The Nyanny - Ch 15

The penthouse was warm but quiet without Finn. It felt strange to be there alone with Adora.

Catra looked at Adora as she held out Catra’s jacket to her. Adora looked drained from the night’s events and seemed pale even though her cheeks were pink. She wasn’t looking at Catra directly, in fact Adora hadn’t looked at her since Catra took her jacket off. 

Catra’s top didn’t cover a lot  and  thought it was too much skin. Catra self consciously held her jacket to her chest , she didn’t want to make Ms. Grey uncomfortable. 

“Thank you, for tonight” Adora said, glancing at Catra’s face and her eyes locked with her own. Catra swallowed and nodded her head a little.

“Yeah, no worries. Thanks for taking me,” Catra said a little awkwardly and Adora’s eyes crinkled as she smiled. Catra’s heart was racing but she couldn’t look away. She wanted to be closer. 

Catra broke eye contact, glancing over at the sleeping Swifty on his bed. Adora cleared her throat and Catra heard her feet shuffling. 

“I’m going to go to bed,” Adora said, her voice soft. 

“Me too,” Catra agreed and they walked down the hall together before they stopped at Catra’s door. Catra was not keeping good hold of her attraction. Her heart continued to race like her crush was walking her to the door at the end of a date. The difference was that Adora wasn’t about to kiss her. 

“Goodnight,” Adora said, offering a small but tired smile and Catra smiled softly back. 

“Goodnight, Adora,” Catra said and Adora’s eyes flitted over Catra’s face. Catra wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but after a moment Adora nodded and departed to her room. 

Catra didn’t notice her held breath until Adora closed her door. She  was feeling a little light headed before releasing the air from her lungs and went into her room.   

Catra sat on her bed and looked at herself in the mirror across the room. The suit was beautiful, she looked beautiful. The only problem was that she didn’t look like herself at all. Catra didn’t mind the clothing, but she hated what Dee had done to her hair, especially after she met Melody and realised she had perfectly straight dark hair. They had matched. 

Catra wanted her curls back, to remind herself that she was nothing like Adora’s ex. They couldn’t be more different if they tried. She never wanted to be compared to that woman in any way. More importantly, Catra didn’t want to be the same in Adora’s eyes. 

Catra huffed and pulled her clothes off. She made an effort to put the garments on a hanger before she wrapped herself in her bathrobe and went to shower. 

The hot water was soothing as it washed away the makeup around her eyes and the products from her hair. She lathered her curls with shampoo before gently massaging them with conditioner. She tried to keep thoughts of Adora from her mind as she washed her body, but the rising blush on her face was hard to blame on the hot water. 

The words Catra said to Adora rang  in her head. She had told her boss, to her face, that she was desirable. 

“She never really saw you, because if she did, she would have never let you go.”

Catra had been so focused on reassuring Adora, to not let her believe Melody’s lies, that she blurted out exactly how she was feeling without any filter. 

Adora was…everything. She was smart, kind, thoughtful and beautiful. She deserved better than what Melody gave her. Adora was surprised when someone showed her even an ounce of kindness, and that was learned from years of being neglected. Catra wanted Adora to not only accept kindness but embrace it from others. She deserved that. 

Catra turned off the shower and grabbed a towel. She ran the soft fabric over her body before gently drying her hair to maintain her curls. She blushed again as she remembered the feeling of being in Adora’s lap and shook her head to try to keep the memories at bay. 

“Stop it,” she scolded herself, “you’re being silly,” she huffed. Adora was a good woman, but there was an obvious problem between them. Adora could have any woman she wanted, so she would never choose her employee. That wasn’t going to happen, but Catra was certain of one thing she could offer; Adora needed a friend, someone to give her the care she gives to others. 

Catra could do that. Even with an insistent crush, she could be a good friend.

#

Catra spent time at the penthouse as she often did, as the weekend passed lazily. Adora floated through the house without a crease in her brow. She appeared relaxed and spent as much time as she could with Finn and Swifty. 

Catra wasn’t the focus of her attention but it didn’t mean she missed the little glances Adora gave her when she came into a room or played with Finn. It wasn’t very friendly how much Catra enjoyed Adora’s gaze. Catra did what she could to make the weekend relaxing for her. When Adora seemed tired on Sunday afternoon, Catra suggested movies to watch so they could spend the rest of the day indoors. 

Adora had been so tired that she fell asleep on the couch while Finn chatted to Catra about how much they liked the fish movie they’d watched. When the blonde awoke from her nap Catra could see her embarrassment as she realised she fell asleep. Catra didn’t say anything and Finn hadn’t noticed because of their excited chatter. It was important for Adora to rest. 

Adora made dinner that night, and based on how it smelt Catra was starting to think she was an excellent cook. Adora seemed happy as she hummed under her breath and moved around the kitchen with purpose. Catra laid on the couch, acting as Finn’s oversized pillow while they settled down to nap in a warm sunbeam. Catra was struggling to keep her eyes open but she didn’t want to stop watching Adora as she moved around the kitchen. 

It was hard not to look at Adora when she glowed like this. 

Adora turned towards the living room and smiled as she looked at Catra and Finn laying in the sun. Catra’s eyes were mostly closed against the glare of the light and Adora probably couldn’t see she was awake because Adora was staring. Which was strange because Adora usually looked away whenever they made eye contact.

Adora shook her head a little before returning to her task and Catra finally closed her eyes to enjoy her nap.  

“Miss Catra?” Finn asked in a soft tone. Catra thought they had been asleep but peaked one eye open to look at the little blond kitten on her chest.

“Yeah, buddy?” Catra asked in a soft whisper and Finn’s little ears twitched to capture the soft sound. 

“Do you like horses?” Finn asked, a determined look on their face that looked very familiar. This expression was smaller and rounder, but it mirrored their mother easily. 

“Oh, I’ve never met one. Do you like horses?” She asked curiously. Catra knew from Juliet that Adora liked horses, and maybe Finn liked them just as much. It would make sense if that was genetic. 

“I do, the big ones are really tall but the little ones are fun,” Finn said, wiggling to get into a more comfortable position. 

“That does sound like fun,” Catra agreed, letting Finn settle again before she wrapped her arms around them. 

“My birthday is coming up,” Finn said, appearing to change the subject and Catra smiled. 

“It is, are you hoping to get a certain present?” Catra asked. She wondered if this was how Finn was going to ask for a horse, or a horse related present. 

“No, I just want to spend time with you and Mama, maybe we can go visit Swiftwind,” Finn said and Catra blinked in confusion before looking down at the big head that laid on the couch to join their nap. 

“Swifty’s right here,” Catra said looking back at Finn who giggled. They laid their head down on Catra’s shoulder and closed their eyes.  

“I know. I’ll ask Mama, and you have to come with us,” Finn said and Catra wasn’t really sure what she was being offered but she smiled anyway. Wherever Finn wanted to go couldn’t be that bad. 

“Sure Finny, we can go wherever you like,” Catra said with certainty and Finn smiled sleepily. 

“Promise?” Finn asked, holding out their hand with their pinky extended. Catra didn’t delay in hooking her own pinky finger with their little one. 

“Promise,” Catra agreed and they drifted off to sleep quickly after that. 

# 

After dinner Catra tidied up the kitchen while Adora got Finn ready for bed. They finished  bath time and storybooks before Adora returned, and Catra was almost done. 

Adora stopped at the kitchen island and put her hands on the marble surface as she watched Catra wipe down the counter. Adora followed her tail as it twitched in the opposite direction to her actions, like it was a counterbalance as she bent over the counter. 

Adora looked away, deciding to stare at a spot on the counter instead as she waited for Catra to finish. It wasn’t long before Catra glanced at her curiously and stopped what she was doing. 

Adora was tense, her shoulders tight and her posture stiff. Adora could see Catra look her over out of the corner of her eye before she dropped the cloth in the sink and turned to Adora. She stepped into her line of sight as she stepped up to the island and mirrored Adora’s pose. 

Adora’s brow pinched as she blinked her eyes to focus on Catra. She really didn’t want to have this conversation. She didn’t want to put a damper on their nice weekend, but Catra needed to know so she could plan her time accordingly. 

Catra didn’t say  anything, just watched Adora as her ears and tail twitched curiously. She looked like she was reading a book and Adora hoped she couldn’t read her so easily. 

“You can have Tuesday off this week. I’m taking the day off work to have lunch with Finn,” Adora said and Catra nodded her head slowly. 

“That sounds nice, what's the occasion?” Catra asked and Adora frowned further. Adora wanted to look into Catra’s eyes, but she could already tell from her brief glance at her face that the low light of the kitchen was making them sparkle. Adora had to stay focused, and for now, looking at her freckles was as close as she dared. 

“It’s the anniversary of my fathers accident,” Adora said, inwardly cringing at her poor delivery as Catra sucked in a quick surprised breath. Catra’s smile dropped and was quickly replaced with an apologetic expression. Adora really didn’t want to see that look of pity on her face.  

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Catra said quickly. Adora wasn’t trying to be rude, but she ignored Catra’s apology so they could move onto the reason she was telling her. 

“We are having lunch with Adam and Teela,” Adora said, her voice sounding robotic. She knew her lack of emotion about the subject was just as damaging as if she broke down crying, but she didn’t want Catra to have to comfort her again.  

“Is there anything I can do to make the day easier?” Catra asked, trying to catch her eye. Adora looked away, not wanting to make this interaction any more awkward than it had to be. 

“No, but thank you. We’ll be okay,” Adora said and Catra nodded her head.  

“If you’re sure,” Catra said and Adora nodded, glancing at Catra but not meeting her eye. 

“I’m sure, good night Miss Catra,” Adora said and saw Catra’s expression turn sombre before Adora walked down the hallway. 

It was so easy with Catra, but even looking at her felt like too much. Adora had given herself a false sense of security. She thought that Catra would stop her from overstepping. But it seemed Catra couldn’t find the line between them either. Adora would be the one to ensure they stayed professional if Catra didn’t feel comfortable stopping her when she overstepped. 

Adora hoped she hadn’t made Catra uncomfortable at the Gala, especially crying in front of her and pulling her into her lap. That was not friendly and it was definitely a step too far for them. Adora was embarrassed, but Catra was acting like nothing happened. It was confusing, to say the least. 

Adora hoped that Glimmer’s warning wasn’t going to come back to bite her. It would be Adora’s luck to ruin a good thing with her stupid feelings. Adora couldn’t mess this up, Finn needed Catra. 

Friends, they had agreed they were friends. Adora knew how to have friends, she could be friends. Adora wasn’t running away, despite how it felt. She had an early meeting so she should go to bed early, she wasn’t fleeing. 

#

On Tuesday, Adora took Teela and Adam to lunch at a new restaurant uptown. She wanted to take Finn and admittedly, Catra, because it had an indoor koi fish pond that she thought they would enjoy. 

The pond was large but shallow, with small bridges over the water to make it easier to watch the fish travelling underneath. The edges of the pond had fountains and plants to allow the fish somewhere to hide. The room itself was warm and humid but after watching Catra and Finn staring at the falling snow for hours, Adora wanted to see their reactions to this place. Adora would have to find a reason to bring Catra here one day to see the fish, but not this day.  

The day was about celebrating her father’s life, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t watch Finn enjoy the fish too. It would make her day a little less painful to see them so enthralled.

As Adora suspected, Finn was delighted by the fish, even if it proved hard to stop them from trying to touch their new watery friends. Adora wasn’t sure why Finn insisted on calling each of the gold and white fish “Nemo” but half the fish had that name by the time they sat down for lunch.

It was a rare treat for Adam to go out to lunch, not because he couldn’t afford it, but because it was difficult to go into public places with the support he needed. Adam’s nurse had joined them for lunch, but kept his distance while he wasn’t needed so they could have time together as a family. Adora knew that the nurse's presence meant that today was a bad day for Adam. 

Adora made sure Adam knew how much she appreciated him coming to lunch with her and promised they would do it at his house the following year. Adam turned down her offer though, he liked going out, despite the effort it took. He didn’t want to be cooped up in his house all day and forget what the world was like outside it.  

Adam tried to stop Adora fussing but it was hard when she could see the pain in his eyes even though he kept a smile on his face. Adora hated knowing he was in pain, but he didn’t let it show, especially not to Finn. 

Finn was always gentle with their uncle. They were observant, and even though no one told them to treat Adam differently, they had always been gentle with him. They were of course much rougher with someone like Mara or Bow, but it was easy to see that their gentleness didn’t mean they loved Adam any less. 

Lunch wasn’t a grand celebration, but a quiet recognition of a great man. The food was delicious and fresh and the company was excellent. Adora and Teela talked about her pregnancy experience so far and Adora shared some of her own stories. Teela was barely showing, but Adora was excited to share in their joy. 

After the meal was over Adam and Adora had a glass of scotch to toast in memory of their father while Finn and Teela drank juice. Finn teased Adam and Adora about their own drink being fancier and Adora managed to convince Finn to let her have a sip of their special juice drink. Teela wouldn’t let Adam have any of hers and Adam pouted long enough  for Finn to also share their juicez with him. 

Adora paid the bill despite Adam’s objections and soon they rose to leave. Adam’s nurse came closer and Adam waved them off. It was odd but when Teela took Finn’s hand and smiled at Adora, almost apologetically, she knew something was coming. 

“Can we talk a sec ‘Dor?” Adam asked and Adora looked at him curiously before she looked at Teela and Finn.  

“Finn and I will get some ice cream,” Teela said and Finn bounced excitedly at the idea. Adora felt concern rising in her chest. She wondered what discussion could possibly be inappropriate for Finn to hear. Adora didn’t know what Adam could want. 

“Uh, sure,” Adora said, smiling unconvincingly. Adam motioned for Adora to follow him and they walked to the koi pond. It was reasonably secluded by big doors that hid it away from the main restaurant and gave the illusion of privacy. 

When Adam got to the edge of the pond he leaned heavily on one of the wooden rails to take weight off his walking cane. Adora could see the way his muscles shook from the exertion and she watched, feeling useless to support him.

Adam turned to face Adora and her face was clearly saying too much as he huffed and smiled reassuringly.  

“I’m okay ‘Dor, don’t look so worried,” Adam scolded her and she tried to school the worry away from her face. She hid it away somewhere deep within like the other emotions she was unable to show.  

“I could get you a chair,” Adora offered, looking around for the closest one as proof that it wouldn’t be a bother but she already knew her offer would be denied. Adam laughed, a small pained sound as he leaned on the railing harder so he could use his walking cane to hit Adora’s shoe playfully. 

“Stop it, I didn’t bring you here to fuss,” Adam said and Adora nodded her head. Adam looked away at the fish for a moment, and Adora couldn’t stand the silence as her mind filled with every possible issue that could be considered her responsibility. 

“What did you want to talk about?” Adora prompted in a small voice. It was almost soft enough to be lost under the bubbling filters and fountains in the room. Adam turned his attention back to her with a serious look on his face and Adora’s stomach twisted. 

“Primus contacted me,” Adam explained and Adora nodded, she wasn’t surprised. It was a relief that Adam’s problem was work related, Adora could deal with work, she could deal with Primus. 

“I thought he would,” Adora said. She had expected that he would try to talk to Adam before the snow trip, but apparently he waited until he lost the preliminary vote to put pressure on Adora’s family. 

Adora hated anyone speaking to Adam about Greyskull. The stress could cause him a lot of unnecessary pain which she wanted to avoid. “What did he say?” Adora asked, curious what angle Primus took to try to convince Adam to join his cause.    

“He mentioned a new technology that’s being researched in Dryl,” Adam said and Adora frowned. She hadn’t heard anything about encouraging medical research out of Dryl in years, how could her or her team miss that? Entrapta was born in Dryl, so she had a special interest in anything coming out of that city's facilities. 

“What type of research?” Adora asked, maybe it wasn’t something that would benefit Greyskull.  

“Military” Adam said, his eyes meeting Adora’s as she clenched her jaw to stop herself from interrupting his explanation. “It’s a spinal chip. They think it can help with nerve damage, or specifically spinal damage,” Adam continued and Adora looked away as she felt hope rise in her chest. 

Adora glared at the fish as she realised what Primus was doing. He was trying to give Adam the answer to all his problems as a bargaining chip. Adora couldn’t blame Adam for being interested. 

Adora took a deep breath as she considered the information, what little that she had. Greyskull was always looking for new investments and research within the biotech sector, but she hadn’t heard anything about this chip that was capable of recovering nerve damage. Spinal chips were already known to the market, but the research had been stagnant due to lack of investor interest. 

Adora had invested in other chips over the years, but she never told Adam about them. It was still so experimental that she didn’t want to get his hopes up without some proof. The fact that she hadn’t heard of this chip meant it wasn’t independent research. The military must have been researching it themselves and released the study results for investor support. If Greyskull wanted to research this information Adora would either need to work with the military directly or pay to get the exclusive research rights. Adora had money, but unless the research was fail-safe, she couldn’t successfully bid against the military and win, not without risk. 

Adora would do anything for Adam, especially if it meant he wasn’t in pain, but she wasn’t sure she could do this, not unless she was sure it wouldn’t cause the end of Greyskull in the process. She didn’t want to get his hopes up if it was all for nothing. 

“I’d be willing to look at the proposal, but I need more information. I hope you know, Adam, that if there was technology that could help you, Greyskull would be working on it,” Adora said carefully. She didn’t want to shoot down his idea, but hopefully he knew that this wasn’t enough to act on. 

“I know…It’s just…I know that all this can’t be at the forefront of your mind, like the pain is at mine,” Adam said and Adora’s stomach dropped. Did Adam not believe that she was doing everything she could for him? 

“Adam,” Adora started gently, wanting to reassure him. 

“Adora, listen, please,” he said, his limbs trembling more than usual with the strain of holding his body up for so long. Adora’s heart ached to help him, so she closed her mouth and nodded, waiting for him to continue. 

“Thank you,” He said, adjusting to lean on the railing a little harder as he moved his feet, “I’m having a kid, ‘Dor, and I want to be part of their life. I want to run with them, and play with them, and I can’t do that right now. I already felt useless when you needed help with Finn and I couldn’t be there for you. I don’t want that for my kid, or Finn. I want to be a good father, and I want to be a good uncle. I need to be able to move more,” He said, his eyes swimming with emotion as he held Adora’s gaze. 

“You will be a good dad, regardless of if you can chase them around a park,” Adora said, she didn’t want him to feel any less just because he was given a hard hand in life. Adam shook his head. 

“I know, but I want more. I want to look into it… please. I don’t want to have to vote with Primus to do it,” Adam said, his voice steady and his eyes set in determination. 

Adora looked at her brother for a moment, really looked at him. He looked weary, his bright blue eyes heavy with exhaustion. The way his eyes squinted with pain and his eyebrows pinched. He looked older for a moment and he looked every bit his fathers son. 

Adora could never deny him his dream. She sighed and nodded. 

“I’ll look into it, but I can’t promise it's everything Primus has said it is,” Adora said and Adam nodded solemnly but he seemed to understand. 

“I know and I don’t trust him, but I can’t leave any avenue unexplored,” Adam said and Adora nodded. 

“I would never, Adam. I know you feel this every day for every moment, but it's never gone from my mind either,” Adora said and Adam smiled sheepishly. 

“I’m sorry I said that, it was unfair. I was just worried you would disagree,” he said and Adora gave him a small smile.  

“I understand,” and she did understand. Hearing that Adam didn’t believe she was doing everything she could to help him had hurt. She wondered how many of her family members questioned her ability to take care of them. She needed to be better.  

#   

Adora took Finn from lunch to Angella’s house. When she walked them up the steps to the door she didn’t even get a chance to ring the bell before it opened. 

Mara’s smiling face greeted them and Adora blinked in surprise. 

“What are you doing here?” Adora asked as Finn ran over to their aunt and was scooped into her arms with a laugh. 

“Nice to see you, too little sis,” Mara said playfully as she cuddled Finn close to her face. 

“Of course it's nice to see you, I’m just surprised,” Adora said, approaching her grinning sister with some wariness. Mara would usually be working, but she was happy to see her, she must have taken the time off intentionally to come to dinner. “You didn’t bring your Nanny?” Mara asked, looking around like Catra would jump out of a bush. 

“She has the day off,” Adora explained with a frown. Why would Catra come to an event like this? It was a memorial of sorts, not a party. Adora took the day off to be with her family so she didn’t need someone to take care of Finn. She wasn’t sure what Catra was doing with her day off but she made a mental note to ask her later. 

“That’s a shame,” Mara said and Adora felt a heat rising inside her chest at the interest Mara was showing towards Catra. She wasn’t jealous, but she was annoyed. It was different. 

“Can you take Finn inside? I’ve just remembered a call I need to make,” Adora said, pulling her phone from her pocket. Mara grinned. 

“Sure, sis,” she said, adding a wink before she walked back into the house. Adora rolled her eyes, unsure what Mara was winking at her about, but decided to ignore it. She stepped into the hall to close the door for some privacy and rang the number on her screen. It was picked up after one ring. 

“I thought you took today off,” Entrapta’s voice came through the line. 

“I did, but I need you to look into something for me, it can’t wait till tomorrow,” Adora responded and Entrapta hummed as she started to type on her computer. 

“There is a new spinal chip being researched in Dryl and I want to know everything you can find about it,” Adora said and Entrapta’s fast clicking continued. 

“That’ll be easy, it's due to be auctioned, but I have an inside source that has said that it's not as promising as they claim,” Entrapta said and Adora let out a disappointed sigh.  

“Can you prove that?” Adora asked and more clicking before Entrapa hummed. 

“Yes,” She confirmed, no doubt in her voice. 

“Before the auction?” Adora asked and Entrapta snorted. 

“Definitely,” She agreed again. 

“Good, when can you present it?” Adora asked, pacing back and forth in the hallway as her chest tightened. 

“By the end of the week. By the way, the auction is next Wednesday, I’ve added them both to your calendar,” Entapta said after a short silence. Adora didn’t want to get too hopeful but she couldn’t deny that this call had helped. If there was anything wrong with the product they could potentially start their own research with the details of what Entrapta knew didn’t work. That was something at least.  

“Thanks Entrapta,” Adora said, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. She didn’t want Entrapta to hear how much this meant to her. 

“Anytime,” Entrapta said and the line went dead. Entrapta wasn’t really one for hellos and goodbyes. Adora was used to that, also the fact that Entrapta had access to her calendar for no reason at all. Adora texted a message to Mermista to let her know about the meetings being added so she wouldn’t tell Entrapa where to stick it like she did last time she “ruined” Mermista’s system. 

Adora took a few moments to let herself reset back into family mode before she headed to the main parlour to meet her family. Bow, Glimmer and Angel had been at Angela’s house most of the day and had made themselves right at home. Angel and Glimmer were sitting on a pile of pillows with movies playing on the big screen TV. Angella was sitting on her recliner with Finn on her lap as they watched the movie. Mara had returned to her seat on the other end of the couch from Bow, taking up as much space as possible.

“Adora, thank you for coming,” Angella said and Angel shh’ed her. She smiled and got to her feet, placing Finn on her chair to move away from the TV to speak to Adora in a soft tone. 

“I wouldn’t miss it,” Adora said, giving her step mother a hug. When they pulled away, Angela had a playful smile on her face that Adora knew meant trouble. 

"So… some of our investors who were at the Gala have informed me you have a wife?'' Angella said and Adora felt her cheeks colour but she frowned at the accusation. 

“Where did they hear that?” Adora asked, annoyed to know that the media circus was spreading to her work and family now. Surely they had something more interesting to write about. 

“Well, it was all the talk after you and your ‘young wife’ left the event after ‘starting a fight’ they said” Angella said, using quotation marks to show she didn’t believe the gossip. That was a relief, she didn’t need Angela getting any ideas and trying to play matchmaker.   

“That is not what happened,” Adora said firmly and Angela looked at her curiously. 

“I warned you about taking Mermista, she is always trying to pick fights at these events,” Angella said, a fond look on her face at the thought of her late husband's secretary. 

“It…uh…wasn’t Mermista,” Adora said, trying to fight the heat in her cheeks. She couldn’t look Angella in the eyes which made her pause. 

“Oh, it wasn’t? Is she okay?” Angela asked, worry and confusion clear on her face. 

“She’s fine, she was just unwell,” Adora said, hoping to move on from this conversation quickly without having to talk about who she did take with her to the Gala. 

“I hope she's feeling better now,”Angela said, putting her hands together over her chest. She was watching Adora too closely and she felt transparent under her careful gaze. 

“She is, she was back at work yesterday just fine,” Adora said, glancing at Finn for an excuse to not look at Angela’s piercing gaze. 

“That’s good, who is this mystery wife then?” Angela asked the question Adora wished she didn’t. She considered lying but was no use, she was sure there were pictures of them entering and leaving the event together. 

“Catra joined me,” Adora said as casually as she could manage, and Angella looked surprised. 

“Oh…” Angella said and Adora glanced at her face, she looked to be thinking far too hard about this information. She looked like she was doing complex mathematical equations in her head. Adora sighed. 

“Don’t start, she hasn’t been to anything fancy before and I needed a plus one, so I offered and she agreed. Let's not make it into something it's not. I don’t have a wife, and you would certainly know if I did,” Adora said firmly and Angella tipped her head like she was still considering her words before she nodded. 

“Of course, silly me. Come watch the movie with us,” Angella said and pulled Adora towards the couch to sit with her sister and brother-in-law. 

#

It was a Tuesday night and Finn was sleeping overnight with Angella, so Adora stayed late to spend extra time with her family. When Adora returned to the penthouse it was late and the lights in the house were off. 

Adora walked down the hall quietly until she noticed a shadow sitting on the kitchen island. She tried to see what it was in the dark but her eyes wouldn’t adjust. 

Adora stepped into the kitchen and turned on the light, blinking her eyes as they landed on the vase of flowers sitting on the counter. Adora blinked a few more times as she looked at the pink carnations and white lilies in a pink vase. 

Adora almost turned the light off again. She assumed that flowers were for Catra because she had gotten them before and seemed to enjoy them. What stopped her was the little card hanging from the front of the vase that had her name in delicate cursive script. 

Adora stepped closer, no less confused as she touched the small card and opened it carefully. The message was brief and written in the same script. 

There’s nothing I can do or say to make this day any easier, but I hope these might help.

I’m thinking of you.

Adora felt her cheeks colouring quickly at the words. She looked at the flowers and it slowly dawned on her that these flowers were for her. She looked back at the note and read the last part again as her heart fluttered. She tried to subdue her reaction. 

Adora would have liked to know that Catra was thinking of her in any other context than this. Did Catra pity her? Did she look at her yearly tradition with Finn as something sad? Adora missed her father more than anything, but she didn’t want Catra to think of her as a tragic child that couldn’t face her loss with grace. She wanted Catra to think of her, but not like this. 

Adora looked back at the flowers, the warmth returning to her chest as she reached up to touch the lilies with her fingertips. They were so soft, almost like Catra’s fur. 

Adora shook her head. She couldn’t dwell on that thought, it was dangerous. She moved the flowers to the counter near the coffee machine so she could see them again in the morning before she left. She touched the lily again, its texture was almost addictive. Adora released the flower reluctantly and walked down the hall. 

She paused at Catra’s door. It was open. 

Catra was laying on her bed sheets in a little ball. She was asleep. Adora opened and closed her hands for a moment, torn between continuing down the hall and closing Catra’s door as a courtesy. 

Catra wasn’t purring but her laptop was open as she watched something on low volume. Adora wondered if she had attempted to wait up for Adora, but quickly shook the idea from her head. 

Adora decided to take the plunge, stepping over the threshold of the room to approach the bed. Adora picked up the blanket that lay forgotten at the end of the bed and carefully placed it over Catra so she wouldn’t be cold. 

Catra started to purr after a moment and Adora felt a warmth of her achievement. She gently closed the laptop to stop the video before she pulled the door closed and continued her trek to her room. It wasn’t enough to repay the kindness Catra showed by getting her flowers, but it felt like a start.