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Fred didn’t get paid enough to deal with this shit.
The job at the delivery company was supposed to be temporary, anyway. Something to get him through until he finally got his big break and could stop playing coffee shops on the…well, weeknights, as he wasn’t actually well-known enough to scrape together weekends. Or…well, good enough, if you asked the owner of the little shop, but not everyone could be Luka Friggin Couffaine, right? Some people had to work for it!
And when he had seen the name on his third delivery of the day, he had actually been…well, a little excited. There weren’t that many Couffaines in Paris, right? It couldn’t be a coincidence, right? So maybe Fred had gotten a little excited. Maybe he had even been hoping the man himself would be home, and he could play him something (he always carried his trusty accordion in the back, anyway), and maybe M. Couffaine would be so impressed he’d actually offer him a contract, and…
…what he hadn’t been expecting – after struggling to lift the box that easily weighed as much as a small person, waddling it up to the door of the apartment complex, somehow opening the door without setting the box down, struggling over to the lift, and then managing to make it all the way up to the flat at the end of the third floor without dropping and breaking anything – was for Luka Couffaine himself to be standing outside said flat, checking a stack of mail as he fiddled with his keys. He also hadn’t expected the rock star to take one look at him, throw the mail above his head, and shout: “Oh, HELL NO, asshole – not tonight!”
Before slipping inside the flat and slamming the door in his face.
Hard enough that the fancy, decorative wreath fell off its hook.
…and he still needed a signature for the package.
Dammit.
– V –
Now, in Fred’s defense, the circumstances leading up to Luka Couffaine spotting a giant box making its way up to his front door and flipping the hell out wasn’t exactly his fault.
It was, as most Incidents in Luka’s life have been, Dingo’s.
It had started a few months back, when there had been a knock on the door and Luka had gone to open it, halfway through doing up his tie, to find a largish-sized box sitting in the hall. He had been confused, as the delivery company usually came pretty early in the day and – as far as he knew – neither he nor Marinette had ordered anything. He was also pretty sure neither Harmony nor Melody had ordered anything, either – they’d been checking their account daily since the Magic Wand Incident, and nothing suspicious had popped up in their order history recently.
Luka had looked around, but the delivery person was long gone.
“Darning?” he called, leaning back into the flat. “Did you order something?”
Marinette walked out of the back, her head tilted as she put the backs on her earrings.
“No,” she said. “Why?”
Luka bent to the box, but…there wasn’t even an address slip on it. What the hell…?
He warily poked at the side, and the box…giggled? He made quick work of the tape sealing the top, pulled one of the flaps back, and came face to face with his nephew.
“…Kurt?” he asked, blinking at the giggling boy.
“Hey, Uncle Lulu!” he said, the name sounding more like ukulele with his lisp.
“What…uh…what’cha doing here, buddy?” he asked. He opened the other flap and the boy sat up, grinning at him.
“Sittin’,” he said. Luka’s eyebrows soared as he started climbing out of the box. “Daddy said.”
“Where…where is your daddy, bud?” Luka asked, looking around, but the hall was still very empty. He tried not to scowl as he stood – Kurt was still watching him. “Ding! Come on out – this isn’t funny!”
There was no answer.
“Dingo! C’mon, man!” he called, a little louder. “We have plans!”
Kurt just giggled and toddled past him into the flat, and Luka groaned as his head tipped back. He picked up the box, tossed it somewhere in the living room (which only made the kids squeal louder, as boxes made the best toys to an overactive mind), and fished out his phone as he headed back to the bedroom. Marinette’s eyebrows rose as he came in, searching for the sitter’s number.
“That asshole better pray Priya is ok watching another kid,” he grumbled, raising the phone to his ear. “And he’s paying her tonight.”
– V –
Of course, that had only been the beginning, and everything had been fine in the end. Priya was great with kids, she didn’t mind Kurt being there at all, and Dingo had been too busy laughing over the success of his ‘prank’ to notice Brielle grabbing his wallet and forking over the cash to cover Priya’s charge for the night.
Kurt wasn’t actually harmed in the prank, the kids had had a great time together, and Priya had even offered her services to Brielle for the future (specifically Bri, as the sitter had loved Kurt and Luka didn’t want his favorite nephew to suffer because his daddy was a dumbass). So, as far as everyone was concerned, there was no harm, no foul, and it just became another Crazy Dingo Story to recount in the future.
…until Luka and Marinette’s next anniversary came up.
Luka had been really proud of himself, too. He wasn’t a planner by nature – that had always been Marinette’s department – but for once he had actually been on top of things. He had made reservations at her favorite restaurant. He had even called ahead to make sure her favorite dish would be on the menu that night – and he had gotten Tom to make her favorite dessert for when they got home. He had ordered a beautiful display of flowers (cherry blossoms and gardenias, because even all this time later roses still left a bitter taste in her mouth) that were delivered to her office – right before he had shown up to surprise her with lunch. He had also written her a song Jagged had called his best yet, which he had surprised her with over lunch.
Luka wasn’t a proud person by nature, but he had felt a little rush of it when the song had even made her cry.
Yes, it was turning out to be a great anniversary – a damn near perfect anniversary.
…until he was in their room, dressing for dinner, when she rushed in after work, kissing his cheek before she started throwing clothes on the floor. Which he would never complain about, except…they had reservations.
“I’m just going to grab a quick shower and change,” she said, shimmying out of the gray pencil skirt and kicking her heels to the corner. She was removing her earrings when she looked back at him. “What time is the sitter getting here?”
…shit.
Because of course he had remembered everything but the sitter.
“Uh…” he said, blinking at her, and she froze in the process of unhooking her bra.
“…Luka Couffaine,” she said, her eyes narrowing as she (unfairly, he thought) held her bra in place. “Did you forget to call Priya?”
“Of course not,” he lied – he totally lied. Marinette pursed her lips, and he crossed the room in two quick steps before he grasped her upper arms, rubbing them as he bent to kiss her. Her mouth was stubbornly screwed shut, and he sighed as he pecked her cheek. “Let me just go grab my phone and double-check. Go get your shower – it’ll be fine.”
…it was not going to be fine.
Especially if Priya was busy and he couldn’t find anyone else to dump their very small daughters on in the next fifteen minutes.
The level of fine-ness it was not going to be would most likely find him spending the night on their kinda-lumpy couch, instead of curled up with his gorgeous (probably naked) wife, which is where he had previously been planning on ending the night.
And so, as soon as he heard the water running, he bolted from the room and out to the kitchen, where he had left his phone charging on the counter. He paused in pulling up his contacts when he spotted a certain box – that his obnox…adorable toddler hadn’t stopped playing with since her best friend had showed up giftwrapped in it a few weeks back – sitting by the couch. Specifically, as he locked eyes with the toddler poking her head out of said box, staring at him with wide eyes and thumb in her mouth as her sister stood poised behind her, apparently preparing to push her sister across the carpet like the box was a cardboard bobsled.
And that was when he had his wonderful, horrible, brilliant idea.
“Hey, girls,” he said, checking his phone as he grinned at them. “How would you like to play a game real quick?”
– V –
They were halfway to the car before Luka’s phone pinged with an alert from Brielle’s Instagram, showing that the Royal Family was out on some family outing that night and had, unfortunately, already left. He would have loved to derail Dingo’s plans like the dumbass had tried to derail his, though it was probably for the best as he also never wanted to be on Bri’s bad side and dumping his daughters – especially Melody – on her unannounced was a sure way to get on her bad side.
…which, unfortunately, is how the mess really started, because if Dingo was out that really only left one other option: Juleka.
Luka parked about a block away from the old brownstone his sister and her wife called home and quickly set about herding his little troublema…angels out of the car and into a box (a slightly bigger one, as Harmony was two years older than Kurt and big enough to prove it).
“Now, remember, girls: no giggling,” he said, placing a finger over his lips and shushing them as he closed the lid (to the sound of their giggles, because honestly sometimes they listened about as well as their Granarchy). When the box was sufficiently silent, he slipped on the reflective safety vest Marinette made him wear these days when he rode his bike and shoved an old ball cap on his head, tugging the bill down to better shield his face. He hoisted the box with his (still giggling) children onto his shoulder and set off towards their aunts’ home, whistling as he walked. “Quiet, girls. You don’t want Auntie Rose or Juleka to know you’re in here yet.”
“Yes, Papa,” Harmony said as Melody continued to giggle. He rolled his eyes and set the box down on the stoop, shushing them one last time before banging on the door.
“SPECIAL DELIVERY!” he hollered, banging one last time.
And then he booked it the hell out of dodge before his sister caught him and could give them back.
He had dinner reservations to make, after all, and he wasn’t about to keep his date waiting.
– V –
“SPECIAL DELIVERY!”
Juleka had jumped nearly a foot off her seat, spilling the spoonful of mashed sweet potato she’d been preparing to feed baby Lavender onto the tray of her high chair in the process, at the sudden banging on the front door. She looked up at the following shout, pursing her lips at the sort of familiar, deep voice. She wasn’t expecting any deliveries, but it was entirely possible Rose had ordered something for work or one of the kids and had forgotten to tell her. She sighed and put the jar of baby food down, leaning forward to kiss Lavender’s forehead.
“Be right back, sweetheart,” she said. She dusted off her skirt as she stood, pausing to look over at their oldest, Violet. “Vi, mind the littles. I’ll be right back.”
“Yes, Maman,” Violet said. Juleka shot one look to Iris, who was making faces at Basil – who was a mess of mashed peas and carrots and clapping at her as he giggled from his high chair. “We’ll be ok for two minutes, Maman.”
Juleka nodded, smiling slightly, and went to answer the door. Hopefully the delivery didn’t need a signature and she hadn’t kept the deliveryman waiting too long. Not that she really felt bad if she had, after the fright he’d given her.
Asshole.
“Yes?” she said as she opened the door, but the deliveryman was nowhere to be seen. She sighed as she saw the size of the box, debating if it would even be worth picking up or if she could just…scoot it inside. When she bent to lift it and found it to be heavier than she’d expected, scooting won out. She hadn’t even pushed it completely over the threshold when it…giggled. And shook.
…what the hell had her wife ordered?
Juleka bent and poked at the box. It wiggled again as more giggles came from it. She frowned as she looked for a shipping label, which appeared to be suspiciously absent. The box was still giggling, and she was starting to realize she knew those giggles…
“…oh, you son of a bitch,” she muttered, ripping the tape off and opening the box.
“Hi, Aunt Julie,” Harmony said, waving as Melody giggled from where she was curled on her sister’s stomach. “Maman says that’s a big word.”
“For your Papa, it’s appropriate,” Juleka sighed. The bitch in question – who had taught them both that Big Word at a young age – would probably agree. “Where is the…he, anyway?”
“Home,” Melody giggled. Juleka raised an eyebrow as Melody sat up and started climbing out of the box, kicking her sister in the ribs in the process.
“Oh, no – you stay there,” Juleka said, putting her hands on Melody’s shoulders and pushing her back down. “I did not agree to this. I am finishing your cousins’ dinner, they are getting their baths, and going to bed. I did not agree to extra kids tonight. Your Auntie Rose is coming home and we’re finally going to watch that Renoir documentary. You are going back home.”
“Papa said we’re staying here tonight,” Harmony said, sitting up in the box and wrangling her sister onto her lap. “Papa said I could play with Violet.”
“Your Papa is a liar,” Juleka scowled. Melody gasped as if she had just used another Big Word, and she sighed. She walked down the steps of the small porch and looked around, her hands on her hips. “All right, Luka! This isn’t funny – where the hell are you?”
“Dinner,” Melody chirped, the words muffled around her thumb. Juleka scowled.
“Luka Llewellyn Couffaine, don’t you dare ditch your spawn on me!” she shouted, moving a bit further down the walk. She couldn’t see her idiot brother or his car anywhere. How had he gotten away so quickly? “LUKA!”
She looked down as something tugged on her tunic, and she sighed as she saw Melody looking up at her with big, watery eyes.
“You don’t want us?” she asked, her lip wibbling around her thumb. Juleka sighed and scooped her up, hugging her close. She kissed her forehead and rubbed her back.
“Of course I want you, precious,” she said. “I just want a little warning next time.”
There was another tugging on her tunic, and she looked down again to find Harmony looking up at her.
“What is it, sweetheart?” she asked. Harmony glanced at the door before looking back at her.
“You said dinner,” she said. “Can we have dinner, too?”
Juleka grit her teeth.
“He didn’t even feed you?” she asked. Both girls shook their heads. Juleka pursed her lips and counted to ten. She was going to murder her brother. “All right, dumbass spawn, let’s get you fed.”
She ignored Melody’s reminder that dumbass was a ‘big word’, too. Marinette’s swear jar could bite her.
– V –
It was late by the time Luka finally showed up to collect his spawn.
The asshole didn’t even have the decency to look guilty about it.
“Hey, Jules,” he said, grinning when she opened the door. “Thanks for being so great about this.”
Clearly he hadn’t been checking his phone all night. Judging from the lipstick she could see smeared by his collar, he’d obviously been preoccupied.
“Mmhmm,” she hummed, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at that lipstick mark. That could have been her lipstick mark, if she had been allowed the quiet night of movies and makeouts with her wife that she had been promised before her idiot brother had dumped his spawn on her.
“Are…ah. Are the girls ready?” he asked, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. “Mari’s in the car, and I’m sure you’re ready to be free of them by now.”
She offered him a curt nod before turning away from the door. She headed up the stairs, towards the older girls’ room, and didn’t stop to see if he was following after her. Melody and Iris were curled around each other in Iris’s bed, and Juleka bent to lift the younger girl up before turning and pointing to Violet’s bed.
“You can handle the bigger one,” she told her idiot brother, who had dutifully followed after her. She was relieved to see he was already picking her up. They silently made their way back downstairs, out the door, and out to the car. Marinette was waiting by the back door, looking a little…rumpled herself. Juleka’s nose wrinkled as her sister-in-law waved at her with a sheepish smile, the blush on her face obvious even in the streetlights. “Oh, gross. You two couldn’t even wait until you got home?”
“The girls would be at home,” Luka said unapologetically, grinning at her. “And look at her. Look at how incredible she looks. Can you blame me?”
“Yes,” Juleka said without missing a beat. She handed Melody off to her mother, sighing when the little girl immediately snuggled closer. Luka was already fastening Harmony up in her booster seat. When his arms were free of spawn and Marinette had walked around to put Melody in her own seat, she turned and punched Luka good in the arm. “You owe me, Couffaine.”
“Jules –” he started, but she shook her head and wagged a finger in his face.
“You. Fucking. Owe. Me,” she said, turning sharply on her heel and stomping back up the walk.
“Thanks, Juleka!” Marinette called after her, quietly to keep from waking the kids. Juleka just raised her arm behind her, her middle finger lifted high.
– V –
Luka’s comeuppance came about a month later, which was just long enough to make him sweat out Juleka’s promise of Revenge before…not quite forgetting about it, but at least maybe thinking Rose had talked her out of anything too severe.
But a Couffaine – especially Juleka Rhiannon Couffaine – never forgets. Especially when the Revenge is on her dear idiot brother.
He should have known he wouldn’t get off that easy.
On the Saturday in question, he was being Summoned to the label for a last-minute edit on his new single. Something that he could probably easily approve over the phone, but Jagged insisted had to be done in person – which naturally meant right then, regardless of any other plans he may have had.
…he didn’t, actually. Have any plans. His schedule was clear for the day – as was Marinette’s. They had a vague notion involving a family outing, but nothing concrete. They had both been looking forward to a lazy day with their girls. Maybe going to the park or swinging by their grandparents’ for some treats. Jagged didn’t need to know that, though – he’d probably insist Luka just bring them along for some quality time with their Papa Stone.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Luka sighed as he reached for his keys. Melody was still wrapped around his leg, sniffling as she begged him not to go. “Let me just find my keys, and…yes, Jagged. Yes, Jagged. I’m on…”
But when he opened the door, a short delivery person was standing there beside a trolley, one hand poised to knock. With the door suddenly open, they cleared their throat. They made sure to keep their head down, the bill of their cap covering their face.
“Delivery,” they…she said in a gruff, low, familiar voice. Luka frowned and reached out, lifting the cap to find his oldest niece grinning up at him with that classic Couffaine sparkle in her blue eyes. “Hiya, Uncle Lu.”
“…scratch that, Jay,” Luka said, ignoring the spluttering coming from the other end. “I think something more important just came up. I’ll come in Monday.”
“LUKA, THE TRACK DROPS TUESDAY – YOU NEED TO COME IN N-” Jagged was already screaming, but Luka just disconnected the call and slipped the phone into his back pocket. Violet was still grinning at him. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the doorframe, tapping his fingers against the crook of his arm.
“Hey, Vi,” he said, glancing at the cart with a grin. At least the cart wasn’t giggling like his box had been. “What’s up?”
“Special delivery from the flower shop,” Violet said, her voice stiff – as if she was reciting a script. Luka’s eyebrow lifted as he looked back at the cart. There was a sheet over a boxy structure that read Rose Couffaine’s Flower Garden on it. “From your loving sister.”
“Can I?” he asked, gesturing to the cart, and she nodded. He removed the sheet, and a bark of laughter immediately escaped him at the sight that greeted him.
Three large flower pots, stuffed with the twins (who were sleeping) and his other niece, with brown blankets covering their laps and hats shaped like their namesake flowers on their heads. It was actually kind of adorable.
“She will return to collect us at her earliest convenience,” Violet said, and Luka chuckled as he bent towards Basil, flicking at the white flowers dotting the leaves around his chubby little face.
“Too late for that, Vi,” he said, grinning at her. “This one’s already gone to seed.”
Basil gurgled in his sleep, and Luka chuckled as he kissed his cheek. He looked around the hall, scanning for his sister, and rolled his eyes when he saw her hair sticking out around the corner.
“All right, Violet – bring ‘em in. What do you think about a visit to the park?” he said. He stepped back so Violet could wheel the cart inside. When Melody let go of his leg to chase after her cousins, he leaned out the door and cupped a hand over his mouth. “Joke’s on you, Jules – I actually wanted to watch the kids today!”
Juleka wasn’t smiling when she picked them up a few hours later.
– V –
Which, of course, only meant she had to try harder next time.
Next time being a few weeks later, after both families had suffered a few hectic weeks that had been sure to make Luka forget about the looming threat of Unexpected Babysitting.
And, technically, when Juleka next tried to dump her kids on him, Luka and Marinette didn’t actually have plans. The girls were with Tom and Sabine for the night – an offer stemming from their grandparents wanting to spend some time with the girls after a busy series of weeks had cut into their family time – and neither Luka nor Marinette had any work commitments that would otherwise occupy them. They had a rare night alone, with no screaming kids in sight, and while they didn’t actually have plans…they were fully planning on taking advantage of that.
Which Juleka knew.
Because she had called earlier in the day.
To coordinate a fitting for a dress Marinette was making her for a charity event the next month.
…which honestly had been why she had called. Marinette casually commenting on how much she was looking forward to an evening in with just her husband was just…a bonus.
(Marinette would forgive her. Eventually.)
Luka, of course, didn’t know about this call. So when the knock came later that evening, when Marinette was in his lap with her lips on his neck and her fingers twisting in his hair, it was too easy to ignore it in favor of the woman in his arms – until she started to pull away.
“No,” he said, his hands flattening against her back and pushing her back to him. “Whoever it is can come back later.”
“It could be important, Luka,” she said. He shook his head and pulled her closer, his lips finding the skin near the neckline of her shirt and sucking gently.
“Not as important as this,” he said, making her roll her eyes. He almost had her convinced, until the knocking sounded again.
“Delivery!” the very obvious voice of his fucking sister called, making Marinette jerk back. Both of their eyes widened as they stared at each other.
“…she wouldn’t,” Marinette said. Luka groaned and dropped his head to her chest.
“She fucking would,” he whined.
“She wouldn’t just…leave them out there, right? Until she knew we were coming to the door?” Marinette whispered.
“She would if she knew we would never let them just sit out there,” Luka said. Juleka knocked again, and he contemplated murder.
“No need for a signature – I’ll just leave it here!” she called, and Luka practically threw Marinette from his lap in his attempt to get to the door.
“Don’t you fucking dare, Juleka!” he shouted, ripping the door open and tripping over the two boxes piled up outside it. From down the hall, Juleka turned and stuck her tongue out at him, both middle fingers raised high before she disappeared into the lift. “Juleka Rhiannon Couffaine, you come get your children right now!”
“I’ll be back in a few hours – thanks, bro!” she shouted as the doors closed, and Luka groaned as he whirled around, barely stopping himself from kicking the smaller box. He dropped to his knees beside it, and sure enough, once he’d opened it, Iris waved her tiny fingers back at him, her other thumb stuck in her mouth.
“Soooo…movie night?” Marinette asked from the door, her hands on her hips as she grinned down at him. He hated how calm she looked. They had just been interrupted, and it would now be hours before… “Go pick something out. I’ll get the popcorn going.”
Violet popped out of her box, packing peanuts sticking to her black ponytail.
“Frozen 5?” she asked, grinning at him.
At least Juleka had kept the twins this time…
– V –
It only escalated from there, as all things with the Couffaines did.
Like when Luka showed up on their doorstep a week later, grinning at his sister as he patted the two rolling suitcases beside him.
“For your trip next month,” he said, too innocently for Juleka’s liking. “Rose called about them. Said you’d need something bigger, and we aren’t currently using them.”
By the time Luka had rolled them in, kissed her cheek, and fled, it had been too late. Juleka had gone to haul the suitcases upstairs to store them away, and she had just been wondering why they were so damn heavy when they started giggling. Luka was long gone by the time she’d run back out to the street.
Or when Juleka had casually bumped into Luka during the weekly market run. They had exchanged tense pleasantries, and Luka had been foolish enough to think it had just been a chance encounter – even though Juleka usually shopped at a market on the other side of the city.
Until he got to the register and found Iris giggling at him from under his buggy.
And found Violet standing by the car, Lavender and Basil’s car seats by her feet.
“Maman said she’ll see you at six,” Violet said, her smile a bit too wide for Luka’s liking. “When you drop us off and pick up the suitcases. Mama already found some, thank you.”
“I know telling you this is pointless,” Marinette sighed two weeks and six Babysitter Nabs later, “but you really need to stop while you’re ahead. Before she really makes you regret this.”
“The fact that you think my sister will win this little battle truly wounds me, Marinette,” he said, adjusting the bow on the box concealing Melody from sight. “My own wife has no faith in me.”
“It’s not that I have no faith in you,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I just have more faith in Juleka’s willingness to play dirty.”
“Where do you think she learned that from?” he asked, turning to her. “Can I borrow Kaalki? I want to make sure I’m out of there before Juleka can catch me.”
Marinette sighed and handed over the Miraculous.
“Your mother,” she said after he had transformed. “Juleka definitely learned how to play dirty from your mother.”
Of course, when Luka suggested a truce the next week – when Juleka had dropped the kids off on a Priya Night and had managed to do what not even Dingo King had been able to pull off (make their favorite babysitter quit) – Juleka had just scoffed.
“A truce?” she asked, smirking as he glared at her. She smoothed her hand over a sleeping Lavender’s head, and the baby cuddled closer to her shoulder. “Brother dear, why ever would I call a truce when I’m winning?”
“You’re playing dirty, Jules,” he said, trying to keep his voice down so he didn’t wake Iris (who was sleeping against his own shoulder). “Your hellspawn made Priya quit. It took us forever to find Priya. We like Priya. Priya liked us – and KK!”
“It isn’t playing dirty, Luka,” she sniffed. “It’s manipulating the rules to work in your favor so your victory is inevitable. Ma taught you the same – you’re just too nice to do it.”
“Get my babysitter back and I’ll stop,” he said, shoving Iris over once Juleka had set Lavender down in her crib. “No more unexpected drop-offs. Every playdate will be scheduled and approved. Pirate’s honor.”
“I don’t know…” Juleka said, smiling. “My kids love their new babysitter. They get playmates with him.”
And so it wasn’t a truce so much as it was a draw, and only because Marinette had shown up the next day to haul Juleka over to Priya’s flat to make her apologize. And possibly explain herself. And return the ring that had belonged to Priya’s great-grandmother that Basil had accidentally swallowed the night before (which is what had ultimately led to Priya quitting).
After a proper disinfecting, of course.
“Honestly, you two,” Marinette sighed afterwards as they were riding the lift up to Luka and Marinette’s flat. Juleka still had one more apology to make, it seemed. “This was all Dingo’s fault, anyway.”
“I thought Luka was the one who forgot to schedule the babysitter on your anniversary?” Juleka asked. Marinette rolled her eyes as they exited the lift.
“He was, but he got the idea when Dingo dumped KK on us,” she sighed. “He…”
Whatever she was about to say was lost as they saw the deliveryman with the large box pounding on the front door of her flat, her welcome wreath tucked under his arm.
“M. Couffaine, please! I need a signature!” he cried. “I have other deliveries to make, monsieur!”
“…I forgot to tell him about my new sewing machine,” Marinette groaned, burying her face in her hands as Juleka started laughing. The poor deliveryman looked up at the sound, and Marinette groaned again as she approached him and held out a hand for the tablet he was holding. “It’s for me. I’ll sign.”
“Bless you, madame,” the man sighed, handing her the tablet and his stylus. Marinette hummed, ending her signature with a flourish before handing it back. Juleka sidled up beside her, eying the man’s uniform.
“Hey, Marinette,” she started, grinning at her. “How much do you think –”
“No, Juleka,” she said, leveling a finger at her. “You are apologizing, and you are both going to stop this nonsense today, and we’re all going to return to our regular babysitters like a normal fucking family.”
Juleka smirked as Marinette turned to unlock her door. The deliveryman had escaped while he could.
“Worth a shot,” Juleka said. Marinette rolled her eyes before hoisting the box onto her hip. Juleka peered around her, inside the flat, and grinned when she saw Luka frozen in the entryway. “Hey, bro!”
“Jules…” he said, his voice wary, and her grin turned positively wicked.
“Special delivery!”