Work Text:
Etheria-1610
Adora laid on her bed, music blasting in her ears as she tapped her knees to the music, “Adora!” She heard through her headphones, a muffle shout for her. Adora’s eyes shot open, a portal above her, Catra in her spidersuit coming through. Lifting her mask, Catra smirked widely. Suddenly, the portal vanished and Catra toppled through- landing on top of Adora, “hey Adora,” Catra smirked and Adora’s heart twisted. A year of not seeing Catra and now she was so close Adora could smell her lightly sprayed perfume,
“Catra,” Adora said cautiously, brushing a strand of Catra’s short hair behind her ear, “you’re really here?” Catra laughed and Adora’s stomach churned, remembering the nights spent thinking about the way Catra talked,
“I like your room,” Catra smirked, rolling off Adora and looking around where Adora grew up. It all screamed Adora, from the horse figurines to the weights clattered messily around the floor. Catra saw a book opened on the floor and used her webs to pick it up, “you really missed me, huh?” Catra joked, flipping through the diary entries. Adora ran up to her and grabbed the book,
“You ever heard of privacy?” Adora whined, before pulling Catra in for a hug, “you don’t even know how much I missed you,” Adora ran her hands down the back of the spider suit, the silky feeling of the outfit running through her hands reminding her of her own suit, “I thought I’d never see you again,” Catra finally committed to the hug, reciprocating,
“Same,” She whispered, and Adora felt Catra’s hand twiddle with her hair,
“My family is home,” Adora whispered. Catra hummed quietly, tugging her mask on her face, “put on your mask,” Catra instructed, Adora grabbing the mask from her pocket and stretching it over her face without even thinking. Suddenly, she felt Catra’s web stick to her back before she was swiftly yanked out the window.
“We’re almost there,” Catra laughed, slinging them up higher. Adora finally got balanced, slinging herself in the same direction as Catra until they landed on the top of a skyscraper. Adora almost stumbled over- Catra barely stopping her, “clutz,” She snickered, before being pulled into one another one of Adora’s hugs,
“How are you even here?” Adora asked, tucking her head into the crook of Catra’s neck. Catra pushed the mask off her head, letting it hang on her back like the hood of a hoodie “are you gonna start glitching? Is the super collider starting up again!?"
“It’s ok,” Catra said, pulling away and showing Adora the device on her wrist, “this device-watch-thing lets me travel dimensions and stops me from glitching. I’m kinda here on business…?”
“What?” Adora asked, raised eyebrow,
“There’s anomalies in your dimension or some shit, post effects of the supercollider. I was…” Catra paused, trying to find a good word, “recruited to help fix this with a bunch of other spider-people,” Catra rolled her eyes. Adora didn’t understand, “I can literally smell your confusion, princess” Catra chuckled Adora let out an exasperated groan,
“Not that stupid nickname… Though-” Adora’s voice went quiet and meek, “-I’m really happy to see you,” Adora felt a tear fall from her eye, confused at the sudden emotion overtaking her. Catra wiped it away and kissed Adora. Adora responded passionately, arms trailing Catra just to feel her. Catra could never forget how Adora’s lips felt- burnt into her memory from the first time they ever kissed. Catra rested her hands behind Adora’s ears, pulling her closer than what they already were. Finally, Catra pulled away, a little bit out of breath,
“I’ve been wanting to do that since we last kissed,” Catra joked. It’d been a whole year with no contact and in that year they both yearned for the impossible- just to see each other again. Their reuniting felt surreal,
“I don’t believe you’re actually here,” Adora whispered, trailing her hands over Catra’s cheek,
“I can’t believe it either. I miss talking to you and… hearing your voice,” Catra admitted, wandering the roof with Adora by her side. Adora’s heart warmed, loving when Catra was vulnerable about the smallest things. The small whistle of wind that brushed through Adora’s hair made Catra blush, “you’re about the one person I can talk to,”
“And you’re the one person who understands me,” Adora said. Her voice isn’t bright and happy, but it’s honest,
“Ditto,” Catra responds quietly, “you look out for me, I look out for you. Even in different dimensions,” Catra joked, bumping shoulders with Adora.
Catra’s wrist-watch began to buzz, before making a hologram projection. Catra quickly pushed Adora away,
“Don’t say anything,” Catra whispered in a hushed voice, “Hey Scorpia,”
“Hey Wildcat!” Scorpia chirped, “they just wanted me to check in with you,”
“Oh, it’s going fine,” Catra shrugged, watching Adora from the corner of her eye,
“Can I confirm you’re not with that girl? You aren’t supposed to see her, you know,” Scorpia asked, a suspicious tone tainting her voice,
“No, I’m not with Adora. You know, she has a name-,” Catra groaned as she was cut off,
“Ok, well you better not compromise the mission. Once you’ve found the anomaly just click the teleport button and you’ll be sent back to the main-base! I might-” Catra hung up the call, the hologram rescinding into the watch,
“That was the head of that spider-people group… Y’know, the one I just mentioned,” Adora ignored what Catra said,
“When do you have to go,” Adora asked- her voice shaking,
“I… I’m not going to,” Catra said with uncertainty, “As soon as they figure out, they’ll switch off my watch and I’m gonna start glitching. But we just have to delay that,”
“You have a home,” Catra’s heart stopped when Adora said that. She looked away from Adora and out into the distance, watching all the tiny buildings and the tiny houses with the tiny people. It all felt so little from here. She didn’t feel like she had a home. Catra hadn’t felt that way since she was a little kid. The super collider bringing her to Adora was the best thing to ever happen to Catra, “what happened… Talk to me, Catra. Please,”
"I gotta go," Catra cursed, seeing a beast from another dimension, "anomaly found," Catra spoke into her watch- tugging her spider-suit’s mask over her face and jumping off the building. Adora gasped, before seeing Catra slinging herself through the air with her webs.
“Catra!” Adora called out, quickly following Catra with her own webs. Adora spectated from afar, watching Catra battle against the beast. Even though Catra was barely struggling, Adora wanted an excuse to talk to her, so she pulled her mask over her face and joined the fight, “you can’t just disappear on me!” Adora grunted, punching the beast deep in the gut. Catra flung webs over the beast’s wrists. It looked small but powerful, yet Adora had no doubt Catra could finish it off, “You can’t ice me out for nothing!”
“There are bigger problems to deal with right now,” Catra scoffed, “let me concentrate,” kicking the beast to the ground and webbing it’s torso to the ground,
“Wh- I- Well are you willing to talk to me about this?!” Adora pleaded. The desperation in her voice made Catra’s heart race, and she turned her head towards Adora. The beast took advantage of Catra’s distraction and kicked her in the bridge of her nose. A loud crack echoed in Catra’s ears, before the pain hit like a tonne of bricks
“For fucks sake!” Catra hissed. The blood blemished her white spider-suit- the mask turning red. She stamped the beast's legs down and webbed them to the ground at last, “just leave me alone for an hour,” Catra spat, before calling Scorpia and speaking in a hushed tone. Adora felt a flurry of inexplicable emotions rush through her,
“Catra!” Adora called out- and she watched as Catra stilled, her relaxed demeanour stiffening,
“HOLY SMOKES, YOU’RE WITH HER?!” Scorpia yelled, Adora’s eyes landing on the hologram of Scorpia now looking at Adora. People who’d previously ran off began to return.
“Scorpia, no! It’s not what it sounds like I-” Catra spluttered quickly, trying to repair the situation,
“I’m gonna have to tell Hordak,” Scorpia stage-whispered. Catra’s eyes clenched shut,
“Don’t you fucking dare,” Catra hissed, “you know what he’ll do,”
“I don’t have a choice Catra!” Scorpia wailed and Catra began to panic, starting to ramble quietly- trying not to arouse suspicion from others,
“It isn’t my fault! That beast-anomaly-thing was where Adora happened to be. She just thought it was her duty to join in,” Catra’s heart was pounding, “don’t force me to go back to Weaver because of a coincidence,” Scorpia let out a hefty sigh, “just send someone to pick up this beast and give me some time to clean up the aftermath,”
“Alright… and I won’t tell Hordak. But mark my words, if you voluntarily spend time with Adora, you’re using your watch for personal uses and you will be sent back to your dimension,” Scorpia hung up and Catra collapsed to her knees, clenching her stomach as she heaved dry retches but nothing came out of her mouth. Adora sprinted up to Catra, hugging Catra and helping her up,
“It’s ok, Catra,” Adora whispered into her ear as Catra began to cry,
“I can’t stand you,” Catra whispered, her claws digging into Adora’s spider suit, “just get me out of here,” Adora almost instantly shot a web, pulling herself and Catra away and into the air until they landed on top of a mostly private building- sitting Catra’s back onto a tall ledge. Adora lifted her own mask and then Catra’s, revealing Catra’s once-straight-nose now crooked and bruised with a nasty purple,
“Your nose,” Adora murmured, stroking the now-crooked bridge of Catra’s small nose. Adora’s thumb wiped away the blood under her nose,
“S-stop,” Catra hissed, but the venom wasn't in her voice. She looked away in embarrassment, struggling to accept Adora’s gentleness, “please. I can’t…” Catra’s voice trailed off,
“Can I heal it?” Adora asked and Catra nodded reluctantly. Adora rested her hand on Catra’s broken nose, pulsing her magic into Catra as Catra squinted her eyes shut- trying to avoid the blinding light that spreaded on her face. Slowly, the glowing light disappeared and Catra’s eyes blinked back open- her nose perfect and straight again and the pain dissipated. Adora fell into a daze, staring at Catra’s beautiful eyes. Around a year ago, Catra had confessed to Adora that she was insecure of her eyes being two different colours, but her eyes had to be one of Adora’s favourite one of physical features, “ah, sorry,” Adora chuckled, looking away as blush spreaded on her face,
“You’re insufferable,” Catra scoffed jokingly, but Adora didn’t laugh, she just stared off into the distance,
“Whose Weaver?” Adora whispered. The silence was thick and without a response from Catra, Adora sighed, “I have a family reunion to get to, swing by if you want… just maybe not in your spider-suit,” Adora pulled her over her face, “it’s a rooftop party for my mum’s promotion, you’ll be able to find it,” She shot a web and swung away.
-
Adora weaved through the large crowd, saying hi to relatives on the way but trying to find her parents. She felt a firm hand grip her shoulder, “Adora Greyskull,” Her dad said in a gruffly and deep voice, “you missed your mother’s speech. She was talking about how proud she was of you and your siblings, but you weren’t there,” Adora’s dad was always formal, even in private. It made it hard to connect to him,
“Sorry dad I was… busy,” Adora said awkwardly. Her dad tsked,
“Disappointing,” He murmured, walking away. Adora slumped, thinking about how she was always the disappointing child. Mara was far more academic than Adora and Adora couldn’t begin to count just how many things Mara had achieved, but Adora was far from jealous. If anything, Mara being the star of her household gave Adora someone to look up to. Still, some part of Adora yearned for appreciation for what she does. But no one could know about Spider-Woman. Adam was always dismissed of his childish behaviour because he was a guy , it frustrated Adora so much. He was never looked at like a disappointment, he would just be told ‘don’t do it again’ and receive a pat on the back,
“Boo,” Catra whispered quietly into Adora’s ear. Adora jumped, instincts kicking in as she elbowed Catra,
“Oh shit,” Adora cursed, realising what she’d just done. Catra laughed, despite clutching her stomach. Adora took in Catra’s outfit- Navy blue jeans and a green oversized varsity jacket that was most certainly Adora’s,
“It’s ok. I just forgot you had it too,” Catra winked and Adora tilted her head in confusion, “I meant spider-senses,” Catra tsked, shaking her head in faux disappointment,
“Stars, you look like my dad, all disappointed n’ shit,” Adora scoffed, leading Catra away from the crowd and to a deserted corner,
“You’re dad being a dick?” Catra asked quietly, standing next to Adora,
“No, not really, he just keeps on ticking me off,” Adora murmured, resting her head on the top of Catra’s, “I wanna come out to my family,” Adora said softly,
“As spider-woman?” Catra whispered, knocking her shoulder against Adora’s,
“No,” Adora scoffed, lifting her head up and looking away uncertainty, “as a lesbian,” Catra saw a flash of anxiety electrocute Adora, “my dad… he’s kind of homophobic,”
“Kind of?” Catra asked, and Adora sighed, shoulders slouching as she felt overcome with defeat. Catra wanted to kiss Adora, whispering quietly in her ear that it would be ok- but being in public and Adora being closeted, Catra instead weaved her hand with Adora’s, “what if I were there?”
“I can’t put that burden on you,” Adora muttered,
“It’s not a burden for me to help you. We’re…” Catra’s voice trailed off, unsure of what she was to Adora and what their relationship was as a whole,
“Well I’ve been thinking about it for a year and-” Adora half joked, her voice more confident despite the anxiety inside of her, “-do you wanna be my girlfriend? God that sounds cringy… oh shit fuck-”
“Don’t ruin the moment, dummy,” Catra laughed, leaning her head on Adora’s shoulder, “and yes, Adora Greyskull, I’d love to be your girlfriend if you’ll be mine, despite the whole universe between us,” Catra’s voice was quiet- mindful not grab anyone’s attention. This moment was just for the two of them,
“Of course I’ll be your girlfriend,” Adora smiled, before thinking quietly, “I think I’ll tell my family I’m a lesbian at dinner tonight, can you come?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Catra smirked, before watching Adora’s eyes wander to a man approaching,
“Adora, who is this?” Randor asked,
“I’m Catra,” Catra said, stepping forward and holding her hand out. Her actions were sharp and purposeful- annoyed that she was addressed as though she wasn't there. Randor reluctantly took Catra’s hand,
“She’s gonna come to dinner tonight, if that’s ok?” Adora asked. Randor nodded in response, before walking away,
“That was brief,” Catra said. Adora shrugged,
“That’s just what my dad is like,” Adora murmured. Catra saw how they physically looked alike, but she couldn’t imagine how Adora would be anything like him, “I’m excited to see my sister, Mara. She moved out ages ago and we haven’t really talked in a while but she’s come home from the next week,”
“Yeah? What’s she like?” Catra asked, liking the way Adora got excited,
“She’s caring and sweet, but also protective because she’s 15 years older then me and apparently she knows better than I do,” Adora groaned at the last part, “one time I tried to sneak out bec-” Catra zoned out to the sound of Adora’s gentle voice, smiling as she rested her head against her girlfriend’s shoulder.
-
Catra walked into Adora’s large house- slowly turning corners as she investigated the house. Adora trailed behind awkwardly, unsure of how to react. As Catra turned a corner without looking, she felt herself faceplant into someone, “Shit I’m sorr-” Catra paused, looking at… the male version of Adora? He was just as tall, but his eyes were an emerald green and his face was softer than Adora’s. A small portion of his hair was messily tied up in a bun but most of it was grazing his shoulders. Catra turned around, looking at Adora who was face palming herself,
“Who the fu-... Adora… is this her ?!” The Adora-Man made some interesting looks to actual Adora,
“Catra, this is Adam. He’s my twin,” Adora’s voice was meek and embarrassed. Adam gracefully shook Catra’s hand, “he knows everything,”
“I have so many questions,” Adam said mischievously, but Catra was reluctant to be social,
Catra raised an eyebrow, whispering to Adora “does he know about…” Catra pretended to shoot spiderwebs,
“Whaa…” Adora tilted her head, and Adam facepalmed,
“I know she’s spider-girl or whatever,” Adam murmured, “but eno-” Adam was cut off by someone calling out from the kitchen,
“Dinner’s ready!” Adora stiffened, trying to prepare herself for what was about to come, “Mara, grab the cutlery!” Adora’s mum smiled, eyes landing on Catra, “you must be Catra! I’m Marlene,” Catra nodded gently, holding Adora’s hand. Whilst Catra usually spoke confidently and wasn’t afraid to act like herself, she wanted to be polite. Tonight was Adora’s night and Catra didn’t want to be a problem,
“Link hands for grace,” Randor said as everyone sat, and suddenly everyone began to hold hands above the table. Catra tilted her head to Adora, but joined hands nonetheless. Randor began a small spiel about something Catra didn’t really listen to. Once it was over, Randor looked over to Catra, “are you not religious?” Randor asked and Catra connected the dots,
“No,” Catra responded quietly, picking up her fork and eating. She could feel Randor's eyes on Catra as though she were an intruder. Adora didn't notice- too deep in her own anxiety to pay attention to anything else. She tried to shovel food in her mouth and Mara laughed. Catra looked up at Mara and suddenly she felt her spider-senses electrocute herself. Something was wrong with Mara and it was overwhelming Catra. Mara smiled at Catra- completely benign,
“So..” Adora started awkwardly, scratching the back of her head, “there’s something I need to tell you all,” Adora cleared her throat and Catra looked over to Adora, holding her hand firmer, “I’ve thought about it for a while and… I’m gay,” Adora said uncertainty, flinching at the thick silence that followed,
“I’m happy for y-” Marlene started to talk, but was cut off,
“How dare you speak blasphemy in this house,” Randor growled and Marlene swatted him, “no daughter of mine is mentally sick!”
“Don’t talk to my sister like that!” Mara hissed, standing in front of Adora protectively, “what the fuck is wrong with you,” Mara never swore in the house. It stunned everyone,
“Being gay is filthy-” Randor was cut off by the sound of the chair screeching as it pushed along the floor, Adora standing,
“I’m going to my room,” Adora murmured, walking away from the table and slamming her door shut. Catra went to follow in a quieter manner, stopping at the door when she overheard something,
“It’s all that cat-girl's fault, turning our perfect Adora into a lesbo ,” Randor hissed quietly- a small argument erupting at the table. Catra wouldn’t have heard if it weren’t for her magicat hearing.
-
Catra hugged Adora from behind, watching her look glumly out the window, “I-It’s not like I chose this,” Adora whispered, her voice slowly breaking into a sob. Catra’s eyebrows pinched with worry, hugging tighter, “I didn’t choose to be gay,”
“I know,” Catra whispered, pressing her lips against Adora’s neck softly, “this isn’t your fault,” Catra trailed kisses on Adora, holding her tight. Adora broke down, heaving breaths escaping her lungs as she turned around to hug Catra back. They walked to the bed, lying down whilst still intertwined. Adora’s head was tucked tightly into the crook of Catra’s neck and they stayed still for hours- Adora drifting into a light, disturbed sleep. Catra could hear faint muffles of Adora’s parents fighting. Their shouting was just loud enough to hear, so Catra did the best to cover Adora’s ears. Catra stayed awake, staring at the wall and trying to protect Adora in any way she could. Adam came into the room, looking at Catra and Adora cuddled on the bed. Not wanting to wake Adora, Adam placed the stuffed dog on the bed,
“Tell Adora it’s her turn with Swifty,” Adam grinned before leaving. Catra knew Adam didn’t really understand the extent of Adora’s pain, but she smiled at the thought of Adam looking out for Adora,
-
“Adora,” Catra whispered quietly. Three days had passed and Adora barely moved- clinging to the stuffed dog like a lifeline. Every time her parents would start fighting Adora felt herself paralysed- stuck in time as she reeled the events at dinner, “you have to eat,” Adora looked more pale than usual- no matter how much food Catra brought for Adora to eat, she’d always insist she wasn’t hungry.
“I’m sick,” Adora started, voice rough and dry, “I-I’m filthy Catra, and it doesn’t go away. It’s never leaving…” Adora sobbed, curling in on herself on the bed, digging her nails into her arms,
“No you aren’t, princess,” Catra whispered, using that nickname seriously for the first time, “you’re beautiful and you’re wonderful… you’re perfect the way you are Adora. Being gay isn’t a bad thing,” Catra brushed Adora’s hair out of her face, “it led me to you…” Catra half-smiled softly. Adora’s eyes glistened with tears and a fraction of new-found peace, “it led me to the best thing that ever happened to me,” Catra felt the strings of fate tie herself and Adora even tighter- unbreakable bonds fusing,
“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me too,” Adora whispered, sniffling as she sat up to hug Catra.
-
Over the past two days, Adora had been doing better. Catra helped her eat, and when Adora went to the bathroom, Catra would clean her room and make her bed. Catra noticed the way Adora looked relieved at the sight of her clean room, and smirked everytime Adora said thanks. This time it was no different as Adora came back from her shower, fresh and clean, “I seriously can’t repay you for this,” Adora said tiredly, albeit happily as she kissed Catra, “I promise I’ll make up for it,”
“It’s ok, princess,” Catra teased. Truth was, seeing Adora getting better was payment enough, “by the way, what’s with that stuffed dog toy?” Adora snorted,
“When I was 5, Adam and I found the dog in Goodwill but we both wanted it so badly,” Adora chuckles at the memory, thinking about how they fought each other in the middle of the store, “so we just decided to share it. We named him Swift Wind and now he’s kinda like a support?” Adora tapped her chin, wondering how to explain it, “like if one of us goes through something extremely shitty, we give each other the stuffie and it’s like saying that we’re here for you,” Catra smirked. She loved hearing about Adora’s childhood, and Adam was sweet to hear about. Catra felt safe at the thought of Adam looking out for Adora- if something happened to Catra and she couldn’t see Adora, Adam would be there for Adora,
The evening dawned upon Adora and Catra when a knock on the door echoed in Adora’s room, “Come in,” Adora said reluctantly and Randor walked in,
“I’d like to speak with my daughter alone,” He said, intending to excuse Catra.
“I’ll be right outside if you need me,” Catra whispered to Adora, squeezing her hand before she left. Adora felt her lungs constrict as her dad began to talk,
“The way I reacted to your news…” Randor paused, taking a deep breath, “-was not the best way to talk about it. I may not agree with what you’ve told me, but I don’t want you to think your own father doesn’t love you and isn’t proud of you. If you want help with this, there are plenty of options. We can fix this and whilst I’m usually adverse to therapy, I researched some good programs tha-”
“I don’t need to be fixed, dad,” Adora said, “being gay… It isn’t a sickness or something I can change. I don’t choose the people I love,” Adora’s voice was meek, “it just happens,”
“Ok,” Randor sighed, somewhat disappointedly, “you’re a grown woman who can make decisions for herself. I trust that you’ve picked what’s right for you,” Randor left Adora alone in a sea of her thoughts, walking out the door. It wasn’t long before Catra came back in,
“I’m not sure how to feel…” Adora murmured, and Catra shrugged, “I just wanna take my mind off all this,”
“Let’s get out of here,” Catra said mischievously, before her watch began to buzz. Luckily, it wasn’t a hologram projection, but Adora stayed quiet as Catra talked to her watch, “What do you want, Scorp?”
“Times up, Wildcat. It’s been a week. You should've cleaned up by now so.. you can come back,” Catra pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, walking over to the window to see her saving grace,
“I think I spotted another person, she’s glitching and teleporting. I remember her from the Super Collider, must’ve been an aftereffect in her dimension,” Catra said, snapping a quick picture for Scorpia “see? Just give me more time,”
“Ok… I’m trusting you, Catra,” Scorpia hung up,
“How’d you come up with such a ludicrous lie?” Adora snorted once she was sure Scorpia hung up,
“It wasn’t a lie, Sparkles is on the road screaming and glitching,” Adora ran over to the window,
“Shit! I miss Glimmer!” Adora smiled, opening her window and getting ready to jump out. Catra and Adora both felt their spider-senses ping- Catra grabbing Adora from the window sill, pulling her back. The door burst open and Mara walked in,
“Adora Greyskull! Were you about to jump out the window?!” Mara gasped with a healthy amount of concern, before seeing Catra’s anxious face, “Catra, right?” Mara asked, Catra nodding suspiciously in response, “what’s wrong?” Mara’s voice sounded as though she was worried about a younger sister. Catra flinched, never really been treated as family since she was little,
“I thought Adora was about to fall out the window,” Catra lied,
“Whaat? Noooo…” Unlike Catra’s lie, Adora’s lie was hard to believe, but she backed it up with good evidence, “I was looking at that Glitter girl! It’s insane… She’s zapping and shit,”
“Oh,” Mara murmured quietly, inspecting the chaos Glimmer was causing outside, “Well I’m going to Hope’s house, but I’m proud of what you said at dinner,” Mara pulled Adora into a hug, handing her a pride flag, “I don’t care what dad says, you should always be proud of yourself,” Adora smiled at Mara, throwing the pride flag onto her bed before pulling Mara into a hug. Shortly after Mara walked out of the room. Catra heard her footsteps speed when she was out of sight,
“Something’s up with your sister,” Catra whispered to Adora, “she sets off my senses,” Catra
“Mara? She’s harmless in that sense. She’s the golden child of our family, never does anything wrong,” Adora chuckled, but Catra’s face stayed concerned, “she sets off my senses sometimes, but it’s just a false alarm because nothing ever happens,” Catra’s eyebrows pinched together with concern, before a larger problem appeared,
“Oh for fucks sake!” Glimmer shouted, loud enough for both Adora and Catra to hear from the open window. Their eyes shot over to Glimmer, getting punched by the Prowler,
“I forgot about the Prowler,” Catra murmured, “Let’s go help her,” Walking away from the window sill, Catra and Adora waited till they were outside to pull on their spidersuits, masking their faces. Catra’s suit still had dried blood over the mask but she tried to ignore it,
“Hey Sparkles,” Catra snickered, landing a punch on the Prowler but barely dodging the claw that they sprung back,
“Catra!” Glimmer groaned, albeit with relief. Glimmer- technically another Spiderwoman but with the name ‘Glitter-gun’- flung herself away, giving her a break to catch her breath,
“Stupid pest,” the Prowler growled, their voice sounding modified and robotic. They took several swings at Catra who was barely able to dodge- even with her agile magicat abilities. Catra finally scratched their waist, watching as the Prowler crippled in pain but just as quickly recovered. With the Prowler occupied by Catra, Adora assumed they wouldn’t notice if she swung at the Prowler. She went invisible, punching them before the Prowler swung around, slamming their fist into Adora’s ribs. Adora felt her rib crunch and she wheezed for air. The Prowler walked towards her, watching Adora attempt to squirm away,
“Hey Idiot!” Catra yelled, dragging her claws down the Prowler’s back. The Prowler shouted out- falling onto their back and crushing Catra underneath. Catra used her position to her advantage, despite her whole torso being crushed, and clawed at the Prowler's face. She felt the Prowler stand up, before slamming their back straight back down onto Catra. The impact left her stunned- her body limp against the cracked road,
“Catra!” Adora heaved, trying to get to Catra. She watched as the Prowler picked up Catra like she weighed nothing and brought her into an alley, “Glimmer!” Adora cried, “follow them, please!”
-
The dark alley echoed Catra’s splutters as she scratched at the hands around her neck. The Prowler’s back faced the entrance of the grimy alley- their large frame blocking Catra from view of the road. Catra stared at the Prowler’s mask- the rip from where Catra had clawed revealing their familiar eye. Catra recognised the deep blue of their eye much similar to Adora’s. She felt the Prowler’s hand around her neck tighten, “Last words?” The Prowler asked cynically, and Catra finally linked who it was,
“Mara,” She whispered hoarsely, pulling off her mask to reveal her sweaty, tired face, “d-don’t do this, please,” Catra begged quietly. The Prowler took off their mask, and underneath was Mara’s face, electrocuted with conflict. Her hand stayed around Catra’s neck and Catra was still defenceless, “think about Adora!” Catra pleaded- exhaustion and weakness overtaking her body. She felt so stupid- Mara was hardly one the strongest of villains Catra had faced and yet she ended up completely limp,
“Y-You’re Adora’s friend…” Mara whispered, voice shaking,
“Adora’s girlfriend,” Catra said quietly, tears falling from her eyes. Mara let go, Catra almost collapsing to the ground as she gasped for a full breath. A loud gunshot echoed through the alley. Mara gasped for air, coughing and clutching her chest as she fell to her knees in pain, “wh- No!” Catra yelled, seeing the blood blossom Mara’s clothes. Catra looked out the alley, seeing clueless Glimmer from a far tucking her gun back into her holster. From what Catra had learnt when they met for the first time, Glimmer’s bullets always hit the target, but the magic that it took was draining and she’d need a minute to rest. Catra was glad- not wanting to see Glimmer handle the burden of hurting Adora’s sister. Glimmer probably aimed for Mara’s heart- Catra could only assume as she held Mara tightly “Adora!” Catra heaved loudly. With her ribs healed by her own magic, Adora came running down the alley at the sound of Catra’s cry,
“Catra!” Adora stopped when she reached Catra,
“Glimmer… She didn’t mean t-” Adora cut Catra of with a gentle hush,
“Why are you cryi-” Adora finally saw Mara’s face in the Prowler suit- contorted with pain. Adora ripped off her mask, tears already coming to her eyes, “Mara… what the fuck,” Adora felt a wave of confliction pass by her
“Adora. I let you down,” She whispered, leaning back but still clutching her chest,
“You really did. Fuck, you killed so many people… and for what?! You just broke my fucking ribs,” Adora heaved- tears streaming down her face; She held her ribs as she shook her head to clear her thoughts “just let me heal you-”
“No,” Mara strained, clutching her chest, “I’m so proud of you Adora, you’ve come so far,” Mara’s eyes went blank and her body went limp. The sounds of sirens wailed in the distance- slowly approaching and Adora pressed her index finger to Mara’s pulse point, feeling it fade away. Adora stopped crying, still against Mara’s body,
“We should go,” Adora whispered soulessly, “my dad is leading this investigation, he’s a police. He would’ve seen-” The sirens boomed down the alley- flashing blue and red lights causing Adora and Catra to pull their masks on instinctively,
“Eternia PD! Hands in the air!” Randor yelled, gun pointed between the two of them. Adora and Catra flung themselves away with webs, Randor sighing disappointedly before seeing Mara, dead on the ground. Adora pulled herself away with her webs faster- trying block out the sounds of her father’s crying,
-
When her parents asked her to speak at Mara’s funeral, Adora said yes. But now standing in the church in front of all her extended family, Adora was regretting it, “Mara,” Adora began, clearing her throat as she wondered what to say, “people often viewed her as perfect. She was the smartest person anyone knew. She graduated valedictorian and went on to achieve her goals. But that wasn’t what made her special,” Adora’s throat was raw and dry, “I think what made her special was the person she was around me and our family. She was so willing to do anything for us and I know she protected me with her life. She wasn’t perfect but she was still my sister,” Adora paused, looking at the people in the crowd as tears threatened to fall from her eyes- yet they never did, “I love you Mara, may you rest peacefully,” Adora felt like she was lying- how could a brutal killer rest peacefully?
Adora had wanted Catra to be at the service. But it was extended family only. She sat alone in the crowd, listening to the condolences of her relatives. Adora felt strangely at peace- even though there were so many questions and hurt, raw feelings, Adora felt them fade into the background, “Hi Adora,” Hope, Mara’s best friend smiled despite her face being red and her eyes puffy from crying. She sat next to Adora,
“Oh, I didn’t think you’d be here, isn’t this service only for relatives?” Adora asked absentmindedly. Hope shrugged,
“Your dad told me to come. He said I was closer than family to Mara,” Hope intertwined her hands tightly, looking up to the sky and clenching her jaw- Adora could tell Hope was trying not to cry,
“How…how well did you know Mara? The side of her that she kept hidden from everyone,” Adora asked. Out of all the people Mara would’ve told about being the Prowler, Adora was certain Hope would be the only one. Hope reacted shamefully, eyes cast downward and shaded with disappointment- Hope knew about the Prowler, “did you ever try to stop her?” Adora whispered, voice filled with desperation,
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hope lied, slightly glaring at Adora, “but I think the speech you gave is something you need to take into account. She wasn’t perfect, but she was your sister ,” Adora clenched her jaw, not wanting to make a scene but frustration bubbling in her, “that side of her, that you think you know, it isn’t what you think,”
“I think I know the Prowler perfectly fine to know that she killed so many innocent people,” Adora gritted quietly, only Hope hearing what she said, “now tell me, did you try to stop her?”
Hope let out a defeated sigh, “I tried to stop her. She told me two months ago in a nervous breakdown. I told her she should escape that life…” Hope’s voice was choked with sadness, “we had this giant fight and hadn’t talked since,” Hope began to cry once she finished recalling the memory. Adora kept her eyes glued to the ground, “Mara… She isn’t the Prowler,” Hope’s voice was quiet- careful to make sure that no one was listening in, “in a literal sense, they were the same. But you knew Mara… She was nothing like that ruthless bastard…” Hope’s voice trailed off into a heaved sob, but she slowly regained herself, “nobody deserves to die. Death is just a necessary evil,” Mara walked away from Adora.
-
“Hey Adora,” Catra whispered as Adora entered her room. She kissed her softly on the neck, “how was the service,” Catra asked tentatively,
“I’m at peace with everything that happened,” Adora said abruptly, “I’m processing everything, obviously, but I’m not distraught or fragile. Is that wrong?” Catra shrugged,
“Everyone deals with things their own way,” Catra smiled, knocking shoulders with Adora as they sat side by side on her bed, “I’m not sure how to explain it, but given what you know, maybe it was… I dunno… easier? Grief is confusing and strange,” Catra inhaled, “Glimmer got sent back to her universe. She said she was sorry, among many other things,” Adora looked down,
“It wasn’t her fault,” Adora only dwelled on it briefly, quickly changing the subject, “wanna go for a walk?” Adora asked, Catra nodding. As Adora put on her jumper, she only just realised something, “you’ve been wearing my clothes since you got here,” She thought out loud. Catra raised her eyebrows, pulling on her own converse sneakers- just about the only thing she wore that wasn’t Adora’s,
“You only just figured that out?” Catra smirked, “I don’t really have many clothes. Some kid stole my duffel bag,” Catra shrugged, “probably needed it more than me but still, it sucks,”
“I can buy you some clothes,” Adora offered, walking out the door with her hand intertwined with Catra’s
“I’d much rather steal yours,” Catra laughed, before her eyes locked with Adora’s. The streets around Catra faded as she felt a surge of raw desire for Adora. Catra struggled to accept desire and knew letting herself want Adora would only end in hurt and heartbreak. But she couldn’t resist it, couldn’t bear living in a world where she blocked out Adora. To block out Adora would be to block out the world, at least in Catra’s eyes. Catra had been alone for most of her life and being lonesome had led her nowhere. With Adora, Catra felt alive. However Catra knew she will never belong in Adora’s universe, and Adora will never belong in Catra’s universe.
Adora too, felt a surge of raw desire for Catra. She knew Catra well, but she wanted to know every inch of Catra. Adora knew Catra was withholding things from her, stuff that Catra feared would scare Adora away. Adora hoped that one day, Catra would learn that Adora cannot be scared away, because Adora wants Catra in every way that Catra wants Adora. It’s a cycle of requited love that Adora knew Catra didn’t believe. Adora hoped one day she would.
“I knew it!” A familiar voice snapped Catra and Adora out of their daze. Scorpia stood before them, not as a hologram but in the flesh, “I asked you point-blank if you were with her and you said no,” Scorpia crossed her arms, a heavy frown settling on her face. Catra was stunned into paralysis, her fears manifesting into reality, “I’m sorry Catra, but you have to go home,”
“No!” Catra shouted, “Don’t you fucking dare!” Catra felt panic overtake her, Adora holding Catra tightly,
“Catra it’s ok,” Adora held Catra’s shoulders and faced her, trying to calm Catra, but she didn’t understand the extent of what was happening,
“You know what Weaver does to me!” Catra hissed at Scorpia, pulling away from Adora pressing her finger against Scorpia’s exoskeleton,
“And if you had listened to the boundaries I clearly outlined, you wouldn’t have to go back!” Scorpia rebutted, forming a portal with her watch. Catra’s claws dug into the sides of her head, before Scorpia paralysed her with her tail. Catra almost fell- if not for Adora catching her, “I have no choice Catra! I have to,”
“Trust my plan,” Adora whispered quickly, before shooting herself away, leaving Catra a sobbing mess on the pavement. Catra’s insides churned, realising Adora left her. She made herself invisible- Scorpia losing track of where Adora went. From afar, Adora flung herself into the portal, Scorpia none the wiser that Adora went through.
-
Etheria-65
It was three painstaking minutes before Catra fell through the portal, landing on her chest with a thud. Catra curled into a ball on the floor of her destroyed room- all of her belongings broken, ripped and smashed on the floor- and let the tears overwhelm her, “Adora left me,” She sobbed, hands going to pull out her own hair,
“Shh, Catra… I’m here,” Adora whispered, becoming visible again and sitting on the floor next to Catra. Catra scrambled to sit up,
“No Adora…” Catra cried, the urgency in her quivering voice scaring Adora. To Catra, Adora being in her dimension was far worse than Adora leaving her, “you can’t be here… You need to go home. Why didn’t you fucking leave me! Fuck, I’ll call Scorpia-” Catra went to turn on her watch, but it was gone, “no… She took it… no, no!” Catra’s breathing was sporadic as she spiralled, distress overtaking her, “you’re gonna see things… Bad fucking things-”
“Catra!” Adora said, “look at…look at my eyes,” Adora nudged Catra’s head and Catra complied- albeit covered in tears and her breathing fast paced. Catra scratched her legs with her nails, “match your breathing with me, ok? Ready?” Adora took deep breaths, using the moment to hold Catra’s hands. The panic slowly unravelled itself from Catra, but it still left fear,
“Please leave,” Catra said in a shaky whimper, “I don’t know when my mum will be back,”
“Your mum? Why is tha-” Adora’s spider senses pulsed before she was cut off by the door swinging open- the door hitting the wall with a thud. A woman stumbled in and Adora caught the thick wafts of alcohol, “holy shit,” Adora whispered as she saw the mess of a woman stopped stumbling, standing up straight as she saw Adora,
“¿Quién es?,” The woman spat, before giving Adora a sickening smile, quickly feigning sobriety. Adora didn’t speak spanish, “I’m Sharon,” She grossly smiled to Adora,
“Solo un amiga, mama ,” Catra enunciated the last part for Adora. Adora’s eyes flashed over to Catra as she strung the pieces of the puzzle together,
“Ven conmigo,” Catra’s mother said, beckoning her forward,
“I-it’d be rude… to leave a guest alone,” Catra responded in English for Adora, fear prickling at her voice as her chest rose and fell sporadically. Adora loosely held Catra’s hand, unsure of what was happening
“¡Ven conmigo!” Catra jumped to her feet almost instantly, her mother grabbing her hand and yanking her out of the room. As soon as the door slammed shut, Adora pressed her ear to the wall in a successful attempt to eavesdrop- but she couldn’t understand anything, “¡Eres un pedazo de mierda! ¿Qué es lo único que te dije? ¡No se permiten invitados!” Sharon yelled angrily. Adora could hear Catra’s choked sobs as a loud slap echoed in the room.
“Lo siento,” Catra sobbed quietly. Adora wasted no time bursting out of the room. In a fit of fear for her girlfriend, she launched her fist into Sharon, watching as the wiry alcoholic fell to the ground. Adora didn’t punch nearly hard enough to kill, but she definitely knocked her out cold for at least a few hours,
“Jesus, are you ok?!” Adora cried. Catra’s eyes went wide, but she shook her head, hands shaking as she tried to cling to Adora. Adora wrapped Catra in a tight hug, never wanting to let go,
“It wasn’t that bad,” Catra murmured. Her cheek was red from the impact. It was true though- the pain hadn’t been that bad for once, but the humiliation was far worse. Catra felt overwhelmed, hands reaching to tug at her hair- an unhealthy habit, “that’s Weaver. She’s the whole reason I don’t want to be here but you can’t be here,”
“I can’t go home,” Adora stated, “and I want to be here. I- can’t stand the thought of leaving you here alone-” Adora glitched- a searing pain like nothing she’d felt ripping through her. When the glitching stopped, Adora was left gasping for air, but she recovered, “I’m ok,” Adora whispered, seeing Catra’s eyes drowned in anxiety. Adora felt a chill down her spine, scouting for a tall building across the drab skyline, “where’s some place only you and I can go?” Catra let out a sigh, pulling on her mask, shaking open the moulding window and sticking to the outside brick wall. Even the fresh air smelt stale. Now at a better vantage point, she shot out at the tallest building she knew had no rooftop access. Adora quickly followed, tugging her mask over her face.
-
“Why didn’t you tell me,” Adora asked, looking down at her feet that dangled off the edge of the building. Catra shrugged, eyes looking anywhere but at Adora,
“It’s not something you can exactly bring up… ‘hey Adora! Sharon, my technically-by-law-mum is an abusive asshole’,” Catra joked, before flinching at her own words. There was no smile in her eyes, “if you want to know why , you’ll have to climb into her head but she never wanted to have me. My actual mum got pregnant and begged Weaver to stay. My mum was in love with her…” Catra stared at her own jagged hands. Adora noted how she used past tense, “my mum was protective of me, didn’t let Weaver near me. Weaver hated kids. My mum was barely putting up with her towards the end,”
“Towards the end?” Adora whispered. Catra’s head angled down, nodding,
“She died a long time ago. I’ve accepted it,”
“Why don’t you tell the police about Weaver?” Adora said, bringing her knees to her chest. Catra pulled out a joint from a hidden pocket in her spidersuit, clasping it in her mouth as Adora brought out a lighter. It was a rare occasion for either of them to smoke, especially Adora. But they both knew that it was times like this that smoking took the edge off the anxiety,
“I did once. Sharon… She was angry and I knew she was gonna do something. I called the police but when they came…” Catra paused, taking a long puff of her joint. She offered it to Adora, “she said I’d gone crazy. There was an investigation that ended up with me in a home for troubled teens. It was only a week, but it was worse than anything Sharon could do to me,” Catra’s eyes pulled shut, trying to clear her head of the memories,
“H-” Adora was cut off by a string of glitching but she quickly returned to normal, holding Catra’s hand in an attempt to soothe the momentary fear, “have you tried to run away?”
“I’ve tried everything, Adora,” The way Catra’s voice wrenched with helplessness left Adora uneasy, “I can’t escape. ‘Can’t even protect myself… ‘Can’t fight back against her.” Catra’s hands balled into fists, “I lied when we saw each other for the first time in a year. That dumb spider-people-group didn’t recruit me. I fucking begged them to. I never wanted to return here. They gave me a strict set of rules so that I didn’t get used to a dimension that wasn’t mine, but I fucked that up and I’m back here,” Catra’s eyes watered, “it fucking sucked, because you were so close but I wasn’t allowed see you… I’ve never been good at following rules,”
Adora took a long drag of the joint, “it isn’t your fault, Catra. You deserve better”
“I don’t deserve shit,” Catra stated plainly, “I was told the conditions and I fucked it up, as per usual,”
“Stop,” Adora whispered, “don’t talk about yourself like that,” Catra just tilted her head away. Adora took an inhale of the joint, turning Catra’s chin toward Adora and pressing her lips with her. She puffed out- watching Catra relax as she inhaled Adora’s smoke, a soft smile playing on the edge of her lips when Adora stopped,
“How many languages do you speak?” Adora asked curiously. Catra allowed the subject to change,
“Just English and Spanish,” Catra responded with a shrug, snatching the joint from Adora whose face was smirking, “how many d-”
“My girlfriend is so damn smart,” Adora smirked proudly, absolutely flabbergasted at Catra. Catra shrugged, a smirk on her face, “Spanish and English?” Catra nodded and took a long puff of her joint,
Adora smiled, feeling the buzz of the joint start to hit her, “So which one is your native tongue?” Adora asked with a smirk,
“Spanish, my mum spoke and Sharon only spoke Spanish around the house. They both knew English but just figured I’d pick up on it later, which for the record , I did but I was the kid in kindergarten who didn’t speak a lick of English,” Catra chuckled at a strangely fond memory of hers, “I usually just speak english now,” Adora smiled. She’d never miss out for an opportunity to learn about Catra. She leaned over to kiss Catra, first holding her face so that their noses were touching,
“Everytime we kiss, it feels like the last time we will. I don’t want to be negative but I’m always scared it will be the last time,” Adora whispered, Catra kissed Adora passionately, wrapping her hands around the back of Adora’s head as Catra kept her as close as she could,
“You’ll never know when it’s the last time,” Catra whispered, before a portal formed behind them, “for fucks sa-” Catra cut herself off when she saw Entrapta emerge,
“CATRA! HI!” Entrapta cackled, bouncing around with her pigtails. The long purple hair-arms extended to shake Catra’s hand, “Wait… Adora?” Entrapta cocked her head,
“Yep! Glad you remember me,” Adora laughed awkwardly. She’d barely known Entrapta from a year ago- she’d fixed the super collider. Entrapta patted Adora on her head with her hair, smiling before talking to Catra,
“Scorpia told me that you had to leave Adora,” Entrapta fiddled with her thumbs and her hair replicated her hands, “I thought you’d be sad and I remember when you were talking about comforting someone when Scorpia was sad an-” Catra zoned out ever so slightly at Entrapta’s ramble “-but I see you guys are together soooo it doesn’t matter!” Entrapta went to turn around but Catra quickly grabbed her wrist,
“Wait… We need two jailbroken portal-watch-thingy,” Catra said, eyes wide as she desperately hoped this would work, “y’know, like that thing on your wrist. Also I can’t help you with your tech shit anymore. Did Scorp also tell you she kicked me out?” Catra asked bitterly,
“Jail is scary,” Adora shiverred, shaking her head. Catra laughed,
“No dork, that's not what it means,” Catra smirked at her girlfriend. It still felt crazy to Catra- that Adora was exclusively hers,
“Jailbreaking something like a device means to remove the restrictions, pretty much,” Entrapta provided helpfully,
“You’re getting better at speaking normally,” Catra teased Entrapta. Adora was confused. They seemed much closer than they were last time and it didn’t make sense to Adora,
“You guys are so much closer than before,” Adora pondered out loud with confusion. Speaking was becoming difficult for Adora- the joint affecting her slightly, and Catra could tell, “can I throw the joint?” Adora asked,
Catra nodded, before explaining a little, “We spent about four months with each other. She’s part of the spider-group thing,” After listening to what Catra said Adora threw the joint into the oblivion
“Caaatra,” Entrapta whined, “I told you it’s the spider-verse,” Adora snorted,
“Spideeey-verse,” She chuckled, pulling Catra into a hug. Catra facepalmed herself,
“Ignore her. What do you think you can do about the portal watch?” Catra asked, before Adora glitched. Catra’s eyes flinched shut when she heard Adora’s cry of pain. Hearing Adora’s shouts were worse than anything Weaver could do to her. Catra held Adora tight. When the glitching stopped, Adora was left gasping for air,
“Woooooooahh,” Entrapta gawked at Adora, before shaking her head- her way of refocusing, “I’m not sure if I should do that Catra… It’s wrong!”
“Please Entrapta,” Catra pleaded, a twisted beg, “I need this…” A frown played on Entrapta’s face as she considered,
“Ok… but you need to give me time!” Entrapta decided, smiling as she gave Catra a thumbs up. Catra let out an exhale of relief,
“Thanks Entrapta,” Catra sighed. Adora’s smile stretched wider than her face could account for. Catra giggled as she looked at Adora, Adora’s happiness contagious to Catra, “Seriously, I can’t thank you enough,” Catra said with a healthy amount of solace,
“You don’t need to thank me!” Entrapta cackled maniacally, “I’m on the side of SCIENCE!” Entrapta cackled again. If anyone else acted the way Entrapta had, Catra would’ve sworn they were insane. But Catra smirked at Entrapta,
“Once we get these watches, we can teleport to each other whenever we want,” Catra whispered before directing her gaze to Entrapta, “one last favour Entrapta… send her back to her dimension,”
“No,” Adora said, “I want to be here I promi-” Adora was cut off by a glitch,
“I’ll be there soon… Entrapta will figure it out and I’ll use the watch to go to your dimension,” Catra planted a kiss on Adora’s forehead,
“Do you know her dimension?” Entrapta asked, calibrating her watch,
“Etheria-1610,” Catra responded, hugging Adora,
“Please Catra, I don’t care about the glitches, I can wait till Entrapta figures out the watch thing-” Adora was panicking, “I don’t want to leave you alone with Sharon- please!”
“I’ve spent my whole life with her, I can deal with her for a little longer,”
“No,” Adora said, holding Catra’s face, “you shouldn’t have to deal with her,”
“I know,” Catra whispered, “but you just have to wait a little longer. Then we can spend our whole lives together, if that’s what you want,” The words spilled out of Catra quicker than she could think. Catra’s voice ended on a high before she paused, both Adora and Catra stilling in each others’ hold. They’d never talked about the future because it was so uncertain. The conversation had been put off for so long, and now it was sprung out of nowhere. Adora felt uneasy,
“The portal is up!” Entrapta announced, Adora and Catra’s heads snapping towards her,
“Go on,” Catra said quietly, Adora complying awkwardly. Catra didn’t dare look at Adora as she jumped through the portal, letting out the breath she didn’t know she was holding when she was gone.
-
Etheria-1610
Had Catra just promised the rest of her life to Adora? Adora felt her stomach do somersaults. The idea of spending the rest of her life with Catra felt like a dream too big to ask for. Adora would give everything to spend her life with Catra and even then, that wouldn’t feel like enough. Adora wasn’t sure if it was possible, but now her dream was so close she could taste it. But was that what Catra had really wanted?
-
Etheria-65
Did Catra really just say that?
Catra promptly threw up as soon as Entrapta disappeared, coughing for breath. She felt herself overwhelmed with anxiety; mistaking Adora’s hesitancy for rejection. Catra held her knees to her chest, looking onto the city horizon. The absence of Adora made everything look bleak.
-
Etheria-1610
“Adora,” Marlene said. There was none of her usual cheer to her voice, “dinner’s served,” Adora nodded, leaving her room. The dinner table was quiet and soulless as Adora arrived, everyone linking hands as Randor said the usual grace. Everyone ate quietly- Mara’s death weighing on the family like a tonne of bricks. Adora’s mind was elsewhere, reeling the promise words Catra spoke,
“Adam,” Adora whispered, nudging his shoulder, “I need to tell you something,” Adam shrugged, leaving the table silently. Any other day and Adora and Adam would’ve been ridiculed, but Marlene and Randor were tired- mourning draining any energy they had left,
“What?” Adam asked, arms crossed. His eyes were red from crying. They sat next to each other on the bed and Adora brought her knees to her chest
“It’s something you might not wanna know,” Adora warned, “it’s about Mara,”
“For christ’s sake, how much worse could this get,” Adam cursed, before noticing a flash of fear on Adora’s face, “just tell me,”
“Mara was the Prowler,” Adora spluttered. Adam’s eyes went wide,
“Fuck,” Adam sighed disappointedly, head falling into his palms, “where’s Catra? ‘Thought you guys would be tied at the waist after something as shitty as this,” He teased lightly, trying to lighten the mood. Adora knew Adam was overthinking what she said in his head and just deflecting with humour, but she allowed the conversation to change,
“Catra is in her dimension,” Adora mumbled, “I went there, Adam… It’s awful,”
“I don't understand any of this,” Adam murmured, “how did she get here in the first place? It wasn’t an accident?”
“No,” Adora shook her head, “there’s this thing that makes portals but she wasn’t allowed to use it,” Adora pointed to her wrist, struggling to find the words,
“What, like a portal gun?” Adam asked,
“A portal-gun-watch,” Adora explained, “and you remember that tech girl I told you about from the super collider incident? She’s trying to make a version of it that we can use,”
“None of this makes sense,” Adam sighed. Adora pinched the bridge of her nose, “I don’t know how to feel about Mara,” He said meekly,
“Neither…” Adora whispered, “before she… died, we had a fight. Not like a yelling one, she was in her suit and I was in mine. She was so strong and heartless she broke half of my ribs,” Adora’s hand ghosted her ribs, “but she was such a good sister,”
“Mara… she was so protective… I don’t get how she was so heartless,”
“You should talk to Hope, she knew,” Adora whispered. Adam nodded and the room went silent
-
Etheria-65
Catra was reluctant to go back home. She considered staying on the streets for a while but when torrential rains hit her city, she felt forced to return to her house. Upon arriving, Catra saw Weaver on the couch cradling a bottle of red wine, "Pequeña mierda," Sharon slurred, unable to stand. Catra ignored her, walking into her room. All of her shattered mementos, cut up shirts and pants and ripped up books served as a cruel reminder of Weaver’s wrath if Catra were to leave anything near her. Still, she had the gut to ask about it,
“Why is everything broken?” Catra asked, picking up a piece of shattered glass,
“Porque te escapaste,” Weaver hissed. Catra rolled her eyes,
“Pedazo de meirda,” Catra cursed quietly.
“¿Quién era tu amiga?” Weaver asked,
“Me niego a responder una pregunta tan estúpida,” Catra laughed sarcastically, “I’ll be damned before I tell you anything about her,”
"No seas malcriada," Sharon scolded her. Catra leaned lazily on the door frame between her room and the lounge room that Sharon was lazed on. She noticed a sly smirk on Weaver’s face, “Encontré esto,” Weaver reached into her pocket, throwing a picture of her and Adora onto the table. Catra ran up to the table, trying to snatch the photo. Weaver caught her hand before she could take it, flipping it over- a love letter scrawled on the back, signed from Adora, “¿Adora, sí?” Sharon said with a cunning tone,
“Fuck off,” Catra hissed, wretching her hand away from Weaver with the photo. Weaver laughed cynically,
“Esa no es manera de hablar con tu madre,”
“You aren’t my mum!” Catra screamed, walking out the front door and slamming it shut.
-
Etheria-1610
A week without Catra had Adora doubtful Entrapta would be able to make the portal watch. She still remained hopeful, knowing a week wasn’t very long.
-
A month without Catra and Adora began to feel her life split at the seams. Adora had no idea whether Catra was ok- whether she was healthy and safe. Adora could barely sleep- the eyebags sagging under her eyes and unpredictable emotions made it clear Adora hadn’t slept a full night in ages. She was pale and hadn’t eaten properly- throwing up the food she ate. Adora felt her sanity slowly slipping from the cracks of her heart. Her whole family looked at her with concern, unsure of how to stop Adora spiralling. Adora excused herself from the table, walking to her room to collapse on the bed, “Hey,” Adam whispered as he came into Adora’s room. Her clothes were scattered on her floor and Adam walked carefully around them, “what’s been happening,”
“I haven’t seen her in a month,” Adora was careful not to say Catra’s name, as though saying that would shatter her heart open, “I don’t know when I’ll see her,”
“This isn’t healthy,” He said, “I know you care about her and you want to protect her. She wants to do the same for you,” Adam sat next to Adora on her bed, “but you can’t be so dependent on her,”
“I know Adam. But… I have no idea whether she’s safe or if she’s ok,” Adora’s voice dropped into a shaky sob, “her home-life… It's awful Adam. She struggles to defend herself,”
“She’s spiderwoman, Adora,” Adam stated, leaning against the wall. His eyebrows were pinched with worry but he focused on helping Adora, “you have to have some faith in her. She might find it hard to defend herself, but I know she’s stronger than her struggles. You have hope in her and that’s all she needs from you right now. You just take care of yourself and stay strong, believing in her gives her the capacity to be stronger. It gives her a reason to be stronger,” Adam was never this serious. He was always a playful goofball in Adora’s eyes. But whenever Adora needs Adam to come through, he always does. The same goes for Adam. If Adam needed Adora, she would be there instantly. They had a bond between twins that was unbreakable, “she’s Catra,” Adam whispered to Adora, bringing her into a hug, “you know what she’s like, and she’s fighting for you in another dimension. I’m certain of it,”
-
Etheria-65
A month had passed since Catra had seen Adora and she stared at the photo of her and Adora- occasionally flipping it over to read the love letter written on the back. It was written in simpler times- when their love transcended the dimensions between them because that's all they could do. A year ago there was no hope to see eachother again, just wistful longing. Now Adora was so close it hurt, just out of reach. Catra held the picture tighter, thinking about how she was certain Adora didn’t want her indefinitely.
Catra had come to peace with that.
Even though Adora not wanting Catra forever brought Catra into a stoney depression, she’d realised quickly that Adora wanted her now and that was more than she could ask for. She would savour the now until tomorrow came, hoping Adora still wanted Catra. A track undoubtedly destined for heartbreak but Catra didn’t care. She would fight each day just to see Adora for a minute.
Adora was worth fighting for, even if it wouldn’t last.
Catra had lost everyone who cared about her and every emotion left inside her, yet she still fought everyday like a battle. She helped keep peace on the streets as spider woman. She stood up to Sharon as a person.
But she loved Adora as herself.
-
It was half another month later when Catra was sitting on the top of the building. She wasn’t sure she’d felt much in ages. Feeling the breeze whisk her legs that dangled off the building was enough to encourage her to stay away from the edge. Catra heard a fizz behind her, followed by the callings of Entrapta, “Caaatra!” Entrapta cackled, emerging from the portal. Catra let herself get wrapped in Entrapta’s awkward hug- stunned into paralysis,
“Please tell me the portal-watch is done,” Catra pleaded, her tone exasperated. Entrapta nodded excitedly.
“There are sooo many features, like texting which creates a tiinnnyyy portal inside that sends your data through and-”
“Can I see Adora?” Catra asked urgently,
“Yes, through the dimension teleportation feature riiight here,” Entrapta pointed at the watch, before holding Catra’s shoulders, “but there’s one more thing, Catra,” Catra looked at Entrapta patiently, “I’ve set it so you can only visit Adora. You can send texts to me or Adora but NOBODY ELSE,” Entrapta was stern, despite the playful tone that stuck to her voice all the time, “it’s important that you stick to the rules or you might alert the spiderverse,”
Catra knew she was terrible at following rules.
But if it meant she could see Adora?
Then it was easy.
-
Etheria-1610
Adora was home alone. Her parents went out for dinner, Adam was finally going on a date and Adora wanted to clean her room. Adora had spent half a month stringing her life back together and decided it was time to clean her room. After an hour of cleaning, Adora was fairly certain it was back to normal. She flopped onto the bed, letting out a sigh of relief. A knock echoed through the house and Adora’s head perked up. She wasn’t expecting guests today. Adora opened the door. Nothing could’ve prepared her to see Catra, standing awkwardly.
Adora rushed to hug Catra, holding her tight as words rushed out of her mouth, “Oh fuck Catra I really thought I’d never see you again, I was so worried,” Catra hugged back, finally letting herself feel,
“I missed you too,” Catra said weakly, feeling her knees shake. But Adora was holding her,
“I wanna grow old with you,” Adora rambled, “I-I wanna adopt a cat for you that I know you want and a nice golden retriever for me… and I wanna live in an apartment that overlooks the whole city and- and…” Adora’s voice trailed off for a moment, before she regained her confidence , “I love you Catra,” Catra was stunned, “you’re my forever,”
“I love you too. You’re my everything,” She whispered, feeling tears surface in her eyes, “I love you so fucking much it hurts,” Catra sobbed- slightly overwhelmed from every emotion flooding in. Adora hushed, hugging Catra tighter, “I thought- I thought you didn’t want me like that,” Catra sobbed, but she was smiling into Adora’s sweater,
“I want you forever Catra,” Adora whispered, “forever never ends,” She smiled through the tears streaming down her face, “I love you so much,”
Catra and Adora had beat the impossible.