Work Text:
Weekends are your favorites.
In fact, Saturdays are the absolute best.
Sundays are good, too, but sometimes you need to cover shifts at the station and sometimes Alex’s ducklings are all busy and she needs to drop by at the lab to check on their live specimens.
But, Saturdays… Saturdays are completely family focused.
And they always start the same.
A slight moving mass, crawling from the foot of the bed, stirs you, making you smile. Without opening your eyes, you lift the duvet, letting Kara emerge from beneath the covers once she reaches you.
~Morning, sunshine,~ you tell her sleepily.
~’orning, ‘om,~ she answers you equally groggily as she flops her head in your pillow, giving you a mouthful of hair.
It doesn’t surprise you when she falls silent, when she grabs your t-shirt, pulling you closer to her back. You sigh deeply, contently, as a slight suckling noise is heard and you burrow your nose in her hair, letting yourself fall back asleep.
The next time you wake up, Kara’s slight weight rests completely over you, letting you know without checking that Alex is already up. Her head is tucked under your chin and she is crumpling your t-shirt with the same hand she is using to suck her thumb. Your arms have come to embrace her completely, preventing her from rolling off.
You can hear some soft music coming from somewhere in the apartment and the noises from the outside world barely reach your ears over Alex’s jazz and the heaviness of sleep that clings to you. You keep your eyes closed, contently.
It’s barely past eight and Kara will be up in a few minutes. You can already feel her stirring in your arms.
“’om…?”
“Good morning, sunshine,” you whisper, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. Is early and you don’t need to be up rushing like every weekday. You don’t want to disturb the sense of complete calm that washes over both of you with unnecessary loud volume.
Kara sighs, a little puff of hot air hitting your collarbone.
You lapse into silence, enjoying the feel of your kid above you.
If someone told you a year ago that you would be in a deep relationship with an amazing girlfriend and that you would acquire an eleven-years-old in the process you’d laugh at their face.
First, you never really thought you would find the one. What life has taught you so far, is that the concept of the one is a myth, a fairy tale read to little girls so they can grow up happy until life punches them in the face. Then, of course, you met Alex and all your perception got flipped upside down.
Not only she’s gorgeous. Not only she’s wickedly smart. Not only she’s a romantic at heart. Not only she’s the biggest dork… she’s kind, she’s sweet, she’s proud, she’s fierce, she’s everything you could have asked for in a partner.
Second, you never, ever wanted kids. You grew in a full house and kids and teenagers were always around. Your parents foster several children at once, so you know what a mess a house with kids is. You used to think that maybe someday in the distant future, once you were a detective as you plan, you would liked kids… but after meeting Kara…
The first time you met Kara if briefly, you didn’t curse your bad luck at finding an amazing woman that happens to have a kid. You didn’t even think that Kara would be a problem, even when she interrupted your first date… even when she forced you to scramble to schedule your next dates, all accommodating her.
Kara has something about her that makes people fall in love with her, and, if you are completely honest, the way Alex loves Kara, the way Alex dedicates herself so completely to Kara, is the main reason you fell in love with her.
Yes, it may have started with lust, and then it may have transformed into friendship… but when you saw the deepness of Alex’s love for Kara… you fell in love completely and absolutely.
Your bedroom door’s squeaks and you hide your smile against Kara’s head. You don’t want her to know you are awake yet.
Being awaken by Alex is one of the few pleasures in life you can’t get enough of.
You feel Kara’s weight settle more firmly on your chest and you know Kara is going to fake sleep too.
Gentle fingers brush the hair out your eyes, tracing your eyebrows delicately as the bed dips where Alex’s sitting down.
“Hey, babe,” Alex whispers softly.
You don’t move, making sure to relax all your muscles so she doesn’t realize you are alert.
Her fingers keep caressing your face. Your eyebrows, your cheekbones, your nose, your lips. You don’t need to see to know she’s also playing with Kara’s hair as she keeps her gentle ministrations on you.
“Rise and shine my loves,” she whispers. “The sun’s up and the eggs are getting cold.”
~Mama…~ Kara whines. ~No up…~
You have to chuckle at that. Kara needs the sun to stay healthy so some part of you thinks that she should be one of those annoyingly happy morning people, but she’s not. She hates going to bed, but she also hates waking up. The longer she can stay in bed, the better.
It still amazes you that she wakes up willingly to go run with you in the mornings during the week.
Alex pokes your cheek. “Up, Mags. I need me some coffee.”
Your smile widens at that. Alex can cook a grand breakfast in less than twenty minutes, but she won’t attempt making the coffee if you’re around. She says it tastes better when you make it, but you just think she likes having her coffee done for her.
You feel her getting up and a protest is at the tip of your tongue when she lifts Kara from your chest.
“Both of you, up,” she commands. “I want to be done by midday, so we call all cuddle and pig out in the living room the rest of the day.”
You finally open your eyes to see a sleepy Kara clinging to your girlfriend, her thumb still in her mouth, blinking heavily.
“Good morning,” you husk at Alex.
“Wakey, wakey!” Alex grins at you and, dammit, you are the early riser in this household and she’s the one chipper and ready to tackle the day ahead.
You just want to cuddle your girls and go back to sleep.
Kara whimpers, and buries to Alex’s shoulder, rubbing her nose there and tightening her grip on Alex’s shirt. She starts shivering slightly and Alex winces as she halts the hand that’s been rubbing Kara’s back and drops a kiss onto her messy hair. “Sorry, baby,” she apologizes for her loudness.
Sometimes, Kara overstimulates easily and in those times quiet and slow movements are your friends.
You sit up, knowing that right now what Alex needs is her coffee and that giving those two space will help Kara calm down.
“I’ll be in the kitchen,” you mouth to your girlfriend, receiving a nod of thanks.
“Want me to put you down?” You hear Alex ask Kara as you leave to start that coffee.
“No.”
XxXxX
They emerge half an hour later, Kara still clinging to Alex and your girlfriend looking sheepish.
You have managed to keep the eggs and pancakes warm and you have poured Alex her favorite mug, letting the honey and milk near her place.
Alex sits Kara in her stool, presenting her a tall glass of orange juice. “Better?” she asks softly.
Kara nods as she sips her juice. She doesn’t speak and you know she won’t speak for a little while.
You smile at Alex when she gives you a quick kiss and starts getting her coffee ready, asking you in a whisper to please plate the food.
Before, when you were getting used to live with them, when you first got to know Kara, these sudden mood changes, the girl’s sensibility, made you uncomfortable. Uncomfortable in the way that you felt you needed to thread carefully around her to avoid upsetting her.
But now? Now you know she just needs a little time and space and that she will be ready to be her sunny and excited self soon.
“So,” Alex asks out loud, yet still quietly. “Who’s on laundry duty with me?”
Kara’s hand immediately comes up to point at you and you smirk at that. You know Alex asked just to see if Kara was ready to start the day. If she were still down, she’d let Alex dictate her fate regarding today’s chores, but if she were ready, she’d do just like now.
Avoiding all and any kind of contact with unfolded clothes.
“And what are you doing then, Kara?” Alex asks pointlessly as Kara just beams up to her.
Every Saturday is the same. Alex will do laundry and the bathrooms, Kara will dust around and help you water the plants and you will vacuum the apartment and clean the fridge.
Every Saturday is the same. Once the clothes are folded, both you and Kara will put them away in your respective closets and Alex will make a late lunch so you all can watch a movie while you pig out and relax.
Every Saturday is the same. Kara will grow tired of the television and she will go to her room to read for a little bit while you and Alex catch up with your more adult series and talk about your week.
Every Saturday is the same. Alex will call dinner in and Kara will leave her room for round two of animated movies while you make sure you don’t need to do an emergency store run.
Every Saturday is the same. Around eight Kara will be sent to have her bath and you and Alex will share a hot, long, shower and you all will meet again, this time in your bedroom and you all will fall asleep to some or another lame Disney Channel movie.
Yeah.
Every Saturday is the same and you couldn’t be happier about it.