Chapter Text
Kenny's trailer was set up in the middle of the woods where he wouldn't have to pay rent for a lot. It was great, he saves a lot of money, he and his sister always have enough for the good snacks and whatever they need, and there are no annoying neighbors to bother them, even if it was a semi long walk into the town. He feels like he's done well for the two of them for a 17 year old.
So Kenny was quite surprised to hear an almost shy knock on his door in the middle of the night, in the dead cold of winter. He sets aside the homework he's been doing and cautuisly opens the door to find Butters standing out in the snow. He looks... different.
"Is that a sundress?" Kenny asks in leu of a greeting.
"W-well, yes," Butters stutters through chattering teeth. He's in a baby blue knee length summer dress with nothing to protect him from the cold but a thin cardigan and snow boots, a backpach slung over his shoulders. He's shivering something awful.
"Well get the fuck in here before you freeze to death, dude," Kenny urges in a whisper, stepping out the way to make room. He didn't want to wake up Karen. "The hell are you doing dressed like that in the snow at 1 AM?"
"M-my dad caught me w-wh-whearin' it around my room and I hh-had to quickly pack and get out. I did-didn't have time to get changed," Butter tries to explain, and Kenny feels like he's about to fucking commit arson.
"They kicked you out?!" He whispered harshly.
"No, no!" Butters hurriedly assured, "they grounded me, but I don't think it's a good idea to go home for a coupla days. Maybe a week. Sorry for bargin' in like this right now, Ken, I was just really cold and I didn't, this was-" he couldn't finish the sentence. There was a waver in his voice and a quivering to his chin that probably wasn't because of his shivering.
This was the first place you thought to go, Kenny mentally finishes for him. He quietly sneaks into the bedroom to get the blankets from his bunk before cocooning Butters in them, making him sit down and putting some water up to boil so he could make some hot chocolate.
"Jesus Christ dude that's so fucked up. What the fuck."
"I know, sorry."
"No I don't mean - you don't have to say sorry Butters it's not your fault. Your parents shouldn't be making you feel like your not safe in your own home that's not fuckin' right. You didn't do anything wrong, you're just wearing a dress! ...Why are you wearing a dress?"
Butters has been awkwardly staring at anything but Kenny this whole time, and if anything he seemed even more determined not to look at him now. He curls in on himself. Looking closer Kenny also notes some subtle makeup that looked halfway done.
"I just. I like to feel pretty sometimes, is all. Ever since I snuck into that slumber party when we were 8, well, I just kinda. Started thinkin' about it more and more an' it was nice and-and fun so eventually I started dressin' up sometimes, just for the heck of it," Butters eventually admits, quietly.
Kenny can't think of anything to respond to that so he just says "oh, okay". It doesn't seem to help.
Eventually the water boils and the hot chocolate is ready.
"Open up," Kenny nudges at his shoulder with an elbow, "I want under the blankets, too."
Butters finally looks at him, visibly relieved, and unfurls the blanket burrito he was stuffed into, scooting over to make space for Kenny in the booth seat. Kenny puts both the cups on the table before unzipping his parka and practically pulled Butters into his lap to wrap himself and the blankets around him as best he could in the small space.
"You're fucking freezing dude, oh my god." There wasn't any heating in the trailer, so body heat was the best he could offer the other boy.
After the initial shock Butters latched onto him, almost trying to climb into his skin, tucking his head under Kenny's chin. He was still shivering occasionally and he was strating to sniffle a little.
Oh shit, was he starting to cry? Fuck. Kenny didn't really know what to do with that.
"Heyyy, you're okay, I got you, I got you, you're safe here, they're not gonna find you," he tries to reassure him softly, trying not to panic himself.
"They were so mad Kenny! They said such awful, hurtful things, I just can't - it's too much! I don't know what to do!" Butters wails into his neck.
"Yeah I can picture that. I wouldn't know what to do, either. But you don't need to figure it out now, you know? I'll try and help, too, you don't have to do it alone. We'll work it out, it'll be okay."
Kenny gently runs his hand up and down Butters's back and rocks him back and forth, trying to soothe him like he would do for his sister. He continues to coo at him softly until he starts to calm down, eventually just laying limp against Kenny like he had no energy left in him. It broke Kenny's heart.
He offers Butters the now cooled hot chocolate before downing his own.
"Drink up, we should go get some sleep. Did you bring pajamas?"
Butters only nods in reply.
"Okay, you can get changed in the bathroom. I'll go get my bunk ready, we can just share."
"Okay," Butters agrees quietly, before finishing his own cup and going to do as suggested.
-ITC-
Karen was happy to have Butters over, and absolutely ecstatic to learn the he liked to dress up. Needless to say it did not take long for them to start giving each other makeovers, and, well, Kenny wasn't gonna let them have all the fun, which is how he found himself carefully avoiding smudging his newly painted nails while his sister does his make up and Butters braids her hair.
"Dude that tickles," he snickers as she carefully applies eyeshadow with a fluffy brush.
"Stay still, I'm gonna mess it up!" Karen giggles back.
"I am staying still!"
"Not your not, you keep squinting your eyelids, Kenny!"
"It tickles!" He emphasizes, but does his best to smooth out his face. "Are you almost done?"
"Not yet!"
"How about now?"
"No!" Karen giggles, and he can hear Butters snickering at them behind her.
"Yo, Bubble Butt, how's it looking?"
"It looks good, definitely a very natural look," Butters shoots back, and that's all Kenny needs to know to figure out Karen is probably using the brightest colours at her disposal.
Eventually Karen leans out of his personal space with a proud "okay, done!" and Kenny goes to check himself out in a mirror. His eyes are a bright pink, his cheeks are rosy and she painted his lips whore red. Absolutely stunning. He'd wear it for the rest of the day.
"Great work," he praises her and she beams at him. Butters had done her makeup and it genuinely looked good, not enough to make her look older than she is but also not so subtle that you couldn't tell it was there. She'd given him so many compliments on his skills that he still seemed to be riding that high, smiling so brightly he could replace the sun. It was a good look on him. Much better than the lost and hurt look he sported when he first got here a few days ago.
"Okay, I'm doin' you next pretty boy," Kenny declares and waggles his eyebrows at Butters suggestively.
"Oh, you," Butters laughes and waves him off, taking a seat in the chair Kenny was just in.
"Okay!" Kenny claps his hands together and straddles Butters's lap and the boy squeaks adorably in surprise. "Uhm... Karen? Where do I start?" he asks unsure, looking at the array of cosmetics layed out on the counter.
Karen and Butters instruct him on which products to use where and in what order and Kenny does his best to follow and make it look halfway decent. He thought about what some of his ex-girlfriends would do and tried to copy that; it ended up a much heavier look than what Butters seemed to prefer doing, with dark eyes and heavy liner, but Kenny thought it made him look like a badass.
-ITC-
"You're a really good big brother," Butters blunders out of the blue after Karen's left to visit their parents for the weekend. Cost of keeping them off Kenny's back.
"I am?" Kenny deadpanned back.
"Well, yeah, I dunno a lot of older brothers that would play dress up with their sisters."
"Dude, did you forget I used to dress up as a princess when we were kids? It's no big deal."
"Oh, yeah. But Stan definitely wouldn't let his sister put makeup on 'im."
"I'm built different. Also his sister is older than him, doesn't count. I'm still the best by default," Kenny snorted.
"Oh will you just take the compliment already, mister, jeez."
"Alright, alright, thank you Butters, I'm absolutely flattered," Kenny relented and took a sip of his beer.
"Mm-hmm, that's better."
It's quiet for a moment as they just enjoy each other's presence.
"Y'know... it's been really nice, having you here," Kenny eventually ventures.
"Aw shucks, really?"
"Yeah man! Like, you're my best friend dude, obviously I like hanging out with you, and it's even better when it doesn't have to end, if you catch my drift."
Butters lets out a soft "oh" before absolutely shattering the illusion.
"I mean, Ken, I hafta leave eventually. My folks have already probably called the cops, I dunno, they'll find me sometime soon, y'know? I don't have a choice but to go back."
"Ugh, but I want you here! For you! They just want you there so they look like good parents and you can't convince me otherwise. Just look at all the times they almost killed you or put you through hell just because the whole family dynamic they're going for got thrown off, man, they don't care about you."
"Well jeez, why doncha tell me how ya really feel," Butters shot back rolling his eyes away and crossing his arms, hunching in on himself.
"No, I don't mean - it's just - look, you're happy here, right? And you're not when you're there, it seems simple to me is all."
"Not all of us have parents that won't care if ya run away." Owch. Kenny should have seen that one coming.
"Okay, okay, fuck. Look I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said your parents don't really care about you, but for the record I'm well aware mine would have traded me for a single gram of crack if it ever occurred to them," Kenny sighed, "Butters I'm not trying to start a fight, I just. I like having you here. With me, and Karen, I just don't want it to end. I really am sorry though, I won't bring it up again."
Butters was still cold and silent, but like his name sake he melts easily. It only took him a few seconds to forgive.
"I'm sorry, too, Ken. I shouldn'ta said that, it must've been awful growin' up like that," he eventually apologized.
"You get used to it," Kenny brushed off, seemingly nonchalant.
"I mean, you shouldn't havta, you deserve to have someone love you, too," Butters said quietly, gently.
Kenny felt a lump grow in his throat and swallowed it down. He wasn't gonna start crying because of them and all the ways they fucked him up. What a waste of tears. "Yeah well, you deserve someone thay treats you right."
Butters pauses. "I've got you, don't I?" he eventually points out, voice all matter of fact but his face had the most bashful, endeared look on it. Kenny didn't know if he wanted to stare or kiss it off of him, a little bit of both if he was honest. He settled for placing a soft kiss on the other boy's forhead instead.
"Fuck dude, of course you do," he whispered with all the weight he could put into mere words. Butters wrapped his arms around Kenny in a tight hug.
"Then that's all that matters, isn't it?" Butters assured into his neck. Kenny squeezed him tight before pulling away, not sure what he was gonna say, however he couldn't help but burst out laughing when he looked at him.
Butters let out a confused little "hm?" That had no business being as adorable as it was.
"Dude, I forgot I was wearing lipstick!" Kenny wheezes, indicating to the pair of red lips stained smack dab in the middle of Butters's forehead.
"Oh hamburgers," he giggled and ran off to the little bathroom to clean his face. He only stayed for a few more days before going back to his parents, but he left his dresses and makeup with Kenny, because that was his real home now.