Chapter Text
“Hey, Adora.” Catra murmured lazily, sidling up behind Adora. That voice, that phrase… Hearing it caused Adora to tense up instantly. But unlike so many times in their recent past, the tension was not based in fear for her very life (or unbridled irritation). No, nothing like fear. Breathless, exhilarating excitement, causing her to turn into an absolute bumbling fool? Yeah, that was closer.
“Oh! Um, hey, Catra… I was just…” She glanced around at the papers strewn across her desk. Who knew that the aftermath of overthrowing a galactic evil empire would amount to so much paperwork? It hadn’t even been a full two weeks since Prime’s defeat! But there were displaced civilians everywhere, storehouses that needed filled, and tons of infrastructure to rebuild. While the princesses had stronger ties to one another more than ever, each one had her own territory at the forefront of her mind. Which meant discussion after discussion about why Thaymor deserved more help than Erelandia or why this princess or that kingdom couldn’t possibly help right now... It was exhausting and more than a bit petty, if Adora could be truthful about her friends. She had healed the land, she had returned its magic, and not to mention taken down an interstellar tyrant. Yet the princesses were letting things like borders and territories get in the way of helping to finish the job. Perhaps Prime’s scars of discord ran deeper through Etheria than any one cared to admit.
Catra peeked over Adora’s shoulder, barely registering the mass of pages. “Yeah, yeah, you brought peace to the land, but now need to maintain it…,” Her eyes narrowed, obviously trying her best to repress an eye roll, as she turned away. “Heroine of the galaxy, savior of the universe…”
Seeing her turn away sparked fear; Adora quickly rose from the desk, spilling half the papers to the floor. Dammit, that was all in order... No, focus, Adora. Catra is here!
“No! I mean, yes, I suppose so… But, um, you could stay with me while I…” Adora didn’t need to see her face to know that wasn’t exactly Catra’s idea of a rollicking good time. She was able to picture the deep eye roll the suggestion had inevitably garnered just fine. Adora paused and sighed inwardly, thoughts racing to try and gain some traction over the situation. She was here, Catra had sought her out. Thinking about it, when was the last time they had talked- more than a quick good morning or a simple have a good night? Anxiety and guilt gripped her as Adora realized she wasn’t entirely positive of the answer. Where was a universe-ending threat when you needed one, that did the trick last time.
The hours directly after the Heart were utter bliss, like the sweetest dream. The two of them together, linked arm in arm, completely unwilling to be apart for the briefest moment as the world just carried on around them. Adora smiled warmly at the memory of Catra in her arms that night, purring contentedly against her chest as they slept out under the stars. It felt so right and so good.
But the next morning came too quickly, real life barreling in to wake them from their idyllic bliss. Too soon Adora was ripped away into duty and responsibility, every person needing yet another piece of her time. Discussion after discussion, plans to address what was the most critical and pressing at the time... If Adora was being honest with herself, maybe she had allowed the work to consume her again on purpose. What came next for the world wasn’t necessarily easy, but it was familiar territory. Rebuild a crumbled building, restock supplies and goods, and maybe even get to use the boundless strength of her warrior avatar for some back-breaking task. Adora was all there for that.
But figure out next steps with the woman she had loved even before she knew what love was? That was far more daunting, a bigger challenge than the blonde had ever faced. Sure, the two had shared a moment (and what a moment it was!), had finally confessed their love for one another, and of course, Adora’s attention couldn’t help but drift towards the memory of their one and only kiss. (So far… maybe?) But there hadn’t exactly been a lot of time for relationships when a world needed to be put back together. At least that’s what the blonde had asserted to herself. So, Adora had gently put that to the side, vowing to return to the subject of her and Catra as soon as she could, a few days at the most… then ran head first into trying to fix the world again.
Catra watched it happen placidly the first couple days, shaking her head warmly at the woman who just couldn’t relax. This is what she does and what she’ll always do… Catch up on your sleep for now and let the heroine of Etheria do her job. Being jealous of her is what got you into all that mess before; she’ll come back and be yours after the work’s done. Catra felt especially proud of that moment, still feeling fortified by their moment at the Heart, as well as the thrill at the thought of Adora being hers. She could wait- she’d been waiting her whole life at this point; what was another few days?
However, as the days turned into a week, the resolve around her proud moment dissipated. Irritation at the situation (she purposefully did not allow herself to say abandonment- growth, growth, growth) expanded more and more. Not wanting to lash out, Catra had taken to seeking out sunny places to nap about the castle in the afternoons and breezy elevated perches at night, taking solace in solitude. When she grew restless, she stalked the surrounding grounds, avoiding other citizens but taking in as much of her new territory as she could. A few times even, Flower Girl had cornered her, inviting Catra to join her in a mid-afternoon meditation session. Not her favorite way to spend a day but eh, it also passed the time. This wasn’t the life she wanted to be having, but after so many hours of lost sleep running the Horde and that ever-burning desire to see the world fully still in her gut, it was the one she’d take. For now.
But if there was a chance she could instead get life how she wanted it, she had to try. Catra called over her shoulder, her tail swishing back and forth. “A sleepover.”
“Huh?”
She glanced back at Adora, her blue eye softening with barely concealed amusement as Adora struggled through the conversation whiplash. It was so very easy to confuse her. And Catra had spent too long pretending to hate that stupid, goofy face of Adora’s to not savor every wave of unconcealed emotion that broadcasted across. She felt the annoyance she’d been cradling this week fade. Adora had a one-track mind. It was time to get that track back on her. “You heard me. We’re having a sleepover.”
Adora nearly planted her face into the floor at the statement. A… sleepover? Here, in Bright Moon? Having not had much time to figure out where they stood- proclamations of love aside, the pair’s sleeping arrangements thus far had been distant. Back at the Fright Zone, almost every night Catra curled up at the foot of her bed, but now (when it could definitely mean more than just sleeping) the pair wordlessly agreed that a hurried good night and their separate ways was just fine, thank you very much. Or so Adora had figured.
Discomfort streaked across Adora’s face and she sought to reconcile the multitude of emotions cascading over her. Fear, sure; guilt, check, but also something deep in her rumbled in delight at the prospect of a sleepover with Catra. Catra… Alone with Catra. Sleeping wit- NEXT TO CATRA! Adora could feel discomfort turn to panic as her thoughts threatened to roil out of control, especially with the quick correction of prepositions. ‘With’ definitely had a different meaning than ‘next’ in this situation. All from this strange feeling that she didn’t have a full grasp of. It wasn’t that it was completely foreign to her- especially when it came to situations involving the feline woman. She wasn’t completely naive; people talk, Adora listens, and she’d definitely committed a thing or two to memory. But talk was different than action… That was the source of the panic so apparent on her face.
Eyes narrowing for real this time, Catra’s tail flicked a back and forth, its rhythm a little more stacco. An arm raised up across her chest, as she took in the blonde’s near-horrified reaction. No longer cute; definitely annoying, if not downright hurtful. Was the prospect of spending time together really that bad in Adora’s eyes? Is that why she’s been throwing herself into her work- again? Catra gripped herself tighter, trying to shut out the thoughts as they coiled around her mind tighter, panic growing, manifesting in anger. It seemed like all her progress was slipping down the drain and just after one conversation. Does she not want me after all…?
The sudden drop in mood was acute enough to bring even Adora out of her own head. Focus now, freak out later. Adora shook her head rapidly, physically clearing her mind as her blue, googly eyes practically rattled around in her skull. “Okay! A sleepover… Um, just like before, when we were kids…” Her stomach dropped instantly as Catra’s eyes became near slits and the feline turned away fully again, preparing to leave. Done, she was done. Why had Catra agreed to this stupid plan… Oh, yeah. Out of hope. Dumb.
No, nope, wrong. Let's not equate this to childhood trauma coping methods, you moron. Adora took a deep, fortifying breath, steeling herself to face what (who) she’d been avoiding and looking to thaw the freeze in the tempestuous winter of a woman before her before it was too late. Not gonna lose her again!
Adora stepped forward, first step almost faltering, but then each one after growing more determined as she sought to close the distance between them and quickly. She was in control. She was an adult. She could do this. “No, not like that. What I mean is, yes, I would love that. We haven’t gotten any time together, really, since... everything.” Adora gently laid her hand on Catra’s shoulder, hoping feverently that the damage wasn’t permanent. I know I’m an idiot, but please, please let me fix this. Adora hoped that was what her grip said.
“Glad you finally noticed,” Catra muttered, lip pulling up slightly, though she stopped walking away and let her arm drop down to her side, tail lowered. Catra turned to appraise the woman right in front of her, noticing the hand on her shoulder with more than a slight flicker of warmth. Oh that touch, how she missed and craved it.
Catra dared to look into the blue eyed visage before her, silently exalting as she noticed the blonde’s shift from dopey, anxious twit to resolved and interested twit. It was a start, a start worth building on. She pushed away her doubts, deciding to capitalize on this momentum. “Courtyard in two hours and then we’re leaving.”
Relief showered through Adora instantly. Excellent, she avoided the storm and was getting a break! She didn’t even care what Catra might be up to, where they might be going, or what work might not be completed while she was gone. That simply didn’t matter any more- shouldn’t have been the focus before. Adora’s priorities were absolutes and she was finally ready to make them the top priority. Her fear be damned.
“How about one hour instead?” She challenged, a smirk drawing up the corners of her mouth, growing more pronounced as Catra’s eyes softened at her suggestion. “I’ll leave a note for Glimmer and Bow to handle this mess, pack a bag and then be ready. You’re more important.” The challenge faded off her lips and her face grew earnest, concerned even.Yes. Catra was more important; why hadn’t that occurred to her before now? Adora was willing to accept that all this could be someone else’s problem for a few days. It doesn’t always have to be you… Projected in the back of her mind, a haunting and too recent memory.
Catra had to turn away at that last sentence to keep from melting into a giant puddle on the floor. Okay, so this had been the right call. Focused on making the world’s problems her own, Adora needed a little push in the right direction. Or as Catra was prepared, a giant shove. Well, after getting a slight nudge from an outside source herself.
Glimmer was the one who came up with the idea of a getaway for the pair, privately tired of these utterly useless lesbians. She was queen and she was not going to stand for complete stupidity under her own roof. Not sleeping in the same room, barely even talking to one another? No way that was going to stand. Even Bow, definitely the less meddlesome of the pair, agreed something had to give.
Which is what led the young queen to seek out her feline guest. “You know, my family has a number of properties about the kingdom, private, secluded properties where people can… talk.” Glimmer had coyly announced to Catra as she lay about bathing in the sun of the castle courtyard. Eyes not even bothering to flick open in greeting, mildly annoyed at her nap being interrupted, Catra had to bite back the immediate comment of, Private properties that could be, y’know, housing the displaced civilians currently struggling if you were doing your job right there, Sparkles... But she did not bring voice to the thought; Catra was trying to keep the biting sarcasm to a minimum- externally, at least. Personal growth and all.
“And, purely for measures to protect the land and its people, I do need a small team to check and see if they could provide suitable accommodations for my citizens- did they sustain any major damage, are the surrounding land’s recovering as expected, y’know, routine stuff.” Glimmer looked like she could just burst with excitement at her own cleverness. A private mission for the two avoidant lesbians? If this didn’t work, she’d already resolved to have a large bed set up in the Bright Moon prison and toss the pair in for a week or two. They’d fight it out or find some “other” way to spend their forced quarantine… But Bow called that one plan Z.
Ah, there we go Queen Sparkles, so you do have the people in mind. Catra was now extra glad she had kept her mouth shut. She made a mental note to tell Perfuma during their next meditation session, when that ever perky pest asked her for her “two successes and one even more effective”. The peace meditation could bring didn’t bother her, at least for those fleeting moments so far she was able to get there, but sometimes it just felt like Flower Girl was overdoing it a bit sometimes.
“Perhaps you and Adora could…” Catra’s ears perked up at that, slowly raising herself to regard her royal Sparkliness.
It didn’t take Catra long to agree. An opportunity to finally be alone, talk about the things that needed to be discussed… Though Catra could also hurl at the prospect. But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad and if anything, she could take solace that Adora and her abs would finally be hers for a couple days, her pulse quickening at the prospect, a mischievous grin at the thought sneaking onto her lips. Abs and muscles, that body and… She would brave talk for a chance at that body.