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~2 Years after the War~
“Is it, um...is it supposed to look like that?” Catra laughed at Adora’s whispered question. Thankfully nobody else aside from Glimmer and Bow were beside them, because whispering was definitely not her girlfriend’s strong suit.
“Ugh. I don’t think so,” Glimmer piped in. “It looks all...squishy.”
Bow shot them a horrified look. “You guys are awful, he’s sooooo cute.”
“Nuh-uh,” Adora protested. “Babies are weird.”
Catra sort of agreed with that sentiment. The tiny little creature that Spinnerella and Netossa had invited all their friends to come meet was definitely strange. It made weirdly high pitched cries, had almost as many wrinkles as an old person, and even from a distance away Catra could tell it had a smell that was...unique, to say the least.
But something about the baby also fascinated Catra. Maybe it was the way he was a perfect mix of his two mothers. Netossa’s brown skin and Spinnerella’s purple hair and a myriad of other features from both women were woven into a whole new person. Or maybe it was the way that both new moms gravitated towards him. How he was so obviously their whole world now. It might also have been the fact that someone who hadn’t even done anything of note yet could be so surrounded by love. Or possibly it was imagining all the things he could do, the person he would one day be.
Maybe it was a little bit of all of that.
Catra snapped out of her thoughts when she realised her friends were watching her.
“What?” she snapped.
Bow smirked. “Ooooh, Catra likes the baby.”
“Shut up,” she hissed quietly. “I didn’t say that.”
Adora regarded her curiously. “So what do you think then?”
Catra shrugged. “Like you said. Kind of weird.” She didn’t want her friends to think she’d gone soft after all. But she could see her girlfriend studying her with a small frown, like she didn’t quite believe her. And part of Catra couldn’t take her eyes away from the baby.
~Six months later…~
Supposedly, having a new baby was pretty exhausting, and as such the group of princesses and their friends didn’t see much of Netossa, Spinnerella and their weird little bundle for the next few months. When they entire group finally did manage to reconvene, the baby was a lot less wrinkled and decidedly less floppy than it had been the first time. It definitely still looked squishy, but now Catra had to agree a with Bow. It was...kind of cute.
Especially when Catra gave a tiny wave to the baby and he smiled back.
Netossa, who was holding him then, smiled at Catra. “I think Storm likes you.”
Catra ran a self-conscious hand through her hair. “Really?”
Netossa laughed in response as a pair of chubby little hands reached towards Catra and the baby — Storm — made a tiny little squawk. The noise evolved into a series of convoluted garbles, like the kid was trying to tell his entire life’s story with a disordered cacophony of syllables.
Spinnerella walked up beside her wife, smoothing a hand over their baby’s head and giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. She smiled warmly at Catra. “You want to hold him?”
Catra felt her eyes widen in surprise, and she glanced around to her friends, because surely the princess wasn’t talking to her. But Catra realised that the rest of the best friend squad had all moved away at some point. Adora and Bow were locked in conversation with Mermista and Sea Hawk a few feet away and farther away still, Glimmer seemed to be pestering Frosta by playing some kind of game where she poked her in the arm then teleported away to dodge the incoming ice shards. Because that was totally a great game to play in the presence of a baby. How exactly were either of those two mature enough to have ever become Queens?
“Are you sure?” Catra asked. Over two years after the war it still felt weird to Catra that other people trusted her. She certainly had never expected someone else to trust her with their child of all things.
Both princesses smiled, and Netossa wordlessly held out the squirming child so that Catra had no choice but to awkwardly settle the kid on her hip. She kept a careful hand behind the kid’s head, remembering that someone had told her babies weren’t great at supporting that on their own, but after a few seconds it became clear that the kid was beyond that stage. So she moved her hand to softly boop the kid on the nose. His little face went cross-eyed in confusion, trying to follow her finger. She couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her at his befuddled expression.
“Well would you look at that,” Netossa murmured.
“You’re a natural,” Spinnerella added.
Catra flattened her ears in mild embarrassment, but to be honest she was so captivated by the kid that she didn’t really care. In fact she was so caught up in her interaction with the owner of the tiny hands that kept reaching for her that she didn’t even realize that the two princesses had moved away, leaving her and Storm to fend for themselves.
The kid seemed to notice first, a small whine escaping him as he looked around and was unable to spot either of his moms. Shit. What was she supposed to do now? Catra looked around the room helplessly for someone to hand the kid to, but nobody was nearby or paying them any attention. So Catra forced a little purr out of her chest to calm him down, and his wide eyes focused on her again, although he still looked like he was going to cry. Then she had an idea, so she wrapped her tail around in front of her so it was a few inches from the kids face, and she saw his eyes latch onto the distraction. She moved her tail back and forth, letting him reach out towards it and try to catch it. Eventually, his whole body shook with tiny chuckles as her tail evaded his tiny fingers one more time. And ok. That might have been the absolute best sound that Catra had ever heard.
She soon forgot about the rest of the people in the room, and settled herself on the edge of a nearby couch, adjusting the baby so he stood on her lap within the safety of her hands. She was surprised at how strong the little legs were as they pushed down on her thighs. Maybe he couldn’t walk yet but clearly that wasn’t so far off. She kept teasing the kid with her tail, enjoying the giggles and other playful noises that now spilled out of him with ease.
Something about the baby had just wormed its way into Catra’s entire being. He had already broken down all her walls without having to try, which was no small thing. Even for Adora, it was impossible for Catra to let down her barriers completely.
But the baby was different. He had no inkling of the terrible things she had done. He had only this interaction, these few precious moments in time, from which he could judge her entire worth. And he had decided she was worth trusting. Because in his world trust was as simple as someone who could make him feel safe. Someone who could make him laugh. So he simply accepted her, no questions asked, and that open trust was somehow just as easy for Catra to reciprocate. It had been maybe ten minutes and Catra knew she’d throw herself in front of any monster to keep any harm from coming to Storm’s tiny smiling face.
Catra probably could have sat there for hours just watching Storm’s tiny brain working through the many marvels of the universe she took for granted every day, but just then her ears pricked up, catching a snippet of conversation from across the room.
“Oh my gosh,” Bow whispered. “Is Catra... playing with the baby?”
Adora laughed. “Oh come on Bow, Catra doesn’t even like—” she broke off.
Catra focused on Storm, trying to ignore the fact she now knew there were people watching her. But her concentration was broken, and after a few seconds she couldn’t pretend any longer, so she looked up and met Adora’s wide blue eyes. She immediately wished she hadn’t.
Catra couldn’t read all the emotions that played through her girlfriend’s blue eyes, but there seemed to be...a lot. Definitely shock, which was fair. It wasn’t like Catra had seen the day turning out this way. And maybe a little bit of pride, because Adora was always happy when Catra made an effort to bond more with their friends. But the last emotion she picked up on was something along the lines of fear. Or more accurately, a look of total absolute panic. It made sense, Catra thought, since she knew how freaked out Adora had been by the baby last time. But something about that look made Catra disappointed in a way she didn’t want to admit to herself. Because Adora definitely did not share her amazement about the baby.
Catra looked away, embarrassed by the strength of her own feelings, but she was unable to tune out the rest of the conversation.
“Aaaaaw,” Bow crooned. “She’s so good with him.”
“Um. Yeah. Weird.” Adora gave a sort of strangled laugh. “I’m uuuh. Going to go find Glimmer!”
Catra could imagine confusion playing out on Bow’s face at that reaction, and under normal circumstances that would have cheered her up. But now even Storm’s little smiles couldn’t penetrate her walls.
***
Adora avoided Catra for most of the day, and didn’t even speak directly to her through dinner. Glimmer and Bow were understandably confused by this development, but Catra didn’t really know what to say. She and Adora weren’t exactly fighting, but they definitely weren’t on the same page at the moment and they both knew it. Only once they were both lying in bed together did Adora break the strained silence.
“So.”
“Yeah?”
“You um...nevermind.”
“Adora. Spit it out.”
Adora let out a dramatic sigh before continuing. “You were really good with Storm today. I didn’t uuuh...expect that.”
Catra rolled over, so that her back faced Adora. “Thanks,” she said sarcastically. It’s not like she hadn’t expected Adora to steer the conversation in that direction, but Catra wasn’t sure she was ready to talk about it.
She felt Adora shift beside her, rolling onto her side. A tentative hand settled on Catra’s shoulder. “Do you...want one? Like not now obviously, but one day? Would you want a baby?”
“What does it matter? You clearly don’t.”
“But you...Well I don’t know for sure, since we’ve never talked about it. But seeing you today kind of made me think that maybe you would. And I want you to have everything you want Catra.”
Catra shifted onto her back again, her eyes glaring up into Adora’s innocent blue ones. “You can’t just say you want a baby to avoid having an argument Adora. It’s a child . You can’t just try one out for a few days and return it if you don’t like it. Having a baby would completely change the rest of our lives. And having a baby that isn’t even wanted by one of its parents?” Catra could feel her eyes filling with tears, and she hated it. Hated how everything always came back to Shadow Weaver and the love that Catra had never had. “I think we know how that turns out,” she spat out finally.
“So what. You think that because I don’t fall all over myself in the presence of a baby that I would end up being like her ?” Adora snapped back. Catra flinched at the tone of her voice. She’d gone too far. She hadn’t meant that, of course she hadn’t. She opened her mouth to try and explain herself, but apparently Adora wasn’t done. “And you can’t just assume I don’t want a baby without even talking to me. You can’t read my thoughts Catra.”
“I know, I know. I — I’m sorry Adora, I didn’t mean it like that, I just...You look so freaked out every time you see a baby. And I don’t want you to agree to have one just because you think it’s what I want. It needs to be what you want too, you know?”
Adora’s expression softened. “Yeah. I know. I just thought you looked so happy today with Storm. And at first that did scare me. But I don’t know...Everyone says it’s different if you have a kid of your own, you know? And it makes me happy to see you happy Catra. So I just...Maybe it’s a conversation we can have. Some day.”
Adora rolled onto her back, and both girls studied the ceiling for a while. Catra didn’t know what to say, because she already knew she wanted this. She wanted it more than she was probably willing to admit to herself. But she didn’t need a kid to be happy. Adora and her friends and the life she had now...that was enough, wasn’t it?
“Yeah. Maybe.” Catra said finally.
“What?”
“Maybe it’s a conversation we can have some day.”
~3.5 Years After the War~
“Woah,” said a voice behind Catra, and she couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, it was almost worth having to wear a stupid bridesmaid dress for Scorpia and Perfuma’s wedding, if only for the look on Adora’s face, reflected in the mirror as she walked up behind Catra. The dress wasn’t terrible of course. It was a deep red halter style that fit tight to Catra’s body in a way she had to admit she didn’t entirely hate. Still, it definitely felt weird. And she was going to die in these heels.
“Don’t get used to it princess,” Catra said as Adora walked into the tent that had been set up for her and Scorpia to get ready in.
“Hey, who are you calling princess? I’m not the one who looks like one today.”
Catra scowled at Adora, who was wearing a white one-piece pantsuit trimmed in gold. Because apparently if Catra was going to switch things up wardrobe-wise, Adora had to as well. Not that Catra cared what Adora wanted to wear to any given formal event, but Catra thought that at least if she had to suffer through the whole dress-wearing thing then her girlfriend should have had to suffer alongside her.
“I’m doing this for Scorpia, and never again. Don’t you dare go expecting me to don some poofy gown some day for our wedding.” The words slipped out before she had a chance to think them through.
Adora smirked. “Our wedding?”
Catra felt her face warm. “Hypothetically,” she clarified.
“Oh sure.” Adora was still smiling. “Absolutely hypothetically.” She wrapped her arms around Catra’s waist and settled her head on Catra’s shoulder.
It was stupid. Even in these heels, Adora still had a slight advantage of height over her. But Catra softened as Adora kissed her on the cheek, running teasing fingers up her arms and then playing with her hair that had long since grown back out since the end of the war. And then her dumb blonde girlfriend had to ruin the moment by whispering in her ear, “Unless that was a proposal.”
“No, that was not.” Catra tried to jump out of Adora’s grasp, but she’d forgotten about her unfortunate footwear situation and the result was that she almost fell into a nearby clothing rack and definitely would have if Adora hadn’t managed to reach an arm back around her waist to steady her.
“Relax,” Adora laughed. “I know you’re not ready yet.” And there was no trace of disappointment there either, which Catra was thankful for. Even if Adora’s claim was untrue.
In all honesty, Catra was ready. She’d started asking questions about marriage over a year ago. It had started with little questions to Spinnerella and Netossa as Catra played with Storm and tried to piece together how she might build a happy little family like that for herself one day. By the time Glimmer and Bow got engaged Catra felt like she was solid on the details of how marriage and proposals worked, only to be bombarded with all the overwhelming details of planning a wedding, which apparently took ages. Now she was a little confused again, since Scorpia and Perfuma had gotten engaged only a couple months ago and had thrown together an immaculate celebration so quickly, but that couple had always seemed to move fast from the second they’d started officially dating.
But the one thing she’d been really captivated by was the idea of the proposal. The wedding ceremony seemed rigid. There were too many rules and to Catra it was more about the guests than the actual people getting married. But the proposal was whatever you wanted it to be. It had to be thoughtful, Catra figured. A perfect, beautiful moment where you asked the person you loved most in the world if they wanted to love you forever.
So yeah. Catra had become a secret romantic at some point. She’d even sort of lied to Adora, leading the blonde to believe she needed more time, to set her off the trail. But still. The more and more Catra thought about it, the less sure she was about how she wanted to do it. She just wanted it to be perfect, since so many other parts of their lives had been so far from.
Just then, Scorpia walked out of her changing area, wearing her wedding dress.
She smiled uncertainly at Catra and Adora. “So, uuuh what do you guys think?”
Catra smiled. “You look perfect, Scorp.”
Adora nodded in agreement, and as Scorpia started rambling nervously, Catra couldn’t help but notice how Adora wouldn’t stop staring at the white dress. Considering this was the same girl who still wore the same awful red jacket from her childhood on almost a daily basis, Catra was pretty sure it had nothing to do with a sudden interest in fashion.
So maybe Catra had less time than she’d thought to get started on this wedding stuff.
***
Since the two brides had most of the same friends, they’d opted not to separate the seating into two sections, and instead there was a long aisle near the front for the two brides to walk towards each other and meet in the middle. For the ceremony, Adora sat in the front row near the center, between Glimmer and Spinnerella, who was bouncing Storm on her knee to keep him from getting antsy.
Adora smiled nervously when Storm looked her way. He was definitely a little less scary now that he was aging out of the baby stage, but Adora still hadn’t interacted with him much. Catra of course had him wrapped around her finger every time they saw him, and Adora was mostly content to watch those interactions play out. Preferably from the safety of several feet away. But the bridal parties hadn’t arrived yet, and Adora was apparently the entertainment of choice for the moment, as Storm pointed towards her with glee.
“Adore!” he shouted.
Ok. Maybe that was a little bit cute. “That’s right, I’m Adora.”
Storm regarded her seriously for a moment, tilting his head. “See ya?” He asked. Or at least that’s what it sounded like. Adora looked to his moms for clarification.
From Spinnerella’s other side, Netossa chuckled. “That’s right buddy. She’s She-Ra.”
Adora felt herself laughing too, and she held out her hand for a high five, which Storm returned with enthusiasm. And then he turned around in Spinnerella’s arms, somehow managing to squirm out of her grasp. He managed to toddle a few steps down the aisle in front of them before Netossa scooped him up, distracting him with a toy so he’d sit quietly, just in time for the wedding to start. Catra and Bow, the maid and man of honour, walked forward to take their places at the front, with Catra shooting Adora a wink when she got there. Then the brides followed out, Perfuma beaming and Scorpia’s nervous smile widening as she got closer to the alter.
It really was a beautiful ceremony, but to be honest Adora was paying a little more attention to her girlfriend in that dress than she was to the brides. She was lost in thought, thinking about how she hoped that one day it would be the two of them up there in front of everyone.
Then all of a sudden, a tiny screech interrupted the ceremony. “Catta!”
Adora turned to see that Storm had gotten loose somehow, and was running on his tiny legs towards Catra. Everyone laughed, except for Spinnerella and Netossa, who were apologising profusely. When he reached the front, he reached up his arms towards Catra, who chuckled and bent down to pick him up. She looked towards his moms and gave them a thumbs up to convey that the situation was under control, whispered something to Scorpia, and then the ceremony started up again as Storm rested on Catra’s hip, playing with one of her ears.
For once, Adora wasn’t freaked out by the view of her girlfriend looking so natural with the baby. Catra whispered something in Storm’s ear, and he and Catra both turned to look at Adora. When Storm gave a clumsy wave and Catra offered a carefree smile, Adora felt warm all over. She was imagining Catra holding another baby one day, one that looked like her with tiny cat ears and a tail. And that image didn’t scare Adora either.
They hadn’t really discussed having kids since that disastrous first attempt, but maybe now it was time.
Maybe this was some day.
It was at the reception later, after a few drinks and twice as many dances, that Adora worked up the nerve to bring up the topic. She leaned back to look at Catra as they slow-danced.
“Catra,” she whispered, “I think I want one.”
“Oh no. Don’t tell me you’re thinking about another glass of wine. You’ve stepped on my feet three times already during this song.”
Adora giggled, because, well...she was a little drunk. But she still had something important to say, so she shoved her girlfriend playfully. “No silly. I think I want...a baby.”
Catra froze. “You what?”
Adora looked her in the eyes. “I want a baby. With you. One day obviously, not now.”
Catra regarded her warily. “How many drinks did you have exactly?”
“Catraaa, I’m serious.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Catra seemed flustered, and Adora tried to think of something to say to reassure her, but at that moment Glimmer ran up and grabbed her by the arm. “Come on Adora, they’re tossing the bouquets.”
She looked back at Catra helplessly, as if to say Help me!
Catra just laughed as Glimmer dragged Adora through the crowd.
***
Catra wandered off the dance floor in a daze, taking a seat at a nearby table next to Spinnerella. Storm was passed out in her lap, and Netossa was leaning on her shoulder. Catra smiled at the little family, thoughts racing about a future family of her own.
She watched Adora moving around awkwardly, trying to get into position to catch one of the bouquets. She remembered what Scorpia had told her about how the person to catch the bouquet was supposed to be the next person to get married. An idea was slowly forming in her mind.
“Hey Spinnerella, any chance you could help me rig the bouquet toss at the next wedding?”
~4 Years After the War~
Glimmer stood in the hall of castle Bright Moon in her wedding dress, winking at Catra as she grabbed her bouquet from the table. Adora was straddling the chair in front of Catra, leaning her arms on the back rest and peacefully watching the couples on the dance floor that floated by their table.
Catra leaned forward to whisper in the blonde’s ear. “I think Glimmer’s doing the bouquet.”
Adora looked back and smiled. “Come catch it with me?” she asked
Catra played it cool while silently hyperventilating. “Nah. That’s not my thing. Besides, someone has to watch to see if you make a fool of yourself jumping for it.”
Adora rolled her eyes. “Whatever. But if I do catch it…” She let her words trail off suggestively.
Catra played dumb. “What, then you have some weird flowers for our room that will die in a week or two?”
“Nevermind,” Adora huffed. She got up and headed towards Glimmer. Catra watched her go with a smile. She was honestly stunning, in a pale pink dress with a sweetheart neckline that she definitely wouldn’t have chosen herself, but Catra had to admit Glimmer had done well with choosing the outfit she’d worn as Bow’s best person. She looked every bit the princess that she was. Catra had thankfully talked herself into wearing a suit for this wedding, despite having stood beside Glimmer as her maid of honour.
When Adora was in position and everyone else had gravitated towards the bouquet toss, Catra stood up, making eye contact with Spinerella across the dance floor to make sure that she was in position. The older woman smiled at her, and Catra walked towards the edge of the crowd gathered waiting for the bouquet, where she stopped and gave Glimmer the thumbs up.
Honestly the whole plan probably wouldn’t have been necessary if Glimmer had any throwing ability at all, but Catra had to hold back laughter as she somehow managed to toss it to the exact wrong side of the crowd. Luckily Spinnerella’s tiny cyclone intercepted it midair, redirecting the flowers into Adora’s waiting arms.
Adora stared at the flowers in confusion for a moment, probably trying to figure out why they had literally switched direction in midair. After a few seconds she shrugged, then turned to where she’d been sitting with Catra before.
“Heeeey Catra, guess wha—” she broke off as she presumably realised that Catra was no longer there.
From behind her, Catra chuckled. “Hey Adora.” Adora turned and dropped the bouquet as she registered Catra down on one knee, holding out a ring. “Want to give this marriage thing a try?”
It went without saying that the answer was yes.
***
A few weeks after Glimmer and Bow’s wedding, Catra leaned against the doorway of her room as Adora sat on the floor a few feet away from their bed, surrounded by piles of baby toys, a few parenting books, and a bunch of pieces of wood that were supposedly meant to be assembled into a crib if Adora could figure out the instructions she was currently squinting at.
Lost in thought, Catra didn’t realize there was someone standing next to her until Glimmer spoke.
“Uuuuuh, is there something you guys want to tell me?”
Catra sighed. “Scorpia and Perfuma are having a baby.”
“Oh. That’s so great, they’ll be amazing parents!” Glimmer paused, and Catra could imagine the confusion playing out on her face. “So why do you guys have all this baby stuff?”
“Well. They asked us to be godparents.”
Catra chanced a sideways glance at her friend, whose eyebrows were raised in what seemed to be mild surprise. That reaction wasn’t surprising. Who would have entrusted that responsibility to two ex-Horde soldiers, one of whom had done her best to obliterate the planet and the other who was a little bit terrified of children?
But all Glimmer said was, “That’s awesome.”
“Yeah.”
“So...You really need all this to be godparents?”
Catra laughed, but it was a strained sound. “Of course not. But you know Adora. She wants to be prepared.”
“Gosh. If she’s going this overboard to be a godparent then how is she going to react when it’s your kid?”
Catra shrugged instead of answering. It was the question she’d been trying her best not to answer, even in her own head. She didn’t need to look at her friend to know that a pair of concerned eyes were probably fixed on her.
Glimmer placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Catra? You ok?”
Catra grimaced. “I’m not so sure we’ll even have a kid.”
“I thought you talked about it.”
“Yeah. But like you just said. If she’s this freaked out now…” Catra trailed off, trying to push down her feelings. She knew Adora was entitled to change her mind about this. But that didn’t mean Catra wasn’t disappointed.
“You don’t know that she’s changed her mind,” Glimmer insisted, as if reading Catra’s thoughts. “Maybe it’s good she’s getting this all out of the way now. Then when it’s time for you guys to actually have a kid she won’t be so freaked anymore.”
“Yeah. Maybe.”
Catra wasn’t convinced.
***
That night, after sitting through hours of meetings with Glimmer and various diplomats from around the Universe, Catra returned to her room. Much of the chaos from earlier had been tidied. The crib was assembled, pushed into one corner of the room, boxes filled with other toys neatly piled around it. The books were stacked on Adora’s bedside table. Adora herself was passed out on the bed, lying there with all her limbs sprawled out, drooling a little. The scene made Catra smile despite her earlier misgivings.
Catra took a deep breath and let herself feel the moment. One way or another, everything would be fine. No matter what, she’d still have that dorky, beautiful, wonderful blonde with her for the rest of her life. And really, that’s all she needed.
As Catra sank down onto the mattress beside her, Adora stirred. She sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes, and Catra snickered when she realized her fiancee had fallen asleep on one of her new books. Then she saw the title. 10,000 Baby Names .
She picked up the book and waved it teasingly. “Pretty sure Scorpia and Perfuma are going to want to name their kid themselves.”
“Ha. Ha.” Adora grabbed the book out of Catra’s hands and added it to the pile on her bedside table. “Obviously this isn’t for them. It’s for our future kid.”
Catra felt her eyes widen. “Really?”
“Well yeah. I mean we’re getting married soon, and people usually start having kids pretty soon after that, and Stars Catra, there are so many names to choose from, I can’t even—” she broke off suddenly. Her eyes had been shining with excitement, and Catra had just been watching. Captivated. But now an uncertain look had overtaken Adora’s features. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before going on. “This is too much, isn’t it? Too soon? We don’t have to have a kid that soon, we can wait if you’re not ready. Or if you’ve changed your mind then I—”
“—Adora.” Catra took both of Adora’s hands in her own. She laughed at the overwhelmed look on her fiancee’s face. “Breathe.”
“Oh. Right.” Catra stared, transfixed, as Adora’s muscular shoulders rose and fell in synchronicity as the blonde took a deep breath. Catra moved so she was facing Adora directly, both of them sitting cross-legged, and she leaned forwards so their heads were pressed together, hands still laced together.
“I didn’t change my mind. And it’s not too soon. I was just...surprised.”
“About what?”
Embarrassed by her earlier worries, Catra was glad that with their foreheads pressed together, Adora couldn’t see her face as she considered her next words. “I thought maybe you were having second thoughts about having a kid.”
“Why?”
Catra leaned back a little, eyes falling on Adora’s earnest expression of confusion, and laughed again. “Adora. You basically bought all the baby stuff on Etheria just to get ready for our future godchild — who isn’t due for like five months by the way. I thought you were panicking.”
Adora grinned sheepishly. “I guess that makes sense. But I really do just want to be prepared. And for our kid too. Honestly, I wasn’t planning on getting all of this stuff, but I got to the store and I got excited.” She squeezed Catra’s hands. “I promise you, I still want this for us one day.”
They stared at each other, smiling, for a few moments, then Adora leaned back against the pillows. Catra moved closer and leaned against her chest, feeling strong arms wrap around her once she was comfortable.
“So, did you find any names you liked?”
She felt Adora’s chin shaking slowly back and forth where it rested on Catra’s head. “Not really, no. I mean it’s crazy how many names there are in that book. How is anyone expected to know which one feels right? And I don’t even understand why some names are supposed to be girl names and others are boy names. But then again how do you know if the kid’s gender identity will match their biological sex? And one of the other books I picked up is about gender neutral parenting.”
“What’s that?”
“Well you know how like Double Trouble uses they/them pronouns?”
Catra nodded. “Yeah. They identify as non-binary.”
“Right. Well gender neutral parenting is basically raising your kid without pushing any gender on them. So you can really use any pronoun, since gender identity and pronouns don’t always align, but I think most people go with they/them. And you don’t raise your kid as a boy or as a girl, at least until they’re old enough to tell you what they prefer. You kind of just...don’t put them in any boxes.”
No boxes. Catra loved that idea.
While she had never had any problem with her assigned gender herself, she knew more than enough about boxes. Adora and Catra had basically spent their entire childhoods being put into boxes. Who they were, and what they could do, and what they were allowed to want — all those decisions had been made for them. And anything they could do to make sure their kid had as much freedom in their life as possible, Catra wanted.
Their kid.
“That sounds perfect,” Catra whispered, her voice raw with emotion, and Adora hugged her tighter.
~6ish years after the war~
“Come on Catra, you’re almost there.”
Catra was exhausted. She didn’t even have the energy to respond to her wife’s encouraging words, which was probably for the best. She definitely wouldn’t have anything too nice to say. Although after 20 hours of labor, that was probably to be expected.
She inhaled sharply, feeling another contraction coming on, and the doctor who’d been looking at her crotch for far too long gave her a nod. Push.
She leaned back against Adora, gripping her hands tightly, and amidst all the pain there was also a sense of relief as she felt the baby slipping out of her and into the world. Seconds later she heard cries — she’d never known a baby’s cries could sound so beautiful — and she collapsed backwards onto Adora, who was whispering words that Catra could no longer decipher.
Stars, she was never doing that again.
Despite her fatigue, she forced her eyes open, just in time for the doctor to place the baby — her baby — on her chest. Instinct guided her as she wrapped her arms around them, holding them gently but close.
The kitten was still covered in fluids, warm and squirming against her skin. They were a little bit wrinkled and their skin was currently a little more purple than Catra had expected. They mewled like they were mad at the world for pushing them out of the safe, warm place they’d lived in for their entire life until a minute ago.
And they were perfect.
A thin tuft of blonde hair sat on top of their hair, sticking up strangely as though they’d somehow managed to inherit their mother’s stupid hair poof. Tiny ears were flattened against their skull, and their tail wriggled back and forth along with their other flailing limbs. Their eyes were closed, but Catra was already imagining them to be the same perfect blue as Adora’s. That just felt right.
For a brief moment, Catra tore her eyes away, looking up to meet Adora’s awe-filled gaze. They were both crying. Then she looked back to the baby. She never really wanted to look away again.
Catra had never thought she deserved to be this happy.
“Welcome to the world Finn. We love you so much.”