A/N: There's only going to be twenty chapters in this thing, I think. There was going to be nineteen, but then I realized that I could make it fit so that there would be twenty...I hope.

Warnings: The usual.

Disclaimer: I do not own South Park.

Reviews:

Angelic Guardian: I'm sorry that you're sad. (Also, I don't know if you've heard it, but there's a song that has the lyrics: Flames to dust~ Lovers to friends~ Why do all good things come to an end~ And you just made me think of it.) Thank you~ And I learned something new. I don't think I've ever seen the cat episode. :o And...I wouldn't worry about being sad.

Thank you all for the reviews~

"Kenneh...What are you doing here?"

Kenny had walked past Eric without waiting for permission to come in. They had been thrown into an awkward silence for a while, the three boys in the room staring at each other. Kenny was glaring at Butters, who was fidgeting, while Eric looked between them, a frown forming more and more as the silence continued. Eric, not being one to keep his mouth closed for very long, had finally decided to break said silence.

"I came to talk to you." Kenny turned to look at his best friend. "He needs to leave."

Kenny wasn't going to look at Butters. He had noticed that something seemed to be off with the boy when he had came in, but he had thought that it was because of whatever him and Eric had been doing or talking about before Kenny had interrupted them. If whatever Cartman was doing or saying was causing was effecting Butters so strongly that he physically shook, then Kenny could guess what it was something big. He wasn't going to let whatever it was go on.

Eric didn't seem to be happy. He didn't get angry-he'd get agitated, but never really angry-with his best friend often, but the poor asshole had just came in his house without fucking asking and had told him that his guest needed to leave. He didn't try to hide his anger.

"Dammit Kenneh! Go to your own house and kick out people!"

Kenny moved closer to Eric. He was jealous of Butters, yes. Cartman spent more time with him lately, and Kenny didn't understand why.

Eric was about to snap something else at the boy, but he noticed something out of the corner of his eye; Butters was standing up. Eric narrowed his eyes.

"Butters...where the hell do you think you're going?"

Agitated that Kenny had lost Eric's attention, he turned towards the other blond in the room. He was going to snap at the smaller boy, make him feel like shit, but he finally noticed the bruise that Butters had for the first time. His eyes narrowed. Had Cartman done that? If Butters had a bruise years ago, Kenny would think that the football player had hurt him, but now he doubted it.

"I, uh, I don't want you two to f-fight, fellas." Butters' hands were still fidgeting. "Y-you two are f-friends. You guys a-are my friends, t-too."

Kenny felt something he didn't feel often-guilt. He had known Butters for as long as Cartman had. He may not know the Stotch boy as well as his friend did, but he knew that the boy's parent's weren't exactly loving sometimes. Kenny could relate to that.

Eric let out an audible sigh. He was beginning to get irritated with both boys. He didn't want to put up with either of their attitudes at the moment, but Kenny normally didn't act this serious and Butters had came to himupset about something. He could leave them now. He could walk right out of his own house. He could go throw eggs at Kyle's house. Maybe Kenny would kill Butters and then die in a freak accident? But part of Eric didn't want that to happen. Part of Eric didn't want to leave, and he understood why.

"We all have weaknesses."

A part of Eric still hadn't admitted to himself that he even had weaknesses, but now he couldn't admit it.

'These assholes are going to be the death of me one day.'

"Sit down, Butters."

Butters' eyes widened. He knew Eric cared about him-even if the boy wouldn't admit it or wouldn't go out with him-but he had always thought that Kenny came before him; The McCormick boy was his best friend, and had been for years.

"B-but...Eric...I don't want to-"

"Sit down, Butters!"

Kenny's scream had startled both Cartman and Butters. Cartman looked even more irritated than before. He looked like he was about to scream, but when Butters did sit down, the brunet seemed to relax a bit. He shot Kenny a glance, half warning and half questioning the boy, then sat down by the Stotch boy. After a moments hesitation, the McCormick boy sat down on the couch with them so Cartman was between the two blondes.

They sat there, silence taking them over once again. Butters was still fidgeting, but his nerves had calmed down and he was no longer shaking. Being this close to Eric had helped calm him down a lot, but the fact that Kenny had actually wanted him to stay made him smile. They were both after the same boy, but they could still be friends.

Finally, it was Butters who spoke.

"W-well...Fellas..." The blond sighed lightly. "L-look, alright? Y-you guys are f-friends." He was nervous and it was making his stutter worse than it usually was, but he didn't stop. He needed to get this out. "Y-you need to st-stop fightin'. I-I don't know what you wanted to s-say to Eric before Kenny, but you sh-should just g-go ahead and say it, al-alright? An-and you, Eric. Y-you need to be nicer to Kenny. H-he wanted to t-talk to you, alright? I-it won't k-kill you to listen t-ta him."

Both boys surprised an expression of shock, looking over the boy's head. Butters was looking down at his hands so he didn't notice. They were both surprised though; Butters didn't talk this way very often.

Eric opened his mouth to ask what the hell had gotten into his blond friend at the same time Kenny had opened his mouth to congratulate Butters for growing a pair of balls.

Butters wasn't finished though.

"N-now. Th-this ain't right. E-Eric, you should know th-that me and Kenny both have cru-crushes on you." That was possibly the hardest thing that Butters had said yet, but he still didn't stop. "N-now, I think that you should ch-chose between us. P-pick."

Eric's could picture what Butters would say if he knew that he had slept with Kenny and kissed Kyle: The blond would tell him to "s-stop j-jerkin' them around".

"Butters, I don't think that-"

Eric never finished his sentence. His doorbell rang for the third time since he had been home. Cursing loudly, he stood up, then went to open it. His mouth fell open when he saw who was standing there, but he should have known that thinking about the Jew would draw the Jew to him.

"Kahl.."

Eric's house seemed to be becoming crowded, but the redhead hadn't looked past Cartman yet. The look in the Jewish boy's eyes alarmed him and not for the first time recently, Eric Cartman thought that Kyle looked like a wild animal.

A/N: I think that I should end this here. I hadn't meant for it to take so long for Kyle to get there, but this was I can stretch it out to twenty chapters. Anyway, enjoy and review!