Work Text:
It was Manny’s day off. Which meant he was taking care of Luz.
“You’re such a cute little girl,” he sighed, cradling her in his arms and smiling down at her balled fists and legs that wanted to kick just about anything they could make contact with. She was certainly active, whether Camila was equipped to deal with so much excitement or not. “Yeah! Always my little Rattler.”
He eyed his work bag by the door.
Maybe it was the new parent sleep deprivation, but remembering how cute she was when she was laying in his bag only about a week prior made him want to try it just one more time.
“Do you wanna go on an adventure with Daddy?” He asked, chuckling as he rose from the couch where her blanket was laid out on the floor for her to play on and brought her to the front door where his bag was. Luz let out a small, angelic laugh as she reached up to him. Manny couldn’t help but return a one of his own. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
He got down on his knees and very carefully situated her within the bag. She was just as happy to be in it again as she was the first time she had wandered too close and been lovingly placed inside. She wiggled from side to side and laughed as she grasped at her little toes in the cramped yet comfortable space in the empty bag.
“Having fun?” Manny asked, creeping the zipper closed just over halfway and making absolutely sure to not catch any of her clothing or little digits in the teeth. Her face was still exposed and she showed him such a cute smile. “Do you wanna go see the snakes, Luz? I’ll make sure you get to sit with the friendly ones.” He slipped the strap over his shoulder and very slowly rose to his feet with cautious hands on the bag. “Yeah. We’re gonna have lots of fun.”
Camila emerged from the bedroom with a deep sigh and her hair up in a tight bun. “Okay, my love, I’ll be back by six. You can cook without me, but remember to put any leftovers in the fridge,” she said, stopping in her tracks when she saw him standing by the door with his work bag on his shoulder and standing in his pajamas. “Ay, Manny, you’re more tired than I thought you were. You’re not on the schedule today.”
He cracked a wide smile. “I know,” he said, turning and showing her their babbling baby in the bag.
Camila’s eyes lit right up. “Oh, you,” she said, coming over and letting Luz wrap her hand around her finger. “And here I thought you didn’t like to recycle jokes.”
“I do the occasional encore.” Manny shrugged with his free shoulder.
Camila giggled and kissed his cheek before grabbing her purse and keys. “Just make sure you’re listening to her. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Manny whispered. “And I love our little family.”