{"id":168,"date":"2021-09-13T19:57:26","date_gmt":"2021-09-13T11:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cloverso.me\/fic\/?p=168"},"modified":"2023-06-25T09:56:15","modified_gmt":"2023-06-25T01:56:15","slug":"lost-in-her-dms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cloverso.me\/fic\/168\/","title":{"rendered":"lost in her DMs"},"content":{"rendered":"

It had been a long day. Adora was tired. She had played her part in winning a gruelling soccer match against Horde City but it had come at a cost. Games against Horde City always came with a cost. A player from both teams had been red carded for fighting and later on Perfuma was dirty tackled, injuring her ankle. <\/p>

So forgive Adora if she was a bit tense during the post-match interview. Sometimes Adora missed playing casually just because it meant no publicity and no interviews, but she knew playing at a professional level was more competitive and also helped pay the bills, which was pretty important too.<\/p>

As captain, she got through most of the standard questions about what they did well, what they\u2019re hoping to improve on, etc. etc. and she thought she was in the clear to leave when one reporter called out their question. Adora could\u2019ve ignored it but the question was so unexpected it caught her off guard.<\/p>

\u201cSocial media is questioning your ability to lead this team, such as fitness influencer Catra. What do you make of these doubts?\u201d the reporter asked.<\/p>

Adora frowned. Fitness influencer Catra? Who was that?<\/p>

\u201cAm I meant to know who that is?\u201d Adora said.<\/p>

\u201cShe has millions of Instagram and Twitter followers and has her own fashion range of fitness wear.\u201d<\/p>

Adora processed this information. Then it clicked.<\/p>

\u201cOh! You mean that yoga girl? Yeah, err hmm. Maybe she should stick to designing clothes. I am more than capable to lead this season\u2019s squad. And anyone who thinks differently just needs to look at the scoreboard,\u201d Adora said with a little shrug before taking her leave. She didn\u2019t know if there was an excited buzz about the room of reporters after that or whether she just imagined it. In any case she really wasn\u2019t fazed by some social media influencer\u2019s opinion on her capabilities; she had faced all kinds of critics, this was just one more to add to the pile. She would forget the comments in no time.<\/p>

Except when her dog Swift Wind woke her the next day with a lick to her hand, Adora had a weird gut feeling something was off. She managed to push it aside momentarily but when she checked her phone during breakfast she almost spat out her cereal. Her phone had blown up with notifications from friends and family telling her to check Twitter. And boy, when she did she was grateful she had turned off notifications from non-mutuals because her mentions were flooded with a mixture of comments. Ranging from \u201ccan you believe adora roasted catra on live tv\u201d to \u201cadora thinks too highly of herself\u201d to \u201ccatra\u2019s response is the best. truly\u201d among many more. <\/p>

Adora didn\u2019t even know where to start. So, as she did whenever she was unsure, she turned to her two best friends. Ignoring all the other messages she\u2019d received, Adora opened their group chat. They had both messaged her asking if she was okay, which yeah she was, but she needed some guidance here. While she had a large number of followers on social media thanks to playing soccer professionally and being sponsored to promote sports brands, she was still not great at this whole influencer thing. Just last week she had received a rather threatening message from a brand she was promoting about how her lack of posts meant she wasn\u2019t fulfilling contract terms. Needless to say, Adora quickly remedied that.<\/p>

\r\n\r\n
\r\n
Adora<\/dt>\r\n
wtf is going on?? I’m so confused??<\/dd>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
Glimmer<\/dt>\r\n
you need to check catra\u2019s twitter @catraofficial asap<\/dd>\r\n
and don\u2019t break your phone when you do<\/dd>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
Bow<\/dt>\r\n
\ud83d\ude2c<\/dd>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/dl>

Adora quickly switched back to Twitter and looked up Catra\u2019s profile. And sure enough, there it was. A tweet that was, by the looks of it, climbing in likes and retweets by the second. <\/p>

\r\n
\r\n

\r\n \"Catra\r\n \r\n catra<\/span>\r\n \u2714<\/span>\r\n@catraofficial<\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

hey @adora98<\/span>, didn\u2019t realise u were so closed off to a little criticism. my yoga program might do u well. feel free to use the discount code RELAXADORA for 15 percent off \ud83d\udc95 xox\r\n<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n \u2764 57833<\/span>\r\n 11:30 PM – August 28, 2021<\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>

Adora groaned. How was she meant to respond to that? Was she even meant to respond? Would not responding make things worse? She didn\u2019t know. Switching back to the group chat, Adora sent a message.<\/p>

\r\n
\r\n
Adora<\/dt>\r\n
okay, I saw the tweet. any advice on how I go from here would be great. do I respond?<\/dd>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
Glimmer<\/dt>\r\n
obviously you respond! you gotta fight fire with fire, if you ask me<\/dd>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
Adora<\/dt>\r\n
Bow?<\/dd>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
Bow<\/dt>\r\n
um, I really don\u2019t know. I guess you can do as glimmer recommends, but if it starts stressing you out then you gotta stop. your wellbeing comes first and twitter can be an awful place at the best of times<\/dd>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
Adora<\/dt>\r\n
you\u2019re right. thank you both \ud83d\udc9b<\/dd>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/dl>

So, Adora weighed up her options before typing out her tweet. She smirked as she hit send. <\/p>

\r\n
\r\n

\r\n \"Adora\r\n \r\n Adora<\/span>\r\n \u2714<\/span>\r\n@adora98<\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n replying to <\/span>\r\n @catraofficial<\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

I\u2019ll relax when I\u2019m done winning, thanks \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>

Feeling quite satisfied with her reply, Adora watched as the likes and retweets accelerated. <\/p>

After Adora replied she, out of curiosity, tapped onto Catra\u2019s profile and was surprised to learn that Catra\u2019s location was set to Bright Moon. She lived locally, huh? Interesting.<\/p>

Before she could browse further, a new tweet emerged on Catra\u2019s page.<\/p>

\r\n
\r\n

\r\n \"Catra\r\n \r\n catra<\/span>\r\n \u2714<\/span>\r\n@catraofficial<\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n replying to <\/span>\r\n @adora98<\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

lol good luck<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>

And Adora couldn\u2019t understand it. She couldn\u2019t understand why Catra had it out for her but at the same time it kind of excited her. Something about this woman\u2019s attitude had brought a determined grin to Adora\u2019s face. She was intent on winning this little Twitter feud.<\/p>

\r\n
\r\n

\r\n \"Adora\r\n \r\n Adora<\/span>\r\n \u2714<\/span>\r\n@adora98<\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n replying to <\/span>\r\n @catraofficial<\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

thanks, but no luck needed here, just skill \ud83d\ude0f<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n \u2764 9300<\/span>\r\n 11:13 AM – August 29, 2021<\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

1025 people are talking about this<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>

Adora swiped Twitter aside and checked out her other notifications. Another brand she had worked with in the past had reached out to her again, offering a decent sum of money, as well as a share of each sale in which her promo code was used. Adora expressed her interest and asked them to forward the details to her email. <\/p>

Luckily, this interaction reminded her that she was meant to post a photo of herself in a pair of She-Ra sneakers before the day passed. She-Ra was a smaller sports brand that she worked with regularly; they had been really good to her and in return received plenty of business thanks to Adora. She worked to maintain a good relationship with them because, unlike other big companies, She-Ra was a bit more ethically sound and shared the same beliefs as Adora. And it didn\u2019t hurt that their products were stylish too.<\/p>

With the post in mind, Adora got ready for the day and considered how she was going to promote the sneakers. Eventually she decided on an eye-level angle shot of her sitting down with her legs out front closer to the camera, to draw attention to the chunky white sneakers. Pairing the sneakers with crew socks, short denim shorts, and a cropped white tee, Adora got to work. She spent five minutes getting the angle and positioning right, a further five minutes adjusting the camera settings, and another ten minutes actually taking the photos. This was her usual process; it was done as quickly as possible while still maintaining decent quality. She didn\u2019t have the patience to be a perfectionist when it came to this content.<\/p>

After some quick edits, Adora was satisfied with the photo she\u2019d chosen. She ran it by the She-Ra contact, who swiftly approved, and then uploaded the photo to Instagram.<\/p>

\r\n

\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Adora<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/span>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 200<\/b> likes\r\nadora98<\/b> With kicks like these, scoring is inevitable \ud83d\ude0f Check them out @shera and use the discount code ADORA2021 for 10% off! #ad<\/span>\r\n\r\n View all 128 comments<\/span>\r\n\r\n 6 minutes ago<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/div>

Satisfied, Adora locked her phone and called Swift Wind over. \u201cWalkies!\u201d<\/p>

\u2014 \u2014 \u2014 <\/p>

Glimmer and Bow came over for dinner that evening, as they usually did every week. Bow prepared grilled cheese for the three of them upon Glimmer\u2019s suggestion\u2014 Bow made a mean grilled cheese and it was the easiest option. They had just finished eating and had gotten themselves comfortable on Adora\u2019s couches when Adora finally opened up Instagram. She scrolled through the comments on her latest ad post and snickered when she spotted the top comment by a verified account.<\/p>

\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/span>\r\n\r\n 4394<\/b> likes\r\nadora98<\/b> With kicks like these, scoring is inevitable \ud83d\ude0f Check them out @shera and use the discount code ADORA2021 for 10% off! #ad<\/span>\r\n\r\n View all 1194 comments<\/span>\r\n\r\ncatraofficial<\/b> unless your name is adora, that is \ud83d\ude18\r\n\r\n 6 hours ago<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/div>

The comment alone had already received over 2000 likes. <\/p>

\u201cWhat? What is it?\u201d Glimmer said, her and Bow crowding Adora\u2019s space, trying to get a look at her phone. <\/p>

Adora just shook her head. \u201cJust Catra again,\u201d she said, waving her hand dismissively. <\/p>

\u201cAgain!?\u201d Bow and Glimmer said in unison. Adora allowed them to read the comment from over her shoulders. <\/p>

Bow let out a low whistle.<\/p>

\u201cHuh,\u201d Glimmer said. \u201cShe\u2019s really after you.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYep,\u201d Adora said. She smirked and typed her reply. \u201cBut two can play at that game.\u201d Adora pressed send.<\/p>

\r\n

\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/span>\r\n\r\n 6588<\/b> likes\r\nadora98<\/b> With kicks like these, scoring is inevitable \ud83d\ude0f Check them out @shera and use the discount code ADORA2021 for 10% off! #ad<\/span>\r\n\r\n View all 1291 comments<\/span>\r\n\r\ncatraofficial<\/b> unless your name is adora, that is \ud83d\ude18\r\nadora98<\/b> @catraofficial that\u2019s not what you said last night \ud83e\udd70\r\n\r\n 8 hours ago<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/div>

\u201cHa! A classic,\u201d Glimmer said. Bow nodded approvingly. <\/p>

Adora put down her phone and looked to her best friends. They were making themselves comfortable on the couches now that Adora\u2019s excitement was over. \u201cMovie time! What are we watching?\u201d<\/p>

Bow sat up. \u201cHow about Lo-\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNo, Bow. We are not watching Love Actually, yet again,\u201d Glimmer said.<\/p>

Adora chuckled. It wouldn\u2019t be a proper best friend squad movie night without Bow\u2019s routine suggestion of Love Actually. \u201cHow are you not sick of it yet?\u201d Adora asked.<\/p>

Bow gasped. \u201cYou can\u2019t get sick of a classic!\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOur definition of a classic seems to differ. What else?\u201d Adora said.<\/p>

Glimmer\u2019s eyes lit up, like she\u2019d had an epiphany. \u201cI know! What about\u2026 Shrek!\u201d <\/p>

\u201cNow that\u2019s a classic,\u201d Adora said. <\/p>

Bow spluttered. \u201cI can\u2019t believe you two would do this to me. But fine\u2026 Shrek it is.\u201d<\/p>

Adora and Glimmer cheered.<\/p>

\u2014 \u2014 \u2014 <\/p>

The next four days flew by for Adora. She had meetings with potential brand clients, Swift Wind\u2019s yearly check up, coffee with some old friends, contract negotiations with the club, and soccer training on top of that. And don\u2019t even get her started on the social media situation since she\u2019d replied to Catra. It was a mess she had been putting off dealing with the past few days. However, she\u2019d put it off as much as she could so by Thursday evening she sat down on her couch, took a deep breath, and opened up Instagram.<\/p>

As she tapped onto Catra\u2019s profile she was greeted by the very post she had put off responding to. It was Catra\u2019s latest ad post and it featured Catra wearing the exact same model of She-Ra sneakers as Adora had been promoting. Furthermore the camera angle as well as the position she was seated in were an exact copy of Adora\u2019s post. It was an obvious parody, especially once you read the caption and the comments that followed.<\/p>

\r\n

\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n catra<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/span>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 11944<\/b> likes\r\ncatraofficial<\/b> lol you wish you could score this well \ud83d\ude09\r\n View all 1097 comments<\/span>\r\ncatcatcat<\/b> lmao u seeing this @adora98???\r\nalliancefan<\/b> not cool\r\ndaily_catra<\/b> \ud83d\udc40\ud83d\udc40\ud83d\udc40 \u2615\u2615\u2615\r\nadoraadora<\/b> clearly desperate for the attention of adora! i don\u2019t blame her tho @adora98 is #goals \ud83d\ude0d\r\ncatradora<\/b> is anyone going to address the elephant in the room or should I?\r\nc_a_love<\/b> @catradora \ud83d\ude0f\ud83d\ude0f\ud83d\ude0f\r\n\r\n 6 hours ago<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/div>

Adora sighed. She couldn\u2019t really make sense of some of the comments and she didn\u2019t have the time or energy to read them all. She scrolled up to the photo, thinking of how to reply, and looked at Catra properly. She\u2019d never really paid attention to how Catra\u2019s long voluminous hair framed her face so perfectly, or the way her heterochromatic eyes were so vivid and full of life\u2014like they were made for mischief, or how her lips looked soft and plump\u2014particularly when she looked smug, or even how her cheeks were covered in faded freckles. Adora exhaled. Their exchanges aside, Adora had to admit Catra was clearly good looking\u2014but only objectively speaking, of course. <\/p>

Adora swiped back on the photo, bringing her back to see all of Catra\u2019s content. Catra\u2019s profile looked like what you\u2019d expect from a fitness influencer with millions of followers. There were lots of photos of Catra modeling her fitness wear, but also videos of her doing yoga or working out, the latter set to upbeat pop songs. Adora had swiped back fast on those, as her cheeks reddened rather quickly. <\/p>

Surprisingly, there were also a lot of memes posted. There were some of the kind you\u2019d expect from a fitness influencer, like having jelly for legs the day after training legs, but also some took Adora by surprise. There were some self-deprecating ones, some vague ones about dating, some about sports, and even some political ones. This was how Adora found out they had more in common than she initially thought\u2014 save for the fact Catra appeared to support Horde City; they definitely didn\u2019t have that in common.<\/p>

Nevertheless, Adora needed to reply to Catra\u2019s latest taunt. Sure, she could just not reply but what would be the fun in that? She decided to change it up and opened Twitter, since that was more Adora\u2019s domain while Instagram appeared to be Catra\u2019s. <\/p>

When Adora opened up Catra\u2019s Twitter, her latest tweet was about Horde City\u2019s cup game they lost the night before.<\/p>

\r\n
\r\n

\r\n \"Catra\r\n \r\n catra<\/span>\r\n \u2714<\/span>\r\n@catraofficial<\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

when I die I want horde city to lower me into my grave so they can let me down one last time<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>

Adora chuckled at that and composed her reply.<\/p>

\r\n
\r\n

\r\n \"Adora\r\n \r\n Adora<\/span>\r\n \u2714<\/span>\r\n@adora98<\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n replying to <\/span>\r\n @catraofficial<\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

you know what they say\u2026 support the horde and you\u2019ll be bored<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>

Catra\u2019s reply came a few minutes later.<\/p>

\r\n
\r\n

\r\n \"Catra\r\n \r\n catra<\/span>\r\n \u2714<\/span>\r\n@catraofficial<\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n replying to <\/span>\r\n @adora98<\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

literally nobody says that<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>

\r\n \r\n<\/p>

\r\n
\r\n

\r\n \"Adora\r\n \r\n Adora<\/span>\r\n \u2714<\/span>\r\n@adora98<\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n replying to <\/span>\r\n @catraofficial<\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

wrong. I say it<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>

\r\n \r\n<\/p>

\r\n
\r\n

\r\n \"Catra\r\n \r\n catra<\/span>\r\n \u2714<\/span>\r\n@catraofficial<\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n replying to <\/span>\r\n @adora98<\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

oh my apologies. I meant to say only morons say it \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>

\r\n \r\n<\/p>

\r\n
\r\n

\r\n \"Adora\r\n \r\n Adora<\/span>\r\n \u2714<\/span>\r\n@adora98<\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n replying to <\/span>\r\n @catraofficial<\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

kinda moronic of you to not say that in the first place \ud83e\udd37<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>

Adora eagerly awaited Catra\u2019s response, not even realising she was bouncing her leg. But when it didn\u2019t come straight away, she moved onto her other notifications. She replied to some tweets from fans and liked a bunch of tweets her friends had posted. <\/p>

But Catra\u2019s reply never came. Adora huffed.<\/p>

\u2014 \u2014 \u2014 <\/p>

It was time to wind down. Adora\u2019s team had won the cup as well as cemented their position as the number one team on the league table, effectively winning the championship. There were still a couple of matches left, but Alliance United were so far ahead in points that their remaining matches didn\u2019t really matter. Of course, Adora didn\u2019t treat them that way \u2014 she took every match seriously \u2014 but this at least took the pressure off and allowed for their manager Angella to play more of the young and new recruits. <\/p>

So, yes. It was time for Adora to wind down. What did she do? Something she had planned to do for a while now. Adora opened up Catra\u2019s Twitter profile and tapped onto the link in her bio. She proceeded to buy the damn yoga program, making sure to use the RELAXADORA discount code. Once she was taken to the confirmation page she took a screenshot.<\/p>

Adora opened up Twitter and typed out her response, making sure the screenshot was attached. <\/p>

\r\n
\r\n

\r\n \"Adora\r\n \r\n Adora<\/span>\r\n \u2714<\/span>\r\n@adora98<\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

champions again! time to unwind now \ud83d\ude0a thanks @catraofficial<\/span><\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n \"receipt\"\/\r\n <\/p>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n \u2764 8392<\/span>\r\n 10:45 PM – September 26, 2021<\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>

Once Adora pressed Send Tweet she locked her phone and let it drop onto the couch cushion. She had a feeling it was going to be a long day.<\/p>

\u2014 \u2014 \u2014<\/p>

Adora had managed to put off checking Twitter and her notifications for a good few hours by thoroughly cleaning her apartment. But as she finished packing her bag to take with her to training, there was still time before she needed to leave. Reluctantly, she opened Twitter. She figured it was now or never.<\/p>

What Adora wasn\u2019t expecting was her notifications full of the hashtag #catradora. Almost every tweet that flew into her mentions had that hashtag listed somewhere, whether it was in the tweet or username, she saw it everywhere. What did it mean?<\/p>

Fortunately for her, there appeared to be the same news article being linked in a bunch of her mentions. It was titled \u2018Catradora: the internet\u2019s latest obsession\u2019. Adora opened the link and the first thing she was confronted with was a poorly manipulated photo of her and Catra together holding hands.<\/p>

Oh no no no no no. Adora really hoped this wasn\u2019t heading in the direction she thought it was, but that was wishful thinking.<\/p>

\r\n Catradora: the internet\u2019s latest obsession<\/em>\r\n<\/p>

\r\n [manip.jpg]<\/em>\r\n<\/p>

\r\n If you\u2019ve been anywhere on Twitter or Instagram the past few weeks you most likely have come across the hashtag #catradora. So what is catradora? It\u2019s simply the merging of the names of professional soccer player Adora and internet famous yoga enthusiast Catra.<\/em>\r\n<\/p>

\r\n If you\u2019ve been familiar with any celebrity gossip in your life, you will probably have come across names merged like this before. It\u2019s nothing new; we\u2019ve had Brangelina, Haylor, and Bennifer just to name a few. <\/em>\r\n<\/p>

\r\n So what\u2019s the point of the name? Why are people hashtagging it so much? It\u2019s simple. People are supporting the relationship between the athlete and influencer. <\/em>\r\n<\/p>

\r\n What relationship? Well, the one fans have formed in their heads, of course. But they\u2019re not without reason. The interactions between the two have provided plenty of #catradora content!<\/em>\r\n<\/p>

\r\n See some of the tweets included below. Don\u2019t you just love a classic tale of enemies to lovers? We do!<\/em>\r\n<\/p>

Adora scrolled passed the tweets to the very last one, which was Catra\u2019s latest response. Her eyes widened as she read it.<\/p>

\r\n
\r\n

\r\n \"Catra\r\n \r\n catra<\/span>\r\n \u2714<\/span>\r\n@catraofficial<\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n replying to <\/span>\r\n @adora98<\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

smart move! you won\u2019t regret it \ud83e\udd70 it\u2019s just too bad it won\u2019t improve your skills on the pitch \ud83d\ude07<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n \u2764 8765<\/span>\r\n 10:32 AM – September 27, 2021<\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>

Oh, heck no! Adora couldn\u2019t stand for this slander, though her grin suggested otherwise. Naturally, she exited the news article, found Catra\u2019s tweet, and sent a reply. <\/p>

\r\n
\r\n

\r\n \"Adora\r\n \r\n Adora<\/span>\r\n \u2714<\/span>\r\n@adora98<\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n replying to <\/span>\r\n @catraofficial<\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

oh? you\u2019re an expert on that? maybe you should come for a kick some time and show me how it\u2019s done \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n \u2764 3995<\/span>\r\n 11:52 AM – September 27, 2021<\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>

Only after Adora had replied had she noticed Catra was following her on Twitter. How amusing. Adora followed her back. <\/p>

Adora took a moment to browse through Catra\u2019s posts again and could feel her face heating up rapidly at the sight of some of the videos and photos Catra had. <\/p>

She exhaled and closed the app. It was just as well as she did because she caught sight of the time and cursed. She needed to leave for training right away or she\u2019d be late. And everyone was well aware of the punishment for being late: laps. And a lot of them. Manager Angella was a force not to be reckoned with.<\/p>

\u2014 \u2014 \u2014 <\/p>

Adora somehow made it to training in time and, as she had expected, the team gave her a good teasing about her new \u2018romance\u2019.<\/p>

\u201cSo. When\u2019s the wedding?\u201d Netossa said, grinning as she passed the ball to Adora.<\/p>

\u201cHa ha, very funny,\u201d Adora said and passed the ball back. <\/p>

\u201cBut seriously, that girl is mighty fine. Even if she is a bit outspoken,\u201d Mermista said. She was standing next to Adora with Spinnerella as her partner for the passing drill.<\/p>

Adora sighed. \u201cMermista, you have a boyfriend.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cSo? A girl can admire. Besides, Sea Hawk would just agree with me.\u201d<\/p>

Adora laughed. \u201cYeah, you\u2019re right.\u201d And she was. Mermista and Sea Hawk were not your conventional couple. But that\u2019s what made them even more fun.<\/p>

Adora frowned. \u201cAnyway, even if I was interested, I\u2019m fairly certain she\u2019s straight.\u201d<\/p>

In unison, Netossa, Mermista, and Spinnerella stopped what they were doing and stared at Adora, deadpan. Mermista shook her head and put a hand to her temple. \u201cYou really are a doofus.\u201d <\/p>

\u201cDid you just call me a doofus? In the year 2021?\u201d Adora said, raising an eyebrow.<\/p>

\u201cYeah, I did, doofus.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cHey\u2014\u201d But before Adora could finish her response the whistle blew and Angella rounded the team up.<\/p>

\u201cTime for some shooting practice,\u201d Angella said. All the players followed her instructions and got into position.<\/p>

\u2014 \u2014 \u2014 <\/p>

It was evening by the time Adora returned home. She had detoured by the supermarket to pick up some much needed groceries\u2014she was in the mood for her famous stuffed french toast (famous because it was the one dinner she knew how to perfect, as her friends liked to so often remind her).<\/p>

After having her dinner, Adora cleaned up and fed Swift Wind before making herself comfortable in front of the television. She turned it on and lowered the volume as some reality show she wasn\u2019t really interested in played out.<\/p>

It didn\u2019t matter anyway as her attention was focused on her phone; she hadn\u2019t checked it since before training. Biting her lip, Adora unlocked her phone and opened up Twitter. She was disappointed to see that Catra hadn\u2019t come back with any kind of response but paused when she noticed she had received a DM. She rarely received DMs since only those she followed had the ability to do so and she didn\u2019t follow a whole lot of people. <\/p>

Opening her DMs her heart raced when she immediately saw Catra\u2019s ever familiar profile pic. She quickly tapped to open the message. <\/p>

\r\n\r\n
\r\n
Catra<\/dt>\r\n
so when can we meet, oh great captain? \ud83d\udc95<\/dd>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/dl>

Adora\u2019s eyebrows shot up. Was Catra serious? She bit her lip and typed out a reply, despite the fact her hands were quickly getting clammy. <\/p>

\r\n\r\n
\r\n
Adora<\/dt>\r\n
How does Wednesday afternoon at Bright Moon Park sound?<\/dd>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/dl>

The reply came quickly.<\/p>

\r\n\r\n
\r\n
Catra<\/dt>\r\n
perfect. see u there at 2pm by the fountain<\/dd>\r\n
oh and bring a soccer ball \ud83d\ude0f<\/dd>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
Adora<\/dt>\r\n
It’s a date<\/dd>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/dl>

Adora pressed send before she could even think about her response. It didn\u2019t hit her until moments later.<\/p>

\u201cShit!\u201d she said and furiously typed away trying to backtrack. Would Catra be offended by the implication?<\/p>

\r\n\r\n
\r\n
Adora<\/dt>\r\n
Oops typo. I meant to say \u201cIt\u2019s a good date\u201d, you know, choosing Wednesday and all<\/dd>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
Catra<\/dt>\r\n
ha! sure u did \ud83d\ude09<\/dd>\r\n
see u wednesday, cap<\/dd>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/dl>

Adora groaned as she let her phone drop onto the couch. Why was she such an idiot? She sighed. There wasn\u2019t much she could do about it now. She would meet Catra in two days and hopefully it would go well. In the meantime, though, she really needed to respond to some of the notifications she had received. Swift Wind joined her on the couch and rested her furry head on Adora\u2019s legs. Adora smiled and petted her.<\/p>

Who knew what Wednesday held for her. She tried not to think about it; overthinking led to all sorts of anxiety.<\/p>

It would go well.<\/p>

\u2014 \u2014 \u2014 <\/p>

It was not going well.<\/p>

That is to say, it was 1.30 PM Wednesday and Adora was having a fashion crisis.<\/p>

\u201cGlimmer, you don\u2019t understand! Now that you\u2019ve proven to me that she is gay I want to make an impression. But like in a subtle way,\u201d Adora said, phone squished between her ear and shoulder. She held up a black skirt to her lower half but quickly threw it away, not liking how it looked in the mirror.<\/p>

\u201cAdora, you\u2019re overthinking this! Just wear your jeans and a nice top. It sounds like Catra really plans on kicking the ball, so you gotta be practical too,\u201d Glimmer said through the phone. <\/p>

Adora sighed. She knew Glimmer was right but that didn\u2019t mean she had to be happy about it. \u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d she nevertheless conceded.<\/p>

\u201cI have to get back to work, but let me know how it goes! Have fun, Adora!\u201d <\/p>

\u201cThanks, Glimmer,\u201d Adora said before hanging up.<\/p>

Adora ended up deciding on her most comfortable jeans and a loose striped button up shirt, with a bit of a French tuck, of course. She was tempted to wear her favourite pair of chunky boots but decided they would be no good for kicking in, should they actually do that. So instead she opted for her black vans. <\/p>

After a quick look over in the mirror, Adora nodded to herself, satisfied with her appearance. And it was just as well because it was nearly 2PM. Adora gave Swift Wind a quick pat before leaving for Bright Moon park.<\/p>

\u2014 \u2014 \u2014 <\/p>

Adora arrived at exactly 1:58 PM. It was now 2:08 PM and Adora was alone by the fountain, soccer ball trapped under her foot. She hoped she wasn\u2019t being stood up and that Catra was just a \u201cfashionably late\u201d type of person. <\/p>

Five minutes later when there was still no sign of Catra, Adora hovered her thumb over her DM with said girl. Should she check in? It was still early. But it turned out she didn\u2019t need to as a voice startled her.<\/p>

\u201cBoo!\u201d said the voice from behind Adora.<\/p>

Adora jumped and turned to see Catra smiling at her. <\/p>

\u201cHey Adora,\u201d she said. <\/p>

And wow, Catra looked even better in person. Her long hair was loose around her shoulders and she was wearing a yellow playsuit that slightly softened her lean figure\u2014probably due it not being skintight like her fitness wear\u2014and then she wore tan coloured sandals on her feet. And don\u2019t even get Adora started on her face\u2026 she could wax poetic about the woman\u2019s sun-kissed freckles and heterochromatic eyes.<\/p>

Adora realised she was staring and shot Catra an awkward smile. \u201cHi! Sorry, you startled me,\u201d Adora said.<\/p>

Catra just hummed with a knowing smirk on her lips. Which only made Adora\u2019s gaze drop to Catra\u2019s lips. They were nice lips and Adora was definitely not thinking about how they might taste. Nope. Not at all. She slapped herself mentally. Get your shit together, Adora!<\/p>

\u201cWanna grab a smoothie before I show you a thing or two?\u201d Catra asked.<\/p>

\u201cHa. You wish. But that sounds good,\u201d Adora said and flicked the ball up with her foot.<\/p>

There was a smoothie van that parked at Bright Moon Park every day. Adora was only a little bit familiar with it, having only bought a smoothie once over a year ago. <\/p>

\u201cYou ever had a smoothie from here before?\u201d Adora asked as they made their way over to the van. <\/p>

\u201cPlenty of times. What about you?\u201d Catra said.<\/p>

\u201cOnly once. But that was probably over a year ago.\u201d<\/p>

Catra nodded at the menu as they arrived. \u201cWell, I wholeheartedly recommend all of them except the beetroot one because ew beetroot. But it probably tastes good if you\u2019re into that.\u201d<\/p>

Adora chuckled. \u201cI think I\u2019ll go for the berry smoothie. What about you?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNice. Can\u2019t go wrong with that. I think I\u2019ll go the mango one,\u201d Catra said before proceeding to the van window. \u201cHello!\u201d she called out, standing on her tiptoes trying to get a better view of the inside of the van.<\/p>

\u201cCatra, my dear! You\u2019re back once again,\u201d said a plumpy middle-aged woman whose glasses were about to fall off the end of her nose. She was busy drying her hands on a towel. \u201cWhat can I get for you?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cHi Eileen! Just my usual and a berry smoothie for my friend,\u201d Catra said, gesturing to Adora. Adora waved in her usual awkward manner before joining Catra.<\/p>

Eileen frowned at Adora. \u201cHave we met before? You look familiar.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cUm. I bought a smoothie here over a year ago?\u201d Adora said.<\/p>

Catra laughed. \u201cNo, dummy. She recognises you from TV or the sports section in the newspaper.\u201d Catra leaned on the van\u2019s window. \u201cYou see, Eileen, my friend here plays for Alliance United. She\u2019s actually the captain.\u201d<\/p>

Realisation dawned upon Eileen\u2019s face. \u201cAdora, of course! One of our all time best playmakers. How nice to meet you,\u201d Eileen said smiling.<\/p>

\u201cThanks,\u201d Adora said, cheeks going rosey red. She was always surprised when people recognised her, as it didn\u2019t happen all that often; people seemed to not know what she looked like in casual clothes. She looked to Catra with her chin up. \u201cAt least someone here appreciates me,\u201d she said, triumphantly.<\/p>

\u201cHa! My appreciation won\u2019t be given so easily. You gotta work for it,\u201d Catra said. \u201cIsn\u2019t that right, Eileen?\u201d<\/p>

Eileen had her back to them as she made their smoothies. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Adora. I promise she\u2019s all talk,\u201d she said, before turning briefly to give Adora a little wink. <\/p>

\u201cLies and slander, I assure you,\u201d Catra said.<\/p>

Eileen turned and placed the smoothies on the window counter so Adora grabbed her debit card out of her purse, ready to pay.<\/p>

\u201cPut that away. These are on the house,\u201d Eileen said.<\/p>

Adora frowned. She didn\u2019t like taking freebies, especially from small businesses. \u201cBut\u2014\u201d <\/p>

\u201cNo buts. Your friend here has worked miracles for my business. It\u2019s the least I can do.\u201d<\/p>

Adora looked to Catra for help and Catra just shrugged. \u201cBelieve me, I\u2019ve tried to convince her but it\u2019s like speaking to a brick wall,\u201d Catra said and grabbed their smoothies off the window. \u201cNo offense, Eileen.\u201d<\/p>

Adora accepted her smoothie from Catra and the two of them voiced their thanks before the pair of them wandered over to an empty park bench, shaded by a tree. They sat down and Adora took a sip of her smoothie. Her eyes shot up as sweet notes hit her taste buds. \u201cWow! This is amazing!\u201d<\/p>

Catra winked. \u201cOf course it is. No less than the best for me.\u201d<\/p>

They sat there drinking their smoothies for a good half an hour. Adora learned so much about Catra and vice versa. Catra was 23, like Adora, and grew up in the Fright Zone also like Adora\u2014they were both surprised they\u2019d never run into one another before. Catra told Adora how her social media influencer status was not intended initially while Adora shared that she had always wanted to play soccer at a professional level. <\/p>

What Adora took away from the conversation, though, was that Catra was a very fascinating person. And Adora wanted to know more.<\/p>

Catra, however, kicked the soccer ball trapped under Adora\u2019s foot. It went rolling onto the grass.<\/p>

Catra walked backwards and raised an eyebrow, beckoning Adora. Adora laughed. \u201cYou were serious, huh. But you\u2019re wearing sandals,\u201d Adora said as she joined Catra over on the grass.<\/p>

\u201cNo biggy,\u201d Catra said and took her sandals off.<\/p>

\u201cYour foot is gonna turn red afterwards, you know.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYeah, yeah, stop making excuses and come play.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cAlright, but don\u2019t say I didn\u2019t warn you,\u201d Adora said, and jogged up to Catra who was busy playing keep-ups. She had counted up to 12 but hit the 13th time at a wrong angle causing the ball to go beyond her range and into Adora\u2019s. Adora gently knocked it back into Catra\u2019s range with her foot and Catra resumed where she left off.<\/p>

The thing was, Catra was actually pretty good at soccer. But after learning that Catra grew up in the Fright Zone, her soccer skills made sense; the Fright Zone\u2019s most popular sport was soccer, home base of Horde City and the sport they favoured teaching the kids.<\/p>

Adora was not to be outdone, though, and made sure to show off a few of her favourite tricks. Catra immediately requested she teach her how to do them. <\/p>

It was a lot of fun. Adora didn\u2019t think she\u2019d laughed so hard in a long time. <\/p>

As it got late, the two of them laid on the grass and watched as the sun started to set. Shades of red and orange lit up the sky. It was a pretty sight.<\/p>

Adora turned her head to Catra, only to see Catra was already looking at her.<\/p>

\u201cWe should do this again,\u201d Catra said before quickly diverting her gaze. Adora swore she saw a hint of a blush on Catra\u2019s face. <\/p>

Adora reached for Catra\u2019s hand and intertwined their fingers together. \u201cAgreed. What should we do for our next date?\u201d<\/p>

Catra rolled onto her side, gazing down at Adora with a smirk. \u201cSo this was a date, huh? I thought you said that was a typo.\u201d<\/p>

Adora laughed. \u201cThat was when I thought you were straight.\u201d<\/p>

That made Catra start howling with laughter as she rolled onto her back. \u201cOh my god, Adora. You are too much. Truly,\u201d she said between laughs. <\/p>

Adora started laughing too. <\/p>

When the laughter died down, Adora leaned over Catra. She gazed at Catra\u2019s lips and then eyes, seeking silent permission to kiss her. Catra must have understood because in the next moment her arms were around Adora and they were kissing. It was all Adora thought it would be and more.<\/p>

\u201cYou know what this means, though?\u201d Catra said when they finally separated.<\/p>

\u201cWhat?\u201d Adora said.<\/p>

\u201cI have to thank the reporter who took my comments about you out of context at that post-match interview.\u201d<\/p>

Adora chuckled. \u201cWhat did you actually say anyway?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cIt was a joke I posted to my Instagram story about the latest FIFA video game. I kept playing as your team but lost every time to my friend. Naturally, it was funnier to pin the blame on the little animated you instead of my lack of gaming skills.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cPffft. That\u2019s actually pretty funny. Sorry for believing that reporter,\u201d Adora said, laughing.<\/p>

Catra shook her head. \u201cIt\u2019s all good, especially since it led to here. Besides, I liked seeing how headstrong and confident you are.\u201d<\/p>

Adora smiled. \u201cLikewise.\u201d<\/p>

\u2014- \u2014- \u2014- <\/p>

Later that night when Adora arrived home, she opened Twitter and composed a tweet with a photo attached.<\/p>

\r\n
\r\n

\r\n \"Adora\r\n \r\n Adora<\/span>\r\n \u2714<\/span>\r\n@adora98<\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n

Yoga girl showing me how it\u2019s done \ud83d\udc95 @officialcatra<\/span><\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n \"a\r\n <\/p>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n \u2764 12004<\/span>\r\n 10:32 PM – October 15, 2021<\/span>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Like every good relationship, it started with a misunderstanding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[64,59,18,42],"fandom":[24],"rating":[3],"ship":[25],"class_list":["post-168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-f-f","tag-alternate-universe-exchange","tag-artwork-included","tag-modern-au","tag-social-media","fandom-spop","rating-teen","ship-catradora","no-wpautop"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cloverso.me\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cloverso.me\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cloverso.me\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cloverso.me\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cloverso.me\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/cloverso.me\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":189,"href":"https:\/\/cloverso.me\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168\/revisions\/189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cloverso.me\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cloverso.me\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cloverso.me\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168"},{"taxonomy":"fandom","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cloverso.me\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fandom?post=168"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cloverso.me\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=168"},{"taxonomy":"ship","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cloverso.me\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ship?post=168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}