Chapter Text
It started with an itch between his shoulder blades. Kenny shifted uncomfortably in his seat, he would try to scratch but could never quite reach it.
“Is there a problem, Kenny?” Mr Garrison snapped.
“No, not really. My back is all itchy.” Kenny tried to rub his back against the seat of his desk.
“Watch out, I bet Kenny has scabies or lice. All poor people have parasites.” Cartman called out as he scooted his desk away, causing the legs to scrape against the floor from the rest of the class.
“I do not, fatass. All fat people smell like old ham, what about that?” Kenny shot back as he rolled his shoulders to try and get that itch out.
“Whatever, your family is so poor you wish you could afford old ham.” Cartman laughed as the rest of the classes groaned.
Kenny sunk down in his seat, just wanting to get the day over with. He kept rubbing his back against his seat. The itch was still not going away.
Finally when school was over, Kenny declined the invite to hang out with Stan and Kyle. He walked into his house, not surprised that his parents left the front door unlocked. There wasn’t anything worth stealing in the McCormick household anyway.
Kenny went into his room and quickly stripped off his hoodie and shirt, trying to get a look at whatever was wrong with his back. He turned his back to the mirror, craning his neck for a good look at anything weird on his skin. He couldn’t see anything and grabbed a stick to try and scratch. Instead of relief, the itch was turning into a burn. He walked outside his room to see if his brother was home.
Kevin was always on the move in the house, the McCormick family’s humble home only had two spare bedrooms but three kids. Kenny took one room and their little sister Karen took the other. Kevin always slept in a different place each night, the couch, Karen’s floor, Kenny’s room, even the old treehouse out back. So it was hard to pinpoint exactly where Kevin would be hanging out.
The smell of burning came from the kitchen and Kenny knew immediately. He walked in to find Kevin holding a piece of bread by some tongs over the open flame of their stove.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Kenny asks as he takes a seat at the table.
“What does it look like? Cooking myself a snack. Because someone had to break our toaster. Why are you half naked? Trying to get laid or something?” Kevin turns the stove off and puts his now toasted bread on a plate, going to the fridge and grabbing butter. Kevin looked but of course there were no sodas or juice in there, but plenty of beer. He shrugged and grabbed a beer, cracking it open before he started to assemble a cinnamon sugar toast.
“No, I wish. But anyway I’ve had this itching on my back all day and I just want to make sure it’s not anything weird or bad.” Kenny shifted uncomfortably as he kept trying to scratch his back with the stick. “Will you take a look at it?”
“What, you got some new strain of herpes on your back or something?” Kevin laughed as he took a bite of his toast and went over to check Kenny’s back. The humor drained out of his face as he took a closer look. “You have some lumps back here.”
“Lumps? What the fuck?” Immediately Kenny’s thoughts went to some horrible illness he once again contracted and would die yet another horrible death.
“Maybe it’s pimples or mosquito bites. Maybe you’re growing tits but out your back.” Kevin laughed as he put his plate to the side and poked at Kenny’s back.
“I’m more worried it’s going to kill me, whatever it is.” Kenny stared forward as his brother kept poking at his back.
“There’s two little lumps, hard but I feel something…like a flexible stick thing in there. Maybe it’s ringworm or something.” Kevin stepped back and wiped his hands on his pants before resuming eating his cinnamon toast.
“You know mom and dad won’t take me to the hospital. Unless it’s life threatening and even then, if I’m just gonna die anyway it won’t inconvenience them.” Kenny said bitterly as he got up to scratch against the wall.
“Whoa, your back titties are getting bigger.” Kevin said with his mouth full.
“What?” Kenny stopped scratching and went back to the mirror in his room to take a look. Kevin following behind and grabbing a mirror laying suspiciously on the coffee table.
Kevin wiped away the white residue caked on the mirror, before holding it up behind Kenny so his back was reflected. “See? Look, they're getting bigger.”
Kenny stood up a little straighter to get a better look in the dingy mirror. The bumps on his back were red and swollen. He moved a hand up his back to try and touch them but he still couldn’t quite reach. Kevin poked him once again in the back and Kenny let out a hiss between his teeth, shit was painful.
“What are you doing?” Came a tiny voice.
Both brothers jumped as they saw their little sister Karen enter the room.
“Nothing.” Kenny said embarrassed. “Just something on my back.”
“You hungry, Karen?” Kevin broke his cinnamon toast in half without asking and handed the larger half to her.
“Thanks.” She held the toast as she walked around Kenny to get a better look at him. “You’re a guardian angel.” She said matter of factly before letting out a little cough and wiping her nose.
Kenny couldn’t help but laugh as he reached over to pat his adorable little sister on the head. “I like that theory better than Kevin saying I have a parasite. Would being an angel make me this itchy?” He took his stick again to poke at the bumps on his back.
Karen munched on her toast thoughtfully between coughs. “You’re a guardian angel no matter what.”
“Damn you’ve had that cough for a while. You sure you don’t want me to ask mom about it?” Kenny asked before Karen vigorously shook her head no.
Kevin also looked at her worried but still had to run with the comedy. “I still think he’s growing boobs out his back. Hey if you’re going to walk around like that you’ll need a bra. I’ll get you mom’s good one from Dollar General.”
“Fuck you, thanks for making it worse.” Kenny slipped on his shirt and hoodie again, tightening his hoodie as he hugged Karen’s goodbye and stepped outside his house into the fresh snow.
What was going on with him? Was it part of another long and complicated disease meant to kill him? He died all the time and it certainly sucked, but the suffering hadn’t been this prolonged since he got that muscle wasting disease. His feet crunched through the snow as he pulled his hoodie against the bitter cold. The acrid smell coming from his family’s garage made him gag. Of course that’s where his parents would be. With their weird drug buddies making meth in the run down garage next to the house. It bothered him even if he knew it was the main way his family could make money. He wished his parents were more normal like his friend’s parents, maybe not Cartman- at least Kenny’s mom hadn’t resorted to prostitution…yet.
Speaking of his friends, maybe he could ask them for help. They would probably make fun of him like Kevin had, but that wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Stan had said he was invited to hang out at Kyle's house. Kenny started his trek to walk over to the nicer part of town.
Stan sat with Kyle on his computer as they clicked through the latest fad game, jumping and then laughing at the cheap scares.
“Now that you’ve filled all the spots with little monsters, a song should start to play. Then add that last monster.” Stan was instructing Kyle as the two sat at Kyle’s computer.
“I am, damn get off my ass.” Kyle moved the last little guy in place watching as cute music stopped playing and the game characters started to change.
“It’s not that scary.” Stan remarked as he poked at a little guy with his head blown off.
“Yeah, they go for shock value and cheap jump scares over anything actually scary, but it’s still fun to click around.” Kyle proved his point as he hit something in the background of the game and the screen went black for a few moments. Then some creepy music filled the room. Both boys watched in shock before saying “cool” in unison.
Kenny burst into Kyle’s room, his normally unkempt appearance even more messy than usual.
Stan raised an eyebrow as he pushed away from Kyle’s computer to check on his friend. “Dude, what the hell is wrong with you?”
“I don’t know!” Kenny said loudly as he went to rub his back against the wall. “I might have some disease, or back titties, or might be turning into a guardian angel, and my back really itches!”
“Okay calm down, want me to get my mom?” Kyle asked as he went over to Kenny now.
“No! That’ll make it worse!” Kenny said as he frantically clawed at his back.
Kyle frowned but said nothing at the dig at his mom. “Fine, at least show us and we’ll try and help you.”
Kenny stopped his incessant scratching and quickly took off his shirt and hoodie to show his friends. “My brother said it looks like I have back titties or some kind of worm.” He complained.
Stan looked sick and held back, but Kyle stepped forward to poke at the lumps on Kenny’s back.
“Something is coming out, dude. Just wait and whatever is causing the lumps will come out. You sure you don’t want me to get my mom? She’ll take you to the hospital if you need it.” Kyle said as he kept poking at Kenny’s back.
Kenny let out a gasp in pain and dropped down to his knees. He let out a groan, then a shriek as he felt the skin stretching and tearing on his back. Next, he felt some kind of warm gush of fluid. Was it blood? He fell forward onto his chest as the skin on his back ripped open and something started to make its way out.
Like a butterfly coming out of a chrysalis, wet and bloody pieces of flesh pushed their way out of Kenny’s back. Kenny felt overwhelmed with the pain and the heat from shame on his face as things went black for him.
Stan hung back as Kyle was by Kenny’s side immediately. The wings pushed themselves out of Kenny’s back and grew into little curled stumps. Kenny’s eyes were closed as the wings sat wet and a mess of sticky feathers splayed out along his back.
“Is…is he dead?” Stan finally said from his corner across the room.
Kyle shook Kenny gently on the shoulder. “Nah he’s still breathing. Just passed out. Help me get him on my bed.”
Stan nodded and went to help hoist Kenny onto the bed. “That was way fucking scarier than any stupid game out there.”
Kenny lifted his heavy head and blinked to look around. It was super bright, the ground beneath him as fluffy as a cloud, the smell of fresh flowers wafted in the breeze, and the sound of tinkling bells could be heard in the distance.
“Ugh what happened?” Kenny figured he died again and was in heaven for some reason.
“Come, young Kenny McCormick we have much to discuss.” Standing over him was an angel with great wings blocking out some of the light.
Kenny picked himself up, his hand instinctively reaching behind his back to feel a handful of downy feathers. “What the hell is happening to me?” He asked.
“You’ve been among chosen to safeguard those on earth. You need to be vigilant to anything catastrophic happening and guide those to safety.” The angel’s booming voice ratted in Kenny’s head.
Kenny grit his teeth down as he touched the wings on his back, so soft it felt weird. “Why aren’t you watching over people on earth? Isn’t that what guardian angels do?”
“Uriel retiring to the next level, so we’re looking for replacements to take his place. Consider this like an internship to see if you’re fit for the job.”
Kenny’s mind whirled to his chaotic home life, his constant adventures with his friends, with his curse to be stuck in a endless cycle of death and rebirth. Fuck he would believe anything, being an angel was not out of the ordinary for his day to day life. Did he even want to do this? Seemed to be another responsibility where he didn’t have a choice. “Unpaid internship, right? Yeah I guess, tell me what I need to do.”
The angel looked down at Kenny as the golden light surrounded them both. “You’ll see it when it happens. Just keep those close to you safe and watch for the signs.”
A blink of the eye later and Kenny heard another distant voice as he felt his shoulder being gently shaken.
“Kenny, wake up. Dude he’s scaring me.” Stan’s faraway voice came into Kenny’s senses.
“Need me to get my mom? Or I don’t know what to do.” Kyle said as he paced the room anxiously.
Kenny cracked his eyes open as he stared up at Stan hovering worriedly over him. “Hey Kenny, glad to have you back. Uhh what the hell was that?” Stan asked.
Kenny shook his head, the words of the angel dissolving away like some distant dream. He unsteadily sat up as he felt like he just got his ass kicked. “What was what?”
Kenny’s hand moved to his back to feel around. Instead of the soft plush wings in that dream, his back was bruised and painful, little raw stubs sticking out. Kenny took his hand away to reveal tiny little feathers, matted with dark blood. He sat up carefully and faced his friends, not sure if he should explain whatever that vision had been.
“Can you help me hide these?” He pointed to the stubs coming out of his back.
Stan hesitated. “I don’t know, they look like they hurt.”
“They do fucking hurt.” Kenny tried to roll his shoulders as he looked around the room. “I’ll just throw my hoodie over them and hope for the best.”
“No you won’t, dude. Here let’s get some bandages on those. You don’t want to get them infected.” Kyle got up and reached under his bed. He pulled out a first aid kit and started to open it up and grab some supplies.
Stan blinked as he watched him. “Goddamn, you just keep a first aid kit in your room? In case there’s any casualties on the way to the bathroom?”
Kyle rolled his eyes. “Nah, this was from our last camping trip and wouldn’t fit anywhere else. Just been there until we go camping again, or one of us grows hairy back titties. Lay down, Kenny.”
Kenny grumbled but lay back down on Kyle’s bed. He turned his head as Kyle sat down with the medical kit and started to arrange things. Stan stood at the foot of the bed, arms crossed and looking uncomfortable.
The smell of antibacterial spray filled the room as Kyle applied bactine to Kenny’s back titties and started to bandage them. Kenny made a face, his eyes focused on Stan. Something didn’t feel right, of course he was half growing wings out of his back and it was freaking his friends out. But it wasn’t just that, it was a heavy dread hanging around Stan and Kenny was feeling it too. The angel’s words came back to him, he had to protect his loved ones. Was something bad about to happen?
There was a knock at the door, making all three boys jump and Kenny bite his lip against the pain.
“Kyle, dinner time!” Came Sheila Broflovski’s voice through the door.
Kyle’s head snapped up. “Okay, just a minute. I’m playing with Stan and Kenny.” His eyes looked over the bandages over Kenny’s back.
“Have them wash up too, there’s plenty to eat.” Sheila said without missing a beat.
Once her footsteps echoed down the stairs Kenny slowly got up. Stan felt bad he wasn’t being much help and handed over Kenny’s shirt and hoodie to him.
“Here, dude. Kyle did the most but I’ll try and help.”
“Thanks.” Kenny nodded as he reached for his clothes. His hand touched Stan’s and he felt almost an ominous feeling. A combination of anxiety, increased heart rate, nausea, and feeling bad for…himself? Kenny blinked a few times as he slipped his hoodie on. He wasn’t feeling bad for himself, he was feeling Stan’s feelings. It was…a lot, he better keep an eye on his friend if the dread was following him.
Kenny numbly followed Kyle and Stan to wash up and head downstairs for the Broflovski family’s dinner. Kenny usually didn’t mind, sure Kyle’s mom was always trying to push healthy food onto everyone but Kenny almost appreciated it- he never got a meal cooked from scratch at his own home. He and his siblings usually had to fend for themselves and meals were usually instant or processed. No, this dinner would be a treat for Kenny.
He sat down to whatever Kyle’s family was having, knowing it would be healthy and heaped with vegetables. He was right as the plate was placed in front of him: fish in some kind of sauce, rice, salad, mixed veggies. Kenny picked up a fork ready to dig in when the weird feelings overtook him. His back itched and burned from whatever ointment Kyle had put on his back. But it wasn’t just that, his fork hovered over the plate but looking down at the veggies he felt disgust. Normally Kenny had a stomach like a trash compactor, he’d eat anything. So why were the veggies making him recoil?
He looked up across the table at Stan playing at his food, looking around uncomfortably. That picky bastard, his feelings were now affecting Kenny as he tried to eat. Kenny looked away and shoveled some of Mrs. Broflovski’s veggies in his mouth. He nearly choked, his eyes watered as he tried to swallow the bite down.
The rest of the family stopped eating to look at Kenny. Kyle reached over to try and pat him on the shoulder, not wanting to fully hit him on the back. Kenny took a big drink of water and looked around awkwardly.
“I’m fine, promise.” Trying to smile, happy that half his face was covered as the Broflovski family went back to eating.
After a few more awkward attempts to finish his plate, Kenny gave up. He getting more irritated at Stan’s feelings overwhelming him so he can’t just enjoy the meal. When will there be another chance for Kenny to eat so many vegetables? Dinner was cleaned up as Mrs Broflovski announced the boys could have dessert in a moment once the dishes were done.
All three boys plus Ike perked up at the mention of dessert, but all were shooed out of the kitchen while Mrs Broflovski finished cleaning. The boys hung around the living room as Ike tugged on Kyle’s sleeve.
“Put on my favorite show!” The kindergartener demanded.
“Fine, but don’t force us all to watch it.” Kyle grumbled as he pulled up YouTube on the family’s TV. “I swear it’s not even real TV you’re watching anymore.”
Kenny sat back on the couch as a little clown lady came on the screen, screaming and freaking out at her not remembering as she’s comforted by an antagonistic looking pair of dentures and a psychotic yet hilarious bubble.
“What the fuck is this show?” Kenny sat down on the couch, facinatined and happy to get to watch TV on the Broflovski’s big screen. Take his mind off his back titties and whatever aura of doom that was surrounding his friends.
A plate was placed into his hand without Kenny realizing it and he looked down to see a slice of chocolate cake and scoop of vanilla ice cream. The food hesitation dissolved and Kenny looked at Stan who’s general vibe felt more at ease. The boys sat down to watch Ike’s stupid cartoon and have the dessert Mrs Broflovski made.
Kenny took a bite of the cake, the texture slightly grainy as he made a face. “Why is it so weird?”
“You know my mom, always wanting stuff to be healthy.” Kyle shrugged as he took a bite. “It’s not that bad.”
“The ice cream is good at least.” Stan spooned another bite in his mouth, the ice cream mostly gone from his plate even if his cake remained untouched.
Suddenly the alarm bells went off in Kenny’s head, or more between his shoulder blades where his wings were slowly growing. He had an image of laying in the back of an ambulance, his oxygen slowly being cut off as he looked up desperately for help. Kenny was no stranger to medical emergencies happening to him, so he was already preparing himself if he was gonna choke again- or maybe the TV was going to fall on him or some other stupid senseless thing leading to his death. Maybe once he crossed over he could get clarification from the angel, whoever he was, about what he was supposed to do about the wings.
But this was different, Kenny shut his eyes and tried to lean into his impending sense of doom. Whoever was looking up from the ambulance couldn’t be him, because he could see his own worried face looking back at the mysterious patient.
Kenny got up and slapped the spoon out of Stan’s hand as he was finishing off his plate.
“Hey, asshole what the fuck was that for?” Stan grumbled as he shoved Kenny away from him.
“I don’t know! I mean…I just have a bad feeling about the ice cream.” Kenny shoved Stan back as he took his plate away.
“Not my fault Kyle’s mom makes weird health food with too many vegetables.” Stan snaps back as he rolls his eyes and sits back on the couch.
“Hey, buttfucker. You sound like Cartman, my mom’s food is fine, you're just allergic to anything with vegetables.” Kyle snaps as he gets out of his seat to break up Stan and Kenny’s fighting.
“No I’m not allergic to vegetables, maybe a few fruits but we didn’t eat anything like that.” Stan looks down at his plate and a worried look crosses his face. “Did I?”
Kenny shook his head. “Kyle, your mom makes all kinds of healthy food. Check if she replaced some ingredient with something Stan is allergic to.”
Stan stopped pushing Kenny and looked generally upset. He started to hyperventilate as Kyle took off to find his mom. Kenny shifted his back uncomfortably with the little wings still itching as he sat at Stan’s side and took his hand. “You’ll be okay, are you panicking because you’re having some reaction or because you’re freaking out?”
“I don’t know….” Stan gasped out, tears in his eyes as he face started to swell.
Kenny didn’t even know what he was doing but the feelings were overtaking him so it was even hard for him to breathe. He looked down at his hand holding Stan’s and started to see it lightly glow. His eyes got bigger as he whispered, “what the fuck?” Under his breath.
Stan looked up at him, his eyes equally wide but scared as his lips started to puff up. Kenny couldn’t help it, he hugged Stan tight even if it might make both of them uncomfortable in any effort to comfort his friend.
The glow from Kenny’s hand seemed to wash over both of them and Stan seemed to relax in his arms. Stan’s head rested on Kenny’s shoulder until he lulled himself into a sleep. Kenny wanted to push his friend off him but knew it was for the best to keep him there. Something Kenny was doing was making sure Stan would be okay.
Kyle ran back into the room, looking alarmed. “We checked the package on the ice cream and it has coconut milk in it. I’m sorry I didn't know and my mom feels bad. She’s calling your mom now. Stan….what the hell are you doing, Kenny?”
Kenny turned a little red as he kept holding Stan. “Just trying to make him feel better, he fell asleep.”
“That’s not good. Is he still breathing?” Kyle got in for a closer look.
“Yeah I think so, and he’s drooling on my shoulder.” Kenny felt his wings twitch slightly as he held onto Stan, his own face itchy but not as bad as his wings. “He’s gonna be okay if you call an ambulance for him.”
Kyle hesitated, about to argue before he nodded and grabbed his phone to make the call. “I can hold him if you want.”
Kenny shook his head as Kyle stepped forward. Somehow he knew if he were to let Stan go, his friend would get much worse. He was already in the midst of his feelings, the crush of trying to breathe and the itch of the allergic reaction- well Kenny was taking it on for Stan so he’d have an easier time recovering. If Kenny were to let Stan go, there’d be a drop in blood pressure or his throat would close up, so no, right now Kenny couldn’t let go for anything.
After several tense minutes there was a knock at the Broflovski’s door and Kyle let the paramedics in. Kenny finally relented and layed Stan down on the gurney like he was a little baby. He knew Stan would be okay as his friend was wheeled out with Kyle at his side.
Kenny had done something. He wasn’t sure what it was but the feelings washed away and walking home from Kyle’s house he felt lighter and the itching in his back was lessened.
His own humble home came into view and he could see the house was dark, he hoped the electricity hadn’t been shut off again. But another wave of emotion washed over him and the ache in his hairy back titties was coming back.
Here he felt small and cold, an ache in his chest as he kept coughing and coughing. The smell from next door is getting stronger. Whoever it was they were all alone, but trying to imagine the doll clutched in their arm was like a big sister who would protect them. They didn’t want to feel sick or scared anymore, a tear slipping down which added to their coughing and shivering cold.
Kenny snapped back into reality and broke out into a run towards his house, he knew that had to be Karen and had to find her before whatever fate would befall her next.