Catradora oneshots and short stories

Flufftober Day 5: Watching the sunrise

This contains a bit of angst. Mention of a nightmare, description of verbal abuse by SW. I can't go too long without angst, it seems XD Enjoy :)

It wasn't abnormal for Adora to wake up to an empty bed during the night. It didn't happen every night, thankfully, but when it did, Adora knew by then to not panic. The first couple of times, she all but had a panic attack, thinking Catra was dead or ran away. Catra had to calm her down and explain the situation.

Catra was riddled with nightmares. The dreams varied on the topic. Some nights she'd wake up kicking and screaming, clawing at an invisible threat. Some nights Adora had to wake her up because she was crying in her sleep but couldn't wake herself up. Some nights, Catra woke up quickly and without causing much commotion. On those nights, she'd stay up, tossing and turning, trying to go back to sleep without success, or she'd leave the room and find someplace up high.

It was an instinct she'd had for as long as she could remember. She liked the solitude of being up above the rest of the world, where no one else would get her. Someplace to be alone.

So, when Adora felt the barely warm, empty sheets beside her, she knew exactly where to go. Getting up out of bed, she grabbed a throw blanket, slipped on a pair of shoes and ventured out into the dark hallways. The only ones awake at the time, were the night guards. They silently greeted her, pointing her in the direction of the missing magicat.

Just as she'd suspected, Adora eventually climbed up the stairs that led to the moonstone tower. The glow of the magical stone softly illuminated the chamber. Looking around, Adora caught sight of her girlfriend. Catra was sitting on the edge, looking out at the kingdom. Melog was sitting beside her.

The purple feline-like creature turned towards Adora. They chirped in a greeting, shrinking down in size. Adora took that as a sign to play it safe.

"Mind if I sit with you for a bit?" She asked.

Catra shrugged, not turning to look at her. Melog, on the other hand, walked up to Adora. They didn't touch her, but sat and looked at her, then Catra. Adora got the message. She walked up to where Catra was and took a seat next to her, though didn't touch her. She knew Catra had to be the one to initiate the contact.

So, she just sat there, blanket wrapped around her, silent. She had Melog in her lap, petting them to keep her hands busy while she waited. Staring out into the distance, Adora realized the sky was no longer a dark blue color, but was beginning to be a dark pink and light blue color. It was almost sunrise. How long had Catra been out here?

Adora pursed her lips to keep silent.

"It was Shadow Weaver this time."

Adora turned her head at the sound, looking at Catra. Catra stared on ahead, as if nothing had been said.

"She was... berating me. The usual shit. That I'm no good, useless, dragging you down, a waste of your guys' time, a horrible, selfish bitch, should've gotten rid of me as a kid, stuff like that."

Adora hated hearing her talk so casually about that stuff. None of that was true and Catra didn't deserve to be told that. However, Catra seemed to accept it. As a fact of life. When she got this way, it was important to argue against it and make sure Catra knew that no one else felt that way about her.

"None of that true, Cat. None of it."

Catra looked down at the castle grounds below. Adora wished she could read Catra's mind. It was hard to read her at times. Times when Adora needed to know her thoughts the most.

Adora leaned over, trying to catch Catra's gaze.

"Hey. Please look at me." She requested softly.