Hopefully this is the right place to copy and paste this 😅 Love the blog and your writings are fantastic, especially since there’s not a whole lot of catradora fanfiction yet. If you’re taking prompts, could you do a piece with Adora and Catra’s tail? They way it has a mind of its own, communicating Catra’s real feelings blatantly, and winds around Adora in a few fan art pieces is great. I’d love it if you would write a piece expanding on that!
Five Times Catra was a Cat and One Time the Cat was Catra
Adora’s favourite time of day, believe it or not, was waking up. Specifically waking up next to Catra. Even more specifically, waking up before Catra, and getting to watch Catra wake up.
This one took me so long and I’m sorry, but I had so much fun doing it.
(Try and say the title ten times in a row.)
Read it on ao3 or below.
— 1 —
Adora’s favourite time of day, believe it or not, was waking up. Specifically waking up next to Catra. Even more specifically, waking up before Catra, and getting to watch Catra wake up.
Catra’s face was relaxed. She was always youthful, and calm looking—so different in sleep than she was during the day. Her breathing was even and, she had her tail wrapped around Adora’s leg, and one of Adora’s arms clutched to her chest.
Then, her eyelashes fluttered and her nose wrinkled adorably. She made a small noise in the back of her throat and curled closer to Adora, seeking her warmth. After a second, she sighed and her face smoothed out. Adora curled closer to Catra and passed a hand over her head.
After a few passes, Catra began to lean into Adora’s hand, a soft purr rumbling out of her chest. She leaned into Adora’s hand as she stretched her legs. Adora could feel Catra’s toes clench and curl against against her leg.
Catra let go of Adora and moved to stretch her back, a long groan escaping her as she went. The hair on her ears stood on end as her stretch reached the very top of her head. Adora smoothed it down as Catra blinked her eyes open.
“Good morning,” she grumbled.
“Good morning,” Adora pressed a kiss to her lips.
Truly the best part of morning.
— 2 —
“Jeez,” the princess sighed, squeezing Adora’s bicep, “You must really work out a lot.”
Adora laughed, a little uncomfortable at the praise. “Yeah, I, um, I have to do a lot of training,” she let out another uncomfortable chuckle, “The sword is pretty heavy.”
The princess giggled and leaned farther into Adora, pressing her chest directly onto Adora’s arm. “Wow. That’s really impressive.”
Adora pulled her arm away, extremely uncomfortable. “Uh, thanks—”
Adora was cut off by Catra, who appeared beside her out of no where and hissed, “Hey Adora.” Catra’s ears were standing straight up, her tail whipping behind her dangerously.
A small smile grew on Adora’s face and a small ball of something warm bloomed in her chest when she saw the other girl. “Hey Catra.”
“Who’s this?” Catra nodded in the princess’s direction.
“Oh, this is…” Adora trailed off because honestly, she’d forgotten. “This is, um, Princess…”
“Princess Ashe of the Western Cliffs,” the princess filled in, presenting her hand for Catra to kiss. Either the princess didn’t notice Adora had forgotten her name, or she really was just that thick.
Catra stared at the hand offered to her, and pointedly didn’t even touch it. “Alright Princess Smoke—”
“Ashe—” the princess interjected.
“Whatever,” Catra continued and Adora had to bite her lip to stop the laugh that threatened to escape her. “I was just wondering if I’d be able to talk to my girlfriend for a minute.”
Princess Ashe looked taken aback, and that warmth from earlier doubled in Adora’s chest. “You may,” Princess Ashe said.
“I wasn’t asking you, actually,” Catra hissed back. “Babe?” Catra turned her back to Princess Ashe, and pressed her entire body along Adora’s.
“Yeah?” Adora tried not to sound too fond.
Catra reached up to speak directly into Adora’s ear, “Glimmer and Bow are calling a group training session later.” Catra pulled away slowly, her fingers trailing down Adora’s arm teasingly. She had a killer smirk on her face, as if she’d just said something incredibly naughty instead of completely innocuous.
Catra’s eyes flicked to Princess Ashe and her entire demeanour changed. She went from playful and flirty to harsh and hateful in a second. Her fur was standing on edge and her glare was sharp enough to kill. Adora could have sworn that she actually heard Catra hiss.
“Later Princess Smoke—”
“Ashe—”
“Whatever,” Catra waved a hand dismissively as Princess Ashe fumed. Adora tried not to smile, but Catra was just so loveable.
Catra then turned over her shoulder, brushing by Adora and winding her tail flirtatiously around Adora’s hand as she went. “Later, Adora,” she purred, and Adora would be lying if that exact tone of voice form Catra didn’t make her knees go a little weak.
— 3 —
“Glimmer,” Adora called when she spotted the other girl. “Have you seen Catra around? I haven’t seen her since lunch.”
Glimmer rocked on her heels, “Have you checked the training arena?”
“Of course,” Adora said, becoming a little agitated. “I’m worried about her.”
“Why?” Glimmer asked. “She’s gotta be somewhere around Bright Moon. It’s not like she can really get hurt here.”
“You don’t know catra,” Adora sighed, “If she can’t find trouble, she’ll make it.” Adora began walking down the hallway again. “Thanks, Glimmer! If you see her, let me know!”
“Sure,” Glimmer waved after Adora, eventually falling out of sight as Adora rounded the corner.
Adora had looked for her everywhere. She wasn’t in the training arena, she wasn’t out in the pasture antagonizing Swift Wind, she wasn’t in any of the main, or side hallways, she wasn’t anywhere.
And the longer Adora couldn’t find her, the more she feared Catra had gone back to the Horde. Things weren’t exactly easy here for Catra. She was constantly trying to prove to everyone around her that she wasn’t evil while also dealing with the trauma from what Shadow Weaver and Hordak had done to her as a kid. At least in the Horde people weren’t constantly second guessing her and undermining her insight.
And the longer this went on, the less she blamed Catra for running away. The Rebellion and the Alliance weren’t nice to Catra. At lease not as nice as they should have been. And Adora was the one who kept them in the epicentre of it.
God, Adora was causing Catra pain, yet again.
God, Adora really was the worst.
Adora’s frantic searching finally led her to the main dining room. Adora was about to collapse onto one of the chairs in defeat when she saw it: a tiny brown tail poking out from underneath the table.
Adora’s breath caught in her throat, hope building in her chest dangerously.
Slowly, as to not scare it away, Adora knelt on the ground and looked under the table. And there she was. Catra was sleeping. Under the table on one of the decorative supports.
Adora dropped onto her knees and let out a laugh.
Catra was sleeping under the table this whole time, and Adora had been panicking. She’d been driving herself crazy with guilt and Catra had been napping in possibly the most uncomfortable place in the entire castle.
The laugh hiccuped and tired into a sob.
Because those things were still true weren’t they? Adora was still holding Catra in a place that was just as bad, if not worse than the Horde had been. And for what? Just so Adora could keep Catra close? What a stupid reason to put someone through so much.
“Adora?” Catra croaked. Adora must have woken her with her crying. Catra’s ears perked up and she was crowding Adora into her arms almost immediately. “Adora? What’s wrong?”
Adora selfishly pressed her face into Catra’s neck, bunching up fistfuls of Catra’s shirt. “I’m hurting you again, aren’t I?”
“What?” Catra pulled away from the embrace a little, pushing hair and tears off of Adora’s face.
“This place is horrible to you, and I keep you here,” Adora lamented, “You deserve so much better than this, Catra, and I want to give it to you, but I can’t leave here because of She-Ra.”
“Whoa, whoa, Adora,” Catra stilled Adora, holding her face between either of her hands. “What are you even talking about?”
Adora took a deep breath. “I couldn’t find you. And I thought you might have run away, and then I started feeling bad because I was holding you here when you deserve to be free.”
“Adora,” Catra sighed, “I am free here. Do you think I’d be able to take a nap in the middle of the day at the Horde? Do you think I’d be able to hold you like this at the Horde? Do you think I’d be eating this well at the Horde?” Catra smoothed more of Adora’s hair back.
“And yeah, sometimes the people in the Alliance are pretty shitty to me, but I have you. We have each other’s backs, and I know that if I ever wanted to leave, you’d let me. And you’d try with all your might to come with me.”
“I would,” Adora whispered, letting her eyes flutter shut as she placed her hands over top of Catra’s on her face. “I would do anything if you asked, Catra.”
Catra smiled, “I know, Princess.”
— 4 —
The diplomatic meeting had been going on for what felt like a million years. No one can really blame Adora for getting bored in the middle of it. And no one can blame Adora for deciding that Catra really was the best way to end her boredom, either.
It started small. Adora would brush her leg against Catra’s almost like an accident, and every time Catra’s eyes would cut to her. Adora always ignored her, like she truly hadn’t meant to do it.
After the third time, however, Catra hissed, “Stop it.”
Adora looked at Catra. Her tail was waving through the air behind her chair playfully. Inwardly, Adora smirked, outwardly, Adora pinned an innocent look on her face.
“Sorry,” Adora mumbled, purposefully looking confused before going back to the incredibly boring meeting.
Adora waited a little longer this time to make her move, letting Catra relax. Adora watched out of the corner of her eye as Catra’s tail flagged a little—a sure sign of her being bored. Adora leaned back in her chair, pulling her hands into her lap. She sat like that for a few seconds before she discretely inched her hand over to Catra’s thigh.
Adora didn’t really do anything. She just placed it there, her thumb making small circles on the outside of Catra’s knee, but it sent a rush through Adora as if she was doing something bad. And when Adora glanced toward Catra, who seemed completely unaffected by the hand on her thigh, save for the light dusting of red over her cheeks.
Catra’s tail was back to swaying playfully.
Adora tried not to smile, but she’s afraid a tiny smirk may have made it through.
Adora left her hand still for a few beats to allow Catra to settle again. When Catra’s blush went down, Adora began moving her palm. She moved it from the top of Catra’s knee, up to the inside of her thigh, almost completely between her legs.
Catra squeezed her legs together and shot Adora a warning look. Adora looked at her innocently. Catra gave her a look that said, I’m not buying your shit, Adora.
Adora glanced at Catra’s tail, it was doing that adorable curling thing it did when Catra got…excited.
Adora looked back at Catra and just smiled, keeping her hand where it was for the rest of the meeting.
— 5 —
Adora was already in bed when Catra swung into the room from the balcony, just getting back from her late-night jog/acrobatics training.
Catra moved around the dark apartment completely silent as she went about her nightly routine, finally slipping in next to Adora, careful not to jostle her. Adora’s heart warmed at the girl’s care. Adora rolled over and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.
“Hey, did I wake you?” Catra whispered into the night as she smoothed Adora’s hair back from her face.
“No,” Adora whispered back, “Was waiting for you.”
Catra’s mouth quirked up and she pressed her forehead into Adora’s. “You’re so sappy,” she whispered, but Adora could hear the smile in her voice.
“You love it,” Adora mumbled, a dopy smile on her face as she pressed her forehead back into Catra’s.
Catra let out a hum that sounded suspiciously like a purr before she said, “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Adora’s chest couldn’t be more full.
— +1 —
The battle was looking pretty bad, the Horde having vastly outnumbered the Alliance. Even with She-Ra’s help, things were looking pretty bleak. Adora had just ordered a retreat when she got hit, She-Ra’s form dissolving around her, leaving Adora vulnerable on the battlefield.
Back in her true form, Adora’s entire body ached. She felt like all of the bones in her body had been broken and put back together in the wrong order. Her head pounded, and her arms wobbled as she tried with every last bit of strength in her being to push herself up.
But it was for nothing. A Horde soldier—maybe even someone she knew—kicked her down, their boot heavy on her back. Adora hit the ground and she knew it was over for her. She had failed.
She had failed Etheria as She-Ra, she had failed catra as Adora, she had failed her friends as both.
And as her face was pushed into the dirt below her, a Horde soldier pressing their taser to Adora’s head, Adora accepted this. She accepted her death. She sent a prayer to whoever, or whatever, was out there to look after her friends, to look after Catra, to make sure they all stayed safe.
And she accepted her death.
She braced herself for the shot, for the searing pain, for the nothing after, but it never came.
Instead there was a loud roar above her, the Horde soldier’s gun gone. Adora forced herself onto her back and stared into the familiar mis-matched eyes of a very large cat.
“Catra?” Adora croaked, one of her hands reaching up shakily to touch the beast before her.
The cat pressed her face into Adora’s palm. It’s fur was so soft, and the low purr it released soothed Adora to her core. It was a moment of peace amongst to much carnage that Adora didn’t know what to do other than cry.
And that’s what she did as Catra, in her cat form, helped Adora climb onto her back. It’s what Adora did as Catra then charged them through the battle to safety. It’s what Adora did as Catra finally transformed back. It’s what Adora did when she was wrapped up in Catra’s familiar embrace, finally safe and alive, against all odds.
