#Gym in Townsville | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

aclosetfan · 3 years

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Parasomnias

Summary: Three foster brothers–Brick, Boomer, and Butch–are relocated to Townsville and are less than happy about their new placement. When a group of their “strictly-out-of-necessity” friends take them to the old “haunted” preschool, they don’t blink an eye. They’re a product of the foster care system, how could they possibly be afraid of an old nursey rhyme? (They will admit, though, that the killer doppelgängers are slightly concerning)

genre: horror/suspense/friendship content warning: cursing, underage intoxication, gore, body horror, child neglect (alluded to, not specified), insomnia, demonic horror

a/n: This is my first attempt at horror, which is a shame b/c it’s my fave genre. ill probs post this on ffn after i get a few chapters written out and i’m satisfied with where the story’s going.

story navigation: one two three four five six

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PROLOGUE: the new kids (part 2 of 3)

“Of all the things you choose in life, you don’t get to choose what your nightmares are. You don’t pick them; they pick you.” - John Irving

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Butch had four pairs of shoes, three more pairs than some of the kids he knew, so he considered himself lucky.

He had his dress shoes that his social worker made him wear to court or whatever. He used to wear dress shoes to meet parents, but he was well past the age of "adoptable," so he wasn't holding his breath anymore. The ones he currently had were a size too small and pinched his toes, but they were the only nice pair of shoes he had, so he couldn't toss them out.

He had his old-old ratty sneakers. He had gotten them a few years back a few sizes too large at some charity drive. He wore them until he had run holes into the soles. Nothing a little duck-tape couldn't fix, but again, they were now too small for his feet, so he kept them strictly for emergencies.

Then, he had his new-old ratty sneakers that still miraculously fit him. He had stolen them from a secondhand shop that summer after his old-old pair had been worn down to the point of no return. The arch support was pretty bad, but they got the job done.

And, finally, he had his new shoes. They were probably one of the nicest things he owned, and Mojo, of all people, had bought them for him.

The gift had put Brick on edge, and Butch couldn't per se disagree with his reaction. Three new pairs of shoes just lined up all nice and neat outside their room the day after Mojo had yelled at them without end about the abandoned preschool? The sudden hospitality didn't make sense. Brick wanted to toss them, but it was the first time someone had ever gotten Butch shoes in the correct size that he wore them regardless of how batshit crazy their foster father was. He figured that because his toes actually had some wiggle room, he'd be able to comfortably wear them through another growth spurt.

Convincing Brick the same was next to impossible, but Boomer had listened well enough and kept his pair nice and pristine. Boomer's cooperation admittedly took some weight off his shoulders since Boomer's old pair of shoes was only being held together by sweat, blood, and prayer. Because Butch was used to Hothead's antics after all these years, he had fished Brick's shoes out of the trash and stashed them somewhere safe.

Butch wasn't going to count on Mojo buying them another pair of shoes anytime soon, so it was better safe than sorry. Shit was tick for tack in this world, and he didn't want to be indebted to the Monkey Man. With that in mind, Butch was trying to preserve his new shoes for as long as possible. Out of necessity, he wore them only for gym class, even though he constantly fretted over the wear and tear it would cause his new sneakers.

He finished tying the new shoes to his feet and made his way out of the locker room. They had to run the mile today. At his old school, they only had to run the mile once a semester. Here, however, freshman and sophomores were required to run them twice a month. In addition, this district required all underclassmen to attend two years of gym, and if the upperclassman wanted, after those two years were up, they could elect to take more specialized gym courses. If Butch had any intention of staying in school instead of dropping out when he turned sixteen, he'd probably take weightlifting Junior year. It seemed way better than a Home Ec. class.

The underclassmen's gym classes weren't so specialized. They did a variety of intermural sports, like kickball, and they ran. Butch didn't mind all the extra running—gym was probably the only class he was good at.

His gym hour had two separate classes in it. There was the sophomore class, and there was the freshman class. Typically, they were separated, but the gym teachers mingled them all on mile days (or the odd class v. class "competition"). He didn't associate with anyone in his class. He preferred keeping to himself over making friends, but that Mitch kid—Trailer Trash as Brick remembered him—was in the freshman class, so on mile days, Butch was saddled up with him.

Butch didn't mind that a freshman was following him around because one, his brothers were freshman, and two, Mitch should have actually been a sophomore, but according to Mitch, he had been "so good at kindergarten, they made me do it again!" Still, something about Mitch made Butch irrationally angry, but he couldn't pin down what it was. So ultimately, Butch just settled on deeming Mitch annoying and endured him.

The first few times he had run the mile at this school, he had "ran" with Mitch if anyone could actually consider it running. Mitch was slow, and he wanted to walk the whole time. It grated on his nerves, but because his new-old shoes killed his feet whenever he tried running (on account of the lousy arch support), he just went with it.

Now, today, with his new shoes on, he didn't have to endure jack shit. Now, with his new shoes, he could actually run, get the mile over fast, and then bum around on the bleachers until class was over. On average, he clocked in around six minutes. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. He wanted to get down to a five-minute mile, but that took training, and there was a reason why his old-old pair had holes in them. He didn't want that happening to his new pair and couldn't even try with his new-old pair, so he had nixed running from his routine. To say the least, it had been a hard decision.

Butch reasoned that at least he had the bi-weekly mile to run. That had made his decision a little easier. Of course, no consistent training would kill his average time, but he tried not to be too disappointed about it. He needed his new nice shoes to stay nice. Butch didn't have much, but he needed to work with what he had if he was going to get a job after he dropped out. People didn't hire people who looked like bums.

After some stretching, their teachers led them out to the track. Like most high schools, the track at this school surrounded the football field. On one side of the field were the home bleachers, and the other side was where the other team was supposed to sit. It was blistering out today, and the field smelt like hot rubber under their feet. Finally, his gym teacher—coach Anderson—blew on his whistle for them to line up at the start point. There were only twenty-one kids in his gym class, and the freshman may have had a few more, but they were still a sizeable group, so Butch pushed his way to the back.

He didn't like big crowds.

Mitch followed him. He had been following him for some time now, talking about something Butch hadn't been paying attention to. Unlike Brick, Butch was perfectly capable of ignoring everyone and everything, even his brothers, who he considered his favorite built-in white noise machines.

"Fucking hate this shit. Why do we got to do this when it's hot out?" Mitch asked him for some dumb reason as he pulled on his shirt a few times to generate some airflow.

The only good thing Butch had figured about Mitch was so far the guy didn't care if Butch answered a damn thing he said. Mitch just kept on talking like he had and moved on. People either had to be extraordinarily nice or incredibly self-absorbed to be cool enough to do that and with Mitch, Butch was leaning towards the latter.

Mitch's teacher, Coach Mindy, started yelling the instructions out at them—like they didn't understand the concept of running in a circle—while Mitch continued to complain. Butch watched the crowd in front of him and frowned. It would be hard cutting through the thick of it, so he moved to the outer track lane and planned to cut around before moving back in. It would add more to his time, but running with the crowd would only add more.

Mitch followed.

The gym teachers got their stopwatches out, and Coach Anderson yelled out, "Alright guys, on your mark—"

Butch bent down into a starting position, and Mitch paused his gibbering to give him a look, "Dude, what the hell are you doing?"

"—get set—"

"Are you actually going to run?"

"—Go!"

He took off, leaving Mitch behind.

Most kids stayed in the closest lane to the field since, circumference-wise, it meant the shortest amount of running. Luckily that meant he had an easy time of weaving through the few people who hadn't seemed to get the memo. When he cleared the thick of it, he concentrated on his breathing. Some people thought breathing in through their mouths and out through the nose was the best way to breathe while running, but the best technique was actually breathing entirely through the mouth.

He took deep conscious belly breaths at a two-to-two ratio. For every two steps, he breathed in, and then every two, he breathed out. In and out. In and out. Breathing was the most crucial part of running, and focusing on it was almost hypnotic. In and out. In and out.

If he focused hard enough on the rhythm, he couldn't feel his legs burning or heart pounding. The only thing he took notice of was his feet slapping against the hot rubber and his breathing. That was the best part about running. Everything else in the world fell away, and he could finally just breathe.

Happy to be running again, he pushed himself on faster and let all the bottled-up anger he had been holding onto urge him forward. He passed the gym teachers for a second time and began lapping the crowd—Mitch just a quick blur in his peripheral—as he gained more distance on the herd of kids who had the previous head start on him. There were still a few kids in front of him—likely kids on track and field—but he caught up with them in no time.

When he hit the fourth and final lap, only one person was still in front of him. She had already cleared the first bend and was halfway down the second straight stretch. She had to of been running at a five-minute mile average, or more likely, less, and to say he wasn't impressed would have been a lie.

Buttercup could sprint. All the talk about her being athletic held up, despite Brick theorizing she was somehow faking it. Butch had heard that scouts for big D1 schools had already come to watch her. Whatever she was doing, he recommended she kept at it. Still, he couldn't say he was Bully Patrols' biggest fan. Her need to be everyone's hero was tiring, and frankly, inconvenient.

He decided then, it would be nice—a reasonable goal of sorts—to beat her. With that in mind, he picked up the pace, reducing his breathing ratio down one-to-one. He already knew he wouldn't beat her this time, though, not with the lead she had. So when she cleared the finish line, he was still only rounding the final bend. Next time, he figured, he’d have more of a chance, but he'd have to start closer to the start line if he wanted to give her a real run for her money.

Butch ignored the teachers' surprised looks as he reduced his sprint to a run, to a jog, to a walk, and made his way to the bleachers. Some poor fuckers hadn't even made it through their second lap yet.

He glanced around for his newfound competition as he plopped down on one of the bleachers. She was running a cool-down lap like he should have done, but he didn't want people to think he was copying her. He watched from the bleachers as she finally began to slow and walked alongside some of the slower people in their class. A beacon of physical encouragement, she was a little PE teacher in the making.

Butch rolled his eyes and let his head lull upwards, so he could watch the sky instead. It was still hot out with no cloud in sight. It would be clear skies all week, the temperature gradually dipping into beautiful as summer faded into fall. The quiet heat made his eyes heavy, and before he knew it, Mitch was waking him up with a hard kick to the leg.

"Mute!" Mitch had a pension for offensive nicknames, "Wake up, dude!"

Butch frowned, glaring at Mitch's cocky grin for a moment before closing his eyes again. Mitch didn't take his glare as a warning and dropped down next to him on the bleachers. Butch cracked an eye and watched the other boy from his peripheral.

"You were flying out there, man. Why didn't I know you could run, huh?" Mitch exclaimed. Even if Butch wanted to answer him, he couldn't, because immediately, Mitch continued talking, "Yeah, I use to run a bit in middle school. Used to beat everyone too—" Mitch shrugged and ignored how Butch rolled his eyes. Obviously, he had beaten everyone; he had been older, "—but not too into it anymore. You though? Shit! You were basically keeping up with Buttercup!"

And right on cue, Mitch, like Mitch always did, looked at him with a coy smile, "Me and her used to date, didja know that?"

Butch did. It was one of the first things he had learned about Buttercup, and anytime she was brought up, Mitch tended to remind them.

Mitch took his silence as an invitation.

"Yeah, had to break up with her, you know. Prude." He laughed and shrugged, rolling his eyes. Mitch's eyes went wide a second later because, as if sensing she had been called, Buttercup and the girl she was talking to stopped in front of their section of bleachers. The pair of girls seemed totally oblivious to him and Mitch as they stretched and chatted amongst themselves, but by the way Mitch's face colored, he must have thought the stars had aligned.

"Sup, Buttercup," Mitch called out to her and nodded.

She stopped stretching her arm and looked up at them on the bleachers. She didn't smile back at Mitch but offered the guy a half-wave, "Hey, Mitch."

She made quick, fleeting eye contact with him before someone else called out to her and her friend, and the pair of girls turned away, jogging off towards a bigger group of people.

"God," Mitch laughed, the flush on his cheeks only growing brighter, "it's, like, so obvious she's still into me."

Butch furrowed his eyebrows together, and he gave brace-face Mitch a look, but Mitch ignored him in favor of watching Buttercup. In Butch's mind, the only obvious thing was how much Mitch still liked her. Butch, however, couldn't say much about the feelings being reciprocated.

Mitch shook his head and looked back over at him, "Anyway, you three are coming tonight, right?"

He nodded and turned his head back to the clear blue sky. Nothing different. Nothing new. It was always a peaceful day in Townsville.

#butch isn't selectively mute #he just doesn't talk #someone a long time ago pointed out to me that Butch has the least lines of the 3 brothers and I really liked that!#also yea lol fyi there's greens in this fic i couldn't resist #My writing #ppg fic

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simplysedusa · 25 days

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Hey I was the one who send you that ask about the girls/boys friendships. Thanks for your well thought answer 👍 I found myself nodding along to most of them and I feel a lot for Blossom having the most difficulty making friends and Butch being a bit of a loner is a refreshing take. In fanfics the boys are like instantly popular in HS which makes me go ‘eh’. They were huge menaces when they were little and that kind of sticks to you especially if you stay in the same town your entire life. I’m personally fond the idea of Elmer being their first ‘guy friend’ simply because Elmer might look at himself as an anomaly because of the mutation he suffered in elementary school and he might still have drawbacks from it to this day (like when he sneezes it’s kinda glowy or his snot still is gluey) so he might see them as similar enough to relate to them. So he, the nerdy meek kid, just goes to sit with them randomly in a rare bold move during lunch on their first day and everyone (who had ignored them up until this point) just stop and stare as Elmer just unwraps his sandwich while the boys just look at him like 🤨😐😯. Either way Elmer passes their vibe check and they respect him.

First off, thanks for the asks, they keep me on my toes and help me further develop the WIPS.

Secondly, Anon, this is you and me rn: 🤝

You may not believe me, and it'll look like I'm just pulling this out of my ass but YES, Elmer does befriend the Rowdyruff Boys. I wanted to bring him up during the last ask but I figured it was long enough.

Robin, Mitch, and Mike, are the only normies most people bother to utilize the most in PPG fics (aside from other crossovers). And I always found it weird that Elmer was never/isn't prevalent, despite having so much to work off of. Like does he eat glue because of an underlying health issue? Is it pica? Or is he just curious? Maybe he's vying for attention?

More importantly though, it'd be intriguing to explore who Elmer became as he got older, and how would the rest of Townsville react. Sure, he was being bullied and he retaliated, but he stuck the Floyjoydson Twins on a plane mid-flight (<- that has to be traumatic) and threatened a random bus full of students seemingly from another school. And I can't imagine the parents and other citizens whose property was destroyed being that sympathetic. But I also don't picture most people outright condemning him for his actions seeing that he's on good terms with the Powerpuff Girls (and you could argue that he did community service at the end of "Paste Makes Waste", so he did the time for the crime). So where does that leave Elmer?

I'd imagine Elmer to be a bit of a social pariah. Most of the bullies wouldn't dare try anything against Elmer out of fear of repeating history. Some one would try it, and the others would just watch from a distance, counting down the days until Elmer eventually snaps again. People would treat him like he's made of glass; they want to be on his good side to keep him in good spirits, and on the off chance he'll spare them should he repeat his violent outburst. They also don't want to associate themselves with some guy who destroyed quite a few buildings because he had a bad day.

Enter, the Rowdyruff Boys. I'll even give you my version of events as to how I imagine things play out in the HS WIP.

It's the first day of high school, the first day of public school ever for the Ruffs. They're in gym class along with Elmer, and other potential victims. After the awkward icebreakers and warmups, Coach decides to end the class with a game of dodgeball. Most of the students are scared shitless, but Coach implements a "No superpowers against the rest of the class" clause. Surprisingly, the Ruffs agree because:

1.) It's not like the Coach would know if they were using their powers or were just, really athletic

and

2.) He never said anything about using them against each other.

The game starts. The Ruffs, Elmer, and the other not-as-enthused students stay back as the students race to the red rubber balls in the middle. The Ruffs dodge and catch every ball toward them with ease, leaving some students with minor-ish bruises. The others eliminate themselves to leave an empty battlefield for the triplets.

On the left side, Butch and Boomer, and on the right, Brick and Elmer.

Brick immediately takes the offensive, throwing balls like an automatic gun firing bullets. Due to Butch's force field, this proves to be a wasted effort. Elmer stands behind Brick, cowering. Brick doesn't pay him any attention. Whatever balls didn't ricochet too far off to the other side of the gym, Boomer retrieves and now he's chucking them at Brick. Brick manages to dodge and gets Boomer out with a hard ball thrown in his abdomen, sending his brother flying into the wall and leaving a Boomer-sized dent in his wake. Elmer could piss his pants at any minute.

Butch is still a pain with his force fields, Brick can't get a hit off of him. Just when Brick thinks he finally managed to get Butch off guard...

Butch catches it and Brick is out. The Coach and the rest of their classmates are too distracted by this intense game of dodgeball to notice the damage and injuries it's caused so far. Butch chuckles as he sees Elmer standing before him. He goes somewhat easy on him, throwing the ball at only a slightly faster than average speed.

Elmer places a hand out in front of him as a shield and the ball makes contact.

The game's over...

...because Elmer caught the ball. It's stuck to his hand. Brick and Elmer's team yells in victory, huddling around Elmer and congratulating him with daps and a violent shaking of his shoulders. While Boomer and Butch are upset, Brick's too suspicious to immediately start gloating.

By lunch time, Elmer finds what would be his resident table to eat his lunch alone. Instead, he's joined by the Ruffs, who by now, figured out that Elmer was the glue monster years ago. Butch and Boomer are begging for a redo, but Brick's trying to assess Elmer's abilities and what he might be capable of. Other people try to warn Elmer, scared that the boys will either corrupt Elmer or manipulate him. Elmer's just happy to be included for once, even though a small part of him is suspicious. Something's better than nothing, but luckily, his suspicions are eventually put to rest.

By the end of the week, Elmer suddenly has plans to hang with the Ruffs. At the end of the month, he, the Ruffs, and Mitch are all hanging out at the Gangreen Gang's place.

Before he made his way in the group, a part of Mitch was totally jealous.

Also, Anon, I hope you're happy, I've got a Mean Girls AU idea for Elmer and the Ruffs lmao.

#ppg #the rowdyruff boys #brick rrb #boomer rrb #butch rrb #elmer sgloo #mitch mitchelson #the gangreen gang #the powerpuff girls #and once again the ask is answered thanks to me

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ca-8 · 4 years

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(Heartbreak From War)

(Fusionfall X Reader) Chapter One

Sobbing. That was what (Y/N) heard in the darkness. Everything on her body stung and ached terribly, so she couldn't move. All she could do was listen to the cries.

"She can't be dead!" a male voice shouted.

"(Y/n)...sweetie, please wake up..." a female voice whispered closely.

"Where are the paramedics?!" another female voice shouted in the distance. (Y/n) became more conscious as these familiar voices continued to shout and weep.

'Huh...what's going...on...?' her mind mumbled. A sudden dryness entered her throat, and a blinding light drove out the darkness.

(Y/n) gasped as she shot awake on her bed. She whipped her head around only to see that she was in her room. She turned her head towards the window to her left, and she was greeted by the moon dominating the night sky. The young woman looked over to her alarm clock, which read three o' nine.

(Y/n) laid back down on her bed. Her (E/C) eyes stared up at the ceiling, pondering about her dream before sighing when she realized fully what it was. 'That happened four years ago. I should have gotten over it by now,' she thought. Her eyes wandered to the right side of the room when they caught sight of a (F/C) necklace on her nightstand.

Inside of the glass case, the necklace glittered under the moonlight. Small four (F/C) gems were lined up on one chain, while the biggest spot for a missing (F/C) gem hung below them in the middle, separating the smaller ones into twos. The main spot for the larger missing gem hung like a teardrop as if it was the symbol of (Y/n)'s life: beautiful, mysterious, and despairing.

(Y/n) sighed and turned her body towards the window. The stars that partnered the moon were glimmering over the black and white CN sign. (Y/n)'s small town was beside the logo, so her house had a perfect view of it. Slowly, (Y/n)'s lips curled into a smile.

'I shouldn't be stuck in the past. I'm visiting someone who I haven't seen in a while today! Who knows when he's going to disappear again? And I have to meet Dexter at his lab for a surprise...Gosh, I haven't seen him in months...And Frankie asked me to come in Foster's Home...Wonder what that's all about...And Ben asked me to hang out with him and Gwen...And Blossom...' Before she knew it, (Y/n) drifted back into a peaceful sleep.

~That morning~

Seven o'clock. The time when the sun was starting to peek over the hills that surrounded CN City. Sunlight bathed the town, and shined through the windows of the suburban houses and large buildings to awake the citizens. Past the suburbs and into the hills was a small isolated town where the sunlight hit its next house. In that house contained a not-so-human girl that once saved the planet: (Y/n) (L/n), the teenage deity.

As the sunlight warmed her (S/C) skin, (Y/n)'s eyes fluttered open. She raised up on her bed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, then put on a bright smile. 'Hate getting up this early, but it's going to be worth it!' she thought, then jumped out of bed.

"First I have to drop off the cupcakes at the Powerpuff Girls' formal..." (Y/n) mumbled to herself as she got out her clothes from her closet. Once she put them on her bed, she grabbed her phone from her nightstand. With one push of a button, her phone came to life, and it displayed a message from five minutes ago.

Ben: Good morning, beautiful~

(Y/n) blushed and rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. Ever since the nineteen-year-old broke up with his girlfriend, Julie, he's been hitting on the superpowered woman. She hasn't really caught any feelings for him, but she thought his actions were cute! And she was sure Ben felt the same way. After giggling at the winky face sent after and replaying with a 'Morning, Tennyson', the nineteen-year-old put down her phone and put her attention on her necklace.

Her smile slowly diminished. Subconsciously, she made her fingers lift the glass cage and graze over the gems. The same gems that saved numerous lives countless times. The same gems that turned her into unstoppable beings. The same gems that couldn't save her father-

(Y/n) shook her head to get rid of an unpleasant memory. When her phone buzzed again, she forced her attention back to it. It was Ben again.

Ben: You know where to meet up, right? Do I need to send you directions?

(Y/n) snickered and began typing.

Me: I know where to go! We're meeting up at the Townsville Park.

Ben: Aaahn! Wrong!

Confusion was written on her face.

Ben: Haha, just kidding. Yeah, you're right.

Me: Oh my gosh, Ben... See you there.

(Y/n) smiled to herself as she headed towards the bathroom.

About fifteen minutes later, (Y/n) was staring at herself dressed up in her bathroom mirror. Her (H/L) (H/C) hair was in her favorite signature style, she wore her favorite (S/F/C) shirt with the same-colored leggings and a (F/C) skirt, and a pair of (F/C) boots. To put a finishing touch, (Y/n) walked back to her room and put on the necklace. Instantly, energy surged through her body, and (Y/n) took in a deep breath as her powers settled in. Seconds later, a (F/C) light swirled around her irises before settling inside them, and her eyes returned to their (E/C) color. A confident smile was placed on her lips, and she headed downstairs.

"Okay, green hockey cupcakes, puck fudge, chocolate chess queen cake, sugar cat cookies, blueberry puppy cake, strawberry pie in the shape of a book...Jeez, what was their theme again?" (Y/n) said as she set the containers of each dessert on the kitchen islands. She remembered when she agreed to do some of the baking for the Pokey Oats University formal to get some stress off of the girls' backs, but had forgotten again.

Then it hit her: the deal was that Blossom, the head of the Honors Society, was originally going to host the event. However, since Buttercup and Bubbles thought it was unfair for Blossom to take the lead, the entire Powerpuff Girl Trio decided to do a theme of their interests. Buttercup represented the sports teams, Bubbles represented the local Townsville animal shelter she volunteered at, and Blossom represented the intelligence of the University.

(Y/n) giggled to herself. "Those girls can never agree on one thing, huh? Now how am I going to carry these all the way to the University?" Her hand held her chin, and after a moment of thinking, an idea popped into her mind.

Her finger touched the gem to the far left of her necklace, and a (F/C) light surrounded her. (Y/n)'s original eye color turned back into (F/C) as (Y/n)'s body was lifted off the ground. Her hair extended to her feet as strands of (H/C) hair transformed into (S/F/C) colored ones, and it went back into her (but flashier) signature style. Her (F/C) skirt and (S/F/C) fused into a (F/C) dress with tiny (S/F/C) gems covering the bottom. (Y/n)'s necklace floated from her neck and onto the top of her head, forming a light (F/C) glowing halo. Finally, (F/C) wings sprouted from her back, and the light around her disappeared as she floated gracefully back onto the ground.

(Y/n) smirked. 'Angel Form. A little over the top for bringing sweets to a college, but hey, why not?' She held up her hands and an (F/C) glow outlined them. At the same time, another (F/C) glow outlined the sweets and they floated up in the air. "Alright, let's get going," (Y/n) said.

She exited the front door and locked it behind her. With the desserts floating by her side, (Y/n) pushed herself up in the air and soared into the cloudless sky. 'Besides, I might run into some trouble while I'm out. It would be nice to get a little work out in the morning!'

It was a perfect day in the heart of CN City. Humans and creatures of all kind roamed the streets as they went along with the day. Up in the sky, (Y/n) smiled down at the serene town. A couple people looked up and waved at the demi-goddess, which she returned. Once (Y/n) flew past the heart of the city, she saw the university up ahead, and she knew she was in Townsville at that point.

The college grew larger in her view. She swung around the building and saw a separate one at the back. Her wings hung straight beside her, and (Y/n) slowly landed in front of the smaller building. Her feet gracefully touched the ground, and she walked through the opened doors.

Immediately, she saw the honors society president in the middle of the gym. "Stephanie, go ahead and put the banner above the stage. Hannah, go check on Brian and Rosie to see if they got the balloons ready," Blossom ordered. (Y/n) grinned and approached her. "Hey, Red," she greeted.

Blossom tensed up and turned to her with a pink tint on her cheeks. When she knew it was her friend, she immediately relaxed, but the pink tint didn't go away. "I told you not to call me that," she said, smiling. "Would you rather want me to call you Shortcake?" (Y/n) responded. Blossom's blush went deeper as she pouted and said, "Nevermind... Hey guys! Come get the desserts and store them in the refrigerators in the back, please."

(Y/n) waved at the cakes, and they floated and rested into a couple of the students' arms. "Everything looks amazing, Blossom!" she complimented, observing the decorated gymnasium. "Thanks! We still have a few things to do, but the place should be ready for tomorrow night," Blossom informed. "Did you have to go in Angel Form just for this?"

"No, but it was the first thing that came to mind." (Y/n) held onto her halo. After a small flash surrounded her body, she was back to her human self. "Hey, thanks, (Y/n). The desserts look awesome," Blossom said, her pink eyes softening.

"No problem, Red," (Y/n) said. "I know how you are when you're stressed." The girls laughed.

"So how are you and Dexter doing?" (Y/n) asked.

Blossom's smile faltered. "Uh, fine!"

(Y/n)'s smile faded completely as she raised an eyebrow. "I can tell something's wrong," she said. She knew that the nineteen-year-olds didn't really have a chance to interact as a couple much lately, but something else was off.

Blossom's eyes widened and she held up her hands. "N-No! Everything's cool!" she laughed. (Y/n) looked at her suspiciously and was about to press her again until a high voice called her name.

"(Y/n)!!" Bubbles yelled, hugging the woman from behind. "AH! H-Hi, Bubbles," (Y/n) giggled, turning around to wrap her arms around the Pokey Oats cheer captain. She opened her blue eyes and gave her the kindest smile she's ever seen. "Did you bring them yet?!" she asked, bouncing. The purple octopus in her arms stared at (Y/n) with an empty smile.

"Yep! Just like you asked," (Y/n) responded, pointing to the students who were hurrying to the back of the gym once they saw Bubbles. She squealed and ran over to them. "Ah! Bubbles, don't eat them yet!" Blossom scolded as she ran after her sister. (Y/n) laughed at her trying to hold her sister down, but as soon as she felt an unknown presence fly past her, her laughing ceased.

She turned around, but all she saw were students carrying party objects and decorating the gym. "Hmm..." she mumbled, and her eyes widened when she sensed someone speeding right towards her. In the nick of time, (Y/n) ducked, and she only felt fabric just barely graze the back of her neck.

Crash!

(Y/n) stood up and almost put her hand on her necklace until she saw Buttercup rubbing her head and growling. At that moment, (Y/n) relaxed and smirked. "Hey, Buttercup," she said. The leader of the Pokey Oats hockey team looked up and scowled.

"Don't look at me like that! The only reason you were able to dodge me was because of your stupid necklace," she snapped. (Y/n) looked down to see that one of the gems on her necklace was glowing. "Fair point," she said, snickering. Though, when she saw a red gash on Buttercup's forehead, her stomach dropped.

"Oh my gosh!" (Y/n) said, running up to her. "Here." She kneeled down in front of her, and one of her hands held onto one of the gems while the other one hovered over her wound. "Hey, what're you-?" Buttercup started, but was cut off by (Y/n)'s hand glowing (F/C). The wound was then covered with an (F/C) coating and it closed up within a matter of seconds.

(Y/N) grinned in relief. "You're so reckless," she acknowledged. A deep red hue covered Buttercup's pale cheeks, and she pouted while averting her green eyes. "Buttercup! What did I say about speeding inside the gym?" Blossom exclaimed. Her sister huffed as she got up and stomped off.

"I'm so sorry about her, (Y/n). Ever since the hockey team has been threatened to shut down, she's been a little on edge," Blossom apologized. "It's no problem, really! I can take her," (Y/n) assured. Bubbles walked up to the duo while staring at Buttercup. "What's the deal with you guys anyway?" the blonde asked.

"Buttercup wants to 'take me down', as she said in her own words. She thinks if she beats me, she'll be one of the strongest people on Earth, or something like that. I'm suprised she hasn't told you," (Y/n) explained. The two sisters exchanged confused glances.

"THE STRONGEST!" Buttercup shouted, turning back to the trio. The girls laughed until (Y/n)'s phone buzzed. "What's wrong?" Blossom questioned. (Y/n) pulled out her phone from her pocket and saw that it was a reminder to meet with Dexter. "Crap! I forgot I had to meet Dexter at his lab. Sorry girls, I have to go."

Bubbles whined as Blossom looked away with dejection in her eyes. (Y/n)'s eyes softened when they landed on her, and she put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll tell him you miss him," she reassured. Blossom smiled wearily, but her eyes still held sorrow.

"And I'll miss you!" Bubbles whimpered, wrapping her arms around (Y/n) again. She smiled and ruffled her blonde hair. "I'll be back for the formal, silly," she said. Bubbles looked up at her and smiled, then flew off from the ground and to the stage. (Y/n) examined the area and saw a scowling Buttercup leaning against the wall.

"Can't wait to see your outfit for tomorrow night," she commented. She whirled her head towards her and glared. "I'm not wearing a dress if that's what you're thinking!" she claimed, then zoomed off.

(Y/n) laughed to herself and turned to Blossom. "Later, Red," she said, and after receiving a wave, she exited the gym.

'Good thing the college isn't too far from Tech Square,' (Y/n) thought as she walked through the bustling city. Flying cars soared through the sky while colossal buildings towered the area. (Y/n) breathed in the clean urban air (thanks to a large air purifier that Dexter built a while ago), and a calming breeze flowed through her (H/L) hair. Apart from the blood-red factory building that was coming up in view, the city was as calm as ever.

Soon, (Y/n) was in front of DexLabs. Its blue and white structure overlooked (Y/n)'s the small figure but in a comforting way. The teenager smiled as she thought of the times when the building used to be a normal house, and she and her friends would come to sleepover and look at all the inventions Dexter has made. However, thanks to them growing up, and the growing success of DexLabs, those times turned into distant memories.

Those memories soon turned into reminders of Dexter's sister, Dee Dee. (Y/n) giggling at the times where she would constantly break his inventions, and while he was harshly scolding his sister, the younger version of (Y/n) would be laughing in the background. She remembered the day where Dee Dee had to go off to college, which was on the other side of CN City. She remembered how Dexter constantly asked her, Ben, and the PPG to come over so he wouldn't be lonely, even if he refused to admit it. She remembered how even after all that, Dexter became more reclusive and buried himself in his work instead of talking to any of his friends.

Her smile faded. 'I'm glad that he asked me to come in today. I hope he isn't too overwhelmed with all this work,' (Y/n) thought, walking up to the glass door. She observed the many robots swarming around the place. The only thing that made her worried was that no human employees were around anywhere. 'He's getting so used to artificial life. I hope he takes a break from work and works on his human relationships.'

Before (Y/n) walked into the building, she turned to the factory that was across Dexlabs. She held in the urge to roll her eyes at the dramatic scene: Rain clouds producing lighting, the glowing 'menacing' red lava mixed with the black paint, and the depressing background it was put in. (Y/n) stuck her tongue out at the place and went inside Dexlabs, secretly wondering what the factories' CEO was doing. 'Probably fawning over his Dee Dee shrine again.'

"Greetings, (Y/n)." That robotic voice made (Y/n) jump and spin around. She laughed nervously at the sight of Computress, Dexter's assistant, staring at her with blank green eyes. "H-Hello, Computress," (Y/n) greeted.

"It is nice to see you again," Computress started, smiling. "Dexter has requested your presence."

"I'm aware of that," (Y/n) politely informed. "Do you know where he is?"

"He is on level thirty. He will be delighted to see you."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. He has been thrilled while waiting for your particular visit."

(Y/N) beamed. "Thank you, Computress." The robotic assistant nodded and walked off. (Y/n) turned and headed towards the elevator at the end of the main room.

She stepped in and pressed one of the buttons for level thirty. As the doors closed and the elevator lifted (Y/n) took a deep breath. 'When I see him, I'm going to give him a hug so bone-crushing so he'll feel how much I've missed him,' she planned. 'Then I'll beg him to come outside. Then I'll just drag him to the dreaded sunlight.'

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. (Y/n)'s eyes widened at the sight of millions of machines stacked upon each other. The lights on the ceiling were mostly covered by the complex inventions, so any light barely made its way into the room. (Y/n)'s eyes narrowed angrily. 'He's been working like this for the past few months?! Ugh, I'm totally taking him home with me. He can't live like this.'

(Y/n) traveled through the piles of impossibly possible machines. In the distance, she could see a bright light in the middle of the dull room, and she sped up. Walking around another stack, her eyes lit up when she saw the sight of her genius friend sitting at a desk piled with numerous amounts of papers.

(Y/n) internally squealed, but instead of running up to Dexter and tackling him with a hug, she tiptoed her way up to him. On the way, she heard him mumbling something about new inventions and deadlines, and her happiness died a little inside. She stopped right behind him and leaned into his ear, thankful that he didn't notice her yet. "Hey, Einstein," she whispered.

"GAH!" Dexter jumped up from his seat and pulled a weapon out of his lab coat, then aimed it at (Y/n). She didn't faze and only smirked deviously, watching as he caught his breath and took in who scared him. Slowly, he put the weapon down as his blue eyes softened, and he grinned at her.

"Normally, I would have blasted your head off for doing such a malevolent act, but since I have not seen you in a while, I'll make an exception," he explained in his famous accent. (Y/n) giggled and embraced Dexter in that bone-crushing hug she planned for him. His small grin transformed into a wide smile as he wrapped his arms around her. A comforting silence was hanging in the air while they secretly recalled pleasant memories.

(Y/n) tried to pull herself out of the hug, but the redhead's grip kept her in his embrace. "You missed me that much, dude?" she chuckled. He opened his eyes and quickly let go of her, blushing. "U-Uh! Don't get the wrong idea!" he shouted. (Y/n) laughed and ruffled his hair, but stopped when she got a good look at his face.

Dark bags were under his eyes and the light blue in his eyes had almost turned grey. A couple of scratches covered his cheeks while a crack sat in the corner of the left lens of his glasses, and his lab coat was covered in dirt. Her eyes narrowed and Dexter noticed. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"You," she said, and Dexter flinched, looking offended. "Have you been getting any sleep lately?" she asked.

"Um, well..." he dragged on, and her eyes glared daggers into his soul. "Look, I'm sorry if my appearance worries you, (Y/n), but deadlines have been piling up on me," he explained, sitting back down at his desk.

"Why don't you get Computress and your robot workers to help you with all this?" she said.

"They do, but there are countless inventions that still need to be worked on. And those inventions are to be handled by me. No other robot or person can handle that job."

(Y/n)'s eyes softened, and she approached him and wrapped her arms around him while putting her head on his shoulder. "I'm worried about you, Dexter," she confessed.

Dexter tensed, and she could have seorn she saw his cheeks heat up. "(Y/n), I wanted this. The world needs me, and if this state and dependence on coffee is my price for it, then so be it." He yawned at the end of his sentence.

(Y/N) sighed and turned Dexter around so he could face her. Her hands gripped onto his shoulders as she explained, "The world also needs you to be healthy. Sooner or later, you're going to collapse if you keep this up." Dexter frowned, averting his eyes from hers. (Y/n) wanted to smack him, but she held in the urges and gave him a smile. "Come on, a small break wouldn't hurt. You said you had a surprise for me, didn't you?"

Dexter's eyes lit up. "Oh, of course! Follow me." The scientist got up and led the teenager to the other side of his lab. (Y/n) beamed with happiness and caught up with him. "I've been feeling guilty about missing your last birthday..." Dexter started.

(Y/n) patted his back. "Worry about yourself first, dummy." Dexter let out a weak chuckle. "I will get to that. But I wanted to make up for it." As he finished, they approached a giant tube with (F/C) liquid inside of it. (Y/n)'s eyes glimmered with curiosity, and she gazed back at Dexter, who had a light pink tint dusted on his pale cheeks along with a shy smile. He went up to the tube and pressed the big red button beside it. A small hole opened at the bottom and sucked the liquid out, leaving a floating ring with an (F/C) gem that shined brighter than any star (Y/n) has ever seen.

"Woah..." she uttered. Dexter observed her face as if he was trying to gain as much pride as he could. "I have noticed that you have a fondness for jewelry, so I decided to craft a small gift using platinum that little gem you like."

She was about to approach the machine until Dexter predicted her actions. He gently put the ring in his gloved hand and proceeded towards (Y/n). She gasped softly when he carefully grabbed her hand and held it up to put the ring on her ring finger. At that point, (Y/n)'s (S/C) cheeks were the same color as Dexter's hair. She wanted to suppress her fluttering heart, but her feelings were too strong to be put down. She looked into his eyes; they were exhausted, but still held warmth. His lips were the same. "There's one more thing," he said. With her hand still in his palm, he pressed the gem, and it flipped up to reveal a picture of her and him alone together with happiness on their younger faces.

Tears pricked her eyes and (Y/n) used her other hand to cover her mouth. "Dexter..." she managed to say after a few moments. "This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done to me. Thank you so much." She lightly pulled her hand away and held it in her chest, looking away.

Dexter's smile dissolved. "Something's wrong, isn't there?" he predicted. (Y/n)'s turned back towards him. "No, I-...I just thought..." Her fluttering heart started to crack. "I just thought this would be something you'd do for Blossom..."

The redhead's hand went by his side. The warmth in his eyes transformed back into dullness while a frown held onto his lips. "We broke up," he admitted.

(Y/n)'s eyes widened with shock. "What? When? What happened?" She started following him when he began walking back to his desk.

"A few weeks ago. It started out fine until we began fighting. Then there were the silent treatments and the making-ups, and back to fighting...It got out of hand, and that was when we stopped talking to each other entirely." He came to a halt at his desk with his back facing her. (Y/n) stopped and held a saddened look in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said, deciding whether or not to hug him again. Though, when he turned around, he made the decision for her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Don't apologize. I believe we have made the right decision. We don't love each other like we used to," he mumbled in her ear. (Y/n) put her arms around his waist. "You guys are still friends, though, right?"

Dexter pulled away and smiled. "Of course." The two pulled away slightly but didn't break apart. Dexter looked as if he wanted to say something else, which sparked (Y/n)'s interest. "Something's wrong, isn't there?" she repeated what he said earlier, smirking. This time, Dexter didn't laugh. (Y/n) put a hand on his strangely warm cheek and brought his attention over to her.

"You can tell me." He was hypnotized by her stare for a moment before he shut his eyes tightly. "(Y-Y/n), I r-"

"Dexter."

The duo yelped and whirled around to see Computress. "Computress, I'm the middle of something!" Dexter barked. "You are required to attend a meeting in fifteen minutes," she continued. Dexter glanced at (Y/n) before turning back to his robot assistant.

"Whatever happened to you attending the meetings for me?" he inquired. "Professor Utonium wishes to meet you in person."

Dexter fell silent. "Professeor Utonium?" (Y/n) asked. "I work with him," Dexter responded. (Y/n) felt her shoulders slump, but she remembered her meeting with Ben. She walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"We can finish talking later. I'm sure this is important, and you need to shower. Seriously."

Dexter snickered. "I'll see you later, (Y/n)," he said, turning to her. (Y/n) responded with a "Bye Dexter," and walked out of the lab, hearing a defeated sigh behind her.

"AHH!"

As soon as (Y/n) entered the Townsville park, people were running past her with fear on their faces. "What the heck?" she mumbled, then ran deeper into the park. When she set foot in the heart of the small forest, she stopped once her eyes laid on Ben in his human form in front of a giant green monster.

Its slime dripped on his green jacket, but Ben was too focused on hitting his Omnitrix. (Y/n) heart pounded in panic. "Ben! What are you doing?!" (Y/n) yelled. "My Omnitrix! I-It's not working!" he shouted. The slime monster continued to emerge from the trees, its red eyes glaring down at him. (Y/n) could see the trees sticking to the monster.

'I gotta help him!' (Y/n) declared. She gripped onto her necklace and felt herself float off the ground. With (F/C) light taking over her body, her normal outfit transformed into a tight (F/C) jumpsuit with (S/F/C) colored streaks down her thighs and across her chest. Her body disappeared, and her invisible self flew right into the monster. 'Ew...' she thought but kept her composure. Once she was in the middle of its body, she held her breath and held onto her necklace again.

The light covered her once more, and she felt her ears turning pointier while feeling her clothes becoming looser. With her hair transforming into a long thin braid, her eyes glowed their signature color. (Y/n) held up her hands and quickly created a forcefield around the smaller version of her body, and she enlarged that shield to blow up the monster to bits.

Free from the inside of the monster, (Y/n) breathed in the fresh air and gently floated back onto the ground. She opened her eyes and grimaced at the sight of slime all over her simple (F/C) dress. Ben held a dumbfounded face the whole time, but when her glowing eyes spotted him, he gave her a charming grin. "Did I ever tell you looked incredibly cute in your elf form?" he asked playfully.

(Y/n) scoffed. "Tennyson. Nice to see you and your..." She hesitated when she focused on his superpowered watch. "...malfunctioning Omnitrix." The grin Ben held turned into a frown once he laid eyes on his weapon. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Something's been going on with my Omnitrix lately. I haven't been able to summon any alien forms. It's like its energy is just...gone."

Just when (Y/n) was about to respond, two of her other friends came running towards them. "Sorry we're late," Gwen said, catching her breath. Kevin approached Ben and looked over his shoulder. "So your Omnitrix isn't working, huh?" he said.

Ben turned to him and shook his head.

"Have you tried turning it off and turning it back on?" he asked. They all looked at him as if he just said that superpowers were a myth. "...(Y/N), can you please help us?" Gwen asked.

"What do you need help with?" (Y/N) responded.

"We need you to tap into Ben's Omnitrix to see what's going on."

(Y/n) gasped softly. "What? I-I mean, I could, but what about you, Gwen? Can't you use your spellbook to do that?"

Gwen sighed and took the purple and gold spellbook out of her backpack. She lightly grazed her fingertips and said, "I can't." (Y/n)'s eyes widened. "What? What happened?"

"I don't know! My magic has been weakening for the past couple of weeks, and now I can hardly do anything. A lot of my spells have been unsuccessful, including the ability to magically communicate. And it's not only us. We've heard that most of the imaginary friends back at Foster's home came down with a mysterious illness." She put the book back in her bag and approached (Y/n). "(Y/n), please. If your magic hasn't been affected like this, we need your help."

(Y/n) hesitated, but comforted her friends with a smile. "Why should I refuse? I'm more than happy to help."

Gwen let out a sigh of relief. "What about you, Kevin?" (Y/n) asked, turning to the dark brunet. "Have your powers been weird lately?"

"I can still turn into any object I touch, but it seems to be getting more difficult."

"Hmm..." (Y/n) walked up to Ben and touched the Omnitrix with her fingertips. She took in the silence around as she breathed in, letting all of her thoughts and emotions melt away. She tilted her head back, feeling her braid flow in the wind, and took in one last deep breath before her vision turned white.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHH!!!

"GAH!" (Y/n) yelled, jumping back. The others flinched as the girl caught her breath. Her heart raced inside of her as if it was about to burst out of her chest. Her face was covered in sweat, and her hand quickly held onto her necklace to turn back into human form.

"(Y/n)! Are you okay?" Ben said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I..." (Y/n) started. "I saw static..."

The trio went silent before Gwen spoke up. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean I saw literal static. And there was screaming too..." Ben's face was covered in horror. "Ben, who did you fight before your Omnitrix became like this?" (Y/n) asked, looking up at him.

"Nobody. This monster was the only enemy I saw within the past few weeks." Gwen and Kevin looked around at the leftover green slime as if they had just noticed they were there.

Once (Y/n) retreated back to her original form, she spotted a familiar symbol on the ground. A giant red M with little black spikes on the side reminded her of an annoying brat accompanied by a weirdly hypnotizing laugh. "Mandark..." she mumbled.

"Maybe he has something to do with this," Gwen guessed, narrowing her green eyes. "Then let's get this prick and earn some answers!" Kevin declared, then ran towards the direction of Tech Square. "I'll check in with Nigel and Jack to see if they're alright, and see if Jack knows anything too. I'll head over to Foster's Home too. That's probably why they needed me..." (Y/n) said, mumbling the last part.

Gwen nodded and headed after Kevin. Ben started to run after them but turned back to (Y/n). "Hey, (Y/n)?" he said. She turned around and saw him with a bashful grin. "Thanks for the information. Maybe we should-"

"Ben!" Gwen grabbed his wrist and forcefully pulled him in her direction. "Not now!" she yelled, and they disappeared behind the trees. (Y/n) tilted her head in confusion, but shrugged it off and headed towards the Numbuh One's house.

"Nigel!" (Y/n) yelled as she ran up to the treehouse. She knew that she didn't have time, but memories of her and the KND flashed in her mind.

The sleepovers with the smell of hot chocolate and junk food. The presentations of weird but fun weapons to use against despicable adults. The immature nonstop laughter from when they teased Numbuh Four for liking a girl. (Y/n) was friends with the KND, so much so that they were like the siblings she never had. These memories made the worry within her fade.

But as she rang the doorbell to Nigel Uno's house, she recalled another memory. It was Nigel the week before his thirteenth birthday. He was raging towards the other kids about how he didn't want to grow up and leave the KND. Numbuh Three hundred sixty-two and a couple of other kids were trying to calm him down, but it only intensified his frustration. (Y/n) heard it all from Numbuh five. When she went to visit him afterward, it was the first time she ever saw him crying.

The rest of his team had their memories wiped willingly. Some broke down, but they did it together. After that, they were just regular teenagers. (Y/n) had to get to know them all over again.

At the time he was finally thirteen and was about to get his memory wiped, he gave into the memory. However, when (Y/N) came to visit him again, he told her his entire plan of going with the Teens Next Door. Ever since then, he's been going on secret missions by himself trying to get his friends back.

"(Y/n)?" Nigel Uno asked while waving a hand in her face, snapping (Y/n) out of her trance. "Ah! Hey Nigel!" (Y/n) yelled, trying to seem cool by leaning her arm against the doorframe.

Her friend's grin was filled with chaff. "So I'm guessing you didn't hear a word I said."

Her cool composure disappeared. "Uh..." she trailed off with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. Nigel chuckled and gently held onto her hand. "Come on. I need to show you something," he said, pulling her into his house.

"The T.N.D. and I have been getting recent reports of strange occurrences around the city," he informed as they got to his backyard and into the treehouse.

"And these reports were...?" (Y/n) asked, trying to ignore the dull emptiness of the treehouse. It was upsetting without the rest of Nigel's team with him: The studious Numbuh Two, the high-spirited Numbuh Three, the courageous Numbuh Four, and the feisty Numbuh Five. They were still there, but at the same time, they weren't.

"Any sort of technology has been malfunctioning. When it was fixed, they were only able to work for a certain amount of time. It seems that the less advanced it is, the more defective it will be." They approached a room with a large screen above a display of buttons.

"My computer has only had minor issues, but I managed to track the bigger problems." Nigel pushed up his sunglasses and pressed a few buttons, and presented before (Y/n) was a map with red and orange dots covering most of it.

"These dots represent the malfunctions. The orange ones represent the minor issues, and even over some people, who I assume have those magic powers. The red ones are a bit more interesting."

"What do you mean?" (Y/n) questioned.

"These reports have been saying that through static, there have been strange faces appearing and disappearing. All of them aren't clear, but some have said they've managed to see some sort of small monster with red eyes. A few people even said they've been hearing screaming too."

A feeling of dread took over (Y/n). "H-Holy..." she stuttered. The eighteen-year-old examined her reaction before he continued. "Just yesterday, orange dots appeared over Mandark Industries."

"Mandark? Then Dexter would be at risk too! And if that happens..."

"Then all our technology might collapse, and people who possess any sort of power will lose every ounce."

Nigel looked as if he wanted to point out something else, but he kept quiet. However, (Y/n) already knew what it was as she glanced down at her necklace with concern. "What could be causing this?" she wondered.

"We don't know, but whatever it is, we need some sort of protection against it. Have you ever experienced anything weird with your power within the past few weeks?"

(Y/n) looked down at her necklace again. She gazed deep into it and sensed for any imperfections, but it looked the same as ever. "No, my powers have been working just fine."

"Hmm...Okay, I need you to report this to Dexter. I already got the news about Ben and Foster's Home, so we'll need to keep an eye on them. I'm going to check in with the KND bases on other planets to see if they're still running fine."

"KND bases? But you aren't-"

"I know. Even so, I made a voice changer so my voice can sound like their new leader, Numbuh Three hundred sixty-three."

(Y/n) opened her mouth until she recalled the old supreme leader of the KND, Numbuh Three Hundred Sixty-Two, having her memory wiped a few months after Nigel. She began walking out of the room but was stopped by the former Numbuh One. "Hey, be careful out there, (Y/n). We don't know what to expect." She turned to him and gave him her famous confident expression.

"You know I'm always careful, chief." She winked at him, and he made a 'tch' sound accompanied by a smile. "No you're not," he said, snickering. (Y/n) giggled and walked out of the treehouse.

Once she reached the outside, that smile was wiped off of her face. She made the mistake of looking up at the sky when she saw something abnormal in the corner of her eye. When she did, her eyes went small at the sight of a small green dot.

(Y/n) shook her head and opened her eyes again. It was still there. She rubbed her eyes and looked back up. It was still there. (Y/n) felt the dread inside of her becoming bigger and bigger, and she soon found herself running towards Tech Square, unaware of one of the brightly glowing gems on her necklace. She didn't know what that green dot was, but her instincts told her that it was far from good.

"Ahem, Saturnbase? This is Numbuh three hundred sixty-three, come in, Saturnbase," Nigel said into the radio in a high pitched female voice. No reply. Sweat dripped down his face as he pressed another button.

"Jupitarbase? Is anybody there?". Nobody answered. "Plutobase! If anyone's there, please respond!" Silence.

Nigel stepped and watched the screen show three separate information boxes. All of them had the name of the KND bases, and what caused him to have a pang of distress was the name 'offline' under all of them. 'Something's not good...I need to warn them!'

He quickly ran out of the room, not caring about the consequences if he showed up to the KND moonbase. As he headed towards the underground where his old rocketship, the screens behind him turned to static. And within that static was a green blob begging for help.

#cartoons #fusionfall #wattpad #writing #ben 10 omniverse #powerpuff girls #fanfiction #dexter's laboratory #cartoon network #x reader

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froppy-butterflyfan2000 · 4 months

Note

What is Ivy's home life like?

Well, she is now officially an adult, but her life still remains the same. Her parents are being busy in the Supernatural World. Rose stopping dragon slayers and Nigel being a wizard (AND NO NIGEL IS NOT HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH HIS WIFE! He is a faithful to her. They goes on dates a couple of times). Yeah it is lonely being in a big house. (At least she can host a big and wild parties at her house when she is home alone. As long as her niece and big sisters are not in the house.) At least her big sister, Evelyn and her daughter, Sibrella are living there now.

Plus, it is better than her childhood, she had a tense relationship with her father. He spoiled her. To be a brat..... Plus, he taught her magic and keeping an eyes on her mana recovery and stamina. Strict and have many expectations placed on her. Her father expected her to be strong in both magic and physically in order to be a sidekick to any of the Guardian Dragons, more specifically the one in NYC. He wanted her to have a Dragon in her friend group. However he saw that Ivy preferred the friends she picked. Nigel did not denied Ivy on her friendships. Reason is Ivy making friends with Bea and Stella allowed him to increase his own reputation by her boost her reputation to increase his reputation. That is why Ivy wanted to be independent and learn about hard work on her own. Another reason to break the cycle - Adults take advantages of her father, Nigel when he was a kid to feed his mind that he is superior and feed his ego to mold him into being used. It is suck. Ivy fell victim to it.

Although the memory is foggy now, Ivy still remember feeling the tight grip of Nigel clutching her shoulders to tell her how a disappointment she really is. That is why it is not a good idea to touch her shoulders.

Nigel really loves his daughter, and would visit her at the hospital if she get injured, and agrees to his wife that she should stop doing heroic works for the time being or permanently if there are severity, such as Ivy losing her leg when being amputated for her own good after an explosion incident at Phoenix Academy. He is an irresponsibly perfectionist with an ego (just liked her). Beside he was a mentor she want because Ivy learned to wield magic differently and Nigel quickly recognized this that he changed his lessons to suit what they both want.

As for her relationship with her mom, it is positive, both past and present. Rose can see the self-doubts right through Ivy. She know her own daughter best;always fascinating when with magic, as she loves to explore the city in search of magic that she has never seen before. Usually, her childish personality emerges when she encounters a new type of magic and gets excited to see it in action. And wants to help people out. Plus the reason why she became a hero and not be following in her father's because witches are cool to her.

When Ivy is putting herself down, Rose occasionally finger pistol Ivy on the forehead till she plead. Then she have her settle down to ask the questions that will go through self-reflection for Ivy, and finally pep-talks and advices to help her.

Rose and Ivy would spars in swordsmanship and throwing hands/H2H combat and would often goes on a mother-and-daughter shopping sprees and spa day. Rose is the one to put Nigel in his place if his parenting is questionable.

Is that the question you wants? If not… Sorry for rambling. The Thrall Residence is a large house that is a blend of Rococo, Victorian Style, and including Neo-Andean because Townsville is futuristic; more uptown/gentrified areas and Solarpunk in the Lunaverse. So the house is installs with nanotech in case it get destroyed, despite insures under Hanout Anoush’s father’s insurance company. Inside the house, there are a personal gym/training room that have a simulation, Rose’s Weapon Room, a personal study room for each of her parent, a state of the art high tech kitchen and living room, a potions supply closet, and a lab to make potions and to perform rituals. A shrine for deities Ivy worshipping too. Ivy have her garden of daylilies, foxgloves, and roses outside and Rose have her training ground. Ivy’s room is based on her subculture: a combination of Cottagecore, Earthcore/Bloomcore, Lovecore, Forest Fairy Princess Core, Whimsigothcore, Pinkcore, and Witchcore.

#lunaverse #Ivy Layla Thrall

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thepaladincosplays · 2 years

Text

I posted 596 times in 2022

237 posts created (40%)

359 posts reblogged (60%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@doomface

@kururu418

@cooltmoney95

@olianahorror

@hello-just-random-me

I tagged 370 of my posts in 2022

Only 38% of my posts had no tags

#thepaladinrambles - 235 posts

#tales of mewni - 103 posts

#anon - 51 posts

#callyieverse - 50 posts

#froppy butterflyfan2000 - 41 posts

#laylaylamode - 27 posts

#commission - 20 posts

#thepaladinreblogs - 17 posts

#loki heedsi - 14 posts

#envie - 14 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#and more often than not long for affirmations and assurances from others because it doesn’t feel like they’re saying it out of obligation

My Top Posts in 2022:

“Alright, let’s get this started!”

A rather strong young man of sixteen, Tony Detweiler’s “go-get-’em” attitude leads him toward both lots of fun and lots of trouble. As the right-side hitter for the Citiesville Knights he takes his blocks and passes seriously. When he’s not at home or working at Nasty Burger, he’s mostly found on the court or at the gym. He and his parents moved out to Citiesville for better opportunities, and although he wishes he was closer to Townsville he’s glad to have found some friends on the volleyball team.

Another lovely commission from @harchibudytgorichi! Please go check out their work and support them if you can. They’re a wonderful artist and do most of the art designs for all my characters.

15 notes - Posted March 2, 2022

“I’m Morgana. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Living in the Jaggy Mountains, one of the last few Goliaths alive made her acquaintance with none other than Jagur Jaggy. Considered a runt by her culture, Morgana’s nine-and-a-half foot tall stature towers over the Jaggy citizens. After meeting the Jaggy Prince she became quick friends with him, though shades of scarlet will tell you about her other feelings for the prince. Despite living on her own for most of her life, Morgana believes that her long lost brother may still be out in the world surviving on his own. With a few secrets of her own, the shy girl only lets out so much about her past to Jagur...

Another commission from the amazing @harchibudytgorichi! Meet Jagur’s (future) girlfriend! Me and @kururu418 tossed around a few ideas and ultimately I ended up coming up with a lot of backstory for Morgana that’s gonna trickle out over the course of the fics I write about her and Jagur. Stay tuned!

16 notes - Posted January 15, 2022

“If my son Sandor has done you wrong, then you talk to him about it, not me.”

The previous monarch of Lunaria, Kalista Heart held the title of Queen of Hearts for two-hundred and fifty years before stepping down from the throne and giving it to her son. Known for her strict law and order, Kalista was popular among the old noble families in Lunaria for favoring them when writing the laws of the land. Many of these families want her put back into power now that her son has undone these laws but she continues to deny them. Despite no longer ruling over Lunaria, Kalista still lives inside the Heart family castle and will, on occasion, grant her son advice on how to rule the kingdom.

Another wonderful commission from @harchibudytgorichi, this time of my character Kalista, the mother of the King of Hearts (changed his name to Sandor ‘cause I didn’t want him having my name anymore... lol) and previous monarch of Lunaria!

23 notes - Posted September 18, 2022

Of all the members of the Norse Pantheon, none are as cunning and devious as Loki. A magic using god, Loki’s most notorious crime among the Aesir and Vanir was the slaying of Baldr, the punishment of which was the chaining and separation of his children Fenrir and Jormungandr from him. A shapeshifter by nature, Loki often switches between a man’s figure and a woman’s figure (typically going by the name “Heedsi” when presenting as female). Despite his more loner personality, Loki has had his eyes set on a certain someone for some time now (though he doesn’t act on his feelings often). He secretly despises the new Apollo, not believing he’s the incarnation of the Baldr he killed over a millennia ago...

Another amazing commission from @harchibudytgorichi! Gonna be working on a fic for him soon so if you have any questions about him feel free to ask!

26 notes - Posted February 15, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

The odd duckling of her family, Princess Ofelia Naga is the youngest and third child of Queen Nixitia Naga and King Colton Kahn of the Queendom of Wraiven. Like both of her older sisters, the Crown Princess Thesephia and Princess Ankahlia, Ofelia has a special interest of her own. While Thesephia concerns herself with law and her books, and Ankahlia loves her taxidermy, Ofelia gives her attention to her garden and alchemy. Although they keep their relationship a secret, it’s not unknown to her family that Ofelia and the King of Hearts are romantically entangled with one another.

Another lovely commission from @harchibudytgorichi, this time of one of my fantasy series characters, Ofelia of the Queendom of Wraiven!

31 notes - Posted September 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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renaerys · 5 years

Text

PPG One-Shot: Shook (Brick/Blossom)

Summary: When Butch and Buttercup’s fighting goes a bit too far, Blossom takes it upon herself to intervene. Reds.

xxx

Brick woke up with pinprick pain in his temples this morning, a sure indicator that today was going to be a bad day.

His headache only progressed throughout the day, and by the end of sixth period AP European History, he was fantasizing about how good Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI had it with that guillotine. Quick, painless, and blissful freedom from the squabbling peasants who would never have let them off easy anyway.

“Dude, you’re doing it again.”

Brick could feel his brother’s big, blue eyes on the back of his head as he unloaded his books at his locker. “What.”

“The resting serial killer face.”

Brick glanced at his reflection in the small mirror he had affixed to his locker door. Tired, red eyes stared back at him, mouth in a harsh, thin line, and his trademark red cap backwards over his red hair. His bangs were getting a little long.

He slammed the locker door. “Maybe take the hint.”

Boomer, unlike most of the plebeians at Townsville High School, didn’t cower in fear at his brother’s bloody glare. He smiled and threw a letter-jacket-clad arm over Brick’s shoulders. “Lighten up, man. It’s Friday! Julie’s party is tonight, remember?”

Shit, Brick had forgotten. He vaguely remembered agreeing to go to that.

“Someone say party?” Wes Goingon, a guy so pale he looked like he’d been bleached at birth, approached them hand in hand with his girlfriend, Kim Chan.

Kim smiled brightly at Brick. “Oh yeah, Julie’s! You guys are going, right?”

Boomer dragged Brick into step with their friends, and he was too tired to resist. “For sure.”

Brick sighed. “I don’t know, I’ve got a migraine. I might sit this one out.”

“No way, you gotta come!” Wes said. “It’s not a party without you.”

Kim nudged Brick affectionately. “He’s right, but if you’re not feeling well, you should stay home. I noticed you were kind of quiet today.”

“Shh, Kim, don’t give him a way out. Everybody’s gonna be there,” Boomer said. “It’s the last party before Fall Break!”

Fall Break, yes, that was an appealing prospect. A whole week off from school to do what he wanted without having to deal with all the bullshit of high school daily life. Brick didn’t hate it as much as he’d thought he would. Even with his reputation as a Rowdyruff Boy following him, there had been some brave souls who’d given him and his brothers a chance to be normal seventeen-year-old boys, something he hadn’t had back in Citiesville before transferring. Even if many were wary of him, there were a few like Wes and Kim who were so used to sharing the halls with Supers that they barely noticed the difference.

The four of them were approaching the west exit when Brick came across the last person he wanted to see. His migraine flared at the mere sight of her and the suspicion in her gaze that was as ubiquitous as her red hair ribbon whenever they unfortunately crossed paths.

“Hey Blossom!” Kim said, bounding over.

“Hi Kim,” Blossom said, bypassing her to approach Brick, but it turned out it wasn’t him she was looking for. “Boomer, I’m glad I ran into you. Have you seen my sister anywhere?”

Brick watched her talking to his brother like he wasn’t standing right there and felt his blood pressure begin to rise. No matter how much time he spent breathing the same air as this girl, he couldn’t get past his dislike of her. They were no longer arch enemies looking to grind each other into the ground, their childhood enmity mostly behind them now that they were older and more interested in living their lives in peace. But even so, Brick had never had any desire to befriend Blossom or her Super sisters, Bubbles and Buttercup.

Still, she didn’t have to ignore him so obviously. She was always doing petty crap like that. So juvenile.

Boomer, of course, had no such qualms about mingling with Townsville’s resident heroes. Brick wasn’t sure how it had happened, but somehow Boomer had befriended Bubbles, played sports with Buttercup, and was even on amicable terms with Blossom.

“Which one?” Boomer asked, running a hand through his short, blond hair like he was thinking about how it looked in front of her.

The fuck, Brick thought.

“Bubbles. She was supposed to meet me after class, but she’s not answering her phone.”

“No, sorry. I haven’t seen her since lunch.”

Blossom tugged on her long, red ponytail, something she did whenever she was troubled by something. Brick hated that he knew this about her.

“Oh, all right. Well, if you hear from her, can you let me know?”

“Sure thing.”

Her rosy gaze finally flickered to Brick, and she matched his frown. He told himself to ignore her and her unwarranted suspicion of him—it wasn’t like they were twelve anymore and he was going to rob a convenience store, for fuck’s sake—but he also was not about to look away first.

“Brick,” she said curtly, but she might as well have told him to go jump in a lake.

“Blossom,” he said just as clipped. And, just because he knew how annoyingly hyper-alert she got when they were around each other, he let his eyes flicker briefly over her figure, today clad in casual capris and a sleeveless top.

Just his luck that one of the hottest girls in school had such a frustrating personality.

Of course, she noticed him briefly checking her out and crossed her arms. Her pretty eyes narrowed, and the air around them charged. Boomer noticed her subtly spiking energy levels and shrank back instinctively. Brick held his ground, wondering if she’d tell him off. He kind of hoped she would if only to distract him from his pounding headache.

Wes and Kim, oblivious to the electrifying tension, were still talking about Blossom’s missing sister.

Or rather, sisters plural.

“Yeah, I think I saw them leave together. They were in kind of a hurry,” Wes said.

“Really? Since when are Butch and Buttercup so chummy?” Kim asked.

At the mention of his trigger-happy brother, Brick tore his gaze from Blossom. “What about Butch?”

Blossom also forgot her rising annoyance and focused on Wes. “What are you talking about? They left together?”

Wes looked between Brick and Blossom, and it was his turn to shrink. Friends or not, being on the receiving end of both Reds’ glares at the same time was enough to make a guy quail. “Uh, yeah, like I saw them both dash out after sixth period…”

“Together?” Blossom demanded.

“Kind of?” Wes put his hands up like he was trying to placate a pair of wild animals. “More like he dragged her out? I mean, not violently or something!”

Blossom paled, and Brick rolled his eyes. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened. Butch couldn’t seem to go a full week without fighting the only person on the planet dumb enough to rise to his challenge every time. Mostly, Brick didn’t care what his brother did as long as it didn’t blow back on Boomer and him, and for the most part Butch behaved. But lately, he’d been hitting the gym twice a day and even pestering Brick for spars more often than usual. As if fighting Buttercup wasn’t enough of a challenge for him already.

“Oh, so they probably went to fight. Hey, maybe Bubbles is with them?” Boomer said.

Blossom was still white as a sheet. “They can’t fight right now. She’s in no condition.”

Brick was about to tell her to calm down, she was overreacting about every goddamned little thing as usual, but Blossom dashed off in a flash of pink before he could get a word in. Kim was knocked over with the force of it, and Boomer was forced to catch her when she bumped into Wes and they both almost went down.

“Jeez, what was that about?!” Kim griped.

“You okay?” Boomer asked.

Brick scowled deeply. What was she thinking using her powers in school? Of all people, Blossom would never. What had crawled up her ass today? He had half a mind to find out.

“Come on, Boomer,” he said.

“Wait, where are we going?”

But Brick dashed off in a blinding blaze of red in much the same fashion as Blossom before him, knocking all three of them down in his haste to catch up to her.

xxx

Buttercup heaved and spat blood. The Chemical X in her system was sluggish as it depleted so much faster than usual, and she felt Butch’s punches like a ton of bricks. He came in fast and hard again, and this time Buttercup dodged the brunt of his punch and sent him spinning away.

“C’mon, BC! Enough of this cat and mouse crap,” Butch taunted. “Fight me! Unless you’re too much of a pussy.”

“Fuck you,” Buttercup spat.

Trash talk had always been a part of their clashes, and normally it added to the fire she felt beneath her skin at the prospect of handing him his ass. But their last fight had been particularly brutal just a few days ago, and while Buttercup would never admit weakness, she was not fully recovered from it.

Should’ve listened to Blossom and taken that X supplement…

Buttercup silenced that traitorous thought. She didn’t need help. She was the toughest fighter for a reason. A little roughhousing didn’t merit all that coddling. Then again, she hadn’t expected Butch to be raring to go again so soon.

“Guys, really! I think you should just call it quits for today!” Bubbles said, hovering close but not close enough to get in between them. She was not suicidal.

Butch glanced at her askance. “Hey, no one asked you, Blondie. I don’t mind an audience, but this is between me ’n your sister, so be a good girl and mind your own fucking business.”

Buttercup seethed. “Don’t talk to her like that!”

“Oh, yeah? What’re you gonna do about it?”

The taunt was transparent, but Buttercup fell for it all the same. She always fell for it, her body screaming to meet his blow for blow even if her mind knew better. It had always been that way with Butch, supernatural. He’d been created to destroy her, and even now that they were older and grown out of that artificial good versus evil bullshit, sometimes she felt like he really was out to obliterate her. She lived for that challenge, that push to the limits of fear and fatality, knowing in her bones that no one could get her as close to the edge as Butch could.

And so, reckless in pursuit of that special high only he could give her, Buttercup rocketed toward him, her fists crackling green with power. Butch caught her fists in his, and their power exploded between them.

Buttercup was invincible for all of a half second, and then came the pain. She was blown back with such force that she went flying and landed hard in the parking lot of the Shankaplex movie theater, totaling two cars and ripping a crater open in the asphalt. Her body ached, and when she opened her eyes, she saw double.

“Buttercup!” Bubbles screamed.

But it wasn’t Bubbles who pulled her out of that crater. Butch’s rough hands had her by the collar of her shirt, and he lifted her like a rag doll. His arms smoked where Buttercup’s power had burned him, but his X was healing him fast, and pain had never bothered him anyway.

“Tsk tsk, taking a nap? Am I boring you that much?”

Buttercup could feel that he was about to throw her, and she made a grab for his wrists, only to find that her hands were bruised and cut, and her palms were slick with her own blood. Chemical X was barely healing her at all anymore. A brief flicker of panic petrified her, and Butch smelled it like a shark scenting blood in the water.

“Guess it’s time to finish you off,” he said, grinning.

But he never got the chance, because Bubbles swooped in and tackled him into a movie poster display at full power. Buttercup fell to her knees, coughing and shaking in pain, but her thoughts were only of Bubbles. That inkling of panic she’d felt before blossomed into full-on fear for her baby sister. Bubbles was no match for Butch, not when he was raring to go like this.

As if to prove her fears true, Bubbles went crashing into the asphalt next to Buttercup seconds later, having taken one of Butch’s punishing punches to the stomach dead on. Buttercup stared at her fallen sister and shook with rage.

“What the fuck, Butch! You leave her out of this!” Buttercup screamed at him.

Butch cracked his neck. A horrible gash on his face where Bubbles had injured him sealed before Buttercup’s eyes as the X in his system came to his aid.

“I’m okay,” Bubbles said, sitting up and clutching her stomach. “Just a little winded…”

“Hey, she threw the first punch. Don’t be jealous, BC. You know you’re my main squeeze.” He grinned salaciously at her.

Excruciatingly, Buttercup forced herself to get up. Her limbs were on fire. Logically, she knew she could not take Butch in her state. She had no idea how he had recovered faster than her—fucking teenage boy hormones—but he was in top form and she couldn’t hope to face him fairly like this. Fear faded to fury at her own shortcomings. They were supposed to be equals, but nothing she threw at him could bring him down today.

Still, Buttercup had never forfeited a fight, and she wasn’t about to start now.

“Buttercup, no! You can’t fight him like this! Let me—”

“Shut up, Bubbles,” Buttercup hissed. No way was she going to let Bubbles clean up her mess. Butch was and always would be her problem. She wasn’t going to let him near her sister.

Butch laughed. “That’s more like it. Now, where were we? Oh yeah, here!”

He shot off again, and Buttercup braced herself for a world of pain. If she could just tire him out enough to call it quits, that would be enough without having to forfeit, surely.

A blinding blast of pink energy intercepted Butch before he could ram Buttercup, and she was blown back into Bubble’s arms before she could eat concrete again. When she came to, she saw Blossom’s long ponytail fluttering past her waist, her bare arms sparking with raw, pink power and a deep crag in the concrete leading from her to where Butch now kneeled, smoking and breathing heavily.

Manic jade looked up at Blossom, and despite herself, Buttercup shuddered at the sight. He was good and pissed off now. “And then there were three, huh? I’m in high demand today.”

Blossom ignored him. “Buttercup, are you okay?”

Buttercup’s ire flared again. “I’m fine. What’re you doing here?”

Blossom shot her a glare over her shoulder. “Cleaning up your mess, as usual. What were you thinking fighting him in your state? You know you’re not recovered.”

Pride told Buttercup to defy her imperious sister, but shame and guilt knowing Blossom was right held her back. But it wasn’t like she’d had a choice! When Butch got it in his head that he wanted a fight, there was no stopping him. Before Buttercup got a chance to snap back at Blossom, they were interrupted again.

“What the fuck is this?” Brick landed next to Butch.

Butch rolled his eyes and got to his feet. “Nothing. This is between me and Buttercup.”

Brick’s creepy eyes scanned the ruined parking lot and the few civilians who had poked their heads out of the movie theater to gape at the Supers like fish out of water. “You, Buttercup, and the Mayor’s office when I have to make a case to the city not to fine us for all this property damage.”

An admiring whistle drew everyone’s attention to Boomer hovering a short ways away surveying the damage. “Damn, Butch. You got something against Frozen 2?”

Sure enough, the new kids’ movie advertisement poster was totally destroyed thanks to the explosive fight.

“Huh?” Butch said.

“Enough,” Blossom said. “Brick, take your brother home. He’s done enough damage for one day.”

Brick glared at her, and Buttercup braced herself for the spat she knew was coming.

“We’re not finished here,” Butch said before Brick could get into it with Blossom. “So why don’t you march that fine ass back to chess club or whatever the hell you do after school?”

Brick turned his glare on Butch, and Buttercup felt its departure like the cruel summer sun dipping behind the clouds.

Bubbles gasped. “No! Buttercup, you can’t fight him anymore! I told you this was a bad idea!”

Blossom somehow looked even more incensed. “You came here willingly? I rushed over here thinking Butch had forced you into a fight. Buttercup, what were you thinking?”

“I was thinking this has nothing to do with you,” Buttercup said petulantly.

“You’re bleeding.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine.” Blossom growled in frustration. “Why is it always a fight with you? You know what, I don’t care. We’ll talk about this later. Bubbles, take her home.”

Bubbles moved to do that, but one look from Buttercup stayed her hand. No way, no fucking way was Buttercup going to let her big sister swoop in and embarrass her like this. Butch would never let her live it down.

“Hey! Are you deaf? I said this is between me and Buttercup. I’m not gonna tell you again, Blossom.”

Butch bared his teeth, and Buttercup felt her skin crawl. He was seriously not done yet, and a very small part of her began to feel the fear creeping back in. She was not in any condition to fight him, she knew that, but he was in no condition to stop.

“Butch,” Brick warned.

But Butch smacked his hand away. His whole body sparked with green energy, ready to snap. Despite herself, Buttercup swallowed hard.

“Fine,” Blossom said. “You want a fight? I’ll give you the fight of your life.”

Buttercup gaped open-mouthed at her sister, not sure if she’d heard right. Blossom never fought unless all other avenues were exhausted, and she certainly never fought Butch. Even Brick looked momentarily stunned at her challenge.

Butch was quicker to recover and burst out laughing. “Good one! Now seriously, get the hell outta my way.”

Blossom didn’t budge. “No.”

All traces of humor left Butch as he regarded her, and then he glanced at Brick. “Hey, I’m not gonna tell you again. I’m not here for you, so move.”

Blossom was busy removing her pearl studs and bracelet. When she held them out, Buttercup was still too stunned to do anything but accept them without protest.

“This won’t take long,” Blossom said, tightening her ponytail.

“Brick,” Boomer said warily, landing next to his brother.

Brick bristled. “Forget this. I’ll fight you, you fucking masochist.”

“No way bro,” Butch said, stepping forward. “Ladies first. She wants me, can’t you tell?”

Blossom actually laughed, stunning Buttercup for the second time in as many minutes. “Honestly, Buttercup, how do you take this boy seriously?”

Buttercup wanted to be mad, but Butch’s reaction was so sudden and so visceral that it gave her whiplash. He began to shake as his power leaked out of him and clogged the air like noxious fumes. That little, emasculating laugh got him more worked up than any number of Buttercup’s punches had today.

“Hey.” Buttercup reached for Blossom and they locked gazes. She shivered at the cold look in her sister’s eyes. It was one she had not often seen, but one she knew better than to question. The instinct to shrink back was so overwhelming that Buttercup felt her stomach turn, and it was not even directed at her.

She remembered a fight many, many years ago when Princess Morbucks had pushed Blossom too far in her pursuit of power. It was the first time Buttercup had ever seen that remorseless look in her sister’s eyes, and she would never forget it.

Butch was no longer grinning. “I’m gonna enjoy putting you in your place.”

Blossom cocked her head. She was still smiling that eerie, cold smile. “I’m waiting.”

That did it. Before anyone could blink, Butch was coming straight for her, fists blazing.

xxx

“Oh shit!” Boomer flew up to join Bubbles, Buttercup, and Brick in the air as they watched Blossom and Butch collide in a conflagration of pink and green. Butch’s punches, delivered hard and swift enough to break the sound barrier, carried like thunder. “Should we, like, do something?!”

Brick was eerily silent next to him as he followed the fight with a calculating eye. “If he hits her, she’s done for.”

“Like hell,” Buttercup spat. “She’s strong. You should know.”

“Wait, I thought you were the one who was against this?” Boomer asked.

Buttercup grimaced, but she stubbornly refused to let on how much pain she was in. Now that Boomer got a good look at her, she really looked trashed. Jesus, had Butch really done that to her?

“Doesn’t mean I don’t know my sister. She can take him.”

“Except she can’t,” Brick said, watching as Butch fired a green energy beam at Blossom that sent her careening high into the clouds. “I know her too. She’s a glass cannon.”

Blossom’s pink streak came flying in faster than Boomer had ever seen her fly, and Butch was waiting for her with a welcome punch that connected with her ribs. But Blossom swerved with his force and rammed her elbow mercilessly against the back of his neck. Her blunt force was so great that he went cashing into the woods beyond the Shankaplex, where he landed with a monstrous crack. Blossom waited for him to reemerge, a hand pressed to her side but otherwise masking her pain.

Bubbles gasped, and Buttercup shot Brick a scathing grin. “You were saying?”

Brick’s eyes were glued to Blossom. “Butch hits like a freight train. She won’t be able to absorb his punches indefinitely.”

Buttercup laughed, but in her injured state, it came out more like a wheeze. “Dude, you don’t know this Blossom.”

Brick glanced at her askance, and Boomer wondered. What did that mean?

“That tickled!” Butch shouted as he came flying back ready to go again. “Do it again!”

Blossom was silent as she waited for him to come to her. He came in hot, but this time she didn’t let his punch connect. More elegantly than Boomer thought her capable of, Blossom avoided him entirely, grabbed his hair, and kneed him in the stomach.

Boomer gasped—gasped, because holy hell—as Butch hacked up a lung and clutched his stomach. “I think she broke some ribs!” Chemical X or no, that one really had to hurt.

Blossom put some distance between Butch and herself and took a deep breath.

“Incoming!” Bubbles dashed away with Buttercup, and Boomer shoved Brick out of the path of danger just in time to avoid getting caught up in Blossom’s powerful ice breath.

Butch didn’t even try to avoid it, and soon he was covered in a layer of thick ice. Not one to be restrained, however, his eyes glowed red and his eye beams burst through the ice. Blossom avoided the laser that wasn’t really aiming at her anyway and came in from behind to catch him unawares.

Unfortunately, Butch was not bothered by the ice and burst out of it just as Blossom came in close. He managed to grab her ponytail and reel her in like a fish. The punch he landed on her jaw sent her spinning, and she hit a billboard advertising pet food right through Talking Dog’s face.

“Ha!!! Take that!” Butch dashed after her, and Boomer watched as Blossom peeled herself off the destroyed billboard and narrowly avoided a second pummeling. Butch hit the billboard and knocked the whole structure over like a falling domino. It was only Bubbles’ timely intervention that kept it from crashing on top of a Cooper’s Market.

Pink and green sped around each other as Butch chased Blossom. He fired his eye beams and his green energy beams in the hopes of hitting her at a distance, but she was quick and extremely precise in her movements in a way Boomer knew he himself was not, and Butch was even less coordinated than him. It was like watching Brick, he realized. Brick was so in control of his body, of every single minute movement he made, that it didn’t matter that he wasn’t physically as strong as Butch or as fast as Boomer. There was no surprising him or tripping him up, and Blossom was no different.

But did Butch know that?

“Stop running! I thought you were gonna give me the fight of my life, what happened? You scared?” Butch taunted as he tried to catch Blossom.

She was stony-faced as she avoided his grabs and his eye beams alike, but made no effort to return fire or respond.

“That’s risky,” Brick muttered.

“What’s risky?” Boomer asked.

“She’s trying to tire him out, hoping he’ll burn up all his X. But Butch has more reserves than you or me. His stamina’s even better than Buttercup’s.”

“That’s not what she’s doing,” Bubbles said.

Brick shot her a withering look like he couldn’t believe she dared to contradict him. “Oh, really?” he said sarcastically.

Bubbles didn’t even flinch. “Really.”

Brick scoffed and returned his attention to the fight.

“What’s the matter, Blossom! Get over here and fight me!”

Butch threw another punch that she artfully avoided. Pissed off, he shot at her with his eye beams, but Blossom swerved and struck him with the heel of her hand under the jaw. His eye beams went awry.

“Shit!” Buttercup said.

Brick was paying closer attention than Boomer, however, and intercepted the stray eye beams before they could strike anyone. His jacket sleeve smoked and sizzled where a new hole had opened up.

“Tch,” he said.

Butch shook himself out like a wet dog. He was bleeding from his mouth and his eyes were dilated, but he was still fighting fit. If he was wearing out, he was hiding it well. Boomer glanced at Bubbles.

“So what is Blossom doing?”

Bubbles looked more concerned than grim as she watched. “She’s feeling him out.”

“She’s making him mad,” Buttercup said.

Boomer winced. That didn’t sound like a good idea facing Butch. The guy was an unstoppable force when he was mad.

“But why—”

Crack!

Boomer whipped around just in time to see that Butch had finally landed another hit on Blossom and sent her flying out of control. She clutched her side as he sped after her, no longer laughing or taunting; he just wanted to finish her off now, it seemed. Beside Boomer, Brick sucked in an audible breath as he watched.

Butch wound up a punch. Blossom wasn’t moving to avoid. Boomer lost his mind.

“Watch out!” he screamed at her, unable to help himself.

Buttercup and Brick looked at Boomer like he’d grown another head. Butch caught up to Blossom, but just as his punch connected, she grabbed his wrist, spun gracefully behind him, and unleashed her eye beams at point blank range on the back of his neck.

Even Brick winced at that one.

“Fuck yeah!!” Buttercup shouted. “How’s that taste, Butch!”

Butch staggered in the air, his hands clutching his smoking neck. They came away bloody. Boomer didn’t miss the filthy look he shot Blossom.

“Forfeit,” Blossom called to him. “You can’t win.”

“Fuck you,” Butch spat. “I was going easy on you. No more.”

With a crackle of energy, Butch’s signature shield materialized around him. And then, he was after her again.

xxx

That’s it. She’s done, Brick thought to himself.

As soon as Butch brought out his shield, there was little and less to be done about it aside from waiting him out. Even Brick had trouble against him when he donned what was essentially impenetrable armor.

It was kind of a shame, really. She’d surprised him in this fight. Brick couldn’t recall her taking hits so well when they’d clashed in the past. Granted, that was years ago, but still.

He glanced at her sisters. They were still watching the fight, but they didn’t seem particularly deterred. Brick narrowed his eyes, and he considered.

Could she really…?

“Hiding behind your shield? How predictable,” Blossom taunted him, something Brick had rarely known her to do.

“I predict you’re about to eat shit!” Butch hurtled after her, but she danced ever out of reach.

His shield was truly something. It molded roughly to the shape of him, extending with his punches and folding with his blocks. It was a drain on his X reserves, but it was his best and only real defense.

Blossom couldn’t know this, though. Blossom had never fought Butch. But then, she was fast learning him with every punch, every dodge, every overreaction to her baiting.

Despite himself, Brick’s attention was fully arrested as he watched them. Even his migraine had subsided to a dull ache as he ignored it in favor of following the fight.

Blossom got in a good punch, but Butch’s shield was truly impenetrable, and all she got for her efforts was a crackle of jade sparks and a hurt fist. She immediately pulled back.

“That shield is so strong!” Bubbles said.

Buttercup grunted. Blossom didn’t try to hit Butch again, but he did his level best to strike her.

“Hey, is this what they call playing hard to get?” Butch sneered as he lobbed another punch at Blossom.

“I’m right here, Butch. Come and get me,” she taunted again.

What the hell is she playing at?

The Blossom Brick knew was not one to joke and jab, but the more she did it, the more riled up Butch got. She couldn’t possibly be trying to make him mad. That was suicidal for anyone who wasn’t Brick himself. And that shield…

“C’mon and give us a hug!” Butch sped after her, his only goal to grab her and crush her under the force of his shield. Sloppy and uncoordinated, but if he managed to grab her, that would be the end of it.

“What the—?!” Boomer sputtered.

Brick barely had time to be shocked as Blossom stopped her flight and spread her arms as if to hug Butch like he wanted. Brick was moving before he could process it, a command on the tip of his tongue, because no matter how much he despised Blossom, he couldn’t very well let his brother literally kill her.

Butch grabbed her before Brick could reach them, and Blossom flexed as she braced herself, her pink power manifesting like a second skin as Butch wrapped his meaty arms around her smaller frame with every intention of snapping her in half. Buttercup shouted something, but Brick couldn’t hear her over the racing wind in his ears as he tore after them, and then—

“F-F-Fuck!” Butch groaned.

His shield, his whole body was engulfed in preternatural ice as Blossom hugged him tight enough to break. Her arms were covered in ice that would not shatter no mater how much Butch struggled. He tried to fire off his eye beams, but she had ducked her head under his chin, safe from his fire. Impossibly, his green shield began to collapse as the ice and Blossom herself crushed him like a soda can.

They crash landed well away from the Shankaplex and any civilians just by the edge of the forest. Brick swooped down after them, the others not far behind. When he landed, he found Butch face down eating dirt and covered in chunks of ice, his shield completely dissipated, as Blossom towered over him. She had his wrists in her hands and her boot on the back of his head, grinding him further into the ground. Ice coated her arms like armor, and there was no mercy in her eyes.

“B-Blossom, babe, c’mon,” Butch said in what was meant to be a playful tone, but came out sounding like a whimper.

Blossom leaned down over him. “Call me babe again.” She drove her heel harder into the side of his head, sinking him deeper into the earth.

Butch struggled against her. He fired green energy beams from his palms, but Blossom pulled harder on his arms and sent them harmlessly awry.

“Let me be perfectly clear, Butch. You’re going to leave my sister alone for the rest of the month while you both recover.” She peered at him over her knee until his green eye swiveled to see her. “Tell me you understand.”

He grinned, and his teeth were a red ruin. “I don’t take orders from you—ah fuck!”

Blossom yanked his left arm back and dislocated it with a severe pop. She twisted the other one behind his back and hauled him up by his hair. “You do now.”

Her eyes glowed red, her hair was a windswept mess, and she had Butch—Butch, the fiercest fighter—on his fucking knees under her absolute control, and it was single-handedly the most beautiful sight Brick had ever seen in his life. It was perfect, and she was…

For a mad moment, he imagined her pinning him on his knees, her hand fisting his hair, exerting that control he had always pursued but never from her, until this moment.

“Brick, shouldn’t you…?” Boomer said.

Realizing she and Butch had an audience, Blossom looked up and locked eyes with Brick, and he shivered.

Oh hell.

“Hey, I like you on your knees,” Buttercup said, approaching Butch and Blossom. “Definitely your best angle.”

Butch spit blood and a piece of broken tooth. Nonetheless, he managed a smirk for her. “Next time, just ask.”

Blossom shoved him back into the dirt, and he promptly shut up.

Boomer sighed and floated over. “C’mon, dude. Let’s get you home.”

“I got it,” Butch complained, but he struggled to get to his feet.

“You seriously don’t. Can you even stand? Jesus.”

“Blossom!” Bubbles hugged her sister, who winced at the pressure.

“Bubbles, not so tight! I’m a little sore.” She smiled and brushed her bangs out of her eyes.

“You were amazing!”

Blossom grinned. “I know.”

“Serves you right, moron,” Buttercup said to Butch. “You’ll be pissing sitting down for a week.”

Boomer snorted as he looped Butch’s arm over his shoulder. “You got that right.”

“Ha ha, hilarious. Fuck you both,” Butch groused. His eyes flickered to Blossom, guarded.

“Brick? You coming?” Boomer asked.

Brick rubbed his mouth. He felt woozy. Bubbles shot him a curious look that he chose not to dwell on. “Take that idiot home. Make sure he doesn’t bleed all over the place.”

“Uh, right… What’re you gonna do?”

“I’m right behind you.”

His brothers flew off—or rather, Boomer flew and Butch dangled precariously from his shoulder. Finally, Brick turned his attention to Blossom.

“Blossom,” he said, his voice tight.

She looked up at him. “Brick.”

He swallowed, the image of her dominating Butch while she looked at him burned into his mind’s eye. So that was never going away… “Butch is my problem. Next time, you leave him to me.”

She regarded him, and so slowly he may have imagined it had he not been hyper-focused on her every movement, her lips curled in little smirk. “There’s not going to be a next time.”

In that moment, Brick had never felt so bewildered and so attracted to another person in his entire life. It was over all too soon as she showed him her back and spoke to her sisters. They were heading home. Like a fucking idiot, he just stood there, mind blown.

Did that really just happen?

Oh god, she was talking to him again. He blinked and tried to focus.

“What?” he said, fucking idiot that he was.

“The repairs. Look, I know you would rather chew glass than be around me, but you know the Mayor appreciates an in-person explanation and apology for this kind of damage. Are you coming, or do I have to tell him once again that you couldn’t be bothered?”

“No, I’m coming. I’ll talk to the Mayor with you.”

She peered at him like she didn’t quite recognize him. “All right… Thanks.”

xxx

That evening, after all was said and done and Boomer was showered and ready to go to Julie’s party, he gave Brick one more chance to come along instead of languor at home with a passed out Butch. The guy was out cold and would likely remain so for the next day after the beating Blossom had dealt him.

“You sure you don’t wanna come?” he asked.

Brick was lounging on the living room sofa where he had his nose in a Kurt Vonnegut novel. “No.”

“Everyone’s gonna be there, you know.”

“Great.” Ignore.

Boomer shrugged. “Wes and Kim, Mike, Robin, Bubbles, Harry, the Floyjoydson Twins.”

Brick grunted noncommittally.

Boomer adjusted his jacket and pretended not to watch Brick like a hawk. “Blossom too.”

Pause.

Brick’s gaze flickered over the top of his book to catch Boomer’s eye. “This isn’t some themed shit like that last one, is it?”

“Nope. Just friends, drinking games, the usual. But if your migraine’s still bugging you, I’d get you wanting to go to bed early—”

“I’ll go for an hour.” Brick closed his book and got up off the sofa.

“Cool. Cool cool cool…” It took every ounce of self control Boomer had in him not to smile at his brother’s expense.

Brick when to change his shirt, and Boomer pulled out his phone and texted Bubbles.

[Boomer: I think you’re right. He’s finally seen the light.]

[Bubbles: I told you! Did you see the way he was staring at her??? Shook.]

Boomer laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Brick asked as he reemerged in a button down shirt. Had he brushed his hair? Christ, he’d actually brushed his hair.

Shooketh.

Boomer grinned. “Nothing, man. Just looking forward to a fun night.”

“Whatever.”

They headed out, and Boomer trailed his brother’s red streak.

Something told him it would be a very fun night.

#Blossick #Reds #Brick #Blossom #Butch #Buttercup #Bubbles #Boomer #Greens if you squint #Powerpuff Girls #Powerpuff Girls fanfiction #PPG #PPG fic #repost #February Fic Prompts #ppg shook

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