Kenny took Butters to his house, reassuring Butters that his parents weren't home. Butters managed to get through his story before Kenny pounced on him, pulling him into a hard hug. The hooded blond became ridiculously overprotective of Butters, barely letting him out of his sight to even use the bathroom. When the two entered the visitors room the next day, Cartman commented that Kenny looked like a barnacle before looking horrified as he was hugged by his taller friend.
"Guess you told someone," Cartman said over Kenny's shoulder to Butters, trying to gently detach himself from the hug. "Sooner that I thought, but good for you."
"I got a place," Kenny said, abruptly letting go of Cartman and sitting down, startling both his friends. "It's not much but its got two bedrooms and Butters is gonna move in. When you're out, you can move in his room with him."
"Ah'm moving in?" Butters said, shocked.
"Yes. You're not staying with your idiot parents. You're living with me."
"How're you affording this, poor boy?" Cartman sneered, though without any malice in his tone.
"I work nights," Kenny replied shortly, and hadn't spoken another word the rest of the visit.
Monday rolled around, and Kenny was still sticking to Butters. Butters had spent the last three nights at Kenny's and was getting tired.
"Kenny, ah really do appreciate it, but ah really don't think it's necessary," Butters muttered to the taller blond as they entered the cafeteria.
"What's with the glue act?" Stan asked through a mouthful of sandwich as they sat down across from him.
"I know what happened," Kenny replied simply. "And once you're done with your lunch, you will join us in the bathroom so Butters can tell you too."
"Kenny," Butters protested weakly, knowing that even if he didn't want to, Kenny was too stubborn to let him out of it.
Stan's eyes widened and he finished his meal so fast he almost choked. He followed them out, waving off Kyle's curious expression as the trio passed the redhead in the hall.
Once Butters had stammered out his story again, Stan went so still and silent Butters was worried he'd stopped breathing. Then the raven-haired teen whipped around so fast Butters barely saw him move and punched the mirror, shattering it as he screamed expletives at the top of his lungs.
"Stan," he began, worried about teachers coming to investigate, but faltered to silence as Stan glared at him, his eyes pitch black with anger.
"Stan!" Kenny yelled, and the eyes focused on him instead. "Dude, the last thing we need right now is you acting like a fucking imbecile. Calm the hell down, you're scaring Butters."
Stan visibly deflated and looked apologetically at the smaller blond.
"It's ok, Stan," Butters reassured him softly. "Eric made me promise to tell you guys. I knew you'd get upset."
"I didn't think he deserved to get locked up before, and I'm pissed as hell he got locked up now. You're getting him out of his fucking house, right?" Stan suddenly demanded of Kenny, and the blond nodded.
"I'm telling his parents I'm taking him after school," Kenny responded, picking at some dirt under a nail.
"I'll meet you there," Stan said firmly and unlocked the bathroom door as the bell rang. Both boys ignored Butters weak protests as they dragged him to class.
It was a quartet that walked to Butters' house after school. Kyle didn't know the story, as Butters was hesitant to tell him without asking Cartman first if he was okay with his frenemy knowing something like that but getting Butters out of his parent's house was something Kyle was fully behind.
Butters was trying not to get his hopes up too high that they would succeed but felt his confidence bolstered by the angry, determined faces of his friends walking beside him. He'd long since stopped caring about his parents, realizing what terrible people they were after his mother had tried to drown him (again) in the seventh grade.
Both his parents were in the living room and looked at the boys, startled, as they stomped in.
"Boys, Butters is grounded and can't have friends over," his father began angrily, but Kenny cut him off.
"Butters is moving out," the teen growled, his voice surprisingly clear through his hood.
"We're just here to help him get his things," Stan added, crossing his arms and glowering threateningly.
"He most certainly is not!" Mrs. Stotch exclaimed, leaping to her feet. "He's seventeen, he's our property for another year!"
"Property?" Kyle hissed. "Well isn't that a telling statement?"
"You two are the worst parents anyone could ever have," Stan continued. "And I'm including Mr. Jefferson in that statement."
"He's moving out and you two won't ever contact him again," Kenny said firmly.
"How dare you!" Mr. Stotch yelled. "Linda, call the cops if Butters leaves and tell them he's a teenage runaway. Butters you are going to be grounded for years for this!"
"Ya call the cops or stahp me from leaving and ah give them video evidence," Butters spoke up softly.
His parents stared at him. "Evidence of what?"
"How about when ya chained me in the basement and tried to make me a cannibal?" he spat, voice growing louder with every word. "Eric had a hidden camera down there that recorded the whole thing. Not enough? How about when Mom tried to drown me? Both times! Ah've got dashcam footage! Or when ya put an actual lock on mah door and didn't let me eat fer a week when ah forgot to organize the pantry last year? Ah filmed every second ah was locked in there. Ah've got years of proof that would send ya both to jail fer the rest of yer lives. If ya don't let me leave, ah will make sure every bit of it gets broadcast all over town, boy howdy."
His friends all gave him looks of respect as his parents floundered for words, gaping at him like fish. Butters took the silence as assent and led his friends to his bedroom. They quietly shoved the things he wanted to keep into one of the dozens of suitcases stacked in his closet.
"Mah parents collect suitcases," he shrugged at his friend's curious gazes. "Came in handy, didn't it?"
Kenny fiddled with his phone for a moment and put it away. "Mr. Slave is waiting downstairs."
"You called Slave for help?" Stan grunted as he heaved two of the suitcases over a shoulder and reached for a third.
"He has a truck," Kenny replied, carrying two cases and kicking another in front of him as they started moving out.
"Ah'll return the suitcases this weekend," Butters told his still silent parents, ignoring their winces as once of the cases bounced down the stairs and into the front door with a bang. He picked up the bag and walked out the front door, never looking back.
"Where are we going boys?" Mr. Slave asked cheerfully, helping Stan heave a bag full of books into his truck bed. Kenny told him the address and the older man grinned. "Oh, very nice. You boys go get in Al's car, no room in here! See you in a bit!" He waved as he drove off.
"Buckle up!" Al reminded them as they boys piled in. He patted Butters' cheek softly. "Glad to see you honey. And glad to be of help! I've been telling my husband for years we should have you live with us but we could never figure out how to get you away without your parents going bananas."
"It's okay, Mr. Al," Butters smiled at him. "Ah wasn't ready til now anyway."
Butters was surprised to see them pull up in front of a single-story house.
"I bought it last month," Kenny told them. "Wasn't that expensive."
"Dude…you bought a house," Stan said in awe. "What the fuck do you do for a living?"
Kenny didn't answer, just started unloading Butters' belongings from Mr. Slave's truck.
"You're not doing anything…illegal are you?" Al queried anxiously and was mollified by Kenny's adamant refusal.
"Jesus Christ!" Mr. Slave exclaimed as they walked inside. "This is very nice! And you boys are right around the corner from us, you simply must come over for dinner this weekend."
With everything unloaded, the two men offered Kyle and Stan a ride home, which was gratefully accepted. Butters stood on the porch and waved goodbye until they were out of sight.
Kenny gave him a quick tour, ending with Butters' new bedroom. From having seen the other room, Butters knew this one had to be the master suite and automatically started to protest.
"It's fucking yours," Kenny snapped, taking off his jacket with a small sigh of relief. He'd kept it on the entire move and his skin was pink from the heat. "Remember, Cartman will be moving in too. I don't want to see that fatass naked ever so you get the room with a bathroom attached. Deal with it."
Butters blushed at the reminder that he'd be sharing a room with Cartman and shut up.
"I've got work tonight so you'll be on your own," Kenny yawned and stretched. "I'm gonna take a nap, see you at school in the morning."
Butters caught sight of Kenny's work schedule attached to the fridge once the taller blond had vanished into his bedroom.
No wonder he can afford this place, he thought as he saw all the shifts Kenny had been working. Butters resolved to ask Big Gay Al about a job at his animal shelter when he saw him that weekend. He would pay his share whether Kenny agreed or not.