Have we met before?

Bad dream

TW: Blood, implied murder, distorted reality, mild violence. Don't be scared, keep reading :)

Adora was tapping her foot against the plush carpet of the living room, everyone was lazing around her watching the same weird 80's tv show. 'What kind of name is She-Ra anyways?' Her body felt rigid, pushing herself to the edge of the couch in an attempt to not brush shoulders with the equally rigid girl beside her. After Bow and the rest of the robotics team had collected their trophy they had gone to celebrate with some pizza, and now they were back home watching movies. From the time they had left until now, Catra and her had done everything in their power to not look directly at one another.
'We're going to sleep in the same bed, I'm going to have to deal with this.' Adora sucked in a breath as the anxious reminder came crashing down on her, gripping her sweat pants to ground herself. 'It's ok, she probably doesn't even remember, this is something we definitely don't have to talk about it.' Adora glanced at the girl next to her who was just as rigid as she was, when Catra caught her staring though she shot her a wide smile. It wasn't her normal smile, it was too wide and toothy, but Adora instinctively copied the wide smile. 'Yup. Totally normal.'
"Are you two ok?" Bow noticed the pair of girls acting strange from his side on the other side of the couch, Glimmer glanced up from where she was sprawled across the floor to glancing between them.
"Yup!" Catra instantly responded, Adora instinctively nodding vigorously.
"Never better!" Adora added, Catra being the one to nod vigorously this time.
Bow and Glimmer looked to one another, slowly Bow opened his mouth to speak but before he could get a word out Glimmer put up a hand shaking her head to silence him. Bow nodded in understanding, the two seemingly able to read each other's minds as they turned back to the tv in silence.
"You know, I'm getting tired, I think I'm going to head to bed." Glimmer yawned after another moment passed, stretching herself out across the floor similar to how a cat would. Adora felt the color drain from her face, icy blue eyes widening as panic set in, Catra seemed to have a similar reaction beside her.
"R-Really it's- it's so early yanno? We should uh- we should-" Adora was trying to stall her foster sister from leaving the room, desperate to keep herself from being alone with Catra.
"We should play some card games!" Catra seemed to outwardly cringe at the lame suggestion, but it was good enough for Adora who was instantly nodding in support.
"Yeah! It could be fun!" Adora added with a small crack in her voice as she spoke. Bow and Glimmer glanced at one another again, as if they were silently discussing their next actions.
"As fun as that sounds.." Bow began gently, Glimmer cut him off with a lift and wave of her hand.
"Whatever is going on, deal with it." Glimmer said flatly, getting to her feet and pulling Bow along behind her.
'No don't go!' She wanted to scream, even more panic setting into her limbs, but they were gone and out of the living room before Adora could even get a word out. The remaining pair were silent now, awkwardness and tension in the air so thick you could almost see it. 'This is fine, everything is fine, I am just hanging out with my good friend Catra. My friend. Nothing else, just friends.' Catra tapping on her should bring her out of her rambling thoughts, turning on the wild haired girl to see her mismatched eyes go wide as if she hadn't thought what to do after she had Adora's attention.
"Are- Are you tired? We can go to bed if you are?" Catra offered shyly, a small blush across her face as she asked the question. 'She's nervous too, she doesn't want to be alone with me either.' Adora realized, swallowing past the giant lump in her throat as she attempted to calm her panicked nerves as acceptance came over her. 'We can't get past this, we have to talk about it.'
"I'm not tired but, let's go into my room." Adora said slowly, averting her eyes to the ground as a blush creeped over her cheeks. Getting to her feet slowly she made her way to her room, Catra creeping quietly after the taller girl.
The wild haired girl quickly rushed past Adora, leaping onto the bed and curling up with her knees to her chest as her friend shut the door. Adora leaned back on the frame of the door, slowly looking up at the other girl that was curled onto the cushy covers. 'She looks so small..' Adora had always been aware that Catra was short, but she never really noticed how small and fragile she looked. She had always seemed so strong in her mind, she had been the one who had protected them when they were children, but now she was vulnerable and tiny. 'It's my turn to protect her.' Adora felt a surge of energy move through her veins like a bolt of electricity, a fearsome protectiveness filling her heart for the other girl.
"Come here." Catra finally spoke, patting the spot beside her invitingly with a kind smile pulling at her lips. It was as if Catra's words sparked her legs back to life, slowly stepping across the floor and pulling herself onto the mattress to sit beside the small girl with a small thump.
They stayed quiet for a beat, just looking at one another as wordless unreadable emotions passed between them. "Catra-" She finally spoke, voice out of breath and not more than a whisper. Catra cut her off with a gentle wave of her hand, the blonde falling silent she slowly reached a hand out to brush it against Adora's cheek. Adora could almost swear she felt electricity go through her, instinctively leaning against the feeling of the other girl's hand.
Catra chuckled a little letting her thumb roll over her cheek softly. "Alright, what's going on? You're being weird, weirder than usual." Her usual cockiness was back now, confidence returning for the moment at least and the familiar attitude felt comforting.
Adora stayed silent for another beat, it was hard to speak around the growing lump in her throat and she was terrified of what would happen when she next spoke. Looking into Catra's shining mismatched eyes, curiosity and worry clearly shining through, Adora finally pushed the words out of her mouth. "How do you feel about me?" The question came out more desperate than she intended, startling Catra enough for her to retract her hand from the other girl's cheek. Adora resisted the urge to whine at the loss of contact.
"What?" Catra reeled back, clutching her clawed hand to her chest defensively making Adora coil back in regret. 'Was that the wrong thing to say?'
"I just- I just mean-" Adora was panicking, cutting herself out she sucked in a deep breath as if to calm her nerves. "Do you know why I hit your ex?" Adora finally asked, speaking slowly as if thinking through her words carefully.
Catra snorted with laughter, amusement causing her tense body to relax again. "Do I know why you tried to murder my ex? I thought it was cause she was a jerk." Adora chuckled a little, embarrassedly rubbing the back of her neck as she dropped her eyes down.
"Well yeah, she was a jerk and if anyone talks to you like that I'll knock them out." They burst into fits of giggles, a comfortable silence falling over them for a moment before Adora spoke again. "But there was another reason.." Adora's eyes were drawn down again, biting at her lip as her nerves started to get to her. Catra patiently stayed silent as Adora found her voice again. "I was jealous." She whispered the words so softly that Catra had to lean forward to catch half of what she said, squinting her eyes in confusion.
"What did you say?" She questioned, eyebrows furrowing with confusion and a little frustration. Adora pinched her eyes shut, anxiety making her heart rate increase even more if that was even possible.
"I was jealous! Ok? I was jealous." Catra reeled back as Adora raised her voice, tipping her head to the side in question as she stared at Adora with a bewildered look.
"Jealous? Of what?" Adora let a breath of relief escape her, eyes fluttering open again to bore into the other girl's mismatched ones.
"Because you wanted her and not me." Adora's voice was small, but not quiet, hesitant but confident in the words. Catra seemed to take a moment to let the words fully sink in before slow realization came over her face. She stared at her blonde friend, an unreadable emotion flickering through her eyes as Adora's stomach seemed to fall out of her. "Catra.." She was about to speak again, desperate to do anything to make sure she didn't lose her friend due to her feelings. Before she could speak though, Catra had launched herself onto Adora's lap to wrap her arms around the other girl's neck, Adora gasped as she slipped her arms around the lithe girl's waist.
Catra looked down, fear and uncertainty filling her gaze before her desperation seemed to get the better of her and she leaned down to catch Adora's lips with her own. Her lips were soft, the kiss was so quick Adora didn't even have time to close her eyes before Catra had pulled away again, looking down at the shocked Adora with wide uncertain eyes.
"I'm sorry-!" Catra squeaked but before she could say much else Adora had got her lips in another kiss, this time shutting her eyes to become only aware of the other girl. Catra's lips instantly came to life moving against the other girl's, a small whine escaping her lips as Adora desperately biting at the other girl's lip to deepen the kiss. It felt like hours before the two pulled apart, panting and staring into one another's gaze with a longing wanting stare. The pair stayed in the position for a few moments, leaning their foreheads against one another as their chests heaved with deep breath.
"I've always wanted you." Catra finally said, the words instantly lighting a fire in her chest as she collided her lips against Catra's in another desperate kiss.
XxX
The warm morning sun was resting against Catra's back as she watched Adora sleep, her chest slowly rising and falling with soft snores. 'It's not weird, she's just being loud.' She tried to convince herself but she knew the real reason she was staring at the sleeping blonde, she wanted her to wake up and shower her in kisses again. The memories of last night plagued her mind, they hadn't talked much the rest of the night they had been occupied with other things but Catra was desperate to continue where they had left off.
'I need to know what this means. What are we? Where do we go from here?' A soft sigh escaped her lips as she attempted to calm herself, a small pit of anxiety growing in her chest. 'What if this was a one time thing?' Catra eyed Adora's lips, the thought of never feeling them against her own again sending a shiver of grief up her spine. Adora started to shift, making Catra freeze, watching with wide eyes as she expected Adora to fully awaken but was surprised when instead she half consciously wrapped her arm around Catra's waist to drag her closer.
The wild haired girl stiffened before relaxing, chuckling softly as she snuggled into the taller girl's chest. "Too far.." Adora mumbled as she snuggled her face into the top of Catra's head, making her giggle even more.
"You're ridiculous." Catra murmured back, shutting her eyes slowly to let herself be enveloped by Adora's presence.
She fell back into a light sleep, the sound of Adora's soft snoring and the feeling of warm sunlight feeding through the blinds lulling her back into a peaceful slumber. Catra wasn't sure how much time had passed but when she awoke again it was to the slamming of a front door, shooting up her whole body turning rigid as her narrowed eyes turned onto the door. Adora sat up much slower, groggy eyes focusing in on Catra. "What's wrong?" She grumbled, seemingly sensing the other girl's unease, but before Catra could respond yelling could be heard in the front yard. The two glanced at one another, Adora's yellow eyes now fully open and alert as she stared at the other girl, a silent agreement seemed to pass between them as they slid from the bed and out the bedroom door.
Adora took the lead, creeping against the wall as quietly as she could manage with Catra on her tail, eyes alert listening for any sign of life. As they rounded the final corner they peaked out into the living room, Glimmer was curled up on the couch clutching a pillow to her face.
"Glimmer!" Adora was instantly bolting to her, curling around her in a comforting and protective way that made jealousy slash at Catra's heart for a moment. When the blue haired girl looked up, her face red and puffy from tears, a wave of guilt ran over Catra for her jealousy. Adora easily wrapped her smaller foster sister in her arms, clutching her as if her life depended on it. "What's going on?" She questioned urgently, comfortingly running her hand over Glimmer's head. Catra joined them slowly on the couch, unsure if she should be so close to the other girl but decided to push past the awkwardness for Adora's sake.
"I don't know I drove Bow home and when I got home some lady was in the driveway. She kept yelling at me saying 'I know you have them' but I didn't know what she meant so I screamed for my dad! She grabbed me really hard and by the time my dad came out she drew blood." Glimmer finally choked out between sobs, it was then that the other girls noticed Glimmer was bleeding the wound wasn't large, nothing more than a few scrapes but Catra was instantly on her feet looking for band aids.
"The drawer by the fridge." Adora called to her, she nodded back, throwing open the drawer to find the roll of bandages before returning to Glimmer's side. Gently she coaxed her arm from her and gently began to wrap it as Adora continued running her hand through her sister's hair. Glimmer's pale swollen eyes watched Catra with gratefulness, the lithe girl not acknowledging her as she bandaged Glimmer but a soft blush of embarrassment crossing her cheeks as she felt the other girl's eyes. "Don't worry, Catra was always good at bandaging me up when we were little. She'll take care of you." Adora cooed softly, Catra suppressed the urge to smile at the comment.
The screaming had escalated now, able to hear it from inside the living room now Catra turned to Adora as she finished off the bandage on Glimmer's arm. "Should we go help him?" Adora bit her lip looking between Catra and Glimmer, the wild haired girl seemed to understand instantly. 'She doesn't want to leave Glimmer alone.' She nodded slowly in understanding, slowly creeping to her feet and towards the front door.
"Catra." Adora called flatly as she could manage, but her voice still cracked with worry making Catra smirk knowingly.
"Don't worry." She replied, shooting the foster siblings a smile before creeping fully up to the front door to peak out the hole in the crackling door. She had to stand on her tiptoes to fully see, planning to check who was outside and then retreat back. Her stomach dropped to the lowest pit it could though as she recognized the figure outside, reeling back in shock as her heart began to hammer in her chest. Blood roared in her ears. 'No. No. No.' Catra gripped her shoulders as they began to shake, her lungs shrieking with effort.
"Catra?" Adora was behind her now, her vision was blurring as she started to collapse, screaming words filling her ears.
"Where are they?! I know you have them! Give them to me!" Catra's claw like nails sank into her shoulders, blood beginning to draw as she looked up at Adora, fear taking over.
Except it wasn't Adora looking down at her. It was that awful witch of a woman staring down at her menacingly with her one good eye, an evil grin crossing her face. She reached out a hand to touch Catra's cheek, she willed her body to pull away, to run, to scream, to do anything but it wouldn't obey. She was trapped. Her spindly fingertips touched her cheek, shooting a new level of energy through her she ripped away looking around wildly for Adora.
"Adora?!" She screeched, terror making her voice crack and earning a cackle from the older dark haired woman.
"Adora isn't coming for you." She growled menacingly, Catra could feel her heart beating through her whole body, wide eyes traveling down to the woman's hand that had touched her cheek. There was blood covering her hands. Shaky hands reached up to her cheek to feel, pulling back to see warm blood covering her finger tips. Sickening realization hit her, eyes focusing on the body laying lifeless behind the old cackling woman, this was Adora's blood.
Catra gave an earth shattering shriek, horror gripping Catra's heart as everything around her was enveloped in blood. The room was filling with it, all she could hear was that cackling laugh, all she could taste was Adora's blood in her mouth, tears rolling down her face as sobs racked her body. She was drowning in blood.
"Catra.." A voice whispered so close to Catra's ears the voice almost tickled, but no one was there. "Catra.. Catra.. Catra.." It was getting louder, whoever the voice belonged to they were coming. Even more panicked Catra began wildly paddling in the blood, desperate to reach more air. "Catra.. Catra.. Catra!"
Catra shot up with a gasp of horror, eyes unfocused and groggy as she whipped around the room wildly. "Catra!" Catra jumped, reeling around with wide eyes to be met with Adora's worried eyes staring at her. Catra was panting, tears rolling down her cheeks, body tense as she stared at the girl she had just seen laying dead on the floor. 'No.. No that can't be true.. What happened?' Catra's half conscious mind was trying to catch up, to comprehend she was in Adora's bed and Adora was ok.
"Catra.." Adora whispered, reaching out a hand to touch Catra's cheek in an attempt to comfort her.
"Don't touch me!" She snarled, fear consuming her for a moment as Adora reached to touch her the same way the dream witch had. Adora cried out in pain. Catra was shot back to reality, frozen now as she stared at Adora who had reeled back her bleeding hand. She looked down at her bloody claw's and her heart lurched as she realized what she had done. "Adora!" Catra lurched forward to try to examine the wound she had created but before she could Adora flinched back, icy blue eyes filling with tears and hurt as Catra looked up at her.
"I'm sorry." She choked out after a moment, sobs starting to wrack her body again as she curled in on herself, hands moving to her shoulders causing her to flinch. 'I hurt myself?' She realized after a moment, clutching at the wounds careful not to let her claws sink back into her skin. "I'm sorry." She choked out again, pinching her eyes shut as more sobs wracked her body. "I didn't mean to, I had.. I had a dream about Weaver and I got scared and she hurt you and I didn't understand and I'm sorry." Catra was openly sobbing now, her words coming out broken and shaky not more than a whisper as her whole body wavered.
After a moment of silence passed between the two Adora spoke. "I have those too.. They're scary." Catra opened her eyes to see Adora was no longer fearfully cowering away from her, but instead inching towards her, careful not to move too fast and not raising her hands to her yet. "But I'm here, I'll protect you, I promise." She softly promised, kind eyes boring into Catra's red and puffy ones. Catra sniffled, heart aching as she looked down at Adora's injured hand, the bleeding had slowed but hadn't stopped.
"I'm sorry." She croaked out again, unable to take her eyes away from the blood.
"It's ok. I'm right here." Adora cooed softly, inching forward again this time getting Catra's attention.
She froze as the smaller girl stared up at her, another moment passing before Catra slowly uncurled herself and crept towards Adora. The blonde instantly opened her arms to invite the other girl into her lap, Catra needed no more invitation than that before she crawled onto Adora burying her face in her chest while her limbs desperately clung to her. Adora wrapped her own arms around Catra's back, gently squeezing as if to assure her that she was there but not trapping her. Catra sucked in a breath of relief, her tears turning into quieter sobs as she settled down against Adora, panic slowly leaving her to be replaced with a sense of security. The memories of the awful nightmare felt so real before but laying in Adora's arms now she knew she was safe, she knew Adora would never let anyone hurt her, she was safe.

A/N: Ya'll didn't think I was gonna give you happiness and closure just like that did you? We'll get there don't worry, poor babies though they have a lot to deal with mentally. We've seen what ways Adora's trauma shaped her but now we gotta get into how Catra's trauma shaped her. Including her fear of being touched and lovely PTSD induced nightmares. But at least they got their feelings out in the open right? Anyways hope you guys enjoyed, thank you for all the kind comments on my last chapter. I haven't been doing great and I needed it. <3 Keep fighting, stay safe, have each other's backs and black lives matter.