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Things with Ken have been great. Lars and Ken have been dating almost a year now! Karin and Gus’ baby Lucy is almost two years old and Karin is pregnant again.
“Lars. Lars wake up.” Ken whispers, gently shaking Lars.
Lars groans and his eyes flutter open. Ken is right in Lars’ face, looking worried.
“What's wrong?” Lars mumbles and yawns.
“...I don't feel good and it's scaring me.” Ken looks terrified.
Lars sits up abruptly. “What!? Wh-what do you mean? What doesn't feel good?” Lars starts looking over Ken frantically.
Ken looks… dim. Like someone lowered the saturation on him. It's … wrong. Ken should be bright.
Lars grabs Ken's hand and flips it over, trying to see if it's just the light playing tricks on his eyes.
Lars scrambles to turn on the light, tumbling out of bed and over to the wall. He flips the light on and turns to face Ken. It was not the light… he's dim.
Ken looks like he just popped out of an old TV show that isn't as bright or colorful. “K-ken…” Lars whispers.
Ken looks worried, scared, almost sick to his stomach if he had one. “Lars, what do I do?” Ken whispers.
Lars hugs himself, gripping his shirt tightly. “I-I don't know! Has this ever-ever happened before?”
“No!”
“Let's go to- to that- your doctor's. In BarbieLand.”
Ken's eyes widen. “That's a good idea! Let's go! It takes a few days to get there.”
“Days!? Ken what if you don't have days!?” Lars wants to cry.
“I-... It will be fine.” Ken stands up and grabs his bag from under Lars’ bed.
“Wa-wait! I- are you sure?”
“Yes, let's just… let's try. Maybe they can help me. I can go to a real world doctor, they'll think I'm crazy.”
“Y-yeah okay. Okay. Um.. grab your clothes. I-I'll tell Karin and Gus that we're going to- on a road trip!”
Ken nods, shoving clothes in his bag. Lars runs over to the big house, banging on the back door.
After a minute Gus answers the door, looking pissed. “What!”
“K-ken and I are leaving. We-we’re going to be gone for a while.”
“What? Why?” Gus’ anger disappears, he's worried now.
“Ken- um… it's complicated. We just need to get away.”
“You look scared…” Gus frowns. “Come inside. We'll pack you guys some snacks.”
“I-I don't have time-”
“Gus? Lars? What's going on?” Karin asks and walks over with Lucy on her hip.
“Ken and I have to leave town for a few days.”
Lucy has her hand in her mouth, Karin and Gus look worried.
“Why?” Karin asks.
“I can't explain. We just have to go. I'm sorry.” Lars turns around, ready to run back to the garage.
“Wait! At least let us pack you guys some food!” Karin calls.
“...Okay.” Lars whispers, looking back at the garage as he goes inside the big house. He bounces on his toes anxiously and follows his brother, sister-in-law, and niece into the kitchen.
Karin sets Lucy in her high chair and starts making sandwiches. Lucy babbles and bangs on the table part of her high chair.
Karin gives Lucy a few cheeto puffs and goes back to packing snacks and sandwiches into a lunch box.
Lars rocks from heel to toe, anxious and worried for Ken back in the garage. “Are… are you almost done?” Lars asks, biting his lip.
“Yes, hon. Almost done.” Karin smiles, making two more sandwiches at a time. There must be six to eight sandwiches in there, along with several little Debbie's and a bunch of little baggies of chips. It's a big lunch box.
Lars nods, rubbing his chest nervously. He taps over his heart a few times. A nervous habit of his that started after Bianca died. It feels like he's restarting his heart. Makes him calm down.
Karin finishes in a little under ten minutes and hands Lars the lunch box, giving him a kiss on the cheek and telling him to be safe. Gus gives Lars a hug and makes him promise to call if he needs help.
Lars runs back out to the garage to find that Ken has packed for the both of them.
“Karin made us snacks for the road. Let's go.” Lars whispers and grabs the bags.
Ken nods, standing up to follow Lars out the door. Lars walks out the door and puts all the bags and the lunch box in his car while Ken gets in the passenger seat. Then Lars locks his front door and then locks it again.
The rushes back to the car and gets in, starting the car. Ken still looks dim, even in the rising morning sun. It's terrifying.
“How are you feeling?” Lars whispers and starts pulling out of the driveway.
“I… Don't feel as bad. I think I was mostly just scared, but I'm still worried…”
Lars nods. “A-are you hungry? Do you want a snack?”
“No thank you.”
Lars nods, and pulls onto the road. By the time Lars needs to find a gas station they're already in Iowa, closer to Nebraska. Ken is dimmer than before, but not so dim that it's noticeable to normal people yet.
“Do you want something to drink?” Lars asks Ken as he starts to get out of the car.
“Yes. A Gatorade please. Light blue.”
“Okay. Gatorade, gas, Dr. Pepper.” Lars mumbles and gets out of the car.
Lars walks inside the gas station and over to the refrigerators. Light blue Gatorade? Check. Dr. Pepper? Check. Gas… will get.
Lars stands in line behind an old couple that has some snacks. He bounces on his toes, rocking back and forth from heel to toe.
Once the old couple finishes paying, Lars walks up to the counter. He sets down the drinks and pulls out his wallet.
“Is that all?” The cashier asks, bored and monotone. He doesn't even smile.
Lars shakes his head. “I need thirty-five on seven.” He mumbles.
The cashier nods, checks out the drinks, bags them, and puts thirty-five on pump seven. “That will be fourty-one oh-seven.”
Lars counts out the cash and hands it to the man, then takes his bag and leaves. He rushes back out to the car and hands Ken his Gatorade. “Here. I'm going to pump gas. Stretch your legs.”
Ken nods and gets out of the car. He looks dimmer… again. It's scary. His skin has a Grey undertone that's more than an undertone.
Lars taps his chest while he pumps gas. He can't breathe, but he can. He's panicking, but he'll be okay.
“Breathe.” Ken reminds him, suddenly standing right next to Lars. Lars pulls Ken into a hug. He needs to feel him, make sure that he's still alive.
Ken hugs Lars back, rubbing his hand up and down Lars’ back.
“Everything will be okay.” Ken whispers.
“It will. It has to be…” Lars whispers back and pulls away from Ken a bit. Lars leans down just a bit and kisses Ken on the cheek.
Ken smiles up at Lars. “Gas is done.” He chuckles.
Lars turns around and hangs the gas hose back up, then closes his gas tank. “Let's go.”
Ken and Lars get back in the car and pull out of the gas station. They drive for hours before Lars needs to pull over and let Ken drive. They make it all the way through Nebraska by the time it's dark out.
“How close are we to those roller skates you said we had to use?” Lars yawns as they pull into a motel. Lars is incredibly grateful for his savings being so high.
“Um, I think Barbie has them with her in LA?” Ken mumbles and pulls the car over.
Lars leans his head back against the seat. He doesn't have the energy to do anything. He doesn't even want to go get a motel room. Ken is even gray'er than before, it's visible to normal people now.
“You wanna just sleep in the car?” Ken offers.
“Yes.” Lars groans and lays his seat back. Ken lays his seat back too and they both sigh with relief.
☆°•°○————————————————————○°•°☆
“Here Ken, I have the roller skates right here. Why are you so gray?” Barbie asks, horrified as she opens her front door.
“...I don't know. We're going to BarbieLand to find out.” Ken whispers. He's almost completely gray now, like something that jumped out of a black and white TV show.
“Be safe.” Barbie whispers and hands the roller blades to Ken. “And you'll need outfits."
Lars frowns in confusion. “Outfits?”
“Yes, it's important to the process.” Barbie nods and walks back into her house. It's a very pink house. Lars and Ken make eye contact and shrug.
☆°•°○♡☆♡☆♡☆♡☆♡☆♡☆♡☆♡☆♡☆♡☆○°•°☆
Hours later they finally make it to BarbieLand after a series of increasingly elaborate ways to travel. They stand outside the gates, Ken is nervous.
“It will be okay Ken. Just breathe.” Lars whispers, grabbing his boyfriend's gray hand.
Ken nods, takes a deep breath, then walks through the barrier. Instantly his color re-appears. Lars wants to cry with relief, he hugs Ken tightly.
“Your color is back! Maybe it has to do with BarbieLand?” Lars looks over Ken again. He looks… normal. Bright, colorful, handsome.
“...Maybe if I'm away too long my color disappears. Why hasn't that happened to Barbie yet?”
“Didn't you say that the creator gave Barbie permission to stay in the real world?”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe that's why?”
“...That makes sense. So… what now? Once a year do we come back here?” Ken asks.
“Yeah, that makes the most sense.” Lars nods.
Ken nods in agreement, hugging Lars again. Lars pulls Ken into for a kiss. Ken goes slack in Lars’ arms, kissing him back.