A/N: Thanks to the anon who reviewed last chapter, I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Yeah, Ace definitely has a tendency to be the most jaded and reckless of the group. And it's going to get worse from here on out...
TW: Brief discussion of suicide
That night, Ace was restless, falling in and out and back to sleep. By the time he finally decided to say "fuck it" and to stay up for good, it was 4 am. In the dark cover of night, he sat up and mused how in less than twenty-four hours, the plan would be set into action.
He couldn't remember the recurring dream he kept that night, or if it was even the same one; the moment he opened his eyes it was all vague colors, faces, and words. Except for one face specifically that was crystal clear: Sedusa's.
He reached into the drawer of the small wooden nightstand by his bed and pulled out the one thing she had left him besides the poisoned memories, which was her dead husband's wedding band.
"I gave it to you because it's as worthless to me as he was," she told him later on when he confronted her in prison. But when she gave it to him, she said, "The man who had it first didn't deserve it. But I know you'll be different, I can already tell."
So many times he wanted to throw the damn thing away. He almost did several times; after he got back from visiting Sedusa, he walked past a bridge and was so, so tempted to toss it over the edge. For a dark moment, he was tempted to throw himself over with it. If it wasn't for the fact that Snake made him swear on his mother's grave that he wouldn't disappear again, he might've gone through with it.
He was angry at Snake at the time. He told him he was being a giant pain in the ass and needed to back off and mind his own business, along with some equally cruel things he later regretted. But the fact was that Snake was right to be worried. After Sedusa revealed her betrayal, things were… bad, to put it mildly.
After he and the gang got back from the Mini-Mart, trying to play arcade games to distract themselves, Ace took off in the middle of the night while everyone was asleep, taking every penny, nickel, and dime they had managed to scrounge up and keep saved. He spent the next three weeks blowing it all on any type of drug he could get his hands on to whoever was willing to sell to him. He slept in whatever alleyway or pack bench he could find, wanting to be alone and most importantly, not have to face the gang after what he'd done. And it was only when he was robbed at gunpoint and forced to hand over everything he had on him that he realized as much as his life sucked, being forced to deal with it all on his own was even worse.
He swallowed his pride and dragged himself back to the dump, asking for a second chance.
"This is getting out of hand, Ace," Snake told him after he came back. Behind him stood Arturo, Billy, and Grubber in solidarity. "You stole everything we had, and we thought you were dead. I know you're hurting, but you can't screw us over like that again. Ever."
"Yeah man," Arturo agreed. "You just disappeared on us and didn't tell us nothing. I could barely eat, thinking you did something crazy to yourself."
"Big Billy doesn't like it when the gang's not together," he sniffed. Grubber patted him reassuringly and blew a raspberry in agreement.
Snake stared him directly in the eyes. "We all took a vote, and if you ever pull a stunt like this again, you're out of the gang for good."
Ace had stared at him, stunned. It had been the first time Snake stood up to him without immediately backing down. He would've been pissed if he hadn't been impressed.
"Well, you don't have to worry about that," he said. "Because I'm never going to make the same mistake I did with Sedusa with anyone else. From now on, we trust each other, and only each other. Everyone else can go to hell."
"In fact, I've had a lot of time to think, and we all need to make a change. Let's face it; this whole 'gang' thing hasn't been working out too well for us. I don't know about you all but I don't want to wake up one day, forty years old, and still living in the dump."
"What are you suggesting?" Snake asked.
"I think it's time to go legit," he said. "Find ourselves some jobs, save up some money and get a real place to live. I'm eighteen years old for Christ's sake, and youse guys aren't far behind. It's time to grow up."
Snake had been taken aback by the suggestion, as they all were, and wary that they could pull it off. But it took little to convince him that this was the right thing to do. Mostly, he was just happy Ace seemed determined to leave behind his self-destructive path for good.
Ace had meant it at the time, every word of it. The Sedusa incident made him take a hard look at who he was and where his life was headed, and he knew he couldn't live like that anymore. He thought it would be enough for him; money, food, a roof over his head. Getting the chance to be somewhat normal for once.
But as he looked down at the ring, as he remembered how much fun he used to have before it was all eaten up by betrayal and responsibility, he knew that normalcy was never an option for him.
"Alright, so you're good on the plan, right? You know what to do?"
Arturo shifted his weight a bit. "Yeah man, I got the plan down just fine. It's just that… are you sure this is completely necessary? I've been doing some research and maybe we could find a lawyer or something, someone sympathetic to our situation and willing to work for cheap. It will take longer, but there's this organization that defends immigrants-"
Ace facepalmed. "Arturo, we've been over this. Your dad has already been in prison for, what? Nine years now? Ten? And he's still got another twenty-five to go. It could take years to get him an appeal, and even then there's a good chance he'll lose," Ace said. "Do you really want to wait until you're his age and he's so old and out of it he can barely take a piss by himself before you get to see him be a free man?"
Arturo looked at him miserably. "You know I don't, I'd do anything for my papi. But this… this feels wrong. I know neither of us have been saints, but child poisoning is one boundary I never thought I'd cross."
"We are not poisoning children, for Christ's sake. If anything, this is going to help them. What if the Professor finds a cure for their weird puberty power loss, and that ends up killing them? No one knows how their powers work for sure, not even him. Or, say they're fixed without a hitch and they end up dying in some battle with a particularly nasty monster or deranged psychopath? They risk their lives nearly every damn day and no one bats an eye, all because they have superpowers. Without them, they'll just be normal, boring kids and get to live normal, boring kid lives."
Arturo still looked hesitant, so Ace knelt down to his level, and gently grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Listen, I know this is scary. We've both been out of the game for a while now. But this is going to be the best thing for everyone; for us, for them, and for your papi. As soon as the girls are out of the picture, we can work on getting him out of that hellhole and back with you where he belongs. We can live our lives the way we see fit; no more Sal's, Larry's, Melinda's, or most importantly, Powerpuffs to stop us. If there's one good thing to come out of that shitshow with Sedusa and her 'lessons,' it will be this."
Arturo sighed. "I just wish you'd let me talk to the others about this, I hate keeping secrets. Maybe Snake could come up with something-"
"They'll find out soon enough, we just need to get the ball rolling first," Ace said. "You know how anxious Snake gets; you could tell him we're out of chips and he'll start going off about how we're all going to starve to death. And Billy is, well, Billy. You're the only one who would understand how important this is, and the only one I can trust to do it right. So right now, it's best that we keep this between us."
Arturo still looked miserable but resigned. "Okay, fine. I'll do it."
Arturo looked anxiously out the door and at the various tables, every single one of them filled. Apparently, the news had gotten out that Si Senorita was where the Powerpuff Girls had chosen to celebrate their birthday. And sure enough, all eyes were on the table in the center, where Bubbles, Blossom, Buttercup, and Professor Utonium sat. A few people even brought cameras and were taking pictures. He felt the weight of the potion in his pocket.
"... and it's just so exciting, you know?"
When Arturo noticed Isaac, one of the new cooks staring at him, he lost his train of thought. "What?"
"I was just saying, it's really cool the Powerpuff Girls are coming here of all places to celebrate their birthday. You'd think they'd want some big fancy party or something with how famous they are. I wonder if I'd be able to get an autograph; my little sister loves them and she's been going through a rough time lately. It might cheer her up."
Arturo stared at Isaac. He was a few years younger than him and just started last month, but already he was showing promise. Like Arturo himself, he had come from a rocky background; his father left the family when he was eleven and his mother was barely able to hold down a job due to chronic pain. He was one of the hardest workers Arturo had ever met, and by far the friendliest person in the kitchen despite his hardships.
"Oh, yeah man, of course. I mean, it doesn't hurt to ask, right?"
Isaac eyed his nervous expression, and gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I know you have a history with them. It's probably weird to hear people talk about how great they are all the time, right?"
Arturo swallowed. "Don't worry about it, it's ancient history. But I was talking to Antonio earlier, and we both agreed that we think you should be the one to make their orders."
His eyes grew wide. "Me? By myself? I don't know man, worrying about screwing up a regular customer's order is bad enough, but the Powerpuff Girls? I could probably get fired for that."
"You won't get fired man," Arturo clapped his shoulder. "You got this! And I'll be right here if you need any help. Plus, think about how cool your sister will think you are when you tell her her big brother cooked for the Powerpuff Girls themselves?"
Isaac's expression slowly turned excited. "Yeah?"
"Yeah! You'll be her hero."
Just then, Antonio popped into the kitchen, clapping his hands. "Alright, boys. The girls have ordered. All three of them want fajitas; Bubbles wants hers without meat, Blossom wants chicken, and Buttercup wants steak. And lastly, the Professor wants a pork enchilada. Now, Isaac," Antonio turned toward the teen. "You think you can handle that?"
"Yes sir," Isaac said. "I believe I can."
"Great! I knew you could. You've been making a lot of progress lately," he grinned. "Now, we also need a few people to come out and sing happy birthday to the girls. Would you be interested in that as well?"
"Really?" he asked. "Yeah, that would be great!"
"Fantastic! Alright boys," Antonio turned to face the rest of the kitchen. "We have a busy night ahead of us. I expect each and every one of you to give it your all. Now, let's get to work!"
Arturo watched closely as Isaac worked. True to his word, he was diligent and completely focused. Arturo, on the other hand, was falling behind. Anxiety rushed through him as he knew it was time to put the plan into action.
"Hey man, do you need any of this-" he tripped, dropping the jar of salsa he was holding onto the ground and causing it to explode all over poor Isaac.
"Oh, shit! I'm sorry man, it was an accident."
"It's okay, don't worry about it," he said. He knelt over to pick up the pieces of glass before Arturo stopped him.
"Why don't you go clean yourself up? I'll take care of this."
"Are you sure?" Isaac asked. "I'm just about done anyway."
"Yeah, man! Don't worry about it, I got you."
"Well, okay. Thanks," he said. As he walked over towards the back of the kitchen, Arturo waited until he was out of sight.
Quickly, he grabbed the broom in the corner of the room and got rid of the broken glass before wiping everything down. Then, he grabbed the piping hot fajitas one by one, putting them by the door where the servers would be able to grab them easily to take them out.
Cautiously, he eyed the security camera in the corner of the kitchen. Antonio once told him in confidence that they broke years ago and never bothered getting them fixed, but still it made him nervous.
He turned his back toward it and pulled out the potion, and put a generous amount on each of the three meals.
"Whew, I can't believe it's already past eight," Isaac said as he came back into the kitchen, now wearing a clean apron. Arturo spun around, quickly shoving the rest of the potion back into his pocket.
"I guess that's one good thing about working a busy shift; time really flies," he laughed. He stopped once he saw Arturo's bewildered expression. "Hey, are you alright?"
"What? Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine man, just a bit tired is all," Arturo laughed weakly.
To his relief, Isaac simply nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean. I still have homework to finish when I get home and school the next day, so I'm probably not going to be sleeping much. But still, I'm glad I was able to work tonight. With all the people here we would've been screwed if we were even a single person short."
Before Arturo could respond, Gabriel, one of the servers, popped in. "Is the Utonium table ready?"
"Right here," Arturo pointed towards their order. Gabriel nodded and grabbed the saucer holding their dishes.
Gabriel turned to Isaac. "Alright, come on. Antonio says we have to sing for them," he rolled his eyes.
"Okay, I'll be right there!" Isaac said. He gave Arturo a nervous look, who smiled at him reassuringly.
"Good luck, man! You'll do great!"
Isaac gave him a weak smile, before he followed Gabriel out.
As Arturo watched from the back of the kitchen, he felt his stomach turning. And yet, he didn't let himself take his eyes off the girls until each one of them had taken a bite.
Later that night in the Utonium household, the girls were chatting and preparing for bed. Blossom was braiding her hair, something she had recently gotten into after reading about it in a teen magazine. Bubbles was lovingly dressing and tucking her various stuffed animals in, and Buttercup watched both of them in annoyance.
"I can't believe we're twelve now," Bubbles said. "Next year, we'll be teenagers!"
"Does that mean you're finally going to get rid of your 'collection?'" Buttercup nodded towards the plushies.
Bubbles shot her a dirty look. "Octi, Queenie Bear, and Bitsy Baby are part of the family, not a 'collection.'"
Before Buttercup could retort, Blossom spoke up.
"C'mon girls, let's not fight on our birthday. Besides, we have more important things to worry about than Bubbles' stuffed animals," she looked down at a scratch on her arm from their last battle, which at this rate she knew would probably turn into a scar.
The room turned somber as the three all avoided eye contact.
"I mean, the Professor is working on it, and he's super smart! Whatever's going on with us, it will get fixed soon. We just have to be extra careful until then."
Buttercup snorted. "I hope so. If we can't even beat the Amoeba Boys, we're as good as useless. Then everyone's gonna find out and hate us for it."
"Buttercup, that's not true," Blossom chided.
"Yes it is," she argued. "You remember how that Mrs. Carlson lady treated us when we almost lost. It's gonna be like that with everyone now, all the time."
"I don't want to be hated," Bubbles said miserably.
"Well too bad, because unless the Professor finds a cure quick, we're- oh no."
"Buttercup?"
The two sisters watched in concern as she held her stomach and went pale.
"Ugh, I think I'm gonna hurl," she put a hand over her mouth, and flew towards the nearest bathroom. Bubbles and Blossom flinched as they heard her vomiting the next door over. Cautiously, they followed her.
"Hey Buttercup?" Blossom asked, hanging by the door. "Are you alright?"
"Never better," she said sarcastically.
Blossom walked into the bathroom to see her sister hunched over the toilet. Instinctively, she put the back of her hand up against her forehead.
"You're burning up."
"I knew going to that dinky place was a bad idea," she muttered. "Why couldn't Bubbles have suggested we go to an amusement park, or a boxing match, or something actually fun? It was weird having all those people stare at us all night."
"C'mon Buttercup, this isn't her fault," Blossom said. "But we should probably go tell the Professor you're sick; you might have to go to the hospital if you have food poisoning. Bubbles, can you go wake him up?"
In response, all she received was silence.
"Bubbles?" Blossom turned toward the door and was surprised to see her sister was no longer there. She floated out of the room looking for her, and stopped when she heard a similar gagging sound coming from the downstairs bathroom.
A/N: As a question to anyone reading this story, do you think the rating should be bumped up to M? I know there are some dark themes, and it will probably continue in that direction going forward. I don't know if it's quite enough to get an M rating, and I don't want to upset anyone with either rating it too high or too low.
Anyway, let me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :D