I do not own the Power Puff Girls or the Rowdy Ruff Boys

Chapter Sixteen: Introducing Blazing Coal

Blossom fell soundly asleep after Coal—the nickname the young parents decided for their son—was taken away to get cleaned up and a full physical. The professor accompanied the nurses and Dr. Herbert for the examination. He knew that the Chemical X would make for some strange readings. He wanted to reassure them that for a superhuman this was normal. Also, he wanted to doubly check for Blossom's sake that the baby was healthy on all fronts. He was more than sure that the child wouldn't spontaneously combust like the unfortunate Bunny. However, if it gave Blossom peace of mind, he run all the tests needed.

Beside Blossom was Brick. He took the chance to sleep as well for he was nearly just as exhausted as Blossom. She'd urged him to get into the hospital bed beside her, keeping in mind that he couldn't squeeze so tightly even though her was much smaller than she was maybe two hours prior. Her belly was soft and sore from being expanded for so long. Still Brick couldn't help but hold her as close to him as possible. When he awoke, Brick buried his face in Blossom's hair and inhaled her sweet sweaty smell. She'd no doubt fuss about being gross and needing to shower, so he'd take the chance to praise her now. She was owed at least that much for having given birth to his son.

As if thinking about him were a mere summons, a nurse came into the room rolling a medical bassinet into the room. Inside was his son, with a soft white cap upon his head with alternating blue and pink stripes. Brick sat up from where he was and got up from the bed. He had to see his son, hold him in his arms again. As soon as Coal was within sights, a bright smile lit up Brick's face. He'd washed his face of the tears from earlier, but it seemed a bit for naught as more welled in his eyes again. "Hey Coal." He whispered to his sleeping son. "It's Daddy."

The nurse smiled at him as the young man reached for his son and brushed his hand over the bit of red hair the came from under his cap. "You can hold him if you want."

Brick looked up at the nurse before glancing down at Coal. She gently eased her hands under him, making a small grunt of discomfort. She then walked around the bassinet to Brick. After a bit of maneuvering, Coal was in Brick's arms and sighing at the familiar heat that he instinctually knew was his father. The nurse helped him to settle into the seat by the bed. "It's so weird. Your mommy carried you for nine months, and now I'm here holding you."

"I'll leave you to it. Page if you need anything from us." The nurse said as she left the small family to their devices.

Brick nodded before turning his attention to Blazing Coal. Looking down at him, he sighed happy like he never was before realizing that something wasn't right. Looking around, he searched for Blossom's hospital bag, only to realize that it wasn't there.

"What are you looking for?" asked a drowsy voice with a yawn.

Brick looked up to see Blossom turning his way in the bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Where's your hospital bag?"

"Probably at home." She answered. "We left campus and started heading for ice cream before we went home."

Brick slumped back in the chair and sighed a warm breath over Coal, whose face twitched at the sensation. "Then it's not here."

"What isn't?" Blossom asked.

Brick sighed as he looked at the hospital cap on Coal's head. "His cap."

The light snicker that came from Blossom drew Brick's attention. "It wouldn't be there. Something told me I might not have my overnight bag, so I started keeping it with me."

"So…? His cap?"

Blossom sat up enough to look at the unoccupied chair save for her purse and school bag. "There."

Brick stood up a tad too quick for Coal's liking and he made his discomfort known by letting out a soft whimper. The new father looked down at his son and shushed him. "Sorry, sorry. You're fine." He looked up at Blossom who was smiling at his eagerness. "Hold him?"

"Of course." She breathed as she moved as quickly as her body would let her to a sitting position. Soon as she was, she held her arms out and let Brick gently pass her baby to her. Coal noticed the change in temperature around him and made a sound of protest before warming up involuntarily. Blossom chuckled at the reaction her son had to the chill even from when he was within her. "Blazing Coal. My little Coal." She brought him up to her face and placed a kiss on his soft skin. His skin turned red from where he was kissed, but Blossom knew that was just his natural reaction to the chill. The flushed skin returned to its normal peachy pink hue within seconds. He cooed softly as he got comfortable again.

Meanwhile, Brick was searching through Blossom's bags. When he came across the little red cap that was purchased months before, he couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. Turning back to his small family, he walked over and carefully removed the hospital cap from his head. His short spiky red locks were in a cute disarray that made Blossom smile before they were covered by a cap that was way too big for him. It fell forward with the bill covering his face.

"It's too big on him, Brick." Blossom said as she adjusted the hat so that it didn't cover Coal's face.

"He'll grow into it." Brick promised with a smile. "But look at him. It's perfect."

Blossom couldn't agree more as she smiled down at her baby. "Yeah, it is. We should probably tell everyone that Coal's here."

"Our first family photo." Brick smirked as he pulled out his phone and carefully got into bed beside Blossom. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled them close while he held his arm out to capture the three of them. Once it was captured, Brick and Blossom examined the picture and were pleasantly surprised to see that their little Coal's eyes were open if only a little bit. Looking back down at him, they caught just a glimmer of his eyes. It came as no surprise that his eyes were an exact copy of Brick's own. He couldn't have been filled with more pride at the sight. Brick then took another picture of his son. This time getting a close up of his small face. He looked down at two pictures and smiled fondly at them. "These are keepers."

"Please make sure you send me those pictures to me. I want the family picture to be my wallpaper on my phone." Blossom asked him with a giggle. "They're just too cute."

Brick chuckled at Blossom's giddiness over their little Fireball's first pictures. "Yeah, yeah. I'm sending them to you now."

Her phone made a soft pinging sound from her satchel, signaling that her phone had received the message. She hadn't checked it since yesterday, but with all the excitement, she was sure there were more than a few well wishes there. "We can send it to everyone else now."

A few swipes of Brick's fingers and the pictures were sent to their friends along with a brief message about the details of the birth.

Meet our son Blazing Coal Jojo. Born October eighteenth at 8:27 AM.

It wasn't long after that the text messages came in from their friends. Congratulations were passed all around, as well as compliments about how adorable the Mini Ruff Baby was, especially in his oversized red cap. Brick was reading off the messages to Blossom about what everyone was saying and who was saying what. After a second Brick noticed that neither Bubbles nor Boomer had responded to the mass message. It was a surprise that Butch and Buttercup did so before them.

"You think they're all right?" Blossom asked with a furrowed brow.

"I'm not sure." Brick told her as he put his phone down, and reached for his son. "Also, the timing couldn't have been worst."

Blossom didn't have to ask to know what he meant. The threat of H.I.M was an uncertain one, but this discord was too perfect a setting for H.I.M to use against them. She tugged her son closer to her, and took in a shuddering breath. Brick moved closer to her and put a comforting arm around her shoulder.

"I won't let anything happen to us. Any of us." Brick promised with a kiss to Blossom's temple.

Blossom nodded before turning to Brick and gave him a loving kiss. One that was deeper than the few they'd had in the past day. When they pulled apart, Blossom smiled wide at the sight of the professor in the doorway. "Daddy."

"Hey, you three." He said as he stepped into the room. "Mind if I get to hold my grandson for a little while?"

Brick moved so that Blossom could hand their son to the professor. Soon as he was in the professor's arms, Brick took his cap so it wouldn't fall and placed it back in Blossom's bag. The white hospital cap was left off his head, letting the spiky locks stick in every which way. Being in the professor's arms was warmer than Blossom's but cooler than Brick's. Coal sighed as he settled and cooled his body. "That's interesting."

"What?" Blossom asked instantly worried.

The professor smiled to reassure that nothing was wrong. "He just cooled down when he was in my arms. Has his temperature changed between the two of you?"

Coal's equally hot-blooded father gave a shrug as he sat on the edge of the bed. "I couldn't tell you. My body runs hot all the time."

"He did warm up once he was in my arms." Blossom said remembering how his skin flushed after she'd kissed him.

The professor nodded his head, confirming his suspicions. "I'm surprised he has this much control so soon." He gently rocked Coal as he spoke. "It's good. At least we know he won't burn someone accidently."

Blossom bit her bottom lip as she nodded. "Is everything else good?"

"He's more than fine, Blossom. His vitals are stable and he's quite healthy." The professor said while turning back to his grandson. "The little guy's fine."

"Coal." Brick said.

"His name is Coal. Blazing Coal Jojo." Blossom said with a smile and relieved tears welling up in her eyes. She wiped them away, while Brick scooted back to his original place beside her on the bed.

The professor looked back up at his grandson's parents. "Keeping to the tradition of B names, I see." He mused with a chuckle.

"Sort of." Brick smiled.

The three shared a laugh, while an unexpected guest moved into the open doorway. He hesitated in where he stood, going unnoticed until the professor looked over and sobered his jubilation by clearing his throat. "Care to join us?"

Brick and Blossom turned and startled at the sight of Mojo standing in there. He looked more apprehensive than angry, but Brick still has his guard up. Today was one of the best days of his life. He wasn't about to let Mojo be an added shadow. He got up from the bed, unsure of what he was going to do, but knowing he wouldn't hesitate to stop harm from coming to Coal. "What are you doing here?"

Mojo broke his attention from the small bundle the professor was holding to look at his eldest son. His son was obviously on the defensive, but he also looked a little…repentant? The two hadn't spoken to each other since that ill fated "conversation" that was had over Butch and Buttercup's marriage. Brick had yet to apologize for hitting him. However in his defense, Mojo had yet to apologize for anything he's said to Blossom about her or their son. Whatever Mojo said next would define the direction this relationship would go. Unfortunately for Mojo, he shrugged and dropped his eyes. "I'm…not sure."

"You're not sure?" Brick echoed with a scoff. "How did you even know?" He didn't bother looking toward the professor. He knew for a fact that he was too busy keeping an eye on Blossom and speaking with her attending doctor.

"Boomer." Mojo answered looking back up at Brick, before his brow furrowed in concern. "Speaking of, what happened when he came here? He wasn't himself last night or this morning."

Brick shook his head at his father. "That's Boomer's business. You want to know you go ask him. If he doesn't tell you, let it go." Even though he said this, he would keep an eye on him. He'd talk to him once he and Blossom settled in at home and Boomer had time to calm down. He wanted this anxiety of H.I.M being alive or not gone. Blazing Coal needn't live through the same horrors that he and his brothers had to at the that demon's hands.

Mojo grunted in discontent at the answer. He heard the infant gurgle and turned his attention toward him. The infant's face and body were concealed by the white blanket, but the red cap precariously place on his head and threatening to fall.

"He doesn't have teeth Mojo, so I doubt he's going to bite." The professor teased, trying to ease the tension that had suddenly built in the room.

Blossom to her credit laughed while Brick rolled his eyes and sat back down beside Blossom. Mojo scowled at him before slowly stepping into the room. The professor stepped closer to Mojo under the watchful eye of Coal's parents. Tilting his arms, he angled the baby so that Mojo might look at him. The first thing Mojo noticed about the infant was his hair. It was spiky and all over his head, the texture similar to Brick's when he was first alive. The color however was lighter, like he knew Blossom's to be. The baby's face was mostly Brick, for which Mojo was glad for. He figured if he were to come to tolerate the child, it would be easier to do should he resemble the father. If he had to look at him and only see Blossom, he'd surely find the tolerance an infeasible task.

"It's not a hideous child." Mojo commented. "Small miracle I suppose."

"Mojo!" Brick exclaimed, getting off the bed. "You really can't help yourself, can you?"

The offensive chimp sighed and turned to Brick. "What would you have me say? I'm happy for you? I'm not."

"Then why the hell are you here?" Brick asked, not willing to stand for Mojo deliberately insulting his son.

Mojo turned back to the child and sniffed before turning away. "Does it matter? I saw the child. No one can say that I never did."

"You're so generous." Brick grumbled as he watched Mojo leave.

Blossom gave his hand a squeeze as he dropped her head onto his shoulder. "It's something."

"I guess." Brick grumbled.

The phone rang and rang until it went to voicemail, much like it did the first three times. Robin sighed and blew out a breath as she failed to get in contact with Bubbles. She and the others had quite the surprised planned for Brick and Blossom when they arrived home, however as none of them knew when Brick and Blossom were arriving home, it put a bit of a crimp in their plans. Since Bubbles had sent out the mass text telling everyone Blossom had gone into labor, she'd hoped the sugar of the mix would've kept them informed about things. That being said, it was a little strange that Brick was the one to inform everyone that the baby was born. Stranger still was that neither Bubbles nor Boomer responded in any way.

That Bubbles hadn't gushed over her nephew was worrying. Hence why Robin was calling one of her oldest friends. When she couldn't get through to Bubbles, she tried the next best thing which was to call one of her sisters. As Blossom was involved in the surprise, she had to settle for Buttercup.

When the call picked up, she was greeted to a an out of breath Buttercup. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No. Just finished my class." Buttercup breathed as she took a sip of water. "What's up?"

"Do you…do you know what's up with Bubbles? She was supposed to get Brick or Blossom's key to their apartment so we could…"

"Butch will let you in, or I can grab it from him. He's been staying with them." Buttercup told her.

"Oh." Robin said, glad to have the one problem solved. Albeit a minor one. "Cool, great. Umm, is Bubbles okay?"

Buttercup sighed and ran the back of her hand over her forehead. "Probably not. We had a fight last night and then she fought with Boomer."

Robin blew out a breath. "Oh boy. What about?"

A sharp breath was inhaled and then spluttered it out. "That's between Miss and Mister We Want Everyone To Think We Have Perfect Relationship."

That answer was totally not unexpected from Buttercup. However, that wasn't what Robin needed answered. "I meant you and Bubbles. Not Bubbles and Boomer."

"Oh." Buttercup said, then sighed. "She asked for my advice and then didn't want it while trashing my relationship with Butch."

Robin groaned as she ran a hand through her hair. "Ugh. What did you do after that?" She asked while making sure she didn't place all the blame on Buttercup. She wasn't saying that she blamed Buttercup, but she knew Buttercup to be a bit blunt. However, Bubbles did tend to slip into Bubblevicious and drive a knife into a sore subject when she was irritated or angry.

"I…might have let slip something that she wasn't ready for Boomer to hear though. However, in my defense I didn't know he was standing around the corner." Buttercup told her best friend.

At that Robin had to laugh, because it was such a mundane and normal situation that the girls found themselves in. "So much for x-ray vision."

That drew a laugh out of Buttercup as she went to her locker. "It would've been useful in that moment, but let me tell you Robin, it's a tad overrated. Sneaking a peek at someone you've already seen naked gets old quickly."

Robin spluttered out a laugh. "I doubt you get tired of looking at Butch's naked ass from time to time when he thinks you aren't. And I bet he doesn't mind looking at yours from time to time either."

"You'd think being married would kill the mood." Buttercup said as she put on a jacket and grabbed her bag. "But not with Butch."

"Is the sex different?" Robin couldn't help but ask. "They say marriage changes sex."

Buttercup paused in her motions and sighed. The intimacy was different, and they were still holding off on the actual sex. Well, she was at least. Butch was more than ready to get back at it, but she was still hesitating. Before she knew why, but if she was asked now? "It's a little different."

"Different good or bad?" Robin hedged.

"I don't know." She honestly answered. "I have an hour for lunch, but I get off around four. If you need help with anything—."

"Think you can find out when Brick and Blossom are coming home. I want to make sure that everything is close to perfect when they come home."

Buttercup chuckled as she exited the gym. "No problem." When she stepped outside, she was more than a little surprised to see Boomer outside. "I'll keep you posted. Hey, Boomer."

"Hey," the Blue Rowdy Boy said as he walked up to Buttercup. "Can I ask you something?"

Buttercup took in his slightly pale complexion and bag under his eyes from a sleepless night. "Sure."

"Did you know?"

"Know…?"

Boomer closed his eyes and took a deep breath to quell his temper. He did not want to fight with her when he wasn't really angry with her. "Did you know that she'd kissed Jamie?"

"Only a few minutes for sure before you did." She told him honestly. "Boomer, I had no idea."

He seemed to accept that with a nod of his head. "Did Blossom?"

"No one knew."

Boomer sighed heavily and ran his hands over his head. Without another world he turned and went back to his delivery truck that was parked on the side of the building.

Buttercup followed him and yanked him to a stop. "What are you thinking right now?"

The youngest of the Ruff boys sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. That I'm pissed. Hurt. Irritated. I mean, why didn't she tell me?"

Buttercup didn't get a chance to answer as he continued to release the pent-up feelings in him.

"She just fucked me all weekend. Any way I wanted out of guilt." Boomer grumbled. "What did she think that was going to do? Is this what you and Butch do? You fight, or one of you screws up and then you fuck the other to make that feeling go away?"

Now, it was Buttercup's turn to feel chagrined as she felt once again put on the spot about her relationship with Butch. "Why do you think why Butch and I fuck is any of your business?"

"Because you two are the physical couple." Boomer explained. When Buttercup started fold her arms and scowled at him, she rushed to continue. "Look, we talk about sex with each other. Between all our picking fun at each other, Butch makes it clear that you make him feel safe."

Buttercup softened at the answer, but still felt chaffed. "What's your point?"

A hand ran over his hair in frustration, as he looked away from Buttercup to gather his thoughts. When he turned back to his girlfriend's sister, his eyes were pleading. "When Bubbles and I have sex it's our way of saying I love you. That couldn't have been the case this weekend when she too busy worrying about some stupid kiss."

The dark-haired Puff relented in her anger and took a deep breath. She remembered when Butch and she first had their breakthrough. He told her that he felt safe with her. It was their comfort zone. A comfort zone that was violated, but slowly getting made anew. Small steps like kissing, oral, mutual masturbation. Maybe they were ready for the actual sex. Shaking her head, she focused again on the matter at hand. "Maybe it still was."

"How?" he asked, growing frustrated.

At that she shrugged, unsure of how to answer that question. "Maybe you should ask Bubbles that."

"I'm not ready to talk to her. I'm still pissed the fuck off." He told her.

Buttercup rubbed her hand over her brow and sighed. "Okay, but what are you going to do about the party?"

"What party?" Boomer had been so deep into his own misery that he hadn't really checked his messages. A string of them were from Bubbles with a few being from Robin, and his brothers. He'd ignored them all, wanting to focus on work and not the pain of Bubbles lying to him.

"Well, Robin is planning a party or something like it for Blazing Coal." Buttercup smiled as she thought about her new nephew. "Did you see the pictures of them?"

"No." Boomer shook his head, feeling a tad ashamed for not taking interest in his nephew. "Blazing Coal?"

"I'm sure they'll come up with a nickname for him." Buttercup guessed. "Will you be there?"

"I don't know." He answered honestly before leaving turning and walking away.

Getting back into the cabin of his truck, he started the engine and then sat there for a second before pulling out of his phone. Again, he noticed it was flooded with messages, a majority from Bubbles. He didn't bother to look at them, knowing he wasn't ready to. Not in his current state of mind. He did open the messages from his brothers. The messages from Butch were asking how he was doing and threatening to blow up his phone with nonsense until he assured him he hadn't done anything stupid. To that Boomer sent the "fuck you" emoji and moved on to Brick's message.

When he saw the image of Brick and Blossom with their baby, he couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. They looked happy and proud. It was hard to not see why. When he scrolled to the next picture, he saw the cherub face of his nephew. His eyes were barely open, but he could see the red of the baby's eyes. His cap was too big for him, but it didn't stop him from noticing the red spikes that were there.

Lucky you, Brick. He looks like his mom. He texted Brick. After a second, he sent a second message separate from the group saying, I'm sorry for not responding sooner. I'm okay.

Brick's response was quick and to the point. Are you sure?

I think so. I have to get back to work. Boomer wondered on whether he should open Bubbles' messages, but decided against it. He'd just told Buttercup he wasn't ready to and that was the truth. Space needed to be had while he got his thoughts and feelings in order, and it wasn't with her constant texting him. Knowing this would probably come to bite him in the ass but needing to have the silence, he blocked Bubbles' number. With that done, he stashed his phone in his pocket and looked to his schedule to see where his next delivery would be.

Blossom had just come out of a much-needed shower and sighed as she dried her hair and got dressed in a black shirt dress that buttoned in the front. Buttoning up the front she again looked down at her now flat stomach. Her belly that used to be taut was loose and sagging from being expanded for so long. It was so strange to know that her son was in the next room in Brick's arms, rather than in her belly. Clutching the fabric of her dress in her hand, she placed her other hand over her mouth to hold back the sob that wanted to break out. She was a mother now. Her baby, little Blazing Coal was in the next room with Brick. He was okay. He was healthy. He was safe. It was almost hard for her to believe that as thoughts of Bunny came to mind, but Coal was here.

A soft cry from the other side of the door broke her out of her thoughts and had her nearly yanking the door off its hinges to get to her son. Coal was in Brick's arms and his face was red as he began to cry. The miniature Rowdy Ruff boy was being rocked, but the motion didn't soothe him in the least.

"What's wrong? Is he okay?" Blossom asked as she rushed to Brick's side and looked her baby over. Seeing his agitated face pained her and she wanted nothing more than to ease his temper.

When Blossom placed her hand on the back of Coal's head, the chill of her skin had him turning towards her. His crying lessened to a whimper for a moment before returning to its previous volume. Brick noticed this and smiled softly. "I think he was just missing you."

Blossom glanced up at Brick and swallowed the lump in her throat. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" he asked noticing the dampness of her lashes and the red tint to her nose.

"I'm okay." Blossom said as she took her son and moved to sit on the hospital bed. Coal turned his face into Blossom's chest and nuzzled his head before letting out a frustrated grunt that turned into a cry.

Before Brick and Blossom could struggle further to figure what he needed, the professor and a nurse entered the room.

"Sounds like someone's hungry." The nurse said, coming up to Blossom's side. "Ready to try breastfeeding?"

Blossom looked up at the nurse and then the professor. Her father gave her a smile and then turned his attention to Brick. "Let's go for a walk."

"What?"

When the professor gave him a very pointed look, he sighed and stood up from his place. He placed a hand over Coal's head and then kissed Blossom, before leaning over and whispering in her ear. "You can give me a demonstration later."

The blush that came over Blossom's face made Brick smile as he reluctantly left the room. When the men left, the nurse turned to Blossom and gave her a small smile. "Ready to feed your baby?"

Blossom nodded as she began one handedly unbuttoning her top, exposing her breasts. The nurse came to stand beside Blossom and patiently showed her how best to hold her son. "Okay, just like this, so he's level with your breast. Now gently coax your nipple to his mouth and allow him to latch on." Blossom did as she was told and watched as Coal's small mouth wrapped around her nipple.

Almost immediately his mouth worked into a sucking motion. Blossom winced, as her breasts were tender from being so swollen. "Is it supposed to hurt?"

"Not all mothered feel this discomfort, but some do. How bad would you say it is?" She asked.

"Mild." Blossom answered, before taking a deep breath. Coal was still sucking, but whatever was supposed to happen so far hadn't. The delay was starting to worry her and she looked up to the nurse with worried eyes. "Nothing's happening."

"It takes a bit of time for your milk to let down." The nurse reassured the young mother. "Just be patient."

It was hard for Blossom to calm her nerves as thoughts of not being able to feed her baby came to mind. Thankfully she didn't have to fret long as she felt the at first odd sensation of milk letting down from her breast. Coal let out a soft grunt as he began to eat. She let out a soft laugh as he ate and made little sounds of contentment. The nurse smiled at her and placed a motherly hand on her shoulder.

"You're doing just great."

"It's only the first day." Blossom said before sniffling and then scoffing as she found herself crying yet again. "Ugh, I'm a mess."

"You're not, sweetie. You're just like any other first-time mother. Excited, and scared out of your damn mind at the same time." The nurse reassured her with a light laugh. "You'll figure it out, but not by yourself. I see how attentive that boyfriend of yours is. Your father as well. You'll both be just fine."

Blossom smiled as she reached up and brushed some of his hair from his face. "Thank you."

The nurse gave Blossom's arm one last reassuring rub and then sat down so she could guide Blossom through switching breasts should he still be hungry and then burping him. After Coal was fed and burped, he fell asleep, his temperature dropping slightly with his sleep. He was just put back into his bassinette when Brick returned. "How'd it go?"

"Okay." Blossom told him. "It took a bit of time before my milk let, but he ate well."

"He has a nice appetite." The nurse informed them. "I'll be back in a while for his first diaper change." She then left them to their son.

Brick went over to the bassinette and ran his finger over Coal's cheek. "We spoke with the doctor and she said you should be able to leave by tomorrow."

"That sounds great. I can't wait for a real meal. Though I don't mind the popsicles." Blossom said as she sat back against the pillows. She then looked over Brick and noticed that he was still in the same clothes he'd been in since yesterday. "Brick, why don't you go home and shower?"

Brick rose a brow at her. "Not a chance."

"Brick…" Blossom sighed.

"I'm not going home without the two of you with me." Brick told her, resolute in his statement. He'd go home when he had his son and girl with him.

"Did you bring your car or fly here?" She asked with an exasperated frown on her face. When he hesitated to answer, she knew that he flew. "Right. I can't very well fly home with a barely two day old newborn. You'll have to go get my car. You know, the one with the car seat?"

Brick shrugged his shoulder as he sat by the bassinette. "Butch can bring the car."

"What about your car still at the ice cream shop or campus or wherever you left it?" Blossom dared to ask.

"Taken care of. Butch flew it home after he brought his truck back. You know he got a boot put on it?" Brick said with a triumphant smirk on his face.

That remark only served to get an eye roll from Blossom. "Then have him bring you a change of clothes and take a shower."

"He already did. I was just waiting until after you had a shower before I took one." Brick told her, with a smug smile on his face.

Blossom could only scowl and scrunch her nose up irritably at him. "Smart Alec." She grumbled. "Just go take a shower already."

Brick leaned over to kiss Coal and then walked over to Blossom to kiss her cheek, chuckling when she scowled and swatted at him. When he was behind the bathroom door, Blossom turned to the professor. "You should go and get some rest too. I know you've been awake and working just to make sure the two of us were okay."

The professor walked over to Blossom and took her hand as he sat on the edge of the bed. "I knew you needed me here, sweetheart. Also, I wouldn't miss the birth of my grandson." He looked over to Coal sleeping in the bassinette and smiled widely. "He's the first born superhuman."

"No experiments on him until he's old enough to understand." Blossom told him. "You can be present at all his doctor appointments in case anything our normal appears and you have to explain, but no experiments on my baby."

"Of course not. He's just a baby." The professor said, before reaching over and taking his little hand in his own. "The experiments will be more fun when he's older."

"Professor." She said lightly shoving him.

"Oh come on. You know his uncles will get him in worst trouble than I could." The old scientist said while stroking Coal's normal temperature hand.

The distressed groan that Blossom let out at that thought had the professor laughing. "If he's brought to Monster Isle and gets hurt, I'll kill all three of them."

The two shared a laugh quieting when Coal made a soft noise. The professor sobered and kept his eyes on Coal as he searched for the best way to bring up his suggestion. "Blossom?"

"Yes?"

"I know you're living with Brick and he wants to take care of you both, but have you ever thought about coming back home?"

Taking a second to use her x-ray vision to see that Brick was in the middle of his shower, she took a deep breath as turned her pink eyes to the professor. "I have, but Brick and I need to be able to take care of him on our own."

The professor looked toward Blossom with a furrowed brow. "Are you sure? It would be easier if—."

"Until Butch lands a job and is allowed to move into your house, he'll be helping out." Blossom reassured him. "You can also come by whenever you want."

The professor saw that he was just going to have to accept that was all the concession Blossom was going to give him. With a sigh he turned to look back at his grandson. He was peaceful in his slumber and naturally had his head turned toward the window, catching the rays of sun that came through. At that moment, Brick came out of the bathroom ends of his hair a bit damp from his shower, smug smile in place.

Blossom turned to look his way and somehow managed to not scowl at him. "I hate it when you look so smug. Reminds me of when we were five. You were nothing but talk."

"Hey, we kicked your butts." Brick chuckled as he sat in the chair beside the bassinette.

"Okay, a fart cloud and a swan dive mean nothing." Blossom criticized. "Cheap shots."

"Oh like that kiss wasn't a cheap shot." Brick chuckled as she smirked.

"If it's any consolation we didn't come up the kissing idea. That was Miss Bellum." Blossom laughed before remembering the professor. She blushed and avoided looking his direction.

Brick pretended to be contemplative about that before shaking his head. "I still blew up. All of us did. Imagine if this little guy had—oh fuck. Sorry bad joke." He quickly amended his statement when he saw her face cloud over with worry. The last thing he wanted to do was make her think she was a danger to their baby. Hell, he himself was still a worried and needed to talk to his brothers as soon as possible. Like he mentioned to Blossom earlier, the timing sucked.

"It's…it's okay. The professor has checked out all his vitals and was there for his physical. Coal is okay." She took a deep breath to calm her suddenly agitated nerves. "He's okay."

"I told you he would be." Brick boasted in a tone that was all bravado, as he looked at his son. "He's a Rowdy Ruff Boy. We're made of tougher stuff than that."

"Right. Snips, snails, and a puppy dog tail." Blossom recited, unable to take her eyes off her baby, sleeping peacefully unaware of the worries his parents had for his life.

Butch watched as the girls' friends came into the apartment with boxes of decorations. They then went about the living and dining room area hanging a banner saying, "Welcome Home Baby Boy!". The walls were plastered with baby and boy orientated decals. Not only that, but they letting helium filled balloons fill the ceiling. In the span of an hour they'd changed the college student apartment to a daycare center. He'd tried to retreat to the kitchen, after they chased him away from the combination potluck and takeout, only for Sam and Goo to come in and start preparing pitchers of drinks; one a spiced virgin sangria, the other a blended virgin margarita.

He then found retreat in Brick and Blossom's room, but not after calling Buttercup to complain. "Why didn't you tell me they were coming over now?"

"Didn't Robin tell you there were coming over?" She asked, with a sigh. "I have to grab a shower and then I'll be right over. Brick, Blossom, and baby should home soon."

"Not soon enough." He grumbled, as he sat on the floor and reclined his head against the bed. "It's a gaggle of girls and they've taken over everything. I'm hiding out in Brick and Blossom's bedroom for crying out loud."

The got a chuckle from Buttercup that Butch was very unappreciative of. He'd just gotten home from the demonstrative part of his interview at the Townsville Pistons. Much like the little bet with the professor, he had to deconstruct an engine and put it back together. While it was more complex than a toy car motor, it still wasn't the most difficult thing in the world for him to do. He'd built rockets and bombs with his forcibly retired supervillain guardian. But because Butch had used his superspeed the first time, and the head mechanic hadn't been able to truly see his work, so he had to repeat the process at a slower pace. It was more annoying than anything else, and all he wanted to do was shower and take a nap. He was glad that he'd cleaned up the day before after Brick told him Blossom and Blazing Coal were being discharged. He was luckier still that he got the chance to shower before the stampede of estrogen came through.

"I hope they don't stay long. My bed is a couch right now, and I'd really like to go to sleep as soon as I can." Butch told his wife crankily.

On the other end of the call, Buttercup got quiet as she thought back to yesterday's revelation. Maybe now was a good time to being easing toward her desired outcome. She spoke slowly, but with growing confidence as she pushed on. "Hey Butch? After we see the baby, do you want to go to the cabin? Then you can possibly spend the night with me at home."

Butch didn't get the chance to answer as a knock sounded on the door. Turning his head he was shocked and a tad disappointed that it was Mac, rather than Brick. "Goo said you were hiding in here."

"I'm tired they are way too excited to see someone who'll barely remember this." Also, don't they think Blossom and Brick will just want to relax when they get home. They have been at the hospital for the past three days."

Mac fully entered the room and blew out an exasperated breath. "Yeah, but once Robin came up with the idea none of the others wanted to back out." The tanned skinned teen noticed the phone pressed to Butch's ear and hung in the doorway unsure. "Oh sorry."

The green Ruff glanced at his phone and mumbled out a half assed affirmative and goodbye before hanging up the phone. He welcomed Mac's presence wholeheartedly. "Thank god, you're here."

Mac didn't say anything as he slipped into the room and sat beside Butch. "How long have they been at it?"

"Too fucking long if you ask me. How can they manage to stay at that level of…whatever in the hell that is?"

"Baby mania?" Mac tried.

"Mania. That's the perfect word for it." Butch complained.

"Hey, it's better than baby fever?" Mac threw out.

As both phrases weren't really familiar to Butch, he looked to his friend with a raised brow in question. "What's the difference?"

"Baby fever is when they want to have a baby themself." Mac explained.

Butch shuddered at the thought of all those girls invading his borrowed space having babies right now. If their excitement over his nephew Blazing Coal was anything to go by—and it intolerable as it was now—he was sure he'd find just about any excuse to avoid the horde of female maternal hormones as much as possible. "I think I'll wait to have kids for a few years. Maybe ten."

A strange sound came from Mac that had Butch guessing a snide comment about his sexual life was being suppressed. Usually he'd just have his friends or brothers just spit it out, but his current mood allowed his to appreciate the censorship. His sex life with Buttercup was a toss up at the moment, but if her words before he abruptly hung up were anything to go by, maybe just maybe she was ready for real sex again. He really hoped his reluctant wife was ready.

Suddenly there was a flurry of excitement that was loud enough to be heard from the sanctuary of the bedroom. Butch's super hearing assured him that it wasn't Brick and Blossom with the baby. From what he could tell, it was Bubbles. She asked if Boomer had arrived and could practically see in his minds eye the dejection on her face. That was then followed by questions about what was wrong; was she okay? To those the youngest and currently heartbroken Puff answered with a vague "Boomer" for what was wrong and "No" for being okay.

Standing up, Butch braced himself before making a move to leave the bedroom. Talking to Bubbles about her relationship was the last he wanted to do, but he needed to at least convince her to not try to has out her issues with Boomer tonight. As he saw the other night, his brother wasn't exactly in Sonic Boomer mode, but that just made what he'd do next unpredictable. When he was Sonic, he'd eventually run out of steam and let get over whatever crawled up his ass and bit him. He was a new combination of jealous, angry, and hurt. The closest he could compare the situation to was when Boomer thought Mac had a thing for Bubbles. Their friend most certainly didn't, but it wasn't the case for whoever this nimrod was that kissed Bubbles.

Mac followed a few paces behind Butch, coming out of the short hallway just in time to see Boomer enter the apartment. He'd have easily mistaken Blossom for being in the room due to the chill that seemed to settle over everyone as the two made eye contact.

"Boomer." She uttered and turned her face him fully.

When Bubbles looked to be making her way over to him, Boomer broke the connection and turned to his brother and friend. Shoving his way between them he didn't spare a second glance as he went to the only place that was girl free. Butch stood resolute before Bubbles and blocked her path when tried to follow. "I wouldn't."

"This is none of your business Butch." Bubbles hissed at him, intending to forcibly move him if the tenseness of her body were anything to go by.

"Maybe, but do you really think forcing him to talk is a good idea, considering our siblings will be here any minute with our nephew?" He practically dared her to try to find reason in her logic. "He may by your boyfriend, but he's also my brother. I know him better when he's like this than you do."

Bubbles visibly bristled at the comment. Mac had gone back down the hallway so that he could mostly be out of harms way and partially to check on Boomer. While the opposing energies were clashing against one another, the girls tried to draw Bubbles' attention by asking her the decorations. It was a weak attempt that proved in vain as the superpowered blonde refused to move. The former bad boy drew on that inner edge that never quite went away and glared right back at her.

"Give him space Bubbles." Butch told her.

Robin came over and placed her hands on Bubbles' shoulders. "Hey Bubbles, why don't we go have a drink? Sam made this sangria with oranges and spiced peaches. You've got to try it."

The stare down lasted a second more, before Bubbles tried to stomp on his foot. When he dodged, he only had a moment to gloat before pain radiated through his shin. She gave him lone last glare before she dropped her eyes and allowed Robin to lead her away.

Butch snarled under his breath at his brother's girlfriend. He hoped Buttercup or Brick and Blossom got here quickly. His patience was growing thinner by the second. Going back to the bedroom Butch saw that Boomer had found his place in the single chair in their room and was fidgeting irritably. Mac was sitting on the bed and gave a shrug when he saw Butch enter. Boomer glanced at his brother and sighed.

"Thanks. I'm not really ready to talk to her yet. I just wanted to see our nephew." Boomer told him with a tight grip on the arms of the chair.

Mac looked between the two brothers knowing he'd missed something. "What's going on?"

"You remember that guy Bubbles brought to the housewarming party? Well, he kissed Bubbles." Boomer snapped out, feeling his irritation growing. "Worse yet, she thought having sex with me all weekend rather than telling me was better."

Okay, that was something Butch could talk to his brother about. "Maybe she thought the sex would soften the blow when she told you about it."

Boomer turned a skeptical eye to his brother and sighed. "I went to talk to Buttercup, and she said it might've been her way of saying she loves me. But hell if that's a way to say it."

That got Butch's attention and it made him wonder if Buttercup suggestion earlier had anything to do with that. If it was then he'd definitely have to find a way to thank his brother. "Not saying I agree with her method, but I can sort of understand why she did what she did. She should've just come out and said it. Or at the very least waited to have sex with you until she worked the nerve to tell you."

Boomer's grip on the chair relaxed as he deflated. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Right now? Nothing." Mac said, finally cutting in. Butch nodded in agreement. "You couldn't even stand to be in the same room as her."

Looking between his friend and brother, he realized that their advice was sound. "Fine. As soon as Brick and Blossom get here and I see out nephew, I'm out of here."

"Fair enough." Butch quickly agreed. He himself couldn't wait to get out of here.

Shrieks of joy pierced through the space and was followed with overlapping voices. The trio of boys stayed within the relative safety of the room before the door opened and Brick and Blossom walked in, car seat in tow. All the three of them saw was red from the cap hiding over his face and white from the blanket on his body.

"Is that him?" Butch asked trying to take a peek at the little guy.

Brick set the car seat on the bed and held a hand up to prevent his brother from getting in his son's face. "Yeah, but you mind giving us a chance to get comfortable?" He then shoved the boys out of the room, leaving them to face the girls on their own.

Thankfully for Boomer's sake Bubbles was corralled by her friends on the other end of the room. The tension was heavy and enough to choke a horse. All topics of conversation were about anything but what was going on with Boomer and Bubbles. Also, this was about Blazing Coal. It was his first night home, the least everyone could do was make it a pleasant welcome for him. That meant keeping all drama out of the mix.

"I can feel her staring at me." Boomer whispered, hoping his voice was low enough to not carry over to Bubbles.

"Do not engage." Butch whispered back. "She can talk to you after we see Blazing Coal."

Boomer couldn't hold back his chuckle. "They sure gave him a mouthful of a name. He definitely needs a nickname." When he turned to his brother, the smile on his face was as close to genuine as it could be given his current disposition.

Mac and Butch let out their own laughter at that just as Brick and Blossom came down the hall carrying the small bundle. "All right guys, here he is. Blazing Coal Jojo." The newest member of the Jojo Rowdy Ruff Boy family was dressed in a bright red onesie with white socks over his feet and his too big cap on his head. He was more adorable in person than in the picture the girls thought; and smaller than they thought he would be as thought the boys.

"And because his name is a mouthful," Blossom's pink diamond eyes zeroed in on Boomer, letting him know that she'd heard him. The blue Ruff Boy had the good grace to look sheepish, a faint reddening appearing on his cheeks. "We decided to call him Coal for short."

"Coal?" Mac spoke up. "Doesn't that break the tradition? B names for all."

Blossom hugged her little Coal to her and smiled. "His full name still starts with letter B, he'll just go by his nickname Coal."

"Coal is not the worst nickname that little lump could have." There was a beat of silence from him before a wide smile crossed his face as his own joke registered. "Now Lump is a terrible nickname."

"Especially when you associate it with Fuzzy Lumpkins." Mac agreed as he tried to suppress his own later. "Whatever happened to that…what was Fuzzy Lumpkins anyway?"

That seemed to be the perfect way to break the remaining tension in the room as everyone started theorizing what the fuzzy pink whatchamacallit could be. It was then that Buttercup arrived, and she started off the passing of Coal to everyone. The minute she walked in she asked to see her new nephew and got the chance to hold him.

"He's so cute." Buttercup had unexpectedly gushed over him. "Look at his spiky red hair. Oh, and those pinchable cheeks."

Her behavior was cute and endearing up until she asked, "When will be able to teach him to fight?"

After that Coal was passed like a hot potato as everyone wanted the chance to hold him. The girls all got the first dibs and practically smothered the poor boy—Butch's sentiments—in gushy mushy baby talk and kisses. To say all that mush put a bad taste in the Rowdy Ruff Boys' mouths was an understatement.

"Brick, they're going to emasculate him long before his balls have a chance to drop." Butch complained when Boomer was holding Coal.

Boomer, awkwardly rocking the tinier than expected bundle—at least in his opinion considering how large Blossom got—couldn't help the snide comment that slipped. "At least he won't have to be worried about getting squished…or worse." He then looked up at his elder brother and met his red gaze, realizing he'd put off talking to Brick about whatever he was worried about concerning H.I.M for long enough.

He had the day off tomorrow, so he'd meet up with his brothers to talk about it then. Bubbles as far as he was concerned could wait. After all she'd waited to tell him about that kiss. It was a petty thought, but in that moment, it provided him with the perfect excuse to continue avoiding her for the time being.

After Coal was passed back to his dad, Boomer said his goodbyes and left. With his back turned, he didn't see Buttercup restrain Bubbles from going after him. Once he was gone for a good ten minutes, Buttercup released her sister and watched as she rushed to chase after him.

The night dragged and Coal started to get fuzzy with all the attention and the varying temperatures around him. With his own body temperature fluctuating, and paired with his drowsiness and hunger he started to fuss.

"Looks like it's someone's bedtime." Blossom said as she got up from the couch and started making her way toward the nursey. Before he could fall behind the corner out of sight, she stopped and turned to face her friends. "Thank you, guys so much for this. It really means a lot."

Robin stood up and went to carefully hug her friend, mindful of the baby between them. "Of course, Blossom. We love you."

"I love you guys too." She said, before pulling back from the hug. "We should definitely plane to hang out again. I've missed you guys."

Robin's smile was wide as she nodded. "For sure, so long as we get to see this little guy." She then took Coal's hand and rubbed the back of it.

Coal in his cranky mood let out an annoyed whine and turned to press his face into Blossom's chest. "I better get him fed and put to bed."

After she went to do as she said, the others helped to put away the leftovers and left. Words of congratulations were passed to Brick and were asked to be passed along to Blossom as well. When it was just Brick, his brother and his wife he let out a relieved breath. "No offense to our friends, but I'm glad they're gone. It's been a long couple of days." He then stretched, grunting as his joints popped.

"I can imagine." Butch commented, before looking to Buttercup and taking her hand. "I'm spending the night at the Utonium house."

A thick red brow lifted in surprise. "Really? The professor's okay with that?"

Buttercup shook her head in the negative. "So long as we're quiet when we get back, he won't know."

The married couple didn't further elaborate as Butch gathered a few things to spend the night and left with Buttercup. After deciding that he had all tomorrow to worry about really cleaning up, he went to go help Blossom with putting their son to bed. In the nursery he found her floating in the air creating a rocking motion with her body. The soft sounds of Coal nursing filled the small space. As Brick went to look over Blossom's shoulder, he took in the sight of Coal's small mouth at Blossom's breast. Brick reached around to run his finger over his son's cheek and smiled when he left out a grunt of annoyance.

"The little guy is finally home. How do you feel?" He asked the mother of his child in a soft voice.

Blossom let out a soft breath that was chilly as it washed over Coal, evident by his halfhearted flare of heat. "Relieved more than anything." She then looked up at Brick over her shoulder. "I mean, we went through a bit of Hell before we got here."

"I actually went to Hell." Brick commented as he stopped Blossom's rocking and shifted her so that she was level with his standing height. "But you and Coal were—are worth it."

"You're worth it too." Blossom told him as she leaned forward to place a kiss on his lips.

Hi my lovelies. I hope you all enjoyed meeting Blazing Coal Jojo. He is just the cutest little thing isn't he? I can't wait to write more about him and the interacts he has with the rest of his family. I know you guys are curious about how Mojo really feels. I know I am, but that's for another time. Next chapter maybe? I know the holiday chapters will definitely be interesting. What with the drama between the Greens and the Blues. And let's not forget H.I.M. Is he back or not? We'll find out.

Until Next Time