Work Text:
Knock knock knock
A muffled creaking noise could be hear though the door he was standing between.
Click
“Kenny? What the fuck are you doin’ here? It’s gross as shit outside.”
Cartman stood in the doorway dressed in a well loved grey T-shirt and equally loved sweatpants. He dressed sloppy but it was starkly contrasted by how fresh and fluffy his hair was and his clean skin. He almost radiated warmth but that might have just been the feeling of the warm house grazing his cheeks while the cold storm nipped at his ass.
“Come inside already.”
Cartman said moving to the side with a little hand motion gesturing him to enter.
Kenny stomped his boots off at the doorstep before stepping inside. The air was thick and warm in an almost nauseating way that made Kenny’s head spin. Taking another step closer he stumbled over his own feet and grabbed onto the chair in front of him.
Kenny let out a grunt,
the hue of his knuckles shifted from a rosey pink to a ghastly white.
“Dude what the crap!? What was that”
Cartman exclaimed walking over to the anemic boy.
“Huhhh guh ah ah…” A few shaky breaths slipped out as his lips, as his breath began to steady he relaxed his grip on the chair.
For a moment the room was silent, both boys looking at the floor, the only sounds breaking this tension being the rattling of pipes and metal on the roof and the harsh wind causing the rain to ping against the windows.
The sound of kenny unzipping his parka shook Eric back to focus as he watched kenny drape it over the chair he has been clung too, before walking over to the couch. He took slow strides his body still recovering from the shock it had felt only moments ago.
Eric stood still not moving from the spot beside the door. He watched Kenny pitifully stumble his frail body to the old green couch.
Fwump
Kenny dropped himself onto the sofa his body practically sinking into the cushions.
It was an old couch green and with such a unique smell only someone who had aged with the couch could tolerate. If anything they more than tolerated it, they loved it, or as much as a teenage boy could love. The cushions were softer than any cloud in the sky thanks to cartman fat ass wearing them down.
Kenny let out a sigh and wiggled his back against the couch a bit snuggling in more as the cushions pulled him in closer.
The floor let out a small creek as cartman began to walk towards the sofa. He sat himself down on the opposite end of the couch there was an empty space between them.
They sat in silence for what felt like an hour but was in reality around 10 minuets.
The tv was on some retro cartoon channel and an old western playing. Neither of them were paying it much attention. Cartman looked up upon hearing gunshots from the TV. He sat himself up leaning into the arm rest as he watched the toonish shoot off.
“Hah hey Kenny remember when we had a shoot off a couple summers back, i nailed you SOOO good in the head.”
Kenny and Eric had grown closer with age, due to cartman being the only person who knew Kenny couldn’t die.
This opened up quite a few doors for them which they both seized. Being the teenage boys they were they decided the best use of Kenny’s regeneration would be to fuck around with it as much as humanly possible.
A few summers back Kenny had gotten his hands on his dads gun box. A simple handgun.
After a quick run to the local dollar store to pick up some cheap shitty cowboy outfits they were ready.
They drove down a dirt road going out of the suburbs and past the city so they would be safe to execute their plan. After a while of driving they arrived in a large field. Cartman parked the car slamming the driver door before grabbing a bag from the back. The two boys met at the hood of the car. Eric rummaged through the plastic bag handing Kenny a flimsy cowboy hat, a plastic star badge and a brown vest. He grabbed the same items out for himself along with a faux stick on mustache. Both of them took a moment to get ready, snickering and laughing, both of them overflowing with excitement.
Cartman did a spin around. “Pretty badass right!?”
Kenny gave him a smile accompanied with a thumbs up.
“Okay okay let’s do this already!”
Kenny brought a B.B gun and had lent cartman his dads handgun. Eric stood still looking over the rifle for a moment in awe over what he had his hands on.
“Okay so three steps and then we turn around, got it?”
“Sounds good”
They walked away from the car and moved close back to back.
“Good luck partner” Eric said taking a breath.
He took a step forward with Kenny. Followed by a second step and then a third.
They both spun around kicking up dust around them both letting off a shot.
BANG
Both missed and they quickly shot again. They kept shooting at each other until there was only the sound of a single gun popping. Eric dropped his handgun and jogged over to Kenny. He stood their his body still as a pin with an empty gaze.
“Oh my GOD DUDE.” is all Eric could exclaim grabbing Kennys body as he looked him over. He was perfectly intact except for a bullet through his head. It was so centered it was as if he had shot a bullseye. Blood trickled down his face and pooled at his nostril. “Oh wow god Jesus this is such a rush!!! You okay Kenny?” What a stupid question to say to a corpse in your arms.
“Yeah, how could I forget that was one of the best days of my life.” Kenny said with a small smile his eyes glazed as he looked off to nowhere.
His hand brushed over his forehead grazing a non-existent bullet hole.
“Uhgh”
Kenny let out a small groan as he squirmed his back against the couch. He took his hand away from his forehead and placed it over his stomach.
“You okay dude? Why are you moaning? You’re not getting off to the memory of being shot are you?” Kenny shot him a dirty look and scowled.
“You fatass you probably jerk off to shooting me every night.”
“Do not!”
“Do too!”
They bickered childishly back and forth and with each comeback they subtly moved closer to each other, closing up the space that was between them. Their argument was cut off suddenly by a loud grumble of Kenny’s stomach. “Tap out and I’ll get you something to eat” cartman offered in a sickeningly sweet tone.
“Tch over my dead body.”
Cartman raised an eyebrow “I think I could make that happen” he smirked.
Kenny let out a defeated laugh giving Eric an eye roll.
“Stay put, I'll be back.”
Cartman said getting off the couch before walking off to the kitchen.
“Ugh cartman I don't want anything, piss off I'm not your charity case.” Kenny groan kicking his legs weakly.
“Who said I was grabbing you anything. Even if I was, you're clearly in need of it.” He yelled out from the kitchen.
After a few moments Cartman returned his arms filled with various snacks and soda.
He laid them out onto the coffee table. Kenny’s eyes burned into the table as he looked at the spread.
“Oh I got a pizza in the oven this is just the appetizers”
He said dropping back down onto the couch. Despite his burning desire to sink into the food he resisted. Cartman leaned in and grabbed a bag of chips opening them up with a satisfying pop of the bag. Looking over to Kenny with a side eye.
He tried to stay strong he really did. Kenny didn’t want to fall to temptation to show weakness. He always had to be strong growing up how he did showing weakness was equivalent to suicide. So he grew thick skin something many complimented as a desirable trait. These compliments made him cringe. Whats so great about never feeling anything. He would think to himself, knowing he had cheated himself out of so much joy in life.
“Kenny man come on would it kill you to eat, listen we can… uh keep quiet about this I know you have that whole stoicism thing.” Kenny relaxed his shoulders letting out a sigh as he looked over to cartman.
He has a weird expression something cartman was unfamiliar with. It was almost a pout but not in a whiny way, it alluded a feeling of … guilt? A stew of conflicting feelings were swirling in Kenny’s head you could almost see ripples and stirring through Kenny’s eyes as if you were looking at a pot being stirred.
“Listen dude you’ve let me shoot you, I fucking shot you and watched you die in my arms and you’re drawing the line at eating some food, let loose already.” Cartman had shifted over to face Kenny as he said this looking straight into his eyes. “Ugh Cartman i should get home I don’t know why I even came here, Karen probably needs-“ he trailed off readying himself to get up.
“Shut up!” Eric demanded, He didn’t yell but his voice had be raised and his tone was strong shaking Kenny to his core. He had stood up standing over Kenny who was now pressed against the couch his hands by his sides.
“Agh listen just chill, Karen’s out with her friends tonight I know. You told me this a few days back. She’s out at a concert so you’re not getting to just slip out with a shit lie like that.” He pinched the bridge of his nose shutting his eyes seemingly trying to cool himself down from his heated moment. Cartman took a step back letting out a breath. Once again they were both bound by the tense energy that flooded the room.
Kenny slumped into the couch again curling up into the right corner. He took his hand and wrapped it around his wrist. His boney fingers wrapped around his thin wrist completely. Blotchy red and blue spots covered his skin, bruises covering his arms. His knuckles had flimsy worn out bandages wrapped around them. No matter how much he denied it Eric was aware of Kenny’s anemic condition.
Cartman walked around the coffee table talking slow lumbering steps. He looked at the couch and then at Kenny.
“Can I?”
Kenny gave him a small nod.
He began to sit down.
Beep beep beep
“Oh shit the pizza.” Eric grumbled walking off into the kitchen.
He stopped the timer on the stove and turned the dial Turning off the oven.
As he leaned down to pull the pizza Eric started at his reflection in the over window. His cheeks red despite his efforts to calm himself his brows were still furrowed beads of sweat dotted his forehead.
He wiped them away with the oven mitt before grabbing the pizza out.
He stayed in the kitchen for a while, leaned against the tile counter just breathing. He gripped the edge of the counter knuckles white from his tight grip.
“God making the guest cut his own pizza that’s pretty shitty manners even for you Eric.”
Eric looked to his side, his head hung. Kenny was rummaging through a draw pulling out a pizza cutter.
“I’ll be on the couch come quick before it gets cold… or well colder than it already is.”
Tossing the pizza cutter in the sink he grabbed the pizza and swayed off to the living room.
What the fuck is he tryna do…
His grip loosened off the counter and groaned. It would be for the best for him to try and brush it off as well but something in his gut felt wrong.
“Took you long enough fatass.”
There sat Kenny on the couch. He held a half full cup of double dew in his hand. The pizza was untouched which confused Eric.
Why go through the trouble of cutting and bringing it out here just to leave it untouched
Eric brushed off that thought as best as he could before sitting down on the couch beside Kenny.