Author's Note: Ahaha, so this spawned from the fact that Bradley's hair makes me think of a young Justin Timberlake…like early 'Nsync days. Like whoa. And I just saw Hellboy, so I needed to express how I felt about it too. This will be the second to last chapter, so you'll be waiting on Chapter 13 and the Epilogue to wrap this puppy up. Also, serious BradleyXButters fanservice going on here! Hellboy, Abe, and that dumb movie © Guillermo del Toro/Mike Mignola. All other disclaimers still apply. R&R!
Bully
Chapter Twelve
by MT Yami
"Hey, you want more coffee?"
Butters nodded slowly as Bradley poured him another cup from the carafe sitting on their table. It was a lovely Sunday morning, and the curly-haired boy had called him up to see if he'd like some brunch.
"You can't grieve forever," he had said.
As Butters tore the tops off of two packets of sugar and poured them into the new cup, he pondered this. Technically, I can. But do I want to? Since the night a few weeks prior that Cartman had shown up at his house with the John Cusack boombox stunt, Butters had been seeing Bradley after school and on the weekends. He assumed he could call it "dating" although they hadn't done anything physical yet, and frankly, Butters wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to.
He gazed across the table to Bradley, who was busy reading the South Park Gazette. He was not unattractive, Butters decided, with his wild mass of dirty-blond curls and honest hazel eyes. His face was open and always smiling, and Butters couldn't help but try to convince himself that this was the kind of guy he should be seeing anyway.
"Bradley?"
The other boy looked up from the paper and grinned. "Yeah? You need anything else?"
Butters shook his head. "Well, shucks, I'ah just wanted to ask you something."
"Sure, anything." Bradley set the paper aside and took a sip of his coffee. His eagerness to please panged at Butters' conscience, and instinctively the petite blond looked down at the tabletop.
"Why do you like me?"
Bradley bit into his grilled cheese sandwich and shrugged. "What's not to like? You're cute, sweet, funny…why do you ask?"
"Ah, nuthin'. Just curious is all." Butters forced a wide grin and ripped off the top of his muffin. He munched at it thoughtfully until he heard a rustling of bells that signified that someone had entered the diner.
"Uh oh." Bradley set his sandwich down as he realized who had just entered. Butters whipped around in his chair and was severely displeased to see Kenny's gangly self slink into the diner.
To his further surprise, Kenny made a beeline towards them.
Butters turned around in his seat and glared at Bradley. "What is he doing here?" he hissed. The curly-haired boy shrugged.
"Hear him out."
There was a loud clearing-of-the-throat somewhere above his head, and Butters sighed heavily, turning around to face a very nervous-looking Kenny.
"Well hello, Kenny," Butters said, very curtly. "How are you?"
Kenny rubbed the toe of his shoe into the ground and didn't meet Butters' gaze. "All right. I guess. We need to talk."
"Oh really. How is Er—I'ah mean, Cartman?" Butters' bottom lip trembled and he hoped that Kenny couldn't tell. He didn't want him to report anything like that to Cartman, after all.
"Dunno. He's okay. We haven't talked in over a month now actually…he's probably at home stuffing his face with Ben and Jerry's and blubbering over some lameass chick flick." Kenny shoved his hands deep into his pockets and looked sullen. "Look. I just wanted to tell you that I'm really…uh…sorry for the whole thing. It was stupid of me to think that by hurting you I'd get Cartman. Everything that he's told you is true, and it's been my fault all along. Because…I was jealous."
Butters could only glare at the other blond, who refused to make eye contact with him and was staring down at his hole-filled black Converses.
"Why should I'ah believe you? So you guys can do it again? Wasn't it enough for just a one-time laugh?"
Kenny looked up at Butters then, his dark eyes steely. "Huh. Well then, if you're going to be such an asshole about it, I'm glad he's not with you. He might be a douchebag, but he deserves someone who trusts him. Clearly, you don't. Have fun with early-'Nsync-era Justin Timberlake." He stormed away and out of the diner then, his hood pulled tight about his face.
Bradley reached up and patted his dirty-blond curls. "Aw, do I really look like JT?" He frowned.
"Don't listen to him, B-Bradley." Butters stabbed at his eggs angrily. "He had no right to come over here and mess up our d-date."
The curly-haired boy smiled warmly. "Oh, I don't think he ruined it at all. Let's go see a movie later today, or something, maybe stargaze at Stark's Pond tonight? Anything you want."
Butters shifted a little uncomfortably in his seat. He was definitely not used to anyone being this nice to him, and he wasn't entirely sure if he liked it, either. "Ah, hamburgers, sure, I'ah guess."
--
He'd chosen to go see Hellboy II: The Golden Army as he'd always had an affinity for the comics since he was younger. The entire movie had been an exercise in awkward, what with all the sappy romance injected into the otherwise action-filled flick and Bradley taking every on-screen kiss as an opportunity to try and hold his hand. He'd succeeded once, but only because Butters was too shocked that Princess Nuala had died and that Abe was devastated to even notice.
"I never got a chance to tell you how I feel."
Butters thought that it was pretty ironic, what Abe had said when she died. He'd told Cartman plenty of times how he felt, but it didn't make a bit of difference one way or another. Love, decidedly, did not follow the rules of moviemaking.
"Hey, Butters!"
He and Bradley were just exiting the theatre when Stan waved at him from across the hallway. The dark-haired boy was flanked by Kyle and Cartman, and they had clearly just gotten out of seeing The Dark Knight.
"Aw, you went to go see Hellboy? We saw that last week. It totally blew except for the forest god part." Kyle grimaced. "The romance bits were just a little too much."
Cartman said nothing, too busy having a staredown with Bradley, who had put a protective hand on Butters' waist. Irked by the possessive gesture, the petite blond moved away from him and closer to Stan.
"I'ah suppose it was okay. I liked the drunk part." Butter smiled. The song "I Can't Smile Without You" had been cute and appropriate, not just for Hellboy and Abe, but for everyone involved. "How was your movie? And where's Kenny?"
Butters heard Cartman mutter under his breath, "Dead, I hope."
"Awesome-o." Stan chuckled, ignoring his bigger friend. "Dude, Heath Ledger totally kicked ass."
Kyle nodded. "It was intellectual and thought-provoking."
At that, Cartman couldn't resist. "Only you would say something retarded like that, you Jew-fag. That movie was badass, not a documentary."
Stan stood by and watched as Kyle blistered at Cartman. "Shut up, you heartbroken fat douchebag!"
The smirk on the behemoth's face disappeared as he watched Butters' bottom lip tremble at the redhead's words. He grabbed Stan's arm. "Whatevah. Let's go."
Kyle stalked after them. Stan shrugged at the petite blond as he was dragged away by an annoyed Cartman.
"Well. That was interesting." Bradley slung an arm around the slightly shell-shocked Butters. This time, he didn't get shrugged off.
"Bradley, let's go to Stark's Pond and have a picnic, maybe? A-and then we can stay late to watch the stars."
"Of course. Anything for you."
Despite feeling horribly smothered, Butters decided that this just might be the right way to get over Cartman. Maybe.
--
"That one looks like a bunny!" Bradley giggled and pointed to a cluster of stars above their heads. They lay side by side on the dewy grass by Stark's Pond, gazing up at the inky night sky.
Butters offered a small smile. "Yeah, it really does."
"Hey, are you okay?" The curly-haired boy rolled onto his stomach and looked at Butters concernedly. "You've been awfully quiet since that movie."
"Aw, hamburgers, Bradley…I'm fine." Butters forced that smile even wider. "See?"
He laughed, leaning close, his upper body hovering over the smaller boy's. Butters swallowed hard and found himself centimeters away from Bradley's face.
The kiss was sweet, brief. Despite how wrong it felt, the petite blond allowed himself a grin.
"Thank you," he murmured softly, touching the other boy's cheek.
Bradley kissed his fingers. "I love you."
Butters froze, opening his mouth but letting no words out. The curly-haired boy took the opportunity to steal a deeper kiss then, and the blond was relieved to have been robbed of his need to answer.
"Hey," Bradley said huskily, his hazel eyes half-lidded. "Let's go back to my place tonight."
"…um." The little blond turned his head to the side, suddenly uncomfortable. "I'ah d–d-don't think…I'ahm n-not…B-Bradley."
His hazel eyes looked disappointed but he moved off of Butters, nodding. "No, it's okay. I should have known that it was too early to ask. Only when you're ready."
Butters let out the breath he was holding, immensely relieved. "I'ahm sorry, really I am…"
"It's not a problem." Bradley leaned over and captured his lips once more. "Let me ask you something, though."
"Well, shucks Bradley, anythin' you want."
His hazel eyes lit up. "Will you go to prom with me? I know it's a couple months away still but…I'd like to take you to mine. We could even go to yours too, if you'd like."
Well damn, if that's all it is…
"Yes, that'd be fine." Butters smiled. "Prom would be just fine."
Somehow, he felt like he was betraying Cartman by agreeing to go, but mentally slapped himself. Cartman had betrayed him first, and besides, he would have never allowed himself to be caught at prom with another boy.
In fact, he would probably rather be a lot of things: a Jew, a ginger, Phil Collins, or even dead.
But never, never gay.
--
A/N: Hey guys. Review, or you don't get to see the epic last chapter. Simple as that. SO REVIEW! Bwahaha. I don't care if you fav it or alert it, leave me a review, I like to read them, and only then will I post the final chapter.
