A/N
Lots of firsts happening here! First fic request, first time writing present-tense, first one-shot, first exploration of the ship... This was requested by my friend Ti who was the first person to welcome me to the PPG fandom and is so supportive of We Are the Lights that writing something for her is the absolute least I can do. The premise is 'Brick and Buttercup are stuck together during a natural disaster'. I hope I fulfilled that prompt. Ti, if you don't like it feel free to request something else! You deserve it for being awesome. I hope the rest of you enjoy this, too. Thank you for reading and let me know what you think!
And if you walk a lonely road
Know that you're not alone
'Cause I'll be your shelter
Your shelter from the storm
It's the end of the world for Townsville.
The once shining metropolis has been reduced to a skeletal wasteland. Variegated skyscrapers lean against one another at precarious angles like a line of steel dominoes waiting to go crashing down. Every so often a glass shard breaks free and shatters on the street below, the asphalt now a dangerous maze pockmarked with craters and trenches. The clouds above dispense toxic rain that coats everything with a thick layer of grime. Silence prevails.
Buttercup experiences a pang of sadness each time she comes within the city limits. Townsville is the only home she's ever known, then they showed up and wrecked everything in their quest to destroy the Powerpuff Girls. The Mayor declared a state of emergency when it became clear they couldn't be reasoned with, and everybody left. She wouldn't be surprised if half the population never returns after losing in faith in her. People deserve to live in peace. They deserve a real hero.
She's in stealth mode by wearing all black and flying slow enough not to leave behind her green energy signature. She constantly scans the skyline, using demolished buildings for cover on her way to the intact shopping mall. It might not have what she needs but it's worth a shot, and there are tons of other useful things to salvage. Funny… once upon a time she hated shopping with her sisters because fashion was frivolous and consumerism was bad and yadda-yadda, but she's worn the same tattered outfit for several months now and it's practically falling apart in the wind.
The mall comes into view, its domed glass ceiling peppered with holes caused by falling debris. Buttercup circles the area a few times instead of making a beeline for it. There's always a chance one of them might be in there… but then again, they could get nice new things elsewhere. Clothes, money, tech, whatever they want; not like anyone can stop them. They're more powerful but definitely not smarter or the Puffs would've died the first day. Run and hide, run and hide… If only this underground resistance thing were easier and the Professor could whip up a concoction with materials he already had.
She darts from her hiding spot to a balcony and stills, looking every direction except upward which is where the attack comes from. Someone slams into her with incredible force, blasting her straight through the concrete back down to street level. She blinks to clear her vision and glimpses wild red hair, driving a reactionary fist into her attacker's cheek. Much to her surprise it elicits a masculine grunt of pain. She scrambles to her feet and catches his mitts before they connect with her again. It's been quite a while yet she instantly identifies him. "Brick, hey, chill out! It's me, Buttercup!"
He falters as recognition dawns. Maroon eyes scan her from toe to head, lingering on her black bob cut. "Buttercup…" he breathes, visibly relaxing. "I could've sworn you were Brute. Sorry."
She knows they're practically twins aside from hairstyle. "S'okay. I thought you were Berserk till I heard your voice." Now that he's no longer trying to pummel her into dust the differences are as obvious as night and day. Brick is well over six feet tall with a sturdy build. His arms are toned and his heaving chest highlights square pectorals beneath his T-shirt, which has a diagonal slash revealing defined abs. He's grown pretty handsome, Buttercup thinks; high cheekbones, full lips, sharp jawline, and rather sultry eyes for a guy. Or maybe 'smoldering' is the correct adjective given their color. In addition to his torn clothing he's also covered in dirt and missing his hat. "So you ran into Brute?"
"She ran into me. Knocked me through a parking garage." He pushes a hand through his long locks to dislodge bits of rubble.
Buttercup folds her arms. "What're you doing here, Brick? You guys fucked off a long time ago." The Rowdyruff Boys hadn't gone far, just next door to Citiesville where they could menace people to their heart's content.
"I wouldn't have had to come back if you three did your damn job and took out those crazy bitches when they first showed up. Now they're edging into our territory and I'm gonna put a stop to it."
"Yeah, okay. My evil doppelganger clearly kicked your ass." His teeth clench. "They're a lot tougher than they look, huh? Kinda seems like you ran away from Brute."
"I didn't run away, I made a tactical retreat. There's a difference."
Buttercup snickers; she saw the scared, desperate expression on his face. But in truth the Powerpunk Girls scare her, too. They're the strongest foes her sisters have ever faced and they know the Powerpuffs haven't left the vicinity, so they fly overhead waiting for their quarry to show. Just one Punk is too much for all three Puffs to handle together, but perhaps with the Rowdyruffs on their side… "We should join forces," she states.
Brick gives her a withering look. "What makes you think I'd ever agree to that?"
"How 'bout the fact that if the Punks kill us before we destroy them they'll likely come after you guys next? They'll turn Citiesville into this." She gestures to their surroundings as a whole.
He softens. It's no great destination but Citiesville is his home, and for once it was in vastly better condition than Townsville. Besides, Brick isn't sure if he can actually take out a Powerpunk Girl in a one-on-one fight. If two or all of them ganged up on him he might not live long enough to tell his brothers to flee. "I'll think about it," he says. "What're you doing here if it's so dangerous?"
"Blossom needs medicine. She got fucked up the other day when Brat caught her scrounging around a science lab." She examines the sky above, frowning. "There's a small pharmacy in this mall. I wanted to be in and out in half an hour, before it rains."
"Tch, what's so bad about a little rain? Might clean this shithole up."
Buttercup sighs at his ignorance. "Your old pal Mojo Jojo built a weather machine for the Punks when they first got here. He filled it with Antidote X and now it's part of the local water cycle."
"Shit, really? So if it rains on us…?"
"Say goodbye to your powers for twelve hours." She walks through the mall's dilapidated front entrance.
"Hey, hang on a sec…" Brick follows. "If I help you get this medicine we can leave sooner, right?" She clearly knows how to survive here whereas he'd flown blindly into hostile territory to escape Brute, not his brightest move. If he sticks with Buttercup they can put up a united front against a Powerpunk in case they're spotted. "And I need a new hat. Lost mine during the fight."
She only shrugs and allows him to trail her to the pharmacy on the second floor. The roof is collapsed and most of the shelves toppled over. "Well, fuck. Won't find anything in this mess."
"What're you looking for?" Brick asks.
"Eye drops." He grabs a handful of bottles for alleviating dry, red, itchy eyes that Buttercup dumps into her backpack. She also finds glaucoma medication and takes it just in case.
"Mission accomplished?"
"Not quite. Need some clothes." She ventures into the closest store with garments still on the racks. "You might as well replace those rags while we're here." Brick heads to the men's department as Buttercup finds lingerie; turns out undergarments aren't great at enduring the apocalypse. She strips naked to don a black bandeau and cotton boyshorts, stuffing several packages of panties into her bag as well. There's a nice leather jacket in the neighboring section but she needs something to wear beneath it first. Long-sleeved thermal? Ideal. Cargo pants? Perfect. Her shoes are trashed so she trades them for combat boots with good tread. Now it's mission accomplished.
"Brick," she says loudly, and he comes around the corner with two caps in hand. "I'm done here. If you wanna get home safely we should go now."
"Okay, but which of these looks better?"
She taps her foot while he tries them both on. "The gray one." He tosses the other hat aside. "Didn't know you were so vain. Need anything from the makeup counter before we leave?"
"Hey, fuck off. Even though this mall is half trashed it's still nicer than anything in Citiesville. I'm gonna bring my brothers back here."
"Good luck with that. If you fly together the Punks will definitely sense your energy."
His expression dims. "They can do that?"
"Uh huh, that's why we take turns coming into the metro. If you wanna get out of Townsville without attracting one of them you need to fly carefully." Buttercup goes to the top of the dome, giving the vicinity another X-ray sweep. "We're clear. Come on."
"Look at you, all stealthy and cautious." Brick cackles a little. "It must suck having to sneak around your own home."
Yeah, it did suck, but getting caught by Berserk, Brat, or Brute would suck a lot more. Thankfully the Punks didn't have the same harmonious sibling relationship as the Puffs. There had been a few instances where Buttercup or her sisters were completely at their mercy but they were too busy arguing with each other to strike the final blow, so they lived to fight another day.
Buttercup never takes the same route twice. Sometimes she flies all the way around the city to enter it from different directions so as not to clue the Punks in to the new location of the lab. Today she's going east, then south toward the suburbs. Brick shadows her wordlessly, attentive and efficient as she expects the Rowdyruff leader to be, but then he lingers in the open while she ducks beneath the awning of a convenience store and during that time the first raindrop falls, an instantaneous deluge rather than a gradual shower. Within seconds he's drenched in Antidote X.
"Brick, you moron! Get over here!" He blinks, drowsy, and takes a step forward only to trip over a pothole and nearly faceplant the ground. Buttercup muffles a scream, cursing the fact that she now has to wait out the storm with his useless ass. She should just ditch him and get herself to safety… but there's no telling what the Punks will do when they find him. She removes a poncho from her backpack before dragging Brick out of the road, and not a moment too soon. A dark green streak cuts through the air high above. Of the three Powerpunk Girls Brute is the one she wants to avoid most because she's fucking psychotic.
Any minute now Brick will start convulsing due to the rapid decline of his metabolism. Chemical X speeds it up, Antidote X slows it down. Slow metabolism means his body doesn't produce enough heat to regulate his temperature, not to mention he lost his powers. Buttercup told him that would happen, didn't she? "You're an idiot," she speaks quietly, scathingly. "You shouldn't have been here in the first place. You don't belong here, you never belonged here. It's my city to save. Why didn't you just go home after Brute beat you down? Arrogant bastard."
His eyelids flutter as he murmurs, "I heard that."
"Good. Don't freak out about this." She rips his clothes off.
"The fuck're you doing?!"
"Preventing you from getting hypothermia," she explains.
"But I'm naked!" He blushes profusely but Buttercup doesn't really give a shit about modesty right now. She hauls him upright, placing his arm around her shoulders.
"Can you walk?"
"Where the fuck're we gonna go?" he demands.
"My friend Kim used to live here. This is her family's shop. There's an apartment upstairs." Brick keeps his mouth shut and lets Buttercup heft him up the narrow staircase. There is indeed a small living space, eerily vacant. The décor is distinctly Asian. He drops onto the sofa and places a pillow over his hips, closing his eyes to vertigo. He can feel his body fighting the Antidote, trying to purge it from his system, sweating rather than shivering. Guess that's a benefit of being hot-blooded. His head lolls toward the room Buttercup rummages through; she comes back with a thick wool blanket. "Wrap yourself up in this."
"Find me clothes or something. I'm not leaving this place buck-ass."
"We can go back to the mall when the rain stops." She peers between the window slats at the torrent. "Unless you feel like wearing women's underwear right now."
He considers it for a split second. "Fuck that. I just don't want you to see anything."
"Oh yeah, I'm so interested in checking you out while we're hiding from supervillains who want to kill me." She scoffs. "I have way more important things to worry about than your dick."
"Like what?"
"Literally everything!"
Brick makes a frustrated noise. "That's not what I meant. Why'd you stick around here instead of getting the hell out like everyone else?"
Buttercup takes a deep breath to calm herself. "Because the Punks will just follow us wherever we go. If we stay in Townsville the damage remains localized."
"What was Blossom doing at a science lab?" he asks next.
"The Professor is trying to engineer a compound that'll nullify the Punks' powers, like how Ax affects us. The thing is, they're not made with Chemical X. We got a blood sample from Brat early on and they're infused with something we call Chemical Y, so the Professor has to make Antidote Y."
"Wow, real creative."
"At least we're trying to do something about them instead of acting like they're someone else's problem," she returns.
He sits upright to glare at her. "Those bitches don't care about us, they want you. And since you said we never belonged in Townsville, why should we lift a finger to help you get rid of them?"
"Because we're not strong enough!" Buttercup shouts, launching into a tirade. "We're not strong enough to beat them, okay?! That's why we need the Antidote Y to weaken them, 'cause our attacks are fucking useless! And if you're not strong enough to take them out either it makes sense to work together! If it's six against three we'll stand a chance. I know we will because…" Her volume lowers to almost nothing. "Because the Rowdyruff Boys are stronger than the Powerpuff Girls. You've always been stronger than us. I thought the enemy of our enemy could be our friend for once but no, you have to be exactly what Mojo made you to be, a self-absorbed asshole. My life would be so much easier if I could live like you but I can't 'cause I'm a goddamn Powerpuff Girl and I was created to protect Townsville. But I failed and now there's nothing left!"
She sits on the carpet with her back to Brick while trying to blink away tears. Buttercup finally said it aloud: she failed to save the city from an enemy for the first time ever. The destruction, the barrenness, the isolation is her fault because she wasn't strong enough to protect her home, and it isn't anyone else's responsibility to fix what's been broken. It was wrong of her to assume the Rowdyruffs would go out of their way to join a battle that has nothing to do with them. But deep down she knows that even armed with Antidote Y it'll still be a tough fight without additional support; one of her sisters might be killed. Buttercup cannot stand to lose Blossom or Bubbles, not after everything else has been taken away. Her family is all she has left. She's been defending them at any cost to herself but she doesn't have much more to give.
Brick stares at her for a long while, wishing his X-ray vision were intact so he can see what's going on in her head. Buttercup is the Toughest Fighter, the unshakable one, but it certainly seems she's reached her limit. She must be really desperate to want to fight with him despite being attacked on her home turf. She saw him and thought "here's hope" instead of "here's an enemy". It tugs at his heartstrings a little bit. "If I agree to rally my brothers and help you destroy the Powerpunk Girls," he speaks in a neutral tone, "there are some things I want in return."
Buttercup twists around to face him, the gloom shielding her puffy red eyes. "Like what?"
"Like… we get to live in Townsville again."
She's astounded. "You want to to live here? Like in a house?"
"A penthouse, a hotel suite, villa, mansion, loft, bungalow, whatever." Brick shrugs. "Anything's better than the two-room place we have now. Butch sleeps on the damn couch."
"Um, okay, that's not a big deal since there's plenty of real estate available. What else?"
"I want Professor Utonium to get rid of any and all traces of Antidote X, 'cause this…" he indicates himself, "…is unacceptable. Never in a million years did I imagine being stuck powerless in an abandoned home with a fucking Powerpuff Girl."
"A fucking Powerpuff Girl who saved your life," Buttercup corrects. "And that's easy. We want it gone, too. Gotta bust up the weather machine, though." She would've done it long ago if the Punks didn't take turns guarding it. "Next?"
He grins. "When everything's put back together and businesses reopen, I wanna go a shopping spree without having to pay for anything."
"That's called stealing, Brick."
"Fine, then a city-wide discount for us."
She rolls her eyes. "That's assuming we succeed in taking Townsville back and assuming we can fix everything so people will wanna live here again."
"Tch. Didn't you Girls help Mojo build his observatory when you were, like, six?" She gives him a snide look. "That's all I can think of for now… no wait, I want a statue dedicated to us as the saviors of Townsville, a really big one."
"Y'know, your offer to fight with us is a lot less selfless when you demand multiple rewards." Brick is completely unbothered by the morality of their agreement. "But okay, I'll make sure you get everything you want."
"Promise?" He withdraws a hand from the blanket.
"I, Buttercup Utonium, promise to deliver the agreed-upon material goods to the Rowdyruff Boys upon the successful reclamation of Townsville from the Powerpunk Girls." She meets his grip, immediately grimacing. "Eww, you're sweaty."
"Well I'm not feeling too hot right now," he retorts.
Her brow furrows as she kneels on the sofa to press a palm to his forehead. "No, you are really hot. That's weird. Ax is supposed to make you cold."
"I'm enveloped in a wool blanket. It's hot as balls in here."
"Which neither of us want me to see, so just uncover your upper body." Brick does so in a flurry of movement, sighing at the rush of cool air on his skin. "I'm going to get drinks and snacks so sit tight."
The stillness of the apartment makes him uncomfortable as soon as she leaves; he's not used to being alone. Brick stands, swaying as another wave of vertigo hits, and pulls open the blinds. He scowls at how obfuscated everything is, not just because night has fallen and there aren't any street lights. Black, gray, brown… Townsville is a shadow of its former self. The only point of color around for miles is Buttercup's bright green eyes. Does she know her irises glow in the dark? He gets woozy again and sits back down, cringing in response to a temperature spike. It feels like his own body is trying to liquefy his organs or something. Getting rained on by Antidote X is officially the worst thing he's ever experienced in life, worse than exploding from Powerpuff cooties as a kid. He would much rather be kissed by Buttercup than lose his powers.
"The streets are flooded," she announces upon her return, "and a bunch of the food is moldy. But I think these chips are okay, and here's jerky." Several bags fall onto Brick's lap. "There's lots of water and juice. Pick your poison."
He raises a hand to prevent her from dropping those on him as well. "Watch the junk."
"Sorry, forgot how fragile men can be." She wears a smug smile as his eyes widen at the jab, but then he smirks.
"I just thought of something else I want in exchange for saving Townsville. You can give it to me personally."
"What is it?"
"I'll tell you when the time comes. Just remember you already shook on it so you can't refuse."
Her lips turn down. If Brick thinks he can screw around after the Punks are gone he's got another think coming. Buttercup finally removes her jacket and boots before checking out the rest of Kim's old home. They left behind large pieces of furniture like chairs and dressers as well as two made-up beds. She shakes out the musty blankets and piles them in the living room opposite the sofa, then finds more throw pillows in a large trunk. Since it's dark and she reasons Brick can't see her, she takes off her shirt and pants before diving into her downy nest. "Mmm, comfy…"
He tries to sound casual. "Hey Buttercup, this couch is too short for me to sleep on."
"If you think I'm gonna share my awesome bed with you, you're delusional. And suicidal."
"C'mon, I'm the one in recovery. I deserve to be comfortable." He tries walking to where she lies but the room is pitch black. He bangs a knee on the coffee table, sucking his teeth.
Buttercup stifles a laugh. "Brick, if you keep making dumb decisions and hurting yourself I will tie you up for your own safety. I have rope in my bag."
"Kinky," he returns, voice pitching higher in pain. "Guess I'll just stay here and wait for my legs to cramp up…"
She snorts. "You suck at this."
"At what?"
"Roughing it."
That's prime phrasing for innuendo but he can't think of anything clever with a bruise forming on his leg and his head spinning. "Yeah, well… go to sleep. Your glowing eyes are freaky."
"It's your fault we're not in our own beds right now." She ponders something. "What'd you even stop to look at out there?"
"Graffiti," Brick answers. "Wanna know what it said?" She nods before realizing he can't see it, but he caught the slight movement. "It said 'Townsville hearts PPGs'. Someone probably wrote it on their way out."
If that wasn't the best way to cut right to her heart. There must be people waiting for the Girls to do their job so they could return home as well. "If we actually defeat the Punks together they'll probably write 'Townsville hearts RRBs' too."
He mulls it over. "I guess I can fight for that."
Buttercup is a light sleeper, has to be in order to catch any indication of approaching danger, so she wakes up as soon as she hears the change in Brick's breathing. She moves over to him, placing a hand on his cheek; he's ice cold and his teeth are chattering. "Hey, wake up." She shakes him gently. "Get in bed with me. I'll keep you warm."
He groans. "I can't feel my fingers and I can't see anything. Oh god, are my eyes frozen?"
"It's just the middle of the night, Brick. Come on." She pushes the coffee table aside before leading him three feet to her nest of blankets, wrapping her arms around his frigid back while he snuggles against her chest. After a few minutes his jaw stops trembling and steadier breaths ghost her cleavage. Soon he stops shaking altogether. "Feeling better?"
The answer is delayed because Brick is amazed that Buttercup deigned to let him get this close to her. They haven't seen each other since they were twelve when the Powerpuffs came to Citiesville to stop a wannabe crime syndicate and the Rowdyruffs helped since they knew about all the shady goings-on. It's been at least seven or eight years since then. He knows the Girls graduated high school because he saw a plane towing a congratulatory banner and heard the ensuing party.
Six months ago the whole city fell silent and Brick started keeping an eye on Townsville to see what was up. He spied unfamiliar pink, blue, and green streaks flying through the air. He watched the buildings sustain more damage each day, noticed the crumbling infrastructure. And he saw dark clouds become a permanent fixture in the sky, but he had no idea they were formed from Antidote X vapor. He learned the Powerpunk Girls were responsible for Townsville's decay. He had a conversation with their redheaded leader last month, telling her to stay the fuck out of Citiesville or else. She didn't take his threat seriously. They started stealing from businesses on the edge of town, then they actually killed someone who dared to stand up to them. Brick hovered above the bridge linking the two cities. He only turned his back for a second but that was enough time for Brute to strike. After exchanging a few blows it became apparent he was no match for her, so he bolted in a random direction to gather his bearings. When he saw Buttercup on the balcony he couldn't believe Brute got ahead of him so quickly, deciding to take advantage of her being distracted. Their encounter was a simple case of mistaken identity.
Brick knows he should've allied with the Powerpuffs before an innocent civilian got killed. The Rowdyruff Boys are not good people by any means, but they don't commit senseless crimes and they certainly don't commit murder. They should've done something about the Powerpunk problem instead of assuming the Powerpuffs would take care of it themselves; that store owner died because of Brick's apathy. He's supposed to be the leader, the one who takes charge and takes action. He's also too prideful to outright ask anyone for assistance, but Buttercup doesn't wait to be told what to do. She reads a situation and reacts accordingly, and he likes that about her. She's been helping him without any prompting since he barged into her even though he definitely doesn't deserve it.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Brick eventually responds. As if he has anything to complain about. He's comfortable, she's soft and warm, and they're aggressively cuddling to stave off hypothermia. "What time is it?"
"It hasn't been twelve hours yet if that's what you hoped."
He smirks. "Well, you'll be able to tell the moment my powers come back. I run really hot."
"I'm sure."
"Seriously. I give new meaning to the term 'fire crotch'."
An amused puff of air ruffles his bangs. "If I end up with your dick branded on my thigh, I will do something to you that even Chemical X can't fix."
"Maybe it should be between them just in case." Buttercup flicks the tip of his nose. "Hey!"
"Stop flirting with me and go to sleep." He tightens his hold on her waist, mumbling petulantly, but the soothing manner in which she rubs his back easily lulls him to slumber again. Buttercup closes her eyes to resume her partial rest.
She's never slept with a guy before. She thought it'd be inconvenient but Brick is a nice bed mate. He doesn't snore, he grows hotter throughout the night, and breathing at the same rate as him is reassuring. She also experiences a feeling she can't name at the fact that Brick is completely trusting of her despite being so vulnerable right now, like he knows she'll protect him without hesitation. And she will because she needs him. Townsville needs him.
She'll be stronger with him at her side.