Work Text:
According to Catra, they had started dating in a coffee shop in July. The weather was hot, and there was a light flush on Adora's face that made Catra blush everytime she looked up from her coffee. The sun was setting, letting in rays of light that perfectly accentuated her face.
"I don't think I can do another paper," Adora said, pen in mouth and staring aggressively at a peice of paper.
"Pfftt," Catra replies, "I don't know why you're doing one anyway. It's not going to impress professor."
"Whatever," she huffed, "I wish you were more supportive. Like a girlfriend."
"Like a girlfriend?" Catra muttered.
"Yes, if I had a girlfriend then they could support me while I strenuously produce essays." Adora says, writing the title on the top of the page and underlining it with a neat, straight line.
"Well, I could be your girlfriend."
"Sure," Adora laughs, taking a sip of her vanilla llate before starting the essay.
According to Catra, somebody who had never had a relationship with anybody let alone a girlfriend, she assumed that was it. They were dating now. Great.
****
Adora noticed Catra was touching her more often in about a week.
Just little touches, like hugging her arm, or resting in her lap, or tentatively holding her hand when they were alone. She ahd assumed it was normal- Glimmer and Bow touch her all the time, all friends do it. It wasn't till Glimmer pointed out the obscurity of it that she started to get concerned.
It was right after class, and despite the thumping in her head after a particularly confusing lecture, there was a slight smile on her face from the relief of finishing the day.
Catra was holding her hand, her fingers slotted into each one of hers retrospectively, the heat making her palms sweaty. Glimmer was to her left, talking about something to do with the homework.
Suddenly, a gasp came from Catra. "I have to go to my defence class!"
"Since when did you do defence class?"
"Well," she muttered, "it's less defence and more ya know, pow pow. I won't be long. See you later." She leaned up on her tiptoes, elongated her neck, and pecked a light kiss on Adora's cheek.
Her face went bright red as Catra ran off in the opposite direction, a skip in her step.
"What the hell was that!" a voice sounded from beside her.
"All friends kiss eachother on the cheeks," Adora defended.
"Catra doesn't kiss anybody on anything at any time, Adora, and you know it!" Glimmer replied, looking suspiciously up at her friend.
"You kiss my cheeks all the time. The French kiss strangers on both cheeks. It's normal."
Glimmer sighed, defeated. "If you're dating, I just want you to let me know."
"We definately aren't dating," she replied, "I promise."
"Well, if you promise."
***
It took less than a day for another suspicious activity to occur. They were sat in Adora's dorm room, watching a series on her old clunky laptop, when Catra muttered, "I've never kissed anybody on the lips before."
"Mmm?" she replied, forcing her eyes off the TV and onto Catra, who's head was lying on her lap and looking up at her.
"I was just thinking how," she said, slowly and slightly sarcastically, "I've never kissed anybody on the lips before."
"Oh?"
"Sorry, I'm just hoping I don't be dissapointing when I have my first kiss." Catra replied, and Adora was shocked at the wave of jealousy that passed through her- was Catra not wanting to dissapoint an admirer, or even a crush, with her first kiss?
"Anybody who shares your first kiss would be very lucky," she replied, smiling slightly. She shuffled so the girl in her arms was more comfy, slotting her hands under her armpits and resting them round her waist.
"Yes, I can imagine they will be great," Catra teased, turning around in her arms and looking up at the taller girl through unfairly long and teasing eyelashes. "Maybe we should try it."
Adora's eyes widened, and her mouth opened slightly in shock. "Erm, are you sure, I mean if you-"
Catra reached up, joining their lips with a light peck, before moving away. Turning back around, she focused back on the TV.
Adora felt a stab of butterflies in her chest, swarming around. Did friends kiss eachother like this? Was she just practice for somebody better? What did this mean?
"I'm sorry for arguing with you for all those years," Catra mumbled under her breath. "If we had gotten along earlier, we could have been like this ages ago."
Adora didn't understand what she meant, instead allowing herself to brush fingers through her notty brown hair, massaging her scalp.
"I mean, I've always wanted to be with somebody, you know. I never really had a parental figure, and I mean we were friends but- but you were always better than me." she almost whispers, staring at the floor.
"I was never better than you," she muttered in reply, wrapping a strand of hair round her finger and letting it uncurl into a loop.
"Yes you were," she replies, slightly frustrated, "in everything. At maths. At English. At sport. And I understand I wasn't bad, but I was inferior to you. I think when I snapped at you- it wasn't at you, but at me, for not being good enough to compete with you."
She looks up then, with her large soildor eyes, and sighs in relief.
"But now we're like this, and I'm happier than I've ever been. I finally have somebody I can feel comfortable with," she said, hand reaching up to Adora's face.
"That's what friends do," Adora replied, slightly confused at the declaration, "they care for each other."
"Sure, friends," Catra giggled, leaning up and pressing another small kiss on the corner of her mouth. Adora still didn't understand the kisses, but smiled nonetheless. A ring sounded from Catra's phone.
"I may have to leave soon, Scorpia messaged to say she forgot her keys."
"Your roommate is just saying that to steal you off me before the show ends," Adora replies, smiling slightly. Catra blushes.
"Well, it's I leave or you have a large woman aggressively knock on every door looking for me. I'd rather just go."
"Okay," Adora said, "I'll see you out."
It wasn't until Catra was down the corridor that she realized something: perhaps it's Scorpia that Catra has a crush on.
***
Adora wouldn't call herself obsessed, but after the revelation that Catra had a crush on Scorpia, every touch became much more significant. Because now, every time Catra reached out for a hug, or kissed her lightly after class, she knew it was for practise. For her real crush.. Scorpia.
It brought a bitter taste to her mouth, but after Catra's long speech about how content she was, at least Adora knew that she was happy. Even if it wasn't with her.
"How would you feel," she said to Glimmer and Bow in the library after class, "if the petson you liked had a thing for somebody else, but still sorta, did things with you anyway?"
"Is this about Catra?" Glimmer said with a stoic voice, glaring over her work.
"Nooooo," she said, rather unconvincingly.
"Well, if it was me," Bow said, "I'd ask them about it. Perhaps she likes you."
"I never said it was a she!"
"It's obviously Catra." Glimmer grumbled. Bow nodded. "She's all over you, and you literally can't say no to her. She's like your literal lap cat."
"I see it's getting pretty pur-sonel, Adora," Bow said sympathetically, "but if you think she doesn't like you, perhaps tell her, then move on. You've been really great friends lately, I wouldn't want to ruin it."
"I know, it's just, it's so great having her around without her scratching my eyes out. I know she doesn't like me like that, and I get it but- I just don't want to dissapoint her by not being there," she said, a frown on her lips in contemplation.
"Then be there for her," Bow said, "tell her how you feel."
Adora opened her mouth to rebuke the statement, but closed it again.
"Perhaps you're right," she said, "I'll confess. And then get over her. Thanks guys."
She packed her work in her bag, accidently crumpling the pages up in a hurry. Tucking her chair in, she quickly shuffled out the library.
"I didn't mean go now," Bow muttered.
"Just leave her to it."
***
It took a total of ten minutes to find Catra, staring at the ceiling on the bed in her dorm room. Books were scattered over the floor, and a picture of them was framed next to her laptop on her desk. Light shon through the curtains, framing Catra's body in ways that Adora could not comprehend. This girl would be the death of her.
"H-hey I'm sorry but I need to talk to you." Adora said, panting slightly with the speed she was going.
"Oh hi!" Catra replied, "I'm just taking a break. Come in." She patted the seat next to her on the bed, and the taller girl sat hesitantly.
"Don't get mad at me when I say this, okay?" Adora says, sweating slightly.
"I'm starting to get worried," she giggled, sweating slightly.
"I'm gonna cut to the chase," she said, "I like you."
"What do you me-"
"No! Let me speak! I know you like somebody else, and that's okay. But I like you, and I had to tell you. We've been friends for a while now, and this won't effect anything, but I can't stop thinking about you. I've never felt this way before." She rambled, closing her eyes to prevent her looking at Catra.
"Is this a joke?" the brown haired girl replied, looking insecurely at Adora. "Are we role-playing right now?"
"No, of course its not a joke, I really like you."
"Adora," she said, "we've been dating for over a month."
"Wait, what!" Adora shouted, leaping off the bed. They can't be dating. She would have known.
"Are you kidding me?" she grumbled, "you didn't know?"
"No, of course not!"
"Oh my god," Catra placed her head in her hands, "I'm such a fool. I can't believe I actually thought we were dating."
"Well, I mean, erm," she said, "we could be dating. I mean officially. With both of us knowing."
"I hate you," Catra said, looking up in exhausberation.
"No you don't," Adora said, a smile on her face and a teasing tone, "I think you like me. I mean, I'm still in shock, but concidering we've been dating for a month I think you like me."
"Shut up," she huffed.
"Can we make a deal?" she reached out her hand for Catra to shake, "Let's restart this. Both of us knowing. I'll take you on dates and everything."
"Dates?"
"Yes, like to the cinema, or to coffee. More than just revision or Netflix in my dorm room," she said, smiling with guilt. She must have been the worst girlfriend without knowing ever.
"I still hate you," she said, grabbing her hand and pulling her down onto the bed so they were next to each other.
"Sure," Adora said, looking her in the eye. She could get used to this.
"Don't do this to me again," Catra said, pulling her close. "Please."
Adora cups her chin, making her look in her eyes. She rubs her bottom lip before diving in and kissing her, smiling in relief through the kiss.
This was was more than okay. This was perfect. This was everything.