Chapter 2: The Infamous Trio
Brick landed quietly upon the deck. His feet softly clanked against the metallic flooring of the cold and slick floor. His red eyes gazed about, looking for anyone in sight, but there lay none. Taking a stride forward, he made his way into Mojo Jojo's territory, the throne room. The purple jewel-encrusted doors opened by the lowly human servants as Brick entered inside. Giving them a slight nod of acknowledgment, he strode towards the throne.
A white marbled throne lay constructed in the middle of the room. Royal purple tapestries with the initials "MJ" hung proudly amongst the ceiling and a red velvet carpet was spread towards the president himself. Mojo Jojo sat seated on his throne, content for the moment. He felt like taking a bit of a break after causing havoc and destruction in one of the outlying cities to the East of Townsville. He sat cheekily, crossed legged, with his hands on the sides of the arms of the chair, taking in the silence of his metal domain.
Brick approached his father quietly. He calculated that the only reason his father was actually in the throne room was to get some peace and quiet. And of course, to do business with his son.
Brick stood before Mojo, his blood-red eyes piercing into the monkey. "You asked for me father" he spoke stoically as Mojo slowly opened his eyes. A coy smile played upon the monkey's face.
"Ahhh, my son. Good to see that you are in a healthy condition. You know, it is always important to eat a healthy breakfast in order to get a great start to the day—" he began to ramble as Brick decisively cut him off, "and I hope that there is a reason as to why I'm getting a great start to this fine day." Mojo Jojo quietly chuckled to himself. His son always was still so very arrogant. Even when facing the king of the world himself.
"Kneel" Mojo suddenly commanded and Brick slammed onto one knee, a hand placed on the ground as he knelt before Mojo. Brick's eyes could only glare as Mojo swung a golden key around his neck, its glint almost a tease for the red ruff. "You really must understand something. I am Mojo Jojo. The ruler, the king, the almighty, the all-powerful, the undeniable god of this world. It is not a good idea, my son, to speak with such words" the monkey chastised as Brick simply held his tongue.
The key. The most powerful key that could control the world and it was dangling right before him. But Brick could do nothing. He still knelt before Mojo, his knee becoming quite sore from having to squat upon the hard metal floor, but Mojo continued to ramble. "There is a very specific, and very important reason that I called you here for my son. The time is drawing very close. It is the time of the year that I had set. A time I had set from such a long period ago that I truly almost forgot about it!" Mojo coughed as he leaned down towards the red ruff. "It is the time that the Powerpuff Girls are going to be set free."
Brick's eyes slightly widened at the comment. He gazed up at the monkey, red eyes peeking, as Mojo leaned back, smoothing out his white pinstriped suit. He adjusted his purple tie and smugly smiled at his child. "I need you to take care of them if the Powerpuff Girls are set free. If they are free, then...take care of them...if you can understand the words that are coming out of my mouth. Or, if that proves too challenging for you, then tell me so that I can send them back into their prison once more. Prison meaning banishment, punishment, exile, and being totally as far away from me as possible. Do you understand? Can you handle this task that I give you?" Mojo questioned, intently staring at his son.
Brick processed the information that his father gave to him in his head quietly. The Powerpuff Girls...a name he had not heard of in such a long time. The people of this miserable city gave up long ago trying to find them and Mojo Jojo made sure of it. Brick was barely even sure if the girls really existed anymore. It had been 20 years since Mojo had gotten a hold of the key...and after that time, the girls had never been spotted again.
Brick quietly glanced back up at his father and nodded once in assent. "It will be done. I will notify you. My brothers and I will see to it" he spoke as Mojo Jojo dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Being released from Mojo's command, Brick was finally able to stand. He took a low bow to the old monkey for good measure and then walked back out to the way he came from. His inner thoughts pondered the situation at hand.
From what Brick understood, Mojo had been the one to finally gain control over the key, and for a time, everything was perfect. He had truly proven to those what kind of world he could create for the people of Townsville. However, after this time of peace, Mojo became bored with his ruling and opted for something much more "fun."
However.
Once the Powerpuff Girls had discovered that Mojo was, in fact, going to rule the world with chaos instead of peace, they did try to stop him. But, Brick knew their efforts were thwarted easily. With the control of the key came the control of the entire world, including the Powerpuff Girls. Their efforts were futile, and so the sly monkey had created a banishment for the girls for 20 years. This would be the year that they come back.
Brick cast a glance up towards the clouded sky. A few drops of rain trickled upon his face and he closed his eyes. What would it be like to meet the girls again? What would it be like to see Blossom's face again after 20 years? He smiled inwardly. Thinking of her made him feel the need for bloodshed. Those were the days where they literally beat the crap out of one another, and truthfully, Brick missed it.
Now as an older adult, with a muscular but lean physique, he easily thwarted the small rebellions that cropped up against Mojo Jojo. His white Adidas shoes squeaked slightly as he trekked towards the deck again to take off. Brick quickly flipped his worn cap to cover his face and slowly began to float upwards. Taking off from the deck, he soared up higher on the outside of the tower, scaling up further and further to reach his next destination. Finally finding another landing deck, he floated into the open door. The door lead into a massive round hallway with three clearly distinct colored doors. One red, one blue, and one green.
Making his way over towards the aqua door, he rapt on it slightly until his yellow-haired brother opened up. "What?" Boomer nonchalantly asked. "Father has a mission for us. I think you'll be interested in finding out more about it" Brick plainly stated as Boomer gave him a puzzled look. "What does the old coot want now? Another bunch of rebels popped up somewhere? HIM again?" Boomer mumbled as he retreated into his room and plopped himself upon the blue sofa. Boomer blew his golden locks out of his face in annoyance as Brick quietly pursued after him, his eyes burning with a ferocity that Boomer had not seen in a long time.
"We're going to go see the Powerpuff Girls" Brick muttered as Boomer's eyes slightly widened, and he stood from the seat. "Powerpuffs" he simply mumbled as Brick nodded back to the blonde. "I haven't seen Bubble butt in ages...do you think...they're still alive?" Boomer asked as Brick cuffed him slightly on the head. "Of course they are. Mojo asked me personally to make sure that they stay in imprisonment. Which means, idiot, that they are alive, and we are going to have to meet up with them again." Boomer rubbed his head sorely from his brother's hit and made his way over to a glowing tube place into the wall. A black piece of armor with a blue B on the front lay sitting inside, waiting for battle.
"You should let Butch know. I'm going to get ready" Boomer mumbled quietly as he opened the casing to the tube and lightly touched his gear. Brick quickly turned on his heel and made his way towards the green door across the hall. He pounded heavily upon it as suddenly it swung open and a spiky-haired brother appeared. "WHAT!?" Butch screamed as Brick brushed past him and made his way to another tube placed into the wall. "And is there a reason for such a rude intrusion by my red-haired dumb-ass brother?" Butch snarled as Brick opened the tube and flung Butch's black armor at him, the glowing green B smacking into his face.
"We got work to do. Orders of Mojo. We...are going to check up on the Powerpuff Girls" Brick smirked wickedly as Butch beamed back at him as well. "Huh. Well it's about damn time" he spat as he quickly struggled to get into his armor as well. Brick sidestepped out and made the way to his room. Unlocking the door, he flicked on the lights and headed towards the tube with his armor in it. Sliding the glass open, he fingered the shoulder pads of the armor lightly, feeling the carbon material bump beneath his fingertips. The red B was emblazoned right on the front of the chest and almost seemed to surge with power. Taking his gear off of the rack, he quickly stepped into the hug tight leggings and it quickly auto-generated battle pads around his legs, groin, and waist areas. Slipping on the chest piece, it quickly strangled a hold onto his frame and branched out to cover the rest of his body in padding as well. Brick simply just frowned and flexed within the tightly fitted suits. One of Mojo Jojo's designs that he had created for them in his spare time. Quite effective in battle, but a little on the tight side.
Brick pulled off his hat from his carrot-colored head and tossed it into the adjacent room onto his bed. Strapping up some of the extra areas on the suit, he headed out of his room, Butch and Boomer already waiting in the circular corridor. Brick felt his arm buzz slightly and he raised it to project a holographic screen in the front of him. A tiny map of the world lay upon it and displayed 3 different tracking signatures. Butch and Boomer also received signals upon their battle armor and looked at Brick decisively. "Well? Let's go" Brick simply mumbled as the three took off out towards the flight deck and then into their respective areas. Each had a good idea for which coordinate contained their counterpart. Their reunion with the girls had finally began.
- - -Boomer quickly picked up his pace in excitement. Bubbles! He would see Bubbles again. It was something almost brand new and exciting to be meeting his counterpart. He wanted to see her, have her see what he has become, and, well, to be honest, to have the ability to just pick on her again! He laughed inwardly to himself. She was such a crybaby, always being the first to scream out in pure fear when they were younger. He enjoyed watching her pour the bucket fulls of water from her eyes.
He quickly rechecked his location again. He was still quite a distance away. Flying upwards, he could feel the air become thinner and thinner. He willed himself harder, trying to beat the atmospheric pressure and the force of gravity holding him back down. Eventually, he broke the surface of the Earth's outer atmosphere, and quietly floated about in the beginnings of what was an endless space.
Without hesitation, he shot off towards the direction of the moon. The Earth's only moon, a cratered and milky orb hanging in the bleak sky. Who would have guessed that this was the imprisonment of the once famous and cute Powerpuff?
Boomer gently landed upon the moon's outer crust, a few flecks of dust scattering from beneath his feet and floating off into the dark abyss of space. Boomer looked at his screen once again, trying to pinpoint a location. Taking a few careful paces forward, he glanced about, checking for any signs of life or an encampment.
The moon was cold and eerie. A hushed silence covered the rock as if in anticipation of his arrival. Boomer continued his pace around, his screen emitting a soft clicking noise as he drew nearer to his destination. Finally, the clicking picked up its pace, and as he climbed a final crater and reached its peak, he saw her.
A solid statue greeted his eyes. Frozen in time she was. He knew the instant he saw it, it was Bubbles.
He drew closer to it and admired it. It shined with a sparkling brilliance of silver and seemed to emit a soft blue hue. Bubbles was posed with her head down, arms in front of her with her fingers entwined together, and one leg raised slightly behind her. Boomer simply walked around it, inspecting the material and seeing if the statue would move. He still couldn't believe his eyes. His counterpart, here, frozen for what seemed like forever on the moon.
Taking a finger, he flicked the statue and heard it ring slightly. His face held a bit of skepticism. 'Is Brick for real? This is just a statue of Bubbles Utonium. Not the real thing. How could she possibly survive for 20 years like this?' He thought quietly as he stared at her face. Her face was round and beautiful. He could imagine her bright blonde hair flowing from her locks on her head and tied in its infamous pigtails. He could picture her red glowing cheeks and bright blue-hued eyes staring back into his. But alas, no. The statue stared up towards the never-ending sky of stars, almost hoping that it would one day come to life.
Boomer paused for a moment. Hold on a second. The statue was facing its head down, but now it's facing up towards the stars? Boomer scratched his head in confusion. Could a statue truly move? As he stood, puzzled, a single tear seemed to escape from its granite eyes and trickled down her smooth face. Boomer's dark blue eyes widened. "Bubbles...?" Was all he mumbled before a sudden and brilliant flash of light erupted before him.
"What the hell!" Boomer choked out, shielding his eyes from the intense blue light. As the smoke and dust cleared, he coughed lightly and looked back towards the statue. But the statue was not to be found. In its place, stood a young woman, a year older than him, with long flowing golden pigtails that settled long past her feet. Boomer had to contain himself from going completely red in the face as he knew immediately that she was naked.
The girl opened her eyes slightly, a soft blue color locking on with his. A few tears escaping and her lips slightly parted, she tried to speak, but lost her balance and collapsed onto the dusty sand. Boomer, standing in complete shock, couldn't process what was happening. He stood, mouth agape, arms flattened straight to his sides, and eyes about ready to pop from his head. Then, remembering again that she was naked, he quickly turned and stared off into the distant space. What was he to do now? He wasn't expecting anything like this! Should he finish her off? His counterpart? Now having the best opportunity to do so since she's weak and vulnerable?
A sudden crackle came from the intercom on Boomer's neck as Brick's garbled voice barked out some orders. Boomer swallowed hard, hearing his brother speak and responded back into the intercom with a solemn "got it."
Taking a few backward steps towards Bubbles, trying to make sure he doesn't peek at anything else on her body, he gently hoisted her up onto his back. Grabbing the backs of her legs, he shrugged her up a bit higher upon his backside so she wouldn't fall off. This was the best possible solution so that he wouldn't be looking at her naked frame. A blush still heavily present on his face, he took off back towards Earth, leaving a trail of blue behind.
Butch zoomed quickly over Townsville, gaining a few onlookers in fear as they watched him steam by. He didn't even bat an eyelash. He was used to the attention. Being under Mojo's command made it so.
Quickly the edges of Townsville was fast approaching and he sped up harder, quickly passing it and making his way deep into the forest. He swerved around the trees precariously, zipping through them until he could reach his destination. He never knew that Buttercup was so close and he probably figured that the people of Townsville honestly had no clue where to look. He could hear his homing beacon click impatiently as he drew nearer. He felt a bit restless as well, as a few drops of sweat formed on his brow.
He had every right to feel a bit nervous. Usually, Buttercup was an even match for him and it always ended up being a bloody and brutal fight between both of them. He hadn't had such a powerful opponent in ages and it made him question how much stronger the both of them had become. His body was wracked with nerves, and also excitement. He wanted the battle, the fun banter between them, and the fight for dominance. He almost missed it. Almost.
Finally, his beacon beeped and he almost slammed into a mossy covered statue placed seemingly in the middle of the woods. Coming back to reality from his thoughts, he snorted in frustration. "Who the fuck would put a statue right here? It's a flying hazard" he growled in annoyance as he peered at it. It was completely covered in overgrowth and it was barely visible.
Using his broad hands, Butch began to rip shreds of the greenery off, curious to see what the statue actually was. Finally ripping off the last pieces, he stood back silently.
There stood Buttercup, completely solid in stone. Her flared-out hair as pointed daggers poking out from her head. Stoney eyes closed in anger as the statue stared at the ground. Its arms crossed in its famous Buttercup pose and her legs spread apart. Butch sneered at it slightly and then chuckled to himself. "This? This is what we are looking for? That damned monkey sent us on a wild goose chase! What a maroon! What an idiot! Hahaha," Butch just laughed as he squatted in front of the statue, arms resting on his knees.
He swiped off some of his sweat with the back of his hand, still peering up at the statue. "You know...I almost wished you were back. It's been boring without you. And I still need to get you back for giving me that black eye" he spat, his gaze never straying from her face.
The statue remained unmoving, just like Buttercup's stubbornness. Butch slightly sighed. He did half hope, but he found hope to be a useless thing nowadays, especially since his father was the ruler of the world. He silently stood and turned about, ready to take off back towards Townsville. Maybe he would come back to visit her if he had the chance. "Goodbye Buttercup" he nodded as he began to fly.
A bright flash of green suddenly exploded from the statue itself and Butch zoomed around a tree to take cover. "What the fuck!" He snarled, preparing himself for battle. He wasn't sure who followed him, but whoever it was would get a royal ass-whooping. But as Butch peered about, he found no one. The statue lay in pieces and atop its pedestal stood a girl. A girl with flared out black hair and holding her arms crossed in front of her. A naked girl.
Butch stood, his mouth slightly parted as the girl stumbled forward and sunk onto her hands and knees. She groaned slightly and shook her head. "Butt-Buttercup?" Butch mumbled as the girl's attention shot towards him, her jade eyes flashing. "What? Who's there!" She snarled, attempting to stand but falling back down. "Hey...Hey! It's me! Butch! One of the Rowdyruff Boys! God, you're alive! You were literally a statue just like, a few seconds ago!" Butch rambled, so in awe at the girl before him.
Buttercup, gritting her teeth and still feeling so dizzy and weak, still attempted to stand. She grunted in response to Butch and could feel her arms shake. She glanced at her shaking hand, finally managing to close it shut with a lot of power. "So what? Gonna kill me?" She seethed at Butch, finally lifting her head to meet his eyes.
Butch was about to speak when his intercom suddenly buzzed on. Brick's voice cut through the two's conversation. He mumbled out some words and both the greens eyes widened. The connection stopped and the two were left in the coming dark of the night. "Well, what are you gonna do?" Buttercup whispered harshly, trying to feel about her for a weapon. "I'm going to follow orders of course" Butch just chuckled, and flicking a buckle on his belt, he pulled out a thermal blanket. "Go with me and you can have the blanket for cover," he teased as Buttercup snatched it away from him. She quickly wrapped it around her thin frame and struggled to stand.
Seeing her struggle, Butch, feeling a sudden pang in his heart for her, swooped under her right arm and supported her weight. "What the hell are you doing?!" Buttercup shrieked, trying to pull away from the ruff. "Chill out, Butter Butt. It looks like you can barely even stand. I need to get you back so just relax" Butch chuckled, hoisting her up farther to shoulder her. Buttercup mumbled curses under her breath as the pair took off back towards Mojo's tower.
Brick cleared the atmosphere. He glanced to his side and saw Boomer's telltale blue streak soar off towards the moon. He watched as the streak disappeared and became nothing again but dark space.
Focusing on his target, he breathed out softly. The sun blazed in front of him. Its fire and heat licking at his hair and skin. He was glad the suit was somewhat protecting him from the intense rays. Brick's red eyes scanned about near to the sun, hearing the clicking of his suit to track Blossom. Finally, he spotted a speck in the distance, floating precariously close to the heat of the star.
He quietly floated towards it and found it to be a giant floating block of ice. It slowly drifted around the giant sun and Brick touched his hand lightly upon it. It seemed barely even cold, but just enough to keep a prisoner from burning up from the constant rays of heat. Brick could spot a slim figure inside, curled up in the fetal position deep inside of the chamber.
Brick knew instantly. It was Blossom. He would meet with her again, engage with her again. Would they fight with one another? Would they be at each other's throats? Would she even recognize who he is?
Questions swirled in his mind and tugged at his thoughts. He sighed, still grasping onto the ice so it didn't keep floating away from him. He peered at her figure from outside of the ice and breathed out, a bit of fire escaping from his lips. "Come on out, Blossom. It's okay" he breathed, as he could feel the ice shake.
A pink hue began to glow within the block and the ice suddenly shattered apart, as Blossom's curled form emerged. Blossom's eyes flickered open, and the dull pink eyes slowly scanned about. Unfurling her body, she floated quietly, the shards of ice surrounding her as she found Brick. Turning to him, she outstretched her arm, feeling herself fading. Brick, without even realizing what he's done, outstretched his hand to meet hers and took it gently. Brick pulled Blossom closer, feeling himself blush slightly as her naked form drew close.
Finally reaching him, Blossom passed out, breathing out a small "Brick?" into his ear as her head pressed gently against his shoulder. Brick, quite stunned, simply swooped her up bridal style and quickly took out his thermal blanket. He wrapped her up in it quietly and supported her head with his shoulder. "Blossom...what's happened to you?" He simply questioned, floating back towards the Earth and hearing her labored breathing.
"Intercom on" Brick mumbled quietly as a soft beep was heard. "Boomer and Butch. If you have the girls, take them back with you and report back home. I have Blossom. I'll see you there..." He mumbled out, hoping his brothers took his message.
Quietly continuing back, he could feel a tug at his thoughts. A plan was forming. Brick could picture a new era emerging for him and his brothers. And he would need help. He stole a glance at Blossom's sleeping face. Everything would turn out just fine.
Brick zoomed quickly back down to Earth. Finding Townsville looming below him, he shot straight for the landing deck. The less time he was in the air, the less of them both being spotted. Finally reaching it, he streaked inside and landed in his room. Strutting over to his bedroom, he gently laid Blossom onto his crimson bed, heaving a sigh of relief as she shifted uncomfortably in the thermal blanket.
Brick could hear his brothers enter back into their rooms as well, and he strode back out to meet them. They would surely want an explanation to his demands. He locked eyes with Boomer first, as he watched him drop off Bubbles inside of his room as well. As Brick peered over to Butch, he noticed another pair of green staring back at him. Quite surprised, Brick's mouth hung slightly agape as Buttercup stumbled her way past him into his room. "Move it asshole, I'm going to see Blossom" she growled, leaning on the walls for support as she headed inside. Brick then looked expectantly at Butch who simply smiled and shrugged his shoulders in nonchalance.
Boomer quickly exited from his room and the three stood facing each other. The two brothers waited for their red-headed leader to speak. "I know you're both questioning my authority..." Brick mumbled quietly. "But them being alive is one of the biggest changes this town is going to have to face. That the world is going to have to face...especially...Mojo Jojo" Brick whispered harshly, almost afraid that the green monkey could hear. Butch and Boomer glanced about them in caution, ensuring that no one was around and no one would ever be listening to this conversation.
"We all know...Mojo needs to gogo," Brick chuckled as his brothers snickered in laughter as well. "And we can do it. This time, I have a feeling we can do it. And who do we have to help us, boys? Who do we have in our debt?" Brick smirked now as his brothers smiled wickedly as well. "The Powerpuff Girls" they all mumbled quietly as Brick then nodded in assent and dismissed them, explaining the further areas of his plans at a later time. First off, they needed to assess the girls' conditions.
Brick walked quietly back into his room, he could hear Buttercup's soft and stifled sniffles. He knocked quietly on his bedroom door. Buttercup quickly rubbed the tears from her face and stood, the thermal blanket shielding her naked form from the red. Blossom still lay passed out on the bed, slightly turning in a fit of slumber.
"Who did this...who did this to us!?" Buttercup shrieked as she faced Brick, her right hand glowing a dangerous green as Brick lifted his hands in slight submission. "It wasn't me. Or my brothers. We were just sent to find you" He stated matter of factly as Buttercup reached out and grabbed the cuff of his suit. "Lies! All lies! You ruffs had something to do with this! What has happened to us!? What has happened to our beloved Townsville!" She seethed, lifting the red off the ground with whatever strength she could muster within the moment.
"No...they didn't Buttercup" came a soft reply as Brick was quickly dropped to the ground. He landed on his feet and brushed the wrinkles from his armor as Buttercup turned to face an exhausted and thin Blossom. Blossom was sitting upright in Brick's bed, the thermal blanket wrapped around her lithe frame. Her hair was uncombed and lay in a large heap beside her. She clutched the thermal blanket delicately as she somberly stared at her green-eyed sister. "Blossom!" Was all Buttercup could utter as she bear-hugged her red-haired sister. Heavy breathing was heard as Buttercup tried to restrain herself from having the hot tears pour down her cheeks. "Sshh...it's okay Buttercup. I'm okay" Blossom sighed, rubbing her sister's back with one hand.
The two reds locked eyes with one another, a clear battle of authority taking place. Blossom spoke first. "Good to see you ruff. You look a lot older than I remember. . ." she mumbled quietly as Brick smirked back, an all-knowing smile on his face. "Good to see you again too, pinky" he huffed, folding his arms behind his back and leaning back against his bedroom wall. "Well, you mind telling me where Mojo is? I think we have a score to settle," Blossom stated as Buttercup lifted her head to glance up at her sister. "With all due respect Blossom. In the condition the lot of you are in...you wouldn't stand a chance" Brick snorted, a grin still playing on his face as Buttercup wheeled about to face him. "Is that a challenge you-" "Buttercup, now is not the time. And for once...he's right. I'm too weak. And...I need you to find Bubbles for me. She must have taken it hard" Blossom calmly stated, brushing Buttercup's black locks as they locked eyes with one another.
"Fine" she muttered, standing quickly and walking past the red and out into the walkway to Boomer's room. Brick still held Blossom in his gaze, refusing to take his eyes off of her. He knew she still held questions, and he needed to make sure he'd answer them in his favor or else all would be lost.
"How long has it been?" Blossom started, her pink eyes catching his. "20 years" he plainly stated, as she looked down, pondering. Brushing a few locks behind her ear, she asked, "Why have we come back now?" "Mojo banished you only for 20. Now, you're back" Brick answered again, trying to keep his answers short. Blossom pressed further, "Has he been in power all this time?" "Yes." "What of the other villains?" "Under control and not daring to go against my father." "Where are we now?" "In our quarters at Mojo's citadel."
"Why did you rescue us?" Was Blossom's final question as she stood, holding the blanket around her. She paced up towards Brick, her bare feet stepping softly on his carpeted floor. Brick swallowed for a moment, taking in this beauty before him. Even if Blossom was his counterpart, she was a looker. Her fiery locks fell to frame her face and fall to the floor, creating a curtain of beauty. Her thin frame gently moving towards him and of course, being naked underneath the blanket wasn't helping Brick's sanity either. But trying to play it cool, he simply waited for Blossom to finally be right in front of him.
"To be very clear..." Brick stated, looking deeply into her eyes, "it wasn't our intention to rescue you. Mojo Jojo wanted us to make sure you'd all be dead." He leaned forward, his face hovering in front of hers. He could feel her hot breath on his lips. The two still continued this staredown, pushing for dominance as leaders against one another. Blossom Utonium, the cunning, brilliant, haughty, know-it-all woman that stood before him. "However...I'm sure you have some idea what the state of the world is in. And to be honest, my brothers and I are sick of it. We-" "So why don't you just take it for yourselves? You've had all of this time to do so. Why are my sisters and myself involved in this?" Blossom countered, the battle of wits continuing. Brick calmed his nerves, feeling excitement from their mind games and by having a worthy opponent once more.
"You know my brothers and I probably have already tried that. And if we're here, then you know we have failed miserably. That's where you come in. Where we failed, you infamous three can make it right" he challenged back, now stepping towards her and forcing Blossom to back up towards the bed. "Even if we did defeat Mojo...what are you trying to gain from this? Why are you now deciding to partner up with us?" Blossom asked cautiously, picking her way carefully back to the bed as Brick continued his advance against her. "Well, of course you know we're not really teaming up with you for the good of this miserable planet" he laughed, seeing her eyes widen slightly. "However, do give us some credit. We'd rather take over the world with our own rules and methods. You can give us an opportunity to finally do that" he scoffed, finally pushing Blossom onto the bed and she felt herself flop tiredly onto her back.
"So...essentially, you're still using us for your personal gain?" She sighed, feeling a wave exhaustion set in. "What are villains good for?" Brick chuckled as he extended a hand out to her. "Let's set the record straight Blossom. We'll help each other out, for now. But when the time of that green monkey's reign is finally expired, we'll both have to fight. You for the Townsville that you've lost, and me for the world I want to create. Deal?" He smiled, trying to contain his excitement.
Blossom understood. She calculated quickly that this is what it had come down to. With Mojo in power, no one could win against him. But with the boys and girls working together, it was a slim shot. A chance she needed and would risk to take. She still wasn't quite sure what Brick had up his sleeve, but she and her sisters would be ready for whatever they had planned for them. At least, despite everything, she had hope.
Taking his hand in hers, she pulled herself up. Feeling his rough calloused hands from the fighting and battles in this struggling world, she sat up and stared into his blood-red eyes. The pair waited like this, trying to read each other's thoughts. "Deal" Blossom finally mumbled, giving his hand a firm shake. The two released each other's grip and Brick turned to walk away.
Without warning, he felt a small tug on his pinky finger and he turned back to face Blossom, her eyes gazing down at the floor. "Do you think...do you think you can find some clothes and something to eat?" She whispered quietly, finally releasing her grip on his finger and wrapping her arms around her frame. Brick smiled, then taking a kneeling bow responded, "the pleasure will be all mine pink." And with that, he stalked out of the room, whistling loudly for his brothers.
Blossom, finding a moment to herself, fell back into the folds of Brick's bed. She felt so exhausted, almost as if she had been asleep for a thousand years. Well, correction, maybe not asleep, but in a daze for a thousand years. She breathed in, finally being able to take breaths of air and smelling the sweet sheets of the red ruff. It smelled of a deep musk, so sickeningly sweet and intoxicating. Blossom couldn't help but nestle into the folds quietly. After being sealed away from everything else, she needed comfort. At least, her sisters and Brick could give her that. Her heavy eyelids wavered shut and she passed out into a deep slumber.
Buttercup had pushed herself into the room of the blue and was at her sister's side immediately. Bubbles was still passed out on Boomer's couch and he had taken care to cover her naked form with a dark blue blanket. Boomer stood to the side, trying not to stare at the blonde-haired beauty. Buttercup just stroked Bubbles' hair softly, sighing deeply at her frail sister.
A soft whistle from outside came and Boomer's ears perked up. He glanced at the two sisters and then took off outside, leaving Buttercup to her own devices.
Boomer, Brick, and Butch quickly met up in the circular hallway, each glancing at one another. "Hook, line, and sinker," Brick remarked as the trio high-fived one another. "Alright, but down to business. We still need them on our side and keep them there if we wanna win this thing. So, Butch, food. Boomer, clothes, and armor. As for me...I have to report back to the monkey" Brick concluded as they all assented and flew to complete their respective tasks.
Boomer quickly zoomed out with his brothers and spiraled down the tower towards another landing deck. Finding it quickly, he landed on the platform, being quickly greeted by human servants. The human servants smiled awkwardly at him, masking pain and anguish beneath their faces. Boomer didn't smile back, he simply stared at the wires that protruded from their temples and sighed quietly. Mojo Jojo's work of course.
"What would you like today sir? We can assist you with anything you need." Asked one of the servants, his eye slightly twitching as Boomer could hear a soft fizzling sound coming from his head and the chip in the back of his neck. "Nothing in particular. I'm going to be grabbing the items myself" he said nonchalantly as the servant pressed further, "are you sure sir? We are here to assist you with anything you need, sir." "I said no. Now bug off" he snorted, the servants quickly retreating to complete other duties about the halls.
Boomer quietly strode forward, peering at each of the different marked doors in the hall. Finally finding one, he opened it and made his way inside. Locking the door shut, he began to rifle through some of the drawers. He was in the servant's quarters where they house their extra clothing that had been washed and pressed for the next days to come. Some were uniforms and others were simply clothing items the servants used for their own quarters within the citadel. They always had extra lying about, so Boomer knew this would be the best place to be looking for clothes for the girls. I mean, they could always be naked, which he quickly blushed at the thought, but he was positive that they would never agree to team up with them if that were the case.
Finally finding some suitable items, Boomer pulled out a faded pink tank top, an oversized blue t-shirt, a dark green hoodie, and three gray sweatpants. Fumbling around some more, he found a large quantity of underwear and a few bras that the staff kept. He searched about for a backpack and quickly shoved the items into there so as not to be discovered. Finally exiting the room, he took off further down the hallway. There he found a larger door labeled "LAB."
Entering the room, Boomer was quickly greeted by a few scientists, those who were deemed worthy enough by Mojo to be kept closely watched under his supervision. They were also helpful to Mojo, being instrumental in helping him to design many of the things that were used for the boys and with the servants. Boomer made his way over to the armor section and began to grab three suits, one red, one blue, and one green.
"It ran out of juice already sir? But it seems like the suit you're wearing is just fine" one of the scientists commented, stepping forward towards Boomer and pushing his glasses further up his nose. "We can always have your suit adjusted right now if you wish," he asked, his buck teeth protruding in a small smile. "No. I'm just grabbing a few extra suits. We're going on a long campaign tomorrow against Citiesville" he mumbled, knowing that they've done this sort of thing before in the past. "Ah yes, well I will log it down sir. Thank you for stopping by today" the scientist nodded as Boomer shot back out of the room and into the hallway.
Butch headed quickly down to the kitchens, in the deepest pits of the citadel. Finally smelling the delicious foods, Butch licked his lips and shot through one of the main doors. There were cooks busy at work, crafting dishes here and there. Everyone in Mojo's lair needed to be fed and an army of cooks worked hard to feed everyone. They were currently preparing for the dinner service as Butch burst into the scene.
"How's everything tasting today fellas?" Butch chuckled, knowing all too well how much the cooks despised his visits. Not only would he pig out on food, but he would also usually leave a giant mess for them to clean up. A servant quickly approached him, hoping to quell Butch's insatiable hunger. "Sir! We weren't expecting you! Is there, um, something you would like to eat? I can have it delivered to your bedroom" the slave asked kindly, hoping to deter the ruff from wreaking havoc in the kitchens.
Butch pretended to ponder for a moment, placing a hand upon his chin and stroking it. "Hmm...well that is quite an offer...but maybe I should really just eat here" he shrugged as a few other servants chimed in. "Oh no, sir..." "That wouldn't be wise sir!" "Whatever you need sir!" "Anything I need?" Butch questioned as the rest of them solemnly nodded. "Alright. I guess I will be taking my order up to my room. But you'd better be quick today! Being even a minute late will make me march right back down here!" He snarled as the servants bowed low before him. "Yes, sir!" "It will be done, sir!" "Right away sir!" They frantically mouthed as Butch crossed his arms in the front of him, a wide grin on his face. "Good" he muttered.
"My brothers and I are trying to bulk up so there's a lot of double orders, no, triple orders today" he huffed as a few of the servants whipped out a few notepads with sharp scrawny pencils. "Three orders of double-decker cheeseburgers, and don't skimp on the pickles! Each with an extra-large fries on the side. Four racks of lamb with honey glaze. Mash potatoes and greens with that. A large dish of tossed pasta in a nice vinaigrette. And I mean it, I want it tossed! Everything should be nicely mixed in that pasta. I hate when there's too much of one thing together. A platter of skin off apples, pears, and oranges. Make them peeled and sliced nice! Add in a bushel of strawberries with whipped cream too. Oh! And don't forget that I want 3 quarts of whole milk, not 2% or 1% or non-fat, got it!? Oh, and not to mention a gallon of POG and Neapolitan ice cream to boot. You pinheads got all that?" Butch rambled as the servants, sweat dripping from their brows, nodded profusely and double-checked with one another upon the order.
"Good. Delivery in 20 minutes! Ciao!" Butch laughed as he watched them now hurriedly scramble about, making sure the orders were put through in the short time frame. Butch watched the chaos for a moment, breathing out a small sigh. He sure hoped those girls would be hungry. He had ordered enough food to feed an army and then some. Feeling that his job was done, he quickly flew back up and out of the citadel back to his quarters.
- - - -Brick soared upwards, flying towards the landing deck on the tallest spire. Just like his father, to be sleeping at the top of the world. He shook his head scornfully.
Finally landing at the highest deck, he could sense Mojo's presence. Mojo stood on the deck, peering out at the vast city of Townsville before him. His eyes were unmoving as Brick drew near. The monkey quietly held his arms behind his back, slightly hunched over, quietly looking out. Brick walked next to him and joined him in looking at the dismal town.
"20 years. It has been 20 long years. Look how far this city has come and how far it has fallen. Everything is the way it should be and the way it shouldn't. I, Mojo Jojo, have been the one to make it so. My son, what do you see when you look out?" Mojo sighed as Brick slightly gulped. "I see a once-proud city..now brought down to its knees..."He quietly mumbled, his hands grasping onto the cold railing, wringing it slightly in his hands. "Exactly" Mojo Jojo mumbled, clutching onto the key around his neck and playing it between his fingers. Truth be told, Brick didn't quite see the city this way. He just said that because that's what Mojo wanted to hear. Mojo wanted to hear how he single-handedly brought down this city, all with that one little key.
"I believe you wanted to report something to me" Mojo Jojo muttered as he turned away from Brick, hearing the dinner service ring their bell to signal the evening meal. Brick turned to follow Mojo as servants poured into Mojo's room and began to set a small dining table with a set of utensils and plates. As Mojo took his seat, Brick kneeled next to him for dramatic effect. He wanted to make sure this went perfectly. With the girls on their side, Mojo needed to also play into this plan. Everything needed to work for his favor.
"Indeed I have news" Brick began, as a few platters of steak and whipped mash were placed on the mahogany table. "The Powerpuff girls are...taken care of" he mumbled as a small grin spread on Mojo's face. "Perfect. I'm glad that you have taken care of them. I excuse you, for I need to consume this meal that has been placed in front of me" Mojo chuckled to himself as Brick stood, bowed and began to make his way out. A small smirk tugged at his mouth lightly. "They are very well taken care of" he snickered back, already far enough away so that Mojo could not hear him.
His plan was perfect.
Brick quickly zipped back down the giant spire, feeling the rush of the wind as it whipped past his ear. He breathed deeply, feeling almost free from his father's rule and clutches. But things were not over yet. He still had a lot of work to do.
Finally making it back to the landing deck, he flew inside and landed neatly in the middle of the hallway. His brothers waited quietly in front of their respective doors, eager for the news. Brick simply smirked at the two of them and a tell-tale grin grew upon all of their faces. Yes, everything truly was falling into place.
"Let's see if the girls would like to join us for dinner...shall we?" Brick laughed, pushing his way forward to his bedroom, clicking open the door and making his way inside. He wandered over to the side room with his bed and noticed that it was empty. The silvery foil of the thermal blanket crumpled on the top of it. "Blossom?" He called, stepping into the room and grabbing a hold of the thermal blanket and throwing it away. "Yes Rowdyruff?" Came a quiet call as Brick whipped towards his bathroom door and finding her within the doorway, her naked form hiding behind a towel. His face slightly flushed pink.
"Oh" was all he managed to say as she combed through her long locks with her fingers. "I figured I best get in a shower. I know you must have brought some clothes for us right?" She nonchalantly stated, turning back into the bathroom to hide her form from him. He cursed slightly under his breath, feeling a bit played and uncomfortable. "Yes of course pinky. We are allies are we not?" He countered, walking carefully towards the door and leaning on its frame. He cleared his throat lightly as Blossom's gaze shifted from the mirror onto him. "There's a brush in that left drawer there. And some scissors if you need the use of it" he smirked, watching her shift uncomfortably at him being so close. "I'll bring you the clothes" he concluded, turning back and zipping out.
Boomer handed him the pink tank top, a few sets of underwear and the sweatpants and Brick returned back to his room. He noticed his bedroom door was closed and he smiled in playfulness. He knocked loudly upon the door. It creaked open quietly and Blossom's hand reached out and he noted she was probably naked without the towel. Handing her clothes, he felt her icy cold fingers touch his slightly, he sightly reeled back in surprise. Feeling him jerk away, Blossom's hands froze slightly and then withdrew into the room. "Sorry...my hands are really cold..." Was all she mumbled as the door closed and he could hear her changing within.
Blossom finally opened the door, tugging uncomfortably at her top and bra. It was a bit too revealing for her taste but it would have to do for the time being. Blossom sighed. Now that her body was not of a 5-year-old little girl anymore, she felt quite uncomfortable within her own skin. Her chest had gotten bigger, obviously, and it didn't help that she had become more shapely. She shook her head slightly. Years of her life taken from her and her sisters and all of them having to now be so "grown-up."
Brick noticed the clothes fit her decently and also noted how uncomfortable she looked, but he didn't think too much of it. The top was a bit too small and revealed some of her mid-drift. The pants were quite baggy, but he didn't mind how they fell around her soft hips. Her overflowing hair was pulled up into her famous ponytail, secured tightly with one of his hair ties that he sometimes used. Some of her hair, grown from ages of being in imprisonment, spilled onto the floor in a soft and shiny wave.
Noting Brick still standing there, she slightly shifted from foot to foot. A growl from her stomach broke the silence between them. "Right...well dinner is ready...if you and your sisters would like to join us. You know, firm up the ally stuff and everything" Brick coughed. He wasn't quite sure why he was being so polite, but then again he was staring quietly at Blossom's chest and neck and face and eyes...and gosh everything about her. He shook his head slightly from the thoughts and bolted out of the room, hovering just above the center of the hallway. "Well? Coming?" He hollered after her as she floated towards him, noticing they were quite alone. She figured her sisters must have taken up their counterparts' offers and joined in for dinner. Nodding quietly, she followed Brick down the center of the hallway through an opening in the middle and flew down a few flights.
Blossom quickly calculated that their living quarters was on the top floor, and the floor beneath was a training area with equipment. She noticed the floor beneath that was very closed off with three separate doors each, again color-coded with the similar green, blue, and red. Finally coming to the bottom of this level, she landed next to Brick as he strutted forwards towards two heavy mahogany doors. He pushed them open and Blossom immediately was bombarded with smells of a variety of things. Her mouth watered slightly and she felt a dribble almost escape her lips. Oh how long it has been since she has last eaten!
Blossom quickly zipped ahead of the ruff and finding a spot next to her two sisters, she began to tuck into the food with them. The boys sat quietly opposite to them and Boomer slid out a chair for Brick. Taking a seat with his brothers, Brick's smirk returned as he watched the ravenous trio feast upon the food. Buttercup held a large cheeseburger in her hands, munching hungrily down upon it and smacking her lips from the juices. A large pile of fries smothered in ketchup also lay on her plate. Bubbles was continuing to pick off the different fruits. Quickly scooping up an orange, she flicked it into her mouth and slurped up the juices delectably. Blossom also began to pile her plate. She checked to make sure she had all of the food groups before starting. She was completely famished and the hot and ready food called out to her.
She gnawed on one of the ribs of the lamb as Butch laughed at all of them. "So nice to see that you girls have an appetite. If you want more food, I can gladly go down and grab some more. Or maybe you'd prefer some rocks? Considering you were lifeless statues just a few hours ago" he snickered as Buttercup chucked a spoonful of mash at his face and it splattered on his forehead. "Shut up. Anytime you open your mouth, something stupid comes out" she snorted as he swiped the food from his face and quickly stood, his chair knocking back. "Butch..." Brick warned as the green as he slowly sat back down, muttering curses under his breath.
"The food is great...really. Thanks" Blossom tried to be cordial, but it was difficult. This was still quite a new set up for all of them. She put down the rib that she had been chewing on and stared across the table at Brick. He had leaned back in his chair, legs crossed, staring back at her with those blood-red eyes. "I think we should talk terms. If that is okay" Blossom spoke, as her sisters stopped their eating and the Brick's brothers snorted in response, not making eye contact with Blossom but noting that they were listening.
"There are some...boundaries...that I would like to discuss. Also, I still have quite a lot of questions. Those can wait until later...but I do want to at least set the living arrangements" she stated plainly, as Butch and Boomer laughed. "Why? You don't like sleepovers?" Boomer chuckled as Brick smacked him across his head, his face smashing into the food in front of him. Butch now burst out in more laughter. "Well, duh! We've never had any sleepovers with guys before. And besides,, who would want to sleep with you three?" Buttercup snarled, arms crossed tightly across her chest. Bubbles just sat quietly in her seat, her mouth chewing on one of her fingers.
"That is a completely understandable boundary" Brick hissed towards his two brothers, trying to desperately remind them that their partnership was more important than some stupid bickering. "I understand that women have certain...needs and personal space. We'd more than happily accommodate you. Since you are girls *ahem* women...you can all have the beds, and we will sleep on our couches. The doors lock so I can assure you that we won't go sneaking into your rooms at night" he sniggered as Butch darkly whispered, "you know...to like, slit your throats or something."
Both Buttercup and Bubbles bristled at Butch's comment, but Blossom was thinking. She hadn't even heard Butch's retort as she chewed on her lip in thought. "Alright. That sounds fair enough. And what about more clothes and food? And there is the issue of being spotted by the staff members here...I did spot a training room but no high tech suits like how you boys have" Blossom rambled as Brick quickly interjected. "All will be taken care of in terms of food and clothes. Boomer can go down again later to find some more appropriate and form-fitting clothing options for all of you. You won't be spotted by the staff members, I assure you. They tend to keep away from our quarters as Butch likes to make it a habit of endlessly tormenting them, isn't that right Butch?" "You betcha babe" he smiled. "Fucking pervert" Buttercup grunted as he winked at her. "And as for training and suits, Boomer did manage to grab you a few suits to use and test out. We can help you and fill you in on the battle tactics and strategies we've already used against Mojo Jojo. And as for the questions...you and I can have a 'private' discussion about those later" Brick smirked, and Blossom felt herself shiver a bit at his comment. Always a battle of wits and dominance between the two of them, and she sure wasn't going to give in to him any time soon. "Private? But we're sisters. Anything you have to say, you can say it to all of us" Bubbles quietly added, taking a fry and nibbling on it.
"True. But I don't think you'd be able to keep up with what Blossom and I will be doing or saying" Brick mumbled suggestively as he chuckled from his own teasing to get under the girls' skin. Bubbles shrunk back, clearly embarrassed at the thought of her sister doing something horrid with the red-eyed demon before her. "Stop it. If you're going to pick on my sisters then deals off. Got it ruff?" Blossom growled as Brick raised his hands up in mock defeat. "Got it pinky. Now finish up eating. Food's getting cold."
Bubbles let out a tired yawn as she took one last bite of her chocolate ice cream. She looked and could tell that Blossom and Buttercup were worn out as well. She looked at the ruffs but couldn't tell if they were tired at all. She was the first to stand. "It's getting pretty late...and we're pretty tired. I think we are going to bed for the night. Thank you for the food again. Goodnight!" She giggled, feeling somewhat happy that she was well-fed and had a nice warm bed to sleep in. Zooming upwards, all she left behind was a baby blue streak.
"Bubbles is right. We're all pretty tired. We should probably get some shut-eye" Blossom yawned, as she took off as well, followed close behind by Brick and Boomer. "Psh. Easy for you to say when you don't have a sicko sleeping on the other side of your room" Buttercup mumbled as Butch shouted after her, "HEY! I heard that!"
The greens chased each other back up to the rooms and Buttercup quickly flew into Butch's bedroom and slammed the door shut. She quickly locked it before he could barge in and make more stupid comments to her face. Butch slammed into his bedroom door, his anger now starting to die down. "Bitch" he cursed under his breath as he stalked back over to his verdant couch and lay down. His arm propped his head up as he rolled to his side and popped on the TV. A few cartoons were playing instead of the corrupted news stations so he watched them for a bit before passing out.
Buttercup sighed with relief when she heard the TV turn on. 'At least he's keeping up his end of the bargain' she thought indignantly as she pulled off the green hoodie. It was too hot keeping it on and she hoped that Boomer would be able to find her a shirt or something else to wear. She adjusted her bra a bit before stripping off the slacks and then settling into the cool sheets. 'Ugh, his smell is just all over this thing...' She sighed in her head. But being too tired to care at this point, she fell into a deep slumber.
Bubbles, on the other hand, had quickly gotten back to her room and filed around Boomer's bathroom for a spare toothbrush. Squirting on a dab of toothpaste, she brushed her teeth, rinsed, and then pulled the hair ties from her long and overflowing hair. 'I'll have Blossom cut my hair tomorrow' she thought quietly as she heard Boomer hop onto his couch with a thud. She quickly went to the bedroom door and closed it shut, taking care to double-check that it was locked. Slipping the oversized blue shirt off, she dived into the bed, happy to feel something so soft and comfortable. 'At least Boomer has good taste in color' she chuckled to herself quietly as she rolled around in the blue sheets. However, despite being so tired and drained, she found she couldn't fall asleep. As the night wore on further and further, Bubbles tossed and turned and the shadows seemed to creep and distort all around her. "I miss Octi" she quietly cried, a few tears escaping.
Realizing she was also feeling a bit lonely, she crawled out of bed and pulled on her oversized shirt again. Unlocking the door and creaking it open, she peered out and found Boomer to be still awake, playing a video game on the TV. "Boomer?" She softly called, enough to make him jump at least 5 feet in the air straight up, his hairs on his neck standing up on edge. "Huh!? What!?" He yelped, dropping his controller and landing back on the couch and falling over. Bubbles had to giggle at the sight. She supposed he was quite shocked to hear her voice in the dead of the night. "Sorry...I didn't mean to scare you" she smiled warmly, heading over towards the couch and taking a seat. "Scare me? A ruff? You kiddin'? I ain't scared of nuthin'" He snorted, puffing his chest out and placing his fists on his hips. "Well, I just came out here...I...hmm...I couldn't really sleep. I'm going to head over to see if I can snuggle in with one of my sisters" she stated, rubbing the back of her arm as he looked at her softly.
"Oh...do you want me to come with you?" "Yes! Umm..if you could. I'm...kind of scared of the dark..." Bubbles whimpered slightly, again biting one of her fingers with her mouth. Boomer slightly had to gulp down the breath that he was holding. He hadn't noticed earlier but Bubbles was quite attractive when she did that. Her golden locks fell in soft waves around her face and body, slightly shimmering in the faint glow from the TV. He tried to wipe it from his mind. "Alright...uh well, let's go."
The blues headed out of the room and tiptoed over towards the room of the greens. But upon even approaching the door, all that could be heard was loud snores and grunts coming from the room. The greens were definitely not waking up to open the door for either of them.
The blues quietly shuffled over towards the door of the reds. It was quiet at first and just as Bubbles was about to knock upon the door, a voice cut through the silence. It was Blossom's voice. Bubbles and Boomer couldn't quite make out what she was saying since the door muffled the noises, but then a reply came from Brick. The reds were still very much awake and were apparently deep in conversation. Bubbles puller her closed fist away from the door. Maybe it was best not to disturb them at this moment. Blossom seemed okay, so that's what mainly mattered for Bubbles. She would just have to suck it up for the night and deal with it.
Breathing a small sigh, Bubbles floated back towards the room of the blue and dropped herself lightly back onto the couch. She supposed she wouldn't be gaining any sleep from tonight. Boomer floated in after her, feeling a bit of sympathy for the girl. Seeing as how she was imprisoned for 20 years, away from her family and sisters, on the cold and desolate moon wasteland.
Boomer took a seat right next to her and both of them blankly stared at the TV screen. Boomer's video game was still paused and awaited its master to pick up the controller. "I miss Octi" he heard Bubbles sigh, as he turned his head to watch her stare blankly into her hands. "Octi?" "Yeah...he...he was my stuffed dolly" Bubbles sighed, feeling a bit embarrassed that she missed a doll. "A doll?" Boomer chuckled, "Girls still play with little dolls?" He stuck his tongue out at her playfully. "Shush! He was my only and favorite doll..." Bubbles pouted, sticking out her lower lip and crossing her arms over her chest. "I guess Octi must be a nice looking doll if you played with him all the time" Boomer still teased, bouncing around on the couch, trying to imitate Bubbles playing. "Well...I guess you could say eight legs was fun for play with" she smiled, thinking of all the great memories she had with Octi.
"Huh? Eight legs?" Boomer looked at her, slightly confused and mortified. "He was an octopus silly. Octi? Get it?" She chuckled, looking around for a piece of paper. Finally finding some scattered beneath the coffee table in front of them, she also found a pen and began to draw her beloved octopus. "See? He looks like this" she mentioned, putting on the finishing touches and showing the picture to Boomer. Boomer smiled at the cute drawing. As for himself, he wasn't really such a great drawer or designer, but he must say that he was pretty good with his hands in other ways. "Heh, he's pretty cute I guess. Like the top hat. Nice touch" Boomer snorted as he picked up one of the controllers and grabbed an extra set. "Doesn't seem like you or I will be sleeping tonight. I usually stay up pretty late anyway. Wanna play a few rounds? My brother's always don't like to play with me" Boomer shrugged, handing Bubbles the controller. She peered at it for a bit, unsure of how to hold it.
"Like this?" She asked tentatively, pushing a few buttons. "Yeah. Let's do an easy level. You'll get the hang of it" Boomer mumbled, as he began to button mash and focused on the screen. The blues continued to play, giving each other high fives as they continued to beat the levels late into the night.
Blossom had quickly flown back to Brick's bedroom and heaved a sigh. So much swirled in her mind that night. And she highly doubted that Brick was going to be sleeping anytime soon as well. He'd use most of his time tonight to plot, plan, and play out what he'd want to accomplish with the girls as his tools. She rubbed her forehead in annoyance. She'd best deal with it now and figure out what he's planning before it comes to bite them in the ass later.
Hearing his soft footsteps behind her, she wandered further into the bedroom and swiped the comb from the bathroom door. She brushed through her overflowing locks of hair, hoping to avoid making eye contact with her red counterpart. "Need some help?" Brick offered, a coy smile playing upon his face. "If I've done it when I was five years old, then I can certainly do it by myself" Blossom countered, continuing to stroke through her hair. She felt a few knots and tugged at it impatiently. "Why? Do you not trust me?" He chuckled, finally taking a seat on his red couch in the living room and leaning back, all the while smiling smugly at her. "Yes. You know that for a fact that I've never trusted you at all" she replied, finally going to take a seat next to him and handing him the comb.
"But, I suppose...if we are going to be entering in some kind of alliance...I should be able to at least trust you enough to watch my back when we go against Mojo Jojo" she sighed, feeling his rough hands lift her hair gently and begin to stroke through it with the brush. "Well, we can discuss about Mojo Jojo later. There's a lot of other things that I'm sure are bugging the crap out of you now" Brick still teased, feeling her silky strands rub in his fingers.
"First off..." Blossom began, "what happened to the Professor? Our professor?" Brick scrunched up his nose in annoyance a bit but was glad that Blossom didn't see it. "Your old man is still alive. Trust me. Mojo Jojo wouldn't be that cruel enough to even kill off his own creator too. He's here somewhere in the Citadel. Probably locked up with the other scientists helping Mojo create all kinds of weapons and such" Brick concluded as Blossom whipped about to face the Ruff, eyes wild and urgent. "Then I-!" "No. NO. Trust me. You blow cover that you and your sisters are alive...and we both lose the upper hand against defeating Mojo and taking this city back" Brick hushed, spinning her back around and continuing to comb through her hair once more.
"Remember to think it through, Blossom. Once this is all over then you can take your precious Professor back. I promise" Brick smiled, with an all-knowing look in his eye. He lifted his hand up gently and took a whiff of her hair. A mild hint of strawberries. He set it back down and continued to brush it through. "What about all the others...? All of the people in Townsville that we came to know and love..." Blossom trailed off, a few tears threatening to fall. She couldn't show weakness now. She quickly wiped them away. Brick noticed but said nothing.
"I'm betting not all of them survived. When you three disappeared...all of Townsville fell to its knees. Since Mojo has the key...he could do anything he wanted. He made heavy taxes and punishments. Crime ran rampant through the streets. Those that could run, did run. And I'm sure they ran as far as their legs could carry. Others...well, they stayed and were left to suffer" Brick concluded, finally standing up and making his way over to his bathroom, found the scissors in the top left drawer.
He walked back to Blossom, noting her clenched fists and white knuckles. The fury and rage she held in her eyes as she stared down at the floor. "There's nothing you could have done about it Blossom. You and your sisters were trapped in imprisonment. And for 20 years on top of that. There was no way for them to reach you or to have gotten a hold of you. Mojo made sure of that" Brick reminded, sitting back down and looking at the length of her hair. "Bastard..." Was all Blossom seethed under her breath as Brick grasped a length of hair in his hand.
"By the way...what was it like? Being trapped like that? I can't even imagine" he pondered, showing her the length of hair he was going to cut and her nodding in approval. "I'm not sure...(snip, snip)...it's a hard feeling to even describe (snip, snip). It's almost as like I was wandering in darkness (snip), not sure of where to go or where to turn" Blossom sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. "It was so hot...I felt like I was burning up. I...I just felt like I needed to be wrapped in ice just to not be disintegrated" she shivered, feeling the searing pain that she remembered from being trapped next to the burning sun.
Brick placed the scissors down, inspected his work, and feeling that he did a good job, brushed the other bundles of hair off of the couch and onto the floor. Then he would clean it up later. "I found you encased in a layer of ice near the sun...no wonder you felt like you were almost being burned alive...You must have created the ice around yourself as a shield" Brick surmised, running his hands through her thick hair. "I see" Blossom replied, "and so Brick...what is it you really plan to gain from all of this?"
Ah, there it was. The burning question that he knew she wanted him to expose. But of course, he really couldn't confirm her suspicions that he was just using them to take back the key from Mojo Jojo, now could he?
Brick just chuckled in response. Knowing full well that she expected an answer but knew it probably wouldn't be the truth anyway. "Oh Blossom. Just as expected of you. Always caring about your sisters, your country, and how you can continue to protect it. To be honest, and of course, as you know, I'm not...I'm just trying to make this world a better place" he grinned, finally letting go of her hair and grabbing the brush once more. "You see...I'm tired of Mojo's rule. He treats me and my brothers like slaves, you know? Every single bidding of his, we have to follow. Everyone here hates it. And I personally think...you know with you in charge now...you could probably set us free and build the world back up to what it once was...don't you think so too Blossom?...Blossom?...Blossom?" Brick asked as he stopped combing through her hair.
Setting the brush down, he walked in the front of her and noticed Blossom had passed out. Her head fell slightly downwards, drooping with fatigue. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly parted. A few breathy sighs escaped her soft lips.
"Tsk, tsk...Just when I thought I could truly convince you" Brick snorted, poking her forehead and watching her tilt back enough to fall back onto the couch. She whined in slight annoyance but remained asleep. "Well...I suppose if you're taking the couch then that means I get the bed" Brick smirked as he turned about on his heel and headed towards his bedroom. Stopping short at the doorway, he paused. A gnawing feeling in his gut prevented him from taking another step further. Breathing out in exasperation, he strutted back to where Blossom lay sleeping and pouted. "I suppose...I should still keep my word as a 'gentleman' and the promise that I made. Girls get the beds and we get the couches."
With a quick swoop, he swung Blossom up bridal style, feeling her head rest against his chest. "At least you aren't heavy. Or else this would have been much more of a regrettable decision" Brick chuckled, proceeding towards the bed. Finally reaching the edge, he placed her down gently but she emitted a few whines in response. He could feel her tiny hands grasp onto the edges of his armored suit. "Blossom...let go" he hushed her, reaching up to grab her hands and trying to pry them off.
"Brick..." Came a soft call from her lips, as his hands froze in their place. Brick gulped slightly, feeling sweat start to bead his brow. Her eyes fluttered open slightly and he could see them flick towards his face, slightly lucid and dreamlike. "Stay..." Was all she whispered before her eyes closed once more, her grip upon him still tight and unrelenting. "I don't think you'd want me to stay Blossom..." He chided her, feeling quite nervous in this situation. Still recalling from decades ago that he exploded when she had given him a kiss on his cheek.
Again, he tried to pry her hands from his suit but she just gripped even more tightly and whined in annoyance. "Pinky...*sigh*...I swear...you have to let me go. I'm a ruff, you're a puff. Villain? Remember?" He tried to reason with her, but her grip did not release. "For christ's sake, fine" he grumbled, hopping into the other side of the bed and lying back. "Happy now?" He snorted, lying on his side to face her and waiting for her grip to release.
The quiet darkness settled between them and all Brick could concentrate on was her soft and slow and even breaths. He matched his own breathing with hers and he enjoyed watching her breath blow the little hairs from the front of her face, dancing around in the darkness. He could feel his own eyelids draw heavy and he struggled to keep them up. Blinking furiously, he willed himself to stay awake. But to no use, as the night wore on, he passed out into a deep and peaceful slumber.