Days turned into weeks and Adora found she had finally stopped finding Catra so insufferable. Over that time, Catra had agreed to hang out with Bow, Glimmer, and herself four times. Once, for a beach trip where Catra sent Glimmer the wrong address and then when she showed up late, continued to call her Sparkles all afternoon. Adora was surprised Glimmer hadn't tried to knock her out.
The second, was after a show on a Saturday night. Adora hadn't realized how packed the floor could be and her and Glimmer had found themselves stuffed between bar goers trying the ask the pair out. Catra had ignored Adora completely until they were outside of the bar and away from Scorpia, which had caused a lovely fight in front of Bow and Glimmer who watched, entertained, while the two bickered. "I'm not a ghost, she knows I'm there!"
"So? I shouldn't talk to you. It's going to hurt her feelings."
"You're talking to me now."
"It's different," Catra groaned.
"I'm supposed to be your friend. Let me be your friend."
"Just leave me alone Adora," Catra said, fed up. She had left them after that and Adora had spent the rest of the night in a huff, almost calming down when Catra sent her a text saying, "I'm sorry" just to have it quickly followed by another text saying "…that you're too insecure to be WRONG" and Adora went back to being huffy. Bow seemed to think it was all going to work out and called the four of them the "New Best Friend Squad". Adora and Glimmer called him crazy.
The third time they hung out, it was getting chilly outside and Catra had randomly reached out to Adora to get a drink at the Black Garnet. It went surprisingly well until Catra told her she was going to try to get Scorpia back and Adora couldn't find a single thing to reply with. Catra, taking Adora's silence to mean she disagreed, asked Adora to be on her side for once. She had tried to leave and Adora stopped her and told her she was always going to be on her side. Looking back on that night, Adora decided that maybe it wasn't so bad of an evening.
Tonight, Adora and Glimmer sat in their new apartment, blasting music and enjoying their newfound freedom. Catra was lying on their used couch they had pulled off the street and shuffled through their spotify. "Who's playlist is this?" Catra asked finally. Glimmer raised her hand excitedly and Catra grunted. "Hm, shocker." Glimmer dropped her hand and Adora giggled.
"Adora and I have very similar playlists," Glimmer said casually, shrugging to Catra.
"I taught Adora good music, so I doubt that," Catra shot back. Glimmer grumbled something under her breath. Catra winked at Adora who shook her head at her. Catra smirked.
"So how are things going with Scorpia?" Glimmer said innocently, batting her eyes at her "friend". Catra didn't give her the satisfaction of changing her expression.
"She doesn't want to talk to me," Catra said, keeping her voice even but still making Glimmer's defiant expression fade slightly. "Not yet anyways," She added, "Hey! Wait.. No!" Adora watched Glimmer reach around Catra and pull her into an awkward hug. Catra tried to resist, pushing Glimmer away but she ignored her.
"You need a hug," Glimmer laughed, holding Catra while she tried to escape.
"Adora, help me! She's attacking me!"
Adora watched them fondly, not bothering to move in the slightest and saw Catra finally give in, allowing Glimmer to hug her tightly. Catra met Adora's eyes and smiled back softly. It was then that Adora thought maybe, just maybe, Catra wasn't as insufferable as she seemed.
Adora had had to return to Angella's house that afternoon to grab a few things and reluctantly left Catra and Glimmer to their own devices, hoping neither would shed blood before she returned.
Angella was sitting on the couch, reading a book when Adora walked in. "Oh," Adora said, not expecting to see her mother home at all, "Who's watching the store?"
"Oh, I closed for the day," Angella blushed. Adora furrowed her brow and then caught a glimpse of the calendar on the wall to her left. She felt her heart sink. It was the 9th of October, 2 days until the anniversary of her father's death.
"I'm sorry, I should have been home," Adora said, feeling genuinely sad for not being here for her mother. Angella waved a hand and shook her head, returning to her book. No big deal. Adora joined her, sitting on the other end of the couch and tucking her feet under her, getting comfy. Angella looked surprised.
"I haven't seen you sit on this couch since you were what? 17? I'm not even sure I saw you do it then," Angella laughed. Adora's cheeks went hot and she looked away from her mother. The issue, which Adora had discovered after her father passed, was that she couldn't find it in her to sit still without feeling like she too was dying. Especially when she was sitting next to Angella who's heartbreak seemed deafening in the silence between them. Sitting here now though, Adora found herself at ease. She wondered when that had happened.
"Remember when you and Micah used to go out back with little sticks and you'd draw in the mud and pretend you were having a magic fight?" Angella asked, smiling at the memory.
"You would get so mad at us for ruining the lawn," Adora chuckled.
"Yes, I suppose I would," Angella blushed, her smile fading a little, "I remember you drew this elaborate design once with a stick, and your father came in and brought me out and we thought wow our little girl is an artist." Adora grinned. "Of course, then you told us it was a hex? And that we were all going to start sneezing magic… you were a rather odd child." Angella looked over at Adora worriedly, but then the pair broke out in laughter.
"Are you going to be okay here by yourself?" Adora asked finally, once they had both calmed down. Angella chuckled again.
"Yes dear, I will be fine. I know what you think. That I can't be alone and probably spent every day crying while you were in New York. I know that but honestly, Adora, I am a lot stronger than people think."
"I think you are plenty strong," Adora said, "And brave, too." She reached up and grabbed her mother's hand, squeezing it tightly. Angella looked startled at her daughter but squeezed back, relaxing once again. The two continued to talk, sharing more stories about Micah and feeling his presence in their memories. Adora had always had such a hard time discussing her feelings about his death but when it came to his memories, she had so many she wished to hold on to. She felt Angella felt the same and felt a small connection to her mother. When it was time to go, they hugged goodbye and Adora promised to see her at the store in the morning.
Adora walked back to her apartment, still not having access to a car and deciding she'd grab the things she needed another day. The air was cold and bit at her cheeks but Adora enjoyed it nonetheless. She wanted to feel something, anything. She could remember sitting in group therapy at 15 with Catra next to her looking defeated. The therapist Dr. Hordak had tried and failed yet again to get Catra to open up even a little bit. At the time, Adora had thought it was a smart idea. Never talk and no one would have to deal with it but me. Now though, Adora felt differently. She wondered if Catra did as well.
She found out two days later when she went to visit her father's grave. She had been sitting alone, talking with him and providing new flowers. Angella and her had always liked to go separately so they could have time just the two of them. Today though, Adora heard footsteps behind her and wondered if she had her times confused. She turned to Angella but found Catra standing there instead.
She had her hands in her pockets and looked awkwardly at Adora, biting at her lip. Adora must have looked stunned. Catra seemed to take that as a no go and moved to step back but Adora reached out a hand instinctively. Catra did a double take, hesitated, and took it, joining Adora on the ground. They sat next to each other in front of Micah, neither saying anything. Both just being there for each other in this moment. Adora found there were no words to describe her emotions for the friend beside her. Instead, she leaned over and laid her head on Catra's shoulder. Catra wrapped her arm around her and held Adora, rubbing her arm softly. With a moment of pure emotional relief, Adora started to cry, and heard Catra whisper ever so softly that it was all going to be okay.