From the Ashes

It had been about two months since Blossom and John started dating, summer rolled in quickly and the heat was getting to the city. The doppelgangers haven't been around since then, and Townsville was lulled back into a peaceful era, but that didn't stop the powerpuff girls and their significant others from finding out who was responsible for the bombing that happened earlier in the year. Blossom was out on patrol once more, like any other day, only this day everyone agreed that they deserved a break. Constant surveillance, tapping phones, stopping more trafficking and supply runs, no matter the girls' protest the boys said they could handle themselves. While it may be true, they did worry about them when they went out on their own, even more so when the boys split and did solo operations themselves. John was said to come back early from a favor, and it seems that he wasn't the only one with old contacts, Xavier and Alex had their own shadow group, and while Blossom didn't like it, it was a necessary evil. So long as she didn't think about the actual favors themselves, she figured it was just delivering packages, like a mailman, albeit with shady customers. With her phone buzzing and seeing his name pop up she answered with the biggest grin "hey stranger."
"Why hello there princess" he answered back, that voice resonating in her head, melting all of her problems away "you going to be back in time?"
"You think I would miss this? I've been looking forward to not working for one night" Blossom gave a soft hum as he said that "well… there was that one night."
"And the night after" Blossom kicked her feet as she floated in the air, it was magic that's for sure. She recalls the feeling even now, and she understands everything. She used to chastise Buttercup for her antics, especially with superhearing she and Bubbles could hear Buttercup and Xavier going at it all night. Like two wild animals, though not quite as savage as them, John was a gentle lover, knowing that she wasn't experienced at all, he made her feel like a goddess every time. And she realized that she liked him that much more, and she had the decency to go to his apartment in Citysville for privacy, though they did away with a bed frame rather quickly. "And the night after, and the night af- "
"Okay, okay! Jeez, you're going to make my heart stop" hearing John laugh at her on the other end, she stuck her tongue out as if he could see it "did you want to meet there or did you want to pick me up?" She asked, John sighed "probably be better to see you there, gotta get showered and get Miles a sitter" with the mention of his name there was a yip over the phone "how's my sweet boy doing?"

"I'm doin' great thanks for asking" Blossom could feel his smirk over the phone "my other sweet boy"
"Ah he's fine, eats like a… well a wild animal"
"As long as he has an appetite that's fine"
"For him yeah, for my wallet? Fuck no"
"Is there anything I can do to make you not curse so much?" Blossom curled against herself as she floated in the air, her hair cascading next to her, blocking the sun from her eyes. "I can think of a few things, like that thing you did when you swirled your hips in like-"
"John Bullion!" Blossom shouted, earning another laugh, despite her growing temperature "you need to get your mind out of the gutter mister."
"So you want me to stop thinking about you all of the time?" he was met with silence, Blossom scoffed again, the scoffiest scoff she's ever scoffed "no, I don't."
"Good, 'cause I don't think I could even if I wanted to" Blossom giggled again "I've missed you all day y'know, feels weird not seeing you for so long."
"I know babygirl" so far that's her favorite pet name, though princess will have a special place in her heart "but we both got a job to do, and until it's done-"
"I know, I know, then we can spend more time together once everyone's behind bars and not killed" she cemented, her tone slightly serious. "Hey now, I haven't killed anyone that you can prove"
"This is incredibly damning already" It was John's turn to scoff at her this time "let's not talk about that aight? We're gonna cut loose after putting our faces to the grindstone, and I'd rather not hold a grudge over this." Joh pleaded, Blossom gave a sharp sigh "you're right, we're all just a little strungout and, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, my feelings are secure."
"Good because I really don't know what I'd do if you started crying over the phone right now" with joviality returning, Blossom was thankful that she and John could resolve issues quickly. A boon for the future, though, they haven't had much problems to begin with, which she was also grateful for. "Oh shit" John sighed, Blossom started floating and returning to her sentry duty "everything okay?"
"Yeah, just a cop behind me, gotta hang up or he'll pull me over"
"Oh my boyfriend the rule breaker" Blossom felt odd as that word came out of her mouth, she never thought she'd have a husband, let alone a boyfriend "that's me, your little criminal, punish me." He made lewd noises over the phone which caused Blossom to snort, then giggle, something she didn't think she'd like that much "hangup before you get caught John! I'll see you tonight!"
"Yes my queen" with a kiss over the phone, he hung-up, Blossom pocketed her cell for now and continued her lackadaisical stroll through the sky. It felt like it had been ages since she and John had been on a proper date, let alone a triple date with her sisters and his brothers, strange how that all worked but, as far as Blossom could tell no one was complaining.

She continued going around, stopping to say hello to civilians and hear about anything on the street she might've missed. The townspeople were incredibly cooperative to her and her sisters in gathering intel, as well as the officers of the law, but that goes without saying. So far, the city was quiet, no one reported any suspicious activity this week and any strange X markings haven't been spotted in some time. Blossom doesn't know whether to take that as a sign of them taking a break, or something vile is brewing behind the scenes. It was a feeling she wouldn't be able to shake for some time, and rightly so, seeing as those doppelgangers might come back soon, hopefully tomorrow, because tonight is needed for her and her crew. Rather she and her sisters, respecting Alex's authority he has over his brother, and vice versa, she would never be one to order them around unless the time called for it… and she would only tell John what to do in that scenario. Whatever that scenario may be however she doesn't want to think about it, unsure of how she would keep the damage of the city minimal as well as protect her boyfriend.

Still an odd word that she feels happily numb when saying or speaking.

As she departed from the crowd gathering around her, waving goodbye and wishing everyone a safe summer and a happy break. She flew back to the sky as day turned to afternoon, and with that she had to get ready for the group's break. Enjoying the warm summer air as she was flying back to her house, the group chat was buzzing with her sisters and their respective partners. Despite the amount of internet trash that Xavier keeps spamming it's really only used for emergencies, and special occasions such as this one. Everyone was excited to do normal young adult things for once, and not track a terrorist organization or defuse any situations that they may have caused. Xavier and Buttercup were in charge of the docks and the eastern part of the city, as well as monster island. Though the monsters have all either gone into hiding or extinct, that didn't stop the bad guys from using it as they saw fit. Alex and Bubbles agreed to take the west, the north and the forest, including the smaller town of Forestville, which was way out there. That left John and Blossom with the central, south, and Citysville when need be, but the last few months have been quiet, maybe they're realizing that they're being caught slowly but surely, and have to plan their movements twice as carefully now. Blossom realized the amount of pressure they might be under, and while it's too tempting to keep applying it, they have to give them a window to resurface, the group has been ever vigilant in their attention towards whoever's behind this. As such not much got by them, even making a handful of arrests and stopping the bombs that were being made. With the help of Alex, he put a tracking number on each shipment that went out between the time that John and Blossom found them collecting supplies to now, it was easy enough to find which ones were which. Thinking that lead walls would be enough to keep the girls from spying on them when in reality it was a glaring beacon to them, seeing as the other trucks didn't have anything like that. Through the shipment numbers Alex was able to track whoever did this, as they stayed in town or tried to flee towards Forestville.

Indeed, it seems they were getting a leg up on the people that thought they could skirt under the radar, but they couldn't be rats forever. Blossom would see that it was really time to get ready, going back to the house "dad, you here?" she called, her father would arrive from the garage, sharply dressed. "Well, what do you think dear?" Presenting himself with hair slicked so back it looked like a cap, a tucked in crisp collared shirt, his signature black tie and finest pair of pressed pants and the shiniest shoes anyones ever seen. Blossom cocked her head to the side, bewildered "are you going out with us dad?"
"No, no I don't think I'd be able to keep with you guys" he chuckled "I managed to find a date for tonight, I didn't feel like staying cooped up in the house despite this being a company wide day off" he joked, the 'company' being everyone working towards the same goal. She commended her father for dissecting the chemicals and gadgets brought back to him, carefully of course, she wonders if the big bad accounted for the Professor Utonium to help them out. Constantly throwing a wrench in their plan with his own designs, substituting X with his own synthetic material and causing some serious backfires. Blossom was glad he decided to hop on the justice train with them "a date huh? Who with?"
"Sara" Blossom turned to her dad, a look of surprise "Ms Sara Bellum?"
"The very same, don't look so surprised though you'll make me self-conscious"
"No it's not that! I mean you're a catch but, I didn't think you'd keep in touch with her is all" Blossom didn't believe that Miss Bellum would have the time to keep up with her dad. Ever since the mayor retired and she took charge, Townsville's been the better for it, unemployment at an all time low, a fair judicial system, even a lumbering and fishing business that the city runs to generate some income. Though she assured Bubbles that it would be at appropriate times of the year, and not a constant cycle. For every tree routed she would plant another one, truly a smart woman and Blossom was glad that the two of them found each other. "Neither did I" her dad would sit down on the loveseat, hands together "tell you the truth I'm incredibly nervous, she feels so far out of my league" Blossom sighed, floating over to her dad to sit next to him.

"She realizes how smart you are, the two of you have a lot to talk about after not seeing each other for so long. Just be yourself, not a dad, not a scientist, just Anthony Utonium" her dad nodded along with her "good idea. Thank you, sweetie," he would give his daughter a kiss on the cheek. "Hey I'm back!" Bubbles bounced through the door but stopped as she saw her dad "oh you look nice dad, going somewhere?"
"He's got a date" Blossom chimed in, their father gave a nervous laugh "no way with who!?" Buttercup said from outside of the door, quickly flitting in and looking at her dad "Sara" he said, Bubbles gasped and jumped up and down with excitement, Buttercup however, crossed her arms. "That's cool but you, you're really gonna go dressed like that?" the professor looked down at his attire "what's wrong with it?"
"You're too clean, pops, unless you're going to a science fair after the date, you gotta loosen up, you're not going anywhere expensive right?"
"Not that I'm aware of, no" Buttercup glided over to the professor and took him by the arm "C'mon it's time for a makeover dad, you're in your golden era, gotta show it!"
"I'm not sure that's a good idea Buttercup"
"Nonsense, I know what to do, trust me pops" though the professor kept protesting, he finally lamented as he and Buttercup went into the garage "you think she knows what she's doing?" Bubbles asked, Blossom gave a shrug in response "I sure hope so, she'll either make dad irresistible or completely screw it up." Blossom smirked as she took off her shoes "did you want to shower first?" Blossom asked, Bubbles gave a nod "yeah, it's hot out in the forest, and ended up chasing some more poachers."
"Tis the season for a ridiculous amount of sweat" Bubbles made a face, causing her sister to laugh. Bubbles retired to the shower as Blossom went up to her room, going to pick out something nice to wear. From what she understands they all agreed on a bowling alley, which sounds nice, they would all need to adjust for strength though seeing as, well, they're supers. Either way it would be a first for them, never really thinking about going out and having fun like normal people are opt to do.

Blossom took out a nice sundress for her to wear, along with her classic mary janes and some stockings, her ensemble was nice and easy. It was supposed to be boiling tonight, a record high for Townsville, but hopefully it'd still be a nice time despite everything. As she smoothed out her sundress, she started peeling off her outer clothing and throwing it neatly in the hamper, in nothing but her undershirt and some shorts, she felt free now. Taking out her phone she saw a text from John, two shirts laid out for him to wear, a striking deep green or a black button down, sending a text to him "the right one, I didn't think you owned nice clothes." Her message was given a heart, but no response, figuring he was scrambling to get everything together, Blossom decided she would leave him alone for now. Blossom would take her laundry down to the laundry room for later, once she came out Buttercup sounded the trumpet "introducing Tony the silver fox"
"Buttercup!" her dad chastised, and Blossom had to admit, that it was a hell of an upgrade that she did on him. Switching out the collared shirt and tie for a nice t-shirt and a casual blazer, his pressed pants for some clean looking jeans. The shoes were a bit scuffed now to dull the shiny color, but it went well with the ensemble, and his hair was already ten times better then it was. That gray streak in his hair cascading down, his hair had gotten longer than he's comfortable with, but Buttercup did wonders with it. Topped off with a nice watch, the professor was indeed striking "wow" Blossom said with a nod of approval "good job Buttercup, you look great dad" Tony looked uncomfortable, but he was slowly easing into it "your old man's still got it."
"Another tip, don't shave, keep your beard short though" Buttercup patted him on the shoulder, Bubbles exited the bathroom, hair and body wrapped in a towel as she gasped again "oh my gosh dad you look so handsome!" she hollered, Buttercup and Blossom locked eyes for a minute, the bathroom was free, however Buttercup got in there first. "Ugh, Buttercup c'mon it was my turn next!"
"Should've moved faster" Buttercup answered with a raspberry, Blossom groaned again as she looked down at her dad with Bubbles "you really do look good dad"
"Yeah? You think so?" he looked down at himself then in a mirror, nodding in approval "you think she'll like it?"

"She might not be able to keep her hands off you, you're welcome" Buttercup answered from the bathroom, Blossom made a face, Bubbles retired to her room to change and get ready. Blossom toyed with her phone until there was a knock at the door, floating down to get the door as her father was too busy admiring himself, there was a man in a suit, no one she recognized "can I help you?"
"We're here to pick up a mister Utonium? Is he available" Glancing back at the security detail, and spotting Miss Bellum exiting her car, they locked eyes, and she aged wonderfully despite her work. "Blossom!" She said with a bright smile, approaching the girl despite the guard's protest, with a hug that picked the woman up, Blossom was ecstatic to see her "oh my look how you've grown, you look amazing!"
"Thanks though, I'm still in the middle of changing" Blossom looked down at herself and felt slightly embarrassed about it, compared to Sara that is. Sara was adorned in a simple knee length dress with her signature red color, and heels to match "oh are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah I have a date"
"Me too!" Bubbles piped up, zipping down instantly and giving their mother figure a nice hug, Miss Bellum laughed as she nearly toppled over "both of you have dates?" Looking at Bubbles and Blossom "my how you girls have grown, I remember when you were saving the world at knee height" with a smile towards each other, Blossom hoped she looked as good as Sara at her age. The frizzy but well-kept burning head of hair was Sara's signature, not a spot of gray, and her defined face was free of wrinkles, Blossom commended her for it. Like she hasn't aged a day since they were young. "Well you look good" Tony piped up behind everyone, Sara smiled at him as she broke away from Bubbles "well I must say Tony you dress up very well, not that you didn't before it's just… wow" Sara nodded in approval as the professor did his best to hide the flush around his face "I hope you don't mind the detail, they're going to follow us regardless of where we go."
"Just don't expect me to pay for them too" Sara gave a giggle, putting a hand on his shoulder briefly, watching it trail down his chest and then back to her side. Blossom took notes "whenever you're ready to go we can-"

"Holy shit is that Miss Bellum!?" Buttercup asked, still wet and in her underwear, but she didn't care about that as she mimicked what Bubbles did earlier. Coming down and giving Sara a sopping wet hug "Buttercup!" She said "it's so good to see you all, I'm sorry I haven't visited much, with everything going on it was just one after another and another and… ah, listen to me ramble."
"We're in the same boat, we have a lot on our plates recently and, the street goes both ways" Blossom chimed in, Sara gave a sad nod companied with a long sigh of sorrow "but, I'm going to promise that we catch up sometime soon. I know you girls are hard at work, hell all of you are, I think it's nice to get a break tonight." Sara stood next to Tony, looking deceptively tall next to him with her big bed of hair "three of the luckiest guys I know"
"Four" Bubbles said, gesturing to Tony, with a shared laugh Sara and the professor departed from the house along with the load of security following them. The three were alone in the house, it felt strange not having their dad around all the time, but Blossom took her cue without hesitation and headed to the bathroom. It didn't take long for her to get washed and changed as the group chat was buzzing relentlessly, only replying, when necessary, and talking to John as if they've been separated after a long voyage. After today it certainly felt like it, once everyone was dressed and ready to go the girls decided to fly there slowly, giving their hair time to dry and hopefully not catch a cold. Not that they would, they haven't been sick in their lives.

"Oh look at that another strike" Alex turned to look at everyone and took a bow, met with hisses and boos seeing as he was dominating this game "all those hours of wii bowling are finally coming in handy" he said, going back to sit next to Bubbles who was the only one clapping for him. Regardless of it all, everyone was having a good time, everyone was chatting with everyone about something, and it felt like a proper group of friend's chit chatting away. "No way, Charlie Alighieri is the rookie of the year, during his first season his interceptions are in the double digits, dude knows what he's doing."
"Nah man I don't see it, if it happens again next season maybe but, my hopes ain't high for the Titans this year" Blossom listened in to Buttercup and John's conversation, she knew little of sports but it was always nice to hear about it. Anything other than what they've been dealing with for so long "so John tells me you're going to Townsville University?" Her attention was town from the two to one, pink me hazel as Alex looked at her as he had his beer in his hand. The red cap that's seen a lot through the years keeping his deep brown hair down. Despite his laid back and borderline uncaring attitude, Blossom found conversations with him to be delightful, he was the one that fixed Bubbles' phone and from there they hit it right off "I am, though, I'm having trouble picking a major."
"You and me both" Alex sighed "I thought I'd get into business or IT but I have a business about IT, I don't think I want to do it for the rest of my life."
"Ugh, you and me both, this whole time up until now I was thinking about getting into law or some public safety stint, but, the welcome has been worn thoroughly." Alex gave a smile and a nod in response "I read somewhere that it just comes at you out of nowhere, like when you least expect it."
"Looks like we're going to be waiting a while then huh?" With a shared laugh he once again nodded "or a few hours, one never knows" it was Xavier's turn now and despite his low score his pitches were always theatrical "check this shit out." Pulling Buttercups tank top out to tuck his drink in there, the whole group laughed as he went to grab his ball. Lining up the pitch he went on his tippy toes and slowly he threw the ball down the lane, crawling towards the pins he squatted down and started blowing as if that would make it move any faster "you're gonna get a headache you dick!" Buttercup said, but it was in vain as he stood up and stumbled. The bowling ball grazed one, then another, then another, until he landed himself a strike much to the surprise of everyone "where's my applause!?" He called, slightly stumbling seeing as he was light headed, Bubbles was up next and guided him back to his seat like an old man "if there was a contest for the least explosive bowl Xavier, you'd win."

"You bet your bippy Bubbles" with a shared high five he sat down; Xavier took his drink back and it seems Buttercup didn't mind in the slightest. Blossom sidled closer to John as he looked over to her "having a good time?"
"The best" she said, looking up at him with big doe eyes "who'd you get to watch Miles?" she asked, taking a drink of her tea and nibbling on a fry. John took a swig of his beer, which was just the whole pitcher. "Luckily there was a dog sitting site and he was available last minute, kid by the name of Elmer."
"Elmer? Did he have glasses?"
"Yeah, short hair, pale, kinda scrawny lookin'" Blossom and Buttercup looked at each other "we went to preschool with him, he… well he-"
"He ate a lot of glue, like, specifically glue" Buttercup chimed in, Xavier laughed "no way, and he's watching your dog?"
"We're lucky it's not a horse" John said, earning a bit of an elbow from Blossom despite her smile "glad to see he's doing well for himself though. He was a nice enough kid, if not bullied a bit" Blossom sighed. Remembering that glue monster bit from her childhood, she never looked at the substance the same since then "good for him though" Bubbles added. Everyone agreed for a moment as Blossom went up next, she's not the best but not the worst, placing behind Alex by only a few points, with an easy pitch the ball hit a strike "ta-da!"
"Man you guys are too good, I want teams next time, I want to be on Alex's team" Buttercup said, Bubbles held his arm and stuck her tongue out at her sister "Butters I am appalled you don't wanna be on my team." Xavier feigned being hurt "bro you're dead last."
"But you're not adding in the style points, if we did that I'd be winning by millions" Buttercup rolled her eyes but leaned on him all the same "you're such a dork."
"I'm your dork though" he whispered, Blossom smiled as she watched John stand up "gonna put some stank on this one" rubbing his hands together, ball in palm he wound up a pitch. Veering off to the right the spin was so nasty that it almost did a practical ninety-degree turn and struck all of the pins "hooah" he said, earning a round of golf claps. Sitting back down he played football with a fry as Buttercup held up the gate, then giving one to Blossom, alternating back and forth between the three until a fry landed right in her bosom "dibs!" Xavier called, reaching for her shirt, Buttercup was flustered and giddy as she played keep with him "I called dibs gimme!"

"But it landed in my shirt!" Blossom looked over to see Bubbles and Alex whispering to each other about whatever came to mind, seemingly blocking out the world around them sharing small kisses and nose rubs. It was sickeningly sweet, turning back to John he went from looking at them to looking at her, both answering with a shrug "I like you a lot princess but I don't think Shnookums or pookie is in my vocabulary."
"That's fine, princess and Blossom are enough" John slid next to her and took a picture of them together, a couple of silly faces followed by a few nice ones. "And now I have my new wallpaper"
"Send those to me, I want one" they talked about nothing as the games went on, until finally Blossom and Alex were tied "alright, break time!" Xavier said, getting up to stretch "break time? On a break?" Bubbles was a bit confused about it all, Xavier gestured to the areas around them "we got a pool hall, an arcade and a bar, take your pick Bubs"
"Holy shit they got-"
"Time Crisis?" Bubbles and John looked at each other "race you!" Bubbles said, but by fair it was the most one-sided race that ever existed "excuse me" Blossom said, John turned around and gave her a kiss on the cheek "few rounds, that's it."
"Mhmmmm" she chided, with a few more light pecks John joined Bubbles on the silly little game they wanted to play. "You guys wanna play pool?" Buttercup offered "don't do it, she's a shark man" Xavier said, putting a hand on his head acting like a dorsal fin "is she now?" Alex had a glint in his eye "well let's see how much of a shark you can be."
"Oh you are so on dude" Buttercup and Alex disappeared "excuse me" Xavier said, Buttercup just looked back and flipped him off "there's my sweet girl" he said with a sigh, trading kisses over the air "well Blossom, my compadre, the only one that gets me out of everyone else, have a hankering for anything in particular?" Blossom looked around, the bar wasn't her scene and neither were arcade games, pool sounded nice but Buttercup can get competitive with something she knows she's good at. "If you want, we can bowl again? I'm not too much of a barcade person."
"Holy shit that's a genius idea" Xavier thought for a moment before going to the terminal and putting their names as queen and king on the monitor respectively. Blossom giggled as she watched him bowl, with good form and accuracy he managed to land a strike, the first strike he's had all night "wow where'd this come from?"
"I used to come down here all the time with the boys from work" he said, smiling at her "got pretty good at it but uh, don't tell Alex."
"Your secrets safe with me" Xavier gave a bow and gestured for her to go, it was the same result as before, never going below nine pins "how'd you get so good?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her playfully. Blossom just gave a shrug "naturally gifted I guess" breathing onto her nails and rubbing it on her dress, Xavier nodded along "I can see why John likes you, a lot, actually." They decided to stay near the end of the alley seeing as it would be a quick game "oh yeah? Does… does he talk about me a lot?"
"Almost every time we see him" Xavier chuckled, bowling another strike "not that that's a bad thing, you make him happy, all of you make us happy." Xavier stepped to the side to let her go "my brothers weren't the big balls of sunshine you see before you."
"Oh I know, when I first met John, I wanted to ignore him immediately" another pitch, another strike "and he wanted to do the same thing no doubt but, I guess fate had other plans."
"I know what you mean, it's like a magnetism thing isn't it? Like as much as me and Buttercup make fun of each other I can't imagine my days without her." Blossom looked to the grain on the floor, he's saying exactly how she feels about John, magnetism was a good word. Xavier was smarter than she gave him credit for, though he was far from an idiot anyways, it took a lot to run and own and cook at his own restaurant. "I get that, it's… it's nice to feel wanted despite who I am, who we are."

"Any dude would be lucky enough to be with you girls, we're just glad you picked us" Xavier turned to her with a bright smile, though, it faded a bit as he looked away "everything okay?" she asked, Xavier nodded "yeah, yeah just… never thought we'd be here y'know?" Blossom nodded along, going for her turn "so, Buttercup tells me that you're working with the Gangrene Gang?" Xavier was tight lipped as he gave another nod, no doubt he was hesitant to tell people about it. Blossom was more worried that she's letting criminals get so close, then again, they've been off the streets for a while now and have hardly done anything noteworthy, if anything. "Yeah, they're like my other boys, despite the fact that they're all older than me, just glad to help 'em out. I know I'd want something like that if I was in their shoes."
"Very admirable Xavier" Blossom saw him breathe a sigh of relief, it was the last frame and it was damn near a perfect game for both of them "thanks, I was kinda worried you'd like, not like that or somethin'"
"The past is the past, they haven't done anything wrong in a while and, it seems they're doing some good somehow" Blossom added on, Xavier nodded as he looked at their scores "wow, you're good."
"As are you" Blossom and Xavier mirrored a curtsy towards one another followed by a giggle "attention customers! The alley will be closing in fifteen minutes! Please wrap up all games as quickly as possible, and thank you for choosing Townsville's Bowl-o-rama!"
"Ah man, I was hoping they'd stay open a bit longer."
"That's okay, we'll find someplace to eat and then call it a night I believe, you guys stay up way too late."
"Partially Buttercups fault, I can't say anything about the other guys" Blossom rolled her eyes with the smallest of smiles "I can't believe it, a new high score!"
"For the both of us, I think that's the best I ever did in my Time Crisis career" Bubbles and John were talking about this estranged game, Blossom latched onto John's arm quickly "well hello princess."
"Stranger" they cemented their meeting with another kiss as Alex and Buttercup arrived from the pool hall "dude how did you spin the ball like that, you weaved a literal figure eight through all the stripes."
"Physics, I'll teach you next time we play" Buttercup would rest her arm on Xavier's shoulder "did you win?"
"Nah but he showed me some pretty cool stuff, now I have more moves in my armory to beat you with."

"Great… thanks Alex."
"Think nothing of it little brother." Xavier groaned as everyone laughed at him once more, Bubbles would hold Alex's hand as everyone would walk out into the warm night air after returning their shoes. Missing the AC already, but it was a good night to do whatever it is they wanted to do "you guys hungry for anything in particular?" Alex asked, surfing through his phone to look for places that would still be open, on a Saturday night though that list was pretty big. With all the options everyone couldn't agree on anything, going from a steakhouse to a sushi bar to a seafood restaurant. Despite everyone wanting to stick together though, the couples decided to disperse in their own separate directions and meet back at the Utoniums house to end the night. "Man, a steak sounds so good right now."
"Didn't you have a burger from the bowling alley?"
"Yeah but that was like eating air y'know? Besides, I was mostly drinking anyway."
"My little alcoholic criminal."
"I'm not as think as you drunk I am occifer" Blossom giggled at his attempt, slowly walking towards the steakhouse they agreed on, halfway between home and the alley, hopefully they were the first ones home to get some alone time. "I'm really glad we did this John."
"Me too, I was, well I was kinda wondering if you'd like Alex."
"Oh? How so?"
"Well he can be a bit of a prick sometimes, was just worried he might say somethin' a little bit outta line is all."
"And what would you have done if he did?"
"Something not nice that's for sure."
"Oh my alcoholic criminal hero" John rolled his eyes this time, but leaned down and gave her a surprise kiss "that's me, they call me… somethin', asshole probably." Blossom belted out laughter this time "how appropriate" she said between fits. Looking up at the night sky, there was a shooting star again "wow, twice in such a short amount of time?" Looking up at the sky along with her, John nodded in approval "must be some type of magic."

"Or science, there's a reason for everything" Blossom and him stopped for a bit as the shooting stars seemed to split off in the sky, curling towards separate parts of town, Blossom narrowed her eyes "wait a minute… stars don't do that." Blossom looked at John, her eyes widening, she gave him a shove, he would collide with the wall, then when she turned, who she thought it was, was already on her. The doppelganger had returned as she had a solid grip on her dress "hello again!" She screeched, the woman would put Blossom in the pavement, tearing up the asphalt, thinking quickly Blossom would put the heel of her foot on the woman's stomach and flip her over. Slamming her down in the road, and using her as a springboard to launch herself in the air "you again" Blossom hissed, her blood boiling hot for ruining her dress, her date, and compromising the life of someone she cared about deeply. Blossom looked at this woman with pure fury, but something was off, something seemed different about her. Looking at her chest Blossom saw two marks this time, her theory was right, this woman was the second tier of whatever experiment she was a part of "are you going to put up more of a fight this time?" Blossom straightened herself out, tearing the torn pieces of her skirt off, glad that it still remained in one piece. The woman did nothing but laugh "I'm going to string you up by your intestines bitch!" Blossom made a face of disgust "you are an abhorrent, vile berserk person, aren't you?" The woman stopped in her tracks, as if thinking about something. Blossom took this opportunity to strike, but her fist was blocked "Berserk… I like that" she said through clenched teeth. Forcing the momentum down, the woman would spin and attempt to land her heel on Blossom's back, but she used her shins to defend against it.

"For giving me a name, I'll kill you quick" the woman, who probably took Berserk to heart would rush at Blossom. Strikes being blocked and thrown at one another, Blossom would have to take them and keep on moving, glancing off into the distance, it seems her sisters were also preoccupied with their own counterparts. Lasers, destruction, it was chaos here in Townsville, more chaos than the city has ever seen in the last ten years. The people were in a panic, the departments doing what they could to keep everyone safe and everything under control, Blossom was nearing her breaking point now. She was supposed to protect this place and its denizens, but what good is she if she can't even beat herself like this? That's not to say Berserk was in any better condition, but that didn't mean that Blossom was any better. She's got a rib that's surely bruised, a black eye, and one of her legs feels like it's close to breaking. Standing there on the street looking at Berserk, who's lip was cut and her arm purple, most likely broken, but as far as condition she had the advantage "todays the day you die." She said, Blossom did her best to stand tall, but her leg buckled "any last words" she cackled, Blossom looked at Berserk. For the first time in a long time she felt fear, fear that she would let her sisters down, her dad down, and she would leave John all alone. Closing her eyes tight, the tears squeezed out and ran down her face, her brain was on overdrive trying to think of a way to get out of this. But even if she could escape, she'd be leaving the entire city at the mercy of this monster, she'd no doubt kill John slowly to make her suffer. Her dad would be held hostage until she returned, Blossom stood up despite the pain she was feeling, she had to try at least, she'd never forgive herself if she gave up now.

"Too slow!" Berserk hollered, with her good arm she would go straight for Blossom, and she would do her best to defend herself. While the wind was blowing on all sides, she felt no impact, opening her eyes and she saw John in front of her "what are you doing get out of here!" She screeched, begged even, but as she realized that Berserk would've gone right through him, he was the one that stopped her dead in her tracks. Blossom stepped around to see that John was holding her with one hand, she was desperately trying to get away from him, as he looked over at her, there was nothing but grief in his eyes. "I'm sorry" was all he said, rearing back his free arm as his tattoos glowed a toxic green, it was like a gun going off as he hit her right in the stomach, a practical explosion of powder and smoke. Blossom heard the bones in her ribcage break instantly as Berserk was gasping for air, he let go of her arm and then reared another strike, slamming her down in the pavement. Then as a final blow he would kick her like a stone on the river, skipping all the way down the road, she just stared, dumbfounded, shocked, and a sense of anger building up in her chest. Who was he to be able to do such a thing? To be able to hold a super with one hand and beat her with another? "W-what" was all she could say "how did you" Blossom couldn't string together a complete sentence at this time.

Finally, John, or whoever this was, looked right at her, he shaved his beard and cut his hair. The cowlick in the front as his cropped strands went every which way, he would watch him go to a melted pool of tar. Sticking his hand straight in, Blossom lunged to try and stop him but she wasn't so sure anymore as he didn't even wince. With a handful of pitch-black tar, he would take it and wipe a horizontal line across his chest; she didn't get the message, looking at him up and down. Racking her brain on what this meant, she was going to go ask him, but, looking back at those eyes of his, it clicked. Blossom took a few steps back with a hand over her mouth, those tears kept spilling and spilling as she took in small gasps of air. It all made sense now, how he was able to sneak up on her, how he could not stumble from when she shoved him playfully, how he was able to get back up after she pushed him out of the way. "N-no" she stammered out, with every step he took she took one back "princess I'm-"
"No" she said firmly "you don't get to call me that anymore, John or… or Butch" She cried at the mention of his name, how could she have been so stupid "you don't get to call me ever again. You stay the fuck away from me" she swore, she broke her streak. At this time though she thinks it's necessary, rage and pain swelling inside of her stomach, she did her best not to throw up at this moment "you stay far away from me you fucking psycho." She could see that it stung him "can you just let me explain?" he pleaded, the most vulnerable he's ever been. But she can't begin to comprehend it "explain what? How you were getting your kicks playing around with me? My sisters, do they know?"

"If they don't already, you're probably going to tell them" John, or rather, Butch Jojo, her sworn enemy since she was a kid, looked up and down at him "you're damn right I am."
"Princess please."
"Stop calling me that" her voice echoed throughout the street, practically shrieking at him "I gave you every piece of me, I gave you everything, you were my first everything, and now here you are. Probably going to tell the world, tell the world that Blossom Utonium is the biggest fucking moron on the face of this godforsaken planet."
"That's not it at all, I-"
"Then why me!? Why did you pick me!?"
"I didn't pick you, it just… it just happened Blossom, I-I don't know. I tried, I tried to get you away from me so this wouldn't happen."
"Don't you dare pin this on me" She threatened, going up to him and jabbing a finger in his chest. Up this close she could see that he was close to crying "I was going to tell you, I swear, just, not like this."
"Was it going to be before we spent so many nights together?" Butch would clench his teeth "I didn't expect it to happen so fast."
"So you just let it happen? Without a second thought about how I would feel?"
"Of course I did but it was pretty hard to ignore the fact that you wanted this just as much as I do, I didn't want to lose you that way. Ignoring your wants, your needs, ghosting you" Blossom took a step back and started laughing, which turned into sobbing "how thoughtful of you" she said with a maddened giggle "Blossom please let's just-" before he could finish that sentence, she would summon all of her strength in her right arm and give him the fiercest hook he's ever tasted. She took pride in him taking even a few steps back "alright, I deserved that" Butch would rub his face as he looked at her "can we talk, please."
"You had months to talk to me about this, what makes this time different!?

"The fact that I'm not jumping at the chance to do anything to you, I want you, Blossom, the only thing that wasn't real was my name. I promise you that" his voice was starting to break".I have wanted you ever since I was a kid. I don't know how to explain it, maybe it's because you're like me or-"
"I am nothing like you, don't compare me to you, don't do that"
"And why shouldn't I? You think you would stick around with me if I wasn't who I am, if I was still John? You're a super, and I'm a super, we're supers, you liked me when you thought I didn't have powers, what's so different now?" Blossom could see that he was trying to keep his composure, but it didn't affect her in the slightest. She has every right to be mad at him, and he's not allowed to tap into his emotions "because you lied to me from day one." Butch went to say something but he decided against it "you're right, I did lie, about my name."
"Am I just supposed to accept that? You didn't lie about just your name, you lied to me about who you are entirely, I see that now." Butch turned around as his tears started to fall "I didn't lie about loving you the way I did" Blossom felt conflicted at that. He did have a lot of opportunities to destroy her, they were alone almost all of the time, and up until this point she felt safe with him. That caused a headache to brew "I-I need some time to myself; this is too much, I'll…" Out of habit she was going to say she was going to text or call him, but she doesn't even know if that will happen. She didn't even say anything as she flew out towards the sky, Butch stayed put, allowing her the space she needed to collect her thoughts over everything.

She would keep flying and flying until she was well above the clouds, sobbing to herself, unsure of what to think or do. For the first time in her life, Blossom was lost, and she doesn't know if she wants to be found.

PPG belongs to the soul devourer Cartoon Network & Craig McCracken