The Party Don't Start Till I Walk In
About a week after Homecoming, Princess invited the junior and senior classes to a celebration of All Hallow's Eve at the Morbucks mansion. Costumes were optional but encouraged, and when Bubbles read this a grin split her lips. She kept her enthusiasm contained until she sat down with Brick and Buttercup for lunch. "No," her sister immediately said, "I'm not going to that stupid party."
"Oh, come on!" Bubbles pleaded. "I thought of the perfect costumes for us, and you don't even have to buy anything! Well, maybe a shirt or something but that's it, I swear! Pleeease?"
Buttercup held firm. "Nope. I'm not dancing again till Prom."
"But it's Halloween! It's, like, my second-favorite holiday!" The first being their combined birthday. "What about you, Brick? Are you guys going?"
He didn't have much of a choice since Max had deposited extra money into their account to buy their attendance. Brick was pretty sure Princess put her father up to it. "We'll be there," he confirmed.
Bubbles waited until she and Buttercup finished their respective team practices to needle her some more. "Know what theme I came up with for us? Magical creatures! I'm gonna be a unicorn and I'm turning Blossom into a mermaid. I thought you could be a dragon!"
Well, that sounded kinda cool. "How would I be a dragon?" she wondered.
"You have that leather bolero and those black corset leggings, right?" Bubbles knew her sisters' wardrobes as well as her own. "All you need is a shiny green shirt and then I was gonna do your hair and paint some scales on your face."
Buttercup mulled it over while stowing her knee pads in her locker. The awesomeness of such a getup might be worth the discomfort of attending another party. "Fine, I'll go," she consented. Bubbles squee'd and hugged her tightly.
Halloween was on a Thursday and the school district had the good sense to give students a four-day weekend. Bubbles had a specific look envisioned for Blossom, dressing her in a seafoam top, a crocheted shawl adorned with shells and wooden beads, and an ombre aqua skirt. She went all out with the makeup; Blossom was barely recognizable when she finished, only her pink irises giving her away. Buttercup donned some clawed midi rings and did her own bold eye makeup as Bubbles wielded a paintbrush on her face. Lastly the blonde Puff transformed herself into a mystical unicorn with a ruffled silver dress, rainbow hair chalk, plenty of glitter, and a horned tiara.
The sisters walked over to Robin's house to catch a ride with her. At the mansion the four girls were relieved to see they weren't the only ones in costumes, although theirs were among the most elaborate. Mike's jaw dropped when he saw them, then he nudged Floyd and Lloyd who whispered to Mitch. Suddenly the whole room was staring, even Princess. She closed her mouth and regained her air of indifference before greeting them. "Powerpuff Girls, Robin, I'm glad you could make it. You look… nice." That was definitely an understatement. "Help yourselves to food in the kitchen and feel free to check out the theater downstairs– it's playing scary movies. If you feel like dancing the ballroom is that way." She forced a smile. "I hope you have fun."
"Thanks for inviting us," Blossom courteously replied, acutely aware of the couple-hundred eyes trained upon her. Bubbles relished the attention and Buttercup was indifferent to it, but as soon as she tried walking across the room she was swarmed by students who wanted to compliment and take selfies with her. When she managed to extricate herself from the adoring mass she looked around, seeing she'd been separated from her sisters. Great.
"Hey baby," said some guy, "wanna dance?"
"No thanks," Buttercup muttered.
"Why not? You a dyke?"
"No, I just don't feel like dancing right now." Especially not with presumptive assholes.
"Can I get a pic, then?"
She scowled. "Seriously?"
"You're a model, right? Aren't you used to it?" He held up his phone expectantly. Buttercup could've launched into a rant about how professional photo shoots were nowhere near the same as posing for random cell phone pictures, but she knew no one cared. She rolled her eyes before sticking out her hip. The guy grinned and walked off admiring his shot, not even thanking her. Why the fuck had she agreed to come to this thing again? Oh yeah, because Bubbles was her sister and no one on the planet had the willpower to resist when she batted those golden lashes.
Buttercup ventured into the kitchen where Joey, playing beer pong with his buddies, spotted her and did a spit-take, other football players having similar reactions as they followed his gaze. He demanded they pay her no mind but the guys continued sneaking glances. Taking full advantage of the opportunity to press his buttons, she drummed her metal nails on the marble countertop, smirking as the boy holding the ping pong ball silently begged her to stop distracting him. After a couple minutes Joey rounded on her. "You mind fucking off, Buttercup? We're trying to play a game here." She smiled sweetly and gave him the middle finger before strutting away. The boys released a collective sigh of relief. "Really, you guys? You're that weak?"
"Back off, man," Harry returned. "You'd hafta be blind not to notice her." Butch arrived just then, half his teammates greeting him exuberantly while the other half snickered at his costume. "The hell're you s'posed to be?"
"A musketeer!" Butch menaced a few friends with his plastic sword. "Be honest, guys. What're my odds of gettin' laid like this?" His answers were zero, slim, and not great. "Damn. Hey, have you seen Buttercup?" Joey shot him a glare. "'Cause I haven't, nope! I have no clue how fine she looks tonight."
"You're a shit liar," Joey said, but instead of berating him further he pulled a small bag from his pocket and handed Butch a tablet. "Why don't you make yourself useful by getting Buttercup to take this?"
"What is it?" Butch asked.
"Molly."
"Molly?"
"MDMA. It's the pure form of ecstasy."
He knew that already; the Ruffs had taken down drug rings all across the globe. "Why do you wanna give her molly?"
Joey rolled his eyes, no doubt considering him quite dense. "So she'll loosen up and mess around with someone, anything that'll put a black mark on her reputation. Just do it, okay?"
Butch walked off, frowning. Joey really wanted to drug Buttercup so she'd do something embarrassing? That didn't sit right with him. They weren't exactly friends but she tolerated his antics in Chemistry and let him copy her homework whenever he forgot to do it. And she was a superhuman like him, his only equal in the world according to Brick. The whole school was still up in arms about Buttercup being a model who intentionally objectified herself, which meant it wasn't wrong for her peers to do the same, but to Butch she was a hot girl who had also put up a good fight with her powers nullified for which he greatly admired her.
On impulse Butch took the molly himself. Within minutes he could no longer keep his feet on the ground, drifting aimlessly around the mansion like a dandelion seed on a breeze. He'd never been so relaxed and at peace. Bass summoned him to the ballroom where music filled his head with sounds he never knew existed, and he floated on his back while the air itself reverberated around him. Someone grabbed his hand, fingers soft as silk, and he looked down into a pair of pretty brown eyes on an even prettier face. "You're gorgeous," he declared.
The girl laughed a little. "Thanks. You're Butch Lucian, right? The star quarterback and Rowdyruff Boy?"
"That's me."
"Nice to finally meet you! I'm Li Leigh." Butch failed at shaking her hand, earning another giggle. "Feel like dancing with me?" He had to focus really hard on vertically orienting himself, closing his eyes to a head rush. When he opened them Leigh gave him a flirty smile. "You're so tall. Never thought I embodied the short Asian stereotype until now."
He stopped hovering. "Better?" She answered by winding her arms around his neck. Her fingertips grazed the nape, sending a tingle down his spine, and her hips shifting back and forth against his quickly aroused him. Butch pulled away. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to." As if he had a choice in the matter.
Leigh eyed him from beneath her long lashes. "Can I kiss you?" Butch blinked before she stood on her tiptoes to press her lips to his. It was, without a doubt, the greatest kiss he'd ever received, but maybe that was only because of the molly. He gave in to the euphoric sensation filling him from head to toe to other head, holding her tightly to return the gesture with more enthusiasm. Leigh made a noise against his mouth, a moan or a sigh or something indicating she was into it. They stood there making out in the middle of the dance floor for who knew how long. Music continued washing over Butch, treble and bass and melodies and harmonies built upon the beat of his pounding heart. He was hot all over, skin prickling and burning from the inside, but he didn't want to let go of Leigh because her body felt so good against his. "Mmm, Butch… should we take this upstairs?" she murmured.
"Fuck yeah." They wasted no time finding a bedroom, having the good sense to lock the door before tearing at each other's clothes. Once undressed they fell into bed together, Butch caressing Leigh's smooth skin and running his fingers through her inky hair. He was fascinated by the feel of her tight little muscles flexing in response to his touch. "You're so sexy…" he said a bit breathlessly. "Why haven't I seen you before?"
"I'm a senior. I really wanted to say hi to you at Homecoming, but I'm shy. And then you just kind of appeared out of the blue back there, so…"
"So you decided to jump my bones?"
Leigh shifted nervously atop him. "I think you're hot, okay? If you don't really want to do this…"
"No, I do. I really, really need you right now, babe. Ride me into the sunset." She giggled at his desperate request but he wanted it more than anything, the molly flooding him with too many feel-good chemicals. Butch had also been starved for physical intimacy since arriving in Townsville, trying his best to obey Brick's wishes by not getting into trouble, but he had this itch he needed to scratch or else he went kind of crazy. Playing football helped channel some of that destructive energy but sex was much better at mitigating it, and he greatly appreciated the nude female form besides.
Butch idly wondered if Buttercup's battle lust had dwindled since they were kids. Did she play volleyball and do MMA training to keep herself in check, or did taking Antidote X on a regular basis do it for her? Maybe she simply outgrew her violent tendencies. Regardless, she hadn't been drugged and Butch was getting his brains fucked out. Win-win.
Robin was a good friend. She recognized how uncomfortable Blossom felt with literally all eyes on her and stuck by her side until the attention waned. They chatted with some people, played a few games, and tried watching a horror film while eating caramel apples, but it was too gory so they returned upstairs. After getting a refill at the punch bowl Robin took a sip and frowned; it didn't taste as sweet as before. When she rejoined her friends Julie suddenly gasped at something across the room and the four of them turned as one.
"No way, is that Brick?" Wes snickered. "He's the last person I expected to show up in costume."
Robin elbowed him. "At least he's not wearing a dress."
"It's a toga, thank you."
"Actually it's a chiton," Blossom corrected. "In Ancient Rome, men wore togas and women wore stolas. In Ancient Greece, both men and women wore chitons."
Wes scrutinized her before throwing his arms around her. "You're so smart and beautiful, Blossom. If I were straight I'd totally date you." She pulled a face that amused the other girls, then Julie gasped again while flailing her hands.
"Guys, guys! Brick's coming over here! Act natural!"
"Do you like him or something?" Susie asked.
"Of course! There are very few redheads in existence, you know! We need to stick together and populate the world with adorable ginger babies!"
"Oh, sweetie…" Susie patted Julie consolingly. "I don't think Brick is interested in making babies."
That was an odd statement to walk in on. Brick waited until the five friends recovered from their laughter. "Wes, Susie, I wanted to let you know I finished calculating the full cost of the field trip. We can discuss fundraising options on Monday."
Susie tried putting her arm around his shoulders but he was much too tall, six-foot-two compared to her four-foot-ten. "Brick, it's super awesome that you're always on top of things, but this is a party and you need to chillax. No school talk here." Robin tittered at the bemused, almost indignant expression on his face. Maybe something in the punch had loosened their tongues.
"And your costume is great!" Wes added. "You totally rock the feather hat."
"Thanks." Brick hadn't planned on dressing up for Halloween but Boomer insisted they had to go as the Three Musketeers. He had arrived at the party ahead of his brothers because Princess wanted him to do the music, so what was the point when they hadn't even shown up together? Susie and Julie were both dressed like witches, and Robin's fairy costume was pretty cute, but Brick's attention remained firmly on Blossom. She was downright captivating, all the blues and greens contrasting her wavy red hair, and her shirt revealed a sliver of skin at her waist. He stared a minute longer, realized how weird it must seem, then abruptly turned and left. He went to the kitchen where he'd last seen Butch but his brother was no longer there. He wandered around the mansion, denying offers of beer and wine and harder liquors in addition to requests to dance from girls whose names he hadn't bothered to learn. What was up with people and dancing, anyway? Most of them weren't even good at it.
But Blossom was. At Homecoming she led him to as open an area as they were going to find in the crowded gym and demonstrated the basic salsa steps. "Relax," she said, "move your hips." He hesitated. "Just try it! No one's watching us." She held his hands again, showed him how to spin her, and he hadn't let go until the dance ended two hours later. They were both a little sweaty but her smile was radiant. Seeing the joy on her visage made his heart beat faster when it was supposed to be slowing down. "That was fun, Brick. You're a quick study."
He should ask Blossom to salsa again. Average teenagers typically danced during parties and doing so would help him maintain a semblance of normality. He started retracing his steps only to run into Princess. "Brick, there you are. I've been looking for you!"
"What for?" he inquired.
The flirty smile she flashed didn't work on him. "I just wanted to thank you for what you've accomplished so far. You know, with that thing Daddy hired you to do. Two benefactors removed in two months is more than we expected."
He shrugged off the praise. "If we weren't also focused on school we'd be working a lot faster."
"Oh, it's perfectly fine. Like Daddy said, there's no rush. It'd be too obvious if all the funding behind genome research suddenly dried up after you Boys returned to Townsville." She gave him a once-over. "You look so handsome in that outfit. Care to dance with a lady?" Princess proffered her hand and he accepted it wordlessly, annoyed that they sort of matched since she was dressed as Marie Antoinette. A slow song was playing when they reached the ballroom. Brick tried his hardest not to cringe as Princess wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest, sighing dreamily. "So calm. What does it take to get your blood flowing, huh?"
Fire fights. Espionage. Sabotage. Manhunts. Dancing with Blossom. "I have to remain calm in my line of work," he replied.
Princess snorted. "All work and no play will make you a dull boy. I knew you wouldn't have come without a monetary incentive."
Brick refrained from rolling his eyes. "If you're attempting to buy my affection, just stop. Even if by some miracle I were interested, I wouldn't do anything to risk losing out on the other half of your father's payment."
"Usually I'd say everyone has a price, even you, but I know you're a force that can't be tamed, Brick. You wouldn't appreciate the gilded cage I have to offer." Princess tossed her red curls, turning her nose in the air. "You're being presumptive, anyway. We should be friends since you're working for my father and we're on the student council together. I just want you to have fun at my party since you're always so uptight!" He grunted and she grinned deviously. "Want something to drink? I mean something good from the bar in Daddy's office."
"No thank you."
"You don't even know what he has! C'mon, we'll find something to help you loosen up." She pulled him after her, but just as they entered the hallway Brick caught sight of something that made his blood simmer. Joey, Harry, and Pablo had Buttercup trapped in a corner and the expression on her face indicated she was about to go on the offensive. Brick had the fleeting thought of letting her kick their asses but he didn't want her to suffer repercussions; doubtless Princess wouldn't be so lenient of fighting in her home. He shook her off and made a beeline for the wayward Puff.
"Hey, Buttercup, Bubbles has been looking for you. She wants to see how your face paint is holding up."
Now that they had an audience the three boys had no choice but to let Buttercup brush past them and make her escape. "It's fine, I'm wearing like a gallon of setting spray." Still she went with Brick until they were out of earshot, then she side-eyed him. "Didn't I tell you I don't need to be rescued?"
"For your information I was saving myself from Princess," he returned. "She wanted to get me drunk, but I don't do that."
"Of course you wouldn't, Mister Control Freak. Have you actually seen Bubbles at all?" Brick shook his head. "Me neither, but she's not hard to miss covered in rainbow sparkles." Just to be on the safe side Buttercup sent her sister a text and received an instant response. Bubbles was listening to ghost stories around the outdoor fire pit. When she and Brick entered the living room Robin jumped on them.
"Butters, there y'are! Wanna join me 'n Blossom for Truth or Dare?"
She immediately noticed the slurring. "You drunk, Robin?" Buttercup sipped the punch, lips pursing. "There's vodka in this."
"No way! I only had a couple refills." Robin waved it off. "Whatever. So you wanna play or not?" Buttercup consented with a groan, then the girl trained her big blue eyes on Brick. "How 'bout you?"
"I've never played Truth or Dare," he answered.
"Then you gotta!" Robin led him upstairs while Buttercup and Blossom followed. "The rules're super simple. Someone spins a bottle and whoever it lands on has to answer a yes-or-no question or do a dare, then that person spins the bottle. Got it?"
Brick wasn't so sure about this game, but as a Truth or Dare newbie he got to go first. The bottle landed on Mike, then Wes, then Mitch. Some senior complained about it being a sausage fest right as Mitch's spin landed on Buttercup. Of course she chose a dare. "I dare you to… shave your head!" The girls all gasped but Buttercup refused to chicken out. The players found an electric razor and watched solemnly as she buzzed off her stylish undercut, leaving her with short black fuzz. She stared blankly at her new reflection. Bubbles was so going to cry when she saw her.
"You still look awesome, you know," Mike remarked. Mitch agreed but he seemed regretful.
Buttercup wordlessly took her turn, landing on Susie, then came Brick. He considered his options and the possible results, asking for a dare. It probably wasn't a good sign that Susie cackled evilly. "Brick, I dare you to kiss the hottest girl in the room!"
He would never admit to making such an egregious error in judgment. He certainly wasn't about to admit to never having kissed anyone before. Buttercup gave him the slightest of glares as his attention lingered on her, but then his gaze slid to Blossom. If he was going to kiss someone for the very first time it may as well be the most beautiful girl in Townsville.
Blossom sat like a statue as he shuffled over to her. Brick, who was callous and arrogant and detested physical contact even more than he disliked people in general, could not seriously be about to kiss her on a stupid dare! Her face paled as she realized he was really going through with it. He knelt, cupped her cheek with one hand, and leaned in. Before she could react in any way, like tell him to pick someone else, his lips met hers.
It was… not unpleasant.
Her mouth was sweet with the taste of fruit punch and caramel apples. He felt the tension leave her body before she exuded a tiny sigh. That faint sound sent a surge of pride through him; good to know he was doing it correctly despite having no experience whatsoever. Then again, he was an expert at faking things until he made them. How long was he supposed to kiss her, anyway?
Wes cleared his throat. Brick pulled away, opening his eyes to see Blossom flushed and wearing an expression he really couldn't describe. "See, Susie? I told you he wasn't gay," Wes crowed.
Brick frowned at his secretary. "Didn't he tell you that at Homecoming?"
She avoided his gaze, waving flippantly. "Well, yeah, but I didn't believe it till now."
"Why's that?" Mitch wondered.
"He went right for her lips, not her cheek." Some sounds of understanding and agreement arose from the other players. Brick rolled his eyes at their inebriated logic. Anyway.
After him was Mimi, her spin landing on Blossom. "Umm… truth?"
Mimi grinned. "Is Brick a better kisser than Dexter?" Her jaw dropped and a few other students gasped at Mimi's audacity; they all knew that was the one line not to cross with Blossom. She rose to her feet and ran out the door, Robin giving chase. Buttercup trailed them with a sigh.
After a solid minute of awkward silence Brick abandoned the game as well. It was his fault for embarrassing Blossom since he didn't have to accept Susie's dare. People usually kissed those they were physically attracted to or had an emotional connection with, and they were barely acquaintances at most. She likely felt nothing from that. He wished he could go back in time and do it differently. Brick froze upon realizing he was not averse to the notion of kissing Blossom again, then he shook his head almost violently. That thought could fuck right off. He was in Townsville for a job, not to get up close and personal with any of the goddamn Powerpuff Girls. He wasn't about to start any kind of relationship with Blossom of all people. He had to be high to even conceive such a ridiculous idea.
Using his X-ray vision, Brick scanned the mansion and found the three girls on an upstairs balcony. He flew out the nearest window, drifting skyward with honest intentions of apologizing to Blossom, but he faltered when their conversation reached his ears. "Don't be too pissed at Mimi," Buttercup said. "She didn't mean it, she's drunk. And she doesn't know all the details of why you and Dex broke up, like we do."
"It was totally not your fault, Blossom," Robin spoke next. "You know that, right? You weren't too needy and you didn't push him away. You guys just weren't fully compatible."
"Yes we were, and it was my fault!" Blossom insisted. Brick could hear the tears in her voice. "You don't know him like I do! Dexter isn't like other boys, and I wanted…" She sniffled. "I just wanted him to want me. We only kissed a few times and it wasn't… What happened with Brick felt completely different!"
"Like how?" Robin and Buttercup chorused.
Silence for a moment. "Like I was… floating."
"Floating?" Robin echoed. "Oh, like you were giddy?" Blossom must have nodded. "I get it. Brick's, like, unfairly attractive for being so cold. I think any girl'd get butterflies from kissing him." Buttercup scoffed. "And any guy'd be lucky to have you as their girlfriend, Blossom! Dexter is… well, he's ace. That's just how he's wired, y'know? It's no one's fault he didn't wanna touch your boobies."
"Hey, don't make me picture that."
"Sorry, Butters. But seriously, Blossom… you should put yourself out there again. You're smart and pretty and you deserve a nice guy who appreciates everything you have to offer. Brains, boobies, and booty!"
"You'd make a great cheerleader," Buttercup commented. "I'm gonna get something to eat. We should probably head home after you sober up, Robin. I think Bloss 'n I are about done with this party. No more punch, okay?"
"'Kay!" she agreed, then blew out a long breath. Deeming it a good time to announce himself, Brick rose up above the railing.
"I couldn't help but overhear that you're ready to go home. Do you want me to fly you?"
Blossom shook her head, keeping it lowered. "Robin drove. Princess might have her car towed or something if we leave it here."
He wouldn't put it past the petty brat. "If I can find Butch I'll have him drive you. He knows how."
Robin smiled. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll be good in a bit. You're a nice guy, y'know." Once she was gone Blossom mustered the courage to meet his eyes.
"Why did you pick me?" she demanded. "You could've kissed anyone, so why me?"
"It was either you or Buttercup," Brick replied.
"Then why didn't you kiss her?!"
"I figured she wouldn't be very receptive to it since she just shaved her head. I didn't want to piss her off even more."
Blossom's gaze fell to the floor. "That makes sense…"
It did, didn't it? Brick had long ago grown accustomed to bending the truth to cover his own ass. The trick to lying was to have faith in one's words, and he said everything with unwavering conviction. He gave Blossom a logical excuse for kissing her. Now he just had to convince himself he'd done it for the same reason.
Bubbles danced the majority of the night away. She took breaks to drink water and eat candy, but aside from her brief stint outside she stayed in the ballroom. It had wonderful acoustics and there were plenty of people to get lost among, concealing Boomer from view most of the time. She was glad to see him spinning tunes again because he was both good at it and seemed to enjoy it, but she had also been looking forward to dancing with him since she missed the opportunity at Homecoming. The playlist this time was composed of deeper, darker electronic tracks often lacking vocals, and there were some seriously hair-raising bass drops. Moody and haunting, just like Halloween should be.
Around one in the morning the music wound down until fading away altogether, but everyone whistled and cheered instead of complaining. "Hope you had a great night, Townsville High. I'm your resident DJ Boomerang and I'll see you guys back in the halls!" Oh, his voice was hoarse. Bubbles wondered if he'd drank or eaten anything all night. She went against the crowd as it filed out, nearly stumbling into the tables upon extricating herself. "B-Bubbles?" the boy stammered, wide-eyed. "Is that you?"
She quickly composed herself. "Of course, silly! You haven't recognized me this whole time?"
He continually glimpsed the rainbow-tressed girl from the corner of his eye, always looking up too late. She kept vanishing as suddenly as she appeared just like a real unicorn. "You look, umm…" Boomer blushed. "You're really pretty in that costume."
"Thanks! I like yours, too!" Compliments exchanged, they stood quietly for a moment. "Guess the party's over, huh? Do you need help with your stuff?"
Boomer examined his setup. Only the folding tables belonged to Princess; the rest he'd borrowed from Mandark. "Yeah, but you can't fly right now, right? 'Cause of the antidote?"
Bubbles made a face of consideration and lifted off the ground, surprising them both. "I must've sweated it out, heh. That happens sometimes. Don't tell Princess, okay?"
Boomer mimed zipping his lips before beginning the arduous task of gathering cables and cords. After draping them on Bubbles it became a precarious game to arrange the speakers in such a way that they wouldn't fall during the flight. Lastly the mixing board and laptop were tucked under their arms. Bubbles dutifully tailed Boomer across Townsville's skyline to a neighborhood she recognized. He flew to a window of a certain home, tapped on it with his foot, and Mandark opened it to let them in. "Just put everything there," he motioned, then scrutinized Bubbles. "Do I know you?"
"Maybe? I used to play around here with Dee Dee Jones and Mimi Taylor." She studied him in turn. "You're that other DJ guy, right? Darkboy?"
"Astronomonov, Mandark."
"Oh. Ooh, I get it!" The pun clicked and Bubbles erupted into a giggling fit. Mandark quirked an amused eyebrow while Boomer finished stacking the speakers.
"Thanks for letting me borrow everything. I really need my own setup," he remarked.
"Thanks for not dropping anything." Mandark glanced between them. "Nice costumes. Happy Halloween."
The two supers took that as their cue to leave, flying back toward the metro. Bubbles sighed happily at the feeling of wind in her hair. It was something she didn't experience very often because of Princess and it left her almost euphoric, her eyes watering as she flew faster. "Something wrong?" Boomer asked.
"Nope! In fact, everything's perfect!" She grinned at him over her shoulder. "Wanna get food?"
He was legitimately starving. "Sure, but what's open this late?"
"Follow me!" He didn't understand why she was so chipper but her mood was infectious, and they engaged in a little race despite Boomer not knowing where the finish line was. Bubbles zipped down into the parking lot of a burger joint that smelled divine and strode through the doors like a girl on a mission. "We come here all the time, my sisters and our friends," she explained. "It's super cheap and they have vegetarian options."
"You're vegetarian? But Buttercup told me you make really good steak, and chicken kebabs, and pork tenderloin." The two of them always defaulted to talking about food when their Algebra II class dragged on.
"I still cook meat, I just don't eat it," Bubbles explained. "I tried going vegan but it was too hard giving up dairy." The cashier leaned against the counter awaiting their order. "Get whatever you want, I'm buying!" The whole menu appealed to him right now. Boomer opted for a triple-decker burger with extra bacon, cheesy fries, and a large soda. Bubbles got a black bean burger, cheese sticks, and a strawberry milkshake. "Mmm, it's so bad for me but I don't caaare," she sang. "Mimi says if I wanna be a prima ballerina someday I have to eat super healthy, but I think she's just jealous of my awesome metabolism." Bubbles nodded matter-of-factly while Boomer smiled around his straw.
"Is that what you wanna be, a famous ballerina?"
"Maybe." She shrugged. "I have options, y'know? Art, singing, dancing, that's what I like most. But I also thought it'd be fun to be a veterinarian."
"Because you love animals…" Boomer recalled her staunchly protecting a dog during one of their childhood battles. And thinking about that, the fact that Mojo Jojo created him and his brothers to destroy the Powerpuff Girls, suddenly made his food taste off. "Bubbles, I'm sorry." She tilted her head at his serious declaration. "I'm sorry we tried killing you when we were younger."
"It's okay, Boomer," she said kindly. "You didn't know any better, you were just kids under Mojo's influence. What matters is that you changed– you grew up and decided to live on your own terms. Other people can tell us how to use our powers and how to live, but it'll always be our choice." He did not feel worthy of the smile she graced him with just then. "I like who you became."
"Why?" he wondered.
Bubbles blushed, giggled, and focused on her tray. "You're nice, funny, and creative! There's not that many guys into art, y'know? They all wanna be athletes and scientists." He went "huh" and resumed eating. "And I think it's really cool how you know a lot about history and culture and stuff. It must've been so fun living in all those places." She might not consider it cool if she knew what he'd been doing in each locale. Bubbles swirled a cheese stick in a marinara cup for ten whole seconds. "Um, there's actually something I wanna ask you…"
Boomer audibly swallowed. "Okay?"
"I was wondering if you could take some pictures for me as part of my final art project."
"What kinds of pictures?"
"I need headshots of certain students… oh, that sounds creepy, doesn't it? But I don't wanna tell you and ruin the surprise!" She pursed her lips. "Let's just say I can't draw everyone from memory."
He mulled it over. "I can do that for you."
"Thank you! I'll let you know who I need references of on Monday." Bubbles unexpectedly gasped and slapped the tabletop. "You never showed me your scrapbooks!"
"I keep forgetting to bring them." Boomer gave her puppy eyes. "Forgive me?" Of course she did. "You could just, like, come over sometime to check them out."
"Oh, great idea! Where do you guys even live?" He texted her the address and her smile diminished slightly, but Boomer didn't notice since he had a ton of notifications to clear. It concerned Bubbles to learn they were staying in a suite in Evergreen Tower, which was owned by the Morbucks. How could the Ruffs afford such a place?
They finished eating and parted ways. Bubbles flew through one of her bedroom windows and landed as daintily as possible, but Buttercup still heard her and appeared at the threshold. "Dude, where've you been? It's two in the morning. Blossom was freaking out when we couldn't find you after everyone left."
"I helped Boomer return all the DJ stuff he borrowed from Mandark." Bubbles ignored her sister's irritated expression as she began her nightly skincare ritual. "Then we went to Grillmore 'cause we were hungry."
"So you were hanging out with Boomer for an hour after the party ended?"
"Uh huh."
Buttercup sighed. "Bubbles, you can't do that."
"Do what, be friends with someone?"
"No, you have to stop flirting with a Rowdyruff." The sisters frowned at one another. "I know you've had a thing for Boomer since you saw him at orientation."
Her "thing" began the moment he walked into Heavenly Body. Bubbles didn't say anything for a while, teeth clenched and eyes hard as she continued cleaning her face. "So I'm not allowed to hang out with Boomer but it's okay for Blossom to makeout with Brick?" Buttercup looked surprised. "I heard they kissed. Mimi told Dee Dee and Dee Dee told me."
"It was a dare, Bubbles. They weren't making out." She rubbed her temple. "That's not the point, okay? Blossom doesn't have feelings for Brick. She isn't attracted to him and she doesn't want to be his girlfriend."
Bubbles almost snorted. "Making a lot of assumptions there, Buttercup. I'm not trying to date Boomer, I'm just being nice. He doesn't have many friends, okay?"
"Has it occurred to you there's a reason for that? You're always trying to see the good in people but not everyone has good in them! Do you have any idea what those boys have been doing for the last ten years?"
"Do you?" Bubbles retorted. "You hate them just because they're the Rowdyruffs! You won't even give them a chance to show how they've changed!"
"They haven't changed and I can prove it." Buttercup disappeared for a moment, returning with a hard drive she thrust into her sister's hands. "That's all the data Blossom managed to find on them. We weren't gonna show you 'cause you're so sensitive, but you need to know. Just give it back to her when you're done." She left again and Bubbles closed her bedroom door rather forcefully, regretting it since Blossom and the Professor were asleep. She tossed the drive onto her bed before changing into PJs, then she sat and stared at the little box.
That thing about Pandora came to mind.