White Lies

Amber and Blue

"We can't hide forever, sometimes we have to run." A ten-year-old Adora with one of her front teeth missing whispered, as she held a crying Catra in her arms.

"What if something happens to us out there? You know the stories Weaver tells us about the outside." Catra mumbled before a sob escaped her throat.

"Hey. Nothing bad is going to happen to us."

"How do you know?" Catra sat up and the mismatched eyes met the blue ones who had given her so much comfort for the last few years.

"Because you'll look out for me as I look out for you. Nothing really bad is going to happen to us as long as we have each other." Adora wiped the stranded tears off Catra's cheeks.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Catra was awake.

Though her eyes were closed, she could feel her body weight under her neck, her arms and legs completely out of the question. She scowled mentally at herself. How could she be so careless? How did she let herself get caught? She could tell she was sitting somewhere because of the way she was tilted, her legs spread out on the ground, and her back and head laid on an upright backrest. What threw her off is how comfortable the seat seemed to be, almost like a scratcher chair. Honestly, the times that Catra imagined herself getting caught she'd see herself sitting on the ground of a dirty cell or basement. Which made her momentarily freak out. What if she was in a scratcher chair? She had almost decided to open her eyes when a nearby conversation caught her attention.

"I can't believe you almost wore flip flops today. Thank the spirits I made you change." Adora. Catra could recognize that voice anywhere, even after all this time. It even angered her to some extent. From the direction of the voice, she could tell they were standing nearby. It was unsettling to be so close to her.

Ten years.

Ten fucking years had passed and Adora still became a dumbass when it came to Adora. She scowled mentally at herself. How could she be so careless? How did she let herself get caught? Seeing her drove Catra over the edge, it made her angry. Why was Adora in her city? Now. After all this time. After leaving her. The anger and anguish built up inside her like a house fire and, before she could stop herself, she had jumped off the roof and let them out with a punch to Adora's jaw. It blinded her in such a way that not even her sensitive hearing could pick up Korra's steps on the alley. How damn stupid. Then they had gotten close, so close, that Catra could even make the gentle acne scars on Adora's skin, the way her pupils dilated, and the shaky breath she let out. It was intoxicatin- No. A shiver ran through her and she felt pressure on the back of her neck.

Adora had left her and Catra often wanted revenge for it. After all, everyone who betrayed C'yra ended up in a ditch in the outskirts of Crimson Waste and that's how Catra liked to maintain her reputation in the underground. Yet, as much as it was covered, Catra couldn't hide the bitter truth. Catra knew she couldn't bring herself to actually kill Adora. For the last almost ten years since Adora left her, she had thought about it many times, all of which resulted in empty threats and sudden anger that she led out in unhealthy ways. As much as she tried to tell herself otherwise, Adora will always have a soft spot in Catra and the tracker hated it.

Don't dwell, be productive. Catra thought.

"I am totally capable of taking C'yra on with flip flops, Adora." A second voice Catra didn't quickly recognize spoke and broke through her thoughts.