drsusanstorm:
Sue feigned further skepticism, squinting at Valeria as though she wasn’t entirely sure that she believed this–but a soft huff of laughter inevitably broke through.
Her child. Her miracle child. Born against all possible odds and still marked by the man whose efforts had saved them both. The one she worried for the most, privately, not because of her connection with Doom but because…
Because she was just a little too much like her mother.
Sue bent to scoop Val up, before she could see that the smile had become a little sadder than it should be. It was more of an offer made than a demand–if she didn’t want to be carried like a child, she could refuse. One downside of raising a child with her kind of advanced intellect, in a way, was missing out on the Cuddle Years, but. That just made it all the more special when Val accepted. Sue had learned to adapt.
“Sometimes moms do need affection,” she noted. “But sometimes little girl-geniuses do, too. How about we go out today? Just us. Go to the park, maybe the zoo, maybe a matinee… I think ‘Coco’ is still playing, assuming your Uncle Johnny didn’t download it and spoil the whole thing already…”
Valeria offered no resistance to her mother’s contact and cuddles. She smiled and even hugged her back tightly. It wasn’t often that Val felt in such an affectionate mood, and she wasn’t going to miss this chance in which Sue was willing to offer carrying her like her little baby. “I know, mom. Everyone needs affection. Babies, teenagers, adults and old people.”
Of course she’d watched ‘Coco’ already. Mommy knew her brother too well, but Valeria wasn’t going to accuse her of anything. He’d insisted on keeping it a secret from her parents. Besides, she really wanted to spend some quality time with her mom and this was a really good idea. “I would love to go! I’ve heard nice things about it.”
