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Craig’s never been the best with words. His parents like to say that he flipped them off before he even knew how to speak, and he’s not even sure if that’s a joke. Expressing himself hasn’t really been a problem, he’s done fine so far without being particularly eloquent.
But right now, he really wishes he could find the words to tell Kenny McCormick how beautiful he is.
The blonde is kneeling in front of him as Craig sits on the floor, back against his bed. He has one hand on his chin, angling Craig’s face as he puts the finishing touches on his makeup. The two have been sitting like this for nearly half an hour, which means he’s had ample time to just stare .
Kenny’s blissfully oblivious, of course, his tongue sticking out between his lips as he works. It’s not often that Craig gets to see him like this, without his hair or his hood in the way. Usually, if they’re this close, they’re sucking face. But now, Craig is taking his time memorizing every freckle that dusts Kenny’s cheeks, how his nose scrunches up each time he messes up, even the tiny scar that splits his eyebrow.
Craig reaches up, brushing a stray tuft of hair away from Kenny’s eyes, which earns a smile from the other.
“I thought you were totally zoned out,” Kenny says, sitting back on his heels.
“I’m just looking at you,” Craig replies with a small shrug.
Kenny’s already in costume, though his transformation isn’t quite as dramatic as Craig’s. His eyes are painted with black liner and purple shadow, making their blue hue seem sharper. This is paired with a black dress they got from the thrift, then proceeded to cover in rips, safety pins, and other patches of dark fabric until it looked sufficiently goth enough.
“‘Cause I’m the hottest emo psychic teenage girl you’ve ever seen?” Kenny asks, raising his brows as he smirks.
Craig doesn’t have a retort, nor does he want to come up with one even though he knows Kenny’s just teasing him. “Yeah, you are.”
No matter how many times Craig compliments him, Kenny always tries to shy away or change the subject. He stands, reaching a hand down to help pull Craig up. “You should get a look at yourself.”
In the mirror, Craig is faced with a reflection he hardly recognizes. They spent hours hand-painting his black-and-white striped suit, so there was no way Kenny would hold back on the makeup. His fast is ghastly white, offset by the dark rings that line his eyes and the green spots of “decay,” done with tissue paper and glue.
“Holy shit, Kenny,” Craig says, stepping forward to get a closer look at himself. “Where did you even learn how to do this?”
“Youtube,” Kenny replies, looking rather proud of himself as he watches Craig. “Karen helped a bit too. If I’m the hottest Lydia you’ve ever seen,” he begins, coming to stand behind Craig so they can both look at their costumes side-by-side. “You are definitely the hottest Beetlejuice anyone will ever see.”
Craig reaches a hand up to touch his makeup, only to get it smacked down by Kenny.
“Don’t touch! The face paint might still be drying.”
“Right, right,” Craig nods. He still can’t quite believe that’s him in the mirror, but it makes sense now why Kenny was so focused earlier. “I don’t think I’ve had a costume this elaborate since, well, I’ve probably never had a costume this elaborate.”
“I dunno, I like going all out for Halloween,” Kenny replies, taking a seat on Craig’s bed.
Still looking in the mirror, Craig responds. “Honestly, if you didn’t come up with this, I was just gonna wear an old football jersey and call it a night.”
“Is it-” Kenny begins, but then falls quiet. Craig turns to see the blonde sitting on the edge of the bed, toying with the strap of the fake camera around his neck.
Craig waits to see if he’ll continue, but Kenny just shakes his head in the way he does when he’s getting too far into his own head. “Is it what, Kenny?”
“Is it too much?”
They’ve been officially dating for a month now, though only in private. A month of sneaking around, lying about class projects and sleepovers and whatever excuses they needed to spend time with each other without arousing suspicion. Craig hated it. He didn’t need to parade Kenny around as his boyfriend and subject everyone to their PDA, but he couldn’t go on pretending to be indifferent when Kenny was around. Kenny deserved more than that.
The halloween costume was Kenny’s idea. Not just who they were dressing up as, but the idea of doing a couple’s costume. Craig had been talking about telling their friends about them for a while, and Kenny said that this was how he wanted to do it, telling everyone at Wendy’s Halloween party. Not quite what Craig had been thinking, but as long as they didn’t have to hide anymore, he’d do anything.
“No, of course it isn’t, babe. We look fucking awesome,” Craig says, which earns a smile from the other. It’s not quite as bright as Craig would like it to be, but it’s better than nothing. “Can I kiss you or will that fuck up the makeup?”
Kenny laughs, which makes Craig feel a bit lighter. Instead of responding, he simply stands and plants a soft kiss against his boyfriend’s lips. “That’s all you’re getting, Tucker. I’m not showing up to this party with white paint smeared all over my face.”
“I’m tired of not being able to kiss you all the time,” Craig replies, which, predictably, flusters Kenny. There’s a light flush to his cheeks, though he maintains a cocky smile.
“I mean, no one would notice if I showed up with white paint smeared all over my-”
He’s cut off when Craig pulls him in for another kiss. Kenny always has some kind of joke or smart comment to make, but nothing shuts him up quicker than Craig’s lips on his. After, Kenny looks up at him, his face feigning annoyance though he’s clinging to Craig in a way that says otherwise.
For a moment, he has half a mind to ditch the party and let the two of them stay here instead, watching scary movies and eating Tricia’s leftover candy. But, they haven’t spent hours on their costumes for nothing.
“Wanna head?” Craig asks.
Kenny opens his mouth, then closes it. “Actually, that’s too easy of a joke. Let’s go.”
One thing that’s been an adjustment in the time they’ve been dating is what Craig likes to call, “Passenger Princess Kenny.” Though he doesn’t have a car of his own, Kenny loves going on drives, which means that Craig sometimes serves as his chauffeur rather than his boyfriend. There’s snacks in his glove compartment, loose sheets of Kenny’s homework scattered on the ground, and the spare hoodie he keeps in his car goes missing about once a week.
But, on this drive, there’s none of the typical shenanigans that go on when Craig drives. Well, not none , Kenny still immediately takes control of the aux and then blasts the heat like it’s his own car, but it’s different. Every time Craig tries to break the silence, Kenny brushes him off, giving a half-hearted response that won’t lead to any real conversation.
They end up not even speaking for most of the drive, letting the corny Halloween mix Kenny made for them play instead. This might be the fourth time he’s heard Monster Mash play tonight, and it probably won’t be the last. As they pull onto Wendy’s street and park, Craig lowers the volume a bit.
“You ready?” He asks, looking over at Kenny, who’s fidgeting with a safety pin on his dress. The blonde doesn’t respond, and when Craig turns to face him, he can see that he’s been gnawing on his lip as well. “Kenny?”
“I feel like this is a bad idea,” he blurts out. “I don’t know, I thought it would make it better, rip the bandaid off, but now I just feel stupid.”
Craig exhales. He figured they’d have to go through this, it’s not like he isn’t nervous himself either. Still, knowing this would happen doesn’t mean he knows what to say. “I don’t think it’s a bad idea,” he says, reaching out to take Kenny’s hand in his own. “It’s better than just telling our friends and letting the South Park gossip mill do the rest, right?”
“People are still gonna talk, Craig,” Kenny says, looking up at him. “It doesn’t matter if we tell them or if they find out, everyone’s gonna talk about it.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Craig asks, a soft smile on his face. Obviously, he’s been at the receiving end of gossip in South Park, no one’s forgotten that he was basically peer pressured by the entire town into his first relationship with Tweek. At least it made his actual coming out, then subsequent break-up with Tweek a few years later a bit easier.
Kenny reaches up to rub his eye, something he always does when he gets frustrated, but Craig stops him.
“Your makeup, dude,” he says, fingers lingering on Kenny’s wrist for a second.
“Thanks,” he says softly, opting to rub his temple instead. “Fuck, I can’t believe that I’m about to come out to everyone in eyeliner and a dress.”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Craig says, prompting an incredulous smile from the other. He knows just what to say to help Kenny detense. “I’m serious. I want everyone to see how fucking amazing my boyfriend is and how hot his legs are in this dress.”
Kenny laughs, hiding his face in his hands. “You have to stop saying shit like that!”
“Like what?” Craig asks, prying Kenny’s hands away so he can see the embarrassed look on his face. “Like you’re the best person in this entire garbage town? I want everyone to know how bad they suck in comparison to you.”
Kenny snorts which in turn makes Craig begin to laugh too. “You can’t just say that all deadpan!” He takes Craig’s hands now, leaning over the console to get closer to him. “I’m gonna tell everyone that you’re literally the cheesiest most gayest romantic sap in the fucking world.”
“Do it,” Craig says without hesitation. “I don’t care.”
Kenny’s tongue darts across his lips. “You mean that?”
“Babe, I’m wearing a full face of makeup and a hand-painted suit. But I don’t care. Fuck, I’d be Lydia and wear the dress if you asked me to. South Park is full of idiots who already think a lot of dumb shit about me. So, no, I don’t care if they know that I’m super fucking gay for you. Kenny, you’re the only one I care about.”
It’s quiet except for the Monster Mash still playing, which Craig is growing to hate more with each passing second, and the sound of Kenny’s breath, heavy in his chest.
“Are you gonna kill me if I make a joke about how dick-whipped you are for me?”
Craig flicks him right in the forehead.
“Ow!” Kenny whines, far too dramatically considering how gentle Craig was. “Bad joke, bad joke, that’s on me. I’m sorry,” he leans back in his seat, watching as their classmates head into the party. “I’m not as good with, like, words and shit as you are.”
Craig stifles a laugh. “Seriously? I’m terrible with that sort of stuff.”
“But you always know what to say,” Kenny says doubtfully.
It’s something he’s never heard before. Usually he gets ‘Craig, use your words,’ or ‘Stop mumbling, speak up.’ All he’s wanted the time they’ve been together is the right thing to say, some way to tell Kenny exactly how he feels.
“I’m just being honest,” Craig says.
“You’re really good at that, then,” Kenny says, eyes once again fixated on his lap.
“I’m not. It’s like my brain shuts off when you’re around and the only thing I can say is the truth,” Craig says, making a perfect example of himself. “How do you think I got through asking you out? I was just honest.”
“Okay, then,” Kenny begins, taking a breath. “Here’s me being honest. I care about you a lot too. And I love how real you are, and I love that you always make me feel fuzzy and sappy and all that gay shit, and I love that you’re my boyfriend. And I don’t want to hide that anymore. So, if everyone’s gonna know, we might as well look super hot and give them something to talk about.”
Craig smiles. It’s his turn now to blush, though it doesn’t show nearly as much as Kenny’s does. “Then let’s do it.”
He turns the car off and they get out, crossing the lawn. They both come to a stop as they stand outside the door, simply staring at the slab of wood.
“Well,” Kenny says, reaching out and taking Craig’s hand. “Here’s to a Halloween I’m hopefully gonna be too drunk to remember.”
Craig gives his hand a squeeze. “Here’s to a Halloween they hopefully won’t forget.”