I don't own the Powerpuff Girls.
"There is a thin line between love and hate."
Brick hated one person, and one person only. There was only one person in the world who could get under his skin and make his entire body burn with rage. He supposed he couldn't help it since he was created to destroy her, but it had been 16 years and he kept failing every time.
Blossom Utonium. The perfect little girl, now a 21 year old woman. The smart, beautiful, perfect Blossom Utonium. Just saying her name made him burn. Every disappointed look in his direction, resigned sigh, and the sight of her back moving away from him made him see red.
Yes, Brick had been created to destroy Blossom. Brick and his brothers were created in a toilet for one purpose. They had failed when they were 5, brought down by cooties and kisses. The next time they were created they were given a shot to counteract the cooties, but they still got beat by the girls. The cycle that had started since they were all 5 continued until they were 14. That's when Blossom decided she was too good to keep fighting him and brothers.
When they had all turned 14, Blossom did the unthinkable. She had offered Brick and his brothers a truce. They were going to start high school, and they were getting too old for schoolyard fights. If Brick and his brothers were willing to put past grievances aside, so would Blossom and her sisters. When Blossom had stuck out her hand to seal the deal, Brick spat on it, taking vindictive pleasure in the way her petite nose scrunched up in abject disgust.
Brick had been sure that spitting on Blossom's hand would do the trick, that everything would go back to normal and he could keep using Blossom and her sisters as his punching bag. But that hadn't ended up being the case. By the time Brick and his brothers had rolled up to Pokey Oakes High, expecting to see the girls, they were met with silence and emptiness.
The girls had transferred from Pokey Oakes High, Townsville's public high school, and had enrolled in Townsville Academy, the premiere boarding school on the East side of the city. When Brick learned this he abruptly flew towards the boarding school, his brothers hot on his tail. As he expected, the girls were waiting for them, outside their new boarding school, in their pretty school uniforms, looking unimpressed. Blossom's superior attitude enraged him.
When the boys had landed, the girls didn't even move. This pissed Brick off even more. Brick and his brothers made to go fight, but the girls didn't react. Blossom looked bored and tired, her otherwise pretty face twisted into a frown, Bubbles looked nervous, unsure of what was going to happen, and Buttercup looked like she was barely retraining herself. A quick look from Blossom had her glued to her spot, a look of disappointment on her face.
Brick had demanded Blossom fight him. Blossom had refused, her ponytail shaking along with her head. Brick had gotten into her face, trying to goad her. He tried using his newfound height, now being a few inches taller than Blossom, to his advantage, but she maintained her resolve. She had told him the Powerpuff Girls were done fighting the Rowdyruff Boys, even if Brick had rejected the offered truce. Brick and his brothers could come after them all they wanted, but the girls would not give in and fight. The girls wanted to set a good example.
Brick had called bullshit. He tried to entice her, this time using words that he found could make other girls blush. Blossom didn't budge, but instead turned and walked away, her ponytail mocking him as she walked away. Enraged, Brick had yelled all sorts of insults at her retreating back, but none of it mattered. Blossom and her sisters just kept walking away.
This is how the song and dance continued through high school. Brick and his brothers would occasionally go to Townsville Academy to try to fight the girls, only to be rebuffed. It got to the point where Townsville Academy created a barrier to keep them off the grounds. Unable to reach the source of his rage, Brick and his brothers had taken to trying to beat the shit out of the barrier to get the girls to come out. At first the students had been scared, but eventually they grew used to the occasional sounds of resounding booms from up above. Despite Brick and his brother's antics, the girls never came out to fight them, staying inside their barrier.
Even though Blossom refused to come out and fight him, the barrier didn't prevent Brick from seeing his counterpart. He could see how she grew a bit taller, began to fill out over the years, and switched out her signature bow for a red headband. While a certain part of himself that would never, ever admit it, found the changes in Blossom attractive, the other, more prominent part of him was angry that she was changing while he remained the same.
Sure Brick changed physically. He grew taller taller, over 6 feet as he liked to point out to his brother Butch who had topped out at 5'11 and ½. His shoulders had broadened, his muscles had gotten bigger and tighter, and he had finally decided to take care of his hair. Gone was the tangled mess, in favor of hair that reached his shoulders. Brick knew he looked good, but he was extremely pissed that Blossom also happened to look good. It pissed him off.
Eventually, Brick's brothers got bored of banging on the barrier and headed off to develop their own talents. Butch got involved in sports, becoming the star of the high school's football, basketball, and lacrosse teams. Boomer had developed a knack for drawing and had joined the art club. Sure Brick succeeded in school academically, but he prefered to spend his extracurricular time watching, waiting, and hoping that Blossom would come out and fight him instead of on the school grounds. Every time she didn't rise to the bait, he only got angrier.
Brick continued this cycle of resentment and rage, up until the fateful afternoon when he saw Blossom smacking lips with one of her classmates. That was the afternoon that something in Brick snapped. The anger and rage that had been steadily consuming him had, in an instant, morphed into a quiet, more focused disdain. In that one instance, Brick realized that fighting Blossom wasn't the way to destroy her. No, he would need to wear Blossom down, not with violence, but by annoying the shit out of her, and getting under her skin for once. Eventually Blossom would need to leave the safety of her barrier, and Brick would be ready for her.
Blossom and her sisters eventually did leave Townsville Academy when they graduated. Brick noted with barely suppressed glee that the girls had enrolled in Townsville University, the same as him and his brothers. Blossom had enrolled in Business, Bubbles in Fashion and Design, and Buttercup had enrolled in the Culinary Arts program. Brick had enrolled in International Relations, which sometimes brought him within Blossom's orbit, while Boomer had enrolled in the Music program and Butch had enrolled in an engineering program.
For the previous two years Brick had been "good." He, to everyone on the outside, had appeared to give up on his old ways of antagonising Blossom. Brick had even struck up a cordial relationship with Blossom, challenging her academically instead of physically. It was enough to get Blossom to lower her guard around him, and to start considering him her friend. What Blossom didn't know however, was what Brick had in store for her. After all these years, the anger was still there, and the desire to destroy Blossom had never completely disappeared. For this reason, Brick had his master plan set in motion. Blossom would never see it coming. Unfortunately for Brick, someone else had gotten wind of his plan.
Bubbles was walking down the dark corridor of the Fashion and Design building, humming along to the song coming out of her airpods. Her arms were laden with materials that she was bringing back to her sorority house, hoping to continue to work on some pieces after the building closed. Bubbles had almost made it to the door when a hand touched her shoulder.
WIth a shriek, Bubbles jumped a good 5 feet into the air, smacking her head against the ceiling, and dropping her materials all over the floor. "Owie!" Bubbles yelled, before whirling around to see who had startled her.
Baby blue eyes met navy through the darkness. "Boomer?" Bubbles asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Can't a man see his woman?" Boomer asked as he reached for Bubbles.
Bubbles flitted away quickly.
"Boomer, you know we can't! Not in public! You know how your brother is," Bubbles whispered.
"Bubbles, it's dark and Brick never comes to this part of campus. We're safe," Boomer said, pulling Bubbles back towards him.
Bubbles hesitated, before melting into Boomer's arms. They had been dating since freshman year, but they had to keep it a secret. Bubbles was sure her sisters wouldn't really care since they had all given up on wanting to fight the Rowdyruff Boys, er men, ages ago, but Brick was a different matter. He had this "no dating rule" between his brothers and the Powerpuff Girls.
Brick had seemed to have mellowed out since senior year of high school, but Bubbles couldn't help but feel there was still anger burning deep inside of him. If Boomer had asked her what she really thought of Brick, Bubbles would have said she thought he was dangerous. Bubbles didn't know if she could go as far as to say that Brick was evil, but from the moment he was born he had had it out for all of them, but Blossom in particular. Blossom seemed to think that Brick had finally accepted them and that Brick was her friend, but sometimes when Blossom wasn't looking Bubbles could see Brick staring at her with what seemed to be hatred.
"Are we safe though?" Bubbles asked, a pout on her lips.
"Brick's more bark than bite. I get that he was a hothead for a while there, but he cooled off by senior year. He hasn't tried anything in over two years, and I could take him if it came to it," Boomer said.
Bubbles let out a deep sigh. Boomer was so good, but he didn't see what Bubbles did. Brick was Boomer's brother, and what Bubbles found concerning, Boomer found normal. It was something they sometimes clashed over. But since Brick truly hadn't attempted anything in a long time, Bubbles had to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she was letting the past cloud her judgement. Maybe Brick had gotten dust in his eye and that's why he was glaring.
"Here, let's get your stuff back to the house. Then I was thinking you could come over to mine?" Boomer asked as he began to pick up Bubbles' materials.
Bubbles giggled. Boomer had a single dorm which gave them some much needed privacy from her sorority sisters and her regular sisters. "Sure! I'll meet you there. I'll just need to get a change of clothes and grab my toothbrush after we drop my stuff off," Bubbles said.
Buttercup and Butch were in the off campus apartment Buttercup and Blossom shared, chowing down on the food she had cooked earlier in her culinary class while playing SuperSmash Bros.
"Take that!" Buttercup said, a piece of asparagus hanging out of her mouth.
"Finally killed the fucker!" Butch said.
Soon after, the match was over. Buttercup and Butch won. Who cared if they were, most likely, playing against 10 year olds? They won!
"Oi Butterbutt, you keep getting better at cooking! You'll make a nice house wife some day," Butch teased as he took a huge bite out of his steak.
"Shut up, you chauvinistic pig," Buttercup responded around a mouthful of mashed potatoes.
"You're both disgusting pigs," Blossom added, coming out of her room.
"No one asked you!" Buttercup snapped as Butch stuck out his tongue at Blossom's back.
Buttercup tensed, out of reflex, as Blossom turned her attention from the refrigerator to her.
"When did you two get so close?" Blossom asked.
"After I beat Butch's ass on the soccer field," Buttercup said.
"You didn't beat me, we tied!" Butch exclaimed.
"Did not!" Buttercup said.
"Did too!" Butch replied.
"Stop lying!" Buttercup yelled.
"Both of you, stop. You sound like an old married couple, if said couple was five," Blossom said, her hand to her brow.
Buttercup whipped around to address Blossom. "We're not dating," Buttercup said.
"Yeah, who would want to date man shoulders over there?" Butch asked.
Buttercup threw a pillow at Butch's face. "Keep it up and you'll never taste my food again!" Buttercup said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Butch paled, horrified at the prospect of never tasting Buttercup's cooking again.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Buttercup exclaimed, pulling her feet away from Butch's mouth.
"I'm sorry, I'll never insult you again!" Butch said, as he prostrated on his knees, attempting to place kisses on Buttercup's feet.
"Ew! Get off me you creep!" Buttercup squealed as she kicked Butch in the face.
"You guys are so weird," Blossom said from the kitchen.
"Butch, get up!" Buttercup yelled, yanking Butch up by the ear. "You can keep eating my cooking, but never go near my feet again!"
"Thank the food lord," Butch said, relieved.
Buttercup just glared at her counterpart. He was fun to be around, but he could be so weird. But, aside from being a creep, Buttercup guessed he wasn't so bad. It was weird because when they were younger she could have sworn she hated his guts. Buttercup never shied away from a fight, and Butch was only happy to oblige. But when Blossom decided, out of the blue in Buttercup's opinion, they had just stopped fighting. Then she hadn't seen him face-to-face for the better part of 4 years. Don't get her wrong, Buttercup loved laughing at how foolish he looked pounding at the barrier, but then he had stopped one day, and Buttercup soon forgot about him.
Then, during their freshmen orientation, the boys were suddenly there, looking all grown up. Buttercup had prepared herself for the fight that never came. Brick had stared at Blossom before looking away, Butch had nodded at her, and Boomer had given a small wave to Bubbles who confusedly returned it. That had been it. For the first year they would run into each other on campus, give each other an awkward nod, and then continue on their way. That had been the extent of their interactions until they had met on the soccer field. They had decided to have a one-on-one match, which Buttercup won, and that was that. Soon they were meeting up weekly, and then every few days. Before Buttercup had realized it, she and Butch had become friends. They had so many similarities. Maybe it was because they were counterparts, but being with Butch felt really fucking comfortable, in a friendship type way.
Buttercup snorted to herself, as she reached for the controller, ready to start a new game. She couldn't believe that Blossom compared her and Butch to a married couple. Buttercup didn't know many married couples, but she doubted they played video games together and ate food on the couch. Wouldn't married couples do things like go on dates and stuff?
Anyways, Butch had made it clear that they couldn't date one day in the middle of their soccer match. Buttercup hadn't been wondering, but Butch told her about Brick's "no dating" rule. Buttercup had asked if that applied to friendship, and when Butch said no, she shot the ball into his groin.
And who was Blossom to question what she and Butch had anyways? Ever since Brick had started talking to her their sophomore year, Buttercup had noticed that Blossom dressed a little better, and started wearing mascara and lip stain. It was like she was fucking primping for him or something, which Buttercup found hilarious. Miss "Everything Nice" couldn't see that the man was just humoring her, and that he still hated her guts. Well, Buttercup was the "Spice." She wasn't going to say anything to Blossom regarding how Brick really felt about her, or interfere in whatever the fuck it was as long as Brick didn't act on his hatred. None of the boys were required to like them, it just turned out that she and Butch became friends.
Buttercup knew Bubbles worried about it, but so far Brick hadn't made any moves or given any indication he was going to play with Blossom's heart or hurt her physically, so she wasn't going to bother worrying. Leave that to little Miss Blue. She did enough worrying for everyone.
"Oi, you going to help?" Butch asked, thumbing the buttons furiously.
"Oh, right," Buttercup said, diving into the fight.
Blossom rolled her eyes before going back to ignoring the two noisy green-eyed superbeings who were probably staining her couch. With a sigh, Blossom grabbed her bowl of strawberries and headed back into her room.
Blossom was staying in for the night because she had to prepare for a speech she was asked to deliver on behalf of the Townsville University Young Professionals Association. The TUYPA had invited many renowned entrepreneurs to come and listen to some pitches, and Blossom had been asked to compose and deliver a welcoming speech.
Blossom stared at her speech, reading but not understanding. Her mind was on her last conversation with Brick. They had met up at the cafe on campus, per Brick's request. Brick had said something that had left Blossom feeling dreadfully confused. Sometimes Blossom felt as if Brick liked her, and sometimes she felt as if he despised her. She couldn't get an accurate read on the man, and it made her nervous.
It wasn't just Brick's hot and cold attitude that made her nervous. The years had been kind to Brick, and once he stopped being an annoying snot who would bang on the barrier to get her attention, she had come to realize that he was sinfully attractive. It was strange to be attracted to someone who used to hate her so vehemently, but Blossom couldn't help it. When Brick had offered an olive branch, Blossom had gladly accepted it, turning that olive branch into what she felt was turning into a genuine friendship.
But Blossom wanted to be more than friends. Blossom was a grown woman, and Brick had grown into a fine man. In fact, Brick was just her type. He was intelligent, could stimulate her mind, and wasn't afraid to voice his opinion around her. Slowly but surely, Blossom had tried to let her feelers out, to see if Brick possibly felt the same way. That was where the confusion and the self-doubt came in regarding whether Brick liked or despised her.
Blossom sighed, realizing she wouldn't be productive tonight. Blossom quickly brushed her teeth in her bathroom, and turned off the light. Within minutes she fell into a deep sleep.
Brick watched from across the street, hidden by the shadows. A devious grin slowly made its way onto his face as Blossom turned off the lights. When Blossom turned off her lights, it meant she was in for the night. With Blossom asleep, it meant the show could finally start.
Brick was in the auditorium of the Business building, setting up Blossom's downfall. A younger, less experienced Brick would have kept trying to physically destroy Blossom, but the new Brick that didn't let his rage consume him realized that there were multiple ways to destroy people. If Brick couldn't physically destroy Blossom, he could destroy her ego.
Brick snickered as he hacked into the computer and edited the PowerPoint that would be playing behind Blossom as she gave her speech. Instead of a conservative slideshow of photos showing the TUYPA members working, doing community service, and holding debates, Brick had decided to upload the most embarrassing images of Blossom he could find, some of which he had taken on his own phone. In addition to the PowerPoint, Brick had rigged a set of mini explosions that would spray Blossom in red paint right at the climax of her speech. Finally Brick had set up a mini hidden camera that would capture Blossom's shame and humiliation to the world. Instead of the Commander and Leader, the world would see Blossom as she was, a spoiled, entitled girl with an ego the size of Antarctica. Blossom's professional career would be destroyed before it had a chance to Blossom's reputation was ruined, Brick didn't think she'd be able to recover anytime soon, knowing her.
Brick let out a quiet grunt of annoyance, mad at himself over the fact that he did actually know Blossom. When Brick had offered Blossom the olive branch as part of his master plan, he hadn't expected her to be so accepting. He had expected her to ignore him or reject him, like he had done all those years prior when Blossom had offered him her hand and a truce.
But instead she had smiled and asked him if she could buy him a coffee. Then she began talking with him like they didn't fucking hate each other, which had thrown him for a loop and had caused him to reevaluate some phases of his plan. For the sake of his plan, Brick could make nice with Blossom. He could even flirt a bit too to confuse her. The problem with Blossom was that she was a damn open book. Not fighting for years had made her soft, and her emotions were no longer hidden behind the leader facade. They were written all over her face for everyone to see, or for someone, meaning him, to take advantage of.
A tiny, miniscule part of Brick felt a bit bad over what he was planning on doing. As much as he probably confused Blossom, she confused him right back. When Brick had reached out to Blossom, he had expected her to act like a grade A stuck up bitch with a superiority complex, but instead Blossom was a genuinely kind person that cared about other people.
Blossom didn't hold a grudge, and now that he wasn't trying to physically hurt her or her sisters, she didn't look at him like she was disappointed in him. In fact, there were times she looked proud of him when he was able to beat her in their informal debates. Sometimes, Brick thought he could see something else in her eyes, an emotion that scared him shitless. Yes there was lust. Brick couldn't blame her since he was a good looking man who had quite a few ladies willing to attest to that fact, but it was the other look that scared him. That look was deeper and more meaningful than lust, and Brick wanted to run away lest he drown in it.
Shaking his head to dispel the traitorous thoughts, Brick refocused his mind on the task at hand. Making sure the caps to the explosives were on tight, Brick got up and stretched, smacking his head on the microphone attached to the podium. "Son of a bitch!" Brick whisper shouted as an ear splitting sound echoed across the auditorium. Fearing that someone would hear the noise, investigate, and find him with the explosives, Brick blasted out of the auditorium in a hurry.
Boomer had been cutting through the Business building to get to his dorm from Bubbles' sorority house when he heard a god awful sound emanating from the auditorium. Curious as to who could be causing the ruckus that late at night, Boomer turned the corner in time to see his brother blast out of there like his ass was on fire. What had Brick been doing in there?
Boomer almost left since it really wasn't his business, but stopped when he thought back to his earlier conversation with Bubbles. As much as he really liked Bubbles, it was a sore spot that she didn't trust Brick. Boomer knew it was foolish to feel this way, but knowing that Bubbles didn't trust Brick while he did made him feel as if Bubbles didn't completely trust him.
Boomer knew it was a foolish thought because Bubbles had never indicated that she didn't trust him, but he had helped terrorize her and her sisters in the past and… It was never good to dwell on the past. Boomer had been the first of the brothers to stop attacking the barrier. He had been bored, had better things to do, and if he were honest he would have rather Brick had just accepted the truce Blossom had offered. He didn't want to fight the Powerpuff Girls anymore. He wanted to be more than a creation meant to destroy other people.
Bubbles had understood that. He and Bubbles hadn't gotten together until their freshman year of college, but they had bumped into each other at parties and games while in high school. Bubbles had at first been wary, but once Boomer indicated he had no interest in resuming their fights Bubbles had warmed up to him and started to treat him like her other friends and aquaintances. In other words, she was nice, and she didn't judge him for his past.
Boomer knew what he should do. With a long-suffering sigh, Boomer opened the door to the auditorium and stepped inside. The only reason Boomer was even questioning his brother's actions was because he left in a hurry, which was kind of suspicious, and because Boomer realized this was the place Blossom had her speech thingy that Bubbles was dragging him to tomorrow. Boomer knew Brick wasn't in the organization Blossom was in, so why was he in here in the late hours of the night sneaking around? Boomer sighed again, hoping he wouldn't find anything.
After letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, Boomer decided most of the auditorium looked normal, except for that small hidden camera no one would notice if they weren't looking for something suspicious. With a groan, Boomer realized that Brick was up to something, and that he was probably going to do something to hurt Blossom. Bubbles had been right.
Boomer examined the camera, sensing that it could live stream. Whatever Brick had planned probably wasn't good, so he decided to poke around more. Everything looked fine until he got to the podium. There he found something more sinister than a hidden camera.
Boomer picked up the explosives carefully. He knew that they wouldn't be able to hurt him or Blossom, but what about the non superbeings who would be here tomorrow? Boomer took off the cap and sniffed, surprised to smell paint. Was Brick planning on exploding paint all over Blossom? What was he 10 again and Blossom was his wall waiting to be graffitied?
Boomer set the explosive down in disbelief. This is what Brick had been up to? This is how he was gong to hurt Blossom? If anything his brother was a fucking idiot who deserved the title of "Dumb and the Dumbest," not him.
A slight beep to his left caught Boomer's eye. The computer was on. Did that mean Brick had fiddled around with the computer? Tentatively, Boomer tapped on the computer. There was a file right on the desktop that indicated it was to be used during the speech tomorrow. Boomer opened the file, unsure of what to expect.
Surprisingly enough the file contained a slideshow with normal pictures. Blossom proudly displaying a business proposal, some other students with their proposals, Blossom and some members doing community service. It all seemed normal. Oh wait, nevermind. Boomer grimaced as the unflattering photos of Blossom began displaying about a quarter of the way through the slideshow. His idiot brother must have switched out some of the images hoping no one would notice.
Boomer sighed. He could see what his brother was attempting to do, but his plan sucked. Boomer erased all the embarrassing pictures of Blossom, attempting to put the slideshow back to normal. Between the camera, the paint, and the slideshow… Had his brother lost his touch? It almost seemed like his heart wasn't in it or something because Brick's plans never used to suck this bad.
Boomer turned back to the explosives. He had no doubt that his brother would sneak back in early to make sure those hadn't been tampered with, but Boomer doubted he'd recheck the slideshow.
Even if his brother's plan sucked, he was still trying to hurt Blossom. If Blossom got hurt, or rather embarrassed, Bubbles would be upset. Boomer groaned. He knew what he had to do. Luckily the Science and Math building was next to the Business building.
The first thing Brick did when he woke up was head to the auditorium. He wanted to make sure everything was exactly as he left it. Brick decided to walk there, the long way around, to avoid suspicion. If he flew there it was bound to attract attention.
As Brick walked around campus, he couldn't help but breathe in the crisp autumn air. Autumn was his favorite season because he ran hotter than the normal person. In the summer, he felt like he was melting from the inside out, while in the winter he had to ward off random harpies who tried to attach themselves to him due to his body heat. Summer was hell and winter was annoying, but autumn was that perfect in between season where he felt good and no one annoyed him.
Brick quickly cut through the Social Sciences building to ignore last week's flavor. That one had been exceptionally clingy even though Brick had made it abundantly clear that all he was interested in was sex. Speaking of sex, there had to be something fucking wrong with him because he was no longer enjoying the random flavors of the week. Sure it still felt good because it was fucking sex, but Brick no longer felt satisfied after it was done.
None of the girls challenged him or interested him beyond their bodies, and before that had been fine with him. Maybe it was because this one wouldn't shut up about how much she hated Blossom Utonium for getting better marks than her in their accounting class. Whatever, he was glad to be rid of her and even more glad to have avoided her this morning.
When Brick arrived at the auditorium, he was relieved to see that no one else was there yet. Brick had half expected for Blossom to have beaten him there so she could practice her speech, which would have complicated everything. Luckily for him, this wasn't the case, and he could check on everything in peace.
After making sure the camera was still hidden and that the computer seemed untouched, Brick decided to look at the explosives. Brick inhaled sharply. Those explosives weren't in the same position he had left them in. Someone had found them! But why hadn't they taken them or called the bomb squad or something? What did this mean?
Brick took deep breaths, trying to calm down. It had been late last night. Maybe he was misremembering where he had left them. There was no way anybody knew what he had planned.
Brick's head popped up to the sound of voices and the door to the auditorium opening. In walked his target, Blossom, with the rest of her sisters and his brothers.
"Brick?" Blossom questioned, catching sight of him crouching down behind the podium.
"Oh, um, hi," Brick said lamely, very aware that he looked very suspicious.
"What are you doi-" Blossom started to ask before she was cut off by a loud BANG!
Brick screamed in agony as something hot exploded in his face. His hair and flesh were burning, and his eyes were on fire. This was the worst pain he had experienced, ever.
"BRICK!"
Brick was quickly losing consciousness. As his vision faded to black, the last thing he saw was concerned pink eyes and a small hand reaching towards him.
When Blossom woke up, the first thing she did was go to wake Buttercup. Instead of finding Buttercup in her room, Blossom found her passed out on the couch beside Butch. Both were snoring loudly, with drool hanging out of their mouths. Blossom suppressed the urge to gag.
Contemplating her options, Blossom decided the best course of action would be to rip the bandaid off. Filling two glasses with water, Blossom unceremoniously dumped them over both of them.
Blossom winced at Buttercup's howl of anger while Butch just looked confused as fuck.
"Why am I wet?" Butch asked as he stared down at his chest in confusion.
Buttercup, still screeching in offense, tried to land a hit on Blossom, which she easily deflected.
"What the fuck was that about?" Buttercup roared.
Blossom sighed impatiently. "Did you forget that you and I are supposed to go meet Bubbles and head to the auditorium first thing this morning?" Blossom asked.
Buttercup made to retort angrily, before blinking. Recognition slowly bled into her features. "I forgot," Buttercup finally said.
"I can see that," Blossom said, her hands on her hips.
"Why are we going to the auditorium?" Butch asked, clearly lost.
"You aren't going anywhere," Buttercup answered. "I forgot I promised the Wicked Witch of the West over there that I would go with her and Bubbles to hear her practice her speech."
"What speech? Can I come?" Butch asked.
"Don't know why you'd want to because it seems boring as hell," Buttercup said.
"Buttercup!" Blossom exclaimed.
"What? I find business boring and your cooking skills are mediocre at best," Buttercup said. "It's not that big of a deal. I'll listen to your speech, but I don't have to like it."
Blossom blew air out of her nose, trying not to get worked up. "Are you done?" Blossom asked, her hand going back to rest on her hip.
"Yeah, yeah. Let me just brush my teeth first, then we can head out," Buttercup said with a yawn.
Blossom watched as Buttercup headed to the other side of the apartment to her bathroom, Butch hot on her heels.
Blossom sighed and begun making her signature tea to go. She was enjoying the peace until she heard Buttercup screech, "That's my toothbrush you numb nugget!"
Blossom heard Butch reply, "I need to brush my teeth too, woman!"
"You aren't using my toothbrush, you moron!" Buttercup yelled.
Blossom heard a thump, which meant that Buttercup hit Butch. Almost immediately, Blossom heard heavy footsteps approaching.
"Hey, can I borrow-?" Butch started to ask.
"Nope," Blossom said, popping the p. "There is extra mouthwash in the half bath by the entrance.
"Thanks!" Butch said, giving her the thumbs up.
Blossom just stared after Butch, wondering why he was so weird.
"Boomer, wake up! We're going to be late," Bubbles said, yanking the blankets off of Boomer.
When he had asked for 5 more minutes, Bubbles had conceded because he had been out late doing something. Bubbles had made it to his room way before him, and had been nearly asleep when he finally came in. But Boomer's 5 minutes had turned into half an hour, and they were officially late! Blossom was going to be upset.
"Wah I'm up!" Boomer said, his hair sticking up at all angles.
Bubbles giggled despite her annoyance. He looked cute in the morning.
"Go brush your teeth! I have a bagel and a coffee for after you do that and get changed," Bubbles said, waving the delicious smelling food under his nose.
The smell of food did the trick. In a flash, Boomer was up, pulling on his pants while brushing his teeth.
"Alright, I'm ready," Boomer said as he yanked his shirt over his head. Once he was done, Boomer held out his hands for the food, which Bubbles handed him.
"Come, let's eat and walk," Bubbles said, as they left Boomer's dorm.
Bubbles and Boomer had been walking and chatting when they spotted Blossom, Buttercup, and Butch walking up a path to the Business building.
"Blossom!" Bubbles cried out, waving to catch her sister's attention.
Blossom's head whipped around, smiling when she caught sight of her sister.
Bubbles grabbed Boomer's hand, and dragged him towards her sisters and Butch.
When they got to them, everyone was staring. Blossom had a knowing look on her face, Butch looked shocked, and Buttercup looked suspicious. Bubbles shuffled her feet, nervously. Why were they staring at her?
"Boomer, you idiot," Butch stated, shaking his head at his brother.
"What?" Bubbles asked confused.
"Why are you holding hands?" Buttercup asked, eyeing their intertwined fingers suspiciously.
Bubbles let out a small gasp of surprise. She had forgotten she was still holding Boomer's hand! Bubbles quickly let go, knowing about Brick's "rule."
To Bubbles' surprise, Boomer retook her hand in his.
"So what if we're dating?" Boomer asked defiantly, staring into his brother's eyes.
"Then you're a fucking idiot," Butch replied, glaring at Boomer. "You know about Brick's rule."
"What rule?" Blossom asked.
Everyone turned to stare at Blossom.
"What?" she asked, suddenly self-conscious.
"You seriously don't know?" Buttercup asked, incredulously.
"Know what?" Blossom exclaimed, a look of discomfort crossing her features. Bubbles felt a bit bad for Blossom, since she hated not knowing something.
"Brick has a rule against us dating any of you Puffs," Butch explained. "But it looks like Boomer decided to be a dumbass and broke the rule."
"That rule is old and dumb. Brick made it in high school," Boomer said. "I love Bubbles, and I'm not ashamed that we're dating. If Brick has a problem I'll deal with him."
Bubbles blushed furiously, staring down at her shoes. Boomer loved her?
Butch snorted derisively. "Yeah, good luck with that. You can't beat me in a fight, let alone Brick," Butch taunted. "You'll get your ass beat kid."
"Shut up! We haven't fought in ages! I've gotten stronger," Boomer growled, starting to feel attacked.
"Wait!" Blossom said, holding up a hand to stop the argument brewing between brothers. "How come I didn't know about this rule?" Blossom asked.
Everyone once again turned to stare at Blossom, various looks of pity on their faces. Upon seeing their looks, Blossom scoffed, crossed her arms over her chest, and pointedly looked away.
"Oh Blossom," Bubbles sighed, going up to loop an arm around her sister's waist. "Let's get into the auditorium so you can practice your speech," Bubbles said, knowing that mentioning her speech would distract her sister.
It worked. After checking her watch, Blossom led the way into the Business building.
As Blossom entered the Business building, her mind was definitely not on her speech. Instead of mentally preparing herself for the biggest speech in her budding professional career, Blossom was flicking through all of the conversations and interactions she had had with Brick since starting college. Blossom didn't have a photographic memory, but she did recall past events very well. Blossom couldn't pinpoint a single conversation where Brick had brought up this so-called "rule" about Brick and his brothers not dating Blossom or her sisters that everyone else seemed to know. Blossom huffed moodily. Why didn't anyone tell her?
The bigger question was what Brick had against Blossom and her sisters. Yes they had been bitter enemies and the boys had been created to defeat them, but after middle school Blossom had offered the boys a truce! She knew they led rough lives, and Blossom had figured that going into high school the boys could break away from their "father's" influence.
Blossom had hoped that Brick would have realized that they were all better than beating the living crap out of each other, but he had disappointed her when he rejected the truce. After that rejection, Blossom and her sisters had decided to go to Townsville Academy. Blossom had achieved an academic scholarship, Buttercup a sports scholarship, and Bubbles a scholarship based on her artistic and musical talents. When faced with the prospect of fighting the boys day in and out at Pokey Oakes High School, the decision had been made.
Blossom had thought that by removing the temptation to fight, meaning themselves, the boys would settle down, but they had done the exact opposite. They had infiltrated the grounds of Townsville Academy, trying to goad them into fighting. It got to the point where the school's administration decided to erect a barrier to keep the boys out to protect their other students.
Although Blossom and her sisters never rose to the challenge, she still felt mortified that the boys were continuing to persist in their juvenile ways by attacking the barrier at least two times each week. Blossom was relieved when Boomer and Butch eventually stopped, but Brick was persistent. Blossom tried to live a normal teenage life. She joined clubs and other extracurricular activities, she started dating some of the boys in her year. Blossom had feared that Brick would continue his behavior until she graduated, but one day in their senior year, Brick had simply disappeared. He no longer came to the barrier, and all was silent.
When Blossom and her sisters arrived for their orientation at Townsville University, they were surprised to see the boys there as well. Blossom had half expected Brick to start a fight, but instead he had just made eye contact with her. Blossom was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps Brick had finally grown up and found his own purpose in life besides trying to destroy her.
The first year of college went by without any interaction between Blossom and Brick. She saw him around campus, usually with a different girl on his arms every few weeks, but he continued to ignore her. Blossom was confused at first, but eventually she relaxed. Brick really wasn't trying anything, and his brothers were leaving Blossom and her sisters in peace.
It was the start of Blossom's sophomore year of college when things changed. Brick had out of the blue sought her out in the library. Blossom had been wary, but Brick had behaved himself. He had been pleasant, and they had managed to have a normal conversation.
Their meetings in the library had soon become a weekly activity, and Blossom eventually offered to buy him a coffee. To her surprise, Brick had accepted, and they had gone out.
Blossom wasn't sure what was happening. Was Brick trying to be her friend? With each passing week with Brick worming his way into her life, Blossom became more and more relaxed around him, sure that he had truly changed. As their coffee sessions turned into doing other things like going to the movies or going for walks, Blossom wondered if their unique friendship had the basis to turn into something more. That was when Blossom had started to care more for her appearance, dressing in more than yoga pants and oversized sweatshirts. She would leave her hair down instead of throwing it up into a messy bun or a ponytail. Blossom had purchased her first bits of makeup, red lip stain and simple black mascara.
Blossom knew the kinds of women Brick usually went for with their bodies on display and a face full of makeup, but if Brick was interested in her, Blossom hoped it was for a different reason. That's why Blossom kept her makeup to a minimum and her outfits classy. Sure she might show a little skin, but Blossom prided herself in sticking to her core values. Even if Blossom had developed a crush on her former enemy, she wasn't going to change for him.
Knowing how her perception and feelings for Brick had slowly changed over the course of a year, learning that Brick had a rule in place where he wouldn't consider dating her just because she was a Powerpuff Girl did not sit well with Blossom. If anything, it left her feeling a bit betrayed. Brick had no obligation to return her feelings, but Blossom felt that writing her off as a romantic partner for something she couldn't control was entirely unfair. Blossom couldn't help that her father had created her, that she had become a Powerpuff Girl. Blossom and her sisters had been created to be the perfect little girls, and the ingredients the Professor had used to create them had naturally inclined Blossom and her sisters to fight for "goodness." Blossom no longer held Brick's actions against him from when he was a child and a "villain." After all these years, was there still a part of Brick that continued to despise her?
Blossom sighed as she approached the auditorium doors. There really wasn't any point in worrying about Brick and his feelings at the moment. Blossom needed to focus on her speech. Blossom opened the door with her sisters and Boomer and Butch right behind her. As Blossom entered the auditorium, her pink eyes immediately found red eyes. Brick had arrived before her, and he was crouched down behind the podium on the stage. He looked like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar. Blossom frowned. What was he doing up there?
"Brick?" Blossom questioned, unnerved by what she had learned this morning and Brick's current suspicious actions. Blossom could tell he had something in his hands.
"Oh, um, hi," Brick said lamely.
"What are you doi-" Blossom started to ask before she was cut off by a loud BANG!
Suddenly Blossom could hear Brick screaming in agony. Her instincts kicking in, Blossom immediately flew towards the sound. "BRICK!" she screamed, her own fear kicking in.
Blossom reached Brick just as he lapsed into unconsciousness. Blossom gasped, fighting the urge to vomit. Whatever had caused the explosion had caused red paint to get everywhere. The paint combined with Brick's blood painted a violent scene on the auditorium stage.
Blossom cradled Brick's unconscious form to her chest, checking for a pulse. She was vaguely aware that her siblings and Brick's brothers had rushed up behind her.
"Oh shit!" Buttercup whispered.
"Oh my GOD!" Bubbles wailed.
"Is he dead? What the fuck!" Butch yelled, panicking.
"This is all my fault!" Boomer exclaimed, before he leaned over the side of the stage to vomit.
It was an ugly sight indeed. Brick's eyes were gone. Blossom could see the white of the socket bones through the blood. The rest of his face was peeling off from the heat of the explosion, the same with the skin on his neck, upper chest, and arms. Whatever was in the explosion was messing with the X in Brick's system, because his injuries weren't healing at the rate Blossom expected. The sight made her nauseous, but she had to push through for Brick's sake. If they didn't get Brick help quickly, his injuries could become permanent.
"Buttercup, go fly to the Professor's to let him know we're coming!" Blossom commanded.
After getting over her shock, Buttercup flew off to do that.
"Bubbles, go let the administration know what happened. We need the area contained. We don't want anyone in here!" Blossom said. Bubbles nodded before taking off.
"Boomer and Butch. Help me carry Brick to my father's house!" Blossom yelled.
Blossom could carry Brick by herself, but with all the blood and the paint, she didn't want to risk dropping him. Boomer, recovered from vomiting, but his face still pale, grabbed Brick, by scooping under his arms. Butch grabbed his feet, and both of them flew away awkwardly carrying an unconscious and bloody Brick between them.
Blossom watched as the two flew towards her house. Blossom was about to follow when something shiny caught her eye. Amidst the blood and red paint was a remnant of what caused the explosion. Blossom picked up the object with narrowed eyes. She would need to have her father run tests on it since whatever was in it was enough to take down a superbeing.
Professor John Untonium was enjoying a pleasant morning in his lab. Since the girls had moved out the house had been quiet. There were times when he missed them all living together, but he knew that the girls were off doing their own thing at school.
John sat humming to himself, tinkering on his newest invention when the door upstairs opened with a loud BANG! The loud sound of the door banging open ripped through the silence of the house, causing John to drop his invention on the floor.
John barely had time to register what was happening before his middle child, Buttercup, was rambling in his face.
"Buttercup, what in the world is happening? Slow down, I can't hear you!" John exclaimed, taking a few steps back from his crazed looking daughter. What had happened to her?
"Dad, it was so gross! Shit exploded everywhere, Brick doesn't have a face anymore, and there was so much blood!" Buttercup rambled, as she paced around the lab.
Before John could make heads or tails of what his daughter was talking about, loud arguing appeared from above.
"Are you fucking insane! I'm going to beat your ass for what you did!" Butch raged.
"I didn't mean for it to happen! I didn't mean for him to get hurt!" Boomer yelled back, upset.
In seconds, three boys, no men, were down in his lab. One looked ready to kill, the other ready to cry, and the third looked like he was on the verge of dying from blood loss.
"This way, hurry!" John said, leading the two conscious males to the back of his lab.
John wheeled a hospital bed into the center of the room, and went about to get his medical supplies. Chemical X, gauze for the burns, oh he didn't have any eyes.
John tried to tune out the arguing between the two men behind him as he went to work on the unconscious one. The first thing he would need to do was inject X into his system to try to speed up the healing process. John had never seen any of the 6 with their eyes completely gone, so he could only hope that the X would be able to bring them back.
John felt a familiar whoosh, and suddenly Blossom was by his side.
"Blossom, what happened?" John asked.
When Blossom didn't answer, he glanced to his side. Blossom was looking down at Brick, the concern in her eyes evident. Eventually, Blossom answered his question. She didn't know.
Butch stormed into the Professor's backyard. If he had to spend one more second in that lab looking at Boomer, the Professor would find himself needing to treat two patients.
Butch paced around the backyeard, trying to calm himself. His muscles were twitching, and his powers were running through his veins. Butch was pissed. He had known as soon as the explosion happened that Boomer was at fault. His younger brother had admitted to it and then had vomited. The entire flight to the Professor's was filled with Boomer yammering on about how he was so stupid and how everything was his fault and that he had just wanted to teach Brick a lesson. The more he had to listen the more Butch got angry, so by the time they arrived at the Professor's Butch was ready to beat the living shit out of Boomer.
Sure Brick could be an asshole, but what Boomer did was inconceivable. As brothers they fought, and sometimes they did beat up on each other. But that didn't mean Boomer plants a fucking explosion filled with who knows what that fucking eats his brother's face!
Butch punched the tree next to him in anger, causing it to crash through the fence surroudning the Utonium's backyard and fall into their neighbor's pool. Shit.
"The fuck are you doing?" Buttercup yelled, flying over to him.
"It was either the tree or Boomer's head," Butch said through clenched teeth.
Punching the tree did nothing to calm his anger. His spontaneous action only served to make himself angry at Boomer and himself for losing his self control.
"What's Boomer got to do with shit?" Buttercup asked as she attempted to pick up the tree and place it back on its stump. After a few seconds she gave up and proceeded to karate chop it into smaller pieces. "Fuck, now we gotta pay for the fence and the neighbor's pool."
"The dipshit wanted to teach Brick a lesson, so he apparently decided to use a bomb to do it!" Butch yelled, his hands in the air.
Buttercup turned to look at him inquisitively. "Boomer? A bomb? No way in hell," Buttercup said.
"The fucker confessed after it happened and was confessing all the way here!" Butch growled.
Buttercup's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Boomer isn't smart enough to build a bomb. He failed general chemistry," Buttercup said.
Some of Butch's anger deflated. Buttercup was right. Boomer was artistic and creative, but dumb as a bag of rocks when it came to anything involving numbers. There was no way he'd be able to build an explosion. But why confess if he didn't do it?
"I don't know," Buttercup said. "Maybe we should ask him?"
"No, I can't stand to see his face right now," Butch said, turning away. "Even if he didn't build the explosion he was still involved. Brick's got no eyes because of him."
"Whatever," Buttercup said. "I'm going to go back to school and find Bubbles. Don't break any more trees while I'm gone," Buttercup chided as she flew back towards school.
Butch just rolled his eyes, before going over to sit on the stump of the tree he destroyed.
Boomer sat huddled against the lab wall, his head between his knees. It was all his fault, and it was all he could do not to pass out from the shame and guilt he felt. To make matters worse, Bubbles wasn't here, and when she found out what he did she would probably never want to talk to him again. Brick was injured, and it was all his fault. If his brother never recovered he would deserve to sit in a jail cell for the rest of his life.
Boomer tensed as he felt someone sit next to him on the floor. He could immediately tell it wasn't Bubbles. Instead of the sweet scent of vanilla, he smelled brown sugar and cinnamon. Boomer continued to ignore the unwanted presence next to him. Couldn't she tell he wanted to wallow in his own shame and despair.
Boomer ignored the person sighing beside him. When she sighed again he peeked at her.
Blossom was staring at him with an all-knowing expression on her face.
Boomer went back to hiding behind his hands.
"Boomer," Blossom started.
"Shut up. I don't wanna hear it," Boomer snapped from behind his hands.
Boomer ignored the offended cough.
"Boomer," Blossom said, emphasizing his name. "I know it was Brick."
Boomer's head whipped his head in her direction. Blossom looked sad, and a bit defeated.
"I know that Brick made that explosion. It was obvious to me the moment I entered the auditorium. I can only guess that he was attempting to ruin my presentation. I guess he really does hate me still," Blossom said, her voice a bit shaky. But then she turned her head towards him. "I know you probably did something that caused the explosion to be worse, but I know that it was Brick who created it in the first place. Were you trying to stop him? Blossom asked.
Boomer nodded wordlessly, a pout on his lips.
Blossom nodded at him before she stood up to leave. "I found this before I left. I'm going to have my dad do some tests to see what you did to make it so unstable," Blossom said before she left him to his misery.
Part of Boomer was relieved to know that Blossom knew he wasn't the one to originally create the bomb, but a much larger part of himself still felt like shit. Boomer knew he should have never messed with the chemicals in the science lab, but at the moment it seemed like a good way to throw Brick off his game.
Boomer sighed again, feeling miserable. No matter his motivations, Brick got seriously hurt. He should have just confronted Brick, not try to outsmart him. He truly was the Dumb and the Dumbest, and now his brother might not recover from his injuries.
Brick regained consciousness slowly and painfully. His everything hurt, but particularly his face. Brick tried to sit up, but found that moving made him nauseous. Brick tried to clear his throat, but couldn't due to the dryness. Whatever happened to him wasn't good.
Slowly Brick bagan to regain his memories. He had been trying to destroy Blossom's reputation. He went to check on everything this morning, but his explosions had exploded in his face. Whatever had been in there wasn't what he had put in because his goal hadn't been to physically hurt Blossom. Someone had messed with his shit and had somehow managed to create something that could burn his flesh and cause massive damage.
Brick groaned, forcing his body into a sitting position. He was on a bed, and he could feel the sun through the window. Brick began feeling up and down his body, checking for injuries. His bottom half seemed fine, but his top half was covered in bandages. As Brick ran his hands over the bandages, he winced in pain. The burns hadn't completely healed and his skin was still reforming, so everything stung.
When Brick got to his head, he felt the most pain. His head had the highest concentration of bandages. Brick's entire face stung, and his eyes were sore. Speaking of eyes and bandages, there was a thick set of bandages covering Brick's eyes. No wonder he couldn't see shit.
With an annoyed huff and a small grunt of pain, Brick ripped the bandages from his eyes. Everything was dark. He couldn't see shit. For a few seconds Brick thought it was night out. But it couldn't be night because he could feel the sun's warmth on his skin. Why couldn't he see?
Brick tentatively got out of bed, trying to make his way towards the window. He needed to make sure the sun was actually out and that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. Brick made his way towards the source of the warmth, and tripped and fell on his face.
The fuck? Since when had a stool been in the middle of his room? Brick frowned. He was starting to feel concerned. Brick didn't have a stool in the middle of his room. Where even was he?
Brick stumbled around, finally locating the window. He could feel the sun's warmth, and he could hear the birds singing in the trees. It had to be daytime, so why couldn't he see.
Brick's brain was working a mile a minute. He remembered being injured in the blast. He remembered his vision fading to black, Blossom's eyes being the last thing he saw. Brick had thought his vision fading to black had been due to his loss of consciousness, but now he wasn't sure. Could it be that he had lost his eyes and they weren't healed?
Slowly but surely, Brick lifted a finger to where his eyes should be. With a grimace he poked around, expecting to find an empty eye socket. Brick hissed as his finger came into contact with the softness of his eyeball. If his eyes were healed, why couldn't he see?
As acceptance and panic began to set in, Brick let out a scream of rage.
Downstairs, six pairs of concerned eyes looked upwards. The beast was finally awake, and he sounded like he was out for blood.
Brick has an inferiority complex when it comes to Blossom, he just doesn't know it yet.