Chapter 3: One Fiery Uncle
Within hours the almost entire Z team stood in their living room, a space suddenly feeling far too small for the collection of damaged, powerful, and now bewildered individuals. Surprising absolutely no one, despite what he texted, Flambae didn't show up.
The first to arrive were Mandy and Robert, ever the practical one, they had actually brought a gift, a beautifully crafted, dark wooden mobile with tiny, carved Ravens. "I thought it would be appropriate," Mandy said with a genuine smile, handing it to a stunned Coop. "For the kiddo, obviously."
Robert, simply handed Punch up a bottle of what looked like very expensive, very old whiskey. "For you," he said, firmly. "Not the baby. Obviously."
The others had trickled in after, filling the small apartment with a strange, chaotic energy... it was only after they had all left Flambae had bothered to show up.
He stood in the doorway of the apartment, blocking out the hallway light. He held a small, poorly-wrapped gift in one hand and a half-eaten, still-warm box of Gosh-e Fil in the other. He didn't say anything, just stared at Coop, then at Punch Up, his brow furrowed in concentration as if trying to solve a particularly difficult equation, "Where is everyone?" he finally deduced
"Well? Took so long they all left" Coop asked, her arms crossed over her chest. Coop rubbed her temple "what were you even doing?" she asked Before Flambae could answer them, the answer showed itself, as a young girl with long frizzy brown hair step out from behind him and waved "Māmāi, are these your friends?" she asked looking up at her Uncle who nodded
"Awwwww, hello lass" Punch Up cooed
"uh, hello" Coop said, blinking.
The girl looked at Coop, then at Punch Up, then at the small box Flambae was clutching. "Is it a boy or a girl?" she asked, her voice loud and defined.
"We don't know yet," Coop said, a little thrown by the sudden directness.
"Good," the girl said with a decisive nod. " If it's a girl, you should name her Shula. It's a good, strong names." She proudly as she looked pointedly at Flambae. "Much better than Chad."
Flambae actually winced.
"Okay, kid, thanks for the input," Punch up said, a smirk playing on his lips. "Who are you?"
"This is my niece, Shula... she really likes her name" Flambae mumbled, shoving the box of pastries into Punch Up's hands. "She been staying with me for the past couple of months. Her mom had to… run an errand." The way he said "errand" suggested it was something that would take longer than expected.
"I had to go to her music recital, and then she wanted to get Gosh-e Fil, and then when I told her about you two she wanted to wrap the gift I got so I had to pull over" Flambae said gesturing to the present, it was a small box, covered in what looked like a whole roll of bright pink wrapping paper, held together by an entire roll of packing tape. A single, slightly crushed bow was stuck to the top.
"Open it!" Shula commanded, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Coop looked at Flambae, who rubbed his ecstatic niece's head "she's really proud of how she did the wrapping paper" he chuckled. Coop carefully picked at the tape, she produced a knife from her gauntlet and sliced the package open with surgical precision.
Inside the box, nestled in a bed of what looked suspiciously like burnt rent bills was a baby monitor, a stack of baby onisis (of varying sizes), milk bottles and a baby carrier. "everyone always buys you onisis that only fit for like three months," he shrugged "This will get you though at least a year." Coop stared at the pile of surprisingly thoughtful gifts, her throat suddenly feeling tight. "Flambae," she said, her voice uncharacteristically quiet. "This is… this is actually useful." "why are you so surprised? I've taken care of Shula for like half of her life," he said, puffing out his chest
"he's the best Māmāi" Shula said "I try" he muttered "but don't get used to it. This doesn't mean I'm gonna start cleaning up your kid's shit."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Coop said, a small smile playing on her lips. "I've seen what you do to public restrooms." Flambae's eye twitched, but before he could retort, Punch Up, ever the diplomat, cut in. "So, Shula. You like music?"
Shula's face lit up. "Yes! I play the violin. I'm going to be a famous musician one day, and then I'll buy Māmāi a new house so he doesn't have to live in that gross apartment anymore." "hey my apartment is not gross" Flambae pouted "it's lived in." "it has mold in the shower, and a raccoon living in the closet" Shula said deadpan"I thought I got rid of him..." Flambae thought out loud. Before he could finish that thought a loud clatter was heard from the kitchen, followed by a stammering "s-s-s-sorry" "Oh, that'll be Hermy trying to make dinner" Punch up said dusting his hands, "should probably help him" he continued as he headed to the kitchen, Shula following him. Flambae sighed "don't tell me that Water boy is helping raise this thing" Flambae asked, pointing vaguely at Coop's stomach.
"He's ... Colm likes him" Coop said simply, her tone leaving no room for argument. "And he's surprisingly good with kids. He taught Robin how to high-five when we were babysitting her"
Flambae scoffed, but the sound lacked its usual bite.
He watched as Punch Up and Shula both got stepping stools so they could see over the counter into the kitchen, where Waterboy was diligently trying to un-wilt lettuce for a salad while explaining he had dropped three bottles of vinegar. "She seems to like him," Flambae noted, a grudging admission.
"She's a good kid," Coop said, her gaze softening. "Takes after her mother, I bet."
Flambae didn't answer, but the way he looked at Shula, a mixture of fierce pride and profound sadness, was all the confirmation Coop needed. She went to place a reassuring hand onto Flambae's shoulder, but he brushed it off before he could do so, "Coop, are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked, his voice low. "what's that mean to mean?" she asked back getting defensive "Kids deserve... they deserve" he struggled to find his words and stayed quite for a momment "we're not exactly good people," Flambae said, gesturing vaguely to himself and by extension, all of them. "We're a collection of fucked-up ex-criminals, and a guy made of mud. What kind of... childhood is that?" He looked away, his jaw tight. "You're dragging a kid into our mess." "your deflecting" Coop said softly "This isn't about me, or the team. This is about you being scared." Flambae flinched as if she'd struck him, he knew she was right, "yeah, it's just that... you want to be a good mother right?" he asked turning to face her, "of course I do." she said, "yeah, and my sister wanted to as well, but due to... circumstances, things... well she changed" Flambae trailed off "I'm just saying, that kid deserves better, and I know you'll try, but will that be enough?"
The silence in the room stretched, heavy and uncomfortable. For a moment, Coop looked genuinely lost, until finally she muttered
"I don't know, Flambae," she said, her voice quiet but hard as steel. "I don't have a fucking clue if it'll be enough" Flambae realising he had made her upset was about to say something when the smell of something burning came from the kitchen causing them both to look up, followed by a yelp from Waterboy. Punch up then ran out of the kitchen holding a small, blackened, and smoking pan. "Okay, new plan," he announced cheerfully. "We're ordering pizza. Lots of pizza."
Shula followed him out of the kitchen, her face scrunched up in disgust. "He tried to cook the garlic bread," she explained.
Flambae let out a long, weary sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world. "Of course he did," he mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay, kid. Time to go. We're imposing."
"Nuh-uh!" Shula protested, stomping her foot. "We have to stay for the pizza! You promised!"
"I promised no such thing," Flambae said, but it was a weak defense.
"You did! You said 'We'll see what the baby-makers are up to,' and that means we stay!"
Coop watched the exchange, a ghost of a smile on her lips. The heavy atmosphere from moments before had evaporated, replaced by the familiar, chaotic rhythm of their lives. "He can stay," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "The kid, too. I want to hear more about this raccoon in your closet." "I'm telling you two, I got rid of it" Flambae grumbled, "sure you did" Punch Up, mutterd already scrolling through his phone for pizza options, laughed. "Anyway, what toppings do you want?"
***
An hour later, the living room was a landscape of cardboard boxes and paper plates. Shula was regaling a rapt Waterboy with a highly dramatic recounting of her violin recital, complete with sound effects. Punch Up and Coop were squeezed onto the sofa, a shared box of pepperoni pizza between them, while Flambae sat in the armchair, pointedly ignoring everyone and focused on a slice with only mushrooms on it.
"You know," Punch Up said, around a mouthful of crust. "This is… nice."
Coop grunted in agreement, but her eyes were on Flambae and Shula. The fiery, volatile man who once set a dispatcher's car on fire was now meticulously picking off mushroom chunks and feeding them to his niece, who was accepting them with an air of royal prerogative.
"Colm..." Coop placed a hand on his "do you think we'll be... enough?" she asked her own doubt echoing what flambae had said to her earlier. Punch Up stopped chewing. He looked at Coop, really looked at her, past the tough-as-nails exterior and saw the fear that lived there, the same fear he felt when he doubted himself... he hated that feeling, "Coop" he said firmly "we've faced down shroud, literal monsters, and gotten into more bar fights than I can count. I think we can handle one small human."
Coop let out a short, humorless laugh. "That's not the same thing, and you know it... it's just Flambae said that... we could change"
"Where not going to change" Punch Up countered. "Look at them," he gestured to Flambae and Shula, "Flambae is still Flambae. He's just... Flambae with a kid. We'll be us with a kid. Us with a tiny, screaming, pooping, hopefully-not-my-height mini-us."
A real smile finally touched Coop's lips. "You're an idiot, you know that?"
"But I'm your idiot," he said, leaning in to kiss her. It was a brief, greasy, pizza-flavored kiss, but it was still a kiss. "Janelle, I love you. Where going to be fine" he told her as he hugged her, "yeah i'm sure we will be" Coop replied, she wanted to fully believe those words, yet part of her wasn't convinced