A/N: Okay, just a little one-shot I thought up out of nowhere. It just popped into my head and I had to write it down. It's for all you K2 shippers out there. Warnings: Self-harm, slight language, slight OOCness. Please R&R!
Kenny blinked down at his body with a sigh. Great, he had died- again. He sat down cross-legged in the air and watched the various reactions to his death. They rarely changed to be honest, Stan would announce it with the innocence of the eight year old he was and Kyle would scream that 'they' were bastards, Kenny had stopped musing just who 'they' were after the seventh or eighth day. He'd died from falling off a cliff this time- however plausible that was; seriously, who manages to die consistently every day? He sighed and leaned his head on his palm, he might as well try to get into heaven again, it wasn't like his friends were going to do anything interesting while he was dead, it'd just be a little harder to come back the next day as though he'd been with them.
He eyed Kyle as the red-head approached his body. "You bastards." Kenny blinked, wow that actually had malice behind it. Why was he so angry that Kenny died this time in particular? He uncrossed his legs and floated after his friend, curious at the reaction. It seemed that his quick smile was back though and soon he and Stan were merrily prodding at Eric's weight and deciding what to do for the day. It was almost as though they had forgotten his body was only meters behind them. Kenny sighed again, refusing to acknowledge the flicker of hurt the actions caused him, it wouldn't matter when he came back tomorrow anyways.
A part of him that stubbornly held onto the hope that no one had actually forgotten led him to continue following his friends as they continued on with their day. Oh great, they still had school- why did no one even notice he hadn't attended? Was there some god that came down to change his attendance grade so no one got suspicious or something? He shook his head at the familiar musings, knowing he'd get no further with them today than he usually did. Kyle excused himself for the toilet and Kenny, absent minded with his thoughts, followed.
When he realized he had just followed his close friend into the bathroom and was effectively peeking on him he grew embarrassed and would have left right there if it wasn't for a distinct sniffle coming from the farthest stall from the door. Curious Kenny floated through the door to be met with a frightening sight. Kyle had a razor poised over his arm, which was riddled with similar looking scars.
"Kyle! Don't!" No one heard him, and his hands were useless as they passed through the blade fruitlessly. He wasn't sure if ghosts were supposed to cry but he knew that he had tears pouring down his cheeks. "Kyle! What are you doing!"
Kenny knew Kyle could hear him but the boy seemed to reply to the question anyways. "Every-day I wake up with another score Kenny." Kenny froze as he waited breathlessly for him to continue, "I wake up and wonder what the hell happened. Then I see you lying there, in a puddle of your own blood and I realize exactly what happened. Don't do this again Kenny, I'm begging you, I have enough scars to last a life-time without adding another every day."
Kenny flitted around the other boy nervously, wishing he was solid for even a second. He clenched his eyes shut as the razor neared scarred flesh and shook his head furiously to rid himself of the image. His curse wasn't supposed to hurt anyone else! "Don't do it Kyle!"
Again his words went to waste but he didn't open his eyes to be sure. He heard the toilet-paper roll out and could vividly imagine Kyle wrapping his bloody arm to staunch the bleeding. "I miss you Kenny, please come back."
Kenny sobbed harder, hovering inches from the bathroom floor as Kyle replaced his happy-go-lucky mask and rejoined Stan and Eric.
"Morning Kenny." Stan called as Kenny neared the bus-stop and Kenny waved as was normal. His eyes lingered on Kyle's left wrist but he made no motion to touch it or act like he'd noticed.
"Morning losers." Kyle rolled his eyes at Eric's stupid greeting and Kenny just shook his head at the immaturity of it all.
"Shut-up fatass." That of course started the morning ritual of insults passed back and forth, with Kenny occasionally throwing in a perverted comment that often went way over the other kids' heads. His eyes were still flickering back to Kyle whenever he thought the boy wasn't paying attention. A few times he caught a pensive look in his happy eyes and Kenny frowned, he didn't like seeing his friend unhappy. The bus they were on suddenly stalled and Kenny felt himself being thrown forward and he gasped.
He couldn't be going this early in the day!
Nevertheless he soon sat in the air over his body moodily, surveying the broken glass of the windshield around his broken body. He didn't even have a chance of dodge that one! He watched Kyle closely as the ritual words were exchanged and suddenly the red-head's hand strayed to his left wrist. Kenny closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. So it was true, he had been holding out a meager hope that the events of yesterday had been a rare fluke. He sat in the air over Kyle's shoulder and suddenly found himself addressing the oblivious boy.
"I don't mean to do it you know. I really don't. I hate seeing what this is doing to you, what I'm doing to you." Kyle was making no motion that he heard Kenny's words and that slowly gave him confidence to continue talking. "I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you don't have to fall to that again. I can't promise you won't have to watch me die but I just want you to know that this isn't a punishment for you and you shouldn't be paying the consequences." He laid an invisible and incorporeal hand on the wrist that had taken the damage. "Please don't do this for me."
Another cut joined the multitude of others.
Kenny had managed to get to school without mishap this time and sat through is class nervously, the note in his hand clenched tightly. It wasn't anything particularly incriminating considering his red-haired friend didn't remember the events up until that point, but it did have an important message. 'When you remember, keep this near. I want you to know something. I don't blame you for anything. I know what you do whenever something happens and unless something changes you're going to kill yourself before I can find a way to let things return to normal for me. Promise you'll hold out at least one more day.'
When a tree fell on him later that day Kenny watched nervously for Kyle to find the note he'd carefully stashed in the boy's pocket. His eyes widened when he did and Kenny smiled to himself.
That was the first day a cut hadn't been added.
"Chef, what is it like to be in love?" Stan asked in frustration at lunch the next day. Kenny gave him an odd look and he wasn't the only one. Not only was he speaking about a downright girly subject but he was asking Chef of all people about it.
"It's when you want to see someone everyday, and when you can't see each other you feel worried or lonely without them. And if something hurts them you do everything you can to make them feel better because just seeing them hurt makes you feel hurt." Kenny answered quickly, not wanting to hear another of Chef's frighteningly off-topic songs having to do with shagging a woman. He squirmed slightly when everyone turned their eyes on him. That had to have come out alright considering he hadn't been mumbling too bad that time, so why were they looking at him like he'd done something weird?
"Why do you want to know anyways?" Kyle asked Stan, drawing the attention away from Kenny, who sighed in relief. Stan colored slightly.
"Wendy asked if I loved her. I didn't respond because I didn't know what that meant." Eric, being the insensitive prick he is, began teasing Stan mercilessly about his 'little girlfriend'. Kenny suddenly caught Kyle staring at him and tilted his head to the side in question. The other boy didn't answer, his right hand absently rubbing the opposite wrist.
Kenny almost expected the train to hit him later that evening. Kyle once again approached his body and Kenny suddenly realized he hadn't written him a note this time around. His worries proved to be useless though as the paper was pulled out of his jacket pocket. "I woke up with this pressed against my chest." Kyle looked around, as though trying to see Kenny's ghost somewhere nearby. Kenny floated forwards, hoping that would offer even the slightest bit of comfort. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Eric and Stan leaving. "You knew this was going to happen didn't you? You knew that you were going to die and leave me-us behind."
Kenny shuffled in embarrassment, he'd known but it wasn't like he could do anything about it. Kyle bowed his head and Kenny leaned down, wondering if he was crying. His face softened when he realized that his friend was indeed tearing up. He froze when he heard the smallest of whispers, "You make my heart hurt Kenny." The red-head shuffled away sadly after that.
Once more, no scars would be added to his wrist.
Kenny was even more aggressive about getting Kyle to feel better about the possible death the next morning. He slipped another note into the boys pocket before they got to school, feeling the rumpled paper of the other note against his fingers as he did so and he smiled to himself.
That was the day that Kyle cornered him before he died. It was kinda weird actually, being cornered in the bathroom where he had first found out about Kyle's response to his problem. "Kenny, what's going on with all these notes?"
Kenny shrugged, "What do they say?" Kyle rolled his eyes and held out the newest note. Kenny glanced it over though he knew it by heart. 'I am most likely going to die today. Don't be sad for me please, it hurts to see you depressed over that.' He shrugged but Kyle didn't let him wave it off.
"Kenny tell me what's going on!" Kenny shook his head. Even writing was allowed but Cthulhu would kill him for good if he ever spoke of his curse out loud. Kyle looked close to tears at that point and Kenny shifted. "Yesterday you said that love meant you were hurt when someone you love was hurt, now you're saying that it hurts to see me depressed. Explain, Kenny!"
Kenny flushed despite himself. He really did seem to be crushing on the boy didn't he? He hadn't meant to and it was Kyle who had said that he hurt his heart first. Deciding that experimenting wasn't a problem when Kyle would forget it the next day he decided to see if he really was crushing on the red-head. He slipped off his ever-present hood and leaned up, pressing his lips against the soft ones of a startled Kyle.
"I can't explain, Kyle." Kenny replied quietly, for once not speaking with a buffer of cloth to hide his words. Kyle looked ready to say something when the toilet groaned in protest at something. Kenny groaned as well, realizing what that meant. "Get out Kyle." and right as he pushed the boy aside the toilet erupted, somehow sending Kenny to his death.
"I still don't see how dying this often is possible" He growled to himself as he sat over Kyle's shoulder. It had before a normal spot for him now, hovering over Kyle's shoulder and just talking. He'd speak about inane stuff like school and the weather. Today though, he sat there, waiting for Kyle's reaction to his death with trepidation. For once afraid of total rejection.
Kyle just stared. Shocked and horrified at what had just occurred. He remained silent the rest of the day and was eventually sent home. Kenny hovered just near him the entire time. Had he been to sudden? Was that what had thrown Kyle into shock? Or was it the combination of his confession and his death? He didn't know and just continued to fret to himself.
When Kyle was alone in his room he finally choked out. "You're here aren't you?" Kenny wanted to cheer. "Please, whatever you do, don't leave. I-I don't get it. Why can't I remember this happening? From your letters and my wrist it seems like this is an every-day thing. But why can't I remember!?" Kenny frowned at the increasingly angry tone, settling closer to Kyle. The other boy seemed to feel it somehow and breathed deeper.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lose my temper." He hestiated then whispered, "And for the record Kenny, it hurts me too, to see you die. It hurts me right in my chest, like someone took a sledgehammer and threw it at me as hard as he could. It hurts worse than you explained it. I can understand why I used to use that razor in my drawer. If it wasn't for your letter I'm sure I'd be doing it now."
Kenny felt like crying again, but committed the entire one-sided conversation to memory. He was prepared to write his third and final note. And maybe tomorrow he'd get an answer his sudden confession. His tears gave way to a hopeful smile and Kenny couldn't stop the hopeful laugh from escaping his lips. "I think I love you Kyle, I really do."
