The last moon had finally risen on the etherian sky, illuminating the room with a silvery soft light. There was a soft breeze coming from the open doors of the balcony, bringing chills to the girl’s body.
It was Adora’s first night in her room in Brightmoon.
Up until this point, Adora had been happy to be here. Everything was so bright and big and soft. And oh so quiet.
There was absolutely no sound apart from the small fluttering of the curtains and the occasional ruffling of her pillows. For someone who grew up with the humming of machines and the sounds of heavy footsteps of the Fright Zone, silence can be unsettling.
The silence made Adora feel vulnerable, made her thoughts seem too loud. But that wasn’t the worst part.
The absence of heat at the foot of her bed made her feel lonely, guilty…
Heartbroken.
Made her mind circle on a single thought: Catra.
Oh Catra…
She felt tears start spilling from her eyes and made no effort to wipe them away. She knew they wouldn’t stop.
All the memories from the past came like a hurricane - the first time both girls shared a bed, them watching the sunset together, Catra treating Adora’s leg after she got hurt training, the way Catra’s waist fit perfectly in her arms when they hugged…
I even miss her snores , thought Adora.
And, of course, the haunting memory of Catra’s mismatched eyes, widened in horror as she watched Adora - or rather, She Ra , in Thaymor.
Adora brought her knees to her chest and hugged herself in an attempt to keep the cold of loneliness away, but to no avail.
Maybe I deserve it , she thought.
She never meant to leave Catra behind. In fact, she did not hesitate to back away from the Horde because she was sure that her friend would come with her. Never had she considered that Catra might not want to leave.
You look out for me, and I look out for you.
More tears came as she remembered the night they made their promise. That was the first time that Adora felt overwhelmed with love for her friend.
Because you left me!
Catra’s accusation rang in her mind.
I broke our promise…
She was shivering now, shaking because of the weight guilt took in her heart.
The prospect of not having her best friend in her life anymore was terrifying. Not seeing her beautiful eyes first thing in the morning. Not hearing her voice reverberating through the hallways. Not hearing her laugh after something Kyle failed to do. Not feeling her arms around her waist from behind. Not feeling her kisses linger on her cheek.
What would Adora give to give one last kiss in Catra’s cheek… (The answer was simple: everything. )
She had never felt that way before. Of course, she had been apart from Catra, for a few hours at least, when they had a particularly bad fight. But she had never felt so empty as she feels now.
Adora knows that her duty as She Ra is her biggest priority, it’s her destiny. But she can’t help but wonder if, when picking up the sword, she had left another destiny behind. A destiny with Catra, where the two of them had a life together, with no guilt, no shame. She liked this idea.
But that was it. An idea. Nothing more. Because she knows, even though some part of her still hopes that’s not the case, that Catra won’t be part of her life anymore.
Her shivering stopped, but she couldn’t quite feel her body.
Adora felt…
Numb .
After what felt like decades, the tears stopped, and her heartbeat was not raging in her ears anymore.
Even sleep came to her, a couple hours later, filled with dreams about yellow and blue eyes and a future that seemed perfect. A destiny that wasn’t hers.
The first rays of sunlight were just starting to fill the room, bringing with them the warm feeling of comfort. The birds sang quite loudly in the distance, but that was not enough to catch the attention of the two lovers.
Adora was the first to wake up, slowly opening her eyes to the best view she could ever ask for: Catra - her girlfriend - sleeping with her face nested in Adoras arm, short hair extremely messy and a fang poking out of her lips.
Adora’s chest was so filled with love that a couple tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
She felt the urge to bring her closer, so she lifted herself just a bit to pepper Catra’s face with little kisses.
Catra’s eyes shot open, and a smile painted her lips.
“G’morning dummy” she said, looking fondly at the blonde.
“Good morning” answered Adora, too entranced to bring herself to do anything other than stare at her lover.
Catra stared back, cheeks pink and pupils dilated.
“So…” Catra started, a wicked grin appearing on her face “When are you going to stop staring and kiss me for real?”
Adora’s face turned beet red, which made laughter burst out of the catgirl’s chest. Catra brought herself closer to Adora, a difficult task given how entangled their legs were.
“B-But I… I didn’t even brush my teeth yet” Adora said, looking everywhere at her girlfriend’s face except her mouth.
Catra shot her an incredulous look “Do you really think I care?”
“I just…” Adora brought a hand to her shoulder, lightly brushing the fur there “I don’t want the kiss to be bad…”
“Adora, look at me.” she obeyed “There is no such thing as a bad kiss. As long as it’s you kissing me, it’s perfect.”
Adora was sure that there were actual hearts in her eyes right now.
Her hand soon met Catra’s cheek, brushing circles on her cheekbone. With Adora’s eyes still glued to blue and yellow, she brought their lips closer and Catra met her halfway.
Now, without any weapon threatening to explode behind them, their kiss felt like freedom. With the warmth of the sun bathing them and the heat of their bodies so close to each other, the only thing filling their chests was love. The kiss was soft and deep, but there was something still missing.
Catra pulled Adora’s bottom lip between her fangs and, as soon as a sigh left her girlfriend’s mouth, she slid her tongue to brush with Adora’s. Both women shuddered, sighing into each other’s lips. Adora moved her arm from Catra’s shoulders to her waist, bringing their hips impossibly closer.
After a couple minutes that felt like hours, they pulled away to breathe and then Catra noticed the wet trail of tears in Adora’s cheeks.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, feeling fear creep into her mind. Did she do something wrong?
“Nothing’s wrong. On the contrary…” Adora withdrew Catra’s hand from her cheek and intertwined their fingers together “It’s perfect.” she dropped a little kiss on Catra’s knuckles “You’re perfect.”
“Dork” she laughed.
Adora loved that sound . “You know… I always dreamed of this. Of us.” She stared at their hands and gave a little squeeze “Even though I knew my destiny was to be She Ra, I still dreamed of living a life with you, just us.” she looked into Catra’s wide eyes “Getting to wake up beside you everyday, in a room that was ours , living in our house somewhere only we know… I just never thought I’d be able to kiss you and…” she felt her cheeks go pink again “everything else.”
Catra chuckled softly at that, squeezing her hand and kissing her cheek.
“I love you, Catra.” Adora said, a little breathless “More than anything.” she remembered what Catra had asked her the night she got the failsafe.
What do you want, Adora?
“I want you. I’ll always choose you.”
Now it was Catra’s turn to cry.
She brought Adora’s face closer to kiss her intensely, trying to pour all her feelings into it.
“I love you too.”
Everything was, finally, perfect.