Live Until I Die

Kyle laughed at Kenny’s impersonation of Towelie– that took some of the edge off. He was glad then, that he could rely on Kenny for such things. Briefly, in a show of small gratitude, he bumped his shoulder against the blond’s. 

Removing his ushanka, Kyle ran a hand through his unruly curls– they’d gotten longer, and without his head covering to keep them up and out of the way, they fell about his face and ears randomly. “You won’t tell anyone, right?” He knew better- Kenny was probably the most trustworthy person when it came to secrets. 

Heaving a sigh, the redhead continued. “That’s not fair of me to ask, I know you’re good for it, I just- ugh. it’s like a minefield in my head.” He shifted, drawing his good knee to his chest and resting his forehead on it. This probably wasn’t half as big of a deal as he felt like it was, and he knew it wasn’t, but that didn’t shake the iron grip of panic knotted in his chest. 

“You ever- kinda come to a realization about a thing- and you’re kinda like ‘well shit’ because- you know if your parents know, it’s gonna be hell but they’re gonna find out eventually and you haven’t told anyone because you’re terrified of reactions and–” He stopped mid sentence to actually breathe- he tried to calm down before he worked himself up again. 

“I’m an idiot, dude.” 

Kenny liked hearing Kyle laugh and feeling of the brief shoulder bump. Unfortunately, the good feeling didn’t last long, which made sense. Kyle was still under a considerable amount of stress from whatever secret he was hiding. Before Kenny could open his mouth to voice any reassuring answer, Kyle immediately realized how he’d never tell anyone.

Kenny frowned as he watched Kyle curl up on himself. He looked so small like that, and the words the redhead used struck him. “That sounds like some seriously heavy shit.”

He waited, listening patiently as Kyle began to start sputtering out the truth. He couldn’t relate as much because of how absent his parents were. The last time he remembered his mom caring about anything was when he blew off church as a kid to go see the Terrance and Phillip movie. She’d been pissed then, sure, but it wasn’t any big secret that he had to keep hidden from her.

Cartman looked slightly embaresssed, “You promise you won’t tell? If you tell I’ll kick your poor gay ass!” Cartman threatened, however he placed his hand down into Kenny’s hair slightly petting it. “Go on.”

  People show and recognize love in different ways: gift giving, words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, and acts of service. These different ways are called love languages, and while everyone understands a little of each language, we all speak and understand one or two better than we do the others. Our love language is how we most feel loved.

Use THIS SITE to determine your character’s love language! Then repost with the results!

tagged by: @youjustdontknoweverythxng

tagging: anyone who wants to! 

You respond to physical touch

“I know you’re right Ken but everybody hits there breaking point. I mean I try to be a good person but there have been a couple times where I thought about punching or beating up Eric and it just made me feel like a terrible person. I keep thinking one day I’ll end up being a bully like my Dad and I’ll do anything for that not to happen.”

     A bright laugh was heard as Kyle spun- yes, he decided, I like this human. Perhaps it was too early in the night to determine that- what if he were actually an assassin sent to remove him? What a mess that would be, Kyle mused sadly. 

    Kenneth didn’t admit to being uninvited- he only asked for more information, and Kyle found himself actually willing to oblige. “Well, I’m sure you know the stories of the war. The tricks and lies used by the king here to remove the Elven threat? Or perhaps you’ve been told great stories.” A sad smile graced his features, and it almost appeared as though hazel eyes were more green with the sorrow. 

     “Regardless of what the stories may say, the war devastated my people. Scattered us. The remaining Elven prince went into hiding, and we prayed upon those who wandered too far into the woods- I’ve heard the people here have made up quite the stories about my kind.” 

          He could recall, hiding behind a shipment at the docks, hearing stories of the rogues who would slip into the city- the prince among them, unbeknownst to man– and the things humans said about them. Skin like the earth, eyes black as coals, fangs, and claws– none of it particularly true. 

    “So your noblemen here sought out the prince- but were unable to find him. See, before the Elven kingdom fell, his closest allies smuggled him out of harm’s way…” His brows had knit with concern. “… he still holds a lot of guilt for not being there, but it was said someone would have to lead again, one day.” Kyle shook his head quickly, a faked smile sliding into place. 

   “And then he–” his head tilted towards the front of the room where the nobleman sat upon his throat, spilling over the sides and drinking a goblet of wine. “–sent humans into the woods to find us. Requested audience with the prince to acknowledge his rightful place as royalty, at least among these lands- in return for cessation of attacks on travelers. … Though really, we’ve only gone after those who could afford to lose what they had-” 

    Again, guilt flooded his chest. 

     Here he was, telling this story to the only human who asked him to dance, who didn’t think twice about asking an elf to dance- or maybe he had. Kyle didn’t know- he didn’t know the blond who spun him, who didn’t quite fit in but didn’t exactly stick out either. Even still, he felt himself already taking a shine to the human. 

       “The reason why this- such a sweet, simple gesture as asking me to dance with you is because you approached me. Out of every other human here, the Elven guards- you came to the one person no one else has dared talk to.” Was that making it too obvious? Kyle wasn’t entirely sure- but he was trying to gauge Kenneth’s reaction. 

Kenneth took pride in making people laugh. It especially felt like a compliment at such a stuffy affair. He decided he definitely brought some sunshine into Kyle’s day. Maybe that was a little arrogant of him to assume, but so what? Everyone loved a confident man.

He liked the fact that Kyle spun for him. To him, it signified that the Elven had an adventurous spirit that didn’t do so well in this royal ballroom. When Kyle brought up the war, Kenneth replied, “See, I try my best to ignore such stories.” He leaned close for a moment, whispering directly into Kyle’s pointed ear. “The king’s quite adept at telling tall tales, after all.”

Some humans would have considered that criticism treason, but Kenneth cared little. Those humans were all well-off. They lived cozy lives. They didn’t have to resort to a life of thievery. They were born into a caste where they had it easy, while Kenneth and his family were born into a caste where they were meant to die in the streets. And once they were dead, they could simply be cast aside in an unmarked grave.

While some humans would have been cautious to trust an Elven, Kenneth didn’t have a very hard time. His lot in life made it easy to relate to someone who faced discrimination. People always looked at him like he wasn’t good enough to lick the boots he shined with polish and a cloth. Good thing he didn’t have to spend his days toiling for alms anymore.

The lighter got dropped back into the bag, the cigarette case was put back into the leather bag in Kyle’s lap, and as it was opened to accept the metal case, a glimpse of insulin syringes and a small glass vial could be caught. Then the leather bag was zipped closed and gingerly tucked back into his messenger bag. 

Kenny was a good guy- a good friend. Kyle exhaled shakily, trying to smile at him, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “oh you know. Constant pain from my knee, though maybe that’s not new…” The attempt at a joke was weak at best. “Stressed out of my mind, but that’s not really new either.” Kenny was good, Kyle reminded himself, maybe trustworthy- 

It was now or never. 

He was out of his fucking mind. 

“Actually, you’re probably the best person for me to talk to- I’ve got a problem, see, and I– it’s–” he motioned vaguely, waving his cigarette. “It’s to the point where I haven’t really eaten more than a breakfast bar and a lot of soda in the past twenty four hours, my body hates me for it but I’m too stressed to keep much else down, you know?” Carefully, very carefully, he took care not to meet Kenny’s eyes. 

This was a delicate topic, probably not the best thing to discuss outside their school, breaking the rules by sitting there smoking. Gently, Kyle stretched out his brace-bound knee. 

The shine of the glass vial caught Kenny’s eye. Half the time, Kenny forgot Kyle was a diabetic. He didn’t make himself into a target or a special case like that Scott Malkinson kid. Brief moments like this reminded him. This and the memory of Stan going all out to get Kyle a kidney, due to complications from his diabetes back when they were kids. He still remembered the jealousy he felt over that. As much as he hated it, it was probably better that nobody else but him and Cartman remembered his countless deaths.

Kenny raised his eyebrows as Kyle dove headfirst into announcing that he had a problem. He automatically mourned for all of the uneaten food. His empty stomach could have really used the company. But it was no good that Kyle wasn’t eating. It probably made his sugar out of whack.

He noticed how Kyle avoided looking at his gaze. Kenny, on the other hand, continued to look at Kyle. He took another drag from his clove cigarette before he decided to speak. “Well, it sounds like the best thing for you to do is ‘get a little high,’” Kenny said, doing a Towelie impression at the end. “Haha, where the fuck’s Towelie when you need him?” He put the cigarette to his lips again. Weed being legal in Colorado made it easier to obtain, but it still required a fake ID and a lax owner, as one needed to be twenty-one to buy from a dispensary. Of course, Kenny had his illegal connections, too, but he currently wasn’t holding, as sad as that was.

It would’ve been nice, as smoking could have helped Kyle relax and eat. The cigarettes would have to do for now.

     The sudden voice beside him made Kyle jump, his eyes snapping back open. Fuck, Kenny had scared the shit out of him. He exhaled smoke through his nose, digging in his messenger bag- 

       “Don’t go telling anyone, dude,” Kyle muttered around his cigarette– that fucking grin on Kenny’s face– ugh. Not helping the feeling in his stomach. He found what he was looking for: a small leather bag. Unzipping it, he kept its  contents concealed as he pulled out a metal cigarette case and flipped it open- one side held the tastes-like-Christmas-Djarum-black-cloves, the other held Camel Crushes. “Take your pick.” He offered the case to Kenny, fishing out a lighter from the recesses of his bag. 

   While Kenny picked, Kyle took a drag of his own cigarette- he’d kept the habit secret when he picked it up and then some. It was a rare occurrence when he smoked and rarer that anyone knew, but in times like these- when his stress made him feel like puking-  he fell into the old habit for relief. 

    All things considered, he was glad it was Kenny who had discovered him and not someone nosier, someone likely to rat him out or cause him hell in keeping the secret. Kenny would be more likely to want to bum them from Kyle rather than hold it over his head- or so Kyle hoped. 

“Fancy, fancy.” Kenny never had the option to be picky. Being poor left him with little choices, so Kyle actually giving one made him feel pretty boss. He decided to pick one of the Djarum Blacks to walk on the wild side. It wasn’t the first time he had one, however. He once got rewarded with a pack for giving oral to one of the goth kids behind the Village Inn. “A class act all the way.” He leaned in appreciatively, taking a drag after Kyle lit it and thankful to have not gotten set on fire. Accidents still happened to him.

“So what’s new with you?” Kenny asked, watching Kyle, grin still intact despite the other’s alarm from his presence. He decided not to ask if Kyle would play anymore basketball this season. It seemed like a dumb question. “Taking a break from being nose deep in a book?”

The elf allowed himself to be led in the waltz, though he wondered if the man who asked him to dance actually knew how to. He smiled slightly- the question itself was enough to give away the other. 

Still, it drew a small laugh. Why anyone would sneak into one of these was beyond him- he was only here because he had to be. Because it was show of good faith, bringing the elven prince out of hiding, showing that peace could be achieved. 

Yeah. 

Right. 

“You can call me Kyle,” he replied- while it wasn’t inaccurate, Elven names were usually longer, and he used this moniker to avoid scaring off the only human to talk to him not of obligation. “And yourself, ser?” It was coy, a small smile on his face. 

Eyes were on them. The prince was dancing with someone- someone the other nobles did not seem to recognize. Murmurs. There were murmurs around them, but no one stopped dancing, no one singled them out- 

And truthfully, the prince felt a little guilty, not divulging his name, putting this human in the way of trouble for dancing with him. 

Ah but, his brain reminded, humans were why you were away so long. Exiled when your kingdom was taken in your youth. So what if this one may not have been one of them? Let him deal with whatever consequences- but then the other argument arose: he is the only person here who has treated me like any other. 

That stung. 

“…Perhaps, ser, I should tell you, since I’m lead to believe you’re not on the list to be here. This- is a celebration. A motion at peace between humans and elves. I suppose this kingdom’s become fed up with my people taking over your forests.” But when he said my people it was more of My People. 

The elves. 

His elves. His subjects. 

The small laugh aroused Kenneth’s curiosity. He wondered if the Elven was laughing at him or just because he was happy. Hopefully, he didn’t stick out like a sore thumb. The fun had just begun, and he hadn’t even gotten the chance to do a little pickpocketing.

“Kenneth’s the name, though my closet companions call me Kenny.” Kenny sounded less dignified. Maybe it even gave away his status. Kyle, on the other hand, sounded like a human name. He didn’t know why he trusted the other enough to say his nickname, but Kenneth tended to be a pretty casual, even if he wasn’t always the most open in all regards. But there was truth in the phrase of “being as thick as thieves,” and he certainly kept his cohorts close.

He felt the eyes on them from the masses. He didn’t know if they were staring at him, Kyle, or both of them. He knew humans and elves didn’t have the best history. Perhaps the two of them dancing together was making some kind of statement. He hadn’t thought too much about it until now. He just liked Kyle’s face. And his derrière. His personality was panning out to be fine so far, too. Maybe he wouldn’t end up stealing directly from Kyle.