author's note: The song recommendation for this chapter is No Other Way by Sinead Heart ft Snakehips!
Monday, Feb. 08
"I am going to impale myself."
Blossom blinked, her rosy eyes wide in alarm at the sudden entrance of the blonde. The words themselves didn't alarm her in the least bit, merely causing one of her well manicured brows to rise, entirely used to the blonde's dramatics. "Your meeting went that bad, huh?"
Bubbles sighed as she left her crutches at the door, hung her coat up and used her powers to float over to her couch and sit. It was easier to blend in with the general populous if you weren't floating around all the time. Her rear landed in her usual spot—the center cushion of the couch—and she carefully propped her bum leg up on the coffee table. "Oh yeah. I already filled everything out to help Doctor Iyasu on the twenty-fifth with a surgery, so technically I still have more days with this internship. Despite getting my hours and my credits already, I gotta still show up until then."
"Is it over after the surgery, though?"
"Yeah." The blonde nodded, then she tilted her head. "Why are you here, anyway? Not that I mind, you just never barge in without texting me first."
"Thought I'd surprise you," she offered with a sheepish smile. "I swung by that hibachi grill you like—there's clear noodle soup and tofu yakisoba in the fridge."
The blonde smiled widely, happiness quickly spreading across her features. "Blossie comes to save me from my horrible day! What a hero!"
She laughed and came to sit next to her sister on the couch. "Buttercup will be over after her last class. She got Boomer to cover her on patrol tonight." She leaned back against the couch, her hair spilling across the cushions. "I was thinking about maybe some Mario Party for tonight."
Bubbles laughed brightly. "Are you trying to make BC mad?"
Blossom shook her head as her eyes began to glow. As the blonde expected, her pink eyes went over Butch's wrap job for what felt like the thirtieth time. It wasn't often any of them got major injuries— or anything that took long periods to heal. That combined with how protective they were of her, it was no surprise that it felt suspiciously like they were trying not to make their hovering obvious. "I'm… Actually trying to make it up to you."
The tone of the room shifted into something just a bit more serious.
The blonde tilted her head, curious. "Make what up to me? You haven't done anything, Blossie."
Her brows pinched and her face seemed genuinely upset, though again, Bubbles had no real idea why. Until she began, that is. "I… Have. When this—" she rested her hand on Bubbles' left knee while talking about the broken fibula, "happened on the first, you mentioned… You yelled about us undermining you," she addressed. While Bubbles didn't remember anything of the sort, Butch had also mentioned her saying something vaguely like that. "And… You're right. We… We do that a lot to you, and it's… it's not fair. To you, to us, to our relationship…"
Bubbles smiled and patted Blossom's hand. "Sis—"
"No, hold on. Let me finish."
Her brows went up but she nodded—a promise to stay silent for the moment.
Blossom chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, trying to find the words she needed. "I'm… I'm going to do my best not to do that anymore, but I ask you to be patient with me." She flipped her hand over to hold Bubbles' tightly. "I know I probably don't deserve the patience with the amount of times I've done this, but I'm gonna do my best to not do it anymore. I just know it's a habit… and habits are hard to break."
"I just want you to do your best," Bubbles whispered, her eyes misting with tears. She beamed, squeezing Blossom's hand tightly. "All I'll ever ask from you is your best."
She smiled and wrapped her arms around the younger woman, her arms squeezing tight. "I'm sorry for disappointing and hurting you, Bubs."
"I've already forgiven you," Bubbles answered with a whisper.
She really hated not being able to remember what it was she said. She hated not being able to remember what she did, how she acted, what was or wasn't found… Did Boomer ever even tell them what they'd found? Was there any property damage done by her hand? Butch had already confirmed her suspicions that she'd hurt someone—and she'd found out pretty quickly that it was Buttercup who had suffered the most damage from the blonde.
Well, except for Boomer, that is.
Blossom stood up again a moment after that. "So I thought a good place to start making up was having a sister night. I had Robin help me pick some stuff out, so if it's excessive—"
"Blame Robs, got it," came the blonde's response. The two shared a knowing giggle, but it did make something stick out in her mind. "So if BC got Boomer to cover for her, did you get Brick to cover for you?"
"Butch, actually. Did you want any of your noodles?"
"A bowl of clear noodle soup, please?" Bubbles nodded, watching her sister take off for the kitchen. "But doesn't Butch usually work on Mondays?"
"Yeah." Her voice was muffled as she started rummaging through the fridge. "I wanted Brick to cover for me, but he was being a bull about it, so I really didn't have much of a choice but ask him."
Bubbles' brows pinched in mild worry as she pulled out her phone. She rarely ever texted Butch—the last message that she had sent him dated all the way back to October, a week before their Halloween party, to give him the time. If he had to close his business down for a day on her behalf, she wanted to at least say thanks.
She jiggled her leg absently, her fingers hovering over the keys awkwardly.
It was almost four—Buttercup's last class would be done soon and she'd be heading this way.
The blonde bit her lip, trying to think about how late she'd seen the green Ruff on campus on Mondays—but she couldn't place just how late he stayed. She didn't want to interrupt him if he was in class, but she also didn't want to interrupt him if he was working between class and patrol, either. It had to be sweet and simple, to the point. She didn't need to bother him any more than she already had.
So, she started typing.
Me: Blossie just told me you're covering for her tonight, and I wanted to say thank you— for this, for doctoring my leg, for distracting me the other day… For it all. If you need something or if this causes you to fall behind on bills, let me know! I'll help if I can! (:
So much for short.
Feeling strangely proud of herself, she locked her phone and dropped it on her leg right when the pink Puff came back in with a bowl of soup and a pot holder under it. In her other hand was a second bowl— thought what it had in it, she wasn't sure.
She'd be willing to bet that it was some red curry, though.
"Texting someone?"
"Butch," she said, carefully taking the offered bowl from her sister's hands. "Just a thank you for covering you tonight."
Blossom rolled her eyes heavenward, snowflakes swirling, dancing in the air as a long sigh escaped her lips. And she had the audacity to claim Bubbles was dramatic. "I do say thank you, you know. I remember my manners."
Bubbles snorted, her eyes alight with amusement. "Uh huh." Rosy eyes narrowed playfully on her, and she waved it off with the spoon she was handed. "You said thanks for him taking your spot— I wanted to, too. You asked so that you could come spend time with me, so I feel like I should offer one, too."
"Fair." Blossom smiled. "You're caught up on course work, right? No issues or anything?"
"All caught up," the blonde agreed with a thumbs up. "I'm just glad this is our last year."
"I still have more work to put in, unfortunately," Blossom sighed. "I didn't think law school would be so separate from the undergrad program. Like… I knew it was going to be rough and I knew it was going to take a while, I just wish it was a lot less work than it actually is. It probably doesn't help that I took too many classes to finish quickly."
Bubbles nodded slowly, taking her time to eat while they spoke. Just as suspected, once Blossom got more comfortable on the couch, she lifted a spoonful of red curry up for a bite. The younger of the two hid a knowing smile behind a sip of the soup stock. "You at least had some idea of what to do. BC and I had to suffer through two years of aimless college courses because neither of us knew what we wanted to do. You, at least, didn't waste any time."
"Also fair," the redhead nodded with a sheepish smile. "I guess those court dramas just called to me?"
Bubbles' laugh was merry. "I think you watched more true crime and court dramas than most mothers and grandmothers do— and that's saying something."
"Hey!"
"Hey, wait, you're not supposed to pick on Ice Princess without me!" came Buttercup's indignant cry just outside of the apartment door. It took the woman a minute, but she eventually managed to get in the apartment, where her eyes went wide at seeing the two on the couch. She paused while taking her shoes off at the door. "…and you didn't even wait for me before you started eating?!"
"…there's green curry in there with your name on it?" Blossom offered.
"At least there is food for me," Buttercup scoffed, tossing her purse and coat onto the blonde's dinner table. "I guess I'm not totally forgotten about."
Bubbles raised a brow at the black haired woman scooting around the kitchen to make her food. "As if we could ever forget our little baby sister!" Her teasing coo was met with a middle finger.
Blossom's eyes sparkled mirthfully when she saw the middle finger and the indignation that twisted her features. "We'll always spoil our little sis," she agreed, watching the pink cross the high planes of her cheeks. "Baby sis deserves it!"
"You guys are gross and I should just leave," came her faux grumble.
There was no heat or anger behind her words, and the two 'older' sisters shared a laugh over the toughest fighter's supposed discomfort. She came out of the kitchen with a bowl of her own curry soon after, surprisingly careful as she sat on the free end of the couch next to the blonde. "Leg all good?"
Bubbles hummed her agreement. "On the right track, yep! Butch said I should only need this splint wrap for a little over a week, so I'm just trying to wait it out."
"Did Dad not say he wanted to be the one to take it off?" Blossom asked.
She nodded. "Yeah. Friday he wants me to come back home so he can look over and double check Butch's estimations."
"Do you really trust Green Bean's judgement?" Buttercup asked, both brows raised.
Bubbles tilted her head. "Yeah? Why wouldn't I?" she replied, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. The lime Puff seemed genuinely surprised at how sincere her sister was, so the blonde continued. "Name one time he's ever outright lied to us. In fact, I specifically remember Brick refusing to let Butch say anything to the police when we were younger because Butch never lied."
The two were silent for a long few moments.
Buttercup seemed to be a lot more receptive to the information. Like she'd known this for years (and, truthfully, she had—it was just surprising to see Bubbles place her faith in him so easily). Blossom chewed her good thoughtfully, scraping her fork against the edges of her bowl. Bubbles could practically see the cogs in her head turning, processing this new information.
Bubbles, again, felt an odd sense of pride about being able to quiet them like that. It wasn't often that it happened. "He's also the only one of us who's broken any bones since we've been fully grown, so he's the only one with first hand knowledge on how long it should take—what with the Chemical X and all. So yes, I trust his judgement—especially here."
Buttercup offered a smirk and a shrug. "It makes sense. I just think Butt makes some questionable decisions."
"As if you don't," the blonde countered, a knowing and teasing smile already taking form.
The lime puff scoffed and looked away, her cheeks growing warm.
Called out.
Bubbles' phone buzzed in her pocket, then, with Butch's response.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear, indeed.
Butch: haha, its nbd. tho, if u wanna grab me dinner tmrw so i dont have to leave work, i won't say no (;
Bubbles rolled her eyes.
"Tall, green and stocky himself?" Buttercup asked.
She nodded. "Yeah— I wanted to say thanks for taking Blossie's spot."
"Everything going alright?" the redhead asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Bubbles didn't necessarily hide her phone when the two both peeked to see what they were talking about— there wasn't anything to hide.
"Yeah? They still have plenty of time before Patrol, take a deep breath," Buttercup laughed.
Blossom flushed lightly. "Excuse me for being a little worried."
"You're excused," the blonde quipped, earning laughter from each of her sisters.
Me: I have stuff here that's gonna go bad soon, so I kinda gotta cook dinner, not order it
Me: But if you're down for home cooking, I'd still be willing to drop it by!
Butch: u done said it so u can't take it back!
Me: I won't, I won't!
Butch: menu?
Me: A garden salad, lasagna and garlic bread
Me: But no meat in the lasagna
Butch: i kno i kno, ur a veggie girl. sounds bomb tho
Butch: you know where my shops at, ya?
Me: Yep! And if I don't, I'll make BC tell me (:
Butch: haha! hell yeah
Butch: see u tmrw then, sweetcheeks
Me: See you then!
"Sweetcheeks?" Blossom asked, raising an accusatory brow.
Buttercup chortled, though. If anyone knew Butch, it was the most unhinged of the trio. "Lemme guess— you got onto him for calling you Sugar?"
"Something like that," the blonde muttered, thinking back to how uncomfortable that whole conversation had made her. He wasn't trying to do anything but help—to soothe her internal wounds and aches and insecurities… But being stripped bare (metaphorically, of course) in front of him like that left her feeling so, so conflicted. Even now, thinking about it, she still felt conflicted.
"You've never had an issue with it before," Blossom continued, easing back to rest against the arm of the couch. "Did something change?"
"No, nothing really changed," she admitted as she thought back on it. "I just… I dunno, it felt weird to be called what I'm made of? In that situation, anyway," she softly admitted. "He was just helping, calling me what he always does— but just… Being hurt, everyone already having to go so far out of their way for me, needing help just to move properly and not hurt myself…"
She wasn't ready to talk about their conversation.
Not yet.
"It just didn't feel right. I asked to talk about something else, he immediately apologized for making me uncomfortable, then swapped to Sweetcheeks instead." She finished with a shrug.
If there was anyone on Earth that Bubbles would never be able to fool, it was either of her sisters. Both could very easily tell that it wasn't the whole story— that there was much more to be said that they likely wouldn't be getting out of her any time soon. She wasn't lying— she was a horrible liar and it would have been very obvious by now if she was. She just wasn't saying everything. And the two knew that they genuinely just needed to give her a bit of time.
Still, Blossom couldn't help but smile and offer an olive branch. "At least he was considerate."
"Always has been," Buttercup nodded. "He's an asshole, but he's not an asshole. Stubborn, a little childish, rough around the edges— but not an actual dick."
The redhead sighed deeply. "I know we're adults now, but must you curse every other word?"
"Yes," she grinned cheekily. "Yes, I fuckin' must."
The leader groaned and a happy giggle fell from the blonde in the middle, who knew full well Buttercup only cursed this much in front of Blossom to annoy the eldest of their trio.
"Are you going to be okay with cooking tomorrow?" Blossom asked, her pink eyes trained on the blonde. "You're not gonna overstress your leg or anything?"
"I can float and hover most of the time." Bubbles gave a nonchalant wave of her hand, dismissing her concerns. "And you have to bake lasagna, so I'll be able to throw it in the oven and sit down for the grand majority of it. I'll be just fine, but thank you for asking!"
Really, though, she just wanted to keep the redhead far, far away from her kitchen.
Blossom could do easy, simple cooking with a microwave or with most cold food. The moment you added a stovetop or an oven into the equation, Blossom turned into a fish out of water, managing to set things on fire without meaning to. She was notorious for blackening the bottoms of pots and pans, confusing ingredients unintentionally, overthinking and overworking recipes.
Though to be completely fair, she could bake some mean cookies.
Anything other than cookies, though, got a little muddy.
Buttercup laughed, seeing right through Bubbles' polite decline.
From the pink on Blossom's cheeks, they knew that she did, too.
"Just call if you need the help."
"I will." The quiver in her voice gave away the falsity, and she cleared her throat, nodding towards her blank TV. "So, you said something about Mario Party?"
Buttercup cringed. "I'd rather chew through my own leg."
"Mario Party it is, then," Blossom laughed.