It was dark outside when Bubbles silently crept out of bed, careful not to disturb her sisters.
She opened the window slowly as quietly as she could and left the house without being observed by anyone. She glanced round cautiously to check she was not being watched as she continued to fly into the shadow of the night, unobserved and unnoticed.
They called her naive, they called her soft but most hurtful of all, they called her baby. They had not seen all of her yet was Bubbles's thought as she headed towards the forest near Mojo's lab, knowing every bit of what she was doing was deeply wrong and went completely against everything she as a sworn protector of the town was supposed to stand for. She pushed those hurtful thoughts painfully away as she landed in a clearing, where he stated he would be waiting.
He was already waiting there. He sat staring blankly at the pool of water, seemingly mesmerised by the reflection on its clear surface. At first Bubbles thought he had not noticed her but eventually after several long, tense seconds, he eventually stood up shivering as he did so and still shivering he slowly turned to face Bubbles, the remaining tears in his once shiny teal eyes and his nervous smile a testament to his fear.
He held out his hand and bade her welcome in a quavering voice. "I'm glad you came" he eventually managed to stutter, covering his eyes with his arm as he did so.
He didn't wait for Bubbles to reply. Instead he took her gently by the hand and led her further into the woods where he knew they would not be seen or heard.
"My brothers haven't given me anything to eat today" he confessed, rubbing his stomach. "They said I didn't do well enough in the last mission and that I messed it all up. So they won't feed me until next week."
Bubbles nodded sympathetically. She knew that as much as the blonde boy she now walked with hated fighting her, it was his duty. Just as it was her duty to fight against him and his brothers whenever they came on the scene, which would no doubt be very, very soon. Not that this would be the first time, thought Bubbles with a deep sigh, nor the last time.
"I don't want to do this" complained the boy, "I want us to be friends and for all this to stop."
Bubbles placed a hand on his shoulder hoping to comfort him but it only seemed to wind him up more.
He let out a deep growl of misery and pain as he took his hand away from Bubbles. "Why can't your sisters understand me like you do?, Why?, Why?!" And then realising he was shouting, he quickly shook his head apologetically.
"Its alright Boomer. I know what you mean. I don't like this anymore than you do." confessed Bubbles. "I understand the pain. I know you don't hate me or my sisters. But still, we have to fight."
Boomer nodded. "I'm glad you realise. I'm glad one person does care."
He closed his eyes, clearly trying without success to hold back a fresh flow of tears streaking down his cheeks, but quickly rubbed them and pulled himself together.
They talked for a few moments, mainly centring their conversation on how they wished the conflict between their siblings would end and how as much as they wished to, they could not leave their siblings behind despite their attraction towards each other.
"My brothers can basically treat me however they like" stated Boomer sorrowfully "Because to them, I'm a baby. To them, my opinion will always be wrong."
"Then why don't you leave them?" asked Bubbles "If they're really that cruel and spiteful to you, you don't have to stay with them."
"My brothers are my brothers and I can't just leave them like that. Just as you haven't left your sisters yet. Why haven't you left your sisters yet when time and time again you told me how badly they hurt you."
Bubbles was at a loss for words.
"You should know better than anyone else why I can't just leave my brothers" sighed Boomer. "Brick might not be the best brother in the world (Okay so not the best is a bit of an understatement) but at the end of the day" Boomer paused for a moment in deep reflection. "He needs me, I need him. We need each other."
Boomer covered his eyes "And if I left, they'd probably suspect you of kidnapping me. Then my brothers would hate you even worse than they did now." He shook his head. "This isn't as easy as you think it is Bubbles. It just isn't. I understand that nothing excuses what I've done, but honestly it is Mojo who forces us to do this."
Bubbles only nodded, once again at a loss for words.
Boomer sighed once more as he gazed into the dark night sky, devoid of any stars.
Then he turned back to Bubbles, rubbing his stomach as he did so.
"I don't suppose you have anything you could give me to eat do you?" he asked, clearly trying to mask his desperation.
Bubbles nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry" she whispered as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small hunk of meat and a small piece of bread and cheese. She could tell from the way she had seen his brothers yelling at him angrily from a distance earlier foreshadowed that this would be his sorry fate.
"I'm sorry there isn't more" she added, almost breaking into tears and sobs "But this is all I could find. I hope its enough."
Boomer almost cried as he eyed the small heap of vittles and grabbed them with supernatural speed. Bubbles cracked a smile for the first time that day as she watched Boomer cram the food into his gaping mouth, eating so quickly that she almost feared he would make himself sick.
Tears welled once more from Boomer's pale blue eyes, only this time tears of pure joy and gratitude as he swallowed the meagre portion of food, almost all in one go, very nearly choking himself as he did so.
"Th, thank you" he stuttered as he finished the last morsel, unable to hold himself together as the tears continued to flood down his cheeks, staining his outfit.
He continued to cry and cry for several minutes as Bubbles patted him gently on the back to try and relieve him.
"Once again, I owe you one Bubbles. Once again I owe you.".
He quickly dabbed at his tears and glanced around the wood cautiously to check they were indeed unseen and that no one had found them.
"Brick said we were going to rob another bank next week." he explained, his voice choked with fear and concern. He looked Bubbles in the eye as he spoke to show he was not lying.
Then without a word from Bubbles, he began to go deeper in to detail, giving Bubbles all the information which he believed to be true. That it would happen next week although he knew not yet which day. That the bank was the 5th building on a certain street called Blue street, about five blocks of distance away from where the mayor's office was. That Brick said it would happen in the dead of night when no one was looking so that they could make a clean getaway. But most of all that he wanted no part in this, and that he wished for Bubbles and her sisters to stop him at any cost.
Bubbles thanked him as he finished. Though she believed him, it was clear she was amazed at how much he was willing to disclose to her. Amazed that though he could not completely betray his brothers for the greater good, how much he was willing to risk.
Boomer only nodded in reply. "Just, Just don't tell my Brothers I told you any of this." he pleaded.
"I won't" promised Bubbles.
Boomer glanced once more anxiously around. "I should go now." he admitted sadly. "Thanks for the food."
Bubbles nodded. "I should go too. My sisters will be wondering where I am."
They waved goodbye and began walking in separate directions, looking back one last time at each other to apologise deeply that despite their recently founded friendship with each other, the next time they would most likely meet was in a brutal fight. A brutal fight where they would show each other no mercy despite holding no grudge.
Boomer stared at the ground as he walked, deep in thought.
Did they really have to fight each other? The Powerpuff's seemed like such good people. Well Bubbles at least.
Would he really have to spend the rest of his inevitably long life committing what he now knew to be atrocities against civilians he now knew to be innocent after listening to the advice of dear Bubbles.
Would his brother's never take the hint and just listen to what he had to say?
He didn't know the answer to any of these questions.
The hurtful thoughts followed him into his dreams as he sneaked back to his trailer, and collapsed on the grass outside, too tired to get back into bed.
He would speak not a word to anyone what he saw that night in his sleep. Suffice to say, he would awaken the next morning screaming his lungs out causing his two very irritated brothers to reluctantly get out of bed and ask him what the heck was wrong this time?
He only shook his head, he said he was fine. But for the rest of the day, he avoided looking Brick directly in the eye when he spoke to him.
He wanted nothing more than to be with Bubbles. To be with the good Samaritan who gave him kindness when his brothers gave none. But the other part of him, the part that sadly acknowledged that he was created by his father Mojo to oppose and not to befriend Bubbles still kept him.
He buried his head in his hands that day when no one was looking and groaned. What he really stood for, most days he didn't know anymore.
But he did make one promise to himself that day when Bubbles carried him out of the freezing cold and nursed him back to health despite his protests.
He knew since that day that a part of him belonged to Bubbles now. And that killing her now, would be akin to killing part of himself.