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Ken wandered as far away from Barbie as he wanted because he was his own man and Barbie didn't control him! But he would be lying if he said he didn't regret it now. He has no idea where he is and he's pretty sure he hasn't seen a single person in an hour. His feet, which he had never really noticed in his life before now, hurt. Not really bad, but they did hurt. These ‘Cowboy Boots’ were not comfy at all. The sun was going down and for the first time in his life, Ken was afraid of the dark the night brought. He wasn't certain what this place he had followed Barbie to actually was, but it didn't feel safe here like Barbieland did. Ken began to panic, he was lost and his skin tingled in a way that made him uneasy as the shadows around him grew longer. Then, he saw something wonderful. He saw pink. Bright pink light was shining from down a deep alleyway, and it immediately made Ken feel more at home. He bolted right for the light, just knowing that safety and comfort would be found in it, maybe even Barbie was there!
What he found was the entrance of a dance club embedded in the ground, the stairs down to the door were steep and oddly long, brightly lit by flashing pink lights. Dance music flowed through the door and raised Ken's spirits with every thumping beat. He grinned widely and danced down the steps, sliding through the door in a rather cool move if he did say so himself. Ken looked around and found a room full of people dancing in disco outfits. The whole room was decked in glitter, streamers, and disco balls. Ken felt at home as he entered the thrall of dancing bodies and danced along, not really paying attention to the people dancing on stage.
That is until a man with a pink afro strutted onto it. He wore a pink silk button up shirt and banana yellow bell bottoms. Though somehow, his most prominent feature was the magnificent mustache that sat atop his lip, the edges just as pink as his afro. Ken stopped in his tracks as the man grinned out at the crowd, before winking and gracefully slipping into the choreographed dance happening on stage. Ken couldn't figure out what he was feeling. It was like when Barbie smiled at him. Just the sight of this man made his veins run hot and his heart start to pound. Who was this man? Why did just the sight of him wipe any and all thought of Barbie from Ken's mind?
The man's eyes ran over the dancing crowd as he danced- afro wobbling with every movement- when his eyes caught in the sight of Ken, making him do a double take. Then, as though he had been there the whole time, the man with the pink afro was dancing right beside Ken- looking at him curiously. He was just a few inches taller than Ken even in his platform shoes.
“Well hello~” The man said loudly to be heard through all the noise of thumping music and jumping feet. His accent and way of speaking was slightly odd, his chin sliding side to side with each word; it just intrigued Ken more. He wanted to know where this man was from, what his story was. “You're not supposed to be here-” the man continued without letting Ken speak as he looked around. “Although now that I look at this place, I don't think this is the right dance club, or universe for that matter. I'm supposed to be being kidnapped by and arguing with an old friend of mine by now you see-” The man then appeared on Ken's other side, making Ken look around in confusion.
“How did-”
“Im guessing neither of us are supposed to be here, but who cares about all that time continuum and original plot malarkey anyway! The names Will by the way, Wilford Warfstache. But please just call me Will. What is your name, you devilishly handsome stranger? Something as wonderfully beautiful and complex as you I'm sure. My compliments on the outfit as well, you make quite the cowboy. The hat is just magnificent!” Will said, two martinis now in his hands though one seemed to be empty just like it would have been in Barbieland. He held out the empty one to Ken who smiled in gratitude as he took it, though he was slightly flustered.
“It's Ken, I'm just Ken. Thank you.” He answered, fidgeting in his boots as he blushed and looked up at Will through his eyelashes. Will smiled happily and threw his arms out in excitement, definitely splashing his martini into someone's eye, he didn't seem to notice or care- even as the person began screaming- so neither did Ken.
“Just as I expected! A wonderfully beautiful name for a terrifyingly handsome cowboy. Now, now that we know each other, let's dance!” Will said, taking Ken's martini glass and chucking it across the room, along with his own. There was a shout of pain in the distance but it too went ignored. Ken laughed and nodded his assent, copying Will's dance moves to the best of his abilities. Though there were a few in there that were impossible and made Ken wonder how Will pulled them off.
“So, tell me Ken, what is a place like you doing in a boy like this?” Will asked over the din of music, wiggling his bushy eyebrows suggestively. Ken didn't really know what he was suggesting but he blushed anyway. “Looking for some fun? Here to meet a date? Here to murder a date?”
“I got lost and the lights drew me here.” Ken explained, looking slightly concerned at the murder mention. Will still looked as giddy as ever so he guessed it was a normal question in this world. He didn't really even know what murder actually was.
“Ah, like a moth to a flame! Well I do agree the lights of this place are quite charming.” Will said happily, the pink flashing highlighting his twinkling eyes, before disappearing. Ken looked around in a slight panic as he searched for his new friend before he heard Will's voice from behind him. “Say, why don't we trade hats! You wear the afro, I get the cowboy hat. Just for tonight if you don't like it! Come on!” It didn't take much convincing, Ken always wanted an afro, the fact that it was his favorite shade of pink was just a bonus.
“Heck yeah!” Ken happily took off his hat and handed it over to Will as Will did the same with his afro wig. Ken had to just stop and stare at Wilford for a moment, his natural hair dark and beautiful, grown out to just past the tops of his ears in the front with just a slight wave to it. It fit the mustached man well and complemented his features. A thought hit Ken then, like a large duffle full of Barbie special addition shoes to the chest, this man was more beautiful than Barbie to Ken. Will had a sense of whimsy that Ken thought was exclusively for tall blond women who barely acknowledged his existence. But here, this man was just as gorgeous, just as fantastical, except he didn't ignore Ken until he was needed. Despite the fact that Will couldn't seem to stay in the same place or still for that long, his intense attention never once strayed from Ken.
“Well how do I look? The most handsome devil you've ever seen?” Will asked as Ken slotted the pink afro over his blond hair. Ken nodded with a large grin, the afro now wiggling with his every head movement.
“Oh absolutely, you're looking sublime!”
“Why thank you Ken! You sure know how to complement a man! I feel as though we should get to know each other better, so tell me, do you do anything for work? I myself am currently, blissfully, unemployed, but I'm looking into a career in journalism!”
“My job is beach!” Ken said, excited to speak about his only other passion than Barbie, but also nervous because what if this man decides he's too boring or stupid. Beach doesn't sound as cool or important as journalism, journalism Barbie was much more respected than any Ken Ken knew in Barbieland-
“Wow! What a magnificent job! Tell me, what does beach entail!? How many people do you kill daily?” Will said, sounding actually interested, which surprised Ken. No one ever wanted to really know what beach entailed, they just said he was good at it. Truly if anyone else asked, it would have shocked Ken enough he wouldn't be able to explain what he did. All he would be able to say was, ‘it's just beach’. But something about this man made Ken feel seen and comfortable enough that even while shocked he doesn't panic.
“Well, I don't kill anyone, whatever that is. But! Every morning I wake up on the beach, usually the first to leave the beach huddle, and choose the best speedo and or swim trunks for that day. I then put on my most swag outfit and head to my spot on the beach. There I watch the mermaids and merman, stand on the sand and make a good pose, and find the best lighting to look good in. I also help the Barbies when they need anything, like sunscreen or another pair of hands for volleyball.” Ken explained, not having to talk so loud as they had somehow danced their way out of the thrall of bodies and into a quieter more private corner.
“My, that sounds like quite the important job! I'm sure these ‘Barbie’s’ you speak of cherish you very much. I certainly would!” Will said as he did a complicated dance move that involved balancing the cowboy hat on his nose.
“Some do, kinda, maybe. I used to wait for Barbie- my Barbie- every morning but she slept in so much I lost all the good posing light waiting for her. Oddly enough she started waking up earlier after I stopped but I had a schedule I had to keep by then.” Ken explained, his dance moves slowing down as his mood slightly dimmed. The reminder of Barbie, of how he longs for her, of how she obviously didn't care for him all that much, it made him feel sad in a way he didn't really understand.
“Your Barbie huh, so you've got a significant other!” Will said, as cheery as had always been, but there was something to his voice and the tension in his muscles that felt off in a way Ken couldn't pinpoint.
“Oh no. I thought she was my girlfriend but she uh, she just wanted to be friends.” Ken said with a shrug, earning a supportive clap on the back from Will. The tension in Wilford's muscles suddenly disappeared.
“Her loss, you seem like the perfect male specimen, almost as if you were molded from plastic! Now let us not think or talk of such depressing and unimportant things, we needn't think or talk at all. We should just dance while we have the chance.” Will said and Ken found himself nodding along.
“You're right! Let's forget about Barbie and Barbieland, they don't matter. All that matters is this kentastic beat!”
“Kentastic, I like that word! Now you've got the spirit!”
The two men danced their way back to the middle of the dance floor, pushed chest to chest by the people dancing around them. Ken didn't know how long they danced, he didn't know when Will's hand had made it to his lower back but he found he had no problem with that. In fact he loved it. He liked being so close to another person. He liked that he could feel the heat rising off their skin, and Will seemed to run especially warm. No one in Barbieland ever got that close to him, the most he got was a pat on the shoulder or a bro hug, the feeling of Will's hand on his hips and chests bumping into each other sent sparks of excitement throughout Ken's veins. Ken let go of all inhibitions and wrapped his arms around Will's shoulders. Wilford grinned at him as he stepped impossibly closer, guiding both their bodies to move to the beat. They stayed like that for a few songs, never pulling away from each other. Ken couldn't look away from Will's giddy face, it amazed him that someone other than Barbie could attract him so. That had never happened before, he never even once looked at anyone else in Barbieland, but he couldn't look away from Will. The butterflies that used to only flutter inside him when Barbie looked at him haven't gone away since he first saw Wilford and at this rate they may never leave.
“You really are quite handsome, Ken.” Will said when the crowd had thinned and it was just them and a few other couples still dancing, though they still never stepped away from each other. “Perhaps you should forget all about this Barbie lady and her land and come with me. You ever live your life on the run?” Will asked, his voice deeper than it had been all night, something in it made a shiver go down Ken's spine. In a good way.
“Will I be allowed to still do my job? Beach?” Ken asked nervously, though excitement buzzed under his perfect skin. He knew that no one really took his job seriously but he really did love it. It was his only other purpose than being with Barbie for the longest time. But Will is offering Ken a chance to have a new purpose.
“Of course my plasticly perfect Discodoll, there is no allowed and not allowed when you're with me. The only rules are to be yourself and have fun! I'm sure we can find beaches wherever we go. So come, be with me in the endless void and make it less lonely.” Wilford said, his voice slightly breathy as he brought a hand up to caress Ken's cheek. Ken leaned into the touch, eyelids fluttering.
“Yeah. Yeah, I will. I'll come with you, live my life the way I want. Do whatever I want.” Ken agreed, making Will grin wider than he had all night.
“This may seem out of nowhere, but I'd like to ask you if I could kiss you. I have been thinking about it since I saw you.” Will said, his hand sliding down from Ken's cheek to cup the back of the blond mans neck. Ken's eyes widened, his heart speeding up in his shock, and to his surprise, ecstatic happiness. The thought of Barbie just barely flew through his mind and he ignored it just the way she ignored him. If this had happened just a few days ago, Ken would have said no immediately. That he was saving himself for Barbie. But Barbie wasn't here, and after everything, Ken never wanted to see her again. One thing he had learned while wandering earlier, was that he did not have to be treated the way he was. That men here had purposes and were treated as if they mattered, not like accessories, and Ken never wanted to go back to the way things were.
“Yeah, yes, please do.” Ken said with a rapid nod, gaining a laugh from the mustached man in front of him. Will pulled Ken into a passionate kiss, Ken's arms wrapped themselves around Will's neck to pull him closer almost immediately. Ken had never kissed anyone before, he wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but Will didn't seem to care. He led the kiss with gusto, the hand not holding Ken's neck traveling up and down Ken's back gently. He let out an embarrassing noise as Will's teeth caught his bottom lip, pulling on it just slightly. Will grinned as he pulled away, bringing a hand to Ken’s mouth, his thumb gently touching the flushed skin.
“How about we take this to my safe house, Doll? It's not the cleanest and is definitely not capable of long term residency but it will work for our current circumstances and plans.” Will asked as he stared into Ken's glazed over eyes, admiring his flushed cheeks.
“That is an amazing idea, let's go.” Ken said as soon as he processed Wilford's words, giggling when he took Ken's hand and led him through a curtain in the wall behind the stage, winking at him as the flashing lights and music faded behind them.