Archive of Our Own ^beta

Smurfette sighed as she dialed Coco’s number and held the phone up to her ear. Fleur bounced happily on the couch of her mushroom as Smurfette’s timer went off. “Coco, it’s me.”

“Hey,” Coco happily replied, “You sound frazzled. What’s up?”

“Are you busy?” Smurfette winced as she saw the messages from her boss coming through the phone.

“Never too busy for you, baby-” Coco laughed and Smurfette heard her snapping her fingers through the line, “-Maria, we do not pick up frogs without gloves, you can hurt their skin. Here, wear these. There you go, my love, have fun. What’s up, sis?”

“Do I-” Smurfette took a deep breath, “-never mind, I don’t care. Can you watch Fleur?”

“Of course,” Coco’s tone turned serious, “Is everything okay?”

“I got called into work and I don’t have a babysitter,” Smurfette bit her lip, “I could call one of the others-”

“Yeah, no,” Coco rolled her eyes. “You want her alive. Bring her here, and I can take her and my girls to the fair.”

“You don’t have any missions today?” Smurfette asked as she started piling extra clothes into a bag of Fleur’s things.

“I’m on a sort of mission right now,” Coco offered, and Smurfette heard her walking through what sounded like water. “It's just a simple one: relocating some frogs that are a bit too close to some land development that’s happening.”

“You aren’t messing with the construction equipment to stop people from building again, are you?” Smurfette asked, pausing her packing to furrow her brows.

Silence greeted her, and eventually Coco hummed, “Sorry, what?”

“Coco~Lynn!” Smurfette hissed, “That is illegal!”

Fleur, having heard her mother shout at Coco, jumped down excitedly, “I wanna say hi to Auntie Coco!”

“Laws are so underexplained,” Coco huffed, “It’s just Maria and me on this one. I’ll be back in about an hour.”

“Are you sure the crew won't mind me stealing you away?” Smurfette worried, gently placing a hand on Fleur’s shoulder. “I know I am literally taking one of their captains from them.”

“If they can’t function for an hour,” Coco scoffed, “Then they need more help than I can give ‘em.”

“Alright,” Smurfette smiled at her daughter, “See you soon.”

Coco sat in the kitchen of the octopod as she waited for her sister to arrive. Since the two never broke their soul tie, a fact they constantly bragged about, they could teleport to each other at will. Smurfette was also able to bring others along, though it required energy, similar to how it worked for Coco. She glanced up from her phone as she saw a blue orb materialize in the room before it took the shape of her sister and niece. 

“Auntie Coco!” Rapid footsteps followed the excited squeal as Coco leaned down to intercept the toddler. 

“Hey sugar!” Coco held her arms out as Fleur happily ran into them, “How have you been?”

“Good!” Fleur climbed up Coco’s legs and attempted to climb onto her shoulders, “I missed you!”

“Oh, I missed you too,” Coco smiled as she helped Fleur sit on her shoulders, “Have you been good?”

“Mhm!” Fleur nodded happily as Smurfette held the bag on her shoulder.

“You are a lifesaver,” Smurfette cried as she passed Coco a bag, “I owe you my life.”

“Nah,” Coco took the bag with a smile, “Just your firstborn child.”

Smurfette rolled her eyes as Coco winked, “Fleur, mommy will be back soon, you’re gonna spend the day with your auntie Coco.”

“Yay!” Fleur cheered before she knelt her head down beside Coco’s. “Where is Maria?”

“In her room,” Coco reached up to set Fleur down and watched the girl dart off to find her cousin, “How does she have so much energy?”

“Not a clue,” Smurfette muttered, watching her go.

“You good?” Coco turned to Smurfette with a concerned look.

“Such a busy week,” Smurfette moaned as she fell into Coco’s arms for a hug. “Hefty is working with Storm to strengthen barriers in Smurf Village. Vanity is planning the next blue moon festival, Lily is helping him distract Blossom so she doesn’t make Vanity implode, and Grouchy is keeping Vanity in check so he doesn’t become a diva. I got called in today for an emergency meeting at the foster care office, and Papa and Mama are trying to run two villages. I just… I need someone I can trust to watch her, and I know you can keep up with her.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Coco rubbed Smurfette’s back as she vented, “How long do you think you’ll be gone?”

“I have no clue,” Smurfette sighed as she rested her head on Coco’s shoulder, “I think it may be a late night…”

“Do you just want me to put her to bed here? You can crash here, and both of you can go back tomorrow.” Coco offered, as Smurfette rubbed her face.

“Could we?” Smurfette asked, “It would be so much easier.”

“Of course,” Coco soothed, “All you did for me after Maria was born, it’s the least I could do.”

“You don’t owe me for that,” Smurfette pulled back to stare in Coco’s eyes, “You know that.”

“I do,” Coco booped Smurfette’s nose, “Now go. Go to work, be a boss bitch, and I will watch the kiddos.”

“I love you,” Smurfette kissed her cheek and called out to Fleur, who ran in with Maria at her heels. “Fleur, I have to go to work. Be good for your aunt, okay?”

“Okay, Mama!” Fleur hugged Smurfette’s knees, and Smurfette lifted the girl for a tight hug, “I love you!”

“I love you more,” Smurfette pressed a kiss to Fleur’s forehead as she set her down, “See you soon.”

Coco waved as Smurfette disappeared into thin air, and she smiled at the girls, “Who wants to go to the fair?”

“Me!” Maria’s hand shot up into the air, and she stumbled backwards as she tried to keep her balance.

“Oh- Me! Me!” Fleur added, raising her hand to mimic her cousins.

“Then let’s go get some shoes on and get ready!” Coco cheered, watching the two girls run off.

In the launch bay, Orkid pouted and crossed her arms, “I don’t want to go to the fair. It's so boring.”

“I understand that,” Coco smiled. “And I truly get you’re in your feelings right now, but baby, you’re fourteen, and you aint staying on board without one of us.”

“But grandpa is here.” Orkid groaned, stomping her foot like a toddler.

“He is working,” Coco explained softly, “I know you would rather stay inside and hide from the sun like the little vampire you are, but baby, I am not leaving you here alone.”

“That is so not fair!” Orkid all but whined as she complained.

“I know,” Coco nodded solemnly, “It’s such a hard life. Maybe you can write a book about the tortures of the fair along the way.”

“Mom,” Orkid rolled her eyes, “You are so not cool.”

“I’ma tell you what I told your aunt vexy when she was having her angst phase-” Coco began, and Orkid groaned again.

“It’s not a phase, Mom!” Orkid hissed, “It’s who I am.”

“Oh lord,” Coco muttered as she led Orkid to the gup with a gentle hand on her shoulder, “I so have to buy Mom, Papa, and Splinter a gift for dealing with me as a teen.”

Orkid climbed in the passenger seat of the vehicle, arms crossed and pouting the whole time. Coco glanced at the incoming call on the screen and answered it, watching her kind and loving husband’s face fill the screen, “Hello my love.”

“Hey,” Coco sighed as Orkid let out another groan. Coco rolled her eyes, and Barnacles glanced at the deadpanned look on her face.

“What’s going on?” Barnacles asked, concerned.

“Your daughter seems to think she's the first teen who has ever had to spend time with her parents. I told Orkid she had to go to the fair with Maria, Fleur, and me.” Coco snorted, “A heinous crime I have committed. I don’t know how I will ever atone for my sins.”

“You are so not cool, Mom,” Orkid huffed, “You are being dramatic.”

“Oh, I’m being dramatic?!” Coco turned to Orkid, and Barancles tried not to laugh as the mother-daughter pair gave each other rivaling looks, “You are the one who’s all ‘woe is me the sun it burns’ about the fair’”

“She’s gonna fight that little girl, Barnacles,” Tweak muttered from somewhere off-screen, and Coco turned to the phone.

“Tweak! Butt out and focus on the mission!” Coco ordered, handing the phone to Orkid, “Talk to your father, I’m going to get your sister and cousin.”

“Ugh,” Orkid rolled her eyes as she took the phone, and Barnacles saw Coco hold her hands out in front of her before stopping. 

“Orkid, I love you more than life itself,” Coco spoke in an even tone, even as fire burned in her eyes, “I would do anything for you. You roll your eyes at me again-”

“Baby,” Barnacles spoke up as Coco exhaled slowly, “Go get the kids, I've got her.”

“Yup,” Coco nodded as she walked towards the door, “Love you.”

~~~~~

Fleur tugged at Coco’s hand as they walked, “Look, Auntie Coco!”

“Yes, dear?” Coco glanced at the girl, whose human form looked so much like Smurfette’s that Coco’s mind occasionally flashed back to childhood memories, and she pointed to some carnival game. Maria gasped as she tugged on Coco’s other hand.

“Mama! We gotta play!” Maria begged, and Coco chuckled at the little girl's slight southern accent. When it came to Maria, Coco seemed to have cloned herself, as the girl looked and acted just like her.

“I want a bear,” Fleur dragged Coco’s hand as she swung with it, “Auntie Coco, please!”

“Alright, alright, ya little rascals,” Coco rolled her eyes fondly, smiling as Orkid giggled. The teen had eventually dropped her angsty attitude after the fourth ride. “Which one ya want?”

“The blue bear!” Fleur begged as she and Maria pulled Coco over to the stall.

“I want the shark!” Maria chimed in, climbing up on the seat.

Coco snorted and helped Fleur up onto the seat, grabbing her wallet, “Two rounds, please.”

“You got it,” the game operator said, clicking a button. The two girls aimed the water guns at the targets. Coco watched as the water partially hit the target but mostly hit around it. She winced as Orkid frowned.

“They are so not good at this,” Orkid whispered into Coco’s ear.

Coco wrapped an arm around her shoulders, “They’re four. I’m surprised it’s even sort of going near the target.”

Both girls pouted as the timer ran out, and then simultaneously turned to Coco. Maria batted her eyes, and Fleur stuck out her lower lip.

“Mama!”

“Auntie Coco!”

“Aw shit,” Coco sighed, pulling out her wallet again and sitting in one of the chairs. “Two more rounds, please. Orkid wanna help me, hon?”

“Got it,” Orkid smiled, sitting by Fleur, “Want me to help you?”

Fleur nodded, climbing into her lap, “Yes, please.”

Maria climbed into Coco’s lap as the game started up again. Orkid watched, a bit impressed, as her mom hit the target with laserlike precision. The prize bell went off, and Orkid smiled as both kids got the stuffed toys they wanted. Coco smiled, standing with Maria on her hip and lifting Fleur onto her other hip as the four walked around some more. Orkid glanced at her mom, “Uh… That was actually kind of cool, how good you were at that game. How come you can aim so well?”

Coco smiled and bumped Orkid’s shoulder gently as she walked, “That is a story for when you’re older, my love. Much, much older.”

Orkid furrowed her brows and blinked. Fleur hugged the blue bear close to her chest as Maria moved the shark through the air like it was swimming. Coco laughed as she bounced the girls, smirking at Orkid’s confused face.