Chapter Text
First month
Your first month postpartum went by relatively smoothly, considering that you were still very nervous about the new prospect of being a mother and all the changes your body would go through until it got back to normal.
The swollen belly was the easiest thing to deal with. In the first few days after giving birth, it remained rounded, but much smaller and now quite flaccid; you could even put your hand in it if you put pressure on it. It was annoying not being able to wear smaller clothes right away, but you got through it without any major problems. What really scared you a little was the vaginal bleeding. You knew very well that this was just one of the phases of the immediate postpartum period, where your body expelled the secretions from the uterus and the remains of the placenta. But even so, due to your feelings being even more raw due to the postpartum period, it left you alert and a little scared, afraid that something worse could happen. Fortunately, you could always count on Sevika's comfort. She was always there for you, dispelling your paranoia and reminding you of the reality you were living together.
Just as you had to adapt to more changes in your body, you and Sevika had to adapt to having another human being living with you. A very small and fragile one, completely incapable of verbalizing her feelings with formed words, only crying. Avani, as you decided to call her.
Luckily for you, she was a calm girl for a newborn, unlike what you had heard so much about how newborns were super noisy and cry for anything. With Avani it wasn't like that. Of course she cried, especially when she was hungry or dirty, but most of the time she just stayed quiet, whether in the arms of one of her mothers, cousins, uncle, aunt or in her crib. Speaking of the crib, she was equally calm in her sleep. Avani slept for the hours straight that is common for a healthy newborn, waking up only to immediately go in search of her breast milk – which resulted in her crying louder, looking for you –, to do her needs and to stay in contact with her mothers. In fact, staying in touch with the two of you felt magical to her.
Whenever Avani was in your arms after breastfeeding, she would nuzzle her cheek against your chest and snuggle up to you. Her eyes would blink slowly and try to focus on you whenever you spoke to her, making cute little noises as a continuous response to your conversation. With Sevika, she seemed to get a little more restless. Although she also loved taking long naps in her mother’s big arms, whenever her eyes were open, Avani would not take them off Sevika’s face, trying to follow her every move, always keeping her eyes wide when Sevika spoke directly to her to follow every movement and speech, responding with her continuous cooing.
It was a bit complicated to reconcile your lives with the new routine, especially when it came to Sevika's work. You were on six months of maternity leave, so you could focus entirely on taking care of Avani and slowly adapting better to everything, and even though you still received your salary, Sevika continued working, keeping in mind that obviously having two sources of income, as it always was, would keep everything much more stable for the three of you. But anyway, it was still a little torture to have to be away from you and your daughter for so long. In the first few days, you had to restrain yourself from laughing at Sevika's alert, worried and almost teary eyes while you waited for the Uber at your doorstep. She held you by the waist, caressing you, talking about how you should call her immediately if you or Avani needed anything.
“If she cries too much, or you’re too tired, call me. I can skip work or make up the hours later. It’s fine.”
“Got it. Don’t worry, love. If I need you, I’ll call you.” You said for the third time that day. “Your ride is here.”
And soon after, the Uber driver’s horn caught your attention. He was on the street, windows rolled down, giving you a view of the man driving the car checking something on his phone.
“Yeah, yeah, okay.” Sevika sighed and left a long kiss on your forehead. “I love you.”
“We love you too.”
Second and third month
In the second month, some things changed subtly, and others not so much. Along with your body came some cramps that thankfully didn't last long, but were still annoying to deal with. They weren't menstrual cramps yet, to your relief, but they were similar in terms of pain. In addition, the size of your belly had decreased a lot, almost similar to what it was before pregnancy, except that it was still quite saggy due to the stretching of the skin and the gain in mass. The linea nigra now seemed much more visible too, extending from her belly button to the pubic area. The stretch marks were also more visible, but you didn't bother with them at all.
Your mood seemed to vary a lot during this period, giving way to feelings such as anxiety as well. It was agonizing to feel anxious when thinking about your daughter, about how you would manage to take care of her as time went by, with a growing fear of not being able to handle your new responsibilities. This, combined with the mental and physical fatigue of the months of pregnancy and the insomnia that seemed to rent a house in your mind, made your mood swings very present during this phase. You gradually became calmer when you consulted the specialists who were accompanying you and discovered that it was normal, that with the right care and the loving and patient company of Sevika, things would help to improve.
With Avani, the changes weren’t huge, but they were still present as the little girl’s healthy development progressed. At two months old, she started holding her little hands together, occasionally curious about them, but it passed quickly. What really changed were the hours she slept, which increased, giving you both more time to rest too. When she was awake, she tried to explore her surroundings more with her curious eyes, since her neck began to gain more strength and stability. This helped her focus on you when you talked, since at this stage, babies are already able to recognize their parents’ faces, so she would agitatedly look for you when she heard your voices and try to keep her neck steady to look. Her toothless smiles and coos also became more frequent. And so did the gulps. Sometimes it was gross, like when it ended up falling on your face, but it was easy to get over it when you saw her curiously looking at your contorted face.
By the third month, Avani became much more curious about her hands and feet, taking advantage of her flexibility and your constant help to grab them or put them in her mouth. Or, sometimes, she would just stare at her little fingers with wide eyes.
She also began to recognize the facial expressions of everyone around her more clearly, responding with grimaces that ended up causing the adults to laugh, causing her to laugh too. In fact, her first real laugh, long and agitated, was caused by Vi's laughter. Avani was lying in her cousin's arms, biting a light blue silicone teether, when Vi laughed loudly at something you had said. The little girl watched her older cousin closely, her body softly rocking back and forth once with the slight tilt of Vi's body due to her laughter. With her gaze focused on her expression, she smiled, made some soft sounds in her throat and then laughed out loud, immediately silencing everyone and drawing their eyes to her. Noticing everyone's silence, her toothless smile closed as well, but Vi was quick to laugh out loud again, and although this time it was more planned, it had the same effect on Avani, who laughed again.
She remained a quiet baby, although attentive and observant, only crying when necessary or when she wanted to be held by Sevika or you. She also discovered that she was the biggest fan of noisy toys, meaning she compensated for her verbal quietness with the loud, repetitive sounds of her rattles. Towards the end of her three months, Jinx gave her a rattle shaped like a shark with bright blue eyes. The toy made noises and glowed a little when shaken, which quickly became her favorite toy.
“Awwwn, playing with it again!”
Jinx exclaimed as she and Violet came to pay them a quick visit. Avani was lying in the middle of the room in her own little space, ignoring the little toys hanging above her to focus only on the rattle, staring at it with a cute pout as she shook it repeatedly.
Upon noticing her cousins, however, she was quick to drop the object to wave her hands around in agitation, giggling between bursts, almost desperate for the two to come closer. Violet was quick to answer her little cousin's call, running to the kitchen to wash her hands properly in the sink and then running back to the living room. When she knelt down beside her, the redhead made a face at the rattle and pushed it aside with her index finger. Jinx gasped dramatically, placing her hand on her chest. You and Sevika rolled your eyes with a smile from where you were sitting on the floor, knowing full well where this would lead.
“Come on, Ava. Leave that ugly toy there.”
Vi said as she carefully picked the little girl up off the floor, supporting her back, neck, and head with her arms and hands.
“Ha! It’s her favorite toy, for your information.”
“Uh-huh. Yeah. Sometimes we have to learn to accept things out of politeness.”
The two argued for a few more long seconds, until Avani began to coo almost aggressively, as if demanding that all attention be given to her. This immediately made the two stop and become friendly with each other in a flash, happy to share in their little cousin’s cute giggles.
Fourth month
At four months old, Avani’s physical abilities had improved a lot. Her restlessness and her willingness to always try to move from wherever you left her showed that she was eager to turn around and start exploring new places with her little hands and feet. Just like her motor skills, her vision, perception and curiosity also improved a lot. This meant that, with her motor coordination developing and her vision improving, she wanted to put a lot of things in her mouth, anything she found interesting. From her own toys to Sevika’s prosthetic. And even though you were always very careful about what you held around her, you still kept your eyes wide open for anything she put in her mouth.
Avani also started to want to imitate the sounds she heard all the time, especially the high-pitched sounds when someone spoke to her in a “baby voice”. She would watch and listen carefully, trying to copy them right away. At those times, all she could reproduce perfectly were howling sounds and short screams.
Meanwhile, for you and Sevika, life continued peacefully. It was undeniable that the new responsibility of raising Avani was a little difficult, with all the new routine, schedules to adapt to, monthly checkups, vaccinations, diaper and clothing changes, sleep deprivation on some nights, the usual stress of work... All of this would inevitably cause stress despite the happiness of having a baby. The situation caused some small arguments between you, a few that even lasted an entire day. But nothing that Avani's crying, begging for physical contact from the two mothers around her didn't make you have to face the stubbornness to talk and apologize. So, despite the common fights of a couple living together for so long, you lived well and happily with your little girl.
Fifth month
As the healthy and smart baby that she was, Avani developed much more in the fifth month. At this stage, her waist was getting stronger and stronger, so she did everything she could to sit up on her own, trying to move away from the support of the hands on her back when she was placed in the sitting position. To her delight, she could already sit up for a few seconds, but, worried and attentive as you were, neither of you kept your hands away for long, ready to support her the moment she lost her balance and fell backwards. Even with her quiet protests, the important thing was that she was developing well and, at this rate, she would soon be able to sit up on her own.
It is proven that during these months, babies start to store memories, such as gestures and some commands. For Avani, she was quick to learn “you can” and “you can’t”. When she held something inappropriate to put in her mouth and heard the “you can’t” accompanied by gentle hands reaching for hers, she already associated it with what to do, handing the object to whoever was asking. Oh, you couldn’t be more thankful for having such a smart and obedient little girl, even if she didn’t yet understand what it was.
Avani also recognized greetings and goodbyes, paying attention every time someone said “hi” and “bye” to her, returning a cute, toothless smile, trying to imitate the “bye” with her chubby hands.
“This is for you, Ava.” Caitlyn said with a smile as she handed her a little pink box.
The little girl held it and turned it around in her hands, curious about the texture of the object. She opened her mouth and tried to take the object there, but Sevika's hand – who was by your side while you held her – was faster and carefully took the little box from her hands. Fortunately, Avani didn't complain, just babbled and didn't take her eyes off the little object for even a second.
Sevika opened the box and smiled when she saw a small gold bracelet of adjustable size, made of material suitable for Avani's delicate skin. According to Caitlyn, it was her five-month present, even though you weren't having the small birthday parties. It was a tradition in Caitlyn's family, so she couldn't resist buying a little souvenir for the little one.
“Oh, Cait. It’s so beautiful.” You gasped, your eyes shining as you looked at the accessory. “Thank you so much, sweetheart.”
While Sevika fastened the accessory to her chubby wrist, Avani was more interested in the little box, now in her hands. She turned it and squeezed it, forgetting to put it in her mouth, very impressed by the new texture of the new object. At least the bracelet went unnoticed, comfortable and gentle on the fragile skin of her left wrist. It stayed there, untouched by her mouth and curious hands.
Sixth month
When she turned six months old, you began the food introduction. You started to introduce soft foods into her diet, such as pureed fruits and vegetables. This was a small problem.
Avani seemed to hate the new foods, making faces every time the soft spoon with a little bit of the puree came into contact with her tongue. She would lick her lips and immediately grimace, frowning and trying to spit it out as if she were going to vomit. You were worried, but later was instructed not to force her to eat the puree. Instead, you were instructed to prepare cooked cubes of food, soft enough for her to pick up on her own with her own hands and to be able to crush the food, both in her mouth and hands. You also read that it was essential to set examples for her, and remembering how observant and attentive she was (very similar to her mother Sevika, by the way), you started to eat food prepared for her in front of her.
Avani watched you two closely and, upon seeing her own food on your plate, it didn't take long for her curious little hands to reach for it and then put it in her mouth, happy to follow her mother's example and now getting used to the textures and flavors. This was, without a doubt, a huge relief for you. In addition to starting to introduce healthy foods necessary for her growth, your breasts would have a little more rest throughout the day – because, God, if there was a ranking of babies who were addicted to breastfeeding, she would be at the top of the list –, since she seemed to really love the fruits and vegetables after trying them with enthusiasm. Her favorites were apples, watermelon and carrots.
The perfect timing came a week later, when her first teeth started to appear, the two front ones on the bottom. She made a mess with the excess saliva, but it was quickly resolved with the cloth you carried on your shoulder 24 hours a day.
Her attention also began to increase more and more, since the coordination of her agile little hands was sufficiently developed for her to grab objects more quickly and stealthily, trying to put them in her mouth or simply hold something dangerous. It was good that she still responded well to the commands “you can” and “you can’t”, but, being a child with developing feelings and desires, of course it wouldn’t always work.
“Avani, you can’t.”
Sevika said as she held out her bionic hand, palm up, asking the girl to hand over the fine-toothed comb with a pointed handle that one of you had accidentally left on the couch, where Sevika sat with her on her lap.
Avani alternated her doe eyes between the object and her mother's hand several times, conflicted about what to do. She was very curious about the funny texture of the object, tempted to try it in her mouth, but also inclined to respond to the already well-known command. In the end, her curiosity won out. While looking straight into her mother's gray eyes, she brought the object to her mouth, placing the pointed handle in her mouth, much to Sevika's utter horror.
“Tsk!”
Sevika was quick to remove the object from her mouth and hands, still careful not to hurt her. When the comb was removed from her reach, Avani's face contorted into a crying grimace and she began to cry right away, her little body jerking slightly, her legs and arms flailing.
“Here we go.” Sevika murmured with understanding and a hint of amusement, adjusting the little one in her arms to try to calm her down, not wanting you to rush out of your bath worried about her crying.
Seventh month
With Avani's six months coming to an end, your maternity leave also came to an end. It was good that you weren't teaching all day, but it was still agonizing and caused you a lot of anxiety thinking about having to be away from your daughter for hours. This affected Sevika too, as she wasn't allowed to swap shifts at work due to the commitments of the security guards on the other shifts. You were both worried about letting someone you didn't know take care of your daughter, even if she was a certified and experienced nanny. It was different.
The most logical solution to that situation was to take Avani with you to work. Although Sevika wanted to keep her too, her job wouldn’t allow her to give the little girl the attention she needed as a baby. It was hard for you too, but you still had more flexibility and freedom to pay attention to her needs and teach your classes. It was especially hard to keep your students’ curious hands away from Avani. You weren’t disgusted or afraid of them, but your daughter’s health and immunity were of the utmost importance, and if even your relatives weren’t allowed to touch her without properly cleaning their hands, your students, who touched everywhere and were rarely seen washing their hands, wouldn’t be allowed to touch or hold her. Despite the protests in quiet grumbles, in the end everyone was content with the short moments when they could admire her with their eyes and coo so she could laugh. In the meantime, she was content to sit quietly in the baby carrier during your work hours.
In her full seventh month, Avani seemed more active than ever after discovering the strength and support of her little legs. When she was held upright, she was quick to support herself with her feet and legs and jump up and down, propelling herself even further with the help of the person holding her. It was clearly fun for her, and she laughed and giggled at the movements, feeling even happier when her mothers or other adults around her laughed.
Along with discovering this support, she also discovered the strength in her knees and arms, which allowed her to discover how to crawl.
The three of you were sitting on the floor in the living room, Avani sitting with her back against Sevika's side. You were on the other side of her, snuggled up against your wife as you both watched a detective movie. Avani's watchful eyes spotted the rattle Jinx had given her months ago on the other side of her rug. She carefully leaned forward until she fell, immediately managing to support herself on her arms and knees. They shook a little, making her look at them curiously. When she stabilized herself, she babbled loudly and began to try to move towards the toy.
You noticed out of the corner of your eye, and almost choked, fumbling to nudge Sevika and point at her. You both widened your eyes as you watched her, doing your best to stay silent and not distract her. It was a success. It took Avani a while, but once she got the hang of moving her arms and legs, she was able to crawl to the desired spot, where she sat down and picked up the toy, saying “dah-dah-dah” aggressively and loudly as she shook it up and down.
“Congratulations, my love!”
You exclaimed as you clapped your hands, catching her attention. Avani put down her rattle to smile and clap along with you, happy with your movements and sounds.
Looking over at Sevika, you chuckled softly as she looked at her daughter with a tearful smile and wet eyes, holding back her tears tightly. When she realized she was being watched, she sniffed and was quick to wipe away the unshed tears, eliciting another laugh from you. You leaned in to kiss her cheek.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s just… She’s growing up so fast.”
Eighth and ninth month
From the seventh to the eighth month, the only major difference was that, with the discovery of her legs' autonomy, Avani began to try to stand up by holding on to the couch, furniture or her legs, which increased her chances of exploration and of her curious hands grabbing something she shouldn't. Apart from that, she just kept developing and learning, storing memories and having fun with her cousins, uncle, aunt and mothers.
In the ninth month, some things changed the most. For example, Avani responded very well to her name. When someone called her, she was quick to look for the person who called her, smiling at the person who called her when it was someone from her family, especially her mothers. It was adorable and certainly very useful, helping to distract her when she wanted to grab something she couldn't. Her mental development and coordination continued to grow, making her increasingly aware of everything that was happening around her, including the words that everyone was saying all the time.
“Ma-ma.” You repeated to Avani, who was sitting on your belly while you were lying down, using your thighs to support her back.
The little girl watched your mouth and listened attentively to the sound, alternating her agitated gaze between your mouth and your animated eyes. Beside you, Sevika was half lying down, with her back supported by pillows. She had her cell phone (which a few minutes before had been used to take pictures of the two of you) thrown on her belly, her attention completely focused on the moment, with a silly and affectionate smile painting her lips.
“Ma-ma.” You said again.
Avani opened and closed her mouth, pressing her lips together, mumbling the “a” sound softly. This went on for a few seconds, until she waved her arms, clapped her hands, and then said: “Mama! Mama! Mama!”
You screamed, and Sevika’s eyes widened with a wide smile. Avani was startled at first, but when she heard your laughter and saw Sevika’s smile, she soon calmed down and started laughing too, loving it when you gently pulled her into a hug and rocked her in your arms. You sat her back down and pointed to yourself.
“Mama.”
“Mama!” She repeated.
You then pointed to Sevika.
“Mom.” As Sevika said she would like to be called, making it easier for everyone to understand who the baby would call.
Avani waved her arms and smiled, making a funny sound with her tongue between her teeth and gums.
“Mmmm… Ma! Ma!”
Sevika laughed and pulled the girl into her arms, being graced by more sweet giggles and the pronunciation of “ma” repeatedly. She hugged her and pulled her up, burying her face in her neck to kiss and smell, tickling Avani, who began to laugh and try to shrink away. You took advantage of the distraction of the two and grabbed Sevika’s cell phone that had slipped onto the bed, opened the camera and took three photos in a row of the moment, sending them to you immediately.
That would be your wallpaper for a long time.
Twelfth month
The tenth and eleventh months flashed before your eyes. One moment, Avani was learning to pronounce other short words and imitate melodies in songs she listened to, as well as learning to point and wave; the next, she had both feet firmly on the floor, placing one in front of the other awkwardly, but focused on her crucial goal: reaching Violet’s outstretched arms.
You and Sevika were watching the scene from the couch, leaning on each other, not even trying to pretend that you weren’t terribly emotional about her first steps. Ekko filmed the whole thing from his spot in one of the armchairs, a wide, radiant smile on his face. Beside him, Jinx had a “how adorable” pout on her lips as she watched. The same went for Caitlyn, who was sitting on the other side of Violet, holding a stuffed toy.
The little girl continued her journey with determination, placing one foot at a time on the ground, alternating her gaze between her feet and her cousin, who kept her arms outstretched and encouraged her with words and a gentle, wide smile on her face. When she managed to steady her steps better, although still clumsy, she sped up until she was almost running into Violet's arms, who caught her as she lost her balance and fell forward. Violet caught her in her arms and lifted her up once.
“Get it, girl!”
“Bi!” She replied, laughing as Violet lifted her up once more.
First Year and Six Months
With her constant learning, development, and proper, healthy care, Avani continued to grow and hone her skills, which included her vocal annoyance with certain things. Sure, she was a quiet child, but that doesn’t mean she was a perfect human being or that she could tolerate something that she thought was wrong and would make her angry. So it didn’t come as a shock to you when your little girl started throwing tantrums. Honestly, it was funny and really cute to see a seventy-five centimeters, wide-eyed, frowning, and pouting creature standing next to you, annoyed that you wouldn’t let her go outside to play in the rain.
“Mama! Rain!” She complained to you, who was chopping some vegetables on the kitchen counter, unperturbed.
“We already said ‘no’, Ava. The rain is too strong, it’s too cold.”
Avani grunted loudly, a thin, long sound, almost like the beginning of a cry. She rocked her body up and down, still grunting, grabbing your leg with both of her little hands. Although she didn’t apply any force, she wouldn’t let go for a long time if you let her. You just smiled at her, holding firm even in the face of her bright, insistent puppy eyes. She was a mini copy of Sevika in almost every way. Even though her eyes were the same color as yours, their shape and that cute look were completely borrowed from her other mother; as was her thick, black hair, which was still short, but clearly had a long way to go.
“Come on, baby. Let mommy make us some soup.”
Speaking of her, Sevika appeared to save you from the attack of puppy eyes. She picked up the little one and adjusted her so she was comfortable. When she reached her mother, even though she was still whining, Avani hugged her around the neck and laid her head on her shoulder, mumbling and babbling softly, saddened at having her request denied. Avani still didn’t watch TV or watch videos, but in one of the books you used to read together in the afternoons and evenings, a character played in the rain, which sparked her interest and curiosity in doing the activity. You intended to let her have fun in the rain, but that particular day, the water and winds were very aggressive, not to mention the thunder and lightning in the sky, so it was out of the question.
Sevika approached to leave a long kiss on your lips and a quick one on your neck, and then went to the living room with the sulking girl in her arms.
Just as there were days when the tantrum was something quick and tolerable, there were days when something bigger and more difficult to deal with happened, like the day you needed to concentrate to finish updating an important spreadsheet with your students' grades, but Avani was insistent on wanting to take the laptop in your hands. No matter how much you carefully moved her away from you, trying to keep her hands away from the laptop, the little girl came back, complaining and almost crying, insisting on trying to take the device. In a moment of distraction, when you tried to write another note on the system, Avani once again came close to you, taking advantage of the fact that there was no reprimand, then held the laptop with both hands, one on the screen and the other on the keyboard. It turns out that when she pulled out the device, your finger that was on the touchpad slid and tapped three times, causing the page you were editing with all of your students' grades to be deleted.
“Avani!” You shouted, making her startle for a few seconds; her eyes widened and her mouth opened for a moment until she shouted back, now crying.
You took her hands away once more, and then closed the laptop, placing it next to you on the couch. Avani looked at you confused, tirelessly searching for the device and now even more irritated and sad for having it out of sight. Meanwhile, you leaned back on the couch and closed your eyes, breathing as deeply and strongly as you could, pressing and covering your entire face with your hands.
Sevika came down the stairs at the same moment, fresh out of a shower after coming home from work. She was holding one of Avani’s favorite toys: a cute doll that smelled like strawberries. Her smile faded when she arrived in the living room and took in the atmosphere, quickly and attentively picking up on the state of both of them. She sat down next to you on the couch and leaned over to check on Avani, inspecting for any injuries that might account for her reddened face and face wet with a few recent tears. When she found none, she wiped her face with her and then handed the doll to the girl, who quickly settled in to sit down and immediately start playing. With that settled, she approached you, holding one hand on one of your arms and stroking your thigh with the other.
“Honey? What’s wrong?” She asked as she used both hands to pull yours away from your face, her eyebrows furrowed in concern.
You were crying silently, letting the tears finally fall when the pressure in your eyes stopped. You sniffled and bit your lip, shaking your head from side to side. Bringing your hands to your face again, you wiped away the tears that had fallen.
“Nothing… It’s… She stressed me out. A lot. I yelled at her, she got scared, but I– I didn’t wanted to. It’s just that I got so stressed out! She wouldn’t obey me! I wouldn’t– Ugh!”
“Hey, it’s okay. You know that, right?”
“I know! I know! But it’s just… She’s so quiet and obedient most of the time and when she throws a tantrum I can’t handle it?!”
“And you’re not wrong for that.”
You huffed and scratched your forehead and cheeks, frustrated with yourself and still trying to get over the anger of the situation from a few minutes ago, thinking about all the spreadsheets you would have to redo. Sevika gave you a gentle smile and pulled you to lie on her chest, cuddling you with her organic arm. You accepted, curling up against her, letting a few more tears fall and sobbing a little, accepting the caress in your hair and arm.
“Don’t beat yourself up over this. We’re first-time mothers. Avani’s mostly a good kid, but she’s gonna push us. Hard. And yeah, sometimes we snap when we don’t mean to, but we’re a good, talk-it-out family, aren’t we? Even when you and I fight, we fix it. So we’ll fix this too, by talking, setting limits, showing respect. Got it?”
She finished with three kisses on your forehead. You sniffed and nodded, mumbling a soft “okay,” feeling much more at ease with her words and the situation. But it wasn’t over yet.
“Avani.”
The little girl lifted her head to look for her mother’s voice, quickly focusing on the two on the couch. Sevika held out her prosthetic hand as a signal for her to stand up and hold it, which Avani did. She set the doll down and stood up, tossing the hair that was in her face back and then holding Sevika’s hand.
“You disobeyed mommy. That was wrong, you know that?”
Although she didn’t fully understand the sentence, Avani could understand the tone of reprimand and the word “wrong,” since she didn’t do many things wrong, so when she did and was reprimanded, she learned to associate it more quickly. She just shook her head and mumbled “wong” softly, in a crying voice.
“Then apologize to mommy.”
She also understood “apologize”, remembering about the word “sorry”, and although she still didn’t really understand the concept and the lesson, she was a very empathetic and intelligent child, always instructed to repeat the word when she did something wrong, so she was quick to let go of Sevika’s hand to get closer to you. Avani touched your knee with her little hand and sniffed, looking at you with those classic and inherited puppy eyes. She mumbled the word “sorry” as best she could, accompanied by an equally soft “mama” and a resentful sniff.
You sighed, feeling even lighter with that.
“It's okay, love.”
You then picked her up and sat her on your lap, close to Sevika. You hugged her and Sevika wrapped her arms around both of you, leaving each of you a kiss on the top of your head. Despite being the silliest and soft mother when it came to her daughter, Sevika still knew how to be firm and rational when she needed to be, and you would always be extremely grateful for that.
…
A child's quick and sneaky little feet ran behind a sofa, hiding her body there, crouching down and shrinking as much as she could. Cautiously, she dared to stretch her neck a little to try to see in front of her, curious, leaving only one of her eyes visible. Nothing. The living room seemed completely empty, no movement or sound other than hers there, so much so that she could still perfectly hear the sounds of music and loud conversations outside.
Had she escaped? Would she be able to run and complete her objective? All her companions had been captured; it was only her in the relentless escape and in the lead for the victory that seemed ever closer.
Slowly, she began to come out from behind the couch, holding it with one hand while the other supported her weight on the floor. And then, just as she was about to run to the backyard and secure her victory…
“Gotcha!”
The little girl screamed loud and thin as large hands grabbed her by the waist, lifting her off the ground in the same instant. She tried to run away, kicking her little legs in an attempt to run, but it was in vain as she was lifted in the air. Behind her, a loving and deep laugh escaped the lips of the woman who caught her, which seemed to calm the girl from her escape.
“Mooooom, let me go! Pleeeeease! I have to win!”
“Rules are rules, little bean. You lost the game, so you do what we agreed, just like everyone else.” Sevika said as she turned her daughter to face her in her arms, holding her properly.
“But… We’re not tired! It’s still early, look!” Sitting on her mother’s organic arm, the girl turned her torso just enough so she could point behind her, showing the outside through a window. The afternoon was still bright, but the orange colors that were slowly arriving from the horizon were clear and would soon give life to the late afternoon scenery. When she turned back around, Sevika tucked a strand of her straight black hair behind her ear and said calmly: “Alright, you don’t have to nap today, but you’ve been running around all day. Time for a nice bath and then sit quietly, watch something, hm?”
The girl’s eyes lit up at the mention of watching something, and she held tightly to her mother’s blouse with one hand, pulling her closer.
“Can we watch Bluey?”
“Sure. But just after the bath.”
She nodded immediately, nodding her head up and down. Sevika kissed her forehead and then turned towards the back exit of the house, first looking for the other children and their mothers, letting them know it was time for bath time and for them and the adults to rest. Everyone was at Caitlyn and Vi's house. There was no special occasion to celebrate, but it was the beginning of their vacation and you all had the idea of getting the kids together to play before the trip that Ekko and Jinx were planning.
Arriving in the backyard of the house, Sevika let Avani out of her arms to run to her cousins. The three of them were sitting on the grass, chattering as they patiently waited for their older cousin to be caught or win the game they had invented, which consisted of a tag mixed with hide-and-seek. When they saw her running towards them, the three of them got up and started talking about the game, laughing at each other and at how quickly they had been caught by Sevika.
There were four children in all. Avani was the eldest, your daughter. She was now eight years old and looked, as always, like someone had copied and pasted a miniature version of Sevika. Almost two years after Avani was born, Caitlyn and Vi announced their pregnancy, via IVF, which prompted some jokes from you and Jinx about how they had avoided the “traditional way” (in this case, the way you got pregnant). Caitlyn gave birth to twin girls: Felicia and Cassie, both named after the girls’ grandmothers. Felicia looked a lot like Caitlyn, while Cassie was a perfect mix of their mothers. Finally, a year after the twins were born, Jinx and Ekko brought their little girl Isha into the world. At first, she scared everyone, especially her parents when they noticed her lack of speech development; While other little ones could imitate syllables and complete words, Isha could do nothing more than grunt and make a few other slurred sounds. It was soon discovered that her vocal cords were malformed due to her premature birth, which prevented her from being able to speak, so she could only make hoarse little noises. It was difficult at first, but they managed to introduce her and everyone else in the family to sign language, which Isha mastered quickly and easily.
The children were eight, six and just turned six, respectively. The girls had always gotten along very well, so it was easy to let them play and talk for hours, which gave the parents plenty of time to talk and relax.
“Done? Well, time to go inside, then.” Caitlyn said with a smile when she saw all the children together. But her words were met with insistent grumbling and whining from the four of them – a little quieter from Avani, who still remembered the recent conversation with her mother –, who pouted and made faces of discontent.
“Just five more minutes!” Cassie pleaded, clasping her hands together in supplication. Her doe-blue eyes almost managed to convince Vi to give it a little more time, but Caitlyn took the lead: “No. You’re sweaty, you’ve been running all day and it’s going to be dark soon. C'mon.”
“Cait’s right.”
You nodded, getting up from the chair you were sitting in to grab some utensils to take back to the kitchen. Then, heading towards Avani, who accepted when you offered her your hand to hold. The two of you walked in with Avani happily chattering about how she almost won the game. Behind you, Ekko walked in with Isha on his arm, supported by one, while using the other to carry two folding chairs inside. Further behind came Caitlyn, Vi, Sevika, and Jinx. Caitlyn and Violet each held one of their daughters’ hands, carrying empty plastic containers and cups in the other. Finally, Sevika and Jinx came holding the glass plates and bowls.
…
At five past seven in the evening, everyone was already inside Violet and Caitlyn's large and cozy house. The six adults were in the kitchen, chatting and laughing as they helped themselves to some snacks and light alcoholic drinks, without losing the rhythm of the lively conversations and games they had been having almost all day.
In the living room were the little ones. The four of them were sitting on the couch, all relaxed after eating, brushing their teeth and taking a shower, wearing their cartoon character pajamas, snuggled together wrapped in a soft blanket while their eyes focused on the children's TV show that was playing in front of them. Isha laughed at something in the cartoon and yawned, leaning over to lay her face on Avani's shoulder. Noticing the approach, the older girl moved her head to be able to see her cousin's face, noticing her sleepy expression in the middle of a smile for the episode on TV.
“Isha.” She called, and the girl didn’t look at her, but made a low noise of acknowledgement. “Are you sleepy?”
Yawning again, eyes almost closed, Isha raised one arm to expose her hand. She lifted her index and ring fingers together, and her thumb, and with that, she closed them all together in front of her. A “no.” Avani laughed, lowering her hand.
“But it looks like.”
“Isha is sleepy?” Felicia asked, looking away from the cartoon, always wanting to take care of and provide for her cousins, especially the youngest. This caught Cassie’s attention, who also looked at the scene next to her.
At this point, Isha had her eyes closed, breathing slowly and continuously, quickly falling into a deep and well-deserved sleep after a busy and fun day. They ended up deciding to let her sleep and continue watching the cartoon, not forgetting to tuck her in better with the blanket. Engrossed in the cartoon, it was only when the episode ended and the opening of another one began that Avani and Cassie realized that Felicia had also fallen asleep, with her cheek resting on her twin's shoulder, sleeping with her mouth slightly open, revealing the little window in her teeth that had fallen out a week ago.
“Ava.” Cassie whispered.
“What?”
“Aunties will let you sleep here?”
“Hmmm… I don't know… Auntie Jinx let Isha stay?”
“I don't know. She said she would think, but she don't say anything.”
“Let's ask.”
“Let's go!”
Their attention was diverted back to the TV, when the character Bluey said something funny that would certainly start an adventure in the episode, one they hadn't even watched yet, by the way. The girls looked at each other, conflicted about whether they should get up and go to the kitchen or stay there. Shifting her feet anxiously, Cassie scratched her throat and snuggled up to her sleeping sister.
“Let's... watch first.”
“Okay.”
They did finish watching, but they just didn't expect that they would end up falling asleep in the last seconds of the episode, when the credits started to roll. Neither of them noticed or managed to stop the deep sleep that overtook them, with their energy completely spent after a day full of games, running around, eating and lots of talking, not to mention that they all skipped their routine afternoon naps.
In the kitchen, noticing the time and the silence in the living room, you and Ekko decided to go check on the girls. When you reached the entrance to the room, you both laughed at the pile of children passed out on the couch, sleeping deeply and peacefully, supported and snuggled up against each other, ignoring the sounds of the TV and the kitchen. You ended up getting lost in admiring the scene, staying silent for a few minutes to just look at them with a strong feeling of love radiating from your hearts.
“I never thought that one day I would experience this with you, aunt. I mean, with all of us together, you know?”
“I understand, dear. I never thought we would experience this together either. But it’s really good and fun. It makes some things easier too.”
“Yeah…” He snorted a little laugh.
You smiled fondly at each other, and you took the opportunity to leave a caress on the boy's cheek in genuine appreciation and admiration for his growth and maturity. He laughed at the touch and then you turned to go back to the kitchen, get your partners and go home with your little ones. In the end, Avani and Cassie didn't sleep together, but neither of them complained or tried to ask when they were cuddled in their mothers' arms, being carried to their respective rooms. They could wait until the next day to whine and beg for a night they could sleep together.
Later, at your own house, Sevika carefully laid Avani down on her bed, tucking her in with the blanket and handing her a Bingo plush toy – a gift from Loris – for her to hold. Even in her deep sleep, the little girl reached for the plush toy and hugged it to her chest, sighing with contentment. Sevika smiled, left a kiss on his forehead and then turned off the dim light of the lamp, leaving the room silently, closing the door in the same way.
You were lying on the bed with your eyes closed, sprawled out in a comfortable and somewhat awkward way, which made Sevika laugh. She closed the door and walked over to you, moving your outstretched arm to make room for her to lie down. You let her, and when she lay down completely, you opened your eyes and approached her, hugging her and pulling her close, kissing her collarbone and neck. Sevika stretched her head to expose more of the area, letting out a long sigh as you continued to pepper wet kisses all over the place. When you finished with a long kiss on her collarbone, you looked at each other for a few seconds, just appreciating the details in silence.
The small wrinkles that were starting to appear more frequently were more visible from there, both those from stress and from your happy expressions. You couldn't be more proud and fulfilled to know that you were aging well and by each other's side, still overcoming life's little difficulties together, with a loving family and a smart, happy and healthy little girl. The little girl who arrived very suddenly, scaring you and changing many, many things in your lives, but making you evolve even more as human beings and as the passionate lovers that you were and always would be.
“You’re so beautiful.” She suddenly murmured, making you smile a little shyly at the sudden compliment.
“You too, madam.”
Sevika smiled, swallowing hard as she alternated her gaze between your entire face, especially your bright eyes and your smiling lips.
You then closed the small distance between each other, joining your lips in a slow and romantic kiss, full of your deepest feelings in your core and most open in your hearts. Her hands slowly descended to your waist, entering inside your clothes to feel your warm skin. You shivered at the sudden cold touch, but melted soon after with her firm grip. Your hands went to her face, where you held it and intensified the rhythm and strength of the kiss a little more, gluing your bodies together, delighting in the low and hoarse sounds she released in your mouth.
You pulled away a little, looking at each other much more closely now.
“I love you so much.” You said.
“I love you too.” She replied.