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“Hey, uhm…”
Spinnerella looked up from her magazine when she heard the voice of her adoptive daughter nervously approaching her.
“What is it, Catra?” She asked, her voice welcoming and a smile telling the feline girl she'd hear her out.
Catra’s tail thrashed nervously behind her, her ears pinned back. She wasn’t able to look Spinnerella in the eyes, but she still gathered all her courage to ask.
“Could you… show me how to bake cookies?”
That wasn’t a question Spinny would've anticipated, but it was innocent enough to make her smile brighter.
“Of course, sweetie. Do you have something special in mind?”
It was easy to see how all the anxious tension left the body of the girl. To ask such things was still hard for her, reminding her of the abuse she would endure anytime she would dare speak out about wanting or needing anything while growing up in the orphanage.
Spinnerella cursed Mrs Weaver in her thoughts again, glad that the old woman was rotting in prison now.
“No, just some cookies I could cut out and decorate,” Catra stated. Her face suddenly became all red and she looked flustered.
The older woman had a hard time trying not to chuckle. Catra could be so easy to read sometimes and she was just so cute, even though her daughter hated anytime she was called that.
“Are they supposed to be for Adora?” She asked, delighted when Catra blushed even more.
“Yeah…,” the girl admitted. “She loves sweets and it’s Christmas soon and…”
“Alright then!” Spinnerella proclaimed. “Then let's make the best cookies Adora will ever get!”
Catra’s face lit up and she smiled, which was something her adoptive mother loved to see.
Since she became Adora’s girlfriend, Catra had been in a better mood and was happier than ever before.
It was nice to see how much the love she got from Adora gave her enough confidence to achieve her goals and leave the past behind.
It was reason enough for Spinny and her wife to love Adora, too.
They quickly gathered everything they needed in the kitchen. Easy shortcrust cookies didn't need many ingredients and they usually had everything stocked up.
Catra was very patient while she weighed the sugar and flour, always checking in with the handwritten recipe Spinny had provided her from her old family cookbook.
“How do I crack the egg without spilling everything?” She asked and Spinny was more than willing to show her.
“Perfect. Now you can knead it all until it’s a nice dough,” her adoptive mother approved when finally all ingredients were in the bowl.
“Okay,” Catra nodded and slowly began mixing everything with her hands, her face excited and happy.
Her tongue peeked out when she was halfway done and her tail was happily swaying, a sight Spinnerella found so endearing that she took a quick photo while Catra was completely unaware.
She just needed to show that to Netossa!
“Did you just take a photo of me?”
Caught red-handed, Spinny laughed. “Sorry. You just were looking so cu… happy, I just had to. Do you want me to delete it?”
Catra grinned, a fang poking out of the corner of her mouth. “Nah, I guess you can keep that one.” Her good mood was making her generous.
They put the finished dough into the fridge and used the waiting time to clean up and prepare the counter for rolling out.
“Those are cute,” Catra pointed out when she got a look at all the cookie cutters Spinny had in stock and found some star and heart shaped ones.
“They are,” Spinnerella agreed, certain that Adora would also agree.
When Netossa and her took Catra in, the young teen had been scared and unsettled, wary of everything around her. It had taken a lot of time and therapy for her to feel comfortable enough to let her protective guard down around them.
It was thanks to those two women that she found a way out of that horrible orphanage and even though Spinnerella had first been uncertain if she wanted to adopt a teen, looking at her now made her immensely proud of her adoptive daughter.
When Catra smiled at her while choosing the cutters she liked, Spinny knew the decision had been the right one once more.
“Alright, I think the dough is ready,” she said and Catra’s whole posture showed her excitement peaking up again.
Spinnerella showed her how to roll the dough out without sticking and the feline’s deft hands worked quickly and precisely as instructed.
Catra had always been quick with picking up new skills and it didn't take her long to get the whole dough done.
When the baking sheets were in the oven and they cleaned up again, Spinny dared to ask.
“Have you never made cookies before?”
At first, Catra tensed, but then she shook her head. “No. Mrs Weaver never did things like that with us and I missed those lessons in school. So… thank you for showing me!”
“You're welcome, Catra! You know we'll always help you out, right?”
“I… do. I'm sorry it’s still hard….”
Spinnerella put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder, grounding her. “It's okay. I know. Asking for things you never had as a child is hard. But you’re doing well and I love to see you happy. Since you and Adora got together, you've been smiling and humming and you look so happy all the time. Netty and I love to see you like that.”
Catra blushed, apparently she never realized that her mothers saw this change in her.
“Adora makes me happy,” she admitted.
“We know that, sweetie. We can see it!” Spinnerella chuckled.
The beeping of the timer interrupted them and they quickly got the golden brown baked cookies out of the oven.
“They smell so good!” Catra excitedly cheered.
“Right? And they look delicious!” Her mother agreed. “While they cool down, I’ll show you how to make the icing!”
It wasn’t hard to see how much joy it brought Catra to make the icing and give it various colors with the food coloring. “It's almost like painting!”
“Yes! And both can make such a mess!” Spinnerella laughed. But they both enjoyed decorating their cookies and the older woman was glad to see that Catra was having a lot of fun.
She realized how much of an artist Catra could be when she had set her mind to something, seeing how creatively she decorated her cookies, each of them looking perfect.
Moments like this became precious to her and Spinny knew Catra deserved to have those good times with people who generously cared for her.
“Woah, it’s smelling awesome in here!” Netossa greeted them when she finally came home from work.
Her wife gave her a hearty peck on her cheek and grinned. “Catra wanted to bake some cookies for her girlfriend.”
Netossa stole a kiss from her girl's lips and chuckled when she saw how much Catra blushed and let out a “Mooooom…” whine.
“I see. I'm certain Adora will love those, they look great! I'm almost jealous, I want some, too.”
Catra beamed at the praise, feeling content with her work. "Well, I can make some for you, too, Mum.”
Spinnerella and Netossa exchanged a quick glance, both happy that Catra had become comfortable enough to both call them that nowadays.
“I'd love some, sweetheart.” Netossa replied before leaving the kitchen to get changed.
Catra looked very satisfied when she had put most of the cookies into a cute little box and wrapped it up with a ribbon with Spinnerella's help, looking forward to gifting them to her Adora.
When they had cleaned up the kitchen, she turned towards her adoptive mother and gave her another smile.
“Thank you for doing this with me. It… means a lot.”
Spinnerella returned the smile, glad that they both had bonded so well over time. “You're welcome. It was fun!”
“It was,” Catra nodded. Then she braced herself and gave Spinny a hug. “I'm glad to have you,” she whispered, sighing when she felt that Spinny returned the hug.
“And we’re glad we have you , too, Catra.”
-
Catra was quite nervous when she climbed up the stairs to Adora’s apartment. Would her girlfriend really like her gift?
There was just one way to find out.
“Catra!” Adora greeted her with the usual smile on her bright face and the feline felt her heart beating fast in her chest.
“Hey Adora!” Catra closed the door and hung up her coat.
They kissed briefly, like they usually did whenever they saw each other. Adora noticed the box in Catra’s hands then, looking questioningly at it.
“Is… is that for me?”
Catra blushed, but nodded, handing the box over. “I… I hope you like that…”
Adora’s eyes went wide and she excitedly took the box. “That's such a cute ribbon!”
She carefully unwrapped the box, took off the lid and stared inside with a gasp.
“These look sooo goooood! Catra, did… did you bake them yourself?”
“Well, obviously, dummy…” Catra replied, completely flustered at Adora’s praise.
Adora grinned, used to how Catra was when she felt embarrassed, then took one cookie out and bit into it.
“Hmmmm,” she cooed, nodding in approval.
“They taste delicious! Thank you so much!”
Suddenly, Adora had some tears in her eyes, quickly wiping them away with her sleeve when she noticed.
Catra looked at her in alarm. “Is something wrong?”
“No… it’s just… no one’s ever done such a cute thing for me! I… I really appreciate it!”
Glad Adora was okay, Catra smiled shyly at her. “It was fun. I can make some more if you want.”
“Yes, please!” Adora nodded eagerly. “But… maybe we can also make some together?”
Catra’s face happily lit up at that suggestion. “Of course!”
They looked at each other and giggled.
Adora put the lid back on the box and put it on the table, before taking her girlfriend into her arms, hugging her tightly, smiling when she heard the purr erupting from the feline’s chest.
“I love you so much, Catra,” she whispered.
Catra chuckled, leaning in to kiss the blonde again. “I love you, too, dummy.”