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At first, Adora told herself it'd be quick. She'd find Catra somewhere obvious and they'd head to the meeting as planned. When it wasn't quick, she told herself it'd be medium quick. She'd find Catra somewhere semi-private and they'd be slightly later to the meeting than planned.
Once Adora ended up back where she began - in their still completely empty bedroom, her level of concern rose far higher than she first anticipated. Apparently, it actually wasn't so easy to find a cat, especially one that didn't want to be found. She took a few moments to herself, sitting down on a poofy stool and reorganizing her thoughts.
Okay, so it was evident enough that Catra wasn't inside ; the thing was, it was raining outside . It'd been on and off all day, so the idea that she would willingly risk getting rained on seemed highly unlikely, but if she wasn't in the castle...
Adora rose to retrieve two raincoats from their wardrobe, then pulled her own on before venturing into the drizzle with the spare in hand. There wasn't a single soul in sight outside. Everyone was already inside for the meeting. She was so focused on what was down, she almost missed what was up - and what was up was a flick of that familiar tail in the corner of Adora's periphery. She doubled back, feeling more than a little silly once she realized where Catra was.
Catra. Tree. Catra in a tree. Was it really that unlikely?
She had to be more than twenty five feet up in the air. Her shoulders were tensed to the max. She'd scooched as close to the tree trunk as possible, and with each raindrop that hit her, she let out an involuntary hiss.
Was she actually stuck in a tree because of the rain? Maybe it was the height. Either way, it was adorable.
"Hey!" Adora beamed up at her girlfriend, soaking in the humorous sight and momentarily forgetting that something might be wrong. “Are you stuck?”
Well, wronger than the obvious.
“What?" One of Catra's ears twitched. It might've been indignation, but it also might've been another raindrop. "No."
A likely story. Based off how her knuckles were going white from gripping the bark, she looked pretty darn stuck.
“You know, I can get Glimmer-”
“I’m not stuck.”
“Or I can turn into She-Ra-”
“I said I’m not stuck!” Catra huffed, filled to the brim with exasperation.
Okay, okay.
“Well, we've got a meeting soon, so what's keeping you up there?"
Catra didn't say anything, instead choosing to bite her lip and look away. Her tail flicked to the side.
Adora's cheerful smile faded. "Catra…?"
"I- I guess I… I don’t want to come down." Catra mumbled, still refusing to make eye contact. "I don't want to go to the meeting. I want to stay here."
"Oh."
Adora regarded Catra for another few seconds. Whatever this was, it had to be something big. Catra wouldn't sit out in such dismal weather for no reason. Maybe she was stuck after all, just not physically. Maybe it was emotionally. It hurt Adora's heart to see her girlfriend so withdrawn. With that thought, she promptly rolled the spare raincoat into a neat cylindrical shape and stuffed it down her shirt. It puffed out her chest in the most ridiculous way.
Catra, having glanced over at the movement, blinked in confusion. "What are you doing? Are you- Adora- hey!"
Yeah, what was Adora doing?
"If you're not going, then neither am I!"
She was climbing. Knot to knot, and where there were no knots, she barely clung to slippery bark. She stuck her tongue out, eyes fixed far more on Catra than where she chose to put her hands and feet. Each couple of feet of progress came with a self satisfied grunt.
Five feet. Ten feet. Fifteen. Twenty.
There was no stopping her. Catra leaned over as far as she could, ready to grab her disaster of a girlfriend at a moment's notice. After all, dumbasses were not designed to scale trees.
"You idiot," Catra grumbled just loud enough to be heard. "You're going to fall."
"I'm not- oh- !"
What timing. It was then that a misplaced foothold nearly sent Adora tumbling back to the ground. Catra reached down in record time to grab hold of Adora's hand, then hefted her up and onto the limb.
"See? I told you."
"Pfft, whatever," Adora waved the thought away. "I'm safe, and I'm here . Oh," and she pulled the now crumpled mess of a coat from down her shirt and unraveled it, then moved to drape it around Catra's shoulders. "There, now you won't get so wet."
Catra ran her fingertips over the waterproof fabric, a faint and almost sad smile playing at the edge of her lips. "... You’re still an idiot."
Adora wriggled herself as close to Catra as physically possible. "You're welcome. Are you doing okay?"
Her voice was tender. Tender in that way she reserved exclusively for these intimate moments. She twisted her torso a little awkwardly, too, but it was to place her palms on either side of Catra's cheeks. Catra closed her eyes to accept the kindness.
The sound of rain seemed different when outside. It was something strange in the Horde, something soothing in the castle… but it was something private out in the open.
"I… I don't know, Adora…"
"I'm here." Adora assured her.
"I had to get away from everyone."
She tilted her head curiously, gently thumbing the softest bits of Catra's fur. "Into the rain? Why?"
"It wasn't raining when I came out here. It's just sometimes- I- I don’t know. Sometimes it still feels like I don’t belong.”
"You do."
"You say that," Catra opened her eyes, seemingly to search Adora's. "And… yeah I feel it sometimes. A lot of times, honestly. But do I really?"
What a silly question. Adora moved her hands to scratch behind Catra's ears, something a little more comforting for someone in need of more comfort.
"Catra, I mean it. Really. Everyone loves you. They forgave you a long time ago."
"Maybe," Catra shrugged, not quite holding in the tiny purr Adora was steadily coaxing out of her. "But when I get like this… none of that matters. I don't want to be around anyone. I don't want to see what I did."
What she did.
"It… hm…" Adora removed her hands and put her arm around Catra, inviting her to rest her head on her shoulder. She was rarely sure of what to do when it came to these sorts of things, but she was sure of this. "I think you have to forgive yourself."
At those words, Catra didn't just rest her head, she let nearly her full weight lean against Adora. She buried her face into her neck. An act of trust.
It was a bittersweet act.
It was bittersweet because it seemed not to be a trust she could give herself. "I don't want to."
"But… why not?"
Adora knew what it meant to be hard on herself. She held herself to such high standards, but there was no reason for Catra to torture herself over the past. Catra was a wonderful person.
After a few tense seconds, there came a shaky and tingling breath, and then, "someone has to remember, Adora."
Oh. Oh Catra.
Adora squeezed Catra closer, providing her with as much comfort as is possible in cold rain. She expected tears, yet none came. Just those shaky breaths.
"You're never going to forget it, Catra." she whispered. "That doesn't mean you deserve to suffer."
"... I feel fine most of the time…"
"Well, do you remember it all when you feel fine?"
There was a nod against Adora's neck.
Adora lifted a hand to stroke Catra's hair, careful not to jostle her girlfriend from her vulnerable position. "Then you'll remember even when you've forgiven yourself."
"Is that insight from some dumb She-Ra thing?" Catra laughed quietly at her own question.
What a beautiful laugh.
A few moments passed by on which Adora soaked in Catra's presence. Soaked in how wonderful Catra felt pressed up against her. She'd happily sit there with her love until the dampness in the air was replaced with sweetness again.
"No," Adora finally replied, "it's from me."