Chapter Text
Riri was pulled out of her sleep when she heard the familiar sounds of crying. She sat up, rubbing her eyes as she glanced over at her wife, who was already stirring awake. Leaning down, she pressed a kiss on Mary’s forehead. “I’ll take care of her, go back to sleep.”
Mary didn’t complain, relaxing back into unconsciousness. Riri sighed, glancing over at the baby monitor on her bedside table. Maria Timurov-Davis, their one year old, was awake and made it clear that she wasn’t happy about it.
Riri got up, going across the hall to the door with a little name plate decorated in flowers and rainbows hanging off of it. She stepped inside, turning the butterfly floor lamp in the corner on to illuminate the room. Wandering over to the white crib, she carefully picked up Maria to cradle in her arms.
Maria had calmed down at the knowledge of her mother in the room with her. Riri rocked her slowly, her cries softening before she stared up at her with sleepy eyes. “Good evening ангел (angel),” She whispered, making her way over to the armchair that sat next to the lamp. She sat down, “You know your mom has had a long day, that’s why I’m here instead of her.”
Riri was convinced most of her genes didn’t even try to compete with Mary’s. The only thing that Maria clearly had was her green eyes, but the rest of her screamed Mary. She didn’t complain, it just meant she might win the personality side of things. Maria had picked up on one thing from the both of them though; willpower. She wasn’t even two yet with a growing vocabulary, along with the trials of walking. A fast learner, just like her parents.
“Mama,” Maria mumbled out, her hand reaching out. Riri freed up one hand, continuing to carefully cradle her daughter as she watched the tiny hand curl around her index finger. “Dada?”
Riri sighed, Yumeko was about to be demoted from being an aunt if she kept feeding her daughter words that had no use in their household. Maybe Riri should start teaching her and Kira’s son swear words. “Only mama.” She responded, holding up two fingers. “Two mamas.”
“Two?”
“Two.”
Maria broke out into a smile, and Riri couldn’t help but reciprocate. She relaxed into the chair, feeling the grasp on her finger loosen. Once freed, she pushed a curl out of Maria’s face. She couldn’t wait until she was older to style it, she had made sure to learn with the help of Mary.
Riri noticed her eyes were starting to close, a sign that sleep was winning. She continued to lightly rock Maria, enough to deter her from staying up any longer. This was the least she could do after Mary carried her daughter to term, but it never felt like enough.
They had both gone through the usual doubts about being new parents. Riri was much worse though with her doubts, often expressing that she wasn’t sure if she would be a good mother. Mary, of course, reminded her that if she could be as loving with her, she could do it with their child.
Mary was always right.
Riri didn’t have to beg much to Mary to let her take care of their daughter whenever she woke them up in the dead of night. She didn’t want her wife to be even more exhausted, especially after witnessing how drained she was postpartum. It took a few weeks for Mary to return to a more livelier version of herself, especially with the help of Riri.
It scared her how much Mary was affected to the point where she began to have regrets. She began regretting letting Mary even carry her kid in the first place, but even on bad days where her wife was quiet, Riri saw the love practically dripping from her eyes. She always caught those little glances or long stares whenever she took care of Maria. Always heard the ‘I love you’ whenever she drifted to sleep. She always felt her guilt wash away with the affection.
She glanced down at Maria, noticing that she was fast asleep again.
She pressed a kiss down on her forehead, “I promise that you’ll never go through what I had to. You’ll always have your mom and I.”
She felt a familiar feeling of being watched before glancing over at the open door, seeing her wife leaning against the door frame. Watching with that familiar soft gaze.
“You know...” Mary pushed herself up, her steps soft against the carpet as she made her way over. “You don’t have to promise that, we both know that she’s already being raised in a loving household.” She sat on the armrest, leaning onto the back of the chair, her eyes drifting to their daughter.
“I just want to make sure she knows.”
“She’ll know every day.” Mary pressed a kiss onto the crown of Riri’s head, “What else is going on in that pretty head of yours?”
Riri hummed, “Thinking about how I’m going to get back at Yumeko.”
Mary let out a soft laugh. Riri felt her heart quicken from the sound. This woman still had an affect on her even after securing her place by her side with a ring on her finger. “Oh really? For what?”
“She said dada.” Riri explained, glancing up at Mary. “That definitely came from Yumeko’s bad influence.”
“Can’t say you’re wrong.” Mary’s hand made it’s way into Riri’s hair, lightly stroking it. “How are you going to get back at her?”
“Teach Koji swear words.” She earned another laugh, muffled by a hand to avoid their daughter waking up.
“He’s barely seven months old, you have to give him some time before you start teaching him that.” Mary snickered, “I won’t disagree with the need for vengeance, you know how long it’s going to take to convince our angel to stop saying dada?”
Riri didn’t miss the usage of our. She was still getting used to the idea that this child was theirs. Theirs to raise, theirs to teach. Even after a year, it still felt like day one at times. She leaned her head against Mary’s side, the hand in her hair never leaving.
“Do you know what parents refer to the year when their kids are two?” Riri glanced up, a confused look present on her face giving Mary her answer. “The terrible twos. Temper tantrums pretty much.”
Riri hummed in thought, glancing back down at Maria. “Is it possible to skip that part?” Her daughter was too much of an angel for a whole year of tantrums, even if there was still a year to go. Mary pressed a kiss in her hair.
“It’s part of the experience honey.”
Riri sighed. She signed up for this after all. “You should head back to bed, my богиня (goddess).” She turned her head to press a kiss onto Mary’s bare thigh, “I’ll put her back in her crib and join you.”
“In a moment.” Mary responded, “I like these little moments, where I get to see you with her.”
“You see me with her every day though.”
“I know, but these little late nights...it’s nice.” Another kiss in Riri’s hair, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For loving me.” Mary breathed out before pressing another kiss, “For dealing with me throughout all of it, even when it was hard and exhausting.” Another kiss, “For taking care of her just because you wanted me to rest just a little longer.”
“I wish I could do more.” Riri whispered, “I watched you, all nine of those months, and sometimes it hurt that I could never do something to ease the pain.”
“You were there though, and that goes a long way. Even when I was having horrible days, where I couldn’t stop crying and being dramatic, you still stayed.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Riri looked up at her wife, “I put a ring on your finger as a promise to stay.”
“You did.” Mary smiled, leaning in to press a kiss against Riri’s lips, “Don’t take too long now, your wife will be waiting for you in bed.” Mary got up, leaning down to press a kiss on Maria’s forehead before leaving the room, leaving both doors open.
Riri closed them both after putting Maria back in her crib, sliding back into bed with her wife.
~
Kira and Yumeko had better luck in the gene pool than Riri did. Koji had managed to look like a mix of the both of them, it just came up to personality in the end to see who he was like more. Currently, at only seven months, he possessed Yumeko’s personality.
“I can’t wait until they’re old enough to have play dates.” Yumeko grinned playfully, “We can teach them how to gamble and they’ll be pros by the time they enter elementary!”
“Really?” Mary raised a brow at her friend. “At least start them off with go fish or something.”
“What’s go fish?”
“...An age appropriate card game compared to blackjack.” She rolled her eyes, ignoring the fact that Yumeko didn’t know what go fish was. Mary glanced over to the two cribs in Kira and Yumeko’s living room, Maria and Koji were fast asleep.
“I really thought I’d be a girl mom.” Yumeko said, “Not that I’m complaining, Kira’s already mentioned wanting another in a couple years.” She sipped on her tea, “I was surprised by it...I expected Kira to be more hesitant.”
“I was gonna say- I didn’t expect Kira to want another so fast.”
“I think she’s realized that she’s not like her father.” Yumeko sighed, “How has Riri been?”
“As loving as ever.” Mary smiled softly, her mind wandering to the younger Timurov. Her and Kira were currently out having a sister’s day, giving Mary and Yumeko a day for themselves with their kids. “She sometimes gets in her head, I can tell. Even after all this time, she does everything in her power to lessen the stress on me.”
Yumeko let out a light chuckle, “Kira is the same exact way, trust me. I think I wore her out a few times, but she never faltered in trying to make sure that Koji and I were okay.”
“Is she going to be the one carrying when it’s time for another?”
“She’s been...considering adoption.” Yumeko’s phone buzzed, checking it before responding to who Mary could only assume was Kira. It was also kind of obvious by the way Yumeko’s face lit up. “Kira and I had an event to raise funds for an orphanage last week...we ended up buying the orphanage entirely and she’s currently planning on building a much bigger place for the kids.”
“I think you could consider that adoption then.” Mary chuckled, “A spur of the moment decision is rare for her, what happened?”
Yumeko shrugged, “I don’t know actually, I never asked. She talked to a few of the kids, then the owner, then walked over to me saying she purchased the place. Maybe you’re right though, she practically adopted a hundred kids...not that I’m complaining. It’s adorable seeing her so soft, so motherly.”
They heard the familiar sound of the door opening, “Darling, we’re back!” Kira called from the front door. Yumeko instantly grinned, standing up to check on Koji since he seemed to always know when Kira was home. The moment she came home, he was awake and ready to blab her ear off with random syllables and sounds. Luckily, they must’ve tired him out enough considering he was still deep asleep.
Riri entered the living room first, setting down the bags with various items inside. Kira was right behind her, walking over to Yumeko to press a kiss on her lips. Riri leaned over the back of the couch, stealing a kiss from Mary before going to check on Maria.
“They’ve been asleep for a couple hours now.” Mary said as Riri joined her on the couch, “How was your outing?”
“The usual. Kira spent an unnecessary amount on baby clothes.” Riri leaned her head on her wife’s shoulder, snuggling into her side. Mary pressed a kiss on her forehead, unable to hide her smile.
“Baby, you know he’s going to grow out of them, right?” Yumeko lightly rubbed Kira’s back as she stared down at their son, waiting to see if he’ll wake up after her arrival. Kira glanced over at her, raising a brow.
“Did you drug him or something?” Kira leaned down, her hair almost brushing over Koji’s blanket. “He usually wakes up when I come home.” She frowned - which just looked like a pout.
“He’s exhausted.” Yumeko smiled before pulling Kira away to sit down in the armchair, taking her spot on her lap like a cat. “We wore them out, is that such a bad thing?” Her voice had the familiar hint of tease.
“But, he always wakes up when I come home.” Kira rested her head on Yumeko’s shoulder, “I wanted to talk to him.”
“You can talk to him when he wakes up you big baby.” Yumeko flicked Kira’s forehead, resulting in a small whine in response. Mary made a gagging sound, receiving the middle finger from Kira.
“I got you something.” Riri whispered, “Well...I got us something.”
“Oh?” Mary’s interest was piqued. It was often that Riri brought home a gift, she couldn’t stop it even after telling Riri to slow down on buying things for her. This time, however, she got a collective gift.
For all three of them, a small but loving family.
~
After arriving home, Riri set Maria down in the playpen for her to crawl around in. Mary sat down on the couch, holding the bag that had the gift inside, ready to be open. Riri sat down beside her after making sure Maria was content, her arm slinging around her wife’s waist.
“Want to guess?”
“Jewelry?” Mary turned her head to see Riri’s smile. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Open it then if you’re so confident.” Riri teased, pressing a kiss on Mary’s cheek as she opened up the bag. It was a sleek black box, large enough for rings. “I don’t know how you would feel about another kid right now, but if we decide to have another then we’ll just get new rings.”
Mary opened the box, revealing two rings. They were both silver, curling into a distinct birthstone that almost matched the size of the jewel on their wedding rings. It was Maria’s birthstone.
“Mother rings?” Mary glanced over at Riri, who nodded.
“I was talking to Kira and she mentioned that they exist, so I wanted to get them for us.”
Mary smiled, taking Riri’s hand to slip one of the rings on her middle finger. She then did the same for herself, receiving a pout. She gave Riri a kiss, “Do you...want another?”
“...Can we adopt?” Riri asked, tilting her head to the side. “I heard Kira bought an orphanage and basically adopted every kid there. It would be nice to...help a kid find their home.”
“Just like how I helped you?”
“Yeah.”
Mary didn’t give a warning before engulfing Riri in a hug, practically falling on top of her. She pushed herself up to pepper her wife’s face with kisses, eliciting a chuckle. “This is why I love you. You’re so cute and gorgeous and full of love, we need to spread it.”
“So...is that a yes to adopting?” Riri’s hands magnetized to Mary’s waist as she straddled her hips. Mary sat up, glancing over at Maria who was crawling around with two stuffed animals.
“Give it a year or two, we need to see what we’re dealing with first before we adopt any more kids.”
Riri laughed, “Yeah...do you think we can skip the terrible twos next time?”
“I think we can manage.”
~
Riri was woken up by the sounds of someone talking through the baby monitor. She rubbed her eyes as she leaned over to see Maria out of her crib, a slight panic jolting through her until she heard her voice.
“Your mom has dealt with you for too many nights now.” Mary said, “So, you’re going to deal with me tonight.” She listened to Mary continue to talk while Maria calmed down from her fit, lulling back to sleep by the sound of her mother’s soft voice.
Riri got up, walking over to Maria’s room where Mary sat on the armchair. Her wife was already looking her direction when she walked in, like she knew she was coming. Maybe she did, Mary seems to have gained superpowers when it comes to knowing where Riri was.
“I woke up and needed a drink, but I saw her fussing.” Mary hummed as Riri leaned down to kiss her, “I wanted to get to her before she woke you up.”
“I heard your voice.” Riri answered, “Do you still need a drink?”
“Yes please.” She got another kiss, this time on her forehead before Riri pressed a kiss on Maria’s forehead. “Just set it on my side, I’ll be in soon.” Riri nodded in response before leaving the door, and Mary heard the familiar creak of the steps as she went downstairs to the kitchen.
Mary glanced down at Maria, who was now fast asleep.
“I hope you find someone that can treat you as well as your mother treats me.” Mary sighed with a familiar smile present on her face, “Though...that might be a challenge. I did get lucky with her.”
When Riri returned upstairs, Mary was setting Maria back in her crib. She waited for her to step out, closing the door behind her before offering the glass of water. Mary accepted, pressing a kiss on Riri’s cheek before continuing inside of their bedroom with her following. Her wife shut the door behind them with a soft click, turning the lamp on her side on.
Mary sat down on Riri’s side of the bed, taking a sip of her water when Riri sat down beside her. “As much as I love her, I cannot wait until she can sleep through the night.”
“You’ll miss the lack of sleep.” Riri leaned her head on Mary’s shoulder, “Because that means she’s growing up.”
Mary rolled her eyes, “Don’t make me think about her growing up.”
After Mary finished her glass of water, Riri sat it down on her bedside table to take downstairs in the morning. She turned off the lamp, sliding into bed with Mary. They met in the middle, face to face in the dark.
“Another night done.” Riri mumbled, sliding down to bury her face in the crook of Mary’s neck.
“We’re doing well for being new parents,” Mary pressed a kiss into Riri’s hair, “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
They fell asleep, together in their bed. Tomorrow would be another day as a family.