Boomer was laying in his bed, well, Bubbles' bed to be more accurate, and was staring at the ceiling. His eyes were half-lidded and dull as he only listened to the crickets chirping outside and the constant ticking of the clock on the nightstand. It had already gotten dark, and soon everyone had turned in for bed.
Boomer sighed and turned onto his side and stared out the window occasionally wondering about the different flickering stars that were brightly claiming the night as their own.
The blonde only curled into himself a bit more and shivered as his mind kept going back to a single thought, or a single person. His lip trembled slightly and he bit it to keep it still.
He was about to turn back and shut off the lamp sitting next to him on the nightstand, but a sudden movement caught his eye. He sat up and rubbed his eyes again before he stared at the window.
Tap.
There. A pebble clinked against the spotless glass and Boomer had to blink a couple more times before he stood up. The boy slowly walked over to the window and he pushed back the baby blue curtains. He hesitated before he cautiously looked out the window. His eyes widened and his throat instantly tightened and his pulse quickened.
There, standing on the front lawn, idly tossing a rock from his hand, was Ace. Ace looked at him through his dark sunglasses and smirked. With a wave of his hand, the green man walked away and down the street.
Boomer gasped slightly as his hands clenched the window pane tightly, his knuckles turning white. He felt as if all the blood rushed from his body and that someone had taken a knife and wrenched it into his gut and twisted it. He wanted to throw up.
Thinking fast, Boomer quickly ran to his door and threw on his shoes. He grabbed a blue v-neck sweater and threw it on as well, ignoring its girly style. He quietly opened his door and once he was out of the room, he shut it as quickly as he could without making a sound. The blonde then gathered his thoughts and felt as his feet slowly lifted from the floor. He silently flew to the front door and exited the house, not a sound being made.
As he flew from his house, Boomer couldn't help but be grateful for his stealth lessons. Focusing his attention again, the teen quickly scanned the streets as he flew high above the city, avoiding any notice of the night crawlers called citizens.
His eyes hardened instantly when they locked onto Ace as he casually walked down an alleyway, whistling an indescribable tune. The blonde frowned as he quickly flew down to the same alley.
When he landed, he couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat when the man's whistling stopped.
Ace froze.
A moment passed before a chuckle was heard and he took his hands from his pockets. Suddenly, a rock was thrown faster than any human towards Boomer. Boomer barely blinked as he caught it with ease and crushed the hard rock in his hands and let the dust blow away in the small breeze that blew by.
If he was going to be taken back, he might as well look cool going down.
Ace smirked as he turned around the fully face the boy.
"Well, looks like you haven't lost much of your speed at least. Or your brains, since you decided to show."
Boomer clenched his fists and glared slightly. "What is it Ace? W-Why are you here?" He silently cursed his stuttering.
Ace shrugged, "can't I come see my little buddy? I thought we were friends."
Boomer shuddered. "We are not! I of all people would know," He muttered. "Now tell me why y-you're really here."
"My, my, HIM wouldn't like this tone of yours, Boomer. I wonder what he would say if he found out how you've been speaking to his brigade leader. Wait, he already does," Ace grinned in sick glee when he saw Boomer instantly pale and his eyes contract in obvious fear.
"Now listen kid," Ace began and put his hands in his pockets,"things are gonna go down soon. Either you get your ass back to HQ and get ready, or we'll just have to finish off you and your friends ourselves."
"Y-you wouldn't. I-I'm p-part of this whole p-plan." Boomer felt the cold sweat that started to form at his temples at the expression on the man's face.
"Not really. You see, you were never that important to the plan. You really think HIM would trust such a moron like you with your feelings to actually become the head of this operation? In your dreams, pip-squeak." Ace scowled.
"W-why then? Why train me for so long?" Boomer asked. He needed to know as much as he could. But he also needed more time- for Mojo!
"Heh, that's none of your beezewax, kid. Now, are you coming back or not?" Ace took a hand out of his pocket and adjusted his sunglasses.
Boomer swallowed hard.
"I…" He clutched the sweater he was wearing and he felt his eyes sting slightly. He bit his lip and continued to apply more and more pressure until it broke the sensitive skin.
"I-I d-don't w-w-want t-to." He barely whispered out in his hoarse voice, but it was enough for Ace to hear. Boomer was shaking all over, and his heart was thundering in his chest.
He frowned slightly. "Well," he said, "I thought you were smarter. Guess not. Well, I might as well do what I came here for."
Boomer was about to ask what he meant when the older man suddenly snapped his fingers. The teen instantly felt something behind him and he quickly turned around. His eyes spotted nothing, but then he looked down when he felt something on his ankles. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth in a silent scream.
A large, thin green snake was wrapping itself around his ankles, making it's way up his body. The boy struggled to pull it off, but it only tightened itself around him more, eventually making him hiss in pain.
Boomer heard chuckling and immediately shot his head back to see Ace grinning maliciously.
"So? How is it? You like my snake? Not even some super-kid like you can kill that thing. It was made for one purpose and one purpose only." He said as he put his hands on his hips.
Boomer struggled more and more as he tried to bust free from the snake that was now halfway up his torso. It was moving too fast to really concentrate any force in one spot. His chest was being crushed and he even felt snapping in his rib-cage.
"P-please! Stop!" He cried out, but it wasn't loud enough for anyone else to hear. His eyes stung even more and tears threatened to spill from his blue eyes.
"I-I'm sorry! I- I was just trying t-to finish my m-mission myself! I was g-going after the girls!"
"Heh. Yeah right. HIM knows your little plan and let me tell you it's not going to last long. No matter what you do, he'll always be right there."
The snake was close enough to Boomer's neck. It's red eyes practically glowed as a dark purple aura surrounded it. The reptile lunged at his neck, fangs out as the snake sank its teeth into his pale skin. Boomer screamed in agonizing pain, and the snake disappeared just as quickly as it had come.
The teen fell to his knees, groaning in agony as he held his neck that was dripping blood. His eyes drooped slightly as his vision blurred. Everything seemed to slow down as his chest ached and his breathing slowed. He knew he was probably crying, though he couldn't feel it. He barely even noticed as his legs gave out and he fell face-forward onto the ground. He grunted as his eyes glazed over. He could barely see the green man in the distance as everything no longer made sense to his poor eyes.
He faintly heard footsteps as Ace stepped forward and crouched by him. He barely felt as he grabbed a handful of his hair and brought their faces together. He could see his own pitiful body reflected in his sunglasses.
He wanted to be sick.
"One more thing," Ace smirked, fang glinting.
"HIM is pissed."
That was all Boomer heard and saw before his vision suddenly went black.
...
"What do you mean he's gone?!" Brick asked, the glass of water he was holding promptly fell and broke on the ground as he ran upstairs from the kitchen to Bubbles. The blonde girl had tears falling down her cheeks as she was standing outside her room. The other teens ran to her as well at her outburst and crowded around her. Brick ran into her room and his eyes widened when he saw the room.
Nothing. There was no one in the room, and not a single hint of Boomer was in the rest of the house. Blossom and everyone else soon ran in as well, including the Professor. Bubbles was crying into her hands, and Buttercup was soothingly rubbing her back.
"What the hell?!" Butch shouted as he glared around the room as him and Blossom checked in the closet and under the bed.
"Where could he be?" Blossom wondered aloud. Brick sighed and ran a hand over his face. He looked at Bubbles," Bubbles, what happened exactly?"
She sniffled, " I-I just came to check on him and wake him up. I thought m-maybe we could go ice skating!" She cried harder.
"Hey, it's alright! C'mon Bubbs, don't cry!" Buttercup tried to sooth her and Blossom only put a hand on her shoulder.
"Wow, you're being awfully nice Butterbutt," Butch sneered at her and she only growled, signaling him to shut up.
The professor walked over to the window and he blinked.
"Um, girls," he said and everyone looked at him," I think I found something." They all walked over to the man. "Look, the window isn't completely closed. Do you think Boomer did this?" He asked.
Blossom stepped forward and examined the window. Indeed, passed the light blue curtains was the only partially closed glass. Brick pushed past her and lifted the window and looked out of it. His shoulders sunk.
"Do... do you think something happened to him?" He asked as he stared out at the empty snowy landscape outside. Blossom put a hand on his shoulder and Butch scoffed.
"Please, I'd be wondering if the kid just ran away." He said as he crossed his arms.
Brick glared at his brother. "Hey, he didn't run away!"
The noirette glared back. "How do you know?"
"Because," he replied, " I know my brother. Unlike you, I know he wouldn't do that again."
"Oh yeah, 'cause you just know everything," Butch glared back. "Even though you barely know anything that has to do with the kid!"
Brick was about to retort when Bubbles stood between them. "No, stop! Please, we need to find Boomer! I don't believe he ran away, he's not like that! We have to find him!" She had long since wiped her tears, and she had a determined look in her light, sky blue eyes.
The professor nodded in agreement, "I agree with Bubbles. We need to go out and look for him. I doubt he would just leave without telling us, and I think the only logical conclusion would be that something had happened to him." He said.
"But where do we start?" Blossom asked.
Buttercup shrugged, "milk cartons?"
Suddenly, the phone started ringing downstairs, startling them all. Everyone jumped a little before the girls flashed downstairs, followed by the boys while the professor ran.
Blossom picked up the phone from the night stand in the living room first." Hello?" She asked.
"Hello, Blossom? It's the mayor!" The mayor's high pitched and aged voice rang out on the other end.
"I have important news for you!" He exclaimed.
"What is it Mr. Mayor?" Blossom asked as Buttercup tapped her foot impatiently next to her, while the others just listened intently.
"You have to come quick! We found someone unconscious in an alleyway. We took him to the hospital and..." He trailed off.
"And?" Blossom urged.
"And he says his name is Boomer," he finished.
"B-Boomer?" She stuttered, "A-Alright Mr. Mayor. We're on our way now!" She said and hung up. The redhead turned to them and nodded, saying," alright you guys, looks like they found Boomer before us. To the hospital!" She announced and then ran to the door and flew out of the house.
Everyone followed, but Buttercup stopped before she could leave as well. She looked back at the Professor.
"You want a ride?" She asked but he shook his head.
"You go on ahead, I'll take my car," he said and waved her off. She nodded and flew to her siblings.
The fly was quick and trouble-free as they raced to the large, modernized building. The sun was out, and yet Bubbles couldn't help but shiver from the still falling snow. She looked over to Brick and frowned in worry for the serious looking teen. However, shouting caught her attention from the ginger and she looked down towards the approaching hospital. She gasped and stopped along with everyone else.
Crowds of people were gathered around the entrance of the hospital with signs up and cameras out as they bombarded any staff that were outside trying to calm them down. Even police officers were arriving on the scene for crowd control along with news vans. Butch growled in anger as he was about to swoop down to the gathering, but Blossom stopped him.
"Wait Butch! Not yet! What should we do about this? Why do you think they're here?" She asked.
Brick narrowed his eyes, "I bet they're here for Boomer. Word must have gotten out that he was here."
"Hey, I'm gonna go and see what's going on," Butch said before speeding down to the ground.
"Butch!" Blossom sighed as she did a facepalm.
"Why does it matter so much if he goes down there? His funeral for going into such a huge crowd. Seriously, it looks like black Friday down there!" Buttercup muttered.
"Because Buttercup," Blossom said, "we need to focus on getting to Boomer. If the news sees him then they won't leave him alone, no one will! No one knows that Boomer has been with us. For all they know, this is the first time he's appeared. Kind of."
"Well we need to get inside! We need to find Boomie!" Bubbles exclaimed.
"Boomie?" Brick raised a brow.
"Yeah, my nickname for him! Isn't it cute?" She grinned cheekily.
He rolled his eyes before he looked down to Butch who was, in fact, being surrounded by shouting citizens and news crews. He sighed before he decided to fly down to him.
"Brick! Oh come on, not you too," Blossom groaned before she finally gave in and followed him, and then Bubbles and Buttercup as well.
"-and I reaaallly don't want to look too protective or anything, 'cause I'm not!" Butch finished and then waved to his approaching brother.
"Hey Bricky boy! I was just telling these news dudes about what I thought of Boomer being here."
"Mr. Brick! What is your opinion as well on the matter of Boomer finally returning after ten years?" One news anchor asked as he held a microphone to the teen's face.
"W-well, I really don't want to talk about this now. I just came down to get my idiot of a brother here to come back." He said and glared at Butch who only shrugged. Then, Blossom and Bubbles landed by the two as well, which only caused more commotion.
"Blossom, Bubbles! You two have helped raise Brick and Butch for so long. So what will you do now with Boomer?" Another woman asked and handed her microphone to Blossom who only blinked.
"Well, I don't see why Boomer would be treated any differently. He will be given the same option to live with us and will be given as much happiness and love as any other boy his age. We will try our best to show him that he was a family in us and that he has no reason to think otherwise," she said with as much confidence as she could. The cameras flashed several times and more questions were asked.
"What do you think happened to him during all these years?"
"Do you think this is a trap from the villains?"
"Why was he found in the alleyway?"
"Will you try and pursue the still hidden villains?"
"What is your plan for dealing with the situation?"
More cameras, more questions, more shouting. It was loud, and booming. Brick looked around and noticed different signs saying, 'Welcome Back Boomer!' and others saying, 'Protect Townsville! Keep The Villains Away!'
His frustration was rising dramatically, and it only increased when he saw Butch only posing dramatically in front of the cameras and flirting with the girls around him, while Bubbles was only starting to cry dramatically in fear at all of the attention and Blossom only smacked Butch in the head and scolded him all the while trying to calm her sister down. Buttercup and Butch then started arguing when he told Blossom to quit being such a 'biatch.'
Everything was getting louder and louder and mixed together, and Brick started glaring as he balled his fists and tried to ignore all the shouting people. He then pictured Boomer, sitting all alone in the hospital and he remembered his paranoia around new places and people. His eyes widened when he imagined the scared boy while everyone was just sitting around.
"WILL EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP!" Brick shouted at the top of his lungs, effectively silencing everyone, even the cameras stopped.
"That's it, everyone just get out of here! We need to get in that hospital! We don't have all the answers yet, we're still working on things! I don't have time to deal with all this bullshit when I could be going in and getting answers instead of just watching you all take pictures of Butch posing or Bubbles' crying!" He felt something snap.
"He's too anxious to be here on his own and you're all making it worse! So just pack up and get out!" He scolded and everyone was just sitting there speechless.
Blossom stepped forward and reached her hand out to him in a calm manner. "Brick, we're sorry. Listen, we know we have a lot on our plates right now, alright? We just need to breath, ok? Just relax and we'll go and find Boomer now, alright?" She said soothingly to the angry teen.
His shoulders finally relaxed and he stood straighter. His face still a bit red, he nodded and looked away. "Right. Sorry," he said.
Bubbles smiled, "it's alright Brick! We've been watching over Boomer, and you should know by now that he'll be fine." She said, but then froze. She covered her mouth and widened her eyes.
"Oops," she said. Suddenly, the paparazzi was back and were crowding Bubbles now.
"Wait, do you mean you've been watching over Boomer?"
"How did you find Boomer in the first place?"
"Does this mean you've been keeping all this from the city the whole time?"
"Oh no..." Butch groaned.
"Great job Bubbs," Buttercup sighed. Bubbles whimpered.
"Let's just go!" Brick said and quickly flashed to the entrance and inside the hospital and the others soon followed and ignored the news crews who were then trying to get in.
Brick ran over to the front desk and asked," Boomer Jojo, where is he?"
The woman at the desk only looked onto her computer and replied, "he's on the fourth floor, room 213. He should be ready for visitors now." He didn't even bother to say anything else as he dashed up the stairs past any still roaming people.
"Thank you," Blossom said before her and the others flew after him.
It took no time at all as they raced through the seemingly endless hallways and staircases before they found Boomer's room. Brick wasted no time before he quickly opened the door and walked inside.
"Boomer!" He exclaimed as him and the others came into the room, Buttercup shutting the door behind them.
Sure enough, Boomer was sitting in a white hospital bed watching TV. The blonde boy only jumped when he heard the sudden noise and looked at the new group inside. His eyes widened and he grinned.
"Brick!" He said and jumped out of the bed to run to the other boy. He made the motion to hug him, but then stopped himself and just stared at the ground with the remote in hand.
"Boomer, what happened? Where have you been?" Brick asked.
"We've been so worried!" Bubbles said and hugged the other and he flinched slightly but still returned the gesture.
"I-I'm sorry," he mumbled.
"Dude, have you seen the crowds out there? The whole city wants to see you!" Butch commented as he looked out the window.
Blossom sighed, "Boomer, why would you leave? We thought you ran away!" She said. Boomer looked at her when Bubbles finally let go of him.
"I d-didn't m-mean too..." he said.
"Woah, is that a vampire bite? Cool!" Buttercup said with wide eyes when she gestured to Boomer's neck.
He jumped slightly and covered his neck while he blinked in confusion, "what? A vampire? I d-don't know w-what y-you mean..."
"Oh my gosh, he's a vampire now!" Butch half-yelled.
Brick facepalmed and glared at him, "shut up. Don't be stupid. He just got a bite or something."
"Jeez, don't be such a jerk," Butch pouted and crossed his arms.
"I'm not being a jerk, you're just being stupid," he replied. He then looked at Boomer who was starting to tremble a bit.
"Boomer, can you tell us what happened?" Brick asked again and Boomer only stared at his feet.
"Please Boomer? We won't be mad," Blossom said.
"E-Everything is r-ruined now. B-Because of me…"
"What do you mean Boomer?" Bubbles asked.
"B-because, they… th-they want me b-back..." He said and sat down and took his hand away from his neck.
"Boomer, what are you talking about?" Blossom asked.
He sighed. "I… don't w-want to talk about it… P-Please." His voice slightly cracked. They all stared at him in worry but still dropped it.
Suddenly, the Professor burst through the doors with torn clothing and messy hair covered in dirt and sticks.
"Girls! Boys!" He said as he stumbled over to them.
"Professor! What happened?" Blossom asked as she helped him limp to an unoccupied chair by the bed.
"Are you alright?!" Bubbles asked and knelt by him.
"I-I'm alright. You should have seen them! News crews everywhere! People charging through the hospital grounds! Once they saw me get out of my car, I never had a chance. They surrounded me and they wouldn't let me go until I answered all their questions!"
"Poor Professor!" Bubbles cried.
"That's it! Those guys are starting to really piss me off!" Buttercup growled and rolled her sleeves up.
"Calm down Buttercup, you can't hurt the civilians." Blossom sighed.
"Can't we at least scare em' or something?!" Buttercup crossed her arms.
"No, Buttercup. Now, we need to get Boomer home," she said.
"Boomer, are you alright? Why were you in an alleyway?" The Professor asked and the boy only looked away and gripped his knees with his hands.
"I-I'm fine..." He mumbled.
Brick shook his head, "he won't tell us what happened. We'll talk about it later, I guess."
All of a sudden, stomping and yelling were heard outside the room. Screams of terror sounded in the halls, and the group could practically feel the floor shaking.
"Oh no-" Buttercup gasped. "-they're back!" The Professor squeaked out.
Then there was banging on the door and scratching noises. Slowly, the door knob turned slightly. Boomer and the Professor stood up. Everyone but Boomer backed up slowly as the doorknob kept turning.
Boomer looked confused. "W-what? What's g-going on?" He asked.
And then, the lock clicked. The door was pushed open and hit the wall so hard it cracked. Newscasters and fans and all kinds of people poured into the room, taking pictures and holding microphones to Boomer.
"Boomer! Where have you been all these years?"
"Mr. Boomer, have you been staying with your brothers and the Powerpuff Girls all this time?"
"Do you know where the other villains are?"
"Boomer, are you working with HIM?"
The last statement made Boomer's breathing stop and he froze. He instantly paled and his knees buckled. Brick saw this and immediately dove to catch him. Boomer was shaking terribly and his eyes glazed over slightly in fear as his pupils dilated.
"Boomer!" Brick shouted and shook him slightly, but he was unheard.
"H-HIM..." Boomer breathed.
Brick barred his teeth and glared at the other people in the room.
"Get out! We don't want to deal with your stupid cameras right now!" He shouted and everyone backed away, but still continued to take pictures.
"Hey! Didn't you hear him?!" Buttercup yelled. No one listened.
Bubbles squinted her eyes against all of the flashing lights and held onto the Professor's coat.
"Come on! Let's go!" She said.
Butch ran to the window and opened it. He jumped out and waved to everyone else. "Come on! I don't feel like turning this into another episode of the Walking Dead!" He shouted.
Soon, Bubbles (who was carrying the Professor), Blossom, and Buttercup jumped out. Brick gave one last look to the people who were trying to creep closer to them and then hoisted Boomer up into his arms and ran to the window as well.
He jumped out and joined the others, but then Blossom groaned.
"What?" Brick asked her.
"We need someone to sign Boomer out," she said.
"Ha! I wonder who the poor sucker will be to go back into that hell-hole!" Butch laughed.
Everyone froze and then slowly looked at him. Slowly, his laughing stopped and died down and he blinked in confusion at everyone.
"What? What are you all staring at?" He asked.
Finally, it dawned on him and he only huffed.
"Oh, no! You're not going to send me in there!" Still staring.
"Aw, come on!" Still staring.
"Nuh-uh! I'm not going!" He crossed his arms. Still staring.
"Seriously?" Still. Staring.
"I'm gonna kill you guys for this if I don't die!" He growled out and then flew back down to the entrance where there were still crowds of people shoving each other to get in.
The others only shook off his comment and then flew back to their house. Once inside, they all walked to Boomer's room. Brick gently laid him on the bed and Blossom left to get some water. Brick sighed and sat on the bed by his brother.
"I can't believe they did that," he said with disbelief as his eye twitched.
"I know, how could they do that?!" Bubbles cried out.
"Who knew news people were such jerks?" Buttercup muttered while she leaned on the door frame.
"They shouldn't have just burst in like that! This is why we stuck to crime as kids!" Brick groaned.
"Yeah! Look what they did to Boomie!" Bubbles was on the verge of tears.
"Don't worry Bubbles, I'm sure Boomer will be fine," the professor reassured and put his hands on her shoulders. "Brick, I think you should go and get some rest after this. You've been really irritated lately," the scientist suggested.
Brick glared at him, "shut it old man. I don't need you telling me what to do either."
The Professor widened his eyes and Bubbles gasped. Buttercup started coughing in surprise as a failed attempt to hold her laughter in.
"Brick Utonium! I know you're having a tough time, but I will not tolerate such words from you! Maybe Butch, maybe Buttercup, but not from you!" He scolded.
Brick only balled his fists and stood up defiantly. It was at that moment that Blossom walked in.
"Hey, I got Boomer some water-" she stopped." Um, am I interrupting something?" She asked.
Brick turned away, "no, not at all." He sat back down with a frown etched on his face.
Blossom only raised a brow at him before walking over to Boomer. The boy was finally starting to breathe normally again and his body became less stiff. His eyes started to focus again and he blinked. Slowly, his eyes shifted around before they settled on Blossom.
"B-Blossom?" He asked quietly. She smiled at him reassuringly.
"Hey Boomer, don't worry. Everything is alright now. You're back home now," she said.
"No... N-no camera m-men?" He asked.
"No camera men," she affirmed. The red-head then looked at the glass of water she was holding and held it out.
"I got you some water," she said. Boomer looked at it for a moment before slowly sitting up.
"T-thank you..." he whispered before hesitatingly taking it. He drank the water silently and finished it in mere moments.
He put it down and stared at his hands. Everyone else just stood in place shuffling and looking around the room. Buttercup coughed.
Awkward.
At that moment, a loud crashing sound was heard followed by grumbling and cursing. Stomping echoed in the house and then suddenly Butch's head popped up in the doorway.
"Yo, hags! What's going on? Oh, and Prof. you better be grateful, I brought your car back!" He called out. Everyone was still silent.
"Um, woah, what happened? Did someone die?" He joked. Buttercup only shook her head.
"Yeah, ok, so hey Boomer!" Butch said and quickly walked over to his blonde brother. Said teen looked up at him and nodded.
"H-hello Butch..."
"Dude, what's wrong with everyone?" He grinned and ruffled Boomer's hair.
Still no reply.
"Ugh, come on! Someone tell me why it feels so awkward in here!" He shouted which made Boomer flinch.
"Hey moron, stop shouting." Brick glared. Butch huffed and only crossed his arms.
"I don't know what's up with you, but you need to cut it out man! Stop being such a nag!" Butch looked down at him. Brick stood up and grabbed his shirt by the collar.
"I really don't want to deal with this right now," he breathed.
"So what? You have such a short temper dude, you need to chill." Butch replied.
"Boys, please, don't start this now," the Professor moaned.
"Yeah you guys, cut it out," Blossom said.
"Stay out of this Pinky," Brick snapped. Blossom huffed and glared at him.
"Brick," Bubbles warned. Buttercup only walked forward and put a hand on her shoulder, signaling her to stay back. "Don't, let the idiots finish this themselves." She said.
"Finish what? All I know is that Brick is being a stupid asshole who needs to quit acting like he knows everything," Butch smirked at him. The professor didn't even bother to scold his language this time.
"Oh really? Well Butch is being an inconsiderate moron who doesn't know the meaning of 'think before you speak,'" Brick shot back.
"As if. You're the moron here. If you're gonna punch me, then do it. Don't be so weak," Butch said.
Boomer's eyes widened.
Brick glared and thought for a moment. Eventually, he sighed and let his hand down.
"Whatever, I don't want to deal with you right now," he conceded.
Butch scoffed and shrugged. "Whatever you say, leader-boy. Jeez," he said as he turned around, "No wonder you let Boomer get kidnapped."
Brick snapped. He let out a loud shout as he charged for Butch. He tackled the unsuspecting teen to the ground and punched him in the face.
"Shut up!" He yelled and punched him again. Brick's eyes were wide and just screamed in rage as he grabbed Butch's neck and snarled at him, "you didn't care either, all you wanted was the damn food!" He shouted. Everyone else just stepped back from them. The professor was about to intervene, but stopped and thought better of it when he saw how angry his super-powered son was. He looked at Blossom, but she only shook her head. He then looked to Buttercup who only shrugged. Bubbles was too busy hiding behind her raven haired sister. Boomer only stared with wide eyes.
"Don't you dare say I'm just some nag, and to say Boomer got caught because of me! You never did anything to help and you never cared even when he came back! I'm sick and tired of you constantly acting like a little kid! We aren't five anymore Butch! I don't-" He breathed, "I don't even know why we decided to stay, but it was the smartest thing we did. But you- you couldn't save him either." Brick's face had fallen and his mind reverted back to that first dream.
His lack of sleep the last couple nights finally got to him, but he knew what he said was the truth.
None of them could save him. He saved himself.
The room was silent except for Brick's ragged breathing. Everyone was frozen in place as Brick slowly started to stand up and then stormed out of the room. His slamming door was heard soon after.
Butch only lied on the floor and stared at the ceiling. After a moment, he too pushed himself up. His shoulders were sunk and his head was low, though you could still see the trace amounts of blood on his hands when he wiped his face. He paused, like he was going to say something, but then just walked out of the room. You could hear his door slam loudly that shook the walls.
Everyone just stood and stared at the doorway in shock. Everyone except Boomer who was staring numbly at his hands that were now turning white from how much he was gripping his jeans. Blossom turned to him, "Boomer-"
"G-Get out," he said. His eyes were lidded and his pupils were once again dilated as he trembled slightly.
Bubbles walked over to him with her hand out and said, "but Boomer-"
"Please just leave!" He cried out without looking at them. Everyone only looked at him in shock before slowly they all filtered out of the room and the Professor closed the door behind him.
Then it was just him.
Boomer could feel his head pulsing painfully and his heart was pounding in his chest. He could feel his blood rushing from his face as he started shaking in fear again.
Boomer, he heard a voice.
Boomer, are you ready to listen?
"No," he said quietly.
But the longer you stay here, the worse things get~
"I said no," he said again. The voice was really starting to anger him.
You know you should just listen to me. Just relax, and let me take things from here, like last time. It's awfully boring without some action-
"I said NO!" Boomer yelled. The voice stopped.
Boomer groaned and felt his neck burn painfully and hissed. He held his hand to the bite mark and his lips trembled slightly. After a moment he lied back down and curled himself into a ball and shivered, trying to forget the all too familiar arguing, the shouting, the silence.
The same words echoed in his mind.
Don't be so weak.
No wonder Boomer got kidnapped.
Shut up!
HIM is pissed.
Tick Tock Boomer, the next voice was different from the other memories.
He actually heard it.
I'm going to make sure you will never forget what's coming to you.
"Just let me forget," Boomer said to himself.
"Please, just let me forget just one time," and with that, he closed his eyes. A dark aura could be seen surrounding him, almost cradling him, and it was all stemming from the bite mark and his heart seemed the darkest part of the growing aura.
And then he forgot.
