Chapter Text
“Someone took my seat.”
Katya was expecting a lot of things, like going into class and listening to Phi Phi bitch about the next poor soul who crossed her on the way to class this morning and receiving stern looks from the professor about how no one ever really does the reading, but the last thing she expects are the high pitched voice of all star student Trixie Mattel sitting right next to her with the dramatics that fit well to her reputation.
Katya freezes halfway through applying her dark lipstick as Trixie almost falls into the seat of the lecture hall. She’s greeted by an assault of smells: a strange yet alluring mix of cocoa butter lotion and floral perfume (was that… Daisy by Marc Jacobs?) that is textbook Trixie: the confident-yet-borderline-arrogant straight-A social butterfly loved among professors and the student body alike.
Trixie sighs loudly, snapping Katya back to reality and away from her imagination that was wondering if she woke up in an alternate reality where Trixie suddenly wants to pay attention to the sad goth who says nothing in class.
So this is what she gets for falling asleep to Contact instead of, y’know, actually doing her homework.
“Who did?” Katya asks a little bit tentatively.
“Fucking Phi Phi!” Trixie replies almost immediately and with a loud voice that startles Katya. It’s a little too early in the morning for this. “She and her girlfriend are both in the class and they’re in a huge fight and now they’re being petty and sitting on opposite sides of the classroom instead of, y’know, talking it out like adults. And she totally bitched me out. God. She needs to get laid.”
“Yikes,” Katya replies, because that’s the only form of consolation she can really think up of at 7:59am.
“Yikes, indeed.”
“So why’d you decide to sit further back instead of stay in the front?” Katya doesn’t sit all the way in the back but she doesn’t necessarily like to sit all the way in the front either.
“Oh honey,” Trixie says, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow at her. “You can feel the tension down there. Midterms is coming up and I have no time for that negative energy in my life.”
Katya continues applying her lipstick unsure of how to respond. A few seconds pass before Trixie speaks again.
“Besides, you have this really calming aura about you.”
“Really?” Katya turns to an undisturbed Trixie, busy on her phone taking selfies on Snapchat. Damn, she looks really good with that dog ears filter. “I’ve never heard that before.”
“I always see you when I walk in,” Trixie replies. “You look like you’re always chill.”
Katya tries to hide a smile. Trixie notices her?
“Well, I’m usually half-asleep for this class like, 90% of the time.”
“Me too, girl.”
“Even with your venti iced coffee?”
“Oh honey. It probably takes me, like, five venti iced coffees for me to get through mornings.”
Their conversation is abruptly ended when the professor starts speaking and begins her PowerPoint lecture. Professor Visage is interesting; Katya really did not know what she was getting herself into when she decided to take “Modern Animation and the Sociopolitical Atmosphere” for her upper division GE but it was more pleasant than she expected. Professor Visage loves the dramatics; her PowerPoint slides are always pink, interlaced with cute pictures and gifs that match the current course unit. It makes sense, considering her favorite thing to talk about is Sailor Moon all the damn time. (Katya doesn’t mind though; it’s a great show!)
Today she’s talking about western children’s cartoons, which piques Katya’s interest. She has a niece back at home who loves watching Cartoon Network so she’s particularly excited about this lecture (even though she barely does any of the readings, but that’s basically college in a nutshell.) She even participated today, which is a rarity. Might as well grab those participation points while she can.
“Alright,” Professor Visage says as she reaches the end of the lecture. “Since we’re halfway through the semester, I think it’s time to assign our final project. It’s pretty simple, but basically you’re going to partner up and choose a topic relevant to our course and apply it to any animated show of your choosing. It could be from my lectures or a show of your choosing. Our first due date is next Friday where you’ll have to email me who your partner is, what topic you both want to talk about, and which show you chose. It’s first come first serve, so email me as soon as possible. Other than that, I’m done for today. I’ll see you guys next class.”
“Do you wanna be partners?” Trixie asks while everyone is packing up and leaving.
“Wait, really?” Katya replies.
“Yeah, why not? I don’t think I can vibe with anyone else in this room. Especially not Phi Phi.”
Katya nudges Trixie’s arm and adds lightheartedly, “So what makes you think you can vibe with me the most?”
“I told you earlier. You have a calming aura. And for midterms season, that’s the kind of energy that I need. Unless you want to work with someone else?”
“No no no! I was just wondering. I actually would love to work with you.”
Trixie smiles and she looks like pure sunshine. And Katya feels really gay.
“Awesome! Are you free right now? We can go to Starbucks or something and talk about it.”
“I have a class at 2 so I can hang out until then.”
“Yay!” As she says that, she skips a step as if she’s super happy. “I’m super excited.”
“Me too,” Katya replies with a goofy smile on her face. Damn. This is way out of character to the cold aloof side of Katya that she presents to the world. “I watch a ton of cartoons and animation.”
“Oh my god, are you serious?! That’s so awesome. I was so worried because I know nothing except the Saturday morning cartoons I used to watch when I was a kid.”
Trixie and Katya walk into Starbucks, the aggressive smell of pure unadultered sugar assaulting their senses. People are either coming out of class or going to class, so it’s packed and the line is long.
“I’ll go get us a seat,” Katya says. “I’m not getting anything.”
“Alright!”
Katya finds a nice secluded table in the corner of Starbucks that isn’t too loud or crowded. People here are either doing homework (or at least pretending to do homework) or having cute little dates together.
Her eyes scan the entire room, taking in the half-chill, half-slightly-stressed-out-and-anxious-because-midterms atmosphere of Starbucks. She usually doesn’t like to study anywhere outside her apartment so she isn’t here often. Cafes have a little too much noise and she can literally feel the adderall-ridden anxiety in the library. But it’s nice to have a change in environment at least once in a while.
Her eyes land on Trixie, who’s talking to someone in line.
Trixie’s the kind of girl that’s so popular that even Katya, who kinda just fades into the background of the college social scene, knows about her. She even shows up on her Instagram explore page once in a while because of her more popular mutual friends. She really is a beam of sunshine on campus; and that’s not because of the yellow overall skirt that she loves wearing: the very short skirt that always jumps around her toned, tanned legs every time she does the little bounce in her walk. Sometimes Katya would wonder what would happen if—
“Привет сука.”
Katya jumps ten feet in the air, yelping and almost slamming her head against the wall and startling everyone else around her. She turns her head and sees Violet Chachki, president of their school’s Fashion Society and Katya’s roommate, mere inches away from her face.
“You bitch,” Katya exclaims, playfully pushing her away. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I’m here to see Pearl for a Fashion Society thing,” Violet replies, taking the seat that’s meant to be for Trixie. “I knew when I walked in things felt a little more gayer than usual. And low and behold, Katya’s ogling the cute girl she’s had her eye on since freshman year.”
“That’s it. I’m not cooking you dinner tonight; this is the last fucking straw.”
“Who’s gonna drive you to and from class, bitch?”
“I’ll learn how to drive and get my license.”
“That’s what all the gays who can’t drive say.”
There’s a pause, and then Katya and Violet both break out into smiles.
“So,” Violet says, sipping on her iced latte with almond milk and two pumps of hazelnut (Katya knows; she’s had to get her Starbucks order so many times.) “What are you doing hanging out with the Trixie Mattel?”
“We’re in the same class for our upper div GE’s,” Katya replies. “We have to be paired up for a final project presentation and she asked me to be her partner.”
Violets eyes widen. “Really?! She asked you? ”
“I know, right! She sat next to me today because apparently some girl she usually sits next to is having a huge fight with her girlfriend and is being super pissy and I guess I have a calming aura about me.”
“Oh girl. She says that, but wait until she has to live with you.”
Katya chuckles. Their conversation abruptly ends when Trixie comes by with two drinks in your hands.
“Hey, Violet!” Trixie says in her high-pitched sing-song voice. “Good to see you here.”
“Hey!” Violet replies, her voice changing from “well-meaning and loving bitch” to “absolute sweetheart”. She rises from her chair and adds, “Sorry for taking your seat. I just wanted to say hi to my roommate whom I love and adore with my entire heart.”
“The only thing true about that was that we’re roommates.”
“Well,” Trixie says, pushing the second drink to Katya. “I felt bad that you didn’t get anything so got you the strawberry acai refresher because I didn’t know what you wanted.”
“Oh!” Katya says. She glances at Violet, who’s giving her a very knowing smirk. “You didn’t have to!”
“It’s fine. Consider it as a thank you gift for being my partner in this project that I’d be totally lost on. And don’t insist on paying me back because it’s never gonna happen.”
Katya breaks out into a grin as she takes a sip, making eye contact with Trixie, who’s beaming at her right now.
(Damn. She’s so gay.)
(Like, really, really, gay.)
“Okay,” Violet says, breaking the silence, giving a knowing look to Katya. She’s totally going to get roasted for this later. “I’m going to meet my friend right now. Trixie, are you going to Shangela’s party Friday night?”
“I heard about it. I actually haven’t been invited yet.”
“Oh! You should come with us! We lived on the same floor as Shangela our freshman year so we can probably get you in for free.”
Katya turns her head and stares at Violet with wide eyes.
“Really?!” Trixie exclaims, her eyes sparkling underneath those white-rimmed glasses. “That would be great!”
“Awesome. Katya will text you about the deets. Bye!”
Violet exchanges quick air kisses to both Katya and Violet before she struts off.
“That’s so awesome,” Trixie replies. “I haven’t been to a party in, like, so long.”
“Really?” Katya asks. “Aren’t you in a sorority?”
“Not anymore.”
Trixie doesn’t press further; Katya can literally see her deflate and decides not to press further.
“So,” Katya says. “Do you have any ideas of what to do for this project?”
“Like I said, I know nothing about cartoons and shit. It’s all on you.”
“Alright. I can start listing my favorite cartoons so far and we’ll see which one you like the best…”
Trixie : OMG!!! Kiki can’t understand her cat anymore that’s so sad :((((
Trixie : but like… where is this city because I wanna live here!
Katya smiles into her phone, watching as the iMessage dots appear and disappear on the screen as Trixie live texts her during her first time watching Kiki’s Delivery Service. She’s sitting at the dining table of her apartment, eating dinner and unwinding after a long day of school and work.
Katya: Right!
Trixie: I’m so glad you had me watch this first. This movie is so cute and I’m in love!
Trixie likes her all time favorite movie, Katya thinks as a wave of warmth travels through her body.
“You texting bae?” Violet says, her voice right next to Katya’s ear, startling her yet again.
“Violet, you have GOT to stop scaring me like that, Jesus Christ.”
“Where’s the fun in that? Oh my god. You got Trixie to watch Kiki’s. She really is bae.”
“Shut up. No she isn’t.”
Violet gasps. “Katya? Not giving me a witty comeback? Are you blushing? Did I wake up in another universe? Am I in Contact?”
“I’m going to shove this entire plate of spaghetti up your nose.”
Violet then wraps her arms around Katya’s and kisses her cheek. “There’s the Katya that I know. Y’know, you really should invite her to the party. You guys can totally bond and get closer.”
“Obviously, yeah we’ll take her to the party. But I mean, she’s way out of my league. C’mon. Also, what if she’s straight?”
“But-”
“And even if she is gay, she probably has other girls she’s keeping an eye out for.”
“Don’t sell yourself short like that, Katya.”
“I’m not selling myself short. I’m just being realistic.”
“Katya, you are such a catch. Why do you think we hooked up freshman year?”
“You wanted an easy fuck?”
Violet sighs and flicks Katya’s temple. “Katya, you know I'm the prettiest person and I have ridiculously high standards. Seriously, when you finally get your anxiety treated… then you’ll realize.”
“I know girl. I know.”
Katya’s phone’s text tone rings.
Trixie: Omg we gotta watch more of these movies together! <3 I think it’d be fun if we watched together:))) I would love to hear ur running commentary on this film haha
“See?!” Violet says. “She is totally into you.” Katya doesn’t reply. Instead, she’s being really gay and imagining her and Trixie on her bed, laying close in front of the laptop while they watch another show for class, maybe getting closer, and Trixie, in all her confident glory, finding her way on top of Katya as she goes in for the— “KATYA!”
“What?!”
“Oh my god just ask her out already. I literally could feel your pussy clenching from here. Jesus, tone down the gay for a bit.”
“You literally can’t feel it.”
Violet huffs and walks away, yelling across the apartment, “You know I’m right because you only attacked me on my grammar.”
Katya rolls her eyes and replies to Trixie with a huge smile on her face.
Katya: YES! We totally should. I have so much to show you. I’m free this weekend if you still wanna hang out after the party :*