"Hey Mama can you-" Jinx's head practically snapped over to the six-year-old who was suddenly covering her mouth with wide eyes.

"What was that?" She asked quickly but the child only shook her head. Jinx wanted to ask her to repeat herself but she could clearly read the kid by now. Her eyes were wide, and her body was extremely tense. She was scared... and it looked like she was ready to bolt out of her chair any second so the teen took a breath and slowly turned her head back to her phone that she was looking at.

"Okay. What did you need squirt?" She asked the question slowly while pretending to pay attention to her phone while she focused on watching the kid from the corner of her eye.

She slowly lowered her hands and looked less likely to run away at the drop of a hat. "I... I wanted to ask if we could have pizza today." It didn't seem like a lie from her body language and her voice seemed a bit more controlled. That means it was probably an accidental slip, but that means that she was probably thinking about it.

Did Lilith see her as a mom? How was she supposed to feel about that? Was it even okay for her to be the girl's mom? She was only 19 and a full-time college student. Then again, she was taking care of her, and she would fight tooth and nail to keep her. Maybe, maybe she already was her mom, and maybe she needed to let a name be put to it.

.....

"Mama, can you help me?" Jinx's breath hitched but she did everything in her power to fight off having more of a reaction. She looked over and it was clear the little girl didn't even hear her own choice of words as she was struggling on her tippy toes to reach one of the cups Jinx bought for her. She must've accidentally pushed it back when trying to reach it on top of the counter.

The 19-year-old stood up and walked over before grabbing the cup and handing it to the girl with a lazy grin. "Guess those short legs don't help you much huh?" She chuckled and watched as the kid rolled her eyes before going over to the sink and using her tippy toes again but this time she was able to reach the tap and fill her cup up before turning it off again. Lilith then looked back at her once she was satisfied with her now full cup of water.

"Thanks Mama-" the girl's eyes went wide and Jinx watched as she slowly processed her words again, but the teen didn't give her time to panic over it as she just gave her a pat on the head before heading back to the coffee table to finish some of her homework. Maybe if she didn't bring any attention to it, Lilith wouldn't have anything to feel embarrassed over. Besides, maybe if she acted like it was normal, Lilith would feel like it's normal too and then keep calling her that. It wasn't like she didn't already see the kid as her daughter. There was nothing that could change that at this point.

....

Jinx looked up from her paper when she heard a light knock on her bedroom door. Last she knew Lilith was watching TV and she rarely bothered her unless it was an emergency or she was hungry. She was guessing it was the latter since she didn't automatically come in and seemed to be waiting at the door. She stood from her desk and honestly she was grateful for any distraction from her ridiculous essay that Professor Silco had given her. She loved him as a teacher but sometimes he would ask for the most complicated papers and she hated writing them. She much preferred his projects.

When she opened the door she wasn't surprised by the tiny human, but she was confused as to why she looked so nervous. "What's up kiddo?" Her question sat in the air for a few seconds as she watched Lilith build up some courage in front of her. She didn't interrupt because she knew if she did that the girl would just give up and move on.

"M-mama?" Jinx blinked but stayed still as she let her continue, "W-when are we eating?" Her voice was soft and shy. She did it on purpose this time. She wondered how long she practiced and how much she thought about saying it again.

With that in mind, she pulled her phone from her back pocket. "I can order some food right now if you want? What were you thinking?" Her daughter's eyes were wide as she stared up at her, but she looked back down at the question and shrugged. Jinx felt a bit worried when she heard her sniff but the girl took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes before looking back at her with a shaky smile.

"I'm okay with anything." She then ran back into the living room before turning the TV up several volumes. Jinx got the hint easily and decided Chinese food would be alright. She knew what her kid wanted anyway.

....

"Hey Lilith can you come here for a second?" Lilith stood up from her spot on the floor and slowly set Jinx's phone on the table before walking over to her.

"Yes?"

"Just wanted to go over something with you.... You've called me mama a few times now..." she watched as the 6-year-old tensed up but she quickly reached for and grasped her hands.

"You're not in trouble!" She rushed the words out before the little girl could run off to probably the bedroom, or the laundry room.

Lilith still looked worried but didn't move, though her eyes shifted to the floor and she started shuffling in place for a few seconds before she nodded.

"I'm not upset, actually... I like when you call me that." Lilith looked more than surprised but Jinx continued, "I want you to keep calling me that, and for you to see me as your parent because I already see you as my daughter. Of course, if you don't feel comfortable I don't want to push you.... But if you're nervous because you don't know how I would react? Don't be. I'm taking care of you because I want to and because I care about you, that's not gonna change whether you call me mama or not."

The little girl was staring at her with wide eyes and clearly didn't know what to do with herself. Her eyes slowly started to tear up and Jinx frowned lightly as her lip started to tremble. But she waited, she knew Lilith needed to speak, so she had to give her a chance to talk.

"D-do you mean it?"

"Of course." She made sure her honesty bled into her words and Lilith nodded before lightly bowing her head as she quickly rubbed her eyes. Jinx sighed as she took both of the girl's hands and held them together before using her free hand to gently wipe her tears.

A gesture she learned from her big sister that she would absolutely never let her know was a huge comfort when she was younger. And now she got to share that with her daughter.

Lilith closed her eyes while Jinx wiped her tears before she sucked in air when she was easily picked up and slid onto her mama's lap.

"You're my daughter now okay? You have been for a while now, and I couldn't be more happy to have you in my life."

"I feel the same way, mama." The words were lightly muffled into her shirt but she got the message anyway. Good.