Chapter 3
"Blossom?" Bubble's soft voice interrupted the two of them as Brick loosened his grip on Blossom hastily.
Buttercup leaned on the side of the door. "Are we interrupting something?" She asked.
Brick stood up and straighten himself, while Blossom shook her head furiously. "Nothing." She replied, unconsciously rubbing the part that Brick held just now. From the corner of her eyes, she could see that it was turning red.
Buttercup looked at Brick who stared back openly at the green sister. "She has a sprain. Don't let her walk." He told her before walking towards the door.
"That's all?" Buttercup interrogated, her eyes glaring daggers at the red ruff.
Brick stared back. "What else do you want me to say?" He asked.
Buttercup looked at her oldest sister.
"You know it the best." Her eyes returned to the male.
Brick scoffed. "Why am I not even surprised?"
"What is that supposed to mean?" Buttercup rebutted, stepping a step forward to look at him. However, she seemed to be failing since Brick was much taller than her by a few inches.
Brick seemed to think that it was worse staying in this room and arguing with Buttercup than to lose this conversation. He rolled his eyes and ignored her glare, which was more like a stare to him and left the room.
Bubbles seemed to think that this would be an appropriate time to talk now that Brick had left the room. "What happened with Brick?" Bubbles asked, sitting beside her oldest sister. "Nothing." She replied a bit too quickly.
Buttercup rose an eyebrow on that. "Right, so we totally didn't see you two being close and talking." Buttercup's sarcasm didn't do much to make Blossom spill out the truth.
Blossom looked away, feeling bad about not telling her sisters. "I don't know. I'll tell you girls after I get more information about them. Everything is still a mess." She explained which the rest nodded too.
"They are damn secretive this time." Buttercup growled. "I thought Butch will definitely let something out but he didn't." She grumbled.
Bubbles sighed. "Boomer is avoiding me like a plague." She complained, as though she wanted Boomer to talk to her. This gained her stares from her sisters. "I mean like he doesn't even talk to me! Much less anything else." She corrected herself.
"Well, this is only the end of the second week. Don't rush into it too fast." Blossom stated, feeling a headache coming with the amount of stress that the boys were giving her. Her sisters understood that as well and let her be.
Buttercup shrugged and Bubbles nodded. "Well, let's get you home first and hope that Professor can fix that leg of yours." Buttercup commented as she looked at the current state of Blossom's leg.
Blossom nodded and tried to get up which wasn't that hard thankfully to her ability to float. She was never going to tell Brick that.
Buttercup stared at the almost empty hallway where she was waiting for her youngest sister to end her practice. They had sent Blossom back home first and went back to school as they had some other stuff to handle.
She was waiting patiently till she saw two people near the lockers. The figure kept moving about until she understood what was going on. A couple making out.
Specifically, Butch and another girl making out. Rolling her eyes, she walked up to the both of them.
"You know, I have met a lot of shameless couple like the both of you but can't you be a bit more creative?" Buttercup questioned, as the female shrieked.
Her counterpart groaned. "Seriously, Butters? You just had to interrupt, don't you?" Butch moved back, as though nothing had happened. Except for the fact that his hair was messed up, he was perfectly normal. However, the poor girl, she couldn't say anything.
Buttercup recognized her from her Advanced Mathematics class. She was usually quiet and had her head in studying. She was the last person that Buttercup would expect to catch Butch making out with. Her usual neat hair bun was loosened and her clothes were crooked. The poor girl was really scared.
"Since when was your type like her?" She questioned, as though it was normal. Buttercup was already expecting for things like that to happen with Butch around.
"Hey, don't start accusing me. You know I don't sleep with girls. She came on me first." Buttercup snorted at that. If he was to tell her that last week, she wouldn't had believed him but then some rumors were spread in the school after two weeks of interacting with the guys proved her wrong.
Apparently, none of the JoJo brothers had accepted any confession despite getting quite many of them. Buttercup had to admit, the brothers were gorgeous now. Not that that was anything important to her.
Although Brick and Boomer had done absolutely nothing, Butch was different. He wouldn't turn down any request of kisses but always stop whenever it was about to get serious.
Rumors had it that they had someone that each of them liked and thus, they were not doing anything. This rumor, instead of making the girls give up, this made more girls professing their love for them because apparently it was sweet for them to be so loyal towards the girl. When someone hinted that it was someone in this school, everyone went crazy trying to confess in hopes of being the girl.
"At least don't do it in the hallway. You are practically putting on a free show." The green puff commented, anyone could see it.
Butch rolled his eyes. "She jumped on me first. I couldn't do anything." The girl looked so betrayed by his answer and just ran away, from shame or embarrassment which Buttercup had no idea of.
"Aww, she ran away. Who is going to entertain me now?" He whined.
Buttercup stepped on his feet, annoyed by his words. "Don't treat girls as your play things." Butch let out a grunt at that. Although Buttercup was small, she really had the necessary strength.
"How about you Butters? Since you interrupted me, how about you substitute for her?" He winked which got him a punch on the stomach. "You freaking got to stop doing that." He snapped at her. He didn't appreciate being a bean bag for her.
"No." She seemed to be challenging him to make her say yes. Butch was about to complain when Bubbles entered.
"Buttercup!" She greeted and was surprised to see Butch nearby. "Hello Butch." She greeted too and received a nod from him.
Seeing one of the brothers here, Bubbles looked around in hopes of seeing another brother but it seemed like there was none.
Buttercup didn't bother and just started pulling her sister away from the green ruff, not wanting to be in there any longer than necessary. Butch was a genius at annoying her.
"I thought you would have said hello or something. She was nice enough to greet me." Butch commented when the sisters were out of the hearing range.
Boomer immediately appear beside Butch, releasing his power. "Shut up."
"Not planning to talk to her?" He questioned, noticing how his younger brother was staring at the back of the blue counterpart.
"None of your business." He replied, looking at his brother now. Butch just shrugged at this response. He was used to it already. After all, Boomer had a habit of getting irritated when they talked about the blonde sister.
"Just to remind you. Staying away from her will most probably be harmful to you." He prompted, knowing the natural pull towards the girls, just like how he was towards Buttercup. He purposely did that show in front of Buttercup to get her attention, not that he would ever tell her that.
"I know what I am supposed to do." He replied. "Let's go. We got to do something tonight. Brick is looking for you." Boomer changed the topic quickly.
"Whatever you say.' Butch shrugged his shoulders and followed Boomer.
He just hoped that Boomer knew what he was doing.
It would be the best if no one get hurts.
"What are you doing now?" Blossom questioned sternly as she stared at the figure that currently had a foot out on the window's ledge.
The green figure turned back and smiled sheepishly at Blossom. Bubbles peeked from the back of her oldest sister. "Professor just reminded us before that we were not supposed to wander around at the middle of the night now that there is a murder case going on." Bubbles pointed out, herself hugging her octopus stuff toy and in her pajamas.
Buttercup protested at that. "Come on, it is the weekends. The culprit is bound to strike with so many people partying tonight!" She gestured her hands to the windows, proving her point with the bustling streets.
Blossom narrowed her eyes at that. "No means no. We are not supposed to be touching the case at all. Professor's orders." She pointed to the floor to remind her that Professor was still awake and in his laboratory working on a new project.
"You know that Professor is in one of his moods right now, which means he won't be coming out of there till tomorrow afternoon. There is no chance of him catching us tonight." She argued, which was true. During dinner time, he seemed to get an inspiration on gravity after how Blossom had told him about her fall. He left the dishes to them and left for his laboratory immediately.
Bubbles spoke up this time. "B-but it is dangerous!"
Buttercup shook her head. "I know how to protect myself. We have been fighting crimes for years. I can handle this." She further strengthened her argument. Bubbles looked at her pink sister for her opinion.
"What are the chances of us stopping you from going?" The pink sister asked in a resignation tone. She knew her green sister better than anyone. When she decides on something, not even Professor can stop Buttercup from doing it.
"You know it Red." That answer meant zero. Blossom sighed, "Alright, just let me get a change of clothes and I will join you." She floated towards her closet.
Buttercup widened her eyes at that statement. "Bloss, your leg is still injured." She pointed out. Buttercup knew herself that that this time do carry some risk. There was no way she was going to allow her older sister to do this with an injury.
"It's fine. It barely hurt after Professor gave me some more Chemical X." She shrugged her shoulders as she got ready quickly. Bubbles was another one too. She was ready before Buttercup even had a chance to question why she was going too.
Buttercup complained, "But still-" Blossom cut her off quickly. "If you are going to pay minor details about my injury, I am going to pay minor details on how you broke Professor's rules." This made the green puff shut up effectively. It was never a good idea to make Professor angry.
"You guys are breaking it too." Buttercup pointed out which Blossom gave a triumphant smile. "We are breaking it to protect you. Professor wouldn't grumble about that." Buttercup knew she lost this argument.
After much thoughts, they decided to go to this club that was getting popular within the teens. Apparently, the three victims hung out with their friends here occasionally too. The three of them could see people that was familiar with them, most probably passing by in the hallways or they share some similar classes. This was the place that they had decided on after much discussion and deduction from them. They scanned the surrounding for a moment before Blossom paused.
Buttercup paused when she realized that her red sister that was leading them had stopped. "What's up?" She asked slightly louder, due the noise that the club produced.
"3 o'clock." She mumbled but the both of them heard her clearly and shifted their gaze to the direction. Buttercup groaned while Bubbles gasped. "Why are they here?" Buttercup hissed as she looked at the brothers who had yet noticed the girls' presence.
Blossom pulled the two of them into a corner, eyes not leaving the boys. "That's a good sign. It means that we are at the right track." She whispered to her sisters. "I don't think it is a mere coincidence that the boys are here too." She added on as Buttercup nodded her head in response while Bubbles kept staring at them.
"Maybe they are really here to party." Bubbles suggested, tearing her gaze from the boys, specifically only one of them. Buttercup scoffed at that. "Right. I would suggest taking that idea with a pinch of a salt." She rolled her eyes.
The three of them stared at their counterparts. Brick was at a corner of the room, sitting on the long bench in front of the bartender. He was wearing a black undershirt, along with a red checkered jacket, it was matched with a tight pair of jean that show off the muscles of his leg. His cap was on his head as he swirled a glass of alcohol in his hands, staring at it intently. He had a very mysterious aura which made him seem unapproachable towards the girls who kept staring at him. Blossom could understand those girls too but she was never going to admit that he actually looked good.
Boomer was only a few seats away from his oldest brother. He was dressed in this deep blue shirt button-up shirt that brought out his eyes. He matched it with a jean that was similar to Brick. His hair was pushed back, giving him a cool look which contrast with his usual smart style. He had multiple piercing that was on his right ear, something that Bubbles never really noticed before with his hair down and all. He was chatting up with this girl. This was the first that Bubbles thought that Boomer could be rebellious.
Meanwhile, the green brother who was also a few steps away from his older brother but was leaning against the wall. His hair was not slicked back this time, his bangs were down, giving him a dark yet refreshing look. He had a green undershirt and a black leather jacket and the same jeans that his brothers were wearing. He was leaning awfully close to another girl who kept touching his chest. If it wasn't for the fact that he was with his brothers, it might have been hard for Buttercup to notice him with the vast hairstyle change.
The years had definitely done the boys good as they were capturing the attention of the majority female population in the club. Blossom realized that Boomer was definitely not joking when he said that a lot of girls were chasing after Brick. Blossom just kept staring till red orbs can into direct contact with hers.
Both of their eyes widened, one in surprise while one in disbelief.
"So, are we just going to sit here and do nothing?" Butch asked as he looked at his red brother who was just sitting down there, playing around with the alcohol glass. "I thought we were supposed to be researching." Boomer commented as he drank from his own glass. Pushing back the glass near the bartender, he gave a small smile when the bartender refilled the drink for him.
Brick nodded his head. "We are doing research." He answered plainly. When his brothers looked at him for answers, he sighed. "We are at the club where most teenagers are here. I am pretty sure in this crowd, there are people who knew the victims." He explained, turning around to stare at the crowd of bodies that was currently stuck together.
"So, what? We are supposed to be asking them about it?" Butch asked. There are hundreds of people here to the very least. What made Brick so sure that they can definitely find the friends of the victims? He would be thankful if he can ask at least one-tenth of this crowd.
He passed something on the both of them. It was pictures. "They are the known best friends of the latest victim. Apparently, they were there when she went missing 2 weeks back. Go and find them and get details." The both brother nodded their head at the instructions of their oldest brother.
Boomer noticed something. "There are only two pictures. If each of us take one, what are you going do?" He demanded. Brick shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing. I need to get a drink." The other two brothers rolled their eyes, knowing the laziness of their brother but still followed the red ruff's instruction.
It didn't take long for his brothers to find the girls, especially since they were already approaching the boys themselves, and get them nearby with him around to listen to the conversation. By then, he was already on his fifth drink. Brick had a pretty high alcohol tolerance, since alcohol only had half the effect on his system than on normal people.
"So, what's up with her?" He heard Butch saying. As expected, it didn't take long for the girls to start talking about their unfortunate friend who met with an incident. Brick knew that girls spill things easily whenever they are drunk and had the attention of a guy that they appreciated.
He was listening attentively till he had someone's eyes on him for quite a while. He knew that he was getting some stares but this stare seemed to be more special, his feelings told him. After a while, he succumbed to curiosity and turned to look the owner of those eyes. His crimson eyes met with the pink eyes.
Blossom.
What the freaking world was she doing here? She was injured for goodness sake.
It took him seconds to realize what Blossom was wearing.
She was wearing an off-shoulder top that was pink in color, revealing her skin and collarbone. Matching the top with a short that Brick found that was too short for his liking, she had light make-up on that emphasized on her beautiful features even more. Her feet were covered by her boots, making it impossible to notice that she was injured.
Brick nearly let out a growl at the sight of her. She was exposing too much skin in his opinions.
"Brick! We got to go." Boomer tapped his shoulders, cutting his train of thought short. Butch seemed to notice what was going on. "What's going on?" Brick demanded, knowing that this was urgent from Boomer's tone.
"Selina, one of the girls just said that Taylor went off with a guy that night and had been missing ever since." Brick's interest immediately pipped up. "Who?" He asked. "That's the thing. No one ever seen him before. They tried asking around for information about him but there was nothing about him. He was non-existent till the police refused to believe that Taylor had left with him that night." Butch hurriedly added on.
Brick narrowed his eyes at that piece of information, beginning to start thinking about the case.
"Red, don't go into your zone now!" Boomer made him snapped out of it which Brick gave a growl in response. "Anything else?" He demanded, he hated it whenever he was interrupted whenever he was in his zone.
"This is the main part, I swear. He is here. Right now. In this club." Boomer hissed, looking around carefully. Brick immediately became tense. The three of them knew, it would definitely escalate to a fight.
"The girls were here to give us a message," Butch hissed in a lower voice to prevent anyone else from listening. "The message was "Coven's here. They are after Chemical X." by that man to us."
Brick paused, as though trying to decipher as to what the real meaning behind the message. Something caught his eyes, rather someone. A hooded figure with only his mouth visible. Mouth that peeked out fangs.
Thinking about it properly, there was no harm in following the order. If it was a warning, this could help save them from being pursued. They were supposed to be doing this secretly. If it was a threat, in this huge crowd of people, it would be bad to start a conflict here and getting everyone's attention. Either way, there was no difference in listening it. However, it pissed Brick off that he had to listen to an unknown man.
"Take the girls and get out here." He told his brother.
"The girls?" Butch, who have yet to notice the man, questioned. "Why didn't you say so earlier? I left her go off." He protested, looking for the previous girl. Boomer nodded at that, for once agreeing with his green brother. Brick looked frustrated at them and gestured to that guy who stayed at the position.
His brothers became serious immediately. Any traces of their usual demeanor were gone.
Tearing his gaze from him, Brick tapped his foot impatiently. "Also, I meant those girls." He pointed to the three sisters who were still scanning them. At the sight of him pointing to the girls, all five of them tensed up except for Brick.
"You got to be freaking kidding me." Butch commented but Brick just shook his head in response. Butch and Boomer just sighed. They should have known better than to think that the girls would leave this class alone. It was just that there were no sightings of the girls whenever they were patrolling so they thought the girls would not participate with the case, just curious enough to discuss about it.
It wasn't that they could leave the girls alone since they had Chemical X in their blood.
Butch stared at his green counterpart who was nicely dressed for this occasion. She was wearing a black crop top, fitted with a green jacket and a black long pants as well. She matched it off with a black converse shoes. Her hair was let down, which had grown over the years, reaching her back. She wore a choker on her neck and a green bracelet. She was leaning against the wall, staring at the dance area. She seemed to notice what Brick had noticed. Butch noticed that fact.
Butch went over to her in a flash, blocking her view on the man. "Why the hell are you here?" Brick and Boomer went over slowly. Brick nodded to them to give them acknowledgement and Boomer, on the other hand, stayed at the same position, glaring at the hooded figure.
The blue brother did take notice what his blue counterpart was wearing. She had blue off-shoulders shirt on, and wore jeans too. Like Buttercup, she had shoes on. Her hair was braid to her side. It was simple and sweet. Bubbles was slightly disappointed when she realized that the Boomer was not coming over. He just wanted to ensure that it was safe before approaching them. It was easy enough, the figure disappeared in the swarm of people.
Buttercup hissed at the green brother. "Why can't we be here?" She demanded, irritated by the fact that Butch had blocked her view. She had not realized that the figure was related to the boys.
Boomer walked towards them once the man disappeared. It wasn't simple as that as the door opened to see a group of guys entering. Same as the boys, they were gaining attention from the flashy entrance. The three boys looked at one another, recognizing the crowd. "Meet up later." Brick commanded before the three of them each pulled a girl to hide.
"What the hell are you doing, Butch JoJo?" Buttercup struggled to pull herself away from him. The both of them were in a position where she was sitting in between Butch's leg and her back were leaning his toned chest.
"Shut up, would you?" Butch hissed, pulling her back into his arms. They were currently at the dance area, the edge of it behind the stage. The DJ had noticed them and was about to call out with the microphone with him. Butch glared at him which made him cower the moment the DJ noticed who the two were; the superhero Buttercup and the ex-terror of the city Butch.
"Shut up? You are telling me to—" Her mouth was immediately covered by the green ruff.
"Butters. Just keep quiet. Just for a while." He whispered into her ears and signaled for the DJ to pretend there was no one that was currently in the space with him. The DJ got the hint and carried on his playing.
Buttercup didn't want to listen to him. However, Butch seemed different. Being so close to his body, her back to his chest, she could clearly feel that he was tense, as though he was nervous about something. This was out of their character. Since when do the Rowdyruff Boys hide?
Once Butch noticed that Buttercup had stopped struggling, he let out of her mouth cautiously. "What's going on?" Buttercup demanded in a soft voice. Butch gestured for her to keep quiet as he listened to his surroundings. The loud music kept playing as per usual and nothing were out of normal. He let out a sigh in relief.
"We got to sneak out now." He pointed to the backdoor that was near them. Buttercup glared at Butch. He was not answering any of his questions. He pulled her out quickly and went out of the door swiftly.
It wasn't till they were a few streets away from the club did Butch stopped.
"What the heck? My sisters are still in there!" She protested, her mind could not help thinking about what happened just now. It was the fact that she could feel Butch's hand warmth that got her thinking.
When did Butch get so strong? She thought as the grip on her hand was not loosening. Through the whole way here, she could not do anything to stop Butch from moving. He was just dragging her along. No matter how much she tried, she could not stop him from doing that.
This made Butch a really powerful opponent. If it was easily ten years ago, she could still have the confidence to beat him. However now, she had no confidence at all.
Butch shook his head. "Don't worry, my brothers are with them." He said. His brothers were still in the club. It was just that the both of them were lucky to be near the backdoor and able to sneak out so easily.
Buttercup wanted to protest but were cut off by the loud laughter that was coming their way. She had half the mind to stalk up to them to keep quiet, especially since they were bothering the neighborhood and her. However, all plans of them were halted when she felt her back slammed against the brick wall and Butch covering her body with his.
Buttercup mentally cursed at the height of the male. He was easily 6 feet while she only reached his neck. "Butters, look at me."
She was about to argue with him when his mouth closed on her.
She protested by hitting his chest which did not seem to work. The innocent turned into a mature kiss that involved his tongue.
Butch couldn't think of a better way to not get their attention other than pretending to be a snogging couple. However, he didn't bother asking Buttercup too. Therefore, Butch was definitely not surprised when a punch hit his face after a few seconds.
"What the hell are you doing?" She pushed the body away from him. Butch glared at her, annoyed at her ungratefulness although she knew nothing about it. "It was just a kiss, why the heck did you hit me?" He growled, not liking the fact that he was caught unaware by the punch too.
Buttercup returned with the same aggression. "Haven't anyone told you that you are not supposed to randomly kiss anyone?" It wasn't her first kiss or anything important but she just didn't like the fact that Butch just did whatever he felt like on her.
"I just wanted to get back at you from this afternoon." He winked. However, he looked around once again to check that it was safe.
Buttercup moved up her fists to hit him again. "I swear—" She was interrupted by Butch who intercept with the punch. "Stop hitting me." He growled.
"No." She was confident that she could still take Butch on.
Butch rolled his eyes but then looked at their surroundings. "From here, you should be able to get home." He stated, ignoring Buttercup fully.
"Go home." He stressed on that, making Buttercup wonder why she should listen to him.
Butch knew his counterpart well. It wasn't as though she was hard to guess. Whatever Buttercup was thinking, it always showed on her face.
"Go home." He repeated. He fully knew that she wasn't going to listen to him.
Buttercup stared at him defiantly. "Why?"
Butch knew that he didn't have time. "Do whatever you like. Just stay away from the club." He warned her. "I meant what I said, Butters. My punishments aren't sweets."
With that, he took off back to the direction of the club.
Hypocrite.
Bubbles and Boomer were somehow in the janitor's locker. She protested by pulling herself away from Boomer, to find that there was not much space.
Boomer was leaning on her against the door. "Don't move." Bubbles flushed at the deep voice. She was oddly close to him. She paused and heard a click sound, Boomer locking the door. He stepped back to give the both of them some space. It wasn't much but there was almost an inch of space between the two of them.
Oddly, Bubbles was hurt by the coldness of Boomer, although she had predicted that he would be like this. Ever since their talk, he had been doing nothing but avoiding her. It was subtle but enough for her to realize even.
The silence in the room was deafening.
"What's going on?" Bubbles couldn't take the silence anymore and looked at the blue ruff who was patiently waiting for time to pass.
Boomer shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing much." He replied curtly.
She stared at him as though he had said something weird. "Nothing and we have to hide like this?" She questioned bitterly.
Boomer just refused to look at her. "I was just listening to my brothers." He replied casually, looking at his fingers as though he was the first time seeing it.
"Boomer, are you really going to be like this?" She persisted. Boomer acted like he knew nothing about what she was talking about. He wanted to avoid a direct confrontation but it seemed like that was precisely what Bubbles wanted to do.
Through this, Boomer noticed that Bubbles had really grown up. She still had her timid personality, though it seemed to be because she was shy. She became more confident, able to be on par with her sisters. That was what she was demonstrating now. She was less easily scared and able to do well without her sisters' help, being more independent. Boomer mentally smiled that the fact that Bubbles had flourished over the years.
He was more different now, having more changes between the two of them. He knew that himself. Over the years, he had forced himself to change, becoming the him real now. His own shy and kind demeanor had disappeared and the him now was brutal, ruthless and heartless. He prided himself in that, being able to stand beside his brothers to help out instead of being the weak one among them like he once was regarded as.
He had trained himself countless to become the him now. Ten years' worth of arduous work. Although it was challenging, he completed it and he was proud of it. He never gave up.
However, when he saw Bubbles, he had this sudden urge to revert back to the foolish him which his brothers had to take care of. He wanted to go back so that Bubbles could once again show him the same kindness and smile at him.
He wanted to laugh at himself. How did he become so weak in front of this girl?
If he was Superman, Bubbles would be his kryptonite.
He could never change back. Not after doing so much.
"Like what?" He scoffed. "This is me, Bubbles." He forced himself to look up at the blue puff.
Bubbles was taken back by the answer. Was this really the Boomer that she knew? The Boomer that would once always smile at her? The Boomer that joked with and always teased her? The Boomer that she loved spending time with?
Looking back at this emotionless ocean eyes that had once made her smile at the sight of it, she shook her head.
"No." She swallowed. "Boomer, you would never avoid me."
"You said yourself that we were best friends!" She had this mind to scream. She hated that she sounded so weak.
Boomer looked away and smiled bitterly. "But I have never seen you as a friend." He said. No. He saw her more than that. He desperately wanted to convey his love for her.
"To me, you were just the one who saved me when I needed help."
No, you are my only.
Until now, he could still vividly remember the time when she saved him, she was an angel. Her worried face before he blanked out was enough to make him believe in this world again. He fell in love with her that very moment. He only regretted not spending more time with her.
Bubbles tried to remain unaffected by this. "I don't believe you. Boomer would never say that to me." She shook her head.
"You are just imposing your own ideals of me on me!" He retorted. He hated the fact that he had to break down her that strong spirit.
Bubbles shook her head. "That's up to me to decide what impression I have of you!" She was stubborn and folding her arms.
"Do whatever you like!" Boomer didn't bother arguing more with her.
There was silence for a period of time. None of them knew what to talk about. Unlike the young them who could talk about anything under the sun, times had changed now.
"We better get going now." He unlocked the door and got them out pretty easily now that the people they were avoiding were not nearby. No one would go to the janitor area unless they wanted a place without anyone.
The janitor locker was only filled with couples who were snogging each other and there was an exit nearby. Although, Boomer still had to consider himself as lucky since one of those guys could have been feeding on someone there.
"Go home now." He told her. "I don't have time to waste with you." He added on.
Bubbles nodded. She understood the limits. She had threaded on Boomer's limits today and she had to be careful not to go overboard.
She had the first move of walking back. She heard some footstep going in the opposite direction of her until it was gone. She forced herself to not look back and carried on walking back. Until, she felt someone presence walking behind her. It wasn't the footsteps of someone stalking her. It was rather comforting.
Don't ask her how was she so certain. She had a feeling that it would definitely be Boomer behind her, with the help of her supernatural instinct. Smiling, she strolled home, completely unaware of the dangers that Boomer was looking out for.
She looked up at the sky. "Boomer, do you think we can go back to the past?" She asked innocently, strolling down the street. She was confident that Boomer was still behind her since she could sense his presence. Although she knew she had reached his limits, however it wouldn't hurt to try once again.
The blue ruff did not reply but he was definitely surprised by the fact that the blue puff had noticed him. He didn't want to over react. Perhaps, she was just talking nonsense to herself.
Bubbles nodded her head. "If, I am saying if I were to stop pursuing the past, would you continue to talk to me like usual?" Boomer didn't reply.
It seemed like Bubbles had hit his world limit today. It was fine for her. As long as she knew that the blue ruff was still concerned over her, she had no complains.
Seeing an emerald streak that was darker than her own sister, she pointed to it. "You need to follow it right?" She asked, not daring to turn back as if afraid that Boomer would disappear if she did.
Boomer did indeed need to follow his older brother. Except that, he didn't dare to leave Bubbles.
The female could sense the hesitation. He wasn't her counterpart for nothing. She herself knew the importance too. Something was happening in Townsville secretly and that was the reason why they had returned. Boomer had to deal with this.
"I will be fine in going back on my own. It was not like I couldn't protect myself."
Boomer bit his lips. He still didn't want to leave her alone.
"I am going to count to five. If you are still not gone by then, I am going to treat it as you have agreed to become friends again." She proclaimed. She felt a bit silly talking to herself but she was definitely sure that Boomer was here. There was no harm in doing this too. If this was all her imagination, there was no one here to judge her now, seeing that it was a deserted street.
"One." He felt bad that Bubbles had to think of him.
"Two!" Boomer had this temptation to just screw this and let Bubbles know of his feelings.
"Three!" He thought back on today's situation. It would have been really bad if something had happened.
"Four." She dragged this number out when she felt that Boomer had not moved yet.
"Four and a—"
There was a breeze and a slight pressure on her forehead. "Be safe okay?" The whisper came by in her ears, making her shiver. She wasn't sure if it was from the cold or the Boomer's action.
In fact, it was so fast that she thought that it was her imagination.
However, the dark blue streak in the sky didn't lie.
Bubbles smiled, touching her forehead.
Coward.
Blossom had this half a mind to bite down at this hand which was covering her mouth currently but resisted it anyways. Ever since she saw Brick in the club, she noticed that he was extremely tense when exchanging words with his brothers.
Something must have happened. Something that made all three of them so cautious of things right now, even resorting towards hiding.
They were under the bar table, the closest to where they were standing just now. She didn't know where her sisters were at but she predicted that they had their own counterparts to deal with. However, they were in a weird position when they hide under the table, it happened in a flash. Her legs were now entangled with Brick, which made her bit her lips at the throbbing. She must have hit it or something.
Brick was keeping an eye out, trying to stay hidden. His mind was going in an overdrive in trying to understand what was going on.
Coven. If there was really a coven in Townsville, this was really bad. This wasn't what he had been predicting. He was just expecting a small group, perhaps 4-5 of them, to be loitering in Townsville to get the blood since no one was here. Once he determined the people involved, he would take them out. That's all.
However, if there was really an unregistered coven here, he wasn't sure if just him and his brothers could take them on. Coven were big, perhaps hundreds or even thousands of them. Of course, there was also small covens but there was still a few dozens of them in it. Just the three of them, even if they had supernatural powers from Chemical X to back them up, he wasn't confident enough.
There was too less information. Brick cursed at that.
Just now, those guys were definitely part of the coven.
Vampires could recognize their own kind at the first glance. If they were to see him, his uncover identity would have been announced to the Townsville, which might potentially ruin everything that they had come back for.
His concerns must have been shown on his face because he was surprised by Blossom's touch on his arm. "What's going on, Brick?"
Blossom was worried. Brick was being unusually quiet; his brows were furrowed and she tried to get his attention but to no avail. She grabbed his arm which jolted Brick for a moment.
Brick tried to relax. "Nothing." Not Blossom. He was definitely not going to tell Blossom at all cost.
Blossom narrowed her eyes at this. Brick acting out of sorts was not nothing. "Brick." She looked at him in the eyes which he avoided.
"Bloss, leave it. You are not going to get anything out of me." He hissed, irritated that he was not doing an excellent job enough since the girls kept getting hints.
Blossom became affected by Brick's tension. "Why not? You have been doing nothing but that!" She snapped, unsure about how to phrase it properly for him to understand but she knew that she had enough of this.
"What?" He argued.
"That! That stupid mysterious aura and keeping things from me! Where did all your past arrogance of telling me your plans because you were so confident that I wouldn't ruin anything? Also, stopping me from investigating things! Brick JoJo, you think that will stop me? If you are not going to give me answers, I will find it out myself and you will not interfere!" She protested stubbornly and loudly. However, her shouts were minimized due to the loud noise in the club. She stood out from the hiding spot.
Brick immediately pushed her back into that spot. "Fuck! Bloss, what do you think you are doing now?" He gripped her arm tightly to prevent her from getting away. She winced when she placed pressure on her ankle to stable her. Brick noticed that and was about to apologize until she glared at him with this determined look in her eyes.
"Trying to find out what made you so anxious right now!" She rebutted, trying to pull her arm away but Brick's grip was too strong. "The fact that we are hiding now shows that there is someone or something there, right? Something or someone that I am not supposed to meet and you are avoiding from. It definitely had to do with you missing for ten years!"
It was these moments like these that made Brick hate the fact that his counterpart was smart and incredibly good at understanding him.
"Stop struggling!" He felt that he was calming down a child that was throwing a tantrum. He was thankful to the loud EDM that was blasting currently.
"No!" She stubbornly resisted.
"Okay! I will tell you." He shouted to get her attention. Blossom paused at that, a smile apparent now that she finally got the Brick JoJo to concede.
Brick cursed this weakness that he had where he had just this damn urge to give into whatever Blossom wanted. He cursed even more when her smile stopped him from feeling upset about conceding.
This stupid, bloody mate system.
If Blossom wanted it, with that foolish smile of her, he would have done everything to satisfy her.
"Not now though. We are going to get out of here first." He stated which she nodded too, still happy. "Stop smiling." He rolled his eyes, practically pulling her out of the club.
Only when they were out of the vicinity of the club, he looked at her.
"Your leg, how is it?" He questioned, staring at her limping leg. Blossom shook her head. "It's fine. Just that it is throbbing a bit." She replied casually.
Instead of being concerned with her own leg, she was more concerned about Brick's promise. "What's happening? You said that you will—" She didn't have the chance to finish the sentence before she found herself on the back of Brick. He was carrying her. Again.
Blossom spluttered. Just how many did he plan to do this? This can't be good for her heart, especially since it kept going faster whenever near Brick. She convinced herself that it was just because he kept doing unexpected things.
"Let's get you home first." He was definitely eager to get her out of there because before she could even nod, his red streak was already trailing behind the both of them. She found herself in front of her house soon.
Brick seemed to be going through the front door. "Wait!" Brick paused at her words, waiting for some objections.
"I need you to go through that windows. Professor aren't supposed to find out that we sneak out." She pointed to the window at the second level.
She could immediately imagine Brick's eyebrow going up. "Yes, we sneak out. Now go up." She knew what he was going to say.
"Demanding, aren't we?" She flushed at that. She never expected that she would be ordering Brick JoJo around. He floated lazily up to see her two sisters had already returned. This means that his brothers should be waiting for him already.
He quickly let her down carefully while her sisters came forward to help, once seeing Blossom on the back of Brick.
"I got to go." The fact that her sisters were here meant that his brothers were waiting for him already.
As usual, he didn't wait for a reply before going off.
Jerk.
Brick heard whistling when he met up with his brothers. "I swear, every time you are with her, your eyes glows. Been getting some actions, right?" Butch teased as Brick growled. He could already guess that it was glowing. That's why he had his cap covering his face when he sent her back home.
Boomer smirked. "This is the third time your eyes glow this week and the second time today. Is it because you are extremely weak towards her or you guys have been progressing well?" Boomer joined in the fun of teasing his older brother.
Brick rolled his eyes at that. The three of them knew. Glowing only happened whenever they were in close proximity with their own mates or their body were having reaction such as heart beating fast and such. Brick was insistent that it was definitely the former that was the reason for his eyes now.
He noticed something though. Butch was wearing a cap too. He rarely did that. He did bring it out sometimes but he rarely wore that. It was either him or Boomer who loved wearing caps. Smirking, he got an idea what was going on. He took out the cap in a second. "It seemed like I am not the only one in this situation though." He grinned at the emerald orbs that were glowing.
"Shut up." He protested, snatching back the hat to wear.
Boomer could only roll his eyes at his brothers' antics. "Can we start on the important matters? I actually want to get this over and done with." At Boomer's words, the two of them turned serious almost immediately.
Brick started analyzing. "So, we are pretty sure that now, it became a coven. It wasn't just a few stray f them. We saw at least a dozen of them at the club. They were most probably hunting for tonight." He started.
Butch spoke up. "I also saw some of them just now nearby the club, in one of neighborhoods. It might be where they are located at." He suggested. Brick nodded at that.
"So, we are going to need to confirm the amount of people in that coven first before we act." Brick stated.
Boomer nodded. "However, I don't understand. Remember that man was in the club before everything happen?" Brick nodded, listening attentively to whatever his youngest brother had to say. "How did he know about Chemical X? It is only the girls, Professor and us who knew about this." Although Townsville knew of the superheroes, they didn't know about the secret that gave them this power.
"Not to mention, how is it possible for a large group of them to enter Townsville, without making a huge fuss. It wasn't like this is an extremely large city." Brick commented. Townsville might not be big but it wasn't small either, being a prosperous city. However, even for a not that small city, having such a big amount of coven entering, it should get someone's attention to the very least.
Brick sighed, feeling a headache coming. "Okay, too many issues. First, we need to determine the amount of people that is here in Townsville, before we do anything stupid things. Once we determine that, we are going to figure out a counterplan." He ordered.
He looked at Boomer. "Regarding Chemical X, we can't be sure that they don't know about the existence of the girls and Professor. So, prevent them from using their power." It sounded reasonable.
"Boomer, I will need you to stay with them for a while." Brick commented, in which the blue brother immediately widened his eyes. What's with the sudden arrangement of individual work?
"Butch can do that." He protested, not wanting to go near Bubbles. Well, not at least these few days.
Brick raised his eyebrows at that, not expecting to hear that. Boomer knew it well himself too, he was the best candidate.
Boomer was the sly one between the three of them, the one who do things secretly. His special powers of invisibility helped greatly as well with that. Butch was the one with power. He had his super-strength, something that all of them had but his was more developed in a sense that he could accomplish feats that his brothers could not and along with the ability of controlling metal. It was certain as they had tested it out. Brick meanwhile had ability of telekinesis, something that had his brothers in jealously. He was regarded as the hidden one among them. It was convenient and useful.
"Fine. Where are the both of you guys going?" He questioned. Asking him to watch over the girls, it was the same as implying that he would be the only one. This in return meant that his brothers were doing something else.
"Butch and I would be sneaking in." He announced to get the bewildered stares from his green brother.
"You got to be freaking kidding me." The brother exclaimed. Brick shrugged his shoulders.
"I just need to know some details. Once we get the information, we will leave." Brick replied. He had a plan, a plan that would perhaps work. However, it involved a lot of risks. That was why he wanted the two of them to go instead of getting Boomer to sneak in. They would need a lot of offense and defense.
Butch wanted to argue. "What the heck made you think that we can just waltz into there and not get caught?" He protested. Anyone with a right mind would know that it was impossible.
Brick shrugged. "I guess we will cross the bridge as we go."
This got him glares from his brothers at this semi-reckless plan that he had. He stared back at them as though daring them to not follow his orders.
It worked miraculously.
Brick grinned when his brothers sighed in resignation.
Now, let's just hope that it would be less dangerous than he thought it would be.
Author's Note:
Hello everyone! I just realized that I forgot to introduce myself! I am Krys~
Thank you for talking the time to read my fanfiction. :D Feel free to leave reviews!
More reviews = faster updates. :D
Just kidding. It does have some impact but I love it whenever I read a review from you guys \o(^O^)o/ It brightens up my day 😊
Also, I realized that this story is really fast-paced as some of you said but it is because I got tons planned for this story and the different pairings. Also, there is a lot to write. X.X this chapter took me 5 days of continuous staying up Q.Q and I went over like 2 thousand words from my usual word count although I tried not to. x.x
Whelp whelps! A tiny bad news. It is like a week before assignment week which means slower update well until the end of my exams to the very least. Sorry TT^TT
I will try to update asap ^O^
That's all! Thank you for all the love and attention that you have given Blood Bond! I will do my best to improve my writing.
Constructive criticism is welcome too \o/ Although, I have a sensitive heart so please be kinder when dealing harsh blows Xd
Seeya guys the next update! I love you guys
*throws confetti and mini-cookies for dramatic exit*
Krys~