Wildest Dreams

Chapter 2. Burning Red

Losing him was blue, like I'd never known

Missing him was dark gray, all alone

Forgetting him was like trying to know

Somebody you never met

But loving him was red

Loving him was red

Burning red

Buttercup was pacing up and down the parking lot. She'd already walked for 80 kms back and forth, chewing her fingernails till they bled. She wanted to punch something, but the only thing available in that godforsaken part of that shitty city at night was her car, the only one in the entire parking.

What the fuck is going on?!

But it was him. HIM! BUTCH! IN SHITTY CITIESVILLE!

When Buttercup had seen him, she had fallen in a complete shock. He was standing in front of her, at the other side of the counter of that stupid bar. His spiky hair perfectly done, that plain tight black t-shirt that underlined his biceps (had they always been so puffed up?), a brand new tattoo on the right side of his neck (had it got bigger?). At least, he was still wearing the black ring earring she had given him as a birthday present the previous year. As if it was proof that he was still her Butch, and not some kind of Citiesville's doppelganger.

"Buttercup".

Suddenly, a voice came from the end of the street. Here he was, wearing his shabby leather jacket, hands in his pockets, lowered head. A strange expression on his face.

"Butch Jojo" Buttercup replied, unable to hide the anger that was running through her veins like liquid fire. When he had asked her to meet him at the parking after his shift, she had just nodded and then left the place quickly, without saying a word, not even a goodbye to Vanessa.

He sighed and then scratched the back his neck, but she could tell he was feeling anxious. Tense.

"I… what… how… how did you find me?" he asked, his voice trembling.

Buttercup felt something welling up in her throat, a mix of anger, pain and… tears. Why were tears flowing from her eyes?

WHY THE FUCK AM I CRYING?!

All the words died in her mouth and she turned her back to Butch, trying to dry her eyes as fast as she could and suffocate the sobs which were coming naturally from her chest.

It was him. After all that time.

He was safe.

He was fine.

It was his voice.

"Butt—"

"ACE TOLD ME, OKAY?" she shouted, her voice trembling. "He's come back to town with that jerk of your older brother… and then I asked and he told me."

She inhaled deeply and found the courage to turn towards him once again, her eyes still a bit shiny but raging. "Why Butch… why didn't you tell me ANYTHING… ANYTHING! I WAS SO FUCKING WORRIED ABOUT YOU! YOU JERK! YOU DICKHEAD! YOU ASSHOLE! YOU LOOSER, MOTHERFUCKER…".

He was just standing there, taking all the insults without replying. Where were his replies? He would usually shout back at her, insult her back and protest… but he was just lying there. Mute and still.

"Say something, you shithead…" she hissed, closing her fists.

"…what should I say? You're right about everything." He replied, a slight tone of anger in his voice, his gaze avoiding hers.

Buttercup wanted to get closer to him, to punch him as she usually did but… she felt blocked. As if there was a transparent wall between them, as if she had no longer the right to touch him. Everything felt different. So, she stood still.

"Why did you leave?" she asked in a low voice.

Butch sighed. There was no sight of the old Butch: he wasn't being stupid nor the usual jerk. He was aloof and somewhat detached.

"He… offered me a way out of the mess I made."

"Devon Darwin?"

"Yeah. He was the deputy at the time and… he offered me a deal. He… didn't believe that stuffing prisons with criminals would be of any help. So, he gave me a double choice: I could start working for him as his underling or… I could just leave the town forever. If I were ever found in Townsville again, I'd be arrested."

"Why would he want you as his underling?!" Buttercup asked, perplexed.

"Ask Ace for that. I have no idea." Butch cut her off abruptly. "I refused right away and packed my stuff."

Buttercup stood silent for a few seconds. "Why didn't you tell me, though?"

Butch didn't answer. He just gave her a deep look: sorrow, anger, remorse… fear. Buttercup could see all shades of emotions in those emerald eyes.

"Just wanted to… start anew. That's all."

Liar.

"But Butch… why the bank robbery?! Why the Greengangs?! It doesn't make any sense, tell me what the fuck happened back then!" she shouted.

"SHUT UP YOU TWO! IT'S NIGHT!" suddenly a voice from a nearby flat shouted, silencing them.

"Buttercup… just leave. I don't have anything else to say." Butch added, with a peeved sigh. "Before someone finds you here, where you shouldn't be, since superheroes are banned from this town…"

"Butch. You've got superpowers too, so it's risky for you as well."

Butch fell silent for a few seconds, his hands closing in two fists. "I'm no superhero, though. Just a filthy criminal, so that's where I belong. Go back to Townsville and don't ever come back." He hissed, turning his back to her.

"Butch!"

"JUST FUCKIN' LEAVE, BUTTERCUP!" he kept on walking, his hands in his jacket, without turning back.

Buttercup crouched on the ground, grabbing her head in her hands. "Fuck, fuck, fuck…" she muttered with broken voice.

Brick kept on drumming his fingers on the steering wheel of his car – an elegant coupe car he was given as a sign of trust by Devon Darwin. Brick accepted the gift without protests: he was going to take everything he could from those fat cats.

He sighed as he kept on looking at the Puffs House at the other side of the road. He fumbled with the inner pocket of his jacket and took out the elegant envelope with the name "Family Utonium" written in black italic. He grumbled out loud and put a cigarette between his lips: he needed one before seeing her again after the previous day.

He got out of his car and threw his grey elegant jacket on the seat. Then he leant on the hood of the car and put out his lighter to light up his cigarette as he let the black tie around his neck loose with the other hand – he hated that thing, but Mr DD wanted him to always look flawless and respectable, and evidently the suit and tie made the trick.

As he was loosening the noose around his neck, Brick heard a throat clearing coming from his side. He slowly turned and saw a pretty annoyed Blossom starring at him, arms crossed and foot tapping.

"Hello Miss Commander and Leader" he smirked, puffing a little smoke.

"Mr Bootlicker, good afternoon" she replied, sceptical. She was wearing a short, red tartan skirt, a white short-sleeved shirt and a lovely pink knit vest over it.

So pretty.

"Ew, pretty rude coming from Miss I-don't-say-bad-words" Brick snickered, avoiding looking at her very short skirt. Was it the necktie or the temperature was rising?

"We must have swapped places" she snorted, looking at his big-shot suit. "What are you doing here?"

He paused for a moment, taking a long drag at his cigarette and then stretched his arm towards her, the envelope in his hand.

"I personally came to give you this".

She hesitated for a second and then quickly took the envelope, looking at it suspiciously.

"It's an invitation to the swearing-in ceremony of the new Mayor" Brick explained, seriously.

"Wow. I'm dying to be there." Blossom uttered, ironically. "Have you already picked your fancy suit for the night? I'd suggest a red tie, in loving memory of the past".

"It sounds like a good idea, considering the circumstances" he smiled bitterly and then finished his cigarette with one last drag. He then put out his cigarette on the palm of his hand, unblinking. "He wants you three to give a public speech in front of the guests. The crème de la crème of Townsville."

Blossom looked at him with a perplexed look. "A speech about…?"

Brick stayed silent for a few seconds and then sneered impishly.

It's hard.

"About your official retirement."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I'm positive your excellent writing skills will help you in this task. Make it tearful and epic to make it believable." He cackled.

"So, you want me to write a believable retirement speech for the PowerPuff Girls?" Blossom replied, her gaze lost and empty.

"Yeah, that's the idea." He smirked with a triumphant smile. "It's the best option for you girls, even if now it looks like an awful scenario."

"I'll do it" suddenly Blossom replied with a resolute tone, looking at him with cold eyes. "And I'll make it sound believable. Or at least, more convincing than your fake smirk, so please stop it. It's somewhat depressing."

Brick's lips, which were almost hurting from being bent in that forced sly smile, flattened immediately, followed by an upset gaze.

Disappointed pink eyes.

Gloomy red eyes.

"See you there" she muttered lowering her pink gaze and then walking slowly towards her house.

Brick closed the cigarette butt in his fist, turning it to ashes with a burst of flames.

Sara heard the door bell ring. She was as punctual as ever. The woman gave a wary look towards the closed door of her office and then went to the entrance, opening the door with a smile.

"Hello Blossom, welcome."

The young girl smiled her usual sweet and somewhat timid smile. "Hello Ms Bellum".

Her father was aging. The Mayor had passed away. Townsville was changing. And so was her life. Blossom told Ms Bellum everything. Her uncertainties about the future, her doubts about Devon Darwin and Brick, Bubbles's ideas, Buttercup's rage. Everything. In front of a cup of tea in Sara's living room, Blossom offloaded all the feeling she felt in her chest. Ms Bellum listened in silence, but with full attention.

Eventually, Blossom took out the invitation to the swearing-in ceremony and put in on the table.

Bellum sighed. "Blossom, darling… I'm so sorry for what's going on."

"I'm sorry for you as well, Ms Bellum. You were the one who deserved to be mayor." Blossom replied. She was sitting straight and elegantly on the red velvet sofa, her hands torturing the hems of her tartan skirt, her eyes low and shiny.

Sara knew how much Blossom leant on her, how much she considered her a role model. In that moment, Ms Bellum realised she needed to recall all the acting lessons she had taken during her high school years.

The woman took a long sip of her tea and then put the cup delicately down on the service plate.

"Blossom, darling" she started, crossing her hands on her lap. "I can only imagine how you must be feeling in this period, but you're living a very delicate moment of your life. You've got a lot on your plate right now and your sisters and you have always put Townsville's safety before yourselves." She paused for a second and looked her in the eyes. "But Bubbles is right, Blossom. You should seize this opportunity. I know Devon Darwin's might not seem the best choice for Townsville right now, but time will tell. You need to go to university and leave this town behind. If anything bad happens, we'll contact you as soon as possible."

Blossom goggled at her in disbelief, mouth agape. "I… don't…"

"Blossom, I know this might come as a shock for you. But you've always taken care of us with all yourself. Now it's time for us to take care of you. And we all want you to have a bright future and we all know how much you've worked so hard for those university admissions. I'm sure you don't want your hard work to go wasted."

"I know, but I thought… you know… that the Mayor would still be there… or at least you, so…" Blossom tried to protest, lost for words.

"Blossom. I'll still be there, working inside the City Hall as a counsellor. Don't worry. Trust us. Trust me."

Blossom lowered her gaze and took the elegant envelope back in her hands. Sara put hers on the back of Blossom's hands and squeezed them, lovingly. "Everything is gonna be alright, Blossom. Just relax."

Blossom gave her a faint smile and slowly got up. "I'll be thinking about it. Thank you, Ms Bellum."

"You're always welcome, Blossom" she gave her a small rub on the back of her shoulder as she walked her to the door.

"Ms Bellum, what is this strange scent I smell? Is it a new home perfume?" Blossom suddenly asked as she sniffed the air.

Sara froze for a second and then smiled. "Oh, yes, it must be my new incense. But I don't like it very much, a bit too strong. I'll definitely change it."

"Yes, it smells a bit… strange. Sorry about that, but you know, super sense of smell" Blossom laughed with a bit of embarrassment. "Bye then. I'll see you at the party."

"See you, dear."

As soon as Bellum closed the door, she went to the window, making sure Blossom had flown away from her building. Then, she heard the door of her office opening.

"You and your damn cigarettes" Bellum almost roared towards the boy standing with his back against the door jamb with his arms crossed.

"Hey, calm down. Well played with the incense bullshit. Not the rest, though."

"What did you expect, Brick?" she sighed, massaging her temples. "You seriously didn't think it would be easy putting Blossom out of the game, did you?"

"No, but I'd expect you to press her a bit more on the topic. We need her out of town as soon as possible." He muttered seriously.

"I know… but she will do it, I think. Everyone she trusts is telling her to go."

"Even those she doesn't trust."

"I know. That's why it would have been better for you to stay put." Sara mumbled as she looked at the flashy pink trail in the distant sky.

Buttercup was lying on her sofa, staring blankly at the TV at the other side of the room. Some empty cans were lying on the ground together with some bags of chips. Her hair was unkempt and she was wrapped in her favourite blanket.

Boomer, all tarted up in his elegant blue suit and with perfect combed hair, was starring at her, worriedly.

"Buttercup, aren't you coming to the ceremony?" he asked, warily.

"Why should I?" she mumbled, flatly. "It'd only depress me more."

"I know it's a pretty shitty situation." Boomer sighed, sincerely sorry.

"Yeah, right."

Suddenly, Blossom zipped from downstairs, looking for her small purse. She was already dressed for the ceremony: a long, tight, one-shouldered dress, made with a glitter black fabric and with a high slit revealing her long, slender leg, ending with fancy high-heeled stiletto shoes. Not really her pure and innocent style, but rather alluring and sensual. A black choker around her neck and her hair let loose with a black clip ended the composition. A perfect black eye-liner surrounded her pink eyes.

"Wow, you're sizzling!" Boomer exclaimed, surprised by Blossom's new look.

"Thank you Boomer" she smiled, sheepishly.

"Why… black?! Have you even ever had a black dress?" Buttercup cried from the sofa, finally showing some emotions.

"Well, it's basically our funeral, I thought it fitted the situation." Blossom shrugged, nonchalantly. "Where's Bubbles?"

"Still upstairs, bathroom, make-up" Boomer nodded towards the stairs.

Blossom rolled her eyes and grumbled. "Come on, Bubbles!"

"Awww, help me Blossy, I can't choose how to finish my hair!" her sister replied from upstairs.

After a loud moan, Blossom quickly zipped up, leaving the living room.

Boomer chuckled lightly, his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Boomer" Buttercup called him, sitting up on the sofa, a serious expression on her shattered face. "I have to tell you something."

People laughing. People discussing. People drinking. People mumbling.

Blossom looked around her with a watchful eye, focusing on all the types of interactions happening in that huge elegant hall. Who was Mr Morbucks talking to? And his stupid daughter?

There she was, attached to Brick's arm. They had come together to the ceremony, held in the big hall of the luxury hotel owned by the Morbucks. Princess was wearing an extravagant yellow dress with a tiara; she clutched Brick's arm as she smiled triumphantly to everyone. Brick wore an expensive suit, his hair was slick back and in perfect order. He had cut it but still neck-long.

Blossom sighed. Not even a year ago, his hair was longer and messy, he would wear his silly red cap and baggy clothes and she'd… she just loved it. She loved him. The realisation of her feelings had been so sudden: when had they started? When had she fallen in love with him? She couldn't really figure it out. She just realised that during the projection of a documentary during their history lesson, they were sitting side by side in the cramped room, their arms and elbows were brushing and her heart was beating so loud she was sure he could hear it.

Then that evening. The sunset. The kiss.

They had kissed, she was sure of it. Even though sometimes she had started to think she had imagined everything. Especially in that very moment, in the middle of that crowded room. But the bitter taste of cigarette and chewing gum was somewhat still lingering on her lips.

The cigarettes he smoked were so… annoying, and yet they had a rather peculiar smell.

Blossom was shaken from her thoughts by the sudden appearance of Ms Bellum. She gave her a sweet smile from the distance, before being taken by the arm by some colleagues. She was soon followed by Devon Darwin, who made his entrance impeccably dressed up, together with a beautiful woman – whom she had discovered to be his older sister, Dana. They started shaking hands and smiling around to the guests and Blossom rolled her eyes, taking another glass of champagne.

A shadow appeared silently by her side, announced by his men's perfume mixed with cigarette's smell.

"You're drinking a lot tonight" he almost whispered in her ear and Blossom felt several shivers along her naked spine.

"It's my career's funeral, I need to enjoy every second of it" she turned with a fake broad smile, raising her glass towards him.

"I guess that explains the black dress" he scoffed, his hands in the pockets of the black jacket. He scrutinised her with his crimson eyes, up and down, and for a second she almost felt naked in front of him.

"Yes… I imagine you'd prefer yellow kitschy ones, though" she added, nodding towards Princess' direction.

"Ew… no, not really" he sneered with a disgusted look "I was totally forced to accompany her, if that makes you feel better."

"Why should it?" she remarked challengingly, gazing at his red eyes.

"No real reason" Brick replied, his faint smile dying on his lips. "You do look gorgeous, though." He added, looking at her outfit with an intense gaze, the crimson of his eyes more intense than usual.

"Oh shut up, you moron" she snorted as she felt the need to distance herself from him immediately. Whatever that tension between them was, it was dangerous. She moved away with long, annoyed strides, mainly to hide the blush on her cheeks. But Blossom could feel his eyes on her from behind. She had to admit that that black tight dress really suited her and that it was probably catching his attention. Which, she had to admit, she didn't mind at all.

She looked for Bubbles and Boomer without any success and, after a few moments, Blossom saw some commotion coming from under the small stage at the centre of the hall, and she understood they were about to start with the glorious speeches, the last of which would be hers.

They had asked her to send her speech to be reviewed and they had given her their full approval. Also, Ms Bellum had called her to compliment her, and that made her feel a deep sense of nausea and… betrayal. Remembering that, she spontaneously looked for Ms Bellum and she saw her, for a brief moment, exchanging a couple of words with Brick, both with serious expressions on their faces. It had been only a couple of seconds, they were probably just greeting each other, but something clicked in her mind.

That smell in Bellum's house. It wasn't incense. It was the smell of Brick's cigarettes.

Bubbles was looking furtively at Boomer's expression. Since they had left her house, he had been strangely silent and had been frowning all along. He wasn't very good at hiding his emotions and that was something about him that she truly liked.

She had already asked him twice if there were any problems and he had denied it firmly both times. She was wondering what had happened. She guessed it was something concerning her sisters, since when he had arrived at her home, he had been the same as always. They had also made love that afternoon in her room, carefully not be caught by her father and her sister, which had made it even more exciting. Then, she had left him alone with her sisters for half an hour and everything had changed.

Was he mad because she had been late?

No, it didn't seem like something that would mess up with him, not that much, anyway.

"I need to catch some air" he said suddenly, quickly leaving the crowded hall of the hotel where the ceremony was being held.

She hurriedly reached for him outside in the beautiful garden and grabbed him by the arm.

"Boomie…" she murmured, her eyes full of apprehension.

"I'm sorry, I'm fine. I swear I'll recover my cool" he said, his voice shaking, his head low.

His eyes were teary and Bubbles clasped his hands in hers.

"Boomer Jojo. Tell me what's wrong, now." Her voice was firm and didn't admit any reply.

Boomer sighed. "I'm sorry… I didn't want to bring this up during the ceremony… but Buttercup… she told me right before leaving… why did she…"

"Why did she tell you what, exactly?!" Bubbles inquired with an annoyed tone.

Buttercup and her power to screw all the situations she can screw.

"She… she…" Boomer was on the verge of tears "She… has met Butch. In Citiesville."

Bubbles jumped backwards, leaving Boomer's hands. "She… what? …how…?"

"She told me that… Ace of the Greengangs has told her where to find Butch…" he replied, faintly. He was pale and sad.

Bubbles remained silent for a few seconds. "And what has he told her?"

Boomer shook his head lightly. "I don't know. She said that we'll have a proper talk about it once we come back from here. She's just told me that he's alive and fine and that he's working in a pub in Citiesville. Not a word on why he left or on what happened back then."

Bubbles took the hem of her light blue satin dress that embraced her body so perfectly and strongly bit her lower lip. A trembling sigh escaped her lips.

"…we should go back to Buttercup right away." She mumbled.

"What…? We can't leave Blossom and the ceremony because of my tantrum" Boomer sighed, massaging his temples. "Even though the idea of meeting Brick makes me wanna puke, honestly. But maybe he doesn't know about Butch either, so maybe it's better if I stay and tell him—"

"He knows" Bubbles cut him off, staring intently into his dark blue eyes.

"What…? How do you…?"

"Boomer. We need to go to Buttercup, right now. There's something I need to tell to the both of you."

Blossom suddenly found herself on the side of the stage, ready to step in.

Her sister and Boomer were nowhere to be found. Her father was by Ms Bellum's side. Professor Utonium hadn't really expressed any opinion about their withdrawal from Townsville's defence. He had just told his daughters to live their lives as they wanted, without being influenced by others.

Blossom suddenly felt very lonely – was she going to face that moment all alone? Furthermore, her head was a bit of a mess in that moment. The idea that Brick had been at Ms Bellum's home was unsettling her enormously; something was going on and she was missing too many pieces. But she was close, she was sure; she was about to understand what was going on behind her back. Still, she was walking the stairs to her gallows.

"I'll be there" she heard Brick's voice behind her back and she turned to give him a quick glance, before turning towards the stairs. Was he trying to comfort her after trying to destroy her life? What game was he playing? Was he somewhat blackmailing Ms Bellum? And what part did she have in it?

She walked flawlessly on her high stiletto shoes and she reached the middle of the stage, stopping in front of the microphone. Silence fell in the hall. Her papers were ready on the stand in front of her.

Blossom raised her pink eyes.

Her melancholic father.

The bitter smile of Ms Bellum.

Buttercup lying depressingly on their sofa.

The strange behaviour of Brick.

The triumphant expression of Devon Darwin.

Blossom took the papers of her retirement speech and crumpled it. And then she started to speak.

"Dear citizens of Townsville. This has been a period of great changes, of great losses and of great confusion for us all. I've been confused and lost as well, because many of the things that were part of my daily life, have started to disappear and change, slipping away from my grasp. Luckily for us, we have a new Mayor who is willing to help us all in maintaining the order in this city, thanks to his new diligently trained law enforcement, guided by no less than Mr Brick Jojo" she said as she pointed to the boy at the right side of the stage. Several applauses raised from the public and Brick nodded nervously, giving her a puzzled look. He knew she wasn't following her speech and nervousness started to show in his expression. "That's why I'm happy to announce tonight, on behalf of my sisters as well, that I am happy… to collaborate with Mr Jojo and the new Mayor Devon Darwin in securing the safety of Townsville in the near future, setting off the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration between the Powerpuff Girls and the new Townsville enforcement authorities. I'm very honoured to have the opportunity to work alongside with Mr Darwin and Mr Jojo in the protection of the city. Thank you all."

Happy and enthusiastic applauses raised from the public and Blossom gave one last satisfied look to Mr Darwin, whose shocked and furious expression he couldn't hide, and to Ms Bellum, who was talking nervously to her father.

Suddenly she felt Brick's presence by her side, who forced a sly smile in front of everyone and greeted the public affably, before taking her by her arm and gently lead her down the stage and out of the hall without uttering a single word.

That night, a violent thunderstorm was pouring on the city of Townsville.

Bubbles had an appointment with Robin at the shopping mall near the train station and she had taken the bus to get there, because she didn't want to get wet by flying. As she got off, she stopped at the bus shelter to send a message to Robin, when she saw the figure of a boy sitting on the bench, a big backpack at his feet, his head low and his face full of bruises.

"…Butch?!" she exclaimed, reaching for the boy and crouching by his side.

Butch moved his emerald eyes towards her worried face. He looked terrible. He had got skinnier and had a black eye, together with several other bruises on his cheeks and a split lip.

"What happened to you?! Shouldn't you be… in…" the words had died on her lips.

"In jail?" he snickered, bitterly. "Yes, I should have."

"Have you escaped from prison?! Are you running away?!" she muttered in a low voice.

"No, I haven't" he bit his lower lip, laughing lightly.

He looked so sad and depressed and beaten down that he didn't really seem like the usual Butch at all. Her heart wrenched and she took his hand.

"Butch…"

He sighed. "I'm telling you, but promise not to tell anyone. Especially Boomer and Buttercup. It's for their sake. Okay?"

"I… I promise." She replied. She couldn't say no to Butch's sad and shattered eyes full of sorrow.

"Brick… came to talk to me about my detention… and we met the deputy chief of the police. He offered us a strange deal… in exchange for my freedom. We both accepted and he said that I had to leave the town forever if I wanted to be freed. So, here I am, leaving this town with the couple of things I had in my bedroom."

"What kind of deal?!"

"I can't tell you. It's for the best, trust me."

"But why won't you tell Buttercup and Boomer?!"

"It's better this way. The deal Brick and I have made… is a dangerous deal. Nothing good will come out of it if you girls or Boomer know about it." He looked at her intensely. "I know you understand that sometimes we have to hide something from the ones we love in order to protect them. And this is the case. Promise me you won't tell them about me. I'll just disappear for a while and as soon as I feel the situation has become safe, I'll contact them. Trust me." He patted her head lightly.

Bubbles's eyes filled with tears. "Oh Butch… why… why did you have to do that bank robbery… why…?"

Butch rubbed his eyes, surrounded by dark circles. "Because… I lost my job at the gas station, you know? Somebody stole some money from the cash register and the owner was sure I had to be the culprit. After that I tried to look for other jobs but… you know. I'm just the worst criminal of the family. The one who never got over his bad reputation. I haven't got Boomer's good boy face or Brick's brain. Apparently, I can't be nothing but a criminal. So that's what I decided to do. I was born for being a criminal, after all."

"Oh, Butch… I'm sure we could have helped you…" Bubbles sobbed, still holding his hand as she stayed crouched by his side. The rain was pouring around them and the city seemed to be gloomier than usual.

"You know… I just wanted to buy a nice present for Butters for her birthday…" a quick tear fell down his cheek and he quickly dried it with the palm of his hand. "Hey. I'm sorry for being such a downer" he forced his usual smile. "I'll be back soon, I swear. I just need to get my life together. Promise you'll keep my secret, Bubbles?"

"I promise."

Boomer and Buttercup stared silently at the sobbing Bubbles sitting on her bed. She couldn't hold back tears as she told her sad last memory of Butch to her boyfriend and her sister. A memory that she had been hiding in her heart for a whole year and that would wrench her chest every time she thought about it.

Boomer stood with his arms crossed, his eyes staring at her blankly, his face pale.

Buttercup seemed to be gasping for air. She felt a lump in her throat and she sat on her bed, taking her blanket and embracing it.

"How could you…" Boomer whispered, his voice trembling.

"I… I promised, Boomie!" Bubbles sobbed desperately.

"Who cares about what you promised Butch?!"

In that moment, Buttercup got up from her bed, took her black hoodie from the chair and left the room without saying anything. She slammed the door behind her back.

"Buttercup…" Bubbles whimpered, getting off her bed to follow her, but Boomer caught her arm and stopped her.

"Boomie, I know you're angry right now, but I… I promised him! He was so sad… I—"

"THAT'S WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD US!" Boomer shouted, the paleness on his face leaving room for the mask of anger. "HE WAS DEPRESSED, HE WAS IN FUCKING PIECES! HE OBVIOUSLY WASN'T THINKING CLEARLY! YOU SHOULD HAVE CALLED ME INSTEAD OF MAKING HIM LEAVE WITHOUT A FUCKIN' SINGLE WORD! WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?! WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN THINKING ALL THIS TIME?! BUTTERCUP AND I WERE IN FUCKING PIECES AND YOU DIDN'T CARE!"

Bubbles glared at him outraged and freed her arm from his grasp with a tug. "I… I DID CARE! But… I also made him a promise… he was worried about you and Buttercup… I'm sure he had his good reasons for keeping it a secret… I… I… decide to trust Butch."

"Well, it means you decided not to trust me" Boomer hissed, passing his hand through his perfectly combed hair.

"Boomie, no… I wanted to protect you… that's what I've always tried to…" Bubbles whimpered, her voice broken by her sobs.

"No… you were the only one I thought I could trust but… you lied… you lied to me… just like Butch and Brick. I thought we would always be honest to each other…"

"I… I didn't lie! I just omitted…"

"Oh, shut the fuck up" Boomer grunted, his hands rubbing his eyes. "I don't want to hear anything else from you. I'm fucking done with you."

"NO, BOOMIE, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE!" Bubbles cried as she clutched to his arm, but he freed himself with a jerk and she fell on the ground, crying desperately on her knees.

He gave her one last look, before zipping out of the house.

"Where are we going?!" Blossom protested as she felt Brick's strong grip on her forearm.

He led her up the stairs of the hotel, but she resisted his grab. Brick turned with an angry expression, grasped her by her arms and pushed her as he started to fly towards the upper floor of the hotel. They zipped quickly towards the third floor until Brick stopped in front of the door of one the suites and opened it with the keycard.

Blossom was dragged inside and Brick slammed the door behind their backs.

Before realising what was going on, Blossom felt Brick's hand over her neck as he pushed her against the door. He wasn't strangling her but the grip around her neck was strong enough to keep her blocked against the entrance.

"Brick—" she tried to say as she lifted her hands to free herself.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" he hissed in a fit of rage. His eyes were sparkling with a red angered light.

Blossom was about to reply but her mouth was swiftly shut by Brick's lips, who met hers in a feverish kiss. As she felt his tongue licking her lips, Blossom felt a rush of excitement, but the hold around her neck was still there; she bit his lip hard until it bled and Brick interrupted the kiss, taking a step back and freeing her.

Vexedly, he took his jacket off, throwing it on the floor and then cleaned the blood coming from his split lip against his white shirt, leaving a red stain on it.

Blossom leant against the door, gasping quickly for air, her pink eyes wary and confused.

"Why did you change your fucking speech?" he growled in a low voice, closing in again. He laid his hands against the sides of Blossom's head, blocking her between his arms, gazing directly at her.

Raging red eyes.

Lost pink eyes.

"I… I… I won't give up. Not until I understand what's going on" she replied with a slightly trembling voice. She wanted to play it cool, but in that moment she was feeling anxious and lost, as she wasn't in control of the situation. And then that kiss. Why that kiss? What was going on?! But she had to remain stoic, even though she was feeling her body temperature rising, her lower belly tingling, her throat wheezing. "I'm not giving in, Brick."

"I figured as much" he mumbled with a sneer. "I thought I could handle this… that I could change… but evidently that's impossible as long as you're around." He almost whispered to himself.

"I don't want you to change" she muttered lightly, as she moved her hands on his red tie, caressing it slowly. Her fingers travelled up to the knot, which was too tight around his neck, just like his hands around hers a few moments before, and she moved the knot slightly, loosening it until she untied the necktie, letting it fall on the ground.

Brick moved closer to her face, his lips lingering a few millimetres away from hers. "Don't bite me" he huffed, before kissing her again.

Blossom moaned as she felt Brick's teeth nibbling her lips hungrily, his tongue desperately looking for hers. With a sigh, Blossom opened her mouth to his and allowed him to kiss her properly, intensely, burningly. Their tongues intertwined frantically, hungrily, and she had to grab onto his shoulders to maintain her balance, because their contact was too intense to keep on standing on her trembling legs. She could levitate, but she felt Brick's arms embracing her firmly and pushing her against the door. His hands slid along her sides, down towards her bottom. The left hand proceeded its journey, reaching the opening of the slit of her dress on her right leg. Blossom sighed against his lips as she felt his slender fingers sneaking under the glitter fabric, caressing the skin of her thigh, making her shudder against his body. He then suddenly sank his fingertips in her flesh, grabbing both of her thighs and lifting her up from the ground, pushing her against the door and blocking her there with his body.

"Brick!" Blossom sighed as he interrupted the kiss to bite her neck, and she closed her legs around his waist to bring him closer to her.

She felt his teeth biting the soft flesh of her neck, sucking at it feverishly, his mouth burning against her skin. As she grabbed on him, Blossom moaned lightly as she felt his hard bulge pressing against her lower part – which, she could tell, was already sticky with juices. Enthralled by that light moan, Brick pushed his groin again against the centre of her thighs, harder, and Blossom's moan came out louder, almost desperate. He grunted against her shoulder, as he embraced her hips with one arm and let the free hand under the fabric leave her thigh to move upwards along her skin until it reached her soft, moist spot. As his fingers caressed her most secret place, her lace panties drowning in an ocean of arousal, Blossom buried her face against his shoulder, muffling her moans against his shirt, her nails digging in his flesh as she grabbed onto him desperately.

She was trying to catch her breath to speak, but she didn't have any time since she felt his finger moving her panties to find his way inside her. A loud cry escaped her lips against his shirt and, as she heard him panting against her neck, she felt another finger entering her slowly.

"AH! BRICK!" Blossom couldn't hold her voice back and she felt him stopping and mumbling a deep groan.

"Fuck" he swore as he took his fingers out of her. "I'm taking you to bed." He growled fervently as he held her tighter and zipped as quickly as he could towards the huge king size bed.

He pushed her down the bed, towering on her, and he brought his hands on his shirt, tearing it off with a tug, revealing his tattoos on his forearm – the tribal flames – and shoulder – a rampant tiger – other than his perfect six pack which indicated the way down to his hardened erection.

"I'm not stopping, Blossom" he whispered, his voice hoarse as he bent down on her "if you want me to, you'll have to punch me. Hard."

Her arms raised to clutch his neck and push him down against her lips, which welcomed his, inviting his tongue to touch hers again, and again, and again. Blossom let his hands remove her panties swiftly and then she felt his palms pushing her inner thighs to make her open her legs, feeling his body pressing hers against the soft mattress behind her back.

She was feeling lost in his kisses, his bites, his caresses; the world no longer had a shape, the time no longer had consistency. Her dress had come undone at a certain point, she was not sure how, and then Brick was kissing her breasts, and then her mouth, and then her earlobe. Everything was just sighs and skins, the taste of Brick in her mouth, his blood mixed with nicotine and sweat, her hands wandering along his muscled shoulder, his hair which was now messy with her fingers lost in it.

A shudder of pain suddenly shook her body as she felt something hard and big pressing against her wet slit, sliding inside her slowly, making his way in her body for the first time.

"Brick…!" she moaned with a veil of suffering as she plunged her nails on his back, scratching it.

"I know… I'll go slowly, I promised…" he breathed against her ear, before pushing inside her a little bit further.

Brick was inside of her. It hurt. It was pleasing. It was intense. It was wrong. It was driving her mad.

Yet, she craved for more.

She was scared. She was excited. She was greedy. She was selfish.

They were becoming one thing. Nothing else matter. Nothing.

She wanted more.

Butch closed the door of the pub with a tug. That door was old and rusty and he wondered how it could still stand. He felt somewhat very close to that door: they were both battered and crook.

He sighed towards the pouring rain that had started about an hour before and which didn't seem to have the intention to stop for that night. He wrapped himself in his leather jacket and started walking under the heavy rain, in the darkness of the alley towards his apartment.

That night he'd had fun with the friends he had made at the pub, but couldn't help feeling a little down. He had been feeling lonely ever since he had come to Citiesville. He was missing his old life and the life in Citiesville was just passing through his fingers without leaving anything inside his heart. It was a life made of sand. And seeing Buttercup had only made the situation worse. He hadn't been able to sleep well and was feeling continuously anxious and sad. He wasn't really feeling himself anymore.

Where had the old Butch gone? The Baron of Berserker? The life of the party? He had tried to have fun at the pub and he had to admit he did most of the times – but it was an empty entertainment. Every time he would go back to his lousy apartment, he'd feel that uneasiness coming back again. That was the reason why he would work for hours at the pub – it kept his mind busy.

Buttercup was on his mind. Always. Everything he did and thought, it came naturally for him to think "I need to tell Butters later". But he hadn't seen her for a whole year. He'd been thinking he was about to forget her face and the idea terrorised him. When she had appeared in front of him at the pub, he had thought it was his mind playing some kind of prank.

God, she was so beautiful.

He snorted bitterly as he remembered the way he had sent her away in the parking lot. He had been wanting to call her so many times, so many. Once he had to destroy his phone to regain his mental health, being so torn between the need of hearing her voice and the sense of shame and fear which had told him to stop. He had been so happy to see her again, but the sense of shame inside his heart made him feel so miserable, so unworthy of her. But he was sure that after the way he had treated her, he would never see her face ever again.

Just as he was thinking that, he saw a short figure standing at the end of alley, under the pouring rain, leaning against the wall of a building. The black hoodie on the head covered her face, but the black combat boots and the ripped-up jeans left him no doubts.

He rushed towards her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Butters!" he called her, looking at her face through the rain.

He saw her cheeks were wet, but not because of the rain. Her eye pencil was dripping all over her cheeks, drawing the line of the stream of her tears.

"Butch…" she sobbed with a broken voice.

"I'm sorry, Butters, so sorry" he immediately embraced her, pushing her strongly against his chest. "I'm so sorry, babe. Forgive me".

She embraced him back, grabbing on to his shoulders, for a very long moment; he wasn't sure of how much time had passed, but suddenly, she stood on tiptoe and leant towards Butch's face, kissing his cold, wet lips gently.

Butch froze in place, but as he felt the salty taste of her tears on the lips, he closed his eyes and grabbed her chin with one hand, pushing it against his own mouth. His tongue parted her lips vehemently and met hers in a slow, intense dance, to which Buttercup responded immediately.

In that moment, he felt something burning inside his chest. It was his old self, yelling to break free. He was sure of it.

Blossom closed delicately the door of the suite behind her, careful not to make any sound. Brick was sound asleep in the bed and she had managed to get up, quickly get dressed and flee the room without waking him up. In her hand she held her stiletto shoes, but she walked barefoot towards the big French window at the end of the corridor. She opened it and reached a small balcony. She looked around suspiciously, carefully looking for any prying eyes, and decided it was safe to zip away in the sky, even if a light rain had started falling on the city shrouded in darkness. She flew as high as she could, keeping her dress tight around her legs with her hands – she had managed to get her dress, but she hadn't been able to find her panties anywhere in the big suite.

Her face was burning as she thought about what had happened that night and the stinging throb in her groin was there to remember her of her sin – how many times had they done it? Three? Four? Her mind was foggy and all the emotions she had felt kept on mixing together in her mind. In the reflection of the window, she had seen the several hickeys Brick had left all over her neck and shoulders – she needed to find a turtleneck shirt for the next days.

What the hell am I thinking?! Worrying about the hickeys when I… I…!

She couldn't believe herself. All the things she had always imagined about her first time had been overlooked altogether; farewell special first night with her longstanding, gentle, sweet (imaginary) boyfriend. Farewell romantic dinner night in a pretty restaurant with continuation in a dreamy hotel with a bed full of rose petals. Farewell night spent sleeping together to wake up embracing and having breakfast as they talked about their future plans together.

Well, at least it had been in the suite of a luxury hotel. And she had to admit, it had been incredible. Brick had been…

Blossom shook her head. At least, something about her speech was true: she was confused and lost and her life was going haywire. She embraced herself as she flew and hoped that the rain falling on her could wash away everything about that night.

She finally got home and saw her father sleeping on the sofa. She tried to fix her dress and her messy, wet hair the best she could, covering the hickeys with her long locks, even though her appearance was screaming "after sex" all over.

Blossom shook the Professor lightly, waking him up. Luckily for her, he was very sleepy and didn't seem able to focus on her appearance at all.

"Why are you so late, Blossom?" he yawned as he got up, ready to reach his bedroom.

"Sorry Professor. I had to speak with a lot of people. I'll catch you up tomorrow" she smiled as she quickly zipped up to her bedroom, closing the door behind her back to avoid any other questions.

Being finally in her room, Blossom sighed deeply, ready to relax and to finally reflect on what had happened that night; but she jumped when she saw Bubbles sitting by her bed, sobbing all alone in the darkness.

"Bubbles…? Where is Buttercup?"

"Where have you beeeeen?!" Bubbles cried out, shaken by deep sobs.

"Bubbles, what happened?!" Blossom quickly zipped by her side, embracing her firmly, even if she was soaking wet.

"Boomer… Boomer broke up with me… aaaah… ahhhh!" the blonde started crying again, burying her face in her sister's damp shoulder.

Blossom sighed as she thought that those three boys, who had originally been made to ruin their lives, were finally succeeding.

Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes

Tell myself it's time now, gotta let go

But moving on from him is impossible

When I still see it all in my head