Wedding planning had consumed Adoraâs entire world.
She had, in fact, done just what Catra had joked she would: sheâd taken over one of Darlaâs bedrooms and turned it into her planning space. The room Finn had claimed, specifically, which was still filled up with all the supplies they had bought when their kid was here. She had gotten all their clothes washed, put away, and hung up in the closet for future use, and most of their toys put away in a little cupboard in the closet, too. The only thing that remained on the bed was one particular stuffed dinosaur Finn had loved on nonstop and still smelled like them. She had a tendency to pick it up and inhale her kidâs scent clinging to it when she started to get overwhelmed.
With the wedding paraphernalia she had taped to every inch of the wall beside the bed, it was easy to get overwhelmed. She had a full section of the wall, top-to-bottom, decked out with venue options, all accompanied by pictures, individual pro/con lists, and quotes for prices, most of which were high. Beside that were pictures and prices for potential wardrobe options, flower arrangements sheâd discussed with Yasha, catering options from different companies. It was so much, and that wasnât even half the decisions she would have to make.
Well, they. Obviously she wanted Catraâs input on this, but so far, she hadnât put her foot down too much. She wanted to give Adora everything she wanted, since the very idea of a big wedding was something she had wanted, but it had given her too much freedom to spiral out of control. They were closing in on only one month left to plan this now, if they wanted it to fall on their Vallo anniversary, and she wanted that. There was something sweet and poetic about it, choosing the anniversary of the day theyâd gotten this strange second chance.
She was pacing back and forth across the floor. Her heart was racing and her hands were clenching in and out of fists over and over, nails digging into her palms so hard she left tiny marks, trying to keep herself calm. Every so often, she would pause, take a deep breath, and turn to take everything in again. There were a few papers marked through with big red Xâs, but there were still so many options and she was starting to feel panicked and a breath away from hyperventilating.
âI canât do this,â she finally said, her voice shaking. She turned to her soon-to-be wife, seated on the bed behind her, and reached out to snatch up Finnâs stuffed dino and clutch it to her chest. âI give up, youâre right, letâs just elope.â She knew that was Catraâs preference, and she was ready to just do it before she cracked.
Yep, Catra knew this was going to happen.
The intense pacing that could more or less create a trench in the floors, hands balling into fists, the in-person Pinterest board created by Adoraâs very own hands with strings connecting certain pictures and slashes of a red marker. It wasnât as if she wanted this to actually happen, fuck no - but she knew her ladyfriend. Trying to reason with her while she was running on that wedding high wasnât going to work - itâd be futile, they would argue about it and want to pull each otherâs hairs out. Best to let this run its course.
So she watched, perched on the edge of the bed with crossed legs and dressed casually in leggings and a light sweater that hung off her shoulders (making her look a wee bit smaller than usual, too). Catra didnât say anything, didnât drop a sarcastic comment or nag her to stop. She simply picked beneath her claws and waited patiently for when that high finally became a low.
When it did, she sighed.
âCâmon,â she said, patting the spot on the bed next to her. âTake a deep breath and sit.â
More than anything, it frustrated Adora that Catra had seen this coming. It was petty and silly of her to feel that way, but she didnât want to be that predictable. She didnât want her inevitable anxiety attacks to be something Catra saw coming from a mile off. She didnât want to have these feelings and get herself this worked up, but it had been a part of her as long as she could remember.
Still, she hated it.
She sighed and did as she was told, forcing a proper deep breath in and out as she came over to sit beside the girl she loved, tucking Finnâs dino up beneath her chin. âI just â I donât know why I canât narrow things down and decide. Maybe youâre right and itâs just too much.â
In her head, in an ideal world, she wanted a real wedding. It didnât have to be huge or fancy, but she wanted it to be memorable, special, and something fantastic that was all theirs to remember for the rest of their lives â or as long as they were in Vallo. Which, if her future self was to be trusted, was at least another twenty years. She didnât want to get anything wrong and prevent that future from coming.
âI wish Glimmer was here,â she admitted after a moment, setting the dinosaur back down on the bed on her opposite side. âAnd Bow.â They had Scorpia here now, and she was grateful for that, for Catraâs sake. But she missed her best friends, especially now. And she knew Glimmer would plow right through her bullshit and help her make smart decisions without making herself crazy.
Catra wasnât beside her for long. Not that sheâd ever move far, anyway - all she did was shift deeper into the bed, move onto her knees and put her hands on Adoraâs shoulders. Her thumbs started to move in slow, circular motions while the rest of her hands squeezed rhythmically. All this was a lot, and it didnât have to be but it was everything like Adora to, uhhh. Overcomplicate things, sometimes.
âYou donât want to elope - so weâre not eloping,â she smirked, dropping a kiss to the crown of her head. âI know you miss Tweedle Dee and Dum. I do too. But if Glimmer was here sheâd be steamrolling and making decisions about this herself and then Iâd have to fight her.â
It was a joke. Sort of. (But she absolutely would though.)
At least Catra thought she was funny. Moving on. âWhen you think about what this wedding is going to be like, what do you want to remember the most? Is it going to be the... â Her eyes squinted at the madness manifested before them to pinpoint an example. âChair⊠ribbons??â Why the fuck did chairs need - nevermind. âOr how hot I am in red?â
Adora groaned and her eyes fell closed â and not because of the gentle shoulder rub she was receiving, although she had melted right into that and it was very appreciated. âI forgot all about the chair ribbons!â She promptly dropped her face into her hands and once again forced herself to take several deep breaths to relax. Because, obviously, the chair ribbons were not the point here. Not of this conversation and not of their wedding.
Once she felt sufficiently calmer, she lowered her hands and tipped her head back to meet Catraâs eyes. âYouâre gonna look really hot in red,â she murmured, cracking a smile. âYou always do.â They had picked out this gorgeous red button-down for Catra to wear already, and she was going to look perfect. âAt least your partâs taken care of. Thereâs stillââ
She couldnât say it, gesturing to her Wall of Wedding Insanity wordlessly instead. Catra was probably right that Glimmer would be a little more of a steamroller than Adora wanted to imagine, but right now, she would take that. Sheâd made the choice to give herself all these options, and they were all good options and what sheâd felt were necessary things, and now she couldnât find her way out of it.
Yeah, no. Chairs definitely didnât need ribbons, and while she could appreciate the attention to detail Adora wanted to give this whole shindig it was not worth the stress. Catra had provided some input here and there but overall allowed her to take the reins on this and that was proving to be a little too much. Really - it was a miracle she didnât just drag her to the courthouse by the ponytail to seal the deal there.
But, again - Adora wanted the wedding, the fancy outfits and ridiculous spread of food and flowers and she was going to get it. Within reason.
âBabe,â Catra sighed and cupped her face. Adoraâs view of her would be upside down but at least theyâd still be making eye contact. âWe donât need an excess of stuff. I mean - we have a location. Food, drinks, and people to give us presents because in the end thatâs why weâre really doing this, right?â Again, she thought she was funny, okay. âLook. Iâll go through everything and trim the list. You can focus on stuff you really want. But we donât need things likeâŠâ Back to the board. What was another example of nonsense? âPersonalized napkins with every guestâs name on them.â
There was a pause. Then, Catra threw her head back and laughed. âWhy??â
The âpresentsâ comment earned Catra an eyeroll and Adoraâs bottom lip jutting out just a bit. Obviously, she wasnât against presents of a reasonable price range if any of their friends wanted to, but that was the furthest reason from her mind for doing the whole wedding thing. She just wanted something memorable and fun and as perfect as it possibly could be for everyone to enjoy. That was where her people-pleasing and perfectionist streaks had kicked into gear in tandem and started this spiral that had her blood pressure at a probably unhealthy high.
She hadnât realized how badly she needed Catra to step in until she told her that she would. Catra was just as discerning and stern as Glimmer was (although in a hotter way that Adora mostly appreciated) and having her trim some of the fat from her list would be such a relief. Already, imagining having a smaller selection to choose from made it feel like a huge weight was being lifted.
But the napkins â she blushed at the way Catra laughed. Okay, yes, it was unnecessary, but sheâd had reasoning behind it, and she couldnât help starting to justify herself.
âIt would be cloth! I thought it would be cute to have our names and the date of the wedding on it and their name smaller, and it could be - a souvenir or something.â
By the time sheâd finished, her eyebrows were creased and it seemed to be dawning on her, for the first time, that a cloth napkin might not be the most exciting thing to take home from a wedding.
âOkay - the official name for those are wedding favors,â Catra drawled. Some research had been done on the wedding front too - she had to make sure she knew all the lingo involved so when Adora rattled on about everything she wasnât totally clueless. âAnd second, from the look on your face it seems like you see my point. Wedding favors are fine, but the personalized napkins are just too much.â
A chaste, upside-down kiss was bestowed on her lips before she was on move again. Off the bed she went, and she ended up standing before Adora with a hand out. âAnyway, since you seem to be craving some kind of direction, this is whatâs going to happen: youâre going to take a break,â she announced, quirking a brow with this look that left little room for debate. âYouâre going to take a tiny piece of an edible Richie gave me, and Iâm going to make you some of that gross smelling tea thatâs supposed to help with your anxiety, and youâre going to relax. On the couch, in bed, wherever. Thatâll be your choice. Understood?â
Right, wedding favors. Adora knew that, but her brain was operating almost entirely on stress, and sometimes when that happened, the right words didnât always come to her. It was another cue that sheâd let herself go too far with all of this. Catra was right, the napkins were another thing that she could draw a big red X through. One more stupid item on her misguided wall that she wouldnât need to worry about.
She was too tired to do more than nod her agreement when Catra told her exactly what she was going to do next. A tiny piece of her wanted to be defiant and insist on being a part of whatever she planned to do, but that would just lead to arguments when she inevitably wanted to keep something that Catra thought was useless. She didnât want that. This was Catraâs wedding, too, and having her input and her no-bullshit take on it all was a good thing. She needed it.
âOkay,â she agreed, taking the hand offered to her and standing up at Catraâs behest. She lifted both hands to cup her future wifeâs face and pressed their foreheads together. âIâm sorry. I didnât mean to - I let it go too far.â Sheâd fallen into this hole of internet suggestions and taken nearly every single one of them, even the dumb ones, and now here they were.
âHey, no no,â Catra protested, in this soft schmoopy sort of way as Adora cradled her face. Her own hands went to her hips, drawing their bodies closer until space between them was non-existent. âYou donât need to apologize for trying to throw the best wedding ever, dummy. Itâs okay.â
To drive the point home she kissed her again, nothing over the top or intense but sweet and lingering and, hopefully, grounding. It didnât hurt that she was purring either, the vibrations felt through the locking of lips. âItâs cute, in this neurotic kind of way. But you were ten seconds away from doing that thing you do and flopping onto the ground uselessly, so - Iâm glad we didnât get to that point.â
âMe too,â Adora murmured, her face flushing hot. If sheâd actually fallen over that precipice, yeah, she probably would have gone into that place where she just turned off. It was usually preceded by an anxiety attack and was the best way she could manage to recover and cope. She hadnât worked herself into a state like that in a long time, but she knew in this instance sheâd just skated past it.
She took a deep breath, sliding her hands down to grasp Catraâs shoulders instead before stealing another kiss from those lips. She did feel grounded like this, centered; feeling Catraâs hands on her and her purrs vibrating against her chest always had a profound effect. âThank you for keeping me from flopping onto the ground uselessly. That wouldâve been embarrassing.â
Catra didnât mind soothing the flames that came with stress - she always had for Adora, when they were little and all Shadow Weaver did was dump the pressure of perfection on her shoulders. This kind was obviously more benign, and less detrimental for her well-being overall but, yâknow. It was still taken seriously. The whole thing was kind of a big deal for them.
âAs if I havenât seen you like that before,â she scoffed, and while she could stand here literally all day making out with Adora she had promised her some relaxation time. Catra stepped back and seized one of her hands to tug along. Time to make a trip to the kitchen, hurry up those two left feet. âYouâre allowed to be a messy goober with the occasional meltdown. Iâm into you enough, itâs not going to bother me.â
Back on Etheria everyone loved this shiny, extra-tall version of Adora with bigger muscles and more luxurious hair that radiated grace and perfection. Catra preferred the original form where she was sometimes a ditz and did finger guns in the mirror and got rosy-cheeked over something silly - and sometimes flopped face-first onto the ground when she felt overwhelmed. Thatâs who she was going to marry, and Adora didnât need to feel embarrassed about herself.
But she could deal. That combination of an edible and the tea Wanda always sent home with her sounded like a surefire way to properly calm her nerves. And she wouldnât say no to a few snacks, of which they had plenty. She was trying to be a bit healthier in that respect after loading up so hard on sugar during Finnâs visit, so when they entered the kitchen, she reached right into the refrigerator to pull out a snack-sized packet of apple slices.
âThe location,â she said, turning back to Catra as she peeled open the bag. She couldnât help herself â that had stuck in her brain when Catra mentioned it. âYou mean the one with the gazebo? Because I havenât officially booked it, but I really like that one and you did, too, right?â It would be one very big decision made and she would be relieved to be able to peel all those papers off her wall.
Kettle filled with water, stove on - now it was time to rummage through the cabinets for one of those tea tins. For whatever reason it was up on a higher shelf, so Adora was able to witness the scowling and grumbling of her fiance struggling hilariously to reach up for it but her attempt was successful, okay. Even if she accidentally knocked something else off the shelf in the process. Thankfully her reflexes were quick, and she caught it before it smacked her in the face.
âUhhhhh,â she voiced for a bit there, trying to gather her wits (and maybe some dignity back when it came to her unfortunate height). âYeah, I liked it. Itâs nothing crazy fancy. Simple and intimate and all that. And the space around it is basically like a blank canvas, so - you can do whatever you want, set it up however you like if you have a specific vision you wanted to go with.â Catra popped the tin open to grab a tea bag. âNo chair ribbons, though. They donât need to be dressed. Thatâs just - a little much, you know?â
Normally, Adora would volunteer to reach whatever it was Catra was looking to grab from the higher shelves, but she knew how it would go. Her girl was very stubborn and would likely have gotten all grumbly if she stepped in. Instead, she stayed back, popped an apple slice in her mouth, and only approached when Catra started actually preparing the tea.
âNo chair ribbons,â she agreed, stepping up beside Catra to wrap an arm around her waist. âAnd no personalized napkins. Iâll call and officially book the gazebo in the morning. Thatâs three less things to worry about.â And about fifty more, when it came to what went into getting that location ready, but for now, sheâd avoid thinking about that to keep her stress levels even.
Catra could function fine with that arm around her, and while she couldnât spare her own arm - her tail was sacrificed instead, coiling around her waist too. âCool,â she said and she had said it cheerily too, what the fuck. The kettle whistled and she reached to pour it into a mug, and began steeping the teabag into the steaming water. âCateringâs the next big thing, right?â
While the water darkened, she snatched up a little mason jar of what looked like wrapped candies. Spoiler alert: they werenât really candles, even if they were Starburst-sized and looked like it would taste like strawberries. She went to unwrap one. âWe could see if that place I took you to for your birthday does events. You seemed to like having meat brought to you on swords.â
The small edible was held up against Adoraâs lips, and Catra gave her a borderline provocative look to open up.
Adora opened her mouth obediently to accept the candy being pressed to her lips. It would take a few minutes, but these edibles tended to hit hard and linger for a long time. She preferred them over the immense amount of coughing smoking a joint caused, though it all had a very mellowing effect on her. She was glad to have found a way to force her body and mind to quiet down without making her sloppy and ridiculous.
âI talked to them,â she informed Catra with a nod. She still remembered her birthday very fondly, and that food was so good. They hadnât been back since that evening, but just the thought still made her mouth water. âThey can do it, but itâs really pricey, even without the performance side. Iâve been looking into similar stuff thatâs a little cheaper.â
This wedding was already going to cost them a chunk. They were lucky to have sufficient savings thanks to living on Darla â they avoided a lot of living costs that way. She didnât want to blow it all on the wedding, though, especially if they were looking at a future here with a family. She couldnât imagine raising Finn and a set of twins in the future wasnât pricey in and of itself.
âI thought maybe youâd want to do sushi, too. I know thatâs your favorite.â
âI mean - it is,â Catra shrugged, spoon clinking against the ceramic as she mixed some sugar in for her. Yes, she was fixing it up and everything because love, or whatever. âBut I can literally order sushi any night I want. Itâs not a big deal if we donât have it.â Having meat served to her on weapons was good enough for her too, and not something they commonly indulged in so it was kind of a special treat?
Tea done and prepared, she offered the warm mug over to her ex-girlfriend (haha, still hilarious) and pressed a kiss to her cheek. âI appreciate the offer though even if you make a face every time I suggest we go out and get some,â she grinned.
Adora accepted the Gay and Anxious mug (unfortunately very accurate) and took a sip, already feeling herself relax a little bit more. She knew it was probably partly a psychological thing, but the specifics didnât matter to her because it worked. But she returned it to the counter after that initial sip because she had better things to do with her hands â and those âbetter thingsâ were wrapping the love of her life up in her arms again.
âI eat it, donât I?â She grinned right back, dipping her head to kiss Catra again. âWeâll work it out with the meat on swords place if youâre okay with it. But maybe we should see if anyone wants a vegetarian option, too? Vegan sushiâs a thing, right?â That was a lot of meat, and there was always the possibility some of their friends wouldnât be into the idea. She wanted to make sure everyone actually ate and enjoyed themselves.
âVeganism is a disease,â she snorted, seamlessly immersing herself into this holding situation they were in now - arms going around her neck, claws gently scratching right beneath those baby hairs. âVegan sushi also sounds gross but we can find⊠veggie options for people, I guess.â
Salads, vegetable boats, whatever. Theyâd get something to appease the herbivores. âBut Iâm really good with the whole meat thing on weapons, promise - and Iâm also okay with you wanting to be really extra about getting a small sword to cut the cake.â Catra smirked, rising to her clawed tippy-toes to kiss her nose. âIâd just suggest using the Sword of Protection for that but it might be weird since you stab monsters with that and me on occasion, sooooâŠâ
Could a shrug be shit-eating? Because her shrug was definitely the shit-eating sort.
âI was thinking of talking to Brigitte about a specific wedding sword or something. With engravings and stuff that we can keep around here afterwards. Somewhere the kids wonât end up able to reach it, obviously.â She planned to eventually teach whatever children they had sword safety, but she didnât want them having to learn about it some too-soon, tragic way if they got their hands on a sword just laying out there within reach.
Ahhh, she loved Adora all flustered. Catra couldnât help but smother a chuckle as she kissed those blushy cheeks, squeezing her so their bodies would be flushed against one another in what was becoming such a clingy, bear-hug embrace.
âThat sounds nice but are you really already planning on how to baby-proof this place?â she asked incredulously, pulling her face back to give her a ridiculously amused look. Wait, stupid question, of course Adora was already planning that. Ever prepared and ever eager. They had plenty of time before they got to that point. Presumably, anyway. The timeline for Finn was still a little hazy but it couldnât be too soon. Right? âYou should probably plan things one phase-in-life at a time. Wedding first, kittens later. Like - much later.â
Of course Adora was already planning ahead. Finn had been with them for two weeks, and sheâd instantly gone into mom mode, and she didnât really think sheâd ever totally come out of it. Which was a good thing, right? Because Catra said her future self had assured her Finn was inevitable and had told her about the twins. If all of those kittens were going to happen, they should be prepared! That didnât mean she was baby proofing or decorating Finnâs room right this second, but it was always in the back of her mind.
âWedding first,â she hummed her agreement, stroking a hand through Catraâs mane. âKittens later. Ish.â She wouldnât agree to âmuch laterâ because if it completely was up to her, that would be a right now situation. But sheâd agree to a general later because she wanted the wedding first, babies afterward. She could deal with that.
âAre you going to look over the wedding stuff now or are we cuddling on the couch? I want to be included either way.â She was starting to feel settled and her heart rate had lowered back to normal, but if they were doing more wedding details, she wanted to see what options Catra took out of the running. She needed to know what would be left for her to work with in the end.
Later-ish. Catra quirked a brow. Adoraâs impatience about that part was so obvious, and she didnât have it in her to burst her bubble. Itâs not like she wanted to, honestly - she was equal parts excited and terrified about that part of their life. She was still coming to terms with it, but having had Finn helped her picture it more.
But still - wedding first.
The purrs started up again, and Catra rubbed her face into her cheek. âYou need to finish your tea first,â she murmured, slowly sliding a hand down Adoraâs chest. âThen weâre cuddling. Youâre going to reset your brain with a nap before thereâs any more planning. Got it?â
âGot it,â Adora agreed. She smiled into the nuzzles against her cheek, turning her head to press a kiss to Catraâs temple. She was in a much more agreeable mood, and really, the suggestion of a nap sounded like a very good one. it was the perfect way to get her brain cleared of all these insane, extraneous wedding ideas.
âRom-comâs are the worst,â said the woman who was also guilty of watching too many of them, but Catra would prefer that to not be pointed out. This meant that they had to create some physical distance between each other - rude - so they could get this show on the road. She made sure to let her hands wander though, give Adoraâs ass a nice squeeze. Then a light, playful smack. âGo pick one out and Iâll bring out the snacks. And get your lap ready because Iâve got plans to sit there.â
All part of her plan to keep her pinned down and ensure she take that goddamn nap, but no doubt theyâd both pass out in a heap of tangled limbs and bagged food.