Perhaps only out of sheer exhaustion, but for the first time in years, Adora slept without a single dream and without waking during the night. When she awoke, it was another story entirely. She opened her eyes slowly, half afraid to find out what she would see. Catra dead in the heart of Etheria? Prime laughing over her broken body? A universe she had failed?

Instead, all she could make out were the dim outlines of the bed and room. She noticed the warm spot where Catra had laid at her feet, now vacant. Her instincts took over instantly, and she sat up, assessing the danger.

"Catra? Catra, where are you?" Instantly, she found all her worries again. What if Prime had done something to her that not even She-Ra could heal? What if she didn't want to stay here with Adora? After all, there was a whole new world for her to explore…

"I'm right here, idiot."

Adora whipped her head around and saw Catra's sleek silhouette perched on the balcony. She stood and walked over to her side, placing a hand on the other woman's back. Catra's body tensed instinctively, then relaxed after a moment.

"Did you sleep at all?"

Catra shrugged and pulled her legs into her chest. "Yeah."

Adora looked out over the landscape, remembering how somewhere under the canopy of the Whispering Woods was the spot she'd been separated from Catra and found the Sword of Protection.

"Taking in the scenery?"

"Something like that."

Adora frowned. She didn't know how to help Catra with whatever was on her mind. In the old days, they'd play fight or tease the other to pull them out of a bad mood. For better or worse, things were different now. Things weren't as simple. Or maybe they were simpler.

She touched Catra's hair gently, running her fingers along the tips of each strand. "I missed being able to sit on the rooftops in the Fright Zone with you. Maybe this can be our new spot. It's almost the same, albeit with less pollution."

Adora took note of the low purr reverberating through her best friend but chose not to draw attention to it. "That sounds nice. It wasn't as peaceful once Scorpia and Entrapta started yelling and looking for me every time I wandered off for more than five minutes."

Adora laughed. She imagined the two more… exuberant princesses tearing apart the Fright Zone in search of someone who often didn't want to be found. Space was one thing Adora had learned to give Catra - in moderation, of course. Some situations required a more direct response and reassurances. Like now.

"You know, I'm glad you're here. This room is a little big for just me." The words slipped out quicker than she'd expected. She wanted Catra to stay with her, just as they had in the Fright Zone barracks. But now, things were different between them. More mature. Would Catra want her own space?

Catra's ears pricked up. "Are you sure? This is your home. I don't want to -"

"Catra, this is your home, too, now." Adora stared seriously into the blue and yellow eyes that now met hers. "I want you with me."

Catra leaped up from her perch, her tail brushing Adora affectionately as she walked back inside. "Okay, okay. No need to get all sappy on me, Princess. I guess I can make do with all this… fluff."

To illustrate her point, Catra reached her arm out, her claws slicing cleanly through a misshapen purple pillow from a pile. Adora hadn't been fond of that pillow anyhow.

"You know, not everything is made of metal in here." She crossed her arms in mock annoyance. "It's a lot less Catra-proof than the Fright Zone."

Catra smirked. "Please. I tore up Prime's ship out of boredom. I could have destroyed the whole thing, but no, you had to go and turn it into a tree."

"You got a problem with trees, kitten?" Adora felt her face flush at the suggestion in her voice. From the look on Catra's face, the remark caused something similar in her as well.

Catra crossed over to her, closing the distance so that they were only inches apart. "You got a problem with claws?"

Adora raised an eyebrow. "Those dull things? They don't bother me."

"Not yet."

Adora leaned in but Catra's lips were faster, more aggressive. Warmth seized her body, and a wave of inexplicable sensation passed though her lips and hands. She pulled Catra's waist to her just as she felt the sting of sharp claws tear through her shirt. Adora gasped, pulling back slightly.

Catra's face registered concern. "I'm sorry, Adora. Did I hurt -"

Adora pulled her back in, moving one hand to the nape of Catra's neck. The cat girl responded in kind, tangling one of hands in Adora's long blonde hair, the other still firmly planted into Adora's back.

Adora moaned softly, yielding to the exquisite pain. She thought about what more they could, whether they were ready, whether she would even know what to do -

A knock on the door froze them both in place, lips locked.

"Hey, besties! Time for a Princess Alliance meeting," came Bow's muffled voice.

"Then why are you going?" Catra growled back.

As the door burst open, Adora tried to navigate their tangle of limbs into a less compromising position.

Bow and Glimmer looked at the other couple then back at each other.

"Uh, meeting now, kissing later," Glimmer ordered, grabbing both girls by the wrists.

"Does that apply to us, too?" Bow grinned.

"Yes, we can do that later, if we get everything done."

Catra yanked her arm away from Glimmer's grasp. "I'm not going to some stupid meeting. I'm not a princess."

Glimmer shrugged. "You're an honorary one, like Bow."

"Aw, we're honorary buddies."

"No!" Catra hissed. "I didn't know being a princess was contagious."

Adora stepped forward and grabbed her hand. "How about coming as my… my…"

"Girlfriend?" Bow offered.

Adora frowned. "A what?"

"Honestly, I'm not surprised," Glimmer sighed. "You didn't know what an aunt was, so -"

Catra raised her hand. "What's an aunt?"

"Don't get her started," Adora said. "It's like a whole family thing."

"ANYHOW," Glimmer yelled. "A girlfriend is like what Spinerella and Netossa called each other before they were married."

"So… friends?" Adora asked. The terminology was confusing. She and Catra had been friends since childhood.

"Yes, but no. Okay, let me put it this way. Bow and I were friends. Yesterday, we decided to step up our relationship. We're going to kiss and go on dates and eventually get married if things go well. So right now, because we're in a romantic relationship, we are boyfriend and girlfriend. Or partners, if you prefer."

Adora and Catra looked at each other blankly. "Catra, is that what you want?"

"How should I know? I didn't understand half of what she said."

Glimmer teleported behind the new couple and pushed them forward. "You're a couple. You're partners. I'll explain more later."

As they made their way down the corridor, Adora took in Catra more closely - the way light reflected from her eyes, the way her sleek hand felt in hers. There were many things that needed to be addressed in the kingdom and between them. Changes were coming, big and small. There would be one hell of a learning curve for the two young women who'd never known a time without war, but Adora thought she just might get used to that word. Girlfriend.