Highschool Lovers

teeny tiny baby

I sit on the edge of the couch, cradling little Luke against my chest. He's so new, so breathlessly cute with his tiny fists and soft little snores. But right now? Right now, he's wide awake and way too interested in the chaos erupting in the living room.

"Mia! Stop jumping on the sofa!" I can hear Adrien's voice rise above the clamor.

"I'm a kangaroo, Daddy!" Mia responds, her voice full of excitement.

"More like a crazed kangaroo," I mumble, shifting Luke slightly.

"Y/n, can you please come help? I swear these two are going to destroy the place!" Adrien calls back, exasperation lacing his tone.

"Just a second!" I huff. I've barely managed to find a comfortable position to feed Luke. Not to mention, I still feel the aftereffects of childbirth like a stubborn shadow. "I'm trying to put him down for a nap!"

Luke lets out a tiny whimper, and I immediately bounce him, looking down into those big, curious eyes. "Shh, buddy, it's okay. We'll get through this."

Suddenly, I hear a loud crash. "Charlie!" Adrien's voice rings out, tinged with a little panic. "What did you do?!"

"I was just building! It's fine!" Charlie's innocent voice followed by more giggles erupts as he shrieks in laughter with Chandler.

"Fine? You think the living room looks fine?! There's a mountain of toys! It's like a tornado hit a toy store!"

"It's a fun tornado!" Mia shouts, launching herself from the sofa again.

"A tornado?! Let's make it a thunderstorm!" Chandler chimes in, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Okay, that's it! You three need to calm down!" Adrien rumbles, his voice rising slightly. "Don't make me come over there!"

I try to stifle my laughter. "Wow, it's really nice seeing you lose control for once," I say, looking over at him.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want, but I need you!"

"Luke won't let me put him down. He thinks his siblings are the best show in town. Besides, my knees might just give out."

"Just hang in there. I'll get the twins under control."

"Mia, go save your brother from Charlie!"

"Why? I'm a kangaroo!"

"That makes you the kangaroo rescue team!"

Mia leaps back into action while I continue to hold Luke, who's now squirming with curiosity. "See, buddy," I say to him, "It's all about teamwork. We're all in this together."

"Moooom!" Charlie wails suddenly, and I arch an eyebrow at the commotion. "Chandler's trying to take my toy!"

"It's my toy now!" Chandler screeches back, pulling at a plush dinosaur.

The chaos escalates, and for a moment, I'm lost in it all, watching Luke's eyes dart back and forth, like he's taking mental notes. "You're going to grow up thinking this is normal, you know," I say to him quietly.

"I might need to call for backup," Adrien says with a serious face, hands on his hips as the twins begin a tug-of-war. "Okay, that's enough! I need you all to—"

"All you need to do is breathe!" I cut in.

He turns to me, incredulous. "Breathe? With this madness?"

The sounds of laughter and shouts clash together like a symphony gone wildly off-key. "I don't know how you do it, but I admire your bravery. Can't you just negotiate a nap time with Luke?"

I glance at my tiny son again, who lets out a tiny yawn that melts my heart. "I'd try, but I think he thinks the chaos is more entertaining than sleep."

"Maybe we can set up a playpen in the living room—"

"No, no," I quickly interject. "That'll just make things more chaotic."

Mia suddenly lunges at the twins, and they all collapse in a pile of giggles.

"Okay, how about a trade?" Adrien suggests, crouching down to the twins' eye level. "If you all help me clean up after you play, then we will have extra story time before bedtime. Deal?"

"Deal!" all three of them shout in unison, and my heart swells with pride.

"See?" I say to Luke, who's finally letting his eyelids droop. "Teamwork!"

With one last glance at his siblings, Luke finally gives in. As he drifts off, I whisper, "Thank goodness. Now if we can just survive the afternoon."

"You can do this, Y/n," Adrien says softly, as I pull the blanket over Luke. "We're in this together."

And just like that, everything feels a little less chaotic.