I had so much fun writing this fic that I just wrote another chapter XD

Hat? Check. Mask? Check. Clogs? Check and check. Scrubs? Duh.

Catra closed her locker and left the locker room, humming as she headed towards the operating rooms area. She stopped at the sink first. She poured a good amount of soap on her hands, then washed them diligently up to her elbows. She was so familiar with the gestures that she even performed them at home now when she didn't pay attention.

She finally entered the OR area. She joined the nurses in the office, where the program of the day was hung on the wall. Today Catra was with… Surprise, Shadow Weaver, of course. OR number 1, starting with a right colectomy.

Cool. Maybe Shadow Weaver would let Catra actually cut the colon this time. She sighed. She didn't understand why Shadow Weaver kept on accepting her during her operations if it was to teach her nothing practical. Catra was just her emotional punching bag. This was useless, and even bad for the ward, since Catra would definitely not hesitate to report it to the union of interns.

She greeted the personnel she met on the way to the operating room. She took a glimpse through the window. Shadow Weaver was already dressed. Shit. She was always five minutes ahead of Catra, no matter how much effort Catra put into being early.

Catra entered the side room where she could dress up. She checked that her mask was well positioned on her nose and that her hair wouldn't fall free from her hat. Then she took a pack of surgical hand sponge and nail pick, opened it, poured some soap inside without touching the sponge, and put it above the sink. She proceeded to wash her hands again, automatically, without even paying attention to her gestures that she perfectly memorized. When she got her hands sterile, she opened an automatic door with her foot, leading her to the OR.

"Hi, Catra! Glad to see you survived the week-end at home!"

Catra grinned under her mask to the nurse who greeted her. Her name was Dorothee, but everybody called her Peekablue, because she was a big fan of that 80's cartoon show Catra had forgotten the name of.

"Hey, PB. Yeah, two days at home without working. I swear I was going crazy," Catra joked as Peekablue handed her the surgical gown.

"Can you please cut out with the chit-chat and hurry now?" Shadow Weaver complained. "I'd rather not have my program delayed again by Dr. Hobeika's lack of interest for punctuality."

"Yes, Dr. Weber," Catra groaned. Seriously, it was 8:29 AM. She was one minute ahead.

"And where is your student? You should keep better track on them if you want to become a real teacher someday."

Shit. It was Kyle. Of course, it had to be Kyle the day Catra operated with Shadow Weaver.

"He was at the staff this morning. He should be there soon." She hoped at least.

Peekablue was just finishing helping her to tie her gown when the door opened, revealing a panting guy who was definitely not Kyle.

"Sorry to be late, ma'am," he said to Shadow Weaver as she rushed towards Peekablue, who was already holding a gown for him, faster than lightning.

"Rogelio?" Catra called. "What are you doing here?"

"Kyle was not feeling well, so I'm replacing him."

Shadow Weaver scoffed, but didn't comment.

"This is the third time in two weeks," Catra exclaimed while she was preparing the sterile field with Shadow Weaver. "Did he go to the doctor already?"

"No, he thought he was okay until now…" Rogelio said with discomfort.

"He should go to the doctor and settle what is wrong with him, or I will have to personally speak to the head chief about this," Shadow Weaver said with an ice-cold voice. Catra nodded and raised her eyebrows as high as she could to indicate Rogelio how serious this was. If Kyle didn't put his shit together, he wouldn't be able to get his surgery internship validated, and therefore he wouldn't be able to graduate.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll tell him to go tomorrow."

"Good. Now let's start please, we don't have all day."

"I'm telling you, Lonnie. I have no idea what this kid is doing here."

"Come on, Catra. You're too harsh on him. You know he doesn't want to become a surgeon. Kyle's only here because it's mandatory in order to become a doctor."

"Can he become a doctor though?" Catra exclaimed. If she didn't have her hands occupied holding her food tray, she would have raised her arms in the air. "The other day, I asked him to write a short medical observation on his patient's report, and when I returned to the office an hour later, guess what he was doing?"

"I don't know, smooching his boyfriend?"

"Worse! At least he would have been productive that way! No, he was singing."

Lonnie scowled in incredulity then snorted. "I'm sorry, he was singing?"

"Yeah! Alone, looking out the window!"

"Okay, that's pretty weird. And he didn't do his job I guess."

"Not a line! I'm telling you, I don't know what he thinks being a doctor is, but he's definitely got it all wrong!"

"Maybe he's having some shit going on in his life," Lonnie shrugged as she chose her meal. Catra aggressively opened the fridge that was dedicated to the interns for their lunch meals. She chose some random yogurt then followed Lonnie into the common room, where all the interns of the hospital went to eat.

"Well, he'd better get himself checked like I told him weeks ago, because it can't go on like this. When he fails, it's on me for not supervising him well."

"Damn. Relax girl," Lonnie chuckled. "You're on edge because you're paired up with Shadow Weaver this week, but it's not poor Kyle's fault".

"Sorry, but I just don't get it, Lonnie. He has the chance of becoming a doctor, and he's not doing anything. I'm not even asking him to work his ass off. Just to do his job and try to learn something. And instead, he's just lazying around and putting more work on the other students' shoulders. I don't understand. I can't ever afford to think like that. I never could."

"Yeah, I know, you were underestimated and nobody believed you could become a surgeon. Tragic story of your life. Can we sit down and enjoy lunch now?"

Catra was about to complain again, when she spotted something that suddenly pulled a mischievous grin on her face. Without answering Lonnie, she made a beeline for the corner of the long table where all the interns sat. She slowed down as she reached for her target. The ER interns. Or more like, one of the ER interns, who was too focused on her food to notice how her co-interns looked up and smirked at Catra who was suddenly standing behind her and bending down to her level.

"Hey, Adora," she whispered in the intern's ear. Adora jolted so hard Catra had to jump back to avoid being hit in the jaw.

"Jesus, Catra!" Adora snapped around, looking redder than her ER scrubs. "You've got to stop doing that, seriously!"

"And deprive myself of the pleasure of seeing you all flustered?" She answered as she sat down next to her. Adora squinted at her, cheeks turning redder if it was even possible.

"Do you ever stop being so full of yourself?"

"Not when it gets such a reaction from you every time," Catra smirked. Adora's face was so close to hers she could see all the details of her blue eyes. There were little golden dots on her irises. Very pretty.

"Forgive the asshole, Adora," Lonnie interrupted. Catra and Adora pulled away from each other's personal space. Adora's smell lingered in the air. "She's been extra-annoying this week because she's working with her favorite chief. That's not a reason for being a bitch to your student though, Catra. You'll end up like Shadow Weaver if you don't pay attention."

"Whatever," Catra shrugged as she dug into her plate. "He's not gonna do anything with his life if he keeps on that way. I'm just doing him a favor."

"Wow, such empathy coming from a surgeon. Why am I not surprised?" Adora said with a teasing tone.

"Did you expect anything else from me, Princess?" Catra asked. She meant it to be a joke, but her tone came out strangely more serious than she intended. Adora was taken aback for a second. "I mean-" Catra tried again. "I wasn't even a surgeon yet that people called me the Machine, ready to become a brainless surgeon with no feelings. So, here I am."

God, that was even worse. Now she sounded pitiful. Adora looked uncertain, as if she was trying to look through the layer of humor Catra was obviously failing at providing. A weird silence had fallen over their corner of the table. Lonnie and the other ER interns were listening, waiting for an answer. This was turning too uncomfortable for Catra's taste.

She put a finger on Adora's forehead, snapping her out of whatever reverie she was diving into. "If you keep staring like that, I'm gonna have to call the police."

The ER interns snickered. Good. Catra got them distracted from her little too heartfelt moment. It was the blue eyes. These damn blue eyes. Catra had to remind herself of the line she drew regarding Adora. Just flirting, nothing else.

"Don't bother. I'm leaving," Adora said. Catra couldn't say she wasn't a bit disappointed. She watched the ER interns stand and go one by one towards the tray shelf. Adora went around Catra, bent to her level like Catra did, and whispered sultrily, "see you around, Catra."

And if Catra sucked in a breath and almost choked on her food, only Lonnie and Adora noticed it, and Catra would make sure it would stay between them.

What happened in the common room stayed in the common room after all.

"I just don't get her, Bow."

Adora was sprawled on the couch, ice cream in her left hand and a beer in her right hand. A healthy diet for sure.

"She's not that hard to get, I promise you," Bow answered from the kitchen. "I've known Catra for three years, and she's always been kinda consistent to be honest."

"What does that mean?" Adora frowned. She turned the volume of Netflix down. Only one beer and she already couldn't focus on Bow's words. Her She-Roars days were long gone.

"I meant that she's always acted the same." He joined her on the couch. "Her job is her life, her biggest love story. She got picked on a lot for that since she was a kid, she got insecure, and she also got put down a lot because nobody but her mom believed she could do it. So she built herself a shell of snarky remarks and overly confident attitude, but trust me, she's a big kitten inside who needs as much validation as anyone."

"But what about the flirting?" Adora still didn't know what to do with that. If it was just a game with no feelings involved, then she would easily shut Catra out when she would get tired of it, with no remorse. But if it was real, then the perspective of hurting Catra was making her uncomfortable. And if it was sincere, it also meant Adora would have to end their game now. Game which, she had to admit, she was reluctant to let go of. She didn't really know why.

"Eeh, I can't tell you for her. I've never seen her in a serious relationship to be honest."

"You're the psychiatrist," Adora groaned. "Help me understand."

"Does it matter though? Just tell her to stop if it bothers you."

"I'm not bothered…" Adora lowered her voice. She regretted her words as soon as she saw the stars in Bow's eyes and the shit-eating grin widening on his face. "Bow, no, wait. That's not what I meant."

"You like her?!"

"I don't!" Adora panicked. "I don't, I don't! It's just funny and a bit flattering for me to have a cute and smart girl like her wooing me…"

"Okay, Adora, you know I love you. But please don't say woo in public, especially not in front of Catra, unless you want her to use it against you for a good decade."

Adora gently punched his shoulder as she laughed.

"Then", he pursued, "we're gonna have to work on the 'flattering for me to have a cute girl flirting with me' part, because your insecurities are showing."

"Please, Bow," Adora groaned again. "I don't need a shrink tonight. I just need a friend."

"Then as a friend, I'm obligated to tell you that any girl would be lucky to have you accept their wooing."

Before Adora could thank Bow, the door of the apartment slammed open, revealing a fuming and drenched pink haired woman. "Ugh, I hate the subway. It stopped working two stations before my stop, so I had to run here under the rain."

"Hey, Glimmer!" Bow grinned despite the daggers the newcomer sent him. "We saved you some ice-cream."

"Good, I'll also need pizza to comfort me," Glimmer said as she headed towards the bathroom. "I'll be right back."

"Hey, aren't you on morning shifts this week?" Adora asked. "Why are you home so late? I'm confused."

"I had a union meeting, remember?" Glimmer yelled from the bathroom.

"Oh right, I forgot."

Glimmer had started to participate in the Regional Nurses Union a month ago, because she was pissed with the union of their hospital that wasn't active enough for her taste.

"You couldn't ask for your mom to pick you up? She's working late too, no?" Bow asked.

"Are you insane?" Glimmer came out of the bathroom, looking at him like he had grown two heads. "I'm not getting picked up by my mom like a teenager, thank you very much. It's already enough that we're working at the same hospital and everybody knows me as Professor Moon's daughter."

Glimmer's mom was indeed the head chief of the neurology department, and also a renowned professor who had made a lot of progress happen in the Alzheimer disease area. Her father also happened to be Adora's boss, head of the ER.

Their daughter being a 'simple' nurse in the geriatrics ward never failed to make people question her in a rather indelicate way. But Glimmer didn't complain. She always said it boosted her motivation to defend her profession and her rights as a nurse.

"So, Glimmer, have any thoughts on Catra?" Bow suddenly asked, snapping Adora out of her thoughts.

"Bow, what the hell-"

"Catra Hobeika? Hot as fuck, but she's a bitch and a surgeon. 6/10."

"Glimmer, come on, that's not what I meant!" Bow protested. "And I told you rating people is a disgusting perpetration of misogynistic traditions-"

"I know, I remember. But Catra is kind of a jerk, so I gave myself the right to rate her."

"Okay, let's stop bitching on people, please," Adora interrupted with a nervous laughter.

"Adora is right, it's bad for the soul," Bow nodded. "We won't bitch on your potential girlfriend anymore, I promise."

"Her potential what?!" Glimmer's voice rose an octave higher.

"Stop it, she's not my- Don't listen to him, Glimmer. He's misinterpreting everything I'm saying, on purpose," Adora glared at Bow.

Glimmer squinted at Adora, but then shrugged. "Whatever. I wouldn't blame you for hooking up with her. She's still hot."

"I'm not gonna hook up with her!" Adora groaned. Damn her friends. What a terrible idea, to tell her friends about her love/not-love life, when they worked at the same place as her and knew the same people. Adora should definitely get herself new friends who wouldn't know anything about her hospital environment.

She wondered if she should ask for her old friends' opinions. The ones who were desperately trying to set her up with Catra in med school. Maybe they would see all this differently. Maybe they would tell her to be careful this time.

Adora didn't remember Catra being like this back in college. Granted, she didn't know her very well, but she used to sound less… bitter. Less harsh. Adora wondered what happened for her to change. She also wondered if she herself had changed as well, along the years. She certainly had. After Mara left…

"What movie should we watch?"

Adora blinked herself out of her thoughts and focused on her friends' conversation. It wasn't important anyway. Catra was just a flirt at work. A flattery. A fun distraction. Nothing more.

Here you go, I hope you liked it.

I don't know how often I'll write this fic, but it will probably bring me a bit of catharsis, so don't be surprised if it looks a bit personal, and if it's not just fluff and teasing and catradora.

Don't hesitate to tell me your thoughts on what I write, as always.