Chapter Text
It was the middle of January, school had been closed for a couple of days because of the unpredictable amount of snow.
Kenny, as always, was walking home after finishing his night-shift. It was a little chillier than he anticipated but that was no problem for him, he’d work through a zombie apocalypse if it meant his family could enjoy a normal dinner for once.
As he was slowly passing through the quiet town, Kenny took a moment to appreciate how beautiful a winter night could be.
The snow fell silently from the sky, blanketing the streets and houses in a soft white glow. It almost reminded him of a fairytale, one he’d always read to Karen before her bed time.
The night was so still that even the sound of the snowflakes landing on the ground seemed muted. Every house on the street was dark, with no lights shining through the windows. It was as if the entire world had gone to sleep, which was what he wanted to do as well.
As the blond boy continued to walk, the world seemed to take on a surreal quality. It was so calm, incomparable to how crowded and crazy the streets of South Park could be throughout the day. That’s why he loved his night-shifts more than his day ones.
When Kenny finally made it to the bridge separating the park from the rest of the town, he heard a strange noise, rather something you wouldn’t usually expect to hear in the middle of the night. It was muffled and silent but he could make out what it was even so. Somebody was crying.
At first, he didn’t even give it a second thought, he walked right over that bridge with his mind focused on only one thing, his bed. Though, as the crying became louder and louder, Kenny couldn’t get himself to cross to the other side of the road and go home.
“Oh, God damn it..” the boy thought while turning around and walking towards the bridge again.
He thought he might see a kid crying because he got lost or a girl that was endangered. Instead, when his head peeked over the edge, he saw a familiar face.
“Butters..?”
The word escaped his mouth without him realising it, causing the crying student to turn around and observe his surroundings.
He was shocked to see Kenny, it was late, or perhaps he was so bewildered because his fellow classmate saw him cry. Still, Kenny jumped over the bridge and landed safely next to Butters in the snow.
The blue-eyed boy had no coat, which surprised Kenny a little bit. What was a boy, financially stable doing without a jacket or at least a warmer sweater in such cold conditions? Nevertheless, he didn’t ask him that. He didn’t say anything. He just stood there until Butters was ready to speak for himself.
“Gosh…Kenny, I didn’t expect you to be here, it’s late…” said the blonde boy while wiping tears off of his face with his sweater’s sleeve.
“I work until 11 pm.” responded Kenny, still standing.
He wanted to appear tough, that he didn’t care for how Butters felt, but he couldn’t put on a show for much longer. Surprisingly, he was genuinely worried for his classmate. I mean, what was he doing in the middle of the night in only a thin layer of clothes, crying underneath a bridge?
“So..” Butters finally voiced, trying to break the awkward silence that was forming between them. “Why are you not home yet? It is 12 am..”
The question caught him off guard. Why was he not home yet? He knew he left the coffee shop at strictly 11 pm, the road leading towards the bridge would be at least 15 minutes long to pass, so how was it that it was already 12 am? Did he maybe overwork again? No, that couldn’t be the case since he did in fact check the clock before heading out.
Or could it be….No.
Kenny didn’t want to believe this. Did he seriously waste 45 minutes of his life standing on a bridge, debating if he should or should not check on the person crying?
He was supposed to be careless, how, even before figuring out it was Butters, how could he still have felt bad for the one bawling their eyes out?
His thoughts weren’t aligning properly. Maybe it was the cold weather or the lack of sleep. Or maybe both.
“Butters must be colder than me..and probably more tired…” his thoughts yet again choose to make him believe that he was a good person. “No, I shouldn’t care for him, he’s more than capable of taking care of himself, he’s…” But even the way of thinking of somebody as cold as him, could easily get reshaped by the teary blue eyes looking right into his soul.
Kenny sighed and took off his parka only to wrap it around Butters, who was almost as white as the snow because of the cold chilly air.
“Huh?!” Butters jumped, almost knocking the parka off of himself in shock. “Kenny, what are you doing?” he said.
“You’re freezing dude. Besides, i’m not even cold.” That was a lie. He was very cold, probably because of the lack of movement, but he wasn’t going to admit that to him.
“Well…thank you!” the blonde boy smiled, not a very genuine smile, but it was a smile. That made Kenny smile. What? No, no, no. That did not make Kenny smile because Kenny does not care for others.
“So..” Kenny’s voice sounded somewhat somber. “Can i know the reason to as why you are sitting in the snow, in the middle of the night, crying?” he casually asked, though it did not come out too casual for Butters.
His face quickly grew darker and he looked at his palms.
“Gee..I, I wouldn’t wanna bore you out with my personal life…”
What came out of Kenny’s mouth next was just as surprising to him as it was to Butters.
“I don’t think your personal life is boring.”
The blonde smiled at him then took a deep breath of air.
“Well….I fought with my parents again….for some silly reason, really.”
That made Kenny curious. “What was the fight about?”
“It was…not important…i never listen to my parents, they’re always right, i should just try to behave and…listen…”
Why was Butters avoiding the question? Maybe it was far more serious than Kenny anticipated…
“Butters…I don’t wanna overstep my boundaries but it’d be more useful for you to let out what’s bothering you instead of bubbling it inside. Trust me, i know how it feels to explode afterwards and i assure you, it’s not pretty..!” Kenny said with a soothing voice, close to the one he’d use when he’d talk with Karen.
That made the blue-eyed boy look at him with hopeful eyes. And so, he spoke.
“I…or, uhm…my dad….gosh where do i even start…”
“Start from the beginning.” Kenny’s assuring voice comforted him.
“Alright…While i was having dinner with my family, my mother pointed out that my hair was starting to grow out…It was long…long enough to touch my shoulders…and so, my father decided to take me tomorrow to the salon, to get it “fixed”…” he said while scribbling in the snow.
Kenny just now noticed that Butters’ hair was longer than he remembered, but it wasn’t long enough to touch his shoulders, like he described it. It was also sorta…messy?
“But…” his thoughts got interrupted by the voice of his friend. “I didn’t want to chop it off. I tried to explain to them that I preferred my hair to be longer, that i kinda liked it, heck…i even showed them some hairstyles i really wanted to do when my hair would be the right length…” he got silent. “But…”
Kenny noticed how Butters’ eyes were starting to tear up once again.
“But dad got mad at me….he said that long hair is for girls only and that i am a boy and have to act like it. I didn’t even have time to respond…when he suddenly grabbed the scissors and….”
Now Butters was really crying.
“And he cut my hair off! He pulled on it and cut it, i told him to stop but he…he didn’t…” the blue-eyed boy said before bringing his hands over his face.
Kenny was shocked by what he had just heard.
“What kind of sick dad does that to his own son? So what if he wanted longer hair?” he thought while reaching for the blonde, uneven hair tips in front of him.
Butters’ dad really did a number on the boy. His hair was longer on one side and shorter on the other. His bangs were uneven and some of his hair was tangled all together.
Kenny felt bad for him.
“Then,” the dark-blonde boy said. “Why did you come all the way out here? It’s very cold and i’m sure your-“
“My father kicked me out..” Butters voiced before Kenny could even finish his sentence. “He said i’m not allowed back inside until i learn how to behave myself. That’s why i’m sitting here, in the snow…haha….it’s funny really…”
“Funny?!” Kenny snapped. “Nothing about this is funny, Butters! Your dad’s a fucking asshole, he can’t just go around cutting people’s hair off!”
“Oh but he’s right…” Butters replied sadly. “Long hair just isn’t for boys, i’m so corrupt I-…”
“No.” This time, it was Kenny who stopped Butters from talking. “No, no Butters! He’s not right. Anybody can have long hair! Just like how anybody can have short hair! What the hell dude?! How do you even begin to think his behaviour is normal?!”
The question caught Butters off guard, he didn’t have an answer for it. He always made himself believe that his parents were doing the right thing, trying to raise him into a successful person, but deep inside he had doubt. He knew a family was supposed to support each other no matter what, he just didn’t want to believe that his family could not do the same.
“Butters..” Kenny finally spoke again. He wanted to ask his friend more questions but Butters wasn’t ready to answer all of them, and even someone like Kenny could see it. So, he went ahead and asked the obvious question. “Where will you be staying tonight? Since you did say your parents kicked you out…”
“I..I didn’t really think about it.” the blonde responded shyly. “I guess i was going to sit here until morning..”
Kenny remained silent after hearing his response. He thought for a moment. “Should i maybe help him?” No. His house was not big enough for one more person, they didn’t have enough beds, but the thought of leaving Butters all alone in the cold reminded him so much of himself and the struggles he used to face and is still facing. So he just gave in, and decided to offer him a helping hand.
“Well…You can crash at my place, if you want, that is…” he said while looking at the ground. Butters had drawn a few flowers in the snow, but as soon as Kenny’s eyes settled upon them, he erased them by scattering ice over the snow’s surface, embarrassed in a way.
“Crash at your place? I don’t know…I wouldn’t wanna be a bother…” Butters shyly spoke as he fidgeted with his hair.
At this moment, Kenny’s mind was set to only one thing. He was to agree with Butters, take back his parka and leave. It was as simple as that. But to his surprise, his words came out entirely different.
“You’re not a bother, plus, i’ve got more than enough room for one more person.”
That was a lie. What was Kenny thinking? He had only one bed, a terrible bed, but it was a bed alright, and a fucked up couch which belonged to the living room. “Would it even fit through the door?” the dark-blonde boy shrugged at the thought of his couch getting stuck in the door frame of his room. He wouldn’t even be able to have the luxury of having a door then, but those negative comments disappeared when he met with Butters’ soft eyes.
He had gratitude written all over his face, smiling sincerely at him.
“Thank you, Kenny. You’re much kinder than what most people give you credit for.” he said.
Kenny wanted to disagree, he was not kind at all, but there was something about those radiating blue eyes that wiped out all of his sentences, making him just smile awkwardly.
“So,” Butters spoke again. “Where is your house?”
This question made Kenny snap back into reality. “Right, my house. Just follow me.” he said reassuringly while reaching for Butters’ hand to help him up.
The blue-eyed boy accepted his help and beamed happily as they both started to walk. Kenny was also happy, happy he was finally getting to move since his fingers became numb of how cold it was outside. He thought that his unwell-being was incomprehensible, but Butters, yet again, proved him wrong.
“Gee Kenny, your hands are so cold!” exclaimed the shorter boy as he grabbed both of his hands in his. “Let me warm them up for you.” he continued, squeezing Kenny’s hands to keep the warmth from escaping.
Kenny’s hear beat a little bit, but he shrugged the feeling away since they finally made it to his house.
“Welcome to my humble abode.” was all that the dark-haired boy said as he opened the front door for his friend.
The inside of the house was simple, it had some ups and downs, mostly downs, but it was far better than sleeping outside in the snow!
What was strange to both Kenny and Butters was that there was light coming from one of the rooms. It was almost 1 in the morning, who could possibly be awake?
“Mom?Dad?” quietly yelled Kenny as he made his way towards the kitchen. Surprisingly, his parents were not the ones awake.
“Karen?!” Kenny screamed, covering his mouth to prevent himself from waking up his parents and brother. “Why are you awake?! Do you know what time it is?!” he quietly shouted in shock.
His sister beamed at the sight of her older brother and gave him a big hug, though, she was yet to explain herself.
“Well..?” the older sibling blinked while he ruffled Karen’s hair. “Why are you not in bed yet?”
“Sorry Kenny, i just didn’t wanna go to bed without you!” she sincerely exclaimed. “I didn’t think you’d be late…” She took a moment to stare at her brother then shifted her gaze to the person in the back. “Woah!” Karen jumped excitedly. “You are so pretty ma’am!”
Kenny glanced over at Butters’ surprised expression then back at his sister and realised what she had just said.
“K-KAREN!” he dark-haired boy shouted dramatically. “He-..HE’S NOT-!” But just as he was about to finish his phrase, the voice of his friend cut him off.
“Thank you!” responded now an overwhelmingly happy Butters. Kenny was sure that if he squinted his eyes, he could see sparkles jumping and shining next to him. “But your brother is right,” Kenny’s thoughts got cut off by the soft voice of his friend, once again. “I’m not a girl!” the shorter boy awkwardly laughed, trying to clear out the misunderstanding.
“Oh…You’re still very pretty though!” Karen said without hesitation. That made Butters somewhat even happier. “But…what happened to your hair? It looks very weird!” the little girl continued to reply.
Kenny, upon hearing his little sister’s words, sensed as a glass screen broke behind him, leaving him in utter shock.
He scolded his sibling, maybe a little too loud, forgetting that other people live under the same roof as him.
“Oh no, no! It’s alright!” Butters replied while moving his hands left and right.”Little girl, my hair got in a little disagreement with a pair of scissors…and it didn’t end too well…”
“Yeah…no kidding.”
“KAREN!” Kenny yelled once again, sure that his parents would burst through their door any minute now to tell him to shut the fuck up.
He quickly turned his attention to Butters, apologising for what his sister had just said, not knowing from where she had learnt to talk so freely.
Thankfully, the blue-eyed boy was not mad, he did seem rather uneasy though.
“Karen!” Kenny exclaimed, trying to appear mad. “You apologise to my friend this instant..!Or I will…..” the dark-haired boy’s eyes scattered around the messy kitchen until it landed on something valuable to his sister. “Aha! Or I will take away your beloved barbie doll!” he proudly said as he crossed his arms to accentuate his authority.
“No! Kenny, it’s the my favourite doll!” screeched the young girl, turning towards the other teenager. “I’m sorry for calling your hair weird…now please tell Kenny to not take away my only doll! I was supposed to practice different hairstyles on her!” the little girl pleaded as she started into Butters’ eyes. Though, Karen’s last words; “different hairstyles” gave Kenny an idea. The outcome of his plan could’ve either been successful, or a horrible catastrophe. Nonetheless, he was ready to give it a shot.
“Hey Karen..” Kenny said as he placed a hand over her head. “How would you like to test out your hairstylist skills on an actual human being?”
She beamed with excitement. “Really?! You’re letting me do your hair?!”
“Erm, no..my hair’s not long enough for your shenanigans, but we do have your first client right in front of us.” the boy voiced as his finger pointed directly towards Butters.
Karen appeared even more enthusiastic. Butters, not quite.
“Well…hold on now, i’m gonna cut my hair tomorrow anyways, there’s no need to try and “fix it”…” the teenager remarked as he brushed some loose strands of hair out of his eyes.
“None sense! We’ve got the entire night to ourselves! Why not give ya….how’s it called again?” Kenny asked looking at his sister.
“A makeover!” the younger sibling exclaimed as her brother chuckled.
“Yes, a makeover.”
“Oh boy..” were the last words Butters said before he forcefully got dragged into Karen’s room.