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Kenny had no idea when Kyle had added his number to his phone – Truth be told, Kenny wasn’t even sure when he’d gotten a phone at all – but he woke up bright and early to a calm but fairly demanding request for Kenny to come over and get some lunch.
Jeez, when he wanted attention he really wasn’t shy about it.
Kenny shimmied on some nicer jeans, tugging an old tshirt over his head and padding outside his room in bare feet.
“Sup,” He greeted his sister, scratching his cheek absently as pocketed his phone. Kyle said lunch, no rush to head over. “Where were you last night?”
“Sleepover, not that it’s any of your business,” His sister gently jabbed, texting on her own phone while leaning on the counter. “Mom and Dad still out?”
“Yeah,” Should he shave before leaving? He wasn’t scruffy yet. And hey, he didn’t actually know if Kyle liked scruffy or anything.
Probably not. The otherworldly researcher was anal about tidiness.
Kenny snorted to himself as he flopped on the couch. Anal. He’d have to joke about that today. He might smack him. And laugh.
“Soo you out to see your ginger today?” Karen’s voice was sweet and teasing and Kenny squinted in her direction.
He had spent so much time wondering if the guy was even real that sometimes he was jostled by the realization that everyone else was probably noticing Kenny spending all his time with the new kid. He laughed, nervously, staring up at the blackened lightbulb he hadn’t quite got around to replacing.
“Don’t call him that, he’d kill you,” It was more of an auburn, anyhow, and Kenny had more freckles than Kyle did.
“No he wouldn’t,” His sister was now purposely leaning over the counter, grinning at her brother upside down. “He wouldn’t dare. He’s too crazy about you.”
Against his iron-clad, solid, unflappable will, Kenny felt his heart skip. His lips curved into an involuntary smile. “You don’t know anything about him.”
“No I don’t, but he’s cute and he’s incredibly focused on you,” Karen pointed out, “And most importantly I know you’re keeping him secret.”
“Hushhhh,” Kenny dragged out lazily, waving her away. “Let me keep my dirty little secrets.”
“Looking at him,” Karen tapped the top of his head with the bottom of her glass before moving back into the kitchen, “I doubt he’d like being called that, either.”
Truth enough. Kenny scratched his cheek again, reaching into his pocket for his phone. He swung his legs over the side of the couch and reread the text again.
Come over for lunch today since you aren’t working.
Concise and immediate. Kenny might take offense to the demand if he wasn’t so charmed by the boy. He honestly didn’t mean to come across as rude, he knew, that was just part of his personality.
Poor kid probably hadn’t spent much time with other people. Never got to learn to play nice.
Ah, that was one thing he ought to do today. Kenny swung his legs absently. Try and pry Kyle for more information about his home. Heck, even some information about what he did on days Kenny worked would be interesting. Did he go back up into his crazy spaceship, staring down at Kenny’s town from miles away among the stars?
Aw now that was kind of romantic to think about. Did Kyle ever stare down at the town and try and spot an orange parka? Did he lose himself in thought while studying human culture and social structures? Did he dream of sloppy kisses after tentative, curious mindspeak?
Mmmnn. Kenny smiled crookedly, sending back a little emoji smooching a little heart back at him. So it was still confusing where they stood with each other, but he loved Kyle’s attention and the little glimpses into his brain. His bizarre, clever, witty, alien brain.
His phone immediately received a message in return.
If you’re awake, just come over now. I’m up.
Kenny cocked his head, wrinkling his nose.
bossy. can i get a pls? maybe hear u missed me?
What do you like for breakfast?
Boom, sold. literally any breakfast is good breakfast
He never had a date make him breakfast. This wasn’t exactly aligning with Kenny’s fantasies but hell. He’d take it.
Alien eggs and pan-seared brain slices it is.
That was a joke, in case you didn’t know.
I’ll even make hashbrowns if you get over here quick
This was the weirdest ‘come hither’ text he’d ever gotten. He was digging it.
Kenny hoisted himself up, stretching with a bright grin as he hopped over to pull on his boots. He felt bizarrely cheerful, slamming the front door behind him, sending a warning look towards the latest unsavory ‘tenants’ of the garage, and whistling to himself as he walked across the tracks to Kyle’s house.
I’ll even make hashbrowns if you get over here quick. That sounded so close to sexually enticing that Kenny felt tears well up in his eyes from suppressed laughter.
Imagine the alien studiously and unemotionally studying porn and applying lines to texts about breakfasts.
Kenny was still giggling uncontrollably by the time he rang the doorbell, slinking against the doorframe to wait for the kid to answer.
Nice buns. He’d have to come up with a way to use that pun during breakfast. He hoped Kyle had even a loaf of bread around the house. Kenny could make it work.
Sausage. That had potential. And no matter how earthy the eggs may be, he was totally commenting about alien eggs. Come to think of it, there were a bizarre amount of breakfast puns.
Kyle answered the door in a very Kyle-y fashion, with furrowed brows, a straightened spine, and entirely too well-dressed clothing.
“Mornin’.” Kenny drawled, feeling a warm bloom of affection. God, it felt like forever since he saw him last.
“You did get over here quick,” Kyle sounded highly approving, and held the door open for him. “You could have grabbed your coat, though. It’s still cold out.”
“Nah, it’s not bad,” He reassured him, stepped past the boy with a sugary smile. “And anyway, not like it’s a long walk.”
“Still. I know you’re susceptible to cold. You could’ve taken two more minutes to grab proper outerwear.”
Kenny was toning out Kyle’s motherly bitching to take in the bizarre look of the living room.
And by that, he meant it looked bizarrely normal.
Yeah, there was a nice tv and all the furniture was new. Carpets looked pristine, which made him awkwardly toe off his boots and stand on the nice carpet in bare feet. Walls were painted, he had plants and normal, boring looking pictures on the walls. Books on shelves. A cursory look showed him encyclopedias, classic fiction, nonfiction adventure and a large portion of fantasy.
“Pass inspection?” The redhead was snarking at him at his elbow, seeming a bit perturbed.
Whoops. He’d been ignoring him entirely the past couple minutes. Kenny gladly turned his attention back to the researcher.
“Yes, you do,” Kenny purred, enjoying the visible flush on the other’s face.
The kid shouldered past him, doing a terrible job of hiding a smile, beckoning him to follow.
“Come sit, I’m almost done,” He ordered, and Kenny stepped into a sunny little kitchen with a wraparound counter and a cute little dining table overlooking a sliding door leading to a green backyard.
Kenny took a seat at one of the barstools, watching Kyle begin to crack eggs into a gently smoking pan, letting them sit with a satisfied look on his face.
“Over easy okay?” He asked, taking out a totally normal looking loaf of bread to pop two thick pieces into the toaster.
Kenny’s brain was misfiring. “Uh huh,” He said, staring at this totally normal creature making him breakfast with a tranquil looking expression. He couldn’t even make a nice buns pun, not even with a gorgeous ass in fitted jeans.
He settled, resting his arms on the counter and his chin on his arms, watching Kyle mix something in a bowl, keep an eye on the stove and toaster, take out another pan and sear it in butter, and check the stove.
“You uh-” His tongue felt too thick for his mouth, his head felt dizzy. “Eat the same food as us?”
“Some people would find your wording rude,” Kyle said haughtily, but immediately followed it with an explanation, as always. “Not exactly. I need a certain portion of certain elements, like you do. I guess the major difference is I can’t really process the bizarre amount of starches and sugars you freaks consume.”
“Dude, you can’t have sweets?” Kenny asked horrified. “That sucks.”
“Not like I know what I’m missing,” Kyle pointed out. “And I can enjoy fruits and such. Those are sweet.”
Kenny pursed his lips as Kyle removed a delicious smelling, sizzling dish from the oven in a glass pan. Mmm.
“Potatoes are starchy,” Kenny pointed out, suddenly feeling a slight shock of alarm. “Like…that’s literally what it is. A starch. You sure you can have that?”
“It’s not for me,” Kyle said, not looking at the boy. “Hush a moment.”
Kenny hushed. He lowered his head back down, feeling that soft curl of contentness again. Kyle seemed to like to act aloof, but the guy was way too emotional. Gooey as smore’s he’d never get to try.
Kyle dropped a plate in front of him, a buttery piece of toast covered in avocado and an egg, all over a piece of the hashbrown casserole.
Kenny took a moment to look at it. Appreciate it. And looked back up at the alien boy who was taking a seat next to him.
“You’re the greatest creature in the universe,” Kenny said honestly, watching Kyle hide a smile with a bite of his own toast. The boy was watching him closely, almost hopefully. It was cute, and honestly Kenny had to be beaming at him by now. “And you made this quick. I said yes like…what? Eight minutes before showing up?”
“I knew you’d show up if I asked,” Kyle said smugly. “Hurry up and eat. I read that starches are less palatable cold.”
Hold on now.
“Hey,” Kenny paused even with the toast halfway to his mouth, feeling a crawly sort of dislike.. “I know you’re a proud bastard but that’s kinda dickish, dude.”
“Why’s that?” Kyle turned sharp green eyes on him, haughty, picking up the strawberries he had on his plate instead of potatoes. “I would have shown up if you had asked me.”
Huh. Kenny thought on that, finally bringing up a buttery piece of avocado toast to crunch into.
“Mmm,” He hummed, gently kicking Kyle’s ankle in a sort of affection. “Dude, this is good.”
Kyle looked utterly pleased, tucking into his own breakfast fully.
“Good,” He said, face tinging pink and smile broad, “I’m glad. And thank you for coming over.”
Ha! Actual gratitude. Kyle was honestly trying, and Kenny was more than willing to overlook some things if the guy was coming from a sweet place in his heart.
“Absolutely,” He nudged Kyle again, gently, coming to finally rest his foot on one of the bars on Kyle’s chair. “You’re a chef in the making, my man. I’m a pretty good cook myself, I know when there’s some real mastery involved.”
“I like to cook,” Kyle confided warmly, leaning from his normally rod-straight posture to gently brush arms with Kenny as they ate. “You’ll have to show me some things you like to make, sometime.”
“I can do that.”
The two let silence fall between them for a bit. It was comfortable, warm, and Kenny was content to not say anything at all. This was kinda nice. No, not kinda. This was nice. It really was.
Weirdly enough, Kyle hadn’t offered him anything to drink. Curious. Kenny chewed thoughtfully on a stolen strawberry. Sometimes he wondered where they differed…did aliens not drink? God, he could come up with a hundred questions about Kyle and what he was about. This was so weird, sometimes.
At least he could gulp some water from the sink afterwards, worse case scenario. He didn’t want to sound like a brat pointing it out now. He could pick a question from the hundred he had stored if he wanted to know something.
“So this place you ‘acquired’,” Kenny punctuated himself with air quotes, “It looks cool. Little neat for a recently-graduated student.”
“Story is my parents pay for my rent, if anyone asks,” Kyle said, beginning to pick up his dish. “But I doubt anyone will ask. I don’t intend for anyone else to ever see the inside of this house.”
Kenny hopped up with his own dish rather than let Kyle take his. Interesting. So he was kinda using this as an Earth Base. Which was interesting, but there was no reason to be this detailed. The little bonsai tree on the dining table, for example. Granite countertops.
But he didn’t comment, instead gently bumping Kyle with his hip to begin washing his plate.
“Don’t bother,” The alien told him airily. “I’ll do that later.”
“Spoiling me with breakfast and not making me clean up?” The blond fanned himself exaggeratedly. “What is it you want from me? Dissection? We finally getting to you sticking your ‘rod’ up my-”
“OKAY,” Kyle’s voice raised so loudly the hanging pans above the counter rang. “Thank you, Kenneth.”
He was giggling, and Kyle wasn’t exactly moving away. He was still within an arm’s length, just looking disapproving.
“Your diet is abysmal,” The redhead scolded. “I thought it was logical we’d spend time together. You’re still my project, after all.”
Ah, yes. His dying and rebirth. That made his skin crawl and Kenny’s brain scrambled for a diversion.
“Well if it’s just us,” He said quickly, “Why you still not wearing your pretty blue makeup? I told you, dude, I really dug that look on you.”
He watched Kyle’s nose wrinkle adorably, brows furrowing into a scowl.
“I think you’re obsessed,” He accused, and Kenny shrugged.
As if that would embarrass him. Please.
“Boy, I’ve played our meeting in my head so many times it looks weird to see you without it,” Kenny drawled, watching Kyle’s scowl deepen. “You’re a beautiful guy. I like the way you dressed.”
“Thanks for the flattery,” Kyle’s voice was flat but Kenny noticed that twitching grin. “I’m starting to get worried about your fascination with my ‘makeup.’”
Kenny’s heart suddenly jumped as he had a brilliant idea.
“You said if I asked you to show up at my house, you’d show up,” Kyle already caught on and was rolling his eyes. Kenny grinned broadly. “I won’t make you take such a big step juuuust yet. How about you just…y’know…show your ‘boyfriend’ a little tolerance and put on your alien goth face?”
“I have several things I’d like to say about that shitty sentence,” Kyle told him, even as he reached over the counter to grab something. “But fine. Come upstairs.”
Wow. Kenny’s brows raised as Kyle picked up the clear tablet he’d had in the space-research-ship-thing. He followed the kid at his shoulder, padding up the stairs with a giant, shit-eating grin. He agreed immediately. Like it was nothing. Just said sure and invited him upstairs. He was so stupidly cute.
“This is my room,” Kyle swung open a door at the end of the hall. “You can sit on the bed. I don’t have chairs at the moment, I’m sorry-”
Kenny wasn’t listening anymore, staring at this pristine, well-decorated room. The walls were grey, the bedspread was black, teal and black accents were placed around the room. Paintings, a desk, a door that seemed to lead into a bathroom, but Kenny was staring at the bed.
It was made, but the bedding was wrinkled. Like someone had laid on it. That was what struck him as weird.
For how nice the house was, everything was incredibly human. Detailed. And Kyle didn’t plan on anyone else seeing it.
“Are you living here?” Kenny sputtered as Kyle reappeared, stopping in the middle of the room.
“Yes?” The researcher looked puzzled. “Of course I am.”
“You’re not living on your giant-ass spaceship?” That didn’t make any goddamn sense. “Why are you living here?!”
“Because it’s my house!?” Kyle matched his bewildered tone. “I’m…I’m literally researching your species, you’re my greatest thesis, how on earth am I going to do that in the research station?”
“Uhhh…”
Well. Okay. While he was considering this, Kyle walked over and clapped a palm firmly over his chest. And promptly shoved him backwards.
Kenny bounced against the bed, heart thudding wildly as he passively laid on the covers as Kyle sat down. Oh god, the covers were soft against his cheek, it literally smelled like the kid, and the redhead looked so collected and fuck that was hot.
He must have made a weird sound, because Kyle sent him a brief and odd look.
“Sit up,” Kyle demanded, “You want this makeup so badly you’re wearing it your damn self.”
This kid had absolutely no clue. Absolutely no idea that he had Kenny completely at his whim and mercy and he somehow managed to make that hot, too.
Fuck, Kenny needed to cool his jets. If Kyle never kissed anyone before, he probably hadn’t even dated before. Before. Him. His thoughts were a little disjointed.
The glass container Kyle had was frosted, blue visible through the glass, and the brush looked normal and well but a membrane was a film over the makeup. Which he easily dipped the brush through, and Kenny’s brain hurt.
“Sit up,” Kyle demanded again, and Kenny’s limbs felt like goo. This gorgeous, intelligent, otherworldly being was content to spend time with him, was somewhat infatuated with him, was proud and pretty and bossy and cared about Kenny and demanded the same care in return. He didn’t know why he liked that so much. He expected Kenny to show up if asked- suddenly it made sense why Kyle didn’t even suggest meeting when Kenny was working- and would show up immediately if Kenny asked himself.
He was staring at Kyle, sappy and melty and happy. It was mutual, Kyle didn’t treat him like a subject, but like a person, and like an equal. God, if he could just ask whatever he wanted and learn, learn more, find out about him and learn everything that he lay awake wondering at night-
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Kenny snapped back to attention when Kyle’s voice rose, the researcher flushing pink.
Kenny didn’t know what he was referring to. His lack of obedience? The sappy little smiles? The fact he nearly popped a boner over being manhandled and bossed around by the fiery alien?
He decided to address all three. Just in case.
“You’re breaking me, man,” Kenny’s joke would have been funnier if his voice would stop shaking like a bitch. “God, you’re fuckin’ incredible.”
Kyle sputtered, eyes flitting between Kenny’s. “I didn’t do anything,”
“Don’t got to,” Kenny drawled, still holding that too-green gaze. “You don’t got to do anything.”
Kyle didn’t comment on the ghastly grammar, instead staring down at him with the most unreadable expression. Brows slightly furrowed, lips parted a bit, Kenny didn’t need mindspeak to feel how hard he was thinking.
“Sit up, Kenny,” Kyle spoke gently, much less direct. “Please.”
He sat up.
Kyle dipped his brush again, reaching over to easily brush on something between a powder and a paste in texture.
Kenny just breathed. Let Kyle just slap on whatever (possibly toxic) substance his makeup was made of.
Kyle’s brush made swirls on his cheeks, going back to dip the brush and retrace the line, slowly, brows furrowed with the concentration of a painter. He dabbed paint onto his lower lip, two dots under his left eye, and Kenny swallowed, feeling the heaviness of the moment begin stifling.
“What’s the paint for, anyhow?” He asked, mostly to stop the atmosphere. “So it’s like makeup?”
“Mmm.” The noise wasn’t exactly agreeable. “It’s a little more personal than that.”
More personal than makeup? This didn’t make sense to him, and Kyle must have noticed the furrow of the brow.
“When you have several people just like you,” Kyle said, jaw firm, “You need a difference. Just to prove to yourself you aren’t just a clone. You have your own opinions, goals, life. Even if you live within the same environment.”
Kenny inhaled between his teeth sympathetically.
“It’s not a big deal anymore,” The alien said, though the rather rough marks he was making with the brush seemed to hint that he thought otherwise. “I brought myself up out of the caste I was supposed to stay in. Here I am.”
“Here you are,” Kenny repeated, gently, blinking against the marks being made by his eyes.
Kyle used his thumb to smooth a mark on his cheekbone. “Fucking dicks don’t understand anything. None of them. They were content to stay where they were and expect me to do the same.”
“What, your own-” The word ‘clone’ seemed so utterly cold that Kenny stuttered over it. “Ffffamily?”
“Tell me about your family,” Kyle said instead of reply.
“Eh,” The blond gently declined, “I’m not chatty ‘bout my personal life, dude.”
Kyle finally looked him in the eyes, sharp and curious. Time to lead him away from that.
“Hey, if you want to display your masochism and come over some night, that’s cool.” Kenny drawled. “But I gotta pick the night. Dad’s not too hot about cute boys in my room.”
Kyle looked all the more curious. “So he’s not like that about girls?”
Damn this guy was quick. Kenny squirmed slightly, smiling as he avoided Kyle’s gaze. “Eh. I think he thinks it’d be easier for me to be mistreated by a guy.”
Kyle was quiet, a soft buzz settling against Kenny’s skin. Mindspeak? He didn’t know, just that the alien boy seemed to be thinking incredibly loudly.
“So he cares about you,” Kyle almost sounded like he wanted to hear it. Kenny looked back up at him. The boy’s expression was tight.
“Yeah,” He said, watching Kyle’s lips press together. “He and Mom. In their own way, y’know?” He carefully scratched his chin. “They make some stupid choices but they do care about us kids. They just don’t… yeah.”
Kyle seemed to be lost in thought, swirling makeup around in the container, making Kenny unsure whether or not he was even listening before he lifted his chin again.
“I’ll come over sometime,” Kyle decided, with no input from Kenny.
He couldn’t help snorting, grinning from ear to ear.
“He won’t like you,” He warned, trying to force the giggles down. What a dick. “At all.”
“At the very least I’d like to meet Karen,” Kyle was reddening but remained firm. “You talk about her all the time.”
“I can’t believe you’re trying to get me to invite you to meet my family,” The giggles wouldn’t be contained. “Dude. Oh my god.”
“Oh fuck off,” The researcher snapped at him, scarlet. “And next time shave your goddamn face. I couldn’t get your jaw even.”
“Well normally I don’t gotta worry,” Kenny reached for the glass tablet, using it for a reflection. “It’s been a surprisingly good month for me.”
Huh. Kenny squinted, tilting the glass to try and see his whole face. Like he couldn’t be sure, but it looked like how he remembered Kyle’s.
“You mean this is a long time to go without dying?” Kyle’s voice was incredulous. “What- Kenny, how fucking often is this happening?”
“Did you give me your face?” Kenny asked the alien in return, pointing at the glass like a loon.
“Answer my goddamn question, Kenneth,” The researcher fumed. “How often are you dying?”
“It’s not a schedule, asshole,” Kenny replied in turn. “Not like every Tuesday I’m going ‘kay now, time to get hit by a fuckin’ car.’ Did you give me your makeup?”
“I did, yes, shave your face next time.” Kyle stuck to the topic like an angry glue. “Ken. You’ll tell me if you die without me around, won’t you?”
“Sure can,” Kenny ignored that topic best he could. “Thought your makeup was supposed to be unique.”
“You’re unique enough, you weird-ass dickhead,” Kyle said far too gently for what words were said. “Kenny you’d better tell me.”
“Alright, I said I would,” Kenny stared at soft swirls over his face, turning his blue eyes incredibly vivid. “Chill, dude. Can I paint your face?”
“Can you-” Kyle raised his hands, letting them fall in frustration. “Sure.”
Kenny took the weird glass container from Kyle along with the brush. It felt freezing in his hands and the gel covering the top weirdly sealed itself again once it was breached by the brush.
Kyle was obediently still, but his sharp eyes never looked away from the Earth boy. Kenny did his best to replicate what he had, despite taking the moment to paint a little heart under his right eye.
“This has been going on a long time,” Kyle said, letting Kenny play with his face paint. “But you’re not comfortable talking about it.”
“Didn’t ask for a psych eval, bro,” Kenny was having to become less and less subtle. “Don’t push it.”
The alien caught Kenny’s hand, rubbing his thumb against the underside of his wrist. The gentle gesture seemed at odds with his facial expression.
“You’ll get more comfortable,” Kyle said assuredly. Smugly. “It can’t be good for you to have kept this to yourself all these damn years. I’m not going to let it rest.”
Kenny closed his eyes, a smile twitching on his lips.
It was surreal, sometimes. The thought of his sorta-boyfriend being an alien was less weird than the fact Kyle was not only entirely aware of his curse, but interested in his mental health over it. Like damn. Now that was sexy.
“You’re annoying,” He told him warmly. “And kinda hot.”
Kyle snorted, blue swirls accenting his pretty cheekbones yet again. He leaned over, pressing a sweet kiss to Kenny’s cheek. Brief and light, a childish and adorable gesture.
Kenny grinned, leaning to lightly rest his head on his shoulder. Adorable. An alien researcher that was adorable. Made him breakfast and spent time with him in even un-alien-ish ways. This…
Kyle was utterly human, in a way. Living in this damn house and wanting to meet Kenny’s parents and worrying about his mental health.
Kenny kissed his neck, patting a colored cheek. “So…since we’ve got the day to kill…”
He could feel Kyle scowling without looking. He let himself sound as suggestive as possible.
“How about we…you know…” He couldn’t stop himself laughing. “Go meet up with some of the guys and hang out?”
There was about seven seconds of pure silence.
“What?” Kyle asked, and Kenny easily shrugged him off and stood, stretching tantalizingly with a broad grin facing the opposite wall.
Kyle had been kicked down enough. If he wanted to be a normal kid, somewhere, deep down in his heart, time to start.
He was sure this was going to go well.