title : the assisant .
pairings:  post covid ! kenny mccormick x reader | timeline b.
trigger warnings : age gaps . reader is in her middle twenties , everyone else is forty nine . specific uses of she/her pronouns , Â uses of y/n + l/n .
writers note : iâm really, really nervous about this, i feel like this is a little rough but i just want to get kenny & y/nâs dynamic written so it opens more possibilities. i promise you, this is going to get better - đ feed back is always encouraged !
"good morning, mr mccormick" you said breathlessly, clumsily putting down his usual breakfast order on the desk - you take a little too much pride in how you didn't spill a single drop of coffee as the carboard crashes roughly onto the surface.
"good morning, miss l/n" kenny mirrors back, a tug pulling at his lips as he stops paying attention to his ipad, opting to watching you closely as you attempted to make the items organized, they were always placed down the same way. sandwich on the left in the centre, the coffee slightly above it on the right. he doesn't miss the way your tongue rolls over your lips as it had your full concertation, in fact it's all he can focus on, only drawn away when you start paying attention to him once bearings were gathered.
when you finally look up, your eyes meet, regret thrums inside your chest. heated cheeks from jogging across the building only became worse as embarrassment crashes through your veins at the very obvious amused glint in your boss' eyes - the grin on his lips that clearly indicates that he's laughing at you rather than with you.
as if you don't already know that from the state of you, your bottom lip jutted out a little at the comment, itâs that look exactly which makes kenny to tease you as often as he does " i know, sir, i'm really sorry " you straighten yourself up as best you can, fingers curling in the fabric of your blazer and tugging the front down, ridding it of creases that were only obvious to you "first there was a personal emergency that needed to get seen to, then traffic piled up on the main road - "
"hey hey, take it easy - " he soothes, though the laugh canât be helped, placing his ipad down on the desk as he walked around it, he sits on the very edge of the desk as you remained stood there, frazzled and distracted despite doing your best to bring your attention back into the room " we've talked about this, more than once, we're laid back here - "
"not finished" he raised his index finger to his lips, the moment it did your lips knitted shut, obediently stopping your response as you let him continue - " a couple of bad mornings are bound to happen, life'll get in the way and make leaving the house unbearable, believe me, i get that - it's about not making habits out of them, to push through as much as you can to not allow these moments impose on your work. " your once tense shoulders slump forward with each word he spoke  - a defeated stance taking over, lips pressing together as you swallow around the anxiety.
"... okay?" thereâs a certain delicately around the answer - wanting to know that you heard him while also making you aware he can see the sudden mood shift.
"yeah, i - thank you, sir, i'm sorry. i just really need - correction, i want this job, i enjoy working here, for you - for once i'm looking a boss in the face and meaning it, do you know how revolutionary that is ? " he chuckles at that, though allows you to continue as he sees your eyebrows stitching together in thought, " i suppose i'm just ... worried about jeopardizing my position here."
"you couldn't, youâre doing amazing work here, you helped me remember what date it is today - â corner of lips twitch at that, âyouâd only get fired if it was something ... really bad, like you royally screwed up, i'm talking completely cause this company and my work to collapse - "
"thank you, sir ... i think ?"
"no i mean you making a catastrophic mistake, like leaking my work to the enemy - "
the enemy ? Â what is he -
"you really don't give me the impression of doing something like that, though - but i suppose looks can be deceiving - "
oh, that's what he's doing. you're no stranger to this, but it still always manages to confuse you when this happens... whatever this is, exactly. kenny had the tendency to go on and on, internal thoughts meeting the surface for all to hear - the first time he did it you had never been so confused in your life, it took one of his colleagues pulling your aside to explain that this is simply... kenny.
"i knew that face was yours was hiding something devious - " little do you know, this tangent is a lot more intentional than his others - this is based solely on the ground to make you feel lighter again, to feel comfortable. to rid the worry from your forehead and make that smile break out across your face, the one he loves so much - you didn't deserve to feel so sad, Â to look it, he certainly never wanted to be the cause of it.
"mr mccormick, please" you tried to sound firm, but instead it came out in a tumble of giggles as your face broke out in a smile at his shenanigans.
"there it is" he murmurs ; more to himself than you, referring to the way your face lights up as the smile breaks out across your face, the way your eyes crinkle at the corners when showing an emotion as pure as joy "did you manage to eat this morning?" you shake your head, his foot drags forward the chair in front of you both that's tucked under the desk ; "sit" you can't help but follow, Â sitting down on the comfortable chair as your eyes peered up at him, watching every move he does. your eyes land on the way he reaches for the breakfast sandwich that he always orders.
"oh, no, sir, that's your regular - "
he stares at you for a moment, blinking a few times " ... so?"
"it's... your food" he canât help the way his eyes rolled, what you fail to detect is the fondness that lingered behind the action - picking up the neatly folded order and peeling the foil away.
âthe last thing we need, miss l/n is you passing out on the job. you canât organize my life for me when in the hospital - â Â he pauses for a moment, still as a statue "actually, you probably could - but let's not test out that theory - " the slice that was on top is picked up, kenny doing the honours of wrapping a piece of tissue at the bottom so nothing fails out unexpectedly. you know it's a losing battle, once kenny puts his mind to an idea, there's no pulling him away from it. so you reach out, delicately taking the half he offered you and took a bite out of the corner, the moment the taste explodes on tongue, you realized how hungry you were.
"better ?"
"mmm ..." you hum around another bite "hmhmm -"Â instead of a chuckle, a laugh rumbles through his chest as your reaction, clearly proving he made the right choice in the slight peer pressure he put you under. taking the moment to pluck the other half of the sandwhich and takes a large bite of his own.
"once we're done with breakfast, we can talk about the day ahead. right now, you need to take this moment to relax, go for a smoke or something - "
"oh, thomas undergrove is expecting a - "
"what did i just ?" he scorns playfully, picking up a piece of extra tissue and throwing it in your direction.
"i'm sorry, sorry - right, later - "
âatta girlâ he praises âhere, take my coffee. i can grab one from the breakroom - no, donât argue with me, you know win. â