"What do you think you're doing?!" Professor Utonium shouted.
Dexter and Buttercup leapt apart, blushing fiercely. The redhead had never seen the Professor so enraged.
"Professor!" Buttercup yelped. "We were just…just kissing…"
"I could see that! But what gives you two the right?!"
"We…we're dating."
The Professor turned his heated gaze to Dexter. "Oh really? And how long have you been doing that?"
"Three weeks," his daughter replied.
The Professor stormed up and snagged Dexter's arm, jerking him to his feet. Dexter's face was exceedingly hot, and he was looking anywhere but at the man in front of him.
"Look me in the eye and tell me why you conveniently never mentioned that you were dating my daughter!" the Professor ordered.
"Let go of me!" Dexter squeaked.
"No! Do as I say!" Utonium said, shaking him hard.
Fear was making Dexter's gut clench so bad that it hurt. He began to cry and wrenched himself away from the man he looked up to, running away. He hid in the bunk room, on the furthest bunk from the door, curled up under the blankets. He felt raw and broken. All he wanted was a girlfriend. Was that too much to ask? Apparently.
After two hours of alternating between brooding and crying, he felt a person settle at his feet. He curled up tighter. A hand pressed on his foot, but still he didn't move.
"Dexter, I'm sorry for scaring you like that," Professor Utonium said after five minutes.
"I just want to be happy, Professor. To make her happy. Do you think I do not love your daughter?"
"I think you do. You're not the kind of person to date just for the hell of it," the Professor said honestly.
"Then why must you yell at me? I did nothing wrong."
"You were making out with my daughter. And your hands were wandering."
"I…You are right. I cannot seem to control my hands when we kiss. They just…want to explore, and find skin to pet and stroke and—"
"Dexter! I do not want to her this!" the Professor gasped.
Dexter chuckled, peeking out from under the blanket to hesitantly smile at his father figure. "I am sorry, Professor. Forgive me. I forgot who I was talking to. I am truly sorry."
"You are forgiven. Just…remember in the future. I do not want to hear about skin or kissing or touching anywhere that isn't appropriate."
"Yes, Professor." There was a pause. "So you don't mind us dating? I would like your blessing."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Dexter lowered his head. "I thought you would yell at me. I was afraid you would lock me out of your computer, your lab, your life, if I told you. For the past two hours, I thought I was right. But now, maybe…no?"
"No. I just needed time to cool down. I guess I can see you being scared. I am protective of my girls. But they are getting older, and Buttercup could have chosen worse. So…sure. You have my blessing."
"Thanks. Double D has had a couple of helpful conversations with me."
"What did he…Never mind. I don't want to know."
"Very true, Professor." He paused. "I did not know there were bases until he explained it."
The Professor laughed heartily. "Really? What were you doing in middle school, sleeping?"
"I skipped all of middle school, two grades in elementary school, and three years of high school. I only took my senior year to make my parents happy."
"I was smart, but I had friends that I wanted to spend time with. That's why I stayed."
"Yes. That is why Double D stayed through middle school. He tested out of high school, and, like me, was enrolled in college courses when Fuse invaded." Dexter shook his head. "It seems like forever ago that we were as normal as we could be, just learning and enjoying life. Now we are monstrous freaks that can control Fusion Matter. I do not know why your daughter wants me."
"You're a smart, sensitive boy."
"And she is a tomboy who seems callous as they come. But…she is amazing. I think she is afraid of being weak or needy. She rarely kisses me until I kiss her…Sorry, just had to say that."
"Buttercup is one tough little girl, Dexter. She is fierce and brave and loyal, but she's got a need to be powerful and, well, tough. One way you will know when you win her love is that she will be what she considers 'weak' in front of you. She will cry and be vulnerable. When this happens, love her. Do not break my daughter's heart, Dexter. Please."
"I believe she has come close. I cannot really help it, and you are not going to like hearing this, but I do have trouble with my hands, as I mentioned. I have…" Dexter paused, weighing his words. "Let us say that I have been slapped a few times for touching what I should not. I am sorry, Professor," he added when the man looked irritated.
There was a long, heavy sigh. "I would get onto you, but I have had a couple girlfriends in my lifetime, most of them before the girls. I remember wandering hands and how I could barely think. I just wanted more. But that's not how girls work. They need time, they need breathing space, and they need kindness and understanding. Now can we be done talking about this? I don't want to think of Buttercup losing her innocence."
"Yes, yes, of course. But Professor? I do not even know if I am fertile still, so I'm not sure about grandchildren. The Fusion Matter…"
"Oh. Well, we can easily find that out. I will need a sample though…"
Dexter blushed. "Ah…I shall get that to you in a day or two. And Double D wants to know as well."
"Very well. Just do the usual job at labeling that you do, and we should have no troubles. Now, let's go eat lunch."
"Yes, sir!" Dexter said happily.
The Professor snagged him before they entered the kitchen. "And please involve my daughter in your specimen as little as possible."
"I, er, cannot promise…imagining…but, we are certainly not there in our relationship. I have not even hit second. Sorry!" Dexter exclaimed, holding up his hands and cringing back.
The Professor looked like he was seriously considering shooting him. He shook his head and they walked into the kitchen. Double D was there making waffles and bacon and eggs. Glasses of orange juice were set around the table, and Buttercup was pouring the milk into taller glasses. Dexter smiled and adjusted his glasses, but to be safe, he walked over and sat at his place at the table. He sipped his orange juice as he watched the food be plated.
"You know, Double D, you should be a chef. Beautiful presentation."
Edd blushed. "Well, I have studied the culinary arts in my off time," he admitted as he, Blossom, and Buttercup set the plates out.
"Well, let us eat!" Dexter said when there was still silence for a minute.
They dug in happily, all except Buttercup, who just picked at her food. She kept glancing up at Dexter, who would blink back at her, then she glanced at the Professor, who was happily conversing with Edd. Buttercup finally could stand it no longer. She slammed her hands on the table and stood, looking pleadingly at the man she knew as her father.
"Don't be mad at Dexter, Daddy! Please!"
The Professor stared at her. "I'm not."
"But you grabbed him and shook him and—"
"Buttercup, we have talked it through. There is nothing for you to fear. We are not at odds with each other," Dexter said calmly.
Buttercup studied their faces then sank back into her chair in relief. "Okay…Sorry. I just…don't want you to be mad at each other."
"What are you talking about?" Blossom demanded.
"Nunya business," Buttercup said, sticking out her tongue.
Bubbles blinked and her sweet voice caught their attention. "She's dating Dexter."
"Buttercup is dating a boy?!" Blossom boomed then fell out of her chair laughing.
Buttercup blushed and kicked her chair back as she stood and planted her hands on the table to glare at her sister. "What am I supposed to do? Date a girl?! Oh, hell no!"
"Blossom! Stop laughing this instant!" the Professor barked, rising to his own feet. "Buttercup, you watch your mouth or you will be tasting soap again! And Bubbles!" Bubbles looked up at him with scared eyes. He sighed and reached over to kiss her head. "That was Buttercup's business, dear. You should have let her tell it when she was ready."
"I'm sorry," Bubbles said, looking away. "I just wanted to tell them congratulations. I think it's sweet."
"Sweet as cinnamon sugar," Edd snickered; Dexter's infatuation with Buttercup was so great that every single make out session was played through their dreams the night after they'd happened.
"And your girl tastes like blue raspberry bubblegum," Dexter replied, eyes shining behind his glasses.
Both boys had two options. They could beat the shit out of each other every time the other mentioned the dreams they couldn't control, or they could relax, laugh about it, and never, ever tell their girls that they knew all that stuff about them. They'd opted for the latter after they'd nearly destroyed the Professor's computer.
They finished their food and left the Professor and his girls at the table, walking in to the room.
"Planning on anything today?" Edd asked.
"I wish we could go fight," Dexter growled. "Fuse is closing his grip again. Genius Grove is infected again, and Steam Alley is getting close."
"But the others are afraid close proximity to Falsies and Fuse is dangerous for us," Edd replied.
"But we were just fine, Double D. Even Buttercup gets to go out and kick some serious—"
"Dexter I have a question," the Professor said, walking in.
"…butt," Dexter finished swiftly then turned. "Yes, Professor?"
"Have you seen Computress? I would like to be ready for the specimens you need to provide."
Edd looked blankly at Dexter. "Specimens?"
"Semen. Fertility test," Dexter said with a nod then spoke to the Professor out loud. "I believe I know where she might be, if you will permit us to go outside the lab."
Professor Utonium blinked at them. "Um…You're welcome to leave here any time. Any time at all."
"Really?" Edd asked.
"I don't care. I actually wondered why you didn't go out and fight with the others. They don't really fear you anymore."
"Yes, but they fear what close proximity to Fuse's minions will do. Nothing, as far as we've seen," Edd said with a shrug.
"Then go on. Have fun. And hopefully, you really do bring back Computress. She's been gone for over a week."
Edd and Dexter ran for the Fusion Matter. Buttercup slowly approached and watched as they used the green goo to make their usual attires. They created a large mirror and turned this way and that as they assessed their state of dress. They finally looked at each other and nodded.
"We look fine, Double D. Let us go. I am rather eager to see what Computress is doing."
"You think she's you-know-where?" Edd asked in amusement, breaking the mirror down to Fusion Matter and putting it back in the tank.
"Exactly!" Dexter laughed.
"Where?" Buttercup asked. They simply smiled at her, so she shrugged and left.
"The girls are just as clueless as the Professor," Edd said with a shake of his head once they were sure she was gone.
"What do you think the Professor would do if he knew that my love had a crush on him?" Dexter chuckled.
"Maybe they'd hook up?" Edd suggested. "I mean, Utonium doesn't seem to be interested in organic females."
"Who knows. The way Computress is with her secrets, we might never find out," Dexter replied with a shrug. "Now let us go."
They hurried out the door and zipped along Fusion Matter lines until they reached the Professor's house. They unlocked the door and went in, searching every room. She was exactly where they thought she'd be. Snuggled into the Professor's sheets.
"Oh, my love!" Dexter sang, and she jumped violently as she scrambled off the bed. "In the bed of another man, are you?"
"Dexter! I was simply…scanning for…for…" She lowered her head, embarrassed that she was caught.
Dexter chuckled and approached her to embrace her. He kissed her cheek. "My love, my love, why do you torture yourself? Reveal your feelings so you know where he stands. He might want you, too."
"But Dexter, he might not. He might think I am not worthy of his affections," Computress argued in a soft voice. She paused. "You call me 'my love' all the time. Would you not mind me dating the Professor?"
"You will always be my first love, and I will never stop calling you that, dating or no," Dexter said firmly. "But I greatly desire you to be happy. Go for it, dearest love. Tell him of your feelings. Maybe sneak a kiss like I did with Buttercup."
"You did not 'sneak a kiss,' Dex," Edd snickered. "You stole one."
"Same difference," Dexter said dismissively.
"No, it's not."
"Whatever. Now, Computress, you have some new bios to complete. The Professor wishes for you to come back with us."
"What new bios, Dexter?"
"Fertility. We are going to get a sample to the Professor soon and he will need your expertise and computer mind to figure out quickly if we can have children."
"I assume it is a semen sample?" she asked as they left and locked up the house.
"Of course."
"Are you going to use Buttercup?"
Dexter blushed fiercely and muttered something before looking up as they started walking, or in Computress' case, floating, back to the lab. "The Professor has asked me to keep her out of it as much as possible. I could not promise to keep her completely out of it, but…Well, I have not even hit second base yet."
"Ah. Well, I do believe you both will enjoy that once you do. Especially her."
"Damn it! Even Computress knows what the stupid bases are!" Dexter growled.
"You did not?" Computress asked, sounding amused.
"No!" Dexter muttered. "Why did you not tell me?"
"I did not have the chance. Before Buttercup, you were not interested in girls. Who explained them to you?"
"I did," Double D said with a smile. "I tease him about it, but I understand why he didn't know. He skipped middle school. That's where most people learn about it."
"That is the appropriate age," Computress replied. She paused. "Do you really think I should tell the Professor about my feelings?"
"Metal you may be made of, my love, but it is a malleable, warm, living metal, unlike any other metal on the planet," Dexter said. "I believe the Professor will understand, and maybe even enjoy that."
She looked hesitant. "Very well. I ask that you go to bed early tonight that I might speak with him alone."
"Of course," Edd said solemnly, while Dexter nodded.
Edd paused and looked at some Fusion Matter. "Dex, do you think we can take people with us?"
"What?" Dexter asked as he and Computress stopped to look at him.
"Along the Fusion Matter. When we do that speedy thing."
"Oh. I am not sure. Would my love be willing to try it?" the redhead asked.
"You are understanding of my love for the Professor. I will try it for you. But if it burns, I ask that we stop."
"Of course, my love. Of course," Dexter said, holding out his hand. She took it and he led her over to a line of Fusion Matter. "Ready?"
"Yes."
He and Edd reached out and lightly touched the green goop. Suddenly they were sucked in and dashing along the lines to the lab. Computress didn't complain, so they didn't stop. They popped out right in front of the lab. Computress shivered and shook her head.
"Oh! Did it hurt?" Dexter asked frantically, taking both her hands in his.
"It was an interesting sensation. If I were human, I might have lost my stomach all over you when we came out."
"Good to know," Edd said with a nod at Dexter.
"Very. Now, come along. The Professor is waiting for you," the red haired genius said as they entered the lab.
The Professor turned from where he was as they entered the lab. He smiled.
"There you are, my dear." Computress felt a flutter of desire. "Come here and help me, would you?"
"Of course, Professor."
Computress was acutely nervous when she began working with the Professor that day. By the time the Powerpuff girls and Dexter and Edd went to bed, she was working double time on keeping her electro-pulse under control. When they had been silent for an hour, and the Professor was about to shut the computer down, which provided the only light in the room, she lightly tapped his shoulder.
"Yes?" he asked as he turned.
"I…Professor, I have something to tell you," Computress said shyly.
"What's that, my dear?" he asked with a smile.
"It…I just…I have known you a while, and…and I have…I mean, I like…My feelings…"
The Professor studied her as she stammered and stuttered, which was quite different from the cool, collected Computress he knew.
"Computress, why didn't you tell me you liked me before?" he finally asked.
She swallowed, a reflex Dexter had bestowed up her that was basically useless, but it made her more human. She had a couple other features like that, too. Like the fact that her cheeks were currently a darker blue than the rest of her face.
"How did you…?"
"I overheard Dexter telling Edd earlier today. Don't be mad at them though. They didn't know I was listening."
Computress looked down at the light that emanated from her ankles. She was so embarrassed. Tears were another feature Dexter had added so that he could know when he needed to stop inventing and talk to her. They were currently winding down her cheeks. The Professor was surprised. He pulled her close and stroked her cheek, catching a tear.
"Hey. Hey, what's wrong?" he asked with infinite gentleness.
"You do not like me back," she whispered.
"I never said that."
Her electro-pulse stopped. "I…Are you saying…?"
He pressed two fingers against her lips and ever-so-softly kissed where her jaw connected with the rest of her head. She shivered as he peppered kisses slowly down her cheek. Pausing for a few seconds when he reached her lips, he removed his fingers.
"Just so you know, I haven't dated since Sedusa tricked me. I felt so guilty about what happened to my girls that I…I…" He trailed off, and Computress saw a blush.
"I do not mind, Professor," she said softly. "We can work through this together. I have never dated at all."
"Then I guess I have the advantage," he said huskily before capturing her lips.
Electricity snapped across Computress' frame and she gasped, clutching at him. Now she understood why Dexter seemed so addicted to kissing! The electricity reached the Professor and he gasped and drew back.
Computress was embarrassed and alarmed. "I am sorry, Professor. I shall have Dexter look at that in the morning and fix—"
The Professor kissed her again and more electricity snapped. Computress suddenly smelled pheromones. He was…enjoying the electricity? She pulled back.
"It does not hurt?"
Professor Utonium shook his head. "It feels very…nice."
"Just nice?" That question was innocent. She really wanted to know, no subtle slyness, no implications. The Professor smiled at her, understanding in his eyes.
"More than good. Very…pleasurable, actually," he said shyly.
Computress giggled but turned embarrassed again quickly. "I am sorry."
"Sorry?" the Professor asked incredulously. "You're sorry? Why?"
"It is not something a human would do," she muttered, looking away.
"If I wanted a human woman, I could have had a thousand human women by now. They are really attracted to me."
Jealousy sparked in her eyes and she jerked back and turned away, crossing her arms. "And you like the attention."
"Not really," he said with a shrug, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek. Usually they just want my money or, more rarely, sex."
Computress turned to look at him out of the corner of her eye. "Honest?"
The Professor nodded, turning her to face him again. "I like you a lot. I never really thought about it before, but I do. I can't imagine spending my days without you."
Computress stared into his beautiful grey eyes then looked down to his feet. "You do realize that I am Dexter's computer, right Professor? He said he will never stop calling me his love, and he does expect me to work with him daily."
"I realize that," the Professor said. "I can't and don't blame him for that. He created you, and I expect you to be loyal to your maker. But maybe there's some loyalty in there for me, too?"
She blushed again as he grabbed her hips and drew her close. She couldn't hide her shiver, and he chuckled.
"Wow. You really do like me."
Embarrassment again. She played with her hands until he grabbed them.
"Please don't be embarrassed around me, Computress. I like you. I now know you like me. I know you're not human. I don't expect you to be human. I expect you to be Computress. Understand?"
The machine was very pleased, but couldn't help a shy smile. "It is not easy to control embarrassment even when you are human. My emotional programming is one of the most complex elements about me. Dexter made sure I could feel every emotion conceivable." The Professor suddenly looked hesitant. She grew worried. "Do you not want me now?"
"It's not that. It's just…I once asked Dexter to see your schematics and he refused to show me."
"He would refuse," Computress said matter-of-factly. "He calls me, with my personality and physical body, his greatest achievement. He is very, very, very secretive about my blueprints, or schematics, as you called them."
"If I date you, do you think he might show them to me? I mean, not that I would be dating you just for that. It's just…I am…Oh, dear," he muttered; she again could see a red tinge to his cheeks.
"I understand completely, Professor," she said, hesitantly pressing against him. "I was, in fact, created by a scientist, and Dexter is quite the scientist, as you yourself are. Even that Edd boy is a scientist, among other things. I understand scientists better than I understand, say, your girls. Dexter has had my basic program for a long time, and in fact coded my program when he was seven years old. He has built upon my personality until, as I mentioned, it is so complex that I could pass for a human. So I have been around him for nine years. Nine long, wonderful years. So I understand your desire to possess my schematics. And I think it is right that you should. Not now. Not until we determine our relationship is going to work. But when that happens, yes. I believe you should have my schematics. I shall talk to Dexter about it tomorrow. I expect him to be obstinate."
The Professor drew her close, nuzzling her nose with his own. "Mm, you're so understanding. I like that."
"How much do you like it?" This time, Computress' voice was mostly shy, but there was a hint of mischief in it as well. She was baiting him, and he smiled.
"This much," he crooned and captured her lips again. She pressed back, enjoying finally getting close to the man of her dreams. When he suckled on her bottom lip, she began sinking to the floor. He laughed against her.
"Enjoy that?"
She shivered again and nodded. "Yes," she said faintly. "Again?"
He happily complied, sucking and kissing until she hit the floor. Programming automatically kicked in and her hovering mechanism transformed into feet and her legs split into working appendages as she loosened up at the knees and hips. She was so surprised that she crumpled to the floor, gasping in shock. The Professor stared at her for a few moments before kneeling down and pulling her close. He stroked her darkly tinted cheeks and stared at her legs.
"I didn't know you could do that."
She turned away, humiliation prompting tears. He was surprised and reached to comfort her, but she stood and ran out of the room, leaving him alone. He was stunned. What had just happened? He hurried out and searched for her but couldn't find her, so, with his metaphorical tail between his legs, he turned the computer off and slunk to his room, feeling confused and rejected.