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The weeks and months after Horde Prime's fall were a time of recovery, both physical and emotional. Etheria and its saviors had gone through so much, more than any person had a right to expect of them. So when the recovery efforts were well-underway and the most pressing matters resolved, no one complained when the Queen and her closest cohorts decided to take some time off to celebrate their survival. Not even Adora who, while a perpetually restless martyr, was still easily lured by the promise of food. One such notable celebration was hosted by Perfuma, who had completely inexplicably become attached to the hip with Scorpia. At least, no one attempted to vocalize an explanation. They would make the announcement in their own time.
Catra was, at her heart, still aloof, still a loner by nature. That she'd made new friends and reconnected with the love of her life didn't change that. So it wasn't long before Catra slipped out of the most bustling corners of the party to the garden outside, where she didn't have to be bombarded with socialities and the dreaded presence of other people.
She ran her hands over her short-cut hair and breathed in the night air. Pure, cool, calming. An aspect of sweet solitude. She loved Adora. And she liked Sparkles and Arrow Boy, as loathe as she was to admit it. And Scorpia too. But there was some aspect of her psyche that still craved time away from everyone and everything. Even Melog, whom she was certain was napping in some cozy corner somewhere. In fact, that didn't sound half-bad to Catra either...
A scent wafted past her nose as she walked the gardens, and she unconsciously shifted towards it. She sniffed the air. There was something... strong in the air. Not quite sweet, but alluring all the same. Her feet seemed to place themselves one in front of the other, drawn to the mysterious smell. More than just interesting, it seemed almost... entertaining on its own. Enjoyable. But she had to follow it. Follow it as it got stronger and stronger, until she came face to face with a couple of flowers she had never seen before in her life.
She reached out to grab the plants, but thought better of it at the last minute, swiping at air. This was a garden. Everything was exactly where it was supposed to be. She was supposed to consider the effects of her actions on others. That's what Adora always said, anyway.
On the other hand... it was Perfuma's garden, and she was a total pushover. So it was all safe. No consequences. It wasn't vandalism if you didn't get punished. And she'd plead ignorance if asked anyway. Acting on pure instinct, Catra took a chomp out of the plant.
And then her eyes expanded to see the universe, in all its glory.
*****
Bow looked both ways, and then leaned in to conspiratorially whisper to Adora. “I haven't seen Catra in a while. Are you sure she's okay?”
“Yeah, she's fine. You know her.” Adora said, waving off his concerns. “Sometimes she just... disappears.” Truth be told, it had been a bit longer than usual, and Adora had been considering searching her out. To find out what trouble she had been getting into, if nothing else.
Before she could leave, her troublemaker found her instead. In the most sultry voice imaginable, the kind of tone that Adora had never heard Catra use in the presence of anyone else, she heard an unmistakable, “Hey, Adora.” from the doorway.
Electricity arced up her spine, followed by a cold chill. “Catra?” She turned to face her, but the dark-haired girl was already launching herself towards her.
Catra barreled into Adora at full speed, a dopey grin plastered on her face. “Pet me!” she said, “Pet me, pet me!”
Her pupils were big as dinner plates, and twice as inviting. Adora had to hold her back with both hands to keep Catra from wriggling up against her skin-to-skin. “Catra, are you feeling alright?”
“No! I'm not! Not until you give your kitty scritches!” Catra pressed her head against Adora's hand, and out of pure habit, Adora gave her scritches without even thinking about it.
“'Your kitty'?” Bow snickered. “You two are so-”
“Don't even say it!” Adora snapped, face red with embarrassment. Catra was in a completely relaxed state, which wasn't unusual, considering Adora's fingers were right behind her ear. What was unusual was that she was letting literally anyone other than Adora see her like that. Catra's whole body folded like a purring accordion against Adora as Adora's short nails dug into her hair, every muscle untensed.
“Idiot... how are you so good at this...?” Catra pushed into her neck, nuzzling with her nose and forehead and being a general cuddlebug. Which Adora would normally love, except for the fact that they were in front of ALL OF THEIR FRIENDS. Adora was usually the one in favor of PDAs, but Catra was literally hanging off of her. She wasn't even this cuddly when they were alone. Something was seriously wrong.
Perfuma's ear-piercing wail could be heard across the yard. “MY GARDEN!” she cried, “WHAT HAPPENED TO MY GARDEN?”
“Catra...” Glimmer said cautiously, “What did you do?”
“Nuffin, Sparkles...” Catra murmured with her face buried in Adora's chest, giving Glimmer a side-eye equal parts amused and threatening. “Don't you know how to have fun? Adora does!” Her body coiled like a spring, but Adora held her in place.
Perfuma burst back into the room, on the verge of tears. “You... you...!” Perfuma pointed an accusatory finger to Catra, but between her own mild nature and the feeling that something wasn't quite right with Adora's girlfriend, she couldn't put enough anger in it to be intimidating.
Catra dragged her claws along Adora's clothing, just firmly enough to tear. “Catra! What are you doing?”
“Marking you.” Catra laughed as if that was the funniest thing in the world. “You're all mine now!” She clung around Adora's neck, purring like a motor. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but Catra seemed to have no concept of weight or balance in her dazed state, and dragged Adora around like the hundred pounds of very affectionate cat she was. Adora's hair tie had come loose, and she had no clue where it had went in the confusion. Unfortunately, Adora's hair being down only seemed to egg Catra on in her weird affection trance, burying her face in Adora's loose hair.
Adora balanced Catra hanging off of her with one arm, trying not to stumble. She grabbed Perfuma with her free hand, panic in her eyes. “WHAT DO I DO”
Entrapta's voice wafted above the madness as she spoke into one of her omnipresent recorders. “... subject appears to lose inhibitions-”
“I don't know! Why are you asking me?”
“She wasn't like this before we came!” Adora wailed, “She's never been like thi-OW!”
Catra let out a loud prrruum and nipped at her. “Hey Adora...” she said, looking so sad and forlorn and alone in all the world as she looked up at her. “... don't you like me...?”
She couldn't even be angry at that face. “I... ugh... of course! But-”
“... most likely a stimulant derived from one of the new species since Etheria was-”
Catra buried her face in Adora's neck, rubbing her cheek against Adora's bare, smooth skin. “Then... why don't you want me...?” she whimpered, voice thick with emotion.
Adora hated how easy it was for Catra to play her heart. Especially since she didn't even seem conscious of it for once. “I do want you, I-”
“Hah! You want me!” Catra pawed at Adora's face, eventually grabbing and stretching her cheeks. “You said it in front of everyone! Now everyone knows you can't keep your hands off your girlfriend!”
Adora was terrible at dealing with embarrassment. Adora was also terrible at lying. “I-I-I-I-”
Scorpia grabbed the scruff of Catra's neck with a pincer. “Alright, Wildcat,” she said, with her usual imperturbable but light-hearted tone, “let's get you to bed.” Catra failed to use her mouth words. Instead she hissed and dug herself into Adora as deeply as she could. After some tug of war, it became apparent that she was anchored pretty well to Adora. “Uh, oh, wow, she's... a lot stronger than she looks.”
Adora, in agony as Catra's claws bored into her flesh, said between gritted teeth, “Please... stop... before she... flays me...!” Scorpia relented, and Catra resumed purring and grooming Adora as though there was never any interruption. Adora pulled her down to the sofa, where she could at least sit as she tried to fight the overactive kitty off. Catra, of course, just used the opportunity to snuggle even closer to her. “Sorry for ruining this night.” Adora said to Perfuma, “I wish I knew what did this to her.”
“Love, you dummy!” Catra purred, tail swishing back and forth, “You did this to me!”
Glimmer laughed. “I don't know how Perfuma feels, but I'm pretty sure this night was perfected by Catra.”
“See? Sparkles loves me...” Catra's voice raised to a plaintive wail, “Why don't you love me, Adora?”
“I do love you, you big dope!”
“It looked worse than it was.” Perfuma admitted. “Mostly dirt knocked around, and a couple of plants chewed on. I would still very much prefer she not do this again!”
“I don't know how much of what we're saying is really getting through to her. I mean, look at her!” Bow said. Catra looked at him. Well, looked in his direction. Through him, more like. As though he was just a hologram.
“I can't wait until she sobers up.” Glimmer snickered. “I should ask Entrapta if she has a spare recorder when she gets back.”
“You know what this reminds me of?” Bow's grin turned nostalgic. “When Adora was infected by that First One's disc, remember? After she transformed out of being berserk She-Ra...”
Glimmer threw her head back and groaned dramatically. “Ugh, she was so hard to keep still!”
“Ow! Hey!” Catra sunk her teeth into Adora's arm without warning.
“Wuv you, dummy...” Catra purred, prodding her fangs all up and down Adora's bare arm. “Wuv wuv...”
“THEN WHY ARE YOU BITING ME?”
“... wub...” Catra looked up at Adora with the biggest, saddest, most hurt eyes... and took another chomp of Adora's arm. Glimmer was laughing so hard she was on the edge of peeing herself. Bow had a hand over his mouth to hide his smirk. Adora was less amused. Catra dragged one of her fangs along Adora's arm – this time not hard enough to break the skin. “Smooth... soft... wuv you softie...”Adora squeaked as Catra turned her weird tooth dragging thing into another love bite.
“PLEASE STOP BITING ME CATRA”
Catra's energy seemed inexhaustible, while Adora struggled to not collapse in the face of her attentions. All the fight was eventually worn out of her, and she relented to letting Catra do whatever she wanted in the vain hope that she would eventually tire herself out too. Catra kneaded Adora's back with a self-satisfied purr. “♫ Mine, mine, mine... ♫” she hummed. “♪ I knead you, you need me...♪”
“I found the culprit!” Entrapta announced proudly and loudly as she kicked in the door, covered in soil and grass stains from the garden just outside, her hair holding an uprooted plant by the stem. Catra's nose twitched and, almost unconsciously, she pushed forward to nip at the bud. Her ears drooped when Entrapta snatched it just out of her reach. “It's an ancient plant called 'catnip'! It was thought extinct for the longest time, but She-Ra's magic must've brought it back!”
Bow cleared his throat. “Uh, is that safe for us to be near?”
“Only one way to find out!” Entrapta cackled, taking a bite out of the flower to everyone's visible concern.
*****
Exhaustion creasing her face, Adora pleaded with Catra as she dragged her into their bedroom. “Please, please tell me you're sleepy Catra.” She couldn't take a whole night of fighting her off. She wouldn't have an unmarked patch of skin left by morning.
“Ssszo sleepy...” Catra nipped her neck again. “Szleep with me, beautiful...” She pawed at Adora's jacket, unbuttoning it and pushing it away, a thin string of drool dripping onto Adora's shoulder as Catra half-missed her attempt to kiss her. “You're so pretty... lemme see...”
Adora didn't really have a choice, considering Catra was peeling her clothes off. She sighed and continued hauling Catra towards their bed. Catra, half-stripped herself, let piece after piece of clothing fall to the floor as she half-clung half-climbed on Adora. On the bed, tired and naked, Adora pulled Catra down to the mattress before she could find something else to distract her. Catra just purred and pressed her head against Adora's shoulder. Adora sighed, equal parts exhausted and happy. “Even when you're a pain... you're so cute.”
“I'm so cuuute... wuv when you caaaall me that...” she purred.
“... you do...?”
“Don't tell yourself.” Catra found that incredibly funny for some reason, laughing and flailing her limbs around. “You'd never stop... and then I'd have to like it aaallll the tiiime...” Catra aimed a kiss at Adora's lips, but hit her collarbone with zero grace or coordination, and just rolled with it, nuzzling into her warm, soft body.
Adora basked in the gentle rumble of her purr for a few blissful seconds before asking, “Why is that a bad thing?”
“Makesss me sztupid happy...” Catra muttered, “... and I'm tough. Tuff. Touf.” She let out a high-pitched, manic cackle that lasted for less than a second, and bit Adora again. “Wuv you too much... makes me soft... so soft... like you...” She dragged a fang along Adora's skin. “Wuv you... so much...” Her eyes fluttered, and those lids became inordinately heavy for her. “Wub...” Catra took another sleepy chomp of Adora's arm.
“'Wub'...” Adora let a big, dorky grin cover her face. Every bite and scratch was worth it, just for that.
*****
The morning sun shone through the windows of their shared room, a gentle warmth eventually stirring Catra to wakefulness. As per usual, Adora was up before her. Unusually, she was not already dressed and doing something to calm her permanent state of restlessness. Instead, she laid in bed, naked, regarding Catra with gentle affection and delight.
“Ugh... I feel... really woozy...” Catra groused as she pushed herself up on her elbows, a trail of drool stringing down to her pillow. “How late was I up last night?”
“Not late at all.” Adora practically purred with a smug, self-satisfied grin. “You went out like a light almost as soon as you hit the bed.”
Catra blinked. Once, twice. Then narrowed her eyes. “... I don't like that look on your face.” She grabbed Adora's hand as she caught the red marks down her forearm. “Oh, wow, did you scratch your arm?”
“Someone did.”
That look on her face. That dumb, stupid grin. Catra knew it too well. Her heart dropped into her stomach. “Adora...” she rasped, “... what did I do?”
Adora made a show of examining her hand nonchalantly. “Oh, nothing, nothing. You just, you know... acted really cute in front of everyone.”
Catra's tail bushed up and her hackles stood on end. “I WHAT?” Her voice cracked with horror.
“'Wuv you Adora, wuv you so much, mrrraow...'” Adora did her best impression of Catra's scratchy voice as she rubbed her cheek and canine against Catra's arm like a certain catnipped kitty did the night before.
Catra threw the blanket over her head and pulled it tight. “NO! SHUT UP! YOU'RE LYING!”
Adora laughed and got out of bed, starting to get dressed for the day. Over her shoulder, she said, “Why don't you ask Glimmer? Or Bow?”
“Okay. I can handle this. I'm just going to stay under these covers until I die. Easy fix.”
“It's okay, Catra!”
“No, it's not! They're never going to let me live it down!” Terror and anger flashed on Catra's face as she popped out of her bed-fortress to accuse Adora with wild-eyed fear. “AND NEITHER ARE YOU!”
“Uh, I'm your girlfriend. I'm allowed to cling onto literally every time you act cute.” Adora finished putting her distinctive jacket on and crossed her arms with her stupid, smug smirk. Catra just moaned in despair and threw herself on the bed, tangled in the sheets, willing herself to die then and there. “Okay, okay, Catra...” Adora gently embraced her through the blanket. “I'm here, okay? I won't give you a hard time. I promise.”
I promise. Two magic words. The big lump in the blanket groaned. “Ugh... what even happened?”
“You got into some of Perfuma's new flowers.” Adora said. “Apparently they really wound you up.”
“Perfuma's new flowers?” Catra's ears perked up with hope. “So, I wasn't the only one?” Deterrence!
“Oh, no, you were DEFINITELY the only one.” Adora laughed. “We all tried it to make sure we figured out the right reason, but it only worked on you.”
She pulled the covers over her tighter. “I hate you so much...”
“You'll hate me less when I come back with breakfast.” Adora tied her hair back and unlatched the door. “Don't worry. I won't shame parade you in front of the Best Friend Squad. Yet.”
Catra threw herself backwards and tried to suffocate herself with a pillow. “... kill me...”
“Not even if you beg, cutie.” Adora lifted the pillow and kissed her cheek. “Wub you!”
Catra grabbed her hand to stop her from going. Her heart bounced in her chest. She couldn't let her leave. Not for any amount of time. Not after hearing it. Not without saying it back. No matter how embarrassing it was. Face red with embarrassment and eyes unable to meet Adora head on, she muttered, “... wub you too...”
She hated (wubbed) how smug that made Adora.