CHAPTER 52: A WOLF'S JEALOUSY
ME: Eyyy... I'm back.
BRICK: *rolls eyes* Oh joy.
ME: *ignores him* Sorry about the absence! I've been in summer school and was too busy to write a lot. But I slowly managed to complete this chapter. It's been done for two days now; I've just been keeping it for editing.
BRICK: Y'know, maybe nobody missed you. Maybe you didn't have to come back.
BLOSSOM: Brick! Don't be rude. Kuku, good luck in your studies.
ME: Thanks—I have my final exam on Thursday. Summer school goes by really quickly and now I'm suffering as I study for the final, but at least after this I'll be home-free.
BRAKER: That's the spirit!
ME: ...Riiight. Anyway, I own nothing besides my own OC's and the story! Please read on, everybody.
Chapter 52: A Wolf's Jealousy
The sun was just rising, casting its soft, eerie glow on the walls of the room. A soft breeze filtered in, causing tree branches to sway in the wind and birds to sing. A certain man was staring out of his window, the room lit up by sunlight.
It was still somewhat dark outside; the sky was a beautiful mixture of purple and gold. Sighing, he closed his eyes and leaned against the windowsill, smiling sadly.
"So Vix hates me now, huh... Well, it can't be helped. Even though... The thought of him hating me..."
A single tear fell from his eye.
I'm so sorry, Vix... I'm not the same Damon you remember anymore.
"Daaaaamon...!"
Startled, a young boy with awkward, shaggy brown hair jolted to attention. He was sitting against a small wall, but now he looked around wildly in surprise. "Huh?"
Just as he was about to get up, someone appeared overhead, upside-down with their face inches from his. The newcomer was hanging off of the wall. They were pouting. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you. What are you doing in a place like this?"
"I-I'm sorry, I was just reading," he apologized, flustered.
"Jeez, Damon! There's no need to say sorry." His friend jumped down from the top of the small wall and folded their arms as they sat down beside him. "You're hopeless, you know that?"
"I'm sorry..."
"See? I just said not to apologize!"
"Sorry! I mean—"
"Damon...!" The person sighed and shook their head, before smiling. "Well, I guess it can't be helped. This is just the way you are, after all."
"So what did you want to talk about?" Damon asked, closing his book and grabbing ahold of his elderly brother personality. He felt completely embarrassed by the other's remark.
"Ooh, right! Almost forgot. Dad wants us to train," his companion replied, thumping a fist into his palm.
"What!? You should've told me earlier!" Jumping up, Damon got ready to run. "Oh no, I'm going to be late! Dad's going to be mad."
Watching him get up, his companion grinned. "Honestly, Damon—you really are helpless, aren't you?"
"Hey! This is your older brother you're speaking to!" he protested.
"Yeah, older by a minute," smirked his friend.
After a few moments, Damon couldn't help but smile. "Let's go, Raymond."
"Yeah, okay." Raymond jumped up and followed his brother toward their house. "But...are you sure this is okay?"
"What do you mean?" He glanced back at his brother.
"I know how much you dislike fighting. Are you fine with this?"
Damon smiled. "Thanks for worrying about me, but it's okay. I want to become as strong as Dad. I want to be able to protect my family. I'm going to be a war hero!"
"...Is that so? Then...I'm glad." Raymond smiled.
"Wh-What are you saying?" Damon asked, flustered again.
His brother laughed. "Y'know...you say that, and yet you're still the same person as before!"
Damon made a face. "Honestly, Raymond..."
"But...I really am happy. You're the best big brother in the whole world, Damon!"
This time he smiled again. "Well...what about you, Raymond? Are you okay with this?"
"Yeah! I'm not just gonna stand here and let you get stronger. I'll get stronger too; so you better watch out! I'm going to beat you, Damon!"
"If that's the case... Well, then I'm glad too." Grinning, Damon ruffled his brother's hair. "Don't hold back then!"
"Ahh! Damon, you're messing up my haaair!"
"Sorry, sorry!"
And with that, the two brothers laughed and chased each other toward their home, where their father was waiting...
"Braker...?"
He winced at the shock in her voice. "Uh, Blossom—I—"
"Blossom!" a male's voice called, belonging to Bandit Jojo. "Bliss is here to see you."
The redheaded Powerpuff Girl's eyes widened as she turned toward the door. She glanced at Braker. "Bliss is here?"
"Yeah; you wanna come down and say hi?"
"O-Oh, yes, of course! Just give me a second, please." Blossom's eyes never left Braker, silently reminding him that she wasn't done talking to him yet. It was as though she were afraid of turning away and him disappearing in a cloud of smoke. He shrugged and she walked out the open bedroom door.
Braker looked around his room. It was so dark it was almost unbearable. It felt stuffy and lonely and empty, even with the decorations he'd put up a long time ago to make the room feel happy and bright. Sighing, he flicked on the light and slowly stepped out of the door. He made his way toward the stairs, ducking behind a wall to watch Bliss interact with Blossom and Bandit.
Blossom looked flustered, face a little red. "Wh-What are you doing here so early, Bliss?"
"I just wanted to check on you. How is it here?" questioned Bliss.
"Oh, it's been fine. The others aren't home right now and there's someth—"
"What? Not even Brick? He's your boyfriend!"
Blossom suddenly looked even more flustered, but more in an embarrassed sort of way. "Wh-What are you saying? H-He had to get checked on by a doctor."
Bliss frowned. "Well, he better make it up to you soon."
Braker was distracted by his counterpart's shining yet currently dull orange eyes, but even her words took him by shock once they registered. Brick...? Blossom's boyfriend...? What!?
The orange Puff turned to Bandit. "Is it just you two?"
He nodded. "And Braker, who's currently still unconscious—"
"Wait! That's what I was trying to say," Blossom said quickly.
Bandit stared at her, furrowing his brow. "What?" he questioned.
"H-He was there, in his room—"
"Blossom, of course he's in his own room!" interrupted Bliss.
"No, I mean he was awake!"
"What!?" Bandit's voice rose an octave. "He woke up! I have to go see." He was about to rush up the stairs, but stopped when a new voice sounded.
"There won't be any need. I'm right here."
They all turned to see none other than Braker himself, who was limping somewhat down the stairs, feeling too tired to fly. His head still felt light, but he was glad to be awake. Stopping on the final step, he cast his eyes over the three people currently with him. Their shocked silence was suffocating. Because of this, he managed to awkwardly say, "Hello..."
As if that were some sort of trigger, everyone began talking at once. Bliss even tackled him into a hug! This caused him to get knocked over, and everything was black briefly as he squeezed his eyes shut. "Owww..."
A girl's gasp sounded above him. "Oh my God; I'm so sorry, Braker! A-Are you okay?"
He opened his eyes and stared up at her own eyes, momentarily entranced by their glow. They no longer seemed dull, and the sunlight seemed to give her a halo. He smirked. "You must be an angel," he chuckled.
"H-Hey, what are you s-saying? Are you really okay?" Her face was red.
He began laughing. "I'm alright. You can get up now, Bliss."
Bliss turned even more red. "O-Oh, right; sorry."
"It's okay." He took her offered hand and let her pull him up. He staggered a little and couldn't help but wince at his wound. "Ouch."
"Braker?" questioned Blossom, clearly concerned.
"I'm fine. Just tired." Braker managed a smile.
"You're such a bad liar." Bandit flicked his brother on the forehead. "If something's bothering you, you must tell me right away. Don't hide it. And besides"—here he smiled slightly—"you've been asleep way too long to still be tired. You should be practically jumping about with energy right now."
Braker chuckled. "You know me too well."
There was a quick silence, but soon Bandit was hugging him. It was an awkward hug, but it was a squishy one. "We've missed you, you doofus."
"Ahhhh okay, okay! You're crushing my ribs and my gun wound," Braker laughed. "I missed you guys too."
Bandit let go and glanced at Bliss. He raised an eyebrow.
She blushed, remembering what he'd once said to her...:
Flashback
"I got mad at Bliss because she's hanging out with someone dangerous," Bandit explained, his voice even and calm. Besides the chilliness of his tone, nothing suggested that he'd been yelling at the top of his lungs only moments before. "And she seems to be enjoying it, despite Braker's feelings—"
"What feelings? It's not like he likes me! I already asked him and he denied it." Bliss threw her hands into the air.
"Did he really?" Bandit raised an eyebrow as if he couldn't believe how stupid the orange Powerpuff Girl was.
She paused. Bandit had a point—Braker had only said he didn't know whether or not he was jealous—he hadn't talked at all about feelings. "Are you saying that Braker does like me that way?" She swallowed hard.
"I don't know. Maybe." He shrugged before pausing. "Honestly, if he does, I don't know what he sees in y—"
"Bandit!" gasped Bunny.
End Flashback*
Even the things he'd said to her briefly since she got here was swirling around in her mind:
Flashback
Her nervousness was incredible. She didn't know who would answer the door, and even though the Rowdyruff Boys were her friends, she still felt overwhelmingly nervous. The wait wasn't helping.
Her super-hearing detected footsteps from inside, causing her to immediately straighten and her heart to beat quicker. That split second caused a bunch of different possible scenarios to enter her brain. The best one would be Blossom answering the door, but her ideal one would be Braker answering—considering how long he'd been gone.
The door slowly opened and she swallowed hard. As for the worst-case scenario—
—Bandit was standing in the doorway.
Almost immediately she felt her heart sink. Not because she didn't want to see him, but more so because of what she'd done to him the last time she'd properly talked to him—taking out all her hurt on him after finding out that Braker was unconscious from a gun wound.**
"Bandit, I—"
He shook his head. "It's fine. I already told you that I forgive you, didn't I?"
"Yes, but..." She trailed off, biting her lip.
He smiled somewhat. "Why bring this up now?"
"I guess it's just because we haven't really talked properly since then. Bandit, I can't help but feel sorry."
"You don't need to keep apologizing," he insisted. "And stop feeling that way! It's nice to know you care about Braker."
"Yet I still managed to hurt him," she protested. "I'm a horrible person."
"No, you're not," Bandit said firmly. "Everyone loses control every now and then. You can't always keep pushing your negative feelings down and expect to always be happy. Sometimes you just have to release those negative emotions."
"...I hate it though," she finally whispered.
Bandit smiled again. "Hey, at least you didn't enjoy it. That would worry me."
Bliss sighed. "You make it sound like it's no big deal."
He shrugged. "It's really not. I don't hold it against you. After all, I lose control too, sometimes."
"...I guess we all do, huh?"
"Of course," he confirmed. "But Bliss... About Braker's condition..."
"He's still not awake, is he?" She couldn't stop the hopefulness inside of her.
He shook his head sadly. "Not awake."
Bliss sighed. "Oh...that's what I thought. I-I have a lot I want to say to him—I want to apologize for fighting with him, even if our feelings about DJ happen to differ. Plus, there's also what you said about him m-maybe l-l-liking me..." She paused, blushing. "I mean, he's been 'gone' for so long now, and—and well, I miss him."
All of a sudden, Bandit was silent.
She looked up, her face red. "B-Bandit? What's wrong...?"
"I'm glad," he finally murmured.
"What?" She blinked in surprise.
"I'm glad you're finally thinking about him." Bandit smiled at her. "You're thinking about how he feels, and I'm relieved to hear that. Bliss, to be honest—I wasn't sure if you were hurting Braker by being with DJ. Based on what you said was his reaction, perhaps he was hurt. I don't know if he likes you romantically, but I'm just happy that you're taking his feelings—romantic or not—into consideration. Thank you."
She stared at him in surprise, eyes wide. But before she could say anything else, he turned and called for Blossom. As he did so, Bliss stared down at the floor and gripped the fabric of her shirt where her heart would be.
D-Did I really want to do that...? I-I just thought I was being selfish again, seeking answers... I didn't really think of it as listening to his feelings, but I do miss Braker... What is this feeling in my chest? And...why does it hurt so, even if according to Bandit, I'm doing something good?
Bliss sighed. Why is this all so confusing?
End Flashback
At that very moment, Bandit was leading Blossom away. "Well, with this new development, I'm sure you and Braker want to get caught up. Blossom and I will leave you two to it, then~"
Snapping out of her memories, Bliss' mouth fell open. "Wh-What!?"
"Hey, Bandit, you goon!" added Braker in a protesting shout. But the purple Ruff was already gone, having led the pink Puff away as well. Braker sighed and turned to his counterpart. "So, uhh—whoa!" He started when he saw her trembling body, head faced downwards. "What's wrong?"
She looked up so suddenly he jumped. "Braker, I'm sorry! It's been forever, but I really regretted arguing with you. Do you have any idea how horrible it was, knowing that my last words with you were ones of dismissal? And we didn't even talk after that! Then you got shot and I—I..."
Braker's surprise faded and he managed to smile. He took a step toward her, holding up his hand. "Bliss... Are you crying?"
She squeezed her eyes shut. "N-No. I-I'm not c-c-crying."
"...Liar," he finally said, still smiling.
Bliss flinched at a gentle touch, before opening her eyes in surprise. They were wet and tears flowed freely down her face, but she no longer noticed because Braker was smiling at her and wiping her tears away. "Braker..."
He sighed. "Aren't you just hopeless?"
"N-No—" she stammered.
"Can I just ask you one question?"
She paused. "What is it?"
"Do you still trust Deth Jackson?"
"...Yes," she whispered.
"...I see." He turned his gaze away.
"Braker...? Are you okay? He's really not a bad person—"
"I'm fine," he sighed.
Liar, she couldn't help but think. She didn't push the issue further though, not wanting them to fight again.
"I just want to know one more thing." He looked back at her, his eyes becoming arches as he managed to grin. "Did you miss me?"
"O-Of course I did, you d-dumbass... Wh-What kind of question is th-that..." She was tearing up again as she began stuttering, face red.
Braker laughed. "Aww, I'm glad to hear that. That makes me happy."
Bliss stared at him in surprise. "'Happy'...?" she repeated.
He nodded, his grin never leaving his face. "Yeah; I'm glad because you feel that way."
She thought back to what Bandit had said: "I'm glad you're considering Braker's feelings now." With that thought, she realized that while she wasn't really being unselfish and totally selfless in talking to Braker after so long, she was at least cheering him up. Bliss hadn't thought about his emotions again, but in a way her subconscious had. And that made her feel relieved. "I'm glad too..." she finally whispered.
"Hm? About what?" He turned to her.
Bliss' face reddened. "N-Nothing! I just—I'm glad you're awake and happy."
His grin turned into a gentle smile. "You idiot." He flicked her on the forehead.
"Ow!" she exclaimed. But before she could say anything else, he continued:
"I'm happy because you came here and I can see you again."
Bliss' face began burning. "B-Braker?"
"Actually, that's not all I want to say." He winked at her. "There's more."
"What else do you want to—?" She trailed off, eyes widening at strong arms wrapping around her. She gasped as he rested his face in her long brown hair.
"I missed you so much, Bliss," he murmured. "And I have so much to say. But I don't think it's time yet..."
Bliss managed to smile. "...You idiot," she whispered, hugging him back. "But...I missed you a lot too, Braker."
The Rowdyruff Boys finally came home at around 6:40 am, looking tired and ragged. They immediately brightened when they saw Braker though.
"Yo, bro! You're awake!" Butch grinned.
"Yeah! It took me awhile, but I finally woke up," his brother laughed.
"Not as long as me," Brick joked, "and I'm glad you don't have amnesia."
"Oh yeah, Brick—what's this about you and Blossom dating, hmmm?" Braker smirked, making a suggestive face at his brother as he wiggled his eyebrows.
Brick's face immediately became as red as his cap. "Wh-What?"
Blossom's cheeks were pink too. "D-Did you overhear this morning, Braker?"
He nodded. "Sure did!" He clapped the red Ruff on the back. "Good job, bro! Didn't know you had it in ya."
"Sh-Shut up!" snapped Brick, bristling somewhat in embarrassment.
Braker laughed.
"Jesus, you idiot," Brick muttered, although he couldn't help but smile.
"So where did you guys go? I heard something about a check-up?" Braker questioned.
Brick and Butch exchanged glances. "Oh, right... That. We'll tell you later. For now, let's celebrate!"
Bliss frowned, glancing at Blossom. Are they hiding something? Her sister shrugged, looking equally perplexed.
"Fine by me!" laughed Braker. "But I'll have you know, a party thrown not by me will never be as good as one thrown by me!"
"There you go again." Butch rolled his eyes, smirking.
As everyone began walking toward the kitchen, Braker stopped Butch with a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, about where you guys went—"
"We'll tell you later. We can't; not with the girls here..."
"...I know. I get it. But...I have this strange feeling that something extra bad happened this time around."
Butch hesitated.
Braker's eyes widened. "Did it really?"
The green Rowdyruff Boy sighed. "I guess so. But...let's talk about this later, okay? Just—don't think about it. Today's a day for you to celebrate; especially if you're going back to school."
His brown-haired companion frowned. "Now I can't relax."
"Just leave it be. It's fine. Enjoy yourself today," Butch replied.
Braker paused. Then he sighed, "Alright, I can try. But I'm just letting you know that as soon as we get home, I expect you to tell me everything. I won't give it a rest until you do."
"...Of course."
"Now, time to go party!" Braker immediately brightened. "Thanks, Butch." He began the trip to the kitchen before pausing in the doorway. "You coming, big boy?"
"I'll be there, just give me a second."
Braker shrugged and disappeared out the door.
Meanwhile, Butch sighed and stared down at the ground, a bunch of thoughts clouding his mind... Memories of the night before; the fight against Lin and Jamel, Vix's help and proposal, Christie's kidnapping, the fight with Damon, the reveal of it being Damon, the entrance of Danes, and Vix's revealed feelings—as well as the question of what side the Ruffs would be from now on. Brick had mentioned just making their own new side—or rather, reworking their old ideals.
Butch ruffled his hair in frustration. "Arghhhh why is life so complicated!?" He punched the wall and made a large crack. Staring at it, he couldn't help but feel like that was his own life, slowly falling apart...
Or his hope, even.
There was a lot going on at the moment and Butch had a bad feeling that it wouldn't get better anytime soon. The stakes were clearly getting higher and higher, with the war escalating quickly. Damon being alive had spun everyone for a loop, and with Danes, Butch knew that this would only add fuel to the fire.
He didn't know how he was supposed to keep fighting if things were looking so bad. Besides the fast escalation towards complete chaos, Damon didn't even look like the good guy anymore. Butch didn't know what to do.
If Damon's own adopted son could tell him face-to-face that he no longer cared for him, then why couldn't Butch? He didn't understand why he was holding onto the past—his lingering memories of Damon might not even mean anything.
After all, he mused sadly, people change.
But that wasn't all of his problems. There was also the Powerpuff Girls—or more specifically, Buttercup. She was as stubborn and nosy as ever, and Butch wasn't sure how much longer he could keep pushing her out. She was knocking holes into his walls almost as fast as he was fixing them.
Or at least, she had been. Buttercup seemed a little distracted from digging into Butch's secrets at the moment, and that was thanks to Ross. And it should've been thanks that Butch was feeling. But for some reason instead, he couldn't help but feel something bitter. Is it because I know about Ross' background? It can't be that I'm... No. I don't feel that way. He shook his head. Ross isn't a bad person and I know that. I also know he's been a big help in deterring Buttercup from learning more about us without pissing her off.
So why don't I feel thankful at all? Why does it kind of hurt instead? He sighed and bashed his head against the wall. Arghhhh this is so stupid.
"Butch, you coming?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, the green Ruff looked up to see a concerned Braker staring at him. He glanced from Butch—who was leaning into the wall with his forehead touching it—to the hole in said wall.
"Don't say anything—I'm perfectly okay," Butch said as Braker opened his mouth. His brother snapped his jaws shut. "And yeah, I'm coming. What's for breakfast?"
"...Boomer's making some awesome-licious pancakes to celebrate my 'awakening'," he responded with less enthusiasm than expected. As Butch floated toward the kitchen, Braker watched him go and opened his mouth again. "Are—?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he interrupted.
The orange Ruff made a face before following Butch inside. Everyone was already seated. Brick and Blossom sat together, faces red like young kids who had a crush on one another but didn't know what to do. Boomer was busy cooking. Blaster lay, slumped on the table, scrolling through his phone. He seemed kind of sad, despite his earlier cheerfulness when he found out that Braker was back. Bandit was talking urgently with Bliss. Him was fixing his boots and Mojo was reviewing some blueprints.
As soon as the last two Ruffs entered the room, everyone fell silent. The only noise was Mojo's quiet muttering, as he was oblivious to the outside world. Bandit coughed and nudged Bliss, who smiled weakly and waved. She gestured at a seat beside her. Braker glanced at Butch and he nodded with a "go on" look. When he floated toward her, Butch went to sit beside Brick and Blossom.
He smirked. "So, how's dating? You guys at the stage where you hold hands without getting embarrassed yet?"
"Butch," Brick hissed warningly.
"What? I'm just saying; you two are dating but you can't seem to do anything without blushing," he stated.
"For your information, I'm a gentleman who doesn't plan on doing anything to my g-girlfriend that she doesn't like!"
"...You're kidding, right? You can't even say she's you're girlfriend without stammering." Butch raised an eyebrow.
Brick's face turned bright red. "Shut up!"
"Oh well, I guess that's for the best. I doubt Blossom would want to hold your sweaty, gross hand anyway."
"Why you little piece of shit—"
To their surprise, Blossom giggled nervously, causing the two Ruffs to stare at her. She smiled, her cheeks flushed pink. "I-I don't mind holding his hand. It just makes me feel shy."
Brick's face was probably good enough to be a tomato at that point. Even Butch was touched. "Aww, aren't you a cutie?"
"E-Eh?" Now Blossom was also red-faced.
Brick shoved his brother. "Get your own girlfriend!"
Butch laughed and felt it again—that odd, bitter feeling in his chest at the mention of a girlfriend. He paused and furrowed his brow, feeling his heartbeat. He didn't understand why he was being affected like this. He was Butch Jojo, Master Playboy, after all.
"Butch...? Is something wrong?" Blossom asked.
He blinked, before forcing himself to smirk. "Nah, it's all good. I just got heartburn from laughing so hard at Brick."
"Jesus Christ, just shut up already!" Brick muttered, rolling his eyes. Blossom, on the other hand, still looked concerned.
Butch did his best to grin.
Meanwhile, Braker was talking to Bliss uncomfortably, which was unlike his usually social and open personality. At that very moment he was having trouble just keeping the conversation going: "So...what's happened since I've been gone?"
Bliss glanced at Bandit. "I umm...not much, really."
"...Are you dating DJ?"
This made her choke on some water she was drinking, which led to her coughing. When that was all over, she stared at him blankly. "I...umm... What?"
"Are you dating DJ?" he repeated quietly.
She looked like she would choke again, but luckily—or unluckily—she could no longer stall because she didn't have anything to choke on. Finally, she managed to say, "I—yes. Yes, I am dating DJ."
Even though he was the one to ask and he wasn't all that surprised, Braker blinked. "Oh."
"...Yeah," she finally said weakly. "Does—Does that bother you?"
Braker paused. Does it? He forced himself to smile. "No, not at all. Don't even worry about it. I"—his lips twitched somewhat—"don't see anything wrong with that."
"Ah. Umm... Th-That's a relief."
Bandit shot his brother a look, so Braker sighed and changed the subject: "I don't mind honestly. Anyway, since I've been out of it for so long, I'm craving some orange-flavoured ice cream. Sounds delish, right? But then I realized they don't really taste like actual oranges. So I started wondering about their taste, since it's gotta taste like something, right? Maybe there's this delicious, magical fruit out there that I have no idea about—if so, then I want to eat that fruit, y'know? I want to eat the hell out of it, since orange ice cream is so great.
"Or then I was thinking, what if there was some sort of animal that tasted like that? Like some sort of wolf meat or something? And they use it to make ice cream, but the manufacturers labelling this stuff are afraid to say, wolf-flavoured ice cream."
"Yeah," Bliss agreed weakly.
Braker said, just to keep the conversation going, "Well, it's back to school huh? Can't get ice cream till after class then." He chuckled awkwardly, adding as a joke, "I'm gonna try and keep a low profile. I bet a bunch of people enjoyed the peace and quiet without me."
His attempt at a joke did not make Bliss laugh. "You're not annoying," she said instead.
"Oh come on, admit it. You thought I was annoying before you thought I was dying of a bullet wound," he protested, somewhat aggravated and thrown off that she was disagreeing.
"I-I never thought either of those things!"
"Well, if you had, you were right."
Now she was quiet.
"It's true I'm pretty annoying," he finally murmured.
"You're not."
Braker sighed, finding it stupid that she was disagreeing with him. "I know I've been gone for a long time, but there's no need to give me special treatment. Just treat me like you would normally. I'm annoying, right? I'm pretty sure you agree. Whether I'm joking or I'm worrying about you and DJ—annoying, right?" His tone grew harsher and harsher as he went on, realizing just how much Bliss really had treated him like he was an annoyance.
Nothing happened. No smiling, no snorting, no giggling. At that point he was just continuing on to be stubborn because it was clear he wasn't going to get her to laugh. She obviously winced instead. "No, it's not like that," she mumbled.
She was also obviously homing in on the "you're not annoying" part, but she still hadn't laughed at anything Braker said. And somehow, that hurt most of all. He wanted things to just go back to normal, but she wasn't cooperating. She was making things way more difficult than they needed to be. "Why won't you call me annoying like you used to?"
Bliss sort of turned her head away. Braker felt like he should shut up, especially since Bandit was doing slicing motions with his hand at his neck, but he didn't.
"Just treat me the way you did back then. What's gotten into you, anyway? Since when did you care so much about me?"
Now Bliss was just staring at the table and sitting there. He was staring at her awkwardly, feeling sweat prickle against his skin. He desperately wanted an answer, but deep down he knew he wouldn't get one. That's when it hit him that he was being an dick—a giant, colossal dick. He was basically asking his friend who obviously felt guilty about fighting with him to act like they used to, which they viewed as a bad thing. Basically, to her he was indirectly calling her a bitch. That's probably one of the dickest moves out there, he groaned inwardly, wanting to punch himself in the face or slam a door on his head. Although, at the same time—it's not like that's going to stop me from resenting her for being all sad and hostile and weird and making me feel bad for trying to cheer her up. What happened to her from this morning? I want that Bliss to come back.
So basically Braker hated everything that was happening between them. He tried to figure out a way to change the subject without either of them wanting to leave the room. "Hey," he said, "sorry about that. I...I don't know what got into me." He coughed. He did know, but he didn't want to say anything more dick-like. "Anyway, do you want to get some ice cream with me after school? Wolf-Orange-flavoured ice cream FTW, am I right?"
"I'm going out with DJ after school..."
"Oh."
She was silent, so Braker tried to keep talking. "Well, that's okay. You'd rather hang out with your boyfriend anyway, right?"
Bliss bit her lip and Bandit rolled his eyes.
Braker swallowed back irritated panic. "I mean—never mind. It's nothing." He sighed and rested his head in his arms. He wanted to keep trying to explain his feelings in case she realized he was being a pathetic jerk for her entertainment, but she didn't seem to be realizing it. He had been hurt by her decision to trust DJ more than him, but he didn't want to deal with that at the moment.
Out of the blue, Bliss suddenly asked, "I'm really sorry, Braker. But...you Ruffs seem to get caught in a lot of gang wars; why is that? You know it's dangerous, right?"
"Well, we are heroes," Braker replied hesitantly.
Bandit snapped to attention, purple eyes wide. He looked a little panicked.
"And what's with you guys and wolves? I mean, I know you guys like them, but—?"
Braker decided to keep babbling before she asked about wolves or guns or gang wars or mysterious stalkers again. He could just tell the gears were turning in her head and she wouldn't let the subject go. That's Bliss for you, he thought, stubborn as all hell. "We're the superheroes of Townsville! We can take on anything. From monsters to villains to evil geniuses to speeding bullets—" He stopped himself at his last word.
Bandit face-palmed. Bliss suddenly looked sad again, instead of smiling like he'd hoped. This sucks, Braker thought. He glanced at the clock. "Oh crap, what time is it? It's almost time for school? Aw man, we're gonna have to fly like Pigeon Pete." When she didn't even crack a giggle, he glanced at her and coughed. "Y'know, Pigeon Pete from TMNT? The guy who struts around topless with feathers and an obsession with bread?" With the new subject filling time and Bliss maybe warming up to him again with a forming smile, he flapped his arms like wings. "Caw! Caw! Pigeon Pete, flies like a pigeon, acts like a pigeon, eats bread like a pigeon, fights like a pigeon, and probably poops on people's heads like a pigeon! He's just the raddest, pigeon-est Pigeon Pete. He's so tough not even a bullet can—" He stopped and cursed under his breath. He'd given up on making her laugh and had just wanted to fill the time, but he still managed to mess that up.
Bliss swallowed, her crack of a smile vanishing. "Braker...you don't have to—try to make me laugh." Her voice cracked. The word "bullet" seemed to really trigger her sadness at the moment.
He paused. "What?"
"You don't have to put on a show," she whispered.
"...Oh." He felt like shit at that point. "Okay."
They were silent for awhile.
Then he said, "Sorry. I'm not cheering you up at all. I'm being a jackass."
She looked surprised. "You're not a jackass."
"I sort of am. You don't look like you're having fun at all. You don't have to visit me if you don't want to."
That was a tough thing for Bliss to hear. She found it hard to talk to him now, but not talking to him felt wrong somehow. It was like if she didn't talk to him, he'd suddenly vanish again. And talking to him had made her feel better that morning, so Bliss had been hoping they could keep going like that. She could now see she was just being selfish. Now that he was awake from being gone for a super long time and was pissed off all the time, it was really stressing her out. Her face felt hot and her heart rate was fast and fluttery, but despite how uncomfortable she felt, she knew not visiting him would lead to more guilt.
"And don't worry about feeling guilty for not visiting me. Even if you thought I was dying, I'm awake now and—"
"I told you, I never said you were dying!"
"Well, you thought it."
"No, I didn't." Her cheeks were flushed pink. "And I'm not coming here because I don't want to—or I mean, not because of guilt either—I'm coming here because I want to," she clarified. "If I didn't want to come, then why would I be here?"
"Because you feel like you have to."
"No, I—it's not like that at all! I'm coming here because you're my friend."
Braker raised an eyebrow, but he still looked down.
"I-I come here because I like you."
Braker nearly choked on thin air. Bliss blushed, realizing that she'd probably chosen the wrong words. She couldn't say that without feeling like an idiot, and now she couldn't take the words back without looking like a jerk.
"...Thanks," he finally said.
"You don't have to thank me."
"Sorry," he murmured awkwardly.
"No, I—I'm sorry. Goddammit. This is insane. Sorry; I don't know what I'm saying anymore."
"I'm sorry too," Braker promptly replied. "Sorry about yelling at you." Bliss wanted to leave, but she knew she couldn't without feeling awful. Braker seemed to sense this because he continued: "Bliss, I'm tired. I just woke up from being unconscious for a long time. I just don't feel very cheerful right now."
"Yeah."
"You can go if you want. Besides, we'll be late for class if we don't go."
"Okay, yeah. Thanks."
"...I like you too. I like seeing you. I liked that you visited. Thank you."
She stared at him blankly, blushing, unsure what he meant by his words. Bandit's comment about how he might like her romantically swam around in her mind.
He managed to crack a small smile. "Maybe I'll feel better next time."
Bliss smiled back just as weakly, feeling dizzy. "R-Right. Sorry I wasn't very cheerful either."
"Maybe you'll feel better next time we talk too."
"Y-Yeah."
But as it turned out, they didn't. Or rather, they didn't really try talking to each other because of awkwardness after that.
However, Bliss didn't realize this yet. As the Ruffs and Blossom followed close behind her for the door, she felt her warm—and very likely red—face. Jesus Christ I'm so stupid.
She was dreading going to school and facing the day. Braker would be there, which was great, but was also now quite difficult to survive through because of the newfound awkwardness between them. Well, at least DJ's gonna be there too, she reminded herself. She really hoped he could help cheer her up, because she didn't understand why she couldn't seem to face Braker. She'd been wishing for him to wake up for so long and had been hoping to apologize, so she couldn't help but wonder why she was unable to reenact those ideas in real life.
School was busy and bustling when Butch stepped onto school grounds. Students were rushing about, chatting and shifting bags as they hurried inside. The inside of the school wasn't much different. The traffic inside was even wilder than the traffic outside.
Butch flew to his locker, flying overhead so that he could avoid the crowds. His brothers all separated for their own lockers, but Brick was left stuck in a swarming mass of excited students who were happy to see one of the coolest, hottest guys back at school (without amnesia). Butch smirked to himself when he saw Blossom's obviously jealous face.
When he really thought about it, it was interesting how Blossom and Brick were actually dating. He didn't think they'd have the nerve to get together, but then again—Brick's amnesia really gave them a boost in their relationship. I never thought Brick would get a long-term girlfriend before me—and that is assuming, of course, he is serious about Blossom. Which he probably is, given what they've been through, he mused. I wonder if he's going to "mark" her...?
His thoughts were cut short by a voice calling his name.
It was Ross.
"Oh, hey Ross. What's up?" Butch asked, floating downwards so that he and his friend were at eye-level.
The boy opened his mouth to say something, but immediately snapped it shut as he ducked behind the green Ruff. Butch followed his gaze, turning to see a girl he'd seen around school a couple times before. Wait, no; not just at school—isn't she...? Holy shit, that's Sidney's sister, Sydney!
The girl looked distracted, gaze blank despite the flock of girls that followed her. Sydney was dressed in the school uniform, carrying a gym bag and wearing sneakers. She had black legging shorts underneath her uniform skirt. She was as scary-looking as ever, Butch noted, but even more so than usual because of her empty gaze and blank look. Sydney had always been hard to approach, but she was popular with the male and female students alike. Her long, tan hair and slender legs and remarkable athletic abilities had earned her the respect of even Butch.
Sydney turned her head just then, causing him to jump slightly. She probably sensed Butch's eyes on her—not that he was sure it made a difference, considering all the eyes on her already. Speaking of eyes, Butch thought, did hers just widen? They did indeed look filled with shock for a brief moment—a brief sign of emotion before her empty gaze returned. Then she turned away and continued on as if nothing had happened.
He stood there for two seconds trying to figure out why his presence had shocked her, but then Butch remembered that he wasn't alone. He glanced behind him to see Ross, who looked sad and was biting his lip. The look was so upset even Butch felt bad.
"Dude, what was that all about?" he tried to say.
Ross blinked, startled. "A-Ah! Sydney and I—w-we had a bit of a"—he bit his lip again—"falling-out recently."
Butch frowned, creasing his eyebrows. Ross looked so upset that he didn't want to press on though. Instead, he tried to crack a joke: "Well, you must have a lot of guts to fight with her, huh?"
Ross didn't laugh. He stared at the ground instead. "I guess so."
Jesus Christ this doesn't look good. Butch frowned, looking away awkwardly. He had no idea what to say or do. Luckily for him though, the bell rang just then. "We should go to our Math class," he finally said, cringing at his tone.
"Yeah," Ross only murmured.
Butch stood there for a few seconds expectantly, waiting to walk together, but the usual bright teen said nothing more. He only stood there. The green Ruff smiled awkwardly and shuffled off, before blasting into the air. I wonder what the hell happened between them? He couldn't stop wondering, but he knew he wouldn't feel right asking either Ross or Sydney. Ross because he was so upset, and Sydney because she was terrifying.
Butch landed in front of his Math class, entering the room with a loud sigh and a shake of his head. I'll have to think about this later, he thought.
When he walked into the classroom, his gaze clashed with Buttercup's almost immediately. Just as quickly, he turned away and walked towards his seat beside Brick. Ross appeared a few seconds after him.
Surprisingly, the teacher wasn't there yet, but his door was wide open and unlocked. Butch wondered what was going on. He heard Flash joke, "In ten minutes if Mr. Apocally doesn't show up, we get to leave class."
Another ten seconds passed where chaos reigned supreme. Ashleigh and her friends were busy chatting about nail polish or something. Flash and his buddies fooled around, crumpling some poor "nerd"'s homework into a paper airplane. Brick was diligently trying to get caught up on his work (although with his genius Butch doubted it would take him long). Buttercup's scorching gaze remained on his back, although he had a feeling she was looking at Ross a lot too, with concern.
The teacher finally appeared, five minutes late. The only problem was, it wasn't Mr. Apocally.
"Aww, only five more minutes till we got to leave," Flash whined.
The substitute was an elderly woman. "Good morning, class," she greeted. She waited expectantly as a few students replied to her greeting. At that, a fire seemed to light up in the little woman's eyes and she slammed her hands down onto the desk. "Excuse me," she bellowed, "but that was hardly a proper greeting! THAT WAS PATHETIC! GREET ME WITH ENERGY, YOU UNENERGIZED SOLDIERS! BACK IN MY DAY, WE SCREAMED HELLO TO OUR TEACHERS!"
"Oh great," Flash muttered, rolling his eyes. "First we get a Math teacher who can read minds and now we get a sub who thinks she's a military general or something."
The woman's sharp eyes immediately shot towards Flash. "Excuse me," she began in a little old woman voice, "BUT DID I HEAR YOU SAY SOME BULL-CRAP ABOUT ME? YOU WANNA FACE DETENTION AND AN EXTRA TEST AND MY WRATH!?"
The bulky teen jumped to attention, even doing a salute in his terror. "No ma'am! Sorry, ma'am!"
"Better." The teacher's shoulders relaxed before she turned toward the smart-board and wrote something down. "My name is Ms. Bellows," she said.
Butch yawned, resting his cheek against his hand. Fitting, he thought, rolling his eyes. And why am I not surprised she's not yet married? Ugh this is going to be one loooooong class.
"You!" Ms. Bellows exclaimed, spinning around to point the smart-board pen in her hand at Butch.
He started. "Me?"
"Yes, you! I heard you yawn! Tell me soldier, what was with that yawn? Don't tell me you are unexcited about the brilliance of MATH! Surely that's not the case, soldier?"
"No, ma'am. Of course not, ma'am. It was merely a yawn of lack of proper sleep because I spent such a long time eagerly studying Math last night," Butch replied smartly.
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure it wasn't a yawn of boredom?"
"Of course not, ma'am."
"And not one of exasperation?"
This time he hesitated, but he recovered quickly. "Certainly not, ma'am. I am telling the wholehearted truth," he insisted.
Satisfied, Ms. Bellows turned back to the board and continued to write things down. Butch watched, not entirely focused. He had a couple of questions, but none of them really involved Math. All of them involved Damon—and a few involved Ross and Sydney.
And, he noted, somewhat amused, Mr. Apocally isn't here. I'm not surprised he's staying home; I guess that counts as one small victory for us—even if our sub isn't all that great.
Butch prepared himself for a long day—but mostly an extremely long class. A class with a loud, obnoxiously spirited old teacher, and his distracted thoughts to keep him company.
Banana was just about ready to die of boredom. The teacher was droning on and on, but Banana couldn't seem to focus. Her fingers itched to get back to sewing the designs Blaster had thrown out. She felt really fixed on this new project for some reason, and she really wanted to get it done.
Class was just about to end though, which made her relieved. She glanced at the clock. Three more minutes, she breathed.
While they felt like hours to her, the three minutes did eventually pass. The ringing bell was like music to her ears. She grabbed her stuff and raced for the door. One more class and then I can grab lunch, she reminded herself, her signature yellow streak behind her.
Banana was ready to fly full-speed to her locker, but she couldn't help but make a pit-stop when she saw a boy she recognized quite well. Blaster! For some reason she skidded to a stop, which he heard. He turned around to look, but Banana quickly ducked behind a wall. He shrugged and turned back around to talk to whoever he was talking to. Banana leaned forward to take a peek, frustrated with her curiosity.
What she saw made her eyes widen. Blaster's speaking to a girl—and not just any girl—she's gorgeous! She didn't wear the Pokey Oaks High uniform. Instead, she wore a baggy, yellow jacket with a white dress. She paired the dress with white boots and had a tan messenger bag. Banana approved of her outfit. Before she could be distracted by the girl's looks any more though, the girl said something that caught her attention:
"Oh, I'm just here to explain Michael's absence to the principal."
Just who is this girl? Banana wondered, furrowing her brow at the mention of her boyfriend.
"Jeez, shouldn't you have done that awhile ago? Hasn't Danes called them yet?" Blaster raised an eyebrow and shook his head, but he was smiling.
The girl smiled back coyly. "Uncle's been very busy, you know."
He chuckled. "Yeah, I know."
Banana blinked. Danes...is her uncle...? And if she's his niece and Michael is his nephew... Then...she's Michael's...sister!? She couldn't hide her gasp.
Blaster frowned, furrowing his brow as he turned toward the noise. Banana ducked away, her heart pounding.
The girl tilted her head to the side. "Is something the matter?"
"...Hmmm. I thought I heard something." He turned back to her. "It wouldn't be very good if my brothers saw me talking to you."
"Yeah, they sort of hate me."
"Not like you don't hate them."
"Ehh, you're right. I sort of do." His companion smiled somewhat. "But you can't really blame me. We're not on the same side; much less friends."
"Well then...what about me? It's not like you to show someone like me any sort of kindness or patience," Blaster retorted. While his tone was playful, he sounded genuinely curious. Banana wondered what was going on between him and this girl with the blond hair and aqua gaze.
She seemed to sense this too, because she smiled again. "That's true. But...you're a special case." Her grip tightened on her messenger bag as she twisted the bag straps around her fingers. "I actually like you—r company."
There was an awkward pause Banana didn't know how to feel about.
"Oh. That's sort of... Wow, I don't know what to say," Blaster finally coughed.
She smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, that was weird. I just meant that you're not so bad."
"Right. Because that's just it; we tolerate each other, right? Nothing more?" His voice sounded strained, and Banana didn't like that.
"Right," the girl echoed. "Nothing more; nothing sentimental or anything."
"Yeah," he agreed. There was another period of silence. Then he mumbled, "So...uh, I see you still have my jacket."
Banana's eye twitched.
She nodded, touching the fabric of the jacket lightly. "I-I hope you don't mind. Since I'm was coming to your school anyway to explain Michael's absence, I decided I'd bring it and return it. But then it got kind of cold and umm...I wasn't sure if I'd find you so I just sort of...put it on and I just sort of well—I just kind of...forgot." She removed her bag and peeled the jacket off, revealing her shoulders and slender arms. "Here," she murmured, handing it to him.
He took it and stared for awhile, before holding it up to sniff it. The girl's eyes widened and she blushed. Banana's reaction was just as surprised. Then Blaster turned to her and coughed. "Sorry. I just sort noticed it had a sort of—strong scent. I wasn't—I wasn't trying to be weird."
"No, no! It's okay. I'm sorry; do you want me to wash it first?" she asked.
"A-Ah, no, it's okay. It...smells nice. It smells like...flowers." He gave her one of his warm Blaster smiles, seemingly glowing.
"O-Oh! Th-Thank you." The girl's mature demeanour seemed to melt a little because she blushed again and tucked stray strands of blond hair behind her ear shyly. Her hair was tied in a bun. Her turquoise eyes were bright. "Also thank you for giving it to me in the first place, by the way. I've been sort of...having a rough time. When you comforted me that time, it...it really helped. The jacket just sort of reminded me that I could do this. I could live through everything that's been going on so far. Danes, Damon, Vix—Blaster, your jacket made me feel better about this whole situation."
"Oh. Oh, wow." She blinked and turned to stare at him, her own eyes widening when she saw his wide-eyed stare. "Never thought you'd say something like that to me, of all people."
Her face reddened. "What? W-Wait, no! I mean, it did help, but that's just 'cause no one else was there, y'know? I-I'm not saying I liked you comforting me or liked wearing that when I felt upset! I-I'm just saying that it sort of helped and y-you're not as bad as you seem. L-Like I said when you comforted me, you're a gentleman***, after all. A-A-And that's all I have to say to you! That's just what I think of you now. Y-You're tolerable compared to your brothers. Like, a-at least you're nice—"
And then, Blaster's stare turned into a smile and he laughed.
"Wh-What?" she demanded, stopping in her rambling speech.
"I'm so honoured," he said jokingly.
Her cheeks flushed pink. "Oh sh-shut up."
"Okay, alright; I'm good." He stopped laughing to hand her the jacket. She stared at him in surprise and he smiled back, another one of his warm and kind smiles—something Banana had started seeing a lot less now. And for some reason, seeing it then made her heart ache.
"Wh-What are you doing?" she asked.
"You can keep it for awhile longer. I think you need it more than I do." His smile turned something into a soft smirk. "After all, if my jacket was able to give you any comfort at all, even if it wasn't all that great of a comfort, then you should keep it until you really feel better."
"Who's to say I don't already feel better?"
"Me." He nudged her with the jacket. "I can see through an act like that any day. Plus, you went through a lot last night. What with Damon's"—here he coughed and changed the subject somewhat—"I mean, just take it."
She stared at him for awhile longer, before smiling as well. "...Okay." She took the article of clothing from his arms and held it as if she were hugging the item. "Thank you." She paused. "Don't get the wrong idea though! I-I'm just taking it 'cause you want me to so desperately. I don't even know why you care so much! It's none of your business and I'm not even on your side. I can handle myself; don't think this means we're on good terms now!"
Blaster laughed, "I know. I'm just being nice this time because hey, I'm a nice person. Anyway, you should probably go talk to the principal now. My class is gonna start in like, two minutes."
"Right. Anyway, nice talking to you—I-I guess. Thanks again, Blaster." She turned around and gave a little wave.
"Yeah, right back at you." He waved too.
"Just don't forget that the next time we meet, we still won't be on the same side or anything," she called over her shoulder. "Just 'cause I took your jacket this time to make you stop bothering me doesn't mean I'm falling for anything! What Damon did doesn't scare me at all. I'm stronger than that."
He smiled and watched her leave, before turning around and sighing. "I'm just genuinely worried about you, you idiot—besides, I don't think you're as okay as you make yourself out to be, Christie," he murmured. Just then, he met eyes with Banana. Both of their eyes widened. "Bansy?"
"B-Blaster!" she gasped.
"Have you been there the whole time—?"
"What, no! Of course not. Do you really think I care so much about your personal life to watch you talk to other girls?" Banana retorted, although her tone was a little too quick.
"Okay..." Blaster furrowed his brow, looking somewhat hurt by the quick dismissal. "If that's how you really feel..."
"That's definitely how I feel. I don't care what you do or how many girls you hang out with. Go flirt with every girl in the school, for all I care!"
"'F-Flirt'?" he repeated, spinning around to stare at her. "Bansy, wait!"
Instead of waiting, she darted back behind the wall and started flying away—in the opposite direction of her locker and Blaster. She decided she'd take the long route to her class.
She did a face-palm, eyes squeezed shut, her cheeks flaming hot. Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could you let yourself get caught? She was yelling internally. That Christie girl is a real eye-catcher. Of course Blaster would flirt with her. But what the heck did it mean—the way they acted; the things they said? And she's Michael's sister? Why do I care so much? That's just it; I don't care—or at least, I shouldn't!
...Ughhhh oh my God I am such an idiot. Blaster's probably wondering I was acting so worked up. Ugh, fuck I really messed up back there!
She paused, squeezing her books to her chest a little tighter. It shouldn't bother me... So then why did it feel kind of weird, seeing them like that?
"Bubbles Utonium, please focus!"
"I'm sorry," she said meekly, scrunching her shoulders up in her seat.
The teacher sighed. "I don't understand what's going on. Why are you spacing out all of a sudden?"
Bubbles swallowed, trying to ignore all the curious eyes pinned onto her back. One of them was Boomer, and another was Sidney. She wanted to crawl into a hole. "I-I don't know either. I-I just have a lot on my mind right now..."
The teacher's gaze softened. "If it's an issue, you can always talk to me or others around you. I just don't want you failing this unit."
"I-I understand. It's okay." She forced herself to smile. "Really."
The teacher frowned but then nodded and turned away, opening a book. "Alright, if you would all turn to page 324..."
Bubbles tried to pay attention; she really did—but it was just so hard to. She couldn't believe that Brick was back in action. But what was mainly bugging her was her situation with both Boomer and Sidney. She hadn't spoken to her boyfriend since she ignored him to go talk to Boomer. She and Boomer were on better terms now, but it was hardly anything.
She shrank back, wanting to hide behind her textbook forever. The very idea of facing either of them was torture.
Luckily for her though, the bell rang soon enough (although it was an agonizing wait for her), signalling lunch. And Bubbles knew that lunch would be happy today because of Brick's return. Everyone would be celebrating, and she'd be distracted from her troubles.
As she flew toward her locker and pulled out her lunch bag, she heard some noises coming from the gym. Almost immediately her curiosity won out and she went to see what was going on. It turned out that it was Sidney's sister performing a cheerleading routine, doing stunning flips and spins. Bubbles herself was on the cheerleading squad, but she had told her friends on the team she needed a bit of a break from the cheering. They were disappointed, but they weren't super upset.
Bubbles walked inside, gripping her lunch bag. "Hi, girls," she called out after Sydney was done her performance.
The girl glanced up, wiping her neck and face with a towel, surrounded by excited cheerleaders. All of them followed her gaze, and the preppy, excitable girls gasped at the face of their "old" friend. Even though they saw each other often enough at school, the cheerleaders always acted like they hadn't seen Bubbles in forever whenever she was on break.
"Bubbles!" a girl named Senna cried out, rushing up to say hi. She held pompoms, which she waved in greeting. "Always bubbly, always cheery, always shining! She can handle any of life's troubles! B-U-B-B-L-E-S! What does that spell? BUBBLES!"
"Thanks, Senny." The blue Powerpuff Girl set her lunch bag down on one of the bleachers. She turned to Sydney and smiled. "That was an awesome routine."
"...Humph." Sydney turned away.
Bubbles blinked, surprised and sort of hurt. Sydney was her boyfriend's sister, but she'd hardly warmed up to the Puff at all.
"She's a little upset today," whispered one of the cheerleaders, "something about a heartbreak."
"Oh," Bubbles replied, but before she could say much more, Sydney's head flew upwards.
"It wasn't a heartbreak!" she snapped. Everyone fell silent. No one said anything for awhile as Sydney composed herself. "Anyway, I'm glad you came here, Bubbles."
"Really?" The Puff perked up. Maybe she is warming up to me, after all.
"Yes. I want to talk to you." Sydney leaned forward, elbows on her knees.
"...Oh." It didn't sound like a very promising offer, and it hardly sounded friendly. She glanced at her cheerleader friends nervously. They shrugged.
"I wanted to talk to you about my brother, specifically," Sydney continued, looking away from Bubbles to the wall. "He's a shy, scaredy-cat weakling. I mostly think he's annoying and just tend to stay outta his business, but that doesn't mean I don't"—here she had to pause—"care about him at all. He's such a weak little thing with a weak little heart; I don't want him to be hurt because he's just not strong enough to take it, y'know?
"And the way you're treating him—it leaves for someone wanting more, and not in the good way. What happened to texting each other everyday? You've hardly spoken to him and he's always all dejected now. I really hate seeing him like this, y'know. It's annoying. And I've noticed the way you look at Boomer. There better not be anything going on over there. If there is, do something about it before you break my brother's heart. Because if you do break it, I will never forgive you. Understood?" She sort of glared at Bubbles, cracking her knuckles as a sign. "You better truly care for Sidney and not just be using him."
Bubbles swallowed. "O-Of course I do! I would never want to hurt him. He's such a sweetheart. I-I've just been having friendship issues with Boomer. H-He and the Ruffs don't really seem to get along with you and—"
"Yeah, we don't," she spat, interrupting the blue Puff, whose eyes were wide. "So if you really care about Sidney and want to stop upsetting him, then you better stop focusing so much on Boomer Jojo."
"I-I—"
"Oh, there's my brother now. Go talk to him," she commanded, her voice authoritative and final. Even though she knew she could take Sydney on in a fight if it came down to it, the immense pressure and commanding presence of this girl terrified Bubbles. Gulping, she got ready to stand up as Sidney entered the room.
"Hello, everyone," he said shyly. "I'm here for my sister. Sh-She forgot her lunch..."
"Awwwww," Senna cooed, batting her eyelashes.
Bubbles felt unstable as she stood up on the creaky bleachers. "A-Ah, hi, Siddy!" She waved.
Sydney gave her a look, raising her eyebrow as if to say, "Siddy"? Seriously?
"O-Oh, hi, Bubsy." He looked confused and a little concerned. "I-I thought you were taking a break from the cheerleading squad?"
She stopped waving, feeling a little hurt at his tone. He sounded sort of panicked, like he didn't want to see her just yet. "Yeah, I'm still on break, but I wanted to watch Sydney practice—"
Sydney coughed loudly. "This is getting nowhere. Sid, toss me my lunch." Her brother did as he was told, gently throwing her the lunch bag. "I'm outta here. These two lovebirds obviously got a lot to talk about and need all the help they can get." Rolling her eyes, she whisked away, gesturing for the other cheerleaders to follow. They did, and soon Bubbles and Sidney were alone.
For a long while they just sat there, staring at one another. Then Bubbles gulped and looked down at the floor, rubbing her arm. "H-How are you?"
Sidney didn't reply right away. In fact, it was the lack of a reply that made Bubbles look up. She saw his eyes, and they just looked so sad, it completely shocked her. He sighed.
"Wh-What's wrong?" asked Bubbles, her eyes wide.
"It's been awhile since you talked to me," he began quietly, "it just doesn't feel right knowing that a conversation is happening now because my sister is forcing us to."
"I-I'm sorry; I never meant to avoid you... I just had a lot going on and—"
"Bubbles, I can see how hard this is for you. It's hard for you to talk to me, isn't it?" he interrupted gently. "You... You don't have to if you can't."
She swallowed hard. "Sidney...what are you saying?"
Finally, he looked up and met her eyes. "You've just been so distant for so long."
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"...I know," he finally murmured back. He sighed and reached out. She flinched and he paused, lowering his hand. "I'm sorry too."
"No! What for?" She grabbed his hand. "I-I didn't mean to wince, Siddy. Please don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one who's been so far away."
He shook his head. "Bubbles... I-I don't want to lie to myself. I like you. I like you a lot. And even though I tried to say no, I was really happy when you said that you like me too. But...it doesn't feel true anymore. It's never felt 100% true. You've always been so focused on—on other things..."
He didn't specifically say "Boomer", but Bubbles knew that's what he was talking about. "No! No, please don't!"
Sidney swallowed and met her eyes. They were just as tear-filled as hers. "I'm so sorry. I just don't know if I have a proper place in your heart right now. We can't—"
"I know I've been taking you for granted. But I like you! I really do. I-I want us to be together. I want this to work out," she pleaded, tears sliding down her cheeks.
"—Keep lying to ourselves anymore." He lowered his head, resting his forehead on their intertwined fingers. "I can't do this. I told myself that you'd forget about it—about him—but it's clear that I can't truly be in your heart unless he opens up again. And it hurts so, so bad—every time you go to him before you come to me. I can't keep telling myself that things will be okay and that you'll become invested in our relationship. A-And you can't keep pretending like you don't care about him so much. Because you do. You came to me when he hurt you. You fell for me when he hurt you. And when he apologized and you forgave him, you left me behind."
"No, it's not like that... He's my friend. I-I just want us to be friends again. I really do like you, Sidney. Boomer—Boomer's just a friend!" Bubbles leaned forward, resting her forehead against his and crying. "Please don't do this to me..."
"...We can't lie to ourselves anymore." He looked up and wiped her tears with his one free hand. "I'm so sorry. Even if he's your friend, he's obviously more of a priority right now. It's just...not a good time for us to be together. When you two work things out and you feel comfortable with him again, you can always come back to me if you wish. I-It's also safer this way."
She tried to gulp down her tears. "S-S-Safer from what?" she stammered.
"From heartbreak," he finally whispered. He leaned forward and gently kissed her on the forehead. "And me." He stood up and stroked her hair, before sighing lightly. "I-I'm really sorry, Bubbles. I do like you. But you should work things out with Boomer first."
"No...I'm sorry. You're right. I've been an awful girlfriend. I took you for granted. I used you to make me feel better. I like you, and yet I can't seem to stop hurting you. It's just... Boomer's such a mystery, and I don't want us to be on bad terms. I really do like you, Sidney, and yet I've been so focused on him I can't even treat you like a real boyfriend! I'm so sorry I never considered your feelings." Sobbing, she wiped at her eyes. "You're right. I've been awful."
"No, no, no—you're not awful at all—you're brilliant." He helped her up and wiped away more of her tears as he continued crying himself. "I hate doing this, but it's better this way."
"Y-Yeah," she said weakly.
"You just have to work things out with Boomer. Then maybe it'll be easier for us to be in a relationship if you still want to be."
Bubbles sniffled, snuggling into his embrace. "R-R-Right. I'm just so sorry. I don't understand why I'm just so hung up on Boomer****."
"...M-Maybe you like him?"
She looked up at Sidney in shock. "Sidney, no... I-I like you. I'm sure of it."
"Absolutely sure?"
She hesitated, before nodding, her throat too closed up for her to speak.
He sighed softly. "I'm sorry I questioned you. I-I don't know why that doubt happened." His eyes looked so sad when he met her gaze, and it just tore at her heart. "We can still be in a relationship, but I think you need some space for awhile."
"Just until I work things out with Boomer and stop being so distracted," she mumbled sadly.
"...Right," he whispered, before kissing her on the lips. She felt a spark of panic and pain in her chest. He pulled back and murmured, "Goodbye, Bubbles."
When he left, she collapsed on the bleachers, too upset to eat. For awhile she just sat there in shock, unsure of what had happened. I-I can't believe it. Did he really just cut our relationship off for now? Why am I such an awful girlfriend? I-I used him. I used him to make myself feel better. I betrayed his feelings. I hurt him. That kiss lit a spark of longing and warmth, but there was also pain and panic. She touched her lips and closed her eyes. It was so cold. Just...why is Boomer so prominent in my mind? And...why am I so confused about my feelings? I treated Sidney the way Boomer treated me. Now it hurts, and yet... She swallowed and gripped her shirt where her chest would be. "I'm such a terrible person," she whispered.
Then she buried her face in her hands and cried.
Buttercup frowned, pressing the "power off" button on her phone. Bubbles wasn't responding to her texts.
"Where is she?" asked Blossom.
She shook her head. "Not responding. I doubt it's anything serious. She can miss lunch one day if she needs to."
"Yeah," her sister agreed, albeit a little hesitantly.
Buttercup glanced around. There was an empty seat where Bubbles would usually be sitting. Her eyes met with Butch's and she quickly looked away to the cafeteria doors. Just then, Sidney appeared in the cafeteria, looking around. He made his way towards his table. Why isn't Bubbles with him? Buttercup wondered.
The green Powerpuff Girl stood up. "I'm heading outside for a little bit. I need some fresh air."
"I'll come with you—" Blossom began, before she was interrupted.
"Nah, it's fine. You stay here, with your boyfriend," smirked BC, waving. She quickly flew out the doors.
Lunch continued on in silence for awhile before Butch stood up. "I'm full," he announced, dumping the remaining contents of his lunch into the trash. "I'm gonna go to class."
"Later, bro," responded Brick.
Butch gave a short nod and flew outside. He then slowed down, floating slowly through the hallways. Lunch was a busy time for the hallways, but they were still mostly empty. Butch stopped near a door to the courtyard when he saw something. He stepped outside. Buttercup was sitting on the fence, looking absentminded. It was as if she were waiting for someone.
"Hey," Butch called.
She snapped her gaze upwards. "Oh... Hey."
He raised an eyebrow. "You don't sound very happy to see me."
"I said I wanted to be alone, didn't I?" She rolled her eyes.
"I know. Wasn't expecting to run into you; I was heading for class."
"You? Going to class early? Please. There's still a ton of time until class starts," she shot back.
Butch smirked. "Hey, what can I say? It's nice to get a change of pace every now and then."
Buttercup rolled her eyes again, but amusement glittered in her green irises and she was smiling. She stared up at the blue sky. "You sound like you're in a good mood."
"Not entirely," he admitted after a brief moment of silence where she looked at him expectantly. His words reminded her of what Ross said before.***** He sat down beside her, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He gazed at the green grass blowing in the wind. "Something came up recently and it really, really hurt. But there's no reason to dwell on it. Braker's back, after all. That's a reason to celebrate."
"What came up?" she prompted.
He hesitated, closing his eyes. "Someone I used to know betrayed my trust," he finally explained.
Buttercup frowned, wanting to protest that he wasn't telling her everything again, when he suddenly looked up at her. She was shocked to see some tears.
"Buttercup, I don't know what to do. It hurts really, really bad. It scares me," he whispered, gripping his shirt.
"B-Butch..."
"Dammit, I don't know why I'm breaking down like this. Sorry." He wiped at his eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath as he gazed at the ground. "It's just terrifying. Everything I know is changing, and it looks like for the worse. Buttercup, I don't know what to do..." He grabbed her hands, causing her to flinch. He stared into her eyes, tears still forming. "What would you do if someone you admired turned out to be not what you expected—and not in the good way? Would you stick by them, or would you betray them because you disagree with their mentality?"
She searched deep within his jade-green eyes for an answer, but wasn't able to come up with anything. There was a terrible silence as he gripped her hands and she stared into his eyes. "I..." She couldn't think of what to say. She didn't know what he was talking about, and she didn't know how to help him.
He seemed to sense this, because he let go of her hands. "...I see," he whispered, wiping away more tears. "Fuck. Why am I crying?"
"It's okay to cry," she tried.
"No, it's not!" He turned away and sniffed. "Sorry. I just...can't be breaking down right now. I...have to be strong. For my brothers. For what I believe in. Even though I have no idea what to do." He swallowed hard. "I don't even know why I'm telling you all this."
"I'm glad you're telling me all of this, Butch," she finally said quietly. "Everyone has moments of weakness. And it's okay."
"It doesn't feel okay," he rasped, burying his face in his hands.
"...I think I have an answer to your question," she replied, placing a hand on his shoulder.
He turned to her with wide, expectant eyes. "You do?"
She nodded. "I-I would talk to them—the person I once admired. If they were great enough for me to admire them, then I'd want to hear them out and listen to their side of the story. If they're truly awful, then maybe they're redeemable." She paused to smile. "After all, you and your brothers were evil. Mojo and Him were evil. And look at you now."
Butch stared at her for a long, long time. Then he smirked somewhat, shaking his head as he turned away.
"What?" she asked, flustered.
"That's such a naïve way of thinking," he chuckled, "but...you're probably right. I'll try it out." He turned back to face her and smiled a real, genuine smile. "Thanks, Buttercup. I needed that."
He got up and walked away. Buttercup gazed after him, feeling somewhat dazed. That smile of his had been completely unexpected. It wasn't like his usual cocky, irritating smirk. This smile was real. He had been genuinely thankful and cheered up. It made her heart beat faster. Swallowing, she shivered and hugged herself for warmth when a sudden cold breeze blew in. "...You idiot," she whispered in a raspy voice, unable to hide a small smile.
"Here you go, Uncle," a boy with brown hair said, passing some papers to Shamus.
"Thanks, Ross." Shamus took the pile and flipped through them. "It must be difficult having to catch up on the work you missed."
"Eh. It gives me something to do; takes my mind off of the war—and Damon," sighed his nephew, rubbing his eyes.
Shamus was silent for a little bit. "Ahh, yes. Although...something tells me that they're not really off your mind either."
Ross glanced up. "Yes, but...what's with your tone?"
Shamus sighed and sat down beside his nephew. "I saw Jamel exiting your room last night when I was coming upstairs. I know he's your partner, but you two haven't really been working together in awhile. And even then, you two weren't ever really getting along."
"...True." Ross closed his eyes. "I'm going to guess that you want to know what he was doing in my room."
"Pretty much." Shamus' dark-brown eyes met Ross' green ones. He paused.
Ross took a deep breath and reached into his bag. "He showed me this," he finally said, handing him some more papers. "They're Dad's reports."
Shamus' eyes widened. "Where did he get these?"
"Jamel's been doing research, remember?" Ross leaned back in his chair, feeling tired. "He has access to all the old documents. He found these while down there."
Shamus was now frantically flipping through the papers after finding something interesting. "Wait... That can't be right," he murmured.
"What's wrong?"
"These don't look like they've been shown to Danes. These would help him reach a breakthrough in his plan!"
Ross' eyes widened. "What? Uncle, are you going to show him?"
Shamus hesitated. "I... I don't know if I should—yet. I don't think it's the right time..."
"A-Are you saying...?"
"Yes, I don't believe that we need this ace just yet. Danes' research has been coming along well enough on its own, so unless anything happens to determine so, I'll be keeping these with me. Has Jamel bothered to read these?"
Ross breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thank God. I don't think Jamel's read the documents so he can't tell Danes about them. I guess he had the decency to at least consider my feelings before reading them." He paused. "Thank you, Uncle. I'd hate to reek that sort of havoc on the Ruffs—right now, at least."
Shamus was quiet for a little bit. "They are your enemies, you know."
"I know. But I feel a real connection with them. A bond. They're my friends, even if they are my enemies," Ross replied.
Shamus stared at him for awhile, before smiling somewhat sadly. "You're just like him."
Ross blinked. "Huh...?"
His uncle reached forward and ruffled his nephew's hair before letting his hand fall to his shoulder. He lowered his head and sighed. "I'm sorry you lost him, Ross. You deserve to be with him."
"No, no—Uncle Shamus, you've—you've been a great...father," Ross murmured, feeling his throat close up as he wrapped his arms around his uncle. His heart felt tight, as if it were going to leap into his throat.
Shamus' voice sounded strained when he answered. "You're such a good boy, Ross."
"Thank you," he whispered, pulling away.
He did the same, before smiling. "...You have his eyes."
Ross also smiled.
They stayed together in silence for awhile, before Shamus stood up. He paused before handing his nephew the papers back. "I'll leave them to you for now for safekeeping."
"Oh, thank you, Uncle." Ross' voice cracked as he felt tears spring to his eyes. He managed to smile. "This means a lot to me."
"I know." Shamus smiled. "Now, you run along now. You've completed more of your missing Socials homework, and you're getting closer and closer to being caught up. Go out and hang out with your friends; I'm sure you've got someone waiting on you." He winked. "Perhaps that Buttercup girl you seem so attracted to?"
Ross remembered his text to the green Puff and his face reddened. "R-Right," he stammered, hurrying away. "Thanks again, Uncle!"
"Bye, Ross!" Shamus waved.
He paused in the doorway, remembering Vix and Damon's exchange. He didn't know how his friend had done it. He'd managed to forget his former love for Damon and move on. Ross couldn't imagine doing that to Shamus. He swallowed. "Umm...by the way, Uncle Shamus?"
"What is it?" His uncle paused.
"Err...I love you. Thanks for everything."
Shamus blinked in shock for a few seconds, before he managed to smile. "I love you too, Ross."
The boy waved one last time before disappearing out the door and hurrying to the courtyard. He was worried if Buttercup would still be there. He'd sent her a text warning her that he'd be late, giving his reasons as to why.
When he got there, a wind was blowing through the grass and Buttercup was sitting on the fence, a hand trailing through her black hair.
She looked beautiful.
Ross stood there for awhile, just staring at her, amazed by her beauty. The light was shining behind her and made her look even prettier than usual.
It wasn't until she spotted him and waved, smiling, that he snapped out of his stupor. He blushed and waved back, hurrying to her side. "Sorry I'm late," he said, sitting down next to her. "I've had a lot of homework to catch up on."
Her smile disappeared and her gaze trailed to the ground as she seemed to remember what Ross had went through when he was shot. "Right..."
"Ah, don't worry about me!" he said quickly. "I'm much better now, and hey—I get this cool scar," he tried to laugh, but it was weak and strangled.
Buttercup tucked stray strands of her black hair behind her ear. "Wh-What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Oh...right." Ross' shoulders slumped and he sighed lightly, turning to stare at his hands. "...That."
"What is it?" she questioned, glancing up.
"I had a talk with someone last night. Someone that I missed a lot. But now I just miss them more," he replied, sounding wobbly.
She paused in shock when she saw the tears forming in his eyes. "Ross—?"
Ross forced himself to look at her—to smile. "I... I experienced something awful yesterday night, and...it just hurts so much. Right here," he choked, grabbing his uniform sweater vest where his heart was. He looked down, his bangs covering his eyes as the tears plip-plopped down his face. "Why does it have to hurt do much?"
"Oh my God," she whispered, reaching out to touch his shoulder.
He looked up, tears sliding down his face. "Do you know how long I've been trying to hold on? This entire day, I've been trying not to cry and now I just can't—"
"Shhh, it's okay," she murmured, not sure what to say.
"I can't believe I'm falling apart like this," he whispered, wiping at his eyes.
"Ross..." She bit her lip. "Just what happened? Please tell me..." She remembered her words to Butch: It's okay. Everyone shows weakness.
"...Just a dumb heartbreak from way back when," he replied softly, swallowing hard.
"What?" She blinked, surprised, her cheeks flushing pink. She felt something ignite within her.
"I talked to a girl who broke my heart a long time ago. It turns out she can still do it. Again—and probably again, if she wanted to," he laughed weakly, leaning back to stare up at the blue sky. Clouds were flitting across the blue, like streaks of gray light.
"Who?" Buttercup inquired, her heart thumping in her chest.
Ross was silent for a little bit. Buttercup didn't push, but she felt immensely curious and even nervous to the point of shivering. "...Sydney," he finally answered.
"'S-Sydney'? Y-You and Sydney were a...?" She trailed off.
He turned to look at her, green eyes sad and wet as he nodded slowly.
Buttercup felt something strange lighting inside of her. It felt like a small flame. "O-Oh."
"I liked her once upon a time, but she rejected me. And now..." He trailed off this time.
"And now?" she prompted, looking up shyly. The way he was looking at her made her blush. He looked so upset but so into looking at her it made her feel self-conscious.
"And now... And now I don't know anymore. There's—another girl I know, who's beautiful and pretty, but Sydney was my first love. Sh-She's still on my mind."
Buttercup swallowed. There's that feeling again. "What did she say?"
"She said no back then, and now she says she doesn't even know what she would say if I confessed now. But I'm not confessing now. Because if she doesn't even know, then it'll just lead to more heartbreak. I made the right decision, didn't I...?" His eyes were watering again, and now he was sniffling and choking up. "So why does it still—h-hurt so much?"
"Oh, Ross..." She rubbed his back, not sure what to say.
"Maybe if I just let her fool me for one day. Just one day of being with her—then maybe I could move on," he cried.
"...You shouldn't force yourself," Buttercup finally said, quietly. "You did the right thing. It'll be better in the long run."
"I know, but it's like ripping a band-aid off of an old, half-healed wound. I'm just not ready to move on, apparently," he said weakly.
"What about the other girl?"
"...She's beautiful. She's kind and witty and tough, but I don't know how she feels about me. Besides, she may deserve somebody else..."
Buttercup tried to ignore the twisting feeling in her stomach at the mention of another girl. "I-I'd never break your heart." He turned to stare at her in shock, and she blushed, continuing on: "I mean... If you confessed to me—which I'm not saying you will!—I'd consider it—seriously! 'Cause...you're a really sweet, kind guy with great looks and a sense of humour. You've always been there for me. Now I want to be here for you."
He stared at her for awhile, before his lips curled into a smile. "Thank you, BC." He got up and rubbed his wet eyes. "I-I guess I should get going."
"A-Ah, right! I'm sorry to hear about you and Sydney, but don't worry about it." Buttercup stood up too, managing a weak smile. "You're a great guy, Ross. It's too bad Sydney doesn't see that, but I do." She blushed. "Err...not exactly in that way! But...y-you know what I mean, right?"
"Right," he chuckled lightly, wiping the last of his tears away. He smiled brightly. "Thank you, Buttercup. That helped a lot. I needed that."
She froze. "R-Really?"
He nodded. "You have no idea how much that means to me, and how happier you've just made me—but thank you. Thank you so much for the kind words." He paused, glancing back with a wave. "Oh, and for the record... You're pretty great, yourself. I might just confess to you, after all!" He smiled one last time, chuckling, before walking away.
Buttercup watched him go, her face red and cheeks warm. She touched her face, taking a shaky breath. He's just joking, she told herself. Her hand tightened on the fabric of her uniform skirt, bundling it up in her fingers. But...why did that make me so happy? And why did him talking about other girls bother me so much?
...Am I jealous...?
Buttercup's face reddened. Yeah right. But as she left for class, she couldn't help but wonder, her heart beginning to beat a bit faster...
Tyrone wasn't expecting company that night.
It was late. Around 12:00, and his brother had already gone to bed. Tyrone had just gotten off the phone with his father and was now writing notes for Danes on his research. He wasn't a fan of studying war-based things, but Danes insisted that it was for emergency only. Tyrone finally relented and agreed to help him study the newfound species.
That specific night, he was nearly falling asleep. The day had gone by in such a blur, he was now exhausted and tired and sleepy. If it wasn't for the fumbling sound near his window at 12:20, he probably would've just slept at his desk again.
Sitting up and yawning, he stretched and tried to work out the cricks in his sore neck. Blinking, he turned around and stared at the window. The clicking of someone trying to unlock his window became more rapid, but whoever it was was hidden behind curtains.
He stood up and walked toward the window, slowly peeling away the curtains while hiding on the other side of the window. Plastered to the wall, he held a pocketknife and was ready for defense if necessary.
He then slowly unlatched the window.
The knocker clambered inside, confirmed to be a human by their size and shape. As soon as they set foot in his room, he grabbed them and threw them onto his bed, raising his pocketknife. But then his eyes widened when he realized who it was.
"S-Sylvie?" he gasped, shocked.
Her face was red, eyes wide as she lay beneath him on his bed. "H-Hi," she stammered.
Swallowing back his speechlessness, Tyrone immediately got off of her and recovered his scrambled thoughts. "What were you thinking, trying to break into my room like that?"
"I'm sorry! I was desperate. I've been knocking for awhile now. You didn't answer."
"What if I wasn't home?" he demanded.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm not myself right now. I can't seem to think straight." Obviously embarrassed, she raised her knees to her chest and wiped her eyes.
"Wait... Are you crying?" he asked. He noted that her eyes were in fact red.
She blinked. "M-Maybe..."
Tyrone sighed, flopping down right beside her and putting his arm around her shoulders, bringing her in closer. "Look, I'm sorry I got angry. You can stay with me tonight if you want—with your own bed, of course." She nodded and he leaned in a little closer, having to bend down to be at her eye-level, their foreheads touching. "So what's the matter? Why are you upset?"
Sylvie didn't answer right away, and Tyrone waited patiently. She didn't have to answer, but he figured she would since she told him almost everything. "...Damon..." she began, before choking on a sob.
Tyrone blinked rapidly, furrowing his brow. "'Damon'...?" he repeated, unable to hide his disbelief. "He made you cry?" When she didn't respond, he shook his head. "That's impossible. He lo—I mean—he really cares for you, y'know."
"...I know," Sylvie mumbled back. "H-He confessed to me today."
"What!?" His eyes widened again that night. "I didn't think he'd do it so soon—man, he has more guts than I gave him credit for." He paused. "Wait... What does this have to do with you crying?"
"He confessed to me, Tyrone! And I don't love him back. I-I like another," she cried.
He frowned. "Y-You do?"
She nodded. "I-I like—" She quickly trailed off. "Never mind. That's a story for another day."
Tyrone still hadn't process this newly discovered secret that his "little sister" Sylvie hadn't told him. "You like another—?"
"Ty, you didn't see how hurt he was. He was crying and he yanked the pendant off and—and he left with such a sad expression that I—" She began bawling again.
Tyrone couldn't find it within him to respond, too distracted by his other swirling thoughts. He was only able to hug her, holding her close and letting her cry it out in silence. She rested her head against his chest, leaned in as she sobbed it all out, which took her a long, long time. He himself was still hung up on the fact that Sylvie had a crush. He'd been helping Damon and Shamus in their advances for so long that he'd practically forgotten about the other side of the equation. Sylvie was like his little sister. He'd never even considered that she would be capable of loving someone else on her own.
The idea bothered him a great deal for some reason. His heart felt like it had been stabbed, and he couldn't figure out why.
If she doesn't love Damon, then maybe she likes Shamus? That should make me happy, shouldn't it?
So why doesn't it?
Tyrone swallowed hard, suddenly feeling secretly terrified—terrified of his feelings and the way his friendships were slowly unravelling themselves as more and more hearts were broken while more and more feelings were discovered. Tyrone didn't want to think that he'd love a girl he saw as a younger sister, even with that brief sting of jealousy.
If he fell for Sylvie, then their friendships would all fall apart.
*(A/N: Reference to chapter 45!)
**(A/N: Reference to chapter 47!)
***(A/N: Reference to chapter 46!)
****(A/N: Reference to my fic "Hung Up on You"!)
*****(A/N: Reference to chapter 50!)
ME: So many references... Anyway, we're done for the day! We get to see the birth of Tyrone's feelings for Sylvie, but not just that... Are we seeing the birth of Buttercup and Banana's feelings for Ross and Blaster respectively!? We got a Butchercup scene too though, so please don't hate me! What will Braker and Bliss do? Oh, and Bubbles and Sidney decided to take a break in their relationship! *gasps* And what's all this about Tyrone's war notes for Danes, hmm? Also, does Damon actually regret Vix's newborn hatred of him?
BRICK: Finally. We're done. Please take another month-long break.
ME: Christ, you're so rude to me. Why do you hate me?
BRICK: ...I don't hate you.
ME: So you do like me! *gives him a hug*
BLOSSOM: ...Kuku!
BUTTERCUP: You better say your goodbyes, while you still can. A jealous girl is one of the worst ways to die, and Blossom looks ready to kill.
BLOSSOM: I. Am. Not. Jealous!
ME: *laughs* Goodbye, everyone! Please review! *starts running*
BLOSSOM: *chases*
BRICK: ...So she does like me, after all.
