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"Mama! Wake up!"
"Five more minutes," Ruby groans, rolling over in bed. "It's Saturday."
A small hand grabs her arm and shakes it. "Come on, wake up! Mommy and I made you breakfast!"
Ruby mumbles something unintelligible and pulls the covers over her head.
"You tried your hardest, Topaz. I guess mama doesn't want chocolate chip pancakes or strawberry milk."
"Alright, I'm awake, I'm awake." Ruby slides her sleep mask off her face, rubs her eyes, and sits up in bed, blinking the sleep away. Her blurry vision focuses, and she can smell chocolate and bacon. Penny stands in the doorway, wearing a gray apron over her green lace nightgown, her hair tied back in a loose bun and a tray of food in her hand. Ruby looks down at the small arm still holding her and follows it up to the beaming face of her daughter, Topaz Polendina-Rose. Pale skin like Ruby, with the same silver eyes. But her hair and freckles unmistakably come from Penny - bouncy orange locks and pink spots dotting her face. She's wearing a set of deep-yellow onesie pajamas and an oversized red cloak.
"It's not a holiday or something, is it?" Ruby mumbles. "Our anniversary isn't for a few months. I think."
"No, it is not a holiday. Yes, our anniversary is in a few months." Penny sets the tray down over Ruby's legs and gives her a quick peck on the cheek. "Am I not allowed to just do nice things for my wife?"
"No, you aren't," Ruby teases. "Then I start expecting nice things."
"That's how you got me," Topaz announces proudly. "Mommy promised you a nice thing."
"Yeah, and then I had to carry you for nine months," Ruby retorts.
"Well, I wasn't exactly able to gestate Topaz."
"Why did you phrase it like that. Why are you talking about gestating our daughter."
"I don't wanna be 'jess-tae-ted'," Topaz declares.
"You won't be, sunshine." Ruby reaches over and tousles her daughter's hair. "Now go with Mommy and get your own breakfast. Before I want seconds."
Topaz sticks her tongue out and scampers out of the room, darting between Penny's legs. "You should save some room, though," Penny says, turning in the doorway to follow Topaz. "We have more planned today."
"You two sure like to spring things on me."
Penny plants her hands on her hips. "Well, otherwise you and I will just be cuddling all day and letting Topaz run wild."
"Hey, my dad let me run wild and I turned out just fine."
Penny smirks and shakes her head, leaving. Ruby sticks her tongue out at her and wipes off the strawberry milk mustache that's already formed on her face. Maybe Penny is the responsible parent. Ruby did always take after her uncle.
Topaz totters back into the room, balancing a child-sized tray of food on her hands. She walks over to the bed and stops, deep in thought.
"Need some help?"
Topaz shakes her head. "No thank you." Topaz tilts her head, eventually deciding to slide her tray onto the bed and jump up after it. She eagerly digs into her pancakes, already cut for her. Penny quietly slips into the room with her own tray. "Scoot over, lazybones."
Ruby rolls her eyes but moves over to make room for Penny. "I feel so loved."
Penny shakes her head. "No no, you aren't getting kisses that easily."
"Aw." Ruby dangles a piece of crispy bacon between her fingers and bites off a piece. "So do tell me, what kind of plans do we have today?"
"Mmmph! Mommy said we're going on a picnic! With Aunt Yang and Aunt Blake and Li!"
"Really?" Ruby laughs. "Yang told me she was too busy to do anything this weekend."
"Because I already talked to her by the time you asked," Penny explains. "We will be going on a picnic, and then your sister and Blake are taking Topaz to their home for the night."
"I get to have a sleepover with Li!" Topaz beams. "And you get to have dinner with Mommy!"
Ruby makes a popping sound with her mouth, thinking. "Wow, you two really do have everything planned out."
"Yep!"
Ruby sighs. "Man, now I gotta start planning something for you two."
"I have been wanting to go north for vacation." Penny winks. "Just a thought."
Ruby chews her pancakes thoughtfully. "Yeah," she mumbles through the food.
"Mama, don't talk with your mouth full," Topaz chides. "You gotta have manners. Like me." Topaz demonstrates by tucking a disposable napkin into her pajamas, draping it over her chest like a bib. "See?"
Ruby chuckles. "I'll try my best, dear."
"Li!"
"Topaz!"
Topaz yanks her hands from those of her parents and charges across the park, a dash orange and yellow heading for the black blur approaching her.
"I miss being that energetic," Ruby bemoans. She's changed into a nice red sundress, paired with black leggings and sensible shoes. Penny, at her side, is wearing a flowy, ruffled green blouse with blue jeans and gray sneakers.
"You still have plenty of energy," Penny muses, watching as Topaz shows off her new outfit - orange cloak, yellow button-up top, matching skirt. Li, it seems, is dressed in her usual outfit of a black long-sleeved shirt under denim overalls. Her messy black hair, reaching to her waist, her heterochromatic eyes - lilac and yellow - and tanned skin definitely signify who her parents are.
"Hey, whose kid is this?" Yang chuckles at her own joke. She's wearing overalls much like her daughter, though the shirt underneath is yellow, with a bumblebee patch on the shoulder. Her bright blonde hair, pulled back in a ponytail and held with a purple hair tie, seems brighter than the sun. Blake's much more unassuming - black-and-white leggings and skater shoes, black skirt, white button-up blouse. Her black bob cut draws no more attention than a light breeze.
"You want her?" Ruby asks. "She's for sale."
"I'm too ex-pen-sive for you, Auntie!" Topaz loudly declares. "I'm worth at least - what's a big number?"
"Seven?" Li volunteers.
"Yeah! I'm worth at least seven!"
"Seven what?" Blake asks.
Topaz shrugs. "I 'unno."
"Charming." Blake smiles. "You two can go play while we set up the picnic."
"Yay!" Topaz pokes Li in the stomach. "You're it!" She laughs maniacally and sprints away, tearing through the park.
"Hey!" Li shouts, giving chase.
"Be careful!" Penny calls out. She shakes her head. "There they go."
"They'll be fine," Yang says, waving Penny off. "We can see them. Dad would let us run wild-"
"Which explains a lot about us," Ruby interrupts. "Anyway. Picnic?"
"Picnic," Penny repeats in agreement. "Shall we prepare?"
"Bye Mama!" Topaz waves with her free hand, holding Yang's hand in her other. "Bye Mommy! I'll see you tomorrow!"
Ruby and Penny wave with their free hands, as they're holding hands. "Have fun!" Penny shouts back.
Ruby nods. "But not too much fun! We're cooler than your aunts!"
Yang sticks out her tongue at Ruby, who responds by pulling down her eyelid and blowing a raspberry. "Nyeh!"
"Children, the both of you," Blake notes. Li nods in agreement.
"Now now, Blake, they aren't that bad." Penny giggles. "Almost, though."
"Date night's off to a great start," Ruby muses, voice flat.
Penny laughs even louder and kisses Ruby on the cheek, leaving behind the faint imprint of green lipstick. "Is it better now?"
Ruby suppresses a smile. "A little."
"It has been quite a while."
"Since what?"
"Since we made dinner just for the two of us." Penny scrunches up her nose and closes her eyes as a cloud of steam puffs up and smacks her in the face. Ruby glances over at her and snickers.
"You always forget about that," Ruby notes, licking tomato sauce of her wooden spoon. "I told you I'd take care of it."
"I am capable, Ruby."
"I know, baby." Ruby smiles and stirs the pot of tomato sauce, then glances at a timer. "Meatballs are almost done."
"Good." Penny nods decisively, slipping past Ruby to place the pot of spaghetti noodles back on the stovetop. "I am positively famished."
"That's the worst part of cooking," Ruby bemoans. "I get so hungry."
Penny chuckles and boops Ruby's nose. "That's the point."
Ruby huffs, sticking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth. "Yeah, yeah. Behave."
Penny raises an eyebrow. "Behave?"
"Did I stutter?" Ruby stares at Penny dead-serious before doubling over in laughter. "Gods," she mutters between breaths. "I can't even do that with a straight face."
"Sweetheart, I would kindly suggest you don't tell me to behave again," Penny commands. She caresses Ruby's face and leans in close. "Not tonight, at least," she warns before kissing Ruby, a brief meeting of their lips.
"Yes ma'am," Ruby mumbles, blushing. Even after over a decade of being with Penny, she's still so susceptible to Penny's charms. To put it politely. "Meatballs-"
"I am on it!" Penny announces, instantly reverting from her confident, teasing mood to her cheery, innocent self. "Please sit down at the table. I will finish up in here."
Ruby does so, only waiting for a short while before Penny sets down two full bowls of spaghetti-and-meatballs and a bottle of wine.
"Dinner is served, Mrs. Polendina-Rose."
"Mmm, this is the nice wine," Ruby announces appreciatively. "You really are treating me tonight."
"I told you, I had all of today planned. The day has revolved around you, you know. Topaz and I made breakfast for you. Then we all had a nice extended-family picnic. And now you are having a nice dinner."
"So are you," Ruby reminds.
"Of course. Much like our daughter, this meal was a team effort. A collaboration of both our efforts!"
"Gods, you're so weird." Ruby giggles. "That is why I married you, though."
"Really? I was under the impression you married me for my looks."
"I married you because you were perfect for me." Ruby grins earnestly.
"I see." Penny laughs quietly. "Make sure you write that down for when we renew our vows."
"We should renew our vows," Ruby muses. "It would be nice."
"It would be," Penny agrees. "I will make a note of that."
"Speaking of new things," Ruby continues. "I think Topaz is old enough that we can finally get a pet."
"I agree. I have always wanted a cat."
"I'm more of a dog person." Ruby slurps up a spaghetti noodle, deep in thought. "We could get both?"
"We could!" Penny claps her hands together delightedly. "Next weekend we should all go to the pound and find some ideal companions of the feline and canine variety."
Ruby nods eagerly. "We can suprise Topaz."
"Yes!" Penny laughs, light and airy. "Oh, how exciting! I cannot wait to see the look on her face."
"Me neither."
"Hmmm. I am not exactly in the mood for washing these dishes."
"We can leave them until the morning," Ruby suggests matter-of-factly. "I already put the leftovers away."
"Mmm..." Penny frowns. "I hate having a messy kitchen."
Ruby giggles, draining the last of her wine and gingerly setting the glass in the sink. "I'm not doing chores tonight." She stands on her tiptoes and cups Penny's face. "And neither are you," she declares, kissing her wife.
Penny closes her eyes, wraps her arms around Ruby at the waist. "Hmmm...I suppose." She presses her lips to Ruby's forehead.
"So, Penny, we've had breakfast, lunch, and dinner." Ruby grins devilishly. "What's for dessert?"
Penny just smiles knowingly and scoops Ruby off the ground, in a bridal carry. "Chocolate-chip cookies?"
Ruby giggles and wraps her arms around Penny's neck. "Sounds lovely. Too bad it's too warm for a fire."
"There are trade-offs in every situation. But I am happy to say that I traded nothing away for you."