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“Okay, Bubbe now call me when you guys make stops and get to your hotel.” Shelia fretted. She personally checked Kyle’s bags three times and was moving for a fourth but the boy very swiftly moved them.
“I got it, Ma, I swear.” He groaned. His mother had every right to worry. He and Cartman were going on a trip. Alone. And they were only seventeen. For his birthday, Cartman absolutely insisted on being allowed to drive his car out of state. Liane, ever the spoiler, consented. Her son had been driving long enough and she was confident he could make his trip and be perfectly fine. The kicker was wanting Kyle along for the ride. It took a lot of convincing to get Shelia’s approval. Gerald was easier; he had his share of fun in his youth with his friends. He knew the kind of things Cartman and Kyle could get up to and that didn’t scare him as much as it did his wife. Eventually, the woman gave her permission and agreed to let Kyle join his boyfriend on a road trip to Phoenix. What was there she had no idea. Kyle didn’t even know but Cartman seemed keen on going. He was honestly excited. This would be their first trip alone as a couple. Usually, they were with friends or family but now, for the next week, it would be just them on the road heading to a new city.
“Are you sure? You have absolutely everything?”
“Yes.” he was exasperated.
“Socks?”
“Yes.”
“Toothbrush?”
“Yes.”
“Insulin?”
"Yes, Ma, I have it all.”
"Are you absolutely sure about this trip?” she asked nervously.
“Yes, I’m sure. I’ll be home next Saturday.” He hugged her. “I promise I’ll call every day and tell you how I am.”
“You better or you’ll never leave this house again,” she said sternly as she kissed his cheek. She looked out the window as she saw Liane’s boy pull up. Kyle took a breath as he said bye to his family once more and loaded his bags into Cartman’s car. Cartman hummed along to the radio as he waved to Shelia who watched the pair like a hawk. He knew better than to pull off before Kyle had properly fastened his seatbelt. The last time he did that Shelia called Kyle yelling about safety even though the ginger had his seatbelt on by that point. He wanted a smooth trip. Once Kyle was secured and waved to his mother, he would have the green light.
“Ready to go?” he asked gently as Kyle waved to his mother.
“Yup, let’s go.” Kyle smiled at him. Cartman returned the smile and pulled off. Liane had gracefully let him go. She made sure his car had a full tank of gas, a spare tire and kit, and plenty of his favorite snacks. It didn’t take him long for the pair to hit the highway. Cartman floored it as he kept up with traffic. The radio was loud with music as Kyle relaxed, his feet on the dash as he scrolled through his phone. Cartman had his free hand in a bag of Cheesy Poofs. This was their normal. It felt good. It felt comfortable. They hadn’t needed to talk much for the time being. Cartman glanced at his GPS every few moments to keep up with the route he needed to stay on. Kyle would glance every so often himself. He had no idea where they were going, and why. Whenever he asked Cartman always answered “Pheonix” and nothing else. He glanced at the brunette and decided he was due an answer. He turned the radio down. He felt Cartman’s gaze shift to him briefly. He swallowed and braved the question.
“So, care to tell me where we’re going?” he cleared his throat.
“Pheonix.”
“Yeah I know, but why?”
“Because why not?”
Kyle shrugged. “Just shocked you didn’t want Vegas or Dallas or something I guess more flashy. Something more, you.”
“More me, what does that mean?” Cartman glanced at him again.
“I don’t know. You don’t do well with quiet usually. You usually prefer the louder brighter things.” Kyle eased. Cartman seemingly paused as if considering the notion.
“You make it sound like I’m a dog.” He finally responded.
“How?”
“Louder and brighter, those things attract dogs and babies and I know for a fact you aren’t comparing me to a baby.”
“No, I only do that when you cry over fried chicken.”
“Hey! If the Colonel forgets my extra leg I have every right to cry about it.”
Kyle could only laugh. “I guess but still, c’mon. Why Pheonix?”
“Well, not exactly Pheonix. I only said that because it isn’t totally far from where we’re going.” Cartman again glanced at Kyle who gestured with his hand for him to continue.
“Grand Canyon.” he finally answered.
“Grand Canyon, really?” Kyle raised a brow. “That’ll be nice. Definitely something different.”
“Yup, just wanted to finally see it. Always wanted to.”
“That’s shockingly gentle.” Kyle teased.
"Yeah, and I wanted you to come so I can finally push you into it,” Cartman smirked.
“Oh haha.” Kyle rolled his eyes with a smile. The two rode in silence a beat longer. Kyle thought this was gentle of Cartman. He liked it when Cartman was more vulnerable with him. It made him happy to think their relationship was deep and unshakable. He was often open with Cartman and liked to think Cartman was becoming that way with him. Cartman shamelessly licked his fingers before turning the radio back up. He was slowly becoming more open with Kyle but didn’t like the sappy feeling to linger too long. Kyle was always one for emotions but he wasn’t. He had no problem wiping Kyle’s tears away but he’d be damned if the ginger returned the favor. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Kyle, he just didn’t want to break down. That wasn’t who he was as a person. He was Eric Cartman. He was loud and bright like Kyle said. He was an asshole. He was brash. He was manipulative and cunning. He was funny and charming. Charismatic and strong. He was anything except vulnerable despite Kyle and his therapist encouraging him to be. He didn’t want to be. He quite frankly didn’t know why he needed to be. He kept his eyes on the road. He did so for the next three hours before he pulled off at a pitstop. A quick trip to the bathroom and a reload of chips and the pair were back on the road. Kyle looked out the window as they made it to their first official stop not long after.
They were stopping over in New Mexico for the night. The boys grabbed their bags and checked into a midgrade hotel courtesy of Liane. Cartman flopped back on the bed letting off a tired sigh. Kyle watched as Cartman rested his eyes. He bit his lip and decided to take the opportunity. He walked over to the bed and climbed over Cartman. The brunette opened his eyes only to be met with the ginger kissing him. He closed his eyes and pulled the smaller boy to him. Kyle deepened the kiss as he wrapped his arms around Cartman’s neck. Cartman rolled the ginger under him. The kisses grew feverish. He felt the rumble of Kyle’s moans against him. He took the lead to slip his hand under his shirt. Kyle’s skin was warm and it only made Cartman want to touch him all over. Kyle felt Cartman getting excited as the larger boy grew hard between the legs. His skin grew flushed as he tried to urge Cartman away. He only wanted to kiss, maybe something innocent. He didn’t want sex, not at the moment. The two had slept together already, several times in fact. But at the moment he felt gross from the car ride.
“Shower and then we eat?”
“Shower and then you blow me?”
“Cartman!”
“It’s my birthday! Don’t be a prude dick.”
At this Kyle could only roll his eyes.
“Let’s shower and then talk about it.”
“Fine, but we shower together to save time.”
“Fine,” Kyle smirked. He popped off the bed and into the bathroom to start the water. Cartman took the moment to text his mother that they made it to the hotel.
“Don’t forget to call your mother, Jew. She’ll die if you don’t,” he called out to his boyfriend.
“Yeah, yeah, go get in while I call.”
“I thought we were supposed to shower together.”
“We are but I want to call her alone.”
It was Cartman’s turn to roll his eyes. He took off into the bathroom and closed the door giving Kyle privacy. The ginger had a quick call with his mother who sounded like she hadn’t breathed since he called her from the pitstop. She was thrilled they made it to their hotel safely. Kyle told her about the things he saw along the ride and the food he had from random diners along the way. Shelia was glad of it. After talking for a few minutes Kyle managed to pipeline off the phone. He told her he was about to shower so he could go to bed. She wished him goodnight and told him to call before hitting the road in the morning. With “I love you” they parted for the night. Kyle took a moment to exhale alone before joining Cartman in the bathroom. The shower went as he anticipated. It ended with him having hickeys on his neck and his lips bruised, not that he minded.
Afterward, he gave Cartman his wish. The birthday boy was pleased with the sensuality Kyle presented him. Before long the efforts of the shower were found to be in vain as they became entangled under the sheets. Whatever stress from driving for so long was soon forgotten as Cartman dominated his lover. This was often his stress relief, sleeping with Kyle. He loved taking in the beauty of the ginger, his ginger, beneath him. This was how he let his feelings be known with no words at all. Kyle knew this. He didn’t mind this. He wished Cartman didn’t fuck his feelings away but he wouldn’t deny the sex was amazing. Cartman was always so tender and aggressive in the same stroke. He was never cold when he laid with Cartman. He felt himself be consumed by the larger boy and he liked becoming one, even if it meant he was the one left more with the bruises while Cartman only made off with scratches on his back usually.
When Cartman finished his last release, he maneuvered Kyle on top of him. The ginger didn’t like being under him while they slept and he liked having the smaller boy on his chest anyway. Kyle kissed his collar tiredly as he nuzzled his chest. The pair fell asleep quite easily after their time together. A few hours later the ginger awoke to the call of housekeeping. Kyle as kindly as he could told them to come back later. He knew Cartman was a force of nature when awoken and didn’t want the hotel staff to find themselves covered in flames. Luckily his efforts were not in vain. Cartman had only grunted in his sleep as he rolled over. Kyle took the opportunity to get ready for the day. After a quick spin in the bathroom, he quietly exited their hotel room. He figured Cartman would want a nice breakfast when he awoke. The least he could do was grab them food from the restaurant in the lobby. Luckily Cartman quite literally ate anything but even still, Kyle knew his basic preferences. He placed the order and texted his friends while he waited. The waitress gave him a coffee while he waited. He found himself having a pleasant conversation with the blonde while he waited for his food. For a Sunday morning, they were rather slow so she had time to spare. She looked on the younger side. Kyle could tell she wasn’t more than 20 or 21 maybe at the oldest. She was a Red Racer fan which meant she definitely was in the same age group. The conversation was stimulating and pleasant to Kyle. He thanked her for her time when his order came up. When he arrived back to the room Cartman was awake. The brunette was quiet as he was getting dressed.
“Morning,” Kyle said mindful of his energy as he kissed Cartman’s cheek. The other grumbled back a greeting as Kyle laid out the food containers. It didn’t take long for Cartman to instinctively dive into his portion. He was quiet as he ate. Kyle wasn’t bothered. It was normal that Cartman was only good for eating in the morning and operating on autopilot for a bit. The two ate in silence. It somehow felt tense to Kyle, as if the morning grump hadn’t been shaken from Cartman even with the fill of pancakes and eggs. The ginger finished his meal and began rechecking their bags. They were due straight back on the road when they left the hotel. He felt Cartman’s eyes on him as he organized their things and tried to not focus on it. Thirty minutes later they were back on the road.
Kyle looked out the window as Cartman focused on the road. The past hour and a half had been agonizingly quiet. There was a tension in the car that Kyle couldn’t place. Things had been wonderful last night. Why was Cartman in a mood all of a sudden? He had fucked him to sleep. He brought him a good breakfast. He made sure he slept undisturbed. What could’ve possibly been up the brunette’s ass? He huffed slightly.
“What?” Cartman’s voice came annoyed.
“I should ask you that.” Kyle retorted crossing his arms.
“And why’s that?”
“Because you’ve got sand up your vagina.”
Cartman instantly pulled over to the side of the road. He dismissed the cars honking behind at the sudden action. He would not tolerate the ginger using his line on him. To even accuse him of having sand in his vagina, how dare he!?
“What did you just say to me!?” Cartman demanded.
“I said,” Kyle said clearing his throat, “You’ve got sand in your vagina,” he said mocking the voice of a young Eric Cartman.
“That’s not funny you fucking asshole!”
“Don’t call me an asshole when you’re the one being an asshole!”
“I’m not being an asshole! I’ve done nothing but drive and you have the nerve to have an attitude over nothing! Am I boring you Kyle? Is that it?”
“Boring me? When did I ever say anything about you boring me?”
“You didn’t have to.” Cartman huffed.
“Cartman, what the hell are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“I swear to you I don’t.” Kyle sighed exasperated. Cartman looked at the ginger pausing a moment.
“You were flirting with that cheap bitch this morning.”
“What?” Kyle was now confused.
“I saw you at the counter flirting this morning. When I woke up you weren’t in the room so I went to look for you. When I got to the lobby I saw you at that stupid little restaurant talking to that stupid little waitress. Laughing and smiling. When was the last time you did that with me? All you do is yell at me and complain about everything!” Cartman ranted. Kyle sat quietly as he watched his boyfriend grow flustered. He knew Cartman was of the jealous variety but not to this extent. Cartman panted slightly as finished. He watched Kyle’s expression. The ginger didn’t seem moved. He only sighed as he leaned back in his seat.
“Don’t just brush me off, dammit! See how you won’t even defend yourself. It only proves that you were flirting with that stupid bitch! Was it just that boring for you to do that!? After everything I fucking do for you!” Cartman continued his rant. Kyle let him have it. He wasn’t sure what about his conversation with the waitress was flirtatious. He also didn’t know why Cartman was so angry about it. It had been a while since Cartman even showed interest in Kyle talking to anyone else. He looked at the brunette from the corner of his eye before turning his attention back straight. Cartman growled in frustration at the ginger’s lack of response. He got out of the car slamming the door behind him. He left off a string of swears as he paced in front of the vehicle. Kyle only watched his boyfriend have his meltdown on the side of the road. He was sure passersby were watching but that was the least of his worries. He was more concerned with Cartman’s outburst. The behavior was strange for the brunette. He took a breath and got out of the car.
“Cartman, come here,” Kyle said softly.
“Fuck off, Jew. You can hitchhike back to South Park for all I care.”
“Babe, cmon. Talk to me."
“Don’t ‘babe’ me you, whore.”
“Cartman, enough! I don’t know what’s gotten into you but I haven’t cheated on you! I wasn’t flirting. Talking to someone or even smiling in conversation doesn’t mean I’m a cheater! It doesn’t mean I’m bored of you. Where the hell did all this come from? You know I would never hurt you. You mean so much to me Cartman.” Kyle pleaded. “You mean so much to me, Eric.” He repeated as he gently pulled the larger boy towards him. Cartman looked at the ginger with hardened eyes. He knew he was likely out of line but he was livid.
He hated seeing Kyle smile so brightly for someone else. It seemed rare that Kyle smiled for him that way. It burned him on the inside to think someone else was gifted Kyle’s smile so easily when he seemingly had to work for it. His heart raced now, however. Kyle’s face had no sign of a smile. His green eyes were dimmed with worry and his face laced with concern. There was no fire to his voice or mood. He wasn’t his feisty Carrot Cake. He was somebody else. Just as he was now unfamiliar with the ginger now. They looked at each other with trepidation. The only sound that came was from the cars driving by.
“Eric, please.” Kyle quietly begged. “This isn’t you, being this angry. Please tell me the truth. Nothing you can tell me will make me stop loving you.”
“Do you really love me that much?”
“Of course I do you idiot. I wouldn’t be standing here on the side of the highway begging you to let me help you if I didn’t.” Kyle said squeezing his hands softly. “Now tell me how I can make it right.”
“Promise you won’t find me boring.”
“I promise.”
“Promise you’ll always love me.”
“I promise.” He kissed his cheek.
“You honestly weren’t flirting with her?”
“Cartman, I’m literally so gay I keep expecting to find pots of gold in my room from a Leprechaun who found my house at the end of a rainbow,” He laughed. “I promise I wasn’t flirting. We were just talking about Red Racer while I was waiting for our food.”
“You smiled so much when you spoke to her…I feel like you don’t smile for me when you talk to me.”
“I’m sorry, baby.” He crooned into Eric’s neck. “Didn’t think I was coming off as distant. I’ll be more mindful. You always make me happy. I can be myself with you. Maybe that person just isn’t so smiley.” He sighed.
“I know. You nag.” Cartman pressed.
“Yes, I nag just like my Jersey-born mother. But it’s good for you. Maybe I can stand to smile more when I do it.”
“Yeah, that’d be good,” Cartman breathed. “Let’s get back on the road hmm?” He offered as he kissed Cartman’s chin. The larger moved pulling him closer into his arms. He kissed the ginger properly, the last of the rage melting away from him. Kyle could feel it and was glad of it. A few hours later they finally arrived in Phoenix. They checked in with their respective families once settled into their hotel. It had been a long day but they were finally glad to rest.
The rest of the trip seemingly went by without incident. They explored the city for a few days before finally going to the Grand Canyon. They sat looking out at the site as the sunset. It was a moment of bliss as they kissed. Kyle leaned into Cartman as they parted. Their hands remained intertwined. There were no words to say at the moment. All they could do was enjoy the splendor of the view and each other.