Butters moved his feet lightly, making himself swing gently on the swing set. The park was completely deserted except for him. The snow was falling on his hands, making them red and numb. He sadly brushed some snowflakes from his hair and smiled as he remembered when he had not a care in the world, always happy with his friends; Kyle, Stan, Kenny, Tweek and Eric.
"Eric . . " Butters sighed. Eric Cartman had been Butters' best friend. They had done everything together, but then Cartman ran away from South Park to search for his father. Butters had expected him to be away for a couple of hours - Eric usually gave up on things pretty quickly - but not this time. Not about his father. The first couple of weeks weren't so hard for Butters. He always expected the chubby, angry brunette to come stomping through the school gates one morning, Butters ready to hug him. Then the weeks bled into months and the months bled into years. Butters began to get paranoid and worried about the where-abouts of Cartman. He slowly became depressed, staying away from all his friends. He turned into an outcast. He sat alone at lunch and in classes. Butters spent everyday since waiting, hoping, praying for his friend to return. But he waited in vain. It is now two years from the day Eric left, ignoring Butters screaming, begging him not to leave.
He hadn't even had a chance to tell him how he felt..
Butters stopped swinging - he could hear voices behind him. He stood up and began to slump across the play-ground as he didn't want to speak to people at the moment.
"Stop giving me crap, asshole!" a voice from behind him yelled. Butters sighed. Eric used to call ihim/i an asshole. He quickened his step. He saw the danger of a fight starting and he hated fights.
i"I miss him so much . ."/i
He heard the sound of running footsteps behind him.
i"Why did he have to leave? I needed to tell him my secret . . "/i
Suddenly, the footsteps slowed and a voice called his name. Butters turned and saw Kyle Broflovski running towards him. There was a group of blurred figures behind him.
"Butters!" Kyle panted, having finally caught up with him.
"Go away, Kyle." Butters muttered, turning away from the slim auburn haired boy and walking towards the park exit.
"No, Butters! I bwon't/b go away!" Kyle yelled. The blonde carried on walking.
Kyle desperately racked his brains for a reason to make Butters turn round and talk to him.
iThink, Kyle! Think! . . . Got it!"/i
"I know the reason why you've been depressed!" Kyle said, defiantly.
"N - no you don't!" Butters stammered, hoping to god that Kyle was lying.
"Cartman." Kyle said, coolly.
Butters span round to glare at Kyle.
"H- . . .We- . . . How?" Butters stammered looking angrily at Kyle's simple face.
"I'm not dumb! You like him a lot. More than a friend." Kyle said, putting a friendly hand on Butters' shoulder and leading him towards the blurred figures.
As he drew nearer, Butters could see that the figures were male. He recognised three of them. The one at the front was a raven-haired boy wearing a brown jacket and a blue and red hat. It was Stanley Marsh - The popular one and gay with Kyle. The second boy was wearing a dirty tattered parka. Kenny McCormick. He was hugging the third boy, obviously to keep him warm. Butters remembered that Kenny loved everyone. Always there for a hug and a shoulder to cry on. The boy he was hugging was wearing a green shirt which was pulled out of place and had messy, but still amazing, blonde hair. Tweekie! Butters remembered that in the few weeks that Butters was still in hope - Tweek had been there for him, like his best friend, but himself and Tweek both knew that he could not replace Cartman. The fourth and last boy was un-known to Butters. He was wearing a long black coat with the hood pulled up, concealing his face.
"Hi, Butters!" Tweek said, giving him a twitchy smile.
"You always gotta keep the faith, Butters!" Kyle said, smiling at Butters who was glad to be round his friends again.
"Yeah! Stranger things have happened in this town!" Kenny mumbled, his voice muffled half by his parka hood and half by Tweek. The smile receded from Butters' face.
"You guys! Just stop it! He's never coming back!" Butters yelled.
"He will, Butters!" Tweek said, his voice wavering as he flinched.
"He won't! NEVER EVER!" Butters roared.
"Never ever?" The boy in the black coat said. He removed his hood and raised his head to look at Butters who gasped.
"E-Eric?" he stammered.
"Hi, Butters." Eric Cartman smiled. He had grown slightly taller and had slimmed down considerably.
Butters ran at Cartman who caught him in his arms. Butters buried his head in Cartman's chest and savoured the moment - Eric's trip had certainly changed him. If Cartman had never left, Butters would have certainly been on the floor with a bloody nose.
"Hey, Eric?" Butters asked, looking up at the brunette in whose arms he was held.
"Yeah?" Cartman answered, looking down at Butters.
"Please can you tell me to piss off of you chest and uplease/u call me an asshole!" Butters grinned.
"Uh. Okay." Eric said. He cleared his throat and yelled:
"Buttahs! Get the hell off of my chest, Naw! I'm gonna twist your nuts off, asshole!"
All his old characteristics flooded back to Butters' memory. He did not let go of Cartman, he simply clung to his soft red jacket.
Tweek looked nervously at Stan and Kyle from over Kenny's shoulder. They nodded at him.
He gently moved away from Kenny over to Butters.
"C-can I talk t-to you over there." Tweek asked, his head twitching to the side and his right eye closing momentarily.
"Sure." Butters said. He let go of Eric and followed Tweek away from the group.
"Urm . . How have you been, Butters?" Tweek asked, nervously.
"Fine . ." Butters said, furrowing his brow.
"How is . . Erm . . Your family?" Tweek said. He pulled at his shirt as he twitched and glanced at Stan and Kyle.
"Uh. Fine . . Why do you ask?" Butters said, looking suspiciously from Tweek to Stan and Kyle.
"N-no reason . ." said Tweek. Butters glared at him.
"Agh. I hate lying to you, Butters." Tweek groaned, looking at his shoes.
"What do you mean lie?"
"Stan and Kyle told me to keep you busy while they asked Cartman something." Tweek mumbled looking over at the boys. Butters looked over at them too, but he saw only Kyle and Stan looking exasperatedly at each other.
Butters walked over to the pair.
"Where's Cartman?" Butters asked.
"He fucked off when we just asked him a simple question!" Kyle said, looking angry. Butters just smiled. He had his best friend back. Eric was back and nothing would ever make Butters let him leave ever again.
Butters finally felt like his old self again. He skipped from the park talking to Tweek, apologizing over and over for abandoning him. When the pair reached Tweek's house, Butters felt that he needed to confess something.
"Tweek. I know I said you can never replace Eric, but maybe you both can be my best friends?" Butters said, looking at Tweek and smiling.
"S-sure, Butters!" Tweek grinned, twitchily.
"See you at school."
"Y-Yeah.. Bye!"
Butters skipped down the white, snow-covered streets singing to himself slightly.
"Always look on the bright side of life! Do-do. Do-do-do-do-do-do!"
"Psst! Butters!"
Butters jumped and looked round. There was no-one in the playing field across the road. It sounded as if it came from the alleyway to his right.
"Over here!"
The voice was definatly coming from the back of the large dumpster. Butters cautiously stepped towards the metal can.
"W-who is it?" he asked, squinting into the darkness.
"Who do you think it is, numb-nut?!"
"Eric!" Butters squeaked.
"How did you guess?" Cartman asked sarcastically.
Eric pulled Butters down into the darkness beside him.
"I'm sorry I left. If I hadn't I could have walked home with you!" Cartman muttered, apologetically. Butters was astounded. Two whole years had certainly changed Eric. Not just in looks but in personality too!
"It's okay. Why did you leave anyway?" Butters asked, nervously pulling his sleeves over his hands. "Stan and Kyle said they asked you something, and it must have been something that was embarrassing because you always just walk away when you're embarrassed."
"God, you know me inside out!" Cartman giggled.
"I used to." Butters said, noticing that his shoe was untied. He leaned down to tie it, the small tufts of yellow hair bouncing slightly as he tied. Eric thought it was immensely cute.
"What do you mean 'used to'?" he asked, still looking at the bouncing tufts and smiling.
"Well, I dunno. Since you've come back - you're totally re-newed! Your looking hot! Hotter than you did before and you care about people's feelings and - what?" Butters stopped, seeing the grin Cartman was giving him.
"Hotter than I did before?" Eric smiled.
Butters realised what he had said and clasped his hands over his mouth.
"Which means . ." Eric continued. "That you think I'm hot now and that also means that you thought I was hot before!" he smiled showing his perfect teeth. "Do you?"
Butters fumbled with his sleeves.
"I don't want you to get mad, Eric." he murmured.
"I won't!"
"You will! You'll say that I'm sick and call me a fag, then you'll hit me or something! You'll never speak to me again and then I'll-"
Eric put a hand on Butters' mouth to stop him.
"I thought you said I'd changed?" Cartman grinned.
"Oh yeah, sorry. I guess it's just habit!" Butters laughed.
"I have changed. When I was looking for my dad, I realised that I have no reason to find him. If he wanted me to contact him; he would have made the first move! I realised that all I need is my mom, my friends and the one I love." Eric consoled.
"You really have changed!" Butters laughed. "What do you mean by 'the one you love'?"
"Well, you're not included in the friends part, butt-hole!" Cartman said, his old personality flaring once again. "You're the other one." he grinned, slyly.
Butter's mouth dropped open. He was scared of confessing his feelings - but Eric had beaten him to the punch-line!
"I . . like you too!" Butters squeaked.
"Un-expected!" Cartman laughed.
"Good un-expected or bad?" Butters asked, smiling.
"This answer your question?" Eric purred. He put his hands on Butters face and pulled him closer. Their faces were within centimetres of each other before Cartman pressed his lips on Butters'.
"Jesus Christ.."