Revenge Solves Everything (closed)

[wheyoftheadept]

Who: Saturday and Catra
What: Video games!
Where: A lounge on the rig
When: Between the sheetcake party and the next big event
Warnings/Notes: Spoilers for an older video game? Probably they will talk about their shitty childhoods at some point

Saturday does not recognize any of the recreational equipment in the weird little boxy lounges scattered across the dorm level, but that’s not a problem because neither does Catra.

“Oh, this sounds neat,” Saturday says, reading the back of a box. “You are the once-trusted bodyguard of the beloved Empress. Framed for her murder, you become an infamous assassin, known only by a disturbing mask, blah blah blah - oooh, a city besieged by plague and ruled by an oppressive government armed with neo-industrial technologies. What do you think?”

She shows the box to Catra. It’s very goth, with a dude in a long coat and a hood with a fairly cool skull mask on the front.

“What do you think? It says Playstation on the thing, and one of the boxes under the tv says the same. Probably it’ll work.”

Comments

[heterochrocatic]

"If it's not all or nothing why am I the one who ended up alone? Why do I have be the one who's wrong?" She knows why. She knows that what she has done is wrong, that she has hurt people and done it all because of anger and spite. She has to ask though, maybe because she hope Saturday has an answer. Catra tenses at the touch of Saturday's hand but she doesn't hiss or spit or snap at Saturday to get away from her. Maybe a good sign? Maybe. Catra's shoulders are tight, drawn in as if she's trying to force herself into the smallest space possible.

"I don't want to be alone," she says in a quiet, almost child-like voice. She swallows and her throat feels thick and she doesn't want to cry, she doesn't, but she feels as if she must. She can remember anger too, still feel the embers of it smoldering in her, wafted now and then by fresh feelings of grievance.

[wheyoftheadept]

"Cause sometimes people fuck up." Saturday pats her softly. "Even good people fuck up. It's not the end of the world. And you won't be alone forever. You said yourself, people want to be with you, and you push them away. So why would people stop seeing someone worth caring about?"

She sighs, not sure how much comfort to give. If this was home, she could promise a lot of things, easily.

"You're not gonna be alone here," is all she can promise. "I'll get both of us out, one way or another. That's a promise."

She'll get more than just them out, she realizes with a certain resignation, or die trying.

[heterochrocatic]

Catra feels so alone in this moment. Like there's nothing left for her. There is the potential of reconciliation with Adora, though it seems just out of her reach. She takes a breath. Saturday is talking, saying that she isn't going to be alone. Catra tenses. She doesn't want to believe Saturday.

And yet she so desperately needs to.

The controller shakes in her hands and she stares at the screen as she feels fat tears starting to spill out of her eyes. Why? WhySaturday who she's known like a week. But she can't stop. The controller drops out of her hands and she leans forward, trying to cover her face with her hands.

"No. No no no no."

[wheyoftheadept]

"All right, kid, let it out." Saturday keeps up the patting. "There you go. No shame in it, sometimes you gotta."

She shouldn't invest herself like this, in a stranger in a strange place, but - Maggie would forgive her, for caring about more than just herself. Would expect this from her, frankly. And it's not like everyone doesn't stand a better chance together than apart. And Catra needs someone in her corner, and Saturday can't not be who she is.

"It's gonna be okay. Might suck for a long while, but it'll be okay in the end."

[heterochrocatic]

Catra curls in on herself, sobbing. She hates herself for it, hates that she looks so weak and helpless in front of Saturday. And at the same time the connection offered, the comfort given--it's more than anyone has offered her since she lost Adora, since she shoved everyone else away from her as hard as she could. Her shoulders shakes from the force of her crying. Everything holds still for a moment and then Catra has to take that leap of faith and make the horrifying choice to be vulnerable. It is like leaping into open air not knowing how far below you the ground is and everything falls out from below you with a sickening lurch.

She reaches out and grabs onto Saturday to haul herself in closer, sobbing only growing in intensity. Later, she will flinch away. Perhaps act as if this has not happened or wait for the inevitable pain to come from exposing her vulnerabilities. In the moment though, Saturday offers comfort and that is what Catra desperately needs.

[wheyoftheadept]

Saturday is genuinely surprised when Catra curls into her like a cat and starts to sob. But years of instinct and training takes over. She wraps her arm around the other girl and makes soothing noises, patting her back and shoulders.

"There we go. It'll feel better when you're done. There, there."

[heterochrocatic]

Weeks and months of hurt and grief and anger are all pouring out of the girl. For the first time, she vents it and has someone to comfort her. She almost doesn't know how to process it or what to do except cling to Saturday and cry.

It takes a few minutes for Catra to feel that she has wrung all the tears from herself that she can. It's strange and terrifying to be taking comfort in someone else again. But the rejection doesn't come. No mockery. Nothing but soothing words and encouragement. As the last of her tears go, Catra half-sits, rubbing at her eyes with one hand and doing her best to act like that hadn't just happened.

"...Don't tell anyone about that," is the first thing she mutters.

[wheyoftheadept]

"Sure thing, Cats," Saturday says automatically, letting Catra pull away. "My lips are sealed. But don't hold so much in next time, okay? Now I bet you got a headache and your throat hurts."

Saturday says this with confidence, as someone who does the exact same thing, frankly. She unclips her ever present water bottle.

"Here you go, gotta replace those fluids."

[heterochrocatic]

Catra rubs her eyes again and then reaches out to accept the water bottle. Saturday is right about the achey head and sore throat, at least. There's silence as Catra takes a long, long drink of water. Then she offers the bottle back. As she does, she stares at Saturday, as if waiting for something to happen, another shoe to drop.

"...That's it?"

[wheyoftheadept]

"...whaddya want me to do, a little song and dance?" Saturday jokes, to break the tension.

[heterochrocatic]

"You're not going to like..." Catra sighs, shakes her head.

"You know what, never mind."

[wheyoftheadept]

"Okay."

A beat.

"Wanna keep playing?"

[heterochrocatic]

"...Yeah, sure." Catra bends to retrieve the controller and starts to resume play. Poor Corvo, left standing in the rat-infested street for all that time seems relieved to be back on the hunt. Things seem almost normal again, though... Catra is leaning into Saturday a little now, seeming more willing to share her personal space.

[wheyoftheadept]

Saturday notes this, accepts it, and carefully draws absolutely no attention to it.