At the start of each chapter there will be a note on the POV, focal relationship(s) of the story, and age range of characters. If you think there should be other parts to the notes please do share! I also will use the term interaction(s) instead of pairings/shippings because not all of them may be romantic (ex. friendship, one-sided, implicit, etc.)

POV: Third person omniscient

Interaction(s):

Blossom & Butch

Blossom & Brick

Elmer & Blossom

Age: Late 20s

Blossom knew she had a problem.

Well, that was an understatement. She, like her sister, had multiple problems that no one could ever hope to fix. But finding solace in the smiles of the Townsfolk was more than enough for her.

"I dunno, Blossom. I just...can't help but wonder why you'd choose-" He gestured around the coffee shop. "This."

Of course he didn't. Everyone in her life had the same reaction when, after acquiring her Masters in Teaching, she decided to return to Townsville and open up a coffee shop with her then college roommate. Long before her financial business adventure people were questioning her sanity when she announced her choice in major; they all expected her to go into medicine or law, perhaps human rights. Teaching? Oh heavens no, why waste away genius at that? Of course everyone would belittle the very field all humans must traverse through in order to stand where they currently do.

Blossom pushed her thoughts away from the cynics because if she allowed herself to dwell in that place she'd spend hours foaming at the mouth at the ludicrousness that was society and their standards of 'smarts' and career fields. It didn't help that she kept replaying the words Elmer told her the night before when he waited on her to close up the shop. It still strung. How could he be so gentle, kind, caring, sincere, and...crass.

Yes it was a coffee shop but it was her haven. How could it not be? This space where the max capacity was eighty people had been painstakingly refurbished to have a more classical feel. The mahogany tables, red leather booths, and the burgundy metal chairs were all hand selected. Even the wall close to the entrance that lead all the way to the bathroom was painted to be a chalkboard so that whenever customers visited they could doodle to their heart's content. While her roommate came up with the concept, branding, and menu it was her who gave it a touch that all members of the community complimented.

Blossom knew without a doubt that she did not regret her choices, even if other people begged to differ.

"Excuse me, miss. I'd like to order three shots of tequila for me n' my bros."

She bit her bottom lip, a sigh that sounded more like a huff escaped though the small gap as she kept her focus on the dollars in her hands. She didn't need to turn her head to know the voice was clearly grasping for her attention. Onlookers would naively think otherwise just as the ignorant cashier by her side didn't notice because the sneak said it in her direction; a devious, archaic technique. Instead of giving the idiot what he wanted Blossom let the silence stretch, ignoring the giggles that came from beside her, as she neatly sorted the change into her employee's register.

"Butch, your shirt is inside out and you know we don't serve alcohol."

After she slammed the register shut did she look up to see Butch pinch the fabric of the side of his shirt. He raised it up to observe the side seam that ought to have been hidden from view- just like those green plaid boxers that peeked out of his dark blue jeans. He quickly dropped it with a shrug. Anyone would have taken this lack of care as confidence but Blossom knew better. Butch learned his lesson from last time he tried to take off his shirt in her shop.

"Uh…"

Oh, the poor new girl. Females first interactions with Butch always ended in them being speechless because they were deathly afraid of him, found him 'hot', or sometimes both. Judging by the way she kept eyeing him up and down before her attention focused on his jeans, Blossom had a feeling the girl leaned far into option two.

"Sorry, Sarah. What Butch meant to order was one large taro bubble tea with extra tapioca pearls topped with whipped creme, a black coffee with three cubes of sugar on the side, and a café au lait with a spritz of salted caramel flavoring. Oh, and three slices of cheesecake. And Butch, she's new. Don't mess with her."

She didn't bother to wait for a response as she walked away and through the white door that lead to the kitchen. If there was one thing to avoid it was being in the vicinity of bumbling girls and flirty boys engaging in prehistoric, babbling rituals of pseudo-flirting. Or, at least, not to be anywhere near it so that no one could associate her with it. While not much Blossom very well still had an image to maintain, this imaging being what lead to one of the biggest problems in the book of Blossom's issues that need some serious fixing; using her powers to people watch in secret. In particular those who had once been villains, like the green Rowdyruff who has his forearm on the recently wiped countertop.

"So, Sarah. What brings you to this lil o' coffee shack?"

Another giggle erupted from her borderline legal employee as she slipped a lock of straight black hair behind her ear.

"I've always liked Ms. Utonium's coffee so when she put out the hiring sign I ran in and demanded the job. But- uh." A new customer took their place in line behind Butch. Their time was up. "I guess…"

"We can talk it over in detail another time?"

"Yeah! I'd like that."

Oh Sarah. Poor, pure Sarah. You're so out of his league. Can't you see that? No. Of course you can't. You're too distracted by the muscles and forest green eyes. May you realize the mistake you are making before it's to-

"Bloss, take this to table three."

Mitch stood at the opposite side of the kitchen. One hand held a tray with two plates of freshly made strawberry crepes in her direction, the other poured batter onto one of two electric griddles. She walked up to him confidently. Why wouldn't she? She was a master at multitasking work, the view, and where Mitch's focus was at all times. Ah, the wonders of years of reconnaissance paid off at times such as these.

As she took the tray out of his hand and placed the cheesecakes she had prepared for the boys on it, Mitch turned his attention away from the sizzling batter to her. They both gave each other a nod of acknowledgement but Mitch ended his with a smirk and a wink. She could ignore his blatant disrespect at work, what with these overly friendly gestures and lack of formal speech due to the fact that, well, it was Mitch. One could only lecture the boy so hard before dealing with the lack of change. Besides, she knew how difficult it could be to treat someone different when you've treated them the same practically their entire life. He'd likely always see her as the bug-eyed girl in the pink dress that was a teachers pet, not his boss. He tried though -sometimes.

At the window by the door sat a young couple she admired since they made their entrance around half an hour ago. They were holding hands on top of the table, their fingers interwoven and the look in their eyes so sugary it would make any romance enthusiast melt. She was about to turn her heels to give them a few more seconds of blissful unawareness together but the taller of the two spotted the shift and offered a smile. 'It's okay' were the words she imagine they said. Their hands separated to the sound of Blossom's cracking heart.

They're too cute together.

She hoped with all her might their relationship would go well as she stopped in front of them.

"Would you like me to write on your crepe or the plate?" She offered as she set the desert in front of them.

The couple marveled at the treat. While Mitch may not seem like it, the man really knew how to decorate. Not only was the batter perfectly mixed with pink food coloring to give it a cherry blossom motif, the strawberries and whip creme on the outer edges of the plate were thoughtfully placed; it was the shop's top dish for a reason.

"Surprise us!" The shorter one replied while snapping a picture of the dish on their phone.

As Blossom contemplated what words fit the dish and their owners she ignored the three pairs of eyes observing her.

"Man, maybe we should have ordered the crepes too." Boomer chimed, elbowing his brothers.

Brick retained his usual poker face as he reached out for the coffee Butch brought to the table. He took a quick inhale of the scent before taking a sip. It was the perfect temperature of one step below the boiling point. Call it the powers of fire or whatnot but drinks were the best when they're freshly brewed, not after cooled; that was disgusting.

"For real tho. You think if you ask she'd draw a- OW!" Butch yelped, hand rushing under the table to rub his likely-bruising shin. "Bro! I didn't even finish talkin'!"

"Didn't want to hear it." Brick muttered as he returned to enjoying the perfection that was in his cup. It was a well-kept secret that his currently favorite coffee was from this shop. He wouldn't allow Butch's idiocy to ruin the escape from reality the delectable treat gave him.

"He's got a point, bro. Your jokes are pretty old." Boomer piped up. The lid of his bubble tea laid discarded as he licked the whipped creme still floating on the top.

Of course Butch knew that but that didn't stop the jokes from being good. Really, his brothers needed to learn to live a little and maybe grow up too. It felt like he was the only adult in the table considering the two had the same sticks up their butts since they were kids, especially Brick. Sure Boomer liked to act all high and mighty with his 'gentleman' persona but the dude was just as lewd, if not lewder. The kid was just good at hiding it is all. And Brick? If he didn't hear the whispers in the air he'd assume the prude was still a virgin.

Blossom was half-tempted to step up to their table then and there and ask if they wanted a doodle just to see their reactions -but no. No one needed to know she was listening in as she took a step back and admired the couples reactions to her syrup penmanship. After muttering a quick 'enjoy' she left the couple to google translate Κέφι*. Hey, they said to surprise them and she had a strong belief that the word perfectly fit the scenario they brewed in their little corner of the world.

When the conversation seemed to have died down at the boys table was when she turned her heels and walked in their direction. With all the poise she always carried she placed their order of cheesecakes delicately in front of them.

"Enjoy, boys."

She was about to walk away when Butch reached out and grabbed the sleeve of her cashmere blouse. She stopped, not because she was curious as to why he would do that of all possible outcomes to stop her. It definitely wasn't because the warmth that radiated from his hand, through the fabric, and ticked her skin felt extremely soothing. Oh no, it was simply because this was one of the prettiest, most delicate shirts she owned and she knew the slightest strain to the material would leave a very visible mark that would take longer than she'd like to iron out.

"Yes?"

Now all eyes were on the inside-out shirt wearing fool as he cracked a silly grin and looked directly at the squeeze bottle tucked into the oversized pocket of her black apron. She didn't need to shift her gaze to know Brick was glaring at Butch while Boomer drank his bubble tea in a semi-successful attempt to hide his chuckles. It was almost comical to be in the same vicinity as the Rowdyruff boys when they did, well, anything. It reminded her of when they were children.

"If you let go then I will."

He quickly complied. She had to swallow the snort that threatened to escape, hid it with a well-trained smile as she watched the boy literally shake in his seat. Really, he was too amusing. To add to the humor she rested her tray on the center leg of the table before walking around Butch to stand in the space between him and Boomer.

"What would you like?" Her attention was locked on the blue boy of the trio.

Of course that didn't stop Butch's excitement. In fact, the shaking grew stronger as he waited for his turn. It was humorous to everyone except Brick who simply grabbed his spoon and scooped a big piece of the strawberry shortcake into his mouth. Boomer, meanwhile, stroked his chin as he glanced quizzically at his plate.

"I'm not quite sure. See Blossom, when faced with infinite possibilities one cannot simply choose just one. No, one must consider ALL options before making a choice." To that Blossom released the chuckles she held back as her eyes involuntarily rolled. "Or...You could draw something you'd think I like!" He exclaimed. His balled up fist slammed into his open palm.

Ah, c'est magnifique! True genius at its finest.

Wasting no time Blossom took the chocolate syrup out of her apron, spun it upside down in her hand, and squeezed lines and circles that came together to form a cartoonish doodle of Bubbles when they were children.

"How's about that, capitán?"

"Ah, yes. A fine portrait of my true love. Blossom, you are truly the Picasso to my Mona Lisa."

"You mean the da Vinci to your Mona Lisa. And please, Boomer, that art piece pales in comparison to the natural beauty that is my sister and you know it."

If there was anything appealing about Boomer it had to be how melodic his laughter was. She could hear it for hours on end and never tire of it. The laughter easily died down as he took a spoon full of cheesecake, smearing some of the chocolate art onto it before bringing it to his lips.

"Indeed." He placed a light peck on the desert before swallowing it in one gulp.

Now came the moral dilemma of red vs green.

On the right corner was the Master Masher, King of Crushing, Duke of Destruction, Reigning world Champeen of having too many names because of an overinflated ego. The one and only, Brick the Sourpuss! Choosing him would be the easy route where the boy would secretly be pleased to be tended to but wouldn't dare show it as he kept drinking his coffee that she knew for a fact he adored. Butch would just increase his little puppy dog excited jig as he waited because, in the boys mind, he was last and while Brick hated to be last Butch loved it because that meant he was "the best" as the old saying went.

And in the left corner was none other than the The Baron of Berserk, who if chosen would squeal something along the lines of 'you came!' and place his hands over his lips in a prayer position. Brick would remain as 'inscrutable' as always but deep down would feel a sense of joy when his turn arrived. He would be happy when those five seconds of her time were focused on him. Both options were equally as tempting and giggle-inducing to consider but in the end she decided to slip her bottle back in her pocket. With palms on the table and her body hunched forward, she turned her head to meet eye to eye with the friendliest ruff in town.

"Boomer, I need your help. See, when faced with two possibilities one cannot simply choose. No, one must consider BOTH options before making a choice. So pray tell, in your bottomless well of wisdom...what would you choose?"

Cobalt blue eyes widened as he bit the bottom of his quivering lip, doing the best within his power to not burst into laughter. Sure, he was terrified of what Brick might do to him later if he didn't play his cards right but after years upon years of mutual coexistence Boomer liked to believe he had the best grasp of his older brother. Butch...eh, didn't matter what he chose cause the moron would be giddy with whatever.

"I'd say Brick. I mean, come on. Can't you see those hopeless puppy dog eyes glaring at me cause he wants to kill anyone that gets too close to his master? I'd say throw the guy a bone or just do both."

Blossom had to pat Boomer on the shoulder for that one. The boy who looked like he belonged in some modeling agency billboard must have count his blessing that Butch was there. Sure he practically bounced off of his seat and bit his bicep to hide the onslaught of laughter that threatened to leave his body, but he managed to place his leg in front of Boomer's and activate his shield ability before Brick's leg could make contact.

Blossom easily walked around the table to stand in her original spot. Now that she had space to work with she pinched the corner of Brick and Butch's plates and dragged them to clank together in front of her. She didn't think twice as the memory of those old Japanese videos Bubbles showed her filtered through her mind. Luckily she remembered when Bubbles taught her the titles of those actors. On Brick's plate she wrote 突っ込み** which she partially regretted because the word was a little longer and complex to draw with chocolate sauce. She got the job done though and easily wrote ボケ*** on Butch's plate.

"As much as I'd like to stay I have other customers to tend to. Toodles." It was easy to grab her discarded tray and strut towards the kitchen, ripping the receipts Sarah had pinned to the "new orders" stand before retreating into the kitchen. She gave the slips to Mitch as she listened to the sound of Boomer's overly loud cackles.

A giddy feeling inside her grew with the sound but she pushed it as far back as she could in favor of asking Mitch if he wanted a glass of water.

'Once a coward, always a coward'; those words haunted Elmer and reared their ugly, archaic head whenever he was forced to confront reminders. They were roughly the same height but there was something about those piercing forest green eyes that made him feel four feet smaller and twenty years younger.

"How long does she usually take?" Butch's forearm rested on the chrome streetlamp as he looked at Elmer. The corner of his lip twisted up in a friendly smirk.

Being regarded in such a way made Elmer wish he could just stab the involuntary feelings in its gut. They weren't kids and he didn't need to feel so uncomfortable near someone he considered a friend. It had been a while since they last spent time together and this always happened whenever they spent a significant amount of time apart. It really was an exhausting, redundant inner battle.

"Usually ten- twenty minutes tops which I always find sweet of him to wait through." Blossom chirped from her spot at the doorframe of the coffee shop. She had leaned on it in a similar style Butch had going on with his streetlamp.

Really, her problem was too big; she had actually finished closing the shop in roughly three minutes and twenty-two seconds but spent some extra time watching the two interact.

Both sets of eyes instantly latched on to her. Butch would have laughed if he were younger and less aware of the circumstances. Being the adult he clearly was he settled for side-eyeing the not so subtle starstruck platinum blond. He couldn't blame the kid since Blossom could make a potato sack dress look hot. The girl knew how to pull anything off, including those plain brown mary janes, black slacks, and too soft cashmere blouse he had the privilege of touching hours ago. Even the little red bow that clipped the front pieces of her hair to the back of her head looked good when it should have looked childish and been an easy mocking tool to use against her.

Blossom ignored Butch's glances as she regarded Elmer's attire. Based off of what he was wearing she presumed that rather than go home and take time to relax, Elmer stepped out of his job at the bank and spent the rest of his time casually hanging around the town as he waited for her to close shop. He really did look good in that snazzy walnut brown suit. A stark contrasted from the ripped black jeans, white t-shirt, and leather jacket Butch wore. Even though both sported that same side head shaved pompadour look that seemed to boom in popularity these last few years, Elmer's hair was slicked back and looked as though each hair was glued in place whereas loose strands stuck out at all edges of Butch's head.

"So, am I being escorted home by two knights in shining armor or do I have to risk traversing through this concrete jungle all my lonesome?"

Taking a few purposeful steps forward towards the boys, Blossom turned on her heels when she was beside them to face her beloved coffee shop as well. She wrapped her arms around theirs and started floating off the ground, an action Butch mimicked with a wicked smile. Elmer, on the other hand, looked more doubtful but when Blossom leaned in and whispered a 'hold on' into his ear, Elmer immediately wiggled out of her grip and wrapped both his arms around her waist. He squeezed her for dear life but to her it might as well have been a soft caress.

They took off with a streak of pink and dark green diligently following behind. The flight could have been shorter but Blossom made sure to restrict Butch to thirty miles per hour so the adrenaline junkie wouldn't make this flight scarier for poor Elmer than it already was. Besides, they were in no rush. It didn't matter how many people were already at the Utonium household, they couldn't do anything except wait for her to open the door. In theory they could be as 'late' as they wanted without being considered late.

She'd made sure Elmer enjoyed the flight, the feel of the breeze against their bodies and sights of the city as she effortlessly restrained the rabid dog that wanted to yank her around. It all paid off when they landed in front of the pristinely cut lawn of the Utonium residence. Gratitude radiated off of Elmer in waves as he gave her waist a small, appreciative squeeze.

"Let's get this party started!"

A/N:*Κέφι is greek word that's a bit tough to translate since it can be interpreted in many ways. Blossom uses it in the sense of "stay happy and have fun always".

A classic Japanese comedy act where 突っ込み** is the straight man and ボケ*** is the funny man.