Chapter Text
Things were different. Barbie, who now went by Barbara, had let Ken keep the dream house he once thought would be theirs. He didn’t have to stay where all the others Ken did, wherever that was. It was shortly after she'd decided to stay in LA with Gloria and her family that she had a phone conversation with Ken. They spoke about her new life, how things were different in Barbieland, and how she was grateful for all that had happened.
Still, Ken couldn’t understand her decision. Why would Barbara leave all of this?
After gifting him the house, dubbed once again Mojo Dojo Casa House, her tone became softer..
"I hope you find yourself and your purpose one day too." She'd told him with a warmth he'd never quite felt from her before. No malice, despite all he'd done to her and her friends. She truly meant it, and Ken didn't know what to do with himself. He’d obviously thanked her, but he’d been left at a loss of what those words meant.
The answer came quietly and it almost snuck up on Ken. He was Kenough, but it wasn’t that simple.
—
Ken’s days were filled with beaching and coordinated dance numbers. Though something didn’t feel quite right. The large house felt so empty at times. So Ken soon decided to reinstate boy’s nights. The Kens would come over and they’d binge watch their favorite horse show. Of course the Barbies were invited too though they seldom came over. Even Weird Barbie was busy with her new job working with President Barbie.
Allan, of course, always came.
But that’s when Ken started to notice a pattern. The Kens loved to talk about their Barbies and the fun adventures they’d get into. One Ken particularly loved talking about his best friend Physicist Barbie. She’d made another incredible scientific discovery and they were going out to celebrate the following evening.
That’s the first time Ken felt a tug in his chest. Uncomfortable enough to make him lose his appetite the rest of the evening. Was that jealousy or envy?
Ken knew he didn’t need to have a Barbie to feel complete. He didn’t exist under the warmth of her gaze any longer. He was Kenough for himself yet… that tugging in his chest wouldn’t cease.
—
Ken had friends. Of course he did. Accepting his mistakes and owning up to them won him a lot of respect from the other Kens, including Ken, who he never saw himself being friends with. Even Barbies treated him nicely, and not in a pitiful way.
Ken had Allan, his close friend, who came to all the boys' nights and even stayed late to help clean up. They would talk about everything and anything in Barbieland.
Ken had Weird Barbie who seemed to stop by often without real reason. He liked her company because she really liked his muscles and always complimented them.
So yeah. Ken had friends. Yet somehow he still felt… alone. He’d accepted that he and Barbie just weren’t meant to be. And perhaps Ken just wanted to end up with her because of some good marketing slogans. Perhaps he’d expected too much of her. Perhaps he should stop expecting so much from everyone and start focusing more on himself. It’s what Barbara had wanted for him.
He stopped hosting so many boys' nights because even those felt lonely too. Ken told himself he just didn’t want to deal with the messes left behind. Or that he didn’t want to make other Kens feel bad for being the only one with a Mojo Dojo Casa House.
He began redecorating as another excuse. Can’t have the boys over or dance parties if the walls aren’t the perfect shade of pink.
—
Days at the beach began to feel less beachy. Every Barbie and every Ken always showed up because it was always the perfect weather for a beach day.
Ken always came to the beach because he had a job to do. Standing a safe distance from the water and looking like he belonged there was no easy feat. It required the perfect outfit and more importantly the perfect attitude. Anyone could just go to the beach but only the professionals could beach.
Ken would often stand in the same spot every day and his friend Ken would always bring him ice cream or a soda pop to share. Slowly, Ken began to get tired of the routine. He blamed it on the flavors at first so he tried to switch it up. He went as far as to bring his own snacks to the beach.
He’d gotten up that morning and packed lots of fun snacks to share at the beach. He brought chips and sodas and even made some sandwiches.
“Hey everyone, Ken brought snacks for everyone!” Allan helped announce to the other beach goers. Ken never did that. They had all the snacks they needed there but it was a nice change.
Barbies were pleasantly surprised and Kens wouldn’t stop complimenting the consistency of the soda. Perfectly fizzy.
“Thank you, Ken!” They’d said in unison.
Such a simple statement but it resonated with him. Ken started bringing food more often after that. Suddenly beaching was less about looking incredibly hot next to the plastic water.
—
The feeling lasted but not as long as Ken had hoped.
It was another sunny day in Barbieland when Ken woke up feeling slightly off. He couldn’t explain what was weird. He felt it as he laid in the giant pink bed, covered in his favorite horse blanket, staring at the pink chandelier above him. The world was just the tiniest bit duller. He was in no hurry to start his day. He just wanted to lay in bed and ponder.
“Your mind is elsewhere.” Allan’s voice rang through the silence.
And Ken nearly jumped out of his skin. It was later in the afternoon and he’d asked Allan to come over and help redecorate before the next big party. He’d gotten more horse paintings and was choosing between three shades of pink for the walls. Time had passed without him even realizing it.
“What?” Was the only thing Ken managed, trying to steady himself.
“You’ve already decided. Why am I here?” Allan continued, staring at his friend with a worried expression. Allan noticed. Of course he did. Whenever something happened to Ken he was the first to come to his rescue.
“No, I need help with the color—“
“You don’t care what color the wall is.”
The silence was deafening between them. Allan was always so perceptive. Ken could do nothing but just stare at his friend, caught in the silent realization that Allan was right. He didn’t care and the proof was in his hands. He’d gone to get sample swatches and hadn’t realized two were the same.
Ken hadn’t realized it.
Ken, who coordinated the color of his belts with his socks. Ken, who owned thirteen sunglasses of the same style in different colors just to always wear the correct ones. He didn’t notice he’d gotten two swatches of Bubblegum Pink.
Allan didn’t press the issue and Ken pretended it had been on purpose. They spent the rest of the day painting the living room together mostly in silence.
—
Perhaps he didn’t care about the color of the wall. But he cared about other important things. Like organizing another cool dance party. But the idea of being around so many people and watching them do backflips in between dance numbers made him feel tired somehow.
“There you are, you gorgeous chunk of plastic.” Came the voice from down the sidewalk.
Ken had been getting his mail when he heard Weird Barbie making her way towards him.
“We still on for tonight?” She asked, leaning against the fence and shooting him a playful look with a wide grin.
On Thursday’s they hung out by the pool and just talked. Ken enjoyed his time with Weird Barbie because he never had to perform for her. Unlike the other Barbies, she was easy to talk to. Easy to confide in.
“I’m.. not feeling it tonight.” He admitted quietly, shuffling through all the pink envelopes in his hands. “Maybe next week.”
Weird Barbie didn’t look upset, but stared at him with the same worried look Allan had given him just a few days prior.
“Ah, don’t worry, sweetheart.” She said in the same casualness and familiarity she had with so many of the other dolls. “You okay though? Did you stay up watching Sense and Sensibility again?”
“What? No—I prefer Pride and Prejudice.” He said quickly, almost insulted. But his shoulders slouched, not feeling much of a fight in him. He glanced toward the house. “I.. don’t care what color my Mojo Dojo Casa House is.”
Weird Barbie’s brows shot up and she crossed her arms over her chest. That sounded serious. “Hey, that’s alright. You don’t have to choose one color. My house has random splatters of orange and blue. Gives it character.”
Ken smiled at that, for a moment feeling relief. Maybe he was just turning a little weird from hanging out with Weird Barbie so much. He didn’t mind that. He was already unique being one of the few Ken’s to ever travel to the real world. And also one of the only ones to not need a Barbie at his side.
He didn’t need anyone. He was… fine.
“Oh.”
Ken’s attention snapped back up to his weird friend. She was looking at him with a much more serious expression.
“It’s happening to you too.” She quickly pulled out an origami fortune teller from her leather jacket and began doing through the motions. “Have you felt a bit.. moody lately?”
“Define moody…” he muttered, worried he might give the wrong answer.
“Ken, I’ve never seen this happen to a Ken doll. This is big. Your person in the real world must need you and—“
“I’m not going back out there.” Ken cut in, staring at her seriously. His tone had shifted and it almost freaked him out. “I mean… remember the mess I made last time?”
“That was different. This time you’ll be on a mission for your person. Don’t you wonder what they’re like?”
Ken swallowed the lump that had been forming in his throat.
His person.
—
That was a week ago. Since then Ken had continuously gotten strange flashes. Weird day dreams of snow and a long driveway. A small dark closet and gentle humming. Being wrapped in a blanket that felt like a warm hug. Patchy grass under a tree house. It was jarring. These images were always so desaturated but felt so real.
Pink was losing its shine in his eyes. Perhaps avoiding the problem wasn’t the answer.
He felt lonely but he didn’t wish to admit it, even to himself. He was far from it. Barbies and Kens were naturally sociable. In fact, they were all outside his front lawn dancing the night away.
Nobel Prize Barbie had suggested celebrating Doctor Barbie’s birthday and Ken jumped at the chance to host it, just to distract himself. A party was just what he needed.
As he stood near the punch bowl beside Ken he quickly realized maybe this hadn’t been a good idea. DJ Barbie was playing Barbie’s Favorite Songs Volume 3, his favorite album, yet he couldn’t find it in himself to sing along, let alone dance.
“Come on, let’s hit the dance floor!” His friend urged him, downing the rest of his punch before turning to Ken.
Ken gripped the plastic cup. “No, no. You go on. I have to make sure everything is perfect. This is my first big party.” He forced a smile and the other believed it.
“You’re such a good friend.” He patted Ken’s shoulder before disappearing into the choreographed dancing crowd.
Ken could only nod, his muscles tense from the brief physical touch. He could barely hear the music over his own thoughts and he was starting to get a headache. What the hell was wrong with him?
Soft crying and quiet prayers. A young man wishing he wasn’t so alone. That voice sounded so familiar. He’d heard it before. At least he thought he did. It had been a distant memory, one he didn’t even know he had. But he recognized the prayer. The voice.
“Great party!”
Ken snapped back to reality, nearly dropping his punch. He turned to see Weird Barbie and Allan beside him.
“Thanks.” He muttered, setting down the cup. “Are you enjoying yourselves?” He could at least pretend he was fine a bit longer.
The two exchanged a look before turning back to the bleach blonde doll.
“Party’s over, bud.” Allan said, gesturing to the near empty lawn. A few Ken had stayed behind to help clean up along with weird Barbie’s crew.
Ken looked around confused, glancing every which way. But everyone was just dancing. Everyone was enjoying themselves. He… was supposed to be having fun himself.
He turned to his friends once more, unable to hide the panic in his expression. Weird Barbie gently took his arm and they both led him inside to the living room. Allan left momentarily to fetch him some water as Weird Barbie checked him.
“Do we need to call Doctor Barbie? She’ll know what to do.” Ken began, thinking maybe he’d just caught a cold. Barbie would fix him. She always knew what to do!
“I don’t think so, guy.” Weird Barbie muttered, glancing towards Allan. “This seems like what we talked about. Mind telling us what’s been going on with you?”
And so Ken did. He told them of these visions and his thoughts. Told them how pink didn’t seem as bright anymore. Told them he could hear a young man talking to him. A distant voice that seemed to drown out all the other noise around him. How uncomfortable he began to feel by simply having people around him.
“Your kid must need you.” Weird Barbie concluded, sounding rather confident in herself.
“I can’t go back out there. Plus what am I supposed to do?” Ken argued, quickly taking a sip of his water. He felt his hand shaking.
“You can at least talk to him. Bring him here and we can all hang out a bit. Cheer him up.” Allan suggested.
“I could show him my Mojo Dojo Casa House. If he sees how cool I am, surely he’ll feel better.” Ken quickly said, the idea of meeting his kid suddenly sounding more and more exciting. This could be good. Maybe he’d stop feeling so lonely.
—
It was early in the morning. There wasn’t a big send off. Weird Barbie and Allan and a few other Kens stood beside the pink car as Ken finished packing his skates.
“I’ll be back with my person soon.” Ken said, shutting the trunk. “We’re going to talk about horses and play games and even beach together.”
“That’s the spirit. Good luck, handsome!” Weird Barbie patted his shoulder.
Ken grimaced as he got in the driver's seat but quickly fixed a smile. “I’ll be back soon. Please take care of my Mojo Dojo Casa House.” He muttered, looking at his friends once more. He knew they would.
He pulled out of the driveway and began heading south, watching in the rear view as the once bright land slowly shrunk in the distance. He didn’t want to leave. Not when he’d finally gotten what he always wanted. A home, lots of friends, respect from Ken, and a sweet pool. Why did this have to happen to him?
Ken turned his attention ahead as he passed the sign reading Come Back Soon then he turned the radio up.
I went to the doctor
I went to the mountains