Butters is pretty sure her whole body flushes when Kenny asks her on a date. She’s liked Kenny for ages; she didn\u2019t think it was that obvious.<\/p>\n
Well, Eric always called her a fag when she was around Kenny; and when Stan had mentioned that Kenny was taking Token to a dance a couple of years back, Kyle had said that Butters was more suitable for Kenny.<\/p>\n
Butters has never prided herself on her perceptive skills.<\/p>\n
Kenny\u2019s grinning, wearing orange and blue and white today, so Butters swallows. She wishes she had hair long enough to cover her eyes, but she\u2019s always liked the way her short hair tickles the tips of her ears.<\/p>\n
\u201cO-Of course!\u201d she stammers. \u201cI mean, who wouldn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenny grins. \u201cA lot of people wouldn\u2019t.”<\/p>\n
Butters huffs. Her palms are sweating so she makes herself remember that time when Kenny had swallowed an entire bottle of ketchup for fifty bucks. (It\u2019s a tactic Eric had taught her, when she\u2019s around people who make her nervous\u2014remember something awful they did, or make one up.)<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve gone out with a lot of people in this school,\u201d she says, and blushes right after the statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yet,\u201d says Kenny, \u201cyou still said yes to going out with me. What does that make you?”<\/p>\n
Butters shrugs, hoping to say something witty in response. \u201cHopeful,\u201d is what she blurts out, instead.<\/p>\n
Kenny smiles. \u201cMe too.”<\/p>\n
*<\/p>\n
Sometimes people in school still call her a boy. Sometimes other girls look at her funny when she walks into the restroom, and a substitute will say, \u201cMr. Stotch,\u201d and she\u2019ll have to correct them with an, \u201cUm, Miss.\u201d Sometimes they don\u2019t take her seriously anyway because her voice is the same pitch as Kyle\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you do about it?\u201d she asks Kenny, on their date. It\u2019s the weekend and they\u2019re buying smoothies. She\u2019s slurping her strawberry one.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn school? Well I just tell \u2018em what I feel like, and if they don\u2019t respect it, they\u2019re assholes.\u201d Kenny slurps his chocolate smoothie, equally loud.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoesn\u2019t it make you feel\u2026 weird?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike they\u2019re dicks? Yeah.\u201d Kenny slurps again.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n
Butters\u2019s parents had talked her through this; they hadn\u2019t accepted it so well, of course. But they mentioned that she was ill, that she has\u2014\u201cDysphoria,\u201d she says, finally finding the word.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh.\u201d Kenny sits back. \u201cWell, no.;”<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how do you know how you feel?”<\/p>\n
Kenny laughs. \u201cHow do you know how\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0feel? You just know. \u2018Cause you feel it.”<\/p>\n They finish their smoothies and Butters pays and then they go off. Kenny catches Butters\u2019s hand in her own.<\/p>\n Butters says, \u201cY-You don\u2019t expect me to go back to your place, do you?\u201d If she had both her hands free, she\u2019d rub her knuckles together.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly if you want to.\u201d<\/p>\n Butters blushes. \u201cUm.”<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just kidding,\u201d says Kenny. Between their date she\u2019d said that she was feeling like a\u00a0she<\/em>, all of a sudden. Butters doesn\u2019t forget.<\/p>\n Kenny grins and says, \u201cWant to hang out with the guys?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs that still a part of our date?\u201d Butters asks nervously.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly if you want it to be.\u201d<\/p>\n She watches Butters. Butters feels her own face heat up.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it still is, does that mean we can do something else together after?\u201d she hears herself ask.<\/p>\n Kenny\u2019s grin gets wider. \u201cSure.\u201d<\/p>\n As it turns out, they\u2019re at Eric\u2019s house today. When they enter (without knocking; Eric exclaims, \u201cHey!\u201d and Butters wonders how Kenny knew they would be here) Kenny announces, \u201cDudes, I\u2019m not a dude today.”<\/p>\n \u201cRaw,\u201d says Eric. \u201cDoes that mean I can use my bitch jokes on you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShut up.\u201d Kenny throws a pillow from the ground at him.<\/p>\n Eric starts. \u201cYou come into\u00a0my<\/em>\u00a0house, you throw\u00a0my<\/em>\u00a0pillows\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s Butters doing here?\u201d Stan nods towards her.<\/p>\n Butters balls her fists together in embarrassment, though her left is still in Kenny\u2019s so she ends up squeezing her hand. Kenny looks at her for a brief moment.<\/p>\n Butters wants to sink into the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re on a date,\u201d says Kenny.<\/p>\n \u201cAw, our two favorite\u2014hey!\u201d Eric\u2019s cut off when Kyle smacks him upside the head.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t say it!”<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what you\u2014mean\u2014ah!\u2014Jew! Stop hitting me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur two favorite girls,\u201d says Stan.<\/p>\n Kenny grins. \u201cIs that what you think Cartman was going to say?”<\/p>\n Stan says, \u201cThe better part of me hopes so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was!\u201d Eric shrieks from Kyle smacking him with a pillow.<\/p>\n Kyle says, \u201cYeah, right!”<\/p>\n *<\/p>\n They spend most of the afternoon at Eric\u2019s house. It\u2019s kind of fun for Butters in the first hour, and the ones that follow, because Kenny\u2019s holding her hand and watching the boys race; then Kyle says, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you play?\u201d and Kenny lets her go and they do. Butters accidentally shifts midway through the race and ends up half-sitting on Kenny\u2019s lap, and then Kenny is so distracted that by some miracle, Butters wins.<\/p>\n The boys cheer and Kenny laughs and says, \u201cYou did that on purpose,\u201d and snuggles her for the rest of the day.<\/p>\n At the end, Kenny walks her home and asks, \u201cDo you think of me as a boy or a girl right now?\u201d<\/p>\n Butters glances at her with surprise. “I\u2014You’re just Kenny!”<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m always just Kenny.\u201d A smile. \u201cWant a goodnight kiss?”<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not at my house yet,\u201d says Butters.<\/p>\n Kenny points down the sidewalk, the opposite direction of Butters\u2019s place. \u201cI\u2019m that way, though. And you don\u2019t want me kissing you outside of where your parents can see, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrue,\u201d says Butters. She chews on her lip. \u201cI\u2019ve never kissed anyone before.\u201d<\/p>\n She\u2019s sure Kenny brightens up. \u201cIt\u2019s easy. Want me to show you?”<\/p>\n Butters sticks her bottom lip between her teeth, but nods.<\/p>\n Then Kenny\u2019s holding her hand and swooping her in, lips petal soft on her own. Butters is sure she tastes hints of their milkshakes from earlier, and a little bit of cheese from when Kenny had nicked some of Eric\u2019s crackers at his house, too. She blushes and Kenny holds her face, like maybe she doesn\u2019t want to let her go just yet.<\/p>\n But she does, only an inch. Their noses and foreheads are touching.<\/p>\n \u201cSee?\u201d Kenny says, breathless. \u201cEasy.”<\/p>\n \u201cEasy.\u201d Butters\u2019s head feels foggy. \u201cNo Poptarts.”<\/p>\n \u201cHm?”<\/p>\n \u201cI thought you\u2019d taste like Poptarts.\u201d Butters\u2019s cheeks get even warmer.<\/p>\n Kenny smiles. \u201cIf I kiss you after I go home and eat dinner, then you\u2019d be correct.”<\/p>\n \u201cI like Poptarts,\u201d Butters says, before she realizes what she\u2019s saying.<\/p>\n Kenny is positively brighter than the moon.<\/p>\n \u201cSee you tomorrow?”<\/p>\n Butters manages to smile back. She still doesn\u2019t understand how out of everyone else in the world, she went on a date with Kenny McCormick today.<\/p>\n \u201cSee you tomorrow,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n *<\/p>\n The school doesn\u2019t catch word of their dating until after their sixth date, which is about a month in. Kenny likes going on dates on the weekends because they say that\u2019s when they have more time, but after the third or so Butters accidentally lets it slip that she\u2019d prefer it during the weekday, when she has an excuse to come home later instead of having to face her parents in the living room.<\/p>\n Then Kenny\u2019s face darkens and they say, \u201cOh,\u201d and starts taking her on dates every day after school.<\/p>\n So after the first few after school dates, Kenny comes to Butters at lunch and slips next to her on the bench. Butters nearly jumps.<\/p>\n \u201cHi Butters,\u201d Kenny says cheerfully. There\u2019s a post-it note that says\u00a0he\/him<\/em>\u00a0at the front of his jacket. \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI,\u201d says Butters, blushing. The post-it note thing had been her idea, but only because one day Kenny had moaned about needing to tell everyone he interacted with during the day about what pronouns to use. She\u2019d suggested for him to make like a name tag from a post-it note or something, but didn\u2019t think her idea would actually be followed through.<\/p>\n \u201cHi Kenny,\u201d Wendy says easily. She\u2019s sitting across from Butters, and dips her fries in her ketchup. \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n Kenny nudges Butters. Butters fumbles with her milk and can\u2019t look anyone in the eye.<\/p>\n Kenny sighs, though he sounds more fond than anything. \u201cWe\u2019re dating,\u201d he announces to the table.<\/p>\n \u201cOh!\u201d Wendy exclaims, looking between the two of them. \u201cCongratulations.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTh-Thanks Wendy!\u201d Butters says, relieved.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a heartbreaker, that one.\u201d Token appears at their table, sitting next to Wendy. \u201cHi Kenny.”<\/p>\n \u201cHey Token,\u201d Kenny says easily.<\/p>\n Butters rubs her knuckles together, because won\u2019t Token be sore at her for dating his ex? Won\u2019t Kenny get offended that she wants to sit here with them?<\/p>\n But Kenny glances at her and rubs a hand down her back. Butters jolts in her seat and almost away from him.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think Kenny\u2019s a heartbreaker!\u201d she says to Token, because she\u2019s dating him now. She has to have some responsibility over Kenny\u2019s virtue, doesn\u2019t she?<\/p>\n Token smiles. \u201cWho knows?\u201d he says. His eyes flicker to Kenny\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cNot to Butters,\u201d Kenny says, returning the expression.<\/p>\n *<\/p>\n After that, word gets around. Butters the New Girl is dating Kenny the New Sometimes Girl. Kenny laughs at the nicknames. Butters wishes they\u2019d stop.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not like,\u201d she says to Kenny, as they stop by Kenny\u2019s favorite burger joint this afternoon. \u201cIt\u2019s not like u-us bein\u2019 girls sometimes,\u201d she adds for Kenny, \u201cis the only important part of us!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, well.\u201d Kenny shrugs and hands her her foil wrapped burger. The post-it says\u00a0she\/her<\/em>\u00a0now. \u201cIt\u2019s South Park. You know how people are.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess,\u201d Butters mumbles.<\/p>\n They grab a table near a window and eat. Butters swings her legs and munches on her burger. She doesn\u2019t notice that Kenny is staring at her until she\u2019s halfway done, and Kenny is just watching with a slightly dazed expression on her face.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Butters says, startled. \u201cIs there somethin\u2019 on my face?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Oh, no,\u201d Kenny says, and chuckles. \u201cWell, maybe a little ketchup right there.\u201d She reaches across the table to wipe at Butters\u2019s lip.<\/p>\n Butters blushes. \u201cThanks,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re just really nice,\u201d Kenny continues. She takes a bite of her own burger, chews, swallows. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize we\u2019ve been dating for this long already.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2014\u201d Butters doesn\u2019t know what to say. \u201cMe-Me neither!\u201d she decides.<\/p>\n Kenny beams. \u201cI really like you, Butters,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n And Butters had always kind of figured, since Kenny had asked her out, since their first kiss, since\u2014a lot of things, really, that have happened in the span of four months. Kenny is a gentleman, Kenny is a lady, Kenny is polite and laughs at jokes Butters isn\u2019t sure if she\u2019s allowed to laugh at and when her brother had gotten her pronouns mixed up once, Kenny had teasingly flipped him off and told him what they were. Kenny\u2019s always been out there, you know, different.<\/p>\n But Butters has been, too, and has known it all her life. Even before this, when her parents looked at her a little less weird than they do today, she\u2019d known that she was special. But she\u2019s seen Cartman tame a Cthulu and Craig save the world from giant gerbils before, so she figures a lot of her friends are special.<\/p>\n She feels herself turn red, anyway, and tries to meet Kenny\u2019s eye across the table. \u201cI really like you, too,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Kenny\u2019s foot jostles hers against the diner floor. Butters smiles into her sandwich.<\/p>\n *<\/p>\n One day, Kenny takes her out shopping. Kenny\u2019s post-it note says\u00a0they\/them<\/em>\u00a0today and keeps falling off. They\u2019ve had to make five new ones already.<\/p>\n \u201cFuck,\u201d Kenny huffs, picking it up from where it had fallen to the ground and tossing it into the trash can. They\u2019re at South Park Mall, with their backpacks on.<\/p>\n Kenny rifles through their bag and makes a sound of irritation. \u201cI don\u2019t have any stickies left,\u201d they grumble.<\/p>\n \u201cOh!\u201d says Butters, and opens up her own bag. \u201cI probably do.\u201d<\/p>\n She finds a pastel yellow pad and hands it over to them. \u201cThanks,\u201d Kenny says, gratefully.<\/p>\n Butters\u2019s post-it sticks well without falling. Butters glances at it happily every once in a while. She\u2019s pretty sure that Kenny doesn\u2019t notice, which is good. Kenny keeps peering through the windows, humming and deliberating what shop to go into.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there anything you want to buy?\u201d they ask after a moment.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Oh.\u201d Butters turns pink. \u201cNo, thank you. But thanks for asking,\u201d she adds, remembering her manners.<\/p>\n Kenny laughs. \u201cOh, c\u2019mon Butters, there\u2019s gotta be something,\u201d they say.<\/p>\n Butters fidgets. It\u2019s been a while since she was Marjorine, for that brief week in the fourth grade. But it had been one of her favorite weeks, even though her wig had itched and tickled too much, because everyone looked at her and called her\u00a0she<\/em>\u00a0without realizing it was her.<\/p>\n Her parents would never let her buy her own clothes, though, so Butters clenches and unclenches her fist. \u201cUm,\u201d she says, after a moment. \u201cA dress?\u201d<\/p>\n Kenny\u2019s eyes light up delightedly. \u201cSounds awesome!\u201d they say. \u201cC\u2019mon, I know this really cheap place.\u201d<\/p>\n They tug her along to a shop at the corner of the mall, which has mostly old ladies roaming around, but some of the dresses are flower print. There are others with vibrant colors, and Butters falls in love with them immediately.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you shop here?\u201d she asks Kenny curiously.<\/p>\n Kenny laughs and shakes their head. \u201cNah. Dresses aren\u2019t really my thing.\u201d They shrug. \u201cBut I come here with my sister all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, right.\u201d Butters brightens up. She\u2019d forgotten that Kenny has a sister. \u201cThat must be nice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is,\u201d Kenny agrees, taking her through the aisles. They make their way through the moth-bitten and smellier clothes, to the back where things are cheaper and don\u2019t smell as bad. They also look nicer, and Butters hadn\u2019t really expected that, but she\u2019s not about to look a gift horse in its mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cYou like dresses?\u201d Kenny asks her, as Butters begins to peek at a yellow and blue striped one.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Butters nods. \u201cI mean, I-I miss bein\u2019 Marjorine sometimes, y\u2019know?”<\/p>\n Then she feels silly, because how is Kenny going to remember who Marjorine is?<\/p>\n But Kenny laughs suddenly, bright and surprised. \u201cOh my god, Marjorine,\u201d they say. \u201cI remember\u2014and you were dancing to Justin Timberlake atHeidi\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat was fun,\u201d Butters says defensively.<\/p>\n Kenny waves their hand. \u201cI know, I know, I thought it probably would be for you,\u201d they say. And before Butters can retort, they add, \u201cIt looked it. I was happy for you then.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, well,\u201d says Butters, remembering other details of that night. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t all that a walk in a park.\u201d<\/p>\n They roam through the aisles, and Butters puts on a mock fashion show for Kenny in the dressing room, strutting out wearing a pink and white flowery dress at one point, and a green one another. Kenny loves all her dresses and refuses to give her one negative comment, even though Butters insists for them to be honest. \u201cI am,\u201d they say, laughing.<\/p>\n In the end, Butters settles for a few spring-colored dresses she had tried on. She goes to hand over what little cash she has in her wallet, but Kenny pulls out a card, before she can.<\/p>\n \u201cKenny,\u201d Butters says, petulantly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Kenny says, raising their eyebrows. \u201cI dragged you in here. I\u2019m paying.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t\u00a0drag<\/em>\u00a0me,\u201d Butters insists.<\/p>\n Kenny waves her off. \u201cIgnore her,\u201d they say to the cashier, who looks surprised for a moment, but doesn\u2019t say anything.<\/p>\n Kenny pays and Butters huffs as they walk out. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t\u2019ve gotten anything if I knew you were paying,\u201d she mumbles.<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d says Kenny, but they\u2019re smiling. \u201cI want to pay. And I wanted to buy you dresses. And don\u2019t worry about it,\u201d they say, when Butters opens her mouth again. \u201cIt\u2019s just some extra money I made at work, it\u2019s no big deal.”<\/p>\n \u201cFine,\u201d Butters grumbles, folding her arms across her chest.<\/p>\n But she\u2019s wearing the blue and yellow dress she\u2019d spotted earlier, so there\u2019s not much to complain about. \u201cHey,\u201d Kenny says. \u201cAbout that Marjorine thing\u2014you wanna ask the girls to do your makeup again?\u201d<\/p>\n Butters thinks they\u2019re joking for a moment, so she says, \u201cI dunno, they might not have the makeup from back then.\u201d<\/p>\n Kenny rolls their eyes. \u201c\u2018Course not, but they got new makeup now.\u201d And when Butters looks at her with wide eyes, they add, \u201cYou should go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n *<\/p>\n Butters doesn\u2019t, only because she\u2019s too chicken. The night after their shopping date she switches into her old clothes and tells Kenny to keep her dresses at their house\u2014her parents would kill her if they saw her dresses. They\u2019d also probably burn them. Butters knows her parents are insane.<\/p>\n But at least they haven\u2019t sent her to some weird correction camp since she told them, so she figures that they\u2019re better than they were before.<\/p>\n She stares at Wendy\u2019s and Bebe\u2019s makeup at lunch sometimes, and eventually concludes that that\u2019s not what she wants or likes. She\u2019s happy with her hair fuzzy and short, skin a little pimply sometimes but still baby smooth. Bebe and Wendy are gorgeous, obviously, but not in a way that she wants to be them. More that, if she weren\u2019t dating Kenny at the moment, she\u2019d want to date them.<\/p>\n She accidentally lets this spill to Kenny when they\u2019re talking about her not using makeup. For a second Butters is worried that Kenny will be mad, but Kenny just goes, \u201cI know<\/em>,\u201d and nods all emphatically.<\/p>\n They go to Eric\u2019s again on a\u00a0he\/him<\/em>\u00a0day, and Kenny apologizes as they make their way up Eric\u2019s front steps. \u201cI know Cartman\u2019s insufferable,\u201d he says, \u201cbut the guys are the guys, y\u2019know?\u201d<\/p>\n Butters nods; she knows that being on a date with Kenny doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t interact with other people. They interact with other people all the time, at shops and restaurants and stuff. \u201cI know,\u201d she chirps. \u201cI like them.\u201d<\/p>\n Kenny snorts. \u201cOf course you do,\u201d he says. But he doesn\u2019t sound mean about it, and smiles before letting her in.<\/p>\n The other guys let her play: Butters is pretty sure they\u2019re only nice to her because she\u2019s dating Kenny, but she\u2019ll take it. Ms. Cartman comes in later and compliments Butters on her dress, because Bebe had helped Butters change before school today. Butters stammers a thank you, and Ms. Cartman winks and says that she should give her some fashion tips.<\/p>\n \u201cYour mom\u2019s really nice, Eric,\u201d she says, once Ms. Cartman has left the living room.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s fuckin\u2019 annoying,\u201d Eric grumbles, button mashing.<\/p>\n \u201cCartman\u2019s just a douche,\u201d says Stan, as if he hadn\u2019t said that a billion times before. \u201cNo one knows how he\u2019s his mom\u2019s son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh I know,\u201d Kyle pipes up. \u201cProbably because his dad\u2019s\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShut up, Kahl!\u201d Cartman roars, and tears his gaze away from the screen to chuck his controller at Kyle\u2019s head.<\/p>\n Kyle winces. \u201cOw, you asshole, that really hurt!\u201d he shouts. \u201cYou could\u2019ve hit my brains out!”<\/p>\n \u201cGood!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt least you know what that\u2019s like, not having any brains\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Kenny sighs. His arm is around Butters, who watches worriedly as Kyle and Cartman argue.<\/p>\n \u201cI hate my friends,\u201d he says jovially.<\/p>\n Butters laughs into his neck.<\/p>\n *<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a lot of dates and a lot of months since their first. After another shopping mall date, during which Butters insists to buy Kenny a new game for her PSP in return for her dresses the other day, Butters trails Kenny to the end of the sidewalk to her home.<\/p>\n Kenny shifts from foot to foot. \u201cYou should come over,\u201d she decides, after a moment. \u201cBut you probably don\u2019t want to eat dinner with my family, so we should\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I do!\u201d Butters interrupts, and then blushes. Why had she done that? She knows that interrupting is rude!<\/p>\n Kenny is undeterred, though, more focused on her words and frowning. \u201cAre you sure?\u201d she asks. \u201cI told you before, all we eat is Poptarts\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I told you that I like Poptarts,\u201d says Butters, chipper.<\/p>\n Kenny\u2019s mouth quirks a smile. \u201cThat\u2019s true,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n They walk together, talking about school and food and the dude at the gaming store today, who was an asshole. Kenny\u2019s the one who says it first, but the way she insults people sounds a little like a compliment sometimes. It\u2019s weird, but Butters figures that she probably wouldn\u2019t mind too terribly if Kenny called her an asshole. Though she hopes that she wouldn\u2019t have done something to warrant the insult in the first place.<\/p>\n They hold hands, Butters\u2019s gloved one in Kenny\u2019s bare one. She realizes that Kenny\u2019s fingers must be cold and curses for not having the foresight to offer her one sooner. She does, and Kenny sends her a grateful smile before slipping it on her other hand.<\/p>\n And because Butters figures it shouldn\u2019t be too terrible having her bare hand in Kenny\u2019s, she takes her other one off and puts it on backwards on her left hand.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you\u2019re the person I\u2019ve dated the longest,\u201d Kenny says thoughtfully.<\/p>\n Butters nearly jumps in surprise. \u201cR-Really?\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Kenny shrugs, and flashes her a quick smile. \u201cI don\u2019t mind, obviously,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s just interesting to think about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI-I\u2019m really happy, Kenny.\u201d Oh gosh, what if Kenny decides to break up with her tomorrow? Or tonight? What if Butters is too much to be dating for so long?<\/p>\n But Kenny squeezes her hand, which is pink from the cold and tangled tightly with her own. \u201cI am, too,\u201d she says. \u201cYou make me happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Butters blushes and scuffles her feet bashfully.<\/p>\n At Kenny\u2019s house, they eat Poptarts and laugh when Kenny\u2019s dad electrocutes himself with the toaster that some other family had given them a few years back. Kenny tells her that eating Poptarts right after they come out burns her tongue like a bitch, but they\u2019re toasty and taste good so it\u2019s nothing to complain about. They burn the tip of their tongues together and Butters meets Kenny\u2019s sister, who gushes over her dresses and says she wants to go dress shopping with her one day. Kenny rolls her eyes, but Butters eagerly says yes, of course, she\u2019d love more company.<\/p>\n Kenny jokes about her own sister stealing her girlfriend away. Karen sticks her tongue out at her.<\/p>\n After, they go to Kenny\u2019s room, because Butters needs to do her homework and she\u2019d asked her parents if she could sleep over at a friend\u2019s today. They\u2019d made some weird noise in response, but Butters had taken it as a yes.<\/p>\n When they get upstairs, though, Butters sits on Kenny\u2019s bed and starts pulling out her books. Kenny watches her a moment before she kisses her.<\/p>\n She\u2019s sweet and warm and tastes like Poptarts. Butter smiles lazily when Kenny pulls back.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that for?\u201d she asks, blinking in Kenny\u2019s smiling face.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing,\u201d says Kenny, and somehow it sounds like\u00a0everything<\/em>. Butters\u2019s heart jumps, as Kenny pulls out her own homework.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Kenny,\u201d she says suddenly.<\/p>\n Kenny holds her hand and squeezes. It makes Butters\u2019s heart feel wonderful and full.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" She still doesn\u2019t understand how out of everyone else in the world, she went on a date with Kenny McCormick today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[356,718,38,201],"fandom":[548],"rating":[675],"ship":[],"relationship":[610],"minorfandomships":[631],"class_list":["post-407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-default","tag-genderfluid-character","tag-genderswap","tag-high-school","tag-trans-girl-character","fandom-sp","rating-teen","relationship-other","minorfandomships-bunny"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2275,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407\/revisions\/2275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=407"},{"taxonomy":"fandom","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fandom?post=407"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=407"},{"taxonomy":"ship","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ship?post=407"},{"taxonomy":"relationship","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/relationship?post=407"},{"taxonomy":"minorfandomships","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/minorfandomships?post=407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}