Chapter Text
The car ride to Adora's apartment is quiet, but comfortable. It was pure instinct that made Catra reach over the center console and take Adora's hand in hers, but now it's making her heart pound out of her chest as they approach her street.
Catra has never been the person who is good at consoling, at taking care of people. She's far too brash and careless with her words to be much of a listener, but mostly she just doesn't know how to figure out what people need. She can barely figure out what she needs most of the time, how the hell is she supposed to figure out what other people need?
But with Adora, it's different.
With Adora, it's second nature. She feels like she can read Adora better than she can anyone else, even after all these years apart. There was no hesitation pulling the other woman into arms, burying her nose in her hair and rubbing her back as she cried.
Pulling up into her drive, Adora is a little more alert now. She's still sniffling, but she can tell it's mostly the post-crying snot and not active crying sniffles. She's still far more delicate than Catra is used to her being, and she allows herself to place a gentle hand at the small of Adora's back to guide her into the house.
"Need to take a shower real quick," Adora mumbles as they get into her bedroom, immediately grabbing a pill bottle from her dresser and tossing one back down her throat. She gratefully takes the water bottle Catra offers and gulps down half of it in one go. "Do you um... Would you mind staying the night with me?"
Catra smiles. "Sure, I can do that."
"I'm sorry, I know it's a lot, especially when you just played a big show and I'm sure you wanted to curl up in your own bed. And oh god, we didn't even get to talk about your show and how much I liked it—"
"Adora." Catra has to physically put her hand over her friend's mouth to get her to stop talking. "It's okay, this is what I'm here for. Go take a shower, do you want me to fix you up a snack while you're in there?"
Adora gives her this pathetic nod with the biggest puppy dog eyes that melt her heart a little bit.
"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
Glimmer and Bow pull in while she's in the kitchen searching for something to feed Adora, admittedly frowning at the barren state of their pantry. Who the fuck only eats protein bars and saltines for snacks? Luckily, the two of them set down a box of donut holes on the kitchen counter.
"This will help her with the crash tomorrow," Glimmer explains, nudging it towards Catra. "She won't want to do much but lay in bed all day, just so you're prepared and you don't freak out."
"Okay, thanks," Catra says. "She's taking a shower right now."
"She'll be in there a while, want to go smoke a bowl and you can tell me what happened?"
Catra isn't super prepared to have a conversation like this with someone she has barely talked to, but free weed is free weed and she won't say no to a bit of high after a night like this. She shivers and settles further into Adora's flannel as they step outside, the concrete like ice against her bare feet.
"So, I'm getting the feeling that this happens often enough for you guys to have a system," Catra says, settling into a cheap plastic lawn chair and pulling her knees into her chest. She lays her head on her cheek as she watches Glimmer pack a remarkably large bowl, before offering her the first hit.
"She used to get them bad in high school, after she moved in with us," Glimmer says. "Had them every day. Got into a lot of fights at school."
Catra manages to take a decent hit without coughing, feeling the rush of dopamine hit her like a freight train, especially after the night she's had. The relaxation floods through her instantly as she hands it back to Glimmer.
"I can't imagine Adora getting in fights," she laughs.
"She was almost expelled for fighting, actually," Glimmer remarks. "She was also a straight-A student, on a million different sports teams... But if she thought someone was looking at her wrong she would either end up in a fight or...like that, depending on the day."
Catra tries to imagine that, imagine Adora holed up in a bathroom stall somewhere hyperventilating alone. It hurts her heart, to be honest, imagining that Adora was going through all that by herself so often.
And well, maybe Catra used to have days like that, too. It's hard to remember high school, or really any of her childhood. Most of it was spent in a numb haze, if only to protect herself from Weaver. But she spent a lot of days crying when she finally got out, when she was on her own, when she finally had to face the reality of what had happened to her. Still does, some days.
"There were some assholes that drove up trying to pick us up," Catra says, staring off into the darkness. "We told them to fuck off, and they did. Then she started hyperventilating and shaking. Scared the fuck out of me."
"It's hard to see her break down," Glimmer agrees. "She keeps up a good front, but it's all because she thinks she's in control all the time. The moment that control breaks, so does she."
Catra raises an eyebrow. "Didn't know you were her therapist."
Glimmer rolls her eyes. "I'm not, she's said this all before. Just so that we know how to take care of her."
They each take another hit, blowing out thick clouds of white smoke into the cool air. It's weird to sit in silence with another stranger like this, especially Adora's adopted sister, but she feels oddly comfortable.
"She scared me," Catra admits in a small voice, running a hand through her hair. Fuck, she still has hairspray in it, hasn't even taken off her stage make up yet, either. "I've seen her cry, sure, but... Not like that."
"It's hard because she can't tell you what she needs. You have to guess and hope you're doing the right thing." Glimmer shoots a supportive smile at her though. "It sounded like you did pretty good, though."
Catra stays silent for a moment, not quite sure how to respond. Glimmer doesn't seem to mind the lull in conversation, staring out into the darkness of their back patio with her in a comfortable blanket of quiet. They hear a whine resound through the house, and Glimmer sighs and stands up.
"She just turned the shower off, we should probably head inside."
"Well, thanks for the smoke," Catra says, following her happily inside the much warmer apartment.
"Look, I can tell you're going to be around a lot, so I'm going to be straight up with you," Glimmer starts, which instantly prickles Catra. "You matter to Adora, so you matter to us. That being said, if you hurt her, I'll fucking come for you."
Catra's eyes narrow, but she tries to brush off her prickliness with her biting wit. "Why are you giving me the shovel talk? It's not like we're dating or anything."
Glimmer just gives her a deadpan look and a groan as she runs her hand through her hair. "God, you're as bad as she is."
Catra opens her mouth to reply, but she hears Adora's quiet voice call out for her behind her bedroom door. She quickly grabs the box of doughnut holes off the kitchen counter and slips into the bedroom, mouthing at Glimmer on her way in, "This conversation isn't over!"
Well, she'll be thinking about what the fuck that means all night.
"The Dynamic Duo brought doughnuts," Catra says, turning around and trying her best not to hover. "Said it would help."
"Very helpful," Adora replies, mouth full. She's already shoving the balls of sugary fried dough in her mouth, moaning as the sugar of the glaze hits her tongue, falling back on her bed. "I have a real bad sweet tooth, this is the only time I let myself indulge in it."
Catra laughs. "Really? I wouldn't have taken you for a sweets person. God knows we didn't get any with Weaver."
"When I got adopted, they realized I had never had any sweets. Micah made it his goal to have me try every sweet ever made."
"Is that Glimmer's dad?"
"Oh—yeah, sorry."
"They let you call them by their first names? That's kind of cool."
Catra settles next to Adora on the bed, occasionally sneaking her hand to grab a doughnut hole. She can see how much Adora has calmed down, just by the way her body relaxes into the mattress below her, but there's also some of that shine back in her eyes. The sugar definitely seems to be helping, too.
"It was weird to call them mom and dad. They knew that, I was too old for it. It was never an issue."
"They seem like pretty cool people," Catra comments, trying to push away the note of bitterness that throbs in her chest. "Like they were good to you."
"Yeah, they are," Adora responds quietly, after a moment. Adora is quiet as she chews, and Catra's afraid that her hurt has shown through more than she intended it to. "I didn't trust them for a while, though. Not completely. Was always kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop."
"Mm, did it?"
Adora laughs, shaking her head. "No. Even when I was in trouble, the most I would get was a stern look, the 'I'm disappointed in you' bit and grounded. Glimmer and her mom used to get into some pretty heavy screaming matches though."
"Ok, that I can see."
Catra likes hearing Adora talk about this, about the part of her life she didn't get to be there for. She has this intense yearning to know everything there is to know about Adora, to know the woman inside and out, backwards and forwards. It bothers her that there are whole chunks about her that she doesn't know, like an itch she can't scratch.
They talk like this for a while, until the box of doughnuts is long gone and abandoned on the floor, and Adora's eyelids are struggling to stay open. It makes Catra chuckle, watching her try to pretend like she wasn't on the verge of passing out.
"Hey, you head to sleep. I'm gonna shower, and I'll join you once I'm done, okay?"
"Mmkay," Adora mumbles, tongue already heavy in her mouth. "You can borrow some of my clothes to sleep in."
The thought makes Catra smile as she grabs a T shirt and what look like a pair of biker shorts that are big enough on her to be comfortable to sleep in, but won't fall off of her.
Some things don't change, and every time she's afraid that maybe they have, Adora reassures her in the simplest of ways.
The shower is happily needed, and she finds she doesn't even care that she's throwing away a brand new pair of lashes as she happily pulls them off and tosses them in the trash. It's a relief to get all of that makeup off, especially since it was designed to stick to her face even under the heat of stage lights. It feels good to rinse out all of the product out of her hair, too, even though she'll have to wait until she gets home to properly wash it.
She steps quietly out of the bathroom when she's done, totally not at all relishing the feeling of wearing Adora's clothes, especially not this oversized shirt that swallows her whole. Adora is already snoring lightly, splayed out across the bed. Catra considers grabbing a blanket and camping out on the couch, if only so that she wouldn't have to figure out how to squeeze into the bed, but then Adora is sleepily mumbling for her and fuck, she can't resist that.
Catra delicately crawls into bed, trying her best not to disturb Adora too much, if only for the fear of startling her again after she finally relaxed. Adora must only be partly awoken, as her snoring pauses for a brief moment, rolling over to pull Catra against her body and spooning her with an iron grip against her waist, before she seems to be passed out again.
Adora's body is warm with sleep, and she's just tall enough to perfectly be able to curl against every one of Catra's curves beneath the blankets. Catra can't help but close her eyes for a second and relish this feeling, teeth digging into her lower lip.
Fuck, this is like, a fantasy come true. How long had she dreamed of nights like this, of Adora holding her? She can feel Adora's breath fanning across the back of her neck, drawing goosebumps along her skin. Adora's hands curl tighter along her waist, and Catra can feel every inch of her hand as its splayed over her hip.
All she wants is more, more, more.
But she'll take what she can get, even if it's just this moment.
Catra hums softly to herself as she feels the tendrils of consciousness poke at her eyelids, grumbling and nuzzling further into the warmth of her bed. Her “bed” shifts beneath her, and Catra can’t help the confused frown that crosses her face.
She blearily opens her eyes, finding herself cuddled into Adora’s side, their legs tangled together. There’s a spot of drool on Adora’s shirt from where Catra had been sleeping on her shoulder. She smiles to herself, taking the opportunity to close her eyes and nuzzle back into it.
It feels…wrong, somehow, like she’s taking advantage in some way. But she’s selfish, and she knows that. She’s okay with it.
Adora murmurs something she can't hear, shifts just enough and pulls Catra tighter against her that she knows it's not just a half-asleep adjustment.
Catra leans up, settling on an elbow as she peers down at Adora, a small smile settled on her face.
“Hey, Adora,” she says, voice softer than she maybe intended. “Good morning.”
Adora blinks up at her, slowly, eyelids still a little heavy. Then she smiles, a hand lifting up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Catra’s ear, fingers lingering along her cheek.
For this moment, Catra is enraptured by Adora’s beauty. The lashes that cling together with sleep. The pinkness in her lips, even though they’re a little chapped. The faint hint of morning breath, dusted with sweetness from the doughnuts last night. The sparkle in her clear blue eyes.
I have to kiss her.
So she does.
Catra leans down and presses her lips to Adora’s, unable to help herself, unable to hold herself back any longer from how much she is ridiculously in love with her. It’s a gentle kiss, not prying or passionate—but intimate nonetheless, brimming with unspoken emotion and need.
She pulls just a hairs breadth away, her ears ringing in the silence that follows.Their eyes meet, and she sees that wide eyed look Adora is giving her and for a moment she is terrified. All she can hear is her heartbeat thudding in her chest, every inch of her pining and hoping and wishing—
Adora settles a hand at the nape of her neck and pushes herself up to take Catra’s lips with a blissful hum of contentment. Catra’s eyes flutter closed as Adora’s lips move against hers.
Catra lets out an embarrassing whimper against Adora’s lips as the larger woman easily changes their position, pressing Catra into the mattress. This sound only spurs Adora on, hands creeping up to cradle Catra’s neck and splay along the side of her waist, her thumb grazing dangerously against Catra’s hip.
“Adora,” she gasps, suddenly very aware of how aroused she is. “Adora.”
“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to hear you say my name like that,” Adora murmurs, voice rough and heavy with sleep and want. ”Say it again, please.”
“Adora,” Catra repeats immediately. Her hands curl into thick blonde hair, a leg coming up to pull Adora even closer. “Fucking kiss me.”
It’s like heaven to feel Adora’s hands on her, rucking up the oversized shirt to skirt along her waist, thumb running along the underside of Catra’s breast and making her shiver. She tastes Adora’s moan on her tongue as she pulls the larger woman as close to her as she can, presses herself against Adora.
They break away to pant for breath, lips swollen and every part of her humming with adrenaline. Adora wastes no time, gently nudging Catra’s head to the side to place open mouthed kisses along her neck.
Catra lets out a shaky exhale, her body responding intensely to the feeling of Adora’s teeth scraping skin sensitive skin.
“Adora,” she gasps, teeth digging into her lower lip. “I— We need to stop here if you’re not going to touch me.”
Adora’s fingers twitch with just the slightest dig into her waist.
“Can I? Touch you?” Adora’s voice is low, dangerous in a way that makes all of Catra’s nerves fire at once.
“You want to?" Catra blurts immediately, before backtracking. "Y-You—don’t feel bad from last night?”
Fuck, Catra’s never sounds like this, breathless and desperate like a lovesick fool. Which, she was, but nobody needed to know that.
Adora hums, mouthing up Catra’s neck, her jaw to murmur in her ear. “I want to make you cum on my mouth and my fingers and hear you say my name over and over.”
“Fuck, Adora…”
“Just like that, baby. See, you got it.” Adora grins over at her, and Catra bites her lip at the way Adora’s muscles shift and flex. A hot burn runs through her as she notices Adora’s hungry gaze run up and down her body. “You look so fucking good in my clothes, fuck.”
Catra is aware of every hitched breath of hers, of the tight coil of want that's settled in her lower belly. She's aware of every spot where skin touches skin, where Adora's searing heat meets her own. She keeps Adora's gaze as she pulls her shirt up, exposing her chest, silver barbells glinting against her dark nipples.
"They'd look better off of me, you know."
Adora's mouth is immediately on her, lips wrapping around a nipple as her lashes brush against flushed cheeks. Her hands, bigger, stronger than Catra's own explore the newly revealed expanse of her torso. One hand comes up to feel every smooth inch of her stomach, while the other finds Catra's unoccupied breast and greedily palms at it. Catra can't help the loud moan that gets pulled from her throat, hand tangling in Adora's hair.
She whines as she pulls at Adora's shirt. "Take this off, let me see you."
Adora complies immediately, though she doesn't pull away without a gentle nip to Catra's now entirely too sensitive nipple. She pulls the shirt off in one swift motion, but Catra doesn't get a chance to ogle her properly as she starts immediately kissing down the darker woman's toned stomach. When Adora reaches the waistband of Catra's shorts (well, her shorts, actually--), her eyes flick up to meet the other woman's.
"Are you sure?"
Adora's voice is low, husky, with just a hint of a tremble in her breath. Catra can see such a difference in the woman between her legs now and the girl she was consoling last night. She can practically smell the fear and uncertainty creeping into Adora's veins, threatening to wash away the hungry confidence that's taken over her.
Catra leans up, grabs Adora by her face and kisses her deeply, passionately, drawing out breathy moans from the both of them.
"I want you so bad," Catra murmurs against her lips, pressing her forehead against Adora's. "I've wanted this so bad, please, please touch me, Adora."
"Keep talking," Adora sighs, a blissful smile on her face as she kisses down Catra's neck, starting the trip down to her shorts all over again. "Tell me."
It's hard to focus with Adora's mouth on her, but Catra tries her best. Her cheeks are burning, mind all too aware of Adora's tongue along her skin, everywhere that her teeth nip and each searing kiss.
"I want you so bad it makes me look stupid," she sighs, nails digging into Adora's scalp as she sucks a hickey onto Catra's breast. "Been thinking about—how your hands would feel on me, how badly I wanted to kiss you the other day."
Soft lips reach her waistband again, and her breath hitches as she lifts her hips to help Adora pull them off of her. The vulnerable feeling of being naked for the first time in front of someone new never quite goes away, but the anxiety she feels melts away as Adora immediately takes to kissing along her thighs. She starts at the knee and slowly moves inwards and up, taking her time with slow, open-mouthed kisses that make Catra keen and roll her hips automatically.
"Adora," she breathes, head falling back and eyes fluttering closed. "Fuck, Adora, please stop teasing me, I don't know if I can take it any longer."
She can't see Adora's shit-eating grin, but she can feel it against the junction of her thigh and hip. Adora's breath was skirting over the delicate skin of her folds now, driving her into over-sensitive but understimulated frustration.
"This isn't teasing, this is build up," Adora corrects her, but lets her thumb gently brush over Catra's aching clit, and she swears that time stops then. She's not even aware of the ragged moan that draws from her throat until Adora starts talking again. "Fuck me, you're so beautiful, you know that?"
Catra opens her mouth to give a snarky reply, but then Adora slowly pushes two fingers inside of her and all rational thought flies out the window.
"You're so fucking wet, Catra," Adora rasps, expertly crooking her fingers inside of Catra and playing with her clit at the same time. "Fuck, that's so hot."
"Told you," Catra chokes out, hands scrambling to touch any part of Adora she can reach. Her hair, her jaw, her shoulders. She spreads her legs even more, hips naturally rolling into the touch. She's so sensitive, every nerve ending firing at once, chasing the blissful feeling of Adora's warmth. "Fuck me, you're good at that."
Adora just grins, before settling herself on her stomach between Catra's legs, pressing a gentle kiss to the soft fuzz of Catra's mound before flattening her tongue for a long stroke from entrance to clit, wrapping her lips around the sensitive nub. The sound that comes out of Catra's mouth is embarrassing, a high pitched whine that makes her immediately clap her hand over her mouth to keep quiet. Adora immediately takes that hand in her free one, lacing their fingers together.
"Don't hold back for me," Adora breathes, slipping another finger inside of her. "I want it all, Catra. I want all of you."
Catra doesn't have words yet after that, even though she could mention the fact that it is only eight in the morning and Adora has roommates, who can probably (definitely) hear them. But they all fall away as Adora's lips, tongue, fingers and occasionally teeth work her sensitive folds, and she can't help the way she reacts—with desperate pleas and moans. She's sure she's turned Adora's blonde locks into a rat's nest by now, nails digging into her scalp and tugging whenever she felt the urge, or to silently give the other woman proper encouragement.
"You're gonna make me cum," Catra whines, feeling that telltale coil of arousal tightening dangerously. "Oh, fuck, mmpf—"
Adora briefly lifts her mouth away from Catra's clit, hand retreating to grip her thigh and forcing her to keep her legs spread.
"Cum for me, Catra," Adora practically growls, fingers thrusting insistently inside of her, assaulting Catra's g-spot with immaculate precision. "Say my name when you cum for me, be loud, I want to hear it."
Adora immediately goes back to furiously stroking Catra's clit with her tongue, rubbing that perfect little spot on the underside that makes her see stars and—
"Adora, Adora...!"
Catra gasps as she feels the orgasm hit her like a freight train, every muscle clenched as her vision goes white. Adora keeps going, makes her ride every last wave of her orgasm until her legs are trembling and every one of her muscles is melting into the mattress beneath her. Slowly, Adora pulls her fingers out and settles up on the bed next to her. Catra immediately takes this opportunity to curl into the blonde's side, desperate for every bit of skin to skin contact she can get.
"Give me a few minutes to come back to Earth and then it's your turn," she mumbles. "Fucking hell, Adora."
Adora chuckles, taking the hand that is slung around her waist and bringing it up to her mouth to kiss, effectively making Catra's heart melt even more.
"Take your time," Adora says in a voice that is thick with a little desire and a lot of ego. "I am enjoying myself thoroughly." A pause, and then, "Fuck, you're beautiful, Catra."
Catra blearily opens her eyes, head still fuzzy and nerves singing, to look up at Adora. She's beaming, grinning from ear to ear and absolutely glowing, cheeks flushed and eyes bright and alert. Catra can't help but smile, pulling Adora in for another kiss. This one is slow but heady, tasting each other with decadence and longing. It doesn't take long for the kisses to heat up again, bodies slowly rolling into one another before Catra pushes herself up to straddle Adora's hips.
Finally, she has Adora on the defensive, if the heavy flush on her cheeks and those panting little breaths are anything to judge by. Catra gives a devious grin, running her hands along Adora's body, taking a tit in each hand and giving a gentle squeeze. She relishes in the choked moan that Adora gives, the way her head falls back against the pillow.
"Catra," she groans, voice low and heady.
"Mm, you're right, it does sound good to hear you say my name like that."
Adora flushes, a blissful smile spreading across her face. "Yeah?"
"Yeah, and you're gonna be saying it a lot for me."
"Oh? And why's that?”
She knew Adora couldn't help herself, their playful banter difficult to step away from, even in heated moments.
Catra leans in, nosing along the column of Adora's throat, loving the way her breath hitches and her back arches into Catra's touch. She grins predatorily as she nips at Adora's ear, voice low and throaty.
"Cause I'm gonna fucking demolish you, Princess."