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"We're going to be gone," Brick said, looking down at Blossom. His gaze lingered at her the most before raking across her sisters. "If you can't get in contact with us, it's not that we're dead or dying... we're just gonna be gone for one night." He emphasized the words, looking at each of the Utonium sisters. Blossom blinked, confused at to what he was trying to say to her. He wasn't a person that settled down - she already knew that - he was sometimes there and sometimes running off someplace else. It wasn't something she was surprised about, she already knew it.
"...I'm not surprised?" Blossom raised an eye brow. "Why are you mentioning this to me?"
"Are you guys going camping together?" Bubbles asked, smiling brightly as she cupped her chin. She tilted her head to the side, her blonde locks spilling off her shoulders. Blossom thought her sister looked really pretty that moment and would have takend a picture if she could've. She looked at Brick, who seemed indifferent to Bubbles's beauty. Blossom stirred her straw in her coffee. Most guys who be the slightest bit flustered. "Is Boomer going as well?"
Brick didn't say anything for a second and then answered,"That's what I meant by we're going to be gone."
"You're actually going camping?" Buttercup gawked. "Butch is going camping?" She seemed a little mad because of this revelation. She chewed the end of her straw until it became flattened and uneven as she muttered, "He said he hated camping."
"No, we're not going camping," Brick sighed. His eyes looked over at Blossom. "It must be nice being a Powerpuff."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Blossom frowned, curling her hands around her cup of coffee. She was still extremely confused by this situation. It was like he was talking about something she wasn't aware about but he acted like she should be. He was telling her his upcoming absence like she was going to miss him - or need him. She looked at Brick and into his dark, red eyes. "Brick, what are you talking about?"
"Oh my god," Buttercup snickered. "It's that year, isn't it? It's mating season. It's the heat!"
Brick groaned, covering his eyes with his hands. Buttercup's smirk intensified as triumph flitted across her face. "No wonder Butch was acting so strange recently," she cackled. "I think he mentioned it once like seven years ago, but I still remember it." She crossed her arms. "Let me guess, this year, all the dates are overlapped." She raised an eye brow, almost daring Brick to say anything differently.
"What?" Bubbles squeaked. "Buttercup, wha - "
"Yes, it's mating season," Brick seethed. "Yes, it's the heat. And yes, this year, all our days are the same." He glared at Buttercup in an are you satisfied now manner. "We're all going to go crazy like animals and we won't be able to resist the temptation, blah blah blah." He rolled his eyes, sarcasm dripping off his voice.
"Wait, you guys have mating season?" Blossom laughed, finally catching on. She met Brick's unwavering hot gaze. "I never... thought about it, actually. It must be part of being a Rowdyruff, I assume." She thought Brick's face turned the slightest bit a little pinker as she talked on. "And you guys had this every year?" He nodded a little. "It must've... been hard, I guess. And you're telling us this because...?"
"Precaution," Brick shrugged. "Just, whatever you do, do not ever come find us."
"What are you going to do?" Blossom knitted her eye brows together.
"What we always do," Brick smirked. "We'll lock ourselves in a warehouse and hope no one passes by."
"Why, will you jump on them?" Buttercup asked, laughing a little.
Brick didn't answer as he walked out the door, his face hardened and his fists clenched. Blossom watched him disappear from her sight, remembering the things he just said. She never really imagined someone like them - someone so close to human - having something called a mating season. She wondered what if must be like, attempting to suppress all the deepest hottest desires within them when they're inevitably wilder than ever. She glanced at Buttercup, assuming that she must've heard something like this from Butch. The fact that she didn't know, the fact that Brick didn't tell her, felt a little... exclusive, but she didn't say.
"Do you think something's happened to them?" Bubbles suddenly blurted in the middle of dinner. Blossom turned to her and opened her mouth to ask her what she meant and who she was referring to, but she was interrupted by Buttercup who immediately responded, "That's what I've been thinking..." She started biting her nails, considerably looking concerned. "You don't happen to know where they are, right?"
"Wait, what are we talking about?" Blossom said, waved a hand to interject. "Who are you guys talking about?"
Buttercup looked at her sister a little weirdly. "Do you not have a single interaction with Brick?"
"No," Blossom slowly shook her head. She looked a little perplexed, feeling a little guilty as she remembered the interactions with Brick - he always talked to her first. He asked her how her day was, he sometimes came by and dropped her a cup of coffee - the way she liked it. And... he hadn't done for a long time, long time meaning - "Three days."
"Didn't he say one day?" Bubbles said, looking apprehensive. "I mean... I expected Boomer to let me know when - uh - it was over, you know?" Her face turned a soft shade of pink as she bit her lower lip in embarrassment. "It... shouldn't take this long, right?"
"Right," Buttercup nodded, looking a little angry. "I think they're in trouble." She seemed nervous. "They're in trouble."
"I don't think so," Blossom carefully suggested. "I mean, they're Rowdyruffs, they're the Jojo's." She couldn't imagine them being in trouble, maybe causing trouble, yes, but being in one, never. They seemed so... capable of things. They were anti-heroes, yes, but that didn't mean they weren't supernatural beings. "I can't imagine them being in..." Her voice trailed away when she realized both Buttercup and Bubbles were giving her a weird look.
"...Blossom," Bubbles finally started. "...I thought... you liked Brick."
Blossom stayed still for a moment. And then her face turned bright red. But her voice didn't change as she calmly replied, "No."
Buttercup and Bubbles shared a look. Buttercup added, "Didn't you say Brick asked you out for dinner?" Blossom thought for a moment and then nodded. Buttercup pressed, "And you agreed?" Blossom nodded. Buttercup lastly said, "Then how are you not in love with him? How do you call that not being in love? I don't understand you sometimes, don't you miss him? Aren't you worried about him?"
Blossom slowly shook her head. "Brick isn't that weak, Buttercup."
Buttercup rolled her eyes and ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "That's not what I'm asking, you dumbass!" She sighed and shrugged like she was giving up. "Whatever. I still think they're in danger, so let's go find them."
Bubbles sighed. "But we don't know where they are."
Buttercup squirmed. Blossom shot her a glare. Buttercup sighed. "So, er, I've been searching the possible areas for the past three days - " At this Bubbles gasped, both in awe and disgust. " - and I did come to one area where I could... you know, smell him." Blossom knitted her eye brows - you could smell them? She never knew Buttercup could do that. " - and I was gonna go in to drag him out but just in case they're still - " Her voice trembled a little and her ears turned bright red. " - in the situation, I didn't. But you know, if we all go, it won't be a big deal." She waved her hand frantically. Then she added a little more honestly, "Can we please go? I'm worried sick."
And she did look and sound worried sick. Blossom didn't understand, not really, but she didn't say anything.
Blossom found herself trudging into a forest. She could still vaguely hear her sisters yelling names, even if she had ran far away enough from them. The idea to split was hers, she just couldn't stand hearing another Butch, I will kill you and Boomer, can you hear me! It was just too much for her. She didn't really understand or relate to them anyways. In a way, she could see why they might be so... affectionate with them. Boomer was genuinely a very nice person. Butch was funny and he cared about Buttercup a lot. But Brick? He was... he was just Brick to her. She didn't think more or less about it.
Blossom stopped, realizing she could feel something different. There was this weird sensation seeping into her skin. No, it wasn't more like a feeling, it was more like some sort of smell. She remembered what Buttercup said, that she could smell Butch. Was this what it was? Blossom tried to pin point the direction in which the smell seemed to be coming from. She had to leap in a few different directions to decide where the smell was becoming stronger.
She started running. She didn't really know why she did so, but she felt like she should.
Blossom stopped in front of a ware house. Right, he said he would lock themselves up in a warehouse. But, Blossom had a strong feeling only one person was locked inside here. She took a step in and felt as though the temperature suddenly got extremely cold. She shivered a little and took another step in. Her eyes scanned the graffiti on the wall - it was a familiar handwriting. It said the same thing again and again go back.
Blossom stopped when she noticed the figure in the middle of the ware house. Strands of chains interlocked his body, anchoring him in place. There was a muzzle on his mouth, one you would find on wild dogs. Blossom stopped. There was heavy breathing echoing in the room, harsh and uneven. Blossom took a step forward.
He looked up. His eyes were bright, bright red - the kind of red she had never seen before. His eyes seemed to be glowing. His red hair was soaked wet and sweat rolled down his face and he looked panicked at the sight of her. He squeezed his eyes shut and looked away. In a raspy voice, he said, "Don't come near me." The temperature seemed to go up a good thirty degrees all of a suddenly, and Blossom realized he was influencing everything around him.
"...Brick?" she asked carefully, taking another step forward.
"I might do things I won't regret," Brick breathed, his body heaving up and down. Blossom sat down in front of him, hugging her knees. Brick didn't take her eyes off Blossom, no, it almost seemed like he couldn't even if he tried. No, he seemed like he was trying his very best to look away. He bit his lip so hard it started to bleed and the chains capturing his body created a chain of unbearable noise as they clashed together. They seemed strained, like he was trying his very best to break free. But at the same time, he seemed horrified at himself for trying to do so.
"You said it would only take one night," Blossom said quietly. "It's been three days."
Brick choked out, "Blossom, can you please, like, get out of here?" He said each word like he was vomitting them out, painful and against everything else. Blossom realized she seemed to be the source of all pain and horror for him and she felt really sorry and guilty all of a sudden.
"Is it painful?" she whispered. "I'm sorry."
Brick looked like he wanted to kill himself right there. He started breathing normally again and the warehouse became cold again. Blossom looked at him, a little scared. Brick closed his eyes. "Why are you here?" he said in a calm, monotonous voice. "I didn't think, you would come. I didn't think you would even remember." He sounded a little sat when he said that.
Blossom shrugged. "Buttercup forced me."
Brick nodded understandingly.
"I was worried too," she added.
He nodded but he didn't seem to agree with it. He didn't seem like he believed it. Then he paused for a long time and quietly and slowly said, "It's... going to be over soon. Can you... wait with me?" He looked down and a little ashamed. "Will you wait for me?"
Blossom nodded quietly. "I will."
And just that moment, the unthinkable happened. Brick took a sharp intake, panicked. He could feel his heart pumping faster than ever. He turned his head as a clear snap rang out through the ware house. The strained chains fell to the side. Brick felt his body moving, like actually being able to move. He could feel his whole skin sweating furiously. Before he realized what he was doing, Brick felt something.
"...Brick?" Blossom squeaked in front of him. His hands were already pinning down hers on the wall. His muzzle pressed against her cheeks. Brick could see her face turning pink and her body trembling a little. Brick tried his very best not to move at all. All the cells in the body were screaming at him to do something, it was demanding him to do things to Blossom that he wouldn't regret, it wanted him to touch her, he wanted to touch her.
"...God," Brick finally blurted. "Blossom, what did I say? You're too... fuck." His hands intertwined hers. "I don't want to hurt you."
"Brick," Blossom breathed. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
Brick placed his head on her shoulders, barely breathing. "I would've asked you to leave me and run away as far as possible if you asked that a minute ago. But now, if you run away, I know I will chase after you like my life depends on it." His words tickled her skin and his breath made her skin turn hot. "Stop being so fucking beautiful." His voice became a raspy growl.
Her hands started to light on fire.
"Talk to me," Brick said. "Just say anything."
"When you said you wanted to have dinner with me," Blossom started. Brick closed his eyes desperately. "Did you mean it in a romantic way?" She watched his face turned a little pink. "If then, I'm sorry I've been so indifferent and ignorant about it." The way his body heaved up and down made her a little nervous but she tried not to show it. "Because... it's not right for me to treat your feelings like - "
"It wasn't romantic," Brick gasped out. His whole body trembled a little. "Don't worry, it wasn't romantic."
"...was it completely platonic?" Blossom asked carefully.
"...no, it wasn't completely platonic," Brick groaned softly. "It was just... I don't know. I wanted to make you feel special, I guess. I didn't mean it as in I like you or anything, sorry if it came off that way - I just wanted to make a little happier. If I could do something and make you happier than a minute ago, I'd do it." He opened his eyes and the way his eyes glowed bright red almost made Blossom wince.
"Aren't you scared I might hurt you?" Brick grunted.
Blossom stared into his glowing eyes. Yes, he did look like he might eat her anytime. He looked like he was at the verge of it, his eyes filled with desires, lust, demands, pain - things she tried not to look at too hard. But somehow she wasn't worried. The way the veins on his body seemed to rise to the surface, the way his jaw clenched as he talked, the way droplets of sweat were beading on his forehead, the way his lower lip was bleeding from biting too hard; all those things told her she was safe with him and that he was trying his best to keep it that way.
"No," Blossom shook her head.
"Oh god you shouldn't have said that," Brick smirked a little, his eyes glowing a little darker. Blossom slithered her hand out of his and touched his muzzle. She could feel his breath heavily through the holes and against the palm of her hand. She thought he resembled a puppy, with the muzzle and all, and a smile surfaced on her face. Brick frowned and said, "This is serious, Blossom."
"I know," Blossom nodded. She poked a finger into the hole and tried to touch his lips, but without much success. Brick opened his mouth and licked her finger. If she had been taken by surprise, she didn't show it. Instead, she smiled. Brick licked his lower lip, tasting his own blood.
There was a very long pause. Blossom thought Brick constantly looked like he wanted to say something and kept stopping himself. Just as she was going to tell him to spit out whatever he was keep swallowing, Brick finally said, "It's... done." He pushed himself away from her body and Blossom immediately felt the loss of his warmth. His eyes stopped glowing. Brick brushed the remnants of the chains off his body and raised his hand to take off his muzzle. That's when the pain started washing over him. The pain of being very, very still for three days, the pain was letting the metal cut into his body, the pain of his muscles being constantly tensed and strained, everything. The muzzle fell onto the ground with a clang and Brick felt dizzy.
"Take my hand," Blossom offered.
Brick stared at her outstretched hand for a moment. If he took her hand, would he want to kiss her? After a second of hesitation, he grabbed her hand, only then realizing that his hand was bloody. When he tried to pull out, she squeezed his hand. He looked up in confusion.
"It's fine," she shrugged. Then she added, "Do you still want to jump on me?"
Brick stared at her. Then he said, "I know it's over, but I still want to touch you."
Blossom looked away, mainly because she could feel her face turning a little hot. She shrugged nonchalantly and led him out of the warehouse and into the forest, and tried her best to retrace her steps back to the entrance - or the exit, in this case. When they neared, Brick could almost feel the presence of the others beyond the trees so he yanked his hand away from hers, hard and rough. Before Blossom could look at him questioningly, he brushed past her.
At first he thought no one was there. But then he noticed the blood stains on the ground. His eyes trailed the faded and old stains and found Butch. He was covered in blood, his fingers clawed into the dirt, metal chains coated in blood wrapped around his whole body like a prison. He seemed like he was in pain - the kind of pain that looked as if they were rotting from the inside. Brick squatted down beside him and Butch looked up.
"You..." Butch started. "How - "
"You're taking longer than I thought," Brick muttered. "It's gonna be over soon." Butch seemed to relax at his words. He closed his eyes and started breathing heavily. Then he started, "Buttercup... is coming."
Before Brick could ask what he meant by that, there was the noise of someone landing softly, someone gasping - Blossom, he could recognize it - and then someone running towards him. Brick turned around and before he could do anything, he was pushed out of the way, and Butch yelled desperately as he tried to claw away from everything. Brick rubbed his forehead, utterly confused at what was happening. Normally, he would've been able to withstand that kind of push, but it was just after the heat, he was extremely weakened. He could feel Blossom's hand on his back even if he couldn't see her as she helped him up.
"Why the hell are you running away!" Buttercup shrilled.
"Damn it, get the hell away from me!" Butch shrieked. He stood up, collecting the pool of chains below him, and he started running into the forest. Buttercup yelled something inaudible and chased after him. Brick watched as they disappeared. He sighed as pain shot through his body.
"Are you okay?" Blossom asked, concerned.
"Yes, I'm alright," Brick said, feeling dizzy again. "Let's just sit down, please." And so they did. He leaned on the tree and Blossom sat down beside him. Her clothes were dirty and her hands were bloody, but she didn't mind, no, it didn't matter to her anymore. She wondered why Buttercup seemed so keen on chasing after Butch when he looked so, so pained by everything she was doing. She couldn't imagine doing that to anyone.
"Does it help?" Blossom asked. "That I'm around?"
"So, um, how much do you know about our special condition?" Brick asked.
Blossom shrugged. "Not much, I never heard of it until you told me." Her voice sounded a little accusatory but she did try to hide it. She wasn't being whiny or complaining to Brick because... because he never told her about this, she knew how complicated their relationship was - maybe they were allies, maybe they were friends, maybe there were in the process of becoming more than that - but she knew it was different from any other relationship.
"It's like something is... possessing us," Brick said car. "It's like, we have to be under those desires until it wears off - or until it gets what it wants." He seemed to be careful with the way he was explaining it. "By until it wears off I mean we just kind of have to be pained for a very along time - usually one night. And by until it gets what it wants, I mean - " He looked away. " - I need to fuck."
Blossom at first didn't fully understand what he was saying. And then it hit her. "Oh," she said. "Have you ever, uh - "
"No," Brick said defiantly, turning to her. "No, no, no. I haven't, I wouldn't - do I look like that kind of person to you?"
Blossom shrugged sheepishly. "Well, I don't know," she said, flushed. "I don't really know anything."
His face softened a little. "Well, it's not really a big deal," he sighed. "We just have to endure it for a night, that's how much it usually lasts. But I guess this year is much more strained for all of us, if it's taking us three days." Brick fidgeted a little. "So to answer your question, it is a lot more painful and harder to resist the temptation with the presence of someone like you but at the same time, some of the pain gets a little dull because - uh - I get partially satisfied by being near you."
Blossom's face turned pink. "Wow, it must be hard," she muttered quietly.
"We get used to it," Brick said. "It's only one day out of 365."
Blossom nodded and stared into the distance. "So does it help if I'm around?"
"Yes," Brick nodded. "It does."
There was another round of silence. "Should I stay with you next year as well then?"
Brick looked at her, wondering if she was serious. He opened his mouth a small laugh. "You can't be serious, Blossom," he shook his head, giving a dismissive wave. "No, no, no, that's just... ridiculous. I don't think... no, Blossom, no." He was laughing. He was smiling but he meant very seriously what he was saying. He couldn't imagine it. "It's not necessary, you know."
Blossom slowly nodded. "I guess... but if it helps you..."
"It's not worth it," Brick cut her off. "It's gonna be really exhausting and, and, you know, if things go wrong - " He gave a shrug. " - it's really bad, then, you know? The risk is... it's not super high - I won't ever let you get hurt - but it's not necessary." He realized he was blabbering and stopped talking, his face turning a little red.
Blossom laughed. It was so clear and nice, it made him feel good all again. "Okay, I get it, Brick," she smiled. "We all have our ways of doing something. It will be hard to fit into each other's world, I know." She had been thinking a lot. She obviously didn't pick up feelings and felt emotions like other people. And especially with Brick, she had such a complicated relationship and she knew that - he knew that. This was all a slow process to her deciding what relationship she would want with him. She was still figuring it out. She was still getting closer to him.
"...yeah," Brick said. "It will always be hard." He looked off into the distance, looking sort of mixed.
"So how long have you had this?" Blossom asked, half-concerned half-amused.
"...since I could remember," Brick buried his face in his arms. "It gets... more and more intense as the years go by."
Blossom looked back and thought it was absolutely stupid of her never noticing this. She was a keen person, she observed almost every little thing. She couldn't believe she never noticed him going missing for a couple days and coming back. It was weird; yes, he never told her but she should've noticed something was weird. She's been... she knew him since forever.
Yes, it was werid. She hardly knew anything about Brick, compared to the years she's known him. The process was really slow.
"You know, people bond at times of crisis," Blossom said.
"By crisis you mean me trying to fuck you?" Brick laughed.
"Crisis is a vague term," Blossom nodded, smiling. Maybe one day she'll get used to being worried about someone so capable, not because they were incapable but because they meant so much to her. Maybe one day.
"It was crisis," Brick agreed. "I thought I was going to go crazy." He stole a glimpse of her before looking away into the horizon again. "You drove me crazy, Blossom. Never do that again. Imagine if it was Boomer or Butch. No, no, I don't even want to think about it." He ran his hand through his hair, almost frustrated. "Do you remember me telling you to not look for me? Did Buttercup convince you into this?"
"Yes and no," Blossom shrugged. "It wasn't a really big deal, we got past it all fine."
"Yeah with like... tremendous effort," Brick rolled his eyes. "God, you have no idea what went through my head then, did you?" He smirked, playful and teasing. The more Blossom tried to think about what he just said, the pinker her face turned. Brick looked at her momentarily and shook his head with a smile. "Nothing," he added. "Nevermind."
It was really stupid. Them just sitting there, like they were having a moment. They weren't. Brick felt as though they were taking a leap. A leap in their relationship. But it was still nowhere close to anything. But it was still a gigantic leap. Because on his scale, because on her scale, the distance was longer and more difficult than others. It was probably like one step for any other people's relationship. But they weren't some any other people - they were Brick and Blossom.
He stood up and brushed the dust off his shoulders. It was becoming a little brighter, his blood was pumping at a normal speed. "Come on," he urged. "I'll walk you home."
She took his hand. Their relationship was complicated. More so than anyone else's. Blossom wasn't worried about him, she wouldn't go at lengths to make sure he was okay, but if there was anything she could do that would make him happier, she would do it without a second thought. Yes, it was a process. And even if she decided what their relationship was going to be, it will still be a long process. But she was getting there.
It was getting closer.