8-10-10

12:31am

Summary–Bubbles thinks Boomer and her already have the perfect relationship (friends...with benefits) but they just need a few subtle (or not so subtle) hints to show what they're missing. Bubbles/Boomer, with some Blossom/Brick and Buttercup/Butch

Disclaimer–I do not own The Powerpuff Girls, which belongs to its respective owner(s) and is only being used in a fan-made, fictional story.

READ ME: This story is set after "Paying Attention" (Buttercup/Butch) and "On Top" (Blossom/Brick). The age is now 16, as a bit of time has passed since then.

xoxo

Title–Subtle

Part 1–Alone, Together

By–Moon Prynces

xoxo

"And then there were two," he said as they glanced at the other end of the lunch table.

Blossom was glaring into a book as Brick tried to coax her into giving him one little kiss (yeah right). Butch had just put his arm around Buttercup's shoulders, which she casually shrugged off (they still weren't quite official yet) while watching their older siblings in amusement.

Bubbles turned to look back at Boomer, who sat across the table from her. "Hmm," she hummed and went back to her lunch.

The two were silent for a moment.

He looked down and grinned.

xoxo

Bubbles giggled when his lips moved from her own mouth to her jaw and then neck, where a trail went to her shoulder.

"You know," she said, "They probably expect us to get together now."

And he stopped abruptly, looking up at her with his lips hovering over her skin. He quirked a brow when she didn't say anything else.

"And?" he asked, his hands rubbing her sides underneath the shirt.

"Nothing. I just was saying," Bubbles smiled at him from where she was perched on the table.

Boomer snorted and stood up straight. "Yeah, I already have Butch trying to give me pointers on how to pick up a girl."

"Any girl?" And this time she raised her brow.

He rolled his eyes. "They weren't very subtle about who they hoped I would use these techniques on."

"Techniques, huh? Maybe you should show me them."

He went back to lightly bite on her neck for the joke.

"But Boomer," she started and made him look up in question. "You're not very subtle either."

He grinned. "Likewise, honey. Likewise."

xoxo

Bubbles was the youngest of her sisters. When they were little she was naïve and innocent and everyone wanted to protect her the most, fearing what would happen if she ever broke.

But Bubbles grew up the same way her sisters did, the way everyone does.

You learn things. You make mistakes. You try to figure out who you are.

She knew that as much as everyone thought they needed to protect her from all the harmful things out there, she needed to protect them from realizing she wasn't that same five year old even more.

She didn't resent her sisters for their over-protectiveness. She didn't feel trapped in the ways they expected her to behave. She was an innocent and curious person. She just wasn't as innocent as everyone thought.

xoxo

They were fourteen when it happened.

Bubbles was being Bubbles. Looking around with wide eyes, wondering and questioning.

And so she happened to hear some classmates talk about their first dates. And so she listened further when her own friends experienced their first kisses. And so she decided she wanted to know what that felt like.

Why couldn't she? All she needed was a boy. She was determined.

After a few days of examining the prospects (which were boys in her class) she wasn't sure what to do. The thought of kissing a boy she didn't know felt dirty somehow.

So when she looked up at lunch she finally realized what was in front of her.

A boy! A boy she knew very well.

They may have been enemies in the past but things were different now. Her and her sisters were eating lunch with them for goodness' sake!

Bubbles smiled as she confronted the only one she thought would agree. (Because even at that age there were sure signs of her sisters and the other two coming together, just not yet.)

"Boomer, I need your help with something!"

And back then he had been even more naïve than she was.

"What is it?" he asked back blankly, not quite realizing she had him cornered at one end of a deserted hallway.

"Just say yes!" she said excitedly. "It'll be fine! It's nothing bad."

He only peered at her with suspicion.

But she didn't say a thing, only smiled benignly.

"Okay..."

And before he knew it she had thrown her arms around his neck (to help her with the height difference) and pressed her lips to his.

He was so in shock at the sudden move that his eyes remained open before he remembered you were supposed to close your eyes in a kiss. And then he realized...she was kissing him!

Before he could pull away and ask why she had moved back, landed her heels on the floor again (tiptoeing was tricky) and let go of his neck.

"Thanks!" she said happily, and left to examine her feelings about her first kiss.

Boomer stared down the hall.

xoxo

But two years had passed and that was nowhere near their last encounter.

So Bubbles wanted to experiment some more. Kissing was fun.

And Boomer liked it too. Well, after the shock wore off and he confronted her about it.

They didn't tell anyone, not even their siblings. They just met up every once in a while under the guise of studying and homework and video games and sports, making sure to not get caught.

So it was two years well spent. They already enjoyed spending time together, so this was just another activity to add to the list.

Not that they ever had sex of any kind, oh no. Bubbles knew when to draw the line and Boomer never even broached the subject because he was only a kid still (even at sixteen).

Though lately they had been meeting up more frequently and always a hair's breadth from being found out.

And it would be so much worse if they were.

Because now that Buttercup and Butch were dating and Blossom wasn't immune to Brick's flirtatious looks (it was only a matter of time before he asked for a real date and not just the making out they did in her room), they all expected Bubbles and Boomer to get together as well.

It was the only expectation Bubbles didn't want to live up to.

She maintained that she didn't actually have feelings for Boomer. They kissed, that's all. And he said basically the same with a bored look. (Of course this discussion was only ever with each other and no one else.)

xoxo

End of Part 1.

Date missing.

1) This story is meant to follow the events of "Paying Attention" and "On Top" but the writing style and story format are drastically different. Luckily it wasn't difficult to include more development of the other two couples in here.

2) I am not quite satisfied with this story. After a while it became too formulaic in its development instead of flowing smoothly along. Maybe you all won't see it that way but I do. I tried too hard to keep with this idea I had at the beginning and I just couldn't let it go.

3) It became so long and not as light-hearted and fun as "Paying Attention" and "On Top" which is what I had been hoping for. Instead it got kind of twisted and long and the way Bubbles and Boomer started out... I needed them to develop more and...it took longer than I liked. The writing just...got away from me. It does happen.

4) Since it became so long I decided to divvy it up into "Parts" (not calling it chapters for some reason). The first two will be posted just a day apart because the first seems to be more introductory and not enough for people to get into it, I think. The third will be posted in a few days to a week.

5) That leads me to this point. I am not actually done with this story yet. I have three "parts" written completely, reread and edited and basically ready to be posted. Unfortunately I still think there needs to be one more part, which I haven't been able to start on yet. So I believe the story will be four parts in total, and if not then it most likely will not be more than five. In fact, the reason I'm finally deciding to post is because I'm hoping it will jump start me into finishing that final chapter because I don't want this story to be left unfinished for longer than it should. Let's hope it works.

Okay, so tell me what you think so far whether it's good or bad, because I already have the obligation to try and finish once I've started. Next chapter will be up in a day or two.

1-5-11

11:58pm