"Right By My Side."

Chapter 4

It was a quiet, early morning in the castle of Brightmoon. 

Catra awoke from her slumber, her vision a bit blurry as her eyes adjusted to the brightness in the room. She sat up carefully from her comfortable spot, gently rubbing her eyes as a yawn escaped past her lips.

Completely unaware of where she was, and still half asleep, she slowly swung her legs over the edge of the bed, expecting to already meet the floor with her feet. Ever since Adora left, she had taken over her bed and slept there rather than the force captains quarters. She was surprised when she fell out of the bed and on to the hard flooring below with a pained groan. Falling flat on her face.

She looked up and realized she wasn't in her bed, heck, she realized she wasn't even in the Fright Zone. Suddenly memories came flooding back to her and she frowned deeply, "So it wasn't another stupid nightmare.." She muttered to herself.

"Catra? Are you okay? Why are you on the floor?" Came a familiar voice, Catra let out another groan before replying. 

"Hmm, I don't know Adora, the bed was too soft for my liking so I'm taking a cat nap on the floor," Catra said, looking up at the blonde with a serious expression, "I fell out idiot, help me up!" She then snarled.

Adora sighed and let out a yawn, Catra could hear her shuffling out of the bed and her feet meet the floor with a soft thump. The blonde carefully picked Catra up bridal style and placed her back on the bed, quickly taking a seat right next to her legs.

The feline grumbled a few inaudible words under breath and then gave a brief "Thanks," to the blonde teen. Turning her head away form her as she crossed her arms over her bandaged chest. 

Adora simply nodded her head until something caught her attention, she scooted closer to the feline to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Catra glanced at the pale blue eyed teen that was slowly inching closer to her, she uncrossed her arms and faced the girl, "What?"

"Catra.. did something rip your ear?" Adora said, her eye squinting intensely at her left ear.

"Huh..?" Catra felt her ear for a bit, suddenly hissing when she touched something tender and open. 

"Here, hold on," Adora said, quickly leaving the weakened brunette for a moment. She returned with a mirror and faced it towards Catra. 

The feline took a look at her self and her eyes widened quickly at her reflection, her hair was limp, her mismatched colored eyes seemed to have darkened a shade, and her left ear had a noticeable notch located  just near the tip of her ear. She almost didn't recognize herself for a moment, she looked a bit thinner and just broken and beaten.

"No wonder it was ringing.." Catra said out loud, but more to herself. Her attention focusing back on her now notched ear.

"Catra, did Hordak do this to you? You were having a nightmare and you said his name, twice yesterday actually." Adora asked, putting down the mirror and reaching out to touch the felines ear. To which the brunette reacted by moving farther away from the blonde teen.

"If I tell you will you finally stop nagging me about this? It's starting to really piss me off.." Catra said, trailing off a bit as she thought about what she would say next.

"If you don't then I'm going to keep bothering you until you do." Adora replied.

Catra shook her head and sighed softly, her ears drooping a bit as she started, "Hordak punished me after I, once again, failed to defeat your stupid princess gang you have going on. He got pissed off after he got word that I didn't successfully capture Twinkle Toes' runestone." Catra said, her mismatched eyes narrowing a bit as she glared at the blonde teen beside her.

Adora frowned, and her eyes avoided the mean glare Catra was giving her. "She's hurt because of us.. because of me."

The blonde teen looked up and gently took a hold of the felines hand, "Catra, I'm sorry you were hurt because of us. This is exactly why you can't go back, what if Hordak.. what if you didn't come out alive?" Adora said, her lower lip trembled a bit at the dreadful thought.

Catra didn't push Adora away this time, she was more focused on how scared the blonde actually looked right now. Even after everything she had done, and yet she still cared about her?  Enough to the point of where she was terrified of the thought of the brunette being dead. This actually shocked Catra, but she soon shook the feeling.

"Geez Adora, relax. I'm still here, nothing to worry about." Catra said, brushing the topic off.

Adora snapped at that and her grip tightened slightly on the brunette's hand, "Nothing to worry about? Catra you've been asleep for a whole week! I thought you were dead in my bed!" The blonde hero said, her voice raised a bit in pitch when she spoke.

"A- A week... I've been asleep for a week? Did Scorpia come looking for me? Did a squad come? Can I leave? Did- hmph!" 

Catra was about to continue bombarding Adora with questions, but the sword wielder slapped a hand over her mouth to silence her, her other hand still holding on to the brunette's.

"Even after what Hordak did to you, you still want to go back to the Fright Zone?" Adora said in slight disbelief, and visible anger.

Catra slapped the blonde girls hand from her mouth so she could speak, "I don't have anywhere else to go, Adora. The Fright Zone is the only home I know... being by your side was the only home I knew." The feline said, mumbling the last part to herself. Her gaze dropped as she stared at the thick cast around her leg. 

"Whether you like it or not, I am not letting you go back. Why not stay here in the castle, with me?" Adora said sternly, but her daze soft as she watched Catra's head pop up suddenly.

"Be by Adora's side again...?" Catra thought briefly, she thought about saying yes for a moment, just a moment, but ended up saying, "I'll think about after I shower, I smell like death." The feline said, scrunching up her nose to prove her point.

Adora, finally realizing just how bad Catra smelled, covered her nose with a hand and pointed to where the bathroom was.

"I'll bring you a fresh change of clothes." The blonde said as the feline made her way to the restroom.

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"Adora, this sweater fits me horribly, I want to tear it apart!" 

Catra had emerged from her steamy shower, looking more relaxed and refreshed than how she had looked a week ago. She had on some light gray shorts that hugged her curves comfortably tight, and was also given rouge colored, pink hoodie. It was slightly big on her, considering it was Adora's, but it still fit her nicely. 

"Stop being over dramatic, you actually look good in pink." Adora said with a soft smile, the fresh smell of her shampoo and body wash Adora always used wafted from the feline to the blonde. The smell very pleasant to her nose. 

Catra limped towards the blondes bed and heavily plopped down on the soft mattress, her tail flicking back and forth as she stared up with a bored expression. She had a serious urge to cause some havoc, but all her thoughts were cleared when she felt a soft hand touch her hair.

She soon founder herself facing a blushing Adora, the blonde brushed her now free bangs out of her face before softly saying. "You look beautiful without that headdress on."

Catra could feel her own cheeks heating up as she averted her gaze from those pale blue eyes she knew and loved, her lips parted a bit to reply to the her. Until a sudden thought came to her like a bullet.

"Hey Adora, lets go cause some trouble!"