Natural Beauty

Buttercup heard a soft knocking on her door. She growled and dropped the comic she was reading onto her desk.

Onto the pile of other things on her desk, that is. Africa had been a tiresome month for her, and by the time they had returned home this morning she was more than ready for some quiet relaxation. Sure, it was almost sunset now, but she still wasn't in the mood for company.

"Come in," Buttercup responded as she tilted her chair back and closed her eyes. She didn't bother finding out who it was first. In any case, she'd send them off soon enough.

"Buttercup?" Bubbles asked from the doorway. "Can I come in?"

"Why?" she asked, making her irritation clear.

Buttercup heard her door close again, but Bubbles was still there. "Did you forget your promise?"

Promise? Buttercup thought. What promise? "What, is it my turn to do dishes or something?"

Bubbles leaned against the wall beside Buttercup's desk. Buttercup finally opened her eyes. Mostly just to glare at her sister. Bubbles looked unsure of herself. Whatever it was, she could at least have the decency to decide what the heck she was doing ahead of time.

"It's okay if you're too tired," Bubbles said. "But now that we're done with Mojo, I was wondering if you really were going to finish our talk."

Gradually, Buttercup remembered. She blushed a tiny bit but her expression changed even less. "Look, can we just forget about that? I only said I'd do it because you were upset, anyway. I don't need to talk to anyone about anything, got it?"

Bubbles slumped and stared at the carpet. "Oh. So that's it, huh?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"So it really doesn't bother you anymore?"

"That was weeks ago. I'm over it."

"If you say so, I guess."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Bubbles shrugged. "Nothing. I guess I'll just leave, then. You can go back to being alone if that's what really makes you happy." Bubbles avoided looking at her sister as she pushed off the wall and stepped towards the door. "I'm sorry I bothered you."

Buttercup didn't crook her head any further but still heard her door open and close. She heard Bubbles's door a moment later.

She'd better not be... Buttercup thought to herself, peering through the wall into her sister's room. She didn't worry about the invasion of privacy. Bubbles had only just gone into her room, after all, and as soon as Buttercup confirmed or denied her suspicions she'd stop.

Bubbles sat at her desk/vanity, which was right on the other side of the wall, essentially putting it back-to-back with Buttercup's. Bubbles adjusted what Buttercup knew to be a family portrait, staring quietly at it. Sure enough, she started to tear up in under a minute.

Buttercup loosed a frustrated sigh. Her heart skipped a beat when it seemed Bubbles was staring at her, but she was more likely looking in her mirror. Still, Buttercup felt a little ashamed at the mere thought of being caught spying on her sister, so she stopped.

A few moments and another sigh of frustration later, Buttercup got up and walked to Bubbles's door. She gave it three firm raps.

"Just a minute," Bubbles called. Buttercup waited patiently. Eventually, Bubbles opened her door wide. "Yes?" she asked a little hopefully.

Buttercup took a deep breath and sighed yet again. "Does it really bother you that much?"

Bubbles tilted her head briefly to the side, the gesture echoing her speech. "Maybe."

Buttercup didn't know exactly what to say next, and in the pause, Bubbles continued. "I just have a hard time believing you wouldn't be happier to talk to someone. I know you lost your friends over this, too, and I figured that if you didn't have anyone else that maybe..." Bubbles wasn't sure how to finish the thought.

For a while they just stood there awkwardly, occasionally glancing at each other and once or twice catching each other's eye.

"Damn it," Buttercup muttered to herself. She stepped into Bubbles's room. Bubbles started to back up to make room for her, but Buttercup put her hand on her shoulder and leaned in. She whispered, "Come on. Let's go somewhere quiet."

Buttercup turned around, her hand trailing down her sister's arm and to her hand as she walked away. Bubbles raised her hand up, keeping them in touch as long as she could. After that the surprise had passed, and she grinned as she followed her sister outside.

"Bubbles and I are heading out for a little while," Buttercup said dryly to Blossom, who was lying on the living room couch reading something. "We'll be back before dark."

"Okay," Blossom said, sounding uncaring but cocking an eyebrow momentarily at Bubbles and her smile in contrast to Buttercup's resentment. "I'll see you later, then."

Buttercup flew in the general direction of the ocean, veering to the side when she got closer and following the coast. Bubbles was soon beside her. Buttercup frowned, wondering why going out in the first place wasn't good enough and why her sister couldn't give her a little space on the way.

Eventually Buttercup touched down on a sheer cliff over the ocean. With their speed and the power of flight, the girls had each found a number of isolated, scenic places to go when they needed time alone. This was one of Buttercup's favorites. Sometimes it felt good to just sit and watch the sun go down, or to watch and listen to the waves crashing endlessly at the base of the cliff. The restless power of the ocean was right here, and Buttercup identified with that on some level.

Buttercup sat down on the edge of the cliff. Bubbles walked and sat down a few inches to her right. Buttercup didn't speak at first, and Bubbles remained quiet.

"That bastard betrayed me," Buttercup said. Bubbles neither spoke nor moved. Buttercup's confidence grew a little, and she continued. "I thought he was my friend. I actually wondered if maybe we could have had something more when he asked me out. I was kind of excited about maybe having a boyfriend. I mean, even Blossom went on a couple of dates with that Rick guy.

"Like I said, he kept wanting me to...get physical with him. After the movie, we were in his car, and then..." Buttercup stopped. Her throat was tightening and her voice showed this. She decided she didn't want to stop, though. She found she actually did want to say this. "When he started to feel me up, it was over. It was past over. I punched him in the arm and got out and flew home."

Buttercup was startled when she felt her sister press against her. Bubbles had scooted over and now grabbed Buttercup's hand tightly in her own, wrapping her fingers around it. Buttercup glanced at her sister and saw her cheeks wet with tears, but Bubbles still kept staring at the setting sun.

Buttercup felt an excited feeling in her stomach. Feeling her sister's warmth and closeness was... Well, not just her closeness. Buttercup's eyes wandered down, where Bubbles's skirt rippled gently in the wind. Then she looked at their hands clasped together, Bubbles rubbing gently with her thumb. Buttercup's eyes continued to drift back up along Bubbles's body, resting again on her face. The sunset gave it a more ruddy, lively hue. The way she wore her tears seemed almost unreal. Buttercup felt like she herself was crying through her sister.

Looking out again, Buttercup gave Bubbles's hand a grateful squeeze and continued. "When I got back to school that Monday I saw them talking. I didn't feel like I had to stay away or anything. I mean, Mitch was an asshole, but the rest of them... Well, they were acting a little weird when I sat down to eat. When I left I listened in on them, and that pissed me off a little. What I heard, I mean. Before I knew it Mitch had the whole school believing him. I cornered him and almost beat the hell out of him. I would have, but I was afraid I might... That I might actually kill him or something."

Bubbles remained silent, her thumb still slowly rubbing Buttercup's hand.

"I came out here that day, too. I was so frustrated I almost busted into the cliff. I threw rocks at the ocean instead. As hard as I could. What I really wanted was to lay into something. Hard."

"Yeah," Bubbles said, so very softly. "They had the people at the beach a few miles down clear out of the water that day. From the wake, I guess."

"It's just... It's so frustrating. Holding back all the time."

"Yeah," Bubbles echoed.

"That's why I took the antidote X. I mean, I was at home and had chemical X and stuff, too, so I wasn't worried. I just wanted to lay into something with all my strength for once without it disintegrating. I wanted it to feel real." Buttercup smiled at the thought of herself. "Heh. I guess I'm pretty sad and predictable, huh? Old Buttercup gets frustrated and wants to smash something."

"That's all right," Bubbles said. Buttercup barely heard her over the waves below. "I get frustrated sometimes, too. You know I've had a couple good tantrums."

Buttercup smiled. She certainly had. "Yeah, but I'm always like that. There's always something, and I'm always having to be careful not to break stuff or crush something." Buttercup's voice drifted off and she looked at their hands again. She smiled and squeezed.

"Hey! Ow!" Bubbles spouted, surprised. Buttercup hadn't really squeezed hard enough to hurt her, but she was surprised at the force. Bubbles gave her sister an incredulous look, but smiled despite it. "Jerk."

Buttercup smiled back and stood, still holding her sister's hand, but more gently. Bubbles rose with her. Buttercup let go and twisted her hand, adjusting her grip before their fingers interwove again, palm-to-palm. Buttercup grabbed Bubbles's other hand similarly.

"Oh no!" Bubbles exclaimed in mock terror. Buttercup tightened her grip and started pushing. Bubbles laughed and did the same. Buttercup's silence was firm and menacing, aside from her close-mouthed smile.

Then Buttercup adjusted her feet and really got into it. Bubbles did the same and tried to hold her ground. She squealed in a mixture of delight and terror as she started sliding back, practically plowing the dirt with her toes.

"Ah!" she cried, when one of her feet slid out of the dirt. Buttercup's force carried her forward, so she plowed right into her sister. Buttercup wrapped her arms around Bubbles and reflexively used her powers of flight to stop their descent. Bubbles's heels and Buttercup's toes rested on the ground, but their heads were still a few feet above it. Bubbles could have hovered, too, but just hung limply in her sister's arms.

They just smiled at each other, still enjoying the innocent play. Buttercup caught a whiff of that lavender scent again. She smells nice, she thought casually to herself.

All of a sudden, Buttercup felt a little uncomfortable. She was very aware of her arms wrapped around her sister's back, and of Bubbles's arms around hers. Their faces, mere inches apart. She felt her sister's breath. She noted that Bubbles's face had an appealing sort of glow in the fading daylight.

Bubbles noticed her sister's smile fade. She knew Buttercup wasn't the touchy-feely type, and figured she was probably too embarrassed to get out of the situation. So she started hovering herself. She tilted forward, putting her hands on Buttercup's shoulders to help push her back up as well.

Then they were standing, but still pressed together; Buttercup's hands on the small of her sister's back, Bubbles's hands on her sister's shoulders, arms scrunched up.

"Thanks," Bubbles said again. "For trusting me," she added.

"You're welcome," Buttercup said, letting go and stepping back. A little uncomfortable and confused, she looked at the red sky, the sun now out of view.

"If you really do want to hear about Mike, we can go to that field I like tomorrow. We can make a picnic out of it or something."

"Um... Sure. Yeah, why not?"

"So do you want to get back? Blossom may start to worry."

"You go ahead. I'll be right back."

"Okay. I know you like to be alone sometimes. I think everybody does. But at least you know you don't have to be alone if you don't want to, right?"

"Right," Buttercup said, still not looking away from the ruddy skyline.

Bubbles took off, leaving Buttercup alone with her thoughts.