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As much as he’d complained about it nonstop, having some extra support was… nice, actually. Kenny was well aware of how pissy he’d been towards Butters in the last couple months since he got practically forced to get a cane, but now he was glad his friend hadn’t given up on it. God he was a headstrong bastard.
It had been a few days since Butters had bought him the cane, and also a couple knee braces (of the less visible, fabric ones, because he knew Kenny way too well), but he’d insisted he wasn’t in enough pain to use it just yet. Yeah, that was totally an excuse, but he needed to mentalize himself for it first.
It was bullshit, not being able to walk without help. It was bullshit that his body couldn’t work well enough by itself. It sucked, and yet…
Well, if dying in a car accident the previous night would’ve usually kept him home, now he was heading to school and not feeling like absolute shit, which he guessed he had to thank Butters for. He was going to do that (and apologize for being a dick) the moment he saw him, because holy fuck man.
Kenny looked at his feet, his old red converse he’d been gifted three years ago, and the stick that accompanied them. His cane was black, nothing too fancy, he was definitely going to decorate it in some way as soon as he figured out how. He kicked a stone and watched it leave a trail on the snow. Yeah, he was a lot less pissed now. He was ok. He would be.
* * *
“Hey!!!” Butters greeted, running towards Kenny the moment he saw him. He hugged him, almost making them fall to the ground, which made both of them giggle.
“Careful, Buttercup” Kenny laughed, carefully pulling away.
“Sorry, I just missed ya” Butters smiled, and then his eyes fell on Kenny’s cane “Bad day?”
“Eh, I’m surviving” He smirked, but then his expression turned rather soft “Thanks, by the way. This fucker’s avoided me becoming a hermit” Kenny held it out, winking at his friend.
“Told ya, it’d totally help” Butters answered with a giggle, and then grabbed Kenny’s free hand and walked towards where Stan was standing. He and Kenny waved at each other, but Kenny noticed how his expression became equally concerned and confused when he saw the cane. Ok, shit, time to do the explaining.
“Are you ok? Did you like, I don’t know, get hurt or something?” Stan asked him when they got to him.
“Nope, try again” Kenny answered nonchalantly, trying to avoid what was bound to happen.
Stan looked at Butters in a questioning manner, at which they shrugged.
“It’s Ken’s business to tell ya or not, don’t look at me”
“Ok, uh… I don’t know man, you got a sugar daddy and he forgot his cane at yours?” Stan joked, not really knowing either way. Kenny laughed.
“Nah man, I’m still tryna get Mrs Broflovski to accept my courting” Kenny joked back “It’s nothin’, my body’s been doing weird crap lately and hurting for no reason so… yeah, this is Butters’ fault by the way, I was cool with just staying home but whatever” He smiled, lightheartedly.
“Well asshole, some of us miss ya when ya ain’t coming to school y’know?” Butters hit him lightly, their smile matching Kenny’s.
“Have you like… gone to the doctors for it? That sounds concerning dude” Stan pointed out.
“Too poor for that, I’ll do it when I become a millionaire or something” Kenny winked. It was definitely an excuse, he knew the only thing wrong with his body was excessive dying, but his friends didn’t need to know that.
“And I’ll hold him to that” Butters laughed.
“Damn, gangin’ up against me? That’s a bitch move”
“Always has been, always will be” Stan answered with a smirk, and then the bell rang so the three boys started walking to class.
* * *
“Ohhh fuck”
They had gotten to the door of their classroom, only to see Cartman sitting on a table, unreliably narrating whatever the day’s bullshit was. There weren’t many people listening to him, but the class was still full - if Kenny, Butters and Stan hadn’t been the last to get there, they were the second last at most.
Then Cartman seemed to notice Kenny’s presence, and he snarled as he walked towards him. Butters gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go and rushing to their seat (Kenny knew, he didn’t want to be near Eric too much. He didn’t blame him), leaving Kenny standing at the door, not knowing what to do.
“Hey Kinny! You fell downstairs or something?” Cartman joked, a smug smile on his face.
“Yeah, and I hit my head so now I'm a retard, let me go get my chainsaw” Kenny told him, rolling his eyes and walking around him to his seat. Everyone looked confused by his words, besides Craig and Jimmy who instead snorted - well, at least someone caught the reference.
“What, you don’t wanna say? Did you become a cripple or something, is that it? Poor, gay, crippled… three strikes, you’re out” Cartman told him with as much venom as he could in his voice, but Kenny didn’t pay him any mind.
Bad choice.
To get Kenny’s attention, Cartman grabbed his cane with a laugh, making the other boy completely lose his balance. He braced himself for the hit, he was used to it, he’d be fine, but a pair of arms caught him instead.
“Leave him alone fuckwad!” Kyle snapped, retrieving Kenny’s cane with the arm he wasn’t using to hold him and giving it back to his owner.
“Chill Kahl, we were just talking weren’t we?” Kenny flipped Cartman off, still shaken by whatever-the-fuck-that-was. “Whatever dude, it’s not like I was wrong, Kinny is a cripple now. Aren’t you McCormick? A poor, stupid, crippled fag”
Yeah, he was. He fucking was.
“Go away or you’re gonna regret this Cartman, this is your last warning”
Cartman laughed, but he stopped when he noticed Kyle’s look. He wasn’t angry that often anymore, but when he was, it was fucking scary.
“Ok, whatever you say jew” He then walked away, flipping them off, which Kyle promptly returned.
“Can you get to your seat on your own?” Kyle whispered to Kenny, not wanting to embarrass him in front of the whole class but still wanting to offer.
“Yeah, yeah I think so, don’t worry dude” Kenny smiled, because no way he’d let Kyle help him out. No way he’d let anyone help him out.
He could get to his seat, he could probably even do it without his cane! Fucking hell, the only reason he’d almost fallen earlier was the surprise. Yeah, that was it. He was just surprised, but he didn’t need help. He was strong. He could do whatever he had to. He was no cripple, there was nothing wrong with him.
Sitting on his chair though, he felt the overwhelming urge to start sobbing. He let his head fall on his table, the strength he was using to keep it upwards leaving his body.
“Are you ok?” Clyde, who sat next to him, asked him.
Then he realized, everyone in class had probably seen the scene he’d just made. Fuck. The need to die right there was real. Why were there no school shootings when he needed them? He groaned.
“I’m just fine” Kenny responded, not raising his head.
“Cartman’s an asshole, don’t mind him much” Tolkien reassured him, a smile audible in his voice. Yeah, too late for that.
Then he felt something small hit his head, and as he raised it slightly to look at it, he saw it was an earbud. Craig was looking at him from the front row, signaling at him to put it on. And so he did.
Ya Te Vas A Mejorar blasted through it, and Kenny couldn’t suppress a laugh. Craig gave him a small smile, and Kenny lightheartedly flipped him off, which the other boy soon reciprocated.
Ok, yeah, he was going to be fine. And if not, as the song said, committing mass murder was always an option.
He heard a notification come into his phone, so he unlocked it.
> is everything ok?
> eric sucks im sorry
Kenny smiled lovingly at Butters’ care. He didn’t fucking deserve him.
its fine butterfly dw <
> u sure?
yeah id tell u otherwise wouldnt i <
> nope no way
> u suck at communication man
STFU have some trust in me smh <
> no ty :3
Both boys quickly pocketed their phones as soon as they heard the teacher come into the classroom, Kenny looking back at where Butters was sitting. They smiled at each other.
Listening to El Cuarteto, knowing his friends were there for him, Kenny knew he could get through the day.
* * *
“You mean, like, chronic pain?” Kyle asked, resting his face on his hands, his elbows propped on the table.
Kenny, Butters, Stan and Kyle were sitting at their usual cafeteria table. Cartman was in detention for, as Butters had said, “being an annoying butthole”, so it was luckily just the four of them there.
“Yeah, I guess so? I dunno, it’s been happening since, forever, but it’s gotten worse lately so…” Kenny trailed off, nibbling his sandwich. He didn’t like talking about it, but he was aware his friends kinda deserved to know, and it wasn’t like he had much of a choice.
“Wait!” Stan exclaimed, startling all of them “The bruises all over you, did you really just fall???”
“Uh, yeah? I’m not a liar” Kenny smirked.
“I asked him the same thing, you’re not alone” Butters laughed, lightly elbowing Stan.
“Dude, I’m so sorry for speculating about your homelife…” Stan told Kenny, lying his head on the table “I feel like an idiot man”
“I mean, you kinda are an idiot” Kenny picked one of Kyle’s fries and threw it at Stan, who flipped him off. “But like, thanks for worrying or whatever. You’re cool”
Butters smiled at him, and he returned the gesture. Then Kenny tried to take another of Kyle’s fries, but Stan took the box away from him, and passed Kyle his juicebox as he ate them.
“Dude, rude” Kenny said to Stan.
“Sucks to suck” Stan threw one of Kyle’s (now his?) fries at the air, catching it with his mouth. Then he passed one to Butters, who attempted the same thing, only for it to fall on their face.
“Ow!” Butters complained, getting laughter out of everyone at the table. He aggressively threw the fry at Kenny, who caught it and ate it with a smug smile on his face. “Fuck you”
“Do it yourself you coward” Kenny replied with a wink.
“As our least favorite fattass would say, quit the faggocity dudes some of us are trying to eat” Kyle laughed as he sipped Stan’s (his?) orange juice.
“Awww, you jealous Ky-doll?~ C’mon, gimme a kiss~” Kenny joked, leaning against Kyle, who pushed him away with a smile and an eye-roll, which made them all laugh yet again.
Ok, yeah, maybe things weren’t perfect. But sitting there with his friends, Kenny knew it wasn’t long until they were
* * *
“Jimmy, wait up!” He did as told, and Kenny ran to him.
“What’s u-u-up?” Jimmy asked when Kenny got to his side.
“Where’d you get those?” He wondered, pointing at the decorations on his crutches. They had stickers, but also spikes, bearded wire, and they were painted a bunch of cool colors.
“Stores onl-luh-line, and some shops at the m-m-m-muh-m-mall” Jimmy answered, smiling. “I can send them to y-you later if you w-w-want”
“Kickass!” Kenny exclaimed, beaming. He wouldn’t be able to get anything way too expensive, but he was sure there’d be something he could afford. His cane was boring as fuck, and he was gonna change that.
“I gotta b-buy some new o-ones too, wanna come w-wuh-with?” Jimmy offered.
“Fuck yeah dude! Thanks man” Kenny answered, a huge smile on his face.
“No p-p-p-pruh-problem” Jimmy smiled back, and after making plans for their hangout, they each went with their own group of friends.
* * *
“You guys, detention was so weak” Kenny heard Cartman complain as he left the school. He and the rest of the group were sitting at the staircase at the school entrance, probably waiting for him.
“I mean, ya were kinda throwin’ those sharp pencils at the teacher so…” Butters answered weakly.
“…and?”
“Dude, you could’ve hurt her doing that!” Kyle pointed out, and Cartman huffed.
“Yeah Kahl, that was the point” Then, he seemed to notice Kenny’s arrival, so he smirked again. “Here comes the cripple you guys”
Kenny flipped him off, walking towards Butters instead.
“Hey Buttercup, wanna sleep at mine tonight?” He said when he got to their side.
“Well sure!” Butters answered, excitement obvious in his voice as he leaned against Kenny.
“Hey, Kinny! This means you're going to the spED class? Fuckin’ finally, always knew you're too dumb for-” Kenny hit Cartman’s head with his cane as strong as he could, which got him to stop on his tracks, his face blank for a second. “Hey- HEY, why'd you do that?!”
Kenny stuck out his tongue in response.
“Sucks to suck” He told Cartman as his only answer, which got laughter out of his friends.
“Fuck you man, that hurt” Cartman complained, touching his now bruised head.
“Deservedly so” Kyle told him, and then he changed the topic “I have some money, wanna go to the arcade?”
Three variants of “fuck yeah!”, as well as a muttered “Of course you have money, dirty jew”, were said in response, and so the friends rushed to the mall.
* * *
“I had lots of fun today” Butters said, getting closer to Kenny.
They were at Kenny's room, cuddled on his bed, Butters’ head resting on his chest. Kenny's new stuffed mimikyu was on the bedside table, sitting next to Butters' sheep squishmallow. Kenny had been smoking for a bit after they got there, so the window was open, the smell of smoke vaguely lingering in the air.
“Hm, me too” Kenny agreed with a yawn.
“How're ya by the way? I know Cartman was a real butthole today” Butters huffed, yet the care for Kenny was obvious in their voice.
“Eh, it's fine now. Just tired” Kenny reassured him, putting his arm over his eyes to shelter them from the few beams of light that had made their way into his room. “He's a dick but-” He yawned “-he shut up after I hit him a bunch of times” Butters giggled, reminiscing it “So I don't care about him much. It's more, I'm not used to leaving home on days like this”
Butters hummed, understanding.
“Did it work, like, did it…?” Butters trailed off, looking at Kenny's face.
“Yeah, I'm in a lot less pain than I would usually be” Kenny smiled. “Thanks buttercup”
“Well no problem Ken! I'm glad” Butters smiled back, even though Kenny still had his eyes covered so he couldn't see it. He really was glad he'd been helpful and made things even a bit better for Kenny. He wanted to do that as much as he could.
Kenny started playing with Butters' hair, humming a song Butters could only vaguely recognize. Too sleepy to ask Kenny what its title was, they made a mental note to ask him the following day as they cuddled against his chest. He responded with a noise of content, hugging Butters closer to him.
They would be ok.