WHAT: Catra and Adora get to see the one person they both miss the most in a dream WHERE: Vallo Forest WHEN: Tonight WARNINGS: Nope, all cuteness STATUS: Complete ART CREDIT:Here!
She liked it that way. Her dreams were usually confusing and interrupted, even on the nights when she slept deeper than usual. And of course there were times when she was haunted by nightmares - some old, some new. She had been trying to resume lucid dreaming, with Danâs coaching, and even started keeping a new dream journal in the hopes it would ebb some of the constant anxiety she was feeling. James seemed to agree with that course of action, and it helped a little bit.
This particular dream was different - like what Toph and the others had talked about on the network. She knew it was a dream, with that fuzzy-around-the-edges vibe to it, but it was sharper, too. Vivid in a way even her most realistic nightmares (and it was always the nightmares that were realistic) never had been. But it wasnât equivalent to a memory update, where she lived days, weeks, months out at home without realizing Vallo even existed.
Whatever it was, she felt calm, and she was going to enjoy that. And Catra was with her, really with her, which was weird, but she wasnât going to complain.
They were laid out on the forest floor not too far from Darla, past the realm considered their âyardâ that she was working on landscaping and fencing off properly. It was a pretty spring day, as so many had been lately. The temperature lingered in that not-too-hot, not-too-cold vicinity and there were flowers blooming everywhere. They were in a nice, clear patch of grass, beneath the shade of a swathe of really big, old trees, with a picnic blanket and basket laid out. If she didnât know it was a dream, it would just feel like a regular date day.
Which was probably why Catraâs feet were shoved into her lap, toes wiggling expectantly until she sighed and began to rub them, gazing at her wife with a fondly exasperated smile.
âSatisfied?â
Catra literally had no idea what the hell was going on but you know what? Sheâd roll with it. It was the only thing she could do. This dreamscape phenomenon was out of their control - and it seemed relatively harmless? No posts on the network that this resulted in some kind of irreversible trauma or anything, and she was with Adora, and this whole situation didnât seem out of the norm for them.
It felt like a really easy-breezy day but were they supposed to do something? Meet someone? Bang it out and have a literal wet dream? Nice, she wasnât opposed to that.
âVery,â she purred, laying back on the blanket comfortably. Catra almost wished they had moved to a spot where the sun beamed down on them - this would be the best time to bathe in it, get all warm and toasty. But this was perfect, too. If this is what the rest of their dream would consist of, she had zero issues.
Except -
The wind blew and wafted a scent through her nose that made her perk up. Ears twitching, tail straightening, and she propped herself up on her elbows to look around. There was a crease forming between her brows. Whatever she picked up on, it made her pupils eclipse her eyes almost completely. âWeâre not alone,â she announced, and she knew this smell.
Before her brain cells could rub together and give her the epiphany she was too cautious (because it couldnât be) to reach, there was rustling above them on the branches. Leaves floated down. There was this squeaky sound - a kitten chirrup - before something (or someone, fluffy and tiny) descended down upon them with a righteous battle cry.
âCATCH ME, MOMS!â
Weâre not alone would normally be nothing short of ominous, a warning that something bad was coming. This time, all it inspired from Adora was a confused blink. Because nothing felt wrong? But then again, she wasnât the one with enhanced senses - Catraâs ears and nose always picked out things sheâd never have noticed. So, she trusted she was right, it was just - what the hell.
If sheâd been doubtful before, those doubts didnât linger long after leaves fell down around them and the all-too-familiar sound of a high-pitched battle cry reached her ears. She shot Catra a surprised look, eyes wide - but just for a split second before she shifted into her alter egoâs form and shot to her feet, catching their plummeting little one in her arms just in time.
âFinn, you canât scare us like that!â she told their giggling child, a golden glow surrounding her as she returned to her normal form. She sank back down onto the blanket, smiling despite the scolding sheâd delivered and peppering their perfect little face with kisses.
Catra was frozen stunned. Her instincts hadnât detected a threat, no - that scent had turned her bones to jelly, made the vibrations of her purr roll even harder than they had before. She didnât even jump into a prowling stance. She was stuck on the blanket, awkwardly sprawled, blinking at the sight of her wife and child.
Future child. Eventual child. Whatever. Still her child.
âHoly fuck,â she breathed.
âHow come Mommy gets to say that word and I canât??â Finn inquired, their own purrs a rumbling storm at the kisses theyâve been on the receiving end of. They made a funny little yuck sound but did nothing to tear themselves away.
Wait, what word were they - oh, shit, yeah. Catra did drop the f-bomb around their five year old. She slapped her palm over her face. âMy bad. Holy fudge is what I meant. Donât ever be me, kid.â
Adora laughed, pressing her nose into Finnâs ear and watching it do that cat flickering thing they all seemed to do - sheâd seen Catra, Melog, Ivy, and Richieâs cat Crumpet all react the same way. âMommy just sometimes forgets, sweetie, but itâs still a bad word. No repeating it, okay?â
They still had time to adjust, and she wasnât going to give Catra a hard time for forgetting herself. She honestly doubted her wife would ever be able to hold back from swearing altogether. Even she occasionally dropped an f-bomb these days, and cursing had never been as much her thing as Catraâs (or Glimmerâs; her best friend had a surprisingly dirty mouth for a princess, worse than Sea Hawk, a literal pirate). They would teach context, and Finn would be okay. They were obviously bright enough to understand.
âGo give Mommy love. We miss you a lot.â She set them up on their feet on the blanket and gave their back a little rub. âWe have cookies, too!â She reached into the picnic basket to dig them out; theyâd had a whole big pack of chocolate chip cookies that she hadnât finished off yet. Finn deserved a treat.
Finn didnât need to be told twice. Once they were settled onto their feet, they pounced - and it was their mommy that caught them this time, an intense feedback of purrs happening. Catraâs arms went around them with ease, and they got themselves cozy on her lap. Their weight on her was a presence she missed more than she could put into words. Finn had fallen asleep in her arms their last night together, and even if they werenât baby-sized they were small and soft and smelled like them.
âI saw you guys before bedtime!â they announced and went to snag a cookie when it was offered, yum. Catra was busy nuzzling into the top of their head. âYou made me floss my fangs, I hated it.â
âYouâre gonna have to floss again after this cookie,â she snorted. âUnless -â
âNo! What???â
âYou give me a bite,â Catra replied and leaned over to take a chomp. Finn looked betrayed.
This was all Adora never realized she could have asked of this weird dreamscape situation. They didnât have a lot of people back home they missed, with everyone whoâd been popping in lately. There were places, sure - but even most of the important ones were here now, Castle Bright Moon included. Getting Finn was the best gift she could have imagined, and she knew Catra felt the same way.
Just watching the two of them was one of her favorite things to do. Finn was this tiny mash-up of them both, but they had Catraâs eyes and her fangy smile and She-Raâs more platinum blonde mane of hair. She had spent time curled up next to them just memorizing every feature when they were here, and she was glad to find them unchanged. Sure, theyâd have to change eventually, but right now, they were still very much baby and she was glad for that.
She doubted teenage Finn would be so receptive to kisses, after all.
She pulled another cookie from the pack, splitting it in half and offering the other to Finn to wipe the scandalized look off their face. âTell us what kind of adventures youâve been up to lately, huh? You been getting a lot of bad guys?â
The half-cookie offer pacified them. They could dismiss the grave error of their mother and nibble on this one, crumbs already spilling from their little bites. A smidge of chocolate chip was smeared on the corner of their mouth. Funny how it took two seconds for Finn to begin the process of making a mess but that was the territory that came with kids. âSometimes,â they said. âWhen monsters happen you never let me help. But Mommy is teaching me how to protect myself!â
That weirdly made Catraâs heart ache a little. Finn was so young, they should never be in a situation where they had to defend themselves. Practically and realistically speaking, though, it made sense. Life was weird. Theirs always would be, no matter how hard they try to copy this cookie-cutter family life.
âI guess thatâs a good thing,â she relented and reached out for one of their hands. So tiny. At the ends of them were sharp little weapons. âIf you got claws you might as well learn how to use them.â
Finn nodded so eagerly, it was too cute.
Adora felt a little pang of sadness there, too. Sheâd meant bad guys in a the pretend sense - Finn was just a kid, always scrambling around after some imaginary monster or another - but of course they thought of the real threats that lurked around Vallo on a daily basis. Part of her wished their kid never had to know any of that sort of thing existed. It should all just be some scary bedtime story, but it was a part of reality here. At home, too, honestly. Even in Etheria, threats wouldnât magically stop because the war was over.
But Finn was little enough that all of this still felt like fun for them. That was nice, at least. She remembered feeling that way growing up; training was good exercise, let them blow off all that excess energy little kids just had. It wasnât until theyâd gotten older and the harshness of war set in and became something she was truly dealing with, that the sparkle had worn off.
âMommyâs a good teacher,â Adora remarked. She had seen how patient Catra was with Finn, the way she fussed over them. She knew that would translate into whatever it was she taught them, too - and claw safety was high on that list with Magicat kittens. âSomeday youâll kick some monster butt with Mama, I promise. When youâre bigger.â
Catra wanted to make a noise of protest because no, Finn wasnât fighting ANYTHING. But that was also just realistic considering who their parents were and, again, the life they lived. As long as they never endured what she and Adora had to go through then sheâd call it a success. Mostly.
âIâm big,â was Finnâs counter-argument, lips pursed into an even deeper pout that made their face look more like baby. Catra suppressed a chuckle and shifted during this. Adoraâs lap looked mighty lonely there, and went to sit on it while Finn sat on her. It was a cuddle puddle.
Besides, she knew this would make Adora melt. Neither of them had stopped purring. It wasnât some loud, thunderous sound anymore. They were quiet but with Adora like this, sheâd be able to feel the vibrations. âThe biggest kitten,â Catra smirked. (Wasnât true - Finn was runt-sized like sheâd been at this age, sorry kid.) âSo fierce and dangerous.â
âI am.â
Oh yeah, Adora melted. How could she not? Her two favorite people in the world, the universe, any universe were curled up in her lap, purring. She had always been a sucker for purring and was often surrounded by it - they had many feline or feline-adjacent residents on Darla. But nothing topped this. Nothing came close to her wife and their baby purring, the vibrations rumbling all through her chest and stomach.
She hooked her chin over Catraâs shoulder, perfectly aligned to gaze at Finn like the miracle they absolutely were. That pout they wore looked like it had been ripped off her own face, and she was weak for it.
âYou are the biggest kitten,â she assured them. They were actually so little - not domestic cat size but not an average five year old size either. Somewhere in the middle, just like Catra when they were young. âBut you gotta be a little bigger for monsters. Once you and Mommy have had lots of claw practice and lots of sword training with Gideon, then monsters. Maybe.â
âOooooookay,â Finn surrendered, exhaling the most dramatic sigh in existence. The pout was still somewhat present.
Catra couldnât help it - she had to smother their face with kisses. Because they were here. Not technically, and not in the physical, waking world but they were still here in a sense. Sheâs fucking missed them. Let her have this.
They started to giggle and squirm. âStoppit! Iâm not a baby - you guys cuddle a lot. I wanna play. Can I be She-Ra?? So I can protect you both. From the monsters.â That last part was whispered, and Finn looked up at them both with wide pupils and flickering ears. âPuh-leaaaase? Mama, you let me play with the sword all the time.â
(Finn was fibbing. Probably.)
Even Adora wasnât gullible enough to believe that she let Finn play with the sword all the time. Some of the time, maybe, and she did know how to shift it into a child-friendly form - all dull edges and sort of like a plastic playsword. That wouldnât be so bad, right? Their kitten was here and had the cutest face and ears and that giggle.
Yeah, she wasnât going to be able to resist. She had a feeling sheâd get a look from her wife for making this choice, but it would be well worth it to see Finn smile. She just wanted to enjoy every minute they got with them, and she could think of no better way than to collectively run themselves ragged playing.
âAlright,â she relented, mimicking their childâs most dramatic sigh right back at them before pressing a kiss to their forehead. âJust for a little while, though! And you better give it back without being grumpy about it when itâs time or no more cookies. Deal?â
Catra didnât have the heart to give her a look for this. Seeing Finn was⊠a lot. In the best way, but it was also difficult to not be overwhelmed by all these goddamn feelings they stirred in her. She was happy about this - thankful for whatever acid trip Vallo was going on that they had this visit.
So if the kid wanted to play a game of She-Ra, the kid was going to get it.
âDeal!â Finn parroted back, positively beaming.
They wriggled out of Catraâs arms and with her own dramatic sigh, she rose up to her feet too. âFine - but dibs on being an evil monster princess you have to fight again.â
âThose donât exist, Mommy,â Finn huffed playfully. âMama says youâre a princess because you married her and youâre not scary!â
âDonât⊠donât you dare.â
Adora grinned, eyes absolutely sparkling with delight when she turned her gaze on her wife. She teased her all the time about being a princess-by-marriage. And she was doubly so with the news about Adoraâs origins - she was a princess-by-blood now, not just a princess-in-name. âTheyâre absolutely right,â she teased Catra. âTotal fluffy princess, not scary at all. Guess that means you have to play the hero this time.â
She reached for the bracer on her wrist, pulling it free and focusing a moment until it had shifted into a Finn-friendly form. âYouâve got five seconds before I get you,â she told them, passing on the sword. She raised her eyebrows and did her best (unsuccessful) impression of a Wicked Witch-style evil laugh, wiggling her hands faux-threateningly in Finnâs direction.
Oh yeah. She was going to savor every moment of this. Best dream sheâd ever had.