*The poem used was favorite by Shane Koyczan
The big day. The alpha, the omega, the beginning and the end, all that was and all that will ever be, this was it. This was Catra and Adora's wedding day. She practiced her vows to near perfection, her suit was free of wrinkles for the first time ever. And all of their friends were there. There were a lot of people Adora didn't know and a lot of people Catra didn't know either. All that really mattered was that she was finally getting married, after twenty years, she was going to be married to the most beautiful and kind person she had ever met.
They were in the backyard of their first ever apartment. There was a kids plastic play set nearby the seats of the guests. It didn't really matter. The only ones dressed nicely were Catra, Adora, and the people that had to stand near the altar. One of those finely dressed people, unfortunately, was Shadow Weaver. She was with Adora inside the apartment, helping her get ready, even if she was reluctant.
Shadow Weaver looked much the same as always, the only difference being how much more regal she seemed to look now. After all, being around for two hundred years did give her time to get something fancy. Adora was wearing a red sleeveless dress that Perfuma had helped her pick out. Perfuma was outside waiting for the ceremony to be over, even if she would like it. Bow was running late, he had met up with a childhood friend that he found out was attending the same college as them. Adora was just silently watching Perfuma and Bow, they hadn't started dating even though they both kept dropping hints that they liked each other. Shadow Weaver was actually upset with Adora. When Adora had went to visit home to show off her wedding dress they had a little bit of a heated argument. Most of it consisting of Shadow Weaver being upset she wasn't brought along to help choose the dress. She already didn't want Adora to marry Catra, she wanted some kind of control.
"Your hair is very uncooperative today, maybe you shouldn't go out there. Your hair might stand up from the humidity." Shadow Weaver said, absently brushing Adora's hair as they waited for the right time. Adora and Catra had never been to a wedding, they weren't sure what went on. What they did know was that there was a best man, a priest, and the bride walks up to the groom, and at some point they say vows. After that they assumed there was dinner, because most occasions have dinner. Catra was outside waiting, she had assumed the role of the husband simply because she thought she looked much nicer in a suit than a dress. Adora agreed and that was that. "I think I see a rip in the dress, you don't want to look like a slob do you?" Adora ignored Shadow Weaver, instead looking at herself in the mirror. She knew she was making the right choice. She was ready to marry Catra, there was no one else she ever felt this way for before. Sure there had been a thing with Lonnie just the other year, but she never felt anything with her, not the way she did with Catra. Adora believed in soul mates, even she thought the idea was stupid, but she felt it was the right thing to think.
"Thank you for agreeing to walk me down the isle mom." Adora said, feeling Shadow Weavers hands brush against her hair at the roots. She could tell Shadow Weaver was fuming, just the entire setting of the day being enough to set her off. Surprisingly to Adora, she was keeping herself composed. She didn't know if it was because of actual respect or because there were more people there today and didn't want to embarrass herself or do something that might actually damage her image. She actually felt it getting harder to call Shadow Weaver mom. When Adora announced that Catra proposed and she said yes, something changed in Shadow Weaver. Made her start treating Adora like a child again. "And my hair and dress are fine."
Adora shivered at the touch of Shadow Weavers hand going to the side of her head. She had gotten a haircut the other week to look nice and to try out the style. "I wish you didn't cut your hair. You had such beautiful hair." Shadow Weaver said, her touch lingering on the sides of Adora's head too long to be comfortable. Adora bent her neck to scratch her shoulder with her cheek, effectively moving Shadow Weaver's hands away. Unfortunately Shadow Weavers hands only found themselves resting on Adora's shoulders. "You know I don't approve." Shadow Weaver said, reaffirming the statement for the hundredth time into Adora's skull. "You could walk away now and make me much happier. Don't you want to make your mother happy?" Shadow Weaver said, her words escaping with sweet venom laced around every word.
"Everything will be fine mom." Adora said, shrugging her shoulders in an attempt to remove Shadow Weaver's hands. "I don't have any doubts, this is what I want." Adora said, leaning in to look in the mirror in front of her. She knew she didn't have to, part of her luck was that she didn't get pimples or zits or anything of the sort. It was weird, she thought, to never need to deal with that, or ever even consider how she looked seriously. Adora raised her hand to reach the hair pin on the table ahead of them.
"Let me dear." Shadow Weaver said, pushing Adora's shoulder back down before reaching for the pin herself. She didn't bring it to Adora's hair. Instead she held it up for a moment, bringing it in front of Adora's face so she was looking directly at the pin. "You know, if you ever have any regrets," Shadow Weaver said, the hairpin enveloped by a slow moving darkness that trailed like smoke yet seemed to have ribbons hang off the edges. "you can always come to me, and I'll make everything better." Adora could tell what Shadow Weaver was doing, she had done it plenty of times before today. At first comments like that seemed positive, like Shadow Weaver would always be there if things didn't work out. Adora had heard the tone of her voice as she offered one too many times a while ago. The little supportive motherly love statements now seeming like threats. Threats that implied that Adora would never leave Shadow Weaver, that even being married wouldn't get rid of her.
"I'm still going to visit. It's not like I have to stop talking to you just because I get married." Adora said, trying to wear a smile. She would have a genuine one soon, when she left the room and walked towards Catra, Shadow Weavers arm around her, and her friends watching. It was getting harder to smile around Shadow Weaver now that she was older, little things here and there just not adding up with the way She acted.
"No, maybe not, if it was someone else." Shadow Weaver said, placing the pin in Adora's hair. Adora's hair rolled up into a bun while she wore her dress made her look lovely, even Shadow Weaver couldn't deny it as she looked in the mirror at the two of them. "I really liked that Lonnie girl. It's such a shame things didn't work out between you two. I much would have preferred her to your sister."
Adora flinched slightly as Shadow Weaver called Catra that. Shadow Weaver never called Catra her sister. She had only recently started doing it in an obvious attempt to keep Adora from going through with the wedding. Shadow Weaver didn't even consider Catra as her kid, and growing up had hated the insinuation that Catra was related to Adora in any way. Even when Adora was in school and Shadow Weaver was called by a teacher because of an issue of her two daughters. Rather than focusing on Catra being the one to blame, she would instead focus on the fact that they weren't sisters. If anything, Catra was just a kid who had to be in the neighborhood. Catra stayed in the same house as Adora when they were kids, but after Catra turned ten, or around then, Shadow Weaver started having people keep her overnight just to keep her out of the house. She had tried keeping Catra out of the house as a kid too, hoping that she wouldn't be in trouble with authorities. Catra always found her way through Adora's window and slept with her. The thought that now of all times, Shadow Weaver was willing to call Catra her sister was appalling. It made Adora realize that Shadow Weaver's hatred for Catra was more than her pride.
"It's a good thing I'm marrying Catra then." Adora said, standing up from her stool. She was perfect. Shadow Weaver turned Adora around and dropped the veil around Adora's head, lifting it to see Adora one more time before she was married. Adora was taller than Shadow Weaver now. Almost eight feet when standing straight. Shadow Weaver stood short of Adora by just a few inches. Adora was shocked as Shadow Weavers hands came back down.
Shadow Weavers hands slowly fell onto her own mask. Slowly lowering from her face. Adora wanted to vomit at the sight. Shadow Weaver was such a terrible sight to look at, her grey skin looking dead and her scars never fully healing and always seeming as if they were bleeding. Adora maintained her posture and smile, doing her best to not offend Shadow Weaver in such a way. She still had the features that made her look like a being, but among the horrific changes of her face, they were hard to see at first glance. "I know," Shadow weaver started, Adora's eyes focusing on the more human features of a mouth and eyes. "that I've put my happiness first. But I've only ever wanted you to reach your full potential. You know how I feel about Catra. If it wasn't for her you could be exploring the stars right now." Adora's focus on Shadow Weavers mouth led her to see that what she saw as a mouth might have been a gash that moved. There was seemingly another place on Shadow Weaver's face that moved as she spoke. "But if you're sure you want to marry her. I guess I'm going to have to walk down the isle with you wont I?" Shadow weaver said with a grin, or at least, what Adora thought was a grin. The deep bloody lines moving as a contorted grin formed.
"Thanks mom." Adora said as she leaned down to hug Shadow Weaver. More relieved that she no longer was looking at her face than whatever it was she was talking about. She was sure there was a good five minutes between the short speech that she missed because she was so distracted. Shadow Weaver was always cold to the touch for some reason.
Shadow Weaver walked down the isle with Adora in tow, her her steps loud on the ground to make people know she didn't like this. Catra stood upright, back straight, hands held at her belly button, shoulders back. It was hard to stand this way but she looked the most presentable this way. There wasn't any music. They had decided it should be a quiet event, their lives were already filled with a lot of music and instruments. Shadow Weaver let go of Adora and walked off to the side. Adora was standing in front of Catra now, her veil was too see through to block out Adora's face. The only thing Adora would have to do if she didn't want Catra to see her face was look up, but they were staring right at each other. Rogelio cleared his throat and got the ceremony started. He rambled off for a while, reading and teaching before the wedding vows. Rogelio wasn't an actual priest, but he got a wedding license or something at city hall just for this. He had taken a class and that was that, they needed someone to make the wedding official. Although, he was just skimming everything, even the vows. Catra and Adora decided they wanted to just get this part over with, they weren't exactly religious. They would have just got married at city hall and have it be done with, but Adora wanted the ceremony.
"Do you Catra, take Adora, to be your wife?" Rogelio said, bored about this whole thing, he wasn't a fan of weddings.
"I do." Catra said. Waiting for the moment Rogelio said the words and Catra could have her first kiss with her wife.
"Do you Adora, take Catra, to be your wife?"
"I do." Adora said, wondering where Catra got the suit. She hadn't seen it before, Catra had worn suits before but she hadn't seen this one.
"You may kiss the bride." Rogelio said.
Catra practically launched herself off the ground to pull off Adora's veil and kiss her. They both were smiling, Catra thought it was a good sign, they both were happy this happened. Adora practically crushed Catra as she hugged her wife close. There were whoops and hollers to the side. Their small group of friends being happy for them. They didn't hear anyone crying either, just people being happy. Catra was glad about that, she didn't think she could stand having a crying person at their wedding.
"And because I forgot entirely," Rogelio started, interrupting the married couple. "you can now say vows of your own if you've written any."
This was embarrassing, that their own wedding was messed up somehow by Rogelio. She kind of thanked him for it, it only meant that Catra got married a few minutes sooner. Adora was perfectly fine with the mistake, she wore a smile that stretched from cheek to cheek on her face. She was married, nothing could ruin this. She didn't have any specially made vows to say, but Catra did. Adora had seen Catra slaving over it more than any song in the past few months. She only decided it was done around a week or two ago, and immediately started memorizing the thing. Adora knew it would be sweet, that it would be the best thing she ever heard, something she would never come up with, she was bad with words after all. She was studying mushrooms in biology, not art, literature, or music theory like Catra.
*Catra lowered herself and cleared her throat. She didn't show that she was embarrassed in the slightest, even if a certain dark figure in the background noticed and showed her embarrassment, face in hand. "Adora, when I play favourites, you always win. Champion of my now and every moment after, you, are my favourite. Since the moment we met, since the instant your welcome invasion first set foot in the unclaimed territory of my heart, full moon, perfect circle, I end where you start, you, are my favourite." Adora was right, Catra was already blowing her away. She hadn't expected a poem, she expected a story. Catra hadn't written poetry since high school, and even though she was good at it she said she didn't like it that much. "It is not a position that warrants a trophy. There will be no prize money. You will not be hoisted upon the shoulders of others and paraded around town like the spy that leaked the caramel secret to a sweet toothed public. But you will be loved." Catra continued, everything was going perfectly. Adora was here, she was here, they were married, and the things she said only made the smile on Adora's face grow. It was a nice day, hardly any wind. Their friends were here, and so was Kyle. Shadow Weaver had shut up long enough to let this happen peacefully. It was the best day of Catra's life. "It doesn't sound like much, to be put before pictures of sunsets, and playing with yarn. But I put you before hand holding, I put you before kisses, before I like you turned into I love you. Before the moment I knew you loved me too, you are before everything in the long line of everything that brings be joy. You are first, you are water to my thirst. You, are my favourite. Please, sit in my sky, and let me polish your shine."
Hey, I have relatives staying in my room, so my laptop isn't on my desk. Also my laptop doesn't want to charge, at all really. So that's frustrating. So please review, tell me what you thought. Comments are amazing. And Catra will be adopting a kid soon, don't worry. And I have a plan to make all of you cry without any angst. I will make at least some of you cry with how fluffy I make one of the future chapters, and I'll tell you which one. So if you do cry, tell me.