Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“Ha, the sun isn’t green, dummy!”

Cattrina had quietly been watching both herself and her children behind her on the vanity mirror of her room, when the cunning voice of her oldest son broke the silence.

“Look, he chose the wrong color again!” Cattrick mocked as he reached down to the floor, snatching a sheet of paper out of the youngest paws and holding it out of his reach, like a trophy.

“I did?” Pawbert meowed out, his crayons rolling away from him, “Wait, mom! Cattrick said a bad word in front of me!”

“Dummy isn’t a bad word, dummy,” The middle child on the bed rolled onto her stomach and grinned, “But I can say a bad word if you’d like!”

“Mom! Kitty is going to say a bad word in front of me!” Pawbert ran to his mother’s side, tugging on the long dress that draped over her legs and reached the floor, “Also, she called me dummy too!”

“Now you said the bad word!” Kitty teased.

“You said it wasn’t a bad word!” Pawbert covered his mouth.

“I lied,” She laughed.

“Mom!”

“Alright, alright, all three of you,” The mother let out a familiar tired sigh – the one she always let out when she hoped it wouldn’t come to this, turning around to face her children, “I think that’s enough.”

Another tug on her silky dress reminded her of the cub fussing at her feet.

She pondered for a second whether to pick him up or not, but there was never any competition in her choices when Pawbert was involved. Her paws, which had been working on the tufts of fur on her cheeks to attempt to get them in any sort of acceptable, proper look, had to let go of them in favor of the young cub.

The fur on her face fluffed back up immediately (minutes of work wasted on them) as she took Pawbert into her lap, the small kitten snuggling up against her chest with a winning smile.

She didn’t see it, but he stuck his tongue out at Cattrick, braver in his mother’s embrace.

Courage came easy when one felt safe.

“Mom,” Pawbert poked her arm insistently, “Cattrick was making fun of me.”

“Cattrick,” Cattrina called, “We’ve talked about this.”

“I didn’t even do anything!” Cattrick whined, sneakily letting the sheet of paper with Parbert’s drawing on it fall behind him to hide the evidence.

“That’s not true, Cattrick,” Kitty lifted a finger toward her older brother like she was some sort of lawyer in a court of law, “You mocked him for being stupid with colors.”

“Whose side are you on now?” Cattrick folded his arms at his sister.

“Whichever one is winning,” Kitty declared proudly, kicking her feet in the air, “It’s more fun that way.”

“I’m not stupid,” Pawbert declared, making his voice known among the discussion, “I’m just color-bind.”

“Colorblind, sweetheart,” Cattrina gently corrected it with a small smile as she adjusted the sweater on the boy’s body, “And you’re right. You’re not stupid.”

Cattrick shrunk when their mother lifted her head to shoot him a disapproving glare.

“And Cattrick and Kitty won’t do that again,” She raised an eyebrow, daringly, “Right, children?”

“I’m sorry,” Kitty said in an extremely rehearsed voice.

Cattrick looked down at his feet. Not in a way that defied his mother’s authority, but also not quite folding either.

“I’m just saying the truth. He doesn’t see colors well. It’s not fault it makes him sad because he’s too soft,” Cattrick gestured toward his younger brother, looking down at him as he shrunk even further into their mother’s lap.

“Cattrick,” Cattrina called.

“The world isn’t kind; you must toughen up,” Cattrick continued as though his mother hadn’t said anything, “No matter how often you draw the sun green, it isn’t. And saying otherwise, that’s just coddling him and setting him up for failure.”

He then crossed his arms over his chest, proudly; his back straight and his eyebrows knitted together. Almost completely certain of himself. Saying he was ready for any reprimands his mother might see fit for him.

A young boy in a young man’s stance, Cattrina thought. Imposing.

She almost fell for it.

But she knew him better than that.

Instead, she hung her head and shook it slightly.

“The world isn’t kind all the time, you’re right. But it is also not that serious. Nothing bad will happen if you let yourself laugh at a whimsical green sun every once in a while, I promise” She spoke softly, then looked longingly at her oldest son, “Your smile is beautiful, Cattrick. I wish you’d let it shine more often instead of… Whatever it is you’re putting on right now.”

Cattrick’s ears folded down, pinned to his head. The strong stance disappeared, washing itself away as his body relaxed without him meaning for it too.

Kindness, when unexpected, had a way to hit harder than the predictable punch.

“I’ll go wait for dinner in my room,” He pouted, and Cattrina couldn’t help but smile at the façade. She watched as he left her room, after she’d given him a small nod of permission.

It was always a little amusing when the surviving shy, insecure teen broke through the disguise of a man that Cattrick always wore but hadn’t grown into quite yet. She thought it was like a suit that fit him awkwardly, too long at certain places, too short at others. He was struggling to keep it on as it kept sliding down, like he was missing a belt.

She wondered when he would finally wear it well. When that simpler side would be gone. What she would see then.

“He’s right,” Pawbert’s ears dropped to the side of his head, voice as small as himself. From the lap of his mother, he looked at the drawing he’d made, now forgotten on the floor, “I know the sun isn’t green. I just can’t see it like everyone else does.”

“Darling, who’s to say there isn’t a green sun somewhere out there? We don’t know that,” Cattrina poked his nose and scratched the fur on his cheeks, which sent his ears up again, “Besides, I think things can always be more than one thing, you know? It makes life more fun. Maybe it doesn’t have to be just a green sun. Maybe it could be a…”

Cattrina trailed off.

“A floating treetop?” Kitty joined in to her mother’s aid, tilting her head as she looked at the drawing on the floor, “At least from this angle, it looks like it.”

“Yes, now that you mention it,” Cattrina gave her daughter a thankful smile, “A magic treetop that flies around, like a big green sun on the sky.”

Pawbert looked in silence between his mother, sister, and the drawing on the floor.

“I guess that makes sense,” He smiled.

“It makes perfect sense,” Cattrina gave him a soft squeeze, “Perfect. Just like all three of you.”

“Except Cattrick,” Pawbert protested, face quickly turning into a frown.

“Including Cattrick, dear. He just… He’s at a difficult age,” Cattrina looked up, trying to explain something that was difficult for her to understand herself, “Growing up too fast. But still a kid. He just doesn’t… doesn’t see things right sometimes.”

“Like me?”

Cattrina laughed, “No, not quite, Pawbert. Cattrick’s challenge is not in his eyes. It’s about his… well, never mind. You just keep drawing all the green suns you want. Regardless of what anyone else says, ok?”

He nodded.

“Ok, mama.”

“That’s my boy,” She said as she let him down slowly onto the floor, him sliding down her silky dress with ease.

Kitty cleared her throat obnoxiously loudly toward their mother.

“And my girl,” Cattrina added, “Now, if you don’t mind, I have to finish getting ready.”

Kitty smiled at her mother, watching her intensely when she reached for a necklace and slenderly tied the clasp behind her neck.

“Woah, you are going to wear the blue pearls tonight! They are so cool, mama! Mine are just boring white,” Kitty put her hands together, “Can I have them someday? Please, with pretty please on top?”

“Sure, darling,” Cattrina turned back to the mirror, attempting once again to tame the fur on her face, “You can have them when I’m on my deathbed, or when you clean your room three days straight without needing me to remind you. Whichever one of those comes first. Ok?”

“Boring,” Kitty fell flat onto the bed, “But wait, what is the occasion tonight? Does that mean we have to dress up fancy, too?”

“I don’t want to,” Pawbert whined, “The suit is tight. I like my sweater.”

“No, you are spared that tonight. I’m having dinner with your father, and you get to eat by yourselves like big children,” She glanced at her phone, the time had escaped her, “Actually, you should probably get going.”

“Count me in!” Kitty jumped out of bed, and took Pawbert’s paw in hers, “Come on, Pawbs! It’s been so long since last time.”

“No food fights, Kitty!” Cattrina was quick to add, holding up a finger as the children disappeared into the hallway.

“Ah, boring!” Kitty’s voice echoed throughout the house, being followed by the laughter of her younger brother.

“And tell Cattrick to go join you, tell him he can’t eat in his room tonight. He needs to socialize a little bit,” Cattrina sighed, turning to look at the mirror one last time before looking at the imposing clock on the wall.

Fine, she finally gave up on fixing her cheek tufts and got up from the chair. Let it be its fluffy self.

She hoped that it would look presentable enough for that night’s occasion; whatever it was.

* This is a song fic, and Cattrina's character and this fic were HEAVILY inspired by Meryl Streep's performance in the movie Mamma Mia!
I have altered the lyrics slightly to fit the theme better, and will do so as well in the next chapters.