Work Text:
Adora ran a hand down her face as she closed her bedroom door as quietly as possible. A long sigh escaped her, heavy and loaded. She could distantly hear Catra’s sobs through the door. She almost jumped when a small voice spoke.
“Why is Mom crying?”
Adora looked down to see two shining blue eyes in the early morning light. Finn still looked tired, they must’ve been woken up when Catra startled awake. Adora gave a soft smile as she crouched to the ground. Now at eye level, she began to explain.
“Mom isn’t feeling good this morning. She had a bad dream,” she said in a gentle voice. Finn looked confused.
“But dreams aren’t real. Why is she still sad?” they asked, tilting their head. It was adorable, but Adora wasn’t in the mood to coo at it this morning.
These conversations were always hard. Finn had their share of a rough childhood, but Catra had gone through a lot. Trying to explain trauma to a kid is more complex than it would seem.
“Mom’s bad dreams aren’t like yours. Some people dream about things that haven’t happened but, to them, could. Mom’s dreams are about things that have already happened to her. Some dreams feel real, but hers are real.”
Finn thought about this for a moment. Whenever they had a nightmare, they went to their moms. They reminded them that the dreams weren’t real and Finn fell asleep knowing their mind just made those things up and they wouldn’t actually happen. But how do you stop crying when your dreams were real? Wait… were!
“But the bad dreams aren’t real anymore,” Finn replied. Their Mama smiled down at them softly.
“That’s right. Not anymore. Why don’t we get Mom some tea and then go tell her that?” Adora proposed as she rose to her full height once again. She offered a hand to the young child. They took it with a determined smile.
~
Finn opened the door to their Moms’ room gently before crossing the room in a few steps and climbing on the bed. Their mom had stopped crying, but had tears still on her cheeks. Catra’s mouth curled into the smallest smile at the sight of her baby.
Adora followed closely behind with a mug of Catra’s favorite chamomile tea. She set it on their bedside table before climbing into the bed with her wife and child.
Finn crawled on their hands and knees to their Mom to rub their cheek along hers. It cleared away a tear trail, as well as marked their mom with their scent. Catra’s chest stuttered out a small beginning of a purr before she sobbed once. Finn just curled into her lap, allowing her to rest her head on theirs.
Adora curled around the two of them and brought the steaming mug to Catra’s hands. She took it with a grateful smile. She took a few sips before sighing and relaxing back against the headboard. Adora set the mug on the table gently before going back to the others.
“It’s ok Mom, those dreams aren’t real anymore.”
Catra tightened her embrace and sighed.
“Yeah. Not anymore.”