WHAT: Finn turns up after all, pranks Adora, and has a very happy reunion with Catra and Adora WHERE: Darla WHEN: This morning WARNINGS: Just the smushiest fluff STATUS: Complete ART CREDIT: Found here! (original artist unknown)
It was hard to believe that eleven days ago, Adora had been in a little bit of a funk. The disappointment the day the timeslip had started had struck her hard. All of her friends had been granted a future kid (sometimes one, sometimes more), and she and Catra hadnât gotten Finn back. She remembered how much it stung vividly, how her head had filled with worries about what it meant, where they were, what was going on.
Halloween morning â early morning, sheâd just gotten back from her run with Spirit and Pop Tart â she was on a high. Not the usual kind after an edible or smoking a little of Perfumaâs high-grade âWeedsâ (sigh) but the natural one that came with knowing Finn was here. Finn had been here for a while, actually, and they just hadnât known it.
Because Catra was pregnant.
It was kept between the two of them for now. It had to be early stages, and although Adora had loaded up with prenatal supplies and already been referred to an OB/GYN by the Outlander Clinic staff, they hadnât actually seen a doctor yet. They didnât know much of anything except that home tests kept coming up positive, which they were taking as a good sign this was real. She wasnât about to jinx them by saying anything â not even to Glimmer â but the news had definitely upped her mood over the past few days, even more than just getting to dote on Flora and some of the other young ones hanging around.
The dogs had gone straight for their bowls when they got upstairs, and Adora was in a similar mindframe: she needed hydration. But hers was going to be in the form of a smoothie; she had a couple pieces of fruit stashed in the freezer and a blender waiting for her in the kitchen. It was really about the only thing she knew she could make in the kitchen without messing something up, though sheâd found a new determination to change that.
She gathered her fruits first, setting them out on the island before crouching down to pull the blender out from the storage underneath. That joined her fruit on the counter, cord still wrapped around the base, before she turned back to grab the milk carton out of the refrigerator. When she turned back around, she noticed the blender wasnât where sheâd left it. She could have sworn it was set down just to the right of her fruit selection, but it was on the left now.
Her brain flagged it as weird but only for a second before she shrugged it off. Maybe sheâd put it there and just gotten mixed up.
Melog found Finn first.
It didnât happen until after Adora had gone for her run, you see; the room that would eventually become Finnâs nursery had no one, and then seconds later it had someone. They felt them. That pull. Not as strong as they had with Catra, but enough to where they knew.
They had calmly trotted over to the room to greet the kitten (not as young as they were from the last visit, Melog internally pouted about that) and the connection was immediate. Finn purred. Melog purred, their snout cradled into the childâs hands. âMamaâs running?â they asked, and Melog nodded. âMommyâs asleep?â Another nod as a grin split Finnâs face. âCool.â
They may have plotted some innocent mischief.
That mischief involved being cloaked in Melogâs invisibility, prowling through Darla undetected until Adora returned. The dogs were too occupied with food to detect them, and when Adora had turned her back Finn had moved the blender.
Then while Adora was busy combining the ingredients to her smoothie, Finn turned on the faucet, grabbed the sink sprayer, and aimed right at their Mama.
There Adora was, just minding her business, carefully loading her smoothie ingredients into the blender when she found the sink sprayer turned on her. She was suddenly smacked in the face with cold water that ended up cascading further down the front of her. She reached out and snatched it out of mid-air, hurrying to turn the sink off and stop the flow of water.
There was no way that was her mind playing tricks on her. It was too purposeful. But she had no idea what it could be, so, for now, with a sigh, she simply peeled her shirt off, leaving her in only a sweaty tank top, and used it to wipe her face of water before discarding it on the floor.
She was on guard now, though, eyes scanning the room frequently and shoulders tight with tension. She didnât know what was going on, but she knew something was. Maybe more of the weird Halloween mischief that had been going around, but she wasnât going to be caught unawares again.
Finn did their absolute best to not bust out laughing. Melog was on the same boat - when amused they could audibly snicker, and neither of them wanted to be given away this early in the game. The two of them exchanged knowing looks, and they and Melog were on the move again.
Taking quiet, tentative side steps, Finn circled around the kitchen island to get to the other side of the blender. They decided to be helpful, pressing the button to turn on the blender to get the smoothie started up.
Meanwhile, Melog began opening every single drawer in the kitchen. They didnât toss any utensils out, that was rude - they knew how hard Adora worked to keep Darla tidy anyway!
Adora hadnât quite gotten to the point of putting the lid back on the blender when it started up of its own accord. The mix started flying out of the top, and she scrambled to get the lid on and stop any excess mess. But she barely had time to do anything else when the drawers started snapping open of their own accord.
Okay, this was starting to annoy her and make her nervous. She huffed, rounding the island to start shutting the drawers again. She had a theory about what may be doing this â or rather who â but she didnât really have any way to prove it, especially with all the mischievous creatures who called Vallo home to consider.
âAll I want is one smoothie,â she said aloud, directing it to the room at large. Whether that would change what was happening remained to be seen, but she figured it was worth a try.
Finn let out a snort this time. One that could be heard. They slapped a hand over their mouth immediately, quieting themselves and side-stepping further away to avoid the possibility of swinging arms coming their way because shit, that was close. Poor mama.
Worth it.
Their fun didnât last much longer. Cabinets began opening up, and Finn started playing with the light switch when the sound of elevator doors sliding open caught their attention. Catra was up now, dried from a morning shower with shiny leggings and an off-the-shoulder shirt - and she still looked so sleepy, doing her best to fight back a yawn. âAdora, whatâs with all the noiââ
Melog shimmered, visible now with an uh-oh look on their face. The jig was up. Catra inhaled through her nose, paused for a split second, and screamed. But it wasnât one of horror? It was like - a happy surprise scream??? She didnât do those.
Finn was uncloaked from the invisibility magic too and threw their arms up. âOkay! Fine! It was me! But itâs Halloween and youâre not allowed to ground me!!â
Adora had sort of just given up with a lot of frustrated sighs, crossing her arms over her chest and just leaning back to watch the spectacle unfold. She wanted to just keep moving her smoothie and ignore it, but the lights flickering made it hard for her to see anything. The rest of the deck was lit up, but it didnât carry all the way into the kitchen. Whatever creature was doing this was obviously having fun and probably would even without her reaction. She thought it was probably Melog â the snort made her think again, but it was still too early for that kind of critical thinking.
So, by the time Catra rolled in, looking like she was really ready to just go to bed, she was just leaning against the counter and waiting for it all to end. And, immediately, it did, revealing the exact culprit Adora had expected â plus another that shocked her (and her wife, judging by that weird scream that came out of her) to the core in the best possible way she could imagine.
Her aggravation was instantly swept aside and forgotten as she swooped in to scoop Finn off their feet and into her arms. She immediately started kissing their face and holding them tight to her chest. She vaguely registered that they were bigger than last time â maybe not as interested in this kind of treatment as the sweet little five-year-old theyâd come to know â but honestly, she was so elated that she didnât care.
âMama, no, this is grossâyour spitâs on me!â Finn protested, aggravated but not putting their full strength in pulling away. They definitely werenât five anymore, though they were still a bit runt-sized for their age (much like their other mom). Melog purred, giving an apologetic nuzzle to Adoraâs hip as they sauntered past them to join Catra.
Catra, who was still recovering from the sight (and letâs be real, a lot of other things because holy shit was early pregnancy a nauseous ride), stood there, stunned. Emotional, which was kept under wraps except Melog was fully aware and went to offer a little bit of support. âQuit hogging the kid, princess,â she replied coolly, arms crossed over her chest and heart on the precipice of exploding at the sight.
Melog urged her with their snout. Itâs okay.
She rolled her - watery - eyes. She was capable of keeping her shit together and playing it smooth, dude.
Adora didnât let Finnâs protest discourage her for a second, but she did eventually stop her loving assault at the sound of her wifeâs voice. She looked up, grinning so wide that her face felt like it might split, and her heart swelled when she saw those watery blue-gold eyes. Catra had been a little bit extra emotional since finding out about the pregnancy, but she had an especially good reason to be emotional right now.
âSorry, sorry.â She walked over and transferred Finn into their mommyâs arms. âItâs only right Mommy gets to love the baby, too. Even if they were trolling me so hard I thought we might be haunted.â
âUnhand me, mother, I am not a baââ Finn shut up the moment they were in Catraâs arms, annoyed but also weirded out that it was her looking like a teary mess. Mama was one thing, she had a lot of feelings and sparkly eyes. Mommy? That wasnât common. They paused before they said anything else, squinting at her in scrutiny.
Catra let out this sound that was both a strained chuckle and a huff. âDonât look at me like that.â
âWhatâs with you?â
âYouâre whatâs with me.â
It didnât take long for that to sink in for Finn. A slow grin spread across their face, and they flipped those glossy bangs (they were vain about their hair too, thanks Adora) to the side in a very diva-esque fashion. âI am the best birthday present youâre ever going to get, youâre welcome!â
âYeah you are,â Catra choked out, voice and words all wobbly and she squeezed the not-five-year-old to her chest, nose buried into their cheek so she could breathe them in. It was that scent - uniquely theirs with a hint of Adora, a hint of her. It was back. She purred, and they purred back. âHi. We missed you.â
âWe really missed you,â Adora amended, now choking up a little when she spoke. Watching the two of them had quickly become both one of her favorite things and one of those things that got her emotional. The sparkly, watery eyes were out in full-force as she stepped up to wrap her arms around her little family and bury her nose in her wifeâs hair as she squeezed them close.
Finn sighed. They guessed they could allow them to be all mushy and emotional. Like, the fact that they were on their way was clearly a big deal. âTwo of me are here now,â they tried to express smugly, and then thought about it for a few extra seconds and made a face at them. âThatâs weird. Put me down!â
Catra obliged. Consent was very important when they were this little and Finn seemed to have grown into their independence a lot. It was something to be proud of (even if she missed how clingy they were). âKind of,â she agreed with a small laugh, leaning into Adora and kissing her cheek as another good morning. âNow what the heck did you do to your mom?â
âHad some fun with Melog,â they admitted a little sheepishly.
Finnâs independence was up a level from their last visit, so while part of Adora wanted to hug them to her chest forever and never let go, she respected that they needed their space now. She didnât like it, but she respected it. They were getting to be a big kitten, after all. She just stuck by her wifeâs side, arm looping around her waist.
âOh, had some fun, huh?â She raised her eyebrows at their child. âHow about moved my blender, turned it on with the lid still off, had Melog open every drawer in the place, kept flickering the lights and â oh yeah â turned the sink sprayer on me?â
She was dramatically counting all these offenses off on her fingers, but her tone was playful and teasing. Her annoyance was like a distant memory now that their baby was here.
âDamn,â Catra chuckled, moving in to nose the crook of her wifeâs neck to smell her too. Adora was a little sweaty. She didnât hate it. âKid probably thought you could use a shower from your run. You smell like sweat and grass.â
âStop sniffing Mom! You guys are always so gross.â Finn rolled their eyes into an alternate dimension and gave Melog some scritches behind the ear before strolling towards the fridge. âWhatâs for breakfast?? Should we get breakfast? Oh! Halloween - I need a costume!â
Catra was, in fact, still sniffing Adora. âToo lazy to make us breakfast.â
âWeâll order in,â Adora relented easily. She could wake up Adam and ask him to cook â and he probably would because he was a good brother â but Finn showing up so unexpectedly warranted ordering food. She gave her wife a quick ass squeeze (possibly spurred a little bit by their kidâs overdramatic disgust) before stepping away and flanking Finn at the refrigerator. âGrab some orange juice and go order something with Mommy, alright? Let me finish my smoothie in peace, please?â
Finnâs sigh was heavy and so dramatic but they listened, offering up the carton of orange juice. âOkaaaaay. I want cinnamon rolls though?? Big ones if we can order them,â they said, hopping over to their other mom. Catra had hoisted herself up on the kitchen island and they joined her, squeezing up against her side to look at all the options she was scrolling through on her phone. Both their tails were doing swishes, and they kept purring.
âIâll get âem,â Catra promised. She knew what Adora would want, and had a pretty decent idea of what Adam might be itching for too - the Grayskull twins werenât picky. Then she selected stuff for herself, and Finn blinked.
âMommy.â
âWhat?â
Finn blinked their blue eyes wide, propping their chin onto her shoulder. âHot wings arenât breakfast food.â
Catraâs sigh mirrored theirs from earlier. âThe thought of anything else but hot wings literally gets me nauseous. If you guys want me to eat, then Iâm eating what I want and thatâs hot wings.â
Adora poured out a glass of orange juice for Finn and handed it to them as they perched on the counter beside Catra. While they browsed, she was able to make quick work of her smoothie mix and pour out a glass full for herself. She had just taken a good drink when Finn announced that Catra was ordering hot wings and her eyebrows raised at her wife.
âMommyâs been having trouble eating,â she confirmed. Adora had been coaxing her to expand her appetite a little in the past few days, but she had only been succeeding maybe half the time. âIf she wants hot wings at 8:30 in the morning, weâll let her have them. More cinnamon rolls for you and me and Uncle Adam, right?â
âBesides,â Catra whispered, draping an arm around Finnâs shoulders to draw them closer. They were sipping the juice, ears twitching at the sound of their momâs voice. âThis is technically your fault, sooooâŠâ
Finn choked a little thanks to snickering, and they used the back of their hand to wipe their mouth. âYeah, but Mama makes a good point and Iâll take all the extra cinnamon rolls! Where are you guys taking me for trick-or-treating? Because I know the best neighborhoods!! And I still need a costume, obviously. Youâre not too sick to take me, are you?â
âNah,â she ruffled their hair with a little grin. âIâll be fine. Worst case scenario your momâs going to carry me around but Iâm making sure you get all the candy bars.â
âWeâll work it out,â Adora agreed with a smile, offering the smoothie out to Catra. She needed something other than hot wings in her stomach, and this was a healthy option. She was definitely taking advantage of her being more willing to try eating again over the past few days. Hopefully that meant her stomach was finally starting to settle.
âWe can probably make you a She-Ra costume with stuff around here,â she suggested, looking at Finn with raised eyebrows. âUnless thatâs not cool, dressing up like your mama for Halloween.â The only other option she could think of was going shopping and hoping they had something acceptable after the entirety of Vallo had already picked it all over.
Finn perked up at the suggestion. They had technically dressed up as She-Ra when they were, like, really little - four, maybe? - but they werenât against a more updated version of the costume. âYeah! But,â they began, lips sticking out in this little pout, âI donât want a cardboard sword, can I use the real one?? I promise I wonât stab something! Or someone! Iâll be good!â
There was a mirror moment there with Catra having taken the smoothie for a sip and then almost choked on it. Better than outright laughing, because the sword had been - you know what? She wasnât going there. She passed Adora a knowing look before sliding off the counter and kissing her cheek. âThatâs your call,â she smirked.
Adoraâs eyes went wide, and her cheeks turned a little pink. She wasnât totally sure why. The Sword had been used for multiple purposes, and even the sexy ones hadnât stopped her from taking it out on Defense. But was it weird to let her kid wield a shapeshifting weapon that had been quite literally used to conceive them?
That look from her wife did not help.
âUhh, let me think about it while we find you a costume,â she answered. âWe might be able to find a really cool plastic one! Thatâs better than cardboard, right?â
âMamaaaaa,â Finn whined loudly, their ears doing this pitiful thing where they fell flat against their head. They were really milking the cuteness here - the big, almost turquoise eyes with the widened pupils. âThereâs no such thing as âcool plasticâ!â
Catra did her best to not snicker. âI mean - sound argument.â
âSee, even Mommy ââ
âWhoa now, donât involve me in this,â she protested, taking another sip of smoothie before handing it back to Adora. âWell, okay, shit ââ
âSwear jar ââ
ââ we donât even have one? Anyway, I guess, as a parent, I have to say that the swordâs not a toy. Itâs shiny, it looks cool, but itâs a weapon and a magic one at that. The only one who knows how to wield it right is your mom. Maybe when youâre older sheâll show you how to use it the way itâs meant to but not today, and definitely not as a Halloween prop. But you knew this was the rule, didnât you? Youâre just trying to see what you can get away with when weâre not parents yet.â
Finn opened their mouth to say something, paused, and then closed it because⊠yeah. Yeah.
Well, that was effective. Adora sipped at her smoothie while Catra laid down the law and called Finn out on trying to sway her. It was a good thing she did, too, because Adora was well on her way to being swayed. She was only human, and her heart was weak for those big eyes and that formidable pout â both of which their offspring had undoubtedly inherited from her.
âWell, you heard Mommy, no Sword for you,â she chuckled. âWe can go to the store after breakfast and find something, howâs that sound? Maybe theyâll have something wooden or rubber, since plasticâs not cool.â
Wait. Did Catra nail the parenting thing? Holy shit she nailed the parenting thing. She couldnât believe that seriously worked, and while she internally preened Finn looked upon them like they were betrayed.
âRubber? Rubber? Thatâs so laaaaame,â they sighed with an audible ugh, throwing their head back like the mere thought inflicted pain. Oh, the drama. âIâll settle for wooden then, I guess.â
Catra stifled a giggle, burying her nose into Adoraâs shoulder. âYouâre going to get them the most extravagant wooden sword you can find, arenât you.â
âIâm gonna try,â Adora admitted. She wanted to give Finn everything they wanted â except for her Sword, for reasons they didnât need to know at this age. She was sure they could find a wooden sword that looked convincingly like She-Raâs pretty quickly. While she wasnât quite the legendary figure here that she was at home, She-Ra had gathered her own little fan following in Vallo.
âWhy donât you go turn on TV with Melog while I say good morning to your mom,â she suggested to Finn, reaching out to give their shoulder an encouraging nudge. She normally took the time to give her wife a proper good morning, but since sheâd wandered into the kitchen in the midst of Finnâs impromptu prank assault, they hadnât had the chance.
âI got something better than TV,â declared Finn, hopping off the counter and beckoning Melog over. âCâmon, letâs go find Uncle Adam and mess with him next!â
Catra nor Adora had the opportunity to stop them even if they wanted to. Melog had nodded with enthusiasm and cloaked them under their invisibility magic and - woosh! Onward!
Today was going to be eventful, and she was here for it.
But, now that she had a moment of peace: âHi,â she told her wife, resting her cheek against her shoulder now - soft purrs, big pupils. âYou should definitely kiss me.â
Adora didnât hesitate to do what she was asked, pulling Catra into her arms and dipping down to press a lingering, passionate kiss to that gorgeous mouth. It was partly her normal enthusiasm, since kissing Catra was basically her favorite thing, but there was an extra added layer of excitement now that Finn was here.
âHi,â she echoed when she broke the kiss, tipping their foreheads together. âI hope itâs a whole lot of years before theyâre that devious.â A breathless chuckle followed as she raised her hands to tangle in dark hair, quickly morphing into the biggest smile. âBut theyâre here. Theyâre here!!â
Catra very much took her time with that kiss too, leaning her weight into Adora because she was lazy and tired. Now that she knew what the fuck was wrong she didnât do much to hide the symptoms - and that made her a lot less tense, not feeling the need to keep her guard up. âTheyâre here,â she echoed with a grin. âIn two different ways, which is⊠neat? Wild? Weird?â
Safe bet to say that it was all of the above.
But it helped increase her mood tenfold. No meltdowns about forced pumpkin carvings or wrinkly, misplaced shirts. âPretty stoked about this family trick-or-treating,â Catra mused, sliding a hand to the back of her neck. âI took all my vitamins. Iâm ready to not be a useless lump and to see you in a short Hercules skirt.â
âIf youâre not feeling it later, thatâs okay, too, though,â Adora was quick to reassure her. She was all for family trick-or-treating, too, now that they had the opportunity. But now that they knew the source of Catraâs symptoms, she had tried to be less pushy. She vividly remembered their pumpkin carving argument and the near-miss on the shirt argument the day theyâd found out Catra was pregnant. She didnât want repeats of those incidents or any others that would raise Catraâs stress levels.
âTheyâre here, Iâm not gonna waste it,â Catra vowed, determined. If it meant she threw up in a bush somewhere during their outing then so be it. She felt okay, anyway - if she stuck to eating whatever her body was specifically wanting (she didnât think cravings came this early but what the hell did she know), the nausea could be kept in check. âAnd this is one of the really rare nights where you get me in a dress, princess, letâs not waste this opportunity for you.â
âWell, when you put it like thatâŠâ Adora grinned, leaning in to seal her lips to Catraâs again. Sheâd been excited about their costumes for a good month, when all they were planning was to go out to one of the clubs downtown and get some free drinks. The easier access when it came to her beautiful wife was a big plus, but this â getting to wear them while trick-or-treating with their kid â was even better. And she was eternally grateful theyâd ended up skipping out on Thorâs party after hearing what had happened there. Yikes.
Catra hummed into the kiss, gently guiding their bodies so she could push Adora up against the edge of the counter and kiss her a little extra. Considering sheâs been putting up with her shit mood swings for the past few weeks, she deserved a lot of attention. Plus flowers with a note that said âsorry for being a pile of raging hormonesâ - yeah, that was being delivered soon.
âWe should,â another kiss, hands shamelessly roaming up and down her toned arms, âprobably rescue your brother in a few minutes.â
In a few minutes. Whenever she was done properly kissing her in the middle of their kitchen.
âHe can fend for himself a little longer,â Adora agreed between kisses, happily letting Catra push her wherever she wanted her while her own hands slid up the back of her sleep shirt. Her fingers carded through that warm fur, and she smiled into her wifeâs mouth.
This Halloween totally beat out last yearâs, no contest.