Work Text:
"I want a pet!" Sofia declared, in as determined a tone as Yasmine had ever heard from the three year old.
Everyone at the table fell silent immediately. Even Elisa in Yasmine's arms seemed to sense that there was something going on, not making a sound either. The others all looked at Yasmine and Beatrice, clearly thinking the same thing. Despite neither of them being a pet anymore now, Sofia's words evoked strong reactions from all of them. Lilith was the first to gather herself, clearing her throat and smiling at her daughter, who didn't seem to even notice everyone's reaction.
"A pet? You mean a cat or a dog?" Lilith asked, her voice a little tight. Sofia nodded excitedly, grinning.
"Yes. Nikki has a dog and Teresa had a cat and Ben has gin-" Sofia hesitated a little and tilted her head, obviously trying hard to remember something. Her speech was quite advanced for her age, but sometimes words were still hard. "Ginny pigs! He said they're so cute and he can cuddle with them and Nikki's dog sleeps in her bed. I want a pet!"
After that speech, Sofia looked around the table challengingly, putting on the best pleading eyes she could. Lilith took a deep breath and shared meaningful looks first with Yasmine and Camila and then the others around the table. They certainly had the means to get a pet for Sofia, had even talked about getting a cat or a dog before. Basically, they had come to the conclusion that they would wait until Sofia was old enough to truly enjoy a pet and actively help care for it.
Which clearly was the case now. Camila leaned forward with a soft smile, looking intensely at her daughter.
"A pet means a lot of work. You need to feed it and play with it and make sure it's always looked after," Camila said, continuing before Sofia could say something. "And with a dog, you need to go out and take long walks two times a day at least, no matter the weather. Even when it rains or is really hot."
Sofia scrunched up her brows hearing that. As much as she liked being outside, walks just for the sake of walks weren't her favourite. Though then she clearly thought of something and her face lit up.
"Oh, but we can get ice cream!" Sofia exclaimed, making the adults around the table chuckle at how the little girl's mind worked. Lilith was the one to stay most serious, shaking her head.
"You are not getting ice cream twice a day for walking a dog. Absolutely not," Lilith said, in the gentle but firm voice she had perfected for when she needed to be decisive with Sofia. Knowing that there was no arguing when her mum brought out that voice, Sofia shrugged and pivoted immediately, her eyes still shining.
"I want a cat!" Sofia declared, as if that had always been what she had been aiming at. Yasmine laughed softly and shifted Elisa in her arms when the three months old started fussing a little.
"A cat still means a lot of things to do. Feeding it, cleaning after it, making sure it feels safe, playing with it," Yasmine said, softly. Sofia nodded eagerly, obviously not deterred so easily.
Another look shared with Camila and Lilith told Yasmine that neither of them was against getting a cat. Yasmine then turned to the others, especially Suzanne and Jillian, who would be the ones to ultimately decide since this was still their house. The soft smiles on both of their faces and the nods they gave Yasmine and the others were everything Yasmine needed to know.
"Alright, we'll still have to talk about this more, but if you really want it, we can get a cat," Camila said, smiling widely at Sofia, who immediately jumped up from the table to come over and hug her, making happy sounds. She also hugged Lilith and then Yasmine afterwards, the latter carefully, since Elisa was still in her arms.
"Thank you, thank you!" Sofia exclaimed. "I'm getting a cat, I'm getting a cat."
It was clear that Sofia was finished with eating, far too distracted by the prospect of getting a pet. Yasmine laughed when she saw her daughter dancing around the room in joy. Nothing made her heart feel full and happy as much as Sofia being happy.
In the next few days, they talked more about getting a cat, making sure that it hadn't been just a spur of the moment thing for Sofia and that she actually did truly want it. Clearly that was the case, since Sofia barely talked about anything else for the entire time. Giving Sofia some picture books about cats and making sure that she knew what kind of responsibility having a pet would bring with it, Lilith, Camila and Yasmine were satisfied eventually that it was indeed a good idea to get a cat.
Going to the shelter was a more complicated affair than Yasmine would have thought it would be. Mostly because Ava absolutely insisted on coming with them, saying her and Beatrice should already look at pets as well, since maybe they'd want to have a cat or dog themselves in a couple of years. Since Beatrice's term as pet had been over just a short time ago, upon which the two of them had married immediately, they were still waiting with truly starting a family, even though it was clear both of them were eager to do so.
Ava and Beatrice had decided to adopt children, neither of them keen on being pregnant. So they had already tentatively started that process, though they knew it could take a long time until they could actually be parents. Until then, they were proud aunties to Sofia and Elisa.
Since it would be quite complicated to take a stroller with them to the shelter, they decided to leave Elisa in Suzanne and Jillian's care back at the house. Sofia was more than excited, jumping up and down and running back and forth. Though of course she knew the rules, especially for new places, her mothers were very adamant about that. Meaning, even in her excitement, Sofia never left their side for too long and always stayed in sight. Since they understood Sofia's eagerness to see the pets, Yasmine, Camila, Ava and Beatrice went with her further into the shelter, while Lilith went to talk to someone about adopting a cat.
Pointing out the various rooms in which cats and dogs were kept, it was clear that the further they went into the shelter, the more Sofia actually got a little overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and smells. Keeping more and more to her mothers' side, Sofia pressed herself to Yasmine's and Camila's legs eventually, her eyes wide in wonder when they stopped in front of a big room with several cats.
Yasmine had to say that being here was also a little overwhelming for her, for a completely different reason. While this shelter was not at all like the one she had been in all those years ago, it was still a similar infrastructure (on purpose, since of course human pet shelters were designed to resemble animal shelters) and Yasmine had a hard time to keep down the images her mind bombarded her with. The time at the shelter had been one of Yasmine's lowest, despite it leading to everything she had ever dreamt of. But the feeling of loneliness, of being unwanted was still with her and being here made it come back up.
Clearly, Yasmine's face showed those emotions, because Camila now took her hand and squeezed it, smiling up at Yasmine softly. The love and affection in Camila's eyes took Yasmine's breath away and made the dark thoughts all but disappear.
"Breathe, love, you are wanted and loved," Camila whispered into Yasmine's ear, so quietly that Yasmine was sure nobody other than her heard it. But it was still said with so much conviction that the last vestiges of Yasmine's negative memories went away.
Smiling at Camila gratefully, Yasmine leaned down for a brief kiss. Revelling in how much she was indeed loved and wanted, how far she had come from sitting in the shelter and fearing that nobody would ever take her home, Yasmine hugged Camila, careful about not squishing Sofia who was standing between them.
"Thank you," Yasmine said, very quietly. She put all of her emotions into those two words. Camila smiled knowingly and lovingly. Caressing Yasmine's cheek, Camila kissed her again briefly before crouching down to Sofia and talking to her soothingly, making sure that she was alright.
Watching her partner and her daughter talk, the love that was in every one of their words and their gestures was hugging Yasmine like a warm blanket. Footsteps behind her alerted Yasmine that someone was coming and she turned around. Smiling immediately when she saw it was Lilith, Yasmine moved a little to also pull Lilith into a tight hug. Immediately hugging back, Lilith held Yasmine tightly, clearly understanding what she was thinking about.
"I love you," Lilith whispered into Yasmine's ear. "We've chosen you and that will never change."
Smiling happily, Yasmine nodded into Lilith's neck. There were tears now pricking behind her eyes, but Yasmine blinked them away, not wanting to cry in front of her daughter when they were about to get a cat for her, which was definitely a joyous occasion. Leaning back from the hug, Yasmine looked at Lilith, hoping to convey all the love and gratitude she was feeling.
"Thank you," Yasmine repeated the words she had already told Camila. "I love you."
Despite it only being five words, words that Yasmine had said many times, she could see that Lilith understood what she wanted to say with them. The soft smile on her face widened, Lilith's eyes shining with love. Lilith pressed a soft kiss to Yasmine's forehead, before both of them concentrated on Sofia and the task at hand again.
Taking a deep breath, Yasmine smiled softly to herself. Yes, the shelter brought up dark memories, but it also brought up the happiness that Yasmine had felt when she had finally been chosen. When her life had truly begun.