Finn hit eight months, and Catra felt like their development had started to speedtrack.
They were doing the booty-scoots, for starters - a common prelude to crawling that had her and Adora cracking up because it was just their cute baby bouncing on their butt, and using the momentum of that bounce to scoot themselves around. They were cutting their first tooth too (finally, after what felt like eons of drooly teething) and that had their cheeks often pink and warm. Nothing too alarming, although sheâd been taking their temperature religiously just in case.
Adora had brought up their first birthday when they had done their weekend getaway and, fuck, she was right - it was coming up. Soon, theyâre gonna be crawling. Theyâre gonna be walking, and learning words. Their babble had gone up a ton these past two weeks too, a lot of nonsensical vowels put together as if they could articulate an opinion that way. Despite the typical Vallo stress, it was fun.
But their kid really was growing up too fast. That had Catra excited and fucking pouty.
Sheâd taken Finn out to the park today after running a few errands. They couldnât climb for shit yet, but it was nice to be able to fit them in that little baby swing they had and push them gently. The happy giggles were recorded and sent to her wife as well as a we need to get this kid a swing, damnit text â Adora was in the office, not due to get out for another two hours. Catra hadnât planned to stop by and visit but what the hell, why not? They were close. Sheâd taken Finn out in just a stroller (and Waypoint-ing around, sucking up the brush of nausea every time for the sake of convenience) and the DOA wasnât far.
Catra picked up two iced teas from a food cart nearby, stuck it in the strollerâs cup holder up top, and made her way over.
âI forgot to ask Mama if she was busyyyyy,â came her voice from around the corner of the hall, maneuvering the stroller around and awkwardly bumping the doorframe of Adoraâs office with it, but Finn would have been the first thing to come to view with a big smile. âBut she canât be busy enough to not say hi to you, so. Hey, Adora. I have iced tea for you. And a baby.â
Adora wasnât all that busy, now that the most recent bout of crazy had died down. Sheâd stepped in to help and lend support to Evie and Kara in the absence of so many of the DOAâs big leads, but she was back to her typical hours now. Team Coordinator had never been the most demanding position; it was typical training, doing paperwork, working out peopleâs schedules when necessary, and arranging or attending the occasional team dinner. She usually only spent a day dealing with the office side of it all, and lately, sheâd been whittling that down to half a day.
She had different priorities now. She stayed on Defense because it felt like the right thing to do, to keep defending this place theyâd made their home. But her wife and her baby took priority always.
She heard her wife coming even before that too-close turn bumped the edge of Finnâs stroller into the doorway of her shoebox of an office. She got up from her desk and circled around, surprised but happy to see them both. She was about ready to sign off early, so their presence was even more welcome.
âNever too busy for both my babies,â she replied with a grin. Finn got the first kiss, with her crouching down to smooch their little forehead, before she straightened and wrapped an arm around Catra to kiss her next. âHi, Iâm glad youâre here. Whereâve you two been hanging out?â
Catra would give her that tea in a minute. Or three. Both arms looped around her wifeâs neck to give her a proper, exaggerated kiss after she asked that question â because this was protocol before engaging in conversation. Smacking lips with Adora.
After a long, content hum while their lips were pressed, she pulled back to reply. âChecked out one of those mommy and baby yoga classes. Not what I expected, which means I hated it. We window shopped, and then went to the park. Check your phone, youâve got a really cute video on it. Annnnd since we were nearbyâŠâ Her fingers walked down her chest, the smile she wore coy. âI thought weâd pay you a visit. Because we missed you.â
âI missed you, too,â Adora chuckled, stealing another kiss. âI was about ready to head home anyway, but letâs sit for a few minutes? We can give Finn an office tour!â
She gave Catra one last squeeze before returning to the front of the stroller. âWhat do you think, baby?â she cooed, reaching in to unbuckle them from their seat and lift them into her arms. The giggles she received in response absolutely made her day. âOne day, you could have an office just like this allll your own!â
âA safe office job, where you donât have to put your life on the line and fight bad things,â Catra added despite it being purely wishful thinking. Finn was their kid, and they had seen what they were like as they got a little older â there was too much fight in them to not inevitably follow in their footsteps.
Finnâs response was a happy coo, enchanted by Adoraâs face. Their eyes were all wide and bright, and a hand went to cover her nose as they giggled.
âMmmmmm,â they hummed, and then showed off that bottom tooth again with that smile.
âA safe office job,â Adora echoed in agreement. She wasnât sure it would work out that way â Finn was the best of both of them, and the best of both of them tended to end up in fighty circumstances â but she hoped so, too. She hoped that for herself, someday, but that was still a work in progress. For now, it was where she felt she could help most.
âSo,â she said, sinking into her rolling desk chair and tucking Finn against her chest. She looked up at Catra with a fond, knowing smile. âWhat was wrong with the mommy and baby yoga class?â
Catraâs face pinched up in distaste. âIt wasnât really â yoga,â she explained, plucking the plastic cups of tea from the stroller and setting down Adoraâs. Did she sit down on the very available, normal chair across from her wife? No. Her lap was obviously unavailable (and sheâd allow it), so the most obvious option was to perch herself on the desk itself and cross her legs.
Hopefully Adora didnât immediately need the folder her ass was on.
âIt was like, I donât know, some mommy gossip group where people show up like theyâre dressed to do yoga and thereâs mats, but they just talk too much while incorrectly doing the poses â and half of them might be involved in a pyramid scheme,â Catra sighed, pulling at her teaâs straw with her teeth. âI was also the only Outlander there and three of them gave me the stink eye. And because Iâm an evolved person, Iâm not going to tell them to fuck themselves in front of their kids. It wasnât for me.â
âAh. I understand.â Adora pressed her lips together sympathetically. Now that they knew there were Valloians out there that actively wanted them gone, it seemed to have spread. In small ways, mostly passive-aggressively, like Catra mentioned. It was hard to say if it had gotten worse or if they had just started to fully notice it for the first time.
Combined with what sounded like boring personalities, she didnât blame her wife at all for tapping out. Why go to an activity that didnât do the activity? To let some snippy woman try to pitch her MLM? It wasnât worth it.
âWell, Iâm sure Finn enjoyed their date with Mommy anyway, huh?â She kissed the top of their babyâs little blonde mane before reaching past them to pick up her iced tea and sip at it.
Finn was being a little squirmy. They wanted to bounce. Stand, maybe, with the way they were grabbing at Adoraâs shoulders and softly babbling some sounds out. âYeah, they were good. Judged a few people, but they were happy. Are you about to ââ
âMmmmmm,â hummed the baby.
ââ get off? We could go out to dinner. Theyâll want a bottle soon ââ
Finn did it again, wiping their hand across their mamaâs face. âMmmmmmm.â
ââ and if weâre lucky, theyâll take a snooze after ââ
âMamaaaaa,â they called out, trying to stand on Adoraâs lap so they could look right into her face. Catra stopped talking all thanks to the fact that she spit her drink out a little, and fucking cackled. âMamaaamamama. Mamama. Mama. Ma.â
Adora wouldnât say she was ignoring Finn. She had them tucked up in her arm securely, supported in all the ways they needed to be. Her hands shifted automatically with their movements, too; when they got bouncy, she held onto their sides and let them be bouncy. But over time, sheâd gotten used to talking around them, and right now, her attention was focused on the adult conversation Catra was attempting to have with her.
But before Catra finished, Finn made their presence known. And not in the cute little shouty way they usually did â with words.
Well, one word. Repeated and babbly but clear.
Mamaaaa.
Adora stared at them in shock. That was her. Mama, she was Mama.
âHi, baby, hi,â she laughed. Tears stung her eyes, but she pushed past them and focused her full attention on Finn. She let them plant their little feet on her legs properly since that seemed to be their goal, and she looked right into their eyes â the same blue as Catraâs. âMamaâs got you!â
That was all Finn kept repeating. Mama, over and over, bouncing as Adora held them, because obviously it must be the best word ever with that reaction so they had to keep sounding it out. Catra wiped tea from her chin to regain some dignity and let out another laugh in one swoop of a breath. âWow, okay. Lemme get ââ
Catra fished her phone out of her pocket. Finn kept going at it, all squirmy and mamamama and giving Adora that toothy (one tooth, but it counted) smile. This had to be recorded, though she had a feeling their kid would be saying that all night. âThey sounded so demanding,â she snickered behind her device. âI always figured their first word would end up being âno.ââ
Adora was definitely crying now, the happiest tears slipping down her cheeks. She hadnât expected to get so overwhelmed, but it wasnât really that surprising. She was weak for her family, especially this small person she and Catra had made, and to hear them saying her name made her heart soar.
âIâm still betting itâll be their second,â she chuckled, leaning in to press kisses all over their babyâs face. âTheyâve got the tone all ready to go! They wanted my attention and they got it. Didnât you, baby? Is this what you wanted, Mamaâs attention?â
âMamamama,â was how Finn answered before promptly sticking their fist in their mouth. They were clearly delicious, or they just needed something to gnaw their gums on. Catra would have to get out one of the teething toys in a minute.
The tea was set down on the desk with her phone (sheâd have to send that video to Marlena and Teela soon), and she scooted off the desk to lean over them to cup Adoraâs cheeks and wipe them dry. âYouâre a cute mess,â she smirked. âYou got the first purrs and the first word. Wonder if theyâll just call me âmaâ until they can say âmommy.â
âMa!â
â... I guess thatâs fine.â
âItâs for both of us,â Adora declared. She was more than willing to share being called Mama until Finn could learn to differentiate them verbally. Getting it shouted in her face first had been a moment, but Catra was just as important and included. âIâll just make sure to call you Mommy a lot more until they can.â
âTheyâll get there,â Catra replied, pressing a kiss to her wifeâs forehead, and then dropping one to Finnâs ear. âIâm gonna get one of their teething toys real quick before they try to gnaw on you next, but this means we definitely should go out and get dinner. Iâm feeling lazy in the kitchen and we can say weâre celebrating this milestone or whatever.â
âDeal,â Adora agreed. âBabyâs first word calls for a celebration we donât have to cook.â She lifted Finn off her legs and brought them in close to smooch their cheek. âFirst tooth, first word, before we know it, theyâll be on their first kiss. Theyâre growing up so fast.â
And yep, there were more tears after that. Hearing Finn say their very first word had made her emotional and much less sensible. Their not-even-year-old infant was obviously years away from their first kiss, but big milestones were coming! She couldnât help getting worked up!
âOh my god, donât,â Catra sighed lovingly, rolling her eyes as she retrieved a teething toy from the diaper bag stowed away at the bottom of the strollerâs basket. âFocus on the milestones on the horizon and not the ones where theyâre gonnaâhave crushes and stuff.â
Finn was still very much their baby, and she tried not to think too hard about how Mara and Hope told them that in twenty-something years, their oldest would be living outside of Darla.
That whole thing where people said how the first year goes by so quickly was, unfortunately, true. Catra hated it.
âCrawling,â Adora suggested, reaching out to take the teething toy from Catra and hand it over to Finn. Their cheeks were getting pink again, and while it could just be excitement, their teething had been becoming more intense. âFirst steps! Oh, and pulling themself up to stand, even before that.â
Catra was right, and that was a good distraction from Adoraâs overemotional tears. There were a lot of firsts between their newfound fondness for the word mama and first kiss. Many, many, many, and she was going to do her best to get every single one on camera.
âTheyâre either a few days or a few weeks away from being mobile on their hands and knees,â Catra pointed out, fang biting into her lip. Putting it in that kind of perspective made her apprehensive. Yes, mobility was going to happen, and this kid would soon be waddling around Darla on their own independently.
But it was also about to happen. Soon.. It wasnât something that was a year out anymore.
Finn grabbed at the toy excitedly and began drooling on the soft part. Catra leaned over to wipe at Adoraâs cheeks again, wiping away that fresh dampness of happy tears. âMaaaybe we should double-check our baby proofing,â she winced. âJust in case.â
âIâll check as soon as we get home,â Adora promised softly. She shifted Finn in her arms and watched them with loving eyes as they sucked away on that toy. The mobility changes were something more immediate to focus on; Darla had a lot of buttons and levers that shouldnât be touched and plenty of outlets, too. Sheâd go over their ship with a fine-tooth comb to make sure it was safe. âIf weâre lucky, the excitement will have died down in a couple hours and theyâll take an after-dinner nap.â
âPretty sure theyâre gonna pass out during dinner,â snorted Catra, running her fingers through that mess of blonde hair she tried to keep neat. Finn was mumbling around the toy, but the new favorite thing to say was definitely mama so there were variations of that sounded out. âYou still need a minute to wrap up here?â
âNope, Iâm ready.â Adora stood from her desk chair with Finn in her arms, gently transporting them back into the stroller sheet and buckling them in. They were occupied enough to accept their fate without any wails or complaints, but they got one more kiss on their forehead just because. From there, Adora turned to engulf her wife in her arms.
âThis was the greatest surprise,â she murmured, hugging Catra close.
Catra chuckled, rubbing her nose along her wifeâs scarred jawline. âGlad we came - would have hated you to miss out on that,â she purred, sliding her hand up Adoraâs torso and letting it lay flat against her chest. âThat babyâs also gotten a lot more kisses than I have today. You gotta fix that, princess.â
Finn was going to interrupt their moment by throwing their toy to the ground and indignantly screeching, âMAMA!â
Which, if you asked Catra, was them saying stop being gross and look at me again.
It was true, the baby had gotten far more kisses than Catra and, while Adora knew there wasnât any true upset at her for that fact, she still planned to rectify that. And despite Finnâs screeching protests, she was going to get the first one right then and there.
She leaned in and pressed her lips to her wifeâs for a soft kiss. âYouâre so right, and Iâm gonna make sure to fix that with more. Promise.â
âYay,â Catra replied quietly, taking the moment to kiss her back just as tenderly - surely Finn could wait a few more seconds before they were at their beck and call again.
But, alas, they slapped their demanding baby hands on the stroller's snack tray and began to whine. It was another chorus of, âMamamama. Ma. Mamama.â
âFine, needy.â The toy was picked up and dusted off real quick (she wasnât insane about germs, some dirt would help keep their immune system strong anyway) and offered it back to Finn. âWhere should we take your Mama to dinner, hm?â
âI could go for some Soups Soups Soups Soups and Stuff,â Adora chimed in, stepping away to gather her things. First the jacket off the back of her chair, then her office keys and cell phone stashed into separate, zipped-up pockets. âWhat do you think?â
âOhhh. I mean, itâs a shame weâre going to have to behave and not get reprimanded for giving the whole restaurant a show again.â Catra grinned, picking up their iced teas to put back on the cupholders - they could sip on it on the way. âBut, that gives us a chance to feed Finn something new. Soup would be easy for them. You wanna take over stroller duty while I hold onto your arm like eye candy?â
âYes,â was Adoraâs immediate reply. She zipped her jacket up and stepped forward to grab the strollerâs handle, offering her arm out for Catra to take. âAnd that gives me a second to do this...â
This, of course, being stealing another kiss, letting it linger for a long moment. âI love you,â she murmured. âThanks for this baby. Theyâre pretty cool.â
That kiss had her purring louder. Catraâs grin softened into a small smile, and she bumped their noses together for a little rub. âLove you too, sap. Youâll get two more down the road. And theyâll probably both be screeching mama at you at the same time.â
Finn was a demanding kind of chaos, but Mara and Hope were bound to be intense in their own right if their experience with them as teenagers was anything to go by.
Adora brightened even more, pressing another, firmer kiss to her wifeâs lips. âNo rush on those two, but Iâm very excited. Weâre gonna be so overwhelmed in the best way. But Finnâs gonna be an awesome older sibling, so maybe it wonât be so bad.â
There had been a few doubts in her mind since Adamâs disappearance about the state of her future family. With her brother gone, her nephew was gone, and she couldnât help feeling nervous that it meant losing their daughters, too. But she held strong to her convictions that their family â her and Catraâs â was inevitable no matter what happened. Even if they lost Marlena and Teela tomorrow, they had a life here and she was going to hold onto that with both hands.
She pushed forward on the stroller, angling it outside of the office and down the hall, making their way toward the elevator.
âMight be a little jealous at first,â Catra supplied, having reached over to stroke one of their babyâs ears before latching onto Adora more securely. âTheyâll adjust. Hope talked about how close they all are.â
She wasnât in much of a rush to become a family of five either, but there was also a part of her that was⊠antsy about it. Almost like she couldnât stamp down the insecurities of losing everything until she finally had all of them, but that wasnât a good reason to speed things along. Having the one was an adjustment; it was incredible and anxiety-inducing and exhausting and perfect. Having time to focus on Finn meant theyâd have practice for when the other two came along.
âAnyway,â she began, changing the subject after kissing her cheek. Catra reached over to press the elevator button to get them going. âIâm glad youâre cutting out early. You did enough overtime.â
Jealousy, Adora figured, was to be expected. She hadnât grown up with a sibling, but her squadron had had some bickering sibling vibes sometimes. It was similar enough that she knew how emotions could get, and she would expect nothing less of Finn when the time came. It wouldnât be quite that bad, thanks to not being raised as child soldiers in a war zone, but theyâd grown up with enough other kids to have ideas of what to expect.
âMe too,â she agreed. She could have stayed another couple hours, but she didnât want to. She had done her best to limit her extra time at work, especially after their most recent incident. It was another aspect of life here that made her a little nervous, knowing there were those who would be openly hostile to them for simply existing in a place they hadnât asked to be.
âYou were okay, right? At the yoga class? They werenât mean to you, those girls?â
Catra broke out into a short, throaty laugh. âOh, please â Iâd eat them alive,â she assured, squeezing Adoraâs arms with both of hers. âOr, well, Iâd like to if they had. It was just your run-of-the-mill passive aggression. The side eyes, the knowing looks, a comment whispered without any of them realizing that my hearingâs way better than theirs. My feelings werenât hurt. Iâll either look for another one or just keep doing it at home.â
Home was fine. She had been incorporating Finn into her own yoga routine at home from the videos she looked at, but she thought finding something outside of Darla (and where they could be exposed to more babies their age) would have been fun to do.
Adora frowned a bit, but she didnât push it. She knew Catra was completely capable of defending herself, but she didnât like any of this. In most respects they still felt welcome here; they had neighbors and friends that were locals that had never shown a hint of aggression toward them. But the idea of strangers being jerks simply because they were stuck here didnât sit right with her.
âYou should ask Maera,â she suggested, referencing their neighbors â Maera and her husband, Rye. Their kids, Mimi and Jax, had been their first experience babysitting, and they had remained good friends with the other family. She was pretty sure Mimi had been one of the kids in Catraâs art class while she was teaching. âI bet sheâd go with you or know of a friendly mom-baby thing to do.â
Huh. Catra hadnât thought of that. It had been a minute since theyâd met up with them, but it wasnât out of disinterest. Kids didnât always make scheduling things seamless and they had their hands full with two. They were a little older now too, which was wild to think about. She remembered when Jax was a baby and peed at her, the cute little shit. âI could do that,â she shrugged.
They were out of the building soon enough, and the weather outside wasnât unpleasant. There was a chill, but the lack of wind made it enjoyable, otherwise she wouldnât have stepped out on foot with Finn in tow. There was a blanket in the stroller that kept them extra snug if Catra sensed they were getting cold. âNow that you bring them up though â I do remember their yard,â she hinted, eyeing Adora with a smirk. âWith the sandbox and swing set up. And Finn really loved the baby swing at the park today. Best giggles yet.â
âOh! You said you sent me a video. Iâll have to watch when we get to the restaurant.â Adora had vaguely registered that information, but it had been pushed aside in favor of scooping up her baby at the time. âI think weâve got enough room for a swing still. Probably a whole jungle gym if we want.â
She wasnât saying she was going there, not yet, but it wasnât impossible. They had managed to claim a whole big swathe of forest around Darla and a big park for the tigon babies between Darla and Castle Grayskull. Finn and the girls wouldnât be lacking for things to do as they grew up, but sheâd taken the set-up slowly. They were still only a baby and didnât need much for entertainment.
âA jungle gym for each kid,â Catra replied to her while sounding very serious, but she was joking. Really. She was!
For the most part.
They were all going to be spoiled rotten anyway.
âWe should start with the swing at least. And a sandbox,â she added, grabbing up her tea for a sip and batting her eyes at Adora, as if she wasnât asking for too much at all.
A jungle gym for each kid. That got a laugh out of Adora. She was extra and overboard as a parent â and frankly, sometimes, just as a person â but three whole jungle gyms would be pushing it. How would the kids learn to share? Theyâd get anything and everything else they could need anyway; they already knew those girls especially were the most spoiled.
âWe can do the swing and the sandbox soon,â she agreed, shifting to reach for her tea, too. âMaybe when the weather warms up some more.â
âHeard that, kiddo?â Catra reached over to pull back the strollerâs hood to peek over at Finn, who tipped their head back and blinked up. âYou get to have your own swing and your own sandbox so you can, I donât know, bathe yourself in sand because thatâs what babies like to do according to everyone else.â
Finn had absolutely no idea what any of that meant, but they definitely liked the tone their mom talked to them with so they just clapped their hands, squealing.
âI bet a sand bath will do wonders for their fur,â Adora laughed. The clapping was another thing that made her absolutely melt. Finn was learning so much, so quickly. It hadnât been a year yet, but it felt like it â and more. Time had flown by. âLetâs just hope they donât decide it looks tasty.â
âPlease,â she scoffed, running her hand up and down her arm one more time before pulling away, taking some quick steps forward to catch the restaurantâs door to hold it open. Catra even did a little flourish of a bow â her wife was royalty after all. âYouâll be in the sandbox right with them playing, I bet. You try keeping the sand out of your mouth. I know about your Crimson Waste moment.â
âHey!â Adora protested, cheeks flushing as she pushed the stroller through the restaurantâs front door. âWe donât talk about the Crimson Waste, okay. Not my best moment.â
What it had been was some strange mix of jealousy and admiration. Huntara was a strange figure in her life. She hoped, at some point in the future, she learned how to not act like a big dumbass in front of her. She thought sheâd do better if Huntara was here now; she was much more settled in herself than she had been back then. She didnât feel the need to show off as much to make herself feel important.
She picked a booth, one tucked back in the corner to hopefully keep them out of most peopleâs earshot and situated Finnâs stroller at the end.
âIf you tasted sand in order to impress me,â Catra hummed, pulling off the snack tray off the stroller with a little wiggle so they could put their hands on the actual table. Finn was excited about that, because they began slapping the surface like it was their own personal drum set. âIâd think youâre ridiculous, but be so tragically into it Iâd have taken my clothes off.â
Well, maybe not back then but - now? If Adora did something like ask her what color the pink panther was, it was was on.
âIâll keep that in mind if you ever start getting sick of me,â Adora replied with a grin. âBut I donât think youâll want me to kiss you anywhere for a while after Iâve eaten sand. So it seems like that might backfire on you.â
âBet,â Catra answered simply and smugly, taking up a menu once she settled into the booth. âGetting sick of you is impossible anyway, right Finn?â
âMamamama,â Finn babbled, alternating between table slapping and hand clapping and bouncing in their seat like they were in their little walker. âMamaaaa.â
âSee? Theyâve spoken.â
âI canât argue with that,â Adora agreed. âHere, you cute little kitten.â She reached for the diaper bag, digging into it to take out a few soft toys to offer to Finn. Theyâd end up on the floor eventually, more likely than not, but it might be a little less noisy for a few minutes.
Finn appeared cross-eyed as they fixated on the toys presented to them. They were ones with differing textures, and babies this age were often fascinated by different textures. It was a good move if they wanted to keep them from acting like they were starting their own rock nâ roll band.
âOh - get them their bottle too,â Catra nudged Adora with her elbow. There were two in an insulated compartment of the bag, and it was right around one of their feeding times. âIâm gonna get a sample platter of soups for them to supplement. You ready to try new things, kid?â
Finn made more sounds, but there was one they made when they looked up at her that sounded too suspiciously like, âNah.â