CHAPTER 5: ASKING FOR A WOLF TO FORGIVE
ME: Wow, when the hell was the last time I updated this thing? Nearly seven months, guys. I am so sorry. I seem to have a tendency to leave stories for six months or so before updating.
Anyway, happy first year anniversary! Wow, when HUOY had its anniversary, it had 40 chapters under its belt. Death Angel had...8 chapters. And Call of the Wolves has...5, including this one? That can't be right. But it is! This story has been neglected―sorry bout that, guys.
Just in time for St. Patrick's Day on March 17 too!
BUTTERCUP: It's not fair. You're working on Death Angel, which is another blues story.
BUTCH: Yeah, and it's got like, 10 chapters with only 35 reviews. Call of the Wolves has like 31 reviews with only 4 chapters. Shouldn't you focus on this more?
ME: *shrugs* I'd love to, but I have more inspiration for Death Angel.
BOOMER: Stop being jerks, you guys. Hung Up on You starred us and it was popular.
BUTCH: Yeah, so it's time for a new. Change. And when are you publishing "X Hunters X"?
BRICK: Hey, what about "A Rose for the Maiden", or "Rise of Old Hell"?
BLOSSOM: Yeah, that stars us.
BOOMER: But almost all the one-shots star you guys.
BUBBLES: *sweat-drops* Before a fight breaks out, let's move on... She owns nothing besides her own OC's and the story...!
Chapter 5: Asking for a Wolf to Forgive
Buttercup felt awkward. It hadn't been too long since the incident in the forest, and they were still walking home. Butch wasn't exactly angry at her anymore, it seemed; but he wasn't exactly talking to her either.
"Umm..." Finally Buttercup felt herself blurt out, "Look; I'm really sorry about this morning. Can you just forgive m―"
"Shhh." Butch clamped a hand over her mouth and smirked. "You talk too much."
Buttercup ripped his hand off of her mouth. "Stop teasing me," she pouted, "you were really mad this morning."
"True, I was kinda mad"―she raised a disbelieving eyebrow and repeated "kinda?"―"okay, well, really mad," he corrected, "but part of my anger was because Brick was being an asshole this morning."
"Well, I know what you mean. I was mad at Blossom too. Sorry for taking my anger out on you."
"It's okay." Butch just shrugged, before pausing.
"What's up?" Buttercup asked.
"...Do you really think of me like that though?"
"Well...no." When he sent her an "I don't believe you" look, she hesitated. "Okay, so I do think you can be lazy and annoying and obnoxious―"
"Gee, thanks. That makes me feel a lot better," Butch muttered, rolling his eyes.
"No, look. What I'm trying to say is that...well, I mean..." She trailed off, before taking a deep breath. "Idon'treallythinkofyoulikethatokay? You're a cool guy," Buttercup said quickly.
Butch looked surprised for a moment. "...You really think so?" he finally asked.
"Well, duh. What the fuck kind of question is that?" Buttercup blushed, forcing herself to nod. "Even if you are annoying," she mumbled, "I feel like I can understand you." For a moment the two simply stared into each other's eyes, as if they were trying to grasp that said understanding of each other. Buttercup didn't know it, but her cheeks felt warm. Well, that was until...
"Huh, guess we're already here. Guess you better go in before they get worried."
"What, that's it? You're not walking me to the door or anything?" Buttercup asked, the spell broken.
"Why should I? We're not dating."
"Butch, you know that's not what I meant."
"Just go home, BC. We have school tomorrow." Butch turned away, waving.
"Goddammit Butch, wait." Buttercup grabbed his wrist. "You're making it pretty obvious you're fucking hiding something. Are you or aren't you going to tell me what?"
"...I can't," Butch finally stated, after staring into her eyes for a few seconds.
"Well, you forgave me for being a bitch this morning, right? So what's wrong? You can't trust me now all over again?" She scrunched her face up.
"...That's not it," Butch muttered.
Buttercup narrowed her eyes. "So what the fuck is the problem?"
"...How am I supposed to tell you?" Butch stared at her, raising an eyebrow.
"Just fucking tell me," she stated simply. "It's as easy as that." For a few seconds it was silence, with them just staring at each other and Butch trying to decide if he should talk to her.
"...No. I really can't do this," he finally muttered, turning away.
"What...?" Buttercup blinked, feeling surprised.
"You don't understand. I told you―I'm not who you think I am. Don't you see? You can't possibly understand."
Buttercup felt more surprise, before hurt started worming its way into her stomach. She replaced it with anger, not wanting to show weakness. She replaced it with burning anger, simply using his words for setting the fuse. "What the hell, Butch? I'm trying to be nice to you after you basically say I acted like a bitch, and now you're saying I can't act like this either? I NEVER SHOULD'VE TRIED TO BE NICE TO YOU!"
"Buttercup, wait! You don't understand!"
Buttercup glared back at him. "I don't seem to understand a single damn thing in your eyes!" she shouted back.
"Buttercup...!"
"Stay away from me, Butch Jojo! I hate you!"
Butch was left standing there, eyes wide. What the fuck just happened!?
When Buttercup slammed the door open and then slammed her keys on the counter, Blossom was the first to greet her.
"And where have you been, missy?"
"Piss off, Leader Girl," Buttercup hissed. "I've had a really bad day and I don't need you making it any worse."
"Don't swear, Buttercup," Blossom lectured. "And what do you mean I make your day worse? I believe it's the other way around."
"Ugh, whatever. I'm not in the mood for this." Buttercup tried to go around, but Blossom wouldn't let her. She moved in front of Buttercup each time the green Puff tried to go upstairs. "Blossom, move."
"I'm not going to move until you explain what is going on with you," Blossom insisted. "I'm worried about you." For a second she actually sounded genuine, but then Buttercup quickly dismissed the idea. All Blossom cared about was image.
"You don't get it, do you, Leader Girl? Not everyone's Little Miss Perfect like you. So why don't you just fuck. Off. And let me go upstairs to my room? My day has been extremely sucky and I'd like to just relax and stuff. I don't want to deal with your crap today," Buttercup hissed.
Offended, Blossom's eyes widened. "What the...?"
"Surprised, aren't you? You're not used to people standing up to you, right? See, you just think you're perfect. Well, we can't all be perfect, now can we?" Buttercup snorted. "You never did understand. Now move , before I move you." Before the pink Puff could react, Buttercup pushed her aside and flew upstairs.
Blossom watched in shock, just as Bunny and Bubbles appeared with baskets of dirty and clean laundry. "What happened?" Bubbles called.
"...She just lectured me," Blossom muttered in amazement. Her hands curled into fists. "Who does she think she is...?"
Bunny and Bubbles shared concerned looks.
It was only when Buttercup flopped onto her bed, after slamming and locking her door, that she realized she'd said the same to Blossom that Butch had said to her.
Is it really true we all only know how to hide things from each other...?
"Did you seriously jeopardize our entire fucking. Family?" a powerful redhead demanded, slamming Butch against a wall.
"I did not!" Butch hissed back in protest. "Calm your tits, Brick."
"Buttercup was with you when those goddamn bozos were looking for you!" Brick pointed out. "You said so yourself; you can't deny it now!"
"Yeah! So what?" challenged Butch. "For all she knows I owe them money or some shit."
"Buttercup isn't that stupid!" Brick yelled, shaking Butch against the wall. A crack was forming.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO!?"
Brick paused before letting go of him, clearly calming down after letting Butch's words sink in. "...Okay, but what about afterwards? She asked questioned didn't she? I trust you didn't give her the answers...?"
"...No," Butch mumbled awkwardly, looking away.
Brick grabbed his chin and forced Butch to look into his eyes. "...But you made her more suspicious by forcing her away, didn't you? I bet you even made her mad."
"How'd you...?" Butch trailed off.
Brick dropped his brother. "So I was right," he muttered. He began stalking away. "You're not that hard to read."
"Where are you going?" Butch called, rubbing his sore chin.
Brick glanced over his shoulder. "...To set what you messed up right," he shot back over his shoulder.
"...Jackass," Butch muttered under his breath as he tried to get his throbbing chin to stop hurting.
Blossom was writing an angry entry in her diary about Buttercup's behaviour―or rather, switching from concerned to angry in a heartbeat. She was in the middle of an angry sentence when she heard the doorbell rang.
DING-DONG. DING-DONG.
"The doorbell's ringing!" she called, but no one answered. The doorbell rang again, slightly more impatient now. Sighing, Blossom got up. Her chair scraped the ground harshly as she called, "I'm coming, I'm coming!"
And when she finally came and opened the door, she was surprised to see Brick. "Brick...?" she mumbled, blinking. She felt herself flush red.
"Hi, Bloss," Brick smiled coolly. "Is Buttercup here?"
Blossom blinked again. "Why do you want to see Buttercup...?" she asked, feeling king of disappointed.
Brick glanced over her shoulder. "Uh, no reason. I just borrowed something from her and I gotta return it." He flashed a charming smirk. "Don't worry; I'll make sure to join you for a little studying session afterwards."
"Th-That's not what I meant, Brick," Blossom mumbled in embarrassment, staring at her feet as if they were the most interesting things on earth. She noted that his shoes were black and red. They looked good on him, along with his black skinny jeans and red and black plaid coat. It had a fur collar. Her eyes finally trailed up to his face, and she immediately felt her face grow hot when she realized he was staring right at her...with a raised eyebrow.
Brick chuckled. "Like my outfit...?"
"...Yeah," Blossom mumbled back, managing an embarrassed smile. Inside she smacked herself. Why am I suddenly feeling so shy!?
"...Can I come in?" Brick finally asked after a few moments of silence.
Blossom's eyes widened. "O-Oh! Right―sorry." She let him in, pulling the door wider. Her face was red. "It must be cold outside."
"It's okay," Brick responded, pulling his shoes off. "I'll see you in a bit."
"...Okay." Blossom watched him go, feeling completely embarrassed. She wanted to smack herself for her silliness, and she also felt slightly disappointed he was going to see Buttercup.
I wonder why...? Blossom couldn't help but wonder, her face warm.
Meanwhile, Brick was walking up the stairs with his hands in his pockets. "Yo, BC; you here?" he called.
"What do you want?" Buttercup's head poked out of her green door.
"...I just want to talk to you," Brick muttered; rolling his eyes at her suspicion.
Buttercup snorted. "How do I know that you weren't sent by Bloss?"
"...Buttercup, stop being so paranoid." Brick raised an unamused eyebrow.
Sighing, Buttercup pushed her door open all the way. "Fine then," she said, "come in."
Brick and Buttercup had a particularly brother-sister relationship, albeit it being awkward at times. They didn't always share similar views, but for the most part they got along.
Brick immediately dove for "his" beanie on the floor. "So...Butch made you mad at him...?"
Buttercup rolled her eyes. "'Mad' is an understatement."
"Well, you made him pretty angry today," Brick pointed out.
"But I apologized," Buttercup protested, "and he basically just said 'fuck it I don't care get outta here'."
"...BC, is that really what he said...?"
Buttercup hesitated. "Okay, maybe not exactly, but still―"
"We all have our secrets, Buttercup. There will always be things we can and can't share."
Brick's words reminded her of the conversation she'd heard between Butch and Brick just yesterday.* "...Do you have any secrets, Brick...?" Buttercup finally questioned.
Brick looked surprised. "What's with this question all of a sudden?"
"Well..." Buttercup hesitated. "You said people will have secrets. Do you...?"
"...Yeah, I guess so." Brick shrugged. "I can't really tell you, though; can I? Then it wouldn't be a secret anymore."
"I can keep secrets," Buttercup pouted.
Brick smirked. "I know you can. But that's beside the point."
"So what is the point? That it's totally okay Butch was a big jerk tonight?"
"Buttercup, let me set this straight: Butch did forgive you. He was just trying to protect you by not telling you something; it wasn't that he'd rejected your apology or anything."
"H-How'd you...?" Buttercup blushed.
Brick smirked confidently. "I talked to Butch. I can be quite a therapist when I want to be." While that was true, in reality Brick had slammed Butch into a wall in his "special therapy".
"...Oh." Buttercup stared down at her feet. "Well...maybe I should apologize."
"Maybe. That's your choice―but I just want you to know Butch isn't hiding anything suspicious. He's just looking out for you."
"Brick, can't you just tell me what he's hiding me from?" Buttercup begged.
"No." Brick shook his head firmly. "You know my policy, BC. I never break a promise―and I promised him I wouldn't tell."
Buttercup sighed. "I know." She forced a smile. "Thanks anyway."
"...No problem." Brick turned around and waved. "Well, I have a study session with Blossom to enjoy. In the meanwhile, I'll see you later."
"Bye," Buttercup murmured quietly as she watched him go. As soon as the door closed, Buttercup let her heavy eyes droop shut. Sighing, she sank to the floor, sitting against her bed.
"Butch..."
"How'd the talk thing go with Buttercup?" Butch asked his brother when he got home. It was clear he'd been waiting for Brick to get back. The TV was on, but it was only there as a distraction. Butch clearly wasn't actually watching it―it was a soap opera, for God's sake.
"It went fine," Brick confirmed, shrugging as he unbuttoned his coat. Shivering, he threw it onto the coat rack. "I'm fucking tired."
"Yeah, I still feel sleepy even though that day's over," Butch agreed, stretching.
Brick yawned. "Maybe we should just go to bed. It's already 9:45."
"That isn't too late," Butch muttered.
"...Sure, Butch. Sure―but I can tell you're tired."
"No I'm not," Butch insisted. "I'm just...I don't know. But I do know I have that stupid sheet Mr. Fickleson gave us for homework to fill out."
"You're still not done that? I finished it in class," Brick yawned again, this time stretching.
"Shut up, Brick. Not everyone's as smart as you."
Brick smirked. "True that. Alright; tell you what―you can copy my answers."
"What's with the good mood all of a sudden?" Butch asked.
Brick shrugged. "Consider yourself lucky―after I talked to Buttercup, I studied for a bit for the test tomorrow with Bloss. We also worked on our project."
"Oh God no, the test!" Butch cried, grabbing his head. "I completely forgot about that!"
Brick laughed. "You better study while you still can, smarty pants."
Groaning, Butch thumped his head against the table. "I can't remember the goddamn labels on the man's dick. Who knew the thing had so many parts? I can't remember any of it. Like that stupid vans defense or something. All I remember are the testicles. Or the tests. And I remember nothing about the lady parts."
"You mean 'vas deferens' and 'testes'," Brick corrected, rolling his eyes. "Don't call it a dick when we're talking about Science. Without those parts it wouldn't function properly, Butch."
"IT'S SO GROSS," Butch whined. "And we have to remember all that crap about babies and genes and stuff. Reproduction's gross―I'm almost glad we're manmade."
Brick smirked. "Butch...we came from a friggin' toilet. That's not much better."
Butch let out a low groan.
"I could always tutor you, y'know."
"Eww. That might help me actually get a C+ on the test, but it's creepy how you know all the labels of a man and lady's parts. You're a creeper, man."
"When it's necessary for school, what the fuck am I supposed to do!?"
Butch just laughed. "Alright, you can tutor me."
Brick rolled his eyes and pulled a chair out beside Butch, who started fumbling around for stuff in his bag...
Blossom knocked on Buttercup's door. "Hey, BC...do you want to study together? We could have a slumber party with the other girls."
"Go away, Bloss."
"...Buttercup, look―I'm sorr―"
"Whatever, okay? Just leave it." The door opened a crack and Buttercup came out, sighing. "Alright, I'm up for that party as long as it's with the other girls too."
"But first...do you forgive me...?" Blossom asked awkwardly.
"...Mostly. Probably," Buttercup responded in a mutter, before turning and calling for the others. "Guys, we're having a slumber study session party!"
Bliss immediately popped up. "Did someone say party!?"
"Oh thank God; memorizing the parts of the male has been okay, but it's weird when you think about it. Maybe with all of us it'll be less awkward," Banana added.
"Let's do it!" Bubbles said cheerfully.
"Y-Yes please." Bunny's face was red from having to have read all about the male's parts and functions as well as the female's.
Blossom helped them set up, but she kind of spaced out while the girls got ready. Did Buttercup really forgive me, or is she just brushing me off...?
The moonlight was a pale limelight in contrast to the dark sky. It was speckled with small lights known as stars. A tall rock stood underneath the moon, and a wolf felt the cold night winds rustle its fur.
Breath whistled through its nostrils as the wolf parted its black lips and raised its head to the sky. With its teeth bared, tail raised, and body regal, the wolf let out a majestic howl, followed by another.
And somewhere in a home not too far away, lying on the brink of nature and civilization, a howl rang back. It was loud, clear, and pure.
*(A/N: Reference to chapter 1!)
ME: Ugh, finally. I hope you guys liked it. More drama for you all. *flails arms*
BOOMER: Didn't we learn that secrets can hurt people in HUOY already...?
BUTCH: Shut up, Boomer. *smacks him in the head* This is a different story, remember?
BOOMER: Ow! *rubs head* Okay, okay. You didn't have to hit me.
BUTCH: *rolls eyes*
BUBBLES: *patting Boomer on shoulder* Well...hope you all enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to review! *sweat-drop*