Chapter Text
Kyle had insisted the paint come off before they left the house. He walked at Kenny’s elbow, hands in his pockets, spine straight and looking completely unbothered with walking around a planet he wasn’t familiar with.
Kenny stretched, draping an arm over the redhead’s shoulders. He shot him a bright grin when he glanced at him. He drew the boy closer, until they were walking directly next to one another.
He was so freakin cute. And so indulgent. He hadn’t even complained about Kenny wanting him to come hang out with one of his friends. And that was after making him a breakfast. Indulging his wish to see Kyle in his alien-makeup-stuff. He could honestly get really used to being spoiled like this.
Kenny kissed Kyle on the cheek, immediately letting him go to hop over the fence into the next yard.
“Ken!” The researcher called after him, rounding the fence to the gate when the blond showed no signs of stopping.
“Stan’s home,” Kenny called over his shoulder, hopping up onto the lower level window and beginning his ascent to the second story. “You’ll like him.”
“You could knock,” Behind him, Kyle’s voice reached him with derision. “Or call him.”
“Not as fun,” Kenny braced himself in the window outside Stan’s room, banging on the pane. “Stan! Meeting at the park! Come meet my boyfriend!”
The blinds shot up and Stan nearly jumped backwards. The brunet gave him a side look before looking down at his own front lawn and seeing the well-dressed boy watching Kenny like a hawk.
Stan met Kenny’s eyes and pointed down at him.
“Yep,” He knew Stan could hear him just fine through the glass. “Cute, isn’t he?”
A smile cracked his friend’s face and he let the blinds fall, Kenny swung back out of the window and scaled downwards until it was safe to drop.
Kenny shot Kyle a winning smile, heart thudding in his ears. Due to exertion, perhaps, but he was also watching Kenny with this soft kind of smile that gentled his grouchy little face. He sidled back up to him, wanting Stan to see him attached to the redhead’s hip first thing.
His old childhood friend stepped out of his house, taking in the two very thoughtfully.
“Hey,” He said, and Kenny took it from there.
“Stanny-boy, meet Kyle,” He totally forgot what last name Kyle was using and blanked hard. “My- he’s my boyfriend. Came in from the east coast.” Maybe he should have just let Kyle talk, he’d only been half-listening when the other was talking about where he was supposed to come from. He switched gears. “Kyle, this is Stan. One of my best buddies since literal birth.”
He got a quick smile from Stan at that, and Kyle politely reached out his hand like a 50-year-old executive. Stan took it, also politely, and Kenny suddenly realized Kyle might not even know how to socialize like a kid. Young adult. Whatever. He probably never had a chance, did he?
“Nice to meet you,” Kyle said, still in a polite but distant tone. His eyes, however, tracked Stan carefully with the gaze of someone who looked after humans as a specimen first. “I’m in the next house over, actually.”
“Seriously?” Stan let go of Kyle’s hand to glance over. “I saw someone bought it.”
Kenny nudged Kyle with his hip and the boys began walking out back towards the park.
“I moved in a couple days ago,” Kyle walked with a steel spine and didn’t look at Stan while speaking. “With my family. It’s nice to be nicer to Ken.”
“Wait, so you’re actually like dating-dating?” Stan hopped ahead a couple steps to walk backwards, missing the chain link fence by inches. “Kenny, I thought you were joking!”
“What?” Kenny blurted, and Kyle actually laughed. “Rude!”
“It’s not rude, you sounded like you just liked him!” Stan shook his head, walking ahead once again. “I thought you were kidding around.”
“I’m dating him,” Kyle’s cool manner defrosted somewhat at the admission, “Kenny is my boyfriend.”
The blond’s heart just about turned to mush. He gently nudged him with an elbow, affectionately, grinning over at Stan. “He made me breakfast today and everything. You should get this kid to cook for you, dude, he’s a wizard.”
“It’s nice to have a house with a large kitchen,” The redhead surveyed the nearly-empty park. “I love cooking.”
“I don’t, much,” Stan said, moving to sit on a stationary and extremely chilly merry-go-round. “I go out to eat a lot. It’s a problem.”
“I need to cook more,” Kenny said, plopping down next to Stan. “I usually just end up microwaving something or throwing food in the oven for a half hour.”
“That’s not healthy,” Kyle sat alone on the swings, legs crossed at the ankle.
“Not everyone is a freak about nutrition, my dude, thanks,” Kenny flopped backwards, feeling the chill of the merry go round through his clothes.
“I’ll just take back my offer to cook for you, then.”
“Don’t!” Kenny laughed. “I’m a starving little waif. Please don’t refuse sustenance for a poor child, Kyle.”
He heard a soft scoff and smiled, stretching as Stan shifted next to him.
“You going to school?” He asked, “Or do you go to college on the East Coast?”
“I graduated early, actually,” The alien said easily. “In psychology. I’m taking a season to recover from all of that.”
“Ugh, I wish I could,” Stan groaned, taking off his hat to run a hand through his hair. “I hate school. I’m so fucking tired all the time but I have to get into my field now.”
“What’s your major?”
“Cyber security.”
“Okay, so you went with something with a lot of future growth, good for you,”
“Maybe. I don’t know, man. I just want to be out of school.”
“I get it,” Kyle admitted. “I’m glad to be away from my hometown. Too many negative things came from there.”
“Oh yeah,” Stan said, heartfelt. “I can’t wait to leave here. Good for you, dude. Feel any better about it?”
“It’s been better,” Kyle’s voice was softer. “A lot better.”
Kenny’s gaze flit between the two boys. Stan was relaxing, finally, and Kyle looked casually disinterested until he noticed Kenny staring at him.
He smiled, too-green eyes crinkling slightly. He tilted his head slightly, giving Kenny a meaningful look he didn’t understand at first.
Stan moved slightly and that’s what made Kenny lift his head slightly to see the approaching boys. For the first time in ages, his heart jumped in absolute delight at seeing his kinda-friend Eric Cartman approaching.
Oh hell yes. Kenny’s grin just about split his face. He bounced up, brushing his dirty jeans off to wave to the two.
Butters Stotch waved back, his melancholy expression brightening just slightly.
“Ugh,” Stan said, but Kenny was so ready for this.
“Hey guys,” Cartman’s voice carried easily. “What’s going on?”
“Hangin out,” Kenny said, watching as Cartman parked himself on a bench and Butters shifted by himself on the edge of the playground. “Talking about school.”
“Uh, school.” His only-kind-of-friend picked paint off of the bench. “I’m working with the mayor’s office, did you hear that Kinnie?”
“Yeah,” He was trying to figure out how to insert his news into the conversation. “Sounds cool.”
“You’re not going back, are you, Kinnie? Still haven’t been to college?”
“Still working,” Kenny said easily. “I might go back at some point, might not. Depends.”
“Who’re you, anyway?” Cartman had stopped listening to outright stare at the newcomer and ruin any good segue Kenny could think up.
“That’s Kyle!” Kenny jumped in before the redhead could even speak. “He’s a psych major, new to town. Also we’re dating.”
Cartman scratched his cheek uninterestedly. “Everyone takes psychology, huh? Why you decide on coming out here?”
“My family moved out here,” Kyle was watching the two new boys carefully, still eerily still. “Seems nice. Cold.”
“That’s Colorado for you,” Stan muttered, suddenly sullen.
Butters wasn’t saying anything. Kenny leaned to the side, trying to catch his eye, but he wasn’t speaking or looking at anyone at all.
He looked over the boy. He looked exhausted. What happened?
“Leave ‘im alone, he’s sulking or something,” Cartman was trying to get Kenny’s attention back. “Want to hear about my internship?”
“No,” Stan grumbled under his breath, rubbing his face.
“Huh?” The brown-haired boy looked over at him sharply.
“What are you guys out here for?” Kenny tracked the conversation to another topic, quickly, Stan was beginning to get sad and Kyle was staring at Cartman with an unreadable expression. Said boy looked at Kenny nastily.
“What, are you the only ones allowed in the park?” He asked, settling back against the bench. “You claim this place as your new home, Kinnie? Gonna set up camp out here?”
“Relax,” Kenny drawled. “I’ll send you an eviction notice.”
Time to leave. Kenny nudged Stan and stood, reaching for Kyle’s hand to help him up like a suave romantic bastard. “Almost time to go, guys. Ready?” Maybe they’d go find a place to eat or something. This conversation was stale and suddenly no one else was talking. Time to go.
Kyle wasn’t looking at him. He was staring at Cartman. Something tingled in the back of Kenny’s neck, something that said something was wrong. Kyle was ignoring him.
“Hey, Kyle?” Kenny sweetened his voice. “Ky?”
Cartman’s attention was back and he took in Kenny’s posture. He looked at Kyle, who met his eyes with something like defiance.
“Are you actually dating him?” He asked incredulous, and Kenny clearly needed to re-evaluate his personality if everyone thought the same thing of him.
“Yup,” Kenny said at the same time Kyle gave an icy “Yes.”
He looked down and Kyle’s jaw was tight. Seriously, it was time to go.
He grabbed his arm and hauled him up. Kenny was stronger than he looked and Kyle staggered out of the swing, startled.
“Let’s go, boys!” Stan was already up and ready to leave, and Kenny wrapped an arm tight around Kyle’s waist. “See you guys!”
He didn’t hear what Cartman’s question was but Kyle was still seething. Kenny could feel him trembling.
“What’s wrong?” He didn’t understand. The researcher was livid and Kenny didn’t know why. He made sure they walked behind Stan, who now had his hands in his pockets and was quiet again.
“Do you know what he was thinking.” Kyle’s voice was low, words forced out. “About you.”
Kenny’s jaw dropped. “Wh-You were mindspeaking with him?!”
“It’s not SEX!” Kyle’s voice raised and Stan whirled around with a half-amused-half-mortified expression.
Kenny covered his mouth, trying not to laugh uncontrollably. He was horrified but also intrigued also.
“And it wasn’t even mindspeak,” Kyle hissed at him. “He was projecting so fucking loudly I could’ve heard him from home. I’ve never heard anyone with thoughts so fucking loud before!”
“Shh, babe, don’t let Stan hear you,” Kenny tried to soothe and Kyle poked him in the chest.
“Do not call me babe,” Kyle looked back over his shoulder to send a scathing look back to the park. “Kenny, he’s horrible.”
“Everyone’s horrible, welcome to South Park,” Kenny paused as Kyle actually took his hand. Squeezed it gently. Awh.
He rested his head against Kyle’s soft curls, heart fluttering as Kyle didn’t protest at all. He wondered if he could convince the alien of some snuggles sometime soon.
Stan was pretending to be minding his own business, which was great of him, but Kyle gently nudged him away a moment later. At least he looked more relaxed.
“Why don’t you tell me what exactly happened later?” Kenny’s blue eyes sparkled as he drawled the last word. “Alone.”
Kyle was fighting a smile and pulled Kenny back along the trail with him. Stan was smiling as well, shoulders dropping from their tense hold.
“You heard from Butters lately?” Kenny called over to the brunet as they stepped back onto the sidewalk. “He looked kinda down.”
“Not really, no,” Stan walked alongside the two now, hands still in his pockets. “We don’t talk.”
Stan didn’t really talk to anyone, though.
“Cartman’s a fucking dick,” Kyle suddenly said and Kenny raised his eyebrows as Stan laughed.
“Yeah,” He said as they stepped into the street, “Pretty awful if you got that vibe this soon into knowing him.”
“Hard to miss,” Kyle mentioned, and suddenly Kenny’s world slowed.
He froze, hearing the words and sounds around him muffle suddenly. No, he couldn’t move. He was lying on the ground, couldn’t move his head. He could see glares of light, feel blood pooling in his chest, in the back of his throat.
He tried to speak, blood spattering his lips, gargling as he tried to choke the blood up.
Kyle! Kyle was holding him, Stan had been walking on his other side—what happened? Were they- He couldn’t breathe anymore, he was choking-
Kyle’s face was above his, blocking out the light. His expression was analytical.
Cold.
Kenny’s flailing heart was sinking. Bright, frightened blue eyes met unbothered green. Him too. He couldn’t breathe.
Kyle didn’t care. Look at him. Kyle didn’t care. He wasn’t trying to help.
What’s his face, actually. Kyle wasn’t even his name. Wasn’t his-
The researcher was sitting next to him, had to be, watching Kenny choke on his own blood and suffocate with slight interest and no concern whatsoever.
Kenny’s lungs burned. His vision blacked and he wished this were one of the deaths he got to hang around for afterwards.
Confused, unsure of what happened, he let go earlier than he usually did. Get this over with. See what happened later.
Kenny died quietly in the street, a redhead sitting cross legged at his side and avoiding the blood pooling under the boy as he brought out a clear glass.