I do not own the Power Puff Girls or the Rowdy Ruff Boys

Chapter Eighteen: Ruff Love

The first week that Coal was home, he discovered a lot of things as his eyes opened and cleared. First was that the cold sensation of Mommy was matched with a soft face and pink eyes. She held him the most and fed him every time he was hungry. He also spent the most time in the day with her; either playing in his room on his mat with his toys. Sometimes he would watch her work, writing notes, or typing. She'd put on the television with colorful shows, but he found her more interesting. It was only after he was fed that he'd take a nap with her chilly presence nearby.

It was sometimes when he woke up that his Daddy would be home. Coal could tell be the heat that filled the space. Daddy was always hot, just like he was. His eyes were also red, and his face was sharper than Mommy's. He didn't know why Daddy left in the morning, but he was always glad when he came back. Daddy would pick him up and play with him until it was time for Mommy to feed him for the night and put him to bed. He figured tonight would be the same as any other until he heard the words "Bath time."

"Bath time?" Brick said as he held Coal in his arms. The baby in question looked between his parents, wondering what "bath time" could be.

Mommy came to stand beside him and Daddy and rubbed her hand over his back. He sighed as the chill spread over his body. "Yeah, the last of his umbilical cord fell today, so it's time for his first bath."

"Does he really need a bath?" Brick asked in a mocking resistant tone.

"Yes. He might not stink, but I do want a clean baby." Blossom said. "Come on and help me get his bath ready."

The young mother then went down the hallway to the guest bath. Brick followed and glanced down at eyes similar to his own. "Your first bath. I hope Mommy doesn't make a big deal about it."

"I heard that!" she called out as she started to run the bathwater. Brick stood in the doorway with Coal wriggling in his arms as the water thundered from the spout. "You mind undressing him while I fill the tub?"

Coal tried to keep Mommy in his sights as Daddy took him to his room to take his clothes off. Unbuttoning the light onesie he had on and seeing that the last of the cord was indeed gone. He thought about taking the diaper off but decided against it as he didn't want the added task of cleaning up a spill should his son decide to take a leak. Going back to the bathroom, Blossom had his small tub in the larger one and had a towel, and his special baby soaps lined up ready to be used.

She turned to her boys with a wide smile. "Ready for a bath Coal."

Coal didn't answer save for letting out a yawn and allowing his body to heat to stave off the cold that wasn't his mommy. Brick looked down at him and then back at the bath. "Does he really need a bath tonight?"

"Yes, he does. Not every night, but at least once every three days wouldn't hurt him." Blossom said as she stood to take Coal's diaper off. Brick walked him over to the tub and set him in the warm water. No sooner was the little boy placed in his tub that his bladder let loose in a shallow arc that added to the water.

It was totally beyond his ability to stop as the laughter poured out of Brick. Blossom shot him an icy glare, and it was one of the rare ones that didn't have any effect on him. "What? He peed and it was funny."

"You're such a boy," Blossom grumbled as she carefully picked up her son and held him out of the way as she urged Brick to dump the tub and refill it. He laughed the entire time he worked, which only aggravated Blossom's annoyed temper. "Quit laughing, it wasn't that funny."

"It actually was." Brick chuckled as he finished refilling the tub. "If he'd taken a shit, I wouldn't be laughing as much."

"You so would," Blossom commented as she carefully placed Coal back into his tub. Taking a small cup filling it with water. When she poured it over Coal, the little Rowdy Ruff Boy squealed and his body heated so quickly he created steam. "Coal."

He waved his arms awkwardly as he tried to catch the steam, playing his own little game. While he played, Mommy poured more water over him until he was wet and then began a lather in a soft red towel. Then Mommy began to run the soapy towel over him covering him in suds. Coal stared and started a new game of trying to get the suds off.

All while this was going on, he heard his Mommy and Daddy talking. He noticed that they spoke differently to each other than they did to him. The words not that he could really understand were bigger and their voices seemed deeper. "He seems to be enjoying himself."

"Of course he is. Bath time is fun." Blossom said. "How were your midterms?"

"Fine. Nothing I couldn't do with my eyes closed." Brick answered. "I saw Bubbles."

Blossom paused in bathing Coal to look over her shoulder at her boyfriend. "How was she?"

Brick exhaled a cloud of smoke and Blossom swatted at him with a towel. "Sorry." He flicked the vent on. "She thinks Boomer is going to break up with her. I told her he's not, but I think he's going to talk to Jaime soon. I think he just wanted to wait until midterms were over."

"Has he told her that?" Blossom asked as she turned back to her baby who was making himself busy by squeezing his hands around the bubbles.

The snort that came from Brick answered her question and Blossom made the water chill around Coal, who reacted by heating up and making steam appear around him. Blossom pulled her hands back and waved her hand for Brick to come forward. "I made the water cold. Can you warm it up?"

Stepping up to the tub, Brick placed his hand in the water and warmed it, smiling when Coal reached for his hand. "He's been working, but at the same time I know he's been putting it off. He wanted to make sure he doesn't punch the guy. Remember what Butch did to Mitch?"

"Mitch has always been a bit of a jerk," Blossom told him. "Jamie was just a little shy."

"Well, he got brave enough to kiss Bubbles." Brick grumbled as he sat on the floor beside Blossom and watched as she finished bathing Coal. Blossom handed Brick and towel and she pulled the plug from the small tub. Brick unconsciously warmed the towel for his son. Blossom took their naked baby out of his empty tub and passed him to his daddy. Once in Brick's arms, he was swaddled in the warm towel, causing a soft sigh to escape him. As Brick was holding Coal, a thought came to mind, that had him

"Let get him ready for bed." The two parents brought their baby to his room.

While moisturizing his skin with the gentle baby lotion and getting him dressed, Brick brought up what was plaguing his mind. "Do you think Boomer is being targeted to be made an example this time?"

Blossom froze in dressing Coal, leaving his belly exposed. He placed his hands over his belly as if trying to keep it warm, causing a slight smile to cross Brick's face. "What do you mean?"

"What happened to us was a power play." Brick gently reminded. "The first time he struck hard and went after us. If he managed to destroy what we now have before we had it, I'm sure that my brothers and I would still be under his thumb."

The young mother turned back to her son and finished dressing him, before picking him up and going to the rocking chair in the corner. Lifting her shirt, she unhooked her bra to start nursing him. Coal quickly latched on, noticing that his mommy's milk was colder than usual. "I'm sure he was hoping you'd just walk away from all this. Leaving me pregnant and to take care of Coal in whatever way I saw fit." Her arms tightened a bit around her son's body, making him grunt in discomfort. "If you had I couldn't say for sure that Coal would be here with us."

Blossom's uncertainty was clear to see on her face and through her body language. Her brow was pinched, and her knee bounced nervously as she rocked. Brick came to stand in front of Blossom and his son and reached out to take her hand. "I never would've left you, and my reasons for staying would never have been because of guilt. I already had some feelings for you, hence all the flirting and teasing. You were just getting on my nerves about my leadership skills."

"I just knew you could be better, and I hated that you were curbing it for…I never figured out for what." Blossom admitted to him.

A weary expression took over Brick's face and he let out a sigh. "I wanted the three of us to be our own people. We'd been too reliant on each other that I wasn't sure of who I was outside of being their leader and elder brother. Though I still seem to be stepping in when my brothers get into trouble."

Shifting Coal, despite his protests, Blossom placed her hand upon Brick's and gave it a squeeze. "I understand that better than you know Brick. My sisters rely on me to be the foundation of reason and stability. Believe me, when I found out I was pregnant I worried about what this would mean for our dynamic. I had to remember that we were growing older and had to live our own lives, however, we won't stop being sisters or helping each other out. The same goes for you and your brothers."

Brick shifted onto his knees and used the arms of the rocking chair for balance as he leaned forward and kiss Blossom. The heat that filled Blossom was enough to raise her temper enough for Coal to pull away and let out an annoyed cry. While he was impervious to heat on the outside, he wasn't yet on the inside and didn't like the sudden heat in his mouth—especially while eating. The young father pulled back from Blossom and had to take a deep breath to calm his suddenly aroused body.

Five more weeks, he thought to himself as he stood, not bothering to hide the semi-hard erection from her. "I'm going to take a shower. We can talk more once he's asleep."

Blossom called on her cryokinesis to cool her body so that she could return to feeding Coal. Her efforts must've shown on her face as she quelled her own desire because Brick radiated a smugness that couldn't be contained. "I hope your shower is a cold one."

Brick placed a simmering kiss to the crown of her head as he left the nursey. "Nah, I think I'll rub one out while thinking of my Cherry Pie."

A second bout of heat flooded Blossom's body and Coal let out another cry of annoyance which grew to anger at having his bedtime meal interrupted a second time. His anger manifested into his fire powers, making his body burn hot enough to force Blossom to use her icy breath to cool and calm him. "Brick!"

Boomer stood outside of the science building waiting for Jamie to make an appearance. He knew the guy shared a class with Bubbles, so all he had to do was wait. He stood against the wall with his arms folded over his chest, and his ankles crossed over one another. When he heard the students shuffling inside via his super hearing, he took a deep breath to quell his temper. There was the very real chance that Bubbles would make an appearance before Jamie did, and while he wasn't really opposed to it, he needed to have words with Jamie.

Students began pouring out of the building and Boomer was quickly scanning the crowd for the curly-haired catalyst to his current situation. When his cobalt gaze zeroed in on his target, Boomer pushed himself from the wall and like a bulldozer made his way through. "Yo Jamie!"

The mention boy nearly jumped out of his skin—as well as a few of the surrounding students—as he turned to see who called his name. Practically seeing the seething anger radiate off him, Jamie's skin blanched the closer the former bad boy stepped closer. It was a small thing, but Jamie prided himself in not cowering before him. Especially since he could clearly see that Boomer knew he had kissed his girlfriend. He just hoped the confrontation didn't land him in the hospital.

"Hey, Boomer." He started out in a shaky voice and an awkward scratch the back of his head.

Boomer to his credit didn't just punch the guy or flick him in the head like Butch was known to do Mitch. However, he wouldn't hold his breath that wouldn't change. "I think you owe me an explanation."

Shoulders sagging in resignation, Jamie nodded his head and twisted the strap on his backpack. "Yeah…um…where did you want to talk?"

"Don't care." Boomer told him.

Jamie nodded his head and happened to take notice of something over his shoulder. It didn't take a genius to know that it was Bubbles that stood behind them.

Boomer turned to look over his shoulder at his girlfriend. He quickly took in her appearance and wanted to kick himself for it. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun with a number of messy tendrils waving in a halo around her face. Her eyes had circles lying under them. She was wearing a loose sweater dress with black leggings and her rugged purple converse. He remembered those converse. They were still on her feet, trapped beneath her tights as she rode him in the driver's seat of his car. Boomer remembered the comfort he'd needed in her at that time. The comfort he'd hoped she had found in him last weekend. "We're just going to talk."

"You're talking to Jamie, but not me?" Bubbles huffed out a breath and shook her head. Her jaw was set in a rigid clench as she walked passed them, swiping at her tears that just barely fell.

Boomer closed his eyes against the pain that sight did him, but he had to make her realize that she was partially in the wrong. Turning his attention away from his heart hurt girlfriend, he refocused on the task at hand. "Are we just going to stand here?"

Jamie jumped to attention and pointed in a vague direction and made a gesture for Boomer to follow him. The two boys walked in awkward, tense silence until they reached the library. Outside there was a café and patio, one that Jamie started to come to after being friend-zoned and continued after he kissed Bubbles. He picked his favorite table, one that always seemed to have the right amount of light and shade around lunch. Boomer sat with his arms folded over his chest. The sight was intimidating, to say the least. Deciding to just bite the bullet, he braced himself for what was to come. "Sorry, I kissed Bubbles."

"I would hope so, or else I'd break your jaw." Boomer said without blinking.

The lump of fear the clogged Jamie's throat was hard to swallow, but he managed. "That's fair. I actually thought that you knew and that was why you were there."

"I didn't. Not until that Wednesday." Boomer's hand clenched into a fist at how he found out. Not from hearing it directly from Bubbles' lips, but a shouted out jab from Buttercup. Energy from a power he hadn't used in a while tingled in his fingers. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

The fear that was on Jamie's face turned to indecision. While he didn't want to make Bubbles look bad in regards to her boyfriend, he also didn't want to lie to Boomer. However, there was another matter to consider; between Boomer and Bubbles, who was he more concerned about hurting him? As he was mulling over who was the one he wanted to piss off the least, he felt a crackle of energy raise the hairs on his body. Returning his attention back to Boomer, he came back to himself. "No."

"Then why'd you do it?" Boomer had to know why this guy would risk every bone in his body to make a move on his girlfriend.

"It's Bubbles." Jamie sighed heavily, but not in a lovelorn type of way, but an exhausted one. "She's pretty and has a charming personality. A laugh that makes you want to laugh. She also has a damning candidness that cuts to the core."

"What?"

"Before I even mustered up the courage to tell her that I liked her, I was friend-zoned." The boy shrugged piteously at his plight. "I needed space to get my head back on straight. My pride was damaged if you can believe it."

The energy fizzled out around from around Boomer's fingers as he felt sorry for Jamie. Not only that but he was starting to feel like a jackass. From how it was sounding, Jamie truly didn't mean any harm. Part of him felt jipped that wasn't going to get the chance to hit him. Boomer had really hoped he would be given a reason to punch him. Then he remembered that he still kissed his girlfriend. "Why did you kiss Bubbles then?"

Jamie took a steadying breath that failed to calm his nerves. "If I was only going to get one chance to kiss the girl I liked, then that was it. I know it was impulsive, and I told her to tell you—."

"Wait. You told Bubbles to tell me you kissed her?" Boomer asked, not understanding the logic behind this. "Why would you do that knowing I'd bash your face in?"

"Because I knew it was a crappy thing to do. I knew the kiss would leave her feeling confused because I was her friend and you were her boyfriend. She wouldn't want to hurt you by not saying anything, but she also didn't want me to get my face bashed in." Jamie ran a hand over the back of his neck nervously. "So, I told her to tell you, because I didn't want to make her choose between me and her boyfriend."

Anger surged violently within Boomer. Standing up abruptly, he took two steps back from the table and without care of the surrounding tables, blasting off into the air. Tables, chairs, students, and their café purchases were overturned from the force of the blue Rowdy Ruff Boy's take off. Jamie—also turned over—pulled himself from the wreckage and let out a breath. Looking up to the sky, he just barely caught the fading of the cobalt streak. Whatever he said, triggered something and he for one found himself very lucky that it wasn't turned on him. At the same time Jamie had a newfound fear that if that anger had been directed at him, he'd most likely be dead.

Butch was just finishing up an old change when he heard the terrible sound of a car in pain. Looking up his place, Butch saw an equally painful-looking car on what could only be its last legs as it puttering pitifully into the waiting area. He wasn't the only one who saw the poor vehicle be forced to make its way into the garage. His manager and two of the other mechanics looked up from their jobs to see who the monster was.

"Butch, this is all you." The manager told him.

"What? My shift is almost over."

The other two mechanics, who's names he hadn't had a chance to remember, laughed and made a show of going to finish their closing work. Butch scowled at their backs and then turned to the car, waiting for the owner to make himself known. When he did, he turned to his manager with a shake of his head.

"No. Not taking him."

"I'm not asking, Butch. Plus, you're the new guy." His super smirked at him before giving his shoulder a pat.

Groaning, he turned to face the murderer of the poor vehicle. "Someone must hate me."

"Please tell me you don't work here," Mitch said as he came to stand before Butch.

"I do and I have the utter displeasure of trying to save that poor dying machine you call a car," Butch said while gesturing to the rust bucket that was Mitch's car. "What in the hell did you do to it?"

"I've been driving it," Mitch said as Butch walked around him to his abused vehicle. "What else would I do?"

Butch didn't bother with giving the frog voiced ass a sarcastic response. He found the hatch to pop the hood and went around to look at the damage. It was just as he feared. The engine was a relic that was surrounded by poorly oiled parts and was held together by duct tape, rust, and a very literal belt. "How long have you had this car?"

"Just bought it."

"Whatever you paid was too much," Butch told him as he braced his hands on the lower lip of the car.

Mitch rolled his eyes, before noticing the ring on Butch's left hand. He then remembered that Buttercup was wearing a gaudy ring on her lefthand. As he was too caught up in being embarrassed at having to serve his former best friend and her friends, he didn't take too much stock into the significance. Not until now. "Holy shit."

Butch glanced at him, with a raised brow. With Mitch's downward gaze, he thought he was looking under the hood of the car much like he was. "Amazed at how much of a waste of a miracle it was that you didn't stop in the middle of traffic?"

"You and Buttercup got hitched," Mitch stated as his arms dropped limply to his sides. "I'll be fucked."

Butch rose a brow at him and stood up from his leaned over position. "I'd imagine you won't be."

"How in the fuck did you convince Buttercup to marry you?" Mitch sneered at him, full of disgust, and dare he admit to himself jealousy.

Butch carefully closed the lid down on the car—worried if he put more than a little force behind the motion that the whole thing would collapse. "Believe it or not, but the girl is crazy about me. Didn't take much convincing."

"I don't believe it," Mitch said, before looking over Butch as he wiped his hand on his grey overalls. "Buttercup doesn't marry. Wouldn't marry. Especially not you."

A shrug was all the answer Mitch got as Butch reached underneath the car and lifted its front wheels off the ground. "Maybe, when you thought you had a chance. Slim as it might have been." He then began to pull it to the garage. Normally he'd drive it in, but he feared more damage would be done before if he did. "I'm going to need your keys."

"You're dragging it without breaking a sweat, what do you need the keys for?" Mitch asked as he followed Butch into the garage, his car easily pulled behind the human tow truck.

Placing the car down as gently as he could, and still managing to leave a dusting of rust on the grease-stained concrete floor. "Because I'm going to need to turn on your car tomorrow after I manage to pull it from death's door."

Mitch looked at his sad excuse for a car and sighed. "Is it really that bad?"

"It's going to cost more than it's worth, I'll give you that much."

"I can't really afford—."

"Shut up!" There was silence in the air, but a crackling of energy he felt made the hair on Butch's neck stand on end. "Oh damn it. We told him never to use that unless we were there." He was about to run back into the garage to speak with his manager right as a red streak raced across the sky.

Seeing that there was no time, Butch took two steps out of the garage and followed after his brother. "You can feel it too?"

"How could I not?" Butch growled as he felt his own energy crackle in reaction to feeling Boomer's energy in the air.

Brick's own energy crackled. "I'm seriously going to pound him. Blossom was worried because Coal started to react to this. He knows he can't control it by himself. None of us can."

"At least he had the sense to head to the Isle," Butch said as the energy crackling around them go stronger. "It's been forever since we last used this technique."

"For good reason." Brick reminded him. Monster Isle was coming into sight and right before the two brothers could get close enough to land, a bright flash blinded them and the force of the shockwave sent Brick and Butch spiraling out of control and falling into the ocean. Butch was the first to remerge from its depths with a gasp. Looking around for Brick, he felt the water begin to warm. When it quickly passed the point of being hot to boiling, Brick broke the surface and grabbed Butch on his way out of the water. "Come on. He's totally lost his mind."

The older Rowdy Ruff Boys quickly made it to the Isle and began to locate Boomer. It wasn't hard to locate him; the closer they got the stronger the crackle of energy that made their own energy flare in response—that and the louder the thudding and roars became. Butch and Brick broke through some foliage to see that Boomer was throwing energy balls into the side of a cliffside, behind him was a trail of wreckage from where he must've crash-landed.

"Do you know what the hell happened?" Butch asked as they watched their brother taken his anger out on a defenseless wall.

There wasn't a chance to answer as a cacophonous round of roars and screeches surrounded them. Brick merely sighed while Butch let out a groan.

"I'm still in my work clothes. I doubt they'll provide me with a second uniform so quickly." He complained as he turned toward the noise.

"Damn it!" Butch turned almost simultaneously with his brother to face the lesser monsters that were making their way toward them.

"Come on, it's just a few monsters. We used to take these guys out for fun when we were kids." Brick cracked his knuckles loudly as he prepared for the fight. "I haven't had a good monster brawl in a while."

"Yeah, because you've been domesticated." Butch snorted, feeling the ground shake the closer the monsters got to them.

"Says the guy that's married." Brick countered back.

The monsters had just broken through the foliage when the red and green Ruffs jumped out the way as a rather large blue energy blast shot between them. Unfortunately for Brick, his hair was loose and the left side was partially singed from the heat the blast produced. He stared in outraged dismay at his locks that were once again a casualty. Butch let out a sharp laugh before having fire spat towards his face. Brick turned to their younger brother.

"Boomer!" Whatever else he was about to say was stopped as he caught the look on his usually chipper brother. "Oh fuck."

Butch glanced at Brick before turning to look at Boomer after noticing his older brother's attention on their younger one. "Sonic Boomer?"

"I'd say Super Sonic Boomer." Brick clarified as Boomer walked between them toward the monsters.

Emerald eyes widened as he followed his younger brother. "Oh fuck!"

"Best stay out the way unless he starts to go too far." Brick suggested.

Butch was about to say something when he felt Boomer make the first strike. He'd headed toward the biggest creature and while dodging a clawed hand, generated his energy bat and used it to knock the head clean off the monster. Its body had barely caught up with being violently decapitated and taken over by gravity when Boomer turned onto the other monsters. His energy bat was striking wildly before he was attacked from behind by a slithering monster with a vicious set of claws. Drawing its hand back, it threw it forward and raked the sharpened points down Boomer's back. Boomer lost his energy bat with his broken concentration and turned to the monster behind him. Eyes burning red, he used his laser vision on it, drawing an angry line of scorched flesh in its wake.

"Okay, he's gone too far. Butch scare the monsters off, while I take care of Boomer." Brick said as he held his cap between his teeth while pulling his hair into a bun at the nape of his neck. Once he secured his cap on his head, he took off in a super sprint charging toward Boomer. He tackled him to the ground and with a wave of his hand created a large wall of fire between the monsters and his brother.

The monsters stepped back and were further chased away as Butch made a huge ruckus that included throwing boulders. Brick's reprieve was a short one as he felt something crash into his nose. The stinging pain was enough for him to fall away from Boomer. "Leave me the hell alone."

Boomer pushed himself into a sitting position and pulled his energy blast into his hands. The charge in the air was raising, sending Brick's hair to stand on end. "Boomer, would you cut that out. What happened?"

Instead of answering, Boomer threw the energy blast he was forming at his brother. "I said to leave me alone. I don't want to talk about it."

Brick managed to catch the energy blast, turning it from Boomer's blue to his red. He threw it back at Boomer, watching as it glanced over the back of his head. "We're going to talk about it, Boomer. You know we don't use this power without good reason."

"I'm blowing off steam."

"Did you talk to Jamie? Is that was this is about?" Brick hedged, still feeling the energy crackle around them.

Blue energy rose in ripples around Boomer. Red around Brick and green for Butch. The latter turned from scaring the monsters away and looked over his body at the energy crackling around him. "Brick!"

"Boomer, if you don't cut it out, I'm seriously going to have to hurt you!" Brick threatened him, feeling something in his gut churn uncomfortably.

Boomer stood up from his place and didn't hesitate to charge at Brick. Brick was ready as he matched Boomer's right hook with one of his own. The resulting explosion from the collision sent shockwaves across the Isle. Butch barely managed to cling to a nearby boulder before getting blown away from the blast. Peeking from around his place, he saw his brothers locked in combat. Both were going out of their way to try to best the other, making it clear that neither was going to let up. The energy swirling around him had lessened with the first contact, but Butch could feel it swelling as they fought. However, that wasn't what had Butch worried.

When their energy swelled between them like it was now, their signature colors were streaked with pure white. However, when he looked again, he noticed the flecks of black and felt a familiar tingle run down his spine. There was no doubt that it was H.I.M's essence he felt, and it only got stronger the longer his brothers fought. "Guys! GUYS!"

Brick and Boomer were too far gone in their fight to hear their green brother's warning. Boomer was putting his all into the fight he had with Brick, but there wasn't any of the usual finesse to them that they'd gained over the years from fighting each other and the girls from years before. It was wild and sloppy, but no less dangerous. Brick was giving everything he could to defend himself and take the offensive. At one point, Boomer threw a wild energy-charged punch that cut the skin on Brick's face.

There was a beat of stillness as Butch thought he saw Brick's blood turn black. However, he couldn't be sure as Brick reacted instantaneously. Using the momentum from the punch to the face, he brought his leg up to kick Boomer in the face. His younger brother was knocked off his feet by the force. Before he could hit the ground due to gravity, he was punched in the gut and thrown back into the crumbling cliffside. His body went through as if it were nothing.

Brick took a step to go after his brother when he was stopped by a hand grabbing the collar of his shirt. Turning around, Brick's eyes connected with Butch's and saw a certain fear there. Seeing that fear seemed to snap him out of whatever haze he was in. "Butch, what—?"

"Shut up and look me in the eye," Butch demanded his grip tight on his brother's collar.

Brick did as his brother asked wondering what he was looking for in his face. It bothered him that Butch's face was contorted with a fear he'd seen any when H.I.M was involved. "Butch."

Whatever Butch had been looking for, it was gone—he hoped it was just his imagination and it hadn't been there, to begin with. He let go of Brick and clenched his fists to stop the slight shaking that was there. Before either red or green Ruff could say anything else, Boomer emerged from the hole his body left in the cliffside. His steps were shaky and his eyes were unfocused. An arm was wrapped around his torso, fingers clutching his side. Butch took a worried step toward him before he saw Boomer stumble, fall to his knees, and then collapse. "BOOMER!"

Butch ran to his younger brother's side and pulled him from the ground. Turning Boomer over he tried to rouse him awake. Brick tried to reach for him when Butch knocked his hands away. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Stay away from him, Brick!" Butch screamed at him before turning back to Boomer. "Boomer? Wake up, buddy." When a weak moan passed through Boomer's lips, some of the tension released from Butch's body. Boomer's hand was still clutched to his side and his breathing was shallower than normal. "What's wrong?"

"My ribs." He gasped out in pain.

Lifting his shirt up, Butch and Brick both saw the bruise that was roughly the size of a fist marring the left side of Boomer's torso. Growling low in his throat, Butch shoved Brick, throwing him off balance and making him land on his butt. "You asshole! You hit him too hard!"

"I'm fine." Boomer groaned. "I'll be better in two days." He tried to stand but was still too unsteady from being knocked around so violently.

Butch carefully helped his brother to stand, making sure that he was able to stay somewhat upright. "I'll take you home, Boomer. Make sure you get fixed up, all right?" He then turned his glare onto his older brother. "You go to the professor and get checked out."

Putting a hand to his face and felt the coagulated blood from the punch. "This is nothing."

"Your blood turned black, Brick. Right before you did this to Boomer, I'm sure of it." He secured a hand around Boomer, more to hide the shaking of his own hand. "If you go home without getting checked by the professor, I will smash your ribs as you did to Boomer."

The allegations of what his brother was saying crashed in Brick. The fear he saw in Butch's eyes made sense now. His brother thought H.I.M had influenced him. Brick could admit that after Boomer punched him, he did feel weird for a few moments, but he didn't think it was H.I.M. It couldn't have been, could it?

Boomer's groan of pain drew bother brother's attention. Butch took a better hold of Boomer and started to fly off the ground, supporting Boomer's weight. "I'm taking him home. You go to the professor's. I'll call Buttercup to make sure you went there." With that, he began the careful flight back to Townsville.

Brick watched his brothers disappear over the tree line. Letting out the breath that was lodged in his chest, he put his head between knees. If H.I.M did take him over, then it meant he was back or enough of him survived that battle to still influence him. The urge to give into that fear and start panicking was strong, but Brick forced himself to remember who he needed to be strong for. He already failed Blossom once. They recovered relatively quickly, but he still worried that something might trigger her. He'd do anything to make sure he never her hurt again. Now, there wasn't just Blossom, her sisters, and his brothers to worry about. There was Blazing Coal to think about. His newborn son that was the most defenseless of them all needed him to protect him—even if it was from himself.

Pulling himself from despair, Brick got up and flew with super speed to the Utonium home. Shitty as it was that he wouldn't be home in time to put his son to bed with Blossom, Brick knew Blossom would understand his worry.

Coal was having a bad day. He'd been woken from his nap by some strange energy surge that had his small body humming uncomfortably. Unhappy by being forced awake and the unfamiliar sensation left him cranky and crying for the better part of the afternoon. Mommy had tried to calm him with her frozen powers, but she was a little nervous herself. To make matters worse, Daddy had been gone almost all day. He felt his warmth that morning but had yet to feel it even as the sun sank into the early evening.

His evening was further disturbed by a yellow-haired version of Mommy. She looked like his mommy, but had blue eyes instead of pink and was of normal temperature. She'd tried to hold him, but Coal was so hot with anger that holding him was almost unbearable. Thankfully that strange sensation had long since passed, but now he just wanted his daddy. Where was Daddy?

While Coal was quietly pondering, Blossom was listening to Bubbles describe her relationship troubles. "The first time I see him in days, and he wants to talk to Jamie." She griped.

"Why wouldn't he? If someone kissed Brick, I would definitely go to the offending party to figure out why." Blossom said, trying to maintain the reason while trying to soothe Coal. His temperature had yet to decrease, indicating he was getting sleepy. He was as far away from being sleepy as a newborn could ever be. "Also, you have no right to be angry. You're the one that didn't just come out and tell Boomer that Jamie kissed you."

"Well, how was I supposed to tell him? You know how jealous he gets." Bubbles told her sister, watching as her nephew was rocked.

That response earned her an eye roll and a scoff. "I don't know, Bubbles. He's your boyfriend, but if you keep doubting how he'll deal with things, I don't know for how much longer."

Sky blue eyes looked up from bright red to tired pink. The sugar stared at her everything nice sister with her breath constricted. "Do you really mean that?"

"Boomer might be nicknamed The Dummy, but you're the one that's been stupid about this whole thing," Blossom told her, just as her phone rang. Carefully maneuvering Coal to one arm, Blossom reached for her phone on the coffee table. Seeing that it was Brick, she immediately answered and brought her phone to her ear. "Brick? What happened?"

"Boomer and I got a little banged up. Butch flew him to the tower and I'm at the Professor's right now." He sighed on the other end of the phone. "I'll be home late, so can you kiss Coal goodnight for me?"

The sudden slamming of the door startled Blossom and Coal. While Blossom stared at the still trembling door, Coal let out a wail. Anger swelled in Blossom at Bubbles' singlemindedness but tried to reign it in. It would do neither Coal nor herself any good.

"Blossom? Is everything okay?" The weariness that was in Brick's tone was replaced by fear.

"Yeah. It was just Bubbles. She slammed the door on her way out and it startled Coal." She explained as she turned her phone to the speaker setting. She needed both hands so that she could properly soothe her baby. "He's been agitated since this afternoon."

"I could imagine." He mused, calmer now that he knew nothing was wrong. The professor's voice sounded in the distance but wasn't discernable to Blossom. All she heard was Brick's. "I'm not sure," answer.

Blowing a cooling breath over her overheated baby, Blossom's brow furrowed with confusion. "What aren't you sure about?"

"I'm having some tests done." Brick answered shortly. "Butch thinks he saw something on the Isle. I just want to be sure that it was nothing."

The young mother stopped blowing cool air as she sucked in a sharp break. "Was it nothing?"

"I don't know." He huffed, no doubt blowing smoke. "Don't wait up for me. Put Coal to sleep and go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

"Brick—."

"I'll tell you everything in the morning." He promised before hanging up the phone.

The professor watched as Brick got off the phone with his daughter. The younger man set his phone on the table and rubbed a hand over his face as he breathed out another cloud of smoke.

"Is everything okay?"

From behind his hands, Brick shook his head. "I can't be sure until you finish your tests."

The professor nodded as he looked back down his microscope to the blood sample he'd acquired minutes before. The normally red blood appeared darker than it should've been, but other than that looked fine. Something must've shown on the portion of his face that Brick could see,because he was then asked about his findings.

"Your blood looks different."

"Is it H.I.M?"

Looking up from his microscope, the professor matched Brick's worried stare with a steady one. "It's too early to tell, but I will let you know should I find anything more."

Brick nodded, knowing that was all he could hope for.

Hi my loves. I started working part time-a blessing during this time, so my writing time and brain function has been limited. Also, working toward getting my platform ready for my original is taking time away from writing as well. As soon as my bases are fully laid out, I plan to spend more time writing. For my original, it's the hope that by January I will have the first five chapters written and ready to be published. If I could apply that to my other works, I think I will be golden.

This is a great task I've set myself on. Blood, sweat, tears, and time are going into this whole heartedly. I'll try not to get my stories mixed as I'll still be writing my fanfiction as I write my original pieces. That being said, if for whatever reason you don't hear from mee for over a month, it's because I'm taking a mental break. I'll try to let you guys know when I do, but the key word here is try.

I love you all and thank you for the continued support. I can't wait to go on this next adventure with you, especially as I bring new characters and placed to life.

Until Next Time