Future in the Stars | Catradora

11 - The Deal

A/n

I may not be posting everyday now... just a heads up.

The Stranger's POV

I had just met a girl with pink sparkly hair, a guy with a quiver of arrows and a crop top, a blonde who was giving me football-player vibes, and a human-cat hybrid.

This... is normal...

The crop-top guy started tinkering with my car, while the rest of us sat on the grass. The three girls talked amongst themselves for a little bit, but eventually grew quiet.

"Uh... can I get your names?" I asked, breaking the silence. "We haven't exactly given proper introductions."

"I'm Adora, and this is Catra and Glimmer," the blonde said. "Bow's the one fixing the car."

"Cool, I'm—wh-what is that?!" I exclaimed, cutting myself off as a strange creature appeared next to Catra.

"Uh..." Catra started, looking back and forth between me and the creature, as if trying to decide how to answer.

"Catra! I thought you told Melog to stay on the ship!" Adora accused.

Catra looked away sheepishly and fiddled with the fabric of her pants. "I... I may have asked them to turn invisible and come along with us..."

"Argh, Catra!" Adora groaned, facepalming.

"What? We couldn't leave them there by themselves! What if someone found the ship?"

"Well, if Melog were there, then they could turn Darla invisible! But of course you didn't listen to me—you always have to do things your own way."

"I do not!" Catra yelled.

"Whoa, whoa," I butted in. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but arguing isn't going to solve the problem. Just make a compromise!"

"Ha, compromise," Catra scoffed, then turned to Glimmer. "What's a compromise?"

Despite the comment being a whisper, I still heard it. "You basically make a decision that takes into account both of your opinions and benefits everyone."

"Nah, were not doing that," Catra said after a moment of thought. "It's too late for Melog to go back now—Darla's too far away. They might as well just stay with us."

Adora took a deep breath and exhaled. "Alright, fine. Melog can come with us."

Catra smiled smugly.

"You guys seem like such good friends," I said, sarcasm lingering in my tone.

"We are!" Bow called from over by the car. "Although, we weren't always..."

"Yeah, Adora and I grew up thinking that Glimmer and the other princesses were evil," Catra said. "But then that dumb lesbian drove a skiff into a tree and switched sides."

"No, you drove it into a tree," Adora argued, pushing Catra over. "And I'm not dumb."

"Are too."

"Well, you tried to kill us a whole bunch of times, so I guess we're even."

I laughed. "Yeah, my friends and I do that too. Try to kill each other, I mean."

"Really?" Glimmer wondered. "Is that normal here?"

"Have you ever tried opening a portal that warps space and time and therefore alters reality killing everyone who gets caught in it?" Catra asked. "If not, you should try it sometime—it almost worked."

"Uh... what?" I questioned, shaking my head in confusion.

"Catra!" Glimmer scolded. "There isn't any magic in this planet, remember? She doesn't know what a portal is."

"A portal isn't magic, it's science," Catra argued.

"Okay, okay," Adora said. "The point is, yes, we're really good friends."

I chuckled and leaned back on the hill. These strangers were weird, but they were fun to be around. I stared up at the night's sky until I heard a familiar rumble.

"Ah ha!" Bow shrieked. "I think I did it!"

I got up and ran over to the car. Sure enough, he got the engine running again.

"Great work!" I exclaimed. "Thank you so much."

"No problem," Bow shrugged. "Now... can you hold up your end of the deal?"

I nodded, and opened up the driver's door. I slid into the seat, and tested out the gears. When my four new acquaintances—plus their weird creature friend—didn't do anything, I rolled down the window and called out to them.

"Come on! Hop in!"

Bow sat in the passenger's seat, while the other three headed for the back, with Adora in the middle. Melog settles themselves on top of Catra's feet.

"Seat belts on," I ordered.

"Uh... what's a seat belt?" Glimmer asked.

"It should be beside your shoulder," I explained, then demonstrated taking it and clipping it into place. "It's illegal to ride without one—I don't want to get in trouble from the cops."

"Got it," Adora said. "What's a cop?"

"Uh... a police officer?" I said, surprised they didn't know what I was talking about. "Alright; everyone set?"

They all nodded.

"Great," I said, putting the car in drive. "Let's go find a mechanic."