Sorry for the delay - also my apologies if the French in this chapter is inaccurate, I did my best! Enjoy!

"I've gotta say," Buttercup said through a mouthful of her toast. "It sure was a slow Christmas holidays. And I say that as a positive."

"What do you mean?" Bubbles asked, as she sat opposite her sister at the dining table in the kitchen diner.

"Well, this whole, 'new leaf' thing the Rowdyruff boys are spewing, it's meant that we've had a pretty chilled Christmas and New years. Not much crime to sort out and stuff." Buttercup explained with a stretch as she finished her breakfast. "It's felt weird, the holidays not being disrupted by the hotline ringing constantly."

"Well, maybe they are just telling the truth." Bubbles added with a small shrug, and Blossom, who was sat beside her blonde sister, gave her a mildly skeptical look.

"Well, if they're trying to prove themselves they're certainly doing a good job of it at the moment." Blossom said, brow furrowed, and Buttercup nodded slowly in agreement.

"I think they proved themselves at New Year's, personally." Bubbles muttered in a quiet voice, and Buttercup glared at her sister, hissing quietly, nodding her head in their father's direction, who was behind them in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher.

"Shouldn't you go and get dressed? We have to leave for school in like, 15 minutes." Blossom asked her brunette sister, who was still sat in her pyjamas.

"I'm ready, I just need to get changed." Buttercup answered lazily.

"Not getting ready won't make it not the first day back sweetie." The Professor said with a smile, and Buttercup sighed as she got to her feet.

"Worth a try." She replied as she disappeared upstairs in a bolt of green.

Bubbles and Blossom helped the Professor sort the dishwasher and put the dishes from their breakfast away, then began to get their shoes on and gather their school supplies ready to leave, when a frustrated yell from upstairs rang through the house, distracting them.

"Buttercup! What's going on?!" Blossom called up the stairs, hands on her hips.

Buttercup appeared at the top of the stairs in just her school shirt and underwear, her tie slung loosely around her neck, undone. "I can't find any clean pants!" She yelped, and Blossom rolled her eyes.

"Just get dressed! We're going to be late, and it's the first day back!" Blossom answered impatiently.

"Get dressed into what?! There's no school pants in my drawers!" Buttercup snapped back.

"Why isn't there any school slacks in your drawer? You've been off school for two weeks now." The Professor asked, appearing beside Blossom and Bubbles.

"I don't know!" Buttercup answered, frustrated.

"Well, did you wash any clothes over the holidays?" Bubbles asked, and Buttercup blinked as she shook her head lightly.

"No…" Buttercup murmured. "But, I did put them in the laundry basket!"

"But you didn't put a wash on yourself? For two weeks?" Blossom reiterated, and Buttercup frowned at her.

"Well, I - no okay! I'm sorry but, I have to wear something! And all my pants are dirty. Blossom you did washing over the holidays, I saw you, why didn't you wash my slacks?!"

"I reminded you more than once to do your share of the laundry and you ignored me." Blossom folded her arms across her chest, and Buttercup glared at her as Bubbles said:

"You'll just have to wear a dress today."

"You bitch." Buttercup growled at her redheaded leader as she smirked. That'd teach her to scare the living daylights out of her like she did over New years.

"Buttercup! That's enough! There's nothing else you can do right now, and you're going to be late. You'll have to wear one of your sister's school dresses. It is your actual uniform after all…" The Professor said, and Buttercup's mouth dropped open in shock.

"Are you kidding?! It's freezing out there!" Buttercup cried, dismayed.

"Then you wear stockings like everyone else does." The Professor said and Buttercup screwed her face up in disgust.

"No way, I refuse to wear those things!"

"You don't have a choice today honey. Go on, go and change quickly." The Professor said, turning and heading back into the kitchen.

"Can you imagine what the guys will do if I turn up in one of those dresses?! Butch is gunna slaughter me." Buttercup muttered with dread.

"You'll live." Bubbles said, patting Buttercup on the shoulder.

Sure enough, as Buttercup and her sisters walked into school, they were greeted with shocked faces and dropped jaws. A few of the older, preppy seniors whooped and hollered at her as they passed, and Buttercup grumbled under her breath, her teeth grit together so tight it was a wonder they hadn't turned to powder. Her sisters found it quite amusing.

"Who'd have thought blending in would make you feel so singled out?" Bubbles mused as Buttercup sighed raggedly.

"I'll get you back for this Blossom!" She promised, and Blossom tutted as they reached their homeroom class.

"You have no one to blame but yourself. If you'd have done your fair share of the laundry - like Bubbles, the Professor and I did, you'd be wearing your precious slacks right now."

"You could have just washed at least one pair! It's not like we go through our stuff and ONLY wash our own clothes!" Buttercup complained as they queued outside. Mitch, Harry, Louie and Dom were ahead in the queue, but she made no attempt of getting their attention, and hoped they didn't notice her hiding at the back with her sisters. She was just glad Butch wasn't in yet, or Cody.

"I also could have told the Professor what really happened New Years Eve, and where you really ended up staying - but I didn't!" Blossom pointed out, and Buttercup rolled her eyes.

"You can't keep using that one -" Buttercup began but was interrupted by a long, low whistle, and instantly she sighed, her face falling into a flat look of dread. He had arrived, and noticed straight away.

"God DAMN! I thought my birthday was at the end of the month not the beginning!" Butch cried loudly, his jaw hanging open as he looked Buttercup up and down.

His (over)reaction had caused the entire line of students, and anyone passing, to turn and look over at Buttercup too.

"Shut the fuck up man!" Buttercup hissed, but there was next to no conviction in her voice, and as Butch and his brothers queued up behind Buttercup and her sisters, Butch could have sworn he could see a hint of red on his counterparts cheeks.

Was she seriously blushing?

"What happened to 'you won't ever catch me in that fucking dress?'" Butch asked, looking her over exaggeratedly, even attempting to peek up her dress in a playful manner.

"Butch!" Buttercup cried, patting the skirt of her dress flat against her legs as Butch sniggered, and Brick covered his face in mild embarrassment. "Don't be a prick - I didn't have any clean slacks. And I didn't realise that till about 10 minutes before we had to leave." She flashed Blossom a glare, who huffed in response.

"Don't sweat it, I'll spend the day as your designated body guard." Butch said, standing straight and smart beside her suddenly. "You're gunna need it with those pins out all day."

Buttercup rolled her eyes, but she was smirking.

"Thanks, I guess." She murmured with a sigh. She turned and looked towards the door, seeing if their teacher had arrived yet to let them in and do roll call, and she noticed the majority of her class, her friends included, were still gawping over at her, and she frowned, turning away. Butch was also gawping. Boomer and Bubbles had burst into conversation as soon as Boomer had gotten over the initial shock of Buttercup in her school dress, and Brick was scrolling through his phone, and doing so quite obviously to avoid conversation with Blossom. Blossom was looking through her bag, presumably doing the same as Brick was.

Buttercup tutted as she glanced back at Butch. "Can you stop it? If this is what today's going to be like, I'm going home now."

"Wait until Principal Dixon see's you." Mitch said with a snigger, looking Buttercup's way, who grunted, irritated.

"For fuck's sake, shut up about it! Hopefully Dixon doesn't see me. I don't want him to think this battle is over, it isn't! Trust me, I'll be in my usual pants again tomorrow." Buttercup promised, and they knew she wasn't lying.

"Guess we better enjoy this rarest of days while it lasts then." Butch said with a sigh, and Buttercup thumped him on the arm. Butch only chuckled in response, and Buttercup had a small smirk on her face.

There was an easiness between them, all of sudden. Buttercup hadn't necessarily noticed it herself but, her friends certainly had, and they found it as odd as they did relieving.

Wondering what had happened to provoke this unspoken change between his two friends, Mitch asked: "Hey, by the way, what happened to you guys, at the party on New Years? You just, disappeared."

"Yeah, we wondered where you went, and what happened..." Cody added. He'd been dying to know what the hell had happened after he'd sent Butch upstairs to check on Buttercup and Chase. He hadn't found out, because he didn't want anyone to know he was dying to know, especially not Buttercup anyway.

Buttercup's expression changed instantly, her brow furrowing.

"Did you and Chase fall out or something?" Mitch asked, and Buttercup's frown changed to a more saddened look then angry.

"I guess you could say that. I'm pretty sure I'm done with him now." Buttercup murmured, very clearly not wanting to talk about it, but none of her friends getting that hint. The annoying thing about hanging out with males 90 percent of the time.

"Ahh. That makes sense, cos he left with some girl, and that girl wasn't you…" Mitch muttered, and Buttercup looked up at him, anger back on her face.

"Huh. Yeah. Definitely done with him." Buttercup said, glancing at Butch briefly, who was frowning deeply. "Oh, thanks for having my back that night by the way, you guys. Fucking top notch friends, you lot. A-fucking-plus."

"What do you mean?" Cody asked, sounding less curious than he really was.

"Chase acted like a complete fuck that night, and I was so drunk!" Buttercup said, and Cody looked down at the desk in front of him, knowing he had been right. He knew Chase would try it on. He fucking knew it.

"What happened?" Cody asked again. Butch gave Cody a confused look. Why was he asking so many questions?

"We didn't realise you were really drunk!" Mitch cried, and Buttercup scoffed.

"We played dirty pennies! You guys know I cannot hack that game!" Buttercup cried.

"Chase wouldn't have done anything like that anyway." Mitch brushed it off, as Harry looked down into his lap guiltily.

"Well according to Butch I was basically passed out and he was pawing at me like a fucking tiger, trying to get my clothes off!" Buttercup said, folding her arms across her chest. "At least this clown," She said, pointing to Butch who was sat beside her at their desk. "Butch fucking Jojo, was looking out for me!"

Butch tried to not look smug, looking down at his textbook in front of him, occasionally looking up at his friends. He could see Cody eyeing him irritably. He almost looked… Jealous?

"Sorry BC. Really, didn't realise. Didn't even think." Harry said, patting her hand.

"Yeah, same. I didn't think Chase would -"

"I know you've all not seen each other for however long but now is not the time for a catch up. Save it for break time please." Ms. Smith said as she swept across the room toward the teens who had pulled their seats over to Buttercup and Butch's desk to chat - instead of doing the comprehension work on the new book they had started like they were supposed to be doing.

The others scooted back to their desks, leaving Butch and Buttercup to return to their work - or at least pretend to until she got back to her desk.

Buttercup peered at Butch curiously; he was fiddling with the corner of his textbook idly. Why had he helped her that night? She just couldn't get her head around it.

"Hey, Butch." Buttercup found herself saying before she was able to think about it anymore.

He looked up at her expectantly. "I just wanted to say - I mean, I'm not sure I even -" She paused to stop herself babbling. Butch had furrowed his brow at her. She was hardly ever lost for words, it sort of unnerved him a bit. "Thank you." She blurted out. "For what you did for me on New Year's Eve. I don't think I said it before but, thank you."

"Oh," Butch blinked, shrugging lightly. He wasn't sure how to respond to being thanked for something, it didn't happen often. It almost felt unnatural to him. "Don't mention it."

There was a slightly open pause between them both, in which jade eyes looked into forest, almost intrigued.

"Why did you do it?" Buttercup asked in a small voice.

"Why did I do what?" Butch asked, confused.

"You know, why did you follow us upstairs? What made you check in on me? I mean, my actual friends didn't even do that. Yet, you did."

Butch blinked, thinking back to that night. A lot of it was blurry. But he remembered the odd feeling in his stomach. He'd felt uneasy. Uneasy for someone else, which wasn't a feeling he was accustomed to. Cody had done as well, he'd told him to go after them. Would he have followed her even if Cody hadn't have said anything? Maybe not straight away, but he felt like he would have done at some point. "I dunno. It confused me as well, to be honest. I just, something didn't sit right with me. It's a bit blurry cos, I was a bit wasted too but, my stomach felt weird as shit and, well, you were tanked and he clearly had plans for that night, if you know what I mean…"

Buttercup nodded slowly. She knew what he meant. "I've literally been trying to get my head around why you helped me, why you basically saved me from something that would have been so, shitty and awful had you not have been there."

"I weren't gunna just sit there and let that happen, was I? Even I have my limits. Don't sweat it. Not so evil now, huh?" His usual grin appeared on his face at his last question, and Buttercup found herself smirking back at him.

"You're confusing the hell out of me, that's for sure." Buttercup replied and he sniggered.

"Well, you go on about it being important and special, that wouldn't have been special. I doubt you'd have even have remembered it." Butch said, and Buttercup nodded slowly again, her smile faltering slightly.

"Yeah, you're right…" She murmured.

"Maybe you'll actually get off my back a bit now. What with me saving your virginity and all. And helping towards preventing your Dad grounding you forever more." Butch said, and Buttercup smirked again.

"Oh god, he'd shit a brick if he knew…" Buttercup muttered, imagining the Professor learning who's house they'd stayed the night at. "Listen, I know you joked about it and all but, did anything actually happen at your place? Between… Us? It's a bit blurry and, I dunno, I've been told I can get a little handsy when I'm drunk." Buttercup said, her face reddening ever so slightly.

"You're telling me." Butch said with a knowing smile and Buttercup's face fell, mortified. And she properly blushed.

"Oh god, I'll never drink again if I get THAT stupid when I do." Buttercup grimaced, and Butch tutted.

"Excuse me, but I am in my prime!" Butch exclaimed, mock shocked.

"Whatever girlfriend." Buttercup responded. "Soo, what happened?"

Butch could remember that part of the night very clearly. "You kissed me." Butch said, and Buttercup's face came out in a blush. "More than once. The first one was for New Year's.. Midnight and all.. But the rest, well, weren't. But I am a respectable man and I'm saving myself for marriage. So I shunned your advances."

Buttercup felt herself smiling as she held back a laugh.

"You tried to overpower me, I screamed a lot, and then you passed out." Butch continued and Buttercup did laugh now.

"That didn't happen did it?" She asked, and he smiled a small smile.

"Some of it did."

Buttercup laughed. "Did I really kiss you? More than once?!"

"You did. You loved it too, by the way, if you were wondering." Butch said, leaning back in his chair, still smirking. "Oh Butch, oh you're so amazing!" He crooned in a feminine voice until she punched him on the arm.

"Shut the fuck up I did not say that!" She cried.

"Somehow," He continued. "In my inebriated state, I managed to control myself - that's right folks, I stopped you. But who could blame you?" He said as he stretched.

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. And her face suddenly felt extremely hot.

"I can't believe my luck. The one day I come in in a dress -" Buttercup began to grumble, and Blossom interrupted her.

"In uniform."

"In a dress!" Buttercup responded, spitting the word out like it was poison in her mouth. "Dixon has the audacity to call us to his office so he can presumably get all smug thinking he's won this war."

Bubbles giggled at her sister's dramatics as they approached the Principal's office - they'd been called to see him, but they weren't sure why.

"I really don't think that's why we've been called to see him. He's probably just checking in. It being the first day back and all." Bubbles said cheerfully as they rounded the corner to Principal Dixon's office.

"Hello girls, Principal Dixon is ready to see you right away." The receptionist said with a perkier than usual smile, getting up out of her seat and opening the Principal's door for them.

"Thanks Miss Fink-" Blossom didn't get any further, as the wind was knocked right out of her when she entered the Principal's office.

"Ahh, girls, lovely to see you back. Did you have a nice Christmas?" Principal Dixon said, looking away from the five students stood to the side of his desk, three of which were not dressed in school uniform.

Blossom didn't answer, she was still too mesmerised by one of the figures stood in the room.

Her sisters had waited for her to answer; after shooting her confused looks, Bubbles did instead. "We did, Principal Dixon, thank you. It was very quiet, with little disturbances or trouble." She added, trying to emphasize how good the boys had been in case this was about them.

"Good, good, I'm, glad to hear." Principal Dixon stammered a little distracted by Buttercup in correct school uniform, but didn't dwell on it. Judging by the look on the brunette's face, he knew to pick his battles wisely. "I've just bought the three of you here to introduce you to our French exchange students: Daphne Martin, Josephine Bernard, and Patrice Dupont."

Principal Dixon gestured to the three students not wearing uniform stood to the side of his desk, and suddenly it became clear what had Blossom so transfixed: The first girl, Daphne Martin, was tall, very tall, with auburn hair, and was quite plump and round. Josephine Bernard, the second girl, was short, shorter than even Blossom was, and slight, with platinum blonde hair and a meek expression. And the boy, Patrice Dupont, well. He was gorgeous. He had thick, dark brown waves, almond shaped bronze eyes and full, pouty lips. His eyes met Blossom's and he smiled; Blossom's breath hitched.

"Oh my." Bubbles said in a quiet, awed voice. It had suddenly clicked what all the fuss was about.

"And Josephine, Daphne and Patrice, this is Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup Utonium, the Powerpuff girls, I'm sure you've heard of them." Principal Dixon explained to the three students. Blossom only just noticed that Melvin Meeks and Claudia Griffiths, another student from her year, were stood by the three french students as well. She didn't know why, she didn't care either. Melvin had said hi to her more than once, but Blossom was lost in Patrice's coffee coloured eyes.

"Ahh, les filles Powerpuff, vous êtes marveilleux!" Daphne cried, her eyes lighting up.

"Merci!" Bubbles replied with a sweet smile.

"I mostly wanted to speak to you, Blossom." Principal Dixon said, and Blossom finally (and very slowly) tore her eyes from the exchange students, looking to the Principal and trying to become a sentient being again. "Our guests will be with us for the next week; Melvin will be looking after Josephine, Claudia will be working with Daphne, would you mind overseeing Patrice for the week? That is, if you don't mind juggling Brick as well, of course. Not that he's done much to make me feel he needs observing, I must admit."

"No, that's, that's - that will be fine, Principal Dixon." Blossom stammered, looking over at Patrice again, who had a charming smile on his face.

"Oh I'm sure Blossom won't mind juggling Patrice and Brick for the week." Buttercup added, and Bubbles giggled. Blossom was too gripped by Patrice Dupont to even notice her sister's comment.

"Brilliant! Well, why don't you all get better acquainted? And then you can give our guests a tour around the school."

Patrice approached Blossom instantly, taking ahold of her hand gently. "J'espère que ça ne te dérange pas, urrr, looking after me, pour la semaine, Mademoiselle Blossom."

"Ahhhhhhhhh no, I mean, erm, non, not at all. I don't mind, I, um, avec plaisir!" Blossom stuttered, her face extremely red as she racked her brains to remember the basic french she knew. Her mind had gone to mush.

"Bubbles, Buttercup, feel free to head back to class now. Thank you for coming down." Principal Dixon said, opening the door to his office for them.

"Bye Blossom!" Bubbles called to her sister, who murmured a goodbye without even looking round. Melvin glared at Blossom and Patrice respectively.

Buttercup smirked, rolling her eyes as Bubbles giggled.

"Oh my god you guys!" Robin cried as she pulled a chair up beside Bubbles and placed her break time snack down on the table.

"First day back, and my table's been swarmed, again." Brick muttered under his breath, and Boomer smirked at him.

"Have you seen the new French exchange student?! He is très très beau!" Robin said, putting on a thick French accent.

"What the hell? I haven't seen him yet! When did you see him?!" Kim cried, almost outraged.

"When I went to the toilet earlier during class, I saw Blossom showing him around. He is a complete hottie!" Robin said as Kim groaned.

"Blossom's showing him around?! No fair! I wanna show the French fittie around!"

"I imagine Blossom is thoroughly enjoying showing him around." Bubbles said with a shrewd smile. "She was practically drooling when she first laid eyes on him."

"I do not blame her." Robin said flatly.

Brick cocked a brow as he listened. So that's where Blossom had been. She hadn't turned up to their last couple of lessons. Not that he'd noticed, much. He couldn't imagine her drooling over some guy. Almost every other female student in the school, yes, he could picture that, but not Blossom. It puzzled him somewhat.

As if on cue, the doors to the cafeteria opened, and Blossom came through, walking beside a tall, and conventionally good looking guy dressed all in black. He was chatting enthusiastically to Blossom in mostly French, with a few English words and sentences thrown in every now and then.

Blossom was in an almost trance like state as he spoke, nodding occasionally with wide, bewildered eyes. Robin held back laughter, spluttering as they passed them. Kim didn't look too dissimilar to how Blossom had done when she'd first laid eyes on Patrice; her jaw was hung open a little, her eyes bugged.

Brick shook his head, sending his counterpart a chastising look; not that she even noticed. He'd expected different, better even, from her.

"Oh wow." Kim murmured, and Bubbles giggled.

"I know." The blue puff agreed, and they all turned in their seats as Blossom and Patrice walked past, Melvin, Claudia and the two French girls following on behind.

Boomer frowned as he watched the girls' before him faces melt at the exchange student, Bubbles in particular. Okay sure, he was a good looking guy, but come on…!

Once the two of them had passed the table, Blossom turned around momentarily, mouthing "Oh my GOD!" at her friends before whizzing back around, walking in step with Patrice as he gazed around at the cafeteria.

"Yes, Blossom is definitely enjoying herself." Bubbles confirmed with another laugh. Kim and Robin giggled at the redhead's out of the ordinary behaviour too.

But Brick didn't laugh. He only pulled a perplexed, stony face, as he continued to eat his lunch.

Brick sighed as he turned the page in his textbook savagely, glaring at his counterpart who was sat beside him in their usual seats in World History. She was sat to his right, but she wasn't present, her mind was elsewhere completely. And it was starting to piss Brick off.

Mr. Index had had a small switch around in the seating plan, he had placed the new exchange students on a desk together at the front of the classroom not far from him. Brick and Blossom were still sat where they sat last term, except now, Blossom was glancing over at the table by the teacher's desk, a red hue and a dreamy smile on her face.

She had her book open on the fourth or fifth page, and had looked down at it once or twice, even though they were supposed to be reading from pages 3 to 14.

"Who'd have known all this time, all I needed to do in order to keep you distracted was get some typically attractive French guy to swan around you for a bit. Seems too simple but, clearly that's where I went wrong." Brick muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he studied the redhead beside him.

"Mmm, I know." Blossom mumbled, not paying attention.

"You're not even listening to a single word I'm saying." Brick said, his voice irked somewhat.

Blossom nodded slowly, smiling a bashful smile; Patrice had looked her way.

Brick rolled his eyes. "I can say whatever I want right now, can't I? And you'd probably agree with me. Anythinggggg at all." Blossom nodded lazily. "You're a self important know it all, did you know that?"

"I know." Blossom murmured, and Brick smirked.

"Oh good, good. Glad you know. You look frustratingly good with no clothes on, were you aware of that?" Brick asked her, and she sighed blissfully. Brick had to hold back laughter. "It was a magnificent sight wasn't it: Me, in all my naked glory. Etched into your memory, I'd imagine?"

"Yeah, yeah -" Blossom answered, then blinked, looking at Brick, who laughed suddenly. "What's so funny?"

"You." Brick answered, but there was an ounce of venom in his voice. "You're not even fucking listening to me."

"Oh," Blossom muttered, her cheeks going red. "Sorry. I was just -"

"Staring at the pouty faced French boy?" Brick answered for her, and Blossom went redder.

"Don't be ridiculous." She answered quickly, and Brick shook his head at her again in a disapproving manner.

"You've barely read any of the textbook either." Brick added, and she took ahold of her book, hiding her face behind it.

"Yes I have!" She replied snappily, and Brick watched her in mild dismay.

Girls were fucking confusing as hell.

"Oh my god Blossom!" Kim cried as Blossom came around the corner and joined the queue to get into class. "I am so freaking jealous! He is stunning!"

Blossom was beaming as she stood with Bubbles, Kim, Robin, Mary, Hollie and Julie and waited with them to go inside for after lunch roll call. "I know!" Blossom replied, letting go of her usual collected demeanor to enjoy being a teenage girl for once. "He's so interesting!"

"And gorgeous!" Julie chimed in and Blossom giggled.

"Well yes, he's very easy on the eyes too!" The pink puff agreed. After looking around briefly, Julie asked her where Patrice was. "He's at Principal Dixon's office, he registers there."

"How long is he here for?" Robin asked.

"Please say forever." Kim begged and Blossom laughed again.

"Only this week. He's flying home Sunday." Blossom said, and rounds of disappointed 'Ohhh's' were heard from the group of girls.

"Guess we better make the most of him while we can!" Robin cried. "You'll have to introduce us."

"Yes, please!" Kim nodded enthusiastically. "Seeing as he's my future husband and all, it's probably a good idea that we meet." They laughed at Kim's eagerness.

"You know, sometimes I have no idea what he's said, my French is quite limited in comparison to the other languages I know, and he talks so fast and fluently, but, it's just nice to look at him and watch him talk you know?" Blossom admitted, and they giggled and agreed with her.

"Oh but French is such a sexy sounding language isn't it! Honestly, he can say whatever!" Kim cried.

"So you do realise you turn into a brain dead idiot every time he talks to you then?" Brick asked spitefully, interrupting suddenly. Blossom glared at him; she hadn't even realised he was stood with Boomer and Mike in front of them in the queue.

Their form tutor came around the corner then and unlocked the classroom door, allowing everyone to file inside.

"You do realise you're a jerk, don't you?" Blossom asked him back, but her cheeks had gone slightly red.

Bubbles turned back and glared at Brick as well, linking arms with her sister. "Just ignore him." She muttered. "Come on."

They pushed past him and headed into class for roll call. Julie, Robin, Mary and Kim followed behind a little awkwardly.

After they all passed, Brick came face to face with his blonde brother, who was shaking his head at him slowly.

"What?!" Brick asked, irritated.

"You sure do know how to talk to the ladies Brick." Boomer murmured, before turning and sidling into the class.

Brick growled frustratedly before following. He wasn't sure why he did it but he knew he couldn't help himself and had to make a comment. Hearing her whittle on like some lovesick teenager over a dopey faced French boy she'd just met was really starting to grate on him. Clearly being an asshole was in his DNA. Or something like that…

"Right, settle down everyone! Settle down. Welcome back, did everyone enjoy the holidays?" Mrs Clark asked, and the majority of her art class, if not the more enthusiastic members at least, answered all at once, and she nodded in response. "Good, I'm glad to hear. But, we're back at school now, so it's time to get back down to business and start our new topic for this term. Which is," She turned to face the whiteboard behind her, writing on it in big letters: "'Art: Definition of me.'"

She was met with a mixture of intrigued and confused glances from the 20 odd students before her, and she smiled an almost satisfied smile.

Boomer wasn't smiling though, he was one of the confused faces in the crowd.

"What does that even mean?" Kim hissed to the others on her table, voicing Boomer's thoughts.

"Art." Mrs Clark said, placing the whiteboard marker down on her desk. "What does it mean to you? What do you mean to it? What place does it have in your life? What place does it have in your heart? These are the types of questions I want you to think about, and begin to answer, through your art over this topic."

"Well that clears that up." Kim added sarcastically, and the others giggled.

"Shh!" Bubbles said through her stifled laughter.

"Who are you? What are you?" Mrs Clark continued, turning to write some of the questions and musings down.

"Confused as hell." Kim murmured, and Bubbles rolled her eyes.

"By the end of this term, I want you to know. And you'll need to know too, as we're holding an art show in two months time to showcase your work."

"Oh what?!" Kim groaned, and Boomer's face fell into one of dread and fear.

Mrs Clark carried on talking but it faded into the background as Boomer began to imagine his work, his cruddy work on display, and no one coming to look at it, everyone turning their nose up at it, at him, the Rowdyruff boy.

His brothers, they wouldn't come. He didn't think they would anyway. And then who else was there to come? Oh this just felt pointless already.

"Don't look so frightened! It'll be fun!" He glanced up at the sound of Bubbles' voice beside him, a reassuring whisper. He forced a slanted smile onto his face. "It will!" She insisted.

"I want to know, and I want you all to discover, what defines you as a person, through your art, and other's art. Your peers, your favourite artists. Today we are going to start by drawing happiness." Mrs Clark said, and a murmur of confusion buzzed amongst the students.

"Erm, what?" Kim asked, aloud this time, and Mrs Clark smiled.

"I want you all to draw happiness." She simply reiterated, turning to face the whiteboard once again, and writing 'Happiness' in curly script.

"Can you explain any more than that?" Robin asked with a slightly deflated hand in the air.

"It is pretty self explanatory. Draw whatever it is that makes you happy; what you think defines your happiness in life. Draw it. Whether it be, a place, an item, an activity, a person, even. Draw it. Show us." Mrs Clark replied, and Robin nodded slowly.

"This seems too simple…" Mary muttered slowly, and their art teacher chuckled.

"It doesn't have to be hard or easy. Just draw what makes you happy. I want you start with a brainstorming mind map, then get to work on the art itself."

There was a slight flurry as students got up to collect supplies from the corner of the classroom to begin their work.

Boomer sunk down lower at his desk, furrowing his brow as he idly wondered, what did make him happy? He glanced at his counterpart, who was already scribbling and sketching fervently in her notebook, and pondered why he didn't even know?

"Well," Kim said, her pencil poised in the air, ready to start drawing the first branch of her mind map. "In case you wondered, or hadn't already guessed, my happiness piece is going to be about Patrice Dupont."

The others laughed, all but Mike and Boomer, who smirked and rolled their eyes respectively.

"Have you even spoken to him yet?" Robin asked.

"No but, he's noticed me. I noticed him noticing me." She replied, a determined, albeit a little obsessive glint in her eye.

"I think the only thing he's noticed in the couple of days he has been here, is Blossom." Mike added, and Kim pouted lightly.

Her friends giggled at her. "Maybe you should just go introduce yourself. He's just a guy, after all." Bubbles suggested, and Kim scoffed a little.

"And what, curl up and die on the spot? No way. I'd probably just turn into a Kim puddle on the floor." Kim responded. "And he is not just a guy - he's a French God."

"Is he really that good looking?" Boomer asked, his brow still furrowed, as it had been the moment the topic, and the art display had been announced.

"Do you have eyes, Boomer?" Kim asked the ruff bluntly, who blinked back at her.

"Yes… But, a God? Seriously?" Boomer said, baffled still, and Bubbles and Robin giggled.

"Kim isn't the best person to ask, she's in love." Bubbles briefly explained, and Kim sighed as she began to sketch a curly, looping red branch, presumably to be about Patrice.

"I can see he's a good looking guy, I mean, he's no -" Boomer paused, turning around and glancing around the classroom quickly. "He doesn't look a thing like most of this class." He concluded as his friends laughed/tutted at him. "But, is he as handsome as everyone's making out? Or is it the french thing or something? Cos even your sister is drooling at the sight of him and, well, I've never seen Blossom remotely interested romantically in anyone, ever.."

Bubbles smirked. "Blossom is just as human as the rest of us, secretly. She just doesn't want anyone to know."

"Sounds like Brick…" Boomer muttered.

Bubbles nodded her agreement as she continued. "Patrice is a good looking guy, but it's probably mostly the novelty of it. He's new, he won't be here long, he's french, big, almond eyes…" She began to list off, and Boomer felt an odd feeling bubbling up in his stomach, and frowned.

"Yeah, yeah, okay we get it. He's a french God." Boomer said, almost bluntly. Bubbles' brow creased at him briefly, but she noticed Mike looked as fed up of talking about Patrice as Boomer did. But, maybe not as annoyed as Boomer suddenly seemed. She couldn't help but smirk - he was jealous, and all she'd said was he was good looking.

Conversation moved on to their work then, and Boomer put his head down, beginning to work on his mind map. Happiness. He scrawled the words out in the centre of his page, drawing a big cloud around them. Then, big, thick raindrops, coming down from the cloud, hitting the bottom of his paper in a puddle.

He felt even more miserable now. He didn't like hearing Bubbles talk about someone else like that. It made his stomach feel weird and his chest feel like he'd been punched, hard. He felt jealous. And then he felt stupid for feeling jealous because it wasn't even like she was saying she loved the guy, she was just voicing what every female in the school was thinking, it seemed. It didn't mean anything. And it wasn't even like she was his to get jealous over.

He was probably feeling more crappy about it all as he'd not had the chance to speak to Bubbles more about what had happened, or more what had almost happened, at the New Year's Eve party. She'd not spoken to him about it either. They touched on it on New Year's Day, on their way to get food from Mini Malphs, but not much.

God, he felt stupid. But that was a feeling he was used to. He stopped drawing raindrops, swapping for a lighter coloured pencil and beginning to add some lightning bolts to his picture. He reached for more shades of grey, his mind map becoming a drawing of its own right now, an extremely gloomy one at that.

Bubbles, who had been concentrating on her own work, glanced over at his page, and frowned. She looked at his face; he looked as moody and troubled as his redheaded brother normally did. She didn't like it; it didn't suit him at all.

She wondered if he'd thought about their almost moment, at the party. She certainly had done. She just didn't know what to do next, or how to handle the entire situation. So, she was kind of just letting whatever happens happen, for now.

Before thinking, she reached for a yellow pencil from her pencil case, and pulled the piece of paper he was working on from beneath him. Boomer looked up suddenly, confused.

Bubbles drew a sun in the only corner that was bare. She drew it big and bright, with rays boring down onto the dismal scene he'd already penned on the paper.

When she was finished, she slid the piece of paper back to Boomer. He looked down at it, a small smile playing about his lips. When he looked up at at the blonde puff, she was carrying on with her work. But she was smiling too, happy to see a smile back on his face now.

Blossom wasn't talking to Brick.

It had been a couple of days now, and she hadn't uttered a word to him. Not since he made that comment to her about that French exchange student, Patrice, the other day.

But Brick didn't care. It didn't bother him at all. He knew if he just said sorry, or even behaved in a minutely contrite manner, she would probably give and talk to him again, but that wasn't going to happen. There was absolutely no way he was going to say sorry. He'd meant what he said and he wasn't wrong; she was turning into a blob of stupidity when she was around this Patrice guy.

Lunch time was almost over. He had Trigonometry next. With Blossom. And Patrice, he imagined. He sighed, glaring over at the two of them, sat a couple of tables away.

Her rose eyes, they glittered as they spoke to each other. Why was he making her face light up like that? He'd never seen her look like that before. Apart from maybe when they got talking - he'd noticed at times she forgot herself and talked to him normally, like they had no previous history.

No, she didn't look at him quite like that. Why would she? Brick deepened his glare at his own thoughts. He didn't even want her to look at him like that.

"Don't worry Brick, he's only here this week."

Brick looked around at the owner of the voice. It was Bubbles; his lunch table had once again been mobbed by Boomer, his counterpart and their friends. He'd forgotten they were even there on this occasion though.

He frowned at the blue puff, arching a brow. "What? I don't care.."

Bubbles smirked in reply. "Right, right. I can see you really don't."

Brick suppressed an eye roll. She was just as meddling as his brother. "I don't. I just look forward to everyone going back to normal."

"By everyone do you mean Blossom?" Bubbles pushed, the smirk still on her face.

"By everyone," He said, getting to his feet and slinging his bag on his back. "I mean everyone."

"Sure. Sure you do." Bubbles grinned, watching him go.

Brick didn't suppress his eye roll this time. He let it go, especially as he walked past Blossom, and the pouty faced French boy...

Sure enough, Patrice was sat with a chair angled onto the side of Blossom's desk in Trig, leaning over close to Blossom as he chatted with her in broken English, with bits of French thrown in too. Brick's desk was beside Blossom's, which meant he was getting a front row seat view of this flirt fest. Though that was being a little over the top; it was more Patrice flirting and batting his lashes, and Blossom, staring back at him, doe-eyed, rosy cheeked and awed.

Brick, a permanent glare scribed onto his face, did not need this shit.

It was irritating, and more to the point, vomit inducing. And so not what he thought Blossom was like. He wasn't sure if that was the main thing annoying him. But, he didn't want to think about that too much - it really shouldn't have bothered him at all.

But it did.

He really did not want to think about that though.

Patrice was pointing down at her work, following her swirly, tidy handwriting with his finger as he spoke in a low murmur. Then he rested his hand on top of hers. Brick watched her eyes go from her work, to her hand, and her cheeks flushing redder than they already were, rose eyes widening.

Brick rolled his eyes so violently a light scoff escaped his mouth before he could stop it.

Blossom's eyes flitted up to him rapidly, her expression going from soft to hard in a matter of milliseconds. She glared at him, then cleared her throat, and slowly got to her feet. Patrice pulled his hand away, looking at her with confusion.

"I just need to go talk to Mr, erm, to our teacher…" She burbled, then looking at Patrice again and remembering he was French. "Erm, parler à mon, urr, teacher…"

Brick watched her go, shaking his head slightly. What a wreck. He'd never seen her like this before. It mostly pissed him off but it half fascinated him. Seeing her act so - so human.

When he turned back around to return to his work, he could see the pouty French boy in his peripheral vision, looking at him.

"Salut." Patrice said, with a friendly smile. Brick gave him a flat, uninterested look back, and didn't answer him. But Patrice didn't get the message.

"Ta copine est très belle." He said, looking over at Blossom, who was stood talking with their teacher at the front of the room.

Brick pulled an incredulous face at Patrice, glancing back at Blossom quickly, then turning to face Patrice once again. "Are you fucking joking?" He asked him, but he only stared back a little confused. "She is not my -" Brick sighed.

"Erm, excusez-moi?" Patrice asked slowly.

"Elle n'est pas ma copine." Brick answered, and Patrice was surprised, but relieved by how fluently he spoke French.

"Pardon, pardon! Je suis content." Patrice said, smiling as Blossom returned to her seat. Brick just looked to the heavens, going back to the work set in front of him. His girlfriend. Honestly. If he really did think that, why the hell had he spent so much of his time flirting and purring away to her, right in front of him?!

"Blossom," Patrice said in his thick French accent. "I am err, wondering if you will venez déjeuner avec moi, to erm, thank you, pour être si accueillant, to me..?"

Blossom blinked at him a couple of times, racking her brains to translate as quickly as she could so she could answer him - she was positive he was asking her a question. Why did everything fall out of her brain when he looked at her?! Déjeuner, he had said déjeuner, that was lunch, or dinner, right? Avec moi, that was with me, she was certain of that, dinner with me, dinner with me, was he asking her on a date?!

"He's asking you to go to dinner with him." Brick suddenly said flatly, interrupting her thoughts. Blossom looked over at her counterpart, doe eyed and bewildered. Good lord, Brick thought.

"I, yes, oui, I, I'd love to. Ce serait bien..!" Blossom answered him, wishing with all her being that Brick wasn't sat right there, listening, and translating for goodness sake! She didn't need him to do that! She always figured out what he meant eventually.. Most of the time anyway.

"Ouias!" Patrice cried happily. Blossom smiled, trying to ignore Brick, who she could see rolling his eyes beside her.

"How old is this, Patrick or, or whatever his name is?" The Professor asked, eliciting a giggle from Bubbles and a scoff from Buttercup.

Blossom suppressed a smile, allowing a small one to play about her lips as she answered her father, again. "He's 17 Professor, the same age as us. And his name is Patrice."

"I'm not sure how I feel about this. I mean, you've known him all of 5 minutes… And now you want to go and see him outside of school time?" The Professor muttered, his brow furrowed as he stirred his cup of coffee absentmindedly.

"Oh Professor, you're the cutest when you go all, overprotective Dad." Bubbles said with a warm smile. The Professor smiled a slanted smile but his brow was still creased.

"It's one date, Professor. Then he goes thousands of miles away back to France. I don't ask for much. Let me have this." Blossom said, her voice sincere and eyes pleading.

The Professor sighed. "Okay fine. But you're to be home by curfew-"

"I'll be home long before then." Blossom inputted.

"AND I want to hear from you at least twice by text message to check you're okay."

"Of course. Thanks Professor." Blossom said, planting a kiss on her father's cheek.

Bubbles squealed, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Let's go and pick you out something to wear."

"Aaaaaand this is where I tap out. I'll be in the lounge if I'm needed." Buttercup said, hovering out of the room, no longer interested.

The evening was going so well. Blossom's face was actually aching from smiling so much, and she needn't of bothered with any blusher on her face, as her cheeks had remained rosy most of the time she'd been with Patrice.

They had met at 6pm at a small but quaint Italian restaurant in downtown Townsville of Blossom's choosing. Patrice had been the perfect gentleman, doing his best to speak English as much as possible, attempting to pay for Blossom's meal (though Blossom had declined and paid her own half - Melvin had given her a bit of a complex), and just generally being his charming, dreamy self.

It had been perfectly pleasant, and Blossom had found herself not wanting it to be over as they'd slowly exited the restaurant.

"Umm, would you like to, aller se promener? A erm, walk? A tour, of your city." Patrice suggested, and Blossom smiled as she realised what he was proposing.

"Oh! Yeah, okay, sure! Erm, oui! I can show you, erm, the park? Parc central… There's a certain spot at night, its beautiful - vous pouvez voir les étoiles. C'est si beau." Blossom replied, beginning to walk in the direction towards Townsville Central Park.

"Aussi beau que toi?" Patrice asked, and Blossom felt her cheeks warm once again.

"And the best place to sit, in my opinion, is right on this bench here." Blossom said, as her and Patrice came around the corner of the shrubbery to a solitary bench. There were just trees a few yards in front of it, but if you looked up, there was a gap in the branches just big enough to see several stars dotted in the dark navy sky. "C'est mon préféré." Blossom said with a warm smile.

"Est très isolé…" Patrice muttered, glancing around to his sides, and over his shoulder behind him.

"What?" Blossom asked, before figuring out what he'd said. "Oh, yeah its nice and remote - c'est tranquille." She replied innocently, sitting down on the bench. Patrice peered at her from beneath his eyelashes, sitting down close next to her on the bench.

Blossom did notice just how close he was sitting next to her but didn't focus on it. Her eyes were on the stars in the sky, and as she opened her mouth to comment on them, Patrice leant in closer, his breath on her neck as he spoke.

"Je ne peux pas attendre de te baiser, je l'attends depuis que je vous ai rencontré." He murmured in a low, husky drawl. Everything happened quicker than Blossom could compute. Before she'd even registered what Patrice had said, or even attempted to decipher any words she understood from it, Patrice had put his hand on her thigh and squeezed it.

She glanced down at it, her expression flat. "Umm, Patrice, do you want to remove your hand?" She asked him, matter of fact.

His hand then tried to travel further up her skirt, and she felt his lips touch her neck, before she pushed him away, gently at first.

"Hey, hey, stop! What are you doing?!" Blossom asked, her voice coming out in a strange, almost sad sounding noise. He was ruining it, why was he ruining it?

Patrice ignored her protests, trying again, his hand on her thigh wandering upwards once more, his other hand suddenly clamped onto one of her breasts, his lips coming closer to her face again. He began to murmur once again. "Viens sur ma jolie petite fleur -"

Blossom shoved him off of her with such force that he ended up flat on his behind a few feet away, sitting on the sodden grass, an outraged expression on his face. He began talking, cursing, Blossom assumed, in French quickly and angrily. Blossom didn't really catch a lot of what he said, she didn't care to know either, she could already interpret that it was negative.

She caught the last thing he said to her: "Je pensais que tu étais facile!"

She'd caught that. Easy. He'd thought she was easy. She didn't, couldn't respond, she just sat there, shattered, as he continued his angered tirade.

When he'd done shouting, he shook his head at her in disgust, spat on the ground and stalked off.

Blossom exhaled slowly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She noticed then she was shaking. Why was she shaking? She wasn't scared - she didn't feel scared. She felt sad. And disappointed. And above all, naive.

Was that really all he was after? The entire week, from Monday to Thursday, had he only been so keenly talking to her, for that? She blinked, then immediately regretted it as she felt a couple of warm tears hit her cheeks.

And now she was crying. God, she felt pathetic. How could she be so stupid? How could she fall for that? Why did it have to end like that?

Est très isolé, he had said. It's very isolated. 'Oh yeah its nice and quiet!' She'd replied. God, she was so annoyed with herself. He'd clearly had other things planned and there she was thinking they could just sit and look at the stars together.

She placed her head in her hands, allowing herself to cry for a moment. She had liked him. She had let herself like him. She fell straight into his palms up until then. She'd been such an idiot.

Wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand, she caught her breath, and got to her feet. No more crying now. It was silly, she'd known him 4 days, it didn't matter.

But it did matter. Why did he think it was okay to do that? Had she given off some sort of sign, or signal? No, definitely not.

Sighing raggedly, she wandered through the park towards the nearest exit, her head filled with too many thoughts to just take flight and head home. Her cell phone began to ring then, distracting her.

"Hello?" She said, sniffing, and trying to sound normal.

"Heyyy," Buttercup said, a jovial tone to her voice. "Soo, how's your date going? Is it tres magnifiq -"

Blossom interrupted her. "What do you want, Buttercup?"

Buttercup sensed the snippy tone to her sister's voice, but she also detected something else - something off. "What's the matter?" She asked, her voice a slight edge to it.

"Nothing." Blossom bit back, and Buttercup knew for certain it was something then.

"Things not going so well?" Buttercup pried, and Blossom answered her quickly and simply.

"No. Patrice is, is a massive jerk!"

"Seriously?" Buttercup replied. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you later," Blossom said miserably. "I'm on my way home now. Did you need something anyway?"

"Oh," Buttercup answered. "I was gunna ask you to pick me up some candy when you were done. Sounds like you could do with some too?"

Blossom glanced behind her towards the high rises and the hustle and bustle of downtown Townsville surrounding the park. The nearest Mini Malphs wasn't far. It also wasn't far from the block the Rowdyruff boys lived on. Not that that mattered.

"I could do with some. Fine, I won't be long." Blossom responded to her sister down the phone.

"Awesome. See you soon."

"Bye." Blossom said, sliding her phone back into her handbag with a sigh, and taking flight. She dabbed at her face as she flew, hoping the make up Bubbles had put on her wasn't now all over her face.

She landed on the corner of the street by the closest Mini Malphs she could think of. And it was indeed the Rowdyruff's closest store, the one on their block. As she took a few steps toward the store, she suddenly imagined herself bumping into Brick, him knowing her date with Patrice had been tonight. And there she stood, all dressed up, with no date beside her, looking pathetic.

She halted. She'd go to another store. There were plenty of them dotted about Townsville, she didn't need to go to this one. She could go to any of them. She certainly didn't need to give Brick Jojo anymore ammo.

Turning rapidly on her heels, she took a few quick steps around the corner, about to take off once more, but didn't, because instead she went straight into a brick wall.

A brick wall? Right in the middle of the path? It hadn't been there seconds ago?! As she shook her head and focused her sight again she realised she was half right. Brick, yes, wall, no. Just Brick.

"Oh are you kidding me…" She muttered under her breath, holding onto her head for a few seconds as Brick rubbed his chest momentarily.

"Fucking hell, watch where you're go- " Brick began, but his tone changed the moment he laid eyes on her. "Are you okay?"

Blossom frowned at him, and for a few moments she genuinely looked sad - it completely threw Brick. He looked her up and down. She was wearing a stripy long sleeved t shirt, with a wide neck that revealed her shoulders and her collar bones - god he'd never noticed her collar bones - and a short black skirt that hung from her waist, reaching a couple of inches above her knees. Opaque stockings were covering those legs of hers and a pair of suede ankle boots which - he liked her in boots, a lot. Her hair was its usual waterfall of orange, cascading down her back, a couple of sections swept up and pinned at the side. She looked great. Really great.

All except the slight wetness around her eyes and the dejected look on her face.

"Oh god.." Blossom muttered, covering her face in her hands momentarily, and Brick felt his back stiffen slightly as a part of him panicked inside - he'd thought she was about to cry. But she didn't, she only groaned, then uncovered her face again, looking at him with that same troubled expression on her face.

Blossom was internally despairing. Brick, ROWDYRUFF BOY BRICK, was asking her if she was okay, and it made her feel even more pathetic.

"No, not really.." She finally answered. "But, it's nothing -"

"What's up?" Brick asked straight away, annoying himself at how eager to know he sounded. But, he did want to know.

"It doesn't matter, I was just uhh, going to get some candy from the store…" Blossom murmured, glancing back at the shop she'd originally been leaving.

"The store that you were walking away from?" Brick clarified, and Blossom nodded with a little sigh.

"Yep. That's the one." She confirmed.

"Well, I was going in there too." He said, both of them slowly walking towards the store entrance, neither wanting to acknowledge they were going in together.

As the fluorescent yellow lights of the store hit her face when they entered the Mini Malphs, Brick looked at her closely. She'd been crying. He was certain of it. He couldn't imagine her crying. He didn't like it. She was someone he had beaten the crap out of on numerous occasions throughout the years, and she'd never cried. Not once, that he'd ever seen anyway. She'd gotten back up and fought back, and never shed a tear. What the hell could make her cry?

"So wasn't tonight your date with the French fry?" Brick asked as casually as he could muster. Blossom frowned deeper than she had been previously.

"Yes." She muttered, turning towards the cakes and confectionery aisle. "It was."

"How did it go?" Brick asked, straight away chastising himself for asking so many questions. Why did he ask that, what did it even matter? "I may as well ask now that you're actually talking to me." He added, to try and make himself feel better more than anything.

She had picked up a basket as they'd entered, which was now slung on her arm. She grabbed a pack of powdered donuts and threw them fairly violently into the basket. A packet of iced ones, cookies and several candy bars also made their way into the basket, launched in with an equal amount of clout.

"I'm guessing, not well?" Brick asked, cranking an eyebrow at the array of munchies she was buying.

"It went fine. Great, even - until the end." She said, her voice hard.

"Oh, right." Brick responded, still watching her basket fill with goodies. "Erm, sweet tooth?"

"Yep." She murmured, then turned towards the counter to pay. Brick quickly grabbed the milk, cereal and bread he'd came in for, trying to keep up with her. He was surprised to see she waited for him while he paid (although a small part of him wondered if she only hung around to make sure he did pay - but for the most part she didn't look like she was in the mood for her over the top suspicious crap at that moment in time).

They left the store together, in silence, then found themselves hovering outside of the door. Brick felt compelled to find out what happened, what had put her in such a sour mood, and also what had provoked her to buy almost all the sweet treats the store had in stock. He glanced over at the bench, near the closest bus stop. Blossom noticed him looking at it. She slowly walked over toward it. Brick followed.

"What happened?" Brick asked simply, and Blossom sighed, her arms folded across her chest, one leg crossed over the other as she leant into the bench beside him.

"Let's just say, Patrice is a huge creep. And I'm stupidly naive." She grunted, and Brick furrowed his brow.

"How so?" He questioned, and Blossom dived into the paper carrier bag full of food, rummaging till she pulled out a pack of donuts.

"We went for a meal, it was all really nice, he was the perfect gentleman! Then we ended up going for a walk afterwards... There's this bit in Central Park, it's beautiful, you can see all the stars in the sky…" She paused, clearly remembering what happened, then she turned and looked at him. "Can you speak French?"

"Yeah." Brick answered. "Why, what does that matter? What happened at the park?"

"I'm such an idiot!" She cried, her hands gesturing her anger with such passion it was a surprise she kept her donut in her clutches.

"What happened?" Brick asked again, just wanting to know what the hell went on.

"This was the first date I was actually excited about. This was my first real date! Excluding any with Melvin I've felt pitied or cornered into going along to, this was the first time I actually allowed myself to look forward to something like this! And look what happened. I should have never have said yes. I should have known." She cried, more talking to herself than anyone else.

"What happened?!" Brick asked again, getting frustrated at still not knowing.

"What does baiser mean? In French? Do you know? He said that, earlier, he said it really quick but, was something like, je ne peux pas, umm, attendre de te baiser.. I can't wait, I can't wait to what?" Blossom asked him, and watched in confusion as Brick's face fell into a flat frown. "What?" She asked, almost nervously.

"You're right. He is a creep." Brick muttered, and Blossom sidled closer to him on the bench.

"What? What did he say?!" She asked hurriedly and interestedly.

Brick shook his head lightly. "I don't think you wanna know. In fact, you can probably guess..."

"I do want to know! What did he say?" She insisted and Brick looked at her for a few seconds.

"He said, 'I can't wait to fuck you.'" Brick eventually told her.

Blossom's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock. "Seriously?! We were sat on a park bench! Not much different to the one we're sat on now! What was he thinking that I'd just -" She stopped herself, becoming thoroughly annoyed.

"He's a bag of shit. I didn't like him from the start. Really full of himself." Brick said, but Blossom wasn't done with her outrage.

"'I can't wait to -'" She shook her head, not completing the sentence. Instead, she reached into the packet of donuts again, snatching up another. She was really packing the donuts away and it made Brick smirk at her. "'I've been looking forward to it since I met you', that's what he said as well. Before he stuck his hand up my skirt, grabbed my boob and tried to kiss me."

The smirk fell off Brick's face immediately at her last sentence, his eyes full of fire, hands suddenly clenched into fists.

"I mean, how forward can you be? Is it -" She paused from her ranting and donut eating, noticing Brick's fiery expression. "What's the matter? What's wrong?"

"What the fuck? What the actual fuck?! I mean, who does he think he is?!" Brick cried, outraged.

Blossom's eyebrows rose at his reaction. "Fortunately I can look after myself but someone without superpowers -"

Brick interrupted her. "Having superpowers doesn't mean some stupid fucking French shit head can paw at you cos you agreed to go on a date with him."

Blossom was highly amused by how strongly he reacted. He seemed extremely aggravated by it - Blossom would have expected him to laugh at her, or belittle her. But he was as outraged as she was. "I don't think him being French has anything to do with it. More that, he's going home in two days… Clearly he thought he could get something out of me and it be, I don't know, no strings attached as he's leaving the country soon…" Blossom replied, her voice going a little duller at the thought of it.

Brick's stomach felt funny at the sight of her. He almost felt saddened to see her face looking so glum. "What did you do?" He asked her curiously.

"I asked him to stop - he didn't, so I pushed him onto his butt. He stood up, yelled at me in french and walked away. I hope he gets lost." Blossom said bitterly.

Brick frowned. "What a fucking asshole."

"He said, 'I thought you were easy.'" Blossom peered up at him then, her face morose suddenly. "Is it something I do? Some sort of sign, or, signal I let off unknowingly? I mean, you're a guy -"

"No." Brick answered, instantly and firmly. "It is nothing you do. Nothing at all. He's just a great example of an absolute douchebag, and you -"

"This is why I don't date. It's a waste of time, an, an aggravation I don't need. I have enough to deal with without adding anything like this into the mix. I'm an idiot, that's what I am, for thinking that 'going to sit and look at the stars' actually meant going to look at the stars!" Blossom exclaimed and Brick shook his head.

"You're not an idiot because of that.. You should be able to go on a date with someone without it ending with you getting fondled, or, some dick throwing himself on you. That doesn't make you naive, it, it makes them assholes. Most guys don't do dates like that." Brick said, a deep frown etched on his face. "I mean, that's coming from me. And I, well, I have questionable morals."

Blossom found herself smirking, before raising another doughnut to her lips. "I suppose you do."

The frown on Brick's face transformed into a smirk as Blossom took a bite of her doughnut. The sharp trill of her cell phone made her jump, and she rummaged in her handbag to locate it.

"Yo, everything okay? I thought you were on your way home."

"I am, I am. I, I won't be long." Blossom replied, mouthing that it was Buttercup to Brick. Brick was still smirking at her, now mostly because of the powdered sugar around her full lips. As if on queue, her tongue peeked out of her mouth ever so slightly, licking the sugar away. Brick had to look away, as it had caused his stomach to swirl suddenly - well, something did anyway…

"Okay, cool - hey did you get some munch?" Buttercup asked down the phone and Blossom sighed slightly.

"Yes Buttercup I got food!" She glanced into the paper bag then, checking there was actually some left for her sister. "I won't be long okay?"

"Okay. Love youuuuuuu." Buttercup cooed down the phone and Blossom smirked.

"Love you too. Bye."

Brick pulled a confused face at the affection. He swore she said she was talking to Buttercup?

"She's very affectionate when you've bought her food." Blossom explained, and Brick nodded slowly.

"So I see."

"I suppose I better get going. It's freezing! Thank you." Blossom murmured, and Brick looked at her, thrown by her thanking him.

"For what?" He asked, and she shrugged her shoulders, cocking her head in his direction.

"For not being a huge jerk to me. Even though I haven't been talking to you." Her voice held a hint of an apology in it.

Brick leant back against the bench, stretching his back. "Well, I think you've had enough of huge jerks for one evening. I'll be back on top form tomorrow at school though, so, don't worry."

Blossom smirked at him. "I'm sure you will."

'Oh, I will', Brick thought to himself, Patrice on his mind, and an evil simper on his face.

"Man, that sneaky little french fry!" Butch said, his eyebrows raised incredulously. "Comes across all suave and sophisticated then goes in for the kill on the first date. Who'd have thought it."

Buttercup narrowed her eyes at him. "Try not to sound too impressed." She muttered.

Butch laughed, turning to his counterpart. "But I am impressed! Dude's got some guts!"

Buttercup made a disgusted noise at the back of her throat. "You suck, Butch."

"Come on, Buttercup have ya seen your sister? Who could blame him?"

"You're a sick fuck sometimes you know that?" Buttercup answered, having glanced down at her desk and started to scratch in her name in small letters on the underside of it for the hundredth time.

"I can hear you Butch Jojo!" Blossom said, turning around in her seat in the row in front of him and Buttercup - they were in homeroom waiting to register.

Butch rose his brow rapidly, leering at Blossom. "What's up Foxy?"

Blossom screwed her face up at him. "You seriously need help."

"You are so right, I do need help. If you're up for helping me not be such a filthy sinner, I am in. I'm all in, and ready to learn." Butch said, placing a hand on his heart. Blossom gave him an unamused look, turning back around in her seat.

"Butch. Shut the fuck up. Now." Brick barked, and Butch ignored him looking over at his counterpart, whining a "Whattttt?" at her, to which she rolled her eyes.

"Take no notice of him. His brain developed between his legs instead of in his head. He's a medical marvel really." Brick added sarcastically.

Blossom smiled a small smile in response. "That's one way of putting it."

"It's true. So err, what are you gunna do about the 'morceau de merde' waiting for you in Dixon's office?" Brick asked, trying not to sound too curious or concerned at all.

Blossom pursed her lips, knowing he was talking about Patrice - she knew what merde meant after all. "I have a plan in mind." She answered slyly.

"So you two are talking again?" Bubbles said, turning to face her sister and the red ruff.

They both gave the blonde somewhat puzzled looks. "Yes…" Blossom answered slowly.

"That's nice." Bubbles said, a knowing look on her face.

"I... Suppose so." Brick murmured, still completely baffled. The blue puff only grinned a perceptive grin.

"Yes, it definitely is." She looked at them both a little longer, then turned back to face the front of the classroom once more.

Blossom gave the back of her sister's head a befuddled look. She was ever so strange every now and then.

The moment Blossom entered the lobby of Principal Dixon's office, Patrice approached her and immediately started apologising.

"Blossom! Blossom, s'il vous plaît, donnez-moi une chance de plus! J'ai été, erm, idiot!" He cried, clutching her arm as she passed him. She shook him off without even looking at him, and walked right up to Claudia, a fellow Townsville High student who had been showing one of the female exchange students around for the week.

"Claudia, how would you like to watch over Patrice for today? I'd love to get to know Daphne too before they leave tomorrow." Blossom suggested, and Claudia's jaw almost hit the ground.

She nodded rapidly, looking over at Patrice, who looked confused and somewhat trampled.

"Non non! Blossom! Ma belle, belle petite fleur! I wish to, to stay with you! S'il vous plaît, c'est mon dernier jour!" Patrice exclaimed, but no one responded to him.

Claudia linked her arm through his and dragged him out of the lobby towards their first class, whilst Blossom introduced herself to Daphne, trying not to look too pleased about how well that had went.

Brick pulled his PE hoodie over his head, then yanked his t shirt off too, shoving them both into his bag.

Boomer was changing on the same bench as him - Butch was not far away with Mitch and the others. And on the bench in the far corner of the boys changing room, was Patrice. He'd already changed, he was sitting looking forlorn.

Brick was glad. He'd spotted him earlier being marched along arm in arm with a frumpy looking girl that certainly wasn't Blossom. He was relieved she'd found a way to ditch him.

Patrice sighed, leaning back on the bench and running his hand through his mahogany locks, longing for the weekend to come sooner so he could fly home, or his luck to change and Blossom to spend the evening with him - or someone at least!

"Hey, Frenchie."

Patrice turned in the direction of the voice, a confused expression on his face. It was a broad, sporty and slightly intimidating looking guy, who was flanked by a bunch of other equally sporty looking lads.

Patrice pointed to himself momentarily, to see if they were talking to him, which they were.

"Didn't you go on a date with Blossom-big-tits yesterday?" Preston asked, his gang sniggering at the nickname.

Patrice seemed to semi understand them. He nodded. "Err, oui, yes, we did."

"So, how'd it go? Or, how far did it go?" Preston queried, and Brick turned, looking in the direction of the conversation. He rolled his eyes. They were such a predictable bunch of ass wipes, the preppy guys.

"Oh, no no. She is, uhh, frigide." Patrice said casually, and Preston and his friends began to guffaw loudly in response.

Brick glared, holding his school shirt tightly in his hand, which were now both rolled into tight fists.

Boomer was watching his brother interestedly, as well as nosing on the jock guy's and Patrice's conversation.

"She is une salope, a uhh, a bitch, but she has glorieux, umm, nice tits." Patrice continued, much to Preston and others' amusement. They began to roar laughing. Patrice grinned back, enjoying making them laugh. "Je voulais baiser une fille américaine mais, to err, have the sex, with american girl but err, it was not meant to be." He said, with a smirk on his face, and Preston, Maxwell and the others continued to roll about laughing.

"This dude is amazing!" Preston cried.

Butch, Mitch and the others had turned to listen too, and the green ruff had glanced at his brother a couple of times. Even though he was across the room, he could sense when his leader was getting close to losing it. And with that last comment, it looked as though Brick wasn't close anymore; he had lost it.

The red ruff frowned deeply, dropping his school shirt onto the bench beside his bag.

"Erm, Brick? You okay?" Boomer muttered, but Brick ignored him.

Brick stalked towards Patrice, who had been smiling and laughing along with the other Jock guys, but frowned when he noticed their expressions had changed drastically. He realised why when he saw the piercing crimson eyes burning into him.

"Écoutez, connard, si jamais j'entends son nom sortir de votre bouche encore une fois - merde, si vous pensez même à propos d'elle, je vais vous faire regretter. Comprendre?" Brick growled staring down at Patrice intensely.

Patrice nodded shakily. "O-oui." He stammered.

"Oui quoi?" Brick replied.

"Oui je comprends." Patrice replied, his bottom lip trembling ever so slightly.

"Bien." Brick said, before turning around and returning to his bench to continue changing back into his uniform.

"Errr, Brick -" Boomer began, but Brick silenced him.

"Shut up." He said simply, as everyone in the locker room stared at him.

"Geez Blossom, I'm so sorry." Robin said, shaking her head disapprovingly. "What a jerk."

Blossom shrugged lightly as she sat with Robin, Kim, Mike and Julie at lunchtime and filled them in on what had happened with Patrice the night previous. Bubbles was sitting with them too, but she was currently queuing to get food - and chatting to Boomer in the line. Hollie was sat with Cody a few tables away. "I'm surprised you didn't know already. What with how much time you spend with Bubbles."

Robin smirked for a moment. "No, she didn't tell me. You know she doesn't blab about things that really upset you or Buttercup."

"I suppose so.." Blossom murmured.

"Makes sense why Patrice was with Claudia earlier and not you.. And why he looked so miserable." Mike added, and Blossom frowned.

"He can mope around as much as he likes. There's no way I'm going to spend today with him after the way he behaved." The pink puff pouted.

"Yeah, that's really not cool, what he did." Julie said, patting her friend on the shoulder supportively. "I know you were really looking forward to going out with him."

"Now I'm just looking forward to him leaving, to be honest with you." Blossom complained, noticing him across the cafeteria, sat with Claudia, looking forlorn still.

"It must have been quite nice though." Kim murmured, making all at the table give her a confused look.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked, puzzled by her friend.

"Him, Patrice, throwing himself at you like that. I mean, it's sort of hot, isn't it?" Kim said, grinning a lewd grin.

Mike, Robin and Julie all cringed instantly, knowing Blossom would not take well to a comment like that. Kim, who had known Blossom since kindergarten - as long as they all had known each other - should have known her better by now.

But alas, she would never learn.

A little bit of fire appeared in Blossom's eyes, as it tended to do when something riled her. "No, Kim." She snapped. "It's not at all."

Kim shrugged. "I'd have just let him. See where it ended up going!"

Robin rubbed at her forehead, muttering under her breath. "Oh Kim…"

"His intentions were clear by his actions, and what he said - and there was absolutely no way what he wanted to happen was happening!" Blossom cried, aghast she was actually having this conversation.

"Ummm, did you see him Blossom?" Kim asked, her upper lip curled in shocked dismay.

"Kim! We were on a park bench! Just because he is good looking -"

"Extremely good looking." Kim interrupted.

"Just because he's good looking," Blossom continued regardless. "I should have had sex with him? In public, on a bench?"

Kim smiled suggestively. "Well, you could have gone back to wherever it is he's staying while he's here in the least…"

Robin, Julie and Mike couldn't help but giggle at the audacity of her then, but Blossom wasn't amused.

"Well I didn't want to do that! With someone I'd known a matter of days." Blossom concluded, folding her arms across her chest and abandoning the rest of her lunch.

"Mike said Brick went off on him earlier." Robin said, trying to divert an argument developing between her two friends. Mike looked at Robin, betrayal in his eyes. She smirked at him, nudging his shoulder.

"What?" Blossom asked, as Mike internally cursed Robin for using him as a distraction method.

"Yeah uhh, Patrice was chatting with Preston and his goons -" Mike began but Blossom interrupted him.

"What did he say?" She almost growled.

"I don't really know exactly - it was a lot of French and English mushed together, plus I wasn't standing that close when it happened. But, you know what Preston and his brainless friends are like. Something stupid, more than likely." Mike responded hastily. Blossom's face was scrunched up with annoyance. "But, whatever it was he said, Brick sure didn't like it…"

"What did Brick say to him?" Blossom asked curiously, and Mike shrugged.

"I don't know. It was in very fluent sounding French. But he was angry. That was clear to see." Mike said, and Blossom, Julie and Kim's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh my…" Julie murmured in a soft voice, and Robin nodded beside Mike.

"Yeah. Exactly." She was glad that her female friends could sense the importance of that part of Mike's story. Mike was still somewhat perplexed by the slightly glazed looks on his friends' faces. "My mind went a bit blank after hearing that part too."

"In my head," Kim said, her expression dazed. "He has his shirt off, while he's yelling at Patrice - who also has his shirt off - in French."

"Oh yeah that's good." Robin agreed, as Blossom rolled her eyes. But she was smirking, and hoping they didn't notice the light blush on her cheeks.

"Well, not that I want to continue to feed this fantasy or anything but, Brick actually did have his shirt off." Mike said, and there was a collective moan.

"Oh Mike, thank you! Thank you!" Kim cried and Mike sniggered.

Blossom's cheeks were much redder - her blush wasn't easy hide to now.

In her next lesson, Blossom was - as usual - sitting next to Brick. But it didn't exactly feel like it usually did today. After hearing what she'd just heard went down in the boys locker room, and the kind way he'd behaved the night previous after her date disaster, she was feeling a little perplexed.

She peered at him quickly, he had his hand resting against his lightly stubbled chin, the other hand gripping his pencil as he looked down at his work.

Her eyes shifted across the room momentarily - landing on Patrice, who was sat with the other two exchange students at the front of the class. He was looking her way, she noticed, a pining expression on his face. She ignored him, her rose eyes focussing back on Brick beside her.

She felt a funny swirl in her stomach as she imagined him telling Patrice off, standing up for her. Then she remembered what a jerk he'd been earlier on in the week, before her date. Calling her out on the way she behaved around Patrice… Why would he do that? I mean, it was unusual behaviour for him.. It was almost as if he was jealous, or something?

Blossom's cheeks were covered with a light blush at the thought, and she immediately felt silly even thinking it. It was completely absurd. Brick, feeling like someone was watching him, looked up in her direction then, and she rapidly looked away, her cheeks getting redder.

Brick sighed, rubbing at his forehead momentarily. He guessed Blossom knew about him sticking up for her in the locker room. What was wrong with him?! What had possessed him to do that?! Why was he making more problems for himself?

There was one more period left before school was out for the day, and Brick had made a quick detour to his locker to get rid of some of his unneeded textbooks. When he entered his combination and swung the door open, he was greeted by Him's grinning face - and it made him jump out of his skin.

"Jesus fucking christ!" He hissed, and Him shushed him in what he thought was a soothing manner. Brick found very little soothing about Him, as did most people who'd dealt with him.

"Hush now you, or you'll draw a crowd. I need you to head to the nearest little boys room." Him commanded, and Brick glared at him.

"Why?" He asked in a harsh voice.

"I come bearing gifts, I should have you know." Him said and Brick rolled his eyes.

"I don't want your gifts." He grumbled, and Him tutted in response.

"Now I did not raise you to be that ungrateful Brick."

Brick ground his teeth together. "No. You did not raise me."

"Nearest bathroom. Now." He barked, disappearing. Brick frowned deeply, slamming his locker door so hard it bounced back off its hinge behind him as he trudged to the nearest bathroom.

Thankfully, it was empty. Brick folded his arms across his chest, waiting, when he heard the main door to the boys toilets lock behind him.

"A belated Christmas present for my boys."

Brick turned towards the sound of Him's voice; he was grinning at him from inside a mirror on the bathroom wall. He looked up to the heavens for a moment and sighed lightly, before approaching the sinks the mirrors were above.

Him's extended claw materialised through the mirror, a metal bangle around his wrist with 3 sets of keys hanging off it.

Brick cranked an eyebrow at them, as Him glanced at him encouragingly.

"Come on, take them! Before I change my mind." Him cried eagerly, thrusting his hand out again until Brick retrieved the bangle off of his wrist. "This should be a nice incentive for you boys. You do well, I get you nice things."

Brick held back the scoff erupting from the back of his throat - well, only a bit. "We don't want your nice things."

Him was beginning to lose his patience now. He glared at the red ruff before him. "No? Shall I take away all my other nice things I give you too? You know, a roof over your head, food, money, etc etc?"

Brick frowned deeply at him.

"Hmm. That's what I thought. Well, are you going to say thank you?" Him pushed.

Brick looked down at the keys in his hand, that same frown etched onto his face. He avoided Him's eye line as he muttered out a very forced "Thank you."

"You're very welcome. It's out in the parking lot. And your brothers will be once the bell goes too. Run along." And with that Him disappeared.

"Brick!"

The red ruff looked up in the direction his name had been called from, to see Boomer waving him over.

"I got your text, what's going on?" Boomer called again, and Brick pulled a confused face.

"I never sent any text." Brick murmured, getting his cell phone out to confirm this as he approached his brother.

"Well I got one too - I'm here, so what do you want?" Butch asked, glancing back at the guys who were also there, and waiting for Butch so they could hang out, Brick presumed. Robin, Kim, Mike and Bubbles were also nearby too, waiting for Boomer.

Brick hadn't text either of them. After dealing with Him, he'd shoved the keys to whatever it was Him had gifted them into his pocket and headed to his last class, trying to forget about the entire exchange.

Now, as he'd been crossing the car park of the school towards the gates, he'd been bombarded by both his brothers, and a handful of their friends.

"I didn't text -" Brick muttered, but was interrupted by Butch howling with pleasure all of a sudden.

"Look at that motherfucking car!" Butch exclaimed, pointing across the car park at a shiny, brand new red car in the corner of the lot.

"Fucking hell Butch! I thought you were in pain!" Buttercup cried, but was ignored by all, as they were all looking in the direction Butch was pointing.

There was a collective moan from Mitch, Butch, Boomer and the others as they looked in the direction Butch was pointing. The red car in the corner had attracted quite the crowd already, random students were slowing as they passed it to take a look at it.

"That's a Motix Crescendo! With this year's plates!" Mitch cried, and they all made a beeline for it.

"Ermmmm, what is a Motix Crescendo?" Robin asked confusedly, glancing over at the practically dribbling males - even Mike had followed them over, and he'd never previously shown a huge interest in cars.

"I don't know. Can we go to the mall now?" Kim asked boredly.

"Let's go see what the big deal is first." Bubbles shrugged, following the others over.

Brick watched everyone disappear, shoving his hands into the pockets of his parka coat, and fiddling with the three sets of keys that were now beginning to not be so mysterious.

A car. Had Him really thought he could win them over with a car?

Boomer had his face pressed up against the front window to get a better look of the inside. "Look at that interior!" He said, not that anyone could make it out as his face was so smushed up that all that they heard was inaudible babble.

"Leather seats. Integrated computer system. God man I think I'm getting a boner just looking at it." Butch said, peering into the opposite window to Boomer.

"You need help man." Boomer muttered to his brother, who ignored his comment.

"Yeah, I mean, it's nice, but is it that nice?" Buttercup asked with a cranked brow.

"Definitely boner-worthy. I bet the sound system is amazing too." Butch pondered.

"That's an expression I've never heard before." Boomer muttered with a smirk as Bubbles and her friends giggled. "Boner-worthy."

"I wonder whose car it is." Butch said, when suddenly the car beeped, the lights flashed momentarily and the wing mirrors slowly moved out 90 degrees.

The group of teenagers huddled around the car all looked behind them to see who the answer to Butch's question was - and were surprised to see Brick strolling over, a set of keys in his hand.

"No fucking way!" Butch cried, the most excited they'd ever heard him sound.

"This is yours?!" Boomer asked incredulously. "How, I mean - when?!"

"It's not mine. It's ours." Brick muttered, stopping a foot or two in front of it and examining it briefly. Yeah, it was nice. Really nice, and probably ridiculously expensive. But they didn't need a car. All three of them could fly for god's sake! Why would they ever have a need for a car?

"Seriously?!" Butch cried. Brick answered him by throwing a pair of keys to it to him and to Boomer. "Yesss!"

Brick was distracted by the sound of someone calling his name - someone familiar. Blossom appeared beside him then, a bit out of breath. "Your locker is broken. " She informed him. "I just walked past it and it's hanging open slightly. I did try to close it but - why are you all crowded around this car?"

"This car? You mean our car!" Butch exclaimed excitedly.

Blossom looked to Brick for confirmation. "You have a new car?"

"It appears that way." Brick murmured in reply.

"When did you decide to get us a car?" Boomer asked curiously and Brick shook his head lightly.

"I didn't. It's a Christmas present. From Him." Brick said, his expression flat and hard to read. Boomer's face fell at this admission. Butch's would have too had he been listening. Both Blossom and her sister's noticed their short but tense exchange at the mention of Him.

"Can you all even drive?" Bubbles asked, breaking the tension a little.

"Yeah, we've been driving for years!" Boomer replied casually, and Brick elbowed him in the side roughly.

"...Do you have licenses?" Blossom asked and Brick rolled his eyes. Trust her to ask a question like that.

"Yep." Boomer answered looking back at the car and deciding to forget this came from Him and enjoy it anyway.

"Real ones?" Blossom pressed, but Boomer was undeterred.

"Of course. Where would a stand up citizen like myself get a fake ID from?" Boomer mused, and Butch sniggered.

"They're not real are they?" Bubbles asked and Boomer shrugged, opening the car door to the drivers side.

"As real as the devil." He murmured, getting inside.

"Hey what the fuck no way! What makes you think you're getting first drive of it?!" Butch yelled, opening the passenger door so quick it was a wonder he didn't yank it completely off.

"Well, I'm sat in the driver's seat, and you're not, sooo." Boomer said, and Brick sighed an irritated sigh.

"Yeah well," Butch said, reaching his arm in to grab Boomer, who dodged him. "I can easily pull your stupid ass out of the driver's seat."

"If you can catch me. Butch - Butch stop it you stupid fuck!" Boomer cried, still dodging his brunette brother's incoming arm.

Brick strode around the car and casually leant on the passenger door, squishing Butch between that and the car.

"Hey what the fuck!" He cried as Brick leant against it.

"Stop fucking arguing." Brick muttered boredly as Butch yowled and Boomer complained from the front seat.

"Who gets to drive it first Brick?" Boomer whined, still slapping his brothers arm away.

"I don't fucking care I want nothing to do with it. You're in the driver's seat, so drive it. Butch you can have a turn when he's done. Then I'm taking it home." With that, Butch stopped struggling and Brick stopped leaning on the car door he was squished between.

"Fine - but don't take ages I want a go in it!" Butch griped, standing up straight once more as Brick slammed the door shut.

Boomer grinned, looking over the dashboard excitedly and punching the start engine button. It purred loudly, eliciting more groans of pleasure from the majority of the boys stood there.

"Let's go for a spin then." Bubbles cried, squeezing past Brick and Butch and opening the passenger door. They blinked in surprise as she sat in the black leather seat beside Boomer. Boomer looked just as shocked as they did.

"Bubbles!" Blossom cried, taken aback.

"What? It's so shiny and new! I can't drive so I can at least be a passenger!" Bubbles cried excitedly.

Boomer could see the disapproving looks on both Brick and Blossom's faces, so before either of them could start protesting he stuck the car in drive and told Bubbles to buckle up.

Before anyone else could make another sound he'd driven away.

"I really don't know a lot about cars, but the ride in this is so smooth! I mean I really only have the Professor's car, and maybe Kim's car, to compare it to, and they aren't a thing like this to ride in! Especially when Buttercup drives the Professor's station wagon." Bubbles cried, looking out the window as the surrounding suburbs of Townsville began to disappear as they drove nearer and nearer into downtown Townsville.

Boomer was still surprised she had jumped in the car with him for a ride - he could have been driving a beaten tin can of a car right now, he wouldn't have noticed the difference, he was too bewildered by the fact she was riding in the car with him.

Just him and her. Alone. They hadn't been this alone in a while, suddenly he felt overcome with nerves.

Bubbles peered at him, sat beside her in the driver's seat. He was staring ahead, his eyes focussing on the road ahead. His knuckles were white he was holding onto the steering wheel so tightly.

"Is it nice to drive?" She asked, trying to get some sort of reaction from him. Realising she was asking him a question, he glanced at her momentarily, then fixed his eyes back on the road.

"Oh, yeah it is. Really nice." He replied rapidly, and Bubbles furrowed her brow at him.

"Erm, are you okay?" Bubbles questioned curiously. "You've gone all.. Quiet."

"Me? I'm okay." Boomer said, drumming his fingers along the back of the steering wheel nervously as he spoke. "I'm just in a brand new car, with a beautiful girl, who I wanted to kiss on New Years Eve, but couldn't because of my drunk ass brother and her drunk ass sister, and I haven't been this alone with this beautiful girl for ages and it's making me feel like I'm going to throw up in my lap." He said hurriedly, almost as if the words came out before he could think about it. Bubbles blinked in surprise beside him. "Or, a much cooler, less dorky answer." He added, and Bubbles giggled.

"Don't be nervous! You have no reason to be nervous, it's only me." Bubbles responded, and Boomer scoffed.

"Yes, only the most beautiful girl ever. Alone with me, in my brand new car. Did I mention the whole, wanting to kiss you thing, and not getting to? And the whole, really confusing, but weird, in a good way stuff?" Boomer said, as he approached a traffic light.

Bubbles giggled again, feeling her cheeks redden. "Yes, you did. Well, I'm in a flash new car with the most charming, and the most lovable guy ever - but I'm not nervous because I'm just so comfortable when I'm around him." She said with a shrug.

"I'm comfortable around the beautiful girl too! Super comfortable! I just get nervous when we're alone I guess - maybe you don't get just how beautiful she is?" Boomer questioned, and Bubbles laughed again, her cheeks reddening once more.

"Well, if it's any consolation, you're really sweet when you're nervous." Bubbles assured him, and Boomer chuckled.

"Hey, hey, I'm not nervous!" He said, attempting a smooth recovery.

"You just said that you were!" Bubbles said as Boomer shook his head coolly.

"No no, of course not. I'm a sexy stud muffin in a new set of wheels. And that's the bit to remember."

She laughed as the lights went green and he accelerated.

Blossom watched her blonde sister jump into the sleek new car with Boomer Jojo, who drive off, before anyone could say anything more on the subject. She blinked in astonishment as they disappeared around the corner and out of sight.

What was she thinking? Why had she willingly just got in a car with Boomer, on her own? Was she missing something here? I mean she knew they were seemingly getting along quite well nowadays, and Bubbles had voiced her opinion on him being a much more innocent guy than they thought he was, but, come on?! She glanced at her brunette sister, who was cranking a brow in surprise, but then blinked, looking over to her friends and getting over it quite quickly it seemed.

Brick, along with the others watched too, and his face was the picture of shock as well. He'd been onto his blonde brother for awhile now, with regards to his little crush on Bubbles. But now, well, was Blondie reciprocating? What the hell was going on?!

Buttercup exhaled loudly, breaking the gathering tension. "I'm not standing around waiting while he goes on some joy ride. It's too fucking cold."

"Yeah, you're right. Wanna head over to mine when you're done Butch?" Mitch asked, they were heading to his trailer after school.

"Nah, I'll come with now. I can't be bothered to wait for him - Boomer getting first go on it has dampened the whole thing." Butch complained, kicking a larger piece of gravel on the parking lot with annoyance. Brick rolled his eyes at him. "I want a go when I get home though!" He cried, giving his redheaded brother a piercing look.

"I'm not going to stop you." Brick muttered, and Butch nodded, pleased.

"Well, good!"

"I'm waiting here until Bubbles get back." Blossom said, more for Buttercup's benefit than anyone else's. Not that Buttercup was fussed. She nodded, and called a goodbye to her sister.

"It is cold.. Blossom, if you're waiting anyway, do you think you could tell Bubbles and Boomer to meet us at the mall? It's freezing, and Kim is hungry for cheese fries." Robin said, as Kim nodded helplessly beside her.

"Sure, I'll pass the message on." Blossom said. They thanked her and left too, leaving Blossom and Brick stood slightly awkwardly in the parking lot, waiting for their blonde siblings to return.

A silence ensued as they stood a few steps away from each other.

Blossom was thinking back to what Brick had said about the car. A gift from Him. She wanted to ask more. She wanted to ask about Him. She saw the looks the three boys had exchanged at the mention of him. She so wanted to know more. But when she'd brought him up before, Brick had gone all weird, and disappeared.

And, well, she didn't want him to disappear.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it, Brick spoke, distracting her from that subject.

"Are you cold?" Brick asked, and Blossom glanced at him, confused. She then looked down at herself, she'd been rubbing the arms of the coat she was wearing, an attempt to warm herself up. She was freezing, but, she always was.

"Oh - yeah, I'm always cold." She complained, pulling the dusky pink duffle coat she was wearing tighter around herself, noticing Brick hadn't even done the khaki parka he was wearing up. "It's nice in the summer, but, it's not so fun in the winter."

Brick's brow had risen in her direction, and she exhaled lightly, a soft stream of ice escaping her lips momentarily as she did.

"You know, ice powers and all." She said with a light shrug.

"Oh yeah." He murmured in reply. How could he have forgot about those? He supposed it was because he'd not seen her use them - on him - in so long. "I'm always warm."

Her eyes widened slightly at his revelation. "Really?"

"Yeah, nice in the winter but, not so fun in the summer. Fire powers, and all." He said, and she nodded, remembering them very well.

"Complete opposite problems there then." Blossom added, and Brick nodded.

"Yeah, complete opposites."

"Oh my god can you hurry the fuck up. This is not how I wanted to spend my Saturday." Brick complained as he trudged along behind his brothers. He had been dragged to Townsview Mall, the biggest mall in downtown Townsville, by his brothers to do some shopping. And he did not want to be there in the slightest.

"And how exactly did you want to spend your Saturday Brick? Being miserable? Glaring at anything that moved?" Boomer questioned as he walked beside his green eyed brother.

"Being more of a grumpy fuck than usual?" Butch added, him and Boomer sniggering.

"Just hurry up so I can go home." Brick replied, he didn't even have the energy to fathom a smart ass answer.

"Two - no, three more shops okay!" Boomer said, as Butch turned and guided his redheaded brother to a bench.

"Here ya go Grandpa, you sit down here and we'll be back for you in a little while k?" Butch said, pushing him back down when Brick went to stand up again. "No no Grandpa don't you go wandering off now! We won't be long, you just sit here. Look, it's a store for big ladies, you'll love it."

"Store for big ladies? No it isn't." Brick muttered, looking at the store he was sat in front of.

It was a lingerie store. Called Curved. He sighed; he supposed he could be sat outside worse.

"No, it's a store for ladies with big boobies." Boomer clarified, he'd spied the lingerie on the racks and the walls of the shop.

"Oh, well, how the fuck can you complain?" Butch said, patting his brother on the shoulder firmly. "You sit here and get your fill, we won't be long."

"Dickheads." Brick muttered under his breath as his two brothers disappeared into a store behind him.

He leant back against the bench he was sat on, looking into the lingerie store a little reluctantly. Brick couldn't decide if it was a good or a bad thing he'd been left on a bench placed directly in front of a busty ladies' underwear store. Good because, well, he liked busty ladies and he liked underwear, bad because, he probably looked like he was sat there just to get a kick.

To make matters worse, he saw two people he knew in the store. Julie Bean was on the left side, looking at the bras, as was Blossom Utonium. He watched her as she chatted idly to Julie, picking up a lacy black bra. She eyed it, before placing it back, nonchalant as she picked up a red one instead.

Brick's brain went to mush a bit as she hooked the hanger over her arm. He should move. Or at least turn away. If she saw him there, she'd jump to the worst conclusion she could think of and throw a shit fit.

Although he still wasn't sure she'd have the guts to throw an 'are you following me?!' accusation at him again. Not after last time.

Just as his mind began to wander to dangerous territory (he was casually trying to remember what underwear she'd been wearing that day, before the nanobots had eaten them), he spied someone else in the store that made him (thankfully) come back to reality.

Melvin Meeks was crouched down, behind a rail of beach and swimwear, peeking out every few seconds, then crouching back down to what he thought was out of sight.

Not out of sight to every other fucker in the mall.

Brick shook his head incredulously. He really was obsessed. Instinct told him to march straight up to Melvin and seize the little shit stain by the scruff of his coat - but if he stormed straight into the store, Blossom may see him too - which would make the entire thing completely backfire. She'd flip a lid. He didn't have the time or the patience for that right now. Or ever.

Instead, Brick got to his feet, and sidled over to the side of the store. Melvin should have been able to see him, Blossom however should have been too far round the corner to spot him.

"You're literally, insane. Did you know that?"

Melvin jumped to his feet, tense as he turned in the direction of the voice. He saw Brick Jojo, leant against the outside of the store, glaring at him with his crimson eyes.

Melvin glared right on back. "Leave me alone." He said simply, then glanced back over in Blossom and Julie's direction, crouching down again once more so she wouldn't see him.

"What the fuck are you even doing?! Apart from getting your jollies off of watching her around lingerie." Brick questioned with a sneer, and Melvin scowled all the more.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm doing research! If I know her sizes and style preferences I can buy her something she'll like!" Melvin said, his voice a low hiss.

Brick couldn't help but scoff. "You're beyond creepy. Get the fuck out of here."

"You get out of here! What are you even doing here?!" Melvin cried in a hurried whisper.

"I'm waiting for my brothers - not hanging around trying to clock Blossom's cup size like you are you freak! Do you really think she'll appreciate you following her around while she shops?" Brick asked, and Melvin shushed him.

"Will you keep your voice down or she'll notice me!"

"If you don't leave now I'll call her over." Brick said smoothly, and Melvin gave him a panicked look; he knew he wasn't joking. He hurriedly looked from Brick over to Blossom and Julie, who were slowly making their way towards the till, perusing the aisles on their way.

He grumbled under his breath, and quickly jumped up, scurrying away.

Brick watched him go with an incredulous sigh, before heading back over to the bench and sitting back down. Where the fuck were his brothers at?

"Hey, is that…" Julie said, tapping Blossom's shoulder as the store clerk handed her the black bag with the silky pink handle over.

Blossom looked over momentarily, double taking as she saw what Julie had seen.

Brick Jojo sat slouched on a bench, tapping away on his phone.

"Ohh whyyyyy?" Blossom complained, standing a few feet from the cashiers desk, but not making her way to the door.

"Because it's a free mall?" Julie said, failing to see what a big deal this was.

"Wait, wait, can we just wait a moment?" Blossom said, pulling Julie's arm to stop her continuing to walk.

"Oh Blossom, seriously?" Julie huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Yes seriously! Why does he of all people have to be outside when I have lingerie on me?! Can you see his brothers?" Blossom questioned - she could just see the leery look on Butch's face if he was there.

"Not right now - oh wait, yeah, yeah they are there. They're going now, so you can calm down, and we can leave the store! Why don't you want him to know you wear lingerie anyway? Most women do. Plus, he's seen you sans lingerie too soo -" Julie said and Blossom interrupted her.

"Julie!" She cried, and her friend giggled.

"Oh come on, when is that going to be funny?" Julie asked, and Blossom shook her head, trying to hide the smile threatening to spread across her face.

When Monday morning came round, Blossom could feel lots of eyes on her as she walked through the halls of Townsville High.

And she could hear the whispering.

Park… Bench… French guy… Patrice… Slut.

She sighed lightly, holding her head high. And there she was hoping she could forget about that now. But clearly word of her dating mishap had gotten around. She wondered if Patrice had been the one to tell tales about it.

It didn't finish there. She joined the queue for homeroom with her sisters and Robin. The Ruffs were higher up in the queue, with Mitch, Cody and the others.

But Buttercup didn't join them. The whispers as her and her sisters had walked into school hadn't fallen on deaf ears; and for this reason she'd decided to stay with her sisters in the queue.

Princess and her friends were stood in front of them. And Princess was talking loudly.

"I mean seriously! She walks around here like she's better than everyone else, but in reality, Blossom Utonium is just as nasty as every other girl in this school."

Bubbles, Buttercup and Robin glanced at Blossom quickly. But Blossom didn't react. She shook her head lightly at her sisters, telling them to ignore it.

But the volume of Princess' voice was just getting higher with each word she spoke. "And now everyone knows what a skank she really is."

Brick, Butch, Boomer and the guys turned in her direction now too as Princess' friends tittered; pretty much most of the line turned to look.

"Princess," Buttercup bit out, her voice sharp and harsh. "Please stop before I hurt you."

Blossom was leaning against the lockers now; she reached out and touched her sister's arm. "Buttercup don't rise to it."

"But she's -" Buttercup began but Princess interrupted her.

"I'm just speaking the truth. Everyone knows what she got up to on her little date with the foreign exchange student! He told Preston in the boys locker room and Preston told us last week. She got to third base with him, on a park bench! How classy!" Princess cried, as her and her friends began to laugh and giggle again.

Blossom stood upright then, gently nudging Buttercup aside before she swung for the irritating redhead. "Princess you're aware of what rumours are right?" She asked her simply.

"Are you aware of what a bedroom is? Or I dunno, somewhere with more privacy? I mean I don't blame you, he was a good looking guy but, even I have more class than a park bench!" Princess spat, her girlfriends laughing on queue behind her.

"It's so sad that you have to make things up to try and get to me." Blossom said, her voice soft, sympathetic. "What makes it worse is it still doesn't get to me. I guess you'll just have to try harder."

"What's more sad is that you let boys do whatever they want to you WHEREVER you are to make you feel good about yourself! First Brick, which was bad enough," Blossom rolled her eyes, as did Brick at the mention of his name. "Now some french exchange student you knew a matter of days! I mean please, have some dignity!"

"Oh my god ARE YOU FOR FUCKING REAL?!" Buttercup cried, and Blossom put her arm out across her sister to keep a distance between them.

"Buttercup." Blossom bit out, a warning. "Don't waste your breath."

"Do you hear yourself?!" Buttercup asked her again. "You're so fucking dumb Princess, I mean seriously! To ask MY SISTER, BLOSSOM FUCKING UTONIUM, about dignity? It's like, if money were dignity, you could buy like a soda, I'm guessing?"

"It's not my fault everyone thinks your sister's a whore." Princess muttered, turning her back to her.

Buttercup's eyes flashed with anger and Bubbles placed a hand on her shoulder, firmly pulling her away from Princess.

"I think you'll find it is, actually. Because you're the one who takes what you hear and turns it into something completely different. You do it all the time. It's sad." Blossom said, before turning her back on Princess herself.

"How can you just let her say shit like that without -" Buttercup began but Blossom silenced her.

"Buttercup, she's simply not worth the detentions, or suspension, that would follow as a consequence of hitting her. Ignore her." Blossom told her confidently.

The moment their homeroom teacher dismissed them to their first class, Brick got to his feet, and hovered a bit, waiting for Blossom. But, he didn't want it to look like he was waiting for her. So, he bent down, fiddled with his shoelace, then by the time he'd stood upright again Blossom had gathered her things and was about to head to their next class.

He gestured for her to go first, and she looked a tiny bit surprised, but walked first. Brick followed behind.

"Princess gave a good performance this morning huh?" He said as they reached the corridors lined with lockers.

Blossom did not look amused as she nodded. "Her Oscar nomination should reach her soon." She muttered.

He smirked, a light chuckle escaping his lips. As they walked, he noticed plenty of eyes on them. Or more, on Blossom. Other students, older and younger, whispering and looking as they headed to their first class of the day. He was kind of surprised by their behaviour. He shouldn't have been, considering the way the entire student body had reacted to the 'nano-gate', as he liked to call it in his head. They'd ate that up without a second thought, so what was to stop them believing this as well?

But how could they believe it in the first place? They knew Blossom Utonium, what she was like, what she had always been like? Maybe it was just the buzz of gossiping people enjoyed. Maybe most people knew it wasn't true, but joined in in the chit chat anyway.

"I'm surprised you're not more bothered by this." Brick said, and Blossom glanced at him.

"By what?" She asked, and Brick gestured to the hum of students, her name, Patrice, bench, park, slut, third base, and words similar cropping up.

"By this. The whispering, and the rumour mill."

Blossom looked around, shrugging lightly. "I'm used to it. Princess cranks them out all the time."

"And it doesn't bother you?" Brick questioned and she thought about it for a second.

"It does but, I sometimes just don't have the energy to deal with her." Blossom responded. They were halfway to World History, when their conversation was interrupted by Preston and Emmett coming up behind them.

"Yo Blossom!"

Blossom sighed, turning to see who it was. She didn't bother to greet him back, just carried on walking beside Brick.

"How you doing? So listen - how about we meet up after school? We could uhh, go to the park?"

Blossom sighed. "No thank you Preston." She said simply.

He went to keep talking but Brick nudged into him roughly and wordlessly as he passed. It was enough to stop him.

"She's fucking evil." Brick muttered, referring to Princess, and Blossom smirked lightly.

"She's pretty smart with what she chooses to use. She normally takes something that actually happened and twists it to something that didn't. Then it's harder to deny." Blossom said as they reached the queue outside their first class.

Christian Martins, one of the particularly asshole-y jock kids in their year, was stood at the end of the queue with Maxwell George - equally asshole-y.

It was as if he'd been waiting for Blossom to arrive. The moment her and Brick joined the queue he pounced.

"Hey Blossom, wanna ditch and head to Central Park?" He asked instantly. Brick, losing his temper, went to react, but Blossom beat him to it.

"Sure, Christian, let's go." She said, standing properly, she had been leaning against the wall.

"Err, what?" He asked, confused. Brick was just as confused too, he glanced at Blossom, his brow risen in shock.

"You wanna go, let's go?! Let's go to the park! Find that bench, let's do this." She said, her voice challenging.

"Oh, erm, well, I -" He stuttered, pointing at the classroom and then at himself.

"What's wrong? Come on, you asked! And I'm giving you the answer you wanted right?" Blossom said, her hands on her hips.

"Oh, I didn't, I don't erm, I -" Christian stuttered, and Maxwell shoved him on the shoulder, laughing.

"She fucking got you man." Maxwell said as Blossom folded her arms across her chest, smirking. "You fucking shit yourself!"

"Fuck you man, I was gunna say yes." He said, shoving Maxwell back.

Blossom rolled her eyes, resuming to leaning against the wall beside Brick.

Brick glanced at her, his eyes wide, a smirk on his face. "Well that's one way to deal with it."

Blossom smirked back.

"Brick? You in?" Boomer said as he entered their apartment, Butch closing the front door behind him.

Brick sank lower on the sofa as his blonde brother called him, wondering in his head what they wanted now.

"Dude, I can see your hat." Boomer said, and Brick reached up and snatched it off his own head.

Butch had gone straight to his bedroom to get something. When he returned to the lounge area, he was rolling a fat joint up carefully, leaning against the wall.

"What do you want?" Brick asked, sitting up slightly. His brothers had gone out with their friends after school so he'd been quite happy with the apartment to himself for a couple of hours. But now they were home.

"It's our birthday this weekend." Boomer said simply, and Brick rolled his eyes.

"Who gives a fuck?" He answered and Boomer blinked confusedly.

"Erm, I do." He replied plainly, and Butch, a unlit joint between his lips, piped up too.

"Yeah, so do I." He said, searching his pockets frantically for a lighter, then wordlessly passing it to his redheaded brother, who exhaled lightly, the flame that escaped his lips lighting the joint up for him. He passed it back to him.

"We wanna throw a party. Here." Boomer added, knowing what Brick's response would be to that instantly. He had been one hundred percent correct.

"Absolutely not." Brick snapped and Boomer sighed dramatically.

"Oh come on man we've never had a birthday before!" Boomer cried and Brick screwed his face up at the idea.

"And we've survived without one, have we not? Why the fuck would we want to celebrate on that day? That day may have been the day the monkey created us but it was also the day we were killed." Brick said, his voice dark.

Boomer scoffed. "Don't be so morbid - we were brought back! And not many people can say that! So why wouldn't we celebrate?!"

Brick didn't seem to have a response, he just looked extremely pissed off. Why did that fucking Powerpuff girl have to go find out when their 'birthday' was and tell Boomer? Meddling blonde...

"This whole thing is so fucking stupid. We're doing it." Boomer said determinedly.

"No, we're not." Brick said, his voice firm.

"Yes we are! Because we're turning 17 years old, and the 12 years we've been on his planet we've never fucking celebrated a damn thing. And I'm sick of it. So we're having a party." Boomer's voice was more firm, and Brick wilted slightly. He knew by his blonde brother's voice he wasn't going to let this go easy. And a part of him couldn't be bothered to try and fight him. Normally that voice on Boomer alerted Brick that they were about to have an argument. But, he just didn't have it in him right now to argue with his blonde brother. But at the same time it pained him to have his brother win.

"And you want this too?" Brick asked, turning to look at his brunette brother, who blew a plume of smoke at the ceiling.

He shrugged, but it turned into a nod. "I don't see the harm in it. It'd be fun."

"Nothing huge!" Boomer said, jumping over the back of the sofa so he was sitting beside his red eyed sibling. "Just some pizza, and beers, and weed, and some people. Just a few!" Boomer added, trying to reassure his antisocial brother.

"Who?" Brick asked, his back getting up again at the thought of his apartment being full of people he didn't want there.

"Our friends! Mitch and the guys, Mike, and Robin and Bubbles -" Boomer began but Brick interrupted him.

"No Powerpuff girls." He said and Boomer's jaw dropped.

"Why the fuck not?!"

"Why the fuck would you want them here?! New years was bad enough! But to actually invite them over for a party, it's, it's -" Brick began but Boomer interrupted him now.

"It's what? What is it Brick?" Boomer asked, beginning to lose his shit a bit.

"It's weird!" Brick exclaimed, and Boomer rolled his eyes with a loud sigh. Butch looked to the heavens momentarily too as he smoked his joint.

"For fuck's sake Brick, you sound ridiculous. It's not weird when they're our friends. I want Bubbles to come." Boomer said, and Brick gave him a scrutinising look.

"What have I said about this thing you have with Blondie?" Brick muttered and Butch smirked behind him.

"I don't have a thing for Bubbles!"

They both looked at him, skeptical expressions on their faces.

"What?! She's just my friend! That I want to marry." Boomer murmured, his cobalt eyes wide and innocent.

Brick rubbed his temples with one hand. "For fucks sake Boomer."

"Butch back me up here you want Buttercup to come right?" Boomer said, looking to his brunette brother.

Butch nodded, too busy smoking to answer verbally.

"Butch wants Buttercup to come because she's his friend. I want Bubbles to come because she's my friend. And Bubbles will talk Blossom into coming along anyway. Plus you get on better with Blossom then you like to admit. Come on man, just a small get together - not even a party! A get together!" Boomer continued to push as Brick sighed.

"Using a different word won't change my mind on this. And I do not get on with Blossom." Brick said, his voice stressed.

"We're doing it. We're doing this party." Boomer said, getting to his feet again, and Brick let out a frustrated, but defeated growl.

"I can't believe they live in this building!" Robin said as Bubbles pressed the call button for the elevator. Robin, Bubbles, Blossom, Kim, Mike, Holly and Julie had just arrived at the Rowdyruff boys' apartment building, Boomer had just buzzed them up.

"You think it's nice now, you wait till you see inside their apartment - it's really quite fancy!" Bubbles cried excitedly as they got into the elevator. Blossom pressed the button for the 20th floor.

"Ooh I'm even more excited now!" Kim cried enthusiastically. They reached floor 20 and all piled out of the lift.

As she followed her sister and their five friends along the hall towards apartment 82, Blossom wondered idly if she'd ever stop being reminded of Brick's bare behind sauntering towards his apartment door each time she found herself in this hallway.

Her cheeks burned red at the thought. She reminded herself she had no plans to be coming to the Rowdyruff's apartment on a regular basis. She didn't really want to be here tonight. Well, that was what she was telling herself. For the most part she didn't mind - as far as she knew it was just the ruffs and their friendship groups, and those kinds of get togethers were much more up her street, no stupid jocks hitting on her, no Princess and her minions bitching.

Bubbles knocked on the door, and the moment Boomer answered it, Bubbles threw her arms around him yelling: "Happy birthday!"

Boomer's cheeks went crimson, and he hesitated for about a millisecond before placing his arms around her, being sure to put them around her waist and nowhere else. Just as he was really beginning to enjoy the feeling of her holding onto him tightly, she let go, beaming at him, then turning to the others, stood awkwardly behind her.

"Err, I, erm, thanks, I guess, umm, come in!" He stuttered, and Bubbles giggled, floating inside as everyone else followed. Everyone but Blossom, who was giving Boomer a searching glance. She'd noticed the blush spread across his face and down his neck. He gave her an awkward smile, holding his arm out indicating for her to come in. With a knowing look, she stepped into the apartment.

Bubbles, Robin, Kim, Julie and Mike had made their way over to the kitchen to get a drink, plus Robin had bought a tray of cupcakes from the store over with her, on Bubbles' request. Holly had spotted Cody and he'd waved her over. The boys had laid out dozens of cans of cola, soda and beers. There was also a stack of red party cups and 5 bottles of liquor and a few family sized bags of chips.

Buttercup was already here, she'd arrived a bit earlier with Mitch and the others. She was sat on their sofa whilst they played video games.

"Help yourselves to drinks." Boomer said, appearing behind Bubbles and Robin, he'd managed to pull himself together and wasn't as red as a beetroot anymore.

Bubbles was cracking open a can of cola as was Robin and Julie. Kim was eyeing up the liquors and Boomer idly handed Mike a beer, who after a small amount of hesitation, took it and cracked it open. His attention was taken by Bubbles, as per the norm when she was around. She was wearing a little denim skirt, her long slender legs out, despite the fact it was January. She wore a baggy Hello Kitty t shirt tucked into the skirt, a thin white cardigan covering her arms, her hair in its trademark pigtails that were loosely curled. She smiled at him then, and he blinked, realising he was all but drooling. How did someone look so breathtaking every single time he saw her no matter what she was wearing?

Blossom went and stood with her blonde sister, trying not to search for Brick as she did so. She did a sly once over of the apartment and noticed he was nowhere to be seen. Hmm. Maybe he'd gone out. She couldn't imagine him being happy about the entire thing. Maybe he'd been so unhappy about a party being thrown at his house he'd made sure he was out.

She turned back to the kitchen area, and Bubbles had handed her a can of cola. She took it with a smile. Brick or no Brick, she could at least try and enjoy this for what it was, a get together with her sisters and their friends. At the Rowdyruff boys apartment.

"Right," Buttercup said, placing the game console controller down on the coffee table. "I need feeding. What you got for eats?"

Her question was aimed at Butch, who glanced over at her as she spoke. "We're gunna order some pizza's. Brick was supposed to do it, I'll go see if I can drag him out of his bedroom. There's potato chips on the side in the kitchen though."

"Sweet." She cried, getting to her feet and stretching, revealing her toned stomach as she did so. She was wearing a khaki oversized jumper that was cropped an inch or two below her breasts, a pair of black ripped skinny jeans and her trusty racer green DM's, a dark grey beanie atop of her head, her black hair poking out at the sides, as untamed as she was.

Butch liked it when she wore a crop top, or when she stretched, and was wearing a crop top. Blinking and shaking his head slightly, he got to his feet as well, barging into his redheaded brother's bedroom.

"Brick have you ordered the pizzas?" He asked, and Brick, who had been laid out on his bed, sat up.

"I'll do it now. But fucking knock will you?" Brick grumbled, reaching for his cell phone.

"Why don't you come out of your pit? Everyone's here now." Butch said, before disappearing out of his bedroom, and leaving the door wide open.

Brick sighed irritably, and dialled their usual pizza places number and hovered towards his door. With his phone tucked between his ear and shoulder he pulled his bedroom door shut and leant against the nearest wall whilst making the order.

Blossom, who was now sat at the breakfast bar in their kitchen, Buttercup beside her scoffing chips, glanced back as he closed his bedroom door. So he was in.

He got off the phone and approached the kitchen, taking a glass from the cupboard and some ice from the freezer. He then proceeded to pour himself a small glass of the whisky that was on the table.

"Pizza's ordered." He said, before taking a sip.

"Awesome I'm fucking starved." Boomer replied. "How many did you order?"

"Nine." Brick replied, and Boomer screwed his face up for a moment.

"Nine?! We go through three when just me you and Butch eat pizza! You think nine will be enough for sixteen people?!"

"Well, maybe you and Butch - and Buttercup, will just have to practice some restraint." Brick said, adding the green puff in, who was still munching chips.

"Hey fuck you, I have a fast metabolism." Buttercup snapped, pointing a potato chip at him.

"And a bottomless pit of a stomach." Blossom chipped in, to which Buttercup threw a chip at her sister. Blossom picked it up off her chest, and ate it.

Brick smirked. So she had came. Why, he didn't know. Maybe for the reasons his brothers had previously outlined, maybe for reasons he didn't know. She looked nice. Her hair was up in a relaxed bun, stray strands of red poking out and hanging loosely. She had so much hair that the bits that didn't make it into the bun were poking out at the bottom of it along the nape of her neck. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a white baggy v neck jumper. It was low cut and hung off her shoulder, revealing one nicely, and her collarbone once more.

He realised he was staring a bit then, annoyed at himself, so he looked away.

"Kim, why have you got such a huge bag with you?" Bubbles asked, and Kim grinned.

"Let's just say I came prepared." She said, still smiling widely.

"What do you mean, prepared?" Boomer asked, confused.

She opened her bag quickly, allowing them to look inside. Brick leaned forward and peeked inside too. She'd brought a board game with her. Or at least it looked like some kind of board game to Brick.

"Oh my god Kim you bought Twister with you!" Bubbles cried excitedly.

"Yeah! I mean, we had a blast last time we played it at a party! So, I thought I'd bring it this time." Kim said with a shrug. Mike had covered his face and Robin was giggling.

"What? What's Twister?" Boomer asked, confused still, and all but Brick turned to look at him.

"You don't know what fucking Twister is?" Buttercup asked through her mouthful of chips.

"Neither do I, what is it?" Butch asked, peering into Kim's bag as well.

"It's a game! Oh my god you guys are so deprived! Let's play now!" Bubbles cried, jumping to her feet.

"Nuh uh, after pizza!" Buttercup said with a shake of her head.

"You're happy to play Twister in a skirt?" Blossom asked her blonde sister, who rolled her eyes.

"I bet you won't play at all." She said, folding her arms across her chest.

Blossom gave her sister a low stare. "I'll play. If I feel like it." She said simply, and Bubbles giggled.

"You're too easy sometimes!" She said in a sing song voice, before floating over to the lounge area where, Mitch, Dom, Cody, Holly, Louie and Harry were still playing on the console. "So what video games we playing?" She asked, perching on the arm of the sofa.

"What does it matter if she's wearing a skirt?" Butch asked, his voice curious.

"You'll see when we play. Actually, you're gunna fucking love Twister." Buttercup responded to her counterpart, who wasn't sure what she meant, but smiled anyway. "It's right up your pervy street."

Blossom looked around to realise she was sat at the breakfast bar alone. Buttercup, Bubbles and the others had gathered around the sofas in the lounge area, watching the guys play on the console whilst they waited for the pizza.

Brick was still stood in the kitchen, he was looking over at his blonde brother, noticing the way his gaze softened when it landed on his blonde counterpart.

He was so on to his brother. He knew. He fucking knew.

He glanced over at Blossom then, his eyes automatically finding the silky skin of her shoulder as her jumper hung loosely off it. He couldn't help but notice her bra strap too, it was red, and lacy. He thought of her in Curved, picking the red bra up. She bought the red one. He liked red. Especially red lingerie. He felt a blush spreading up his face at the thought of her in red lingerie, and managed to stop his brain that was clearly getting carried away. Stop stop get it out of your head for God's sake!

She turned and looked at him then and Brick moved his gaze to her face, hoping she wouldn't notice he'd gone a little red, or at least he assumed he had.

"So how come you threw a party? Bubbles said you don't do birthdays…" Blossom asked, trying to start a conversation, seeing as she'd been left with Brick again - which seemed to be inevitable these days, she'd noticed.

"We do now apparently." Brick answered in a semi grumble. "Ever since Bubbles went to the library and found the date we first met - and were first created through old newspaper archives."

Blossom's eyebrows rose in surprise. "She did that?"

"Yep." Brick said, looking over at the two blondes, who were sat beside each other on the sofa. "She did that."

Blossom looked over too. "Hmm." She muttered, not really meaning the sound to escape her lips.

"Hmm, hmm is right." Brick replied, and Blossom knew they were thinking along the same lines about their blonde siblings. Brick knew Boomer liked Bubbles, but Blossom was beginning to wonder about them both too.

"Come and sit over here with us losers." Buttercup called over, and Blossom frowned, but hopped off the stool and floated over. Robin patted the arm of the sofa she was sat on with Kim, indicating for Blossom to perch on it. She did so, whilst smiling at her friend. Brick leant against the sofa behind her. He'd never seen his living room this packed.

"So fellas, how does it feel to be the ripe old age of 17?" Mitch asked sarcastically as he handed Harry the controller, it being his turn to play.

"Exactly the same as yesterday, when we were 16." Butch answered with a shrug.

"Yeah but it's better this year because we've actually had a birthday! We know precisely when we turned 17, which was today." Boomer said, almost sounding proud of having an actual birthday this year.

Brick rolled his eyes. He really didn't think any of it mattered. Clearly it did to his brothers though, his blonde one in particular.

"Hey girls I just thought!" Bubbles said, both her sisters looking her way, knowing she was referring to them. "If today's the boys' birthdays it's also the anniversary of our first kisses!"

Blossom and Buttercup cringed at their blue eyed sister.

"Awww, you boys' first kisses too, how sweet!" She cooed, just making it worse.

"Yeah, that blew us to smithereens, wow, so cute." Brick muttered, but was ignored.

"Why does your brain have to go there?" Buttercup asked her sister, unamused.

"Aww but it was sweet! It was still our tiny little selves first kiss." Bubbles cried, nudging Boomer, whose cheeks were dusted red.

"Yeah," Buttercup agreed, "It was the cutest. A peck on the cheek and he blew the fuck up. Adorable as fuck." She pointed to Butch, who laughed.

"It's not your average first kiss story is it?" Boomer muttered with a smirk.

"But what is average about you six, really?" Robin added, and everyone agreed not much at all.

"You girls fucking loved it." Butch said, leaning back in the sofa and nudging Buttercup lightly, who gave him a flat frown. "When we came back you girls couldn't wait to get your lips on us. It was your first thought upon laying eyes on me again. 'Oh yeahh this stud is back, pucker up baby!'"

Blossom rolled her eyes as Buttercup laughed at his stupid brain. "Only cos we were trying to blow you up again."

"We actually did like kissing though!" Bubbles agreed looking at Blossom for confirmation. Blossom looked like she wanted to gag her loose lipped sister. "Well, Blossom and I did. Buttercup was basically trying to bleach her tongue afterwards."

"Oh come on man, I was a devilishly handsome little kid!" Butch said, giving Buttercup a mock offended look.

"And I was a 5 year old who did not want your boy germs on me." Buttercup replied, folding her arms across her chest.

"You liked it, hmm?" Brick asked Blossom from behind her in a low voice, but everyone heard him.

She didn't turn to face him but looked to the heavens.

"She did! 'I kinda liked kissing' - weren't they your words, something like that?" Bubbles said with a wink.

"Did I do something to upset you?" Blossom asked her blonde sister, who only giggled, as did their friends. "Like I remember, it was like, 12 years ago!"

Brick smirked, noting the blush creeping up the nape of her neck as he stood behind her. He focussed on that, rather than asking the puffs sat in his living room if they'd enjoyed blowing them up as much as they had kissing them.

The door buzzer went off and Brick got up to answer it. "Hello?"

"Pizza for five thousand." A voice replied on the buzzer and Brick smiled.

"Come on up." He said, buzzing her in. Brick hovered around in the kitchen, pottering about until there was a knock at the door.

Blossom, who was chatting with Julie and Robin, glanced up as Brick opened the door. A figure stood with a tower of pizza in their arms, so much so that they're head was basically hidden. "So we're trialling this new, headless pizza delivery thing. What do you think?" A voice asked from behind the pizza boxes, and Brick chuckled.

"It's good, it's really good. Positive feedback from us." Brick replied as the voice, a female one, laughed too, handing the pizza's over. Brick took them and placed them down on the side.

"Seriously though I don't get how you eat so much pizza and stay so trim. And trim is putting it lightly cos you three are built like tanks - It's ridiculously unfair - Oh, you have company. That's reassuring." She said as she noticed the room full of teenagers. Blossom looked away as she looked right at her, then looked back a couple of seconds later. She looked to be in her early 20's, was of average height, with tanned olive skin and thick black hair caught up in a wavy ponytail. Her almond eyes were a sage green, and she had a ring in her nose. She was pretty, very pretty, and her eyes glittered as she spoke to Brick.

So did his, as he spoke to her.

"Yeah err, it's just a little get together. Boomer's idea." Brick said, folding his arms across his chest.

"But not yours?" She asked with a smile and Brick laughed again.

"No, definitely not mine." Brick said.

"Any special occasion?" The pizza girl asked and Brick shoved his hand into the pocket of his jeans as a way of distraction, retrieving his wallet.

"So what do we owe you?" He asked, counting bills out distractedly.

But the woman wasn't deterred. Blossom could see she was familiar with Brick, that or she was just good at reading people. She must have known Brick at least a little, as he wasn't an easy person to read even when you did know him.

"Come onnn what's the occasion? Oh! Is it your birthday?!" She gasped and Brick sighed, a smirk on his face.

"It would appear to be."

"Oh my god, happy birthday man!" She exclaimed. "Butch, Boomer, happy birthday!"

"Thanks Rachel!" Butch called back, as did Boomer.

"That's amazing! Have you had a good day?" Rachel asked, placing her hand on her hips and seizing Brick up.

He shrugged. "It's been, fine."

She laughed. "Fine, huh? Well, I hope the pizza improves it for you. 17, right?"

"Yep, 17." Brick nodded and she sighed loudly.

"Aw man you're making me feel old. Well, just make sure you're not delivering pizza for a living by the time you're 22. It's pretty fucking tragic." Rachel said with a self deprecating grin.

"No way, you know you're our favourite pizza girl." Brick said as she beamed at him. "So, what do we owe you, $135 right?"

"Call it $120." She replied, and Brick gave her a confused look that asked why. "A sneaky little discount for the birthday boy." She added with a wink.

"Aww, thanks Rachel." Brick replied, rubbing the back of his neck as she patted his arm.

"Don't mention it. Also, don't mention it to your brothers. If I give away 3 pizzas for free my boss will kill me." She muttered, and Brick laughed. It was his nice laugh again, not his malicious one.

Blossom cranked an eyebrow as she realised she was witnessing Brick flirting. It was kind of weird, seeing him being all, smooth, and well, nice to someone.

"Blossom, are you listening?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry, totally listening." Blossom said, looking back round at Robin, who had glanced at the door, watching the exchange between Brick and Rachel the pizza girl for a couple of seconds, then back at her redheaded friend.

"What's up?" Robin questioned, and Blossom waved a hand at her.

"Nothing! It's nothing! Just, Brick is totally flirting with that pizza girl and, it's just so weird seeing him being nice to someone. Like, seeing a dog walk on its hind legs." Blossom explained and Robin looked back around at them, and giggled.

"Right." Robin said, looking back around at Blossom, a knowing look on her face.

"What? What is that face for?" Blossom asked, confused.

"Nothing Blossom, nothing at all."

"Okay I'm going to referee, because Twister is more hilarious to watch than play in my opinion." Robin announced, picking up the spinner as Bubbles and Kim laid the Twister mat down on the floor.

"So, how do we play?" Boomer ask, looking at the mat lined with red, blue, green and yellow spots.

"So someone is the referee, and they spin the spinner. I'll spin and call out where you have to put your hand or foot. So, for example," Robin spun the spinner. "Okay, right foot red. So now everyone that's playing this game has to put their right foot on a red circle. But you obviously can't both put a body part on the same circle - unless you're playing teams. And if you fall, or touch the mat with an elbow or a knee, you're out. Who's playing this round?"

Buttercup, kicking her shoes off, put her foot on a red circle, as did Butch, Bubbles and Kim. "Okay, left foot blue."

They did as she said, all four of them just stood on a blue and red circle.

"This is easy!" Butch cried, not getting the fun in it yet.

"Fine, okay, let's mix it up. Buttercup," Robin said, spinning the spinner again. "Left hand blue."

Buttercup leant down, placing her hand on a blue circle directly in front of her, as Bubbles was standing on the one a row over. This now meant she was standing with her butt in the air in front of Butch. Butch nodded his approval at her behind.

"Okay, I am loving this game." Butch said, his mind completely changed.

"Told you." Buttercup said with a smirk on her face.

"Bubbles, left foot yellow." Robin said, so Bubbles just moved her foot over one circle.

"Kim, right hand yellow." Robin span again. "Butch, right hand red."

Butch tore his eyes off Buttercup's butt to look down at the mat. His foot was on the red circle in the corner, Buttercup's foot was on the one directly in front of him, which left the one in front of her foot. "How am I supposed to get to that…" He muttered..

"That's the point of the game!" Bubbles said, she'd twisted her body round slightly to watch.

Butch, being over a foot taller than Buttercup, decided to go over rather than under. He reached over her, his hand touching the red circle, chest flat against Buttercup's back.

"Is it my go now? Cos Butch and I are getting a little friendlier than usual." Buttercup asked, Butch's crotch resting against her butt.

"I think Buttercup has to skip a turn, aren't they the rules?" Butch asked, and Buttercup kicked him lightly on the shin as he sniggered. "Oh hey! Did you see that! An attempt of sabotage, she's definitely got to skip a turn!"

Robin looked at Butch, and nodded slowly, an evil glint in her eye. "You know I did see that. Bubbles, your turn!"

"Oh come on that is not the rules!" Buttercup exclaimed, as Butch rested some of his weight onto her. "You can't lean on me you lazy fuck! That is sabotage!"

"I'm just getting comfy till my turn comes around again." Butch reasoned.

"Right foot green, Bubbles." Bubbles twizzled round, her right foot on the opposite side of the mat now, she was now facing Butch and Buttercup, and she let out a giggle when she saw him.

"Oh Buttercup you look like you're going to lose." She commented, and Buttercup looked up at her from beneath Butch.

"Bite me Blondie, stop trying to provoke me you know I'm going to win." Buttercup responded as Bubbles laughed again.

Robin called out Kim's move, and Kim completely lost her footing, slipping onto her butt. "Dammit!" She cried. "Out already?!"

"Can I tap in?" Boomer asked excitedly, and Robin nodded, spinning the board for him.

"Right foot green Boomer. Butch," Robin span the board then began to giggle, so much she couldn't speak.

"What is it?! Come on man get this big lump off my back." Buttercup called, getting irritated at the stalling. Butch didn't mind, he was quite comfy right where he was.

"The big lump is not off your back yet BC. Butch, left hand yellow." Robin said through her giggles.

Buttercup cursed loudly as Butch placed his left hand on the yellow circle by Buttercup's hand, completely over her on all fours now. Her loud cursing caused Harry, Mitch, Dom, Louie, Cody and Holly, who were in the lounge playing video games to glance over. Cody frowned as he saw the position Butch and Buttercup were in. Brick, Blossom, Mike and Julie were at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, watching the game of Twister unfold whilst eating the pizza that was still left.

"Right it's my turn now! No skipping this time!" Buttercup exclaimed as Butch laughed, resting more weight against her. "Will you stop it! You weigh a ton!"

"I'm just taking a breather, come on you can handle it!" Butch replied cockily.

"Buttercup, left foot yellow." Robin said, and Buttercup moved her foot over, angling herself so she wasn't squished directly against Butch's crotch region anymore.

Robin called for Bubbles to put her left hand on a yellow, then Boomer to place his left foot on a blue. Butch's turn came around: right foot red. The closest red was over Buttercup. He attempted to hook his foot under Buttercup, but the angle was awkward, and the moment he tried to stretch his long leg through, he knocked Buttercup's leg, and landed in a heap on top of her.

"Butch! You idiot!" She cried, as the two were entangled in each other.

"I thought I had that!" He yelped as Buttercup tried to get up from beneath him.

"Well, you didn't!" She said, a laugh escaping her lips as she lightly kicked his lanky form off her.

The game continued, Mike and Julie tapping in. The game eventually ended with Boomer crowned the surprise victor. He wasn't used to winning, so even a Twister game was something he was pleased with.

About an hour or so passed, and Brick was surprised at how many people were still at his apartment. Julie, Dom, Louie, Holly and Cody had gone home, the last two together. The girls, Mitch, Harry, Robin, Mike and Kim still remained.

Brick didn't mind though, the whole thing hadn't been that bad, actually. The eleven of them that were still over were in the living room now, squished onto the sofas, Netpix on the TV, the remaining food sprawled out on the coffee table. Butch, Mitch, Harry and Buttercup were discussing how flawed the action movie that was on was. Kim, Mike and Robin were complaining about their art project , and Boomer and Bubbles - who were sat pretty cosy next to each other on the sofa, were also talking art, Bubbles was bigging Boomer up and reassuring him he'd do fine in the project they were currently doing. Blossom was perched on the end of the sofa, looking at her hotline device. Brick wondered if she was urging it to go off, as she looked pretty bored. Brick considered getting his guitar out to show her. He knew she liked guitars, she'd never ended up seeing his either. He opened his mouth to suggest it, but Boomer getting to his feet distracted him.

"It's in my room, come see." Boomer said, and Bubbles got up too, following him.

Brick gave Boomer a pointed look as he walked past him, but Boomer completely ignored him.

What was he doing? Why was he taking Bubbles into his room?! Seriously, this was all so weird. The pair of them were extra close, and getting extra cosy on the sofa, now they'd disappeared into Boomer's bedroom?! No one else had thought it weird though, it seemed. That annoyed Brick even more. Why didn't anyone else find it weird?! He caught Blossom's expression then, she looked suspicious, confused, and she was glancing at Boomer's closed bedroom door.

At least someone else found the two blonde's behaviour peculiar as well.

"Boomer it's so good! I mean look at that sunset, I can't believe you draw it by hand it looks like a photo!" Bubbles cried as she looked down at the painting Boomer had showed her.

He felt his cheeks redden slightly. "Oh man, thanks, it's not that good."

"It really is! You're gunna ace the art show, you'll see!" Bubbles said, as she handed him the artwork back.

"I hope so, I've never done anything like it before." Boomer said, sitting down on his bed as he put the a3 paper back into his artbook. He placed it on his bedside table, then looked up, realising he was alone with her again. And in his bedroom. "I'm a bit err, nervous about it." He meant the art show but, it was also appropriate for the situation he was in right now.

Bubbles smiled warmly at him, sitting down beside him on his bed. "Well, you shouldn't be. You have no reason to be."

Boomer didn't know if she was still talking about the art show or not now. Either way, he still felt nervous.

Bubbles was nervous too - she could feel the butterflies dancing around in her stomach as she sat beside him, but she also felt excited, and happy. She liked Boomer, she wasn't denying it anymore. She loved being around him, they talked all the time when they were apart. She liked him. And he liked her. There was no harm in that, not from where she was standing anyway.

"So, have you enjoyed your birthday?" She asked, and Boomer looked down at her, his brain whirring to answer the question. It had been a simple question but he was struggling, why was he struggling?!

"Oh, yeah, it's been really great! Really fun! And I mean, it's all thanks to you. We wouldn't have known when our birthday was, and, I wouldn't have thought I, me and my brothers, deserved to celebrate today. It's crazy. And you're a pretty amazing person." Boomer said, his eyes wide and appreciative.

"Of course you deserve a birthday! You deserve everything anyone deserves. You deserve a chance at life, Boomer." Bubbles said, her voice sincere.

His cobalt eyes, wide and innocent, looked down into hers, and he believed every word she said, because why would she lie?

Both decided it was now or never, and slowly Boomer leant down closer to her face, Bubbles angling hers to face his.

A loud noise outside - it sounded like Buttercup laughing - came from the living room and distracted them. Bubbles smiled softly, blushing, and Boomer pulled back a bit, looking at the door then back at Bubbles.

"I'm nervous why am I so nervous are you nervous?" Boomer asked in a hurried, burbled voice.

Bubbles giggled, linking her hand around the nape of his neck and pulling him closer to her. She placed her lips against his, and they shared a light peck. "Happy birthday Boomer." She said with a tender smile.

"Was that a 'happy birthday dude have a kiss we're just friends' sort of kiss, or a -" Boomer began to burble again, until Bubbles laughed and interrupted him.

"Oh my god you're such an adorable dork!" She exclaimed, pulling him close once again and kissing him once more. Boomer placed a hand around her waist, holding her closely as they shared a longer kiss this time.

Bubbles pulled away, stroking his cheek softly, before getting to her feet and leaving the room.

Boomer watched her go, dazed and stunned by their first kiss as teenagers, which felt like their first kiss ever. "Best fucking birthday ever!" He hissed, pumping his fist in the air.

r&r :)