Adora was beginning to resent the fact that their apartment's only TV was in Bow's room.

Cuddling during a movie with your tentative romantic interest was markedly less titillating when you had to do it on your roommate's bed. But Catra had wanted to get away from her so-called Super Pal Trio (now including Perfuma, Scorpia's new girlfriend, which technically made it a quartet but Scorpia couldn't be convinced to change the name) for the day, and it was raining again, so they were stuck here.

It wasn't unpleasant, especially since Bow and Glimmer were at their afternoon pilates class so Adora and Catra had the whole place to themselves, but it wasn't ideal. It was even less ideal considering Adora had intended for this to be the day she brought up a rather weighty topic. She'd planned to do it over a nice dinner after a day of hiking or something to achieve the perfect mix of companionship, endorphins and exhaustion needed to set the mood (read: make Catra the least likely to reject her), but this would have to do.

Adora had chosen a romantic movie to make up the difference. She and Catra sat half-up against Bow's teakwood headboard, shoulders pressed together, Catra's hand loosely woven through the curve of Adora's elbow as they watched.

It was comfortable. It was familiar.

It was also different, now. That was much of the reason Adora had picked out today as The Day.

Catra had changed since they'd first met on that rainy day at the bus stop. Don't get Adora wrong; it was a good change, but she hadn't quite been able to wrap her head around it yet.

In the beginning, Catra had been prickly and hard to predict, even when on the surface she and Adora were on good terms—great, even. It seemed like every time they touched (or even were about to touch) she would unconsciously tense up like she was expecting it to burn her. Adora had tried to be as understanding and patient as possible in showing Catra that she didn't need to be so guarded all the time, but in truth, she had no idea what to do. She was afraid that any strategy besides giving Catra time would backfire spectacularly. She craved Catra's trust but didn't trust herself to earn it. As if that made any sense on paper. That was a recurring theme, Adora thought: the two of them were just two big bundles of contradiction.

But it was getting better. She was learning to understand Catra, and Catra was learning to let her in. Adora figured that it had a lot to do with the many dates they'd been on since that first one to Mystacor; the time they'd gotten to spend getting to know one another.

That and the influence of Perfuma, who besides being an absolute pillar of positivity also happened to be a practicing therapist (a personal guide, in her own terms). Though Perfuma and Catra functioned at starkly opposite ends of the spectrum, they seemed to have forged an odd kind of bond during Perfuma's regular visits to the Horde students' apartment. The flower girl seemed to be able to see right past Catra's thorny exterior in a way even Adora at first could not. She always knew the right thing to say to barrel right past it to the heart of the issue, and though Catra wasn't paying her for her therapeutic advice, they absolutely could have been mistaken for counselor and client.

Adora had only picked up on this curious dynamic by her own observation, because Catra wouldn't dream of opening up about her feelings unless coerced, of course. But based on what she'd heard, Adora had the tentative hope that that would soon change, too.

The last time she'd been over to Catra's, Scorpia and Perfuma had been there too, making chakra diffusing bracelets (whatever those were) together while Beat Bobby Flay played on the TV in the background. Catra was playing Animal Crossing on Entrapta's Switch with her head in Adora's lap, and Adora was trying to resist the urge to get up to find a snack (cooking shows made her hungry). It was comfortable, as things had been since Mystacor, but it wasn't yet effortless the way Adora wished it would be. There was still a faint air of tension around Catra that she couldn't seem to chase off, barring Adora from trying anything too mushy like tickling her where her Wild Cat crop top left her midriff exposed.

They sat that way for a while, Catra absorbed in Entrapta's game, Adora stuck in her own head as was habit at times like this. It was when Adora finally gave in to temptation and headed for the pantry that something really interesting happened.

Almost the second she left the room, she heard Perfuma's gentle voice pipe up behind her, pitched low like she was about to impart a secret. "Hey, Catra?" she began, and instantly Adora's interest was piqued. What did Perfuma have to say that she didn't want Adora to hear? The blonde stopped and backtracked toward the entrance to the common room on silent sock feet, leaning against the wall just out of sight but within earshot. Perfuma went on to ask, "May I give you a few words of wisdom that have been weighing on my heart?"

"Uh…sure, flower girl," came Catra's cautious response. Even that much was evidence that she was working on her issues: she no longer shot down any attempt to bond with someone besides Adora.

Perfuma went on, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I've been sensing some sort of…block between you and Adora." Block? What block? Adora wondered in a panic, trying to keep from bursting back into the room with that demand spilling from her lips. Catra's matching protest died as if Perfuma had raised her hand reassuringly. "Nothing that can't be fixed," the therapist said. "I just wanted to tell you that I know that it's hard keeping your heart open. It makes you vulnerable, but it doesn't make you weak. In fact, it's well worth it." Here Perfuma paused thoughtfully and lowered her voice further so Adora strained to hear. "I want to see your relationship with Adora blossom into something beautiful, and I know you do too. So maybe…give openness a try. Okay?"

There was a longer pause, during which Adora could imagine any number of reactions from Catra, none of them good. She wrung her hands in the silence, anxious. But when the brunette spoke up, she didn't sound angry or offended or hurt. She rather just seemed…tired. "Can you read minds or something, flower girl?" she asked on a sigh.

And, as unnerving as it had been to hear Perfuma's out-of-the-blue diagnosis, it was even more of a shock to know that she'd been right on the money. And Catra was admitting that.

Adora was torn between the ache of sympathy for Catra's struggle and the rush of hope that maybe this would be the catalyst for things to change. Maybe that tension would dissipate for good, finally. Maybe she and Catra would be able to just trust each other, finally. Maybe they could have that unnamable something that had been hovering on the edge of Adora's awareness recently, always out of reach.

And it had happened, sort of.

Catra hadn't actually told Adora about that encounter, but its effects sent ripples through their interactions like you wouldn't believe. It seemed almost to have banished the lingering traces of uncertainty that always showed whenever she and Catra got close.

The Horde student seemed instead to make a concerted effort to be more open, like Perfuma had recommended, allowing herself to laugh and love and live without falling prey to that old inhibition that always seemed to plague her. Adora could see in her face every time she stopped and made the conscious decision to relax instead of closing herself off, and it made her indescribably proud. Only, she couldn't tell Catra that, because she wasn't supposed to know that Catra was doing it in the first place. She just did her best to tell her with tender touches and looks, subtly encouraging her to continue.

So continue Catra did. And gradually she got used to choosing vulnerability; to Adora's quiet affirmations, until she no longer had to pause and think about it every time. That's what made this date different. Catra had been totally open and comfortable since walking through the door, and to Adora it felt like a weight off her chest—a huge step toward that something she wanted so badly. It reinforced her decision to make today The Day.

And it was getting close to time.

The movie had also coincidentally just transitioned into a sex scene, but that wasn't really the backdrop she'd been going for.

Catra found it way more amusing than Adora did. She let out a snort and slid the blonde a look with brows raised. "Hey, Adora, why did you pick this movie again?" she asked wryly.

Adora flushed instantly and was glad that the lights were off. To cover the blush, of course. And only for that reason. "I—w-well—" She scrambled for an explanation. "I thought it might—"

"Get me in the mood?" Catra finished with a stupidly hot eyebrow waggle.

"What?" Adora shrieked, sitting bolt upright. This was devolving fast. It was supremely unhelpful to her case that the characters on the screen were getting pretty…enthusiastic. "No, I would never—" I mean, yes, but not that kind of mood specifically.

"It's okay, princess," Catra purred. She'd followed Adora's retreat and was now leaning closer, nosing at the blonde's cheek, eyes locked firmly on her lips. Adora couldn't catch her breath. Catra seemed to know it, because she smirked as her voice dropped to a whisper. "It's working."

Adora's careful planning flew out the window. There was really no way she could resist an overture like that, whether or not the TV was broadcasting some very uncomfortable content for the situation. She'd just have to wait a little longer to bring up The Thing. That was okay, right?

In any case, Adora threw her arms around Catra's waist the instant the brunette let their lips lock, and coherent thought—and the inhibitions that came with it—scattered from her mind. They were replaced by nothing but Catra: her warmth, her smell, her wiry body against Adora's, her mouth.

Kissing wasn't really unfamiliar territory for them anymore, since Mystacor had basically opened the floodgates on their displays of affection, but it hadn't ever been like this before. Adora wondered if Catra's new openness had anything to do with the new heat behind her advances; the fresh boldness that swept her off her feet instantly. She could do nothing but melt into the rhythm of Catra's lips and her hands as she pulled them flush together, and she found that she didn't want it any other way. She couldn't even find the sense to be embarrassed at the noise that slipped from her throat when Catra fingered her ponytail free and tugged her head back by the hair. Sharp teeth against her throat earned another, and she cared even less. She was slipping; forgetting all about her own intentions in the haze of stirring heat.

The shock of her back hitting the mattress was finally enough to bring Adora to her senses. "Catra," she mumbled out, and it was meant to sound like a warning but it came out as more of a moan. She was distracted again by Catra's hands running down her arms to her wrists, sending ripples through her nervous system as they clamped down. She squirmed to find more contact, drunk on Catra's touch. She was met with a fresh shock when Catra's thigh landed in just the right place, and—that woke her right up. "Catra!" she finally managed to blurt sharply. When Catra immediately backed off, Adora took the chance to catch her breath. "This is Bow's bed," she reminded through buzzing, swollen lips.

Catra's shoulders drooped in relief even as she laughed lightly, breathless as well. It occurred to Adora that she'd probably been afraid Adora was rejecting her. Her heart squeezed. "You said he wouldn't mind," the Horde student drawled, teeth glinting as she grinned.

"You know this isn't what I meant!" Adora returned indignantly. She'd said Bow wouldn't mind them using his bed to watch TV from. She doubted he'd be so gracious about them using it for, you know, other things. As much as she'd like to give those other things a try.

"Okay, okay, princess." Catra raised her hands innocently, sitting back on her heels so Adora was freed from her weight. "I'll keep it in my pants for Bow's sake, but only because you like him."

Adora was caught off guard as she slid out from under Catra to sit up. For Bow's sake, echoed in her mind. Usually, Catra only called him Arrow Boy or Sparkles' Other Half or Belly Button. The fact that she'd actually called him by name meant a lot more to Adora than she expected. It meant Catra cared. It meant she was making an effort to accept a part of Adora's life that she usually ridiculed at best and resented at most. It meant progress.

It gave Adora a fleeting glimpse of the thing she kept trying to identify. It also gave her the rush of hope and resolve that she needed to bring up what she'd been building toward all night. Now was a good a time as any, right? …Right?

"Catra," she began tentatively, trying to collect herself enough to build some momentum for The Big Moment. She fidgeted. "I wanted to, um, ask you something."

The look of sudden fear on Catra's face matched the quickening of Adora's own heart. Already this wasn't going the way she'd intended. She'd imagined a whole slew of ways that she could pose the question smoothly and suavely, at just the right moment, the way she'd been able to flirt at their first meeting. But Catra wasn't the only thing to change since then. Circumstances had, too. It was one thing to flirt effortlessly with a stranger when you could fall back on the safety net of never seeing them again. It erased all possible consequences. But taking a chance when it was with someone you knew? Someone you liked? Someone you had cuddled with and gone on dates with and made out with in a crappy Mystacor dressing room five minutes from closing time?

Consequences.

Adora figured the best thing she could do was spit it out before she brought all Catra's insecurity crashing back down, undoing all the progress of the last few months. She practically lunged for Catra's hands and held them as much to steady herself as to steady the other girl.

Then she drew a deep breath, looked her companion in the eyes and took the leap. "Catra, will you…be my girlfriend?"

The look on Catra's face melted from one of fear to one of blank disbelief.

Adora, on the other hand, felt panic rise. Why did Catra look so surprised? Had that really been such an inconceivable question? Had Catra really not expected her to bring it up sooner or later, after all the time they'd spent with each other? After all the…you know, progress?

At least, Adora had thought it was progress. Now her certainty was shriveling into a nauseous little knot in her gut, and her hands trembled a little around Catra's. She desperately tried to backtrack, "I know we haven't known each other for all that long and I'll completely understand if you're not ready yet, but I feel like—"

"You're not making this any easier," Catra cut her off with her voice just as flat as her expression.

Sick regret began trickling into Adora's veins like ice water. She should have waited. She should have given Catra more time. She should have let her make the first move. "Wh-what?" she stammered out, dreading the answer.

A flash of mirth in Catra's gemstone eyes was enough to offer Adora a mite of relief. Maybe she wasn't upset after all. But why had she looked like that, then? "Keeping it in my pants," Catra provided blithely and smiled, and that broke the last of the building tension between them.

Thank God. Adora let out an explosive sigh, feeling shaky in the wake of her panic even as the brunette leaned in and pressed their foreheads together. It was almost too close for Adora to focus on the bright blue and gold of her eyes, but she managed it gladly.

Catra's next words were a breath against her lips: "Of course I'll be your girlfriend, dummy."

Adora couldn't hold back another sigh of relief, nor the wide smile that broke over her face. "Geez," she breathed, "way to make a girl sweat." Seriously. Catra had had her terrified! Now that she thought about it, she probably should have expected Catra to be at least a little dramatic about her response. She felt stupid now for worrying over nothing. Catra's arms wrapping around her waist again made her feel better, though.

"It's what I'm good at." The brunette hummed a mischievous laugh.

Adora, fully aware that she'd walked right into that one, was too happy to be annoyed. She chuckled and tipped her head up to kiss the spray of freckles on Catra's nose. As she did so, a flash from over the other girl's shoulder reminded her of the TV. So much for that, she thought. But, then again, it had kind of set the mood—if not in the way Adora had been intending. "Do you want to finish the movie?" she asked, silently hoping that Catra would say no. Luckily it had progressed past the awkward love scene, but they hadn't really been paying attention for a minute anyway.

"No need," Catra replied, smirking into the kiss she planted against Adora's neck.

Adora did not argue. Instead she wrapped her arms around Catra's shoulders, combing a fond hand through her tangled hair as the brunette continued to love at her neck. The attentions sent a poignant shiver through her. On a sudden whim she murmured, "Catra, I'm so glad I met you." She hadn't really thought about the words, but as soon as they were out, Adora felt like she'd been meant to say them.

Catra pulled back to look at her—not in surprise, exactly, but a special kind of shock, and Adora felt a rush of both warmth and pity as she realized what it meant: Catra wasn't used to hearing things like that. Adora had gathered enough during the last few months to know that Catra's childhood had been pretty rough. She doubted she'd had much positive reinforcement to get her through her younger years. That fact, plus the look Catra was giving her right now, made Adora want to shower her with enough affirmations to make up for a lifetime of lack. She'd tell Catra every day how much she meant to her if it would spark that hesitant, heartfelt smile that she was wearing right now.

"I—me too," Catra replied, head lowered, voice almost shy, matching the blush rising to her cheeks.

Adora chanced a slow, genuine smile of her own. She tipped the brunette's chin up to meet her eyes tenderly and asked, "So, does this mean you'll take my sweatshirt now?"

Catra snorted and rolled her eyes. "If it means that much to you." She leaned in to give Adora a peck that left her wanting more.

"It does," Adora whispered a little hoarsely. Her gaze was stuck on Catra's lips. "It kind of, I don't know, brings things full circle." She forced her eyes up. "Does that make any sense?"

Catra shook her head, but she was smiling so one canine caught the dim light of the TV. "You're such an idiot."

"You love it."

Another flash of surprise crossed Catra's face. Adora figured she should probably stop dropping bombshells like this, but she was just so happy. Catra made her happy. And now she was her girlfriend! Adora wanted to make Catra just as happy, too.

The brunette let silence stretch between them as she lifted a hand to trace Adora's cheek with careful sharp-nailed fingers. Her touch was gentle, reflective, and her eyes were shadowed with deep thought. Adora waited for her to speak, feeling like this was an important moment to Catra's process.

"I…I do," Catra finally admitted in a tone of profound realization. She let out a shuddering breath like the words had physically affected her, and then smiled at the freedom of it. "I do." Then she refocused on Adora, sun and sky eyes boring into gray-blue, and wasted no time in leaning in and kissing her properly this time; tenderly. When she broke away they both gasped to regain their breath. "I love you," she finished, and her voice had taken on a different edge: rougher, fuller, like she was putting all of her emotion behind it. And, Adora thought, that had been what she was working toward this whole time, right? This was the ultimate display of openness, and Catra had taken the leap. Catra had trusted her.

That didn't mean the revelation didn't hit her like a punch to the gut. She supposed she deserved to weather a bombshell of her own, though, and this—well, this certainly qualified. For all of her hoping that Catra would make the first move for once, she hadn't really expected it to come to fruition in such an earthshaking way. She swallowed hard on a sudden lump in her throat. When she met Catra's eyes again and realized she was waiting, anxious, for a response, Adora didn't hesitate to grin widely and give it to her. "I love you, too," she confessed. She had for a while, she realized, if not ever since that day at the bus stop (but she wasn't really a believer in love at first sight). Catra just meant something different to her than anyone else—something more. She'd always felt as if Catra were an important part of her life; a piece of her that she hadn't realized was missing until she laid eyes on a certain very attractive, very unhappy stranger while standing in the middle of a downpour.

Now, it felt as if something had clicked into place deep in her chest. She felt newly satisfied; whole. It didn't take Adora long to realize: this was the unnamable something that she'd been grasping at for all this time. She'd thought maybe it was a relationship, but now that those beautiful, fateful words hung in the air between them, she knew that it was more than that. It was love the whole time. She wanted Catra to love her. She wanted Catra to know that she was loved in turn.

And now she had her wish.

In the wake of that powerful change, she and Catra were left grinning at each other like a couple of idiots. Adora wasn't sure if she felt more relieved that Catra felt the same way she did or more thrilled to find out what their future together would hold, but right now she didn't have the capacity to care. All she cared about was Catra, and the glowing warmth in those blue and gold eyes reflected the sentiment right back at her.

It was as if by some unspoken agreement that they leaned in to each other at the same time, meeting in the first kiss that truly meant something new.

And if Bow was about to come home to find them making out on his bed, well, that was a problem for future Catra and Adora—together.

…

THE END