Chapter Text
Bzzzzt!
An intrusive sound pierced the calm, tranquil air, ripping at its light, fluffy texture and tearing a peephole into the outside world. That’s right, there was a world outside despite the silent solitude Catra had grown so used to in these soft intimate moments.
Adora’s eyes shifted from the canvas, looking to the long-forgotten device that hung on the wall when it bleated for attention. Confusion crossed their surface, an unspoken question fluttering across her mind, but it didn’t keep her grounded to her seat. She went to the intercom, pressed the button and let out an apprehensive hello.
“Finally!” that voice on the other side declared in an exasperated sigh, “I know you don’t like to keep your phone on you in there, but you can at least stand to have it nearby when you’re expecting company.”
“Glimmer?”
Surprise filled Adora’s expression while curiosity coated Catra’s, raising a brow at the unfamiliar name.
“Who else would it be? You were the one who said I could pick up my book today. Or did you forget?”
She did. She totally forgot, releasing the button to hide the guilty groan that rocked her throat. She took a brief glance towards Catra’s seated figure, noticing the intrigued stare that plagued her eyes.
“Yeah, sorry about that.” she spoke back into the intercom, “I’ll be down in a minute.”
“One of your friends?” Catra asked, watching the blonde let out another sigh at the blunder.
“Yeah, I completely forgot that I asked her to come over to pick up something I borrowed a while back.”
The brunette let the soft chuckle leave her mouth, a smirk filling her lips with mirth and mischief. “I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself.” she told her, standing from the bed and stepping closer to the girl, “You’ve been rather… preoccupied lately.” she whispered, moving closer to her ear and letting her breath ghost against her skin, heating it to a lovely, rosy hue.
Adora held in a shiver, restraining the feeling in her chest before breathing it out slowly. “Do you mind if I bring her up?” she asked, “I mean, if you’re uncomfortable with it, I can ask her if I can bring it to her some other time.”
Catra rolled her eyes in contemplation, letting the idea sit for a second. “Nah, I don’t really care either way.” she said with a shrug of her shoulders, nonchalance and cool indifference coloring her body as she strolled herself back to the bed.
“You sure?” Adora rose a brow but her concern was shooed away by Catra’s waving hand.
“Of course I’m sure. Go on, get your little friend. I’ll be right here.”
Adora would have pushed a little more, asking if Catra was truly sure if she was alright with this sudden turn, but the brunette was already fastening on her robe, reading herself to be seen by the blonde’s visitor and fishing for her phone in preparation for the wait.
The blonde laughed softly, taking a step towards her and planting a tender kiss against her temple, “Alright. I’ll be back in a bit.” she told her, her voice leaving a lingering sweetness ringing in Catra’s ears that remained even after the blonde had long since departed on her little fetch quest.
***
“Sorry again…” Adora apologized for the fifth time since she let the pink haired lass into the building, escorting the girl down the halls that led to her studio.
“It’s fine, really. I’m not even that mad.” Glimmer said with a soft laugh, “I’m pretty much used to it by now. But you’ve been really motivated lately, haven’t you?” she asked with an excited twinkle in her eyes.
“Huh?” she paused at the door, a perplexed look tinting her oceanic eyes.
“What ‘huh’? C’mon, you really think I wouldn’t notice my best friend’s burst of inspiration? I know how you get when you’d rather paint than… well, anything else.” she said, smiling with certainty that her friend must have been over the moon to be able to dive so deeply into something she loved so much.
Adora stared at her for a moment. She wasn’t sure what to say, knowing that her friend wasn’t wrong but she didn’t think she was so obvious about it. It brought a small, bashful smile to her lips, her hand reaching back to pet down the warm feeling growing at the back of her neck.
“Yeah… I guess so.” she muttered, feeling Glimmer press an encouraging hand to her shoulder.
She caught the softened look in her hazel eyes and she returned it with one of her own.
“Oh, there is one other thing.” Adora interjected, piercing through the tender moment with her revelation, “I do have someone over right now, but she already said she’d be fine with you coming in.”
Glimmer raised a curious brow, “Is she a model?” she asked.
“You could say that.” the blonde answered, an ambiguous tone clouding her words and painting their true meaning with a murky hint that ought to be questioned.
But she didn’t question it, not in that very moment when Adora first gave her pause for concern. But the moment she met the brunette’s mix-hued gaze that pierced through her chest like an arrow straight out of the fire, she wished she did.
“Glimmer, this is Catra. Catra, Glimmer.” Adora gestured between the two, a mediator between the two forces not quite sure how to respond to the other.
Catra was the first to make a move, a sly smirk crossing her lips as she leaned her shoulders back, eyeing the girl from head to toe and taking in every inch of her. “So, you’re one of Adora’s friends, are you? I’ve been wondering what you lot were like. Can’t really say I’m disappointed.” she said, poking at Glimmer and testing what her tongue could get away with.
“Excuse me?” Glimmer’s voice grew indignant.
“Catra, be nice.” Adora tried to remedy the situation before the sparks turn into full-on flames.
“I’m being nothing but nice,” the brunette snickered, a smug look dancing across her freckled face, “I said I wasn’t disappointed, didn’t I?” she asked, her eye shifting back towards the pink haired girl and flashing a silent challenge towards her.
Glimmer chose to stay silent, leaving the bait alone and, instead, redirecting her attention towards someone who wasn’t rubbing her the wrong way. “So, about that book…”
“Oh, right! Let me get that for you.” Adora’s mind was set back on track, focusing in on the task at hand and moving to search the shelves. “Um… where did I put it again?” she muttered, taking her search to the tables. “I know I was just looking at it.” she walked to the counters, scanning her eyes over their surfaces as well.
Catra’s eyes followed her, watching her work her way down the list of likely locations until it brought her into the small kitchen at the side of the studio. She watched her open the cabinets, doubting she’d find what she was looking for with the dishware, but really, where else was she supposed to look in the tiny space. Her eyes lit up with devious intent, glancing towards Glimmer for just a second before looking back to the blonde.
“Hey, Adora.” she called her, relishing in the immediate attention she got from both parties, “While you’re over there, mind grabbing me a glass of water?” she asked. She couldn’t quite say she was thirsty for the beverage, but she was craving a bit of affection right about now.
“Oh, sure.” the blonde answered her whim. She was already rummaging around up there anyway, it wouldn’t be too much added effort to grab a glass, fill it with ice and water and hand it off to the waiting brunette. She wasn’t being distracted; she was heading this way anyway. “Here,” she extended the glass over.
Catra’s hand reached for the offering, but her fingertips missed the glassware, gliding them under Adora’s wrist and feeling the smooth surface slightly chilled by proximity. She took a brief look at Glimmer, making sure to was watching this and enjoying the look in her eyes. Was she doing this on purpose or was she really just feeling parched? Who was to say? But the heated look growing behind those hazel eyes told her that she was getting pretty close to Catra’s true intention.
“Thanks,” she whispered, warm and affectionate and way sweeter than any model ought to be with their artist.
“Yeah, no problem.” Adora matched the intensity of her tone without much thought, the response becoming habitual by now and much too hard to break for even one moment.
Glimmer cleared her throat, an abrupt reminder that she was still in the room, still waiting for the blonde’s search to yield some result and leave this flirtatious duo to their own devices.
Adora released the glass to Catra’s grip, hearing the light giggle flutter from her lips as she brought the rim to her lips. She let a nervous laugh leave her own, turning back to continue, “Right… where did I put it…”
“Adora…” Glimmer called her with a slight sigh.
“I swear I didn’t lose it.” the blonde declared, her gaze shooting over to her friend before the memory of it struck the back of her head like a bat. “Oh! I know where I left it!”
“You do?” she asked, her voice dipped with skepticism while a hint of doubt tinted the warm brown of her eyes.
“Yeah, I think I might have left it in my car.” Adora explained, her body straightening from a hunched position over her bed stand, “I didn’t want to forget it at home so I’ve been keeping it there.”
Glimmer watched her for a moment, studying the genuine relief that washed over her face and smiling in turn. “Great! Let’s go get it then.” she suggested, gesturing back to the door now that she had an excuse to leave that smirking stare behind.
“Actually, the garage is a bit out of the way… I mean, I was the one that left it there, it only makes sense that I go down and get it.”
“I really don’t mind coming with you.”
“It’s fine. You were waiting outside too, anyway.”
“But I really don’t-”
“What’s the matter, Sparkles?” Catra spoke up, resisting the urge to laugh out completely at Glimmer’s obvious insistence, “I don’t bite, you know.”
Glimmer looked towards the brunette, eyes narrowing in a silent warning to butt out. But Catra loved the challenge and was enjoying herself far too much to bother wiping the smirk off her lips.
“Catra, you promise you’ll behave, right?” Adora asked, raising a brow at her.
Catra chuckled at the question; as if she needed to ask. “Of course,” she said, “you’ll have nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.”
She gave Glimmer a smile, her best attempt at a genuine grin, but she could tell the pink haired lass wouldn’t fall for it, her first impression of the brunette already sunken deep into the assumption of mischievous trouble.
“Fine,” Glimmer muttered, much to Catra’s surprise.
It showed for a second, her eyes widening with alarm, but the look only lasted for a moment before the smug confidence returned to her golden and blue irises in full force. Like a cat that had found a new mouse to play with, intrigued and very entertained.
***
And so, the waiting game began, Glimmer seated at one of the counter stools, Catra lounging on the bedsheets, paying no mind to how the bathrobe that draped her body hung and slacked over her skin sloppily. She didn’t bother to fix it, letting those windows into her chest and flashes of her thighs hang out on display.
It kept the girl on her toes. For what reason: she could not pin down well enough for it to feel quite right. Sure, an actual model would be used to it, showing her bare flesh to others in a professional setting, but nothing about Catra screamed professionalism. Not even the slightest peep gave any clue that she did this as a regular job or even as a side gig for extra cash. Models don’t openly flirt with their artists. They don’t make a big deal to flaunt it over their guests. And they certainly don’t make Glimmer feel like her sanity was being tested. She would know! She’s been around models before, sketched them, painted them. Nude and clothed alike, she liked to think she wasn’t shy about them. But this one, there was a different air about Catra that separated her from all of Glimmer’s past experiences. Something more alluring. Something much more dangerous that bade her to keep her guard raised.
Looking at her now, not a care in the world as she laid back on her best friend's bed like she belonged there. Like it was her space, and Glimmer was the intrusive one. Just how many times has she been here, lounging on that bed, her clothes discarded and her bewitching skin on full display before Adora’s eyes? Did she look at Adora like that? With cunning eyes that picked her apart and targeted the most tender places of the human body. With eyes that dripped with pure, unadulterated seduction?
“You’ve got something you want to say to me, Sparkles?” Catra had turned her body towards the pink haired lass, propping her head up on her arm as she gave the girl her full attention
Glimmer did well to hide her startled response, her shoulders kept stiff and her gasp held deep within her throat. She took in a deep breath, composed herself and spoke, “I was just wondering where Adora found someone like you.”
A brow rose on Catra’s face, her body lifting upwards slightly, “And what’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.
“Don’t get me wrong, but you don’t seem the type to regularly do art modeling.”
The indignant irritation that was growing on her face cooled, her shoulders relaxing and her smirk returning home. “Got me all figured out, don’t you, Sparkles?”
“It’s Glimmer.”
“It’s close enough.”
A scowl bore itself through Glimmer’s gaze, glaring eyes seething with irritation that continued to simmer at a low boil in her chest. She just wished she could wipe that smirk clean off her face, just so she could share some of this unbearable heat with its source.
Catra let a soft cackle billow from her chest, “Relax, there’s no need to get that annoyed about it.” she told her before the girl had a chance to burst, “If it makes you feel any better, I’m not really someone who does art modeling. But Adora is different. You can call her a special case.”
Now that got Glimmer curious, curious enough to forego her searing glare for an inquisitive stare. Her furrowing brow relaxed, feeling them ease up on her face at the seed of information presented before her. And she wasn’t shy about asking for sustenance to further this seed’s growth.
“How did you two even meet in the first place?”
Catra hummed softly, pondering the answer while her body stretched out along the sheets. “I could tell you,” she mused, “but isn’t it more fun to put that pretty little head of yours to work?”
She should have figured as much, Glimmer would have given voice to the thought, but Catra wasn’t quite done yet.
“I will tell you this much at least, just so there’s no confusion. Adora is very important to me, and I don’t plan on letting anything take her away from me.” There was a new look in her eyes, a menacing flicker, a threatening glint. A shadow darkened her brilliant irises, the fighter in her still very much alive and kicking behind her relaxed air and indifferent façade. “So we might as well get along. For Adora’s sake, you know?”
Glimmer took her warning with a steady stare, letting the threatening tone and deadly look in her eyes go with a mere slap on the wrist. She was too busy running the numbers in her head, performing the calculations and going through mental math like a gymnast hopping through hoops. And why does she commit to these vague, life formulas? Because the spark of an idea just lit a fire in her eyes.
“It was you…” a ghost of a whisper came from her lips.
“What?” Catra most definitely wasn’t expecting that. She thought her words would incite anger or maybe a bit of confusion, but she could have never expected some type of epiphany to spread across her gaze like a holy revelation.
“I was thinking that Adora’s been really motivated lately after such a bad slump, but I didn’t think it was because of you.”
“What slump?”
“Guess you wouldn’t know,” Glimmer muttered, half to herself and half to the ignorant party in the room.
She took a brief glance over towards the girl on the bed, noticing how her smirk was gone and a hint of annoyance covered her eyes. But the annoyance wasn’t towards Glimmer herself. No, this was something that stemmed from her own lacking knowledge; a slight irritation from being out of the loop.
A smile began to curve her lips, payback now in sight. “If you really want to know, I could tell you…” she offered, “if you ask nicely.”
Catra was taken back by this sudden turn, the tables flipped and the pink haired lass holding the higher ground over her head. Well, she wouldn’t make it that easy to rile her up, huffing at her proposal and turning her head away. “Whatever, it’s not like I care.”
Glimmer chuckled, her body leaning forward from her stool, “Yeah? You really think that haughty attitude is fooling anyone?”
“Whatever! I said I don’t care, so I don’t care.” her body sunk lower into the sheets, soft grumbles and mumbles flowing from her body and making her corner of the studio that much darker.
She could leave her to sulk about it, serves her right for that mocking attitude of hers, but she’s better than her—merciful and generous.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen her like this.” she began speaking to the air. Catra couldn’t complain, she wasn’t talking to her after all. “Just a while ago, she was so stuck she barely wanted to face another blank canvas or page again. And even before that, it was just sporadic bursts. She’s in the mood and then she’s out of it. You could really tell she wanted to paint something marvelous, but it just wasn’t flowing right. But this… this is the longest burst I’ve ever seen from her.” she took a short pause, her eyes glancing towards Catra to see an ear slightly turned towards her, “And to think it came from one girl with a bad attitude.”
The brunette remained with her back turn towards her. Of course, she didn’t know any of this. She didn’t know much about the blonde beyond that first confrontation in the skatepark. She would have never guessed Adora had any problems with how zealous she was around her. Always showing off her best in her space, always smiling, always acting like everything was as right as rain.
It got her curious, curious about the Adora without her brush. Curious about the Adora that lounged around mindlessly doing nothing. Curious about the Adora who casually talked and lost herself in some conversation with her regular circle of friends. The Adora Glimmer knew; the one she’s yet to meet.
A soft ding came from her phone, shaking Catra free from her thoughts just long enough to read the incoming message. Her eyes glowed at the screen, focused intently on its words while her thumb hung over the keypad in second-guessed hesitation.
“Are you seriously still sulking over there?” Glimmer called from her seat, the soft thud of her descent ringing through the studio’s floorboards when she moved to get closer.
Catra gave a soft huff, “What would I have to sulk about?” she told her, typing away a reply before locking her phone. She turned her body sharply on the bed, meeting Glimmer’s expectant gaze lingering on her. She gave her a smirk, watching the other’s face sour at its inevitable return. “That all sounds like pretty good news for me. I get to enjoy Adora’s company and Adora gets to enjoy her zest for the visual arts. Win-win, am I right?”
Glimmer let out a groan, rolling her eyes at the cocky attitude, now back with a vengeance. “Ugh, I really shouldn’t have bothered trying to worry about you.”
“Well, you live and learn, right Sparkles?” she asked with a wink, adding a little extra emphasis on the names she’s grown too attached to let go now.
“It’s-” Glimmer stopped short of what she was going to say, her head turning towards the door when Adora twisted the knob from the other side. “Adora, finally.” she said with an exasperated sigh, walking closer to the girl the second she walked through the door, reference book in tow, “Next time you have me babysit, I’m charging.”
“Babysit?” Adora questioned with a raise of her brow before looking over towards the grinning brunette, “Catra, what did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything.” Catra answered with a shrug of her shoulders and a soft chuckle in her chest.
“Uh-huh…” the blonde muttered, obviously unconvinced, “Sorry about the hassle, here’s your book back.” she said, handing the large text back to the pink haired lass.
Glimmer took the book into her hands, holding it under her arm, “Eh, I’ll overlook it this time.” she said, turning her gaze over towards the brunette. This time, she repeated in her head, cutting her a break only because it was their first meeting and Adora was kinda, sorta, vouching for her in her own way. “Whelp, I’ll leave you two to get back to whatever you guys were doing. Think I’ve had as much of your ‘model’ as I can take.”
“Want me to walk you out?”
“Nah, I’ll be fine on my own.” Glimmer shooed the offering away. She took a step towards the door, getting ready to make her exit but was stopped by a sudden thought that stilled her body and reeled her back. “Oh yeah, I’ll keep this from Bow so you can tell him yourself. But you better tell him quick, otherwise he’ll have a fit that you didn’t tell him you got a new girlfriend.” she said in a hushed tone, nodding her head toward the brunette with an amused look shining in her bright, hazel gaze.
“G-Girl-” Adora felt herself choke on the word. She didn’t have anything in her mouth but she felt herself choking on the letters that had a hard time leaving her throat.
“Bye, Adora.” her guest left before she could finally get it out, leaving her with the turmoil spinning in her mouth as the word remained incomplete on her tongue.
She stared at the door for a moment longer. It gave her no answers so she turned to look at Catra instead, letting a sigh take the word from her lips while her legs carried her to the bed. “Okay, what did you really do?”
“I’m telling you, I didn’t do anything. We talked a little and that’s it.” Catra declared with a pout on her lips, resting her head on her arms. She peeked an eye up towards the blonde—still not buying it. “Fine, I might have teased her a little bit, but in my defense, I figured her a good sport and thought she could take it.”
“So that’s what she meant by babysitting…” Adora sighed again, taking a seat on the edge of the mattress and letting her body sink into the soft surface.
“Yeah, but forget all that for now,” her hand reached up to the back of Adora’s shirt, gripping onto the collar and tugging her down, “What are you doing next weekend?” she asked, hanging over her pinned captive.
“Next weekend? I’m pretty sure I don’t have anything planned. Why?”
“Well…” Catra’s voice trailed off, her teeth biting at her lower lip to chew on the words she wanted to use, “the people who took me in when I was a kid, it’ll be her birthday weekend so they wanted me to come to their cottage to spend the weekend with them and I was wondering if you wanted to come with.”
The body beneath the brunette sat up, nearly knocking heads at the sudden action but saved them from the blow by a mere inch. “Is it really okay if I come?” she asked, her voice soft and almost breathless.
“Of course. Well, I already said I’d be bringing someone so you’re more required to come now.” she said with a shrug of her shoulders, “You’ll come, won’t you?”
Adora felt her face heat up and her eyes water at the burning sting, like a raging field fire touching everything and leaving nothing behind but its smoldering touch. She tried to swallow it down, but of course, that proved futile with the giant, sentimental lump forming in her throat. She tried to talk it out, but that wasn’t proving effective either. Luckily for her, Catra could read her easily.
“I’ll take your stunned silence as an enthusiastic yes.” she said, a smile spreading wide on her lips while a grin flashed her pearly chompers.
Adora gave a nod of her head, at least she could manage that much along with an affirmative grunt. Minimal effort given but more than enough to get the message across.
Catra couldn’t help laughing, running a hand over the blonde’s beet red, warm cheek. “Good…” she whispered, pressing a kiss to the girl’s lips and got them right back to “business”.