Songs to listen to while reading:

Hurt Like Hell - Fluerie

Better Now - Cloves

"A kissing booth. How woefully predictable."

Leaning against a nearby tree with a casual air she didn't feel, Catra crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. The Greek Row festival was well under way, with game booths and local-shop tents lined along the park as far as the eye could see. It happened every September to kick off the semester with a bit of philanthropy. Catra rolled her eyes. Really, it was just another way for the Greek system to recruit others and look like they cared about something besides themselves. She knew they just wanted the school board off their backs, so they could continue their wild parties, social climbing and all-around-best-friend-stealing ways… Ahem. She chewed her thumbnail as she watched the booth with the longest line, full of boys and girls clutching dollars desperately between their greedy fingers.

Alpha Pi Gamma, also known as the "princesses" of Etheria University, hosted the event this year, encouraging all the other sororities and fraternities to get involved. And in typical Greek royalty fashion, they took dibs on the most-popular-yet-cliché-booth idea known to rom-coms and teenage tropes alike: a kissing booth. And who was dead center in the booth this year but Adora herself, Etheria's newest celebrity. Catra sneered. Last year, Adora would have been up against that tree next to Catra, poking fun at the Greek system and verbally ripping them to shreds. Instead there she sat, looking perfect with her sleek high ponytail and tight-fitted T-shirt, flushing furiously as she received dollar after dollar, giving soft smiles and kissing cheeks left and right like she was the motherfucking queen.

Catra's arms tightened across her chest as she scoffed. Ugh. This is what Adora left her for? How pathetic. She was so caught up in her glaring, she didn't notice Scorpia bounding over until it was too late.

"Man, these events always have the best food!" Scorpia said between mouthfuls. She had a turkey leg in one hand and a funnel cake in the other.

Catra jumped with a squeak, her hackles raised. Once she realized it was just Scorpia, she adjusted her kitten-eared beanie with a scowl and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her ripped jeans. "Dammit, Scorpia. For someone so loud you certainly know how to be discreet when you want to."

"You always say the nicest things to me." Scorpia grinned and took another large bite off the turkey leg as she followed Catra's intense gaze. "What are we looking at? Ohhh, a kissing booth. How fun!"

"Hardly. More like a reason for the slut queens of the university to get their kicks."

A painful silence settled between them, but Catra refused to meet Scorpia's searching eyes.

"Does this have to do with Adora?" Scorpia whispered.

"What?!" Catra jerked sharply, forcing her eyes away from watching Adora try to calm an extremely nervous girl down before kissing her cheek gently. Catra swallowed down the thickness in her throat at the sight. "This has nothing to do with her. She can kiss whoever she wants. It doesn't affect me."

Scorpia quietly munched on her turkey leg, her big eyes blinking innocently.

"What?" Catra snarled.

"Nothing, nothing." Scorpia said quickly, stuffing her face with funnel cake next.

"Damn right, nothing." Catra pushed herself off the tree and began stomping toward the booth.

"Where are you going?" Scorpia called.

"To make a point." Catra shrugged nonchalantly before turning back around and sauntering toward where all the commotion was. She slipped through the line unnoticed and cut right in the front, hip checking the next girl out of line and ignoring her indignant squawk.

"Hey, Adora." Catra purred with a hand on her hip.

"What are you doing here?" Adora hissed, glancing around like she might find the answer.

"What? Can't a girl want to support charity? What is it this time, saving the kittens?"

"You hate these things…" Adora frowned, averting her gaze. She mumbled the next part, "We're trying to restore the Whispering Woods from the fires last semester and hopefully rebuild the playground that was destroyed with it."

"How disappointing. I was really hoping the kittens made the list this year." Catra inspected her nails. "You know, so many of them have been abandoned recently, I just thought-"

"Catra." Adora sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Fine, if it's for the children." Catra sighed and slammed her dollar down on the table. When Adora recoiled, Catra's smirk widened.

Shimmer, Glitz, what's-her-name, Glittery Bimbo Sidekick #1 eyed the two of them warily from where she sat next to Adora. She looked like she was about to open her mouth and interrupt, but the customer in front of her waved a dollar bill in her face until she forced a strained smile and returned her attention to them, but not before flicking her short pink hair in such a way that Catra knew was meant to be a threat. It just made her amused smirk deepen instead.

"I'm not kissing you." Adora thinned her lips, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It's just a kiss on the cheek." Catra leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table so she was eye level with Adora. "We've done far more than that. This is child's play. Or have you already forgotten-"

"Catra, stop it."

"You always ruin my fun, babe. Besides, I've never had to pay for kisses before. I can write this off my bucket list."

Adora's cheeks reddened as she gritted her teeth. "You're unbelievable."

Catra had a thrilling comeback ready, but someone clearing their throat impatiently behind her stopped her from speaking. She straightened to her full height, ignoring Adora's warning glare, and turned around to face the person idiotic enough to interrupt her fun. They looked younger, probably a freshman or maybe a sophomore, with a curly mop of hair shorn short enough it sprung into tiny brown coils and dear god, was he holding a poster of Adora? Yes, yep he certainly was. It was one of the first ones the university printed when Adora took them to nationals for the first time in a decade last semester before summer break. "She-Ra" was printed along the top of the poster and the nickname made Catra's lip curl in disgust. What, did this kid want Adora to sign it? Ugh. The boy, who was a little taller than Catra, had the audacity to raise his eyebrows as if she was the one bothering him. Well, there was only one way to deal with this.

She sharply tugged the lapels of her moto jacket so the collar cuffed against her neck as she stared him down. Once he got a good look at her face, he seemed to recognize who she was, because all the color drained from his face. She raised an unimpressed eyebrow and showed him her teeth before she hissed. He stumbled back a step before completely turning tail and running. Catra eyed everyone else in line before she flicked her hand once to dismiss them. The line immediately dispersed, some of them moving onto the other lines where the other princesses were giving out kisses and the rest leaving with a forlorn look. Good, so the summer hadn't completely ruined her reputation then. The joys of living in a small college town.

When Catra turned around with a satisfied smile, she was greeted with a furious Adora. Not that she wasn't used to such a sight. In fact, there were many times that Catra looked forward to this particular side of her ex-girlfriend. The memories made her skin sizzle.

"That wasn't necessary, Catra." Adora's hands fisted by her sides. Oh, and was that a pout? Simply adorable.

"It was a bit of fun." Catra waved her off. "Besides, that creep behind me had a poster of you. Do you really want to encourage that?"

Adora blinked once, before immediately flushing red with a grimace. "Still. Would it kill you to be nice?"

Catra placed her palms on the table, leaning forward. Her grin widened when Adora didn't recoil this time. "You telling me you're enjoying this? Kissing strangers for money?"

"Don't say it like that." Adora swallowed but refused to look away. "It's for a good cause. Besides, it's not doing any harm."

Something ugly settled in Catra's stomach at those words, but she refused to let it show. No harm, indeed. Adora never felt like she was harming those around her with her thoughtless actions.

"Well, since we're in the business of not harming anyone and the fact that I've already paid." Catra fluttered her mismatched eyes playfully, "Where's my kiss?"

"Adora, is she bothering you?" The pink-haired pigmy puff glared between them. Five minutes without her overprotective new best friend getting involved. Five minutes of pinkless-haired bliss. A world record really.

"Of course I'm not bothering her, I'm a paying customer." Catra blinked innocently. "Just want to do my part and help out. Is that not allowed?"

The little one moved to stand up, not that it would make much difference between their heights, but Adora placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back down. Catra watched that hand viciously. Oh how easily Adora gave out touches these days.

"It's alright, Glimmer. I can't handle this."

"Yes, Dimmer. Kindly tend to your own line." Catra smirked and gestured to the line next to her.

The girl huffed, her cheeks impossibly red and puffed out like an angry chipmunk, before she turned back to her line, but not without giving Catra one last death glare. Heh, she received glares more threatening from a pack of nursing chinchillas. Honestly.

"Where were we?" Catra placed a hand on her cocked hip. "I didn't realize charity was so complicated."

"Let's get this over with." Adora spat.

"Babe, if I knew you were this desperate to kiss me, I would have come over sooner."

Adora reached out and yanked Catra forward by the lapels of her jacket. Catra was horrified by her own squeak, but she would never admit the bold move made her heart drum like a war cry.

"Mmm, you know I love when you take the lead."

"Only the cheek." Adora murmured, ignoring her comment. She licked her lips as her eyes dropped down to Catra's lips. She seemed to blink herself out of it, squaring her jaw as she held Catra steady.

"Whatever you say, princess." Catra turned her face and tapped her cheek once with her pointer finger.

Once Adora leaned in, Catra cupped her jaw and guided her lips to press against her own instead. Too easy. Adora gasped against Catra's lips but didn't move away. Instead, when Catra nipped at her bottom lip playfully, Adora's lips parted like muscle memory. Catra immediately took advantage and swiped her tongue along the seam of Adora's lips before dipping in and drawing her tongue out so they could curl against each other with a wet slurp. Adora moaned softly and clutched Catra's jacket tighter. The table dug into Catra's hips, but she could care less as her hand slide up Adora's scalp, pulling on her blonde ponytail until Adora moaned again. Catra rumbled low in her throat, pleased.

"Maybe I should donate to charity more often." Catra whispered against Adora's wet lips before kissing her once more, stealing her breath.

That seemed to knock some sense back into Adora because she pulled away with a gasp. Chest heaving and cheeks dusted a soft pink, Adora's grey eyes glinted with a mix between lust and anger. Catra thumbed the side of her lip with sly grin and internally purred when Adora tracked the movement, licking her own lips.

"Well, this has been a delight." Catra adjusted her beanie and bit her lower lip, fighting against a self-satisfied smile. "Until next time, Adora."

She stuffed her hands in her pockets and pivoted away without looking back, making sure her hips kept rhythm with the pounding in her ears. She thought she heard Adora curse her out behind her, but she refused to focus on anything but her own smooth steps. She wouldn't let her smirk break, or the mischievous hint leave her eyes. She wouldn't let anyone see that even though she felt like she won something today, she also lost something along the way.