Always Forever (Catradora)

Chapter Eleven

Adora

The three of them had fallen asleep around the fire, which they had put out before going to bed. Adora could hear the soft breaths escaping Catra's lips, alerting to her that she was most definitely asleep.
However, Adora found herself unable to slip into a slumber so easily. She pulled her knees in and hugged them as she placed her chin on-top of them.

The soft noises of the night calmed her senses a bit as she stared up into the dark sky absently. The only source of light was the bright moon that shone relentlessly down on them. She wasn't going to complain about the light source. Adora sighed and leaned backward, allowing herself to stretch out her muscles. It was insane that someone had actually stolen their car. Like, seriously?

It was at that moment that Adora was made aware of a shifting behind her as a person stood up and walked over to her. "Having trouble sleeping?" Xeva asked, coming to a stop behind her. Adora flinched absently.

"You too?" Adora questioned, twisting her head around so she could look at Xeva.

He gave a quiet nod, a sympathetic smile resting upon his face. "You mind if I join you?" He inquired, his smile warming up as Adora shrugged and patted the ground beside her. It wasn't like she had anything better to do.

For a few moments, the two sat there in silence, just staring up at the starless sky. Adora bit her lip absently. She felt bad for treating him so poorly before... she'd been unfair with him without even giving him a chance. She should've given him a chance. He wasn't as bad as she had thought at first.

Adora sighed. "I'm sorry about your parents..." she mumbled, lowering her gaze as Xeva side glanced at her.

"They are Catrina's parents too," he pointed out as Adora scrunched up her face a bit.

"Okay, yeah, but Catra never met them... you knew them, that had to be horrible," Adora replied pointedly, glancing to Xeva. He shifted uncomfortably.

Xeva stared at the ground, using his claw on his pointer finger to drag in the dirt and draw patterns. His lips parted for a moment, as he tried to think of words to say. "Well, thank you... but I have no more time to mourn," he continued, his tone careful, "I have a duty to protect Catrina now that I can."

Adora watched him. "What, was it an order from your parents or something?"

A flustered expression passed Xeva's dark features as his ears shifted backwards absently. "Well... no... but now that I have no one holding me back.. I guess I made it my personal mission," he explained as Adora felt herself soften again.

"That's really cool of you," Adora admitted, finally giving him a soft smile as his face heated up and he shook his head slightly. "Aw, don't be like that, it's true," Adora pressed as Xeva avoided her gaze and played with his hair a bit.

"I mean... if you say so," he replied, though he didn't sound as if he believed it. Then, as if to change the subject, Xeva glanced over to their stuff. "Ugh... we really need supplies... we might have to stop at a village or something in the morning," he muttered, his tail swishing back and forth, causing the leaves on the ground to crinkle and sweep in response.

Adora tilted her head and glanced back at Catra's sleeping body. "Is there anywhere close to here, you think?" She pondered, before returning her gaze to Xeva.