Community Compitition
The boys adjusted their eyes to the sunlight as they stepped out of their prison. They were fed breakfast and lunch and were being escorted out the door around 2 PM. They were met by Doctor Langston and Miss Bellum outside the loading dock.
"So I take it we're all good?" Boomer said shielding his eyes while they adjusted to the light.
"Yes boys, I'm happy to say the investigation revealed someone placed a phony call to the girls, and set you all up." Langston said.
"I knew something like this would happen." Butch said pounding his fists together, "Who was it." Brick tensed up a little.
"We don't know yet, all we know is it was a woman." Miss Bellum revealed. As she spoke Brick relaxed no one seemed to notice it.
Langston spoke up with a warm spark in his eyes, "I'm glad to see you three were so mature in this trial, and it has shown the public you're not just a crazed bunch of maniacs."
Brick was on edge and had barely spoken since he re-entered his cell last night. For some reason the bloodied bandages on the girls got to him. Maybe he took things too far, but he couldn't back out now. He swallowed any emotion he had left and spoke, "So can we go home now, those lead blocks with a plastic wrapped foam mattress isn't the best place to sleep."
"My Brick, I thought you would be used to them by now." Miss Bellum teased.
"You got me spoiled on actual mattresses now toots." He grinned. Langston face palmed, but Bellum just smiled down at him.
"Yes you can go back home." Her smile unwavering.
As all three were about to take to the skies Butch was stopped by Langston and Bellum. "Butch we really need a favor." Langston informed him. Looking up at his two brothers watching he spoke to them, "This won't take but a minute boys, he'll catch up I promise." He called out. Boomer and Brick just shrugged eager to get home and took off.
"Whatcha need Doc? Someone needing a thrashing?" He got his famous twitch going on as he spoke.
"It's a little different than that Butch." Bellum said.
"We need you to help another person out with community service." Langston informed.
"Why should I do that? That doesn't sound fun to me." Butch said losing his twitch.
"It's Buttercup were asking you to help." Langston said. Butches eyes narrowed at the man.
"Your joking right? That's the lamest thing since lame came to lame town." He whined.
"We know your not happy to hear about it, but she is being made to do it since she threw a bus at you." Bellum started, but was cut off by Butch.
"How is that my fault?" He pleaded with his eyes.
"You punched her into it." Bellum replied.
"And I saved the bus didn't I?"
"Which is why we're asking you to do this as a favor to me." Langston interjected. "I would really appreciate it." He looked the green clad boy in the eyes as he spoke.
"Why though? She's a Powerpuff, she can handle picking up trash or whatever."
"We know she can, but we also know she will work even harder to try and show you up." Langston explained.
"What's in it fer me?" Butch asked. Langston looked at Bellum and she nodded her head.
"We will get you another junker to work on during summer. If you get it working I will go with you to get you a learners permit, and beyond that your license." Langston was pulling out the big guns to get Butch to go along with it. He knew the feud would never truly stop, but if he could get the negative energies the ruff and puffs exchanged into something a bit more productive he may be able to get the feuds better controlled and even start a more friendly rivalry. It was a theory after all. He figured Butch was the best trial for his experiment as he and Buttercup are both naturally competitive. It would take some luck, but he trusted his boy to restrain himself from beating up Buttercup if given the right motivation to do so, and the right punishment to keep him from doing so.
"It has to be another Escalade." Butch said, "And you pay to get it painted green when I finish working on it."
"Fine but only after you help Buttercup this Saturday." Langston said holding out his hand.
"Deal." Butch said as he spat into his hand and grabbed Langstons' with a firm handshake. Langston hid his disgust with the act, and shook the youths hand. As Butch left Bellum spoke up.
"You think it'll work? I can't afford any more of my city being wrecked." She whispered.
"He has a car at stake he won't fight her." He laughed.
"He can fly why does he want a car anyways?"
"I find it best not to question that, I have enough enigmas keeping me awake at night." He chuckled as he departed Bellums company and entered the prison to go back to work.
The next few days passed and soon it was Saturday. Butch decided to keep quiet about the favor, just in case his brothers tried to jump in and ruin his deal. The morning he was to meet Langston downtown he was met with Brick in the kitchen pouring himself cereal.
"You're up early for a Saturday. Whats up?" Brick asked.
"Why are you up so early?" Butch tried to deflect the question.
"I like to keep a regular sleep schedule it makes it easier to wake up on weekdays. Now why are you up and about so early?"
"I just am,okay. Langston wanted me to do something with him today." He admired, "I'll catch you later."
"Say hi to the doc for me." Brick called as he sat at the couch and enjoyed his cereal. "All he had to say is doc needed him. A little defensive this morning aren't we." He said in his head. He didn't bother entertaining the idea to follow Butch, he knew he wasn't doing anything he couldn't handle.
A few minutes later Butch was touching down at the meeting spot. Langston was already there with a gas station coffee half gone. "I don't know how you're in constant need for that stuff." Butch remarked.
"Good morning to you too." He replied taking a long sip of his coffee, "And I pray you never need it like I do." A look of sadness filled the docs face. "Anyways," He said smile returning to his face, "I'm really happy you're here today."
"Yeah yeah I know. Let's just get this over with." Butch said placing his hands behind his head. The wait for the third party wasn't long as another green streak raced across the sky to meet them. As she landed she looked over to see Dr. Langston and Butch.
"Hello Buttercup, I'm Dr. Langston, I'll be overseeing your community service this fine day." He said extending his hand out to meet hers.
Her gaze was locked onto Butch and she let out a growl, "Okay then why is he here?" She pointed at her counterpart.
"The city blames me for the bus incident as well, And they want to see us play nice for a change." Butch claimed folding his arms.
Langston was surprised to see Butch respond without sending an insult to Buttercup he was probably just doing it to get his car, "He is correct miss Utonium. The City wants to see you both working together to mend the bridges between your two groups."
"The bridge would have had to exist in the first place." Buttercup spat as she folded her arms and looked away.
"Well, it's only for one day, and at the end of it whether or not your closer to being allies isn't the point. The point is giving to the community. So you're both here to help clean litter out of the city streets." Langston said as he handed them both a yellow vest and a sharp stick. He led them to a spot that had hundreds of garbage bag boxes sitting on the ground. Each youth grabbed a box and walked to the curb.
"How much?" Butch asked as he dawned his vest.
"As much as you are able to pick up, see you in a few hours." He said as he got into his car. He drove off out of sight, but soon parked the car and made his way to a hiding spot where he could observe the two.
"Great," Sighed Buttercup, "Now I'll do all the work and you get half credit? This blows." She said stabbing a banana peel and placing it in her garbage bag.
"Speak for yourself, at least I have my vest on." Butch sneered at her.
"At least I have my vest on," She openly mocked as she put hers on. Butch ignored her and continued stabbing trash and placing it his bag. There was a few moments of silence before she spoke again. "I wish I was home sleeping right now. Or at the pool. Anywhere but here." She mumbled.
"You sure complain a lot ya know that?" He casually said.
"Oh don't act like you're not thinking the same thing. We are both forced to be here."
Butch gave a chuckle and spoke, "I was asked, I chose to be here."
"Yeah right, why would you do this crap if it was a choice."
"I have my reasons, besides the Doc asked me. That was plenty reason enough." it was only a half lie. If Buttercup wasn't involved he probably would have done this if Langston asked, but Buttercup was here so he needed some compensation.
She mumbled something else under her breath, and continued picking up trash. Soon they had each cleared a good section of the street, and filled a garbage bag each. Butch was growing tired of the silence and spoke up, "Ya know I had fun last Tuesday."
"Yeah loads of fun for you I bet." She growled. She didn't like being here with the boy who beat her down.
"Well duh, your the best fighter in town who else is gonna be a near enough challenge." He laughed.
"Yeah, just count yourself lucky I didn't fight you seriously." She spat.
"So are you just dumb or lazy then." He chided.
"What is that supposed to mean?" She said narrowing her eyes.
"If you didn't take our fight seriously, you're either dumb or lazy which is it?" He said smirking.
"I'm not dumb." She hissed at him.
"Well lazy it is then, Explains why I have two bags full and your barely started your second one." He gave a small laugh.
"Just shut up so I can work, your distracting me." She gave up arguing knowing he would just twist it. Butch decided if he was going to be forced to work with her he might as well enjoy it. He watched Buttercup work and every time he saw she was about to pick up a piece of garbage he used his speed to get to it first. Soon he had filled his third bag and decided to chastise her.
"So that's three bags full now, and it looks like you haven't added anything to your second bag. Maybe I'm the one who should be afraid of doing all the work and you getting half credit." a smile stuck on his face.
"Only cause you keep takin my trash away before I can collect it."
"If you weren't so lazy that wouldn't be an issue though." He shot back,
"You're an ass." She stuck her tongue out.
"Whatever you say garbage breath, at least I'm productive." He stuck out a curled tongue back at her.
"Dog-shit-for-brains!" She called out.
"Broken Dip stick!" He returned.
"Conceited ass!"
"Broken TV!" He yelled.
"What does that even mean? What? Ya can't come up with a decent insult?"
"It means you don't work, ya know on account of how lazy you are." He never let his smile drop.
"I know if I took this seriously I could have more trash collected than you." She yelled pointing at him.
"That'll be the day." He said and spat towards her.
"If I wasn't doing community service I would end you right now for that." She hissed again.
"You mean if you could find it in you to do any work?" He asked.
"Fine then, you want to make this a competition? It's a competition. Using super speed, whoever collects the most trash before that doctor guy gets here, wins." She challenged.
"What would I win when I beat you? You take me out to dinner?" He laughed at his joke.
"When I win you owe me dinner then." She was too mad to find the sarcasm in his last statement. Butch decided he could use the free meal.
"Fine." He said grabbing a few more garbage bags, "On your mark, get set, Go!" He yelled and two streaks of green raced to and through the city. Langston was impressed with how well that exchange went. He was hoping for something like this to happen, that's why he left so many garbage bags at the meeting site. He watched in awe as green lights bounced to and from the city and as two piles of full garbage bags grew on site. He placed a phone call to the local dump to send a truck for collection and watched the bouncing green light show.
As the time went on he stepped out of his hiding place, neither of them took notice of him as they were focused on collecting trash and dropping it off. After an hour of this all the empty garbage bags were full and the two piles joined together to one big pile. Both greens stood in front of the pile glaring at each other. Langston cleared his throat and spoke, "So who won?"
He laughed to himself as the two green clad teenagers argued over who won and who lost, and he just marveled at the work they got done. The way he saw it the two were getting along a little better now and most of the litter plaguing the city was collected, a win-win. Finally Buttercup yelled, "Alright it's a draw okay? We can't know who did more with this huge ass pile." She threw both hands in the direction of the pile.
"You two really bring out the best in each other. Why not keep trying other competitions?" Langston remarked.
"Cause I don't need her crying about it everytime I beat her, that's why."
"Oh please I would whoop your butt any day of any week." She laughed in his face.
"You're the only one besides Brick who could even make that claim and have it be taken half seriously by me." He shot back.
"Oh what was that a compliment, now you start kissing my ass when you know I could win." she never stopped laughing in his face.
"It's called being nice, something you're supposed to do when you're better than someone garbage breath!" He yelled in her face.
The garbage trucks had shown up to collect the trash as the two teens bickered at each other. One of the collectors even asked, "Are they okay?"
Langston chuckled, "Surprisingly yeah, I think so." The four men who showed up with the two trucks started loading in bags, but Butch took notice.
"Alright sweet cheeks if you can whoop me any day of the week how about right now, load the garbage up, who ever fills their truck first wins!" He called out. They didn't even count down to begin as they hurdled bag after bag into their respected trucks. It took a while since every few loads one had to stop and compact it in, but soon all the trash was loaded, with room to spare in both trucks.
This started another argument since neither one was the winner. Langston laughed and dismissed the two teens. "I thought you wanted to get far away from each other as possible?" He asked when they stayed glaring at each other. Buttercup finally broke the stare and flew off removing her vest.
Butch looked up to Langston and spoke, "That was kinda fun, but you still owe me my car." He said.
"I wouldn't dream of backing out of my half of our bargain. Good work today Butch." He said with a smile as Butch flew off into the skies headed home.
When he got home Brick asked him how his errand went, and Butch responded by saying he needed a shower, "But it was still fun I guess." He called out as he entered the bathroom. Boomer was brushing his hair when Butch entered and was swiftly kicked out of the room.
Meanwhile in the suburbs of Townsville Buttercup walked in the front door of her house. "Oh hey Buttercup how was community service? Blossom asked looking up from her book.
"I had more fun than I thought I would." She grumbled back.
"Then why do you look so upset about it?" Blossom yelled as her sister flew up the stairs, getting ready to take a shower herself. She didn't answer Blossom, but in her head she felt almost guilty for having any fun with a Rowdyruff. She pushed the thoughts from her mind as she entered her shower, and washed the smell away.
Downstairs Blossom was working on her speech. Her schools graduation was next week, and being the class president she got to hand the students their diplomas and give a small speech to her class. She herself had a few years left of school, but took pride in being able to hand her older peers their Diplomas.
Meanwhile back at the Rowdyruffs apartment, Brick was hanging up the Deep red dress shirt, and black slacks he bought with some leftover cash from his paper route. He was excited to finally get his Diploma in a few more days.
A.N. I felt like I was focusing on Brick too much, even though he and blossom are my two favorites, so I wrote this as a break from that. Its not filler or anything just something fun I thought could start a friendly rivalry between the greens.