Chapter 9- Mall

She sighed, impatiently drumming her fingers on her folded arm. She debated between knocking again, or just going in with her copy of the key. What was taking so long anyways? Was he still asleep? Buttercup grimaced as she felt her self blush. She knew Ace had only been trying to get a rise out of her when he made the claim to sleeping naked, but that was not something she wanted to find out if it was true or not.

"He better not be fucking asleep, it's practically noon." She grumbled pounding on the door again. A minuet later she could hear the nob to the door opening.

"What?" Sounded a some what irritated Ace. Once he realized who was on the other side of his door he opened it all the way looking at her with disinterest. He was dressed in only a pair of loose fitting jeans and a towel around his neck collecting the water dripping from his hair, "What are yous doin' here? I thought I was to meet yous at your place?"

"Yeah, I -" She involuntarily gave him a once over. Do to thinking about his comment she was glad to see he was indeed clothed, nor had he been sleeping, but looking at his current state of barley dressed made her feel flustered. It did not help that, instead of wearing pants like he usually did that hugged at the waist he was currently sporting pants that hung low enough on the hip that it was made obvious he wasn't warring anything under them. She flicked her glance away from him before looking him in eyes, as she felt her cheeks heat again. "You where in the shower?"

If the heat in her cheeks where showing as a blush he didn't seem to notice with his disinterested stare turning to mild annoyance. Good, she thought. Buttercup didn't like getting flustered with guys, and it didn't help that the majority of the guys she knew only teased her if they caught on to what they where doing to her. Butch was defiantly the worst at it. Her male counterpart often said or did something in the hopes of purposely making her uncomfortable. She had hunch Ace would make comments with similar intent.

Ace turned and walked back into the apartment "I don't know whether to give yous a sarcastic reply or a serious one, so I'll settle on: obviously."

She followed him in, shutting the door behind herself. Looking around the room all she could see was light from outside peeking in around the shut blinds of the large window parallel to the door and shadowy outlines of objects. She reached over and flicked the main light switch by the door to on. Ace gave a muted annoyed hiss before he turned back around, slapping her hand away from the switch, and flipping it back off.

"Hey." She watched as he then went to a round dimmer sitting on a end-table under the light switch and rotated it. It wasn't connect to the main lights, but rather light strips placed around the room. It was more then enough light to see, but noticeably more dim then the initial light. Buttercup raised an eyebrow, crossed her arms, and looked at him while mirroring his uninterested look, "What, setting a mood, perv?"

He snickered moving to lean on the back of the dark blue couch and rubbing the towel against his hair, "Yous wish Buddacup."

He put the towel back around his neck and shot her a look saying she should know why he dimmed the lights. Her brows knitted together and she shrugged, "What?"

He rolled his eyes, before widening them and peace sign pointing at them with his right hand. She looked confused a moment, before she realized he wasn't wearing his sunglasses. Revealing his rather pale green eyes.

She felt her shoulders drop, "Right... light sensitivity, sorry...I keep forgetting about it. You never told me before, and you don't even let on ."

"Yeah, well, my apartment right? Speaking of; What are ya doin here?"

"Just because we have scheduled time today doesn't mean I'm going to blow my weekend entertaining you with a pet project." Buttercup stated leaning on the wall, "There's a movie at the outside mall I've been wanting to see for over a week now. Figured two birds one stone. Its faster to just meet you here, rather then waiting for you to show up at my house then going. You live closer to it."

"Fine. Could of called, but dere's worst ways to spend time I guess. Yous wait out here while I get dressed." He stood and started to walk towards the bed room before looking back at her, "Please tell me it's not some sappy chick flick?"

"Walking Corpses Three." He nodded approval and entered the bed room. Buttercup took the moment to get her first real look around the apartment. It wasn't a very big apartment, obviously made for only one, maybe two people. There was the main room to the left of the door and to the right was the kitchen. A half wall that also served as a counter added to the carpet turning to linoleum served as the only separation between the two rooms. Two small hallways in either of the far corners of the living room. One she assumed lead to the bathroom, the other the bed room. A closet was on the wall to her immediate right. The furniture, she knew, was what had been provided with the apartment by the BCA council: One entertainment stand with a small TV against the far wall perpendicular to the wall holding the one window, one coffee table, one couch facing the TV with its back to the kitchen, two end tables -one by the couch one by the door-, and that summed it up.

She scanned the walls and was a little surprised at their bareness. Looking around again she took note of the fact that there was nothing of personal addition out side of the dimmer lights. Nothing hung on the walls, and there was no nicknacks on any of the furniture. It felt strange. She had no idea how he lived while he was in Empire City, but when he lived at the dump with the Gang there had been plenty of personal touches around the place. She shook her head and mentally shrugged off the idea. He had been out for just barely over a week. It was all probably still in Empire City, or maybe in some kinda lock up. Buttercup looked down thinking. She had never really considered or thought about what happened to someones stuff when they got arrested and locked up; especially in a different city then where they lived.

She was pulled out of her musings when Ace returned properly dressed. He was clad in properly fitting brown pants, a medium blue washed toned tee, his black leather jacket, and, of course, his signature sunglasses. As it was the beginning of March and the weather was starting to warm, but could still get cooler breezes, the outfit was appropriate. Though she could guess he would of warn something similar during any point in the year. Today she chose to wear a green and black skirt with full leg stockings, her ankle boots, a black tank top with the deadpool logo, and a loose fitting green and black plaid boys styled over shirt.

"Soos,"He began walking over to her, "You flying or riding?"

One hour thirty seven minuets was the time the two sat in the darkened theater watching people trying to escape and survive in a world being eaten up and turned into zombies. Neither talked or said anything during the movie, but as soon as they stepped out of the theater door into the outside sun Ace had one things to say, "Dat was not a good movie."

"Gawd, I know! Talk about rehashing the same plot from the first two movies." Buttercup agreed, "And they didn't even do a good job at that. I can't believe I was excited to see it!"

She took one last sip from her now empty Slurpee cup before walking over to one of the trashcans and throwing it away. She then began descending the stares down to the lower-level of the outdoor mall. It was a square one building mall with a exposed quad in the center. The open space held the primary entrances to the majority of shops that mazed around themselves in two stories, and had large stone arch ways allowing entrance it to the space. The quad itself was filled with little stands, kiosks, and benches with a fountain dead center. The buildings where mostly made of cream and peach colored stone with red roofing. It all reminded Buttercup of Greek styled villas.

"Yeah well, dats why reboots suck." Ace commented following her down the stairs.

She looked over shoulder at him confused, "Reboot? Walking Corpses isn't a reboot."

He took a drink of his half finished soda, and raised an eye brow at her, "Oh god you're one of them. It's a reboot Buddacup! Originally was four movies under the names Livin' Corpses, Livin' Corpses return, Corpse Revival, and Son of the Survivor. Dey came out in the mid nineties based on the obscure comic books named -wait for it- Walkin' Corpses."

"Some how that makes the whole trilogy that much worse." She took a look at her phone, "You wanna grab lunch? Theater popcorn doesn't quite do it for me."

Ace shrugged a agreement, "Yeah, it doesn't help dat dese new copies rely on graphics more den story tellin'. Den shoe horn in some dumb love story for what? Ratings?"

"Wait, you're telling me Jack and Roxanne aren't together in the original?" She asked as she stood in line at a food vender.

"Pfft, hell no!"

"You actually have no idea how happy that makes me. Their chemistry on screen is so stiff and forced. It's probably the thing I hate most about the whole thing." She replied as she let her plaid shirt fall off her shoulders and pool at the fold of her arms. It had been chilly in the theater but outside standing in the direct sun was getting pleasantly warm.

"It probably feels dat way because Roxanne is a combo character. The character in the movie was twos in the comics. In the comics she was the groups medic Roxy who only showed slight interest in him, but never anyth'ng real, and Jacks little sister Anne. The original movies dey made her one character who Jack took in as like a sister, but not blood. I guess dey just rolled wit it in dese new movies."

Buttercup shuttered, "Bleh, that still just makes the whole thing creepy."

"Think how I felt watchin' the thing already knowin'." The two looked at each other and chuckled.

Their turn came at the vender, as Buttercup gave the simple menu a glance over, "You want a hotdog and a fresh soda?"

"Sounds good." Ace replayed swishing the ice left at the bottom of his cup before throwing it away in the trash next to them. Buttercup ordered two number threes, payed, handed the small throwaway box that held a loaded hotdog with chips to Ace, handed him a fresh drink, took her share, and led them to one of the outdoor tables.

Once seated Ace took a big chug of his drink, before belching. Buttercup gave him a look, "Really dude?"

"What can I say, little lady, I was raised wit no manners." Ace smirked taking a bite of his dog.

She gave him an annoyed look bunching her mouth to the side, before looking at her own drink. She took large gulp before letting out a sizable belch of her own.

Ace chocked slightly as a fit of laughter bubbled up, "Some lady you are, kid!"

Buttercup couldn't help but laugh in turn, especially after the looks the other mall patrons shot them, but she quickly calmed herself enough to speak, "Don't call me kid. I'm not that much younger then you."

"Oh, yeah, just ten years give or take. Little ms sixteen."

She rolled her eyes, "I'll be seventeen in less then six months."

"And I'll be Twenty-six dis month. I t'ink I gots you beat."

"What ever, dude, just don't call me kid."

"As you command Cuppa."

She sighed heavily, "And don't call me Cuppa."

"Alright, alright," He took a drink then smiled, "Bubbub."

She reached over grabbing his shirt collar, yanking him forward, and holding up a fist ready to punch, "I'm gonna throttle you."

He chuckled lifting his hands up is defeat, "Okay, okay, okay. I'll stop, I swears!"

She let him go as they both went back to eating. Between bites Ace asked, " Soos, why doos your brother call you dat anyhow? Bubbub sounds more like something you'd call Bubbles"

"Hmm? Oh, when Ken was first learning to talk he had a hard time pronouncing my name. Instead of Buttercup it'd come out Bubbubcub or variations of it. Eventually it just became Bubbub."

"I see."

She looked down at his empty plate, then to hers barely half gone, and back to his, "Jeeze you ate that fast!"

He shrugged, with a ever slight pink tint forming at the tip of his ears, "Yeeeeeeaah, what can I say, Even a hot dog taste better then prison food."

She took another bite and shrugged as well, "Well you know what they say, don't do the crime if you can't do the time, or in your case handle the food."

She couldn't tell where exactly he looked with his eyes shielded by the sunglasses, but she didn't really needed to know by the way his head turned and his brows lowered and knitted. She felt a lump form in her throat, "I- I didn't mean it li-"

"No." He raised a hand to silence her, "It's better dat we both pretend neither of us know yous know the truth. If it gets out Snakes life could get really fucked up! Especially because he didn't come clean right away. I know the council already suspects I'm coverin' for one of the uhtters, but as long as yous twos keep your mouths shut and I keep the blame dey can't make a solid conviction on him." Ace rubbed his temple as he got a concerned, protective, look, "Besides, based on the way Snake behaved while I was gone, dey might not goos as easy on him as dey did me... He's been so... reckless as a leader."

Buttercup looked at the man in front of her. He was so different then the Ace who had left Townsville two years ago. He was still Ace, the same Ace who used to tease and joked around. Still the same Ace she would bet who still enjoyed prank calls and thinks like spring snakes in a can. Yet he was defiantly different. It had not been lost on her that he was more subdued then his former self. Held more of a mature demeanor. It made him come off as more respectful, and that was emphasized by the fact he didn't have to be here. Yes their time together was a court ordered item, but he could get out of it so easily. All he had to do was tell the truth. Tell how he was no where near the building when it came down. That he had nothing to do with, how he didn't even know where the other gang members had gotten the explosives. He even had a solid argument that he was a ex member of the gang. His distinct absence from the gang had not gone unnoticed by the people and police of Townsville.

Instead he chose to sacrifice himself, his potential carrier, his life, for the sake of his friends. He took the brunt of the blame and got landed with the harshest prison punishment then any of the other Gangreen members. While arguing the gangs case he had placed in the idea of letting the others free and keeping him in jail on the table in the hopes of it swaying the council. Even after being accepted under the accord he still had the strictest regiment.

And for what? Nothing. Ace had done nothing wrong.

Buttercup folded her arms and leaned on the table, "You know Ace, you've really changed."

He raised an eye brow and tilted his head towards her, "Have I?"

"Welllll... Yeah, I mean-" She turned her head as she heard her name.

"Buttercup?! What are you doin here? I thought you said you had stuff you where doing today?"