Author's Note: Hey, lovies! I've decided to write a random piece to characterize Brick. He's one of the most difficult characters for me to write, which sucks because I love to write Brick/Blossom fics. So, in this fic, I decided to go out of the norm and write Brick as a semi-sociopath, affably evil character. His love-bordering-on-obsession for Blossom is the main reason for his switcheroo to the good side, through there are a few other reasons. I initially wrote an entire prologue thing, but decided that it didn't really add to the story.

Oh yeah! This story is rated T for mild swearing and some sexual content.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Powerpuff Girls. If I did, I'd demand for the show to be aired regularly on Cartoon Network *sign*

Of Brick and Blossom

Blossom sneezed three times in a row. Her hovering wavered briefly before she clenched her fists and managed to stay up by sheer force of will. I floated beside her. "Bless you," I said. "You really should go home. I can take of this."

My girlfriend shot me a dirty glare. "I'm fine, Brick. Sneezing isn't going to kill me," she said, just as a giant purple tentacle came flying towards us. I yanked her out of the way, and the tentacle smashed into a Honda. Blossom ignored my pointed look and shot towards the monstrous octopus. I sighed and followed after her. She got in two good shots before the creature's appendage caught her in the stomach and sent her flying into a tree. I barely managed to catch her.

She scrambled out of my arms as the creature careened towards us. She caught a tentacle that came at her, twisted around in midair and tore it off of the cephalopod's body. It roared in agony. Green goop spurted out of the wound. She froze the appendage and sent it flying at the creature's bulging eyeballs. Blossom's carnage was always a major turn-on for me. It was the fire in her eyes, the flash of her teeth. It was her hair that fell out of place and created a wild tangle. She was vicious, and it was sexy.

The shard went right through the monster's eye. Rivulets of green liquid came cascading out of the monster in waves. It shrieked and collapsed onto the ground, flopping around for a few more moments before growing still. Blossom coughed harshly, and she suddenly dropped. I swooped down and grabbed onto her outstretched hand.

We landed on the remains of town hall. Blossom sported a nasty bruise on her arm, and I had a cut on my left cheek. She sniffled a bit before sneezing again. I muttered a customary "Bless you" and swung her into my arms. "Let's go."

Blossom grumbled under her breath, something about being an independent woman, but I ignored it. She's really irritable when she's sick and twice as stubborn. "If my powers were working, we could have been done sooner," she said grumpily.

"If you just let me kill the thing…" I said. Blossom just rested her head against my chest. I flew us over to Blossom's house.

Professor Utonium was invited to the annual American Chemistry Society convention in Sacramento, California. Bubbles had jumped at the chance to go with him. Buttercup was away for a summer basketball camp, so Blossom was staying home alone for the week. The Professor had been reluctant to leave Blossom alone, especially with me around. He seemed to be under the impression that I was a bad influence on his daughter. Blossom managed to wear him down though. She was, after all, a crime-fighting super hero. She could take care of herself and her ex-villainous boyfriend.

When we landed in front of the Utonium household, I dropped Blossom onto her feet. She fished around for her key and unlocked the front door. She went straight to the kitchen and swallowed four Nyquil pills. We needed larger doses of medication to feel the relief since the Chemical X in our blood ate most foreign substances up. Catching illnesses were almost impossible for us, especially now that we're older, but Blossom managed to do it.

She sat on the sofa and I made her favorite soup, broccoli and cheese. She was really surprised the first time I cooked for her. After all, since when were villains good cooks? It was another one of our major differences. Blossom was the worst cook I have ever seen. Even Bubbles' mangy cat was a better chef than her. The Townsville Fire Department, Police Department, and the Department of Homeland Security developed a special code just for Blossom's elegance in the kitchen. It was code HHBBC, or Holy Hell Blossom's Been Cooking. Last time Blossom tried to make Key Lime Pie, the city had to be evacuated. In her defense, the gelatinous goop was not supposed to come to life.

"Thank you," Blossom said, eagerly taking the bowl of steaming liquid. I plopped down beside her and switched on the television. The local news recapped today's fight with the octopus. Blossom leaned against me and sipped her meal. It was something of a running gag for the Townsville news to try and record every one of the Powerpuff Girls' fights. They even added their own running commentary. Today, however, they focused more Blossom's notorious relationship with me than the actual fight. The Blossom on-screen coughed repeatedly.

"- and I saw the young couple eating ice-cream at Ben's Parlor the other night. Maybe Blossom's tempering out Brick's wild side," the blond reporter said, showing off her pearly white teeth. I snorted. "Or maybe she'll be seduced into the dark side by the Ruff's, well, rough nature."

Blossom coughed violently. She set the bowl on the table as I thumped her back. "Where do they come up with these ridiculous lines?" Blossom demanded when she finally caught her breath.

I pressed my nose against the soft skin of her neck. "I don't know, Blossom. She may have a point." I nibbled on her neck, eliciting a shiver from the object of my affection. Grabbing onto her legs, I lifted her into my lap, nestling her legs on either side of my hips. Blossom rested her hands on my shoulders to steady herself. Bright pink irises stared into my blood red ones. "Are you properly seduced?"

"You shouldn't kiss me when I'm sick," Blossom whispered.

I did so anyway. My hands kneaded her thighs as my tongue traced against Blossom's parted lips. Delicate fingers traveled up my neck, leaving a trail of goosebumps. She ripped my hat off and tossed it aside before raking her hands through my hair. Blossom had a weird obsession with my hair. She always went there first, tugging at the locks, twirling them between her fingers. Blossom fought me every inch for control of the kiss. She rose onto her knees. My hands traveled higher, over the camber of her hips, over the rise of her rear, to the protrusion of her shoulder blades, and back down. I slipped my hands under her shirt, stroking the soft skin with my thumb.

Blossom suddenly pulled away, dragging me out of my bliss. She sneezed violently, once, twice, and once more. "Bless you."

She grinned sheepishly. "I ruined the moment."

I smirked and dragged my fingers over her bare waist. She squirmed when I found her ticklish spot. "We can always pick up where we left off at another time."

"Yeah, a week from now, when I'm not endangering your immune system," she said.

Blossom's window exploded inwards, and I rolled us over. My back stung as a few shards of glass embedded into my back. The room flooded with familiar monkeys, screeching and clamoring for a fight. Well, if it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get.

I dropped onto the ground and sent a blast of white-hot fire shooting through the open window. A pair of incoming moneys screamed in pain as their fur caught on fire. They scrambled around outside, bumping into each other and rolling on the grass. The pernicious fire refused to go out, though.

The moneys, baring their teeth, circled us. "Are your powers working?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder. Blossom and I stood back-to-back.

"No, but I can take care of myself."

The monkeys attacked. I aimed a punch at the nearest monkey and sent it smashing through a wall. A well-placed kick took down two others. Blossom grabbed the bowl of soup and hurled it at the monkey's head. It went down in a sea of cheesy goodness. A flailing tail smacked me in the face. I turned head, slowly, to the idiotic monkey that signed its death warrant.

Gripping its tail, I swung the bewildered monkey like a lasso, right into the heads of another one. They both fell over. I stepped over to the unconscious monkeys and snapped their necks as easily as breaking a cookie. I turned just as a screaming monkey came hurling at me.

"Sorry!" Blossom exclaimed, ducking under fist of another monkey. She roundhouse kicked the creature's face in. "It slipped." Her fist came in contact with another monkey's gut. She winced and shook out her hand.

It ended just as quickly as it started. Bodies of hairy creatures littered the ground. Blossom's monkeys still breathed. Mine didn't. I cracked my fists and stepped over the limp corpses.

"So, it seems like you're not completely disabled without your powers." Blossom elbowed my side.

"You're darn right," she said.

I crouched down and examined a monkey. "These are Mojo's minions. Why are they here?"

She shrugged. "It's Mojo. Does he need a reason?"

"His attacks are usually ridiculously over-the-top." I glanced around the demolished room. There were gaping holes in the walls; pieces of glass on the floor and the television had been smashed in. The only object left intact was the sofa. "Get your things. You're staying over at my house."

Blossom raised a brow. "And since when did I agree to that?"

"Since your cold has affected your powers and Mojo found out. It's a matter of time before the other idiots catch wind of this."

"Wait," Blossom said, following me up the staircase. "How do you know that Mojo knows?"

I scowled. "You really should tell those news anchors to mind their own business. The crazy monkey's been obsessed with you guys since forever. He records all of your news feeds." If I were the jealous type, I would have killed him a long time ago. "I'm sure he noticed you falter during the fight and put two and two together."

Blossom sniffled. "I don't know. My dad would have a heart attack if he found out."

"Then it's a good thing that he isn't here," I said. Blossom sneezed, and I blessed her, even though I found that human tradition to be stupid. "If you come, I'll make fajitas for dinner."

She perked up. "Throw in Devil's food cake and we have a deal." We shook on it.

While Blossom packed, I sat on her bed and stared at the photo of us taken nearly three years ago. Blossom was smiling cheerfully, her head resting on my shoulder. I neither smiled nor frowned in the picture. Another picture depicted Blossom with her two sisters, playing in the beach, and another one had Blossom kissing her father's cheek.

"Ready," Blossom announced, yawning widely. Looks like the Nyquil was working. "Come on, I'm driving." I almost argued but her glare silenced me.

It took a total of five minutes to travel from her house to mine. "You'll be staying in my room." Blossom stopped at the foot of the stairs and tilted her head at me. "We don't have any extra rooms, baby. So it's either with me or I have to kick Boomer out of his room."

Blossom narrowed her eyes at me. "Okay, but don't try anything. Fighting monkeys doesn't make me feel better." She rubbed at her throat. I was tempted to kiss her just to see what would happen, but decided against it when she let out a hacking cough. "Where are Butch and Boomer?"

"I don't know." I rarely knew exactly what those two goofballs were up to.

I managed to convince Blossom to lie in the bed for the rest of the day. Her cold was getting progressively worse. She tried to force me to stay away from her, before I reminded her that this was my room. She grumbled under her breath but lifted up the blanket for me.

We watched episodes of Dexter until Blossom nodded off. The redheaded Puff apparently had no sense of personal space while she slept. The first dozen times we fell asleep together, it was irritating and awkward, but it grew on me. Even when she's sick, she's abnormally strong, and her vice-like grip around my chest would crush a normal human's ribs. She'd swung one of her legs between mine and settled her head against my shoulder.

I heard the front door open. Carefully, I attempted to disentangle myself from my girlfriend's grip without waking her up. She snorted, holding me tighter. I pried her arms off of me, and rolled out of bed.

Butch sat in the living room, playing on the PS3. His shirt was partially torn and bloody. "Tell me you didn't kill him," I said, leaning against the wall.

He grunted, "No, but the punkass Michelson deserved it." He continued to curse like a sailor under his breath, bashing the head off a zombie. When he played video games, it took nothing smaller than a murderous clown to tear Butch away from the screen.

"You better get cleaned up. Blossom is spending the week." She'd have a fit if she saw him like this.

Butch glanced at me, and then did a double-take. "What? Why the hell is the Puff here?"

"Because she's sick and home alone," I said.

"You've gone soft, Brick. Have you finally figured out the meaning of emotions? Has her love changed you?" I shot a puff of scalding steam at his face, and he barely dodged it. Butch smirked. "Keep it up and she'll see the monster inside those googly eyes of yours."

I glowered darkly. "I need a favor."

"And what's in it for me?"

"I won't kill you." Butch snorted. "And I'll give you that new game you've wanted."

Butch shot me a suspicious glance. "That game's not out until next week."

Smirking, I showed him a sleek, black case. Butch stared it like it was the Holy Grail made of gold and bacon. The PS3 controller lay forgotten. "How-"

"I have my connections." Namely, I knew the route of a truck carrying a shipment of the games. They were to be delivered to all of the major retail stores tomorrow.

"Okay. Fine. What do you want?" Butch demanded.

"I need you to watch over Blossom while I'm gone," I said, twirling the box in my hand. He watched the movement like a bloodthirsty wolf. Butch was so easy to manipulate.

"That's all?"

"Every time I'm away," I stressed. I walked over to the sofa. "And you better guard her with your life, brother, because if anything happens to her, I'll rip your heart out." I would do it, and he knew it.

"Alright, alright. No need to go psycho on me," Butch muttered. I tossed the game to him.

I walked past him, towards the door. "I'll be back in an hour. Blossom is sleeping. Don't wake her up."

Mojo Jojo's lair looked exactly the same as it did seven years ago. The giant telescope jutted out of the dome. The white interior was obsessively neat. I casually sat on the couch and waited for Mojo to stroll into his living room from his afternoon shower, which he took precisely at 2:30. Sure enough, he strolled out wearing his usual cape and ugly hat.

He spotted me and froze. "What are you doing here in my lair without my express permission, consent, authorization?"

"Let's talk," I said, standing up. I was at least three feet taller than the short chimp. "Why did you send those monkeys after Blossom?"

Mojo scowled. "Do I need a reason to try and destroy my arch nemesis?"

"I know you, Mojo, and a surprise attack is not your style," I said, stalking closer. Mojo tried to back away, but I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. Lifting him up, I slammed him against the wall. "Listen here, you insufferable creature. If you know what's good for you, you won't try anything this week. I know that you know about Blossom's condition. If you tell any of the others about it, I'll hunt you down and tear out your throat."

Mojo's black fur slickened with sweat. His eyes darted around the room, and he licked his cracked lips nervously. My jaw clenched. "You already told. You son of a bitch." I chucked him at a table. He collided into it with a grunt, sliding across the surface to the other side.

Mojo scrambled to his feet. "You will cease this attitude immediately." He pointed a figure in a manner I'm sure he thought would frighten me. I simply raised a brow. "I am your father, your creator!"

"Is that suppose to mean something to me?" I asked, tone dry. I walked towards the table and leaned over it. "Let me tell you something, father. When you created me, you forgot to add any human emotions or a conscience, but that's okay. I don't need any of those things. Sure, some happiness would be nice. I'd like to know what I'm missing out on. Then, I met Blossom, or, rather, I really met her, and I fell in love with her. It was really weird and uncomfortable, irritating even. I didn't want to like her, even slightly, but I got use to it. I do love her, Mojo." I circled the table and snatched his shirt again, leaning down to his level. "And if you hurt her her, I'll end you." I shoved him back. "Who did you tell?"

Mojo fidgeted. "Sedusa."

I hissed quietly. That woman couldn't keep her mouth shut if she was dead. Her corpse would be chatting. It's been three hours and everybody probably knew. "Damn it! What are they planning?"

"I don't know!" I glared at him, but he honestly had no idea. I crashed through his roof on the way out.

I've spoken to Sedusa a total of three times, and none of them were pleasant. The last time I saw her, she tried to seduce me into having sex with her so Blossom would leave me. I ripped a snake out of her head. It would be safe to say that our professional relationship suffered.

Sedusa was lying in bed when I broke into her house. There was a man sleeping beside her. She scowled at the hole I created in the bedroom wall. "What do you want, kid?" she snapped. Then, she looked me up and down. "My, my, my. You've grown quite a bit, Brick." She slipped out of bed, completely naked. I rolled my eyes. She didn't seem to understand that I would never be interested in her, sexually or otherwise. "Have you come to see me?" Sedusa giggled, sauntering over.

"No. I wanted to talk to your toaster," I snapped.

"Oh, don't be a grouch." Leaning towards me, she whispered, "Blossom isn't giving you any, is she? Are you… frustrated?" Sedusa touched my shoulder, and I heated my skin up in irritation. She yelped, taking a step back. Her eyes flashed. "Fine. You prefer that stuck-up prude to me? That's your loss."

Throwing on a robe, Sedusa turned to me, waiting. "Mojo told you about Blossom's condition. I want to know what you're planning."

Sedusa tapped her chin with a long, red nail. "Hmm… Help the traitor save the annoying brat? Nah."

I grabbed her throat and slammed her against the wall. She frantically clawed at my hands, and I ignored the brief stings. "How about we make a deal? You tell me what you know, and I won't rip your hair out." Turning dark blue from oxygen deprivation, she attempted to nod. I released her, and the woman crumpled to the ground. "Talk."

She rubbed at her neck, where the faint outlines of my fingers showed. "We were planning on attacking her house, but that stupid monkey beat us to it. It doesn't really matter. Some of the villains are getting together and to kidnap her. She can't fight back this time."

"But I can," I said. "Tell your associates if they want to get her, they'll have to take her out of my cold, dead grip."

"Gladly," Sedusa muttered.

Blossom's hoarse screaming could be heard inside the house, followed by a crash and Butch's cursing. I reluctantly opened the front door. Blossom was in the process of hurling a remote control at my brother's head when she caught sight of me on the threshold. "You!" she hissed, stalking closer. "Did you seriously bribe Butch into babysitting me?" Her voice cracked in several places.

I glowered at Butch. He raised his hands defensively. "Don't look at me. That girl is psycho! I'd rather just wait for the stupid game than deal with her." He hurried out of the room under the glare of two angry redheads.

Blossom turned her attention back to me. "Explain."

"I just wanted to make sure you were safe while I was gone," I said.

"I can take care of myself, Brick," she sniffed, literally.

"You can barely keep your eyes open right now," I pointed out.

Blossom blinked. Then she stomped her foot. "Just because I don't have my powers, it doesn't mean I'm a helpless child. I can fight and win. Call off your brother."

I pulled her closer. "Mhm," I grunted noncommittally.

She grudgingly leaned towards me. "Where were you anyway?"

"I had a little chat with Mojo." She stared at me curiously. "It turns out that he went and blabbed about your powerless condition to Sedusa. She said that the a group of villains are planning on kidnapping you."

"You talked to Medusa?" Blossom demanded, disregarding the entire point of the conversation. Her eyes narrowed. "Did she touch you?"

I debated on whether or not I should lie to her. On one hand, Blossom's jealousy was both amusing and sexy. She rarely got worked up about these kinds of things. On the other hand, this would derail the conversation into an awkward territory. I weighed both of my options and suppressed a smirk. "She tried."

Somehow, we ended up on my bed with my shirt ripped in half and her sweatshirt missing. I bit the sweet spot on her shoulder and she groaned. "Brick… sick…" I shut her up with a kiss.

I planned on this being a one-shot, but it kind of grew out of hand. So... I'll write the next chapter... once I find my muse. It's such a fickle creature.

Anywho, please leave a review, constructive criticism, or just a comment. Until next time!

Lumiere