Buttercup~
I'm lying on my stomach pressed as hard as I can against the mattress watching, waiting. It's 11:30pm and in five minutes, Blossom will be walking up the drive way home from work but not alone. One would think it would be with her red headed counterpart but instead the tall figure has stark black hair. I bite back the growl I didn't know was forming as I see them hand in hand, stopping in front of the door. He smiles his cocky smile, he has blushing Blossom right where he wants her. My lips purse into a thin line as I watch Butch lean close, hands wandering to the small of her back and the other the nape of her neck. Fingers loosely gripping auburn hair. My heart beats faster than I'd like and I keep from lunging down to separate them.
"Butch…I…"Blossom starts, "We probably shouldn't?"
She says it but they've already done it a few times, something moves too quickly in the bushes across the street for me to catch but regardless of what's lurking that's not where my attention is.
"And why not? We are both single aren't we?" Butch leans impossibly close, nose brushing hers, "Brick says he's just your lab partner doesn't he? Sounds unfair to keep such a brilliant mind all alone."
Smooth.
Blossom thinks so too as her blush deepens to the color of her hair. She smiles, bashful suddenly. He smirks his damn smirk and laughs his damn laugh.
"Shame cause you're so cute too." Butch purrs and Blossom giggles. He cuts her sweet laugh short with a kiss, a slow methodical kiss. That deepens quickly as Blossom pushes herself against him, his fingers no longer loosely playing in her hair but gripping tight. He makes her way to her slender rosy throat and I hear her moan his name.
"Butch.." It's filled with desire and I suddenly feel breathless. My blood is boiling hot but I tell myself. So what. So fucking what. He is no longer my problem. Bubbles' flips the switch to her room and the light illuminates the couple as if it were a spot light. Blossom spooks and pulls out of the embrace. She has her head tilted to her chest and looks at him through long lashes, biting her lip.
"Walk me home tomorrow?" She asks, and Butch smirks his smirk. He looks over his shoulder for a second before his smile gets that much wider.
"Same time tomorrow Bloss."He places his hands in his pockets, crocked smile as he walks backwards down the drive way. Turning around once he hits the street. She stares after him a moment and I let the breath I was holding go. I want to crush everything in sight, I want to go somewhere secluded and bring a mountain to its knees but if I'm not here then not only is Blossom's wellbeing in my hands but now her heart is too. He's doing this to fuck with me, for more fucking leverage. It takes him twenty minutes to show up back up to get me for a mission.
"Dress warmly." He says standing with his arms crossed on my window sill. I don't speak as I shove myself in a jacket.
"You're going to need more than that." He warns but I only grab a scarf to shut him up. I push past him and jump into the air headed aimlessly until I see Butch take a direction.
We soar high in the air, farther apart than normal. It's not long before I land in about three feet of snow on the roof of a barn in the middle of nowhere. The only light coming from the barn's one lamp hanging over the large door, a farm house goes unnoticed and unlit in the distance. For a moment I wonder if it's abandoned. I pull my scarf tighter to myself as the wind blows what feels like another foot of snow from the trees above. Butch lands in front of me blocking the wind for me; I can feel the warmth coming off of him in waves. I half shiver when the wind howls from the opposite direction. He takes a step closer and I take one back. I avoid eye contact with him while he tells me the basics of the mission. We climb into the rafters of the barn and my bones sing from the warmth. The outside makes it look like some sketchy weather worn barn that pops up every few miles in this farm town, if you can even call it a town. It's a little cushier inside with tons of space heaters and a large card table in the center of the space. But that is where the cushiness ends, the barn is lit with old kerosene lamps and the floor is covered in straw. Fire waiting to happen, maybe it will happen when this is all said and done. Ten or so people are gathered around the table and one more joins them. They all speak in another language and laugh clasping forearms. Butch's log of an arm holds me down as he presses his lips to my ear, I'm getting used to them there.
"Blonde hair, blue eyes, scare over left eye, his left." He barely breathes. I look down and spy our target, he's sitting at the head of the table, he seems younger than the rest. Then I see his copy which must be his father clasp his shoulders, a burly man who borders on obese. His platinum blonde hair emphasizing his pale complexion. I crane my head away from him, still burning hot about what happened hours earlier. The sun isn't due to rise for a few more hours, which means all the black smoke will be swallowed up by the cloudy night sky and the snow storm I can feel brewing up above. I smile and wait for everyone to take their seats. I let them begin their game and play a few rounds, betting large amounts of drugs and their own women represented by polaroid pictures. The pot changes hands a few times before the son begins to win. I seize my opportunity and ignore Butch's earlier instructions to only kill the son. I jump down onto the table causing coins, bricks of coke and other items to fly in the air and fall like rain. I wear a devilish smile as I hear the rafters creak from strain above me.
"Hello boys." I place my hands in the pockets of my leather jacket, staring down the son. The eleven men have their machine guns trained on me and I laugh.
"What fun toys~!" I let my voice go high pitched like Bubbles but my smile is all my own. Mischievous, dark.
"Kill her." The father says in his dialect and the men open fire. I catch the bullets with ease and hold them out in my palms for all to see.
"I think I should return these." I say before sending the bullets into all of the men but two. The target and the father. I seize the target by the throat, the boy can't be much older than me, maybe twenty?
"Now tell me what I need to hear." I mutter in their tongue. Bubbles has taught me majority of the languages she knows, or as many as she could once I realized that most monsters were human. The guy is gasping for air while his father rains bullets into my back that bounce off, they barely tickle. I grab a bullet with one hand and sling it back to him, hitting him on the right side of his chest, I smile and return to my work. Butch loses his patience and lands hard behind me, shaking the whole barn. The father gasps from where he is slumped, crawling towards Butch.
"Please!" He begs in broken English, "I'll give you anything!"
"Oh so you're famous I see." I say to Butch, he grips my shoulder hard. The boy soils himself and I look over my shoulder dropping him.
"Very famous for your work." I growl, though I'm not better. How many families did I destroy tonight? Doesn't matter, in this moment I am too angry to care. This isn't the first time I've taken a life because of him. Long hair and deep brown eyes flash before me and I shrug the memory away.
"We are only supposed to kill the boy, leave the father alive. That's the deal." Butch growls, angry, "This is sloppy work and we won't get paid."
"I'll double it!" The father shouts. But Butch's eyes are only trained on me. Layers of emotion hide behind his deep green eyes and I can no longer look.
"I didn't hit him in a fatal spot. He just needs to go to the hospital." I say turning my attention to the boy, whose eyes are wide and trained on Butch alone. He hasn't even touched him, yet he still shakes in his presence.
"Did you not count the miles? The last hospital is literally over four hours away by car!" He yells, the temperature in the room rises with his voice, "I cannot believe you. This was a very sensitive and high dollar job."
"We are still getting the job done." I hiss, "Do we need anything out of the boy?"
"No." Butch growls, hand running through his raven hair, "Just the father is what he needs."
"Well does he need information or revenge?" I ask, stalking over to the father. Flipping over the heaving man, seizing the bullet from its wound. I twist on my way out to make sure it scars before cauterizing it closed. Butch stares at me, eyes wide with anger and surprise.
"Half of our problem is solved now answer me." I hiss, coming nose to nose with him. I only know what I'm fed and if I'm going to be his little helper than I better get all of the information on the next mission. He stares me down before answering through gritted teeth.
"Revenge."
Without thought I shoot a bolt of energy into the boy and it blasts his head off.
"Now the whole problem is solved." But I can barely be heard over the man howling.
"No it isn't. He knows our faces, he knows your face." Butch says, grabbing me by the chin now, "What would the world think of their precious heroine? What would your sisters think?"
His words cause a cold sweat to fall over me, like ice water being dumped down the back of my shirt. He's right, what would my sisters say if they knew what I was doing? And so guiltlessly at that. Butch nods his head when he realizes the weight of what he's said. He walks over to the father and breaks his neck faster than I can blink before kicking over the space heaters and kerosene lamps. He aids the fire with his own dark green energy before grabbing me roughly to pull me out into the cold open sky.
We don't speak as we fly home, the sun already mid-horizon. He floats close to my window as I fly through and land on the bed fully dressed with my back to him. Anger has washed over me again and I no longer want to think about him.
"I'll be back tomorrow around six." He says after a few long moments.
"Hey Butterbabe." Butch purrs standing on my bed, he's later than what he said he would be. It's 9:00 at night. I ignore him still and play my fighting game, angry that I returned early from my training. He comes and sits next to me on the floor, leaning against the bed. I feel his eyes on me and ignore him.
"Been fighting?" He asks, brushing my knuckles with his. I jerk away. Still ignoring him.
"Who could you be fighting that would leave your hands bloody?" I hear a hint of anger, maybe even jealousy linger in his tone. I laugh.
"Maybe it's Brick." He laughs so hard he clutches his stomach.
"Yea okay, must have been beating the shit out of a rock or something then."
Silence falls between us but it isn't the kind I've gotten used to. Not the comfortable silence that normally settles between us. I win against the computer but still I slam my controller into the ground as the question eats me alive.
"Why the fuck are you kissing Blossom?" I snarl, "It's been four nights in a row!"
He looks taken aback for a second. Truly surprised that I would ask such a question. Before a smile cracks over his lips.
"Oh, you actually think I like her?" I answer him by punching him square in the mouth. It's one thing to play me and another to play my sister.
He spits blood on my face before grabbing me roughly by the throat, I break his forearm and straddle him baring my teeth. He flips me quickly, flashing his teeth to me.
"Would you listen for a sec?!" He yells and I go still, "In a few hours, Blossom is going to be walking home alone and do you know who's going to be there when she is? When she's crying that she's been used?"
I stare blankly up at him, dumbfounded. His eyes shift to the clock above us on my desk.
"I'll show you, Blossom will be here around 11:35ish right? Let's stake out til then and see if I'm right on how this will unfold." He shoves me for good measure before rolling off of me into the same sitting position he was in before. He picks up a controller and pats the spot next to him.
"We have some time to kill." He says, I nod taking the controller from his hands. We play a few rounds and I'm totally kicking his ass.
"Let's make this fun." He says after losing for the fifth time.
"How?" I say, selecting my normal fighter. He scrolls through a couple before landing on the one he started with.
"If I win you have to sit in my lap until Blossom gets here." I stare at his impossibly handsome devil smile.
"And if I win?"
"If you win then I'll kiss you like I did Blossom yesterday." He purrs and I smirk. So damn cocky.
"For real, what do I get?"
"You don't want the kiss? I saw you gripping your sheets tight last night." He leans close, dark green eyes sparkling in the glow of the TV. I snarl.
"Yea right, if I win then I don't have to help you for a full month." I stick my hand out to shake on it. He stares at it a moment weighing his options.
"Deal." His hand is rough, our palms touching causes a surge of energy and comfort to flow through me. I release my hand quickly.
"Get ready to lose asshole." I say, expecting to dominate through this match as well but instead he wins with a perfect match. I didn't even get to land a hit.
"Best two out of three." He stares at me hard, before shrugging his shoulders. He wins again and again and again. When I go to open my mouth he shakes his head.
"A win is a win Buttercup." He pats his crossed legs and winks.
I stare at him for a long moment before honoring the bet. I grumble as I position myself onto his lap. I wiggle my hips to make a little more room and I hear him suppress a growl as I adjust myself. I feel him against me but he isn't aroused as far as I can tell. Unlike Mitch who I've sat with just like this a few times over the past year. I really shouldn't be surprised though I'm not Butch's type, my sisters are more of his speed with their feminine, flawless beauty. I never thought I was beautiful, sure I knew I was above average or at least pretty but no one really approached me. Which I was fine with, less trouble for me. But sometimes it hurt, it hurt to see my sisters be told how gorgeous they were during photoshoots and I was told how intimidating I was, fierce. All positive adjectives but sometimes a woman just wants to feel pretty. I never felt beautiful until Mitch came around. He had a huge crush on me though I was oblivious as usual. One day he came up to me and asked to skate around down town with me. He was blushing so hard and stuttering. I said yes interrupting his babbling explanation. We met after school and I brought my camera to finish a project. We skated for hours and the sun started to set, we laughed a lot and it felt nice to have a friend outside of my sisters. He asked if he could use my camera I said sure, switched the SD card and taught him how to get a good shot.
"God you're stunning." He murmured and I told him I wasn't, that was more an adjective for my sisters.
"No," he breathed, "Your beauty is much like a rose, thorns for everyone and only the patient few can watch you bloom and once you do, your beauty is blinding. It's all I can think about since the first time I saw you laugh, really laugh."
And it makes me laugh, half from the butterflies in my stomach and the innocence on his face.
"You're joking." I say, eyes focused on the sunset hitting the high rises a block over.
"No I'm not." He says, flipping my camera's display screen to me. He shows me two pictures I'll never forget. One a shot of me skating, the wind blowing my hair behind me, you can see a small portion of my face and the smile playing on my lips, eyes closed. The other is me laughing after we both dropped our ice cream right as we walked out into the street.
"This right here," His finger taps my face, "This lights up the darkest places."
He steps close, lips about to brush mine when the moment is interrupted by Blossom landing next to me, asking for help to defeat the boys.
"Comfortable?" He purrs in my ear, pulling me back to the moment. I shrug in response and pick up my controller. He wraps his arms around me and holds his controller on my lap. He places his head atop of mine and a small sigh escapes us both.
We sit like this for a few hours, the wins go back and forth and suddenly I am winning again. I think for sure he isn't hustling me this time.
"Let's make a bet." I say, "If I win you let me be for two weeks so I can build my portfolio for work."
"And if I win?" His voice is like velvet in my ear.
"Then you can kiss me like you did Blossom."
"Oh I'll kiss you better than I did Blossom." His voice turns rough, hands squeezing tight against my stomach, "Or maybe I won't kiss you at all."
"Hmph." I respond, wiggling my hips again.
"Oh you're bad." He nips my ear while he's there before placing his chin back on my head, "Best two out of three."
I win and then he wins. Both of us really getting into the game. He uses a power combo but I counter, I then activate my special move that sends him all the way down to 1 HP. I smile to myself and begin to relax. He avoids my hits for four moves or just blocks them, countering with his own sending my health down from half to a quarter. He uses a move that paralyzes me for a second and then activates his power move. My heart is beating out of my chest as I watch my character parish on screen.
"WINNER PLAYER TWO!" The TV announces and I feel petrified. Oh great now Butch gets free range to kiss me, I really, desperately, needed that time off.
He flips me to face him causing me to straddle him. His hands rest on my hips and he smirks. A cat playing with a caught mouse. He presses me closer to him, eyes slowly raking over my body and I regret wearing a top that dips low with a crisscross of sting over my goods. His eyes linger there before they linger on my lips. He licks his own and I know he can hear my heart beating out of my chest. I swallow regretting ever putting myself in this position. He leans in, hands roaming agonizingly slow up my sides before one lands in my hair gripping it tight. He tilts me to him so slowly and holds eye contact until we are nose to nose. Our breath mingles for a moment, and then another before he pulls me closer, our noses brush and just as our lips are about to touch we hear sobbing coming up the drive way. We both pull away at the same time and rush to climb into my bed to peer out of the open window. He presses me close to himself and the mattress out of habit from doing jobs. But still I fight back a blush for the moment we just shared.
Blossom comes up the drive way wiping away fat tears and it sobers me instantly. It reminds me that the man pressing me close as if he cares doesn't care at all. That he is just a predator who plays the game. And he plays it well. I scoot away just enough that we are no longer touching but he pulls me back to him.
"Look in the bushes across the street." He breathes in my ear, "Do you see him yet?"
I squint and then see Brick being a total creep hiding behind a tree up the street.
"He's been there every day the past month, that was a couple of days after I offered to walk Blossom home."
My eyes cut to him and I nudge harshly, Blossom is on the brink of hyperventilating as she stares down at her phone. She sends a few messages before wiping away more fat tears. My phone vibrates but I can't risk checking it.
"Why are men such assholes?!" She hisses to herself digging around her bag for her keys, "First Brick ghosts me for a whole two months and now Butch too!"
Brick makes his way up the street and into the mouth of the driveway before Blossom notices him. She flinches a little and lets out a small gasp. As if she couldn't just obliterate an average mugger. I roll my eyes at how much edge she's lost and watch.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" She snarls. Brick, Butch and I flinch from her tone. She hardly cusses or uses that venomous tone and it's surprising. Those Rowdy brothers must have really hit a nerve.
"I…we had a project to work on remember? It's due soon." Brick reminds her that despite it being summer they are still enrolled in a semester of college. They are already considered seniors at Townsville University.
"Oh you mean the project I've been working on alone for the past two months? You mean the project that you abandoned?!" Blossom goes into a rant, hands emphasizing her points as the concrete below her freezes and cracks. The sound doesn't stop her, she doesn't notice Brick closing in on her, or how he is suddenly close enough to touch. Brick wraps his arms around her, reenacting what Butch did last night. It doesn't take long before she melts to his touch, kissing back harder than she did with Butch. I look to him with wide eyes, expecting him to get up and reclaim his territory when I see a smile spread across his face as Brick gets a moan out of Blossom. Butch gets up and returns to his spot leaning up against the side of the bed. He taps his lap with his hand and I shake my head no for a moment. He sighs.
"Then I get to finish that kiss." His voice is husky and demanding. I swallow my desire and sit in his lap instead.
"In your dreams." I hiss, wiggling my hips to torture him again as I pick up our controllers. His grip onto my hips tightly and his lips are pressed to my ear.
"Always." Electricity surges through my body, as if being struck by lightning while being high up in a storm cloud.