Chapter Text
It was never going to happen.
The thought finally dawned on him as he watched one of his childhood best friends laugh into the girl’s hair, soft red curls contrasting perfectly with the shiny golden ring around his left hand finger.
Kenny felt his stomach drop out of his body at that moment, staring through the sudden barrier that stood between him and his friend. He was as good as gone forever now, the blonde realized, miles above where Kenny was trapped in his own little bubble of marriage and happiness. The perfect life; how could Kyle have accepted anything less? He had been working for it for as long as the blonde had known him, climbing up a clear path that was carefully and lovingly laid out by a doting mother and father. It only made it that much more painful, looking back, to realize just how obvious it was.
He didn’t have a chance.
The kiss meant nothing. It was stupid to think it did, in the first place; a drunken move, edged on by a sudden fit of hormones. Mindless, meaningless. Kenny should’ve expected. He shouldn’t have let his hopes get in the way, shouldn’t have let his emotions lie to him and cover up the logic.
Kyle was never going to love him like that.
He ran away, as soon as the thought finally settled. Said his goodbyes, smiled through dry tears, gave his vibrant lover one final hug before strolling down the lamp lit street.
At least the car was one of the quicker of his deaths.
=AND AGAIN=
He met him in a coffee shop.
At first, Kenny didn’t even recognize him. It had been years since the last time he had seen his friend, years since he had met anyone from their old town. Not that he would have remembered their faces, regardless of time away; Kyle had been the only person he cared enough to get to know in that old town, a tiny place tucked into the corner of west Washington, as dead nameless as forgotten. Kenny had moved to the east coast specifically to get away from it, the distant memories of cold streets and lonely nights under the stars haunting him almost as much as the image of a woman clinging to his friend. Ghosting was freeing in a way that nothing else had been, letting him forget and begin again, deleting his past like it was just another death.
The barista job he had stumbled upon purely by chance, a lucky break coming to him in the form of a nervous boy with white-blond hair and mismatched eyes that stormed up to him in the middle of his old job at Starbucks and asked him if he wanted something new. The Tweak’s shop itself was not ideal, sketchy men and women leaving bags at the back reminding him way too much of the home he left behind, but the pro of a coworker that didn’t hate his guts kept him coming back.
The day had been almost annoyingly boring up until that point, the usual morning rush leaving the shop to an event-less few hours before lunch. Kenny wiped the counter with a relaxed sort of ease, humming along quietly to the lofi beats that Tweek usually put on during his shift and keeping an eye on the door. He had been setting aside the cleaning supplies behind the counter when the bell rang suddenly, taking his time to put everything in order before standing back up.
He didn’t even notice the hair, at first, bright curls covered almost completely by a worn-looking green hat that hung down over his ears and forehead. No, what caught Kenny’s eye was the ugly yellow-and-purple hoodie the boy was wearing, the tacky symbol of a nearby college standing out cracked and stark against the dark fabric. Kenny held back a smirk at the sight, noting the backpack and ink-stained notebook before turning his eyes up to smile at the customer, breath catching in his throat before he even realized what was happening.
Him.
No, it couldn’t be.
But…?
Kenny cleared his throat once, awkwardly, hoping the heat in his face wasn’t obvious.
“Uh, hi, welcome to Tweek Bros. What can I getcha?”
Kyle hardly glanced at him before turning his eyes back to the menu, scanning it half-heartedly before speaking.
“Hi...yeah, can I just get whatever has the most caffeine?”
Kenny snorted grabbing their largest cup from the stack.
“Yeah man, no problem. Rough day?” he said, pumping syrup into the cup. Kyle sighed, yanking off his hat and running a hand through the messy curls underneath. Kenny snuck a glance as he continued making the drink, heart beating a bit faster at the familiar look of sunlight on red.
“Urgh, you could say that. Professors are killing me.”
Kenny hummed sympathetically, carefully focusing his gaze on the cup as his thoughts sprinted around his head.
“I feel that,” he grabbed a lid from another stack on the counter, carefully fitting it on top before sliding a sleeve around the cup and pushing it over to the tired college student. Finally the blonde looked up, eyes locking with the redhead’s.
Green.
“On the house.”
Kyle raised an eyebrow instantly, wallet already out and mouth halfway open. Kenny smiled as brightly as he could with his heart beating wildly in his chest, adrenaline rushing through his veins as Kyle frowned at him.
“Dude, you really don’t have to-”
“Just this once, man. You seem tired. This is kinda a new thing I’ve been working on, anyway, so just tell me your thoughts and we can call it even.”
Kyle fell silent for a moment, seemingly at a loss as he took the coffee into his hands. That’s new. Kenny held back a snort at the thought, expression softening fondly as Kyle sheepishly took a sip.
“...It’s great. A little sweet, but great.” he said quietly, fiddling with the edge of his sleeve. “Thanks.”
Kenny simply grinned wider, waving his hand. “Not a problem. Good luck with class.”
The sides of Kyle’s mouth twitched up slightly as he took another quick sip, turning toward the door slightly.
“Thanks, uh…” Kenny opened his mouth quickly as he noticed Kyle’s eyes drift down to the nametag.
“Kenny. You can call me Kenny.” Kyle tilted his head curiously but said nothing, sipping the coffee again.
“Thanks then, Kenny. I’m Kyle.”
“...Nice to meet you.”
“And you.” Kyle gave a little wave at his hip as he left the store, pulling out his phone and checking something as he walked quickly back down the street. Kenny watched him leave through the glass of the window, mind and heart racing.
...What the fuck was that?