The Nyanny - Ch2

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.

--

Adora sighed again as she glanced at the clock in the corner of her computer screen. She was already fifteen minutes late to her next meeting and this one wasn’t any closer to wrapping up than it had been two hours ago. She had been listening to two of the shareholders arguing their case since five this morning and although she didn’t agree with their assessments she had agreed to hear them out. She had been on mute for almost forty minutes now and there was no end in sight.

Finn had arrived only thirty minutes earlier and Adora hadn’t had a chance to offer them a proper greeting yet. But they were sitting happily at their desk while they drew something filled with colours. Adora had been given a transformer toy by Finn when they arrived and she sat fiddling with it on her lap while she listened. Going through the motions of unfolding it and folding it back into a car several times.

There was a lull in the meeting and Adora tapped her unmute button quickly.

“Gentlemen, I don’t think we are going to have a decision today, let's wrap this up and reassess next week,” Adora said, her voice calm and commanding.

“Excellent idea Ms Grey, let me summarise my points quickly,” the shareholder from Dryl responded quickly and launched into recounting every point he had made that morning. Adora tapped her mute button quickly before another sigh escaped her. She tapped her phone which connected to the Bluetooth earpiece she was wearing, to call her assistant.

“Ya,” Mermista’s deadpan voice came over the phone before it really had a chance to ring.

“This meeting is going into overtime, can you move up my next meeting to after lunch?” Adora said and heard Mermista typing immediately.

“Ugh, really?”

“I don’t want to reschedule the Nanny interview again at such late notice, can you take her through the interview please?” Adora asked, resisting the urge to make a sour face. She had already rescheduled this interview three times and she was not going to do it again.

“Got it, don’t stress,” Mermista said.

“Thanks,” The line went dead and Adora settled in to continue playing with Finn’s toy while she listened to every point she had already heard. She was annoyed that she didn’t have time to do the interview for someone who would have access to Finn but she trusted Mermista and she could read people like a book.

Adora would usually have a firmer grip on meetings regarding her company, but the suggestion that their biotechnical prosthetics could be used for military applications was garnering interest within the board. Adora would still have the final say on any decision the board wanted to make, but unhappy shareholders were more troubled than they were worth. She would listen to their arguments and make a decision which reflected the values of the company and her family.

It barely seemed like any time at all when Finn’s desk phone rang and they answered it politely. Once they hung up the phone they got up and looked up at her as she watched them.

“Can I go to Mermista’s desk?” Finn asked and Adora smiled at them.

“Of course,” She agreed and while Finn was gone, Adora seriously began considering making up a family emergency to get out of this meeting.

Finn wasn’t gone long, only a few minutes if that, one and a half ‘summarised’ points provided by the Dryl stakeholder.

Finn came back into the room and took their seat quietly. Adora watched them for a moment, their ears were flicking and swivelling and their tail was thumping into things as it swayed with excitement. She assumed Mermista had Finn meet the Nanny and they seemed pleased.

“Did you like her Finny?” Adora asked and Finn looked up at her with big excited eyes.

“Yes! I like her. Can we keep her?” Finn asked with big eyes and Adora smiled softly at them.

“Of course, they are going to be taking care of you after all,” Adora said and Finn trilled with excitement as they grabbed a new piece of paper to start a new drawing.

[...]

On the days that Finn joined Adora in the office she would make an exception to take a lunch break to take them out for food. But after her morning meeting took up her whole morning she was incredibly behind in her work.

Adora sent a quick message to Finn’s Uncle Bow who worked on the lower floors and he arrived at twelve sharp to take Finn for lunch.

Bow even advised that Adora needed to take time for lunch as well and she waved him off as she went into another meeting.

Finn returned to the office around two with a takeaway container of noodles for Adora. Adora was ten minutes late for her next meeting as she made sure to take the time to give Finn cuddles and ask about their lunch experience. She would usually keep her days with Finn as free as possible so she could spend more time with them, but it just wasn’t on the cards today. Finn was incredibly understanding for a four and three quarters year old but they were always ahead of other kids their age.

After “work” which was really only five because Adora wanted to ensure Finn got dinner on time and she would work again in the evening. They were going to Finn’s grandmothers for dinner and Finn was having a sleepover. Adora could catch up on work and hopefully get some sleep somewhere in there.

Adora called their personal car service to take them to Angella’s house. Angella’s house was a mansion in the hills with big windows and even taller ceilings. It was the kind of house that screamed old money which was fitting since the Moon’s practically founded this city. Adora walked into the Conservatory when Angella had been spending most of her evenings.

“Gramma!” Finn squealed and ran up to Angella before Adora even spotted her among the plants. Angella crouched to wrap her arms around the little blond ball of hair and picked them up to toss in the air gently.

“My darling Finn!” Angella cooed with affection as she held Finn’s small frame close to her chest and they rubbed their faces all over her. “Adora,” Angella said with a bright smile that was only slightly dimmed with worry. But that was a look Adora was getting used to.

“Hey Angie,” Adora said, wrapping both Angella and Finn in a hug that made Finn giggle with delight. Angella squeezed her back just as tightly and smiled.

“How are you Adora? Are you sleeping ok?” Angella asked as she started putting her gardening tools away with one free hand as she balanced Finn on her other hip.

“I’m fine, sleeping about as well as usual,” Adora said, looking around the room at the flowers and plants that had slowly become Angella’s new obsession since she started dating her new girlfriend. “This looks lovely, are you sure you don’t need more plants?” Adora asked playfully, and Angella rolled her eyes, looking every bit like Glimmer with the motion.

“Har har, I’m getting there,” Angella said and smiled as she pressed a kiss to Finn’s little cheek.

“Let me get cleaned up and we can have dinner. My chef made salmon so I hope you’re hungry,” Angella said to Finn and they nodded with excitement.

“I went to lunch with Unkibow and I had tuna and it was so yummy,” Finn started explaining with full excitement and Adora paused to consider if she ever ended up eating the lunch Finn had brought back for her. Perhaps that was why she was feeling a little light headed?

She followed Angella back into the main house and took Finn to play in the games room while Angella got tidied up for dinner. Adora and Finn were lining the tracks for a train to carry some teddies around the room when Glimmer arrived and Finn excitedly explained the game so she could join.

Adora and Glimmer exchanged a quick hug in greeting and Glimmer asked how Adora was, which she brushed off again with another “I’m fine”.

Bow arrived right when dinner was being served, working in the technical side of Greyskull meant he kept unusual hours but he always managed to arrive right when he was needed. It was something Adora envied as someone who was perpetually late to things because of her commitments.

Dinner was relaxing and it helped Adora to recharge to just be around her family. She made her excuses to depart after dinner so she wouldn’t get another interrogation about taking care of herself and showered Finn with affection before she left.

She hated nights when Finn was away, it was strange to be in the house alone. Well, she had Swiftwind who would sleep at her feet and keep her company but it wasn’t Finn.

Adora worked for several hours before her phone beeped to remind her of her early morning meeting. She decided to try to sleep and retired to her room.

As she passed the spare room she noticed the bags of clothing on the floor and was reminded that her home was going to have a new resident soon. She wished she could have at least met the woman who would be taking care of her child before she moved in. It was unfortunate circumstances that Adora had no control over. She hated those.

All Adora knew about her was that she was very well qualified and she sounded a lot younger than Adora expected on the phone. Dee would have had a field day with a new Barbie doll to dress up. She reminded herself to check the invoice to ensure they didn’t buy anything unnecessary just because they could.

She pulled the door close to the room and went to her room. She changed into her soft silk pyjamas and climbed into bed. She laid there counting sheep, listening to meditation music and even took a sleeping pill before she finally gave up and grabbed her laptop to continue to work. She slept the night before, sleeping two nights in a row was clearly asking too much.

[...]

Adora must have slept at some point during the night because she awoke to her alarm with a start. She closed her laptop and got dressed for her day. She only struggled for a moment to get her left hand to react as she pulled on her suit vest and buttoned the front. She frowned at the appendage and tested its reflex for a moment before she brushed it off and pulled on her jacket.

She was grabbing a protein bar from the kitchen when the security intercom buzzed. She went and pushed the button in the kitchen.

“Yes?” She asked.

“Ms Grey, there is a delivery here for you, a closet, can we send it up?” The security guard asked in a lazy drawl. She vaguely remembered Mermista putting a closet on her card yesterday. She checked her watch, she would have to wait for them to leave before she could go. She still had half an hour before she really needed to go for her meeting.

“Thanks, send them up,” she said and stood in the kitchen eating her breakfast bar and drinking coffee as she waited.

She let them in and waited for them to take the old cabinet away before she tipped them well I'm on their way out. She wrote a quick text to Juliette to let her know there was a new person on the staff and to introduce herself today. She checked her personal calendar and saw that DT would be meeting the nanny before she met with Finn and Angella.

Adora wished she could be there to meet this nanny but she had a board meeting that was taking up almost her entire day. Board members were flying in from out of state just to talk about this ridiculous military application non-sense.

Adora quickly called a car and left for the office. It was going to be a long day.

[...]

Adora’s day is as much of a mess as she had expected. At around eleven in the morning she got a message from Mermista that Angella called and to call her back. She marked it as non-urgent so Adora at least knew that it wasn’t regarding Finn.

Mermista and Juliette were giving Adora updates on the Nanny over the course of the day. Mermista said she was all moved in and Dee got their clothing organised in the new closet. Juliette had introduced herself to the Nanny and was now apparently part of the game that Finn was playing. Adora couldn’t wait to find out how Finn liked their new friend but it would have to wait for another day. Mermista confirmed that the nanny was on the clock from today and that Adora’s call with Halfmoon tonight at ten would be able to go ahead.

She was both relieved and irritated with the news. Halfmoon was eight hours behind Brightmoon which made the meeting far more inconvenient for Adora.

Mermista got Adora some late lunch and was sent home for the night around six while Adora worked and waited for her meeting. It was done within two hours but since Adora hadn’t slept the night before she was feeling a little delirious.

She called a car to take her home, and stared out the window in a daze as the lights and buildings zipped by.

One positive about taking a car so late was that traffic was almost non-existent which was unheard of in Brightmoon on a normal day. She rather enjoyed the quietness of a world still asleep.

[...]

Adora arrived home just before one. She was sure she would be able to sleep tonight simply because of the level of exhaustion she felt. She walked like a zombie to the fridge, not even bothering to turn on the lights. She heard the movement of Swifty rolling over as he decided he was too tired to greet her. She was blinded by the fridge light momentarily as she looked inside.

There were plenty of healthy nutritious foods that she could make something with, but she was exhausted. The act of making said food was just beyond her at this point. Her eyes landed on a collection of chocolate pudding cups she had bought for Finn as a treat. She grabbed one, a little desperate as she pulled the foil off and shut the fridge. She turned to grab a spoon from the draw on the kitchen island when a shadow in the door caught her attention. She almost jumped out of her skin as her eyes adjusted in the now dark room.

The first thing Adora saw was skin, warm bronze legs that went on forever, toned and tanned. The woman was wearing a pair of sleeping shorts and a black band shirt. It was far too dark to make out the details of the shirt, just that it was baggy, almost reaching the bottom of her shorts. Her long dark hair was messy from sleep and looked like a void in the dim light. Her tail and ears were pricked to attention but her multi-coloured eyes were squinting at her suspiciously. Her eyes glowed in the darkness, clearly able to see more than Adora could.

“Who are you?” The woman rasped and Adora had to fight her body’s reaction to crush the pudding cup in her hand at the sound. Adora tried to get her tired brain to function as she scrambled for a response. She felt a little bewitched by this woman. What were words? The woman crossed her arms, looking annoyed. “Well?” She prompted and Adora finally jolted into action.

“I live here,” Adora said but it almost sounded like a question and the woman looked surprised before she looked Adora up and down. She was probably judging Adora’s dishevelled appearance. Once she was home, she had wasted no time removing her jacket and unbuttoning her vest. She even went so far as to untuck her shirt from her pants. She looked like a mess.

If Adora was more awake she might have considered this a break in but her brain really wasn’t firing on all cylinders as ‘legs’ went around her brain on repeat. She felt so strangely out of place in her own home under the gaze of this ruffled half naked woman.

Adora fought the blush that threatened to creep up her neck at her own thoughts and put her business persona back on like a protective shield. She really was too tired for this.

“Adora Grey,” she said, offering her hand and the woman looked up at her face. The woman made the most adorable squeaking sound and after a moment she stepped forward to shake Adora’s hand.

“Nice to finally meet you, Boss, I’m Catra D'riluth” Catra said, her hand felt small in Adora’s and the way she said ‘Boss’ caused butterflies to twist up in her stomach.

“Adora is fine,” Adora rushed to correct her. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to blush just looking at this stranger. “So, you’re my new Nanny,” Adora said, fighting the urge to look Catra up and down again. She could barely see her in the dark, even once her eyes had adjusted but she could see enough. Some of her thoughts must have shown on her face as Catra started to look nervous.

“Yes, that’s me, is that…that ok?” Catra looked up at Adora, her ears twitching downwards to hide in her mane of hair.

“Yes, yes, that’s fine, welcome!” Adora said, her voice sounding higher in pitch than usual to her ears.

“Thank you. I’m very happy to be here,” Catra said, looking down at Adora’s other hand where the chocolate pudding cup had been forgotten. “Are you eating a pudding cup for dinner?” Catra asked, her fang standing out in the dark as she smirked.

“No, uh, well yes, it’ll tide me over till breakfast,” Adora said, releasing Catra’s hand as she realised that she had been holding it for too long. Catra smiled and reached over to flick the lights on.

“Don’t be silly, I'll make you something,” Catra said walking to the fridge to grab out some ingredients.

“You really don’t have to do that,” Adora assured and only received a snort from Catra before she turned to the island and unloaded an armful of ingredients.

Adora almost wished she could go back to her muted view of Catra in the darkness because she was unprepared to view her in full light. She was breathtaking, and a magicat. Adora’s last girlfriend before she had Finn had been a Magicat. Adora tried to keep her eyes away from the long legs presented to her. How could even her knees be pretty?

Adora grabbed a spoon to eat her pudding cup and Catra grinned at her.

“Really, it’s no trouble,” Catra said, grabbing a cutting board and getting to work. Adora glanced at Catra’s pretty face as she ate her pudding. Her brain was still not functioning at full capacity. Freckles.

Adora didn’t know what to do, she was always the one providing for others and had no idea how to react to someone doing something for her. After what felt like an extended silence, Adora realised she had finished her pudding and it barely made a dent in her hunger.

“Thank you,” Adora said softly, and the woman’s ears twitched adorably.

“It’s my pleasure,” Catra said, pausing as she cut up vegetables to make eye contact again. Her two-toned eyes held Adora captive; they were warm and cold. Like a sun shower on a summer’s day. She had no perception of time anymore. The woman smiled softly as a warm colour came to her cheeks at Adora’s staring, a fang poking out of her lips. Adora was in so much trouble. She did not have time for a crush.

[...]

Adora took extra time to make herself look presentable in the morning. She didn’t want to embarrass herself again in front of her new employee. She wore her favourite navy suit with a blue and gold corset vest and soft blue shirt. She walked out of her room and down the hall towards Finn’s room.

She heard a telltale thump of the little kitten getting out of bed in a hurry and when Adora cracked the door open she could see Finn trying to push their blankets back onto their bed. Adora smiled at the sight of Finn, all scruffy and fluffed up from sleep. They noticed Adora in the door and shuffled sleepily over to her. Adora reached down and hefted them onto her right arm and Finn snuggled into her chest ready to go back to sleep.

Adora didn’t have much time in the mornings so they had fallen into a routine of Finn getting up with Adora and sleepily being carried around while Adora got ready for the day. Adora always had more time in the evening but Finn liked the sleepy snuggles so Adora made sure to provide them.

Finn was humming softly as they rubbed their faces against Adora. Adora flexed her left hand experimentally again before she carefully brushed Finn’s hair back from their face and placed a kiss on their head.

Adora walked them both into the kitchen, almost tripping over Swifty as he decided he wanted breakfast right this second.

Adora got some of his dog food out of the fridge, and he had his own personal chef to make sure he got the nutrients he needed. Adora then let him outside onto the entertaining area to run around and went about making coffee as quietly as possible.

Finn was practically dead to the world as Adora went through her morning routine until she noticed the nanny walk into the room in the corner of her eye.

“Morning,” Catra greeted and Adora turned to her with a nod.

“Morning,” Adora said. They both seemed to pause to admire the others' clothing choices. Dee had really outdone themselves. Catra wore a pair of nicely fitted jeans with a loose fitted blouse, gold belt and a red cut-off jacket which she had the sleeves pushed up.

“How did you sleep?” Adora asked, her eyes shooting back to her task of making breakfast with one hand.

“Pretty good, did you want me to take them?” Catra asked and Adora quickly shook her head. This would be so much faster with two hands, but she wouldn’t be able to cuddle her sleepy kitten.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Adora said, possibly too quickly. Catra nodded her head and for a moment looked a little awkward from the swift rejection. Adora felt bad but she couldn’t help how flustered she felt after their interaction the night before. Catra went to the fridge to get things out for Finn’s breakfast.

“How did you sleep?” Catra asked as she brought out the things for Finn’s breakfast. It was healthy but probably not seen as very fun for a kids meal. Adora was over analysing everything already, did Catra think this was a boring meal for a child?

“Well enough,” Adora lied, it was becoming second nature to her now but somehow it still made her feel awful to do it. Finn was waking up properly now with the conversation happening around them and once they were fully awake they seemed to notice Catra in the room.

“Morning Miss Catra,” Finn said and made grabby hands at her. Catra smiled at Finn’s obvious request for Catra to take them but she glanced at Adora for confirmation it was ok. Adora nodded her head, if Finn wanted to go to her now that was fine. Catra took them and hefted them onto her hip. Catra and Finn rubbed their cheeks together in a greeting Adora hadn’t seen before and it made an unwarranted feeling build in her chest. It felt like jealousy but for a fleeting moment she was unsure who she was jealous of.

Adora looked away, not giving the feeling the time of day. This was what she wanted: Catra could help Finn understand their own species better and teach them how to embrace who they were. Adora finished making her breakfast and sat at the table to eat.

Once Catra and Finn finished with their greeting Catra put them in their booster seat. Finn was still very small compared to a human child of the same age so they still needed a booster seat to reach the table.

Catra brought over Finn’s food and looked to be eating something similar. She gave Finn their food and some juice before she sat at the table with Adora. They ate their food in silence and Adora hoped she was imagining how awkward this felt. She glanced at Catra a few times and noticed her tail was completely still. Very awkward, it would seem.

“Mama, can we go to the zoo this weekend?” Finn asked suddenly and Adora smiled as she looked at them.

“Of course, we can see the lions again,” Adora said, remembering how Finn was so excited about them when they went the month before.

“Yeah! Can Miss Catra come too?” Finn asked with big eyes.

“Miss Catra doesn’t work on the weekends. I’m sure she has her own plans.” Adora said gently. She didn’t want to encroach on Catra’s free time and she certainly didn’t want to blur the boundaries of her employment. Finn would have to be content with Catra’s time when she was on the clock.

Catra sent Adora a curious look, like she was trying to read her before she smiled at Finn.

“I’m seeing my mum this weekend, but we can go to the zoo together sometime soon, ok?” Catra offered and Finn pouted a little but nodded their head in understanding.

[...]

Adora clicked on the intercom on her desk that connected her to Mermista.

“Ya,” Mermista said instead of an actual greeting.

“Can you come in here, please?” Adora said, squeezing the bridge of her nose with frustration at the thought of having this conversation. She had tried most of the morning to focus on the task at hand but her mind kept wandering and it was becoming very frustrating.

“Why did you do this to me?” Adora asked seriously as Mermista flopped into the seat across from her.

“You’ll have to be more specific than that boss,” Mermista drawled as she casually checked her perfectly manicured nails.

“The nanny,” Adora specified and Mermista almost cracked a smile as she looked at Adora.

“Isn’t she great? Best hire I’ve ever done,” Mermista’s tone was even but Adora could see the mischievous look in her eyes.

“Explain,” Adora said curtly, and Mermista smiled as she held up her fingers, her glittery claws sparkling in the light.

“Two reasons. One, you told me you wanted to trial a nanny, she’s overqualified so she may not stay long term. If she does stay, we already know her termination date because she is going to start her masters,” Mermista stated and Adora nodded, this was true. Her short-term contract was a benefit that few other employers would want.

“Two, Finn has never been exposed to another Magicat before, even if she were around for a short time, it would benefit them greatly to learn normal social expressions from her,” Mermista said plainly and again Adora nodded. She couldn’t fault that either, but those were not the reasons she was annoyed with Mermista’s choice.

“What’s really eating you, boss?” Mermista asked as a sly grin grew over her face and Adora knew her cheeks turned pink as she frowned.

“Nothing. Thank you for your insights, that will be all,” Adora said firmly and Mermista got to her feet. She took a moment to straighten her skirt and blazer before turning towards the door.

“I didn’t tell you anything you didn’t already know,” Mermista said. Adora had already thought of those exact reasons why Catra would make a good nanny for Finn. But the most important part was that Finn was happy with their choice.

Adora could deal with any inconveniences which may arise as long as Finn got what they needed. She had never considered a Nanny could look like that though. She was beautiful and apparently quite distracting. Adora could keep this professional and ignore her attraction until this silly crush resolved itself.

[...]

Adora was getting used to this feeling of exhaustion. She never seemed to get a moment's rest. She arrived home right as Catra was serving dinner and she kindly made Adora a plate. Adora was impressed that Catra was such a good cook and Finn seemed to enjoy what she made.

Adora spent her evening playing with Finn. They seemed to realise that Adora was tired and tried to bring her things and include Catra in the games. Adora did her best not to stare while Catra interacted with Finn. She was so good with them and it was incredibly cute. Adora was reasonably sure that Catra did not like to be observed, every time Adora would catch her eye Catra would look away quickly. Adora made an effort to stop staring but she hoped she didn’t seem like she was purposefully not looking at Catra.

Finn fell asleep on the couch half way through an epic tale they were telling about the toys in the kingdom. Adora bundled up her sleepy kitten and took them to bed. It was a strange luxury that when Adora returned to the living room Catra had tidied up the toys.

It was such a small thing but it felt like a weight lifted off her shoulders. It had been over five years since she had lived with another adult in the house.  Catra had tidied up after making dinner too and it was one less thing that Adora had to think about. It was nice.

“Thank you,” Adora said as Catra put the last of the toys in the toy chest.

“No trouble, boss,” Catra said and Adora felt her heart pick up as she rushed to correct her.

“Please don’t call me that,” Adora said and Catra looked serious as she nodded.

“Sorry, old habits, Ms Grey,” she corrected and Adora wanted to groan. She didn’t want her to call her that either, but it was better than the first option.

“Adora is fine,” Adora corrected again and Catra smiled a little as she straightened the things on the coffee table.

“Sure,” Catra agreed and Adora nodded.

“I have some work to finish. Sleep well Miss Catra,” Adora said to excuse herself and Catra smiled before she nodded.

“You too,” Catra said and went to her room and Adora went to her study. Technically Adora didn’t have anything pressing to attend to tonight but there was always work to be done. She could get a start on tomorrow's work and still get a few hours of sleep if she was lucky.

[...]

“You have a visitor,” Mermista’s voice chimed into her earpiece and startled Adora out of her hyper-focused state. She had been going over figures for the last three hours and she was in the zone and now it was broken. She had told Mermista not to bother her with anything while she prepped for this meeting.

“I told you I didn’t want to be disturbed,” Adora replied as she muted her earpiece and leaned back on her chair to stretch out her back. She groaned deeply at the relief the movement gave her.

“It's the boy wonder and he won't leave,” Mermista said, her voice sounding entertained as Adora heard Adam clearly scoffing in the background.

“Send him in,” Adora said and took off the earpiece to move a chair to the other side of her desk for Adam to sit on.

Adam came into the room, pulling the door closed behind him as he leaned heavily on his walking cane. His face was pinched in pain as he moved into the room. Adora’s hands twitched to help him but she knew from experience he hated the help.

“Adam, what a lovely surprise,” she said, approaching him to hug. She was gentle and received a gentle hug in return. She could hear how he was panting from the exertion from the walk here. She smiled as she pulled back and motioned for him to sit.

“I figured I was overdue, I hope I’m not interrupting,” Adam said carefully, taking up the chair provided for him. Adora sat across the desk from him and smiled.

“No, I can always make the time,” Adora said firmly. “How have you been?” She asked and Adam shrugged as he adjusted his right leg carefully.

“Not too bad, good days and bad days. How about you?” Adam asked, motioning to Adora’s left side.

“Fine, it's been a bit twitchy lately but I’m almost due for a nerve calibration, so I figure that's probably what's causing it,” Adora said, flexing her left hand carefully.

“That would probably explain it,” Adam nodded his head and Adora looked at her brother seriously.

“What can I do to help?” Adora asked and Adam chuckled.

“Dor, you already do so much,” he said, shaking his head. “Those nerve blockers Greyskull provided are a godsend on the bad days,” Adam said and Adora nodded with a small frown. Nothing ever felt like enough. Adora may have lost her arm in that car crash, but the nerve damage Adam suffered was something he had to deal with at every moment of his life. Adora wouldn’t rest until she found a way to help him, really help him.

“How's Finny? I’ll have to come by to see them soon,” Adam said, leaning back on the chair carefully.

“They are going well, the new Nanny is settling in well with them,” Adora said with a shrug as she realised she hadn’t called Angella back the day before.

“Angie mentioned the new nanny,” Adam said with a playful smile on his face. Adora frowned at him.

“What did she say?” Adora asked, concerned that Angella didn’t like her, or had a bad interaction with her.

“Angie said she was pretty,” Adam said wiggling his eyebrows, and Adora felt herself flush.

“I hardly think that's relevant,” Adora defended and Adam grinned.

“Irrelevant, but not incorrect right sis?” he said and chuckled. Adora could see the flinch he made at the motion but it was so good to see him laughing.

“She is a very attractive woman,” Adora conceded and Adam grinned.

“Very attractive is she now?” Adam teased and Adora felt herself flush.

“Adam,” She growled and Adam chuckled in delight.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to tease, it was just such a surprise,” Adam said relaxing into the chair again.

“How so?” Adora asked with a small confused frown.

“You hire a Nanny and instead of them being a sixty year old woman, she turns out to be a young babe who likes kids, seems like fate.” Adam said, as the number one busybody for Adora’s personal relationships she expected no less from him.

“How's Teela?” Adora asked and changing the subject only to make Adam grin wider.

“That's actually why I came,” Adam said and Adora frowned with concern.

“Is she ok?” Adora asked, she knew that Teela had been a little sick lately.

“I hope so! She's pregnant,” Adam said and Adora grinned widely.

“Adam, that's fantastic, congratulations to you both,” Adora said. She wanted nothing more than to crush her twin brother in a hug but she restrained herself. Instead she came around the desk and hugged him carefully. He returned the hug with a pat on her back.

“Thanks Adora, I wanted to make sure you were the first to know, so don’t tell anyone else just yet,” Adam said and Adora smiled at him.

“Thank you, I can’t wait to meet them, I need to send you a gift basket or something. You better be upgrading your car. The one you have isn’t good for a baby seat,” Adora said as she returned to her computer and started typing a list of things she could get for the expecting couple.

“Adora, stop, you don’t need to get us anything, we’re fine,”

“Adam, if Dad were here he would be spoiling you both rotten! At least let me get you a car?” Adora asked incredulously and Adam laughed.

“Adora, really, I would say the same to the old man. We don’t need your gifts, I just want our kid to know their loving auntie,” Adam said and Adora nodded her head.

“Of course they will, I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Adora said.

“You better not…You’ve been taking care of yourself, right sis? You look tired,” Adam said and Adora looked away from his concerned gaze at the screen covered in the most child safe cars money could buy.

“Of course,” Adora said, it was unconvincing and Adam knew her better than that.

“Adora, please, you should take a break,”

“I have that snow trip I’m taking for my birthday,” Adora defended, looking back at Adam to see his unconvinced face.

“Isn’t that a work trip?” He asked and Adora huffed.

“Yes, it's a holiday destination. I plan to snowboard for a few days to celebrate and I’m even bringing Finn,” Adora said. It sounded like a holiday to her, surely it counted.

“And the nanny?” Adam asked and Adora rolled her eyes.

“Well, yes, possibly. I will have to ask her” Adora said. She could take care of her own child, she had been doing it for almost five years already with very little help from anyone. She didn’t need Catra to come. She was fine. Adam just nodded his head like he was thinking.

“You wont get any time to relax if you are taking care of Finn the whole time,” he pointed out, and Adora shrugged. She didn’t need to relax, she had too much to do to take too much time off.

“Finn is very good at relaxing, they love to nap,” Adora defended, even if Catra can’t come she would be happy to spend her time with Finn. She would just need someone to take care of them while she had her meeting. Easy done.

“Adora, seriously, you should find more time for yourself. Not doing anything for anyone else, just relaxing.”

“I’ll consider it,” Adora said, glancing at the time unconsciously as Adam sighed as if he was deflating.

“Right, I better get out of your hair. Angie is next on the list, so expect a call when she finds out,” Adam said, pushing himself off the chair carefully and putting his weight on the cane. Adora moved like she was going to help him but stopped herself.

“I will, and make sure you tell me if you need anything,” Adora said, standing to follow him to the door.

“It goes both ways sis,” Adam said and they exchanged a hug before Adam left.

Adora stood looking at her closed door for a moment before she returned to her desk and picked up her earpiece to call Mermista.

“Mermista, I need you to buy a car,” Adora said, clicking through the options.

“Aw boss, it's not even my birthday,” Mermista returned and Adora rolled her eyes.

“I’ll have the model for you tomorrow, I want to run the specs past Entrapta first,” Adora said, ignoring Mermista’s joke.

“What's the special occasion,” Mermista asked.

“Nothing to concern yourself with,” Adora said, clicking into another window. She could get Dee to buy the car for her, but Mermista asked far fewer questions than Dee ever would. It was a safer bet until the whole family knew the news.

“Ya know, if you were a man, I would think you were paying off a baby mama to keep quiet,” Mermista said as she returned to typing on her computer.

“Mermista,” Adora said in a warning tone.

“Yeah, yeah, got it. I’ll wait to hear from Entrapta,” Mermista returned to her polite business voice.

“Good,” Adora said, hanging up the connection before she returned to scroll through the options for a safe car for her brother's family. This is something she could do for Adam.