The girls were at the Professor's house, having a pre-cooking lesson brunch. Their bellies were full, and they were well on their way to being tipsy from the mimosas Buttercup had whipped up. Time with the girls was just what Blossom needed after that hectic week at work.

The past week consisted of meetings with Brick and Princess. The three of them had been going back and forth over what to do about the contract and Mr. Unteller. On one hand, the company could use the money and the contacts to continue investing in their inventions and continue growing their client base. The downside was that, despite the digging Blossom and Brick had done during the week, they still couldn't find more information on Mr. Unteller. Unfortunately Crown Industries' contact with Mr. Unteller's company was through Mr. Ainsley, the lanky man with the cold and clammy hands. Princess had needed to decide what was best for the company. In the end, Princess had decided to take the money and the contract.

Blossom glanced at Princess who was downing her fourth flute of mimosa. Out of all the girls, she was the closest to actually being drunk. If Blossom had to guess, Princess was still mulling her executive decision in her mind, wondering if she had made the right decision.

"Oh! Shouldn't we be heading out?" Robin asked as she glanced at the clock.

Blossom looked at her watch. It was 12:30 p.m., and their cooking lesson started at 1:00 p.m. The company that was providing the lessons was roughly a 20 minute drive from the Professor's house, so they would need to leave now if they wanted to make it on time.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so excited!" Bubbles said, bouncing on her toes.

The girls went to grab the keys, but were stopped by the Professor.

"Girls, you know better than to drive after you've been drinking," he chided.

"Come on dad, none of us are drunk," Buttercup said.

"Still, I wouldn't have any of you behind the wheel until you've sobered up," the Professor stated. "I will take the van and drive you."

All of the girls groaned, but aquised since they knew the Professor had a point. Even though three of the five girls were super-powered humans, it wouldn't be a good look for them to get into an accident or be pulled over after drinking. It's just that the Professor's van was embarrassing. It was an ugly florescent yellow, creeper style van that was spacious enough to hold not only various tools and nicknacks, but also apparently five grown adult women.

"Haven't I told you to burn that wretched thing?" Princess sniffed. "You know the girls and I will gladly pitch in to buy you a new one."

"But girls, this van brings back so many memories," the Professor whined.

Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, and Princess all shuddered. Oh yes, the memories of the Professor crashing their dates in high school with his ugly yellow van to make sure they weren't being taken advantage of by their partners. Those were such wonderful memories.

"Come on, it wouldn't be that bad," Robin said, unconvincingly.

"I have the keys!" the Professor stated.

"Ugh, let's just get this over with," Buttercup pouted as she stomped to the garage.

Blossom sighed, but followed her sister. Today was for Bubbles, she reminded herself.


When Brick woke up, he was greeted by the sound of really loud snoring. Confused, he tried to sit up. When he found he couldn't, he opened his eyes to Butch's feet in his face. The fuck?

Brick shoved Butch to the floor. His brother grunted, but rolled over, his ass in the air. Why was his neck so stiff, and why the fuck was his brother in his bed? Brick blinked, focusing on his surroundings. He was in his living room. Did he fall asleep on the couch?

Brick glanced around and saw that he wasn't the only one who had fallen asleep on the couch. Boomer, Mike, and Mitch were dead to the world. Was Boomer drooling on his pillow?

Brick groaned as he remembered the previous night. The boys had once again invited themselves to his house for a boy's night, and Brick had actually let them in against his better judgement since he had needed a distraction from his past week at work. There had been alcohol, lots and lots of alcohol. The more he moved around, the greater his head began to pound. Brick groaned. He was never letting the dumbasses in ever again.

Brick stomped over to his kitchen, making sure to kick Butch in the ass as he passed. His brother yelped, but just sprawled out across his floor. Brick started to make coffee, glancing at the time on the microwave out of habit. 11: 30 a.m. Brick blinked, watching the coffee start to drip. Wait, 11:30 a.m.? Their cooking lesson was in an hour and a half? How had they slept this late?!

Suddenly wide awake, Brick rushed over to his windows, yanking the blinds open. The blinding sun streamed into the room, eliciting groans and swears from the blobs on his couch.

"WAKE UP DUMBASSES!" Brick yelled.

It had the desired effect. Boomer awoke with a yell, Mike and Mitch both started suddenly, and Butch launched himself from the floor, ready for a fight.

Upon seeing it was his disheveled brother, Butch stated, "What the fuck Brick, we were sleeping!"

"It's 11:30 a.m., dumbass. We only have an hour before we need to be out the door unless you want to miss the cooking lessons," Brick stated.

Boomer gasped, his eyes widening. He most certainly did not want to miss the cooking lessons. "I call dibs on the shower!" Boomer yelled, before a blue streak rushed towards the bathroom.

"Oi, wait Boomer, I have to peeeeeee!" Mitch said as he ran after Boomer.

Brick sighed. Butch was just staring at him dumbly, evidently not awake, and Mike had moved in the direction of his coffee. Hey, that was HIS coffee. Believe could make his own.

Brick flew towards his coffee, snatching it up protectively, glaring at Mike who was blinking at where the coffee used to be. "Make you own, Believe," Brick growled as he floated towards his room. Luckily for him, he had his own private master bedroom. He would let the four dumbasses fight over his guest bathroom. Glancing back over his shoulder to make sure Butch hadn't fallen back asleep, Brick entered his room, the only thoughst on his mind a nice hot shower and his delicious coffee.


Blossom braced herself as the van sputtered into the parking lot. She had forgotten just how old this van was. Glancing around her she could see the girls shared similar opinions. Poor Buttercup was giving green a whole new meaning, looking very much like she might hurl.

"Alright girls, we're here!" the Professor stated proudly, turning to smile at the women crammed into the back of his van.

Blossom looked at her father, pleased to see that his coloring was slightly better than it had been the past few weeks. Perhaps her being home and cooking a wider variety of foods had done her father some good.

"Thank god," Buttercup groaned as she threw open the door. "Dad, you really need a new van," she said, her hands on her knees.

"Girls, this van is a prized possession. I'm not getting rid of her until she falls apart under my feet!" the Professor exclaimed, scandalized.

"That can easily be arranged," Buttercup threatened, under her breath.

"Let me know if you need a ride home," the Professor said cheerfully, as he waved goodbye.

Oh no, Blossom would be flying home, thank you very much. She did not want to ride in the back of that van ever again.

"Come on girls, let's go check in," Blossom said, leading the way into the building.

Blossom admired the company, noticing it was relatively new and spacious. While not as elaborate as Crown Industries, it was still a nice looking building.

"It says we need to go to the second floor," Princes said, looking at the directory.

Blossom nodded. Crown Industries was a single business, but this building hosted many different companies, the one that provided the cooking was only one of many.

The girls all walked towards the elevator. Bubbles had grabbed Robin and Princess's hands and was skipping happily, drowning out Princess's protests. Blossom walked with Buttercup, who luckily had lost her green tinge.

"Why'd you pick this place?" Buttercup asked, her hands resting behind her head.

"It was a nice location, the company had good reviews, and there were open slots. Surprisingly there weren't a lot of places open during the time we needed," Blossom explained as they entered the elevator.

"Oh Blossom, thank you so much for arranging this!" Bubbles exclaimed.

Blossom smiled at her youngest sister. She was beaming with excitement. In truth, Blossom was extremely happy that she could make Bubbles smile because it meant she was doing something right as the eldest sister. It wasn't something Blossom could have stated a couple of months ago when she was still separated from her family.

The elevator dinged, and the girls stepped out. As they walked down the hall, Blossom resigned herself to the fact that she would be the one to cook solo. Although the class offered 10 spots, the girls had taken 5, and it seemed that the other 5 remained unclaimed. Blossom would encourage the other girls to pair up since she didn't mind working alone.

Blossom opened the door only to find that the five empty spaces had indeed been claimed. Blossom stared shocked, into a pair of equally shocked red eyes.


Brick was amazed that they had made it to the cooking lesson, not on time, but early. It seemed that once awake, Boomer had been so annoying that everyone decided to just do as he said and get ready so he'd stop nagging. Since everyone had been showered and ready to go faster than Brick had thought, they all piled into his and Butch's cars and driven to the company where the lessons were held. So, Brick and the boys had been sitting in the room for the past 15 minutes, bored out of their mind.

When Brick had registered for the lesson, he had known that there would be 5 other people in the class. Since they were early, they had beaten their unknown classmates to the room.

Brick glanced around the room. Boomer's leg was tapping, an obvious sign of nervousness. Butch had his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Was he sleeping again? Mike and Mitch had dazed looks in their eyes, obviously bored. Brick glanced at his watch. It was 12: 50 p.m. They had another 10 minutes to go until the class started. Brick sighed, and placed his head in his arms. Might as well take a note out of Butch's book and take a quick nap.

Brick was about to doze off when the sound of approaching footsteps caused him to sit up. Maybe it was their cooking partners. Brick turned to the door just as it was pushed open. Brick stared, shocked. Pink eyes. There was only one person he knew who had pink eyes.

Brick blinked. It was her.

Blossom blinked, making sure what she was seeing was correct. Brick Jojo? What was he doing here at her cooking lesson?

"What's the hold up," Princess barked from behind her.

With a blink, Blossom stepped into the room, her eyes never leaving Brick's.

"Seriously Blossy, why'd you stop…" Princess trailed as she caught sight of Brick. "No way!"

The other girls had begun to file in, realizing their predicament. The boys meanwhile, had all turned to see the newcomers.

"Bubbles?" Boomer exclaimed, surprised.

"Boomer?!" Bubbles asked, equally surprised.

Blossom glanced at her sister, who genuinely looked shocked. They lived together. How had this not come up between them?

"Oh hey babe," Butch yawned. "What're you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same thing, dummy," Buttercup said as she went to sit beside her boyfriend. Blossom could see that two pairings were now decided.

Robin, likewise had gone to sit with her boyfriend Mike. They were whispering furiously to each other. Blossom turned to Princess. Maybe she'd like to partner with her?

Nope, Princess had gone over to sit by Mitch.

Blossom looked at Princess betrayed. Princess just stared back at her.

Blossom raised an eyebrow. Princess smirked at her.

"Oh come on Blossy. You know the gays have to redeem themselves. It's bad enough that you straights are better at cooking," Princess teased.

Ugh, fine. But that meant that she would be partnered with. Gulp.

Blossom turned to face Brick, who was looking at her awkwardly. He too had realized that his brothers and friends had moved to pair up, leaving him with the only other person in the room.

That person would be her, Blossom sighed. They were managing to have a somewhat decent working relationship. Would being cooking partners be that different?


Brick tensed as Blossom sat next to him. Of all the people they could have shared the class with, it had to be her and her friend group. Brick cursed his luck and his hangover.

"Hello," Blossom said.

"Hi," Brick replied.

It was weird seeing her outside of work since he and Blossom were just now getting used to seeing each other at work. Not work Blossom looked nice. A nice form-flattering pair of jeans and an oversized sweater and booties. Perfect for fall and a Puff that was perpetually cold.

Brick himself was wearing a black shirt with a flannel tied around his waist. Unlike Blossom, he ran hot due to his fire powers, and was it suddenly really hot in the room?

Brick glanced to his left at a sudden giggle. The Blues were doing their thing, which happened to be ooey gooey cuteness. Blossom shook her head next to him, at her sister's giggling. They lived together, but they were acting like they hadn't seen each other in a week.

Brick glanced to his right where his other sibling was, sleeping again? Brick knew being a police detective came with odd hours and poor sleep, but his brother could fall asleep anywhere. It was a special ability Butch had aquired in high school. Buttercup was next to him, playing with her phone, Butch's head resting on her shoulder.

In front of him sat Princess and Mitch who were talking about, hey! They were talking about him and Blossom, and not in nice terms. Apparently he and Blossom were "too dumb for their own good." Brick would show them dumb! Blossom bristled next to him, her enhanced hearing obviously picking up on what he was picking up. The worst part was that those jerks knew they had enhanced hearing, so they knew he and Blossom could hear every word.

Mike and Robin sat to the left of Princess and Mitch. They were still whispering to each other, but at least they had the sense and courtesy to make it so Brick couldn't hear.

Irritated, Brick flicked his hair band that he occasionally used at the back of Mitch's head, taking pleasure in the way he yelped. Brick's hair wasn't as long as it had been when he was younger, but it was still long enough that he could pull part of his hair back with a hair band.

Brick noticed Blossom was now glaring at him. "Really? Are you in high school again?" she chided.

"They started it. I know you could hear them," Brick replied.

"Let them talk. We know we're not dumb. In fact, we're the smartest people I know," Blossom sniffed.

Brick had to grin at that. It was true that out of their friend group, Blossom and Brick had been the smartest, in the conventional sense. They'd loved school and taken every AP and advanced course high school had to offer. They'd gone to competitive schools and come out with numerous diplomas and degrees. Who were Mitch and Princess to call them dumb?

Brick's musings were interrupted by the arrival of their instructor, Mr. Vino. After introducing himself and making everyone else introduce themselves, he explained the lessons for the day. It turns out that everyone would be preparing a 5 course meal of their choosing, and that Mr. Vino would be walking around offering tips and tricks and making sure, in Boomer, Butch, and Mitch's case, that they didn't accidentally burn something or light the kitchen on fire.

"Remember, the objective of today's class is to push you outside of your comfort zone. By designing a 5 course meal you will be prepared to cook anything in your own kitchen," Mr. Vino explained. "I have all the ingredients you could want in the kitchen, so take a few moments to browse amongst them and plan your menu."

Brick got up and followed Blossom, who had begun to look over the ingredients in the pantry. Bored, Brick decided to join his brothers at the fridge.

"Oi, dibs on that rib-eye," Butch said, eyeing the meat hungrily.

"No fair, this is supposed to be part of my bachelor's party!" Boomer whined.

"Yeah, but isn't Bubbles vegetarian?" Brick asked.

Boomer's face fell. It meant no meat for him.

"Ha!" Butch smirked.

"Fine, then, I call dibs on the tofu and brussels sprouts," Boomer stated.

"Fine by me! I hate that spongey stuff anyways," Butch said as he and Boomer went to check out other ingredients.

Brick peeked inside the fridge. So rib-eye and tofu and brussels sprouts were out. There was nice atlantic salmon. Brick loved salmon, and if he remembered, Blossom loved it too. Maybe it was a counterpart thing, or maybe it was because the fish shared similar coloring to them. Brick placed the sticky note with his name on it, to let the vultures know it was his.

Satisfied, Brick turned to go look at produce, when he smacked into Blossom.


Blossom had been looking at the spices in the pantry. Garlic was a must, and maybe they could use the cinnamon for their desert. Dill could potentially be used in their appetizer… But what good were spices if there wasn't anything to use them with? Blossom shook her head at her own foolishness. She should have started with the main ingredients, not the condiments.

Blossom had been too distracted by Brick's warm body moving behind her as they went to look at the ingredients, that she had immediately went towards the first thing that caught her eye. Blossom had been relieved to feel Brick's warmth move away from her, even if she was suddenly much colder.

Blossom turned and saw Brick's face in the fridge. Intrigued, she moved to join him.

Blossom hadn't anticipated Brick turning around and stepping forward when he did, so she ended up walking right into him. Blossom quickly stepped back, rubbing her sore nose.

Blossom watched as Brick raised an eyebrow at her. "Can I help you?" he teased.

Blossom flushed. "I just wanted to know what you were looking at. We are supposed to be planning this meal together," Blossom muttered.

Brick stepped to the side and gestured for Blossom to look inside the fridge. Blossom did so, noticing that Brick had his name on some beautiful fillets of atlantic salmon. Blossom loved salmon!

Blossom stepped back, looking at Brick. "I love salmon," she stated.

Brick nodded. "I remembered, it's one of the few things we could agree on back before we were friends."

"Yes, we could agree that we like salmon, but never on how it should be properly cooked," Blossom said, her eyebrow raising. "Are you sure you want to cook it?"

Brick smirked. "What, you're afraid we can't make it through a simple cooking lesson? We've been doing so well at work," Brick teased.

Blossom flushed. Yes, they had been doing remarkably well at work, despite the awkward moments continuing, and the weird feelings Blossom had thought were long gone. It's a good thing Blossom was an expert at avoidance when the occasion called for it. Trying to build a platonic, professional relationship definitely called for any and all feeling avoidance.

Despite avoiding certain feelings that she desperately did not want to have, or still have, Blossom was not one to back down from such a blatant challenge. "No, I believe we will ace this lesson. If I remember correctly we both are excellent cooks and quick learners. However, one of us will have to lead unless we want a disaster on our hands," Blossom stated.

"Oh, and who do you propose should take the lead?" Brick asked, eyes narrowing.

Blossom's eyes narrowed and her nose flared. Brick obviously thought he would take the lead, but she was better at cooking! It should be her. "I think we both know who it should be," Blossom stressed.

Blossom and Brick's staring contest was interrupted by Bubbles, who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Hey, this is supposed to be part of my bachelorette party! No fighting," Bubbles pouted, all 5'1'' of her attempting to look intimidating. The effect was a bit lost seeing as she had to look up at both reds.

Blossom frowned, disappointed with herself. She had let her competitiveness get the best of her. "I'm sorry, Bubbles. Brick and I will behave ourselves," Blossom said.

Brick nodded sheepishly in agreement. "Right, sorry," he mumbled.

Bubbles glared at both of them, before going back to join Boomer at the pantry.

"Let's go look at produce selection. We need more than just salmon for the 5 course meal," Blossom said, leading the way. She didn't look back. She knew Brick would follow.


Bubbles glared at the reds from her spot beside Boomer. She was not only annoyed that their issues were threatening to ruin the day, she was also annoyed with their issues. Both of them were too dumb to realize they were still in love with each other, and their stupid pride and stupid competitiveness, and overall stupidness was making them both miserable!

This was unacceptable! Love was love, and nothing should stand in the way of love! Even Buttercup and Butch had gotten their act together and were in a relationship. It was just Blossom and Brick who needed work! Sure Brick had messed things up with her sister when they were kids, but they were dumb kids! It's not like Bubbles hadn't sympathized with Blossom, but she had left before they had all the information. Bubbles was sure that if Blossom had just stayed and listened everything would have turned out differently.

"Hey, you OK?" Boomer asked.

Bubbles blinked, refocusing on what she was doing. Right, she was chopping up the brussel sprouts. Boomer was preparing the chickpeas for their mediterranean style salad. "I'm sorry Boomer, I'm just distracted by our stubborn siblings," Bubbles indicated, jabbing at the reds with her chopping knife.

Boomer let out a low chuckle. "What did they do this time?" he asked.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing," Bubbles said, focusing on her chopping.

"How is nothing an issue?" Boomer asked.

"It's an issue because they're both miserable and still obviously in love! Princess told me the other day what she's been observing, and it just all adds up! It's why both of them can never hold a relationship with other people for very long. It's why they're always crabby. How is it so easy for us, but so hard for them?" Bubbles exclaimed. She was starting to get upset.

"Hey now," Boomer said as he pulled her in for a hug.

"It's our shared day. We shouldn't be worrying about them. They're adults, they'll figure it out," Boomer comforted.

"But what if they don't?" Bubbles whispered. She couldn't stand the thought of her sister being miserable for the rest of her life while she had found her love and happily ever after.

"Well, we could always kidnap them and lock them in a hotel room," Boomer offered.

Bubbles couldn't help but giggle at that image. Boomer always knew how to make her laugh and how to make her feel better. It was why she loved him and wanted to be his wife. If Boomer said it would work itself out, then Bubbles would need to have faith. However, having faith didn't mean she couldn't meddle and help prod things along. And judging by how tense the reds looked right now, they would need all the help they could get.


Brick was tense. He could tell that Blossom was tense too. Since Bubbles' interruption earlier, they had been trying to be on their best behavior, which meant no bickering. But, she was doing it wrong, damn it!

"Shouldn't we be seasoning the salmon?" Brick asked pointedly.

"We should just let the flavor of the salmon speak for itself. All you need is some olive oil and salt," Blossom quipped.

"No, you should add garlic and lemon, at the very least," Brick ground out. They were getting nowhere. They were stuck on their main entree and hadn't even started their other courses.

"Why don't you focus on the soup and I'll focus on the salmon," Blossom said.

"But then the salmon will be tasteless," Brick said, trying to keep his voice level.

"Excuse me?" Blossom asked, her voice raising.

So much for keeping calm and behaving. "Look, everyone agrees that it's better to season the salmon. Why can't you just accept that you're wrong?" Brick hissed.

"It's a matter of opinion, Brick. There is no right and wrong! But if there was then I'd be right! Your salmon always makes it seem like the person eating it swallowed an entire clove of garlic. It's entirely unpleasant," Blossom said, her nose crinkling in disgust.

"I'll have you know that even your vegetarian sister thought my salmon smelled so good that she was tempted to eat it! I can't say she said the same about your salmon," Brick said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Blossom's retort was interrupted by Princess turning around and glaring. "Do you mind? Some of us are trying to cook," she sniffed.

Mitch turned around as well. "Seriously, everyone else is working on multiple courses, and you don't even have one completed," he said, looking at their relatively bare station.

Brick flushed, angrily. He was about to respond when Mr. Vino arrived at their station.

"Oh dear, it looks like you need the most help," he tutted.

Brick's flush deepened, and Blossom's face lit up in embarrassment.

"Mr. Vino, I can assure you that Brick and I are both very capable cooks," Blossom defended.

"If that is the case, why do you have nothing to show? Is it that the salmon is too difficult for you? If that is the case I would suggest starting with something more simple. Maybe a chicken cutlet?" Mr. Vino said, poking at their salmon fillet.

Brick shifted, catching Mr. Vino's hand. "Thank you, but we're fine here. I think your time would be best served looking after my brother Boomer, or Princess and Mitch. I've been told the three of them only know how to make sandwiches and ramen," Brick said, releasing Mr. Vino's hand.

Brick watched in amusement as Mr. Vino's eyebrows rose into his hairline. He immediately backed up and went to supervise Princess and Mitch, who were indeed struggling despite moving though their courses rather quickly. If Brick had to guess, their speed was an issue in and of itself.

Brick's musings were interrupted by Blossom's hand moving to his arm. He glanced down at the petite hand. Her blush pink nails stood out against his black shirt.

"Brick," Blossom started. "Look, we can do the salmon your way. I'm sorry for how I've been acting. I guess it's just strange to see you outside of work. I know we've been working on establishing our working relationship, but we're going to be in each other's lives outside of work. Our siblings are getting married. I think, not today, but at some point, we need to talk."

Brick blinked at Blossom, surprised. Was she suggesting they talk about everything?


Blossom couldn't believe what she had just said! Had she really just suggested she and Brick meet up, outside of work and wedding activities, to talk? She must be losing her mind! Blossom glanced at Brick, who was staring at his arm. Blossom's eyes followed and- She pulled her hand away fast. When had she grabbed onto his arm like that? Blossom flushed deeply, suddenly unable to look at Brick. This was ridiculous. How old was she? Was she 18 or 26? Why was she acting bashful and blushing like a schoolgirl?

Brick cleared his throat. "Uh, whenever you want to meet up, I'll be there. Just call or send a text. My number is the same, and I'll make sure to answer," Brick said awkwardly.

"Thank you, Brick. I'll keep that in mind," Blossom replied.

She was such an idiot! How could she suggest something that would put her so far outside of her comfort zone. Was she really ready to dive into her past with Brick? Speaking of him, why was he even agreeing to talk? He had never been forthcoming even when they had been in a relationship. Could things have really changed this much in 8 years?

Blossom shook herself out of her thoughts. Now really was not the time to be thinking about this. It was Boomer and Bubbles' bachelor and bachelorette day… By the way, how on earth had she and Brick managed to think of the same activity and book the same place? Blossom shook her head again. She was getting off track again. She needed to focus on cooking.

"We can discuss this at a different time. I will send you a text when I'm ready. Right now, we really need to focus on cooking," Blossom stated.

From the corner of her eye, Blossom could see Brick nod. She glanced back down at the salmon fillets. "Why don't you cook the salmon, and I'll make the soup. If you remember, I make a great gazpacho," Blossom said, offering Brick a smile.

For the first time in a while, Blossom felt at peace with Brick. Even though they had been bickering the entire day, it wasn't completely unlike how their relationship had been in high school. They were just very passionate and driven individuals. If anything, their bickering was a bit like foreplay-nope. Not going there. Blossom blushed as she went to grab some tomatoes. It was time to get her head out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.


Boomer was sweating. He was staring at the tofu like it was some alien contraption sent from space just to mock him. He and Bubbles had finished all of their courses except for their tofu dish. Under Bubbles' and Mr. Vino's instruction, Boomer had managed to help create something edible that he might be able to surprise Bubbles with at home. The salad looked easy enough, and there weren't too many ingredients. But the tofu dish? There were just so many steps and measurements. It was a disaster waiting to happen.

"Boomie, are you OK?" Bubbles asked.

"Uh, I'm fine. I'm just trying to figure out where to start with the tofu," Boomer said.

Bubbles giggled from beside him. "Here, let me help!" she said.

"No!" Boomer yelled, shocking Bubbles.

"Boomie?" Bubbles questioned, looking a bit hurt.

Boomer felt like smacking his forehead. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout. I just, I really wanted to go to this cooking lesson so that I could learn to cook and help out with dinners. I didn't expect you to be here, and while it's a nice surprise, I don't know how much I'm learning since you know how to do everything already," Boomer muttered.

Boomer's eyes widened as Bubbles slammed into his chest, giving him a huge bearhug. "Oh Boomer, this is the sweetest thing you could do for me!"

Boomer blushed, but returned the hug quickly. There was nothing like the feel of his petite blue puff in his arms. It was something he would never get tired of.

"Boomer," Bubbles said, staring up into his face. "Why didn't you tell me you wanted to learn to cook? We could have been having our own private cooking lessons," Bubbles said coyly.

Boomer's blush deepened, and he cleared his throat before answering. "I guess I was embarrassed. I didn't want to be a burden, and I'm terrible at cooking. I guess I wanted it to be a surprise," Boomer said.

"Even though we're here together, it still is a lovely surprise. Should we be concerned that our shared venture never came up in any of our conversations? It's not like we aren't talking about our wedding and planning together," Bubbles said, frowning.

Boomer chuckled. "We've been planning our wedding, but not our bachelor and bachelorette parties. The only thing we agreed on was no strippers," Boomer teased as Bubbles blushed at the word 'strippers.'

"Hey, you agreed too!" Bubbles pouted.

"I'm just teasing. You know I love you," Boomer said as he planted a kiss on Bubbles' brow.

Bubbles giggled again, floating up to kiss Boomer's nose.

"Hey, Boomer, you know that I'm still learning to cook too, right?" Bubbles asked. "Just because I've been cooking for a while doesn't mean I'm an expert. Do you remember how the kitchen smelled when you came home from Brick's that one night?"

Boomer did indeed remember. He could smell it before he had even entered their house. For a minute he'd worried that there had been a fire, but Bubbles had said it was a cooking incident. "I remember. You said something had burned in the kitchen?"

Bubbles nodded. "I had tried to make a casserole for the girls, but I ended up burning it to a crisp. We ended up ordering pizza!" Bubbles said as Boomer started laughing.

"I'm sorry, I just can't imagine you burning something," Boomer said between laughs.

"Hey, it was because I wasn't used to the new oven," Bubbles defended. "But my bigger point was that I still make mistakes, Boomer. Please don't be afraid to tell me if you want to learn something new. Everyone makes mistakes," Bubbles said, squeezing his hands.

Boomer nodded sheepishly. "Right. I guess I was being pretty dumb."

Bubbles shook her head furiously. "You're not dumb, Boomie. Sometimes it can be scary or embarrassing asking for help or admitting you don't know something, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't ask or admit it. We're going to be husband and wife. I want you to know that you can tell me anything, and I wouldn't think any less of you," Bubbles said.

Boomer smiled, bringing his head down to rest on his fiance's forehead. "I love you Bubbles Utonium," Boomer said.

"I love you too, Boomer Jojo," Bubbles said with a smile. "But let's cook that tofu!"

Boomer nodded. The tofu didn't look as daunting now that he had Bubbles with him.


Mr. Vino didn't know what to think. In all his years of running this class, he had never seen a stranger group of people. There was the blonde couple who spent as much time cooking as they did staring into each others' eyes and whispering sweet nothings to each other. The brunette couple spent most of the time eating the ingredients and no time on cooking. The concoctions they had come up with were edible, he guessed, even if they looked disgusting. The sandy haired young man and his brunette partner had done a pretty decent job. Out of all the couples they had been the most focused on cooking. The red haired banshee, he meant student, and the lanky young man beside her had been a disaster. How they had managed to burn pasta was beyond him. All they needed to do was boil water and drop the pasta in!

Mr. Vino sighed. Even though they had been the worst at cooking, they weren't the worst behaviorally. That was reserved for the red haired couple who spent half the time bickering the other half sending tentative glances at each other that were loaded with sexual tension. There were a couple of times Mr. Vino worried that they would start doing it right on his countertop! He had been relieved when they had finally gotten their act together and started cooking. Once the red haired couple had decided to focus, they had made an excellent team. Their dishes were the most elaborate and tasty of all the groups, and their presentation had been impeccable. Mr. Vino didn't know what that particular couple's issue was, but he hoped they worked it out soon. If they got over their issues, he was sure they could do anything.


If you couldn't already tell, this story is focused on Blossick (Blossom x Brick). It is mostly from their perspective, but other perspectives will be thrown in as well. The Blues and Greens and Mike x Robin are featured, but they are supporting couples. I hope you're enjoying the story so far :)