Stan and Gary were due to arrive in half an hour and what was Kyle doing? Falling for Eric's ever-increasing skills of seduction.
Although he could think of worst distractions than being pinned, with Eric's big arms either side of him, as chaste pecks descended into deep, slow French kisses, and every time they paused, Kyle was met with a darkened, hungry gaze and his lower lip still caught in Eric's teeth. If they kept this up, Kyle was sure they'd melt and Stan and Gary would arrive to a silent apartment and no dinner on the table.
"Eric, come on" Kyle tried to whine, but his words came out breathless and unintentionally wanton. Still, he reached out greedily for another kiss, Eric's tongue finding its way into Kyle's mouth. "I have to get dinner ready..."
Cartman grumbled, nuzzling into Kyle before reasoning "But why do you have to make dinner when you can stay in bed and fuck me?" And while Cartman felt himself blush sordidly, Kyle gasped and brushed his lips teasingly against Eric's.
"While that is tempting" Kyle smirked "Stan and Gary have been bugging me to introduce you and this is the perfect opportunity. Don't you wanna meet them?"
Eric sat up then, finally freeing Kyle from his grip. But while Kyle had tried to wrestle his way out of this embrace for the best part of half an hour, now he was intrigued with Eric's silence.
"Well..." Cartman began awkwardly, rubbing the back of his burning neck "It's not that I don't wanna meet them, it's just-"
"Are you nervous?" Kyle asks, a playful tilt to his voice as he stares hazily into Eric's eyes, still glowing darkly with arousal, before kissing the tip of his nose.
"No" Cartman quietly replies, his voice husky as he pulls Kyle closer and submits to the kisses that have started to travel down his neck "I just... I like it being the two of us. With everything that's going on, you feel like the only thing that's right and stable and it's all so perfect. Being alone with you. I don't wanna lose that, even for a night"
Kyle sighed then, with the kind of mature, grown-up wisdom that Cartman could never imagine himself owning. His eyes seemed to glimmer with a child-like, pleading look, wondering if Kyle's relaxed, thoughtful smile is in defeat. But Cartman doesn't really care. Because he can feel Kyle's warm breath tingle against his lips, their foreheads are pressed together and Kyle is only looking at him.
"I don't wanna lose that either" Kyle softly admits, wrapping his arms around Eric's neck and squeezing him protectively. "But I seriously doubt that Stan and Gary are gonna make it all come undone, right?"
Cartman rolled his eyes and grinned in defeat, staring at Kyle's lips as he begrudgingly replies "I guess not"
"Exactly" Kyle smirks.
Thankfully, Stan and Gary had arrived just as Kyle set the last impeccably polished fork on the table. This type of synchronization wasn't uncommon in their friendship, but Kyle never thought it would remain so strong when Stan moved out.
But while Kyle had been bristling with hardly contagious excitement all evening, effortlessly ensuring that everything was running smoothly, Cartman chose to linger anxiously. He silently fretted over what he was wearing, what he was going to say, Hell, even how he chewed his food. Of course, he didn't let Kyle know that. His anxiety had peaked to hostile levels and every bone of concern Kyle threw him, Cartman was happy to leave untouched, often turning away from Kyle coldly or snapping at him testily. Infuriatingly, Cartman thought, Kyle didn't retaliate. For all the satisfaction Kyle gave him, it was certainly in low supply tonight.
"Do you ever get annoyed by me?" Cartman had asked as Kyle was cooking, not really expecting an answer. He was too busy pouting.
"Sometimes" Kyle answered honestly, shrugging before sliding his arms around Eric's neck and kissing his forehead. Kyle nuzzled into Eric's soft chestnut hair and murmured lovingly "But it pales in comparison to all the other wonderful things I feel about you. Which is kind of annoying in itself"
So while Kyle rushed to the door to greet Stan and Gary, Cartman shot up from the armchair (the seat he had claimed in a state of temporary 'dibs'), but lingered as he smoothed down his clothes.
Stan and Gary had entered, or intruded as Cartman felt, the apartment in a flurry of relaxed excitement before Cartman could even register what was happening. Was the dark-haired guy Stan? Cartman thought, trying not to stare too weirdly. The way he looked next to Kyle, Cartman had this strange, gut feeling that it could only be Stan, because it looked so right. Unreachably familiar. And then he wondered whether Kyle looked better next to Stan than he did next to him, Cartman blushed and stared at his shoes before he could further entertain the thought of the drunken, college hook up that was the catalyst for Stan and Kyle's friendship in the first place. If Cartman was correct about Stan, then that meant the blond guy with the huge smile and glistening white teeth must be Gary. The ex-Mormon. It all kinda made sense to Cartman now. Still, that didn't mean he felt less intimidated by these people.
"Eric, come over here!" Kyle laughed, his hand limply extended reassuringly and when Cartman came to him, he couldn't help but take that warm, familiar hand with his own.
"Eric, this is Stan and Gary" Kyle beamed, watching as Eric's brilliant golden eyes focused on his friends. "Stan and Gary, this is, well, Eric"
Cartman burned, biting the inside of his mouth to contain a goofy smile at hearing Kyle say his name like that. Brimming with tenderness, reminding Eric that Kyle would never hurt him.
"So you're the prom king, huh?" A confident, abrasive voice made Eric jolt. Usually he was the one who addressed strangers bluntly, not the other way around.
"No, I, uh-" Cartman tried to say, but wished he hadn't bothered.
"Ignore him. He thinks he's funny" A softer voice, laced with exasperation and sympathy saved Cartman. Although he was too stubborn to acknowledge it "Hi, Eric, I'm Stan"
The introduction was followed by a friendly hand extended for Cartman to shake and when he looked up, Cartman saw it was the hand of Kyle's dark-haired friend. So he was right. Cartman couldn't help but relax at seeing Stan's comfortable, reassuring smile, its crooked nature making him seem like a fractured character, while his wide, cobalt eyes seemed as telling as they were voyeuristic. Still, Cartman couldn't let himself take a liking to Stan just yet.
"It's nice to meet you" Cartman nodded, shaking Stan's hand and feeling comforted by its firmness, before he hastily pulled away.
"And I'm Gary" The blond guy smiled, his voice oozing with warm, eager friendship.
"Hi" Cartman whispered, shaking his hand too and in Gary's self-assured, charismatic presence, he felt himself wilt into a wallflower.
"We've heard so much about you" Stan grinned, in a way that made Cartman immediately turn his attention back to him. However, Stan's eyes were trained knowingly on Kyle, who squeezed Eric's hand tightly.
Cartman was half-way through his first bottle of Bud when the dinner table topic turned to what he had dreaded all night;
"So, Eric, tell us a bit about yourself!" Gary beamed, punctuating what he thought was a well-meaning gesture, but to Cartman was merely a death sentence, with a bite of his medium-rare steak.
"I thought Kahl had told you enough already" Cartman answered, talking to his beloved bottle and cringing at the slimy condensation coalescing with the dampness of his palm. Just when he thought he could just eat his steak in peace and listen to the conversation around him than actually contribute.
Cartman honestly believed that Stan and Gary were nice people, but that didn't mean he should act like an idiot and let his guard down. Meeting new people wasn't something Cartman handled very well. Even when he met Kyle he was excruciatingly nervous, but at least his first exchange with Kyle was colored with fervid attraction. Which took some of the pressure off, he supposed.
"True" Gary nodded, before letting his lime green eyes meet Kyle knowingly "But all we've heard is Kyle wax lyrical about how much he adores you, how you're like nobody he's ever met before and how fantastic of a lover you are-"
"Really?" Cartman smirked, his shoulders sighing with a welcomed mix of relief and arrogance. Although it did kind of wilt when Cartman thought that when it came to sex, Kyle practically did all the work. Still, Cartman reminded himself of Kyle's wanton begs for his mouth and how he could make Kyle crazily come undone .
When Cartman turned to Kyle, his face was flushed an adorable shade of red, and coupled with his scarlet curls, the different hues set his features alight "Well, why wouldn't I? It's the truth. At least to me it is." Kyle shrugs, biting his lip and Cartman was sure that his emerald eyes were on the verge of hazing over with lust.
"Uh, well, it wasn't just that" Stan coughed into his fist, trying to dismiss his boyfriend's unfiltered comments, glaring at Gary as if he were a petulant child. "He also told us you play Rugby..."
"Yeah, that's right." Cartman nodded, feeling brave enough to meet Stan's comfortable eyes. The knot of anxiety in his chest loosening.
"I suppose Kyle didn't tell you that I'm a fan of Rugby?" Stan asked, holding his bottle of Bud with an experienced, almost bored, ease.
"No, I didn't because this is the first I've heard of your love for the sport!" Kyle answered incredulously before Eric could.
"Or maybe you haven't been paying enough attention for the last ten years" Stan pointed out, grinning while keeping his cool, joking eyes on Kyle.
Kyle rolled his eyes before scowling at Stan mockingly and replying "Stan, I happen to have a very good memory and I don't ever recall you ever discussing rugby with me in the history of our friendship."
"I didn't discuss it with you because, with the exception of basketball, you're not a big sports guy."
"Good point" Kyle nods, before returning to his argument "But, still, how the Hell was I supposed to know that you like Rugby?"
"I dunno." Stan shrugs "I'm a big sports fan in general, so my love for Rugby should've been implied."
Kyle scoffed in derision before rolling his eyes and saying indignantly "What the fuck ever. Gary, did you know he likes Rugby?"
Gary didn't even look up from his steak as he sighed "ESPN is on a lot in our place and I've seen him watching some sport that looks similar to Rugby." It seemed as though Gary was always caught in the middle of Stan and Kyle's playground quarrels and, judging by his evident exasperation, they seemed to happen a lot. Cartman couldn't help but smirk at that.
"That's because it was Rugby" Stan answered, before turning his attention back to Cartman. "Anyway, Eric, what position do you play?"
"Prop" Cartman replied, dipping the piece of steak that clung to his fork in the thin, tasty blood on the plate.
Stan nodded and smirked "Figures, you look about right."
"What does a Prop do?" Gary asked "Is it a Quarterback type deal?"
"Um, no. A Quarterback would be more like an Outside Half, if anything" Cartman answered before swallowing nervously "But a Prop has to push against the other Props on the opposing team. My job is to keep stability in the scrum, and make sure the Hooker on my team gets the ball quickly."
"Well, you have the shoulders for the job, that's all I can say." Stan complimented.
"Oh, thanks... " Cartman couldn't help but blush. He had always hated his shoulders, along with his hands (paws, Kenny had called them once) and feet, he felt they were too big. The only people who had said anything nice about his shoulders were his Rugby coach (the word he used was 'forceful') and Kyle, who loved clinging to them when they kissed. "I think they make up for my lack of speed. I mean, my coach says I have quick hands, but that's not really enough to score tries."
"Have you ever scored a try?" Stan asked.
Cartman nodded, his throat suddenly feeling dry at the words that had decided they were confident enough to rush out of his mouth.
"Do you know how many?"
"I can't remember..."
"How long have you been playing?"
"Two years"
"Your job sounds kinda dangerous." Gary remarked, his eyebrows furrowed with concern.
Cartman laughed anxiously before nodding "It can be"
"Have you ever had any injuries?" Gary asked.
"I've broken a couple of fingers, dislocated my shoulder, had a lot of concussions." Cartman replied, listing off his injuries matter of factly, he could almost feel Kyle's worry tentatively piercing him. So much so, that he turned to Kyle and reassured him "But nothing too serious."
The both of them exchanged warm, goofy smiles before Cartman turned back to Stan and Gary and continued "Like, some people, at a professional level, I guess, have broken their necks and stuff."
Stan and Gary both nodded, while Gary added "I'm not surprised, it sounds pretty brutal."
"We'll have to come and watch you play sometime" Stan suggested, waiting for a nod of approval from either Kyle or Eric "The only Rugby games I've watched are on TV."
"Sure" Cartman nodded, the absence of uneasiness in his answer was noticeable and it shocked him a bit. "Kahl's watched me before, so..."
"Do you play any other sports?" Stan asked, before smirking "I think you'd make an excellent football player."
"No, I don't." Cartman answered, wondering exactly how he had become so comfortable with this otherwise unnerving focus being on him. "Football isn't really my thing. I like the NFL, but I'm not really into college football and I'm certainly not into my high school football team."
"So we won't be going to a Buffaloes game anytime soon, then?" Kyle teased.
"Sorry" Cartman smirked sarcastically, staring at Kyle's mouth with affectionate, half-lidded eyes.
Stan shook his head "Screw the Buffaloes, man-"
"Says the man with a Buffaloes sweatshirt in his wardrobe..." Kyle interrupted.
"Too right, Kyle." Gary joined in, grinning at him before turning to Stan and shaking his head with faux disappointment "Blasphemy, Stanley, I never..."
Stan raised his hands weakly in mock defense and continued "Sorry, I take that back. What I meant was, that maybe the Broncos could be calling in the not so distant future. "
Cartman laughed and shook his head, an unwanted blush rising from behind his ears "When I was a little kid, I would've done anything to answer that call but, now? Not so much"
"I know what you mean." Stan agreed, before sighing wistfully, gliding his fork silently across his half-emptied plate "I lived and breathed the Broncos when I was a kid. You could've cut me open and I would've bled navy and orange."
"A kid?" Kyle laughed in disbelief, shaking his head "Please, you were like that in college too."
"Hey! If I remember rightly, there was a Denver Nuggets poster right next to my Broncos one? See, I also happen to have a terrific memory too." Stan retorted triumphantly.
"Yeah, but there's a slight difference between the Nuggets and the Broncos..." Kyle pointed out, cutting up his steak.
"Oh, and what's that?" Stan laughed.
"The Nuggets fucking rule." Kyle answered, ignoring Stan's glare which eventually crumbled into exasperated laughter.
"Simmer down, boys" Gary grinned, nowhere near as lost as Cartman. "So, Eric, this is your senior year, right?"
Cartman nodded, prickling as everyone's attention seemed to turn back to him.
"Any thoughts on what you're gonna do in the Fall?" Gary asked, the question innocent enough.
"Like what?" Cartman asked, the hostility unwillingly creeping back into his voice.
"I dunno." Gary replied "Get a job? Go to college? Have you applied anywhere?"
Cartman turned back to Kyle, the faintest touch of guilt painted across his features and he hoped Kyle couldn't detect it. Or if he did, think anything of it. Cartman swallowed, aware of how long he was taking to answer a simple question and it made a panicked sheen of cold sweat ripple along his skin "NYU, Dayton and the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design."
He almost had to bite back a sigh of relief when the answer left his mouth.
"Well, with the exception of the latter, I'm guessing you're feeling a tad claustrophobic back home?" Stan smiled.
Cartman nodded and rolled his eyes. Even though 'claustrophobic' wasn't exactly the right word, the sentiment was still the same; a burning, maddening desire to get the Hell out of his hometown. "You have no idea..."
"And NYU?" Gary asked approvingly "Sounds impressive"
Cartman fidgeted before replying "I think it's the distance that makes it so appealing. Whether I'd fit in, or even if my GPA would allow it, is another matter."
"Wait, art and design?" Kyle's soft voice, crisp with delighted surprise and intrigue, allowed a faint thrum of excitement to reverberate through Cartman. It was so close to him, perfectly twinned with Kyle's warm hand teasing his shoulder.
Cartman pursed his lips together to control his amused smile at seeing Kyle's bright, excited eyes filled with that unbridled passion. So wonderfully and intrinsically Kyle.
"For what?" Kyle asked excitedly.
"Photography" Cartman answered, addressing everyone.
"You're into that?" Stan asked, a keen if interest in his voice.
Avoiding eye contact, Cartman sheepishly replied "I love it"
"So that explains the camera in your room..." Kyle whispered quietly, his voice so distant and preoccupied with the realisation that he didn't think Eric would hear him.
"Very incisive" Cartman murmured teasingly into Kyle's ear, relishing in his secretive blush. His voice was velvety and husky, like he had forgotten Stan and Gary were here.
Kyle rolled his eyes but dared to trail his hand up Eric's thigh.
"But I haven't taken any photographs in a while." Cartman begins, trying to compose himself, although Kyle's fingers were making him sensitive "What, with school and Rugby and everything, so I wanna get back into it in the summer. If not for fun, then for college. I need to build up my portfolio."
"Do you take classes in school?" Gary asked.
"No, my school doesn't have any. And I think the colleges I've applied to are sympathetic to that. I mean, you obviously have to have some type of experience, but it doesn't necessarily have to be something you've learned in school."
"What are you studying, anyway?" Stan asked.
"History, English, Science and Math."
"Do you enjoy them?"
"Science is okay, I guess. Sometimes, it can be boring. Math I hate but History and English I enjoy. Maybe English a bit more than History, lately."
"What are you reading in English?"
"Hamlet. But we've finished it now. "
"Cool" Stan grinned "Have you read The Tempest?"
"No" Cartman shook his head.
Stan nodded before saying "The Tempest is an amazing play. My second favorite Shakespeare play after The Taming Of The Shrew"
"So I'm guessing you like Comedies?" Cartman smirked.
"Yeah" Stan laughed under his breath "Give me a Comedy over a Tragedy any day."
"You studied English?"
"It was my minor in college." Stan replied, before turning to Kyle and smiling gratefully "I wouldn't have passed if it wasn't for Kyle."
Kyle chuckled and rolled his eyes "Oh God, do you remember how late we stayed up so you would pass? What texts were you doing again?"
"I have no fucking idea, I think I blocked it from my memory" Stan laughed, furrowing his eyebrows in thought "I recall reading The Grapes of Wrath?"
"Sounds about right." Kyle nodded "One of the books I had to read for my major was The Divine Comedy."
"Now, that's a comedy I wouldn't want to read" Stan muttered.
"I barely understood the damn thing." Kyle confessed, shrugging helplessly.
"That's Dante, right?" Gary asked "As in Dante's Inferno?"
"You got it" Stan nodded.
"I remember being so bummed out that we didn't read Beowulf." Kyle sighed disappointedly.
"Why?" Cartman asked.
"Because" Kyle began to explain "In Annie Hall, Diane Keaton is looking through this college catalog, trying to find an English course, and Woody Allen says-"
"Just don't take anything where they make you read Beowulf." Stan, Kyle and Gary said in unison.
"Exactly..." Kyle muttered, glaring at Stan and Gary while they laughed.
Chuckling a little bit too, Cartman said "Okay, I'll be seriously disappointed if you didn't minor in film studies or some shit..."
"As a matter of fact I did" Kyle beamed proudly.
"How do you think he became such an insufferable little film geek in the first place?" Stan laughed.
"I'll have you know that I've always loved movies." Kyle retorted, pointing his fork at Stan to further his point "College just brought out the worst aspects of my obsession."
This wasn't the first time Cartman felt like he could literally melt into the bed after sex with Kyle, but with his legs trembling and his cock aching gently from three orgasms, now the idea didn't seem so absurd.
He was surprised his hot, glistening skin didn't sizzle when Kyle's tongue softly ran up his back, his flagging erection still inside Cartman and he could feel it throb and twitch sporadically from the aftermath of his climax.
Still, Cartman moaned quietly at the moist, quivering sensation, tracing his spine. His breathing coming in humid, labored shards when he turned his head and, through the veil of his drenched hair that skimmed his eyebrows, saw Kyle tasting his skin, his features still colored with lust.
Kyle smirked when he saw Eric staring at him, his golden irises always seemed so sickly captivating after sex. It was almost like he couldn't believe he was letting himself be touched, kissed and fucked. After countless trysts and hours in this very bed, even with the experience gained and fear somewhat expelled, Eric's eyes had seized that boyish, euphoric disbelief of experiencing such intimate pleasure for the first time.
Just when Kyle didn't think Eric could get anymore gorgeous.
Their gazes were held long enough for Eric to blush and try to avert his eyes, but to no avail. Kyle wasn't going to let that happen.
Eric felt a confident, loving hand in his hair, pulling it back from his brow, and a chaste peck on the peak of his jaw. He purred approvingly, while Kyle bit his lip and nuzzled into his hair. Inhaling the sultry smell of sex and sweat that suited Eric so well, and with his cock still inside him, Kyle had the urge to want to drown in this boy and inhale him entirely.
Cartman was the one who initiated the clumsy kiss, their lips slipping over each other in a way that was sloppily arousing. Kyle's nose against Cartman's upper lip, while Kyle found himself sucking the lower one. Still so plump and kiss-swollen.
"Good?" Kyle asked thoughtlessly, smiling against Eric's lips.
Cartman nodded before whispering wetly "Amazing"
Kyle gladly swallowed the word, their kisses starting to have more of a structure when their tongues became involved. Their already hot, damp bodies becoming hotter and Cartman could feel a quiet vein of arousal awaken in his cock.
Kyle groaned when Eric's hand found its way into his hair, grabbing a fistful and allowing the kiss to deepen. Cartman wanted to moan when Kyle's tongue started to fuck his mouth, finding an irreplaceable and sordid pleasure in submitting to Kyle this way. Instead, he arched his back and felt more of Kyle's stiffening cock and a playful hand smacking his ass.
After a few more minutes of kissing, Cartman pulled Kyle on top of him and relaxed when Kyle peppered kisses all over his satisfied, exhausted face.
"Did you have a good time tonight?" Kyle asked, kissing the tip of Eric's nose before mouthing at his cheek.
Cartman nodded moonily into the comforting warmth of Kyle's shoulder, kissing his neck.
"Stan and Gary really like you" Kyle smiled, his voice oozing with triumphant glee.
"They did?" Cartman asked, cringing at the relief that briefly sprinted through his chest. Honestly, as soon as they left and Kyle started kissing him, Cartman could've forgotten they were here in the first place.
"Yep" Kyle beamed, tugging at Eric's earlobe between his teeth and adding huskily "Fuck, by the end of it all, I couldn't wait for them to leave and get you into bed."
"I noticed" Cartman snickered, their eyes meeting. Arousal stirring in his groin at how wanton and aggressive Kyle was with his kisses and touches, and how Kyle could still feel such overwhelming attraction towards him.
"You didn't disappoint" Kyle grinned, kissing Eric's chin. He pressed him closer, even closer than they already were and murmured wickedly "The second time you came I thought you were gonna scream"
"I almost did" Cartman admitted, smugly reveling in the sensual fire in Kyle's eyes.
As Cartman stared up at the ceiling, his hand rhythmically trailing up and down Kyle's back while Kyle was nipping and sucking at his neck, he couldn't help but fervidly recall that wonderful afternoon at the park. On a day where everything felt so daunting, unsure and terrifyingly uneasy, with that simple confession and Kyle's hand in his, Cartman now started to think of that day so fondly. Even if the idea of Kyle witnessing his usual lonely, isolated self in South Park and the frightening reality of what it felt like outside of Kyle's apartment, his bed, his embrace was enough to set off a panic attack.
"Why do you love me?" The words out of his mouth before he could even stop them, his heart thudding angrily behind his eyes. Still, Cartman took comfort in the fact that even though Kyle's kisses had stopped, his body never faltered in its calming, assured retention.
"Why do I love you?" Kyle asked, his eyebrows furrowed softly, meeting Eric's eyes and running a hand through his hair. It pained Kyle to see Eric looking so nervous, or doubting himself this way.
"Yeah" Cartman muttered, blushing terribly and wishing he never asked.
"Hmm" Kyle pondered, cupping the side of Eric's face and nuzzling into his forehead in thought "Honestly, that's tough. To me, love isn't conditional. Or subjective, you know? It's just this powerful, unstoppable, addictive force that hits you out of nowhere and refuses to leave. Which is great, because, I don't wanna let it go"
"Me neither" Cartman whispered, because he felt that Kyle should know that every word he spoke was so palpably real.
"Your heart's beating like crazy" Kyle realized, staring down into Eric's eyes and letting that pounding heart beat against his palm.
"It's your fault, asshole" Cartman blushed, his eyes reaching Kyle's and the both of them just listened. Listened to the winged, alive beat.
"But if I had to give any reasons" Kyle began, kissing Eric's hair "I guess it would have to be because you're strong. I know you don't think it, but you are. I can't even begin to imagine what you must have felt like growing up, and the thought of you so hurt and scared, rips my fucking heart apart, but you're still here. You may think that you're broken and done and that you've lost something, but I see this passion that you have, and this determination that's so fucking admirable, Eric. And so worth falling head over heels for, like I have."
Cartman couldn't say anything. Couldn't bare to keep looking in Kyle's eyes because he would've cried again. But he let Kyle hold him and felt his heart race faster, impossibly loud.
"And you're beautiful" Kyle continued, his voice laced with unmistakable passion that Cartman loved being associated with. He really fucking did. "So fucking gorgeous" Kyle grinned, squeezing Eric's thigh and he wondered sadly if anybody had ever told him he was beautiful before and how missed of an opportunity that was "Sometimes it's so hard for me to not kiss your lips or keep my hands off you" And when he heard Eric laugh so adorably, he kissed his perfect, plump lips.
"But it's not just that" Kyle continued tenderly, staring into Eric's eyes and thumbing at his cheekbone "It's a rare thing, being genuinely beautiful. But I see it in you. So much. You're not perfect, but to me, you couldn't be more perfect, you know?"
"I think so" Cartman nodded, gently brushing Kyle's jaw with his fingers. He was pretty sure he was swooning right now.
"You're different. That's why I love you" Kyle admitted "Refreshingly different and interesting and I'd be a fucking idiot to let someone so wonderfully rare, go..."
They enjoyed the silence, eyes flitted from their own love-struck gazes to their waiting, hungry mouths and they loved toying between the two.
Both of them finally giving in to the temptation of their kisses when the sound of one rushing heart, was twinned with another.
On his eighth (and, as it turned out, final trip) to the hospital, Cartman was informed that his mother was ready to go home.
And while he indulged in his mother's excitement and relief at finally leaving the hospital, he unabashedly entertained how bittersweet it all seemed. True, this opened the gateway to something better, more honest and smooth than these fractious years had been. But Cartman wondered whether it was all too late to repair almost a lifetime worth of damage.
And then there was Kyle. Who managed to make a time that could have been so inconceivably difficult, that much easier. It made Cartman love him even more. Truthfully, he didn't know whether he could handle the distance between them if he went back home, whether he could stomach not waking up to Kyle every morning. Giving him the stability and love he never knew he wanted until Kyle showed it to him.
With his mother in the hospital, with the constant assurance that she wasn't harming herself, that she was being cared for, Cartman thought that she was happier. But what she really wanted, was to be home again, with the slate supposedly wiped clean. And just like all those years ago, when he refused to let her hold him on a cold, winter's night, he didn't know whether he could give her what she wanted. Patience and forgiveness.
So, the night before he was due to leave, Cartman fell asleep terrified, clutching to Kyle's sleeping body throughout the night.
And at 11 AM, in Stan's car, Kyle and Cartman drove to the hospital to collect his mother.
Cartman distracted himself from the anxiety of saying goodbye to Kyle and having to watch his car drive away from his house, by smirking to himself at how polite Kyle was being to his mom. It made him wonder if his mom would welcome their relationship, but Cartman was still hesitant.
As they entered South Park, Cartman immediately tensed. flinching at the familiar houses, the unchanging Main Street and the imprisoning presence of the snow-capped mountains. It was like all his problems, all his issues were being laid out for Kyle to see, hissing at him that he was wasting his time with this kid. The town felt so much warmer, less daunting during that famous afternoon.
"Well, here we are" Kyle sighed, when he pulled up in front of the house. Staring at Eric the entire time and debating whether to touch his shoulder.
"Lovely" Lianne whispered from the back seat. "Isn't it great to be back, sweetie?"
"Sure" Cartman nodded, although that was far from the truth.
"I'll get your stuff out of the trunk" Kyle said, feeling the need to fill the silence.
"Okay" Cartman muttered, staring at his hands and forcing the mistiness away from his eyes.
"Thank you, Kyle!" Lianne grinned and Kyle smiled back, before looking at Cartman with sincere, comforting eyes and getting out of the car.
Honestly, Cartman was glad to get out. It's warmth was starting to put him on edge, and he welcomed the cold sting of mountain air. While Kyle busied himself with emptying the trunk, Lianne thanked him over and over. It was easier to dismiss Eric's sudden shyness and grumpy attitude, leaning against the car with his hands in his pockets, staring at the sidewalk.
"Thank you, Kyle, you've been wonderful!" Lianne gushed, as the last of her and Eric's bags were taken out of the trunk "I feel like I should give you some money for the trouble..."
"Don't, Miss Cartman. Honestly, its been my pleasure" Kyle replied and Cartman felt his eyes sting and a smile taint his features.
"Well, alright. Thank you again!" Lianne beamed before calling "Come on, Eric!"
"I'll be there in a minute, mom" Cartman nodded, his voice distant.
"I'd actually like to talk to him" Kyle explained and Cartman wondered whether he was just saying that so they could be alone or if he actually did have something to say.
"Yes, yes, of course" Lianne nodded, before picking up what little bags she had and walking to the house "Goodbye, Kyle!" She called back over her shoulder as Kyle and Cartman watched her open the front door and step inside.
Cartman didn't flinch when he heard the slam of the trunk, nor did he pay any attention to the quiet footsteps making his way over to him. But he did whimper in surprise when Kyle's warm hand touched his cold face and brought their lips together in an articulate, pointed kiss.
"Hey" Kyle murmured thoughtlessly when the kiss hardly broke.
"Shouldn't you be saying goodbye?" Cartman smiled sadly, before it wavered into something frightened.
"I guess" Kyle reasoned before wrapping his arms around Eric's neck and pulling him closer "Are you okay?"
Cartman shook his head, feeling himself shudder as icy tears slipped down his face "I don't wanna go in there. I, I can't watch you leave"
Kyle sighed "I know" closing his eyes and pressing his forehead against Eric's "I'm kinda dreading going back to my apartment without you"
Cartman nodded, confessing before he could stop himself "I'm scared"
"Of what?" Kyle asked, his voice marred with curious hurt.
"Of things changing. Of going back to what it was like before" Cartman explained, cringing when he felt himself crying again.
"Hey" Kyle soothed, capturing Eric's mouth in tender, chaste kisses "As horrible as it may sound, what your mom did was a fucking wake up call for her. She really cares about you, Eric. She loves you. But she was just selfish before. I think now she knows that things have to get better, she can't risk making it worse"
"You're right" Cartman smiled, before rolling his eyes and muttering "But it's not just that..."
"Then what else?" Kyle asked, cupping Eric's face and studying his eyes.
"I don't want things to change between us" Cartman replied truthfully, unsure whether Kyle would be offended.
Kyle swallowed, hurt and doubt briefly twitching like a faulty muscle in his irises before saying determinedly, his voice unwavering and strong "I'm not gonna let that happen, Eric"
"Okay" Cartman smiled weakly, although the rush of strength and confidence he felt was exhilarating.
Kyle smiled tearfully, his breath hitching with the promise of tears as he stared at Eric's beautiful face, pulling him into a protective, close embrace before he could visibly break down.
"You're gonna be great, Eric" Kyle whispered in his ear "And nothing changes, alright? You call me and come over whenever you want. Like always"
"Like always" Cartman repeated, hugging Kyle tighter.
Kyle was still smiling sadly when they pulled away, kissing Eric's forehead and wetting his hair with tears in the process. "I better go. Your mom's waiting for you"
"Yeah, alright" Cartman sighed, biting his lip as Kyle giggled into his hair. "Oh, and Kahl?" Cartman asked before letting Kyle go.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for letting me stay with you" Cartman said sincerely.
"No problem-"
"And" Cartman began, pulling Kyle closer and staring into his eyes "Thanks for everything you've done for me since the moment I met you"
Kyle felt his heart clench at those words, his breath seizing and his eyes filling with tears. His voice thin and wet when he whispers "You're very welcome"
Kyle moaned longingly when Eric kissed him, as if his words weren't enough of a 'thank you'. Kyle anchored himself on Eric's arms, the pleasure aching when Eric licked his mouth open so tenderly, hating how they couldn't have each other right there. So they settled for indulgent, loving grabs and paws at each other, eliciting breathless moans and clipped cries and kisses articulating the words that they couldn't find.
"I think you better go inside" Kyle advised and Eric smiled fondly as Kyle's words immediately took him back to the night they first met. "After all, you don't wanna watch me leave, do you?"
Cartman shook his head, stealing one last kiss "I love you"
"I love you too" Kyle smiled, stealing one right back.
So, regrettably, Cartman let Kyle go.
And while Cartman wisely didn't watch Kyle speed off, Kyle kept his eyes on Eric on the rear view mirror. Knowing that Eric was going to be just fine, but could the same be said for himself?
A/N: You guys do not know how hard the whole 'Stan and Gary' thing was to write. It was probably the worst writer's block I ever had. But after that scene was done and out of the way, I really enjoyed writing the rest. So I hope you like!
Oh, and school is officially finished for me. Which means I'll hopefully be able to update this story a little quicker.
Sorry if this chapter seems a little uneventful. But, trust me, shit's about to get real in the next couple of chapters.
Speaking of the next couple of chapters, I feel like I should let you know how many there will be. When I first started this story, I was aiming for ten chapters or less. That's still the case. But the size and content of the chapters I do keep switching around. Currently, there's gonna be three more chapters and an epilogue. If I make anymore changes, you shall be informed in these lil' old Author's Notes of mine.