author's note: It's time for their first official date! :3c

I'd also like to thank KurooB for the lovely comment!

This chapter is, once again, un-beta'd! Real life is kind of being a butt to my beta reader, so we're here with another raw chapter!

The song suggestion this time is Little Bit by Evil!


Monday, Apr. 05

Butchie: lemme take u on a date after classes

Butchie: just realized we aint gone on 1 yet

Bubbles giggled when she read the texts.

Impulsive.

The messages sounded like he had exactly one thought and then decided that was all he needed. Not that she really minded all that much, considering just what he decided on. He sent the messages a little over half an hour ago, but she'd been caught up in her class and didn't notice until she'd stepped out of the lecture hall. Still, the simple little texts had immediately brought a bright smile to her face and a giggle that came from her sudden giddiness.

Me: Sorry, I was in class and didn't see this!

Me: What did you have in mind? :o

Butchie: picnic

Butchie: that ok?

The blonde wasn't necessarily expecting a response so quickly.

Me: Sounds great to me! My last class is over at 2 today!

Butchie: late picnic lunch date it is then

Butchie: brb, customer, txt u when im omw

She shook her head, finally looking up from her phone to see Blossom standing right in front of her with her arms crossed and a knowing smile on her face. The blonde laughed weakly, caught absolutely red handed paying not a trace of attention to her surroundings. By her leader and older sister, of all people. Whoopsie.

The redhead genuinely didn't seem to mind, though, which was a little confusing… Not that she was complaining. It was much, much better than a lecture.

"Butch?" she asked.

They both knew it wasn't really a question, though, since they both knew the answer. Bubbles' cheeks warmed but her smile never faded. "Yeah. He was letting me know we're going on a date later."

Pink eyes sparkled with understanding, her smile warmed and she uncrossed her arms. "I'm happy for you! Are you going out for dinner?"

The sisters started walking side by side from their spot just in front of the lecture hall, where the blonde had stopped dead in her tracks to check her phone. "A late lunch, actually. We're apparently heading out after my last class." The tone of her voice grew tender, her smile softened and she gained a new pep to her step. "We started dating on our birthday, so between Spring Break to now, we just haven't gone on one yet."

Blossom was fully aware that the blonde had no idea just how much her face softened when she talked about Butch, but everyone around her definitely could. "I haven't seen you this happy in a long time, you know." The taller lass nudged her younger sister with her elbow, a reassuring smile on her face. "I don't think dates are too necessary if he makes you this happy. Especially with how long we've all known each other."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so," the blonde laughed out.

As per their usual routine, the two walked to the commons to sit at their usual picnic table beneath a thick mahogany tree. The elder lass dropped her purse onto the table and sat. "How's your thesis coming along?"

The blonde groaned in response and took her seat across from her sister. The reaction pulled a laugh from the redhead. "It exists and I am working on it even if I wish I weren't."

"Understandable," Blossom nodded. "Things are starting to pick up and get busier and I'm not sure I like that…"

"Brick couldn't get Saturday off?"

Her porcelain cheeks turned nearly as pink as her eyes. "I'm not worried about Brick right now, I'm worried about my finals."

Bubbles rolled her eyes, a mischievous smile lifting the corners of her lips higher. " Right, right…" Before she could tease too much more, Bloss took a box of Nerds candy out of her purse and threw it directly at the blue eyed Puff. She caught it, though, a bright laugh leaving her. "I do think things are about to get a little more hectic than any of us are gonna like, though. It's usually that way."

"Without knowing anything more about these new cretins or when they're going to show up… I'm just a little concerned, I guess," she admitted as she pulled out a small box of strawberry toffee. "Have you or Butch heard anything else that could help?"

She shook her head no and her brows furrowed a little in worry. "Not yet, no… It's only a matter of time until we get some sort of breakthrough, though. I have faith in that."

"Hopefully it comes sooner rather than later," came Blossom's sigh. She unwrapped one of the little toffee candies and plopped it between her red painted lips. It was one of those little things about Blossom that gave her away, as she'd worn exclusively pink glosses and lipsticks until sometime in their early college years. Suddenly, it was ' to match the bow-bomb '. As if. "I really want to be able to enjoy summer this year. It's gonna be harder to do with this lingering around the corner."

"You? Enjoy the summer?" Bubbles asked sarcastically. "You mean enjoy Brick's vacation with-"

"Bubbles."

The blonde fell into a fit of giggles at her elder sister's exasperation. As much fun as it was to tease and mess with her, Bubbles knew there was a line… She also knew that there was a difference in teasing and beating down a dead horse. When her pink eyes rolled, the blonde reached out across the table and clasped her pale hands lightly. "I'll stop, I promise. No more teasing for now- just remember that I'm here to talk about it if you need to."

The leader sighed, lifting her free hand to tuck an orange lock of hair behind her ear. "Let's… Let's wait until after graduation… Please…? I don't think I can handle all of this at once…"

Bubbles smiled knowingly and nodded, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Of course. I'll be here whenever you're ready, alright?"

"Thank you."

"Always. Why's 'Cup running late, anyway?"

"Substitute. This late in the year."

"Ouch."


Butch gave Bubbles exactly one warning.

He'd texted her to let her know he was leaving the shop, and that was the last warning she got. The blonde had barely gotten to the front door of the biology and human science wing when she heard the revving engine of his motorcycle. This, of course, pissed off the students and teachers alike, and the blonde found herself hurrying so he didn't upset one of the professors enough to get legitimately in trouble.

She jogged lightly over to where he was waiting for her. His lopsided grin was absolutely devious , pearly teeth glittering almost dangerously in the sunlight in contrast to his warm skin. In his left hand was her aqua faux leather jacket, held out to her. His right hand held on to a black plastic bag in front of him. "Put it on, hop on, and let's get goin, Sugar!"

"Hold on, hold on, I have to put my purse up," she laughed, rushing to put the blue bag into one of the saddlebags on the back of his bike. She grabbed the jacket, slipped it on, and she hopped onto the back. She wrapped her arms around his waist, took over holding the bag (that she could feel to-go boxes in), and placed a kiss to the side of his jaw once she was securely on board. "Where are we going?"

He hummed and backed them up just enough for him to make a turn and get them on the way out of Townsville University's parking lot. "Eastside Park," he answered, his smile heard in his voice. "A customer told me about a new Mexican place on the south side of Townsville that had some good vegetarian stuff, so I went by there to pick up lunch."

"Oooh," she excitedly cooed. "What if it's bunk, though? It's hard to find decent vegetarian food that isn't trying too hard to mimic meat."

He shrugged. "At least we can say we tried?"

She laughed brightly as they pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road. Then, much like last time, the familiar thrum of his energy sparked and took form around them. It wasn't the first time, but it was the first time since they'd officially started dating. While she'd originally thought there wouldn't be too much of a change, she now knew just how wrong she was.

The way his energy surrounded her was more intimate than it was previously. The thrum of his excitement sparked against her skin like static electricity, sending slow shockwaves of adrenaline through her nerves. Once more, the sudden feelings of belonging and safety almost overwhelmed her. His happiness warmed and burned across her heart, his playful mischief danced in the air around them, and his genuine care for her surrounded her like a heated blanket. But, perhaps most startling to the blonde was how natural it felt.

How easily her energy, body, mind and heart all simply accepted the warmth he offered.

Even more than that was how beautiful the feeling was. As soft as an ocean breeze, as refreshing as a glass of water on a hot summer day, and yet it was for her .

Home.

It felt like home.

Bubbles' fingers clenched the fabric of his muted green t-shirt tightly in a vain attempt to stop their shaking. She held him just a little closer, her cheek pressing against his back as she got as close to him as physically possible.

"Everything okay, Angel?"

It was hard to reply when her breath had been stolen by him like that. "Yes," she sighed. "Everything is wonderful, really."

He hummed and she felt it through his back (and her cheek) more than she actually heard it.

This ride was going to be much, much shorter than their way up the mountain, and that was the only thing that she felt disappointed in at that moment. Butch, surprisingly, stayed close to the speed limit (but couldn't bring himself to go exactly that- always going at least one number over said limit) throughout their ride.

Bubbles found herself smiling widely, even with one side of her face smooshed against his leather jacket. As reckless as he acted more often than not, his swerving between vehicles was nothing less than planned and precise and it was obvious he took more care with his driving when she was with him. As impulsive as he was, he at least gave it enough thought to figure out if they'd be safe or not. Or, at least, she hoped so.

The urban jungle of businesses and skyscrapers eventually faded into more grassy and well gardened areas the further from the city's center they got. The blinding lights and deep shadows of the cityscape faded into something much more natural, something much more simple .

They ended up having to go through the residential area in order to get to the park, but with it only being barely past two, most people were only just getting home- if they were already off work. It kept the amount of people they bothered with the loud engine down to a minimum. They pulled into the park in question and found a proper place to park the bike. He killed the engine and grabbed the food so she could hop off the back without worry about it.

She soon did just that, grabbing her purse from one saddlebag and opened the other to get out their drinks (which she noticed the two thermoses and wondered what was inside) and her black and blue polka dotted blanket they used on the roof. Her hand froze once the blanket was lifted, as just beneath it sat a bouquet of blue irises and white jasmines, with three beautiful green chrysanthemums to compliment the arrangement.

He startled her when his hand rested on her back just between her shoulder blades. "Thought you deserved some flowers- but I think they might've gotten squished," he mumbled. "Sorry about that."

The blonde didn't care, though. "It's okay." She had to rearrange her hands a little, but when the blanket and both thermoses were in one arm, she picked up the bouquet. One side might have been a little damaged, but her heart's erratic beating showed just how much she genuinely didn't care. "They're still absolutely gorgeous." She smiled brightly up at him, her smile widening when he leaned down to kiss the crown of her head.

"Glad you think so, Angel. Now come on, I got us both a small bowl of sopa de lima and some enmoladas."

"Lime soup?" she parroted, her brows furrowed in mild confusion.

His eyes widened dramatically. "Wait, you mean you've never tried it? Really?"

She shook her head hesitantly. "Never… I guess it's good?"

"Very," he groaned. "Oh, this is gonna be fun. Let's go get sat down, I want to see your reaction."

She shook her head again, only this time in fond, faux disbelief. "You get excited about the strangest things."

"I like having new experiences with you," he admitted plainly. As though those words wouldn't immediately stir the butterflies in her gut (which they did ). "Is that so wrong?" Her cheeks warmed significantly, unsure of what to say. The question was obviously rhetorical, so she wasn't sure if she needed to answer it. He offered her his elbow and she carefully put her hand holding the bouquet through the loop, their elbows now locked.

Not wanting any awkward silences, the blonde did eventually answer. "It's not wrong. I just didn't think of it like that."

He chuckled soundlessly. He pulled her along just a tad with his elbow, just enough to get her to start walking along with him. She got the hint and they walked side-by-side to wherever he had in mind. "I think it was you who told me 'new perspectives can open your eyes'."

Her brows furrowed and she turned to gape at him, trusting him to watch their walking path so she wouldn't trip while not looking forward. "I said that in high school ! About why you should give Super Mario 3D World a shot! Why the hell do you remember that of all things?"

His laugh was deep and louder than she expected him to be. "Can I be honest without you smacking me?"

Her eyes narrowed a little but she nodded, now thoroughly made curious. "Yes. Yes you can."

"We were in drama rehearsals, doing the Spy vs. Spy play- and you had that trench coat-dress on," he recalled. His eyes kept on the path, but she could see the fond memories that kept those emeralds softer than usual.

Strange.

She thought he didn't like her all that much in high school.

"And," his continued words snapped her out of the thought, "it was the first one of those- the one that cut too low."

Bubbles could have face palmed. "Of course," she scoffed, though it turned into a small laugh.

He shrugged. "Hey, I never claimed to be good or righteous or an angel," he paused to guide her down a separate path, leading up a hill that overlooked a small lake that was just wide enough for them to barely be able to make out the other side along the horizon line. "But yeah, it was round one before any fixes were made. I very much remembered that night for months ."

She glanced warily at him. "Just because of the cleavage you got to see?"

"Because you looked hot with smoky eyes, black lips and that trench coat-dress," he corrected. "A woman that could kick my ass cornering me, hot as hell , yet trying to sell me on a video game . That moment is burned into my memory, Angel." His grin was lopsided, genuine and cocky all at the same time.

She rolled her eyes, her cheeks a little pink. "…I look hot with smoky eyes and black lips, huh?" She grinned up at him and raised a challenging brow at him. "I'll have to remember that for future reference."

He inhaled slowly. "You're gonna kill me."

Her laughter drew the attention of the wildlife around them. It wasn't the first time Butch was made witness to the effect she had on life around her, but it was one of the times that would forever be stuck in his mind. He pulled her to a nice little spot on the hill, overlooking the beautiful afternoon sky's reflection on the lake. The park was surprisingly empty for it being such a nice day, even if it was technically before schools let out, but he wasn't going to complain about a little more privacy.

Butch pulled the blanket from her arm, careful to not make her drop the thermoses, and spread it out on the ground for them to sit on. Then, he put the food down and took one thermos from her so she could sit more easily, as well.

"What's in the drinks?"

"Blue raspberry lemonade," he grinned.

Her smile brightened. "Did Boomer tell you?"

"I actually remembered that one all on my own, thank you very much," he scoffed playfully. "It was kind of hard to ignore when you showed up every damn day to school with the same drink for three years straight."

Bubbles laughed. "You know, there's probably a lot of that kind of stuff that we just never thought of, huh?"

He nodded and continued conversation while also unloading the two to-go boxes from the black bag. "I assume we'll figure it all out with time. I was debating on what to bring along and I saw the mix you add to the water and it felt like a sign."

She rolled her eyes again and opened the to-go box labeled with 'Veg Meal' written across the top. Inside was a small bowl (with its own lid) of what she assumed to be the soup and what looked like two chocolate enchiladas. Her brows furrowed a little and he just grinned wider at her, passing her the spoon and fork for her meal. "You promise it's good?"

"Swear on my family jewels," he said in solemn truth.

Her eyes widened and she couldn't help the exasperated laugh that left her. Of all the things to jump to… Well, she knew he was serious. "Butch, you're a handful."

"Tell me something I don't know," he grinned. Then, with a cheeky, cheery pep, he spooned some of the soup and what looked like noodles into his mouth. He groaned at the taste, but she still felt a little hesitant. "Trust me, Angel."

The blonde paused to collect herself and then nodded. She pulled the lid off of the little bowl and used her spoon to mimic his actions- scooping soup and all into her mouth. He grinned wide enough to show off just how bright his teeth sparkled in the sunlight and she found herself grinning right back as the flavor exploded across her mouth. She lifted her hand to cover her mouth while she laughed at how he waggled his brows at her.

"Well? Am I right or am I right?"

Bubbles was barely able to get her bite down through her giggle fit he kept purposefully making worse. "That's really good- what kind of noodles are these, though?"

"They're not noodles, they're fried strips of corn tortilla," he grinned.

He wouldn't ever tell her about the secret Boomer had let him in on; Bubbles tended to get very giggly and affectionate if you could turn her on to new foods. He'd need to remember to thank his brother for that later because the pink on her cheeks and the joy in her eyes kept his rapt attention.

When did he get so soft?

The pair continued to eat and talk in general for the next ten or so minutes. However, that was about all they could do, as the crack of thunder that sounded like the sky was ripping open that nearly deafened them was followed immediately by torrential rainfall. The two barely managed to get their food safely covered before it was ruined by rain damage. Lightning flashed across the sky, sudden and loud and leaving the air around them charged with static that raised the hair off her arms.

"You didn't check the forecast?!" she asked.

"I didn't think about it!" he shouted back as they raced to pick up their stuff and get back to the motorcycle.

"I can't belie- whOA!"

Butch turned, alarmed by her sudden shout, just in time to see the results of her boot slipping on the wet ground. The blonde took a tumble down the hill they were on, her pigtails flying behind her as she, quite literally, rolled down the hill headed straight for the lake. He left the food and blanket there, unattended for the moment, and used his powers to rush down and stop her from falling into the lake. Her forward momentum, however, sent them both careening into the (thankfully) shallow waters near the shore line. He'd landed on his back on the rocky lake bottom with the blonde landing on top of him.

She sat up, her mouth wide open in shock.

He sputtered, spitting disgusting lake water from his mouth.

Sky eyes met forest.

Like something snapped, the two burst into loud, tear inducing laughter, barely heard over the intense rainfall and the roaring thunder. It might not be perfect or ideal, but it was perfect to them.

At least their first date was memorable.