The Nyanny ch17

Catra thought she was prepared for Adora on sleeping pills. She could handle intoxicated Adora, they’d met. She could even handle unconscious Adora if she had to, but she wasn’t prepared for sleepy Adora to be Finn levels of cuddly. 

The pills worked and Adora slept for the whole flight. Catra got herself a blanket but it was unnecessary once she scooted into Adora’s side to steal her ridiculous amounts of heat. 

Catra couldn’t really blame Adora for the way she responded when she was the one to touch her first. She moved Adora’s prosthetic arm so she could slide under it and slot herself into her side. Catra should have expected Adora to move but she hadn’t expected her cool prosthetic hand to land so low around her hip as her fingers splayed over Catra’s thigh. 

Catra tried to shake the heat from her face. Adora wasn’t trying to feel her up, she couldn’t even feel with that hand. She was just trying to get comfortable and Catra had to admit, her arm around her supported her perfectly. 

Catra sat with her human sized heating while she went between napping and reading. Catra was the only one to eat the dinner provided and she had no idea what it was. She would have to ask Adora about it later, but it tasted good and it was catered for her dietary needs.

A few hours into the flight Adora moved like she might wake up and Catra watched her face while she listened to her heart beat for the signs. She wondered if Adora would need more than one set of pills. But Adora didn’t wake, just moving to rest her head against the top of Catra’s and pulling her closer. 

Catra purred but resisted her urge to nuzzle against Adora. That was definitely not on the consensually approved touching list. 

Adora while sleeping was apparently not listening to the approved touching list either. Catra was reading her book when she crossed one leg over the other to get more comfortable and relax against Adora. Adora stirred like she had many times during the flight and Catra had stopped checking on her so closely as she settled into a new more comfortable position. 

She couldn’t really ignore when Adora put her very warm and very real hand on her other thigh to pull her closer. She-Ra was doing most of the heavy lifting and if Catra hadn’t been buckled into her seat she was sure she would have ended up in Adora’s lap. After She-ra tugged and didn’t get her to move she gave up and rested more against Catra instead. 

She had Adora draped over her with her cheek against the top of her head, arm around her waist and hand on her thigh. Catra was looking at the hand as she considered what to do. She didn’t want to move it, and because she didn’t want to, Catra decided she absolutely should. 

She gently took Adora’s hand and moved it back into her own lap, hoping it was comfortable. She went back to her book but it was barely two minutes before the hand returned to Catra’s leg again. 

Catra huffed and decided to leave it. She pulled the blankets around them further to hide Adora’s hand placement but it wasn’t really necessary. The staff had been weirdly treating them like an adorable newlywed couple for the whole flight and Adora snuggling her to death wasn’t going to stop their assumptions. 

Surely because this was Adora’s jet they would know that Ms Grey wasn’t in a relationship. Not that Catra wanted Adora to move away or snuggle up with someone else. 

Adora came the closest to waking up about an hour before the end of the flight and Catra asked for her food to be brought out later when she might be more awake. 

Adora hadn’t talked in her sleep once during the flight until Catra stupidly called her boss handsy. Adora got the last laugh by squeezing Catra’s thigh and calling her “kitten” before falling back to sleep. Catra was left a bright red flustered mess until they landed. 

Adora started to stir after they were on the ground but only once Catra used some mission impossible skills to remove herself from Adora’s insistent hold to check on Finn. 

Finn was sleepily trying to put on their own clothes but had forgotten the step of taking off their pyjamas first. Catra smiled and helped Finn to sleepily put their pants on and found that Finn had picked out a shirt from Adora’s luggage to wear. Catra didn’t object and helped them dress before she brought them back into the main cabin to find Adora sleepily blinking herself awake. 

“Are we already there?” Adora asked, a small confused frown on her face. Catra smiled at the thought that she had two sleepy Grey’s to deal with this morning. Catra had slept a few hours but she was worried about leaving Finn and Adora unattended for the flight so she mostly read her book. 

“Yeah, those sleeping pills are no joke,” Catra said light heartedly. Adora frowned deeper and looked up at Catra.

“They are only meant to last four hours, wasn’t the flight six hours?” Adora asked, her voice still groggy. She looked confused as she yawned and Catra worried that Adora was overreacting to this medication like last time. Catra tipped her head to watch carefully as Adora rubbed sleep from her eyes. Catra’s movement gently touched the top of Finn’s head and activated their nuzzle button. Catra giggled and nuzzled them back gently.

“You must have really needed the sleep,” Catra said and Adora nodded her head. 

“Yeah, probably,” Adora said softly and looked down at her hand with a frown. Catra tried not to blush when she saw it was the hand Adora had on her thigh for half the flight. She really hoped Adora didn’t remember Catra’s stupid comment or her own response to it.

“Did you want to change before we head to the shops?” Catra asked and it successfully pulled Adora out of whatever she was thinking about and she nodded. She went to the bedroom and changed. 

Catra was reassured that Adora wasn’t overreacting to the medication when she emerged from the bedroom wide awake and looking well rested. Catra was relieved. They went to meet their driver and stopped at a shop in town where Adora spent what Catra could only assume was a stupid amount of money on safety equipment for an adult Magicat to be around horses. 

Catra didn’t mind the shopping, but she was not looking forward to meeting horses for the first time.  

#

Catra didn’t think much could sway her feelings about animals that were bigger than her, but Adora was really starting to change her mind about ranch life. When she stepped into the living room of the homestead they were staying in, wearing what Catra could only describe as a cowboy outfit, Catra was just about sold on the idea. 

Adora was wearing light coloured jeans, a blue plaid shirt rolled up to her elbows and a quite ridiculously sized belt buckle. She even had the hat and boots, both in brown, with her hair loose around her shoulders. 

“What do you think?” Adora asked and Catra was saved from saying something embarrassing when Finn stepped out wearing an identical outfit and Catra’s heart melted. 

“You both look great,” Catra said truthfully and crouched to help Finn to work out how to put on their hat. She turned it around and placed it over their ears carefully and smiled. 

“You’re so handsome,” Catra said and Finn grinned. Catra stood and noticed Adora looking at Catra’s outfit. Catra’s outfit was dark where Adora’s was light. Catra’s jeans were a dark blue, her buckle small and practical and her shirt was a darker blue plaid. Catra had refused to let Adora buy her a cowboy hat but she did accept the boots, which she knew she looked good in. 

Catra watched Adora look at her, while she thought she hadn’t been caught and took some satisfaction in the sun kissed colour that came to her cheeks. 

“Ready?” Catra asked, making a show of turning to Adora rather than watching her from the corner of her eyes. Adora’s eyes skited away from her and Catra tried to hide her smile. 

“Ready. There’s someone I want you to meet,” Adora said looking back at Catra as she grabbed their picnic basket and Catra picked up her camera. Finn took her hand and Adora’s before they headed out towards the stables. 

Catra wasn’t enjoying the nervous butterflies in her stomach as they approached the beasts they were going to be riding for the day. 

#

Catra tried to stay out of Adora’s way while she picked and prepared two horses and a miniature pony for Finn. The pony was a warm honey colour with a golden mane and Catra’s horse was Grey with darker grey on her butt. According to Adora Molly was a great starter horse and very gentle. 

Catra really had no idea what she was doing. She had never ridden a horse before and had no clue how to interact with one. They were so big and intimidating. Catra was holding herself tightly with her arms crossed as Adora prepared her own horse for riding. 

Adora’s horse was big, much bigger than Catra’s, and white, with a red mane. Catra was glad she wasn’t riding that one, she might fall off and die.  

Catra helped Finn onto their miniature pony when they were ready and they were riding confidently around the small yard. Catra wasn’t convinced that the pony was listening to any direction Finn was giving, but rather just doing what it wanted. Finn seemed fine with it as they stopped to look at random things around the yard. They bonded. 

Catra looked away from Finn and back to Adora. She clearly loved these creatures as her face relaxed into the same look of affection she gave Finn. It was a breath of fresh air to see her at ease after she had been stressed about the flight. Catra wasn’t opposed to cuddles on their flight home, but she hated how scared and ashamed Adora looked when she needed help.  

Catra turned back to the beast before her and decided to face her own fears. She reached up to touch the nose of her horse like she saw Adora doing with hers. The horse blew air through its nose and Catra yanked her hand away with a small startled sound. 

Catra heard Adora’s soft chuckle and her cheeks coloured as she glared at the horse. She was embarrassed to realise she had fluffed her tail and yanked it through her hand to flatten the fur. She knew it wasn’t the animals fault that she was scared but she was stubborn and she didn’t want to give in to her fear. 

“Everything okay?” Adora asked curiously as she came closer and Catra huffed. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Catra said a little unconvincingly. The irony of using Adora’s words back at her was not lost on her but Adora always took a different approach to comfort than Catra. 

“Horses are good at reading emotion. So, if you are nervous, they will be nervous,” Adora explained as she reached out and rubbed her hand confidently over the horse’s cheek and received no objection. Adora was much closer to the height of this horse, so she had no reason to fear being crushed.  

The wild cackling of Adora’s child momentarily distracted her as the miniature pony ran around in circles. The small smile on Adora’s face made a warmth spread through her chest. 

Catra appreciated Adora taking the route of explaining without blame instead of her own method of ‘it's okay to feel the way you feel’. Catra knew it was okay that she was scared, but she hated feeling that way. Adora explaining made her feel like it was okay to be scared without saying it. It gave her the information she needed to make her own decision. Catra knew, if she told Adora that she didn’t want to ride the horse, Adora would let her do something else. But Catra wanted to understand Adora’s love for these animals, and that’s what made her explain herself.     

“I guess… I am nervous,” she conceded, and Adora nodded with a reassuring smile. Catra smiled back as a little fear slipped away. 

“It’s understandable. I can assure you, they are gentle giants, as long as you don’t mess with them,” Adora said and Catra nodded. She took a breath and tried to relax her rigid stance before she tried to pet the horse again. This time it allowed her to rub its soft velvety nose. Adora smiled proudly. 

“They are really big,” Catra tried to explain her anxiety and Adora looked down at her with a small playful smile.

“Unfortunately, I think you are slightly too big for a miniature pony,” Adora said and Catra scoffed, but she couldn’t keep the smile from her face at her jab. “You are welcome to saddle up with me, if you prefer not to face it alone,” Adora offered casually and Catra felt her cheeks colour. She really wanted that, but after all that cuddling on the plane, was she being greedy to ask to hold Adora in return? 

“That would be nice actually, thank you” Catra decided selfishly and Adora nodded. 

“No trouble, I’ll change Swiftwind’s saddle, he's big enough for two riders,” Adora said and Catra blinked. She had a weird tickling memory in the back of her head. The night Adora was intoxicated flashed into her mind. Adora crouched in her tight little skirt on her living room floor as she lamented to Swifty “When did you get so small?!” Suddenly her confusing words made sense and Catra huffed a laugh.

“Swiftwind is a horse too?” Catra asked and Adora chuckled softly, the sound sending goosebumps racing across her skin. Catra needed to get a grip before she embarrassed herself.

“Ah, yes. Finn met Swiftwind when they were two and when we got Swifty they refused to call them anything else, so it stuck,” Adora said, scratching Swiftwind’s shoulder and he leaned into it like a big dog.  

“That makes a lot of sense why your dog is named like a racehorse,” Catra said playfully and Adora smiled.

“Yes, well it doesn’t end there. Swift Wind was actually a man. He was a friend of my fathers. He used to own this ranch and apparently always said he would be reborn as a horse. The day he died Swiftwind was born. Swift Wind was a spiritual man who had millions of stories to tell, so father believed he was reborn into his true form,” Adora said gently rubbing the nose of the horse. “He left the ranch to father and Swiftwind has been spoiled with endless land to roam and the best food money can buy, but all the horses are treated the same,” Adora said with a shrug. Catra was a little shocked. When Juliet had said they got the ranch as a gift, she didn’t think it was from a will. Catra felt a little guilty for thinking it seemed like a ridiculous gift. 

“That’s really sweet,” Catra said, watching Adora closely. 

“Yes. I’ll get the other saddle, we’ll be off soon,” Adora said walking back towards the barn quickly.  

Adora looked embarrassed but Catra wasn’t sure which part embarrassed her. Maybe her fathers beliefs that a horse was once a man or the large inheritance that fell to Adora’s shoulders after her father had passed. Catra didn’t think she had anything to be embarrassed about but maybe She missed something. 

#

Swiftwind was tall, so Catra couldn’t quite reach the stirrup without using her claws. She tried to get up on her own for a few minutes while Adora failed to hide her smile at her adorableness but eventually she huffed and asked for help. 

Adora didn’t keep Catra waiting and stepped forward immediately to put her hands on Catra’s hips. Catra gasped right before she squeaked as Adora lifted her up onto the saddle in one fluid movement. The shock on Catra’s face made Adora grateful for all the hours she had spent at the gym after she retired from ballet. 

“Swing your leg over,” Adora instructed when Catra didn’t move from her side saddle position as she blinked down at Adora. She snapped out of her daze quickly and followed Adora’s instructions, settling into the saddle and wiggling to get comfortable. 

Adora helped Catra put her feet into the stirrup to stabilise her and grabbed Swiftwind’s and Finn’s miniature pony, Mango’s, rein to lead them out of the tacking yard. 

Mango was a grumpy old girl, but she could follow a trail easily and where Adora was taking them was thankfully along the trail. 

Finn was giggling and looking around as Adora got them to the edge of the homestead and let Mango take the lead down the path. 

She hadn’t really considered that helping Catra onto the horse first meant that Adora would need to sit behind her. Adora swung herself up into the saddle behind her and took the reins which caused her to wrap her arms around Catra’s smaller frame to lead Swiftwind onto the trail after Mango.

Catra was holding onto the front of the saddle since there wasn’t much to hold onto in that spot. Adora really should have had Catra sit behind her so Catra could hold onto her, but this way Catra could see more and Adora could stop her falling if she lost her balance in the saddle. 

Catra was ridged in her seat and not moving with Swiftwind at all as he followed after the tiny pony. 

“Relax your spine a little and try to move with Swiftwind,” Adora instructed softly to Catra and heard her grumbling something. 

“It will feel better, otherwise you might hurt yourself,” Adora continued. “You can lean back into me if it helps,” Adora offered, but that was a bad idea and Adora knew it as soon as Catra leaned back into her.  

If Adora wanted to, she was within reach to kiss Catra’s cute little ears. Not that Adora would, because that would be wildly inappropriate, but she could, they were right there. 

Catra was still stiff around her hips, not rocking with the motion and Adora wanted to make this experience a good one for her. 

“Can I show you the motion?” Adora asked, her voice soft because of how close she was to Catra’s ears. 

“Am I not doing it?” Catra asked, sounding a little defensive and Adora chuckled. 

“Not quite,” Adora whispered and Catra’s tail whipped around wildly for a moment before she grumbled her reply. 

“Fine, show me,” Catra relented and Adora smiled. 

“Take these,” Adora said, offering her the reins as she moved them to one hand. 

“What!? No, I’m not driving,” Catra resisted and Adora tried to hide her grin. 

“Swiftwind doesn’t need instruction to follow the path, you just have to hold the reins loosely and he’ll do the rest,” Adora assured and Catra’s ears pinned back for a moment before she took the reins from Adora’s hand. 

Adora moved her hands to Catra’s hips and Catra wiggled under her palms slightly before Adora encouraged her to rock her hips and follow the rhythm of Swiftwind’s body. Catra’s body moved like water and flexibility wasn’t a problem, so Adora just needed to show her what to do. After a few minutes of Adora guiding her, Catra kept the rhythm on her own and Adora retook the reins from Catra’s hands. 

“Better?” Adora asked gently and Catra squeaked out something that sounded affirmative. Adora smiled softly and settled comfortably back into the saddle. She’d get the hang of it. 

They continued their ride in silence before Adora noticed Catra had been holding the saddle tightly with her claws. Adora kept the reins in one hand before she put her right arm around Catra’s waist to hold her more firmly against her. 

“You won't fall,” Adora assured Catra and she laughed softly before she mumbled something Adora couldn’t catch on the wind. 

Finn's little pony was walking up ahead but Finn kept looking back over their shoulder to check they were still following. Adora smiled at Finn. It wouldn’t be much longer and they would reach the lake. 

Adora had a picnic packed for their arrival and it was strapped to the back of Swiftwind. She was looking forward to seeing Finn and Catra’s reactions to the man-made lake and all the waterbirds that lived there now. 

“Is it much further?” Catra asked, glancing over her shoulder at Adora. Catra looked flushed and Adora wished she had let her buy her a hat so she wouldn’t get sunburnt. 

“It won't be much longer. I’ve got some cold water for when we stop,” Adora said and Catra nodded before she faced forward again and felt more of her weight settle back into her. 

It felt good to have Catra in her arms like this, but it was fleeting and Adora had to remind herself that it wasn’t going to last. When they stopped Adora couldn’t touch Catra like this. She was only helping Catra with her fear and hopefully making a bad experience better, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy holding her while she could. 

When they arrived at the lake Adora helped Finn and Catra off so the horses could be tied to a tree with their own treat. She led Finn and Catra through the trees towards the lake. Adora had the picnic basket in one hand and Finn’s hand in her other to help them down the slope towards the edge of the water. 

When they cleared the treeline to the lake, Catra gasped and Adora couldn’t help but look at her. Catra had a look of wonder as the light that reflected off the lake sparkled in her eyes and Adora couldn’t look away. 

“DUCKS!” Finn yelled and pointed, pulling on Adora’s arm and dragging her attention away from Catra to follow them towards the clearing by the water. 

Adora put the blanket and basket down as Finn ran towards the water's edge to look at the feathery friends that seemed unsure of them. 

Adora spread out the blanket and Catra crouched to unpack the basket. 

“I’ll do this, you stop Finn from getting in the water,” Catra said looking up at Adora playfully and she smiled.

“That won't happen,” Adora said before looking back at her child to see them trying to take their boots off. “I stand corrected.” Adora walked towards the waters edge while Catra laughed “Finny, we aren’t swimming today” Adora cautioned and they pouted. 

“Why not?” Finn asked and Adora helped them put their half off boots back on. 

“Lots of animals live here and we don’t want to disturb them,” Adora said smiling at Finn and they continued to pout but nodded their head. 

“Lets have some lunch then you can play, are you hungry?” Adora asked and Finn grinned and nodded again. Adora stood up as Finn ran over to the blanket and flopped into Catra’s arms. She giggled and nuzzled Finn while Adora walked back to join them.

Adora really shouldn’t get used to this, she had to remind herself how temporary it all was. She just hoped Catra didn’t break Finn’s heart when she had to leave.  

#

The sun was warm and Adora found herself enjoying laying around and ignoring all her problems. It helped that Finn was snuggled up in the sun beside her with their little head on her stomach. The picnic blanket wasn’t large, so although Catra wasn’t touching her, she wasn’t far. When the wind rushed through the trees Adora could feel the tickle of her hair against her elbow as she rested her head back against her hands. 

She could certainly get used to this. She felt Catra’s tail flick against her and cracked one of her eyes open to watch as Catra rolled onto her stomach to warm her back in the dappled light that came through the canopy of the trees. 

Adora let out a soft sigh as she felt Finn stirring from their nap. They slipped off Adora’s stomach to crawl over to Catra and lay in the larger sunspot that Catra’s back was in. Adora smiled and stretched, making a satisfied sound as her muscles relaxed. 

Adora hadn’t napped like her companions had, but she did feel rested and relaxed. She wasn’t sure what it was, the sun, the fresh air, maybe the water? Or maybe it was because all her work and business troubles were thousands of miles away. 

She glanced over at Catra as she saw Catra’s ear twitching repeatedly as a butterfly tried to land on it. Adora lifted her hand and gently shooed the butterfly away and Catra’s ear returned to its relaxed position. 

Finn was moving around again. Adora could hear the rustling of paper and looked at the picnic basket. Finn agreed to nap on the condition that they got to eat their dessert when they woke up. 

They had one of the pastries in their hand and Adora sat up so they knew she was awake. Finn looked at her like they had been caught and Adora smiled. 

“A deal’s a deal,” Adora said and Finn grinned before they wandered over to the water's edge to look sleepily at the birds. Some of the ducks started to show interest in Finn as they stood there and swam towards the bank. 

Adora heard Catra make a soft noise before she started to stretch and looked around for Finn. Adora nodded towards the water and Catra smiled. 

Catra rubbed her face to wake herself up before she grabbed her camera and pushed herself off the blanket. Adora hadn’t noticed how late in the afternoon it was until she saw the way the sky was turning purple as the clouds went pink as the sun approached the horizon. That explained why the shade under the trees was starting to cool. 

Adora pushed her body into motion as she stood and walked closer to where Catra was taking photos of Finn and the collection of ducks that had gathered around them. Adora felt the need to talk to Catra and any subject would do. She just wanted to know her better. 

“Do you ever take self portraits?” Adora asked curiously as Catra took a third photo of Finn with the ducks. Catra turned to Adora and rewarded her efforts with a smile.

“I do sometimes,” Catra said with a shrug, and Adora nodded. She didn’t know much about photography, so she wasn’t sure how to proceed with the conversation. 

“Why don’t you take more?” She asked and Catra looked back at Finn. 

“Because, I know who I am. Photos of myself feel more like milestones than real memories. These photos are to help me remember moments that I don’t want to forget,” Catra said and Adora smiled. Adora was happy that Catra wanted to remember her time with them when she was gone.

Catra’s face became obscured by the camera as she snapped a photo of Adora. Adora blinked at her before she felt her cheeks heat. She wasn’t ready to be photographed and she was sure her hair was a mess from laying on the ground. 

“What was that for?” Adora asked, with a confused frown. Catra smiled and shrugged casually. Her relaxed demeanour wasn’t as convincing this time, her body moving more rigidly.  

“It's a nice smile, you should use it more often,” Catra said and Adora felt her cheeks burn even hotter. Adora looked back to Finn who had acquired more duck friends once they dropped their pastry on the ground. Finn’s ears flicked back as they looked nervous being outnumbered and Adora walked forward to scare the ducks away from them. 

“Off you go ducks,” Adora said calmly so Finn wouldn’t get more scared. They reached up for her as she got closer and Adora lifted them into her arms. She turned back towards Catra when she heard the click of her camera. Adora rolled her eyes as she approached Catra.

“I dropped my pastry,” Finn explained in a sad whisper like Adora didn’t see them do it.

“I know, we’ll get you another one,” Adora offered as she rubbed their back and they nodded. “You’re going to waste all your film,” Adora said to Catra when she was close enough. Catra’s laugh was high pitched and playful. 

“I’m using it, not wasting it,” she said with conviction and Adora couldn’t really argue with that. If Adora had the chance she would want something to remember their time together too. 

#

They packed up the picnic and headed back towards the homestead when the sun started to set. Finn’s pony walked on its own behind Swiftwind while Catra held Finn in her arms. 

The rhythmic rocking and warmth of Adora at her back was doing unexpected things to Catra. She couldn’t seem to hold herself back any longer as her head bobbed to stay upright. She adjusted Finn in her arms and made a disgruntled noise as she tried to keep herself awake. One of Adora’s arms wrapped around Catra and Finn to hold them steady on the horse as Catra’s head bobbed again and her eyelids felt heavy. The protective and supportive arm around her did nothing to help her wake up and only lulled her further into sleep. 

Catra noticed maybe a little late that she was purring as Finn’s soft purr kicked to life against her. Catra wrapped her arms tighter around Finn to keep them safe but she knew Adora had them, she had them both. 

Catra had napped at the lake but despite that, she was ready to sleep. Adora’s warmth was so close and the chill of the setting sun wasn't helping. Finn took after their mother and were equally toasty to cuddle as they rag-dolled in her arms. Catra felt her ears wiggle and twitch before she heard a soft chuckle from Adora. 

“You can nap if you want to. I’ll keep you on the horse,” Adora said into her hair and Catra shivered at the warm breath at the back of her ear. Adora had apparently been watching Catra’s failing attempt to stay awake. 

“I can’t. I don’t want to drop Finn,” Catra said gently and rested her head on top of Finn’s wild hair. Adora’s arm around them both tightened and pulled Catra closer against her own body. Catra felt heat flood her face as she was unable to stop herself from purring louder. 

“You won't drop them, I’ve got you,” 

“Are you sure?”

“Promise.”

“Okay, but if I do anything embarrassing you have to wake me up,” Catra said, turning her body to look over her shoulder at Adora. That was a mistake, she was so close as she looked down at Catra with soft sparkling blue eyes. Catra bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything and Adora gave her a small smile. 

“I can’t promise that, I’m sorry,”

“Why not?” Catra asked, her ears flicking back. 

“Because, things you think are embarrassing, are cute,”

“I’m not cute!” Catra scoffed and Adora’s small smile grew larger. 

“Agree to disagree,” Adora said and Catra forced herself to face forward again. She couldn’t take the close proximity any longer or she was going to kiss her boss’s stupid face. 

“Fine,” Catra said reluctantly. Adora wrapped her other arm around them to hold them both. She kept the reins slack to let Swiftwind guide them home. Catra couldn’t hold back from sleeping any longer, the comfort of Adora’s arms around her was too much so she gave in to the call.  

#

Finn didn’t wake when they returned to the homestead they were staying in, so Catra made herself and Adora a light dinner. Adora went to do whatever it took to take care of the horses while Catra cooked. When she returned they ate dinner together and Catra put a serving in the fridge in case Finn woke up hungry later. 

Adora offered to do the dishes from dinner while Catra went to shower and change into her pyjamas. Catra was tired from so much sun and ready for bed, so she agreed and went to shower. 

Once she was done showering, Adora took her turn in the family sized bathroom while Catra went about brushing her hair and getting ready for bed.  

Catra tried to sleep, but she had napped a lot that day, so all she could do was toss and turn. The house smelt strange and that made it hard to relax. Her room didn’t smell like Finn or Adora at all, and she had grown used to their lingering scent in her space back home. 

Home.

Catra had been calling the penthouse home for weeks, like she really lived there and it wasn’t seven months away from disappearing. This line of thinking wasn’t helping her sleep. 

Catra got up, going to the living room to find the blanket Adora had used to wrap around Finn when they got back from their ride. Catra held the soft fabric to her nose and the mixed scents helped to calm her. 

The scratching sound of wood against wood drew her attention towards the kitchen. The soft outline of Adora and the smaller outline of Finn were bathed in the cool light from inside the fridge. Adora was heating up Finn’s dinner for them and neither had noticed Catra yet. 

Catra could see how tired Adora was by the way she held her body, but she was smiling as Finn whispered softly about horses to her. Catra felt like she was intruding on a private moment, and she really didn’t want to explain why she came out to get another blanket when she had a million on her bed. So, instead of breaking the spell the Greys were under, she scurried back into her room silently and closed her door with a click. 

Catra listened at the door until she was satisfied that she wasn’t spotted before she quickly burrowed under her blankets with the new bundle cuddled under her nose. Scents were important to Magicats, and Catra wasn’t embarrassed by her nature to be surrounded by scents that felt safe. Even if she wasn’t embarrassed, she still knew how it looked to other species, and she didn’t want to explain herself. She just wanted to sleep.  

Catra must have slept because she woke to a sleepy kitten attempting to rouse her. They had plans for a birthday breakfast and to go for another ride before they left. Catra groaned softly and glanced at the time as she lifted her blanket for Finn. Finn giggled and climbed under even though she knew Finn had been sent to wake her. Finn was always willing to cuddle. 

Seven was too early on a Sunday morning, especially after she couldn’t sleep much in the strange bed. Catra wrapped her arms around Finn and they purred as they nuzzled her. Catra was nodding off again when she heard Adora’s footsteps outside the door. 

“Finn,” Adora’s fond but exasperated voice pulled Catra from her attempt to go back to sleep. 

“Hi Mama,” Finn giggled, but Catra kept her eyes closed.

“Time to get up,” Adora said gently. Adora didn’t enter Catra’s temporary room. Even at the penthouse Adora was careful to draw a line at her door so she had her privacy. 

“No,” Catra grumbled and pulled the blanket over their heads. Finn giggled as they wiggled around, their blue eyes catching the slither of soft morning light coming from the gap in the blankets. Catra smiled at them, their ears wiggling under the light sheet that covered them. 

“I made breakfast,” Adora said, her voice a little louder. Finn looked at Catra for guidance, they knew they were playing a game, but they didn’t know when they were meant to give in. 

“I do like breakfast,” Catra whispered to Finn and they giggled.

“It’s birthday pancakes,” Finn chirped.

“Aw, can I have some if it isn’t my birthday?” Catra asked, dramatically.

“Yes, silly,” Finn giggled.

“Who’s birthday is it?” Catra asked and Finn grinned.

“Mine was on Thursday,” They said proudly. They had dinner with their large family that night to celebrate and returned home with many gifts. 

“Ohh, you’re right,” Catra agreed like she had forgotten.

“I’m getting hot,” Finn said, wiggling their ears. 

“Me too, let's go,” Catra said, flipping back the sheet to see Adora smiling at them both from the doorway. Catra felt her cheeks warm at the softness of Adora’s eyes but Finn quickly jumped from the bed and distracted her. 

“Birthday Pancakes!” Finn cheered and ran down the hallway. 

“I wish I had that type of energy in the morning,” Catra grumbled, pushing the blankets back to swing her bare legs off the bed and stand.

“I wish I had that type of energy any time of the day,” Adora agreed and Catra followed her into the kitchen. Adora had made a big stack of chocolate chip pancakes and five candles were sticking out of the top of the stack. 

They sat down to sing Happy Birthday to Finn and once they ate breakfast Finn got to open their gifts. Finn might have gotten a trip as a gift for their birthday, but there was no way Adora or Catra could resist getting them something to open that morning. 

Adora bought them new boots, since they were growing out of the ones they had. The boots were white with gold details and Finn loved them. Catra’s gift was smaller; a cowboy style sheriffs badge and a toy gun. Catra was relieved when Adora firmly told Finn not to point the toy at the horses, because it would scare them and Finn nodded in understanding. 

Adora was washing dishes after breakfast while Catra helped Finn put on their new outfit and accessories. Catra’s personal phone rang on the table and she quickly finished helping Finn. Adora looked up from the dishes curiously when Catra picked up her phone. 

Catra didn’t know why she felt the need to tell Adora who was calling her, but the fact that she cared was nice. 

“It’s my mum, I’ll be right back,” Catra said and Adora nodded. 

“Sure, take your time,” Adora said, going back to the dishes. Catra walked down the hall to her room. She needed to change so they could go out and she could do both at once. 

“Hi Mama,” Catra answered as she pulled some clothes out of her bag. She would be wearing protective stuff over the top so the jeans and t-shirt would be fine.

“Hi sweet pea, how are you?” C’yra asked, her voice light and playful.

“I’m good, how are you?” Catra asked, changing out of her shorts and pulling the jeans up her legs. 

“I’m good. It’s been a nice relaxing weekend, I’ve got lots of reading done,” C’yra said and Catra rolled her eyes, she knew the type of reading her mum enjoyed. She would have spent the whole weekend reading the new gossip magazine from cover to cover. 

“Oh yeah, anything interesting?” Catra asked. Her mum would tell her either way, so she might as well ask. 

“Yes, actually. That’s why I called. Do you have a registry somewhere?” C’yra asked, her voice filled with mischievous humour. Catra paused with her t-shirt half over her head. 

“A what?” Catra asked curiously. 

“A registry, for gifts. You know, for the wedding,” C’yra’s voice was strained in her attempt to hold back her laugh. Catra was even more confused. 

“What are you talking about? What wedding?” 

“Your wedding, haven’t you seen the papers? You’re famous,” C’yra said with a laugh and Catra frowned. 

“You know I never read that stuff. What are you talking about?”

“Well, according to UGossip, you are Ms Grey’s wife. You looked beautiful in that gold suit, sweetie, so mature. I wouldn’t have had the cutouts at the waist, but it looked lovely on you,” C’yra gushed. 

Catra was standing in her room listening to her mum talk, frozen and without a shirt. She wasn’t following at all. She understood this was about the Gala because of the mention of the expensive suit she was wearing. She needed a visual aid to help her understand what was going on. She sighed and knew she would need to do a video call to see what her mum was talking about. She hoped she didn’t ask too many questions about where she was. 

“Hang on mama, I need you to show me what you are talking about,” Catra said, grabbing her t-shirt and pulling it on quickly before she started the call. The video started and C’yra was too close to the camera for a moment, papers rustled before she sat back on her couch. 

“It’s so good to see your face, you should come over for dinner one night, bring Ms Grey and Finn” Catra tried not to roll her eyes now that her mum could see her but she had tried this many times already. Her mum was desperate to meet Adora and especially Finn. 

“Show me what you are talking about, please,” 

“Where are you? Is that your dorm? It looks so rustic,” 

“Uh…no, it was Finn’s birthday this week and they wanted to go horseback riding…so we are there now. I’ll be back in Brightmoon later tonight,”

“Ooo, horseback riding. So romantic,” C’yra said wistfully and Catra felt her cheeks warm. 

“It's not like that mama,” Catra defended and C’yra tittered like she didn’t believe a word she said. 

“Of course, my mistake, you just look so happy in the picture,” C’yra said, waving the magazine around in her other hand but still not showing Catra. 

“Show me, please,” Catra said, getting frustrated at how distracted her mum was. Catra was keeping Finn and Adora waiting. 

“Oh, right,” C’yra said, flashing the image of Catra and Adora running from the Gala past the reporters that had flooded the entrance. There was an article to go with it but Catra couldn’t read any of the words. “See, you look so happy, petal,” C’yra said, her face coming back into the camera view as she looked at the picture herself. 

“I only went to the Gala with her because her secretary couldn’t go, how does that make me her wife?” Catra asked, feeling her cheeks burn again. 

“Oh, well, according to the article. Ms Grey started an argument with her ex-fiancee. That supermodel, what's her name? She’s an Eclipse…”

“Melody?” Catra supplied reluctantly. Catra remembered starting that fight, not Adora. Catra also vaguely remembered not denying Adora was her wife. This was Catra’s fault, but Adora was taking the blame for it. 

“That’s it! But you know what the Eclipses are like, always protecting their precious image,” C’yra said, rolling her eyes like Catra had any idea what she was talking about. But the name stuck in her memory, Eclipse…like Eclipse News? Catra would have asked her mum but she heard a knock through the phone. 

“Oh, I’m sorry sweetie, the repairman is here. I have to go. I love you so so much, bring your ‘friend’ over for dinner sometime soon, okay?” C’yra said quickly and blew kisses at the camera. 

“Love you too mama,” Catra said quickly before the call ended. Catra sighed and threw her phone onto her bed before she frowned at it. 

That was a lot of information her mum just gave her. Adora couldn’t know about this, surely she would have said something to Catra. 

This was embarrassing. 

Catra’s image wouldn’t be hurt if people thought she was married to a billionaire but Adora’s would be damaged if people thought she was with someone like her. Adora didn’t need people to think she committed to another gold digger, and that’s all anyone would see with Catra’s financial struggles.

I need to tell Adora and she can fix this. She has to tell the papers that they are wrong.