Chapter Text
September
Maya is halfway through tying Oliver’s shoe when he freezes.
Not the distracted kind of freeze, but the kind where your entire body stops, like something important has just entered the room. Something so important, you don’t know where to start, something you don’t yet know why it’s so important.
She glances up, ready to remind him to look while she ties his shoes; Who could have imagined tying shoes would be so hard to teach. But she follows his line of sight first, over to the boy next to them by the fence; brown messy hair, his attention fully absorbed on the bright red firetruck in his hands. Not driving it, not crashing it, just turning it over in his hands, studying the underside like it might reveal a secret.
Oliver straightens, “That’s a ladder truck,” he says.
The boy doesn’t look up. “It’s a Pierce. The ladder goes 100 feet. This one is from Memphis, my zio got it for me when he was there.”
For a moment Oliver doesn’t reply, just looks between the boy and the firetruck, before his face splits into a grin. “I’m Oliver,” he says, like that settles everything.
The boy finally looks up, his brown eyes wide and curious. “I’m Enzo.”
“Hi Enzo,” Oliver says, moving closer to him and away from Maya. “Do you know about fire engines too?”
Enzo nods once, a hesitant smile tugging on his lips. “All the trucks, and some of their gear too. My mamma says eq- equipment is the right word.”
“Cool,” Oliver replies, utterly delighted. He quickly runs the few steps back to Maya to grab his own firetruck, before immediately driving it, carefully, into Enzo’s ladder. “Crash.”
Enzo winces, and for a moment Maya thinks she might have to step in, but she notices the woman a few steps away from Enzo, his mom probably, give her a soft smile. As if to say it’s okay. After a few seconds, almost as if he recalculated, Enzo speaks up again, slowly. “Okay, but… it’s a low-speed crash.”
Oliver laughs, loud and unrestrained, and immediately rolls with it.
Across from them, Carina exhales in surprise. She’d been hovering, ready to intervene after giving him a chance to process it himself. She was ready to redirect and explain. But Enzo has already moved closer, joining Oliver who had sat himself on the floor with no hesitation.
Maya stands, one hand still holding Oliver’s Spider-man backpack he had begged her for, watching as her son settles into the dirt like he’s always belonged there.
She meets Carina’s eyes, and there’s a flicker of something. Recognition, maybe, or just relief. “I’m Maya,” she says, “That’s Oliver.”
“I’m Carina,” the woman replies, her accent warm and rounded, “That’s Lorenzo, but everyone calls him Enzo.”
As if summoned by his name, Enzo looks up again. Silently observing the interactions between the adults, unlike Oliver, who decides he has something more important to say than silly introductions. “Mommy! Enzo is my friend.” He announces.
Maya laughs, a little startled. “Oh?”
He nods firmly, no doubt in his eyes. “Yeah, he likes fire trucks too.”
Carina smiles, small, careful, but real. “That does tend to be important to him.”
Enzo’s eyes dart between the three people while he bites his cheek ever so slightly. Like he’s considering something important. “Mamma, he doesn’t touch my things without asking like Scout did.”
“I asked,” Oliver confirms proudly before frowning. “Well- I did crash my truck into his, but I asked after that!”
“So yes,” Enzo says, satisfied. “We are friends.”
Not even a second after he said that the bell rings, but beyond Enzo looking up towards the speaker, neither boy moves. Maya and Carina exchange another look, this one is softer, amused and a touch helpless. “Well,” Maya says. “I guess we’ll be seeing each other.”
“Sì, It seems so.” Carina nods.
Oliver beams, standing back up with his truck in one hand, his other hand outstretched to Enzo, an invite to help him get back up. Enzo grabs his ladder before accepting the hand. He turns around, carefully handing his ladder to Carina before taking his backpack from her.
The second Oliver sees it he gasps. “Enzo! We have the same backpack!” He beams as he takes his own bag from Maya, showing off the identical Spider-man pattern. Enzo’s smile grows as he rocks sideways. “It’s the same!”
Carina is about to interrupt the boys to make sure they enter the school on time when Oliver turns back to Maya, tugging on her sleeve. “Mommy, can Enzo come over sometime?”
Maya snorts while Carina laughs.
“Maybe we can figure something out, probie. Let’s get to class now first okay? Miss Parker is waiting for you both.”
Enzo sits at the end of the table. He didn’t choose the seat, Miss Parker had pointed to it after he placed his bag and lunchbox away, and Enzo simply nodded and sat down. He doesn’t mind this spot, there aren’t any tables behind him, and he can see everyone in the class and the door too.
Seconds later Oliver sits down next to him, “I asked!”
Enzo cocks his head to the side. “What did you ask?”
“If I could sit with you! Casey was supposed to sit here, but she lives in my street and she isn’t very nice. Mommy says I don’t have to play with her but I do have to be nice.” His face visibly contorted. Like he doesn’t quite agree with Maya’s decision.
“Miss Parker let you change seats?”
“Yes! She said we get to try today! If it goes okay, I get to stay with you!”
Enzo seems to consider it for a moment before nodding. “I like that. Now we can talk more about firetrucks and spider-man!”
“Yes! I like him. He shoots webs out of his arms.” Oliver adds helpfully.
“Not all of them,” Enzo corrects. “Some of them use web-shooters. They’re mechanical. Like MBC Peter Parker. They build their web-shooters. But he’s always awesome Spider-Man!”
“Oh… well… that’s cooler.” An impressed look on his face.
They sit in a comfortable quiet while the other kids talk over each other, voices too loud, chairs scraping. Enzo fidgets with the pencils on his table, lining them up, once in a while his eyes go up to observe everything in the room, eyes always tracking from left to right, looking at everything in the same order each time.
“Do you want my pencils too? To line them up?” Oliver asks carefully.
He softly shakes his head, this is okay. “I like to line my things up, it makes my head quieter.”
Oliver carefully considers it for a moment. “My head is loud,” voice cheerful. “But I don’t mind.”
Later, during free play, Enzo is on the rug with a plastic fire engine and ladder. It’s not as good as his own but… this will do for at school.
He turns the ladder slowly, counting the clicks under his breath before Oliver plops down across from him, a sports car in his hands.
“My mommy is a firefighter.” He announces.
Enzo’s head snaps up immediately, trucks forgotten. “Really?”
“Yeah. She rides in the trucks! Actually she drives them sometimes!”
He scoots closer, his brown eyes wide open. “What kind?”
“I don’t know,” Oliver admits. “The red kind.”
“That’s so many options,” Enzo says seriously, “what kind of firefighter?”
Oliver lights up, clearly proud of his mommy. “She’s a captain!”
Enzo’s eyes widen again, “Maybe your mommy rides in the engine,” he says before he pushes the engine toward Oliver. “You can hold it.”
Oliver carefully accepts it, almost like it’s something sacred.
Miss Parker had told them to stay in their seats until she called their names, that's when they could get up and into the line.
“Lorenzo DeLuca?”
Enzo stiffens.
That’s what his mamma calls him when he’s in trouble. Always Lorenzo, but only DeLuca when he’s in trouble. Everyone else just calls him Enzo.
“Enzo,” he corrects quietly.
Miss Parker smiles kindly, “Of course. Enzo.”
His shoulders relax, and he gets up, quickly grabbing his backpack before standing next to Oliver.
Once everyone is in line they slowly make their way over to the exit. Once they walk through the door, the blonde boy reaches over, tugging on Enzo’s sleeve. “You’re my friend now, right?”
A smile grows on his face, “Yes, definitely! You are my friend too.”
Oliver grins, already looking around until he spots his mommy. “Mommy!” he calls. “He’s still my friend!”
Oliver sprints ahead, barely missing another kid until he jumps into Maya’s arms. Enzo isn’t far behind, falling into Carina’s embrace before taking his engine out of her hands.
Friends, he decides, are very good.
The second Oliver released himself from the hug he’s already rambling about the day. How he asked to sit next to Enzo, that Casey was still mean but he was nice just like she said. He tells her about Alexis mixing the playdough colours and Jamie who was really good at colouring.
That’s when he drops the next thing. “Oh mommy! Enzo is coming to the fire station!”
She blinks. “He is?”
“Yeah! This week!” He continues, utterly confident. “Because he loves fire trucks and everything!”
“I noticed that this morning,” Maya says carefully, her gaze slipping over to Carina. “So you invited him?”
Oliver frowns, like she’s missed something painfully obvious. “Fire stations have fire trucks. You work there.”
“I do,” she agrees. “But you have to ask me first, remember?”
“But Enzo really loves them, mommy!” He insists. “And he’s never been inside one. Only outside!” His blue eyes, so similar to Maya’s, are practically begging.
Maya crouches down in front of him, her voice kind and gentle. “Okay, but loving something doesn’t mean we get to decide by ourselves. I have to talk to his mom first, we have to find out if she’s okay with it, and when we could do this.”
Oliver is quiet for a moment and she can almost see the radars in his head turning. “You can talk fast.”
She snorts despite herself, looking up at Carina who’s stifling a laugh herself. “That’s not how it works, probie.”
Carina clears her throat, shooting a wink at Maya before turning to Oliver. “I assume I am the mamma in question?”
He turns around, immediately faced with Enzo looking at them with hopeful eyes next to Carina. Holding his engine in one hand while the other traces the side of it.
“Apparently,” Maya says, equal parts amused and apologetic, “our sons have scheduled a field trip.”
Carina arches her brow. “Without planning it with us?”
A hand tugs at her sleeve and big brown eyes stare up at her. “I thought you would say yes, mamma.”
Carina softens, “I might,” she says gently. “But I need to hear the plan first. We cannot just show up at a fire station.”
“Ah- sorry, I had to leave this morning before I could properly introduce myself.” Maya admits embarrassedly , one hand in her neck. “I’m a captain at Station 19.”
“So when Oliver said you worked at the station, you don’t just work there.”
“Guilty as charged. Maybe we can find a moment this week to talk first, as adults, before the children run with it, make an actual plan?”
“The plan is fire trucks!” Oliver beams.
“Yeah!” Enzo squeaks next to him.
Carina and Maya exchange a look before breaking into matching laughter.
“An actual plan, with times and dates.” Carina clarifies, disappointment clear on the boys’ faces.
Enzo nods, not agreeing, but accepting, for now. “That is fair, Mamma.”
Carina meets Maya’s eyes, a small smile tugging at her mouth. “I have to go now, but maybe we can meet up after school on Wednesday?”
“Please,” Maya says. “Before they plan a ride-along.”
Oliver gasps, delighted, as if he’d forgotten the option until just now. While Enzo’s eyes go wide. “My book said ride alongs can be dangerous,” he says seriously. “But it's really fun too!”
Maya sighs. “See what I mean?”
And somehow, just like that, they’re already walking toward the parking lot together.
The next day, Carina is standing by the school door for pick up. Andrea had brought Enzo to school this morning so she was excited to get her baby back after a night working at the hospital. Her eyes scanned the playground as she waited for Enzo to appear, and couldn’t help but notice Maya wasn’t here now. Instead, after giving Enzo a hug, Oliver is running over to a man with messy brown hair.
She’s about to walk away with Enzo, who has taken his firetruck from her already, when Miss Parker stops her. “Before you go,” she says lightly. “I just wanted to share something small from today.”
Carina’s posture shifts automatically. Enzo seems unbothered, looking at his engine the way he always does. “Is everything okay?”
“Oh yes,” she assures her quickly, “very okay. It was actually quite sweet. I called him Lorenzo again this morning by accident.” She continues. “And he corrected me, very politely.”
“Only I call him that.” Her voice is kind, a soft smile on her face as she glanced over to him.
“That’s what Oliver told me,” Miss Parker says amused. “With great conviction.”
Carina blinks. “Oliver?”
She knew the boys had quickly become friends but she hadn’t expected this. For him to have Lorenzo’s back on something so seemingly small.
“His new friend, they spent most of the day together, yesterday too. And Oliver made it very clear that Enzo prefers Enzo.”
She glances over at her son, catching his eyes before he looks back down at his engine, cheeks just a little pink.
“I wanted you to know,” Miss Parker adds gently, “that he advocated for himself, and his friend backed him up. It was lovely to see. I know you were worried about Enzo fitting in, but he truly found a great friendship in Oliver. And I have added a note on my register to call him Enzo.”
Carina exhales, something warm and unexpected settling in her chest. “Thank you. For telling me.”
Miss Parker nods, saying one more thing before walking back into the school. “They balance each other well.”
Carina gathers Enzo’s jacket and kneels in front of him. “Did you have a good day?”
Enzo considers it seriously. “Yes.”
“Because of school,” Carina prompts.
“And Oliver,” he adds, a smile on his face now.
Carina smiles. “I thought so.”
“Casey isn’t nice though, she doesn’t listen to the rules of the games. But Oliver said it was okay if we ignored her and played our own game.”
She wasn’t sure how to handle that, on one hand she didn’t want to teach him it was okay to ignore people, but she’d heard Oliver’s comment about Casey yesterday as well. But before she can comment on it, Enzo is already continuing. “Oliver’s mommy is a firefighter.”
Carina hums. “I know, we talked about it yesterday, didn’t we?”
“Yes. She rides in the truck.”
Carina pauses before she nods. “That is very brave.”
Enzo thinks for a moment. “Oliver is brave too. Did you talk to his mommy again? So we can go to the station nineteen and see the trucks with Oliver and his Mommy?”
Carina squeezes his hand, “Not yet bambino. Tomorrow after school, I said Maya and Oliver can come over to our house.”
Hopeful eyes look up at her, “Can I show him my cars?”
She smiles, leaning down to kiss his head. “You definitely can. It does mean we have to watch our movie another time. You think that will be okay?”
He considered it for a moment, hands fidgeting with his engine. “I think so. Oliver is nice and- this is for something fun. But… we will watch it later?”
“Maybe we can watch it before bedtime tonight instead.” She smiles.
His eyes widen once more, “Evening movie!” He says before running off towards the car. “Lorenzo! Be careful! No running by the cars!”
On Wednesday, Enzo had been sitting in front of the window from the moment they’d gotten home, silently rocking his body to the beat of the music coming from the radio.
Originally Maya and Oliver were supposed to drive after them, but Oliver had fallen in some mud at school, so they decided to go home first and quickly get changed into clean clothes.
“They’re here! Mamma they’re here!”
Carina can barely contain the smile on her face, Lorenzo has played with neighbours and her friends' kids. But never before did he have a friend like Oliver.
She walks to the door, quickly moving in front of Lorenzo before he opens the door himself. “You piccolo, aren’t supposed to open the door, sì?”
He lets out an exasperated sigh. “Sì, but Oliver is my friend! And! And! I saw it was him!”
She laughs as she opens the door. “Still not happening.”
She turns to Maya and Oliver who was wearing a big grin and a jumper covered in foxes. In his hands is a small bag and Oliver lights up the moment Enzo looks at him.
“Enzo! I brought some of my firetrucks! And- And- Travis got me a car that looks like it’s been in a crash, so we can make a scene and a pile up!”
Not even seconds later the boys are running inside and Enzo is showing Oliver where to dump the cars out. A sound that makes both women cringe. “They’re… loud.” Maya says fondly though with a little wince.
“Enzo is usually quieter,” Carina admits. “But he has been talking about Oliver since Monday.”
The firefighter smiles, similar to Enzo, Oliver has been telling everybody who will listen about his new friend Enzo who loves firetrucks and spider-man. “So has Oliver, I think the entire station knows about him by now.”
While that isn’t something Carina expected to hear, she recovers quickly and invites Maya in properly. They walk to the kitchen table where Carina joins her with a cup of tea for each of them not long later.
“I should say,” Maya begins, “I don’t usually do playdates, my schedule can be-”
“Unpredictable.” Carina finishes, nodding knowingly. “I’m a doctor, an OBGYN. I understand chaos that calls itself trying to plan anything. Babies wait for no one, and I’m guessing, neither does fire.”
She huffs a laugh. “That’s exactly it. Oliver- his entire family is basically formed in the station, which can make it complicated sometimes. But I want this for him, that normalcy other kids have too. The playdates and friendships that exist out of school too.”
Carina is about to respond when they hear something crashing in the living room, cars, by the sound of it. Yet both of them tense before Enzo’s voice can be heard. “It’s okay. It was a controlled accident.”
They relax at the same time. “He does that,” Carina says. “Narrates, he- he likes order in his games. And we’ve been working on sharing but he can be… rigid.”
“I kind of love it,” Maya replies. “I can be rigid myself and, well I’ve been a lot less since I’ve had Oliver, but I can appreciate order, even in games. It took me a while to get the hang of him playing that- chaotic, no narrative. To the point where I think he almost preferred playing with Jack, but we got there in the end. I’m officially allowed to play with him again since I’ve followed his lead.” She laughs.
Her laugh is contagious, and Carina finds herself laughing just seconds later. “He seems to adore you, so I'm sure you’re doing something right.”
Her cheeks heat up and she quickly changes the topic, “So, about the station visit.”
“Yes, Lorenzo has mentioned your job about fourteen times a day.”
Maya smiles sheepishly, swallowing an apology on the tip of her tongue. “Well, he’s always welcome to ask all the questions he has. I never mind.”
“Careful,” the doctor smirks. “You might regret that when you realize just how obsessed he is with it.”
From the living room came another crash, immediately followed by laughter.
“Lorenzo- he needs to know expectations ahead of time.”
“That works for us, I like clarity. I’ve always told Oliver the plans too. By now, we’re a ‘say it out loud’ household.” Maya replies, a hint of hesitation in her eyes, almost as if she’s questioning if she said the right thing, but seems to relax as Carina’s shoulders drop.
“I was always much more relaxed but, with Lorenzo’s needs for structure… Well, we’re a ‘no surprises’ family now. My brother-” She laughs to herself, shaking her head. “He planned a surprise party for his fourth birthday, spider-man themed- thought he’d love it. But he was so overwhelmed with the change in plans that he sat down on a chair in a corner with his firetruck, all silent. He didn’t say a word until the next day. So, no more surprises here. Just safety.”
Maya gave a soft smile, blue eyes looking right at her. “We can work with that. I don’t love surprises myself, Oliver is adaptable, and he loves Enzo. And I think they already work really well together.”
Carina smiles, soft and real. “Me too.”
“If you guys want, we can schedule a day for you to visit the fire station with him next week? I’m off on Monday, so if a call comes in I wouldn’t have to go, my Lieutenants will hold the fort down. I could show you around?"
A smirk grows on Carina’s face. “Oh, a tour by the fire captain? Are you sure that’s not below your paygrade?”
“For you and Enzo I’ll make an exception.” She laughs.
“Then sì, we’d love to. Lorenzo is going to be so excited.” A soft smile spreads over her face, her gaze slipping to the boys right as Oliver announces, “We’re making a fire station!”
“It needs doors that open correctly.” Enzo adds.
Maya chuckles. “Guess this playdate will be happening again.”
Carina lifts her mug in agreement. “I hope so.”
It was only on Friday that they saw each other again. Oliver had gone to school with their neighbours. Their kid, Wylder, was in a grade above Oliver, but the boys got along well enough, and when his dad had offered to bring Oliver as well, Maya had hesitantly accepted.
Thursday mornings is one of those moments where she has a gap in childcare. Everyone is at the station, she herself is supposed to be there at 7.
School starts at 7.55.
Normally they should have a baby sitter to be there and bring him to school but, not this time.
Carina hadn’t been there in the afternoon, and Friday morning she could have Travis bring him before he came to shift.
And according to Travis a boy with a fire engine had been dropped off by a man who spoke Italian.
And now it was Friday afternoon. Pick up time.
Maya spots the Italian in seconds, a smile spreading across her face as she walks over. “Carina! Hi! How are you?”
Carina looks away from the entrance, “Good! Lorenzo hasn’t stopped talking about the playdate.”
“Oh good, neither had Oliver, you’d think he never plays with friends.” She laughs.
They fall into a comfortable silence for a moment, until Carina perks up again, mouth twitching like she’s holding back a laugh. “So, Lorenzo informed Andrea that there was a firefighter in our house.”
“Oh no.” Maya groans immediately, she knows how that sounds, and especially how that might sound to somebody who doesn’t know.
“He was very alarmed,” Carina continues, the amusement clear in her voice. “I considered not telling him, the wide eyes, and endless questions were a little funny. But I fixed it. Had Lorenzo explain that his new friend Oliver’s mommy is a firefighter. A fire captain.” She smiles, fond, and maybe a little proud on Maya’s behalf.
The blonde ducks her head with a laugh. “Yeah, well. According to my son, I also drive the truck.”
“You don’t?” Carina asks with genuine interest.
“No, which he knows. Because I told him, repeatedly.” Maya sighs. “But apparently ‘Captain’ sounds less impressive than being the person who gets to drive the big red truck.”
Right at that moment, Oliver bursts through the school doors, backpack half-zipped, eyes lighting up when he spots Maya. Enzo is right on his heels, ready to throw himself into his Mamma’s embrace.
“Mamma!”
“Mommy!”
The blonde boy reaches them first, skidding to a stop in front of Maya. “Mommy! Guess what, I was brave today!”
Maya automatically drops into a crouch. “Oh yeah? What happened?”
“There was a spider,” he says solemnly. “An actual one. And I let him crawl on my arm.”
“You- you did what?” Maya’s face contorted into something Carina could only describe as complicated. For now though, she simply bites her lip, clearly enjoying this.
Lorenzo however, had wiggled himself out of the hug, dropped his bag on the floor and climbed up on the fence. Just sitting there, legs swinging.
Did she love that her son liked to be a piccolo scimmione? No. She was quite certain he was bound to break a bone at this rate, but she’d also learned, slowly, to let him try, and fall.
Now however, her attention was split between her little monkey and Maya with Oliver.
“It was small,” Oliver adds helpfully. “And I didn’t scream. Not like auntie Vic!”
“You didn’t,” Maya agrees carefully. “That is… very brave.” She gently brushes imaginary spider legs off his sleeve anyway. “But you don’t have to do that again.”
Oliver seems to be oblivious to Maya’s reaction, grinning as he continues his story. “Enzo said maybe I’m Spider-Man now!”
“Nope.” She says instantly. “Absolutely not. You are six. Not a crime fighter.”
Enzo jumps down from the fence, unbothered. “I like the monkey bars better,” he announces. “I can go upside down. Or the swings, I like swinging too.”
“I know you do, you’re apparently part monkey.” Carina says fondly.
They start to walk toward the cars together, the boys walking ahead, deep in an argument about Spider-Man and Iron-Man.
“So,” Maya says, softer now. “Is it just me, or is food the most unpredictable thing with a six year old?”
The Italian snorts. “Lorenzo will only eat broccoli if I overcook it, which has been a… weird adjustment. So, I’d say definitely not a you problem.”
The blonde laughs, “Oliver decided this week that broccoli is ‘bad’ again. Last week however, it was fine and now- no explanation.
“Children are very decisive,” Carina agrees easily.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so wrong to have another friend like Maya.
Maya stares at her phone for a moment longer than necessary before typing.
Maya:
Hey, I know this is a really random question, but apparently it is very urgent question. Oliver wants to know if Enzo likes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
The reply comes quicker than she expects.
Carina:
Oh-
No. Absolutely not.
Maya snorts, already imagining Oliver’s offended face.
Maya:
I had a feeling. Is it a texture thing or a “that is not real food” thing?
Carina:
Both, but it is also….
It is… very American.
Maya:
Fair. In his defense, Oliver currently believes peanut butter is a major food group.
A pause.
Carina:
Lorenzo eats bread with chocolate. I cannot judge.
Maya:
That sounds objectively better, honestly.
Another pause, the kind that feels comfortable, not awkward.
Carina:
Oliver was very serious about the sandwich question.
Maya:
He takes lunch diplomacy seriously. Wants to make sure Enzo feels welcome.
Carina:
That is very sweet.
Also, please tell him Enzo will survive without peanut butter.
Maya:
I will break it to him gently.
Then, almost as an afterthought-
Carina:
You know… if Oliver ever wants to try something less American, I can give you ideas.
She smiles at the screen.
Maya:
Careful. If you start upgrading his lunches, I might never forgive you.
Carina:
I think you would survive.
Maya exhales, amused, a little warmer than she expected to feel over a conversation about sandwiches.