Me: Hello fans everywhere! Thank you all so very much for the many reviews I got on the previous chapter! I liked that one a lot, so I hope this one isn't disappointing. It's where all the drama happens and I think you'll be satisfied with the results! This is the second to last chapter, everyone! Whatever shall we do?
*The Puffs & Ruffs stare at me like I have three heads*
Me: *sheepishly* What?
Brick: Hey, how is your contest coming along?
Me: Still only three entries! ):
Boomer: People need to start entering!
Me: I know! COME ON PEOPLE! The word for this month is DREAM, remember, and the deadline is August 15th!
Bubbles: Good luck! ^_^
Blossom: We're all sixteen and have normal features. Also, Marisa does not own any of us.
Me: There are a lot of POV-changes in this chapter, so just try to bear with me T.T Enjoy & review!
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Chapter 14
Brick
When you're supposed to be a sixteen year old girl and you have the voice of a guy, school is definitely not an option.
"Blossom, get up for school!" the Professor called for the tenth time that morning. "I thought you'd be the last of your sisters I have to worry about getting up!"
I rolled over in Blossom's bed. I didn't want to say anything, for fear of giving myself away. What was I supposed to do? I had to think fast. I could hear the Professor's footsteps on the stairs.
"Blossom!" the door swung open and the Professor stood in the doorway, looking concerned. "Are you alright?"
I pretended to cough. It sounded pretty convincing. I made my voice as high as it would go and rolled over in Blossom's bed.
"Professor, I don't think I can go to school like this," I croaked, blinking back fake tears.
The Professor rushed over to the bedside looking absolutely horrified.
"You look awful!" he cried, placing his hand on Blossom's forehead. "You're warm... And your eyes are all bloodshot! You cannot go to school today, young lady." he made a sound that went something like, tsk, tsk. "I'll go get you some medicine and whip up some tea and soup. You stay in bed until I get back."
I yawned and turned over in Blossom's bed with a smirk, willing myself back to a good night's sleep. Who knew faking sick could be so easy?
Blossom
How in the heck was I supposed to go to school when I sounded like a chipmunk with my own voice in Brick's body? I tested my voice several times in front of the mirror while Boomer and Butch were scarce.
(The night they went to 'sabotage' the girls, they'd come home with angry looks on their faces, eyes pointed like daggers towards each other. I didn't have the guts to ask what had happened, but I knew my sisters had probably unknowingly convinced them that they didn't want to hurt them.)
It was no use. I sounded like something out of a kid's cartoon. I couldn't go to school as Brick like this. It was preposterous.
The next morning, when Butch kicked me under the sleeping bag, I groaned as deeply as I could and rolled over.
"Get up, lazy ass," Butch yelled, kicking me again.
"I'm up! I'm up!" I heard Boomer cry, hopping up out of his sleeping bag and tripping over himself, falling in a miserable heap onto the floor.
"Not you, stupid," Butch scoffed. "Brick, get the fuck up before I bury my foot in your jaw."
"I'm sick," I moaned in the deepest voice I could muster.
"Bullshit," he replied. "Get up."
I coughed heavily, hacking up some pretty nasty stuff. I don't even want to get into it, so I'll skip that detail.
"He does sound kinda sick, Butch," Boomer muttered. Ever since the night of the double date, Boomer has been a lot more forward standing up to Butch. And I could tell Butch didn't like it.
"Fuck it," Butch cried, throwing his arms in the air and sending one last kick straight into my back. "If he wants to fake sick again and fail school, let him. C'mon, Boom."
They flashed out the door without glancing back. I peered out of the sleeping bag, making sure they were gone, and then laughed insanely.
I had tricked them! Ha-ha! And what's more, I got to stay here and play video games while everyone else was at school! Talk about luck!
I did feel kind of sorry that I was missing school for Brick, who had undoubtedly missed countless days. But it was for a good cause. I had to be turning back into myself sometime soon!
Or else... I don't know what I'd do.
Anon
"Okay, Boomer," Butch told his younger brother as they both flew to school. "Today we're actually gonna get those Powder Puffs."
Boomer nodded nervously. "Sure," he agreed.
"We're not gonna chicken out like we did yesterday."
"Uh, nope!"
"And we sure aren't gonna let those stupid Puffs into our cold hearts."
"Yea—wait, cold?"
Butch nodded. "Even if they do have, you know... Smoking hot bodies." Butch spotted a certain raven-haired girl across the schoolyard as they approached. He slowed down to admire her, almost stopping, and Boomer followed suit.
"Beautiful," the blonde agreed, noticing his counterpart nearby, talking to a few of her friends.
"And sexy eyes..." Butch continued.
"Hypnotizing," his brother corrected in a whisper.
As the girls entered the school building, Butch shook his head of the sight and glared at Boomer.
"They aren't gonna get to us, right Boomer?"
Boomer blinked several times and shivered inwardly. "Right..." he agreed quietly.
Butch
I wasn't going to let Buttercup get to my head, even though she was my girlfriend. I knew I was going to look like a complete asshole when it turned out I had only used her to lead to her own destruction, but I didn't care. As long as I could wipe the stupid smirks off of their stupid little faces...
"Hey Butch," she said tantalizingly into my ear as I approached her locker. She trapped me between her arms and fixed her lips onto mine without another word.
I closed my eyes, her scent filling my mind and consuming my entire head. She was good.
"Hey Butterbabe," I replied as we pulled away for breath. We couldn't completely make out in the middle of the hallway. That'd just be creepy.
"What's up?" she asked me, grabbing a notebook out of her locker. My head was still spinning from her kiss. No other girl that I'd kissed had ever made me feel like that. She drove me absolutely wild.
I shrugged, leaning against the other lockers. "The usual shit, you know." When she had her books carelessly held in her arms, I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards me for another kiss. She smirked and kissed me willingly, the school bell ringing in our ears. She tasted like mint and chocolate; she was like race cars and monster trucks; bonfires and rock concerts. None of that stupid girly stuff. She was perfect.
...Oh, who the fuck was I kidding? I couldn't sabotage my own girlfriend. And if I couldn't do it, Boomer sure as fuck couldn't do it. But he didn't need to know that I was a sucker for the sweet stuff.
Boomer
Okay. All I had to do was approach her, and bring on my attack. I had to show that bully Butch that I was stronger than he thought I was. I took a deep breath and walked towards Bubbles' locker, puffing out my chest and trying to look tough as possible.
As I approached, Bubbles turned around and a huge grin formed on her flawless face.
"Boomie!" she exclaimed when she saw me, so excited, she dropped her books all over the floor. At this, both of us flushed bright pink and I dropped the stupid tough guy act. I stooped to help her pick up the books, reminded of the night when the two of us picked up her stuffies from the ground at the fair.
"Thanks," she whispered when I picked up a final sheet of paper and placed it in her arms. She was staring at me with those huge, wide sky blue eyes. Now's your chance! my mind screamed. Give her what's coming to her! Impress your brother! You can do it!
But I couldn't do it. With Bubbles staring at me, not breaking her gaze even when the school bell rang, I couldn't do it. She was just too innocent. A sweet little smile on her face, a flutter in my heart... Dang it.
The hallways were clearing. Neither of us moved. After a few seconds, we were the only two in the hallway. I leaned in towards her. Her lips met mine with a shock of blue electricity. It was like our first kiss at the carnival all over again. I felt my face growing hotter than it had ever been, and I reached up to cup her face in my hands. Her cheeks felt about as warm as mine as I deepened the kiss. She was cotton candy and bubblegum; carnival games and stuffies; sugar and flowers. She was perfect.
As I pulled away, the tardy bell rang and we both stood there looking at each other like idiots.
"We're late," she said bluntly.
"Come on, I'll walk you to class," I replied, relieving her of her books and putting them in my arms with my own.
"But isn't your first period upstairs?" she asked, concerned.
I shrugged. "I'm already late," I said truthfully. "I might as well make it worth something." I grinned at her. She smiled back and took my hand, leading me off towards her first class.
Anon
Boomer and Bubbles walked hand-in-hand down the hallway for a moment. They turned the corner~
~And Boomer gasped at what he saw.
Two dark heads, completely interlocked and pressed up against the lockers nearby completely ignored their surroundings as they went at it.
"Butch?" Boomer cried with a disbelieving laugh.
Butch immediately pulled his head away from Buttercup's and studied his brother.
"Uh, Boomer?" he said, raising an eyebrow at his brother's hand-holding with Bubbles. The blonde girl just giggled and Buttercup was panting lightly.
The two brothers stared each other down for what felt like an eternity before they both burst into laughter.
"I knew you couldn't do it," Butch laughed, one arm still wrapped around the confused Buttercup's waist.
Boomer laughed right back at him. "Yeah, but you couldn't even last an hour!" he retorted, still holding a confused Bubbles' hand.
"What are you two idiots talking about?" Buttercup cried, pulling away from Butch and putting her hands on her hips.
Bubbles let go of Boomer's hand and crossed her arms over her chest.
Butch and Boomer stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, each daring the other to say something, but neither did. They just shook their heads and smiled.
"C'mon Butterbabe," Butch said, taking Buttercup's arm and pulling her in the opposite direction the blues had been heading. "We're late for science."
Buttercup fought back for a second, trying to stay put, but eventually gave up and willingly followed Butch to their classroom.
"What was that all about?" Bubbles asked Boomer with a very questioning look in her eyes.
Boomer rubbed the back of his neck and grinned sheepishly. "Ehh... Just some stupid bet Butch and I had," he half-lied. "It's not important now." he took Bubbles' hand in his own again and they began to walk towards Bubbles' first period classroom.
Brick
I have no idea how long I was asleep for, but when I woke up, the sun was shining low in the sky, and I knew it must have been the early afternoon.
"Blossom, here~, I made you some more tea and soup."
The Professor's voice floated into my dreams and I shook my head. The action felt strange and alien as I rolled over in Blossom's bed. I didn't open my eyes, but I could hear the man's footsteps approaching the door, then finally the door swung open. I heard him enter, and I heard the soft chime of glass clattering on a tray.
"Now this tray is very hot, I just want you to—"
I heard him gasp. The tray fell to the ground with a loud sound of breaking glass. I bolted up into a sitting position and stared at him, wide-eyed. He stared right back at me, backing up slowly and rubbing his eyes.
"Brick?" he exclaimed, looking confused at me now.
I shut my eyes tight. This wasn't happening. Not now. Anytime but now. Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked down at myself.
Sure enough, though I was dressed in Blossom's same pajamas (and admittedly, I looked like a complete idiot), I knew those hands from anywhere. I held my own hands up in front of my eyes and grinned from ear to ear. They were mine! One hundred percent mine! I threw the covers off my legs and (again, the whole pink long-sleeved-shirt-and-pajama-pants outfit did anything but compliment me) lo and behold, these were my legs, my feet, and my arms. I felt my face. It was mine. I allowed my very own hands to feel my bare chest underneath Blossom's pajama shirt. Flat. Completely flat. I let out a sigh of relief. The only thing missing was my lucky red cap on my head.
With a huge grin on my face, I studied the Professor's reaction to all of this. He stood huddled in the corner, bearing a very confused expression on his face. Hey, I didn't blame him. I'd find it pretty weird, too, if I walked into my daughter's room and there was some guy dressed in her clothes and sleeping in her bed.
I had to admit though; it was pretty hilarious scaring the guy half to death.
I gave him sort of a salute and in one swift move, I was off the bed and out the door, floating down the stairs before he could say another word. As I passed the living room, Bubbles and Buttercup, recently home from school, whirled around at the sight of me.
"Brick!" Bubbles shouted happily. "You're back to normal!"
"And you're wearing Blossom's pajamas," giggled Buttercup, slightly less than surprised.
I flew in circles around them with that same grin on my face, just happy to be back in my own body once again.
"I'm outta here," I said, more happily than I ever could have been. "But wait." I stopped mid air and hovered there for a second, studying both of the girls' faces. "If that thumping noise the other day wasn't you, BC, then Bubbles... What was it?" I grinned maliciously, thinking I had her cornered now, but she simply shrugged and smiled innocently.
"I was gonna tell you. The Professor met a new girl the other night," she replied, a smug look on her face. I felt my face drain of colour and I stared back at her angrily. She shrugged. "You asked!"
"So BC," I continued casually, pretending I didn't hear that, "Butch didn't spend the night here?"
The raven haired girl grinned. "Just because I didn't let him get anywhere with me doesn't mean he didn't stay the night once or twice..." she winked and I nearly barfed.
"Sometimes I wonder what you girls see in those idiots," I said, shaking my head.
"What do we see in them?" Buttercup scoffed. "What does Blossom see in you?" she pointed at me and I was reminded that I was wearing women's pajamas.
My face flushed again.
"Touché." I flipped around in a loop-de-loop before heading towards the door. "See you later!" I called over my shoulder as I dashed out the door.
I had to make sure it was really true, that I really was back to myself again. And the only way to find that out was to finally go back home.
Blossom
Boomer and Butch walked right in on me as I was playing the same old video games. I had somehow managed to fix the game system after I'd zapped it off the night before. Luckily, my actions hadn't caused too much damage, and I was back to playing CoD before I knew it.
The other two RowdyRuffs were arguing over something as they entered the house.
"No, you caved in first," Butch was saying to Boomer.
"I did not, you brought up the subject of their 'sexy bodies' before school even started!" Boomer retorted.
A snort from Butch, and a punch in the arm from Boomer sent the argument into a full-on fight. Boomer, of course, ended up losing, sprawled out on the floor ashamedly. At least he was standing up for himself and not cowering before Butch anymore.
"'Sup guys?" I greeted them as Boomer stood up, brushing himself off and Butch made his way over to his usual spot in front of the TV. Is that all they ever did? Watch TV?
Butch stopped dead in his tracks right before he sat down. He stared at me for a second before grinning widely.
"What?" I asked in response to the devilish look on his face.
"Sick, huh?" he laughed. Boomer floated over to him and stared at me, too, and a split second later he burst into laughter.
"What?" I demanded again.
Butch just shook his head. "Nothing, nothing," he chuckled. "That scheming little..." he sighed and met my eyes again. "Brick just told us he stayed home sick, and we come home to... to..." he laughed again, gesturing to me sitting there with the game controller in my hands.
Wait, my hands?
I looked down at my arms and gasped. They were mine and my very own! My eyes followed my arms up to my stomach, and finally to my chest. I put my hand gently on my left breast, testing to make sure it was real. It sure felt real.
I looked up and met Butch's eyes again. He had a laughing look in his emerald green eyes and a smirk on his lips.
"Uhh..." I muttered, not quite sure what to say at this point.
"It's okay, Blossom," he said. "We're only gonna make fun of Brick for this until he's forty."
Boomer was still rolling on the floor laughing. Butch kicked him, not too hard, but enough for him to regain his 'composure' and get up off the floor again.
"How busy did you guys get?" Boomer laughed. I blushed as I realized I was still wearing Brick's entire outfit, including his hat. I ignored the obviously hypothetical question and dropped the controller that was still in my hands.
"So, where did he get to?" Butch asked, now finally sitting down in his chair and picking up his own controller.
I shrugged. Excuse, excuse, excuse! Come on Blossom, think of something! "He just left, to uh, get something." way to go, genius.
My response only made Butch laugh harder. "Ohh," he said suggestively. "He went to get something." he winked at me and my face almost literally caught on fire. Butch leaned back in his beanbag and stared at me curiously.
"I didn't know you played CoD," he said, gesturing to the controller on the floor by me.
I shook my head quickly. "Oh, no, I don't—"
"Great, let's have a game, shall we?" he ignored my protests and began the game. I had no choice but to pick the controller back up and join him. "I'll go easy on you, don't worry."
Within three minutes, I destroyed him.
I have to say, it did feel good to laugh at the bewildered look on his face as I beat him for what seemed like the first time again. Boomer whooped and high-fived me.
"Nice job, Blossom!" he said. "You beat the undefeated Butch!"
"You totally punked me!" Butch exclaimed angrily. "This time, we're playing for real!" I grinned at him as he respawned and we began to play.
The game was just getting serious when the door to the shack burst open.
Butch
It's one situation in itself when I come home from school and find Blossom sitting there in my brother's clothes and playing my video games. It's a whole different kind of crazy when Brick bursts through the door with this wild look on his face... dressed in her clothes.
"Brick, what the fuck...?" I barely got out, hopping up from my beanbag chair and dropping the game controller into the floor. Boomer stared at our brother with this wide-eyed expression, like he was staring at an alien. We might as well have been. This situation was getting goddamn weirder and weirder by the second.
Brick immediately flushed beet red when he saw Boomer and I staring at him like this. He cleared his throat awkwardly and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Blossom give a tiny wave.
I could tell Boomer wasn't sure whether to burst out in laughter or tears so he just sat there with that stupid expression.
"No time to explain," Brick said, rushing towards Blossom. He looked her dead in the eye and grinned widely. "Blossom... I... I can't believe this."
I thought he was fucking crazy until I saw Blossom return his excited look and grinned right on back at him. At that point, I was fucking pissed. I wanted to know what the fuck was going on.
"Uh, hello?" I exclaimed, waving my arms in the air. "Can somebody please tell me why the fuck you two are dressed as each other?"
"Maybe they were role playing..." I heard Boomer mutter under his breath. He was quiet, but we all heard him. I couldn't help it. I burst into laughter, tears stinging at my eyes and I clutched my side from it hurting. Boomer may be stupid, but he says the funniest shit sometimes.
Anon
Brick and Blossom turned an even deeper shade of pink/red at Boomer's remark. The only difference now was that Blossom was becoming embarrassed, whereas Brick was about to explode in anger at any second.
"Okay, that's it," Brick cried furiously. "Get out of here so I can talk to Blossom in private!"
The other two boys did as they were told; didn't stop laughing, though. They continued to laugh right through their exit, Butch muttering breathlessly in between laughs ("Suuure, you're talking...") and Boomer gripping his stomach like it was killing him.
When finally the two boys had left the shack, Brick turned to Blossom.
"Can you believe this?" he cried happily, showing her his own arms.
She beamed and stood up, spinning around in front of him. "Look! I'm me again! I'm one hundred percent Blossom!"
They laughed and jumped and celebrated together, each showing the other the proof of possession over their own bodies.
After a moment, Brick stopped celebrating and looked down at himself.
"Uhh, Blossom?" he began hesitantly. She stopped twirling in the air and looked at him.
All she had to do was read his facial expression to know what he was implying. She giggled.
"Oh, alright, give me my clothes then," she laughed.
He happily got himself an outfit straight from his own wardrobe, a pair of black basketball shorts and a grey t-shirt. He changed quickly and comfortably into them while Blossom had her back turned, then handed her her own clothes.
Blossom spun around quickly in the air, creating a bright pink tornado around her body and changing as speedily as cartoon characters do. When she was in her own pajamas again, she sighed contentedly and lowered herself all the way to the ground, standing just in front of Brick. She reached up and took his lucky cap off her head, and silently placed it onto his.
He smiled at her. "That's much better," he said quietly, adjusting the cap on his head and sighing.
She smiled back, her own white teeth sparkling back at him. "So very much better!"
"I can finally go back to my own life!" he said eagerly, throwing his arms out around him, in a gesture towards the shack.
Blossom nodded solemnly. Was this really how he felt? Was Brick really this eager to get back to his own normal routine after all they'd been through?
"Finally, I don't have to worry about girl stuff," he continued, Blossom's heart sinking in her chest. "I don't have to worry about homework or sisters or parents or y—"
Brick stopped short at the expression on Blossom's face. He had begun to say 'you', but stopped himself.
Blossom turned away sadly.
"No, Bloss, I didn't mean it like that," he corrected quickly. "I just meant, you know..."
But he couldn't think of an excuse this time. Blossom sighed.
"No, you're right, Brick," she said quietly. "We should go back to our normal lives. Pretend like this never happened."
Brick was genuinely hurt. He didn't think he was capable of feeling this way. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings; he'd just gotten overwhelmed with the excitement of being himself again.
"It doesn't have to be like that," he said sadly. "I mean, our siblings are dating now, aren't they? So we'll have to see each other?"
Blossom met his fiery red eyes and half-smiled. "If that's what you want," she said hopefully.
Brick
Was that what I wanted?
It was then that I found myself asking the same question as before.
Did I love Blossom Utonium?
This time, the answer was quite clear to me.
After all I'd been through, experiencing her life and with the two of us living as each other, I knew it was true.
I was in love with Blossom Utonium.
And I wasn't afraid to show it anymore.
Disregarding my past and everything I was used to, I took Blossom's small, soft hands into my own.
"That's not what I want, Blossom," I said truthfully. The look on her face was sad and she lowered her gaze. I tilted her head back up by her chin so her eyes would meet mine again. "I mean, that's not enough. I've been through too much to simply call you my enemy anymore."
I saw the bright smile come to life on her face right before I kissed her. And when I say I kissed her, I mean I kissed her.
It was just like in the movies. The sparks flew rapidly, like a sparkler. Or more like fireworks. She was like Independence Day, Christmas and Easter all wrapped into one. She was sugar, spice and everything nice. She was perfect.
"Oooooohhhh!" I heard my brothers sing as they peeked through the door at us. I ignored them and wrapped my arms around Blossom's waist. I had been waiting too long to do this.
I felt like I knew her so well now, I knew every last inch of her, every curve on her body, every freckle on her nose. I had lived my life for almost a week as Blossom Utonium, and in the midst of that time I had fallen madly in love with her.
But not every story has a happy ending.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
A/N: Hey you guys! I hope you enjoyed this second-to-last chapter of Code Red! I just have a few things to say before I sign off...
Firstly, next I will be writing a Blues story, I'll put up the summary after the final chapter has been published. Hope you guys stay tuned!
Second, I don't usually do this, but a good friend of mine has recently joined the site and she's published this story called Distortion. It's Bubbles x Butch, so, If you're a fan of colour-swapping, if you know what I mean, it's really great so far and I think you should check it out!
Finally, as I said up at the beginning, I still need more entries for my monthly writing contest! The word of this month is DREAM, so get those one-shots written! It's almost August!
Thank you all so much for your continued support, and I'll see you back here with the final conclusion very soon!