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Catra was tired of waiting. Things were not okay. She knew deep down inside, Adora must hold that same admiration that she had been harboring for so long; as far back as they were old enough to know what love really was.
But Adora was, well, Adora. And her being as she was, made waiting the only option. To Catra, at least, all she felt she could do was act as if everything was normal- or about as normal as things could be moments after your ex-best friend-made-friend-again and her princess pals rescued you from a hivemind of genocidal aliens.
Though it was eating at her gut like those horrible weeks back when Shadow Weaver punished her by limiting her rations, Catra couldn't bear to let it out, not now, at least. They weren't even back on Etheria yet, and she knew that if she had to bare her most vulnerable feelings to the only person she's ever risked anything for, she didn't want to be stuck on a foreign space vessel with three other people who have, at various points in history, had a complete lack of trust and respect for her.
But even though Adora was Adora, Catra was also Catra, and sometimes your middle name can be both "bottle everything up" and "be as sporadic as possible".
When the chamber door hissed open, Catra recognized the sound of Adora's hesitant yet comforting footsteps, even from her blinded hiding space under a pile of blankets. She fluttered her ears and peeked up to stare back at her friend, feeling the radiating warmth from the girl instantly as she sat at the foot of the plain twin bed.
"Hey, Adora." Catra partially shed the blanket, revealing herself to Adora's company and a silent invitation to come closer, a longing call that the other was bound to misunderstand.
Adora stayed still, but smiled at Catra.
"How long have you been up? The others are wondering if you're doing alright."
What about you? Are you wondering if I'm doing alright?
She wished she would ask, she wanted to so badly, but that acidic, dissolving feeling deep in her chest told her to hold it all back, to never let Adora know this weakness.
"I'm fine." Catra pulled the blanket back, tight against her side, and Adora's timid smile faded back to her neutral expression. It chilled her. Sometimes, when she sees Adora without a smile, after she left the Horde, she can only see She-Ra. But Catra knows what this is, know how her mind plays these tricks on her. And she's trying to change now, for the better. She knew she had to after Double Trouble's words first echoed in the back of her mind.
"But did you ever stop to think? Maybe they're not the problem. It's you. You drive them away."
"Thank you. For not giving up on me." She managed to squeak out. Being appreciative was hard, but practise would make it come easier. Catra let her hand rest softly in the centre of the bed, turning to face away from Adora, but leaving her heart out on display for the other to witness.
With eyes clenched, and the pounding of her heartbeat so loud she could hardly hear the constant idle hum of the spaceship, she felt Adora's touch break through everything else.
Adora's wider fingers wrapped over the back of Catra's hand, dusted lightly with orange fur and practically sculpted to fit inside Adora's grasp. Catra closed her eyes tighter, begging, praying that tears would not slip through. She could almost hear Adora's smile return.
She felt the girl lean closer to reach out at her face with her other hand, turning Catra's cheek toward her wanting, grey-blue eyes. Adora petted down Catra's ear to behind the nape of her neck, bare for the first time in years since Horde Prime's clones had chopped off her hair.
Finally, Catra opened her eyes.
And it all fell away.
The barriers she had built up for years crumbled down in front of her almost as gracefully as a waterfall. The remnants of it all bloomed in full beauty as Adora emerged triumphant behind this imaginary wall the Catra created, convinced there was no one who cared for her. But she knew this wasn't true, and she didn't need to wait any longer
"Give up on you? I'd never give up on you, Catra."
And for the first time in forever, as their lips connected, Catra felt like things were okay.