Chapter Text
Adora knew something was wrong the moment she disintegrated Horde Prime. Something small, but something important. She could feel it there, like a parasite had just latched itself to the inside of her skull. But that wasn’t important right now.
“It’s over. He’s gone.”
“Good riddance,” the nonchalant response from Catra was all Adora needed to reduce the sensation in her head as an untimely scratch she couldn’t reach.
The war with Horde Prime is done. Ended by the magic of Etheria and guided by She-Ra’s power. It was time to rebuild their world.
…
If there was one thing Catra was not expecting, it was that Adora would be the most serious person in Brightmoon’s war chamber- not a war chamber anymore- meeting room. Catra guessed it was the years in the Horde that conditioned her best friend to be this way, serious when needed. But there was something else off about Adora to Catra. Something only she would catch after years of studying her.
Adora stood with authority in the meeting room. An aura of dominance and power emanating from her. He voice would cut through the room creating a deadpan silence, her movements were watched by everyone. Adora had become the unofficial leader of the efforts to rebuild Etheria, her lack of a standing kingdom making her the perfect candidate to dull out resources and resolve any issues that came up. Even with all this new pressure, there was still something different about her.
It was the way she talked sometimes that first made Catra notice the small changes. Like Adora was taking too long to find the words she should have already had. Catra decided that confronting her was the best course of action. Just ask her why she was acting strange, nothing too crazy. Their relationship was still new, but that didn’t mean they were supposed to act different now… did it? Catra had always had romantic feelings for Adora, so this change in status did little to her, except for the way she gushes over Adora every chance she gets, but other than the obvious honeymoon phase they were in- they were still themselves.
Catra sat on their bed, waiting for Adora to return from her meeting with Micah and Glimmer about something in Mystacore, Catra honestly wasn’t sure, she just knew that was where Adora was. The door was finally shoved open, Adora bursting through it with little regard to how hard she pushed it open. Her body seemed angry, like it was on the verge of a fight, but her face was calm and unbothered. “What’s wrong?” Catra finally said to Adora.
Adora spun towards the bed quickly from where she was standing over the desk, her hands already thumbing through the documents looking for something, “What?” Adora murmured faintly before focusing on Catra, “Oh,” Adora shook her head, “sorry, I was just looking for-” Adora dropped the paper she was holding and her entire demeanor changed.
Catra watched her move with curiosity. The way Adora was able to change her demeanor was fascinating, as if all she had to do was flip a switch. Adora moved towards her on instinct, her hand finding her check to cup her face. It was a loving touch, an unspoken promise between them. Catra almost forgot what she was going to ask Adora, the hypnotizing touch drawing her mind to other places, but she was determined, “I asked you,” Catra purred, “what was wrong. You’ve been off lately,” Catra told her.
Adora seemed more herself in this moment than she had been all week. The way her mouth twitches in a smile, the way her body relaxes against Catra’s and her fingers pet the base of her ears how she likes. This was her Adora, everything was perfect- except her eyes. Her bright blue eyes that Catra got lost in so often were shiny as usual, but there was the faintest red tinge to them, just around the edges.
Adora shifted so she could sit next to Catra on their bed, an arm instinctively wrapping around her waist. “I’m just tired, that’s all,” Adora tried to assure her. Her eyes close for a moment as she pulls Catra into a tighter embrace, she feels Adora release the breath she was holding as Catra wraps Adora in her arms as well.
Catra huffs a sigh and pulls away just enough to look at Adora’s face, her eyes don;t have the tinge of red anymore when she looks this time, “Are you sure? You’re just acting different,” she trails off, unsure how to explain what is different without outright accusing Adora of something- she doesn’t even know what. “Okay,” she lets out in defeat, choosing to cuddle with Adora rather than continue the conversation for now, she could bring it up later if she really needed to.
“This is all just so new,” Adora whispers after a moment of silence. Adora leans into Catra more, the softness of her fur is just as comforting as when they were children in the Fright Zone. “There’s just a lot of work to be done,” Adora grins, “and I’m still trying to figure out the whole ‘girlfriend’ thing too, Catra. It’s not just you,” Adora states.
Catra is put back, that was such an Adora thing to say, almost the most Adora thing she has said all week. Although they spent most of their free time together, romantic or platonic, the term ‘girlfriend’ was still alien to Catra. It was still very new to the both of them, and it sparked a plethora of emotions for Catra. Ranging from happiness to embarrassment, especially when Glimmer was the one taunting, Catra was still sorting it all out herself. “Girlfriend, huh?” Catra teased her, “I didn’t know you wanted to be so official,” she let out with a low chuckle. It had the effect she wanted, Adora’s face burned pink and her mouth opened in a stammer - now this was her Adora. Her bubbly, goofy, idiot, beautiful Adora.
If there was one thing Adora was good at, it was recovering. Her face may have given away her sudden reaction to Catra’s teasing, but she could still make Catra stammer too. Adora nudged Catra’s jaw up, pushing her nose into the crevice she’s created in Catra’s neck. A simple gesture of closeness, an innocent one as well- until Adora started to kiss on the taught skin there. The sensation made Catra jump, well at least it would have if Adora wasn’t holding Catra in place so harshly. The feeling of Adora’s lips on her skin pulsed electricity through her body every time it happened. It’s been a month since the war ended, since they kissed and saved the world. A month was a long time, and they did not waste it persee, but the proximity was still something to get used to, at least the sexual proximity.
Adora’s mouth continued to work, the skin on Catra’s neck already warm and bruising under her lips. Adora slowly worked her arm around Catra’s waist, pulling her towards her and eventually pulling her into her lap as she stayed attached to Catra’s jaw. Adora heard the hitch of Catra’s breathing, “Girlfriend,” Adora said in between her kisses, “my girlfriend,” she proclaimed again.
Maybe Catra had been wrong about Adora acting different. Maybe the difference was this . This being them, together, like this. Because this was an Adora that Catra hasn't really seen. This Adora was tender but possessive, really freaking possessive. She moved like she knew what she was doing (even though they both had absolutely no idea what to do- the horde didn’t teach sex ed okay?) but Adora still was so sure of every touch because every touch felt right. Maybe the thing that Catra thought was wrong with Adora is just Adora being her girlfriend rather than just her best friend, they were still best friends but they were both pretty so, ya know…
It was still strange to be like this with each other. The ferocity they shared was so fresh and intense, the tension was bound to explode when they both finally admitted their feelings. And ever since then, their relationship had become much more of a rollercoaster than they both had expected. They were both needed by Etheria to help rebuild their world, but they wanted each other just as bad. Even if this want was buried under several other necessities, it was still there and that wanting was becoming too big with Adora’s mouth on her neck still. The only thing Catra could do now was to give in to Adora, so she did.
…
Adora’s entire body was on fire. It had been for a week. That unreachable scratch in her head had turned into something else, something dark. Adora could not recognize it, could not stop it. Her mind was still her own, her body was her own, but her thoughts- her thoughts were accompanied by someone else’s. A nagging voice, but not a voice, something stronger and more compelling. It was a desire for something, Adora didn’t know what. It would be like she was watching herself from her own perspective, like she had some alterior motive to work towards but she didn’t know what.
When Catra brought up her strangeness she felt that pull again. Like someone else was guiding her body but she was still making the decisions. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to kiss Catra, be close to her. It was uncalled for, the sudden aggression she had, the sudden need to take Catra’s mind somewhere else. But she did it anyway because she wanted to. Adora decided this for herself, not someone else. There wasn’t something wrong with her, she was just adjusting to the new changes in her life. That must have been it.
Because there was no explanation for Adora’s behavior except that she just wanted Catra. It was that simple. She wanted Catra the way she wanted to rebuild Etheria, the way she wanted to bring magic back to the universe, the way she wanted Bow and Glimmer to be just as happy as she was with Catra, the way she wanted to find the runestones and connect their energy to She-Ra’s runestone-
Wait, what? That can’t be right- Adora thought. But the idea was quickly swept away when Catra’s lips finally met hers. Yeah, Adora wanted this.