Glimmer and Catra were walking along the edges of the decorative pools outside of the Brightmoon castle. They were laughing and teasing each other as they head back in from a meeting in one of Brightmoon’s surrounding villages.
"You couldn't kick my ass if you tried!" Glimmer laughs crossing her arms
"I could too!" Catra fires back
"Oh yeah?" Glimmer says, knocking her shoulder against Catras.
Unfortunately this was one of the rare times Catras instincts fail her.
She falls, crashing into the water beside her. Her eyes instantly flash wide as she begins to sink, looking up at the light filtering through the water above her. Suddenly her vision was flashing green, green, green and a panic settles into her bones, threatening to send her into unconsciousness.
She begins to thrash, not finding any surface to grab onto, to use to pull herself out, to orient herself in the water. Her lungs were already beginning to hyperventilate and she struggles to hold her breath, to not take in any water.
A hand appears before her, grabs her, pulls her out of the water and onto dry land.
"Oh my god! Catra! Are you okay?”
She barely hears the words, her breath came hard and fast between coughs, water trickling out of her mouth, her nose and lungs burning as she shook on her forearms and knees.
Glimmers hand is still gripping her upper arm and she rips it away, crawling backwards, spiralling deeper and deeper into a panic as her vision flashes to replace Glimmer with him.
How he looked when he pulled her out of the green pool, how she couldn't move her own body, how she had to sit and watch what was happening to her, unable to do anything to stop it.
How she was utterly helpless as she fought the girl she loved more than life itself, knowing the intent wasn't to let her walk out of the fight alive.
She pulls herself to her feet using a pillar and runs, runs as far away as she can get, her legs barely holding her up as she desperately seeks safety.
Glimmer just sits there, shocked and guilty as she watches her friend disappear into the castle, soaking wet, eyes full of a primal panic.
Once she recovers enough to gather her wits, she pulls herself to her feet and rushes off to find Adora.
When Adora enters their bedroom a few minutes later she sees a pile of wet clothing on the floor and a lump in the bed. Catra had completely buried herself under the covers, and Adora could see her panicked breathing from where she stood.
"Catra, it's me," She warns as she walks in, knowing that if she didn't Catra may lash out in fear.
She sees the muscles in Catras body loosen a little but they still remain overly tense, ready to spring at any moment.
Adora locks the door behind her and moves to the huge double doors that opened onto the balcony. She locks those as well, then slides the curtains across, blocking the windows altogether. It was important to make the space feel secure and safe when Catra was feeling like this, it shortened the length of her panic and made her feel much more secure.
Before sitting down on the bed, Adora turns on the bedside light. It brights up the room a little, providing enough light to prevent the clumsy blonde from hurting herself accidentally. Adora shrugs out of her coat and kicks off her boots. She slides underneath the covers, closer to Catra, curling her body around the naked, damp feline protectively. She wraps an arm around her waist, pressing a soft kiss to the back of her neck.
"Tell me to go if you need space, okay?" Adora tells her, her voice uncharacteristically soft.
Catra just shakes her head and rolls over, burrowing her face into Adoras chest so she was completely, safely enveloped by the girl she loves. Her ear flicked against Adoras chest, her wet hair tickling her skin. She feels so small and vulnerable in Adoras grasp, her whole body trembling.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Adora asks
Catra just shakes her head, sniffling lightly. Adora doesn't push her, just pulls her closer and tucks the blankets up over them.
“I'm here, I’m not going anywhere, you're safe with me, I won’t let anything happen to you,” she whispers as she feels tears against her chest “I'm here,"
She knows Catra draws a lot of comfort out of those words, knowing Adora was with her once again and was not intending to ever leave her side.
Eventually Catras panic subsides a little, her body relaxing in Adoras grasp, her breathing calming to a steady pace.
Catra pulls back slightly and looks up at her, her face showing her exhaustion. “Is Glimmer okay?”
Adora runs her hand over the side of Catras face, tucking her hair behind her ear “She’s okay. She’ll just be happy that you’re okay,”
Catra nods and tucks herself back into Adoras arms “Thank you… for being here to help ground me,”
“Always,”
Catra yawns, a canine scratching lightly across Adoras skin as she closes her mouth.
“Get some rest, you need it,” Adora says
Catra doesn’t need to be told twice. Her whole body aches with exhaustion, her muscles feeling the consequences of the exertion they had been through, her mind still filled with memories she didn’t want to ever experience again. Catra shifts a little closer to Adora, her tail tapping the bed behind her for a moment before curling around Adoras arm, the tip flicking against her skin.
It isn’t long before she drifts off, feelings protected thanks to her and Adoras little bubble of safety.