So I sort of...binged the whole of season 1 of She-Ra in like 2 days and got hooked so uuuhhhh yeah here. Takes place after season 1.

Disclaimer: I do not own She-Ra.

Just Us

Chapter 1.

It's just another one of those nights when Adora can't quite settle down. It's never been easy for her to just lie still and relax anyway, but the feat has been even more difficult to accomplish lately, considering the fact that the battle for Bright Moon had only just concluded a few days prior.

And as if the rigorous fight itself hadn't been exhausting enough, Queen Angella had arranged and thrown festivities in celebration of their victory over the past few days.

Adora had been happy to see the people cheerful and triumphant, and every once in a while Bow and Glimmer had managed to make her join in on some of the fun. But Adora had never really been one for big social gatherings. Growing up in the Horde hadn't exactly prepared her for large parties and carnival games.

While Adora still enjoyed getting to see the people of Etheria shimmer in their mirth, she couldn't deny even all of that was a little exhausting.

Not to mention the fact that her sleep for the past few nights has been plagued with thoughts of the people she'd left behind.

One in particular.

She hasn't been able to stop thinking about Catra since the day she'd left the Horde, but now she's on Adora's mind half as often as everything else combined. She just can't stop remembering the look in Catra's eyes when she'd taken the sword and cut Adora off the edge of the cliff.

Behind that merciless mis-matched gaze had been pain – loneliness.

Adora knew it better than anyone. She knew Catra better than anyone.

And she still does.

Which is why tonight, as she lies in her not-so-fluffy bed in the room provided to her by the Queen, Adora knows Catra isn't sleeping either – wherever she might be. She probably hasn't slept anymore than Adora herself has these past few nights.

Especially since Catra had been on the losing side of that battle.

She'd never taken her losses lightly. She'd always snap at others, but Adora knew she always blamed herself more than anyone else.

In spite of Catra's aloof and oftentimes downright vicious personality, she was very fragile underneath. She took everything to heart, and after years and years of piling up so much guilt and pain, it had finally begun to take its toll.

All Adora wants is to reach her before she slips beyond the point of no return.

She's not a bad person, she reminds herself, tossing onto her side. I know that. I've always known that. But I'm not sure Catra herself knows it...

From their more recent encounters, Adora believes that Shadow-Weaver's ruthless teachings have finally begun to mold Catra into the heartless soldier she'd always wanted Adora to be.

And since I'm not there to protect her anymore... No. Catra doesn't need me to protect her. She said it herself. She doesn't need me at all...

And yet, some flickering in her chest refuses to let herself believe it. The flame the two of them had kindled all throughout their childhood together had grown so strong, only to be doused when Adora had left the Horde and discovered the truth.

But it hasn't been extinguished yet. Not yet.

She still believes that's true on both ends.

Presently, she turns over again, squeezing her eyes shut and just begging for sleep to come already. But minutes keep passing and her conscious doesn't falter. Adora grunts and rolls onto her back to glare up at the ceiling.

"I'm not gonna be able to function anymore if I keep skipping out on sleep... not that I'm trying to do that..."

She looks out the wide window where the starless purple sky glows calmly in the shadows. She hadn't even taken her boots off before she'd lain down, and her body is itching to move in spite of the late hour. She sits up and shrugs.

"Well, it's not like lying here not sleeping is gonna do me any good..."

She kicks her legs over the edge of the bed, grabs her sword, and with one swift motion jumps out the window into the Whispering Woods beyond.

Many of the trees and plants had been destroyed in the battle against the Horde, and Adora isn't sure if that makes the forest more or less terrifying.

"I won't be long," she mutters. "I just need to clear my head and make myself tired enough to fall asleep."

She isn't sure where or how far she'll be going, but she just lets her instincts lead her.

She steps over shattered rocks, shredded bushes, cracked and broken trees that are cold to the touch. Whatever creatures had once lived here have all moved on or hidden themselves in the darkest recesses of the forest.

Adora's heart aches for the Woods. She pauses before a massive gnarled tree with a large chunk missing. Adora puts her hand onto the bark and shivers, then rests her forehead against it.

"I'm sorry..."

The wind blows more strongly now with less canopy to hinder it. It whispers something into her ear, but she can't make sense of it.

What she can make sense of is the sound of rustling leaves, and she hasn't budged an inch.

Adora reaches for her sword behind her back and draws it, whirling around to face the dark woods.

"Who's there?"

The rustling comes to an abrupt stop. Adora feels her heart do the same.

Two eyes – one blue and one yellow – stare back at her, wide in shock.

At first she thinks it's only an illusion, like all the other times.

But then a swift blink and an even swifter scrambling of bare feet proves otherwise.

In a split second she's gone, before Adora can even get her name out.

"Catra!"

Catra has always been a special case. Normally every other situation is one Adora would try to think over first. But not when it comes to Catra.

She doesn't even hesitate to start running after her. Her mind briefly considers the very high possibility of a trap, but she just doesn't care. All she wants is to see her again, to talk to her...

She tears off after her, following her ears more so than her eyes, using the sword to cut down obstructive vines and brambles when necessary.

Catra stays two steps ahead of and above her, putting her impressive acrobatic skills to good use as she leaps high and crouches low, keeping to the shadows, never letting Adora glimpse much more than the tip of her tail.

Adora scrambles after her, knowing she'll never catch her if she doesn't want to be caught. But something tells her if Catra really wanted to lose her, she would've by now.

"Catra, wait!"

Adora kicks off a rock and lands on a thick root, then continues running at top speed. Catra flashes in and out of her sight in the branches above. She never says a word, never looks back.

It isn't a trap. Adora knows it now. If it were, Catra would be keeping to easier paths, paths Adora could follow without a hitch, instead of trying to conceal herself in the dark nooks and crannies of the broken trees.

And besides, right before Catra had started to run, Adora had seen the look in her eyes. It hadn't been like last time. She's running now not out of intent to lure her. She's running out of fear.

Perhaps more at herself than at Adora, but fear nonetheless.

"Catra!" Adora won't give up until her legs give out on her. She keeps running, even after she's lost sight of her. "Catra, please! I just- whoa!"

Something snags on her boot, and Adora crashes to the ground into the cold stiff grass.

She knows it's over. Catra's long gone by now.

Adora curls in on herself, grabbing a fist-full of grass and tearing it out as hot tears rush up behind her eyes.

"Catra... Damn it..."

The scratches she'd left on Adora's back hadn't hurt since the day Catra had inflicted them. But now she can feel each long line cutting deeply down her shoulder blades, aching throughout her entire body.

Adora knows now they hadn't been put there just to scar her. They weren't just wounds.

They were a reminder. A tattoo.

Their message is clear to her now:

Don't forget me.

She grits her teeth and shoves herself up.

"Like I ever could..."

She'd run far into the dying woods by now, and she's already dreading the trek back to the castle. But she doesn't even want to go back. She wants to follow Catra, even if it means running all the way back to the Fright Zone and into the Horde's waiting clutches.

She wishes it could be that simple.

But she has people who need her now, people who would put themselves at risk if she were to get captured. It's difficult and it's awful. She'd never had anyone else to consider before other than Catra.

But now she has more friends, more people she loves who love her.

She just wishes – more than anything – that Catra could still be one of those people.

Adora stands slowly, as if in mourning, head bowed in defeat as she's forced to let her go once again.

Her childhood friend.

The one person she's cared about longer than she's cared about anyone else.

The person she'd loved before she'd known what love was.

She turns and takes a step back the way she'd come. But the wind suddenly howls a gust right against her face, knocking her back several paces. The trees whisper to her once again.

"What is-?"

She stops when the wind pushes her again, more gently this time. It nudges her back in the direction she'd been running, urging her one quiet step at a time.

And soon, it isn't the wind she hears howling.

A low, broken caterwaul echoes through the treetops, like the moan of a dying animal.

But it isn't an animal. Adora knows the rasping voice it ails from.

She doesn't run this time. She doesn't try to chase her. The last thing she wants is for Catra to feel hunted.

She treads quietly, no longer needing the guidance of the wind to help her follow the sounds of anguish. Adora eventually narrows it down to a large black tree split in half down the middle. She sheaths her sword behind her back and slowly advances, stepping around the trunk until she can make out a figure.

She's hunched into a tight ball with her knees to her chest, claws digging into the branch beneath her. The tough mane of hair conceals her face, but not her drooping ears, nor the heartbreaking sounds she's making.

Adora has never seen her like this before. It wounds her like no blade ever could.

And yet... it also gives her hope.

Hope that perhaps she can still save Catra from the Horde, so long as Catra is willing to be saved; if she even needs to be.

But for now, all Adora wants is for Catra's pain to go away.

She draws in a deep breath, praying she won't scare her away again. Her voice calls out softly.

"Catra...?"

But Catra's reaction is as violent as it had been before. Her claws shred at the bark as she leaps – hissing – into a defensive crouch facing her. Her eyes are wide, and this time Adora can clearly see the tears in them.

And the fear. That's still there as well.

Along with a lot of other things; confusion, pain, and conflict to name only a few.

Adora can see it in her taut muscles that she's about to bolt again. She fumbles to find her voice before she loses her chance.

"Catra, please wait..."

She doesn't shout like usual. She doesn't demand this of her. She just... requests it.

She glimpses the swish of a tail beneath the branch, but nothing more. Catra doesn't run, though her eyes tell that's the next plan of action if Adora can't persuade her to stay. Catra swipes an arm across her face to get rid of the tears, and her eyes narrow hatefully instead.

"Why should I?" Her voice is thick with venom and emotion. "You never waited for me, did you, Adora?"

A million things fly through Adora's mind in that instant. She wants to tell her that isn't true, that she did what she could when she could, that she had no other choice...

But this time she stops herself. Because blurting things out without thinking them through - especially around Catra - has only ever caused the rift between them to shift them more deeply apart.

Adora draws in another breath. She refuses to look away from her old friend. She knows if she breaks eye contact with Catra now, it'll be as good as letting her go.

"I'm sorry."

She hates that's all she can say in the end. She knows it isn't good enough. She knows those words must sound so empty to her by now...

But when Adora next blinks, Catra hasn't vanished like she thought she might. She's still crouched low and ready to take off, but something is holding her back from that. Her tail swishes, but her claws loosen their grip on the branch, just a little.

"Is that all you can say now?" she scoffs. "Y'know, one day 'sorry' isn't going to be good enough, Adora."

"Well... if that day were today, you'd be gone already, wouldn't you?"

Catra flinches, and her lip curls up into a snarl that never fully takes form.

"Why the hell are you out here anyway?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Adora takes a cautious step closer. "Something just... led me out here. And then I found you. Isn't it the same for you...?"

It was just a hunch, but Catra's silence confirms enough. Adora tries out a smile, but it wobbles.

"Hey. Please, can't we just... can't we just... go back to how things were? Just for tonight...?"

She knows it isn't much, she knows it doesn't make a lot of sense, and she knows if she's ended up saying the wrong thing she'll never get this chance back again.

But she watches Catra's ear flick, watches the motion of her tail go from a lash to a wave, watches the narrowness of her eyes loosen and widen.

"Why the hell should I-" Catra's voice catches in her throat, clogged by some heavy emotion not even she can fend off. Another tear slips free and falls all the way to the forest floor.

Adora stands her ground, even though it's killing her to see Catra this way. She raises her voice just a little, just enough.

"Please, Catra. I don't... I don't want us to be She-Ra and Force Captain tonight. I just... want us to be us... Just us..."

She smiles and offers her palm, lifting it in invitation.

Catra regards that hand like some kind of bomb that may or may not go off in her face. She doesn't blink, doesn't budge, as if she expects some kind of ambush.

But Adora doesn't give up on her either. She keeps her hand extended in that silent offer, ready to accept her should Catra feel ready to accept.

Their gazes never leave each other's for a long moment. Adora watches her nose wrinkle with a sniffle, watches her ears flick again.

Then, Catra slowly rises to her feet. Adora's heart clenches.

For a split second Catra's emotions detach, and Adora can't tell if she's going to run again. If she does, Adora fears she'll never get her back.

But before anything else can happen – before Catra can accept or decline that invitation – a loud crack rings out. The brittle branch supporting Catra's feet snaps beneath her weight. With a sound that's half-yelp and half-screech, she plummets.

"Catra!" Adora races forward, but even though Catra manages to sink her claws briefly into the trunk of the tree, it only succeeds in preventing her from landing on her feet.

Adora is just inches shy of catching her. Instead, she watches Catra crash full-force into the branch that had snapped beneath her and the solid ground beneath that. She both hears and sees breath fly from Catra's body as something snaps, and she can only hope it's just the wood.

"Catra!" Adora kneels beside her as she writhes in agony, gasping and yowling for breath that's not coming. When she realizes Adora has gotten close, Catra scrambles to push herself up.

"St-Stop! G-Get away from- agh!" She hisses, and her hands clutch at her stomach and side. Adora watches her sway and quickly lunges forward to catch her in spite of her warning.

"Catra!"

"L-Let... go of me-!" Catra tries to push her off, but her arms have no strength after being so severely winded, and her claws almost seem to retract when coming into contact with Adora.

Adora holds Catra up as she struggles for breath, her tail still lashing and her voice still growling in between gasps. Adora can feel her quivering too, probably from an innate desire to flee; the Horde had taught them that even retreat was better than showing weakness in the face of enemies.

But I'm not her enemy...

Adora holds her up with firm hands and pulls her close, locking both arms around Catra's back. It's the only way to keep her from moving.

"Just take it easy for a sec!"

Catra grunts.

"I don't... need to-"

"If you keep moving around you're only going to hurt yourself!"

"Who gives a shit?!"

"I do!"

Adora's shout echoes around the broken forest as she hugs Catra more tightly to her.

Catra has no reply. All she can do is paw at Adora's arms and try to tear herself free, whimpering and snarling in breathless desperation.

But Adora doesn't let her go. Not this time.

As expected, Catra puts up a damn good fight. She squirms and writhes and struggles in spite of the pain in her ribs. She claws weakly at Adora's clothes, hissing curses under her breath.

"Damn it... Damn it, Adora!"

But even then, Adora doesn't release her.

Catra's struggles eventually weaken as her defenses collapse. Her chest starts to heave with guttural sobs, feral sounds that turn soft and vulnerable once they reach her lips.

"Let go! Let me go... Adora... nngh..."

The trembling fingers Adora feels at her arms finally make purchase. But the sharp claws never sink into her skin. Even though they could very easily draw blood, they only snag on the fabrics of her clothes, and nothing more.

Adora tightens her hold, not strongly enough to restrain her, but not loosely enough to convey she'd let her go just like that, either. Catra shudders against her, yowling softly into her neck.

"Damn it..."

Adora winces slightly as she feels sharp teeth at her shoulder.

"Why...?" Catra chokes. "Why can't I... hate you...?"

And then, all at once her body sways in Adora's arms. With a strangled breath, Catra slumps against her and is still. Adora tenses.

"Catra? Catra?!"

She eases herself back, but makes sure to keep a firm hold on her friend. Catra's eyes have fallen shut, and her ears and tail are unmoving.

A prickle shoots up Adora's spine as though she's just slipped off the edge of a cliff - and Catra isn't there to grab her this time. Fear gnarls in her stomach as she gathers Catra into her arms and lies her down in the grass.

"Catra...?"

She brushes her hand across her forehead, along the hard rim of her headpiece to the tough tangles of her hair, but there's no response. Adora crouches beside her and rests her head on Catra's chest, closing her eyes to concentrate. It's hard to hear anything past the hardness of her armor, but when she focuses she can make out a faint pulse. Adora breathes a sigh of relief and lifts herself back up again.

She looks her old friend over with more careful eyes now. Catra's breathing is still a bit ragged due to her nasty fall, but that isn't the only thing that worries her now. Her cheeks look a bit sunken-in, and though her hair is naturally a bit wild, it seems as though she hasn't been taking care of it at all lately. Her claws seem painfully long, too. Even without Adora there to brush her hair and file her claws for her, Catra had never neglected her grooming this much.

Adora can only assume it's because of the Horde's defeat at the battle of Bright Moon. Catra has probably been punishing herself all this time, too angry and bitter to eat or rest.

Adora can't help but feel guilty about it all. She slides closer and carefully lifts her friend's head into her lap. Adora dips herself forward and rests her forehead against Catra's.

"I'm sorry... I never should have left you back then. I should've gone back and taken you with me..." She can only imagine how much better things would have been if Catra had been with her all this time, on her side. "It's my own fault..." Adora mutters. "I... I should've gone back to get you... I'm sorry..."

A tear slips down her cheek and onto Catra's. With a soft moan, she stirs beneath Adora's touch.

Adora next opens her eyes to find herself looking directly down into blue and yellow. Their breaths catch for a second before Catra is shoving herself up and rounding on her.

"What the hell are you- ah!" She grips her head with one hand and her ribs with the other. Adora straightens up and reaches out to steady her.

"C-Catra!"

"Damn it! Get off me..." But her words have lost all their energy, all their malice. Adora wouldn't have let go anyway.

"Catra, you're hurt. And when was the last time you ate? Or slept?"

"It doesn't matter!"

"It kind of does! Maybe not to you, but to me!"

To her surprise, Catra's ears swivel away and she actually flinches. Adora quickly lowers her voice.

"I-I'm sorry! Was I too loud? I didn't mean to shout. I was just worried is all..."

Catra shakes her head slowly, still nursing her bruised side. She lifts her gaze back to Adora's. The anger has faded from Catra's eyes, and now only confusion remains.

"Why?"

"...Huh?"

Catra's tail swishes in the grass.

"Why are you... still worried about me? Why do you... still care...?"

She has that look again, that look of wanting nothing more than to run away from her and never look back.

And she could. If she really really wanted to, she could do that right now.

But she doesn't.

Adora reaches out her hand slowly as not to startle her. When Catra doesn't flinch away, she rests her hand over the three stripes on her friend's upper arm.

"What do you mean 'still'?" Adora parrots. "I've never stopped caring about you, Catra. Because... you're my best friend. And you always have been. You must know that, right...?"

She waits, but Catra doesn't shove her hand off, nor does she shrink away from it. She just sighs.

"I'm starting to feel like I don't know anything anymore."

Adora gives her a small smile. She rubs her hand up and down Catra's arm gently.

"That's fine. Who cares? Like I said, for tonight, let's not worry about our allegiances or any of that stuff. Let's just... let's just be us."

She knows this is the moment that will make or break things.

Catra flashes her eyes up at hers nervously.

But Adora doesn't let go of her. In fact, she reaches her free hand out and takes Catra's with it.

She watches as Catra takes in a deep breath, then slowly lets it back out. She doesn't say anything, but when she next looks up at Adora, her lips have curled upward ever so slightly.

They come to a silent but mutual agreement: there will be no talk of the Horde or of Bright Moon tonight. Tonight, they will be as they were as cadets, with only each other to care for and nothing else.

Adora opens her arms and Catra falls right into them without concern for consequence. Adora runs her hands up and down her back and gently over her sides.

"Does it still hurt? I did kinda ram you against that mountain pretty hard..."

"Yeah, it kind of still hurts juuust a bit," Catra scoffs, but then her voice falters. "But I bet yours does too, right?" She traces her fingertips gingerly up Adora's back, right in the places she'd scratched her before. Adora winces.

"It hurts a little, I guess."

"Badly enough that you couldn't even lie down on that nice princess bed of yours and go to sleep, so you had to come wandering out into the woods instead, right?"

"Hey!" She hears Catra snicker as they ease back from the embrace. Adora glares in contrast to her old friend's smirk. "Well, why were you out here tonight then, huh? Something just instinctively drew you out, right?"

Catra blinks.

"Actually, yeah that's... kind of it."

Adora blinks too.

"Oh. Same here."

Catra looks away for a second before letting out a yawn. She stretches herself across Adora's lap, resting her full weight on her legs.

"H-Hey! Catra-"

"Y'know, it's funny," Catra drawls. "You're right that something kinda led me out here. But now, nothing's trying to lead me back."

Adora pauses. She can't see Catra's face like this, but she can guess what kind of expression she's wearing. Adora smiles.

"Yeah. Me neither. So I guess that means we both made it to where we're supposed to be."

"Or we're both just crazy enough to think so."

"Hey, that's fine with me."

Adora carefully stretches her legs out, allowing Catra to rest more easily across her lap without the risk of slipping off her knees. She isn't sure if she should touch her, but she assumes if Catra is willing to revert back to their cadet days enough to sprawl across her lap like old times, then she should be able to make contact without setting her off.

So Adora lowers her hand to the back of Catra's head, letting the rough, familiar texture of her thick hair register in her fingertips.

Just a few days ago they'd been at each other's throats on the battlefield. And now they're...

What the heck are we doing...?

Adora wonders, but she doesn't challenge it. From what she can discern, Catra needs this just as much as she does.

Adora gently begins stroking through her friend's hair, smoothing it out and untangling it without tugging a single strand. In this manner, she combs through Catra's hair until it's as soft as it can get. She feels Catra heave another sigh before flinching at the ache in her ribs. Adora places her hand over Catra's sore side and rubs gently until she can feel her breathing more steadily. In response, Catra kneads her claws gently into Adora's leg.

Adora smiles, remembering the times when they were kids. They used to do things like this all the time back in the Horde. That's how she'd learned all of Catra's sweet spots. Sometimes when she'd touch them, Catra would get carried away and accidentally sink her claws in, and then end up frantically apologizing.

Adora doesn't realize when she's started getting lost in reminiscing until Catra rolls over in her lap and looks up at her.

"The heck are you smiling about?"

Adora glances down at her a little mischievously.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about some old strategic tactics of mine."

Catra flicks an ear and raises an eyebrow.

"What the hell are you going on about?" Then, her eyes go wide and and starts to sit up. "Don't tell me this was some kind of ambush-"

"Not in the way you're thinking," Adora smirks. "But sure, I guess you could call it that."

"What the hell are you-"

But her voice dies in her throat when Adora's fingers start to tickle the base of one of her ears. Adora's softer nails begin to scratch gently at the course fur while the pads of her fingers massage. Catra forgets how to be angry for a split second in time.

"Ah... Adora... mm..." She closes her eyes and breathes out a sigh, wiggling in her lap.

Any itches or discomfort Catra ever felt in her ears would typically be slashed away by a hard swipe of her claws.

But Adora's technique is different. She coaxes the discomforts away gently and leaves only pleasant tingles behind, sensations Catra could never bring about on herself.

It had always been this way. Only Adora would ever touch her so sweetly and with such care. It makes Catra feel weak, and she would've swatted her away by now if it didn't feel so damn good.

Adora knows she's treading on thin ice with this right now, but so far it seems to be working. She scratches one of Catra's ears to completion before switching to the other, and uses her free hand to pet circles on her stomach. She has to bite back the giggles when she notices Catra's nose twitching and her tail curling up in delight.

She hasn't changed a bit.

Catra's all but melted beneath her touch, reverted back to her childhood days. All thoughts of the Horde and princesses and wars have faded from her mind, just for a moment.

But there's still one thing Adora wants to try.

Until now, she's enjoyed Catra's little sighs and whimpers of bliss, but there's something even more wonderful she knows she's capable of, unless the years of distress and fear had robbed her of it.

Adora finishes up with her other ear and continues rubbing her stomach before going in for the kill. She curls her fingers beneath Catra's chin and brushes her nails there gently.

Instantly, Catra's ears perk tall and her tail starts swishing madly. Her hands reach up instinctively to curl around Adora's sleeve.

Adora feels the rumble working its way up Catra's stomach before she hears anything. It starts as a bubbling sensation, then eventually rises up through her chest, vibrating beneath Adora's palm before it finally creeps up her throat into a full-fledged purr.

Adora's heart soars with affection. She hasn't heard this sound in far too long.

She scratches lightly beneath Catra's chin in long, soothing motions, coaxing the purr out of her little by little. It fills Catra's whole body. Her breathing becomes deep and slow, her tail curls and uncurls, and her claws knead loosely against Adora's stomach.

Adora's never seen her this happy before in all her life. She wants it to last forever.

...But she knows it can't. It won't.

She can only give Catra this bliss for a few minutes before her eyes flick open again, and she remembers where and when she is. She isn't a cadet anymore, and she isn't back in their quarters with Adora. She's a Force Captain and an enemy.

Catra cuts off the purr instantly, furiously, her face and ears turning red in seconds. But before she can spit a single word out, Adora throws both arms around her and pulls Catra in to her chest.

"It's okay," she murmurs. "Remember we're... we're just being us tonight... It's okay, Catra..."

And maybe - just maybe - Catra is just as desperate for their relationship to go back to what it once was as Adora herself is.

Because Catra doesn't fight her. She just grabs her shoulders and hugs her back without saying a word.

Adora stays close to her, and she can still feel the last few remnants of the purr rumbling in Catra's chest.

The wind blows again through the nighttime forest, and Adora shivers. Catra takes note and clutches her harder.

"You always were weak to the cold," she mutters. "You should go back to Bright M-"

"No!" Adora snaps, but when she eases back to look into Catra's eyes, she smiles. "I told you, there's no Horde or Bright Moon tonight. Just us."

Catra snorts.

"Even if it means freezing to death out here?"

"Yes."

Adora's unflagging conviction has Catra shrugging.

"Suit yourself. I'll admit you were right. I haven't slept in a couple of nights. Maybe I just needed a change of scenery."

She turns her back to Adora and flops down onto her side, only to remember her sore ribs and end up yelping because of it. Adora chuckles a bit nervously and shifts closer to her.

"You okay?"

"Shut up."

"Then... mind if I sleep here tonight too?"

Catra is quiet for a moment. Her tail flicks.

"Stay or go. As long as we're back before morning, it makes no difference to me."

She probably doesn't realize she'd just said "we're" instead of "I'm", but Adora says nothing on the matter. She simply removes her sword from her back and places it aside in the grass. She knows Catra will be honoring their promise tonight too, and won't snatch it.

Adora lies down on her back, but the rough forest floor isn't as comfortable as her bed back at the castle. It makes the scars on her back ache. So she turns onto her side to face the very person who had inflicted those scars.

Catra's still got her back to her, and her tail is still flicking, as if she's impatiently waiting to fall asleep.

Adora watches her for a moment. The swishing of her tail gradually begins to slow down to match the rise and fall of her breath. The tension drains from Catra's back and shoulders – something Adora knows would never happen unless she truly felt safe.

Maybe it has something to do with her being here, maybe not.

Either way, she can't help but feel fresh waves of guilt surging up in her stomach.

When she'd spent her first night away from the Horde, Adora had been unable to sleep without other people in the room, so Glimmer and Bow had come to keep her company.

But... what about Catra...? What did she do without me all those nights...?

She'd been curled up at the foot of Adora's bed for as long as either of them could remember. But then for Adora to just leave one day and never come back for her...

She can picture Catra curled up all alone on that bed, blankets and pillow shredded. She'd probably gotten prone to the cold too.

Adora feels wretched for never having thought about it before. She'd only really considered Catra when she appeared right in front of her, but otherwise she had so much else to deal with as She-Ra that once Catra was out of sight she was also out of mind.

Of course a day hasn't gone by when Adora hasn't thought of her at some point in the hours, but considering how close they'd once been, she feels she should have been thinking about her a hell of a lot more.

She knows Catra's been thinking about her. She know she's never stopped.

Because everything Catra does is for the sake of seeing Adora again; even if it means on the battlefield.

Adora blinks, and her vision focuses once again on the present. Catra has grown still beside her. But when the wind blows again and sends a shiver up Adora's spine, she isn't the only one affected.

Catra all but jolts from the cold, if only for a split second. Adora inches closer to her back, trying not to shriek out loud at how chilly the grass is making her. She reaches out to tap Catra's shoulder gently.

"H-Hey, Catra?"

The other girl flips herself over and glares piercingly at her.

"What the hell, Adora? I was just about to-" But she stops when she sees her friend grinning stupidly through chattering teeth. Adora gives her a hopeless, pleading look.

"Y-You were right. I'm st-still no good in the cold..." She opens her arms and waits.

Catra looks her over with suspicious eyes before ultimately giving in.

"Yeah," she sighs. "I don't like the cold much either..." She buries her face in Adora's collar so she won't have to look at her, then locks both arms around her back.

Adora hugs her too, draping both arms across her shoulders. She notices Catra's shivering just as much as she is, but she isn't dumb enough to mention it.

Adora can't stop herself from running her hands through Catra's hair and all down her back, both to warm her up a bit and because it's just a motion that comes naturally to her.

Catra's sharp familiar scent wreathes around her. Adora had always thought she smelled faintly of iron from all the sneaking around they always did together in the forbidden sections of the Fright Zone. It's a tough, jarring scent, but also one that settles comfortably on the back of her tongue.

Once again, Adora can feel Catra kneading softly at her back and sides as their warmth begins pooling together. And even the rolling purr rumbles back to life.

Adora's always loved it. The vibration of it calms her, not just because it feels nice, but because she can feel Catra breathing with her. It's proof that she's really there.

Catra doesn't hold back. She unashamedly lets her purr come out full-force.

Adora doesn't hold anything back either. She hugs her close, resting her chin on top of Catra's head.

And just like old times, two simple words come out.

"Goodnight, Catra."

She doesn't expect to hear anything back. But when she feels Catra nuzzling against her collar, a muffled whisper follows.

"Night, Adora..."

Adora's heart fills with joy.

She holds onto Catra tightly throughout the night, hoping to not let go of her even in her sleep.

And Catra's purr persists even long after they've both lost consciousness.

For the first time in many, many nights, they are warm and safe.

Together.

When Adora next wakes, the forest is shrouded in a milky grey light, the light that comes drearily just before sunrise. She looks down and finds her arms holding onto nothing.

If not for the imprint pressed into the cold grass and the small wet stain left behind at the collar of her shirt, Adora might've thought she'd never been there at all.

She wipes her eyes and grabs her sword which had honorably been left untouched, using it as a crutch to stand.

Adora casts one last look over her shoulder, but the forest is still and quiet.

She turns away just as the dawn breaks over the horizon, and begins her journey back to Bright Moon alone.

A/N: All I want is for them to be happy and alive together, especially Catra. I have faith in the show's writers, but so help me if they heck it up, I'll make it right myself!

Maybe more to come? We'll see.

Please review!