You seem a little different--Kenjorine

Chapter 3 ⭐

(A/n: Sorry I was gone for so long, I was at my mom's for a few days and then I had to watch the new season of Good Omens, so now I want to kill myself and my life sucks because Neil Gaiman ruined the whole thing for me, so the writing might not be great the whole way through cause it's 2:00 A.M. and I'm sad as balls.)

          Three days later, Butters was helping his dad load boxes into a U-Haul truck. It was an unusually warm day in South Park, and the sun blazed overhead, skies burning blue. Butters had his sleeves rolled past his elbows, scraped and aching.

           "Dad, my arms are tired," he complained.

          "Man up, Son," his father grunted, letting a heavy box thump against the floor of the moving truck. "You need to be able to carry heavier things."

          Butters saw no use in retaliating; it would only cause more problems. Instead, he sighed and stepped up the ramp into the truck, eager to put the box he was holding down.

          Just as Butters turned around, he caught a glimpse of a familiar bright orange parka, standing just off to the side. His heart beat a little faster.

          And just as he stepped off the ramp, his suspicions were proven. Kenny stood there, his face blank and unreadable. His hood was down. Down. Butters wasn't sure of the last time he'd seen Kenny with his hood down, or if he ever saw it at all.

          Butters sprinted towards his friend with all he could muster, and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Kenny seemed a bit taken back, but he didn't hesitate to return the embrace. He wrapped his arms around Butters' lower back.

          "I don't know if I'm ready for you to leave just yet," he said solemnly, his voice hushed almost down to a whisper. He closed his eyes and tried to pretend that, just for a moment, his friend was not leaving. Kenny was sure he didn't want anything more than for his friend to stay.

          "Kenny, I'm not leaving forever." Butters had tried to console Kenny, but maybe, in part, he was also trying to console himself. Nobody really wanted Butters gone, but there were few people that wanted him to stay. And if he could choose to stay like this, in the arms of his best friend, he would've chosen this. 

          "You will be back soon, right? To visit?" He asked, false hope accenting his voice in a way that threw Butters' heart into a wood chipper. 

          He wanted to tell his friend that he would be back soon, that he'd be back as soon as he got done unpacking. Deep down, though, he knew when his parents said "fresh start," it meant that they didn't want anything to do with their old life.

          "Butters!" Stephen called with a tint of annoyance. Butters let go of Kenny immediately, but Kenny still held on. 

          "Kenny, I have to go. I don't wanna get grounded." 

          At this, Kenny let go. However, he looked Butters in the eyes and rolled up his sleeves. "I can help," he offered, a smile playing with the corners of his lips.

          "Well, you'll have to ask my dad," Butters started, but before he could finish, Kenny was making his way toward Mr. Stotch. 

          Butters followed behind, hopping on his toes. (A/n: I think it's cute when characters do this, I only do it because I'm autistic but idk.)

          Kenny spoke to Mr. Stotch in a voice that was clear and polite, with an extra touch of lowness.

          "Mr. Stotch," he started, back straight, chest puffed out ever so slightly in confidence. "Could I help you and your son load these boxes into the truck? I'm a friend of Butters, you see," he nodded his head toward Butters, who was now standing beside him.

          "Y-yeah, Dad!" He stuttered, realizing he was being called on for some kind of conformation. "This is Kenny, and he's really strong. He could help us real good," Butters tried his hardest not to outwardly wince at how awful that sentence was.

          However, Kenny, on the other hand, had his eyes wide, and had stuffed his hands into his pockets. "He thinks I'm strong?" He asked himself, quite homosexually.            

          When Kenny had snapped out of his trance, he looked to Butters, but continued to listen to what Stephen was saying. 

          "Of course this young man can help us with moving. We'd get done so much faster." He held a hand out towards Kenny, who was still looking at Butters.

          Butters noticed this and smiled softly at his friend before nodding in the direction of his father, who's hand hovered in the stillness of the air.

          A breeze passed through the air, acting as symbolism of something just before Kenny reached out to shake the older man's hand. Maybe it was a new start. Maybe it was grief. Maybe it was some kind of hesitance. Maybe it was just some silly little breeze that decided to pass through. Whatever it was, it shifted the mood ever so slightly.

          Kenny made sure that his handshake was firm and steady, just as his father taught him when he was drunk one Saturday night. 

          "Nice handshake, son," Stephan complimented, an approving smile on his face. 

          "Thank you," he replied, nodding downwards slightly.

          With that, the men continued to load box after box into the truck, as the sun went through its cycles and the sky turned into a deep orange. With the last box, Kenny huffed as he let it drop in another, tilting slightly.

          As he hopped out of the truck, Butters stared at him with tears in his eyes. 

          "Gee, Kenny, I don't want to go."

          "I don't want you to go, Butters," a sad smile was plastered on his face as he walked towards his friend.

          "Take this moment with you," he whispered, taking his place beside his friend. He placed his hand on the other boy's shoulder.

          "Remember this sunset."

          The sunset being described was a breathtaking one, one that wasn't typically seen in this region of South Park. The colors in the sky swirled together and layered on top of each other in a glorious symphony. Pinks, purples, yellows, all stacked together with the burnt orange color up in the sky. It definitely was a sight to see.

          "I'll never forget it."