Adora walked quickly through the airport, with Glimmer running to keep up behind her. She could hear Glimmer heavy breathing but Adora just kept walking. She was too excited. They were finally here in New York. It had been 5 weeks of short phone calls and late night facetimes and Adora couldn't wait to wrap her arms around her girlfriend. Even still, she wouldn't be able to see Catra until tonight since the show was in a few hours. Still, she power walked through the airport, keeping her eyes peeled. Glimmer yelled behind her and she slowed her pace a minuscule amount so her friend could catch up. Finally, Adora's eyes settled on a tall blonde who was wearing pink platform sneakers and a bright floral dress. Another woman was beside her with a long dark braid wrapped around her shoulders. This girl was dressed almost entirely in black but with large blue wave earrings and massive headphones. She looked incredibly bored until her eyes met Adora's.
"Adora!" The girl cried out. The blonde jumped and followed the other's gaze. Suddenly they were all running towards each other, screaming with glee.
"Ahh!" The blonde wrapped Adora up in a big hug and lifted her off the ground. Adora yelped in surprise at her friend's strength and started chuckling.
"Perfuma!" Adora said fondly, eyeing the blonde. The other gave her a small smile. "Mermista," Adora continued, pushing past Perfuma to wrap the other in an equally large hug. Mermista groaned but otherwise didn't pull away. Glimmer was catching her breath but eyed the pair with shocked eyes as she approached.
"Oh wow Adora," Glimmer was shaking her head, "This is how your art friend's dress and you still chose to wear khakis?" The whole group laughed and Adora blushed, giving a shrug. Perfuma gave Glimmer kind eyes and pulled her too into a hug as well.
"You must be Glimmer," Perfuma said happily. Glimmer accepted the hug, still looking confused at the three of them. Mermista gave her a brief "hey" before focusing her attention back on her music. Adora and Glimmer followed the pair out of the airport, their chatter flowing naturally.
Perfuma and Mermista led them out and into a cab heading back to their place. Adora tried to keep her jealousy at bay as she listened to everything the girls were up to. They seemed to be extremely busy and trying to keep everything in order between painting schedules and art orders and helping run the museum. "You wouldn't believe some of the art these students have put out. It's wonderful," Perfuma was holding one hand in the other and looking adoringly off into the distance. Mermista gave a curt nod.
"They're fine. We were better," She added, giving Adora and Glimmer a wink.
The cab pulled up to a large brick building and the pair led the traveler's up to their tiny apartment. Adora's mouth hung open when they walked through the door. It was much smaller than Adora and Glimmer's and everything the pair owned was stacked into piles to keep the space, but the window was what caught Adora's eye. She walked to it instantly to admire their view of Brooklyn. Her heart raced as her eyes fell to the student art museum just a few streets over. Mermista joined her, following her gaze.
"We're renting out a space above it for our painting studio. We get a break on rent since we both work there. I'm moving more towards digital art now but it's nice to have the space anyways."
Adora nodded silently, her arms crossed, and her lips pressed tightly. Mermista placed a hand on Adora's shoulder and Adora jumped. "There's room for another if you ever wanted to join us. It'd be great to split the rent between three people instead of two," Mermista gave her a soft smile. Adora stiffened.
"I can't," She said simply. Mermista furrowed her brows but didn't question further. Instead, she pulled out a key and wiggled it mischievously in front of Adora.
"Well, in case you decide it's worth a look," Mermista grinned, placing the key in Adora's hand and closing it in her palm, "That unlocks the museum as well. In case you were interested," She said quietly. She winked at Adora and Adora grinned back, tucking the key into her pocket but saying no more about it. She knew this was most likely a ploy but she desperately wanted to see it all anyways. Even if it meant returning to Seattle. She wondered in the back of her mind, if Catra ever felt this way. She pushed the thought from her mind when Perfuma asked who was hungry and Adora realized her stomach was growling loudly.
They wandered the streets, Adora sharing as much as she could with Glimmer as they walked. She pointed out the best coffee spots and places to stop. She talked about where some of her best art teachers lived and worked. Perfuma added in points here and there and Glimmer took it all in, wide-eyed and grateful to listen to the others. Mermista was blasting music loudly in her ears and only took them off to share facts about Brooklyn itself and the work she was doing for the water clean-up program they had.
"Adora has a massive sculpture for that project back in Seattle," Glimmer added brightly. Mermista eyed Adora in a knowing way.
"Oh does she?" She raised an eyebrow, "Last I heard she was throwing all of that away." Adora scratched absent-mindedly at the nape of her neck, avoiding her friend's eyes.
"Yeah well," Adora said slowly, having no argument to refute this. Mermista laughed as if she had just confirmed a theory.
"Good. I'm glad to hear it," Mermista said finally, slipping her headphones back on so Adora couldn't say more.
They walked quietly for awhile, listening to Glimmer's oh's and ah's and the occasional story from Perfuma. They got lunch and eventually walked back to change for the show. Adora's hands shook nervously and Perfuma and Mermista giggled watching her.
"So this is… Catra?" Mermista confirmed. Glimmer gave Adora a look.
"Yup."
"The Catra?" Perfuma looked to Mermista who hit her in the arm. "Ow! I just want to know the story, that's all," Perfuma shrugged, "We never really liked Catra very much," She clarified to Glimmer, who was shutting her mouth tightly.
"Not that we ever met her," Mermista added. Glimmer looked to Adora and then gave an understanding nod to the others.
"She'll grow on you," Glimmer said. Adora's mouth hung open.
"This is my girlfriend," Adora said in bewilderment. The other three shared a knowing look and then nodded in agreement to Adora. She huffed in annoyance but let it be. The group giggled behind her. When she had come to New York all those years ago she hadn't been willing to share much about her life in Seattle, but Perfuma and Mermista had pulled it out of her through her artwork and in her personal life. Adora, who was both mad and hurt about the Catra situation, found herself opening up to her friends and found she was open to their opinions in return. Of course, it was never far from anyone's mind that Adora's feelings toward Catra were more than she let on.
"Um, is that what you're wearing?" Mermista looked over Adora's outfit. Adora made a sound of defiance and looked down. It was March and still cold outside so she had long pants and boots and a sparkly top. Mermista looked her over in disgust. "What's wrong with it?"
"Oh my," Perfuma joined Mermista in looking over Adora and then made a tut tut tut sound as she grabbed Adora's hand and pulled her into her room. She threw clothes willy nilly until she found long flowy yellow pants and threw them to Adora. Mermista joined in, dropping white chunky sneakers and a black crop top at her side. The pair nodded to each other in agreement and then both grabbed earrings. Mermista's were another large pair with stained glass blue waves, Perfuma's were flowers. They looked at the others choice and Perfuma made a sound to protest but Mermista cut her off, turning her attention to Adora. "She can pick," Mermista said. They both held them out to Adora, who was just staring at them looking petrified. The next minute, Glimmer walked past and chose the flower ones. Mermista grumbled but allowed it.
"You look amazing," Perfuma clapped, when her eyes fell on a completely dressed Adora. They had allowed her to keep her hair up thankfully, but Adora still blushed as she checked herself out in the mirror, feeling like a different person. She looked at the pair and felt a deep sense of nostalgia. She missed them too much, even when she was standing in front of them. Glimmer watched them brightly from her seat beside Mermista. Eventually, they headed out, taking the half hour walk to warm up before they reached the venue.
The place was called the Crimson Waste and Mermista whispered to Glimmer and Adora as they walked in to watch their stuff because this place wasn't always the best bar to hangout at. Glimmer's eyes widened but Adora just shrugged and followed the group in, keeping Glimmer at her side just in case. They were early in the hopes that the band would be able to come see them but there were already tons of people piling in. The place was dark and musty but massive in comparison to Etheria. Adora gaped at the high ceilings and the second-floor area where people were milling about, waiting for the show to start. A flash of maroon caught Adora's eye off to the corner of the stage and her heart lept as she saw Catra peaking out, scanning the crowd. Her eyes went past Adora at first but then swung back and her mouth fell open. Adora blushed under her gaze.
"Oh my god," Catra mouthed, her eyes scanning Adora. Adora raised her eyebrows. Catra made a gesture of ripping her shirt off and then pointed to Adora with a mischievous smirk. Adora nodded in agreement to whatever Catra wanted to do to her. She was wearing the Fright Zone shirt that her and Glimmer had made for her along with her classic ripped up maroon pants. She looked good, but even from here Adora could see the dark shadows under her eyes from lack of sleep. Then, Catra was pulled back from the curtain and the group was forced to move with the rest of the crowd as people continued to push inside. Perfuma had run off and returned with beers for the group and they settled in, chatting until the lights dimmed slightly. People cheered as the Fright Zone came out and Adora heard Glimmer clapping beside her as Bow gave her a wink from his drumset. Her cheeks went hot and she held on to Adora for support.
Adora watched in both admiration and surprise as Catra controlled the crowd with ease. She belonged up there, with flushed cheeks and her guitar around her. Scorpia looked calm and collected as she sang and Bow and Lonnie remained nonchalant and cool. Adora sang along and danced it out while keeping an eye on her wandering friends. The group was disappointed when the band eventually played their final song and gave a wave to the crowd. Catra gave a general wink to Adora and the people around them turned to her, looking at her like she too was a part of the show. Adora's face went scarlet and she gave Catra a death glare, but the guitarist ignored it, continuing to give a nonchalant bow as they stepped off stage for the First One's entrance. Adora didn't care too much to hear the band but there was nowhere else to go and the crowd was packed tighter than sardines.
A girl with long bright purple hair eventually emerged onto the stage and people roared with excitement. She looked like a mad scientist with large baggy white pants and a tight white top. Large glasses sat on the top of her head like a hairband and her purple hair was tied up into two long high pigtails. The woman didn't say much but adjusted about a million things on the drumset before finally taking a seat. She had a large machine type instrument at her side. Once she was finally settled, she stood up and beamed brightly at the crowd. They howled back at her.
"How'd we feel about the Fright Zone?" She asked. Her voice caught Adora off guard. It was high and loud and each word was annunciated in clear accuracy. She could understand why the crowd was drawn to her although the drummer didn't seem to notice either way. The crowd cheered for Catra's band and Adora wooped with them. The woman gave a large grin and nodded in agreement before settling in behind her drumset. She pushed a button on the controller at her side and a soft beat started to play through the speakers. She nodded her head methodically and closed her eyes as if in a trance while the rest of the band made their entrance.
A hand wrapped around Adora's waist and Adora grabbed the wrist as reflex, remembering Perfuma's warning about the bar. "Listen buddy you better.." Adora stopped short as her gaze fell on the two-colored eyes behind her.
"Woah there," Catra laughed, looking genuinely concerned. Adora ignored her. She turned and flung her arms around her girlfriend, catching her by surprise. Catra continued to laugh as she tugged her even closer and then pulled her away so she could kiss her. Neither heard the music start or the lights go down as they wrapped themselves up in each other, refusing to let go.
"I missed you," Adora whispered. Catra nodded, her hand tugging gently at Adora's chin so their mouths could meet again.
"This is torture," Glimmer said beside them, a crazed smile on her face. Adora and Catra laughed and gave her a look of disappointment.
"Let's get you backstage," Catra replied with a wink.
"This is Entrapta," Catra grinned, giving a warning face to Adora as she nodded to the purple haired woman at her side. They were backstage now and the show had ended. Adora was still feeling overwhelmed that she was even here, let alone meeting a superstar. The crowd had mostly dispersed off the floor at this point, but Perfuma and Mermista were still dancing it out just the two of them while Glimmer had run off with Bow the moment they reunited. Entrapta held a hand straight out to Adora at Catra's introduction, a wild smile still plastered to her face. Sweat was beading down her forehead and her hair was sticking to every part of her body, but she didn't seem to care in the slightest as she waited patiently for Adora to respond. Adora took it and almost fell over when Entrapa shook her hand furiously. "So nice to meet ya! So, are you a musician?"
"Oh uh no, I.."
"No? Catra said you sing?" Entrapa's head swiveled like a dog's that didn't understand.
"Well, I used to but…" Adora felt heat flushing in her cheeks.
"So, you are a musician," Entrapa smiled and nodded, as if this confirmed what she already knew. Adora's eyebrows furrowed but then she let it go, seeing Catra covering a chuckle to the side. "Perfect, I love to hangout with fellow musicians! Catra here is quite the phenomenon." Entrapa smiled at Catra and stuck her head at her as if she was studying her. Catra gently pushed her back.
"Turns out Entrapta is a major fan of the Fright Zone. She's the one who pushed for us," Catra said and Entrapta nodded in agreement.
"Oh yes, I love the weird and the Fright Zone is top tier odd," She smiled as if this was a compliment. Catra shrugged nonchalantly. She had clearly heard this before. Adora smiled at Entrapta. She was the most unusual person Adora had ever met and she found herself both fascinated and nervous in the woman's presence.
"Double Trouble wasn't completely for it but turns out them and Catra are the same person," Entrapta continued, distractedly looking around now for the rep. Catra mouthed a silent "no" and shook her head at the comment but Adora chuckled, remembering the rep from their night at Etheria and making a mental note to find out if this comparison was true.
The three chatted, although mostly Entrapta, until Adora let it slip that Perfuma was insisting on bringing them out clubbing. Despite an elbowing from Catra, Entrapta heard her in perfect clarity and agreed to join them, unbothered by her lack of invite. Adora ignored the elbow to her ribs and agreed in haste.
After a manhunt for Glimmer and Bow, who were found glued to each other's mouths in a back corner, the entire Fright Zone band plus friends were strutting loudly down the streets and into Perfuma's Club pick of the night. It wasn't one Adora had been too before, but it seemed to be well known to her two friends. It was loud and dark inside and Adora covered her ears as they walked through a mass of people to the edge of the dance floor. Techno music was blasting from the DJ corner and already Perfuma and Mermista were pushing ahead onto the floor. Catra tugged Adora out next and Glimmer and Bow followed. Entrapta was standing next to one the speakers, inspecting it. Catra waved her off. "She wants to make sure we didn't just pay to enter a club with cheap speakers. She does this everywhere we go," Catra laughed fondly. Scorpia held back, looking sheepishly at the group.
"Why isn't she coming out here?" Perfuma asked to Adora.
"She's fine. She just needs a minute," Catra said, dismissing her. Perfuma shot Catra a look. "Hmph," She responded, swooping over to where Scorpia stood. They watched Perfuma tuck her hand's into Scorpia's and pull her gently out to them, whispering something in her ear. Scorpia blushed and Perfuma gave her a small smile. Catra pretended to gag and Adora hit her as the two approached.
"Got her!" Perfuma said brightly, pulling Scorpia into the circle. They all danced awkwardly for a moment before Catra tracked down someone to get them drinks and soon enough they were throwing back shots and letting loose. They danced their hearts out, with Entrapta popping up on occasion just to disappear again into the crowd. Adora's hands found Catra's waist and pulled her towards her. Catra responded by grinding into her and when Adora bit her lip in response, Catra made for her mouth, pulling her into a deep kiss. When they separated, Adora's eyes flicked to Scorpia but she seemed distracted by the bubbly tall blonde dancing at her side. Perfuma giggled, enjoying the attention, unknowingly giving Adora the perfect moment to pull Catra away.
"Where are we going?" Catra said into her ear. Adora ignored her but grabbed her hand and tugged her off the floor and back out into the night. She looked back at her girlfriend, making sure she was okay with leaving, but Catra was just beaming at her, her hand tightly locked in the others. Adora's smile burned into her cheeks as they hurried down the street, walking quickly away from the crowds and bright lights. Her mind was fuzzy with drinks but her eyes were clear on their target. Catra was jogging to catch-up but looked intrigued enough to want to follow. Adora gave her one last glance before pulling her down a side street and then another until they reached a back door to a building Catra didn't recognize. Adora was staring at the door with both excitement and apprehension.
"Is this the New York version of the Black Garnet?" Catra asked, but Adora shook her head with a laugh.
"No," She said simply, "Maybe a New York version of me." She took a key out of her pocket, the one she had kept with her all day, and slipped it easily into the lock, giving it a turn. The door opened with a creak and Adora smiled, still not going through but pushing the door slightly ajar to sneak a peek inside. There were no sounds but faint lights were trickling through from inside. Catra looked at her hesitantly. Adora took a deep breath and then walked inside, Catra on her tail.
"Woah," Catra said, the moment the door had closed behind them. The lights were dim and pitch black in places due to the building being closed, but still every art piece was backlit, drawing even more attention to each individual painting and sculpture. Adora was admiring it all, her eyes sweeping the room and taking in each piece as if it were her own. She stepped further in and Catra followed her.
"This is the student museum," Adora explained quietly, "I used to have things in here although I'm sure they've been taken down now." The words came out sadly from her lips and she felt Catra's eyes on her. She avoided her gaze, pushing the sadness down to focus on what was. They walked amongst the art, each of them pausing at different pieces that caught their eye. Catra seemed drawn to a particularly dark painting of gods and demons, with a shadow of a figure in the center, their arms outstretched as if waiting for orders. Adora saw Catra quickly step away from it and back to her side. Adora grabbed her girlfriend's hand reassuringly and tugged her towards something else.
"Perfuma's," Adora clarified, nodding to the sculpture in front of them. It was made from clay and displayed a hand holding a bushel of roots as if it had been torn right out of the ground. The rest of the plant was twisting its way up the arm, cutting it with thorns but then growing prosperous on the other side. Catra evaluated it.
"Hm. Good to know that girl is more than just a bubbly personality," Catra said, giving Adora a mean grin. Adora shook her head.
"She's a good one," She responded fondly, "She's actually the first girl I ever kissed."
"No!" Catra's mouth hung open and Adora blushed. "did you date?" Adora shook her head.
"Nooo no," she laughed, "She was just so welcoming and kind. Just what I was looking for at the time." Adora turned away from Catra, assuming she knew what escape she was looking for. "Anyways we are much better as friends. She is… very perky. Scorpia perky," Adora added, her brows furrowed questioningly. They both chuckled and then Catra's arms were around Adora, turning her back to her and kissing lightly at her neck.
"Well I'm glad you're just friends," Catra whispered.
"Turns out I like the dark one's more," Adora whispered, relaxing her head so Catra's mouth could trace up her neck. She closed her eyes, her attention focused on Catra's mouth on her skin. A sudden noise from the other side of the museum pulled Adora back to earth and her head shot up, hitting Catra on the top of the head. She lept back with a yelp.
"Sorry sorry, someone's coming," Adora whispered, grabbing Catra's hand and pulling them behind one of the sculptures. A security guard was walking amongst the art, casting a flashlight around nonchalantly. Adora was sure he wasn't used to anyone sneaking into a student art museum but still she wasn't keen on getting caught. Catra was at her side, her nose slightly bleeding onto the floor. Adora's eyes went wide but Catra didn't seem to care too much. When the flashlight swooped through their area, Adora gasped and Catra quickly covered her mouth with her hand, giving her a death glare just as the guard was rounding the corner.
"Fuck," Adora whispered beneath Catra's hand, looking nervously at her partner. Catra was still smiling, her eyes on the guard walking a mere 10 feet to their left.
"Come on," Catra whispered. Adora made a sound to protest but Catra was already pulling her behind piece after piece, making their way back from where they came. Adora's boot hit the floor with a loud thump and she felt her stomach drop as they threw themselves behind a bench. The guard looked up at the sound, looking confused. He swiveled his flashlight to where the pair had just been hiding and Adora's eyes bulged. "We're going to get caught," Adora whispered, shaking her head. Catra stuck her hands in Adoras and then pulled them both back, quietly backing away from the area. The guard followed the sound and suddenly swung his flashlight behind the bench. A few drops of blood lay on the floor and the guard was looking at it, trying to make sense of the spot. At the same time, the back door was quietly shutting behind the pair and Catra and Adora were sprinting away down the street, their laughter no longer contained as they made their escape.
When they came to the following street sign, Catra stopped them. Adora was still laughing but stopped when she saw the wild look in Catra's eyes. "Are you okay?" Adora asked, lifting a hand to wipe the dried blood from Catra's nose. Catra stopped her hand on the way up, holding her by the wrist and then wiping her own nose with a little nod. There was a moment between them, where they looked at each other like they used to back in school. Each sizing the other up, their eyes drawing tight. Back in high school this would be the moment Catra pushed her and they would play fight or she would run away cackling. Catra seemed to read Adora's mind and she dropped Adora's hand and indeed pushed her back. This time though, she pushed her up against a brick wall and pressed her hands into Adora's hips as their lips met. They were panting and breathless but those familiar butterflies filled Adora's stomach and she pulled Catra into her, their legs between each other. Adora felt Catra's mouth open to hers and then it wasn't just their lips, but their tongues and their hands all furled up into one another like glue that neither wanted to unstick. Finally, Catra pulled away, her eyes still wild as she bared into Adora. She was still clamping Adora's waist and Adora made to pull her back but Catra stopped her. "I think it's time I showed you my hotel room," Catra whispered, smirking darkly at the other. Adora flushed and nodded, allowing her girlfriend to pull her back into the night with a mischievous smile upon their faces.
/
Thanks everyone for the reviews and follows! The next couple weeks will be a little slower regarding chapter releases because I am traveling but I will still be updating when I can. I also started Downton Abbey for the first time? this shit SLAPS. Big fan. Also rewatching Legend of Korra and I see so many similarities between Korra and Adora. Catra kind of reminds me of Azula. Either way I have a big crush on every single one of them. What can ya do?! lol