"What...the fuck."
Lime green and baby blue eyes were challenged by forest green and navy blue glares. Both sides stood as still as possible, never looking away from their counterparts. Buttercup wanted to wipe the greasy half-lipped smirk of the asshole's stupid face. Bubbles wanted to retreat back to her bedroom and hide away from the vicious 'ex-villains' now standing in her house. Butch was utterly amused by his counterpart's disgust but also somewhat confused as to whether he should feel hatred or indifference towards her. Boomer was ready to leave.
Blossom bit her lip and turned to Brick. "Should we do something?"
He gave her a one armed shrug. "Maybe we should let them figure shit out on their own."
"We can hear you." Both greens shot deadly glares at each other after speaking at the same time.
The boys had officially claimed their new house across the street from the puffs yesterday. It had taken a lot of persuading and arguing, but Blossom had worked her magic and gotten the mayor and Bellum to approve of the boys' 'second chance'. From now on, they were required to attend town meetings, with one of the puffs accompanying them, in order to educate them in the ways of the law. The puffs would have to provide a report on the boys' behavior each week, which would keep them in check. And they would have to perform 168 hours of community service that didn't include hero work. Since they were now accepted by the mayor, Blossom decided it would be best to try and reintroduce the two trios. So far, it wasn't going too well...
Her sisters were standing close together, as far from the ruffs as possible.
"I don't like this..." Bubbles whimpered, averting her gaze.
Buttercup shook her head, never breaking her glare at Butch. "I don't either Bubs, but we promised Bloss that we would at least try and-"
Boomer cleared his throat. "So you, uh, you...cook?"
Both girls stared at the blue ruff.
Bubbles pointed at herself. "M-me?"
He crossed his arms, squeezing his fingers around his slim biceps to quench his nerves. "Yeah..."
She nodded slowly, shifting her eyes. "Yeah, I cook...do you?"
He only nodded, also looking away. An awkward silence passed over the group.
Brick whispered into Blossom's ear. "Maybe we should give them space? As in not standing here staring at them?"
She met his dismayed look. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
He took her hand. "We'll just stand in the kitchen, only a few feet away but out of sight, okay?"
She hesitated but ultimately nodded and they retreated to the other room. Blossom hopped onto the counter and Brick went to her side, pushing open the window next to her head to divert the silence. A warm breeze swept her hair into his face and she chuckled, pulling it into a ponytail. "Sorry." He removed a strand from his face and helped her tuck it back with a smirk.
"I'm glad I didn't leave my hair that long. Man, that was hell to handle." He said as he tightened his own low ponytail, his being much, much shorter.
She brushed the stray pieces from his face. "At least now you brush it."
His lips turned downwards. "I did before."
Her eyebrows rose and she shook her head. "That's kind of terrifying then."
He opened his mouth to respond when there was a shatter in the living room. Brick moved but Blossom caught him with a hand to his chest. "Just look through the wall."
They did just that, using their x-ray vision to see what was happening with their siblings.
Butch was on the ground trying to scoop up a pile of glass while Bubbles was waving her hands frantically, telling him to leave it, and Buttercup was actually snickering, albeit a sadistic snicker.
"Shit, my bad. I didn't know there was a table there." The green ruff grumbled nervously, still gathering the shards into his hands.
"Butch, please don't do that!" Bubbles pleaded but to no avail.
"I made a mess, gotta clean it up." He responded.
Boomer grimaced. "Bro, at least put gloves on or something."
Bubbles nodded. "Y-yeah I'll go get some, okay? Just stop doing that you're going to get hurt!"
Butch grudgingly leaned back on his heels and stopped picking up the glass. Bubbles quickly disappeared from the scene, Blossom assumed into the lab, and Buttercup suddenly realized that she was alone with two ruffs. Her sister immediately halted her laughter and tensed. Butch grinned up at her sheepishly.
"What's...up?"
Buttercup's back was turned to Blossom but she saw her fingers curl and uncurl, something she did when she was scared. Blossom's chest tightened at that. She didn't want to imagine how horrible it must be for her sisters to have to face their murderers. The anger of what had been done to them and their leader. The embarrassment of their weaknesses being revealed and having lost. The confusion and mixed feelings being forced upon them by Blossom's sudden alliance with the boys. Maybe Brick was right, maybe they were moving too fast.
"The ceiling...dumbass." Buttercup's words came out slow and hesitant, but at least she was trying to lighten up the tension.
Butch snorted at that and even Boomer's face softened. Bubbles returned and handed Butch the Professor's old pair of rubber utility gloves.
"Cool, t-thanks." Butch stuttered as he slid the gloves on and gathered up the glass. Buttercup brought over the garbage can and the mess was disposed of. "So was that an important vase...or what?"
Buttercup folded her arms. "An important vase? It was for holding fucking flowers, we have like a hundred more."
Bubbles elbowed her sister with a scolding glare. "Buttercup, don't swear."
She threw a look at her shorter sister. "It's fine, Bubbles."
"No it's not."
"Stop it."
"I will when you stop swearing."
"They're ruffs."
The blonde narrowed her eyes. "They're guests!"
The green puff threw her arms up at the blonde. "You think they're sensitive to the word fuck?!"
Bubbles stomped her foot. "It's called good manners!"
"They're our enemies we don't have to-!"
"Buttercup!"
"What!?"
"You're being rude, stop it!"
"I AM NOT BEING RUDE!" Her face was growing red.
"Yes you are, they're standing right there and you're talking down on them!"
"What the fuck do you expect? You think I'm going to welcome them with open arms? THEY FUCKING KILLED US GOD DAMN IT!" The minute the words left her mouth, she regretted them. She slapped a hand over her mouth. Bubbles gasped. Butch paled. Boomer took a step towards the door. Blossom bit her cheek.
"It had to come out eventually..." Brick murmured.
Buttercup took a step back. "I-" She couldn't speak, her voice was shaking. When she turned around, her face was beat red and she retreated upstairs. Bubbles hesitated, glancing at the two boys.
"It-it was nice...seeing-?" She couldn't even force the words out. Her hands trembled and she hurried after her sister. Butch got up from the ground and looked to Boomer, both boys' eyes were huge.
Brick glanced at Blossom who gave him a nod. "Boys get in here." His call immediately brought the two ruffs into the kitchen.
"Bro, I'm sorry I didn't mean to break that vase and cause her to-!"
"Butch, it's fine." Blossom spoke softly. "It wasn't your fault. As I've said many times before and will continue to remind you; this is going to take time. We've all been arch enemies since...well, forever. We won't become besties in one day."
Butch sighed, rubbing his arm guiltily. "Okay..."
BOOM
CRACK
All four teens jumped at the sudden roar of thunder. A blinding white flash of lightning followed it, striking the air right beside the window. Sobbing echoed from upstairs instantaneously. Blossom winced and returned to the ground, she gave the repentant boys a weary glance.
"I'll be right back."
She found her sisters in Buttercup's room, a sobbing Bubbles face planted in the bed. Buttercup sat beside her, delicately rubbing the girl's convulsing back, looking just as distraught. Blossom's face fell into a compunctious frown and she moved over to rest on Bubbles' unoccupied side, placing a hand on her arm. A pair of moist blue eyes blinked up at her. Blossom saw the stray look in her irises, masked by a layer of pain and betrayal.
"W-why? I don't understand why we have to ta-talk to them." Bubbles mewled, more tears trickling over her flushed cheeks.
Buttercup looked up at Blossom with the same hurt flicker of deceit.
Blossom let her hand fall away, suddenly feeling out of place. "Because, girls, theres no other place for the boys, you know that. The government doesn't allow super-beings to live as citizens. It's hero or villain, no in between, not in this day and age." She shifted her anxious fingers to her own arm and rubbed the skin nervously. "They've been villains their whole lives and the town knows that. If they reappear as heroes then they have a chance at redemption and proving their worth. And how can they be heroes in this town if we're still enemies with them? The half of the government that's still anti-supers will see that as an opening and you remember what the governor tried to do us, don't you?" She didn't wait for a response. "But she's not the only problem. Every time we go out on patrol, we're going to run into them. Every time there's a town meeting, we'll have to be near them. Every time we face a large threat, we'll have to work with them. There's no avoiding the boys, not from this point on."
"Then why can't they go to a different fucking town?! A different city? Better yet, a different COUNTRY!?" Buttercup got to her feet, pounding her fist into the wall.
"Buttercup!" Blossom got to her feet as well. "Knock it off! We need to maintain some sense of maturity right now!"
The green puff whirled on her sister, eyes blazing. "Maturity!? THEY KILLED US! THEY FUCKING KILLED US AND NOW YOU WANT US TO GET ALONG!?" She stepped towards her and Blossom tried to hold her ground. "I understand, Blossom, I fucking do. I know that you and leader boy are together or some shit."
Her eyes went wide. "Y-you do?"
Buttercup scoffed. "Please. You think I don't know my own damn sister?" She shook her head. "Of course you don't, because those guys are poisoning your mind. They're fucking changing you, Blossom, do you not see that? Of course you want to give them a second chance! Because they brainwashed you into becoming their friend. Now they've got you wrapped around their fingers and once we befriend them too, they'll have access to all of our weaknesses and just like that BOOM! Powerpuffs no more!" She threw her arms up. "This is all BULLSHIT, Bloss! Being friends with the guys that have been trying to kill us since they were fucking created? What could have possibly changed so much within a few mere weeks? How could that have been long enough to change your mind on them? I'm not buying it. Not at all. I thought about it long and hard, I did what you asked me to do. I gave it thought and now I've made up my mind; I will never EVER allow those pieces of shit anywhere near this town and it's citizens. Those guys can either get out of town or get shipped to the same dump their father is in; JAIL!"
"No." Blossom's gaze hardened. "It's not time that tells a person's story, Buttercup, nor what lies beneath the skin. One single moment can reveal everything. One moment of truth, that's all it takes. And that's all it took for me to know that they were good, that they are good, underneath their villain masks, they are good."
Buttercup clenched her fists. "One moment of truth? What moment could have possibly persuaded you to believe that those monsters weren't just cold, hearted villains! The same villains that killed your sisters!"
"We killed them, too." Blossom stated.
"Only because they tried to-!"
"Brick." The pink puff interrupted.
Buttercup frowned. "What?"
Blossom looked her sister in the eye. "Brick almost died because of me and in his last few moments of life, I saw Butch and Boomer's hard facades shatter. In that instant, they were only boys, falling apart at the idea that their brother was dead. I saw myself in them. The same as when I was kneeling over you two-" She glanced at Bubbles. The blonde puff flinched. "-They're no different from us. We were once hated by everyone because we did bad things. Sure, we didn't know that they were bad, but I'll remind you again; they were raised in an upside down world. They've killed us, we've killed them. And we can continue that way. We can continue to break each other down, because that's exactly what everyone else wants us to do. That's what Mojo wants. What Him wanted. They want to make an example out of us, us, CHILDREN, and show the world that the law over shines our humanity. We can keep going that way, or we can remember what the Professor told us."
Bubbles cast her eyes downward, Buttercup bit her cheek and looked away. Blossom folded her arms and moved over to the window to gaze out at the city they had sworn to protect at all times, no matter the cost. She remembered the promises they had made to not only the people, but the Professor, "Unfortunately, people often get scared or angry when they don't understand something special and unique." She closed her eyes, imagining that her father was once again standing beside her, reciting his words of wisdom, comforting his lost daughters. "Don't harm an insect just because it's yucky on the outside-"
"It's the insect inside that counts." Her sisters finished for her.
"We're the Powerpuff girls, this worlds only hope for survival should there come a day that they have to face something greater than themselves. We're the ones who nurture the prosperity rooted within this society. We feed the people hope, we keep them safe, we do what we can because that is our purpose. Our father created us to transform this world into something better. When we were born, he was the one who taught us that it's not easy to see something that's never been before. It was difficult for people to grasp the idea of peace. Until we gave them a taste of it. Now here we are, fighting to maintain that same tranquility in a new light. Instead of erasing the threat, we're trying to turn it into an ally. It's something new, something we're unaccustomed to. But as heroes, it is our duty to adjust and adapt to whatever circumstances we may find ourselves in, in order to protect those we swore our lives to. This is no exception. The boys are a threat as villains. They have no other place besides heroes and without our help, they may just become an enemy again. Once they become heroes, they become a part of this city, and anyone who belongs to this city must be protected by us, regardless of who they are, they become our responsibility." She rested her palms on the window sill and leaned forward. The drizzle outside misted her face. "We never had a choice in the matter, but then again, does anyone really have a choice in anything? Destiny. That's what this is. We were destined to be the heroes of this world and so we will be, until our days expire. We will do whatever we have to in order to protect this world, even if that means conforming with the ruffs. You may not like it. I know that many won't. But it's whats best...for everyone." She glanced over her shoulder. "Do you understand?"
Hesitantly, both of her sisters met her gaze and nodded.
She walked back over to them and softened her tone. "Do you girls want to come back down or do this a different day?"
Bubbles swiped at her eyes, rubbing away the last of her tears. She pushed herself off the bed, gathering what courage she could, and in that moment, she looked like a true hero; ready to face whatever threat might lie ahead, no matter her feelings, knowing her sworn duty. Buttercup was quick to follow, replacing the look of rage for one of pride.
Bubbles spoke first. "The sooner we do this, the sooner the city will be safe."
Buttercup went to the door and threw it open, shooting a look at Blossom. "And the sooner we make amends, the sooner they'll be out of my damn house."
Blossom grinned and followed her sisters back downstairs.