WHO: Catra & Adora (and Spirit) WHAT: Reveal of a big secret WHERE: Darla WHEN: Backdated to St. Patrick's Day WARNINGS: Mentions of abuse and memory alteration if that bugs you STATUS: Complete
Things were okay. Like - yeah, they werenât the best, considering she was going through the motions of the whole chipped fiasco but they really werenât awful. Catra found it easier to cope in Vallo, where they werenât racing against the clock trying to make it back to Etheria before things considerably worsened. Internet privacy issues had been a funny distraction and the current infestation of these deep stalkers werenât anything to be all that worried about. A little bit of senseless violence was therapeutic, and she was happy to have extended her claws out like knives and tear into them without having to think too hard about anything else.
Sheâd been quieter, though, since that night. Sometimes a little spacy, but the glaringly obvious help was also having Adora present - didnât matter if her head still felt muddled (the nightmares, sadly, had been terrifying constants) and she could sometimes feel the ghost of Primeâs touch, having her around kept Catra in better spirits. She wasnât skimping on affection in the least. The I love youâs had been said and have continued to be expressed with frequency so, yeah. It helped to have that dam holding back those words destroyed. It helped that they were reciprocated. It helped that they were together, and for once she wasnât letting the uncertainties of this magical fucking island seep into her bones.
Catra had better things to do anyway.
St. Patrickâs Day was kind of a confusing holiday, if she were honest. Something about leprechauns and but also green alcohol, something about snakes and some country named Ireland - there was a lot to it. Point was, green beer was todayâs theme and they had gone out to the city to purchase a case to bring back with them. The deep stalkers in their immediate area had been cleared out and there was nothing pressing that required their attention. It was a nice night, too. Breezy weather and cloudless skies (which meant the stars were visible, and she liked them), a wave of springtime bringing in fireflies into the forest. It was why Catra had suggested they climb over the cockpit of Darlaâs ship to spend the evening, talking freely and indulging in this oh so sacred tradition.
Maybe not so sacred, but it was a good reason to imbibe under the moon. âI feel like I should be used to stars by now but Iâm not,â Catra expressed, about to finish guzzling down the second bottle of beer - for such a petite creature she could really pack âem away. She had cleaned up from todayâs hunt of monsters, dressed in leggings and what was definitely a shirt Adora had bought for herself. Sharing was caring though, right? âI was researching constellations and the star formations are like - I donât know, theyâre supposed to form a picture? I honestly think theyâre overreaching on how a couple of stars somehow look like a spoon but okay.â
Still, they were pretty and she enjoyed gazing at them a lot. Etheria was supposed to have them too now that they had rejoined the rest of the universe from that pocket dimension. She had to wonder what the skies looked like there.
St. Patrickâs Day was a wonder to Adora. Valentineâs Day had a vague equivalent back on Etheria, but this holiday (if you could call it that) was something completely new. Apparently, it had started because of religious reasons but over the years had turned into an excuse to drink copiously and be applauded for it. Despite not being much of a drinker she had decided, this time around, to go ahead and take the opportunity. Killing and skinning acid-spitting Deepstalkers only helped get out so much frustration. She could use an outside reason to get out of her head and relax.
Ever since the chip, sheâd been in a weird place emotionally. She knew she was in no way to blame for something so strange and spontaneous happening. If there was a reason, she wasnât privy to it. Maybe she should just be able to move on that it was gone â and it was truly gone, theyâd had plenty of people around to confirm that on the day â but the nightmares (Catra) and panic and guilt (Adora) that had ensued had continued on. Danâs lucid dreaming training had fallen by the wayside; she was barely sleeping enough to try and keep herself awake with unhealthy amounts of coffee and Monster energy drinks.
She sat beside Catra on a few cushy blankets stacked up and laid out on the floor. Spirit was sprawled out across her lap, gnawing on one of his many chew toys. One bottle of beer sat beside her, half empty. She was sipping slowly; past experience had shown her to be something of a lightweight, so she didnât want to overdo it.
âI donât think they look like spoons,â she replied, catching sight of one of the constellations Catra was referencing above them. âMore like those little measuring cups we bought the other day?â They were working on getting the kitchen loaded up with modern necessities, and Catra had even started trying to cook. Just simple things, but after living nearly exclusively off ration bars all her life, it was an impressive goal.
âI mean, kinda?â Catra squinted upward towards the star-dotted sky, freckled nose scrunched up. There were myths tied to the stars too - pretty wild stuff, and some of it was hilariously ridiculous but it had been a harmless, mind-numbing scroll through her phone the other night. âI have to really ramp up my imagination for it. Maybe I need to drink more to feel it come to life.â
She shrugged lightly. The bottle sheâd been nursing was finally polished off, and she went off to select the next one. It was one of those twisty caps but she had to use her shirt to help unscrew it - bottle caps were sharp, ouch. And since Spirit had so rudely occupied her favorite spot (the little guy was getting bigger every week, would he ever outgrow her lap?), Catra nestled in closer against Adoraâs side and pressed a lingering kiss against her cheek. âHowâs it going in that head of yours, by the way?â
The shrug was returned as Adora brought the bottle to her lips for another small sip. âGood right now. Quiet. Ish.â Having a truly quiet mind was a rarity for her. It happened, a bit more often here than it ever had been home, but it never stayed that way long. She always had something on her mind, good, bad, or in between. Even now, there were things â just nothing pressing.
Sheâd had a good day. Good week, really, and that helped. Defense team training had been a blast, despite the scratch sheâd sustained shoving Catra into the water. She hadnât laughed that hard in a really long time, nor apologized quite as profusely after Catra sent her packing to the couch for it. Worth it, though. She shouldnât have let her competitive nature get the best of her, but when it came to Catra, that was no easy feat.
Quiet-ish wasnât bad. Catra would take that. Obviously she wasnât blind to Adoraâs internal distress - she had noticed the lack of sleep, the heinous amount of caffeine sheâd been throwing back like she needed it to survive. Things had been rough on both sides.
She just⊠hoped it would pass, sooner rather than later. That theyâd get back to a more productive routine of taking care of themselves. Being in a funk was exhausting.
A small purr began to vibrate, kisses moving to trace the shell of her ear then down her neck, to the knob of her shoulder. âPromise that youâd tell me if something else was bothering you?â Catra whispered out, tail slipping loosely around the curve of her waist.
âPromise,â Adora murmured, shivering under Catraâs ministrations. One hand raised to stroke down her chin and pull her in for a quick, soft kiss. âI always do, right?â She smiled, popping another kiss on her girlfriendâs nose.
It was true; since theyâd arrived here, there was very little sheâd actively hidden from Catra. She wanted them to communicate openly, be on the same page, and have as fresh a start as they could. There had been a couple incidents because, no matter how hard she tried, she wasnât perfect. Her post-concussion foray into Murder Turkey chaos and, more recently, her supposed-to-be-private, stupid search history details emerging had each caused a little trouble. But they had cleared both of those up and moved them into the âResolvedâ box now.
âWhat about you? Something besides your inability to see constellations on your mind?â She flashed her girlfriend a teasing smirk. She couldnât see most of the constellations that well, either. imagination hadnât really been encouraged in their Horde upbringing. Abstracts, outside of battle theory, were still a struggle.
Catra wished she could answer that question with the same certainty. Truth be told her own mind was loud as fuck at the moment - an internal chatterbox of debating pros and cons about, uh, things. Complicated things that even she hadnât given much thought to over the years, and had been drudged when they had lightly (very lightly) touched on Shadow Weaver and -
âWouldnât even know where to start,â she replied. It was the closest thing to the truth without giving away particular details. She didnât want to lie, but she also didnât know how to⊠well, do this. Catra brought her third bottle to her lips for another chug - wasnât booze referred to as liquid courage? She needed a lot of that. Maybe it would help her more expressive body parts (the tail, the ears) from twitching too much.
It did little to pacify the guilt in her gut. It was like acid, bubbling and eating away at her.
âWhatâs the weirdest thing you remember growing up?â The question was blurted, a little suspiciously sudden. She didnât really know where she was going with this. Or - scratch that, she did, but there were probably better ways to segue into that.
Or! Maybe there wasnât. Maybe this was a god fuckinâ awful idea and protecting Adora was better than the actual truth? What she didnât know wouldnât hurt her, and that was the last thing she wanted to do but it also seemed like not the best reason and, honestly? Catra was clueless so she basically finished her third bottle of beer in less than five seconds and went to get a fourth.
That got Adoraâs attention. The smirky, playful expression faded into concern and she scooched closer, jostling Spirit in her lap. He grumbled but didnât try to reclaim her spot, instead trotting off to another corner with his toy to amuse himself. Which worked perfectly in her favor â she wrapped her arms around Catra fully and transferred her into her lap, instantly pressing her face into her neck and inhaling. Being close and immersing herself in her girlfriend like this never failed to make her feel good. Calm, even.
Instead of pressing about just what was going on in that head, she let the subject change and hummed thoughtfully, chin hooked over her shoulder. Her childhood was filled with a mix of very happy and very bad memories. Catra was usually the beacon of the happy parts, with a little assist from her former teammates at times. But the bad parts centered around Catra as well, mostly Shadow Weaverâs treatment of her. Their former mentor had always treated her very well personally, but sheâd had little patience for Catra for as long as Adora could remember. It had led to not-so-pleasant incidences that had helped contribute to Adoraâs savior complex â and her guilt complex, too.
Weird, though? Well, being brought up as a child soldier was probably generally a weird thing, by most sane standards. But that was their ordinary, and she knew that wasnât the answer Catra was after.
âI guessâŠthe first thing that comes to mind is this time when I was like thirteen? Maybe fourteen? I had really killed myself in training, and I felt just awful. I think I was kind of sick, too.â She had always overdone it in training, trying to live up to Shadow Weaverâs expectations and be impressive, someone who was clearly Force Captain material. Sickness was no excuse for being sloppy, and sheâd been chastised before for trying to take a day off when she felt ill. So, sheâd worked through it and ended up barely functional instead. Not ideal.
âI remember you telling me off and dragging me back to our bunk and making me rest. And I donât know ifâŠmaybe I had a fever dream? But I remember hearing your voice and feeling you purring, but you werenât there. And when you came back for lights out, you wouldnât even look at me. And you didnât talk to me for like two days. Maybe thatâs not so weird, though.â
That was the best she had. Thinking about that day, and a few others that were popping into her mind the more she ruminated, was a weird experience, for sure. It was like something wasnât fully connecting, and trying to focus on it too much made her head hurt.
Catra was surprised to hear that was what she recalled. The answer didnât disappoint her. She didnât know how it made her feel, really - was it relief? Maybe. Maybe it was feeling vindication that no matter what happened, Adora could always tell if something was odd even if she couldnât remember why.
It was decided, then. Catra was going to bite the bullet and do this and hope that Adora wouldnât be upset at her for it.
âYou were fourteen,â she sighed, shifting so half her back was pressed into her. Her tail had unraveled from Adoraâs waist. Turns out it wanted the freedom to twitch about. âYou wouldnât listen to me when I told you to take it easy. So I watched you run yourself ragged until you physically couldnât anymore and tried taking you to the infirmary. We ended up negotiating the bunks instead because even feeling like shit, youâre stubborn.â
She began to pluck at the label of her beer bottle with her claws. That wasnât new information. For Adora it might be a fuzzy recollection at best. âI stayed with you because duh, why wouldnât I. You said you felt sore? We joked about how Iâd make the perfect heating pad for you and I just⊠flopped on top of you. It kept you from getting up. We talked a lot.â
What came next was probably the part where it could get confusing for her.
At that point, she tilted the bottle towards her lips because god was it time for another sip (or chug at the rate she was going). âYou asked me if I was curious about kissing anyone.â
Adora listened attentively as Catra spoke, and pieces of what she was saying started to click into place. Now that Catra said it, she could remember the general gist of the jokey heating pad conversation. She didnât necessarily remember every detail, but she was only human and her memory was fallible. It felt familiar, though, and she felt sure it was true. Just in general â yeah, Catra was a great heating pad. Soft and warm and the purring vibrations â there was nothing better.
But kissing â that she didnât remember. It sounded like her because she was always curious about that stuff. There were some little romances going on in the Horde, but it seemed so out of reach for them. But trying to recall even the vaguest sense of that conversation felt like diving into a black hole. Instant headache.
âI guess I know the answer now,â she joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit. The way Catra was chugging through bottle after bottle of green beer gave her the feeling something about this was what was troubling her. The twitchy tail gave away just how anxious she was feeling, too. It almost felt like they needed to change the subject, but she was invested now. âWhat happened next?â
Catra remembered most of it vividly. Sometimes it felt like a curse - she didnât want to have any memory of it to begin with, she even tried burying deeper than just six feet underground until it became like a distant fantasy. There had been some success in feeling detachment from that moment (and all the other ones she had yet to bring up) when they were on opposing sides. But now that they had settled into a relationship, there was no detaching herself from it because it was everything they could have had.
Dwelling was of course pointless, except it wasnât something she could turn off despite her attempts. The guilt about keeping it from Adora kept festering, and Catra already had plenty of remorse without it. She needed to make this one right somehow.
âI kissed your cheek,â she continued, hesitantly letting their eyes meet. âWe debated on whether or not that counted. Just to be annoying I kept kissing your cheek, and⊠we got caught. By Shadow Weaver. She ranted about how I was taking advantage of you, putting thoughts into your mind. She said the only way to fix what Iâd done was to take away from you what just happened. She had me watch, and said that the only reason I get to remember was so I know what happens if I tried anything again.â
After that, she finished the fourth bottle. Catra was too full to go for a fifth but maybe she needed time to digest, whatever.
Letting all of that sink in required a bit of quiet. She knew what it meant. She knew take away from you what just happened was a nice, roundabout way of saying that Shadow Weaver had wiped her memory. And it wasnât like she couldnât believe it â she had barely escaped from that exact fate not long after she had defected, trying to get Glimmer and Bow out of the Fright Zone after Princess Prom. If it hadnât been for Glimmer turning things around and saving her, it probably would have worked. Not for the first time, apparently.
âSo, she mind wiped me.â It was a statement of facts, not a question. It all made sense. That explained the fuzzy disconnect she had around certain memories. Not a lot but enough. She had always known something was off, but sheâd never put the why together until now. âThat was the first time, right?â
âYeah, just -â Catra winced, setting the empty bottle down. âNot the last time.â
They werenât back-to-back. Shadow Weaver had instilled enough fear into her to make sure that she wouldnât try instigating anything of the sort right after a fresh swipe of Adoraâs mind. The woman barely tolerated how touchy they were outside of crossing that very specific line; she never liked seeing them run down the halls holding hands, or the way their arms were always slung around the otherâs shoulder. Catra knew if she had it her way sheâd erase her from Adoraâs memory completely - had even said those very words to her once - but couldnât, not without risking detrimental damage.
Instead she did her best to pit them against one another, chip away at their bond bit by bit. Control one, sabotage the other. And it wasnât as if she herself wasnât guilty of trying to control Adora too, once - that stupid virus that had infected She-Ra? Oh yeah, she had plans for that. Catra tried to convince herself she could go through with it and as angry as she had been, she probably could have.
Not without really, really hating herself for it more than she did now. Maybe that was the difference between her and Shadow Weaver - the guilt, acknowledging her actions were fucked and so, so not okay.
She shifted on her lap, trapping Adora between her legs so she could actually face her as she continued to explain, fingers reaching to tuck stray little hairs that made it out of her ponytail behind her ear. âIt happened a few times over the years. Every time I didnât think sheâd catch us, she did. You tried fighting back. We both did. You always told me itâd be okay right before she did it, every time.â
That last part choked her up more than she cared to admit. Having to watch Adora seized by magic as Shadow Weaver clapped her hands over her temples, knowing that she was about to feel pain but trying to soothe Catraâs fears through it. It was always itâs going to be okay, and then sheâd scream as it happened before falling limp.
âShe told me the memories were gone, and that youâd never get them back. That you wouldnât believe me if I told you what happened? You know, stupid shit. Then you left and I convinced myself all those almost-moments didnât matter, and then your internet search history popped up and -â A deep breath was inhaled, then exhaled. âKeeping it from you would have just been the worst thing to do and I donât...want that for us. Theyâre your memories too even if they are gone.â
As usual, despite being bowled over with a completely screwed up revelation about what Shadow Weaver had done to her own mind, Catra was Adoraâs chief concern. She stroked her girlfriendâs sides, twined her fingers into the back of her shirt, and gazed up at her with worried eyes. At least Shadow Weaver had done her the favor of removing the memories of the trauma sheâd inflicted upon her. Catra had witnessed it all and still remembered it. She wasnât sure which of their fates was worse.
She couldnât say she was glad because it was painful and a lot. Her relationship with Shadow Weaver was complicated enough, looking back on it now, and this threw even more complications into the mix. It made her want to ask questions that sheâd thought about before but hadnât had the time or inclination to focus on. Questions didnât always need to be asked and answered â not that either of those things could happen right now. Some things were better left as just thoughts and stashed away in the darker recesses of her mind.
âItâs good you told me,â she assured with a soft smile. She wrapped one of Catraâs curls around her finger and gave it a gentle pull. âAnd I guess I was right, huh? It might have taken a lot longer than it should have, but weâre okay now. Everythingâs okay.â Another soft pull, followed by a kiss to her chin. âI may not remember what happened back then, but I do know all of it matters, okay? And I would have believed you if youâd told me.â
It would probably have been a bit of a tough sell â she was so conditioned to trust Shadow Weaver implicitly back then, even after seeing the atrocious way she treated Catra â but she would have come around quickly. She was sure of it. Theyâd gone through a patch of rough years, but if there was one person she actually did trust, it was Catra, then and now. Maybe now more than ever.
Yeah. Everythingâs okay. Adora wasnât wrong. There wasnât much about their situation worthy of complaints, and if Shadow Weaver could see them now the old bat would have a fucking stroke - which would be therapeutic to witness, she couldnât deny that.
Catra had a gist of what her line of thinking was, though. Her atrociously stubborn, hot sword-wielding girlfriendâs inability to put herself first was rearing its head again. âYouâre allowed to be upset about this,â she reminded, hands moving over her shoulders and thumbs circling right above her collarbone. Her tail stopped being so twitchy, and she wasnât nervous but the concern in her eyes mirrored Adoraâs. âOr feel whatever it is you're feeling. If you want to tell me.â
See, she was all rage and spite while Adora was a little more graceful about her emotions - she didnât take them out on anyone, probably never even had much of a chance to process much of them because war and things to do. Now she had the time. Catra wanted her to take advantage of that.
Sharing what she was feeling wasnât what came naturally for Adora. She was a little bit better about it after so long with Glimmer and Bow, but it was still difficult. She was better at repressing and punching when things got too intense. But â new place, new leaf, new relationship level with Catra. She wanted to be better. She wanted to try, at least.
âI guess I shouldnât be surprised,â she sighed. âShe tried to do it once that I can remember, and I should have known it wasnât the first time.â She had been so frantically trying to escape, to get to Glimmer and get the hell out of the Fright Zone at the time, that she hadnât given it a thought. And afterwards? Well, they had presumed Entrapta was dead. They were still at war. There was too much to do to spare it a thought. She had enough Shadow Weaver trauma to drown in without this being dropped on top of the pile.
âDo you think she even thought of me as a person? I donât know how she could while doing that. And everything she did to you?â Adora shook her head, her jaw going tense as she remembered the way Shadow Weaver had treated Catra through the years, how sheâd wielded her magic as a weapon, a punishment, for the smallest crimes â sometimes nothing more than existing.
Well, that was a loaded question. To contemplate the intentions of a woman on a powertrip for endless magical energy since apparently she needed it like a drug - Shadow Weaver definitely seemed addicted to it, anyway. Catra sighed, tilting her head back to contemplatively glimpse at the stars (and realize whoa, okay, she was tipsy, nice) before her eyes settled back down at Adora.
âI get wanting to think thereâs some part of her that cares,â she started with a shrug. âBut I donât think she did. I remember her wanting you to be the perfect soldier. I remember her wanting you to have zero attachments. I remember her always saying you were like, destined for great things - whatever that even means. Whatever she saw in you, she wanted it for herself. Somehow I used to think that was just favoritism, and that it meant she loved you more than me. Except there was never any love for either of us.â
And it hurt, even now. Catra wished it didnât. They didnât really understand the concept of parents or families growing up but it was just a biological need for children to search for a kind of mother figure - theirs happened to be someone who had no interest in being that for them. Shadow Weaver was the only family they had ever known.
Everything Catra said was completely true. Shadow Weaver always wanted them for what they could offer her â and that was mostly in Adoraâs case. Sheâd always thought Catra was worthless, even though the last three years of the war had proved that theory wrong over and over again. Loving them as actual, individual people had never been who she was. She probably wasnât capable of it.
âIt sucks,â she admitted quietly. She would like to think she was past caring what Shadow Weaver thought of her, but it was hard. She had never been a parent, not in the way Angella had been to Glimmer or Lance and George were to Bow, but she was what theyâd had. But that didnât matter to her. She had erased pieces of her memory without a care for her well-being as a person.
âDo you think she knew about She-Ra? Maybe thatâs the greatness she saw for me?â She wasnât aware of Shadow Weaver having any kind of psychic ability, but that didnât mean it wasnât possible. Maybe she had foreseen She-Ra and had some plan to turn her into a Horde weapon when it happened. Maybe it was just pure luck Adora had thwarted her and ended up defecting to the Rebellion instead.
Catra went to free her hair from that tight ponytail she always insisted on wearing. Adora always looked good with it down, and she loved running her fingers through it - so thatâs exactly what she did, claws gently scratching her scalp as she worked through those strands. She hoped it helped make her feel a little better.
âI donât think she knew about She-Ra specifically,â she told her. âBut I definitely think she knows more than she lets on. Thereâs something sheâs hiding. After awhile I just got the feeling that she wanted to - I donât know, use you? I wasnât sure for what. If she was obsessed with you then itâs because she had some kind of plan. Anything sheâs ever done is to her own benefit.â
This much talk about Shadow Weaver had, uh, her tail puff up a bit there - the bitch always hit a nerve. Catra felt gross about her. She had always been distrustful of the woman, aware of her manipulations and schemes and despite enduring all she did from her, despite watching her mind-wipe Adora more than once, she still wanted her affections and approval and love . And the one time she did receive it (or thought she did), it was all a trap and Catra had been sentenced to death in the Crimson Waste because of it.
That was a rant for another day, though. But she could see why Adora had fallen for it all her life, too.
âOkay, enough Shadow Weaver talk,â Adora decided. âSheâs not here and sheâs not a problem, so I donât want to talk about her anymore.â She reached back to clasp Catraâs tail gently in her hand and pull upwards to smooth out the puff â proof of how much this talk was bothering her, even if she wouldnât say so. Their former mentor was never an easy topic of conversation, and Catra was right. She was out for herself in every situation, simple as that. The mindwipe secret was out now, and discussing her further wasnât necessary right now.
Spirit let out a quiet huff from the corner of the blanket and Adora looked past Catra to see the puppy had rolled onto his back, now trying to involve his back feet in the destruction of his rawhide chew toy. âSee? Spirit agrees, too. He thinks we should pay more attention to him.â
Fucking tail. Catra hadnât even noticed it, either; the curse of having limbs that did their own damn thing. Having anyone else touch it would have been a giant hell no but it was Adora, she was always the exception to her rules. âWhatever,â she mumbled, arms circling around her neck to close the tiny space between them - she leaned in to rub their cheeks together, scent-marking. âIâll pay attention to him in a minute.â
Yes, Spirit was adorable and worthy of belly rubs and ear scritches. Heâd get those soon. Their conversation tonight had been emotional, and Catra was tipsy, and she was clinging and purring. It felt good to finally tell Adora everything - it had been a long time coming - but she worried, of course.
âAre you gonna be okay?â she asked, turning her head to press a kiss into her cheek - and sheâd keep her lips there too, until Adora answered.
Adora hummed, eyes fluttered closed for a moment while their cheeks rubbed together. That was a lovely, soft feeling â made her feel very cared for and wanted and safe every single time. It was one of those nice, familiar things that she did remember from their childhood together. Snuggling up with Catra in her bunk, letting her scent-mark her and curl up around her and fall asleep next to her as much as possible.
It was strange sheâd never really identified those feelings before Vallo. But maybe she had and it was taken away from her. Maybe that was another reason Shadow Weaver had hated how close they were, why sheâd taken those memories from her. The idea just solidified what theyâd discussed â she wasnât a person to that witch. She was a means to an end, one who wasnât allowed her own thoughts or ideas of feelings.
âIâm okay,â she murmured, turning her head to replace her cheek with her lips and kiss her girlfriend properly. âProcessing but okay.â She stroked Catraâs tail again, the other sweeping up and down her back. âI love you.â
Catra wasnât sure if sheâd ever get used to hearing that. I love you. Those words came freely between them now, and to her it still felt surreal; like this was a reality that belonged in a dream, or some other world-altering portal. Like this was something she didnât deserve (she definitely didnât), but like Adora had said the night they discussed their relationship - she had her. No grudges. She had her.
âLove you too,â she purred, the vibrations rolling through her body like a noisy earthquake. A hand went to cradle her face, and she drew Adora back in for another kiss - soft, bittersweet, noses brushing. And when she broke it, she offered a sheepish wince. âI am a teeny, tiny bit tipsy. Not much. Iâm not letting it stop me from taking you to bed after you shower your son with attention.â
âYou chugged four bottles of beer and I didnât even get through one,â Adora chuckled, kissing her cheek. âIâm surprised youâre not more than tipsy.â She snuggled in closer, eager to feel her girlfriendâs purrs rumbling around her. This never failed to calm her anxiety, especially late at night when she struggled to sleep. Tonight was going to be a tough one, too. Her work on lucid dreaming had stagnated, so taking control of whatever feelings she was repressing now wouldnât be easy later. But sheâd deal with it as long as she had Catra next to her.
She whistled softly for Spirit. He immediately dropped his toy and trotted over to them, placing his front paws on Adoraâs thigh and whining for attention. He was definitely getting bigger â not full grown yet but longer and stockier than when theyâd brought him home just a month before. Adora reached out to scratch behind his ears, watching his eyes flutter closed. But a moment later, they were open again and there was another whine.
âGet in here and get cuddled if thatâs what you want, lazy boy,â she scolded him playfully. âCome on!â An excited yip later, he was squeezing between them, head popping up between theirs and nudging against Catraâs chin for attention. âI think heâs your son more than mine.â
âI have a sturdier liver,â Catra quipped, nuzzling into the crook of her neck as she took a moment to just bask in existing like this. Wrapped up into one another, mostly content despite the bomb she had dropped onto her - and whatever Adora needed to deal, sheâd have it. That was something she was going to make sure of.
Then came Spirit into the mix, and she had to detach herself from her girlfriend a bit to accommodate the attention-seeking mass of slobber. Her arms went around him instead to scoop and hug and she rubbed her cheek against his face too. It earned her some affectionate licks. âOur son,â came Catraâs correction as she grinned, a fang poking out in wicked mischief. âWeâre parents now, awe. God, we really do move quickly in this relationship, donât we?â
Now she was cradling Spirit in her arms like a baby, cooing at him. Fuck off - she drank four beers.
âWell, when somethingâs like fifteen years in the makingâŠâ Adora shrugged one shoulder, dipping her head to kiss Catra and that evil little fang, then to pepper kisses along Spirit head. Sheâd had worries about moving things too quickly, but sheâd come to realize there was really no such thing when it came to them. They had loved each other in some form their entire lives. This part of their relationship may be new, but it encapsulated everything that had come before it perfectly.
âCome on, bedtime. We can save the other five beers for another night.â And then, mostly just because she liked the reaction sheâd get, she sealed her lips to Catraâs and let that shimmery gold glow surround them until She-Ra sat in her place. She scooped them both up into her arms and stood, smirking as she pressed another kiss to her girlfriendâs cheek. âReady?â
Oh, they were kissing now. Catra liked that. The puppy in her arms made a yip for attention she ignored for the moment, because things were suddenly warm and she felt super floaty and -
Wait a minute, she knew what this was.
âYou,â she began after her eyes opened and was greeted (at this point it shouldnât be surprising) with the sight of a gold-and-white clad She-Ra, with the design of Catraâs former mask as her crown. Spirit got extra excited now, tail wagging at a lightspeed pace as he pawed at the armor. âAre such a show off.â An arm went around her neck anyway as the other kept their pup anchored to them both. âYouâre lucky I find you stupidly attractive in both forms.â
That statement was punctuated by another kiss, for proof - Adora as herself would always be her favorite but, yeah. She-Ra was hot too.