Chapter Text
Adora POV: The morning after “The Date”
Adora awoke to a dimly illuminated room. The clouds from last night’s rain showers were still lingering in the sky, waiting for the morning sun to burn them away, and the sound of her girlfriend’s soft breathing filled the air. Still coming into full consciousness, Adora hadn’t realized that the left side of her body was freezing, while right felt like it was being heated under a furnace, when she had woken up a few seconds ago.
She propped her head up a bit and looked down to get a better understanding on why her body was currently experiencing such vast temperature extremes. Oh, right… We’re still naked. Was the first thing that crossed her mind as she sighed out a long exhale. Last night was something else… it was incredible… she was absolutely incredible… Just recalling the events of last night sent a series of shivers down her spine. Adora never thought the day that she could be intimate with Catra would ever actualize, since the universe seemed to be against them at every turn, but now that it had happen… she was feeling happier than ever.
Adora grinned as she continued to look down, and the reason why she was partially freezing was because her girlfriend had stolen the majority of the blanket from her side of the bed. Catra was presently bundled up in it and curled into Adora’s side with her face partially buried under the mass of her own straightened hair. She looked so peaceful and content, that Adora couldn’t help but smile at the cute sight, even if she felt like the right side of her body was in an oven. However, she needed to figure out how to move without waking her girlfriend up… but how?
She slowly attempted to pull out her right arm from under her girlfriend but received an irritated groan in response when she was about halfway free. Adora paused her progress to look at Catra’s face and it seemed like she was still asleep, so she continued. Once her arm was finally removed from under her body, she turned onto her right side so she could face Catra directly. Adora’s change in position also freed up more of the blanket, so she adjusted it over her body before reaching out her left hand and stroking her fingers through Catra’s hair in an attempt to get it out of her face.
Catra let out another sigh and her brows began to furrow in response to being disturbed. She was an extremely light sleeper after all. So much for not waking her up… Adora giggled slightly as her girlfriend’s eyes fluttered open just long enough for mismatched eyes to meet blue ones. Catra shot her a look of discontent before quickly closing them again and snuggling her face further into Adora’s chest.
“Stop trying to wake me up Adora…” Catra said through a quiet muffled voice.
“Morning to you too.” Adora laughed softly before she placed a kiss on Catra’s forehead and continued to stroke her hair. “And I actually wasn’t trying to wake you up…”
“Ugghhhh…” She groaned without moving. “What do you want?”
Adora smiled. “Well, now that you’re asking… I’d like to see your beautiful face for more than two seconds.”
Catra removed her face and propped her chin on Adora’s chest before she looked up. “Are you always this needy the day after sex?”
Adora rolled her eyes. “Noooooo… I… just want to look you in the eyes when I talk to you…”
“Mmhmm, okay.” But Catra wasn’t acting any less affectionate as she snaked her right hand around Adora’s waist to pull her closer. As she stroked her hand across her back she felt a few raised lines that were left after last night’s ‘activities’. Catra grimaced. “Sorry about that by the way…”
Adora’s body relaxed under Catra’s touch. “Oh, that? It’s okay.”
“Really?” Catra asked as she scanned her girlfriend’s eyes and quirked a brow at her.
“Yeah it was…” She swallowed hard. “…kind of nice?” Are we really having this conversation right now? Adora thought.
Catra smirked. “I didn’t know you were into that kind of stuff princess.”
She felt her cheeks reddened and she pulled her left hand from Catra’s hair to cover her face out of embarrassment. “Stop.” Adora said in an already defeated tone.
“Aww… there’s nothing to be embarrassed about, love.” Catra reached up and pull the hand away from Adora’s face. “It just means I have so much more to learn about you.” Her smirk turned into a full-on grin. “Including all your kinks.”
Adora groaned as she shifted onto her back again. “Oh my god, Catra!” Her lover laughed at her discomfort. Oh, she thinks this is funny? Two can play at this game. “Hmmm… I don’t know why you’re teasing me, when you’re the one who practically melts into my every touch and kiss. Not to mention that you’re already going all out with the pet names this morning.” She said through a smile.
Catra stopped laughing. “Hey! That’s not because I like you!” She said in a faux-stern voice and face that quickly changed into something much softer. “It’s because I love you.” She said before she pushed up off the bed just enough to kiss her girlfriend on the cheek.
Adora felt her chest warm and she quickly cupped the side of Catra’s face to pull her in for a chaste kiss. “I love you too.” She said as Catra lowered her head to rest against her upper right arm and chest again with her hand placed on Adora’s stomach.
There was a pause in their conversation, and they enjoyed the comfortable silence of their room as they lay peacefully on the bed together. A few minutes passed before Catra spoke up again. Something was clearly on her mind “So, are you finally going to tell your parents that we’re together?” She said nonchalantly through a quiet voice.
Adora’s eyes winded as she slipped from Catra’s hold and sat up in bed. The blanket slipped from her chest, before she twisted her upper half to look directly at her girlfriend. “HOW DID YOU LET ME GO FOUR MONTHS WITHOUT TELLING THEM?! She practically yelled in a high-pitched voice.
Catra’s eyes roamed Adora’s chest before looking up. “I just wanted to see how long your ‘forgetfulness’ would persist and apparently it lasted until right now.” She shrugged her shoulders while still lying on her side.
“You should’ve reminded me!”
“You were just so occupied with school and…” Catra tried to defend herself, but Adora was clearly not listening. She had to fix this… immediately.
“I need to call them!” Her eyes looked panicked as she grasped onto the blanket in her lap like her future depended on it.
“Right now?! It’s really not that big of a deal…” Catra asked as she propped herself up on her left elbow.
“Yes, Catra! My relationship with you is extremely important!” Adora then reached for her phone on her desk next to the bed and opened her list of contacts before selecting her dad’s number. The phone rang a couple times before her father picked up.
“Adora! Honey! Hi, how are you?!” Her dad answered in a deep robust voice.
“Hey, dad. I’m good. Is mom around?” She wanted to get straight to the point.
“No, she just left for a conference last night. Why is something wrong?” His voice grew concerned.
Of course, she did… “Yeah… no… everything’s fine. I just had something really important to tell you guys.”
There was a pause. Oh, no… Adora knew what her dad was thinking before he even said anything. I should’ve known that his mind would go there instantly. “What did you do Adora?” His tone was stern.
“Ugh…” She droned. “I didn’t do anything! This is good news I promise.”
“Okay… then what is it dear?” His voice shifted so that it had a more curious tone to it now.
Adora cleared her throat. “Well… I’m dating someone now.”
“Oh?” He sounded surprised.
“Yeah, for four months now actually… but it had somehow slipped my mind to tell you…” She turned her head to look down at Catra who was intently listening to the conversation.
“And who is it?” He questioned. “Someone I know, perhaps?”
“Yeah, I would say that you know her pretty well.” Adora smiled at Catra and she rolled her eyes.
“You’re so cheesy…” Catra muttered but continued to listen.
They heard a gasp come from the other line. “Is it who I think it is?! Oh, I wish your mother was here! She owes my so much money if I win this bet.” This was the giddiest that Adora had ever heard her father sound and it was kind of unnerving.
“Geez did fucking everyone have a bet on when we would get together?” Catra continued to mumble beside her.
“It’s…” Her father started.
“Catra.” They both said at the same time.
“Haha! Yes! Finally!” He roared and then sniffed. “Wow you both finally realized that you were completely head over heels for each other.” Followed be another sniff.
“Once again, if it was that obvious to everyone else… why did no one tell us!” Catra vented but Adora’s mind was focusing on something else.
“Dad are you crying…?” She pulled the phone away from her ear when she heard her father blow his nose.
“I’m just…” His voice broke. “…so happy for you two.”
What is happening right now? Adora was extremely confused. Is he literally this happy about me being with Catra? “…Okay dad… well I’m gonna go be with my girlfriend now, so… if you could just pass the message off to mom that would be great…”
“GIRLFRIEND!!!” He cried out in happiness clearly not paying attention to anything else that his daughter had just said. “Oh…hooo…oohhhh… woooo…”
“Wow, he’s legit actually crying right now.” Catra whispered.
“Kay dad…” Adora needed to end this conversation. “I love you! Bye!”
“My baby girl, finally with the one that deserves her…”
And with that, Adora ended the phone call. “Maybe I shouldn’t have told him…” She said as she shifted her position to fully sit up in bed after setting her phone back down on her desk.
“Yeah, I didn’t know Randy was such a softie.” Catra smiled.
“Me either… I guess he always had a big heart when it comes to love though…” She sat hunched over in deep thought as Catra examined the full extent of those nail marks on her back. There were a series of pink crisscrossing lines on her upper shoulder blades, right side and lower back. But the eight identical lines that ran the length of her torso were the worse and Catra had managed to break the skin in some spots.
Catra raised her hand to Adora’s back and dragged it across the surface causing her girlfriend to tense briefly from the residual pain, but she quickly relaxed again. “After you take a shower, I can put some cream on those if you want… it’ll help take some of the sting away too.”
“A shower right…” Adora hadn’t even thought about breaking her cardinal rule of taking a shower before bed last night since she was so preoccupied with Catra. “You know, yeah… I’d appreciate that.” She smiled down at her girlfriend who was still reclining on her left side.
Catra smirked. “Anytime, babe.”
“Wow, what does that bring the total to? Three pet names in the span of twenty minutes?” Adora said as she tossed the blanket to the side and began shifting towards the edge of the bed.
“Whatever.” Catra grumbled as she watched Adora stand up and stretch. Clearly not any less impressed by her girlfriend’s body than she had been last night.
She laughed. “Maybe we should do this more often… especially if it makes you act like the complete sweetheart that you are.” She said as she walked into the bathroom and turned on the water for the shower.
“Don’t get used to it.” Catra said through the bathroom door, but Adora knew it was an empty threat. If you could even call it a threat.
“Oh, trust me. I will get very used to it.” She teased as she stuck a hand in the stream of water to test the temperature.
“God! Now you’re just being annoying!” Catra semi-shouted but there was no malice to her voice.
Adora laughed and she was just about to step into the shower when a thought crossed her mind. I could take a shower by myself… Or, I could take a shower with my beautiful girlfriend… She backed away and popped her head through the crack in the bathroom door and caught eyes with Catra who was still relaxing on the bed, but she had moved to lay stomach down where Adora had previously been. They just stared at each other before Catra spoke up.
“Can I help you?” She said in a playful voice.
Adora cleared her throat. “Uhhh… Did you want to join me?”
Catra smiled and practically threw the blanket off of herself before hopping off the bed and running towards the bathroom. “I thought you’d never ask.” She said as she joined her girlfriend before stepping in the shower together.
Their Sunday morning was already off to a good start, too bad that they would have to double down their focus on school assignments this afternoon if they wanted to be prepared for finals in just a few weeks. Not to mention that graduation was less than a month away… At least they could forget about those things in this moment and just focus on their love for one another.
Life moved at this steady, yet quick, pace for the rest of April, but as soon as the first week of May arrived, Adora felt like she would miss something if she blinked. Two weeks of restless nights, and even more chaotic days, lead to an unrelenting amount of stress and unbearable exhaustion. By the time she was able to sit back and breath after she had turned in all of her assignments and taken all her finals, it felt like she had run the world’s longest marathon.
And before she knew it, it was graduation day…
They should have left the apartment thirty minutes ago, but it was Adora who was the one that was running behind schedule right now. She still had to get dressed, had her hair to do and she probably should wear some sort of makeup today since it was one of the most important days of their lives… but that was the last thing on her mind.
“Adora! Are you almost ready to go?” She heard Catra call for her from the living room.
“Yeah, yeah almost!” She lied. “How did you get ready so fast?!”
“I didn’t wait until last minute like you did!”
To be fair the only reason that Adora had waited last minute to prepare was because she was helping her girlfriend get ready, and by helping, I mean she was just intently watching her as she tried on dresses, fluffed her curls and did her own makeup. Helplessly captivated by her every movement… anyway, to say that Adora was feeling rushed right now would be an understatement.
She heard footsteps trailing up the hallway to their bedroom seconds before her girlfriend arrived. Catra entered their room and her jaw went slack when she caught Adora searching her closet in just her bra and underwear with her hair still up in a tousled bun. “Jesus, babe! I thought you said you were almost ready!”
“I am, I am! I just gotta find my dress, do my hair, makeup and then we can leave…” She responded as she hurriedly shuffled through the clothing rack in her closet.
“Okay, you know what?” Catra said as she gently pushed Adora out of the way. “You go fix your hair and I’ll pick out a dress for you.”
Adora looked at her in disbelief for a moment while she contemplated her options. Catra did have an amazing fashion sense, she had learned that much over the course of this school year, and she did look stunning in her own black dress right now. Which even though was lace, it still had a little edge to it, perfectly matching her girlfriend’s personality. “Fine! But please don’t put me in anything stupid.”
“Adora, whenever I dress you it always turns out amazing, so you have nothing to worry about.” She smiled as she began her own search through the closet.
“True…” A smile pulled at her lips. “…but I’m starting to think that you just secretly like dressing me up.” She teased.
She caught a faint blush spread across Catra’s cheeks before she spoke. “Just go do your hair already.” She muttered while avoiding looking at Adora.
She’s so cute when she won’t admit that she likes doing things for me. Adora thought as she leaned forward and kissed Catra’s cheek. “Will do babe.” She said before walking into her bathroom.
While Catra was rummaging through her closet Adora stepped into her bathroom and plugged in her hair dryer. She let her tangled hair fall from the bun that was still clipped to the top of her hair and began to run a comb through it after dowsing her locks with heat protectant. Luckily, she had learned a thing or two from watching Catra do her hair a countless number of times through high school and college, so she knew all about proper usage of styling tools and products. She blew out her hair as quickly as possible and when she finished, she was fairly happy with the results. Her hair was straight, but it had a volume to it that her hair typically didn’t have if he would’ve just straightened it.
When Adora stepped out of the bathroom, her girlfriend was nowhere to be found.
“Catra?” She called out.
“Yeah?”
“Where are you?”
She heard Catra let out an unnecessarily loud sigh. “This apartment is only so big Adora… I’m in the other room.”
Right. “Okay!” Still in just her bra and underwear, Adora made her way to Catra’s former bedroom “What are you doing in here?” She asked as she watched her girlfriend stood up from the unused bed.
“Well, I couldn’t find anything I liked in your closet…” Catra started.
“Rude.” Adora interjected.
“…So, I remembered that I had this dress and I think would look nice on you.” Catra said as she pulled out a white dress from her wardrobe. It was a stark contrast to her own, but at least it was simple and not flashy like she had feared.
“Oh. That’s actually really pretty.” Adora said as she took the dress from Catra.
“See! I knew you’d like it.” She said as she propped one hand on her hip in a ‘I told you so’ kind of pose.
Adora just gave her a smile and took the white dress of the hanger. She slipped it on over her head, careful not to mess up her hair, and when she pulled it all the way down it fit like a glove. She tugged on the flare of the dress straightening it out further and adjusted the top across her bust.
“How does it look?” She asked as she continued to look down at the dress.
“Beautiful…” Catra whispered and Adora quickly looked up to catch her gaze. “I mean… not half bad, princess.”
Adora had always been the one to call Catra beautiful and the compliment kind of caught her off-guard, but she still wasn’t going to let that compliment slide. “What was that first part?” She egged her on.
“I… uh… don’t know what you’re talking about?” Catra said as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks for the second time this morning, causing her to look away.
“Oh, you don’t?” Adora said as she moved closer to her girlfriend until she was standing directly in front of her. She reached for Catra’s chin with her left hand and slowly turned her gaze back towards hers. “Because it sounded a lot like you calling me beautiful.” She smiled.
“No, I didn’t…” She feigned innocence as she stared back at her with those lovely eyes of hers.
“It’s getting a lot harder for you to keep this ‘tough guy’ act up around me, isn’t it?” Adora said as she pulled her in by the waist, effectively closing the gap between their bodies.
“Phhstt. In your dreams.” She brushed off her words.
“Isn’t it?” Adora said as she leaned in an began peppering her face with kisses.
Catra crunched up her face in response. “Stop, Adora that tickles!” She said through a series of giggles with a smile on her face.
“Admit it Catra!” She continued as she picked up her pace of her pecking ambush.
“Okay, fine. Fine!” She surrendered and Adora pulled away. “I said you look beautiful…”
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” She said as she released the hold around her girlfriend’s waist.
“No… but we still have to do your makeup and then we can leave.” Catra quickly changed the subject. “Speaking of, if you fucked up my makeup with your kisses, I’m gonna be pissed.”
“You look fine Catra.” Adora reassured.
Catra double checked her face in a mirror before speaking again. “Okay, good… now sit.” She pointed to the empty desk chair.
“Ugh… here we go again…” Adora complained. Clearly not looking forward to Catra’s tedious makeup application process being applied to her face again.
Thankfully, Catra did her makeup in record time and after slipping on their shoes, they picked up their caps and gowns before walking out the door. When they got to the car the paid special attention to how they placed them in the backseat because both of their mothers would definitely yell at them if they had even one wrinkle in their gown. And they really didn’t feel like getting reprimanded on a day that was supposed to be about their accomplishments, not their appearances.
After they were both situated in their seats, Adora put the car in drive. Finally, after being an hour and a half behind schedule, they were off to the graduation ceremony.
By the time they got to the stadium where the graduation ceremony was being held, it was already one-fifteen. Thankfully, they didn’t have to worry about parking though. The university was smart enough to implement a reserved parking program for graduates a couple years back when they began receiving complaints that some students missed their own graduation due to there not being enough parking. It was admittedly another one of Angella’s amazing changes that she made when she became president of the university a few years ago.
When they exited Adora’s car, the girls pulled their out their gowns from the backseat, silently thanking that they hadn’t wrinkled during the ride, and draped them over their shoulders after threading their arms through the wide-flowy sleeves.
“I still don’t know why Bright Moon literally had the worst color gowns ever.” Catra commented as she adjusted the gown around her neck.
“You don’t like it?” Adora asked as she tugged on the sleeves of the gown. “I think it’s kind of nice.” She shrugged.
“Of course, you would.” Catra smiled. “Bright Moon purple looks great on you. Me? Not so much…”
Adora paused her adjusting and looked direction at her. “Well, I think it looks lovely.” She said wholeheartedly. Earning a dramatic eyeroll from her girlfriend, along with a grin that didn’t go unnoticed.
“I swear…” Catra huffed and Adora smiled.
They both finished fixing their gowns and opted to leave them unzipped for the time being, which left their dresses visible, as they reached for their caps still in the car.
Speaking of their caps, Catra had decorated both of them three days ago after all her coursework had been completed. Unlike Adora, her finals had mostly been critiques of the art that she had produced over the duration of the semester and submitting portfolios for review by the College of the Arts panel of professors. So, she had a little extra free time while Adora was still studying for her medical exams.
Adora reached for her cap first and was still impressed by its impeccable craftsmanship. Catra had covered up the majority of the deep purple fabric of the cap with a paper cutout resembling the top of her scrubs, which conveniently also matched her light blue tassel that she had to wear for the BMU College of Medicine. The scrub color also allowed the shiny black text of “Future Physical Therapist in the Making: BS in Sports Medicine,” all written in fluid calligraphic lettering, to stand out sharply. Adora didn’t even know what to say when Catra had first shown it to her. She was stunned and overwhelmingly grateful that her girlfriend had gone all out on her cap. It was simply perfect in her eyes. Adora placed the cap on her head and walked around to the other side of the car, before she bent down slightly so Catra could secure it in place with the bobby pins that they had remembered to bring along with them.
Adora was then presented with Catra’s cap ready to be affixed to her head, and boy was her design a complete one eighty from the stylistic simplicity of Adora’s own. Catra had kept the design of her cap playful just like her personality. She had covered the top of it with a sheet of paper littered with cats drawn in various art styles from the centuries and across it was a curvy text that read, “The Smallest Feline is a Masterpiece: BFA in Studio Art.” Not only was the whole design and quote a play on her own name, but it was actually really cute. Adora had to give her some serious props when Catra showed it off to her the first time too.
After they were adorned with their complete regalia, they started their brief walk to the stadium.
As they walked, Adora unlocked her phone to fifteen unread messages. All varying different degrees of panic, but all mostly from the one and only… Glimmer.
11:36, Glimmer: Hey, we just got here! We’ll be by the entrance if you want to meet up!
12:03, Glimmer: Hope you guys are on your way…
12:34, Glimmer: Alright, I’m getting nervous now… and your parents are here btw they’re talking with my mom, George and Lance.
12:40, Glimmer: Okay, so I’m pretty sure Catra’s mom is here now?! She literally looks exactly like her. They could be sisters!
12:41, Glimmer: Oh god The rest of Catra’s family just showed up and they are… an experience.
12:47, Glimmer: WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?! HELLO?!?
1:20, Adora: We just got here! 😬 Be there soon!
She then moved onto Bow’s messages.
12:54, Bow: Glimmer says she can’t reach you and we can’t find you anywhere… Are you two here yet? The ceremony starts in an hour?!
12:54: Bow: Please hurry, I don’t think I can take much more of all our parents interacting…
1:03, Bow: You guys are making us all very anxious right now… I hope you’re okay!
1:21, Adora: Hey Bow, we just got here! Sorry we’re late… we were running behind because of me… We’re walking in now!
And finally, to her parent’s messages.
12:30, Dad: We just got here, dear. Hope to see you soon! We’re headed towards the stadium now.
12:33, Mom: Adora, where are you? We can’t find you.
12:34, Mom: Is Carla supposed to be here? Where are we meeting them?
12:34, Dad: We’re talking with your friend’s parents right now! They all seem like very nice people. Let us know when you get here.
12:46, Dad: Oh! Catra’s mom is here! Her and your mom are having a blast right now. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen her laugh like this.
1:10, Mom: Where are you girls at? Carla and I have been waiting for thirty minutes and you two are still nowhere to be found?!
1:25, Adora: We just got here! Heading towards the stadium entrance now! Sys!
She pocketed her phone before speaking again. “So, people might be looking for us…” Adora droned as she continued to walk in stride with Catra.
“Yeah… it looks like my family is freaking out too…” Catra said as she read the messages on her own phone. “Especially my mom.” She laughed. “She says if we don’t get our asses here soon, she’ll kill both of us… and that was sent a half hour ago.”
Adora smiled. “Knowing your mom… I don’t doubt it.”
“Yeah…” Catra chuckled. “Your mom is probably almost ready to go off on us too, huh?”
“Actually, from what my dad’s messages said, it seemed like she was really enjoying catching up with your mom.”
Catra facial expression looked somewhat shocked before settling into a smile. “Well, I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised she they always got along somehow. Which was weird to say the least.”
“I honestly think it was there no-nonsense parenting style that they saw reflected in each other which they liked.”
“True, but still your mom is way stricter than mine. Like, I’m pretty sure mom didn’t give two shits about what I did as long as I didn’t get in trouble… unlike Lena who had to know where you were every second of the day and practically scheduled your whole life out through high school. At least when she was in town…” Catra internally cringed slightly after realizing what she had just said. The topic of Lena’s absence, yet undeniable presence from afar, was still a sensitive topic all these years later.
Adora sighed before perking up slightly. “Which is why I always used to come over to your house when she was g…”
Catra interrupted her. “Because you could do everything you weren’t supposed to there. Yes, I know Adora.” She grinned.
“That’s not the only reason… I liked hanging out with you.” She shyly confessed.
“Awww… but you didn’t realize you liked me until college?” Catra joked and nudged her shoulder.
“Ugh. Whatever.” Adora said as she pushed against her a little harder than necessary, but it was all still very playful.
“Come on, you know I’m just teasing.” She said as she placed a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder.
“Oh, I’m well aware of all your teasing tactics now babe.” Adora said as she winked at her.
Catra ignored what her girlfriend was insinuating in order to keep this day PG for the time being. “Anyway” She cleared her throat. “Where are we supposed to be meeting everyone?”
Adora smiled clearly picking up on Catra’s diversion, but she went with it. “Glimmer said that they’re still by the entrance, but we should hurry because they’re going to start seating us in fifteen minutes.”
They quickened their walking pace towards the stadium, fueled by the anticipation of seeing their families and their own excitement for graduating today.
When the entrance of the stadium finally came into view, they were confronted by a sea of deep purple gowns. Students were frantically trying to find their families and parents were on phones communicating with said students.
“Looks like we weren’t the only ones who showed up late.” Adora droned as she swiveled her head around in search of their friends and family.
“Yeah, no shit.” Catra said as she pulled out her phone again in attempts of trying to locate anyone in their group.
Adora continued to look around the crowd, when suddenly she felt arms being wrapped around her waist from behind. Arms that were definitely not her girlfriend’s, but they were familiar, nonetheless. Before she could say anything, she was being hoisted into the air captured in one of the tightest hugs she’s had since starting college.
“Hey! Let me down!” She protested.
“Adora…” She could recognize that voice anywhere. Adam. “I’m just… I’m just so proud of you!” He fake wept before setting her back on the ground with a laugh.
“God! I can’t believe I forgot how annoying you are!” Adora huffed as she straightened out her gown before turning around to face her brother directly.
“And I can’t believe I forgot how ugly you are.” He teased. “Tell me again how people think we’re related? I mean, just look at me! And then there’s you…” He gestured up and down his sister before looking her in the eyes again.
“Hm, tell me again why you’re such a dumb blind jerk? I’m clearly the better looking one.” She smiled as she punched him in the right arm.
“In your dreams!” Adam said as he returned the punch. Their roughhousing would have escalated from there if another familiar voice hadn’t interrupted them.
“Kids. Kids!” Her father’s voice could cut through any crowd. “Settle down!” He said as he approached them.
“Sorry, dad.” Adam said. “…But it was Adora’s fault.”
“What?!” Adora said in a high-pitched voice. “How is it my fault when you literally came out of nowhere and immediately started insulting me?!”
“Adam. Adora.” He looked between them with a stern expression. “You two are not acting very mature right now. Especially for such an important day.”
“What? I am the mature one!” They both said. Voices perfectly synchronized with every inflection of tone and their gesturing mimicking each other exactly. It was almost scary how similar they were. “No, you’re not.” They both argued simultaneously again.
“Kids! Do not make me get your mother.” And with the mention of their mom they both immediately stopped what they were doing and calmed down. Adora did not want to get in trouble on one of the most important days of her life and honestly, she didn’t know why Adam always brought out the worst in her. She always just thought it was twin thing. They loved each other so much, but they could easily get on each other’s nerves.
“Nonono. There’s no need for that!” Adora defended with her hands raised in front of her.
“That’s one thing we can agree on!” Adam quickly nodded his head.
Her dad’s postured relaxed before he began approaching his daughter with a smile. “It’s good to see you again honey.” He said as he engulfed Adora in a warm comforting hug as his cologne hit her in the face and she couldn’t help but laugh a little at the memory of Catra drinking that Manhattan.
“So, where’s your girlfriend?” Adam asked and to be honest Adora was thinking the same thing as her dad released her from the hug.
“I thought she was right here…” Adora looked around again and her girlfriend was indeed nowhere to be found.
“I think I saw her heading towards the others when I was walking over here.” Randy said with a smile. “I still can’t believe that you two are finally together after all these years.”
“Honestly, it’s about time.” Adam chimed in.
“I still don’t know why no one told us, if it was that obvious!” Adora protested.
“Love takes time.” Adam shrugged. “I think establishing a strong friendship between you two was the key to opening yourself up for an actual relationship between each other. Who are we to interfere with something as special as that?” Adam smiled and Adora was surprised by how wise her brother sounded right now. “Even if it did take way too long to get that through your thick skull.” And… he ruined the moment. Typical. Adora thought.
“Oh! Remind me that we have to take pictures when we get back there. Come on!” He dad said as he began leading them through the crowd of people and back towards were the rest of their families had gathered.
As she was being led, Adora took in her soundings. The crowd had thinned out significantly since her initial run-in with her brother, but there were still happy faces all around and an overall sense of joy in the air. Students, parents, teachers, mentors and guardians all around started filing into the stadium and Adora assumed that they should be heading inside shortly too, but she still wanted to find her girlfriend.
She smiled as her eyes found Catra, who was currently being ambushed by members of her own family, which was an amusing sight to say the least. Catra seemed to be the smallest in stature of all of her family members, so she looked like she was drowning in a sea of people.
“Hey…! Look whose finally here everyone!” Catra exclaimed as she spotted her girlfriend. She looked desperate for relief from her family, who immediately turned to look at Adora.
Being the good girlfriend that she was, Adora wanted to help Catra out a little. “Hey guys long time no see!” She greeted with open arms. They all rushed over to her and she could’ve sworn that Catra let out a long exhale as she hunched over slightly before her field of vision was taken over by the other’s family. She had looked defeated from her family’s antics already and they had only been here for ten minutes.
As Catra’s family gathered around her she first heard her name being called out at least twenty different times followed by a series of questions in English and Spanish. “Adora, how are? How have you been?” A voice asked. “¡Escuchamos que ustedes dos están saliendo ahora! ¿Catra te trata bien?” Another voice asked. “¡Sí! ¿Cómo van las cosas?” Someone else chimed in. “How long have you been officially dating?” Oh, so that’s what we’re talking about? Adora thought as she continued to be bombarded by questions. “Did you get into grad school?” “¿Te vas a quedar en Bright Moon?” Adora now understood why Catra had looked like she did a few seconds ago.
“Give the poor girl some space!” A voice shouted causing the overwhelming crowd around her to disperse. Adora’s eyes finally landed on Carla, a woman that was like a second mom to her. She was about the same height as Catra, curvier, her eyes were golden, and her hair was coarser with a few gray streaks.
“Carla!” Adora breathed out a sigh of relief as she went to hug her.
“¿Qué no pudiste haber hecho eso por mí, mamá?” Catra cried out as the two embraced.
“Mija, you are much more capable of handling our family than Adora is.” She smiled as she held Adora’s face in her hands. “It’s good to see you again.” She said as she dropped her hands.
“You too and the rest of your family as well.” She said with a big smile, genuinely thankful for Carla stepping in and breaking them away from the rest of the group.
“No need for pleasantries, Adora.” Carla smiled. “We all know this family can be a bit… much at times.” She shrugged her shoulders. “You know how we get.”
Adora sighed. “Oh, I know.” She looked at Catra, who just shook her head, and smiled.
Carla knowingly looked between the two girls. “Well, I hope she hasn’t given you any trouble over the past few months.” She smirked. “And that you’re happy with fire that my daughter is.”
“Mom.” Catra tried to get her to stop talking.
She ignored her and continued. “I know my daughter can be a little hot at times, but you always seemed to calm her down… Two opposites that really seem to balance each other out. Really, it’s an interesting romance… Your love life must be…”
“Mom!” Catra called out in embarrassment and Adora didn’t know how to respond to what Carla had said, but she could definitely feel her face beginning to flush. Luckily, or maybe not so lucky for Adora, her brother had sauntered his way over to them and interrupted their conversation.
“Hey, the others are starting to head inside. I think we should follow suit.” He looked at the group but deliberately ignored Catra.
“Alright, we’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines mija! You too Adora!” Carla shouted as she began to follow the rest of her family inside.
Adora waved goodbye before she turned her focus back to her brother and Catra only to find them glaring at one another.
“Catra.” He finally acknowledged her presence after a brief stare down.
“Adam.” She said in a tone matching his.
He looked her up and down. “I see that you’re still a bitch.”
“And I see that you’re still an insufferable asshole.” Catra said as she crossed her arms over her chest as she desperately tried to keep a smile from splitting across her face.
They held their poses for a few seconds before Adam relented and initiated a hug. He spread his arms wide and Catra readily unfolded her arms and wrapped them around his waist as his arms wrapped around her shoulders. “It’s good to see you.” He said.
“You too.” Catra said though her voice was muffled by his chest.
“You two have the weirdest dynamic…” Adora commented as she watched the hug.
“Us?” Catra laughed as she was released from the embrace. “Sorry, Adora but nothing gets weirder than the bond twins have.”
“Yeah… let’s not get started on that again.” Adam stated and Adora nodded in agreement.
“Well, I guess we should be heading inside then too, huh?” Adora asked.
“We probably should. The others went inside just as I got here.” Catra said as she began to lead her towards the entrance where she had watched their other friends disappear into minutes ago. There was a separate entrance for students and after they checked in and picked up their calling cards, they zipped up their gowns as they entered a long hallway leading to the stadium floor.
Catra and Adora’s POV
As they walked through the doors to the stadium floor, they were immediately greeted with the sound of hundreds of people chattering within the confines of the space. Students filled rows of chairs running perpendicular to the length of the floor. Each college name was posted on a pole, indicating where they should sit, so that each college class could graduate as a whole. That was the only unfortunate thing about this ceremony… they wouldn’t be able to sit together.
“I guess this is where we have to split?” Adora said before grinning. “Try not to miss me too much.” She teased.
“You wish.” Catra smirked, but her girlfriend just gave her a look that read ‘really?’ “I’ll try not to.” She corrected herself as she attempted to lean in for a kiss. They were less than two inches apart when their caps bumped together, preventing Catra from closing the gap between them any further… which of course put a damper in her spirits, but Adora apparently found the whole situation funny from how she was giggling right now. Catra pulled back and smiled. That laughter always cheered her up no matter what.
“The look on your face!” Adora said between chuckles “Ugh! You looked so disappointed babe.” Adora laughed again before catching the blazing look that Catra was giving her right now. “What? It was really cute! We all know you don’t like it when you can’t get what you want.”
Catra rolled her eyes. “Just another reason to add to my list of why I hate this regalia.” She shrugged. “If something I’m wearing prevents me from kissing my girlfriend, then it belongs in the trash.”
“Calm down. You look great! And all that means is that we just have to wait until the ceremony is over to take our caps off.”
“But that’s such a looooong time…” She droned. “I just want to go home and snuggle and kiss you and hold you.” Catra said as she leaned all her body weight against Adora in an attempt to display exactly how much she didn’t want to be apart from her, or just here in general.
“Wow. Your family must’ve really done a number on you already if you’re acting like this.” She said as she affectionately rubbed a hand up and down her arm before reaching for her hand.
“You have no idea…” Catra said in a defeated tone as she pushed off her.
They were then interrupted by one of the graduation coordinators shouting to the crowd of students on the floor. “All graduates please head towards for seats, if you haven’t already do so! The ceremony starts in five!” Most of the students were in fact already seated. It was only Catra and Adora who seemed to be the only ones still lingering together towards the back of the stadium floor.
“Okay, we should really get to our seats…” Adora said as she gave Catra’s hand a squeeze before dropping it and heading off in the opposite direction towards where the rest of the students for the College of Medicine were seated. “We’ll meet up afterwards, I promise!” She said with a wave before she was too far away.
“I know, we live together!” Catra called out back to her before heading towards the section of students from the College of the Arts. As she walked down the aisle to her class, she felt like all eyes were already on her. And to be honest, she was getting kind of nervous and that definitely doesn’t happen often to her. Maybe it was the fact that she wasn’t going to be with Adora during this, or that is was one of the biggest moments of her life… wait, yeah that’s exactly why she was nervous. She didn’t want to be alone during this! And she could start to feel herself panicking.
“Catra!” A voice called out to her and she broke out of her daze as she scanned the of the students in front of her before settling on a familiar one, that just so happened to have an empty seat next to him.
“Bow?” Catra didn’t mean for his name to come out like a question, she was just surprised… for a multitude of reasons.
“Hey, I saved you a seat!” He said kindly as Catra approached him. “Glad you’re finally here! We were getting really nervous about you two not making it.”
She settled in next to him. “Wow, thank you. And to be honest… I didn’t think we were going to.”
“Really? What happened?” He asked.
“Adora happened.” She joked.
“Meaning?”
“She watched me get ready instead of getting ready herself. So, we had to rush everything last minute to get here as quickly as possible.”
“Awww… that’s actually really sweet.”
“Yeah, I guess…” Catra tried to downplay his words, but she couldn’t help but smile at the fact that her girlfriend had done something like that. She was caught in her own thoughts of this morning, until Bow snapped her out of her trance for the second time today. What can she say? It wasn’t her fault that the thought of Adora was a very distracting!
“Speaking of Adora, and I’ve been meaning to tell you… I’m glad you two finally accepted your feelings for one another. Truthfully, I didn’t think you two would ever get out of your oblivious rut ten months ago. But it was so delightful to watch your relationship progress from the outside! You two are just so cute, and it all came together by the end of senior year! How exciting it that?!” Bow said with a smile on his face, like he had just recanted the best love story of all time.
Catra didn’t know how to respond, but she could tell that she was blushing. “I… uhhhh… thank you?”
“No, thank you for finally being together and loving each other the way you deserve to be loved.” Bow said so genuinely that she could practically feel his happiness.
What??? Catra thought. Where is this coming from? I know he and Glimmer really wanted us to be together by how they reacted to us first breaking the news to them that we were dating, and how when I came to her rescue during homecoming… and that time at the beach… Wow, maybe this was more obvious that I originally thought… No wonder people thought we were in denial.
She distracted herself from her own mental conversation by searching for her girlfriend in the crowd. She looked to where the College of Medicine students were sitting, and she finally spotted her in an aisle seat. From where she was seated Catra could see her girlfriend directly if she leaned back and looked right. She stared for a few seconds before Adora turned to look at her and Catra winked at her which made her smile.
Catra pulled out her phone and snapped a quick picture of her.
1:58, Catra: *photo sent* You look stupid btw
She watched as her girlfriend finished out her own phone before a smile spilt across her face. She aimed her phone at Catra before typing something and setting her phone back into her lap and looking back at her.
1:58, Adora: You don’t look much better tbh *photo received*
She then took a selfie with a purposefully twisted expression.
1:58, Catra: Oh, you wish you looked half this good. *photo sent*
1:59, Adora: I mean that is the face I fell in love with so… idk what that says about me 😂
1:59, Catra: Trust me, it says a lot
Catra’s attention was pulled from her text conversation when she heard the sound of clapping. She looked up just in time to see Angella walking across the stage, looking as regal as ever, but now dawned in attire matching the regalia of the students. She approached the podium and adjusted the mic before speaking.
“Good afternoon.” Angella greeted the crowd and she was greeted with hundreds of people returning her salutation.
“I’d like to start off by saying, congratulations graduates! It is a monumental day for all of you and your families. I should know.” She smiled. “As my own daughter is among you today.”
And Catra would give the world to see Glimmer’s embarrassed expression right now.
“I want you all to take a moment and reflect on here you started. Whether that be from a not so well-off background, a privileged one, or anything in between… You all deserve to be here today. You’ve worked hard, you’ve fought to prove yourself, and all that effort has finally paid off. You should be proud of yourself.”
And Catra couldn’t help but take those words to heart. When Adora had asked her to apply to BMU four years ago, she never expected to get in. She knew that she was a good student with decent grades, yeah, but she didn’t think she’d fit in with the Bright Moon aesthetic. Never mind the fact that she didn’t come from a wealthy family, nor did she have any outstanding academic achievements. So, when she and Adora received a hefty scholarship to attend the school she was honestly shocked but overjoyed at the same time. She could finally spread her wings and pursue something that she wanted to do and doing it with Adora was a bonus.
The rest of Angella’s speech was mostly all formalities before she introduced the other people sitting on stage. “I’d like to welcome to the stage some other important members of our university…”
Angella gave the floor to other apparently ‘influential’ individuals, including some of the deans from the separate colleges, the president of the student council and other people she’s never even heard of. Catra was honestly only paying half attention at this point anyway. It seemed like everything was dragging on longer than necessary. After they all said what they needed to and gave little speeches of their own Angella retook the stage.
“Thank you all. Now that that’s out of the way… are we ready to get this graduation started?!” The question earned her some yells, but she wasn’t satisfied with the response. “I said, Bright Moon ARE WE READY?!” Angella cheered the crowd on and she was met with a resounding ‘yes’ from her audience. “That’s more like it! Alright! Will the students from the College of the Arts please stand and make your way left stage please?”
Catra felt her heartbeat picking up again as she stood from her chair. She looked at Adora who gave her a reassuring smile and a thumbs up as she followed behind a line of students walking to the stage. What a dork. Catra thought as she followed her classmates. But she’s my dork. She smiled to herself as she approached the ramp leading up to the stage. Alright Catra, we can do this. All we’re doing is walking across a stage… in front of a thousand people… Her breathing quickened. Since when did I have stage fright? I usually love all eyes on me, but now…
“Hey, you’re going to do fine.” Bow placed a hand on her right shoulder from behind, apparently able to pick up on her nervous energy.
Catra looked over her shoulder and grinned. She appreciated the comforting gesture and has become rather fond of Bow over the past year, even if she wouldn’t admit out loud. “You’re one to say! Mr. theatre major! This is what you’re used to!”
“I am, but I know that you usually like the spotlight on you too. You shouldn’t feel any different being in front of all these people, when your friends, family and girlfriend are all here to support you.”
He’s right. Catra thought. “There’s no reason for me to be nervous! I am being supported by my friends and family right now! All the other people can fuck off! Thanks Bow!”
“Yeah… I guess that’s one way to look at it.” Bow shrugged his shoulders with a weary smile on his face. At least he was happy that her could boost Catra’s morale.
After that mini pep talk with Bow, Catra felt her confidence return. She straightened up her posture, breathed in a few calming breaths and smoothed out invisible wrinkles on her gown as a genuine smile tugged at her lips. She was feeling great right now and it was all thanks to Bow. She would thank him more later, but now there were more important matters at hand.
Catra followed behind the rest of the students as they made their way up the ramp and before her. She listened as the names of others as they were being called out, patiently waiting for her turn, and before she knew it, she was next. She handed her calling card to the announcer with a steady hand and held her breath.
“Catrina ‘Catra’ Cyra Diaz” Her name was called in a seemingly agonizingly slow pace. That, or maybe everything just felt like it was moving in slow motion to her. She took her first steps forward and it felt like she was learning to walk again. But then her ears picked up on the sound of her families gritos filling the air and her chest warmed and she fully relaxed.
Well, that and the fact that she heard the undeniable voice of Adora shouting “THAT’S MY GIRLFRIEND!!! WOOOOOOO!!!” At the top of her lungs.
She continued her trek across the stage, shaking hands with the people who had given speeches prior in the ceremony until she reached Angella. She smiled at her. “Congratulations Catra. You’ve made us all very proud.” She said as she wrapped her arm around Catra’s shoulder, so that they were side by side, and they posed briefly for the photographer before she pulled her all the way in for a tight hug.
“Thank you.” Catra said as she was released from Angella’s grip and suddenly she could feel her eyes begin to water. Everyone was just being so supportive of her today that she was starting to become a little emotional and all she could do was freeze in her tracks again.
But thankfully, the announcer called her friend’s name next, signaling that she should move on. “Bow Arthur Woods” He said, and Catra turned around slightly to see Bow step on stage before she walked towards the ramp in front of her. Bow’s family’s cheers echoed throughout the stadium, as she continued her journey down the ramp before posing for a few more professional photos. After that was done, she settled back into her seat and Bow joined her shortly after.
“See that wasn’t so bad, was it?” He asked through a smile.
“No, it was kind of exhilarating.” Catra said as she mimicked his expression.
“Right!” He agreed.
She watched as Angella moved to take the mic again. “May the graduates of the College of the Arts and Sciences please rise.” Catra then saw Glimmer and Scorpia stand up from their seats and make their way over to left stage, where she had been minutes earlier. At least they have each other too. Catra thought. It was nice having Bow… I just hope Adora will be okay by herself…
Speaking of her girlfriend, she seemed to be hyper focused on the stage when Catra glanced over at her through the crowd. At least she seems at ease right now. She thought until she saw that her left leg was bouncing up and down and that her hands were firmly clasped together in her lap, a clear indicator of nervous energy. Adora must have caught on that someone was staring at her as she turned to look directly at Catra. When their eyes met, her legs stopped bouncing.
‘Ae you okay?’ Catra mouthed and received a head nod in return. She gave her girlfriend a reassuring smile. ‘You’ll do great’ She continued and received a small smile in return, matching her own.
Catra’s attention was pulled back to the stage as a familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time, was called.
“Glimmer Luna Castile” As her name was announced she fluidly moved across the stage like she was made to be up there.
Glimmer quickly exchanged short pleasantries with the other members on stage, she clearly knew them from being the president’s daughter. And when she finally got to Angella… we’ll just say it was a sight to behold. Angella looked like the proudest parent on earth in this moment, and then there was Micah who seemingly showed up out of nowhere. They all posed for pictures longer than necessary and after a couple of minutes Glimmer moved off stage. She had stolen enough of the spotlight and she was ready to go.
Another familiar face was up next, shortly after Glimmer’s ceremonious departure. She entered the stage confidently like the powerhouse she was, and she made the whole room feel electric as her name was called. “Scorpia Nguyen” The announcer spoke and Catra could tell that she was a little jittery by the way she walked, probably from the excitement of this whole thing, and she cheered her on the whole way across the stage, shaking hands and posing for pictures too.
Angella took the mic again. “Graduates of the College of Engineering rise please.” She announced.
Catra watched as Entrapta rose from her seat. Her regalia was a little different from hers, since she was a master’s student, but it was kind of amusing since she almost looked like she was drowning in its fabric. She was the shortest of her fellow graduates and only one of three women graduating this semester from the engineering department, which was an impressive feat in its own right.
“Entrapta Emilie Petit” He name was stated, and she walked across stage, long purple hair perfectly complimenting the deep color of the gown, as she enthusiastically shook hands with everyone on stage and posed with pictures like the rest of them. She looked so happy the entire time and could hear Scorpia cheering her on as she did the same. They were all praying that she wouldn’t do anything chaotic while on stage and everything seemingly went off without a hitch, which they were grateful for.
A couple more colleges and a few more students walked across stage as Adora patiently waited for her college to be called. She had been so happy to see Catra and the rest of her friends graduate that she had really forgotten all about her own worries, until her girlfriend had caught on to one of her nervous ticks. She played off her suspicious, claiming that she was totally fine, when in fact she was completely freaking out. Every time she needed some reassurance though, she would look over at Catra who would already be staring back at her or turn as soon as she felt eyes on her. It was comforting to know that she was being looked out for, but this was still one of the biggest days of her life and she was terrified of screwing it up somehow.
“Graduates of the College of Medicine please stand.” Angella announced the last college to graduate.
Of course, we have to be last. The anticipation is practically killing me! Adora thought as she got up from her seat before looking at Catra one last time, who offered her a small wave, and walking toward the stage. She was feeling very emotional all of the sudden.
Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Adora kept chanting in her head as she approached the announcer. That’s the last thing she need to be doing today; bawling her eyes out in front of everyone during their graduation ceremony wouldn’t be very dignifying. Little did she know that her own girlfriend had almost been overcome by emotion while on stage and she was one of the most strong-willed people she’s ever met.
She handed him her call card and took in a deep breath before exhaling slowly. It calmed her nerves slightly, but she still felt like she was on the verge of tears. “Adora Marlena Grayskull” The announcer said her name and now she felt like she was going to throw up and she definitely did not need to do that. Crying was one thing but puking on stage at your graduation ceremony… no thank you.
Adora ignored her constricting stomach as she walked across the stage. She heard her family calling out to her and a “WAY TO GO PRINCESS!!!!” being shouted from the audience by Catra and she couldn’t help but blush slightly as she wore a huge smile on her face.
Everything was going smoothly until she got to Angella. As soon as she looked at her, she felt a tear trail down her cheek. She couldn’t help but pick up her pace at little to greet her in a tight hug. Her cap titled on her head and she wrapped her arms around her, but she didn’t care.
“I’m so proud of you.” Angella said as she pulled her in closer to her chest. “I know how hard you’ve worked for this and I am lucky that I was there to experience your growth.”
Adora felt a few more tears fall and she was almost going to give in to her emotions before she remembered that she was on stage and in front of a thousand people. She felt her stomach tighten again as she was released from the hug.
Angella wiped the tears from her cheeks, adjusted her cap and smoothed out her hair before posing for a picture with her. Afterwards, Adora gave her one last quick hug before moving off stage, finishing up her professional pictures and finding her seat again.
After all the students had crossed the stage, Angella took the podium again. “Will all of our graduates please stand.” She smiled as the students before her rose up. “Friends and family, I would like to present Bright Moon University’s Class of 2019!” She said and the stadium burst into a cacophony of cheers, shouts, yelling, just an overall sense of joy and excitement.
The celebration lasted only a minute, but after everyone had settled down some, they were finally released from the stadium floor and Adora ended up finding Catra waiting for her along one of the walls of the hallway that they walked through to get here earlier.
Catra greeted her as she slung her arm around Adora’s neck. “Looks like we finally did it, huh?”
Adora mimicked her actions. “Yeah, we did!” “This year went by really fast, didn’t it?”
“Not fast enough if you ask me!” Catra joked.
She laughed. “Either way we both should be proud of ourselves for accomplishing what we did. We worked really hard and even when school was kicking our ass, we still found time for each other.” She smiled.
“You’re right! We should do something to celebrate.” Catra suggested and she watched as her girlfriend’s eyes lit up.
“Oh! That reminds me, I have something for you!” Adora said as slipped out of Catra’s hold and stuck her hand down her gown to fish something out of her bra. “Wait, close your eyes.”
“What are you gonna do? Flash a tit at me? Not like I haven’t already seen them. Multiple times.” She smirked.
“Catra!” Adora scolded her. “Just close your eyes… and hold out your hands.”
“Fine…” Catra complied and did as told. She felt something small and warm being placed into her right palm.
“Okay, open your eyes.” She commanded meekly.
Catra immediately looked at what was sitting in her palm and her eyes instantly widened. “A ring?” She asked with a voice of shock and confusion.
“A class ring, yes, but you can think of it as a promise for the future.” Adora smiled.
Clearly not picking up on the connotations of that sentence, Catra continued their conversation on as normal. “Where did you even get this?” She asked as she examined the item in her hand.
“Oh, uh…You remember when I ran off during homecoming, before the game started?” She asked and Catra nodded. “Well I was placing an order for this.” She pointed to the ring in Catra’s palm. “And don’t worry! I got one for myself too, I just left it back at the apartment. It’s kind of different, but similar at the same time, you know?” Adora was rambling now, but Catra couldn’t help but hyper fixate on the realization of what her girlfriend had just said.
“A promise for the future, huh?” Catra said so quietly that Adora almost didn’t hear her.
“Haha… yep!” Adora answered through a nervous laugh, clearly not wanting to delve into the topic too much, even though she was the one to bring it up by giving her a ring! But true to her nature, she attempted to change the topic. “Anyway, does it fit?”
Catra decided it was best not to question her further, she would have plenty of time to do that later, so she picked up the ring and slid it onto her ring finger on her right hand. “Perfectly.”
“Great! Now, come on.” She smiled. “I think we’ve been keeping our families waiting for too long.”
A promise for the future. Catra repeated in her head and smiled to herself as she watched Adora walk down the hallway in front of her. And now I can’t wait to see what our future has in store for us… She thought as she quickened her pace to catch up with her girlfriend and linked their hands together.
With each other by their side… it was going to be an interesting journey, that’s for sure.
