Chapter Text
A playful melody echoes in the room as fingers move against frets, forming chords, while gentle fingers strum and pluck at guitar strings. The amp reverberates the tune off the walls and through the apartment. Fingers continue to move quickly, not thinking just letting the music guide them. They slide down the neck then up, plucking a solo that then smoothes into the final chords.
When the last note fades away into nothing, leaving only the sound of the static coming from the amp, Catra lets out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.
"Finally." She mutters to herself with a smile.
After a rather unsuccessful band practice Wednesday afternoon, she locked herself in her room that night and refused to come out until she had new music. Sure, the band enjoyed their current music, but they needed more . Less covers and more original content. More than the three songs they have.
And now they do.
With the melody secure now all they have to do is add words. And she already has an idea of where she wants the lyrics to go, so that'll be the easy part.
She sets her guitar on the stand beside her bed, and flops down; arms and legs spread wide. Finally, finally she has a moment to relax.
"That sounded amazing, Wildcat!"
Catra's ears twitch at the praise and hunch towards the back of her head. She smiles as she lazily rolls head to the side, looking to see her roommate standing at her door.
"Thanks Scorpia."
"You are so talented. True rockstar material, oh WOW I'm so proud of you!" Scorpia brings her pincers up to cradle her face, her eyes shimmering with pride. It makes Catra feel good, makes her feel happy and proud of her musical abilities. She laughs softly as she sits up.
"Thanks. But I'll just stick to this as a fun hobby. No rockstar life for me."
"Yeah, no, yeah of course! I know, just GAAHH it sounded so good!"
"Is there something you need Scorpia?" Catra says with an awkward, soft smile, her ears scrunched back, uncomfortable with her roommates words. She loves Scorpia's constant support, but it has a tendency to be a little overwhelming. She's not used to people… caring for her. Or showing a genuine interest in her.
"I just wanted to check on you! You've been locked up here for a few days. I know how you get when you're in the writing zone, so I wanted to make sure you're okay! Maybe encourage you to get out and get some fresh air!"
Yeah this is something she's still not used to. Scorpia's been her roommate, and friend, for close to four months now, but four months of friendship can't wipe away years of abuse and manipulation.
Useless
Incompetent
You mean nothing to me
You'll never amount to anything
Catra shakes off the thoughts as they echo in the back of her head. Slowly but surely, Catra is learning to accept Scorpia's constant love and support. Even if it is foreign to her.
She was worried that it would be hard for her to create a new life, but packing up and moving out of her abusive household was her only option. So she emptied her bank account completely and with a backpack, her suitcase, and a one way bus ticket, Catra moved across the globe to Bright Moon. And enrolled in her senior year at Bright Moon University.
And that's when she met Scorpia.
She was lost, trying to find the admissions office to turn in her transcripts and finalize her transfer. Somehow she ended up on the wrong side of campus near the athletic training facilities, and bumped right into Scorpia as the girl was leaving summer weight training.
Scorpia personally walked her to the admissions office, and didn't seem bothered by Catra's cold, bitter exterior. She walked with her, waited while she finished her meeting, then offered to drive Catra home.
Except, Catra didn't have a home. She had no place to stay.
Surprising her even more, Scorpia asked her to live with her. She said her roommate graduated and left an open room that her apartment complex was looking to lease. She was hesitant, what kind of person asked a stranger to move in with them? But she had no other options. And this opportunity was being handed to her on a silver platter.
So she agreed. And she signed the lease later that day.
Now summer is over, and the school year is a month underway.
"I'll be sure to take a walk around the block. Get some blood flow back into my legs." Catra assures her as she stands up with a stretch, her arms reaching above her head. Honestly, she didn't realize it had been that long, she just let herself get lost in the music.
"Great! Oh and you're coming to the game tomorrow right?" Scorpia asks with a hopeful energy. Her roommate happened to be the starting Linebacker for the university's football team. She has been mentioning this game throughout the week, apparently the first game of the season being a big deal. Something about how Bright Moon lost the championship last season in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, and now they're coming back better than ever with a chip on their shoulder? Who knows, Scorpia lost Catra's attention once she started throwing out words like 'offsides', 'illegal formation', and 'offensive pass interference.'
"I don't know." Catra drawls, her hand rubbing at the back of her neck awkwardly. "Football isn't really my thing."
"Okay yeah no worries! Totally get it! But… I may have, kind of already told the gang you were coming." Scorpia admits, her pincers bumping together guiltily on her chest. "And they're all really excited to meet you."
Catra groans, "Scorpia."
"Sorry! I know I know, I just got so excited! You're my friend and I want you to meet my other friends, so we all can be friends! And I figured you needed to branch out and meet more people other than your band mates."
Hey, she's quite fond of her bandmates, thank you very much. Kyle may be a spazz, but he can play a mean keyboard while also carrying an above average singing tune. Rogelio may be a lizard she can't understand but the reptile can keep a beat, and Double-Trouble may be an expert, over the top dramatizer but they had some sick bass riffs.
She enjoys the presence of her four friends, but Scorpia does have a point...
Catra sighs, "Fine, I guess I'll go to your game tomorrow night."
Scorpia woops in celebration then runs over to scoop Catra into a tight hug, her legs lift off the ground and all she can do is accept the fact that Scorpia has a death grip on her body.
"Yes! This is going to be great!" She puts Catra down and the girl gasps for fresh air. "I'll let Perfuma and Glimmer know so they can save you a seat!"
Catra's eyes narrow slyly as she recognizes one of the names.
"Perfuma?" She asks with a teasing tilt to her voice. Scorpia blushes, her mouth moving to try to form words but failing. "Can't wait to meet the girl that has Scorpia Romanov at a loss for words."
"She's great. Well they're all great. All my friends. Perfuma, Adora, Entrapta, Bow, Glimmer…" For a brief moment, Catra wonders if she'll be stuck here listening to Scorpia rattle off every person in her friend group, but luckily she trails off after the last name. Catra internally sighs in relief. "You'll really love them I can already tell."
Catra doesn't mention the bias in Scorpia's words, or the fact that she's projecting her hopes and feelings right now. There's no way to tell if Catra will get along with her roommate's friends. In fact, history would suggest that she won't like them.
But that's the past.
And she's working towards making a better future for herself. 22 years old is as good a time as any to start, right?
"Whatever you say, Scorpia." Catra grumbles, turning her back effectively ending the conversation. Scorpia watches as Catra wiggles into her white Adidas and takes that as her cue to leave.
"Okay well I gotta jet. Team dinner at coaches house and all. Enjoy your walk, don't forget to eat, and I'll see you later tonight!" Scorpia taps her pincer against the wall then pushes herself down the hall.
Catra doesn't respond, just smiles softly to herself.
Yeah, her new life is pretty great so far.
She really should have canceled. Why on earth did she agree to go to a football game where she didn't know anyone? Her only connection was on the field . She can't exactly run on to the sidelines and pop a squat next to Scorpia on the bench. She hisses under her breath and her tail swishes behind her in frustration.
This was a horrible idea.
And on top of it all, Scorpia gave her vague descriptions of Perfuma and Glimmer so she has no idea who she's looking for.
"Pink hair and a hippie. Pink hair and a hippie." She mumbles to herself as her eyes scan the stadium seats. This would be so much easier if the seats weren't totally packed with students and fans. She's about to give up and walk out when her phone vibrates in her pocket.
Unknown Number: HI Catra 😸 this is Perfuma! Scorpia gave me your number so I can contact you while she's away I hope that's okay. We just sat down in the student section, aisle 4! Here's a picture of us so you know who to look for 😇
Unknown Number: IMG_2347.jpg
The picture has who she presumes is Perfuma, smiling softly into the camera with her eyes scrunched closed. Her blonde hair falls in waves over her bare shoulders, and she can see the hint of a pink floral top. Beside her must be Glimmer (it's the pink hair that gives her away) who deadpans into the camera while chucking up a peace sign. There's a few others around them, like a girl with purple pigtails who isn't even paying attention too caught up in her phone, and a boy wearing a red ascot who’s flailing his arms behind them.
Seriously? Who wears ascots anymore?
Well at least now she knows where to go and who exactly to look for. She sends a quick text back before heading over to the student section.
Catra: omw
She spots the group as soon as she walks in front of the student section, it's nearly impossible to miss them. Perfuma seems to notice her right away too, perking up instantly and waving her hand as she walks into view.
"Catra?" She calls down in question and Catra offers an awkward smile and a half wave in response. She ascends the steps up to aisle 4 and wiggles her way into the group, plopping down in the open seat between Glimmer and the girl with purple pigtails.
"It's so nice to meet you!" Perfuma coos, her voice soft. "I'm Perfuma, this is Glimmer, the girl to your right is Entrapta, and that dashing young lad on the end is Seahawk."
Seahawks chest puffs out in pride, a daring smirk gracing his lips. Entrapta's head whips up from her phone and looks at Catra in awe.
"Ooh boy you're a Magicat!" She screeches as she presses a button on her phone. "Social log number 96, Scorpia's friend Catra is a Magicat. I will now continue to conduct a social experiment to better understand the rare species."
Catra's ears fall against her head and her eyes narrow. Social experiment? Her tail bristles and Entrapta’s face lights up.
"Does your tail function as an extension of your body? Reacting to outside stimuli as well as your emotions?" Pigtails goes to reach for her tail but Catra grabs it and clutches it into her stomach.
"Entrapta." Perfuma's soft voice calls her attention and Catra is grateful. "You can't conduct experiments on every person you meet. Give Catra a moment to breathe please."
"But she's a Magicat, Perfuma!" The girl whines. "I need all the information I can get!"
"Catra did not consent to an experiment, Entrapta." Entrapta deflates into her seat mumbling an apology and going back to playing with her phone. Catra has a feeling this won't be the last of Entrapta's 'social experiment'.
"Sorry about that." Glimmer says to her left, bumping her shoulder to get her attention. "Once Entrapta sets her mind to something in can be hard to get her to stop. It's really admirable, but when she chooses people as her experiments, it can be overwhelming." Catra nods, letting out a breath.
"It's cool." She brushes off in a huff, letting her tail fall back behind her. She notices Entrapta watches the action out of the corner of her eye. She takes a breath in, as if she’s going to speak, before grumbling and going back to her phone.
"So are you a fan of football?" The pink haired girl asks and Catra lets out a sarcastic laugh.
"No. Not at all." Glimmer and Perfuma let out agreeable laughs.
"Us either." Perfuma hums, "it's not that we don't like it, we just don't understand the concept."
"Yeah we're more fans of the players ." Glimmer smirks and Perfuma blushes through a giggle. Catra quirks her brow in question and the girl continues, tilting her head to the field. "Number 84, Bow Adams. He's mine." Catra's eyes follow Glimmers shimmering gaze. Number 84 is doing high knees on the sideline, his light blue jersey pulled up to the top of his chest pad, revealing his toned stomach. His hair is cropped on sides and purple curls rest atop his head. As if sensing eyes on him, he turns to the crowd and spots the group. He smiles wide and offers an excited wave.
"Then there's Scorpia." Perfuma swoons, her hands grasping together and settling along the side of her face. "Bright Moon's very own gentle giant."
She finds Scorpia on the field, not hard to miss the girl towering over everyone wearing the number 54. She watches as the other team hikes the ball and Scorpia scans the offense tactically before rushing forward and tackling the runner before he can make it very far. Catra's eyebrows raise in pleasant surprise.
"And we can't forget my beautiful sea siren, Mermista." Seahawk interrupts, eyes sparkling as they gaze over at the group of cheerleaders on the side of the field. His eyes refusing to leave the tanned girl, picking at her nails and looking rather disinterested in the game. "Isn't she just the best?" He lets his head fall into his hands and sighs.
"And then we have our best friend Adora." Glimmer continues. "Bright Moon's star quarterback."
Catra's eyes scan the field but she has no idea what a 'quarterback' is so she can't seem to find this Adora chick. Glimmer notices and lightly chuckles, pointing to the field.
"Number 12, last name Gray." Catra follows her hand and lets her eyes fall on the bright blue jersey with the purple number 12 outlined in white plastered on it, jogging to the center of the field. She can see a low, blonde ponytail peeking out from the back of the helmet, and as Adora bends down in a crouch, ready to call hike on the play, Catra takes a second to admire how great her ass looks in the purple football pants.
Okay, she may be a fan of football now.
She watches as Adora's chest huffs as she calls for the ball, the player in front of her snapping it quickly into her hands. She takes a few quick steps back, the ball held in both hands just above her right shoulder as she scans the open field in front of her. In a swift motion she's throwing the ball forward, a perfect spiral, launching it to where Bow is running up the sidelines, a good half a foot in front of his defender.
He catches it effortlessly and dodges the defender as they dive after him. The crowd is up and cheering as Bow runs into the end zone, adding 6 points to their score. The band plays the school fight song as the players run off the field and are replaced by new ones. All eyes are on Bow as the team celebrates with him, except for Catra.
No Catra watches as Adora slips off her helmet as she jogs to the sideline. Her eyes are glued to the goddess of a woman, whose smile lights up the field, whose hair flows lusciously down her back. She's absolutely beautiful and Catra can't take her eyes off her.
She watches as she and Bow run to each other, their hands cradle the back of each other's necks and they bring their foreheads together in celebration. They both turn towards the crowd to find their friends standing up in the student section, shouting and cheering for them. They both smile a smile that lights up their eyes, and Catra's breath hitches.
Yeah. She is definitely a fan of football now.