So begins Distraction's crusade to destroy childhoods. Heh.
Disclaimer: I do not own Powerpuff Girls or any of the characters shown herein.
Thanks go to GrimGrave for beta-ing this.
-Mojo-
Tell me, tell me, tell me where to go…
Tell me, tell me, tell me who to see…
Tell me, tell me, tell me what to do…
To fix what's wrong with me!
Right and wrong—who was to decide which was which?
She had been fighting crime since childhood and she still wasn't sure of the answer.
The brunette zipped under the giant, mechanical scorpion that was terrorizing her hometown, a lime green trail following in her wake, and burst up through its much softer underbelly, destroying the complicated system of circuits and gears that gave it life. As the monstrous machine fell to the ground, tumbling a building or two, she swore under her breath, whirling and catching the tail end of another, taking care to avoid the syringes full of neurotoxins that covered it and lifting it with the ease that one would a soda can before slamming it into a third enemy, disposing of them both.
This was way too easy.
For a moment, a shadow fell over the sun and the girl looked up: what appeared to be a flaming asteroid was coming straight towards her and she quickly darted out of the way, just barely making it clear of the huge crater it formed as it smashed into the ground with enough force to send gigantic rifts spidering along the concrete; the resulting shockwave sent the girl tumbling to the ground to land in a graceless heap and she groaned, sitting up and shaking her head to clear the ringing from her ears.
There was a hydraulic hiss and the top portion of the hunk of space rock opened to allow a skinny red-skinned male with a pointed beard and sinisterly serpentine eyes emerged from the cloud of steam—a villain known simply as HIM. "Helllooooo, girls."
Before the girl could retort, the space craft put out two pairs of sturdy metal legs, one of them stomping down directly on the spot she had fallen—
Suddenly, she was being hauled into the air and she breathed a sigh of relief, sagging against the girl who held her aloft. "Thanks, Blossom."
The orange-haired girl sighed and shook her head. "What am I going to do with you—"
"Buttercup!"
That voice… She'd know it anywhere. The panicked note within it made her skin crawl and she detangled herself from Blossom, heading in the direction of the sound without even thinking about it.
"Buttercup, wait!"
The cry fell on deaf ears and the young heroine was a green blur as she hurtled towards her target: HIM was holding a pretty blonde girl with baby blue eyes in his claws and he laughed wickedly as she squirmed, desperately trying to free herself.
"Let her go."
He snorted at the command, pulling the girl against his front and flicking his tongue against the shell of her ear. "Mm… I wonder if the rest of her is just as sweet?"
"Let… Go…!"
The blonde's plea seemed far away, muted by the loud, angry reverberation of her heartbeat in her ears. The brunette gritted her teeth and balled her hands into fists, her temper going super nova. "I won't ask again."
HIM laughed and closed a claw around his hostage's vulnerable throat and the girl whimpered fearfully. "Just what will you do, girl? You wouldn't risk the life of your precious sister."
Buttercup's body blurred and, a heartbeat later, the villain was gone as well, the claw that had been around the blonde's throat falling limply to the ground, torn from its owner by the velocity of the green-clad girl's flight.
"A-ah! Okay, I surrender!" the male blubbered fearfully as he was dragged through the air at the speed of sound.
Her grip on the front of his red tunic tightened. "No fucking way."
They struck the side of a glass-walled skyscraper and the entire structure teetered precariously as Buttercup drew her arm back and hit HIM once… Twice… Three times before he was sent through the other side and into the concrete below with a pained scream, his limbs broken, his face bloodied.
"M-mercy!" He scrambled backwards with his one remaining claw as his opponent advanced, her frame rigid. He knew the Powerpuff Girls to be 'true' heroes—the type to avoid casualties and honestly just give evil-doers a slap on the wrist and a chance to go back to being evil again soon after.
For the very first time, the villain actually feared for his life and the chilling feeling of dread only intensified as the young woman stooped down to lift a fallen metal support beam and heft it onto her shoulder like a hammer.
She raised the make-shift weapon—
"Buttercup!"
Twin trails of pink and blue came rushing forward, the former of which crashed into Buttercup, knocking her aside. Blossom's eyes were wide, fearfully—as though she had been the one in danger—as she stood over the other girl and kicked the beam out of her reach. "What were you thinking?"
Lime green orbs flicked to the side, but she didn't respond. She caught sight of her own shaking, bloody hands and clenched them into fists to steady them.
"You… You almost killed him!" Those pastel pink eyes were sad, judgmental, and she couldn't handle that right now. Not with the way her heart raced and adrenaline rushed through her veins.
She caught one last glimpse of Bubbles's worried expression as she pushed Blossom aside and jetted off.
o.o.o
Buttercup sighed and rolled onto her stomach, burying her face in crossed arms. This internal struggle of hers had gone from a personal problem to a matter of national security. She had lost her mojo—her combat readiness and overall ability to protect those who needed her protection.
And, honestly, she wasn't sure if she'd ever get it back.
The brunette had tried her damndest to bury these feelings—feelings that left her weak-kneed and light-headed, her heart threatening to hammer its way out of her chest.
Right… Wrong… Who knew?
What she did know was that she had to remove herself from the situation before she acted without thinking as she was known to do.
Better to retreat than to regret.
She could hear voices beyond her door, one male and one female: Blossom and the Professor. They were likely discussing her recent meltdown and the subsequent alienation, but that didn't bother her. She didn't give much weight to what others thought about her with the exception of one pretty blonde girl who was missing from the conversation.
Where was Bubbles?
The answer to that question came in the form of a quiet knock at her door and she flinched.
"Go away." That, of course, had been the standard response to anyone who dared to disturb her solitude for the past three days, but the bite behind the bark was strangely absent. In fact, she just sounded resigned and she hated herself for it. "I'm not in the mood for company."
There was a pause. Then, "You never are anymore."
Ba-bump.
Unbidden, Buttercup's feet took her across the room, spurred on by the bitterness in the other girl's tone. Sure enough, baby blue orbs were unusually shiny and the blonde's shoulders were slumped sadly.
'Fuck…' "What do you want?"
"Never mind." She turned to leave, but the brunette caught her arm, her heart racing. When Bubbles's shoulders tensed, her stomach flip-flopped uncomfortably. "Let me go."
"I'm sorry." Those two words were incredibly difficult and swallowing her pride was even more so. "Come in… Please?"
…
They were sisters—created in the same lab by the same mixture of sugar and spice and everything nice and the accidental addition of Chemical X—and so she shouldn't be doing this.
Shouldn't be letting her feelings get the best of her.
Shouldn't be anywhere near the naïve young woman.
Shouldn't want to hold the blonde and kiss her breathless.
It was wrong.
… Right?
A hand cupped her cheek, shaking her from her despondent line of thought, and blue eyes met green. "Where did you go just now?"
"Sorry…" She had been saying that a lot recently, but she really couldn't think of anything else while under scrutiny by those baby blues.
Bubbles giggled. "You've been such a space cadet recently."
"Your fault," Buttercup mumbled before she could help herself.
The blonde sobered immediately. "Oh… Is that why you keep yourself locked in here?"
She captured the girl's hand before it left her cheek, taking it into her own and giving it a squeeze. "No, no… Of course not."
"I can leave." It was said so quietly that Buttercup had to lean forward to hear. "I-I know I've never been as good at fighting as you and Blossom. I'm always getting in the way and it would be better if I just… Disappeared."
"Don't say that!" The horrible, panicky sensation in her chest made her tone harsher than intended and she tightened her grip when the younger girl flinched away. "You're wonderful, Bubbles. I'm the one who should disappear."
Bubbles frowned. "What do you mean?"
She sighed, immediately regretting having opened her big, stupid mouth. "Do you remember when we defeated HIM's scorpion army a few days ago?"
Her expression fell. "Yeah… I really messed up—"
"You didn't." Buttercup closed her eyes, silently reassuring herself that there was no way the gentle-hearted blonde would think less of her. It almost worked. "I fucked up. I knew you'd be fine on your own, but I freaked. When I saw his filthy claws on you and then his tongue…" She scowled, a haze of red clouding the edges of her vision just as it had that day. Tears of frustration stung lime green orbs and she had to take a few deep breaths before being able to continue. "No one should touch you, Bubbles." Her voice was rough, raw with tightly contained emotion. "No one is good enough… Not even me."
The youngest triplet was silent for a moment—a small eternity, in truth—before she said softly, "Buttercup?"
She was a super-powered crime fighter who faced peril on a daily basis and laughed in the face of danger… And yet here she was, cowering away from a young woman who was not only her ally, but one of her closest friends. Her sister.
"W-what?"
There was no way the heart was supposed to be capable of beating so quickly.
"Are you… Do you… Like me?"
She had to get out of here.
Bubbles raised her arms to shield herself from the shockwave created by the brunette's take-off and the subsequent rain of plaster from the huge hole in the ceiling that resulted from her flight.
o.o.o
It was an ungodly hour, so no one would witness this little temper tantrum.
"Stupid…"
There was the loud, sharp sound of a powerful impact, followed by the agonized groan of a large structure falling.
/ "Buttercup, look what I can do!" The blonde grinned and turned to the fuzzy creature sitting in her lap, muttering something to it and giggling when it performed a neat little flip. "Good job, Mr. Hoppy!"
As she showered her newfound friend with praise and ear rubs, Buttercup could only frown.
Was it weird that she was jealous of a silly bunny? /
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
Each vehement exclamation was punctuated by several deafening 'crack!'s and birds cawed, wheeling away from the treetops as their homes fell, their vast bases snapped in two like mere popsicle sticks.
/ Thunder struck, rending the dark sky in two, and the brunette yawned drowsily. It was late… She really should be going to bed, but she had too much pent up energy humming around her athletic frame.
The heroine slid her hand along her stomach, her breath hitching at the ticklish feeling as the appendage approached the waistband of her panties—
Footsteps were racing down the hall, coming closer.
She had just barely managed to straighten herself when Bubbles came barging into her room and, in another crack of lightning, she caught sight of wide blue eyes that shimmered with unshed tears.
"I-I'm s-scared. Can I s-sleep here with you?"
Blossom's room was much closer… Why cross the entire house?
Wordlessly, the brunette lifted the corner of her blanket and, with a grateful, radiant smile, the blonde climbed into bed with her.
She hadn't planned on sleeping tonight, anyway. /
"GAH!"
The ground shook, boulders rolling down the sides of the mountain peaks that surrounded her, and she collapsed, a sob leaving her as she gave the earth one last half-hearted punch.
How could she have been so stupid? There was no way she could face Bubbles again. Not after she had revealed the sick, twisted part of her that had feeling for-for her sister of all people.
/ Blossom shook her head. "You're spoiling her, you know."
The brunette shrugged, though her could-care-less attitude melted away the moment her younger sister came into view. "I know."
Pink eyes narrowed, the brilliant mind behind them working diligently. "Buttercup, is everything okay?"
Bubbles came running up and she nearly bowled her older girl over as she threw her arms around Buttercup's neck. "Omigosh, thank you so much! I love it!"
Now it was. /
She closed her eyes. "Stupid."
"What makes you say that?"
Buttercup jumped and whirled towards the speaker, her dukes up, but it was only Bubbles. The blonde was smiling shyly… Why was she doing that? She should have been horrified, disgusted, concerned—anything but smiling at her.
"What are you doing here…?"
The youngest Powerpuff Girl crossed the clearing, the tall grass rustling under her feet, and crouched next to her sister before offering a helping hand. "I'm taking you home."
A little thrill of warmth made her heart skip a beat, but she resisted the urge to smile and scowled instead. "You shouldn't have come out here. I have to stay away from Townsville."
"What are you talking about? Townsville is our home."
No… Not any longer. How could she keep the city when she was one of the people tainting it with her abnormality? It was better if she stayed away; away from everyone she knew; away from anyone she could taint as well.
Anyone like, say, Bubbles.
"I'm not leaving without you."
Buttercup gritted her teeth, her fingers digging into the earth. "Why are you doing this?"
"Mm…" The sound was thoughtful and the proffered appendage came to rest on crown of the brunette's head, stroking short dark locks tenderly. "You're my sister and I love you."
Her chest constricted painfully and she sighed, hanging her head. Of course… They were sisters. There should be nothing but sisterly affection between them, so Bubbles likely… pitied her.
The thought hurt more than she could have imagined something to hurt.
She jumped again when she was pulled into a tight hug, her face pressed into soft warmth—
Warmth that became the heat of a thousand suns as her cheeks went crimson.
"B-Bubbles!"
"I love you," the younger girl repeated, the soft, throatiness of her voice making Buttercup shudder.
She couldn't help but relax into the comforting embrace. "I know."
That laugh wasn't the cute, high-pitched giggle she knew, but a husky—dare she say, enticing?—version that made liquid heat pool between her thighs despite herself.
"I don't think you understand…"A finger hooked under her chin, angling her face upwards, and her breath caught in her throat. They were so incredibly close and the blonde's eyes lingered on Buttercup's lips, the light blue shade darkening to a sensual indigo.
"I'm stupid, remember? You'll have to explain," she breathed.
"I'd rather show you."
Ba-bump.
Soft, plump lips pressed against hers and the brunette moaned—she couldn't help it. All of the desire she had repressed for the past few months reared up, making it impossible for her to resist turning the chaste contact into something more and she thrust her tongue past Bubbles's lips, swirling it hungrily against the younger girl's as her hands came up to grope and caress a supple, nubile form.
It was only when the blonde released a surprised squeak (likely as a result of an overzealous squeeze) that the heroine's brain caught up with her body and she quickly detangled herself. Before the horrified stream of apologies could leave her lips, however, slim fingers entwined themselves in her hair, pulling her forward so that their faces were mere centimeters apart.
"Where do you think you're going?" Eyes heavy lidded, chest rising and falling rapidly, pale skin flushed.
"U-uh…" It wasn't possible to get any hotter than she was right at that very moment.
Buttercup had never been happier to be proven wrong.
Part of her was worried that she'd melt into a pool of molten ecstasy while the other…
Well, the other was screaming too loudly to care.
Her hips pumped to meet the deep, swift thrusts of Bubbles's fingers, her body subconsciously seeking to prolong the intense pleasure that threatened to overwhelm her in a tidal wave of bliss. "Ah…!"
For her part, the blonde was panting raggedly, her thighs parting as the brunette's thumb came up to play with her clit, her middle and index fingers plumbing velvet depths and creating the satisfying sensation of fullness that made her eyes roll back in her head.
The younger girl's body was just perfect—pale, curvy, soft as silk—and she very desperately wanted to get her hands on every inch of it.
It was becoming increasingly more difficult to control her body, much less keep up the steady pace that was effectively causing her sister to lose herself in a world of electric impulses that zipped along from neuron to neuron to wipe her mind clean and render her muscles uncooperative, but she steeled herself, somehow managing to prioritize her partner's pleasure over her own.
The strongest of the triplets had a penchant for competitiveness and the race was on.
They moved together in perfect harmony—a give and take that made the concept of Yin and Yang seem inadequate—but it was Bubbles who broke first, orgasm washing over her in a combination of curled toes and wildly clenching inner muscles as she howled Buttercup's name to the fading stars.
And the brunette wasn't very far behind.
…
In the afterglow of something so beautiful came an earth-shattering realization—one that would change both of their lives forever:
"This can't happen again." It took Herculean effort to utter those four words.
Seeing the hurt on Bubbles's pretty face made it seem easy in comparison. "What…?"
She cleared her throat, the pain in her chest like an icy blade through the heart.
Right… Wrong… Who knew? It was up to her to decide.
But what if you retreated and regretted?
"Please… You have to understand."
It was wrong of her to taint the blonde's innocence with her perversions. What would Blossom say? The Professor? They would be devastated. Not only that, what about the young civilians that looked up to her as a role model—a pristine symbol of justice and righteousness that could do no wrong.
No… She couldn't be so incredibly selfish. Not when so many were counting on her.
Without another word, Buttercup crushed her sister to her, sighing softly when she felt hot, wet droplets of liquid on her collarbone. She trembled, terrified of what the future sans Bubbles would bring, but she refused to let the tears that stung her eyes to fall. She had always been known as the strong one and she couldn't fail the younger girl—not again.
The right thing to do was sometimes the most difficult.
Thus, in the gentle light of the rising sun, the sisters shared a silent, heartfelt farewell. And, by the time the brilliant orb was peeking over the treetops, the brunette was gone.
-Fin-