I Wanna Dance with Somebody
The student council election results were in. During sixth period the intercom beeped to life, everyone stilling as Principal Keane announced the victorious candidates for each grade. "The junior council members are Susie Jenkins for secretary, Princess Morbucks for treasurer, Wes Goingon for vice-president, and Brick Lucian for president. And finally, the senior council members…" Those names went unheard by most of the juniors as they discussed the four winners, but Miss Keane wasn't finished yet. "A meeting will be held immediately after school where the representatives of each grade will discuss the details of Homecoming. I look forward to seeing you all there!"
Bubbles clapped after the message ended. "Yay, Brick won!"
"Why're you so happy for him?" Boomer wondered.
"I think it'll force him to open up to people. Brick has a real ice king vibe going on." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Are you gonna sign up to volunteer for the dance? I totally would, but I have ballet class that Saturday."
Boomer looked up from his songbook. "Ballet? Like with tutus and slippers?"
"Uh huh, classical ballet. I've been taking lessons since I was eight. It's sooo fun and the costumes are sooo pretty even if my feet do get kinda sore…" Bubbles suddenly turned bashful. She did that a lot around him, he noticed. "I have a recital next month. Would you maybe wanna come see it?"
"Sure. When is it?" He marked October 12th on his phone calendar before they resumed memorizing their first song for the December concert. They exchanged smiles and waves after class as usual, then Boomer paused to think for a moment instead of heading home right away. If Brick was planning the Homecoming dance and Butch was playing in the Homecoming game, perhaps he should also contribute by volunteering. At the very least he could do so in Bubbles' stead, channel some of her school spirit. He went to the library to sign up.
Now the only Rowdyruff without an after-school commitment, Boomer had the penthouse all to himself. He microwaved something for sustenance and ate at the counter, his gaze drawn to the living room wall opposite. There hung three identical frames with three similar sheets of paper within. The results of their DNA sequencing were cryptic readouts reducing their entire existence to mere combinations of A, C, G, and T. Each sheet had a little note in the margin penned by Professor Utonium.
Brick: at risk for melanoma. Use proper sun protection year-round.
Boomer: iron and vitamin D deficiencies. Include in diet.
Butch: above-average testosterone levels. Do not take anabolic steroids.
Other than that they were perfectly healthy, just not as perfect as the Powerpuff Girls.
September seemingly passed in the blink of an eye; Brick and Butch found themselves under more pressure as Homecoming drew near. The senior council took charge of planning the pre-game pep rally, the junior council prepared for the dance, and the underclassmen were tasked with decorating the school. Boomer basically put it out of sight and mind as the 12th rolled around. He wore slacks and a button-up shirt, tied a tie but then thought better of it before drifting downstairs. "Where are you going?" Brick asked while poring over homework at six p.m.
"Bubbles has a ballet recital," Boomer replied, and a red eyebrow raised. "She invited me."
Brick didn't exactly dislike Bubbles. She was a good writer and contributed to meaningful discussions in Lit-Comp, and she kept him informed of all the goings-on between their peers during lunch. She was the golden girl of Townsville High but now he thought she might have a crush on his brother, which wouldn't work out in her favor. "If you're going to a formal recital, you need to wear a tie." It'd make the Ruffs look bad if one of them were inadequately dressed for such an occasion.
Boomer obliged and took off from the roof, landing outside the performing arts center. He used a window to check his reflection, adjusting his windblown hair before venturing inside where he bumped right into Blossom since he was looking everywhere but in front of himself. She reached out to steady them both. "What on earth are you doing here, Boomer?" she asked.
"Bubbles asked me to come," he explained.
Buttercup gave him a judgmental once-over, deeming his outfit appropriate. "If she invited you, then I guess you can sit with us," she offered. The three of them got situated in a middle row close to the stage and Blossom consulted her program.
"Bubbles' performance is toward the end and she's dancing to… Stravinsky's 'Danse Infernale'? That seems a little aggressive for her." Buttercup flashed a questioning look. "It's from his ballet called "The Firebird'."
That sounded awesome; now Boomer really couldn't wait to see Bubbles. Before her were two girls with notable presentations. The first was Dee Dee Jones who danced to Tchaikovsky's 'Waltz of the Flowers' in a bright pink tutu. Then came Mimi Taylor, one of Dee Dee's and Bubbles' mutual friends. She radiated elegance and poise as she danced five short parts from another Stravinsky ballet, 'Apollo'.
When Bubbles finally appeared Boomer lurched forward to better see her, nearly falling out of his seat. Her costume was… something, a bright red bejeweled bodice with layers of red, orange, and yellow tulle forming the skirt. Her hair was loose yet held back by a golden headpiece and her pointe shoes were scarlet unlike the other girls' white or pink slippers. Bubbles held a pose at center stage and the music abruptly began, strings and horns filling the hall with an ominous air.
She danced like she really was made of fire, erratic yet unerringly graceful, claiming every inch of the stage as her own. Her choreography involved no floorwork; she remained on her feet the whole time, spinning and twirling so much it was a wonder she didn't get dizzy. The whole thing was only about five minutes long and it took Boomer a few seconds to realize she had stopped moving, smiling from ear to ear as she basked in the audience's applause. Bubbles received a standing ovation and waved while heading offstage. The three teens then made their way out to the foyer. "What did you think?" Blossom queried.
Buttercup shrugged. "I liked that song way better than the last one. And her costume was cool." She was not the biggest fan of ballet, finding it much too frilly and girly for her tastes, but she made it to every one of Bubbles' recitals without fail. The Professor, unfortunately, missed most of them.
Blossom nodded. "Boomer?"
"That was amazing," he gushed. "Can we see her? Is she backstage or something?" As if in answer Bubbles and most of the other dancers walked out still in costume. Boomer rushed over as a cobalt blur and clasped her hands. "Bubbles, you were fantastic! That song, your outfit, your dance… it was all so amazing!"
She giggled and blushed at his exuberance, Mimi and Dee Dee smiling as they stood to either side of her. "Who's this cutie?" asked the latter, a blonde-haired blue-eyed waif.
"His name is Boomer," Bubbles supplied since he was too busy fawning over her to reply.
"One of Brick's brothers, right?" Mimi offered her hand. She had dark brown skin, big brown eyes, and a smile that made him weak in the knees. "Nice to meet you. I'm the president of the senior student council so I've been working with Brick lately. And your other brother is on the football team, isn't he? Shaping up to be a star quarterback, I hear." Boomer ducked his chin. "So what are you into?"
"Uhh…" He had to think for a moment. It was hard to focus while surrounded by pretty girls. "Photography, I guess. And singing."
Mimi found this acceptable as Dee Dee beamed. "Ooh, I love a cute guy who can sing! You wouldn't happen to have a date for Homecoming already, would ya?"
"No!" Bubbles shrieked, startling her friends and sisters. Her face flushed. "I mean, he might not even be going! Um, are you going to the dance, Boomer? It might not be that cool!"
"Excuse you," Mimi chastised, "it's going to be great. I've seen the junior council's plan and it's classy as heck."
Blossom cleared her throat. "Yes, we're all looking forward to the big game and the dance, but what is your entire ballet class doing out here in the lobby?"
"Oh, did I forget to mention that?" Bubbles smiled sheepishly. "This is a fundraising night."
"Ah. We'll get out of your way, then. You all did a great job and you should be proud of yourselves!" Blossom ushered Buttercup and Boomer out the main entrance, waving to the ballerinas. She smoothed her dress and lifted into the air, flying low so no one could see up it.
"Aww, why do we have to go? Can't we hang out with them?" Boomer whined.
Buttercup had been about to leave but turned back. "Townsville's not exactly arts-friendly, as you might've noticed. Everyone mostly cares about science and technology so this recital was to earn donations from the rich folks in there."
"How much do they need?"
"I dunno, ask the teacher." She left as a pale green streak.
Boomer went and did exactly that, finding a woman in her late twenties speaking to a couple that just oozed wealth. He stepped in front of her after they walked away. "How much do you need to keep teaching ballet?" She blinked at his blunt inquiry before handing him a piece of paper with the financial breakdown of her class. She didn't charge much for lessons so underprivileged kids could afford them. The costs mostly covered equipment and costumes for performances, and she worked another job as a seamstress instead of taking a large cut for herself.
Boomer wrote a check for three times the average yearly amount and proffered it, her eyes boggling. Then she started crying and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, young man. Thank you so much… this will mean the world to my students."
"No problem." He watched Bubbles pirouette for a man in a suit, trying to impress him. "I just think everyone should be able to pursue what they love."
Another week passed. The Homecoming game was that Friday night so the excitement was palpable, to say the least. The football team wore their jerseys all day and a few members who were more spirited than Butch painted their faces in Townsville High's burgundy and silver colors. Much to his delight it was also the day Boomer and Blossom were serving in the Culinary Arts booth. He tried flirting with her only to be cockblocked by his brother, and he left in a huff after receiving a full tray of food. Buttercup swung by next. "Heya, Bloss. Can I get a chocolate shake with chai?"
"That sounds weird," Boomer commented.
"Good, though. Try it sometime. And keep the change." She left a five for them and got into the line for standard lunch offerings. Buttercup sipped contentedly until someone walked up and cut in behind her, which was just plain rude. The owner of the voice that addressed her irked her even more.
"Buttercup, hi," Joey said. "Anyone ask you to Homecoming yet?"
"Yep."
"Oh." He paused. "So who're you going with?"
"No one."
"Oh. Well, what if I asked you?"
"I'd tell you no thanks 'cause I'm going stag."
"Wouldn't you be a doe?"
She rolled her eyes and faced him. "What do you want, Finkelmeyer?"
"I want you to go to the dance with me, Utonium," Joey responded in kind.
Buttercup gave him a withering look. "Seriously? We haven't talked in like five, six years and you want me to be your date to the dance outta the blue? Did you forget the part where I don't like you and we're not friends anymore?"
He pouted a little. "Why don't you like me?"
"You're a dumb annoying jock!"
"You're a jock too, Miss Libero." She scoffed, turned back around, and then tensed when she felt his hand cupping her butt. "I see you after volleyball practice, y'know. You look really good in those shorts."
"I know I do," Buttercup said evenly.
He scoffed. "Wow, conceited much? You think you're better than everyone 'cause you're a model now?"
"Hell no, but I'm definitely too good for you, Rat Fink." Joey's mouth dropped open, surprised she still remembered that hated nickname from junior high. "Now get your hand off my ass before I break it."
"You wouldn't. I have a game to win tonight." Testing her was a really stupid idea, Joey knew that deep down, but he thought that without her powers she couldn't actually hurt him. Buttercup rounded on him while hooking one of his ankles with her foot, sending him to the ground on a knee. She wrenched his arm behind his back and pushed to the point of dislocating his shoulder. "Argh, shit! Let go, let go!" he cried.
"If you touch me again, or I hear about you groping any other girl, I'll make sure you never use this arm. Got it?" Joey nodded vigorously, sucking his teeth in pain, and Buttercup released him.
He clutched at his bicep while retreating to the safety of the football table, fully aware that the whole cafeteria knew he'd just tried and failed to put the moves on a Powerpuff Girl. His teammates appeared concerned but no one said anything, a smart decision on their part because he was really fucking pissed now. Who did Buttercup think she was, calling herself too good for him? How dare she embarrass him in front of half the school. Any other girl would be grateful to be his date to Homecoming; who wouldn't want to be seen with the captain of the football team? Joey tried rolling his shoulder and winced. "That fucking bitch…"
Butch regarded him with thinly-veiled amusement. "She coulda popped it outta the socket, y'know. You're lucky."
"The fuck're you talking about?" he spat.
"She trains at an MMA gym." Most of the other players looked at Butch in astonishment. How did the new guy know that about Buttercup, a girl they'd gone to school with for years? Lloyd was already aware of this fact since he took the occasional self-defense lesson at Duke's. "Muay Thai, taekwondo, and I think jiu-jitsu. She coulda messed you up way more than that."
Joey glowered at the table. No powers but still a badass fighter; evidently the muscles weren't just for show. "Your shoulder gonna be good for the game?" Harry asked.
"It better be." An "or else" went unspoken since Joey couldn't do anything to Buttercup. No one could. Princess was the only person with any sway over the Powerpuffs and really it was her father and his money. Everyone knew that.
He had mostly put the incident behind him when the intercom buzzed at the end of lunch. "Joey Finkelmeyer, please come to the principal's office." He walked in to see Buttercup leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Miss Keane didn't look happy and Brick stood beside her desk. What did he have to do with anything?
"Please, sit." Miss Keane laced her fingers beneath her chin, giving him a disapproving look. "Joey, I've known you for a long time. I was your teacher all through elementary school. Imagine how shocked I was to find out you inappropriately touched one of my other students and got into an altercation with her."
"Oh, please," he scoffed. "All I did was ask her to Homecoming."
"And then grab my ass when I said no," Buttercup declared.
Joey lied through his teeth. "No I didn't, you attacked me for no reason. She threatened to break my arm, Miss Keane!"
Brick sighed and met his gaze. His red eyes were really unnerving. "I saw the whole encounter, Joey. I saw you grope Buttercup."
"What the…? How?! You weren't anywhere near the lunch line!" He clamped his mouth shut, realizing he'd just confessed. Miss Keane looked so disappointed in him.
"That type of behavior is not tolerated at this school. I'm putting you on a three-month suspension from the football team starting right now."
Joey blanched. "You mean I won't be able to play in the Homecoming game?" She nodded. "No way! I practiced so hard and the guys are counting on me! Miss Keane, you can't do that! I'm the captain! It's not fair!"
"How is it not fair?" Brick asked. "You made an unwanted sexual advance on someone. If you ask me, you deserve to be off the team entirely."
"Good thing no one's asking you then, guy." Brick only arched an eyebrow, clearly judging the fuck out of him. He was just like Buttercup, thinking himself better than everyone when he was really nothing more than a freak of nature. Both of them could go to hell.
Most of the student body didn't bother returning home after the pep rally, hanging around campus in their designated cliques as they gravitated toward the football stadium. Brick was surprised to see numerous stalls belonging to businesses that had something or other to do with the school: food joints, boutiques, drug stores, auto shops, gyms, etcetera. Some but not all of them were sponsors of the football team. He turned down another aisle and saw a miniature version of Café Een, approaching at the same time as his vice-president. "Hey, you go here? They make the best coffee." Wes had a very slender build enhanced by snug clothing, his pale blond hair and near-white skin making his icy blue eyes stand out. Brick tolerated him the most because he never challenged his authority. Wes was best friends with Susie; together they were an efficient duo who made Brick's duties a lot easier to complete.
Robin sighed deeply in preparation for his order. "Lay it on me, Wes. I'm ready for you."
The boy considered his options for a moment, hemming and hawing. "I would like… a large…" Robin groaned. "Mocha with steamed almond milk, extra shot, chocolate drizzle, extra whip, mint chips, and sprinkles on top."
She eyed him for a long moment. "Is that it?"
"Blended. With light ice, please." Wes chuckled at her exasperated expression. "Love you. Want something, Brick?" he offered.
Now Blossom waited, pen poised. Brick considered it admirable of her to be working when she'd already served people during lunch. He didn't really want to inconvenience her but Wes was waving a ten in the air, expecting to pay for two beverages. "I'll have a caramel apple cappuccino with no whipped cream, medium."
Wes frowned at his lack of a "please". It was something the whole council had noticed, the way Brick commanded people to do things and never thanked them once the task was finished. Even Princess obeyed him and that was a feat nobody had been able to accomplish. Then again, Brick exuded an aura of superiority far outclassing hers. "Didn't think you had a sweet tooth," Wes commented after they'd received their drinks, walking to the bleachers together.
"I don't really like espresso but it seemed appropriate for the season." He took a sip, noting the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg on top. Did Blossom do that for him? The spices provided a nice layer of flavor.
Wes smiled partially. "You're hard to read, Brick. It's been a month and no one's been able to figure you out yet."
"What's there to know?" he returned.
"Well… Susie's convinced you're into guys since you never acknowledge any of the girls who tell you 'good morning' every day." Brick smirked at that. Unable to determine if it was a "she's a harmless idiot" or an "I'm going to kill her" expression, Wes rambled on. "I told her it's wrong to assume that every guy with decent fashion sense isn't straight, so please don't be mad at her! Susie's really invested in finding me a boyfriend before college, and you're pretty good-looking… from an objective standpoint, I mean! Like being superhuman and attractive go hand-in-hand…" He shut himself up by taking a long drink.
"I'm not gay," Brick said to diffuse the awkward moment, "and I don't care that you are."
"Good to know!" Now that it seemed like the leader of the Rowdyruffs was unfazed by the rumors regarding him, Wes endeavored to debunk a few more. "So, were you guys in juvie before coming here?" Brick simply shook his head. "What about actual prison? Someone on the football team said he's seen convicts with tattoos like Butch's."
Brick almost snorted. "I can assure you that player is talking out of his ass."
"Then where'd Butch get them?"
"Beats me, but it definitely wasn't prison."
Wes hummed. "Some people think you went to a military academy 'cause you're so…" He gestured vaguely. "Serious." Most of their peers used "uptight".
Brick was willing to accept that as part of his backstory because it contained a grain of truth; the Ruffs had occasionally worked with military personnel around the world. "It was something like that."
"Really? So they weren't far off the mark, huh?" Wes relaxed as they reached the base of the bleachers, coming to a stop. "I think the one thing everyone wants to know about you, the Rowdyruff Boys, is if you still hate the Powerpuff Girls."
Brick frowned. "We never hated them. We just… we were ignorant children back then. We did what Mojo Jojo told us to, and he wanted us to destroy the Puffs so they'd stop foiling his machinations." He looked Wes in the eye. "What happened to him, anyway?"
The boy hunched his narrow shoulders. "Nothing like you'd expect after growing up watching so many epic fights between Mojo Jojo and the Powerpuffs. He got old, spent more and more time in prison between breakouts, then one day he just passed away while behind bars. He was the last real threat to the city and things have been mostly quiet since then."
"Mostly?" Brick echoed.
"Yeah, the Girls still fight petty crime. It's usually robberies, thieves coming over from Citiesville hoping to get rich quick off stolen technology. There have been more serious incidents here and there. Like, some scientist went crazy on an experimental drug and tried to shoot up the mall because he thought it was full of zombies. Someone else tried poisoning the city's water supply. And a lady almost brainwashed a bunch of people into jumping off a skyscraper with her." Wes wore his half-smile again. "I for one am glad the Powerpuffs stuck around even though they could've gone on to bigger and better things. They're our friends and everyone would be sad if they left."
They parted ways. Brick sat in the top row by himself until Boomer joined him, snapping photos at random including one of Brick drinking his cappuccino while scowling at the camera. Then Blossom and Buttercup flew in from above. "Hey…" the latter spoke in a tone only Brick could hear over the marching band's fanfare. "Why'd you tell Keane about what Joey did? I handled it."
He shook his head as if scolding her. "Joey needed to learn his place. He never should've had the audacity to try something like that even if you do weaken yourself with Antidote X. There are consequences for treating you, or any of us, as anything less than super. We're above regular humans in every aspect. Joey had to be reminded of that."
Buttercup's brow furrowed. "I'm not weak, Brick, and I don't need you to crusade or whatever on my behalf. Neither do my sisters. We've dealt with things like that just fine before."
"You shouldn't be dealing with them at all. People should know they're not worth your time because they're so far beneath you." She scoffed and faced forward, donning a contemplative expression. Brick mustered a cheer for his brother as the football team jogged onto the field, the Homecoming game finally underway.
By the end of the fourth quarter Townsville High was down by five points. They had possession of the ball at the one yard line and there were only ten seconds left on the clock. Butch had no idea what to do; he wasn't used to being in a leadership position. There was sweat in his eyes and his muscles were twitching like crazy thanks to a mixture of adrenaline and anxiety. Citiesville had presented an airtight defense all night courtesy of their larger, faster, stronger players. A field goal was a guaranteed three points but the Townies wanted to win. They needed a touchdown yet everyone in the stadium knew Butch was going to get blitzed in an attempt to stop that from happening. It didn't help that their coach suggested a play Butch ignored because even he knew it had zero chance of success.
"What do you wanna do?" the center asked. "Try a handoff?"
No, not without Joey. He was a running back, tough enough to muscle through the defensive line without an issue. In his stead Butch had relied on tight end Lloyd and the two wide receivers, Mike and another speedy guy named Pablo Torres. "It has to be a pass," Lloyd suggested. "I'll try to get open but that one guy's been on my ass the whole game." He glared across the field.
Butch pushed his sweaty hair back before securing his helmet again. "Pablo, you take the far left. Mike, you go right. Lloyd, you're a decoy. I'll throw to whoever's still standin'."
"That's a garbage plan, man," Harry said, "but I guess it's all we got. We'll keep 'em off ya."
They assumed their formation, Butch backing off from the center. Time slowed to a crawl; he blinked and suddenly the ball appeared in his hands, the clock counting down. He raised his arm, looking left first. Harry fended off the biggest dude on the team who'd been gunning for him. Lloyd instantly got taken down by two guys at once. Pablo was free and clear for all of a second until someone drove sideways at him. That left Mike. Butch retreated a step, then another when he didn't see him. Was he down already? Should he run the ball in himself? He almost lowered his arm until Mike's 88 jersey flashed in his periphery, sprinting behind the pack with his hand up. Butch made the pass just as he was tackled at the waist.
He wasn't sure if Mike caught it or not until a deafening roar of applause reached his ears and someone hauled him upright. The Citiesville side looked disappointed so did that mean the Townies had won? Cheerleaders ran onto the field and several of his teammates picked them up, spinning them around. Then Joey did the same thing to Mike. "You squirrely bastard! That was awesome!" he exclaimed.
"What happened?" Butch asked, vaguely aware that people were smacking and congratulating him.
"Forty-five reached him right as he had the ball in his hands, but he did this crazy ninja roll and the dude totally missed him! It was epic!"
Mike grinned. "It was just a backwards somersault, but 'crazy ninja roll' sounds cooler so let's go with that." He nudged Butch's arm. "Nice pass, by the way."
"Thanks…" He was somewhat distracted by the way Boomer, Buttercup, and Blossom were shouting his praises in the stands. Brick had his arms crossed as usual but wore what resembled a proud smile. It could've been a trick of the light, though, or perhaps that last hit had rattled his brain. Butch felt tired and sore having kept his power down throughout the game, expected to play like a normal person. He didn't like the sensation of aching all over.
After returning to the locker room the door slammed open and the Citiesville coach barged in, fuming. "It has come to my attention that there's a superhuman on your team." He glowered at a few guys. "You cheated, didn't you?! That last play was impossible!"
Joey fired back with, "You wanna talk about cheating? Most of your players look roided out!"
Their own coach stepped up. "We weren't keeping it a secret that Butch Lucian is a super, but he didn't use an ounce of his power the whole game."
"Bullshit. You can't prove that," the man refuted.
He grabbed a little device from his office and slapped it onto Butch's chest. "This is a Chemical X output monitor. It was made to ensure Bubbles and Buttercup Utonium weren't using their powers when they started participating in team sports. The athletic director was nice enough to give me one for Lucian here. Let me show you how it works." He motioned for Butch to join him outside, the other man following. Then he handed the boy a football and jogged a ways away. "Throw that ball to me just like you did Mike!" Butch obliged; his coach caught it easily. "Look at the monitor! It's reading zero percent exertion of Chemical X, isn't it?" The other man hummed. "Now, Butch, throw it to me while using a bit of your super strength. Not too much, though. I'd rather you not take my arm off." Butch winced when the coach was knocked off his feet and skidded across the ground. Thankfully he stood back up. "Oof, ouch, never doing that again. What's the readout?"
"An X factor of two percent." The gruff man folded his arms, frowning. "So what does this prove?"
"If this kid used just one percent of his strength his own teammates wouldn't have been able to catch his passes. If he had his power raised it would've felt like running into a steel beam to your defense. He can also fly, but his feet didn't leave the ground even once. He didn't cheat."
"Hmph, fine. But I'll be keeping an eye on you for the rest of the season, Lucian." The Citiesville coach stomped off and the Townie coach sighed.
"Sorry about that. Go get changed and head home. You deserve a decent night's rest after the win you pulled off today. I expect you to keep it up."
Butch grinned. Brick never praised him for his hard work so it felt good to be acknowledged for once. "Thanks, Coach. I will."
Bubbles' weekend began as most Saturdays did, with a big family breakfast over which the Girls shared the details of their lives with the Professor. After finishing her crepes, which Blossom only made once a month, she attended a three-hour ballet lesson combining all of her teacher's students into one class. December was going to be a busy month. Bubbles had a company performance, the winter choir concert, and Susie let slip that the junior council had planned a fun field trip. Not to mention she was working on a big project for art class and she still had cheer practice and football games to attend. When she returned home at 1:00 she rounded up her sisters to prepare them for the Homecoming dance that began at 7:30.
One would think six hours was plenty of time for three teenage girls to make themselves presentable. One would be mistaken because these were the Powerpuff Girls and they never half-assed anything.
The Professor, enjoying a break from his research, chuckled to himself at the commotion unfolding above his head all day. As his watch struck 7:10 he moved to the foot of the stairs. "Girls, are you ready yet?" His three beautiful daughters appeared on the top step, his smile fading. "Well, don't you look lovely," he said in slight dismay. Boys were certainly going to notice them. "You have your IDs and money for photos?" They nodded, good to go.
Princess accepted the responsibility of checking IDs to ensure no kids from Citiesville snuck in to cause trouble, giving the Puffs her typical derisive sneer when they arrived. The main gym had been transformed into a classy venue thanks to the strategic arrangement of fabric panels, backdrops, hanging lanterns and colorful lights. The floor had also been carpeted and there were tables of finger foods and desserts along one wall, including a chocolate fountain that Bubbles made a beeline toward. Blossom and Buttercup surveyed the crowd for a minute, trying to locate at least one of their friends, but it was hard to differentiate people when they were so tightly clustered. "Is… is that Boomer?" Blossom gaped, squinting at a boy in the booth. The other guy looked like a high school student too but it was no one she recognized.
"Yeah, it is. The hell is he doing up there?" Buttercup cast her gaze around the gym until spying Butch on the sidelines with some other football players. Upon approach they fell silent, radiating hostility. Apparently it was her fault that Townsville High almost lost the game yesterday because she got Joey suspended from the team. "Since when is your brother a DJ?" she inquired, ignoring everyone but Butch.
He smiled broadly. "Beats me. I'll tell you how it happened, though. There was a problem with the DJ Brick booked, but then Mimi called her friend Dee Dee and Dee Dee called some dude who's an amateur DJ! He saved the dance by bringin' all his equipment, then Boomer got in there with him and started doin' things we didn't know he could do!"
Buttercup raised her brow, impressed. "Huh. That's nice of them."
As she strode away from their clique, Mike and Harry sighed longingly. "She's so friggin' hot," the latter commented. "Joey told us not to pay her any attention, but… shit, man. Just 'cause Buttercup shot him down don't mean the rest of us don't got a chance."
That was exactly what it meant. If Joey couldn't have her, no one could; he'd told the entire team to ostracize her from now on. Butch thought about ignoring the command and asking Buttercup to dance but he didn't want his new friends to turn on him. He used his X-ray vision to admire her through the hundreds of bodies separating them. Her dress looked expensive, a little black strapless garment with sparkly fabric, and she stood just over six feet tall in black cage heels. Her hair was fucking awesome, the undercut slicked back like a sci-fi heroine. Butch never had a thing for short-haired girls until Buttercup came along; the fact that he now had a life-sized poster of her Crush ad pinned to the ceiling above his bed also did little to quench his thirst. Brick would probably flip shit if he found out about it, but the brothers seldom ventured into rooms that weren't their own. His fantasies would stay secret.
Buttercup rejoined her siblings at the dessert table for all of a moment, then Dee Dee, Mimi, and Julie spirited Bubbles away into the mob. "Hope she doesn't get trampled," she spoke around a macaron.
Bubbles had been on her feet all day. She'd twisted and rolled her ankles more times than she could count, and she made the objectively bad decision to wear five-inch heels tonight. Her sisters were prepared to fly her home with an injury, but much to their surprise Bubbles made an objectively good decision to come back with her shoes in hand, surrendering them to Blossom. "Can you put these somewhere? Under a table or something?" Buttercup snickered as she went to find a suitable spot. Unfortunately, Blossom's departure left her susceptible to receiving invitations to dance.
She didn't recognize most of the boys in the queue, turning them away with as much politeness as she could muster, but their leering and the sheer number of requests wore her down quickly. Buttercup had just dipped a strawberry into the chocolate fountain when someone tapped her shoulder, and she rounded on them. "I don't wanna dance with any of you pervs!" Mitch's eyes widened as the confection decorated his cheek. "Oh shit, sorry."
"S'okay," he chuckled, transferring it to his mouth. "Mmm, that's the gourmet shit. Who sprung for this spread, huh?" The junior council was in charge of organizing the dance so it could only be one person. "Princess," they answered in unison, laughing together. Buttercup abruptly clamped her mouth shut. They weren't friends anymore, not now that he just wanted to stick his dick in her. Mitch shrank back a little. "Umm… I came to ask if you wanted to get out there, but… guess that's a no?"
Buttercup almost felt guilty for icing him out. Almost. He had been her best friend since kindergarten but she no longer trusted him, not after what he said about her on a not-so-secret forum. Mitch, Lloyd, Floyd, Mike… She read every single one of their comments. They didn't regard her as a person, just some thing to use for pleasure. It hurt more than she cared to admit. She couldn't help but wonder if they'd kept her in their little club of misfits as the token chick they might get lucky enough to bang someday. She felt so empowered during the Crush shoot, gladly accepting the opportunity to show that strong, muscular women like her could still be feminine enough to wear perfume, but nobody else seemed to see it that way. The straight male population only saw a piece of ass, like she was no longer a goddamn superhuman who could kick theirs to the Moon.
She bailed.
"Buttercup!" Blossom called, but her sister was gone. She leaned against the risers and closed her eyes to gather her thoughts. The music was too loud and not to her taste, but she could hear the minor tweaks Boomer and his accomplice made to each song, skillfully transitioning from one to the next. And he seemed to be having fun with it which was what mattered.
"Hey," said a voice from above. Blossom craned her neck to find Brick standing on the risers with the red heels dangling from one finger. "Why did you leave your shoes up here?"
"They're Bubbles', not mine," she explained.
He set them down. "Why isn't she wearing her shoes? The floor is clean, but I doubt it'd be very pleasant if someone stepped on her toes."
"That would indeed be detrimental to a ballerina."
Brick joined her at ground level. "And what are you doing in the corner by yourself? Has no one asked you to dance yet?"
"I haven't given anyone the opportunity," Blossom replied. She was more concerned with making sure her sisters had a nice time, although Bubbles required no assistance in that endeavor. "Buttercup just left for some reason. I should bring her back."
"Do you want me to help you look for her?"
She blinked at him, incredulous. "You're offering?"
"Of course," he shrugged, like he went out of his way for other people all the time.
"Why?"
He donned a rather patronizing expression. "Because you can't help yourselves as long as you keep taking Antidote X."
Well then.
"I'll find her myself," Blossom said scathingly. She spun on her heel and went outside, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Buttercup, if you can hear me we need to have our photo taken for the Professor! Come back, please!" A few seconds later her sister walked around the side of the building, arms folded. "What happened?"
"I shouldn't've come to this stupid thing. I had like thirty dudes ask me to dance with them! They all just wanna grind on me!"
"Well, you can stick with our friends. We'll keep the boys away from you," Blossom suggested. Buttercup acquiesced with a groan.
An hour passed, then another. Brick maintained his vigil over the gym from his position atop the risers, occasionally descending to grab a bite to eat. From there he saw and heard everything but his focus mostly remained on the Powerpuff Girls. Bubbles was doing her thing, shaking and shimmying her diminutive assets without a care as to who saw or what they thought. Buttercup loosened up significantly, laughing alongside Susie and Wes as looks from jealous boys went unnoticed. Brick kept an eye on Joey for a while, wondering if he'd make a move against Buttercup, but he seemed too wrapped up in his female companion. Butch was dancing with a different girl whenever he glanced over, no doubt enjoying the popularity brought on by winning the game yesterday.
And then there was Blossom, easy to discern among the mass thanks to her white dress. His breath kept catching at the sight of her beaming face as she bobbed and spun with Robin. She appeared so carefree, genuinely having a good time, and Brick wondered if she knew some formal style of dance because her feet kept moving in a distinct pattern as her hips swung from side to side. Those motions were… interesting.
The music wound down so Boomer could address the crowd. "Alright everybody, we're gonna take a short break to hydrate. And we're gonna take some requests!" The notepad and pen he proffered immediately disappeared into the audience. "Boomerang and Darkboy will return in fifteen minutes!"
Brick wore an amused smile as he met Boomer in front of the catered food. "Boomerang and Darkboy?" he repeated.
"Yeah, they're the perfect DJ names!" He grabbed a bottle of water and emptied it without taking a breath, gasping. "Man, it's hot up there."
"It's because we're surrounded by electronics and sweaty people," said the tall, lanky, bespectacled boy who had saved the Homecoming dance. Brick saw red when he called the DJ's agent at 7:00 only to find out he'd written down the wrong date and was already at another gig. Luckily Mimi had been on volunteer duty, saying she knew someone who knew someone. Mandark Astronomonov attended Pacific Science Academy, a private school on Townsville's western coast, but retained a massive crush on Dee Dee and accepted her request to play music for her school without hesitation. He got into it after abandoning his rivalry with Dexter since they focused on different technological fields. Brick had no idea where his brother had picked up mixing skills. In any event, two sets of hands were probably better than one. They had a couple more hours of spinning tunes before the dance ended.
When they returned to the booth Bubbles approached with the notepad. Some of the requests were too obscure or wouldn't provide good vibes, but Mandark did his best incorporating most of them into a playlist. There'd be a lot more slow jams during the second half. "Is my song gonna make the cut?" Bubbles asked. Boomer couldn't recognize her handwriting and so didn't know what she wanted to hear. "Tell you what, if it comes on I'll come back and you have to dance with me. Deal?"
"O-okay…" He blushed as she grinned and flounced away.
Mandark smirked a little. "You must like her a lot. You've been staring at her all night."
"I'm not staring!" Boomer refuted, "I just…" Okay, yeah, he'd been staring at Bubbles. But how could he not when she looked so beautiful? She wore a bright red dress, her wavy golden hair kept catching the lights, and her smile illuminated the whole room.
With Buttercup's suitors successfully cockblocked and Bubbles having the time of her life, Blossom extricated herself from the crowd to become a wallflower. Being around this many people for so long wore her out, and Robin had been whisked away by Mike who she purportedly did not have any romantic feelings for despite mutual flirting since junior high. After her pulse returned to normal she loaded a plate with fruit and ate idly, staring off into space.
"Hey." An annoyed breath escaped her nose as she turned toward Brick again. "What I said before… I didn't mean you're always helpless, only when you're on the antidote."
Blossom rolled her eyes. "I got that, thanks."
"I don't understand why you intentionally make yourselves vulnerable to the sort of advances that drove Buttercup away earlier. I know you take the antidote to regulate your biochemistry, but couldn't Professor Utonium synthesize a compound to do that without nullifying your powers?"
"It was part of the settlement with the Morbucks. We don't have a choice."
He moved closer. "Of course you do. Who's going to enforce the rules if you decide not to obey them?" That was one question Blossom had never really considered until now. Who was capable of stopping the Powerpuff Girls if they developed a rebellious streak? "My brothers and I are the only ones in the world who can even attempt to force you to do anything, Blossom, but we're not about to oppress our only equals." Brick folded his arms. "I would never tolerate the behaviors you Puffs endure. Everyone knows better than to mess with us because they fear what we'd do to them in retaliation."
"We don't want people to fear us, Brick! We just want to be normal!" They frowned at one another. "We have friends, not clients. We care about people other than ourselves. I don't expect you to understand that." It was true that Brick didn't have any friends and he didn't care about anyone besides his brothers. Moving often wasn't conducive to forming meaningful relationships so he never bothered to try, and people who weren't the Rowdyruffs might end up as collateral damage since they'd made their fair share of enemies among their line of work. Blossom heaved a sigh. "What I don't get is why you expended so much effort on something that everyone but you seems to be enjoying."
Brick shrugged one shoulder. "Who says I'm not having fun?" She looked dubious. "I don't dance, not like you. And I refuse to dance like Butch, if you can even call it that."
Blossom tittered and he smirked. Nice to know that deriding his siblings amused her as much as him. "I did learn a few moves from the host family I stayed with in Mexico, but that's ballroom salsa. I think I'm the only person here who knows it." She eyed him with curiosity. "Would you… like me to show you?"
Normally he would have denied such a frivolous proposal without hesitation, but the combination of her pristine white dress, her done-up red hair, and her eyes framed by gold shadow gave her the semblance of an autumn goddess even if she lacked the power to uphold such a title. Brick quickly dismissed his feelings of superficial attraction in favor of pettiness. She had denied his offer to track down Buttercup so he would be the better person and accept her invitation to dance. "After you."
Blossom smiled and took hold of his hand.