Killer's Playground

Summary:Mafia AU – They were three of Townsville's most notorious crime lords. They were three good girls that got caught up in the wrong crowd. West Side Story has nothing on these kids. REDS, GREENS, BLUES

Authors note: The Powerpuff Girls do not belong to me and as always, they have human appendages.

The girls and boys are roughly in their mid-twenties and don't have their powers in this one.

*Happy 6th anniversary on FF to me I guess.

Part I: Study Dates, Egotistical Frat Boys who can't take a Hint and some Bloody Brass Knuckles

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XxX

Blossom sighted irritatedly as she tapped her pencil against her textbook. She glanced around the library again, trying to see if he had arrived yet, but she knew that he hadn't.

She glanced up at the clock hanging above the front entrance of the Townsville University library: 11:30pm. She felt the sudden urge to snap her pencil in half.

He was late. Almost two hours late.

Normally she would have never agreed to starting a project so late in the evening. However, the partner that she was unfortunately stuck with, wasn't an ordinary student.

Oh no. far from.

Brick Jojo was the oldest son of Mojo and Himesh Jojo – the heads of the most powerful and influential mob family in the city.

And it was just her luck that she got partnered with him for their final project that was worth forty percent of their final grade.

After her professor had announced the project a week ago, and told them who they were going to be working with, much to her dismay; she had purposely cornered him after class (which was a fucking miracle in itself, considering that he almost never came to class to begin with) and had all but demanded that they were going to meet in the campus library at 10 o'clock at night and work on their project because, she knew full well that he was more active at night anyways, and she wanted to at least try and appeal to him.

… and he was late. Pushing two hours late. Just who did he think he was?

That was a loaded question. He already knew who he was.

Her phone flashed on the table beside her and she checked it, seeing a text from her youngest sister Bubbles.

Bubbles: Got to the bar safely. Place is packed. BC is having a good time.

Her phone flashed again and a second text came through.

Bubbles: Haven't seen any sign of you-know-who. Hopefully he doesn't show up. BC is hitting it off with a major hottie tho.

She groaned as she set her phone down again. She'd much rather be downtown with her sisters, providing emotional support to Buttercup – said sister had finally broken up with her manipulative and borderline abusive now-ex boyfriend, and had decided that she was going to go out for a night on the town and get absolutely hammered to celebrate.

But no. She was stuck here, waiting for HIM. Of course, she got partnered with the most unreliable and arguably the most dangerous person in their class.

Now, she wasn't stupid. She knew why her professor had paired them together. She was top of her class, a straight A student, and they knew that she put the work in… unlike a certain someone.

But she couldn't blame them, not really. She knew that her professors were scared of the possibly murderous repercussions they might face if Brick took home an F to his family. Hell, she knew there was a good chance that she might never see some of her professors again if they allowed him to fail.

She bit her lip in frustration. It's not like he even needed to go to university anyways. He had his whole life set out ahead of him: he and his brothers would take over the mob when their fathers stepped down, make exuberant amounts of money doing so, and lord over Townsville and that would be that. She had heard through the rumor mill that the only reason he had enrolled in a few university classes in the first place was so that he could have an "alibi" in case some of the less crooked cops questioned him about some of his more… nefarious activities.

It was bullshit. The Jojo family ran Townsville. Their influence was everywhere and they had their hands in just about everything that went on in the city. Townsville was completely crooked; the Jojo's had made sure of that. The police force was a joke. They were bought, everyone knew that. The cops knew it and Brick knew it too. There was no way that anyone would rat him out. Not if they didn't want their body to be found in a ditch off some remote road.

It didn't happen often. But it happened enough to known enemies of the Jojo family that people got the picture, and didn't mess with the clan. They could get away with murder, and there was nothing that anyone could do about it.

It was because of the implied threats that her professors couldn't take the chance at letting Brick fail, lest they be on the receiving end of a homicide themselves. She understood that. But that didn't mean that she had to like it.

Which was part of the reason why she was still here. If he thought that by wasting her time, she would just give up, go home and do the whole project by herself, he had another thing coming-

VROOOOM.

The sound of an expensive V-8 hemi pulling up outside the library made her pause. She slowly turned around in her chair to see who had pulled up to the library's glass wall. A brand-new burgundy Dodge Challenger had pulled into the parking spot closest to the library doors, headlights on and all. Blossom swallowed. Yup. That had to be him. There was no way any normal university student could own such an expensive car.

The headlights shut off a second later and a tall silhouette climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut behind him. The library doors slid open and there he was: the infamous Brick Jojo.

He was still wearing his trademark red baseball cap even though the sun had gone down hours ago. The tall man adjusted his dark crimson hoodie and ran a hand though his cropped red hair that was pulled back into a small ponytail as he scanned the library looking for her. After a second, he spotted her and leisurely made his way over to her, which somehow managed to infuriate her even more.

He pulled out the chair next to her and sat down, causing something to jingle in his hoodie pouch. If she had been less annoyed, that might had tipped her off that something wasn't quite right, but she was tired, hungry and more irritated then she could remember being in a long time. At that very moment, she didn't really care that he was a mob son, she was going to give him a piece of her mind.

Before he could open his mouth, she was on him. "Where the hell have you been?"

To his credit, he looked just as surprised as she felt. She hardly ever swore and she was fairly certain that no one had ever spoken to him like that.

He stared at her for a moment in utter disbelief, before he finally coughed. "Excuse me?"

Inwardly, she knew she should have backed down there and then, and apologized, but his reaction only spurred her on. "You heard me: where the hell have you been?" she snarled. Brick blinked, looking almost unsure of what to say, before his expression hardened and his almost-but not quite red eyes narrowed. "You do realize who I am, right?"

"I know perfectly well who you are Brick Jojo, but honestly I don't care." She snapped, glowering at him. "I have sat here, for almost two hours waiting for you. I offered to sit and work on this project late in the evening with you because I know what you get up to at night, and you didn't even have the decently to show up even remotely on time!"

"Hold on, just who do you think you are-" Brick started to snarl, but she cut him off.

She leaned in, lowering her voice. "Listen here: I have better things to do with my time then sit around the library and wait for you to show up. I would have much rather been downtown with my sisters tonight, but instead I opted to wait for you because I'm not going to fail our final project, and you are going to work on it with me!"

"Well I'm here now aren't I?" Brick challenged her, also leaning in. "I got held up. Sue me. Let me tell you something:" he leaned in further into her personal space and suddenly, the courage that she felt early left her and she wanted nothing more then to shrink into her light pink hoodie and disappear. Oh no, what had she done? This guy could just as easily put a hit on her if he really wanted to! What had she been thinking?

"Nobody, and I mean nobody has ever talked to me like that and lived." He hissed, looking her up and down. She all but felt her heart stop as he looked at her terrified expression and allowed a small smirk to pull at his lips. "… But for you I'll make an exception."

She blinked, scarcely believing what she just heard. "…what?" she finally croaked and Brick laughed. "Oh my god, you should see your face. Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you girly, relax."

"What- but, you, how… how dare you?" the auburn haired-girl nearly shrieked as she realized he had been teasing her. "Oh, calm down Blossom. You're fine. You're too cute for me to do anything to you." Brick laughed again, causing her to pause at what he said. "Pardon me?" He actually bothered to remember her name? What's more, he called her cute? She flinched inwardly. Maybe he had been paying more attention then she had initially thought. To her, that is. Honestly, she couldn't tell if that was a good or a bad thing and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

But Brick only shook his head. "So, what are we supposed to do for this project? I wasn't listening." He rolled his eyes as she gave him a disapproving look. "Look babe, you're the smart one here, why don't you just tell me what you want me to do and I'll work on it in my own time. Give me your number and I'll send my part to you. Sound good?"

"I mean…" She paused as she mulled it over. She didn't particularly want to give a big-time criminal her contact information, but on the other hand, at least she wouldn't have to wait in the library until the ungodly hours of the morning waiting for him to show if she did. "If you do your part and send it to me then it could work-"

"Hey Blossom!"

"What's up cutie?"

And suddenly Blossom wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear. There were perhaps two people in the entirety of Townsville that she didn't want to run into more than Brick and his 'family' – three if she counted her sister's ex – and they were coming her way.

Chad Ranch and Brad Montgomery belonged to the biggest frat at TU. She had a few electives with them, and unfortunately, they had taken an interest in her somewhere along the way. Ever since then, they somehow appeared where she was and never missed out on an opportunity to flirt- or rather pester her, whenever they got the chance.

Why they were in the library so late was beyond her, but that wasn't important. She really didn't want to deal with either of them right now… especially considering who was sitting beside her. She was too busy contemplating what to do to notice that Brick's face had darkened slightly upon seeing her obvious discomfort.

The two boys slid up on either side of her and she cringed but forced a pleasant smile on her lips as she greeted both of them. "Hello Chad, hello Brad. What are you doing here so late?"

"Getting some last-minute cram time in before our final tomorrow." Chad grinned as he nudged her. "Hey Bloss, you're like, super smart right? Why don't you come with Chad and I back to our dorm and help us 'study'?" Brad grinned, but she knew exactly what he was implying.

Trying her best to hide her disgust at the proposition she shook her head. "No thanks, actually, I'm kind of in the middle of something-"

"Aw, come on Bloss, it'll be fuuun. Why you always gotta be such a prude baby?" Chad whined as he tugged at her arm. "Come on, Brad and I can show you what you're missing out on-"

"Hey."

Both boys turned to look at Brick, who was regarding them coldly. "She doesn't want you here. Piss off."

Oh Christ, here we go.

Chad and Brad turned their collective attentions on Brick. "Sorry, just who the hell do you think you are?" Brad scowled. "This doesn't concern you, fuck off."

She swallowed as she noticed a tick appear in Brick's jaw. Shit, that wasn't a smart thing to say. Clearly, the jock had no idea who he was talking to. She wanted to warn the boy that this wasn't a person that he wanted to insult, but she knew that her warning would fall on deaf ears.

"Yeah man, I don't remember asking you." Chad cut in snidely. "We're talking to her, not you."

Brick slowly stood up, chair scraping behind him ominously as he drew up to his full height. Chad and Brad weren't small by any means, standing at about six feet, but even Brick had them in height. He cracked his knuckles as he glared at the two frat boys. "I don't give a fuck. She clearly doesn't like either of you shitheads. So back off."

"What the fuck dude?" Brad snapped. "Get out of here man before we make you leave!"

"Yeah!" Chad agreed. "There are two of us and one of you. We'll make you regret it."

Brick sighed, not bothered by their threats as he slipped his hands into his hoodie pouch. "I'm going to give you one last opportunity to walk away, because you're not going to like what happens next."

"Oh yeah?" Chad challenged the red-haired man, moving so that he was standing toe to toe with Brick. "What are you going to do about it, punk?"

Brick turned his baseball cap around silently and a downright murderous, almost gleeful smile spread across his lips.

"This."

And before she could even register what was happening, Brick had moved forward and his fist collided with Chad's face, making a sickening crunch as it landed directly with his nose. Blood spurted in all directions – some of the droplets even getting on her white pants, making her gag in disgust – as Chad howled in agony and fell to the floor in shock.

Brad barely managed to react with a startled, "Dude what the actual shit-" Before Brick was on him too. The two males started swinging at each other with unbridled aggression as she jumped out of her chair and backed out of the way of the ensuing brawl. A groan from the other side of the table caught her attention as Chad picked himself up off the floor. He touched his possibly broken nose, only to find that blood was still streaming out of it like a faucet. He yelled something unintelligible and ran at Brick, completely forgetting about her.

Brick barely had time to recover as Chad ran at him. Slamming Brad's head into the bookcase behind them, he caught Chad's fist in one hand and headbutted him, as Chad managed to land a hit with his other. She felt her heart stop as Brick froze, registering the hit to his face. His face almost seemed to twist in rage as he let out a loud "Fuck!" and turned, sending Chad into Brad, forcing them both into the bookcase. The force of the two boys hitting the large bookcase caused it to topple back with a loud groan and hit another bookcase behind it, starting a domino effect, much to her horror.

By now the few students who had remained in the library had taken notice of the brawl and the falling bookcases, and ran towards the doors, abandoning their study material in their haste to leave, as the large bookcases came crashing down around them.

Screams of "Oh my god!" and "Call campus security!" echoed distantly around her as she flung herself over a small computer desk near her and peaked around it as sheer carnage irrupted around her.

Shelves where falling left, right and center as Brick and the fraternity brothers squared off against each other, all three punching and tackling each other with reckless abandon – but she noticed that despite being outnumbered two to one, Brick was dealing more damage than he was taking as he landed a particularly nasty blow to Brad's face.

Something was glistening on Bricks fingers as he lined up Brad's face for another punch and- WAIT WHERE THOSE BRASS KNUCKLES? WHY HAD HE BROUGHT BRASS KNUCKLES INTO THE SCHOOL LIBRARY?

Inwardly, she already knew the answer: Brick was involved in the mob. He probably always carried a weapon on him from protection and she just never noticed. Somehow the thought was unsettling.

BAM!

She fought back a scream as Brick knocked Chad into the computer desk she was taking cover behind. She scooted away, only to see Chad's swollen face scrunch up in rage at the sight of her. The boy made a move towards her, only to get yanked back by Brick – who was sporting a quickly darkening black eye – and proceeded to kick his legs out from under him, subduing Brad a second later, who didn't look much better than his frat brother did.

When both boys showed no signs of getting back up, Brick grabbed both by their shirt collars and hulled them up so their bruised and bloody faces were close to his. "Come here again and I'll fucking kill you." he seethed quietly. "and next time, I won't be alone, I'll bring my brothers with me and we'll see what fucking happens then. Do I make myself clear?"

Both boys nodded, or at least, it looked like they were trying to. She couldn't honestly distinguish what they were trying to do, due to how bad their faces had ballooned up. Brick let out an irritated growl and dropped them both. "Then get the hell out of here. Don't let me catch you here again."

They didn't need to be told twice. Without even casting so much as a glance in her direction, both Chad and Brad took off out of the library, leaving her and Brick alone. Brick sighed as he observed the mess around him. Touching his bruised face gingerly he called out tiredly. "Alright Blossom, you can come out now. They're gone."

Slowly she rose to her feet, her eyes wide as she looked around the destroyed library. She shakily made her way over to where Brick was standing – pointy refusing to look down at her blood spotted pants – and stood in front of him, looking him up and down. While it was clear Brick was the winner, he had still taken a few good hits. His left eye was black and his cheek was bruised, and she could tell that underneath the brass coating his fingers, that his own knuckles were split open and bleeding.

"Are you alright?" she asked hesitantly. Brick nodded. "Don't worry babe. Happens to me more then I'd care to admit. That was nothing compared to some of the shit I've been in."

"Good." She cringed as soon as the word left her mouth. No, not good. He just destroyed public property and inflicted bodily assault on two students with a weapon. Speaking of…

"Why did you do that?" She cried as she looked around the destroyed library. "Brick they're going to expel you! Look at the library!"

"No, they're not." Brick sighed as he slipped off the now bloodied brass knuckles and tucked them back into his hoodie. "I'm just going to lay low for a couple of days until this blows over. My family will cover the damages here, just like we always do."

"Why did you do that?" she asked again urgently. "Seriously why?"

"Because they were bothering you."

Oh.

Well then.

For the first time in her life, she didn't know what to say. After a moment of awkward silence, she scuffed her shoes against the wooden floors and muttered. "You still shouldn't have done that. Chad and Brad are pigs, but I don't think they deserved having their faces smashed in."

"and you don't need to put up with their shit." Brick countered as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Not from them, not from anybody. Though, I don't think anyone's going to bother you after this gets around."

"No." She reluctantly agreed as she glanced around the toppled bookcases. "You should probably get out of here before campus security comes."

Brick shrugged. "Probably." A slow grin spread across his lips as he looked at her. "Wanna come with?"

She paused. The car she and her sisters used was in the shop and her father was working nights at the lab. "Where are you going?" she asked hesitantly. God knows she had witnessed enough trouble for one night. She didn't need any more.

Brick sensed her hesitation and shook his head. "I was going downtown for food. My brothers and I took the night off."

Well that seemed like a safe enough answer. Still, she did just witness him beat two boys into a bloody pulp.

She crossed her arms, still unsure. "Promise?"

He held up his hand. "I promise. Scouts honor." He rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Or if you want, I can take you home first and then go. Fair?"

She sighed as she weighed her options. She didn't know if she wanted him to know where she lived, but buses were out of the option now, and there was no way in hell that she was walking home this late. She finally nodded. "Okay." Brick beckoned her to follow him out to the car and she did, grabbing her bag as she passed. As soon as she was situated in the passenger's seat, Brick put the car in reverse and roared out of the parking lot and off campus, towards her home.

They drove in silence for a moment before she sighed. "I suppose I should thank you."

She could see Brick glance over at her out of his peripherals. "For what?"

"For back there, I guess. They've been bothering me for a while now. So, thank you. I guess I owe you one."

"Ah." He muttered. "You're welcome." The silence resumed, before suddenly Brick turned to her. "Pass me your phone." She shot him a look. "Why?" the man rolled his eyes. "Just let me see your phone." She unlocked it and passed it to him with a quizzical look. With one hand on the wheel, he used the other to quickly type something into her phone and passed it back to her. She looked through it to see what he had done, only to see that he had put his phone number into her contacts list.

"So you can get a hold of me for the project." He explained, catching her baffled expression. "Just text me what you want me to do for the final and I'll get it done." He promised her. He set his mouth into a firm line. "All I ask is that you don't go telling people you have my number. A lot of people want it and I need to remain as untraceable as I can."

"Perfect, thank you." Blossom sent him a tiny smile, putting her phone away. Christ, why couldn't she have grabbed his number when they were in class-?

"Also, if those assholes somehow didn't get the hint and they come back… give me a call. I'll straighten them out."

It wasn't so much of a threat as it was a promise, but she shook her head. "I don't think I need to worry about them. Besides, I don't want you getting expelled on my behalf… even if your family can pull some strings."

Brick let out a bark of laughter. "You're cute. You don't need to worry about me. Honest babe, come Monday that library will be back to normal, just watch."

She only nodded as she gazed out the window and the car lapsed back into relative silence aside from the radio and her occasionally giving him directions. Finally, they pulled up to her familiar white house and she unbuckled her seatbelt, shooting him an appreciative smile as she grabbed her bag and got out of the car. "Thanks for the ride Brick. I appreciate it."

He nodded. "No problem. Hey," She paused as she met Brick's hooded gaze again. "If you really want to make it up to me, you can let me take you out for food next Friday. I know this place downtown that makes great noodle bowls."

Holy shit. Was Brick Jojo, THE Brick Jojo, mafia son extraordinaire, asking her out on a date? Jesus this day just kept getting better and better.

Should she accept? Should she decline? Did she even have a choice?

She wasn't entirely sure what made her say it, but before she could stop and think about it, she felt herself nod. "Sure, sounds nice."

Brick sent her a crooked grin. "See you then Babe." And with that, he rolled up the tinted window and sped away at speeds that definitely weren't legal for her street, leaving her alone in front of her house.

She blinked and turned back towards her house to see if there were any witnesses to their strange transaction. Thankfully the windows were dark, letting her know her sisters weren't home yet. She sighed and made her way up the steps to her front door, scarcely believing what had just happened. Just as she was about to put her keys into the door, she felt her phone buzz in her hoodie pocket. Quickly unlocking it, her eyes widened as a text from a new number flashed across her screen:

Brick J: See you Friday 7 sharp Babe.

Blossom shook her head, feeling a strange little smile tug at her lips as she let herself in the door. Just before she went upstairs to bed, she sent a quick text to her sisters.

Buttercup Utonuim, Bubbles Utonium: Girls, you would not believe the night that I've had.