author's note: There won't be a chapter up for a while! I will be back on Jan. 7th with a new chapter, but until then, consider this story on a Holiday Hiatus! This is, again, not beta-read!
The song this time is Open Arms by RKCB!
Saturday, Apr. 10
The actual weekends were never her weekends.
Bubbles never had Friday, Saturday or Sunday off- from patrols, from interning, from schooling even. The actual weekends never felt better or more special than any other day of the week to her. Even now, her days off were Wednesdays and Thursdays- though, now, those days were taken up by her new pet grooming class. It was only five weeks long- ten classes total- but it was something the blonde had already fallen so deeply in love with.
There was something so satisfying about being able to barter with the dogs or cats to get them to behave when nobody else in the class could.
Being able to actually understand the animals gave her a bit of a leg up on the others.
Was that cheating…?
Either way, the blonde needed her sleep on the weekends. She could stay up a little later than usual and sleep in, as her morning college classes were only during the weekdays- but it was hard for her to sleep in. Or, it used to be. It still was, to some degree, but Butch's presence helped her claim a few extra hours of sleep where she could. Regardless, everyone still knew and understood that the weekends were recuperative times.
Barely thirty minutes before midnight, the four warm bodies in her apartment were all gearing down for bed. Despite Bubbles being the one slowly moving her stuff into Butch's apartment, when she did stay at her own apartment, he'd always somehow find a reason to stay over with her. He was good at coming up with playful, dumb and ridiculous excuses- ranging from ' I saw a spider and got scared without you ' (despite her being the one of the two of them with the arachnophobia) to ' there was an alien invasion and the only thing they took was my bed so now I have to use yours '.
Coffee and Candy had taken turns exhausting themselves with the toys they had scattered around the living room floor (that the couple would, no doubt, regret leaving out for them by morning) and had curled up in Coffee's bed. Despite it only having enough room for one of them, Candy laid on top of her brother so they both fit.
Butch was occupying her shower, cleaning up before bed, and the blonde herself was reading a book on the couch, willingly allowing herself to, once more, get lost in a world of poetry.
And then, her phone rang.
Her brows furrowed in confusion, but upon seeing that it was her counterpart, she answered quickly. "Hello, Boomie?"
"Bubsy, wh-where are you? Are you home? Please tell me you're home…"
Worry dropped her heart to her stomach and she quickly put her bookmark in her book and closed it for the night. He never stuttered- and the waver in his voice concerned her more than his late and abrupt call did. "I am, Butch and I are at my apartment tonight. What's going on? Are you okay?"
He laughed on the other end but she couldn't tell if it was genuine or sarcastic- or even just exasperated. "Yes? No? I don't know. I'm elated, but I'm crying because I'm so fucking worried but I… Can… Fuck, is Butch there already ?"
The blonde stood up and quickly went to her kitchen to look out of her kitchen windows. Sure enough, as she expected, hovering in the air just a ways away was her cobalt counterpart. Red faced, a violently wobbling smile on his face, his entire body trembling despite the warmer air and the warmer clothes he wore. Her breath caught. "He is, but you're okay, Boomie. Please come in."
"I can't, Bubsy, I- " He looked around himself, obviously worried about someone or something hearing him. "Fuck… I just… "
"Butch," Bubbles said loudly enough for him to hear her from her bathroom with his super hearing, "Boomer and I are gonna be on the balcony!"
"Is everything okay ?" her boyfriend called back.
"I don't know but I'll find out," she answered simply. Boomer hung up their call but she could clearly see him flying over to her balcony and rushed through the house to meet him out there. When she came out, she barely had time to close the squeaky door behind her before her counterpart had engulfed her in a very, very tight hug.
Just a little too tight for comfort, but she was one of the few beings who could handle such a tight embrace from someone with super strength. The only other beings that could withstand it being other supers themselves.
Her arms wrapped around him in kind, much looser in their hold, her hands rubbing slow and comforting circles against his back as he immediately just started openly crying on her shoulder. His hands were shaking so badly, his entire body shaking so badly, that she felt a little upset that she didn't have the room for more than one chair out there. Still, she did guide them to the chair and let him sit.
He pulled her onto his knees, not letting go of her, and she was quick to curl into his lap.
Bubbles threaded her fingers through his hair and hummed an unknown tune through her nose. Even when Butch came just a little ways from the door to make sure everything was okay, well after having finished his shower and having gotten dressed for the night. Even when she shooed him away with a small shake of her head. Even when she heard the television in her living room start up- loud enough to block the blondes out if they spoke quietly, when her boyfriend gave them the privacy they needed.
She kept humming, kept playing with his hair and kept right there while he needed it most.
It took him a good long while to calm down, but he eventually got there.
"…I'm sorry for all this."
Bubbles shushed him gently and looked to his reddened cobalt eyes when he pulled back. "There's nothing to apologize for, Boomie, it's alright. I promise. Are you okay?"
He nodded yes. Then he shook his head no. Then he nodded yes again. Then, he sighed heavily. "I… I don't know. I don't know what to do ."
"What's going on?" she whispered.
He gulped, reached up to the turtleneck he wore, and pulled the fabric down.
Her sky blue eyes widened when she saw, plain as day, a thick, dark mahogany brown band wrapping around his throat. There, stark like a tattoo, it branded his skin at the base of his neck like a choker necklace.
The mark someone who found their soulmate bore.
Her mouth opened, closed, opened again, closed again, and she looked to his eyes again.
Now, she understood.
"Who…?"
His eyes swam with tears again and he gulped it down. "Mike."
"Oh, Boomie," she whispered.
There were so many things she wanted to say to him- things she wanted to let him know that she understood… But nothing felt right. He wasn't out to either of his brothers yet- or her sisters for that matter. She wasn't even sure if he was out to their other friends or not, but there had to be some level of mutual attraction between the two for that to trigger.
Now, the bands were there.
No amount of turtlenecks would save him- not when the weather was already getting too warm to wear them in. The night air still hung a little on the colder side, so she didn't think too much about it when she'd first seen him floating out of her window. Now, she understood just why he wore it.
He was, essentially, being forced out of his safe place because he happened to be one of the lucky lucky few who found that level of happiness.
He was elated- happy. Ecstatic, even.
But... He was terrified.
And she didn't know where- or how- to even begin to start helping him. She didn't think she could do anything other than just supporting him when he needed it. She didn't know where to even begin to start talking to him about it. She didn't know if he wanted to talk about it or if he just needed her to be there for him. Unsure of what to do, she cleared her throat just a little and started with a question she hoped was neutral enough. "You're… You're happy with him?"
"So, so happy, Bubsy," he whispered, his voice thick with emotions.
She smiled weakly at him. "I am so, so happy for you- and so incredibly proud of you," she whispered. His smile wobbled dangerously again, but she wasn't going to stop him from feeling what he needed to feel out. "And I'm right here. Every time- any time. Just tell me how I can help you and I will, okay? I'll be an ear to vent or a shoulder to cry on or I can do something more direct. Just say the word."
He nodded and inhaled shakily. "…Do… Do you think…"
She understood the question just by the panic and concern hiding in his cobalt eyes, when they glanced back towards her apartment.
"I think everyone is going to be happy for you," she answered so he didn't have to voice the words he didn't like to think about. "I think everyone is going to keep going just like we were before. I don't think anything will change unless you want it to. You're still my counterpart, you're still a Ruff, and you're still our Boomer."
His hands tightened around her. "Thank you."
"Always. And if I can't help, I'll always be here to listen and let you let it out."
He nodded and rested his forehead against her shoulder again. "I know. It's why you're the best."
"I've heard that a lot recently," she laughed lightly.
It was silent for a long moment again before he asked on a soft, soft whisper, "And Butch…?"
"Would absolutely be willing to hear you out," she answered softly. She had every bit of trust and faith in the taller Ruff. "I can leave you two alone or I can be there with you, if you want to talk to him tonight."
"Go tell him to turn the tv down and wait with him, I'll… I'll be in there in a second."
"Are you going to change?" she asked.
They both knew Butch would immediately notice and ask questions.
He nodded. "I just… I need a second."
Bubbles nodded back at him and stood up slowly. "Don't force yourself if you're not ready… Okay? I'll cover for you." Her sky blue eyes lingered on her counterpart for another couple of seconds just to make sure he nodded and heard her out before she came back inside- leaving the squeaky door cracked open for him to be able to have a more silent entry to the apartment when he was ready.
Inside her room, between Boomer and Butch yet outside of their views, her jaw clenched tightly.
She took a half second to steady her own shaking hands.
"Do you think we have soulmates? "
" I, personally, don't believe we do. "
She shook her head violently, forcing the memory as far away from her conscious thoughts as possible. There was something so, so incredibly jarring about seeing literal confirmation that yes, they did have soulmates. Something she'd refused to let herself hope in for so, so long.
Her teeth clenched harder and she forcibly swallowed back the clusterfuck of emotions that had balled themselves in her throat. She had no time, want or will to even attempt untangling them and inspecting them at that moment.
She couldn't handle that.
Not now.
It wasn't about her.
When she came around the bend of the hall, Butch turned the tv down and turned to her, more worried about the blues than he was about whatever he was running to help drown their conversation out. "…Everything okay?"
He didn't even try to mask the concern he felt.
She offered a small smile and a nod. She walked around behind the couch, bent over the back of it and wrapped her arms around his chest, her forehead resting on his shoulder. He lifted his hands to cover hers and leaned his head back against her shoulder. "I think it will be. He'll be inside in a minute."
"Should I-"
"He wants to talk to you," she interrupted. "I'm just here for his moral support."
Butch went silent again but he hummed. "But you think everything is gonna be okay?"
"I trust that it will," she answered easily. "You've just gotta be you."
"I'll be my best me then."
"Just be the best brother you can be." She placed a kiss on his cheek and stood up straight, hearing the telltale squeak of her door shutting. "I'll make us some tea in the meantime."
"Pick the kids' food bowls up? I forgot to do that earlier."
Bubbles giggled. "I will. You get to wake me up with breakfast tomorrow to compensate, though."
Butch chuckled, listening to her move around the kitchen. "Fair enough. We'll need to get flour soon."
She waited until the water was in the kettle before she replied. "We have plenty at your apartment- I can just steal some from you."
"That doesn't fill these cabinets, though," he chuckled.
There was that little hum through her nose that made his lips twitch into a smile. "Green or oolong?" she asked.
"Chamomile?"
"I'm out," she huffed. "I guess I do need to go shopping soon…"
He rolled his eyes. "Told you. Green tea, then."
She hummed, already knowing Boomer's preference of oolong without needing to ask him, too. Her counterpart waited until she'd brought the three mugs of tea out to the living room before he even came out of the blonde's room. Bubbles sat the two mugs of oolong on one side of her coffee table and sat butch's green tea in front of him on the other side, though her own mug was closer to the end of the table than the opposite side.
Butch stood to grab the throw blanket from the blonde's recliner.
Bubbles looked up in time to see Boomer walk into the room. His eyes were puffy and red and he'd managed to calm most of his trembling down but his hands still shook ever so slightly. What stuck out was just how noticeable the band around his neck was. When the taller of the Ruff's turned to see him, it seemed that it was the first thing he noticed as well.
Butch froze just before he could sit down, his forest eyes wide in shock.
Before he could say anything, though, Boomer injected two words that made his brother stand up straighter.
"I'm gay."
Bubbles very briefly wondered if there was maybe a better way to handle that (not that it was her place to do so)- but her boyfriend didn't wait even a second to rush over and wrap his older brother in a tight, tight hug. Boomer seemed a little shocked, but quickly returned the brotherly embrace, his hands clutching tightly to her boyfriend's shirt. They stayed there, in one another's embrace for a long moment before either said anything…
And just like she thought, it was her boyfriend who spoke first.
"I am so, so sorry that I ever made you feel like I'd think any differently of you for that," he choked out, his voice tight. "And I'm so, so happy for you, man."
She felt like she was intruding on their moment and redirected her attention to her steaming mug of tea- and then to the two cuddled up cats. Anything to not feel like she was witnessing a moment she shouldn't be seeing.
"I was so scared you would," her counterpart whispered.
The admission was so raw and truthful and bare .
"Never, never ever," Butch easily answered. "I promise. Who's the lucky man, anyway?"
Boomer's laugh was incredulous and filled with relief. "Believe," he answered with a wobbly tone. "We've… Uh… We've been a thing for three years now and it… This just happened tonight."
Bubbles' smile was bright, wide, and joyous as the two brothers came to sit on the couch- where she then scooted Boomer's tea over in front of him. "Three years, huh? Is that where you'd disappear off without telling us shit?"
The blond laughed nervously. "Maybe?"
"Are you gonna sleep here tonight?" the lass asked, her voice soft when she interrupted.
Boomer nodded. "Yeah, if you two don't mind."
"You're welcome here anytime, you know that," Bubbles reassured.
"Either of our places- you're welcome anytime," Butch agreed easily. But, the green Ruff had one more thought on his mind. "…Not to bring this up at literally the worst time ever, but does… Does this have anything to do with why y'all split in the first place?"
Boomer looked at Bubbles, and Bubbles looked up at the ceiling, pointedly avoiding any and all eye contact. He eventually sighed. "It makes what happened make more sense in hindsight."
"She hasn't said anything," he reassured his brother. "Told me to ask you and I promised not to ask her again. If you wanna talk about it, go ahead, if not or if this just ain't the time, then don't worry about it- there's more important shit going on, obviously."
Boomer smiled softly, a guilt written behind it that made Butch even more curious.
"It wasn't like I was looking to cheat, mind you. I thought I was straight, maybe bisexual, so I wasn't talking to anyone other than the guys and Bubsy… Turns out I'm very much not straight, and I kissed Mike one night at a party. There's… A little more to it than that, but that's the broader strokes." The blond sighed, his cobalt eyes looking to his counterpart with the stain of regret deep in them. "Didn't know what else to do, but I knew she deserved nothing less than the truth."
"Makes a lot of sense," Butch whispered. "I'd assume it'd be pretty fuckin' hard to withstand the draw of someone who's meant to be your soulmate, no?"
He nodded. "Doesn't make it right…"
"Makes it more understandable," Bubbles urged with a soft smile. "Like you said, Boomie, you weren't looking to do anything with anyone. If you weren't actively looking for it, knowing you, you probably stumbled ass first into it and didn't realize until you were already too deep."
He laughed and nodded along. "I deserve that one- and you're absolutely right. That's basically how it happened."
Butch elbowed the shorter man lightly. "To be fair, I'm pretty sure all of us Ruffs are that way. Stumbling ass backwards into shit because we don't notice it. You know, family genetics and all."
"You're literally made of snails."
"So are you, asshole, you just have more hair in you."
"Explains why you can't grow a mustache to save your life," he snorted.
Forest eyes turned to pin his girlfriend with his offended gaze. "Is it ethical to kill my older brother today?"
The lass hummed thoughtfully. "Not after he just came out. Today it's a hate crime. Tomorrow, though…" Bubbles trailed off playfully.
Boomer scoffed at the two. "Rude. I see how welcome I am."
Bubbles then gave her counterpart an incredulous glance. "…You act like you don't have three whole drawers of your stuff here that I've been trying to get you to take home!"
"My stuff is welcome, but I'm not," he grinned back.
She reached over and slapped his shoulder.
"Didn't you just say bullying me today is a hate crime?"
"Not when it's from me it's not," she rolled her eyes. Butch and Boomer both laughed and for the moment, everything in the world was perfect. For the moment, everything stayed nice and level, balanced very precariously on the ledge of perfection. His brother and counterpart were there and fully on his side, fully accepting that this is just him- and for that moment, life was perfect. Bubbles even felt that way, as the joy for her counterpart finding such a level of happiness made her blood race.
It wouldn't last…
But for now, they'd all enjoy it.
