South Park Secret Santa (re)post
Hey again everyone! I wrote this for the sp_secret_santa and totally forgot to repost it onto my own journal. Oops :) So here it is:
Title: This is Me, Loving You
Author: alpha_hydra
Rating: PG-PG-13 (mostly for swearing)
Word Count: ~2600
Characters/Pairings: Kenny/Butters, Butters/everyone
Summary: Butters has got game. Kenny doesn’t like it.
A/N: Secret Santa for synnesai , who wanted Bunny that wasn't too fluffy. I really hope you like this, even if some fluffiness sneaked in towards the end :(. Anyway, Happy (belated, now) Holidays! Also, unbetaed, so sorry for all the mistakes you all might find.
Disclaimer: South Park and all related people, places, names and ideas are the property of Matt Parker, Trey Stone, Comedy Central, and lots of other people who are Most Decidedly Not Me. I am making no money off of this fan-work and no copyright infringement is intended.
It happens pretty suddenly, or at least, Kenny likes to think so. It catches him off-guard, is a better way to explain it. He’s just sitting around, cross-legged on the floor with his back against the couch, listening to Butters shuffling around in the kitchen getting them snacks, and it occurs to him. I love this guy, he thinks to himself. God, I love him so much.
Which, okay, yeah, shouldn’t have come as such a surprise. He’s been attracted to Butters for ages now; he’s a paradigm of fragility and as close to honest as one can get without asking for Jesus-fucking-Christ himself. Butters is all wide-eyed innocence, and for around a year now, Kenny’s had so many fantasies about corrupting him.
But Butters is also his best friend, even over Stan, Kyle and Cartman-don’t get him wrong, he loves Stan and Kyle, but they’ve always been too wrapped up in each other to notice him too much, and Cartman, he’s not even sure if he should call Cartman a ‘friend’ anyway; Cartman is a force of nature, and there’s no way he can be ignored, and honestly? Kenny doesn’t want to ignore him-But the point is, he’s totally head over heels for innocent, vanilla Butters, and when Butters comes back into the room with three slices of pizza for Kenny, there really isn’t any doubt in his mind.
“Have you finished your math homework yet, Kenny?” he asks, holding his plastic plate of pizza just out of arm’s reach. He lets it hover there for a moment, like the fucking tease that he doesn’t even know he is, before he finishes his thought. “You promised you’d finish it before I brought in the pizza.”
Kenny licks his lips, curbing the urge he gets to kiss him. He kind of wishes they were outside; it’s too warm inside to keep his coat on, and without his orange hood to mask his face, Kenny’s pretty sure that every ounce of his love is being broadcast out into the world for all to see.
“I got stuck on problem 25,” he lies because it gets Butters to frown at him, and he kneels down beside him and scoots up close to Kenny to look down at the textbook.
“Oh, that’s the one Wendy and I had trouble with,” Butters says after a moment, and he snatches up Kenny’s pencil and starts going on about tangents versus cosines and fuck-only-knows what else.
“Hey, are you listening, Kenny?” Butters asks after about ten minutes.
Kenny snaps out of his half-formed fantasy to Butters frowning at him again. Kenny smiles brightly in response.
“Totally, Butters,” he says.
Butters smiles at him, bright and sort of shy, and shit, Kenny really fucking loves him.
He makes up his mind that night, listening to Butters explain pre-cal to him, that there’s only one option left to him.
He needs to seduce Butters.
***
Kenny's not-really-thought-out-plan hits a bit of a roadblock eight days later, when they're all sitting around in the parking lot Monday during lunch. Stan and Kyle went to the McDonald's just around the corner, which has Cartman annoyed and pissy because “Those two fags are probably only looking for a quickie in the backseat of Stan's hybrid anyway.”
Which Kenny privately agrees with, but he's not about to say out loud. It's not really Stan's fault that he was the only one to get a car for his 17th birthday this year, but it's not like it's such a hardship to wait around for their two other friends. But whatever. Him and Cartman are hanging around the parking lot, drinking their little cartons of milk that in no way help quench their thirst, when Butters wanders by.
“Heya fellas!” he says brightly, fidgeting slightly with the bag of Subway he's got clenched tightly in his fists. “W-where are Stan and Kyle?”
“Being faggy,” Cartman says at the exact moment Kenny says “They went out to lunch.”
“Well, gee Eric,” Butters says, “you really shouldn't swear in front of a lady.”
“What are you talking about, Butters?” Cartman says in that resigned way he tends towards when dealing with Butters.
For a second, Kenny thinks that Butters may just have actually tried to tell a joke, but then Sally comes by and links their hands together casually.
“You ready, babe?” she asks, tossing her head to get her long dirty-blond bangs out of her eyes.
“Yeah sure thing, Sally,” Butters says. He smiles at Cartman and Kenny; Kenny notices that Butters studiously avoids eye-contact with him. “I've gotta go, you guys.”
“Sure, Butters. Go,” Cartman says, looking like he's just been bulldozed.
They both watch him wander off with Sally in silence. Then Cartman seems to snap himself out of his disbelief.
“Did you know Butters had a girlfriend?” he asks incredulously.
“No,” Kenny says, an ugly, hollow feeling swirling through his stomach. “I-I thought-”
“That he was gay?” Cartman asks. He punches Kenny in the arm excitedly. “Dude, me too! I mean, the fuck, dude?”
Which isn't what Kenny was thinking (I thought he'd wanted me), but for now, he nods along with Cartman. A funny buzzing noise has started somewhere in his mind, like thousands of killer bees waiting to destroy him.
“I've gotta go,” he says suddenly, doesn't wait for Cartman's response as he runs through the crowded cafeteria to the nearest bathroom.
He locks himself in, leans his back against the door, and lets himself slide down until he's sitting, knees up like a barrier against the world. Fuck. Of course, he thinks. This is what happens when Kenny falls in love.
He stays in that bathroom for a very long time, long after the lunch bell rings and everyone else has gone to class.
***
He and Butters are studying again, sitting around in Butters' living room, and Kenny is trying very hard not to you know, slip his tongue down Butters' throat-he has a girlfriend Kenny, that means he wouldn't be interested in you even if you offered, he thinks to himself angrily-when the solution comes to him.
"Hey Butters, are you going to Stan's party next weekend?" he asks, making sure he keeps his voice neutral.
Butters smiles.
"Well yeah Kenny!" he says happily. "Bradley's taking me."
"Bradley," Kenny repeats.
Butters nods.
"Yup."
Kenny isn't really sure he wants to know just who the fuck Bradley is, but masochism (or something) must be taking over his brain, because he sits up and frowns.
"Why aren't you going with Sally?" he can't help but ask. "I thought you two were going out. Or something."
He really hopes he doesn't sound as bitter as he feels about that.
But Butters only shakes his head, smiling up at Kenny from where he's still laying on his stomach, elbows propped up on his history book.
"Me and Sally aren't together," he says, half-laughing. Kenny breathes a sigh of relief before Butters adds, "No sir, that was last week."
"Last week," Kenny replies weakly. "Ok. That's great I guess. But. I mean. Shouldn't you be...I don't know. Upset about it? Or something?"
Butters bites his lower lip at that, as if he's thinking quick. Kenny can't quite keep his eyes from scanning the motion, wishing he could capture them in a kiss.
Fuck, but when did he become such a sap?
"W-well Kenny," Butters starts, rubbing his knuckles together anxiously. "Both of us figured it would be best if we broke up."
“Okay.”
Kenny's brain may have actually broken. He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to buy himself some time to figure out just what the fuck Butters is trying to say.
“So Bradley,” he tries again. “He's...just what, exactly?”
Butters looks away from him suddenly, frowning down at his textbook.
“I don't know,” Butters says softly. “I guess I'll find out soon enough.”
No fucking kidding. Kenny opens his mouth to say something mature and reassuring, since Butters is obviously interested in this Bradley guy, but what comes out instead is this strange sort of choking noise. He clears his throat and tries again.
“He'd be crazy not to like you, Butters,” he says honestly. “You're pretty amazing.”
Butters smiles up at him, and Kenny-his heart breaks a little.
“You think so, Kenny?” he asks, sounding excited now.
“Yeah.”
Suddenly Kenny's not entirely sure he wants to go to Stan's party next weekend.
Over the course of the next week, Kenny starts listening. Apparently, Butters' got some serious game. Nearly half their class has either gone out with him or is pining over the boy. Which makes total sense to Kenny, but seems to baffle Cartman when Kenny tells him all about it.
“Who the fuck would want to go out with Butters?” Cartman asks incredulously Thursday afternoon.
They're out in the parking lot again, this time waiting for Stan to get from the science building out to the parking lot. Kyle is leaning against the brick wall of the art room, eyes scanning the crowd every few minutes, no doubt looking for Stan. It's two more days until Stan's big party, and Kenny still doesn't know who Bradley is. He doesn't go to Park County High, at least that's for certain.
“I mean, he's a total melvin,” Cartman continues after a short pause. “I don't get it.”
“Yeah, well, you wouldn't,” Kenny mumbles to himself, pulling his parka tighter around himself.
“I don't know man,” Kyle says slowly. “I can sort of see why. I mean, he's not a total jackass, like you.”
“Fuck you, Kyle,” Cartman says, and Kenny rolls his eyes as they begin to argue again.
But in all honesty, he's sort of grateful that Kyle and Cartman can't keep from fighting for more than a few minutes at a time. He really doesn't want to be having this conversation right now, not when he's just found out that Butters has apparently dated the entire school except for Kenny himself. What's so unappealing about me? he wants to scream to the world.
Just then, a sleek black camaro blazes into the parking lot, soft Christian rock pouring out of the windows. Kenny gets a view of some college kid with short, curly hair chewing idly on his thumbnail before Butters rushes past them and hops into the car. The guy catches Kenny staring and smirks at him before the car drives off.
“Who the fuck was that?” Kenny asks weakly after the car's disappeared.
“Come on dude, you know Bradley,” Kyle says, clearly not interested. “He was like, the valedictorian of his class last year.”
At that moment, Kyle's eyes light up, and he rushes over to where Stan is awkwardly juggling his textbooks and a huge blank poster-board for something. Kenny sighs. At least he's figured out who Bradley is.
***
By the time Stan's party rolls around, Kenny's gotten used to the fact that Butters may never feel the same about Kenny the way he feels about Butters. Sort of. Well, it still sort of wrecks him, to be honest, but the point is, he's trying to be happy for Butters when he and his...date show up at Stan's at half-past midnight.
At this point, Kenny's well on his way to dying from alcohol poisoning, so that obnoxious ache in his chest every time he thinks of Butters with someone else doesn't even make an appearance this time. Instead, he chugs his half-cup of whiskey and coke and weaves his way through the crowd until he gets to the stairs. He climbs about halfway up before he sits heavily on one of the steps and hopes like hell neither of them have seen him yet.
“Kenny?” Butters' voice says, proving that Kenny has the worst luck in the fucking universe.
He dredges up a smile from somewhere and motions for Butters to join him. Thankfully, Bradley is nowhere to be seen.
“Butters, hey,” he says, mock cheerful. “When did you get here?”
“Just a few minutes ago,” Butters answers, rubbing his knuckles together. “H-have you been here long?”
“Since the party started, dude,” Kenny says, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the wall for support. He's lucky he's drunk off his ass right now; otherwise he'd be way too depressed to have this conversation. “Where's Bradley?” he can't help but add.
“He was talking to Wendy when I left,” Butters says casually.
“Okay,” he answers, blinking his eyes open slowly.
Butters has scooted closer, so that they're knees are nearly touching. Kenny smiles to himself.
“Why aren't you drinking?” Kenny asks, wonders at the same moment what had happened to his own drink. He'd had a drink earlier, right?
Butters shrugs.
“I-I don't know, Kenny,” he says. “I've never had alcohol before. I don't want-”
“You're kidding me, right?” Kenny can't help but say. He stands up suddenly, wobbling slightly, and pulls Butters up to his feet too. “You're a healthy, sexy, 17-year-old boy, who's probably made it with half the school already. Do you know how cool that makes you sound, Butters? You have to have a drink. It's the natural order of things.”
Kenny leads them into the kitchen, where about four groups of people are milling around, trying to talk over the heavy beat of the music around them.
“I haven't,” Butters says suddenly, yanking his wrist out of Kenny's grasp.
“Yeah, and that's the problem.”
“No. Th-that's not what I mean.” Butters frowns down resolutely at the floor, picking at the sleeve of his shirt. Kenny's a little embarrassed at how that makes his heart melt. “I haven't. Um. I mean I've never...”
Oh.
“Oh,” Kenny says slowly, watching the way the blood rushes to Butters' cheeks. “But, you-what about Sally, and Bradley, and Red and...everyone else?”
Butters' blush, if it's even possible, gets darker. He looks up at Kenny through his eyelashes and smiles sort of sheepishly.
“Can I tell you a secret, Kenny?”
Kenny takes a few steps closer in response, watching but not quite feeling his hands as they gently grab Butters'.
“I-I thought that someone like you w-would never be interested in s-someone like me,” he says quietly, so quiet that Kenny almost can't hear him over the sound of the music. “S-so I thought-”
“You thought you'd make me jealous instead?” Kenny asks.
Butters nods at him, clearly miserable. Kenny laughs because seriously? That's just fucking hilarious. Butters starts to pull away from him, probably thinking that Kenny's way too drunk for tact and is about to mock the shit out of him; Kenny tightens his grip on Butters' hands and walks him backward to the table.
“That was downright sneaky of you, Butters,” Kenny says, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Devious almost. I never thought I'd see the day.”
“Well, gee Kenny, I guess you just bring out the worst in me.”
And that's Butters teasing him, how fucking awesome is that? So really, Kenny's got no choice but to finally, finally lean in and kiss him the way he's been fantasizing about for nearly a year now.
It's perfect.
Right until the cops show up.
Title: This is Me, Loving You
Author: alpha_hydra
Rating: PG-PG-13 (mostly for swearing)
Word Count: ~2600
Characters/Pairings: Kenny/Butters, Butters/everyone
Summary: Butters has got game. Kenny doesn’t like it.
A/N: Secret Santa for synnesai , who wanted Bunny that wasn't too fluffy. I really hope you like this, even if some fluffiness sneaked in towards the end :(. Anyway, Happy (belated, now) Holidays! Also, unbetaed, so sorry for all the mistakes you all might find.
Disclaimer: South Park and all related people, places, names and ideas are the property of Matt Parker, Trey Stone, Comedy Central, and lots of other people who are Most Decidedly Not Me. I am making no money off of this fan-work and no copyright infringement is intended.
It happens pretty suddenly, or at least, Kenny likes to think so. It catches him off-guard, is a better way to explain it. He’s just sitting around, cross-legged on the floor with his back against the couch, listening to Butters shuffling around in the kitchen getting them snacks, and it occurs to him. I love this guy, he thinks to himself. God, I love him so much.
Which, okay, yeah, shouldn’t have come as such a surprise. He’s been attracted to Butters for ages now; he’s a paradigm of fragility and as close to honest as one can get without asking for Jesus-fucking-Christ himself. Butters is all wide-eyed innocence, and for around a year now, Kenny’s had so many fantasies about corrupting him.
But Butters is also his best friend, even over Stan, Kyle and Cartman-don’t get him wrong, he loves Stan and Kyle, but they’ve always been too wrapped up in each other to notice him too much, and Cartman, he’s not even sure if he should call Cartman a ‘friend’ anyway; Cartman is a force of nature, and there’s no way he can be ignored, and honestly? Kenny doesn’t want to ignore him-But the point is, he’s totally head over heels for innocent, vanilla Butters, and when Butters comes back into the room with three slices of pizza for Kenny, there really isn’t any doubt in his mind.
“Have you finished your math homework yet, Kenny?” he asks, holding his plastic plate of pizza just out of arm’s reach. He lets it hover there for a moment, like the fucking tease that he doesn’t even know he is, before he finishes his thought. “You promised you’d finish it before I brought in the pizza.”
Kenny licks his lips, curbing the urge he gets to kiss him. He kind of wishes they were outside; it’s too warm inside to keep his coat on, and without his orange hood to mask his face, Kenny’s pretty sure that every ounce of his love is being broadcast out into the world for all to see.
“I got stuck on problem 25,” he lies because it gets Butters to frown at him, and he kneels down beside him and scoots up close to Kenny to look down at the textbook.
“Oh, that’s the one Wendy and I had trouble with,” Butters says after a moment, and he snatches up Kenny’s pencil and starts going on about tangents versus cosines and fuck-only-knows what else.
“Hey, are you listening, Kenny?” Butters asks after about ten minutes.
Kenny snaps out of his half-formed fantasy to Butters frowning at him again. Kenny smiles brightly in response.
“Totally, Butters,” he says.
Butters smiles at him, bright and sort of shy, and shit, Kenny really fucking loves him.
He makes up his mind that night, listening to Butters explain pre-cal to him, that there’s only one option left to him.
He needs to seduce Butters.
***
Kenny's not-really-thought-out-plan hits a bit of a roadblock eight days later, when they're all sitting around in the parking lot Monday during lunch. Stan and Kyle went to the McDonald's just around the corner, which has Cartman annoyed and pissy because “Those two fags are probably only looking for a quickie in the backseat of Stan's hybrid anyway.”
Which Kenny privately agrees with, but he's not about to say out loud. It's not really Stan's fault that he was the only one to get a car for his 17th birthday this year, but it's not like it's such a hardship to wait around for their two other friends. But whatever. Him and Cartman are hanging around the parking lot, drinking their little cartons of milk that in no way help quench their thirst, when Butters wanders by.
“Heya fellas!” he says brightly, fidgeting slightly with the bag of Subway he's got clenched tightly in his fists. “W-where are Stan and Kyle?”
“Being faggy,” Cartman says at the exact moment Kenny says “They went out to lunch.”
“Well, gee Eric,” Butters says, “you really shouldn't swear in front of a lady.”
“What are you talking about, Butters?” Cartman says in that resigned way he tends towards when dealing with Butters.
For a second, Kenny thinks that Butters may just have actually tried to tell a joke, but then Sally comes by and links their hands together casually.
“You ready, babe?” she asks, tossing her head to get her long dirty-blond bangs out of her eyes.
“Yeah sure thing, Sally,” Butters says. He smiles at Cartman and Kenny; Kenny notices that Butters studiously avoids eye-contact with him. “I've gotta go, you guys.”
“Sure, Butters. Go,” Cartman says, looking like he's just been bulldozed.
They both watch him wander off with Sally in silence. Then Cartman seems to snap himself out of his disbelief.
“Did you know Butters had a girlfriend?” he asks incredulously.
“No,” Kenny says, an ugly, hollow feeling swirling through his stomach. “I-I thought-”
“That he was gay?” Cartman asks. He punches Kenny in the arm excitedly. “Dude, me too! I mean, the fuck, dude?”
Which isn't what Kenny was thinking (I thought he'd wanted me), but for now, he nods along with Cartman. A funny buzzing noise has started somewhere in his mind, like thousands of killer bees waiting to destroy him.
“I've gotta go,” he says suddenly, doesn't wait for Cartman's response as he runs through the crowded cafeteria to the nearest bathroom.
He locks himself in, leans his back against the door, and lets himself slide down until he's sitting, knees up like a barrier against the world. Fuck. Of course, he thinks. This is what happens when Kenny falls in love.
He stays in that bathroom for a very long time, long after the lunch bell rings and everyone else has gone to class.
***
He and Butters are studying again, sitting around in Butters' living room, and Kenny is trying very hard not to you know, slip his tongue down Butters' throat-he has a girlfriend Kenny, that means he wouldn't be interested in you even if you offered, he thinks to himself angrily-when the solution comes to him.
"Hey Butters, are you going to Stan's party next weekend?" he asks, making sure he keeps his voice neutral.
Butters smiles.
"Well yeah Kenny!" he says happily. "Bradley's taking me."
"Bradley," Kenny repeats.
Butters nods.
"Yup."
Kenny isn't really sure he wants to know just who the fuck Bradley is, but masochism (or something) must be taking over his brain, because he sits up and frowns.
"Why aren't you going with Sally?" he can't help but ask. "I thought you two were going out. Or something."
He really hopes he doesn't sound as bitter as he feels about that.
But Butters only shakes his head, smiling up at Kenny from where he's still laying on his stomach, elbows propped up on his history book.
"Me and Sally aren't together," he says, half-laughing. Kenny breathes a sigh of relief before Butters adds, "No sir, that was last week."
"Last week," Kenny replies weakly. "Ok. That's great I guess. But. I mean. Shouldn't you be...I don't know. Upset about it? Or something?"
Butters bites his lower lip at that, as if he's thinking quick. Kenny can't quite keep his eyes from scanning the motion, wishing he could capture them in a kiss.
Fuck, but when did he become such a sap?
"W-well Kenny," Butters starts, rubbing his knuckles together anxiously. "Both of us figured it would be best if we broke up."
“Okay.”
Kenny's brain may have actually broken. He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to buy himself some time to figure out just what the fuck Butters is trying to say.
“So Bradley,” he tries again. “He's...just what, exactly?”
Butters looks away from him suddenly, frowning down at his textbook.
“I don't know,” Butters says softly. “I guess I'll find out soon enough.”
No fucking kidding. Kenny opens his mouth to say something mature and reassuring, since Butters is obviously interested in this Bradley guy, but what comes out instead is this strange sort of choking noise. He clears his throat and tries again.
“He'd be crazy not to like you, Butters,” he says honestly. “You're pretty amazing.”
Butters smiles up at him, and Kenny-his heart breaks a little.
“You think so, Kenny?” he asks, sounding excited now.
“Yeah.”
Suddenly Kenny's not entirely sure he wants to go to Stan's party next weekend.
Over the course of the next week, Kenny starts listening. Apparently, Butters' got some serious game. Nearly half their class has either gone out with him or is pining over the boy. Which makes total sense to Kenny, but seems to baffle Cartman when Kenny tells him all about it.
“Who the fuck would want to go out with Butters?” Cartman asks incredulously Thursday afternoon.
They're out in the parking lot again, this time waiting for Stan to get from the science building out to the parking lot. Kyle is leaning against the brick wall of the art room, eyes scanning the crowd every few minutes, no doubt looking for Stan. It's two more days until Stan's big party, and Kenny still doesn't know who Bradley is. He doesn't go to Park County High, at least that's for certain.
“I mean, he's a total melvin,” Cartman continues after a short pause. “I don't get it.”
“Yeah, well, you wouldn't,” Kenny mumbles to himself, pulling his parka tighter around himself.
“I don't know man,” Kyle says slowly. “I can sort of see why. I mean, he's not a total jackass, like you.”
“Fuck you, Kyle,” Cartman says, and Kenny rolls his eyes as they begin to argue again.
But in all honesty, he's sort of grateful that Kyle and Cartman can't keep from fighting for more than a few minutes at a time. He really doesn't want to be having this conversation right now, not when he's just found out that Butters has apparently dated the entire school except for Kenny himself. What's so unappealing about me? he wants to scream to the world.
Just then, a sleek black camaro blazes into the parking lot, soft Christian rock pouring out of the windows. Kenny gets a view of some college kid with short, curly hair chewing idly on his thumbnail before Butters rushes past them and hops into the car. The guy catches Kenny staring and smirks at him before the car drives off.
“Who the fuck was that?” Kenny asks weakly after the car's disappeared.
“Come on dude, you know Bradley,” Kyle says, clearly not interested. “He was like, the valedictorian of his class last year.”
At that moment, Kyle's eyes light up, and he rushes over to where Stan is awkwardly juggling his textbooks and a huge blank poster-board for something. Kenny sighs. At least he's figured out who Bradley is.
***
By the time Stan's party rolls around, Kenny's gotten used to the fact that Butters may never feel the same about Kenny the way he feels about Butters. Sort of. Well, it still sort of wrecks him, to be honest, but the point is, he's trying to be happy for Butters when he and his...date show up at Stan's at half-past midnight.
At this point, Kenny's well on his way to dying from alcohol poisoning, so that obnoxious ache in his chest every time he thinks of Butters with someone else doesn't even make an appearance this time. Instead, he chugs his half-cup of whiskey and coke and weaves his way through the crowd until he gets to the stairs. He climbs about halfway up before he sits heavily on one of the steps and hopes like hell neither of them have seen him yet.
“Kenny?” Butters' voice says, proving that Kenny has the worst luck in the fucking universe.
He dredges up a smile from somewhere and motions for Butters to join him. Thankfully, Bradley is nowhere to be seen.
“Butters, hey,” he says, mock cheerful. “When did you get here?”
“Just a few minutes ago,” Butters answers, rubbing his knuckles together. “H-have you been here long?”
“Since the party started, dude,” Kenny says, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the wall for support. He's lucky he's drunk off his ass right now; otherwise he'd be way too depressed to have this conversation. “Where's Bradley?” he can't help but add.
“He was talking to Wendy when I left,” Butters says casually.
“Okay,” he answers, blinking his eyes open slowly.
Butters has scooted closer, so that they're knees are nearly touching. Kenny smiles to himself.
“Why aren't you drinking?” Kenny asks, wonders at the same moment what had happened to his own drink. He'd had a drink earlier, right?
Butters shrugs.
“I-I don't know, Kenny,” he says. “I've never had alcohol before. I don't want-”
“You're kidding me, right?” Kenny can't help but say. He stands up suddenly, wobbling slightly, and pulls Butters up to his feet too. “You're a healthy, sexy, 17-year-old boy, who's probably made it with half the school already. Do you know how cool that makes you sound, Butters? You have to have a drink. It's the natural order of things.”
Kenny leads them into the kitchen, where about four groups of people are milling around, trying to talk over the heavy beat of the music around them.
“I haven't,” Butters says suddenly, yanking his wrist out of Kenny's grasp.
“Yeah, and that's the problem.”
“No. Th-that's not what I mean.” Butters frowns down resolutely at the floor, picking at the sleeve of his shirt. Kenny's a little embarrassed at how that makes his heart melt. “I haven't. Um. I mean I've never...”
Oh.
“Oh,” Kenny says slowly, watching the way the blood rushes to Butters' cheeks. “But, you-what about Sally, and Bradley, and Red and...everyone else?”
Butters' blush, if it's even possible, gets darker. He looks up at Kenny through his eyelashes and smiles sort of sheepishly.
“Can I tell you a secret, Kenny?”
Kenny takes a few steps closer in response, watching but not quite feeling his hands as they gently grab Butters'.
“I-I thought that someone like you w-would never be interested in s-someone like me,” he says quietly, so quiet that Kenny almost can't hear him over the sound of the music. “S-so I thought-”
“You thought you'd make me jealous instead?” Kenny asks.
Butters nods at him, clearly miserable. Kenny laughs because seriously? That's just fucking hilarious. Butters starts to pull away from him, probably thinking that Kenny's way too drunk for tact and is about to mock the shit out of him; Kenny tightens his grip on Butters' hands and walks him backward to the table.
“That was downright sneaky of you, Butters,” Kenny says, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Devious almost. I never thought I'd see the day.”
“Well, gee Kenny, I guess you just bring out the worst in me.”
And that's Butters teasing him, how fucking awesome is that? So really, Kenny's got no choice but to finally, finally lean in and kiss him the way he's been fantasizing about for nearly a year now.
It's perfect.
Right until the cops show up.