Buttercup tapped her foot against the floor boards. She sat hunched over on the couch, listening to Blossom explain the situation to Bubbles for the third time. Yet, she still looked utterly confused.

"So… Butch is our teammate?" Bubbles asked.

Blossom scooted forward on the opposite end of the couch. "No. Don't ever think that. We're merely keeping him close until a time comes when we can lock him away permanently."

Buttercup pulled the professor's lab coat tighter around her shoulders. Her clothes had dried against her skin, but some patches were still damp. "Look, we've been talking for ages, and it's getting dark out. If we're not going to make any actual decisions, I don't see why I need to be here."

"What kind of decisions did you have in mind?" Blossom asked.

"For starters, who'll be first to babysit Butch?" Buttercup asked. "I was thinking the one with the bright idea to be bring him here should volunteer."

Blossom stood and smoothed out her skirt. "I'm afraid you'll be taking the lead on this Buttercup."

"What? This was your plan. You said all of us would do it. You're not pushing him onto me."

"Buttercup."

"Ice Queen." The way Blossom said her name… she hated it. It sounded like a teacher explaining something to a toddler. As if, any second, she'd bust out a picture book and begin slowly enunciating her words.

Blossom folded her arms. "You don't do a single thing as a Powerpuff. You're not present at stakeouts, hostage rescues, or even public appearances. It's been months since you've done anything remotely related to hero duties."

Buttercup worked her jaw.

"So I'm sure you'll have plenty of time – more time than Bubbles and I – to chaperone Butch."

She wanted to refuse. At this moment, purely to piss Blossom off. But her sister didn't take part in empty arguments. Blossom was a debater. And every damn word she said made sense.

Buttercup realised that she had no legitimate reason to refuse, short of saying I don't want to.

"I don't–" Her voice stuck in her throat; saying those words would etch in stone that she was useless to the team.

Blossom cocked her head, when the silence stretched on she rose from her seat. "I'm glad you understand."

Buttercup scowled as Blossom began to walk out of the living room. Everything about her was irritating. "'I'm glad you understand'," she mimicked, draining all emotion from her voice and pronouncing each syllable. "What am I? Your employee?" she muttered.

Blossom's steps didn't falter; it was tough to tell if she'd even heard. Buttercup blew out a breath and flung her feet onto the couch. She sprawled across the entire length and hid her face in the crook of her arm.

It seemed like she was on bad terms with everyone she knew. But it wasn't her fault that Blossom was emotionally detached, Bubble's lived in her own little world, and Mitch had no faith in her. It wasn't her fault that they didn't get her.

And now she had another person to put up with. Butch. He was probably pacing right now, wearing a hole through the professor's squeaky clean tiles down in the lab. She wanted to believe that the idea of prison terrified him, but Buttercup had a feeling that he was only behaving himself because of his own ulterior motives. Whatever they really were.

It'd be stupid to believe that he'd actually transformed into a decent person.

There was a soft cough and Buttercup dragged her arm away from her eyes. Huh. How long had Bubbles been there?

"Hi," said Bubbles.

"Hey." Buttercup wanted to cover her eyes again. It wasn't that she disliked Bubbles. They just had nothing in common. Especially now that Buttercup didn't crime fight.

Buttercup lifted her arm, slowly, trying to fall back into her own thoughts-

"Thank you," Bubbles said.

"Huh?"

"Thanks for earlier, you know, in the car. You helped me out with…Butch."

Buttercup nodded. "No problem, you looked like you needed saving."

"Yeah," Bubbles gave a brief laugh. "It's kind of horrible to sit next to someone who –"

"Could snap your neck with his big toe?"

Bubble's blinked. "Uh, yeah." Silence, and then, "how would you snap a neck with a big toe?"

Buttercup sat up. "Well, he has super strength. He can just," Buttercup made several hand motions, each one representing a toe and a snapped neck. "You know?"

Bubbles laughed and shook her head.

She was always smiling or making someone else smile. Buttercup wondered what the world looked like to her. It must be a very bright place.

When her laughter died down, she tucked her blonde locks behind her ear. Buttercup instantly got a flashback of her sister's pig tails, worn all the way through Elementary and Middle school, they were puffed blonde balls stuck onto either side of her head. It looked like they'd been hacked up and super glued to her skull. For the better part of their childhood, she'd called Bubbles 'Hairball'. Unoriginal, but it always cracked her up.

Now she had to smother a grin. They weren't kids anymore, and it wasn't funny. It wasn't funny. It wasn't funny…. But damn, it was funny.

"Buttercup?"

"Yeah?" She said, smoothing out her expression. The strands Bubbles had tucked behind her ear sprung out. Her wavy bob was almost as short as Buttercup's hair.

"I wanted to ask you something. Before. This morning, I mean. Uh, do you remember?"

"Yeah, I remember." In truth she'd completely forgotten. "Spit it out."

"Yeah. Okay. So I'm going to get changed now."

"Right," Buttercup dragged out the word.

"And I'm going on a date." She said in a rush.

Buttercup put a hand on her neck. "Oh. Cool. That's… nice." She didn't understand why she was on the receiving end of this conversation. Was she supposed to pick out Bubble's outfit? Expected to give flirting advice? "I'm not the best person to talk to about this stuff," she said, heading for the staircase, "try Blossom."

"I'm going with Mitch!" she cried.

"Right, right and I'm going on a date with Butch." She grinned, but when she looked at Bubbles, her head was hung and her fists were clenched. Buttercup's grin withered away. "Really? You and…Mitch?"

Bubbles nodded.

"Weird," she simply said. Mitch had kept that quiet. Then again, their love lives weren't something they talked about in detail. Probably because neither had any serious relationships worth discussing. Still, this was different. He should have at least dropped Bubble's name into the conversation.

"Are you okay with it?" Bubbles asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"It's weird." Mitch and Bubbles. The skinhead with advanced emotional maturity and the sentimental hairball who still teared up when Buttercup crushed a spider. She couldn't see them working as a couple. But, whatever. "Are you okay with it?" Buttercup asked. "Rumour has it that Mitch can't grow his hair out. That low-cut look? Not a choice."

Bubble's blinked more times than necessary. "So… it's alright then?"

"Yeah, date whoever you want. It's a non- issue."

A smile burst across her face. "I was so worried!" She laughed, a sort of high pitched giggle. "So, do you think you can maybe help me pick out an outfit? Something Mitch will –"

"That is not happening," Buttercup snapped, heading to the staircase and taking the steps two at a time.

When she got to her room she pulled off her clothes and threw on a long baggy t-shirt. She plugged in her phone charger and immediately texted Mitch.

Changed my mind. You can come over.

Our shortest fight ever, he replied a few minutes later.

Yeah. She shouldn't have blamed him for calling her sisters. He thought she couldn't beat Butch; he was probably right. But even as she typed the word, it left a bitter taste behind. She deleted it.

A few minutes later, Mitch texted again. Can't make it. Got a date in an hour.

This was usually where their conversation would end, or change direction. But he had never mentioned Bubbles, not even in passing. Buttercup had no idea that Mitch even had a crush. They were best friends— she wanted him to say it.

With who? She typed.

Weird question coming from you. His replies were coming slower.

Yeah. So, who?

She tapped on her phone as the minutes stretched on. He should know her well enough. It'd be weird and slightly awkward, but their relationship wouldn't bug her.

Her phone beeped. Bubbles, the message read.

Sorry for the wait. Enjoy