A/N
Here we have yet another PPG & RRB high school fic because I'm AU trash, but this one is sprinkled with scientific bits and leans in a more realistic direction. If teenage drama isn't your thing I suggest you turn back now. Also there's a reason why this is in the 'friendship' and not 'romance' category, although color-coded ships are implied.
Now part two of a trilogy. I apologize for being incapable of writing series in sequential order.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!
Chapter One: Hello, it's me
"Never thought I'd see this shithole of a town again."
Brick did not share Butch's sentiment. 'Townsville' had been enough of a misnomer when they were kids, but since their departure it had clearly grown into a thriving metropolis. Gleaming skyscrapers constructed with state-of-the-art techniques rose up all around them and were networked by asphalt roads utterly lacking imperfections, and avant garde architecture was visible in bridges and buildings. Everything was so flawless, so pristine, so unnaturally perfect it was hard to believe this was the city of their origin, the same city plagued by genetic abominations in their youth. But genetics were likely the key factor behind Townsville's impressive expansion and makeover; after all, it became a hub for biological sciences after Project X was revealed.
Better known as the Powerpuff Girls by the adoring residents.
They were the world's first fully genetically engineered humans. The creatures they fought and the criminals they incarcerated were merely trials to help them hone their abilities, help Professor Utonium study the effects of Chemical X. He was the only person on Earth who knew how to synthesize it correctly, a secret he would take to the grave. Various derivatives existed but they were impure and unstable compounds based off research notes leaked by Utonium's former colleague, a woman exiled from the scientific community for her unethical experiments. Governments and regimes around the globe tried using those notes to engineer their own super soldiers but the results were often catastrophic. The Rowdyruff Boys had made a very lucrative living off cleaning up other people's messes.
As they traveled between countries they attracted attention from members of society's seedy underbelly, establishing themselves as skilled mercenaries. Stage a coup here, assassinate someone there, rescue important people from their vile kidnappers, etcetera. Their favorite jobs were the ones involving the procurement of failed X-periments. The test subjects always went rogue and destroyed most if not all of the facility that spawned them, the Boys being exclusively equipped to handle the aftermath. They were famous in certain circles but Townsville didn't even know they were still alive and kicking. Brick liked having a blank slate upon which to build a new reputation.
They were back and deadlier than ever. However, the man who had hired them said the job required little to no force and discretion was of the utmost importance. The Boys had, in essence, returned to Townsville to live like ordinary innocuous teenagers… or at least as ordinary as they could be with superpowers.
"Where the heck are we going?" Boomer asked with his face pressed against the window, wide blue eyes taking in as many details of their new-old home as possible.
Brick sighed. "To meet our benefactor at the penthouse he's putting us up in." He had already said that twice today.
"He gonna give us cars, too?" Butch wondered.
"No, I didn't negotiate personal vehicles as part of our contract. We can fly." The brothers rolled their eyes at one another, then Brick glowered when he thought he heard their driver chuckle. He gladly would have flown himself to their residence if he knew where it was. Instead he folded his arms and continued watching storefronts pass by. Yoga studio, bakery, salon, pet store, café, bookstore, pharmacy, tech shop…
The limo pulled into the parking lot of what was easily the second-tallest building in the city, the first being a massive communication tower at the epicenter. Brick craned his neck, spying the gaudy dollar sign indicative of the family who owned it. After the driver let them out another well-dressed man escorted them onto an elevator where he pressed a button and said nothing as it ascended eighty-five floors. The three boys walked right through an open set of double doors, finding movers and decorators situating furniture just-so. A man standing in the middle of the living room turned around and grinned. "Good to finally see you in person, Rowdyruffs."
"Mister Morbucks," Brick greeted, firmly shaking his hand.
"Please, just call me Max." He was portly, balding, and wore a forest green suit contrasting his red hair. His mustache wasn't really doing his large nose any favors. "Take a look around and let me know if I need to make changes." The trio separated at that, Butch and Boomer darting upstairs as Brick approached a door to the far right. A king-size bed occupied most of the master bedroom along with a huge dresser, desk, bachelor's chest and media cabinet. The bathroom lacked an actual bath but made up for it with two sinks, ample counter space, and a shower that was so large he could turn in a circle without touching any of the stone walls. Maximilian Morbucks poked his head in. "I had a feeling you'd gravitate toward this room."
"You don't know anything about me," Brick refuted.
"I know you're a hard worker, and men like you need a sanctuary where they can relax and unwind after a long day." Brick shut the door behind him with a noncommittal grunt, admiring the panoramic view of the ultra-modern city. The kitchen featured granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, and the dining room had a table big enough to seat eight people. There was also a sideboard with a bottle of champagne on it. "To toast the success of your mission," Max explained.
Preemptive celebrations were bad luck; he'd save it for afterward. "What sort of time frame are you expecting? That was the one detail your contract didn't explicitly state."
The man's shoulders rose and fell. "That's because I don't know exactly how long it'll take to shut down each of my rivals. Some will be easy, some will need to be thoroughly researched, and some will require you to get creative. I hired you because I know you can be covert even though your MO is to barge in with hands blazing."
"That's Butch's way of handling things," Brick corrected, "I consider myself much more tactful."
"Well, good. You'll need to be in order to navigate high school without arousing suspicion."
His eyebrows about shot off his face. "What?"
"I've enrolled the three of you in Townsville High School for junior year," Max explained, gesturing flippantly. "It's the perfect cover."
"But I… we… That wasn't…" Brick took a deep breath to calm himself, red ebbing from his vision. "Nowhere in the contract did it say anything about us having to attend school."
"I know I can't force you, but I do believe it would provide an alibi should anyone begin investigating."
"We won't give them a reason," Brick said.
Max's smile resembled more of a smirk. "Ah, the arrogance of youth. You and your brothers might be superhuman but you're still only seventeen."
Maroon eyes narrowed to slits. "Do not condescend me." They stared at one another for a long minute, the man glancing away as Brick raised his chin in triumph. This wasn't the first time an employer thought they had an advantage over the Boys because of their age. Anyone who tried to manipulate, cheat, deceive, or otherwise screw them over had quickly been reminded of their true nature as biological weapons. They were beyond human limitations hence their services didn't come cheap. "So you're all right with us taking as long as necessary to fulfill the contract?" Brick asked to diffuse tension.
"Yes, I am," Max confirmed.
"And you think we should maintain a guise as students while dealing with the names on the list you provided."
"I just thought it was a plausible reason for you to return to Townsville."
It was, but Brick wasn't going to admit it. "Do we have schedules already? What classes do Butch and Boomer need to prepare for?"
"Well, the system has changed a bit. Did you three even go to elementary school?" Brick shook his head. Their education was of a more worldly variety, although they had studied certain subjects on their own. "In that case I'll give you a quick rundown. Your first day is September tenth. On the eighth you'll take a series of aptitude tests to be placed in the appropriate core classes for math, English, science and history, then you choose some electives. Student orientation is held on the ninth. You can tour the campus, meet teachers, sign up for teams and clubs and such. School days begin at seven and end at three p.m."
That didn't sound like anything they couldn't handle. "I appreciate the info. Now if you don't mind, we'd like to settle in."
"Of course, of course…" Max backed toward the front door, pausing at the threshold. "You know, Townsville isn't anything like it was when you were kids. Might I suggest you three do a bit of exploring?" The boy's hum was enough for Mr. Morbucks. He flashed a tentative smile and left.
Brick leaned against the kitchen counter, parting his lips after ten seconds. "Butch! Boomer!"
They answered his summons immediately, both vibrating with excitement. "Bro, you gotta check out the rest of this place! There's a fuckin' pool on the roof!"
"With a hot tub!"
"That's great," he said dismissively, handing them their house keys. "Listen, I'm about to tell you something you probably won't like, but it is what it is." Their enthusiasm dwindled. "We're going to pretend to be high school students while we're here."
"Really? Sweet!" Butch beamed. "I'm gonna join the football team! Or baseball! Or soccer! Do they have lacrosse? Always wanted to try that!"
Brick had not expected that reaction. "I'm… not sure."
"Well I'm going to take culinary arts," Boomer declared. "They have that class, right? And art? And music?"
"I really don't know. Max only told me we have to take some aptitude tests before we get to choose electives." Brick glanced between them. "You two are happy about this?"
"Hell yeah, Bro! Know why?" He shook his head in genuine befuddlement. "Girls! We get to be in class with hot girls all day!"
"Nice, sweet, cute girls," Boomer amended.
"Oh, for the love of…" Brick folded his arms to eye them sternly. "Our client just paid us a couple million dollars to eliminate his financial competition. There isn't going to be time for messing around with females."
"Maybe you'd change your tune if you weren't a virgin." Butch received a scowl. "The contract doesn't have an official end date, right? That means we can take as long as we want. Also, when's our stuff gonna get here?"
Brick actually had an answer to that question. "With expedited shipping from Busan, five days."
"So we should probably go shopping, huh?" Boomer suggested.
"Alright, I'll hit up the mall for clothes and babes!" Butch zoomed off before either of them could say otherwise.
Brick sighed. "Boomer, you're in charge of hygiene. I'll go get us new phones." He waited until his blond brother left before floating up the stairwell to the roof. There was indeed a pool and a hot tub, both covered, in addition to a nice grill and outdoor furniture. The view was phenomenal; he could see over the whole city and that made him feel powerful. The roof would make a good landing site in lieu of riding the elevator up and down every day. Brick took off toward a park nearest the tech shop and tried to touch down stealthily but a little kid saw him anyway, pointing and yelling. He walked the rest of the way, relying on his photographic memory to navigate the urban maze.
It was easy enough choosing a cell phone when he wasn't concerned with its ability to handle mobile games or take gallery-worthy pictures. All it had to do was make calls, texts, and be durable enough to survive a fall from 1200 feet up. The salesperson gave him a weird look at that last stipulation but assured him that most phones were virtually indestructible these days thanks to ballistic glass screens, shock absorbers, and titanium alloy cases. They had biometric security features too, implementing both retinal and fingerprint scans in addition to voice recognition. Brick paid for three of the same model in different colors, earning another weird look since he was young to be throwing around that kind of money, and headed to the bookstore where he purchased two core subject refreshers to hopefully cram some information into his brothers' empty heads before school began.
By then he was starving, his accelerated metabolism having burned through breakfast a while ago. Brick appreciated the fact that he could just take off and go anywhere in the world for lunch. Traveling had turned him into a bit of a food snob, his tastes so discerning that he preferred to do his own cooking. In the interest of discovering everything Townsville had to offer he headed to the little café the limo had passed earlier, giving it a quick scan through the window. Clean, uncrowded, decent food and drink menus… and there were a couple cute girls behind the counter. Once inside his stomach growled loudly. "Oh my, someone's hungry!" tittered the petite brunette with big blue eyes. "What can I get for you, handsome?"
"Robin…" Her coworker glanced over her shoulder to make a snap judgment of Brick. "Stop flirting with customers."
"Compliments earn tips, you know." Robin winked at him. "So what'll it be? Take your time, no rush."
Brick pretended not to notice her blatantly checking him out. He was aware that he possessed features people found attractive but he wasn't interested in using them to establish relationships of any kind. Butch was a shameless slut and Boomer had left a string of broken hearts across the globe but Brick had never entertained a fling or a girlfriend. That didn't mean he didn't appreciate beauty when he saw it. Robin had eyes that could drown people, a nice smile, and a soft, melodious voice. The other girl had red hair secured in a neat bun, pale freckled skin, and a defined hourglass figure. Brick ordered a panini and claimed a corner table, unboxing his new gadget. Several minutes later a plate appeared before him.
"Oh wow, you got the Nervo?" He looked up to find the redhead ogling it. "That phone just came out yesterday!"
For the first few seconds he only stared, caught off-guard by how attractive she was now that he could see her finer details. She also smelled like strawberry shortcake. "It did?" he finally articulated.
"Yes, and I know how much it costs. I never expected to see anyone my age with one except for maybe Princess Morbucks. Unless, umm… are you in high school?" Brick nodded and she visibly relaxed. "Can I see it, your Nervo?" He handed it over as she sat down opposite him, examining every inch. "I should definitely save up for one of these. Have you used the touch projector yet?"
"Touch projector?" he repeated. "What's that?"
Her rose-colored eyes glittered with excitement. "I'll show you if you unlock it. It's the feature everyone was most excited about." Nimble fingers danced across the screen and pressed a button that gave Brick pause for concern when it went black, but then a pinprick of light appeared and suddenly the display was in the air before him. "Oops, that looks a little small, but the Nervo can display things holographically. It registers touch commands by sensing light disruptions to the projections. Try it!" He poked at a menu and was surprised that it responded accurately, messing with a few more settings while the girl beamed. "Isn't it neat? I got to test the prototype but the finished product is so much nicer. I really want one now."
Brick thought about how easy it would be to swipe his debit card and hand her a $2000 cell phone, but then he realized what a ridiculous notion that was. He didn't even know her name; she was just a worker at the café where he'd chosen to have lunch, a total stranger. But she had the same rare red hair as him and Robin had called him handsome, so that was how he justified leaving twenty bucks on the table for them both. It definitely was not because she showed him how to use his phone and was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, like a goddess from a Renaissance painting.
Butch had the same idea as Brick about using the roof as the front door, alighting with several stuffed shopping bags slung about his arms. "Got clothes!" he announced, but no one responded. He left the bags in the living room and high-tailed it out of the penthouse again, flying low and slow to kill some time. His TV, video games, and workout equipment were in a conex coming from Korea so he had to find some way to fend off boredom. After being cooped up in that limo he really wanted to get his blood flowing. He landed on a random street and asked the first pedestrian he encountered if there were any gyms nearby. The nearest one charged an expensive membership fee; although Butch had plenty of money at his disposal he didn't want to waste it when he could train for free once his stuff arrived. All the fitness centers in the metro were overpriced, but as he made his way to the outskirts he caught a glimpse of a sign reading 'Duke's'. A gut feeling prompted him to investigate.
It was an MMA gym filled with sweaty dudes. Butch walked in like he owned the place and cast his gaze around with mild interest until spotting a chick, and then he became very interested in staying. He approached the mat where she delivered low, mid, and high kicks to a totally jacked old man while he counted them out. "One, two, three, good. One, two, three, keep pivoting. One, two, three…"
Butch cleared his throat loudly and they faced him together. "Can I fight her?" he asked.
The man stepped forward. "Who the fuck're you, kid?"
"Doesn't matter." He nodded at the girl. "Who's she?"
The man eyed him up and down. Butch smirked since he was taller; at six-foot-five he loomed above pretty much everyone. "What's your deal? You think you can just waltz in here and ask to combat my star pupil?"
"Why not?" he shrugged. "She looks strong enough to stand up to me." He leaned sideways to smile at her. "What's your name, sexy?"
She scoffed. "Give him some gloves, Duke. I wanna punch that smug grin right off his face." The old owner sighed and complied, tossing Butch a pair of padded fingerless gloves. He ditched his shoes and pulled off his shirt, revealing the myriad tattoos he'd acquired over the last few years. "You're pretty built," she commented. "I hope those muscles aren't just for show."
"I can show you a good time if you wanna get outta here," Butch offered.
She just laughed. "Hitting you is about to be the highlight of my day." With that she extended a fist that he bumped with his own, then they began circling one another as some other trainees gathered around the soft octagon. They traded little jabs and feints, testing the waters, and then the girl knocked him on his ass with a hard roundhouse he never saw coming, the men chuckling while Butch lay there blinking at the ceiling for a second. "You good?" she asked with a smirk.
He sprang to his feet. "Never better." He let her get a few more hits on him; it wasn't like she could actually hurt him since he was imbued with Chemical X. Still he felt some bruises forming from repressing his true strength. Butch recognized her use of taekwondo and Muay Thai, powerful long legs keeping him at bay. "How tall're you, five-eight?" he conversationally inquired as she blocked his punches.
"Five-ten, thank you very much," she answered.
Butch retreated to avoid an uppercut but she followed up with a spinning back kick. He caught her ankle and then found himself on the ground as she twisted around to take him down. He forgot how flexible women could be. "Damn, nice move," he spoke from between her knees, halfheartedly trying to pry them apart. "Don't suppose I could feel these legs around my waist sometime? Or my ears?"
Her mouth dropped open at the absolutely lurid sneer on his face before she scrambled off him. "I'm done. Thanks for the session, Duke."
"Anytime, B," the old man said. He leveled Butch with a glare. "We got a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment, so if you wanna train here you have to cut that shit."
Butch righted himself and dusted off his pants. "Don't think you'll be seein' my face again. Already studied kickboxing, karate and judo so I doubt there's anything I can learn from ya."
Duke shook his head. "Seriously, who the fuck are you? If you knew who that was and what she could do to you if you caught her at the wrong time…"
Butch studied the hot girl as she threw on a shirt over her sports bra. She had bronze skin, short black hair, enticing lips and striking green eyes. There were many, many things he wanted her to do to him. "The name's Butch. Just got back in town and I'm lookin' for a good fight."
Boomer had always relied on technology to help him find something, but since it was all boxed up in a crate on a ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean he didn't know where to find personal hygiene items. He aimlessly wandered around on foot, turning his head every-which-way in hopes of spying body wash or something through a window. Suddenly he stopped, sniffing the air. Soap! He followed his nose to a storefront with a cursive sign: 'Heavenly Body – Artisanal Personal Care Boutique'. Bells jingled when he pushed the door open and a feminine chorus greeted him. "Uh, hi," Boomer replied. "Do you guys have shampoo and stuff?" A blonde employee in an apron practically flew across the store to him, beaming and batting her eyelashes. Oh man, she was really pretty. His heartbeat had already gone staccato.
"Hello! I can help you find whatever you need. You said you're after shampoo? Will that be it?" she asked.
"Uh, no… I sorta just moved here with my brothers and we don't have anything," Boomer explained.
She held up a solemn hand. "Say no more, I got you." She fetched a basket and linked arms with him, leading him over to a wall of bottles. She asked questions about his and his brothers' hair types but Boomer had no clue and simply agreed with her suggestions. He got a little more personal with shower gel and deodorant, opting for a variety of different scents, and thought that was everything until she suggested a facial scrub. He couldn't say no to her sky blue eyes, letting her add products to his basket at whim. There were lotions, mousses, cremes, loofahs, and other things he didn't even know the names of. Thank god she eventually faltered. "Do you have shaving needs? We have a subscription service that delivers blades every month. But your skin looks really smooth…"
She stroked his cheek, smiling innocently. He could have melted right then. "I'm good on that, thanks though." Another girl behind the counter began ringing everything up. She had curly red hair, lots of freckles, and a cute button nose. Her name tag read 'Julie' and when Boomer checked the same spot on the blonde girl's apron he was disappointed to see that she wasn't wearing one.
"So you just moved to Townsville, huh? Would you like to join our rewards program since you'll be sticking around?" Boomer literally could not say no to her; it was like his mouth refused to form the word. "Awesome! It's such a great discount. Would you mind if I put some freebies in your bag? We got new colognes you can sample." He did not mind. Julie read him the total and it was probably more than he should be spending, but both girls were so sweet he wanted to keep them smiling. "Thank you for shopping at Heavenly Body!" they said in unison. "We hope to see you again!"
Boomer tossed a wave over his shoulder, sighing happily once he was outside. If there were more cute girls like that at school he was definitely going to enjoy his stay here. He flew home with a goofy grin on his face, drifting into the penthouse to find Brick sorting clothes and Butch fiddling with a cell phone, but they paused to turn his way when he set the large bags on the coffee table. "Boomer, what the hell? You had to get nine things at most."
He sheepishly mussed his hair. "I found this neat store downtown and there was a really nice girl working there…" Brick rolled his eyes and dumped out the goods to scrutinize their labels.
Butch sauntered over. "Speakin' of cute girls, I found an MMA gym and there was a total babe trainin' there. Hope she goes to our school so I can get her to straddle me again. She practically sat on my face."
Brick wrinkled his nose. "That's disgusting."
"It's fuckin' awesome, you're just a prude. Boomer, tell him to finally get laid so he'll stop judging me."
"Don't knock it till you try it, Brick."
"You're both degenerates." He stood up with an armload of products to stock his bathroom with. "The white phone is yours, Boomer. So is that other textbook. You two need to study before our aptitude tests so you don't make us look like complete imbeciles." Butch scoffed but thumbed through his book anyway, scratching his head at the math portion, and Boomer dutifully carried his belongings upstairs.
The three boys quickly settled into their personal routines. They'd gotten good at that over the years since they moved around so much. The penthouse wasn't even the nicest place they'd called home; that honor belonged to a suite in Dubai. A few hours later, after the sun had gone down, they convened in the kitchen to sate their rumbling stomachs only to exchange the same blank look. "None of us got groceries," Boomer observed. "Do they do room service here?"
"Yeah, but I'm in the mood for pizza," Butch said. They both faced Brick. "Your call, Bro."
"Forget room service or delivery, let's go out."
His brothers were on board with the idea, though Butch paused at the stairs. "Y'know somethin'? I don't think anyone realizes we're the Rowdyruff Boys. No one recognized me at the mall or the gym."
Boomer mulled it over. "Maybe everyone forgot about us?"
"Good," Brick stated, "that means we can get away with a lot before anyone comes close to figuring things out. We want to keep a low profile, all right? Heads down but eyes and ears open. Tonight is the only exception."
"Yeah, yeah…" Butch waved it off. "Whatever you say, Bro, like always."
"Bye, Robin. Thanks for the ride." Blossom waved at her friend and coworker, sighing tiredly as she walked up the driveway to the front door. "I'm home!" She placed her shoes on the rack and ventured into the kitchen. "Do you need help with dinner, Bubbles?"
"Sure! Can you make a salad while I put these steaks on the grill?" Blossom dutifully pulled ingredients from the fridge and set to work. As soon as the scent of charred meat filled the air Buttercup appeared, sitting at the table.
"That smells good. New marinade?" Blossom shrugged. "How was your day?"
"Pretty uneventful." She paused slicing tomatoes. "Actually, I met a guy with a Nervo."
"That super-expensive phone that just came out?"
Blossom nodded. "But he didn't even know about the holographic projector, so I gave a demonstration. He said he was in high school but I'd never seen him before."
"He's gotta be new. You get his name?" She froze again, eyes widening at how rude it must have seemed for her to be more interested in the guy's cell phone than exchanging pleasantries. "I take that as a no," Buttercup snickered. "My day was ruined by some douchebag who interrupted my training session with Duke. He asked to spar so we did, but he was hitting on me the whole time."
"Did you tell him to get lost?"
"Better. First I kicked him in the face, then I used this new takedown on him." She frowned. "But I think he liked getting his ass beat."
Bubbles returned from the patio. "Was he cute at least? And was the café guy cute?"
"My guy was definitely not cute. He was way too cocky," Buttercup replied. "He did have some cool tattoos, though. And pierced ears."
"Mhm, I see. Blossom?"
She shrugged again. "I don't know, I guess he was conventionally attractive. Robin thought he was the hottest thing since sliced bread."
"Well, the guy who came into Heavenly Body today was the very definition of cute. He could've been a pop star. Wavy blond hair, deep blue eyes, fit body…" She sighed dreamily. "He was so clueless it was kind of adorable. He said he and his brothers just moved to Townsville."
Blossom rotated to face her sisters, brow knitting. "What are the odds of the boys Buttercup and I encountered being the brothers your customer mentioned?" Bubbles spread her hands. Obscure mathematical calculations weren't her strong suit. "Isn't it plausible? We've known the same people all our lives and then three guys we've never seen show up on the same day."
"Or it could just be coincidence," Buttercup said. "I wouldn't read too much into it. I'm already over what happened with that dude."
"I'm not…" Bubbles sighed once more. "I really wanna see him again, but I forgot to ask his name. Oh, I hope he goes to our school…"
"Which starts next week, by the way. Have you two been studying?"
"Yes, Blossom," her siblings answered together. "If I don't get into chem this year I'm gonna be pissed," Buttercup added.
"You can always take culinary arts," Bubbles pointed out, "then you and Blossom might have it together!"
"Ugh, no thanks. Baking cookies is nowhere near as cool as making ice cream with liquid nitrogen."
"It's still a chemical reaction!"
"A lame one."
Blossom wore a tiny smile while listening to her sisters debate the merits of their preferred classes. Having dinner together was something she started looking forward to after they got jobs that summer, when the three of them returned from studying abroad for sophomore year. They all had new interests and hobbies and friends. Blossom took it upon herself to get the scoop so she could relay it all to the Professor. He threw himself back into work as they got older, depending on her to keep the peace in his stead. As little girls she had been the commander and leader but now she was simply the mediator since there were no more monsters or bad guys left to fight.
Or so she assumed, because she had no idea it was the Rowdyruff Boys they had crossed paths with again.
