Two years later…
Butters yawned as he unlocked his front door and stumbled inside. It had been an unbelievably long day at the shelter and he was exhausted, wanting nothing more than a shower before bed.
Big Gay Al had promoted him to assistant manager upon his graduation from South Park High and Butters was happy to accept. He had no inclination to go to college and was flattered when Al told him privately that he wanted Butters to take over when he retired.
Cartman was still working for Mr. Slave, working as a bartender even though there were still two years to go before he turned twenty-one. Mr. Slave wanted Cartman to be a manager as well in a few years, once he had graduated. Cartman was taking classes at the local community college, a few classes shy of getting his business degree. Butters wasn't really all that surprised when the brunet had revealed quite the talent for the subject, recalling their childhood days when Cartman had run one business after another in his quest for a million dollars. He was ridiculously proud of his boyfriend.
They still lived with Kenny, who was more than obliging to keep them. He'd told them one night after more than a few beers that even if they had kids one day he wanted them to keep living there and he'd build a second floor if need be. Butters had been touched, and Cartman told him privately later that he had no intention of leaving Kenny alone ever. Butters agreed.
Stan was a regular couch crasher. He came home from college on the weekends, rarely visiting his own house. "Too much drama," he would say when asked. Kyle visited too but not as often and never without Stan. He and Cartman still weren't friendly and probably never would be much to Butters' despair.
Mrs. Broflowski and Liane Cartman visited regularly to drop of loads of food. Butters had been more than shocked the first time Sheila had shown up on his doorstep but had just grown to accept it. He realized it was her way of thanking Cartman for saving her son without ever having to actually say thank you. The two mothers made so much food for the three boys that Butters couldn't honestly remember the last time he'd gone grocery shopping.
Butters opened the door to his bedroom, ready to just say nuts to the shower and crash on the bed, when his tired brain registering what was happening in his room and froze in the act of pulling off his shoes.
Candles flickered on the dresser and the desk and rose petals littered the carpet. And there, sitting on their bed was Cartman, looking adorably nervous. Butters swallowed hard and shut the door behind him quietly.
"So, just let me get through this because honest to God I had this whole speech planned but its completely disappeared from my brain," Cartman began, his voice rough. He stood and took both Butters' hands in his own, looking down at the blond, a hint of panic plain on his face. "We've never celebrated an anniversary because honestly what day would we even pick? But today is the second anniversary of me getting out of juvie and coming home to you, so I thought today was a pretty good day to do this. Butters…fuck this is so hard…Butters I love you. While I will never be happy about the circumstances that got me locked up, I will always be grateful that it led me here, to this moment, to you. I…fucking hell, fuck it."
Cartman dropped to one knee and pulled a box out of his back pocket. He opened it and asked, "Butters Stotch, will you marry me?"
Big Gay Al looked up from his newspaper with a frown and looked at his husband.
"Did you hear that noise? That squeal?"
"Yeah," Mr. Slave said, turning the page of his book without looking up. "Butters said yes."
Stan, Kenny, and Kyle sat around the kitchen table admiring the ring on Butters' finger.
"Nice choice," Stan said, grinning at the tall man standing behind Butters' chair.
"This is probably the wrong time to ask but I strongly suspect it was the catalyst to making this happen and I'm tired of being the only one of us to not know," Kyle blurted out, looking at Butters. "What happened when Cartman found you that day? How did it get us to here?"
Stan looked at Kenny.
Kenny looked at Butters.
Butters looked at Cartman.
Cartman glared at Kyle.
"You're right, you prick, it isn't the right fucking time," he growled, gripping Butters' shoulders a little too hard.
Butters gently laid a hand on top of one of his fiancé's and the man glanced down, letting out a huff before sitting next to him.
"How bout this?" Cartman said finally, glaring at the redhead again. "You start off telling what you remember about that day and we'll go around the fucking circle like we're telling damn campfire stories til we get to Butters."
Kyle cleared his throat. "Well, I remember someone sneaking in my room and knocking me out at my desk with a tire iron. When I woke up, I was tied to a chair, surrounded by four of those bikers we ran out of town when we were kids. Three of them left, I presume to go kidnap Kenny, Stan, and Butters. I don't know how long I was tied up but suddenly you were there, Cartman. You knocked the biker out with the same tire iron he'd hit me with and tied him up before freeing me. Then you vanished and I went to the cops."
"If we're gonna tell this story properly I should mention that those faggots woke me up with a Molotov cocktail through my window. Had a note giving me easy clues where to find you guys. I mean, seriously easy. Those guys were morons."
"I woke up at the church," Stan said when it was clear Cartman was done talking. "The dude heard Eric come up behind him. You guys fought, you got his gun, dude got shot, I got freed, and you left. Short and simple."
"I guess I'm next in this sordid tale," Kenny muttered. "Faggot had a gun to my head in the ruins of the old Walmart. Threatened to shoot me if Eric came any closer. Didn't even have time to blink before Eric shot him between the eyes. I said it before and I'll say it again, dude that was a nice fucking shot."
"Mine had me in the junkyard," Butters murmured softly. Cartman wrapped an arm around the blond's shoulders and hugged him gently. "Ah was the last of ya ta get rescued so ah was there for what seemed like hours. He got bored, decided he wanted ta 'play'. He turned on the car compactor and stuck mah head in, pulling me out just before it would slam down. But that wasn't 'fun' enough." Butters drew a shaky breath and Cartman hugged him closer.
"He raped me," Butters said bluntly, ignoring Kyle's gasp and the sympathetic glances of Stan and Kenny. "Every thrust he'd stick mah head in the compactor, pull mah head out when he pulled out. Ah honestly didn't think I was gonna live. And then Eric was there." He looked at his fiancé, adoration clear on his face.
"That's what was happening when I got there," Cartman continued for Butters quietly. "The judge told me I would have been forgiven if I had just killed the other two. It was clear defense, life and death situation. But this guy, I emptied the rest of my clip in him and stuck his head in the compactor while he was still breathing. Since I wouldn't explain why I had such an 'overreaction'," he said mockingly with air quotes, "judge had to sentence me for it. But I'd do it again, without question."
The other four looked at Kyle, who sat silently, processing the information he'd been given. The redhead then stood and stuck a hand out to Cartman.
"We'll never be best friends," he said as Cartman gazed at him questioningly. "We have too much history for that. But I respect the fuck outta you and if you're willing, I'd like to give friendship another chance."
"Fucking A, jew boy," Cartman huffed, but he shook Kyle's hand firmly. "Bout fucking time. I'd have done this years ago if I'd thought you'd go for it."
"Lookit how grown up we are," Kenny deadpanned in a monotone. Smiles cracked around the table and quickly turned into full blown laughter.
"Are we done with the sob fest?" Cartman asked once they'd caught their breath. "I wanna beat all your asses on the Xbox at least once before I have to tell my mother I'm engaged. She'll be here in an hour."
The boys cheered and thundered into the living room, arguing good naturedly as Butters followed sedately behind. He watched them affectionately, his eyes lingering on the tall brunet seated in the middle of the couch. He thought back to that day as the game's opening theme played.
Only Cartman knew what had happened in the moments between rescuing Butters and when the cops arrived. Cartman held gently held the blond until he had stopped shaking and cleaned him and dressed him with more tenderness than Butters had ever seen before or since. The brunet had just sat and held him until they could hear the sirens growing closer and carried Butters out to the first to arrive, continuing to hold him until the cops made him let go.
Butters had fallen irrevocably in love with Eric Cartman that day.
While he would never be grateful for the circumstances that led them together, Butters would never regret that it had led them to the moment.
He smiled at Eric when he looked back at him curiously and sat himself down between Eric's legs to cheer him on.