The front doors to the fitness center were fairly intimidating. Two large glass doors with the word Pull written on them. Everyone Kenny had seen go into the building had struggled with the doors which meant they were heavy. A few overly muscled men who came out about ten minutes after Kenny had arrived were the only people who had found it easy...but that wasn't exactly a surprise. Kenny kept expecting their arms to just burst at the seams.

It took a good twenty minutes before Kenny summoned up the courage to go inside, following Craig's text to go to a specific set of equipment. Kenny hadn't understood the term Craig had used; he wasn't familiar with work out equipment, so Craig had simply clarified with "The set with the arm pads you pull forward".

There were a lot of people here Kenny immediately felt envious of, all fit and in shape with fucking abs and the whole nine yards. It made him feel out of shape, though he wasn't that bad. He had abs...sort of...he wasn't chubby at least. Kenny felt over dressed in his jeans and T-shirt, seeing everyone with some variation of shorts on, but he ignored them and pressed onwards to where he saw something like the machine Craig had mentioned.

Sure enough, Craig came into view and Kenny nearly stumbled over his own feet. Fuck. Craig was in shorts as well and a plain black shirt, sitting and looking rather comfortable while pulling two colored pads connected to the equipment weights in front of himself. Every now and then his arms would shake a bit and Craig would glare at the pads, causing Kenny to smile a little, but he couldn't just sit here watching Craig forever.

Even though he kind of wished he could.

"Hey, dude." Kenny called, thanking whatever gods that might have been that his voice didn't crack under the tension he felt.

Craig glanced over and Kenny knew he'd been seen, but Craig pretended not to notice him for a few more pulls on the machine before he relaxed and dropped his arms to his sides.

"Hey." He said disinterestedly and Kenny wondered if Craig was purposely trying to play it cool or if he was really just being an ass.

"Kind of a weird place to have a conversation." Kenny remarked, stuffing his hands into his pockets awkwardly and stepping closer to the dark haired boy.

"I like it here. No one bothers me." Craig muttered.

"Oh." Kenny said lamely, unsure of how best to start this. He'd never needed to have a serious conversation about relationships, not since his first girlfriend and he had talked about purity rings and had subsequently broken up after an unfortunate incident and a shitty concert.

"Plus it's just easier. I can't do that 'talk over coffee' bullshit, I'm not a fucking soap opera." Craig added, almost reluctantly, but Kenny was thankful for it because it gave him a little bit more information on why the hell he was here.

"Whatever you say." Kenny nodded, kneeling down next to the machine uncomfortably, wanting to be closer to Craig's level as he remained seated on the bench. "So...it's a nice gym."

Kenny was kicking himself for not being smoother, but Craig didn't seem to mind the idle chatter.

"Yeah. It's not oppressive like some. I mean, there's some douchebags who don't need to be here, but they leave the others alone so you don't have to get into a competition." Craig brushed a hand through his hair and eyed the people working out on the equipment around them.

"Where should we start?" Kenny asked, looking up at Craig as if hoping the boy would have some game plan of how this conversation would go.

"I...I don't know." Craig shrugged. "I'm betting you're a little confused with me right now."

"You'd be betting right." Kenny nodded.

"Well...first off, I guess, do you want to...I don't know, do you have any particular questions?" Craig seemed just as lost as Kenny did in the conversation and that made Kenny feel a little better.

"Why did you kiss me?" Kenny said, a little emphasis on it as if it were the most obvious question in the world. "That'd be a good place to start."

Craig kept quiet for a bit, avoiding Kenny's gaze and purposefully trying to find something else in the room to look at.

"It's complicated."

"Isn't it always?" Kenny raised an eyebrow.

"Seems like." Craig mused. He sucked in his lower lip and bit at it gently for a moment before continuing on. "It wasn't like it wasn't going to happen eventually, just so you know. I just didn't want it to happen then. I fucked up."

"I didn't think it was that bad." Kenny mumbled, knowing Craig wasn't really listening to him right now.

"I was gonna talk to you about it eventually. About how serious this was getting. But then we...you know, had sex and got all fucking cozy and it slipped. I'd say forget about it, but that won't make it go away." Craig's voice was low, but he was speaking fast, as if afraid he'd not be able to get it all out in time.

"So what does that mean now?" Kenny prompted.

Craig turned on the bench to look at Kenny with a serious expression, his dark eyes steady though his hands were clasped tightly out of what Kenny assumed to be anxiety.

"You know this is getting serious. This isn't just some fuck buddy deal anymore so I need to know. You wanted me to kiss you." That wasn't a question. "What do you feel for me now?"

That was a loaded question and Kenny paused before trying to come up with an answer.

It was complicated. That word was coming up a lot recently. Kenny thought he was in love with Craig, but who knew how long that would last. Kenny was notorious for getting bored with his partners, that's part of why he preferred being single and just fooling around. No commitment, no strings, no obligations. But despite knowing it might not last long, right in this moment Kenny didn't want to see Craig walk out that door and never come back. He wanted to have Craig all to himself, as selfish as that sounded.

Kenny opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to work up the proper thing to say, before he actually spoke.

"I like you." He started. "Like a lot. It's hard to explain because I don't know if this is like...long term feelings or not. I just...want you. And not just in a sex kind of way."

"I can't imagine why." Craig muttered.

"Me neither." Kenny risked a short laugh. "You're an asshole and you're so obscenely different from everyone else I know. But I'm not attracted to anyone else I know, I'm attracted to you. Maybe I like assholes."

Craig made a strange noise that made Kenny think he might be choking, but when he glanced up, it looked like Craig was laughing.

"What?" He asked.

"Sorry, just...you're confessing to a guy and you said you like assholes. It's...just gay all around." Craig tried to stop himself from laughing again and Kenny had to crack a small smile.

"Oh, ha ha. You're very funny." Kenny rolled his eyes but he was glad Craig had found humor in the situation; it made him feel better.

"I know I am." Craig said, but he fell silent after the words left his mouth.

Kenny knew he probably shouldn't ask but he couldn't help it.

"And you? What do you think about me?"

Craig looked Kenny over for a bit, avoiding eye contact but definitely looking in his direction.

"I don't know." Craig shrugged. "I mean...part of me thinks this was a really bad idea and that we should just forget about it. But another part of me actually likes your company and...I can't believe I'm saying this...might actually like you. If I'd known you were a cool guy, I would never have agreed to your deal. I thought you'd be an ass and just good sex or something, but you're really fucking nice."

Craig idly ran both his hands through his hair again, dropping his gaze to the floor with a heavy sigh.

"I don't do nice guys, it's not me." He said, his voice sounding a little strained.

"You're not such a bad guy yourself, you know." Kenny pointed out. "You're actually really fun. I never thought you had that side."

"No one ever thinks I'm fun, that's part of my charm." Craig muttered, the sentence sounding like a joke but his voice was dull.

"Charm, huh? So...we've established we kinda maybe like each other a bit...what does that mean now?" Kenny asked, fiddling with the hem of his jeans. The backs of them were torn a bit, being just a little too long for him and having been dragged over the concrete sidewalks for years. His mother had once told him to hem them up but he liked them longer. Hemming only meant when he grew, the jeans would shrink up his legs and that was a really bad look for him.

"What do you want it to mean?" Craig inquired back.

"Well...let's like...make a couple of plans and pick which one works best for us." Kenny suggested. "Like we've got the obvious ones. Stop seeing each other and forget this happened."

"Always start with the most negative option, you do." Craig shook his head and a faint smirk crossed his lips.

"Get together and be a couple." Kenny counted the options out on his fingers. "What else is there?"

"Cut off emotion from this game and go back to just hanging out for sex?" Craig said, but he didn't look too interested in his own idea. Kenny added a third finger to his counts just for good measure.

"I can't think of anything else." Kenny admitted.

"It's kind of a cut and dry situation, there's not many options." Craig agreed.

Both of them fell silent, Kenny holding his fingers up still and eying them as if they would somehow have the answer he was looking for. He didn't want to stop seeing Craig, but he didn't know if it was possible for him to be a boyfriend. He'd sucked at it so far and it was a status change a lot of others would have a hard time grasping. Not so much for Kenny, as Kyle and Stan would understand, but Craig wasn't really known for his loving demeanor.

"Wanna go out for a smoke?" Craig finally suggested and Kenny nearly sighed with relief.

"Hell yes."

Craig grabbed a water bottle he must have brought with him that had been hidden on the other side of the machine and stood up, offering a hand to Kenny to help him up off the floor. No one stopped them or even looked their way as they exited the gym and Craig pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his shorts pocket.

"Came prepared?" Kenny asked, finding it strange to work out with something unhealthy in your clothing.

"Figured we'd need it so I didn't want to run back to my locker." Craig answered, sticking a cigarette between his lips and running his thumb over the lighter to start a flame.

"Ah, true. Good thinking." Kenny nodded, taking the offered stick and letting Craig light it for him again.

It was a nice, blissful couple minutes of silence between them as they smoked, leaning against the building safely out of range from the front doors. Smoke billowed out in front of them and mingled together in the air before dissipating. Kenny was content to just stand in silence until they had finished, but as the heat crept up the cigarettes to maybe the halfway point, Craig spoke.

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Not much. I have a few days off work remember?" Kenny said.

"Yeah. Just wanted to ask since I don't know if you've got plans with Kyle or something." Craig muttered.

"Did you want to hang out?"

"I was thinking about it. It's kind of a big decision to make today, you know? Stop seeing each other or be...boyfriends." Craig seemed repulsed by the word. "Was thinking maybe we take the night to like...plan out the pros and cons or something so we know we're making the right choice."

"You really like to think things through, don't you?" Kenny almost laughed.

"It's part of the reason I rarely got involved with your stupid plots as a kid. I actually took the time to think about the consequences of my actions." Craig said.

"Ha...well my childhood was interesting, shut up." Kenny didn't really feel and anger towards what Craig was saying; the damn idiot was right. "But I agree. I don't want to fuck up and make the wrong decision too quick. I like you too much to fuck up."

Craig chuckled softly.

"It's shit like that that makes you sound so gay. You 'like me too much'." Craig shook his head slowly, dropping his nearly finished cigarette to the pavement and squishing it beneath the toe of his sneaker.

"S'true." Kenny shrugged, taking a long drag on the cigarette to work the stick down.

"But yeah. I think that's a good idea." Craig added, not really knowing what else to say. "Anything else we should talk about while we're at it? Get everything out at once?"

Kenny thought for a moment and hissed through his teeth, knowing Craig wouldn't be happy with the things he was thinking of.

"I kinda have questions, but they're sappy."

"Oh?"

"Right now, without thinking about it, do you like me? Like spur of the moment, what would you say you feel when we hang out?" Kenny dared to ask.

Craig deliberately stared down at the broken and ashy cigarette on the ground for a few beats before answering.

"Without thinking, I like hanging out with you. You're fun and...god, this is so gay...full of energy. None of my other friends are like you." Craig replied. "I hate seeing you get bullied by your parents and think you need to just fucking leave them alone so I don't have to want to punch them all the time."

"You want to punch my parents?" Kenny asked with a laugh. He couldn't resist the smile that crossed his lips at the thought of Craig being all protective and angry on his behalf.

"Right in their fucking faces." Craig nodded. "Fucking bugging you at work, bringing that shit into the public, what were they thinking?"

"You're pretty cute when you get all worked up, you know that?" Kenny teased lightly and Craig flipped him off without hesitation.

"It's just...you have that spark I don't see in a lot of people but you let them walk all over you. I can see why Kyle wants you to move in, he probably doesn't like seeing you be a little bitch for them any more than I do." Craig continued, kicking a small pebble that was near his foot off into the parking lot.

"I'm not a bitch." Kenny protested.

"You should have left that house years ago, you don't owe them shit." Craig stated. "The fact that you stayed there to play savior when it makes no difference makes you a little bitch."

Kenny hated that he didn't have a retort for that. Instead he changed the subject.

"That's a lot of conversation about my parents when I asked you what you felt when you hang out with me."

"Fine, I'll stick to you then." Craig huffed. "I like hanging out with you." He repeated. "The reason I brought up your parents is because I feel lately like I'm needing to protect you when you are strong enough to take care of yourself. And I'm gonna stop talking now because this is a lot of talking about the same shit."

Kenny laughed.

"I like you talking, I think this is the most I've heard you say in one go." Kenny teased.

"Shut up." Craig snapped, but there wasn't much anger in it, more-so a tired weight. "Anything else?"

"Do you think we could be a couple? Like, no decision making, but just the idea. Do you think it's even possible for us to settle down and be compatible that way?" Kenny asked, digging from the list of questions he had come up with over the time they'd spent together.

Craig shrugged.

"I don't know. It could be really fun or it could be disastrous. I guess it depends on how serious you'd want to be."

"What do you mean?" Kenny inquired.

"Well, like if we're just in a casual relationship, it might work. I can do that, but if it's super serious and we move in together or plan a house together or give each other cheesy little promise rings or some shit, I don't think I can settle into that." Craig explained.

"Good, cos I refuse gifts of rings." Kenny grinned with a sharp nod. "I agree with you there. Casual is our style."

Kenny let his cigarette drop to the ground, crushing it as Craig had done with his shoe. It had burned all the way down to the filter and had nearly started burning Kenny's fingers. The two spent a moment in silence again, Kenny taking the time to notice the breeze that had picked up and was shaking the leaves in the trees outlining the parking lot. He could feel it playing havoc with his hair and glanced over to see it doing the same to Craig, despite the wind not being that strong.

"I guess we just have to think it over." Kenny mused aloud, trying absently to catch Craig's attention so the boy would look at him with that sexy wind swept hair.

"Yeah." Craig nodded. "Where should we meet to talk about it tomorrow? I don't wanna do it over text."

"You could come over," Kenny suggested. "I think Kyle's working tomorrow."

"Okay. What number's his place again? I'll ring the bell or whatever's there so you can let me in."

"Three fifteen. The key pad is weird though, every apartment has an extra zero at the front so look for zero three fifteen." Kenny said.

"Okay." Craig repeated, awkwardly shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "I guess we should go, unless there's something else to talk about?"

"Short visit." Kenny remarked, though he honestly didn't really want to go back into the gym right now.

"Yeah, but it's...better, I guess, to do these talks in person. Might have taken less time over text, but I don't trust it." Craig said.

Kenny had to give him that one. Serious conversations could be misleading over text without hearing the tone behind a person's voice and sometimes the phone would fail to send messages and it got chaotic really fast. Kyle's first cell phone had done that a lot and there had been a lot of trial and error messages trying to get in contact with him.

"Sounds good. Tomorrow?" Kenny said, pushing off from the wall and turning to face Craig.

"Tomorrow." Craig nodded.

"Anytime in particular?"

"Say...two ish?" Craig suggested. "I have to help mom set up a new television dad bought in the morning and she fucking wastes time like a pro."

"I'll be ready for two." Kenny said with a smile. Now just to go home and calmly think about what he wanted to do. And mentally prepare himself for rejection...just in case. Good lord, was dating always this hard?

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Author's Note:

Sorry guys, was pretty sick the last couple of weeks, didn't get anything done. Recovering now though, so here's a new chapter for you lovely people~