Chapter Text
1 year and 130 days ago, August 13th, 2005
Saturday Morning at 07:33
An irritating light made its way into Kenny’s room from his lone window. The space was presented to be clean, but in reality, his closet and drawers were stuffed with dirty clothes and old junk he had accumulated over the years. Even after finally getting a bed frame, he crammed as much as he could underneath in favor of more legroom.
His walls were still its sickly pale yellow, curtains torn and red. The only adequate thing he owned in that room was his sketchbook and pencil pouch which he held any pens, pencils, erasers, and other writing utensils he could get his cheap dirty hands on.
His carpeting was also surprisingly decent. If you know how to clean, maintaining a carpet isn’t too bad. It was soft and fluffy. Occasionally, Kenny would lay on his floor just to feel it.
And then immediately migrate to his bed. Who knew what would crawl on him if he fell asleep there?
Speaking of his bed, Kenny lay there in his pajamas (shorts and a tee shirt -- also known as his gym wear), silently craving death.
Well, not actually wishing for death. That shit hurts.
He was supposed to be getting ready for school shopping. Which Kenny absolutely did not want to do.
Alas, his older brother, Kevin, always made him and his sister get up on August 13th to get ready and go shopping. At least, for the past several years when Kevin was able to secure a job and a vehicle (which seemed to be one bolt closer to falling apart each time Kevin decided to visit). Which was weird. Why such a specific date?
Kenny is glad his parents always seem to disappear whenever Kevin comes around to visit. Probably because they don’t want to hear their eldest son berate them for their lack of parental guidance in his and Karen’s life. Kevin still holds a grudge against them. Not that Kenny hates his parents or anything, they had gotten better since his early childhood days but… they were still pretty heavy drinkers.
They don’t throw shit as much though, so that’s a plus.
As Kenny began thinking about this, his poor bedroom door slammed open. The boy yelped and promptly fell off his bed, bedsheets and all. Kenny heard a deep laugh, and he groaned. He looked over his bed to the door and saw his most beloved brother standing there, laughing his ass off at the younger’s sporadic display.
“Kevinnnn!” Kenny complained, drawing out the ‘n’. He tried to scowl at his older brother, but a smile crept upon his face anyway.
After a couple more rounds of giggles, Kevin finally calmed down after laughing at Kenny’s loss of dignity. He wiped the tear in his eye that he had gained from his laughing fit. Kenny rolled his eyes. It wasn’t that funny.
Kevin walked in and surveyed the room, smiling. “Ah, still the same as ever, huh Ken?” Kevin flopped on his bed chest down.
Kenny huffed, “I swear, you’re more of a child than I am. And I’m only 14!” This was all said with a smile from the younger boy.
Kevin peered at him from the bed, “Yea, well. I can drive.”
“I can technically drive.”
“Not legally.”
A pause.
“...You didn’t get your license until you were eighteen- and you’ve been driving since you were twelve!”
“Well that isn’t my fault, now is it?”
Kenny raised an eyebrow and Kevin’s words. He crossed his arms.
Silence.
“....”
“Ken?”
“...”
“Keeennn”
“...”
“...ugh. Fine, I’m sorry. No talking smack about the assholes who ‘raised us’ when they’re not here and you and or Karen are present.”
Kenny smiled, and let out some air. He leaned against his bed. “Did you really have to make us wake up this early? We’re not even that far into the month, we could have waited.”
It was Kevin’s turn to roll his eyes. “Yes, we had to get up this early, Your Highness,” Kenny cringed at the nickname, “because if we didn’t do it today, then you’d have to wait for Mom or Dad to take you, and you know they’d forget. They’d say ‘We’ll get it next week’ or ‘Wait ‘till next paycheck’ and before you know it school’s tomorrow and now you have to dig up your old notebooks from last school year and tear out the pages that are already used and find a goddamn pencil-”
“ALRIGHT!” Kenny shouted, putting his hands up in submission, “I’ll stop complaining, just- stop”
Kevin just looked at him, seeming lost, then blinked. A smile broke out on his face, “Great! I knew you’d come around!” Kevin heaved himself off Kenny’s bed, “Get dressed, and I’ll wake up Karen in the meantime-” and with that, Kevin marched out.
Kenny sighed. He swore his brother had some issues.
And then Kenny was thankful. He loved his little Kare-bear but damn could she be mean if she didn’t get her full twelve hours of sleep. Yes, you heard that right, twelve hours. Kenny blamed her defense classes.
Right then, he heard a startled yell and a thud of someone hitting the floor.
...maybe they all have issues.
Shaking his head with a small smile, Kenny got up from his spot on the ground and fixed his bed
⠂
Kenny had decided to wear his oh-so-fashionable orange parka with his light brown scarf… how unconventional.
Kenny plopped himself down on their half-functioning couch (yes, when one-half of the pegs on the couch were broken that qualified as half-functioning, thank you very much Karen), and took out his very well-protected Blackberry because there’s no way in hell that he’s going to crack his very expensive phone that he worked for a year to get.
He scrolled through Facebook for a bit, before turning off his phone when his sister and brother emerged from the hallway
Kenny laughed internally when he spotted Kevin’s disgruntled figure. Karen looked as happy as a peach, ready for the day. The little devil she is…
Kenny opened his mouth to mock his brother's appearance, but his brother's glare stopped him.
“Not a word outta you.” Kenny just shrugged and stood up.
Kevin sighed, “We all good?”
Kenny and Karen looked at each other, then at Kevin, and nodded.
Another sigh, “Alright, in the truck you two.” Kevin smiled as he watched his two younger siblings scramble to the door.
⠂
Kenny hopped down from the front seat of his brother’s large maroon truck. It was a survivor, seeing as parts of it were rusted over and it sounded like it was coughing every time Kevin turned on the engine.
Kevin helped Karen out while Kenny rounded the truck to join them.
Karen smiled at Kevin before taking both his and Kenny’s hand. They made their way into the mall.
⠂
Kenny frowned, “Hey Kevin…”
“Hmm?”
“Why are we in Footlocker? Last time I checked, we were shopping for school supplies, not a wardrobe.”
Kevin looked at Kenny, who was sitting on a bench, staring at his brother suspiciously.
“Well, Ken, it’s been a year since I’ve been able to visit and go shopping with you, so I figured you hadn’t bought any new clothes for a while.”
Kenny just tilted his head and shrugged.
Kevin sighed, “Kenny,” he crouched to look Kenny in the eyes. Kenny’s blue and hazel met Kevin’s light brown.
“I know you don’t like it when people spend money on you. Hell, I don’t even like it when my roommate gets me carry out! But someone getting you something isn’t supposed to mean they pity you. It means that they’re nice enough to give you something because they care about you. And you have to learn to accept it because they’ll think you don’t appreciate it- or even worse, them.”
Kenny scrunched his nose, “A, that made no sense. And B, how do you always know what I’m thinking?”
Kevin grinned, and bopped Kenny’s nose, “I’m your older brother, I’m supposed to know what you’re thinking.”
Kenny backed up slightly, affronted by Kevin’s actions.
Shaking his head and looking around, Kenny furrowed his eyebrows, “Where’s Karen?”
Kevin backed up, “She’s over by the kiddy section since her feet are smaller than yours. Though, not by much.”
Kenny half-heartedly glared at his brother, before groaning and sitting back down. “Fine, I’ll take a pair of shoes.”
A smile started to form on Kevin’s face, and his mouth began to open, “Which-“
“Whichever one I look at first.”
There’s the frown.
“...Ken,”
A groan, “Ugh! Uh, something I can run in. And is durable… waterproof? Uhm… maybe make it multi-purpose…”
He was still frowning. They both knew why he was asking for so many purposes. Death wasn’t an easy thing to run from.
“Hmm…” Kevin paused and looked around.
He spotted a box and walked over to it. “How about… multi-purpose heavy-duty shoes that are resistant to water, ice, fire, dirt, annnd electricity?” Kevin looked at Kenny in question.
All Kenny could do was shrug.
Narrowing his eyes, Kevin spoke, “You win this time, ya little devil. At least try them on. I’m gonna go check on Karen.” Kevin tossed him the shoe box and walked away.
Kenny fumbled the box for a moment, before settling. Which was not fair. He was so good at volleyball, but he couldn’t catch a measly box? What a shame he is.
Opening the box, Kenny surveyed the shoes.
He let out a small whistle. The shoes were ultimately white (which would change very soon) and had red shoelaces.
Good enough for him.
⠂
Kevin decided after three more hours of shopping, they could go have lunch.
Looking at his phone, Kenny noted that it was already 1 o’clock. Asshole.
They entered the restaurant that Kenny did not care to remember the name of and waited for a table.
After they sat down, Karen pointed out the white lilies outside.
Huh.
He didn’t know flowers were still blooming this time of year.
⠂
Their parents were home when they got back.
Kevin groaned as he saw their dad’s teal truck in the front. Their mom was on the porch, watching them. The porch light was lit, and moths kept surrounding it and occasionally his mother.
Kenny checked his phone. It was now 7:49.
..they may have gone ice skating for a couple of hours.
With Kevin’s truck parked, Kenny slithered his way to the ground (could his truck be any taller?). Kenny walked up to his mother while Kevin helped Karen out the back.
His mother raised an eyebrow as he approached, looking unimpressed. “And where have you three been all day? Your fatha’ and I haven’t even been able to say ‘hi’ to Kevin yet.”
Before Kenny could answer, he felt a presence behind him. Looking back, he saw Kevin, carrying several bags and holding Karen’s hand with his free one. He looked annoyed.
“Hey, ma.”
Whoops, time for him and Karen to skedaddle.
Kenny made eye contact with Karen, and she frowned. She tugged on Kevin’s arm and went to grab the bags. He let her. Kenny grabbed most of the items when she walked over to him.
The two youngest slipped inside. Their dad was asleep on the couch with the lights off, the sharp blue light from the TV illuminating the room.
Silently, the two made it past the living room and entered Karen’s room.
Kenny let out a relieved sigh when he shut the door quietly. He turned to look at Karen. Her brows were furrowed.
“I don’t get it,” she started, sitting down on her floor.
Kenny followed suit and began sorting through the bags.
“Why do they always fight when they see each other?”
Kenny kept filtering through the bags. He put one of Karen’s tops in her bag with her school supplies. He then grabbed his dress (don’t ask) and folded it neatly in a different bag.
“It’s not like they get to see each other very often, what’s the point in getting mad at each other?”
Oh! Kenny pulled out some graphite pencils Kevin had gotten him. He was getting low, and he was eternally grateful for any form of art supplies he could get his hands on. He even has a small sketchbook he can bring around for ideas.
“...Kenny?”
Ah, dang. He should have asked Kevin for the receipt. Or should have stolen it earlier. He couldn’t find it anywhere in the bags. Maybe he left it in the car…
“KENNY!”
“aH- WHAT?”
Karen glared at Kenny, unamused. “You weren’t even listening to me, were you?”
A shrug.
“Kenny!”
“Alright alright- I heard you fine! I just-“
“You just what?”
Kenny sighed, “It’s just- Kevin still has a grudge against Mom and Dad from before- like, yeah, I know they weren’t the best, but they stopped breaking everything, and they remember to feed us and take us to school, now.”
Karen faltered, “... I can barely remember the opposite of those things happening, Ken.”
“Well, yeah. You just barely started school. Of course, you’re going to have a hard time remembering. They were gone for a bit for parent counseling before they were allowed near us again.”
She frowns, “Oh.”
Kenny hums and continues to sort out their belongings. After a brief moment, Karen helps as well.
⠂
A thud reverberated from several bags when Kenny tossed them to the floor. He could put them away later.
He heard quiet arguing from outside his window. While technically the porch ended beyond his window, his brother and mother were doing a poor job of staying completely anonymous.
Kenny listened.
“...there’s no reason why you can’t! It’s your guys’ fault that they’re in this situation!”
“Don’t you talk to me that way- I am your mother! Your fatha’ and I are trying our hardest, and you-”
“NO! You two still don’t know what you’re doing. You should be saving your money, not spending it on beer and wine- for Christ's sake-”
“How would you even know what we spend our money on?!”
There’s a scoff.
“I can take one look into the living room and see the empty beer cans littering the floor! And your ‘precious son’ hasn’t had a chance to clean them, has he?”
Kenny pursed his lips. It was true. He didn’t want Karen to have to play in a dirty environment, so he always cleaned up the house whenever he could.
He tries to ignore the pang that shoots across his chest.
“Hey-”
“What? You know it’s true.”
… silence.
“...Kevin-“
“I’m heading home.” He heard shuffling. “Don’t bother to tell Dad I stopped by- he’d forget, anyways.”
Kenny stared at his ceiling. There was the sound of gravel, and then a car door opening, then shutting. An engine. Tires squealed. Kevin must’ve pulled out hard.
Kenny strained his ears.
This wasn’t the first time this had happened. Eventually, Kevin would’ve argued with one of his parents.
He just didn’t think it’d happen in one day.
Suddenly, Kenny heard a small noise. A sniffle, and a defeated weep.
Kenny felt his heart sink.
The front door close creaked closed.