WHAT: After a fruitless search for their spawn, Catra decides to impulsively pierce her ear because why not? WHERE: Darla, then a tattoo/piercing place in the City WHEN: Tonight WARNINGS: Some "no baby for us" sad feels but that's it STATUS: Complete
Except things had changed so much. The timeline had shifted with the disappearances this year. Dr. Strange, Richie, Max, Alex â they were all gone. The future theyâd thought was set in stone was completely erased and rewritten. Those future kids that were supposed to be definite, inevitable, something to look forward to in the future â they were gone, too.
No Iryna. No Alfie. No Theo.
They knew, at least, that Finn was still in their future. Catra had reached out to one of Atreus and Lanceâs kids, Eilan, and he had confirmed it. But they werenât here, or at least they werenât old enough to announce their presence themself, maybe. Last year, theyâd stumbled across them in a field, playing She-Ra against a monstrous spider that could have eaten them for breakfast. Eventually, she and Catra decided to take a skiff out searching (better for the birdâs eye view), a little frantic with fear that something had happened. Surely they were here, but had they been taken? Had they been hurt? Had they actually been eaten this time?
They looped through the forest well into the evening, past sunset, until Catra had insisted they stop, eat, and rest. With no sign of their kid, big or small version, there was nothing more they could do. Her heart ached â it felt so unfair â but she tried not to let herself feel too jilted. Vallo was what it was; sometimes, they got what they wanted, and sometimes, they didnât. Theyâd searched diligently, but it was pretty obvious at this point that Finn wasnât coming back.
(Not today, at least, but she tried not to hold onto hope they would turn up later too tightly. Better to keep herself from being continually disappointed.)
She brought the skiff down to land just outside the fenced-in yard surrounding Darla, turning the engine off and sliding off the side, reaching out to help her wife dismount next. There wasnât much else to say about any of this, so she focused on the mission at hand: dinner.
âI think we have lunch meat in the fridge. Iâll make sandwiches for us.â
Catra tried not to jump to conclusions. Theyâd both be a hot flaming mess and that wouldnât help the situation at all. Didnât mean her stomach wasnât in knots with anxiety and dread, though; it had her queasy and downright uncomfortable but on the surface she looked fine. Maybe even stoic despite the skiffâs motions contributing to this general unwell feeling that came at her in waves, nagging at her enough to be annoying while staying subtle enough to where she got by without much of a problem.
Finn wasnât here. It sucked, and she was a little extra salty about it because other kids had come through except theirs. She was happy for their friends. Mostly.
âNot hungry,â she answered firmly, not wanting any pushback for that. Catra had eaten toast and a banana earlier, she was fine. Feet planted on solid ground, she pulled a hand back from Adora to scrub down her face and sigh in exhaustion. âAt least we know for sure now - I feel like I would have smelled them out there.â
âYou probably would have,â Adora agreed with a sigh. She wanted to push back on that refusal, knowing Catraâs appetite had been trash lately, but she refrained. They were both grumpy enough as it was, tired and hungry and a little wounded, and she didnât feel the need to make it any worse.
She leaned forward to press a kiss to Catraâs temple before leading her up Darlaâs ramp and through the doors. One elevator ride later, and they were greeted by an enthusiastic round of barking, and Spirit launching himself into Adoraâs legs. She rubbed at the puppyâs (well, dog, really; he was no puppy anymore) ears and nudged him aside so she could sit back on the couch and peel off her boots.
âSorry, I made you go through that. I might go out and look again tomorrow, but I can go by myself.â
âYou didnât make me do anything, dummy,â Catra rolled her eyes as she made her way through the living room, towards the kitchen. She needed something to drink. They had options in the fridge - and she should have chosen a bottle of water, but she hadnât had caffeine in a handful of days and felt like her body could use a dose of it. Cold brew (store bought, convenient) it was. âI wanted to go with you. Finn would absolutely try to start shit in the forest.â
If they were here. Or the DOA would have found them and alerted them - their system was pretty good with that.
She poured herself a glass, added a splash of flavored creamer and swirled it. âMelog says theyâll keep an eye out for us anyway,â she said, frowning into her drink. âI think they ended up imprinting on Finn a little when they were here last, so⊠theyâd know.â
As soon as Adora was boots-free, she followed her wife into the kitchen, leaning back against the island and watching her when she spoke. She blinked when she mentioned Melog, nodding slowly. âOh. Yeah.â She hadnât thought of that, but it made sense. Melog had bonded with Finn so quickly last year, had left Catra to stay at their side every single night. It made sense that theyâd synced into them the way they had Catra.
Hopefully, if their kid arrived, Melog would be pinged. It was a little relieving to realize, honestly. Maybe she wouldnât need to run herself ragged searching again.
âYeah, thatâs a good plan,â she agreed. âI just miss them. I wish weâd gotten them back.â
Catra let out another sigh. It had a more defeated sound to it because, yeah, she did too. It sucked to have that excitement spike up seeing the kids (young and old) make a comeback and then having it crushed that theirs didnât come along for the ride. That could change in the next few days but she also wasnât a fan of getting her hopes up just to have them destroyed over and over. It was better to expect disappointment.
âTheir scent is gone,â she mumbled against the glass, taking a tentative sip. The smell of fresh brewed coffee hadnât been sitting well with her in the mornings; this seemed to be okay. âFrom the stuff we bought them when they were here last? There used to be these small traces and now itâs just⊠gone.â
She missed their smell. Admitting that might be weird to anyone else who didnât understand how scents were important to her but Adora knew.
Adora pressed her lips together, eyes softening sadly, and she crossed over to Catra to wrap her arms around her and kiss her forehead again. âI guess that makes sense,â she sighed, one hand stroking through Catraâs hair. âItâs been a year now since theyâve been here. I donât think scents usually stick around that long.â
It had faded for her pretty quickly, but she didnât have Catraâs nose. Her wife had probably clung onto those vestiges longer than should be possible. But with their little one gone, it all went away eventually.
âThey donât, usually,â she mumbled, setting the glass down so she could properly wind her arms around her wife. Catra hooked her chin over her shoulder. âObviously when you wash things, or contaminate it with other peopleâs scents - it fades. But itâs not like we washed the toys we have, or the blanket we got them, and when I would go into that room I would catch a hint of it. Itâs been gone for a little over a month now.â
There had been no point in mentioning it but now, well. It was a sprinkle of salt to the wound.
âBut at least we still get to have them someday, and thatâs the most important thing. Whenever that someday is. Obviously Iâll know.â
Not like sheâs been pregnant before but it couldnât be that hard to figure out anyway.
Adora hummed sympathetically, giving Catra an extra little squeeze. She knew how hard that must have been for Catra to realize, to accept. Scent was part of how she identified people, how she remembered and held onto them. Someday, sheâd get that scent back, but they didnât know when. So far, with the âcome what mayâ method, there hadnât been any indication of pregnancy. Who knew when it would happen?
âSomeday is enough, I guess.â Adora slipped away from Catra and smiled softly at her. It was better than the first conclusion sheâd jumped to â that Finn, like her friends and their kids, was an erased possibility now. A âmaybeâ that had come to be in that timeline but wouldnât come to be in this one. They had been reassured Finn was an inevitability, at least, and though she missed them, she was okay waiting until the right time.
She stepped toward the fridge, raising her eyebrows at her wife. âYou sure you donât want a sandwich? I was thinking turkey and cheese.â
âAs much as I enjoy eating their dead flesh in retribution to what they did to your face,â Catra mused, hoisting herself up on the kitchen counter before snatching up her glass of cold brew. âIâm good, Iâll pass. ActuallyâŠâ
She paused to grab the tip of one of her ears, giving them a gentle tug. âKinda thinking about getting my ear pierced tonight? I mean, weâre kid free - what the hell is there for us to do? We can offer to help out with any of the young ones tomorrow.â
Adora accepted the refusal once again without protest. She couldnât say she wasnât a little worried, but she knew better than to fight a battle she wasnât going to win. She scooped the bag of deli turkey out of the meat drawer and carried it over to the counter to start assembling her sandwich.
But her head snapped up to her wife before she could even pull the bag of bread free from the box. âReally?â she asked, her interest very peaked. âJust one ear or both?â
Catra took another sip of the coffee, humming in thought. This was a good distraction; they could push the ache of missing Finn for this. âJust one for now?? If I like it I can get the other pierced,â she replied, legs swinging a little. âI like the look but itâs the whole part where people touch my ears that makes me iffy. Iâll do it anyway though, fuck it.â
There were shops open all hours of the night for those kinds of services. They could Google it, get on her bike and zoom.
âAre you sure?â Adora asked, her attention fully turned to Catra beside her. Sheâd had no idea Catra was even interested in doing something like this, especially with how sensitive she was about her ears. But she had to admit she liked the idea. She could imagine Cara with a couple of hoops in her ear and how hot she would look.
She reached out, pressing her palms into Catraâs thighs and tilting her head up to look at her. âWe can do it if youâre sure you wonât have any regrets. I think it would be really, really cool. Just donât expect me to do mine.â
The last part was said with a teasing smile and a kiss to the bottom of Catraâs chin. She liked her own ears just how they were, with no extra holes punched in them, but she was happily supportive of whatever her wife wanted.
Catra let out a little trill at the kiss. âIf I regret it I can just remove it and you can heal my ear - duh,â she smirked, opening her legs to trap Adora by the waist with her thighs. Sorry, what sandwich? âBut who knows, I might like it enough for more piercings. Next could be my nipples.â
Taking a page from Adoraâs book she gave her a suggestive eyebrow waggle over her drink, taking another sip (since her body wasnât hating this today, that was a good sign).
It was true, Adora was an excellent healer these days. Ear piercings were technically an injury, creating a hole where one wasnât intended to be, so it would be an easy fix if that was what Catra decided. She was glad they had a solid backup plan in place, just in case, and those thighs wrapping around her only upped her mood further.
But the suggestion of nipple piercings had her wrinkling her nose. âMaybe not on that? I kinda like your nipples unpierced.â She was very well-acquainted with that part of Catraâs body and didnât particularly like the thought of a metal bar through them.
âRude,â Catra gasped and jabbed a finger into her chest. âMy nipples, my choice! Now I know your love for my tits is conditional. Traitor.â
But despite the betrayal, she wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled her in for a kiss on the lips. It was needed; the day had been disappointing as fuck on a personal level and she was feeling needy. âEat your food so we can get going, princess, Iâm kinda amped up to get my ear stabbed.â
Adora huffed playfully, her cheeks turning pink, but before she could counter at all, she was being pulled forward for a kiss. She sank into it, returning it just as earnestly, any remaining tension ebbing out of her shoulders. Sheâd needed that little moment of connection after how theyâd spent the day. It was a good reminder that, even without Finn here, she had Catra and her wife was more than enough.
âOkay, okay, give me five minutes.â She wasted no time assembling her sandwich and practically scarfing it down in those five minutes. While she liked to savor her food, a part of her was still that fresh-out-of-the-Horde soldier who couldnât resist eating as quickly and as eagerly as possible.
âAlright.â She raised her hand to wipe her mouth on the back of the sleeve of her jacket (attractive, right?) and reached out to pull Catra off the counter and into her arms. âIâm ready. Letâs go get your sexy piercings, sexy lady.â
God what a sight. Adora stuffing her face like a ravenous mad woman only to use her clothes as a napkin afterwards? Savage. But she was watched with this amused exasperation, this fondness. Catra found every bit of that stupidly attractive. âGot a little jealous for a second there,â she grinned wickedly, hopping off the counter (she mostly finished the cold brew, sheâd wash the glass later) to lean into Adora. âYou ate that sandwich with a lot of enthusiasm.â
Instead of a kiss, she winked and took Adora by the hand down to the lower decks where her bike was parked. They could Waypoint easily but they could use the joy ride, and she wasnât about to test her stomach, so - motorcycle it was! Catra tossed Adora her helmet (hers had a unicorn horn on it) before snatching hers. âWeâre getting ice cream afterwards,â she announced as she pulled it on, adjusting the straps. âTo make ourselves feel better.â
Adora turned a little bit pink again; yeah, sheâd really gone for it with that sandwich, but she was hungrier than sheâd initially felt when Catra had called for them to put an end to the search. She could easily go back for seconds or thirds, but it could wait. Her wife was right â without their kid here this year, they had a level of freedom that a lot of their friends wouldnât, at least for a couple weeks. Why not be a little irresponsible?
The bike, while it had taken some getting used to for her, was a staple around here these days. Catra was a good driver, so much so that Adora really didnât get too nervous anymore. She saved her speedy daredevil urges for when she was on her own, but Alex had taught her well, and sheâd never come home grievously injured.
Plus, she got an awesome helmet from her even more awesome wife. She pulled it on, making sure it was all buckled and secure before slipping onto the back of the motorcycle and wrapping her arms around Catraâs stomach.
âOnward, driver,â she proclaimed teasingly. âIce cream awaits.â
It was a careful ride down the ramp, right before the engines revved up and the bike began moving quick. The forest shifted plenty but there were dirt paths that stayed consistent, and well-traveled enough to give them a smooth journey. Not a lot of bumps to ride over, and the air whipping around them was crisp with a bite - plus, the scenery? It gave them a good bit of time to decompress more from their disappointment and just take it in.
Hitting the city was another story, and that involved a degree of traffic Catra cheated their way out of by zigzagging between vehicles (they were being irresponsible anyway, it was fine!). They arrived at a more walkable part of the city, and it was there that the motorcycle was parked.
Catra was first to dismount after the helmet was pulled off (set to hang off the bars), and she offered her hand to Adora to help her climb off. âWe survived,â she smirked, waiting to see if her wife had comments.
Okay, it was true that Adora wasnât much of a fan of the zigzagging. More because it was inevitably going to piss off other drivers â thereâd been a little bit of beeping aimed in their direction â but she could deal. It got them where they wanted to go faster, and since Catra was resolutely anti-Waypoint when she could get away with it, this was basically what she expected.
âWe survived,â she agreed, pulling off her helmet to buckle to lock it down on its spot. No more commentary than that; in fact, all she did was lean in to snag a kiss before squeezing their joined hands together. âItâs actually kind of a nice night, huh?â It was brisk but not unpleasant, and after almost a full day of being so tunnel vision focused on finding Finn, it was nice to breathe in, enjoy, and take a walk.
Catra let out a small mmmhmm in agreement against her lips, claiming a kiss after Adora was dismounted. It was nice, and the two of them were such homebodies that on a regular evening they would have already gotten comfortable and settled in for the rest of the night - but they had bouts of spontaneity too! Sometimes. Most of the time they just had old lady vibes that were content staying in after a lifetime of military training and constant fighting, though. (They were tired.)
The destination was a block and a half away; she led Adora towards it with their hands joined, swinging a little between their bodies. It was also a tattoo place (she could smell the ink the moment she stepped in) so there was plenty of art to peruse through on the walls, and once they talked to the woman up front about the purpose of their visit, she let out a resounding awwwwwwwwww.
Because cat ears.
âI just need to see how they feel so I know what Iâm piercing,â she claimed, which did make sense but letâs also be real - Catraâs ears were fluffy and so soft. The piercer was gentle at least, rubbing it between her fingers which made Catra swallow nervously. And flush awkwardly. âOne hole or two holes on this ear?â
âTwoâs fine,â she squeaked, trying to sound big and bad. She failed.
Adora perked up when she realized the shop Catra had chosen was piercing and tattoos. While she didnât have any ink herself, sheâd seen it on plenty of friends and co-workers, and she couldnât deny it was appealing. She and Catra had even vaguely discussed what she might get in the future (something sketched out by her wife, more likely than not), but she had never made a real decision on it. The thought was nice, a âmaybeâ for a later date.
She liked perusing the artwork, anyway. The pieces on display were beautiful, and there was something pleasant about the buzz of the tattoo needles. But her focus shifted quickly back to her wife when they were whisked and the piercer started examining her ears.
She hid a smile when that little squeak came out in place of what Adora knew was meant to be Catraâs usual cavalier confidence. She stepped up behind her and gave her a reassuring hug. âWant me to sit with you while she does it, babe?â
âOh shut up,â she huffed heatlessly. Catra could handle her ears getting stabbed; she just had issues with people touching them. This lady was fine and fairly inoffensive but it was weird to have her ear get, what - professionally fondled? - like this. The examination was quick, and she was able to select the kind of jewelry sheâd want to put in (she chose two hoops, gold ones) before they were instructed to sit.
That meant, yeah, she sat on Adoraâs lap despite there being a perfectly available seat.
It gave the piercer a set of heart eyes while she disinfected the area. âAwww,â she cooed. âA lap cat! Wait, is that rude to say? Iâm sorry!â
If she hadnât worked on growing as a person for the last two years she might have been snippy about that, but the worst she did was roll her eyes. âItâs fine. Please just stab me.â
The whole process was insanely fast, Catra wasnât even sure if it happened. She saw the glimpse of a long needle, felt two slight pinches in her ear and then seconds later - there were little hoops on it? That was it?? Her ear twitched curiously, and she could feel the change of the faintest amount of weight (though she was sure it was going to be easy to adjust to).
âSo how much would it be if I wanted to do the same thing to my nipples?â
It was Adora that frowned slightly when the piercer called Catra a lap cat when they were in the chair. She knew it wasnât meant to be offensive, but it just reminded her of Revyâs insistence on calling Catra a cat and maybe flared a bit of annoyance in her. She let it go since Catra let it go, but it didnât stop her from giving the piercer a little bit of side-eye.
The whole thing really was over before she knew it, though. She studied her wifeâs ear with a grin and some awe behind her eyes. She had imagined it would look cool, but witnessing it in-person was even cooler than sheâd expected. She wanted to reach up and touch it herself, but sheâd wait; she was sure it was still a little tender.
Her expression shifted back to that slight frown when Catra asked for pricing to pierce her nipples next. âReally?â she asked, surprised and notably less enthused. But if she really wanted it, Adora would support her. She was a good wife like that!
âIâm kidding,â Catra grinned, jabbing her elbow into Adoraâs gut playfully. âWould really suck to have you hate my nipples this early into our marriage, princess.â It was just a thought that was kinda fun to contemplate anyway, nothing serious to actualize for the near future (her tits were currently freakishly tender so thatâd be a nightmare). The woman was off to grab some aftercare instructions for them that fit on a business card and it gave her a moment to look into a mirror after abandoning Adoraâs lap.
Her ear wasnât sagging or anything with the hoops - good. That was her worry for a moment there.
âStings like a bitch,â she commented and poked at it carefully. âBut cool, I like it. Just gonna have to be careful putting my helmet on and make sure I sleep on my other side.â
Adora rolled her eyes and took the elbow to her stomach good-naturedly. She deserved that, but she was still very visibly glad to be messed with. She bit playfully at her wifeâs shoulder, watching carefully as she tested the new additions to her ear.
âI kinda wondered if it mightâŠflop, I guess,â she admitted, one hand stroking up and down Catraâs back. She was glad it hadnât because that would have been pretty weird. âI can help you get it in your helmet if you need me. Is it really sore?â
âNo flop,â Catra confirmed. The hoops were very light, probably made out of some kind of special material for sensitive ears like these - and they were fine when she twisted them at will, having them flatten against her head in an experimental gesture. âItâs probably going to feel sore in, like, five minutes but thatâs fine. Got a lot of experience being sore thanks to you.â
Dirty joke (she had lots of those), whatever, there was definitely a grin about it. She pressed a kiss into her cheek and went to wrap everything up; payment, the instructions, letting the piercer let out a final squee of itâs soooo cuuuute while Catra did her best to not touch the hoops. They were this new foreign object on her body, how was she not supposed to fixate?
Definitely did the trick in becoming a successful distraction.
The dirty joke was enough to make Adora turn red and go speechless for a couple of minutes, but she had mostly recovered by the time they had paid up and left the shop. She twined her fingers through Catraâs again, swinging them gently between them as they walked. She couldnât stop looking at the earrings; if this was meant to distract them, it had served that purpose completely.
âI believe I was promised ice cream,â she reminded her wife with an eager grin and wide puppy dog eyes that their missing child had definitely inherited from her. âLetâs go! I think thereâs a Coldstone around here.â