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Let it be known that Ken was doing his best. Barbie had left for the Real World, and he was trying with everything he had to figure out who he was without her.
Sure, maybe that involved a lot of Beach, but Ken loved Beach, and so he figured that was a great place to start.
Beach was Ken’s safe space (he had overheard one of the Congress Barbies using that term, it made him feel smart), he knew he could go there to clear his head, maybe even attempt surfing again, and talk to his friends. Beach was always changing, the waves cycling the sand, the constant change in the noise around him. It was peaceful. Beach was more of a home to him than his house, formerly Barbie’s Dreamhouse, back to being his Mojo Dojo Casa House, in Barbie’s absence. This time with much fewer brewskis and much more frills and horses (sublime!). It still reminded him of her though, so he tended to spend as little amount of time there as possible.
The other comforting part of Beach was the near-constant presence of his buddy, Allan, who was quickly becoming Ken’s best friend. Allan was there to support Ken after she left to lead her new, fancy human life. He was endlessly patient with Ken’s sobbing, and stayed even when Ken didn’t feel very much like himself at all. Allan was a fantastic friend, sweet and kind, always wanting the best for Ken in his new life, and willing to spend his time helping him figure out who he was. Allan didn’t care that Ken’s hair wasn’t always perfect, or that he wasn’t always the most fashionable. Allan had even been the one to suggest Ken start visiting Rancher Barbie to see the few horses that existed in Barbieland.
(Ken had insisted Allan come with him, even lending him the appropriate clothing, after all, he did fit into all of his clothes.)
Beach was also a great place for Ken-trospection, as he was doing now. Beach was nice and warm, and sunny, and was a great place to soak up the sun while thinking about your best friend, or about how nice your new life was turning out to be.
Just then, Allan returned to his (near permanent) spot beside Ken, bringing ice cream for them both.
“Hi Ken! I got your favorite,” his friend smiled his new brilliant smile, something that rarely happened (or Ken rarely noticed) before they had gotten so close.
“Hey Allan, thanks for buying, again, I promise I can pay next time,” he took the ice cream, blueberry, with a sheepish grin.
“No, no! I insist. You need to save up, you’re still paying off the loan from the renovations to the Mojo Dojo Casa House, and I know Beach isn’t the highest paying job in Barbieland.” Allan was so nice, Barbie had never taken Ken’s financial situation into consideration when he bought her things.
“I do love Beach, though,” he sighed.
“And you’re very good at it,”
One of Allan’s privileges as a Not-Ken, and a member of the resistance against the Kendom, was that he was President Barbie’s newly appointed Ken Ambassador, a job that she had made up after the Kens had started appearing as judges in minor-circuit courts. Luckily for Ken though, most of Allan’s job happened before Prime Beach Hours, when he would meet with President Barbie and the Barbie Cabinet during their morning meeting to give his report on the state of Ken Affairs, which meant that he was free to hang out with Ken at Beach for the rest of the day.
That, and Allan was willing to bring Ken along whenever he had to go visit somewhere other than Beach for his job. Ken loved having an excuse to visit the rest of Barbieland, and he felt that seeing new places was good for his journey of self-discovery.
Ken and Allan spent the rest of the day in what was quickly becoming the new normal. They stayed at Beach until the sun set over the waves, then, invited any other Ken that was free that evening to the Mojo Dojo Casa House to hang out with them (the Barbies were generally paying more attention to their Kens now, so the cast of Kens rotated based on who had Date Night) and watch something on Ken’s TV.
Tonight, they were watching a nature documentary about sea creatures (Surfer Ken’s choice, Ken would have preferred one about horses), when Ken started to actually stop and think about Allan.
He turned to look at his best friend, sat beside him on the couch, entranced in the movie before him. He was pretty. Not in the way that Barbies were pretty, no, but a softer, more subtle kind. The way his wide eyes stared ahead, his hair slightly rumpled after a long day, the way he held his mouth slightly agape in awe of whatever Ken wasn’t paying attention to. He looked normal, but at the same time, effervescent, like the brightest star in the night sky, always there, and always beautiful.
Allan was sweet, and kind, and beautiful, and patient, and genuinely cared for Ken. And Ken loved him for it.
Oh. Oh .
Ken loved Allan. Not like he loved Barbie, no, that had been so over-the-top and perfect and plastic and maybe even, dare he say, fake . No, this was subtle, and borne out of two imperfect people bonding over their imperfect circumstances, and this was real, and invigorating, and everything that Ken had ever wanted to feel with Barbie.
It filled him with joy, the bursting, fulfilling kind that he got after a successful day of Beach, or after visiting the horses at Rancher Barbie’s stable. This was, quite possibly, what he had been looking for in his new life, a person to share it with, no matter who he turned out to be. And Allan had been right there all along, helping him through, not wavering for a second. This was sublime!
He turned back to the TV, deciding that tonight, he would invite Allan to sleepover, and tell him how he felt.
After the documentary, the other Kens and Allan stood as usual to say their goodbyes for the night, taking turns giving Ken a hug (being affectionate with your male friends is nothing to be ashamed of), and waving their goodbyes.
Allan, as per usual, came last, but, before he could give Ken his usual hug, the blonde man spoke.
“Actually, buddy, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to have a sleepover tonight?” The lights were dim in the room, but Ken could swear he saw a blush creep up Allan’s face.
“A sleepover? With me? Are you sure?”
“Yeah, buddy, you’re my best friend!”
“But, but-” he seemed thrown for a loop, “I’m just Allan, I’m not supposed to have sleepovers with Ken, I’m just supposed to be your buddy,” Ken put a hand on his chest to stop the rant.
“Hey. You’re more than ‘just Allan’ the same way that I’m more than ‘just Ken’. I want to spend time with you, I love you,” he felt free saying it out loud, like everything was clicking into place.
Allan’s jaw dropped in surprise, and he reached up, grabbing at Ken’s hand still solidly placed on his chest.
“You- what- huh?”
Ken smiled, “I love you. I’m in love with you.”
Allan let go of Ken’s hand with one of his own, only to pinch himself on the other arm and wince in pain.
“Sorry, I had to check, I’ve had this exact dream like, eight times this month,” he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. Ken laughed, flattered by his friend's admission.
“I would love to sleepover, by the way. If you want that.” He looked frantic, so Ken moved the hand on his chest to sling around his shoulder, pulling him back inside to the couch.
They sat, Ken enjoying just being close to Allan, but something was obviously upsetting the other man, he looked as if something was itching under his skin.
“What’s wrong, is this not what you wanted?”
“No, no, not that, I just- I’m kind of reeling from finding out that you love me, and I just- I don’t know what to do or where this puts us or-”
Ken cut him off by leaning in, leaving space for Allan to decide if he actually wanted to kiss him. He didn’t have to wait long to feel the press of lips against his, and to feel the sparks shooting through his veins.
Allan pulled away almost as quickly, face drawn in shock.
“That was… sublime!” Ken exclaimed, “I want to do that again, can we do that again?” he tilted his head at Allan, still in shock.
This time, Allan leaned in first. It felt just as good as the first, and when Ken gasped as he felt hands in his hair and the sudden press of Allan’s tongue into his mouth, he let himself get lost in the bubbly, electric feeling flowing through him.
Sometime later, when Ken’s hair was thoroughly ruffle and they were both out of breath, Allan spoke up.
“I love you, too.”