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Bubbles leveled the board game boxes to the edge of the white marbled kitchen table. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered as she was finally getting to host the first official family game night. After begging and pleading, the others decidedly gave in. Her childhood home, that had been passed onto her, smelled like a buffet after a day of cooking and baking with Boomer. A lot was riding on tonight, if the two leaders were going to agree to have game night as a permanent installment, this night had to go flawlessly.
Boomer fumbled with some wires in the living room while setting up multiple consoles to the 85" flatscreen TV. He had suggested the others would get bored playing board games, yes he made a joke about the play on words, and they should have a variety. Bubbles had given in to his complaints but that would be his responsibility. Boomer wiped the drop of sweat on his brow. Wiping his hands on his knees, he called out to Bubbles, " Love, I got everything all set up here, how's the kitchen looking?"
" The foods are all in their warming trays and the sweets are covered. Ah, the house looks perfect,” she danced in her spot, “ I'm so excited for tonight," she stepped out into the living room and hopped into his arms, " Did you put the babies down?"
" Yes, both Michael and Cotton are asleep in their room," Boomer squeezed her, tilting her from side to side. He peeked over into the kitchen where the goodies beckoned for his attention but he knew she would scold him for picking at the treats too soon.
" Good. I don't need Butch antagonizing the puppy again," Bubbles straightened her shirt as she recalled nearly chopping Butch's hands off from the last time he had gone over. He had roughhoused with their newborn puppy who Boomer had named Michael, much to everyone's protests.
" Yeah, and Brick hates pets so Cotton is in her playpen," Boomer recalled how Brick freaked out at the overgrown 'rat'. Cotton is their rabbit that Bubbles was in charge of naming. Bubbles nearly took his head off for that rat comment.
The doorbell rang precisely at 6p, which meant that Blossom and Brick had been standing outside the door since 5:57p. Boomer greeted them with a chipper voice, " Hello neighbors, come in!"
"Bubbles, this all looks fantastic! You guys really set the house up nicely," Blossom took a good look around the house spotting the designated gaming areas, " Where's the Professor?"
Bubbles hugged her, " Thank you. He's down in the laboratory. He said he didn't want to be up here when we start fighting. Hi to you too, Brick."
" Hi," He gave her a side hug, squeezing her arm, "Is the stupid bunny running around?"
" Call my child stupid again and you're getting thrown out," Bubbles squeezed his arm back with a bite in her tone giving him his first warning of the night.
" What about the mutt?" Brick smirked mostly because he was teasing her but he was serious. He really didn't like animals.
" Don't worry. The babies are in their room already," Bubbles rolled her eyes at him, leading them into the cool kitchen. She pulled the tray lids off with a flourish as a gesture for them to dig in.
Blossom whined, " I wanted to see them since someone here," a look was shot at Brick, " is a killjoy."
" I just don't like pets. They're messy and annoying and- and… I just don't like them. I basically raised two animals. Why would I want to raise more now that I'm free of my brothers?" Brick nabbed two chocolate chip cookies, passing one to Blossom before she could snatch one from his hands.
" I can understand that. Anyway, you two can start to eat. Buttercup texted me, they should be here soon. I had to dig through the garage but I managed to set up all our old board games and Boomer set up a few video games too so we have plenty of options. Oh, I hear their car," Bubbles rushed off to the door to greet them leaving Blossom and Brick to themselves.
Once she was out of earshot, Brick finished his cookie, " You know with those other two, this is going to end up a disaster right?"
Blossom hesitated in nodding her head, scoping out the chosen games, " Oh, yeah." As if you won’t act up?
" Can we leave early if they get out of hand?" Brick took another two cookies for them. He pulled her by her waist to close the distance between them.
Blossom chewed on both her cookie and thought, a smile hinted on her face, " No, it might be entertaining to some degree."
Brick threw his head back giving out a chortle, " That's something I would say." He gave her a peck on her right cheek, pressing his forehead to her temple.
She leaned the curve of her body against his side, " Maybe you rubbed off on me."
" Yo, yo!" Butch hollered before whistling, " We're here!" The door slammed behind him.
" Hey! Oooh, the food smells amazing," Buttercup, equally as loud, trailed into the kitchen, “Gross. Couldn’t you two have gotten this out of your system at your house?” She lifted up some of the other tray lids mapping out what foods she was going to go after first.
"Hey, where's the puppy," Butch pouted as he examined the pet-free living room before settling on the closed door on the upper level.
" He was tired so he's already sleeping," Bubbles blocked him from going up the stairs giving her most innocent smile. Truthfully, they all knew that smile too well and it was a dangerous one. Best not to poke the bear this early, he figured.
Buttercup rejoined them in the living room cooly, " Dummy, you think she wants you hurting the dog again? Can I see the bunny?" She easily walked by Bubbles but much to her dismay, Boomer stopped her.
" No, you're going to use her to scare Brick again!" Boomer stretched his arms out to block her, " Leave our kids alone, you two."
The two drudged into the kitchen disgruntled, " I hate that they know us so well."
" Hi Buttercup," Blossom hugged her sister and waved at Butch. Butch respectfully waved back at her. The last time he hugged Blossom, Brick damn near started a war.
" Hey, " Buttercup's eyes finally targeted the hot wings, " Boomer! Did you make your- he did!" She dipped the wing into the bowl of Boomer's special hot sauce. A single tear rolled down her left cheek, “Bless your soul!” The others laughed as they began fixing their own plates with various foods.
Once the others had settled down in their seats, Bubbles and Boomer stood at the head of the kitchen island, clapping their hands. Four pairs of eyes focused on the bubbly couple.
" Okay! Everyone, welcome to the first official family game night!" Bubbles clapped her hands together. Her and Boomer had prepared a 'speech' for this special event, practicing it numerous times to get it right.
" Me and my beautiful wife have spent all day cooking nothing but the best for you all," Boomer beamed with pride as he turned back to Bubbles.
" And we set up all different types of games to ensure we have hours of fun! So in the kitchen, since the table is so big, we will obviously be playing the board games in here."
" I also set up video games we can play in teams."
" So let's have fun! Now for some games, it'll be all of us against each other like Monopoly or Uno. Other games we can play either as couples or girls against boys," Bubbles turned to Boomer.
" Okay, now the food rundown. We made everything bite-size so you can easily play and munch without reason to stop. Any questions?" Boomer looked to his audience.
"I have one, did you two really write a script for this?" Brick groaned at them, shaking his head at the nauseating couple. He waited for Boomer to meet his taunting eyes but he had no such luck.
" Yes, we did and we did rehearse it. Any other actual questions?" Boomer enunciated his words to ward off any other teasing remarks.
" Yeah, so what do we get if we win? Are we keeping score?" Buttercup folded her arms over her midriff.
" Bragging rights is the prize and yes, we have a scoring system. We will all be scored separately and during couple or team games, the members of the winning team each get one point added to the board," Bubbles had planned for this in advance. She knew if there wasn't anything real worth playing for, no one would play. Thankfully, everyone here has a large ego...
Buttercup's eyes lit up as she eagerly asked, " Alright, so what are we playing first?"
" Well, since we're all hungry I was thinking we could finish up eating, then play the board games first and move onto the video games later," Bubbles began serving herself and Boomer. It was technically their first real meal of the day since they had worked so hard on the setup so they gladly chowed down.
Once everyone had finished their plates, Monopoly was the first game up. Blossom shook her head annoyed that her thimble pawn had already been sent to jail, " This game is so stupid!"
Brick snickered, " Babe, relax. It's just 'cause you suck. Is this why you won't play against me?"
" If it makes you feel better, Blossom, I hate this game too," Boomer waved his last $500 at Blossom, helping her to ignore Brick's question.
" Yeah, I don't like this game too much either, Brick doesn't play fair. Heaven forbid you start gaining a lead on him too," Butch felt slight disappointment while watching Bubbles move her Scottie dog pawn past his property.
" Buttercup is a beast too. She's never lost a game. The Professor had banned us from playing it after we nearly burned the house down when Buttercup started adding her own rules," Blossom couldn't resist picking at the chocolate cupcake tower as the others continued the round.
" Well, there's a first time for everything. Pay up, Bubbles," Brick held his hand out with pride waiting for the rent he was owed.
" Maybe Monopoly wasn't the best first choice for a game," Bubbles grumbled as she passed over the colorful money begrudgingly. Buttercup was bad enough but having two overly conceited sore winners? At this rate, their night might end sooner rather than later.
" You're gonna eat those words, carrot top," Buttercup wore a smug look as she moved her cat pawn down the board.
Monopoly is typically a long game, sometimes even longer and more complex with the more people you have playing. Not for these six. Boomer was the first to be bankrupt for landing on Brick's overly-priced property. The next bankruptee was Blossom who had unexpectedly lost to Bubbles, which helped to ease tensions. After was Bubbles who had to relinquish her last few dollars and property on Butch's green property. It was down to Brick, Buttercup, and Butch.
" Alright," Buttercup rolled her dice slowly together in the palms of her hands, " Babe, let's make a deal. Relinquish all of your properties to me so we can hurry up and end this game," Buttercup's eyes narrowed on Butch. She meant business, big business.
" Are you insane? I still have a fighting chance! Besides, I don't want to quit just yet. This is the best I’ve ever done in this game," Butch waved his last six dollars as if that would mean something. He would have to start selling his properties anyway so Buttercup wanted to get rid of the middle man and ensure Brick wouldn't have a chance.
" No, Butch. Don't take that deal! Besides, that’s against the official rules" Brick glared at Buttercup. She was not about to screw him over.
" We never set official rules, now did we?" The sly words rolled off her tongue before directing her attention back over at Butch, " Babe. You either land on my property or you land on Brick's. You're going to have to sell property anyway. If you give me all your property, I'll do something special for you," she arched her right brow at him.
Butch narrowed his eyes, a smile crept on his face, " That's an offer I don't think I can refuse, Mrs. Utonium."
" You didn't take his last name?" Bubbles' eyes widened as she bit into her cupcake, turning to Buttercup.
" No. Who the hell wants to be a Jojo? Babe, what do you say?" Buttercup extended her hand out to him.
He clasped her hand and shook, " You almost lost yourself a deal with that last comment but it's too interesting of an offer to refuse. You gotta very good deal."
" Butch, I will murder you. I will make your life a living hell! That’s against the official rules!" Brick shot daggers at them.
" Technically, as I said, we haven’t been playing by the official rules and so I can rightfully make this deal. Unless you wanna call it quits?" She asked with a thick honeyed voice, batting her lashes at him.
Brick snarled, " No. I'm no fucking quitter."
" Alright then, Butch's six dollars goes back to the bank and now, I have officially four monopolies. Now, it's time to shop. I think, I think I'm going to fuck with the board. I am going to buy a motel for these four spots since Brick will be hitting them soon and he will have to go bankrupt," she placed the red pieces down in a taunting manner.
The air around Brick began to heat up, " Hurry up and make a fucking move."
Buttercup landed on one of Brick's properties, wincing as her fake wallet and pride took a hit. She owed him $400, " Shit."
Brick scoffed at her, " What was that about this game being over soon? You're right but I doubt you thought it'd be because you went bankrupt. Like an idiot, you wasted all your cash trying to get me by cheating."
" Relax. I can sell back these two houses if I get super desperate. I'm calling it, your next move is going to be landing on my Boardwalk hotel. Since I own both blues, that means the rent is $4000. You would never be able to recover," she passed the money to Brick but he snatched it before her hand could fully extend.
Brick shook the dice for a long, intense moment. The air was unbreathable. Two very powerful prides were on the line here as terrified siblings looked on. It was only the first game of the night but it might very well be the last. Brick rolled. Chance! The air settled as he could feel his ego-inflating. He grabbed the card triumphantly, " Alright, let's see what this baby says!"
' Congratulations! Go straight to Boardwalk for a chance to purchase it!'
Buttercup howled and drum rolled on the table, " YEAAAAAH, BABY!"
Brick's entire body vibrated, holding in every urge to throw the game " This shit is fucking rigged."
Butch jumped his wife, reveling in her victory, " The evil has finally been vanquished!"
Bubbles side-stepped Brick and the dangerous energy he emitted " Congrats on the first game Buttercup,” she marked a tally for Buttercup on her whiteboard, “ Next up, we can either play Clue, Pictionary, Charades or Uno."
Boomer wiped his face clean of yellow cake crumbs, “Let’s play Uno. That one is a little more up to chance and each round someone new can win.”
They distributed the deck and each took turns going around throwing down cards. This game was considerably calmer than Monopoly, easing the wounded prides. Boomer won the first round, Blossom the second, Brick the third. But by round four, they were beginning to tire of the game. Butch called out, “Uno! Babe, your turn.”
Buttercup grumbled as she had to pick up yet another card, “ You know I didn’t have any good cards.”
Brick also called out, “Uno!” Blossom had picked up another card as did Bubbles. Boomer had placed down another card and now it was back to Butch.
“Boom, baby! Alright, I’m tired of this game,” Butch stretched out, wide smile fixed on his face as Brick mumbled to himself in agitation. The others ignored him as they searched for another game.
" Charades sounds fun!" Blossom rubbed Brick's back in an attempt to cool him down. She knew he would be the one to have a meltdown first but she didn’t have the heart to tell him that earlier on. They moseyed on into the living room for the added space.
At first, they thought playing as couples would be smart but…
Blossom flapped her arms at her side and waddled staring at Brick HARD. He looked at her quizzically, " Is it a bird?" She nodded and continued waddling, positioning the footstool between her ankles.
" I clearly don't know it! Just go to the next card!" Brick motioned to her other cards but it was too late, the timer buzzed.
" IT WAS A PENGUIN, BRICK! I WAS WADDLING LIKE A PENGUIN!" Blossom was irate. Shouldn't this have been a simple game?
" I SAID NEXT CARD LIKE TEN TIMES! IF I SAY NEXT CARD JUST CHOOSE THE NEXT FUCKING CARD!" he got up from his spot on the couch and chose cards for her to guess. He nodded at Boomer who started the timer.
Brick pointed at his hair, pulling the chin-length firey strands, " Hair! Head! Follicle?" Brick shook his head at her. " Orange?" He mimed putting something on his head but still pointing at his head, " Strands? Keratin!" He shook his head and made a gesture for her to go to the next card but she kept guessing for hair.
" Time!" Boomer suppressed a chuckle as he reset the timer while Butch and Bubbles clutched their stomachs from laughing.
"FUCKING WIG! I WAS PUTTING ON A FUCKING WIG, BLOSSOM!" Brick shouted at her, his face turning pink from the heat. So much for being under control…
" HOW WAS THAT A STUPID WIG? ARE YOU SERIOUS? BESIDES, YOU SHOULD HAVE STARTED MIMING OUT THE NEXT CARD IF YOU SAW I WASN’T GETTING YOUR HORRIBLE ACTING " Blossom huffed in her seat, moving away from him slightly as he took his seat next to her. She shook her head furiously at him.
Bubbles interjected, " So me and Boomer won that one. Honey, give us each a point on the board. Let's change things up a bit. Maybe it's time for boys against girls."
Buttercup jumped up, " Alright! Girls team. We got this." She chose her cards and made eye contact with her sisters, " Boomer, start."
The timer started and Buttercup flapped her arms, jumping towards Bubbles, " A bluejay!" Buttercup nodded but suddenly, she scratched her head, looking around confused.
Blossom called out, " Lost!"
Another nod. This time Buttercup looked at her wrist. The girls took a few seconds. " Oh! Oh! Patience!"
Buttercup nodded, " Yes! That's six points for us this round since I used the hard cards, thank you very much. Your turn boys."
Boomer jumped up and passed the timer to Blossom, causing Butch to groan. After choosing his cards, he watched his brothers. He hopped in place before hopping away, " A rabbit? A kangaroo?"
" Oh my god. BOOMER, NEXT DAMN CARD!" Brick was not having any of it.
Boomer wiggled his hips and spun in a circle, " A STRIPPER! A DANCER," He nodded at Butch. Boomer thought about his next card but the timer went off.
" Why are you so fucking slow?!" Brick slapped his own face, " How could you be that slow?"
" Hopscotch! I was playing hopscotch, you dimwit! Bubbles even mouthed it to me! You're the moron!" Boomer yelled back at him.
In the midst of the argument, little pitter-patters littered the carpet and a very poofy and excited puppy hopped onto Butch's lap, " Hey, cutie! What's shaking?"
" Brick! You woke up Michael!" Bubbles was becoming more annoyed with Brick's attitude as she tried to take the puppy from Butch's hands.
" No, wait he just got here," Butch pouted at her, " He wants to know what the fuss is about. He’s a party boy."
" How did he even get out?" Blossom scratched the dog's head, " Hey, baby boy."
Not far behind, a fuzzy bunny made its way to the middle of the floor before Buttercup snatched her up, " Hey, Cotton!"
Brick froze in place, eyes locked onto the rabbit, " I thought those things were locked away."
" My children! Your niece and nephew," Boomer barked back, " Come on you two! I told you it was time for bed. Butch, give me my son."
" No," he played with the puppy, roughly patting his tummy, " tell him you don't want to go to bed yet!" Butch held him up to Boomer, " Pwease? I want to hang out here with you all!"
Boomer watched his puppy squirm excitedly in the brute's hands, " Ugh fine! If he yelps like the last time, he's going to bed and I’m letting my wife kill you."
Butch kissed Michael's cheek, " I saved ya!"
Blossom took Cotton from Buttercup, " Hey, sweet girl. Brick, we're ending this once and for all. Come sit here."
" I'd rather tell Buttercup she plays a mean Monopoly game," Brick watched the ' overgrown rat' lick Blossom's thumb.
"Stop being a baby and sit here. I'll hold her and you can pet her," Blossom patted the seat next to her once more.
" I'd literally rather do anything else," but Brick still precociously made his way closer to her, sitting on edge.
" See, look at that. Just pet her here. She won't bite," Blossom held Cotton in her hands to stop her from moving.
Brick snatched his hand back, " They bite? Why are these things so evil?"
" Stop being a wuss and pet her already, " Buttercup was recording them making sure to capture every second of fear in Brick's demeanor. She was going to need this for future roasting sessions.
Brick touched the fur. She is extremely soft and fuzzy. Her nose scrunched and twisted trying to catch his scent, " This isn't too bad. She's actually pretty soft."
" See? I told you she wasn't that bad. Wanna try holding her?" Blossom placed her in Brick's lap.
He stared at her for a long moment, " Oh my god. No, no, nope! Get her off now."
Bubbles took both Cotton and Michael in her hands, " You two should be asleep. It's dangerous out here with everyone getting worked up."
She had a point. Brick's anger alone proved to be more deadly than they could warrant and then Buttercup and Butch were just naturally reckless. Bubbles would not take those chances with two very tiny animals.
Boomer turned to Brick, " You need to calm down, bro. This is supposed to be fun."
" Shut up."
" How about we forget about charades and play some Mario Racing? A good game that requires us to sit and hopefully relax," Boomer set up everyone's remotes, handing them each a steering wheel.
Bubbles came back down, " Okay, they shouldn't get out this time. Oh good, you turned on the game system."
Each chose their characters and designed their own race track queue so everyone had a chance to play their favorite map. Blossom was dominating but Bubbles was a close second. Buttercup was failing miserably; she may be a surprisingly great driver in real life but her forte was not racing games. The boys were very closely matched however, they were not expecting the girls to do so much better than them.
In the final lap, Brick's batteries were starting to die, making his character crash into a roadblock, " No, no, no, no! I’M ABOUT TO WIN!" He smashed at the buttons to turn the remote back on for that last bit of juice.
Blossom passed him, earning first place and winning their match overall. She threw her hands in the air triumphantly, " Woooo! Finally!"
" FUCK ME!" Brick tossed his wheel into the wall like a ninja star. The ground shook beneath them as Boomer realized Brick probably managed to hit part of the foundation.
Boomer unlodged the wheel that jutted out of the wall, " Okay, no more Mario Racing. Let's try Mario and Speedy at the Olympics then. Please, wear the safety bracelet. We don't need any more remotes flying." Brick fumed in his seat, knowing that comment was meant for him.
" Uh, I think we have more self-control than that!" Butch rolled his eyes at Boomer jokingly, “Besides, didn’t the ol’ man reinforce the house years ago when Buttercup was into her wrestling phase?”
Bubbles put away the steering wheels as Boomer set up the next game, “Excuse me, it wasn’t just her who wrestled, and yes, he did but it doesn’t mean anyone has the okay to destroy our home.”
" Okay, so for this game, whoever wins the category wins a point for the board so we'll play a few categories so we can all win back some points. Buttercup's in the lead, Bubbles is second, Butch is third, followed by Blossom and Brick who are tied and last, me, " Boomer checked the whiteboard tally.
The matches up for play were aquatics, fencing, shooting, archery, javelin throw, and finally the hammer throw. Since only four people could play at a time, they had to take turns and map out who got what score so they could manually tally the results. Boomer dominated in the aquatics, fencing was Buttercup, shooting was Bubbles, Blossom smoked them all in archery, Brick had a hell of a technique for the javelin throw. Now the hammer throw, that was up for grabs. The last one up was Buttercup and the game would end.
Buttercup stepped up for her turn on the hammer throw, keeping a fair distance from the TV as Bubbles had asked for. " I got this!" It was between her and Brick for first place.
" Jinx, jinx, jinx, jinx," Butch and Boomer chanted fairly audibly at her, pounding their knees with their fists.
" Shut up!" She wound up her pitch, forgetting Boomer's wristband rule entirely. She stuck her tongue out focusing on the most minute movements on the screen.
Butch smirked, timing it oh so perfectly with her swing. " JINX!" He bellowed out proudly.
Buttercup jumped in place, " WHAT THE FUCK?!" She swiveled, tossing the remote full force towards the direction of the sound as the character on screen threw the hammer into the foul zone. The remote knocked Butch back with a loud crack. He gripped the left side of his eyebrow bone, sharply sucking in air.
Brick rolled onto the carpeted floor, cackling away, " She hit him! I CAN’T BELIEVE SHE FUCKING HIT HIM. YOU SO DESERVED THAT!"
" Why are you trying to damage your husband in my house?!" Bubbles flinched at the cracking sound of either the remote or Butch’s skull. Butch didn't move, he just put pressure on his brow to ease the pain Buttercup had inflicted on him.
Boomer pursed his lips to stop himself from laughing but he couldn't control the bubbling fit that swelled inside of himself. He joined in Brick's howling, " She didn't even hesitate to clock you, bro!" Bubbles shot him a scathing look that said ' do not egg them on'. Boomer coughed, choking on his saliva, "I mean, HEY! I thought we said no more flying controllers!"
" I wasn't trying to hit him! Babe! Why didn't you duck?" Buttercup’s tone softened as she approached Butch with caution. She felt a twinge of guilt as he just sat there gripping his face. If he wasn’t cursing, he was really in pain.
" WHY WOULD YOU LAUNCH THE CONTROL LIKE THAT, WOMAN?!" Butch screeched as he pulled his hands away and thankfully, there was no blood.
Brick continued rolling around on the floor, doubled over from the ache in his sides " YOU'RE HEAD'S TOO FUCKING THICK."
Butch rubbed the red, rectangular welt on his left eyebrow, " Shit, that hurt." Buttercup wandered into the kitchen while Blossom examined the swelling area.
" She hesitated for a moment and threw it at the noise. She was planning on hitting someone," she grimaced at the protruding lump. This is exactly why Professor had banned them from certain games as they got older. Someone was bound to get hurt, they were all guilty of causing some destruction.
" You think I don't know that? Fuck, it's throbbing now," Butch couldn't touch it anymore. Buttercup came back with an ice pack and gently pressed it against the wound.
" You shouldn't have fucking jinxed me," she brushed his hair away from his face, her voice was regretfully compassionate as if she wasn’t the one who had just injured him.
Brick had won since Buttercup basically forfeited her point by damaging Butch. He continued to wheeze as he replayed the sound of the control hitting Butch in his mind," Oh my god. That was the best thing ever.” Brick dried his eyes, cleared his throat as Boomer calculated the points.
“While Butch tries not to have a concussion, do we want to play one last match, or do we want to call it a night?” Buttercup averted her eyes from Butch's welt and focused on the blonde sister who was looking for a new game.
" I'm all gamed out for tonight. Besides, it's not like I could make a comeback," Blossom gestured at the whiteboard, " I'll just watch you guys finish up."
" Yeah, I'm done too. I don't need to get hit again," Butch laid back on the turquoise couch, nursing his wound.
"You wouldn't have gotten hurt if you didn't startle me," Buttercup moved closer to the TV monitor awaiting the next game.
" So is it just the four of us now?" Boomer looked over at Brick and Bubbles.
" Yeah, I'm in," Brick moved by Buttercup's side. After the laughing fit he just had, he was beginning to feel exhausted. How late is it? It was 1 in the morning. Have we really been playing for 6 hours?
The final game was an old first-person shooter melee so the game contained the split-screen option. Boomer was glad he convinced Bubbles that they needed the bigger screen for games like this. Butch began to doze off while Blossom fed Brick chocolate cake.
" You're distracting me!" Brick meant to bark with more energy but he was losing steam fast.
" You keep eating it though," she giggled, feeding him another piece, " You love being spoiled like this."
" If he doesn't eat it, I'll take it," Buttercup opened her mouth half expecting Blossom to feed her.
" So what I'm just supposed to feed everyone now?" Blossom set her plate on the couch, quickly removing it before Bubbles could notice.
" No, but if you could possibly get me a bottle of water, that would be nice," Boomer joined in, cracking a smile as he playfully shot at Bubbles' character.
" If you're getting up and it's not much of a bother, can I get a beer?" Butch bemoaned from his spot.
Brick shot around, " Get your own damn beer!"
" So Boomer can ask for water but I can't ask for a beer?" Butch lifted the icepack to look at Brick puzzled. The slightest head movement made his welt throb uncomfortably. This shit is worse than a fucking hangover.
" No. You can't."
Buttercup swatted the remote out of Brick's hand, " Okay, he's out. It's just us three."
" You do realize, I'm married to Buttercup, right? I'm not after Blossom. Not to mention I was polite," Butch's eyes widened at how ridiculous Brick could get over this kind of thing.
" I don't need you using my wife," Brick shot him a warning glare.
Buttercup split her attention between the screen and Brick, " Hey, damn it Boomer. You aren't allowed to damage my husband. I won't hesitate beating your ass, Red."
" Or how about," Blossom handed Butch the beer," I was already up and decided to be nice. Boomer, catch!" She tossed the water over to Boomer who instinctively caught it with one hand never missing a beat in the game.
" Your husband is vicious. I don't know why you're with him," Butch cracked open his beer, pointing the neck of the bottle towards Brick. With each sip, the pain in his head seemed to lessen.
" No, he's sweet. You guys just don't see it," Blossom blew Brick a kiss. He reddened and moved back by her side, pulling her against his torso, "Besides, he knows I won't take any of the crap he throws at me." Butch chuckled at the scowl on Brick's face, relishing every sip that eased his pain.
" Butch, you shouldn't be drinking if you're driving us home," Buttercup gave her darkest warning tone without averting her eyes from the game.
" I'm not planning on drinking and driving. You are. You damaged me," he nudged her with his foot, " This is the consequences for your crime."
" Fine, you're excused then. DAMN IT! Bubbles!"
" Yes!" The blonde giggled. Preparing her next shot, Boomer's character came on screen. In a half-second, Buttercup's character was obliterated. She wiggled in her seat " I won!"
The screen cleared the game stats, announcing Boomer as the winner. He popped up, " No you don't! I WIN!"
" BOOMER! THAT WAS MY POINT!" Bubbles jumped up from her seat, pointing at the TV screen, "MY GRENADE HIT HER FIRST!"
" NO WAY! THAT WAS MINE! THE GAME WOULDN'T HAVE GIVEN ME THE WIN IF I HADN'T HIT HER FIRST !" Boomer also pointed to his character on the screen. The blues never fight. Ever. Both could get pretty vicious with others but with each other?
" YOU WISH! THAT WAS CLEARLY MY POINT! I WON THAT ROUND!"
" WELL IF THAT'S THE CASE, YOU ONLY WON BECAUSE I HELPED YOU SO I SHOULD GET THE POINT TOO!"
" YOU DID NOT HELP ME!" Bubbles' voice jumped a few octaves forcing the others to cover their ears.
" I SO DID! YOU DON'T GET THAT POINT! I GET THAT POINT! GUYS?!" Boomer turned to his brothers who both looked away from him. They knew better than to get involved with the girls when they argued, especially with Bubbles.
" GIRLS!" Bubbles turned to her sisters who also looked away. Boomer could be just as scary as Bubbles. Bubbles was the type to blow up in your face but Boomer was definitely more passive-aggressive. He would get you back somehow and you would regret it when he did.
" NO! IF I DONT GET THE FUCKING POINT THAN NEITHER DO YOU!" Boomer went to the board and erased her point. Wrong move. Bubbles melted the whiteboard with her laser vision almost singeing his hand.
He jumped back, " YOU'RE SUCH A SORE LOSER! WE COULD HAVE BOTH GOTTEN THE STUPID POINT!" Boomer stepped closer to her in order to face off against her.
" YOU'RE THE ONE BEING STUPID! IT WAS MY POINT! WHY WOULD I SHARE IT?" Bubbles stuck her perfectly manicured finger into his chest, meeting him with the same ferocious energy. They looked like two coaches yelling at one another over a foul play.
The others snuck back into the kitchen to feast on the last of the food. The shrieking continued but was ultimately ignored. Bubbles walked back in with a smile on her face, " Now that that's settled and neither of us will get the point, I think we can end this night, right?"
Boomer walked in frustrated, grumbling, " It was my point too."
" I'm sorry, did you say something?" Bubbles whipped around, eyes narrowed ready to give him a warning laser shot.
" No, " Boomer folded his arms over his chest, his cheeks puffed out slightly. Something that never worked on Brick but thankfully worked on Bubbles from time to time.
Blossom looked at the time, " Yeah, it's almost 2 in the morning and I'm far beyond ready for bed."
" Yeah, me too," Buttercup leaned against Butch who was going to need another icepack, " Besides, I gotta nurse this one back to health."
" Yeah, that last match kinda did me in. I wish we would've set up for everyone to stay over," Bubbles pouted at them. Most of the food was gone but there was plenty of leftovers for them the following day.
" I'm calling it too," Boomer sulked, " Besides, someone melted the stupid board."
" Well, someone should have just let me have the point," Bubbles gave Boomer a devastating glance with her signature deadly smile.
" Alright, I'm tired too. We already know Buttercup won. Great, we can go home now," Brick took one last pair of cookies.
" Did I win?" Buttercup turned to Bubbles excitedly.
" Yeah, you won. Buttercup won with 10 wins, Brick with 8, Bubbles had 7, Butch 5, Blossom 4 and I would've tied for last with Blossom if someone-" Boomer wasn't letting this go.
" I get bragging rights! You all suck but it shouldn't be a surprise that I won," Buttercup gloated, sticking her tongue out at the others.
" Great. Come on babe. I'm tired, " Brick turned to Blossom, pulling her gently towards the door.
" Yeah. This was pretty fun though. When's the next game night?" Blossom turned to Bubbles optimistically in the dim light of the kitchen.
" With Boomer's attitude, I don't know. Maybe two weeks from now?" Bubbles gave him a dirty look before settling back on her sister's tired eyes.
" This was super fun except for, y'know, getting attacked with the controller by my wife," Butch bumped Buttercup with his hip, " But I'm down to do this again."
" Like I said, you should have ducked," they were already halfway out the door, " I'll take care of you when we get home okay?"
" Good night, Bubbles," Blossom pushed Brick towards the front door. Thankfully, they lived just two houses down.
" Butch getting hit in the head was the best thing I've experienced in a while, " Brick shook his head, smiling at the memory, " If Buttercup does that more often, we have to keep having these game nights."
" Maybe we can when you learn to control your temper," Blossom walked ahead of him, "I knew you weren't going to be able to control yourself."
" Maybe if you knew how to play charades!" He retorted with a growl just loud enough for her to hear.
" Maybe you need to learn my body better," that came out more as an offer than a taunt.
Brick raised his brows, " Really?" Blossom smiled, keeping her intent to herself. Brick slammed their front door behind him as his mind began to plan their own private game night.
That left Bubbles and Boomer alone in the kitchen staring at each other, " I feel like this was a disaster. Brick breaking the wall, Buttercup nearly killing Butch, Blossom had her own meltdown, you trying to take credit for my point."
Boomer pulled Bubbles in for a hug, " You were a great hostess anyway. I think tonight was fun but definitely a trial run. Next time maybe we play quieter games that won't have us turn on one another."
Bubbles sighed, " You get a point for being sweet. So you tied with Blossom now."
Boomer chuckled against her ear, giving her a gentle kiss, " Thank you, my love. You get to keep your point too.
" I don't like fighting with you," Bubbles pouted, " I'm sorry I yelled."
" I'm sorry I yelled at you too," Boomer squeezed her waist, swaying with her slowly.
" Next time will hopefully be less chaotic," Bubbles thought about the hole in the living room wall and how the foundation needed to be reexamined now.
" Honey, I may not be the brightest but even I know that any competition between the six of us is going to end with someone injured or property being damaged," Boomer began wrapping up the last of the food while she washed the dishes.
" Maybe we should give it three weeks before doing this again."