Serve and Protect

Chapter 2

[Author's note: This chapter contains mature subject matter, including depictions of blood and violence. Please see the specific content warnings at the bottom of the chapter]

"Holy shit!" Catra cried. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Shh!" Adora hissed, pressing a finger to her lips. "Keep your voice down!"

"Uh, you just told me you're being promoted, and you expect me not to make a big deal about it? C'mon, Adora — it's like you don't know me at all." Without warning, Catra leapt at her. Had Adora not been anticipating such a reaction, it would have sent them both crashing backwards. Instead, she caught Catra in her arms and laughed.

"I know you well enough to know you were going to jump me, so that's got to count for something." She whirled Catra around before setting her back on her feet. "Anyway, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I haven't been promoted yet — I still have to earn it."

Catra rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You and I both know you're Shadow Weaver's golden girl. There's no way she is not going to give it to you." Grinning, she grabbed Adora's hand. "Which is why I have a surprise for you. C'mon!"

She pulled Adora toward the staircase, and together they climbed it up onto the roof. Technically they weren't supposed to be up there, but that had never stopped them before. Years earlier, Adora picked the lock to give Catra a place to hide after a particularly violent beating at Shadow Weaver's hand. Since then, the roof had become their secret place — the only spot in the entire building where they could be perfectly alone and escape their bleak lives, even if just for a little while.

Night had fully settled over the city now. The starless sky was heavy with gloom that reflected a neon glow from the lights below. Adora always found it beautiful in a strange way, though to be fair, she had no point of reference. This was the only view she'd ever really known. She followed Catra to the corner where they liked to sit — it had a decent view of the harbor, and they liked to watch the ships glide across the water on their way to port.

"I don't mean to be a killjoy," Adora said, grinning, "but I've been up here before. Kind of a shitty surprise."

"Just sit down, dummy," Catra replied.

Adora did as she was told. She watched in obedient silence as Catra rifled through the inner pocket of her old baseball jacket–the one she'd been wearing since she was a kid–and pulled out a small box, thin and square.

"This is for you," Catra said, handing it to Adora.

Blinking, Adora tried to play down her surprise. "Two presents in one day? What's gotten into you?"

"Stop being a dork and just open it."

Again, Adora did as Catra demanded. Carefully, she pulled the lid off the box to reveal a beautiful golden bracelet.

"Catra," she gasped. "This is—"

"The bracelet you liked from that jewelry store on 6th avenue, yeah."

"How did you manage to steal this?" Adora was agog. "The security at that place is intense!"

"I didn't steal it!" Catra balked. "I bought it. I even got it engraved, see?" She pointed to the flat gold panel at the middle of the bracelet, the one held on either end by short lengths of chain. Adora lifted the bracelet and squinted in the dim light. The inscription read simply, Hey, Adora.