Hey hey hey! Thanks so much for all the love! It makes me so happy you enjoy my work.
Fun fact: I've been working on planes with no wifi, so story writing time it is! Little anecdote here, a passenger got on my plane with a pillow shaped like a penis, straight up. Had to tell her to put that away at the request of some parents of young children. I swear, working for an airline is just nonstop comedy gold. Anyway, here's Wonderw- I mean the chapter. I own nothing, just in case you didn't know.
~That fire you ignited
Good, bad, and undecided
Burns when I stand beside it
Your light is ultraviolet~
"Ultraviolet" -The Stiff Dylans
"I'm sorry, we're going where, exactly?"
"A party! Duh."
"Tonight?"
"Yes, Blossom." Bubbles wrapped her hair around the styling wand and released a perfect spiral of gold. "Don't even try to argue!"
Blossom crossed her arms over her chest, watching Bubbles curl her hair. "Excuse me, who invited us and who made this decision for me? Last I checked, I was perfectly able to make those for myself."
Bubbles sectioned out another piece of hair. "Well, Buttercup invited Butch, who invited Boomer, who invited me, who invited you! And I made the call, you're going." She carefully wound another curl. "Come on Bloss, it will be fun! Brick will be there." She teased in a singsong voice. "And you were the one who said we needed more girl time together, after all." Bubbles was like an elephant, in that an elephant never forgets. "And I'm doing your hair, I've got an amazing idea."
It had been a while since the Blues had hatched their scheme involving their siblings and their not-so-secret relationships, and things had progressed nicely. Most of the time, the couples did their own thing. But every once in a while, a group activity like this was planned. Mostly by the hopeless romantic herself, Bubbles.
Blossom thought for a moment, struggling with choosing to have a cozy night in with a book or spending time with her sisters. No matter how much she wanted to start the latest novel in her favorite series, the thought of seeing Brick would always win her over. Why hadn't he invited her himself?
Eventually, she sighed. "Fine then, but no flowers this time! I had to pick poppy seeds out of my hair for hours after the May Day parade."
"Aww, c'mon Blossom. You looked absolutely radiant with the bouquet!" Bubbles pouted, twirling one final lock into a curl.
"No flowers, Bubbles, or I'm not going!"
Bubbles glared at her sister's reflection in the mirror. "Fine. Now go brush out your hair, I don't want to hear any whining if I hit a snag."
Blossom hugged her hair protectively against her. "You almost ripped my hair out! I have every right to be anxious!"
"Calm down Bloss, she's not going to scalp you." Buttercup stated as she floated in.
Both sisters turned to face the dark haired girl. Bubbles gave a tiny scream. "Wow, Buttercup! You look hot!"
That she did. Her makeup was dark and intense, very much her style. She was wearing a dark green bustier top and miniskirt. Black seamed stockings with tasteful rips hugged her toned legs. A denim jacket with various band patches completed the whole look.
"You know it, Bubs. How much you wanna bet Butch falls over backwards when he sees me in this bad boy?" She bent at the waist, giving Blossom and Bubbles a front row seat to her cleavage.
"WOO! Get it girl! He won't know what hit him!" Bubbles cheered and pretended to fan herself.
Blossom's pink eyes bugged out of their sockets. "Buttercup! I strongly suggest you-" then she stopped. No no, her sisters were big girls now. They could make decisions like this without her. "I mean, just please be careful, okay? You mean the world to me, you both do."
Buttercup shot her a wink and a smile. "Aye aye captain. By the way Bubbles, where's your floral Doc Martens? I wanna wear em tonight."
The blonde fluffed up her hair. "In my room, underneath my stuffed animal shelf. And can you bring me my flat iron too? I need to do Blossom's hair soon or we'll be here all night." She turned and pointed at the redhead. "Go brush your hair! Come back here when you're done."
Blossom let out a sigh and Buttercup gave her a sympathetic look.
"She's right you know, she'll never let this go if you don't go along with it." She gave the sulking girl a pat on the back. "You always look good, don't sweat it, Leader Girl." And with that, she turned and went into Bubbles' pastel blue room.
With a miserable look on her face, Blossom drifted into her bedroom and searched for her detangling brush. Finding it, she sat on her bed and began to methodically brush out the knots from the day.
It was therapeutic for Blossom to brush her hair. She took excellent care of it, and it showed. Growing well past her waist, her long red hair was soft and silky. Ever since Buttercup and Bubbles had chopped it off in her sleep when they were children, she made sure to keep track of the scissors in the house. She had worked way too hard on her hair to lose it all like that again.
Once she was finished, Blossom knocked on the bathroom door and waited for Bubbles to answer. An arm shot out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her inside.
"Finally! Alright Rapunzel, sit down and let Mama work her magic." Bubbles had finished dressing up and was wearing a sky blue cocktail dress with sparkly sequins. Sky-high stilettos graced her feet and Blossom sent out a silent prayer to whoever was listening that her baby sis wouldn't take a dive in them.
Bubbles plugged in her flat iron Buttercup had dropped off and adjusted the heat setting.
Blossom whimpered slightly.
"Oh, come on Bloss! I haven't even touched your hair yet! I'm going to use heat protectant and I won't go over the strands more than twice, it's going to be okay." Bubbles reassured. "Now really quick, turn away from the mirror. It's easier for me to see that way and I don't want you peeking until I'm done!"
Blossom obeyed, albeit somewhat reluctantly. You will still have all your hair tomorrow, she repeated to herself as Bubbles ran her hands through the red mane.
"Such pretty hair, and it smells good too." Bubbles buried her face into her sister's hair and inhaled. "Strawberries. You know, you should really try mine and Buttercup's conditioner. It's so creamy and it smells like coconuts!" She began to spritz some product onto Blossom's hair.
The pink puff laughed. "Bubbles, there's more to hair care than smelling good. The products I use are vegan, cruelty-free, made with all natural ingredients, and fair trade. Plus they repair damage, protect from UV rays-"
"Okay, okay Blossom!" Bubbles interrupted, giggling. "You've made your point, land your plane." She began to section out pieces of hair. "You ready?"
Blossom took a deep breath. Then, she gave a tiny nod. "Be gentle with me, please?"
Bubbles rolled her eyes. "Sheesh Bloss, you'd think I was giving you a root canal, not doing your hair. Of course, I'll be gentle. Thirty minutes. Super quick."
And Bubbles began her work. She pulled Blossom's hair through the straightener, giving it a little flip at the end to give it a nice wave. Piece by piece, she made her way through the long locks. True to her word, Bubbles did not pull or yank any of the precious red strands.
"Et voilá! All done, check it out!" Bubbles squealed and did a happy dance as she unplugged the iron.
Blossom let out a breath and all the tension left her body. She turned around to look in the mirror and her eyes widened. "Wow, Bubbles. You really outdid yourself this time."
Her red hair hung in perfect waves, curled such that they didn't clump together into one giant piece. It looked sleek and soft to the touch, and Blossom's fingers reached up to comb through her bangs.
Bubbles smiled. "That's right I did, you look like a model off duty! Brick is going to have to fight off the boys with a stick tonight." She began to wrap the cord to the flat iron. "Go pick out something nice to wear, or we'll be late!"
Blossom, still somewhat mystified at her sister's handiwork, went into her room and sifted through the closet. "Something nice..?"
All of Blossom's clothes were nice, in her opinion, anyway. Rows and rows of clothing in shades of pink, red, and white decorated her wardrobe. She bit her lip as she began her search. What to wear...
For the fifth time that night, Brick thought about strangling someone. Specifically one of his brothers. All he really wanted to do was have a quiet evening in, read his newspaper, maybe give Blossom a call.
But noooo. Boomer and Butch had decided for him that they were going to some party uptown. He hadn't even seen those two all day, all he'd gotten was a cryptic text. The only reason he had agreed and not laser beamed their asses was because his woman was going to be there.
And he'd kill to see her in a dress in his favorite color. Something about red...
"Let's go Boom! I don't want to be late for buy one, get one free bahama mamas!" Butch shouted as he strolled downstairs, snapping Brick out of his thoughts. His eyes drifted over to his green brother and he did a double take.
Butch had cut his hair. Everything underneath his ears was shaved and his formerly chin-length hair was now cut into shaggy layers. While a definite change, it honestly didn't look too bad.
"Since when did you have an undercut? And what are you doing wearing suspenders?" Brick asked suspiciously.
Butch laughed and ran a hand through his new haircut. "You like? Buttercup did it for me, not half bad right?" He flipped the black hair to the side. "She told me this was a formal event. We are going to the nice part of town."
Brick eyed him warily. "Right. Where's Boomer at?"
"Up here! Sorry, anyone know how to tie a bowtie?" A voice called from upstairs. "I keep messing up after I pull the end through the hole."
Boomer wandered downstairs as he spoke, fiddling with a black bowtie around his collar.
"Wait a goddamn minute, why do both of you look like you belong in a doo wop group? What the fuck?" Brick's eyes shifted back and forth between his two brothers. They were both wearing the tightest pants he'd ever seen them wear, along with button down shirts. And now a fucking bowtie?
Butch and Boomer just looked at each other, then shrugged.
"I'm just listening to the ladies, dude. Bubbles picked these out for me and hey, I gotta say, I kinda dig it." Boomer gave his shoulders a little shimmy, then resumed struggling with his bowtie.
"Yeah man, BC gave me this getup. Kinda feel like I should rob a train right now." Butch ran his hand through his hair once again. "Don't know if I'll ever get used to half my hair being gone though, ha."
Brick grunted, mildly annoyed that Blossom had not mentioned anything to him about new threads for this party. Or even mentioned the party at all. Finally fed up with watching the blonde fuss around, he then marched over to Boomer and swiftly tied his tie into a neat bow at his neck. He tightened it a little too much, causing his brother to choke slightly.
"Easy, Brick! You don't have to be jealous! I'm pretty sure clothes for you arrived too!" He squawked, desperately trying to loosen the knot. "Over on the table, that box!"
Brick immediately spun around and located the aforementioned package. He frowned, how had he missed that? Nothing entered or left this house without his knowledge. Not since HIM tried to mail them his latest Jazzercise video. some things could never be unseen.
He stalked over to the mysterious box. It was inconspicuous, just a regular cardboard box. But his name was written in black magic marker on top. Odd.
Not wasting anymore time, he zapped the tape with his eye beams and threw open the sides. Inside, a crisp, black shirt with a blood red tie was neatly folded. On top was a note written with the same black marker. He picked it up, reading quickly. "Brick. Wear em. You'll thank me later."
"Well isn't that just great, first a random delivery shows up without me knowing about it, and now this mysterious sender wants me to wear their clothes." He crunched the note into a ball and threw it over his shoulder.
Butch and Boomer had wandered over in curiosity. "Ooh, nice tie, Brick. That looks like real silk." Boomer's fingers reached out to stroke the material. Brick's fire breath stopped him. "Ouch! Hey okay, okay! Geez."
Butch found this whole situation extremely amusing. He started to laugh. "Damn bro! Looks like you're losing your touch, someone got the jump on ya!" He pointed at Brick's scowling face and shot a shit eating grin his way.
Brick's hands clenched into a fist, suddenly very okay with the crime of committing fratricide. "One more word outta that giant mouth of yours and Buttercup is going to find you sorely lacking in the testicular department." His red eyes narrowed.
Butch just rolled his eyes, not at all fazed. "Whatever man, just know that Blossom won't be able to keep her hands off you in those duds." He looped his thumbs through his suspenders and smirked. "Now, you comin'?"
Brick wanted to pummel his annoying brother. Really, he did. But he had to admit that Butch did have a point. Not to mention he and Pinky would kill if they wore matching colors.
Not a word was said as Brick snatched the box and stomped upstairs. A door slammed a moment later.
Boomer and Butch did a high-five and snickered.
"Buttercup! Slow down, I don't want to lose Bubbles!" Blossom reached out for her sister, who had decided to dart directly into the fray ahead of everyone else. They were currently weaving through hordes of people mingling in the palace of a house they had been invited to.
Crystal chandeliers, solid marble floors, wait staff dressed in tuxedos were all the girls saw in between the masses of faces in the crowds. Blossom, despite wearing a backless dress both Buttercup and Bubbles had approved, could feel sweat building up under her hair, flattening her waves. Sorry Bubbles, all your hard work. It was a sauna with all the people.
Buttercup only glanced back at Blossom with an enormous smile on her face. "Come on, then! I think I see the guys!" She held her hand out and grabbed Blossom's arm. Buttercup began to pull them deeper into the mass of people.
Bubbles was not too far away, but no girl left behind was Blossom's philosophy, and the pink puff kept looking back for that blonde head of hair. She panicked when she could no longer see Bubbles, but a tap on her shoulder and a giggle told Blossom that Bubbles had caught up.
"Are you excited Bloss? This is one elaborate house!" Bubbles hopped from one foot to the other in excitement.
No kidding. When Buttercup had told her the address of this party, Blossom almost choked on her toothpaste (good dental hygiene was the mark of polite company).
They were in the uptown part of Townsville, a place known as "Doctorwood" due to the large number of physicians and surgeons who had taken up residence there. Multimillion dollar houses lined the streets paved in gold. A bit gaudy, for sure, but quite glamorous. Blossom was unaware that Buttercup had connections here. She wasn't even aware Buttercup had been to uptown before.
"Incoming, head's up!" A voice called out moments before a bottle of champagne came flying through the air, directly headed for the Powerpuff Girls.
Buttercup, with her lightning fast reflexes and skills at catching (she was shortstop for a reason), jumped up and grabbed the green glass bottle just before it crashed into Bubbles, ruining her dress. "Dom Perignon, great year too. Would've been a shame to wear this one, Bubs." Buttercup smirked back at Bubbles, who blinked in surprise.
A guy with shaggy dark hair ran up to where the bottle would have smashed before laughing. He walked up behind Buttercup and snaked his arms around her waist. "Nice catch, Butterbabe. You might think about going pro. Just need to see about that swing."
Blossom's mouth gaped open as she finally recognized Butch as the boy who was currently embracing Buttercup. He looked very different with his new haircut and he was all dressed up!
She watched in complete surprise, and second-hand embarrassment, as the green-eyed girl spun around in Butch's arms and laid one hell of a kiss on his lips. Apparently, the two had gotten especially friendly as of late.
Buttercup broke their kiss and flashed him a vampire grin. "Who, me? Please, I'd be batting 1.000 the whole season. With me, the Cubs would win another World Series."
Butch looked like someone had just given him a check for a million dollars when he looked at her. "'Attagirl! C'mon it's bahama mama night, plus they've got a keg and a 55 gallon drum! I think it's an open bar too!"
Blossom only had time to snap out of her shock and yell, "Meet back at the door in two hours!" But Buttercup was already gone.
Bubbles looped her arm around Blossom's neck. "Don't even try to control her, Blossy. You know she's a free spirit." Bubbles clicked her tongue. "Besides, he always takes care of her. Nothing bad will happen while Butch is around. Watch!"
Their eyes watched the green pair head into the crowd. Any guy unlucky enough to be caught staring at Buttercup for more than a second was subject to Butch's fury. His eyes would light up, ready to fire lasers at any poor schmuck ogling his lady.
Blossom let out a breath. "Guess you're right. I just worry is all." She ran a hand through her long locks. "Have you seen Boomer yet? Or Brick?" She asked.
Bubbles shook her head. "I thought I saw one of them with Butch earlier, but now I can't find either." She laced her fingers through Blossom's. "Let's go get a drink, they'll find us."
The two made their way over to a makeshift bar top where one extremely happy soul was currently getting liquor poured in his face in a Tijuana car wash.
Bubbles and Blossom carefully stepped around the soon-to-be drunken disorderly and waited at the bar top for someone to help them.
Eventually, a girl with white blonde hair slid in front of them with a notepad. "Anything to drink, ladies?" Her eyes darted between the two Powerpuffs.
"Two cosmopolitans. With a cherry. Pretty please?" Bubbles smoothly ordered for them both. She gave her sister a coy wink.
Blossom arched a sculpted brow, but didn't say anything. The bartender nodded her head and slinked away to mix their drinks.
Bubbles turned, resting against the counter to survey the party goers. "Woof, sure is hopping in here." She watched as people milled about, some more tipsy than others. "You look lovely in that dress, by the way. I'm so glad you chose that one, I wish you wore it more often."
The pink puff's hands immediately smoothed over the material she was draped in. A crushed red velvet sheath dress enveloped her form. She hadn't worn this dress in ages, not since the charity event at City Hall where the Professor unveiled his latest invention regarding monster fighting.
Well an event that was worthy of that masterpiece hadn't presented itself, Buttercup had said. She could appreciate some good pieces of fashion when she felt like it.
"Thank you Bubbles, I'm glad I'm not overdressed. This seems to be a high-class event." Blossom fanned herself. All the warm bodies were heating up the room.
The bartender returned with two martini glasses filled with a pink liquid. Two happy cherries sat swirling around in their glasses.
"So, did you want to close out the check now? Or open a tab?" The girl asked. A good bartender.
Blossom was just about to open her mouth when a sleek blue sleeve slapped a card onto the table in front of her. "It's on me, ladies. Anything you like." And then Boomer appeared.
Bubbles immediately spun around and latched onto the other arm of her counterpart. "Oh, yay! Boomie!" She squeezed him. "That's so sweet of you."
"Oh, my. Well thank you Boomer, that's very kind, but we-" Blossom began, startled by his sudden appearance but she was cut off by the bartender.
"You're with him? Don't worry about it, courtesy of the house." She held up her hand to Boomer's outstretched hand and walked away.
Bubbles and Blossom shared a look.
"Wow, Boomie. You must pull some serious weight here for that to happen. Do you have a side hustle I don't know about?" She put her hands on her hips and gave him a teasing smile.
Boomer just laughed and pulled Bubbles closer to his side. "Nah, just taking advantage of amazing credit history. That and a little help from the 'rents. It was the least they could do, after all." He kissed her hand. She just laughed and blew air into his face, making his hair float.
Blossom, although now extremely curious at this new information, decided not to pursue that subject further. At least not with this Rowdyruff Boy. She took a sip of her drink. It went down smooth, leaving a small trail of fire in it's wake. She took another one.
Blossom began to fan herself again. Man, was it getting even warmer in here? She gathered her hair and lifted it off her neck. Better, but not quite…
"Bubbles, I'm going to step outside for some air, I'll catch up with you later." Blossom didn't wait for an answer as she plucked her drink up and left the blue pair. She wasn't even sure if they heard her.
Walking quickly before she would pass out, Blossom wandered around the massive house before finally finding a door leading outside.
Sighing in relief, she slid the glass open and stepped into the cool air. She inhaled deeply, immediately feeling much better. Her eyes opened and she studied the balcony she had found herself on.
It was almost right out of some kind of historical drama. Smooth grey stone made up the floor and railing, Spanish moss grew up the walls, adding an earthy flair to this quiet space. Blossom walked over to see out below. A rose garden bloomed beneath her, with fairy lights twinkling in the dark. How lovely. Blossom smiled and took another drink.
Brick was straight up, not having a good time. Not only had he been ditched by his two pinhead brothers, the ones who dragged him along to this shitshow, but he couldn't find his woman anywhere. And it was fucking hot as balls in here. Call him crazy, but he was missing some icy sweet lips right about now.
Yeah, there were plenty of other pretty girls at the party, but once you go puff, nothing else is enough. And for good reason.
Brick didn't exactly believe in that whole "soulmate" shit magazines loved to spout off, but he did believe the universe brought him and Pinky together for a reason. And he did plan on taking full advantage of that.
Walking past another ditz who was having way too much fun with her flute of champagne, Brick felt a raging headache coming on if he spent 5 more minutes in this crowd of smelly normies. Why didn't any of the windows open, for Gods' sake? Might as well be a wall made of glass.
He needed out. Fast.
Forcing his way through a group of large businessmen who appeared to be deep in discussion about the latest product launch, he headed in the direction of a cool breeze.
Freedom!
Brick hurried towards a sliding glass door leading outside. Throwing open the door, he stepped out and immediately felt free of the suffocating atmosphere of the party. He could have climaxed in ecstasy of how good it felt in the cold evening air.
He breathed out, a small cloud of vapor escaping his lungs. Sheesh, someone call the fire marshal, because he was pretty sure some regular bitch would pass out from heat stroke in there. It didn't help he was wearing long sleeves and a tie.
Yanking the neat bow loose, he growled in frustration at how shitty of a time he was having on a Friday night. Were it up to him, he would have finished the Wall Street Journal by now, grabbed a quick smoke, taken a shower, and then found himself and a certain pink-eyed lady cozied up til morning. The perfect evening.
Instead, he was stuffed into clothes that weren't his (nevermind they fit like a glove), dragged out to some fancy pants house (a little luxury never hurt anyone), and thrown into a pit of vipers, metaphorically speaking. And he still hadn't seen any of the Powerpuff Girls.
Brick lifted his cap and angrily ran a hand through his hair. Putting his hat back, he made a fist, suddenly needing to punch something, anything.
The stone wall never stood a chance. Reeling back, Brick let his fist fly into the side of the house, creating a decent sized crater. Good. Maybe whoever's house this was would learn how dangerous it was to piss off a Rowdyruff Boy. And maybe learn how to actually make goddamn windows that would open.
Feeling somewhat better, he fished around in his pockets, jonesing for a cigarette. Finding one, he blew the end alight and took a deep drag of the tobacco to calm down. Better.
Releasing a stream of white smoke, Brick suddenly realized he wasn't alone on this terrace.
Someone was swirling around a drink in a martini glass, taking tiny sips in between sighs as they leaned against the balcony. It was dark out, but Brick knew the curve of that back and the long red curtain anywhere.
Blossom. At last. Much better.
How had she not heard his little tantrum earlier? She was either very distracted, or drunk. Either situation was a problem. Brick sought to rectify that immediately.
Leaving the cigarette to smolder between his middle and index finger, he sauntered over to where she was standing.
"Penny for your thoughts, Pinky?" Brick whispered as he inhaled once more from the burning tobacco. He leaned back and blew out a perfect ring of smoke.
Blossom jumped, startled by Brick's sudden appearance. "Good heavens Brick, you scared me!" She placed a hand over her racing heart. "Don't sneak up on people like that. Especially those who can shoot you with a laser beam if you're not careful!"
Brick laughed. "I'd consider that a compliment of the highest order, doll." He took another drag. "Whatcha drinkin'?" He gestured to her mostly-empty glass.
Blossom swirled the remainder of her cosmo and polished it off, leaving the cherry to sit in the point of the glass. "Cosmopolitan. Bubbles ordered for me. She's more familiar with drinks than I am." She frowned into her drink.
"Well what do you need that shit for anyway? Chemical X in our blood says you're drunk for 8 minutes, tops." He flicked the ashes. "Waste of money and time, if you ask me."
"The same could be said about your disturbing nicotine habit as well, Mr. Jojo."
He laughed again. Then took one final hit before sending the butt flying into the ether. "Touché, ma chérie."
Blossom ignored the chills she got whenever he spoke French, and chastised him. "One, you should have disposed of that in an ashtray, or somewhere more appropriate. And two, that was still lit, Brick! This is how fires are started." She angrily tossed her hair over one shoulder.
He smirked. Glad to see you're not too out of it to scold me. "That's fair. But maybe I just want to see you in action. Gets me off, or somethin'." His eyes raked over her form. Good lord she looked fucking great in red.
Brick was very glad he was wearing the same color. Whoever sent him these clothes was right. He did need to thank them later.
She blushed, turning her eyes down. She struggled to come up with a witty remark, but the alcohol in her system was making her mind cloudy. I'm not that much of a lightweight, am I? "That's still not a good enough reason to potentially jeopardize safety..."
"Alright alright, have mercy. Won't happen again." His fingers brushed through her hair. "I love it when you wear your hair down."
Her eyes met his. "How nice. I almost suffocated in there because of it. Long hair absorbs heat like a sponge."
He snorted. "You can say that again. Whoever invited all those goddamn people into that house without any air conditioning is some kind of sadist. Fifty bucks says at least three people bite the dust before tonight's over."
"Brick! You shouldn't gamble on whether or not people will lose consciousness!"
"Make that five. This limp dick asshole over here is sweating bullets. My guess is his date won't be long after he goes down. Not our fault the host has shit for brains."
Blossom opened her mouth, but as she studied the very, very pale couple he spoke of, she paused. Blame it on the booze, but she really couldn't bring herself to care at that moment. "Whose house is this, anyway?"
Brick shrugged. "Not a clue. Doesn't really matter none, anyway. Some rich asshole who wants to schmooze a few high rollers. None of my business."
The pink puff looked down at her glass, studying the cherry. "I suppose you're right." She picked it up by the stem. "Hey, would you like to see something?"
His eyes flicked to her. "What?"
Feeling bold, Blossom held the cherry up in front of his face. "Have you ever seen someone do this before?" And she lowered it into her mouth.
Brick watched her as she chewed carefully for a moment, swallowed, then began to work her tongue and teeth. A short moment later, she held her tongue out. On it was the same stem, now neatly tied into a knot.
She picked it up, smirked and said, "Ta-da!" with a flourish.
His red eyes stared at the stem, then moved to her face. Damn, now I've got an erection all because of a fucking fruit? She's killing me, absolutely killing me.
He remained silent. Picking up the stem with his fingers, he quietly pocketed the slimy cherry knot. "I'll be taking that, thank you very much."
She laughed. "I taught myself how to do that. Pretty neat, right? I'll teach you one day, if you'd like." Blossom smiled, and Brick's heart lurched at the sight.
Fuck, she was so beautiful. That velvety dress clung to her frame like a second skin, leaving just enough to the imagination to keep it healthy. Her fresh skin smelt like strawberries and sweat, from the sauna of a party, no doubt. It was a smell Brick had grown quite accustomed to, especially after a round in the sack. Yes sir, he'd wear it like cologne if he could, but then he'd walk around with a perpetual boner and that wasn't a good look on anyone.
Oh, well. He'd relish it whenever he had the chance. Like right now for instance. Drawing her closer, he whispered, "You, me, a basket full of cherries, warm from the sun? I can't imagine anything sweeter." He pressed a kiss to her neck, feeling her pulse race.
She sighed in bliss. "It's a date then, just make sure you don't eat the pits. They have enough cyanide to kill an adult." Her fingers slipped under his hat.
Brick rolled his eyes as he pressed her against the railing. "Oh darn, that was my favorite part too." Their lips met. "Guess I'll have to settle for these instead." He nipped at her flesh.
She opened her mouth to him, tasting hints of smoke from his last cigarette. Call her crazy, but she'd grown rather fond of that flavor. Of course, she was planning on getting him all the help he needed to quit. But moments like these she felt were okay. It reminded her of who he was, and just exactly how she'd fallen for him.
They pulled apart, Blossom taking his hat off as she retreated. "Why do you always wear this?"
She studied it, then noticed hundreds of tiny words written on the inside. "Do you...write in your hat, Brick?"
Brick took the hat from her hands and plopped it on her head. "Because I was born with it. All I have left of those days, besides the bros." He spun it around backwards. "As for your other question, yes. I used to write little poems or stories or whatever in there growing up when I couldn't sleep. Too small for anyone else to read 'em, but I guess you probably could if you wanted."
Whoa.
She gave a little gasp, not expecting that response. "Oh, Brick. Really?" Blossom was... touched. Not only had Brick shown a weaker side to her, he had also trusted her enough to share this sort of secret with her. She didn't know what to say. She could feel her heart beating.
He spun the hat back around and pulled it down over her eyes, messing up her hair. "Really, really."
Blossom scowled, yanking the hat off. "Excuse you!" She huffed, shaking her hair out and combing tangles. "Just for that, I should read those for the whole city. Show the soft side of the town's resident bad boys" The hat was given back to him. "But because you matter to me, I won't."
Brick's eyebrows raised. "Well now, aren't we just the queen of self-righteousness? To what do I owe the pleasure?" The cap was back on his head, almost without thought.
"Oh, get over yourself, Rowdyruff. You're important to me, but I'm a little too tipsy to really appreciate your writing, so that will have to wait." Her arms stretched over her head. Her muscles felt like wet pasta from the drink. "Hey, Boomer mentioned something to me."
Brick looked over. "Did he? And what was that exactly?" He fished another menthol out of his pocket, lighting up.
Blossom wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Horrible." She mumbled, not at all pleased to watch him smoke. "I do hope one day you would quit doing that."
He blew out a cloud. "And I will, just not today. Anyway, what did Boom tell ya?"
She shook her head. "He said your parents helped you out financially at some point?"
Brick paused then. "Well, uh, yeah. They did." Inhale.
She moved closer. "I do hope this was done in a legal manner?"
"Shouldn't matter to you anymore. What's done, is done." Exhale. "But yes, it was." Inhale.
Now she was standing right in front of him. "Well, it's good to hear Mojo and HIM still care about you." Her fingers climbed up his chest.
Exhale. Her beautiful red hair blew and mixed in with the smoke. "Yeah, I guess."
Those hands settled around his shoulders. "Mm. Dance with me?" She rested her head against his body.
Uy.
He crushed the cigarette in his fist, effectively extinguishing it. "There's no music…"
She laughed. A sound perfect enough to be its own song. "We don't need any music to dance, Brick."
Oh. Well then.
Her hand slid down to rest in his, and she pulled him backwards into a slow waltz.
It took a few moments to find their rhythm, but once they did it was as fluid as water. Or maybe fire. Or both. He followed her every move, reading what she was going to do just before she did. The mark of an experienced dancer.
As he led her into a graceful twirl, Blossom looked up. "You've done this before." She came back out of her turn and returned her hand to his shoulder.
He only smiled. "Maybe only a few times, toots."
Those pink eyes rolled. "You and those silly nicknames. You'd fit right in during the 1920s." She picked up the pace of their dance, turning it into a modified Charleston.
He quickened his steps right alongside her. "That's right, me and Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, all the usual suspects."
Out. In. Out. In. In, out. Their feet were flying.
They clung to each other as they moved, a feat only truly skilled dancers could accomplish.
"Then who does that make me? Some low-class flapper girl?"
"Hell no." Their dance was coming to an end, all too soon.
She exhaled, out of breath. "Oh, then who…?"
He lifted her up to conclude their impromptu swing dance session. "You'd be Zelda Sayre, soon to be Zelda Fitzgerald. The first flapper of the Roaring Twenties and forever America's Sweetheart." A kiss on those lips he'd been missing.
Blossom wrapped her legs around his waist. "You know, I quite like the sound of that." She kissed him back and felt his smile.
"As it should be." He set her down. "Wanna try and roll the dice back in the frying pan again?" He tilted his head toward the steaming party, hair falling into his eyes.
She brushed it away, caressing his cheek as she did. She was feeling better, more in control. Looks like the alcohol wore off, just like he'd said.
Then, she thought of something. Looking past his shoulder, she studied the house. "Of course. And! I may just have an idea to help cool things down. But I'll need your help. Are you up for it, Rowdyruff?"
He chuckled. "Let's do it."
Taking his hand, Blossom led Brick back inside, choosing to ignore the fist-sized cavity on the wall.
Immediately, they were overwhelmed by the stifling heat. They locked eyes, uncomfortable, but on a mission.
Blossom sought out access to higher ground and located a stairway. She tugged Brick along with her.
The stairs led up to a second level of the house, not many patrons had wandered up this far. Probably too drunk to figure that one out. Brick thought to himself.
Out below, hordes of party goers looked like swarms of insects. Brick spotted his brother and Buttercup, the former of which was currently doing tequila shooters like it was water. Brick shuddered. He had not had good experiences with that spirit.
"Quickly! Over here!" Blossom snapped him out of his thoughts. She was pointing to the giant vaulted ceiling made of glass. What was she thinking of doing? He floated over to her.
She turned to him. "Do you trust me?" Determination was written all over her face.
He was taken aback for a second, but responded, "Yes." Like a brainless zombie anyway. Did he really?
"Good. Then I'm going to need you to fly up to the top of that ceiling for me. You're going to have to think fast." She pushed him over to the railing and pointed once again.
Brick had no time to take back his confirmation of his trust in her before she all but shoved him overboard. Like you'd really take that back anyway, you whipped bastard.
Whatever. He had more important things to do right now. Like focusing on flying over to where she wanted. Zooming over to the peak, he gave her an expectant look.
The red ruff watched as Blossom took an enormous breath and released a huge ice beam….that was headed straight for him.
Oh shit!
Brick finally understood what she wanted him to do, and deflected the attack with his own fire power. When the two collided, a cloud of ice so fine, it looked like glitter, exploded over the room.
At first, everything was quiet. More than a few people were looking around in alarm at the sound. But then, a voice belonging to Bubbles rang out, "It's snowing!" And everyone erupted in cheers.
As people applauded and looked around at the seemingly magic sparkly snow that had appeared, the red duo shared a look. And Blossom could see a real smile on Brick's face.
Victory.
"Tell me my ideas are good, just one more time?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Oh get off your high horse, Brick. We probably saved some people from heat exhaustion. We work amazingly well together! You have to admit."
"Yes."
"And?"
"..."
"Say it."
"It was a good idea. But for the record, we shouldn't have had to do that in the first place, had someone actually known how to build a house." His arm was draped across her shoulder, his hat on her head. "Fucking amateurs." They were currently walking home, the party long over.
Blossom poked him in the side. "Watch your language, please. And yes, while I do agree it was poor construction, the house is beautiful."
"Yeah yeah. But glitz and glam are all talk you know, it's what's underneath that counts." He tightened his hold on her.
She hummed. "Maybe…" she looked around. "What a minute, where are we going?" She stopped walking.
Brick stopped as well. "Uh, back home? Where you've lived for your entire life? C'mon Bloss, you're not still drunk?" He grabbed her shoulders and studied her face for any signs of intoxication.
She rolled her eyes and pushed him away. "I'm fine, Brick. But I, ah, thought I was going home with...you?" She asked, suddenly unsure.
Oh.
Brick was at a loss for words. He truly didn't know what he should do, be it jump for joy that the night with Blossom could continue, or race home so it could continue faster. But he was in one of his self deprecating moods, and he just couldn't let himself be happy.
Instead, he dumbly asked, "But I thought you wanted to go home?" Smooth.
Blossom gave him a gentle smile, then wound her arms around his body in an embrace. "Yes, but when I'm with you, I am home, Brick."
Well fuck me sideways, what the hell do I say to that?
He opened his mouth, trying to come up with some sort of response. No no, Blossom, you must go rest and leave me to rot in peace. But she beat him to it.
She covered his mouth with her hand. "Hush hush. I've already decided. And no, we're not going to fly there. We're walking, enjoying each other's company."
His eyes blinked. But he wisely decided to nod his head.
Satisfied, Blossom released him. "Alright then." She held out her hand. He took it.
They resumed their walk, a comfortable silence between them.
A question weighed on Brick's mind. He toyed with the idea of asking her. He snuck a glance sideways.
She was ethereal, her skin almost glowing in the moonlight. Her curls and waves had mostly come undone, but Brick loved her hair no matter what it looked like. He twitched, wanting to run his fingers through it.
"Something wrong?" She stopped walking again.
Oops.
"Naw. Got an itch or somethin'." He rubbed his thumb along the back of her palm. "You think we can get a tan from the moon?" He joked. Maybe now wasn't the best day to ask that.
When she laughed, he felt better. "If only. The moonlight is only reflecting minor amounts of light from the Earth and the sun. But it sure is beautiful, isn't it?" Her pink eyes gazed upwards. "That's the same moon Shakespeare wrote about, you know. The same stars that guided sailors on their journeys, so many years ago." She sighed, leaning on his arm. "It really puts things in perspective, doesn't it? We can still feel so small and powerless when we think about things like that."
Brick rested his chin on the top of her head. "I always knew there was a reason I liked her. The moon that is. 'The moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk to.'" He quoted.
"Who said that? I don't recognize it." She whispered, as if the moon could hear her words.
He felt that energy too. "Carl Sandburg. He's the poet who described fog as a cat. Good shit. Guess it takes one lonely guy to know one." He hadn't realized he'd wrapped his arms around her.
Blossom closed her eyes, trying to understand all the emptiness he had felt. She relished in the warmth from his body. He was like an unwavering candle, his flame refused to go out. "I hope you won't be lonely anymore." She tipped her head up, her lips meeting his. "Because I'm your home now too, Brick."
