Adora tugged the tie out of her hair. It swayed as it fell over her shoulders, lightly brushing her skin through her white tank top. The day had been so fast-paced, and now she just felt sunken and sober. Grabbing her brush, she combed methodically through the strands. The sense of finality hung in the air. It was twilight, she could tell from the window in the bathroom. The first twilight since everything she had worked for - or against - all her life was over. It was like the walls were silently crumbling around her, mounds of grey concrete, bricks and drywall matting the ground. Adora knew she would feel lost for a long time after tonight.

    Still, beyond the walls was something new - sweeter, freer, real. Sweeter, like Thaymor's bright festivals and community obscured by thickets of trees. Real, like the short, soft strands of Catra's hair. Free because the only responsibility now was playing a part in rebuilding the world. Adora had never been good at seeing herself past how she could be of use to others, but in this new world, maybe she could learn to.

     With a deep breath, she pushed open the white bathroom door into her bedroom. The rich purples and blues and pinks still shocked her after all this time - the sharp contrast from the Horde's greys and reds. In the furthermost corner was a woman with short, cropped brown hair and tanned brown skin facing a mirror atop a mahogany dresser. She was wearing her red armour-like top that clung to her skin. Slowly, she reached back to unclasp her shirt in the dull yellow light of the single-lit lantern. Adora flushed, carefully looking away from the bare skin of her back in favour of inspecting her nails.

     "Hey, Adora," she said, peering at her through the mirror. The mischievous edge to her voice felt familiar. Like home. There was something else there, too. Maybe it had always been there and she'd been too afraid to look.

     "Catra," Adora responded softly.

      Catra had tugged on a black tank top while Adora was determinedly looking away and now something in her eyes looked so inviting and Adora had been waiting for this moment all her life. So who could blame her for walking to the other side of the room and sliding on top of the dresser so eagerly? She hooked her leg onto Catra's so the inside of her leg was touching hers.

     "Your hair looks nice when it's down," Catra intoned.

      It felt intimate, somehow. Watching her get ready for bed with a slight smile reminded her of what used to be. Nights spent having whispered conversations under the red canopy of their tight-sprung beds in the Horde, brushing their teeth in the cramped bathrooms, hips touching. Maybe here, they would develop new routines. It was beautiful somehow, the way they chose each other and over again. Red and black, purple and blue.

      Adora wondered what it would be like to live in Bright Moon, not under the guise of war. Death and destruction had been a blinding factor in their lives. For the princesses, it would be simple. They would go on ruling their kingdoms, and Adora would go on being a leader in the kingdoms as they recovered from the devastation of Horde Prime. Bow would work on rebuilding their world as part of the Princess Alliance. Adora hoped Catra would want to live in Bright Moon, too, with Bow and Glimmer. It was all so overwhelming. Adora didn't want to think about the future tonight, she decided. She just wanted to relish in this night. The perfect evening.

       Adora didn't have to tell Catra this to know she was thinking the same thing. They found themselves slinking into Adora's bed without a word. Catra's head was tucked into the crux of her shoulder, Adora's nose in her hair. The war was over. All she had to think about was the steadiness of Catra's breathing, the rise and fall of her chest. The navy blue twilight had sunk into a velvety black night. Faintly, something was glimmering just beyond where Adora could see. There, in the distance - stars.

///

       The window was still open and the height of the tower made the air piercing and brittle. Adora had long been used to the light prickle of the cold, but the nights on that constantly heated spacecraft left her unprepared for this morning. Catra's eyes were still fluttered shut, the night casting shadows on her face, her arm slung over Adora's torso. Adora reached for Catra's face without disrupting their position, tucking her hair behind her ear. She would appreciate breakfast-in-bed. Catra had never been much of a morning person.

       Adora untangled herself from Catra regretfully. She wandered drowsily to the doorframe before casting one more look at the woman lying in her bed. For years she had hoped for this moment.

      Down the halls, she let her fingertips brush the golden trim of the walls. Before she knew it, she was in the kitchens. They were abandoned for the night. The walls were lined with counters everywhere but the large fridge and stove. There was a table, a kitchen island, in the middle of the room that left a gap about the width of a person. Adora tip-toed, leaning on the countertops with her eyes half-closed. She hummed softly.

      "Boo," a voice half-whispered. Another voice laughed quietly.

       Adora was startled out of her tired stupor. In front of her was Glimmer and Bow with a bowl of fruit, numerous fruit juices and chocolate bars. With an incredulous laugh, she took a seat on the kitchen island parallel to the counter where they sat.

     "Good morning, guys," Adora grinned. "Going on adventures without me?"

     "Want a grape?" Bow offered.

      "Sure," Adora grabbed one and rolled it in her palm before tossing it into her mouth. She would never tire of Bright Moon's food.

      "Oh, and I have some cereal back here too if you're hungry."

       "I'm not super hungry," Adora responded swiftly. She was restless and she didn't have an appetite.

      "So why would you visit the kitchens?" Bow asked confusedly.

     "I was going to make Catra breakfast," Adora said sheepishly. 

      Bow grinned, clearly about to say something before looking over at Glimmer and catching wind of her abnormal quietness.

      "Can you believe it's over?" Glimmer voiced, suddenly. "We ended something that whole generations have been crushed by. Planets."

       Adora forgot what she was talking about. Bow gave Glimmer a watchful look like he had extracted something from that sentence Adora hadn't. It hit her suddenly - Glimmer was thinking of her parents and their own Princess Alliance.

      "Queen Angela would be so proud of you," Adora whispered.

      "I wonder what her plan would be for now. How are we going to help all of those civilians? I wonder if she had ever thought this far. It's kind of crazy that this world is ours for the ruling, now."

       The look Bow had on his face was raw, the kind of sadness he only showed in the most important of moments. "I'm so glad it's over. I'm so glad my dads are safe. But, I don't know what I'll be in this world, you know? When will anyone need an archer in a post-war world?"

     Glimmer scoffed. "You've done so much for this world already, Bow. Anyways, your inventions are revolutionary, so you'll always have that. There's the Princess Alliance, too. I guess we'll do what we've always done." She stopped for a moment, changing tack. "You should do what makes you happy."

      Bow swallowed. "You're right."

     "Whatever we end up doing, we'll be together," Adora added. They had become a family, a proper one, somewhere along the journey to this moment. The knot in her stomach had lessened, letting in the waves of relief. Adora crossed her legs on the tabletop. "We're ready."

      The sun was beginning to rise. It was a creamy, pink-orange that flooded into the small kitchen windows. Bow slid off of the counter, opening the cupboards. With a loud clank, he grabbed three cups.

       "Apple juice or orange juice?"

        "Orange, obviously," Adora flicked her wrist.

        "Apple juice," Glimmer side-eyed Adora.

        "I'm team orange. Sorry, Glimmer!" he raised his arms in surrender. "You're the weird one, here."

       "You like orange-flavoured toothpaste more than mint! That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard!"

        "Mint is better!" Adora added.

        "Oh don't even start, Adora, you think strawberries are the best fruits-" Bow cut in.

        "Agreed, they're terrible!"

       "Oh, come on!" Adora complained. "They're sweet and red and bite-sized!"

      "They're overrated," Glimmer insisted.

       They bickered until the sun was fully visible, low in the sky. Adora could feel her cheeks hurt from grinning.

       "So I was thinking, maybe I'd start working with Entrapta," Bow paused. "I could go back to school and learn more about engineering. You know, I wish training was more accessible."

        Glimmer tilted her head. "Lots of people in the castle could help you. Plus, Entrapta. You have tons of resources."

        "No, I mean, for people in general. I can, because I know you, but what about the civilians? Your dad trained with Shadow Weaver, of course, but schooling is expensive and most of them can't afford that stuff. You know what I realized, too? I'm one of the only non-princesses who got a say, on this side of the war. I dunno, I just think that's unfair."

        The look on Glimmer's face was severe. "We're doing everything we can for the civilians! Anyways, who else but the princesses would be in charge of our side of the war? I'm a Queen. That's my job. I know there must be a thousand things you think are wrong with my kingdom, but I'm trying!"

        Bow looked stricken. "I don't blame you. You've been preoccupied with the war. You have done a lot. You saved this whole kingdom. I just think that now that it's over, there's a lot of work to be done."

        "I know that!" Glimmer burst out. "I know!"

          Adora raised her eyebrows. She wasn't sure how to respond. The Princess Alliance being the Rebellion's first defence just made sense - magic was the opposite of Horde Prime's weapons. However, she thought of how the people of Plumeria and how they fought for themselves, of how magic and sorcery are something that can be taught - like Shadow Weaver - not just an inherent skill like it manifested in the princesses. They deserved a say in what happened in their kingdom, too. She thought of how capable and cunning Catra was. Did Bright Moon need to be run by only the most isolated from society?

          Bow furrowed his brows. Even he seemed to be at a loss for words, deflating. "It must be a lot of stress to handle."

          "It has been. I'm sorry for yelling at you," Glimmer slinked further down the wall she was leaning on. "What am I doing? The war is over. These are the little fish."

           Glimmer gave him a pained smile, and for a long time, no one spoke at all. Adora drank her orange juice and tried her best to look nowhere but the window and its blue sky. Bow turned to open the window, cranking the white lever that made the glace face of the window turn outwards into the sky until the glass was at a seventy-five-degree angle away from its frame. The air that wafted in was just humid enough - not too warm or too cold - and the breeze was so consistent that it felt almost sentient. It was almost enough to distract from the tension in the room.

            There was nothing left to say. Glimmer's words still echoed through the air. The war was over. Glimmer, Bow and Adora were still alive. Adora didn't die getting the heart of Etheria. She was so relieved to be sitting on this counter and breathing in the air at all.

           "I'm glad we're still here," Adora added finally.

            "Yeah. Everything else, we'll just figure out," Bow said, the finality clear in his voice. Glimmer's eyes softened, and it seemed that Bow had forgiven her. "You're not alone, Glimmer."

            Seeing their faces return hopeful, Adora couldn't help adding, to lighten the mood - "We should do all the normal eighteen-year-old-things now that we have the time. We've already travelled, so that is less of a priority. Maybe like drinking! Or... drugs!"

              "Yes to the first one, no to the second one," Bo said seriously.

               Glimmer cut in with a mischievous smile. "Second one's a maybe. Anyways, don't you have breakfast to make?"

                "All she'll want is a pop-tart," Adora snorted. "It's already in the toaster."

                 "What's up with you and Catra, anyways? Well, we know what's up, obviously, but how long has this been going on for?"

                  "Well, we're like, sort of dating. I'm kind of in shock about it."

                  "Okay, wait," Bow cut in. "How did it happen?"

               "Her words were..." Adora cleared her throat. She doubted she would ever forget those words, but they felt too close to her heart to say out loud. "I love you. I always have." So please, just this once, stay.

                "I see why you like her - she's super pretty," Glimmer gestured vaguely.

              "Are you guys talking about me?" A voice drawled.

             Everyone turned around in surprise. Catra was running her hand through her hair, a hand on her hip.

           "Hey, Catra," Glimmer grinned.

           "Good morning, Sparkles."

          "You think strawberries are good, right?" Adora interrupted.

          "Of course!"

         Glimmer frowned at the loss. Leaning forward she said, "You would be open to doing drugs though, right?"

          Bow groaned. The morning passed peacefully, in the kitchens together. Adora was so grateful for them all.

       an// this chapter prompted me to ask my friend (wink wink) (the winks don't allude to us being more than friends i'm just in love with her) if she liked strawberries and she was like "yes???? i went strawberry-picking this morning?" it was such a weird coincidence... also she texted me as i wrote this note. weird coincidence :)

       anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter!