Daisies: A Kate/Claire Post-Island Fic (kind of)

They rode home in silence.
Kate chewed on her lip nervously. She could tell Aaron was in a "mood." Being a mother never seemed to get easier.
"Did you have a nice time at Mark's?" she finally asked.
"I guess," Aaron said sulkily. He looked down at his lap. "Mark is like me."
"Trouble, you mean?" Kate joked, ruffling his blonde hair, soft and fine like Claire's. She had worried the play date might be confusing for him.
"I have two moms, and Mark has two dads."
"That's right," Kate said with a smile. She braced herself for the questions that lay ahead.
"But...his dads sleep in the same bed. And sometimes, they kiss."
"Well, there are lots of different kinds of family situations-" Kate began. She had rehearsed this speech already.
"Why don't you love Mama Claire?" Aaron looked at her accusingly now.
"What?" She hadn't anticipated that particular question. "Well, I love your Mama very much, it's just-"
"Not like Mark's dads."
"We have a very different relationship. There are all kinds of relationships and..." she trailed off. She sounded so condescending, and she wasn't sure how she meant to end the sentence anyway. Sawyer once said that kids could smell bullshit a mile away, and she still didn't see how his dropping in on Clementine on weekends at his convenience qualified him to give her parenting advice after all her years raising Aaron, but whatever. He had a point. Arrogant bastard, she thought to herself, somewhat affectionately. Aaron was looking at her with irritation now.
"Why is it different? Don't you think my Mom's pretty and nice?"
Kate laughed nervously. A silly question. Claire was beautiful and amazing and strong and sweet and wonderful, wonderful...
"Why can't you just be like normal parents?"
"Normal parents?"
Only in L.A., Kate thought to herself.
"Maybe if you brought her flowers or something," Aaron continued. "She would like that. Mark's dads do that sometimes."
Kate envisioned Claire's face lighting up, home from her classes and exhausted and...flowers. Yes, Claire loved those, and she loved surprises. Well, good ones. It wasn't the worst idea.
"She likes daisies," Aaron said, staring at Kate intently the way he did sometimes that freaked her out a little.
"And how do you know that?"
"Because!" he rolled his eyes. "She's my MOM! She tells me things."
"Okay, okay, we'll stop off and get her some daisies then," Kate smiled at him.
"She likes when you make tacos. And when you wear your hair down and it's, like...not curly...but...like..." Aaron twisted his own hair with his fingers.
"Wavy?"
"Messy," Aaron said decisively. "And she likes when you laugh a lot and your eyes get all crinkly like this." Aaron squinted. It was pretty adorable, but the whole conversation was unnerving.
"And she said all this to you?"
"No," Aaron shrugged. "I just know." He grew quiet again.
Aaron seemed to "just know" a lot of things lately, but she and Claire never discussed it. They didn't discuss a lot of things, it seemed.

Daisies: A Kate/Claire Post-Island Fic (kind of)

They rode home in silence.
Kate chewed on her lip nervously. She could tell Aaron was in a "mood." Being a mother never seemed to get easier.
"Did you have a nice time at Mark's?" she finally asked.
"I guess," Aaron said sulkily. He looked down at his lap. "Mark is like me."
"Trouble, you mean?" Kate joked, ruffling his blonde hair, soft and fine like Claire's. She had worried the play date might be confusing for him.
"I have two moms, and Mark has two dads."
"That's right," Kate said with a smile. She braced herself for the questions that lay ahead.
"But...his dads sleep in the same bed. And sometimes, they kiss."
"Well, there are lots of different kinds of family situations-" Kate began. She had rehearsed this speech already.
"Why don't you love Mama Claire?" Aaron looked at her accusingly now.
"What?" She hadn't anticipated that particular question. "Well, I love your Mama very much, it's just-"
"Not like Mark's dads."
"We have a very different relationship. There are all kinds of relationships and..." she trailed off. She sounded so condescending, and she wasn't sure how she meant to end the sentence anyway. Sawyer once said that kids could smell bullshit a mile away, and she still didn't see how his dropping in on Clementine on weekends at his convenience qualified him to give her parenting advice after all her years raising Aaron, but whatever. He had a point. Arrogant bastard, she thought to herself, somewhat affectionately. Aaron was looking at her with irritation now.
"Why is it different? Don't you think my Mom's pretty and nice?"
Kate laughed nervously. A silly question. Claire was beautiful and amazing and strong and sweet and wonderful, wonderful...
"Why can't you just be like normal parents?"
"Normal parents?"
Only in L.A., Kate thought to herself.
"Maybe if you brought her flowers or something," Aaron continued. "She would like that. Mark's dads do that sometimes."
Kate envisioned Claire's face lighting up, home from her classes and exhausted and...flowers. Yes, Claire loved those, and she loved surprises. Well, good ones. It wasn't the worst idea.
"She likes daisies," Aaron said, staring at Kate intently the way he did sometimes that freaked her out a little.
"And how do you know that?"
"Because!" he rolled his eyes. "She's my MOM! She tells me things."
"Okay, okay, we'll stop off and get her some daisies then," Kate smiled at him.
"She likes when you make tacos. And when you wear your hair down and it's, like...not curly...but...like..." Aaron twisted his own hair with his fingers.
"Wavy?"
"Messy," Aaron said decisively. "And she likes when you laugh a lot and your eyes get all crinkly like this." Aaron squinted. It was pretty adorable, but the whole conversation was unnerving.
"And she said all this to you?"
"No," Aaron shrugged. "I just know." He grew quiet again.
Aaron seemed to "just know" a lot of things lately, but she and Claire never discussed it. They didn't discuss a lot of things, it seemed.