Author: Thanks for more lovely reviews! This chapter is slightly more serious.
Chapter six-Milk
The next morning, Butters appeared to be back to normal. He greeted Kenny with a warm hug and an exclamation of his name, which made Kenny smile rather than just accept the affection with no response like he normally did. He returned the hug cautiously, still getting used to this affection stuff, then escorted Butters into the cafeteria for their lunch period.
"Sorry I just up and left last night," Butters told him, the usual perk back in his voice. "It was already seven when I woke up and I had to get home if I didn't wanna be grounded again. I didn't want to wake you or nothin', you were out cold."
"That's okay. Sorry I got you in trouble before." Kenny took hold of Butters' hips, possessively pulling him down onto his lap when they got their food and reached their lunch table.
Butters smiled giddily. Not only was Kenny paying attention to him today, he was actually touching him, too! And Butters hadn't even had to initiate it. He rubbed his knuckles together. "Oh, that's alright, Kenny, it was worth it. They'll just find another excuse to ground me anyway."
"Yeah," Kenny said, agreeing with both statements. It was worth it, and Butters' parents would always be too strict. Kenny began to eat over Butters' shoulder. He was still shaking off the effects of last night. It was still hard to comprehend that he'd actually made love to someone, and even harder to believe that he'd genuinely liked it. Whatever the next step was, something in his brain told him to keep Butters close. He wanted him close. He wanted them doing stuff together. Was that love?
Butters began to eat happily, humming the cheery tune of the apple song as he scooped pudding into his mouth. He always ate his dessert first when he was extra happy about something.
Clyde passed their table with a quirked eyebrow, pausing to survey the scene. "Hi, Butters," he said. He wasn't sure why, but lately his manhood had been getting a lot of attention from Butters Stotch, whereas Kenny hadn't acknowledged him in almost a week, and then had only been a quick blowjob behind the building. That automatically made Clyde more inclined to greet Butters.
Butters smiled politely through chocolate splattered teeth, never one to be rude to anyone unless it was called for. "Heya, Clyde." He didn't budge from Kenny's lap.
Kenny waved at Clyde nonchalantly and returned to eating his lunch. He hoped now that he'd figured Butters' recent behavior out that he'd stay far away from Clyde. Good a lay as he might be, Butters didn't belong with a douche like that.
"We still on for tonight?" Clyde asked.
Butters pulled his spoon from his mouth, swallowing carefully. "W-well..." he wasn't sure. Was he supposed to still be a slut? Was this the whole reason Kenny was being so affectionate, and if it was, would he go back to cold, detached Kenny if he stopped sleeping around?
"'Cause I've got something new I want to try," Clyde said.
Kenny felt his body tense up. Normally he didn't care who his toys had for their toys since he was playing them to begin with, but this time seemed different. Kenny's stomach began to hurt. His eyes narrowed as he turned his head to face Clyde. Was this jealousy, or a bad school lunch?
"He can't; he's grounded" Kenny said.
"That didn't stop him last time," Clyde pointed out. "I could sneak in your window again, Butters. It's kind of hot being extra quiet. I would ask you, Kenny, but we have to be face to face with this new position and that's too intimate for you."
Kenny's eyebrows furrowed. He slammed down the bottled water he'd been drinking a bit harder than he'd intended to. "You don't deserve intimate sex, and Butters doesn't wanna give it to you," he informed Clyde, speaking on Butters' behalf whether he had the right to do so or not. Kenny may have only had intimate sex once, but he already knew it was too good to be wasted on a guy like Clyde.
"That also didn't stop him last time," Clyde argued, not affected in the least. "He's not as ridged as you when it comes to rules; you may be the King of Cum, but Butters will do anything I want him to. Oh, and Bebe's looking for you anyway."
Kenny turned his attention back to Butters, ignoring the Bebe comment for now. It was probably just Clyde's way to distract Kenny and get to Butters anyway. "...You guys did it face to face before?"
Butters knuckles were in overdrive. He sat stiff in Kenny's lap, eyes rendered on Clyde. There sure was an awful lot of tension between the two. "Uhhhhh... Well... I... hamburgers."
Kenny's body tensed again. His chest tightened and he felt himself having trouble breathing. He shook with anger, his hands slowly curling up into fists. Butters had begged him to do it face to face for so long, then he just went and did it casually with Clyde? Did it actually mean nothing to him? Had this new, slutty Butters lied and dropped hints of the L word just to get Kenny to bend to his will? Worst of all, Kenny had liked it! He'd honestly liked it, and now he'd come to learn this! Was it just another romp for Butters? It sure as hell was for Clyde. It was something special. Something different. Clyde had gotten it first and that pissed Kenny off.
Clyde smiled. He leaned his head down to whisper into Butters' ear. "So anyway, I'll come over tonight and we can-"
His words were cut off by Kenny grabbing a fistful of Clyde's throat and pulling him forward, almost knocking his head into Butters as he yanked at Clyde's person. Nervously, Butters moved himself off of Kenny's lap, not wanting to be in the middle of a fight.
"He's not fucking you anymore and neither am I! You got that?!" Kenny exclaimed, his eyes starting to sting. "You're a piece of shit! You're a piece of shit and you don't deserve what he gave you! He's not a skank anymore, so go fuck somebody else, you dick!"
felt a bubble of sheer joy flutter through his stomach. Was Kenny seriously not going fool around with Clyde anymore? And Butters really didn't have to be a slut anymore? But his happiness was momentarily sated. Normally, he loved a good fight, but this was Kenny, and he didn't want Kenny getting teeth knocked out or nothin'. His smile was far too enchanting to ruin over something this stupid. "Now, Kenny, why don't we calm down and talk about this?"
Kenny released Clyde from his grip. The brunette in the group sputtered and coughed. "What the hell, man!?"
"What's there to talk about?" Kenny asked, still snapping a bit angrily as he talked.
Butters frowned. "Well... I..." he looked at Clyde for help. Kenny never scared Butters, not even when he was angry. But Kenny had never been angry at him before and he wasn't quite sure what to do about it. "Go on an- and get some lunch, Clyde," he said kindly, and carefully gripped Kenny's sleeve, redirecting his attention to the blonde. "Let's go outside and calm down."
Clyde mirrored the glare, but directed a quick "I'll see you tonight," remark Butters' way before walking off. A final attempt to stab at Kenny's heart, probably.
Butters offered a tight smile to see him off, then looked back at Kenny, whose glower hadn't softened in the least. He linked their arms together and guided him out into the crisp afternoon. "There we are," he said as Kenny leaned against the tree he'd made out with Wendy under only yesterday. Butters rubbed the top of Kenny's arm warmly, frowning as he pulled out a cigarette and quickly lit up.
"If you wanted it special, why'd you go and fuck him?" Kenny asked. The nicotine was helping to calm his anger already. "You know he's not like that." He inhaled and then blew out more smoke, making sure to turn away from Butters as he exhaled so as not to get him near the second hand smoke.
"I'm not real sure, Kenny," he answered softly. "You told Kyle you'd like him more if he was a slut like you, and I wanted you to like me again. Like before when we were friends. Remember? It wasn't special or nothin' with Clyde, he just isn't worried he'll feel anything for someone just cause he can see their face. I didn't think I'd ever get to with you, and I was curious."
Kenny frowned. He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand as he searched for words his brain couldn't find at first. "Well now you know you can with me, so just...Come to me if you're curious about anything else like that. Okay?"
"Okay." Butters smiled softly, just staring for a moment before working his way into Kenny's arms. He slowly loosened himself against the taller boy, his arms linked perfectly around his waist as he hugged him.
"Cool." Kenny took another drag from his cigarette, but returned Butters' hug, this time using only one arm. "And just to make sure Clyde doesn't sneak in your window, I'm staying over tonight."
Butters smiled wider into Kenny's chest. "Okay, but you'll have to sneak through the window, too, just in case I'm grounded for something I don't know about yet." He turned his face upward, brushing his lips against the pulse in Kenny's neck.
"I'll swing by after school," Kenny decided, and triumphantly smoked the rest of his cig. Stupid Clyde could go find himself a new toy.
Butters hummed in agreement, his breath ghosting along Kenny's throat as his lips parted and fanned tauntingly against his skin. "Can we make love again tonight?" he asked, then began sucking, branding Kenny with a hickey.
Kenny moaned. "If you're only coming to me for your lovey and slutty sex, you never have to ask that question again."
—-
Clyde never did show up to Butters' house. Or if he did, he saw Kenny and Kenny's hickey inside through the window and bolted. The mark on Kenny's neck informed the world he was spoken for, or at least getting some hot action from someone. Most of his toys probably wouldn't notice the symbolism due to the boy's reputation, but Kenny wasn't about to tell Butters not to mark him either. The kid was too good with his mouth.
Day turned to night, and Butters and Kenny lounged around following their required sex session. It was once again romantic in nature. Kenny snuck some candy bars for dinner that Butters kept hidden in his room for visits like these, or whenever he himself felt like being naughty and sneaking some sugar.
Or if he did, he saw Kenny and Kenny's hickey inside through the window and bolted. The mark on Kenny's neck informed the world he was spoken for, or at least getting some hot action from someone. Most of his toys probably wouldn't notice the symbolism due to the boy's reputation, but Kenny wasn't about to tell Butters not to mark him either. The kid was too good with his mouth.
Day turned to night, and Butters and Kenny lounged around following their required sex session. It was once again romantic in nature. Kenny snuck some candy bars for dinner that Butters kept hidden in his room for visits like these, or whenever he himself felt like being naughty and sneaking some sugar.
Kenny and Butters were unable to enjoy the afterglow of their intimacy. Slow, cautious footsteps could be heard moving across creaky floorboards outside, approaching Butters' bedroom.
"Shit!" Kenny swore quietly. He promptly slid his small frame underneath Butters' bed, hiding. Butters' parents didn't know Kenny had snuck over to violate their son. He wasn't about to let himself get caught.
"Butters?" Stephen whispered from outside his son's bedroom door.
Butters panicked a moment. Of all the nights for this to happen, why tonight? He closed his eyes, pretending to sleep. It was his only chance.
Unfortunately, not even something like his son's sleep would stop Stephen Stotch from getting what he wanted. He entered the room and gently closed the door behind himself. Then he approached the bed.
From underneath the mattress, Kenny could see Stephen's feet and ankles. He saw the older man's pants drop, followed by his underwear. Kenny raised a curious eyebrow at this.
Butters clenched his eyes tight, still faking sleep, but he winced at the sound of material falling softly to the carpet and opened one eye. "Puh-please, sir," he begged, more embarrassed than anything right now. He never wanted Kenny to know the stinky, rotten truth. "I'm awful tired tonight."
Stephen could care less about his son's words. Or his emotional, mental or physical state when these matters were over with. The older man crawled into bed beside Butters, getting under the covers with him. His hands roamed Butters' form, undressing him of his pajamas, which Kenny could also see falling to the floor. "The fuck!" he muttered, a bit scared. He wanted to help Butters, but at the same time, knew he could do nothing to stop Stephen at the moment. The man was larger and could easily claim self-defense if he kicked the ass of a boy who wasn't supposed to be in his house uninvited in the first place.
Usually Butters was good at pretending like he was somewhere else, or at least pretend that Stephen was Kenny. But Kenny's presence under his bed was too strong; Butters could still smell him on his body, taste him on his lips. He covered his eyes, digging the heels of palms into his eye sockets and let out a particularly forceful dry sob. Then the tears started flowing.
Then, it all became painfully clear. Kenny could hear the sobs from Butters. The squeaks from the bed. The moans of pleasure from the sick bastard Stephen. Kenny could feel his own eyes welling up with tears. Kenny might've been a pervert, but he was the harmless kind. The kind who only fucked willing, unrelated partners. Stephen apparently had no boundaries, and he sure as hell had no healthy love for his son. Kenny knew he couldn't just sit back and let this go on. Consequences or not, he had to do something. He already knew he couldn't take Butters' dad in a fair fight, but Kenny also knew that fights didn't have to be fair. He simply needed an advantage.
Kenny felt around under Butters' bed, being as quiet as possible. Once his hand gripped the object he'd been searching for, Kenny slid himself out beneath the sinful act. Fortunately, if one chose to look at it that way, Stephen was too caught up violating his son to notice Kenny's presence. The older man was enveloping poor Butters. He dripped sweat onto his son's form, holding him down as he moved eagerly between his legs. The image of such a disgusting act being done to such a nice guy was all the motivation Kenny needed to raise the clutched baseball bat high above his head and with the strength of a vengeful God bring it crashing down against the back of Stephen's skull again and again.
Butters ripped his hands away from his eyes when the first blow cracked out and he felt Stephen's movements cease. The first thing he saw was Kenny's eyes: hard, cold, furious, and blazing with smoldering hatred all at once. Butters scrambled wildly out from underneath his father and thrashed away to the opposite side of the room as Kenny delivered blow after blow. He curled into a tight ball and squeezed his eyes closed, shaking violently as the sobs tore through him again. Just as quickly as it had begun, the noise from the destructive bat died down. Panicked footsteps approached Butters, but they were accompanied by a soft, soothing voice.
"Butters, put your clothes on. We gotta go," Kenny instructed.
Butters pushed immediately away from his corner, searching frantically for his clothes. He managed to find a pair of boxers, but he wasn't even sure they were on the right way as he began pulling them clumsily, shakily up his legs, his sobs coming out in forceful hiccupy sounds. He was frenzied; he wasn't quite sure exactly what Kenny had done to his father, but he still trusted Kenny more than anyone else in the world. He'd follow him anywhere. Even half naked and panicked.
Kenny dressed himself with equal clumsiness, but who really cared at a time like this? He looked around the room uncertainly, double and triple-taking in shock. He finally decided an exit through the window would be best. "Come on!" He grasped Butters' hand with his own, his other still clutching the weapon. The boys literally climbed over Stephen's lifeless form and escaped through the window. Once outside. Kenny dragged Butters down the street as fast as he could possibly run. He didn't even know where they were going yet.
Butters wasn't keeping up very well. Stephen had been extra forceful tonight, and Butters could feel the pain of his recklessness tearing through him with every step. He was still sobbing, the cold night air burning his lungs with every breath. He stumbled a few times and finally dug his heels into the ground. "I c-can't no-no m-more, Kenny!" he cried wildly, trying to pull his restrained arm away. It wasn't until he'd stopped that he felt the small trickle of blood flow warmly down the back of his thigh. He doubled over and began crying harder.
Kenny panted repeatedly, his own lungs desperately crying for the assailant to stop running with no end and breathe. He stopped in his tracks and turned to deal with Butters. He embraced Butters comfortingly but still didn't put the bat down. It was during this hug that Kenny noticed the blood. "Fuck. Has he made you bleed before?" he muttered.
Butters thought about that, his face buried in Kenny's chest as he wept bitterly. He had bled the first time, but that was years ago. Did that count? Butters wasn't too sure, and he was too tired to figure it out. Lately, Stephen had been getting rougher every time, and it had been painful, but this was the only time he had bled since the first. He shook his head, clinging weakly.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Kenny repeated. As he reached desperately for another cigarette to help his shot nerves relax. he let Butters cling all he wanted to. At a time like this, no way was Kenny going to refuse him. He even offered up one of his parka sleeves as a tissue for the hurt boy as he took a quick puff. "Okay...Okay...First thing's first. We need to stop the bleeding."
Butters shook his head frantically, pulling back to look up at Kenny with wide, fearful eyes. "Please don't make me go to the hospital or nothin' , Kenny. I'll get grounded."
Pity filled Kenny's eyes. Poor, naive Butters. He had much larger problems than a grounding on his hands, and might continue to have large problems depending on how much damage Kenny did with that bat. The dirty blonde took a moment to familiarize himself with their surroundings. Getting out of the streets in the middle of the night was definitely a good idea, especially when one teen was holding a bat. Kenny knew they'd be an instant target for cops. Kenny's house was going the other way. They had to move forward. "Kyle's" he decided. Kyle was a good friend, and his dad was a lawyer. Maybe Kyle could help Kenny and Butters figure out what their next move should be. Kenny began to move Butters again, this time much more slowly.
Butters winced with each step, still crying, only softer now. He kept an arm around Kenny's waist for support as they walked, getting little comfort from Kenny's arm around his shoulder at the moment.
Kenny finished up his smoke, which calmed him down as best it could. He checked his pocket. Thank God! His cell phone was still in the pocket. He dialed up Kyle's cell number, not caring to wake his whole family at this hour.
Kyle was just about to work the waistband of Stan's boxers down when the call came. His tongue was burrowed deep in the brunettes mouth as they gasped together. He paused briefly at the annoying "milkshake" song Kenny had downloaded onto Kyle's phone as his own personal ringtone, then resumed kissing his very hot and very aroused boyfriend.
Kenny growled when Kyle's voicemail picked up. He hung up the phone and then immediately redialed Kyle's number, refusing to leave a message for such a serious situation. The redial failed. In fact, numerous redialing attempts failed, but finally the boys could take no more.
"What?!" Stan finally barked into the receiver. Stan answered Kyle's phone to give Kenny an immediate hint that they were busy.
"Finally!" Kenny exclaimed. "Don't hang up! Me and Butters need to get into Kyle's house. Go unlock a door and start the bathtub. We'll be there soon. Hurry! This is serious!"
"Tell him to fuck off," Kyle mumbled against Stan's throat, his breath hot and moist as he began sucking the delicate skin. He was strewn out on top of Stan, their legs tangled together as his hand inched sensually up his waist.
Stan groaned. "Kenny go bother somebody el-"
"No! Butters is hurt you assholes!"
Not able to hear the frantic side of the conversation, Kyle ground his teeth gently against Stan's earlobe, his hand caressing Stan's inner thigh with patient seduction. It was probably the one thing in the world Kyle could do calmly for hours on end.
Stan frowned. He reached down and placed his hand on Kyle's, ceasing his lover's progress. "Is he really hurt, or is it like that time he scrapped his knee and cried?"
"He was raped !!!"
Kyle had paused, pulling his face out of Stan's neck to look him questioningly in the eyes when Stan asked if he was really hurt. But his inquisitive look quickly faded to horror as the word "raped" seemed to blare loudly from the other end. "WHAT THE HELL?" He shouted, grabbing for the phone. He fumbled with it a few frustrating seconds before managing to bring it to his ear. "Kenny? What happened? Are you okay? Who was raped?"
"Start a warm bath and unlock a door. We're coming over. I'll explain everything later," Kenny repeated. He was so serious, he didn't even make one of his normal jokes about Stan and Kyle's sex life.
"Come in through the front," Kyle said quickly, and snapped the phone shut as he rolled off Stan and hitched his half-discarded boxers back up.
Stan pulled up his own underwear, any trace of an erection having vanished at the utterance of the R word. "Shit, dude!"
"I know. Butters?" He asked, working his arms through his shirt.
"Yeah," Stan confirmed. He pulled and zipped up his pants, his mind only focused on Kenny's instructions now. "I'll go start the bath."
Kyle nodded. "I'll be downstairs waiting for them. Maybe make him something hot to drink?" He said, his statement coming out more like a question.
"Yeah" Stan confirmed, a permanent frown etched onto his worried face. "Make some coffee or hot chocolate or something." It was cold outside, and a conversation of this nature was likely to take a while.
The concern on Stan's face only made the sinking feeling in Kyle's stomach worsen. He touched Stan's cheek gingerly, shaking his head in a "who-the-hell-could-have-done-this" way, then sighed and hurried down the stairs to make hot chocolate for everyone. He was sure Butters would appreciate that more than coffee.
—-
Butters emerged from the Broflovski bathtub about an hour later. He'd had time alone with his thoughts and time to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, Kenny had had time to explain the situation to Stan and Kyle, who both felt it best to bring Kyle's dad into the situation. Gerald Broflovski still practiced law, though in his later years he'd stuck to mostly part-time work. When Butters re-entered the kitchen area draped in only a towel, his eyes widened in concern. The boys and Gerald were seated around the kitchen's table, sipping cocoa.
"Hey Butters" Kenny greeted as warmly as he could, smiling over at his lover. "C'mon over."
Butters went to Kenny without hesitation, wanting to clank his knuckles together but unable to do so if he didn't want his towel to fall off. He slid quietly into Kenny's lap, saying nothing as he hid his face in the crook of Kenny's shoulder and wrapped his arms around his neck.
Kenny wrapped his arms around Butters' exposed upper body, hugging him close. This act caused Stan and Kyle to glance at one another.
"Butters, I know this is difficult, but I need to ask you a few questions," Gerald said. "And I want you to know that you aren't in any trouble. Okay?"
Butters shivered; partly because he wasn't so sure about not being in any trouble and also because he was freezing. His arms tightened around Kenny as he nodded, then turned his face to peak at Gerald while keeping the whole right side of his face against Kenny's neck.
Stan stood up from the table. "I'll go get you some clothes." He knew where Kyle kept his clothing. It would probably fit Butters; the redhead and the blonde were both petite little things.
Kyle squeezed Stan's hand in a gesture of thanks before letting go.
"Butters? How long has this been going on? Does your mother know about it?" Gerald asked.
Butters cloudy colored eyes rolled upward as he quickly calculated. "Five years, sir," he answered, his voice coming out tired and weak. His throat was sore from crying so hard and so long. "If my mom knows about it she sure hides it well."
Gerald nodded. He reached across the table, offering Butters his own drink. "Butters, I think it'd be in your best interests to press charges."
Butters shot upward, nearly losing his towel. "I can't do that! Pressing charges... w-well I'll be grounded for sure! I'm not s-supposed to tell no one!"
"Butters, I know it's a tough thing to do, but-"
Kenny held up his hand, shushing Gerald. He was being a lawyer right now, which was good since that was the role he was brought in to serve, but Kenny knew enough about Butters to know that he didn't want to hear that kind of talk right now. Butters needed to be related to on a more personal, more emotional level. While Kenny was still no expert on that subject, he did think he had a way of making Butters talk.
"Butters, do you realize if your dad gets found guilty, he won't be able to ground you anymore -or- hurt you like he does? And no way is your mom going to ground you for this. She'll either feel too guilty or be too scared. Depends on if she knew or not. Potentially, you'll never be grounded again."
Butters faltered, blinking his wide, round eyes at Kenny, then trailing them slowly to Gerald. "He... he won't be able ta touch me OR ground me no more?"
Across the table, Kyle shuddered and quickly sent a prayer of thanks for having the kindhearted father he did. His worst punishment was a far cry from Butters'.
Gerald spoke up again. "If we press charges and your dad's found guilty, then yes, he wouldn't be allowed near you anymore. He'd go to jail. After that, you could find a new place to live away from him. When you're eighteen, he'd have no rights to you whatsoever."
Butters lowered his eyes shamefully. "B-but he's my-my father."
Kyle and Kenny looked at one another, then to Gerald. Asking someone to willingly get rid of their father was a hard sell, no matter how much of a jerk he might be.
"Uh... maybe," Kyle started in carefully, waiting until Butters sad eyes fell on him. "Maybe you should just sleep on it. Get some rest and think it over before you make a decision."
Stan returned to the room, holding some clothes. He handed them to Butters. "Here you go, buddy."
"You can sleep here tonight Butters," Gerald offered. "We need to figure out a few things anyway before going forward. Sleeping on it's probably best."
Butters gravitated to Kenny's side again, clutching for his hand. "Can Kenny stay, too?"
"Absolutely." Gerald stood up from the table. He hugged his son, not caring if he embarrassed him at the moment. Times like these made one truly appreciate their own families. "If you boys need anything, just let me or Kyle's mom know. And if anybody but us asks you questions about any of this Butters, don't say anything. I'm your attorney. I'll do the talking. Okay?"
He nodded, feeling tears welling up in his eyes again. There was too much to think about right now, and his tired brain was making his emotions run even wilder than usual. He felt guilty that he couldn't even manage a "thanks" before melting into Kenny and letting the tears flow again.
Tired himself, Kenny could only help Butters dress, and then hug him tightly as he'd previously done, never letting the fragile boy leave his lap until he was ready to do so on his own.
Kyle bid his father a goodnight before Gerald disappeared up the stairs. He tapped Kenny on the shoulder, speaking softly, "You and Butters can take my bed tonight. Me and Stan can bunk with Ike. You need the privacy more than us right now."
Kenny nodded. "Thanks, dude."
Stan placed a soothing hand on Butters' back. "Try to get some sleep. We're here if you need us."
Kyle took Stan's hand and led him up the stairs, leaving Kenny and Butters to themselves again. Butters continued to shiver in Kenny's arms, even after being clothed.
—-
An incredibly rare thing happened that night; Kyle and Stan didn't have sex. Even more surprisingly, neither did Kenny and Butters. The mood had been destroyed by the actions of Butters' bastard father, but he'd soon pay for all of it.
The boys awoke the next morning, their respective hair all disheveled. They walked with zombie-like speed to the kitchen and helped themselves to breakfast.
"Morning," Kenny mumbled to his friends. He searched the Broflovski fridge for something edible. He pulled out a jug of milk, deciding on cereal for breakfast.
"Kenny!" Butters exclaimed, leaping up from the table to give him the good morning hug he usually received at school, as if they hadn't slept wrapped up in Kyle's bed all night. It appeared Butters was back to his sunny self, like nothing out of the ordinary had happened last night. And for Butters, it hadn't; after all, Stephen had kept up this charade for years. It was nothing new to Butters. He climbed back into his chair and began shoveling more Apple Jacks into his mouth, humming cheerily around crunching and either ignoring or oblivious to the others watching him.
Kenny fixed himself some cereal, then took a seat beside his lover. He placed a loving hand on Butters' knee and squeezed gently. Kenny felt bad for Butters for having to put on such a brave face all the time. He wanted to show the blonde that he was l- ...Liked, by someone in a healthy way. Butters stopped chewing, looking down at the gesture in surprise before smiling warmly up at him.
Stan and Kyle cast each other uneasy glances. It was kind of awkward in the light of day, but Kyle knew they couldn't never say anything to their blonde friends again. He cleared his throat, touching his knee to Stan's for some sort of comfort. "So, how'd you guys sleep?"
"Shitty" Kenny replied with a mouthful of cereal.
"Me too," Stan agreed. He pressed his knee back into Kyle's, and then passed the Jew some of his breakfast, which they were apparently sharing.
Butters frowned slightly, scratching his head. "W-well I slept pretty good. You're nice and snuggly, Kenny."
Kyle couldn't help the grin that torn across his face as Kenny's cheeks turned red; Kenny had never been embarrassed a day in his life. Kyle nodded in understanding. "So is Stan."
Stan turned his head to look at Kyle. He smiled. "Thanks. So are you, you know. I used your afro for a pillow last night."
Kyle sucker punched Stan in the shoulder, glaring at him as Butters and Kenny chuckled. "Thought you slept shitty." He mumbled defensively.
"I did. Until I found your hair," Stan replied, his grin widening.
"Speaking of which, you wanna sleep over again tonight, Butters?" Kenny asked.
Kyle was playfully beating Stan up as Butters smile faltered. He set his spoon carefully in his bowl, staring forlornly into the remaining milk. "W-well, I guess I can't really go home or nothin' now."
Kyle stopped struggling in Stan's choke hold. "You can stay as long as you need to, Butters."
"He can stay with me too," Kenny offered. He figured Stan and Kyle may want the alone time back they were robbed of.
Butters smiled sadly. "Thanks, Kyle. I wanna stay where ever Kenny's staying." He smiled up at the other blonde again, squeezing his hand under the table.
Kenny squeezed back. "Cool."
Footsteps were heard approaching. Stan kissed Kyle's cheek quickly, then released him from the aforementioned chokehold. Parents probably wouldn't care for gay PDA or rough-housing at the breakfast table.
Ike stumbled into the kitchen a moment later, dragging a tattered piece of blue blanket behind him. He squinted against the morning light, peering at everyone through muddled bangs. "Oh," he mumbled, falling into a chair next to Kyle and rubbing his left eye tiredly. "So this is why you two were holding each other on my floor last night."
"Yep. Morning Ike" Stan said. "Where's your dad?"
Ike shrugged idly, swiping the glass of milk Stan and Kyle had been sharing to drink for himself. "Him and mom are upstairs talking about something. I dunno what but it sounded pretty serious."
Stan cringed. If only poor Ike knew he was making out with his brother and his boyfriend via that glass. Oh well. The kid knew the drink wasn't his to begin with, so maybe he didn't care about such things.
"In that case, we should get outta here after breakfast," Kenny decided.
"Why?" Stan asked.
"So they can fight and get it outta their systems."
"I doubt their fighting about something like-like THIS," Kyle assured, smacking Ike in the back of his head. Ike sputtered on the stolen milk. "They're probably just deciding what to do about it. I mean... if you hit him as hard and as many times as you said you did, Kenny, he might be..." he trailed off, not wanting to say the word in front of Ike or Butters.
"Might be what?" Butters asked, suddenly alert and interested in something besides Kenny's bed hair.
Stan glared at Kyle, silently telling him what a good job he'd just done placing his foot into his mouth.
"What'd Kenny do?" Ike asked. He grabbed a napkin and began wiping up the spilled milk, unsure why his brother had made him spit it out. Ike reasoned that Kyle was probably just being a dick like usual.
"Nothing" Kenny said.
"Nothing," Kyle repeated.
Butters tapped his fingers nervously together, looking from one face to the next. "Maybe I ought ta go an-and call him or somethin'," he decided, starting to catch on to the implication.
Stan frowned. In a way, they were all curious to know the fate of Butters' dad, but he wasn't sure if Butters calling would be a good or bad idea at this point. Besides, the guy deserved whatever he got.
"Well, do you have a cell phone, Butters?" Stan asked.
"My parents say cell phones will make me bleed out my ears and nose and I'll get cancer."
Stan finished his breakfast, pondering the situation. How could they anonymously find out the fate of Mister Stotch? Butters should probably just stick with the group for now, but the guy did have a right to know what was going on, and Kenny needed to know for legal reasons.
"Would they recognize our numbers?" Stan asked again.
Butters rubbed his head, feeling the first stirrings of a migraine coming on. "They've got Kenny's number cause I'm always over there having sex and they need to know where I am," he said brashly. "I don't think they know either of your cell numbers, though."
Ike wrinkled his nose. "Ew! I'm eating here!"
Stan left the room, and returned holding his cell phone. "We'll see if he picks up or something."
Kyle was covering Ike's ears with his palms, trying desperately to protect his little virgin ears, and nodded. "Do your grandpa's voice so he doesn't recognize you."
Stan nodded and cleared his throat as he dialed, getting himself into character. Stan always had somewhat of a knack for voice-acting. Ever since they were kids making fun of those around them, Stan could imitate people's voices fairly well.
"Is it ringin'?" Butters asked, squeezing Kenny's hand and practically cutting of the circulation to his fingers.
Kenny placed a finger to his lips, politely shushing Butters. He didn't want them to hear him in the background.
The phone rang for a while, and Stan had almost given up when he heard a tiny click. "..Butters?" Came Linda's tired, weak voice. Apparently, she knew her son was missing.
"No, this is Marvin Marsh," Stan announced. "Is your husband home?"
"He's in the hospital," she managed, choking on a dry sob. "Have you seen our son, Butters?"
Stan frowned. "Um, no. I'm sorry. I'll call you back if I do."
Kenny cocked his head at Stan, silently asking what the news was. Ike, who had made his share of prank calls in the past, hand-signaled to Stan to end the conversation.
"Thank you," Linda sobbed. "Ask your grandson to ask his friends if they've seen him, too."
Stan hung up soon after the remark, and turned his phone off for good measure. He sighed and was about to inform his friends of the results, but Ike caught his eyes' attention once again. He looked to Kyle. "Ky? Could you...?"
"Ike, go upstairs," he demanded immediately.
"Why?" he whined, pouting openly. "I haven't even gotten to eat br-"
"Now! You can come back down in a minute!" Kyle shouted, his temper finally catching up to him. Ike muttered something about Kyle sounding just like their mother as he marched dramatically up the stairs.
"He's in the hospital," Stan announced when Ike was out of earshot.
"The hospital!" Butters shouted, his eyes roughly the size of flying saucers. "Oh, Christmas!"
"In what condition?" Kyle asked calmly, his feathers suddenly smoothed over, though he was still very much on edge.
"I don't know. I didn't ask. And Butters' mom knows he's missing, but she's not pissed off about it."
"R-really?" He asked, a faint of hope swimming along the banks of his saddened, frightened eyes.
"Really dude. She was all sad and crying."
"Okay?" Kenny said, still unsure how to react. "So that's...Good, I guess?"
"Yeah, I guess," Stan replied, glancing at Butters uncertainly. "...We should probably tell Kyle's dad that. He'll know what to do next."
—-
Gerald was informed of the news and immediately left to take the appropriate action. He returned several hours later, past the scheduled dinner time, looking tired. Once in the door, he requested to talk to Butters right away, who he'd previously told to stay put in the Broflovski house. Kenny stayed too, at Butters' request.
"Is he gonna die?" Was the first question out of Butters urgent mouth.
"Possibly, but not from the bat," Gerald replied honestly after he'd pulled Butters into his study to talk privately. "Your father woke up Butters. Unfortunately, he also confessed to molesting you."
"He confessed?" Butters repeated, nervously twisting his fingers together. "W-well, that means he gets off free, don't it?"
Gerald took a seat across from Butters. He frowned. "Sort of, yes. He's going to go to jail once he's out of the hospital, but child molesters don't usually...survive prison."
Tears beaded delicately on Butters eyelashes. It was evident he loved his parents dearly, even if they didn't treat him right. "Can't you do anything about it? Well, what if I say I don't wanna press any charges?"
"You could do that, but your friends, your mother and I would fight it anyway. Butters, your love for your dad is incredible under the circumstances, but something does need to be done about him. And actually, that's where the good news comes in. You see, since he confessed and his type don't do well in jail, he'll likely get a lawyer and request parole and counseling for his punishment instead."
Butters wiped his eyes, sniffling pathetically. The bottom rim of his eyes were red with unshed tears. "Couldn't you just agree to that? If he's gonna get help an-and all..."
"Sometimes counseling doesn't work on people like that, son," Gerald said, putting it as gently as possible that Butters' dad was more than likely full of shit. He only referred to the confession as 'good' news because the idea of Stephen's death saddened Butters. "But, there's a good chance he'll get it. Courts are nicer to people who confess voluntarily."
"What about my mom?" he asked softly.
Gerald reached over and patted Butters' shoulder sympathetically. "I've spoken to her. She didn't appear to know about any of this. You can go home to her if you want. I've already agreed to be her lawyer. That way I can keep an eye on you. But, she doesn't know you're here. As far as she knows, you ran away. We're going to keep that our little secret. That way, if she's lying to me or if something happens, you can come back here. Okay?"
Butters nodded, finally covering his eyes with his hands. He knew without asking that Gerald didn't recommend he go home to her, at least not now. Part of him wanted to; part of him didn't. The rest of him just wanted to be near Kenny again.
Gerald gave Butters a hug, letting him decide whenever he was ready what he wanted to do from here. Assuming she was truly innocent, which it looked like she was, Linda would probably seek divorce from Stephen or at least full custody of Butters with little to no visitation rights. Only a guy as sweet as Butters would be sad to get rid of his abusive father.
TO BE CONTINUED!!!!
-ButteredPopcorn