Chapter Text
Adora is starting to get a little concerned about Glimmer. She’s not sure she’s ever seen her this agitated, especially over an ex. She knows that Catra was a big part of Bow and Glimmer’s life and that she and Glimmer had a bad break up. That's it.
"I can't believe she'd just move back here after all this time!" Glimmer stomps about like a small angry wildebeest and Adora watches like a documentary narrator, eyes cautiously following her volatile friend. "After everything!" She tamps her foot again.
Adora sighs. Another perfectly functional carpet, subjected to the wrath of Glimmer Moon.
After taking a moment to mourn the fuzzy floor she dares to make eye contact with Glimmer. "Um what everything?" Adora asks slowly. She's heard the name before, but she can't quite place it with the story.
Glimmer's anger looks out of place in the pastel colors and open concept of the flat. She looks over at her, rage momentarily stalling her rampage through her own apartment. "That's right you've never met Catra before."
Adora rolls her eyes. It's patently obvious she's never met Catra before, the other woman hadn't stepped foot in Elberon since well before Adora moved there.
"I didn't go to Elbie High with you Glim. Or BMU for that matter." She points out unnecessarily.
"That's right, you FZ undergrad. Catra went to FZ for grad school." She adds the second part absentmindedly. "Sometimes it just feels like you've always been here with us."
"It feels like that for me too." She agrees softly. The moment she met Glimmer and Bow at one of Mystacor’s family picnic events, everything just clicked into place for her here in Elberon. She's really found a home since her job transfer went through. She feels connected to the great local community, with a raise and good friends. She really doesn't need much else.
Glimmer's face tightens again. "Anyways. Just know that you should steer fucking clear of Catra and all her drama bullshit." She starts pacing again face once again full of stern tense lines.
"What did Catra do, Glimmer?" She asks cautiously as she runs a finger along the rim of her water glass.
Adora's curious but it's more than that. Glimmer could be a bit bombastic at the worst of times but nothing like this. Hell, she gets brunch on a semi-regular basis with her other ex. She can't imagine why Catra is so different from how she treats Mermista.
Glimmer loses some steam at the question. "Things ended badly. I don't really want to get into it right now." Her face looks sad for a moment, a pang of something deep and desolate there.
Adora is all sympathy. "Alright. I'm here if you wanna chat."
Glimmer nods but it doesn't look particularly enthusiastic. Adora might have to get some details from Bow given how cagey Glimmer is about the whole thing.
"And stay away from Catra." She reminds sternly.
Adora rolls her eyes. "Yes, mom." She doubts it would be difficult. Elberon’s a small town but not that small.
Glimmer slaps a hand to her face. "Ugh, I hadn’t even thought about my mom! What if mom invites her for dinner or something." She groans looking up at the ceiling.
"That seems like a lot for an old ex." She raises an eyebrow.
Angella is a polite and gracious host, but Adora's been friends with Glimmer for five years and she's only been invited to something by Angella a handful of times.
"Ugh, you know how mom is. She'll probably say it's good hosting or whatever. She always had a soft spot for Catra." For a second that lonely kind of sadness crosses her face again before stretching into an upset expression.
Adora gives Glimmer a hard stare. "Look, just talk to Angella about it and tell her you don't want to see your ex. And then just ignore her. It's really not that hard Glim." She points out. The whole thing seems a little ridiculous.
"Easy for you to say. You don’t know Catra. She just has this way of getting under your skin. It’s so irritating." She spits out, eyes flashing with memories.
"Well, you also won't tell me." Adora rolls her eyes. She doesn’t understand how Glimmer can be this upset and this vague at the same time.
"It's in the past." She dismisses.
"Is it in the past if it makes you feel like this?" She worries aloud. How does Glimmer not see the issue when she's so wound up about it?
They never talked about it and Adora didn't think much of it—I mean who wanted to talk about their ex anyways? But now seeing how stressed Glimmer was about this woman moving into town, she wonders if maybe there's more there that her friends haven’t bothered to tell her.
"Catra and I... it brings up a lot that I'd rather forget." She admits. "And if it's all the same to you I'd just rather not run into her and not talk about her as much as possible."
"Of course, Glim." Adora tamps down her curiosity. It isn't her business anyways.
She forgets about that whole conversation until Glimmer brings up the woman again over their regular Saturday brunch.
She's making the same angry face as she was in the apartment just staring at her phone this time. "Mom set up teatime with Catra. Just perfect."
Bow rolls his eyes. Adora guesses he's been getting the same fire breathing routine she has, only worse since they live together. "You knew Angella was going to do that the moment we found out from Lonnie that Catra was moving back home. She isn't a bad person, Glim. Things just ... happened." A look of guilt flashes across his face.
"Yeah yeah I know." Glimmer looks slightly embarrassed by her outburst. "Look I'm going to get our pizza." She walks quickly for a girl who's so short.
Adora leans forward, taking the opportunity to speak with Bow with both hands. "Do you want to tell me what's up with the mystery ex?" She whispers rapidly, one eye on Glimmer at the counter on the other side of the pizza joint.
Bow looks at her too then back at Adora as he bites his lip. "It's complicated. We were all friends together ever since middle school."
Adora’s eyes widen at that. "Really?" She hadn't realized they'd been friends for so long.
He nods, a solemn look on his face. "Yeah. The three of us were inseparable. Then Glim and Catra started dating." Bow winces. "It was a weird time for us, but we were still close and we were at BMU when—" Bow's mouth snaps shut as Glimmer returns with the pizza.
The look he sends Adora screams that he doesn't want to get into it in front of Glimmer. Adora keeps her mouth shut but she has more questions than answers by the time brunch finishes.
Adora loves all her friends but sometimes it's weird being the single friend. Almost all of her friends are in serious relationships and she ends up being the third or fifth or seventh wheel. So sometimes, like tonight, so she comes to a local dive bar to decompress from the work week and have her own time. It's a pastime she'd picked up ever since her time in college. No one bothers you unless you want to be bothered and the drinks are cheap.
"Hey Huntara." She greets as she leans over the bar. Huntara grunts as she sets a beer in front of her. There was a time when she would have rolled over to have the giantess's attention, but she got over the crush on the older woman. "How’ve you been?"
She leans over on the counter with a slight smile, polishing a glass. "I can't complain kid. Business is good and KitKat is here today which is always a fun time." She waggles her eyebrows.
"KitKat?" Adora asks with the tilt of her head. She doesn’t know everyone in town but she knows most of the people who frequent the Waste given that it’s her favorite bar.
Huntara nudges her chin to the other side of the bar and Adora looks. A woman with legs for days wearing a leather jacket and combat boots is nursing a drink at the far end of the bar. Adora grins. This isn't what she was thinking of when she came out tonight but she's feeling adventurous tonight.
"Is she here alone?" Adora can't help but ask, eyes glued to her frame. The woman glances over for a moment, eye passing over Huntara and then trailing over Adora. She can’t help but shoot her a smile, trying to prolong eye contact. She indulges Adora for a moment with the amused quirk of a brow but then she’s looking down at her phone and nursing her drink again.
"Oh yeah, she's alone and single as far as I can tell," Huntara whispers conspiratorially, humor dancing in her eyes. She's not sure who KitKat is, but Huntara seems happier than usual tonight after seeing her.
Adora’s smile widens. "Can you send her one of whatever she's drinking?"
Huntara gives a tough slap to Adora’s shoulder. "You got it, kid." She quickly makes a mixed drink with dark rum and something else before garnishing it with a lime. She raises her eyebrow at that. She's never seen Huntara make a mixed drink before. The woman shoots Adora a glare when she notices the way she's looking at the drink,
She watches as Huntara lumbers over and places a drink in front of the woman. With a loud, "here you go KitKat! It's from blondie."
She watches the brunette look over at Adora again. Adora sends her a smile and leans against the bar top flexing her arms. Like clockwork, the brunette’s eyes drop down to Adora’s arms and torso before she looks back up. She gets up and walks over to Adora.
"You make it a habit to pick up girls in Huntara's bar?" She asks as she sits across from Adora, crossing her legs.
Adora hasn't really thought this far ahead, but she tries to be smooth. "No, but I thought tonight might be a special exception. "
Her lips twitch. "Yeah? What's so special about it?" The tip of her boot makes a soft thud as it makes contact with the bar stool.
"You're here obviously."
She crosses her arms across her chest, causing Adora’s eyes to drift down. "And who says I'm not a regular?"
"I would've remembered you if I saw you here before." She's absolutely certain of that.
She leans forward, her leg brushing against Adora’s. "Really blondie?" She looks amused like she's in on a secret that Adora couldn't hope to decipher. "You sure you've never seen me?"
She doesn’t even have to think about it. Adora’s absolutely sure she would remember this woman if she’d ever run into her. "No." She grins cockily. "I'd like to see more of you though." She knows the delivery lacks finesse but she's trying to find a bedmate for the night, not her soul mate.
The woman, KitKat, whoever she is, laughs in her face. "Does that usually work for you?" She seems genuinely curious.
"First time for everything?" She laughs, feeling embarrassment slowly trickle in. Adora’s a planner, it's why she has a relatively high success rate on dating apps. Being spontaneous out on the town? It's a little out of her wheelhouse.
"Yeah, blondie there is a first time for everything." She agrees as she reaches out and touches Adora’s arm. The spot where her fingers graze feels like it’s on fire. The woman gets close, her lips just inches from Adora’s. She can't help but look down that the cute cupid’s bow she has, dying for a taste.
Adora takes a chance, her hand reaching up to cup the shorter woman's face. Adora slowly leans in but waits, letting the woman finish closing the distance. She tastes bitter like liquor and lime but Adora moans into the kiss anyway. She's not sure if it's just been a while but Adora thinks she's a great kisser.
The kiss quickly turns heated, and Adora is deeply glad it's a Tuesday and no one else really frequents the bar. Adora drops kisses down her jaw worrying the skin lightly, careful to not leave marks. Adora is nothing if not considerate. She feels a giddy well in her stomach, the rush of being desired by an incredibly desirable woman.
"My place or yours?" The woman asks breathlessly, her eyes roving down Adora’s frame, hand now clutching her bicep.
"Mine." Adora bites out returning her lips to the delicate skin, kissing her way down her neck. She wants to have the memories of this woman in her bed and wants access to all her toys in case the mood strikes.
"Alright, then blondie. Make it worth my while." She all but orders as she waves to Huntara for the tab.
Adora smirks, more than happy to rise to the challenge.
The fifteen minutes it takes to get from the bar to Adora’s apartment are the longest of her entire life. Once she finishes fiddling with the key and gets the door open, she all but carries the lighter woman in, quickly directing her to the bedroom.
She presses the woman lightly into the wall opposite her bed, hoping she hasn’t left anything embarrassing out to be noticed. She hadn’t exactly planned for company to come over when she went out tonight.
Adora tries to maneuver the woman out of the jacket, but the damn thing seems skin-tight, refusing to budge. She hears a low throaty laugh up against her ears as she struggles with the leather jacket. "Impatient are we princess?"
"I'm not a princess." Adora huffs a laugh as she tosses her own shirt over her head, leaving her naked from the waist up.
The other woman stops and stares for a moment, getting an eyeful of Adora’s tits. "You're pretty like a princess." She responds flippantly, but something in her face softens as she trails a finger across Adora's lips.
Adora is half naked and halfway into this girl's pants but suddenly she feels like a schoolgirl. "You're beautiful." She states simply in return.
For a moment, the woman looks flustered, her eyes widen and Adora notices that they are very different colors. There's just something about her that leaves Adora feeling like she's been punched in the gut.
Her face turns into a slow smirk as she takes a step forward, pressing one hand onto Adora’s torso between her tits. Adora doesn't realize it, but the other woman slowly backs her up until Adora's legs are pressed against the bed. She then lightly shoves her, and Adora ends up sprawled on her back.
She feels a little indignant at being directed in her own room. This is her bed, Adora does the leading around here. Her thoughts must show on her face because the other woman's lips twitch in amusement.
"How about this? You're not a princess.” She acknowledges as she lazily rubs circles on Adora’s nipples, making her cry out. “But tonight? You're my princess."
Adora's knees are jelly as she looks up at the smirking woman, her hands grazing Adora's knees as she waits for her decision.
It isn't even a question.
"I'd really love that." She breathes. Adora lays back knowing she's about to get way more than she bargained for when she picked up this absolute bombshell at the bar.
By the time they're done both of them are sweating and Adora could swear that she'd seen more than just the stars in the sky.
She immediately drifts off, so glad she’d ended up in the Waste for a drink that night.
She wakes up a few hours later a little disoriented and plenty sore. It's still dark in her apartment, and when she blearily looks at her alarm clock it says it's four in the morning.
The gorgeous brunette is still there looking like a living dream. She’s shifting about as well, eyes opening and closing rapidly as she turns away from the open bedroom window.
Adora isn’t sure how someone can look so good just as they wake up. She takes a moment to stare at the moonlight playing across the valley between her boobs the cute little belly button and then those gorgeous thighs.
She's laying back on Adora's bed in a careless way like it's the hundredth night she's spent there, not the first. Adora can't say she minds the look. She ignores the thought, shaking herself a little.
Her bedmate turns over onto her belly and eyes Adora lazily. Adora can’t resist, rolling over so that she’s up on her knees, hands on the woman’s sides.
"So, what did you say your name was again?" Adora asks as she drops soft kisses down the woman's back.
She smiles as she nuzzles into the pillow, stretching under Adora’s careful touch. "I didn't say." She murmurs back.
"Mind sharing with the class now?" She prompts. She got so swept up in their chemistry and the absolutely devastating way this woman had about the sheets, that she forgot to ask. For a while when she laid claim to Adora’s thighs, she barely remembered her own name.
"Catra." She sighs as Adora lingers between her shoulder blades.
Adora freezes her lips inches from Catra’s skin, still feeling the heat there. She pulls back, feeling the blood rushing from her face. She's so screwed.
"That's a unique name," Adora notes, placing her hands on either side of her.
"Yeah, it is." She agrees, turning over on her side so she can look at Adora head-on.
"Um, have you ever lived here in Elberon before?" She asks shyly hoping desperately that the answer is no, that this is the first time she ever stepped foot in the town. Maybe it could be a coincidence. There could be more than one Catra, right?
Her grin grows wider and she looks back at Adora. "Yeah. Went to high school here, a bit of a local. Left for BMU then went to the FZ for grad school. Figured it was time to come back home." She says with a shrug.
Fuck fuck fuck. She'd just fucked Glimmer's ex. Fuck.
"Oh." She says dumbly still staring as her mind tries to catch up with the mess she’s just made—not only of her bed but of her whole life. Catra’s on her back now and Adora’s having a hard time processing this new information and trying not to look down at her naked torso.
Catra tugs Adora’s arm and she slips, her body crashing onto Catra's pressed together. Adora can't help the sound she makes as she feels Catra’s naked body beneath her own looking at her mischievous eyes. Her hand trails down Adora's back grabbing her ass and pulling her flush against her.
"I have a few hours before I have to get out of your hair. Want to go again, princess?" She murmurs into her ear.
Adora rests her head on the pillow next to Catra’s head, indecision tearing through her. She wanted to. God did she want. But this is probably a terrible idea. Slowly but surely, the little voice that makes up her conscience drowns in the face of the feeling of Catra’s nails digging into her ass and her hot breath on her ear. She locks lips with Catra, knowing full well who she is and what she’s planning on doing to her.
One more time couldn't hurt, could it?
It turns out that it could hurt a lot.
Catra casually pulled all her clothes on with a quick “catch you later,” over her shoulder in the morning, looking as gorgeous in the light of day as she did in the dead of night.
Meanwhile, Adora spent the next three days with her head in the clouds as she thinks of Catra’s head between her thighs. She thinks she might be ruined for other women which is a damn shame because she can't possibly sleep with her again, not when she knows now that she's Glimmer's ex.
She has to wash her sheets and pillow casings to get the smell of sex and Catra out, but it does nothing to dampen the memory of her lips and her voice, the way her body moved under and above Adora. It's constantly on the edges of her mind to the point where she thinks that she has to be overhyping the experience. It couldn't be as good as she remembered.
For what feels like the twelfth time that day, Adora groans to herself, cursing her terrible luck.
"What's up with you?" Glimmer eyes her with concern as she sits down at the diner with Bow in tow.
Adora tightens up like a string, eyes wide as she takes in her friend. She's back at brunch except this week, she wants nothing to do with questions. "Nothing just stressed at work." It's a believable excuse, Adora gets too absorbed with her work projects at the best of times.
"Well, you should loosen up, being that serious about work will give you a heart attack one of these days." Adora feels the guilt bubbling in her gut as she takes in Glimmer’s concerned expression.
She ignores all her feelings, swallowing them. "I mean doing HR for a tech firm might not seem high stress, but it is!" She insists. She knows a lot of people see her HR position as lesser, but she usually had her plate full.
"No, no! No human resources tirade today!" Glimmer laughs. "So, what's going on at Mystacor that’s got you like this?"
Adora freezes, forgetting her lie for a moment. "Nothing big just you know a lot of tiny things. Boring really." She nods her head aggressively. The couple shares a look but neither of them says anything.
"What's up with both of you?" Adora asks instead.
Bow launches into another story of his boat repairs with Sea Hawk and that gets her through the rest of lunch without thinking about Catra.
By the time she gets home she kicks off her shoes and lays down. As if possessed by magic, all she sees when she closes her eyes are wild dark curls and a wicked grin.
She groans loudly and for a wild moment, she considers just giving in and touching herself while thinking of Catra. Of her soft curves and sinful tongue and the way she’d asked Adora to be her princess of all fucking things. But instead, she turns on her side, placing her hands under her pillow and keeping her eyes stubbornly shut.
It's just attraction. It'll go away and Adora will forget all about her and she won’t have to worry about it anymore.