Theirs | Catradora x Reader

4.

You are already awake by the time your squad is called to training that morning. Your nightmares of Catra and Adora from the previous night plagued your memory, keeping you up the entire night wondering if your friends would really fight each other to the death as you decided losing sleep was worth not experiencing those nightmares again.

You rub the tiredness from your eyes and sit up to look at your friends on the bed across from yours, smiling at the little faces Catra had scratched into her bed all those years ago. Your friends get ready alongside you like normal; you couldn't sense any tension at all between them as if the events of yesterday hadn't happened at all.

After scarfing down your ration bars, you and Adora head to the locker rooms and get ready to start your training. Catra splits off, clearly not wanting to train today and the tension returns. Despite your every instinct, you choose to stay with Adora and hope Catra can work out whatever she needs alone. Besides, you need to save your sense of pride and redeem yourself after yesterday's disaster of a training session.

The group waits for Catra for a few minutes but you know you guys would be lucky if she showed up at all. At last, you start. To no one's surprise, Kyle is taken out by a bot within the first thirty seconds. He was a really good strategist but just really lacked when it came to physical abilities. Rogelio was struck down next as a consequence of trying to stay with Kyle. When are those two going to get together, you smirked as you thought to yourself. "(Y/N)!" Adora calls as she dives in front of you, taking down the bot that would have struck you if you had zoned out a moment longer.

Your eyes widen when Lonnie is finally out. You haven't won one of these ranked training exercises in a long time and even though you haven't beaten Adora in a long time, you find yourself filled with a new determination to outlast her. You eye her from across the gym. There are a good four bots between the two of you and you know for a fact you could only take down one, two maybe if you were lucky so you wait quietly. Adora engages one. The best case for you is if Adora tries to fight all the bots and gets hit, but you know that she either won't forget about you or she would simply beat them all and crush you in your battle for the top position when she remembers you, in fact, have lasted this long.

To your shock, something else happens, crushing all your hope of winning today. Catra runs through the door, quickly and quietly on her feet with a little grin curling the corners of her mouth. Just a little longer. Adora takes down two of the four bots. You scan your surroundings and search for an angle to emerge. When your attention returns to your opponents, you are once again shocked to Catra standing over a hole, presumably with Adora inside.

"Heyyy Adora~" Catra makes her presence known, "How's it hanging." You suppress a giggle at your friend's dumb joke, noting she adorned the same green chest plate you have and that you have to outlast her too if you want to officially win. You make sure Catra helps Adora out before moving. Seeing Catra letting her guard down gives you the perfect opportunity to surprise her as she escorts Adora out. You make your way across the large room's edges until you're close enough to them and they are close enough to the door and sprint, ramming your shoulder into Catra's back and flipping her to the ground the way she taught you. You find yourself laying on top of a very discombobulated feline and you spring up to your feet.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm so sorry please forgive me guys I hope I didn't hurt anyone," a string of apologies flow out of your mouth as you help Catra up and you shut your eyes, not wanting to see if you hurt her.

"Hey," Adora says softly, "you won," this makes you crack one eye open. Sure enough, your flip had switched Catra's chest plate off and yours was still on, glowing green and bright as ever.

"I actually won!" You jump for joy, hoping this was enough to redeem yourself after getting fourth place. Now that you don't have to worry about your magic making your eyes glow, you can finally excel and show Shadow Weaver you were worthy of staying with the squadron of older people.

"I thought you were out when I came in, (Y/N)" Catra remarks, filling you with pride. As long as she beats Adora she seems to be fine with getting second. Adora, on the other hand, was not fine placing third and losing to Catra again. You would talk to her later, knowing she would need to be reminded of the concept of unconditional love.

The three of you walk out of the locker room, eager to get a little break before you have to work more. Out of nowhere, Shadow Weaver whisks Adora away, saying the two of them needed to talk. You and Catra know she will be fine, so you continue. Before you know it, you find yourself at the foot of your ledge, as if your feet had minds of their own, bringing you two to your special spot. "You went here earlier today, didn't you," you say with a hint of a question.

"Yep," your friend confirms, "I just needed some time to think." You give her a look; it's not like her to be all introspective and take time to think, but you decide not to pry. After you make your way up, you sit down, hugging your legs to your chest and resting your head on your knees. Catra sits beside you, letting her feet dangle over the edge. Then, she surprises you for the second time today: "I'm proud of you, (Y/N)."

"w-What? Why?" she can't be proud of you for winning. Everyone in your squad had won one of the ranked matches— even Kyle won many years ago when Lonnie and Adora had disqualified each other for hugging instead of fighting and Catra had skipped training that day. "If anything, I should be proud of you for winning yesterday," you finally say, indignantly.

Your friend sighs, "Look, don't tell anyone I said this, but you can do anything you set your mind to; even with your vertical challenge."

"Shut up Catra!" you punch her playfully, "I won't even tell Adora," you say, recognizing her previous statement with a small smile.

"I think if I got fourth I would probably fake my death," Catra laughs.

"Thanks a lot Catra," you say with sarcasm dripping from your voice, "is getting fourth really that bad?" you said as your smile faded.

She quickly corrected her mistake: "No! I've been last so many times because I showed up late; I really would be lucky to get fourth."

"Ok," you mumble halfheartedly in response.

"Hey," Catra scoots closer to you and wraps her tail around your curled-up body, "don't tell anyone I said this, (Y/N)," she says with unusual gentleness, "but you are a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for and," you detect a new, unknown emotion emerging, pooling in her vibrant eyes, "you make the Fright Zone... tolerable."

You hum in response and lean into her touch. You like this soft version of Catra. She makes you feel safe and loved in a place devoid of the warmth she brings to you, even if she is wrong.

The noise of someone clambering up breaks your comfortable silence. "Guys!!," the familiar chime of Adora's voice fills the air, "Look!!!" You shiver as Catra's warmth leaves your side and you both stand up. Adora is wearing a proud grin on her face and is wildly gesturing to a pin on her chest. Your eyes dart to Catra's face to catch her expression falter and your fears from last night flood back into your memory. Did this really need to happen right now?

A/N: Wooo 1400 words! (the goal I set for myself is 1000-3000 and I was quite swamped with schoolwork so sorry for the sort-of shorter chapter) Can you tell how self-indulgent this is dgjkgfak;gh this is turning into a coping mechanism. I know Catra seems a little OOC but I HAVE PLANS >:D Also, Wattpad makes this lil map thingy that is a really good motivator 😌😌 Someone from every continent has seen this and that's pretty kewl :))