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.: 5 :.
Bubbles lay awake and listened to the sounds of the night. She blinked up at the darkness that seemed to stretch around her infinitely and sighed softly.
She was slowly beginning to conquer her fear of the dark now that she had no choice but to face it. To be fair, darkness didn't kill people and rip them to pieces; anything could sneak up on you and scare you when you weren't able to see two feet in front of you, but darkness itself didn't do anyone any harm. It was just a nuisance, nothing to be feared, and Bubbles was coming to understand that.
She still found it difficult to fall asleep. Even though she'd become accustomed to sleeping without a fan these past few nights, she missed the soothing white noise it provided and the coolness it offered. A heat wave was on its way, if the building humidity and rising temperatures were anything to go by, and tonight it was too hot to sleep with anything heavier than a sheet on. Without power, she couldn't turn on the air conditioner in the living room or turn on anything, for that matter; the only thing she had was running water and even then, it was freezing. Bubbles wanted to kick herself for all those times she took electricity for granted.
But even if the power had stayed on, she wouldn't be able to turn the air conditioner on anyway. The old thing made enough of a ruckus to rival the hustle and bustle of the city and the last thing Bubbles needed was to turn on the AC and have one of the infected discover her.
So she stared up at the ceiling and let her thoughts wander, though tonight they were revolving around the blonde young man she met earlier.
He was an unusual person. Bubbles didn't know how he could stay perky while she was slowly losing her usual happy-go-lucky attitude in favor of stony pessimism. She could respect that he refused to let anything bring him down, but at what point would he realize how serious their situation was? How was he able to be lighthearted when there were dead bodies decorating Townsville? It was bizarre and she didn't know how to feel about that. She found herself wondering if he was secretly a psychopath who relished in the city's deterioration but quickly shook the thought away, reason winning out over caution.
Boomer didn't seem to possess any sort of evilness... Plus, she sensed he was usually absentminded; psychopaths were good at holding their tongue, a skill the boy did not possess, and they had a knack for saying all the right things to get people to lower their guard. Boomer spoke without thinking and probably accidentally offended a lot of people by doing so. His mouth truly did run faster than his mind and if he had any secrets, Bubbles had a hunch they would come spilling out whether he wanted them to or not. Maybe he was just awkward and she didn't have to be so cautious of him, especially not when he was trying to offer his home and his help to her.
Before she had returned home, he actually asked if they could meet up tomorrow to go scavenging together. He said something about picking up more water and Bubbles offered him a few of the bottles stored safely in her backpack, but he politely declined and said he didn't want to take away from her stash. After going back and forth about this for a few minutes, they decided that tomorrow afternoon, they would meet up at the stop sign where their neighborhoods intersected. It was just far enough from Bubbles' house that Boomer wouldn't know where she lived, only that she lived in that general area. From there, they would figure out where they could search for supplies and enjoy each other's company.
The blonde shifted onto her side and closed her eyes. When she replayed their meeting and different conversations, she was slightly ashamed of how cold and aloof she initially was towards him. Bubbles didn't have a mean bone in her body, yet this world was bringing out the absolute worst in her. Paranoia, fear, apprehension... Who was she now? Where was that sweet, innocent girl who was as bright and bubbly as her namesake? How was it that only a week had passed and yet she felt alienated from her old self?
She knew it was smart to be cautious of a stranger, especially in this type of situation, but she really didn't like the person she was becoming and she wasn't sure how to change it. She could only hope this new attitude was temporary.
To say that Bubbles felt nervous about meeting Boomer was an understatement. The entire morning, her stomach was in knots and she was barely able to eat or drink anything. It would be a waste of food if she ate only to throw it back up, so she skipped breakfast and merely grabbed two decent-sized can of pear slices, two water bottles, and figured that she and Boomer could have the pears for lunch.
She would have liked to say she was nervous because Boomer was cute, but her anxiety stemmed from wariness. She hated that she couldn't stop questioning everything and everyone she encountered, even though Boomer was the only person she'd seen after the world basically ended. She used to be friendly and open; she was the picture of 'sugar' in the old adage 'sugar, spice, and everything nice', but now... Bubbles' nerves were so frayed and she didn't know what more to expect from her environment. This new side of herself was so hardened and stoic that 'sugar' was the last word she'd use to describe her personality.
She felt so much older than nineteen. After seeing the horror at City Hall and the countless bloodstains all over the city, she had grown up a lot over the past few days. Before, Bubbles had been excited to go out into the world; now she dreaded it.
But she figured that if Boomer was willing to be friendly, she would be, too. After all, they both had the same goal: stay alive without getting infected.
Bubbles had her phone with her but refrained from checking it as often as she had before. Without electricity she had no way to charge it, so she tried not to use it if she didn't have to. She had about seventy percent battery life left and wanted to make it count.
As she rounded the corner and the stop sign came into view, she immediately spotted Boomer sitting Indian-style next to it. His elbow was resting on his knee and he leaned his chin into the palm of his hand, baby-blue eyes studying the flower garden of a nearby house when he heard Bubbles' soft footsteps.
"Oh hey, you actually came!" Boomer chirped, immediately jumping to his feet.
Bubbles smiled. "Of course. We agreed: noon at the stop sign."
"Right!" He clasped his hands together and looked around. "I figured we could do some scavenging and maybe, sort of... Get to know each other while we're at it?"
One of his signature sheepish grins graced his lips and she giggled.
"That sounds good. Did you have anywhere specific in mind?"
Boomer shook his head. "We could walk around first...?"
"What about getting supplies?"
"Oh, um... Well... Maybe one of those shops in the city?"
She blinked. "Most of the infected are in the city, though."
He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Right, right... Sorry, I guess I didn't think this through. I just wanted to hang out with you, honestly; it's been so long since I've been able to talk to anyone other than my brothers and I think my mouth ran faster than my brain again. Not that I don't want to hang out with you! I totally do, it's just that, well, I haven't lived in Townsville that long and I don't know the area all that well and... Sorry, I'm rambling again."
Bubbles sighed, but she wasn't the least bit annoyed; if anything, she found it cute that Boomer didn't actually have a plan for their day together. He'd just been looking for an excuse to hang out with her and she was flattered that he liked her company enough to invite her out... Even though these weren't exactly ideal circumstances for a day out on the city.
"How about we take a walk to Pokey Oaks?" she suggested. "It's not far from here and it's on the way to Malph's so if we decide to pick up more supplies, it'll be right down the road."
Boomer nodded enthusiastically. "Good idea."
As they made their way down the path that would lead them out of the neighborhood and closer to Pokey Oaks Kindergarten, Bubbles was glad that she'd worn a tank top and shorts. The humidity was really beginning to build and although it was a clear day, it was sweltering out.
"You mentioned yesterday that you haven't lived here long," Bubbles commented, deciding not to focus on the blistering heat. "Where did you live before Townsville?"
"I've lived in Citysville my whole life," he replied, kicking at a stray rock. "But a few months ago, Mojo got a huge raise where he works and decided he was sick of the city life. Townsville is still a city, but it's a lot nicer here."
Bubbles was inclined to agree. She and her sisters accompanied the Professor to Citysville for a few conventions and they hated every second they had to spend there. It was great to see the Professor win all kinds of awards and see him happy among his fellow scientists, but a majority of Citysville's residents were cruel and rude. Townsville had its ups and downs, but its citizens were known for their immeasurable kindness and generosity. Bubbles couldn't imagine living anywhere else and thought it was one-hundred times better than smelly, smog-ridden Citysville.
"Do you ever miss it there?"
He chuckled humorlessly. "Not really. I didn't have too many friends there, plus I left behind an ex-girlfriend who was intent on making my life hell after we broke up. Butch got into lots of trouble while he lived there and Brick was very close to falling into the wrong crowd, too, so moving to Townsville was a much-needed fresh start for all of us. Good riddance, honestly."
"Why'd you break up?" she blurted without thinking, then immediately apologized for the rude question. Boomer smiled.
"It's okay, it was actually a long time ago so it doesn't bother me to talk about it now. We broke up because we just didn't click; she was all about money and material stuff, and I... Well, I don't know. Mojo always made sure we had everything we needed and he never skimped out on Christmas or birthday gifts, we always had a decent allowance and whatnot, but I don't really care about having a big-shot car or a mansion, you know? She came from big money, though, and so she was used to being treated like a princess. That was actually her name, too: Princess Morbucks.
"Anyway, she wasn't too nice to me or my family, and one day I decided I didn't want to be with her anymore. I tried to be nice about it but she twisted everything around on me, told everyone I treated her like crap, that I constantly cheated on her, the whole shebang. I wouldn't have cared but because she has a lot of money, everyone in the city believed what she said about me and I couldn't get a job anywhere. I couldn't really walk anywhere without people harassing me, calling me a cheater among other, ah, lovely names. You can probably imagine how happy I was when Mojo said he was thinking of moving out of there."
Bubbles chewed her lip thoughtfully. She could have sworn she remembered a girl named Princess Morbucks in her kindergarten class, but all her memories of elementary school were a blur of school trips and playing with the neighborhood kids. She chalked up the familiarity of the name to coincidence.
"I'm sorry things didn't work out," she murmured. "Did things at least get better when you moved here?"
His eyes lit up. "Definitely. I sorta wish I grew up here instead of Citysville. Everyone here is so much nicer; when we first moved in, our neighbors brought over all kinds of food and home-warming gifts to help us feel more welcome. Brick was shocked when he opened the door and saw an old lady holding a pie instead of a thug holding a steel pipe."
Bubbles' eyes widened and Boomer nodded. "Yeah, we actually had that happen a few times back at the ol' apartment. Remember how I said Butch and Brick were going down a bad path? We had a few rather intimidating guests pop up a few times so, uh... Let's just say it was really good timing for Mojo to get that raise."
They continued walking in silence, having reached Pokey Oaks. The small building didn't mean much to Boomer but for Bubbles, it was a childhood landmark that brought back plenty of good memories. It looked just as deserted as the rest of Townsville and to see the classroom so empty, so dead instead of the usual liveliness it usually contained... It was upsetting.
Boomer seemed to sense her change of mood. "Is this your old school?"
"Yeah." She exhaled through her nose. "Lots of memories here."
He remained quiet and Bubbles soon shook the sad feeling off, instead focusing on their original plan to find more supplies.
"Do you feel like going to Malph's?" she asked, turning to him. "I scored a bunch of food and water there yesterday."
"Sure! Lead the way."
They continued their walk, both enjoying the sound of birds chirping happily around them. Boomer appeared to be content but Bubbles watched their surroundings warily, keeping an eye and ear out for anything unusual. Her male counterpart picked up on this.
"Everything will be fine," he reassured. "Remember, those things don't like large groups."
She smiled weakly. "I doubt the infected would be intimidated by two people."
"Two is a bigger number than one. They're probably crapping their pants at the sight of us together."
She cracked up and he grinned, pleased that he could make her laugh.
"So, hey, how long have you lived in Townsville?" he asked, after she was able to regain her composure.
"My whole life," she replied.
"So you know your way around the city?"
"Pretty much." She smiled. "I can tell you where the best food is, where the best tourist spots are, and I can show you where the arcade is."
"No way... Townsville has an arcade? Are you kidding?" At the shake of her head, he groaned.
"Damn it... Figures that when I finally learn this place has an arcade, the world ends. And to think I have so many quarters begging to be spent on old game machines..."
He pretended to wipe a tear from his eye and Bubbles giggled.
"A few days ago I would have offered to take you, but I hadn't met you yet plus the power finally went out."
"I know." Boomer made a face. "It's always so eerie when the power goes out. It's like, you could be in a deep sleep and all of a sudden you hear that 'click' of the electric going out, and then everything is just... Quiet. I hate when that happens."
Bubbles nodded in understanding. When the power went out a few days ago, she had been in a deep sleep herself, yet even while unconscious, her body immediately picked up on the sudden change in her environment. That was not a fun night; she'd kept a flashlight on until dawn broke, her fear of the dark preventing her from going back to sleep until the safety of morning finally arrived.
They reached Malph's within fifteen minutes and Bubbles was slightly relieved to find that there were no new bloody splotches adorning the parking lot. Boomer either didn't take notice of the carnage or he just didn't want to acknowledge it; he simply walked around the spots and entered the store, checking it before poking his head around the permanently-open automatic door and giving the girl a thumbs-up.
The store was still relatively untouched save for the food and water Bubbles had pilfered yesterday. Come to think of it, when she was here yesterday, the store had looked untouched even then, the only signs of the epidemic being the broken glass and bloodstains. It made her wonder if other survivors had already been rescued and didn't need to raid stores for food or if there simply weren't any survivors outside of those who made it to the evacuation zones.
Boomer filled his backpack with anything and everything he could find, with Bubbles doing the same thing. She didn't want to go out for food often if she didn't have to, but then again, hanging out with Boomer was nice. It was better than sitting alone at home and letting her thoughts eat away at her sanity. Maybe scavenging was a good excuse to hang out after all.
She was torn from her thoughts when Boomer held up a candy bar and waved it in the air. "Think this would still be good? It's been getting hot out lately."
"I wouldn't risk it," she advised, then held up a box of chocolate wafers. "These are probably in better shape."
"Good thinking." He quickly snatched it from her and sent a wink in her direction. "Dibs on this box, but the rest are fair game."
Never a dull moment, she mused, but she had to admit, she was happy with this change of pace.
It was sometime around late afternoon when Bubbles got tired. She wanted to find a bench at one of the bus stops to take a rest but Boomer had another idea in mind.
"Let's climb up to the roof."
They'd left Malph's ages ago and decided to continue walking around the neighborhood area. It was when they came to a yellow house with white window-boxes full of pink flowers and a large oak tree in the yard that he proposed the idea.
"Um... It's two stories up," Bubbles pointed out. "I don't think it's possible to get up there from here."
He snorted. "Pfft, amateur. Sit back and watch the master work his magic."
She raised an eyebrow at him but watched as he scaled the nearby oak tree with ease, finding footing without any difficulty whatsoever. As soon as he found a sturdy branch close to the roof, he crawled out onto it and managed to swing himself onto the shingles, landing on his feet with a loud, unceremonious thump. Bubbles immediately panicked and whirled around, checking to make sure nothing had heard them.
"All clear," Boomer stated loudly. The girl wanted to throttle him for carelessly making so much noise; what if there were infected inside that house? He would be stuck up there and Bubbles would have no choice but to fend for herself all the way down here. They would both be easy targets and she glared up at him.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Never had it to begin with." He grinned. When her glare didn't waver, he added, "In all seriousness, we're safe during the day. Those things only come out at night because they can't handle the sun. Come on up here; the view is excellent."
She frowned, recalling the first infected person she ever encountered. "But Boomer, I saw one of those things out during the daytime."
"Impossible." He stretched his arms into the air before letting out a satisfied sigh. "Trust me, Bubbles, we're safe. Get your butt up here or I'm demoting you to noob status."
Choosing to ignore that last remark, whatever it was supposed to mean, she took one last wary glance around before approaching the tree. She tried to climb up but it was hard to find good footing; how the hell did Boomer get up there within seconds when it took her forever just to find a place to start climbing up?
"How the heck am I supposed to do this?" she asked, yelping when her foot slipped. Bubbles just managed to regain her footing when a bird suddenly took off above her. She let out a surprised squeal and accidentally let go, falling hard and flat on her back. The wind was instantly knocked out of her lungs and she decided the ground was a much nicer place to spend her afternoon. Boomer peeked over the side of the roof.
"Are you okay?"
"Never better," she wheezed, fighting to catch her breath. He disappeared from the edge before shimmying back down the tree.
"Here, I'll help you," he offered, extending a hand to her. Bubbles hesitated before taking it, allowing him to pull her to her feet.
"You make it look so easy," she murmured. He chuckled at the embarrassed bush that tinted her cheeks.
"Years of experience, girl. I gained my fair share of bruises and scars learning how to climb trees; not everyone will get it perfect their first try. Here, I'll crouch down and you use my shoulders to boost yourself up. If you fall down again, I'll catch you so you don't hurt your back. The last thing you need right now is a back injury and something tells me the infected won't be able to recommend any good chiropractors."
Sometimes it astounded her how Boomer could joke around about the infected as if they were just another everyday nuisance instead of an apocalyptic monster. She wished she could regard the world around her with humor like he did, but she was already becoming jaded and weary.
Bubbles chewed her lip anxiously. "But what if I fall again and one of the infected hears us and finds us?"
"I told you, they don't like the sun. We can throw our own version of Mardi Gras out here and they won't bother us."
"Boomer, I saw one in the city the other day," she argued. "If one is able to go out during the day, don't you think there will be others?"
He frowned. "But that's impossible; when the infection first spread, the sunlight literally set them on fire. There's no way."
"I'm telling you, I saw it with my own eyes."
He considered her words before sadness crept into his eyes and he shrugged.
"Then I guess if they do find us, it'll be the end of the road for us, but if we have to go down, we go down fighting." That wasn't exactly a comforting answer but Boomer had a certain way about him that was comforting in itself. Today could very-well be their last on this earth and she could die out here, never getting to reunite with her family like she prayed she would.
But honestly, dying alongside a sweet guy who tried to stay positive wasn't exactly the worst way to go, not that she wanted to die, but still.
"I believe you, y'know," he relented. "About the infected getting up during the day. I'll try to be quieter from now on, just in case."
She released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Thank you. And, um... Sorry for being so flighty."
Boomer reached out and ruffled her hair, and Bubbles let out a cry of protest. "No need to apologize, this is why we're a great team. You keep your wits about you and I make the witty jokes. It's good to be careful, but it's my job as your friend to make sure you don't forget how to laugh and have fun every once in a while. Come on, I'll teach you how to climb a tree. Who knows? Might be a handy skill to have these days."
He led her back to the tree and planted his feet firmly on the ground, locking his fingers together in front of him. Bubbles hesitated.
"I've got you," he reassured. "Just give it a try."
She placed a steady hand on his shoulder and stepped onto his hand. Boomer boosted her up and she managed to get back up to the spot where she fell from.
"Keep to your right," he instructed. "Those branches are sturdier."
She did so and managed to climb up with much more ease than her first try. Sure enough, she found the branch Boomer used to swing down onto the roof and copied his earlier movement, though she landed with much less grace and nearly scraped her knees. She jumped when he joined her, almost falling on top of her but catching himself at the last minute.
"Sorry about the rough landing." He pushed himself back up into a standing position and dusted his jeans off. "If it's any consolation, have a look."
He gestured behind her and Bubbles turned to see a gorgeous view of Townsville. The sun reflected off of the skyscrapers and filled the city with a golden glow. Splashes of orange, yellow, and even pink streaked across the sky with a few clouds lazily floating by, and the entire scene was enough to lift her spirits, even if only for a little while.
Her blonde counterpart plopped down next to her and dangled his legs over the edge of the roof, swinging them to and fro like a child would. The summer sun made him look like a Californian model, his eyes an ocean against the sandy color of his skin. He looked healthy and happy and in that moment, Bubbles felt like a normal person again. They weren't two survivors trying to live to see another day in a hostile world; they were just two people trying to see if they connected. It was nice to pretend that everything was fine even if this play-pretend hour was doomed to end as soon as the sun disappeared.
"So," he began. "Tell me about your life."
She hesitated. "What do you want to know?"
"Anything! Family, funny stories, favorite color... Anything you feel like talking about."
Bubbles considered his words and tried to think. What did she feel like telling him?
"Well, you know that I live with my dad," she allowed, and he nodded for her to continue. "I have two sisters who are both older than me: Blossom is the oldest and Buttercup is the middle child. I'm the youngest and sometimes everyone treats me like a baby because of it, but for the most part, our family gets along pretty well.
"My sisters and I are triplets but we don't look anything alike. It's weird, really; Buttercup is the one who looks the most like our dad since they have the same hair color. Even though we don't look alike, the Professor swears we're his and he didn't adopt, and we used to wonder if he was lying since Blossom and I don't look much like him, but it doesn't matter to us anymore. We don't know anything about our mother or what she looked like, but I think she passed away during childbirth. The Professor always gets really upset anytime we try to ask him about her, so we just stopped asking.
"My favorite color is blue and I used to go to Townsville Community College before, well... Before the city was overrun. I wanted to to go Citysville University since Blossom goes there and she constantly goes on about how she loves it there, but I couldn't. TCC isn't bad, though; the people are friendlier there."
"Wait, why couldn't you go to Citysville?"
She sighed. "I wanted to major in art but they rejected my portfolio and sent back a letter that basically said 'your art sucks.'"
Boomer winced. "Ouch."
"Yeah." Bubbles looked down at the street below and admired the way the afternoon sun cast a nostalgic glow over the neighborhood. It reminded her of all those lazy summer days spent with her sisters while the Professor was working in his lab. "But what about you? What did you do before all of this stuff happened?"
Boomer blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, well... I didn't do much of anything. See, I'm kind of the slacker in our family, at least that's what Mojo calls me. Brick is the smart one who gets straight-A's at Citysville and Butch is the meathead who makes a lot of money cage fighting. I'm not a fighter and I'm not book-smart so before all this, I didn't really know what to do with myself."
"You said you liked going out at night," Bubbles recalled aloud. "Did you like to go out and party? Buttercup loved partying before she got serious about picking a major."
He chuckled. "Sometimes I liked going out to the club, but it was mostly because I worked at a pizzeria as a delivery boy. I was already used to staying up late so on my days off, when everything else was closed and the club was still jumping, I figured 'why not?' and went a few times. It wasn't the greatest job in the world and I usually worked so late that I didn't have much time for anything, but it was a paycheck, you know? And I know pizza delivery isn't exactly a profession that most people jump out of their seats about, but, well.."
"Hey, without pizza delivery men, Friday night gaming wouldn't be the same," she pointed out, and he nodded, brightening.
"That's true! Do you like playing video games?"
Bubbles nodded. "I'm mostly into games like the Sims and some Nintendo stuff but Buttercup always brought home zombie games. I didn't like those kinds of games before, but I think they're starting to pay off."
"You mean horror survival?" His eyes lit up with amusement. "So you know all about surviving in a zombie apocalypse. I'll keep that in mind in case I ever need your expertise!"
The blonde giggled at his words. "I don't think that would work; the infected folks of Townsville aren't quite zombies."
"Same scenario, though!"
"...Touché ."
Boomer's gaze lifted to the endless array of colors above them and continued to swing his feet to and fro, appearing perfectly content. He was a bright light in a world full of darkness and Bubbles found herself thinking that she was glad to have met him.
"Other than me being a delivery boy... You already know my dad is the legendary Dr. Jojo," he continued, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "My favorite color is blue, too, and I must have a dozen blue shirts at home. Hmm... Oh, speaking of dads, I actually have two dads. A lot of people don't know that about me."
"Really?" She tilted her head to the side and he nodded.
"Well, I had two dads, I should say," he amended. "They divorced when we were little. I don't remember why they separated but Brick would probably know more about that than me or Butch. Anyway, we did live with our other dad for a few years after the divorce but after Mojo gained full custody, we didn't get to see him that much and eventually we stopped seeing him altogether."
Bubbles' expression fell. "Oh... I'm sorry."
"It's whatever. Besides, if memory serves correctly, he wasn't a great dad anyway. We don't even refer to him as 'Dad' or 'Mom,' we just call him 'Him' since he stopped calling, stopped sending birthday cards, and walked away without a second thought." He flashed her a wink. "It's okay, though. Mojo can be a hard-ass when he wants to be, but at least he's got an indoor pool and a plasma-screen TV. Pros and cons, my friend."
A warm fuzzy feeling flooded her chest at the word 'friend.' I made a friend. Boomer had referred to himself as her friend earlier but she had been so focused on getting up the tree that it didn't quite register in her mind.
In this terrible situation, Bubbles was not all by herself; she had someone to talk to and laugh with and wasn't completely alone. It was a welcome realization.
"Is Mojo a good dad?" she asked meekly, and Boomer nodded.
"I get on his nerves a lot, but he does his best for a single dad of three. What about the Professor?"
The mention of her own father sent a pang of longing through her heart. She missed her family, but Boomer had been open with her about his; she owed him the same honesty.
"He's the best dad I know." That was the God-given truth. "He's always busy but he tries, you know? Even though he's a famous scientist and he's constantly being pulled in all directions by his job, he's never missed any of Buttercup's games or Blossom's spelling bee competitions. In my freshman year of high school, I made the cheerleading squad and I was so nervous for the first game I was going to cheer in."
The memory made her smile. "Professor actually ordered custom T-shirts that said 'Go Bubbles!' and they each had a little cartoon doodle of a cheerleader with pigtails on them. He made my sisters wear them and even though I was nervous that day, it was the best feeling in the world to see my whole family on the bleachers wearing those shirts and cheering their hearts out for me. My dad is the best guy I know and he's always there if we need him."
When she realized Boomer was staring at her, she backtracked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to go on for so long."
"No, no!" He snorted. "Honestly, you're talking to the king of 'going on for so long.' I'm glad you guys have a good father. My brothers and I met him maybe once at one of those big-shot science conventions that Mojo used to drag us to. Brick loved it since he's a huge nerd and all, but Butch and I don't really care about that stuff. Anyway, the one time we did get to meet Professor Utonium, he seemed like a cool guy."
"He is." Bubbles laughed. "Actually, maybe 'cool' isn't the right word for him. Corny might suit him better."
"Aren't all dads corny, though?"
"True."
"Come to think of it," Boomer tapped his chin again. "My dad can be uptight, but he's actually a big dork. When we were little and we didn't want to wake up on time for school, Mojo would put on this ridiculous monkey mask and jump on our beds, making monkey noises until we were forced to get up. One time, I think Brick asked him why he put on the mask when he could just threaten us with no TV and he made this dumb joke. God, how did it go again?"
He tried to think for a few minutes, eyes lighting up with mirth when he remembered. "Oh, yeah! Brick was all like, 'Mojo, why do you wear that stupid mask?' and Mojo said, 'Because, it makes you guys laugh and gets you out of bed.' So Brick said, 'But other dads just threaten to take away TV and video games.'"
The blonde burst into chuckles and Bubbles couldn't help but grin as well.
"Without missing a beat, Mojo puts on the monkey mask and says, 'Son, I would never take away your TV time for such a stupid reason. That's just bananas.'"
They both erupted into giggles at the terrible pun. When Bubbles regained her composure, she sighed.
"That's terrible, Boomer."
"You're telling me! I had to put up with twenty years of bad puns and dad jokes."
"Wait, you're twenty?"
He nodded. "I just turned twenty last month. What about you?"
She gave him a knowing look. Most people thought she was much younger than nineteen and felt the need to inform her of this despite her insistence that she was an adult.
"How old do you think I am?"
Boomer leaned in close to examine her face and her cheeks warmed at the boy's close proximity. It was then that Bubbles noticed the explosion of freckles that dusted across his cheeks and along the bridge of his nose, a few stray ones dotting his forehead as well. His blue eyes were lit with mischief and good humor; when he pulled away, he pretended to think.
"Judging by the pigtails and the lack of soul-crushing existential dread in your eyes... Sixteen?"
She laughed. "Nope. Try again."
"Fifteen?"
"Older, not younger."
"Seventeen?"
"Getting warmer."
"Eighteen."
"Almost there."
He blinked at her. "Wait, you're nineteen?"
Here it comes. She nodded.
"You really don't look it! What's your secret? Did you discover the fountain of youth?" He wiggled his eyebrows and she laughed again.
"I wish. I just have a youthful face, I guess? Everyone says I look fifteen or sixteen; I've even had people on the campus ask me if I was looking for the middle school. For whatever reason, I guess they thought I looked like a middle school student."
"Oh man, that has to be annoying after a while."
Bubbles shrugged. "You get used to it. It's not really a bad thing but... Well, actually, yeah, it can be annoying sometimes depending on how people react. I had an old lady pinch my cheeks once and tell me I was the most adorable little girl she'd ever seen. I was seventeen at the time."
"Yikes."
"Yeah."
"Well, you might have a young face, but for what it's worth..." He blushed. "You're really pretty."
Bubbles' cheeks grew warm. "Th-thanks. You're, uh.. Not too shabby yourself."
Boomer pretended to gush, hands cupping his face while he pursed his lips. "Aww shucks, she thinks I'm pretty!"
She laughed and smacked his arm playfully. "You know what I meant!"
"Yeah, I do." He flashed her one of his rare, real smiles and if her face wasn't red before, she was sure it was now. "Thanks."
A comfortable silence fell over them for a spell, both enjoying the feel of the summer sun baking down on them. The black shingles were not hot, but pleasantly warm, and it wasn't long until they both laid back against the roof. If Bubbles didn't know the infected were stalking around the city, she might think they were just out here trying to get a tan.
A soft growling noise filled the air and Boomer immediately clapped a hand to his stomach, wincing. Bubbles raised an eyebrow and he grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday, hence the reason I wanted to go scavenging."
Bubbles remembered the pears in her backpack and quickly retrieved them, handing Boomer his share, fork and water bottle included.
"I figured it might be nice to stop and eat somewhere," she explained, blushing again, and it was at that moment she realized she really needed to stop getting so flustered around him.
"There you go again with the good ideas," he replied, flipping the tab. "Seriously though, are you sure? I know food is kind of hard to come by these days; I don't want to take any away from you, especially not when you found it fair-and-square. My backpack is literally full of stuff I could eat."
"Of course! I don't mind sharing. Think of it as a token of friendship." She flipped the tab on her own can and opened it, her own stomach growling in anticipation as she peeled the metal lid off. Boomer hesitated before doing the same and held up his can.
"Cheers?"
She giggled and clinked the metal container against his, and they both dug into their makeshift lunch. It was nice, just like a picnic, and Bubbles was glad she thought to bring food for them. It wasn't much but it was something, and they both savored the syrupy-sweet fruit as much as they could until it was gone.
Boomer was the first to speak up after downing half his water bottle.
"Thank you, um..." Then, after pausing, "You know, I don't think you ever told me your name."
Bubbles wanted to say that she did tell him, but realized he was right. She had kept her address and her name a secret, but now that she knew him a little better... She figured they were already friends. Why not?
"My name is Bubbles."
"Bubbles, huh?" The name sounded sweet rolling off his tongue. "That's a cute name. I like it."
"Thank you."
"Mm-hmm. Thanks again for the food; I owe you one."
She waved him off. "Don't worry about it. What are friends for?"
"True, but still! One day I'll make it up to you. Even if I have to brave the dark forces of the city and risk losing a limb, I will find a way to return this act of kindness!"
He posed like a superhero, fists on his hips, but Bubbles couldn't find it in herself to smile. Images of mangled corpses rotting around City Hall flitted through her mind and the pears she had just eaten felt like rocks in her gut.
Boomer noticed the change of mood and stopped posing.
"You okay?"
"How do you do it?"
He blinked. "Do what?"
"Make jokes about this." She motioned towards Townsville.
"Oh." Boomer smiled sadly. "Well, sitting and fretting about it won't change anything."
"But how do you stay happy and peppy when there aren't any reasons to be?"
"There's always a reason to be happy." Boomer rested his hands behind his head and leaned back onto the rough surface of the roof. "For example, you and my brothers and I haven't become human chew toys and we hopefully never will."
"Aren't you afraid?" The question sounded so pitiful that he actually turned to look at her. Boomer's cheerful demeanor gave way to an exhaustion Bubbles didn't think was possible for the blonde.
"Of course I'm afraid," he murmured. "All it takes is one bite and I'm done for, and if my brothers were bitten... I don't think I could handle it. If you want to know the truth, Bubbles, I'm scared of being alone. It's a thought that bothered me before the epidemic and it's only gotten worse now that the world pretty much ended. I don't... I don't think I could continue living if I lost everyone I care about. It was hard enough when I lost—"
He stopped before he could continue and Bubbles' guard immediately went up.
"Lost who?"
For the first time since Bubbles met him, Boomer's eyes glimmered with unshed tears and all traces of his usual lightheartedness disappeared. He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes to keep his grief at bay.
"When I lost Mojo."
