BEN Drowned x Reader

Part 16

Ben's POV:

When I wake up to see my alarm clock read 10:09 a.m., I'm surprised to say the least. Usually hearing (y/n) up and about early in the morning wakes me up, but maybe I've finally learned to sleep through it.

What time was I supposed to meet Serena again? I agreed to play Animal Crossing with her this morning. I hope I haven't kept her waiting. I sit up and lazily rub the sleep out of my eyes, but when I look back up I see (y/n) in her bed, sleeping like the dead. Isn't she supposed to be out training with Toby and Kate by now? Maybe they're just taking a day off.

I get up and throw on an Animal Crossing themed t-shirt, a jacket, and sweatpants. I don't have anywhere fancy to be today so there's no need to dress up. Comfort is key, after all. I quietly close the door behind me (so I don't wake (y/n) up) as I go to the bathrooms to fix my hair and brush my teeth, but when I come back, she's still lying on her side. This time, though, her eyes are open, staring blankly at nothing.

That's unusual.

I walk over to the side of her bed and crouch down so my face is level with hers, but I keep enough space between us so I won't smell her morning breath.

"(Y/n)?" I ask to get her attention. Her eyes lazily meet mine. I notice they're puffy, probably just from sleep, but before I can examine her any longer, she shoves her face into her pillow. "Aren't you supposed to be out with Kate and Toby?" I question.

"No, I told them I wanna sleep in," she mutters into her pillow. Her voice is thick with exhaustion. I bet it's from how hard she's been pushing herself with training every day. She's been so determined to become a proxy of Slenderman. If I had even a fraction of her determination, I'd definitely be in much better places.

Sometimes it hurts to know someone so incredible is fighting so hard just so she can get away from me. Have I really messed up that badly?

"Are you feeling okay?" I ask. She was so motivated before, so why would she suddenly not be today? Maybe she's sick?

"I just wanna rot here..." she murmurs, her words still muffled. I can barely understand what she's saying.

"Rot?"

She takes a big breath in, lifting her face from her pillow and turning to face me. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine. Just a side-effect of..." She reaches for the next word, closing her eyes while she pulls the covers over her chin, "...overworking myself, I guess...?"

For some reason, I'm not convinced. I think she might be sick. I put the back of my hand on her forehead to check for a fever, which makes her eyes open wide at the touch, but she doesn't seem to be overheating. "Do you need medicine?" I ask, pulling my hand away.

"What? No, I'm not sick," she says matter-of-factly.

"Then what's bothering you?"

"Nothing," she shakes her head, "I'm fine."

I'm not sure what to say to her now. She isn't fooling me: clearly something is wrong. Maybe she just doesn't want to talk about it.

"You're a shit liar," I joke, "but okay..." I stand up. "Then I'm headed out. See ya," I say as I turn around. I grab my Nintendo Switch and head to the door.

I don't know why I expect her to respond, but when I stand for a second longer at the door only to be met by silence, my heart sinks a bit. I hope she feels better soon. I walk out the door, closing it softly behind me, and start down the hall towards Serena's room.