Yearning, Learning - [Catradora Drabbles] [Returns 09/29/23]

6 - Discovery

Although her past home was one she'd rather forget, there's stuff she doesn't mind keeping, one of these being pictures where she could be seen spending time with Adora. She's treasured them all in one box, this one kept a secret from the blonde. Today though, as she stares at a picture from when they were along the ages of five and seven, she wonders if it would be good to show them to her. She holds the picture for a while, hiding it back in the box when she hears footsteps from nearby.

"Ready to go?" Adora asks, emerging at the door. The attire she's wearing reminds Catra over where her girlfriend needed to head to, the formality of her outfit giving away most of it.

She takes a subtle look at her own attire, only missing some shoes. "Just a second," she replies, smiling at her before going off to her closet. From there, she retrieves a pair and slides them on, moving on quickly with tying them when she sees Adora take interest in the box she'd left unattended. With wide eyes, she stands up and rushes back to her side, arriving just a bit too late.

She sees her smile and a laugh's quick to accompany it, left to watch as she takes a picture and faces Catra with an amused gaze. "How long did you have these for?" she asks, tone the same. "I thought we'd lost most of them!"

Knowing it's a lost battle, the brunette gives in with a sigh, a hint of a smile making its way to her lips. She joins Adora and takes one from the collection, now ending up with a picture from when they were reaching their pre-teens. Years had passed since the first picture she focused on, and now this one, but they still had each other. Her eyes water at that thought, and for a moment, relief washes over her like a tide on a warm day. Now that almost a whole year had gone by since they were reunited, she found it hard to believe they had once been separated, and in ways as extreme as they had been. She's thankful Bright Moon has kept itself peaceful and that she could still see Adora whenever she looked for her.

It wasn't a dream.

"Thank you for saving these," she hears her girlfriend say, bringing her out of those thoughts. She faces her side, a fond gaze replacing her amused one. "I didn't think they'd survive."

Catra's smile reappears as she nods and takes Adora's hand. She tugs her closer, a movement gentle enough to go unnoticed. Even so, Adora smiles and steps forward, pulling her into a hug. "...N- No problem," Catra says, tears showing in her voice. Despite having tried her best not to let those show in her eyes, they'd escaped through her mouth, prompting Adora to hug them away. "They were still good memories, even with the place we were living them in."

She rests her face against her girlfriend's chest, a tiny laugh bursting through when she hears her sneeze, hair responsible for it. "Did my hair tickle you, or are you getting allergic to me?" she teases, face still hidden against her chest.

Adora sniffles, chuckling after. "A bit of both, I think."

Her confession makes the two of them laugh, helping Catra manage better with the weight of the memories still making rounds through her head. They were fresh in her mind, but there was nothing quite like getting to see them in pictures. Even with the emotions they brought back, she was still grateful to have kept them, and even more now, knowing her girlfriend felt the same way.

Hopefully, one day, she would look at them again without letting the more negative and unwanted side of her memories take over her.