#if you thought i wasnt still hoarding old family verse prompts...surprise lmao

[starchasertonight]

jalil spends an unplanned day with one of his moms at work - adena's studio or scarlet.

This ficlet is a part of my kadena family verse. For other ficlets in this verse, click here 

Note: this is based off the jobs they have as older adults in the family verse instead.

—

“You wanna go high?”

They’re down to the last block before they get to thegallery and pedestrian traffic is always heavier here. She looks down at J,waggles her eyebrows, and he bounces and claps his hands with the enthusiasmonly a three year-old can truly muster.

“Yes!” he squeals,giggling louder as she hoists him off the sidewalk and onto her shoulders. “Youknow the rules though, dude,” she warns, reaching up to hold his knees securely.

“Gotta hold on with both hands,” he answers, small palms alreadytouching the hair at the top of her head.

“Smart man.”

A woman carrying a bag of groceries smiles fondly at theboth of them, at their small display of silliness and joy in the midst of thedrudgery of commuter traffic, and she smiles back, starts walking with her son perchedon her shoulders.

“I’m taller than everybody,”he marvels. She strides through the sea of pedestrians and her shoulders shakewith laughter at his antics. He giggles too, delighted, and sometimes it’s thestupid little things like this that make her day, honestly.

“Sure are. You excited to hang with maman at work?”

“Uh-huh,” she hears, and she can imagine his little headnodding, distracted by all the city sights around him.

She gets to the gallery a few minutes later, sets her pursedown on a chair near the entrance, and her shoulders are starting to ache.

“Hey, Kat.” She turns and Simone is there, smiling at theboth of them. “Hang on, Adena’s in her office, let me go grab her.”  

“Thanks.” Simone walks away and she shifts a little under Jalil’sweight, taps his knee. “You ready to come down, J?”

“Noo! Not yet!”

She rolls her eyes but stays put, lets him stay perched onher shoulders, because she knows he’s waiting for Adena to see them. And sureenough—

“Maman!” Jalil shrieks,and Adena is on the other side of the room, walking towards them, but Kat canalready see the amusement on her face.

“Hey, babe,” she smiles, and her wife leans in to kiss her hello.

“Hi.” Adena’s eyes look tired when she pulls back, but there’sa joy there, at seeing the both of them at work, and her gaze shifts up. Thenher eyes crinkle, nose scrunching at him, and Jalil starts laughing again. “Helloto you too, Jalil.”

“I’m way tallerthan you now,” he says, in lieu of greeting, and Kat can’t see his face, but shecan hear the way he says it and it makes her laugh. Adena narrows her eyes athim, holds in her smile as she purses her lips.

“Mm, not for long. Mommy’s got a meeting to go to.” Adenameets her eyes, a silent exchange, and Kat winks at her.

“Alright baby J, we’re goin’ down,” she warns, reaching upto hold his body more securely as she bends her knees, lifting him off.

He squeals, loud and dramatic for no reason, and if theyweren’t at the gallery she’d tickle him in retaliation for it.

“Shh, it’s quiet voice time now, ok?”

He pouts for a second, but this isn’t the first time he’sbeen with Adena at the gallery for a couple hours and he understands.

This is the trade-off sometimes, of trying to minimize thenumber of days he’s with a nanny. And it works for the most part, somehow. Butoccasionally there are donors and people in suits, people who don’t give a fuckabout her part-time status and her family’s precariously balanced schedule, whodon’t care about scheduling a dinner meeting last minute when her wife is alsopreparing for a new opening.

She reaches up, cups Adena’s face for a moment while Jalilstands between them.

“I love you,” she murmurs. “And I’m sorry this is such apain.”

Adena nods into her touch, says, “it’s okay,” with all of thecare and understanding in the world. “We got a lot done earlier, we won’t betoo much longer here.”

“Ok, well that’s good. See you in a couple hours at home?”Adena nods again. “I’m not letting them keep me there past eight, no matter howmany thousands they’re ready to cough up for a charitable tax break.”

Adena quirks her eyebrow, smiling, because they both knowhow much she hates this schmoozing part of her job. “See you then,” sheassures, pecking her lips again, and then Kat squats down to eye-level with herson.

“Be good for maman,ok? You might be asleep when I get home, but I promise I’ll be there in the morning.”

She holds out her arm for a hug and he leans into her, duckshis head against her collarbone. “I love you,” she says, kissing his curly hairbefore she lets him go.

She doesn’t linger after that, knows that if she stays anylonger she’ll be too tempted to ditch this meeting entirely. But she hearsAdena ask Jalil about his day, and she hears the start of his excited ramblingresponse before the door shuts behind her. There’s still a smile on her facewhen she reaches the crosswalk.