Buttercup groaned as she halted her steps. It seemed the bus system was giving up entirely, as the stop in front of her had construction tape around it. She turned back the way she'd come, deciding to go to the library to kill time before she was ready to go home. She was done with classes today, but she didn't feel like going home just yet.

"Where are you headed to, beautiful?" Her whole body shivered when his voice washed over her, but that could've been her imagination. The man she'd run into yesterday was approaching her now with an easy smile on his lips, his long legs eating the distance between them. Buttercup waited until he caught up with her before resuming her steps, fiddling with the strings on her sweatshirt.

"The library. Figured I'd kill some time before I went home." His grin widened, eyeing her in a way that could only be described as sinful.

"So you're free now?" Buttercup turned wary, even as his heated gaze stayed on her.

"Not really…I planned to get some studying done. I have a test coming up." Buttercup picked up her pace, but the stranger kept pace easily, his grin never leaving.

"Do you want some company?" The library steps loomed over them, and Buttercup bit her lip, debating. The stranger's eyes immediately followed the action, his hand twitching at his side.

"I don't know…"

"You won't even know I'm there. Who knows, I might even be of some help." Buttercup raised a brow in challenge, but nodded nonetheless. Together they entered the doors, with Buttercup leading the way to the elevators. She planned to go to the basement, as the older part of the library was the perfect mix of soft lighting and the smell of books. She turned to the stranger as he reclined against the elevator railing.

"What's your name? I'm sure it's rude if I just call you 'you'." The grin turned sharp as he moved closer to her, bracing his arm above her.

"So you're interested in calling me, beautiful?" Her cheeks flushed, but she pushed against his chest, nearly swallowing her tongue at the zap of electricity that raced up her arms at the contact.

"Your name, weirdo. And back up. I don't like my personal space invaded." He backed up immediately, dropping his arm, but never losing his smirk.

"Butch. But as long as it's coming from your lips, anything is fine." She couldn't stop the grin from spreading her cheeks, rolling her eyes as the elevator opened. Butch glanced around, intrigued, as he took in the space.

Rows of shelves greeted the pair as they stepped off the elevator. Books of all shapes and sizes lined the shelves, with leather recliners scattered around. Soft lighting gave the space a cozy atmosphere. Wooden tables revealed themselves as the pair moved deeper into the basement, with a few lamps placed on certain tables in darker corners. Buttercup dropped her things at the table in the center, with Butch folding himself in a seat across from her. Buttercup took out her laptop and headphones, glancing up at him a final time. Butch waggled his brows and crossed his arms on the table, uninterested in anything other than a nap. Buttercup shrugged, losing herself in her studies.

"Buttercup."

"Yeah?" Butch glanced from his watch to her, surprised they hadn't been disturbed the whole time they'd been there. That's good to know.

"I think we should call it here. It's already late." Buttercup frowned, glancing at the time on her laptop.

"What the, it's already that late?!" She packed up her things, checking her phone beside her. Missed calls and texts from her roommates were the main notifications she saw, and she couldn't help but groan.

"What? Your folks miss you?" He stood to follow after she'd grabbed everything, the pair heading back toward the elevator.

"No. Just my roommates. Blossom likes to check in, especially after that girl was kidnapped last year." Butch hummed, knowing exactly who she meant. It had been a huge scandal, but only a select few knew what actually happened. Clara was perfectly fine, but there was no need to explain that. Yet.

The pair fell into silence as they joined the few stragglers still at the library, but Butch stopped her as they reached the bottom of the steps.

"Are you attached, Beautiful?" Buttercup raised a brow, not sure where he was going with this.

"Maybe. Why?" Butch frowned, stepping closer.

"Do you have a boyfriend, Buttercup?" Buttercup tilted her head to the side, liking the way he said her name. He pronounced it like it was something precious, and couldn't get enough of saying it at the same time. It rolled off his tongue, and she wondered what else could roll off-

"Buttercup?" She blinked, mentally knocking those thoughts away. The man was just her type, but she hadn't known him long enough to be thinking like that.

"Not yet." Butch's hand twitched, respecting her boundaries, but wanting to brush away the hairs floating across her face in the wind.

"So you have your eye on someone?" Buttercup began walking backward, throwing a hand up.

"I'll see you around Butch." She'd turned away, so she couldn't see how his eyes flashed gold as she said his name. His grin was feral as he watched her walk away.

"See you around Beautiful."

"Blossom!" Blossom hummed in reply, not moving from the notes she was taking. She had eased off the research she'd been doing, not seeing the point in giving her all to something that wasn't rewarding her efforts.

Professor Utonium tapped her shoulder, waiting until she turned to look at him.

"Can I see you in my office for a minute?" Without waiting for her reply, he turned and walked away. Blossom pushed down the irritation, standing to follow. Around her, some of her colleagues gave her a subtle thumbs up, assuming she was about to be awarded the internship. They didn't know the position had already been filled.

"What can I do for you Professor?" He gestured to the seat across from him. Blossom closed the door and took a seat, keeping her expression neutral. Whatever he wanted, she had a feeling it would get on her nerves. The professor leaned back, tenting his hands in front of him.

"I want you to show Brick around the lab. No one has been as dedicated as you, so you're perfect to show him the ropes." Blossom fought to keep a straight face as her eye twitched. So you knew how dedicated I was, and still passed me over?

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Professor. There's so much on my plate already, so I'm sure someone else would be happy to show the new guy around." The professor frowned, leaning forward.

"Is something wrong, Blossom? You're usually the first one to volunteer for things like this. And now that the internship has been filled, some of your projects will be transferred over anyway. Who better to show him the ropes than you?" He kept droning on, but Blossom's mind had stopped working.

"Excuse me? I'm transferring some of my projects to him? And when, exactly, is this happening?"

"Why, today. I'm introducing him to the team today, so I thought it would be perfect timing. I just called you in here to give you a heads up." Blossom's hands clenched her lab coat in a death grip, trying to fight the urge to flip the desk.

"But, Professor. I've been working on some of those since I got here. You can't just-" A knock interrupted them. Brick swaggered in, a stoic look on his face. Blossom clamped her mouth shut, feeling the scream bubbling in her throat.

"Brick! Right on time. I'll be introducing you to the team, and then you and Blossom can discuss handing over the gene therapy project." Blossom blinked, darkness creeping along the edges of her vision. The gene therapy project technically belonged to everyone, but it had been her putting in the long hours, making sure everything was properly tested. Everyone had been happy to let her take the lead on it, so she'd forgotten how easily it could be reassigned.

Numb, she followed them out of the office, watching the team's mixed reactions as Professor Utonium introduced Brick as the new intern. Some shot her sympathetic glances, but everyone shook his hand and gave him a warm welcome. Suddenly, it felt as though the walls were closing in on her. She had to get out of there. She didn't notice Brick watching her, too busy looking for the nearest exit. When she found it, the back stairwell, she raced for it, flinging the door open in her haste. She raced to the bottom, collapsing on the last step. Her breath rushed from her lungs, but none returned as she clawed at her throat.

Foreign hands grabbed her own, using them to force her into a sitting position. Ruby filled her vision as the person opened and closed their mouth, blowing slow and controlled breaths, trying to get her to replicate it. She struggled at first, using the warmth around her hands to anchor her. Her panicked breaths slowed until she was matching him, relaxing onto the step. Brick released her once she was breathing normally again, backing up to give her space. She hated how much she missed his callused hands.

"You alright?" Blossom closed her eyes, counting to ten before reopening them. Her cordial smile was once again firmly in place, the scream of frustration pushed back down to the depths of her throat.

"I'm fine. Thank you." Brick raised a brow, squatting down until they were eye level.

"Why aren't you admitting you're upset? Will it ruin your image to admit you're pissed?" Blossom's smile twitched. She rose, stepping off the step and brushing past him when he didn't move out of the way.

"I'm not pissed. I'm perfectly fine." Brick raked his eyes up and down her form.

"Having a panic attack doesn't scream fine to me, but whatever works for you. I thought you were pretty smart considering you were the lead on the therapy research. But maybe that big head of yours is just for decoration." Blossom's mouth dropped open as he walked away, heading back upstairs. Her body practically vibrated with barely contained irritation.

"Ugh!"