Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.
Boomer had long forgotten what he was supposed to be doing. He couldn't stop staring at the Blue Puff. He wanted to learn more about her especially since she terrified Mojo Jojo. Boomer had a face of confusion. This girl looked like she wouldn't hurt a fly never mind take Mojo on but her and her sisters had Mojo spooked. He wanted to see them in action and to see what they were capable of. Bubbles raised her head to ask the Blue Ruff something however she caught him staring which resulted in both blues sporting a nice shade of pink.
"I think we should go to Fuzzy's land and see first-hand what he has going on. Especially if you say he has this new barn that sits behind his home." Boomer could see Bubbles fidget while she spoke. She was obviously not happy he was staring. It wasn't the fact she was uncomfortable with it but he could tell it was something else also. A spark of fear entered her eyes but before she could calm down and hide it Boomer saw it. He wasn't sure why but he could feel his blood boiling. The girl across from him was gentle and he picked that up when they first met so whoever took advantage of her kind nature deserved the ass kicking Boomer wanted to give them. He needed to calm down. Boomer wasn't known to have the anger or the temper of the group but he was starting to see red and he would hate to scare Bubbles. As he felt himself calm after a few deep breaths he replied to Bubbles.
"We would have to sneak about. Fuzzy and I are not on great terms just now so if we showed up he would probably shoot me."
"Why?" It was a perfectly reasonable question but he didn't know if he should tell Bubbles. Even his brothers weren't aware of what the youngest had done to upset the pink creature. Boomer decided in that minute he wanted someone to know. He had decided in that split second that it would be Bubbles, he had a feeling she would understand better.
"He was doing experiments on animals not sure for what or why but it didn't sit well with me considering I could hear the animals' cries of pain. I decided to break them out and I roughed Fuzzy up a little as warning to stop with his testing on animals." Boomer had looked away from the Blue Puff as he told his story. His brothers knew he had beat Fuzzy up but they thought that Fuzzy had been saying shit about them and Boomer snapped. He actually never said it was true or not, he just left it at that. He knew his brothers would call him a sissy or some other stupid name like that and maybe smack him but he had always cared for animals especially when they were first created. He had envied the wild creatures care free attitude and freedom they had. When they were first created Mojo took control in everything they did determined for them to be Him's puppets as Brick had said one time. And as Boomer though about it the monkey still had the same control. Boomer looked towards his counterpart to see a small smile playing across her face.
"Your brothers don't know huh?" Boomer unable to take his eyes off the Puff's soft lips as it broke out into a huge smile.
"I won't say a word." Boomers eyes shot up to her clear blue ones.
"Why?" He couldn't understand why she wasn't taking the opportunity to make his life a little more miserable. She had the power to have his brothers beat him up a little but she decided not too and this confused the Blue Ruff. Boomer watched as Bubbles raised her shoulders in a shrug.
"We are partners now. Also truth be told I'm a bit of an animal lover too so to hear you saved some well you don't deserve to be punished for it." Boomer smiled. He was so glad he was teamed up with Bubbles. He had a feeling if it was the green one he would have never lived it down.
Bubbles stared at the paper in front of her. The two blues had managed between them to draw Fuzzy's area to help Bubbles mostly. She had remembered some of it but not all. That's where Boomer came in pointing out parts she had forgotten and placing the barn where it sat.
"Okay so we have decided we are sneaking in and scoping out the place. So we fly there check it out then fly back before dinner time." Boomer leaned back in his chair quite pleased by the looks of things with his input. Bubbles rolled her eyes with a slight smirk on her lips.
"We can't fly. I'm pretty sure they will notice people in the air, giving away most definitely your identity and people discovering I'm not dead. The streak of colours left will also be a big clue. We have to travel there and back on foot."
"Foot?" Boomer said it with a disgusted face which only made Bubbles laugh. The boy had acted like it was an offence to walk and use the feet he was given. Once Bubbles calmed down she said.
"Yes foot. It will be the best way for us to reach the place undetected." Boomer groaned which had the Blue Puff laughing again. But as she stopped she noticed he was staring at her again. She hated people staring. That was what they had done to her back in the village when they thought she was a love child or when she had hospitalised the young girl who had gotten physical. Now she thought all people saw was a disgusting blonde girl who didn't belong anywhere she went. She loved her sisters and the professor but her old insecurities had come back in to play again when Boomer stared. It wasn't his fault he had no idea what he was doing to her but that didn't mean she didn't panic a little.
"What?" Bubbles squeaked. She hated how her voice had faltered just at the one word but she made a promise to herself after she found out who she was that she wouldn't let others judge her wrongly. But she could feel her confidence slip staring at Boomer. She watched as the Blue Ruff started turning pink.
"I like your laugh." The blues sat staring at each other before Bubbles broke out into a small smile.
"Thanks?" Bubbles and Boomer chuckled.
"Well?" After a few silent minutes Boomer raised his eyebrow. Bubbles looked on confused. He playfully rolled his eyes before he smirked.
"I gave you a compliment. It's only polite to return the favour." Bubbles tried her best to hold her laugh in. She placed a mask of concentration. She deliberately left the Blue Ruff on hold. It was funny to see him start to panic as though it was really hard. Eventually he looked stricken that she couldn't think of something but she burst out laughing making the Blue Ruff look playfully annoyed with her.
"That wasn't funny." Bubbles did her best to hold it together whilst staring at the Blue Ruff.
"Your eyes." Bubbles blurted out. She had been thinking about how pretty his dark eyes were especially against his pale skin. How it was so very different to hers but that's why she loved them. He may of been raised a villain but his eyes were his downfall, they showed his gentle side. She had a feeling no matter what he was doing the kindness that shone through his eyes would forever be present. But she also had a feeling that she would be and was the only person to see it. Boomer looked truly shocked to hear her answer. But before either could say anything else about the situation they were interrupted by Blossom.
"You guys organised?" The Pink Puff asked looking at both Bubbles and Boomer who nodded. Bubbles verbally answered Blossom.
"Yeah we are going to sneak in. We don't want to catch Fuzzy in the middle of something and for him to go into rage mode before Boomer has a chance to say anything. We will scope the place out and see what he is up to. Also Boomer said that there is a large new barn to the back of his house so we are going to investigate that too."
"Brilliant! I think everyone is ready to put their plans into action but I want us all doing it one team at a time in case of need of back up but we will talk about that in the morning." With that Blossom headed back to where her and Brick had been sitting. Bubbles turned when she heard Boomers voice.
"You lied."
"No I didn't, chances are Fuzzy would freak if he was to see us on his land and he wouldn't give you the chance to explain. I just left out that he may react worse to seeing you there. I told you I wouldn't say anything and I don't go back on my word." Boomer smiled.
"Thanks." God he was handsome. She knew she shouldn't be having these thoughts and if either sister caught on they would be so angry but she couldn't help it. She expected the boys to be unhelpful and cruel, they were villains at the end of the day, but Boomer was different. She couldn't speak for his brothers but they didn't seem all that bad. Boomer, however, seemed a lot gentler and he had proved he was able to perform tasks that benefited others. She looked into the distance and sighed. If only things were different but then she still wouldn't have the courage to act on her developing feelings. Bubbles had never had a boyfriend or even had feelings for anyone. She was the outcast at her village not giving anyone or herself the chance of a relationship. That's not to say she wished it hadn't been different, in fact she had dreamed of her white knight that would arrive in the village and take her away. She couldn't decide if she should laugh or cry. It was such a pathetic and unrealistic dream but she clung to it hoping that someone would rescue her. She was a hopeless romantic at heart so it made sense that her knight in shining armour be the one to do it. But as she looked back at Boomer who seemed to be in his own head she couldn't help but feel her mood drop. It didn't matter if she had feelings or not for him. It could never happen. She was good, he was evil. And after everything going back to the way it was before Him's appearance, they would be enemies. She could only hope that after performing good acts that the boys would decide to join the good side but even as the thought entered Bubbles' head she pushed it out. It was all the boys knew so why would they give it up after doing one good deed. She wasn't even sure if her feelings would be reciprocated. It wasn't that her feelings towards the Blue Ruff was that strong but the principal. She had feelings for a boy that was untouchable and out of her reach.
"You okay Bubbles?" Boomer asked. He had noticed the shift in the Blue Puff's mood. She seemed almost like she was defeated. He was fighting the strange urge to reach over and pull her into his lap so he could comfort her. But he didn't think her or either of their siblings would be happy with it hell even he wasn't sure where that thought came from but it felt right. He had been too busy thinking about her that he didn't notice what had happened to make her gloom.
"Yeah I think we should call it a night. Go over the small points tomorrow." Bubbles said as she stood. She smiled as she watched Boomer raise also.
"Would you want to see my sketch pad? I brought it, it's in my room." Boomer blurted. He had decided in the split second it took for the idea to form he wasn't wanting to leave her company. He wasn't sure where these thoughts had been coming where Bubbles was concerned but at this moment he wasn't interested in that. All he was interested in was sharing Bubbles' company. He watched as Bubbles fought with herself. Even he knew it probably wasn't the best idea he had ever had but he wasn't going to take back the offer. He watched as she smiled.
"I'd like that."
Bubbles and Boomer walked down the corridor heading to the Blue Ruff's room. Bubbles could feel her confidence slipping slightly. She had never had any friends before Blossom and Buttercup. She had deliberately isolated herself from everyone in her village and there were no uncomfortable silences between the three girls. The silence between them wasn't overly uncomfortable to be fair but Bubbles wanted to talk to Boomer. She wanted to know more but had no idea how to go about asking. She wasn't even sure if he wanted to answer personal questions about himself either. As they approached the door to Boomer's room he said, "I will grab mine and meet you at your room. Leave the door open." And with that he disappeared behind his bedroom door. Bubbles walked to her own room a few doors down slightly confused. As she walked in she realised that she had not spent a whole night in this room since she arrived opting to sleep with her sisters in the same room. They probably would go back to sleeping in their own rooms eventually but not just now. She left the door open like Boomer said and went and grabbed her own sketch book. As she sat down on her bed she heard a soft tap that came from the door. She raised her head to see Boomer standing at her doorway with soft smile playing across his features. As he stood before her she could get a better look at her counterpart. His messy blonde hair shined brightly by the light entering Bubbles' room from the hallway. The dark thick blue jumper he wore hung from his shoulders showing it was at least one or two sizes too big. His skinny black jeans showed off his strong legs perfectly. His blue vans that seemed to be pretty worn were unlaced. She knew she should be wary of her opponent but for some reason she felt safe. It sounded strange to say that word in her head especially when referring to her enemy but she did. She patted the spot next to her and couldn't help but smile at the Blue Ruff's shy movements. At least that was one thing they shared, they were both quiet bashful. Even as she thought of their shared quality she could feel her cheeks blush as he moved closer and sat down. She wasn't sure why he even suggested this in the first place but she was glad to be showing someone her pictures. Her sisters knew she could draw but they had never asked if she owned a sketch book or had any other drawings stored. It wasn't their fault to be fair they had been too busy training and studying to have enough free time to do other things but now she had the opportunity to show them off. She loved her work, it wasn't that she thought she was amazing at it but she loved showing the colours she managed to catch when capturing the sunset.
"Swap?" Boomer said holding up his own torn sketch pad. It was in desperate need of repair or a whole new one. Bubbles nodded as they swapped pads. Bubbles began delicately flipping through the worn out pages. All Bubbles could do was stare in awe. Boomer was fantastic. His book was filled of small sketches of his brothers and Mojo managing to capture their small parts of personality that Bubbles managed to pick up when she met them to bigger scenic views of places obviously Boomer had visited. That made Bubbles envy him slightly. She had always wanted to travel to do the same, capture scenes that inspired her to draw and paint but she couldn't before and now well she could once her big mission was over.
"These are amazing." Bubbles muttered. She continued flicking through finding more landscape drawings but as she came to the last few pages she realised Boomer was in the middle of drawing someone. He had very little on the page to establish who it was but before she could ask Boomer had begun voicing his opinions.
"Mine are amazing? What about you? You have so many of the sun setting but you manage to change it every time."
"I wish my drawings of people were as good as yours. You can see even their arrogant personalities shining off the pages." Bubbles stopped talking once she realised what she said. It wasn't the worst thing she could have said but she barely knew the boy beside her and how he would take her remark. He surprised her though as he chuckled slightly.
"Is it obvious?" Before laughing again at Bubbles shyness that became more prominent. Boomer knew his brothers were full of self-confidence more Butch than Brick hell probably everyone got that impression but he had laughed at Bubbles' obvious panic over what he would feel. He watched as Bubbles studied his drawings. He had never shown his brothers his talent. Boomer wasn't quite sure what his brothers would make of it but he sure as hell wouldn't give them any excuse to take the piss. The three brothers would usually tease each other about anything they could but Boomer being the, as Butch usually referred him to, pansy of the group he was usually teamed up against his two older brothers. He had long dealt to take it on the chin and deal with what they came out with and to be fair it wasn't too bad but sometimes it could be. As he watched Bubbles he wondered if she was on the end of the same treatment from her older sisters. They all were counterparts to be fair. But he had a sneaky suspicion that the older siblings might welcome her kindness.
"So why sunsets?" He realised that most of her pages were filled with either a view from the same window or of stunning sunsets.
"I loved the colour that could splash across our consistent blue sky. It also has a very calming effect." Bubbles said with a small sad smile. Boomer could see a flash of emotions skitter across the Blue Puff's face anger, sadness, hurt but the one that stood out was loneliness. The Rowdyruff Boys were never told of the girls' background only that they were Mojo Jojo's greatest threat and that when they were younger they would constantly put an end to his plans. Everything after the girls had disappeared was a mystery to everyone including Mojo. It didn't matter how many times the monkey had tried he could not find out what had happened to them until he had visited the Professor before his own disappearance. Boomer remembered the day perfectly.
"What's wrong monkey?" A ten year old Brick sneered at the furious ape thrashing the place. Boomer had half hid himself in the corner of the room pretending to be playing his hand held console and looking bored but all he wanted to do was disappear and not be in the same room as Mojo's tantrum. They could get pretty nasty. He had known to hit the boys and they never retaliated much to Butch's anger. Brick never explained why much to the younger ones confusion.
"They are dead!" Mojo screamed. They boys all raised their heads to look at the fuming monkey.
"Who?" Brick queried. Mojo turned to look at the boys with defeat written all over his face.
"The girls. They are dead."
After that the monkey had retired to his lab for two weeks without as much as a reason why. Brick had managed to figure it out, that he must have been talking about their counterparts they were supposed to hate and defeat. Butch looked annoyed he didn't have the chance to kill his one, Brick looked bored about the subject if it was ever brought up and Boomer was well he felt a little sick to his stomach if he was honest and he didn't know why. Shouldn't he be happy that the job he didn't want to do was done for him? He could deal with hating people, he could deal with hurting people but killing someone? Boomer had panicked about that since Mojo had mentioned it. But now that the responsibility had been taken away from him shouldn't he be feeling relief instead of sickness? But Boomer merely brushed the feeling away or at least he tried but whenever he let himself think of his faceless counterpart or they were mentioned the ill feeling returned. But as he watched the feelings come to life on Bubbles' face he wondered what her childhood was like. He hadn't put much thought into once he saw the girls standing before his father figure but he did now. He would hate to be split up from his brothers even if they could be cruel and bullies. But as he thought about it why should he care? After everything was done they would go back to being enemies and Boomer would have to do what he was told to do all those years ago. He would have to destroy Bubbles. He watched as Bubbles flicked through more pages. The thing is it would be the easiest and hardest thing that he would ever have to do. It would be hard to kill a human being but killing his sweet, gentle and weak counterpart would be too easy.
Buttercup narrowed her eyes at her counterpart. Once the teens had separated into their groups herself and Butch tried staring each other down. But the longer they sat there the more they each realised. Neither of them was scared of their counterpart. This just infuriated Buttercup whilst it had Butch chuckling.
"What's so funny?" Buttercup said clenching her teeth. Butch merely shrugged which had the Green Puff breathing in and out, counting to ten.
"Maybe I just find you funny." Butch remarked.
"But I haven't said anything." Buttercup said slightly confused. Butch just shrugged and looked away clearly stating that was all he was going to say on the matter. That suited Buttercup perfectly. She would rather get this over and done with and never see the boy that sat across from her again, well at least as a foe.
"Do you know Sedusa?" Buttercup asked.
"Not really." Butch muttered. Buttercup rolled her eyes.
"Are you even paying attention?" Buttercup growled.
"If you think that will work." Butch said. Obviously not then Buttercup thought. I could have fun with this.
"I'm clearly the better fighter out of the two of us huh?"
"Sounds good." Butch said in a bored tone whilst staring at the roof.
"I think we should go in disguise dressed as woman. Less suspicious that way. So obviously I'm organised."
"Yup." Butch said popping the p at the end. Buttercup put her hand to her mouth trying her best to hold back the laughter.
"So you think that's a good idea? Us infiltrating the base dressed as woman to woo the guards into letting us in?" Buttercup started laughing after that. She tried to hold it in as long as she could but it was just too easy. Butch however stared at his counterpart in confusion. He had no idea what was going on.
"In future Butchie Boy pay attention." Buttercup said slightly annoyed. It was Butch's turn to look pissed.
"Don't call me that. What did I just agree to?"
"You dressing up in woman's clothes to get into Sedusa's place." Butch's face paled instantly.
"I'm not doing that!" Buttercup rolled her eyes.
"Obviously but it just proved you weren't paying attention. Let's just get this sorted then I can get away from you." Buttercup said looking Butch dead in the eye so he understood she was completely serious. He however had other ideas and smirked at her.
"Oh Butterbutt don't play hard to get, we both know you want to spend more time with me." He raised one eyebrow asking her to deny it. Buttercup growled low in her throat.
"I'd rather set myself on fire than spend more time with you." That only seemed to amuse the Green Ruff as his grin got bigger. To be fair to the guy sitting across from her she didn't really know him but he was the enemy which was enough for Buttercup to have a reasonable excuse for not liking him. She couldn't deny though that she was a little intrigued to see what about them was the same. But she would never voice that question not even to her sisters.
"So you don't know Sedusa? And she doesn't know you?" Butch shook his head.
"We have never met but that doesn't mean that Him hasn't spoken about me and my brothers."
"I say we go disguised as new recruits and try and figure out what's going on. That's means hopefully we can find out exactly what they have planned and when so we can stop it from happening." Butch nodded in agreement.
"Yeah sounds good. As long as there is no woman's clothes involved for me." Butch shivered at the idea of wearing anything pink. Buttercup smiled. She's quite hot when she smiles Butch thought and when she's angry, hell she's all kind of hot. But of course he couldn't pursue her like he would normally when he spotted a pretty girl. She was off limits which was fine for him, she was the enemy. He wasn't sure she would let him anywhere near her which made the idea all the more interesting and intriguing but the thought of Brick lecturing him was enough to put him off, well almost. He couldn't act on his lust but he sure as hell could flirt with the girl and annoy her which was most likely to happen. He watched as she started laying out the plans to the building that Blossom figured out belonged to Sedusa and her 'army'. He had wondered what the girls had been up to since they had been claimed to be dead. Well the monkey knew they were dead to a certain extent but the others villains in Him's 'fan club' thought differently. But from what he heard about them from stories they wouldn't be sitting back and watching as the world around them burnt to ashes but as he watched Buttercup he had wondered if they would. Butch never one to beat around the bush and to get impatient with his own thoughts decided to ask.
"So what's your story or should I say stories?" Buttercup raised her head.
"What?" She sighed.
"You heard me. Where have you three been?" Buttercup froze and her features instantly hardened.
"None of your, your brothers or the monkeys business." She spat.
"Whoa. It was just a question. I wasn't accusing you of anything like the monkey." Buttercup kept up her defences but Butch could see her choosing her words carefully.
"Let's just say we weren't clued up like the rest of your guys." She dropped her head an obvious sign she was done talking about the subject but Butch wasn't.
"What the fuck does that mean?" Butch half shouted in frustration. Buttercup snapped her head up
"That's all I'm saying Butchie Boy so I would suggest you drop the subject and now before I hurt you." Butch was growling before he broke out into laughter at the last thing Buttercup had threatened.
"Oh Sunshine you could try you really could but trust me that's all it would be is you trying." Buttercup lowered her head and breathed in and out. She had always been known for her anger and violent tendencies and even though she had come up with ways to calm herself down Butch was managing to push her to the point the exercises were starting to fail.
"I think we should go in as two new recruits get a feel for the place because even though Blossoms good I reckon the building plans here won't show hidden rooms and possibly other smaller buildings around the grounds. I think it will be easier than sneaking in especially with all the gadgets she probably has set up ready for such attacks."
"So go in, act like we are in love with Him and his plan to take over, check out as much as we can and then we are out of there?"
"We might have to stay a few days just so we can gain access to everything and we will need to set up fake identities and things but yeah that's what I'm suggesting we do."
"I like it." Buttercup was about to make some smart ass remark but she was stopped by the older Ruff.
"You guys sorted?" Brick asked looking specifically at Butch whom just half shrugged. Buttercup rolled her eyes.
"Yeah we are going under cover. We think that will be easier than trying to hack all her security systems and what not." Brick nodded in acknowledgment to Buttercup.
"We are going to talk about it more tomorrow or something. You know go over finer details and decide which team goes first." He quickly left returning to where the Reds had been sitting before. Buttercup glowered at the Red Ruff whilst Butch smiled. Brick had obviously been told by the Pink one to give out instructions on what was happening next. His older brother was always efficient when handing out orders but when someone else like monkey told him to inform the brothers of Mojo's plans Brick would give a half assed explanation.
"Great now that we have dealt with that I'm outta here." But before Butch could reply Buttercup disappeared the door that led the Professors lab. He knew what lay behind the door because the professor had put them in the training room to see how their powers had developed over the years. He said it was a safety precaution but the monkey was greatly offended. He thought it was the professor's way of saying he had not created them as well as the girls had been created. After the two had a tiresome argument which involved Mojo storming out the boys had proved the strength they had. The professor seemed to be quite impressed and pleased to see that their gifts weren't put to waste. Butch stood and stretched deciding he would go back to his room and grab the hand held console he had taken with him. As he wandered down the hall he couldn't help but think back to Buttercup.
She definitely seemed tougher out of the three which made sense as she was his counterpart. He was definitely the muscle out their trio. She was also extremely over protective about her sisters which was evident with her attitude towards the question he still pondered about even now. The need to know what had happened between them disappearing to now was strangely a priority to him now. Butch was never one to really care about other people especially their feelings apart from the obvious, his brothers. However he couldn't help but think how Buttercup would be had she grown up with her sisters and the professor. She seemed quiet and quite bitter with the world. She had a temper on her and she was easily wound up but Butch suspected that that was Buttercup, he had the temper to match. However not only herself but her sisters seemed to lack trust in others which was a strange trait for a hero. They normally saw the good in people and when to trust but he wasn't sure if the Puffs would ever give him and his brothers the chance. They didn't really deserve the chance but they were working to rid of Him regardless if they were evil or good. This should take priority but the more Butch thought about it the more he bored himself. Why should he care? Afterwards they wouldn't be friends only enemies and that's when the Ruffs would shine. They would easily beat those three pansy girls. As he stepped into his room he noticed Mojo sitting on his bed. Butch crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame and waited. He knew the monkey saw him arrive but Butch would let him make his dramatic speech before kicking him out.
"She's strong. Stronger than the other two. I know you think they can be easily defeated but you are wrong, very wrong Butch. I'm here to warn you to be careful and get your head out of your ass and pay attention." Mojo only then raised his head to look at the Green Ruff catching him roll his eyes.
"Please they can't be that hard. I mean I know Buttercup will be a challenge for maybe Boomer but for me." Butch scoffed. He could feel his blood start to boil. To think the monkey, his creator doubted his abilities was starting to annoy him. He brushed off the insults last night but with the monkey carrying it on today well he was taking it a little too far. Mojo raised and walked towards the door.
"I know my boys can defeat them but they are strong Butch and are not to be taken lightly." With that Mojo left. Butch stared at the door before clenching his fist. He wanted proof they were no match then fine he would prove it. He would prove that the Rowdyruff Boys could defeat the Powerpuff Girls. And with ease too.
Buttercup bounced lightly on her toes with her fists raised. She felt sweat trickle down between her shoulder blades. She had promised not to cause a fight with any of the Ruffs so instead of kicking Butch's ass she was down in the training room punching into a punch bag. She had programmed it into a gym with weights and other equipment. She wanted to build up her strength not her skills. It was easy enough to take on the faceless droids by herself but she wanted to build up her muscles to have stronger attacks. She knew it was probably down to the chemical x more than anything but doing this made her feel better. She just imagined Butch's stupid smirking face on the bag and away she went for 30 minutes straight without stopping or even hesitating. His general attitude towards everything pissed her off. He didn't believe in her abilities. It was obvious by the way he would brush her off and when he ignored her. She was nothing more than a slight inconvenience when getting this mission done. She moved onto the large blue mat in the centre of the room and began doing sit ups. She hated it. She knew he looked down on her and her sisters because they were girls and Buttercup wanted nothing more than to prove they were more than just worthy opponents but a force to be reckoned with. Her sister and she were powerful in different aspects and as a team they were near unstoppable. She wanted to show the boys this. And once the girls proved what they were capable of the boys would have no choice but to accept them as the stronger trio. Buttercup stood as began stretching a little as the intercom came on.
"Buttercup?" Before she got back down on the mat to begin push ups she waved the owner of the voice in. She dropped down and began the exercise as the professor walked over and stood next to the mat.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't get what you mean."
"You used to always work out when you got upset or angry. I remember one time Bubbles had been jumped by the Gangreen Gang only a few weeks after you were created. She was on patrol by herself because Blossom had been preparing for her speech to the town announcing your girls' plans to help the city and Bubbles had managed to talk you into staying at home because she knew you wanted to watch this old classic horror movie on TV. Eventually you let her saying she should call if she got into any bother but she didn't. She tried her best to take on Ace and his crew but she got over powered so when she came home battered, bruised and bleeding you demanded to know who did it. She had first refused to say anything because she thought you would go on a killing spree," the professor chuckled with his arms tucked behind his back, "I believed her at the time. You were so angry that she wouldn't say; that she was beat up by some low life criminal and that you left her you disappeared to the training room and begun working out. Blossom came home and managed to get it out of Bubbles so needless to say you and Blossom went down and gave them a beating of a life time. Anyway weeks after you still appeared in the training room at strange times punching into the big sack."
At this point Buttercup had stopped what she was doing and had sat up with her arms loosely wrapped around her legs, listening to the professor.
"I wasn't angry at Bubbles or even the Gangreen Gang, I was angry at myself. It was all because I wanted to watch a movie I could have easily watched later but instead I let my baby sister convince me to stay at home and in the end she got hurt. I couldn't believe how selfish I had been." The professor smiled.
"But Blossom being Blossom figured out why you were hiding here, at home. She came down and managed to help you realise that it wouldn't have mattered had you been there or not they would have probably done it another time. They were criminals. Nobody especially Bubbles blamed you. They blamed Ace and his misled crew and they had been dealt with. My point is you only appear in here doing this type of workout when you are angry or upset. I know you weren't happy with the announcement of you all working together but it's something else." Buttercup sighed. She had remembered the memory so easily after the first couple of seconds. After that day she had become even more protective of her sisters. She knew never to show it because it would only annoy her sisters but she had none the less. But she wasn't ready to indulge the professor into what was going on in her erratic mind just yet instead she opted for her plan.
"I actually came down looking for you. I was hoping all six of us could do a little training tomorrow. You know let each trio show each other what they are capable of. It would help with deciding who does what in our missions and see how much help our partners would be."
The professor stared off into the distance as he thought it over. She knew she should push for the mission aspect otherwise the professor would see it as a competition, which it really was in Buttercup's eyes, and say no straight away.
"I don't know if that's a very good idea." Buttercup pushed for one last plea.
"I don't mean for us to face each other. I meant to have each trio in at a different time with faceless drones and see what happens. I mean let's be honest after all this is done the boys will go with Mojo and we need to be ready for any attacks." Buttercup said the last part with a little force. It was true they would need to know what the boys were capable of so they could defend themselves in the future and she knew she was playing dirty by using her and her sisters' safety against the professor but she was desperate. For some strange reason she was desperate to show the Ruffs what the girls could do especially Butch but before her thoughts could wander into why the professor started to nod his head.
"I think that's a very good point. I will tomorrow at breakfast okay?"
"Yes professor." She couldn't help but let her smile spread across her face as she watched the professor leave in thought. It was time to show the boys what they could do.
"So I was thinking I will go ahead talk to Princess, get the information we need and head back here for you to flick through what I got." And with that Brick got up to leave. Blossom shook her head. This was supposed to be her counterpart too.
"And you think that Princess will give you the information we need like that," Blossom asked snapping her fingers at the end, "She may not be the brightest but she certainly wouldn't hand over Him's plans to a sweet talking boy." Blossom began flicking through the articles she had managed to grab on Princess and her Daddy before their seclusion. A few years after the girls had disappeared Princess stopped turning up for school opting for home schooling, she stopped talking to her friends and never really left the mansion she resided in. As her family was some sort of royalty in Townsville mainly due to the fact they had money nobody could explain what had happened to make the Morbucks withdraw but Blossom knew. She had briefly hacked a couple of files to find out they had ordered a few strange things as well as hiring specific scientists, astrophysicists. Blossom had concluded they were building something but what she wasn't quite sure but having the team of well-known astrophysicists had her thinking it was something to do with Him's arrival back on earth. They would know more than anyone about the portals even where a few could turn up. She still couldn't quite get her head wrapped around small wormholes opening up that could have them travelling to other planets but she couldn't think about that now, she had a mission to do. She watched from the corner of her eye Brick slowly sit back down. He had obviously had hope in his plan but it wasn't just that Princess wouldn't give up the details that easy but that she didn't want him going by himself.
It wasn't that she didn't trust him, she couldn't but she was worried that there may be another reason. She didn't believe that the monkey wanted peace on Earth and had changed his ways. She knew Mojo wasn't happy he was not included in Him's schemes and wanted him stopped so he could go back to pursuing his own plans. This however included the boys and that's why she didn't trust him. They were partners but only for now but afterwards they would become enemies and she didn't trust that the Ruff wouldn't be looking into making some alliances for the future.
"I didn't think she would hand it over just like that. Why? What do you suggest Pinky?" This time the nickname was almost spat at Blossom. She know she probably hurt his ego a little but she didn't care at this moment, had it been a different time; place; hell even a different person she would of but not now. The plan had to be solid and it had to be done right.
"I was thinking attempting to infiltrate by appearing to be astrophysicists." Brick looked at her like she was insane.
"Astrophysics? And you thought my plan was unrealistic." Brick muttered the last part. Blossom ignored his jab and continued with her plan.
"Yes all we have to do is create identities in which we excel in our field and make ourselves known to Princess' team. After that it's a case of them explaining the facilities and our job descriptions. It won't be all astro talk but we are best reading up and having an idea of the field."
"You are deadly serious huh?" Brick asked astonished. Blossom shook her head and looked Brick dead in the eye.
"We need access to the labs and to find out what they have planned and this seems the best option. We can't do a stealth mission as their security will be very strong. I am quite an intelligent person and I can pick up things very quickly. I thought you being my counterpart would be the same?" Brick realised she didn't say the last parts to compliment herself or him it was needed to be said for the mission sake. One thing he realised early on with Blossom, she was very much a person who didn't waste time when a job needed done. Brick shrugged to her question. He knew himself he was intelligent and it wasn't that he picked things up quickly, which he could, but more from having a photographic memory.
"It's settled then. I think we should go one team at a time in case back up is needed but we can go over all that in the morning. I'm going to go tell the Blues the plan you head to the Greens and do the same." Blossom didn't give Brick the chance to respond as she got up and headed to where Bubbles sat.
Brick sat down after giving Butch and his counterpart the plan for tomorrow. He probably should have put more effort into listening and giving out instruction but they weren't his. He watched as Blossom made her way back to their spot. The monkey had made a point to keep an eye on them as much as they could and he would. It also helped that she was easy on the eyes too but Brick stopped those thoughts right there. He could appreciate the beauty of a young woman but not with his counterpart, that was restricted territory.
"All set for tomorrow?" Blossom asked as she took a seat. Brick only nodded as he continued watching Blossom. He was pretty sure she was aware that he was watching her but she kept quiet and continued making notes.
Mojo appeared behind Brick glowering at the Pink Puff. Brick hadn't noticed the monkey's unexpected arrival and couldn't understand why Blossom's mood had turned.
"Ah Mojo have you come to give us some advice? It's okay we are already sorted but if we wanted the plan to fail we will sure to give you a shout." The monkey's only response was a growl.
"But Blossom will you actually follow through with your plan and save the world or will you go on another 13 year vacation?" This time it was Blossom's turn to growl. She was ready to teach Mojo a lesson. Brick watched as Blossom's face darkened with anger but her eyes held a great deal of sadness. This was when Brick realised that something big had held the girls back from helping. He had a feeling that if they could of they would have done what everyone including the monkey expected them to do all those years ago. Before he even thought about what he was doing Brick swung his head round and glared at Mojo.
"What do you want?" Brick asked coldly. He wasn't in the mood for any of Mojo's head games. Mojo snapped his head and focused his glare on Brick now.
"I was hoping to speak with you. Alone."
"I'm a little busy." Brick muttered. The two continued their death stares until Blossom cleared her throat. At this point only then did the two males realise she was standing with one arm wrapped around a worn out notebook.
"It's fine Brick we were finishing up anyway, anything else can wait till tomorrow. Now if you would both excuse me I have other places to be." Blossom looked one last time at Brick before turning and heading towards the door. Brick watched as the Pink Puff disappeared. For some reason he was quite angry the monkey interrupted but before he could begin giving Mojo a peace of his mind he spoke.
"Good. I need to talk to you about your brothers. Boomer I think has fallen under the blonde ones spell, he seems a little too infatuated with her and Butch well he underestimates them. You are the only one that will make them see sense." Brick sighed. He wasn't in any mood to deal with the monkeys over active brain.
"I told the boys last night to watch their counterparts closely so do you not think Boomer is playing up a little to get the Blue Puff's trust. He knows what is happening after this mission. I know people think he is stupid but he isn't an imbecile. And Butch, that's just him. He always thinks he is better than anyone else. Stop worrying and bugging me." The monkey slammed his fists down on the desk.
"I don't think you realise how dangerous this is. You and your brothers are being too casual about this and when it comes down to fighting them they will win and why? Because you are all too stubborn to realise that they are powerful even if they are girls." Mojo stormed off after that. Brick began counting to ten whilst taking deep breaths. It was a technique he had learned to do whenever Mojo Jojo began screeching and insulting him and his brothers. Brick decided he better seek out his brothers and start to formulate a plan of their own.
"Has everyone lost their fucking minds? It's a bunch of fucking girls! They may have superpowers but so do we and we are much stronger!" Brick rolled his eyes at his brother's unintentional sexist view. Brick had grabbed his brothers and dragged them to his room to discuss what the monkey had said to Brick. Boomer had confirmed what he had said to the monkey, he was trying to earn Bubbles' trust but Brick had a sneaky suspicion that it wasn't going to be hard to play the part for his blonde brother. Their only problem here was Butch's attitude. Brick had full faith in their trio but he knew not to underestimate the enemy. They had done so with Him and his groupies and this was how they found themselves hiding in a hole working with the girls. Butch's harsh breathing brought the red head back to the conversation.
"Look if we prepare for them being as strong as the monkey makes out then we will be more than ready if they aren't. But I am not having us going in prepared for an easy fight and have our asses handed to us." Butch growled and threw his fist into the wall causing a massive dent. Brick shook his head before walking out but not before he said.
"Get some rest. We have more to do tomorrow." As Brick left he heard Butch thrashing around his room and he wasn't surprised to see the Blue Ruff run for safety towards his own room. He knew why Butch was so angry, he felt like his abilities where in question as to whether he could defeat the girls. It had Brick in a dark mood too though. It had him annoyed that the monkey believed his boys could be defeated no matter who by. As he walked towards his door to his room he walked right past it. He was too worked up to sleep now. Butch's childish behaviour and Mojo's incapability to believe in them made him want to punch something. As he neared the room they had been in previously he noticed the light that shone from the crack of the door. He thought that maybe the professor was still up but as he pushed the door open he was greeted by the sight of his counterpart hunched over staring at the laptop's screen. He stood unsure if he should stay or go but his decision was made for him by the help of the Pink puff.
"What do you want Brick?" He slowly walked over shrugging his shoulders as he went.
"Couldn't sleep you?" Brick asked as he took a seat opposite from Blossom.
"I wanted to make a start on learning the basics of astrophysics." Blossom finally looked up and acknowledged the Red ruff's presence.
"And couldn't that wait till morning when we both could tackle it?" It was Blossom's turn to shrug as she went back to looking at the screen. She finished off reading the article she had been in the middle of when Brick walked in. She raised her head to see said person studying her. It was slightly unnerving but Blossom made a point of not flinching. She couldn't show a slight sign of weakness to her counterpart.
"I bet, you were like that at school huh? Not only having all your work done on time and correct but you would read up on the next thing before the teacher had a chance to inform the class of the new topic."
"Yes." Blossom cringed at her answer. She had always been called a nerd at school as she constantly had her head stuck in a book. It had hurt her feelings at the time but now she had unfortunately had to deal with it, choosing a good book gather than playing games with the other children. Even into her teens she still choose a book rather than heading to the mall or trying to catch the eyes of boys. She had nothing against any of her peers but unfortunately for her, at the time, she had always been very bright and inquisitive so whilst her classmates began learning their timetables she had been discovering what algebra was. She had always hidden how far ahead she was fearing the teachers would take her books away but her mother encouraged her. Her mother, the one who had bought the books to her, had said that she should never be afraid to show off her intelligence. It was a gift that she should be proud of. After that Blossom had always stood out in class for her brilliance. There would be groans of irritation whenever she answered or snide comments about her being a geek but she didn't care. She knew that one day she would use her gift to help others becoming a surgeon or a scientist but now she felt slightly self-conscious for a reason she wasn't quite ready to find out why. Brick, however, didn't react to her answer which had Blossom sighing with relief.
"You should sleep." Was Brick's response.
"I have never been a big sleeper especially since there is stuff to be done. What about yourself? You should sleep too." Brick raised his shoulders.
"Monkey bugged me. Needed to cool off."
"Why do you put up with him? If he angers you."
"He stuck by us even when Him rejected my brothers and me." That's when Blossom realised something. Not that the boys were annoyed with Him which is why they were fighting with the heroes but that the boys must care for the monkey. To the girls Mojo was a pain in the ass and was constantly disrupting their days with ridiculous schemes and over the top plans but to the boys he was a father figure. It sounded strange to herself but that would have been all the boys would know. Mojo wasn't the best role model in the world but that wouldn't matter to the Ruffs, he was father. It was just like the girls situation with the professor. People wouldn't understand why they stood with him or him with them but to the girls and the professor they were family. A strange and unusual family but one nonetheless and that's was how the boys felt about the monkey. Their decision to stay meant that they had loyalty to the monkey which could cause problems for the six teens in the future but for now Brick had gained a little of Blossom's respect. She wouldn't dare say it out loud knowing her counterpart's stubborn streak.
"That's not to say I haven't had to pull Butch off him countless of times." Blossom giggled. She could totally see the middle brother losing his patience with the monkey.
"I remember this one time when we were young, I had come back after grabbing pizza for me and my brothers. I walked through the door to find the whole place trashed and Butch hanging from the monkey's neck with his hand tightly grabbing Mojo's fur at the top of his head whilst Boomer was wrapped round one if his leg but they had all stopped the minute I walked in and looked at me wide eyed. Mojo and Boomer looked so please to see me obviously Boomer had tried to stop it and Butch looked slightly scared. He knew I would hit the roof but instead I started laughing. I couldn't help it." Blossom had laughed throughout his story. But come the end she couldn't help but feel a little melancholy. She didn't had stories of her own to share about times she had with her sisters. They had been separated for 13 years. The chances they had of making memories in the early years had been taken away from them the minute they were dumped at separate locations. She was still pretty sour about the whole thing but she had decided to act grown up about the whole affair by getting on with it but to be honest she was quite angry.
"Something bad happened huh?" Brick hadn't asked the obvious question after witnessing Blossom's mood dropped. She was thankful for that as she could have easily seen herself spilling her guts to the enemy.
"Let's just say I wouldn't wish what happened to me and my sisters to happen to you Ruffs." It was true. They were all technically triplets. They had a bond like any sister of brother would have but it was a lot stronger and not because they were triplets but because they were unique. Other than the Rowdy Boys, they were the only people to have superpowers but instead of having each other for guidance and support they had been separated and lied to. Brick looked surprised by the Puff's admittance but quickly hid it and stood.
"Well I'm going to head to bed. See you in the morning Pinky." Blossom groaned.
"It's not Pinky, its Blossom."
"Whatever you say Pinky." This time Blossom couldn't help but smile. He was a major pain in her ass but at least he didn't push when it came to asking her what happened. She knew he would want to know and she even might explain but for just now she couldn't risk it just yet. She knew the boys would head back to their life of crime but a small part of her thought that if she were to confide in him she knew he would never speak of it with anyone else.
Another thing Blossom realised when she lay in her bed next to her sisters was after Brick had left she couldn't seem to wipe the smile from her face.