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"I can not fucking believe this." Brick grumbled as he landed in front of the decrepit 2-story house; glaring at it. It loomed over his short stature menacingly with its pale rose walls and rotting shake wood roof tiles. Shadows slowly stretched towards him as daylight descended at the horizon.
If someone had passed by at that moment to ask what the 8th grader was doing-
He. Would. Go. Off.
It all started with some stupid bet his brothers decided to have after watching a scary movie. Butch had egged on Boomer, saying he was way too chicken shit to spend the night alone at the abandoned house on Adams St. Being a gullible dweeb, the blue Rowdyruff accepted the challenge and spent the night there.
The next morning, Boomer had returned triumphant. Brick had been eating breakfast with his brothers as Boomer beamed with immeasurable pride. The blond super teen was boasting how he was the bravest Rowdyruff in all the land. No one could be braver than him! He had done what neither of his brothers dared to do.
Butch, unable to resist, accepted the unprompted challenge. There was no way he was going to let his little bro best him without a fight.
And that's when Brick had made the mistake of rolling his eyes.
"Don't think you're getting out of this!" Butch pointed at his older brother accusingly. "You're next!"
Brick snorted. "Leave me out of this."
"Nuh-uh. Oh no, we are all doing this."
"I did it!" Boomer could not stop gloating.
Brick looked at him impassively. "That's because you're an idiot."
"Hey!"
The black-haired super teen jumped up onto his chair, nearly knocking over his bowl of Reese's Pieces.
"You are doing it Brick!" Eyes shining with mischief. "What kind of leader would you be if you backed down from a bet?"
"A smart one."
"You'd be a pussy." Butch corrected.
"Can I be leader then?" The blonde super teen looked thoughtfully. "I am braver than Brick."
The redhead scowled as Butch pointed his thumb at himself.
"Well there's no way you're braver than me 'cause I'm doing it tonight!"
Boomer frowned and tightened his lips as he thought hard about this. Could he challenge Butch on his bravery? While he himself was the first to perform this feat, his middle brother is stubborn as an ox. Once Butch set his mind to something, it would take a great deal of effort to change it.
Besides, the idea of being a leader sounds fun, but he's seen the stress that Brick is under being the oldest and apparently the strongest of the three.
As his brain analyzed all the information, Butch and Brick raised their brows. It was a rare sight to see Boomer take time to mull over any decision.
"Ya think he's gonna pop his noggin?"
The crimson eyed super teen slapped Butch's knee to shush him. "Be quiet."
Finally, the youngest of the Rowdyruff relaxed his face.
"Ok. I might not be as brave as you, but I don't want to follow a pussy either." Reviewing the results of his deep analysis, Boomer concluded. "Butch can be leader."
In a victorious howl, the black-haired super teen excitedly accepted his nomination.
"BOW BEFORE ME, PEASANTS!" Punching the air fervently, he stomped one foot on the table like a conquistador claiming uncharted territory.
Right into Brick's cereal.
RIIIP
The sound of cotton shredding echoed throughout the volcano lair. Butch doubled over as he looked at his older brother, horrified. His favorite green briefs had been torn from him. Unceremoniously Brick tossed both his blockhead brother and the underwear aside like an emptied potato sack. Devoid of all it's spuds.
"I am the only leader here." Brick glowered as the emerald-eyed super teen curled up on the floor.
His groin was screaming
"M-m-my family jewels." Butch sputtered.
The red-haired super then turned back to see their youngest brother glare at him.
"What?"
"Just because you're a pussy doesn't mean you can just be reaching in and pulling out the nuts!" Boomer protested. "He only gots one pair!"
Smoke flared him the red's nostrils.
"I am not a fucking pussy!"
Suddenly, feedback blared through the volcano lair. The boys covered their ears, wincing as Mojo Jojo's voice boomed through the loudspeakers.
"REPOSE! REPOSE IS THE ABSENCE OF SOUND, WHICH SHOULD BE BLESSING IN THIS HOME, ON THIS MORNING, WHICH IS A SATURDAY! SATURDAYS ARE IN FACT THE DAY BEFORE GOD'S REST DAY IN WHICH I, MOJO JOJO, MUST EXPEND EVERY LAST MOMENT TO BE PRODUCTIVE. A TASK THAT REQUIRES ABSOLUTE SILENCE!"
That monkey really needed to watch how close he yelled into the mic.
"Sorry, Dad!" Boomer apologized at the close bedroom door on the opposite side of the lair.
Brick went to dump his sullied cereal down the sink as Butch slowly rose up from the ashes of his near castration.
"Boomer is right." Groaning, he circulated the blood in his tender plums. "Don't be jealous that my rise to glory is 'cause you're a fucking pussy."
The leader of the Rowdyruff pursed his lips tightly, vexed. He could tell they weren't going to let up. Especially since they knew that Brick disliked haunted- well, anything. The idea of an apparition passing through his body without his consent was absolutely violating. He already had HIM commanding them from his fiery abyss to do whatever strikes its mood. And that was enough paranormal activity to last him three lifetimes.
Still, he couldn't say he was surprised that this is the hill they chose to die on since they were adorable little shit-heads, but he was hoping that the atomic wedgie would deter Boomer. Butch looked like he was in a lot of pain still, but his eyes were shining with determination.
He's probably built some resilience since Buttercup's favorite punishment was the atomic wedgie.
Brick sighed. As much as he hated ghosts, he hated being called a pussy more. Blame it on his teenage ego.
God fucking damn it.
"Ugh...fine."
"Fine, what?" Boomer asked.
"I'll spend the night at that stupid house."
So there he was, having a one-sided glare off with an abandoned house. Even though it was an inanimate object with no soul (hopefully), he couldn't help, but feel it taunting him. It jeered at him just like his brothers did before he left that evening; betting he wouldn't even last an hour. The mischievous faces of Boomer and Butch flashed through his mind, sticking their tongues at him.
Well, he'll show all of them.
Armed with a sleeping bag, a black backpack, and a baseball bat he stole from Boomer, Brick marched onward into the belly of the beast. He walked to the backyard and found the broken window his brothers had mentioned. Sliding the window up, he slipped into the kitchen and surveyed the area.
It was a pretty gaudy looking home.
The kitchen had yellow and dark blue ceilings with mahogany floors and matching walls. Most of the hardware had been removed, but where they once stood was outlined by the discoloration it left behind.
Ignoring the musky stench, Brick trudged forward to the stairs. None of the rooms felt safe, at least the ones with the doors cracked open. Either the walls were unusually brightly colored or there were too many doorways. It just felt safer to sleep in an enclosed area in case something wanted to ambush him.
Not that he was worried about being ambushed.
He wasn't scared.
At least that's what he told himself over and over as he gripped the baseball bat tighter. He tried to ignore the goosebumps as the stairs creaked with every step. And the sun disappearing from the sky didn't make his heart race at all.
Nope.
Brick was doing great.
Grimacing as he made it to the second floor, his eyes darted everywhere. Nothing was unsuspecting.
Most of the doors on the second floor were closed save for one which led to what looked like a former bedroom. Like the rest of the house there was no furniture, only discolored outlines on decaying floral wallpaper. There were two windows on the other side of the room with a sycamore obscuring the view.
"I'm going to sleep here." He warned. Brick wasn't sure what he was expecting from shouting into the empty room. Just that maybe his declaration would have deterred that something from invading his temporary abode.
Setting his red sleeping bag down, he unfurled it parallel to the windows. He had read online that sleeping parallel to doors and windows would improve his luck.
And being close to an exit is surely the safest way to spend the night.
Not that he didn't feel safe. If anything this house should be the one that didn't feel safe. Brick could easily burn it down just by sneezing wrong.
The house should be scared of him!
Next, he pulled out a large bag of salt and began pouring it in a large circle around his sleeping bag. He had also read that salt would keep the unwanted pests away.
"Yeah, that's right. I don't want ants or snails crawling on me." He muttered to himself. It was definitely not for the mischievous ghosts or child-eating witches.
Satisfied, he checked his phone and clocked that it was 8 pm. The sun was barely peeking beyond the horizon line at this point. Perfect time to sleep if you asked him. As he reached into his backpack, his heart sank when he realized he forgot an important item.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, no, no, no, fuck, no, fuck, NO!" He wanted to punch a hole in the goddamn floor. How could he have been so careless to forget the melatonin pills he swiped from Mojo's bathroom? Brick groaned in utter dismay.
"Great. Just fucking great." There went his plan to drug himself through the night.
Again, this was not because of the (alleged) ghosts. A growing young boy like himself just has a hard time falling asleep. That's fine, he'll just have to sleep without it.
Grumbling, he pulled out his earphone and plugged it into his Pixel 4. Brick opened the Relax Melody app and clicked on his preset of ocean noises. Taking off his signature red cap, the red-haired super teen climbed into his sleeping bag and laid down. He covered his eyes with his hat and focused on the sounds of crashing waves and squawking seagulls.
'This is fine.' He thought to himself. 'Out of sight out of mine. This is ok, this is great. Just laying at the beach. Just chilling. Doing great.'
After 20 unsettling minutes, Brick managed to fall into a listless slumber.
--x--
Blossom joyfully hummed as she flew toward the haunted house on Adams St. She made sure to fly slow enough so that she didn't leave a cotton candy pink trail behind her. It would be quite the scandal if she was seen by anyone.
Especially since she had snuck out of her home.
At midnight.
To break into an abandoned building.
At first, she had hemmed and hawed to herself about the consequences of her desire. It was not becoming of a young lady to be galavanting into the night. And it was not becoming to makeshift a pillow body under her blanket in case someone checked on her.
Most of all, it was definitely not becoming of a young lady to attempt to contact spirits with her homemade sealing papers or ofuda and a summoning circle she found on the internet.
She tried to convince herself that this was a bad idea, that she was not equipped to handle the paranormal or the repercussions. But slowly, she started googling, redditing, joining various forums with 'experts' on how to communicate with specters. Till one night, Blossom found herself to concoct a plan in her pink day planner on the hypothetical situation that she did decide to do this.
It would work out. She could do this. Blossom was the fearless leader of the Powerpuff Girls.
She is smart. She is capable. And she has for the most part thoroughly researched how to combat an angry ghost.
So no, it was not perilous for her to act out her inane fantasy of meeting a (hopefully friendly) ghost and guide it to the afterlife. Especially when she was armed to the teeth with Reddit advice on how to cleanse a house.
Landing in the backyard, Blossom quickly slid the broken window up and crawled through. Walked to the living room quickly and sat her backpack down with a soft plop. Using her phone as a light, she began changing her clothes to the white robes she packed away. The auburn hair super teen had read that a ghost was more likely to be friendly if you dressed in light colors.
At least that's what a post on Reddit said.
It sounded pretty accurate.
Yup.
Blossom had sewn an all-white imitation of a Shinto Priestess garment over the last several weeks just for this occasion. If someone were to ask her why she dresses like a shrine maiden, she would give them a 'smart' answer.
The rose eyed super teen would tell you that it's because that religion seemed the most communicative with spirits.
Not the fact that she was heavily influenced by anime or manga and this was another excuse to nerd out.
Also not for the fact that the sleeves were just massive pockets.
Plus, she didn't feel it was proper to do a Catholic-based ritual since she needed the Pope's blessing and it wasn't like she could get him on speed dial.
After tying her hair in a bun on the top of her head, she rummaged in her back again for the bar of soap. Searching for the saved photo on her iPhone X, Blossom began to draw a summoning circle in the middle of the living room; directly in front of the fireplace and dusty mirror.
Her hands were slightly clammy. Probably from the excitement of conducting herself in all the ways that weren't expected of her. She reached for the 8 tea candles she packed in her bag to place them around the circle. Stepping back, Blossom took a few minutes to admire her work.
'Now for the finishing touches.' Pulling out an ofuda and she slapped it on her forehead.
This was another one of the internet advice she had received from an elderly gentleman in Japan, or so he claimed. By having an ofuda covering her face, it was supposed to help mask her humanity. Lowering the risks of being possessed or eaten.
Damn, she felt so smart.
The last thing she had to do was cleanse the house of any negative energy. Blossom shoved the rest of the sealing papers in her sleeve pockets and pulled out a smudge stick. Using her heat vision, she gently scorched the tip and waved the smoke around her body.
"Clear this area of negative energy." She chanted, setting her intention while traveling all around the room. Blossom repeated this phrase through every room she could open. The smell of burning sage and lavender calmed her as combatting the house's natural pungency. Once she was finished, she stuck an ofuda on the side of a window or archway and closed the door.
"This is so freaking cool!" she danced in the air as she finished wandering through the first floor. Normally, people would find wandering through a dark, creaky, and condemned house to be macabre and unsettling. But not her.
Blossom was thrilled. Elated. Jubilant even.
There weren't enough words in her vocabulary at the moment that could capture the titillating sensation in her chest. Free to indulge in her predilections in peace, the pink Powerpuff felt weightless as she waved the smudge stick around like a magic wand. She didn't have to worry about what anyone else thought of her because there was no one. No one except hopefully a few friendly haunts.
While Blossom did feel guilty for sneaking out, she knew couldn't tell her family. The professor would have a cow and Bubbles would probably tremble at the idea of bringing home a ghost accidentally. The auburn-haired super teen wasn't sure what Buttercup would have said, but she wasn't ready to find out.
Maybe when she succeeds, she'll let them know. Weird news is always good news as long as it's successful.
Walking up the staircase, Blossom grimaced at how rickety the staircase was.
--x--
Brick's eyes flashed open as his ears picked up footsteps coming up the stairwell. His breath hitched as his eyes darted through the unfamiliar darkness.
'Oh shit, I'm dead!'
Strange, the last time he died he was surrounded by an unsettling chill while floating aimlessly through limbo. Neither of that was present this time around. Raising his arms to check his mobility, Brick realized he was still zipped up in his sleeping bag. The darkness was from his signature red cap he had plopped onto his face.
Feeling foolish, Brick couldn't tell if that made the situation better or worse because if he was dead, then he wouldn't have to deal with a ghost.
CREEEAAK
'You've got to be kidding me.'
Goosebumps travel all over his body as light footsteps strolled down the hall. The creaking of doors opening had his heart thumping in his chest. A faint smell of smoke crept along the floorboards as the footsteps stopped in front of his door.
Brick's body froze as the door handle rattled.
'Not here. Not me. Oh no no no.' He began to pray to himself. 'Nope nope please stop.'
And it did, surprisingly. The rattling ceased and the footsteps continued down the hallway.
"Ok Brick. Stay calm. You're safe here. They can't get you." Trying not to quiver, the red Rowdyruff took off his cap.
His crimson eyes darted to every corner. Nothing looks different, but the smell of smoke left him uneasy. It definitely was not coming from him, so it must have been lit outside. Investigating meant leaving the safety of his salt circle.
Brick pondered for a moment before steeling his nerve. What was he doing? He was a superhuman. His blood was made of Chemical X and puppy dog tails with a hint of HIM. There was no way he couldn't take on a ghost or a child-eating witch.
Floating up in his sleeping bag, Brick reached one hand out of his sleeping bag to turn the knob.
RIIP
The door creaked open to an empty hallway. A trail of incense lingering in the air.
Looking down at the doorway, Brick saw there was a piece of paper that had been stuck to its frame, torn in half. Peeling one of the pieces off the door, he studied the strange inscriptions. Japanese maybe? Was this place haunted by an angry Japanese ghost?
The image of a pale blue-skinned little boy with soulless black eyes roaming around in the house sent shivers down his spine.
Thank god that wasn't real.
Peeking out, he saw dozens of these papers littering the hallway.
'Those were definitely not here before.' Brick floated out of his room toward the staircase; wrapped up like a giant red caterpillar. Smoke flared from his nostrils as he kept reminding himself that he wasn't scared.
Because he wasn't.
Not really.
It didn't bother him at all that all the doors that used to be closed were now swung wide open. Oh no, and the weird rectangular paper with the ominous writing stuck onto every door frame wasn't strange. Especially since it wasn't there before.
Nothing to worry about at all.
He was doing fucking great.
Following the smell, he peeked into one of the yellow bathrooms. His crimson eyes avoided the mirror that sat above the sink.
'Don't look into the mirror at night.' Butch's voice taunted in his mind. 'A ghost could reach out and pull you in!'
'Then you'll be trapped forever.' Sniggered Boomer.
Ugh.
Suddenly, Brick threw himself into the bathtub as the sound of his baseball bat fell loudly in the other room. Eyes shut tightly, the crimson eyed super teen curled into a fetal position as he tried to keep himself from freaking out.
'This isn't happening. Of course, this isn't happening because nothing is happening.' Hearing nothing else, he relaxed as tried to soothe himself.
'There are no ghosts here. It's nothing. Just the wind!'
That's right.
Wind.
Feeling silly, Brick peeked out of the bathtub. Surely he would see nothing as he gazed at the doorway.
Instead, his heart dropped into the drain.
Because there it was. In all it's pale splendor.
A phantom floating past the bathroom.
Holy. Shit.
--x--
Blossom had finished smudging the last room when she started to walk back toward the stairway. As she was about to pass the locked room, something peculiar caught her attention.
The locked room's door left ajar and the seal she had placed was broken.
She knew she was an amateur at best, but she didn't think that there would be a spirit strong enough to break her seal! There weren't any reports of anyone dying in this house when she researched its history. It wouldn't make sense for a mighty spirit to lay about in this run-down building without blood being spilled.
Blossom tightened her resolve and entered the room.
'Oh. that's weird.' Her eyes furrowed at the white powdery circle on the floor. Rubbing the substance between her fingers, it looks like...salt? Why would someone make a protection circle here?
Unless there were witches here.
Pursing her lips, she saw that there were a black backpack and a baseball bat near the window. Bending down to grab the backpack, Blossom didn't notice the brilliant yellow eyes that appeared out of nowhere in the window. Opening its mouth, the feline screeched at her.
She screamed silently, flying backward and knocking over the baseball bat. The rose eyed super teen clamped her hands over her mouth as the black cat glared at her through the glass. Giving her one last look, it walked back into the darkness.
'That was loud.' She winched and took a deep breath to calm down.
Whatever was in this room was gone now. Be it a person or a ghost.
Pulling out the ofuda, Blossom slapped one over the window and another at the door frame. Floating out of the room, she hummed softly to herself as she made her way back to the first floor. Not noticing the fearful eyes peering from the yellow bathroom as she passed by.
Settling in front of her summoning circle and she lit all the tea candles with her heat vision. The small flames flickered, gently illuminated the circle in an eerie glow.
Clasping her hands together, she channeled her focus for evocation. Eyes closed as she let her heart sing. For a moment, her breath was the only sound she could hear.
That is, till her super hearing caught the squeaking of a door on the second floor. Her breath hitched as she looked towards the staircase.
An ominous shadow was cast along the wall.
For a moment, it felt as though time had frozen still as neither she nor the shade moved.
Then slowly, it descended.
Blossom had always imagined that she would be unwavering when the opportunity of meeting a ghost finally presented itself. She would stand tall, refusing to falter no matter how devastating the spirit might be.
Instead, she darted into the kitchen and crouched behind a wall; heart pounding in her ears.
She listened for anything. Something that would tell her where the spirit was now. Blossom didn't have to wait long as a faint shadow appeared next to her. Her enhanced hearing barely caught the ghost muttering to itself.
"What the fuck."
The ghost seemed taken back by the summoning circle. Maybe it was already trapped in there.
'This is it Bloss. This is it!" Taking the deepest gulp of air, she peeked out to see a huge, rounded, rhombus-shaped phantom hovering on the outer edge of her summoning circle.
It kind of looked like the backside of a red caterpillar.
She drifted slowly to the spirit quietly to cloak her presence. Once she was only a few feet away Blossom realized it was a floating sleeping bag.
Did she accidentally trap a ghost in a sleeping bag?
Confused, she reached out and touched it.
--x--
Brick had hurried back and grabbed his baseball bat. The backpack could stay and get cursed for all he cared. All he needed was his phone and earbuds which were already in the sleeping bag.
Peering out again, he counted to 30 before descending down the stairway. His heart hammered in his chest as he tried to stay focused because he was so out of here.
Fuck the bet.
Fuck his brothers.
Fuck his pride.
Fuck this.
Reaching the bottom, he sighed in relief as nothing had attacked him yet. Flying toward the living room, a faint glow caught his attention for a split second before he looked away fearfully.
Brick really did not want to find out what that was. He just wanted to get through the broken window in the kitchen and high tail it out of there. Unfortunately, he would have to pass through the living room first.
Holding his breath, Brick flew into the room and tried to ignore whatever had nested there. Betraying himself, his curiosity bested him and his eyes darted to the small light for a split second.
Holy. Shit.
Out in the open on the rotting mahogany floor was a fucking witch's circle. That was 100% not fucking there before. Brick didn't think he could have panicked anymore than he already did as he froze in place.
'God damn it, I should have brought the salt.' That was the only ailment against witchcraft that he had and he left it up on the second floor like a freaking noob.
Suddenly, he felt something tap his back.
"Hello?"
Brick's whole body went stiff. 'Oh fucks.' He forgot about the ghost. Panicking, he made the mistake of looking directly into a dusty mirror that hung over the mantle. The faint outline of a pale ghost reflected off the glass.
Trembling, he turned to look behind his shoulder.
And swung his bat as hard as he could.
"BEGONE DEMON! DOTH HATH NOT TOUCH ME!"
--x--
"EEEEEEK!" Blossom dodged the swing and then another as the flying sleeping back suddenly started to attack her. Taking a deep breath, ice shot out in her exhale and froze the bat solid. Cocking her first, she shattered it with a definite punch.
The sleeping bag was undeterred as red hot flames burst towards her.
"I WILL BURN YOU AND THE WHOLE GODDAMN HOUSE." It cried.
Using her ice breath again, Blossom combatted the fire and tackled the sleeping back into the middle of her circle. Steam filled the room
"Calm down!" Blossom yelled at the flailing object.
"JOKES ON YOU GHOST, I ALREADY SOLD MY SOUL! HAVE FUN WITH HIM!" Flailing about like a fly trapped in a spider's web, the manic sleeping bag tried to buck her off.
Soon the steam cleared and Blossom gasped at who she was sitting on top of.
"BRICK!?"
The demonic sleeping bag stopped thrashing.
"How do you know my name?!"
Realizing her face was still covered, Blossom tore the paper ofuda off.
Brick's mouth dropped.
"BLOSSOM?! YOU'RE DEAD?!"
"No, you buffoon." She sighed and poked his forehead. "I'm very much aliv- HEY!"
He bucked her off his superhuman strength to glared daggers at her.
"Are you trying to kill me?!" He wheezed.
"Hardly." she scoffed, catching herself in midair. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm not done asking the questions." Brick pointed at her accusingly. "And what the fuck are you wearing?!" He didn't recognize her with her hair pulled back into a tight bun or her without her signature pink bow.
Blossom was taken back. She had momentarily forgotten the white robes she was wearing. Unable to suppress her blush, she looked away and muttered. "Not important."
"Oh!" Brick then pointed at the magic circle. "And what in the fucking hell is this?"
Blossom tried to think of a way to take control of the situation. She didn't expect anyone to find out this little embarrassing hobby of hers. Especially not her counterpart. If this got out it would follow her everywhere; college, her first job, maybe her future husband would find out she was a freak. She has to turn the table fast.
It shouldn't be too hard since he was still very flustered.
"What about you?" She gave him her best hall monitor stare. "Did you really think I was a ghost?"
"N-n-noo!" Brick sputtered.
The rose eyed super teen looked behind him, eyes wide, and gasped. "Oh...by the way, what's that?"
"AWAAYYYY DEMOONSSSS" He screeched, breathing a cloud of fire behind him.
Blossom's frigid breath extinguished the scorching flames in seconds before they could do any damage.
He glared at her as she bit back an amused chuckle. "That is NOT funny." Smoke streamed out of his ears, face hot with embarrassment.
"You have to admit it's a little funny."
"As funny as that outfit?" Brick shot back. He detested how smug she looked.
"I would think so." Raising a finger to her lips, she looked at him thoughtfully. "But what are you doing here?"
"I'm sleeping here tonight."
She looked at him pitifully.
"Mojo finally kicked you out?"
"NO!" Smoke puffed out of his nostrils this time.
Blossom held her hands up in defense. "Then why are you here? Are you alone?"
His overwhelming sense of dread was replaced with stark irritation. He had momentarily forgotten why he was here in the first place when Blossom snuck upon him. If it wasn't for them this whole scenario would have been avoided.
Clutching his face, he groaned loudly.
"It's cause of some stupid bet."
"Bet?"
"Yeah, it- WAIT A MINUTE! What about you, huh? You didn't answer any of my questions!"
Channeling her inner Boomer, Blossom tried to play dumb. "I didn't?"
"No! What the hell is this and what are you wearing!?"
"Oh." Waving at the circle, she kept it nonchalant. "I was hoping to meet a ghost."
That was definitely not an answer he was expecting.
"What the HELL Blossom."
"Don't have a cow Brick." She huffed, crossing her arms. "Obviously it didn't catch anything."
"You know most scary movies tell you to stay away from ghosts."
Confidence oozed from every pore. "Yeah, but most heroines aren't me."
"Most heroines aren't this stupid." He muttered under his breath.
Shrugging him off, she smiled at him blithely.
"You mean instead of drawing magic circles, they'd use salt."
God damn it.
"It's not like you have a demon already breathing down your back!" Hissing, he unzipped the sleeping bag. He needed the brisk night air to cool him down. "And I definitely did not need another one!"
"Well, that's true." Her eyes softened a bit as she weighed his words. Brick looked away from her, cursing his moment of vulnerability. He spurred her pity.
Looking around, Blossom felt a little disheartened that her plan didn't work. But at least no one got injured. It was probably best to end the night now. "Anyways, I promise I won't say anything about tonight if you won't."
"And why should I believe you?"
"Because I'm me."
The answer was so obvious.
"Fine." Begrudgingly, he shook her hand. Sealing their deal with a gentleman's agreement.
"Now, I guess I should clean up before I go."
Worry flashed across his face as he leaned in. "You're leaving?" He asked before he could stop himself.
"I mean there aren't any ghosts despite the rumors."
Brick was again, annoyed at Blossom. The crimson eyed super teen couldn't decide if it was because she was disappointed at not meeting any ghosts or the fact that she was going to leave him there. Alone. After all the ruckus she caused.
He wasn't going to admit to her or himself that he didn't want to be abandoned. Powerpuff or not, at least this was someone who could keep up with him in a fight.
"But what if they are?"
"What?"
"What if the ghosts are still here, but they haven't come out yet?" He tempted her, ignoring the possibility that this might also be true.
"Why wouldn't they have come out now?" Blossom checked her phone for the time. "It's almost the witching hour."
"Are you now claiming to be the world's foremost paranormal aficionado?"
Despite his best effort to appear completely unfazed by the prospect of her leaving, Brick could see the wheels turning in her head. Piecing the evidence together of why he was trying so hard to convince her to stay, she eyed him carefully.
A small smile crept on her face like she just discovered something quite fascinating.
He hoped it wasn't a real ghost.
Blossom held her chin, looking to the side. Amused. "...You do have a point."
"Of course I do."
"It's pretty dumb of me to leave so early when I just got here."
He couldn't agree more. "That's right."
"Especially now that there are two bodies they could possess, they would have to come out now." She said with devilish glee.
Brick stiffened and sunk back into his sleeping bag at the notion.
'Wow, he's really scared.' She noted to herself.
"I'll stay," Blossom announced as if she hadn't already been convinced. "I guess it'll be better if the two of us stick together huh?"
"Th-tha-that's right!" Shaking out of his stupor, the crimson eyed super teen glanced at the smeared soap circle. It was indistinguishable after he flailed on it earlier. "We probably don't need this anymore right?"
"Nah. I think we made enough noise to let them know where we are."
Sighing in relief, Brick waved his hands like a magician and put out the tea candles. While he's glad Blossom had decided to stay, he wasn't excited to remain on the first floor any longer than necessary with this creepy thing here.
"We can stay in the room upstairs. There's still a lot of salt so we can draw a new circle." He suggested as Blossom grabbed the rest of her belongings.
The two of them reorganized the salt in their room, widening the circle for the two of them to sleep in. Brick opened up his sleeping bag so both Blossom and he could lay down comfortably in the moonlit darkness. With his radiating body heat, both able to stay warm in the drafty room.
Neither of them said anything for the first few minutes. Prior to tonight, the closest he was able to get to her was when she had tried to freeze him with that bloody ice breath of hers. Nowadays, their battles typically involved fighting for being #1 in their class like the nerds they turned out to be. So being physically close to his lifelong rival was a bit awkward. He wasn't really sure what to say.
So Blossom was the first to break the silence.
"So…."
Brick's ears perked up. "What?"
"Are you going to tell me about that bet now?"
"No."
"Fine." she cooly said as she lifted up her trumpet card. "Then I guess I won't put these extra protection seals up."
"What?! Ugh! Alright fine!" He threw his hands up, conceding. "But you better not tell anyone! Not the prof and especially not your sisters."
Putting a right hand over her heart she swore. "Powerpuff's honor."
Brick grimace. "It's just...we watched this dumb movie. The Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy."
"Bubbles loves that movie."
"Yeah? So does Boomer." Scrunching up his nose, he continued. "Well, when we finished one of them brought up this house. Boomer ended up staying here alone the first night and then Butch stayed here last night."
"And tonight was your turn."
"Yeah…" Clenching his fists, he covered his eyes in dismay. "It's just so stupid. It's not like ghosts are even real anyway. What am I even trying to prove?" He felt his eyes tearing up from the night's frustration and he did not want her to see that. "I just...should have never let them talk me into sleeping here alone."
Blossom was surprised. She had found it more than amusing that Brick was scared of ghosts and taken advantage of the fact so he wouldn't tell others about her own escapade. But now it appears that he is genuinely terrified. It would explain the giant bag of salt he lugged with him. A poor attempt at keeping him safe. She wouldn't be surprised if he brought a cross, but knowing him he probably didn't. The rose-eyed super teen began to feel guilty for teasing him in order to gain the upper hand.
Powerpuff or not, she did not take in all the consequences of her actions.
"Hey." She rolled over to her side and reached for one of his hands. "It's ok. You're not alone anymore."
Her hand was icy cool to the touch and Brick found it soothing against his tepid skin. It was at that moment that he finally felt his pulse relax. He looked at her kind face and looked away; flushed. Moonlight was sheathing them in an ethereal glow and he saw that she looked quite angelic. He felt embarrassed by the admiration blooming in him.
"Thank you…" Brick whispered. Despite being created to be her mortal enemy, he was very appreciative that his counterpart's element was 'everything nice'. That coupled with being just naturally observant, Blossom was saving him from being further embarrassed by his frailty. She didn't need to ask a lot of questions to know how people were feeling.
Feeling a yawn bubbling up, he moved one of his hands to his mouth. Brick just realized how tired he was from all the excitement. Now that the adrenaline was melting away, his eyes felt incredibly heavy.
"You should go to sleep."
"What about you?" Brick grinned lazily at her. "A man shouldn't leave a girl to defend herself from ghosts alone."Furrowing her brows, she leaned over and flicked his nose. "Ow."
"I will a-OK Mr. Macho. I'm going to put these up now so just go to sleep." Grabbing his red hat, Brick gave Blossom one last grin before plopping it on his face.
Soon after her ears caught wind of his soft breathing as she finished plastering the seals around the room. Blossom relaxed and settled into a comfortable position next to him. The heat emanating from Brick akin to a small campfire. Cozy. She got as close to him as she felt was appropriate and closed her eyes.
She would need to fly back home as quick as she could tomorrow so her empty bed wouldn't be noticed. Blossom could probably get Brick to help burn up all those papers in the morning before they separate.
A small smile tickled her lips.
She never thought the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys would be so scared of ghosts. Their 'mother' was a devil after all.
Though that explains why Brick was terrified.
With a mother like that, it's no wonder he was against having anything else to do with the paranormal.
Lost in thought, she drifted to sleep, thinking of all the different shades of red.
--x--
The next morning. Blossom woke up to the sunlight beaming onto her face. Dawn was breaking, signifying her time to depart. As she stretched her body, she noticed a weight across her belly and something buried into her shoulder.
Brick had snuggled up to her at some point after she fell asleep. His hat had rolled leaving his face free to press against her. Unperturbed by their closeness, Blossom turned onto her side to wake him up.
"Brick. Brick." Breathing softly into his face, the icy air tickled his skin; stirring him. Crimson eyes fluttered open slowly.
"Did I make it?" He mumbled sleepily, closing his eyes again.
"Yes, you did." She smiled as he pulled her closer. "But Brick?"
"Hmmm?" He inhaled deeply, taking in the soft scent of peony and cotton musk.
"Could you let go?" His eyes opened as soon as he realized he was holding her tightly. Letting her go as if she was made of lava, Brick rolled off of the sleeping back and sat up.
He was not cool at all.
"Ah yeah, sure." He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. Looking at anywhere, but her.
"I'll be right back." And in a pink flash, she was gone.
Once she disappeared, Brick looked at where they had just laid. He was still pretty tired and his neck was cramp from not using a pillow, but overall, he felt pretty good. Brushing his wavy red hair out of his eyes, he yawned just as Blossom reappeared. She had changed out of her homemade costume back into a black hoodie and sweatpants. Her previously tight bun was unfurled; long auburn hair spilled over her shoulders.
'Huh, black looks pretty good on her.' He thought to himself. In her hands were all the ofuda she had placed around the house and just like before, he spoke without thinking. "I can get rid of those for you."
Both of them were surprised by his offer. "Really?"
Brick stuttered. "I-I-I mean, I'm just going to burn them up you know. I'm feeling extra hot this morning so burning something will feel good."
"Oh, sure. That would be helpful." She passed the stack to him and they both collected the rest of their belongings.
Flying through the window in the kitchen, the two supers looked at each other as they hovered over the porch.
"Remember, not a soul!" He reminded her, eyes shifty with suspicion.
She snorted. Does he not remember who she is?
"I'm pretty sure my secret is just as bad as yours."
"Yeah." He chuckled. "Though no one would believe me that Blossom was trying to conjure spirits."
"They'll believe you as much as they believe me saying you're scared of ghosts." She retorted back in friendly jest.
Brick caught himself smiling back at her as he noted how pretty her hair shined in the gentle morning light. Pursing his lips, he looked away as a faint blush appeared.
"You should go."
"Yeah, yeah." She waved him off, turning toward the direction of her home. Without turning back, she asked him. "I'll see you in class tomorrow?"
"Yeah." He smiled as she took off in a brilliant trail of cotton candy pink.
Without looking at his hands, the stack of protection seals incinerated into ash; falling onto the floor. Then Brick then jetted off in a flash of crimson as the wind swept away the remnants of their night.