Chapter Text
“Hey, Stan?”
“Yeah?”
“Hypothetically, if I needed you to buy me a pregnancy test, would you be cool about it?”
There was a long beat of silence before Stan said, “Dude, what?”
Kyle groaned on the other end of the line. He had called Stan repeatedly until he woke him up, insisting he needed his help.
But Stan didn’t expect to hear that.
“Kyle, dude, are you-” Stan spluttered, trying to connect the dots in his brain. “Please tell me you’re joking. I - Ky, dude, why the fuck would you think that?”
“......I’m late.”
“Late?”
“My period, Stan. I’m late.”
“I - how do you - ?”
“I have an app. I was supposed to start, like, a week ago. And I’ve been throwing up.”
Stan squeezed his eyes shut. “Jesus Christ. But that’s no big deal, right? Can’t that happen because of stress? Maybe you’re just stressed, man, not…” Stan can’t even say it, his heartbeat in his ears. “Fuck, dude, shouldn’t you be on T?”
“Ah, yes, because Ma is absolutely gonna let that shit happen, and I’ll still have this fucking voice,” Kyle raised the pitch of his voice to draw attention to it, his words dripping with sarcasm. “No, Stan, not fucking yet. And even if I was, this shit still could have happened.”
“Listen, Ky, you don’t know it’s that . I’m sure there’s a lot of reasons you could be...late.”
“Stan. Please. I-I feel like I’m losing it, please, just indulge my paranoia, man, can you please, please, please , buy a test for me and come over. Please. I’ll owe you.”
There was an edge of desperation to his voice, and Stan pulled himself out of bed. No matter the situation, he wasn’t gonna just leave his best friend to deal with it on his own.
“Okay. I’m on my way. Don’t worry about owing me, man.”
“Make sure to come in through the window.”
~
“Okay. Come in.”
Stan opened the bathroom door, finding Kyle sitting in front of the sink, holding something with both hands. Stan recognized it as the test, a white stick with a pink cap on the top. Kyle was holding it horizontally, face hard as he stared down at it.
“Hey, dude.” Stan sat on the ground next to him, glancing down at the tiny window. “We in the clear?”
Kyle said nothing.
“Dude?” Stan tried again, purposefully avoiding looking down, dread settling in his chest.
Kyle passed him the test, and as Stan took it, he could feel his friend’s fingers trembling. He covered the window with his thumb, trying to meet Kyle’s eyes, finding tears at the corners.
He looked down, seeing exactly what he expected: two lines.
“Holy shit , Ky,” He breathed.
“I’m dead,” Kyle sounded somewhere between laughing and sobbing. “I’m so fucking dead, Stan.”
“Hey, dude, it’s - it’s not the end of the world.”
“It is. Mom’s going to kill me. If she doesn’t, she’s going to lock me in my room until I starve. My life is over.”
“It’s okay, Ky, really, uh...it could be a false positive.”
“Do you know how rare those are?!” Kyle whimpered. ”A positive, plus missing my period, plus morning sickness, plus…..”
Kyle trailed off, putting his chin on his knee. He looked so small, so defeated.
“...Is it Kenny’s?” Stan asked tentatively, nervously grasping the test.
“Who the fuck else, genius?” He snapped, then sighed. “S-sorry. It could only be Kenny’s. The…I thought it’d be okay if…God, I’m such an idiot.”
“So, you know…?”
“My birthday...it’s the only…that’s just my luck, isn’t it?” He laughed humorlessly.
“Okay, um. May 26th. So that puts you at…” Stan attempted to count back, trying not to focus on the very personal information being thrust upon him. “What, not even a month?”
He flinched but nodded. “...It’s four weeks.”
“Okay. So let’s look up the symptoms of that, yeah? We’ll see if it matches, and when it doesn’t, we’ll know it was false.”
“You’re wasting your time, Stan.”
Stan brushed off his comment, pulling out his phone and tapping in their query, clicking the first link and scrolling. “Okay, uh. Your baby is - would be...as big as a poppy seed.”
“Symptoms, Stan. We’re looking for symptoms.”
“Right, sorry. Um…I’ll just look at general early pregnancy stuff, okay?” Stan couldn’t help but blush - he wasn’t used to thinking about Kyle like this. “Um. B...breast tenderness and swelling?”
Kyle visibly grimaced. “Yes. Now never talk about my breasts again.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice. Fatigue?”
“Yeah…”
“Um...nausea and vomiting? Frequent urination?”
“Yes and yes.”
“Excessive...saliva?”
“Yes,” Kyle said, voice shaking with tears. “Yes, Stan. All of that. Like I said.”
Stan set his phone down, gulping. The tension in the small bathroom was thick enough to cut with a knife, silent besides the sound of Kyle’s barely choked back sobs. Stan reached over and wrapped an arm around him. Kyle had always been tiny, but it seemed more noticeable now. Stan could hardly conceive the idea of Kyle, his best friend, the boy he grew up next door to, being pregnant.
Kyle was eerily silent, his hand rubbing gentle, thoughtless circles on his stomach.
“There’s a person growing inside me,” He finally said, blankly, more of a declaration than anything else.
“You don’t know that.”
“I-I do. I do, Stan, I know, I…” He lifted his head, craning back to meet Stan’s eyes. “I know it sounds stupid, but I can feel it.”
“I-it doesn’t sound stupid.”
“What am I going to do ?”
“I...I can’t help you there. But I can help you, dude. Whatever you need, I can get you, I promise, just hit me up. I’m totally ready to take you to Planned Parenthood if you want.”
“Abortions cost money, Stan,” Kyle sighed, the sound twisting with a sob as he laid his head back down. “Money I don’t have.”
“My mom can help pay for it.”
“Then she’ll tell mine.”
“Maybe she can pay for it?”
“I don’t even know if I want an abortion. I have no idea what I want. Besides that I don’t want to tell Ma I’m fucking pregnant .”
“What WHAT WHAT?! ”
The two boys jumped at the sound, the doorknob twisting and flying open in a matter of milliseconds, revealing none other than Sheila Broflovski, far more imposing from the floor. Kyle scrambled to his feet, holding his hands up as if his mother was a wild animal.
“Mom, I can explain-!”
“You’re pregnant?! ” She shrieked, and Stan cringed, silently thanking any and all Gods to have not been born to the shrill-voiced woman in front of him.
“I was kidding! Stan and I were just joking around. Mom, please, I’m sorry-!”
“And what’s this?!” Sheila grabbed Stan’s wrist, and he pulled back - he was definitely stronger than some fifty year old woman. However, he realized far too late what she was aiming for, as the pregnancy test clattered to the tile. She and Kyle both reached for it, but she snatched it up first, her already crazed expression twisting further at the display.
Kyle cowered, beginning to shake all over again. Stan wrapped a protective hand around his wrist, avoiding his friend’s mother’s gaze as best as he possibly could.
“Mom-“ Stan had never heard Kyle sound quite this scared, quite this desperate. “-it’s fake, it’s just a bad joke, please!”
Stan felt like he should say something instead of just standing there gaping, holding back the urge to defend his friend as he saw Kyle’s bottom lip tremble.
But then Sheila turned to him, her green eyes blazing - despite matching exactly in shape and shade, they weren’t nearly as nice to look at as Kyle’s, lacking the warmth and sparkle his held, even when burning with rage.
“Did you do this to her?!”
It took Stan a moment to realize she was referring to Kyle, and the incorrect pronoun just angered him further, his hands balling into fists. He could hurt her - sure, he was a child, but he was a 16-year-old quarterback child, and he was pissed. But Kyle’s free arm flew out in front of him.
“Mom, it wasn’t Stan, I promise. It’s my fault. Mom, please.”
“ You should be ashamed of yourself, young man. I expected more from you.” She hissed, and Kyle looked down, sniffling back his sobs. “You’re supposed to be focusing on your studies, Kyle. You’re not like those other girls.”
“Yeah, because he’s not a girl. What’s wrong with you?” Stan finally found his voice, and it came back with a vengeance. “He’s crying! Can’t you leave him the fuck alone?!”
Sheila gasped and glared at him. “What did you just say to me, young man?”
“I said-!”
“No! You get out of my house. I don’t want any of you boys near my poor son.”
“He’s not-!”
“ Stan. ” Kyle said, voice just above a whisper, and Stan paused and looked back at him. “Please. Just go.”
“But...Ky-”
“ Go. Please.”
“Kyle, I’m not leaving you-!”
“ Stan! ” Kyle hissed. “I’m telling you to leave .”
Stan searched his eyes, but Kyle gave little up besides his pleading expression and tear stained cheeks.
“...Okay. Call me, okay?” He squeezed Kyle’s wrist, reluctantly letting go, his entire body screaming at him to stay, help, fight. “Love you, Ky.”
“Love you too.” Kyle murmured.
Stan nudged past Sheila, forcing himself to leave the room, his hands in his jacket pockets.
Go back. Help him. Don’t leave him with her.
He held the rail as he made his way down the staircase, eyes focused on his feet.
This is just like Leo. He’s gonna get hurt, and it’ll be your fault.
He passed Ike on the couch, ignoring his What’s going on? , attempting to numb himself to the yelling behind him, the sounds of Kyle defending himself and sobbing.
He’s gonna get hurt, and it’ll be all your fault.
Stan let the door slam behind him.
Him and his baby.
~
Kyle stared at his hands, folded neatly in his lap. His thighs were freckled, exposed by his sleep shorts, and it was noticeable compared to the much clearer skin of his thin hands - two traits of his body he’d always hated, among others, for the femininity inherent to them.
Two traits Kenny had always loved, among others, laying his head in Kyle’s lap, saying what a good pillow he made. Kyle would snark back, but comb his fingers through Kenny’s hair, and the blonde would tilt his head up just enough to smile at him.
He tried to hang onto thoughts of Kenny’s toothy grin as his parents stared him down, their squabble flinging from each other back to their common enemy; Kyle.
“It was that McCormick boy, wasn’t it?” His father said, rubbing his forehead like this was the most annoying thing in the world.
“It doesn’t matter who it was, Dad. It was my fault. I said it was okay. He didn’t want to risk it, but I didn’t care.” Kyle shifted nervously in his seat. He didn’t want this getting back to Kenny before he could tell him himself.
“So you’re some kind of whore? Is that it?”
“Gerald!” His mother gasped, and Kyle himself flinched back.
“What? She said it herself!”
“I didn’t think it would happen, Dad,” Kyle retorted, still fidgeting, trying to process what his father had said to him. “It - it was late at night, I wasn’t thinking straight. It was a mistake, and I’m sorry.”
“You’re right it was a mistake,” His mother interjected, and Kyle shrank back under her stare - his father could be intimidating or downright annoying, but his mother? She terrified him. “Kyle, this isn’t like you! I raised you better than this.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
His mother stood, walking over to stand next to his chair. She lifted his chin in one hand, and Kyle willed himself not to pull away. Her hand felt unfamiliar, somehow.
“Kyle, honey, I know you’re sorry. And we’re gonna help you with this, okay?”
Kyle couldn’t hide his surprise. His parents...helping him, after he broke a rule? It sounded too good to be true, and Kyle was sure it was.
“What?” He asked, trying not to squirm.
“You haven’t ruined your future just yet,” Gerald mused, venom in his tone. Kyle didn’t look at him. “Once this all goes away, we can all pretend it never happened.”
“We’re willing to overlook this silly mistake as long as you pay us back.” Sheila tucked one of Kyle’s curls behind his ears. Don’t squirm, don’t squirm!
Kyle turned their words over in his head. “You...you want me to abort?”
“You’re going to abort,” His father corrected.
“...I don’t know if I want that, though.” Kyle pulled his chin out of his mother’s grip.
“Sweetheart. You don’t know what you want yet. You’re too young, this is what you have to do.”
His brow twitched. “It’s my baby. I can choose what happens to it.”
“The decision’s been made, Leah.”
“I didn’t make that decision!” Kyle snapped. In the bathroom, with Stan, he had been so terrified and baffled by the whole situation - but he didn’t know how he felt now, just that his parents didn’t decide it. “You don’t get to make that decision for me!”
“You’re sixteen years old! You’re not ready to be a parent!”
“I don’t care! If I want to abort, I’ll decide it !”
“Well, you aren’t living under my roof with that thing inside you,” Gerald snapped, making Kyle flinch. That thing? His baby - his baby with Kenny, at that - planned or not, was not to be bitterly referred to as a thing.
“Then maybe I don’t want to live under your roof.”
“What, what, what?!” Sheila cried, and Kyle tried to regain his composure as much as he could.
“If you won’t let me make my own decision, I’m leaving. You can’t make me get an abortion.”
“You’d walk out on your own family just because some redneck knocked you up?!” Gerald shouted.
Kyle stood from the table, the chair screeching behind him, and stomped up the stairs, pulling a bag from the top shelf of his closet and beginning to pack it full of his clothes, pictures, his favorite books...anything he might need. He was trying to grab anything he could possibly fit - he was never coming back.
“What are you doing?”
Kyle turned to find Ike standing in his doorway. He shot up, running over and hugging his younger brother tightly.
“Be good. Be good, okay? I have to go, but don’t believe a thing they tell you, okay? I love you so much.” He kissed the side of his head roughly, grabbing his bag as he stood.
“I don’t-” Ike was cut off by their mother storming upstairs.
“You can’t just leave, Kyle! You’re sixteen!”
“Well, that’s weird! Because here I fucking go.”
“ LANGUAGE! ”
Kyle pushed past her, running down the stairs and towards the door. His father grabbed his arm, and Kyle tugged on it.
“Let go, Dad. I’m leaving.”
“Oh, yeah? And where will you go? You’re nothing without your family backing you up, Leah. You’re a child. ”
Kyle felt like he was on fire, and not in the good way. He glared at his dad, daring him to question him, snapping, “Maybe I’ll go to Kenny. Because he loves me .”
“You think he loves you? You’re a mess . You’re a stupid little girl who won’t stop playing dress-up.”
Kyle ripped his arm away, slapping his dad across the face, relishing in the sound. Gerald looked stunned, and Kyle took the opportunity to get out of there.
“Fuck you, Dad .” He hissed, stomping through the front door and slamming it behind him.
~
Somebody was knocking on Stan’s door.
Well, banging on his door.
He opened said assaulted door to find Kyle, shaking. He was still in the same pajama shirt and shorts from earlier that morning, and had a duffel bag tucked under one arm.
“Holy shit, what happened?”
Kyle rushed inside, ending up with his arms clumsily thrown around Stan and his face in his shoulder, still trembling. Stan let the door close, leading his stumbling best friend to the couch.
“Stan, I-” He sobbed, rubbing at his eyes furiously. “Oh, shit, I don’t know what to do! Oh, fuck.”
“It’s okay, dude. What happened?”
“Stan? Is that Kyle?”
His mother appeared in the doorway, her eyebrows raised slightly. Stan shushed her and gestured for her to leave, but Kyle had already noticed.
“Oh, God ,” he wailed, burying his face back in Stan’s chest.
“Kyle, honey, what’s wrong?” Sharon made her way around the couch, kneeling in front of them, glancing at Stan for guidance. Stan just mouthed an ‘ I don’t know! ’ Though he had a vague idea.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Marsh, I can go, I just-”
“Stop that. You’re always welcome here. Now, what’s wrong, honey?”
“...I think I just ran away,” Kyle muttered, head barely lifted.
“...Oh?”
“Or. Well. I think I was just kicked out.”
Sharon’s eyebrows flew up, and Stan couldn’t blame her at all - Sheila? Kicking out her pride and joy? Unthinkable.
“Why’s that, hon?” She said, and Kyle and Stan exchanged a look.
“I don’t know if….” Kyle glanced around anxiously.
“That’s okay. You don’t have to tell me...so long as it isn’t dangerous.”
“N-no, it’s not…” Stan shook his head, scratching at his friend’s back.
Sharon hummed in confirmation, satisfied for the moment. She didn’t want to push any sort of confessions or prodding onto Kyle, knowing from experience that was rather…. Sheila-y in nature.
Kyle seemed relieved, leaning back into Stan. “If...If I can’t stay here, I understand, I just….”
“Leo’s already staying with us, Ky. You can stay as long as you need.”
(Butters had moved in earlier that year, after his father had finally gone too far and lost any and all custody of him, and the courts had somehow accepted the reality of him moving him in with his boyfriend as an alternative after every other family member was knocked out. It was all very convenient, but what does that matter?)
“...Where is Butters, by the way?” Kyle muttered, looking up at the staircase.
“Work,” Stan supplied. He tried to communicate you don’t have to tell him with just his eyes.
Kyle sniffled and nodded. “Work. Oh, God.”
“When’d you leave?”
“An hour ago. I-I started to go to Kenny’s, but realized his family definitely couldn’t afford to help me, especially...so I turned around, because I couldn’t force Kenny to do that.”
Stan wondered if he’d told Kenny yet.
At that moment, somebody knocked again. Kyle looked terrified.
“It’s okay,” Sharon soothed, standing. “If it’s your mother, I’ll talk to her, okay? You can at least spend the night.”
The redhead relented, nodding once more, and curled into Stan.
Sharon sighed and turned towards the door, opening it gingerly. She was surprised to find Kenny on the front stoop, white as a sheet, eyes wild.
“Is Kyle here?” He asked. He sounded like he’d run the whole way there.
“Yes,” She said, and the moment she did, Kenny shoved past her and scrambled over to the couch, standing in front of his best friends.
“Ken?” Kyle whispered, and Stan felt him shake.
Kenny grabbed Kyle’s hands and pulled him forward, looking mystified.
“Is it true?” He asked, squeezing his fingers. “Are you pregnant?”
Kyle looked like he was going to start crying again, and when Sharon gasped behind him, he did, pulling away from Kenny with a sob.
“Ky?” Kenny asked, looking at Stan for guidance. “Wait, Kyle, baby, I’m not mad. S’okay.”
“G-god, don’t call me baby… ” Kyle groaned, covering his face, and it wasn’t just because he found the term embarrassing this time.
“Kyle, dude, it’s okay.” Stan rubbed his back, but wasn’t sure how okay it really was. He looked at his mother anxiously. Please be cool with this.
“It’s alright if you are, sweetheart.” Sharon said, quickly, stepping forward to pat Kyle’s shoulder.
“Who told you?” He whimpered, peeking at Kenny through his fingers.
“My mom. Yours called. Ma thought I’d cheated on you and knocked up some girl, really chewed me out,” Kenny said, then cringed. “Not that I think of it like that. I wouldn’t call it that. If you’re really pregnant. Are you…?”
Kyle nodded glumly, dropping his hands. His eyes were red and puffy, tears drying into trails as they rolled down his cheeks.
Kenny softened immediately, kneeling in front of the couch. “Ky…”
He was looking at Kyle with such softness in his eyes that Stan could puke.
“I’m sorry,” Kyle choked, covering his face again. “Oh god, I’m so sorry, Ken, this is all my fault!”
“No, no! Kyle, Ky, it’s okay,” Kenny’s hands paused as he raised them, and Stan could tell he wanted to rest them against Kyle’s stomach, but instead he pulled his hands down from his face and held them. “It ain’t nobody’s fault, Ky. What’s done is done, okay? Okay?”
“Nobody’s angry with you, sweetheart,” Sharon assured him, rubbing his back, trying to shake off the shock. “Are you sure? That you’re pregnant, I mean.”
“I took a test,” Kyle sighed, sniffling. “This morning. Just the one. But I’ve...I know.”
“That’s where I went earlier,” Stan explained. “Why I came home at like, eight. I bought him one.”
Stan had returned home in a huff, glad Butters wasn’t around by the time he got back. He couldn’t tell anybody what he was so tense about, after all.
“I understand if I can’t stay—”
“Kyle,” Sharon chided, before he’d even finished. “Of course you can stay. There’s no way I’m letting you leave now that I know - I’m here to help.”
“But- hey, you’ll come back home with me, right?” Kenny looked momentarily confused, squeezing Kyle’s hands. “I mean, why didn’t you come to me first, firefly?”
Kyle gulped, letting out a low groan. “Ken, I...I can’t do that to you. Okay? I can’t make you deal with this.”
“What? Ky—” Kenny scoffed, looking hurt. “Listen. You aren’t making me deal with anything. It’s our baby, Kyle, oh my god. Ours.”
The words our baby made Kyle flinch, just barely, and brought a fresh wave of tears. “I-I...Kenny. I know that. But this...I did this. You have yourself to take care of, and Karen, I...I couldn’t ask you to take me in, not when…”
“Kyle…” Kenny still looked upset, but Stan could tell he understood the line of thinking. “Ky, I played a part here too. I wanna do everything I can to support you. Both of you.”
“Oh my god, stop!” Kyle sobbed, pulling back his hands to furiously wipe at his tears.
“Dude,” Stan said, pulling Kyle closer, unable to come up with anything beyond that. He knew he shouldn’t feel defensive - Kenny was just trying to comfort him, and there wasn’t any goddamn guide for what to say here.
Kyle’s crying was as violent as it had been when he got there. Kenny looked at Sharon for some sort of guidance, his hands hovering over Kyle’s knees.
“It’s not because I don’t want to be with you, Ken,” Kyle whined, regarding Kenny again. “I s-started towards your house first, but...I couldn’t. I don’t even know what I want to do…”
“That’s okay,” Kenny assured him. “That’s fine, Kyle. I-I want you home with me, I do, if you’re...but you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. ‘Kay? I’m followin’ your lead, babe.”
Kyle relaxed marginally, tilting his head back and blinking his tears away like they weren’t obvious.
“So…” Sharon cleared her throat. “I know you’re having a big day, but I need to ask you some questions.”
Kyle cringed and nodded. “Yeah. I figured. Uh...where do we start?”
“Well...I’m assuming your parents know.”
“Yeah...Mom overheard Stan and I, and caught me red-handed with the test.” He groaned. “She accused Stan…”
Sharon let out a startled laugh, then shook her head. “I’m sorry. That isn’t funny.”
“S’kinda funny…” Kyle shrugged. “Whatever. My mom told my dad, and they...they told me I had to...terminate. You know. Abort.”
“ What ?” Kenny snapped, making the other three look at him, and then looked guilty. “Unless that’s what you want, Ky, I didn’t mean…”
Kyle pursed his lips. “I-I don’t know. I got upset at the suggestion, but…”
“You don’t have to make any decisions right now,” Sharon soothed, when she saw Kyle’s hands shaking.
“Right. Right, um, yeah...I got upset, and told them they couldn’t force me to. It’s my body, right? My decision.”
“Of course it is!”
“Yeah...then Dad said I couldn’t live under his roof with…” His face twisted. “He called it a thing. Can you believe that? He said I couldn’t live there with that thing inside me. So I packed my stuff and left.”
“I’m so sorry, Kyle,” She pressed a hand to his back again. She’d never been fond of Gerald, and the idea of him saying that to the child in front of her, his son, made her want to wrap Kyle up and claim him as her own.
“Mom didn’t want me to leave,” He covered his face with one hand, the other clutching Kenny’s on his knee. “Y-you said she called your mom , Ken?”
“On the landline,” Kenny confirmed. Stan and Kyle knew for a fact that their home phone only existed from Kenny and Kevin’s combined efforts. “She came into my room screaming about it, how much trouble I was in, how I could do that to you, callin’ me a no-good cheatin’ scumbag, and I didn’t catch on until she said the wrong name.”
Kyle groaned at the idea of his mother using his deadname. “ Awesome. God…I don’t know what I’m going to do when she finds me…”
“Hey. Listen.” Stan tried to sound reassuring. “If she comes here, dude, we’ll make sure you can stay. Right, Mom?”
“Right. Like I said - as long as you need. Is there anything I can do right now?”
“Tea?” Kenny said, suddenly. “Would that help? It might calm you down.”
Kyle flushed but nodded. “Maybe. I can make it, though.”
“No, no, c’mon. Let me take care of you.”
“Ken, I swear to god …”
“Let me,” Sharon chuckled, standing. “What would you like?”
“Uh, anything is fine. I don’t really care.”
Sharon patted his shoulder one last time, allowing Kenny to take her place on the couch, moving towards the kitchen.
Knock knock knock.
Kyle practically jumped out of his skin. Stan could feel him trembling under his fingers - they all knew who it had to be this time around.
“I’ll get it.” Sharon sighed. “Wait right there, okay?”
He nodded, curling in on himself, head between his knees. Kenny murmured something to him Stan couldn’t catch, their hands still locked, his thumb stroking over Kyle’s knuckles.
“Where is my son?” The moment the door opened, they heard Sheila’s indignant tone, causing her aforementioned son to clench up further, his free hand gripping the edge of the couch for dear life.
“Hello, Sheila,” Sharon’s voice was tight, fairly composed given the circumstances, in Stan’s opinion. “Could we speak outside?”
“ Is Kyle here ? I’m not sure what he might have told you, Sharon, but he needs to be home with his family right now! I know he always runs to Stanley when he’s upset.”
Kyle seemed to scoff, his demeanor shifting ever so slightly from terrified to annoyed .
“I think it would be best if we talked about this situation outside before we come to any decision, okay? Stan told me—”
Before she had even finished, Sharon yelped, and all three directed their attention towards the door as Sheila pushed the other woman aside to step into the living room.
Her eyes immediately landed on Kenny, and Kyle’s hand clasped in his, her jaw clenched.
“ You! How dare you touch my son?” She roared, nostrils flaring. Kyle stood up to face her, but Kenny came with him, standing halfway in front of the smaller teen.
“Mom, stop it. You’re causing a scene,” Kyle was practically grinding his teeth, glaring at his mother. Stan’s vision was mostly blocked by Kyle’s back, but he could see his free hand scratching a nervous rhythm against his thigh from here.
“You’re the one who stormed out! Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve gotten yourself in, young man?!”
“Dad’s the one that kicked me out! What, did he change his mind? I can’t imagine he did!”
“ Kyle. Sweetie. You’re sixteen, you don’t understand what you’re talking about! You’re coming home, right now, and you’ll stop bothering the poor Marshes—”
“He isn’t bothering anyone,” Sharon spoke up. Her arms were crossed over her chest when Stan craned his head to look at her. “In fact, he’s staying here tonight. I think it would be a safer environment.”
“ Excuse me ? You think - you think you’d provide a safer environment for my son? Don’t be ridiculous!”
“Based on what Kyle’s told me, you and Gerald don’t seem emotionally equipped for this situation,” She replied, cooly. Stan briefly wondered if his mother was, in fact, a little bit awesome. After being a mom and all.
“You don’t have any idea what you’re talking about! Now, Kyle, come on. You’re coming home whether you like it or no—”
“I’M NOT GETTING A FUCKING ABORTION.”
The room fell silent for what felt like eons, Kyle breathing heavily, his hands wrenched from Kenny’s to clench at his sides. Sheila was opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water.
“Kyle—!” She began, but he shook his head.
“ No ! I won’t. I don’t want to. And you can’t make me. A-and if you try to, I’ll fucking sue you, I swear to god!”
“Language! That is no way to speak to your mother, young man. If you’d come home, we could talk about—”
“I’m not going home! I’m not safe there!” Kyle was practically shrieking now, Kenny glancing back at him then Sheila with mild concern.
“And you think you’re safer here? We’re your family, Kyle!”
“I think I’m safer with the father of my child,” He hissed, latching onto Kenny’s arm. “I don’t know what I’m going to do yet, but I know I’m never going back !”
“Sheila, I think it’s time for you to leave.” Sharon looked a little nervous at this development, her hand holding the door open. Stan stayed silent. He felt this conversation wasn’t for him.
“I’m not leaving until Kyle comes home with me!”
“Then I’ll call the police. Get off my property.”
Sheila squawked, turning back to the lovely young couple giving her looks full of contempt. “What are you going to do, Kyle? You can’t raise a child! What about your future?! Do you really want to end up as trailer trash instead of a lawyer?!”
“Okay, hang on,” Kenny snapped. He was always pretty good at staying calm in situations like these, unless you pushed a few very particular buttons, and Sheila had hit one right on the head. “Ain’t nothin’ like that gonna happen while I’m around, and I ain’t goin’ anywhere. I’d appreciate you not underestimatin’ Kyle for once.”
“Like you have any right to speak to me, after what you did to my poor baby! You’ve ruined his life!”
“It was my fault !” Kyle shouted, but this time, anger tinged his words instead of guilt. “You just want to blame Kenny for everything that goes wrong! Newsflash, Mom! I did this! And Kenny’s the one supporting me!”
Sheila rounded on her son again. The tension between them was tense enough that Stan almost wanted to run.
“ Kyle ,” She said, her voice unnervingly steady, like the calm before the storm.
“I’m not a danger to myself or others. I’m being provided for. The police won’t help you, they’re useless anyway, so they won’t waste their time bringing me home. And do you really want to go through the emancipation process, Ma?”
Sometimes, Stan thought he forgot just how smart Kyle really was. And just how unforgiving.
“Sheila. You should go,” Sharon repeated.
The woman seemed to consider her options, eyes flicking from Kyle to Kenny to Stan before she turned with a flair that reminded him of her son.
“You’re coming home eventually, Kyle. This isn’t over!” She glared at Sharon, practically spitting her words out. “You can’t take my son from me.”
“Goodbye, Sheila. It’s always a pleasure.” Sharon slammed the door behind her.
The moment the door closed, Kyle dropped back onto the couch, letting out a shaky breath.
“Hey, hey,” Kenny cooed, pushing his curls behind his ears. “It’s okay. She’s gone. You’re okay.”
“I can’t believe I did that. I c-can’t…”
“It was awesome, dude,” Stan assured him. “Sorry for not saying anything. I…”
“It’s f-fine,” Kyle sniffed, sighing. “Oh, God, I…”
“How about I make you that tea?” Sharon asked.
“I’m kind of...tired, actually. Could I…?”
“Shelley’s room is empty. Is that cool, Mom?”
“Of course it is. Go ahead, sweetheart, you deserve some rest.”
Kyle stood on shaky legs, and Kenny looked at Sharon hesitantly.
“Would, uh…” He glanced between them. “Would it be okay with both of y'all if I stayed? I don’t...I don’t feel like leaving you right now, Ky.”
“Yeah,” Kyle said, practically a whisper. “That’s...yeah. If…”
“Of course. You two go ahead. Stanley, come help me in the kitchen.”
~
After Kyle retreated to Shelley’s bedroom with Kenny, he quickly tried to occupy himself with anything he possibly could. He folded all his clothes and sat them on her old dresser, pausing when he got to his binder.
“I probably shouldn’t wear this. Right?” He glanced back at Kenny, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed. “While I’m…”
“Oh. Probably not. I’m no expert.” Kenny hummed. The air hadn’t been so awkward between them in what felt like forever, and Kyle hated it. “You can ask a doctor, when you, uh…see one.”
“We can ask Sharon about that, I guess. She seems ready to help.”
“Yeah.”
They didn’t say anything else as Kyle continued to lay out his belongings in no particular order. Once he had stacked the three books he’d brought by the wall, he rose to his feet and turned around. Kenny’s eyes roamed over him almost clinically.
“You’re pregnant.”
“Yes.”
“It’s mine.”
“Yeah.”
Stan’s sister’s bed still had pillows and blankets on it, thankfully, though Kyle wasn’t sure the last time she’d slept in it. He and Kenny laid on top of them, facing each other. It was quiet. Too quiet.
“Can I…?”
“Yes.” Kyle knew what he was asking.
As he’d predicted, Kenny’s hand drifted down to his stomach, resting against it. It didn’t feel any different- Kyle knew that, he had been anxiously touching it himself since he fucking found out. However, that didn’t stop him from feeling like he was going to cry.
“How long?” Kenny asked, his other hand moving to Kyle’s hip to pull him closer.
“It could have only been my birthday,” Kyle muttered. “So four weeks. I missed a period.”
“God, Ky…”
He squeezed his eyes shut, knocking their foreheads together. His heart was twisted in a battle between Kenny’s soft amazement and his parents’ cruel judgement. Kenny’s hand on his stomach felt so nice, and it made him sick.
“I’m so sorry, Kyle.”
“What?” He opened his eyes. “Ken. You were the one who tried to slow it down.”
“I should have been more...firm. This - maybe your mom’s right. You have bigger things ahead of you.”
“So do you. A-and you’re happy about it. This. The baby.”
“But you’re not.” He met Kyle’s eyes. “Are you?”
Kyle didn’t respond for a second, curling further into Kenny. He’d thought about children as some far off future - hopefully he’d marry Kenny, he didn’t want anyone else, but the idea of their family came second to him. He had no idea how to feel about all of it right now, and knowing Kenny wanted to keep it just complicated it further, even though he knew he’d respect any choice Kyle made.
“Did you mean that, back there?” The blonde asked. He’d maneuvered so one arm was under Kyle and around his back, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, while his other hand remained on his stomach. “About...not ending it? Or was it just to get your mom off your ass?”
Kyle gulped, pressing his face into Kenny’s neck. He really didn’t want to cry. I feel like such a girl, he thought, and could have laughed, because shit, of course he did. Kenny’s fingers massaged the back of his neck, his nose pressed into his hair.
He loved him so much. So much. Kyle loved him, and loved him even more now - he was so ready to do whatever Kyle wanted, even if it meant losing his...He was putting Kyle ahead of his own wants, even after he was the one who fucked it all up. He was really the best boyfriend he could ever ask for, and deserved an answer to such a simple question.
But Kyle didn’t have one for him.
“I don’t know,” He whispered, clutching the fabric of Kenny’s shirt, just over his heart. “I don’t know .”
Kenny nodded. “That’s okay, babe. You don’t have to know just yet. Okay? It’s okay. We’ve got a good bit to figure it out, aight?”
They had twenty weeks, actually. Once he hit 24 weeks, abortion was out the window. After that, he could carry it to term and put it up for adoption, or the even scarier option... raise it.
He had so much he had to do. His entire life had been planned for him for as long as he could remember, and all of sudden, everything had come to a shrieking halt.
He wanted to cry, to scream, to curse this poor collection of cells that hadn’t done anything, had just dared to grow, to exist. But Kenny kissed the top of his head before he could fall apart.
“Go to sleep, firefly. We’ll talk once you wake up, ‘kay? I got ya.”
Kyle sighed, letting his eyes slip closed. With his heartbeat roaring in his ears, he let those words surround him, a security blanket in the chaos.
I got ya.