Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kenny blinks his eyes open when he hears the familiar sound of his alarm clock going off once again. He flips over, covering his head with a pillow to muffle the shrill noise. It's a chilly Autumn morning in South Park, a thin layer of condensation covers the bedroom window. After being up all night, Kenny isn't exactly eager to leave his bed, let alone go to school. He stretches his legs out, letting out a moan of annoyance as he attempts to tune out the sound. The alarm clock is finally silenced when Kevin walks over and unplugs it, prying the pillow away from Kenny's face in the process.

"Get up sleepyhead, everyone's already awake."

Kenny yawns and roughly rubs the tiredness from his eyes, shaking out his bedhead as he looks up at his older brother.

"...Even Karen?"

Kevin chuckles, walking back to his own side of the room and making his disheveled bed.

"She got in the shower a few minutes ago. Don't make me take away your snooze button privileges."

Kenny sits up and looks around at the siblings' shared room. When Kenny and his siblings were taken away from their parents, he never expected that they would be taken in by good people, let alone his old principal and vice principal. Sometimes it feels a bit strange, considering they have their own kids and all. But with their kids just starting school and them working long hours, the McCormicks usually get free roam of the place.

Kenny hops out of bed and pulls a shirt over his head, staying in the pair of sweatpants he slept in. He clumsily runs a comb through his tangled hair and attempts to fluff it up. Kevin sits at his desk and turns on his laptop. Despite being aged out of the system, the Principals were kind enough to foster Kevin until he can get himself in a stable position, or at least save up some decent money. Kevin turns around in his chair to look at Kenny.

"Can you go make sure Marj is awake? Her ride is supposed to be here any minute now."

Kenny uses his phone reflection to check in between his teeth before placing his phone in his back pocket. He picks his balled up orange parka off the floor and shoves it in his bag before exiting the bedroom. The house itself isn't bad, especially for a principal's salary. It's a bit smaller than the usual suburban home, but it's much better than where the McCormicks used to live.

Kenny walks down the hallway for a bit before stopping in front of Marjorine's door, covered in the usual Hello Kitty and Lisa Frank stickers, which will most likely be a damn pain to remove when they finally move out. The Principals seem to really love Marjorine, they were very supportive when it came to helping her socially transition. They even painted the spare bedroom pink, just so she could feel more at home in their temporary living situation. Kenny takes a deep breath before gently tapping on the door.

"Marj? Wendy's gonna pull up any minute."

There's silence on the other end for a moment before Marjorie swings her door open, a toothy smile on her face. Kenny gulps as he looks up at her towering figure. Shortly after they left their original group home, Marj had a major growth spurt. That's not necessarily an issue on its own, except Marj likes to wear heels for practically any occasion, bringing her up to a total height of 6'1.

"...You know, if it gets icy you're gonna fall and break your neck in those. There are other ways to express your femininity..."

Kenny rubs his neck as he looks at Marjorine's newest pair of shoes. The heels are so pointy that they could probably be used as a weapon, maybe a method of torture. Marj chuckles before doing a playful twirl.

"Not true! Bebe taught me how to walk in them properly. Plus, aren't they really cute?"

Marj stumbles out of her room, her Sanrio backpack in hand. It's true, they are cute. Anything Marjorine wears is cute. She ruffles Kenny's hair before walking to the entryway of the house with him. Marjorine knows exactly how to make Kenny swoon.

"Are you getting a ride to school from Kevin?"

She looks down at Kenny, taking a moment to get her jacket off of one of the coat hooks. She took the time to do her makeup today, and by the looks of it, even curled her hair. Kenny snaps out of it before clearing his throat, cheeks dusted a light pink.

"Nah, he's still taking Karen, but Stan offered me a ride in his new truck."

Marjorine smiles and swings her arms back and forth, leaning back on her heels. One of these days, she might actually break an ankle.

"Well, I'm sure Wendy wouldn't mind giving you a ride one of these days. It would be nice to go to school together."

She tucks some of her blonde hair behind her ear, nervously fidgeting in place. It's no secret that they're both head over heels for each other, but both refuse to be the first to use the boyfriend/girlfriend label, leaving them in a constant state of limbo. Kenny looks up at Marj, how is it possible for a girl to be so damn pretty?

The sound of a car pulling up the gravel driveway pulls Kenny back to reality. Wendy Testaberger pulls up to the small house in her obnoxious pink car, Bebe Stevens in the passenger seat. Both of them squeal and wave when they see Marjorine at the window. Their car is followed by Stan's pickup, Kyle up front riding shotgun and Cartman sitting in the bed of the truck. Marj smiles and opens the front door, gesturing for Kenny to step outside.

"After you. Are we still eating lunch together today?"

Kenny seems slightly embarrassed by the gesture of a girl holding the door open for him, but he leaves first to spare Marj's feelings.

"Y-yeah, sure thing."

With that, Marjorine follows Kenny out of the house, squealing as she climbs into the back of Wendy's car. Kenny watches for a moment to make sure she gets settled properly before hopping into the bed of Stan's truck. He steals one last look at Marj before Stan pulls out of the driveway.

Chapter Text

If there was an award for the world's shittiest driver, that honor would have to go to Stan Marsh. It's a miracle that he was even allowed to leave the DMV the day he turned sixteen, let alone that he hasn't been arrested for reckless endangerment. The way he switches between the gas and the brake is enough to give any person whiplash. Stan backs out of the driveway, almost knocking down a neighbor's mailbox in the process, as he does a 3 point turn out of the neighborhood and back to the main road.

Kenny coughs as the smell of smog and exhaust blows into the bed of the truck before giving a small nod to Eric Cartman, the local asshole he's known since childhood. Stan and Kyle are naturally going to sit up front together, so the other two boys are left holding on for dear life in the back of the truck.

Through the small rear window that Stan leaves open to talk to passengers, Kenny can smell the thick stench of weed. It was common for the boys to skip class to smoke in Stan's truck, so the odor is familiar and strangely comforting. Kenny cringes as he feels the morning dew from the bed of the truck seep through his jeans, he rummages through his bag for his beloved orange parka, slipping it on. Cartman looks up from his phone, a shit eating grin on his face.

"Jeez Kenny, you could at least be subtle about eye-fucking Butters, I think you might've been drooling back there."

Cartman chuckles and elbows Kenny. Kenny nervously laughs before pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, lighting one up with one hand, and using the other to continue holding onto the truck as Stan speeds up.

"Marjorine. And no, we weren't "eye-fucking." I can appreciate when a girl I like looks pretty."

Kenny takes a drag before passing the cigarette to Kyle through the rear window. Kyle takes a short drag before chiming in.

"That's a banned name in this truck, Cartman. I would stop using it if you want to keep getting free rides to school."

Kyle holds the cigarette up to Stan. Stan leans over and takes a quick drag, not taking his eyes off the road as Kyle holds it up for him. Cartman sneers and holds his hands up defensively.

"Sorry, sorry. You have to admit, it's a little weird that he's suddenly a girl now. I mean, come on!"

Stan speeds up and goes around a turn particularly sharp. In a perfect world, it would've knocked Cartman straight out of the back of the truck. Kenny grips onto the rear window for support as Kyle turns around in his seat.

"Dude, shut up. She socially transitioned two years ago, the least you could do is pretend to be fucking supportive."

Cartman mumbles something under his breath before turning a bit red, obviously embarrassed about being called out in front of everyone. He finally sticks his nose back into his phone, tuning out of the conversation. Kyle passes the cigarette back to Kenny who shifts uncomfortably. Kenny takes one last drag, coughing a bit. Stan turns his head slightly around as he pulls up to a red light.

"...I thought Marj didn't like you smoking?"

Kenny rubs his forehead before flicking the remaining cigarette out of the truck. It's true, Marjorine doesn't like when he smokes. She would never say so directly, but her face makes it obviously apparent that it's something that bothers her.

"She's worried about my health, but it's not like she wants me to quit or anything. You know how she is, she's a worrier."

Kyle nods along as he listens, turning back around to look out the windshield.

"She's always been like that, since we were kids. Hell, something could drive her crazy, but she'd never tell you to your face."

A brief period of silence follows. Things seemed a lot simpler when they were kids, it seems like things have changed so much since then. Stan clears his throat in an attempt to break the silence.

"How's that going anyways? You and Marj?"

Kenny smiles and tugs on the collar of his shirt, turning a bit pink.

"Well, y’know. We like each other and stuff…"

Stan takes his eyes off the road, almost swerving into the opposite lane. Kyle punches his shoulder before looking over the seat.

"So you like each other… and that's it? Aren't you guys dating?"

Stan chuckles as he struggles to stay in his lane, being met with a fanfare of angry horn noises. Kenny holds onto the edge of the truck, swearing under his breath.

"Yes? I mean, I think so?"

Kyle laughs as he unbuckles his seatbelt to turn fully around, leaning down to see Kenny fully through the rear window.

"You think so? Come on dude, it's a yes or no answer."

Kenny looks between Stan, Kyle, and Cartman, who sets his phone down and begins to tune back into the conversation. Kenny turns a bit pink before shrugging. Cartman laughs before hitting his fist against the bed of the truck.

"Oh my God, Kenny."

Kenny throws his hands up in the air, his face now a bright red.

"She said she likes me back! What else do you expect me to do?"

"Shit, I'm not really sure. Flirt with her? Ask her out? Oh boy, it's a damn mystery."

Cartman's obnoxious laughter fills the back of the truck. Stan turns down his "male manipulator" music to better hear the conversation as he weaves in between the lanes. Kenny pulls at the ends of his hair in frustration.

"We do flirt, we're just discreet about it! God…"

Cartman snorts, kicking Kenny's leg with a sneer on his face.

"Kenny, holy fuck. Sending photos of… fuck it, fries and chicken nuggets with a caption that says "us" isn't flirting! No wonder you aren't getting any action!"

Kenny growls and kicks Cartman back. Stan swears under his breath and slams on the breaks at an unexpected red light.

"I'm not looking for action! I just… I just really like her, okay? Like, an unbelievable amount."

Kyle snorts a bit, turning around in his seat again as he rests his hand on Stan's shoulder.

"That's really cute dude. But tell her that, not us. Being honest will help you in the long run. Trust me."

Stan pulls up to the school and into his student parking spot, almost hitting the car parked next to him. Kyle pats his shoulder and kisses his cheek before hopping out of the passenger seat. Kenny jumps out of the truck bed while Cartman struggles before practically falling out. The three begin to walk up to the front of the school, leaving Kenny standing in the parking lot. Kenny watches as Wendy's car pulls up about a row over. He stands and stares as Marjorine climbs out of the back, dusting her dress off and walking to the front of the school with Wendy and Bebe.

Jesus, he really likes her.