Hello, and welcome. After suffering a nervous breakdown, switching careers, and being locked up in a hospital for a few days, this story is long overdue. It has been clawing at my mind for a while now, leaving me tossing and turning restlessly at night. I've decided to finally unleash it onto the world, hopefully you all enjoy it. Reading is my escape, and I would love to share some of the peace I feel, especially right now. I've also been on an old cartoon binge, and I especially love Powerpuff fiction. All OG pairings will be included.

These stories are loosely connected literary vignettes inspired by music I listen to on my commute. There's a peculiar air when driving, alone with your thoughts, cool air, and music as company. I'll leave a few snippets of lyrics and titles of the songs I use, with all due credit to the owners of course, in case anyone is interested in the music that inspired me. Now sit back, relax, and I will do my best to spread some of the nostalgic and heartstring-tugging emotions that the Powerpuff Girls and growing up evoke in me to you, dear reader. I own no characters, lyrics, or music. Please support the original creators.

~You hit me once

I hit you back

You gave a kick

I gave a slap

You smashed a plate over my head

Then I set fire to our bed~

-Kiss with a Fist: Florence The Machine

Buttercup was not having a good Saturday. I woke up in such a good mood, what the hell happened? This thought crossed her mind as she clenched and ground her teeth together while staring into the eyes of her alleged enemy. Emerald green eyes sparkled mischievously back at her as she risked cracking some pearly whites. "This is getting old, Butch." She all but screamed at him. "You know this is going nowhere, so just fuck off!"

Butch, in his turn, whistled and laughed at the fiery heroine before him. "Tired already? Damn, I'm just getting started!" Despite his words, he reached up and wiped beads of sweat before they dripped into his eyes. A good workout always delivers. "Who was the one who came out to play?" Butch taunted as he lightly panted from their battle.

"Who was the one who dragged me out in the first place, dumbass? We always do this shit!" Buttercup's patience was wearing thin. Another pointless battle on a day free from school was truly the last thing she needed. Yet here she was, floating in midair above Townsville while her counterpart mocked her. She knew she should've stayed in bed today.

"Oh, I'm the dumbass?" Butch scoffed and formed his hand into a fist, his fingernails dug themselves into his palm.

The Powerpuff did the same, sensing a blow about to strike. "That's the smartest thing you've said all day, motherfucker!" She readied herself.

Butch sneered at her and the two lunged for each other, punches flying. Buttercup's fist connected with his ribs and Butch exhaled sharply as the wind was forced from his lungs. "Dumb bitch doesn't know when to shut up." He winced and elbowed the curve of Buttercup's cheek, knocking her head to the side. She paused, slightly dazed from the impact. Butch took advantage of her momentary stillness and grabbed both her wrists. Buttercup shook her head clear and struggled against his hands.

The two wrestled in midair for a time, until Butch twisted the girl around with her back to his chest. He enveloped her into his vice-like grip and held her there, despite her furious attempts to break free. "Let me go, you sick son of a bitch!" Buttercup writhed and wiggled, sending kicks into Butch's shins when she was able. "Just let me go already."

The same old story. He would find some reason to rile her up. She would take the bait, obligated as a superhero and desperate to release some energy. They would exchange harsh words, and then a battle would break out, destroying half the city in the process. Despite always being ready for a good ass-kicking, she was getting sick of it with Butch. Didn't this ever get boring to him? She choked back a sudden sob and her movements quieted against him. Angry tears formed at the corners of her eyes that threatened to spill onto her cheeks as she went limp.

Butch sensed her change in mood immediately and lost all sense of bloodlust. Well this sure wasn't the plan. Spinning her around and grabbing her shoulders, Butch peered into those all-too-familiar green eyes. "Hey, hey! No crying. Not here, not now." He pushed back her inky hair that had fallen into her face. "Buttercup look at me." He gruffly stated, giving her a jolt.

She shook her head, sending tears flying into the space around them. More quickly replaced them and dampened her dark eyelashes. Buttercup angrily smeared the wetness from her eyes as she took a deep breath. Get a grip girl, you're better than this. She carefully counted her breaths and managed to calm herself down enough to look up at Butch. "Why did you bring me here? To fight again? Like always?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. She vaguely wondered why all of their encounters always ended up with one of them getting the smack down on the other. It seemed to her that they were incapable of anything else whenever they were together.

Yet Butch shook his head. "Believe it or not, no. But this isn't the place to explain, come on." He tugged her hand to follow him as they slowly floated away from the city. Surprisingly, Buttercup listened as Butch led her away from Townsville. Although unsure of his intentions, a change from their norm was somewhat welcome. But not exciting, never in a million years. Besides, she felt obligated to keep an eye on him.

She silently slipped her hand from his but nodded for him to continue at the look he sent her. "No funny business. I'm watching you, Butch" Buttercup scowled after him.

Soaring among the clouds, the two green-eyed young adults silently acknowledged the temporary truce between them. As they flew, Buttercup felt at peace for the first time since setting eyes on the Rowdyruff boy that day. Nothing could compare to flying. It was limitless freedom, happiness, and joy that lucky few could experience for themselves.

Breathing in the fresh air clean from the pollution of a city, Buttercup's mood improved dramatically despite her companion. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax the tiniest bit. Butch seemed to take notice of her emotion and suddenly banked to fly closer to her.

Butch reached out a hand and smacked her ass yelling, "Tag! You're it!"

Buttercup's good mood evaporated and she paused in shock just long enough to watch him laugh and dive beneath the clouds. "You're in for it now." She muttered to herself before zooming after him.

After becoming nothing more than green streaks in the sky, the super powered duo chased each other back and forth, playing a game of aerial tag in the sky. For once in their lifelong career as mortal enemies, the toughest fighters didn't feel the overwhelming urge to tear each other to shreds. Are we...having fun? Buttercup thought idly to herself as she gave Butch a slap to the face and retreated to the other direction.

She wouldn't have believed it herself were she not the one currently in the process of flying away from him as a faintly pink handprint formed on his cheek. Huffing out her breath, Buttercup paused long enough to stick out her famous curled tongue at him before darting to the ground laughing.

Her counterpart followed her, mildly irritated at the smack she delivered him, but also mildly...happy. Having a battle always cheered him up, but this was something different, not necessarily in a bad way.

The two hit the ground running, and Buttercup noticed that they had flown quite a ways into a forest. Green trees towered above them, making for the perfect hiding spot. Making sure she was far enough away from Butch to hide without being seen, Buttercup quickly dashed up a pine tree to ambush her prey. Butch arrived shortly after, looking around for any signs of the Powerpuff Girl. No one ever looks up, big mistake. Counting to three and fighting the urge to giggle despite herself, Buttercup jumped from her perch directly onto the boy's shoulders.

Both tumbled to the ground, one laughing like a madwoman, the other groaning at the fact of being crumpled like paper. "Get off of me, you're fucking heavy! And lay off the milkshakes, will ya?" Butch croaked out from underneath the surprising weight of the girl above him.

"All muscle, baby. You wish you were as cut as me!" Buttercup laughed as she sat up and flexed her biceps. "You don't even need tickets to this gun show! Lucky you." Sticking out her tongue once again, she looked down at their position and suddenly blushed.

After leaping onto Butch, Buttercup had somehow managed to land straddling the Rowdyruff Boy. Their bodies were pressed together and she could feel every hard line of his body, proving her previous statement false. Butch was built after all the fighting and exercise he and his brothers did. It shouldn't have been a surprise to Buttercup, but she found her face burning regardless. I've just never thought about the prick that way. She froze in place, not sure how to proceed.

Butch, for his part, could feel the smooth hardness of muscle, but also the soft curves that screamed woman. His face began to feel hot as well, and his heart hammered against his bones. "H-Hey," he started, "I never did tell you why I wanted to see you."

Buttercup looked down at him. His green eyes seemed to glow in the shade of the forest. "You answered your own question, to fight." She rolled her eyes, still not quite forgetting the position their bodies were currently in.

He shook his head. "I said to see you, not fight you. Buttercup," Butch suddenly looked very unsure, and he licked his lips, "tell me you get it."

She blinked. "Get what? The fact that I won the game of tag?" She started to feel uncomfortable. Resorting to sarcasm was her defense mechanism.

"No." A hand gently brushed against her cheek. "The fighting, the release, the feeling you get. You're the only one in the whole world who understands that. Don't lie to me now." Butch's voice was deadly serious as his fingers traced the trails her tears had previously made.

At first, Buttercup instinctively opened her mouth to tell Butch off with a snide remark. No, of course not. How in the hell could I understand what a criminal thinks and feels? But then she paused. She thought back to their very first few encounters as children, when Butch would shake and twitch in place and would only calm down after a roughhousing with Buttercup.

Then she thought of her own life, how even in dreams she was saving the world. How her label was literally the toughest fighter. Fighting was her passion, something she was good at and enjoyed. "Yeah..." She mumbled half to herself, half to the boy under her body.

"Exactly. No one else gets me like you do. Why else do you think I drag you out to play all the time?" Butch cracked a grin at her. "All Brick wants to do is brood and be moody, and Boomer's dumb as a fucking rock sometimes. There's no heart in it like with you, girl." His long fingers pushed her dark hair from her face and he studied her.

Her hair was if someone had spilled an inkwell onto paper. Eyelashes the same color framed her impossibly large, green eyes. Eyes like two jade stones set into a face carved by Renaissance sculptors. Her skin was darker than her sisters due to all her time spent outside playing sports in the hot sun. No one else in the world was like Buttercup of the Powerpuff Girls.

"Yeah, well..." Buttercup scratched her head as her cheeks burned once again at his heavy gaze. "If you and I both get it, why is this fighting getting boring?" She turned to look at him. "Don't you lie to me either, I know when your fighting gets lackluster too, you bastard."

Butch let out a laugh. "Yeah, I guess the jig is up." He sat up then, taking her with him so she was sitting in his lap. "I'm not as perfect in school like Brick, nor am I as artistically inclined like Boomer, but I understand emotions. You have to when you're labelled a sociopath by the rest of society. Gotta prove them wrong, right?" He laughed again, but his eyes were cold. "The opposite of love isn't hate, y'know."

Buttercup tipped her head to one side, much like a puppy trying to understand. "What the fuck are you on about?" She put her hands on his hips and demanded his explanation.

Growling, Butch frowned. "It's not!" He shouted at her, grabbing her shoulders. "In order to hate someone, you actually have to care about them a lot. Think about it. Now, if you were indifferent, that's where things fall apart. Ever since I was born in a fucking toilet of all places, I've been trained to hate you and your Powerpuff sisters. But at some point, the line between hate and..." He trailed off, staring into the distance.

Buttercup swallowed and felt sweat form at the base of her neck. "Butch?" She questioned. "Don't go all shell-shocked on me, this isn't the last crusade we're in." She tapped his cheek trying to elicit a response.

Suddenly, Butch turned to stare at her and it was her turn to study him. Green eyes a shade darker than her own stood out from the long eyelashes that Bubbles always called unfair. His sharp features appeared to be copies of some Greek hero who fought valiantly and ended up in the history books. His dark hair was much longer than it was as a child, and it feel into his face with slight waves. The breeze played with the ends of that onyx-colored hair, and Buttercup felt her throat dry up. What was going on?

"Forget it, this is going nowhere, just like you said. You're just going to hide behind your remarks once again. Why do I even bother?" He moved to get up and pushed her off of his legs, not caring if it sent her off balance.

She fell to the ground, stunned at his sudden change. "Ow! What the hell? Wait, Butch!" She leapt up after him and caught his hand, pulling him to face her. His eyes were steely and full of mirth while hers were nervous yet determined.

Nothing was said for a moment. The two stared each other down, trying to find the source of the feelings in the other.

Buttercup was the first to react, and she pulled Butch into a bear hug, squeezing his ribs until they creaked from the pressure. "I get it, I get you. And...I care too." Unsure why she was telling him this, Buttercup took a deep breath. She released him enough to look up into his face above.

His eyes were wide and his expression was one of bewilderment, as if he never expected her to reciprocate the complex feelings that swirled in his heart.

Buttercup exhaled into his face, their lips just a short distance apart. "We get it, and no one else will be able to." Her eyes were full of understanding for her counterpart, violence was in their blood. In their DNA. It was part of who they were, and tough love was still just that, love.

Releasing the still stunned boy, Buttercup looked to the sky. "I gotta go." She turned back to Butch, whose gaze hardened ever so slightly at her words. "I'll be seeing you, okay?" She gave him a brisk embrace before jetting off and becoming a green streak in an otherwise blue sky.

"Yeah." Butch said to no one in particular. As he, too, lifted off towards the sky, he could've sworn he felt the beginnings of a smile on his face.

Be safe out there, friends.

-Misery