Her eyes fluttered open to the sound of sizzling bacon and her heart nearly stopped. She sat up and scanned her surroundings, quickly sighing with relief at the refreshing sight of her home. For a moment she had thought she was back at the ruffs' mansion and this had all been a dream. She looked down at her all-too-real sister as she slept. Buttercup was definitely a deep sleeper, a monster could crush the house and she'd snooze through it. She reached forward and pushed the neck length locks from her sister's face. The peaceful serenity that adorned her face now was so much different from the look she had had whilst laying in the pit. At that time it had been a frozen, empty expression, so unlike her boisterous sister. Now she was breathing, snoring actually, and her skin was a normal hue. Blossom pulled the blankets up to her chin and leaned against the arm of the couch. The three of them had fallen asleep together while watching a trio of movies; romcom for Bubbles, horror for Buttercup, and drama for herself. She was a sucker for intense, psychological films, they made her see things in new perspectives and really exercised her brain, making her feel less guilty for sitting in front of a TV for so long. It had been a night she hadn't realized she'd desperately been longing for. Just a simple time with her family, full of laughter and wholehearted energy. And the delight of waking up to find her sisters safe and sound was inexplicable.

After resting beside her sleeping sister for a while longer, she found herself wandering into the kitchen, lured by a delicious smell. Her mouth watered as she spotted a plate full of strawberry pancakes resting beside a stack of sausage links, bacon, and scrambled eggs. Boomer may have been a good cook, but no one beat Bubbles. The blonde chef spun around and gave her a dazzling smile. Her pigtails were replaced by a slick ponytail and a headband. She was still in her pajamas but wearing an apron and bunny slippers, her typical attire for Sunday mornings.

"Good morning, Blossy!" She was like an actual ray of sunshine, her face gleaming with joy and blonde hair outshining the sun peaking through the window behind her head. Bubbles happiness was contagious.

"Good morning, Bubs." Blossom's eyes went wide at the sight of a fresh, steaming cup of coffee sitting on the table. She reached for it with unparalleled speed and put the drink to her lips. Not only could she not enjoy coffee at the ruffs, seeing as none of them drank the liquid gold, no one knew Bubbles' special recipe, not even Blossom.

"Is BC still sleeping?" Bubbles went back to her cooking, small form bouncing around the kitchen as she worked.

"Yeah, be grateful, now we'll actually have a chance to eat some bacon." Blossom pulled out a chair and a plate was set down in front of her. "You didn't have to-"

Bubbles shook her head with a delighted grin. "It's your first morning back, it has to be special. So I made your favorite pancakes aaaand-" She passed Blossom a small pitcher filled with a cream colored liquid. "-coconut syrup."

Blossom swiped at her mouth, afraid she was actually drooling. Strawberries and coconut, her absolute favorite. Her sister was an angel. "Thank you."

Bubbles winked and returned to the stove. "So now that we have some time...can you tell me a bit about the boys?"

Another row of pancakes were poured onto the griddle and a fresh set of bacon began to sizzle. Blossom picked up her fork. "Well, Butch is a total carbon copy of Buttercup, which shouldn't be surprising considering they're counterparts. He's obsessed with video games and junk food, he's a great listener, and I'm pretty sure one of his hobbies is boxing...he hinted towards it." She tapped her chin. "But he also likes to read. Pretty unusual for Butch, I was shocked at first, but that was one of the first real conversations I had with the boys."

"About books?" Bubbles blinked attentively.

The pancakes tasted as good as they looked. Blossom swallowed. "Yeah, Butch was wondering what I was reading and said he wanted to give it a shot."

Bubbles nodded. "That's kind of sweet. I wouldn't have expected Butch to be the friendliest of the three."

Blossom scoffed. "You're not the only one." She sipped her coffee. "I thought for sure Boomer would be since he's your counterpart." The blonde puff perked up at the mention of her parallel. "He wasn't so nice at first but it was only because he saw me as a threat, just like he was taught to. Once he got to know me and I him, he became just as friendly as Butch but a little more restrained. He's really good with advice...er, unlike Butch. AND-" She pointed her fork towards her sister. "-he can cook."

Bubbles' jaw dropped. "Nuh uh."

Blossom grinned. "I think you've finally found some real competition."

The blonde shook her head. "My counterpart can cook?" She stared off in contemplation, a hint of admiration hidden behind her azure irises. "I might have to be friends with him."

Blossom raised a sly eyebrow. "How come?"

Bubbles whipped around and threw her arms out. "I need to learn his ways! We have to share recipes! Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for a cooking partner?" She pressed her hands to her face. "It could be so much fun! But..." Her face saddened. "We still hate each other."

The fork clattered down on the empty plate. Blossom pushed back her chair and reached for her sister with a reassuring hand. "Bubs, the second you two get put in a kitchen together I promise things will go right. Just do like I said; give it a chance."

Her sister's bright gaze met her own and she nodded hopefully. "Okay, I will. I already promised you I would."

Blossom squeezed her shoulder. "It's not going to be easy for any of us, but we'll make it through. We always do."

Bubbles smiled and then a thick smell wafted through their noses and they both grimaced.

BEEEEEEEEEEP

Bubbles squealed and Blossom jumped nearly a foot off the ground. They both whipped around and found a tall flame encasing the bacon skillet. Bubbles grabbed a glass and filled it with water then turned to throw it onto the fire.

"NO!" Blossom slapped her hand over the cup. She looked at her flustered sister. "You can't put water on a grease fire."

Bubbles paled. "Oh my god, I'm sorry. I just panicked and-and I-"

Blossom shushed her. "Bubs, it's fine. I'll handle it ok-?"

"What in the FUCK is GOING ON!?" Buttercup stormed into the kitchen, sporting a sea-urchin hairstyle from her disturbed sleep.

"I got distracted and the bacon caught on fire!" Bubbles explained.

"Distracted? WHAT COULD POSSIBLY DISTRACT YOU FROM BACON!?"

Blossom moved the pancake griddle away from the stove along with the eggs. She gently blew on the flames, quickly killing the fire with her ice breath. She picked up the cooled skillet and tilted it. A pile of ashes gathered.

"I hope this wasn't all the bacon." She stated.

Bubbles sobbed. "It was!"

Buttercup growled and punched the still beeping smoke detector. The broken plastic fell to the floor. "DAMN IT! MY BACON! WHAT THE FUCK!"

Blossom sighed. "Calm down, I'll go to the store and get some more."

Bubbles bent her head. "I'm sorry, Blossom."

The pink puff waved away the apology. "Don't be. I gotta change and then I'll go. Anything else you guys need?"

Buttercup hopped back onto the couch. "Yeah, a fucking Red Bull."

Blossom rolled her eyes. Her sister's profanity in the morning was horrid, as was her temper. "Go back to sleep."

The green puff shrugged. "As the leader commands." And did as told, burying herself beneath the blankets.

It took her no time at all to retrieve the bacon but as she was walking out of the supermarket doors, she glanced to the west side of town. The tips of trees could just be seen over the buildings, thanks to the upward slope that the forest outskirts rested on. She looked at the sun. It was still early and knowing Buttercup, she'd sleep in for another two hours, so the bacon could wait just a few minutes. She grinned and took off.

Now that her return had been published in the newspapers and spread across all the social media networks, she'd be able to find out whether the city would welcome her back or not. Of course, she was going to continue leading her sisters regardless of the citizens' opinion, but she still needed to know where her place was among them. Once that was figured out and she'd turned in her work permit and other papers, she would be able to focus on other priorities. The biggest one being the ruffs. They had found a house, all they needed to do was get approval from the mayor and make a down payment. Once the ruffs became legal heroes, they would start earning money and be able to pay for the house themselves. Blossom would continue to help them and train them until Brick could take over. Who knows, maybe in the end they could all be friends. The thought still made Blossom laugh.

She swept over the tall pines and oaks, dipping lower and lower the closer she got to the mansion. She still couldn't believe how naive she had been in the beginning. Brick had said to her that she might not be in Townsville, and of course she believed him. Obviously she knew there were woods near the city, she just didn't expect to find a mansion in the middle of them. In her defense, the mansion was pretty far out, buried deep in the trees, a perfect spot for the ruffs to hide. But now they were going to start living out in the open. Blossom's heart fluttered at the thought of Brick living just across the street from her. The possibility of living with her sisters while her ruff was just a step away would've been a joke to her before, now it was a beautiful reality.

The mansion was still cast in a sheet of shadows as the dawn light remained hidden behind the trees, but the ethereal glow of the chandeliers inside told her that someone was awake. She floated to the door and knocked lightly.

"Get the door!" A growl from inside shook the frame.

"Calm down, I am!" Something crashed to the ground.

"I'll calm down when you start listening to me!"

"WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M DOING!?" She flinched.

"I'm talking about the lesson, you didn't listen to a god damn word!"

It sounded like glass hit the floor this time. "Maybe you should learn to be less boring! Take some tips from Pinky when you see her, eh!?"

"FUCK O-"

The door slammed open and a vase shattered against the wall beside Butch's head. She blinked and he slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Oh shit, Bloss, uhhh that wasn't-"

Brick was suddenly at the door with wide eyes. "Pinky!? The hell are you doing here?"

She folded her arms behind her back. "Well I had to run an errand and was in the area so I decided to stop by. Can I come in?"

Brick hesitated with his mouth agape. Butch swatted his arm and he snapped out of it. "Uh yeah, yeah sure." He held the door for her and gestured to Butch, who shot away at an alarming speed. She wandered in and caught sight of the suit cases and boxes stacked up beside the stairs.

"You guys already packed?" She questioned.

He nodded and quickly folded one of the still open boxes shut. It was labeled 'Brick's ONLY' in red block letters. "Oh wow, you have perfect handwriting..." She glanced at the other boxes, some marked with green or blue, but the red always had the best penmanship. "Kind of like a computer."

Brick wasn't paying any attention to her words. "This is pretty much everything. Boomer just needs to grab a few more clothes and Butch still has to organize his box of video games. Other then that though, we're set." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "So how did things go with the mayor?"

She frowned, turning away from the boxes. "It could have been better. The governor certainly wasn't happy to see me...but she's never been too keen with us superheroes, it's the rest of the governments' votes that keep our rights stable. If she had the ultimate say we'd be doo-" She caught his weary look and changed her tone. "She's not my favorite governor, but there's nothing she can do about us, she needs us...Mrs. Bellum had a few papers for me, heroes now have to fill out work permits, so you guys will have to do that. The mayor was...well...too intrigued by his pickles to really notice anything. The meeting got cut short, my sisters and I had to stop a monster attack. Now everyone knows I'm back, I'm just waiting to see if they want me back."

He nodded along but before he could say anything, Butch reappeared, looking slightly flustered. "Sorry about that, Bloss. I thought you were the UPS guy."

She raised an eyebrow. "UPS? Out here in the middle of nowhere?"

Brick rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Butch has to have all of the newest video games."

Butch scowled. "Don't act like it's a hassle for you, it ain't your money, I always use stolen credit ca-"

"Butch, shut up." Brick sneered through his teeth.

Blossom crossed her arms and addressed the green ruff. "And when was the last time you used one of those credit cards?"

Butch glanced between the two reds, contemplating which death glare was more terrifying. He chose to try to appease both. "I...er...don't remember?"

Brick gave his brother an approving look that Blossom couldn't see. Said puff narrowed her eyes and directed her glare on Brick. "I'll ask you then. When was the last time one of these credit cards was used?"

The red ruff crossed his arms and towered over her. "None of your business."

She grabbed him by the scuff of his shirt and yanked him down to her level with an aggressive sneer, taking both ruffs for surprise. "It is my business now that you three plan to become heroes in my city and live in a house that I am mostly paying for."

Butch backed up.

Brick paused. "Um...I don't remember...either?"

Her hand was brought back and then struck cleanly across Brick's face with a loud SLAP. He stumbled away, holding his cheek with a bewildered jaw drop, she caught him and pulled him right back down. "Try again." She hissed.

Both ruffs' eyes were wide, one with shock, one with terror.

"Bro just tell her." Butch muttered.

Brick stared into his counterpart's furious eyes. He choked on his words. "Last. Week."

This time he saw stars and had to grab hold of the stair railings. A growl escaped her throat, "Are you telling the truth?"

Brick gripped the railings for dear life. "Y-yeah."

And then she smiled at him, anger completely erased from her expression, which horrified both ruffs. "That's payback for everything you did to me and for not telling me about this sooner. Now Butch..." She set her gaze on the green ruff who was already trembling, despite her softened glare. "Would you please get the cards for me." He began stepping away slowly. "AND I WANT ALL OF THEM." She roared, startling the ruff and causing him to bolt away in a flash of green. She turned to Brick, who was staring at her with open eyes and a pale face.

"Are you feeling alright?" He breathed.

She smiled again. "I'm fine. But you better get used to following my orders if you want to become heroes. When I ask a question, you answer it the first time and you never lie to me. Got it?"

His pride winced as he nodded.

She beamed. "Good."

The credit cards were cut up and tossed away and the order that Butch had recently placed was canceled. Blossom considered returning the cards to their owners and trying to make up for their stolen money but...she already had so much on her plate at the moment and didn't need the boys being thrown in jail for theft right now. So as much as it hurt her hero status, she decided to simply destroy the evidence.

"Imagine if you worked everyday for eight hours, receiving only minimum wage, barely surviving, and then someone steals your card. You go bankrupt, causing you to lose your home and your job, now you're living on the streets because some asshole teenager wanted to buy the latest version of Call of Duty. Does that sound pleasant?" She met each of the boys' eyes as they shook their heads. "Right. So we don't do that. No stealing of any kind. Especially credit cards. The amount of trouble that'll get you into is..." She scoffed and shook her own head. "Let's just say it's not fun." She folded her arms. "I'm going to give you a punishment for this. Brick already got his slap in the face, so now Butch-" She eyed him up and he practically cowered beneath her gaze. "You get to carry every single one of those boxes and suitcases to your new house when the time comes, plus you get to make sure this place looks spotless after you leave."

Butch threw himself back in his seat with a loud groan. "Noooooooo!" The chair lost balance from his weight and he fell to the floor roughly, where he simply sprawled out and moaned a line of curses.

She faced Boomer and he paled. "But I didn't lie to-!"

She put a hand up to silence him. "Boomer, you get to spend a day cooking with my sister."

Everyone froze, even Butch who was in the middle of a temper tantrum. Boomer blinked slowly. "Wait...WHAT!?"

Brick cocked his head to the side. "Pinky, are you sure this isn't moving a little too fa-"

"It's hard to believe and it's going to be hard to achieve, but in order for things to work out, the puffs and ruffs need to find a middle ground. This is the perfect opportunity. My sister is an amazing chef and the second I told her that you cook, she was ecstatic. Neither me nor Buttercup can cook for shit, Butch can't boil water-"

"Hey!"

"-And Brick doesn't enjoy cooking like you and Bubbles do, Boomer." She acknowledged the blue ruff who was frowning in thought. "You two could connect through that. I know you've only ever thought of her as your enemy, but like I said, we all have to get along at some point."

"Could work." Brick considered.

Blossom hopped out of her chair. "It will work if they both put in effort, which I know they will. But Boomer," She caught the blonde boy's attention. "You have to let go of that fear that we're going to hurt you. My sister is not going to lay a hand on you...neither of my sisters are. If you continue to feel threatened then you'll never make a connection. You can't be friends with someone you fear."

Butch shrugged. "That's true. But do we really have to be friends with them?"

"Enemies or friends, there is no in between, just like we are either villains or heroes. It's one or the other." Brick surprisingly spoke for her.

Blossom grinned. "Exactly."

Boomer let out a sigh. "Fine. But it's going to be so...awkward."

"Maybe, but you'll get over it." Blossom stated nonchalantly, knowing that her sister had a talent of making anyone and everyone feel comfortable. Boomer had nothing to worry about.

She grabbed Brick's hand and waved a goodbye to the boys. "Hopefully the next time we see each other, I'll have the mayor's approval for the house. See ya."

They waved their respectful farewells and Blossom pulled Brick outside the door, which she closed behind them.

"How much longer do you think?" He asked as soon at they were out of earshot.

She gave him a mocking glare and spoke in a gruff voice. "You don't get to ask questions."

He rolled his eyes at her impersonation of himself. "Ha. Ha. Very funny."

She chuckled. "I'm not sure, Mrs. Bellum already made a complete report of my return. She should have a vague idea of how people are taking it by this evening. I'll fill out the papers as soon as I get home and turn them in when I get the news. So by tomorrow at the earliest I can start talking to the mayor about you guys. If things go right, then we'll be able to move you guys into the house by Thursday."

He sighed. "That's five days away still...damn it."

She cocked an eyebrow. "What're you in such a hurry for?"

His eyes narrowed dangerously and he tilted her chin up with his finger. "You."

She giggled as he brought her hand to his lips. "You know PDA isn't allowed once you're a hero."

His eyes sparkled. "Well then you'll just have to hang out with me more to make up for it."

She shrugged. "In five days, sure."

He sighed again, this time heavier, making her laugh.

"You know, I don't need another impatient hot head on my team." She teased.

He played with a piece of her hair. "I'm sorry that I was born this way."

She took a turn to roll her eyes before taking his hand from her hair and placing it against her cheek, leaning into it. Her pink eyes shimmered up at him and he melted. "You were born perfect, my little Bricky."

He grimaced. "Ew, don't call me that."

She smirked and wrapped her arms around his neck to give him a final hug. He lifted her off the ground and squeezed her against his chest, forcing a giggle out of her.

"Well, I'll see you when I see you I guess." He said as he set her back on her feet.

She nodded but paused before leaving, casting her gaze downward. Brick frowned.

"Pinky?"

She bit her lip and looked up at him guiltily. "There's uh...something I've been meaning to tell you." Her eyes flitted away as she considered her thoughts. She was wringing her hands nervously. "Ever since my sisters and I reunited...we haven't talked much about us. And I know we were going to sort things out later but this needs to be said now." She glanced over her shoulder. The sun just barely peaked over the tree tops and when she turned back to Brick, she saw it reflect in his crimson irises. She would have to make this quick, the bacon could go bad. "I didn't take that time away from you to think about my sisters...I did it to get my mind off of you."

He winced. "Really?"

A nod. "Ever since that day at the tree, the same day you saved me from Mojo, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I couldn't figure out how I felt. Did I reciprocate the same feelings you held for me? Or did I still see you as an enemy?" The hurt look on his face stabbed her in the gut. She quickly got to the point. "No matter what I did, you wouldn't abandon my thoughts. I was...obsessed it seems. And now I know why." She tugged on the hem of her shirt. Brick moved to hold her hand but thought otherwise and crossed his arms instead. Her face was red with embarrassment and her throat tightened. Now she understood why it was so hard for Brick. This could change everything. Her feelings for him could get in the way. His feelings for her could end up hurting him. What would her sisters think? What would the Professor think? She closed her eyes, her father would approve of her decisions regardless of the consequences because he had full faith in her judgment. Her sisters would be defensive and possibly angry about the situation, but would initially come to terms with it, as they always did. She clenched her fists, one still knotted in her shirt, and sighed,"It's because...I-I love you too."

He winced even harder, but the look of pain on his face was replaced with shock. "You mean that?"

She met his gaze, chest swelling with fear. Why this was so embarrassing for her, she didn't know. What she did know was that she wanted to leave and hide her burning cheeks as soon as possible. She gripped the bag in her hand tightly. "Yeah..."

"You have no fucking idea how relieved I am to hear that." He muttered, sweeping a hand across his brow.

She blinked. "Relieved?"

He looked at her with wide eyes. "Pinky, do you have any idea how horrifying it was to admit my feelings to you? I'm pretty sure my ego was bruised for an entire week afterwards. I hate talking about emotions and that shit scared me, like genuinely scared me. I thought I had been rejected and I'm pretty sure I would've buried myself alive out of embarrassment. Wait...fuck, I'm talking about feelings again. I probably sound like an idiot." He slapped his hand against his forehead. She grinned.

"No, I feel the exact same way. Do you not see my face right now?" She asked, pointing to her red skin, which earned a laugh from him. "I have never EVER liked anyone before. I've never been in anything close to a relationship. I've never even danced with a guy at homecoming...even Buttercup danced with someone!" Another laugh. She shook her head. "I get it, I do. Feelings make us vulnerable and as leaders we can't afford to be weak. But honestly, we've been making each other stronger nowadays, so I don't see a problem." She bit her cheek. "Even your brothers ship it."

He pulled a face. "Ugh, of course they do."

She smiled shyly and crossed her hands. "I have to apologize though. I'm sorry that it took so long. I didn't mean to make you feel rejected because I know how hard showing your feelings was. I should have been honest with you from the start. I'm sorry, Br-"

"If you say sorry one more time I'm gonna kick you off my property." He cut her off. She raised an eyebrow at him and he smirked. "I think you should get that bacon home before your 'impatient, hot headed' sister has a fit."

She frowned. "How did you-?"

"Butch is the same way. One hour without bacon and he's torn apart half of the house."

Blossom chuckled. "Getting those two to see eye-to-eye is going to be a hell of a challenge." She sighed, the sun was now glowing on his face, it was time to go. "I hope it won't be too much longer."

He nodded. "Me too." He gave her a smile. "See ya later babe."

She smirked and leaned up, pressing a kiss against his cheek. The blush never failed. She backed away with a taunting twinkle in her eyes. "Bye, Bricky poo."

Then she bolted off into the sunrise, giggling at the shout that followed after her.

"DAMN IT PINKY!"