Professor Utonium smiled warmly as the girls continued bickering in the lab.
Buttercup was still red-faced from Bubbles' teasing.
"Shut up already!"
"I'm just sayinggg~" Bubbles giggled while floating backward through the air. "You were super worried about him."
"I was worried because somebody framed him for being a psycho monster!"
Blossom sighed.
"You literally punched a crater into the football field."
"That was justified!"
The Professor watched them quietly through the rising smoke of his pipe.
For a moment, something unfamiliar stirred inside him.
It was the lingering fragments of the original Professor's emotions.
Both warmth and pride.
Along with a subtle sense of relief.
The feeling of watching his daughters come home safely.
It was… uncomfortable.
Ben pushed the sensation down.
Then smiled gently.
"Well," the Professor said while clapping his hands together, "whether you girls realize it or not, today was a historic moment."
The girls looked toward him.
"You officially became Townsville's first government-recognized superhuman task force," he continued. "That deserves a proper celebration."
Bubbles immediately gasped.
"Wait—does that mean celebratory food?!"
Buttercup smirked.
"Now we're talking."
Even Blossom smiled faintly.
The Professor chuckled softly before turning toward the stairs leading out of the underground lab.
"Go wash up first. I'll handle dinner."
The girls exchanged surprised looks.
"You're cooking personally?" Blossom asked.
The Professor adjusted his glasses.
"Of course."
Then he smiled again.
"And not microwave noodles this time."
Buttercup blinked.
"…Okay, now I KNOW something important happened."
"HEY!" the Professor protested dramatically.
Bubbles giggled loudly as the three girls flew upstairs.
The moment they disappeared—
the smile faded slightly from the Professor's face.
His eyes drifted toward the nearby monitor.
Toward the frozen image of the analyzed Temp V formula results.
He wanted to continue his research when—
he heard laughter upstairs.
Real laughter.
The kind that filled a home.
Silence lingered for a brief second.
"…Later," Ben muttered softly.
The screens shut off one by one.
Tonight required maintaining appearances.
And honestly—
having the original Professor's memories made cooking absurdly easy.
—
Upstairs, the Utonium kitchen slowly came alive.
Pans sizzled across the stovetop.
Vegetables were chopped apart beneath precise knife movements.
Steam rose beneath warm lighting while jazz music quietly played from a nearby radio.
The girls eventually entered wearing casual clothes instead of battle-damaged outfits.
Buttercup immediately paused at the smell.
"…Woah."
Even Blossom looked surprised.
The dining table was completely covered with food.
Perfectly grilled teriyaki steak.
Shrimp alfredo pasta.
Fresh seafood ramen.
Homemade burgers stacked high with toppings.
Several side dishes.
And desserts already waiting in the fridge.
Bubbles' eyes sparkled instantly.
"Ooooooh my gosh…"
The Professor carried over another plate calmly.
"For Bubbles, seafood ramen with extra crab."
Bubbles nearly teared up.
"You REALLY are celebrating…"
He pointed toward another dish.
"For Buttercup, double pepper steak with garlic fries."
Buttercup immediately sat down.
"Professor, I take back every bad thing I ever said about your cooking."
"You said my pancakes looked like biohazards yesterday."
"They DID look like biohazards."
Blossom laughed quietly under her breath while taking her seat.
"And for Blossom—"
The Professor placed down a carefully prepared herb chicken pasta topped with parmesan.
"Something less unhealthy."
Blossom smiled softly.
"Thank you."
The atmosphere gradually relaxed.
For the first time since the harbor battle—
the girls finally seemed able to breathe again.
Bubbles slurped noodles happily.
Buttercup devoured steak like she'd been starving for days.
Blossom calmly read through the official task force document between bites.
"You know…" Blossom said quietly, "this changes a lot."
Buttercup nodded while chewing.
"Yep. We're basically government superheroes now."
Bubbles grinned brightly.
"We even got a cool name!"
"The Powerpuff Girls Task Force," Buttercup said proudly.
"Sounds kinda awesome."
The Professor leaned against the counter with his pipe.
"It also means more responsibility."
The girls looked toward him.
"From now on, people will rely on you publicly," he continued. "Not just as heroes… but as symbols."
Blossom nodded slowly.
"We understand."
"And you'll probably deal with worse threats after today," he added carefully.
That made the room quieter.
The frozen dragon-snake came to mind immediately.
The military.
The destruction.
The realization that monsters were not only becoming stronger, but more frequent.
Buttercup crossed her arms.
"Then we'll just get stronger too."
Bubbles nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah!"
Blossom smiled faintly.
"We'll handle it together."
The Professor looked at them silently.
Fragments of genuine emotion stirred again.
The original Professor's feelings remained deeply embedded inside the absorbed memories.
Strong enough that even Ben could feel them.
For a brief moment—
he almost forgot he murdered their father only an hour ago.
Then Buttercup suddenly pointed her fork toward him.
"Oh right."
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"When Ben gets outta the hospital…"
The Professor froze internally for half a second.
"…Yes?"
Buttercup smirked slightly.
"You're not seriously planning to embarrass me in front of him, right?"
Bubbles immediately burst into laughter.
Blossom covered her mouth to hide a smile.
The Professor adjusted his glasses calmly.
"That depends."
Buttercup's eye twitched.
"Depends on WHAT?"
He smiled warmly.
"On whether he survives meeting me as your officially government-approved father."
He put up his arms in an exaggerated karate stance, instantly making the girls burst into laughter.
Even Blossom nearly dropped her fork.
Buttercup pointed at him accusingly through her laughter.
"Okay, nah—that was cringe."
The Professor clutched his chest dramatically.
"You wound me."
Bubbles fell sideways, giggling uncontrollably.
For a little while, the house simply felt normal again.
No monsters.
No military alerts.
No hidden conspiracies.
Just dinner. Conversation.
And laughter echoing through the kitchen.
—
Eventually, the meal came to an end.
Empty plates covered the table while the girls leaned back in satisfied exhaustion.
Buttercup rubbed her stomach.
"…I think I ate too much."
"You said that after your third plate," Blossom pointed out calmly while stacking dishes together.
"Worth it."
The Professor chuckled softly before beginning to gather utensils.
"I'll handle cleanup."
Blossom immediately stood.
"I'll help."
Buttercup looked horrified.
"Traitor."
Blossom rolled her eyes.
"You inhaled enough steak for three people. The least you can do is carry plates."
Buttercup groaned loudly—
but still grabbed several dishes anyway.
Bubbles floated lazily toward the living room.
The kitchen slowly filled with softer sounds afterward.
Running water.
Clinking dishes and low conversation.
Blossom quietly washed plates beside the Professor while he dried them with practiced ease.
For a brief moment, neither spoke.
Then Blossom glanced sideways.
"You seem calmer."
The Professor blinked once.
"Do I?"
"You've been less stressed lately," she admitted. "Even with everything happening."
Ben paused slightly.
That observation was sharper than he liked.
Blossom had always been observant.
He knew she was the last remaining person he needed to walk on eggshells with.
"Well… seeing you girls grow up safely helps."
He smiled.
Blossom looked down at the soap bubbles quietly.
Then nodded.
"…is that so."
The conversation ended there.
But the silence afterward felt comfortable.
Eventually, the dishes were finished.
Blossom dried her hands with a towel before checking the clock.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…Wait."
Buttercup looked over from the couch.
"What?"
"My homework."
The room froze.
Buttercup's expression slowly changed.
"…Oh no."
Blossom immediately pointed at her.
"You forgot too, didn't you?"
Buttercup shot upward from the couch.
"CRAP."
Bubbles burst into laughter as Buttercup bolted upstairs at super speed.
A green blur shot through the hallway.
Papers exploded somewhere in the distance.
"WHY DO TEACHERS STILL GIVE HOMEWORK ANYWAY?!"
Blossom sighed deeply before following after her at a much calmer pace.
"I'm going to my room before she starts copying my answers again."
"I HEARD THAT!"
Doors slammed upstairs moments later.
Silence returned to the living room.
Only the television remained on.
Bubbles curled up comfortably against one side of the couch while the Professor sat nearby with his pipe resting untouched in his hand.
Some random romance movie played across the screen.
A dramatic violin soundtrack echoed softly through the room.
Onscreen, two college students stood beneath the rain while confessing their feelings to each other.
Bubbles sniffled slightly.
"…Aww."
The Professor glanced sideways.
"You're crying again."
"I am NOT crying."
She absolutely was.
Bubbles wiped her eyes dramatically while continuing to watch.
The male lead slowly leaned down—
pressing a gentle kiss against the heroine's forehead as the music swelled emotionally.
The credits immediately began rolling afterward.
Bubbles sighed dreamily.
"That was sooo cute…"
The Professor looked at the television for a second before standing from the couch.
"Well," he said softly, "it's getting late."
Bubbles looked up at him.
"You're going to bed already?"
"I still have work tomorrow."
That much, at least, wasn't a lie.
The Professor stepped closer before gently placing a hand on top of her head.
"Goodnight, Bubbles."
He leaned down slightly—
and kissed her forehead.
His lips pressed against her forehead with a parental touch.
Yet Bubbles froze instantly.
Her expression flushed.
The Professor simply smiled afterward before heading toward the stairs.
"Don't stay up too late."
"…O-Okay…"
He disappeared upstairs.
Meanwhile, Bubbles remained motionless on the couch.
Her face slowly turned pink.
Then red.
Her eyes drifted back toward the television screen where the romance movie's ending credits were still rolling.
The exact same forehead kiss.
The exact same timing.
Bubbles slowly pulled her knees closer to her chest.
"…why did he," she mumbled incoherently into the couch cushion.
Somewhere upstairs—
Ben paused briefly in the hallway.
Affection Points:
▰▱▱▱▱▱▱
1↑ / 7 Points → 0↓ / 7 Points
Name: Bubbles Utonium
Age: 18
Classification: Homunculus (Artificially Created Superhuman)
Narrative Role: Antagonist → Unstable Variable
AFFECTION STATUS
Affection Level: 0↓ — Unsure
An initial emotional spark was detected, but it was almost instantly quenched.
"Hmm, was that from the kiss?" Ben asked.
He laughed quietly as he opened his bedroom door.
"Maybe the life of a single father won't be that boring~"
The room was quiet and immaculately clean.
Professor Utonium's bedroom carried the faint scent of old books, coffee, and aftershave.
Ben loosened the tie around his neck before tossing it onto a nearby chair.
His reflection stared back at him from the mirror across the room.
"What a weird day…"
He unbuttoned the white lab coat and hung it neatly beside the closet before stretching his shoulders.