Thanks for the kind words y'all :) Means a lot
I own nothing, support the original content and the creators
~Did you think that I would cry, on the phone?
Do you know what it feels like, being alone?~
-Swing, Swing: All-American Rejects
We're sorry, the number you have dialed has been disconnected or is no longer- Bubbles hung up with a sigh. That was the third time in a row she had heard that awful message. Not one of her friends had been available to hang out at the mall, and out of boredom she was slowly but surely making her way through contacts, ruling out those that were no longer valid. Time consuming and dull, her task made the empty chair across from her seem much lonelier.
Couples surrounded her on all sides, laughing and taking pictures, or just staring at their phones while they pretended to be on a date. No one even looks at each other anymore. Bubbles frowned and returned to her own phone.
Dialing another number, she was surprised to hear a voice pick up. However, it was only a mundane-sounding employee from a fast food restaurant. Bubbles clicked the voice off after a few monotonous words about the specials of the day. If I wanted food, I would eat here at the mall. She chewed her lip, a nervous tick she picked up when something bothered her.
There was still one name in her contact list she had yet to try, but this number terrified and thrilled her in a way like no other. Boomer's happy face gleamed back at her from the photo of his contact, the phone number she had received danced in front of her eyes, tempting her.
Bubbles wasn't sure when it happened, but over the years she and the Rowdyruff Boy had grown...close. Much closer than she would ever admit to her sisters out of fear of judgement on their part. She thought it might've had something to do with that fateful day when she had infiltrated the boys' circle pretending to be their brother. She experienced firsthand their treatment of him, and it sickened her. Not only did they presume he was stupid, but also gullible. Like a mindless drone.
She shook her head. Well that's just not true. No one knew the Boomer she knew. She had always found him to be cute, even as children. He had the face of a cherub but the eyes of an impish devil. Those two blue sapphires that crinkled when he smiled sent Bubbles' heart into overdrive. Being around him was like some kind of illicit drug, she felt amazing during their time together, but the guilt set in the moment they were apart.
What would her sisters say if they knew about all the time spent sneaking off from battles to do normal kid things?
Bubbles released a puff of air towards her bangs that tickled her nose. She and Boomer had often shirked their duties as mortal enemies to be...friends. They frequently slinked away from the battles their siblings lived for. And oh, how they relished that time. No one to bother them as they sat in the park eating ice cream, or went to see a movie together.
It truly felt like the only time the two could be regular humans growing up trying to find their place in the world that didn't involve hurting each other.
Life was bliss as Bubbles and Boomer's relation grew. Slowly the two began to feel something stronger than just simple infatuation. With Boomer, Bubbles often felt like he was the only one in the world to truly understand her desire to experience life as the people she protected did. At the same time, she also felt she was on the brink of falling into something way over her head.
And that thought scared her more than any monster in the dark.
Fidgeting and bouncing her ankles to release some of her tension, the blonde Powerpuff held her breath and hit call. She darted her eyes around the food court, part of her hoping he wouldn't pick up. The larger part of her secretly hoped he would.
"Hello?" The voice cut in after the second ring.
Her heart began to beat faster. "Hi Boomer." She all but whispered into the microphone. "How...how are you?" Bubbles hoped he couldn't sense her hesitation.
"Bubbles? I can barely hear you, are you okay?" Boomer's concerned voice rang through her ears.
"Oh, me? I'm fine!" She laughed, still nervous, "what are you up to? Can I see you?"
There was a brief pause. "Hmm, okay." Boomer didn't sound entirely convinced. "Ah, yeah." Another pause, "you aren't with your sisters are you?"
"Of course not, do you think I'm that stupid?" Bubbles let too much agitation into her voice and she immediately cringed. Boomer hated that word. "I'm sorry Boomie, you know I didn't mean it!" She could have punched herself right then. Nice going Bubbles.
There was another silence. Oh no... Bubbles felt tears well up in her eyes. She had always been a crier.
He cleared his throat. "It's okay. Sticks and stones, right?" Boomer let out an awkward laugh.
Bubbles perked up did the same. "Haha, right. We're superheroes, we have thicker skin than that."
"Well, you're the superhero. I'm just the screw-up super villain. Mortal enemies y'know." His words were cruel, but Bubbles could sense the playfulness in his voice.
"You're absolutely right. In that case, I need you to come to the mall so I can keep an eye on you." Bubbles stated with every ounce of Powerpuff Girl in her.
Her counterpart laughed, for real this time. "Yes ma'am. I'll drop by shortly."
She couldn't keep the smile from forming on her face. "Okay."
"See you soon?"
"Yeah, see you soon."
Hanging up and staring at her phone with glee, Bubbles let out a squeal of joy. It had been some time since she had last seen him, and some time together was just what she needed.
All she had to do was wait.
As she was doing so, minding her own business and checking through messages, Bubbles felt a tap on the shoulder. She spun around with a smile on her face that faded immediately.
Some mousy teenage kid stood before with a pen and paper in her hand. "You're one of the Powerpuff Girls aren't you? May I have your auto-"
Bubbles snatched the paper from her before she could even finish. Huffing in frustration, she scribbled out her name and flung the pad back at her now shocked fan. "Sorry to be rude, but I'm waiting for someone, if you don't mind." Bubbles smiled to soften the blow as she sat back down. The stunned teen stumbled away mystified. Classic Bubbles.
With Buttercup, she was rude to your face. There was no doubt. With Blossom, she would find ways to insult you while simultaneously making you feel dumb. However, with sweet Bubbles, her candy coated words complete with that award-winning smile made her biting remarks seem as sweet as pie. Kill them with kindness.
Shortly after the minor incident, Bubbles heard the scrape of the chair across from her as someone filled the space. "What's cooking, good looking?"
The cheesy line made Bubbles' face split into a huge smile. "Boomer!"
The baby blue Rowdyruff Boy sat before her, looking every bit as perfect as she remembered. He looked like a California dream. His wicked blonde hair looked as if it could conduct electricity. If she didn't know better, Bubbles would have sworn he could send sparks flying just by shaking his head. His tan skin shone under the fluorescent lights of the mall's food court. She briefly wondered if he'd been surfing recently. Those blue eyes looked big and clear enough to swim in. Bubbles knew she would dive in if given the chance.
He held his hand out to her, the slightly rough fingertips belayed his time spent on throwing pots and sculpting. Bubbles was so proud of him when he shared his newfound passion with her. She encouraged him to pursue it, and in turn many beautiful pieces of art were dedicated to her likeness. Bubbles was, undoubtedly, his muse.
Taking his hand, Bubbles batted her eyelashes and suddenly frowned. "I owe you an apology in person. What I said to you was cruel and uncalled for." She hung her head, her blonde pigtails bouncing. "I'm sorry Boomer, please forgive me."
Boomer ran his thumb across the backs of her knuckles to reassure her. "Hey, hey. It's okay, Bubs. I know you didn't mean it." He cracked a grin at her. "You know you're my best friend, right?"
Bubbles looked up and smiled. "You're mine too." She sighed then. "It seems like all my friends vanish the second classes get out. No one wants to hang out with a Powerpuff outside of school."
This had been true. Although Townsville had seen less monsters in the recent years, when an attack did happen, the loss of personal property could be devastating. More than a few of her friends had been caught in the crossfire with totaled cars and smashed homes. All Bubbles could offer was, "At least you have insurance?"
Needless to say, not many took that well.
Boomer shrugged. "That's their loss. If I could spend every day with you, I would die happy. There's peace in the simple things, y'know?" He looked into her face.
Bubbles felt her face heat up under those sapphire eyes. "Yeah." She squirmed a bit. "If I didn't have you, I'm not sure what I would do with only my sisters and the professor for company." A dry laugh escaped her lips. "You can pick your friends, but not your family."
"Tell me about it." Boomer rolled his eyes. "All my two boneheaded brothers want to do is fuck shit up and smoke." He furrowed his brow.
"Maybe things will change soon. We might even be able to tell them about us..." Bubbles trailed off and shot a furtive glance at the boy in front of her.
He blinked and scratched his head. "I mean...that certainly would shake things up, wouldn't it?"
"In a good way!" Bubbles immediately went on the defensive. "I mean I'm just saying it would be nice not to have to sneak around under their noses all the time." She blew out her breath in impatience.
Boomer held up his hands. "Easy tiger, I never said anything to contradict you. But I know my brothers better than you do, and this would be something to break to them gently. Not to mention how apeshit Mojo would go once he found out." Boomer laughed suddenly at his unintentional joke.
Bubbles didn't find this funny. She sighed and tugged on the ends of her hair. "I don't see why it's a big deal. I mean, we're just friends. It's not like we're dating or anything. Like you said, you're free to choose your friends."
The blue boy looked up at her. Something in his heart told him there was a double meaning to her words, but he wasn't ready to admit that to himself just yet. "Yeah, I guess so." The light atmosphere of the conversation had vanished. Boomer stood up then. "Wanna walk around?"
She didn't say anything, but nodded her head as she too stood up. Why do we always dance around this topic?
The blue duo walked around the commercial center for a time, window shopping as they went. Nothing seemed particularly appealing, and Bubbles tried her best to put on a brave face and not let her emotions show.
She had always been bad at lying, she was too sweet for that.
"Alright missy," Boomer led her over to a bench after browsing a shoe store. He motioned for her to sit, "what's with all these sad faces, huh?" He poked her cheeks upward into a smile. "That's better, isn't it?"
Her frown immediately returned. "Boomer," she began as she took his hand, "what do you feel for me?" Bubbles decided not to continue the charade any longer. She wanted to know.
Boomer turned red and looked down at their joined hands. His short fingernails were smooth and free from snags that could ruin wet clay. He suddenly found his hands to be very ugly and unfit to hold hers. He dropped it.
Misinterpreting the meaning of his actions, the blonde Powerpuff then felt tears form in her eyes but she pushed them back. "I see." She sniffed, trying her very best to hold back the floodgates.
"No!" Boomer interjected and grabbed her hand once more.
Bubbles jumped from the sudden aggression. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, well...no, not really. I mean," he sighed and pushed his hair back with his free hand, "I care about you Bubbles. A lot. Without you in my world I feel like-"
"Shit." Bubbles finished for him.
He blinked in surprise at her crass language. "Well, yeah. But how did you-"
"Because it's the same way for me." Bubbles interrupted once again. Sure have been doing that a lot today, I need to relax more. "Without you I'd be all alone." Her baby blues stared off into space, thinking. "I know how they treat you, y'know. You don't have to pretend around me like with them."
His jaw tightened. "Mmm."
She turned to face him. "You of all people should know that I care about you. More than you know, more than is probably healthy. So please, answer my original question Boomer. You owe me at least that."
Boomer swallowed as a lump formed in his throat. "Bubbles," he chose his words carefully, wanting to tell her the full truth, "I...would do anything for you. You've made my miserable existence into a life. Gave me meaning when I had none. There is no one I'd rather spend my days sneaking away from battles to do fun stuff with. You are the most important figure I've ever had in my time on this earth. I only wish I could have spent more of it like this instead of beating people up and eating bugs." He scowled as his cheeks burned red.
Bubbles smiled as her sad, angry tears were replaced by joyful, happy ones. "Who would've thought I could make a Rowdyruff Boy squirm like that." She pulled him into her embrace as her cheeks dampened. "You and me, we're gonna be okay Boomie. We're gonna tell 'em."
Hugging her back, Boomer felt the drops fall onto his shirt. "Yeah." He smiled and breathed in the scent that was Bubbles. All bright and sunny and sweet like a Sunday morning. "Yeah we are."
Hope you enjoyed this one.
xoxo -Mis
