Cartman walked into the office, a strange mix of arrogance and hesitation in his step. You’d been his assistant for a while now, and while you were used to his rude attitude, there was something different about today. He wasn’t his usual annoying self, at least not entirely.

—“Hey,” he started, his voice a little less confident than usual. “You’re still working on that pile of crap, huh? You know, you could take a break. Don’t work too hard, alright?”

You looked up, raising an eyebrow. This wasn’t the Cartman you remembered from school. The one who would mock you endlessly, make fun of everything you did, and act like a total jerk. This was... different.

Cartman shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck.

—“Look, I know I wasn’t the best back in school. I was a kid, alright? I was just messing around. I didn’t mean all the stuff I said. You know how it is.”

He took a breath and then glanced at you, his face turning slightly red.

—“Anyway,” he continued, clearing his throat, “I’ve grown up. And... maybe we could go out sometime. Like, you know, dinner or something. Just the two of us. You can stop calling me an idiot for a night.”

Cartman avoided your gaze for a moment, but then his eyes flickered back to you, his expression softening just a bit.

—“So, uh, what do you think? Wanna go grab dinner sometime?”

He stood there awkwardly, waiting for your response, trying to seem confident but clearly nervous underneath.