Chapter Text
"Ta-da!" Adora led the way into their new apartment, and the girls got a good look at it.
On the left, a kitchenette, with a bedroom nearby. Against the back wall, a big window with the fire escape. On the right, another bedroom near to the bathroom. And in the center, a healthy open space with a TV and couch left over from the previous tenants.
"It's a winner, I think!" She ran around the place, showing Catra how her vision came to life. "We can cook mac and cheese here in the kitchen, and I think we can use the bedroom on this side. And look at this window, great for summer! And the other bedroom... it can be like your 'model room' right?" She opened its door. It wasn't very big. "It's kinda small and there's no lock on it for some reason, but that's fine, that's why it's better for art than sleeping."
"I do a lot of sleeping, Adora," came Catra. She hadn't been following along, her own scheming and analysis being much faster. "Still... it looks pretty good, Princess. I thought for sure you'd mess this up."
"Yes, well, I couldn't let YOU do it, or we'd be living above a Taco Bell," she replied.
"That was ONE time."
"And you purred like a kitten~"
"Alright, let's settle this." Catra motioned to the couch. "What do you say we break in this old junk?"
"You're on. I've been practicing."
"When's that ever mattered?"
"Ohoho, just you wait, Catra. Yoshi and I have a bond now. We're not letting you walk away without losing at least once!"
After nine consecutive Mario Kart victories, Catra finally yawned. "How does it feel to be the world's slowest person?"
Adora's face slowly crept up from her SuperNintendo controller to give Catra an exceptionally cross smile. "You cheated."
"Ha!" Catra laughed. "You WISH I was cheating!"
"You were kicking me the entire time!" She gently slammed her leg into Catra's to demonstrate.
"You call THAT kicking?" she retorted, wielding a kick of her own.
A kick became a punch, a punch became a headlock, and soon after a scuffle broke out. Each aimed to pin the other, or trap one with a noogie, or tie the other's long sleeves together, or remove the other's socks. Always a game. Sometimes, a winner.
Mario Kart was an important pastime for them. They'd first seen a SuperNintendo among Weaver's confiscations, and managed to sneak plays on it a handful of times in their youth before they were discovered.
Catra always picked Donkey Kong. She kinda identified with him; he was a big, clumsy ape that could never beat Mario. He was absolutely oafish, no one liked him, and he could only get what he wanted by taking it. All he ever did was take up space and get laughed at by the other characters--at least, that's how it was in Catra's mind. As much had been reflected of her time at the Academy.
Adora always picked Yoshi. Because she thought he was cute.
Of course, before too long, Catra had decided that she simply wasn't cut out for the Academy and took her leave. She begged Adora to come with. Adora refused, citing her sense of duty. It wasn't until years later that she'd finally caught onto the reasons Catra left, and departed "amicably" with Weaver to go out into the world and leave her military plans behind, for good.
Catra had been doing alright on her own. One of her roommates had had a Super Nintendo. He was a jerk, so she stole it. Not too much later, Adora somehow reappeared. This much is history.
"Well, well, not so tough now, are you?" she taunted. "Adora wins again."
"Whatever, Miss Boot Camp," from Catra, who was pinned by Adora. She looked up to her arm. "You bruised my wrist. Tsk. That's gonna ruin my photos, Adora."
"Oh, sorry," she said, relaxing her grip. This was a mistake.
Catra, seizing the opening, completely turned the tables on her and got Adora pinned instead. "Wooow," she taunted back, near out of breath. "How does it feel to lose because you forgot that makeup exists?"
"Cheater."
Just then, Adora's phone set off an alarm. Catra was determined to prevent her from answering it, but eventually "allowed" her to get to her phone.
"Ah! I gotta go, Sherry's waiting." She hustled to get her gym clothes together. "Unpack while I'm gone, okay?"
"Sure, whatever, Princess. I'll think about it."
Adora gave her a pretend-threatening look, pointing to her eyes, then Catra's. "Hey. Just do it. I love you. Bye." And shut the door behind her.
"Wow, love you, too, I guess," she mused, stretching out on the couch. She checked her own phone.
GET READY FOR WORK: 5MINS AGO
"Whoops."
In all, the past was behind them. But the future always came with new struggles. Eventually, Catra and Adora would be equipped to face them all.
"Eh, five minutes isn't that bad."