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Catra yawned as she opened the door to her and Adora’s shared bedroom, Melog already weaving through her feet and hopping on the bed to make themselves comfortable.
“Adora?” Catra called, taking a quick glance around the room for her girlfriend. She’d left dinner early that night and Catra had to admit to being a little concerned.
There was no reply, but the balcony door was open so Catra ventured outside and found Adora leaning against the railing, looking up at the darkening sky.
Catra tilted her head, leaning against the doorframe, “Hey Adora.”
Adora startled, but she was smiling when she turned to face Catra, “Oh, hey. Dinner’s over already?”
“Sea Hawk lit the tablecloth on fire again.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Adora leaned against the railing again, an amused smile on her face.
“So, what exactly are you doing out here?” Catra pushed off the doorframe, moving to stand aside her girlfriend.
Adora perked up, “Didn’t you hear Entrapta at dinner? She said there was gonna be a meteor shower tonight!”
If Catra was being honest, she tended to zone out whenever Entrapta started using words that had more than three syllables, but Adora seemed excited so she decided to keep that little detail to herself.
“When’s it supposed to start, then?” Catra asked, glancing upwards as if it would miraculously start any second.
Adora shrugged, “I dunno.”
“So, you just decided to wait here for hours until it started?” Catra asked, raising an amused eyebrow.
Adora nodded sheepishly, looking up briefly before replying, “I didn’t want to miss it. I’ve never seen one before,” She frowned, tilting her head slightly, “I never really had the chance to look at the sky post- Despondos, I thought it might be nice.”
Catra could tell by Adora’s expression her mind was drifting into some not-so-happy memories and made a split second decision. If Adora wanted to watch a meteor shower, Catra would make sure she had the best damn view in all of Etheria.
She held out her hand, “Come with me.”
“Wha- where to?” Adora asked quizzically, shooting Catra a confused glance, reaching for her hand nonetheless.
“It’s a surprise,” Catra said, her previously soft expression morphing into her usual smirk. “Don’t worry, you won’t miss the shower. I promise.”
Adora took her hand, absentmindedly caressing Catra’s hand as she did so. A small smile made its way onto her face at Catra’s reassurance and she nodded.
“Lead the way.”
————————————————————————
Catra smirked as she watched Adora pull herself up onto the roof beside her. The girl had been climbing after Catra her whole life, but her technique was anything but graceful.
Adora noticed the look Catra was giving her and shoved her playfully, “Shut up.”
“I mean- I didn’t say anything,” Catra said innocently, taking a seat on the edge of the roof overlooking the castle grounds below.
“Must you always mock me?” Adora replied dryly, bumping shoulders with her girlfriend as she made herself comfortable on the ledge.
“Should’ve thought about that before you started dating me,” Catra smiled wryly, “Now you’re stuck with me, forever. ”
Instead of biting back with an insult, Adora just smiled softly, dropping her gaze to her lap, “Yeah, that’s the plan.”
Catra’s breath caught, Adora, despite her somewhat oblivious nature, always knew just what to say to make her heart race. They’d spent a long time avoiding being openly affectionate, afraid of the consequences of such vulnerability. Now, every word spoken was laced with so much fondness and familiarity that it made her head spin.
Catra chanced a glance up at her girlfriend and nearly combusted on the spot when she found that Adora was already watching her, a smug smirk forming as she noticed Catra’s flustered state.
“ Shut up, ” She tried for a growl, but it came out as more of a whine. Adora’s smirk widened.
“I mean, I didn’t say anything- “
“Adora!”
Adora threw her head back, laughing freely. Catra knew, without a doubt, that her laugh was the most lovely thing she’d ever heard. She’d humiliate herself a million times if that’s what it took to hear it.
Catra cleared her throat, nodding towards the sky, “So, ready to see this thing?”
Adora’s laughter faded out but the smile remained firmly in place, “You really don’t mind waiting with me?”
“Not at all,” She replied softly. Anything for you went unsaid.
It was a while before anything happened, but Catra was more than happy to sit with Adora, their fingers intertwined as they searched the sky for incoming meteors.
Suddenly, Adora gasped and pointed excitedly into the night, “There! It’s starting!”
Catra followed her gaze and saw the streaks of light cutting through the dark of the night, dancing across the sky like falling stars.
“It’s beautiful,” Adora said, her voice barely a whisper.
Catra dropped her gaze, turning to reply when her words suddenly caught in her throat. She found herself rooted to the spot, staring at a beauty that outshone even the brightest star in the sky.
Adora. Loose strands of hair framing her face, angled towards the heavens, the moonlight casting her in a soft glow. Her body was relaxed, a breathtaking smile gracing her features and her eyes sparkling brighter than all the glittering constellations above them.
She was perfect. In every sense of the word.
“Yeah,” Catra said breathlessly, “It is.”
————————————————————————
It was well past midnight now.
The meteor shower had been over for a while, but Adora seemed in no rush to return to their room and even though she’d never admit it, Catra was quite content where she was.
Adora was laying on her back, admiring the stars and pointing out different constellations, making Catra laugh whenever she made up a silly name for the ones she didn’t know.
“It is not called that!” Catra protested, making Adora huff with offense even as she hid a smile.
“I think I know what I’m talking about,” she insisted, “that is definitely a chicken.”
“It doesn’t even look like a chicken!”
“Well, what do you think it is?” Adora challenged.
Catra thought for a moment, straining her neck to get a better look and trying to see something other than just a random clump of stars.
“Fine, it can be a chicken,” Catra said grumpily, unable to think of something better.
Adora just grinned, turning her head back up to face the heavens, searching for a constellation she hadn’t named yet.
Catra’s eyes softened and she laid down next to Adora, intertwining their hands and pointing to a constellation above them.
“What’s that one?” Catra asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Adora hummed, nuzzling closer to Catra and tracing the outline of the stars with a finger.
“Sword,” Adora decided.
Catra laughed, shifting to rest her head on Adora’s chest, “Sure. Which side is the pointy end?”
“That one, obviously,” Adora pointed to the lower part of the constellation, pouting at Catra’s look of skepticism.
“And that one?” Catra pointed to a lone star, twinkling brightly against the black of the night.
“Catra.”
“What?” Catra asked, raising an eyebrow and glancing up at her.
“No, the star,” Adora explained softly, “ Catra .”
Catra felt herself redden and buried her face in her girlfriend's neck. She felt Adora’s hand fall into her mane of hair and let out an involuntary purr.
It was silent for a moment.
Catra leaned into her touch, eventually emerging from her neck and resting her chin in her hand so she could look at Adora properly.
“Why?” She asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
Adora blushed, looking away and continuing to run her hand through Catra’s curls. Eventually, she spoke.
“Well, it’s tiny. Just like y-”
Catra let out an offended shriek, scrambling into her girlfriend's lap and covering Adora’s mouth with her hand.
Adora giggled and it was unfairly cute, despite being slightly muffled. There was still a noticeable red tint to her cheeks.
Slowly, Adora grabbed her hand, but didn’t push it away. Instead, she twisted Catra’s hand in hers, pressing a kiss to the inside of Catra’s wrist before letting go.
Catra whined softly, cheeks burning, “Why are you like this?”
Adora sat up, pulling her close and cupping Catra’s face with her hands, her expression unbelievably fond.
“Because I love you.”
Catra’s heart nearly burst out of her chest, it always did when Adora said those words to her. No matter how many times she said them, Catra would never tire of it.
Adora was everything she’d ever wanted. Everything she’d never thought she’d have. Everything she’d been told she didn’t deserve.
But somehow, somewhere in the grief and rage she’d felt all those years without Adora - she’d done something to deserve her. To deserve this.
It was a gift Catra would never let herself take for granted.
So she pulled Adora closer, breathing her in and resting their foreheads together, feeling Adora’s fingers caress her jaw.
She spoke the words softly, the declaration whispered between them with only the moons and stars above to witness.
“I love you too, dummy.”