A:N/ I'm so sorry about the wait. It's unacceptable.

Cartman waited until his mom came home before he left the house. Although as soon as Kyle had slammed the front door, Cartman felt suffocated by these walls. Because to Cartman they represented everything that Kyle had said and his own insecurities and doubts that he could only let himself think about when everything darkened.

He had to get away from here. Not necessarily with Kyle. Not necessarily forever. But he had to get out of here, and the voice that once sounded so naïve and unbelievable to Cartman, now sounded so trusting and strong when it told him that, when he stepped outside, he'd find his own way. He'd know where to go. Promise. But soothing himself with that voice as he angrily sobbed and paced back and forth, gripping his hair, made him sadder. As he could detect remnants of Kyle in that little bird of hope, whose battered wings still fluttered.

5:45. His mom would be home soon. And so he spent fifteen minutes taking deep breaths (which was a lot harder to do when somebody wasn't doing it with you and coaxing you into a state of calm) and dabbing at his eyes in the hopes that his face wasn't blotchy with the angry tears he had cried.

"Hi, sweetie!" His mom's voice, for once, a saving grace.

"Hey" Cartman sighed in relief, not facing his mother as she took off her coat and fussed with her hair in the hallway mirror.

"Mom, I'm gonna go out for a couple of hours, okay?" Cartman quickly said, the uncomfortable, worried tone of his voice certainly didn't fool Lianne that this was a casual statement.

"Is everything alright?" Lianne asked, although she knew she didn't need to.

"Sure" Cartman nodded impatiently, sidling past his mom and determined not to let her see his face.

"You can tell me if it isn't" Lianne offered comfortingly and Cartman winced at her concern.

"I'll be alright, mom. I just need to go out." Cartman reassured her, walking out the door before his mom even had a chance to reply.

Kenny's house

As soon as Cartman stepped outside and felt the dull, sluggish wind that the rain had left, he knew that's where he had to go. After all, Kenny was the only person who Cartman could talk to about this kind of thing and although Cartman often knew better than to listen to Kenny's advice, he had to begrudgingly admit that Kenny occasionally did have something valuable and helpful to say.

So he walked the short distance to Kenny's house. He always found something childishly thrilling about walking across the rusted tracks, even if they were very much abandoned and partly swallowed up by either unforgiving, sturdy shards of stubborn snow or blackened weeds, unnoticed and not cared for. Every time Cartman cautiously set one foot on the track, he always expected to be bitten by a sudden spark. But he would grin triumphantly when his foot roused nothing. Almost as if he was stepping on a bloodless arm, the plasma of whatever was housed in those dead veins, congealed and forgotten. And when you were standing right in the middle of that track, you could look left to right and convince yourself there was a speck of a train in the distance. Or a ghost of one passing right through you on its haunted route.

There was a small fire, silently burning to itself in Kenny's front lawn. Cartman didn't know who started it, but if Kenny's family didn't care, then why should he?

When he knocked on the door, he was greeted by a fourteen year old Karen McCormick. Her face was set in her default, sullen expression and a cigarette hung loosely from her painted black lips (to match the kohl circled around her pretty cornflower blue eyes and the chipped varnish on her nails, of course). Some overtly aggressive music could be heard from the shaded confines of Kenny's house and Cartman wondered where her parents were, considering the lack of yelling, nuanced with a redneck drawl Cartman had become familiar with over the years.

"Hi, Eric" Karen stonily said, a contrived, friendly smile twitched at the corner of her mouth as she bit down on her cigarette. Cartman had known the girl long enough to tell that her smile was genuine; Cartman couldn't blame her for being so cold and tough, he guessed she had enough of crying over all the shit that was happening in her life and so decided to find a more detached, abrasive way of channeling her frustration and sadness. It was something he could understand.

"Hey, Karen. Is Kenny home?" Cartman asked.

Karen took a deep drag on her cigarette, her eerily still eyes never leaving Cartman's face before she finally replied blankly. "Yeah. I think he is. Unless his skinny ass climbed out of his bedroom window." The last sentence was punctuated with an exasperated, faint laugh that crunched like gravel in her throat.

"Kenny!" She shouted, running a hand through her backcombed hair, a tiny sheen of grease gleaming at her roots.

"Yeah?" Kenny's voice rose above the music.

"Oh good, you're here. Eric's outside!" Karen called back, leaning against the door frame.

"Great!" Kenny replied, his usual breeziness had a small vein of excitement to it that Cartman wasn't sure how Kenny maintained "I just gotta get dressed. I'll be out in a minute!"

"Get dressed?" Cartman asked to himself.

But clearly Karen heard him. "I don't question the guy anymore" She replied dryly.

Cartman smirked back at her and dug his hands shyly in the back pockets of his jeans.

"Hey man!" Kenny beamed, his tone chipper before he studied Karen questioningly and asked cheekily "And, where, young lady, might you be going?"

"Out" Karen shrugged insolently. She smoothed down her velvet, black dress, accessorized with fishnet tights that she cut holes in herself and a pair of knock-off, black patent Doc Martens.

"Specifically?" Kenny asked.

"A gig. Firkle's dragging me to it. He wants to see this band before they become popular and some lame ass 'posers' wanna bogart it" Karen explained, rolling her eyes.

Kenny shook his head and laughed exasperatedly, although this was not what he was expecting his little sister to be like as a teenager, he actually kind of liked it. She was a lot more fed up and cynical than he was, but he supposed she had to find her own way of coping with things. But Kenny's protectiveness over her had encouraged her to be tougher and to stand up for herself if anybody dared to give her crap. And Kenny was perfectly happy with that. Not to mention proud. "Have fun, kid. But not too much fun. I don't want that Firkle douchebag getting any funny ideas" Kenny joked, stepping out the door.

"Uch, please, grandpa" Karen laughed, rolling her eyes. "The guy hasn't got a chance. Why do you think I'm wearing this dress?" Karen asked, pausing to twirl in demonstration "It's conservative yet cute. It's the fashionable equivalent of wearing a chastity belt"

"That's my girl" Kenny grinned.

"Bye, losers" Karen sang sardonically, throwing her cigarette on the floor before going back inside.

Cartman didn't know whether it had anything to do with Kyle walking away, but he had never felt such an acute, pro-longed silence before. It was marred with the faintest of noises, but they were void of any depth, almost like he was submerged in a loss that he partly prayed wasn't permanent, or as if he was plunging forward into a place he didn't want to be in and all the while, this little existence, all he had ever known was all behind him. Still clinging to him, leaving its traces but not missing him in the slightest. And while that should have been great. It wasn't. Because it brought with it a terrible loneliness that was painful enough after a couple of hours, he didn't know if he could handle it for the rest of his life.

Now, he didn't know what was going to happen with him and Kyle. The options so scarily infinite and a terrifying forever was cruelly possible.

Kenny had smoked three cigarettes since him and Cartman made their silent, empty way to the basketball courts. They didn't talk on the way here, they didn't talk when they sat on the abandoned picnic table. Cartman just stared, either at his sneakers or at the painted sky, breathing in the frigid air or the pungent smoke that was furling around him. Kenny only stared at Cartman, his exhausted aqua eyes immersed in thought, although he didn't know if Cartman was consenting to being stared at, or if he simply didn't notice.

"Why haven't you gone home yet, Kenny?" Cartman asked the sky. His voice weakened, like the silence was trying to claim that too "Clearly I'm wasting your time"

"Cartman" Kenny began, nudging Cartman playfully and glad when a somewhat happy smirk tugged at the corner of Cartman's mouth "Everything I do is a waste of time. So don't feel bad about it-"

"I don't" Cartman reassured, with complete honesty.

"Alright. Secondly, I'm not gonna go home when I know something is bothering you. I mean, I'm not usually graced with random visits from you, right?"

"How can you have this much patience with me?" Cartman asked, genuinely curious.

Kenny shrugged, taking a deep drag of his cigarette and trying to find an answer that didn't advertise the feelings he had convinced himself were so idiotic. "We've been stuck with each other since preschool, I'm used to your ways"

Cartman thinly laughed under his breath, running a hand through his hair and Kenny could've sworn his eyelashes were damp.

"But" Kenny sighed "Sitting here in silence isn't gonna solve anything. So why don't you just tell me what's wrong?"

"Okay" Cartman mumbled, preparing himself to recount the events that he could hardly believe happened only a few hours ago. "Kahl came over to my house. We hadn't talked for a couple of days, because I've been so stressed with my mom and everything. But he called me yesterday and he practically begged me to let him come over. It's not as if I don't wanna see him, or anything. Perhaps it is, I don't fucking know"

"Why wouldn't you wanna see him?" Kenny asked, furrowing his eyebrows. As far as Kenny knew, Cartman and Kyle were besotted with each other. Cartman had practically vanished for a week because he was staying with Kyle and apparently couldn't bear to spend a moment apart from him. Kenny thought that was rather absurd, but then, he'd never been in love before. He'd never known what it's like to want to share every moment with another person.

"I do wanna see him. Just not here. I fucking hate this place, Kenny! It's like a reminder of how screwed up my life has been! And I don't want Kahl, who is the best thing that's ever happened to me, to see that. I even told him that today! I hate how I am when he's here with me. It's like I can't fucking relax. But then I try to tell myself that it's not Kahl's problem, it's my problem. I don't belong here, Kenny! Don't you ever feel like that?"

"Of course I feel like that" Kenny replies "But I wouldn't know where else to go. So I figure I should just, I dunno, wait it out, for the time being..."

Cartman knew that he couldn't do that. Even if, like Kenny, he had no idea where he could go, that didn't mean he should idly wait until the answer appeared to him. Maybe it was because Cartman felt the reasons for his eminent departure too fervidly, maybe there were too many things haunting him and surely driving him crazy. Leaving here with no clue where to go next seemed like more of an opportunity to seize than 'waiting it out'. At least that way, Cartman thought, the options were infinite. And with that, came the image of him and Kyle speeding away from this town with the promise of something better. Cartman felt no guilt, no sense of responsibility and it was exhilarating, but his disregard of what was going on in the real world, assured him that he was only feeling such heady exhilaration because it was all a fantasy.

"Kahl asked me to run away with him" Cartman blurted out, not considering Kenny's reaction.

"Really?" Kenny asked with a small voice, Cartman could feel Kenny bristling next to him. "Then shouldn't you be packing your bags?" Kenny laughed incredulously. It filled Kenny with a consuming loss, that Kyle could give Cartman everything he wanted so easily. That he could be Cartman's ticket out of here. That he could make Cartman so happy and Kenny had nothing to offer. And if Cartman was so easily swept off his feet by Kyle, then where did that leave Kenny? More alone than he ever hoped to be.

"Yeah, well..." Cartman laughed, trying to keep his cool but faltering shamelessly when he exhaled, so broken and defeated "At first I thought he was kidding. But he wasn't. And it should have been this perfect moment. But... God damn it, Kenny. I realized I couldn't do it. I can't leave, not right now at least. My mom needs me and she may have left me but I'm not gonna leave her. I'm not. Then I would be as bad as she was all those years ago, right?"

"Did you tell Kyle that?" Kenny asked quietly, still reeling slightly from the terrifying possibility of letting Cartman slip through his fingers so easily. Sure, nothing may ever happen between them. But Kenny hated the thought of Cartman leaving without Kenny ever realizing his chance.

"I tried!" Cartman said frustratedly, before burying his head in his hands and groaning. "God, I can't remember what the fuck I said to him. It's all just shouting and this pain in my chest, like I was having a panic attack or something. Although I was angry, not panicked and more fucking upset than I had ever been before. Even more upset than when my mom was in hospital, but that's only because I was terrified. Shit, I was so fucking angry, Kenny! Do you know what he said to me? He said that leaving my mom was justified because of all the things she's done over the years!"

"He really said that?" Kenny asks, his eyes widened with sharpened surprise. And when Cartman nodded, Kenny shook his head as he tried to imagine the guy at the Rugby game, the guy who begrudgingly seemed really cool and right for Cartman, saying that.

"And you know the craziest part? The part that makes me even angrier at him? Is that it's partly true. Of course I fucking know that my mom is the reason I wanna leave here! Staying here would just be a constant reminder of the mistakes she's made! But... She wants to change and I know she loves me and I have to stay because she's trying to make things better and if I left... It would mean that I'm denying her a second chance. Even if being with Kahl, for better or worse, makes me the happiest I've ever been. I can't leave now. Although a part of me really fucking wants to."

"And what happened then?" Kenny murmurs, shifting closer to Cartman and pleasantly surprised when Cartman doesn't flinch or shove him away.

"He left. I kicked him out" Cartman replied simply, his voice scratchy. His throat shudders with tears as he calmly continues "I couldn't listen to him anymore because it felt like I had been figured out, you know? Like all the shit that's happened that I've wanted to forget, somebody else knows about. And I hate it, I hate it so much."

"I know, I know" Kenny soothed, jolting with surprise as Cartman collapsed in tears on his bony shoulder. Kenny didn't like how Cartman was clinging to him, it felt so callous.

"You know when you're angry? And you say things and make decisions and at the time they seem like the right thing to do but once you calm down you realize how pathetically wrong you were?" Cartman asked.

"I guess" Kenny replied, nervously wrapping his arm around Cartman's broad back and when it was safe, he began to trace circles with his slender fingers.

"Maybe I shouldn't have kicked him out, Kenny. But he deserved it, right? God, I don't know..." Cartman despaired, wiping his tears on Kenny's jacket. "He kept saying that he loves me, I wish I could've said that I love him too. But, then, I wasn't sure I did anymore."

"You could call him when you get home?" Kenny suggested.

Cartman shook his head "I don't think I'm ready to talk to him yet"

"What if I've missed my chance with him?" Cartman asked after a silence that lasted too long.

"What do you mean?"

"When he let me stay with him for that week, it was something I didn't wanna lose. I know it sounds lame but everything feels so safe when it's just me and Kahl, anywhere but here. And if we ran away together, that safeness would always be there, wouldn't it? What if I've missed my chance to have that with him?"

Kenny sighed thoughtfully, his eyes trailing over Cartman absent-mindedly; the only thing keeping him warm. And when he talked about the security he felt with Kyle, it seemed so understandable and palpable to Kenny in that moment.

Bravely, Kenny rested his cheek on Cartman's hair, breathing in the scent of his shampoo, before whispering tenderly "Eric..."

Never had Kenny spoken that name so sincerely.

But Cartman flinched, the way Kenny whispered those two syllables, a cheap isotope of how Kyle said it, brought too many pained, reminiscent thoughts. Almost as if Kyle had a claim on that word, only he had the ability to ignite a spark of life inside Cartman when he spoke it.

"Don't" Cartman snapped, pulling himself away from Kenny. Even averting his gaze when he muttered "Don't call me that"

"Dude, I'm sorry" Kenny replied defensively, his hands quivering and he cringed at the uncomfortable heated that had flushed on his face.

Whilst Cartman busied himself with being hostile and ignoring Kenny completely, Kenny chose to steal plaintive, embarrassed glances of Cartman when he was sure he wasn't looking.

"I'll see you later" Cartman muttered coldly, walking away from Kenny without taking a single look back.

It took Kyle two days to leave ten voicemails.

Cartman was able to ignore Kyle's texts and phone calls with a worrying ease. If it had been any other circumstance, he wouldn't have dreamt of it, but the thought of talking to Kyle was still provoking unwanted, excruciating emotions.

Still, curiosity was sure to erode whatever intangible force was preventing Cartman from hearing Kyle out. If that was what Kyle wanted. The presence of ten messages, each holding countless words that Kyle felt were so important that Cartman needed to hear them, was going to get to Cartman eventually, wasn't it?

And it did.

When Cartman came home from school to find his mom taking a nap on the couch, there seemed to be no distraction great enough to stop Cartman from doing the one thing that had started to play on his mind so obsessively.

Sitting anxiously on his bed, it almost felt as if he were just calling Kyle for a conversation littered with 'I miss you' and assurances that they were both okay. When often they weren't too sure about that.

The first voicemail message was two hours after the fight and whatever unnerving, shaking strength Cartman had gathered in himself, totally dissolved at hearing Kyle's voice;

"Of course you're not answering your phone, why should you? When I'm a fucking idiot. Eric, you need to understand I said all those things because I care about you and love you so fucking much. A part of me meant every word I said to you, because I was so fucking frustrated. I just want what's best for you, okay? God, I feel like it's too soon to try to make this better. But, and I know this will probably sound so selfish of me, and if you listen to this message, you'll probably want nothing more to do with me, but... I need to know that this isn't over. That this is fixable. No matter how long it takes and even if you don't love me as much as you used to. Call me, text me, come to my apartment, whatever, give me any sign that you don't wanna let go of what he have. Okay? Please. I'm not asking you to forgive me. Bye"

Cartman winced at the pleading, desperate tears that were such a strange nuance in Kyle's voice. So trembling and fragile, with the most heartbroken, passionate fire burning beneath the surface. It exhausted Cartman more than he already was, but he was determined to listen to all the messages. Since he was craving Kyle, missing him so much, in spite of everything. And he wanted to forgive him. Listening to these messages was the only way he knew how.

The second message was four hours later and Cartman could've smirked at Kyle's sleepy voice. The voice that sounded so warm and soothing when they were stealing late night conversations under the covers. Cartman could see Kyle pawing at his tired eyes, the loose, gentle smile that bloomed so delicately on his face.

"Hi, I just wanted to say good night. I figure, just because you're angry at me and I'm disappointed with myself, doesn't mean I shouldn't say good night to you, like every night. So, um... Good night, Eric. I love you. Hope you get this message. And I'm still incredibly sorry, I need you to know that"

Cartman trembled at the message he just heard, remembering painfully how much he missed Kyle saying good night to him. In his safe, loving voice that would never hurt him.

Cartman listened to seven more messages, feeling like Kyle had invaded him in the most guileful way, possessing him with the sharp, sincere keen of his words. It was almost as if Kyle was turning over every familiar, wonderful emotion that Cartman could never forget. Because they were the most fervid, exhilaration emotions he had ever felt.

The tenth message broke him. And it was left the previous day, during Cartman's rugby practice.

"Eric, I understand if you don't wanna talk to me, even if that realization is fucking tearing me apart. But what's eating me up even more is how cruel I must have sounded, and how much I could hurt you without knowing I was doing it. I see now how completely out of line I was, saying all those terrible things. I know how much your mom loves you and how much she's trying, and I understand how you feel the need to stick with her and be by her side, but... But I still think that you deserve better than what you have back home. You deserve to be happy. If that's with me, then, God, I cannot even try to explain to you how happy I would be. If that's without me, I would be, well, I'd be disappointed. But you know that. But it's not about me. And I wouldn't resent you if you wanted to start a new life on your own. I'd be irretrievably sad but all of that sadness would be gilded with the knowledge that you're happy. I'll take a huge comfort in that... You know what would be so unnecessarily tragic? If you never break free. If, twenty years down the line, you're still feeling so stifled and unfulfilled and not the boy, man, I fell in love with. Then that would break my heart, more than us parting ever could. I mean it. Love you, Eric. So God damn much. Please call me when you're ready to talk. I'm so sorry."

Cartman's hands were shaking as he called Kyle, and any words he had planned to say, died in his throat.

"Eric" The first word out of Kyle's mouth. Reminding Cartman just how tightly Kyle had a hold of him. The next words dissolved into blind, vulnerable emotion that Cartman never expected "Oh my God..."

"Hi" Cartman whispered, hoping Kyle heard.

"Yeah, hi" Kyle laughed nervously, as if it was the only thing he could from losing it all together. "I'm so glad you called"

Cartman swallowed, wondering how long Kyle would be able to sit in silence with him. Only comforted by the intangible tether they were keeping their balance on.

"I miss you" Kyle confessed, laughing exasperatedly and adding "Actually, that's a huge fucking understatement"

"I miss you too" Cartman almost felt like he blurted it out. But he felt an unnerving wave of relief at the admission, like the weight of keeping it suppressed and denied for so long was so unknowingly excruciating.

"I'm sorry" Kyle's voice crumbled into a tearful whisper and Cartman bit his lip frustratedly at his own stinging eyes, not sure whether his broken breathing was making matters any better.

"I know" Cartman replied sadly, pressing his wrists to his eyes and saying more firmly "Kahl, I know"

"You don't have to forgive me" Kyle began "But I love you and, right now, I need to know if you still love me too-"

"Kahl, don't say stupid things like that" Cartman interrupted, shaking his head and running his hand through his hair. His fingers flexed, some hair falling loose of his grip "Of course I love you too. What we have... Well, you don't throw it away like that, you know?"

"It's kinda hard to fall out of" Kyle laughed quietly.

"Yeah. It is" Cartman softly agreed, imagining his fingers intertwining with Kyle's.

The heat was almost unbearable. Even when Cartman insisted on opening his bedroom window, to allow the fresh, damp wind and (subsequently) the light smattering of rain in.

The sweat seemed to sheen and sting off the both of them, Cartman cringed at the possibility of it sordidly creasing and staining his sheets in a way his mother would definitely notice when the aforementioned sheets were in the laundry. However, this unpleasant thought was silenced quickly as Kyle thrusted deeper into him, noticeable through the eager, greedy rhythm the two had fallen into. Keenly feeling withdrawal. Fumbling for another hit after a prolonged spell of chaste encounters and blind phone conversations.

Cartman's parted legs trembled, impatiently knocked open by Kyle's knees and spread when Kyle slid up his body to claim his waiting lips. And although it wasn't the first kiss they had shared since their reunion, the forced closeness of the cramp singled bed they were currently tangled in and smothered by made their arousals spike to almost helpless levels. Kyle's mouth was on Cartman's neck, to muffle his cries and groans, Cartman only had the luxury of hearing them when they dared to trespass to the pillow, speeding by his desperate ears like a train you wish you could catch. Eliciting them was a much-missed joy and every well-placed moan or every time Cartman dared to fuck himself deeper on the cock that was now balls deep inside him, was sure to gain a lovesick, satisfied cry into salty skin.

When Kyle's fingers teased Cartman's thick, aching erection, he almost sobbed. As if he was becoming sensitive to Kyle's touch all over again.

"Ssh" Kyle laughed mischievously, nipping at Eric's earlobe. His weak fingers stroking Eric's lips in an attempt to censor any loud moans. Cartman clutched Kyle's hair tighter in response, squeezing the nape of his neck. He could feel the sweat from Kyle's curls embedding itself under his chewed fingernails.

Cartman had seen Kyle from his bedroom window, unabashedly waiting for him and when he saw Kyle shyly walking up the driveway, he grinned giddily. And as he rushed downstairs to answer the door, his excitement at seeing Kyle again wiped away the initial, unwilling hostility that he had been worrying over.

A slither of relief wracked Kyle's remorse, making him appear more defeated. But Eric had kissed him before he had even finished his apology. The kiss was fairly quick, collapsing into a crushing embrace and Cartman could've sworn that Kyle was crying. They swayed with the force of it, unable to comprehend anything other than that they were holding each other again, something that was once a novelty, now had become so powerful.

"I need to take you to my room" Cartman hurriedly said, almost breathless, brushing the curls away from Kyle's amused face. Any air of collected, arousing coolness was discarded for something more honest. Kyle appreciated that. "Like, right now..."

"Definitely" Kyle giggled, his nose unintentionally brushing against Eric's. But Eric pecked at it, anyway.

Grabbing Kyle's hand, Cartman began to lead Kyle upstairs but they hadn't reached the third step before Lianne called.

"Eric?" Her unassuming voice raising over the chatter of the TV "Who was that at the door?"

"Uh, my friend" Eric hastily replied, not caring about specifics, he just needed to get Kyle into his room. Now.

"Which friend, Eric?"

"Mom, does it matter?" Cartman whined and Kyle pursed his lips together and laughed inwardly. "I'm really busy so-"

But it was too late, Lianne was already up from the sofa and she gasped gleefully at the figure standing next to her son. "Kyle! Dear, I haven't seen you here for a while!"

"Well, I just thought I'd stop by to see Eric and-"

"Eric, have you offered Kyle something to drink? Eat?"

"He doesn't want anything to eat or drink"

"I'll bet you haven't even asked! Come on, Kyle, I'll make some coffee, and I have delicious cupcakes too! And we can have a nice catch up!" Before Kyle could politely decline the undoubtedly sweet offer, Lianne had bustled into the kitchen, no doubt expecting that Kyle and Eric had followed her.

Kyle's grip on Cartman's hand grew lax as he apologetically looked up at him and shrugged. Although he was just as impatient as Eric. Cartman rolled his eyes, smiling shyly when Kyle placed a silent kiss on his cheek.

An hour later and Kyle was pressed up against Eric's locked door, their mouths fumbling roughly and wetly as they desperately canted together.

They were both naked and pawing at each other before they even got into bed.

As Kyle neared his climax, he slipped his fingers away from Eric's mouth, instead taking Eric's hand away from its loose grip on his shoulder. Their hands fanned out on the sheets, tentatively invading the caverns of their shaking fingers, their warm palms pressed flush together.

Eric cried into Kyle's mouth as he came, and Kyle welcomed the impromptu kiss, smirking at how Eric's fingers flexed, exhausted and frenzied. But they fiercely clutched Kyle's, practically encompassing Kyle's whole hand, and it reminded Kyle of a baby's hand making a starfish on the first object it touches.

Kyle decided to squeeze Eric's hand when, after a few slow yet effective thrusts, he came. A disjointed groan causing their lips to sloppily separate and for Kyle instead to literally fall on Eric, his eyes gently closed and his moist breath cooling Cartman's heated face.

And for the first time in two hours, everything was silent and still. Frozen in a way that didn't seem threatening, dangerous. Kyle's softening cock was still inside Cartman, twitching sporadically (and somewhat pleasurably, Cartman thought) and their fingers were still loosely intertwined, fidgeting and fiddling with the others as if they were independent from Cartman and Kyle's bodies.

"Hmm" The syllable rumbled in Kyle's throat, dissolving in his trachea.

"Hmm what?" Cartman asked, his voice lacking any worthy consistency. He doubted Kyle would mind, since the both of them were happily wrecked.

Cartman felt Kyle's cheek swell against his own in a wide smile. "Nothing" Kyle replied and he moved as if it were a chore. Cartman would've made an 'old guy' joke but he was too boneless to be witty.

With his free hand, Kyle pushed Eric's damp hair away from his forehead. Cartman knew Kyle was staring into his eyes, almost searching for something, scrutinising something. Kyle's mouth was parted slightly, in a thoughtful way. As if he wanted to speak but there were no words at the minute. When Cartman swallowed nervously, that thoughtful parting stretched into a pleased smile.

"How could I risk losing you?" Kyle whispered, not wanting Eric to answer. Frankly, Cartman didn't want to answer. This day had been so great because they had avoided talking about that horrid fight.

Kyle thumbed at Cartman's cheek before adding "How could I risk losing your beautiful golden eyes?"

Cartman blushed and turned away, wanting to hide his so-called 'beautiful' eyes. But Kyle pinched his chin between his index finger and thumb and brought Eric's gaze back to him.

"How could I almost let myself lose your adorable little nose?" Kyle giggled quietly, which made Cartman blush even deeper and want to bat Kyle away. Admittedly, he did appreciate the small kiss placed on the tip.

Kyle's eyes became hooded when he thinly whispered "Or your gorgeous lips?" Cartman's bashful smirk evaporated into a loving kiss, and with his eyes closed he blindly traced Kyle's back. Cartman grumbled as the kiss ended too soon.

Kyle bit at his chin and continued to kiss his way down to Eric's chest. Cartman felt too aware of his pulse when Kyle's thumb grazed at it, whispering sincerely into the skin. "Or your wonderful heart..."

Cartman exhaled shakily, appointing himself to speak when he honestly couldn't think of anything to say. Kyle's head was resting thoughtfully on his chest, hopefully listening to the crashing tide of his heart. Mellowed, following their love-making.

But Kyle looked so plaintive, so agonizingly guilty. Cartman had to say something. Anything.

"Kahl, you know I forgive you" Cartman assured, thinking his words were too cloying.

But they seemed to work as Kyle smiled appreciatively, his hand reaching up to stroke Cartman's jaw "Thank you" Kyle whispered.

"You don't need to thank me" Cartman simply replied, because it was the truth and it didn't need to be anything more.

A:N/ Gosh, I really hope that was worth the wait.

That was my first time writing Karen, she's such a cool character. And, yep, I guess that's my head-canon of what she's gonna be like as a teenager. I was re-watching the second series of Skins and I think my head-canon may have been inspired by Effy Stonem.

I know this seems, I dunno, final? For a lack of a better word? But trust me, you should brace yourself for Chapter 10.

Anyway, I'm so sorry for the wait. Really. I've been so busy with going on vacation for a week and there's been friends' birthday parties and family obligations. And even when I did have time to write, I just felt so distracted. But, anyway, I hope you enjoyed!