A/N: As promised, here is chapter four, a little earlier than usual because chapter three was so short. Herein lies what could very well be considered their first date. :D

Disclaimer: Neither of us own anything South Park related besides merchandise.

Part Four – Friday, May 14th

It was hard for Eric to go through the motions during Thursday and Friday's lessons, but he knew he couldn't push his agenda too much, especially now that his little Jew agreed to go on a date with him – and he even used that term! Well… of course he didn't really believe it was a date and Eric couldn't act like it was… but to him? In all seriousness? Yes. This was a date, and he was aiming to impress.

That's why he wanted to take Kyle out to this particular café. He actually went to this place often, since it was tucked away and pretty exclusive to a certain group of people. Meaning they would only accept reservations from people who, well, knew how to 'speak the language'.

After dressing up for the occasion (dress khakis, red button up, black silk tie, and matching black coat and hat), Eric made sure to fix his hair properly, apply the right amount of cologne, and, of course, call the place to reserve a table for two. After getting into his car, Eric slid in Rammstein's "Liebe ist für alle da" album and looked into his rearview mirror.

He looked awesome. Not surprising, seeing as though this would be an awesome night.

He pulled out of his driveway and sped down the road with his windows down, impatient as all hell to get to Kyle's so that the night could get started.

...

Kyle was nervous for a lot of reasons. One, Eric Cartman was picking him up at his house, so there was a chance his parents would see. Two, if they did see, he would have to explain to them why they were hanging out again. Three, once he explained, he would be bombarded with reasons why he should focus on his own education and volunteer with people who would actually appreciate his help. Four, and most importantly, he was still suspicious of what the night would entail, despite – or perhaps because of – the fact that Cartman was on his best behavior during their last two lessons.

"Dress warmly," he reminded himself absently as he looked through his closet. After going through about half of what he owned, he settled on a simple white t-shirt and a green v-neck sweater to go over it. This is warm enough, probably. Completing the outfit with jeans and his everyday black Converse shoes, he decided he looked sufficiently casual. His parents wouldn't question his 'going out with Stan' excuse in this outfit.

Checking himself out in the mirror briefly, he ran his hands through his hair once before heading downstairs to wait for the arrival of his arch enemy. Luckily, his parents were in the kitchen scolding Ike for making his classmates feel stupid again (he was in the middle school and the Middle and North park kids still weren't used to having a boy genius around).

When he saw the car pull up, he grabbed his brown pea coat just in case and yelled loudly that he was leaving. Then he left without giving his mom a chance to come out and ask him where and with who. Once he was settled in the passenger seat of Cartman's car, he didn't even look at the larger boy as he urged anxiously, "Go, go, go! Before she can see you!"

...

"Yes sir," Eric kidded as he shifted the car into drive. He sped to the main road, at which point he dared to look over at what his Jew decided to wear tonight.

A freaking sweater and chucks? How boring and unoriginal!

"Christ Kyle, could you get anymore plain?" he scoffed, turning down the volume on 'Ich tu dir weh' so he could more effectively harass the Jew. "I'm actually taking you some place very nice, so you could have least tried." He turned on his turn signal and turned onto the two lane highway leading out of South Park.

...

"What, this is nice!" Kyle defended, looking down at himself. His jeans didn't even have any holes in them and the sweater may not have been fancy, but it wasn't exactly grungy. At least he wasn't just wearing a t-shirt over a long sleeved shirt like he normally did. He turned to look Cartman up and down. "At least I don't look like I'm trying to be Billy Joe Armstrong, assface!"

...

Rolling his eyes at Kyle's little defense, Eric looked back over and conceded, "Okay you don't look that bad, Jew." He carried his arm over to place his hand on the back of Kyle's seat, eyeing those magnificent curls of his. "You actually look pretty good, even though I'm not sure if that sweater will be enough."

Kyle ignored Cartman's strange little compliment, and instead turned his attention toward the music that was playing. "What is this, anyway?" he asked, beckoning toward the car radio.

Looking back to the road, Eric answered sardonically, "Well it's certainly not Green Day. I'm pretty sure Rammstein could give them a run for their money." He tapped his hand on the steering wheel to the tempo of the song and laughed. "Fucking pansies… you know, Billie Joe Armstrong wouldn't be such a little douche if he'd just stick to his answers regarding his sexuality. Once he says he's bi, it only takes two days for him to revoke that statement and go 'oh no I'm straight.'" He rolled his eyes. "Make up your damn mind..."

...

Kyle laughed. "Um, thanks for that little bit of info," he said. "I don't exactly keep up with Green Day, sorry, I just know what he looks like. But maybe he's just confused. It doesn't really matter whose pants he wants to get into… at least to people who don't and will never know him."

He looked out the window and watched the scenery go by. The sun was disappearing behind the trees, so the world was bathed in twilight. It was Kyle's favorite part about the summer. Late sunsets.

"So what is this 'very nice' place you're taking me for this non-date?" he asked after a moment, smirking over at Cartman.

...

Non-date. Eric chuckled at that. "Well… as a hint, I guess I would pay attention to the songs playing," he said, nodding to the radio. 'Haifisch' had just come on. "Because the only reason I'm able to come to this place, and bring guests, is because I can communicate with the people who own the café." He turned off of the highway and onto the dark, winding road where the lodge was located.

"It's really pretty though," he mentioned, driving over a bridge which stretched across a mountain stream. "Especially during these hours." He looked out at the twilight sky. "Since it's so high up, you can see the stars really well."

He looked back to the road in time to see the entrance to the lodge's long driveway. "In the summer they have stargazing nights… they bring out a huge telescope and everything, and it's all for free if you're a member." They approached a little toll booth with a retractable pole blocking the road.

Coming to a stop, Eric stuck his head out to the person inside and spoke out, "Wir haben eine reservierung mit das Kaffeehaus, unter Eric Cartman?"

After a couple seconds, the person behind the booth replied, "Ja, es ist hier – Guten Abend." The pole lifted, allowing the car access.

...

Kyle just stared at Cartman in amazement. He knew from their tutoring lessons that he was taking German, but he had no idea he was so into it. It was actually kind of impressive, though Cartman had always had a way with languages. This one fit him well, though (but he would never say this to the boy's face, because Kyle could only imagine why he was taking German).

"Cartman. I don't speak German," he said under his breath, suddenly realizing that if the entire place consisted of Germans, he would feel completely left out and stupid.

...

"Shhh… you don't need to worry about that," Eric insisted, shushing Kyle's concerns as he continued to drive up the mountain. "I'll translate everything that's said to you as well as the menu options they have." He smiled. "Since I pay my annual dues you can order anything you want in whatever quantity you want it in– and I will tell you right now that their food is excellent." He peered over at the redhead and then back to the road before turning around the last bend. "And in about a second you'll see it."

There, in the clearing past the last swerve in the road, was a decent sized mountain resort complete with vintage German architecture and Bavarian décor. It was perched on top the mountain like a Swiss Ski Lodge and the ornate lights and landscaping signaled that this was no ordinary café. It was complete with an outdoor patio and luxury restaurant which over looked the slope of the mountain, a beer garden which connected to the surrounding forest, and inside would be the stately café for more casual affairs.

Pulling into the parking lot, Eric picked out a spot which overlooked the whole complex.

"Kyle…" he called to get his date's attention. "Welcome to the exclusive clubhouse of the German Society of Colorado."

...

"It's amazing," Kyle blurted out breathlessly, staring out at the lodge. "I've never even heard of the German Society before… I would have been fine with a Starbucks, you know."

He put his hand on the door handle, but suddenly a thought occurred to him. He immediately retracted his hand and looked over at Cartman. "This isn't some Nazi place is it?" he asked skeptically. He knew that modern Germany was nothing like the Germany of World War II, but with Cartman… it seemed like a safe bet that the inside of the lodge would be decorated with Nazi paraphernalia and vintage propaganda.

...

Eric laughed heartily and shook his head. "Lord, God no…" he assured, looking back to the lodge. "These people have nothing to do with Nazis."

He opened his door before giving Kyle a stern look. "Even though I may have an interest in the Third Reich, it has nothing to do with my membership – and I'd like it to stay that way," he warned before stepping out and slamming the door behind him.

Eric began to walk around to the other side of the car. "You wanted to make sure no one would see us," he said, raising his voice so that Kyle could still hear him. He opened Kyle's door for him and peered down at the skeptical redhead. "And I'm pretty sure I'm the only one of your friends who belongs to such a prestigious society."

...

"We're not friends," Kyle chided as he got out of the car. He turned and grabbed his coat. It was pretty cold up here. "But fine. I'll take your word for it."

He threw on his coat and shot Cartman a pointed look. "If these people don't want anything to do with the Third Reich, you should probably behave yourself tonight. Or I might accidentally let something slip."

He actually does look nice, Kyle thought as he turned to walk toward the building. He felt considerably underdressed, and he hated Cartman for not warning him that the "café" was essentially a fucking country club.

...

"Oh, resorting to blackmail now are you?" Eric shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked up to the entrance with Kyle next to him. "Well, as I said, tonight is cordial," he insisted, looking down at Kyle. "That pea coat looks nice on you, by the way. At least that was a good move…"

As they approached the first set of stairs, Eric glanced up at the mountains above. "Hey, stop for a second." He reached out to stop Kyle from taking additional steps, pointing to mountain range, which the sun was setting behind. "You don't often get to see the sunset from this altitude, it's really something," he said, continuing to watch as the multi-colored sky started to dim. His eyes were still illuminated in their mahogany splendor when he shifted his focus back to his Jew, the sight just as magnificent.

...

It was beautiful, there was no denying it. But it was cold and Kyle was uncomfortable with how watching a sunset with someone was, well, commonly associated with romance. If he didn't feel so awkward he would have laughed at the thought, but instead, he just began to walk up the steps.

"Let's just go inside," he said, determined not to look at Cartman.

...

When Kyle rushed past him, Eric felt somewhat dismayed as he remembered that Kyle probably didn't really want to be here. Exhaling despondently, he began to follow Kyle inside. "Right."

Inside, the whole lobby was decorated with gold and red colors. Several regional German flags were hanging in a line with the country's official flag and EU flags surrounding them. Knowing that Kyle had no clue where to go, Eric came up close behind him and whispered, "It's over here. You're not supposed to speak English here but if it's just between you and me they won't really care." Then he cautiously took Kyle's arm to bring him over to the door leading to the humble little café.

...

Kyle let Cartman lead him into the café, though he was sufficiently nervous. He wondered if he would actually get in trouble for speaking English here. God, he had no idea Colorado had a large German population… at least, not one that only spoke German.

"I get it," he muttered under his breath so only Cartman would hear. "You brought me here so you could shut me up and show off your little hobby."

...

Eric smirked deviously and narrowed his eyes. "You catch on quick," he teased, opening the door to the café with Kyle's arm essentially locked in his own.

The café looked exactly like how the kitchen of an old German grandmother would. Little Bavarian trinkets lined the walls and a wood burning furnace sat in the center of the room. The whole place was illuminated by hanging candelabras with real candles, and every table was lined with antique table cloths and centerpieces consisting of a single red rose within a vase.

Eric had forgotten how romantic this little cafe could seem to someone who wasn't familiar with Bavarian décor. "I assure you," he whispered, his expression flustered. "That the romantic atmosphere in here is only paying homage to real Bavarian hole-in-the-wall joints."

He left Kyle to pick out a seat as he went to inform the woman behind the counter of their arrival.

...

Yeah right, Kyle thought as he looked around at the candles and roses. Jesus Christ…

He meandered over to one of the empty tables. It was out of the way and near a window – slightly colder than those situated near the furnace, but obviously more scenic. He watched as Cartman spoke to the barista and then proceeded to make his way to the table Kyle picked out.

"You had to make a reservation for a coffee shop?" he asked skeptically when the brunet sat down. He gently touched the rose in the center of the table – it was real. "I have to say, Cartman… I really don't know what to make of this."

...

"I wouldn't think much of it other than what I described before – a cordial meeting," Eric insisted, noticing that Kyle picked out a table with a pretty nice view of the mountain range. "As I've surely said, I don't want anyone else to know of our recent association either…"

He eyed Kyle as he delicately played with the petals of the rose, his fingers so gentle in their movements. Eric swallowed a lump of want before continuing, "So I knew this was a good place to take you." He laughed and grabbed one of the menus. "Besides, this is probably one of the nicer places you've been to around here and… I just want you to remember who took you here."

...

"Yeah, whatever," Kyle said, picking up the remaining menu. Upon opening, he was reminded of what Cartman had said about everything being in German. Ugh. "Uh… Just order me a coffee with cream and whatever sugar substitute they have."

He put the menu aside and propped one of his elbows on the table, chin resting in the palm of his hand as he looked out the window. It was getting dark, the sunset now only a meager sliver of purple behind the mountains. Colorado really was a beautiful place, though that was easy to forget in such a God forsaken town as South Park. He would miss the mountains when he was gone. And the stars. Especially the stars.

"We should have brought school work," he said suddenly, realizing he had absolutely nothing to say to Cartman. He didn't look away from the window as he continued, "We could have gotten something done tonight."

...

Putting down his own menu, Eric looked back at Kyle with unconvinced eyes. "Well that's not true." He folded his arms into the table as he continued to eye Kyle from where he sat, giving a taunting smirk. "Lesson Three – Outings with someone you barely even know."

Eric looked to the rose again before reaching out to touch one of its petals. "It's almost half way into the semester when you've realized that you really haven't gone out as much as you would have liked these past couple of months. You're in a brand new city and the most you have seen is just the surrounding campus." Putting his hand back down, Eric noticed the close proximity of Kyle's hand and he forced himself to resist the urge to touch it. "However, as luck may have it, a classmate who had caught your interest actually asks you to go out one night to a local coffee shop – just to talk."

He shrugged, tapping his fingers against the table cloth. "The area is completely alien to you, but the person you're with seems to have some idea of the city – something you rely once the person brings you off campus," he said, glancing at Kyle, his warm brown eyes gleaming in the candle light. "How can you use this situation to your advantage? Do you consider this outing as a mere 'talk' or, perhaps, something more?"

He finished just as the barista came over to ask for their selections; Eric responded to her in flawless German.

...

Kyle looked away from the window and toward Cartman without changing his position. He listened to him order their menu items and watched as the barista wrote everything down (and he didn't miss the look she gave him – she was probably wondering why Cartman was ordering for him). Once she walked away, he focused on his sort-of-not-really-friend-thing. What was their relationship, anyway? Why the fuck was he having coffee at a candlelit lodge with someone he detested?

"I don't know, Cartman," he said, removing his hand from his chin to run it through his hair. He then leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Most people would inform someone if they were taking them on a date, so I can only guess that this person really does want to just hang out. That is, assuming the coffee shop is more… standard than this one."

...

"Eh, but you can never really tell," Eric alluded before sipping one of the glasses of water the barista had already carried over. "The person might have just said it was a 'hang out' kind of thing but…" He placed the glass back on the table.

"He may have some real interest in you," he concluded, unaware that he just gave this 'person' a definitive pronoun.

...

Kyle's eyes widened, though he didn't budge from his defensive arms-crossed position. He? he thought, suitably panicked. Does Cartman think I'm gay? Oh God. He suddenly realized how many times he'd referred to how strangely date-like this outing was. He was only joking! Cartman couldn't possibly think… that he thought… Oh God. The last thing he wanted was for the fatass to get any ideas about him, regardless of how true those 'ideas' might be.

"Well…" he said, breaking eye contact with the boy sitting across from him. "He'd be out of luck, and… the coffee thing would get really awkward really fast. And… yeah."

He tried to keep himself from blushing as he stared determinedly out of the window. "Good lesson," he said quickly. "Move on, please."

...

Eric scoffed a tad as he moved his water out of the way. "But then you'd be dissing the one person who actually reached out to you during the transition time at your new college!" he argued, not willing to let this lesson drop as he watched Kyle's eyes glimmer in the candlelight.

"It's not a good idea to shoot someone down just because they want to get to know you better! As a matter of fact, you should use that opportunity to get to know the other person better! You might find the person… surprisingly resourceful," he hinted, taking another sip of his drink as the barista delivered their small fare – Eric giving a pleasant "Danke Schön" as she left.

"But leave it to you to throw a 'JP' tantrum and leave him to question what was up your ass…" he teased, obviously joking as he scooted the plate of snacks in Kyle's direction, kindly offering him some.

...

"JP tantrum?" he asked before realization dawned on him. Jew Princess. "Oh, fuck you!"

He reached out to pull one of the glasses of water toward him, completely ignoring the plate of snacks. "I really don't need to take advice on forming relationships from you, Cartman," he spat. "Seeing as I happen to have just a few more friends than you do, I think I have things covered in that area."

He crossed his legs and took a small sip of his water before leaning forward. "And I thought I told you I didn't need or want your help. I would really appreciate it if you would stop treating me like some weak-willed stupid piece of crap. I can take care of myself, God damn it!"

...

"And see that's where I'm concerned," Eric said before taking a bite out of his Hörnchen. "I don't think you really do know what's good for you." He laughed a bit, some crumbs falling off onto the small plate below. "You're so engrossed in your studies and future that you're not really taking care of yourself now!"

He wiped his lips and looked back up at his dear Kyle. "It seems as though your life is going to school, waiting for Stan to finish his 'whatever' practice before he rides off with Wendy in the front seat…." He grabbed another snack before he snapped, "And you in the back."

Eric let that settle for a second. "You see, Kyle, I don't think this person you'd meet at your college would do that." He shook his head, reaching out to pull the rose out of the vase so he could caress the bloom. "I think he would let you ride in the front seat of his car, and show you beautiful places you didn't even know existed… alongside cultures that were once alien to you."

He brought his thumb down to one of the rose's thorns. "But you wouldn't give this guy a chance – no," he snapped as he painfully pressed his thumb into the sharp point. "I don't think you would at all – because to you?" He slowly brought his thumb off the thorn, a drop of blood slowly trickling down the digit. "He's a stranger. And you wouldn't even give him the chance to show you who he really is." He glanced at Kyle with a bold but saddened expression before grabbing a napkin to mend his bleeding thumb.

...

"Oh stop it, Cartman," Kyle snapped. "I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to get me to say 'Oh, ok! I'll give this guy a chance and let him show me beautiful places'… and then you'll call me a fag and laugh in my face. Well fuck you, I'm not falling for it."

"You know, you should start putting more effort into your bullshit," he sneered. "It's so obvious what you're trying to do. You're getting rusty, Cartman."

He crossed his arms again and glared at the brunet. "I don't know why I let you bring me here," he said in an exasperated tone. "Can you bring me home please?"

...

"You haven't even gotten your coffee yet!" Eric argued, not letting himself take Kyle seriously as he took another one of his snacks. "And everything you just said is wrong, by the way." He leaned back into his chair and threw up his hands defensively. "When during this whole thing have I ever outright insulted you and laughed in your face about it? If you ask me, it would be downright stupid for me to do that now that my grades are starting to improve and you're actually allowing me to hang out with you more."

He glared at Kyle from across the table as the light from the moon poured into the quaint coffee shop. "And why did you agree to do this in the first place?" He leaned into the table, showing Kyle his dead-set determined eyes as he pointed out rather pungently, "Have you already forgotten that you're the one who suggested that there is still an ounce of good in me?"

Feeling a bolt of pain strike his heart, Eric winced slightly as his voice faltered, "Why won't you let me show you that ounce of good?" And at that moment, the barista finally delivered their drinks.

...

"No, Cartman, you said you had good in you," Kyle snapped once the barista walked away. "I said that I tried really fucking hard for years to see that good and you proved me wrong again and again. So no, I don't see good in you. I see that you want to raise your grades for your own improvement, which is good, but it doesn't mean you're good."

He angrily brought his coffee cup to his mouth and took a sip – and it was really fucking good, he had to admit. He set his coffee back down and looked straight into Cartman's brown eyes.

"And… I don't know why I agreed to the tutoring. I didn't before and I still don't. Fuck, I can't believe I even agreed to come here with you – a place I don't know, far away from town, and I can't leave because you drove," he said, frowning.

He sighed. It was true, maybe he was an idiot for coming here. But it wasn't exactly the worst night ever, and it was a nice place. There just had to be something more to this than Cartman's stupid life lessons. "Be honest for once in your life, Cartman. Why did you bring me here, really? I'm just not getting it."

...

"I already told you why I brought you here," Eric spoke, his voice disappointed as he slowly brought up his coffee cup. "But you didn't care to listen." He closed his eyes, letting the hot liquid sear his throat before bringing the cup back down.

"I let you sit… in the front seat of my car, I brought you to a beautiful place you didn't even know existed, and I introduced you to a culture that you're pretty much alien to," he pointed out, not knowing why Kyle didn't see the connection before. "You see, I'm willing to make this experience much more enjoyable for the both of us, because I want to know just as badly as you do… why you agreed to help me."

He furrowed his brow, gripping onto his cup as he kept direct eye contact with his Jew. "I desperately want to know, actually." He sipped his coffee again, looking out of the window into the clear night sky. "Because - if you want honesty, fine."

He glared back down at Kyle, not really ready to reveal this but knowing now was as good a time as any: "Nothing would make me happier than to know you're as enthused about my possible future as I am."

...

Kyle leapt up like the table was on fire. No, this wasn't happening. It wasn't happening! It wasn't. It just couldn't. He didn't see it before. He hadn't made the connection, but it seemed so obvious now and he felt like vomiting. The stupid coffee analogy, with the fucking college guy being interested in him. Front seat of the car, beautiful places – FUCK.

"Take me home. Take me home right now!" he cried in a panicked voice, not paying any mind to the other people present. His heart was racing and it felt like the walls were closing in on him. He grabbed his coat and quickly left the café, knowing that he couldn't exactly run away – Cartman was his ride after all. But God, it would buy him some time since Cartman still had to pay.

Oh God oh God oh God oh God, he repeated endlessly in his mind. What was this? What the fuck was he playing at in there? God FUCKING damn it.

He found his way to Cartman's car but quickly discovered that the doors were locked. He let out a frustrated cry as he kicked the passenger door once. This was so embarrassing and he was completely trapped and Cartman would catch up to him in mere moments. There was nothing he could do to escape and why the fuck was his heart beating like this.

...

Standing there at the entrance of the lodge, with the moon illuminating the whole elaborate facility, Eric glared at the redhead who was so desperately fighting with the passenger door of his car. Eric's black coat flapped in the night wind and his expression did not convey any sign of sadness, happiness, or fury. No, only presence. He was there, watching as this scene unfolded. Never taking his eyes off his dear Jew, he began to take slow steps down the wooden stairs.

With his boots making slight clunking sounds with every step he took, Eric wordlessly proceeded to his car, bringing out his keys as he casually walked over to the driver's side. Peering down as he opened the driver's side door, he then got in before teasingly starting the car with Kyle still outside.

Finally, with a loud CLICK, the passenger door opened, and Eric shot Kyle a smirk from his seat.

...

Kyle frowned and got into the car, not looking at Cartman. He slammed the door shut and buckled his seatbelt before crossing his arms and slumping down in his seat. He determinedly stared ahead, eyes moist with the angry and embarrassed tears threatening to fall.

"I hate you," he said in a low voice, as if this clarification would make any difference.

...

Reaching over to put his hand on Kyle's chair as he backed out of the parking spot, Eric sighed. "Well… from the conclusion that you may or may not have drawn from my honest answer – I obviously don't." He began to drive away from the lodge as he quickly added, "As much…."

"That is….I mean…" he started to stutter before exhaling raggedly to steady himself, driving down the mountainside at a surprisingly high speed. "I'll always hate you, but…" He laughed sadly. "That's not all."

He peered over to Kyle, not quite upset that his Jew might now be aware of how he really felt, but certainly unsure of how things would progress from here.

...

"Slow the fuck down, I'm not dying up here with you," Kyle grumbled.

After a few minutes, he dared to look at Cartman, who was focusing on the road. His face was completely blank – Kyle couldn't tell at all what he was thinking, which just made this all the more frustrating for him. So he looked away, and instead focused on the glove box.

"I don't want to tutor you anymore," he said once he finally got up the courage, his heart racing. "What you said… back there… I… I don't want to tutor you anymore. Drop me off tonight and don't talk to me anymore."

...

Eric let out a pained breath before pursing his lips together, keeping quiet as he continued to stare at the road. Quickly peering over to his CD player, he pushed the 'play' button. The song was still 'Haifisch', which made the brunet's heart pang as he took in the lyrics. They seemed to match this whole situation. He looked over to Kyle, who was still so angry and confused over his vague admission.

With the German lyrics pumping out into the car, Eric glanced back to the road as he started to quietly translate, wanting Kyle to hear but not wanting to be too obvious: "And the shark, it in fact has tears, which stream down its face – but since the shark lives in water, no one sees them."

Gripping onto the steering wheel as he started to feel a wave of grief hit him, Eric held back his own angry tears and finished through gritted teeth, "In the deep it is lonely, and so many a tear is shed – so it is that the ocean only tastes of salt." He continued to stare at the road as his eyes expanded and his heart turned to solid ice.

...

"Stop it, Cartman," Kyle commanded bitterly. "I don't want to hear you translate your stupid German music."

He continued to glare straight ahead in silence for a few minutes, his head spinning from what had happened, how he reacted, and the awkwardness pressing down on him right now.

"God damn it," he muttered finally before looking over at Cartman. He couldn't take the silence anymore. "How could you think… why did you…? It wasn't even going that bad and you had to go and… fuck it up… Why the hell did you say that stuff back there?" He could feel his face burning up and he was glad Cartman couldn't really see him in the dark. "About the guy in New York… and about you. Why did you say that?"

...

"You can think of me however you want, but what I said at the lodge tonight was only to get you to understand that I wanted our sessions to be enjoyable. That's all," he bit out, still looking at the road as Rammstein continued to play.

"If you're going to leave here one day, and still think bitterly of me," he growled, lowering his head slightly. "Then I wanted to remind you of what you'd be leaving – what I could show you. I mean, I wanted our tutoring sessions to at least be pleasant. So maybe," he glared over to Kyle, his eyes less threatening now. "You could still have that glimmer of hope for me."

...

"O-oh," Kyle stuttered, flushing more. "That's… ok… I guess, um… sorry."

He looked back toward the road, mouth slightly open. He couldn't believe it. He just freaked out over nothing. Cartman would probably go home and laugh at him for hours because he successfully tricked Kyle into thinking he… well, it doesn't matter what he tricked him into thinking. Not anymore. And he wouldn't say it. He wouldn't even think it.

The point was that he overreacted and he felt absolutely humiliated now, albeit… far more comfortable and quite relieved.

"I… I'm sorry for making you leave," he said quietly, looking down at his lap in shame. "And for making a scene. I hope no one you knew was there."

...

"You're quite the firecracker Jew," Eric teased, quite relieved that Kyle seemed to be off the trail. "And no, I didn't know anyone there." He laughed, relaxing into his chair before sighing contentedly. "Actually… as a matter of fact, that was the first time I went into the café part of the lodge."

He slid his eyes over to Kyle as they entered the South Park town limits. "Seeing as though…" he suddenly frowned, realizing what he was about to say. "I really don't have anyone else to bring."

...

"You have Butters, don't you?" Kyle asked. "Kenny?"

He wanted to remind Cartman that they weren't even friends and this was supposed to be a business outing, but… he felt that might be inappropriate at the moment.

He finally let himself get comfortable as he curled up in his seat and turned to watch Cartman's face. Throwing temper tantrums was surprisingly tiring, he remembered as he stifled a yawn. It had been some time since he'd freaked out like that.

...

"Guh… it bewilders me that you really still think I'm friends with Butters," he scoffed, turning into a familiar road. "And Kenny… he wouldn't be someone I'd bring to there." He gazed over to his tired redhead, whose eyes were getting heavier as he rested his head against the door. He looked too adorable. Eric knew he had to focus on the road, but seeing Kyle like this was quite titillating.

"Kyle… I want to know… Why did you fly off the handle like that?" he asked as sincerely as possible, knowing what the answer probably was.

"I mean, I think I made no suggestions that warranted that kind of reaction," he somewhat scolded, liking this disciplinary position. "I only insinuated that I wanted to make our sessions more pleasant, and that I wanted you to have better memories of me. And the… ounce of hope thing too… but, what did you get from that? Honestly?" He peered down to Kyle as the car approached the Jew's home.

...

"I thought… you were hitting on me," Kyle answered honestly, deciding it would be ok to say it now that he knew it wasn't true. "Weird, right? I guess it was just, like, the café and then that lesson thing… I dunno."

...

"PSHHHH Kyle, dear God, keep it in your pants," Eric teased, his own pants becoming slightly tighter. "I know this whole coffee thing might have been misleading, but no, I was not hitting on you."

He pulled into Kyle's driveway and added, "The allusion was a tad blunt… but who knows!" He put the car into park as he spoke with a hint of unintentional sadness, "Maybe you will meet someone over there that will let you sit in the front seat of their car, and show you amazing places and cultures." He shook his head slightly; exhaling a long breath as he aimlessly stared ahead at Kyle's house. "And would only want your mutual feelings in return."

...

"Yeah… maybe," Kyle said awkwardly, putting his hand on the door handle. Now Cartman was sure to go home and laugh for hours about this. God knows he would if their positions were reversed. He sighed. Maybe if he ended this on a good note, the fat ass wouldn't start spreading rumors about him. Cartman was a master at twisting words, so he was better safe than sorry.

"I know this didn't go how you wanted, Cartman," he said softly. "I'm sorry."

...

Noticing that Kyle was actually apologizing for his behavior, Eric looked over and grinned incredulously. "This isn't like you, Kyle. I would have thought after this whole thing you'd tell me to suck it and then slam the door on my face." He closed his eyes and looked down sheepishly. "But you didn't, so I guess that's cool."

He peered back up, thinking about whether he should make this next move… but seeing as though he got away with a lot of other things tonight, he decided to go for it. He moved his hand on top of Kyle's, non-threateningly, but rather sincerely. "So can we go through with this? Or do I have to sit here and explain myself more?" He lowered his eyelids, masking his enamored feelings with a teasing smirk.

...

Kyle stiffened at the touch and felt the heat rising in his cheeks again, though he couldn't begin to explain why. He gently, but quickly, removed his hand from under Cartman's and opened the car door.

"Yeah… yeah, that's fine," he said, having almost forgotten that he ended their tutoring at the beginning of the car ride. "Sorry about that. And… no, this was my fault… I wouldn't have the right to slam the door in your face."

...

"So when do you want to meet again?" Eric politely asked, watching eagerly as the moon illuminated Kyle's blushing face.

...

"Monday?" Kyle asked. "If that's ok for you."

...

"Certainly," Eric responded professionally. "I'll be sure to have the worksheets you gave me today completed upon my arrival." He continued to eye Kyle curiously, perturbed despite his seemingly genuine smile. "Good Night."

...

"… Yeah," Kyle said slowly as he pushed the door all the way open and stepped out of the car. "Bye."

He slammed the door and walked toward his house, digging in his coat pocket for his key. He was glad to be out of there and away from Cartman, but when he heard the car start to back out of his driveway, he couldn't help but look back.

...

Eric looked toward Kyle as well, silently communicating with his eyes that something definitely changed between them that night – whether he wanted it or not. The fact that Kyle actually looked back at him from the door signaled to Eric that maybe he did make all the right moves, as degrading as they might have seemed at the time. So, once he finished backing out of the driveway, Eric reluctantly looked away from the redhead to make his way back to his own house.

A/N: And so it begins. Reviews are loved! 3