Lines Crossed
Butch and Buttercup had been at the burger joint for an hour. Butch for his part was surprised to see her devour burgers with the same fever he and his brothers had. A goofy smile grew on his face as she tried speaking through her chewing. "So if I hafta help kids learn to swim you think they'll get mad if I give 'em a few warning shots from my eyes if they won't learn?"
"I think the parents might get more upset than anything, and dealing with some parents these days I think I would rather take a monster on blindfolded." He chuckled before chugging his own drink.
"Oh just cause you finished off one monster you think you can talk to me about how annoying they can be?" She heckled.
"Tell you what BC any more monsters show up, I'll take them on without you."
"You say that now, but wait until one actually shows up." She puffed out her chest, "You'll be begging me to come help, and I'll just smile and take a nap."
"Yeah, sounds about right," Another loud slurp from his soda straw, "You would rather just nap than actually do any work." He finished with a smirk.
"Walked into that one didn't I." She grimaced.
"Like it was the broadside of a barn." His chuckling never ceased even while biting into the remains of his burger.
"Well, I guess it doesn't matter. Not like there will be any more monsters crawling up our shore.
He was about to ask why when the memories of Brick hunched over gasping for breath and covered in a myriad of blood raced through his mind. "Yeah, I guess we won't, will we." His tone dropped as his face grew solemn.
Seeing she touched a sensitive topic she forced a smile and laugh, "So he did something stupid. So what, we've all been there."
"Yeah, I guess. I really am just glad he is alive. It just sucks he left us behind. We never operate alone. Not since you three captured Boomer that is." He said with a nod in her direction. "What kills me even more is not knowing how he did it. Like seriously, did he get some new power he is hiding from me and Boom-Boom? I just never thought he would keep a job or any secrets from us."
"I'm sure it was just a matter of Brick being too cocky, one serious victory, and he felt on top of the world. I don't think he is keeping anything from you, just hasn't gotten around to telling you." She tried to sound reassuring, but it did nag in the back of head a little bit. When Blossom showed up after she investigated Monster Isle she said it had been completely decimated. It was hard for her to see Brick as being that powerful, and her fight with him didn't disprove that image since he resorted to psychological warfare. No matter how true she felt his words were, he didn't seem like he had the power to do what he really claimed.
If Brick was as smart as Blossom, and was hiding and manipulating from the shadows, he would be a worse threat than almost any other villain, but pushing those worries to the back of her mind she grinned at Butch, "Besides, the best news is with Monster attacks gone, me and you can expand upon our ongoing competition. I don't know about you but I've been craving a good time at the batting cages."
"Sounds like a good way of getting this tie broken." His smile returned and dropped a load of fries in his mouth, but just as he was getting ready to finish off his meal he heard a feminine voice shatter their own world in the restaurant.
"Oh my god, are you Buttercup?" Looking up Butch saw a brunet with a long side ponytail in her early twenties standing at their table. She was wearing a form fitting white crop top, and tight blue jeans.
"Uhh yes?" Buttercup responded unsure of their new guest.
"I'm sorry to do this, I really am." She said with worry filling her voice, "I'm not from around here, just had some business with my dads company, Ah what do you care, I bet you hear this all the time." She rambled on, "I'm just a big fan, when I was in middle school you girls really inspired me, and you specifically inspired me to get my black belt in Taekwondo." She gushed with her hands in front of her in a pleading motion, "So I really hate to sound like a rabid fan and all, but can I get an autograph? Please?"
Buttercup was surprised, she knew she had fans and all, but most people avoided talking to her, or wanted her sisters instead, it sent a warm feeling bubbling in her chest. "Yeah, Yeah! Of course." She smiled as her groupie dug into her purse for a pen. "By the way this is my friend." She motioned to Butch who had felt a lump grow in his throat.
"Uh hi. I'm..." He looked around like he forgot his name, and someone had written it for him on some wall he couldn't find. Landing on his all but destroyed burger looked back up, "Beef... Cake?"
The fan gave a small concerned laugh. "His name is Butch." BC snickered as she was handed a paper and pen.
"Oh right one of the Rowdyfun Boys. I'm sorry I forgot about you and your brothers.
"Uh RowdyRuff," His meek voiced cracked as if it was holding strenuous weight.
"You three just kinda fell of the map didn't ya? So seeing as she called you her friend did the great Buttercup whip you butt over to the good side?" The fan said trying to be funny, but Butch seemed to lose his voice.
"You could say that I suppose." Buttercup laughed as she wrote a little message, "You're name?"
"Oh Brittany, Brittany Shields." She smiled looking down at the paper Buttercup was writing on.
"Cool last name." She replied, "Alright here ya go." She smirked and handed the paper back.
"Oh my gawd, thank you." She beamed, "Thank you so much really. I hope I wasn't the most annoying person to ask."
"Oh believe me you're not. Not by a long shot." She replied waving to the retreating fan girl.
"It was cool meeting you Butch!" She yelled heading to the door.
"Spaghetti!" Butch yelled back. She had already left the building but Buttercup looked to be in pain holding back her laughter, her cheeks red from the strain.
"Spaghetti? Really? Was that supposed to be funny?" She said in between slowly released snickers.
"I don't know. My brain, just uh, just decided to die I guess." He returned sheepishly.
"How is that different than any other time you speak? Or is it you thought she was attractive?" She mused, "I do hear boys turn into numskulls around pretty women." Her smile dropped into a frown and a deadly, but playful, growl rang from her throat. "Should I be insulted with how easily you talk to me Butchie?"
"Nothing like that." He defended.
"Then what was that about Mr. Beefcake?" Her voice was fun and light but it burned into his ears like acid.
"I don't know, I just sorta..." His face grew in frustration. "Look you wouldn't understand." He began.
"I want to, how does the big bad Butch turn baby in front of pretty girls." She said hiding her jealousy if her theory was correct.
"Her looks had nothing to do with it." He slammed both his fists into the table, Sending a worried look of shock to everyone else in the store. "Just drop it okay? Please?"
"Sorry, but no can do. That was hilariously pathetic." She grinned back.
Feeling his left eye give a twitch he stood up. "I'm heading to the shitter." And before she could reply he stormed off.
A few seconds passed and she returned to her drink. "Touchy much?" She said over the straw in her mouth. Looking around she noticed everyone else returning to their business. Mulling over their last conversation she tilted her head side to side. "Maybe I shouldn't have called it pathetic. He may not have feelings, but on the off chance he does I guess that might have stung." Setting the drink down she returned to voracious devouring of her meal, sneaking peeks at the door waiting for her friend to return.
Her food was gone, and he still hadn't returned yet. Looking down at what remained of his burger and fries, she spoke aloud, "No sense in letting these get cold." She reasoned and started eating his food as well. The silence was now as burning as it was suffocating. "What did he fall and land in the Mushroom Kingdom?" She huffed and crossed both her legs and arms glaring at the door that hid her friend.
"Buttercup! Long time no see!" A raspy voice broke her from her stare as Mitch Mitchelson slammed himself into the seat in front of her. "How are ya girl!" He asked grinning a smile that still had missing teeth from his hockey career in Jr. High.
"Oh hey Mitch." She said readjusting her sitting position. "What are you doing here?"
"Same as you I guess, though I don't think I'm in need of two meals." He chuckled as he played with the second tray sitting on the table.
"I'm not a pig you jerk, that one was Butches." She stated kicking him under the table.
"The you Rowdyruff?" He looked around. "Where is he?" She just motioned with a nod to the Bathroom door.
"Ah," He returned his gaze to Buttercup. "I saw you sitting alone when I came in, musta been in there a while now."
"Way too long," She spat as she sucked the melted ice water from her cup. "You mind going in to see if he is fell unconscious or something?"
"Really?" He raised a brow, "Don't you have X-ray vision or something?"
"okay one, I'm not a pervert who uses it for that." She stared him down, he just raised his hands in surrender, "And two, Even if I was, I wouldn't risk using it in a public men's room. Who knows what might scar me in there."
"Fair enough, I wouldn't want to see any of that either." He leaned back in his chair before falling forward with a noticeable clack. "Alright, but if we were on a date I wouldn't let ya wait on your own for so long."
"Not a date, and you would also stick me with the bill." she shot back getting ready for another kick.
"I just never understood why we never even tried though." He leaned forward on the table.
"We've been over it thousands of times, My life as a superhero wouldn't allow us to actually be together, I'd be running off all the time fighting crime and monsters and stuff. Not to mention it would put you at a risk that just isn't worth it or fair to you."
"So you've said, but I really think that shoulda been my call." He said absentmindedly ripping a corner of the paper on the tray.
"Can we not talk about this? I told you if my life was different I wouldn't mind."
"It seems different now though." He interrupted. "I haven't seen you girls on the news as of late, Except Blossom and Captain baseball cap. It seems like fighting crime here is coming to an end. No more Mojo, Princess, or the Pink fuzzball."
Letting out a frustrated sigh, "I know it looks that way, but I don't know what'll happen in the future. Nothing has changed, not my duties, my feelings about us, or my answer. Please now, will you just go look for my friend?" She was finding it harder and harder to spare his feelings, he was a good friend and a great athlete, but she never saw him as anything more than a great friend. Anyone who wanted to be anything more significant would have to be more resilient and capable of fighting back, She couldn't walk around with the worry of something happening to anyone because she simply existed.
"All right, I'll go see, but I am determined BC." he stood up and turned to the bathroom.
"So you've shown." She nodded as he vanished behind the door.
The silence was a mercy now, although she still found it suffocating while she waited for Mitch to return. Gripping the tray paper she tore at it and chewed it into a ball in her cheek. Prepping her straw she waited a few minutes for the door to open. When it finally did she noticed how odd it seemed that Mitch was coming out alone.
"So is he unconscious?" She asked after he returned.
"Did he gain the ability to turn invisible?" He asked.
"Not that I'm aware, I certainly hope not." She shuddered at the thought.
"Well then," He paused. "I think he left, no one was inside the can, and the little window in there was open."
Anger raced across her face and rage boiled in her veins. "What?" She yelled surprising a few patrons.
"Look for yourself." He moved out of the way of her line of sight. Risking the visual and hoping it was a prank she switched on her X-Ray vision, but found the restroom to be completely baron of anyone inside. Sure enough the window was open, wondering how he could have fit through it, she seethed in her thoughts.
"Oh I'm going to kill him." She growled.
"Again if we were on a date I wouldn't ditch you." He half laughed trying to calm her down.
"Not a date and not now." She spat as she collected her trash and marched out the door violently tossing her trash away.
She wasted no time getting airborne as she looked around her surroundings. No lines of forest green laid out in the sky, but that didn't mean anything. Her scowl ever present she shot off to the apartment. Throwing the building door open she raced up the stairs and stared at the door. For the second time that day she found herself beating a fist against that door because of a Ruff.
Seething between her teeth she risked X-ray vision yet again to be met with an empty apartment. Flying through the staircase she nearly broke the door down getting back into the streets. "Where the hell did the asshole go?" She raged in her head. She buried any guilt she was feeling and replaced it with rage of being ditched. Flying over to the closest Gym she ran in to be greeted by the owner running the counter.
"Oh Buttercup, what can I set up for you today?" The elderly boxer greeted.
"I'm looking for a friend, Butch, You seen him?"
Sucking on his bottom lip he spoke, "No not recently. He usually comes in with you. We don't let any of those boys in here unsupervised. We don't know how much control they got, and we'd hate to lose a bunch of equipment cause some over-eager broke boys forgot their strength."
"Yeah I can see that. Alright thanks anyways." She replied and headed back into the streets. She flew to the beach where they had their race, But not even foot prints were on the beach that day. Just for good measure she flew to the island they made their finish line and nowhere there nor between the two beaches was her green counter part.
She tried the batting cages, but she got the same answers from the gym. She tried the nearby Ice cream shop but they had never even seen him before. The outskirts where he kicked her ass was butch baron just some new damages laid out, she'd have to figure that out later. The feeling of rage faded as she flew and raced across the city, and was being replaced by growing guilt and worry. She even ran to the Mayor's office only to find her completely vacated from the building.
Walking the short distance from the building to the Rowdyruff apartment complex she flopped against the wall with a sulk. "Stupid Butch, getting all emotional from some light teasing." She thought as she picked up a pebble off the ground and rolled it over her hand. "Stupid boy never made any sense, one minute he can be funny and fun, the next he goes all crybaby. He can fly but he insists on having this stupid thing," She paused her inner thoughts as she tossed the pebble at the Escalade, denting the frame slightly as it collided.
"What idiot needs a car when they have superpowers?" She questioned in her head.
"You just wouldn't understand how awesome cars and motorcycles are. Just because I can fly doesn't mean I have no desire to drive." The memory replayed in her head.
A thought entered head, "I looked where I would go if I was pissed. Where would he go if he needed blow off steam." A few moments passed, "I think I know where he is." She jolted off the concrete and headed to the city junkyard. Landing at the little building in front of the barbed wired fence area that held what seemed to be millions of destroyed cars. Walking in she heard a voice boom from the office In the back.
"Finished already?" An aging man walked out and looked over Buttercup behind his thick glasses. "Oh you're not Butch, your one of the Powerpuffs. How can I help you."
It was different to say the least to hear someone refer to his by name and her as just a Powerpuff. Pushing the thought to the side, "So Butch is here?"
"Yeah he comes by every now and then, almost exclusively when pissed off." He laughed, "He should still be back there, here follow me." Before he left the counter he handed her some safety glasses that actually fit. "I got a second pair made if he ever broke a set." He chuckled before she could ask.
"So how did you get so acquainted with Butch?" She asked after they exited the back of the shop.
"A few years ago he lifted a totaled SUV, I never even knew until his PO dragged him by the hair to apologize. They made it up to me whether or not to press charges, but I saw he meant no harm. So I made him a deal. If he wanted to help me out every now and then he was welcome to come by and demolish cars for me. So whenever he gets pissed or moody he shows up I tell him what stack of cars needs destroying and he does it in record time. In exchange I let him take some decent parts with him." He paused then dragged his hand across his graying stubble. "I hadn't seen him in a few months though, it was surprising to see him today."
She looked off to the side but soon herd loud grunting and yelling coupled with the sound of metal being crushed. Turning into an open area she saw a sweat drenched Butch stomping and jumping on a cube of metal. Jumping off to the side he kicked it sending it sliding to a pile of similar squares off to the side.
"Best let him cool off when he gets that look in his eyes nothing breaks him from destroying these things." He patted her shoulder and walked away letting her be to watch the spectacle of Butch dropping a car in the middle of the clearing, then start punching and folding the car into a cube.
Impatience growing she finally yelled breaking him of his focus, "Hey nice of you to ditch your best friend at the burger joint ass hole!"
"BC? What are you doing here?" He asked wiping the sweat from his brow. A quick glance showed him to be drenched in sweat, his undershirt clinging to his chest and stomach and his hair fallen and lax.
"Hunting down the jerk who just straight up ditched me." She said crossing her arms. "I mean who does that. Did I really hurt your feelings that much."
"Oh shut up!" He groaned. "If all you wanted to do was talk more shit than just fucking leave." He finished his sentence by slamming a fist over the cab of the car making it fold self.
"What bug crawled up your ass?" She growled, "You just up and leave, didn't even have the balls to tell me. Make me search all over this town looking for your ass, then when I find you I don't even get an apology."
"No one made you search for me, and you don't deserve one!" He yelled striking the car as he spoke.
"Would you stop that I'm trying to talk to you!"
"Well I ain't in the mood to talk so just get your ass out of here!"
"Really, I tease you a little bit and then suddenly your all crying and running away!"
"That's calling the kettle black. Didn't Brick do the same shit to you this morning and you came running to me." He spat at her with a glare.
"That's different, your jackass of a brother said some shit that maliciously got right into my head, I only teased you for losing your tongue around a somewhat pretty girl." She defended.
"And I told you, her looks had nothing to do with it! Your dumb ass didn't listen."
"Well tell me Butchie, what was it then?"
He looked at her, eyes full of sadness and anger, "Tch, you wouldn't understand."
"Not if you won't talk to me I won'st." She shot back.
"Just go away, I don't want to talk."
Holding back tears and with a scream she lunged at him and pinned him down slapping his face. Not enough to hurt just enough to get her point across. "Just stop being so proud and tell me what I did to make you so mad!"
"For the last time you wouldn't understand now get off of me you crazy bitch!" He finished his sentence by landing a harsh right hook into her left cheek sending her flying into the last cube he made. Standing up he glared down at her. However, his anger wavered when he saw the tears filling her eyes. "I didn't hit you that hard, now just do us both a favor and get out of here." He said pointing to the sky.
"No, now you're going to listen to me!" She screeched, "Since we've become friends your the last, the very last person I would ever expect to call me a bitch!" She yelled and jabbed him in the chest. "You don't get to call me that ever! Not as enemies, friends or anything else! So I hurt your pathetic feelings man up and deal with it, but don't you ever call me that Butch Rowdyruff! Not you! Not ever!"
"That's it right the fuck there! Man up and deal with it! I was before you showed that dumb face of yours. I would have cooled off but you had to butt your little ass into it. You have no idea what is even going on here, but I just need to swallow it and deal right?" He glared at her and shouted even louder, "Right?"
Buttercup softened at the hurt rage building in his eyes. S"Dude, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, but I didn't deserved to be ditched was all, that hurt. It's like you're saying I'm not strong enough to be told you don't want to hangout with anymore. I would have dealt with that, but you just leaving pissed me off."
"Oh my god, You had nothing to do with it I can handle shit talking I was pissed off at myself okay!" He acted like he was holding his breath the entire time and was now huffing over himself. "You wouldn't understand, so just let me deal with this my own way."
She was taken aback for a few seconds. "No, as annoying, rude, crass and a whole list of things you are you are still my friend if not my best friend so I'm not leaving your side until you tell me what got you wound up so bad." She rubbed her cheek where he struck her, "You owe this bitch that much now." She spat the term out of her mouth and stared him down. He ran his hands through his drenched hair and sat down in the shade created from a wrecked car.
"It started when I was 12, I had been locked up for a little while at least a year, maybe a year and half. I was pretty pissed off at you still, and I swore when I got out nothing was going to stop me from living my life how I wanted. I wanted to be a kingpin, with a different set of women around my arms every night. So when I got out, I would often make little side stops when Brick sent me out to get food or something for us. I learned really quickly that not only did I not know how to talk to any girl I couldn't even talk to anyone unless it was a cashier or something." He looked off to the side, "Whenever I try to talk to someone my brain immediately makes everything I say sound dumb. Usually because it is." He chuckled at his own joke. "For whatever reason whenever I try to actually talk to someone I hate everything I'm saying then I lose control of my own mouth and suddenly I'm spouting unrelated garbage and trying to pass it off as some joke."
Suddenly in her eyes the whole scene with her fan made sense. He continued on, "So now when I'm forced to talk to someone besides my brothers, or Langston, I just stick to small quick answers. The way I see it the less I say the less chance I have of making a fool of myself." He dragged his fist against the ground, "It's brutally lonely sometimes, and it was far more embarrassing having done it in front of you. You're different for me.
"So why am I different?" She asked sitting down by him.
"I don't know, maybe because we've been arguing since the day I was born. Maybe cause teasing you is second nature to me, who knows, but for whatever reason when I talk to you it's... I don't know, easier? I don't feel like I need to impress you I guess." He threw a rock as he spoke.
"You have superpowers who on earth isn't impressed by that?" She nudged him while resting her chin on his knees.
"I don't know, but those same powers put me and my brothers in the spot of undesirable number one through three." He rested his head against the car. "It's why I love my car so much. Nothing about it is out of my control. I can fix anything wrong with it, I can decided where it goes, I can do anything to it cause it's my car. It is the best way to distract me from these faults of mine. I can just focus on it and let the rest of the world fade away."
Buttercup nodded and smirked, "I understand that perfectly. It's the same for me and my swimming. It is relaxing, but it's also tough on the body when you want it to be. It really is however I want to enjoy it. If i want to let off steam or just unwind and sink into the cool comfort of the water, I can at any moment. Then there's the fact that only I stand in the way of how hard and how far I can push myself. When I push hard enough and break the latest wall of endurance it's feels like... just something indescribable." She rested her head on his shoulder still keeping her knees to her chest. "Look I'm sorry I called anything about you pathetic. That crossed a line."
"And I'm sorry I decked you and called you a bitch." He said not even trying to hide his blush.
"And?"
"And for not trusting you to understand what is going on in this damaged head of mine."
"Good ruff." She smirked as she playfully ruffled his hair then continued leaning against him.
"So still friends?"
"Best friends." She replied simply. They Both sat in silence for a bit before Butch stood back up.
"I better finish crushing these cars. I owe Frank that at least."
"I'll help, it certainly seems fun."
"The most fun I'll have legally destroying something." He grinned at her before they made quick work of the pile of cars still waiting for crushing.
A.N. Thanks to everyone who reads my story and extra thanks to everyone who reveiws. This part of the story hit me somewhat close to home, hopefully anyone who feels similar thinks I did a good job. Please review would you kindly.