I don't own South Park - it's owned by the very talented Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
The Contest
by cell12
Chapter 34
Craig and Tweek had stayed a while longer, wanting to compare secret gay relationship story's. Kyle had been surprised that Cartman already had a few at hand - including one about sneaking off during a sleepover at Stan's house, to make out. It had sounded so believable the way Eric told it. Kyle couldn't help but smile dopily up at the larger boy.
After Craig and Tweek left, Kyle pressed himself up against Cartman and kissed him.
"What was that for?" Cartman asked, surprised and slightly unnerved.
"You pick," Kyle replied. "For being polite to Wendy - I know you can't stand her. For the way you talked me into keeping my new look - I have to admit that you were completely right. For coming up with an idea to help Tweek - even if it doesn't work. For helping Butters and not even boasting about it - like you would have a few years ago. But most of all it's for being you. Not the mean ass-hole you pretend to be most of the time, the real you. The person I'm only just getting to know but like a real lot.
Cartman opened Kyle's door and checked to see that there was no-one about, before returning inside and pushing the door shut. He looked towards Kyle nervously, it wasn't the best time to talk but he couldn't wait any longer.
"Can ah," Cartman paused, he looked scared but determined, "can ah hold you and kiss you? Not for practice, not for show but for real - to see if ah like it."
"You think you might like it?" Kyle asked, slightly teasing his friend.
"Maybe," Cartman answered quietly, "ah want to find out."
Kyle nodded and answered, "Yes."
Cartman pulled Kyle closer, into his body, holding the Jewish boy gently against his chest. Kyle could feel Eric's heart beating fast, even faster than his own. He watched as Eric slowly leaned down, their eyes fixed on each other - hazel and emerald. The kiss was tender against his lips, a small nothing compared to other times but meaning so much more for all the promise behind it. After a few seconds Cartman straightened up and pulled back.
"Well?" Kyle asked waiting for the answer he hoped for.
"Ah like it," Cartman admitted, stepping back and dropping down to sit on the end of the bed, "ah think that ah'm ghay for you."
Kyle nodded - inside he secretly felt triumphant, "Are you OK with this."
The larger boy looked at his friend, "Ah have no idea what to do."
"Does it help if I tell you that I feel the same way?" Kyle asked, sitting down next to Cartman.
Cartman didn't answer, instead he grabbed Kyle's hand and held it, "Is it OK if we just sit for a while?"
"Sure," Kyle answered. He knew that Eric was trying to sort things out in his own mind. Realising that you were gay was difficult to come to terms with.
"How hard was it," Cartman finally asked, "knowing you were ghay for all those years?"
"The hardest part was having no-one to talk to about it," Kyle told his friend, "on-line chat rooms and advice websites can only do so much. It wasn't that I dwelt on it all the time but when Stan and Kenny started talking about girls - or worse Kenny asking me for my opinion on a particular girl he liked - sometimes it was hard to pretend."
"Ah talked about the girls at school pretty crudely," Cartman admitted, "ah called them bitches and skanks and hos. Maybe ah was scaring them off so that they wouldn't ever want to date me."
"Maybe," Kyle responded, "so you're OK with being gay?"
"Ah'm the kewlest thing this world has ever seen," Cartman declared, "so if ah'm ghay, it automatically means that it's kewl to be ghay."
"Does that mean that I'm cool then?" Kyle pressed.
"No," Cartman answered, "you might be ghay but your still Jewish and ginger."
"Cartman!" Kyle could feel his temper sparking into life.
"Luckily your also extremely cute, you don't have to be kewl."
"Idiot," Kyle said, shoving Cartman's shoulder.
Cartman nudged back grinning at the smaller boy, "Ah've just thought of something funny."
"What?" Kyle asked, still slightly annoyed.
"Ah may be the first guy to ever out myself before ah even knew ah was ghay."
Kyle sniggered, "And the first to date a guy without realising either."
"At least ah don't have to worry about how people will take it when ah tell them," Cartman pointed out.
"Yeah, that was stressful," Kyle admitted.
"Seriously, you worried about that?" Cartman asked.
"I was 12, the age Ike is now, when I realised that I might be gay," Kyle told his friend, "of course I was scared. There's always the fear that your family would reject you - throw you out."
Cartman nodded, "Ah've read about that sort of thing."
"You remember that camp Butters' dad sent him to?" Kyle asked.
"The one which tried to pray the ghay away," Cartman laughed at how stupid it was.
"Parents can do that to you," Kyle pointed out, "send you to places like that - or worse. As a kid you have no say in the matter."
"It's got to be better than those parents who try to beat the ghay out of you," Cartman pointed out.
"Mom and Dad have been really great," Kyle told Eric, "but what would their reaction have been if I had outed myself at twelve? I'd like to think that they would have been just as understanding and accepting."
"It's not something you have to worry about," Cartman told him, "why get stressed about something that didn't happen?"
"You have no idea how terrified I was of being outed in middle-school," Kyle insisted.
"Younger kids can be less understanding," Cartman admitted, "ah guess that you'd have been picked on a lot."
"All that stuff you've been saying, about promoting gay teen awareness. It was just something for you to use, to help us win the contest - but it meant something to me. Even though I haven't had to face the problems many gay teens have, I've had to live with the fear. It's not easy." Kyle stood and started pacing the room.
"It's not fair," Cartman commented, "a straight kid doesn't have to approach his or her parents and say mom, dad, I'm straight."
Kyle stopped pacing and smiled, "Who knows, maybe if it's a gay family with two dads or two moms, they might have to do that."
"That would be such a funny scene on a sketch show," Cartman grinned at Kyle, especially if one of the parents started action like it was the end of the world."
Kyle giggled, "I can just see it - the kid apologising for being straight and telling them that the guy who they thought was his boyfriend is just an ordinary friend."
"But you've had so many sleepovers," Cartman changed his voice to sound like an effeminate gay parent.
"I'm sorry dad but I'm straight. I didn't chose to be straight, it's just the way I am," Kyle had lowered his voice to make it sound more gruff, "me and my friend - during all those sleepovers we just slept."
"Yeah," Cartman laughed, "and they could have another sketch where the son tries to introduce his girlfriend to them. The two dads could act really cold and mean towards her - all disappointed and shit."
"Maybe send the poor guy to a camp, to turn him gay," Kyle suggested.
"It would be so kewl but can you see any of the main networks airing a series of sketches like that?" Cartman asked.
Kyle shook his head, "Perhaps one of the cable channels might but it's not something I would expect to see. Using a gay couple to parody a homophobic straight family's behaviour."
Cartman leaned back on Kyle's bed and sighed, "How much longer do you think they're gonna be?"
"Ages yet," Kyle answered, "even with my mom organising things, they've got a lot of people to go through."
"What should we do in the mean time?" Cartman asked.
"Well," Kyle said approaching the bed, "we could make out a little."
Cartman's eyes stretched wide open, "Seriously?"
Kyle clambered onto the bed, draping himself over the larger boy, "Seriously," he answered, leaning down and initiating a kiss.
Cartman slowly wrapped his arms around Jewish boy, secretly enjoying the closeness he was feeling.
"Does this mean that we're boyfriends for real?" Cartman asked when Kyle finally broke the kiss.
"What do you think?" Kyle replied, kissing Eric some more.
"It's going to be hard," Cartman pointed out, "trying to keep up the appearance of our fake relationship - one where we've been together for a long time, alongside our real relationship that's only just starting."
"We'll manage," Kyle spoke between kisses, "it can't be any harder than keeping track of the fake relationship when we hated each other."
"Ah keep wondering whether ah planned all of this subconsciously," Cartman pondered.
"Ike wondered the same thing," Kyle told Eric as he snuggled in the larger boy's arms, "don't spend too much time worrying about it though."
"Ah think ah've got other things to worry about," Cartman admitted as he started to draw circles on Kyle's back with the palm of his hand.
"Oh, I love that," Kyle said pressing closer and kissing along Cartman's jawline.
"Ah thought you did," Cartman laughed evilly, "ah could tell from the way you responded to it before."
"I wouldn't have admitted it though," Kyle pointed out, "you would have used it against me."
"Who's saying that ah won't now?" Cartman asked, before running a hand through Kyle's short curls.
"I'll have to get used to calling you Eric all the time," Kyle said, inhaling his boyfriend's scent.
"You've been managing fine for the last few days," Cartman told him.
"Maybe," Kyle conceded, "but it doesn't feel right yet."
"You make me feel special," Cartman admitted, "when you call me Eric, ah mean."
"I'm still going to call you Cartman when I'm angry and want to tell you off," Kyle added.
"Ah still get to call you Jew when you piss me off then," Cartman insisted.
"But no cruel jokes or Jewish stereotypes," Kyle countered.
"Only if you cut out the fat comments," Cartman replied.
"I won't insult you about your weight but I should be allowed to talk to you, in order to persuade you to exercise more and to get you eating healthily. I've a right to be concerned about you."
"And ah'm allowed to tease you and push you to have more fun, if you start getting too uptight."
"What are we doing?" Kyle asked.
"Negotiating the terms of our relationship," Cartman answered like it was obvious.
"You say that like we're two generals fighting over the wording of a treaty to end a war," Kyle said.
"We, kind of, are," Cartman smiled, "aren't we?"
Kyle didn't bother to answer, instead he just relaxed in the arms of the person he loved.
Authors Notes: I had some difficulties writing this chapter, it seemed a bit disjointed when I read it back in my notebook. I ended up changing a few things and writing extra bits while I typed it up.
MusicPeaceAndCheese - I've added my dA link into my profile, just click on homepage. Thanks for giving me the idea. My current journal message contains ideas I've been working on for other South Park stories since this story is winding up pretty soon.
Kyman love to all my readers, cell12.