April

April showers...

Bubbles Utonium was absolutely terrible at keeping her emotions to herself.

Boomer wasn't in her business, at least not on purpose. The Powerpuff Girl could do whatever she wanted for all he cared. But it was so hard to ignore her when her presence was stuck on him like gum and her school schedule was almost identical to his. No matter what, he could never avoid her, could never mute her entirely.

When she felt happy, he could somehow feel something that could only be described as tiny flowers begin to sprout all around him. Her goofiness had more of a popping effect that tickled his arms and legs, making him chuckle under his breath. In those rare instances where she was angry, his skin sizzled and turned red with the burn.

But whenever she was sad, which had been happening for the past couple of days now, sharp, painful sparks of baby blue would find their way near his feet. Her feelings would somehow travel up his legs and straight toward his heart, and even though he didn't want to give a shit—oh, how he tried to not give a singular shit whatsoever—his body somehow made him give a shit. The two were connected; when one felt upset, the other would know and feel just how upset their counterpart was.

Boomer had felt the energy that comes from her sadness a couple of times, like when she failed their Geography quiz a few weeks back, or when Buttercup teased her for one sentence too much, or when she forgot to bring her favorite pen with the various color options. They had all felt different in their own ways, but the feeling today somehow felt like a combination of everything he had felt before. It was to the point where he could feel tears build up in his eyes.

If he cried at school because of Bubbles fucking Utonium, he was going to knock a building down. Maybe two of them for extra measure. He could only deal with so much.

Typically, this would be where Boomer would ignore her feelings and distract himself with something that would cheer him up, like finding new hairstyles online or sketching random doodles in his notebook. It wasn't a perfect solution, though it still worked its magic from time to time. But this time felt different. This time was different.

'How to Make a Girl Stop Feeling Sad: A Dummy Guide for Boys.'

Boomer's thumb hovered over the link shining in blue on his phone screen. He almost laughed aloud. This was stupid, so fucking stupid. It was his lunch hour, the best hour to be gifted on a school day, and here he was in the vacant hallway of Townsville High squished behind one of the school's tall, white pillars, and all of this was for some girl, a Powerpuff Girl at that. But he felt like he owed her, especially after she had somehow helped him feel better by kicking his ass.

Just a few minutes earlier, Boomer had seen the way Bubbles grabbed her lunch, seen how she excused herself from her usual lunch table with a fake smile after eating just a few bites, and seen how she took flight out the cafeteria door towards the outdoor courtyard covered in rain. That wasn't normal for her, and yet everything around him continued as if things were okay.

Boomer did not know why, but that fact angered him even more than Bubbles and her sadness ever could.

Boomer had given his brothers some bullshit excuse on why he wouldn't be eating at the lunch table today. Something along the lines of, "I'm not hungry," and, "You could not force me to eat that sloppy joe that looks more like a soup than a sloppy joe." Whatever rant he used had worked, because Brick and Butch just shrugged him off then continued debating about something that had to do with Mortal Kombat.

To avoid any possible suspicion, he had made sure to take the long route in the opposite direction Bubbles had traveled: through the double doors that led out to the hallways. He had stuffed his hands in his pockets and casually made his way around the school toward the courtyard's main entrance. And now here he was, his back pressed against a pillar, his phone in his hand, the courtyard a few steps away, and his heart beating slightly faster than normal.

This whole Bubbles thing... He knew that it was none of his business. But he felt like he had to do something. He might be a Rowdyruff, but a Rowdyruff knew when to pay an action forward, even to their enemies.

And that was especially true for a girl like Bubbles Utonium.

"I can't believe I'm about to read this," Boomer sighed to himself.

He paused. Then, he looked around the hallway, then at the link for a beat more. Finally, he clicked it.

The first thing he noticed was that the webpage had way too many ads about swimsuits and hair products. It was almost impossible to maneuver around everything without a popup interrupting him. But at the bottom of the page, there was an introductory paragraph that rambled about the importance of boys making girls feel better, then a small list that was simple enough to both see and remember:

1. Be patient.

2. Be kind.

3. Be there.

Boomer stared at his phone for a few beats. He adjusted the thick glasses on his face to make sure they were working. The world around him stayed clear like usual. As much as he hated his glasses, he knew that Mojo created them to be both indestructible and perfect for his vision when he didn't feel like slipping in contacts.

But this can't be right. His glasses were working, and yet, the advice on this page was... lacking. He stared and stared and stared to see if it would change. It did not.

Then, out loud and without bothering to lower his voice, he said, "What the fuck."

He tried to scroll to see if there was anything else, maybe a better explanation on what the fuck these things meant, but soon, he reached the bottom of the page, which just listed the author's social media platforms. To double-check, he refreshed the page. That only brought the same stupid page with the same stupid three short sentences written by the same stupid author. He considered going to the author's social media accounts just to talk shit for wasting his time, but at the last moment, he decided to put Bubbles first and his anger second.

Boomer knew he could search for another list. He could scroll down and potentially find something better than whatever the fuck this was. But if this was the first result to pop up, who's to say the other lists won't be just as bad? Why even waste his time even more?

"This stupid shit isn't helpful at all!" he hissed to himself. His hand almost squeezed his phone, but he was lucky enough to stop himself. Mojo could only make him so many phones before he went on a rant. "Damn. How am I supposed to help her with this... this stupid poem of a list?" he muttered with a sigh.

"A poem of a list?" a familiar voice suddenly asked.

In a flash, the hand that held his phone whipped behind his back, and he leaned against the pillar, trying his hardest not to leave a dent with any amount of power that accidentally spilled out of him. Butch had already broken a window recently. Brick would not be happy if more school property met an untimely fate.

"H-H-Hi, Blossom!" Boomer greeted with an unnecessary amount of loudness.

Blossom Utonium was a terrifying sight to see, especially at this hour. With her golden 'Hall Monitor' stash and matching pin attached to her light blue overalls, anybody who knew her was aware that she took her position seriously. Boomer had heard horror stories on the number of detention slips she gave out during her shift. Brick admitted that the most he received from her in a single day were three. For Butch, seven. He had even heard a rumor that Mitch Mitchelson received a heaping eleven, though that was slightly harder to believe than the other rumors that floated around the hallways.

"Boomer." Blossom raised an eyebrow. The pink slips held by a clipboard in her hands looked as terrifying as her stare. Would she give him two because of the phone? Or maybe three because of the phone and the fact that he was a Rowdyruff? "Is everything alright with you?" she asked. Her head tilted, and her long hair almost brushed against the floor.

"Uh, yeah. Just, ya know, tired 'cause of the school day." Boomer almost faked a yawn with an exaggerated stretch of his arms, but at the last second, he remembered that oh yeah, he had his fucking phone in his fucking hand and she would not hesitate to confiscate it and give him a detention slip as any responsible hall monitor would. So instead, he quickly stuffed the phone in his back pocket, then rolled his shoulders back and let out a forced sigh. It probably looked awkward, but sometimes, awkwardness could work.

Blossom nodded, and her stare intensified. It was almost like she was staring past him. "Understandable. It's been a long day. Maybe fresh air would help you?" she suggested. "It's noted to do some good in moments like this. It'd definitely be better out there than to be in here in between some pillars."

This wasn't good. Boomer didn't want her to see him step out in the off chance she would see him go near Bubbles. The quicker he could get Blossom out of here, the better. "Nah. I mean, that's a good idea and all, but, uh, it's cold and raining," he stammered out.

"…Let me say this a different way for you," Blossom said slowly, carefully. "I think it would be wise for you to get fresh air today. Perhaps test that list poem you were talking about earlier, too, if you have the time. Seems like you were planning on it."

The gears in Boomer's mind sprang to life then. They creaked and spun slowly but enough for him to understand. X-ray vision. She had that. She could see the phone this whole time. His hands grew a bit sweaty. "Are you… Are you trying to get me to talk to Bubbles out there?" he asked, trying to change the subject from his forbidden electronic device.

It was amazing how quickly Blossom's brain could piece things together like this. No matter the difficulty of the puzzle, she was always able to solve it. She made the whole thinking thing look so damn easy as if her head could never hurt from too many thoughts. He had heard and seen the many times she came up on top, from test scores to competitions, and even though it's been years of watching, she still left him in complete awe.

"I'm not trying to do anything." Blossom shrugged, then fixed the large bow that lied on her head. "That's all up to you. I'm just giving advice is all."

Bullshit. Out of all people, Blossom Utonium confused Boomer the most. She knew how to answer things without actually answering them, knew how to make you feel without even trying. She was like a walking deep, philosophical sentence from a teenager's self-care Pinterest board.

"Advice?" Boomer asked, voice flat.

Blossom nodded. "That is what I said, yes," she replied, voice also flat.

"Okay. Let's say you're not lying to me and you're just giving me 'advice.'" He felt his fingers automatically do air quotes, a stupid habit he picked up from Brick whenever the eldest brother had to practice around their bedroom for one of his debate club competitions. "Why don't you follow your own advice and help her yourself, Ms. Everything Nice? Why me and not you?"

She looked up and sighed a little. "That's a great question. I'll be honest with you, Boomer," she said. Her fingers drummed against her clipboard. "Sometimes, I think that when it comes to certain moments like this, moments where we're mad or upset, we don't want to hear from our siblings, even though we love them. You know what I mean?"

That was… Okay, yeah, that was fair. Boomer couldn't even begin to count the number of times he wished he received advice from somebody other than his brothers, and it was not because they teased him all of the time (though they did tease him to an annoying degree). It was something about hearing from them that felt like they said the things they said because they had to, because they were siblings, because they were destined to comfort one another when they needed it most. It was nice sometimes, and he knew his brothers meant every word they said in those rare moments of comfort, but at other times, it just didn't feel like enough.

"Yeah," Boomer agreed. "Especially because we love them. I get that completely."

"I knew you would," Blossom said, and she sounded so confident in the statement that Boomer immediately believed her. "Bubbles means the world to me, and I know I mean the world to her, too. But I think she'd get something out of hearing words from you specifically."

Slowly, Boomer shook his head. "There's got to be better people than me out there."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean you can't be great at it regardless. What Jojo accepts defeat so fast?" Her lip twisted a bit. "Hasn't Brick taught you better than to think like that? If not, I'll have a word with him; he should know better as the eldest and the leader of your team."

Boomer shook his head faster. Blossom's little arguments with Brick could last for hours, and he knew that Brick would be pissed if he heard that his youngest brother was the reason he had to do yet another debate with his mortal enemy. "Not necessary. He's taught me well, but..." Boomer's fingers felt against his glasses. Still there. He was still seeing Blossom and still having this conversation and still doing all of this for Bubbles Utonium. "How do I even do it? I mean, I had to look up how to do this shit on the Internet for fuck's sake, and I couldn't even get an answer from there." He let out a forced laugh. "How pathetic is that, right?"

Blossom gave him the gift of a small smile. "That's not pathetic at all. We all start somewhere, and though the journey might be unpredictable, we'll end up somewhere good with extra effort. You're smart and I have no doubt in your decisions, no matter which way you lean toward. I'm sure you'll know what to do with a bit of thinking." She walked up to him and gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. It differed from Brick's in a way. Though it held power and love, it also held something his leader did not have, a sort of warmth that did not come from fire powers. "You'll do great, okay?"

It was then that Boomer realized why Blossom was the leader of her team. When she spoke, she spoke from the heart. Every word was genuine and made even a dumb Rowdyruff like him feel like he could do anything.

"O-Okay," Boomer stuttered. His posture straightened, and suddenly, he felt stronger. Better. "If you say so."

When Blossom looked him in the eye, he could see a fire in them, a warm campfire with marshmallows and funny stories. Comforting. "Good. Now have a good day, Boomer," she said, voice light.

Boomer felt breathless. This was by the far the weirdest interaction he'd ever have with a Powerpuff. "You too, Blossom," he said back with a slight smile.

"Also," Blossom added, her grip tightening on his shoulder and her voice deepening. There it was, the true aura of the commander and leader. Funny how it was almost as scary as Brick's, if not, then more. The smile on his face was wiped clean due to her stare. "Hide your phone better or don't use it at all. This is still school hours, even if it is your lunch period." She held up a singular finger with her other hand, and a jolt of pink energy flew in the air and popped. They were tiny, but Boomer somehow knew that if he were on the receiving end, it would hurt like a bitch. "One warning. Understood, Mr. Jojo?" she asked.

Boomer gulped and stuffed his phone deeper in his pants pocket, just to make sure it wouldn't fall. "Got it," he said, voice scratchy and high. His body refused to move for a bit, even as he saw Blossom walk away down the hall and around the corner. When he squinted his eyes, he could still see tiny, pink explosions in the air.

Yeah, Mitch Mitchelson was definitely telling the truth about those eleven detention slips. Boomer didn't need any more evidence.

Boomer allowed himself some time to think in the quiet. This was one of the first times he heard his name and the word "smart" in the same sentence as a sort-of compliment instead of some undercover joke. A flurry of emotions overcame him then: confusion, shock, and the biggest of all, appreciation. Somehow, he felt motivated to help his counterpart. It was almost as if he wanted to make people proud: Blossom, Bubbles, hell, even himself.

Strange.

Boomer's legs traveled before he could process. His hands opened the double doors leading to outside, and he was greeted by a drizzle. It was a little muggy, and he knew his hair was going to frizz, even with all the gel he used to keep it down, and his stupid glasses were going to fog up. Ugh. The sacrifices he had to take to help people. He didn't know how others could do this shit on a daily; it was honestly exhausting and a hazard to his physical health.

His eyes focused on the sidewalk, and he could see faded traces of blue streaks. Carefully, he made his way down the familiar path of the quiet courtyard. The wind blew softly, and the new leaves that hung from the trees shook. His eyes shifted as he heard a sniffle from around the corner. He walked, turned, and saw Bubbles sitting alone on one of the many benches in the courtyard. Her head was down, and he could have sworn he saw tears streaming down her face.

Was it strange that she looked pretty, even while crying? One would think so, but not Boomer. Bubbles was a Powerpuff Girl. She was meant to look perfect, even at her worst.

Boomer opened his mouth, but could not find what to say, not yet. So, instead, he cleared his throat, standing awkwardly in front of her.

Bubbles looked like a jack-in-the-box, the way she sprung up. It almost seemed like she would have flown away. When she caught his eye, she settled back down on the bench, tangling and untangling her fingers. "Oh, h-hi, Boomer!" she exclaimed, growing a cheery look. "What're you doing out here?"

"Are…" Boomer thought about following the link's advice. Be patient. Be kind. Be there. It seemed helpful enough. But he was never particularly good at following rules given to him, and this was no different. "What's wrong?" he demanded, and he glared at her for extra measure.

Bubbles was good at keeping up an act, he'd give her that. Must come with being in Theater Club. Butch was also good at keeping up fake appearances like this because of it. Her happy expression refused to change. "You think something is wrong?" she asked, tilting her head.

"I know something is wrong."

"There's not, honest! I just wanted to sit out for a while."

"Sit out in the rain? Alone? After practically running out of the cafeteria?"

"...Yes?"

"Bubbles." He plopped down next to her and bumped her lightly using his shoulder, sending a jolt of electrical blue her way. "You and I have the same hair type, and I'm definitely not blind with these fucking flat-screen TV ass glasses on my face. Now c'mon, spill."

Slowly, the smile on her face dropped a bit. It was still there, but her eyes no longer held that familiar, happy shine. Instead, she looked upset and a tad bit tired. "There's no point. It's stupid," she mumbled.

Boomer shrugged. "So am I. Try me."

Bubbles gave him a look that reminded him of the fight they had back in the basement of her house, cold but with feeling. "Don't say that again," she said, the tremor in her voice gone. "You're not stupid, Boomer. Not at all."

Two compliments from a Powerpuff Girl in a day? Something had to be in the rain-water. But it meant something different coming out of the blue 'Puff's mouth compared to her oldest sister. Maybe it was better. Boomer couldn't tell.

You're not stupid, Boomer. Somehow, when she said it, it made a part of him believe that maybe he wasn't so stupid after all.

"Whatever," he said, deciding that an argument over his intelligence should be avoided even though his brain thought about how fun it would be because arguments were always fun with her when she slipped up and snapped back. "Just tell me what's wrong. And don't say it's nothing. I can tell when you lie; you're shit at it."

Her lip wobbled as she let out a tiny laugh. It almost looked like she was going to cry. But instead, she sighed, staring at her feet. "Don't laugh, okay?" she asked quietly.

"I won't. Rowdyruff's honor." Boomer placed a hand on his heart. "Now, what's going on?"

"…My favorite vlogger is retiring," Bubbles replied slowly. "I've been watching them every day for as long as I can remember, and it won't feel the same knowing they won't create anything anymore."

"Wow." Boomer blinked and let her words make their way to his brain. He spoke before he could think of a few ways to about this. "That is kind of stupid."

Instantly, he felt her energy, felt the preparation of a flight to who knew where. Her eyes were focused on the sky, and her body trembled a bit.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Before Bubbles could move, Boomer reached and grabbed her wrist. It felt light and delicate in his hands, even with all the energy surrounding it. "It's not stupid, not like that. That wasn't the word I wanted to say. I sometimes speak before I think, and, uh. It's just, well, ya know. Just, like. Okay. Think about it, okay? Don't leave. Think."

"Think about what?" Bubbles sounded like she didn't want to think. Fair. Thinking in a sad state always sucked. Luckily, she didn't look like she was going to leave, though, so he let her wrist go. She settled back down on the bench, her hands clutching the fabric of her jeans.

Boomer had no idea where he was going with this. When did he ever know what he was doing? But Blossom said that he'd know what to do with some thinking, so he decided to say the first thing he could think of that wasn't mean or disrespectful. "So, this vlogger is retiring. Do you know why?"

Context clues. Brick loved rambling about the importance of asking questions to get information. "It's the best way to dissect any problem," he'd say as his eyes quickly scanned whatever big textbook he decided to read. "If you don't ask questions, then you won't know shit, and if you don't know shit, then you're fucking stupid. Don't be stupid."

So now, here in the wet courtyard, Boomer was not going to be stupid. He was smart. He could do this.

...Hopefully.

"They've been doing vlogs for years and is pretty tired at this point." Bubbles replied. Her eyes still focused on the sky, but it was hard to imagine what was truly going on in her head to make her look up there like that. "And that's fair. I wouldn't want to do something for years on end if I were tired of it," she said quietly.

True. Boomer wouldn't want to do that either. He already had to deal with high school, but high school was temporary so long as he avoided failing. But choosing to do something and sticking with your own choice for years and years? Yeah, no thanks.

"Yeah, that is fair," he agreed. He tapped on his glasses to think more as if the action would somehow help him. Luckily, it was enough to get another question out. "Uh. How many videos do they have out?"

He could see Bubbles rise a bit. She no longer slouched, which must have been a good thing. "Well, thousands of course! I've watched every single one up to date." She sounded proud. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked up into the gray sky, swinging her legs. "From when they started as a makeup guru to their exploration of all things haunted and beautiful! I've been a fan since day one, actually."

Boomer raised an eyebrow. "Cool. And when's the last time you watched the first couple of videos from them?"

"Well… It's been a few years, I guess…"

Jackpot. Boomer's mind felt like it was growing, expanding. There was an answer now, an answer he could explain without looking stupid. "See? That means you can go back and start over," he said.

"Start over?" Bubbles scrunched her eyebrows.

"Yeah!" Boomer allowed himself to smile, just a bit. "Look. My favorite game series ended years ago, way before I was created. Doesn't mean that they're gone forever, though. And Captain Spaceman came out in, like, what, the nineties? But I still go back and read the first volumes whenever I miss it after it goes on a hiatus. It's nice to just go back and see everything from the beginning. It lets you relive the whole journey."

"Huh." Slowly, Bubbles nodded in agreement. "That does sound nice…"

"See?" Boomer's brain exploded then, and a ton of thoughts came at him at full force. He couldn't help but ramble. "And even though there's nobody like your favorite out there, that doesn't mean that you can just stop there. There are so many others you can watch. Possibilities are fucking endless. Humans were so smart, even in the past, 'cause there are a lot of old things that you can watch and new things you can get out of it." After processing that oh shit, he was doing the thing where he talked too much just like Mojo and Brick did, he settled his thoughts down. "You, uh, know what I mean?" he asked with a sheepish grin.

Bubbles looked like she caught on to every word he had said. Her eyes never escaped his, and the small, growing smile on her face finally looked like it was a true one. He didn't know why, but that made him feel like he was on top of the world. "Yeah. I get you," she said.

"Good. So need to be upset anymore," Boomer said. He bumped her shoulder again. "Now cheer up, asshole. I'm tired of feeling your sad ass emotions everywhere."

Bubbles let out a bitter, dry laugh. "Sorry about that. I must have been such a bother today, huh?"

Boomer hated when people said that. It was less about it being a sort of guilt trip and more about it being a completely false statement. The word 'bother' was infuriating, probably as annoying as words like "homework" and "moist."

"You're not a bother. You're just human." Boomer shrugged. "All humans feel like shit sometimes. It's good. I know you've felt when I feel shitty, too, so. Yeah." As he got up, he awkwardly placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a quick, gentle squeeze. "You'll... You'll be good, Bubbles."

The action was a little different than what he had done for her before. Maybe this was what Blossom would have done. And maybe Bubbles would find a bit of comfort in that.

Well, now that was over. Good. Boomer could finally go back and deal with shitty school without having to feel upset because of the person he was connected with. He dropped his hand back to his side and turned, ready to enter and face another half of a school day head-on.

"Wait." This time, it was Bubbles who grabbed his wrist. He turned and she looked into his eyes again. He could not for the life of him come to understand what she was going to say. Her lip trembled again, but not like in the way where she almost cried. "Just…" She paused, looked up into the sky, glanced back into his eyes again.

And then, she hugged him, and he felt his heart in his throat.

Her arms wrapped around his waist, reluctantly but with a purpose. He didn't push her away, but he didn't hug her back, either. He just stood like a statue, unable to move or figure out what was happening.

Be there. That's what the list poem said. And he knew he was there, because, well, duh. But maybe he was there in more ways than one. Maybe he was there right where it counted.

Shit. Boomer Jojo could follow some rules after all.

"Thank you, Boomer," Bubbles whispered, just loud enough for him to hear. She tightened the hug a bit, and he could feel something like flowers sprouting near his feet, slowly growing but with purpose and feeling. "Thank you so much."

Boomer opened his mouth, but, afraid of what he would say, he quickly closed it to think of a casual response. "'S no biggie," he muttered, ignoring the nagging thought in his head that it was a big deal, a very big deal that made his heart thunder.

He did not know how long they stayed like that, and he did not fully process when she left him there until he heard the warning bell ring from inside the school building and saw that he was still outside, alone and wet from the rain. But he could feel her arms wrapped around his waist, warm and tingly, and felt as though he were exploring a private garden filled with baby blue flowers all throughout the rest of the day.

A/N. I have nothing to say about this chapter other than Boomer with glasses is superior. Anyways.

Hello again, and to all who have shown support, thank you once again! I'm having so much fun writing this in my downtime, and I'm glad my hard work is being so well appreciated! As always, each and every one of you is a source of motivation for me, so I can not begin to show just how thankful I am.

Next chapter might either make you swoon or stress you out. Maybe both. Who knows. But it'll be somewhat cute, I swear.

See you all next month on or around May 1st! (I am in the process of graduating undergrad and I have to plan a lot in order to fly out to my college to get my diploma in person, so I may have to miss a day or two if my schedule gets too packed. But it shall be released in early May at the latest, promise!)

Next Chapter: May

...bring May flowers.