First Times For Everything (ch12)

EARLY RELEASE FOR MY $30+ PATRONS!

So we already had a chapter where Catra 'took care' of a sick Adora, so I'm just evening the playing field here. This is Catra's first time getting sick.

Disclaimer: I do not own She-Ra.

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													Chapter 12. Licking Wounds

Adora wakes puzzled the next morning – and for good reason. She feels well-rested enough, even though she hadn't gone to bed until much later than usual last night, which makes her think she might've slept in a bit.

But that's impossible, because the usual wake-up calls for all the cadets would have roused anyone, even her.

Oddly enough, what's most disconcerting to her now as her consciousness comes back to her, is the knowledge that Catra is still there beside her. She can count on one hand how many times Catra had woken up after her. She's always up first, either stretching or filing her nails or simply keeping a silent vigil. Usually it's the latter, because Adora's woken up nearly every day of her life since meeting Catra to find her squatting at the foot of the bed staring at her, waiting for her to wake.

So Adora knows right away that something is wrong this morning. She can still feel Catra curled up against her chest, the same position they'd both fallen asleep in last night.

She isn't snoring softly like usual either. Instead, Catra is oddly quiet. She's breathing, but it's thin and rasping.

Adora finally opens her eyes to find the room dimly-lit by the usual lanterns, with gray early-morning light seeping in through the few high windows. On a normal day, Catra would definitely be up already by now.

Adora eases herself back a little to glimpse her friend's face. Catra's expression doesn't seem troubled, but it doesn't seem relaxed either. It's at a neutral exhaustion somewhere in between. Her ears are more flattened than anything, and her tail is limp and unmoving across Adora's hip. Adora feels the concern in her stomach tightening into a knot.

"Catra...?"

She reaches out slowly, petting her palm over Catra's soft ear and messy hair. Right away, she can feel a bit of heat coming from her fur. When Adora brushes the back of her hand across Catra's forehead, she feels more heat. It isn't a high fever, but it's a fever nonetheless.

She can barely even remember the last time Catra had gotten sick. It must have been half a decade ago, and she'd only caught the cold because she'd fallen into a pond during an excursion. Even that cold had only been sneezes and a runny nose for her, but Adora can already tell the sickness she's suffering now is different.

Catra's skin is slightly damp with sweat, and the smallest tears are clinging to the corners of her eyes. Her breath is thin and shallow, and when Adora puts a hand to her chest, she finds Catra's pulse is a rapid, heavy contrast. It must've been a combination of yesterday's stress and the inability to get enough proper rest.

Adora feels a pang go through her chest as she looks her partner over.

"Oh, Catra..."

She's never seen her like this before, distressed and weak just in her sleep. Adora wants to let her rest, but not if it's only trapping Catra in her unconscious discomfort.

Adora cups her friend's face gently before pulling herself close, wrapping Catra in a loose embrace. She can feel her shivering ever so slightly, and her heartbeat is a drumming impact that feels like it must hurt.

Adora doesn't want to leave her – in fact that's the last thing she wants to do – but she mentally justifies it.

/If I can just get away for a minute now, I won't have to leave her for the rest of the day./

So she eases back slowly, combing her fingers through Catra's hair, flinching at the contrast of her warm skin and the cold metal of her headpiece. She leaves a small kiss on Catra's forehead before shifting away, making sure to bundle Catra up in loose blankets.

Adora moves slowly so as not to rouse her, stretching out a bit before slipping off the top bunk. Everyone else is still asleep, so she treads quickly and quietly.

Once she's reached the exits, she holds a brief conversation with one of the guards stationed there, and once she's granted permission she hurries out to find the person she's seeking.

At this early hour, the Force Commanders are typically at the mess hall eating before their cadets can get there. Adora spots the familiar blue skin of her own Commander and hurries in to where a group of them are chatting. Once her presence is noticed, Adora bows sharply, apologizes for her interruption, and calls her Commander aside privately. He's confused, but not upset to see her at his breakfast.

"What seems to be the issue, Cadet? You're never out and about so early for no good reason."

"Yes, sir. You see... I just wanted to let you know that Catra and I might have to take today off, too. We're just not feeling so great. I'm really sorry. I know you let us pass our exam yesterday and we should be starting even more training today, but we just-"

"At ease, Cadet," he smiles. "First of all, I didn't let the two of you pass your exam. You both earned that pass. And second of all, I can understand you and Catra needing a day to recover. It was a splendid fight indeed, but it was a difficult one, I'm sure. Just be sure to be back in training by tomorrow."

Adora perks up. He's always been so understanding.

"Thank you, sir. We'll definitely be back soon!" With a salute and another bow, Adora hurries off back to the dorms.

The wake-up alarms haven't gone off yet, but other cadets are already beginning to stir. Adora hurries back to her bed, kicks off her shoes, and climbs back up to where Catra is still curled beneath the blankets.

She tries to move carefully, but the mattress ends up creaking beneath her weight. Catra's ear flicks, and then with a throaty moan her eyes blink open. Adora bites her lips.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep."

Catra sits herself up slowly, her hair and clothes a mess. Even in spite of the blanket across her shoulders she's still shivering slightly, but her eyes strive for defiance.

"What are you talking about?" she tries to snap. "We've gotta get ready..."

Her eyes glaze over suddenly from a bout of dizziness, and Catra sways. Adora lunges forward to help hold her up. She still feels unnaturally warm, and her breathing is harsh.

"Not today," Adora says firmly. "We've already been cleared to take the day off. We're just going to rest and recuperate."

"What? I don't need to-"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Catra feels another wave of nausea and puts a hand to her head. Adora rubs up and down her back softly.

"See what I mean? Neither of us are really in any shape to be training today, anyway."

Catra gives an annoyed glare, but she's too tired for it to have any force behind it. She heaves a sigh and ends up slouching against Adora, pouting.

"So what's that mean? You're sick, too?"

"Mm, nah. I'm fine. But I just don't feel like going. Especially if it means leaving you here alone all day."

Catra is quiet for a moment, pulling the blanket up a little higher over her shoulder. Adora closes her eyes for a moment and presses close. Catra sighs and clears her throat.

"You should go."

"Huh?"

"To training." Catra pulls herself away so she can look seriously into Adora's eyes. "You don't need to stay here and babysit me all day. You should be training so you can get one step closer to becoming Force Captain." She flops quietly down onto the bed and curls up. "I'll be fine, so just go."

Adora is speechless for a moment, but though the air is a little chilly, her heart is warm. She knows Catra's only saying it for Adora's sake. If she's feeling as miserable as she looks, she probably wants nothing more than for Adora to stay with her today, but she's putting herself second like always.

She knows better than anyone that becoming Force Captain is Adora's dream, and she doesn't want to stand in the way of that.

Adora smiles and crawls forward before slowly lying down beside Catra, wrapping both arms around her like she'd done last night.

"Thanks, Catra. I mean it. But I wanna stay with you today. That's more important to me."

Catra rasps a scoff and ducks her face into the blanket.

"You're such a sap."

And yet her swishing tail gives away her true feelings. Adora smiles and just curls up with her without another word.

The alarms sound a few minutes later, and Adora feels Catra tense up instinctively. She squeezes her a little bit to remind her she doesn't have to get up today.

They remain quiet and still as everyone else shuffles about beneath them, and the early-morning chatter begins. Adora listens in case any of her teammates calls up for her, but no one does. She assumes they all can guess the two of them will be taking it easy today because of yesterday's match. No one needs to know Catra is sick on top of it.

After half an hour or so, the commotion dies down until the last of the other cadets have left the dorms for breakfast. Adora can feel for herself that Catra has already drifted back off to sleep. She doesn't want to wake her, so she decides they can eat later whenever Catra is up for it.

So for now, Adora simply rests beside her, hugging her from behind to ensure she stays warm. Catra still shivers a bit in her sleep. Her pulse is still quick and her skin is still warm from the fever. Adora keeps her consciousness balanced between asleep and awake just to stay on alert in case something happens.

At one point she feels Catra shift, turning over to face Adora now, though her eyes are still closed and her forehead is damp with sweat. She makes a soft moan in the back of her throat.

"Adora..."

Adora runs a hand back through her bangs as best she can.

"Catra? What's wrong?" She isn't even sure if she's fully conscious or not. Catra just moans again, both hands reaching out now to make a feeble purchase on Adora's shirt.

"Stay..."

Adora's heart throbs. Half an hour ago Catra was telling her to go. The fever's making her honest side emerge.

Adora gently reaches up to brush her fingers over Catra's metal headpiece that she rarely ever removes. Adora slips it off now, seeing the impression it leaves along her hairline and temples. She places it aside, only to find even more sweat beaded there on Catra's skin. Adora wipes her sleeve over her partner's forehead a little, then presses a soft kiss to her hair.

"Of course I'm staying, dummy."

Catra lets out a sigh that almost has a purr in it, but it sounds too tired to manage the full sound.

Adora curls both arms around her now, letting her fingers run through Catra's hair. She rubs her shoulders softly, adjusting the blankets until Catra isn't shivering quite so much. She massages her ears for her, scratching them gently until it elicits the tiniest rumble from Catra's chest. It only lasts for about a minute though, and after that Catra grows quiet again.

Adora hugs her close and opts to rest with her for a while. She alternates between dozing off and waking up to wipe the sweat from Catra's forehead.

It hurts to have to see her like this. Ever since she'd broken out of her shell, Catra had been full of zeal and energy for just about everything she did. She was always quick to argue and fight back, always eager to go out and explore, even if it meant sneaking away.

But now she's so quiet, so frail. Her heartbeat is still fast and thick from the sickness, and it makes her whole body quiver. She has to breathe through her mouth, which only sounds painful and distressed.

Eventually it gets to the point where Adora can't stay quiet any longer. Fearing Catra is suffering a nightmare again, she gently shakes her shoulder.

"Catra...?"

Catra makes the most pitiable sound in the back of her throat as she comes to, somewhere between a whimper and a whine. Her blue eye blinks open first, then the yellow.

Adora feels a pang in her chest again.

Catra just looks... so tired. So weak...

But she can't ever let her know she thinks that. She clears her throat and braces herself up on her elbows, gingerly combing through her partner's thick hair.

"Hey. Sorry I woke you. It didn't seem like you were really having a restful nap."

"Yeah..." she grumbles. "Not really."

"...Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Right. Well then, how about some lunch? You won't get better on an empty stomach."

Catra sighs but nods, tucking her face back into the blankets. Adora smiles a little and sits up.

"Great. I'll go bring you something, so you just sit tight."

Catra just grunts and hides further. Adora knows she's embarrassed and that she probably feels helpless and guilty. So she makes sure to make it sound like she isn't just doing this for Catra's sake.

"Yeah, I was getting hungry anyway, so I might as well bring you back something."

She isn't sure if Catra is onto her or not, but her partner huffs again.

Adora slips her legs over the edge of the bunk and jumps off, then heads straight for the mess hall. Breakfast has already passed, so there's no one inside. She grabs a tray and piles it with fruits, bread, and fish. She takes two bottles of water as well and then hurries back to the dorms before anyone can notice her.

She makes it back without a hitch, but that's when her next challenge stares her in the face. She doesn't want to make Catra come down, but she doesn't know how she's going to get everything up to her.

Adora pauses at the bottom of the beds and looks up. She can't reach to place the tray on the top bunk first and then climb up herself.

So she just tries to climb while holding onto everything, using the spokes of the ladder to support the tray and her weight. She inches her way up until she successfully manages to drop the tray onto the bed.

"Hah! Whoa-"

But after letting go of the tray she can't grab onto anything quickly enough, and feels her weight falling backward. She closes her eyes, waiting to hit the floor and give herself the ultimate headache.

But before it can happen there's a hand around her wrist. She blinks her eyes open to find Catra leaning halfway out of the bed over her, clinging to the mattress with the claws of her other hand.

"Idiot! If you'd told me, I would've just come down!"

"I didn't wanna make you do that."

"So instead you'd rather nearly fall off and give yourself a concussion and me a heart-attack?"

"Well, when you put it that way..."

Catra growls and yanks her up the rest of the way, tail lashing.

Adora sighs.

"Thanks."

"Idiot."

They get their bearings and sit on either side of the tray to begin picking at the food.

Adora isn't all that surprised that she's the one eating more. Catra manages a bit of the fish and some apple slices, but not much more. Adora makes her drink the whole water bottle, at the very least, then wets a napkin with her own and wipes her friend's forehead with it. Catra shivers again. Adora drapes a blanket over her shoulders.

"How're you feeling?"

"Like crap," she sighs. "But less like crap than I did before, I guess."

"Well, that's good. Wanna try a quick shower? It might help the fever."

Catra sighs again, but nods.

Adora jumps down first. Catra hands her the tray, which Adora puts aside for cleanup, then reaches up to help Catra.

"Please don't jump," she begs. "Just take it easy."

Catra grunts, but obeys, which confirms she probably isn't feeling up to the athletics anyway. Adora supports her as she climbs down the ladder.

Once she's down, Adora wraps an arm around her back and bumps their heads together lightly. They take it slow on their way to the bathrooms. Adora guides her to the stalls.

"Need any help?"

Catra scoffs.

"I'm good, thanks."

"Just checking!"

They remove their outer layers of clothing until they're down to the under-wraps. Adora prepares some towels and begins running warm water in the nearest stall. Catra's already shaking with so much skin exposed now. She wraps her tail around her waist and hugs herself.

Adora can very clearly see the bruises on her forearm now; bruises she herself had inflicted in yesterday's match.

Adora feels it's only fair she exposes her own injury as well. She peels the bandage off the side of her face and tosses it in a nearby waste bin. She can feel the four scratches stinging a bit now that they're exposed to the raw air. When Catra looks up at her she flinches slightly, but Adora just smiles.

"How's it look? Do I look cool?"

The guilt fades from Catra's gaze, and instead she scoffs.

"Yeah, you wish."

Adora slings an arm around her shoulders, and together they head into the stall.

The shower is warm, and even Catra who was never a big fan of water eases into it this time. There's a little bench jutting from the wall, and Adora has her sit on it.

"Just take it easy. I'll wash your hair for you. Like old times!"

Catra grumbles again, but doesn't argue.

Adora gets right to work, lathering shampoo in her hands before she gets to digging through Catra's thick mane. She's still very careful around her ears though, cupping them gently and scratching lightly through the fur.

She washes Catra's hair for her and then rinses it, and in spite of the water and the fever she can feel the vibrations of a purr rolling across Catra's shoulders. Adora pulls out her own ponytail and then gets to washing her hair as well, while Catra starts washing the rest of herself with a rag.

Adora notices she doesn't use her left hand, and even moving it the wrong way causes her to flinch. So Adora makes sure to wash Catra's opposite arm and shoulder for her, so she won't have to use her sore hand.

It's a quiet shower. Usually they all bathe in different stalls, but it's nice to finally be together again, like they'd used to when they were younger. It's a little bittersweet, but for the most part it's calming.

Once they finally finish, Adora shuts off the water, then hurries out to fetch their towels. She wraps Catra up and snuggles up to her before she's playfully pawed away.

They dry off and re-dress, then head to the sinks.

"You should brush your teeth."

"Yeesh, I know that! You're such a nag."

"Hey, I'm just being hygienic here!"

They both brush their teeth side by side as always. Catra gives a little grin in the mirror to ensure her fangs are as perfect as ever. Adora's glad she's finally acting like her normal self again. But she still coaxes her close and rests their foreheads together to feel for her temperature.

"You're still a little warm, but I think if you can get a bit more rest, you can sleep it off."

"More sleep? Sounds good to me."

Adora can't tell if she's being so cooperative because she's tired from the fever, or because she's relaxed after the shower. Either way, Adora doesn't question it. She just takes Catra's hand and begins leading her back to the dorms.

It's only a short distance from the bathrooms. But even so, it's enough time for a certain sorceress to intercept them.

Catra senses her first when her fur begins to bristle, and she huffs under her breath.

"Oh, come on-"

Adora looks up just in time to see Shadow-Weaver phase in seemingly out of nowhere. She blocks their path and curls her crooked fingers together with feigned interest.

"Why, good day to you, Cadets. You know I've been searching everywhere for you, only to discover you've taken the day off. Now, why is that?" She looks directly at Catra, but the girl looks away. Adora steps in quickly.

"Good morning, er, afternoon I guess, Shadow-Weaver. We were both just super exhausted from the exam fights yesterday, and since we both passed, the Commander said it'd be fine for us to recuperate a bit! We'll be back in tomorrow!"

It isn't really a lie - she just isn't telling the whole truth, either. She doesn't want to expose Catra for being sick, or else she can't even imagine how harshly Shadow-Weaver might degrade her.

Luckily, mention of the exam draws the sorceress' attention back to her favorite pupil.

"Ah, yes. The matches yesterday were a part of your exam on your way to senior cadets, no? I hear you did splendidly, Adora. I'm proud of you." She reaches out to pat her head gently.

Adora stays calm and quiet, even when she feels that hand gliding down to the scratches on her cheek. She hopes this will be the end of the conversation. But to her dismay, Shadow-Weaver turns back to Catra.

"How you managed to pass as well, I'll never understand. But I suppose you did well in providing an adequate partner for Adora to show off her skills."

She lifts her hand and drops it rather roughly onto Catra's head next, letting her nails scrape across her ears. Catra hisses under her breath.

Adora feels that Shadow-Weaver knows full-well Catra is sick and is only trying to agitate her fever further. She'd decided years ago she wasn't going to let her hurt Catra anymore. So Adora pushes the sorceress' hand away from her partner and faces her sternly.

"You know Catra passed her exam with flying colors just like I did. She's a great fighter, and everyone in the Horde knows it. You don't have to keep treating her like she's second-best. She's going to be a great Force Captain one day, and she's going to do amazing things just like I will."

Her grip on Catra's hand tightens, and she feels her return it.

"She's right," Catra growls. "I'm gonna do great things for the Horde, with or without your approval."

Adora hadn't expected Catra to refute Shadow-Weaver when she was still feeling unwell. But it just goes to show how much she's changed over the years, how much more confident she's become with Adora's support.

But Shadow-Weaver ignores her as always, and only addresses Adora.

"Still loyal as ever to your little pet, I see."

"Hey, she's not my-"

"Carry on then, my dear," the sorceress drawls. "I look forward to hearing about your progress once you've become a senior cadet."

"Hey! Wait a sec-"

But Adora finds herself calling out to nothing but shadows. She's never felt quite so furious at Shadow-Weaver before. She guesses it's because in the past she'd always been more afraid of her, but that's changed over time.

"How dare she. What the heck does she have against you, anyway?"

"Hell if I know," Catra shrugs. "But it's no different than how she usually is. You don't need to get so worked up over it. It's fine."

"It's not fine! It's never been fine, Catra! ...And I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that..." She sighs, and her grip on Catra's hand loosens. "I'm sorry I... let her bully you for so long. I was a coward. I couldn't even help-"

"You were a kid," Catra snaps. "And even though you were a kid, you still did whatever you could for me. I know that." Her expression softens into a sad smile, one that hurts Adora's heart. Catra readjusts her hold on her hand this time. "Come on. Let's go back."

Adora follows her back to the dorms, remembering she's supposed to be the one taking care of Catra today, but somehow it's turned around.

They make it back to the beds, but don't climb up to the top bunk this time. Adora pulls the blankets down from it, and they just curl up in their usual bottom bed together.

Catra just sighs and closes her eyes right away. Adora pulls her in and strokes between her ears softly. She knows Catra had been traumatized by Shadow-Weaver at a young age, when the sorceress had stolen a memory from her, and she'd continuously threatened her ever since. She hates having her head touched by anyone other than Adora.

So Adora brushes her fingers gently now, especially over her ears.

"You okay...?"

Catra nestles closer, hiding her face.

"Yeah. Let's just sleep."

It's almost exactly how they'd ended the previous night. Adora feels uneasy, but she can't do anything about it.

So she just plants a tiny kiss on top of Catra's head, closes her eyes, and hopes for the best.

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A/N: I know that, given what we know from season 1, half the things I have Adora say/realize here don't make sense this early on in the scheme of things. Like the "I didn't mean to make you feel like you were second-best" stuff.

I know she doesn't realize this stuff until later on down the road but like... I wanted to put it in here. I want to make Adora more aware of her position VS Catra's, though I guess in retrospect that only makes things more painful...

Also, you might notice little shoutouts/references to my other Catradora fics sprinkled into here, such as the mention of Catra falling into a pond during an excursion, and Shadow-Weaver stealing a memory from her.

Next chapter is the last one for this fic!