Chapter Text
She Steps out onto the world through the back of the stage, her nameless back up band members following swiftly behind her, the music roars as the crowd of thousands roars with fierce excitement, golden lights wrap around her, an unnatural inhuman glow surrounding her.
Pounds of makeup delicately painted onto her face,every strand of hair perfectly plucked, straightened, curled and brushed right into its prim and proper place, squeezed into a white and golden dress that's just a little too tight and worth more than the salary of all the staff at this venue combined.
When the lights dim the crowd's gaze turns to see her in all her glory as she enters her true element. As she walks towards the microphone she grins and her chest puffs up with each step she takes as she feels herself transform into something more human. Something ethereal, a brand, a myth, a product…
A goddess.
“Ladies, gentlemen and nondescript entities please put your hands together for….”
At this moment Adora fades away and is replaced by someone else. Something else. The most famous singer on the planet.The star actress of the century. the voice of a generation.
Adora Heart.
She grabs the microphone and yells at the top of her lungs, "Good evening people of Bright-Moon!".
The cheers that erupt from the crowd at just the slightest hint of sound elevate her into the heavens above making her feel like she can do everything and anything.
Soon they will all shuffle back to their cars back to their small distant lives, but tonight their attention is all on her, thousands of people shoved into a single venue. Tonight they all adore her, they love her.
It feels like she's flying.
It feels like she's drowning.
All the loud sounds bursting in her ears overwhelm her. All of her senses shriek in pain and she can't see. She can't breathe and she can't think she can barely process that she's standing on a stage. So she does the one thing she always does when this happens. Sometimes it feels like the only thing she does.
She sings
The gentle chorus of the band leads her away from this place, the music grabbing her strings puppeting her to its will as a gentle angelic voice hums from her throat bringing a hushed silence across the stadium, ten thousand people hung on to her every word.
Every song feels like a routine, an act she's carried out dozens of times. Just as much on autopilot as every day spent loading shelves at the old warehouse or every night spent flipping burgers at burger-shack.
It turns out spending 20 years squeezed into the role of a man did teach her one good trick after all.
It made her an amazing actress.
As the chorus booms, her voice grows into the serene melody of a caged song-bird. As she sings, she can't quite help but scan the crowd. They were cheering, hooting and hollering as they professed their admiration and love for her. There were even a couple of marriage proposals. An army of starstruck eyes was gazing at her and praising her. Praising at the altar of the goddess before them.
Except for one disinterested woman amongst a sea of teenage girls grumpily fixed to her phone having spent the entire night ignoring her grand performance.
Adora respects that. Even she hates her music.
She can’t quite place her, but she looks so awfully familiar, Coachella? Dt’s summer yacht parties, perhaps? It gnaws at the back of her mind for the rest of the evening, unable to help herself from staring at her the whole night.
Why does she look so damn familiar?
The song starts to wind down and the claps vanish as they eagerly await the next song. This catches the attention of the strange woman in Row 3-A (Yes Adora checked) and she finally looks up from her phone, matching Adora's gaze
Crystal Blue and Shining Yellow cut through the crowd, slicing them away from Adora’s perception.
Time freezes as a ghost amongst a sea of the living peers up at her and stares straight into her soul.
An anachronism from a life she murdered years ago. A life she threw in the garbage and buried on at a rest stop halfway to Fright City.
It can't be her, no it can't but…. There's no way it could be-
Years of a life that's not quite her own come flooding back to her, a life half remembered and best left forgotten, a life she abandoned long ago. The life of Adam Gray and of the people he left behind.
“It doesn't matter what they do to us y’know, you look out for me and i look out for you.”
The one person who ever actually gave a shit about him.
“Nothing really bad can ever happen as long as we have each other.”
The greatest,kindest and smartest woman Adora had ever had the pleasure of knowing, The one who strung her heart together and filled it with warmth as well as the one who shattered it to pieces.
The ghost in Aisle 3A stares back at her and her name is Catra.
“You promise?”
A siren stealing her gaze, unable to avert her eyes, transfixed on the ghost in aisle 3A
Transfixed until the lights dim, the singing stops and the concert ends.
“I Promise.”
—
Catra has lived a life full of regrets and broken promises, ever since the day she was born. Her numerous mistakes have always followed her and the same mistakes have always defined her.
But in her lifetime of royal fuck ups she had never made a mistake as big as this.
The mistake had found her stuck in a cramped seat in a stadium full of thousands of teenage girls obnoxiously blaring out lyrics to yet another highly manufactured piece of pop garbage.
“Come on Wildcat, sing with me!” Scorpia gleefully exclaimed beside her, covered from head to toe in “Adora Heart” merchandise. From the tacky trucker hat on her head to the Adora Heart branded sandals on her toes.
It was as if a billboard was turned into a 6’2 bodybuilder sporting a bleached white undercut.
Aside from her small group at college, Catra had never been that good at making friends and never really wanted to but ever since the first day Scorpia joined “Dryll Tech”, the bright eyed saleswoman was immediately smitten with the scowling developer in the farthest corner of the room, as if she was trying to stay as far away from anyone else in the building, which she was.
Scorpia was a little bit too smiley, a little bit too huggy and far too loud but Catra does find herself enjoying her company sometimes.
Today is not one of those times.
God she regrets buying her these tickets
How was she supposed to know that Scorpias girlfriend would break up with her the literal night before her birthday, leaving her with a spare ticket and causing Catra to get dragged to this by her bumbling dork of a best friend.
“I am not singing, Scorp.”
“Suit yourself!” Scorpia cheerfully exclaimed before immediately beginning to join the crowd in the singer's performance of her hit song Princesses of Power, blaring out her own rendition from the top of her lungs shattering Catras ear drums.
Catra was never one for mainstream pop garbage, she'd much rather listen to tattooed covered hooligans shout about punching cops than sparkly princesses singing about their society approved, corporate mandated generic boyfriends and how much they love kittens and kissing boys or whatever they sing about nowadays. God she sounds old.
But Adora Heart. Adora Heart was very special, she'd managed to achieve one thing none of those other generic pop stars couldn't do.
She creeped the ever loving fuck out of her. Catra didn't know why, couldn't know why but there was something about her, from her stunning blue eyes and a smooth angelic voice that sounded just a little too manufactured . She seems familiar in a way Catra can't quite place.A woman infesting every corner of the world, every song on the radio, every magazine cover, every talk show. A sense of deja vu surrounded her, as she tasted the answer on the very tip of her tongue.
As Catra looks up from her phone she's started to realise yet another creepy fact about Her, She's just realised that Adora Heart, Millionaire Super star, has been staring straight at her for the last 30 minutes. Not in her general direction, not towards a conveniently placed camera but straight into her eyes for 30 minutes straight.
She's frozen,pale as if she'd just seen a ghost, the crowd doesn't seem to notice. As Catra looks she notices a strange sense of familiarity in her crystal blue enchanting eyes. The woman's gaze only diverted for the briefest moments between breaks in between songs before finding her way back to staring straight at her.
Is she trying to hit on me!?
Until finally, it stops. The final song hums to a crawl as the gaze is broken and the goddess gives one last speech to her loyal followers before wishing them a good night and disappearing behind the curtains.
“That's strange she usually does an encore” Scorpia mutters disappointedly.
“Did you not like it?”
“I don't know. She was fine at first but then she seemed off, but forget about that there's something a lot more important I need to tell you.” Scorpia awkwardly shuffles out of her seat, avoiding eye contact
“Oh what is it?” Catra winces.
Please don't try to kiss me please don't try to kiss me.
“I think I need to use the bathroom. Those nachos did a number on me.”
Oh thank fucking god.
—--
Crowds of people swarmed the merch stands as they hastily waved wads of cash around demanding t-shirts, dvds and whatever else that has that creep’s face on it.
Unsurprisingly the line to the bathroom was even longer. Catra really doesn't understand why Scorpia couldn't just hold it in but alas now she's stuck here patiently waiting, partly for her and partly debating whether or not to indulge in that bacon wrapped hot dog on a stick stand that sat nearby.
However she quickly found her train of thought interrupted by two men dressed in pitch black suits, one a giant green scaled lizard and his companion, an acne riddled scrawny man, who was awkwardly staring at his clipboard. Two name tags clipped on each of their blazers “Rogelio Lagarto” “Kyle Lagarto” alongside two matching rings.
“Oh hello, uhm ma’am we’d just like to inform you that-”
Sigh
“What the hell is the problem? If this is about that Karen from earlier, it's not my fault she wasn't keeping that brat on a leash”
“Wait what? Oh uh never mind that uh- situation! Everyone at Horde Records would just like to uhm- joyfully congratulate you on this esteemed uh opportunit-”
His spiel seemed never ending, filled with more corporate jargon than every training seminar Catra had ever been subjected to in her tortuous years in the workforce combined. The only relief being his stern companion nudging him slightly with his elbow.
“The Boss wants to see you backstage.”
“What?”
“Congratulations, Ma’am!” Kyle cheerfully declares as an entire security detail surrounds her leading her away.
Before she could protest, she's been led straight through two highly secured doors decorated with dozens of security staff all the way to a single dressing room with a name pinned to its door.
Currently residing: Adora Heart
From the second she bought those stupid tickets Catra knew today would be terrible but out of all the bad things that couldve happened getting kidnapped by the worst singer in the country was definitely not on that list.
She better not be hitting on me.
She takes a deep breath and knocks on the door.
—
The girl had arrived early this morning to Mother’s with nothing but a garbage bag full of her clothes and a small blue plushie of a panther clutched in her hands, hiding behind the legs of her social worker as she argued with Mother Weaver.
Hidden just behind the staircase Adam listened and watched.
The new girl was strange. Adam had never seen a magicat up close before, but it wasn't just that, she was different. A ball of unbrushed brown hair in a hand-me down tshirt far too big for her hanging loosely by her scraped knees. But below that within those strange crystal blue and sparkling citrine eyes he recognised a feeling all too well.
She was scared, she was lonely.
She needed a friend.
“Do you know how many mouths I already have to feed?”
Mother Weaver loomed over them, Mother was the kindest woman and bestest in the whole world, She opened her home to him and all his other foster siblings after all. She was just strict and hated “parasites”
The kitty didn't seem like one though, she seemed nice.
“She's been rejected from every home in town, ma’am, please she has nowhere else to go.”
“You seriously cannot expect me to-”
“And of course due to her increased difficulties, there would be increased funding in her stipend, for her needs of course.”
“Ah of course then,. You seriously cannot expect me to reject a child in need, especially one as interesting as her.” Weaver's demeanour seemed to change immediately as she heard about the extra needs, Mother loves to help. Grabbing the girl by her shoulder, she drags her inside, waving away her social worker who didn't even take the time to say goodbye.
“Now, I expect you to be on your best behaviour, I will not tolerate any insubordination, are we clear.” Weaver instructed carefully inspecting her new ward, sneering a venomous gaze.
The girl, still shaking, looked up and obediently shook her head.
“Can you not speak, child!?”
Mother sure was strict sometimes.
“Very well, considering the circumstances of your arrival I will let this pass just this once” She instructed, turning her head towards the staircase and the nosy boy perched behind the bannisters felt his blood running cold, meeting the gaze of his mother.
“Adam dear, I know you're listening, please show our guest around our lovely home.” She grinned, before disappearing away back to her newest bottle of vintage “juice”.
Adam was never good at making friends, no matter what he tried or did, he'd always say the wrong thing or act a little too strange and he'd suddenly be alone again, he didn't know why, he's probably just too weird.
But if there was one thing he was good at it was helping people and he loved to help mother most of all.
Adam creeped down the stairs,as fast as his legs could carry him, the child inspecting him with frightful eyes, her claws outstretched digging deep into her furry friend.
No sound filled the hall except the loud creeks of the mansion's old rickety floorboards as an energetic boy ran across the hall, narrowly avoiding face planting on Weaver's antique carpet.
His messy blonde fringe almost covering his sparkling eyes, he stretched out his hand and beamed a shining smile.
“Hello, I'm Adam. Do you want to be friends?”
Behind the plush lion hugged tight to her chest, a muffled small voice escapes.
“Ok.”
—
Adora has never lived a life full of regrets and broken promises, not since the day she hopped into her old junker of a car and drove as far away from Brightmoon as she could, she swore to never let her mistakes define her. They died with Adam Gray.
She is something else,
Someone else.
Something better.
She’s Adora fucking Heart. She has hundreds of millions of fans around the world and makes more money in a minute than she made in a year at that stupid warehouse. She's Rich, Famous and Adored by millions but then why…
Why does she still feel so empty?
Why does the woman staring back in the mirror feel nearly just as foreign as the man who once stared back too, she still sees him there, in her hairline that's just slightly thin, rib cage that's just a bit too wide and the tiny bits of hair on her chin that won't go away no matter how many times its waxed.
But that man is dead.
Adam Gray died for good the day her label so generously changed all her documents and put her under the knife, finally giving her the body she dreamed of, the life she dreamt of. There's no more trace of him in the mirror, he's been gone for nearly a decade but then why.
Why do his memories still haunt her?
She's a woman haunted by ghosts and she just invited one straight into her dressing-room.
A small stuffed animal sits on the mantle of her vanity, an old and worn pegasus. A gift given to her so many years ago, that small boy had hidden it for so long. A gift won on a claw machine on a school trip many years ago.
Weaver ripped him in half the day she found him.
“Toys are not fitting for a young man such as yourself let alone something like this , grow up Adam”
She was only 8 years old.
The repair job was crude and impractical but it worked. Catra had stayed up all night fixing him with a set of needles and thread left lying
Before the engagement, Before high school, before two idiots rushed into a relationship they both didn't know they didn't want and both didnt know they didn't understand. They were friends, the best of friends.
Maybe they could be again.
Knock Knock
Knock Knock Knock
KNOCK KNOCK
—
Catra sighs, knocking firmly and loudly again, waiting what feels like an eternity.
Until.
“Come in!” A cheerful voice echoed through the door, barely able to hide the hesitance behind their tone, beckoning her inside.
Every one of Catras senses tells her it's a mistake, her hair standing on edge, ears bristling telling her to leave, running as far away as far as she can.
But when did she ever listen to her common sense?
Catra walks inside, met with a lavish room full of posters and pictures of previous acts, a mess of red and black velvet furniture adorning the room and at the very back, sat by her vanity is Adora Heart. Illuminated by the bright fairy lights strewn across the walls.
The first thing Catra notices about Adora Heart was how beautiful she is. Perfectly styled hair fell in blonde waves along her shoulders. A perfectly heart shaped face with a sleek jawline and daunting cheekbones as if she was sculpted by the goddess aphrodite herself, layers of makeup only serving to adorn and enhance her beauty as if she was a painting in the finest gallery of them all, enchanting blue eyes that stare straight at her, into her soul, lulling her into a beautiful trance.
Congratulations, youve known her for 10 seconds and you already have a straight girl crush, shes probably going to try to murder you yknow
She's enchanting and oh so mysterious, she seems so familiar yet distant. This woman knows her… somehow, knows her more deeply than anyone else. An enigma wrapped inside a mystery squeezed into a golden sequin dress.
“Catra.”
The goddess gasps, a face of fear, worry, regret but most of all… joy. Swiftly the pop-star stands up and strides over to her. “It's you.” She smiles the most sickeningly pure smile the magicat has ever seen.
“Look I don't know what the hell is going on and I really don't care, just tell me what the hell is going on and what you want” Catra accuses. “How do you know my name?You were up there staring at me all night.”
“You really don't recognise me. After all this time, I figured at least you could. But you dont. You really don't?” She sounds disappointed.
“Wha-”
“Look at me. Please just… look at me, deeper.”
She approaches her even more, her face mere inches away, staring straight into her.
A faint scar adorns the blondes cheek just barely visible beneath layers of foundation , concealer and just a sprinkle of glitter, three scratches .
A pair of glowing blue eyes stare back at her. A pair she’d stared into so many times before.
She knows that scar.
She made it herself.
“Cat. it's me.”
Only one person ever called her that name.
A man who disappeared 6 years ago.
She does look like him. So so much, it's terrifying.
“Youre not- youre not.”
But she always did know something never added up, shed spent hours pouring over records over these last few years, desperately searching for a hint any evidence as to what had happened to her best friend, until one day all of his information went poof as if he never existed.
She spent so many sleepless nights pouring over the information, it never added up.
But it had to do something with organised crime, gang stuff maybe hell maybe even politics not…
How the fuck could her ex best friend die and reincarnate as a pop superstar. It's like one of those bad mangas Adam used to collect in middle school.
“Oh no, are- are you ok? Are you having a panic attack? Oh my stars I shouldn't have just laid this all on you all of a sudden, sorry, sorry, here have some water.” Adora rambles, anxiously tearing apart the mini fridge for a bottle of water, before presenting a bottle of apple flavoured sparkling water. Catras favourite.
Fuck its them.
There's only one idiot that Catra knows to apologise so much
This woman can read her like a book, it's like she's known her for years.
Maybe she really has.
She sees it now.
She sees her now.
Adoras brow furrowed, she looked stressed and tired,about to cry, that was Adam’s tell too.
“It's really you.”
“You see me now, don't you?” The blonde seems relieved beyond comparison. “No one has seen me in years.”
“How!?”
“Modern medicine really is magic, huh?”
It really fucking is.
“Uhhh”
“Catra. Im transgender.”
“Yeah, obviously! What the hell happened to you. I searched for you, for years but you didnt exist. No records at all like you before never even existed..”
“Yeah, that's.“ She sighs, “a very long story.”
“I have time.”
“I guess I owe you that much, just not here, no one knows about this but you, even supposed to have you in here, if my manager finds out- I saw a diner down the street.”
“Fine. But this area is crawling with your fans, I can't just break you out of here.””
“Oh trust me i have a couple of tricks up my sleeve, just give me a minute”
Adora smirks as she disappears behind her screen and begins to root through her suitcase.
5 minutes later
Adora emerges from her dressing room, a giant hoodie draped over grey sweatpants and furred red boots, the hood pulled up around her face and a pair of glasses sitting firm on her cute button nose, a plain jane replacing the pop princess.
“That’s not going to work”
“I’ve done this hundreds of times”
“Just imagine the headlines “pop queen Adora Gray spotted at coffee date with mysterious butch.” Catra chuckles to herself “Im sure your managers would be mortified, princess”
“You’d look so handsome on a magazine cover though.” Adora smirks as she wraps her scarf around her neck approaching her dressing room door. “Cat if there's one thing I've learnt in these last few years it's that no one cares about anything but themselves, no one will notice, trust me on this.”
“I don't trust you but you owe me answers, so I guess I have no choice.” Catra shrugs.
“Mhmm you dont. Oh, I can smell the blueberry pie already!” Adora turns as presses her hand against her dressing room door, flashing a shining smile. “You coming?”
Who could say no to a face like that.
—
The laundry room is cold and damp, but it's safe, no one could ever find Catra here, a small child barely 5 years old hiding beneath piles of various blankets and linens.
She hates it here. She wants to go home, her real home. She misses her mama. Mrs Weaver is nothing like mama.
All the other girls here are so mean, especially the older ones. She hates them, hates everyone here. It wasn't her fault she hurt Octavia, she started it. She always starts it.
Why would a 16 year old even bully someone not even half her age, why did she even decide to step in to protect him. Adam isn't her friend, no one is.
At least she has her, Clawdeen has been with her ever since she was a baby, a small fist sized pink lion, she's become worn and battered throughout the years, her fur is rugged and her left eye is long missing but it doesn't matter. Catra loves her all the same.
She clutches Clawdeen underneath her chin and hugs her tight, shaking trembling and scared and angry.
After an eternity hidden amongst the blankets, the door opens revealing a small crack of light from the hall outside and a shadowed figure walks in.
“Catra, it's me. Are you in here?” A voice whispers
It's just him, it's just Adam. her roommate and perhaps only friend here.
He investigates the room for a few seconds before his head turns to a rustling amongst the blankets, pulling them away to reveal a cornered child.
“Catra?”
She hisses as hard as she can, a futile attempt to hide her weakness.
“Its ok, it's just me, are you ok?”
Catra simply stares back, still shaking.
“You can't talk today? Its ok, I won't tell Mother.” He reassures her, moving to sit down next to her. “Thanks for helping me today. Octavia is really mean.”
Catra responds with nothing but a distrful glare, turning away to face the wall opposite him.
“It doesn't matter what they do to us y’know, you look out for me and i look out for you.” Adam mutters fumbling with his hands.
He can't really be serious. There's no way he'd ever want to be her friend. It's obviously just a trick, he’s just doing this to get her hopes up and then make fun of her too.
“Nothing really bad can ever happen as long as we have each other.”
He has been nice to her though, nicer than anyone else has. Maybe even if it is a trick she could pretend, just for a while that she's not so alone.
“Y- you, you promise?” Catra stumbles, turning to face towards her friend.
“I promise.” Adam smiles “Best friends forever?”
“Ok.” She returns the favour, smiling her first smile since she met Mrs Weaver.
“Best Friends Forever!” He excitedly yells, launching himself at his best friend into a giant hug.
For the first time in her life. Catra feels truly and genuinely loved and begins to realise maybe hugs, arent that bad. A small purr rumbling through her belly.
It might be bad here, it might be cold and lonely but at least they can be lonely together.
—
Adoras bodyguards were a nice bunch but they were not particularly the brightest, they wouldn't notice if a truck drove through the concert hall let alone her sneaking through a back door.
The streets of Brightmoon at this time of night were grey and bleak, still moist from tonight's rain shower, the streetlamps flickering lights bouncing off the wet pavement.
It's strange walking down these streets again. She never thought she'd ever come back here but it isn't too bad. She can smell the blueberry pie already.
Everything is just as she remembered, even if she had never visited the nice part of brightmoon often, it hasn't changed much at all. Considering the circumstances It's strangely ironic.
“Hey!” A voice cuts through, lightly, breaking out of her overthinking. “We're here.” Catra states nodding toward the flashing neon sign above the front door.
“Full Moon Diner: Open 24/7“
The Fullmoon Diner wasn't that particularly nice, but it wasn't that bad either. Just like its overpriced coffee it was delightfully mediocre.
Decorated in a painfully cliche 1950s theme from its checkerboard floors to the old songs playing softly through the vintage jukebox by the counter next to an array of various gumball machines.
Adora still couldn't believe it. Catrina Elizabeth Driluth, sat in the same booth, right in front of her nursing a frappuccino. She’d changed so much too.
Long brown curls chopped, replaced by a meticulously combed back undercut, An underfed lanky body replaced with a curved mature frame bundled up in a baggy leather jacket and flannel shirt both a few sizes too big. Gone was the young unsure girl stumbling her way through college instead replaced by a calm and mature woman.
Heavens she rocks the butch look.
“I really like the whole rustic vibe of this place-”
Catra interjects, staring intently at her coffee.
“Answers. Tell me everything now.”
“Oh right! That's fair I guess. What do you want to hear about first?” Adora stammers, Catra was always particularly blunt.
“Everything. How the hell did you end up like… like this!?” Catra waves her arms vaguely gesturing at her.
“Oh well uhm” Adora stammers before clearing her throat “Well, I was never happy with myself, but I think that was pretty obvious. I think I always kind of knew deep down but I only really realised after I uh well you know-”
“After you ran away”
“Yes, after I did that... as soon as I started driving away I couldn't stop, I just drove and drove and drove. By the time I finally came to and actually woke up I was halfway to Fright City.”
“So what did you do?”
“I kept driving. When I got there I went out busking for money and did odd jobs wherever I could. Those years were hard but I met a lot of people and they all helped me figure all of THIS out.”
“Fright city huh? Pretty dangerous”
“I can handle myself” Adora scoffed “How many spiders did I have to kill for you?”
“At least I don’t need a team of bodyguards.” Catra rebutted smugly, leaning back.
She’s so infuriating when she smiles like that.
“Oh my god don’t get me started on my security, we will be here for hours. Anyway, I eventually got a job, a small gay bar named “Darla” I cleaned during the day and sang at at night, The owner Mara took me in, shes… she’s the one who helped me with all this uh, y’know.” Adora shined a shy nostalgic smile thinking of better days. Just her, the stage, and gaggles of queer students from the university down the road.
“Then one night one night this guy came in, he creeped me out a bit at first with the way he was staring at me but, it turned out he worked for prime records and I was just what they were looking for, iI had an album deal signed the next month.”
“Just like that?” Catra inquired, suspicious but not wanting to dig deeper lest it turns the situation all the more awkward.
“Yeah. The record is pretty great, I know they dont have the best reputation but they’ve helped me a lot with my surgeries, the documents. I don’t know where I’d be without them.”
“Did you know?”
“About wha?t”
“Dont play dumb with me. Up until this evening I thought you were dead or worse!”
“.... I didn’t, well not initially, my partners arent perfect Catra but their hearts are in the right place. They want what’s best for both of us, even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes.”
“You knew!? You knew I thought you died and you just never told me!? Why in the hell-”
“You told me to get out of your face and never speak to you again, that’s exactly what I did.”
“This is obviously not what I meant.”
“Catra, if i had just called you out of nowhere, would you have honestly believed me? Would you have believed your long lost friend was ‘Adora Heart, millionaire superstar’!? If I wasn’t sitting in front of you right now, would you have ever believed me? “ Adora sighed, her posture decompressing, staring at the ground and fidgeting with her hands
“I got a fresh start, away from all of that. I was free from her. You deserved to be too. You were better off without me anyways. I was only holding you down. ”
“You really think that, don't you?”
“Im- im sorry”
“So are you love birds ready to order” a stark voice calls from behind, A cheerful older woman suddenly emerged standing right by their booth, a dorky grin plastered on her face covered in pink ringles “oh you don’t have to be shy, my wifes just over there in the kitchen”
“Were not together.” Catra mutters through gritted teeth.
“I'll have the blueberry pie please” Adora interjects, eyes transfixed on the beautiful picture of a pie on her laminated menu.
—
The rest of the meal goes… surprisingly well. With the shadow of the past gone they find themselves reminiscing, reconciling and catching up. As Adoras pie and Catras chocolate brownie arrived they’d already found themselves picking up where they once left off all those years ago. It all felt so surprisingly normal.
The night eventually died down, the pie ran empty and the coffee dry. “Are you sure you’ll be ok walking back on your own?” Catra inquired looking out the window of the dimly lit diner as snow began to trickle down to the streets below.
“I can handle myself”
“Whatever you say princess.”
“For the last time i am not a princess”
“You’re still covered in glitter””
“It's very fashionable in Fright City” Adora bitterly mutters, biting her tongue, absentmindedly reaching into her pocket and turning on her cell phone only to be hit with a flurry of messages. “Oh” she gasps, turning a ghostly pale.
“Everything ok?”
“Yeah, yeah I just, damn it, somethings come up. ” Adora scrambles, grabbing a pen off the counter and hastily scribbling a collection of… numbers onto a napkin.” Here, take this.” Adora says getting out of her seat as she looks over Catra one last time before running away into the night.
Disappearing as quickly as she appeared.
—-
Trudging through the snow back to her Car, Catra can't quite help but feel she's forgotten something dreadfully important.
A buff woman in a crimson furred coat sits on the rim of Catras car, scrolling through her phone before correcting her posture and standing up, her hands behind her back.
Oh no.
“Wildcat!? Where the hell have you been, I was calling everyone! I thought youd- youd gotten hurt or something?” Scorpia rambles, grabbing Catras face with one hand and looking her over “Did they hurt you?” before subsequently getting pushed away.
“Sigh its ok Scorp, I ran into an old friend and we got coffee, it’s no big deal, it was only 15 minutes..”
“Catra, it’s midnight..”
It couldn't have been that long, shouldn't have been that long. They were only talking for what like 15 minutes?
“Oh. Oh shit I’m so sorry. I was gone for nearly 3 hours? I didn't even notice.”
“You didn't notice, you really didnt notice?” The scorpioni woman said indignantly.
“I’m sorry, I hadn’t seen her in forever and she was just-.”
Catra shuddered, did she really have such a spell over her already? She’s just, she’s just any other woman, an old friend she’d talk to once then never again.
“It… it was a woman?”
“Yeah, shes just an old friend”
“And that in your hand, that’s her phone number right?” Scorpia sighed, wincing, her eyes gesturing one handedly towards the note still clutched in catras hand
“Yeah” Catra said, fumbling with the keys to her car before turning to her friend, silently staring off in the distance “You ok? What’s that behind your back?”
“It’s nothing, Can you just take me home please?” Scorpia sulked walking over to a bin and throwing… something inside before resignedly hopping into the passenger seat.
Catras car soon sped away leaving a bouquet of roses amongst a pile of garbage.
—
The screech of her alarm shocks Catra from the gentle comforts of her dreams back to boring old reality. Weary and still half asleep she collects herself, turning off her alarm before beginning her morning routine but something catches her eye.
Notification: Adora Heart has sent you a text..
One simple tap leads her to a flurry of a dozen text messages, varying from cute animals, dumb memes and a couple “Are you awake?” texts.
The final being of a lavish private jet, the soft glow of the rising sun shining through landing directly on a bowl of boxed macaroni and cheese.
Adora H: “Good morning! Mac and Cheese for breakfast LOL! :3”