Work Text:
Had Jean-Luc LeBeau been anyone else, he never would have noticed the boy. Remy’s fingers were small, slender, and quick and had Jean-Luc not been the head of the New Orleans Thieves Guild, he never would have noticed his missing wallet until he returned home.
As it was, the second he felt fingers in his pocket, he grabbed the wrist, dragged the boy into an alley, and pinned him to the wall with a blade to his throat.
Terrified red on black eyes met his own, the boy gasping softly as he struggled to draw his wrist out of Jena-Luc’s grasp, and suddenly the older thief still.
“Shh, ça va, petit ,” Jean-Luc murmured, putting the knife away and quickly crouching in front of the boy. “Y’r alright, I ain’t gonna hurt’ya.”
“ S'il vous plait, Monsieur ,” the boy begged fearfully, trembling in front of Jean-Luc in fear of retribution, despite the fact that the weapon had been put away. “Remy’s sorry.” He thrust Jean-Luc’s wallet at him.
“It’s alright, petit ,” Jean-Luc promised, taking the wallet and putting it away. “What’cha doin’ t’ievin’ from strangers garçon ? Don’t’cha know dere’s assassins in dis town?”
The thought of Marius Boudreaux going after this boy who was just stealing to simply survive sent a lick of paternal possessiveness through Jean-Luc and without a single thought through the decision, he knew what he had to do.
“Je suis désolé,” the boy whimpered quietly.
“Non, y’don’ have to apologize,” Jean-Luc promised. “Are ya hungry?”
“Y’ain’t gonna hurt moi?”
“For trying to survive?” Jean-Luc asked. “Non. Jean-Luc’s gonna take y’home and get’y fed and maybe int’ some better clothes.”
The boy squirmed. “Merci,” he whispered.
Jean-Luc nodded. “What’s y’name?”
“Remy.”
“Remy,” Jean-Luc repeated as he straightened up and held out his hand. “My name is Jean-Luc LeBeau. It’s very nice t’meet you, Remy.”
Remy gave a weak smile.
…………………
“Mon Dieu, Jean-Luc, y’seen his eyes?” Mattie Baptiste asked quietly where she and Jean-Luc were standing in the hall outside of the living room where Jean-Luc’s son, Henri, was talking gently to Remy, having already been informed of his father's spur of the moment decision to adopt the child.
“Bit hard t’miss,” Jean-Luc replied, arms crossed over his chest where he leaned over the wall.
“Can’t imagine da poor t’in’s had a pleasant life.”
“Non,” Jean-Luc agreed. “Mutants ain’t well liked down South here.”
“So y’really gonan take him in?”
“Oui,” Jean-Luc declared firmly. “Where else he gonna go?”
“Da boy’s gonna need a name,” Mattie told him.
“He’s got one. Remy.”
“Remy LeBeau,” Mattie repeated. “What about a middle name?”
Jean-Luc thought for a few moments. “Mon best friend, Belize. He jus’ lost his own son. Etienne.”
“Oui.”
“Remy’s got potential. And what bette’ way t’r’member Belize’s boy den to let Remy carry da name?”
“Remy Etienne LeBeau,” Mattie tested out. “Wit’ a name liek dat, our boy’s gonna cause trouble.”
“Like a true LeBeau,” Jean-Luc siad with a smile as he strolled into the living room to make the announcement to his two sons.
……………….
Despite the fifteen year age gap between the two of them, Henri and Remy got along like moss on a tree. When Jean-Luc was busy, Henri filled the loneliness and entertained his new litlte brother. When their father was away, Henri tucked Remy into bed at night.
But whenever he felt insecure about his place in the family, Jean-Luc always made sure to comfort his new son.
“Blood don’ matter t’da t’ieves,” Jean-Luc told Remy one night, the two of them seated on the seven year old’s bed. “What matte’s is y’loyalty. Y’a LeBeau, Remy. Don’ matte’ t’any of us whet’er or not dats t’rough blood.”
Remy still seemed insecure, but he tentatively wrapped his arms around Jean-Luc. While the LeBeau’s had never previously been a particularly touchy-feely or overall emotional family, little Remy seemed to thr ive on it and managed to finagle exactly what he wanted from anyone with just those big, black eyes.
“Our little Remyt’s got charm,” Mattie remarked. “He gonna be a heartbreaker when he older.”
“LIke a true Lebeau,” Jean-Luc had replied. “Dat’s Remy’s real mutant power.”
“ Merci, père ,” Remy murmured as he finally broke the hug.
Jean-Luc smiled down at him. “ De rien mon fils ,” he returned, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to Remty’s forehead. “ Je t'aime, Remy.”
“Je t'aime aussi, père.”