The ground beneath her tilted and pushed her to her knees, the wind behind her sucked the air from her lungs and forced her back to bend. Rain drops soaked her body and cascaded over her cheeks, melding with the tears that washed away her mascara, leaving dark trails on her pale skin. She brought her hand to her mouth and released a broken sob that split the air. Her body rippled with the force of her cries, an ache forming behind her temple. A stream of water pooled over her lips and she instinctively licked them, a sharp iron taste pricking her tongue. Her eyes opened then, fluttering apart and squinting through her damp eyelashes. Blood flowed from her head and trickled onto the ground before her, painting the cement crimson and disseminating into the puddles of rain. She looked at her hands which were already caked in dried blood, brought one to her face and touched the tender spot, and saw the fresh liquid on her fingertips. But the concern of her injuries quickly vanished as she once again was met with the sight of two limp bodies. Their skin was sickly pale and still trembling with electricity from the blast. Blood, so much blood, pooled beneath them, filling the crater they lay in. Her heart couldn't take the sight, the lack of joy on the blonde's face and the calmness struck on the other's. She forced herself to her feet, moving closer to them with slow steps, hunched over to try and ease the sharp pain in her stomach. The entire world was dark, vignetted and covered in the liquid that flowed from her cut. She reached them and dropped back to the ground, extended her arm and tried to touch them. She wanted to feel their icy skin, wanted the reassurance, wanted the final answer. But a hand stopped her.
He jerked her back roughly and she fell onto her butt, the impact causing her head to throb. She sucked in a breath as his lips neared her ear and she felt his hot breath on her neck, teasing her with his warmth. Her eyes stayed glued to the ground even as he wrapped his fingers around her throat and tried to tilt her head back. "Have you seen enough to know that you've lost?" His voice was low and threatening, just like everything about him, but it was also thick with pride. He had already determined his victory, already knew that she would bend to his will, and she could see it in his crimson glare that stared back at her in the puddle. He would do anything to have her, that was now clear to her. Because she was the only person who could match him and he didn't like that, he wanted ultimate power and authority, he wanted to reign over her, he wanted to watch her break. And now he would.
Her lack of a response drove him to snatch a fistful of her hair and haul her to her feet, where he could rest his chin in the crook of her neck and watch the tears slip down her cheeks. She trembled at the feel of his tall, firm body pressed against her tiny frame and the image of him snapping her in two spiraled through her mind. She sealed her eyelids shut.
"You may have been the smartest, but pride still over shines loyalty for you. Had you of simply agreed to my terms then none of this would have happened." He ran his thumb along her jaw. "I warned you, pinky, you're just deafened by your own knowledge." Fear stirred low in her stomach as his fingers grazed her skin and his breath whispered against her ear. His next words sent shivers down her spine. "Now, it's time to make a decision."
He held her chin firmly and twisted her face towards the bodies, forced her to stare at them as he spoke. "As you can see their time has run out. I could give you the full list of injuries that they've sustained...but instead I'll just give you the fatal ones. The blast basically fried them to death and they've lost well over 1500 milliliters of blood, as I'm sure you know losing more than 30% of your blood is almost always followed by death. But if that isn't proof enough that they're dead, then maybe this will help." Her eyes widened in utter horror as he took hold of her hand and yanked her down, directing her fingers to the grotesque corpses. She tried to curl her fingers back into her palm, now dreading the reassurance of their death, but he was too strong and a gasp escaped her lips as she felt their cold, stiff skin. Her fingertips brushed through their greasy, tangled mess of hair, touched their surreal wounds, pinched the torn, soiled fabric of their dresses, and caressed their unmoving faces. But Brick no longer guided her reach.
"They're gone." He hissed beside her. She didn't need him to say it, she knew already. And the sullen, dark pit of emptiness that filled her caused pain worse than that of a thousand knives. Guilt piled into the pit, stacking higher and higher the more she thought about her earlier actions. Until she felt she would shatter.
"You were right." His lips curved into a smirk at her voice. It was so broken that she could not utter anything else, so filled with terror and defeat. He loved the sound.
"I always am." Her body was once again pulled up against his. "Now that you've come to your senses...it's time to make a choice." She felt him shift and heard him grab hold of something, fear instantly filled her. He could do anything he wanted to her; slice her throat, cut out her eyes, tear open her chest and crush her barely beating heart in his hand. Instead, a syringe was held out in front of her face, filled to the brim with a black liquid. "This is Chemical X, as you know it makes up a large portion of our bodies. For regular humans, it would be plasma, for us it's Chemical X. You see, this stuff has the ability to reboot our entire system, unlike anything the medical field has ever seen. It's like liquid gold...for you at least." His grin stretched as he opened her palm and dropped the syringe in it. "Usually, one capsule full would be enough to regenerate a person but unfortunately, they're about 5 minutes dead, heading for 6. At least one gallon will be necessary to save them and then you still have all of the injuries that need attention, all of the blood that needs to be refilled, no hospital could help you." His red eyes flickered with delight and she wrapped her fingers around the object in her hand. She met his glare in the puddle once again and made sure to put strength behind her words.
"What do I have to do?" His face lit up with ecstasy and she stared sadly at the corpses by her feet, unaware that she had just signed her life away to the devil.
The dress cascaded over her body in one perfect silk sheet, flowing against every curve and contrasting beautifully against her light skin. She pinched the maroon fabric and grimaced, it was flawless in every way yet the most horrendous thing she had ever worn, because it was bought by him. Her stomach sank as she forced herself to slip into a pair of beige heels. Tonight was the first time he was taking her outside, out of the large, most likely stolen, mansion she had been imprisoned in for nearly two weeks. Numerically, it didn't seem like that long of a time. But for her, it felt like decades. Her days consisted of tip toeing through any and all conversations with her captor, desperately hoping to avoid upsetting him, doing as he bid, being chained down and stuck in an empty room for hours, and sleeping. She referred to her current position as being kidnapped, however, kidnapping meant to take someone against their will. She had gone with him willingly. She supposed she preferred calling him her captor simply for the bad rep it gave him, something he deserved in spades.
She pulled the elastic band from her hair and released the strands from the long braid they had been strewn into. A curtain of burgundy waves shimmered and rippled as they rested against her back. The mirror before her shown the reflection of a fiery red headed leader who once commanded the Powerpuff trio, but inside she felt anything but powerful, she felt defeated, because she was.
The door opened and a voice called out to her. "Blossom."
Her saddened eyes shifted and she met his red glare, before he let his gaze sweep over her figure, taking in the sight of her wearing the dress he 'bought'. She knew he was pleased by the way his lips curved up on one side. "Brick."
He stuffed his hands into his pockets and she realized then that he wasn't matching her. She expected that he'd be wearing a suit of some kind, as irregular as that would be for him, seeing as she was forced to wear such an elegant dress. But instead he had just thrown on a hoodie and jeans. A tinge of anger threatened to make her speak, but she bit her tongue.
"You don't seem too excited to be going outside." His eyes showed sympathy but his voice lacked any form of compassion. "I thought this was what you wanted?" She knew he couldn't care less about what she wanted.
Her mouth remained shut and he took the hint that she didn't want to respond to his sarcastic words. So he jerked his head towards the hallway, a gesture for her to follow him as he left. She caught up to him quickly.
"Where are-?" He flashed her a look that instantly cut off her sentence.
"You don't get to ask questions."
She clenched her fists but said nothing.
After walking through the long hallway and down a flight of steep stairs, they exited the enormous house from the back door. She cautiously watched her counterpart as they made their way into the center of the backyard and then her eyes found the sight behind him to be more interesting. Since she was allowed into only three rooms that were all in the front section of the house, she never had a chance to see what laid behind it. Her head cocked to the side. Trees as tall as the mansion rose into the sky, casting her in a sheet of darkness. Behind the trees she could see the slivered moon and a few stars twinkling beside it. But most of the sky was covered by the thick foliage, which stretched to either sides of her view for miles. She still had no idea where she was, as Brick had knocked her unconscious before bringing her here, so for all she knew she could be surrounded by forests, in a place where no one would ever find her. Fortunately, she didn't want to be found.
"I didn't know there were still woods like these in Townsville." She spoke quietly, still searching her surroundings for some hint to her location.
Brick smirked at her. "Who says we're still in Townsville?"
She looked at him and couldn't determine whether he was telling the truth or teasing her based on his expression, which made her anxious. And then her anxiety fueled her lack of patience. "If you won't tell me where we're going, then can you at least show me?"
His face twitched at her words and he shot her a harsh glare. "I wouldn't be so anxious to get there if I were you. It's not something you'll enjoy."
Her throat tightened. She hated when he made her wait like this. Wild thoughts would run through her head, ideas of what he might have planned, and it would strike fear into her stomach and then she would become so stressed out that she felt she would puke. Every time things got worse. Yesterday, he had sat her in front of a tv. "I have a gift for you." He had said. "You're going to love it." He always knew how to word his sentences in order to make her panic, and every time she had a good reason to. She was made to watch as Brick's brothers burned down cities and destroyed precious monuments. The event made her sick but she couldn't do anything about it. She was supposed to be the hero who saved them, but she was no where to be found, lost to the world, in order to protect the ones she loved most.
Brick took off to the sky and she followed. It wasn't long before they arrived to their destination; a rock. Blossom frowned.
"Before you open your big mouth, pinky, this is the entrance." Brick explained before lifting the rock and tossing it aside, revealing a hole in the ground that, when Blossom peered into it, seemed to go on forever. She desperately wanted to ask where it lead to but decided she'd rather not be chastised.
"Come on." A gasp escaped her lips as he grabbed her arm and jumped into the tunnel, pulling her with him. She held back a squeal as they descended into the ground, oddly enough her powers were struck useless upon entrance, otherwise she would've flown. After a few seconds, she saw an orange glow beneath her that began to brighten and then she felt the heat rising from it and she screamed. She was going to fall into a pit of fire. Just as soon as she prepared for impact, she found herself wrapped in a pair of strong arms. Her eyes shot open. Brick raised an eyebrow at her.
"We haven't even gotten to the fun part yet, might wanna save that voice of yours." He spoke calmly, yet she saw the malicious glee in his eyes, and shivered. He flew into a horizontal tunnel, away from the flames, before releasing her. She hurried after him as he began to walk forward and her curiosity got the best of her.
"How come you can fly and I can't?"
He stopped and she feared he would hit her, instead he turned into another tunnel and didn't respond. She kept her mouth shut for the rest of the walk.
It was quite a long time before they finally reached the end of the tunnels and entered a small opening in the ground. Blossom tilted her head back and gazed up at the steep ceiling and then at the scene before her. The walls were just rock. A small floating television sat in front of a yellow chair and purple sofa. The floor was a brown and pink carpet and there was a coffee table in the middle of the room. She turned to Brick.
"Where are you, you gay fucking she-devil?!" He barked out to the empty space, causing her to jump. There was no response and he growled. "Get your pink ass out here! We've got some talking to do."
Blossom stared at him and he caught her judgmental look and grabbed her chin, hissing into her face, but before he could say anything a high-pitched voice pierced the air. "What are you doing here, you little brat!?"
Suddenly, the floor shook and cracked, the room breaking off from the walls and dropping into another room, a much larger one. The walls were now just one big television screen depicting black and white scenes and there were other chunks of rocks floating nearby, appearing as though they were other rooms. Blossom didn't have time to wonder where the hell she was because a familiar voice rang through the enormous room again.
"You insolent child! You dare threaten me in my house? I'll teach you how a boy should act towards his father!"
Her head quickly snapped to the side and she paled.
Brick stood a few feet away from a man dressed in a Santa-clause type suit with thigh high heels, a goatee, elf ears, red skin, and his signature lobster claws.
"Him?" She whispered under her breath, amazed by the sight. It had been an entire decade since she'd seen the horrendous villain and now it looked like she was in his home.
Suddenly, Brick threw his fist into the monster's face and a loud crack echoed through the 'room'. Blossom winced. Then, just as Him was getting back up, the red ruff hit him again, and again, and again, until blood was splattered on his fists and face. He took his 'father' by the throat and lifted him off the ground, driving a knife through one of his eye sockets and twisting it. Blossom had to cover her ears, unable to bear the sound of veins ripping. Brick showed no mercy, he continued to force the blade into Him's body repeatedly, littering the ground with a puddle of blood and guts. When the monster was dead, Brick tossed him off the rock chunk and Blossom couldn't help but watch his body fall. As he descended, his head collided with another rock and a piece of his brain was left behind. She held down the bile that rose up her throat.
"I've been wanting to get rid of that sick bastard for years." Brick muttered as he sauntered over to the sofa and threw himself across it. "Problem was, I needed an audience." His sadistic glare fell on her and she moved to sit beside him, practically reading his mind. "This place is better than the mansion, cuz my brothers don't know about it." He grabbed her chin again and forced her to look at him. "Wanna know why I brought you here?"
She tried to say, "Yes" but it came out as a whimper. He grinned and ran his thumb over her bottom lip, eyes pinned on her mouth. She wanted to pull away from him, despising his touch, but she didn't have a choice.
"I might not give a shit about much, but privacy is something I need." He spoke quietly, staring at her intensely. Then he angled her face up to meet his as he sealed a kiss against her lips. Her body went stiff at the action but she didn't resist. When his lips began to flutter over her neck she shivered and he held onto one of her wrists, pulling her close against him. Every part of her told her to fight, that this was wrong, yet the only thought that came to her mind was her sisters and so she let him continue. He kissed his way down her throat, peeling away her dress and letting his hands roam over her body, the fabric fell to the floor and she was left vulnerable underneath his hungry glare. She was painfully uncomfortable and all of her nerves were tingling. He took her face in his hand and looked her in the eye, she had never seen so much lust in a person's gaze.
"What happened, pinky? Aren't you going to fight back?" He pushed her onto her back harshly and leered over her. "Where's that stubbornness? Aren't you the leader of the puffs?" He licked her jaw and bit the skin, leaving bruises behind. His voice was filled with amusement, he loved this. "You're just going to let me take advantage of you, huh. Just bending to my will, you might as well name me your king, your god." His teeth grazed her collarbone and her chest rose to meet his lips as she sucked in a sharp breath. He took her wrists suddenly and pinned them over her head. She bit the inside of her cheek as he stared down at her, she was so sure he would eat her alive, his eyes were wild. "I bet I could've let your sisters die and you'd still be unresistant to my touch." He leaned down and whispered into her ear. "Don't tell me you're enjoying this."
Guilt and disgust swirled within her stomach. Her mind ached for her to resist but now her body wanted more. She cursed herself for being so easy. It wasn't as though she liked Brick, no she absolutely loathed the son of a bitch sitting on top of her, but it wasn't easy to deny his gorgeous physique and alluring red gaze. He was as handsome as she was pretty, and her virgin heart longed for his body. So she made a promise right then that she would NOT enjoy it.
"Brick." She murmured as his fingers teased the back of her bra. She urged herself to be strong. "Stop." The second the words left her mouth, she cringed, knowing she shouldn't have said anything.
He paused and gave her a look so fierce that she was forced to avert her gaze, afraid he would burn her alive. Of course he wasn't happy that she was denying him, it was Brick, if she didn't bend to his will then there'd be problems. She held her breath as he glowered down at her, his grip hard as steel, and then he surprised her. His face broke into a grin and he turned her face to him. "Are you giving me orders?" He questioned. "You want mercy...from me?" Then he laughed out loud and it was a sound that made her wince because it was full of glee; fueled by her vulnerability. Brick slipped his hand into his back pocket and all she saw was the glint of metal before a blade was pressed to her cheek. He shook his head. "You just keep getting dumber and dumber, pinky. You know me, you really think I'm going to abide to your orders? That I'm gonna go easy simply because you don't like it? You do as I wish now, not the other way around." He dragged the knife firmly against her cheek and she shuddered as warm blood ran down her face. "If I wanted to cut off your hand, would you try to stop me?"
She bit her lip hard, knowing what answer he wanted. "No."
"If I wanted to shave off all of your hair what would you do?"
"Nothing."
"If I screwed you right here, would you tell me no?"
"No."
He grabbed her hair and pulled her face closer to his, so close that she could smell his cologne. "What if I tried to kill your sisters...would you still obey me?"
She didn't give him an answer immediately and he seethed. She stayed silent for too long. He wrapped his fingers tightly around her throat and slammed her head down.
"I'll ask again; if I tried to kill your sisters, would you still obey me?" His crimson eyes glittered with fire that threatened to explode.
She took a moment to recollect herself before responding. "Yes." The flame dulled but still flickered. "Always."
He smirked and pressed a harsh kiss to her lips, once again she felt herself grow sick and wanted to wrench herself out of his grasp. But it didn't matter what he did to her or how she felt, all that mattered was that her sisters were safe, and that she abided to his commands.
authors note: I just recently realized that all three of my PPG stories have a very similar theme where Brick holds Blossom captive and I apologize for that, hopefully my future stories will be a bit more creative:)
