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In all honesty, he completely forgot what day it was.
Listen, he’d been pretty emotionally compromised today. Both his siblings were home now that his brother was in for Winter Break but things had taken a talk for the worse and now here they were.
Kenny stared Kevin down, jaw so tight he might just crack his teeth. The other boy inclined his head, giving Kenny a stern look that he really didn’t feel was deserved.
There was a lot he could say. A lot he wanted to, was building at the back of his tongue like bile. So he’d ignored his mother the first time she’d hollered down the hall. He was preoccupied. The two of them managed to get Karen pissed off, the girl crossing her arms stubbornly and giving them both looks.
The three of them stood in icy silence. Kenny ground his teeth.
“Kenny!” Carol called again, louder. “I said Kyle’s here!”
Shit.
Karen, still looking worried, quickly stepped aside with a sympathetic twist of her lips.
Kenny flew out the door, heart jumping in his throat when he realized exactly how much shit he was in.
If he’d remembered their plans, he would have been waiting for him outside, dressed in his nice black jeans and a crisp new shirt, or else walked the mild distance to his house and ‘pick him up’, as it were.
Of course he forgot. And of course he had to be locked in a three-way argument in his siblings’ bedroom when Kyle finally showed up at his doorstep.
His sneakers skidded on the worn carpet, sliding as he rounded the corner only to stumble over the extension cord leading to the television.
Kyle was standing in the living room, dressed in a very nice sweater and slacks. His hands were in his pockets and he was very purposefully not looking at Kenny’s dad.
Stuart, predictably, was smirking at the boy.
He always liked that he made Kyle nervous. Got a sick thrill from it that annoyed Kenny to no end.
“Kyle,” Kenny fumbled, brain finally reminding him of their shared plan. “Shit. Uh-”
“Hey, Kenny,” Kyle’s gaze locked on him and nothing else. “Am I early?”
He wasn’t and he damn well knew it.
God fucking dammit this is why he felt funny about having Kyle over. He tried a little too hard not to stare at the empty bottles piled in the living room- his parents’ domain- avoided looking too closely at worn appliances and threadbare rugs that, while clean and functional, didn’t fit in with his upbringing.
Kyle was polite and- for Kyle- did a decent job of minding his own fucking business, it wasn’t totally his fault, but it was still more than a little stressful for Kenny.
That and the fact that Stuart fucking hated him didn’t help things.
“Okay, uh-” Kenny darted out, grabbed Kyle’s wrist. “We’re going out,” He said over his shoulder and promptly shoved Kyle down the hallway. He leaned in towards the boy who was scrambling to get his feet back under him, speaking directly into his ear.
“You should have texted me,” He said, too worked up to hide his distress. “I totally forgot about tonight.”
“I did text you,” Kyle shot him a look over his shoulder, serious and reprimanding. “And I called you. Like, three minutes ago, seriously.”
Kenny patted his back pocket. Sure as shit, he didn’t have this phone on him.
“Fuck it all,” He muttered, avoiding looking over at his siblings’ room as he opened his door. “Come on in, I’ll get dressed.”
“Hi Karen,” Kyle was greeting awkwardly. “Kevin, h-”
Kenny pulled him into his room and shut the door.
The redhead gave him a truly flabbergasted look, thick brows raised, as Kenny stalked off towards his closet.
“My phone’s charging,” Kenny said, whipping off his tshirt and dropping it on the floor, “Totally left it in here. Sorry, dude.”
“It’s whatever, Ken,” Kyle said, which probably wasn’t true but he was likely offering him a grace, here.
He was definitely watching him close. Kenny yanked his shirt off the hangar, trying to dress before Kyle could start his psychoanalyzing-
“What’re you so stressed over?” The boy interrupted. “Because it’s definitely not being late.”
“Maybe it is,” Kenny said lightly, hastily buttoning his shirt, “I hate being late.”
He risked a look over at Kyle, who’s deadpan look was truly worth it.
“Kenny,” Kyle said, brows furrowing. Whoops. ‘Serious Mode’ activated. “What’s wrong?”
“I feel bad that I made you wait,” Kenny replied easily, shucking off his sweatpants. “Or do you not believe that, either?”
“No, I do,” Kyle said, still watching him. “But that’s not the reason for this.”
“For what?” Kenny said, wriggling into his skinny jeans.
“You’re just not normally this uh…” Kyle paused, and when Kenny glanced over his gaze darted away. “Frantic.”
“You watch while I dress, I don’t mind,” Kenny said easily.
“Kenny. You know what you’re doing.”
“Kyle,” Kenny mimicked. “Yeah, ‘cause I don’t wanna talk about it.”
He buttoned his jeans, looking around for his work belt. It was black, it would look fine, then he could slip on his sneakers and be done. Long as they didn’t hit traffic, they’d be fine.
“Okay.”
Kenny’s gaze whipped over to Kyle.
There was something really wrong in how he said that. And how his gaze slid away from Kenny again, flitting to discarded food containers and wrinkling posters, the laundry he needed to take into town and the cracked window.
“You need to clean your room,” Kyle commented.
“Now who’s deflecting?” Kenny asked, surprised. “Am I supposed to interrogate you, now?”
Kyle shook his head at that, a small, self-deprecating smile curling his lips.
“No.” He said, suddenly interested in observing his ceiling, “I was just wondering. Should I have… waited longer? For you? Or maybe-”
Oh.
“No, no, no,” Relief flooded his chest when he realized that was all it was. “No, dude. It’s not you.”
Kyle’s gaze flitted from the ceiling to Kenny’s face immediately, studying him.
“I promise,” Kenny said honestly, and let Kyle look. “Totally unrelated.”
Kyle shrugged, as if Kenny couldn’t see the tension melt off him the moment the reassurance came. Broflovski trying to play it cool, the loser.
He got the misunderstanding, though. Kenny didn’t exactly love the fact Kyle was inside his house, but that just wasn’t due to Kyle, not exactly. He didn’t let Stan over, either. Or Cartman, or… really any of his friend-friends, he guessed.
Dates, occasionally, and only if his house was more accessible than theirs or they didn’t have a car or something.
Hell, he didn’t even let Butters come over much anymore, and he knew the other blond well enough to know he wasn’t a judgy person.
There was probably a reason for this that could be summed up in a diagnosis from one of Kyle’s big psychology books, but Kenny was the type of guy to try and move on. Steamroller over what you can’t face and live your life. He put that into play right now.
He exhaled, slipping on his shoes, and turned around with his arms outstretched.
“How do I look?” He asked cheekily.
Kyle’s dorky grin was warming, and he walked forward like he were truly offering an inspection.
“Hmm,” He couldn’t quite hide the twinkle in his eyes as he picked lightly at Kenny’s sleeve. “A little like a dad vacationing in Florida.”
“Rude.”
“You mean that’s not the aesthetic you’re going for?” Kyle teased.
“Shut up,” Kenny laughed and lightly shoved him with a hip. “Are we going or not?”
“Your phone,” Kyle reminded him, and Kenny made a mad dash for it.
His wallet, too. House key. Kenny shoved it all into his pockets, brightly returning with a beaming sort of smile.
“Onward!” He ordered cheerfully. “We’ve got forty minutes to burn, Broflovski, we’ve wasted enough time.”
“You mean you’ve wasted enough time,” Kyle corrected him primly, eyes twinkling. “I started getting ready as soon as I got home.”
“Oooh, we’re looking forward to today?” Kenny drawled, making a show of linking arms like a regency maid and her lover, “Tell me, Mr. Broflovski… did you spend the entire car trip from University desperately craving my companionship? Anticipating the evening of possessive showmanship?”
Kyle rolled his eyes. “It’s not that dramatic, Kenny.”
“What?” Kenny kept the persona up, leaning heavily on Kyle until the other squirmed uncomfortably, “So you regularly wear ironed shirts and cologne just to hang out with the guys?”
“Who doesn’t iron their shirts?” Kyle asked incredulously, trying to shove Kenny’s lanky form off his person. “And it’s the first time we’ve seen some of these people for three years-”
“And I guarantee that most of them will be wearing college shirts and jeans and here you are,” Kenny teased fondly, “Looking like a model with $80 perfume on when the rest of us smell like stale pizza.”
“You’re wearing a nice shirt.”
Kenny pulled away, gesturing to himself with a fluid motion, a flaunting shoulder. “If I’m going to be arm candy, I’m going to match my-”
“You call me a sugar daddy and it’s over, McCormick.”
He genuinely was, and the fact that Kyle said it instead was way funnier. Kenny laughed, genuinely pleased.
“Besides, you make way more money than I do.”
“I do make more money than you do,” Kenny admitted. “Your apartment is nicer, though.”
Kyle shrugged, all seriousness, “It’ll be our apartment soon, so. That won’t matter.”
Kenny’s heart made a fond little jump in his chest. It was dumb, he knew it was dumb and he was a grown-ass dude but fucking hell. He liked the thought of a shared apartment, a domestic kind of place for two people getting to know each other differently. It was lame, he was lame, and he was so fucking excited.
“You said Karen will be living in the dorms?”
He smiled to himself, in a kinda sad, wistful way. His kid sister, off to college. “Yup.”
Unless she got Kevin to worry her too much to go. That still squirmed at the bottom of his stomach and something clearly made its way to his face.
He’d known Kyle pretty much all his life. The little furrow he did with his eyebrows just then spelled trouble. Kenny quickly tried to move past it.
“Hey, let’s go,” He said, tugging Kyle’s sleeve, “We’re gonna be late for real.”
“Wait,” Kyle started, but Kenny was done.
He swung open the door, firmly grasping Kyle’s bony ass fingers in his own hand and near dragging him down the hall.
“See you later,” He said to Karen, ignoring Kevin entirely, and barely caught Karen’s quiet goodbye as they flew down the hall.
Once they got to the living room, he switched from holding Kyle’s hand to wrapping an arm around his waist.
Kyle seemed confused at first, but Kenny locked eyes with his dad on the way out and he seemed to get the gist of it. The statement being made, here.
They stepped outside, crunching into the Colorado snow, and Kenny took a deep breath of fresh, crisp mountain air.
“Hey, so- your Dad hasn’t caused any grief over that or anything,” Kyle asked nervously as they approached the fenceline.
Kinda, yeah. Just a lot of tirades, complaints. Things he didn’t particularly want Karen hearing, but. That was Dad.
“Don’t take it too personally,” Kenny clonked their heads together gently before letting Kyle go. “He’s hated every guy I’ve dated.”
Kyle paused in the middle of taking his keys out of his pocket.
Kenny unlocked the chain link fence, pulling it open, and caught Kyle’s curious expression.
“He doesn’t like you dating guys?” He asked.
“Nah, that’s not really it,” Kenny shrugged. “He thinks it would be easy for me to be mistreated by a dude.”
Funny, because he had a few red-flag relationships behind him and some of those his father had openly approved of, so. You couldn’t generalize, dude. Plus his own marriage wasn’t exactly what Kenny was aspiring to replicate.
“Hmm,” Kyle said, unlocking his car, “It’s… a nice sentiment?”
“It’s pretty fucking stupid,” Kenny corrected him cheerfully.
“But you can’t tell me he doesn’t hate me, specifically,” Kyle turned on the heat as soon as their butts were inside, but took the moment to look Kenny in the eyes. “Seriously, Kenny. Every time he sees me-”
“He wants to scare you,” The blond shook his head as Kyle pulled away from the McCormick home, “Plus, the last time you were here he caught you in my room, half-naked-”
“I really don’t want to talk about that.”
“And it’s not like your dad doesn’t hate me, too.”
Kyle made a noise, wincing with his whole body.
“He doesn’t hate you,” The redhead said slowly, “He- he thinks you’re a nice guy.”
“Mmhm.”
Kenny raised his eyebrows at the Broflovski house while they passed, the lights inside flashing into the dark car briefly.
He did kind of believe that. He’d been on very good behavior when Kyle first brought him over as something other than just a lifelong friend. But he could see it in Gerald’s eyes, the way his smile never reached them. The way his handshake was a little too brief, eyes lingered a little too coldly.
Not quite good enough.
“Your dad’s pretty judgy.”
“Yeah.” Kyle sighed, both hands on the wheel. “I know he is.”
Mr. Broflovski and Kenny’s own dad really weren’t dissimilar. In fact, their reasonings behind disliking their son’s boyfriend were probably just alike. But Kenny wasn’t sure telling Kyle so would help anything.
Kyle already stressed about it. For all his reassurances, he knew for a fact that Kyle and his dad fought about him. Ike- bless the kid- was a snitch.
Lucky he had an ally.
“Least your mom likes me,” Kenny mentioned, and the groan Kyle gave made him snort.
“She loves you,” Kyle said, a reluctant grin curving his lips. “I’m afraid about what’s going to happen when this relationship goes long term.”
Kenny laughed, heart skipping stupidly. Jesus. Less than a year in and Kyle’s already expecting years into this. For all he harped on Stan for being an over-optimistic romantic, Kyle’s naive outlook was just as ridiculous.
And absolutely was making him melt a little bit, so he was probably as bad as the two of them.
“She gonna push you to propose to me, Kyle Broflovski?”
Even in the dark, he could see Kyle’s cheeks color.
“Let’s talk about how much your dad hates me again,” He said dryly, and predictibly, Kenny bust out laughing.
Kenny relaxed against the seat, closing his eyes as Kyle drove them further into the next town where everyone was meeting up. A bros hangout, with people who had scattered three years ago to follow various dreams. Or had else stayed in South Park, with Kenny while he waited for Karen to finish school.
“So what grand gesture are we gonna make when we walk in?” Kenny rubbed his hands together gleefully. “Must be pretty great.”
“I’m not making some kind of announcement,” Kyle said, flabbergasted. “I just… listen, there’s some people I’d rather not tell over text and have that freakout public for everyone to fucking see-”
“Pretty sure Stan knows, dude.”
“And you have people you want to tell-”
“I could’ve told Butters,” Kenny pointed out. “He’s stayed here too.”
Kyle shrugged, jaw set. “Butters is still friends with Cartman.”
Kenny tilted his head. The frenemies of Kyle and Cartman had a rift driven through them in high school that never quite recovered. Granted, that was on Cartman. He took it too far when they were old enough to know it wasn’t funny, and…well.
Kyle didn’t feel like forgiving him. And that was his right.
“I’m still friends with Cartman.”
“I know,” His boyfriend sighed. “But you aren’t going to run and tell him shit. Cartman can run around town and start shit without me here to do damage control. Or punch him in his stupid face.”
True. Butters wouldn’t tattle out of anything bad, but he genuinely liked and trusted Cartman still. Even though he still treated Butters kind of like shit.
Regardless, Kenny felt there was something else behind this. But far be it from him to refuse the solid, un-take-back-able label of being Kyle’s boyfriend. That shit rocked. And maybe he was a little bit pleased that Kyle was so proud of it. Just a little.
Kenny scratched his cheek, as if that could mask his dumb smile.
“So, hey,” Kyle said suddenly, “Are you and uh…Karen okay?”
Fucking hell.
Kenny couldn’t hide his surprise because he genuinely didn’t think Kyle picked up on that. “Uh, what?”
“You said you didn’t want to talk about it and I won’t,” The other boy said stubbornly, face visibly coloring once again. “I don’t know. You two never seem upset at each other.”
“Not true,” Kenny found his tongue again, “But it’s rare. Uh…yeah. It’s all okay. Just Kevin sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. We’re fine.”
Kyle nodded, quickly. “Oh- Cool.”
The redhead immediately winced. Kenny couldn’t stop the surprised guffaw.
So awkward. Kyle had the manners of the perfect bring-home-to-mummy boy and the tact of a drunk jester at a funeral.
But the care is sweet. Kyle was sweet, just dumb. So smart and so stupid at the same time and Kenny liked him so much.
His own thoughts won him over and Kenny shook his head.
“Karen’s going off to school early,” He said, rubbing the back of his neck, “You know that.”
“Yeah.”
“And I’m…helping.”
“You’re paying for the whole thing, yeah. I know.”
Kenny fidgeted.
Kyle, who was never patient, tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited.
“Kevin says I shouldn’t.”
That got Safe-Driving-Or-My-Mom-Will-Kill-Me Kyle to actually look away from the road.
“What?”
Kyle’s incredulous tone somehow made him feel better.
Kenny shrugged. “Just butted in. I don’t want to talk about details, dude-”
“That’s fine-”
“But like…I don’t know. She’s already unhappy that I didn’t go to school first, this isn’t helping.”
Kyle chewed on the inside of his cheek. “You said you were going back to school.”
“Maybe. Maybe eventually. But she actually wants to go to school, and wants to go now, so like… that’s what that was. She’s not usually upset with me for this long, but it’ll blow over.”
Kyle nodded. He didn’t offer a personal opinion, or slam either of his siblings, which Kenny was exceedingly grateful for.
Maybe he didn’t give Kyle enough credit for tact. He was at least trying.
“And Kevin’s just worried about me,” Kenny rolled his eyes. “In his own way. Family drama, am I right?”
“Yeah,” Kyle said, and seemed to bite off the rest.
Kenny squinted out the window for the exit they were supposed to take, arms crossed.
They were both quiet as Kyle exited the highway, taking them closer to the group of assholes Kenny had missed so dearly since they all parted ways.
“You know what?” Kyle said suddenly, “You’re pretty cool.”
Kenny looked over at him, mirth bubbling in his chest. “Okay?”
“No, I mean…” Kyle’s brows were furrowed, eyes on the road and brightly fierce. “You’re just cool. Not a lot of siblings would bother even trying to put their siblings through college.”
“Eh, you’d try for Ike if you had to.”
“I’d kick him out into the forests to fend for himself,” Kyle lied dryly, “But I mean it. You’re more responsible and mature than a lot of guys our age.”
“I want that in writing, right now,” Kenny said, opening the glovebox, “Do you have a pen in here?”
“Kenny.”
Safely at a stoplight, Kyle turned his whole body towards Kenny, an elbow on the console. He looked so damn serious that the next joke died right on Kenny’s lips.
“I mean it,” He said, staring into Kenny’s face, “So please don’t take that lightly.”
The please got him, as did that suddenly soft look in his face. Kenny’s insides squirmed pleasantly, breath caught somewhere in his chest.
“Okay.”
Satisfied with that, Kyle smiled and leaned back in his seat.
Damn. Kenny was rendered somewhat speechless, quite the feat, and even more so when Kyle went so far as to take his hand while driving with the other.
“You know what I think?” The guy asked.
“What?” Kenny managed.
“I think you and Karen are a lot alike,” Kyle said easily. “I think she worries about you just as much as you do for her.”
Well fucking hell, Broflovski. Get outta here with the analysis.
“Take four semesters of psychology, Dr. Broflovski, and you know it all, huh?”
Kenny immediately regretted the unintentionally harsh words, but Kyle took it well.
“Hardly,” He laughed, squeezing Kenny’s hand. “But I’ve grown up with you, dude.”
The words were a precision strike to Kenny’s heart. Hitting him in all the most tender places, turning him to an emotionally melty goo.
It settled warmly in his chest, soothing a worry he hadn’t quite let himself process yet. He knew he and Karen would be alright- they always were, and Kevin might not stop being stubborn but he and Kenny would work it out too- but it was nice to hear while the argument was still fresh.
“You okay?”
Kenny brought their interlocked fingers to his lips in response, kissing Kyle like the gentleman he could occasionally be.
“I’ll be really okay when we get to see our stupid bunch of assholes again,” Kenny said cheerfully. “Holy shit I’ve missed everyone.”
“I’ve missed Stan,” Kyle said dryly. “And you. A lot.”
Aww. Kenny batted his eyelashes at him. “No one else?”
“Short list. You’re way more sociable than I am, dude.”
“Probably true,” Kenny admitted. “I think you’d go full hermit if you could.”
Kyle shrugged. “Maybe.”
He held his hand up until they pulled into the parking lot, late by eight minutes and that was all.
Not bad, considering everything.
Before they could go in, Kyle reached out to stop Kenny from hopping out of the car, hand over his seatbelt.
He looked over, and Kyle leaned over the console and kissed him.
Solid, deep. Something Kenny had been sorely missing since when Kyle left in the summer to go back to school. Kyle kissed with inexperienced fire, enough unrefined enthusiasm and passion to light Kenny up inside.
He sighed into Kyle’s mouth, feeling him hum in response rather than hearing it. Kyle kissed him again slowly, wet and warm, and Kenny cupped his pretty face in one of his hands.
When Kyle drew back, it wasn’t far, close enough that his words were breath against Kenny’s lips.
“I love you.” Kyle said firmly.
“I love you too,” Kenny’s voice came out a near stammer, to his horror, and he fumbled in trying to correct it. “I… uh…”
Kyle kissed him again, sweet and chaste, an adorably toothy smile on his dorky face and delight in his eyes. “Speechless, McCormick?”
The little asshole was teasing him. Retribution for Kenny’s loving mocking at the beginning of their relationship, probably.
“Hey now,” He protested half-heartedly, “I’ve gone months without a single smooch- I’m all out of practice.”
Kyle’s smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” Kenny said, pressing his grin against Kyle’s briefly. “Can’t just quit cold turkey and expect me to jump back on 100%, first thing…”
He didn’t think that was going to be successful, but Kyle leaned back in and kissed the laugh from his mouth. The ache of missing him was only worse, but didn’t hurt quite the same.
And it wasn’t for long. They’d be living together in the late summer, only a few months away. After their one year anniversary of dating, after two decades of being friends. Soon. Soon.
Kyle jerked back so quick that Kenny nearly fell forward, stopped only by Kyle’s hand grabbing his shoulder.
The redhead was staring through the windshield, and a single glance had Kenny choking on his tongue.
Stan had apparently come outside to greet them and was standing, hands on his hips, looking for all the world like a smug mother.
Kenny was tearing up with the effort not to howl with laughter.
“I think a text would have been better,” He managed, voice trembling with incoming giggles, “Look at the smarm.”
Kyle stared blankly at his best friend, and when he started making little kissy-faces at the car, turned his brights on the boy.
Kenny did laugh then, dropping his boyfriend’s hand to bound from the car and greet his old friend.