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Hua is the first to wake – of course. It is an old habit of hers, from when she was just an innocent little girl in what would be now known as Shenzhou. A lifetime ago.
Beside her, Senti sleeps on, one hand thrown over Hua’s chest and the other clutching her Piyo plushie tightly. Her head is pressed against her wife’s shoulder, and her breaths tickle Hua’s arm. It is something that Hua has grown used to long ago, the deep physical intimacy that they share so often and readily.
Hua reaches to the bedside table, where her spectacles and phone lie ready. To be honest, she never really needed spectacles; the Meta-Morph surgery perfected all her senses, but she just likes the look, even if the lenses are nothing more than clear glass.
She blinks as she slips the red frames on and retrieves her phone. Power on, check emails and social media, put phone down, lie back on her pillow and stare at the ceiling. Senti’s arm around her certainly isn’t helping, and she yawns; she is still rather sleepy.
Footsteps beyond the door. Lixue must be up already, even though it is scarcely six-thirty in the morning. Their ten-year-old daughter is growing up fast, and naturally boasts intelligence, maturity and sensitivity far beyond regular ten-year-olds.
And whether Lixue happens to always come in by chance, or somehow has a sixth sense for when Hua and Senti are intending to have a night of gentle, slow love, Hua would never know. A reason why she now wears her old oversized T-shirts instead of sleeping naked like she usually does.
She doesn’t mind though, and Senti certainly does seem to appreciate and admire the way the too-big collar exposes her shoulders – and the occasional bite marks from when Senti feels particularly cheeky and daring.
She sighs and sits up. In her sleep, Senti gives a soft whimper and her hand flails slowly, grasping at empty air.
What to do today? It is a free Sunday, where all the recruits and young ones are still tucked up in bed, and there are no events scheduled for the afternoon. When Lixue was younger, Hua would have jumped at the chance to spend an entire day with her and Senti, but now she is older, and needs her space.
Lost in thought, Hua is left wide open and completely unprepared for a pair of arms to suddenly lock around her waist, and for a body to crash heavily into her back.
“Oof!”
Only then does she realize that Senti has woken up, irritated at her rude departure. Her arms tighten around her waist, and the ex-Herrscher rests her chin on Hua’s shoulder. Fresh from the land of sleep, Senti’s voice is a scratchy murmur.
“Oi, you left me alone.”
“Sorry.”
Senti “hmphs” and angles her head to brush her lips against the side of Hua’s neck. It may have seemed that she would be willing to forge ahead and push Hua down on the bed – just after they woke up, no less – but she gives up and returns to rest her head on Hua’s shoulder.
“Is it Sunday today?”
“Yep.”
“Xue will want to go somewhere.”
“With her friends.”
“No, with us.”
“Senti, you know she can’t be with us 24/7 anymore. She’s growing up, she needs her space and room to live how she wants to.”
“Yeah, I got that. But we’re still her parents. She’ll always have somewhere to come back to, arms to receive her, a house to return to, a table to sit at, you know? All that stuff.”
“Still…”
“Shh. Now stay still.”
“Senti, what are you—”
“Res…ting.”
Senti’s voice trails off and she drops off back to sleep, like a barnacle lodged firmly on Hua’s back. The former MANTIS sighs and is just about to pick up her phone when there is a knock on the door.
“Mom? Ma? You guys awake yet?”
“Yes, dear. Come in.”
Lixue sticks her head in first to look around, then enters. She is still dressed in the loose shirt and shorts she slept in, but her hair is tied – in Hua’s trademark style, and she makes straight for the bed.
Up close, Hua is again made painfully aware of how quickly her daughter has grown. Once she was a tiny toddler giggling and cooing as she played with Hua and Senti, but now she stands at least half a head taller than either of them, and her amethyst pupils hold a deep perceptiveness and solemnity.
“What’s up with Ma?”
Her voice hasn’t changed much though – maybe she speaks now with a barely-noticeable contralto, but it still takes Hua back – back to those exhausting, but rewarding days of raising an energetic five-year-old.
“As you can see, dear, she has altered our minds and is now a barnacle. A rather tough one to remove, at that.”
Lixue sinks down on the bed beside Hua, then shifts to lie down, placing her head in Hua’s lap. Hua reaches out, and when the girl nods, begins to run her fingers through her hair. Senti has not stirred, and even when Hua shakes her shoulders, she still clings on, murmuring soft whispers in her sleep.
“Do you want to make breakfast, Xue?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“What?”
Lixue doesn’t answer, just resting her head in her mother’s lap for a while, then sitting up to kiss her on the cheek.
“Soup dumplings, OK?”
“Anything, dear.”
“And put some chili pepper in mine.”
Now Senti is awake, and she respectfully disengages from Hua’s back and rolls over on the bed to sit up. Unlike Hua, she is wearing nothing much else other than a nightgown, and if Lixue wasn’t in the room, Hua would have let her eyes rove over her for a little while longer.
“OK! Ready in a bit!”
Lixue leaves quickly, and Hua opens her arms, turning to Senti. She obediently slots herself into Hua’s arms and nestles her head against her collar, purring contentedly.
“Our little girl has grown so much.”
“Remember when she was just a tiny little kid, toddling around?”
“All too well.”
Hua cradles Senti close and cups her cheeks in her hands, looking deep into her eyes. Then she presses her lips to her forehead and draws back.
“Good morning, dear Senti.”
Senti chuckles as she surges forward to bump their foreheads and lips together. Her arms shift to encircle Hua’s shoulders, and maybe tug on the stretchy collar, just a little.
“Morning, Hua—”
“God’s sake, get a room, you two. I leave for one minute and you guys…”
Both look up to see Lixue standing in the doorway, an expression of mock exasperation on her face. But she is smiling, and obeys as Senti beckons for her to approach.
“You guys are insufferable.”
“Well, if you wandered for fifty thousand years alone, then met the love of your life, you would cherish and love them deeply, wouldn’t you?”
“I would.”
Lixue laughs as Hua pulls her in and squeezes her tight. Then she gives a sigh and stands, letting Hua release her. She aims a thumb at the open doorway, and Hua can see the three bowls steaming on the dining table.
“Breakfast is ready. Morning, you two.”