A/N: Thank you for the reviews, favs, and alerts! Truly!
Colors and lights swirled with sounds as Kyle took another gulp of his vodka, he was pretty sure Tweek had ordered him a Sex on the Beach or Spree, he honestly had no idea at this point, but he was fairly certain whatever the drink was, vodka was definitely the main ingredient. At this little gay dive bar that his friends liked to frequent, the drinks were strong as all get out and for only $3, the bar was much more tempting than the nicer bars with the weaker drinks going for $8-$10 a piece. He was pretty sure there was more vodka in this one cheap $3 drink than two at the more expensive bars. A drag queen was perfectly lip syncing the lyrics to an Adele song, putting as much effort into dramatics as humanly possible and with more spirit than a squad of cheerleaders possessed. Kyle looked over at Tweek and Craig and smiled nervously when he realized Tweek had been studying him rather intently. Sipping more of his drink, his eyes wandered back over to the drag queen on the little stage, the only place in the otherwise dimly lit bar to have bright lights shining down on it. Several patrons had gotten up out of their seats and approached the stage, dollars in hand, proffered up to the queen, their way of conveying gratitude and appreciation for the show.
Staring at the antics going on before him and looking decently occupied to Craig and Tweek's concerned but prying eyes, Kyle mulled over the events of the past week. He'd had another job interview and was waiting to hear back, but wasn't getting his hopes up based on the interview. To say it had been tense would be a serious injustice to what the experience had truly been like. He thought back to earlier in the week, almost a week ago, when he'd ran into Karen, Kenny's sister. He'd stuffed the paper she'd written on in his wallet, trying to work up the courage to get in touch. Positive he would have immediately contacted his friend if he'd still had a job, he often felt ashamed when he remembered or spotted the paper there when hastily reaching in for the faded green bills that were folded into the wallet. More often than not, he found his mind drifting back to high school and he wondered if the feelings he felt now were similar to the ones Kenny had experienced when he'd decided to drop out of school. These feelings of dread and near hopelessness, god, he hoped not. He wasn't sure what to do with the paper in his wallet, he was still confused by Karen's actions, she so wanted him to get in touch with her brother. Did Kenny really work that much that his sister needed to go and encourage people to get in touch with him? Every time Kyle had wanted to ask Stan for more information regarding the sibling duo he had found himself going red and unable to ask, embarrassed at some of the stuff Karen had hinted at even if it had been done in teasing.
His hands were clapping in an automatic response to hearing everyone else clap, signaling the end of one drag queen's song and onto the next one; there was a drag queen announcing the name of the next person and making friendly banter with some of the patrons in the bar. Kyle never paid attention to it, he knew Craig and Tweek did since they lived so close by and were familiar with the bars in their area. He appreciated that he could just walk from the bar and crash in their spare bedroom. It was a little more complicated when he wanted to go out with Stan to drink, since Stan and Wendy lived in the suburbs, usually one of them had to stay somewhat sober since they would have to eventually drive back to the house. It's not as if Wendy could pick them up with the kids; there had been once that Craig had agreed to be their designated driver and that had been a really fun night. Definitely one of the most memorable nights in Kyle's books, he hoped Stan felt the same, but he knew his best friend devoted most of his time to his family and adorable baby girls. It's not as if Kyle could feel true jealousy when it came to his best friend's family, he was just so happy that things had fallen so into place for him. More than once, Stan had expressed that he just wanted Kyle to be happy and, if he were being honest, Kyle wondered if happiness was just meant to elude some people; they lived in a country that had a declaration essentially stating the purpose of life was the pursuit of happiness. That was just it, though, it was the pursuit, it never guaranteed being able to obtain the happiness one was pursuing, instead just guaranteeing the right to pursue it. More vodka snaked its way down Kyle's throat, having long lost the burn it used to have and he briefly wondered if he was skirting around alcoholism with the generous amounts he'd been consuming of it lately. It sure made thinking easier for him as his thoughts tended to swirl round and round until he was just staring at a drag queen dancing around like she was recording an advanced aerobics video that would make most people envious, jumping off the stage into splits and doing backflips off the bar all while in high heels.
There was a finger pushing into his skin and Tweek was waving a dollar in front of his face, encouraging Kyle to go to the stage and offer up the green gold. With a roll of his eyes and a smile, Kyle took the dollar and walked up to the stage, holding out his dollar. Feeling flirtatious the drag queen snagged the dollar from his hands with her mouth, offering Kyle a wink before spinning back into her routine. Kyle grinned through his drunken haze before finding his place back at the table with his two friends. Tweek beamed at him while Craig looked on with as little emotion to show as possible, though Kyle could have sworn he saw the corners of his mouth perk upwards. Kyle was soon lost in his thoughts again as he sucked up the last of the alcohol in his drink before nursing the water Craig had set in front of him at some point in the evening. Tweek was staring at him again, head quirked, eyes concerned even through the drunkenness, and mouth pressed into a firm line when asking if Kyle was okay. Kyle flinched slightly at the question; surely, these two knew more than anyone else, possibly more than Stan at this point simply due to how much more available the childless couple was to him. They knew the state of his career and the numerous applications he'd filled out and submitted and his never ending wait for interviews and the doubts that he had over choosing the career he was in. His father had been so proud and Kyle did sometimes enjoy his job, but, oftentimes, he wondered how much happier he would have been if he'd followed his desire to do social work instead of law. He'd helped social workers before as a lawyer but he always felt there was so much more he could be doing. He tilted his head back, polishing off the last of his drink, before assuring Tweek that he was perfectly fine and just feeling plastered. Tweek let loose an appreciative laugh, also feeling the effects of the alcohol in his system. Craig slowly sipped his tonic as he observed the two men with him, making sure they didn't keel over and start upchucking their guts. Stan had been very firm about not letting Kyle get too wasted, a directive that both Craig and Tweek pointedly ignored. The past week had been a little different than previous weeks, as if Kyle had something else on his mind that wasn't job related but he, Tweek, Wendy, and even Stan had failed to extract that information from him. Kyle himself didn't even seem to realize that he was acting a little differently than normal.
The next day, Kyle dragged himself out of Craig and Tweek's spare room around noon, graciously accepting their offer of water, coffee, and a small stack of pancakes. After finishing off his pancakes and downing an unhealthy amount of coffee, he bid the couple goodbye and went to his house briefly only to find it empty, both parents out for different reasons; his dad at work, his mom at a book club. He checked his laptop to see if he had any email notifications regarding the jobs he'd applied for. When he found an inbox with only spam, he flipped his laptop shut and decided he was hungry again despite just eating pancakes. Not too long after he decided that, he also decided he was craving Mexican food, and he knew the perfect place to find it in downtown South Park. Unsure if he was heading in that direction because he wanted to explain to Karen why he hadn't contacted her brother or if he wanted her to reassure him it was okay, that he should still try, he was soon at the host stand asking specifically for a particular server, hoping she was there. Karen's smile chased away the last remnants of his hangover and he could have sworn he saw Kenny smiling at him through her. The two really were more similar than he would have ever guessed or remembered.
"Kyle, hey, good to see you again!" she was bubbly and he found relief at this, he'd been half expecting her to slap him at not contacting her brother. He smiled himself, assuring her it was good to see her, too. She beamed, leading him to a vacant bistro table. After taking his order, she promised to promptly return with his drink, which he had made sure to get tea, skipping out on any more alcoholic beverages for the day despite the temptation. When she returned with his drink, a smile, and eyes that shone with a secret only she knew, Kyle shifted uncomfortably in his chair wondering what he'd gotten himself into. The restaurant wasn't as busy as it had been the last time he'd been around, but it was still much earlier in the day. Karen swung back around after some time, expertly balancing and setting down a plate of steaming hot quesadilla before him with a wink. Kyle was halfway through his meal when he heard some commotion by the host stand at the entrance of the restaurant. He couldn't make out what all was being said, but there was definitely a male voice that carried over, clearly upset. He strained his ears to hear what was going on.
"...said you'd broken your leg! And that you refused to leave with an ambulance?!" The voice was drifting closer and closer, Kyle realized and then he heard a feminine voice respond to the outraged male.
"I know, I told her to call and tell you that. I wanted to get you away from the shop, I have a surprise, you'll love it!" Kyle's heart froze as he realized that the female voice was most definitely Karen and that would likely mean the male voice…..Kyle stabbed at the rice heaped to the side of his quesadilla. Surely, Karen wasn't that bold, was she? Would she really have dragged her brother here just to see him? It's not like he was anybody particularly special. He could hear her voice again as it drifted closer, "Don't leave yet, I swear it'll be worth it!" Good lord, he really hoped she wasn't referring to him, he was beginning to fear he was going to be the biggest let down of the century. Karen thought way too highly of him, apparently. He stuck another mouthful of food in his mouth but the flavor no longer registered on his tongue; his whole body tense. Out of nowhere a voice was by him.
"Kyle…?" Kyle hastily gulped down the food that was still in his mouth, his eyes shooting towards the man standing by Karen. It was odd how similar they looked when standing next to each other; blonde hair, big blue eyes, fit, neither particularly tall due to prolonged malnourishment during childhood. Kenny was a few inches taller than his sister and Kyle was sure he was taller by a couple inches at least. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, Kenny looked completely out of place in the restaurant. There was grease on his hands and even on his face, giving true testament to the fact he was a grease monkey and had been pulled out of work rather suddenly. Even his hair was matted with grease and his bright blue eyes practically sparked around the grease smeared sloppily and unintentionally on and around his cheeks. The end of a tattoo sleeve peeked out of the long sleeve on his right arm. There was a strong scent of gasoline and nicotine now in the air. Without invitation, Kenny was in the chair across from Kyle with little warning, similar to what Karen had done to him last he'd been there. Kenny grinned at his friend, thrilled to see him. "Kyle! How are you?" Karen beamed proudly at both of them while waiting for Kyle's response.
Kyle gulped again though there was nothing to swallow. Mouth going dry at the matching sets of unsettling blue staring him down, it was all he could do to force his mouth upwards in a weak smile. "I-I'm good," he managed, forcing his vocal chords to work against their will and hoping against hope that his smile reached his eyes. Karen nodded at him and, for whatever unfathomable reason, thought right now would be a good time to ask him how the food was. "It-it's good." His voice sounded far away even to his own ears and distant as if someone else was talking for him.
Karen grinned at him before turning to her brother. "He's cute when he stutters, huh?" she asked shamelessly before flitting away, her laughter in the air. Kenny watched her leave, amusement in his eyes and a smile on his face while shaking his head at her antics. Kyle knew his own face must have been as red as his hair at the comment Karen had left them with. She was just as shameless as he remembered her brother being! Kenny propped his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand, striking a pose similar to the one Karen had earlier in the week when Kyle visited. Again, Kyle was stunned at how similar the two were.
Sighing, Kyle found his voice again, a bit unnerved by both the McCormicks at this point. "Uh, I'm sorry she called you from work just to see me…" he attempted a weak apology, guilt creeping into him; if he had just gotten in touch on his own, Karen wouldn't have had to fake breaking her leg to get her brother out here. Wait a second, Kyle thought, finally realizing just how odd the conversation had been. She had faked breaking her leg?
Kenny rolled his eyes, his smile never falling away from his face. "I'm glad she did. It's really great to see you here, are you visiting South Park for a little bit before leaving back to Denver?"
Kyle's weak smile was quickly vanishing, the innocent question reminding him of why he was there. He wondered what all Karen had told her brother. He was pretty sure he'd told her that he'd been in South Park for a few weeks at least. He shrugged, feeling self-conscious. "I, uh, there were some family matters…" he trailed off, eyes cutting away from Kenny's curious ones and back down to his half eaten quesadilla. There was a brief silence and Kyle realized Karen hadn't bothered to take an order for her brother. "Want some of my quesadilla?" he asked, attempting to fill the silence and hopefully lead the conversation in another direction.
Kenny declined with a shake of his head, expression morphing from amused to concern quickly, sensing the seriousness behind Kyle's words. "Is everything okay with your family, Kyle?" he asked solemnly.
More guilt ate away at Kyle's insides realizing using his family as an excuse might not be the best idea when dealing with someone like Kenny whose family had very serious issues. Kyle was trying to decide what else he should say, it was amazing to him that Kenny was so at ease; Kyle envied that and he wondered if his own unease was caused by his job situation more than anything else. "No, it-it's not anything serious, everything's fine," he attempted to assure his friend.
Grinning and looking almost catlike, Kenny leaned forward and Kyle's cheeks were blazing again, especially at the next words to tumble out of his friend's mouth, "You are cute when you stutter, Kyle," he said teasingly. He laughed at how wide Kyle's eyes got in his disbelief. Leaning back, he asked about Denver again, much to Kyle's chagrin. "So, you gonna to be here awhile? We could catch up sometime if you want and when I'm not," Kenny lifted his arms up and gestured at the grease to make his point.
"I'll be around for awhile but I hope Karen isn't going to have to keep fake breaking her leg to free up your time," Kyle attempted to joke.
Now Kenny's cheeks started to turn a slight pink, almost hidden by the grease, but Kyle could still see the color peeking out. Kenny glanced away uncomfortable, a pained expression flashing briefly across his face. "Uh, yeah, she really wanted me to come out today. I see why now." Kyle hoped he wasn't turning red again, these two were treating him like he was some kind of rock star. He opened his mouth to say something but the default jingle of a cell phone was going off and suddenly Kenny had a phone to his cheek, smiling apologetically at Kyle. Kenny spoke to the other person on the phone with concern, apparently something was wrong with a car, and Kyle listened as Kenny promised to be there shortly. Ending his call and looking sheepish, he apologized. "I'm sorry, Kyle, I hafta go. Work calls."
Kyle nodded, slightly envious. He wished someone would call his cell phone and he could dash off for work business, too. "No, you don't need to apologize. I get it."
Kenny stood up from the chair and flashed another bright smile to his friend. "It was real good seein' ya again. Get my number from Karen and hit me up before you leave." Kyle nodded again, feeling a little numb but promised he would get the information from Karen, suddenly ashamed that he hadn't used the information in the last week. Just as quickly as he'd appeared, Kenny disappeared and Kyle was pushing the rice around on his plate again, wondering if everything that just happened had actually happened. Karen was there again, face looking odd with no smile or laughter in her eyes, instead looking perturbed.
"What happened to my brother?" she demanded glaring at Kyle as though he was the one who'd made Kenny vanish.
"He got a phone call and had to go. Someone was having an issue with their car."
Karen dropped into the chair across from him, the picture of disappointment. "Kyle, I got him here, you were supposed to keep him here!" she exclaimed sounding all kinds of upset Kyle hadn't carried his weight in this plan of hers that he was only just now being clued into. She shook her head and sighed, turning her head away to look out the window that was near them.
Kyle swallowed some more food before shrugging. "Uh, I mean, he had to work." He was definitely not going to be the one to prevent someone from working. He could have sworn Karen's eyes actually glowered for a moment at this.
"He has employees for that," she snapped. "He could have stayed and ate at least." Kyle shrugged again, unsure what to really say. She stayed seated across from him while he continued to eat his food though it had no taste any longer and he was mainly just doing it for the purpose of having something to do while the silence stretched out between them. Finally, Karen looked at him and there was that mischievous smile with her eyes lighting up and Kyle knew she had an idea again. "I know, you'll just have to come to the house sometime."
Kyle swallowed and nodded. He wasn't going to refuse, he was positive Craig and Tweek had to be getting sick of him at this point and it would be nice if he could expand his social circle a little past his parents, Ike, Stan and Wendy, and Craig and Tweek. Still, the thought hit him again that Karen was sure desperate to get her brother in touch with friends and engage in social activity outside of work. Karen grinned at seeing Kyle agree so easily to meet her brother at his house.
