Dragging herself out of bed this morning had been annoying, Adora would admit that if forced. Even when she slept her deepest, waking up was never a problem for her. She usually woke up on time without an alarmâs prompting, and on the rare occasion she slept in, it was never past eight oâclock. Anything else would just be unreasonable, in her opinion.
Today, she was just feeling off. Thatâs what she kept telling herself. Everything felt wonky, there might have been some vague dizziness. She sneezed a few times but brushed it off as allergies, despite beginning to feel more and more run down every time. It couldnât possibly be sickness, no way. She hadnât been sick in five years, ever since she first became She-Ra. There was no way it was happening now, not when they were taking care of an infant and her mom was freshly back in Vallo.
But, eventually, she found herself sagging into the couch while Finn was in their Pack âN Play, and Catra was in the kitchen doing⊠something. Adora suspected it was food-related, and she suspected Catra had told her exactly what the food-related task was, too, but her head was getting too foggy. She felt hot all over â moreso than usual, and she generally ran hot â and peeled off one of her Defense Team C t-shirts from training, leaving her in a tank top and the usual mesh shorts she wore around the ship in the summertime.
She blew out a breath and forced herself to sit upright. That was enough rest, and with her shirt off, she should be fine. âBabe, do you needââ she called out, but as soon as she pushed herself up to her feet, she was hit with a wave of dizziness. âOh.â
Catra was, in fact, in the kitchen doing something food-related. It wasnât anything complex â but she had an idea of the turn their day would take, so she prepared. Their kitchen was stocked up with the ingredients she needed anyway. The broth, the noodles, carrots, leftover rotisserie chicken she could shred up and toss in. Had she told her wife what the plan was?
No. Absolutely the fuck not. If she opted to cut the bullshit and approach Adora with a very blunt, âbabe, youâre sick,â Catra knew what stubborn response sheâd reply with. Finn was fed, changed and comfortable, her hair was tossed into a stylishly loose bun that said she was here to get things done, she could focus on the task at hand, until â
âWhat? Hey.â Wiping her hands with a dish towel, she tossed it onto the counter and as if she somehow had Glimmerâs ability to teleport from one place to another, Catra was at her wifeâs side quickly â a hand on her shoulder to keep her steady and upright, and the other pressed against her forehead to check her temperature. âI told you to just chill out,â she scolded softly, brows pinched together in worry. âDonât need you to go all splat on our floor, okay?â
Adora scoffed, although the hand she clamped around Catraâs steadying arm told a different story. âIâm fine,â she insisted, âreally, I am. I just⊠stood up too fast.â That might have been true, too, if it werenât for all the other symptoms she was ignoring as much as she could. âI was going to help you in the kitchen. Do you need help?â
âYou can help me by sitting your ass down,â Catra shot back, the words sounding every bit aggressive but that tone â gods, it was this almost funny mix of exasperation and love. âKitchenâs my domain, princess. I got it handled. Now, please ââ
Yes, she was asking nicely. No, she was not waiting for Adora to make the decision herself. She pushed her back towards the couch, and pushed her down onto it. Gently, though, as she didnât want to be the cause of a bout of disorientation. âStay on the couch. Iâm going to bring you some water. Watch Finn, aww at how cute they are.â
Adora sighed loudly as she was pushed back down onto the couch. She didnât have the energy to fight her; in fact, to her annoyance, her body screamed in thanks when she landed on the soft cushions. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted like a petulant child. She hated this. She hated feeling weak. Tired was one thing, but this was beyond tired, and she wasnât having it.
âIâm really fine!â she said again, despite all the evidence to the contrary. If she kept saying it, surely it would eventually feel true. âI wanna help, not just sit here uselessly.â
âDidnât I just tell you that you can help me by sitting down,â she huffed, kneeling onto the couch over Adora by straddling her lap. Catra wasnât seated on it like she normally would, but she was currently caging her wife against the sofa for extra measure. âIâm making some soup. Itâs easy.â
She took her face into her hands for that infamous brain check examination. But instead of her brain she was really looking at her face â the color of her cheeks, her pupils, up her nose to see if it was clogged up with any green snot (which would mean some kind of infection). âI need to tell you something, and itâs going to come at you as a total shock and seem completely impossible, but - youâre sick.â
Adora grumbled; there were no words, but the message was clear: that wasnât the kind of helping she wanted to do. Sitting down while her wife cooked felt useless, especially now that sheâd actually gotten the hang of it, and it was sometimes a sort of bonding activity for the two of them. Deep down, she understood why Catra wanted her out, with the dizziness and the sneezing, but her refusal to accept that was strong.
Which was why her response to that accusation was a very firm, âI am not sick! I donât get sick, Catra!â She pouted, which was probably a pretty funny picture with her face clamped between her wifeâs hands but didnât stop her. âI havenât gotten sick in five years. Not even when I couldnât feel She-Ra!â
Uh-huh. Yep. Catra gave her the most deadpan look in existence. That was exactly the answer she expected. Adora sometimes still thought of herself as some kind of invulnerable force that couldnât be bogged down by mundane things, like the common cold or an upset stomach from a spicy burrito. Her immune system had been pretty solid for a long time now, though, sheâd give her that. Hell, she hadnât seen Adora sick sinceâ
They were cadets, maybe?
Catra narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing this cute, pouty love of her damn life. âBut youâre sick,â she repeated. Her hands squeezed her cheeks less, this time caressing them with her palms. âI noticed you were off the moment you got up this morning and itâs just gotten worse, because you keep trying to do things. If it gets worse tomorrow Iâm taking you to the doctor.â
âNoooo,â Adora protested, eyes widening into their most puppy-like state. She knew Catra was only trying to look out for her, not upset her, but the prospect of a doctor was not a fun one to consider. âNo doctors, I donât need doctors. If Iâm sick, itâll go away.â
The admittance to the possibility of being sick was so begrudging, but part of her knew Catra was right. She really had felt off since sheâd woken up this morning, and it only seemed to be getting worse. She was doing her damnedest to power through it â just like she always had when they were cadets, it was how she was trained â but she felt foggy and heavy-limbed. That was far from normal.
Even worse? She suddenly shivered and shifted to tuck her arms into Catraâs front to stave off the sudden chill. âIâm cold,â she murmured.
Oh.
That had Catra plop onto Adoraâs lap instantly, arms cocooning around her to hold and cradle her close. Gods, that was fucking pitiful and she hated it and if she could fight the personification of whatever ailed her, sheâd fight it so hard. âYouâre too warm to be cold,â she told her, pressing a kiss to her temple. âI know youâre not used to this, and I canât say Iâm the easiest either when it comes to being sick - but donât push through. Itâs just going to make you feel worse.â
Their couch was fashioned with plenty of blankets too â she grabbed one of those, and began draping it around her shoulders.
Adora didnât even fight against it. The cold crept through her, popping up goosebumps everywhere, and the blankets on her shoulders were a welcome warmth that she needed. She hugged Catra close and buried her face into her neck, nodding as she nuzzled in there.
ââM sorry,â she muttered. Another shiver passed through her and her arms around Catra tightened briefly. âI hate it. I donât wanna be sick.â
âNot supposed to apologize â youâre supposed to kiss me instead,â Catra teased, mouth pulled into a wry little smile. Would she smooch Adora while she felt like death? Duh, their first kiss on Etheria literally happened while she was dying in her arms. âYouâre allowed to be a person, by the way. People get sick. It might be harder for you to get sick, but youâre also allowed to sit back and let me take care of you.â
Whatever it was, she hoped it wasnât contagious (she wasnât worried about herself, Finn was just little and their immune system needed to be built up more) and that itâd run its course quickly. Adora was her person, and sheâd always take care of her person, but her person was also a shit patient. Stubborn, stubborn. But pretty.
Alas, it was time to get up. Catra loathed to do it â she was sure she could get Adora to sleep if she just laid on her and purred â but there was soup to make, and she had to make sure she was properly hydrated, and had to be conscious for Finn. She rose from her lap and tightened the blanket around her. âBe my wife-burrito,â she told her before handing her the remote. âPick something good to watch. I wonât be in the kitchen too long.â
It didnât matter that Adora had accepted her circumstances; she was still stubborn and stayed sitting up despite the mass of blankets wrapped around her. She looked pitifully defeated, but she didnât have the mental energy to argue with her wife anymore, especially when she was so obviously right.
âCan I hold Finn?â she asked. âI promise not to sneeze on them.â She just wanted their baby close, although she would accept if she was told no. She didnât really know what could have taken this kind of toll on her â it was completely out of nowhere, and for all they knew, it was something viral.
Catra winced at that request. âUm, letâs â hold off right now? We donât know what crud you have,â she said delicately. Outright telling her no felt cruel. It was painful to deny Adora Finn cuddles when they were so soft and stared up at them with big, bright eyes. âAnd if they get sick, thereâs not much medicine they can take at this age yet. Iâm sorry.â
Adora deflated, but she had expected that answer. She nodded, said, âOkay,â and pulled the blanket tighter around her. She leaned her head against the couch forlornly. This was why she hadnât wanted to be sick. She didnât get to do anything fun, not even hold her own baby. She was utterly useless like this.
âHey,â Catra murmured, pressing a kiss right into the center of her large forehead. âThis is why I need you to rest. For Finn, okay?â There wasnât a doubt in her mind that she could juggle a sick wife and a needy baby at the same time. Might get exhausting and a little frustrating, but she had this.
After tucking Adora a little more into the couch and checking on Finn (clean diaper still, and they were sucking on their pacifier), she went to the kitchen to work quickly. The chicken was cooked; she just had to get the vegetables to soften, add a few light spices, and fish out some crackers to go with it. Then while the soup cooled a bit, she prepared some hot tea, sweetening it with extra honey and a splash of cream â this would be good for her throat if it started acting up.
Adora had complained about being cold, so all this would helpfully warm her up. She set it all up in a tray that her wife could keep on her lap, and brought it over.
âMake any domestic goddess jokes,â Catra grumbled, âand I will feed you an oreo thatâs got toothpaste in it when you least expect it.â
Well, Adora couldnât complain about that no matter how much she might want to. She didnât want to get Finn sick, and she wanted more than anything to be able to snuggle them again. A day hadnât gone by where she hadnât gotten to hold them, not since they were born, and now this stupid sickness had to come out of nowhere and make her a risk to her baby. All she could do was pout and stare at them from afar.
True to her word, Catra reappeared pretty quickly. She couldnât help cracking a smile at her little grumbles as she wriggled herself a little more upright again. âAlways coming for the Oreos,â she chuckled, the words coming out amidst a clearing of her throat. âThank you, babe.â
âThe way you shovel them into your mouth is an Olympic sport,â Catra quipped, waiting patiently for her to sit up and make her lap available. Thatâs when she set the tray down, careful not to let any of the contents spill over the rims. âChicken noodle soup â homemade shit, itâs not bad â and hot tea.â
She took the spot next to her, feeling around Adoraâs forehead again. âI need to get an actual number on your temperature,â she mumbled, mostly to herself. âGotta make sure youâre not getting anywhere close to boiling point for your brain, you know?â
âMy brainâs not boiling,â Adora assured her, though the words were milder. She had ricocheted between hot and cold so far, but she didnât feel abnormally hot right now. She figured that meant her brain was fine. Really, what more harm could come to it than nearly cracking her skull open that one time? She figured nothing could top that.
She took a good spoonful of the chicken noodle soup and hummed her approval. âThis is really good,â she admitted. It was just the right temperature to stave off the remaining shivers, too, without pushing her into feeling overheated again. She leaned over and kissed Catraâs cheek, both a thank you and an apology. âYouâre the best wife.â
Brainâs not boiling, she says. Hmph. Catra would let the thermometer tell her that for sure later on, but right now she believed Adora - she was coherent, her eyes didnât look too glassy, and if she could at least down half of what was in the bowl, sheâd feel more confident in her health.
âYeah, yeah,â she groused, closing an eye at the kiss. âBut, in all seriousness - shit, I havenât seen you sick since the Fright Zone.â Catra frowned, blinking at her worriedly. âWonder where this came from?â
Should she take her to the doctor if thatâs the case? She wasnât one to unnecessarily panic, but the whole thing was kind of bizarre.
âVallo, I guess,â was Adoraâs rather blase response. It was something they all repeated after so long here â or phrases along the same lines. Vallo did as Vallo pleased, without much in the way or rhyme or reason, and thatâs what this had to be. She refused to believe this was just her being run down. Had she been going nonstop for days fighting, maybe sheâd get some shivers and sickly feelings from that, sure. Sheâd done none of that; her peak of activity had been seeing her mom the day before.
âOkay, but, if thatâs the case then Vallo can eat myââ Catra was cut short by a cry, all fussy and high-pitched. Finn was simply over not being held, and that spurred her into action. Off the couch again so she could dip into the pack nâ play â the bassinet function of having kept them snug â and she scooped up the baby, cradling them gently in her arms. âHiiii, sorry, sorry. Mamaâs sick. Gotta take care of both of you.â
The pacifier had popped out of their mouth but the clip tethering it to them was still attached to their pajamas (the footsie kind with dinosaurs printed on it, they looked so cozy), so not like it had been lost â all she had to do was pop it back into their mouth.
Adora watched Catra go, and despite the haze that lingered in her head, she couldnât help getting emotional. She wanted to help, damn it. She wanted to scoop Finn up and kiss their little forehead, and comfort them. Instead, she was at least as helpless as their infant child, and the thought made her crazy. She didnât want Catra to have to babysit them both; it was too much.
Sheâd finished her bowl of soup already; she may feel crappy, but her ability to eat was its own kind of legendary and hadnât been affected. She scooped up the tray, folding its legs to set it on the coffee table. She took a breath before loosening the blanket and swinging her feet over the end of the couch.
âI think Iâm gonna go upstairs and⊠get out of the way,â she told her wife. She squeezed the edges of the blanket around her neck like a cape, not ready to let it go yet. âMaybe I can sleep it off, you know? Then I can actually be useful again.â
Catra snapped her attention back to Adora, lips tugging into this... sad frown. Her turn to pout. âYouâre not in the way, dummy,â she told her. âIf you think you can rest better in our bed then, yeah. Go. I donât want you to be even more miserable. But if you want to stay with us, then stay? That way I can keep a better eye on you.â
Easier to bring her things, too. She just wanted her close, thatâs all.
Resisting that look on Catraâs face was an impossibility no matter what emotional state Adora was in. A small smile curled her lips, and despite herself, she settled back onto the couch. Hiding away wouldnât make her feel better, they both knew that.
âAs long as Iâm not going to burden you,â she relented with a sigh. Her head fell against the back of the couch again as she gazed at her wife and child. She wanted nothing more than to take care of them. She still struggled sometimes when their positions felt flipped.
âDude.â Catra sighed fondly, rolling her eyes. âYouâre not. Do you remember all the times you took care of me when I wasnât feeling good? Because of this munchkin,â she cooed, referencing Finn with a baby voice before kissing their ear. The couch was where she got comfortable again, adjusting Finn so they were stomach-first on her chest. âFood poisoning. Post-birth waddling and changing out of those weird, unsexy panties. Youâve taken care of me plenty when Iâve been incapable of doing it myself â so just come here, let me take care of you. Youâre pitiful, and youâve got puppy eyes, and I love you.â
âOkay, okay.â Adora scooted a little closer to the two loves of her life on the couch but still left a respectable space between them. She really didnât want to risk Finn getting sick, knowing they were too tiny to fight off whatever was plaguing her. If something was kicking her butt, then it wouldnât go over well with their infant either. But she reached out and held Catraâs hand and said, âI love you, too.â
Catra held her hand back, the kind of hold that locked their fingers together for a proper squeeze. The other hand was pressed into Finnâs back, rubbing soothingly, a gentle purr vibrating from her chest. âSickness and health and all that sappy stuff,â she smirked at her, tipping her head back into the cushions. âThink you can check the network, though? I havenât even looked at it today. If this is a Vallo doing Vallo thing, someoneâs gotta be complaining about it somewhere.â
Adora perked up a bit at the suggestion, wriggling her hand down to pull her phone out of the pocket of her shorts. She hoped it was a Vallo doing Vallo thing, more now than ever before. Maybe she was just more human than she thought, despite the Power, but around here, it could be anything else.
A quick search of the network confirmed it. Adora frowned as she scrolled the comments and relayed it to Catra. âMorgan posted. I guess some university students accidentally got magical toxic waste into the river? Theyâre working on cleaning it up, but people with land magic are basically having a bad time of it.â
She had never considered herself tied to the land here, but she guessed she kind of was. Sheâd revitalized the Fright Zone, which was an island but still land. And sheâd been in Vallo long enough that she felt like it sort of intertwined with the Power. Sheâd just never guessed she was so attached that she would be sick because of it.
âI wonder if Adam and Teela are sick, too,â she muttered, switching screens to shoot a text off to the Sorceress. The reply was quick and definitive. âYep, I guess so. Momâs at Grayskull taking care of Adam.â
âHuh,â Catra hummed, craning her head to look at Adoraâs screen. Blinking, letting that information sink it. Water snafu â she hoped boiling the damn water she made the soup and tea in helped with whatever shit was in it? Maybe she needed to swap out her wifeâs food for like, toast and orange juice. That had her worried. She just sat down too, sigh.
Finn made a little noise against her chest, suckling on their pacifier with purpose. She looked down at them, cocking her head to the side. âSo youâre telling me that youâre not contagious,â Catra deduced. âWhich means you can hold Finn â and Iâm gonna ask you to do that, because if itâs a water thing then I need to get you other stuff to eat and drink.â
Adora grinned, and if she wasnât half-burritoed in a blanket and generally looking like sheâd eaten some grocery store sushi, she wouldnât seem sick at all in that moment. She freed her arms completely, eagerly reaching out to scoop Finn up and cradle them to her chest. She didnât kiss them or press her face too close â she was still kind of stuffed up and snotty, and she didnât want her baby to get gross â but getting to feel their warm little body close was a nice balm for her grumpy feelings and overall blech energy.
âThank you, babe. I really feel okay right now, you donât have to get up.â She didnât feel great, but none of the movements sheâd just made had inspired any dizziness, her mind felt clearer, and aside from the cold and the general stuffed up nose, she felt human. Not normal but not falling apart. âMaybe the symptoms kind of ebb and flow?â
Catra felt relief. Having to deny Adora Finn while she was ill wasnât something sheâd been looking forward to â and she was glad to know it wasnât anything Adora-specific, that it was something acknowledged and being worked on, that it only affected those with a specific tie to magic.
âIâll get up later then,â she acquiesced, determined to get whatever the hell she needed as she endured this. âThat means I can cuddle you and not get sick, soooo.â Catra twiddled her claws. âGot room for one more?â
âAlways,â Adora replied. It was easy to situate herself comfortably on the couch so she was open for snuggles from both her favorite people in the world. She even snagged another blanket to cover them all up; Darla was cool enough naturally that a blanket was sometimes warranted without sickness, especially for Catra. âLetâs hope they get that purifying magic sorted out soon.â
Those ears of hers perked up so dramatically, it was almost funny. Catra was never denied the chance to crowd Adoraâs space anyway, but it excited her nonetheless and she very eagerly moved closer. Sheâd give her the purrs, the scent marking, the kisses to the face. âIâve got you until then,â she promised, arm wrapped around her midsection as she looked at her with big eyes and wide pupils. âYouâre still hot when youâre gross, by the way.â