IV

When I got home, Blossom was waiting for me on our doorstep. I didn't give her any sort of acknowledgment as I flew into our bedroom window. By a glance, it looked like everything was still in its order. Bubbles stuffed animals were still scattered around her side of the room. Blossom's side was as neat and tidy as ever. But my side was… empty.

Sure it was still green, my sheets weren't changed, but it wasn't the same. My material things (which were very few) were gone. I went to my dresser and opened all the drawers.

Empty. Absolutely nothing.

I turned to the closet next and saw that all my clothes were gone from there too as well as my suitcases. It's like I never lived here before.

I heard Blossom fly into the room, inspecting the damage. "The Professor thought you weren't coming back."

"Why didn't you stop him?" I asked. My chest hurt. I've only been gone an hour or two. How could he just—I was coming back!

"I was doing an errand for him. I came back and all your stuff was already gone."

"You could've fought him on it once you found out." I looked over at her. Her eyebrows knitted together at my response.

Standing, she looked uncertain. She didn't know if she should approach me. So she didn't. "This isn't my battle to fight, Buttercup. This is between you and the Professor."

To me, Blossom was that type of person who wanted nothing but success. Crime fighting was the first and biggest step to get her where she wants to go and flying under the Professor's wing definitely got her noticed. She wanted to be many things: a lawyer, CEO, doctor, the list goes on. I always saw her as somebody who pushes aside anyone and everyone who didn't have the right connections to benefit her.

Bottom line, Blossom aspired for bigger and better things. If you weren't helping her, you weren't good enough for her.

I just… when did I become one of those people to her?

If this was happening when we were kids, I knew she would fight tooth and nail for me. I'd do the same for her in a heartbeat. Her and Bubbles. This revelation was just a slap in the face.

"You've changed." I muttered bitterly. That caught her off guard.

"I haven't."

I wasn't able to retort. The Professor was here.

He gave Blossom a stern look and she, with no amount of hesitation, left the room. I slumped to the floor, staring at the empty part of the closet—my part. The room was eerily quiet, but I knew that was partially on me. He was the last person I wanted to see.

I heard him sigh and approach me. "Buttercup—"

"Save it." I interrupted. "I know what you're going to say. I'm not good enough for this life. I'm not good enough for this family."

He kneeled down next to me and grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to face him. I was surprised. He wasn't the forceful type. Even when we were kids, he never raised a hand against us.

Maybe because we never gave him a reason to.

The Professor's eyes were hard but I felt warm when I stared into them. "I never said you weren't good enough for this life, Buttercup. And I never said you weren't good enough for this family." His voice was firm because he knew that was the only way he could get shit through to me. If he tried sweetening his words, I wouldn't respect what he had to say.

"From the day I created you to now, I never once thought you weren't just as good as your sisters. I've held you all equal in my heart." In spite of my burning eyes, I snorted.

"Except for your protégé. She just gets a little better treatment than the rest of us." His hand squeezed my shoulder tightly.

"As soon as she enters my lab, she is not my daughter and I'm not her father. I don't treat her any different than I treat you or Bubbles." I gave him a challenging look and he smiled somewhat. "Okay, I treat you a little tougher than I do the girls but that's because you're just harder to get through to."

"Guilty."

"Why did you get rid of my stuff?"

He looked conflicted, almost like he couldn't give me a good answer himself. His other hand came and stroked my hair. "I don't claim to be the best father in the world. And I'll admit that it's hard to juggle my family and my job sometimes. I've relied too much on my gut when it came to you girls. I always assumed everything was just fine. That was my first mistake."

I leaned into his hand and let him talk. This was the first heart-to-heart we had, just me and the Professor, since I was 11. I inwardly cringed. That was when my period started and that was a lot more uncomfortable than this.

"My second mistake was thinking that you three would remain my little girls forever. That you'd play with your dolls until crime calls."

"Action figures," I grumbled. He chuckled and kissed the top of my head.

"They were dolls, Buttercup." He corrected and I just rolled my eyes. Let him think what he wants. "My final mistake was… never taking your feelings into account. From day one you were shoved into this life—crime fighting, I mean."

"And I loved it. I love knocking some heads and sending criminals to jail. It's just…"

"Too much." He echoed my words from earlier. I sighed. "I know, Buttercup. I know. You want to be normal."

"I grew up listening to my friends talk about a party or a game that I missed because I was out fighting a monster or whatever. Maybe I thought I was cool when I was 5 because nobody could do what I do… but now it's different. Everyone else has the better life because they're so regular… average. What do they have to worry about?"

"You know they still think you're cool. How many people can genuinely say that they're friends with Buttercup Utonium?" I smirked. Not a lot. "Exactly. You want their life but all they want is to be in yours."

"All I'm saying is that it'd be nice to wake up and not have to worry about a villain terrorizing the city, you know?" I lowered my eyes, not wanting to see his face. "For a while… I want to be like everybody else. Just once."

The Professor forced me to look up at him. This time he put a kiss on my forehead and my eyes started burning again. When was the last time I felt this bond with my own father? "You'll call every now and then?"

I blinked.

Was he…?

"Keep up your studies. Congratulate your sisters on a job well done when they stop a crime. Be good?"

"Professor?"

He smiled at me, his eyes glimmering with tears. "This isn't a home for normal girls. I've spoken to Kathryn. She's the only friend I approve of." I held back a snicker. If only you knew, Professor.

"But I've known Mitch—" He glared halfheartedly.

"I'm not having you stay at a boy's house."

"I'm twenty."

"Doesn't mean you're too old to be my little girl." His glare retreated and he smiled again down at me.

"You're going to let me leave?"

"Most parents kick their children out at 18."

"You're not most parents."

"Not to Blossom and Bubbles. They can stay for as long as they want. But you're a normal young woman and far too old to be staying at your parent's house. Really, what would your friends think?" I laughed, rubbing my eye with my fist. I was almost at the brink of tears. Not bad, Professor. Not good enough but… not bad.

"Thank you, Professor." He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tight. I smiled faintly as I smelt a hint of his shampoo and disinfectant from his lab. Most people would think it's a strange combination but to me it smelt like home.

"You owe it to your sisters to come visit on Sundays."

"I've never missed a Sunday, Prof." He helped me to my feet and planted a final kiss on my head.

"I hope I learn something from this." The Professor mumbled into my ear once he had me in another embrace.

"I can't believe your old man put me on babysittin' duty." Kat grumbled, dumping a pile of sheets on her bed. When I explained what went down back home, she had Harry, her oldest brother, head off to storage and haul the twin mattress back to her apartment so I had somewhere to sleep.

To be honest with you, I didn't mind sharing a bed. I shared with Bubbles and Blossom when we were kids and every time I spent the night at Mitch's, we were sharing. It was Kat who felt uncomfortable. Something you should know about her is that she loves the ladies as much as the next frat boy. I may not know a lot about who she sees, but I know it's not a guy. Mitch and I were the only ones who know, aside from her brothers; everyone else assumes she's a part-time lesbian.

So I can understand where sharing a bed with a super sexy heroine might be a little much for her. (That's a joke.)

"Shut up, Kat." Michael snapped before smiling over at me. "Forgive her. She just doesn't know how to appreciate a fine body like yours."

I ever mention how much I hated her brothers? Harry always had something to say and he says it to insult me like I actually gave a shit what he thought about me. Michael is always hitting on me and, sure, I like messing with the guy but it does tend to get annoying after a while. Darren… well he's the only one I don't entirely hate, but I don't exactly like him much either.

"Fuck off, Michael. I can appreciate it better than you can."

I raised a finger, "Fact."

Michael just shrugged and continued grinning. "I'd be so turned on if it weren't my sister."

"You'd be turned on either way, freak." Darren mumbled, long fingers tapping away at Kat's laptop.

"Guilty as sin." Kat smacked him upside the head and turned to me.

"Don't think livin' with me is gonna be all daisies and shit, Butterbutt." She told me with a light glare. "I got rules and you better listen to 'em."

I touched my ears mockingly. "Let me hear it."

"Stay on your side." She jabbed her thumb at the barren area of her room, which was now my side. "I like my shit to stay the way it is. Clean up after yourself, but not after me." I raised a brow.

"What?"

"If I make a mess, I want it to stay there until I clean it up."

"She's anal like that." Darren piped in, shutting the laptop. "She gets all pissy if you so much as flush the toilet after her."

Michael hummed, "Katty says she's got a certain way of cleaning but I think it's her pride."

Again, she smacked him. "Roommate or not, you're a guest until you start payin' for cable. 'Til then, you don't do any sort of cleaning around here." Well, I sure as hell wasn't complaining. But I'll be damned if the Professor didn't teach me a thing or two about common courtesy.

"I can do the dishes—"

"No dishes." Kat interrupted and, after a brief pause, added, "Do not touch my dishwasher. I paid good money for that."

I was almost positive it was too late to stay with Mitch.

"Anything else?" Kat shook her hair out of her face and pursed her lips.

"If I think of any more, I'll tell ya." She tossed my jacket at me and started putting on her shoes. "Now leggo."

Michael was the first to pipe up. "You're leaving? What the hell are we supposed to do?"

"Wait for Harry-Piss to get back."

"Why the fuck are we stuck with the menial labor?"

"'Cause this is my pound and you're all my bitches." I snickered into the collar of my jacket as Kat shoved me out of her apartment. Shutting the door and locking it for good measure, she muttered obscenities under her breath and ushered me into her old beat up Ford.

"Where are we going?" I asked after a while of us just driving in silence.

"Hospital." She answered shortly while shifting gears. "Ricky got in a little accident last night."

I stared blankly at her. "No he didn't."

Kat scowled. "Yes he did."

Maybe it was because the guy just turned 22 or the fact that he made himself out to be invincible that I actually started believing it for a second, but I had a hard time getting this through my head. Ricky got into an accident? I've never known him to be that careless. Stupid, yeah. Not careless.

"What happened?"

"That guy, Arturo? He took a beer from me and spiked it. 'Parently Ricky drank some and he was runnin' around like he was on something. Texted everybody that he was gonna go jump Townsville Bridge." I clenched my fists tightly in my lap and my whole body began shaking. Ace. Ricky trusted that bastard and he and his damn gang got him off on GHB. Who the fuck does that?

"He alright?"

"For the most part, yeah. Darlene says he gonna be out in a couple days." She glanced at me from the corner of her eye and chuckled. "Chill out, BC. He's alright, really. He ran head first in a car—parked off Orbur Homes. What got him was when he fell and crashed his head. Might've hit some glass, I'unno."

I punched her shoulder and she visibly winced. "Fuckin' Christ! Don't hit me, bitch. I can't take a hit like you."

"You got me worked up for nothing!"

She laughed again and I punched her harder. "Listen mother fucker, I will drive us into oncoming traffic I swear to God!"

"I can guarantee one of us is going survive that." She was quiet and then muttered a quiet 'bitch' under her breath.

"I didn't think you cared so much 'bout Ricks."

"He's a friend."

She slammed on the brakes, propelling us forward. She almost ran a stop sign.

Kat turned to me with an eager grin. "You guys fucked!"

"What?! NO!" Even as I said that, I felt my face get hot.

The truck went forward and Kat leaned back with a satisfied smirk. "You guys fucked."

"No we didn't!"

She turned her head and looked at me daringly. "You. Fucked."

"Fuck you."

"Fuck me? Fuck Ricky."

I banged my head against the glass and counted to ten.

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