"It's been going off for an hour, it's annoying!"
The deep, scolding voice pierced Buttercup's ear drums, causing her to wake abruptly. A blurry visage of red painted the doorway, the owner of the voice that had yanked her from her sleep.
The white popcorn ceiling hung above Buttercup's head. Soon came a faint recollection of the few moments she had drifted in and out of consciousness. She remembered the mourning doves outside on the telephone lines singing, the deep orange lines painted on the white closet doors by the morning sunrise. For a few seconds she remembered waking up briefly to Butch's face. Puffy like a baby, his cheeks were red hot and wet with drool. Then she remembered the alarm ringing in the background incessantly, the both of them refusing to leave the comfort of the bed to turn it off... The obvious explanation for Brick's fit. Was it deserved? Honestly, yeah.
"It's off bro, what more do you want?" Butch replied hastily, his voice still rough from his morning grogginess.
"For you to put some clothes on, maybe?" Brick's eyes flickered to Buttercup for a second, but quickly reverted back to Butch.
Ah, to wake up to a domestic quarrel.
"So, you're not gonna greet me good morning?" Buttercup teased, pulling herself up.
"It's not a good morning when I have that atrocious alarm sound causing straight noise pollution in my place of living," he retorted. "You could've turned it off too, you know."
"Yeah, yeah," Buttercup murmured through a large yawn. She then quickly shifted to rub her eyes until she saw stars. They danced against the black of her eyelids, and when she opened them Butch was inches from her face, absolutely beaming.
"Well, good morning." Butch greeted her energetically, smiling hugely, dimples and all. His eyes gleamed in the sunlight. A deep, emerald green that reminded her of the thick canopy of redwood forests. Or the thick moss that covered the stepping stones at the creek at their secret spot. She noticed a few more freckles had shown up on his nose, and her heart leapt. And she hated it. She jumped back, but returned the smile.
"Uh oh, is it my morning breath?" Butch shied away, quickly turning before covering his mouth with his hand. He breathed out and took a big whiff, "I swore I brushed my teeth already" he muttered into his hand.
Buttercup watched awkwardly as Butch shimmied past Brick. The pitter patter of his footsteps disappeared after the sound of the bathroom door shutting echoed within the halls. No, it's not your morning breath… she thought to herself. She sat there for a second before looking up to see Brick still at the doorway. He shook his head at her, the ginger bun tied neatly on his head swayed with his movements. Buttercup groaned and looked away.
"Don't say anything." she grumbled. She thrust herself back into bed, a loud plopping sound erupted from underneath her. The popcorn ceiling stared back at her again. If she tried, she could probably memorize the patterns of the kernels.
"Pancakes are on the table," Brick replied. He shifted to leave, but stopped halfway. "Oh, by the way..."
A feeling of red heat filled Buttercup's chest, "No."
"I was just gonna saaaay," Brick sang painfully slow, mocking her as he moved back to stand in the doorway. She knew he was smirking and she wanted to punch it right off of his stupid mouth.
"No!" she repeated, louder than before.
"I was just gonna say!" Brick intercepted, "If you bring plates into your room, bring them back out because I hate when they go missing."
The feeling in her chest dissipated. Buttercup let out a deep sigh, before reaching out and grabbing the fattest pillow in the bed and placing it over her face. "Okay." she muttered into fabric.
"Oh and also,"
"Huh." her voice was small and measly.
"You should just tell him!"
That asshole. All she could do was listen as his feverish footsteps clambered against the hardwood as he ran away.
Buttercup let out an agonizing scream into the pillow.
"Tell me what?" Butch asked, turning the corner. Before she could respond, he was pulling the pillow off of her face. "Tell me what?" he repeated. He was nearly vibrating, something he did when he was excited.
"Oh that," Buttercup looked up in thought. She felt embarrassed that he took the pillow off of her. Her raven black hair spilled across her face in disarray. She had never felt that way until recently, and it made her want to vomit. Butch got closer to her, the vibrating growing stronger as he anticipated her answer. "Hm… well...thaaat..." she continued, but elongated the words with a mischievous smile on her face.
"Don't do that!" he exclaimed, reaching to tickle her sides. They both burst into a fit of laughter as he dug his fingers into her sides. She wriggled free, kicking at him, "That we have to bring our plates back into the kitchen if we bring them here."
Butch immediately stopped shaking and his face fell. Buttercup gave him an apologetic smile and they both let out a small laugh at his visible disappointment."Dang" he muttered, before falling face first onto the bed.
"Yeah sorry." she let out a sigh before sitting up and pulling her knees to her chest. She looked over her shoulder at him.
He did the same. "I thought it was gonna be something cool," with half of his mouth being squashed by the comforter, his voice was barely audible.
Buttercup then noticed his attire. Or more specifically, the lack thereof. Checkered sage green boxers. Her cheeks felt a little warm but she did her best to disregard it and distract herself.
"Jee, were you in your undies all night?" Buttercup grimaced jokingly. She pinched her nose and winced, "P.U!" she exclaimed, jumping out of the bed.
"It's June and we're experiencing record breaking highs." Butch retorted matter-of-factly, rolling over before kicking himself up.
"Global warming!" Boomer called out from his room.
"Yeah! What he said." Butch cocked his head at her in defiance and she rolled her eyes in response.
"See, my brother's got my back." he smiled confidently before stepping towards his closet.
"But Butch! You still stink! Global warming or not!" Boomer called out again.
Buttercup burst out laughing, loving the look of betrayal on Butch's face as he whipped around and slammed the door.
"Remember, you," he pointed straight at her and pushed her out of the way by ramming his finger into her chest, "came barging into my residence."
He removed his finger, his arm falling to swing along at his sides as he moved to sift through his hamper.
"Yeah whatever." she couldn't help but smile. Buttercup leaned against his dresser, scanning the room with her eyes as she absorbed her surroundings.
Butch's room was nearly as comfortable to her as her own. Quite honestly, it was damn near her room as well. They liked the same music, so she was greeted by familiar faces of the same bands that occupied her own bedroom walls. Plus, they hung out so frequently that there have been several times that Buttercup bought a poster for herself, only to stay with Butch for days on end. This ultimately ended with her hanging them up in his room instead. This process repeated itself with numerous items. Houseplants, mugs, CDs, T-shirts, and so forth. It made sense to the both of them, considering that Buttercup was almost always there anyway.
There were little bits of her everywhere. The succulent she had adopted and soon forgotten about was slowly fading away on his desk. Sometimes Boomer snuck in, attempting to treat it while they were away. But sadly, to no avail. Her skateboard lay against the wall by the door next to his. An array of various items lay scattered here and there. Buttercup's earrings had begun collecting dust on the top of his dresser, a few hair ties on the windowsill. Sometimes, well actually, most of the time, home was here. Here with Butch.
At first, her sisters and the Professor were questionable about the relationship Butch and her shared. Buttercup had spent hours convincing them that Butch was her best friend and nothing more. She was safe, they had a lot of fun, and he helped her when her brain was feeling sick. Of course, she could never escape the snarky texts the Professor would send to her every so often.
Hello! It's the hotel front desk. Will you be dining at our restaurant tonight?
And the unavoidable, Hello, stranger! whenever she came back home. Well, to her real home. Real as in, the address registered at Townsville High or the DMV. The address she shared with the Professor, Blossom, and Bubbles.
After a bit of zoning out, Buttercup turned to look at him as he wriggled into a green long sleeve.
"Record breaking highs and you're wearing a long sleeve?" she raised an eyebrow at him.
He shrugged before continuing to dig, she assumed, for some pants.
"It's the only thing I got that's clean. Man, everyone's on my case today, huh?"
Buttercup shrugged before walking across the room to stifle through his drawers.
"Your stuff is on the bottom left." he called out.
Buttercup glanced at him, still digging mercilessly.
"By the way," he said while yanking out his black pants from the pile, "Oh cool! Finally!"
"By the way, what?" She urged, continuing to dig through his drawers. Buttercup fumbled through her clothing. A pit grew in her stomach as the same feeling filled swallowed her up. The same feeling she had when he had removed the pillow from her face. Was it discomfort? Insecurity? Whatever it was, she didn't like it. She stared at her clothes, dumbfounded why she felt the way she did. Fuck, she thought. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
She knew what it was, but she didn't want to face it. She didn't know why these feelings had begun creeping up on her. The need to feel seen. To be seen a certain way. By Butch.
Would he like it if I wore any of this?
She slammed the dresser shut. Annoyed at herself for having those thoughts. Butch is my best friend. She told herself. That's it.
Butch jumped at the sound of the dresser being slammed. He glanced at her, then the dresser.
"By the way, what?" she pressed him again before he could ask.
"By the way," he repeated in an exaggerated manner, "we should visit the creek once more before senior year starts."
"Hm..." She hummed lightly, smiling to herself. "I like that idea."
Butch looked down at himself, then at her, before squinting at her. "So… are you gonna head out in jammies?"
"No, I-"
"Not that I mind! It's a good look." he interrupted quickly, plopping into his desk chair.
"I just can't find anything to wear." she explained quietly, looking away.
"Since when have you cared about stuff like that?" he laughed. It was a genuine, real laugh. And for some reason it kind of hurt her feelings.
"Yeah, you're right." she laughed with him, ignoring the little pinch in her heart. She opened the drawer once more, pulling out the first two items she saw. I just want you to see me-
She shut the drawer once more, slicing the thought in half. Buttercup looked him in the eyes and twirled her finger around.
It took him a second, "Oh." He swiveled around to face the wall. "My bad."
Buttercup changed swiftly. The cold morning air wrapped around her skin, in a way, it was invigorating. It reminded her of the shock that accompanied the cold ocean water lapping against her legs on a cold day in January when no one in their right mind would go to the beach. It couldn't be helped, though. The house the boys lived in was old and run-down, but they made the best of it. The floorboards creaked, the shower water was lukewarm at best, and the windows were always just a tiny bit open due to the wood deteriorating.
"Ready." she exclaimed.
Butch turned to her with a smile, "Well, let's get a move on then!"
. . .
"Um.." Brick stared hard at the chewed up end of his mechanical pencil. His favorite 0.5mm led wielding Pentac. Now considered unusable. His eyes darted back and forth between the mutilated plastic and the wide baby blue eyes of Bubbles. She chomped on it mindlessly as she stared disdainfully at her math homework.
Brick usually carried a pack of crappy, cheap mechanical pencils for whenever people asked him if he had a spare. There was no way in hell he would let them borrow his favorite mechanical pencil. Brick had felt an instinctual sense in his heart telling him that he was making a grave mistake when he allowed Bubbles to borrow it briefly. Brick didn't listen, and now he deeply regretted it.
Bubbles let out a loud sigh and threw her head back, lying limply in the chair. "I don't wanna do this anymore." she whispered to him.
It was summer break, and the library was nearly empty. A few people lay hidden between the aisles, deeply submerged in the book they held in their hands. A singular librarian was whisking back and forth, shooting up and down the ladder, retrieving and restocking books in a methodical manner. She was the typical librarian, unfashionable little spectacles sat on the bridge of her nose, giving off the illusion of incredibly tiny eyes, and she never spoke a peep unless it was to shush you. The smell of old books and pinesol lingered in the air. Light beamed through the stained glass windows, painting the floor with rainbow hues.
Brick shot her a tired look. Not only did he wake up to Butch's alarm, but he also woke up to a text from Blossom, pleading him to take her place tutoring Bubbles in Algebra 2. Apparently she had an important meeting with their school's student union. One that she had planned the date for poorly, considering that it landed on the same day that she had her commitment with Bubbles. At first, he was begrudging with the predicament. But she promised the Professor would pay him, and that sent him up and out of bed to prepare for the day at the library. But God, was it excruciating.
"If you had studied harder during the school year, you wouldn't have to be in summer school right now."
"Jee whizz, thanks a lot, genius! Do I need to be valedictorian too to be able to put two and two together like that?" she scrunched her nose at him angrily, before crossing her arms and deflating back into her limp, lifeless state.
"Someone is grumpy." he muttered before letting out a sigh.
"When is Blossom coming?" Bubbles whined, coming back to life, shooting up in her chair. Bubbles turned to face him, wanting desperately to talk about anything other than math.
"Soon," Brick replied, tapping her homework with the end of his pen, "so come on, let's just finish this problem really quick."
"Oooh, is it a date? Oooh, you like her!"
"Bubbles, I've been dating Blossom for 3 years now. But not really since everyone's going to be there."
"No more math!" she pleaded, throwing herself down into the table, her head resting against her arms.
Brick let out another sigh, probably his millionth sigh of the day. But he adored Blossom, so anything he could do to help her, he would. And he liked having extra pocket money, so whatever he could do for the Professor to shoot him a venmo, he would. And there was no one else he could ask, because Boomer had pulled a measly B-. Even then so, that was with him sneaking into Brick's backpack and sloppily copying all the answers he could before they headed to school every morning. And Butch and Buttercup were… well… Butch and Buttercup.
"Okay, I'm going to try to explain this another way." Brick looked at the back of her blonde head laid sluggishly against the wooden table.
Silence.
"Bubbles," he called. "...Bubbles."
"Oh fucking hell," he groused. She was asleep.
"Looks like you two are getting a lot of work done." a voice beckoned from behind them. Brick turned to look at her.
"Please help me."
Blossom snickered before giving him a quick peck on the lips, he curled his arm around her and held her close as she shook her sister awake.
Bubbles opened her eyes and beamed at the two of them, "So, this means we're done for the day, right?"
…
Boomer opened the door, turning to Brick, he smiled and dipped his head, "Ladies first."
Brick punched him in the arm as he entered, which caused him to yelp in pain and temporarily let go. Boomer quickly recovered and caught the door as Bubbles and Blossom followed Brick inside. "That didn't hurt." he said loudly, "I swear."
"I'm sure." Bubbles retorted.
Boomer made sure no one was looking before he rubbed the growing soreness on his arm.
Love You a Latte. The number one cafe in Townsville, that is, according to any student attending Townsville High. Without fail, every night the cafe was filled to the brim with students meeting up for a variety of reasons. Study sessions, first dates, club meetings, hanging out with friends, catching up on the latest gossip, and so forth. During the summertime, Love You a Latte was a good place to end the day with a group of friends before heading back home after a long day out in town. Tonight the six planned to meet up to enjoy a good ol' cup of joe.
It couldn't be helped that the group was well known in Townsville. They were, infact, known for being supers when they were younger. With age, they matured and abandoned their bulbous prepubescent anatomy and grew to look very much human. And with monsters being so rare, they hardly used their powers anymore. But still, they were met with warm greetings and smiles wherever they went.
"Hi guys!" a number of voices greeted them from behind the coffee bar, along with the many greetings, hugs, and fist bumps they received from their fellow classmates as they made their way to a table in the back.
It smelled like coffee beans and cinnamon, a warm and welcoming aroma. The whir of the coffee grinder added to the white noise of the numerous talking voices that filled the cafe. The pastry fridge had Bubbles in a trance as she stared at every croissant longingly.
"I definitely need this cup of coffee right now." Brick sighed, throwing himself into a chair. Blossom patted his leg and gave him an apologetic look.
"Imagine how I feel hearing you babble all day." Bubbles nipped at him as she dug through her tote bag.
Brick shot her a momentary glare, before turning to tiringly rest his head on Blossom's shoulder. She reached up and patted his cheek with her free hand.
"Ooh, do you have mine too?" Boomer asked when Bubbles pulled her reusable straw.
"Erm…" she continued to sift through her bag, creating a symphony of things clashing together. Coins, pens, lip glosses, pins, cards, and random pebbles and rocks all clambering about. "Yes!" she exclaimed happily when she finally found it and handed it to him.
"Thanks, Bubs." he smiled before taking it from her.
"Are the greens coming?" Blossom asked the table, not looking up from the menu.
"They said they would." Bubbles replied, but she didn't look at her either. She was back to staring at the croissants.
"Here they come." Brick snickered, pulling away from Blossom's shoulder.
Butch and Buttercup came tumbling in, cheeks red from laughing so hard about whatever they were talking about. Butch shoved her and she shoved him back, knocking him into someone's chair. The guy seated in the chair turned around in annoyance but quickly smiled when he saw the two of them. It was Scott, a friend of the group's. Butch and Buttercup stood closely to one another, smiling happily as they both chatted up with Scott. Their arms stayed close together. Whenever one moved, the other did too, as if they were magnetized. Frequently they turned just to beam at one another. Like two peas in a pod, and it didn't help that they were both green.
"It's like everyone in the world knows but them." Bubbles sighed. With her elbows on the table, she cupped her face and gazed at them. Boomer was peeking at them from over the menu he held in front of his face.
Blossom and Brick both looked over their shoulders. The four of them silently agreed.
Quite honestly, the two grabbed nearly everyone's attention in the cafe. Voices lowered, and heads cocked towards them ushering their friends to look. Eyes darted back and forth and people shot questionable looks to one another. It was no secret that Brick and Blossom were dating. Additionally, it was no secret that Boomer and Bubbles were dating. It only seemed inevitable that Butch and Buttercup were going to date, and Townsville High couldn't get enough of it.
Buttercup looked over to see the table gawking at them and she immediately frowned.
"Ah," a small noise escaped Boomer and he reverted his eyes.
"Oh yikes." Brick let out a low murmur before turning away.
"Oops." Bubbles giggled into her hands and began to fiddle with the menu.
Blossom coughed awkwardly, then turned to Brick who was already looking at her and they both stifled a laugh.
After that, everyone else in the cafe had gotten the hint and the voices returned to their normal levels as everyone returned to their own conversations.
"Alright Scott, I'll see you later man." Butch whipped around and wrapped his arm around Buttercup's shoulders who was still standing quietly, glaring menacingly at the group of four in the back. He ushered her towards the table. At their arrival, the four of them all looked up and smiled as if they hadn't seen them come in.
Butch moved away from Buttercup to punch Boomer in the arm.
"Good evening, sucker!" he exclaimed.
"Not again…" Boomer whined as Butch moved to smack the snapback off of Brick, who was already two steps ahead of him. In one quick motion, Brick secured his hat by placing a firm hand on the top of his head while also delivering a sweeping kick from under the table to Butch's ankles.
Butch fell back, but quickly caught himself, "Quick, tonight, arentcha Brick Jojo?" he teased, before sitting adjacent to Buttercup, next to Blossom.
"Watch it." Brick warned before readjusting himself in his seat.
"Ladies." Butch nodded to Bubbles and Blossom.
"Hi Butch!" Bubbles nearly shouted, she reached out and they performed their secret handshake at lightning fast, super speeds. Sparks of baby blue and emerald green burst into the air, surrounding their hands as they tapped into their super powers.
"Good evening Butch… Woah you guys are getting really fast at that." Blossom laughed, thoroughly entertained.
Butch leaned back in his chair, pulling away from Bubbles as they finished. "Thanks, Queen B. Did you guys order yet?"
"No." Blossom smiled warmly. She hated to admit it, but she was fond of the nickname Butch had given her. Brick chucked to himself, knowing that Blossom loved the praise.
"Buttercup," Butch called out, reaching his hands over the table towards her.
The blues and reds both stared at his hands from the corner of their eyes, wanting to see if Buttercup would reach out. And… touch them? It was a suggestive gesture.
"Butch," Buttercup replied, keeping her hands to herself. The four of them looked back at their menus, all sharing looks of disappointment with one another.
He tapped the table with his fingers, "Please tell me we're splitting a burrito."
"Duh." she laughed as if it was a stupid question. He gleamed and pulled his hands back.
They all put in their orders, talked, erupted in laughter multiple times, and teased one another. When their drinks and food came, they continued on. As annoyed as she was with them sometimes, Buttercup couldn't help but feel grateful for the sense of belonging they all collectively made her feel. Bubbles chewed happily on her chocolate croissant, occasionally pausing to doodle in Boomer's sketchbook that was circulating around the table. Boomer insisted everyone contribute, he insisted that they would all be happy to look back at it when they're older and in college, and that they would be thanking him. For once, Boomer went the whole night without spilling his drink. Blossom scolded Butch for his table manners, and then Brick too when he accidentally coughed up a piece of muffin onto her dress. Buttercup beat the entire table at arm wrestling, and for that, had her meal paid for by Brick who was sure he was going to beat her this time.
"I just need a booster shot of chemical X." Brick insisted as they exited the cafe.
"I second that." Butch added, closing the door behind him. When the door shut, the fluorescent "OPEN" sign in front of the cafe flickered off.
Bubbles and Blossom shot each other a look, and Bubbles smiled wryly.
"Boomer!" she cooed, "Fly me home, why dontcha?" she sang, pulling him by his arm.
"Huh? I thought you and your sisters-" He looked up at her, then looked at Brick, who quickly swiveled around to turn to Blossom. "Oh."
Buttercup raised an eyebrow.
"Oh yes, of course!" Boomer took her hand into his before pulling her and hugging her tightly. Bubbles giggled and hugged him back even tighter. "Gah!" he wheezed as Bubbles squeezed all the air out of him.
He smiled sweetly at her before turning to everyone else, "Well, good night guys! I'll see ya back at home boys... And Buttercup maybe?" he looked at her questionably.
"No," she began with an apologetic tone, knowing that Butch would be let down by her answer.
"Aw, what?" Butch whined, turning to kick the dirt with his shoe.
"I've gotta see my dad too sometimes, you know." she explained teasingly with a small shrug.
Butch looked up at her and rolled his eyes, "Dad, shmad," he grumbled.
"Well next time, then!" Boomer said enthusiastically.
"See you at home!" Bubbles smiled widely, pecking Buttercup on the cheek. She moved hurriedly to wedge herself in between Brick and Blossom. "See you at home!" she repeated, pecking Blossom on the cheek as well.
The pair waved once more before taking off, streaks of baby blue and navy blue following them. Their hues of blue complimented the night sky well, the stars gleaming around their trails. The four of them watched as the blue dissipated into the night.
Blossom was the first to look away. "We're going to pick up my car from campus." She informed the two of them. Brick nodded along with her.
"You didn't take it here?" Buttercup asked. It was an odd thing for Blossom to do. She never flew, and neither did Brick. Boomer and Blossom were carefree, loved flying, and were both vegan, hippity dippities who enjoyed journaling what birds they saw in the sky that day and what not. But both Brick and Blossom refused to make spectacles of themselves and their powers, and flying did just that. Especially with the attention-grabbing red hot streak Brick left in the sky.
She shrugged, "We felt like flying." she explained, cocking her head towards Brick. He smirked back at Buttercup. She remembered what he'd said that morning to her and felt her temperature rise. In that moment, if she could just cease to exist, she would. She wished to just grow so small, like an ant, and hide in the cracks of the cement they stood on. "Butch, do me a favor and walk my sister home please."
"You got it, Queen B." Butch said, turning on his heels to face Buttercup.
Buttercup squinted at her, shifting her weight awkwardly onto her other foot. "Okay…" she said slowly, her eyes flickering between Blossom and Brick, "I'll see you back at home then?"
"Yup, I won't be long!" Blossom smiled warmly before patting her on the head. God, Buttercup sure did hate being the shortest sister. She winced and pulled away. For a second, she thought about kicking Blossom in the knees. She also thought about flying back home all the way across Townsville to kick both Boomer and Bubbles in the knees. And then flying back here to kick Brick in the knees, because she had forgotten the first time.
"Fly safe." She mumbled reluctantly.
And just like that, the two were left alone. Pink and red zig zagging across the sky. Honestly, the two rarely flew, but when they did, they seemed to have a lot of fun with it.
If only she could control her temperature. But Buttercup blushed too hard, too fast, and too easily. A deadly, inescapable giveaway. If a few weekends ago she hadn't blushed and tripped over her words when Blossom and Bubbles cornered her and pestered her about Butch, this wouldn't be happening. And if they didn't go on and babble about it to their boyfriends, this wouldn't be happening. Even worse, it was happening again. Her cheeks were flushed, despite having had spent countless days and nights alone with Butch, the new feelings bubbling up inside her were beginning to make it hard to do so with complete neutrality. It made her want to gauge her eyes out.
The crickets seemed to have grown louder in everyone's absence. The street light glimmered above them. Buttercup turned away so he wouldn't see her red cheeks.
They walked quietly for a bit. Passing cards rushed past them, no sounds except for occasional tires on the gravel, the buzzing of the telephone wires, and the song of crickets. Butch and Buttercup were comfortable in that sense, where their company was enough to keep each other occupied and content. No words were needed to fill the space, because they were unnecessary. They were just happy to be together.
When Buttercup finally turned to say something to him, he was already smiling at her.
"Let's go to our spot?" he asked.
She smiled, and that was her answer.
. . .
"Come on!" Butch encouraged her as they stumbled through the thick shrubbery. Foliage as high as the top of Butch's head surrounded them. Given the fact that she was the shortest of the six, and he was the tallest, meant that her vision was absolutely shrouded. All she saw was black, and all she could do was hold on tightly to his hand, trust that he was directing them towards the right direction, and follow his lead.
"We could just fly, you know." she moaned. Butch was undeniably fast, and she was trying her best to keep up. But it was difficult, considering that Butch was just naturally fast, and she'd promised not to tap into her super powers while they tread through the greenery because he liked playing human from time-to-time. Tonight was one of those nights.
"Yeah but," Butch heaved, as he smacked the plants out of the way, stomping on them in an attempt to make it easier for Buttercup who trailed behind him, "Then people would see our streaks and find our secret spot! That's why I like to play human here."
"Erm…" Buttercup thought about it for a second. Not once in the past two years of them being best friends did they ever see a single person other than each other there. "That's true."
"I'd like to keep it that way." he said, as he pulled her out of the thick greens and into open space. Suddenly, the sounds of frogs chattering excitedly and running water filled the air. Buttercup let go of his hand and turned to admire the density of the foliage they had just ran through, it was crazy how much sound was lost in there.
The sweet smell of the lavender plants filled her nose, along with the smell of the clean breeze, and she felt at ease. The moonlight was reflected in the water of the creek, illuminating the space around them. The water sparkled as if the stars had fallen out of the sky and landed into the creek. Butch tossed a stone into the water, skipping 6 times before it submerged. He glanced at her with a competitive glint in his eye. They kept at it until Butch stonewalled at 18 skips, with Buttercup at 22.
"You tapped into your powers!" he complained, pushing her lightly.
"Oh, suck it up, you sore loser!" Buttercup retorted, shoving him back. Unbeknownst to the both of them, a big rock was just behind his footing, causing him to stumble backwards. In an attempt to help, she grabbed onto him, but remembered last-minute not to use her powers. Not being able to stabilize the both of them naturally, they both fell into the dirt and erupted into a fit of laughter.
"Wow, you're really committed to not using those powers here, huh?" Buttercup teased, which made Butch laugh even harder.
"Same goes for you." Butch replied, a huge smile plastered across his face. He flicked her forehead, and she choked on her spit trying to laugh, which made Butch laugh so hard that he snorted. And they both started laughing even harder. They clutched their stomachs, their cheeks hurt. They rolled around and continued to mock the way they fell down, going back and forth and each time it got funnier.
"Wait...why..." Buttercup wheezed, still laughing, "why…"
Butch was nearly choking, laughing so hard at watching Buttercup trying so hard to talk between her laughter.
"Why… why are we still on the ground..?" Buttercup choked. Hearing that, Butch howled.
"Oh… I'm crying… I'm crying…" he choked out.
It took minutes for the laughter to die down. But when it finally did, they rolled over to face each other. The moon looked down at them, and if the moon had a face, it would have smiled at the sight of them. They were smiling such big, happy smiles. Butch reached out to move Buttercup's bangs out of her eyes.
Thank God it was dark, because it was happening. This time, her ears felt so hot, as if she had ear muffs on.
"What was bothering you today?" he asked.
This question took her aback, but it shouldn't have. Butch was so attuned to Buttercup's feelings, that no matter what she did or say, he would always pick it up.
She breathed out, rolling onto her back.
I love you and I want you to see me the same way. I want you to see me. I just want to be seen.
"School is starting soon." she mumbled, staring at the sky. The stars danced around with one another, glimmering against the sea of black.
"Pffft," he blew out, "okay." he said mockingly. "School." he said in an exaggerated tone, raising his hands to accompany the word with air quotes.
"I just don't want to be a senior." Buttercup replied with a small shrug, "That's all."
He sat up, and for some odd reason she felt as if she had to do the same. She pulled herself up and looked at him.
"You can tell me anything. You know, you're my best friend, Buttercup."
"Yeah, I better be." She teased.
"No, seriously!" he exclaimed, "There's no one else I'd want climbing through my window in the middle of the night, sharing a secret spot with, creating a secret language with, smashing stuff at the dump with, skate with, fly with…" he trailed off. "You're just my best friend," he repeated.
"Best friends." she repeated with a faint smile.
"It would suck if something were to happen between us and we couldn't be friends anymore. I get worried about that sometimes, ya know?" he sighed, shifting to stare at the water.
Buttercup felt as if a big void had opened up in her stomach. He was right. She thought about it all the time. If Bubbles and Boomer were to break up, that's it. Same goes for Brick and Blossom. You could never just revert back to a friendship after being in love with someone. Right? Her eyes flickered to him for a brief second, and the void filled with warmth. His black hair caught the light in such an enchanting way. His broad shoulders looked so strong. His emerald eyes sparkled as he stared at the moon.
Oh God, is it too late?
But the thought of losing him circled back and the void reappeared just as fast as it had vanished. If one day he passed by her and acted like he had never known her, that would be absolutely killer. Butch understood her like no other, knew how to talk to her, knew when she was sad, angry, or annoyed. He knew what to do to make it better. She'd never laughed the way she did with him. She'd never slept as soundly as she did next to him. He felt like home. And if one day she tried to open his window and it was locked…
"Nothing's going to happen." She said, in an effort to coax him. In reality, she was really just telling herself that.
"Good thing, because I wouldn't want to lose my best friend." he looked back at her.
"Friends forever." She said quietly.
"Best friends forever!" he exclaimed, and reached out to fist bump her.
In that moment, she could have died and been okay with it. Buttercup reached out and met his fist with hers. The moonlight cradled his face, and he looked so soft.
Why does it hurt so bad?
He smiled, beaming at her.
He looks so beautiful.
Buttercup's eyes felt wet, but she wiped them away before he'd noticed.