WHAT: Family bonding goes a little sour; Adora and Mara have a big feelings talk WHERE: Castle Grayskull WHEN: Today WARNINGS: Big feelings but nothing awful STATUS: Complete
The Heart of Castle Grayskull was a gorgeous, wide expanse of lush greens and flowering plants that seemed to exist in a constant state of springtime. It was the perfect space to play on a rainy, dreary Vallo day with cubs who had endless energy, and kids who equaled that, at least. The youngest, especially â Dare, Teela and Adamâs son â raced around like a little wild man with Cheddar bounding along after him. They were both clearly having the time of their lives, and she let them; hopefully, it meant Dare would nap when he finally burned through his energy.
He reminded Adora of Finn the first year she and Catra had met them â fearless in that way only children could be. Had Cheddar not been attached to his hip, Adora was certain she would be because this kid wanted to climb on everything and fling himself off like he could fly. Thankfully, the cub was a good distraction and wrestled with him to keep him occupied and safe on the ground.
Calliope was the only one of the cubs not engaged with the kids. She sprawled between Adora and Marlena on the picnic blanket theyâd spread out, purring like a thundercloud. Clawdeen patrolled the perimeter, keeping a watchful eye on everyone. They had the kids to themselves for a little while; Adora was supposed to be at work but had taken the day off. Catra had taken Finn out for lunch with Alex and Esme with plans to join them at Grayskull later, and Teela and Adam had been shooed away to take some time for themselves and get a kid break â something Teela, especially, had reluctantly accepted.
Adora picked up a cracker from the charcuterie platter theyâd picked up earlier in the day. She smiled in the girlsâ direction before turning back to her mom, looking absolutely smitten as she declared, âI think I could get used to this.â
Marlenaâs immediate response to that was a resolute, âMe too.â
Having the opportunity to spend time with her children felt like a miracle. The possibility existed in her wildest dreams and fantasies, though she dared not indulge in it often as they broke her heart â and yet, here, they were a reality. Marlena had her son. Marlena had her daughter, and her daughter had given her a grandchild. They were good people with good hearts. They were loved, and their futures were bright.
Aside from the fact that Randor should be here to share this joy with her, she couldnât have asked for more. But she got more in the shape of three other children, and Marlena was over the moon. Her face ached from smiling. Her belly was sore from laughing, enjoying their antics and the frazzled looks of the parents when the kids proved to be challenging.
âI miss the baby,â she pouted playfully, holding her camera to record Dare tumbling with Cheddar, forever in love with that mess of red hair (Teelaâs hair), âbut I love these ages. And the girls, Adora, I canât get over how tall they are.â
âNeither can Catra,â Adora laughed. Every time the twins stood anywhere near her wife, she was pouting at the audacity of them being taller than her, making her the shortest member of the family by far. Adora didnât know for a fact how tall Finn was â sheâd guess at least her height â but the girls had confirmed Finn-of-their-time was taller than Catra, too. Her wife found it offensive, and Adora found it absolutely hilarious.
âI canât get over them being teenagers,â she went on, plucking a piece of salami off the platter to feed to Calliope. âThe oldest we ever had Finn was seven, I sort of figured if we ever got the twins, theyâd be much littler. Not that Iâm complaining! I love them so much.â
There was nothing false about that sentiment either. The girls were challenging, but Adora loved them more than she could ever fully express. Once sheâd gotten over the initial shock of them bursting into the bedroom early in the morning with absolutely zero warning and a haircut desperately in need of fixing, all she could do was love them. Things hadnât been entirely smooth sailing, but she thought she and Catra were doing pretty good for first time moms to teenagers, at ages not even a decade older than them.
âMara told me that the cubs, like⊠imprinted on the kids,â she mentioned. The cubs did seem absolutely delighted by their new friends, but she didnât know that they were imprinting on anyone just yet. âKind of like Clawdeen and Melog did on Catra? I guess weâre destined to be a majority cat family.â
âMight be best if they arenât little - they seem like theyâd be trouble,â Marlena said fondly, wishing she could see it for herself. That had been something she looked forward to when she and Randor discovered they were having twins. Siblings had a special bond but twins kicked it up a notch, she thought.
The experience was robbed from her. Sheâd always wish things were different, but she was beginning to really believe that things happened for a reason â and those reasons were in Finn, in Mara, in Hope.
Her fingers ran up and down Calliopeâs fur, an interesting mix of colors that reminded her a lot of Melog. âThe imprinting makes me feel better,â she then added, smiling wider as Calliopeâs purrs intensified with affection and food. âI love the idea of them all having some kind of companion. You guys are like â oh, whatâs that crazy television show? I quit watching it because everyone kept dying, but.â Marlena caught her lip between her teeth to think. âThe Game of Thrones and that family with the wolves.â
Adoraâs expression was pure surprise, and she let out a laugh as she responded. âYeah, I guess we are kind of like the Starks.â She, too, had stopped watching Game of Thrones when it became clear how violent and murder-y it was. She could understand some people appreciating that kind of intensity in conflict, but she justdid not. Living and fighting through a war didnât make her particularly want to see anything like that on-screen.
âThen thereâs me and Swifty,â she pointed out. She was the only member of the family whose companion was a horse, but she wasnât complaining. Swift Wind was consistently a good friend to her, even though he did his own thing more often than not these days. âI guess that makes me the odd one out again.â She shrugged and offered Calliope another snack; she didnât mind, but it was a funny realization.
Swifty. Yes, him. Marlena forgot about him sometimes, which was strange â he definitely left an impression with his, ah, enthusiasm. âI do like him,â she said, reaching out for an olive to pop into her mouth. âBut your wife counts as a cat companion. Not in a pet way, thatâs offensive.â
That was an insult to Magicats and from what she knew of them, theyâd take out an eye for a comment like that. Quite literally.
âProtection-wise, I just meanâwhen your father and I were here for the first time, for example, she was definitely guarding you,â she elaborated. âYouâre a well-protected family with all the claws here.â
âClaws that tear through metal,â Adora pointed out, proud of that fact. Magicats were creatures of destruction, and she was sure both Finn and the twins would be just as capable as their mother as they grew older. Hopefully, they just didnât have a reason for any destruction of property like Catra had in their Horde years â a move that hadnât gone over well with their former mentor.
âBut she kinda counts, yeah. Weâve both always been pretty protective of each other, as much as we could be.â Her gaze was significant, but she wasnât going to get into the abuses the Horde had visited upon them in the kidsâ company. They would never suffer the way their parents had, and as much as she could, she didnât want them knowing about it.
Dare chose that moment to make his daring escape from Cheddar and lunged straight at Adora, knocking her back in surprise. âAuntie âDoraaaa!â he yelled, like it was a battle cry. The orange cub bounded along after him, head butting his sister as he slid into the picnic blanket. âDid you see me?? I won the wrestling match!!â
Cheddar harrumphed at that, like he was protesting Dareâs declaration, but Adora just laughed and said, âI did! Youâre so brave, buddy! What do you think, Grams?â
Marlena loved these cubs. They were just so cute with their big paws, and bodies that were still growing into those big paws, and the way they were attached to the kids? She was in a constant state of melting.
And she melted even more with Dareâs excitement, and she had to snatch the little boy into her arms to hug. âYou did amazing,â Marlena mumbled into his hair, breathing him in. He reminded her so much of Adam at this age. âAnd so did Cheddar. You two are just the best little pair.â
âYou say that about all of us, Grams!â Hope shouted from her spot, lounging against Cupid.
âWell, maybe itâs true about all of you!â Adora shouted back to her daughter, shaking her head fondly at the way Hope used a perfectly content Cupid as a bench to drape herself against. She was glad the cubsâ temperaments were so mild around the kids, especially Dare. Hope and Mara werenât as raucous at their currently-very-young cousin.
Dare, for his part, didnât squirm in his grandmotherâs arms for the moment. He was definitely a mini-Adam in some ways, and curling up with his mom and grandmother appeared to be a pastime he was perfectly happy to accept. Adora remembered Finn being a cuddlebug at that age, too, but Dare was a little more docile.
âGramma, can I have a cracker?â
âBut of course,â Marlena softly gasped, as if her grandson could insinuate otherwise â Teela and Adam would have to learn to forgive her, she was spoiling him. She was spoiling all of them. âI can make it into a little tiny cracker cheese sandwich, like this.â
Putting a slice of colby-jack cheese between two crackers was the extent of her culinary ability, but she did it very well.
Hope stayed where she was, happy to knead into Cupidâs back (and the baby pink cat was making such a happy trill noise in response), but Mara approached the blanket with Clover trailing behind closely. âWeâve always been the babies,â she explained, sitting down to snag a few grapes. âItâs still really weird to see Finn and Dare little.â
âMaraâs jealous! Get me some pepperoni!â
âI am not! You get your own pepperoni!â
âI wish I had extendable arms,â Marlena contributed, sighing wistfully.
âMom, itâs not your job to feed her,â Adora sighed fondly. Her mother was obviously loving being a grandmother, and Adora was happy they got to give her that, but the twins â Hope, especially â tended to take advantage of that. The mortification Adora had felt when her child held out a hand and requested money from Marlena â well, she wasnât sure sheâd ever get used to that. âHope, come over here and get your own pepperoni!â
She turned back to Mara with a soft, if tired smile. âSo, does that mean timeslips arenât happening in the future anymore?â she questioned curiously. It had happened the last three years in a row, but she hadnât heard of it happening prior to that. So maybe it was a start-and-stop situation?
âThey happen,â Mara answered with a shrug, plucking a few more grapes from the stem she snagged for herself. âThey donât always happen to us, though.â
Hope ended up crawling over, very dramatic, like she was famished â and made grabby hands towards the pepperoni. Did Marlena cave and give it to her? Absolutely. That had her beaming. âThanks, Grams! And what Mara said. We have seen some, um, super weird stuff though with time. But we canât tell you, thatâs cheating.â
âWell, I donât want to cheat,â Adora relented with a grin, picking up another bunch of grapes and passing them over toward Mara. âYour mom and Iâve already been deprived of the chance to name you all ourselves by getting you here early.â She liked to think she and Catra would have come to those names themselves anyway, but she had a feeling Hope might have been a hard sell. So, it was a good thing the girls had just shown up with the names, and Catra had gotten attached. âBut weâll keep the rest of the cheating to a minimum.â
âCheatingâs bad,â came Dareâs firm declaration, sounding so much like Adam, despite his little boy voice. He looked up to his grandmother for approval. âRight, Gramma?â
âSo very bad, my little love,â Marlena cooed, kissing his little forehead several times. The girls werenât insanely receptive to this kind of affection, and she was still careful with baby Finn â parents should be the only ones kissing them that young anyway, to minimize the chances of them getting sick â but Dare was at that perfect age. âThe futureâs full of surprises, and we donât want to get spoiled by knowing all the details.â
âGrams, can I haveââ
âOh, right, more pepperoni,â she instantly realized, ignoring the scandalized look Mara was sending her. Hopeâs grin somehow grew, and she sunk her sharp little teeth into the meat with a happy trill.
âHope,â Adora sighed. âItâs not your grandmaâs job to feed you, you lazy child.â She fixed her daughter with a playful glare, gesturing for her to sit up with one hand. Mara was so low-maintenance compared to Hope, but Adora just knew handling them full-time growing up must have been as much a trial as it was an adventure.
âIâm not lazy,â Hope huffed, dragging her limbs so she could sit upright and finally have her own access to the fancy lunchables. Cupid came up behind her and pushed their head into her back before flopping down, adding another floppy body to the crowd. âGrams just loves me. If she wants to spoil me, who am I to say no?â
âItâs true,â Marlena sighed, kissing Dareâs forehead again because she could.
Mara, frustrated, yanked another grape free and tossed it at her sisterâs face. It didnât pan out the way she wanted. Hopeâs reflexes were quick - her mouth opened to receive it, and she gave her twin a thumbs up.
Adora frowned. She wasnât surprised her mom was giving into Hope anyway, but there was a little pang of frustration that she wasnât being listened to. Then, the way Mara was looking at Hope, the way she flung that grape at her sister, made her wonder if she was missing something else.
âAre you okay, sweetie?â
âIâm fine,â Mara snapped. Not loudly, but quietly with a little venom. Hope was the one with the lungs, the one that just gleaned all the attention without real effort. She was always in the background, needy and sensitive and struggling to make that known. âSheâs just dumb.â
A flash of hurt crossed Hopeâs face. âBut I didnât do anything.â
Marlena cleared her throat, shifting Dare on her lap. âDo you want to keep playing with Cheddar? The cubs have a big ball they like to kick around.â She might be the spoiling grandma but she wasnât there to parent, and this felt like it might get a little complicated. Dare didnât need to be present for that.
âYeah!â Dare bounced out of his grandmotherâs lap, completely oblivious to the tension between his cousins, and patted Cheddarâs head. âCâmon, Cheddar! Letâs go play!â He took off running, and the orange cub followed behind him. Calliope stretched to her feet as well and padded off after them with Marlena by her side to hunt down their ball.
Adora looked between the twins, trying to assess just what was going on. Sheâd picked on Hope for being lazy, but it was generally good fun, and she didnât quite understand what was going on that Mara was so upset about. Nothing awful had happened. Unless sheâd missed something earlier, and it was just coming back.
âOkay, whatâs going on?â she asked Mara, a more concerned, serious edge to her tone now. âTalk to me?â
âI said Iâm fine ââ
âYou always get like this and I didnât even do anything,â Hope repeated, crossing her arms.
Mara bristled. She had those telltale magicat signs that gave her mood away; the lowered ears, the tail that was beginning to fluff. Anger often came with the threat of tears. Clover began to whine, and Cupid started taking some tentative steps back. âShut up, Hope. You never have to do anything! Isnât that super cool for you?â
Adora was just baffled. The girls had their moments of friction and did plenty of bickering, but so far, Adora hadnât seen tensions rise between them like this. And she couldnât figure out why, which was the stressful part. She thought she might be able to get Mara to talk to her, but Hopeâs interjection just seemed to get her more steamed. She knew the signs that tail and ears were giving off. Sheâd seen it from Catra dozens and dozens of times over the years. The reasons may be foggy to Adora, but they were there, and the agitation they were causing was real.
âOkay, okay, hey,â she said, laying a hand on Maraâs shoulder. âYou have to tell me whatâs going on, Mara. Because, I mean, it does seem like Hope didnât really do anything. So, if youâre mad at her, I need you to tell me why.â
She was racking her brain for what Hope might have done that could have put Mara so on edge, but she couldnât think of anything. Adora had been the one getting on Hope and feeling the mildest annoyance from her laziness. But she couldnât pretend she understood the dynamics entirely. Hope and Mara were visitors in her life right now, and the task of parenting them wasnât one sheâd practiced.
Adoraâs hand didnât last long on Maraâs shoulder. She shrugged it off, jolting away from her mother. âWhat does it matter, sheâs your favorite no matter what I do,â she said. None of it came out loudly; more of a quiet, moody grumble accompanied with glassy eyes. âSheâs spoiled because of you.â
A second later she was standing and storming away, Clover following her dutifully.
Hope groaned. She hid her face behind her hands, falling back into Cupid. âShe wonât go far,â she spoke into her palms, the words directed at Adora. âShe has a spot in the castle she likes to hide in sometimes. When she feels like sheâs about to cry. She cries a lot.â
Adora was too stunned silent to even do more than watch Mara storm off with Clover on her heels. She didnât understand. Had something actually happened? Was she just in a bad mood? Had she really chosen a favorite child? She swore sheâd never do that. It was too much like Shadow Weaver â how sheâd always preferred Adora, propped her up on this golden pedestal that no one could reach, and put Catra down in the worst possible ways. Was that what she had become?
She felt helpless right now, stomach tying itself in knots while she tried to decide what to do. If Mara was anything like Catra â and she did seem to take mostly after her wife, which Adora loved â then chasing her down was a hit-or-miss situation. She might be receptive, or she might snap even further. She didnât want to stoke the flames, but would not going after her just be perceived as confirmation that Hope was, in fact, the favorite?
âWhy does she cry a lot? Am⊠I donât understand.â
Hope dragged her hands up and over her ears, face all twisted up at her mom like sheâd just bit into something sour. âItâs, um,â she sighed. They were twins; of course she had some insight about this but she would still stand by the fact that she didnât do anything outrageous. She was just being silly with their grandmother. âWe do a lot of stuff together? You and me. But we like the same stuff a lot of the time, and Mara doesnât. You help me with sports and sparring and my hair. Mommy had to really push her into learning self-defense stuff, you know? She hates fighting. She likes books and writing, and sheâs part of the chess club at school. And I think she wishes you liked that kind of thing more. Then she overthinks things when you donât react the way she wants you to, gets anxious, overthinks more and then hurts her own feelings because she overthinks, and cries. When we were little she, like, never let you put her down. I remember.â
It was Adoraâs turn to bury her face in her hands, overwhelmed with a surge of guilt that Mara hurt so much because of her. Had she not done enough? She couldnât imagine she didnât care, that she didnât try, because sometimes, it felt like she did both of those things too much. She knew Catra had said the future self sheâd been with that first year the timeslip occurred was different. Older, obviously, but more confident, more comfortable, and Adora was striving for that. But was that the wrong move? Had it made her callous when it came to her kids â or this one particular child, at least?
With a sigh, she dropped her hands and picked up another branch of grapes just to have something to do with them. âDoes it help if I go talk to her?â
âI think so,â Hope answered honestly, eyeing the grapes in her momâs hand. She leaned forward from Cupid and flopped onto her belly, holding her chin up with her hands. âShe doesnât get like this with mommy. Like, sheâll go to her for stuff but sheâs super clingy about you â and then accuses me for hogging all your attention. Itâs stupid sometimes.â
Then she opened her mouth and pointed at the grapes with her eyes before looking back at Adora, expecting to be fed, âahhhhhhhhhhhh.â
Okay, that was something. At least if she messed up, she might be able to get back on track with Mara. Adora was absolutely terrified of her kids hating her, and while that didnât seem to be the case with hope at all, Mara was a little more distant with her. Maybe talking to her would help her understand why and work to be better. That was definitely one of the great motivators of these timeslips.
She looked at Hope and rolled her eyes fondly. âGet up and get your own grapes,â she said, taking that particular branch with her as she got to her feet. âKeep an eye on your grandma and Dare for me. Iâll be right back.â She took a step away, paused, and relented, plucking off a grape to toss at Hopeâs open mouth before heading off to find Mara.
Finding Mara wasnât hard. She had always been good at hiding when she was little; in tight places, high places. The former made her feel safe. The latter let her observe. There was a lot to climb around when it came to the castle, and she had a high space she liked to perch onto that Aunt Teela always found her in.
Problem was, Clover wanted to get up with her.
âYouâre too small,â she frowned at them, watching the cub trying to scramble up stone. There was an audible sniff, her nose stuffy from crying, as she tried to reach for their paws from her height. âWhen youâre bigger you can â oof â jump, but then it gets crowded. Okay, okay, can you stay there?â
Clover made this rough kind of whine, spreading out on the floor in defeat.
Mara looked guilty. âIâm sorry, I love you.â
Adora definitely would have had more trouble tracking Mara down if it hadnât been for Clover. He may be naturally quiet, but he wasnât sneaky at all. Maybe he would grow up to be, but Adora suspected not. Clover reminded her the most of Cringer, who was swift when he wanted to be, but otherwise kind of a klutz. But it was the whines of displeasure that gave him away this time, and she followed the sound to find her daughter.
Except she was⊠up there. A spot she hadnât accessed with a ladder. Adora considered the wall before her, reached down to give Clover some well-earned, comforting pats, then reached out to coax herself up the wall. It oddly wasnât the first time she was grateful scaling walls was a part of Horde training.
âMara,â she said, sliding onto the ledge Mara had chosen to make her hiding spot. âIâm really sorry. Do you⊠want to talk about what youâre feeling?â
Mara wasnât as small as she used to be. Flexible, yes, she got the bendy parts from her mom, but pulling herself deeper into the ledge was a tight fit â meaning hiding from her mama completely was also impossible. Clover gave her location away anyway.
âNo,â she answered grumpily, wiping her cheeks to hide the fact that she had cried a little. It was already obvious despite her efforts. Her knees were pulled up against her chest, and her arms went around them to keep them in place. âItâs nothing.â
âItâs something or you wouldnât be sad,â Adora pointed out, all softness and tenderness in her tone. She paused only for a second before reaching over to gently wrap her arms around the little girl. She may not be all that little, really â she was fourteen and probably at her full-grown height â but she seemed little at that moment. In her mannerisms, in the way she balled herself up just like Catra did when she was feeling sad and insecure.
Of course she wasnât going to make Mara speak if she wasnât ready. But she could be here, holding her and supporting her, and trying her best to do the mom thing. Parenting a teenager at twenty-three, even temporarily, hadnât been in the plans, but she wanted to do her absolute best. She could only really hope this was good enough.
Mara stiffened. The tension melted from her bones moments later, and while she didnât unfurl herself from the ball she turned herself into, she did lean into her mother. She sniffed again, avoiding eye contact. She felt too guilty to look at her directly.
âIâm sorry,â she mumbled, trying to swallow down the stuttering purrs; uneven vibrations, broken up in spurts. âI donât want to ruin the day. Iâll get over it.â
âYouâre not ruining anything,â Adora told her. âYouâre allowed to have feelings about whatever youâre having feelings about, sweetie.â Did it suck she didnât really understand them? Well, yeah. But that didnât mean sheâd ever ask Mara to stop feeling the way she did. That was the kind of thing Shadow Weaver would do, and it wasnât the kind of example Adora ever wanted to follow.
âHopeâs easier,â Mara sighed, squeezing her knees tighter into her chest. âShe doesnâtâI donât know why Iâm not more like her, we have the exact genes.â They were identical! Theyâve shared a womb. It wasnât fair. It always made her think that something was just wrong with how easy it was to needle her feelings. Like she was made differently, or Hope just got something extra that she didnât have.
âMara, neither of you are easy,â Adora said. She paused, taking a moment for those words to re-enter her brain and realize just how it sounded. As soon as she did, she hurried to correct it. âI mean, everything is tough when youâre growing up. Thereâs a lot going on in your head, and your heart, and your body, and sometimes things are just hard. That doesnât mean thereâs anything wrong with you. You and Hope may be twins, but youâre not the same person. I wouldnât want you to be the same person. Iâm sure me-of-the-future feels the same way.â
âBut you like her better,â Mara argued pitifully, leaning away from her. âYouâre always talking with her more, and around her more â in our time and here. And then Hope just always ends up taking over, itâs not fair.â
It also made her feel childish to complain about it. She boxed those feelings up a lot and sat in her own corner, quiet, nose in a book or eyes glued on her phone. But she thought sheâd have an easier time being with her mother in this timeline for whatever reason, and Hope was just being Hope, putting herself in the center of their attention (oftentimes obliviously).
âHave you⊠talked to me in your time about this?â Adora asked quietly. She couldnât imagine she was oblivious to this at any time, but the possibility always existed. She could get in her single-mindedness and not realize when she was messing things up in other areas. She loathed to think Mara was an area she was neglecting, but she couldnât resolutely say it wasnât possible.
Hope, it seemed, was a bit of a center-of-attention kind of kid, after all. Mara was a complete sweetie, and she had this soft, nurturing side to her that Adora was extremely proud to see. She had taken to baby Finn better than Hope had, acting almost more like an additional mom than a temporarily big sister. But even without that, there was so much to like about her â and love about her.
Mara let out this blargh noise, followed by a sigh. She uncurled, scooting towards the ledge let her long legs dangle and to peer over at Clover â who stared up at them, woeful. âSort of,â she admitted, face twisting into a grimace. âI kind of just go to my room and slam the shut button really hard though.â
âDonât you thinkââ Adora paused mid-sentence, deciding on the fly to be more definitive in this response. She wasnât talking about a stranger here, whose reaction should be feared or whose motivation she didnât understand. âYou should talk to her. Talk to me. I want to hear how you feel and what youâre thinking. Nothingâs going to get any better if I donât know how you feel.â
âBut what ifââ Mara sighed again, frustrated, kicking her legs a little. A question popped up into her brain, and she had to pause herself to figure out how to word it better â because she wanted this version of her mama to like her, so what if she messed that up by being too whiny?
What if the mama she did have in her timeline liked Hope more?
She breathed. It was this deliberate inhale-exhale pattern, in from her nose and out the mouth, three times, just like how sheâd been told to do as a child when anxiety had her wound up. âOkay. Fine.â
(At least it was better than nobody understands me! line she threw at her moms a lot.)
âGood,â Adora murmured. She wasnât oblivious to the way Mara had stopped herself. Part of her was tempted to leave it where it was, not to press too hard and risk her kid having even more issues with her. But since they were here discussing feelings and talking about said feelings, she felt like it was better to push now. âWhat if what, though?â
Mara looked to her warily. It was tempting to tell her to forget about it, jump down and tend to Clover. They could go back before Hope started looking for them; she always gave her a fifteen minute head start before seeking her out.
She took a rare leap of faith instead. She also regretted it instantly.
âDo you think you-in-the-future doesnât love me as much?â
âDefinitely not,â Adora answered firmly and immediately. She reached out to take Maraâs hand into hers and looked into her daughterâs eyes. It was another moment where she noticed that she was a little girl. A teenager, growing into herself, but a baby in so many ways, if not an infant like Finn. She wasnât saying any of this to be difficult. Her feelings were confused but they were coming from a very pure, insecure place.
âIâve known you for a week,â she continued, âand I love you so much, sweetie. I love you both, individually and together. Youâre as much a part of me as Hope is, and being a little different than me only makes me love you even more.â
There wasnât an immediate answer from Mara. Her feet dangled a little more, and her ears twitched, actually perking up again and being less â mopey. She didnât catapult herself into her mother with the same kind of excitement Hope did, or her other mom did. Hers was a slow lean until she was pressing against Adora, her head on her shoulder.
Her ears twitched again, tickling at her cheek.
âI love you too,â she whispered, like it was sacrilege for someone her age to admit that to their parent but she was doing it anyway.
Adora wrapped her arm around Maraâs back and smiled at the soft, familiar sensation of a furry ear flicking against her cheek. A perk of the Magicat genes was how expressive these little extra non-human things made all the people she loved. She could feel the change in mood and read it clearly in that unintentional little twitch.
âEverythingâs going to be okay,â she said softly. âIâve always got you, I promise. Even when it feels really, really tough, I always want to hear from you, okay?â
âNow youâre just being sappy,â Mara grumbled under her breath, but there was a shy smile that betrayed that too.
âItâs what I do,â Adora declared, turning her cheek to kiss the top of Maraâs head. âIâm sure your mom still picks on me for it all the time.â
Maraâs eyes rolled affectionately. That lean became a hug soon enough, arms circling around her mamaâs midsection for a squeeze. âShe does. But she really likes it when you are, and she can be sappy too. Youâre just the most extra. The two of you arenât really that different from our present.â
âThatâs good to hear,â Adora grinned, hand splaying across the back of Maraâs head before she kissed the top again. She had gotten that idea from Catra herself, when sheâd thought her wife-of-the-future would be her only experience of the timeslip this year, but it was nice to hear from Mara, too. She hoped that meant they were a good example for their kids as they grew.
Another plaintive whine echoed from beneath them, and Adora looked down to see Clover looking up at them forlornly. âI think your buddy down thereâs feeling abandoned,â she commented with a soft chuckle, waving down at the green cub. âAre you ready to get down?â
âAwww,â she cooed, following her eyes down to her cub. Clover started pawing at the wall again, and that was the encouragement Mara needed to sit up. The tears were gone. She seemed lighter, tail taking on a more calming swish, brushing up against Adoraâs arm. âWe should go back before Grams gets conned into feeding Hope more.â
Another little graze on her arm with the length of her tail, and Mara began to work her way down. She was cautious, not wanting to leap down and risk shattering her ankles.
Even if her rmother could get tall, glowy and have magic healing hands.
âCâmon, Mama!â
The last of the tension and wariness Adora was carrying seeped away with the brush of Maraâs tail against her arm. She had been so afraid she wouldnât be able to help â she wasnât quite Maraâs mom yet, so working out how to handle her was tough â but she could tell she had. Instinct had carried her through. It may be just a band-aid for the discussion her future self needed to have with her daughter, but it seemed like a good band-aid. Solidly stuck on there to help the cut heal.
âIâm coming,â she called back. She took a slow breath, smiled, then followed Mara carefully down the wall.
Clover cheered up immediately. They were back on all four paws, stuffing themselves between mother and daughter as they walked back towards the heart of the castle. Mara was still too timid to initiate one-on-one small talk at times, but she was always sneaking a glance at her mother with a little smile.
They stumbled on what Mara predicted. Calliope and Cheddar entertained Dare, and Hope had her head on Marlenaâs lap as she accepted an offering of a grape into her mouth.
Instead of sighing, she looked over to her mother and asked, âCan I put my head on your lap so you can feed me too?â
Adora wasnât surprised by the sight that greeted them, but instead of feeling annoyed, she just felt exasperated acceptance. She wanted her kids to be loved and taken care of, and though she worried Hope was milking it, Marlena was capable of drawing her own boundaries. Her mother was going to spoil her grandkids however she pleased.
The real surprise came at Maraâs request, and she let out a soft laugh, slinging her arm over her daughterâs shoulder. âSure,â she agreed. âThough Iâd argue you two should really be the one feeding us poor old people,â she joked with a grin.
âYouâre old in my present,â Mara shot back, matching her grin with confidence this time. âAnd still kind of young here.â
âIf your motherâs old in your present, I must be an ancient artifact,â Marlena chimed once they were closer, and she did pass her daughter a sheepish smile â she knew the way Hope was being doted on was incriminating, but in her defense, she looked a little bummed out when her twin and mother left. âWelcome back. Iâve been letting Hope pick off the plate one by one so thereâd be leftovers.â
Hope winked. âYouâre welcome.â
Mara plopped down on the blanket. There should have been an apology issued between them, but instead of words, Hope sat up â and their tails did this thing, twining around one another. One twin tilted her head towards one side, and the other tilted her head towards the opposite side, and â
That was it. They were fine.
Marlena had to ask, âTwin telepathy isnât real, is it?â
Adora shrugged, watching the twins with a small smile. âI wouldnât know,â she said, without really thinking about it. She had a twin, but she and Adam hadnât synced on quite this level. They had grown up apart, and she had always assumed she was just another orphan the Horde had picked up to mold into a soldier until sheâd become She-Ra. But even after learning the whole portal story, sheâd never known what kind of family she may have come from until her brother had shown up in Vallo.
Hope and Mara did seem to have their own language, and Catra-of-the-future had talked about how connected they were. The closest sheâd ever felt to that was what she had with Catra â knowing what the other was thinking or feeling without words. She was glad the girls had a special bond like that.
âItâs not real,â Mara answered for them as their tails were pulled apart. Hope followed that up with a simple, âWe just know things.â
One twin fell back onto her grandmother's lap, and the other fell onto her motherâs, and Clover went to join the rest of the cubs entertaining Dare. They were comfortable, and the quiet purrs that started up from them at the same time made Marlena melt.
Hopeâs ears were given a careful scratch at the base. âYour wifeâs on the way with some sweet treats and Finn,â Marlena told Adora. âAnd hopefully Teela and Adam get home soon â Iâm excited to have everyone under one roof for an evening.â