Sleeping Dork | Kenny X male reader | South Park

9- well this is awkward

Kenny looked deep into my eyes in search for the answer. I didn't know what to say.

"I don't know... You don't need to do anything, it's not like it's a crime to speak"

"But I hurt you. Please, just let me do something in return. You can insult me back if it would make you feel better"

'I kinda already did...'

"I guess ... You could tell me about yourself..."

The boy froze.

"You sure you don't wanna just slap me?" He asked semi-joking. I didn't respond. He then sighed.

"Okay... Fair. So what do you want to know?"

"How come you're always tired?"

"I don't know, I'm just like that." He lied blatantly. I raised an eyebrow while giving him a non-believing look.

"Well, it was worth a shot..." He turned away from me and burried his hands in his pockets. "I don't get much sleep at night..."

"Why?" I asked concerned.

"Cause I work. I only get home around 4 am."

"What?!"  I couldn't believe it. "Why?! That's so bad for you!"

"I have to. My family isn't exactly the richest." His answers were dry and hid a lot. But it was progress that he was sharing this with me.

"God that's terrible, I'm so sorry"

"It's fine, really, I'm fine with it. I get enough sleep here and I earn good money."

"Good money? What about your health! Kenny this is serious, we have to talk to someone. A teacher may be able to-"

"No!" He screamed. "Please don't tell this to anyone! You have to promise me!" He turned his face to me and grabbed my arms extremely tight. I could almost feel his gaze burn through me, his tone break my bones and his grip destroy my courage.

"But Kenny-"

"PROMISE!" His desperation was too much. I didn't know wether to pity him or fear him.

"Okay... I promise..." I finally gave in. He moved his arms down slowly releasing me.

Silence took over as I rubbed my arms slightly hurt.

"Sorry..." He looked at me feeling a bit regretful.

"It's okay"

That exact moment the bell rang. Neither of us moved. There was a lot to be said and done, but neither had the courage or strength to do it that moment. We were both exhausted from the confrontation. After a while I packed my bags and got up. I reached out my hand to help him up but he didn't move, in fact, he looked to the side when I extended it and smiled faintly.

"You can go, I still have to pack my stuff."

I understood he wanted to be alone so I left after saying goodbye.

When I took one step out of the room, everything that happened settled in. The huge argument replayed in my head over and over. I tried remembering what I had said but it was too vague for some reason, as if when I said it I wasn't really there. I grabbed the straps of my backpack in hopes of grounding me to reality. But Kenny's face was stuck in me. His tired eyes were a consequence of him working. Him, a 17 year old boy that doesn't even study, working to provide for his family... Suddenly I felt like Kenny wasn't the same. The Kenny I knew was so chill and happy, he had no reasons to be sad and he made sure no one else did either...

But now. Now it was Kenny who was escaping his harsh everyday life by making jokes and laughing... And I had managed to ruin that for him...

I heard him getting up from the other side of the door and hurried to leave. When I got to class, Tweek looked at me worried.

"Y/N!" He shouted making the boys stare at me confused. I looked behind me searching for anything worth shouting about.

"What is it?" Token asked. Tweek, however, just stood up, grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out of the room to the hallway.

"Who hurt you?!" Tweek's voice was somehow lower than I'd ever heard.

"What?" I was genuinely lost as of why he was suddenly being so serious.

"I know you Y/n, and I can see from your face that you've been crying!" His tone shifted to a more worried one, still very aggressive though.

"What? No I haven't" I tried my best to lie my way out of explaining what had happened back then with Kenny.

"When you cry your nose gets red. I can see it. So just tell me"

"I'm just sick"

He sighed. "Please... What happened?" He tilted his head giving up on the bad cop act. His voice softened me.

"Just some stupid fight..."

"With who? Did they hurt you? Are you okay?" He went back to being his anxious self right after the word fight left my mouth.

"No one important. And we just talked, no hitting, I promise" I raised my hands innocently.

"If they weren't important, then why did they make you cry?"

"The crying part was kinda of my own fault..."

Tweek stayed silent. Almost as if he was trying to understand what I had just said.

"You don't sound like yourself..." Tweek talked quietly. I just looked at him trying to decipher what actually happened with the little information I was giving him.

"Okay... Sure, if you're not going to say anything else..." Tweek rolled his eyes and went back into the classroom.

I followed him quietly, digesting his actions. I sat next to Token. Tweek, Craig and Clyde continued talking, Token on the other hand stared at me in silence.

"Is everything okay?" He whispered to me. I looked to him calmly.

"Yeah, everything's fine" I smiled. It was an honest smile. Because just like there is the calm before the storm, there is also the calm after the storm. It might be a superficial calm of it all being over, before the mess that everything is settles in, but it's still a calm moment.

"You can talk to me if you want, really" He gave me a worried look. I chuckled and shook my head.

"Thanks man" I couldn't recognise my own voice. Listening to myself, not screaming nor complaining nor being sarcastic... It was nice.