The Nyanny - Ch4

Rating: T

Relationships: Catra/Adora

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Modern Etheria (She-Ra), mutual pining, fluff, hurt/comfort, Adora and Adam are siblings, Pov Catra, Pov Adora, Adora is bad at feelings, lesbian disaster Adora, lesbian disaster Catra, Adora has issues, Adora has a big family, Catra goes to therapy, Catra has a great mum, Adora has a prosthetic arm, Past minor character death, Amputee Adora

Finn was the centre of Adora's world. She worked so hard to juggle her father's company and being a single mother but she couldn't accept help from just anyone. But she would do anything to make sure Finn got what they needed. She just never thought that this new addition would be just what she needed as well.

--

Catra was laying with her head on her mothers lap on their ancient sofa in the comforting warmth of her childhood home. It was a tiny apartment but it was cosy and high up overlooking downtown. Catra could feel her mothers purr vibrating into her body as she purred in return. She was so comfortable. The couch was old but it was loved and cared for, its cushions soft and its leather worn but there was no couch more comfortable in the whole world.

C’yra turned the page on the magazine she was reading and the sound made Catra’s ear flick lazily. She was still feeling annoyed by her interaction with Ms. Grey, but she felt miles better with a home-cooked meal in her stomach and a good cuddle. The mood was set with the soft mumbles of the radio drifting through the air as jazz music warmed the cool breeze from the open window.

Catra hadn’t told her mother she was coming over, but C’yra saw it as a pleasant surprise. Catra spent the whole night dodging questions about her Masters program and offering few details but plenty of enthusiasm until they lapsed into comfortable silence.

“Do you think I’m too old to get a Sugar Daddy™?” C’yra asked and Catra laughed.

“Mama, you don’t want a sugar daddy. What would you need that for?” Catra asked as she pushed herself into a sitting position so she could look at her mother's face. C’yra looked alot like an older version of Catra, with her hair cropped short and her coat slightly darker than Catra’s. She was beautiful and Catra only hoped to age so gracefully. C’yra rolled her blue eyes.

“I deserve to be spoiled in my old age,” C’yra defended as she turned the page in her magazine with a shrug and Catra laughed again.

“You do. When I’m a lawyer, I’ll spoil you, mama,” Catra offered and C’yra smiled.

“Thank you, darling,” C’yra said, looking back at her magazine. “Ugh, this poor girl,” C’yra said sympathetically and turned the page so Catra could see it.

“The press have been all over her this week, and you know why?” C’yra asked and Catra’s eyes widened when she was met with Ms Grey’s face. Her face was partly obscured by her hand but it was undeniably her. Ms. Grey even had the audacity to look amazing in the jet black suit she was wearing. Catra swallowed and looked at her mother's face.

“No idea. Why?” Catra asked. She could guess if Ms Grey was as rude to others as she was to Catra she would probably make a lot of enemies quite easily.

“Making an anonymous donation to a children's hospital,” C’yra said with a barked laugh of disbelief. “Someone from the hospital leaked her donation to the media and apparently it's a crime to donate without wanting recognition for your good deed,” C’yra said with a huff, and Catra just stared at her.

Ms. Grey donated to a children's hospital? And she didn’t want the recognition? That didn’t align with what Catra knew of the blonde at all.

“What's wrong darling? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” C’yra said, putting her hand to Catra’s forehead. Catra shook her head to rattle her brain back into action.

“Sorry, that's just so shocking. Why would they care?” Catra asked and C’yra shrugged.

“I’m not sure, I guess they expected her to make the donation in her name, or the company's name. But they should just leave her alone,”  C’yra said and Catra felt guilt settling in her stomach, not for the first time, that she couldn’t tell her mother about what was happening in her life right now.

“I agree. I better get going, I don’t want to get home too late,” Catra said and C’yra nodded.

“Of course, how are you enjoying the dorms on campus? Can I visit?” C’yra asked and Catra forced a smile. Guilt silently eating away at her insides.

“They are good, they don’t let family visit though, it's too disrupting for the other students,” Catra lied and C’yra nodded her head.

“That's understandable, here, take some cookies back for you and your friends,” C’yra said, getting up to return to the kitchen.

“Mama really, you don’t have to,” Catra said, following her mother into the kitchen to find her pulling out a container for the treats.

“Nonsense, I want to. Will a dozen be enough?” C’yra asked, packing the cookies into her tupperware container carefully and Catra smiled.

“That's perfect, thank you Mama,” Catra said and C’yra beamed. They exchanged a quick hug and cheek rubs before Catra was on her way back to the train station.

She wasn’t concerned about walking late at night in her old neighbourhood and most of the buildings were apartments that were occupied by business people and small families. This was the business district so there were no big houses but the hustle and bustle meant lots of family owned shops and stores on every street.

It was something she never saw in the neighbourhood of the penthouse apartment the Grey’s live in. The shops around them were all expensive boutiques or chain stores. Nothing unique or home made and she had to walk so far if she wanted to get a coffee from an actual coffee shop.

She had been walking for only ten minutes and she had already passed three cafes, this was a different world downtown and it was one she was sorely missing. Her old apartment wasn’t far from here and her feet wanted to take her home. That wasn’t her house anymore though, so instead she hopped on a train heading back uptown.

Once she found a seat on the almost empty train she pulled out her phone.

Ms Grey had surprised her with her reported actions and Catra wanted to know what else she had missed.

[...]

It was strange coming into the penthouse and knowing Finn wasn’t there. Swifty groaned loudly as he lifted his huge body off his bed and walked down the hall to greet her. The horse sized dog was growing on her already. She pet him and scratched his back to make his leg kick before she went further into the house. Her companion followed behind her as he wagged his tail.

Catra looked around and headed to her room to grab her laptop. She had used her phone so much that it had run out of battery on her way from the train station so it was a miracle she had managed to find her way on the unfamiliar path to the house.

She grabbed her laptop and decided to go back into the living room to spend time with Swifty. He stood at the door obediently as she got her laptop and plugged in her phone to charge.

She went back to the couch and sat down and Swifty settled at her feet. She opened another search for Ms. Grey, this time focusing on the company itself. She had found a lot of information about the billionaire being very charitable but she wondered if her company could stand up to the same standards.

Catra was deep in her research until she heard the click of the front door closing and she looked up to see Ms. Grey walking down the hallway. She looked tired. She always looked tired but also so immaculate. It was almost unfair how she could look so effortlessly flawless while also looking so worn out.

Catra glanced at the time, it was almost midnight.

She must have gone back to work after dinner. Catra thought idly as she glanced back at her boss. Adora looked surprised to see Catra as she spotted her on the couch and paused at the end of the hallway.

“Miss Catra, how was your evening?” Adora asked and Catra smiled. Swifty was deep asleep on top of her feet keeping her toes warm and he didn’t stir at the sound of his carer’s voice.

“It was good, what about you?” Catra asked politely. She wasn't sure she had judged Ms Grey correctly now that she had read about all the good both her and her company were doing.

Not only did Greyskull enterprises produce the most advanced biomechanical prosthetics on the market but they also had an extensive program which included upgrades for children as they grew into adults so their parents didn’t have to pay for a new prosthetic every year. Not to mention Adora Grey herself donated regularly to charities and possibly even more often anonymously, according to the media. She wondered if maybe Scopria had been right that Catra was judging Ms Grey so harshly because of Catra’s attraction to her.

“It was fine,” Ms Grey said in a level tone before running her hand through the silky gold threads of her hair. She looked almost nervous, or as nervous as someone as powerful as Ms Grey could be. “I apologise for Angie’s overstepping with her invitation to come to dinner. I hope you weren’t feeling pressured into spending your personal time with us,” Ms Grey said as Catra blinked at her owlishly. She did not expect that to be the words that came out of her mouth.

“Oh, no, it's fine. I would have stayed if I didn’t have plans,” Catra lied, feeling awkward that she had made up plans so that she could flee.

“You are most kind, but don’t let Angie talk you into something,” Ms Grey said and Catra laughed softly at the idea that anyone could out-stubborn her.

“I wouldn’t do something I didn’t want to do Ms Grey,” Catra reassured and Ms Grey’s eyes seemed to soften. Catra must have been imagining it.

“Good, I will trust you to speak up if you are uncomfortable,” She said and Catra smiled.

“I definitely will,” Catra assured and Ms Grey nodded her head. “I had a question about Finn, if you have time?”

“Of course, what is it?”

“Is it ok for me to teach Finn Magicat stuff? Or would you prefer I didn’t?”

“I would like Finn to know more about their heritage,” Ms Grey assured.

“Would you like me to run it by you first? I know I showed them a greeting without asking, but I don’t want to overstep,” Catra said, smiling a little awkwardly.

“I trust your judgement on what is appropriate for them to learn for their age,” Adora said and Catra was surprised she was given so much freedom. Adora seemed like a woman who liked to control things around her and Catra felt a little special to have that trust placed in her.

“Thank you…” Catra said softly, thinking about all the things she had learnt about Ms. Grey tonight.

“It's fine. I will retire, goodnight Miss Catra,”

“Goodnight, Ms Grey,” Catra said and Ms Grey disappeared into the dark hallway towards her room. Catra wondered for a moment why Ms Grey called her Miss Catra when Finn wasn’t here but she assumed it must have been a habit. It was only Catra and Ms Grey in the house tonight. Was that weird? She guessed would have to get used to the idea because it was going to happen at least once a week for the next year.

Catra bit her lip before she gently removed her feet from under the sleeping giant and crawled over the back of the couch to avoid disturbing him. She rushed to her room and closed herself inside while she tried not to think about Ms Grey for the rest of the night.

[...]

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon and Adora could hear Finn laughing outside. Catra was off duty for the weekend but seemed completely content to laze around the penthouse with them on her day off.

The weather was still cool overall but the day was warm and the sun was finally out. Catra had been sitting on one of the chairs on the deck while she read for most of the morning. Finn had been good to not disturb her much but they were excitable and Catra was never upset when they came over to talk to her or show her something. Adora made sure her weekend was free of work to spend time with Finn but she hadn’t expected Catra to be around.

Adora reminded herself to check what Dee had bought Catra because the shorts and shirt she was wearing didn’t seem like Dee’s style. Adora couldn’t police what Catra wore around the house on her day off, but it was a little distracting.

Adora had more important things to worry about, her left hand twitching unusually as she reached to put sugar in her own tea cup. She had offered to make Catra a tea and the way the brunette smiled when Adora asked had made her stomach fill with butterflies. It was an unreasonable reaction for such a simple action.

Adora wasn’t certain, but it felt like something had changed and Catra’s smiles had started to reach her eyes. Maybe she was settling into the house and feeling more comfortable now. She had crossed paths with Catra awake late at night more than once when she herself had finished working late and Adora wondered if Catra struggled to sleep just like Adora did.

Catra was an avid reader and she had been making her way through the millions of books at her disposal that Adora didn’t have time to read. Adora was glad to see that they were being used but she hoped to have time to read them one day as well.

Adora turned to carry the two mugs back outside when her left hand spasmed strangely and against her will her prosthetic gripped the mug too tightly and simply crushed it. The ceramic rained down with the hot liquid inside onto the clean floor with a loud clattering smash. Adora stood in reminiscence of her tea which had splashed on her clothing and frowned down at She-ra as she opened her hand to drop the rest of the mug. There was no reason for her prosthetic to have such a powerful grip, it was meant to be calibrated to match her other arm but clearly it needed tuning. This was why Adora didn’t trust She-ra to hold Finn because she didn’t want to accidentally hurt them if it malfunctioned.

“Are you ok?” Catra asked, coming into the room with concern. Adora felt her cheeks warm at the attention.

“Yes, fine, it just slipped,” Adora said dismissively. Catra put some house shoes on and grabbed the mop and broom to tidy the mess.

“Did it burn you?” Catra asked and Adora shook her head. “I’ll clean this up and you go change,” Catra said quickly as Adora stepped out of the puddle of tea and away from the glass before she removed her wet house shoes.

“I can clean it up. I’ll be right back,” Adora said, not waiting for a response as she went to her room to change into another outfit. She put on a button up shirt, a pair of light coloured jeans and another pair of slippers before she went back to the kitchen.

Catra had finished cleaning up the mess by the time she returned and was remaking the tea that She-ra had destroyed.

“I offered to make you tea, not the other way around, Miss Catra,” Adora pointed out and saw Catra smirk as she turned to face her. Catra’s eyes flitted over her clothing quickly before she looked away.

“It’s the thought that counts,” Catra said, turning to offering Adora her tea. Adora took it with her right hand and nodded.

“If you insist,” Adora said softly and Catra smiled, her pretty eyes crinkling on the edges mischievously.

“I do, now come sit in the sun, I’m sure you can use it,” Catra instructed and despite the fact that Adora burnt easily, she was inclined to follow that instruction.

“Very well,” Adora said and Catra beamed before she headed back outside and settled back into the chair she had been sitting on.

Finn was sitting and drawing at the table while Catra was reading and Adora elected to throw a ball for Swifty which he produced from somewhere. It was a little slice of tranquillity she hadn’t felt in quite a while. Nothing to think about except where she should throw the ball next.

The tranquillity was short lived when Adora’s phone rang loudly, startling the two magicats at the table. Adora was sure she had put it on silent for work calls but her phone always rang out loud for the family.

Adora answered the call and before she could even say hello she heard Frosta’s voice loudly.

“Let me in!” she said and a loud thud followed, which echoed down the hallway.

“Hello Frosta, how are you today?” Adora said getting to her feet to walk back into the house and towards the front door. “Why certainly, you can come over, how soon can you be here?” Adora continued when she was greeted with silence from her youngest sister. Adora opened the door to the angry thirteen year old who looked completely unimpressed with her sarcasm. “Frosta! You had a good time, come in,” Adora said, opening the door wide to let her in. Frosta rolled her eyes dramatically and walked into the house. Adora closed the door behind her and followed her down the hall.

“Does Angie know you’re here?” Adora asked as Frosta threw down her bag, which looked like she was packed for more than an afternoon visit.

“We had a fight, where’s Finn?” Frosta asked.

“Outside, what did you fight about?” Adora asked, following Frosta outside again. Frosta paused when she saw Catra and Catra got to her feet to greet the newcomer.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” Frosta asked, looking at Adora. Why did her entire family seem to think that Catra was her girlfriend instead of the Nanny she had clearly told them all she had hired. Yes, Catra was her type, Adora had a glaring weakness for short, dark haired women, but her family didn’t need to point that out. Adora was already struggling enough.

“She’s my Nanny” Adora said at the same time Catra said “I’m the Nanny,” and then laughed cutely.

“Catra,” Catra said, stepping closer to offering her hand to Frosta to shake. Frosta eyed it suspiciously before she took the offered hand and they shook.

“Miss Catra,” Adora corrected and Frosta rolled her eyes.

“You must be Frosta,” Catra continued and Frosta nodded.

“Yeah. I don’t want to talk about it,” Frosta said rudely and walked over to hug Finn who had been waiting excitedly.

“Frosta,” Adora scolded and Catra smiled.

“It's fine. No talking, got it. Would you like a drink?”

“Can I have a Soda?”

“Sure, I’ll be right back,” Catra said and Adora sighed softly and went back into the house with Catra.

“Nothing with caffeine,” Adora warned Catra and she nodded before she opened the fridge.

“Is mineral water ok?” Catra asked curiously and Adora nodded.

“That’s fine. I need to call Angie to make sure she knows Frosta is here, can you watch them for a few minutes?”

“Of course,” Catra said, heading back outside while Adora made her call. Angie picked up on the second ring.

“Adora, how are you?” Angie said.

“I’m fine, are you aware that Frosta is at my house?”

“What! Where is her security detail?”

“Not sure, she arrived alone,”

“This is ridiculous, I sent her to her room!”

“I’ll bring her back later tonight but I wanted you to know before you realised she was gone,”

“Thank you, I am so sorry she is adding stress to your weekend, I can come get her right now,” Angie offered and Adora waved her hand even though she couldn’t see it.

“It's fine, she must want some space. I’ll bring her home after dinner,”

“Thank you, Adora,”

“See you later,” Adora hung up and took a breath. She was relieved that Frosta felt comfortable to come to her when she ran off and she didn’t want to scold her. She didn’t want her to not come here, but she wanted to know the reason she thought she needed to run away. This was a delicate situation.

Adora walked back outside to see that Catra was back reading her book and Frosta was sitting with Finn while they were drawing. Catra was looking at her book but her ears were pricked forward to listen to Frosta’s rambling about school.

“Mum just doesn’t understand. It’s so stressful and I need to have a strong campaign to be anywhere close to competing with Remington! He brought an elephant to school! Why can’t I bring a tiger? Just a little one,” Frosta was saying and Catra giggled as she put her book down to give Frosta her full attention.

“Maybe something a little less deadly? I mean, I would hate to see something as majestic as a tiger in a cage just so people can look at them,” Catra said and Frosta seemed to think about this.

“Maybe you’re right, that would be sad, maybe I could do something cooler,” Frosta said as she thought about it. Frosta made a gasping noise as Adora sat down silently at the table again.

“Can you make me a robot servant?” Frosta asked suddenly, and Adora rolled her eyes as she smiled a little.

“That would be a lot of work, I imagine it would take longer than the time you have,” Adora said and glanced at Catra who chuckled.

“I guess,” Frosta said, pouting.

“Well what about a petting zoo? Lots of cute little animals, have you ever seen a cow?” Catra asked dramatically and Frosta’s eyes went wide.

“No! I haven’t I bet no one has, what else do petting zoos have?” Frosta asked curiously.

“Well I saw one at the fair a few years ago. They had rabbits and goats, alpacas, ducks,” Catra said and Frosta grinned.

“I love ducks, they are such jerks,”

“If you love ducks you will love goats, they are also kind of jerks, but their babies are cute,” Catra said and Finn giggled.

“Can I come see the petting zoo?” Finn asked curiously and Frosta nodded.

“Yes! I’m sure Miss Catra can bring you by to see it,” Frosta said and Adora leaned back on her chair to consider the trio as they talked about their plan. Adora thought she would have to do something to rectify the situation, but it turned out she wasn’t needed at all.

[...]

Catra got a text from Ms. Grey in the afternoon to warn her that “Mara is coming over. Don’t let her in my study,” so at least Catra knew to expect her. She wondered why Mara would want to go into the study but made a note to stop her if she did attempt it.

Catra heard the doorbell late in the afternoon and went to answer it. She checked the security camera that was in the elevator room to confirm that the woman at the door was indeed Mara.

Mara had a darker tan than the Grey twins and her hair was a darker blonde but they otherwise looked incredibly related. Mara was wearing a pair of jeans and a black singlet so her muscular arms and back were on display. Catra wasn’t surprised by now that another sibling of The Grey Skull Moon family was incredibly attractive, whatever genetics they shared was unfairly godlike. Catra opened the door to Mara as Finn ran to the door to greet her.

“Finny!” Mara said crouching to grab the blonde wrecking ball that jumped at her. She laughed as Finn excitedly tried to hug her and rub their face against Mara. Catra smiled at the adorable display and glanced at Mara when she heard her make an unreadable noise.

“Hey, I’m Mara,” Mara said smiling charmingly and offered her hand to Catra to shake. Catra shook it firmly and smiled pleasantly.

“Catra, the nanny,” Catra introduced herself and Mara nodded her head.

“Nice to meet you. When Juliette told me that Adora got a Nanny I didn’t really believe her. But here you are,” Mara said, looking Catra over.

Catra prickled immediately at the appraisal, expecting a comment on her appearance, but Mara just shook her head and focused back on Finn.

“Yes. Here I am. Would you like to come in?” Catra offered and Mara nodded her head.

“I’m just passing through, I have a shift soon,” Mara said as she stepped inside the house with Finn, who whined that she wasn’t staying. “Sorry buddy, I will stay for longer next time,”

“Where do you work?”

“I’m a firefighter,”

“Oh, well thank you for all you do to save peoples lives,” Catra offered and Mara looked a little surprised. Catra’s mother always said it was important to thank those who had thankless jobs.

“Oh, you’re welcome,” Mara said, looking a little bashful.

“Would you like a drink?” Catra offered and Mara smiled. She was much more free with her smile than Ms Grey already and Catra wondered what it would take to make her boss smile so readily.

“Actually, I needed to grab something from Adora’s study,” Mara said and Catra raised an eyebrow. She was already curious why Ms Grey didn’t want Mara in her study and now her interest was piqued.

“Oh? What did you need?” Catra asked, and Mara shrugged casually.

“It would be easier to just grab it, rather than explain it. I don’t want to bother you with it,” Mara said, avoiding the subject and moving Finn from one hip to the other. Catra kept her pleasant smile.

“You’ve got Finn, I’m sure I can find it. What is it?” Catra offered again and Mara looked a little embarrassed.

“Oh, no, that's ok,” Mara said softly and offered Catra to take Finn. Catra took them and set them on her hip easily.

“Well, Ms Grey told me not to let you in her study so you can either tell me or I can get security,” Catra said in the same pleasant tone.

“Ok, damn. I can see why Adora hired you,” Mara said looking at Catra with a lopsided smile that was not at all charming. “Angie’s birthday is coming up and Adora won't tell me what she got her. She claims I would never have thought to get it for her so I wanted to know what it was, but apparently Adora was already a step ahead of me,” Mara said and Catra was relieved it wasn’t a more nefarious reason. Catra smiled genuinely.

“Well now I really can’t let you in there. I wouldn’t want to ruin her fun,” Catra said, a little surprised Adora could be so playful with her siblings. Catra had seen a glimpse of it at Angie’s house but she wished she could see more.

“I guess you’re right,” Mara said with a grin as she offered to take Finn back and throw them into the air to catch them again.

“I have thirty minutes before work, let's go play outside,” Mara said and Finn squealed with excitement as Mara ran outside with them to play.

[...]

Adora absently clicked her pen while she read over the document on her screen. She focused on her task as she relished the completely silent room. She could hear the muffled voices of Mermista outside her door and another person she didn’t recognise before her door clicked open.

Mermista didn’t speak as she approached Adora’s desk, her heels clicking on the floor as she crossed the room. Adora got to a natural stopping point in her document at the end of a paragraph and looked up at Mermista.

Mermista was holding one of the many gossip magazines that Adora’s PR person read to keep Adora’s image in good regard. Mermista had a small entertained smile on her lips which only spoke trouble for Adora.

“Yes?” Adora prompted and Mermista smiled wider as she put the magazine down on the desk open to the page in question. Adora expected to see a photograph of herself doing something mundane as usual but she didn’t expect to see Finn on the page. Not only Finn but Catra and Swifty. Juliette was nearby but the photo was taken downtown and both Catra and Finn had ice cream. Finn laughed as they tried to feed Swifty ice cream from a little cup that he licked messily. Adora frowned and looked back at Mermista, looking for an explanation.

“Sorry Boss, Netossa tried to get the story pulled but they ran it anyway,” Mermista said and Adora frowned deeper. Adora was adamant about keeping Finn from the media and it annoyed her greatly that Netossa had been unsuccessful in keeping their image from the press. Adora grabbed the magazine and turned it around to look at the image.

“This is ridiculous, why would they want a picture of Finn?” Adora asked and Adora glanced at the story they ran with the picture.

“Not Finn, it seems Catra has caught their attention,” Mermista said, her voice level and calm.

“That's even more ridiculous, why would they care about her?” Adora asked, her eyes widening as she registered the words she was reading.

“Just curious about the similarities she shares with Finn mostly,”

“What similarities! They are both Magicats, that is the only similarity,”

“I respectfully disagree with that, Boss. They have surprisingly similar colouring with dark ears and tails with a lighter body colour, not to mention that Catra has one blue eye,” Mermista said and Adora glared at the article.

“Those similarities are arbitrary at best. I have blue eyes. This feels racist,”

“That's the media for you. I’m just saying that there is enough there that people will speculate,”

“Speculate on what?” Adora asked as she looked up at Mermista.

“On who Finn’s other parent is,”

“That's ridiculous, I was with Melody when I conceived them,” Adora said, trying to keep her voice level at the mention of her ex fiancee.

“Yes, and Melody is openly cisgendered and you kept your insemination a secret when you conceived”

“Because it's none of their business! It was a private matter,”

“True, but the media has been curious for all these years so they are going to speculate because that's how they sell a story,”

“So they believe Catra is Finn’s other mother?” Adora asked, her stomach tightening at the thought. What would Catra think when she found out?

“Seems so, it's going to be hard to stop the sharks circling this little morsel,”

“Regardless. Get Netossa. I won’t allow this ridiculous magazine to showcase Finn like this,” Adora said, throwing the magazine onto her desk as it skidded on the surface from the force.

“Right away, Boss. Make them suffer,” Mermista threw over her shoulder as she turned to leave the room. Mermista was always happy to see the paparazzi whipped into shape.

“I intend to,”