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“I got a night-time shudder and a lion within”
“MOMMY! MOMMY!”
Marinette woke with her heart in her throat at the scream and she immediately flipped the cover off of her to run to the room down the hall from hers. Flinging open the door, she rushed to the little bed where there was a small boy flailing around in his bed.
“Ian.” She cooed softly as she moved hair away from his sweaty head. “Ian.”
She repeated his name over and over again until his breathing calmed and his eyes opened.
“Mommy?”
Marinette felt her heart swell at the relief in those shiny blue eyes and pulled him into her arms. “Yeah, baby. It’s me. Are you okay?”
The little boy shuddered before he cuddled into her chest. “I had a scary dream!” His lips wobbled a little as he looked up at her. “Can I come sleep in the bed with you?”
Marinette was torn. They’d been trying to train him to sleep in his own bed since he had just turned four, but she could not say no to that puppy dog look he'd gotten from his father.
“Okay, but only tonight.”
Ian nodded and quickly threw his sheets off his tiny body and was out of the room before Marinette could blink.
Laughing, she straightened up his bed before moving back to her room. A smile lit up her face as she saw him cuddled into her sheets with the remote in his hand.
She gave him a look. “What makes you think it’s screen time? It’s way past your bedtime.”
“Because I’m scared Mommy and I don’t want you to worry about me so I wanna watch something to make me happy.”
Marinette tried to remain firm, but this little boy had also gotten his father’s golden tongue. “Okay. What are we watching?”
He grinned as she slid into the bed next to him. From that smile she already knew and didn’t even have to watch as he opened the Disney Plus app and immediately scrolled to the Previously Watched section. Eyes lit with excitement, he curled into her side and started singing the song.
“Nants ingonyama bagithi baba!” Except his words came out as a big jumble and Marinette couldn’t help but giggle.
Little Ian looked up at her. “Sing with me!”
So she sung with him… badly.
But he didn’t mind.
At first, it worried her a little that her son’s favorite movie was currently The Lion King. There was murder, some scary animations, and that whole scene with Scar’s death. However, he seemed so in love with the ‘pretty kitties’ and songs that her worry was quickly put to rest. Especially with how cute he looked when he put on his lion onesie and walked around the house roaring like a lion and only responding to the name Simba.
He was definitely embodying Simba as he enthusiastically started to sing again. “I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!”
Without him prompting her, Marinette knew her lines. “Well, I've never seen a king or beast with quite so little hair.”
They continued to watch the movie and Marinette could see it working as Ian became a little less musical and more yawny as it progressed. His little yawns were growing bigger and bigger until he was nodding off against her stomach. He was seemingly fast asleep…
So, naturally, that’s when his favorite song came on.
“I can see what's happening.”
Popping up like he’d been shocked, Ian’s eyes popped open and, with perfect timing, sung the next part. “What?”
“And they don't have a clue.”
“Who?”
She pulled him back into her arms and swayed him to the beat until the song ended.
As they watched Timon and Pumbaa cry, Ian looked up at her. “Mommy. How did you and Daddy fall in love?”
Marinette smiled. “Well, my little snakelet. We didn’t meet like Simba and Nyla. We met when we were kids.”
“Oh! Like me!”
“Not quite. We were a little older than you. I met him while we were in lycee. Your auntie had invited me over to the boat-”
Ian’s eyes widened. “Boat? Like the Captain’s?”
“Exactly the Captain’s. Your auntie invited me and some friends over for some music. The Captain told me to go down to grab her mysterious son from below deck and-”
“That’s when you saw him! That’s when you met Daddy!”
“That’s when I was lucky enough to hear your mommy’s music for the first time.”
Both of their heads turned toward the door and Ian literally flew out of the bed and into Luka’s arms. “Daddy!”
“Hey there, my little two part harmony.” Luka dropped a kiss on the boy’s cheek as he nuzzled him.
“You were gone for so long this time!”
“Yeah. Our tour got extended an extra week, but I’m so glad I’m back home even if it’s so late.” Luka gave the little boy’s head another kiss before looking up at Marinette. “Another bad dream?” He mouthed.
Marinette nodded before answering loudly. “We were just watching The Lion King and, as usual, he wanted to know how we fell in love.”
“Oh that.” Luka grinned as he dropped Avery, his guitar, by the door and carried Ian back to the bed. As soon as Luka was settled, Ian immediately snuggled into him. “Well, your mom stumbled-”
“Walked!”
“-into my room and I was instantly in love with her. She had the sweetest, most beautiful melody I’d ever heard in my life and I knew that I always wanted her near me.”
Ian’s eyes shone. “Really?”
“Really. It was the best thing I’d ever heard.”
“What's the next best, Daddy?”
Luka leaned down to give a little nose kiss as he answered. “Yours when I heard your heart beat for the first time.”
Ian giggled and gave Luka a big wet kiss on his cheek and Marinette felt her insides burn with the urge to have another child because of the sweet scene. “You’re awesome, Daddy.”
“You’re awesome, too. Wanna know why?”
“Yes!”
“Because you are so brave! Even when you have a bad dream, you’re able to bounce back because you have a mighty lion within your heart!”
“Like Simba?!”
“Exactly like Simba! And you know what mighty lions need to stay mighty? Sleep. So you should get some sleep so your lion can be ready for tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay!” Ian gave them both a kiss before snuggling between them. Within seconds, he was knocked out.
Marinette looked on in awe. “You’re so amazing at that.” She whispered.
“You’re just plain amazing.” Luka murmured back and pulled her into a lingering kiss. “I love coming home to you two.”
“We love it when you come home.” Marinette agreed before biting her lip. “And I would love it if we considered…”
Luka’s eyebrows rose. “Considered?”
“Making it so that you have three of us to come home to.”
Luka’s eyes widened. “Are you saying that you want to have another baby?”
“Yes. Can we?”
She could tell Luka's answer by how overjoyed his expression was before he kissed her breathless. “Yes. A hundred percent, yes. When can we start? Now?” Marinette's eyes dropped to their son who was happily nestled between them and Luka fought a laugh. “Tomorrow. Definitely tomorrow. Do you think he’ll be excited to be an older brother?”
Marinette nodded. “As long as he can watch Lion King with them and teach them everything they need to know about being a lion, I’m sure he will.”
And then the little- hopefully growing some day soon- family snuggled and went to sleep.