Team Catradora

59 -The Talk

"That was awesome!"

"Yeah..." Catra turned her body from the car window as Scorpia drove off. Bright streetlights filled the distance, overshadowed by large vehicles. There was one on every side of the car, and they were all waiting on a red light. If Glimmer were here, she'd probably honk at them for moving a moment too slow. But Scorpia had the patience of a kindergarten teacher; she kept her eyes on the road, silently watching. 

Catra and Adora were both in the backseat. After a long stretch of only Taylor Swift in the background, Adora waved. It was stupid. "Hi." Even stupider. "Uh, I mean, heyyyy, Catra."

She waved her fingers back. "Hi."

"That went well." Adora gave the thumbs up. "You were so good. You didn't fall right into her arms, or-"

"She gave me that...that box." She shook her head. "She said she wants to make it up to me."

"I know. I was there."

"Do you think she was lying?"

"Yes," she said. "Don't you?"

"Yeah, of course I do. But now that it just happened...holy crap, did I just do that? I actually...stood up to her, and I think it worked." She shook her head. "I really know how to burn bridges, I guess." She forced a laugh.

They turned a corner, and Catra finally faced the window, again. "The woods," she said. "Wanna go?"

Scorpia pulled in. The woods were warm today, snow crunching against the sun's melted heat. As soon as they stepped out, however, they were reminded that they weren't wearing any snowpants, and snow fell into their shoes. 

Crossing her arms, Scorpia said, "Ugh-I mean, this is great! So worth coming here." Her teeth chattered.

"Okay," Catra said, rubbing her arms, "let's go in. There's blankets in the back."

They wrapped the blanket around all of them, huddling together for body heat. Scorpia sat in the middle, shivering. Scorpia tried to escape, but Adora and Catra were in charge of the doors, so she was effectively trapped. After awhile, she gave up, and the shivers decreased. 

"I'm really cramping your date, am I?"

"Date?" Catra asked. 

"She met your mom, went to the woods, and now is cuddling with me." 

"Oh..." Adora's cheeks heated. "Is that what..."

"No." Catra frowned. She curled into a ball, and shifted father towards her seat. "That wasn't my-that's how it looks, isn't it?" She sighed. "Can we talk?"

Adora glanced towards Scorpia, who shrugged. "I promise not to leave this vehicle, so long as you guys are in eyesight."

"Perve."

"What? I don't want you guys getting hypothermia!" 

"Sure..." Catra reached over Scorpia, and opened the door. Cool air wafted inside. "Come on, let's go."

"You get five minutes!" Scorpia said. "Be good."

The door closed, and Scorpia turned to her phone. When she did, Catra sighed, turning the surrounding air white. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay." Adora shrugged. "I just want to talk. Have you thought about what I said?"

"Yes...and I hadn't decided till now." She laughed, awkwardly. "But I think about mom, and how much she hurt me. I hadn't realized how much until I saw that necklace, and realized...I don't know. I just couldn't accept it. Or her. But you...you're the person I wanted by my side. I need to accept that."

"So you're saying...do you want something serious?"

"With you..." She shrugged. "Yeah. I think I might."

She thinks she might. Adora didn't know why, but that felt like an insult. Adora shuffled, dragging snow with her wet sneakers. "Well, I know I want something serious."

"How will I know if I don't try?"

"I'm not..." Adora frowned. "I...I care for you. the more time I spend with you, the more I want to be with you. And I know you feel the same. But I don't know if us being a maybe is enough anymore. I want you to want me as much as I want you." A lump formed in her throat. "And I can't tell, sometimes. I'm sorry, I know it's a lot. But I'm not going to lie about where I'm at anymore." She swallowed. "I-I think I'm falling in love with you, Catra."

"I..." Catra exhaled, a long whisp of white air trailing through the wind. She glanced around, at Adora's face, at her hands tied into her pockets, and finally the thick, snowy space between them. After a moment, she shook her head. "You know I'm bad at expressing myself. But I did that promposal, I asked you to come meet my mom, I told you about my past- hell, I...I think I show it, even if I don't say it. But...I can't say the words. If that's what you need, then I'm not ready for you. Maybe I...maybe I need to figure that out, and work on myself. I'm clearly not in the right place to be what you need. I'm not-"

"Don't say you're not enough..." It broke Adora's heart. "I never want to make you feel like that, Catra."

"But that's the thing," Catra said, "You do. And she does. And so does Scorpia, and Sparkles, and Entrapta, and everyone else. We're not the same, right now, Adora. You're ready for love, and I'm just starting to be okay with looking for it."

"I..." Adora swallowed. The air felt stiff, and she found it hard to breathe. She tried to exhale slowly, and concisely. "Okay. Can we be friends, at least?"

"I..." Catra smiled. "Yes. Of course."

"Okay," Adora said, and she went in to hug her. "Then let's try this. Together."

She squeezed back. It wasn't a perfect moment-an ache had started to form in Adora's chest. But it still felt nice. It felt warm, and comfortable, and just...right. At least for right now. Catra breathed her in, and said, "together."