Wednesday Evening
As their powers and abilities grew and evolved so did the parameters for the fighting simulator; levels had been adjusted, numbers had to be added, and scenarios were changed. Sticky pads that marked their joints and monitored their powers were created and the addition of large, plastic yellow-orange goggles helped them stay within the walls without damaging them.
On the other side of the glass Blossom fiddled with the dials, cranking them up further despite the professor's protests the day before. Tightening the high ponytail on the crown of her skull Blossom lowered the goggles onto her face before giving her father a quick nod as she closed the door to the control room, "we should be done in another hour, we're fine."
Punching in the four-digit code that notified that she was logging in Blossom stepped into the vast room where Bubbles and Buttercup sat on the floor with weariness that she herself was trying to deny.
"Okay, girls, lets get ready. I increased the difficulty significantly."
Frustrated, Buttercup pushed herself off the floor, "what the hell, Bloss? You really think this is going to be any different?"
"We keep going until we can't, or until we find a solution." She was resolute in her decision, and as the leader it was her duty to call the shots they needed to take as a team.
"But, Blossom," Buttercup placated, only to be ignored as her sister began to limber her muscles up again. With a huff her green eyes flicked to Bubbles who was slowly getting up to her feet and shaking her head.
They knew when they could reason with their leader and when they couldn't. This wasn't the time. The walls shifted and the ceiling contorted slightly, pixels of color fell about and distorted the room until it was a layered image of the city engulfed in flames. A classic when it came to the program. Immediately they could feel the sweltering heat pulsing, the air filled with smoke and artificial screams.
It wasn't accurate, only being scanned in from the difficult to see through footage from the news and descriptions the girls had supplied, but the creature loomed up in a slick and oozing mass of tendrils and teeth. Normally this sort of thing would unnerve Bubbles, even in a simulator, but this thing didn't evoke that same creeping anxiety or numbing fear that the real thing did.
Rolling her shoulder Buttercup stepped forward, "Alright, let's get this over with."
Blossom was already building a swirling energy ball between her hands, the crackling of electricity moving down her arms and fingers as she fueled her attack. Surging forward as a decoy Bubbles dodged a few lashing whips and was able to let Blossom get into an open position to launch the attack effectively but as she swerved up she felt something coil around her ankle before throwing her backwards and into the artificial pavement below.
Sliding a few feet she felt the discomfort of the simulator applying the pain that should have been equivalent of the attack received but without the searing acidity and bite into her flesh she gave an angry grunt. "Blossom!" Buttercup whipped around to see her blonde sister who was pushing a sweaty piece of hair out of her face, "this isn't going to work." She cast a glare at the window that hovered in the orange "sky" and shouted, "Mission: Pause!"
Immediately everything came to a standstill, the licking flames were frozen in place, the coiled vines and tendrils, the upside down pick up truck that was flying through the air. Landing heavily a few feet in front of Bubbles was Blossom who waved an arm out beside her, "what are you doing? We're supposed to be training."
"This isn't going to work, Blossom, nothing is right," she didn't mean to come off whiny, but she was tired of pretending like this was going to teach them something.
"That doesn't mean-," but Blossom was quickly cut off by her usually sweet sister.
"We're better off coming up with something new or doing more stamina building exercises." She crossed her arms and pouted, standing right outside of their interaction was Buttercup, shocked that this was even happening.
Furrowing her brows for a moment Blossom could only look at Bubbles incredulously before casting a suspicious glance at Buttercup whose jaw dropped and hand flew to her chest defensively, "oh please, you think I'm the one who told her to say this shit?"
"Why don't you think I can stand up to you on my own?" Hurt and betrayal at her sister's lack of confidence in her caused Bubbles to take a step forward with her arms opened. This was unlike her, typically the one to be the peacemaker she was throwing things out of balance.
Blossom wasn't one to back down and instead chided her sister, "please, Bubbles, I never said you couldn't."
"You didn't have to," her arms crossed across her body again, "it was pretty obvious."
Dumbstruck for a moment Buttercup just looked between both of her sisters before raising both hands as Bubbles often did with her and Blossom and attempted to diffuse the situation. "Seriously? C'mon guys, we're just wasting time now."
Blossom looked insulted at the very accusation, but Bubbles huffed, "that's exactly my point."
Narrowing her eyes at Bubbles, Blossom barked back, "this isn't a game, Bubbles. People are dying. I don't care that I've had us training the last two nights already, we need to keep going." Pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes she continued, "I get you're tired, we all are but this is our job. We have to train harder if we want-," but she was cut off again.
"I never said that! Stop putting words in my mouth," she couldn't help herself and stomped her foot in a childish manner. This just caused Blossom to look at her disapprovingly and that only caused Bubbles to become more heated. "The simulator doesn't even have the right information, we're getting nowhere." She could feel her nails digging into the soft flesh of her palm but didn't stop, she was hoping that if she distracted herself with pain on that level that she could keep herself from crying, that was a losing battle though.
Behind hot tears that ran down her cheeks she continued her counter, "we aren't trying to fight through blinding pain, this thing is smarter than what the program has built into it, and our powers are useless because we can only go based off of what we already know won't work in the long run." A ragged edge of pleading was hanging at the end of her statement but something in her told her this was futile.
"The blasts work," Blossom's tone was cool, but there was an edge to it, it was a warning not to continue anymore.
Snorting with contempt Bubbles blurted, "barely! I'm fine with coming up with new plans and developing our stamina for a third night in a row but this is just dumb, Blossom!" Improving the barrier ability was far more preferred to her at the moment, learning how to throw it up and launch attacks at the same time would be useful… figuring out how to combine their blasts into something more effective would feel better than fighting a simulation that was nothing like the real deal. There was no way to find a weak spot on something that hadn't properly shown any.
There was a creeping discomfort in Buttercup's chest as she witnessed her sisters go toe-to-toe, this wasn't like them… they weren't as impulsive as she was or quick to be heated by an argument. The tension and stress of the last few days was wearing on them, pressure to figure things out was high and they were up a creek without a paddle. Even Chief Rosa didn't have any news to share with them, informing them she'd give weekly checks until something was spotted.
"Guys, knock it off, we don't need any problems," she tried weakly.
"I don't have a problem with our training, everything is fine," Blossom narrowed her eyes, she was shutting this down. She whipped around to walk away, her back to the blonde as she inhaled deeply, ready to give the command for the mission to begin again.
"Don't you dare walk away from me, Blossom Utonium!" Bubbles gripped her sister's wrist and spun her to look at her, "why won't you just listen to me?" She didn't want to beg, but here she was pleading for her leader to just give her a chance.
Blossom would never admit to them that she really didn't know what she was doing, she was just doing what had always worked in the past… it would this time too, right? Right. A part of Blossom was standing and observing the argument from the outside, this part of her wanted to run and wrap her arms around the physical Blossom's shoulders and cry to just tell them she didn't know what to do. Just be honest! They'll help you! They love you! But there was another side whispering in her ear that if she couldn't handle this now then she didn't deserve to be the leader.
Perhaps it was her pride and her common sense, she didn't know, but between the arguments in her head and the ones happening outside of her own body she felt that tightly wound wire in her chest snap.
Jerking her hand away she snapped, "enough!" As her arm swept away she felt the sparks and ignition of her powers crawling out of her skin. The rose colored streak sliced through the air with intention and Bubbles stumbled back a few steps. Blossom didn't even have time to register what she'd done before she'd brought her arms up defensively to block a hooked swing from the blonde. Blossom could hear Buttercup yelling though, and the instinct to fight her attacker reared it's head.
After days of waiting in the wings the three young men were finally reunited with their initial creator. Boomer had immediately run into the room and with great relief had wrapped his arms around the shoulders of Mojo, even Butch couldn't deny the immense weight that left his shoulders at seeing the primate sitting upright and responsive. Brick was more reserved in his approach but the look on his face as Mojo gave a firm clasp of his rough hand on the teen's along with an approving nod spoke volumes to the brothers.
As much as they'd never admit it aloud it was true that Brick was the one that had kept them together and moving forward during all of this… after all, had Brick not been in control then they would've never reached out to the girls… and things would be much, much more different.
Elizabeth was explaining to them his condition overall, "-please don't sneak him any foods, he's been trying to steal our phones so he can order sushi." Her look was weary, but he was unphased by the doctor and just motioned to 'shoo' her away. "We got him the whiteboard as his hand has gotten steadier, just don't push him too much."
Now this, this is just insulting. Can you believe that she- who thinks she knows what's best for me is denying me- Mojo Jojo, food? Apparently my sons have brought me to a prison, it's a betrayal I tell you. This must be the fault of those Powerpuff Girls. "—ing. ….-tha…knows wha-…den…me- -o Jo, ..?...—sons -ve… pris, be-ayal…mu- lt… ower-uff.. urls."
Boomer exchanged a look with Butch, "uhhh… you need to slow down, Pops, we can't exactly…," he gestured awkwardly with his hands. It was difficult keeping up with Mojo normally, his disjointed speech wasn't making things easier.
Grumbling to himself Mojo uncapped the marker and the soft shuffling accompanied by the brief whine that would cut through the air followed the words he was writing out. With raised brows he turned the board around and with a flourish pulled his free hand beneath the board and shared his wisdom.
THIS WOMAN IS DEPRIVING ME OF SUSTINANCE. MY SONS WHY HAVE YOU BETRAYED ME LIKE THIS?
Brick rolled his eyes and shook his head, "you're supposed to be the 'reasonable' parent, not the dramatic one." Mojo scowled but Brick just ignored him, pulling a full duffle up off the floor. "We brought you changes of clothing, another helmet, and some of your notebooks. Hardly betrayal."
With eager hands Mojo reached for the bag and pulled the zipper with a rush, his hands immediately grasped around the smooth and cool material of the helmet and pulled it out of the bag. Just sliding it back onto his exposed brain was an added protection he'd been much more desperate for than he'd realized. Composing himself he gave a short nod to the boys and ignored the way Brick rolled his eyes before plopping the bag back down onto the floor.
Hopping onto the end of the bed Boomer dangled one leg off while the other was crossed, his sneakered foot hanging over his knee. "We've been real worried, Pops."
A tight smile pulled at Mojo's lips, he knew as much. He still couldn't believe his boys had gotten as far as they did, he still had no idea how he'd ended up in the underground of Townsville, he knew he had an emergency hatch that led out to the sewers but if he had used it then he would've flooded it. He had a lot of questions for when he gained more mobility back and could investigate further. Gesturing with his hand at the nearby chairs he indicated to the other two to join them. While Brick and Butch did just that he began scrawling in bold dark letters on the whiteboard: OTHER THAN THE ABOMINATION WHAT ELSE HAVE I MISSED?
Mojo wasn't exactly champing at the bit to speak about the creature that landed him in his current position but he figured that his sons would have plenty to speak with him about.
Giving a shrug Brick crossed his arms, "pretty much nothing is new." He was immediately met with three looks of disbelief from his creator and brothers. "What? School is still annoying and we've kept our noses clean. Same old."
"Are we not going to talk about hanging around here or the fact you actually attended a high school party?" Boomer was purposefully pointing that out and with a surprised but sly expression Mojo leaned forward. "Or," Boomer went in for the killing blow, "the fact that Marion told me you've been having nightly phone calls with Blo- yo! What was that for?" Boomer had narrowly dodged a quick laser shot from Brick's eyes that left a scorch mark on the once pristine walls of the room.
"I must've sneezed," rubbing the underside of his nose with his knuckle Brick gave a sniff and leaned back in his chair.
Cackling, Butch smacked his leg and pointed at Boomer, "dude, he didn't miss!" That's when Boomer noticed the sharp smell of singed hair, reaching up he patted around until he felt the ends by the side of his head. Crispy.
"You asshole!"
Holding his hands up it was useless as Mojo knew he wouldn't get them to settle down anytime soon, but there was a hint of a smile curling at the corners of Boomer's mouth and even Brick wasn't sneering, his eyes were bright with excitement. His boys were alive and happy, they still teased one another relentlessly and Mojo couldn't help but feel a sense of relief at the scene.
Twisting in his seat slightly Brick tossed the other notebook onto the bedside table beside Mojo's bed, currently the primate had his glasses on and was peering at the screen of a tablet Boomer had brought over. "No, Pops, you have to tap on these guys here for them to go to that spot, not draw a line. And you gotta tap it a lot." He and Butch had downloaded some strategy RPG onto the device for Mojo's amusement for after they left. Brick could only speculate that the professor and Mojo were working together to some degree, but without confirmation he didn't want to rain on his brother's parade that their kind gesture was probably going to be ignored in lieu of research.
"So we have the funeral thing tomorrow night," Brick reminded his brothers, "so we can come by right after school but Ace is expecting us so we need to show face."
Butch looked at Mojo as the primate went to open his mouth, "c'mon, Pop, you're in no condition to be down there. Ace knows that too."
Shutting his mouth Mojo sulkily grabbed the tablet from Boomer and sighed. He'd been shocked to hear about Grubber, but there was a selfish thought that bubbled up around the lines of, 'better him than me.' That only pressed the guilt that he wouldn't be able to give his condolences, but he knew if he wrote a letter that the boys would deliver it. Maybe he could convince Dr. Stark to allow him a chance to send some flowers to the location… his wifi being disabled on his own tablet to prevent him from ordering some actual good food and interfering with the ridiculous diet she still had him on.
A low tremor rippled through the lab followed by a nearly deafening slam of heavy metal connecting with concrete, reactively the three boys were on their feet and in a defensive position. Even though they didn't realize it each of them felt a pang of worry for their counterparts and rushed to the doorway. Brick was already outside of the room while Boomer and Butch were hanging on the edge.
The metal door to the simulation room was crushed into the wall, hinges splintered in a way that made them look like metallic shreds of wood, dust cleared as a worked up Bubbles stormed through ripping the sensors off of her body. Brick's shoulders dropped and he straightened up, it was on the tip of his tongue to say something when a voice called back from the room, "get back here! We're not done yet!"
Frazzled, Blossom stumbled through the doorway and the gazes of both girls burned into one another. Throwing the goggles onto the floor Bubbles bit back, "well I am!" The lenses cracked from the force of her throw against the tile, the ceramic collapsing into the base below.
Leaping from his chair the Professor shouted, "girls! What's going on he-," but he was quickly cut off when Blossom almost lunged forward. She was only held back from Buttercup gripping her upper arm, knuckles white.
"Just let it go, Bloss," Buttercup was on edge and she wasn't used to the two of them going toe-to-toe.
Incredulous, Blossom whipped her head back, "let go of me, Buttercup," her eyes were blazing so intensely that they almost looked red in the light.
Coming out of their frozen confusion the boys seemed to shake themselves loose, Boomer exchanged a glance with Brick before he stepped forward to address the girls, "hey, uh, you three O.K?"
Butch had been so focused on the scene he found he kept looking between the red head and the blonde. They were both scuffed up, clothing singed and ice encasing the bottom half of Bubbles' sneaker, but Blossom's always pristine ponytail was loose and askew. His gut told him now wasn't the time to get involved and put himself in the line of fire, his hand clasped Brick's shoulder but he was already too late when Boomer had opened his mouth.
"Just because you don't like how I'm doing things doesn't mean I'm wrong," Blossom snapped, but there was strain in her voice. If she was wrong… then what did that mean for them?
"Well, congrats, Blossom," Bubbles baited, "you are wrong, you don't know anything." Her mouth was running faster than her brain was at this point. Beneath the shock and upset that she'd said such words to Blossom was a sickening satisfaction at the stunned expression on her sister's face. This wasn't like her.
"Bubbles!" The Professor stepped in front of Boomer who had taken another step forward, "that's no way to talk to one another, I know you're tired but-," his voice was again swallowed up by a shout.
"Don't patronize us!" Blossom's fists were practically shaking by her sides and she felt like she was on the brink of tears.
Perhaps it was some sort of ingrained instinct within Brick but he stepped towards Blossom, "take it easy, Red," his eyes were steady and locked on hers. "No one is patronizing anyone here," his eyes flicked to Bubbles who surprisingly enough was dry eyed at the moment. "Just settle down," it was like calming a wild horse the tension was so high within the room.
However if this was a wild horse situation then Bubbles wasn't easing down any time soon, she spun on her heel and stalked up the steps.
Boomer jumped forward, "Bubs, wait a sec!"
He was pushed into silence as she shouted back, "don't talk to me!"
Blossom was staring intensely at the floor while Brick had a hand on her arm, he was speaking softly but for some reason no one paid attention to his words. Relieved she could let go of her sister, Buttercup started to maneuver around the pair and in the direction of her other sister. She stopped short when she felt someone pull at her wrist, surprised she looked stubbornly up at Butch. He shook his head, "let her blow off some steam."
Caught off guard that Butch of all people was giving her advice on her baby sister she didn't hide her puzzlement, "if I don't go after her now I won't be able to catch her, now let go." Instead of releasing her he moved himself between her and the stairs. "Butch, I said-," her cheeks were flushed when he put his palm up.
"I think I know where she's heading, I'll go get her in a bit."
"Wha-?" Her brain wasn't processing this and she took a step back. In that step back she bumped into Boomer who was picking up the torn off sensors, "dude?" The way he looked up at her gave her a mental image of someone kicking his puppy, and awkwardly she said, "look she wasn't mad at you, Bubbles hardly ever gets mad at people." She knew inside that her sisters weren't as frustrated with one another as things appeared, they were frustrated at this whole situation, but without someone to blame… well…
"Yeah," he stood awkwardly, handing her the sensors. Buttercup pulled the goggles off her face and was about to say something in regards to helping her pull the door out of the wall when Boomer spoke again, puzzled, "where'd Butch go?"
Looking around the room Buttercup was shocked she hadn't even noticed he had slipped out, before she could investigate for herself she was pulled away by the Professor asking for help.
Slamming the palm of her fist into the rock again a wave of satisfaction and relief surged through her chest as the stone crumbled into small pieces and poured onto the sandy shore. She'd had to look a little longer on the beach to find something she could fully take her anger out on but it'd been worth it to feel a solid obstacle give. Stumbling back a few steps she rolled her head back and exhaled into the salty air and stars, her hands coming up in fists to rest lightly on her eyelids. It finally felt like there was some relief to the anger that had taken control of her earlier, dropping her hands to her side she opened her eyes and continued to look above her in the darkness.
Normally she would be much more uneasy, frightened even, but tonight she needed this shadow and darkness. She needed to hide this side of her that had been forcing it's way slowly through her skin for months. Rolling her head back into position she heard the small pops and cracks as she righted herself, the last two days of training had been grueling and the fight she'd had with Blossom hadn't been easy on her body either. Quickly Bubbles clasped both hands to her red cheeks and groaned inwardly, she'd never wanted to fight with Blossom, not like that. How did things get so out of hand?
Her body had recognized the area with ease and she found herself walking back into the cove-like area where she and Butch had been training for the last few weeks now, she only stopped dead when she saw a figure sitting on one of the flat rocks and slightly hunched over the glow of a phone. When those dark green eyes flicked up to look at her she didn't detect any sort of surprise, there was nothing angry lurking within their depths either but she felt her guard rise up regardless.
It didn't take long for her to close the distance between them, but with a cocked hip and a suspicious raise of her eyebrows she asked, "who told you to babysit me?"
He'd been leaning forward but now he relaxed his body backwards; she didn't seem to be displaying any injuries other than the ones that had been healing from Saturday and the ones she'd stumbled into the lab with that evening, "no one, I knew you'd be here though."
Guilt at even trying to keep a wall up between them because he'd seen that fight crumbled away, it had already been flimsy but she knew she could be authentic with him and that shamed her. With a sigh she plopped down beside him, she wished she could be as nonchalant as Buttercup was in situations like this. "Sorry you had to see all of…," there really wasn't a good word for it, "that. I don't normally, we don't normally act like that."
A small but genuine smile slipped onto his lips, "trust me, I've seen worse." And although it had been shocking he knew that he and his brothers could be just as brutal, maybe more so in his eyes. It was also plenty possible that the girls could have worse fights than that too.
"Thanks," her words were tired but she did believe him. Turning her face to look at him she returned the smile, she didn't even notice how her body was positioned towards him in general already, inner comfort taking over in this moment.
Of course the stupid part of Butch's brain that couldn't just let him have this moment with the blue Puff, it's like there was determination to blurt out something so she'd think he was gross or a total creep. "Plus you're totally hot when you get worked up like that," the crooked smile tightened at the corner and he waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her. If he could've punched himself in the face just now then he totally would've.
Surprise washed over her features, caught off guard by his remark, but the facial expression that followed had her bite her lip to stifle a laugh. It failed and she heartedly laughed full out for a few moments, but just as quickly as the laughter had erupted from her did it warp into choked sobs. Her hands wiped desperately at her eyes as she willed them to stop. "I really messed up," the words caught in her throat and she started to turn away, "sorry, I'll get myself together, I… I know you don't like crying girls."
At first he'd been relieved when he'd made her laugh, it was a way better sound then the tired words she'd previously given him, and it was way better than the yelling, but as soon as she crumbled into tears he felt panicked. Shit. Fuck. He hurriedly tried to backpedal, resting a hand on her thigh he leaned down and tried to stop her, "no, it's not- ah," his words were tumbling over themselves, "it doesn't really bug me that much when girls cry, I just don't like it when you cry."
Perhaps they were both meant to be clueless in this moment because registration didn't really reach Bubbles and Butch was just flustered and didn't know what the heck he was saying anymore.
"W-what?" She sniffled but with a trembling lip she bolted onto her feet and wiped at her face with the back of her arm, "I get it, O.K.? I'm trying to stop," of course no one would like it when she, a notorious crybaby, started to openly weep and sob.
"Shit," he was right on her heels as he stood, his arm reached around her shoulders and he turned her towards him before pulling her into his chest. "I'm not good at this stuff, I didn't mean it like that." It wasn't a lie, he really didn't have much experience in this department. Dates? Sure. Emotionally connecting with people? Nope. Butch's face was burning and he was just glad her face was in his chest and not looking straight at him, also grateful for the darkness of night, his other hand rested on the top of her head and he exhaled a heavy sigh. "Look, what I'm trying to say is that you didn't mess up, things are just really, really tense right now. You and Bloss probably need a break, that's all."
With one arm crushed between them and the other awkwardly hanging by her side she leaned into him and tried to stifle her sobs. The fact that she'd pushed him to something this… extreme, or it was at least extreme for Butch, did mean he hadn't meant to be offensive. She didn't have time to dwell on his past words as she listened to his voice now. She could tell he was trying, it wasn't as natural to him as it was to her to seek others out through touch, but this was a big part of her communication.
Placing her free hand onto the bicep of the arm that still held her close she leaned her forehead into his body and after a trembling sigh spoke up, "we don't get to have breaks, you know that, not during times like this." It made sense, and her gut knew she needed to be able to walk away from this every so often just like Blossom should be able to as well. The fingers on her hand that was sandwiched between them flexed and tightened around the smooth cotton of his shirt absentmindedly.
"Well I'll make it my job that you can walk away for a little here and there, and during that time you're not allowed to think about that thing or this whole shitshow going on in the city." He was feeling awfully self-conscious as he felt her fingers moving between their bodies but he had no intention of moving at that moment, "you can have me meet you in the park, or we can meet here, or you can just hang out in our house and you don't have to think about any of that shit."
She was quiet as she turned her head, her cheek now pressed against him, but at least the sobbing had stopped. She seemed to be thinking, he couldn't tell, but he was slowly becoming more conscious of how she felt in his grasp. He knew, without a doubt, that he was 100% fucked.
Feeling her muscles pulling away from him Butch reluctantly released his hold on her, he didn't need to do anything he shouldn't. It was already a sin against his brothers and fathers for letting her get under his skin to this degree.
Her sigh relaxed her chest and she gave him a small but genuine smile, "thanks, I'd really like that." Exhaling she rubbed her hands on the tight and chapped feeling skin on her face, "you promise?" When she stopped the pushing on her skin she noticed Butch reluctantly holding a pinky out and looking away at something on the ground.
"Yeah, I promise."
Chuckling she wrapped her pinky around his, she felt lighter with this action. With her communication aflame between all the contact she perched onto her toes and light as a feather left a quick kiss on his cheek. "You remembered." Despite the tired smile on her face she backed off, turning around and completely missing the look of utter shock on his own.
"Y-yeah…," He blinked and shook his head, "we should head back." Despite making out with plenty of girls, teasing them too, he felt completely out of it that this one little peck on the cheek had him so disorientated. This wasn't like him, he was the king of cool and… totally and completely screwed.
~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~
~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~
Thursday Evening
Fiddling with his tie in the front seat, Boomer glanced in the visor mirror. Getting dressed up didn't happen often for the boys, and they'd never known anyone personally that had died before.
"C'mon, dude, we're already running behind." Butch was grumbling from the sidewalk under a streetlight, he was trying not to mess up the tie that Marion had meticulously tied before they'd disembarked.
"I know, I know," Boomer opened the driver side door and slammed it shut, as soon as he did so Brick's head whipped over to give him an intense and wide-eyed stare.
"What did I tell you about slamming my doors?"
Pushing the 'lock' button Boomer tossed the keys to an open handed Butch who snatched them before digging them into the pocket of his blazer. "You're the one who can't find their license, some responsible driver."
Brick continued to scowl at his brothers who just exchanged smug glances. Jackasses. Butch took the lead as they entered the lobby to the club, Brick pulled his phone out once more and begrudgingly pocketed it. He hadn't heard from Red since earlier that evening, but he'd asked if he could call her later and see how she was holding up. Maybe he shouldn't have phrased it like that? Too late now.
Passing the 'Closed for Private Event' signage on the door, it was easier to get into the club on a night like this. Security was still working the door though, Delphine was wearing a white pantsuit, her eyes sharp as the three boys entered. Confused, Boomer leaned forward and whispered in Brick's ear, "I thought you were supposed to wear dark clothing to funerals."
"This is my mourning attire," her voice surprised the teens as she scanned the list and marked off the names of the guests invited. Heavy lidded eyes looked at them with little to no interest, jabbing her pen to the right she explained, "you can pay respects in that line, afterwards you're free to join for refreshments," she paused and in a deadly serious manner explained, "nonalcoholic refreshments," then continued, "or you may leave."
Butch sighed and rolled his eyes, "no fun," but he was jokingly elbowed by Boomer.
"Aren't you the one driving us home?"
"I'm a capable driver, thank you very much."
"Shut it," Brick grumbled as they joined the steadily moving line.
There were more people here than he'd thought there would be, but people were likely going stir crazy with the curfew in place and most establishments shut down after dark. It had only been five days but in a bustling city like Townsville it wasn't surprising that members of the city were champing at the bit as if it had been months instead of days. Brick was coolly scoping out who was present in line and was pleased when he noticed Butch doing the same over his shoulder and Boomer scanning the bodies of those speaking with the Gangreen Gang. Despite not being active in the villain-scene so much there were plenty of people who disliked them that were probably here.
Boomer gave a tap on Brick's shoulder and gestured with his eyes towards a particular trio, Bossman, Junior, and Slim were always an interesting sight to behold. In the last 10 years they'd managed to adapt and evolve a bit, sprouting 'legs' and 'arms' if they could be called that. Their strange strides always looked cartoonish and comical, so somehow The Amoeba Boys became an even bigger parody of their 20's gangster personas.
They were, by far, the most harmless of all the villains, which they insisted wasn't true. Butch tilted his head slightly, "no sight of Lumpkins, guess he's still laying low."
He'd paid for demon protection from HIM just like Seduca had, however it hadn't done her much good in the end. HIM really did have their abilities and influence pulled in all directions at once.
Each of the remaining members of the Gangreen Gang stood in a line off to the side of an urn, the brass was gleaming under the lighting that was surrounding it and the bouquets were overwhelming in their scent. Lilies and carnations were the most abundant, the small notecards peeking out of the mess of petals and stems were no doubt scribbled with condolences and prayers, not that it was something the boys were familiar with. While the three of them stood in front of the display of grief they each felt weighted pressure of what this meant.
From the corner of his eye Brick recognized the curved and rounded letters of Red's handwriting, they were on a cream colored card sticking out of a bouquet of gladiolas, the small smile that moved it's way onto his face felt out of place at this sort of gathering and he quickly snuffed it out. Boomer pointed at one of the wreaths decked with lilies and commented, "that's the one pop sent."
Butch raised an eyebrow, "it doesn't look half bad, I'm impressed."
"It's not like he had to make it," Boomer replied.
"Yeah, but I meant that more as he doesn't have the best taste in things," at that they all had to agree was 100% correct.
As the guests moved away from the men Brick gestured with his head, "our turn."
The smile on Ace's face was a shadow of it's usual self, but the man struck his hand out to the kids he was all too familiar with, "nice of youse to come."
Brick was the first to shake his hand, "wouldn't miss it."
"Ya look a lil outta place wit-out ya hat."
"Come off it, man," Brick gave a small chuckle before saying, "we're really sorry, Ace, seriously. Grubber was a decent guy."
Ace shrugged, "ah, nuttin youse guys did. But, ah, tanks," he paused and looked over the rim of his shades, "fa bringin him back home."
That night with the forensics team felt like months ago instead of a few weeks, part of Brick felt guilty since that night had ended really, really well for him. Well, in terms of dealing with Blossom Utonium but he'd liked it a lot more than he'd ever tell anyone outloud.
"Yeah, of course man," he gave a firm pat to Ace's shoulder, not all that good at this whole… 'thing' going on. "Just take care of yourself and the rest of the guys, we'll figure this out."
Brick moved away a bit tightlipped and slightly embarrassed when Ace looked over his shade again, "oh ho-ho," but he slipped his glasses back into place and shook Butch's hand.
"Sorry, man," Butch started off rather lamely, but Ace just waved him off.
"Ya got ta be da barra' of bad news, its ah-right." The corner of his mouth quirked slightly, "so youse are still workin' wit da Puffs, hm?"
Heat immediately colored his face and Butch tried to laugh it off, "ah yeah, something like that."
"Ya looked good on da TV, are ya gettin' a matchin' uniform?" Ace teased Butch and the teen mumbled something under his breath, leaning over from his conversation with Boomer Snake interjected.
"Come on, Ac-ssssssss-e, if you teasssssse him anymore his head'll pop off."
Ace continued to laugh and Boomer patted Butch's shoulder with a mini shake, "I don't know why you're so worked up, Big Billy wants to talk to you."
Relieved to escape this moment Butch quickly said, "I'll talk to you later, Ace. Snake." Without using his powers he was in front of Billy in a flash who was already pulling the teen into a bone crushing hug.
Boomer was now left with Snake and Ace, since Brick was wrapping up with lil Arturo, he shook Ace's hand, "I was just telling Snake that I was sorry," he grimaced slightly. He and Blossom had been the ones to stumble across the corpse, he'd even thrown up from the sight and smell, not a detail he wanted to pass on to the gang.
Snake pulled on the collar of his shirt awkwardly but nodded, Ace's laughter had fallen away by this point and he nodded, "we appreciate what youse did for him." Boomer nodded sympathetically, he imagined these guys losing Grubber was like him losing Brick or Butch, a feeling that made him feel cold to his very bones.
"How's the business holding up?"
Snake gave a half shrug, "Ssssssssssuckssss, but the dissssspencery isssss booming."
"Anxious people love weed," Ace smirked, "we'll hold until this all blows ova'. We always do."
With his hands in his pockets Boomer give a chuckle and nodded, it wasn't something he could deny. After that he dismissed himself and joined his brothers at the end of the line, both brothers were more composed at this point, Butch trying to not pick at the last remaining cut that was almost fully healed and Brick looking at his cell phone in a serious manner.
"Meeting is scheduled for our next job, Wednesday night." Brick shut the screen off and put his phone back into his pocket.
Butch looked half interested, "same guy, right?"
"Yeah," Brick turned to grab a drink from the bar.
Following him Boomer asked, "again? Well, can Butch and I actually come to the meeting this time?"
Brick eyed them thoughtfully as he took a drink out of the smooth glass, he already hadn't liked it when he had Butch wait outside for him, but he had a feeling he should bring them along this time around. He wasn't going to decide so quickly though, "let me think about it."
"Well, well, well, I'm surprised you three made it," a feminine voice called to them from a few stools down. Sitting with her legs crossed at the ankle and in a flattering black wrap dress was Princess Morbucks. She was drinking from a martini glass, though it was hard to say if she'd gotten away with something alcoholic or not.
Crossing his arms Brick indicated at her with his head, "it'd be rude if we didn't. How long have you been here?"
Placing the glass down she inspected her nails in a bored manner, "I got here about an hour ago, I'm just waiting for my driver to pull up." Boomer pulled up on a stool one over from the girl while Butch ordered two drinks for him and his brother. Although Brick didn't love being around Princess she wasn't… the worst. Most of the time. "So have you made a move yet?" Never mind. She was the worst all of the time.
Hissing the words as he leaned on the bar between her and Boomer he made direct eye contact with her, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Right, riiiiight, you have to keep doing whatever this," she skeptically gestured at him, "is."
Brick only raised an eyebrow, he was about to say something when Boomer interjected, "have you encountered anything similar to this creature? Or know anyone who has?" The unsaid part would be 'that's still alive,' but there was no need to add that.
Trying not to become too rigid she pursed her lips, "no, but I've been out of the game for a while now." Taking another sip of her drink she added, "much easier to do things legally anyhow." Despite not being eighteen quite yet it was public knowledge that she was investing in several very successful ventures. Pushing a red curl behind her ear she remarked, "the only people I've heard it's attacked, aside from the bystanders, have been active criminals or in Grubber's case- recently inactive. So I don't think I have anything to worry about."
Butch blinked while Boomer leaned forward and Brick narrowed in on her. "What?"
Apprehensive, Princess stood when her phone buzzed, her shoes making a dull 'click' on the floors beneath the subtle music in the background. "What do you mean, 'what?' that's just my observation."
"Christ," Boomer muttered, "that makes a lot of sense though."
"Where did you get that information? About the victims?" Brick was blocking her way from leaving just that second.
"From police records, duh," she slung her purse over her shoulder. "I was curious, and money talks when it comes to obtaining active records." Her stare was intense as she wrinkled her nose, "now stop blocking my path. Butch, honey," she cooed, "would you mind walking me out to the car? I'd rather not be out there alone with things as they are."
Awkwardly Butch put the drink down and cleared his throat, "uh, sure." Honestly he couldn't blame her for that request and stepped to the side so she could pass him. He wasn't the tallest but he was the strongest, plus he had faced off with this thing before.
As they walked out Boomer leaned over and shook Brick's arm, "we gotta call the girls," his voice was hushed but urgent. He knew that things between the three of them were still fragile since last night but this was important. "Bloss will want to know ASAP."
Snapped out of his shock Brick was almost dazed as he looked at his blonde brother, "yeah. Yeah, I know." This was big, HUGE even, he had promised Blossom that they would start from scratch but this was definitely an eye-opener. It made finding targets easier, hopefully. Shaking his head he dropped his glass on the table, "let's go," and the two teens followed the wake of their brother and Princess out the door. Brick's thumb was hovering above the contact for Blossom the entire time.
~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~
~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~
Tuesday Night – the following week
The last few days had been chaotic; Meeting with Chief Rosa and Ms. Bellum, coordinating a routine of some kind with the city's police department, barely sleeping the last few nights due to coffee intake and trying to stay on top of their schoolwork and this damn case. Apologies still hadn't been said, pride had been on the line and for once no one was ready to back down.
Flying together every night at least made them feel some sort of comfort, splitting up wasn't a go-to for right now, even though they realized they weren't the targets. That creature seemed to have targets and then would attack whoever or whatever was in it's way, or… if it was disturbed in it's 'nest'. The new chart on Blossom's board was less disturbing and more about narrowing down the most likely victims, but crime for the most part had been on the quiet side. So far Seduca was the last villainous victim they knew of, and just over the weekend Bubbles had been sent out to check on Fuzzy Lumpkins who remained paranoid and locked up.
With the wind whistling past her ears Blossom kept her eyes peeled, rubbing at them once or twice with the back of her fist she was willing exhaustion not to make her weak at a time like this. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Buttercup's scowl, her bright eyes were focused on her and not on the surroundings.
Sighing with irritation Blossom signaled with her left hand and arm to pull up to a stop, over the years they'd had to start doing verbal and nonverbal commands to one another- it wasn't exactly 'professional' to shout out every single intention they had during a fight.
Buttercup pulled up with a huff and crossed her arms, Bubbles on the other hand kept her arms to her sides as she continued to glance around them at the city. If it hadn't been related to this case then Bubbles and Blossom still wouldn't be talking, and when they did talk it was planning the case. Buttercup's irritation was growing by the second.
Squeezing the bridge of her nose Blossom exhaled, "spit it out."
Both Bubbles and Buttercup exchanged glances, unsure as to which of them was being called out at this moment. Upon not hearing any response Blossom sighed, "you, Buttercup, I was talking to you."
"Me?" She sounded incredulous.
"Yes, you've been giving me the side eye for the last 20 minutes, so whatever it is you need to say- spit it out already." Her hands were on her hips, even in the air Blossom was commanding the scene without much trouble.
Pushing up the sleeves of her sweatshirt Buttercup didn't even deny that she'd been giving Blossom a good stare-down, "where should I start," clearly rhetorical, "oh! How about we're all running on barely any sleep, we keep patrolling even though we talked to the chief and have things lined up, and right- you two are still not talking and I'm getting really sick of being the mediator." Her arms tightened as she crossed them again, "it's fucking ridiculous."
"Hey! Language," Blossom snapped.
"Whatever," Buttercup mumbled, she wasn't in the mood to watch what she was saying.
Sighing again, Blossom was tense and didn't like atmosphere building around them like a storm, "what do you expect? This is our job and we don't know where this thing is hiding, or what it even is."
"Then just let another stupid criminal get eaten or some shit, it'll come out then." Now Buttercup knew she didn't mean that literally, but she didn't want to keep repeating this pattern day in and day out.
"Buttercup!" Bubbles interjected, "don't say that!" Even if it was their worst enemies, she still didn't want anyone to have to come face-to-face with that thing if they could help it.
"Please, I know you're just as sick of this shit as I am," the corner of Bubbles' mouth twitched but before she could respond Buttercup continued, "you and Blossom are acting like huge dumbasses and I am over it." Flipping each of them the middle finger she 'let herself go' and started plummeting through the air before she zipped off in a bright chartreuse arch and landed in the park beside the volcano.
Both sisters were on her tail, as she knew they would be, they always hated when she did that but it was the only bit of excitement she'd felt in days. Landing one after the other it was Bubbles who first started scolding her, "stop doing that!"
Instead of her eyes being on the verge of tears however, they were intense and glaring at her. Blossom's own glare synced perfectly and she just picked up where Bubbles left off.
"You know that's dangerous! One of these days you're going to get hurt and neither Bubbles or I will be around to help you."
"I don't need your help," Buttercup was scraping her windswept hair into a tiny ponytail, her hands working deftly, "I know what I'm doing."
"Can you stop being so selfish for one minute!" Bubbles surprised them by making this statement, but she couldn't stop, "don't you ever stop to think why it scares Blossom and me? You keep doing these dangerous things, whether it's falling or something reckless during a fight, you never listen!"
Now she was on the verge of tears, her fists balled up as she couldn't help overflowing, "and you!" Jabbing her finger at Blossom, "why don't you ever listen to us? To me? You always give Buttercup a chance to come up with strategies or listen to her ideas, but you never take me seriously," exhaling loudly Bubbles just stared up at the sky for a moment before continuing, "I'm not just fodder until you or Buttercup can figure out a solution."
Blossom's mouth felt dry but she pushed forward, "you've been so timid and spaced out lately, how do you expect me to listen to you when you don't even look like you're paying attention to your surroundings? At least I know Buttercup hasn't been flighty and has my back."
Buttercup winced at the remark, Bubbles wasn't even trying to stop the tears anymore, "I always have your back, Blossom, all the time," her voice cracked and she swiped at her eyes with the arm of her shirt. "If you think I'm spacing out so much then tell me! I know I've been a little slow lately, but I just can't stop listening for that crackling and hissing. I can't!"
Taken aback for a moment Blossom asked, "are you really that scared of it?"
Sure, Bubbles wasn't known to be the bravest, still unnerved from the dark and the occasional slasher movie, but being afraid of the monsters and creatures they delt with for over seven years?
"You aren't?" Her tone was pleading, shock rippled through her face and body as she clutched her hands to her chest.
"I…," Blossom wasn't sure if what she felt exactly was fright. Yes, it had made her uneasy and she certainly didn't want to be caught alone by it but she didn't feel that visceral fear clawing away at her senses.
Unexpectedly, Buttercup awkwardly rubbed her arm with her hand, "it still scares me." Her voice was so quiet, almost as if she was trying to deny the fact she'd even spoken. She'd admitted the Sunday after the event that she was shaken from the encounter but she hadn't spoken again about it.
Her head jerked towards her dark haired sister, "Buttercup, you-," Blossom wasn't even sure what she was going to say in that moment.
Closing her eyes and biting at the inside of her cheek Buttercup balled her fists tightly, in for a penny, in for a pound right? "Yes, I'm scared of it, Blossom, I'm fucking terrified because I saw- I heard what it did to Seduca." Her eyes were open but she was staring intensely at the ground, "it was so fucked up… she just kept screaming and she knew I was there but I-," she gulped and licked her lips nervously, "I couldn't even do anything."
Admitting it once had been hard enough, but admitting that she was still scared of this thing a week later, that made Buttercup feel as if her whole persona was cracked. She was so conflicted with herself that some of the sleepless nights had been purely her combing through her memories and trying to figure out why she was still scared of it.
"Fuck," she choked out a dry laugh that was on the verge of a sob, "this thing is ripping us to shreds, it touches us and the pain shoots right to my brain, how the fuck are we supposed to fight something that we can't even touch?" Even though their wounds were healed at this point Buttercup couldn't help but look at her wrist, rarely did she have to look at their injuries, but for four days she'd watched her body put itself back together and witnessing lasting damage wasn't something she'd been prepared to do.
Guilty that it wasn't hitting her nearly as hard Blossom mumbled, "I didn't know." Just admitting that phrase was a blow to her pride, it was everything she didn't want to admit about this case.
Sidling over to Buttercup's side Bubbles reached out a hand towards her sister's arm but Buttercup jerked away, "don't. If you touch me then I'll probably start crying and I don't want to."
Pursing her lips Bubbles looked over at Blossom who was completely zoned out, her eyes were unfocused and her bottom lip was pulled tight. "Blossom?" This wasn't normal for their sister and Bubbles stepped forward in time for Blossom to actually look her in the eyes.
"I- I don't know what to do," she broke in this moment, her fears and doubts overwhelming her. The side of her that should be understanding and not holding her to such high expectations was brushed aside so she could be crushed in this moment. She didn't realize she was crying until Bubbles was holding her face and brushing them aside. Her voice sounds so far away. Blossom wasn't even aware that she was kneeling on the ground, but Buttercup was crouched over her shoulder with an alarmed expression.
Her breathing was so calm in this moment, and the brittle smile she had on her face scared her sisters as she looked into Bubbles' bright eyes, "you were right… I- I don't know anything. I don't even… I don't even know how to keep us or the city safe, I've-," she choked up and closed her eyes. She didn't want to see the inevitable disappointment in their eyes at her shameful admission.
Brushing her bangs off of Blossom's face, Bubbles tried to soothe, "no, that- that's not what I meant, Blossy, I was just," her exhale shuddered, "I'm just lost too. I don't know what to do either, I'm frustrated and scared and I feel…," she wiped a tear from her leader's cheek, "useless."
"I think we all do," muttered Buttercup.
It was silent in the park, the few bugs were barely making their nightly chorus and Blossom looked to both blue and green eyes. "What are we going to do?" Her voice was barely over a whisper, she knew she wasn't alone in these thoughts now and that her sisters weren't expecting her to have an answer to their problem but she still felt like the pressure was caving in on her.
"Let's stay home tomorrow, maybe the rest of the week," Buttercup blurted.
This was enough to shake Blossom back to her usual self for a moment and she skeptically looked at her sister, "we are not skipping school. Don't tell me you have a test you're avoiding?"
Bubbles just nodded, "I agree with Buttercup on this," although trying to convey she was serious the tired smile on her face was begging for Blossom to relent. "I think we need to rest, please, Blossom?"
The thought of getting to rest was blissful, something she desperately wanted but was unsure if they deserved with current circumstances. It'd been a while though since she and her sisters had fought so adamantly with one another, they weren't as synchronized as they usually were. Even when they got frustrated with one another there was usually an understanding between them. Tonight felt like they had exposed their weaknesses to one another, just as they had had to as they had grown up. Both Buttercup and Bubbles were genuinely scared of this thing, and Blossom was crumbling under feeling like a complete failure in the face of this.
"Yeah, you're both right," she sighed, Blossom rubbed her temple, "I'm sorry. We'll take tomorrow off and see how we feel afterwards."
Bottom lip trembling Bubbles wrapped her arms around her sister, "I'm sorry too, Blossom, I know you were doing what you thought was the best, it was so stupid of me to get angry like that." Blossom closed her eyes and leaned her head into Bubbles' shoulder, she wanted to let Bubbles know she wasn't being stupid but the words were caught in her throat. Thankfully she was saved by Buttercup.
"You weren't being stupid, Bubs, this thing it makes you feel like you can't fully trust your senses." She had a hand on the blonde hair and she exhaled wearily, "I saw the signs that you haven't been feeling like yourself, but I brushed it off 'cause you're always O.K., you know?"
In her head Blossom could picture the bloody napkin that Bubbles had been gripping so tightly, her denial that anything was wrong. Blossom should've followed her gut on that. "Me too." It was ridiculous to think that Bubbles would always be happy and cheerful… kind of like it was ridiculous that she should have all the answers. Now Blossom really felt fully shamed, she could always understand it when it was other people but it was harder to admit to herself that she wasn't 'perfect' in the way she thought she should be.
For Bubbles it had been building for months, anger at feeling like she was being looked down on and underestimated, anger at her inability to control her fear began to replace that over time, and now she was burned out of anger. She didn't have the energy to be angry right now, just kind of… sad. Misunderstandings and not communicating with her sisters were hard but so far this had been the largest catalyst they had faced with one another. Part of her could only worry that it would get worse as they grew older.
"I'm tired," Blossom's weary voice surprised them, "let's go home, girls." Stumbling to her feet she absentmindedly fluffed her bangs out of habit and looked over to both Buttercup and Bubbles. They looked as tired as she felt but she noticed a heaviness that wasn't hovering over them anymore. Bubbles stood a little straighter and Buttercup wasn't unconsciously turned inwards, she wondered how she looked to them.
Taking her sister's hand, Bubbles gave it a squeeze, "we'll figure things out after we get some sleep." It was her subtle and kind way of reminding Blossom that she wasn't alone in this thing, that she had people in her corner who wanted to help her and get to the bottom of this just as much as she did.
"Yeah," her smile was small but relieved, Buttercup was already in the air, one of her feet moving restlessly, showing her eagerness to get going.
The flight home was quiet, they didn't need to say anything else. Things had been so upside down, and it didn't mean that their feelings hadn't been hurt with one another and still weren't bruised, but it was something they had full intention of overcoming. Townsville was peacefully quiet with the curfew in place, the cars made little noise beneath them and the lights weren't nearly as bright as they usually were. If it could always be like this then they could have lived normal lives, there wasn't anything wrong with hoping for change.
~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~
~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~
Wednesday Afternoon
Fidgeting beside his locker Brick wanted to put his fist through the wall with his frustrations. It wasn't a mystery to him why he was so wound up but he hated it because he felt like there was nothing he could do. Sneaking around a corner came both Boomer and Butch, they felt a tiny bit guilty for skipping class but at the same time neither had the attention span to just sit there and wait.
As they approached Brick he was almost on top of Boomer, knowing he came from the same lunch period. "Has anyone heard anything?" His hands were in Boomer's shirt and the blond waved his hands, wanting to get out of Brick's grip.
"Jeeze, dude, settle down," he stumbled a few steps when Brick released him and brushing the creases he added, "and no, no one has heard from them all day or been able to reach them." It was past noon now with no word from the girls, each of them was tense, perhaps because they were too close to the action of things.
Chewing on his thumbnail Butch looked to the side, "the news would've reported if something happened to them, so it's a good thing that we haven't heard anything, right?"
Brick looked like he wanted to hit his brother, but at this point he looked like he wanted to hit anyone he could get his hands on. They had a meeting with Norman Blaine tonight and he had already scheduled with the Professor and Mojo that they wouldn't be stopping by today. He couldn't arrive agitated and unannounced, especially when the one he wanted to see wasn't his father figure. He figured he was doing a piss-poor job at hiding the feelings he had for Red already, he didn't need to confirm anything in the open.
"I figured at the very least that Bubbles would've texted me back by now," Boomer was leaning against his locker feeling frustrated. "She's usually quick to respond."
Running a hand through his dark hair Butch just stared at his cell in his other hand, he'd thought they had gotten a lot closer after last week but maybe he was imagining it. When he looked at the facts though he saw her clear eyes and small smile, she had willingly stayed against his chest and she'd been very raw in their last few private interactions. He knew he wasn't imagining the closeness he'd felt. It was difficult not to take this all personally when everything about the girls now felt personal to him and his brothers.
If he'd known he would be this desperate when it came to the girls a year ago he would've laughed in his own face. Actually all three of them would've, maybe Boomer would've been more incredulous but Butch and Brick would've definitely cackled and think it was a lie.
Wincing at a thought Boomer suggested, "do we ask dad? You know… HIM, if they're O.K.?"
Mortified Brick hissed, "not a goddamn word to them." Butch just slapped his hand over his eyes, unable to come up with a response more fitting than Brick's. "Not a goddamn word, Boomer," Brick's voice was low and heavy with warning.
Insulted, Boomer glowered at Brick, "it was just a question."
Lifting his head, Butch shifted before he elbowed Brick in the arm. The unamused expression on Brick's face was ignored when Butch gave a slight indication with his head, "someone's coming," Brick wasn't sure how Butch always managed to catch sounds like that but it had made him great when retrieving items for their clients.
"Follow me," Brick immediately took off, he could hear the rubber of his brother's sneakers on the tile behind him as he maneuvered down a few halls and out to one of the courtyards. A few students were lingering on their lunch or study hall, but most were inside today due to the unusually cooler weather.
Taking to the far side of the courtyard closest to the covered path that led towards the sophomore parking lot and the English wing Brick dumped his bag on one of the cement benches that wrapped around a small oak. Here at least they were less conspicuous, and none of their friends or acquaintances were here to question them on why they were out here like this. Butch had dumped his bag on the ground while taking a seat on the bench, Boomer kept his bag over one shoulder and let one leg kneel on the bench.
Shifting his hat slightly Brick then pinched the bridge of his nose with eyes shut, "think it'll be worth it to call one more time?"
Boomer shrugged, "who've you called or messaged the least?"
Unsure of that answer, Brick whipped his phone from his pocket and began to scroll through his calls list and then each of his chats to the girls. "Looks like Buttercup." She was always the most aloof so to him it made sense not to reach out as much.
"Give ol' Butterbiscuit a call then," Butch leaned forward with a tenseness he had been trying to ignore.
Irritated by his brother's remark, Boomer quipped, "do you really have to call her that?" Teasing each other- although in a more aggressive and competitive manner, had always been the way of the two greens but maybe knowing that Buttercup wasn't here to defend herself put Boomer into a defensive mood in her place.
Shrugging, Butch didn't even look at Boomer, "you know that's our thing," he hadn't thought about what he was saying and didn't quite catch the icy glare that Boomer shot in his direction.
"Butch," but before Boomer could say anything else Brick interrupted him.
"Shut up, both of you." It was that same chilling tone Brick saved for when he wasn't in a forgiving mood. He'd always had that pull on them, ever since they were kids.
After two rings Brick was anticipating the voicemail to click on in just a few more seconds, he was shocked though when a groggy and raspy voice came over the speaker instead, "whaddya' want?"
Even though the phone was held up to his ear Brick felt his face go blank and both Boomer and Butch seemed to be buzzing beside him. Without gauging his reaction before he said anything he exploded, "what the fuck do you mean 'whaddya' want'? Where the fuck have you guys been? Where's Red? Why have you been ignoring everyone?"
His voice was coming in such a flurry at her that Buttercup held the phone away from her ear, yawning as she gave a stretch and stood up out of bed she mumbled, "cool your jets, lover boy, we're fine. Blossom," and she made sure to emphasize this, "is fine."
Red faced Brick wasn't even sure how to respond to this but in his embarrassment, Boomer was able to snatch the phone and throw on speaker, "Butters? What's going on? Everyone is worried about you three, we've been calling and texting all morning, we thought," well he didn't really know what they had all thought, certainly not this. "We thought something happened."
On the other side of the phone Buttercup was rubbing the inner corner of her eye as she mumbled, "we took the day off," but she moved over to her texts and scrolled through, "christ on a cracker, are you fuckers even in class?"
"Now or before?" Butch was partially serious and partially joking, but his counterpart just sighed on the other side of the phone.
"Gimme a sec," she was going out into the hallway and walking to Bubbles' door, she didn't bother knocking as she'd heard Blossom get up at some point that morning and enter the room.
Sitting against some pillows with a book in her lap Blossom jerked as Buttercup roughly entered the room, sleepily Bubbles was mid-way through raking her hair into a ponytail and she started when Buttercup crawled to the center of the bed and crossed her legs, one hand holding her phone in a presenting manner. "Have either of you checked your phones?"
Confused, Blossom answered, "I left it in my room to charge and I guess forgot to look at it, I guess that was two hours ago, why?"
Bubbles raised her eyebrows before reaching across to her bedside table, "I turned mine off, what's going on?"
"I'll tell you what's going on," Brick's voice raged through the phone, "no one has heard from you three all day, everyone has been reaching out- we thought something bad had happened." The strain in his voice at the end caused Blossom's face to redden as she leaned forward.
Boomer had to be heard too as he added, "pretty sure everyone has texted or called you guys about 100 times by now."
"Oh my gosh," Bubbles was looking at her now powered up phone as it began to trill and beep with notifications flooding in.
Buttercup could only roll her eyes, "well we're fine."
Scoffing, Butch muttered, "a heads up would've been nice, that's all."
Mocking him in a sickeningly sweet tone Buttercup teased, "I didn't know you cared so much, Butchy-kins," she couldn't see his flushed face but unamused, Blossom snatched the phone from her sniggering sister.
"Really, Buttercup?" Sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose she apologized, "sorry for worrying you guys, we had a serious talk last night and decided we needed to take some time off. We'll message everyone back and let them know we're O.K." Glancing back over to the clock Blossom's eyes narrowed, "um, correct me if I'm wrong but aren't you three supposed to be in class right now?"
"Hey," Butch defended, "we had a lot on our minds, alright?"
Sighing, Blossom continued, "I mean, I expect that from you, Butch, but I really thought Boomer and Brick were better than that by now." There was a teasing tone to her voice that hadn't been present in well over a week and all three felt some sort of relief that she didn't sound nearly so stressed out.
"You're the ones playing hooky, Red," Brick chided, it was stupid how at ease he felt now that he could confirm that she was really alright. Butters and Bubs too, but Red was always a special case. "Don't make us act like this again, we didn't like how it feels," he warned.
"And how exactly did you feel?" Bubbles was leaning over, her eyebrows raised at Blossom as she said this.
Surprisingly, Brick didn't have a chance to answer when Butch blurted, "stupid." Well, he wasn't wrong, so Boomer and Brick just acknowledged it with a few nods.
"Can't promise that," Bubbles chimed.
"Seriously," Buttercup laughed, "we aren't miracle workers."
"Just," Boomer tried to stress it, "keep us in the loop, O.K?"
"We will," Blossom smiled lightly, "we'll talk later." Her voice now grew more serious, scolding even, "now no more skipping classes. I mean it!"
Taking his phone back from Boomer, Brick signed off, "we won't if you don't. Talk soon, Red."
Ending the call they could finally sigh with relief as they had been put at ease. They sounded more like themselves, more at ease. Brick honestly couldn't blame them for taking some time off, but he still wanted to swear and rage a bit since a certain someone had made him go through the ringer.
Butch doubted it had anything to do with what he'd said to Bubbles last week, but maybe planting that into her brain had been enough for her to realize they needed to step back. Plus it was only temporarily from school, not like they could step away from the whole superhero thing completely. When his phone buzzed in his pocket and he took it out he was glad to see the text from Bubbles and several emojis after, he bit his inner cheek as to not smile with that relief he felt.
Boomer still felt a little sick to his stomach, he was relieved, but what he really wanted was to talk to Buttercup and find out what led to this, last they'd talked she was acting as a go-between with her sisters and stressed out. Her voice had also been tighter, he couldn't explain it but he knew something had been bothering her that she hadn't been ready to talk about. Today that strain was gone, her laugh hadn't been forced or half-hearted, this had really been something she had needed. He was already texting that he was going to give her shit later.
Clearing his throat, Brick motioned to his brothers, "I think it goes without saying, we don't speak of this ever again, especially not in front of Mojo or HIM." It went without saying that both Boomer and Butch were 100% on board with that plan, involving their parents in their weird relationship with the girls was definitely not on the top of their priority lists.
~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~
~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~
Wednesday Evening
Crossing the leg of a well tailored suit Norman Blaine leaned back in his office chair, he was facing the large window that showed the quiet city of Townsville, a dead zone since the curfew. He'd been trying to reason with himself that he'd made the right decision setting up his company, this was just a small setback in the grand scheme of things. In time things would be as they should, bustling, thriving, and above all that- profitable. He wasn't a selfish man by nature, and he had great hopes for Project Osiris but this wall he was up against was putting him at a great disadvantage.
The scroll had helped some, not enough to stabilize it but Project Osiris could now stand UV exposure. It was just so corrosive, was there something he was missing?
The failed test today had been enough to raise his temper, had Jules not been there to rein him in he wasn't sure what he would've done. The skin had been making such progress, but it had burned through the organs of the rabbit that they had been testing upon, now subject O223 was dead and he felt as if he had gotten nowhere.
Massaging his temples, he spun his chair back round so he was facing his desk. Tucking his legs beneath he opened a few digital files upon a tablet while transcribing some of the notes on his computer, he knew those… ah, Rowdyruff Boys should be arriving, Jules said he would handle the details and transaction but that didn't mean he didn't want to meet with the boys and discuss his concerns with them. He'd wanted to prod about their makeup, since they were so similar to the girls he had a suspicion that they too healed rather quickly.
While they still were not here he submerged himself into Dr. Berry's data, desperate to find any answer he could get his hands on.
Tonight Brick hadn't required they dress up, but he'd requested clean and subtle basics of his brothers, even his own cap was stuffed into the inner pocket of his coat. The unusually cool day had morphed into a chilly evening, and although the cold didn't fully affect the boys like it would "normal" kids their own age it didn't mean the chill in the air didn't get to them after awhile. They could swim in molten lava, it didn't mean they liked it or that it didn't irritate their skin after a period of time… same with snow or wind.
All three boys stood awkwardly in the conference room that Brick had been shown to the last time he'd been there to have the contract signed. Boomer was admiring the inner garden on the other side of the glass, "I've heard a lot about the leaps this company plans to take, it's kind of weird seeing them in our own backyard." With no response to his musings Boomer continued, "think Mojo will go home soon?"
This did get a reaction and Brick pursed his lips, "I don't know if I want him to just yet," and they didn't have the space for him unless one of them double bunked. It wouldn't be unheard of. "I think he's at the safest place he can be for right now," especially if this thing really was targeting villains and criminals.
Nodding in agreement, Butch added, "the place is locked tight and with the lab still trashed he won't be happy there."
Raising an eyebrow, Boomer turned to look more thoughtfully at his brother, "you've been more perceptive lately."
"I'm not stupid," he stated. Boomer just shook his head and held his hands up.
"Nah, I don't mean like that, like emotionally perceptive." Immediately Butch's face reddened and he jammed his hands into the pockets of his bomber jacket. "Our little Butch is all grown up," Boomer teased. Brick only smirked at this, not disagreeing in the slightest.
"Don't be dumb," Butch tried to shrug it off but Boomer continued to snigger.
The glass door to the conference room opened and in strode Jules Barton, even late into the evening there wasn't a crease in his suit nor a hair out of place. His brows rose as he noticed that all three were here now, and looking at them they really did mirror those girls in some ways. Gesturing with a hand towards the table and chairs he spoke, "please have a seat, gentlemen." Walking around he shook both Boomer and Butch's hands, "I'm Jules Barton, but Jules is just fine." Turning he shook Brick's hand and noticed a hardness in the dark red eyes that looked at him. "Good to see you again, Mr. Jojo."
"Mr. Barton," Brick greeted before taking a seat at the table, one brother flanking each side. Noticing that the man was pulling out a tablet with some documents on it he asked, "is Mr. Blaine not joining us tonight?"
"Afraid not," Jules didn't even look up from his work, "he's a bit indisposed at the moment."
Brick found that odd, "and you chose not to postpone the meeting?" To him it felt like something that Norman should be at, although from his last understanding and the research that had been done these two men had a deep partnership. It was possible Brick was mistaken.
"This is," Jules stated, "of the utmost importance, we cannot continue to delay further." Turning the tablet to face the teens he began to explain, "we are missing a much needed formula, we had it initially in earlier testing phases but a former employee took it with them upon their exit. Legally, it is owned by Blaine Industries, however we cannot be dragging lawsuits when we are so close to the launch."
"If it's legal," Boomer questioned, "then why haven't you just asked for it back? Or gotten a legal seizure from the police?" It seemed like it could be much more simple.
Trying to mask the irritation growing in his eyes Jules gave a smile that seemed almost too wide for his face, "We already tried speaking with the former employee, unfortunately they want an obscene amount of money and have been threatening to sell it to NASA or a competitor, as I said- the lawsuits will take far too much time that we simply do not have."
Feeling uneasy, Boomer shifted in his chair and glanced over to both Butch and Brick, he knew that Brick was already heavily considering it and weighing the pros and cons of the situation. Boomer didn't like the look in this man's eyes, no extra car was worth keeping this contract in play.
Although his gut was telling him to back off and decline this Brick also wanted to ensure they were taken care of. They could get away with the things they liked and wanted because of this little job they offered. Carefully folding his fingers together he leaned forward, "we need you to lay out every single detail."
He chose to ignore the glances of worry on his brother's faces and instead focused on the way Jules' face lit up. "Of course, I won't waste a moment of your time."
He'd lost track of time, he was exhausted of running simulations of possible formulas, there just wasn't anything that was balancing out the danger that was raising it's head at every turn. His brown hair was a mess from running a hand through it over and over, his sleeves rolled up and jacket discarded to the side, he felt like he had when they'd started this company fifteen years ago. Norman started and jumped out of his chair when the doors to the elevator slid open, he was relieved to see it was only his partner. At the sight of the man though he asked, "wait- what time is it? Did they not come?" He began reaching for his jacket when Jules walked in and soothed.
"I handled it, you've got enough going on."
"But-," he was trapped between confusion and anger, "I had specific questions I wanted to ask them." Jules started to open his mouth but Norman interrupted him, "questions I haven't run by you just yet."
This surprised Jules and he set the tablet down, "we can always reach out again, it's not like they're difficult to find." He'd had Burke do enough legwork to get their records and current address, however stopping by their home would be unpleasant for all parties in his own opinion.
Still on the wave of frustration Norman grabbed a file jammed with papers and waved it, "we are so goddamn close," his voice was on the verge of yelling, "we are on the brink of changing the world as it's known and-," he threw the file to the floor, scattering papers of data and failed tests.
Jules sighed and ignored the mess, stepping over them to put a hand to Norman's shoulder, stopping him before he flew into another lengthy rant, "we will get there, you've been patient this long, what's a few more weeks?" Norman turned away and rounded back to his desk, slouching with his head in his hands as he took a seat. "We've come much farther than we anticipated, just wait a little longer."
One tired eye looked at his trusted colleague, giving a nod he opted not to say anything more. It would only cause him to raise his temper again and fly off the handle. He was so close to the solution, so close to eliminating those pesky problems, Jules was right… a little more patience was exactly what he needed.