Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A few cleanish t-shirts and jeans, diary, deodorant, his PSP aaand a playboy which they stole from their dad..that should be all! they had all kinds of shit stuffed into their parka pockets anyway.

Kenny McCormick zipped up their worn out backpack as they pulled the strings of their hood tighter to show as little of their face as possible.

The blonde peaked their head out to the hallway checking if their father was awake yet. good for Kenny, Stuart McCormick was still passed out on the couch after last night’s drinking spree.

Kenny soundlessly slipped out of their room and quietly opened their sister’s door.

“Kay-Kay? You ready? You got your spare clothes right?” Kenny fussed over their sister

she also had a backpack over her shoulder, though this one wasn’t as old looking and it had a flower pattern printed on it.

Kenny had brought it for her with the money they made by doing odd jobs here and there when they had the time.

“Yes I packed clothes and a tooth brush and everything else! I'm gonna be fine Ken” Karen huffed with a smile on her face.

“You sure it’s fine with Mrs. And Mr. Tucker that you stay with them so long? I could always stay here I won’t mind..” Kenny said as they fixed one of Karen’s pigtails.

“Nuh-huh! I know how sad you would be if you had to stay the whole summer here without your friends! Also Trish’s mommy and daddy like me because I’m the only one who really comes over to play with her, they won’t mind me staying for a while” Karen said pouting at her older siblings selflessness.

“Ah okay, let’s go then” Kenny relented

Karen chatted the whole way to the Tucker’s house as Kenny listened. they never were the talkative type anyway.

Kenny pushed the doorbell ignoring the small doubt that was lingering in their mind. They didn’t like trusting adults, specially when it came to his sister, but he knew the Tucker’s pretty well since Tricia and Karen often had play dates which he often used as a excuse to get away from his parents.

The door swung open revealing Tricia’s older brother; Craig Tucker.

Despite their and Craig’s friend group’s…disagreements, Kenny quite liked Craig. They and him often ended up hanging out as their sisters played.

That’s how their odd semi-friendship actually began, Kenny had been awkwardly standing in the living room after Karen and Tricia had disappeared upstairs. The Peruvian boy had walked to the blonde and asked if they wanted to watch red racer. they never really hang out outside of their babysitting duties but it that was fin with them

“Hi.” Craig lisped in his ever monotone voice even if it was now a little slurred by the newly added braces.

“Hey man” Kenny greeted their voice muffled by their parka

“Get the fuck out of the way-“ a voice was heard calling as Craig got pushed aside rather violently as his little sister Tricia Tucker came to view.

Kenny honestly had no idea why Karen and Tricia were friends, from what they gathered Tricia didn’t really have many friends because of her short temper, yet Karen seemed to love the girl even when she was cursing and throwing punches. And it seemed like Tricia also appreciated Karen’s kindness towards her.

“Jesus christ..” Craig muttered recovering by being manhandled by a 8 year old.

“Ok so- I got a new webkin. it’s like, super rare and it’s a pink lion and it’s tail is like a heart- it’s so cute you gotta see it cmon” Tricia rambled ignoring her brother as she took Karen’s hand to drag the girl along with her.

“Well, see you at the start of school. I really don’t get why you even want to spend 2 months in the same tent as Cartman.” Craig said pulling the flaps of his hat.

“Hopefully I won’t have to sleep in the tent” Kenny shrugged giving Craig a fist bump which the other returned.

“Don't get run over!” The blonde shouted after turning to jog away.

When Kenny arrived at the bus stop the bus was already there, the bus driver was an old looking man with a mustache..and seemingly a hook for a hand..? The whole guy was giving Kenny the creeps..

Eh, as long as they don't end up dead in a ditch with a hook through their eye socket Kenny isn’t going to say anything.

As Kenny sneaked to the back door of the bus if the old man decided to be a bitch about who entered the bus without a camp flyer.

The man glanced at the blonde as they settled into one of the back seats but didn’t say anything..though the hairs on Kenny’s neck stood up as the other stared right through their soul (wait, did he even HAVE a soul?)

Kenny pulled out their PSP, they were about 10minutes early since they wanted to surprise their friends since they all thought their family didn’t have enough money to afford summer camp..which was true, but Kenny isn’t the type to give up easily.

Which basically just meant he was sneaking into camp.

After a while and a new high score in heaven vs hell Kenny heard the familiar sound of arguing outside as their friends made their entrance loudly.

“That’s not how it fucking works you moron- you- that’s a fucking felony!” the voice of Kyle Broflovski was heard complaining

“Has that stopped me ever before asshole?” Cartman’s voice called as Kenny’s friends climbed into the bus

”touché.” Kyle mumbled still frowning

“Will you two stop with this argument- we all unfortunately know Cartman could get whatever the fuck he wanted if he puts his mind to it.” Stan sighed as they all seated a few seats away from Kenny.

Despite Stan’s comment the two continued to bicker about the legal system, Kenny often wondered why the two haven’t succeeded in killing each other already, if not intentionally than just out of pure rage.

“What food did Cartman bring?” The blonde said as they climbed over the few seats between them flopping themselves next to Eric scaring the living hell out of the boy who let out a honestly pretty girly scream.

"Wait- Kenny??!" Stan screeched in shock, the look on his face made the blonde giggle.

"I thought you didn't have enough money for camp" Kyle noted stuffing a few strands of hair back into his Ushanka which had gotten misplaced as the boy had jumped in surprise.

Kenny only gave the red head a big grin at that.

"holy shit Kinny you snuck in!" Cartman was the first to get it letting out a laugh and throwing his arm over Kenny's shoulder.

"dude really??" Stan asked 

the blonde nodded before stealing the bag of Takis from where they were laying on Cartman's lap.

"ey!" Cartman shouted trying to reach for the chips but Kenny skillfully dodged the boy's efforts as they opened the bag showing a handful in his mouth.

Eric only huffed annoyed but didn't make another effort to get the food back. as evil he was, he often gave Kenny his left overs or let the blonde steal his food, the boy seemed to have a certain soft spot for Kenny. not that Kenny minded, the boy could be pretty fun to be around when he wasn't planning world domination if you asked them.

"well at least I wont have to watch Stan and Kyle makeout all summer." Cartman muttered.
"Will you stop with  the gay jokes already?" Stan groaned as Kyle simply just stared daggers into Eric.

this was going to be interesting.. Kenny thought as they watched their friends bicker.

Chapter Text

if you asked Max why he came back to camp after last year he would probably make a nihilistic joke about his shitty parents throwing him there again. 

but if Max had looked up the very outdated website for Camp Cambell and used his mother's ID to apply him for the next year that was between him and the gods he didn't believe in.

nevertheless he he was waiting on the bus stop fidgeting with the sleeves of his hoodie number 2# it was vine red in color and was a little too big for him, like most of his clothes were since his parents never got his size right, or he was just too fucking short to be shopping on the teen aisle.

 neither way, it was hoodie option number 2# for a reason since Max still preferred his teal one, though unfortunately some asswipe managed to spill some juice over it which managed to stain it permanently at lunch mid school year, he had of course proceeded to give the guy a bloody nose for that which ultimately earned him detention. look, he might be small but he is NOT weak.

enough about hoodie shenanigans..

Max wasn't 100% sure where his parents were right now, because when he left they sure as hell weren't home, he hadn't actually seen them since summer break had begun which was more than fine by him though it meant he had to use his own money to buy useless things like food to survive...ugh.

neither way he had left a post it note saying he went to camp and wouldn't be back before summer break was over if his parents decided to show up. (which he doubts)

as Max was lost in thought the very familiar bus stopped right in front of him, the noise of the bus door screeching open made Max jump out of his thought as he quickly recovered and hopped inside.

"hey kid." Quarter Master huffed off handedly to Max as he got on.

"glad to see we still got a cripple for a bus driver." Max snarked as he passed the old man.

as he made his way to the back of the bus quickly he glanced at a group of kids who were being annoyingly loud, the conversation seemed more than a little heated between two of them as the other two seemed to be physically holding both back from wrecking each other's shit. god he hoped he didn't have to listen to them the whole ride..

as Max seated to the very back trying to get as far away from the brats as possible which wasn't much considering they were only a few rows from the back.

fuck them, he isn't moving because of some ass wipe pre-teens Max thought as he hugged his backpack closer to himself.

the buzz of his phone (technically it's David's-) in his pocket made him startle a little still not quite used to not having to be on defense mode 24/7 like he has to back at home.

jew nerd: did you get into the bus already?

oh it was just Neil.

he had been spamming Maxes phone up all day as they got ready for camp, it was beginning to annoy Max more than a little.

jew nerd: Did you get on to the bus already?

You: yeah I got in without being raped and murdered now stop bugging me

jew nerd: Okay sorry. But just so you know, the next stop is ours.

You: oh yea almost forgot that your parents now fuck on the regular

jew nerd: Gross!

You: I still cant belive that they actually wanted to see each other after parents day

jew nerd: *Believe

  You: oh fuck off

Max rolled his eyes as he closed his phone opting to just stare out the window as he spaced out.

that plan went out the window pretty quickly as the shouts from the kids in front of him decreased in volume once more.

"hey dude calm down-"

"SHUT UP STAN- anyways that's so not true fatass!"

"NUH-HUH"

"THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN 'NUH-HUH'??-"

"will you shut the fuck up before I blow all of our brains out- because I swear, I am not afraid to fall into racist stereotypes!!" Max finally snapped at the four kids. 

their heads snapped to him so quickly that he was surprised at least one of them didn't snap their neck.

"shit man- I'm sorry about it dude" said a boy with a beanie and tan skin, he was holding back the other kid with a green ushanka, he looked rightfully embarrassed.

"sorry." mumbled the ushanka kid as he shrugged the hands off of him and stuffed a few tufts of red hair back under the hat.

"whatever bea-" the fat kid started before getting hit in the back of his head by the ushanka kid.

"don't finish that sentence Cartman" he warned.

"fuck off you stupid joo-" the fat kid- Cartman? started before Max interrupted him.

"I don't fucking care- look, keep your ass mouths shut and enjoy the last few hours of silence you're going to get this summer because once we get to camp you are not getting that anymore." Max said standing on his seat to talk to the four more easily. fucking damn being 4'6 sucks ass!

"okay okay- jeez get that stick out of your ass" Cartman said muttering the last part.

"oh suck a dick fatso." Max growled back, he was not letting this douche have the last word.

"I'M NOT FAT IM BIG BO-" the brunette started before getting cut off by the sound of the bus doors opening again.

"MAAAAX!!" the familiar scream was heard and suddenly Max was being suffocated alive by a a teal headed monster that was his friend.

"nikki...air..shit!" he rasped as he tried to claw at the girls back to get her off of him.

thankfully his other friend was coming quickly for rescue as Neil dragged Nikki off of the Indian boy with great effort.

"Hi Max- OW Nik!" Neil said before getting bitten by his half-sister in his arm which made the nerd release the girl.

"glad two haven't changed, except for the glasses- seriously Neil didn't you look lame enough already?" Max said.

Neil was in fact, wearing glasses, also if Max was right- Nikki had grown a few inches which fuck you then, where's his extra inches- but overall they just looked older, it was..unnerving to see them in flesh again after so long, no amount of video calls and pictures could really cover the real deal.

"he thought you'd make fun of him so he didn't tell you" Nikki laughed sitting next to Max as Max also sat back down, the four annoying kids long forgotten.

"yeah, turns out staring at a computer screen all year isn't good for my retina's.." Neil sighed also sitting down next to Nikki leaving her squished between Max and Neil. 

Max would've been fine with a little extra personal space but he knew he wasn't getting that in a while with these two.

the other kids had seemed to have moved on as well, which was great since they weren't being as loud as before, though Cartman sent a glare his way.

not that Max cared, he was currently half listening Nikki talk about how he and Neil now shared a room, you will never catch Max saying this publicly but; he had really missed the two. 

Kenny wasn't exaggerating when they said it had been about 6 hours since they left Colorado.

their friends had shed their hats and jackets long time ago since the climate seemed to have gotten warmer the more they travelled, it wasn't preventing Kenny from keeping their parka tightly shut.

at least Cartman and Kyle had tired themselves out on the first hour of their road trip so Stan and them didn't have to constantly be peace makers.

"god dammit it's way too hot here! how do people fuckin' live in here?" Cartman whined as he slumped further on his seat, they were all bored out of their minds, internet connection was shitty at best and the snacks were finished and games played. the four were desperately in need of some stimulation. 

Kenny was messing around with their PSP, playing Heaven Vs. Hell even when they had played the game through countless times. even Kenny could admit it was becoming a little boring at this point, but they just needed something to do with their hands, and the only option right now what half focusing on his screen as they beat levels with inhuman speed as they still got some small joy out of seeing the 'you win!' screen.

the sound of the bus door opening and the chatting of other kids had long ago faded into background noise as Kenny killed yet another pack of demons winning the said round easily.

"is that the super rare Heaven vs. Hell game that was only sold for a few days in limited stock?!"  someone lisped as they leaned into Kenny's personal space to get a better look at the game.

the blonde jumped in surprise almost dropping the PSP...which ultimately made Kenny lose the round, god fucking dammit!

they cursed as the screen faded to the 'you died' screen glancing to the person that dared to mess up their almost soon to be high-score.

"aw snaps! sorry for scaring you!" said the stranger, they had tan skin and probably has braces considering their lisp, they were also wearing fake elf ears, a cape and a some kind of hat of sorts.

Kenny only shot a half hearted glare to the kid in response.

a another kid appeared next to the elf-kid, he was wearing a yellow button up and a top hat, he was dressed way too formal to be going to summer camp if you asked Kenny.

"don't bother other people-...Nerris." the kid started saying before his eyes landed to Kenny and something that Kenny couldn't place flashed in his eyes before he finished his sentence much more meekly.

not that the feeling was shared, the dude was giving Kenny the creeps for whatever reason like the pirate grandpa wasn't bad enough they thought.

the said dude quickly made their way getting as far away from Kenny was possible dragging his elf friend with him, not that Kenny minded, it just meant they could go back to hyperfocusing on their game.

Chapter Text

the bus FINALLY thumpeled to a stop on front of the 'Camp Cambell' sign making almost everyone sigh in relief.

why the fuck did the new campers even come from all the way from colorado to this shitty camp anyway? 

"I didn't think I would ever say this but; thank FUCK were finally here, I don't think I could've withstand any longer in this fucking bus." Max exclaimed as he jumped off of the musky bus seat stretching his back as he and his friends filed out of the sad excuse of a export vehicle.

right outside stood none other than David with his stupid fucking grin and red hair. also apparently the dumbass had finally learned how not to get run over the bus seeming as he wasn't physically hurt by the looks of it.

"welcome back campers! - oh goody I've been so so excited to see you all again oh gosh- you have all grown up so much in such a small time- I still feels like last summer was yesterday I-" the red head practically vibrated in place as he flapped his arms all around as he talked.

"did ya forget to take your Adderall this morning or something campman?" Max snarked to the man and the others said their greetings.

wait did Adderall even work like that? fuck if he knew, it's not like his parent's ever bothered to get him on any meds even when it was glaringly obvious that he most definitely should be on SOMETHING. Max offhandedly thought 

"even our shitty skewl bus has more comfortable seats than this dumb fuck!" a voice was heard saying, Max recognized it as the fatso who had been a douche to him the whole ass ride.

"don't be such a whiny bitch Cartman." Ushanka kid snapped back as usual.

David turned to the new kids remembering their existence.

"oh well hello new campers! glad to see new faces around here, just let me check that we got everyone.." the red head mumbled the last part as he pulled out a notepad. 

it occurs to Kenny exactly in that moment that they haven't really thought this through. like at all.

their friends had seemingly also realized if the look Stan and Kyle sent their way as if saying 'alright what now dude?'

gee, that's a good question!

since Kenny hadn't actually been registered as a camper it would certainly raise eyebrows if there just happened be a extra kid trailing behind the others like some lost puppy. 

think McCormick! 

in the end Kenny ended up trying to creep away to the near bushes as slowly as they could while also trying to get there as fast as possible while also trying not to look like they were doing just that.

they failed miserably despite the years of sneaking practise.

just as the blonde was about to sprint for the bushes noting that the camp counselor was almost done with checking that everyone had turned up to camp in one piece they were lifted up by the scruff of their parka to the air easily making the short kid tense up

"where do you think you're going!-" the person started before getting a combat boot in the mouth by the blonde out of pure reflex with made them cry out in pain as they dropped Kenny.

the mute might be the shortest of their friend group with a skinny build but they were not to be fucked with when it came to close combat

as Kenny quickly scrambled to their feet they realized to their horror that the guy they had decked was the fucking camp counselor who was currently holding his nose to stop it from bleeding.

that went fan-fucking-tastic.

a silence washed over all of the other campers as they turned to look at the scene before one -the boy who had sit behind Keny and his friends- burst out laughing.

"Max- don't laugh!" hissed a taller boy with a yellow sweater as he watched his friend(?) bend in two as he giggled his heart away.

"David getting kicked in the face someone else than Max was not in my bucket list for the first day at camp that's for sure!" said a teal haired girl who was watching the situation unfold in front of her. (David was now shoving a tissue up his nose to stop the bleeding as Kenny awkwardly shifted around not exactly knowing what to do now)

"dude what were you even exactly trying to do there?" Kyle asked Kenny tiredly definitely already sick of his friend's shenanigan's.

Kenny only kinda shrugged glancing back to the poor counselor. 

oh god the dude was tearing up- oh my fucking god.

Kenny awkwardly patted the counselor on the shoulder mutely trying to comfort the guy, the blonde might be and empath but that didn't mean Kenny knew how to deal with shit like this..

"oh my fucking god- David you literally got stabbed by Nerf two times last summer this is not that bad" grumbled the indian boy calming down from his laughing fit.

"c'mon man." he growled as he walked to the counselor tugging at the counselors neck chief trying to get the man to stand up as he rolled his eyes.

"yeah you're- *sniff* right Max" the red head laughed snapping out of it and brushing off his shorts as he stood up.

Kenny signed an apology since it was thankfully one of the few signs they had taught themselves.

"oh it's quite alright! I know you didn't mean it-er...." he started before trailing off "waaiit you aren't one of the new campers!" the red head squinted at the blonde 

well shit, the jig was up!

"oh shit they aren't?" asked the boy raising and eyebrow at Kenny which the blonde ignored still internally panicking at the situation.

they glanced at their friends for help, Stan only shrugged helplessly and Kyle face palmed.

thanks a lot for the help guys! Kenny thought, looks like they were spending their summer in Colorado after all.

the boy in the red hoodie was still watching 

fuckity fuck! it's time to bring up the big guns

Kenny whipped their head towards cartman who was currently observing the situation boredly sending the fat boy a look.

good thing about being Eric's best friend is that he tended to get special benefits from it. one of them being Cartman's incredible manipulating tactics.

Eric raised a brow before groaning and rolling his eyes, that meant yes, hell yeah

Eric cleared his throat dramatically -like the overdramatic bitch he was- gaining the attention of the counselor and campers.

the boy put on the most miserable teary eyed look as he spoke "I'm sorry mister camp counselor...i just thought it would be fine to bring Kinny along since their family j-just lost their jobs and Kinny was soso sad over not getting to come with us..." Eric said. the counselor's face dropped in a way that told Kenny and Cartman that it was working

"b-but I guess they'll have to go back to home...it's a shame they'll probably never get to go to summer camp.." the boy actually sniffed at the end of his speech.

the counselor looked conflicted and glached Kenny's way. and Kenny might not be the best at acting like Eric but he has been told he pulls off the sad sick victorian child look pretty spot on, he even made puppy dog eyes at the man for god sakes.

that finally caused the counselor to fully break.

"I-I'm sure it's probably fine for them to stay- uh- as long as you don't tell your parents about it...we really can't afford another lawsuit.." the redhead hurriedly said clasping his hands together a little too tightly for it to be comfortable.

"oh thank you thank you! Kinny's gonna be so happy about this right Kenny?" Cartman beamed that fake sugary smile of his and turned to nudge Kenny.

the blonde just awkwardly gave a thumbs up. people tended to get confused when he spun in circles when he was happy so he was kinda lost on what he was supposed to do to show his happiness. a thumbs up was a positive confirmation though, right?

"anyways! I think it's a time for a tour the new campers!" the counselor said seemingly enthusiastic about changing the subject.

the second the man turned his back towards Eric and Kenny beginning to lead the campers around the camp Cartman's facade dropped.

Kenny offered a fist to the boy and Cartman pumped his own to his while muttering "you better let me borrow your PSP for this."

Max did not just fucking watch fatso guilt trip David into letting his friend into camp for free. he refuses to believe that.

but as David turns his back to the boy dropped the act fist pumping his friend muttering something that Max didn't catch.

hm.

well at least the new campers weren't boring, if more than a little insufferable.

"isn't that technically trespassing..?" Neil asked fixing his glasses nervously.

5 bucks that was a new nervous tick of his. Max thought

"I'm pretty sure the guy doesn't fucking care Neil, he's like a Nerf 0.2 but with less violence and more manipulation." Max answered even when he was pretty sure Neil was just talking out loud.

"isn't that just you Max?" Nikki asked ever so cheerfully, it earned her a rare snort of laughter out of the boy.

"touché." Max said with a slight smile on his face.

David of course forced all of the old campers to trail behind as David gave an over enthusiastic tour of the camp that they already knew inside and out. (well, Max did at least.)

the new kids didn't look impressed either, the red head seemed to have a permanent sour look stuck on his face and the parka kid was poking at bugs in the ground ignoring the introduction all together (and getting dragged by the scruff of their jacket by Cartman as they moved along so they wouldn't get left behind)

thankfully they only got the mess hall to go and then Max and everyone else was free to do whatever the fuck they usually did.

"and for last, but not for the least; The mess hall! it's where we often do arts and crafts and eat every morning and so on! you can also find Quarter Master here most of the time -if he isn't sacrificing goats or collecting doll parts- since he is our wonderful cook!" David rambled as he guided the campers into the mess hall showing around it like it was some tourist attraction.

"that old dude is in charge of our food?" muttered the ushaka kid-now without his ushaka- eyeing the quite old tables and the suspicious staines on the floor.

"trust me you should've brought your own god damn food, I swear to god all that man knows how to cook is mashed potatoes and reheat frozen sandwiches" Max grumbled making the kids already sour expression turn even more bitter.

Max eyed the mess hall noticing a lack of a certain other counselor.

"hey David, where the fuck is Gwen?" he asked furrow in his brow, liked it or not the indian boy quite liked Gwen, he sometimes felt like she was the only adult who really treated him like an equal and not a fucking child...also she did spent a whole day looking for Mr Honeynuts even if she mocked him after, it wasn't like he hadn't gone through her stuff mocking her about for many many times, buuut she was still a bitch, but a likable one.

"oh she.. is collecting herself in the counselor cabin, but she'll be fine!" David answered letting out a nervous laugh.

"let me guess, she's having a breakdown because she's here again for the second summer in a row." Max deadpanned

David only shifted on his feet awkwardly. so that was a yes.

"anyhow, now that the tour is over wouldn't it be nice if our newcomers introduced themselves!" the red head not-so-subtlety changed the subject.

the campers turned their gaze to the four new kids which seemed to freak out the beanie kid and the one who kicked David.

the former ushaka kid cleared his throat a way that reminded Max of Neil in a odd way.

"I'm Kyle Broflovski." the kid said in a way too formal manner that Max couldn't decide whether annoyed him or amused him.

"I'm Stan. Marsh. uh, hi." the beanie kid-Stan said awkwardly, he was fidgeting with his hands in a manner that it was clear he wasn't enjoying the attention.

"and I'm Eric, though you may refer to me as Cartman" the fatso announced almost right after Stan was done speaking, he had a smug grin on his face that made Max wanna punch him more than he already did. 

Cartman glanced at the Parka kid quickly before adding "That's Kinny, or the poor boy McCormick" pointing at Kenny which earned a middle finger from the blonde.

the blonde seemed to be awfully quiet, not that it was any of Maxes business, he was just quote-on-quote 'particularly nosy' as Neil said so he filed the information down for later use.

"can we go now or are you going to keep us here for another half an hour?" Max groaned instead.

"I suppose that's fine! just please don't break the new camp equipment.." David said muttering the last pit.

ha! who bets at least one thing is broken by the end of the first day (most likely by Nerf or Max himself.)

Nerris and Preston were the first ones to run out of the mess hall to do..whatever nerdy things they did.

"c'mon let's go trash up some camp equipment up" Max said to Nikki and Neil, the first of those two almost jumping in place in excitement while the other opened his mouth to disagree but then changed his mind and only let out a tired sigh.

"oh, oh, can we bring the new kids along?? I really wanna know more about Kenny- maybe he could teach me how to kick someone in the face like that!" Nikki pleaded, of course that was the thing that caught Nikki's attention, not that Max hadn't been wondering about that too.

"as long as they aren't gonna rat us out I don't care." he did, a little. it was their first day back and he wanted to spend it like the old times...as cheesy as that sounded ugh. but as long as the new dude's didn't mess up their group dynamic too much he was relatively okay with it.

with that started the first official day back to Camp Cambell.

lord knows what kind of situations Max would find himself this year, though he doubted anything would top talking to a literal ghost...right?

Chapter Text

someone was definitely staring at kenny.

it had been going on for a while but they had brushed it off but it was seriously getting creepy now.

some of the other campers had taken them along to cause havoc in the camp which they were all for, the one girl of the group, Nikki, was specially interested in their fighting skills asking a million questions a minute before the taller boy, Neil, told her off. but they still appreciated knowing that the girl genuinely was interested even if their self taught sign language and their friend's trying to translate their gestures only went so far.

Kenny was getting off track- the staring.

they still haven't figured out who it is that is burning holes into their neck but Kenny did not enjoy it in the slightest. it makes the blonde wanna curl on themselves to hide something inside them, fuck if they know what that means but that's what their instincts are telling them. and instincts never seem to fail them these days.

the sun is slowly setting and honestly Kenny is grateful for that, with the whole bus ride and all the running around and talking and joking and touching Kenny was fully ready to crash, even if it was in a tent. Cartman had been really pissy about that, it was hilarious to look at his friend's face turn bright red from anger.

right now Kenny was sitting beside Stan on a log watching as the flames of the campfire roasted their sausages. Eric and Kyle were arguing again, but it was more of bickering than anything, and Stan and the blonde laughed at some of the more obscure insults the two came up with.

the mood was overall good if a little drained, a few of the other campers were nodding off while some still rambled on. 

"it's been a long day for all of us, it's time to hit the wood doncha think?" David, the counselor said as he collected the picked up on of the campers who was out like a light, the one who everyone called space kid.

the campers all pretty much agreed and started slowly inching towards the tents.

"as for you guys, I've already set up a extra tent for you...though it is only made for three people since we weren't expecting a fourth...tagalong. so you'll have to share with Max and Neil, as they're the only ones who do not have a third camper in their tent at the moment!" David said as he kneeled to Kenny's level in a way that felt unintentionally patronizing to the blonde.

"what! can't Kenny just sleep in the same tent as us!" Kyle complained.

"I doubt he could fit there when we have to bunk with lardass over here." Stan pointed out which earned a shove from the said lardass.

"I'm sorry I'll try to get Kenny their own tent soon enough, but it will take a while for get supplies out here so for the meantime we'll have to make due kiddos!" David said cheerfully slapping his knees before straightening back up.

"now! run along children! Max and Neil make sure to take Kenny with you!" the counselor announced before turning back to managing the other campers. Kenny saw Max flip the man off with both hands after his back was turned.

Max peered at his new tent buddy as they walked, the kid was still wearing their parka and had the whole time the boy had known them, Max was starting to wonder when the blonde would collapse from a heat stroke but the dude seemed to be holding up pretty well, though it was kinda hard to tell when all you could see under the hood were the kid's eyes and a tuft of dirty blonde hair.

they still haven't spoken a word.

as they arrived at his and Neil's tent the blonde waved a goodbye to their friends as Neil zipped the tent door open.

"okay here's our sad excuse of a tent, we only have two cots so that's something we'll have to figure out, put your shit where ever really since David seemingly has cleaned out all our old shit." Max said as he collapsed into his cot throwing his backpack next to himself.

the cleaning out part was certainly true, even their coffee machine that Max had stolen from the mess hall kitchen was nowhere to be seen. it's probably back in its proper place in the kitchen, he'll just have to raid the place again for the machine and maybe for pudding later when he isn't dead weight.

"where are they gonna sleep? are we gonna have to share a cot or something?" Neil said worriedly as he sat down on his respective cot placing his duffle back on the ground.

Max made a face at the thought of having to share his personal space with the nerd, before the thump of Kenny sitting down on the floor caught his attention.

the blonde made a dismissive hand movement and patted the floor and layed down to indicate they would be sleeping on the floor.

"dude you sure you wanna sleep on the cold ground?" Max said raising an eyebrow at the blonde.

Max was mildly surprised when the blonde zipped their parka open enough for the rest of their face to be visible.

"floor's fine." they said in a small voice that surprises Max of how..meek it was, it's not what he expected from the kid who laughed at some of Cartman's cruder jokes and found joy in drawing dicks in the ground earlier in the day.

"well, you do you I guess." Max shrugged letting it go, if they wanted to get a sore back then it isn't his problem.

Kenny merely gave a thumbs up, then hesitating for a second before zipping the parka all the way down and laying it out as a improv mattress using their backpack as a pillow, Kenny was wearing a simple white wife beater under the jacket which was kinda dirty looking, Max had assumed that they were little in the heavier side due to the bulck the parka gave them but they were surprisingly skinny, probably unhealthily so, the boy noted absentmindedly. Max would know since he was pretty sure he himself was a little smaller than he was supposed to be for his age. 

but the thing that caught the indian boy's attention was when the blonde pulled out a magazine from one of the quite large inside pockets in the jacket.

"is that porn!?" Neil screeches voicing their both's thoughts out. even if he's way more distressed over it than the other boy.

Kenny made a distracted 'mm-hm' sound not looking up from their reading material.

"is that allowed?" Neil says nervously as he keeps glancing away from Kenny to avoid looking at the magazine accidentally to Maxes amusement.

"well technically the rules say that counselors can't have jack off material but they say nothing about campers, also Kenny isn't really even a camper if you think about it." Max says shrugging. also it wasn't like the counselors here really followed that rule either, with Gwen and her monsterfucker fanficion and all that.

"anyway I'm trying to sleep so shut the fuck up, and don't jack off to your playboy when I'm in the tent. otherwise I really could care less." Max says as he turns away from the other two digging Mr. Honeynuts from his backpack and hugging the bear to his chest. maybe he'll even ask to borrow it later.

Neil opens his mouth to say something before sighing and also turning his back to the two trying to get comfortable on the cot. 

Kenny was vaguely aware of the fact that it had gotten dark outside a while ago, they had put away their 'reading' material away when it got too dark for them to see anything on the magazine anymore, they had laid in silence with their eyes closed in the hopes that they might catch some sleep for some time, alas here they were, staring at the tent roof unblinking. did they even have to blink since they (probably) weren't human? the blonde tried to keep their eyes open as long as possible, after about 3 minutes they concluded that they, infact, didn't need to blink. or at least didn't have the reflex to. huh. well that's sure a useless bonus.

the blonde straced the deep scars that ran all over their arms and every other part of their body, they wouldn't call it a comforting feeling that they got when they did that, more of a grounding one, it reminded the blonde that they were in fact still real. just sucks that nobody else but they themselves could see the scars, they sure would help with trying to convince others of their immortality. not that Kenny tried much anymore, the whole thing with Mysterion a few years back had kinda drained the last bits of hope about anyone ever remembering their deaths.

at least they were glad their friends didn't have to see the malformed version of themselves they saw in the mirror and instead could look at their unscarred face with their freckles still visible. something that the blonde never really saw under all the scar tissue nowadays.

wow those sure are some dark thoughts that they should probably try to not think about.

it was kinda hard not to when everytime they looked at their hands they were reminded of their inhumanity though, the blonde usually slept in their parka so they didn't have to go down this exact path, but it was a little too hot here for Kenny to do that, back home it helped with the cold wind that often creeped in through the broken window that was oh so perfectly just next to their bed making them often wake up with a sore neck of a cough. no wonder a good chunk of their deaths were caused by coughing their lungs bloody.

Kenny huffed sitting up from their makeshift bed, they really weren't up to moping all night, and since sleep seemed stubbornly not coming there was really just one option besides shooting their brains out to wake up well rested since dying seemed to restore all and any stress the body had been going through in the time of death...which they really weren't keen to, even if it was pretty fucking hilarious in some situations. their'd rather enjoy the camp as much as possible and not leave their brain matter on the fabric of the tent. also, the immortality thing tended to get kinda weird once they left south park.

shaking their thoughts away Kenny quietly got up and slipped their parka on before exiting the tent.

the blonde was surprised to see a familiar silhouette sitting on one of the logs as they stared at the campfire that was now just a bunch of calmly glowing coal.

"s...stan." they said unsurely, they still weren't feeling too comfortable with talking in a new place but Kenny didn't wanna spook their friend by appearing right next to them, they tended to quiet their steps unconsciously making it hard for others to realize when they were near.

seemingly the blondes efforts of not starling the raven head were useless as Stan still jumped a little at Kenny's voice. 

"j-jesus Ken you really are quiet huh." Stan mutters while pulling his beanie even more over his eyes than it already was, even in the hotter climate he'd refused to take it off.

'sorry' Kenny signs as they sit next to their friend, it was one of the few signs they knew. 

"it's fine man, couldn't sleep?" Stan asks, the blonde simply nods making him huff a laugh.

"same dude." he says, Kenny knew he often felt the need to fill the silence, but it wasn't as they minded.

"..you okay?" Kenny asks after a moment of thinking of the right words to speak. 

"y-yeah, fine." Stan said staring at the camp fire remains.

Kenny knew Stan was lying, that troubled look the other had in his eyes some days reminded Kenny of what their own pale blue dead looking eyes looked in the mirror most mornings. it frankly scared them.

they just sometimes felt so hopeless when it came to helping their friends, because most of the time, there was nothing Kenny knew to do that would actually help Stan. they barely knew how to deal with their own shit for fucks sake.

at least they were pretty certain that there wasn't any alcohol at camp, at least any that Stan could get his hands on.

if the guy still managed to get some Kenny at least hoped they'd be there at the time so at least they could get wasted to hell together. the mute knew that wasn't really a solution, and Kyle would have some words to say about it if he found out they'd done that in the past, but again, Kenny knew how it felt to be completely alone if their worst moments and they didn't want their friend experiencing that. because if they couldn't stop Stan, then at least they could pat each others backs as they vomited their guts out, stuffed into the same dirty stall at the local convenience store that always smelled of crack and weed with the cashier that didn't care enough to stop two freshly 12/13 year olds from buying shitty vodka.

Kenny sure was feeling sentimental tonight weren't they?

the blonde didn't know how long the two sat together listening to the silent buzzing of the forest just enjoying the company, it was a little somber but Kenny was honestly too tired to really try and comfort the other so instead they just leaned against Stan which was honestly kinda for themselves too, not that the raven head seemed to mind.

at some point Stan got up and wished his good nights and shuffled back to the tent hopefully to get some sleep. this of course left Kenny alone watching the night grow older. they tried not to really think about anything as they half heartedly dug into the dirt ground with the scuff of their beat of sneaker, they watched the stars shine with a sense of longing, the blonde couldn't really see the stars in south park due to the light pollution, but here they shone brighter than at home.

Kenny wished if they did die for real someday, they'd become a star of their own on the night sky, watching over their friends and sister. 

though they doubted they'd be going anywhere that near heaven if they died.

a crow cawed somewhere near.

Harrison couldn't sleep.

which wasn't all that surprising, he kinda felt like he had the wind knocked out of him permanently all day, and the feeling was eating him alive, his soul literally being slowly swallowed by the freaking black hole of a person that was one of the new campers.

oh and Harrison knew it was them causing this, the tendrils of dark energy slithering around them were almost physical it was terrifying! 

not that anyone else seemed to notice it, they never really did. 

Nerris mumbled something in their sleep on the other side of the tent, not bothered by the same worries as Harrison. the boy in question groaned and tried to suffocate himself with his travel pillow, but failing. 

the brunette stayed like that for a while trying to will himself to sleep but after about ten minutes he threw the pillow aside giving up. 

Harrison reached for his bag on the foot of his bed pulling out his book on The Mythical and Magical, if he was going to be plagued by insomnia he might as well try to find out what exactly the new guy was, maybe there's some way to prevent the side effects of being near them. or he really hopes so because he would really appreciate being able to get some decent sleep.  

the boy flipped through the different sections, what did he already know about...Kenny was it?...he hadn't really been paying so much attention during the introductions.. 

anyway, it was hard to see any physical characteristics due to them always wearing that big jacket, but he did not seem to have any extra limbs or animal like feet or hands, so hybrids were most likely ruled out.. 

they seemed to have something to do with souls, or decaying them, or decay and death in general...the rot of death around them was really strong. as he said before, it was like they were a black hole of death, reminding you of the invertible. 

Harrison stopped at the page covering psychobombs, he paused for a moment, but ultimately shook his head and moved on.

no, that was unlikely, the magic surrounding the blonde seemed more dark in nature, also psychobombs and grim reapers alike were usually very old beings and new ones only really came to being around big plagues and other events with high death counts, so it was unlikely a new one of either was born only a while ago. also there was just the fact that psychobombs usually only made themselves known around humans when they were close to death, which wasn't the case here since the blonde seemed to be pretty good friends with the other new campers..

Harrison also doubted they were a magic wielder like himself, because while they were pretty intense it seemed more like wild black magic than something learned by the book.

then there was the insomnia that he was experiencing, it might just be him not being able to sleep but he really didn't wanna leave anything out since he had so little to work with in the first place. 

with all of this in mind the brunette took out his notebook and began writing the already known information down so he could be sure not to forget it, forgetting things when it came to magical stuff could end up causing tons of problems, he would know. 

Kenny - the new kid

observations:

NOT human!!

dark magic is involved

side affect; insomnia (?)

CONNECTED TO DEATH.

...he didn't have a ton of input yet but he was determined to find out what this kid's deal was!

the boy just knew there was something bigger to this than it seemed.