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In the distance, the sound of explosions echoes through the landscape. Bullets from sniper rifles rip through the air as he scans the battlefield before him through the scope of his L96. C4 detonates; submachine guns fire rapidly.
Kenny spots a cluster of soldiers on the enemy team scurrying around on a rooftop. He immediately fires at them, missing once before clocking one right in the forehead. He moves his crosshair near another target, letting the enemy run right into his bullet, giving him another headshot. He empties the rest of his magazine onto the squad, ending up with a combination of eight kills, all of which are headshots.
At the bottom of his screen, an icon of a skull with a red cross on its forehead sits beside a username.
Kenny grins, laughing in shock and with pride. “Dude, I just wiped out an entire rooftop! They must be pissed right now.”
“Yeah, you’re lucky. This kid is so annoying—why aren’t my shots landing? This kid has to be hacking—what the fuck?” Cartman aims at his opponent’s head again, but it only lands on his body, taking minimal damage.
Cartman continues complaining, “Bro, does this guy have heavy armor or something? How is he not dead by now?”
“You suck, Cartman.”
“Shut up, Kinny. I’m trying.”
As Kenny resumes searching for another target, the unmistakable sound of a sniper bullet flies into his head before he has time to react. The death screen flashes onto his outdated monitor, picturing the sky his digital body looks up at with a black vignette around the border. There is a big username on the bottom with text reading YOU 1 FOE 1 beneath it.
“Wait—that’s the guy I killed!” He chuckles, knowing what’s to come: the squad he killed will track Kenny down and attempt their revenge. “I must have pissed them off.” He presses down on his spacebar, letting himself bleed out so he can respawn.
“Die already!” Cartman is still dueling with his rival, determined to kill them. Another bullet lands in their arm, forcing them to disappear behind a rock to heal themself.
Cartman decides to run up to his foe and confront them with his Unica 6. He finds them crouching and bandaging themself. He swiftly opens fire on them, gunning them down as they attempt to escape. Finally, he is granted another kill.
“Finally! Yes! That bitch was so annoying! I finally got him, Kenny!” He repeatedly crouches over his opponent's body, obnoxiously celebrating his victory.
“Yeah, well, he’s gonna come back for you, dude. These kids won’t leave me alone.” Kenny spawns on Cartman, running off to get into a car. He drives back to the area where he was killed, scoping for a new target.
Cartman is still overweight even though he grew more into his body. His dad was a professional football player, so he's naturally muscular, but he’s still relatively fat, with a body type similar to that of a deadlifter who hasn’t worked out in a while. He’s not very tall, only two or three inches shorter than Kenny, who isn’t tall either.
In one ear, Kenny wears an earbud that connects to his phone. It’s old and off-white, with tiny dents scattered throughout the wires’ plastic insulation. He’s listening to classic rock through it, a genre he prefers while he plays this game. His other ear listens to his surroundings in-game from just his computer speakers.
He’s running the game on his desktop—an old piece of shit he’s surprised still works. It’s gotten a few upgrades, though, as his brother, Kevin, lends Kenny random (but newer) computer parts he gets through trading computers, Kevin’s primary source of income. When Kenny gets lucky, he’s sometimes given a better monitor, CPU, or keyboard because the person Kevin traded with didn’t want their equipment, usually because they bought something newer.
Even then, his computer is far from the best, so Kenny often plays games with lower graphics. He’s used to constantly getting 100ms of ping and lagging every few minutes.
His parents aren’t home, and neither are Kevin and Karen, so Kenny decided to invite Cartman over since they can’t stay at Cartman’s house. He said it’s because “mom’s having another one of her crack parties” (Liane tells Cartman that she’s just bringing some coworkers over, though Cartman knows that she’s lying). They couldn’t stay with Stan or Kyle because they’re studying together, and Kenny and Cartman wanted to play games. Kenny’s parents said they shouldn’t be home until the next morning, so they decided to stay at his house.
In-game, Kenny hears a sniper bullet shoot past him, leaving a gray contrail hanging in the air. He scoffs, knowing the squad he killed is after him again. He turns to face the direction the bullet came from, though he stays moving so it’s harder to get shot.
He thinks he hears someone speaking to him, but he is too focused to understand the words.
“Oh my god. They really are mad at me, huh?” Kenny searches through his scope to locate the attacker. The glare of someone else’s sniper rifle flashes into vision.
He attempts to hit the enemy’s forehead but to no avail. Another bullet flies directly over him. “These pests, bro! They can’t get enough of me.”
“Kenny?”
It’s only now that Kenny realizes that Cartman is staring at him with a worried expression, a mix of shock and panic: wide eyes and slightly furrowed eyebrows laced with concern. Kenny immediately closes out the game and takes out his earbud.
Kenny immediately starts. “Woah, what is it? Are you good?”
Cartman’s eyes only widen. His mouth is agape while his hands gesture wildly at Kenny’s door.
At first, Kenny is confused. He glances at his door and then back at Cartman, waiting for something to happen. Then, in an instant, his expression softens: his eyebrows rise, his eyes widen and stare back at Cartman’s, and blood drains from his face, leaving him pale and cold.
Kenny’s parents fighting isn’t anything new, but he can’t help but feel scared for a moment. He then realizes it’s not normal for Cartman.
Cartman breaks the silence between the two. “Dude! What the fuck? How do you- how did you not hear that? Do they-“ he cuts himself off, searching for something to say, “What the- Kenny?” Cartman throws his hands around incoherently, seemingly unable to express his thoughts.
“Just—“ Kenny powers off his desktop, gesturing for Cartman to do the same, “don’t worry about it-“
“Don’t worry? Dude-“
“Just—I—they didn’t say they’d be home, okay? I’ll explain this to you when we get out.” Kenny has to raise his voice to drown out his parents’ shouting, which only makes Cartman more worried.
Kenny grabs his phone, shoves it into his pocket, and leads Cartman into his closet, revealing an exit to the backyard. Even outside, the screams from the living room still echo throughout the still night.
They stumble out of Kenny’s backyard and sprint down the street until the screams die out. When they do, Kenny continues, walking aggressively and swiftly, his hands buried in his parka's pockets.
Cartman is winded, staggering behind Kenny, only catching up to question him. He manages to speak between his breaths.
“Dude. What the fuck was that about?”
Kenny’s voice is stern. “They were just fighting. You’ve heard them fight before.”
“First of all, I haven’t been to your house in a long time. I don’t hear them fight that much. And even when they fight, they don’t fight like that , Kenny.” Cartman has finally caught his breath, now walking next to Kenny, who has slightly slowed down. “And also- you didn’t even notice it. They were screaming, bro! How do you not notice that?”
Kenny takes in a breath before responding. “I don’t know, I’ve learned to tune them out, I guess.”
This only seems to further worry Cartman. “That’s not normal , dude! You’re not supposed to just ignore that!”
Kenny’s only getting irritated. He hates it when people act like this. “I don’t know. I just ended up ignoring it since it happens all the time.” He just wants to leave. But even with the open, inky sky above, he feels like he’s suffocating, like the frigid wind is strangling him. He wants to get away, and he wants Cartman to stop worrying.
Just then, his phone begins to vibrate in his pocket. A second later, his ringtone blares through the fabric. But it’s not his default ringtone—it’s the ringtone he set only for his parents. It stops him dead in his tracks. His stomach drops, and he turns pale as he shakily answers his mother's call. He stares at Cartman with freaked-out, wide eyes, dreading what his mother will say.
“Kenny, goddamnit, where are you, you little shit!” Her words are slurred together, sloppy yet extremely loud. The words rattle in his head, frightening and painful. He’s left speechless, his throat tightening at every attempt to speak.
In the background of the call, Kenny can hear his parents fight over the phone (give me the phone you fucking bitch, go call him yourself asshole) before his father gets ahold of it. He’s audibly drunk. Kenny hates it.
“I’m gonna fucking kill you if ya’ don’t come home right now !” There’s nothing but silence from Kenny. He’s completely frozen, like if he tried to move, the ground ahead of him would collapse into itself.
He glances over at Cartman, who has never looked more stressed. He’s completely pale, and all he does is bore his eyes into Kenny’s. His father is still shouting on the other end, every peak in volume slamming into Kenny like a train. Through the shouting, he can hear glass shatter, most likely an empty beer bottle hurled at the wall.
He’s attempting to tune them out, to stop listening and just focus on Cartman, the dimly lit sidewalk he stands on, and the various trees on the other side of the road. But some words still hit Kenny, his entire body tensing every time he can make them out.
He’s still, just standing and allowing his parents to scream into his ears. Finally, after a minute or two of Cartman watching Kenny with intense worry and hearing his parents make empty threats, Kenny brings himself to hang up the call.
He remains quiet as he shoves his phone back into his pocket and continues walking, leaving Cartman shocked and scrambling after Kenny.
“Dude! What the fuck?” Cartman seems almost angry that Kenny is just fine with this, that he’s virtually accepting getting berated for no apparent reason.
“That’s just how they are. This has happened before, man. I’m fine.” Kenny pauses for a moment, still walking. “I’m just- I’m sorry you had to see this. I didn’t think they’d be home.”
“That’s not how they’re supposed to be! They’re crazy ! I could hear them and they’re not even on speaker!”
“They’re just drunk. It’s fine, dude, really. I’m more concerned for you. You shouldn’t have seen this.” Kenny is avoiding Cartman’s gaze, looking only straight ahead. He glances around, fidgeting with his hands in his pockets while he continues up the sidewalk. “Uh, where will you stay?”
“Huh?”
“For the night. You can’t go home or to my house, and Stan and Kyle are together right now. I mean, you could wait until they’re finished studying, but usually, they end up sleeping over.”
“Oh. Um, I’m not sure, then.” He’s silent for a second, contemplating his options, looking down at the cracked concrete he stands on. “I could just sneak into my room? At the same time, though, Mom’s loud as hell when she parties. And usually, she’s got multiple people over. One time, I found a rando on my bed…” Cartman turns to Kenny and asks: “What about you? Where will you go?”
“I’ve slept in the park before. And on the bench at Stark’s Pond, but there were a ton of mosquitoes. I’ve also slept at City Wok as a bonus after I finished cleaning everything.” Kenny’s mouth is parched, and sticky as he talks. “I might just stay up. I don’t feel that tired, anyway.”
“Well, wherever you go, I want to be with you.”
As they turn a corner, Kenny immediately turns to Cartman, caught off guard. He diverts his gaze quickly, feeling slightly flustered.
Cartman begins to backtrack. “Uh, because your parents. I don’t want them to find you. Because… you know…”
“Yeah, whatever, gay-ass,” Kenny teases.
“Shut up, man,” Cartman retorts, elbowing Kenny.
Kenny strikes him back, grinning with flushed cheeks. They’re much closer now, brushing against each other with every step.
Kenny starts again. “I’d probably stay in the park. Not the shitty one by Tweek’s Café, though. I’ve seen homeless people sleep there. The one on the east side of town, somewhat near Tolkien’s.” He gestures with his hands as he speaks.
Cartman agrees and they begin on the route to the park. Street lamps light the way as much as they can, for they are old and dim and untended, with the coating peeling off in various places. The sidewalk is worn, grass poking through the cracks. Eventually, the sidewalk dies off, forcing the two to stay on the winding roads. More houses line the streets as they travel farther away from Kenny’s house, which is isolated and in a desolate area. Although it is April, the temperature is unforgiving, staying at 42 degrees, with mild gusts of wind that cause it to feel instead like 39 degrees. But neither of them pay it any mind; they’re chatting and laughing and making the most out of their situation.
After 15 minutes of walking under the clear, jet-black skies, they finally approach the relatively new park. An open field borders a grove of various trees on the left, and on the right, there is a playground next to a small parking lot. There’s a few benches, with a decently sized one next to a small tree, which Kenny and Cartman decide on.
As Cartman sits down, he says, “Dude, this bench is freezing. I'm gonna freeze my ass off.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Kenny replies.
“Yeah, you’re probably way more used to sleeping in the cold. Your house is the same temperature inside as it is outside.”
“No heating. It’s tragic. But it’s called thugging it out.”
A comfortable silence passes over the two momentarily before Kenny lifts his hands to his neck. He unzips his parka just enough for the snorkel of his hood to lose some of its shape. He pulls it off of his head, revealing his unkempt blond hair. His face is now fully visible: his skin is slightly darker than his hair, a light, tannish tone, dull from the lack of sunlight; his eyes, a lively hazel color, are accompanied by prominent bags that give them a tired yet peaceful look; his eyebrows are thick and a few shades darker than his hair; his cheeks are somewhat hollow from his malnourishment and reddened from the wind (and possibly from the proximity of him and Cartman), with freckles lightly coating them; and his lips, which are heavier on the bottom, are split and ruddy from being chapped, with the top slightly darker than the bottom.
Throughout his face are scratches and scars and bruises, with a large contusion facing away from Cartman, coating the left side of his face from the middle of his forehead to his cheekbone.
Kenny is smiling, glad to be able to trust Cartman enough to take off his hood, especially after what happened with his parents. Cartman only gazes at Kenny, slightly stunned. But after a second, he begins to smile too.
Kenny leans back with a content sigh, knowing he’s safe and away from his house. A gust of wind blows past them, rustling the leaves and drying both of their eyes, causing tiny tears to form to keep them wet.
Although he claims he’s not, Kenny is exhausted. Now that the adrenaline has worn off, his limbs hang heavily off of his body, causing the hard wooden bench to feel plush and luxurious.
“How do you know we’re not gonna get molested?” Cartman asks somewhat genuinely.
Kenny only laughs for a moment before responding. “Nobody is even here. We’ll be fine. Plus, you’re too heavy; they probably couldn’t even pick you up to do anything.”
He rolls his eyes. They sit contentedly, nearly touching, staring at the land before them. The grass, viridescent and uncut, blows with the wind and trees, and the waxing gibbous moon above casts its dull light onto their faces. Leaves rustle as crickets chirp quietly.
Cartman turns his head towards Kenny. He seems cautious, almost paranoid. He cuts through the silence between them.
“Kenny?”
“Yeah?”
“You should wear your hood down more. I like seeing you.”
Finally, Kenny turns his face completely towards him, smiling bashfully, unknowingly allowing Cartman to see his bruise.
Upon viewing it, Cartman’s expression softens. Kenny realizes it’s in sight, so he turns back to the land, still beaming with a foolish grin and a red tinge painting his face. His hair is illuminated in the moonlight, flowing with the breeze.
Cartman doesn’t ask about the bruise. He seems to want to keep the peace, deciding to talk about it later. He smiles, too.
They’re now sitting with their arms pressed together, leaning into each other.
The words I love you remain unspoken, but they both know it’s true. And they fall asleep with Cartman’s head on Kenny’s shoulder and Kenny’s head on Cartman’s, the future entirely out of mind, unaware of what’s to come.
Liane will be worried sick because Cartman didn’t sleep at Kenny’s, and Carol and Stuart will blame each other for Kenny running off. Kenny and Cartman will be punished and scolded, but even then, neither would have regretted getting away together.
In the future, when Kenny’s parents get too drunk again and take it out on each other, he will find Cartman in the chaos, with whom he will laugh and joke and run away.
They are different notes of the same tone. While Cartman has a loving mother, he is usually alone because he lacks a dad or siblings. Kenny has a complete family, but his parents are abusive and dysfunctional. This ultimately leads to the same outcome: neglect. Like enharmonic equivalents, they are different, but in that very way, they are the same.