Title: "We Have a Problem"

Author: Veritas Found

Rating: K Plus / PG / Most Ages

Characters/Pairings: Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng; Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Summary: Daddy's little girl is growing up, and of course she's taking after her mother.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Notes/Warnings: Adult/married life. Domestic fluff because we all frikkin Need It. Who wants WIPW when I can just drop a ficlet. C:

7/20/20 Edit: ONE FRIKKIN LINE has been added towards the end after HCs were expanded and it was determined four kids aren't enough. They need a full-on house band, you see. (The twins are Hugo and Louis – Huey and Louie – and Dominic – Dewey – is the youngest. It's Lani's fault.)

"We Have a Problem"

"We have a problem."

Luka couldn't stop the grin from curling his lips when the video cleared and Marinette appeared on the screen. He propped his phone against the window of the bus and leaned his head against the glass, smiling dopily at her.

"I'll say," he hummed. "Who told you you could look that amazing when I'm not home to enjoy it?"

"Wha…Luka!" she laughed. She nearly dropped her phone in her attempt to cover her mouth. Nearly fifteen years of marriage – twenty-two years since she'd first stumbled into his cabin stuttering about grooves – and he could still make her blush. She looked down at herself and gave him an exasperated smile. There really wasn't anything special about her outfit: it was just a light pink tank top, probably paired with yoga pants. It wasn't like it was that sexy midnight blue number she'd whipped up for Jagged's last release party. "You are such a dork."

"I've been on the road for almost a month," he groaned. "Darning, you could wear a flour sack right now and be the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

Her face turned a darker shade of red when he dipped his head, letting that smirk that always got to her curl his lips.

"…actually, you could do that while I'm home and still be the sexiest thing I've ever seen," he said in a low growl. She picked at the strap of her tank top and looked away from the phone, but she was still smiling. He chuckled and leaned his head back against the window. "I miss you, Ma-Ma-Marinette."

"I miss you, too," she said, finally looking back at the phone. "We all do. That's why I called!"

"You said we have a problem?" he asked. He looked down at the guitar he had in his lap, picking out a few chords while he waited for her to continue. She was walking through their home, up the steps to the kids' rooms.

"Harmony has a new classmate," she said, giggling slightly. He looked up, eyebrows raised.

"…good or bad classmate?" he asked. Marinette had stopped outside their oldest daughter's door. The house was suspiciously quiet – the kids mustn't be home yet. At least the twins weren't.

"That remains to be seen," she said. "He just transferred in this week."

"But…?" Luka asked, leaning onto his guitar and grinning at her. She winked at him and opened Harmony's door, and a bark of laughter escaped him when she pointed the camera inside.

Harmony's room was as tidy as it ever was. Her bed had been meticulously made, her desk was clear and organized, and even her favorite yellow guitar was resting in its stand by the window. There wasn't even a hoodie tossed carelessly on her floor. What had caught his attention and made him laugh, however, was the wall above her desk. The band posters were gone. The photography stills her Aunt Juleka had sent her were missing. Replacing them were photographs and magazine clippings, all featuring a dark-haired Asian boy with warm brown eyes. In every photo he wore a serious, focused expression that reminded him of someone he used to know. Marinette brought the phone closer to one of the cutouts, and he realized why the boy was so familiar.

The cutout was from a fencing competition, featuring the winning student: Riku Tsurugi. In the photograph, standing with the judges behind him, Luka recognized an older Kagami.

He was still laughing when Marinette turned the camera back towards herself.

"Her teacher asked her to show him around the school. Help him adjust," Marinette giggled. "He told her her organizational system was admirable. The pictures started going up Monday night."

"Oh my God," he wheezed, doubling over his guitar and covering his face with his hands. He peeked out at her between his fingers. "Does she have his schedule memorized yet?"

"Hey!" Marinette whined, laughing as she leaned on Harmony's desk. "It's only been three days – it took me much longer to memorize Adrien's schedule!"

"True," he chuckled. "Accounting for bi-weekly and monthly commitments, it had to take you at least a month."

"I had yours down quicker," she hummed, looking over her shoulder and smiling at Harmony's wall. He laughed again.

"Only because I stole your planner and penciled it in," he teased. Her face was turning red again. He groaned and pressed his face back into his hands. "God, I can't believe our baby girl has her first crush."

"…I can't believe it's on Kagami's son," Marinette snickered. "Harmony is going to die. Kagami stopped by my office yesterday to catch up. She's coming over with her husband and Riku this weekend for dinner. You're still getting in on Friday, right? We were thinking Saturday, but her schedule is also clear for Sunday if that would work better."

"Saturday's fine. I wouldn't miss it for the world, darning," he said. He laughed again. "Well, she did inherit your…organizational system. I guess it figures she'd inherit your stalker crush tendencies, too."

"She's not stalking him yet," Marinette hummed. He sat up and propped his head on his hand, his elbow resting on the back of the bench he was sitting on.

"Mari," he said, pleading. "Where is she? Right now?"

"…with Jenni and the girls," she said dismissively, looking away from the camera. He raised his eyebrows, and she rolled her eyes. "…at fencing tryouts."

He fell back against the bench, no longer laughing but full-on cackling. His guitar fell from his lap and clanged against the floor, and one of his bandmates – who was trying to catch a nap in the back – yelled at him to shut up. It took a few minutes, but when he could finally stop laughing he pushed himself back up. He wiped at his eyes and grinned at the phone. Marinette was trying to look annoyed, but she was still smiling at him.

"Are you quite done?" she asked.

"I love you," he gasped, clutching his stomach. "So much. You and the beautiful disasters we made."

"Melody's not so bad, but she hasn't discovered boys yet," Marinette said. "The twins…they've inherited your mother's penchant for chaos, so God help us when they hit puberty."

He snickered as he thought of their boys, Hugo and Louis, seven years old and hurricanes on their best days. He didn't even want to imagine the terrors they'd grow into. He refused to think about Dominic, who was only four but already looking like he'd take after his older brothers.

"I love you," he said, grinning as he flopped his head against his arm.

"I need to get dinner started," she said. "I just wanted to let you know. So you could be prepared."

"I can't wait," he laughed. "I'll see you Friday?"

"I'll have the flour sack on," she teased, blowing him a kiss. He started laughing again as the call disconnected.

Friday couldn't get here fast enough.