A/N
Here we have an official part two as requested by TheEarthTiger. Lucky for you I already had an ending in mind so I got this done super fast. To everyone else, you're not obliged to read this if you'd rather imagine your own conclusion; I left part one open-ended on purpose. I hope this contains enough fluff for you, Tiger. The situation isn't exactly sunshine and rainbows so I tried my best. Let me know what you think!
When the day begins to fade
And you're feeling too afraid
Just remember who you are
'Cause I've come to take you home
"Hey, you see that down there?"
"Yeah, let's check it out!"
Buttercup instantly wakes from her deeper-than-usual slumber as the voices of two Punks reach her ears. She rolls on top of Brick, rousing him with the unexpected movement. "Wha's goin' on?" he mumbles. She places a hand over his mouth, pupils dilated as she sees Brat and Berserk descend to the street. Brick tries speaking again and she shoots him a look, that millisecond of eye contact conveying fear that she won't be able to protect him if he gives away their position, so please shut up. She's prepared to shield him with her own body, muscles coiled tighter than a compressed spring. He still isn't aware of the danger until he also hears voices.
"These clothes are all torn up. Maybe someone had a sexy party around here," Brat snickers.
"Don't be stupid," Berserk returns, "they're from that guy Brute was playing with yesterday. She said he got away."
"Maybe he got caught in the rain and fell through some glass?"
"I don't see any blood, though…" Buttercup tenses even more as she watches Berserk examine their surroundings. Thank god the Punks don't have X-ray vision, just laser sight. "If he did get rained on he's probably holed up somewhere. Let's check the outskirts."
They take off. Buttercup exhales slowly and uncovers Brick's mouth. Much to her surprise he doesn't say anything right away, but that's probably because he's staring at her chest. "Hey, eyes up here."
Red irises snap to her face. "They're gone?" Buttercup nods. "Sweet. Let's get the hell out of here."
She gets dressed, noting Brick's disappointed expression. He wears it for reasons other than she assumes. "Don't worry, we'll swing by the mall first. You can fly, right? Your powers are back?"
He snaps his fingers to generate a small ball of flame. "Back and better than ever, baby."
"Don't call me that. And put that out before you burn down the place."
He does so with a scoff. "Are you always this bossy in the morning? Do you need more cuddles?"
Buttercup rolls her eyes while shrugging on her backpack, pointedly not looking in his direction. Maybe Brick forgot he was naked now that he can't feel the cold but it's obvious in broad daylight. She gestures for him to follow, pausing in the store to survey the sky. Brick grabs his hat off the floor, which somehow managed not to get washed away with last night's flood, and dries it before placing it on his head. "Come on, and stay with me this time." She darts to an overhang up the street.
He smirks while pressing against her side. "Is this close enough?"
"Stop messing around and just pay attention!"
He chuckles; it's fun teasing her. And he's pretty positive she was comfortable sleeping with him last night, relaxing fully for at least a few hours. Maybe she dreamed about how things might become once they defeat the Powerpunk Girls. Townsville will never be the same as it was, but he can help fix it. Buttercup can stop worrying for a while if she has him to rely on. Brick wishes he knew how to put that in words.
They get to the mall without detection; he dons his third set of clothes in two days. "Now what?" he asks, approaching Buttercup. She's crouching behind an overturned table in the food court with her attention on the horizon.
"They've been circling the perimeter this whole time, and Brute is hanging out by the bridge. I thought about going under it but we'd be spotted in the open before we even got close." She makes a noise of frustration. "We might have to go really far out of the way."
"Not like we're walking," Brick points out.
"I don't have time for that. I was supposed to get this medicine to Blossom yesterday." She doesn't mean to guilt-trip him but he feels it nonetheless. Buttercup spots an entrance to the subway and forms a brash, dangerous idea, just her style. "Okay, here's the plan. I'm gonna attract the Punks' attention and lure them to the far side of the city. That way you'll be home free."
His jaw drops. "Are you crazy? What if they catch you?"
"They won't, I'm gonna lose 'em in the subway tunnels. They probably don't even know we have a system 'cause they're always up in the air." He's still gaping at her. "It'll be fine. They'll be too busy chasing me to notice you." He doesn't like this idea one bit yet follows her to a gas station just before the Citiesville bridge. They still have buildings for cover, staring upward for a good ten minutes to count how many passes Berserk and Brat make. Buttercup wants to alert all three Punks at the same time. "Okay, here they come. On three. One, two…"
"Wait." She gives Brick a glare for the missed opportunity. "I said we'd fight with you, but when will that be? How will we know when you're ready to engage?"
That's actually a good question. "Umm… oh, I got it. We'll have Bubbles send up a lightning ball, a beacon. By the time you guys get here the Punks should be affected by Antidote Y."
So keep watching Townsville. He nods. "We'll be here in time, I promise."
Buttercup smiles wryly. "If you're not then they'll become your problem to deal with. See ya." She rockets into the sky to interrupt Brat and Berserk's flight path, lasering Brute for good measure. Brick watches all four girls go shooting toward the heart of the metro. He's pretty sure Buttercup can outrun them since she's the fastest flyer he's ever seen and she knows the layout of the city better than her enemies. She'll be okay, hopefully.
For two weeks straight Brick sits atop the roof of his apartment building with his eyes on the city. He forgets to eat sometimes, falls asleep there more often than not. Usually Butch or Boomer covers him with a blanket and does the watching until he wakes up again. They call him obsessed but he's just being vigilant; he doesn't want to miss the beacon. They can't afford to miss it. The Powerpuff Girls need them. He needs to see if Buttercup is with them.
One day something feels off. None of Ruffs can say exactly what it is but they all go to the roof at the same time, observing in silence. The sky is darker than usual and there's a sort of nervous energy in it, something that makes their already-enhanced senses even sharper. They can smell uncertainty on the wind, they can hear it rushing by the Powerpuffs while they fly to meet the destroyers of Townsville. "Let's go," Brick commands, taking off just before a web of lightning turns the clouds stark white. Their call to battle.
Buttercup feels like dying, but she's not dead and that's what matters.
She lays on her back staring at the clouds overhead. They're clearing up slowly, pewter giving way to purples and pinks of the setting sun. Neon blue raindrops fall sporadically, the last remnants of the Antidote Y Blossom dumped into the weather machine. It was pretty smart thinking to use the Punks' own gadget against them. Unfortunately there was still Antidote X vapor in the storm system it generated, putting all nine combatants at a disadvantage. It took over two hours of hard fighting but finally the day is saved thanks to the Powerpuff Girls. For the first time ever it was also saved by the Rowdyruff Boys.
Buttercup closes her eyes and takes several deep breaths before willing herself to move. She turns to the left first, spying Butch with his head in Bubbles' lap. He suffered a really nasty blow from Brat, one that would've sheared off half his face if he were anything less than superhuman. There'll be a scar for sure. Bubbles has crimson blood in her hair but luckily most of it isn't hers. She fought harder than Buttercup ever thought her capable of and came out with minimal damage.
She looks right next. Boomer got pretty fucked up too, one of his arms dangling uselessly after being shattered by Berserk. Blossom has a med kit open to treat his more superficial wounds even though she isn't in such great shape, either. Her injured eye wasn't completely healed when she lost a laser beam struggle with the Powerpunk leader. It might be permanently blinded, but as always she's more concerned about taking care of others first.
She doesn't see Brick. Buttercup is positive he landed nearby after they took out Brute, craning her neck to check her six. He's slumped against a now-unidentifiable sculpture in the park, head down as rain drips off his bangs. The poor guy lost his hat again. She achingly rolls over, rises to her hands and knees, and crawls the few feet to him. Her whole body hurts after expending every ounce of Chemical X, and the adrenaline is wearing off. Brick looks up when she collapses onto her stomach. "Thanks," she rasps. "Definitely couldn't have done this without you."
He chuckles and then cringes at the pain it elicits. "Welcome. Was it worth it?"
"Of course." If it had been necessary she would've gladly sacrificed herself to take out one of the Punks with her, anything to give her allies an advantage. As long as the rest of them lived to reclaim Townsville, she would've paid any price. It's a miracle none of them were fatally wounded. "So where do you want your statue to be?"
"Stop…" He winces again. "Stop making me laugh. I have broken ribs."
"Sorry." They respectively lay and sit in silence for a minute. "What kinda house do you want?"
Brick exhales a breath of resignation. "About that… I decided I don't need all that stuff we shook on. It's… trivial." What he doesn't tell her is that his whole life has been defined by the desire to obtain material things to fill a void. This is the first time he's done something for someone else, the first time risking his life for a payoff that wasn't guaranteed. He fought for a place he doesn't belong in and for people he doesn't even know because he wanted to make amends for letting that store owner die and pay Buttercup back for saving him. But he can't deny the hope that Townsville's residents will recognize what the Rowdyruffs did for them and say they've earned a place here instead of muscling in uninvited. That's the reward he really wants. And he wouldn't mind seeing more of Buttercup on a regular basis, but that's just being selfish.
She frowns at him. "You don't want any of it? What about that thing from me?"
"It's fine."
"Will you at least tell me what it was?"
He shakes his head once before passing out. She's getting there herself, fighting the urge to succumb to darkness so her body can heal. The Powerpunk Girls are gone, they're in no real danger, but she's been in survival mode for so long she can't just turn it off. Buttercup gives her sisters and Brick's brothers one last glance to make sure they're really okay and closes her eyes, resting her head on her arms.
When she returns to consciousness she's laying on something soft and dry, a hospital bed in a dimly-lit room. Upon further examination she realizes she has been here before, many times in fact. It's the Professor's laboratory at their house. She feels an itch on her arm and discovers an IV attached to a bag of viscous black liquid. Chemical X. Looking around reveals five more identical setups with occupants, except for one.
The door above opens and soft footsteps come down the stairs. It's not the Professor; Buttercup knows his gait by heart. The person halts at the bottom of the stairs, then she hears a soft crunch. "Your home is in pretty good shape, all things considered," Brick remarks. He edges out of the gloom and she's relieved to see him wearing underwear. So is she, thank goodness. "Your old man was prepared for things to go screwy. He's got a solar-powered generator and satellite internet, food and water."
"The Professor isn't old," Buttercup says, "and what're you eating?"
"Pumpkin seeds. Want some?" Food of any kind sounds divine right now. Brick rolls a stool to her bedside and sits with the bag between them. "Prof said they're high in iron which is good 'cause we all experienced a lot of blood loss. You had a hole in your side, y'know."
"I did?" Buttercup lifts the blankets to check out her midsection, poking at a tender patch of new flesh. It's pale instead of lightly tan like the rest of her. How did she not feel that? "Awesome. How's Butch?"
"He'll be okay. No brain damage or anything."
"Good." She pops some seeds into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "So why were you wandering around my house?"
"Got bored," he shrugs. "I'm already healed."
"What? No way." Then again she doesn't spot any signs of injury.
"Seriously, I'm all good. Hit me." He stands to present his stomach for punching. She drives a fist into his diaphragm and he instantly doubles over onto her bed, wheezing. "Ugh, I didn't mean my gut!"
"You didn't specify where!" Buttercup retorts, trying not to disrupt the others with her laughter. Brick sits back down with a groan, resting his head on the edge of her bed. He smiles a little as her fingers brush his bangs aside. "Sorry if I actually hurt you." He waves it off. "Your hair's singed, you know."
"Boomer can cut it." Brick doesn't actually care, perfectly content to lie back as she runs her hands through it. He gives her a sidelong glance when a cool fingertip brushes his cheek. "Your hands are cold."
She pulls away. "Sorry."
"Stop apologizing to me." He turns around to clasp her hands between his own, heating them. "I'm the one who needs to say sorry. Sorry for attacking you at the mall, dicking around and getting rained on, making you keep me warm, and for not coming to you sooner about teaming up to fight the Powerpunks. A lot could've been spared if I'd done that."
Buttercup searches his unusually somber countenance. "It's not like you knew what was going on here."
"Yeah, I did," he counters, "I knew exactly what you were dealing with. I watched it happen. But I just sat there and did nothing until they threatened my home." His grip tightens. "You kept me safe while I was completely vulnerable, and then you got all three of those bitches to chase you so I could run back to Citiesville. I was afraid you… that they might've caught you… and you wouldn't be there when we joined your sisters and it was my fault for taking you away from them. I just wanted to do the right fucking thing for once…"
Before thinking twice about it Buttercup leans sideways to hug him, but it's kind of awkward since he's at a lower elevation. He remedies this by standing, her arms wrapped around his neck. "You did the right thing, Brick. You're a hero. And even though you said you don't want it any more, you should stay here with us. We'll give you and your brothers a new home." He mutters something into her hair. "Huh?"
"Do you want me to stay?" Brick asks more clearly.
She can feel that there are profound emotions attached to this query in the way his pulse races and he desperately clings to her. Is he really that afraid of losing her? "Yeah, I want you to stay," she answers. He definitely earned it. She withdraws to press a soft kiss to his lips. "That was in case words aren't enough to convince you."
He grins like a fool. "Consider me a permanent resident of Townsville. You're never getting rid of me now."
Buttercup smiles and rolls her eyes as he climbs into bed with her, taking care not to get tangled up with the IV. They both sigh at the familiar comfort of holding one another. "If the Professor sees us like this he's gonna freak out." She never told her family about huddling with Brick for warmth.
"Hey, at least I'm not naked this time. And you're under the blanket. Not like I can see or do anything…" He smirks. "Except get you hot and bothered."
"You're already bothering me." Buttercup mulls over something. "Are you ever gonna tell me what that thing you wanted was?"
"You just gave it to me."
"Oh. A kiss?" She regards him incredulously. "You wanted me to kiss you in exchange for saving the city?"
"Yeah…" Brick pulls her a little closer to his heart. "It was totally worth fighting for."