CatWalk

Thirty-Seven

Marinette picked up Emma, Krut, Levi at school then stopped by the daycare that was only a few blocks away from the school to pick up Remy. Then Marinette took them to their home to pick up their toothbrushes and anything else they needed to spend the night.

Marinette was given a spare key as soon as Alya and Nino moved in. Now, this apartment seemed a little small to raise three boys in and possibly a fourth. Alya and Nino had agreed that they would move out if baby number four was a girl just because she wouldn't want to share a room with any of her brothers. 'A girls got to have her space.' a sort of motto of their Aunt Nora's.

"Mari, can I bring Mikey?" Kurt asked as he tried to hold up an orange masked stuffed teenage mutant turtle doll that was a foot or two taller than him.

"Of course you can." Marinette said trying to help Remy pack for the one night stay. The other two just stuffed random items of clothing into their book bags not caring if they were smashing their homework or not.

Marinette finished helping Remy who found drawing on his bedroom wall more interesting than packing a bag. Marinette just shook her head when she saw'll the messy creation. He looked up at her with his big golden eyes and said "Remy, sowwy."

Marinette should have been mad but this was the least frustrating moment in her life. Marinette knew he had a tendency to draw on the walls when not directed to do something more productive like choosing which coloring books to take.

"How about you go with you go find Emma while I clean this up?" Marinette asked Remy who nodded in agreement. He easily found Emma raiding the refrigerator for food. Emma wasn't a starving child but she has a fast metabolism. Nino always had their refrigerator packed full since three boys and a pregnant wife ate a lot.

Marinette walk into the kitchen and grabbed some baking soda and a wet wash cloth. A mom's hack on getting crayon off of walls. It was sure better than repainting the wall.

"Emma, don't eat everything we're going to the store after this to buy food for dinner, okay?" Marinette told her daughter who pulled up a chair to get the pudding cups on the top shelf of the refrigerator.

"Can we get pudding cups?" Emma asked grabbed a pudding cup and tore it from the others. Remy watched in awe. He thought Emma was really smart.

"Sure." Marinette replied.

After everything was all said and done. The boys packed, the wall cleaned, pudding eaten it was time to get them all in her sliver Infinity. Kurt and Levi liked to play with the seat warmers in the second row while the third didn't have that luxury.

However, Marinette always put Remy in the second row due to safety reasons.  He was still car seat bound unlike his brothers. So Kurt and Levi always used rock paper scissors to determine who would sit in the mid-section.

Emma didn't care. She usually fell asleep if the ride was more then ten minutes long.  Remy did the same but he had an excuse at two and a half. With the kids loaded up, Mikey buckled in between Kurt and Emma and wheels on the bus blasting from the speakers it was time to head to the store.

At the store Marinette had rules. If someone wanted to go to the toy section they had to have a buddy to go with them. Just for safety. Marinette used to divide and conquer with Luka. He would take the boys while she bought the groceries with Emma who liked food more than toys. Another rule was that they had to tell her were they were going and not run off.

"Mari, can I go see the legos?" Levi asked.

"Yes, as long as Kurt goes with you."

As soon as Marinette gave verbal permission they were off similar to horses on racetrack. Remy pouted and crossed his arms in response to his brothers running off without him.

"Your too young." Marinette said which was true but he was also very destructive. Once Marinette took him to a fabric store. He threw a tantrum because he didn't want to be in the cart so Marinette put him on the ground then he proceeded to rip up a fashion magazine. Marinette definitely understood what other moms meant by 'terrible twos'.

Marinette quickly made some funny faces. A remedy that Alya taught Marinette after his tantrums progressed. With this new trick they were slowly decreasing especially in public.

As Marinette traveled the food isles her iphone rung. She was getting tired of phone calls and probably won't of even answered if she didn't think it was Alya or Nino calling about baby number four's gender.

"What size shoe does Emma wear?" A stern voice on the other end asked.

"Five." Marinette replied recognizing the voice as Gabriel Agreste's. After replying he hung up on her. Thinking about why Gabriel would want to know Emma's shoe size she turned the corner to head into the pasta isle and accidentally ran her cart into another cart.

"Sorry." She told the owner of the other cart who was none other then her red haired high school classmate, Nathaniel Kurtzberg.

"That's okay." He states then he noticed Remy. "This is one of Alya and Nino's boys I presume."

Marinette nodded. "His name is Remy."

"Well, hello Remy. I'm Nathaniel." He waved trying to get a friendly reaction out of Remy who just stuck his tongue out at him.

"Guess you don't like me." Nathaniel said sounding if he was used to it somehow.

"He doesn't like many adults." Marinette replied noticing a small version of Nathaniel latched to his hip.

"Hi ..." Marinette didn't know Nathaniel's son's actual name. Emma called him 'Chalk boy' and Nathaniel called him 'Tomato Junior.'

"Ezra." Nathaniel said as his son noticed Emma who was looking at the cheese sauces. Ezra quickly left his father's side and went over to Emma.

"Emma." Erza smiled tugging on the straps of her denim overalls.

"Boop." Emma said as she booped Erza's nose then went back to deciding which sauce she was going to beg her mom to buy.

"Something wrong?" Marinette asked Nathaniel who was watching his son interact with Emma.

"This is the most I've seen Ezra interact in public. He has a severe social anxiety problem which usually involves a call from the school. I been trying to see if bring him to stores would help and I've seen a little bit of progress." Nathaniel explained.
"So, I apologize if I seemed shocked."

"If there's anything I can do to help Let me know." Marinette told Nathaniel being the same 'I'll help You however I can' Marinette she's always been.

"Can I have you number?" Nathaniel asked. "That sounded like a pick up line of some sort. That's not what I meant. I'm happily married and yes, I want your number but for Erza's sake. Maybe, we could schedule play dates."

Marinette laughed at Nathaniel just enough for a Remy to laugh too. Remy had no idea what the adults were talking about but since Aunt Mari was laughing it was probably funny.

"That's fine." Marinette replied as they handed each other their phone to type in their numbers in the other ones phone.

"We've got to get going. Lila should probably be home." Nathanael told Marinette.

"Come on, TJ." Nathaniel called. Erza looked at Emma one last time before he went with his father. Emma then waited until Nathaniel and Ezra were at the other end of the isle. Then, she ran up behind Ezra and gave him a great big goodbye hug.

"Bye, Chalky." Emma stated before returning to were her mother was.

"What would you like to eat?" Marinette asked Remy who tried to say spaghetti but epically failed.

"Spaghetti it is." Marinette smiled knowing how to translate toddler babbling.

Marinette skimmed through the red sauces and grabbed four sauce jars labeled with the word 'Prego'.  She hoped four jars was enough to feed her, Emma, Levi, Kurt, Remy, and Luka.