This is a story request for Bubbles586, the 500th reviewer for Hung Up on You! I suppose the 510th or even 505th reviewer will get a request as well, because this was rather fun. xD
They requested a "Brick x Bubbles songfic", but didn't say what song. So I looked around, trying to find one that would suit my idea for the story. So I settled on "Music Sounds Better With You" by Big Time Rush. :D
I nearly wanted to make this into a Blossom x Brick story, but I stuck to my purpose. Maybe I'll use this song again for a different songfic, or I'll change the Bubbles' in here to Blossoms, and the Bricks to Boomers. xD
I'll explain some stuff about the story at the bottom! :D
Better with you,
Better with you, yeah...
It wasn't that Brick wanted to be alone.
He'd just gotten used to moving on, and taking control of his life...by himself. He'd fallen in love a few times, but none of them ever lasted. He wasn't entirely sure why he even bothered sometimes.
Sighing, he set down his pencil and stared at his paper. He'd been trying to write a report for school the half past hour, with no luck.
Nothing; nada: zilch; zero.
He had no inspiration, no ideas, no words, and you get the picture.
Brick continued to stare at his paper before sighing loudly. "I try to write this down... The words just don't come out. It's hard to say how you feel..."
Been down the longest road
Said yes when I meant no
Brick stared at his paper. He'd been down such a long road, and had said yes when he meant no. He'd definitely lost some things because of that, including his ex-girlfriend, Blossom Utonium.
"...I lost control of the wheel," he sighed with a shake of his head. "And I lost the girl of my dreams."
It wasn't that they hated each other—hell no; they were still friends!—but it was more so the fact he'd gotten lost along the way. Maybe it was because he wasn't ready for love, or he and Blossom clashed, but even then, he still missed her...
Her kiss, her smile, her eyes, everything... None of that was his anymore, and he still felt awkward when he saw guys approaching Blossom—but they weren't dating anymore, so what more could he do?
He couldn't just stop Blossom from dating other guys just because he still kind of liked her.
Brick's brothers would tease him about it, and he kept telling them to "shut up or else".
Brick glanced at the clock on his bedroom wall. It was already 6:30 pm. He'd been working for awhile now, even if he'd gotten barely anything done. His eyes were tired, so he decided to take a break.
"Maybe I'll take a walk at the park," he sighed, getting up.
Cause you know that
Things get so bad,
You've got my back
He knew Blossom would still have his back no matter what happened. She was still his friend, and friends stick together.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder if Blossom ever wondered about if he still had feelings for her, like he wondered about her?
He remembered one of their arguments. It was about something silly and stupid, like maybe it was because he'd seen her with Dexter or Boomer, or she'd seen him talking to Princess about homework...
They had gotten really worked up, and Brick had thrown a fireball at her. She'd froze him and the fireball, yelling at him and calling him names that she dared call (Blossom tried not to swear too much).
He'd simply glared at her, burning the ice with his laser vision and tackling her. They'd landed on the bed, her wide pink eyes staring back at him and...
Brick had shut his eyes, looking away.
Even now, Brick had to close his eyes at the memory of Blossom's fearful expression, and those tears slowly appearing in the corners of her eyes...
And what had he done then...?
...He'd mumbled an "I'm sorry" before throwing open the window.
"Wait!" she'd cried.
Brick had glanced back at her, closed his eyes, and shook his head. Then he'd flown out.
Are we really not perfect together...? Brick remembered thinking, gritting his teeth.
Brick sighed, and began humming. He started murmuring a few words in song: "Make me wanna sing, and girl I'm singing about you..."
Just as he was singing that, he heard a new voice also singing a few words:
"No sweeter sound than what I've found..."
"No perfect love," he continued slowly, approaching the mystery singer.
"Could be more perfect than us," she sang.
Ooh baby it feels like, it feels like
The music sounds better with you baby
It feels right, it feels right
Everything's better with you
Brick pushed back the bushes, staring forward with an amazed look on his face. His eyes widened at the sight.
A blond girl with blue eyes was seated under a tree, singing softly and holding a daisy in her hand. A few of the petals had been plucked.
"...Bubbles...?" he whispered.
He hadn't expected her to hear him, but then she jumped in surprise and turned around. He cursed their super-hearing, stepping out into the open and giving a half-hearted wave. "...Hey," he mumbled.
"H-Hi," she stammered shyly.
I used to think that love
Was something fools made up
Cause all I knew was heart break
Brick approached her and took a seat beside her. "Do you mind if I sit here...?" he asked, noticing her shifting uncomfortably.
"N-Not at all!" she said quickly—too quickly. She smiled softly. "S-Sorry... I-I just...experienced heartbreak."
Brick turned to look at her in surprise. He just noticed that sad, empty look in her big baby-blue eyes, and the small, weak smile on her face. "You okay?" he asked, reaching out to touch her shoulder awkwardly.
Bubbles looked surprised at the touch, but managed a fake smile and a nod. "Yeah, I'm fine!"
He stared into her eyes, narrowing his own ruby-red ones.
"...Brick...?" she asked shyly, blushing.
"...You're lying," he finally said firmly. "You're not okay."
"N-No; I'm fine," she insisted. Bubbles glanced down at the flower in her hand. "I...I was foolish anyway."
"And who'd you fall for?" he asked. "I'd hardly think someone as pretty as you would get turned away. They must be really stupid if they did."
Bubbles glanced at him in surprise, her face reddening.
Brick only then just realized what he'd said. His face reddened as well and he mumbled, "I mean...y'know."
"Y-Yeah; thanks," she whispered shyly. She glanced at the flower again before speaking softly, "...I don't know... I just saw him hug another girl and I...I got scared."
"Who was it?" Brick repeated, concerned. Bubbles really was pretty. Too pretty and kind to be turned down, he thought. And the way she looked in the darkening light... He shook his head to clear it. What are you thinking!? He scolded himself, and almost didn't hear what Bubbles said next... It was only the names he'd caught:
Woah I couldn't help myself,
Let this heart go through hell
There's only so much a heart can take
"...Boomer and Blossom..."
He spun around to stare at her, startling the poor girl. Brick grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "What did you say!?" he demanded. "Boomer hugged Blossom!? That little—" He just then noticed her fearful expression, and Blossom's own face came into view...from all those nights ago, wide-eyed and scared...
Brick let go of Bubbles' shoulders. "...I'm...I'm sorry. Just...forget it." He shoved a hand up his carrot-red locks of hair, groaning. "I just...I don't know."
"Brick...?" Bubbles whispered, sounding genuinely concerned as she touched his shoulder. "Are you okay...? I thought that you and Blossom had broken up...?"
"We did!" he snapped, spinning to glare at her. She jumped back, startled. He paused, as only then realizing what he'd said, before sighing. "Look...I just... Forget it."
"...You can tell me," Bubbles said firmly.
Brick glanced at her in surprise, noticing her determined, and concerned expression. She really did look genuinely worried.
He nodded. "Okay then... It's just that..." He paused, sighed, and then continued: "I used to think that love was something fools made up, 'cause all I knew was heart break. I couldn't help myself... I let this heart go through hell, and there's only so much a heart can take."
Cause you know that
Things get so bad,
You've got my back
Brick sighed, rooting up grass and staring at the ground. "...And then Blossom came along. I hated her at first, like I was supposed to—maybe even more so than how much I hated all of you, her sisters."
"Brick—" Bubbles began, but he shook his head and she clamped her mouth shut. He went on.
"I thought I'd hate her forever—that I'd remain evil, and I'd find a way to beat you." He laughed an almost empty, cold laugh, it sounding hollow. "But then what happened...? I started becoming good...and that wasn't what I was supposed to do. I was maturing, even. All of my brothers and I turned good, even Mojo and Him. Villains started becoming good guys and only causing mischief every now and then. New villains appeared and old ones made up with the Powerpuff Girls. I went to school and..." He trailed off.
"Go on," she urged gently.
"I still had a rivalry with Blossom. That everlasting need to be better than her, or annoy her." He laughed another empty laugh. "But y'know, love is weird, right? It just hit me—even if it was kind of slow. Still, I was falling for her—and hard. So we were friends and I tried my best to hide my feelings. And then..."
"...You two started dating," Bubbles whispered softly.
Brick nodded. "Who would've ever thought? Little Miss Perfect chose me, an ex-villain and all-around 'hoodlum'—especially according to Dexter, the 'Boy Genius'. He foretold that this love wouldn't last, and I suppose that was the only thing he got right...: It didn't last."
"Oh Brick, I—" Bubbles began, but he shook his head again.
"It hurt my heart, and I was once more plunged into heartbreak, where I knew I still had feelings for her. It's not that I want to be alone, I've just gotten used to moving on...on my own." He sighed, shaking his head once more. "I thought our love was prefect. Maybe we gave up too quickly. But you know us—if something's not good enough, it just won't match our standards—The two of us were just too impulsive and impatient.
"We both got jealous too easily, and our tempers were bad. Besides, both of us had trouble trusting each other, even though we never meant it. We said rash things we'd regret later, and we foolishly convinced ourselves our love would mend itself... And where did that lead us...? That's right: heartbreak. I just can't seem to get away from it."
"Oh, I'm sorry Brick..."
"It's not your fault." He managed to give her a small smile. "You know what...? Thanks for listening, Bubbles. I...I needed that."
She smiled and gave him a hug.
Make me wanna sing,
And girl I'm singing about you
"You should go talk to Boomer," Brick offered, helping her up. "He's at home right now."
"...Thanks, Brick," she said with a smile.
He nodded, holding her hand as he took her to their house. He opened the door and told her to wait in the living room, before floating up the stairs.
"Boomer...?" he asked softly, knocking on the door. "Boomer, are you there...?"
A muffled voice sounded from behind the door. "Go away, you jerk."
Brick pushed the door open. "Boomer, what the hell's going on?"
"Nothing," his blue-eyed brother scowled, getting up from behind his bed.
"What are you, five?" Brick asked. "Why are you playing Hide-and-Seek?"
"I'm not playing, Brick!" Boomer snapped. "First you take the girl of my dreams, then you break others' hearts."
"What are you talking about...?" Brick asked, bewildered.
"I'm talking about Blossom and Bubbles!" Boomer snapped.
Brick froze. "No...no, no, no, no, no." He took his head in his hands, shaking it wildly. "This cannot be happening."
"What...? Are you just realizing that Blossom—"
"Shut up!" Brick yelled, grabbing his brother by the shoulders and shaking him. "I don't need to hear about how much she likes you better than me, and how much I've hurt her! IT'S NOT LIKE I'M NOT HURTING EITHER!"
"Brick—" Boomer said in shock.
"Just leave me alone! I brought Bubbles here to talk to you, but you obviously like someone else! Someone I thought you knew I still—" He froze, before spinning around and slamming the door shut.
"Wait, Brick!" Boomer shouted, before dropping his hand and groaning, flopping down on the bed with a loud sigh.
No sweeter sound
Than what I've found
"Brick...? Are you okay...?"
He spun around, expecting concerned pink eyes, but instead he was met with baby-blue ones. He'd almost forgotten Bubbles was here. "I..." He composed himself slightly, flopping down onto a couch. "I'm fine," he said quietly, staring forward.
"Are you sure?" she asked, sitting down beside him.
He nodded. Against his will, his mind started thinking about how sweet her voice was. "I just...I think I took an arrow to the gut, that's all."
Bubbles scrunched her face up—rather cutely, his mind added—which he ignored. "What do you mean?" she asked.
He managed a small smile. "I think I just found out Boomer likes Blossom." As soon as he said the words out loud, he instantly regretted it.
The look on her face made his guilt increase almost ten times, and he leapt up. "Bubbles, I'm sorry—I shouldn't have—"
"No..." she whispered. "Thanks for telling me." Then she vanished through the door.
Boomer appeared then, calling, "Bubbles, wait—!" He turned to stare at Brick. "What did you do?"
"I just...I accidentally told her you like Blossom," Brick said, swallowing.
Boomer froze. "But I meant that you took Bu—"
Brick shook his head. "No time to explain," he called over his shoulder. "If you don't go after her, I will!" Then he vanished out the door.
Boomer groaned, sliding down on the staircase, sitting with his head in his hands.
No perfect love
Could be more perfect than us
"Bubbles...?" Brick called softly, flying through the streets of Townsville. He figured she'd be in the park, and so he made his way over there.
Brick landed, looking around. "Bubbles...? Bubbles, are you here...?"
Silence met his answer, and Brick felt himself growing a little desperate.
Calm down, he told himself. Calm down and think.
Brick took a deep breath, straining to listen. He perked up then, hearing what he'd been looking for—sniffles.
Instead of cursing their super-hearing like last time, this time he relished it.
Brick flew toward the noise, approaching silently.
Ooh baby it feels like, it feels like
The music sounds better with you baby
Brick parted the bushes, seeing her blond hair against a tree. It glowed in the darkness. "Bubbles...?" he whispered.
She turned to look at him, tears running down her face.
...It was just like earlier.
It feels right, it feels right
Everything's better with you
"Bubbles, are you okay?" Brick asked softly, walking toward her and sitting down beside her.
She shook her head silently, holding up the daisy he saw her holding earlier.
...There was only one petal left.
Bubbles took a deep breath, plucking the last petal out and whispering, "...He loves me not."
Every song
Every rhyme
Every word (music sounds better with you)
Everyday (Everyday)
All of the time (All of the time)
Every way
Music sounds better with you.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Brick tried, ignoring the daisy because it made his heart lurch.
She sniffled, staring forward and shaking her head. "What...is there to talk about...?" she rasped quietly. "He doesn't like me."
"But you need to be strong, Bubbles," Brick attempted again to lift her spirits. His attempt failed miserably, crashing down.
"...I've been trying to be strong for too long!" she cried, throwing the daisy to the ground. She put her head in her arms. "I'm tired of pretending, Brick. I knew I didn't have a chance against Blossom—as you said, she's 'Little Miss Perfect', after all!"
"Bubbles—" Brick tried to cut in, but she continued to rant:
"It was obvious from the start! I've just been foolishly clinging onto him and naïvely wishing he could be mine! I kept telling myself I could do it, and I almost began to believe it." She started crying again, breaking down. Now instead of sounding mad and frustrated, she just sounded sad and lonely. "I should've never tried to get him—I wasn't ready for heartbreak."
Suddenly, she felt arms around her.
"...Brick...?" she whispered in shock.
She's my music enhancer
When the music plays, she's my dancer
When I'm around her everything's faster
Every question I have, she's the answer
Brick's voice sounded, soft and quiet, but still commanding. It sent shivers down her spine. "...Shut up for a second."
She paused in shock, before managing a small smile. "...Okay." She hugged back, causing Brick to stiffen, but then he relaxed.
"...I'm sorry for breaking down," she said.
"And I'm sorry for giving you the news so harshly..." Brick murmured.
Bubbles smiled, patting him on the back. "Nah, it's fine... It's not your fault; you were hurt too—I should stop acting as of this only has to do with me."
"Bubbles..." Brick managed a smile. "Yeah...you're right." He paused then. "I mean...the part about not always acting like this only has to do with yourself—I mean, I should stop doing that too and—ughh whatever!"
Bubbles giggled.
I'm head over heels
Can't explain it, it's so surreal
"You know when you fall head over heels, and you just can't explain it?" Brick suddenly asked. The two had stopped hugging awhile ago, and were now lying on their backs looking at the sky. They'd moved from the closed hill to a more open area.
Bubbles nodded. "Yeah, it just feels so surreal sometimes, doesn't it?" she murmured, smiling. She turned to look at him.
"Yeah," he agreed. Brick traced a heart in the sky with his index finger. "The kind of feeling where you want to say: 'When I'm around you, you make me feel like—'"
"'—Everything's better with you'," Bubbles finished.
They turned to stare at each other, their faces red.
Then Bubbles began giggling, and Brick smiled.
Oh, baby
It feels like, it feels like
The music sounds better with you, baby
It feels right, it feels right
Everything's better with you, oh, baby
The two continued to joke and laugh, talking about all kinds of things. Bubbles told Brick about her art projects, and Brick told her how he couldn't find anything to write about for his English report.
"I'm sure you'll think of something," Bubbles said. "You're so smart."
"I think I have an idea for my paper." Brick smiled. "And you have to show me your artwork later, okay...? You're so talented."
She giggled. "I don't know what you're talking about," Bubbles said jokingly.
"Sure you do," Brick replied. He was beginning to lean in...
Bubbles quickly then shoved him away. When she saw the surprised look on his face, she flushed. "I-I'm sorry," she mumbled. She got up and raced off.
Brick sighed, doing a face-palm. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he told himself. "What are you doing?"
It feels like, it feels like
The music sounds better with you, baby
It feels right it feels right,
Everything's better with you
Brick caught up with Bubbles, and found her sitting on the hill. "Bubbles..." he murmured. "I'm sorry..."
"No, I'm sorry," she replied, tearing up again. "I'm so stupid—"
Plop.
Bubbles paused in surprise, feeling something on her head. "Brick...?" she asked, feeling her head. It was Brick's cap!
"...Here; I hate seeing girls cry," he mumbled, looking away.
Bubbles was still staring at him in surprise, but then she smiled, starting to giggle.
Brick looked at her in surprise, but then he smiled as well. The two began laughing.
When they stopped, he asked, "You still up to talking to Blossom and Boomer?"
"Yup!" she giggled.
One last flower petal fell to the ground: He loves me.
Music sounds better with you
Pen to paper, Brick reminded himself.
"'It wasn't that Brick wanted to be alone.
He'd just gotten used to moving on, and taking control of his life...by himself. He'd fallen in love a few times, but none of them ever lasted. He wasn't entirely sure why he even bothered sometimes.'"
"'Music sounds better with you'"
So explanation time! (Although, you can still interpret this in your own way):
Boomer was hugging Blossom to comfort her, as she also still had feelings for Brick, like how he still cared about her. But Bubbles saw, and soon Brick was comforting her.
Brick interrupted Boomer when he was trying to talk to him, but Boomer actually meant that Brick had taken Bubbles from him and that he was hurting Blossom. Boomer didn't realize that Brick was hurting that much as well.
He'd said the "you took my dream girl from me" because he'd seen Brick walking to their house holding Bubbles' hand, and hadn't known Brick had actually brought her here to talk to him.
So Brick and Bubbles went back to talk to Boomer and Blossom, but I'll leave it up to you to imagine how it ends (although I kinda want to continue this). c;
So remember to read and review! :D
I'll see you all later. nun