position they were currently in. So he stayed there, quietly muttering consoling words when the other started shaking again.
Eventually Cartman calmed down enough to speak legibly. He pulled back from Kyle and held him at arm's length, looking into his eyes.
"You know I don't really hate you, right? I mean we fight a lot, but that's just for fun, you know?" Kyle chuckled.
"I figured as much since you kind of broke into my house and practically crushed me!" Cartman blushed slightly, he wasn't used to seeing Kyle smile like that, at least not at him. Maybe he really was a jerk...He frowned.
"Dude, are you ok? You're not gonna pounce on me again are you?" Cartman snapped out of his thoughts and glanced back up at Kyle.
"No. I'm good."
"Well, that's debateable," Kyle laughed, "But what happened? You were acting like you saw a ghost or something!"
"You could say that..." Cartman mumbled, almost to himself.
"So what was it? You were freaking out!"
The larger boy glanced down at the mattress again.
"You promise you won't laugh?" he asked childishly.
"Promise." Kyle nodded.
So he told him. About how he dreamt he saw him dead, and how much it scared him. When he had finished he looked back up at Kyle again, who looked calm and was reassuring him that everything was ok. It was then that he started to realize just how much he cared about his 'sworn enemy'. He knew right then that this was someone he couldn't live without. Not just because of this moment, or because he was fun to rip on, but because he knew that they could fight like cats and dogs, but still be friends after all was said and done. It was something only they shared, a type of bond that only they had. And he wouldn't trade it for the word.
There was something he wanted to say. He could have said it, but he didn't. Instead he just pulled Kyle back in close and curled back up under the blankets. Kyle didn't resist. He smiled lightly, a rare smile for him. There was plenty of time for that. They had their whole lives to say these things, but for now this, lying together, embraced by blankets and each other's warmth, was enough.
AN: *drowns in fluff* I feel like it's OOC. Is it too OOC? I mean based on the situation and what not. ugh...
