Butch watched as Buttercup moved about the hotel room, her expression vacant as she folded her clothes and dumped them on the desk chair. He shuffled on the mattress and brought his head up to rest on his fist, his knuckles pressing into his jaw as his expression became perplexed,

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, quirking a brow,

The young woman filled a glass with water from the jug which was waiting on the desk, "Yeah" she said with a shrug, bringing it to her lips, "Sure"

He frowned, "Really?"

Buttercup sighed and stepped over to the bed, placing her drink on the side table and dimming the lights with the switch by the bedhead- they had decided to stay in a more expensive hotel for their anniversary, and as such the facilities were a little more sophisticated than they were in their usual haunts.

Without breaking eye contact with her boyfriend, and turning up one corner of her mouth into a smile, she brought her hands up and tugged off her sports bra, letting it drop to the floor behind her,

Butch sat up amongst the covers, "That's not really an answer Butts" he said quietly.

She rolled her eyes and spun on her heel, letting herself fall back onto the mattress, "I'm fine" she insisted, yanking the blankets over herself,

"That sounds like a lie babe" he replied, moving closer and digging though the duvet to find her, "Just talk to me, I want to know what's up" he said, pressing a small kiss to her neck once he found it, "Do you want to leave again? Is that it?"

She released a groaning noise from deep in her throat, "No, no, it's our anniversary, you deserve to stay in a nice hotel and enjoy it"

"I can't enjoy it if you're not happy"

She rolled her eyes again until her gaze came to land on his serious expression, "I'm having a nice time" she replied, sitting up and turning to face him head on, "Really- I'm here, I'm with you, and nothing else matters. I'm really happy", she took the young man's face into her hand, "I love you"

He melted at her words but couldn't kick the unsettled feeling in his stomach, even as their lips came together into a sweet kiss, "I love you too, I just worry about you"

"I get that, because I worry about you as well, even though you literally give me no reason to"

Butch laughed, "So you're saying I should give you more reason to worry? Should I be more reckless?". While his girlfriend's face lit up and she chuckled in response to the suggestion, his own expression soon turned down again, "We can go find another place if you want, somewhere you feel more comfortable"

Buttercup was still feeling off, it was true, but her guilt in that moment outweighed it- she had meant what she said, she wanted him to have a good time on their anniversary, "I'm happy" she said, slowly placing her arms around his shoulders and drawing herself closer to him, "Trust me, I am. Now let me give you your anniversary present before you piss me off with your worrying and I change my mind"

0o0o0

Buttercup and Butch had been together for eight years; they had spent five of them on the road, during which Buttercup felt the constant guilty pangs that came with dragging Butch out of any kind of normalcy that they could have had.

He was loyal and clearly he cared about her, because otherwise he wouldn't have gone with her, especially not for so long; it was all to his detriment however, as his unwavering reliability made her feel all the more guilty.

The half decade (and counting) long road trip had come about very suddenly- not once had Buttercup considered running away before she actually got pushed into doing it. Her explosive personality tended to get her into trouble and stupid, spiteful situations such as that though, so really, she and no one else needn't be so surprised that it had gotten as far as it had. Now it was as good as normal to her.

To say that it had all started at Blossom's wedding was unfair- twenty years of frustration, originating from their birth had been where it started. Blossom's wedding was simply the straw that broke the camel's back.

Buttercup was sick or posing for photographs in the stupid dress she had been made to wear, she was sick of having to fulfil every tiny request her sister had, she was sick of Blossom, and especially sick of her hours long wedding, which was showing no sign of ending any time soon- they hadn't even eaten yet.

She huffed, watching from across the expanse of the large pond as the photographer flitted about, arranging guests for another huge group picture. He looked like just another bug skimming the water.

Buttercup knew she should probably be on that side of the pond too, Blossom would only complain about it later if she wasn't in the pictures, but at this point the ravenette didn't care, she needed a cigarette, something to eat, and maybe a stiff drink of she could sneak one.

She understood that it was an important day for her sister, she appreciated that- what she didn't appreciate was the yearlong engagement, each day of which she had been required to carry out some ridiculous task, only to be told that what she had done was unsatisfactory: Buttercup found potential dress shops, but none of them carried garments from a designer Blossom liked; Buttercup picked up napkin samples, but none of them were made of the eco-friendly material that Blossom had found on the internet; Buttercup saw a bridesmaid dress she actually liked, but it didn't come in any of the right colours- blue and green.

She couldn't believe that her sister seriously wanted them to wear blue and green, they weren't the Powerpuff Girls anymore, they saved the city now and then when it was in danger of course, and if they saw injustice in the streets, they put a stop to it, but they didn't wear uniforms, they weren't children anymore. Buttercup didn't understand why Blossom couldn't let it go.

She sniffed and stepped back from the edge of the water, obscuring herself amongst the greenery (as least the stupid dress acted as camouflage).

The ceremony had taken place in the manor of a huge county estate, but the reception was set to be held in a massive marquee they had had erected in the verdant grounds.

Buttercup let the waxy flap of the tent slap close behind her as she crept into the quiet, warm space. All of the tables were set up with huge white cloths, red and pink flower arrangements, polished silverware and handwritten name cards.

It was very surreal seeing the place empty, especially knowing just how many guests were meant to fit in there; Buttercup thought that she probably preferred it this way though, the guests would only make it loud, too hot and likely introduce the social pressure of needing to dance,

She rolled her shoulders and sighed, revelling in the silence.

It was probably almost five minutes before she moved again, the quiet, cool air had calmed her a little, but it wasn't enough to distract her completely,

The ravenette turned, heading to exit the tent once more. She could see the hot sunlight baring against the plastic of the marquee, making the off-white walls glow. The surrounding trees cast a few large shadows across their surface, like dark clouds on dusky skies.

Buttercup reached to open the exit flap but froze as a human shaped shadow walked across the wall, stopping just a few feet away, their hands on their hips. The young woman took a deep breath and moved forward, parting the waxy hangings just enough to see out into the garden. Her lungs quickly deflated, the air escaping through her lips in a sigh.

Butch was stood by the side of the pond, his hands in his pockets and his back to the tent,

"Hey loser" she said softly, a small smirk finding her face.

He turned on the spot, eyebrows raised, "Butts? What're you doing in there?"

She shrugged, "Taking a break, wanna join me?"

The man briefly looked over his shoulder, checking that there was no one around, "Sure" he then said with a nod, approaching the tent.

Buttercup stepped back from the opening, clearing the path for him, her hands clasped patiently behind her back,

Butch looked about the space as she had, getting a feeling for the quiet, before finally rounding on her, a smile now turning up his own lips, "You're going to get into trouble you know; you're a pretty important part of the wedding party and you keep wandering off"

"You know I don't give a shit" she said with a laugh, coming to perch on the edge of one circular table, causing it to tilt under her weight, "I'm so over this wedding BS"

"I know, I know" he replied, nodding, "But it is your sister's day"

She rolled her eyes, "It's always Blossom's day, you ever realise that?"

He shrugged, "Yeah I guess you're right" the ravenet then came to sit beside her, making the silverware on the table rattle and the champagne flutes lean precariously before the tent became silent again.

Buttercup gave him a teasing sideways glance after a moment, and smiled as an idea crossed her mind,

Butch's eyebrows rose on his forehead and he blinked at her, "No"

"Oh come on, you're meant to be all about mischief and getting in trouble, right?" she replied, quickly standing from the table, only to come down on his lap instead. The young woman placed her hands to his collar, tugging down his green tie and loosing the top buttons,

"Sure, but I'm pretty certain that this will get me castrated by your sister if we get caught"

She ignored him, placing an enthusiastic kiss on his mouth as her hands travelled down his chest, unbuttoning his waistcoat as they went,

He groaned as she applied more weight against him and slipped her tongue into his mouth; his hands went to her ribcage, holding her closer for just a moment before finally giving her a gentle push away, "You are so in for it" he said with an excited breath, already far too gone to protest the location,

"Oh really?" she giggled, untucking his shirt, her hands then finding his belt instead,

"Definitely" he grunted, suddenly gripping her more tightly and jerking her forwards, his mouth attaching to her exposed neck and the strip of bare skin above the bodice of her dress.

Buttercup let her head lull back, squeezing the man's hips in between her knees to stay up right,

Butch was usually pretty easy to convince; he expressed concern about fooling about in public places, but as they hadn't been caught yet (save for a few times in the back of movie theatres where it was practically expected anyway), he had definitely become more relaxed about the prospect. This local was the riskiest they had ever attempted of course, but what was life without a little danger? If anything, it kind of made it hotter.

While Butch had taken to undoing the tricky tied ribbon that kept up her dress, Buttercup had severely mussed his hair, which for once had been somewhat neatly styled,

She figured that they were probably taking it too far, she knew she was doing it mostly for the sake of rebellion, but equally, she'd lost the ability to care. Everything had been so messy since the engagement, and now finally Buttercup felt free from the pressure the whole ordeal had put her under- it was ridiculous, it wasn't even her engagement, therefore not her engagement to worry or indeed care about. She and Butch may have been pushing it, but if they were quick (and the urgency would make it quick), it wouldn't matter-

"What the fuck are you doing?"

Buttercup and Butch paused, turning towards the tent flap. Her dress was now agape about her chest and his shirt was halfway undone, pooling around his shoulders,

Quickly the young man reached forward, holding his girlfriend's dress closed as best he could, trying to keep her modest in front of his brother, "Brick-"

The groom was stood between the two plastic hangings that made up the tent's entrance, his expression was one which conveyed a very simple idea- he had no clue how to react to what he was faced with: his new wife's sister in the lap of his brother, both halfway to undressed.

Before either Butch or Buttercup could speak, or before an awkward silence had time to fall, the tent flap began to move once more, accompanied by a muffled voice,

Brick's eyes widened and his arms flailed, attempting to keep her from entering the marquee, "No! Bloss-"

But it was too late, the bride shuffled in, still in full gown, her face swiftly turning from porcelain white to enraged red, "You. Selfish. Bitch" she screamed, her hands falling to her sides in fists,

Buttercup cocked her head towards her sister slowly, a warm haze of adrenaline casting up over her face, "I'm the selfish one?" she said calmly, holding her dress to her chest so Butch didn't have to, and climbing off of his lap, "I'm the selfish one, am I?" she repeated, glaring at her sister.

"Yes, you're selfish, a selfish slut" Blossom responded, stomping further into the tent, her grip now balled up in the skirt of her wedding dress so she could move,

Buttercup was immediately struck by how ridiculous she looked in that moment, and then she realised that she always thought her ridiculous, only now the exterior matched her personality.

"You couldn't take that today was about me, so you decided to fuck a guy you don't even like for attention!"

"Yes, you're right, of course you're right! You're always right!" the ravenette replied, shaking her head, "I came to an empty tent, to have sex with my boyfriend, 'for attention'!"

Her sister blinked, "Butch isn't your-" she faltered at seeing their expressions, daring her to keep speaking,

"You two are dating?" Brick asked, finally finding his voice in the conversation,

"Yeah" Butch replied, rebuckling his belt and standing from the table. He then reached for the ribbons of Buttercup's dress tying them together into a rudimentary but tight knot so that she could stop holding the garment closed,

"Oh this is great!" Blossom said, letting out an unamused laugh, "I started dating Brick, so you just had to get together with his brother to try and get one up on me!"

Butch's eyes widened and he stepped forward, hand risen in protest, "Hey, hold on now-"

Buttercup moved in front of him though, cutting him off, "You'd love to think that wouldn't you? That I care so much about your life that I would want to what? compete with you? Or do you think I'm copying you? Because you're oh so remarkable, I would want to be just like you?" she shook her head as she spoke, struggling to not find the whole thing hilarious.

"Yes! You're jealous, you always have been!" the redhead was crying now, tears streaming down her shaking face, "You've been jealous of me since we were children, because I'm your leader, and you wanted that recognition"

"You were our leader, were Blossom. But now you're the only one who gives a shit about that. God you're so deluded! Wake up! The Powerpuff Girls are gone, but you're so sad and stuck in the past that you can't let it go"

Quiet fell for a moment as the words sunk in,

"I- I don't-" Blossom stuttered, her retort failing to form,

"You're a joke!" her sister went on, still full of things to say, "You're an absolute joke. You think that a little title you were given as a baby counts for something. You think that getting married before your sisters makes you more mature, more special, more important. You think that I care about every single thing you say or do"

Butch reached forward again, putting a hand to his girlfriend's shoulder, "That's probably enough now Buttercup" he said softly, watching the stunned expression that Blossom wore,

"No" she snapped, pulling away from him, "It's about time she heard this", she turned once more to her sister, her gaze dark and serious, "What's worst of all, is that you'd seriously think I would be with someone just to try and get back at you. I love Butch, I really do. I didn't just give into him because he kissed me and said some pretty words. I actually love him, it's not like whatever this is", she gestured at the two redheads, briefly shifting gaze to Brick to make her point clear, "You've done some fucked up things sis, but marrying the first guy you could to win some stupid game of life is on a whole other level"

The groom looked about ready to go berserk, but Butch was preparing to step between the two sisters, wildly aware of how vicious a fight between the two of them could be.

Slowly, Blossom rose her hung head, her eyes now aglow red with a building blast of laser vision, "Leave now" she hissed, steam rising from the corners of her eyes,

Buttercup scoffed and took a step back, "You're angry because I'm right and you know it"

"Leave!" her sister screamed, the heat in her gaze becoming white,

Butch took his girlfriend's hand, attempting to pull her back through the tent to a different exit,

She let him, although she stalled after only a few seconds, "Me and Butch have been together since we were seventeen by the way, we were fucking before you even looked at Brick"

"Come on" he said softly, tugging her away again,

Blossom looked like some kind of ghost, as pale as her dress and weeping in silence. Brick was holding her hand, apparently trying to comfort her, although he wasn't saying anything- he too had gone very pale.

Buttercup let herself be pulled out of the marquee, and then off the grounds of the manor. Butch was talking, probably talking to her, although she didn't hear a word, not until they got to his car which was parked in a narrow street ten minutes away. The young woman was sat on the hood of the vehicle, and her boyfriend was kneeling down in front of her, slowly removing her shoes,

"Butts?" he asked, giving her a weary look as he slipped off her second heel,

"I fucking hate her" she grumbled, finally blinking back to the present moment,

He sighed, "No you don't"

"I do" Buttercup snapped, "I fucking hate that bitch, I always have"

Her boyfriend pressed her lips shut into a straight line and started to unbutton the rest of his shirt, coming to perch beside her on the bonnet, "So what now?" he asked, pulling off his shirt and waistcoat as one, and wadding them up into a horrendously crinkled ball.

She blinked again, taking a moment to replay everything in her head; part of her couldn't believe that she'd finally put her sister in her place, but the more she thought about it, the angrier she became again, realising just how much she had meant everything she had said.

"What do we do now?" Butch repeated, speaking a little louder and looking over to her,

The young woman whipped her head around swiftly, ready to give him a piece of her mind too, but at seeing his expression she immediately lost all of her bite. He was giving her a sympathetic look that reminded her instantly of how patient he could be; he was probably almost as angry as she was in some ways, but at this moment he cared more about her, and it showed.

Buttercup growled, but it quickly became a sigh, and her head came to rest on his shoulder, "Just give me a minute to think" she said, closing her eyes. She knew they had to do something and do it soon, but now she was just so tired. It had come over her all at once and only in the last few seconds; clearly the adrenaline had worn off, and she was suffering the after affects.

"Take all the time you need" Butch said, leaning back against her and placing an arm around her waist, "I can wait".

0o0o0

It was early morning, but the light in the hotel room was so sparse, it could still have been the dead of night. That was what paying up for a swankier hotel did, it got you curtains that actually did something.

Buttercup could still work out the details of Butch's face in the dark though; his narrow nose, slightly kinked from being broken at least once (maybe even by her at some stage), his strong cheek bones and sharp jaw, cut from marble but chipped with tiny scars from two decades of fights, and his full lips which were almost permanently curved up at the corners.

He was a handsome guy, he always had been; Buttercup sometimes wondered if they matched as a couple, whether their features and 'levels of attractiveness' made sense side by side. She didn't consider herself particularly attractive, not that she though herself ugly either, in truth she didn't actually know much about women's look at all; all she did know was that her breasts couldn't exactly be considered 'moderate' compared to most, but that Butch liked that- he was way more interested in her wide hips anyway.

She smiled at the vague memories of the evening before which proved just as much, and she shifted on the mattress, slipping her hands into the cool space under her pillow,

Her boyfriend winced, making his nose crinkle, "Mornin'" he mumbled, his eyes still closed,

"Morning" she replied, leaning forward and pressing a small kiss to one of his cheeks,

He opened one eye, testing how bright it was, "How're you feeling this morning?" he asked, now looking at her.

Buttercup groaned and slammed her face into her pillow, "It only took you five seconds to ruin my day!"

Her words were muffled, but he got the gist of what she said, "It's just that I've been thinking" he replied, one of his hands going to her lower back and the other hoisting himself off of his chest, "I've been thinking a lot and stuff is bothering me, so I can't help but think that stuff must be bothering you too"

She was half tempted to jump him again, just to get him to shut up (although she didn't want that to become a theme in their relationship), "What have you been thinking about?" she asked, looking back at him,

"Your dad"

"Well that ruins the mood doesn't it?" she said, rolling her eye and slumping down onto the mattress again,

Butch's eyes widened, "There was a mood?"

"Forget it", she sat up once more, regarding him, "Why have you been thinking about my dad?"

"Bubbles must have moved out by now, and Bloss- your other sister can't have lived in that house for years"

"What's your point?" she asked, although she was pretty sure she already got his meaning, she just didn't want to admit it,

He frowned, giving as much of a shrug as he could manage whilst still in bed, "He must be pretty lonely, don't you think?"

"Don't do that!" Buttercup whined, shaking her head,

"Don't do what?"

She gave him a withering expression, "You know what, don't try and guilt me"

He nodded, "Okay, yeah, I am guilting you, but I've kind of got a point, don't I?"

The young woman appreciated that he wasn't trying to lie to her, but she still wasn't all that convinced by his argument, "Just say what you want to say babe, don't sugar coat it"

He shook his head, "I'm not trying to tell you some big home truth, all I'm saying is that your dad would probably really like to see you. He's a good guy and he did a lot for you, and he's likely been worrying every second since you left"

Buttercup stared at him, feeling her mouth go dry and her eyes dampen, "Are you asking if we can go home?" she asked, speaking so softly that the bed clothes seemed to eat the sound,

"I'm asking you to consider it"