Chapter Text
Catra feels shifting from underneath her, and without thinking, she tightens her grip.
Adora laughs softly. “Catra,” she whispers into Catra’s hair, “We should probably get up.”
“If you get out of this bed, I’m breaking up with you,” Catra mumbles, burying her face against Adora’s neck.
“I didn’t know the consequences were so dire,” Adora jokes, her fingers coming up to run through Catra’s mane.
Catra just nods and lets herself sink into the comfort of the soft morning and her warm girlfriend giving her affection. She can’t stop the quiet purrs rumbling in her chest, and Adora’s fingers move from her mane down her back.
“You have duties you can’t ignore, you know,” Adora says, and Catra doesn’t acknowledge it.
She knows she has duties. She’s surprised Hakim hasn’t burst through her door with her daily schedule and interrupted their first few peacefully minutes of the day.
She knows that there are trade agreements to look over, merchants and vendors to visit, and advisors to try and shake off throughout the day for just a few minutes so that she can have time to herself.
Catra wonders if she can abdicate right now, even if she isn’t queen yet.
Maybe she can convince C’yra to choose a less annoying advisor.
Catra finally opens her eyes to see that the late morning sun has cast a warm orange glow throughout the room. Adora’s hair, finally free of its ponytail and cut to shoulder length, catches it just so, and blonde hair shines even brighter than She-Ra’s ever could.
She pushes herself up to her elbows and sighs. “How did I become the one with all the responsibilities?”
Adora smiles, “I guess She-Ra isn’t important now that there’s no war to fight.”
Catra scoffs, “It’s been, what? Four years since the Second Battle of Bright Moon, and people still invite you to celebrations.”
“Someone’s just jealous that the last one made a She-Ra cake.”
“Other people fought in that battle.”
“Just admit it, Catra.”
“I’m not jealous of your dumb cake.”
Adora’s smile becomes a mischievous smirk, and Catra reacts before Adora gets a chance to gain the upper hand.
It helps that Catra’s already on top. It means that Adora has to put more strength into her efforts to flip them, and while Catra knows she has the strength to do it, she acts fast enough to stop it.
Adora’s pinned, and it’s Catra turn to smirk. “You thought you were going to be able to win that?” She leans in close, so close that their lips brush where she breathes out, “Pathetic.”
“Have you gotten faster?” Adora asks breathily, and Catra knows it’s not from her small, unsuccessful attempt to flip them, “I think you’ve gotten faster.”
“Not since yesterday.” Catra teases.
Adora tries pushing up to kiss her, but just as quick as she ruined Adora’s attempt to flip them, Catra pushes up and away.
“Well, you did say I have things to attend to,” Catra says idly, sitting up and disentangling herself from Adora, “Being the Magicat princess is truly such an important job, and what kind of monarch would I be if I just lazed around with the great She-Ra in bed all day?”
She goes to get out of bed, and Adora does exactly what she wants.
Adora grabs Catra’s wrist and pulls her just enough to bring her back down to the bed before finally getting exactly what she wanted just a few minutes ago.
Catra grins, “Now who doesn’t want to get out of bed?”
Adora brushes a few stray strands of hair from Catra’s face. “You play dirty.”
“I’ve never liked playing by the rules,” Catra jokes, her hands coming up to rest against Adora’s hips.
“Still so evil,” Adora says through a smile, her eyes sparkling.
“I’m reformed.” Catra pulls Adora down to her, all of the banter getting in the way of what she would rather do.
Adora resists, “Someone’s really anxious after all that teasing before.”
“Why do I date you?”
“You ask that a lot for someone’s who’s been dating me for five years.”
“You’re infuriating,” Catra starts listing, “Way too buff,” Adora hums as if in understanding of Catra’s false negatives, “You steal the blankets,” Adora barks out a laugh, “And annoyingly nice and thoughtful.”
Catra stays away from the words she knows grate at Adora, words tainted by a past that left a mark on them like scars.
Adora’s smile is cocky, and it reminds Catra of those moments in the Horde when Adora knew she was winning, and it doesn’t hurt like it used to. Catra doesn’t think about the sting of perpetually being second best or all the cutting words she received for losing.
All she remembers are the times when it was just them, and Adora gaining the upper hand was just another fun moment of their spar away from Shadow Weaver’s judgement or the bullies within the squad.
“Would you like to keep listing all of my good qualities?” Adora asks, finally leaning in like Catra wanted a few minutes before.
“Oh right,” Catra rolls her eyes, “I forgot to say an ego the size of Etheria.”
“That’s usually the first thing you list.”
Catra’s grip on Adora’s hips tighten as Adora starts peppering small kisses along Catra’s jaw.
“I wanted it last for the emphasis,” Catra breathes out.
She feels Adora’s smile against her throat, and just as her hands slip up into Adora’s hair, there’s a knock at her bedroom door.
Catra groans, and Adora sinks into her with a sigh.
“I swear, I’m going to murder him,” Catra says softly so that Hakim can’t hear her from the other side of the door, “I’m going to bury him so deeply in the Kingdom of Snows that no one will find him for a thousand years.”
There’s another knock as Adora chuckles and mockingly says, “Reformed,” right by Catra’s ear.
“What?” Catra says, loud enough that she knows Hakim can hear her on the other side.
“Are you awake, Princess?” Hakim asks, his voice muddled through the door, and Catra rolls her eyes.
“Obviously,” Adora and Catra say at the same time, but only Catra’s voice is loud enough to be heard.
“You’re needed in the Throne Room at the next possible convenience,” Hakim informs her.
“By whose insistence?”
“The queen.”
“They’re going to find C’yra’s body right beside his,” Catra whispers just to Adora, and as Adora tries muffling her laughter, she says, “Tell Queen C’yra that I will be there in 30 minutes.”
“Yes, Princess.”
Catra doesn’t hear footsteps.
“Go, Hakim.”
“Yes, Princess.”
She finally hears footsteps retreat down the hall, and Adora picks herself up off of Catra. “C’yra has a funny way of picking on you.”
Catra spreads out on the bed as Adora gets up and starts looking for something to wear. “She knows Hakim is driving me nuts,” Catra complains, “Although using Hakim to annoy me is borderline diabolical.”
“Oh yeah,” Adora says sarcastically, “Someone call the Princess Alliance. We have a new evil force to defeat.”
“You’re not taking my suffering seriously.”
“You’re right,” Adora comes and sits on the edge of the bed, “Would you like me to call a meeting to discuss this blatant breaking of the Treaties?”
Catra’s tail comes up to wrap around Adora’s wrist absentmindedly, and she plays with Adora’s fingers just for some contact. “Just because you said that, now I’m going to call a meeting, and everyone is going to show up and I’m going to blame it on you.”
Adora leans forward and kisses Catra lightly. “You don’t have enough time in your busy schedule to make it over to Bright Moon.”
She goes to move away, but Catra doesn’t let her. That small kiss isn’t how she wanted to start her morning. She wants more, and it’s obvious Adora is on the same page, because she doesn’t resist. She sinks into Catra, and they kiss long and slow.
It’s Adora who pulls away first, though. “Responsibilities, Catra.”
“I wasn’t even this busy as Hordak’s second-in-command,” she complains, pulling herself out of bed to finally get ready.
Adora gets dressed before Catra, and she sits on the bed and watches Catra try and decide how formal she has to dress for the day.
“Hey, Catra?” Adora asks, breaking the quiet.
“Yeah?”
“Do the Magicats have a binding ceremony?”
“Of course, we do,” Catra answers idly, finally deciding on a cloak and wrapping it around her shoulders, “C’yra made me learn about it a few years ago. According to her, I could be asked to perform the ceremony.”
“Have you ever thought about it?” Adora sounds a little hesitant, “For us, I mean.”
Catra turns, and Adora’s still sitting on the bed, her smile soft and sweet and shy.
“Have you?”
“Not extensively,” Adora answers honestly, “After all of those years in the Horde, it didn’t even cross my mind that we would need to bind ourselves to each other so formally.”
Catra lets out a relieved laugh, “I thought we were just fine as we are now.”
“Me too!” Adora says, “We live together, and you’re it for me. I just didn’t realize everyone outside of the Horde expects something so formal around this point in our relationship.”
“What brought this up?” Catra asks out of curiosity.
“Glimmer,” Adora answers with a fond roll of her eyes, “She brought up marriage and then asked me whether the Magicat marriage ceremony was different than Bright Moon’s.”
“It is,” Catra says, then adds, “You can also inform her that the state of our relationship is none of her business.”
“With that level of seriousness?”
“Add a glare for good measure.”
“Yes, Princess Catra.”
Catra glares at Adora before looking past her to the clock on her bedside table.
“Shit,” Catra rushes over and gives Adora one last kiss, “If I don’t get to the Throne Room in the next five minutes, Hakim might just break down our door.”
“Better run then.”
Catra playfully hits Adora’s shoulder before turning to leave, and just as she gets to the door, she turns. “Adora?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re it for me too.”
Adora smiles, “I know.”
“See you tonight?”
“See you tonight.”
~*~
Frosta and her advisor finally leave after a trade meeting that went over time by twenty minutes, and Catra’s head hits the table with a loud groan.
“Okay,” C’yra says, closing a folder of revised trade agreements, “You’ve been distracted all day. What is going on?”
“I’m not distracted,” Catra mumbles against the table.
C’yra laughs. “Come on, kitten,” she says, “I watched you and Cassandra spar. You almost let her pin you.”
Catra turns her face out. “I can’t be a perfect warrior every day.”
“Frosta asked you a direct question and she had to repeat herself twice.”
“I rarely listen to what Frosta says.”
“Catra—”
“I’m not distracted! It’s just,” Catra closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, “Adora brought up the binding ceremony this morning.”
“Did she propose?”
“No,” Catra pulls her head off the table, “She just asked me if I’ve ever thought about it.”
C’yra leans back in her chair and asks, “Have you?”
“We both haven’t.”
Catra sees the look of confusion on C’yra’s face.
“The Horde didn’t have any sort of binding or marriage ceremony,” Catra explains, “While relationships weren’t forbidden, it just wasn’t seen as a necessity. Binding didn’t have any benefits for either party, so it wasn’t done.”
“It’s been years since the two of you were there.”
“It’s not like the other stuff,” Catra says, avoiding any discussion of the other habits and thoughts that stuck from the Horde, “It’s just hard for us to see why a formal ceremony is necessary when we’re happy as we are, but apparently this is a normal next step for people who have been dating a significant amount of time and didn’t grow up in the Horde.”
C’yra’s confusion softens into a smile. “Felix and I waited to do our binding ceremony.”
“Why?”
“For one, it’s a bit different marrying into the royal family,” C’yra says, “I didn’t want Felix’s life to change because he gained a role he wasn’t expecting in his life.”
“Right, yes, his role as king must be so difficult for him,” Catra replies in a dry tone, “How long has he spent in the library so far today?”
C’yra laughs, “I believe he’s on hour four.”
“So terrible.”
“It wasn’t Felix who was worried,” C’yra clarifies, “He was more than ready to assume his role. I was the one who didn’t want to thrust being king on him someday.”
“How come?”
“I didn’t want him to resent me,” C’yra looks down at the folder and picks at one of the edges, “I was worried that one day he would realize this wasn’t the role he wanted and I would be to blame.”
“Which never happened.”
C’yra nods. “My point was that you two don’t have to do it just because it’s expected of you.”
“What about my role as princess?” Catra asks, “Don’t I have to have a formal partner eventually?”
“No, kitten,” C’yra leans forward runs a few fingers through Catra’s hair, avoiding the tufts right in front of her ear, “As I understand it, marriage is a bigger deal in Bright Moon than binding is here. You and Adora could go your entire lives without ever being bound and nobody in Half Moon would question it.”
“What about the fact that Adora isn’t a Magicat?”
“Hakim brought that up?”
Catra nods, “He mentioned the law after seeing Adora and me together.”
“You’ve been sitting on that for a while then.”
Catra shrugs.
“You want to know the best part about being queen?”
Catra smirks, “The power you lord over everyone?”
C’yra shoves her gently. “It’s the ability to overturn laws written generations ago by rulers who never stepped foot outside of Half Moon.”
“It can’t be that easy,” Catra says in disbelief.
“I’ll put it before the council tomorrow,” C’yra decides, “I’m more than confident we’ll get a majority vote.”
“I’m so happy your hunger for power works in my favor this time.”
“Keep talking like that and I’ll send Hakim to grab you even earlier tomorrow.”
Catra glares at C’yra, but it does nothing to wipe away C’yra’s smirk. “I’ll get you back for that.”
“I’d love to see you try.”
“I’ll get Dad to help,” Catra says, “And Pisica and Felicity, and I’ll strike when you least expect it.”
“Okay, Catra,” C’yra starts nudging Catra away, “Get out of here before Hakim can rope you into something else.”
“Watch your back.”
“Tell Adora hi for me.”
~*~
Ramiro smiles at Catra as she enters the library, and she gives him a quick wave before making her way to the back corner where she knows she’ll find Felix hunched over a pile of books.
Sure enough, she finds him in his usual spot idly eating from a bowl of fruit and furiously marking down notes. He barely even acknowledges Catra as she sits besides pushing a book her way.
Felix makes one last note before closing his notebook around his pencil. “Using the library to escape your royal responsibilities?”
“I come bearing gifts, actually,” Catra sets the heavy book down on the table, “Adora found it. Apparently, it was found in the Bright Moon libraries, and everyone agreed it should be brought back here.”
“Is that—?” Felix picks up the book like it fragile and inspects the spine, “It can’t be.”
Catra smiles, “It’s Vivek’s histories of Bright Moon and Half Moon as sister cities.”
“This has been lost for a very long time.”
“All it took was Adora getting bored between meetings.”
Felix sets the book down and pulls Catra into a hug. It still feels slightly awkward, but it’s something she’s adjusted to over the years.
Felix likes hugging, just like Scorpia. The least Catra can do is try to return the sentiment.
“Why isn’t Adora here so I can hug her?”
“She went back to Bright Moon after lunch.”
“I’ll see her at dinner though, correct?”
Catra laughs, “I’ll be sure to warn her.”
“What’s her favorite dessert?” Felix asks excitedly, “I’ll make it for her.”
“It’s just a book.”
Felix grabs Catra’s shoulders, and she freezes for just a moment before relaxing.
“This book has been lost for decades, Catra,” Felix says, her eyes and tone almost comically grave, “Adora is a hero.”
Catra snorts, “That’s overdramatic.”
“Think of what we could learn!” Felix grabs the book again and opens it to the front page, “Think about how the relationship between Half Moon and Bright Moon could benefit from this.”
“The relationship between the two cities has been stable and amicable since the Magicats returned.”
“That’s not the point.”
Catra laughs, “She really likes fruity stuff. The last time Bright Moon made fruit tarts for some celebration, I didn’t hear the end of it.”
“Fruity,” Felix says while thumbing through the pages carefully, “I can work with that.”
Catra settles into the quiet sounds of the library, and Felix points to the book he shoved over to her when she arrived. “If you would like to avoid advisors and councils, I think that book would really interest you.”
“What’s it about?” Catra asks, flipping the cover over and reading the author’s acknowledgements.
Catra watches Felix lips quirk up in a barely contained smile. “Binding ceremonies.”
Catra slams the cover shut, “I’ll be adding patricide to my intended matricide.”
Felix starts laughing despite Catra’s empty threat before handing Catra something different.
When Catra refuses to take it, he says, “This is a book on the first generation of Magicats. You were asking about them the other day.”
Catra takes the book and opens to the first chapter discussing the Magicats’ nomadic roots, “You think you’re very funny.”
“I just think C’yra gets all of the fun in picking on you.”
“So you took your chance.”
“I thought it was hilarious.”
Catra rolls her eyes, “I’m sure you did.”
They settle into reading, and Catra is just to the part that describes why a nomadic people finally decided to put down roots when Felix says her name to get her attention.
“Yeah?”
“I just wanted to let you know that I share C’yra’s view,” he says with a soft smile Catra’s come to expect from him in these quieter moments, “Just because you’re the princess doesn’t mean you have to bind yourself to someone, and she doesn’t have to be a Magicat.”
“I figured you would tell me if you had a problem with Adora sometime in the last five years.”
“You know how much we adore her.”
Catra smiles, “I do.”
“I just didn’t want that to go unspoken,” Felix says, “I didn’t want you to think I didn’t support you or your relationship because of outdated expectations or laws.”
“I would never think that of you, Dad.”
And Felix can’t help but smile again, and Catra smiles too.
“Well, good,” Felix says, opening Vivek’s histories again.
Catra breathes out a soft laugh before returning to her own reading.
~*~
Catra wakes up to bright light filtering in through the windows and open balcony doors, and she immediately closes them tight. She cuddles into whatever she’s holding onto, and she realizes it’s a pillow and not her girlfriend.
Adora had to get up early for a meeting of the Queen’s Guard. Catra vaguely remembers Adora giving her a light kiss before leaving the room.
The door opens, and Catra hears Adora’s soft laughter form the doorway.
“You look displeased,” Adora says with a light laugh.
“I hate sleeping here.”
Catra feels the bed dip just so, and then Adora is running her hands over Catra’s back, her nails gently scratching up and down Catra’s spine.
Catra’s purrs are almost instant at the affection.
“You did live here for months when you joined the Alliance.”
Catra opens her eyes just a bit and squints up at Adora. “I didn’t know then that I had a wonderfully dark room waiting for me in Half Moon.”
Adora rolls her eyes, “I still don’t understand how you sleep so well on this bed.”
“I am no longer in the Horde, Adora. I’m not going to sleep on a cot.”
“It’s too—” Catra watches Adora push her hand into the bed, “—squishy.”
“So, ask her Royal Pain in My Ass for something in between.”
“We only sleep here a few nights a month,” Adora says, ignoring Catra’s nickname for Glimmer, “It doesn’t seem worth it.”
“Hey,” Catra grabs Adora’s hand and interlocks their fingers, “If you’re not comfortable, we can go back to the cot.”
Adora brings Catra’s hand up to her lips and kisses along Catra’s knuckles. “I’m more comfortable in this bed than you are on the cot.”
“Are you sure?” Catra pulls Adora’s hand gently to try and get her to join Catra on the bed. The warm morning with the sun seeping into her fur and with significantly less to do than at home has Catra wanting to spend all day together in bed.
“I’m sure,” Adora lets Catra pull her down, kicking her boots off before hugging Catra to her chest, “As long as I have you, I sleep just fine.”
Catra slips her hands under Adora’s shirt and presses a soft kiss to Adora’s throat.
“How was your meeting?”
“Boring,” Adora presses a kiss to Catra’s forehead and starts running her fingers through Catra’s hair, “It seems like every meeting is boring nowadays.”
“So, you, Bow, and Glimmer spent the entire time passing notes and not listening.”
Adora laughs softly, “Angella caught us too.”
“Seriously?” Catra moves away enough to look up at Adora, and Adora is smiling.
“We got lectured,” she says with a smile, “We haven’t gotten lectured since the war.”
Catra smirks, “Who started passing the notes?”
She expects it to be Glimmer, but Adora’s cheeks go slightly rosy, and Catra laughs.
“It started with my doodles!” Adora tries to defend herself, “And then Bow was adding things on, and Glimmer noticed and started to do the same, and before we knew it, we had notes and doodles and were being reprimanded in front of every important official in Bright Moon.”
“How embarrassing,” Catra says through squeaky giggles, “I wish I could’ve been there.”
“If you really want, I’ll do the same thing at our Princess Alliance meeting tomorrow morning.”
“It’s not funny if it’s planned.”
Adora glares at her, “That does not mean you’re going to do anything to get us in trouble.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Catra lies, already thinking through a few ways to distract Adora, “I’m completely innocent.”
“I’m not getting lectured two days in a row.”
Catra snorts, “We’re adults, Adora.”
“You’re not going to do anything, Catra.”
“I’m not going to do anything,” Catra fights a smile, “I definitely will not do anything at all that will result in a lecture from Angella.”
Adora sighs and resigns herself to whatever she knows Catra is planning. She loves the little mischievous sparkle she can see in Catra’s mismatched eyes, though. It reminds her of playing pranks in the Fright Zone, Catra coming up with all of their plans and Adora helping her to enact them to torture their squad.
She remembers one prank that left Lonnie covered in green goo, and Catra laughed so hard her laughter turned squeaky in the way Adora loves.
“I love you, Catra,” Adora runs her thumb over Catra’s bottom lip.
It’s not something they say a lot. It’s something they didn’t necessarily know the right words for for a very long time, and they prefer showing rather than telling, but Adora can’t help herself.
Catra looks so cute and warm snuggled against her, and she’s so happy in this moment that the words spill out.
“I love you too, Adora,” Catra responds easily before leaning forward for a soft kiss. Her nails run gently over Adora’s back, and Adora’s fingers card through Catra long, tangled hair, and they take their time. The kiss is slow and sweet, because there’s no reason to rush.
For once, there’s no impending doom. There’s no great armies to defeat or an entire planet to heal and rebuild.
There’s just the two of them, soft and warm against each other, and Catra thinks about missing the Princess Alliance meeting, thinks about holing up in here with Adora for days just kissing and being together.
Adora kisses her one last time before pulling back, a smirk on her lips.
“Glimmer’s going to bring up marriage when she sees you,” Adora says, biting her lip to stop a grin, “Apparently she feels like she needs to get this from all angles.”
Catra groans, her forehead thumping onto Adora’s sternum. “Why is she still on that?”
“It’s Bright Moon tradition,” Adora says, rolling into her back.
Adora smiles as Catra moves so that she’s lying completely on top of Adora, nuzzling into Adora’s neck and running her nails up and down Adora’s sides.
“To pester your friends?” Catra asks, rolling her eyes.
“To get married,” Adora answers, even though she knows Catra’s question was rhetorical.
“Neither of us are from Bright Moon,” Catra complains, her voice muffled against Adora's throat “Shouldn’t that stop her from bringing it up?”
“Well, technically, I kind of am,” Adora’s hand slips under Catra’s shirt to rest at the small of her back, “It’s not like She-Ra has her own kingdom.”
“You’re not even from this planet,” Catra huffs out, “I think that means that we can do whatever we want, and Princess Sparkles is going to have to deal with it whether she likes it or not.”
“Well, maybe Glimmer will listen to you.”
Catra hums a response, far more comfortable than she was when she woke up, but even as she starts to drift off, a small insecurity nags at her, poking and prodding, and there’s this small whisper, a quiet voice that says, Adora deserves better than someone that won’t even bind themselves to her, that cuts through the warmth and comfort.
She knows that they talked about it, but maybe one quick conversation while they got ready in the morning wasn’t enough. Maybe Adora’s opinion has changed since then. Maybe—
“Catra?”
Adora’s voice cuts off the intrusive thoughts, one hand coming up to bury itself in Catra’s long mane.
Some of the tension leaves her body, and it takes Catra a moment to realize her hands are fisted into Adora’s shirt, her nails close to ripping through the fabric.
“Hey,” Adora’s voice is so soft and gentle, “What is it?”
“Are you sure?” Catra asks without moving her face from the crook of Adora’s neck.
“Am I sure about what?”
Catra sighs. “That you don’t want to get married.”
Adora’s hand moves from her hair to her cheek, and Catra doesn’t resist when Adora gently moves her so that Catra is looking down into bright blue eyes and hair illuminated by the late morning glow.
Adora’s thumb runs across Catra’s cheek, and Catra leans into the contact. “I know it was a quick conversation, but I meant what I said,” Adora whispers, her lips pulling up into a small smile, “I’m happy where we are now. I love you. I don’t need anything formal like a Bright Moon wedding or a Magicats bonding ceremony to make that official.”
“I just thought—” Catra trails off, looking away, because now that Adora has assured her, she feels like she overreacted.
“Are you happy, Catra?”
Catra’s eyes widen, her ears twitching just so, and she looks down at Adora again.
Her Adora, who never gave up on her, even when she gave up on herself.
Her Adora, that fought for her and came to Beast Island without a second thought.
Just, her Adora.
“Of course I’m happy,” Catra says honestly, bringing her forehead down to Adora’s.
“And I am too,” Adora says softly, “If we’re already happy, why don’t we stay where we are?”
Catra smiles, “I’d like that.”
“It’s settled then,” Catra opens her eyes to see Adora smiling, open and bright and so her, “And I can tell Glimmer to back off on the marriage talk.”
“I would also really like that,” Catra says, sinking back down into Adora and getting comfortable.
“I’ll ask for Bow’s help.” Adora’s hands slip back under Catra’s shirt and run over her back.
Catra hums and smiles against Adora’s throat.
Adora talks about this and that, small stories of her and Bow and Glimmer, little moments that Catra misses while Catra’s busy in Half Moon, and she listens to every word, giving a small acknowledgement every now and then to let Adora know that she’s still awake, still listening, still interested.
At one point, Catra drifts off without realizing it, and she wakes up to Adora pressing kisses against her cheeks and nose and lips, softly waking her up so that they can get something to eat, and even when Catra bats her away with a groan, she opens her eyes to Adora smiling at her like she’s the only thing in the universe.
It’s a smile Catra loves and has loved since they were kids whispering in the middle of the night in the barracks, pausing at every small noise and rushing under the covers when the patrols came through to make sure everyone was asleep.
It’s the smile Catra loved even when she hated Adora, fighting against her on opposite sides of a war they ended together.
It’s the smile Catra sees every morning when she wakes up to soft kisses and Adora’s arm pulling Catra even closer to her.
Catra smiles back, warm and happy and content, because she wasn’t lying when Adora asked her if she’s happy.
Every morning she wakes up to Adora, every moment they share together, every spar with quips thrown and every meal they share with Catra’s parents or lunches spent with the Best Friend Squad makes her happier than she ever believed she could be.
Catra wishes she could go back in time and talk to that scared little girl bundled up in Horde-issued blankets crying on the bottom bunk. She wishes she could give her one more promise, a promise that she will make it through. She’ll grow to be stronger and kinder, and she’ll finally learn that love is not always conditional. She’ll find people who love and understand her, and even though she pushes them away at first, they’ll fight for her because they’ll think she’s worth fighting for.
And she wishes that she could tell that girl who loved Adora with all of the feelings she never understood that one day, Adora would love her back. They’ll kiss in the woods of Beast Island and it’ll be like puzzles pieces finally fitting together to make something beautiful and unique and theirs.
You'll be happy, Catra wishes she could tell her younger self, You'll finally be happy.