Cartman flicked through his pictures again while he lounged on the couch beside Kyle, grunting his disapproval of some of them. A couple more weeks had passed since they'd finally broken their silence, and very slowly, they had begun to talk a little more to each other. Most of the time it was in quick intervals, and it wasn't anything much. Actually, almost all of their snippets were completely pointless and unrelated to anything. Still, Cartman found that he enjoyed them… and by the way that Kyle tolerated them, he had a feeling that he might too. He started going through pictures that he'd snuck of Kyle while he was out and about, smiling at one that he saw before flicking past it.

"My teacher recently has been on my ass about turning in another picture. She said it has to resemble some problem we find in our society, but I can't think of anything." He grunted out, displeased as he put the camera away. He held up his head by putting his cheek into his hand. "I don't know if I can find anything good enough that speaks for itself."

Kyle thought about it for a few minutes before he shrugged. "I'm not sure either. I'm really bad with photography. My first thought was the homeless." He said with a sigh, feeling useless for thinking of something so stupid. His whole brain hurt after his midterms, and it was starting to effect his everyday life. It was also the reason behind his little outing he was going to take tonight. Some of his acquaintances in class had talked him into going out with them to celebrate their mini break and making it through midterms. Now he was stuck with going to a party and while he had been to plenty of parties before, he had always known people there. This was going to be a whole new experience for him.

"Anyway, I need to get going. I'd rather go to this stupid party early so I can leave early without attracting too much attention." Kyle said with a sigh as he got up from the couch. He was already dressed for it, all he needed to do was throw his shoes on and leave. "I'll be back, don't lock me out. I don't want to take my keys just to lose them." He said before he got ready to leave.

Kyle had never been so drunk in his life before, well no that might be a lie because he felt even drunker at the moment than he had earlier and he had a feeling that it was a pretty hard accomplishment. He was lucky he had even managed to find his way home on his own. He would have asked to walk with someone but he had needed to get out of there. It wasn't like anyone was going to judge him for what happened, but he still didn't want to hang around.

The party had started off like most did, but instead of just getting buzzed, Kyle had been roped into a drinking game and had gotten pretty fucked up. Still, everyone had been laughing and having a good time and it all had influenced Kyle, causing him to loosen up even more. He had started talking to a bunch of different people and they had all been pretty awesome, but there had been this one guy. He had reminded him of someone but right now he couldn't remember who that someone had been. Still that guy had been pretty cool. He had ended up talking to him the whole party practically but somewhere between the beer pong and screaming match between two hammered girls, the guy he had been talking to had started to look pretty damn sexy.

Kyle normally didn't think about other people like, but there had just been something about him…and before he knew it he had ended up making out with him. Instead of being freaked out like he should have been, he had lingered, enjoying the whole thing. When he realized that he had like it was when he pulled away though and high tailed it out of there. Well, he more stumbled out the door with a few other people who were drunk as fuck.

Now he was heading up to apartment completely confused. He felt like he should be disgusted with himself but he wasn't and that was making him upset. Kyle shouldn't have enjoyed making out with that guy that much, even if he was drunk. Oh god, what if he was gay? No, he couldn't be could he? Then that would make Cartmen right and he didn't want him to be right. That bastard was always right whenever they argued…but wasn't that just proof enough that he was gay? No, he needed to stop, he just needed….he needed…sleep? Maybe a shower? He wasn't even sure anymore, but first he needed to puke. He let himself into the apartment and headed towards the bathroom, hoping he'd make it and not hit his head off the toilet.

Cartman had been doing virtually nothing but sit around the house, leafing through different things and trying to occupy himself after Kyle had left. He'd spent a lot of time thinking about what he could do for his next project, but when that failed he decided to focus on his politics class. He studied from his book for the test that he knew would be coming after midterms and wrote down half an essay, which served to kill a lot of time, but not enough.

He kept finding himself glancing up at the clock, or down at his watch as the time passed by. It had seemed like Kyle had been gone for a while, and though Cartman knew that he would probably be out longer it still made him frown a little. As much as he hated to admit it, Cartman had come to really really like Kyle's company up in the apartment. Normally, when left alone, Cartman could easily amuse himself. His world had always centered around himself, so he always told himself that he didn't need anybody, that he never would. This, of course, was changing. He'd never admit it to himself, but he'd become rather dependent on the ginger haired boy. He was always looking forward to get to talk to him now, even if brief. So when they had this short midterm break and he found out that Kyle was deciding just to stay as well, it had excited him a little that he would have a couple of days with him instead of brief moments. …But of course, first day and he goes out and parties.

Cartman sighed and pushed his essay away from himself after an hour of trying to focus on it, holding his head in his hand and trying to ease a headache that he'd given himself. What the Hell was wrong with him? ..He'd never been this way, and he'd never allowed anyone to get to him like this. He didn't understand why things seemed to be changing now. Kyle had always been the exception to the personal rules he'd made for himself, but this was ridiculous.

He looked up suddenly when he heard someone fumble with the door, blinking wearily before he took a quick look at the clock. It was practically midnight. …Cartman must have fallen asleep. Groggily, he got up and made his way over to the door. He looked confused, since it was unlocked before opened it for him.

"Hey…why'd you lock the door?" Kyle said as soon at Cartmen opened the door and he saw him. He didn't understand it but for some reason the door just wouldn't open. When Cartmen told him that he hadn't locked the door Kyle's eyes widened. "Really?" he asked, sounding completely shocked. "Then…we really need a new door knob…handle thingy, ours is completely fucked." Kyle said as he entered the apartment before he was overcome with the urge to throw up again, only this time it was a lot stronger.

"Shit…" he swore before he headed straight to the bathroom and barely made it to the toilet before he puked up everything he had drank and eaten that afternoon. Once his stomach was empty and rested his head against the coolness of the toilet seat, not even caring about how unsanitary it was to do so. It just felt so nice. "Dude…Cartmen I think I'm fucked up…" he said, not even knowing if he was close enough to hear him.

Cartman gave Kyle a bit of an agitated look when he went on slurring about their door, his bulk arms coming to cross over his chest as he watched Kyle manage to stumble in. He'd never seen Kyle get like this, and although part of him found it amusing, he also found a part of it troubling. It made him frown at how idiotic the other was being. He gave the other a cross look.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing Kyle? You can barely stand, look at you!" Cartman said a little snippily, but it didn't take him long to notice that Kyle wasn't paying attention. He watched the other sway and bring a hand to his mouth.

"Kyle?"

He heard the other curse, looking a little pale as he hurried to the bathroom. Cartman watched him, his brows furrowing a little in concern as he slowly followed after him. He could hear him heaving into their toilet before he even got there, making him frown further. When he finally made it, he could see the other gripping the edges of the bowl, leaning over it and puking at least three or four times until his stomach was empty. He watched Kyle gingerly lay his head on the seat, his eyes closed.

Cartman let out a sigh that edged irritated and tired. "You think? God damn it Jew…" He said, shaking his head. That was the understatement of the year. Kyle was beyond fucked up. He'd never seen him get like this before, hell, he'd hardly ever even seen him drink at all. He never would have thought that Kyle would drink, since personally he thought he was way too much of a pussy for that sort of thing. He wasn't prepared for this. He looked at Kyle with a little frown creasing his face. He couldn't just let Kyle lay here like this.

"Come on, get up." He said quietly, his large hands coming to rest on Kyle's lithe sides and trying to pick him up. Kyle was unsteady, so he had to help support his weight quite a bit before he finally managed to get to his feet. Cartman took a long look at his face before looking over his body with a frown.

"…Jesus Christ… Come on, take off your shit." He said. Normally, he would never put himself in this sort of situation, but he didn't trust Kyle enough to be on his own. He was pissed enough that he walked back on his own and didn't at least have someone to look after him. It was truly a miracle that he didn't get run over by a car if he couldn't even fumble with the door lock. "You need to get in the shower, okay? Kyle, look at me. Take, a, shower." He frowned. "You listening?"

Kyle looked at Cartmen, his eyes unfocused as he tried to remember what he told him to do. He knew he had said something about his shirt…and…and…oh shower, he wanted him to take a shower. It didn't sound like the best idea to him. In fact all he wanted to do was lay down and pass out on the bathroom floor. "I am looking at you…" Kyle said, trying to be defiant a little but he found himself distracted by the way Cartmens face looked. He suddenly remembered who the guy earlier had reminded him of…he had reminded him of Cartmen. Kyle wasn't sure why either, but he was finding himself inclined to kiss another guy tonight, but it was the fact that it was Cartmen that kept him from it. Maybe he did need a shower…something to clear his head.

"Just out…out okay, I will." Kyle mumbled as he pulled away from Cartmen with a flush of embarrassment on his face. He really wished he hadn't started drinking, but now he'd have to suffer through the effects until it was all out of his system.

Cartman frowned deeply when Kyle began to try and shoo him out. He didn't exactly trust Kyle to be in here by himself. "Just get in the god damn shower." He said, and when Kyle continued to give him shit for it he let out a dark growl of irritation. He didn't have time for this, and he wasn't about to deal with Kyle being unreasonable. He needed to wash up, drink some god damn water and lay down already, he couldn't leave because he knew that if he did then Kyle might pass out in the shower, which was the absolute last thing he wanted.

Normally, Cartman would never want to be in the same room as Kyle, or anyone when they were underdressed. He avoided it like the plague. In fact, he had made it a house rule that they couldn't be in the same room as each other whenever they got dressed or had to shower, but this was an exception. Kyle could honestly hurt himself or fuck up, and he was honestly still surprised that he hadn't. Cartman fixed him with a serious look, his eyes staring straight into Kyle's brightly hazed one. He'd get one warning.

"You have five seconds to take off your shit and get into that shower before I do it for you Kyle."

He was not fucking around.

Kyle felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He could hardly remember how he knew this, but he knew that when Cartmen used that tone he was dead serious. He had heard him use it on a few occasions but never towards him, and he didn't want to find out what would happen if he didn't listen to him. Frowning at him, Kyle turned around so he didn't have to face him while he stripped out of his clothes, but first he turned on the shower. Before Cartmen could get angry with him for not taking of his clothes first he stripped out of his shirt.

"I'm taking my clothes off, calm down…" Kyle said when Cartmen took a step towards him. He then focused on the removal of his clothing with a frown as it took longer than usual to get everything off. Once he was out of his clothes he tried hard to pretend that he wasn't naked in front of his roommate and stepped into the shower.

Cartman wasn't directly looking at Kyle, he made sure he was looking off to the side, but kept him within his peripheral vision. He couldn't see him well from that angle, it made him appear blurry. It was all he needed to make sure that he was actually removing his clothes and going into the shower. There had been a moment when he thought that the other wasn't going to do what he asked him, and he'd taken an awkward step forward. He really hadn't wanted to lay his hand on him while he was nude, so he was relieved when he told him that he was still going. He waited until he was in the shower and closed the curtain before he finally looked over, glad that all he could see was the shadow of him inside. Only now did a small blush come across his face.

Dear God he'd almost seen Kyle naked. At first, when he threatened to undress Kyle if he didn't himself, he hadn't thought about just how weird it actually was, but now it hit him in full. He was glad that he hadn't looked at him full on, otherwise it would be hard to get out of his head. Even now he thought about the rather abstracted image he'd gotten to see with a reddening face. God, what had gotten into him recently..?

"Warn me before you come out too, will you. I don't want to see anything." He grumbled, closing the lid to the toilet and taking a seat on it.

"Yeah, yeah…" Kyle slurred out as he stood under the spray of the shower. As soon as the water hit his chest he knew that taking a shower really had been the right decision after all, even if Cartmen had been the one to tell him to do it. He tried his best to actually shower while he stood under the water but his mind kept wandering too much for him to focus on much of anything. That and he was too conscience of the fact that Cartmen was sitting just outside the shower waiting for him to get out.

He had almost drifted off to sleep standing up, but when he started to sway his eyes snapped open and he caught himself before he fell, or at least he thought he had caught himself but he ended up sitting awkwardly in the tub as the water sprayed on his head. "Shit.." he grumbled.

Cartman had just been starting to think that maybe it had been pointless for him to come in and help him, wondering if he should have just let the male take his shower in some peace since he seemed to be managing just fine when he finally heard something. It sounded like he slipped and thudded awkwardly in the tub. He'd been looking at the wall thoughtfully when he heard it, and he quickly snapped his head to see that Kyle was now sitting rather than standing. He frowned. Well, so much for that.

"Jesus Christ, can't you do anything right?" He asked, sounding irritated though it was more to cover up his own embarrassment as he now had to storm over and pull open the curtains, trying to make sure he was alright. Cartman looked directly at his face, his eyes intense and stern. He refused to let them go anywhere else as he stared into his eyes and only his eyes. His mouth was a tight awkward line as he could feel his heart pounding in his ears, louder than the shower's hiss.

"Come on, you're done it here. You look plenty clean enough." He was struggling to keep his voice sounding normal. His eyes hardened, but only because he was having to focus more to keep his eyes only on Kyle's face and not let them wander. It was hard to focus on his voice and eyes. "Do you need me to help you get up?"

Kyle could feel his own face heat up out of embarrassment as he shook his head. "No…I got it." Kyle said slowly before he tried to get himself to his feet. He slipped slightly and he had just been about to catch himself when he felt Cartmen grab him and help him to his feet. His face blossomed a nice red color as he was helped out of the shower and given a towel which he hastily wrapped around himself. Oh this was just lovely, he was never going to hear the end of this later. It was horribly pathetic having to have Cartmen help him like this, like he couldn't take care of himself.

"Th-thanks…" he said as he grabbed his clothes. "You can go…I got this part." He said since he could sit down and dress himself and eliminate the threat of falling flat on his face or ass. Besides, he would die of shame if Cartmen had to help dress him of all things.

Cartman's face was turned away from Kyle, attempting to hide the nice shade of red that had run out across his face and cheeks. Cartman could hardly think anything at all, his heart still racing in his throat. The last thing he'd wanted to do was to touch Kyle while he was naked, and now he couldn't get it out of his head. He swallowed nervously. There was something wrong, very, very wrong with himself. Before he took another look at Kyle, he needed to straighten it out.

"Good." He croaked, his voice finally failing him. Before the other could get a good look at his crimson face, he turned quickly and left the bathroom, heading straight for their room- though he left the door open so he could hear Kyle if something went wrong again. He knew he'd have a bit of time before Kyle made it back, so he decided to wander over to his bed and sit down heavily, his breath coming out in slightly panicked gasps.

What…the…FUCK was wrong with him?! Why the hell was he getting like this?! First it was Kyle's eyes, then it was the way he smiled, then it was talking to him, and now…?! Why was this happening to him, it was unacceptable. His heart was beating fiercely through him as he thought back to it, his mind unable to leave it alone. He had been able to maintain not directly looking at him with the corner of his eye, it had been blurry so it wasn't much for his mind to play with… but when he had to go into the shower, it had been really hard. He swore that all his mind wanted to do was to look over the other's boy's body, and it had taken his everything not to. Then, OF COURSE he had to slip. Cartman hadn't even been thinking, he'd reached out and grabbed him before he could fall again… and that's when he lost it.

Not only did he end up running his eyes down and staring at the other's pale and thin body, but he'd actually reached out and TOUCHED him. More than that, he'd grabbed him. A shiver ran down his back as he reimagined it, unable to help it. His skin had been slightly warm from the water, but it still felt cool to his hands. He'd felt really soft, and the water had made him feel slick, he'd had to really grab onto him just so he wouldn't slip out of his hands and end up falling anyways. Cartman swallowed hard, his hands twitching on his sheets as another bodily shiver ran through his body. He tried his best to pretend that seeing and feeling Kyle didn't excite his nerves and instead wondered if he was alright, since it was taking a while for him to finish changing.

It took Kyle too long to change back into his clothes so he just decided on the pants and left the bathroom without a shirt on. He didn't really care that he was walking around half naked. Both him and Cartmen were guys right? He was sure he'd get over it and right now all Kyle wanted to do was pass out on his bed and sleep until he didn't feel so dizzy and sick. He found Cartmen in the room, looking like he was going to hyperventilate or have a full blown out panic attack. "You okay?" he asked even though he doubted he would be able to pay much attention to his answer. He plopped down on his own bed and looked across the room.

Cartman had gone back to trying to force control over his emotions and his thoughts when he heard Kyle stumble back in, at first, he didn't look at him right away, but when he asked him if he was alright he looked up and felt his face drop. Cartman's entire face drew a blank as he stared at Kyle. It was almost like his brain shut off for a second as his mind gave an auto pilot answer. "Yeah."

Kyle wasn't sure that he believed him but right now his capacity to care wasn't all that great. Instead of questioning him, he nodded before laying down on his bed and staring at the ceiling. His head was spinning from the alcohol in his system and he knew it would only get worse after he closed his eyes. "…Sorry about tonight…." Kyle mumbled as he put an arm over his eyes, trying to block out the light in the room.

Cartman's brain took it's time coming back. When Kyle laid down on his bed, he found his eyes sliding from his face that he soon covered to the rest of him, his dark brown eyes running down the length of his chest and drinking in the sight. It wasn't until he shivered again that his mind finally decided to turn back on, making his face flush deeper as he realized exactly where his thoughts had been headed, as well as his eyes for that matter. Cartman tore his eyes reluctantly away from Kyle and laid down on his own bed, turning away to try and hide the fact that he was a little excited by the other. He gave out a low grunt.

"Don't mention it." God he just hoped the other went to sleep soon.

Hope this chapter was interesting for you all 3 I know the story has been a bit... uneventful til now. Thanks for sticking around folks!