Throbbing pain was the first thing Adora noticed when she began to awaken from her sleep. That and the heaviness of her body made her groan. Somehow it felt worse than when she'd have one of her intense workouts. No, this soreness was different. It was like a bus had run her over and over, leaving every muscle screaming in pain. But that didn't compare to the way her head screamed at her to close her eyes as the sun peeking through her window made her ears ring in pain.
What happened? She thought as she sat up slowly, grimacing when she felt her entire body complain but she shoved the feeling down. The sheets that'd been half covering her lowered, exposing thin red claw marks down her chest. She froze at the sight of them.
Seriously, she thought to herself, feeling her heartbeat quicken as she realized her memory was hazy at best. What the hell happened?!
Had she…? No, there was no way. But why else would she have marks all over her?
She was out of her bedroom in a split second, slamming the door open, in search of her roommate. She didn't have to look far as she was sipping coffee on their couch, looking composed and definitely not as shaken as Adora was feeling.
"Good morning?" Catra raised a brow at her. Adora, realizing she must look wild with her hair out of its usual ponytail and with her pjs (how had she gotten out of her other clothes?) all disheveled.
Adora attempted to straighten herself out but failed. She cleared her throat as she walked to where Catra was, feeling those mismatched eyes follow her every move.
"Um, so," Adora rubbed the back of her head. "Last night was…"
"Definitely something," Catra spoke in a monotone, giving away nothing that could give Adora a clue of what went down.
"Yeah…" The sound of Catra's claws clanking against the mug in her hand made Adora swallow hard. Screw it.
"I'm sorry," she began, noticing Catra's ear twitch sharply at her words, but she couldn't stop the words from coming out.
"I mean, I obviously did something to make you upset enough to scratch me. Did I hurt your tail again? Of course I did. I mean, why else would I have these?" She pulled up her shirt to show her the thin lines that were already healing but were still definitely there. When she looked up at Catra she noticed for the first time that she had bite marks all over her too.
"I—" Adora took a step toward, feeling the urge to trace the marks with her fingers but her heart sank as she came to a conclusion. "Did I do those?"
Catra just stared at her, eyes hard, jaw clenched. It was then that Adora realized she had messed up. Bad.
"I did, didn't I?" Her shoulders slumped. "I'm so so sorry. Clearly I wasn't being myself. I wish I could take it all back."
"Take it all back?" Catra finally spoke, but her words were anything but warm.
"Yes," Adora sat down on the couch's arm, feeling like she should keep some distance from her roommate at that moment. "I mean, clearly I upset you again. I really am—"
"Don't apologize," Catra's tone was softer now. "You have nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong. Nothing happened."
"Are you sure?" Adora glanced at the bite marks on her neck and shoulder. "It doesn't seem like nothing."
"Relax, princess," Catra stood up and walked to the sink, rinsing off her mug without glancing at her as she continued. "I just picked you up and saved you before you could embarrass yourself by playing spin the bottle with the worst possible group. I brought you home, we play fought and then you knocked out in your room." Catra shrugged.
Relief washed over Adora. Sure, it was mortifying that Catra had to pick her up from a party like she was twelve but at least she hadn't actually hurt her like she'd initially thought.
Adora went to where Catra was, resting her head on her shoulder. Much to her pleasure, she didn't push her away.
"My head hurts," the blonde winced as the pain came back as her nerves settled down.
"Yeah, god knows how much you had to drink before I got there." Catra shoved a glass of water into her hand. "Drink that and then drink five more. It'll help with the hangover."
Adora slumped her whole body against Catra now, "Ugh, you're the best."
"Of course I am." Catra wiggled out from underneath her weight and made her way to her room, a classic sign she was ready to end the conversation.
"Oh, by the way," she poked her head out, "You might want to check on Sparkles and Arrow Boy. They stayed behind."
Panic set in again. Right. Her friends had been there too. Gosh, everything was still a blurry mess. Like a fleeting dream, the more she tried to grasp any details of the night before, the more she came up empty.
"I will do that." Adora nodded, continuing to gulp down glass after glass of water.
"Well, unlike you I had zero sleep watching over a certain someone so I don't wanna be bothered for the next couple hours."
"Yeah, no pro—" But before she could finish, Catra shut the door to her room. A little too loudly making Adora wince.
Maybe she wasn't telling her the whole truth. But she had said that she hadn't done anything too bad. And yet, there was something nagging at her, like she was missing something. Something important.
"Glimmer and Bow have to know something," she mused to herself.
.
.
Catra stood on the other side of the door, holding her breath as she heard her roommate shuffle around in her room before finally leaving. She slid down the door, hugging her knees towards her chest, heart hammering so hard she thought it'd jump out of her chest.
God. That was way harder than she thought it'd be. She knew not to get her hopes up. She knew the chances of Adora remembering the night before were slim. But a part of her really hoped she had Much less what she had said and all she'd done. Not so much the actions that led to bite marks all over her, more so the way Adora had clung to her like she was the most important person in the world. The tender way she'd spoken her name. The way she'd stared at her so intensely it'd left Catra breathless even just remembering.
But even though her heart and body yearned for more, Catra couldn't bring herself to tell her all that had happened between them. After all, Adora had been drunk. She could have meant none of all she'd said and done. It wasn't news to Catra that Adora could get overly friendly, as she was always surrounded by her adoring fans and clearly enjoyed the attention. Catra was just another friend. Less than a friend. Her roommate and tutor.
And then there was the other matter at hand. Shadow Weaver is here. She'd refused to give in to the panic that Kenna's words had ignited. Couldn't bear to see her smirk in satisfaction. But now that she was alone and knew her roommate remembered nothing, she could give in to the ominous feeling that threatened to overwhelm her.
Why was she in Bright Moon U? Had she found her already? Did she even know she was there? Was she…
Is she here to take me back? At the thought of the mere possibility of going back, her claws dug into her arms. Shoot.
Think of something else. Anything else. Intense blue eyes, the feeling of teeth biting into her skin…
Catra stood up quickly and threw herself on her bed, pulling the blanket over her head, groaning into the sheets.
"Stop it, stop it," she punched into the bed, "now is not the time for that. Sure, it's better than thinking about that horrible woman but still! God, when was the last time you got laid? Pent up much?" She paused her punching to think about her question. And was surprised she drew up a blank. She couldn't even remember the last time she had a girl over, or anything. She'd been so focused on helping Adora with her tutoring sessions, her own school work and actual work, she didn't have the energy to find a random chick to screw.
But, if she was being totally honest with herself, even if she could she didn't want to. After spending so much time around Adora, no one else compared to her. Her goofy smile, her teasing blue eyes, her rough hands, her genuineness. Everything she did was engraved in her brain. The way she'd bite her lip when she was concentrating, the way her arms looked when she went to put her hair up in her usual ponytail, the way she rubbed the back of her neck when she's nervous, the way she sneezed obnoxiously loud. All her gestures and mannerism were all she could think of, consuming her in a wave of tenderness and yearning.
She shoved the blanket away from her, standing up quickly. Pacing back and forth, groaning into her hands, she tried to settle the pain that came along with the realization that she did in fact have feelings for her roommate.
"No, no," Catra braced herself against her desk, staring into the mirror hanging above it.
"You cannot," she growled at herself, staring at the reflection of her mismatched eyes, "go around crushing on your roommate. She's a princess for fucks sakes. And not only that, what makes you think that she'll feel the same for someone so-"
Worthless. Less than worthless. All you bring is problems. How did I ever get stuck with such a problematic child? Stop crying, it's not that bad. Why don't you just-
Die.
The mirror broke into a million pieces under her fist. She stared down at her hand as if it had moved on its own. She stared in wonder as her knuckles throbbed in pain, tilting her head as she examined the damage under the light. In a manner that was more habit than thought, she treated her injuries carefully, ignoring the pain that shot through her as she stepped all over the fallen shards. After cleaning up, she found herself staring at the cracks in the wall, somehow finding them fascinating. When she tired of counting them, she went on to stare at the clothes sprinkled around her room. The numbness that overwhelmed her pinned her in place, not allowing her to move an inch even as she could feel the minutes, the hours tick away.
Pulling the covers over her again, she wished to be free of the thoughts that consumed her her entire life. But even as she drifted to sleep, not caring that she had work and classes, she couldn't escape the words that'd cut deeper than glass.
.
.
"Well, look who decided to show up," Glimmer had her arms crossed, glaring at Adora as soon as she stepped through the door.
"Adora!" Bow ran up to her, grabbing her by her cheeks, inspecting her up and down. "You're okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Adora glanced between the couple when they exchanged a look. "What?"
"Uh," much to Adora's relief, Bow let go of her; her headache had yet to completely go away. "Just how much of last night do you remember?"
"Not much," she shrugged, going to sit on the tall stool chairs, resting her head on the cool counter. "Just know I made it back home thanks to Catra."
There it was again. The exchange of looks.
"And why do you keep looking at each other like that?" Adora frowned at them, feeling like she was missing something.
"Well..." Bow dragged out that word, as if hesitant to continue. "You might have, uh, reacted a certain way when she showed up."
"A certain way?" She echoed his words. Something. Something was nagging at her again. What was this feeling?
"You basically tackled her and were all over her," Glimmer said bluntly, evidently growing frustrated that her boyfriend was tiptoeing around the subject. "Literally. We couldn't separate you from her. AT ALL! Which was super annoying and embarrassing. For you, not for us, I was having a great time. BUT THEN, like the bitch she is, she took our ride and left us there."
"I did what?!" Her voice squeaked, embarrassment and disbelief coloring her cheeks crimson red.
And then they told her everything that had happened. After arriving she'd challenged Lonnie to beer pong, and after winning and more drinking, Adora had called Catra. At that point Adora checked her phone and sure enough in her call history there it was. Not long after that she'd arrived and in front of everyone, for the whole world to witness, she'd clung to her and refused to let go of her.
"And then you guys left and we didn't hear anything back from you all night!" Glimmer slapped her arm. "You better have knocked out in the hallway or something. You know, somewhere you couldn't reach your phone. Anything to explain why you didn't answer any of our calls!"
But Adora was speechless. She couldn't concentrate as Glimmer went on and on about how rude it was of Catra to just leave them stranded somewhere they had never been before. And how they had to do two trips in Scorpia's car to get everyone back to campus, making them wait out in the cold at an unholy hour.
No, she definitely couldn't when she began to get hit by memories, fragments of what happened. Getting back to their dorm, throwing up, showering, and then, and then...
She suddenly stood up, knocking down the stool she'd been sitting on.
"Adora?" Concerned by her sudden actions, Glimmer stopped her ranting and went to her friend, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I-" Adora's head was a mess. "I have to go."
"Where are you going?" Bow called out to her but she was already gone.
Before she knew it, she was back at her dorm, headache completely forgotten.
"Catra?" She knocked gently on her door but was met with silence. Of course. She had mentioned she needed to rest. That and the fact that she had practice were enough to tear away from her door. Fighting the urge to knock again, she left as soon as she had arrived, not being able to decipher the feeling that began to spread in her chest.
.
.
She hates it. The fact that since their initial interaction that morning, Adora hadn't seen, nor heard anything from her roommate. Oh, but she could hear her moving around in her room, and she'd knocked, hoping, wishing that she'd open the door but she never did. Whenever she did, she was simply met by silence.
But could she blame her? After all, Adora had been the one to kiss her. She had crossed that line. So she wanted to...what? Apologize? No, that wasn't right. Then what did she plan to talk to her about when she'd finally get that chance?
On the second night of her running the events of that night over and over in her head, she sat up suddenly in her bed. It wasn't just that she had kissed Catra. It was the fact that she wanted to do it again. Why else would she think of the way her lips moved under hers? And couldn't forget the way she had felt in her arms? There was no other explanation.
Adora wanted Catra. But it was more than just desire, it was the fact that Adora felt herself get flustered whenever she was near. The way she'd begun to search for her in the crowd, hoping to get a glimpse of her. Catching herself counting the freckles on her cheeks and studying the way her lips moved when she explained a math problem to her.
Almost as fast as she realized how she felt about her roommate, her heart sank. Was that why Catra had been avoiding her? Was this her way of letting her down easy? Had Adora completely missed the hint? After all, it had been days since then, and even though Catra had said that she needed time to rest, she would never pass up the opportunity to make a snarky remark or to complain about Adora making too much noise as she gathered her things to go on her usual morning runs.
And yet, now, it was like they were back to how things were before: barely seeing each other despite the fact that they were feet away from each other, never speaking a word to one another, Adora's extra plate of food she'd put on the counter for her being left out to turn cold.
At first, Adora hadn't minded, but as the days went by she grew impatient. And worried. Was Catra doing ok? Was she eating? Was she sleeping ok? Was she going to her classes? Was she...
Did she hate her now?
That question repeated over and over in her head till she was on the brink of going mad. That is, until it had been almost a week, and she had finally had enough.
She stood outside Catra's door for what felt like the millionth time. She stared at the thin scratches on the wood, hoping that doing so would help her settle her nerves and give her the courage to say what she had already rehearsed in her head multiple times.
Just say it, she thought to herself. Well first you have to knock you idiot!
Two strong taps echoed in the otherwise silent room. This time, if Adora strained enough, she could almost convince herself that she heard the sound of shuffling coming from inside. She turned around as hesitation settled in but just as quickly spun back around and knocked again, harder this time.
"Hey," she was glad that her voice wasn't trembling like her hands were. "I know you're in there, I just wanted to say that I remember what happened that night. I mean," she took a deep breath, hoping to ride the sudden wave of vulnerability that hit her, "I remembered a while ago and, well, I just wanted to say that I can't take anything back so I won't. I regret nothing. And just...I have a competition today, and I'd love it if you came to watch. If you want to talk, I'll be waiting for you. If you don't show up, don't worry, I can take a hint. But if you do.." She paused, her heart hammering in her chest.
"I'd like to confess my feelings for you. It's up to you now. I'll respect whatever decision you make. Either way, I've had so much fun with you these past couple months like never before. So thank you for that." But her words were just met with silence, not even an echo of a sound could be heard now.
"Um, okay, I'll be leaving now." Despite her words, she pressed her forehead against the door, her voice lowering to less than a whisper. "I really do hope you come, Catra."
And with that final wish, she grabbed her workout bag and headed out the door, she glanced back one last time before finally disappearing through the door, the silence she left behind deafening.
.
.
As if the universe were mocking Adora's mood, the sun beamed overhead, and the crowd of people beginning to fill the bleachers were too loud and too cheerful. She normally lived for the lively atmosphere that came when a competition rolled around but her heart was too in shambles to get lost in it as she had always done.
The instant she'd left their dorm, she couldn't shake off the feeling of dread that was threatening to eat her up alive. Maybe she should have said more? Less? Maybe she should have just barged in to make sure that Catra was still alive in there? Worst of all, how did she know if she was even in there in the first place? That question made fear shoot through her body. What if she hadn't heard her? What if she had heard her but she didn't show up...
"Look alive, Adora!" She grunted as a body slammed into hers, making her fumble trying to regain her balance at the sudden impact.
"Well you don't seem nervous at all," Adora laughed dryly.
"I'm surprised you are!" Lonnie rested a hand on her shoulder in a silent gesture of concern.
"Pshh," Adora forced herself to grin, not wanting others to notice her glum mood. Though if they thought she was on edge they'd most likely think it was due to sport related matters and not about her roommate. "I'm never nervous. We've got this!"
"Hell yeah, we do!" Lonnie whooped and slapped her on her back. "Come on, Captain, we all need a little motivation."
"Didn't I say that it's not 'Captain' anymore?" Adora let herself be dragged where the rest of the team was. She'd been standing to the side, pretending to warm up but now that their first competition was beginning to creep up on them, she had to put on her game face.
"Oh!" Lonnie glanced at her, "So you do remember that night."
The feeling of lips on hers flashed in her mind.
"Yeah," Adora replied simply. "I do."
Lonnie inspected her face, noting there was something there in her tone she couldn't quite place.
"Well after Catra took you away, the vibe wasn't the same." The corner of her mouth twitched at the mention of her roommate.
"Yeah..um," Adora, suddenly feeling like she had to know everything, grabbed her by her arm and pulled her aside even though they had just rejoined their group. "About that..."
"Geez, Adora," Lonnie pulled at her arm, "What's gotten into you?"
"Nothing!" She said defensively, "Nothing. Just-"
"It doesn't seem like nothing," Lonnie tugged harder at her arm to be set free. Only then did it click that Adora's grip on her was a little tighter than necessary. She dropped her arm instantly like it'd burned her.
"Sorry," she apologized, clenching and unclenching her fists trying to get a grip on her emotions, "I just..."
"Don't worry about it," Lonnie waved her off. "It's probably something Catra did. She always does something."
"No!" Adora all but shouted making her teammate jump at her sudden outburst. Adora panicked for a split second before clearing her throat. When she spoke next, her voice was softer.
"No. It wasn't anything she did. Just.."
"What else could it be?" There was an edge to Lonnie's voice now, annoyance mixed with something else Adora couldn't quite place. "She appeared out of nowhere and took you away. She couldn't have cared less about anyone else but what she wanted."
Her heart skipped a beat at the implication that to others, it appeared like Catra wanted Adora.
"I was the one who called her," Adora defended her, "Catra was there because I wanted her to be. She didn't mean to crash the party."
"Oh." Lonnie's face fell.
"She's really not that bad a person as you think," once Adora began talking, she couldn't stop, "Sure she's hard to get to know but she's patient and encouraging when helping me with math, sure she snaps at me if I make too much noise in the morning but really that's on me for forgetting every time, and sure she leaves all her dirty clothes on the floor but she never leaves a mess in the living room, and sure she sheds hair all over the-"
"Whoa, okay!" Lonnie held up her hands as if to physically stop more words from spilling out of Adora's mouth. "Geez, I get it, Catra is alright."
But she wasn't just "alright." At least not to Adora. She was so much more than that. She was-
A sharp whistle cut through her thoughts as Coach Juliet made their grand entrance, followed by Ms. Weaver.
Seeing her there was like a bucket of cold water had been dropped on her. Adora stood up straighter and made her way to her.
"Adora," the Sports Director greeted her before she could say anything. She placed a hand on her shoulder, "Walk with me for a little bit."
"But Coach Juliet is gonna start-" But Ms. Weaver waved her off.
"Let them be. I'm sure they won't mind if I steal you for a quick minute." Adora didn't miss the glare Juliet shot at her for that comment but Ms. Weaver pretended not to notice.
"How has your school work going?" She asked, standing in front of Adora so she couldn't see the rest of the team. She wasn't much taller than Adora who stood at 5'7 but yet the way she stared down at everyone made her seem even taller.
"Classes are good, nothing new." Adora winced at the way her voice sounded distant, as her mind was away, thinking of a certain magicat…
"Good, good," Ms. Weaver pressed her lips together. "And your personal life? I hope there isn't anything troubling you."
"You seem tense," She reached out and placed a cold hand on Adora's cheek. She resisted the urge to shiver as a cold chill went down her spine.
"It's nothing, Ms. Weaver," Adora gave her best fake smile. "Just midterms coming up but I'm confident that I will do well. Even in math."
The older woman's eyes scanned her face as if trying to figure out the truth, but she must have been satisfied with what she found since she let go of Adora and smiled back.
"Well, seems you're doing great," Ms. Weaver looked around at the rowdy crowd that was doing practice runs of their obnoxiously loud cheers. "Great to see none of that has been a distraction to you."
Adora felt her heartbeat speed up. "Nope. I- uh, have been really focused with my studies and track. Nothing to worry about, Ms. Weaver, I'll do you and the school proud."
"Yes," the older woman motioned for her to follow her, leading her back to where the rest of the team had just finished their team huddle and were beginning to prepare for their events.
"I'm sure you'll make everyone here proud, including your parents, may they rest in peace." At the mention of her parents, Adora couldn't help the flash of pain that shot through her. That and the crushing pressure of the legacy her parents had left behind was enough to suffocate her.
"Absolutely," Adora nodded stiffly, "I will give it my all."
"Good," Ms. Weaver squeezed her shoulders one last time before turning to leave, "I'll be looking forward to a great show." She then made her way to the bleachers in the reserved section where she took a seat on the first row, eyes never leaving Adora as she made her way back to the rest of the team.
"Adora," Juliet. "Do you need a minute?" Her eyes glanced towards the Sports Director who was now enjoying her usual glass of wine, a pre-celebratory ritual she did to demonstrate her confidence in Adora whom always won every competition she'd ever been in.
"No," Adora squared her shoulders, resisting the urge to stretch her neck where she could feel tension beginning to build there, "Let's get this over with."
.
.
Everything was a blur. The sound of the people watching on the bleachers roared in her ears. There was a ringing in her ear that went straight to her brain, ticking off her already present headache. But she shoved it all down. The buzzing, the people cheering, the way every inch of her body was aching, trying to push her out of there…
The crowd grew louder as far from where she stood, one of her team mates expertly grabbed the baton handed to them, sprinting closer and closer to where she stood. Right. She was in the middle of a competition.
Wait. Grab. Run.
She repeated those three steps over and over in her head, her heart pounding in her chest. Whether it was adrenaline or something else, she wasn't sure herself. All she knew was that as the baton kept making its way to her, she grew more and more restless. She wanted to run. She needed to. Like her life depended on it, she wanted to run as fast as she could, ignoring everything she knew about form and pacing.
After all, how could she focus on all that, heck she could even forget the fact that her mentor was there too, watching her every move, but she couldn't forget Catra's last words. She'd played that conversation over and over in her head.
How had she been so blind? Everything was there. The way she felt her heart skip when she saw her smile for the first time, when their eyes met, when she could feel her close to her…
The sound of even louder cheering cut through her thoughts. It took her a second to place herself back in reality.
Right. Bright Moon University. Competition.
Which meant…
"Adora!" She could suddenly hear her name loud and clear through the crowd. Hope shot through her chest. But just as quickly as it had manifested, it vanished. Because while it was a voice she recognized, it wasn't the one she was hoping to hear.
Lonnie sped up to where she stood, to her astonishment, she was ready to receive the baton, in the form that was more muscle memory than anything else. Or it must have been as her mind was miles away. Back to that singular room on the other side of campus. Where her roommate…
"Adora!" Her body was moving on its own accord, a step forward, an outstretched hand, a heart that was breaking…
She grabbed the baton with unmatched grace.
And then she ran.
She ran like her life depended on it. She ran even though her chest hurt. Even though she could feel her vision begin to blur. She ran, as if she could run to where she really wanted to be.
Catra was suddenly in front of her, faster than Adora could imagine she could be. But that didn't matter to her. She was within reach now. One. Two steps closer.
She reached out her hand, the sun glaring at her making her wince. But she pushed forward still. Pushed harder than ever before, because for once, her muscles weren't screaming at her. No, she was happy to run after her, to chase her. If it meant that she could finally get to tell her that…
"And she does it again! The Golden Child, Adora Grayskull, is the first to pass the finish line!"
The shouts that pierced through there air were deafening. But while everyone around her erupted in cheers, her heart squeezed tighter and tighter. The air seemed to struggled to enter her lungs, if it was from running or because her heart was breaking into a million pieces she couldn't tell.
She stared in a daze as she was handing a trophy. Camera. Smile. Teeth. Wave. Her body was not her own. Her mind was numb as she was hugged what felt like a million times. She couldn't tell. She'd lost count. She just saw a sea of faces blurring together in haze of smiles that couldn't reach her.
It wasn't until she saw a familiar pink head that she began to come out of her daze.
"Adora!" Glimmer involved her in a tight hug, planting a kiss on each of her cheeks. "You were amazing!"
"You totally were!" Bow smushed them together in an even tighter embrace. "Your form was amazing!"
"I don't know about all that," Glimmer said, clearly enjoying being in the middle of the BFS sandwich, "But I do know you looked good doing it!"
Adora mustered a small laugh. "Thanks you guys."
"You looked so cool!" Bow continued excitedly, "You went like whoosh and suddenly you were at the finish line."
"It was no big deal." Adora said, "It's not like I broke any record or anything."
"And?" Glimmer punched her arm gently. "Doesn't mean you weren't totally badass."
"So badass."
"Ohmygod, totally," A mocking voice cut through the light atmosphere. Immediately recognizing the voice of the newcomer, Adora's eyes darkened.
"What are you doing here?" She all but spat out. It was kind of perfect actually. It would give her something to blame her sour mood on. Plus, she was suddenly in the mood to find a new punching bag.
"What? Is it a crime to see the sports competitions that the very wealthy families of Bright Moon fund?" Kenna tone and cocky grin made Glimmer's eyebrow twitch with annoyance.
"What would you know about that?" She pointed a finger at her, having to look up at her as the black-haired girl was taller. "Do you even go here?"
"How is that even relevant?" She flipped her her long hair over her shoulder, the ends of it flicking Glimmer on the face.
Bow was instantly on Glimmer holding her back.
"Come on, Glimmer, let it go," his words were kind but he sent a glare at Kenna, who seemed genuinely shocked at the stare he shot her. She quickly turned to Adora who held both hands into tight fists by her side, for the most part observing her every move.
"What?" Kenna tilted her head, mockingly, "Does the 'Golden Child' have something to add?"
"Adora…" Bow warned, feeling her whole body tense up beside him. But Adora knew, and Kenna knew, and Bow knew, and everyone around them knew, that she couldn't, mustn't cause a scene. Especially, especially, not in front of Ms. Weaver who's cold stare she could feel down the back of her neck.
"Just," Adora said, suddenly losing all the fight she had in her. Maybe it was because she was tired from the competition and her adrenaline had finally worn off, or maybe it was because a certain roommate of hers had yet to make an appearance and yet many spectators had already begun to leave, making her hope evaporate with every passing second. "Get the hell away from us."
"Why should I?" Kenna showed no signs of backing down, yet. "I'm enjoying watching Catra reject your ass."
Adora's eyes snapped to hers at her roommates name. This seemed to make Kenna's eyes laugh.
"Trust me." There was a serious glint in her eyes when she spoke next. "This is exactly what she does. She swoops in, makes some poor girl fall for her, and then disappears onto the next city. In the end," something in Kenna's pocket buzzed. "she reverts back to her old ways."
"That," Kenna ignored her phone buzzing a second time. "is what you Princesses will never understand. Catra isn't like you. She's like me. Like an orphan. You have no idea what it does to someone to be rejected by the people who are supposed to take care of you unconditionally. It breaks you." A third and forth buzzing. "And Catra is no exception. No, she," Kenna's smile was anything but warm. "is the worst of us all."
Adora could see a shadowy figure move from the side of the bleachers.
"So, Princess," she spat out the word in that same tone Catra did, "try not to take it too personally, 'cause everyone, and even she, knows that I'm the one she always comes back to."
Adora felt something in her snap. Maybe it was that stupid grin she had on her face, like she had won some sort of game, maybe it was the familiar way she spoke her words, like she had had to repeat those same words many times before, or maybe it was the simple fact that Adora suddenly wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug smile off her face.
Yup, the last one must have been it because before she knew it, Adora had grabbed Kenna by the front of her shirt, lifting her up from the ground.
"Don't you dare speak of her like that," she growled at her, enjoying the fear that flashed in Kenna's eyes as she tightened her hold. "She's not some toy to enjoy watching. She is a person who is perfectly capable of making decision on her own. She doesn't need you, or me, for that matter," her voice faltered a little before her stern voice was back on. "She doesn't owe you crap, so watch your tone when you're talking about her."
"Wow," Kenna smirked, "She really did a number on you." Adora responded by throwing her onto the ground, not caring that she let out a pained gasp.
She opened her mouth to say something else, something harsher, but Ms. Weaver was suddenly by her side.
"Adora," she placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "Don't cause a scene. People are watching." And she was right, while most had already left, there was still a lingering crowd that was silently watching the scene unfold.
There was a nameless expression on Kenna's face when Ms. Weaver turned to her.
"Get up, child," she said, her face just as expressionless. "You should get cleaned up."
Adora felt a pang of guilt as Kenna stood up, all sarcasm gone, as she dusted herself off.
"Now leave us," there was no room for questions. And to Adora's surprise, Kenna did as she was told, only bothering to shoot her one final grin before leaving.
"Did she harm you, Adora?" Ms. Weaver finally turned to her fully, resting her cool palms against Adora's warm cheeks. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," she was quick to respond, feeling a little shy by all the sudden attention. "I'm fine. No need to make a fuss."
"No need?" She scoffed, as if it was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. "Don't be silly, Adora, you're the most vital part of the team, we can't have you getting hurt." There was a glint in her eyes that could have been mistaken for glare of the sun.
"She said she's fine," Glimmer grabbed Adora by her arm, pulling her away from the trance that Ms. Weaver's touch and words had put her in. "We can take it from here."
"Glimmer," Bow whispered to her, a small attempt at getting her to not say something too harsh to the Sports Director.
Ms. Weaver smiled thinly at them before turning back to Adora, paying them no mind.
"Well," she grabbed some flyaways by the side of Adora's face and tucked them being her ear. "I suppose I'll leave you in their very capable hands."
Not noting the sarcasm in her tone, Adora nodded, automatically going to fix her ponytail.
"Sorry for worrying you, Ms. Weaver," Adora apologized, "I'll be more careful next time."
"I'm sure you will." And with a final gentle stroke to Adora's hot cheek, Ms. Weaver left to drag any bystanders away from the field.
"Wellllll," Bow dragged out that single word in order to lighten the mood, "so that was weird."
"Anyways," Glimmer clung onto Adora once again, "You won, Adora! Come on, we have to celebrate."
"Sparkles may be on to something there," Lonnie and the rest of the team joined them now. They had all changed into more casual wear, somehow all freshened up already while Adora was still there standing in her sweaty gear.
She motioned towards herself, "I'm not really dressed up for it."
"So?" Glimmer pouted, "We can fix that in a second. Right, Bow?"
"Of course," he beamed at Adora.
"Yeah, come on, Captain," Lonnie placed an arm around her shoulder, "What kind of lame excuse is that? Is it 'cause you're scared I'll win at beer pong this time around?"
Adora's laugh was dry. "Not in a million years. But," her smile faltered for a split second, "I think I'll take a rain check."
Lonnie let her arm drop back to her side. "Oh."
"Are you sure, Adora?" Bow asked. "It'll be lots of fun."
"I'm sure," she replied, exaggerating a yawn, "I'm kind of tired but you guys go have fun for me." She playfully bumped her shoulder against Lonnie who seemed to accept her response.
"I'm gonna head back and rest up, but I'll let you guys know if I change my mind," she added the last part, fearing that they wouldn't let her go if she didn't offer even the smallest of hope that she could join them later.
After gathering her things, she began to make her way out of the field.
"Is she gonna be okay?" She could hear Glimmer, who was incapable of speaking at a whisper, from where she was.
"We should give her some space," came Bow's gentle response. "She really thought Catra was gonna come."
"What's that about?" Adora was mildly surprised that Lonnie joined their conversation.
"Oh, so, the thing is…" Thankfully, Adora was out of earshot now, as she wasn't able to catch the rest of Glimmer's sentence.
Glad that she could finally let her smile drop, she relaxed her face muscles that were beginning to cramp from all the wide-smiling she had done for the press.
As she made her way onto the walkway, she was bombarded by greetings from students who had seen her race.
She plastered her best fake smile on her face as quickly as she had let it drop; it was game time again.
Smile. Wave. Laugh. Picture. Pose. Greet. Small-talk.
It was the same pattern all over again. She was beginning to wish for the apparition of her roommate to come save her.
While continuing to keep up the charade, she kept making her way to her dorm, trying to find an out. She may be good at faking it like the best of them, but even she had her limits. Especially after a competition. Her body was beginning to ache as it settled down form her game on mode.
Everything was too much. The sun. The sound of people's voices. Laughter. Words. Touch.
Out of the blue, she felt herself being yanked into an alley.
Catra was suddenly there, in front of her, pressing a finger against her lips in a shushing motion.
She peered around the corner, hoping that Adora's entourage hadn't spotted them. After a few confusing minutes, they dispersed, satisfied they had had their few minutes with the Golden Child of the track team.
"Wow," Catra's ear twitched at the flat tone Adora spoke in. "so you're here again."
Adora sighed.
"Can't I get a break? I could really use one right about now, thank you." Adora pressed her back against the cool brick walls, hoping the coolness of them would bring her back down to Etheria.
"What the hell are you mumbling about?" Catra turned to her.
"Wait. Catra?" Adora blinked at her like she was trying to wake up from a dream. "You're here? Like, actually here?" She felt the strong urge to reach out and touch her, to make sure she was real. But the fear that she wasn't…that she was just another apparition stopped her. Sure, a more realistic one, as Adora could feel her heart skip a beat, just as it normally did when Catra was near. But still. There was no way the real Catra was actually there.
Nope. Adora was sure she was going insane.
"Um, yes, " Catra put crossed her arms across her chest, tilting her head slightly to the side. "What? Were you expecting someone else?"
"No!" Adora's response came quickly. "Just—You're really here."
"Yes," Catra said the word slowly, as if doing so would help Adora understand that simple word.
"She's really here," Catra could make out her tiny whisper from where she stood. It clicked in her mind suddenly.
Her stance visibly relaxed and she stepped closer to Adora, not enough to touch, but enough that it got her attention.
"Adora," mismatched eyes met blue ones, "Does it look like I'm not really here?"
Adora looked at her. Catra stood in front of her, wearing black shorts and a dark red crop top, with her ever present fingerless gloves decorating her hands.
"Oh." Adora suddenly realized how insane she must have looked like to Catra. "Sorry. I just…earlier—"
"Please don't start apologizing." Catra's words overlapped hers. "I'm the one who—"
They both stopped talking at the same time waiting for the other to continue but neither did.
Silence followed.
Right. Adora recalled everything she had told her before. But wait, did that mean that…?
She stood up straighter, her heart pounding in her chest, trying to find the courage she had had before when she spoke to her on the other side of a door. Back when she said that she would…confess.
"Wait," she shook her head, still trying to wrap her mind around what was happening. "So. You heard what I said this morning right? Like, I wasn't just talking to an empty room?"
Catra peered up at her, as if trying to figure out if she was serious or not.
"No," she replied softly. "I heard everything."
"Oh," was all Adora's brilliant mind could muster.
"Yup." Catra pursed her lips. And then it hit Adora. She seemed…nervous. She racked her brain trying to remember when was the last time she had ever seemed unsure of herself. The Catra in her mind was confident, and her don't-give-a-crap-about-others attitude was always present, minus in the rare occasions when she seemed to tolerate a select few.
"Well," Catra's tail wrapped itself around her arms that hugged her midsection, her ears lowering slightly. "Aren't you supposed to be saying or asking me something? Isn't that what you said?" But her words didn't have their usual bite. The sight before her, plus the blush that colored Catra's cheeks was enough to make Adora feel her own face begin to heat up.
Overhead, clouds loomed.
"Right," Adora cleared her throat. "What I wanted to say was…Well—" She rubbed the back of her neck, the action causing her to smack her elbow against the wall behind her.
"Ow, ow," She rubbed it, stepping forward so as not to bump into it again.
Catra's eyes widened slightly as that innocent act brought them closer together, practically chest-to-chest. Adora must have realized it at the same time as she did as her nervous smile slowly dimmed.
As if drawn to her like a moth to light, Adora licked her lips, her eyes never leaving Catra's as she lowered her head slightly so they were a whisper away from touching.
Their breath was coming faster now as they felt the air between them crackle with electricity. Neither one of them looked away from the other. Eyes burning with want meet, only for them to wander down to the others lips. Over and over again they continued. Eyes met. Lips. Eyes. Lips. And back again.
Catra was the first to break.
"Ugh, goddammit," she all but cursed under her breath. She closed the rest of the gap between them. "Look, princess, I'm going to do this once more and you better remember it this time."
Her hand found its home on the back of Adora's neck and pulled her in, and kissed her.
This time, Adora knew exactly what to do. She kissed her back with everything she had, like she'd been waiting her whole life to kiss her. Her hands moved down Catra's sides, resting on her hips, keeping their bodies close as Catra pushed Adora so her back hit the wall behind them.
The back of Catra's hand tickled as the tip of Adora's ponytail grazed it. In one swooping motion, Catra reached up, and with a precise flick of her finger, cut the hair tie that held up her hair. It fell down in blonde wavy cascades, and then she did what she'd thought of doing for weeks now. She ran her hands through her hair, pulling her in even closer.
Wow, they both thought as they deepened the kiss. Adora, following her lead, trailed her hands up Catra's back, pressing her palms firmly against it to hold her steadily against her. Chest to chest, hips to hips now, they continued to kiss, forgetting everything around them. In that moment, there was no one else in the whole universe but them. As if to commemorate this precious moment, the skies opened and rain began to pour over the young couple.
"What the—?" Despite the shock of water droplets falling on them, they didn't end their embrace, if anything, they held on tighter, not wanting the moment to end.
Adora laughed as it only began to rain harder.
"I—why are you laughing?" Catra asked, feeling her tail frizz up and nails begin to extend as she slowly became more soaked by the second.
Despite the sudden downpour, Adora felt her heart soar into new heights. She felt lighter, like a huge weight had been taken off her shoulders. Pining. She was able to place the emotion quickly now that the feeling of Catra's lips still lingered on hers.
This is exactly what she wanted. Even if they were still getting drenched, soaking their hair so it stuck to their faces, even if their clothes were now practically glued to their skin, it was all worth it.
"Oh here," at seeing Catra rub her hands over her arms to generate a minuscule amount of warmth, Adora handed her her jersey. The same one she'd lent her when they'd gone to the amusement park.
Catra's eyes sparkled as she placed it over her shoulders, enjoying the lingering smell of Adora on it.
"Come on," Adora grabbed Catra's wrist, "Let's get out of this rain before we get sick!"
The magicat stared at the back of her head as she led them back to their dorm. If she had looked back, Adora would have seen the warm smile that never disappeared from Catra's face.
By the time they made it back, feeling euphoric from their earlier kiss and the unexpected rain, they were a giggling mess as they hurried inside to grab towels to dry off.
They took turn doing their hair, Adora careful to not tug too harshly as Catra's curls, and Catra careful to not nick Adora with her sharp nails. It wasn't until they were both satisfied with their level of dryness that they spoke again.
"So," Adora began, fidgeting with her hands. "What does this make us?"
"You need a label on it?" Catra joked, but her smile dimmed when Adora lowered her eyes.
"Hey," Catra reached over to place a gentle hand on her cheek to have her look at her.
"You dummy," she said affectionally, "We're a thing now, okay?"
"We are?" That wide grin that made Catra's heart skip a beat was back. She felt her face heat up for what felt like the hundredth time that day.
"Yes," she said matter-a-factly, "We are. Now," she grabbed a nearby towel and pulled her arm back as if to throw it. "Shut up and keep drying yourself, you missed a spo—"
But before she could finish her sentence, Adora grabbed her wrist and pulled her in for another kiss.
The towel she held fell to the ground as Adora held her close again, pulling her onto her lap.
"You were saying?" Adora sucked on Catra's lower lip slightly earning her a gasp from the magicat.
"Me? I wasn't saying anything." Catra felt Adora smile against her lips.
"That's what I thought."
"Shut up and kiss me again, you dummy."