Work Text:
Shian is two when her mama tells her.
She'd noticed sooner than that how no one else only had a mama, but it wasn't very surprising. A lot of people have a mama and a papa, but the yellow next door has a mama and a papa and a pops, and the blue she takes elocution lessons with has two mamas and two papas, and the gray she met at the playground has a daddy and a papa and an auntie, and her gymnastics coach says when she asks him that he had a mom and a dad but his mom died so now he only has a dad. And Shian's mama loves her lots and lots and takes very good care of her, so it's okay, Shian doesn't need a papa.
But when Shian is two she learns about babies and where they come from, and that just doesn't make sense, so she asks her mama about her papa, and her mama tells her.
"Your papa loved you very much," Mama says, "but his family didn't think he was ready to be a papa yet, so they made him stay away. They were hoping I would decide not to have you. But I loved my little Shian already, so I had you anyway, and took extra good care of you because your papa couldn't. He would be very proud of you if he could see you."
"Okay," says Shian. This makes sense. Mama knows everything. But because she knows her fairy tales, she has to ask -- "is my papa a prince?"
Mama laughs. "No, love. Your papa was a red. But he was very smart and I knew he would make the best papa for you out of anyone, so I picked him anyway."
This is moderately concerning. "Am I a red?"
"Love, no," Mama says, hugging her. "People are the caste their mother is. So you're a green like me."
Hugs are good and reassuring. Shian snuggles up closer. "Okay. I love you, mama."
"I love you too. This is a secret, okay, love? You mustn't tell anyone. Pretend that I told you that I didn't know who your papa was because I had sex with a lot of different men, but all of them were green."
"Yes, mama," Shian says obediently, and keeps her promise for a whole year afterwards.