Just Us (ch2)

Oh would you look at that...my hands slipped a day later and there are suddenly 8000 more words to this fic... amazing...

I really wanted to write Catra's POV this time around! It follows her for the most part till the end.

Disclaimer: I do not own She-Ra.

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														Chapter 2.

Catra had made sure to leave Adora before sunrise so they could both make quick work of getting back to where they needed to be.

She still can't believe she'd done that; just because she'd been a little antsy last night and decided to get away from the Fright Zone for a minute shouldn't have warranted following some intangible instinct and nonsensical whispers right into Adora's path.

/What the hell was I thinking...? I'm such an idiot./

As she makes her way quietly back through the broken trees of the Whispering Woods, Catra pauses just for a second. But she doesn't look back.

/This was the last time. I can't come back here. I won't. Not for her./

They can't play games anymore. They aren't kids anymore. They're enemies through and through, and no amount of delusional midnight rendezvous is going to change that.

Catra snorts, kicking the claws of her feet into the grass to prepare for a jump into the branches above. But the sharp pain in her side shreds through her with a vengeance, and she ends up sputtering on her knees.

"Gah... shit..."

She'd been through countless years' worth of ruthless training under Shadow-Weaver's command, and she'd suffered her fair share of fractures and broken bones. Probably more than her fair share when she thought about it, considering how often she used to throw herself in harm's way to cover Adora's blindside.

And every time Adora had been there to nurse her back to health.

Maybe that's why she'd always gotten over the pain so quickly.

But now all she has left is the memory of Adora's fingertips tracing over her side, imprints whose warmth has already long-since faded in the chill of the air the second she'd left her. If Catra were a single day weaker than she was now, she might've gone back.

But she's not weak. Not anymore.

"I don't need her anymore..."

Meeting Adora out here last night had been nothing more than a coincidence. It won't happen again.

Once she's gotten her breath back, Catra pushes herself to her feet and continues on back toward the Fright Zone. It's then she realizes her hair is still awfully smooth from Adora's treatment, so Catra quickly gives herself a shake and knots her free hand through her hair to fix it. But even doing that makes her wince.

/Damn it! Why the hell does it hurt so bad?/

Adora's smashing her against the side of a mountain during the battle for Bright Moon had probably bruised her up first, and then the fall from the tree and the awkward landing on the branch had fractured it. Catra growls.

"I don't have time for this. Not when Hordak has just promoted me to Force Commander..."

Weakness isn't allowed. In the Horde's eyes, she'd be better off dead in that case.

She removes her hand from her injured side as she steps into view of the guards who nod to her. She's about to head inside when one of the guards stops her.

"Force Commander Catra. Lord Hordak would like you to begin combat training immediately to strengthen the troops."

Catra's ears flatten.

"Right now? Can't a girl grab a bite to eat after a round of self-imposed early-morning reconnaissance?"

"But, Lord Hordak's orders-"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you. Fine, we're training. Let's do this."

A slew of soldiers emerges from the barracks, armed and ready.

And they sure don't hold back.

Maybe it's because she hasn't eaten in a while, or maybe it's because of her ribs, but for some reason she definitely gets the feeling something's off.

At the very least she'd slept decently last night.

Catra doesn't hold back on them either. Every time one of them manages to land a blow on her bad side, or she moves herself the wrong way to cause pain, she screeches and takes it out on them, shredding and kicking and tossing them with all her might. The adrenaline blocks out the pain for just a few seconds; it's the only thing to make the aching stop.

Catra spars with a few dozen soldiers and robots without stopping, constantly forcing herself to maintain her confident exterior. She can't afford to let anyone get an inkling about her injury.

She fights and fights until there's a pause in the action. The sound of slow, heavy clapping makes her ears tremble.

She hisses for breath, swallowing back a yowl of agony as it irritates her ribs even further. But she doesn't let it show.

Especially not in front of him.

One robot advances, projecting a screen of Hordak.

"Very impressive, Force Commander Catra. I would like to continue a more rigorous training regime for our soldiers as we prepare for a counterattack against Bright Moon. Do continue your practices. I would like to observe."

Catra's nostrils flare. Did he know? She can't tell.

"Of course, Lord Hordak. Observe for as long as you like."

She has no choice now. She fights anyone and anything that crosses her path, landing three times as many blows as she takes, even when she's so severely outnumbered. She dodges hits and twists around their weapons, using her lithe body to her advantage.

But the pain gets to her every now and again, during those few split seconds where she's slowed down enough to let her pounding blood settle. Somewhere along the lines she feels the fracture become a break, but she still doesn't stop. She knows Hordak wants to see her crumble and show her weakness so he can make an example out of her.

/Like hell I'm gonna give him what he wants!/

Catra refuses. She fights through them all, letting as many ribs break as she needs to in order to prove herself. She fights until there's no one left standing but herself.

She staggers but doesn't fall, panting as she turns slowly back to glare at the screen. Hordak is unreadable behind his mask as always.

"Impressive, Force Commander. I expect this level of practice to continue as we make our preparations."

Catra swallows hard to keep down the shriek she's been stifling all this time.

"Yes, sir."

Hordak claps, and the screen goes black.

Catra lunges at the robot and smashes it to pieces. She collapses in the debris, gasping like a half-drowned cat.

"Damn... Damn it... agh..."

As the adrenaline finally dies down, the pain consumes her. It lights her blood on fire, makes her pulse slam hard in her veins, which makes her squirm.

"Stop- Stop it-!" She hates feeling her own heartbeat. It's annoying. It's unnecessary. It makes her feel so weak...

With a screech she grabs a piece of debris and chucks it as far as she can, but the action sends another wave of pain searing up her side. She curls in on herself.

"Shit..."

She can't stay here like this. Not in plain sight.

She forces herself up, and just walking a few steps takes the breath right out of her again. At the very least, just about every soldier that might normally intercept or notice her is off nursing their own bruises.

Catra barely makes it inside before slumping against the wall. She all but drags herself back to her quarters at the cadets' rooms.

And that's when she realizes this is probably the last time she'll be here. Her promotion had likely landed her her own room elsewhere. Scorpia had mentioned something like that the day Hordak had proclaimed Catra Force Commander.

Which means...

She swallows and it barely goes down. Her eyes travel slowly over the bunk beds as she limps through the empty dorms, all the way to the last one...

Her own top bunk had been untouched for years, because she'd always slept in the one beneath it. Even after that occupant had vacated.

The blankets are still shredded and the walls are still scratched; Catra had never bothered to fix or replace any of it.

She couldn't. She still can't.

She can't replace any of this. She can't replace her...

She stumbles over to that bed for what may very well be the last time and collapses onto her better side. She clutches the blankets to her throbbing chest to stifle the pulse, and buries her face in the fabrics.

Adora's scent had faded weeks ago. All that lingers now is cold material and the remnants of Adora's scent that Catra's nose imposes after dragging up memories from the deepest corners of her mind.

It isn't so hard this time though, considering she'd just gotten to take in that smell last night.

Adora had always smelled of the forest, even before she'd taken off. Even as a child she'd smelled like life and freedom.

That's why some part of Catra had never been all that surprised to see her go.

Her eyes travel over the primitive childhood carving of two girls holding hands and smiling, marred by four long claw marks. If Catra had the strength she'd shred them again.

But her body feels too heavy to move, and her vision blurs with heat. Her eyes fall shut by no will of her own.

Catra fades into unconsciousness, and this time she's cold and alone.

But she still remembers that scent.

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She isn't sure how or why, but when she wakes it's nearly nightfall. Evidently Hordak had gotten his kicks from seeing her shred through his soldiers this morning and hadn't asked for her for the rest of the day.

Catra opens her eyes and finds herself still alone in the dorm rooms, which is fortunate, because if the cadets and other trainees had seen her like this...

She snorts, shoving the blanket away from her face. But another stinging pain tears up her side and she shrieks.

"Oh... right... that's still a thing..."

Part of her had been expecting the pain to be gone after a bit of rest. That's how it'd used to be anyway. It seems she doesn't heal as quickly without Adora-

"No! It's got nothing to do with her!"

Catra shoves herself up, gripping her side tightly enough to sink her claws through. The fresh prickles of pain distract her from the burning ache inside her ribcage, just for a second.

She can't go on like this. Not when it's this bad, and not when Hordak is going to start ordering her onto new missions as soon as tomorrow. The first sign of weakness she shows to him would mean the revocation of her position as Force Commander.

"Like hell I'm gonna give this up right after I snatched it from under Shadow-Weaver's feet..."

Catra staggers to her feet and begins limping toward the exit. She needs to go somewhere away from the Horde. She needs to see someone who can help heal her.

And as far as she knows – in spite of how much she hates it – there's only one person who's ever been able to do that for her.

She keeps to the shadows, though she can't move half as quickly as she normally would thanks to the broken bones. She crouches low out of sight of other soldiers and dodges around the security bots until she's made it outside. The moons have started to rise and darkness has fallen.

It's a long walk to the Whispering Woods. It had taken Adora and her a few minutes to get there by skiff the first time, and last night Catra had managed to get there fairly quickly because her injury hadn't been this bad.

But now every step is a struggle, and every breath is one that hurts.

She slumps against everything she can find, most of which are steaming hunks of scrap metal on the outskirts of the Fright Zone. She doesn't even know if Adora will be out looking for her again tonight. If she's not, it's an even farther trek all the way to Bright Moon to get to her, and she doubts anyone but Adora finding her there would end well. But by the time she realizes she's probably screwed either way, she's already come too far to turn back.

/Guess it's my best bet. I'm benched or even dead if I go back to Hordak like this. At least if the princesses capture me they won't-/

She catches herself.

"Gah! What the hell am I thinking? Being a prisoner at Bright Moon might be better than staying with the Horde? Ch! Yeah, right..."

She refuses to let her mind wander like that again. Gripping her side, she continues the arduous journey.

It only gets worse as she moves onward. Even when she places her feet slowly on the ground, it still sends shockwaves up to her chest. She's resorted to breathing through her mouth, and her head feels like it's got moths flapping around inside it.

"Can't... stop now..."

She pushes onward, feeling how her hands are trembling now, so she sinks her claws into her clothes again to pierce her skin and wake herself up.

She persists, one agonizing step at a time, until she reaches the dead grass of the Whispering Woods. She limps in just far enough to conceal herself behind a tree and slumps against the trunk. But the wood splinters and caves, and Catra ends up crashing to the ground.

She screams so loudly it must echo halfway back to the Fright Zone.

There's no way she can turn back now. If it's bad enough that she has to crawl her way to Bright Moon, so be it.

But she won't crawl, damn it.

Catra pushes herself up with the arm on her good side and grabs at whatever's left of the tree to keep herself on her feet.

Every part of her aches. The pain fills the hollow in her stomach and the throbbing behind her eyes, branches out to the tips of her claws that burn with soreness. She can't even keep her eyes open anymore. She just stumbles, grabbing onto anything she can as she forces herself to take another step, and another...

She doesn't know how long she goes for. Maybe it's a few hours, maybe it's only a few minutes. She doesn't know. She doesn't care anymore.

Everything hurts. Worse than it usually does.

The next step brings her to her knees, and she can't find the strength to push herself back up again. Stinging heat behind her eyes forces her to open them, and water drips down.

"D... Damn it... I don't... care... anymore..."

The blurry forest spins as she collapses onto her side at the base of a tree.

She lies there in the Whispering Woods, halfway between the Fright Zone and Bright Moon, halfway into both worlds.

And yet belonging in neither.

----------

Adora had retreated to her room early to avoid some more of the Queen's late-night festivities and feasts. She'd eaten her fill at the very least, but Angella had insisted she take some snacks back up to her room.

There's a whole tray of food sitting on the little table across the room, but Adora doesn't spare it a second glance. She flops down onto her bed and sighs.

"Okay, food coma. Come and get me!"

But even after waiting twenty, thirty, forty minutes, she's still as awake as if it were midday. Adora groans.

"Ugh, not this again. I just wanna go to sleep..."

/Funny how I can't sleep in this nice comfortable bed, but throw me out into the Whispering Woods with Catra and I sleep like a baby.../

Thinking about last night sends a pang through her chest. She'd been thinking about it all day – more specifically, she'd been thinking about Catra all day.

If only they could keep doing what they'd done last night, until they could figure something out...

Adora glares into her pillow for a few more minutes before sitting herself up.

"Ugh, fine! Guess I'm not falling asleep again! Might as well go for another walk."

She leaves her sword this time, because she's actually just going to go for a walk. A quick one. Close to the castle.

Adora sneaks out her window as per usual and lands quietly, checking over her shoulder to ensure no one's spotted her before heading towards the Woods. Like before, she has no set destination in mind.

"Just for a few minutes. That's all I need. That's all I- whoa!"

A sense of deja vu hits her along with a strong gust of wind, which bowls her sideways several steps. Adora manages to stay on her feet before she whirls around.

"Ohhh no," she chides at the breeze. "Not again. You're not gonna send me off on some little midnight adventure this time. I just wanna take a walk and- gaaah!"

The wind smacks her harder this time and pushes her further. Adora's jaw drops in outrage.

"How dare you! What the heck did I ever do to-? Well, okay maybe I kinda played a part in destroying the forest during the battle, but that's still no reason to push me around! Literally! I'm going back to the castle."

She turns away, but as she lifts her boot to take a step, the wind swirls beneath her heel and knocks her off balance. With an '"oomph!" she lands on her tailbone.

"Hey! What the heck? Why won't you let me go back? Where else could I possibly need to go at this hour? The last time this happened you led me straight to-" With a gasp her eyes fly wide open. "Catra-" Adora jumps to her feet instantly and yells to the air. "O-Okay, okay! Show me the way!"

The wind seems to sigh in relief before tugging her a bit more gently into the trees. Adora races alongside it, letting the firm pull of the breeze guide her to where she needs to be.

She has no idea why this is happening, why the Woods itself seem to be drawing them together, if that's even what's happening. But Adora has encountered enough magical beings and places by now to know not to ask questions.

She just runs until the wind stops pushing.

"Catra? Catra? Are you there?" She looks up into the ragged treetops for any sign of her, treading slowly so she can make sure to glimpse every angle. "Catra?"

She checks every tree in the area, scanning the frazzled canopy to the best of her abilities in the darkness. Catra's always somewhere up high, somewhere she can observe.

Adora never even thinks to look down. Not until a tiny, desperate moan withers onto the wind.

"Hn..."

Adora whirls around and snaps her gaze to the forest floor. And there, half-hidden beneath the shadows of a bramble, lies a girl crumpled in pain.

"Catra!"

Adora races to her side and drops down. She can tell right away this isn't natural for her. Catra would never curl up for a nap in a place like this of her own free will. Her eyes are shut and her brow is furrowed and covered in a cold sweat. Her lips are parted to reveal fangs that weakly try to sink into the air and pull it into her lungs. But other than the feeble rise and fall of her chest, she's horribly still. Her tail isn't even twitching.

"Catra! Wh-What happened to you?" She looks unnaturally pale, and when Adora touches her shoulder she's freezing cold. "What's going on? How long has she been out here like this? Wh-What should I do?"

But this time the breeze is silent and has no answer for her.

"Right. Get me where I need to be and then leave me on my own." She shakes her head and turns back to Catra. "Catra? Catra, please, i-if you can hear me-" Adora grabs one of her friend's hands and squeezes tight. "If you can hear me, gimme your best fist!"

It's something they'd always used to do as kids. When Adora used to catch colds and feel like she was going to die from shivering so much, Catra would grab her hand and say, "Gimme your best fist!" The idea, of course, being that if you were strong enough to make a fist, then you were strong enough to make it through. Adora would do it back to Catra too the few times she'd been injured or brooding excessively.

Now, she squeezes Catra's hand like she always used to, waiting to feel the defiant fingers and sharp claws playfully tickling the back of her hand in return.

But that isn't the response she receives now. Instead, all she gets is a twitch of Catra's fingers.

But even that's better than nothing.

She notices now that some of Catra's claws are chipped and broken. Adora clasps both of her hands onto hers.

"Catra...? Oh gosh, this is bad, this is really really bad..." She lifts Catra's hand and bows her forehead against it softly.

A sudden sharp hiss cuts through the night. Adora quickly lifts her face.

"Catra?"

Catra's body has become painfully tense now as she curls in on herself, fighting for consciousness. She's panting heavily, so hard every breath is just a wheeze.

"Ah... Ahh... Adora... h-hah..."

Adora's never heard her like this before. She's heard her breathless and maybe even a little scared, but this... This is just sheer agony.

"Catra...? Catra, I'm here. I'm right here." Adora squeezes her hand again, willing her to fight. And this time she feels a tighter squeeze in response, just enough to convince her Catra is actually awake now.

A few seconds later, her mis-matched eyes flutter open, and two tears slip out immediately afterward.

Adora's heart clenches. She reaches out to gently brush the backs of her fingers over her cheeks.

"Catra! Oh, thank goodness..."

Catra's bleary eyes blink up at her, but even in spite of everything else, she tries to show off a trademark smirk.

"Like... thanking goodness... has ever gotten us anywhere..."

Adora can't bring herself to try and smile at the snide remark like she usually does. Not when Catra sounds and looks so unlike herself. She's trembling, and her claws are shaking above Adora's skin. More tears have gathered at the corners of her eyes, but Catra is refusing the let them fall. Her tail twitches weakly, only once.

"You... You came..." she rasps. "You actually came..."

"I did." Adora gives her hand another squeeze. "I-I don't know how or why really, but I did. B-But that's not important right now, Catra! What happened to you? Why can't you talk? Wh-Why can't you breathe? And don't say it isn't important, because it kind of is!" She can feel the panic flaring up in her chest, but it eases away for a second as Catra attempts a chuckle.

"Easy, princess... It's not- ah-!" Catra clamps her fangs into her lower lip, and her claws suddenly sink into Adora's flesh. Just like that she's rendered completely breathless.

Adora feels like she's going to throw up from how worried she is.

"Catra? What's wrong? I-I need to know how I can help you-!"

And even though she just did, she can't ask Catra to tell her what's wrong. She doesn't want her to speak if that's what's causing her pain. So Adora looks her over carefully.

/It's definitely something with her chest. She can barely breathe.../

The memory of last night hits her, how Catra had fallen from the tree and landed badly.

/But it wasn't this bad yesterday! Something else must've happened back at the Horde to make it worse.../

That part isn't difficult to figure out, though. Adora knows firsthand how brutal the combat training in the Fright Zone can be. Especially for someone of Catra's status.

Carefully, with the lightness of a feather, Adora rests her palm on Catra's upturned hip. She's shaking so badly beneath her touch, struggling for air so hard her voice is nothing but scratching rasps.

It's killing Adora.

She slides her hand gently up Catra's side, until she can feel her ribs. Catra instantly sinks her claws into Adora's other forearm and whimpers.

"S-Sorry!" Adora pulls her hand away. I barely even touched her... This is bad. She reaches up to run her hand through Catra's hair, stroking gently to help calm her down. "Catra, your ribs are broken. At least three or four of them."

She hears a dry laugh.

"Yeah... no shit..."

"And by the looks of it, you still haven't eaten anything since the last time I saw you, right?"

Catra's eyes flicker open and try to find her. Adora can tell they're glazed over from the pain. She's expecting some other attempt at a snide remark.

But to her astonishment, Catra's response is one she's never heard before.

"Sorry..."

"Wh- Catra?!" Adora watches her eyes fall shut again as the pain takes over. "No, no, no! What should I-?"

/I can't take her back to Bright Moon. We have healers, but they'd keep her a prisoner! Then the Horde would mark her as a traitor or a weakling and hunt her down to kill her! I can't let that happen, and I can't let her just be locked up at Bright Moon, either. I've gotta think of another way.../

And judging by Catra's condition, she needs to think of it quickly.

There's only one possible answer.

"She-Ra..."

She hadn't been able to heal Glimmer, but maybe she could pull it off now. It's Catra's only hope.

"But how am I going to bring her back...?"

She looks up helplessly, but the wind offers no advice this time.

She can only think of two ways. And she already knows from experience that only one will suffice.

When they were younger, Catra had twisted her ankle pretty badly during a scouting mission. Adora had had no choice but to carry her back. But Catra had hissed and screeched that she didn't want to be carried "like a princess!" She'd only settled down when Adora had put her on her back instead.

/That would probably be best now anyway,/ she ponders. Carrying Catra in her arms would only cause her body to curl up and crush her ribs even further. What she needs is to lie on a solid, supportive surface.

"All right then, here we go." Adora looks her friend over. Catra's still wheezing for breath, and she can't open her eyes. Adora leans forward and rests her forehead against hers for a moment. "Sorry, Catra. This is probably going to hurt..." Hopefully she'll stay unconscious for now so she won't feel any of it.

But as Adora begins pulling Catra onto her back, she feels her jolt.

"Ah-! Haahh... Ah-Ador-ahhh... I-It hurts, it hurts-!"

"Sorry! I'm sorry..." Adora feels her heart breaking apart piece by piece. She squeezes Catra's forearms and pulls her forward as gently as possible. Catra whimpers and cries against the nape of her neck, biting into her shoulder in agony. Adora grunts. "That's fine. Just try not to move, okay?"

She hates that it's hurting Catra so badly, but she has to believe that once she gets her back to the castle it'll all have been worth it.

She eases herself back until she can feel Catra's chest against her. Adora makes sure she's dug her claws in securely around her shoulders before she reaches back to grab her legs. Catra sputters and her claws sink deeper. Adora feels it's only fair she should feel a fraction of her pain.

"It's all right. I've got you, Catra."

"Ah... Adora..."

"I know it hurts. I'm sorry..." She turns her face slightly, enough to brush her nose against Catra's. "You just breathe. I'll handle the rest."

She hears another pained whimper in response.

Adora braces herself and starts to rise very slowly, letting Catra adjust to the position and the change in weight. Adora hasn't carried her like this in years, but Catra still feels as light as she did back then.

/That's definitely not good. She's way too weak.../

Adora keeps herself hunched forward so Catra's weight settles safely against her back. She can feel her shaking all over, feel her heart throbbing from the pain.

"It hurts..." she whispers. "I-It hurts..."

She isn't Force Captain Catra anymore. She's just a terrified little girl.

Adora tightens her grip on her legs and begins to walk.

"I've got you, Catra. It's gonna be okay. I promise."

Even if She-Ra's powers fail her, Adora's decided she'll turn Catra over to Bright Moon's healers. Even if it means she'll become a prisoner, at least she won't be in such horrible pain anymore.

She knows it isn't just from her physical injuries either. Catra must have been terrified being back at the Horde like this, trying to hide such a devastating weakness. She hadn't eaten or slept much since the battle, and Adora knows sustaining an injury as bad as this certainly hadn't allowed Catra to feel worthy of a meal either.

"But it's all right now," Adora grunts. "Cuz I'll take care of you. No matter what."

She checks to ensure Catra's grip is still tight around her neck. When Adora glances down, she notices Catra's even wrapped her tail around her stomach like she'd used to. Adora quickens her pace just a little.

"Hang in there. I've got you..."

She doesn't need the wind to guide her this time. Adora just knows which way to go.

But she can only move so quickly when Catra is so weak and nearly slipping off every other step. Her breath is thin and cold against Adora's neck, and she won't stop shivering. Adora just has to keep reminding the both of them,

"It's okay... It's okay..."

Somewhere along the lines, Catra's strained breathing has dwindled, and she stops saying Adora's name. Her grip slackens and her tail falls limply down. Adora turns her head to brush her cheek with hers.

"Catra...?"

There's no response. Adora hurries onward.

It feels like eons before the glow of the castle is in sight, but even then it takes so long to get there. The only stroke of luck that comes her way is when she spots a familiar rainbow mane. She calls out softly.

"Swift Wind!"

The alicorn lifts his head from where he'd been curled up asleep in the grass and trots toward her.

"Adora? What are you doing out so-? Whoa! H-Hey, isn't that-"

"Quiet!" she begs. "Listen, if you can just fly us back up to my room without asking questions I will give you every apple I can pick in the orchard for the next two weeks."

His ears swivel and perk up.

"Even the ones at the tippy tops of the trees?"

"Yes, even those!"

"Then you got it, sister! Hop on." He lowers himself and spreads his wings.

Adora takes a moment to carefully ease Catra off her back and pulls her into her lap instead. She holds onto her and to Swift Wind as he takes them up to the window of her bedroom and hovers by the sill to let them off.

Adora hastily carries Catra to her bed and lies her down. She takes a moment to stroke through her hair. A soft whinny has her turning back.

"Thanks, Swift Wind. I'll start picking apples tomorrow. But remember, not a word to anyone!"

"My magical lips are sealed!" With this he flies off with a streak of rainbow feathers.

Adora lets out a sigh before turning her full attention back to Catra. She takes her hand again and squeezes.

"Catra...?"

Catra doesn't open her eyes or squeeze her hand back.

Adora wipes the back of her hand over her friend's forehead, feeling cold perspiration seep into her skin. She knows she can't afford to waste anymore time. She leaves the bed to grab her sword, then raises it to the ceiling.

"For the honor of Grayskull!"

She feels the light swirling around her, churning through her veins as it grants her She-Ra's form. When she's ready, she walks back to her bed to sit down beside Catra.

Her tail twitches, and then her brow furrows. Her chest starts to heave again, and Adora can't help but reach out to rest her hand on Catra's collar to try and sooth her.

"Catra...?"

Catra huffs and snarls softly before just barely managing to crack her eyes open. She doesn't notice when more tears slip free, but Adora does.

Catra draws in a gurgling breath and tries to smirk.

"Hey, Adora..." she croaks. "You look stupid..."

"Y'know, I wouldn't really be talking right now if I were you. N-Not to imply you look stupid, but I mean, like, save your breath! Your ribs are broken, Catra!"

"I've noticed..." Her mis-colored eyes squint and travel tiredly around the room. "Where the hell... d-don't tell me-"

"Hey!" Adora can tell Catra is already starting to get agitated, so she pushes her shoulder down gently. "Like I said, just take it easy. I only brought you back here so I could heal you. That's all. I promise."

Catra's eyes are narrow and suspicious, and Adora know she's about to argue more. But Catra can't even take in a decent breath before she ends up sputtering again.

"Gahh... hahhh... shit..."

"Catra, please. Just... Just trust me..."

She looks down into her eyes, those eyes that haven't changed a bit over so many years. Adora can read them like a book:

/Why should I?/

She can't blame Catra. She'll just have to prove her own words.

"Just close your eyes."

Catra blinks up at her, and another tear slips free. She closes her eyes seemingly to prevent that from happening again, and not because Adora asked her to.

Adora rests her sword very gently over Catra's chest and closes her own eyes as well.

/I can do it this time. I have to.../

She just tries to focus, tries to feel the source of her powers and reach out for them.

/Please... Catra needs me.../

She can sense Catra's pain now too through the contact of the sword. It's stifling, searing, so awful Adora nearly withdraws from it. It feels like massive claws slashing constantly at her chest. There's a heavy fear settled over her heart, so weighted it's almost crushing.

/Please... Please just help her... even if it's only a little.../

She grasps at the intangible threads of her own powers and tries to lead them to Catra. She transfers that warm light, lets it spread and pool across Catra's chest. Catra gasps softly, but Adora holds onto her hand.

/It's okay. It's okay.../

She hopes she understands.

Eventually, Catra's breathing evens out a little. Adora doesn't break her focus. She keeps pouring her powers into her, letting them heal. She can sense it mending the broken bones, allowing Catra to breathe more easily.

But the pain around her heart lingers even after her ribs have healed.

Adora tries to guide her powers there, to the swirling blackness snapping its jaws at Catra's heart. But she can't seem to reach her there. Not like this.

But for now, just this is good enough.

Adora opens her eyes and withdraws her sword and her powers, reverting back to her normal form. Catra is still gasping softly for breath, but it's fuller and deeper than before. She isn't scared of physical pain anymore, at the very least.

Adora squeezes her hand, and Catra squeezes back with a fierce grip. She opens her eyes and grins, revealing her fangs.

"Hey... that wasn't half bad..."

"Catra..." Adora all but whimpers with relief. "Oh thank... whatever!" She can't help but throw her arms around Catra, flopping down onto the bed with her as the sword clatters to the floor. Catra yowls softly and tries to push her off.

"H-Hey! Adora!"

"Shush!" Adora quickly pushes her hand over Catra's mouth. "We're kind of in the Queen's castle right now!"

Catra licks her palm. Adora shrieks and releases her.

"Hey, ew!"

"Yeah, I know we're in the Queen's freaking castle!" Catra snaps. "And whose fault is that?!"

"I don't know! Probably the person who got hurt so badly she had no choice but to come looking for me?"

Catra growls and pushes herself up, pinning Adora beneath her now.

"Fine, whatever. Thanks for the healing spell or whatever that was, but that's the end of it." She sits back and makes a move to stand. But Adora quickly sits up and grabs her wrist.

"Catra, wait! You can't go back to the Fright Zone like this! You should stay here tonight."

"Uh, I'm sorry, what was that? You're officially brain-damaged, Adora. Sorry, but I am not spending the night at Bright Moon. Over my dead-" She tries to get up again, but a dizzy spell plows into her like a war tank. Catra collapses, but Adora is quick enough to catch her.

"Catra! Ugh, see? This is what I'm talking about!"

"Sh-Shut up... you're so loud, Adora..."

"Huh? Oh, s-sorry!" Adora quickly rubs Catra's ears in apology. Catra hisses at first, but it eventually just turns into a consternated grumble, and she doesn't try to fight her off.

"Seriously. I am not gonna stay here overnight in the Queen's castle."

"Well you're sure as heck not gonna go back out there until you've eaten and rested!"

"Are you even hearing yourself?" Catra shoves her off. "Adora, I can't just waltz around the castle and go to the buffet!"

"I never said you did." Adora smiles and nods to the tray of food Queen Angella had insisted she take back with her. Catra's ears perk up at the sight of it, then flatten.

"What, did you plan all this or something?"

"No! It's just a happy coincidence."

Catra crosses her arms and her nostrils flare. Adora stands up, but urges her to stay put.

"I'll get it. You just stay here and relax."

"Relax, yeah, sure. I just snuck away from the Horde and now I'm in the Queen's castle. I'll just relax."

"Hey, you've got me," Adora assures her, picking up the food. "I won't let anyone find out. Well, besides Swift Wind-"

"What?!" Catra shrieks. "Someone else knows I'm here?!"

"I-It's just the horse! Er- flying unicorn! But he's cool, he won't tell anyone! I bribed him."

"Adora! I'm getting out of here right now-"

"Catra, stop!"

But Adora doesn't get to her soon enough this time. Catra tries once again to stand up but she staggers instantly. She growls and tries to take a few steps, but ultimately ends up on her knees on the floor. Adora hurries over and puts the tray down beside her, resting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Yeah, you're not going anywhere."

Catra hisses again, but her eyes travel to the tray of food. Adora pushes it closer to her.

"Take anything you want."

Catra heaves a rumbling sigh, but reaches out for a piece of fruit nonetheless.

Adora feels relief flood through her as she watches her take that first bite. Catra probably doesn't realize it, but her eyes light up a little. She chews with vigor, until she's all but wolfing it down.

Adora leans back with her against the side of the bed and picks up a fruit for herself.

They eat in silence for several long moments. Adora lets herself lean against Catra, who's so famished she doesn't seem to mind. She eats several fruits before beginning to slow down, and eventually she slouches back against the side of the bed too. Adora finds Catra's hand in her lap.

"Better?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Adora pushes the tray off to one side so she can move closer to Catra. She leans up against her side, looping her arm across her stomach. Catra snorts, and Adora can feel how tense she still is.

But after a few moments, she seems to understand that no one is going to come hunting for her. She lets her tail wrap softly around Adora's back, curling over her hip.

Adora can't remember the last time she'd been like this with her, alone together in a room of their own. In fact, it'd probably never happened, because there had always been other cadets in their dorm back in the Fright Zone.

She can tell Catra is still a bit nervous though. Adora shifts closer and rests her head on her shoulder.

"How're the ribs?" she wonders, letting her fingers trace up Catra's side.

"Not broken," she mutters. "Thanks for that."

"Don't mention it."

"Good. Then I don't owe you for this."

"Fine by me."

Adora closes her eyes, relishing this oddly wonderful moment. She'd never expected to have Catra up here in her room, especially not in secret. She has to admit the thought of sharing this place with her had crossed her mind many times, but those were all daydreams about Catra leaving the Horde for good and coming to Bright Moon's side.

/Oh well. Guess this is as close as I'll get.../

She just wishes this could last forever. She just wishes Catra would never leave...

"Hey, Adora..."

"No," she mumbles. "You're not leaving, Catra. You need to rest."

"Yeah, fine I get it. But I was gonna say, why don't we use... y'know, the bed...?"

Adora blinks her eyes back open and sits up. Catra is nose to nose with her, and they both shriek and scramble back.

"I-I mean-" Catra's ears and tail fluff up. "I-If that's okay. I mean, I totally get it if it's not, considering I'm y'know, a Force Commander from the Horde and-"

"N-No, no! It's totally fine with me! You can sleep here- Wait, did you say Force Commander?"

Catra's fur begins to lie flat as she draws a hand up through her hair – something she only does when she's embarrassed.

"Oh, yeah. Guess you wouldn't know. I kinda got a promotion. Knocked Shadow-Weaver right off her high horse."

"What? No way! That's awesome, Catra!"

Adora throws both arms around her and hugs her tightly. Catra's tail swishes in delight and she returns the contact.

But of course a few seconds later the reality settles back in. Maybe this was something they could've celebrated together a few months ago. But now they're on opposing sides...

Adora slowly draws back, and Catra looks away, ears drooping.

"So... hey, speaking of horses, did you say you bribed one earlier?"

"Oh yeah, Swift Wind. But like I said, he's cool."

"How exactly did you bribe a horse?"

"We made a deal."

"He can talk?"

"It's kiiiind of a long story."

Adora grins and Catra just gives her a disbelieving glare.

"This place juuust keeps gettin' weirder."

Adora laughs. She gives Catra one last little squeeze before getting to her feet. Catra stiffens and watches her, as if nervous she might leave her. But luckily Adora only sits herself on the bed. She pats the open space beside her and smiles down at her old friend.

"Come on."

Catra's tail naturally flicks and her ears perk up at the invitation. She turns her head briefly to glance at the window. Now that she's healed and gotten to eat, it'd be so easy to just go.

But... she's still awfully tired, and she'd slept pretty darn well last night with Adora there with her. Plus, this time there's an actual bed.

With a grunt, Catra pushes herself to her feet, steps close to the mattress, and flops herself down into Adora's lap.

"Just this one time, got it? Never again."

Adora smiles and rests a hand on her back.

"Yeah. Sure thing."

She pulls her legs up onto the bed and stretches herself out. Catra adjusts and balls up at her side, using Adora's stomach as her pillow.

Adora lets her hands rest over Catra's back and card slowly through her mane of thick hair. She traces down her back and over her sides, glad to find that touching Catra's ribs doesn't make her jolt or wince anymore.

/She's so warm.../

Catra feels the same way. She'd hated every moment after Adora had left her, but she'd hated the nights worst of all.

The nights when she'd curl up in Adora's bed and just barely still smell her scent, and just almost feel her warmth.

The nights when she'd have nothing to wrap around herself but her tail.

The nights when she'd think it was all a dream, and then open her eyes to find Adora had really never come home...

/Not tonight./

Catra presses herself closer to Adora now – defiant. She's so warm, so soft.

Catra might've always hated her own heartbeat, but she's always loved Adora's.

She hugs herself close to her – just for tonight.

Adora's hands continue petting up and down her back, and before long Catra feels the purr rolling up through her chest. She lets it out, too tired and warm to care. Everything finally catches up to her, and she starts to feel herself fading. But not before her ears pick up on Adora's voice one more time.

"Hey, Catra...?"

"...Yeah?"

Silence. Adora rubs a hand over Catra's shoulders.

"Please stay. You don't have to go back. You have that choice to make..."

She leaves it at that.

Catra says nothing, mulling in silence until Adora's hand stops moving and her body stills in slumber. Catra lets out a long, long breath.

"No. I really don't have a choice anymore. But thanks anyway."

She closes her eyes and sleeps. Just for tonight.

After several hours, she wakes out of instinctive urgings, sensing the sunrise is near. She savors Adora's warmth for one more moment, and breathes her in one last time.

"This is the last time," she whispers.

Catra finally pushes herself up and away from her, moving with care nothing short of meticulous so as not to rouse her.

But where Catra has instinct to sense the danger of sunrise, Adora has the instinct to sense when her best friend is leaving.

Catra makes for the window just as Adora wakes. She hurries to the sill and crouches, ready to jump when-

"Catra."

It isn't a plea. It isn't a shout. She isn't begging her.

Catra digs her claws into the rim of the window.

And then she does something she knows she'll regret.

She looks back.

Adora is sitting up, watching her with calm, sad, but knowing eyes.

Catra lingers, just for a moment, then turns away.

"I'm going."

Another beat of silence. She feels it echo in her hollow heart. Adora makes one final offer.

"You can always come back."

Catra refuses to look back a second time.

With a swish of her tail she jumps, and disappears into the shadows below.

------------

A/N: Listen, first of all I don't know how it happened but yes the Whispering Woods itself became their wingman and keeps bringing them together, okay? I don't question my brain, I just write what it tells me to.

Second of all, I really really wanted to explore how Adora might react to Catra being in immense pain. That one episode of their cadet training flashback where she thought she hurt Catra because she screamed out (even though it was a ploy) got me hoping. I want to see Catra badly hurt, and I want to see Adora take care of her.

Third of all, can't you just imagine younger Catra with a twisted ankle complaining she doesn't wanna be carried "like a princess! ugh, no way! never!" because I for one absolutely can and I think it's adorable.

And yes, there will be a ch3 cuz I'm weak.