I think I died when I wrote this.
Bubbles sat on the end of the couch, leaning over the coffee table, and peering down at her Algebra ll textbook. Boomer was in the kitchen grabbing cans of soda from the fridge.
He glanced over his shoulder, into the living room, "Do you want orange pop or cola?"
Bubbles bit the inside of her cheek and looked up at the ceiling, thinking. "Orange please!" She smiled at him, making up her mind.
Boomer chose an orange pop for each of them and headed back to the living room to start their study session. He placed the drinks on the table and plopped down next to her on the sofa. "Okay, how do you normally study?" He asked. "I've never really-"
Bubbles eyes widened a little in shock and she scrunched her nose at him, still a hint of a smile on her lips. "Boomer, are you saying that you've never studied for a test? The whole time you've been going to school?"
"Well.. Yeah, kinda." He admitted, laughing it off. "I mean, I do the assignments in class and homework... Most of the time." He added. "But I didn't study for the last test." He popped the top on his soda and took a swig.
She looked down at her book for a second, wondering if it would be impolite to ask, but her curiosity overcame her, "What did you get on the last test?" She asked, furrowing her brows.
He reached down, beside the couch and pulled his Algebra folder from his backpack. After shuffling through all the papers that had been haphazardly shoved into the back pocket, he located the previous test and eyed it before handing it to Bubbles.
She could see the grade written in red marker before she even had the papers in her hands. 78% "Okay so you got a C that's honestly not terrible for not studying at all." She flipped through the stapled pages, seeing what questions he'd missed. "I got a B last time, and I spent hours the night before studying."
Boomer glanced at his test still in her hands. "Good thing I have you now." He beamed at her, before adding. "I'd study everyday if I could do it with you."
She giggled, her face reddening slightly. "I usually skim over the chapter, look back at the homework and sheets we've done in class and then make flash cards, and do practice problems." She pulled out a brand new stack of flashcards and a pencil, setting them on the table next to her book.
He really didn't wanna be doing all this work, he wasn't concerned with getting good grades in the slightest, but if it meant Bubbles would come over and spend time with him, he would do it.
"What can I do?" He volunteered, sliding a little closer to her.
She handed him a few sheets of work that they'd done for this chapter. "You can read me the problems and I'll write them down." She smiled.
"You're really starting to get the hang of it!" Bubbles encouraged, setting another card into the pile of completed equations on the couch. "I think we're both going to do better this time around." She referred to the upcoming math test.
Bubbles looked around the house, noticing how quiet it was. "So.. Where are your brothers?" She asked, trying to sound casual.
"Butch is at Mitch's and Brick… who knows?" He shrugged, checking the time. It was almost 5pm.
She sat the pile of flashcards down on the couch and repositioned herself, so she was sitting sideways on the couch, facing him, while he checked his phone. He was sitting so close, she could smell just a hint of his cologne. She loved the way he smelled, it was exhilarating, it was Boomer. She leaned in just a tad and got a better whiff, the familiar scent sent a flurry of butterflies through her stomach, bringing back the memories of them making out in his kitchen. It had been more than a week since she'd last felt his lips, she didn't realize how much she'd longed to feel them again.
When Boomer was finished checking his notifications, he threw his phone to the empty space beside him. He looked up to find Bubbles, staring up at him with lustful blue eyes. He swallowed. She was silent, so he spoke. "So, umm.. we've been studying for a while now." He started, "We've gone through the flashcards a few times each.."
"Yeah?" Bubbles replied in a soft voice, wetting her lips.
"I don't really think I can concentrate anymore…" he trailed off, looking at her full lips. "Until…" He leaned forward, placing his hand on the small of her back and kissed her hungrily. Her hand went to the back of his neck, as their kissing intensified. She laid back on the arm of the couch, pulling him down with her.
The flashcards that had been resting on the cushion were knocked to the ground, scattering over the floor. Neither of them noticed. He was between her parted legs, leaning over her as they made out, the hand that wasn't holding him up was gripping onto the back of her thigh. His lips travelled from hers, down to her neck. He pressed his body against her, and her eyes darted open momentarily, feeling just how hard he'd gotten. His warm breath against her neck sent her into a trance, her heartbeat becoming more frantic. Her left hand was cradling the back of his head.
"Boomer.." she just meant to say his name but it came out as more of a breathy moan, which only further excited him. Her right hand moved, seemingly on its own, to his waist..
"You have a bedroom, you know. Use it." Brick said startling them as he came in the front door. Boomer shot up, sitting up on the couch, and covered his groin with his back turned to Brick. Brick wasn't paying attention, he was unloading a couple bags of groceries into the kitchen. Bubbles got off the couch and straightened out her hair, clearing her throat.
Her and Boomer avoided eye contact, and sat in silence for a moment. When Brick finished up in the kitchen and came into the living room, he noticed all the flashcards on the ground and rolled his eyes, disappearing into his room. Bubbles bent down and began collecting them and Boomer was frozen in place, on the couch.
After she'd reorganized the cards into a neat stack, she split it into two piles, leaving one on the coffee table for Boomer and packing the other half into her bag along with her textbook and papers. With all of her stuff cleaned up, she sat on the couch next to Boomer, her leg up against his, and leaned her head on his shoulder.
Boomer relaxed immediately, realizing that Bubbles wasn't upset. He was panicking internally, thinking that he'd gone too far and made her uncomfortable. But she actually seemed content. He stole a glance at her and she was smiling happily at the floor.
"Bubbles?" He asked, almost a whisper. She removed her head from his arm and looked up at him, still smiling a euphoric smile. Before he could say anything she leaned into him, kissing him deeply.
She stood, and he stood with her. "I gotta get home, it's almost time for dinner." She stepped towards him, throwing her arms around his neck for a hug. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist and held her tight. She leaned into his ear and whispered, "I had fun." In an alluring voice, that he'd never heard her use before, causing him to grip her tighter.
When she pulled back, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and then stood for a second, eyeing him. Her gaze flickered down to his lips for a second and then she winked. Her expression quickly changed back to her normal happy smile, "See you tomorrow! Don't forget to study." Before she bounced over to the door and headed home.
Princess had taken some time away from school after having the soccer ball kicked at her head. She was more than a little embarrassed that everyone, including the boys gym class, saw. When she told her daddy about what happened he called Principal Keane and demanded that Blossom and Buttercup be reprimanded. However, after finding out the truth about what happened from the girls, Ms. Keane agreed to punish them only if Princess was also punished. She knew the offer would never be accepted.
Instead, Princess spent the week on a luxurious vacation, away from Townsville, relieving her stress.
She strode through the double doors of the school, fashionably late, arriving a couple hours into the day to avoid gym. Her heels clacked across the shiny, hard floor as she made her way to his locker. Second period was going to end any minute and she wanted to catch him alone before lunch.
The bell rang, sending floods of students into the hall, making a mad rush for the cafeteria. Princess continued walking, directly down the middle of the hall, knowing that nobody would dare bump her. When she saw him putting away his things, she smiled. He was drop dead gorgeous, and the baddest bad boy all wrapped in one. He was the best and he would be hers.
Brick closed his locker door just as she was approaching. He let out an irritated sigh and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting. He knew there was no way to escape her now, not yet. He had to let her get it out of her system first.
"Hi Brick." She purred, leaving no space between them as they stood. "Did you miss me?" She smiled.
Brick stared blankly at her, "Princess."
"You don't have to pretend." She put her hand on his chest, looking up at him with desirous eyes. "I'm sure you heard what happened to me last week.. It was horrible." She pouted, her hand still lingering on him.
"I saw what happened. You had it coming." He said, flinging her hand away from him now.
"You don't mean that!" She cried, "I know you don't mean that, so I forgive you." She composed herself, her smile returning. "None of this ever would've happened if not for that Bitch Blossom." She spat.
Brick narrowed his eyes at her. "You were the one who picked a fight with her and started that disgusting rumor. Which by the way also affected me."
Princess's smile widened at his words. "I didn't mean to get you involved Brickie." He rolled his eyes. "I was just trying to get under her skin like she got under mine." She put her hand to his face, trailing her finger along his jawline before he pushed her hand away again. "Of course you're upset with me.. Now people actually think that you slept with that disease ridden tramp. All of you are way too good for her. I know that. Don't worry Brick, I'll take care of it." She winked.
Blossom walked out of their health class, having just spoken to Mrs Drake about an assignment. She had stopped to rifle through her bag when she saw Princess with her hands all over Brick. She scoffed, realizing that Princess's hiatus from school was over and she'd returned to make her life hell again.
Princess turned her head, spotting Blossom a little ways down the hall. Brick hasn't noticed her yet. Her mouth formed a devious smile, getting a brilliant idea. Just as Blossom found what she was looking for and continued walking, getting closer to them, she stood on her tip toes and kissed him on the lips.
Blossom stopped in her tracks, watching in horror as her worst enemy kissed the guy that she liked.. Who she had spent over a week pretending she didn't like. Her face fell. She knew Princess was doing it in front of her for show, but she couldn't help feeling upset. The longer she watched the more angry and hurt she felt. Why hadn't he pushed her away yet? Was he actually enjoying this? Her fists tightened into balls at her sides, her knuckles going white. She couldn't believe that she had ever kissed him, slept in his bed, fell… for him. Princess had started an awful rumor about her and he was kissing her. Being kissed by her but still, he wasn't stopping her. She felt a sharp pain in her chest watching them.
Brick was frozen in shock for a second after Princess had kissed him. It took him a minute to even realize what was happening. He pushed her away, turning and seeing Blossom. She was only a few feet away and looked deeply upset. He glanced down, feeling something hit his shoe, and that's when he noticed the thick layer of ice that had formed beneath Blossom's feet and rapidly spread to where he stood with Princess. It was quickly climbing the walls and lockers.
Princess was too busy feeling accomplished, smiling a triumphant smile to herself to notice the ice at first. It wasn't until she turned to gloat that she saw it, threatening to freeze her where she stood. She looked at the hostile expression on Blossom's normally civil face and her jaw dropped. She began walking slowly backward, but the ice wasn't slowing. She turned and ran down the empty hall. "I'm getting Principal Keane!" She yelled.
When Princess was out of sight, Brick whipped his head towards Blossom, who was staring off down the hall. "Blossom!" He yelled, trying to take a step. His shoes were stuck to the floor. He needed to hurry and snap her out of it before Princess brought Ms. Keane. "Blossom what the fuck!" When she still didn't budge, he knelt down and produced a flame that quickly dissolved the ice and freed him.
He moved in front of her, blocking her view of the hall. The ice continued to envelope everything in sight, it was like she couldn't see or hear him. He sighed, glancing down the hall. They would be back any minute and Blossom would be in a lot of shit for using her powers in school and endangering a student.
Brick ignited both of his hands, holding them in front of her face. She Blinked. He let the flames die before placing his hands on either side of her face. She was unbelievably cold, her skin was pale and lifeless. After he warmed her face, he grabbed her hands, rubbing them and blowing hot air onto them. He had always run hot due to his fire power. He moved her hair behind her ear and wrapped himself around her tightly, "Blossom. Snap out of it." He whispered into her ear. "You're freezing the school."
She looked like she was starting to come to, but not fast enough. He focused his super hearing and could hear that the Principal and Princess were leaving her office. Fuck. He put his finger in the waist of her pants, to see if that would elicit a reaction. "Blossom." He whispered into her neck. "I'm gonna have to do something that you won't like, if you don't snap out of it." He threatened deviously, a smile spreading across his face. She was really gonna owe him for this.
He moved his hands up the back of her shirt, holding onto her waist and lower back. With his mouth still at her neck, he began to kiss her, travelling down a little before he started sucking on her neck. He could feel her skin getting warmer the longer he lingered. "I've missed touching you..." He whispered, putting his lips back to her skin. He left a purple hickey on her neck, knowing it wouldn't take long to fade. "It's been really hard to stay away from you." He heard the footsteps getting closer. Now or never. He moved his hand up her back and unhooked her bra, before sliding his hands up her stomach. When he reached just under her bust he stopped and whispered in her ear, "Blossom. Please wake up." He trailed his thumb along the curve of her breast.
Blossom broke from her frozen daze, first noticing Brick and then how absolutely freezing she was. He let go of her as soon as she awoke and backed up. "Blossom Ms. Keane and Princess are almost here." He listened closely. "You need to melt this ice."
She looked around at all the ice, still stunned. Brick flashed his fire in her face and she shook out of it. She smiled, melt. She thought. She envisioned the ice evaporating and it all disappeared. Just before Princess and Ms. Keane got there, Brick pulled Blossom into the closest classroom and shut the door.
"What ha- happened?" Blossom asked, confused. She sat at an empty desk, and rubbed her hands together to try and warm up. When she leaned forward her eyes went wide, and a dark red blush covered her cheeks, as she realized her bra was undone. Her hands were at her back trying to hook her bra but her fingers were still frozen and she couldn't feel what she was doing.
Brick smirked at her embarrassment. He saw the hickey still on her neck and thought about his lips on her, how good it felt to touch her body again.
"Brick?" She said, realizing he wasn't paying attention. She stood up and walked over to him. "I can't.. can you.. get my bra?" She asked sheepishly.
He swallowed as she turned her back to him, lifting her shirt so that her back was completely bare but her front was still covered. He had been the one to unhook it and that was nothing, but she was out of it at the time, now he wasn't as confident.
Blossom glanced back at him, over her shoulder. Her big rose pink eyes looking up at him, "Brick. Please?" She asked in a soft tone.
He gathered her long orange hair and placed it over her shoulder so it was out of the way. He reached for the two ends of her bra, noticing that they were red. He raised an eyebrow, wondering what it looked like on her… off of her. He couldn't recall ever seeing her in red before, it was his favorite color.
When he touched her skin, trying to fix her bra, she practically melted into him. Her body backed into him, almost on its own, and he placed his hand on her waist to steady her. She let out a noise that was verging on a moan. "You're so hot."
"You're not bad yourself." He joked. He was still thinking about the sound that had just escaped her lips. What other sounds could she make? He wet his lips. Right. He needed to fix her bra. She was waiting.
"Ha ha." She said, smiling through chattering teeth. He could feel her shaking beneath his hand, she really was freezing.
Without thinking, he lifted the front of his shirt and pressed himself against her bare back, wrapping his arms around her stomach.
Blossom let out an undeniable moan, as his heat unexpectedly radiated over her, instantly warming her body. "Brick." She meant it as a question but it didn't come out that way, instead it sounded like she just moaned his name as well.
"Blossom." He whispered, burying his face into the crook of her neck and closing his eyes. He caressed her stomach with his hand as he held her. They stayed like that for some time, long after Blossom had returned to her normal body temperature. They both knew that they could pull away now but neither of them did, until the bell ending lunch finally rang.
Brick pulled back from her and silently clasped her bra. She pulled her shirt over her back and turned to face him. "Thanks for… helping me." She looked down at her feet for a second before they both headed for the door.
Bubbles gasped, "So you froze the entire hallway.. by accident?"
"What the fuck." Buttercup said, arms folded over her chest.
Blossom sighed. "There's more." She replied, glancing around the hallway to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. "I lost control of my power and froze the hall and myself, when I saw Princess.. kiss Brick..."
"Princess…. And brick?!" Bubbles was in full on freak out mode now. Blossom didn't know, but she really wanted them to be together. She liked Brick for her sister.
Blossom urged her blonde sister to lower her voice before somebody heard. "It wasn't like that. I knew it wasn't like that and I still lost it.. she just kissed him to make me jealous." She leaned against the row of lockers behind her, and then her eyes widened, "Not that that would make me jealous! But she kissed him because she thought that it would."
"You lost control of your powers and froze yourself from the inside because of that?" Buttercup looked worried. Blossom not being in control was a very rare and scary thing. She was the leader, if she could so easily come unhinged then what did that mean for the rest of them? "How'd you even get.. unfroze?" Her eyes narrowed slightly, confused.
Blossom bit the inside of her cheek. "That part I don't fully know." She admitted. "I just remember coming to and seeing Brick and Ice.. and.." she trailed off, remembering that her bra was halfway off. She was really confused and needed to talk to Brick. She had been so distracted by her coldness and relieved that Princess was no longer near him that she didn't even ask what happened. "And that's all. I melted the ice before Princess could show Ms. Keane."
Bubbles looked worriedly at her sister, "You're okay though, right?"
"Yeah. But expect to hear more about me today. I'm sure Princess is already in everyone's ear about how I attacked her." She rolled her eyes. "I'll talk to her Professor about my ice after school."
Flipping through his flashcards one last time, Boomer tried to get some last minute studying in before the Algebra test. Last night he had done some other practice problems as well as flipped through the chapters in the textbook again, so he wouldn't accidentally memorize the flashcard answers and not improve. He was determined to do well and impress Bubbles, since she had gone through the trouble to help him. It's not that he wasn't smart, he just had never put in the effort until now.
Bubbles was a beautiful, smart, popular girl. She was a freaking Powerpuff girl, after all, and he didn't want his low grades to get in the way of them moving forward. Someone like her shouldn't have to be tied down to someone with such average grades, who wouldn't even make an attempt to better himself. She deserved much better than that, and he would do his best to give it to her.
When she walked into the room and saw him at their table, already studying, she couldn't help the huge smile that worked its way to her face. She'd been worried about Blossom since she'd heard what happened, and worrying about the rumors that were sure to follow. She hadn't heard anyone talking about Blossom icing the hall yet, which somehow worried her even more. All of her troubles seemed to melt away as soon as her eyes fell on him. She joined him at their table and pulled her half of the cards out. "You've been using them?" She smiled warmly at him.
Boomer turned in his chair, so that he was facing her. Her smile always made him smile, he loved that about her. "Of course I'm using them, ya silly girl." He laughed, "I really wanna get an A."
"I guess I need to step it up then!" She raised an eyebrow. The two of them took turns holding up equations for the other to solve until the test was passed out. The students were moved around the room, so that they would be spread out, to deter cheating. "Good luck." She mouthed to him, as they were about to begin.
All day since his moment with Blossom, Brick was having a hard time concentrating. Thankfully there were only a few minutes left before school let out. He really wanted to be alone, to try and forget about what had happened. It's like the universe kept trying to bring the two of them back together. He'd been sure that things wouldn't work between them, and wanted to avoid crossing those boundaries with her again, but he was drawn to her.
Blossom sighed as her long hair fell into her face for what seemed like the millionth time that day. She'd forgotten her bobby pins when she'd decided to wear her hair down that day, a mistake that she would be sure not to make again. Finally she'd had it, she checked her wrist for a hair tie, before scooping her hair into a high ponytail.
Brick noticed her swaying hair, from the corner of his eye and peeked over at her. His eyes went wide when he saw the dark purple hickey still on her neck. What the fuck. Why was it still there, shouldn't something so miniscule have healed almost instantly? He assumed it had, only because he couldn't see it, with her hair having been down previously. Now it was on full display. He panicked, it was obvious from their interaction after she froze, that she had little to no memory of what happened. Now there was no getting around it, he had to tell her, before she found out some other way. He thought about Blossom walking into her house, oblivious, and the Professor freaking out. Dammit.
"Umm, Blossom.." he said, biting his lip, nervously.
She glanced up at him, "Yeah?"
He looked at the clock, the bell was about to sound, there was no time. He slid his finger through the loops of her hair tie and pulled it out, watching her shiny orange hair cascading down her shoulders and back, like a firey waterfall.
She scrunched her nose automatically, as she felt her hair fall. "What- Brick, what the heck?" She shot him a look of confusion, her hands going to her hair.
"You're not gonna like this, but I can explain." He said, slipping his phone out of his pocket. He checked to make sure the teacher wasn't looking, before snapping a quick photo of her.
She was still staring at him , vastly confused, when he turned his phone around for her to see. A smirk appeared on his face as he watched her go red.
Blossom put her hand to the spot on her neck, in disbelief. "What- is this..." She quieted her voice and leaned closer to him, "A.. hickey?"
He nodded, reluctantly. When the bell rang, everyone but the two of them bolted out the door. She covered her neck with her hair, as they walked by. When they were alone, she pulled out her own phone, using her front facing camera as a mirror. "Why? How?" She asked, more concerned than angry.
He averted her gaze, looking to the front of the room, "I had to do something to get you to snap out of your frozen state." He said, as nonchalant as he could manage. "Nothing else was working." A small smile crept over his face, at the thought.
Blossom's jaw fell open, she thought for a second before jumping to her feet. "You undid my bra?!" She jerked her hand over her mouth, realizing that it had come out much louder than she meant for it to, and quickly looked around to make sure nobody had heard her. She sighed in relief, seeing nobody.
"Yeah." He admitted. "Like I said, nothing else was working and we were kind of running out of time." He looked up at her, standing over him. "I thought if I tried something.. like that, it would definitely rouse you. So you're welcome." He smiled at her smugly, before standing.
She stood there, bewildered. Then rolled her eyes, "Okay, fine. But why is it still here?"
"That part, I don't know. I thought it would disappear immediately so I didn't try to avoid leaving one." He said, dumbfounded that she wasn't mad. He thought she was going to lose it, which is why he hadn't planned on telling her.
Blossom laughed, incredulously. "How long does something like this usually last?" She asked him, not knowing.
He wasn't surprised to find out that she had never had a hickey before, he liked that he was the only person to ever have his lips on her body. He selfishly hoped that nobody else ever would, even though he never would again. His eyes flickered down to her neck and he swallowed. "One like that.. will fade.. in a few days."
Her eyes widened again, at the news. "A few days?" She stared at him for a moment, "God, what are you, a vampire?" She laughed. "You couldn't have gone any easier?" She packed her things into her bag and lifted it over her shoulder.
Why wasn't she mad? He was admittedly confused and even more so amused that she didn't seem to mind that much. "No quite." He said simply.
"Is there anything else I should know about?" She raised her eyebrow.
He hesitated for a minute, "No, not really." He gathered his things into his backpack now and started walking to the door. Then turned to her smirking and said, "I wouldn't have taken you for the jealous type."
Her mouth fell open slightly as she stared at him. "As if I'd ever be jealous of princess." She scoffed, walking past him into the hall.
He was still standing in the doorway, she was a good distance down the hall now. He whispered, "You have nothing to be jealous of, trust me."
She didn't turn back, just hugged her folder tighter to her chest and smiled.
Butch stood near the bottom of the steps leaving the school. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Buttercup:
Come over?
He smiled, sliding his phone back into his pocket, about to head home for the day.
"Butch!" Princess strolled over to him, "I'm glad I ran into you." She smiled, clasping her hands behind her back and leaning slightly towards him.
Butch narrowed his eyes, wasn't she supposed to be Brick's problem? He folded his arms over his chest and sighed, "Why's that?" He asked, not really interested.
"I just thought you should know… I heard something interesting earlier." The look on her face was sickeningly smug.
He stared flatly at her, "I don't care about whatever rumor you started."
Princess put on her best appalled face, and scoffed, "It wasn't me I swear!" She glanced around the front of the school. "I'm only telling you for your own good… It'll be our little secret." She smirked, before adding, "Well, ours and the girl who told me, anyway."
"I'm not interested." He said, stepping past her and walking away.
"It involves Buttercup." She challenged, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrow.
He stopped in his tracks and turned back around. He wasn't stupid enough to believe anything she had to say, especially about Buttercup, but he was curious and thought he might get a good laugh out of it. "Fine. What did you hear that was so interesting about Buttercup?" He smiled, waiting to see what she had to say.
She closed the distance between them, and lowered her voice. "I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this." She tried to hide her devious smile, "But a friend of mine told me that she saw Buttercup in the girls bathroom after school yesterday-"
"So?" He said, not letting her finish.
"So.. She was in the girls room, and she was all over Mike. Just the two of them."
Butch's jaw tensed up slightly, "I don't know who your friend is, but she obviously got the facts wrong. Now if you'll excuse me." He said, leaving only a blur of green beside her.
When Buttercup got to his house, she knocked and then let herself in. They were used to her being over all the time anyway. She walked straight into Butch's room. He, of course, had heard her come into the house and was expecting her.
He was sitting on his bed, scrolling through his phone when she came in. She shut his door and went over to him, slipping his cell out of his hands and tossing it on the bed. She hadn't been alone with him very much in a couple days and she really missed him. He smiled, seeing the dirty look on her face. She climbed onto his lap, leaning his back into the wall and wasted no time, kissing him passionately. "I miss you." She whispered in the sexiest voice he'd ever heard, licking the side of his neck, up to his jawline.
Her sudden eagerness sent him into a frenzy. He pulled her shirt off and threw her bra on the ground, in record time. His mouth was on her breast, finding her nipple with his tongue. One of her arms was holding onto him and the other went up against the wall. He stood up, abruptly, picking her up with him and slammed her down on the bed, crawling on top of her. "I miss you too." He beamed down at her, staring into her eyes and then at her gorgeous body.
She bit her lip, staring up at him, "You do?" She asked, flirtatiously.
All of the sudden, looking at her, Princess's words rang in his mind, 'She was all over Mike.' He felt a pang in his chest and swallowed, averting his gaze from her for a moment.
"Butch?" Buttercup watched his expression change and knew something was up. She leaned forward, propping herself up on her elbows.
"Buttercup.. Did you… see Mike yesterday?"
She sat all the way up now, he moved off of her, waiting. "Why are you bringing up Mike.. right now?" She asked, confused and maybe a little offended.
"Did you?" He asked, his voice went up an octave.
She stood up from the bed and pulled her shirt back on. "Yeah. He asked if we could talk and we did." She said simply. "What's up?"
"You talked with him, alone In the girls bathroom?" He asked, his voice was harsher now and he didn't look at her.
"Okay. It's not as bad as you're making it seem. I didn't want to talk in the middle of the hall, people were already staring. The bathroom was right there, so when nobody was around we went in there and talked.. He talked."
Buttercup sat back down on the bed and he stood up, crossing his arms over his chest. "Did you kiss him?!" He demanded.
"What? No!" She yelled, confused. "This is starting to get ridiculous. I don't know what you heard-"
"What I heard is that you were all over him in the bathroom. Alone. And since the other two parts are true, what am I supposed to believe?!"
Buttercup got off the bed now and stood in front of him, crossing her arms too, matching him. "You're supposed to believe your fucking girlfriend, and not random rumors." She spat, getting upset now.
"Do you still wanna be with him?" He asked, the hurt in his voice apparent.
"I wanna be with you!" She exclaimed.
Butch narrowed his eyes at her, "Then why did you keep it a secret?"
She scoffed, "I wasn't keeping a secret. There was just nothing to tell. I don't like talking about my ex. When I'm with you.. I wanna be with you." She took a deep breath and lowered her voice, "I'm gonna go." She said, "You're not acting like my Butch right now…"
"Maybe I'm not your Butch." He said, looking at the ground.
No words had ever made her blood run colder. It felt like someone knocked the wind out of her, she could hardly breathe. She swallowed hard and bit her lips to stop them from quivering. She stood, silently pleading at him with her eyes for what felt like an eternity, before she could get her body to move. "Butch.." She took a step closer to him and tried to touch his face, but he blocked her attempt, turning away from her.
"I just need some space."
Her world stopped. There was a huge knot in her throat that she couldn't swallow down and she felt like she was about to hyperventilate. She walked to the door, opening it and stepping out. Her voice was barely over a whisper, "Yeah... That's what Mike said too."
The Professor stood in the hall, outside of the girls bedroom. Blossom and Bubbles had already left for school. Buttercup was in their bathroom throwing up, for the second time that morning. He sighed, waiting for her to come out so they could have a talk.
He went downstairs and put on a pot of coffee and began skimming through the day's newspaper, which Blossom had already brought in for him.
Buttercup slugged her way down the stairs and into the living room. She sat on the couch with her knees to her chest, her arms wrapped around them. He went out and sat on the chair, next to her.
"Sweetheart, what's going on? You girls don't get sick unless there's some crazy new disease out." He said, rubbing his prickly chin. "And since your sisters are fine..." He trailed off.
Buttercup sighed and buried her face into her knees, not wanting to be having this conversation.
"I just-" she stopped to think of how to say it. "I've sort of been.. seeing someone." She finally answered.
The Professor tensed up considerably, sitting up straighter in his chair. He was frozen in shock, putting things together in his head. Buttercup seeing someone.. throwing up multiple times this morning. "Buttercup-" he began, his eyes going dangerously wide.
She could tell by his tone that he was vastly misunderstanding what she was trying to say. Her head shot up in embarrassment. "No!" She yelled, a look of absolute horror on her face. "I just.. really like him. And we had a fight." She looked down at the carpet. "That's all."
He let out what may have been the biggest sigh of relief ever, and unclenched his jaw. "I didn't know you were dating." He looked hurt, and out of the loop.
"I didn't wanna tell you about him until I knew if it was serious. It's still really new. Or… it was. Now I don't know." She rested her head back on her knees, not looking him in the eye. She didn't wanna tell him that they had broken up because she was having a hard time admitting it to herself. She also intentionally left out who it was that she was referring to.
"Buttercup.. I know that these things can be hard. Especially at your age.. But you still have school to attend.."
"Please?" She begged, looking him in the eye now, on the verge of tears. "Just for a couple days? I actually am physically sick about it." She added.
He knew that she had been getting sick, and he had never seen her nearly in tears, not since she was a kid anyway. He considered it for a second.
"You can stay home for the rest of the week. That's three school days. No more Buttercup, and I mean it." He raised his eyebrow. "Blossom will bring home your school work, I don't want you falling behind."
"Thank you," she whispered. "I'm gonna go lie down now."
As soon as she got to her room, she closed the door and slid down it, wrapping herself into her arms. Everytime she closed her eyes she saw his face and it killed her.
Her phone went off, she walked across the room to pick it up, but stopped. What if it was Butch? What would she do? What if it wasn't him, would that hurt even worse? She couldn't bear it either way. Her phone was going to haunt her if she didn't get rid of it. She picked it up and crumbled it to pieces in her hand, without a second thought. What if it had been him, what if he was trying to work things out? There's no way he was, the look on his face as he rejected her touch, said it all. They were through. He didn't want her. She hated herself for caring so much about someone else's opinion, she never had before. Why was he different?
She held her stomach with one arm and darted back to the bathroom with her other hand covering her mouth. It was gonna be a long few days.
"Come on Boomer, you have to pick!" Bubbles begged him, "I can't do it, it's too hard!" She laughed.
Boomer was on the verge of tears, "I'd hate to see how you get when it comes to making a decision that actually matters!" He laughed, looking back and forth between the French fries and the tater tots. "Why don't we just split them both?" He asked simply.
Her eyes lit up, "Oh!" She smiled at him, "That's a really good idea!" She ruffled his hair and sat down across from him at their lunch table. They were the first two there today. Kim, Clara and Jason were all still in the line.
Bubbles picked up a fry and popped it into her mouth. "I just love potatoes." She said cheerily.
Boomer grinned at her. "I just love the way you look in that uniform." He said winking.
There was a pep assembly scheduled for the last period of the day, so all the cheerleaders were dressed up. "I'm a little nervous.." She admitted, shifting in her seat slightly.
"For the assembly?" He asked. "Why? You're amazing! Best on the squad even!"
She rolled her eyes, smiling. "You're just saying that."
He held his right hand over his heart, "Swear!" He insisted. "You're the cutest too."
A pink blush made its way to her cheeks. "So you'll be there then?" She asked, hopeful.
"I wouldn't miss it." He said automatically. "But it's during school, right? So why wouldn't I be there?" He asked, confused, putting a fry in his mouth.
Bubbles scrunched her nose at him, "I forgot, you're new to high school." She laughed. "Basically half the school skips out and goes home early since they don't take attendance or anything."
He raised his eyebrow and smiled a devious smile, "Now that you mention it, skipping does sound cool." He leaned forward, interlacing his fingers over the table. Bubbles made a pouty face. "But not better than watching the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, flipping around in a short skirt." He added, flirtatiously.
"Boomer!" She bit her bottom lip. "You're really-"
"Hey, uh Bubbles.. Can I talk to you for a sec?" Butch walked up to her table, nodding at Boomer.
She narrowed her eyes at him, her entire expression changing.
Boomer stood up, "I'll wait for you." He gestured in the direction of her locker.
She sighed. Folding her arms over her chest. "What?" She snapped.
Butch sat next to her, looking down at the table. "It's been three days.. She won't respond to any of my texts. I don't know what to do. I need to see her." His voice was desperate, pleading. Bubbles arms fell to the table, looking at him. He looked so.. heart broken. Just like Buttercup had.
"You really messed up, Butch. I don't know what you did.. She's hardly spoke to anyone and she hasn't left our room. I shouldn't even be telling you this. She'd be furious." Bubbles replied.
"I know, I fucked up. But I can't.. be without her anymore." He crossed his arms over the table and rested his head on them. "I just wanna apologize. I need to."
Bubbles looked down at him and felt a pang in her heart. "Look, I don't think it's gonna be that simple…" she trailed off. "It's never been nearly this bad, but when Buttercup goes through a breakup-"
Butch's head shot up. "We're not broken up." He said sternly. "Does she think that I was trying to break up with her?" The look on Bubble's face said yes.
"No! I need to go to your house." He stood.
She grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. "Butch.. Buttercup hasn't been in many relationships. She doesn't let a lot of people get close to her. She's been friends with the same three people for like 10 years." She watched his face sink more than it already was to begin with. "Even then, she's never been closer to anyone than you."
"Bubbles, I didn't break up with her. We're still together-" he cut himself off, thinking.
"She didn't really say anything about what happened but.. She's really not gonna like that I'm telling you this.. And it's not gonna make you feel any better, either." Bubbles said, rethinking her choice.
Butch's eyes begged her for help. "Please..."
There was nothing she could do. He was begging for help and he came to her to get it. "She said that you were never hers. Whatever that means.. and she said that you wanted space. Which is the same thing Mike said when he broke up with her."
"I just meant that I wanted to be alone." Butch tried.
"Well… now you're alone." Bubbles said, "I didn't say that to be mean." She added, realizing how terrible it sounded and feeling guilty.
There was a long silence, before he asked, "Is the Professor home?"
Bubbles scrunched her nose, "No, he works-" Butch was already walking away before she finished.
"Okay then." She said, letting out a huge sigh.
Blossom flipped her lengthy hair that she'd still been wearing down, to her back, and out of the way. Sitting in the back of the class with Brick was proving to be beneficial at the moment. Although, it was his fault that she had a hickey to hide in the first place. She didn't mind wearing her hair down occasionally but being forced to, for days in a row was annoying.
"Aww come on, it looks like it's starting to fade." Brick laughed at her expense. Watching her suffer in this way had certainly been enjoyable for him.
Blossom turned to face him, giving him a perfect view of the mark that he'd left on her. "You are evil. You know that?" She narrowed her eyes slightly. "I bet you couldn't last one day with your hair down."
He raised his eyebrow at her. "Are you serious?" He asked, scoffing. "What are you, a child? As if I'd ever fall for something like that."
She laughed, "It wasn't a challenge Brick. I was just stating a fact." She looked back down at her worksheet, answering the next question.
Brick glared at her, with his arms folded over his chest. "You really don't think I could wear my hair down for one single day? For real?" He asked, slightly annoyed with her lack of confidence in him.
"Hair down, with no hat? Please." She laughed out loud, eliciting a look from several students. "It's a funny thought though." She replied, completing her assignment. She looked at him again, really thinking for a second, before she laughed silently to herself again.
"Like wearing your hair down is that much trouble. Come on." He rolled his eyes. "You've spent the last few days complaining about nothing."
Blossom's mouth fell into a straight pursed line. "I have not complained. I just.. prefer my hair be out of my face." She turned away, finished with what she had to say. Then changed her mind and turned back to him again. "Plus." She added, "Not only am I forced to wear my hair down, but I also have to have it placed just right so this.. gift that you so graciously left me, stays hidden." She folded her arms over her chest now too.
"You don't have to wear your hair like that, you're choosing to." He argued.
Blossom's mouth fell slightly open, "Like I really need any more rumors going around about me… and likely you, might I add. Since I'm apparently, 'your girl'" she scoffed.
He smiled, smugly. "That has a nice ring to it."
A small smile formed on her lips.
"But that's not what I meant." He continued. "You could've worn your hair in other styles, a side braid maybe? Or worn a turtle neck, or scarf or something. Or makeup?" He suggested.
"Those are all good suggestions." She admitted. "But the only one that would've been easy to do is the scarf."
Brick narrowed his eyes, curiously, "Why not the other ideas?"
"Makeup would've been the best choice but me and Bubbles aren't the same skin tone." She said simply.
"Okay? What does Bubbles have to do with it?" He asked, shooting her a confused look.
"Oh. I don't wear foundation or anything like that. I wouldn't want to buy a whole bottle and have to waste it." She shrugged.
He leaned in towards her a little, examining her face. She blushed and averted his gaze. "Can you not stare at me?" She laughed, nervously.
"You're telling me that you're not wearing any makeup right now?" He asked, kind of shocked. Her skin was flawless.
"No. I said I don't wear face makeup. I do wear makeup on my eyes, obviously." She closed her eyes for a second, showing him her light purple shimmery eye shadow. She also wore winged eyeliner and mascara. "Oh and lip stuff." She added.
A devious smile crept over his face. "And blush." He said, staring at her closely again.
"I don't wear blush." She said, confused.
"Then why are your cheeks always so red?" He questioned, touching her chin delicately with his index finger and thumb. Then watched shamelessly, as her face went flush.
"Where's Butch?" Brick asked, looking around the gymnasium.
Boomer kept his eyes glued to the center of the floor, not wanting to miss even a second of Bubbles performance when she came out. "Apparently he went to beg Buttercup for forgiveness... at their house."
"A Rowdyruff boy in the Powerpuff home… That's just too weird." Jason said, shaking his head in disbelief. "No offense."
"What about the Powerpuff home?" Robin asked, pulling Blossom by the arm. She took a seat next to the guys, on the bleachers, forcing Blossom down with her.
Jason glanced over at the girls, giving them a head nod. "Butch is over at Blossom's place, making up with Buttercup." He told them, sniggering.
Blossom furrowed her brows. "He skipped school?"
"You're kidding right? Brick asked, rolling his eyes. "It's just a pep assembly. You don't have to get your panties in a bunch." He teased.
She didn't find it amusing. She whipped her head around to where Brick was sitting, one row up to her right side. "You know-"
"Blossom!" Robbins' eyes went wide. "Oh my god, is that a hick-"
She slapped her hand over Robin's mouth before she could say anymore, giving her a look that said she better not continue that question. When she let go of her friend's mouth, she readjusted her hair. Jason and boomer looked at them briefly to see what was happening, when nothing else was said, they refocused their attention to the floor. Blossom sighed and Brick couldn't help but laugh. Robbin looked at Blossom and then at Brick, a huge, knowing smile spread across her face.
Robin leaned into Blossom's ear, still glancing at Brick from the corner of her eye. "So… How is he?" She nudged her.
Blossom's face went bright red and she buried it into her hands. "Robin." She paused for a second, taking a deep breath. "Half of the people over here have super hearing."
"Oh shit! I forgot!" Robin apologized, before adding. "Tell me later, though."
Brick was staring at the two in amusement. Boomer snickered, still looking forward. And Jason was lost.
Boomer's face lit up as the cheerleading squad came cartwheeling out, the school song playing loudly over the speaker system. All the girls ran over to a different section of bleachers and cheered to the fight song. All of the students, who weren't too cool to participate, stomped to the beat causing the bleachers to rumble. When the song was over everyone clapped and cheered. The cheerleaders returned to the middle of the room, getting into position as a new song started playing. Bubbles was in the front row. Boomer watched her intently, as she flipped and twirled around the room. When they formed pyramids she was on the top row, smiling back at him before doing an impressive spin move, dismounting.
"Wow. She's really flexible.. " Jason smiled deviously. "I bet she knows some killer moves in the-"
Blossom scoffed, getting ready to nudge him in the back with her foot, hard.
"Dude." Boomer warned. "You can say what you want about the rest of them. But not her..." He gave him a slap on the back, sending a small shock through his body. He smiled, "Got it?"
Jason let out a small yelp, "I was only kidding." He laughed, "I didn't realize you two were.. that close."
Blossom smiled at the back of Boomer's head, Brick noticed, also smiling. He was amazed that she didn't scold him for using his powers at school. Sometimes she really surprised him.
He needed to get to her immediately. He had walked right out the front door, without a word to anyone and flew to the Utonium household. Bubbles said the Professor was working, which meant Buttercup was here alone. But what if she didn't answer? What if she wouldn't see him? He knocked on the very red door, as normally as he could. If she knew it was him then she probably wouldn't answer. The wait felt like a lifetime.
When Buttercup opened the door, she looked down, she wasn't ready to look him in the eye yet. She thought she had more time, the Professor had reluctantly allowed her to stay home for a few days when she said she didn't feel good. It wasn't a lie, she felt horrible and had been throwing up the entire time. She knew she looked disgusting and even though they weren't together and she knew he didn't care about her that way, she wished she didn't look as bad as she felt. She hated even caring about something as superficial as that. But she did when it came to him.
"Buttercup." He had so much to say and had been thinking about it for days but when he was actually in front of her, he had no words. He stepped in the house and threw his arms around her. She didn't budge. She didn't try to hug him back or pull away, she just stood there, lifeless.
"I'm such a fucking asshole. I'm so sorry." He was holding onto her for dear life. "I never should've said any of those things to you. I didn't mean them. I was just mad and I took it out on you."
"You sound just like him." She finally said.
He pulled away, swallowing. "What?"
She still didn't look at him, instead she looked at the ground, or just stared out the door. "It's all the same." She replied, giving no further explanation.
"Look I don't know why you came-"
"I came because you haven't responded to any of my texts. It's been three fucking days..."
"I broke my phone." She said, flat, emotionless.
Butch stared at her now, hoping that she would finally look back at him. She looked eerily pale, and sullen. "Well you haven't been coming to school.."
"I'm avoiding you." She admitted, sighing.
"I know. And it fucking hurts.." he said, "But I get it. Trust me." He stared at her pleading
for her to look back. "Buttercup, would you please look at me?" He couldn't take it anymore.
"I can't." She responded, not tearing her eyes away from the wood grain of the floor.
Butch put his hand to her chin and tilted her face up, forcing her. "Yes you can."
As soon as she looked into his eyes she had to swallow back the tears that had already begun to form.
"I wasn't trying to break up with you when I said I needed space." He told her, still holding her face. "It was a bad choice of words, and I'm an asshole for not realizing that at the time."
Buttercup yanked her gaze from him, turning her back to him as the tears began to flow down her cheeks. She thought that she'd run out after the last couple of days. Guess not.
"I shouldn't have been asking for space anyway because I know you didn't do anything to deserve me being upset. I was jealous and scared and stupid." He continued. "As for the other part. The worst thing I've ever said, and the worst mistake I've ever made in my entire life, was insinuating that I'm not yours.." He swallowed hard. He could see even with her back to him that she was crying. He didn't know that she even could cry. She was the strongest person that he'd ever known, and he was the person making her suffer.
Buttercup covered her face with her hands, she felt ashamed for being so pathetic. For breaking down in front of her former enemy and ex boyfriend. It was the most embarrassing situation she'd ever been in. She took a deep breath and forced her body to stop crying. "Look, we tried-" she had barely got anything out and already her throat felt like it was closing up. "Maybe it was a mistake.."
"No." He said, protesting. "It wasn't a fucking mistake." He grabbed her arm and forced her to face him again. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I know this is months and months to soon but truly, I don't fucking care. I love you Buttercup." This wasn't how he'd planned to tell her, he wanted it to be more special than that. It meant something to him, because she meant everything to him. But with things between them so close to crumbling, he couldn't afford to wait. He wouldn't lose her without at least trying to explain how he felt.
Buttercup's eyes widened briefly at his confession, and then her face fell again. "That's not true." She shook her head, refusing to believe him.
"Yes it is. And we aren't broken up. I didn't break up with you, because that's not what I meant." He said matter of factly.
"Butch.. Idunno. I don't think I'm meant to be in a relationship."
"I've never had a girlfriend, I've never even liked anyone besides you. So I need to work on things.. probably a lot of things." He looked at the floor for a moment. "I'm not fucking ending things with you Buttercup. So unless you're going to tell me right now that you don't want to be with me…" his voice cracked, at the thought. He rubbed his face hard, and then sighed. "If that's what you want.. I'll leave you alone. I would leave Townsville today if It would make you happy." He couldn't face her now, he sounded like an idiot. He was embarrassed even though everything he said was true.
There was a long silence, it felt like hell. She didn't love him back, it was way too soon for anyone in their right mind to love someone after knowing them for barely over a month. But maybe she didn't even like him anymore, maybe she never did.
He turned to the still open door, the words that he meant to stay locked away in his own head, spilled out on their own, "Oh god. You don't even like me... and I'm completely in love with you. Fuck."
"What?" She laughed, it was the first time she'd shown any real sign of life since he'd gotten there. "You're kidding, right? Do you think I would be skipping school to avoid you and crying.. fucking crying.. if I didn't even like you?" She grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the door and then closed it. "I need to show you something." She said, pulling him up to her bedroom.
He had never been inside her house before, let alone her room. She laid down on her bed and pulled him in too, her bed was only a single so they had to be close to fit.
"I thought.. you had to show me something?" He asked, confused. What was going on?
"Oh yeah. This is my bed." She said, yawning. "And this is my blanket." She held up a tiny green baby blanket. He took it and rubbed it on his face, it was soft and it smelled like dryer sheets.
He sighed, "Buttercup, I'm really sorry that I didn't believe you. It'll never happen again." He didn't know what to do. She had pulled him into her bed and they were lying together but it was awkward, not knowing where he stood with her. Was it okay to touch her? Should he not even attempt it? His chest tightened. "I just want things to be okay." It came out in such a low whisper, even she barely heard him.
Her heart hurt enough already, but seeing him struggle made things a thousand times worse, and she really couldn't handle any more right now. She reached over her side and grabbed Butch's arm, pulling it around her. Freeing him from the disoriented prison that he had been trapped in, in his mind.
He held Buttercup from behind, one arm under her neck and the other was wrapped tightly around her waist. He didn't wanna let her go again.
This was the only comfort that she had felt in the days since their fight. It was a scary feeling to know that one person could hold that much power over her, that he could choose to shatter her at any moment and she'd be broken again. She loved him. There was no doubt. She felt tears stinging at her eyes again, at the thought of him ever being out of her life. The thought alone was unbearable. She was supposed to be tough but when it came to him she was vulnerable and weak. Even knowing that, she couldn't help feeling better, automatically safer in his arms. It wasn't a feeling that she ever thought she'd have with anyone. But Butch.. everything about him made her want him. Need him in her life. She swallowed. She was completely and utterly his. There was nowhere else that she ever wanted to be more than in his arms. "Butch." She whispered. "Don't go."
"I couldn't leave you even if I wanted to. It's too late for me. I'm yours, cupcake." He buried his face into the back of her hair as his eyes began to water.
END CH. 6 )':