Catra knew this bed and its soft sheets, the feathered pillows, plush blankets, warm body â like the sun existed in this very spot, and she was caught in its orbit to absorb the heat. Years ago thereâd be a few more joining them, little clingy things that would fill the room with their giggles, their purrs, and shove their feet into their backs and sleep in positions that should be impossible. The kids were older now, and one resided outside of Darla most of the time (that was hard to accept, and she was both proud and sad) while the other two wreaked havoc through their home with drama and arguments as they got ready for the day.
Which should be â happening soon, come to think of it? But it was quiet, and her wife was sleeping soundly and, again, so warm. Catra blindly nuzzled into her face, sleepy but accepting that it was time to rise, and she was about to pester Adora until she woke up until she opened her eyes and saw her face. Catra blinked.
It was her wife, no doubt about it; beautiful and slumbering and blonde (although she had been catching a few strands of silver in it the other night, comparing it to starlight in her mind) but it was her wife from two decades ago, features blank from those little lines and creases that came with age. She took a moment to marvel at her, and realize what this might be and what might be happening. A quick glance around their room told her this arrangement and decor was also from two decades ago, and thenâ
She heard the softest coo.
Careful not to jolt, Catra sat up to look over Adora and that was when she saw a co-sleeping bassinet. It had been Adoraâs turn to sleep by it. And in it was Finn. Baby Finn. Not her adult child that would text them random memes in their family group text, and gods, when was the last time she handled a baby?
That was when she figured out how to handle the morning.
Adoraâs red jacket was laid out on the dresser already, and she remembered how she used to wear it like a robe when she would nurse the kids â and to just wear it, obviously. She took it, slipping her arms into the sleeves as she moved around the bed quietly so she wouldnât wake her wife. Finn caught a view of her once she approached the bassinet, fist already in their mouth, but they smiled around it at the sight of her (older, having extra freckles and calmer hair) with a gurgly kind of giggle.
Catra missed these days.
âShhhh,â she whispered, picking them up. The first thing she did was hold their head to her nose so she could smell them, because she hadnât relished that baby smell since the twins were infants and she missed that too. They purred. âWeâre gonna let mama sleep. Iâm sure you stayed up late like you were partying last night, hmm?â
Moving through Darla was a literal blast from the past. The ship was currently a reflection of just them, and it would change over the years as the kids grew and filled it with their stuff too; the conversations and laughter and tears, toys and electronics, sports balls and art supplies. She had a reunion with Spirit and Ivy (that made her eyes misty), Melog knew it was her immediately and used their telekinesis to help with feeding them. Finn was changed, and she warmed up a bottle for them (since her boobs were useless now, sorry kid). It didnât take long for her to re-learn how to balance a baby with making breakfast; baby on her hip, the other hand flipping bacon with tongs.
âI think I hear mama coming down,â she said in hushed tones, giving Finnâs ear a kiss. They were so tiny, so soft, always perfect. âHigh chair time for you, kid.â
Waking up alone wasnât entirely unusual these days. For most of their first three years here, Adora had always been the one up before Catra â the early bird, taking care of the morning household chores before her wife deigned to rise and join her. She didnât mind; she was a creature of routine, and though sheâd managed to shake that while she was at Bright Moon, it had returned with a vengeance in Vallo. It was the best way her brain knew how to adjust to a brand new world.
Only with the addition of their baby had that routine, once again, shattered â only to be replaced with something new. A schedule that worked around Finn and providing for their needs over personal needs. Their little one was nearly always the first one up, and though they had pets and companions they tended to as well, Finn came first. Sometimes they got Catraâs attention, others Adoraâs. It was all a little hit-and-miss until both parents were awake and the regular ebb-and-flow settled into place.
When she woke up with her wife and baby gone, Adora took a little time to pamper the pets with attention. Spirit snuggled with her, panting and giving her that big puppy smile that she loved so much when she rubbed behind his ears. Even Ivy graced Adora with her presence, perched on Catraâs pillow as if it was her personal bed, vibrating with purrs and watching her with slitted eyes. She even allowed scritches on her neck and a few paw touches before she tucked them away.
She joined Catra after the irresistible smell of bacon cooking downstairs lured her in. The grogginess had faded, but that didnât stop her from doing a double take when she walked into the kitchen and found her wife at the stove with Finn on her hip. There was no mistaking that this was Catra â same height, same mismatched eyes, same hair (although tamed and controlled in a way her wife-of-the-present didnât often attempt), same familiar fur and stripes, wearing her jacket â but she was different. There were certain lines on her face, a different way she held herself, even while performing a task as simple as cooking.
Adora was spellbound immediately.
âHi,â she breathed, stepping up beside her wife and child and wrapping them up in her arms. She bestowed a kiss on Catraâs cheek and, when Finn loudly protested, chuckled and gave them one, too. âYouâre â Wow.â
Those were not complete sentences or anything close to a proper greeting, but the word-forming part of her brain seemed to be seizing up. All she could do was stare in awe and smile like a dope.
âHey Adora,â Catra said in that usual tone â like she was teasing, taunting with that raspy voice â and her movements seamless and oh so quick. She turned off the stove top so the sizzling could die down on its own, set the tongs down and kissed that dopey smile. A confident, smooth press of their mouths that lasted long enough but was maybe over too soon, ending with her catching Adoraâs bottom lip with her teeth, and â
It was done. She shoved her other hip into Adora, clearing the way so she could bring Finn to the high chair. âLet me get them strapped in,â she chuckled, looking over her shoulder with a grin that was just salacious. âYou have time to figure out how to communicate properly.â
She remembered her nervous fumbling when the tables were turned, and she walked in on an older Adora making her breakfast all those years ago. It was fun to have a role switch.
Adora managed to shuffle aside remarkably gracefully despite the hip check she received just moments after a kiss that made her tingle. Her cheeks burned at Catraâs teasing, but she was glad for the free moment to wrap her mind around what was going on. A lift of her wrist to read the dare on her watchâs display helped, too.
It was that time of the year.
She hadnât realized timeslips were going to be an annual occasion the first year they had happened. But here they were, third year in a row of something being wonky with the timeline. Future Finn had been in twice, even future Adora had made an appearance in the first year (a visit Adora still aspired to live up to someday), but they hadnât had future Catra yet.
The next words out of her mouth were, âWhen are you from?â
âFeels like Iâm gonna break some law of time by giving you an exact date,â she hummed, fixing Finn up with some toys to keep them occupied â they looked like they were at that age where they could some purees, and she was hoping to witness them being covered in a mess of sweet potatoes.
Baby taken care of, Catra did a slow spin to look at Adora, hands on cocked hips as she thought it over. âWhat I can tell you issss,â she paused, squinting at her wife-of-the-past with a smirk, âthat our oldest has their own place, and our teenage girls are a mess. But theyâre cute when theyâre not whining about how weâre embarrassing them in front of their friends. Darla gets extra loud, babe.â
âFinn has their own place?â That news was met with a furrowed brow and the beginnings of a pout as her eyes fell to the infant now comfortably strapped in their high chair. That meant Finn had to be at least eighteen, and Adora didnât like the thought of that one bit. They were still just their precious little baby, brand new in so many ways â more of a potato than a person, as her present Catra would say.
But she decided not to dwell and shifted gears, padding over to Catra to wrap her arms around her neck. Old or young, her wife was her wife, and Adora could go very little time around her without some kind of physical contact.
âDo I get the girlsâ names now?â She was pretty sure future Adora had refused that request back in year one, but she batted her eyes at her future wife now in the hopes she would overrule her future selfâs (a self who could no longer completely exist thanks to changes, she might point out) decision on the matter.
As if Catra would want distance, pfft. Her hands smoothed up and down her sides until they settled onto her hips, pulling her close. Space wasnât supposed to exist between them. It was true in this present, and true in her present - twenty-something years from now. âFinnâs an adult,â she confirmed for her, bittersweet. âThey like us enough that they hang out with us because they want to, itâs wild.â
It would never stop being wild. That this baby, slapping their hands on the table of their high chair, would grow up and become their own independent person. It was their turn to figure out their own place in Vallo and it was fun to watch. A little nerve-wracking sometimes, but they were proud.
âAs for the girls,â Catra sighed fondly, knowing sheâd be terrible at keeping this secret so she wasnât even going to try. âHope,â she then emphasized, since that was a name she had quarrels with in the beginning, âis a mini-you, went blonde to match. She cut her own bangs yesterday. Didnât even know thatâs something you did, by the way.â
Adora got a kiss to the nose before continuing. âAnd Mara â sheâs the youngest by nine minutes, Hope doesnât let her forget it, we hear about it at least twice a day â is our sensitive one. You didnât say âhiâ to her right away when she came back from school and she gave us the silent treatment for two hours.â
It was a good thing Adora didnât have time to marinate in Finn being an adult because she didnât like it one bit. Okay, sure, she was glad that even as an adult, their kid liked them and wanted to spend time with them â that meant theyâd done a good job. Theyâd raised a good kid, but Adora had always had a feeling that was the case. Even little Finn, rascal-y as they may be, was a sweetheart underneath their sassy front. Just like Catra.
Instead, her focus went to the girls. She hadnât really expected Catra to break the silence, but she was enraptured as she revealed first names, then little details. She was surprised by the names, if she was honest. Not because she wouldnât have liked them or chosen them, but she wasnât sure she could see Catra necessarily agreeing to them. Hope, particularly, and the emphasis on that name told her she was probably right.
âI love them already,â she declared with a smile. They sounded like handfuls, but she expected that of all their children. Neither she nor Catra were particularly serene kids, not even taking into account their environment. She would be disappointed if all was calm.
âYou spoil them rotten,â Catra snorted, but it wasnât meant to chastise her â the kids were absolutely babied sometimes, but who cared? They got everything she and Adora didnât growing up. That was something to be proud of, she thought.
Letting out a heavy, content exhale, she pressed their foreheads together. âThat was a lot of information dumped on you early this morning,â she said, squeezing her hips with a little prick of claws. âSorry, Babydora. I got carried away. Turns out that old age makes me super excited to talk about our kids, I guess. Gross.â
There was no doubt about it â in this future, Catra was happy. They were happy, and she was stoked to tell her about it.
âNot gross,â Adora countered at once, tangling one hand in her wifeâs hair and smiling all the more at her. The little pinprick against her hips didnât help matters. âTheyâre ours, I want to hear about them. I canât wait to meet them someday and spoil them rotten. You too.â
She was sure she wasnât the only one spoiling their kids, but if Catra wanted to put all that blame on her, sheâd take it. They had agreed a long time ago that they wanted their kids to have everything they could manage to give them. She hoped that didnât turn them into jerks, but a little brattiness was fine. She had handled Catra being a brat; she suspected it wouldnât be all that different.
âBut I guess we shouldnât let that delicious breakfast you cooked go to waste.â She grinned and leaned in to kiss Catra this time, deep and lingering for a moment until Finn let out a noise that pulled them apart. âI think our little guyâs feeling neglected, Catra.â
Catra, in fact, just chased her lips for more kisses. It was awfully tempting to crack a joke about waiting until the girls were born, with Finn going through a phase of you guys donât pay enough attention to me!!! once they became a family of five â but she also loathed to spoil it for her. Baby Finn was also hard to willfully ignore anyway, so it was just a few kisses.
Like, seven pecks max.
Hold up, make it eight.
âIâll make plates,â she murmured distractedly, kissing her lips for the ninth time (she liked making them puffy and red, like it was a job well done) before letting go. âKitchenâs still mostly my thing, but you help a lot. And I remember how limited sleep was when they were babies â let me spoil you a little?â
Adora acquiesced with a nod and smile, her fingers ghosting over her swollen lips just for a moment as Catra pulled away. Kissing Catra always left her excited, but there was a bit of a daze accompanying this particular version of Catra kissing her. It was silly to think, but she almost felt unworthy. Her wife was always the most beautiful person in the world to her, but seeing her here and now, so grown and obviously in love with their life, it hit differently.
She settled down into their kitchen booth and tugged Finn closer by the tray of their high chair, leaning in to nuzzle their nose with her own. âCan you even tell Mommy is different, baby? Huh?â
âNot that different,â Catra argued heatlessly, splitting the bacon up between two plates, buttering the toast - there were scrambled eggs she made too, and those she seasoned with some salt. It was a basic breakfast but protein was always a solid choice. âThey recognized me, though. Iâm sure I still smell the same to them too.â
Finn simply gave her this wide, gummy smile that reached their eyes, dragging drooly fingers across their mamaâs cheek. They were purring at her too. They always purred the moment Adora came into their line of vision, they noticed.
It didnât take long for her to come back with food and orange juice. Coffee was brewing in the background for later. âWhy,â she started, plopping down across from Adora with a playfully offended glare, âdo I look too old for you?â
They always sat next to each other or her on Adoraâs lap, and she could slide down the curve to cozy up next to her. Sheâd make her pout for it first.
Adora didnât mind the drool as she gave Finn one last kiss on their nose, but she reached for a napkin to clean up before digging into her food. She doubted Finnâs eyesight was good enough to make out the subtle differences in their mommy right now; thankfully, that famous Magicat sense of smell had definitely ingrained their individual scents pretty early. It was reassuring in the insecure moments where Adora worried they didnât know her.
It wasnât until sheâd gotten a bite into her scrambled eggs that she realized she had way too much personal space. She looked across the table at Catra with furrowed eyebrows.
âNooooo,â she drew out slowly, âyouâre just extra hot MILF right now, and youâre totally depriving me of getting to grope you while we eat. Thatâs super unfair of you.â
âOh, you think Iâm extra hot now, do you,â Catra purred, taking a strip of bacon off her plate. She leaned back, the other arm crossed over her midsection, very obviously not making the move to invade Adoraâs personal space just yet. Instead she watched her, leered at her, taking a nibble of meat.
She looked comfortable where she was at, no urgency to change her seat whatsoever. Her tail flicked lazily. âTell me more about that,â she said, raising a taunting eyebrow at her.
Adora knew when she was being challenged. She could easily just shift over to Catraâs side, but that wasnât the point now. Catra always came to her, and even older-and-wiser Catra knew that and was obviously making her work for it. She looked totally smug across the table, like she knew exactly what she was doing and exactly what to expect.
Which she probably did, to be honest. And Adora loved that. She loved being so thoroughly known.
âYouâre always extra hot, any age,â she amended because it was true. She picked up a piece of bacon to gesture with as she continued. âBut, I donât know, you seem really settled and happy, and⊠I like it. I kinda know what you meant about Hot Future Adora now.â She took a chomp out of that piece of bacon, studying her wife until sheâd chewed and swallowed. â...Am I still Hot Future Adora?â
Oh, Adora. âYou are, princess,â she confirmed, chuckling with infinite fondness and the way she was looking at her - gods, she loved how sheâd grown into this sense of security down the line, this confidence that felt unwavering, but there was something about this young version of Adora having that sense of insecurity that softened her up. It made her protective. It made her want to keep her close; to kiss away all those doubts and fears, to promise her that it was all going to be fine. âBoth our Hot Future Adora dreams came true, butââ
Catra gave in, doing away with that space between them. Finn seemed content to play with the sensory toys she put out for them on the tray - soft fabrics and zippers for them to tug at, a teething toy for their gums - while their mothers were enmeshed in one another. âYouâre also still Hot Present Adora,â she made sure to say, chin propped onto her shoulder. âI love you at every point in time.â
A pleased smile curled Adoraâs lips and she sacrificed one arm to wrap around Catraâs middle and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. âI love you at every point in time, too,â she murmured. âI can be sure of that. And our kids, all of âem. Are we stopping at three or aspiring to more?â
âWeâre outnumbered,â Catra decidedly reminded her, so close to her neck that Adora earned herself a quick bite. She was happy to continue picking at her breakfast like this, though. Finn making noises, Adoraâs arm around her â the kitchen that was theirs, but didnât exactly look like the one she was used to now (some remodeling happened, trying to keep up with the times and all). It felt like she was immersed in a memory; something from one of the pictures in their albums that she kept up with religiously through the years, a tradition yet to die. Nostalgia was hitting her hard. âNo more for us. Not that we don't still have fun with your magic,â she hinted around a bite of bacon.
They were shameless two decades down the road, unsurprisingly.
She took a sip of juice, and then followed up her words with, âWe talk about fostering sometimes now that the kids are grown. Still need to talk to the girls about it, but - itâs a maybe. I think weâre enjoying not herding little ones around for a bit longer. Hope and Mara go out with their friends a lot, and then itâs just⊠us again.â
Adoraâs cheeks went a little pink at that shameless reminder of their fun with her magic. She wasnât embarrassed about it, but she always got a little flushed when Catra teased her about their extracurricular activities. No regrets, though, and definitely no intention of stopping. She wasnât surprised that it had carried on years and years later, too.
She chewed thoughtfully on another piece of bacon. âI like the idea of fostering,â she decided. âBut⊠just us is kinda nice, too.â She knew they would never truly be the same couple theyâd been prior to Finn, and despite a minor crisis on that front far too late into the process (damn cold feet), she accepted that. But having the kids grown enough where they could lay back and relax without worrying felt very appealing.
âI think I like just us a little more,â Catra admitted, going boneless against Adora, all her weight pushed up against her wife like she was a safety net. âWe had the time of our lives raising our gremlins, donât get me wrong. And seeing Finn like this does kind ofââ
Make me want another, she would have said, but she figured Adora could decipher the sentiment. Her hand crossed the table to tap her claws onto the tray, and Finn was eager to grab a finger and squeal. Catra missed all her kids like this; their baby scent, the toothless smiles and chubby cheeks, their sleeping faces when they fell asleep in their arms. First words and first steps, their first everythings, the good ones and bad.
She and Adora poured so much love into them. She knew that who she was in this time looked at Finn and her wife, amazed that this was her life â and she did it now, three kids and twenty years of marriage under their belt. It wasnât always easy. It wasnât always perfect, and it didnât need to be. The regrets didnât exist. The sheer awe she had of it all did, and gods, was it a permanent feeling. It would be there the day she took her last breath.
Carefully, she withdrew her finger (Finn was being stubborn about letting it go, they wanted to gnaw on it) and leaned back into her wife. âI like the thought of us just sitting back, and watching these little weirdos that we made together figure out life for themselves.â
âWhatever happens, I know itâll be because you made the smart decision,â Adora replied. She was still very much in new mom mode, and she couldnât really imagine a time when they would be able to sit back and relax. It sounded like the twins still had some growing up to do, so the time hadnât completely come for their older selves just yet, but it was much more within reach than right now, in this present moment.
Finn was tiny. They didnât have language or understanding or much of anything beyond basic functions, but they were everything to Catra and Adora. Their perfect little baby, who she couldnât picture older than seven â and even then, that was only because Valloâs flukes had graced them with their childâs presence before they were even a full concept. A life outside of them, after four months completely enmeshed with them, was almost unimaginable.
âI really love seeing you so happy,â she murmured, her lips moving to Catraâs forehead this time. âNot that youâve seemed, like, unhappy, but⊠I donât know. Itâs different.â
Catra shifted, draping her legs over her lap so it was occupied in some way. âHow could I not be,â she hummed and reached for one of Adoraâs hands, kissing her fingers, her knuckles, purring softly through it all. Her eyes watched her, slits of blue and gold. âI got the life I was always afraid of losing.â
The fear never went away, not really. She could still lose it. The chances had diminished drastically by now, she was sure of it, but there was always a chance of her worst fears becoming reality.
Another kiss to her fingers. âAnd while the kids are everything, youâre still the best thing thatâs been mine.â
Just recently, Catra and Adora had been reminded of how quickly everything could change in Vallo. Coming home to her wife so distressed after her name appeared on the disappearance list when she had definitely not disappeared wasnât a memory she relished. She had seen Catra feel pain before when important people disappeared, but this was beyond anything sheâd ever witnessed. It didnât even match the way sheâd reacted when Adora had left the Horde behind.
Seeing future Catra here â happy and still just as in love now as she was in the present â was a balm that Adora needed and one she would be sure to share with her wife-of-the-present as soon as this wonky time of year resolved itself, as it always did. She knew this didnât guarantee continued Vallo existence, not after the first timeslip had shown them a glimpse of so much they no longer had, but maybe it was enough hope to cling to for a little while.
âDid you just quote Taylor Swift at me?â she teased. It wasnât exact but close enough.
Catra blinked.
âFuck me,â she realized, leaning away with a thoughtful huh. No wonder it felt weirdly familiar to say. âItâs an old song in my present, you know. But whatever, I stand by what I said. Iâll even sing it for you if you play your cards right, princess.â
Adora almost countered that it was an old song now, if they were being technical, but she stopped before she started, gazing down at Catra with a big smile. âYouâll sing? Voluntarily? Really? Gods, I must have really broken you down in the future.â
âLike you donât love it,â Catra snorted, dropping her hand to snatch up her chin, claws out to press gently into her skin. She had that look, completely ready to pull her into a kiss when there was a whine, and then a tiny cry, and then a louder, more pitiful cry.
Finnâs face was pinched in this sadness, adorable but pitiful, eyes watering and fingers flexing at them. They were clearly tired of their chair, and had needs, and looked at them like they were so upset at being ignored.
It was a face Catra hadnât seen in years, and her heart broke.
âGet that baby out of the high chair before I die,â she told her, pulling her legs off Adoraâs lap to make grabby hands back at Finn. âIâm so sorry, baby, your mamaâs just distracting with that face of hers.â
âSure, blame me,â Adora laughed, but she couldnât deny that sad little face had its effect on her, too. She wasnât purposely ignoring the baby, but she could admit Hot Future Catraâs face was just as distracting as hers was claimed to be. But she wiped her hands on her napkin and scooched toward the end of her seat to remove Finn from their high chair, all smooth movements from plenty of practice.
âNow, no dying,â she said firmly, tucking the little one into Catraâs arms. Her heart swelled, as it always did, seeing her wife with their baby â even if her wife was currently a decade or two older than usual. âTheyâre just being dramatic, I hope you know that.â
âYouâre dramatic,â Catra retorted lamely, words muffled against the expanse of Finnâs forehead once they were in her arms. She loved this age. They filled the footed pajamas perfectly with that baby chub, and they were so expressive and were learning how to play with toys and just â ugh. She held them against her chest, hand on their back to offer support, though they were beginning to hold themself on their own a little more.
Finn settled with snuffs and whines, and she kissed their damp cheek. âNot to sound like a total cliche,â she sighed, âbut this age goes by really fast, Adora. Theyâre so cuddly and clingy, and before you know it theyâre rolling their eyes at you and holding down a job. Itâs terrible.â
It wasnât, and she was being dramatic.
âMight just spend the whole morning snuggling the both of you,â she added, kissing Finnâs nose, although she missed the freckles that would eventually dot their face - that would come with age and sun, just like hers did.
âI wonât take them for granted,â Adora promised softly, kissing Catraâs temple. She already knew that years down the road, these baby years would feel like a blip. Even now, there were times it felt like time was racing by and others where it felt so slow. She was trying to live in every moment as fully as she could. It wasnât her instinct, but if there was one thing Vallo had taught her, it was that she needed to savor every little thing.
âIf weâre cuddling, weâre cuddling somewhere comfier than the kitchen table,â she added, sliding away to let Catra get to her feet. âYou go get comfy on the couch, Iâll get the dishes taken care of. And Iâll bring the coffee out for you.â
Catra huffed, flashing her the type of glare reserved only for her - more pouty than anything, always somehow loving. âI literally said I was here to spoil you.â The infant days were over for them in the future. They were rested most days.
But she was also having a hard time putting Finn down, and Finn clearly didnât want to be anywhere else right now.
âIâm making you a sexy dinner tonight,â she announced, sliding out of the booth to stand and pointing an accusing claw at Adora. âAnd a sexy lunch. I mean it. Itâs going to be so good.â
Until then, she was going to take the moment to enjoy the baby-version of her firstborn. Catra had a little belly to tickle and some hardcore peek-a-boo to play, and she was going to get it done.