XIII

Boomer held his phone tight inside his fist, nibbling on the nails on his other hand. What the hell did he just do? Old Man had specifically said not to tell anyone what their business was and there he goes, blabbing his fucking mouth like he always tended to do. Edna didn't make it easier for him, but it wasn't her empty threat of getting the police involved that scared him. After all, if he and his brothers went down, she was going down with him. No more teaching license and she'll probably be sitting pretty in a cellblock for conspiracy. What scared him was his brothers finding out what he'd been doing here for the past year. And, admittedly, where he now stood with Buttercup. He wanted desperately to believe that she valued what they had.

"Let's go."

A kick to his shin forced Boomer out of his reverie. He looked up and met Buttercup's stare. She looked like she had just woken up; hair a mess, crusty eyes, and ruffled clothes that she had worn the day before. Her eyes were bloodshot and a lot of vessels had been popped on her face from over excessive heaving last night. He had warned her to take it easy but she had brushed him off and shut the bathroom door in his face. With a shaky nod, Boomer got to his feet and followed Buttercup out the door.

Boomer watched her walk, a worried look on his face. She was slouched, hands shoved deep into her pockets, and she kept tilting to the side. Quickly, Boomer patted his jeans for his wallet and eased his arm around her shoulder. "Let's get some food first, okay?" He said in her ear and she shrugged noncommittally. Her green eyes shot to his knowingly and he nodded. "I'll buy."

"I know."

The rest of their walk was spent in silence. Buttercup didn't force his arm off her shoulders but he removed it anyway. He wasn't going to take advantage that she wasn't feeling all too well today to push his luck with her and their… friendship? What could he call this that they had? He wanted to believe they were a little more close than just former enemies making amends—even if it had only been two days since he… well, she said it. Since he saved her life. Boomer briefly wondered if that was something the Girls heard every day. Definitely shut Blossom right the fuck up, that's for sure. Boomer wished he could see the ever-composed leader losing it for that one second for the rest of his life. Her face was priceless. But what about Buttercup? She seemed so adamant on making herself believe that she was invincible; she didn't need anyone to save her because she did the saving. For someone like her to admit it, Boomer knew it took some balls and maybe even some of her pride. He wondered if she hated him more because he stepped in.

No. No matter who it is or what the situation was, Boomer couldn't have let that happen. He wouldn't. Not again.

They stopped at the local fast food joint just around the corner from Keane's house. Buttercup muttered "number one" and went to go sit down at one of the booths in the corner. Boomer watched her go and noted how she slumped into her seat, putting her head in her hands immediately. Then he went up to the counter and placed their order. The pimply-faced teen working the register didn't even give Boomer a second thought and he was still flabbergasted. Had this been fifteen years ago, he was sure this kid wouldn't be so apathetic. Or, maybe he would? Boomer wasn't too sure how these teens worked anymore. It's been a while.

He eased into the seat in front of Buttercup. She had been texting. "Mitch is looking for me." She said to him, voice hoarse. Boomer didn't know what to say. He didn't know a Mitch. Buttercup looked up from her phone and shoved it into her jeans. "Doesn't matter. He knows where to find me."

"You always disappear like this?"

Her lips curled some. "Not always. This isn't exactly disappearing." Boomer nodded slowly and offered her some of the coffee he had ordered. She shook her head.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Might as well. Gives me time to think of shit to ask you about last night." Boomer was hoping she wouldn't bring it up. At least, not now.

"What are we doing? Here?"

Buttercup quirked a brow. "Hey, you offered breakfast."

"Yeah, I know that." Boomer bit his lip and tried to find the right words. "Like, what are we? You and me? What are we doing?" Her jade stare didn't waver, but she did look thoughtful. Boomer wondered if that was a good thing with her. He was briefly reminded of how she broke his jaw without so much as a second to think about it when they were five. She really has matured herself, hasn't she? Then, he also was reminded of last night when she decked him and he actually stood his ground. He had forgotten to give himself a pat on the back for that one.

Buttercup shrugged as she reached to hold his coffee. Just hold it. Didn't take a sip or even sniff it. She held the hot cup in her hands and kept her eyes on him. "Well, we're not fooling around or whatever."

He grinned somewhat and looked at the table, trying to hold back a snicker. She reminded him of Butch sometimes. "Could always change that." He joked as he lifted his eyes to meet hers.

Thoughtful.

Was she considering it?

Stammering, Boomer quickly took back his comment. "I-I was joking."

Buttercup pursed her lips and turned her head off to the side. "You brought it up." Then, something clicked instantly. She sounded unaffected, maybe even disinterested about the topic of sex. Or whatever. Like it didn't mean anything. But her eyes can't keep a secret. She was anxious. Actually uncomfortable.

"Hey," he tapped the table to get her attention again, "look at me." Buttercup did, off the corner of her eyes. "Don't get me wrong, I mean… I would. But I don't think you're ready for anything like that." She scoffed.

"It's just sex."

"Not to you, it isn't." She was glaring now, shit. "Listen. I don't know anything about you—"

"You're right. You don't."

"—but I know that this isn't what you really want. You don't want to fool around with me." She stayed quiet. She didn't get angry, or defensive; she just stayed quiet. "We're friends, right? We want the same thing. I think… if you got to know me and I got to know you, we could really make something happen. It's been a long time since I've had a friend, Buttercup. I could fuck around anywhere with anyone, but that's not what I want from you."

"Don't put me on a pedestal. I'm not some doll that'll break when I hit the floor. I'm tougher than I look."

I'm tougher than I look. Boomer remembered her telling Butch that the second time they came back to Townsville.

"If you don't want to mess around then stop making excuses. I'm not a little girl. Just tell me you're not interested. Be a man for once." Again, she sounded like it didn't matter to her whether Boomer wanted to or not but he knew that it did. It mattered a whole lot. How many people have told her no? How many people haven't told her no? More importantly, who was the one who made her feel this way? Like she needed to gain something from men through sex? Was it this Mitch guy? For some reason, that made Boomer angry.

"Look. Is this really what you want us to be?" Buttercup blinked at how suddenly aggressive he became. "You want me to take you somewhere, fuck your brains out, and then leave? Do you really want me to do that because if that's the case then let's go. I'll do it right now and not give two shits about you later." He grabbed her hand tightly and leaned in. She was still startled at how he was behaving. Vulgar, intimidating… He really had grown up, too, hadn't he? He wasn't the punching bag he used to be. He held his ground just as well as she would. "Whoever fucked with you so bad, Buttercup, I'm sorry, but don't pit me like one of those dogs. I'm a better guy than that, and you're a better woman than this." He softened his grip and laid her hand on the table.

She was instantly reminded of her chats with the Professor; cracking her open, looking what's inside… "You're not going to like what you find if you keep poking at me like this." Buttercup whispered it, almost as if she was afraid for someone else to hear her vulnerability. Then, a certain fire lit her eyes and Boomer let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. She was back again. Movement off his peripheral vision made him realize why.

The teen from behind the register came by and placed a tray on their table, their food hot and ready. Boomer quickly observed Buttercup as the boy started stammering around her, asking for an autograph, and no-so subtly making a pass at her figure. Buttercup easily brushed off his compliments, signed a napkin with her signature and handed it to him, effectively dismissing him. Ignoring Boomer for a second, Buttercup took a bite of her burger and sighed. She must've been real hungry since last night.

"You have girly handwriting." Boomer commented slyly, referring to her signature. Narrow with lots of loops when she wrote her t's and the end of her p circled her entire name.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

"You're weird."

"I must be, if I turned down the Buttercup Utonium."

Buttercup smirked slightly. "Yeah, well. You're not my type, anyway."

He watched her eat for a few more seconds before he started reaching for his food. Before he could take a bite, however, his phone began to vibrate in his pants. Habitually, he reached in, pulled it out and swiped to answer without so much as thinking about it. "Hello?"

"Get to 10th Street, Boomer."

Boomer froze in his seat. He knew Brick's voice anywhere. Even before their confrontation last night, Boomer could recognize either of his brothers' by the way they walk, the way they talk, and the way they text. And he was also very much attuned to Brick to know when he was pissed off.

Thankfully, he wasn't. Not even a little bit. But that didn't ease Boomer's worries the least bit. He had been ignoring Brick and Butch since he had stepped foot into Townsville and this was the first phone call he stupidly answered in months. "I can hear you breathing."

Buttercup looked up from her sandwich and stared at him strangely. Quietly, she mouthed who is it?

Boomer bit his lower lip. He can't tell her. He can't let Brick know she's with him. "Okay, since you're not gonna answer me—"

"Go home, Brick." Buttercup's eyes widened and she stiffened immediately.

"Brick?" She hissed at him quietly. He swatted at her frantically. Shut the fuck up, he mouthed angrily.

"What?" Brick was testing him, God dammit, Boomer knew Brick was testing him.

Say that again, I dare you.

Boomer clenched his other hand tightly. "I said, go home."

Dead silence. A crippling fear shot through Boomer's spine and he just knew. He knew he was in for some deep shit whenever the two got together again. If not Brick, then definitely from Butch. Hell, he should always expect Butch to kick him around a few times anyway because that's just Butch. But when Brick did it; it was on a whole other level. He did it not because it was fun, or he got his rocks off of it, but because Boomer really got him wired to the point of violence. It was a form of roughhousing discipline that the three of them rarely did because they'd destroy a lot of shit—they'd throw their punches, maybe get the powers involved, but they always hugged it out in the end. Even with that being said, Boomer wasn't looking forward to the beating part. Brick was brutal, so was Butch. The two of them together was like a tornado meeting a volcano, and Boomer was bound to be in the middle. He always was.

"You've got ten minutes to come up with a good excuse to give that bitch before I come in and pull you out of that fucking booth." Boomer widened his eyes and he whirled his head around.

Of course he'd be here. Brick was always two steps ahead, always. He called knowing where he was, and knowing he'd answer when he was distracted by food. Brick knew everything. As Boomer made eye contact with Brick, who was sitting at one of the tables outside the restaurant, he heard his voice over the receiver.

"You know what? Bring her over. It's been a while." Boomer narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"Where the hell are you going?" Buttercup asked as she watched Boomer shoot up from his seat and storm outside the place. Looking over at his untouched food, Buttercup actually thought about staying to finish it. What a waste. With one last bite of her burger, Buttercup got to her feet and hurried after Boomer, who seemed to have vanished. Barreling through the doors, she scanned the streets and saw no sign of his blonde head of hair. Where the hell could he have gone so fast?

A faint thump caught Buttercup's ear and she turned to see the opening of an alley. Another thump came from that direction, louder this time. "For fuck's sake," she griped as she headed that way and turned in.

Whoever says watching two men beat each other up wasn't even the tiniest bit sexy are lying their asses off, I'm going to tell you that right now. Or maybe I'm the weird one. Either way, nothing gets the loins burning faster than watching two guys go at it, fists flying and grunting and all. When all else fails, I could always rely on boxing to get me off. There's just something about the way men show off their power and bravado. Blossom thinks I'm crazy but I know she got off on it, too.

So watching Boomer, who I had earlier decided was my "it happened once in a dream", pinning another guy—who I can only guess was Brick—against the wall of the alley made me a little dizzy. "Hey! Hey!" I approached the both of them and ripped Boomer off just as he reeled his fist back and swung. Unfortunately for me he kept the momentum and knocked me in the chin. "Oh, Jesus fucking Christ!" I growled, cupping my chin gently.

"Shit, Butt—" I cut Boomer off with a tougher hit to his jaw, sending him to the back of the alleyway. He groaned loudly when he made contact with the wall, slumping against it while he rubbed his jaw. "You were holding back…" Oh, I wasn't, trust me. I just wasn't as wired as I am now.

"Saved me the trouble of doing it." I turned to face Brick, who was watching Boomer impassively with his arms over his chest. A wide bruise was forming around his eye, making it squint, but he didn't seem bothered by it. With healing like ours, he shouldn't be. Even then, I couldn't help but notice how grown up he looked. How grown up Boomer looked. They sure as hell weren't kids anymore but it was easy to tell where the better looks went to.

"The hell are you doing back here?" I demanded fiercely. Brick's sharp eyes shot to mine and I felt a tingle shoot down my spine. He narrowed his lightly before he snorted.

"Get out of here, girl. This isn't about you."

Oh, no he didn't.

"Don't piss me off. Answer my fucking question."

Brick stared at me intuitively for a quick moment before he leaned close. I held my ground as his face neared mine, not once moving my stare off of him. He let his nose touch mine before he whispered in a husky murmur, "Fuck. You."

I scowled and wound my arm back before sending my fist flying to his stomach. He caught my wrist and twisted my arm. I winced as he twirled my body around and slamming me face first into the opposite wall. He gripped my free hand and pinned it to the bulwark, pressing up against me tightly. I felt a jolt of… something shoot from my wrist down my arm and dulled the rest of my upper body. What the hell is this? I tried wiggling my fingers but I couldn't even do that. An unwelcomed pit formed itself in my stomach.

"That's a real bad move." He said in my ear. I shivered and started to struggle against his hold, bucking and kicking the only parts of my body that were still functioning. He grunted and solidified his body, keeping his grasp firm and unwavering. It gave me little room to squirm. "You don't wanna do that. Keep it up and I'll make him watch." He growled huskily and I instantly stilled. I knew what he was implying. My head starting whirring then, thinking of any ideas on how to get myself out of this situation. Nothing came to mind. Not when I can't even make a fist. "Good girl."

"Let her go, Brick. You're here for me, remember?" Boomer spoke up, standing back up to his feet.

"I also said it's been a while." An involuntary gasp left my mouth when he took my earlobe in his mouth, his tongue flicking against it and his teeth grinding it.

"Brick," Boomer warned threateningly. Brick released my ear and shoved himself off of me, forcing me painfully against the wall just before his body left mine. The dull in my body was slowly ebbing away but not fast enough. My arms fell limply at my sides and I slumped forward. A sturdy arm wrapped itself around my waist and held me upright. I was washed with Boomer's scent and I was reminded of Ricky's party. Here he is to save the day. Again. Get your shit together, BC! But nothing was working. My fingers weren't moving, my jaw felt numb, I couldn't feel my chest moving every time I took a breath.

"What the fuck…" I slurred. My tongue was heavy, too.

"Easy." Boomer whispered to me. His thumb and pointer finger pinched a nerve in my shoulder and I jerked in his arms. A lot of tingles shot throughout my body and I felt my knees go weak. "You're gonna be all right." For some reason, that made me feel less anxious. But my eyesight was starting to become weak and blurry. Boomer seemed to notice because he kept snapping his fingers in front of me. "Shit."

"You never act like this with me, Boomer. I'm a little hurt."

"Fuck off, Brick!" Boomer bellowed. "I told you to fucking go home!"

Brick released an aura of warning. "I'm not going anywhere without you." He said lowly. Boomer didn't say anything back and held me tighter. I was starting to get a faint feeling back in my fingertips. "We're a family, Boomer. We stick together."

"This isn't about you guys, okay? This is about me."

"And what about us? What the hell are we supposed to do without you?"

"You've managed a year without me, bro. You'll be just fine."

Brick laughed. It was empty and monotonous, and it sent another cold chill down my spine. "Are you serious right now? Or are you just being a fucking idiot again?"

Boomer scowled. "Stop fucking talking down to me like you're better than me. I'm fucking sick of that shit!"

Both brothers stared each other down before Brick let out a low sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright, alright. Look, go dump her somewhere and we'll talk about this."

"She's not trash. Stop it." Brick swore under his breath, looking incredulous. "She knows everything anyway." That made him stop. His eyes snapped to me. I could barely see the furrow in his brow, the anger that darkened his face.

"You told her?"

"And the others."

"What the fuck?" Brick stepped dangerously close to Boomer. I felt a pang in my gut and I tried to get out of Boomer's arms; of course, he didn't let me. Brick being too close made me anxious for a fight but my body kept telling me 'don't be a damn idiot'. I'm still not stable. I still felt like passing out. But for some reason, leaving Boomer alone to deal with him, brother or not, didn't sit right with me. "Not even Butch—"

"Edna's here, bro."

Silence.

Brick searched his brother's stare. He looked like he wanted to rip Boomer apart but then he also looked a little pained. It was surprising, actually. I pitched him to be Blossom's exact counterpart, and I've pitched Blossom to always know to keep her composure. But Brick was something different. He looked lost, not sure what to do.

"She made me tell. BC knows. Bubbles knows. Bloss—"

"Don't say that bitch's name around me. I'll put up with Buttercup, not her." I pushed Boomer away gently, settling onto my feet finally. My shoulders ached like hell. I felt like throwing up again. Brick focused his attention on me like he just remembered I was here.

"The hell did you hit me with?" I asked, my tongue feeling heavy in my mouth. "What was... that shock?"

"That's none of your business." Brick snapped back.

"You n-need to start giving me some f-fucking answers, the both of you." I turned my glare on Boomer, who stepped back. I tried to look as dangerous as I could with a dead tongue and while trying to hold down my vomit. I don't think it was working as well as I wanted it to.

"I don't owe you shit. Don't try to control me." He hissed, his eyes turning a darker red. "I should've fucking killed you three when I had the chance."

"Back off, Brick."

Brick shoved Boomer back into the wall, the bulwark cracking under the force. "Listen to me, Boomer—"

"No, you listen to me." All of us turned to the alleyway opening, where Blossom and Bubbles stood with Keane in the front. Keane was the one who spoke. At the sight of Keane, Brick released his grip on Boomer and stepped back. "Now that I've seen that you've found Brick for me, Buttercup." I wasn't too big of a fan of the disapproving glare she sent me so I quickly looked away. "We are going to sort everything out today. I want all of you back at my house. Now. And where is your brother?" She asked Brick, who shrugged apathetically.

"Left in the morning. He was doing some investigating."

"Then we are going to go find him." Brick nodded stiffly and pointedly ignored Blossom's scowl. "Bubbles, please take Buttercup back home. She needs rest."

Bubbles broke away from Keane and Blossom, walking warily with Brick's presence so close by, and approached me. Her smile was weak and scared. "Let me fly you back, Buttercup." She said quietly.

"I can do it."

"I'll do it." Bubbles snapped, shooting a meaningless glare to Boomer. I raised an eyebrow at her sudden protectiveness. "She's my sister. I'll take her back." Boomer raised his hands up in surrender and backed up to Brick, who put a hand on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear. This eased Boomer, who nodded his agreement and let Bubbles take over.

She put my arm around her shoulders and I leaned against her. I hadn't realized how exhausted I was. "Go easy on me, Bubs." I said jokingly, but my stomach was agreeing. Bubbles only smiled at me before she took off, leaving behind Keane, Blossom, Brick and Boomer.

While I had definitely missed my quality time with Bubbles, I kind of was starting to miss the familiarity of Boomer already.

What a pansy I've become.

He's not even my type.

Well, shit.

That's the only thing that was going through Kat's head when she woke up in the hospital bed, one wrist handcuffed to the railing. With a headache from hell and an uncomfortable burn that coated her entire body, she tried to remember what crazy shit she had gotten herself into this time.

Clicking her tongue, she looked around the room and saw it didn't look any different from any other hospital room she's been in—and that was a lot. The only difference between this time and those times were the pull of metal at her wrist. What the hell did she do to deserve being arrested in the hospital of all places? Though, with a knowing smirk, she wouldn't put it past herself. She was crazy unpredictable at night, so all bets were pretty much off.

Then, the door opened and in came a police officer followed by a nurse, who immediately began checking her vitals. While Kat tried to remain composed at the sight of the uniform, her heart monitor sped up just a little bit. The nurse, after deeming her vitals normal, quickly scurried out to leave the two of them alone.

"What seems to be the problem, officer?"

"You're under arrest for possession of drug paraphernalia. You have the right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be used against you—"

Kat felt her face darken as the officer read her Miranda warning.

The only name that came up was the only person who knew exactly what was in her safe. Her damn roommate. That Goddamn cunt. How else could these officers have known? She should have known better than to trust a damn superhero. If there's anything Grandma Doug taught her, it was never to trust a damn soul, especially with the dark secrets and demons. Kat should have listened; she should have fucking listened!

As soon as she got out—and she will get out of this—Kat decided that Buttercup's place, wherever that is now, was going to be the first one she paid a visit to.

You conniving little shit.

Copyright © 2013 by scorpialin
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