A/N: You know...there's a lot of different types of abuse. And the worst forms often leave scars we can't see but never fully heal. Writing this actually left a sinking feeling in my heart 'cause, well, it's a little too realistic. But, you know enjoy anyway, I guess but keep in mind the genres only fit here VERY loosely.
"One, two, three..." Butters counted slowly. That Sunday afternoon was much warmer than the previous week and he intended to take full advantage of it. He was pressed against a tree in the park and counting to ten as his new friend hid. "...four, five, six…" For the first time, he could play out in the open with her without fear.
As Butters continued counting began to fade in volume, a girl with long blond hair looked around the park excitedly for a place to hide.
'Come on, Cierra,' she thought to herself. 'There's gotta be a respectable hiding place somewhere.'
"...seven, eight, nine, ten!" Butters finished happily. "Ready or not, here I come!" he called out to Cierra. He looked around for her but saw nothing but the empty basketball court. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," he said as he wandered around the small park. While he searched for his friend, his mind wandered back to that past Monday. Who knew that being a brony would actually help him make a new friend? He then shook his head realizing what a silly thought that was. Why wouldn't a show like Friendship is Magic lead to a new friendship? 'And just think,' he thought, 'if I hadn't brought my Fluttershy wallet that day, we might have never met each other.' He frowned at that possibility but then smiled as he thought, 'But we did. We're friends now….and that's all that matters.'
Cierra peaked from her hiding place behind a trashcan and snickered softly.
'He'll never find me over there,' she thought. 'There's nothing to hide in.' She saw Butters look into a tree's knothole and tried as hard as she could to suppress a laugh. 'Oh, Butters, where's your head?' She slunk behind the trashcan again and shrugged her shoulders gleefully.
"Oh…" Butters groaned. "Where'd she go?" He scratched his head thoughtfully and was startled by a sudden rustling noise nearby. He set his sights on a moving bush and grinned, thrilled by his discovery. He quietly approached the bush and reared back to pounce on Cierra.
"Ha-ha!" he laughed triumphantly. "One, two, three on-!"
But before he could finish his cry, his prey leaped from their hiding place. But instead of Cierra before him, Butters reeled back and fell to the ground in shock as Eric Cartman revealed himself.
"Jesus, Butters," he said, "how bad of seeker can you be to lose Cierra in a park this small?"
"Oh, hi, Eric," Butters said flatly.
"I know, Butters. I know," Cartman said putting up his hands defensively, "I'm the last guy you probably wanna see right now." Butters folded his arms. "But I need to talk to Cierra."
"We're busy playing hide and seek, Eric," Butters said firmly.
"I know that, Butters!" Cartman said. "So, we gotta find Cierra right now!"
"Two people can't look for one person in hide and seek, Eric," said Butters. "That's cheating! Besides, I don't think she wants to talk to you right now, anyway."
"I know she doesn't want to talk to me!" Cartman barked in a frustrated tone. "But there's something….something I need to talk to her about."
Butters raised an eyebrow but Cartman pleaded. "Butters, brah, come on. This is really important! Please!"
"Did you come to apologize?" Butters asked folding his arms again.
"Apologize!?" Cartman squeaked in shock but collected himself and said calmly. "Well...in a….manner of speaking, yes."
"Well…"Butters said, still unsure. "...OK."
The two boys combed the area for Cierra and Butters saw a tuft of light blond hair from behind the garbage can.
"Hee-hee!" he chortled. "One, two, three on Cierra!" he called heartily.
"Aww!" Cierra giggled. "How'd you find me?"
"Wasn't hard, cuz," said Cartman coming up beside Butters.
Cierra's smiled melted into narrow eyebrows and a frown and she turned her back on her cousin with a huff.
"Aw, cuz, come on!" Cartman cried. "You're not still pissed are you?"
Cierra didn't budge, instead giving a soft growl.
"You won't even give me a chance to explain myself?"
Cierra turned to face him again with a jerk. "What's to explain?" she said sharply. "You lied to me, stole money from me, destroyed Butters' friendship bracelet, and almost destroyed our friendship!" she said pointing to herself and Butters.
"I know, I know," Cartman spoke in a calm tone and put up his hands defensively. "And you have every right to be upset."
"Well, you-" Cierra suddenly realized what her cousin said. "-what?" she asked while raising an eyebrow.
Cartman continued in the same calm tone. "I know I did wrong to you and Butters and….what I did was not cool."
Cierra looked to Butters who seemed just as confused as she was.
"Well...yeah," Cierra said hesitantly.
"But, cuz, you gotta understand it from my perspective," he gestured to himself. The two blonds shared perplexed looks with each other again. Cartman sighed heavily, "Jesus, this…," he rubbed the back of his head, "...this is very difficult for me."
"What is it, Eric?" asked Butters.
"A lot, Butters," Cartman said but he kept his eyes on Cierra. "Cuz…" he approached Cierra who avoided his gaze. "Please just hear me out," he pleaded while pressing his hands together in a praying gesture.
Cierra looked past Cartman to Butters who shrugged in confusion.
"I admit it, I…." Cartman hesitated, "...I did lie when I told you I was trying to get the guys to be friends with you."
"Yeah, I know," Cierra said in a slightly bitter tone.
"And stealing money from you was….not the best way to handle...how I was feeling," Cartman put his hands to his chest and frowned.
"Feeling?" Cierra asked. "Feeling about what?"
"Cuz," Cartman came closer to her, "Let's not mince words, OK?" He gestured to himself then to her. "You and I both know, you don't need any help making friends." Cierra still felt very confused as he continued. "I mean, I'm surprised you settled for Butters. No offence, man," Cartman added quickly.
"None taken," Butters said flatly.
"I know how popular you were back in your private school, so I can see why it would be hard for you to understand….what it's like," Cartman said dramatically.
"What what's like?" Cierra asked in a more sympathetic tone.
"To be lonely," Cartman said concluding his thought.
Cierra's face became a concerned frown.
"I'm afraid I've told more than my fair share of lies to you, cousin," Cartman continued. "I may have….exaggerated my level of popularity at school just a teeny bit," he raised his voice's pitch and pinched his fingers together. "Truth is...before you came along, life in South Park was pretty lonely."
Butters' expression went from skeptical to concerned as well.
"I was so happy when I first got the news, you know?" Cartman went on. "That you were moving to South Park."
"You….you were?" Cierra asked.
"Of course!" Cartman exclaimed. "I thought 'Finally! Someone in this town I can trust! Someone who actually listens to me! Who understands me!'"
"But, Eric," Cierra said still feeling confused. "The-the way you've been acting-"
"I know, cuz!" Cartman said dramatically. "I know!" He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her for emphasis. "I've been a total bastard to you! And...not everything I've been doing was for your 'protection'."
Cierra frowned feeling slightly skeptical again.
Cartman saw her change in expression and quickly continued. "It's just," he slowly slid his hands from holding her shoulders to holding her hands. "...our relationship, our friendship means so much to me, cuz," he turned away and shook his head, "I couldn't risk anything getting in the way of that."
"Eric…" Cierra said regaining her sympathetic tone.
"And when I heard it was Butters…" he gestured to Butters. "Butters, of all people," he turned back to face her. "I-I just went ballistic, cuz."
"Why?" Cierra asked.
"Yeah, why?" Butters asked still confused.
"Butters is the closest thing to a friend I have in South Park, cuz," Cartman explained. "So, when I found out about you two, I-I just got so jealous."
Cierra looked away guiltily.
"So jealous that I...I was willing to hurt you, just to make sure I didn't lose you as a friend."
"But-" Cierra began but Cartman continued over her.
"I mean," Cartman released Cierra's hands and walked a few steps away, staring at the ground, "here I am, with almost no friends in my entire town, getting all excited about getting the best friend I've had in years coming to live here," he gestured to her, "and what happens?" he asked in a breaking voice, "she swoops in," he made a swooping gesture with his arms, "and becomes best friends with my best friend." he pointed to himself.
"But what's wrong with your two best friends being friends?" asked Butters.
Cartman turned to face them both. "What's wrong?" he asked. "What's wrong, is that if you two've got each other... what do you need me for?" he sniffled and wiped a tear from his eye. "Look, I'm not a perfect kid, alright? I make mistakes, I do stupid shit. But does a kid have to be perfect to have friends?"
Cierra and Butters looked to each other with identical frowns on their faces.
"Eric, just because Butters and I are friends, doesn't mean-" Cierra began.
"Oh, sure," Cartman interrupted. "It'll start with Butters." He turned away from them again and walked a few steps away. "But soon, you'll get another friend and then another and another and then…" Cartman began weeping silently. "...you'll forget all about me."
"...Eric…" Cierra held out a hand to him.
Cartman turned back to the two of them and continued tearfully.
"I mean, sure, maybe I went about it the wrong way. Maybe I was being selfish," Cartman ran to Cierra and firmly took her shoulders again. "But can't you try to understand...what it's like to see your only friends having fun without you?"
"Eric, I….I'm sorry," Cierra said softly. "I had no idea you felt this way."
"Well…"Cartman dried another tear. "You know now, right?"
Cierra nodded with a gentle smile.
"And...you'd never do that to me right? Leave me all alone?" he asked.
Cierra shook her head.
"You-you're my reason for living, you know?" Cartman hugged Cierra tightly and she felt a sudden coldness overtake her. "In fact, I…. probably only had a few days left before you came along."
"Oh, Eric!" Cierra cried in fear. "You don't mean that!" She pulled away.
"You bet your ass I do," Cartman said pulling her back in. "That's how much our friendship means to me."
As Butters heard this, he looked to the ground worriedly. Cartman caught a glimpse Butters over Cierra's shoulder and gestured for him to come closer. Before Butters was in earshot Cartman whispered to Cierra.
"And you know….not even Butters would accept you the way I do. Eh?" he asked in a sly tone.
Cierra gasped softly and regained a worried look on her face as Butters came into earshot and Cartman loosened his hug. Cartman didn't let Cierra go as he addressed Butters
"Butters, you listen here, OK?" he said firmly. "This girl means the world to me. She's my little treasure," he added sweetly but returned to his firm tone. "So, if you two are gonna be friends, you better treat her like a princess, get it?"
Butters nodded.
"Good…" he looked back to Cierra while still holding her. "...Cierra, I know I can't stop you from making friends but...can you at least promise me that you'll still always have time for me?"
"I..." she looked to Cartman's pleading face and felt another chill before hesitantly saying, "of course, Eric. What're friends for?"
"Mmm…" Cartman groaned happily as he brought Cierra in for another hug. "Thanks, cuz." He finally released her and addressed them both. "Hey! How about this time, we play sardines instead of hide and seek?"
"We?" Cierra asked softly.
"Butters can hide first," Cartman continued without hearing Cierra but pointed to her and himself. "While you and me try to find him."
"Well, OK," said Butters but Cierra looked unsure…
Later, Butters was hiding in a dark cellar stairway, excitedly anticipating being found by one of his friends. Soon, that anticipation paid off as he heard the door above him give a loud, squeaky CREEEAK!
Sunlight poured into the cellar and Butters heard a sweet voice call to him.
"Butters?" Cierra said.
"Yup!" he said excitedly.
"Shh!" Cierra shushed him. "Quiet or Eric will hear us!" She quickly joined Butters on the cellar's stairs and softly shut the metal door above them. The darkness of the cellar restored, Cierra scooted close to Butters and they both continued waiting. Butters saw Cierra holding herself, rubbing her forearms and just barely made out an uneasy look on her face.
"Cierra?" he asked.
"Shh!" Cierra shushed him again.
"Is everything OK?" he asked in a softer tone.
"Yeah…" Cierra whispered. "I just….It just got a little colder all of a sudden."
Butters, unseen by Cierra, frowned in concern for his friend.
Back in the park, Cartman wandered around failing to find Butters or Cierra.
"Huh," he said to himself, "She must've found him first," he concluded. "Whatever," he said with a shrug, "they'll turn up eventually." He put his hands in his pockets and continued to stroll, in no hurry to find the two missing children.
"Oh, I'll get you, cuz," he said to himself, "I always do...no matter how many times you get away," he smiled and finished his thought with a chuckle. "I always get you back."
A/N: *sigh* I really hate seeing Cartman win. But Cierra just doesn't seem to learn does she? Do you feel the unrelenting urge to punch Cartman? 'Cause I do! And I wrote this! But let me know what you guys think! Read and review and and another one-shot may be in the near future with, hopefully, a happier ending! Later! :3