Hello, all!

I'm getting some pretty positive feedback thus far, however modest. But I'm encouraged. Stories need time to build of course. And this one won't have a concrete plot or direction for a little bit. But there is one. It's a somewhat of a slow burn.

These next three chapters are more the internal perspectives of the boys. So take them for what you will.

I just hope I get each of their personalities right but we'll see.

Anyway, enjoy!

Act 1 Part 2. POV-Boomer

Dumber than the Dumbest

That's what they called him. Apparently Brick couldn't have come up with a better title when they were playing 'Ultimate Fight' with the girls when they were five. Brick was the smartest despite pretending otherwise, Butch was certainly the most aggressive and unpredictable, earning his moniker.

Where did that leave him? Oh, that's right. An idiot barely worthy of any recognition.

Boomer, if nothing else however, had a self awareness that the other two did not. Butch claimed all he cared about was destruction and getting his kicks. In reality he lacked attention being the middle child. Brick loudly proclaimed superiority and desire to oppose and best the Powerpuff Girls. Again, it didn't show the real reason underneath. His older brother was jealous; jealous of the girls and all the praise, attention, and popularity they received. And therefore he took it out on the town they protected, on other people...his brothers included.

He didn't mind being openly honest with himself about the issue. Brick was his older brother by only a few seconds, same as Butch but those seconds might as well translated into years. Despite being the same age physically, he was still treated as the runt of the litter. That's how it always worked with siblings: Boomer was treated like he was eight, Butch about ten, and Brick? Well, Brick had a mind that worked beyond his years. At least in terms of intelligence. He just let his temper get in the way of anything meaningful.

Then again, Boomer had no idea what meaning 'meaningful' was supposed to give. All they did was petty crime. It was a far cry from their earlier days. Mojo and Him both brought them into the world for a single purpose: destroying the Powerpuff Girls. Brick gave it lip service sometimes, but he could see right through the facade. If the three of them truly wanted to destroy the girls, they would have made a much more serious attempt than causing a ruckus in the park.

He doesn't want to get rid of her, he wants to prove he's better

Butch loved to antagonize Buttercup. While that would be a death sentence for any average person or villain, it seemed to push them both to greater levels of destruction and violence, which his brother enjoyed greatly. The feeling wasn't mutual among his counterpart, who took every chance to smash his face in a wall when she could but the two were so similar and loved fighting…

He shook his head trying to ignore that little voice whispering that tempting little question.

What about your own counterpart?

Admittedly, Boomer didn't feel any real animosity towards Bubbles like his brothers did with the other girls. He just sort of...played along and followed orders from Brick. She was incredibly irritating with that powerful screech of hers and constantly got in the way of his fun. Like the time she socked him straight in the jaw for pinching some jawbreakers off a kid? What was that all about, anyway?

Even so, the supposedly 'sweetest' Puff earned that title for a reason. She fought crime and could be as ferocious and focused as her sisters but at her core she was just...cute right?

No! She's not cute! Why would you even think that? Quit being a sissy!

Brick and Butch used that word a lot but they threw it his way a lot. They never left him behind and regarded him as part of their brotherly trio. Even so, he felt like nothing more than a punching bag for whenever either one of them was in a distinct mood: Butch when he was bored, and Brick for either not following orders, being distracted, or some other minor offense. There was no 'we' in the Rowdyruff Ruffs...well there was a 'w' but no 'e'...in any case his older brother made it quite clear who was in charge with no room for argument. He had to prove himself on a daily basis that he was not the weakest link in the chain.

But they couldn't stop him from dreaming. At night, wherever they happened to be: in an abandoned building, a warehouse, a playground, etc. Boomer would watch the sky and pick out stars. You couldn't see many unfortunately but the ones he could find, he began drifting away and imagined he was the one exploring the heavens, seeking out adventure and discovering the secrets of the universe. It gave him such...hope that there was something out there bigger than themselves. There was more to life than just whatever Brick had them doing on a daily basis.

Of course, then he'd get smacked upside the head again and everything would go back to normal. Same old normal. No home, no parents, no security. It was just them.

He'd been to the Utonium's house exactly one time and it wasn't a pleasant memory. Being held in a containment field in nothing but his underwear certainly brought back negative feelings. But in the brief glimpse of the home he'd seen caused him to wonder. Did Bubbles and her sister get to do things besides fight crime? What would that look like?

He wouldn't know, for better or worse he had Brick and Butch and that summed up the 'word' family in a single sentence. They had no mother or father to speak of...except for...

CAN'T YOU LITTLE BRATS DO ANYTHING RIGHT?!

We're sorry! Please! We'll do better next time!

CEASE YOUR PATHETIC SNIFFLING! IT'S TIME YOU BOYS LEARNED WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FAIL….AHAHAHAHAHAHA

Boomer pulled himself out of that horrible nightmare, the one he'd been able to block out but still visited from time to time...that terrifying, black shadow that hissed in their ears like a poisonous serpent. Threatening to undo their very existence...punish them for all eternity without mercy. Merciless, dark eyes, like that of an unfeeling doll...a smooth, sharp claw tracing circles around their faces…

No! He wasn't a sissy! He wasn't scared! Him was gone and they didn't need to worry about him anymore. Brick said so. That dumb lobster was a loser and a freakshow to boot.

As long as they had each other and did things the Rowdyruff way, that's all anyone needed to know or do.

Right?

Next up...Butch!

~The Wasp