Author's Note: Upon reviewing last chapter I realized I'm a really terrible person and that was just really cruel. So I decided to update a little earlier and edit this chapter so it was a little happier. That being said, a few other scenes were cut, but none of them were really important and I'm happy with this right now. So, for awhile you can just take a breather because only good things are happening for a good while.

Thank you again for reading and continuing this little journey with me.

Chapter Eleven: The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows

Title from Brand New.

Something happened that night.

Butters never had the chance to find out because Kevin went missing and Kenny didn't speak a word. At first everyone thought it was a cry for help but his silence wasn't something particularly unusual. As a child he often went days without making a single comment and half the time even now he was just a bystander. Always observing, never being. But Butters had asked him one night why he wouldn't speak and something looked like it snapped within his best friend.

And then Butters saw exactly why his best friend wouldn't... or couldn't speak. He remembered the sight had made him throw up. Through chicken scratch handwriting he was told the answer never admitted, never confirmed. It was suicide gone wrong because he didn't die. And couln't. A slit to the throat that didn't kill. And then a bullet. The gash should have killed Kenny instantly.

And Butters didn't tell a soul. It's why he kept his parka up and a bandana over his mouth at almost all times. And if he wasn't wearing his hood, he kept that cloth around his mouth and neck; even in the summer.

A year had gone by and they had all found a way to communicate with him; facial expressions, hand gestures, and eye rolls. In fact, he spoke a lot more with his eyes than he ever had with his voice, they noticed. They could tell when he was happy, when he was sad, when he was bored, and just about everything in between.

Butters, Kyle, Stan, and Cartman knew the times between 6:30 and 8:00 every night were his alone time; meaning he was visiting Karen in the hospital. There were occasions when he would let them go with, but usually they couldn't even text him on his cell phone, which Kyle had given him for his 15th birthday, until a half an hour after he was done visiting his sister.

Of course they visited her as well, at least twice a month. Butters visited the most other than Kenny, and he would just talk to her about how Kenny was doing and how everyone in her class and in the theater department missed her.

One day, Butters arrived at the hospital at 5:00, his usual time, greeted the receptionist, and walked up to the third floor. He saw the door was slightly open, meaning no one was in there, and slowly pushed it open.

"I will always, always, be here for you, Karen. I'm always watching over you. No one will ever hurt you again..." The gravelly voice trailed off and Butters' jaw dropped.

Right in front of him was Mysterion. And Mysterion was Kenny. And Mysterion was speaking.

They had quit superheroes after Cthulhu had almost destroyed the Earth. In fact, he had even given up Professor Chaos because he didn't want to be evil like the dark lord Cthulhu. He knew something happened between The Coon, Mysterion, Mintberry Crunch, and Cthulhu when they were twelve but he wasn't exactly sure what. After that it seemed everyone had stopped playing; except one person, apparently. And Mysterion stood right before him, in his unsung masked glory.

"K-Ke..." Butters stopped himself, "Mysterion?" He asked in shock. The caped and masked vigilante spun around in alarm and stood away from Karen's bed.

Mysterion's mouth opened and shut multiple times before he shook his head and leaped out of the open window.

It had been over a year since he had heard Kenny speak. And although Mysterion wasn't Kenny... he was... and it welled his heart with hope. He sat down on the chair next to Karen's bed and took her hand.

"Good afternoon, Karen!" He chirruped uneasily and looked at her peaceful face. He knew Kenny brushed her hair every day. He also painted her nails and had left her a small pile of presents for various reasons; Christmas, her birthday, the anniversary; all remained unopened for when she awakened. They all had a strong feeling she would; they just didn't know when. "The play this year is going really well, I got a main part but I'm not the main character. We're doing a play about the French Revolution but it's not "Les Mis" but we might be doing that sometime. We managed to get some outfits from the playhouse outside of Fairplay. I think you'd be the main daughter; she is perfect for you. But you can be in the spring play..."

He continued to speak to her as he usually did but his mind couldn't stop reeling on what he had seen. Mysterion. Kenny speaking. Mysterion was Karen's guardian angel still? She still believed in the hero after all these years? He began to wonder if Kenny had ever given up the hero, or if he still roamed the streets at night, protecting the people of South Park.

That was when he decided he had to find out for sure.

"I'll bring your brother back, Karen. I know you're waiting for that. I promise he'll be back for you," Butters whispered, kissed her cheek, and left a bouquet of roses in the vase by her bed. He tucked her in comfortably before he left the room.

He wanted to tell someone else but he knew how sentimental it must be to Kenny. As his best friend, he knew he had to keep this secret. He would wait until nightfall and go to the top of the mall; where he and Mysterion used to duke it out all of the time.

Butters was hardly able to concentrate on his chemistry homework as he stared at the clock continuously. 10:30. That was when he would leave. The minutes passed like hours and he swore by the time the clock switched from 10:29 to 10:30 he had aged forty years. Yet he was still small, fifteen year old Leopold Stotch; the only thing that aged was his impatience.

Silently, he crept out of his window and ran to his bike at the side of the garage. He pedaled as fast as he could to the mall in the middle of town. His heart was racing from nervousness. This was his chance to speak to Kenny- Mysterion- and he couldn't give up the last chance he may ever have.

Like the days of his childhood, he ran up the stairs connected to the garage and all the way to the roof. He stood in the northwest corner, waiting. Watching. The wind was freezing and the night was dark. Much darker than normal. There was no moon or stars. That only meant one thing; he hadn't felt this kind of fear since his days as Professor Chaos. Same with the adrenaline rush.

"Leopold."

Butters jumped and spun around to find the masked figure perched at the edge of the three-story building. His knees were bent and his hand was on the ledge; just like Batman. He didn't understand how Kenny did that; could he fly? Maybe he really was an angel- a dark angel?

"M-Mysterion," he stammered nervously; he couldn't show any weakness or signs he "knew" it was Kenny. Otherwise he'd lose him for good.

With a flutter of his cape, Mysterion now towered over short Butters. He thought his 5'8 1/2" was tall for his family, yet Kenny -er Mysterion- stood at a whopping 6'2" and was still growing. Compared to the lanky superhero, Butters was a midget.

"What are you doing, Mysterion? South Park is safe."

"Far from it," he growled lowly, eyes shifting back and forth, "this is my duty. This is my life. I won't rest until all of South Park is safe."

"Meaning you won't rest until Karen McCormick wakes, right?" Butters asked softly, Mysterion remained silent.

"What happened to Karen and Carol McCormick isn't anyone's fault," the hooded figure stepped back. "But they weren't the only ones who died that night. I lost my best friend; he's... he's just a shell. A-and I can't s-stand to see him in pain over something uncontrollable, Mysterion. Karen is safe... it's Kenny who isn't. And I-I don't want to let him go. He said he'd come back to life... but I c-can't bring him back. And Karen needs him to be safe and she's probably waiting for him to come back so she can too."

Mysterion remained silent as he soaked in the words Butters had said. Finally, he took a deep breath and looked up. "I... I can't do it alone." Butters took his gloved hand in his and squeezed tightly.

"You won't, and neither can I."

Mysterion smiled brokenly at Butters; although half of his face was blocked by the mask, Butters couldn't contain his happiness. It was the first time he had seen Kenny smile in a year. "This is not your cross to bear alone. I made a promise, I'm not letting you die, Kenneth Daniel."

"Lee..." Mysterion trailed off in a faltering growl and lowered his head. Butters patted his shoulder and smiled warmly up at the taller blonde. He gasped in fear as Mysterion put both of his hands on his shoulders and gripped tight; his body was tense as he feared Kenny would lash out against him physically. This was Kenny, he wouldn't hurt him; yet Mysterion might.

He was scared until he felt a pair of lips delicately brush against his. There was no passion behind it and no force; just a chaste, searching, bittersweet kiss that nearly knocked Butters' off his feet in surprise, shock, and excitement. And at that moment Butters swore he could feel everything Kenny was feeling; that hollow agony sank his heart, worry twisted his gut, his mind seemed to race with nothing, and his heart swelled unbearably. His azure eyes met closed lids beneath a mask and his heart skipped erratically. Butters looped his arms around Mysterion's neck and leaned into the kiss. He swore he was flying as Mysterion's gloved hand cupped his cheek and pulled him in deeper.

Oh, how he wanted, no needed, this to go on forever. The taste of cigarettes, cinnamon, and iron mixed in a way that was so perfectly Kenny... or Mysterion. Whoever. He felt their lips meld as one and teeth nibble like a flutter on his lower lip.

A soft, wet pop was heard as they slowly pulled away from each other. Butters' breath hitched and his mind and legs were jelly. Mysterion's oceanic eyes were heavily lidded as he stroked his thumb over Butters' cheek and down to his swollen lips.

"I-I..." Butters trailed off, unsure of what to say or do. He didn't even understand what just happened. Did he just get kissed by a nationally known vigilante superhero? Or was that his best friend? Or... both? As his eyes refocused on the masked boy, Butters grimaced; he was gone. The blonde boy placed his index finger over his tingling lips and smiled; either way, Kenny McCormick had just kissed him.

Instead of running home, he went to Kyle's house. So much had happened and he had to keep most of it private... but he had to tell Kyle they kissed. He couldn't hide his excitement and confusion from anyone or he'd burst. As he walked, he hoped and prayed he wouldn't lose the sensation in his lips; it was like Kenny was still kissing him.

Butters knocked on the door and waited patiently. A booming voice was heard, followed by a thunderous cry, and he jumped in alarm. Suddenly, the door opened and a stocky black haired boy stormed out of the Broflovski household.

"Stan, wait!" The tall boy shook his head and turned around with his fists clenched.

"No, fuck you!" Stan hollered and ran to his house across the street. Butters' smile faded as Kyle stood in the doorway with a blotchy and tear-streaked face.

"W-what...?" Butters trailed off, still unable to form proper sentences. He had to make his legs stop feeling like jelly, too.

"Stan saw our texts..." Kyle choked as his shoulders shook, "he found out through texts I'm gay. Texts I didn't even send to him. I kept it from him... and now he fucking hates me. Just... just like I knew he would." Kyle whimpered and wiped his eyes, "we're falling apart, Butters. Kenny won't talk.. Stan hates me..."

Butters shook his head and made a cut-throat motion before he quickly pulled Kyle into the house and shut the door. He didn't want to risk Mysterion overhearing them. The red head looked at him curiously.

"Kenny kissed me." Kyle's eyes widened and he grinned.

"W-what, how...?" Butters blushed.

There were things he had to leave out, of course. He was sure Kenny didn't want them to know he was still roaming the streets as South Park's one true protector. He was also more sure of the fact that Kenny wouldn't want anyone to know he talked. So, as his best friend he figured he could keep those hidden gems tucked away.

"I told him I wasn't gonna g-give up on him because as his best friend I promised. I thought he was gonna h-hit me but... he kissed me!" he squeaked as the redness in his cheeks grew even more. Kyle sniffled and laughed in mild shock. That was certainly good news. "Listen... Kyle. Go talk to Stan, he has to understand. He... he's just upset you didn't tell him."

"No, he's upset because I'm gay!"

"You're gay?"

Kyle whipped around in fear and Butters looked in the dining room walkway to find Kyle's eleven year old brother Ike standing there with a large bowl of pudding.

"Oh my God," Kyle buried his face in his hands. Butters looked between the brothers; Ike seemed completely unfazed. He lifted the wooden spoon to his mouth, winked, and swallowed the chocolate pudding as he looked between Butters and his brother with a cheeky grin.

"Stan's gay, too." Ike piped up, with his cheeks full of pudding. Kyle threw a pillow at him. "Come on, I seriously thought you were dating for the past three years. And if you two weren't having sex in your room last week then I really don't wanna know what those noises were... blech." the black haired boy quipped as he shuddered, then rolled his eyes and walked back up the stairs, bowl in hand. Kyle stared at the space where he had once stood in complete horror.

"Shit!" Kyle screamed after a few beats as he tore at his tamed red curls. Butters sighed heavily and dragged him by the shoulders to the doorway.

"Don't worry about Ike, go talk to Stan. Now." Kyle sighed heavily and nodded.

"I-I'll call you later." Butters gave an annoyed nod and nudged him forward.

"Kay, now go."

Butters walked the short distance to his home, yet he felt there was some unfinished business he had to tend to. Quickly pulling out his Blackberry, and knowing he would respond to texts on the track phone he sometimes had minutes on, Butters texted Kenny.

To: Kenny

Sent: 11:37 P.M.

SOS. Meet me at Stark's Pond.

His parents could ground him for all he cared. He'd either be in trouble... or they forgot he existed again. Butters pocketed his phone and walked over the light snowfall. He wasn't sure what he'd say or do but he had to do something. Kenny didn't make sense. Nearly a year of silence and then he kisses him? That was Butters' first "real" kiss.

What the hell?

He stopped at their usual spot, the large oak tree, and waited. Butters was afraid of the dark but he had to ignore it; Kenny, or Mysterion, would be here and he knew either one of them would protect him to the death.

The crunching of snow and dead leaves was heard to his side and he turned to find Kenny, not Mysterion, standing in what was probably one of Kevin's old gray hoodies and tattered baggy jeans. The bandana was tied around his mouth, the point of it landed a couple of inches down his neck, and he had a cut on his cheek.

"Are you gonna talk?" Butters asked. The blonde's bangs were peeking out of his hood as he shook his head once. "Why?" Kenny just stared at him yet his left eye twitched slightly. "After all that you can't talk?" Kenny nodded and Butters sighed heavily. Kenny put a hand on his arm and squeezed lightly. "It's okay, I'm just confused." Kenny shrugged. "You're still Mysterion. And you think you have to redeem yourself. But you agreed you'd let me help you... but why won't you talk? You kissed me but you can't say "hello?" And now I'm worried about Stan and Kyle. Stan found out something and-" Butters stopped talking as his phone vibrated.

From: Kenny

Received: 11:48 P.M.

u know i cant. did he find out kyles gay?

Butters gawked for a moment, then scowled at Kenny as he looked back up at the teen, who shrugged once more.

"You talk as Mysterion though. I thought it was 'cause of..." he trailed off and pointed to his own throat. He couldn't bring himself to say the words. "And yeah, how'd y-you know?" He watched Kenny type something into his flip phone and quickly shut it. Moments later, the fifteen year old received a text.

From: Kenny

Received: 11:50 p.m.

its hard to explain. not important. kyle told me when u did he didnt tell stan by now?

"It's okay..." Butters breathed defeatedly. It wasn't okay, and he was fairly sure Kenny knew it wasn't, but there was no fighting it. Baby steps. " And I knew you knew but didn't know you... anyway, Ike said Stan's gay but I... highly doubt that. He and Wendy-"

From: Kenny

Received: 11:52 P.M.

wendys got the hots for cartman. stans bi.

"What the fuck then why's he pissed at Kyle?!" Butters fumed and couldn't help but roll his eyes as he watched Kenny punch the numbers on his old flip phone.

From: Kenny

Received: 11:53 P.M.

they waited 2 long and kept it from eachother. stan loves kyle.

"Kyle's in love with Stan." Kenny nodded, "and they're both fucking oblivious." The tall boy nodded again and quickly typed.

From: Kenny

Received: 11:56 P.M.
remember i said they were gonna fuck when we were kids? just leave it theyll figure it out. & dont tell them i text.

Butters sighed heavily and nodded. He was right; Stan and Kyle made it through everything. And after this... well they'd probably be dating after this. But Butters was still unsettled.

"Ken, why did you kiss me?" He finally asked. Kenny turned away, shuffled his feet, and shrugged. Slowly, he held up his thumb, index finger, and pinky. Butters recognized that as American Sign Language for "I love you." His cheeks heated considerably. He then noticed Kenny was shivering. Although it wasn't the answer he was expecting, it would be enough for now. "C'mon, y-you're gonna catch another cold. I'm going to Kyle's house and then home and you're c-coming with," Kenny's eyes crinkled and he nodded. As he walked and spoke to Kenny, he felt the older boy's larger bare hand enclose his smaller gloved hand. Butters remained silent about this, yet sent a knowing smile to Kenny.

In comfortable silence they arrived at Kyle's house; after Kenny scaled the roof they found their friend wasn't home.

"He must be at Stan's still." Butters said as Kenny landed on the ground much too gracefully for a normal human being. Kenny nodded and pulled his hands into the sleeve of his hoodie. Before they were tucked away, Butters saw his skeletal hands and fingers were red, raw, and chapped. He kept that to himself as they walked across the dead street.

Kenny took a running leap, kicked off the tree in the front, and landed like a ninja on the sloped roof. He dug his fingers into the shingles and righted himself quickly. Tip toeing and not making a sound, he approached the window to the left; Stan's room, and waited for Butters. The smaller blonde was struggling to climb the tree and Kenny huffed quietly.

He pounded quietly on the roof and got Butters' attention. Kenny waved him over and laid down on his stomach with his head first. Outstretching his hand, Butters was able to jump and grab Kenny's hand. He was expecting them both to fall yet Kenny must have had a super grip because Butters found himself on the roof next to Kenny.

"Thanks," he whispered, Kenny nodded and stood up once again and brushed dead leaves and snow off of his front. From what Butters could see, his cheeks were bright pink against the cold; he had a feeling Kenny was going to be sick for weeks.

Kenny slowly and silent dug his nails under the window and pulled up; almost losing his balance because he found out too late someone had locked it. Butters steadied Kenny with his hands on his sides and Kenny sent him a quick smile before unlatching the window and pulling it up; Butters hadn't move his hands from his sides; he was in awe at how he could feel every one of Kenny's bones protruding beneath his fingers.

"S-Stan..." Interest and curiosity perked in Kenny's eyes and they both climbed through the window; Butters first, followed by Kenny. There was no one in the room. Kenny silently shut the window, walked out of his room, and pointed to the bathroom next to Stan's room and Butters nodded, seeing two feet in the light at the floor. "Nngh..."

Kenny's eyes widened as Butters' hand grabbed the doorknob. He shook his head and grabbed at his best friend's arm as he realized what was happening behind the closed doors. Butters didn't stop, however, and opened the bathroom door.

His jaw dropped as he was met with the sight of Kyle sitting on the counter top, his hand on the wall and gripping for something yet finding nothing, in oblivion and pure ecstasy as Stan's mouth attacked his bare chest and his hand was down the redhead's pants. Kyle's glazed eyes shifted slightly, saw the blonde, and Stan quickly shoved himself off of Kyle.

"Uh... uh..." Butters trailed off, looking back at Kenny who was on the floor in a silent hysteria. "H-hamburgers... carry on..." he whispered and quickly shut the door. His cheeks were flushed and he felt his heart beating too fast; he grimaced, knowing what that meant. "Kyle and Stan are f-fine, Kenny... l-let's go to my house and... c-catch some sleep."

Kenny sat up off of the floor and looked at Butters with shining eyes full of laughter. Butters swore he could just pounce on him and- he shook his head, those was his bad thoughts talking. He lowered his head and walked in silence to his house down the road after they high-tailed it out of Stan's room. He couldn't let Kenny know those same things he saw Stan and Kyle doing were what he saw them doing together in his dreams.

A sniffle was heard in the silence and Butters looked to Kenny. He saw the taller boy wipe his nose on his hoodie and Butters grimaced; he was definitely getting sick. Once they snuck back into Butters' house and situated themselves in Butters' room, the spiky blonde haired boy tip-toed to the bathroom and grabbed Nyquil and a bag of cough drops.

He reentered his room and saw Kenny sitting cross-legged on his bed. His head was down and his hands were hidden in his sleeves. Butters dug in his bottom drawer and found a pair of too big blue pajama pants and a ribbed tank and handed them to Kenny. He nodded at Butters and wriggled out of his hoodie.

Butters knew he usually didn't wear anything under his hoodie or parka. He just rarely had the chance to see Kenny without a shirt. It always made his heart hurt as he saw every rib and every circle of his spine poking through his skin. His hip bones jutted out and his collar bone looked caved in due to the lack of body fat. Butters wanted to go downstairs and cook him a feast right then but he knew he'd be grounded if he got up. Instead, he had some chips in his top drawer and got them for Kenny.

He couldn't help but watch Kenny as he took off his jeans. He heard the zip of the zipper and the clinking of his belt buckle as they practically fell on their own off of his famished body. Without shame, Kenny shed his underwear and Butters' throat tightened as he caught sight of Kenny's pale and round bottom; he shouldn't hide that thing in baggy pants, he thought with burning eyes. It felt so wrong to stare but he couldn't help himself; kissing Kenny, seeing Kyle and Stan... and knowing that's what he wanted from Kenny, as well as seeing him in such a way was frustrating; to say the very least.

Kenny looked behind him and saw Butters staring. As he slipped his legs into the soft fabric he wiggled his hips a little and heard Butters squeak softly.

Butters closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to calm down or he wouldn't be able to sleep. And it was finals week before winter break and he had to get an A+ on all of his exams or he'd be grounded until the end of second semester.

Kenny sneezed quietly, drawing Butters out of his train of thought. He saw Kenny clutch his head and lean on the wall. Butters put his hand to the other boy's forehead and felt the heat radiate into his hand.

"Ken, you're sick," Butters told him. Kenny shrugged his shoulders, causing the smaller of the two to roll his eyes and push Kenny onto the bed. "You gotta t-take care of yourself," he mumbled, then grabbed a bottle of water and three Ibuprofen pills.

Kenny sat up, and put his hands behind his head. Butters watched in awe as he pulled the bandana from his mouth and folded it neatly. Butters couldn't help but stare at his neck, but quickly averted his eyes when he felt queasy.

Kenny popped the pills in his mouth and downed them with one fourth of the bottle of water. He shook his head when Butters showed him the liquid Nyquil. "You don't like cough syrup?" Kenny shook his head again and stuck his tongue out this time. "I'll make you breakfast tomorrow," Butters made breakfast anyway but it would be different because Kenny would be there. Kenny blinked and turned away yet his stomach gurgled against his reaction. "Bacon included. Lots of bacon." Kenny curled his nose and grabbed the Nyquil. He opened the cap, poured the green syrup into the lid and downed it.

His face contorted in disgust and he kicked his feet as he forced himself to swallow the Nyquil. Butters covered his mouth to stifle his laughter as he watched his best friend flail and gag. Kenny glowered at him with genuine hurt in his eyes and sighed; it was the first sound Butters had heard him intentionally make in a year. Butters beamed at this. Kenny opened his phone and quickly texted something. He half-smiled at Butters and leaned against the wall. Moments later, his phone buzzed. Butters scrolled to the message.

From: Kenny

Received: 12:22 A.M.

im pretty sure i deserve a hug or something for that

Butters rolled his eyes at Kenny who wore an innocent face as he gazed at him. Butters sat on the bed next to him and wrapped his arms around Kenny's gaunt figure. Kenny hugged him back and rested his forehead on his shoulder. They remained like that for awhile, and the stillness and the innocent embrace felt nice. It had been awhile since Butters had actually hugged anyone and he didn't realize how much he missed it. Kenny felt hot against his skin, and his breathing was ragged as he hitched in a breath.

Kenny finally lifted his head from Butters' shoulder and pulled away enough so they could look at each other. It had been over a year since Butters had seen Kenny's full face, and for the first time he saw the subtle changes his growing body had given him. A stronger jaw, dark bags under his eyes, he was already so handsome but seeing his mouth, seeing his full face, made Butters realize he was the kind of person who everyone dreamed about. He seemed perfect, in every physical way; but with all of his faults, his worries, and his behavior he was perfect for Butters; as his best friend, as anything.

Butters bit his lip as Kenny gazed deep in his eyes; he felt as if the dark blonde was searching his soul and found his deepest secret. But the look in his deep pools made him feel safe, warm, and loved. He felt calm. And he knew, deep down, that no one ever made him feel like that; only Kenny. It was always Kenny and realizing that, facing that, made Butters' eyes burn.

He was too afraid to move, too afraid to break this moment. They had developed a form of communicating over the past few years that only they understood. A simple look could be a paragraph; a certain twitch in the lip, an eyeroll, or tucking back a strand of hair. It all meant something. But right now Kenny was unreadable, and right now he looked extremely vulnerable. As if... as if Butters was also searching deep within his soul, passed the heartache and the grief and the guilt... and found that sliver of happiness and hope and years of suppressed thoughts and feelings.

Butters wasn't sure who moved first but their lips slowly met in a cautious, testing manner. This was what he wanted. Every move was calculated and hindered, as if unsure of what to do next; which was weird because Butters knew Kenny knew exactly what to do. But the tenderness in his touch and the way their lips massaged so soothingly rather than sensual against each other made him feel overjoyed and ready to burst into tears all at once. Because he knew this was Kenny reaching out in probably the only way he really knew how. He could taste his heartache, feel his loneliness, hear his vulnerability.

But seconds passed and Butters found himself wanting to feel more, to see more, and he cupped Kenny's angular face in his hands. Kenny's arms were wrapped around him as their lips moved in a slow rhythm, and there was no lust behind it. It was about opening up, communicating, finally declaring to each other that, yes, there was something more than a platonic relationship between them.

Their kisses and touches grew more heated as time went on; it seemed like forever, a blissful forever, and Butters had lost track of time as he melted in Kenny's arms and came completely undone as he allowed his fears and worry to be carried away in almost therapeutic kisses. Kenny's breath hitched as their tongues pressed together and sought for more closeness, more understanding. Butters searched Kenny's mouth in hopes he could memorize every corner, every taste, every sensation. And Kenny seemed to be doing the same. They sat, nearly curled into each other as they caressed each others' hair, faces, shoulders; craving more touches, more feeling, just more...

It was getting to know a completely new part of who they were. It was thrilling and more than a little terrifying. But Butters couldn't help but feel safer than he ever had in his life.

Growing more courageous, the bright blonde's hands slid under Kenny's shirt and began to massage the taut muscles in his back, to his abdomen, and up to his chest. Kenny's eyes slowly fluttered opened and he ran a hand through Butters' hair. He then cupped his cheeks in his hands and kissed him once more before he slowly pulled away. His lips lingered a moment longer and he stroked the soft skin beneath his fingertip. Butters looked at him curiously as if he had done something wrong; although it was very obvious as he perched on Kenny's lap he was doing everything very right.

"W-what?" Butters asked, fingers dancing elegantly on Kenny's chest. The dark blonde just smiled sleepily and took Butters' free hand in his.

"Not now," Kenny mouthed and yawned silently. Butters nodded with a flushed smile and rolled off of Kenny, who didn't let go of his hand. He was incredibly shocked he had put a halt on their physical exploration. Perhaps he had gotten too close to understanding Kenny. Too close to the part of him he hid away to preserve and protect. But deep down Butters wasn't sure if he could take much more; physically or emotionally. Kenny appeared the same way, but he was also battling off sleep and failing miserably. With each blink his eyelids grew heavier and he automatically laid down on Butters' pillow, leaving enough room for the shorter boy.

"Hey Ken?" Butters whispered and looked to the mute teen. His furrowed eyebrows softened as he saw Kenny's eyes shut and his swollen lips parted as he breathed through his mouth; he was fast asleep. Butters placed his hand on his forehead, felt the fevered skin, and grimaced before closing his eyes in the crook of Kenny's arm.