Family Matters

Chapter 11: Darkness Hides Plenty

As darkness descended upon the room, the colors and consoles disappeared. The beats and fast-paced music were quickly replaced by the shrieks of surprised patrons. The consoles flickered off.

"What the hell just happened?" Buttercup cried out in protest. Just then, Boomer braced his hand against the console Bubbles broke, and it blew out in a series of sparks. "Hey!"

She tried to move away, but she'd forgotten about Butch. When she hurried forwards, she stumbled into him, and the two fell. They crashed on to the tiled floor.

"Ow!" Butch complained. "What are you doing?! That's a bad way to take your remote back!"

"I'm not trying to get the remote back, you porcupine block! That console just sparked!"

"Hedgehog, porcupine—which is it? And why are all the insults you choose about my hair?"

"Shut up!"

Suddenly, Bubbles broke into their argument. "Um, excuse me? Buttercup? Butch?"

"What?" the greens demanded.

In response, she pointed at them. For a moment, the two didn't understand what she meant. Buttercup even asked Bubbles how she was able to see anything. Her sister reminded them of their night vision. They activated theirs, and that was when they saw what Bubbles did.

Buttercup and Butch had been grappling each other when their attention was driven away, so they were still holding each other after they fell. They hadn't noticed earlier, but they had ended up in a compromising position: with Buttercup lying on top of Butch, with one of their hands clasped together, and Butch's other one grasping her wrist. Somehow, the other remote had gotten thrown and was now lying on the floor somewhere.

For a few minutes, the two could only stare at each other. Now that they were aware of their position, they suddenly became very sensitive and self-conscious. They were so sensitive, they could practically feel the heat emanating from their pressed-up bodies, the tension in their clasped hands, and the quickened beats of their hearts. They were so close to one other, all they could see was each other's faces, which slowly began to redden. Both of them wanted to say something, but their situation was so awkward and embarrassing their voices were stuck in their throats.

Honestly, they probably would have stayed that way if their leaders didn't come to check on them.

"Bubbles! Buttercup!" Blossom called out to them. "Are you two okay?"

"Hey, Butch! Boomer!" Brick shouted. "Are you guys there?"

In an instant, the two greens were off of each other and trying to get as far away as possible. They turned away to avoid showing their flushed faces. Blossom and Brick appeared from around the corner.

"Is everyone all right?" Blossom asked anxiously.

"We're just fine," Bubbles assured her, then looked at the console, "but I can't say the same for that thing. I kind of broke it when the lights went out."

"What even happened to the lights?" Boomer wondered. "Did the owner forget to pay the electric bill?"

"Or some idiot cut the power," Brick retorted. "Some electrician was just leaving the back room, and something came flying at him. I guess, when the thing hit him, his tool box hit the fuse box." He held up a silver remote and nodded to Blossom. "She says it comes from some dance game."

Blossom gave him an exasperated look and sighed. Is it such a problem to say my name?

Brick looked at the two greens, sitting on the floor with their legs spread out in front of them, resting on the console's platform. Even though he and Blossom were standing by them, the two refused to turn their way. Buttercup even had a hand over her face. He raised an eyebrow at their aberrant behavior.

"What's wrong with you two?" he asked. "Get up already!"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it," Butch grumbled, rising.

"Something happened that I don't know about?"

"Nothing."

"I don't really think it was nothing," Bubbles stated with an amused smile on her lips.

"Shut up Bubbles!" Buttercup snapped.

"We should get out of here," Blossom said. "After what happened, the place will be closing for repairs."

It seemed like the other visitors knew that as well, because they started to head to the exit. Beams of light from cellphones waved in the direction of the doorway. The metahumans quickly joined them, falling in step with the crush of the crowd.

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Let's end it there! Oh, if only Blossom and Brick saw their strongest like that. Gone are the tough greens and in their place were blushing pre-teens. I doubt Buttercup and Butch would like that though. Maybe Bubbles and Boomer will keep their secret. Speaking of blues, Boomer ought to keep his power under control. There could've been a fire!

Hope you all like this chapter. I think it's a bit shorter than the usual, but maybe none of you will mind. Thank you so much for your support and attention! It feels so nice to know people are enjoying my ideas. (/◕ヮ◕)/

- BlackAndWhitePersona