Button family scraps

## Bump

(**Timing:** late January / early February 2024; **Setting:** clothing store fitting room, town near Tang clan compound)

Blossom tugs a blue bamboo-fiber dress over her head, stretches-- gives up on the zipper and opens the fitting room door. "Zip me, please?"

Jung takes the [tab], draws it up. "Turn around and let me see you."

Blossom twirls.

Jung cocks her head, breaks into an enormous grin.

"What?"

"You've got a bump!"

"Wha?"

"Baby bump!" Points excitedly to Blossom's stomach.

Blossom glances down, checks her profile in the mirror.

"See?"

Blossom blinks, runs a hand over the subtle, but definite, swell to her belly. "Well, hello there, peanut," she murmurs.

## Blanks

(**Timing:** 31 July 2024; **Setting:** Button and Blossom's rooms at the Tang clan compound)

Blossom gazes at the final blanks in the electronic certificate of live birth, twisting her hair.

Liu waits.

In his bassinet, Button snuffles.

Deep breath. "This is wha— /**who** I think it is."

Liu nods.

Soft fabric shifts.

A shaky exhale and Blossom taps the letters and numbers into the proper spaces. A very deep breath and she offers the tablet.

Liu accepts.

Very quietly, Button snores.

Blossom fights and loses to a storm of giggles.

Liu raises an eyebrow.

Blossom stifles more laughter. "I asked Doctor Qiao and there's nothing wrong with his breathing. He just—" Shrugs. "—snores." Chuckles, wipes her eyes.

## Birthday Baby

Incorporated into "Surprised"

(**Timing:** 30 July 2025; Button is newly 1)

[Blossom bounces Button as she heads to her computer, presses a kiss, says against the tiny head, "You're gonna see your dad again."

"Da?"

"Yea." Smiles.

.]

""Say, 'hi' to Logan, Button!""

""Hi, Da!"" Button absolutely beams.

Logan's blood turns icy.

On screen, Blossom pales.

Button's huge eyes grow bigger. ""Da?""

""Logan, 'm so sorry. I just wanted—""

Logan holds up a hand, ducks his head. "'s'okay. I knew." Deep breath, lifts his eyes. "'ey, Button." Smiles, waves. "How's the birthday baby?"

## Two of a Kind

(**Timing:** Jul/Aug 2026, during the "Taking Root" visit; **Setting:** Nanny's flat)

Blossom flags another picture in the photo album for copying, flips the page.

Holly taps her shoulder.

Blossom glances up, "Wha—"

Holly holds a finger to her lips, crooks a finger, 'follow me'.

Blossom sets the album aside, slides to her feet.

Together, she and Holly pad across the flat to the guest room, peer through the narrowly opened door.

Button, curled on his side, Kit squished to his chest, snores reedily, his breath ruffling Kit's furry ears.

Logan, curled on his side, Button tucked under his chin, snores gustily, his breath ruffling Button's fluffy hair.

Blossom stifles a laugh behind her hand.

Snicket, back pressed against the soles of Logan's feet, lifts his head, flattens his ears, glares at Blossom and Holly.

Holly blinks slowly.

Snicket huffs, lowers his head, closes his eyes.

Blossom and Holly back away, retreat to the living room, and dissolve into giggles.

## That

(**Timing:** ~2026, possibly during the "Taking Root" visit)

"'night, Dad!"

Logan flinches. "Ye—" Swallows. "You shouldn't call me that."

"No." Button points emphatically. "Dad."

"Yea, but saying so's not safe for you or your mum."

"/**Dad.**"

"Button, there's—" Deep breath. "—there are really awful people out there who'll hurt you if they hear you call me ... that."

## Metaphor

 Initiating author
 Inspired by

"Gotcha!"

Logan grunts as Button collides with his back, grins, tips forward—

Button slides off over his head—

—catches him, eases him to the floor.

—beams. "You /**totally** didn't hear me coming!"

Logan smiles. "Nope. You're turning into quite the little ninja."

Button pouts. "D—"

"Whadid—"

Rolls his eyes. "/**Logan**, ninjas are /**Japanese**. I'm /**Chinese**."

Logan huffs. "Hasn't your mum explained metaphors to you yet?"

"Nope! But I caaaan do /**this**!" Launches himself at Logan's midsection—

Logan channels the momentum into a somersault—

—shrieks in delight—

—rolls to a stop astride tiny legs—

—grins up, eyes bright.

—grins down. "Nicely done."

"You, too!"

## Same

(**Timing:** ~2032; Button is 7ish)

"Maybe you can visit for my birthday this year?"

Swallows. "'ll see what I can work out."

"Awe/**some**!"

"C'mon, Button. We'll miss our flight," calls Blossom.

"Aww ...." [Button] wraps himself around Logan.

Logan squeezes back.

"'bye, Dad," he whispers. "Love ye."

Shudders, chokes, "Same."

[Button] leans back, lights up like New Year's fireworks.

A whole-face smile, one last squeeze and he darts off after [Blossom]—mangling a front walkover on the way—and to the security checkpoint.

Logan watches for one painfully slow heartbeat, snaps a turn, and plods to the cab stand{, swiping at his eyes}.

## Pilots (AU of the AU)

**Timing:** starting December 2015

Blossom tracks Buttercup down at his favourite park, announces, "The Professor wants to see us tomorrow at nine."

Buttercup cracks an eye, grunts.

"What d'you think it's about?"

He sits up, crosses his legs. "Nothing good."

Blossom snorts.

The next morning, they're all on the couch in The Professor's office; Blossom perches between Bubbles and Buttercup.

That's not The Professor behind the desk, not the familiar thug working the door.

PPDC's there in their places.

They rave about their skill as a fighting team and what a good fit they'd be for the Jaeger program, how it would be a chance for them to make something of themselves, give back to society.

Buttercup laughs, pushes to his feet, strolls—

The thug on the door blocks his path—

—shoves by—

—drops him with a shot from a taser.

The PPDC behind the desk sighs. "We'd /**hoped** to discuss this like adults, but some people are apparently incapable. Now, then—"

Bubbles and Blossom swallow.

In Kodiak, Buttercup and Bubbles shift into what Buttercup calls 'round peg' mode; Blossom mostly keeps her head down.

The PTBs gleefully say they've developed a three-way Drift for them.

Bubbles' Drift Compatibility score is /**just** within the safety margin. The PTBs hook her up anyway.

The first Drift—

A /*magnesium-blue-white-bright* flash and a taste of copper—

Blossom wakes up in Medical a month later.

Buttercup comes to within the half hour.

Bubbles doesn't.

The PTBs remove the third arm from the under-construction Jaeger.

Blossom and Buttercup pass the fitness-for-duty test and the PTBs hook them up.

The second Drift—

A storm of /*black-green-blue* burning like ice, twining around her /*sunny-violet-warm*.

Afterward, Buttercup locks himself in the washroom.

Blossom curls up on her bed and /*aches*.

They Drift, they deploy, they win.

As soon as they're de-armoured, Buttercup locks himself away. In between drops, he won't speak to her, won't look at her.

She understands and the /*ache* grows.

Their sixth drop, sixth kill—

Blossom burritos in three blankets to wait out the /*ache*.

Buttercup croaks, "Hey," from the doorway.

The morning after, she wakes up sore, sated, alone.

The washroom door's locked.

Blossom swallows ECP at Medical.

They Drift, they deploy, they win, they fuck.

Buttercup avoids her, says nothing.

Blossom twists her hair, says nothing.

Eleven drops, eleven kills: a new record.

They Drift, they deploy, they—

The Drift fractures.

They keep it together, the other team takes the kill, they stagger back to shore.

The morning after, Blossom throws up in her trash bin.

Medical offers her a choice of pills.

The PTBs offer an honourable discharge if she takes the vitamins.

She takes the vitamins and goes home.

Word comes Buttercup's been discharged, too, and vanished god-knows-where.

Seven months later, Blossom basks in a Townsville sunbeam, hands folded atop the shelf of her belly.

Buttercup croaks, "Hey," from the garden gate.