#perfuma: wait if you moved it why can’t we go there | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

heartslobbf · 4 years

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let’s talk about perfuma. imo, she’s one of the best characters in the show despite being underdeveloped, and i wanna explain why. she could’ve been extremely average, just some lanky flower girl that doesn’t believe in violence and loves everyone, but she is so much more than that (and it pisses me off that y’all reduce her to that).

in her introductory episode, perfuma is clearly in denial about the horde almost destroying plumeria. she doesn’t want to acknowledge the problem, wants someone else to take care of it for her. she’s scared of change, and that is because change makes you vulnerable. if things always stay the same, there’s a whole lot less danger and uncertainty, and therefore you’re safe. secure. perfuma’s kingdom is dying and she can’t bear to accept it because it is unknown to her. it’s putting her in a position where she is no longer secure. this fear of vulnerability can also be seen at the beginning of 1x10 when the princess alliance falls apart and she literally says ‘being together makes us vulnerable.’

the thing is, perfuma isn’t wrong. look at her choice of words. she says that being together makes them vulnerable, not weak. here, she kind of has the words mixed up, but we see that by s5 she has come to understand the difference. that’s what’s so great about perfuma, her motivation to do better, her hunger for self-improvement. it’s why she’s such an important part of catra’s redemption, actually, because she embodies the kind person catra is or wants to be.

let me explain: perfuma is an angry, impatient, short-tempered character. we are shown this again and again with her passive aggression to others and how easily mermista can annoy her with trivial things (sitting in her seat in the war room, for example). catra is also an angry, impatient character, but perfuma works every day to manage those emotions. she knows she needs them, she uses them as a tool (calling catra out, for example, is a time they were practically pivotal for getting her point across) but she also acknowledges they can hurt the people she loves. we know she does a meditation ritual each morning and we see in 4x02 how quickly she can unravel without it. she wants to be better. she puts the work in. that is such a valuable lesson for a character like catra who has always felt she’s just not good enough, she’s always going to be this angry and unlovable and no one can do anything about it.

so, 4x02. it’s a brilliant episode for perfuma’s character, really, and the first proper development we’ve had since 1x04. we see her anger, her impatience, but we also see her self-doubt. her belief that she’s inadequate, ‘just a flower girl.’ this is also when we get introduced to her little mantra that becomes a bit of a motif later on, ‘i can do this.’ we know perfuma doesn’t wholeheartedly believe this, but she says it anyway because she wants to. perfuma wants to be better. she will do whatever she can to be her best self, whether that be actually conquering her gripes with cacti or realising there’s a loophole with the roots (love that conflict resolution by the way, another good deconstruction of hero bs by spop).

this episode is also significant because it comes back to perfuma’s fear of change, of vulnerability. she’s thrown into a situation she doesn’t want to be in, one she feels miserably unprepared for, and she hasn’t done the one thing that puts her at her best beforehand, but she pulls through in the end because she is surrounded by people that support her, that listened to her and consoled her when she was vulnerable. 4x02 teaches perfuma the power of self-worth and the power of true, mutual, unconditional love, which can only come with vulnerability.

and this is where her character gets really interesting, in my humble opinion. ngl, one of the reasons i love perfuma so much is because she’s a pisces and i am too. i’m not gonna go astrology hoe on you rn, i’m just using this to demonstrate the part of her character that teaches others. pisces, if you don’t know, love to play therapist. we like to help the people around us with whatever strifes they may have because we think we’re fucking great at it. perfuma actually is.

you know how i said perfuma learns the importance of self-belief and vulnerability? yeah, she teaches both of those lessons to other characters in s5. like i said, perfuma is a character who values self-betterment and also happens to be a pisces, so when she sees scorpia, riddled with so much self-doubt and such low self-esteem, her immediate response is just i’m gonna teach that bitch how to love herself. and she does!

i’ve seen some people say they don’t like scorfuma because it seemed as though the writers just decided to ‘fix’ all of scorpia’s problems by giving her a girlfriend. that’s very dumb, first of all because they aren’t even together by the end of the show, they’re just interested in one another. second, the whole point of she-ra is that we’re stronger together. scorpia doesn’t go through growth in s5 because a girl likes her, she goes through growth because someone is showing her support and love for the first time in her life and that empowers her. you know, the worth that scorpia finds in herself doesn’t hinge on perfuma, like it did with catra. it’s about her as an individual, and perfuma so clearly makes it about that when her big lesson revolves around singing. scorpia loves singing. perfuma tells her she should do it because she enjoys it, a sentiment you’d never hear in the horde, and when scorpia does sing, she is actively rejecting the people who did make all her self-worth hinge on them catra. she’s doing something for herself, because she enjoys it, because it makes her happy, because she can.

it’s that same mantra: i can do this, i can do this. i really love how this was brought back from 4x02, how perfuma repurposed something that taught her such a valuable lesson for someone else. perfuma and scorpia are great foil characters actually, both constantly underestimated and thought of as weak by their groups, but some of the strongest characters in the show due to their deep value of love and self. i can do this, and i know i can because you believe in me, because i believe in myself. it’s brought back again in 5x10, when the last thing perfuma says before scorpia breaks the beam is ‘i know you can [pull through]’. she tells catra she believes in scorpia. it’s that belief, that support from other people that empowers the self to believe it too. we are stronger together, you know??

anyways, onto vulnerability. return to the fright zone is in my top ten episodes of the whole fucking show and you might think that’s a bit weird but i don’t. 5x10 encompasses so many important themes of spop so well and tells them with scorfuma and spinnetossa, our two side lesbian couples. this is significant since perfuma literally draws a parallel between her and catra at the end of the episode, and catradora and spinnetossa have always been significant to one another. i’m gonna say it, perfuma is the reason catra is finally able to confess to adora in 5x13. i’ve already talked about how important perfuma is to catra’s motivation to improve, but she literally makes catra rethink everything about strength and vulnerability, two words catra has a lot of feelings about.

catra fears vulnerability. we know this. she has such a deep love for those important to her but is never able to articulate it because she worries she’ll be taken advantage of, shot down, laughed at, whatever. all of this stems from the abuse she suffered at shadow weaver’s hands and her attachment issues, and it’s also why catra pretends to hate scorpia’s very open displays of affection and love: she sees it as weak because she has been taught to, but it’s all she ever really wanted to be.

we also know perfuma used to fear vulnerability. she doesn’t any more. the entirety of the episode leading up to her and catra’s heart-to-heart is her being vulnerable, putting herself in a position where she’s in danger but believing it’s worth it. and it is. despite what everyone said to her, perfuma is right: it was worth it. she got through to scorpia, even if it was only for a moment. she literally spells it out to us and catra with one of the best lines in the whole show: it’s hard, keeping your heart open. it makes you vulnerable, but it doesn’t make you weak, and i have to believe it’s worth it.

back in 1x10, perfuma was right: being together makes you vulnerable. horde prime tries to use people’s relationships against them, that’s literally the plot of save the cat, the point of pitting catra and adora against one another. he sees them as weak, just like shadow weaver deems adora’s feelings for catra ‘confusing’, just like light hope insisted adora was a danger to her friends as long as she was around them. they were all wrong. yes, they’re vulnerable. perfuma acknowledges that vulnerability puts you in danger, that it’s difficult to do that, but she knows it doesn’t make you weak. weakness vs strength is a big conflict in 5x10 literally introduced to us with netossa’s theories on everyone’s weaknesses in the first few minutes.

like perfuma says, friendship isn’t a weakness. it’s her greatest strength. her belief in love is literally what saves her and adora’s lives, it’s what saves everyone who got chipped, glimmer, bow. belief in love, both of others and yourself, is what saves adora in her dying moments. perfuma summarises she-ra’s entire fucking message to us repeatedly in 5x10 and she tells it to catra because catra is the one who will do the most with it. that glance at adora, it’s obvious what it means. perfuma is telling catra she should be open with adora about her feelings because you have to believe it’s worth it.

you won’t get anywhere waiting for other people to make the move. she-ra couldn’t heal plumeria’s lands, so plumeria had to fight their own battle alongside her no matter how much they felt unable to. the rebellion couldn’t move mara’s ship, so perfuma had to despite thinking she wasn’t strong enough. the reason they always win in the end is because they have each other, they have love and support and people motivating them to do better. just like perfuma motivates herself to do better.

it’s the mantra. i can do this. i can be vulnerable and still win, because i have love. and it’s hard, it’s so fucking hard to be vulnerable when you’ve feared it all your life and you’re so angry, so hurt, but you have to believe it’s worth it. and it is. it is, it is, it is, love is stronger than anything and being vulnerable for the people you love is the only way you can ever get what you want from them. perfuma as a character embodies that, having learnt it herself, and teaches the lesson to one of the characters who needs it the most.

adora is dying, and catra loves her, and she knows she does, and she just has to believe. adora is dying, and she loves catra, and she knows she does, but she doesn’t believe. not until catra teaches her too, in that moment, to realise they were all wrong, light hope, shadow weaver, horde prime. adora doesn’t need to let go, she needs to hold on and believe she will be pulled back up by the girl she loves. she needs to believe she deserves it. that it’s worth it.

and it is.

#ANYWAYS I FUCKING LOVE PERFUMA THANK U QUEEN FOR BEING THE BEST SIDE CHARACTER #sjdjeksmnf sorry this is long i tried to keep it short #I HAVE SO MUCB TO SAY ABT HER #shut up daisy #spop #perfuma #scorfuma #catra #scorpia #catradora #adora #spop meta

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princessofgayskull · 4 years

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our secret moments, in your crowded room

a catradora drabble, with some glow on the side.

summary: Adora contemplates the before and after of the war when Catra pulls her into a closet from some alone time.

Adora never really let herself think about what would come after war was over. It wasn’t like she wasn’t aware that other people did; Glimmer and Bow had bucket lists of places to see, legendary people they wanted to meet, exotic meals they’d only heard tales of that they wanted to try when they weren’t checking bow tension or practicing purple arrays that had to be flawless on the battlefield. But for her best friends, as for most of the Princess Alliance, it was a “when” the war was over. Adora carried the mantle of She Ra and the debilitating guilt and anxiety that came with the responsibility (and served to exasperate her own), so it was always an “if” the war was over. If the Rebellion had one won it. If the grand sacrifice to come at the end wasn’t at Adora’s own hands.

In the rarer quiet moments they were all spared Adora would try to reach past the if for the when. She would close her eyes and picture the beginning after the end. Never could her mind form a full image. A pain would surround her heart and then that pain would spread as if it were an infection throughout her entire body, begging her to stop picturing a life she might not even get to see. A pain Adora couldn’t put a name to until Entrapta established that communication line on Mara’s ship and the first voice she heard was Catra’s, calling out her name like it was a shot in the dark.

Adora never thought about the end of the war, the after the war, what would come after her destiny was finally fulfilled and she could rest. Because she couldn’t just keep making promises she couldn’t keep only to have them shatter. One after the other.

And so when the “after” does come, and Catra is pulling her gently by the hand into a broom closet, Adora isn’t thinking either. Her thoughts that go around in circles can’t do the end of the war justice: the healing of Etheria, the chains of magic broken, the girl she loved for so many more years than she hasn’t waking up in the same bed, purring when she opens her eyes and Adora is right there. Adora tries to focus on where she is right now, her brain broken by the strength and intensity that Catra uses to push her against the wall, her mismatched irises glowing even in the dark. Her knee comes between Adora’s legs, the sound of her claws retracting hits Adora’s ears as Catra’s hands fly into her hair and Adora finishes what she’s started when she caresses Catra’s jaw and meets her lips.

They’re in a broom closet in the kitchen of Bright Moon’s castle disturbing dust as they move together, Catra’s lips exploring Adora’s jaw like uncharted territory she intends to claim. They’ve been caught in these secret moments before, and somewhere in the back of Adora’s melting mind she knows this is not a safe hiding place.

She laughs, “We’re gonna get caught, Catra.”

“I don’t care,” murmurs Catra against her neck, her purring vibrating through Adora’s whole body, “I have you all to myself. Sparkles and Arrow Boy can have you back when I’m done with you.”

It’s hard to argue with her. It’s really hard to argue with her when they haven’t had time together to be alone in six days (what? Adora wasn’t counting, what are you talking about?) and Adora wants this just as badly as Catra does. She wants to indulge this selfishness, wants to have the normalcy of making out with her girlfriend in a closet, the thrill of sneaking around electrifying every touch.

They’ve got places to be; post war meetings, the council for rebuilding Etheria, Perfuma’s yoga class. But Adora has been the planet’s and the princess’ responsible hero for way too long with way too little reward. And right now, she doesn’t want to worry about the hickeys she’s going to be hiding from curious, authoritative eyes later on. This is Adora’s after, and right now she wants to hear Catra say in that breathless voice that she’s actually a really good kisser. She wants to kiss her girlfriend until they’re out of breath and drunk off each other.

So she does.

“So then my dad and I were thinking about going up to Mystacor, but just for the weekend, since I am the queen and all.”

“Well, you guys do deserve some time off. You and your dad have been working harder than almost anyone in Bright Moon. I think you should go Glimmer.”

“Aww, thanks Bow. I appreciate you saying that.”

Adora’s eyes fly open, her intense concentration broken by the sound of the other half of the Best Friend Squad entering the kitchen. She sees Catra’s ears perk up, then flatten in annoyance as she realizes why Adora has stopped kissing her. Claws sliding down from the bottom of Adora’s skull to underneath her chin, Catra lets out an inaudible sigh as she breaks away from Adora, her nose twitching.

It’s everything Adora can do to stay completely still. Catra’s lips on hers, her fingers exploring her toned torso, have undone her and with her girlfriend’s chest still pressed against hers, those warrior instincts and a soldier’s composure have long left Adora to fend for herself. Her gaze flies to the left of her and then to the right; the wall Catra has her pushed up against is lined with brooms and mops and Adora’s elbow is inches away next to a slanted mop handle.

Catra runs her knuckles under her nose. Adora sucks in a breath. They just have to make it a few minutes, Bow and Glimmer usually move along as long as they’re not alerted to any- BANG!

The mop hits the floor.

“What was that?”

Throwing her head back, Catra makes a face that has a counter argument on Adora’s tongue immediately- seriously, she didn’t even move! And maybe if Catra’s whole body wasn’t up against hers Adora would be able to control the way she was shaking- but she keeps herself silent. Somehow. They don’t let go of each other.

“Is that- did you make a really tiny bow and arrow set and you’ve just been carrying it around?” they hear Glimmer ask Bow and Catra stifles a snicker.

“Well, now that we’re not at war anymore I don’t need to carry my actual bow and quiver around, so, yeah. Fortune favors the prepared.”

“Uh, it’s fortune favors the brave, Bow.”

“It is?”

The familiar sound of Glimmer’s hands forming an array hits Adora’s ears. “Let’s just open the door.”

Catra and Adora exchange a panicked look, knowing that for this to look innocent they have to abandon this position in the next three seconds, but in the dark Adora’s not sure how- and where- to move away from her girlfriend. They’re tangled limbs and popped collars and messy hair, and there’s no way to fix that in the dwindling seconds. Again, Adora’s elbow hits something in her effort to at least try, and before she can think the word slips from her mouth, “Ow!”

“Uh, Adora is that you?”

A weighted pause passes before,

“No.”

It’s not like Adora meant to say anything. In hindsight it’s nothing but clear that the smart move would’ve been to force her lips together and pray Bow and Glimmer walked away. But in her unraveled state Adora is not one for thinking through her actions, or her words, and that’s one hundred percent on Catra for reducing her to this condition.

“Did you seriously just say ‘no?’” Catra, nose wiggling, mouths at her with wide eyes. The irritation and disbelief is obvious, readable even in the low light. Adora rolls her eyes because they were going to get caught anyway and she did try to warn Catra of that very fact before her girlfriend started doing amazing things with her tongue.

“What’re you doing in there, Adora?” Bow prods again.

“Uh…” Adora tries to summon some depth in her voice in hopes what she’s saying will be more believable, “I’m uh, I’m looking for stuff to clean with? I made a mess back in my room when I was… making my bed?”

Catra sends her a look, swatting the back of Adora’s with her tail. Adora, against all odds, swallows the giggle rising in her throat. Disheveled and disgruntled, this is the cutest state Adora’s seen her girlfriend since the mission on Krytis.

“Making your bed?” Glimmer repeats back, her disbelief made obvious by her tone. “Since when do you have to make your bed Adora? It’s like, a cot and a pillow!”

“Is Catra in there with you?”

Knowing Bow would as that next, Adora is prepared this time around. “Nope! It’s just me!”

“Then why is the door closed?”

“I uh, I just like it that way!”

There. That had to be convincing, right? Except when Adora looks down to turn the tables on Catra, smugness written in her expression, Catra’s hands are falling from Adora’s hips and she’s sucking in a bracing breath. Tears form in the corner of her eyes as Catra brings her hands to cover her mouth.

Oh no, is all Adora can think.

“Achoo!”

The sound of Catra’s “completely normal sneeze” fills up the tiny broom closet they’ve squeezed themselves into and if it hadn’t completely blown their cover Adora would’ve sworn the sight of her girlfriend in that second sent her slipping farther into love. She lets herself laugh- under her breath- even when Catra’s tail starts wapping her again.

The door flies open and suddenly they way they’re still pressed together is illuminated in the light of Bow and Glimmer’s newfound righteous attitude. “Busted!” Glimmer practically sings.

“Yeah, yeah,” Catra brushes her off, her hand coming up Adora’s back, “you caught us. You happy now?”

“More like confused.” started Bow.

“Why are you guys in this closet?” finished Glimmer.

“I dunno, it just happened.” Adora smiled, placing her chin on top of Catra’s head, taking guilty pleasure in the way her ears brushed against her cheeks.

“Okay,”

“Wait,” Glimmer throws Adora a glare, “aren’t you supposed to be meeting with Scorpia and Huntara about the deconstruction of the Fright Zone right now, Adora?”

“Yeah, and Catra, isn’t Perfuma’s yoga class happening right now?” asked Bow.

“We just wanted a break,” Catra groaned. Adora nodded in agreement, running her fingers against the low of Catra’s back. Although Bow and Glimmer had no qualms (and complete success) in ruining their moment, Adora’s train of thought was fuzzy and far away. The warmth in her chest- and on it, too- kept Adora back in the seconds before when it was just them, and it was just the feeling and not the thinking. No, she didn’t have any animosity towards her friends but she was, in the back of her mind, willing them to postpone their teasing for another time.

“And maybe something else?” Glimmer didn’t hold back in her unabashed hinting and Catra turned a clawed finger on her in the blink of an eye.

“If you say anything about us ditching, to anyone so help me Sparkles, and I will tell all of your dads what I caught you and Rainbow up to during the intermission of DT’s last one-actor garbage play!”

Pride and love lapped at Adora’s heart, and as she hugged her girlfriend closer she added “I bet Castaspella would also love to hear all about it, too.”

“Okay,” Bow was a blushing mess as he threw his hands up, “ that’s enough with the threats!”

“You told Adora, Catra?” Glimmer’s jaw dropped in betrayal.

“Yeah, duh.”

“There was a lot of detail,” Adora snickered against Catra’s head.

“You know what,” Glimmer’s hands formed into fists and those fists were glowing pink before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, “maybe we should just leave them alone, Bow.”

“I’m starting to think that’s for the best.” the archer sighed in defeat.

“But you better be at the post war council meeting tonight! Both of you! And Adora!” Glimmer stopped herself from storming away, turning on her heel to add one more thing.

“Yes?” Adora paused, waiting for the next part of Glimmer’s demand.

“Wear a concealer that actually matches the color of your neck this time.”

“Ha ha-” Catra started to tease, only for her nose to betray her again, “Achoo!”

“Still the cutest sneeze in the world-”

“Get out, Bow!”

Catra didn’t even wait for him to do as she’d asked. Taking this frustrating situation into her own hands, Adora’s girlfriend reached out and slammed the door in their retreating faces, leaving them in the dark once more. Alone, and together, once more. Those glowing irises met up with Adora’s as Catra cradled her face, and just like that Adora let go of any thought or feeling that wasn’t Catra. As long as she made sure to make nice with Bow and Glimmer later, she saw no fault in justifying drawing this secret moment out just a little longer.

“Next time, I’ll make sure to have Melog.” Catra whispered into the crook of her neck.

“Uh,” Adora scoffed with the widest smile on her face, “Melog is not gonna stop you from sneezing.”

Catra’s turned her head up to glare at her, “Then pick a better closet, moron!”

“You picked this closet!”

“Ughhh, shut up, Adora!” sighing, Catra threw her head back and though she knew she might be pushing it, Adora couldn’t resist it.

“You wanna make me? I mean, unless we need to leave because the dust in here is making you sneeze-” but Adora didn’t finish her offer. Her sentence was caught off by the sudden presence of Catra’s lips back on hers and Adora sighed, leaning into the kiss in full.

Before the war ended, these were the moments Adora’s imagination was so far from being able to conjure. This, the taste of Catra’s lips and the feel of her tongue, was not the sweetness of victory Adora pictured when she tried to force herself beyond her own mental barriers. In some capacity, she wondered as Catra’s hand traveled back up her neck and into her hair, that if she had known back in the before, that this was after, if she would’ve come so close to giving up if Catra had not pulled her back up and out of the darkness before it could completely consume her.

There was no telling how the before would’ve changed if Adora had been granted more glimpses of the after. It was pointless to waste this moment lost in those thoughts when Adora could lose herself in this embrace of love and trust and intimacy. All these feelings that had taught Adora why people started wars in the first place, and why they fought so hard to win them. So that they could have an after just like this one.

Adora could not go back and change the way she’d fought in the past, but she could fight to keep what she had now. And between the demands of She Ra and rebuilding and the need for her to be in ten places at once, Adora’s number one priority was right here in her arms.

Lifting Catra’s chin up with her finger, Adora pulled away from her and smiled. “Hey,” she whispered, “I love you.”

“Hmm, dummy,” Catra returned her expression, so much warmth and love in her eyes. Adora never wanted to let go. “I love you, too.”

reblogs > likes

#catradora #she ra and the princesses of power #spop #spoilers #catra x adora #adora #catra #see! i *can* write short things!#my writing #i'll do another part of this if you guys want-with melog #and from catra's pov #also if you want i'll put it on ao3 #reblogs > likes #spop spoilers

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i-prefer-the-fictional-world · 4 years

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Someday maybe I'll make a post about why Kipo is amazing and why I instantly fell in love with it, but right now I'm just going to gush about it.

When people ask me why I still watch cartoons I'm gonna tell them about this show. Most live action shows don't even come close to it. The show has a great take on post apocalyptic world. It's also very inclusive and most of the characters are poc. Now there are a few wlw couples in animation, we have a long way to go but it's something, mlm side however was lagging behind, so seeing a character like Benson made me so happy. The animation is just so beautiful and fluid, every frame is a treat. And have I mentioned the music? It's on a different level. All the characters have incredible chemistry. Kipo and Wolf are the perfect example of the sunshine one and the grumpy one. There relationship is so precious.

Throughout watching the show I kept trying to remember what it reminded me of. It has the charm of Steven universe and she-ra, the optimistic, pacifist character who will fight you if necessary like Steven and Perfuma. It has action scenes to match AtLA and LoK. It has the overall energy of star Vs the forces of evil. It also reminds me of the dragon prince I can't put my finger on it. Kipo feels like someone took all of my favorite thing from all of favorite cartoons and blended them together and served it to me on a silver platter. Kipo wastes no time, every episode is meaningful and moves the story forward and every scene grabs your attention. I have to mention the music again, because the music of this show turns a good scene into an incredible one.

Both seasons of this show are incredible from start to end and I can't wait to see what happens next.

#kipo #kipo and the age of the wonderbeasts #kataotw #Netflix kipo #Netflix kataotw #kipo oak #Benson #wolf #steven universe #she ra #star vs the forces of evil #avatar the last airbender #legend of korra #dreamworks #dreamworks kipo #dreamworks kataow

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pennamesmith · 3 years

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Romeo and Skeletor

Double Trouble needs dating advice. The Super Pal Trio is here to help. More Skeletor stories!

“Remember,” Wrong Hordak recited, “recovery comes from connection!”

Several hands went up. Most belonged to clones. This was a common and welcome sight in Wrong Hordak’s Ex-Horde Therapy Group.

“And no,” Wrong Hordak continued, anticipating everyone’s question, “that does not necessarily mean romantic connection, or even connection with another sentient being. It means that in order to heal our traumas, we must be a part of the world around us, and acknowledge the world as a part of us.”

Most of the hands went down. Thoughtful murmurs rippled through the crowd. It was the end of another day of helping and healing. With a few more words of wisdom Wrong Hordak closed the meeting, and the assembled members began to stand and make their way out of the room. Most seemed sanguine and cheerful, but one stayed seated and watched the others wearily.

Double Trouble was the group’s newest and most skeptical member. They were trying, they really were, but it wasn’t easy. A lifetime of artful deception did not exactly lend itself to sharing or emotional honesty.

They had their reasons for being there, though.

Wrong Hordak, effervescent as ever, looked over and winked. “Another successful session, my most exalted paramour!” he told Double Trouble proudly. “Now then, I must consult with Perfuma about the itinerary for next week’s field trip to Mystacor. But tonight, I hope you are prepared to be dazzled by my famous quiche!” He beamed brightly.

Double Trouble worked very hard to maintain a calm expression while their stomach did acrobatic flip-flops. “My breath is bated, darling,” they finally managed, before scurrying off to the other side of the room.

The thespian cursed, internally. It should not be this difficult for a shapeshifter to hide a blush.

Closer to the door, Hordak was showing Adora something on a data pad. Double Trouble wended a wide circle around them, even as Adora gasped in surprise and began babbling what certainly seemed like juicy gossip. They simply weren’t in the mood.

Outside, Catra, Scorpia, and Entrapta were strolling away together, while the scorpion princess spoke excitedly about something called ‘Super Pal Trio Game Night.’ Double Trouble pricked their ears — this, perhaps, was a more promising prospect for their problem.

They took a step forward, and were immediately interrupted.

“Where do you think you’re going, hmm?”

Besides Perfuma, Wrong Hordak’s other assistant for his therapy group was ‘Skeletor,’ one of Entrapta’s eccentric bots. Once, he had been a part of Horde Prime’s drone army. Now, he had a nasally voice, a talent for self improvement, and a puppy.

The puppy’s name was Relay.

“How’s this for a surprise?” Skeletor said, holding Relay and patting the robotic canine gently on the head. “I’m considering putting him on a leash!”

“That’s very nice dear, but you’ll have to excuse me,” Double Trouble deflected. “I’ve got issues right now.” They began to move past the skinny robot, before a thought occurred to them.

“Actually, you might be able to help me out with something. Tell me, how do you feel about aiding and abetting identity fraud? I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Mehehehehe! Just like the old days!” Skeletor cackled. “All right, you’ve got yourself a deal! What’s your plan?”

Shadows Over Salineas was going swimmingly.

It wasn’t really a game night, more of a game afternoon, but that hadn’t stopped Scorpia from bringing a tower of boxes into Entrapta’s Bright Moon lab. An entire world of cardboard and plastic was spread out before the three women.

“I am going to finish this Sword of Protection quest!” Catra angrily declared as she moved her game piece back and forth. “No matter how long it takes!”

“Okay, but the Evil Horde already has a lot of points at the Princess Alliance table,” Entrapta cautioned, gesturing to another part of the board. “Plus they’ve got a lot of tanks in front of the castle.”

“Anyone want to help me battle the Laughing Dragon?” Scorpia spoke up from behind a clawful of cards. “I’m gonna —”

She was cut short as the laboratory door suddenly opened and Skeletor slouched inside, wearing a miserable expression.

“This is the worst day of my life!” Skeletor moaned, flopping bodily across the table. Game pieces flew in every direction and clattered on the floor. The other three exchanged nervous glances.

Catra tossed her cards aside. “Well, I guess this is what we’re doing now. What’s the matter, boneface?”

“You’ve got to help me!” Skeletor blubbered. “When are you goody-goody fools going to understand? I care for no-one and no-one cares for me!” He shook his fists and produced a rose tied to a card covered in cartoony hearts.

Scorpia tilted her head. “Is that a flower?”

“It is a flower!” Skeletor howled. “The bitter rose! From a secret admirer.” He clutched it to his chest lovingly.

“Seriously?” Catra floundered. “Does somebody actually have a crush on that goof?”

“I know it sounds strange,” Skeletor retorted. “Never mind that!”

Entrapta rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “So, to be clear. You’re happy about getting the rose?”

“Yes, I am!” Skeletor shouted.

“But it’s a problem because…?”

“I live to be bad!” Skeletor whined. “How else can I act when I’m surrounded by such fools?” The robot swooned again. “Nice? Doesn’t sound like much fun to me! Yuck! What a disgusting idea!”

“Oh, I get it!” Entrapta grinned. “Skeletor needs us to teach him about love!”

Scorpia’s eyes sparkled. “A Super Pal Trio rescue mission? For love? I accept without any further questions!”

“Wait, wait,” Catra protested. “Stop. No. None of this makes any sense. Entrapta, is this another one of your secret friendship experiments?”

“Nuh-uh,” the scientist shook her head. “But... it is unexpected. Skeletor, are you sure you’re feeling all right?”

Skeletor looked uncomfortable. “Certainly! Um… Tell me about the loneliness of good! Is it equal to the loneliness of evil?”

Entrapta seemed suspicious. “Hang on,” she said, peering more closely at Skeletor. “Something isn’t quite right here.”

At that moment, Skeletor walked into the room, again. This time he was holding Relay and a fresh armload of barbarian romance novels.

“I can’t do it,” he admitted with an apologetic shrug, sheepishly handing back the books. “And, I do not look like you.”

“Oh phoo. I went too far, didn’t I?” the other Skeletor sighed, in a completely different voice. “I knew this wasn’t going to work.”

In a flash of dark light, Skeletor morphed into a decidedly more reptilian shape. Double Trouble huffed and tossed their hair back. “Well, that was different, at least. I’ve never done a robot before!” They paused. “Not in that sense, anyway.”

Catra started out of her chair. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.

“Just what I said.” Double Trouble sat back down on the table and nonchalantly studied their nails. “I need advice. Romantic advice. And since you three are all half of some of the oddest couples on the planet, I thought I might start here.”

“Okay,” Entrapta said, already beginning to take notes. “But you’ve come to me for that before. Why the disguise?”

Double Trouble looked away and muttered something.

“What was that?”

“I said it’s because I was embarrassed, all right?” Double Trouble crossed their arms and pouted. “This is not something I usually need help with. I’m supposed to be the one who’s cool and in control. I’m Double Trouble! But now I keep feeling things! In my mind, and my body! Making my guts act all weird, and my brain stop working, and… gah!”

“Those are called emotions, Dee Tee,” Catra deadpanned.

“Plus, you and Wrong Hordak have been going steady for a while now,” Scorpia added. “What’s the matter? Oh no! Have you lost… the spark?” She gasped, claws to her face.

“Just the opposite. Wrongie is perfect! He’s always in a good mood, he always wants to spend time with me, he always knows the right thing to say, and he’s just so darn cute! All the time!” Double Trouble’s face sank. “And sooner or later he’s going to realize that I’m not perfect, and it’s all just an act.”

“You don’t have to be perfect,” Entrapta pointed out, looking up from her notes.

“This is just like what happens in Romeo and Julian!” Double Trouble wailed, ignoring her.

“What?” asked Skeletor.

Double Trouble sniffled. “It’s a play. Someone in the Bright Moon army wrote it and it’s been getting rave reviews in all the theatre magazines — oh, but that’s not important! We’re talking about me!” The lizard flailed their hands helplessly. “What I mean is, it’s like we’re from two different worlds!”

“What, Horde World and Etheria?” Scorpia guessed.

“I’m thinking more Innocent Baby World and Cynical Opportunist World,” Catra cut in.

“Hey!” Double Trouble snapped. “I am not a cynic! Anymore!”

They turned to Scorpia. “But I can still make it work! I just need more research. Your girlfriend is all about this self-care nonsense. How do you deal with that?”

Scorpia got a dreamy look in her eyes. “Yeah, Perfuma’s pretty great. She’s kind, and patient with me, and she knows all kinds of meditation stuff, which is good because hey, funny story, it turns out I’ve actually got a lot of pent-up anxiety from —”

“Ugh! Useless! Next!” Double Trouble pointed to Entrapta. “You! Space bats. How do they even work?”

“Good question! I could share some of my research on Hordak with you,” Entrapta suggested. “It’s more of a hobby though, so I’ve only got a few terabytes of data. Did you know their species has an entire sub-language of ear movements? It’s fascinating!”

Double Trouble paled. “Um. Do you have an abridged version, or…?”

“Look,” Catra interrupted. “I think you’re coming at this the wrong way. First off, you can’t control what other people do or feel.”

Double Trouble narrowed their eyes. “That’s a bit rich coming from you, kitten.”

“I have been doing a lot of self-reflection the last few years, okay?” Catra growled back. “And trust me, trying to be the coolest, the strongest, the best? It doesn’t work.”

She looked across at Entrapta and Scorpia, and fiddled with the wedding ring on her finger. “Sooner or later you have to show your real self. Even if that’s uncomfortable. You can’t connect with someone that way until you’re willing to be weak in front of them.”

Double Trouble regarded Catra for a long time while their face registered a range of unreadable emotions.

“Fine,” they finally groaned, defeated. “But can you at least help me think of something nice to do for our dinner tonight?”

Catra smiled. Entrapta and Scorpia squeaked in excitement.

“For that, you’ll need my help!” said Skeletor. “I’ve longed for this moment!”

Wrong Hordak looked up brightly from his cooking. “You are here! Come in, come in!” He swept Double Trouble up in an enormous hug.

The lizard blushed and did not try to hide it. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world, darling.” With a flourish they revealed a rose and a box of distinctively tiny chocolates, which Wrong Hordak accepted gleefully.

“Now then, why don’t I stand back and let you impress me for a while?”

Wrong Hordak glowed with excitement.

“Impressive?” Skeletor said, somewhere far away. “You boob, it was spectacular!”

#spop #spop fanfic #skeletor #double trouble #wrong hordak #wrong trouble #catra #entrapta #scorpia #super pal trio #DT had everyone fooled until they quoted Skeletor from the live-action movie instead of the 80s cartoons #Romeo and Julian was written by General Juliet #it's a romantic comedy and everyone lives

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catrasredemption-moved · 4 years

Note

Adora was chatting with Frosta, Perfuma and Mermista at a nearby table. Catra stood and watched, tense. With her sensitive hearing she could pick up the conversation from farther away than most people could. She still felt uncomfortable joining a conversation with no information available, she had to know what they were talking about. If they were talking about her. She’d always done this, hung back out of sight, eavesdropping, ever since she was back in the horde. It helped her learn how things really worked, how to climb the ranks faster, how to - navigate Shadoweaver better. How people talked about her when she wasn’t around - and more importantly when Adora wasn’t there.

She’d get hyperalert, ears twitching at anything that sounded like her name, eyes watching to make sure as soon as someone noticed her she’d start moving, away or to join them, so they’d never know she was watching. Bow was the one who noticed that first, and she’d been self conscious about it ever since but he told her she didn’t have to stop or anything. Not every habit she picked up in the Horde was evil, and he felt worried about asking her to quit doing too many things that made her feel secure.

Perfuma’s eyes changed focus and Catra started walking. By the time the long haired girl had recognized her it looked like she’d just arrived at the party, and Catra smiled when she waved her over. They hadn’t been talking about her, so there was no real danger in joining them, but...they had been talking about, rebuilding. Recovering. Which was fine and all but she was what they were recovering from, even if they wouldn’t say it. It made her uneasy, and so she attached herself to Adora as soon as she could, putting her arm around her shoulder and leaning on her a bit. It wasn’t affectionate and she still liked to pretend it wasn’t intentional, but feeling Adora there with her calmed her. It always had.

“Hello Catra, we were just talking about…” Perfuma’s face twitched, and her eyes were wide. She was clearly worried their conversation might bother Catra and was not good at hiding it. Catra didn’t want to have to deal with that, and so she shifted the conversation to a more blunt direction.

“Frosta, help her out. You were paying attention, weren’t you?”

Frosta slammed her hands down on the table, nearly lifting herself up to look taller. “Of course!” Frosta had a tendency to should things at Catra. She still talked to Catra like they were enemies on the battlefield, and it was exhausting to Catra that no one else recognized how adorable that was. She liked the kid. It was fun talking to her.

“We were talking about what we can do as princesses to help the people of our kingdoms get over all the bad war stuff that happened to them.”

Adora frowned. “That’s not quite-”

“Nah that’s pretty much it” Mermista interjected, barely managing to keep her playful rudeness playful. She was ruminating over something, something that was bothering her.

Perfuma seemed to have regained some sort of balance. “The people of etheria have gone through a lot. People lost their homes, saw them destroyed, got chipped, and felt so afraid for a long time. I’m even having people come to me from my kingdom who can’t get over what they saw of the lives they lived in that - weird portal dimension thing that - well….”

“The portal I opened. You can talk about what I did while I’m here. It’s better than the opposite.”

“That’s nice.” Perfuma smiled, and it freaked Catra out that she couldn’t find any indication that she didn’t mean it, no matter how hard she tried. “It’s the weirdest thing, with all the other stuff that’s been going on, but I have people who are having trouble dealing with the confusion of their memories of the things they remembered in the dimension that never really happened, or who’re disturbed by what their perfect lives mean about the real lives they’re living now.”

Frosta scoffed. “Perfect lives? Mine was so boring! All I did was make decisions and sign papers and run my kingdoms. I didn’t get to fight anybody, even once. Whoever created that whole thing-” she stopped, then looked deadpan at Catra, “oh, I guess that would’ve been you - well, it definitely wasn’t perfect.”

“No, it wasn’t.” Adora was speaking strangely, as if from a distance, and it worried Catra a bit. She looked….like she did back in the Horde. Bad. Happy mostly, but always like she was waiting for something, for things to finally change for better or for worse. Ever since things had changed for the better, and Catra had stopped trying to make them worse, she wasn’t like that a lot.

“My portal world was pretty cool. It was like my normal awesome life but I never had to deal with the Horde and all. No offense,” she added, looking at Catra.

You know it’s easier for me if you just talk about the Horde without always dragging me into it. Catra thought about saying that. Apparently saying those kinds of things was healthy and good or whatever. But she couldn’t. She was too focused on Adora. She kept getting guarded, every time the portal world was mentioned. Catra felt guilty and it was the kind of guilt that scared her, the kind that she couldn’t talk about with Bow or Glimmer or even Adora. But she could handle it without hurting anyone anymore. If she didn’t then she would just have more guilt to deal with and she’d start hurting more people because of it and-

She tapped Adora on the shoulder. “Do you want to get away for a little bit?” She whispered it, not quiet enough that the others would think she’s trying not to be heard, but soft enough that they’d politely pretend they didn’t hear.

Adora nodded. And she smiled. But she wasn’t relieved, Catra could see her mood darken even more. And her fingers brushed the plating of the bracelet that kept her sword. She did that when she wanted to feel powerful, when she wanted She Ra with her to protect her or someone else. When she was about to face an enemy. Catra tried to stop thinking about that. She and Adora awkwardly waved goodbye to the princesses and wandered into a sufficiently secluded hallway.

They stood there.

Catra waited.

Wait, I’m the one who has to say something.

“So….back there….you seemed….kind of….” as Adora’s expression didn’t change, Catra signed forcefully and put her hands through her hair.

“Oh my god, this is infuriating! How do you guys do this every day with me, nothing feels right to say.”

Adora laughed, barely. “We have to. And there’s three of us. So….” she shrugged, and didn’t seem to notice that she had trailed off, or to care.

Catra folded her arms. She was starting to get irritated, and she knew that was bad but this was only ever going to happen one way and that was messy.

“You get weird when people talk about the portal world.”

“Pfffffft, what? Catra, I just do not know what you’re talk….ing….” Adora’s face had contorted into something which was unrecognizable as any human emotion, but faded to embarrassment as she started to give up. “.....about.”

Catra laughed, and pushed Adora lightly in the shoulder. “After all this you are still the worst liar in the world.”

“Yeah.”

Adora hadn’t brightened up at the joke, or when Catra touched her. It was starting to get scary. If Catra couldn’t make her feel better, if she didn’t make her happy anymore, then, then….

“Well why don’t you stop sulking and tell me what’s bothering you!”

Her tail was extended and her teeth were bared. She was angry, she didn’t know what she could do. What am I doing, this could ruin everything? But Adora wasn’t talking to her and if she couldn’t find a way to make things better….

Adora seemed shaken out of her stupor, and when she faced Catra she was riled up too. She spoke every word like she’d started off shouting and then restrained herself.

“I’m fine. Everything is fine now. That’s all that matters.”

“If that were true then you would be fine, Adora! Something’s hurting you and I know it won’t stop just because you like things now. Please just this once let me be the one who helps you.”

“You can’t!”

“Why not!”

“BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS YOU!”

Adora clasped her hand over her mouth and her eyes started to water. “N-no, I didn’t mean that-”

Some deep and terrible feeling had sunk in Catra’s chest, and it felt like she was stepping off the edge of a cliff but she walked towards Adora and took her hands.

“Okay. Tell me.”

Adora jerked tried to move her hands away but then changed her mind. She looked frantic. “No Catra, we’re finally happy together and we have to stay that way, if I-”

Catra kissed her.

She pulled away.

“Adora, did that make you feel happy? Feel good?”

Adora sniffed.

“No.”

“Then, right now, things aren’t good. Not saying what’s wrong doesn’t keep it from hurting you, it just keeps it from being fixed.”

Adora laughed. “Who told you that, Bow or Perfuma?”

“I think I came up with it on my own. After saying a lot of things I didn’t want to. And it was hard. But I’ve gotten better, Adora. I’m not as fragile as you all think I am. I want to know what’s bothering you, no matter what.”

There was a silence.

“It’s just, thinking about the portal world….and us….” She’d balled up her hands into fists, squeezing them tight, arms shaking. Catra put her hands over hers, careful to keep her claws out of the way. Adora looked over at her and stopped shaking.

“You tried to kill me - again, and you were willing to destroy everything and I tried to get through to you so hard and you just didn’t care. About me, about yourself, about anything. And it terrified me. And then you got all corrupted by the - portal...magic - and you were still chasing me and you looked at me like I was nothing. Like all you wanted to do was make me hurt. Like you hated me.”

Catra was careful not to pull away or push forwards. “I did.”

Adora let out an abrupt breath, like a laugh without any trace of humor. “And I had wanted to believe for so long that I could have you back again and I had to give that up and I knew I was hurting you but I couldn’t stop and it felt like I was killing you - like the girl I loved - like you were killing her, and I just felt, I hated you and I had to hurt you and I knew you’d hurt me if I let you and I kept looking so bad for anything left of you and I just couldn’t find it and I felt…”

Adora started sobbing, and Catra did her best to hold her, still a bit unsure if that was the right thing to do.

“You tried to kill me. And destroy - all the - everything. And then you tried to destroy us again, and you invaded us and clawed me and targeted my friends and, and -”

“Yes, I did all those things.”

Adora looked at her through her tears, and laughed, for real this time. “I guess that’s it. I still remember seeing you, and feeling nothing but hate looking back. It scared me.”

“It didn’t feel to good on my end either.” Catra caught one of Adora’s tear’s with her claw. It caught a beam of sunlight as it dripped onto the floor. “You did the right thing back then. You had to stop me to save everyone, to save me. I’m glad that you did. If you hadn’t acted when you needed to I wouldn’t be able to be here with you now. And I love you. So much.”

“I love you, Catra.”

They smiled together.

“....so, is that it? Did I work you through it?”

“I mean, I guess. I start to think I have more to say, but it’s all just….the same things. I feel stupid just standing here telling you things you did.”

“I’ll admit it’s not my favorite past time either. I’m thinking about just getting a giant sign to wear around my neck that goes “I’m sorry! I was evil.”

“Don’t you think a collar would work better?”

“Shut up!”

They both laughed.

“I just said a lot of terrible things.”

“A lot of terrible things happened.”

“Yeah.”

“....Adora? When you start to think about….those things I did, should I leave you alone? Give you some time with Bow and Glimmer.”

Adora looked down. She seemed guilty so she must have been really considering it.

“....I don’t want to have to go get my friends because I can’t stand being alone with the girl I love. It’s just….I looked at her, the uh, you, back in the portal, and it was the same face, I mean it was corrupted but it was your face, and the way she looked at me….sometimes I start to feel like I’m with her instead. It’s nothing you do, just an accident or something, but….I just need to be reminded that it’s you.”

“And how can I do that?”

“....Just, say something. Smile, or glare or run off, just - anything to remind me that you care, about me, about yourself….just let me know you’re there.”

“Well that’ll be easy. We can do that. Just….tap me on the shoulder or something, grab my hand. If I know then I can help you.

Now let’s get back to the party. We absolutely need to be around someone who did not just have this conversation.”

Sometimes the things that are hard to fight for are the ones most worth it.

Also you did this on your phone, didn’t you? Because desktop Tumblr asks still has all the stupid character limits and stuff. So kudos to that!

#aselfcalledl #Sam Answers

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creacherkeeper · 4 years

Note

Catradora + A kiss for each year alive.

ao3

“Hey.”

Adora jumped, looking away from the window. Catra cut a sharp silhouette with the light from the hall behind her, leaning against the doorframe with arms crossed and tail flicking.

Adora took a moment to drink in the way the dark suit fell against Catra’s body. She’d seen her in a suit before. A few times, now. But she never stopped enjoying it.

After a moment, Catra shifted away, crossing the unused bedroom towards Adora.

“You slipped away,” she murmured, stopping a few feet away from the window seat Adora had draped herself into. She tilted her head, giving her a considering look. “It’s been a while. Thought I’d come find you before Sparkles got it in her head to.”

“Thanks,” Adora said, shooting her the best smile she could muster. “Just got a little overwhelmed.”

Even from this far away, tucked in a disused hall in the far end of the castle, Adora could hear the distant call of thumping music and shouting voices.

Catra quirked a grin. “Ragers not really your thing?”

A small laugh pulled from her chest. “Not really.”

The grin dropped as Catra continued to look at her. Self-consciously, Adora wiped away her fallen tears.

“If you want, I can go back and tell them you got too drunk and I had to take you to bed.”

“What,” Adora asked, bottom lip trembling traitorously, “I’m not allowed to bail on my birthday?”

Catra blew out a dramatic sigh, considering, as she leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “Well … I’ll allow it.” She shot Adora a sly look. “With some convincing.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“Now, Glimmer, on the other hand …” Catra shook her head, ignoring Adora’s comment. “I’m not sure we can go at that straight on. There may need to be a heist of some sort involved.”

“Oh, a heist. You’ve always loved a good heist.”

“Ignoble. Dramatic. Classy. Roguish. What’s not to love?” She smirked briefly, but the expression soon found its way back to concerned. Her tail flicked behind her, smooth then sharp, smooth then sharp. “The offer stands, though,” she continued, dropping her voice, “if you want me to tell them you’re not coming back.”

Adora pulled a breath through her nose, her eyes going blurry with tears. She bit her tongue against them, and they didn’t fall. Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug.

Catra was quiet for a long few moments. Then, she lifted her foot to tap against the base of the window seat.

“Mind if I join you?”

Adora swallowed. She wiped at her eyes, teeth still held fast around her tongue, but she did scoot over until there was room.

Catra sat opposite her, her legs stretching out parallel to Adora’s. She turned for a while to look out the window, up at the stars that peppered the dark sky. When Adora didn’t speak, merely watched with her, Catra finally dropped her hand to Adora’s leg and squeezed.

“Anything you want to talk about?”

“No,” Adora quickly responded.

Catra clicked her tongue. “See, that wasn’t supposed to be your answer. You’re supposed to reward me for being so considerate by telling me what’s going on.”

She knew it was a joke, even if a half-hearted one. It was meant to be funny, teasing at worst. Still, Adora couldn’t help the bitter words that drew out of her.

“Well, life doesn’t always go how you expect.”

Catra’s brows furrowed. She watched her steadily, then blew out a breath.

“Well, that’s maybe something to unpack.”

Adora shook her head, arms wrapping around her stomach. “It’s stupid. Forget I said anything.”

Catra’s foot knocked against her side.

“Is this about your birthday?”

“No, I’m just sitting in a guest room crying by myself and staring at the stars and it’s not related to the fact that all of my friends and loved ones are celebrating my birthday downstairs.”

Catra hummed. “That makes sense. It was stupid I thought they were related. Well, if there is anything bothering you, you’re just going to have to come out and say it, because clearly, I can’t put it together by myself. I haven’t reached the ‘Adora mind-reading powers’ level of my therapy sessions yet. Those come with powers, right? That’s why I’m doing those?”

Adora huffed a laugh, wiping away some of her tears. “I’m sorry. I’m being such an ass.”

“A bit. Not a pretty look on you, princess.”

Adora laughed again, letting her head fall against the window. Her expression dropped, and she reached up to wipe her face again.

“So, are you actually going to tell me what’s wrong? Or are we just going to sit here looking gloomy for the rest of the night?”

Adora shrugged, her gaze turning back out the window. “It’s nothing. It’s not even worth it.”

A sharp pinch.

Adora yelped.

“Catra!”

Catra’s lips quirked as she smoothed over the red skin of Adora’s leg with her thumb.

“Every time you say something real dumb, you get pinched. You want to try again?”

“You can’t have learned that from Perfuma.”

“Oh, absolutely not. This would horrify her. Unfortunately for you, Perfuma is drunk off her ass and was making out with Scorpia, last I checked. Which means it’s just you and me.” Her thumb circled again, with just a bit of nail, this time. “So, you want to try that again?”

Adora shook her head, a hint of a smile on her lips. “Dick.”

“I’m waiting.”

Adora swallowed, her eyes falling closed. The glass was cool against the side of her head, grounding her. She circled her arms around herself tighter, chin dimpling as she tried to say what needed to be said.

“Do you ever feel like …” Her throat tightened, and she had to take a breath before she could continue. “Do you ever feel like- like maybe, you’re just … not supposed to be here?”

Catra was quiet for a moment, but her thumb continued to stroke irritated skin.

“Pretty often,” she admitted softly. “It’s better, now. But … this castle. These friends. Roaming space and spreading magic. It’s not how I thought my life would turn out.”

Adora felt her throat go hot as tears trickled down her cheeks.

“That’s not what I meant.”

The thumb stopped.

“What did you mean, then?”

“Do you ever—” An inhale—quick, wet. “-feel like you not supposed to be here? Like, at all. Like, just—” Her hands rose and waved in the air, a short slice.

“Adora.”

“I’m 21 today.” Her eyes finally opened, and even through the wet, she could see Catra’s quiet worry. “And I really never thought that- I didn’t think I would make it this far. I really- I never- And now what? Now I’m- I’m here, and … what for? What’s the- the purpose of me now? The war is over, everyone’s safe, there’s no more fight, and I’m just … still …” She shrugged. “Here.”

She blinked, and the held tears escaped from her eyes. She could see, clearly now, that Catra’s eyes had flooded with their own.

“Why would you be anywhere else?”

Adora sighed, a short breath through her nose. She looked down, eyebrows scrunching.

“I just … I didn’t plan for this. I never accounted for … just … I don’t know. This. Just living, like this, and everything that means. I never … I don’t know what to do with that.”

“Do you—” Catra shifted, not looking at her. “-wish that you weren’t? Here, still.”

“I didn’t—” Adora shook her head, wiping under her eyes. “I didn’t say that.”

Catra sighed, leaning her head against the wall behind her. “Okay.”

“I’m not … Today just brought up a lot of weird feelings, that’s all. I’m just a little confused. I’m not going to do anything.”

Catra nodded, staring at the cross of Adora’s arms over her stomach.

“It wasn’t …” Catra had to stop, clearing her throat. “It wasn’t about the fighting all the time, right? I know we were raised with the war, but … There were a lot of times in there where … where you were just Adora. And those times were just as important.”

Adora’s stomach twisted. She moved her head in a nod. “Yeah. But it’s … hard to remember that, sometimes.”

“Well. Maybe you need a reminder.”

She stared at Catra as mismatched eyes slid to hers. Catra waited two heartbeats, four, before she began to move. She curled forward and crawled into Adora’s lap, staring down at her as she settled heavily onto Adora’s legs. Adora stared up at her, brows furrowed.

Catra’s hands rose, settling on each of her cheeks. Her thumbs stroked the tears away as she leaned, ever so slowly, to place a kiss against Adora’s lips.

“One,” she murmured.

“Catra?”

Their lips met again, warm and slow. Adora uncrossed her arms to rest her hands on Catra’s thighs.

Catra pulled back, but didn’t go far. “Two.”

“What are you doing?”

Another kiss, chaste, gone before Adora could question it. “Three.”

This time, Adora kept her mouth shut.

And then, once more.

“Four,” Catra said. “The year we met.”

Adora was quiet, looking up at her as Catra slowly stroked across her cheekbones.

“You gave me a name,” Catra breathed, voice wet. “I might’ve had one, before, but even I don’t remember it. It’s … It’s the kind of name a four-year-old would give someone, but you were the only one who bothered to. And despite everything, it stuck.”

“Catra …”

Catra leaned in and kissed her.

“Five. I said my first word. You were so excited, you ran around telling everyone. But when Octavia asked you what it was, you wouldn’t say, because you didn’t want to get in trouble.”

Adora hiccupped a laugh, tears spilling. “You picked it up from the older cadets. Only you’d have a swear as your first word.”

A kiss. “Six. You told me a joke when I was sick, and I laughed so hard I threw up.”

“I don’t even remember what it was,” Adora admitted. “It was probably really dumb.”

A kiss, pressed against the corner of her mouth.

“Seven. We played our first prank on Kyle. We put tape in the bottom of his shoes, and he couldn’t get them off.”

A kiss against her wet cheek.

“Eight. We got in our first fight. A real one. I felt like the world was ending.”

Adora swallowed. “Me too.”

A kiss against her forehead.

“Nine. We found a stash of Shadow Weaver’s wine while we were on kitchen duty, and it was the most disgusting thing we’d ever tasted. We swore we’d never touch it again as long as we lived.”

Against her closed eyelid.

“Ten. Lonnie tried to kiss you, and I punched her in the mouth. You got mad at me, but afterwards you told me you didn’t understand the whole kissing thing anyway.”

“It sounded gross,” Adora said, laughing at the irony.

A kiss on the bridge of her nose.

“Eleven. We decided we were going to stay together forever, no matter what.”

Adora’s face fell. She reached a hand up and wrapped her fingers around Catra’s wrist.

Catra knocked their noses together. She let their foreheads meet as she let out a breath.

Then, another kiss, gentle, against her lips.

“Twelve. We stayed up all night talking. Rogelio asked you if you liked boys, and you told him you didn’t know. But, that night, you told me you knew the answer. I never slept in my own bunk after that.”

Adora blinked her eyes open. “That’s when you decided to sleep in mine?”

“You’re so dumb.”

“I am,” she said.

She squeezed Catra’s wrist as she leaned forward and kissed her.

“Thirteen,” Adora said. “Shadow Weaver got mad at me and you yelled at her in front of everyone.”

Catra kissed her back.

“Fourteen,” she said. “You broke your wrist trying to do a flip.”

Two kisses in quick succession.

“Fifteen,” Adora said, “we found out what ‘I love you’ meant. Sixteen, we said it for the first time.” A kiss. “Seventeen. I learned how to drive a skiff and immediately crashed it.”

Catra chuckled. “The first thing you weren’t instantly good at.”

A kiss.

“Eighteen.” Adora swallowed. “I … found the sword.”

Catra hummed, shaking her head. “Eighteen. You found Bow and Glimmer.”

“Right. Eighteen … I befriended Bow and Glimmer.”

Catra hummed against her lips as she kissed her, but when she pulled away, she didn’t speak.

“Nineteen,” Adora whispered. “I, um … I got drunk and made out with Huntara a little bit.”

“Oh?”

“Just a little.”

A breathy chuckle pulled from Catra’s chest. “Should I be jealous?”

“No,” Adora said. She leaned forward and let their lips meet, and for a long time, she didn’t pull away. Catra was heavy against her legs, and Adora still had a hand wrapped around her wrist. She moved her other hand up to slip inside of Catra’s suit jacket, resting on her waist. Her fingers clenched against the silky material of her button-up, and Catra’s chest rumbled in a purr.

Finally, she pulled away. Catra took a breath.

Adora looked up at her through her lashes. She didn’t know how she’d gotten here, how she’d gotten so lucky.

“Twenty,” she said, leaning into the hand against her cheek. “We found each other.”

A smile pulled at the corner of Catra’s lips. “Yeah. We did.”

Adora let out a sigh as she closed her eyes, relishing in the warmth of Catra’s hands against her.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“You forgot one,” Catra whispered back. Her weight shifted as she leaned forward to place a kiss, soft and reverent, against Adora’s forehead. She pulled back, letting their heads rest together. “Twenty-one. You’re safe, surrounded by and celebrated by the people who love you most in the world. You have a whole life ahead of you, filled with endless possibilities, and endless people ready to support you on whatever path you take. You have two best friends who, while idiots, always have your best at heart. And you have a girlfriend who would do anything at all just to see you smile. You have a good head on your shoulders, the body of a goddess, and enough ambition to fill this whole castle and then some. You have all the possibilities in the world, Adora. And now you get to choose.��

Adora took a moment to sit and breathe. Catra wiped each tear away as it fell.

“Do I have to choose today?”

“Not today,” Catra murmured. “Today, you get to celebrate with your friends, eat as much cake as you can stomach, and try not to trip over your own feet in front of all our guests. Oh, but you have to pretend to like all your presents. I asked around. Most of them are pretty bad.”

Adora huffed a laugh, opening her eyes to stare at the softly squinting mismatched set looking back.

“Hey.” Catra tilted her head with just a hint of a smile. “You know you’re gonna be okay, right?”

Adora watched her. Her own mouth was beginning to climb upwards at the ends.She wasn’t even able to help it.

“Yeah,” she said. “I do.”

#she ra #spop #catra #adora #catradora #she ra fic #spop fic #i started a drabble collection on ao3 so i can write some shorter stuff like this #instead of the 8k behemoths i keep accidentally churning out #come get yalls angst #i wrote a meta about this a while ago but i had to write it into a fic #existentially fucked up adora #Anonymous #[edit] SORRY TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAD TO LOOK AT THIS LONG ASS POST I DONT THINK THE READ MORE BUTTON WAS WORKING #is it fixed now?? wtf tumblr

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youngjusticeslut · 4 years

Text

Only Us

Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Characters: Adora, Catra Ships: Catradora Rating: G Word Count: 3,025 AO3

“I want to say something. It’s been sitting on my chest all day, and I want to tell you. I do. I’m just…” She looks down at their hands again and swallows. “I’m scared.”

“Horde Prime is gone,” Adora says, caressing Catra’s knuckles with her thumb. “You don’t have to be scared, anymore. He isn’t going to hurt you, not ever again.”

“It’s not him I’m scared of. It’s this,” Catra confesses, her voice cracking. “Us.”

After the war, Catra and Adora still have a few things left to talk about.

With everything at peace, Glimmer suggests they return to Bright Moon and celebrate. They avoid the castle and camp out at the edge of the Whispering Woods, and everybody scrambles to put something together. Micah conjures a fire. Perfuma, Scorpia and Frosta forage the woods for berries, and Glimmer takes Bow and teleports back to the castle to prepare something a little heartier. Entrapta wanders off with Hordak not long after they arrive, and Mermista and Sea Hawk take care of the immediate fallout with the clones so that they don’t have to worry about it.

No one lets Adora do a thing, even though she insists several times that she wants to. Every time she tries, Spinerella shoots out a gust of air that turns her right around, and Netossa threatens to trap her with a net. Catra gets a kick out of watching it all go down.

The party isn’t anything elaborate. For the most part, they mainly sit around the fire and just share stories. Thoughts. Ideas on how to rebuild and recover and learn. Adora doesn’t let go of Catra’s hand, not once. She stays by her side and laughs at the jokes, shares her own ideas.

At some point, Catra excuses herself for some air. Between all of the tears, and the hope, and the laughter, she finds her throat going thick and is unable to breathe. Melog follows, and Adora calls out to her to hurry back soon, lest Bow start singing again.

Finally alone, Catra wanders. She strays into the woods that once scared her, searching for refuge. Thoughts have been plaguing her for the better part afternoon. Not sappy, tearful thoughts like the ones shared between the rebellion. Loud thoughts. Painful thoughts. Catra needs some time to process them, without all the added noise of the party.

“You get it, don’t you?” Catra says to Melog as she nestles herself on the grass. Melog presses their head to the palm on her hand. They do. She doesn’t say much to them after that. In the silence, her thoughts run wild, eager for attention.

She isn’t alone for long, though. Melog gets to their feet and leaves Catra, so she knows that Adora’s here. Catra lifts her head from atop her knees, her tail swinging slightly back and forth as Adora comes up beside her, carrying a plate of sweets in her hands. “What are you doing?”

“Eating dessert.”

“No, like, here. What are you doing here, with me?” Catra grimaces at how bitter the words sound outside the context of her mind; she isn’t bitter, or upset. Not in the least. “I mean, I thought everyone would be kind of all over She-Ra, wanting to celebrate and stuff,” she adds, quick as she can. She doesn’t want Adora to think she’s reverted.

“They are.” Adora takes a seat beside her, butterfly-style, and sets the plate to the side. “But you were gone for a while, so I went looking for you. And well, here I am,” she concludes, tilting her head to the side so she can better look at Catra. “Are you partied out?”

Catra collapses back on the grass, staring up into the night sky. “Something like that. It’s a nice celebration, though. You should go back.”

“Nah. To tell you the truth, I’m exhausted,” Adora admits with a shaky chuckle. “Which is weird, you know? After everything, I just got this rush of energy. I felt like I could do anything. But now… now it feels like I’ve been run over by a tank, and all I want to do is sleep.”

“Me too.” The exhaustion has been nibbling at Catra’s stomach for hours, now. Like Adora, when the dust settled, she couldn’t stop smiling. With Adora holding onto her hand, she felt like she could take on the world. It didn’t take long for her thoughts to start ruining things. A crisp breeze comes through and ruffles her fur, and she takes a deep breath. “Not just yet, though.”

“You look like you’re lost in thought. Something on your mind?” Adora pauses, and laughs. “Sorry, that’s a dumb question. After the day we’ve had…” she trails off, blowing out some air.

Catra shakes her head, keeping her eyes away from the stars in the sky. “I’m okay.”

“Hey.” Adora takes her hand. “Don’t do that, don’t close up. Talk to me.”

The words are so innocent, so simple. Talk to her. As if it’s the easiest thing in the world. A few hours ago, it was. Catra had felt like everything was different, that it would all be clean, and fun, and easy. That was before she let her insecurities take over. She always finds a way to ruin everything good, why should this be any different?

Still. She has to try.

After a deep breath, she tears her gaze away from the sky and looks down. First to their hands, and then to Adora’s face. “You said you loved me,” Catra forces herself to say, even though every instinct in her body yells at her to hold it in. “Why?”

Adora’s eyes narrow in confusion. “What do you mean, why?”

“I mean…” Catra’s ears tilt downwards and she huffs in frustration. Yesterday, she might have shoved everything down and walked away from it all. So much has changed since then. She doesn’t want to go back to the way she was before, so Catra forces herself up from the grass and turns towards Adora. “I want to say some stuff. It’s been sitting on my chest all day, and I want to tell you. I do. I’m just…” She looks down at their hands again and swallows. “I’m scared.”

“Horde Prime is gone,” Adora says, caressing Catra’s knuckles with her thumb. “You don’t have to be scared, anymore. He isn’t going to hurt you, not ever again.”

“It’s not him I’m scared of. It’s this,” Catra confesses, her voice cracking. “Us.”

The worry lines on Adora’s brow appear as her perplexed look deepens. “You’re scared of us? I… don’t understand. We love each other. What’s there to be scared of?”

Catra makes an attempt to start several sentences in response, but none of them come to fruition. The words lodge in her throat each time she tries. She pinches her temple with the hand that isn’t holding Adora’s and tries to calm the frantic thumping of her heart. Adora’s going to hate her. She’s going to think she made it all up, and leave her, and—

“It’s okay,” Adora breathes. She places her other hand on Catra’s thigh, giving it a warm squeeze. “You can tell me. Take your time.”

With Adora’s blessing, Catra does just that. She can hear the faint sound of Bow’s guitar and what she can only assume is some type of accordion playing in the distance. The party must have calmed down a bit. Focusing on something else, something other than the choking feeling in her throat, helps her breathe again.

Once her words have returned to her, Catra takes a deep inhale and looks in Adora’s eyes. “I want to try something. I want to say my piece, and I don’t want you to say anything until I’m done.” She laughs nervously to herself. “Because if you do, I… I don’t think I’ll be able to push myself and say everything I need to.”

Adora nods and pulls her knees to her chest. “Of course. I’m here.”

“So… today happened. We said we loved each other, and we kissed. It was incredible,” Catra begins, her tail curling up by her side. “And everything I said today, it was true. I do love you, I love you so much that my heart jumps out of my chest just about every time I look at you. But never, not once, did I think there was a possibility that you could love me back.”

Catra buries a hand in the grass, refusing to let herself pull at the blades. Instead, she sets her palm on the ground and lets the energy of Etheria ground her. “Because how could you, you, love someone like me?” she continues. Adora is silent, beside her. She waits for her to cut in, to say something, but she never does. “Don’t you remember everything I’ve done? All the pain I’ve caused…” Her stomach lurches as she thinks about it. Salineas, in ruins at her very hand. All the people she’s hurt, physically, mentally. Entrapta. Glimmer.

“Glimmer’s mom is gone because of me,” she rasps, her voice hardly above a whisper. “Glimmer told me, when we were on Horde Prime’s ship. And I almost destroyed Etheria. So I just… can’t wrap my mind around how you could ever love me back. I’m not worth loving. Not yet.”

Adora grips her hand tighter, and she moves to say something, but Catra shakes her head and stops her. “I meant what I said, on the ship. I’m done hurting people. I want to be better, I want to be a person worthy of your love.” She narrows her eyes in determination. “I’ll help rebuild Salineas, and I’ll talk with Perfuma and learn to work out my issues. I’ll let Scorpia hug me, and… and I’ll even let Frosta deck me again, if she wants to.”

She means to finish here, but Adora stays quiet. Another breeze wafts in Catra’s face and gives her goosebumps that only intensify the cold pit in her stomach. It’s not enough. She has to do more. “Tell me what else I can do,” she all but pleads. “I’ll do it. I’ll do just about anything to prove to you that I’ll change, and become someone you’ll be proud to love.”

More silence.

Catra lets go of Adora’s hand and buries both of hers underneath her thighs. She can’t let her see them shaking. If Adora feels bad for her, she might forgive her. Catra doesn’t want it to be that easy. Melog sidles up next to her and nudges her arm until she forfeits a hand and wraps it around their head. It helps.

“I’m done,” Catra exhales. “Please say something.”

Adora doesn’t. Not right away, at least. She stares ahead, arms wrapped around her knees, her mouth in a hard line. Melog leaves Catra and shifts attention to Adora, wandering over and plopping down by her feet, mewling softly. Finally, the hard line dissolves into a tender smile, and she scratches Melog’s head. “Now who’s being the idiot?” she asks, turning to look at Catra.

“What?”

“You heard me.” Satisfied with the scratches, Melog closes their eyes and relaxes by Adora’s feet, allowing her to put her full attention on Catra. “Now it’s my turn to talk, okay?”

Catra nods.

“You act like you’re the only one who’s made mistakes,” Adora reveals with a sad smile. “I’ve made them too. I have so many regrets, Catra. I don’t belong on such a high pedestal, or any pedestal at all.”

“But—”

“No, my turn,” Adora reminds. “I’m not going to excuse the things you’ve done in the past. They were bad. It makes me really happy to hear that you want to keep taking steps to fix things. I’ve seen you trying, and I’m so proud of you.” Catra’s breath hitches in her throat as Adora reaches for her hand again. Once she has it, Adora presses it tight with both her hands. It’s a warm feeling, one that Catra never wants to end. “I meant what I said before, at the Heart of Etheria. I love you. You don’t have to convince me, or prove anything. I want you now, as you are.”

The way Adora says those words, it sounds so clear. Effortless. As if the thoughts that had caused Catra such agony for hours are completely unsubstantiated.

“It can’t be that easy.”

Adora takes Catra’s hand and places it on her cheek, smiling fondly. “Why can’t it?”

This time, it’s Catra who’s unable to respond. She can’t even allow herself to enjoy the feeling of Adora’s cheek in her palm. Didn’t Adora hear her, before? Why is she being so calm, so blasé about it all?

“I can see what you’re thinking, you know.”

Catra snatches her hand away and blushes. “No, you can’t. Shut up.”

“Sure I can. It’s written all over your face.” Brazenly, Adora pushes herself to her knees and takes Catra’s face in her hands before kissing her swiftly. Catra squeaks in surprise, the blush deepening. The spark is there, just as it was before. Adora’s lips are still soft, and they taste sweet, like everything she imagined. After a few moments, Adora pulls away and grins. “Stop thinking. Do you love me?”

“Yes,” Catra answers without a second of hesitation.

“Great. I love you, too. Can we go to bed now?”

“You go ahead.” Despite the weariness that hangs heavy on her body, Catra doesn’t want to leave just yet. If she goes with Adora, she accepts that everything is normal and they move on. The thing is, she doesn’t accept it. Not just yet.

Adora pouts, catching on. While out of tune with her own feelings, she’s pretty good at deciphering Catra’s. On a surface level, at least. She holds out her hand for Catra to take. “Come here.”

The invite is too tempting for Catra to resist, so she takes Adora’s hand and allows her to gently tug her into her lap. Almost immediately, her frantic nerves and restless thoughts start to calm. Adora’s hold is warm and strong, and for the first time, there’s no potential threat looming over their heads. No more Shadow Weaver, or Horde Prime to think about. Just them.

“Today was scary,” Adora says, squeezing Catra’s thigh as she talks. “I almost… we almost…” she bites her lip and shakes her head. “But we didn’t. You helped me save the world.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Stop.” Adora grabs her chin, forcing Catra to look at her. “Stop minimizing yourself. You said you loved me and that brought me back. You helped me save Etheria. Catra, you did everything.”

Catra clenches her jaw to stop the tears, but her eyes well up anyway. Not once, in all of her thinking, did she consider it from that angle.

“We can sit here, and pick apart the past few years until we’re both broken on the inside, but I really don’t want to.” Adora strokes Catra’s chin with her thumb, a feeling so soft that Catra isn’t entirely sure that she’s awake. It doesn’t feel real. “I’m done living in the past. We can’t change anything that’s happened. All we can do is try to do better, and move forward.”

“I want that, too. More than anything,” Catra mumbles, craning her head closer to Adora as she starts scratching behind her ear. The purring that follows is immediate, and loud. She’s content like this. “It’s just hard, I guess. I’ve been thinking this way for so long, even when you said you loved me… I don’t know, I don’t think I let myself believe it.”

Adora chuckles, changing the position of her hand so she’s scratching under Catra’s jaw with a tenderness the feline hasn’t felt in years. “Do you believe me, now?”

“I think I’m starting to. What if I mess it up, though?”

“You won’t. We might make mistakes, and it’ll probably take time for us to figure out how to do this—”

“A lot of time,” Catra cuts in. “There wasn’t exactly a relationships course in the Horde.”

“How would you know? It’s not like you actually attended the courses,” Adora teases, yelping when Catra shoves her with her elbow.

“Whatever. All I’m saying is yeah, I agree.”

“Good.”

Catra expects Adora to pull her up and ask her to come to bed again, but she doesn’t. They just sit there, in the peacefulness of the Whispering Woods, taking it all in. She doesn’t know about Adora, but she can spend forever like this. She wants to spend forever like this, with her.

“Hey, Adora?”

“Yeah?”

“I like this,” Catra says, looking down at her fingers. “Us, I mean.”

Adora looks down at her and nods, pushing some hair out of Catra’s eyes. “Me too.” With a content sigh, she makes herself more comfortable in the grass, holding Catra tighter. “I didn’t even know how long I’ve been waiting for this. I know things are going to be crazy as we start to rebuild Etheria, and then we have that interplanetary road trip to plan… but, for now, I want to just focus on us. To hold you, and kiss you, and make up for lost time.”

“Only us?” Catra asks, moving her hands to cup Adora’s face.

“Yeah. I want to be happy with you. Can we try that?”

Catra’s purring grows louder. She leans forward and kisses Adora, just like she did in the Heart. The rest of the world falls away, and she sees what Adora means. It’s just the two of them there, and nobody else. “We can.” She leans her head on Adora’s shoulder, closing her eyes. “I think I’m ready for sleep, now.”

“Well don’t fall asleep on me.”

Her eyes closed, Catra smirks. “Why? You’ll carry me.”

“Will not.” Without ceremony, Adora tosses her to the floor, instinctively backing away as Catra hisses.

“I hate you.”

With a wink, Adora turns around and starts heading back. “No, you don’t. You love me,” she teases with a sing-song voice.

Right. This is so going to become a thing, and it’s going to annoy Catra until the end of time. But because it’s true, she can’t be too angry. So instead she just catches up to Adora and slings an arm around her. “Guess I do. But you’re still an idiot.”

“I know.”

That line will grow old, too, but Catra has time to think of some better ones. Plenty of time.

#she ra #spop #catra #adora #catradora #only us #she ra and the princesses of power #spop fanfic #catra and adora talk out their feelings and all is well #i like them #a lot

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i-just-love-spop · 4 years

Text

...and then I found you. [Part one]

Part two | Part three

“Bow...” Glimmer was white as a sheet now. “I think I’m having the baby.”

“Did your water break?”

“Yeah. ...about three hours ago? ... I think the baby wants out, like, right now!”

“GLIMMER!”

—

Actually less a request than just the result of me and @darkmasterofcupcakes talking about Glimbow (and stubborn Glimmer that would insist on still working until literally the last minute of her pregnancy) for way too long that spiraled into a huge fic. This is the first out of either two or three parts, depending on how long the rest of this ends up being.

Companion fic to “One night, I wished upon a star...” which completes the title.

Summary: Glimmer is convinced she can get through the rest of the meeting and then have her baby afterwards. The baby disagrees.

Bow is losing his mind.

Their friends are being semi-helpful.

The healer is questioning their own choice of career.

All of the princesses are present but most of them are not that important. Catra and Adora will be more relevant in the second part.

Glimbow-centric, but also has some background Catradora, Seamista and Scorfuma.

I’m going with Perfuma being a trans woman because Rae said she was designed that way, which I like a lot. I’m also using this as the explanation why she can have a biological child with Scorpia, in case anyone is wondering.

[Takes place a couple of years after the end of show.]

(Also, this has cursing in it. For obvious reasons.)

—

This was fine. This was fine. This was fine!

Glimmer clenched her hands on the edge of the table again.

Shit. Was this supposed to hurt this much?

She breathed in and out, in and out, in and out until finally, after what felt like an eternity, the pain finally subsided.

She didn’t really have much time to relax, though. The time that passed between the surges of pain lessened with what felt like every contraction. They were only about five minutes apart now.

This was fine.

Just another half an hour, then they would be done with the meeting, and she could get to a healer and have her baby.

This was fine! And she was totally focused on what was being said!

“Uhm... Should we, like, pause the meeting, or...?”

Mermista looked at her friend, eyebrow raised.

The entire meeting room was staring at her now.

“No, it’s fine! I’m great! Really! Just go on with what you were telling us about the new trading route!”

Glimmer gave them the world’s falsest smile, clenching her fists again.

“Uhm... we finished that topic about twenty minutes ago? Are you okay? Do you need medial attention? I feel like you do.“

The Queen of Brightmoon shook her head vigorously.

“Scorpia, that’s really, really sweet, but it’s fine! Really! I’m great!“

Glimmer had reached the point where she felt so sick and was in so much pain that she was certain she was about to either throw up or pass out on the meeting room table. Maybe both.

This was fine.

“Uhm... are you sure? Sparkles, you look awful,” Catra cut in.

Adora nodded in agreement.

Both of them were immensely worried about their friend.

“Yes! Totally sure!”

Then the next contraction hit, and it was so painful that she couldn’t keep herself from screaming.

“Okay, that’s it! You’ve never had practice contractions this bad, and I don’t care if the healer said this is normal, we‘re done here and you’re seeing another healer IMMEDIATELY!”

Bow was extremely worried.

Glimmer took a moment to reply, breathing heavily until the pain passed.

“It’s fine, really! I promise! We’re almost done here anyway! Let’s just wrap this up real quick, and then we can go see a healer!”

...right. Practice contractions. That’s what she‘d told him this was the day before. She’d completely blanked out on that until now.

She had had practice contractions before, and in the beginning, she’d really thought that was what this was. She’d taken a long bath to make herself feel better and had then gone to bed.

She’d actually slept relatively well through some of the earlier contractions that hadn’t been quite as long and intense.

Then they’d gotten worse and more frequent and had jolted her up from her sleep about every thirty minutes.

By morning, the contractions been twenty minutes apart, and Bow had been pretty worried that she was having them again – which had been a faulty assumption on his part that Glimmer just kind of didn’t correct.

He’d told her to see a healer, which she’d promised she definitely would... but after this really important Princess Alliance-Meeting that she still had to attend. By then, she’d been pretty certain she knew what was going on, and the baby was still kicking and moving around the same way she had before, reminding her that she was alright, so she wasn’t worried about something being wrong with the baby.

All of this had then led to her telling him that this was just... normal and how it was supposed to be – which it really was, according to the books, at least –, and Bow had just assumed a healer had told her, and she once again hadn’t corrected him.

She didn’t like being dishonest with him, but he wouldn’t have let her attend the meeting if she’d told him, and this was important. Bow was already super protective of her anyway and would have preferred it if she’d just taken some time off of work now that she was getting so close to her due date, so there was absolutely no way he would have let her work today if he‘d known what was going on.

But Glimmer had a kingdom to run.

Besides, the books said that it took several hours up to a full day from the first contraction to your body actually being ready to have the baby, especially if it was your first birth, so she could definitely get through the rest of this four hour meeting and then have her baby afterwards.

Probably.

This was totally, completely, definitely fine.

And then the next contraction hit, and it was that very moment she knew that nothing was fine in the slightest.

The realization that she was having her baby very, very soon suddenly washed over her. It was as if someone had flipped the switch on her relatively relaxed ‘I can do this’-attitude, and from one moment to the next, she went into full-on panic mode.

She instantly went back on her word from before.

“ALRIGHT, MEETING’S OVER, GOODBYE EVERYONE!” She yelled, punching her fists onto the table.

If the others’ attention hadn’t been on her since before anyway, it definitely would have been, now.

She needed to get out of here, she needed to get to the healers and-

Glimmer tried to get up. Her knees were weak and everything hurt, and she immediately collapsed back onto the chair, howling with pain.

“Glimmer!”

Her husband was at her side straightaway.

“I’m okay! I’m okay...”

She wasn’t. She really, really wasn’t.

Bow put his arms around her, and she immediately melted into them and started sobbing.

Stars, why did this hurt so much?

“It will be okay, I promise. We’ll take you to a healer immediately, and... you’ll be okay. Both of you will be okay.”

It wasn’t like that was something he could actually guarantee, but he was doing his best to stay calm because him freaking out while his wife was already freaking out would help absolutely nobody.

Seeing her this scared was still just as terrifying to him as it had been back when they were kids.

“No, you... you don’t understand. I’m okay, really. This is perfectly normal.”

He shook his head vigorously.

“Yeah, no. I appreciate the effort to calm me down, really, but there’s absolutely no way this is normal for practice contractions, you’re in way too much pain and you and the baby could be in danger so please don’t downplay this!”

“No, we’re fine. She’s kicking and we’re both fine. I just... don’t think these are practice contractions.”

“...what?” It a moment for his brain to process what she’d just said. Then his eyes widened. “Wait, you mean-”

“Bow...” Glimmer was white as a sheet now. “I think I’m having the baby.”

Okay, that... that was good, right? That did mean what she was going through right now was actually, really normal and Glimmer and the baby most likely weren’t in danger. But also...

‘Oh stars Glimmer is having the baby!’

Bow was excited.

And also terrified.

“Did your water break yet?”

The amount of time his time took before answering made him really, really certain he probably wouldn’t like what she was about to say, and that she definitely knew that.

...he really didn’t like the answer he got when she finally replied.

“Yeah. ...about three hours ago?” The next contraction was so bad it brought tears to her eyes and almost made her faint. That was it. This was too much. The pain was unbearable. She couldn’t take it a single second longer. “I think the baby wants out, like, right now!”

All color drained from Bow’s face.

“GLIMMER!”

That meant his wife wasn’t just... having the baby as in going in to labor, she was actually having the baby. Right now.

Bow was usually a calm, collected, sensible person. He was currently having a very hard time being either of those things.

“I was just trying to get through the meeting first!”

Admittedly, that didn’t seem like much of a decent justification anymore, even to Glimmer. Her defensive tone wasn’t even convincing herself, much less anyone else. Her voice was still shaking from the pain of the last contraction, and she knew there wasn’t much time for her to take a breather until the next one hit.

“I can’t believe you...” Bow shook his head and groaned, less mad than just in plain disbelief and shock. “How often are you having contractions? How far apart are they? Have you been keeping track?”

She thought for a moment.

"...Like, every minute or two? They're close, that's all I kn-"

She wasn’t even able to finish the sentence before the next contraction hit her, this one even longer and even more intense and painful than the last. She screamed her lungs out.

It hurt. It hurt so, so, so, so much.

Glimmer’s body was on fire, and she was almost certain this was what dying felt like – although, who knew, at this point she all but guessed dying was actually more comfortable and hurt less.

“EVERY MINUTE OR TWO? ARE YOU SERIOUS?!”

Bow was officially losing his mind.

His squeaky voice was pretty telling for just how freaked out he was.

‘Why. Is. My. Wife. Like. This?!’

This was bad. This was really, really, really bad.

Bow loved Glimmer, he really did, but there were moments like this where she drove him completely insane.

He took a few seconds to close his eyes and then took a couple of deep breaths to gather his thoughts. They could do this. They needed to, because he had to make sure Glimmer and the baby would be okay, and him freaking out was not helping right now, so he had to stay calm. He could still freak out later. Glimmer and his daughter needed to be his main priority now.

He was calmer and more collected when he opened his eyes again. He clapped his hands together.

“Okay. Catra, please go get some towels, a sanitized blanket and a bunch of pillows, would you? And Adora, we need a healer. Immediately. And ask them to bring medical supplies for the delivery. Everyone else: GET. OUT!”

Catra and Adora both just nodded and disappeared on their separate ways instantly. It wasn’t hard to grasp the importance of his requests, after all.

“Wait wait wait wait wait, there’s no need for anyone to get out, or for anything else, because I’m definitely not giving birth IN HERE!”

Glimmer was tired and in pain and just wanted her bed. Or any bed, for that matter. Just something soft to lay down on that she could sink into that would make her feel a little better. And she definitely did not want to stay in here of all places!

“Love...” Bow’s voice was soft and sweet and sounded really worried. “You can’t even stand up. Forget it. We’re not moving you. I’d be happy if we could get you onto the table so you could lie down, but I’m not even sure we can manage that.”

Glimmer gulped. She really, really couldn’t imagine giving birth in here. She just wanted a bed – was that really too much to ask?

“I- I could try teleport-” She suggested.

Bow didn’t even let her finish. There was absolutely no way he would let that happen.

“Oh no, you don’t! Glimmer, I love you, but your powers have been acting up for a while now because of your pregnancy, and I have absolutely no desire to help you give birth on a tree!”

He really didn’t want to find out where her attempt to teleport during contractions would possibly land them.

“WELL, I DON’T WANT TO GIVE BIRTH IN THE MEETING ROOM EITHER!”

“Glimmer-”

She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, but then the next contraction hit and this just absolutely, definitely wasn’t happening.

She couldn’t even focus on teleporting long enough to screw it up, which hadn’t happened to her before, ever. And it somehow felt even worse than back when she’d had problems with her powers because of Shadow Weaver’s curse.

The Queen of Bright Moon sunk back into her chair, screaming.

“Okay. Okay, you’re right,” she mumbled after a while when the pain passed. “This won’t work. But I can’t- I can’t give birth in here.”

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t have to, but it’s not a choice anymore, Glim.” Bow was immensely relived that the teleporting hadn’t worked because who knew where they would have ended up if it had, but all of these people in here were stressing him out even more than he already was because of the whole situation. “Could somebody help me get her on the table, and could the rest of you guys PLEASE LEAVE?”

Since Glimmer had said she wasn’t staying in here so nobody had to leave, everyone as currently still standing around the room, either looking at her awkwardly or trying to avoid staring at her even more awkwardly.

“Oh, no problem, I’m out of here I have no desire to learn what I’ll go through in a couple of months,” Mermista commented, dragging her husband after her as she headed for the door.

At least some of the attention of the group shifted from Glimmer to Mermista for a moment.

Bow blinked in surprise.

“Wait... you’re pregnant?”

“Uh, duh? I thought everyone knew that?”

The mermaid seemed a little confused by the question.

Glimmer just looked at her with a pained expression.

“I’d say congratulations, but right now I just feel like I’m dying, so expressing my condolences kind of feels more appropriate!”

Mermista raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t you think you’re being, like, a little dramatic?”

Glimmer gave the mermaid a death glare.

“Either you shut up right now, or by the Heart of Etheria, I swear, the first thing I’ll do after giving birth to this child will be KICKING YOUR ASS!”

Mermista raised her hands defensively.

“Okay. Okay. We were just leaving!”

Bow was a little relieved that there was two fewer people in the room now, but there was still way too many inside for it to be anything close to comfortable.

He growled.

“I swear to the stars, I will shove all of you out of the room myself if I have to!”

“Me and Scorpia can help with Glimmer. Everyone else, you heard him, get out of here!” Perfuma said, gently shoving Netossa and Spinerella who were standing next to her towards the door.

The two of them just waved.

“Alright, we’ll be... on our way. Good luck!” Spinerella said and waved while her wife just gave them an awkward smile.

They had friends that had kids biologically related to them, but they’d never gotten this close to watching the actual birth before. Not that that was something either of them had ever desired to see.

Entrapta on the other hand didn’t move at all. She was mesmerized. She’d never watched anything like this before – well, not with humans anyway.

“Eeek, this is so exciting! Can I stay?”

“YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT!”

“Childbirth is one of the most fascinating experiences in nature! It would be incredibly thrilling to see it from up close.“

Bow pinched the bridge of his nose and tried not to scream. He really, really liked Entrapta and went to her for advice when it came to technology a lot. But he also really, really didn’t have the patience to deal with her right now.

...or with anyone, really.

“Well, if you’re so fascinated, just have your own kid!”

She thought for a moment.

“Hmmm... Interesting suggestion.”

“Do me a favor and contemplate it OUTSIDE!”

He was losing his mind. He was officially completely losing his mind.

“...am I making you uncomfortable? I feel like I might be making you uncomfortable.”

Bow was fighting the urge not to just straight up scream for a solid thirty seconds, took another deep breather and looked at Entrapta sternly.

“Listen. You’re great, but right now, I would appreciate it if you could give us a little bit of privacy. Thank you.”

“...right. Sorry. Good luck!“

Bow let out a long-drawn-out sigh when she finally left the room.

Now the only people left in there were Scorpia and Perfuma – well, and Frosta, because she was waiting for them, but she was facing the door and seemed to have absolutely no desire to turn around again.

This was better. Still not even close to ideal, but better.

“Can’t I at least try to climb the table myself if I have to give birth here?” Glimmer protested. “I’m not a baby anymore!”

But the protest was quiet and weak because she was tired and hurting and pretty sure it would fall on deaf ears anyway.

“Right. You’re not a baby, but you’re having one, and you still can’t stand up, so you’re not climbing anything.” He kissed her forehead. “I love all of you, including your stubborn nature, but right now I need you to not be stubborn for once in your life and let us help you, okay?”

She grimaced, but let them lift her onto the table without protest afterwards.

That she was lying instead of sitting now felt a little better, but really just very slightly. She still wanted her bed. Or maybe just to straight up die so the pain would end. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could take this.

...had the pain been that bad from the beginning? How in the galaxy had she sat through several hours of that?!

Her panic got worse by the second as the pain also worsened, and she became more and more certain that she was actually going to die, right here, in the middle of the fucking meeting room table and that she would never get to meet or hold her baby or-

She felt Bow‘s hand in hers, his soft, loving voice pulling her out of her thoughts and back into reality.

“Hey... I’m right here, okay? Shhh. You’ll be fine. I promise you’ll both be okay.”

He was sitting next to her on the table now.

“It hurts so much...”

“I know. I know. The healer will be here soon. You’ll be okay.” She put her head in his lap. He ran his fingers through her hair. “Just breathe...”

And Glimmer did just that, trying to tune out all the background noise and the pain as she breathed.

Bow looked up at Scorpia and Perfuma, on hand still on Glimmer’s hair, the other one squeezing hers.

“...thank you for the help.”

“Always. Can we help you with anything else?” Perfuma asked.

“Not much, we just really need Adora and Catra to be back.” He hesitated for a moment. “Although... I mean, you two are the only ones out of our friend group that have actually had a baby so far, so any advice you could give us right now would be appreciated?”

Scorpia smiled sheepishly.

“I wish we could, but... I actually had Thorn in a medical chamber, so this isn’t really comparable to begin with. And also, I had a c-section, so I don’t think anything we could tell you would be especially helpful right now. Sorry.”

Almost all Scorpioni-children were brought into the world via c-sections because the chances of the child accidentally harming the mother during birth with their pincers and stinger was pretty high, making natural birth too dangerous in most cases.

“She’s right. We could offer you some parenting advice later on, though,” Perfuma added. “But I think we should leave you two alone here for now, anyway.”

“Yeah, that would probably be for the best. Thanks again, you two.”

“Anytime.”

A calming scent of lavender remained in the air when the two of them left.

—

“Will... will she be okay?” Frosta asked softly when Perfuma and Scorpia walked up to her to leave the room.

Frosta still had her back turned to the whole situation but Glimmer’s agonized cries were hard to ignore. She was genuinely terrified.

Perfuma rubbed her hair.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine, don’t worry too much about her, okay? Glimmer can handle herself. She always could.”

“Yeah, okay, I guess that’s true...” Frosta admitted, still somewhat skeptic.

Not that she’d spent much time prior to this thinking about childbirth, but she’d never imagined it was this painful.

She shuddered.

Scorpia put one of her arms around the ice princess.

“Come on, kid. Let’s give the lady some privacy.”

”...okay.” If anyone else had called Frosta kid, especially now that she was an adult, she’d have smacked them on the head with her ice fists. But Scorpia and Perfuma were her moms, so she could let it slide when it came to them... Maybe. “Since I doubt we’ll continue with the meeting today, can we pick up Thorn from daycare now?” She asked when they’d left the room.

Perfuma hugged her daughter, her eyes sparkling.

“Awww, are you missing your little sister?”

“Pffft, no.” Frosta crossed her arms, but Perfuma looked at her with so much love in her eyes that she caved immediately. “Okay, I totally am! Can you blame me? She’s so cute and I love her!” She admitted, her face turning beet-red.

A second later, Scorpia had pulled her wife and her daughter into a crushing bear-hug.

“I love you guys so, so much.”

Perfuma immediate hugged her back.

“We love you too, lightning rose.”

Frosta was just kind of stuck in the middle of the hug between her adoptive mothers.

“Air is still a thing I need, even now that I’m an adult!” she reminded them, only half-serious. “You two are squeezing me to death!”

“Right. Sorry,” Scorpia apologized, relinquishing her grip a little.

When the three of them separated, they were all laughing.

—

Bow was just glad that he was finally, finally, finally alone with his wife.

He just hoped Adora and Catra would be back really soon, because despite having read a lot of books on pregnancy, labor and delivery over the course of Glimmer’s pregnancy, he had serious doubts he would be able to deliver their baby on his own.

101 notes · View notes

inscribed-in-asteroids · 3 years

Text

AN: Here’s chapter four! We get into some character interaction.

Title: The Ripple Effect

Canon Characters: Entrapta, Hordak, Scorpia, Perfuma, Mermista, Seahawk, mentions Catra and Adora

Original Characters/Fankids: Odessa, Hydrangea, Tristan, features Adam and Molly

Pairing (i.e. ones having actual moments): Entrapdak, Scorfuma

Rating: M

Read on AO3. It always has more info there.

Venture

Entrapta places her recorder in her pocket, done for the time being. There have been advancements in the settlement on Beast Island. It continues to grow in size and technology, and contains more portals than other places on Etheria. Most places only have one portal, with Bright Moon having a few. The Whispering Woods contains the second-highest amount after Beast Island, predominantly so that if anyone gets lost, they will eventually find a portal and land in one of the main kingdoms, with that particular portal having that kingdom’s crest.

She and her lab partner have been diligent in the upkeep of Beast Island. It had taken time for the island to become fertile. First One’s tech had buried its roots deep within the earth, far below what anyone but drones could see. Soil had melded with machine, somehow: dirt containing minerals that were not of Etheria, and when they attempted to dig out the First One’s tech—mostly from the other princesses’ insistence that it be done—they learned their mistake when slumbering beasts and inanimate plants had sprung to life and attempted to kill them. That had been terri-fun-fying!

But it did confirm what Hordak and she suspected: Beast Island and the First One’s tech had morphed into one gigantic organism. A problem to be sure, however, they also proposed a radical hypothesis: by changing the code of First One’s tech, they could alter the parasitic relationship to a symbiotic one. That had been a major doozy, since there was so much, but it worked! The island had released its many species from its catatonic state, and they had called She-Ra to aid the process run smoother with her magic.

The First One’s tech proved to be a valuable asset in not only repairing Beast Island, but creating a thriving metropolis that used the natural resources and ancient machinery available. Buildings, bridges, plumbing, aqueducts, everything made by Horde clones was molded around the landscape. They were determined to function alongside the proper residents of Beast Island.

It really surprised everyone how well they behaved when not obeying the rules of a tyrannical madman.

Entrapta found life on Beast Island exciting and peaceful at the same time. Being the princess of Dryl, she would still go to her old home, but she pretty much gave it to Wrong Hordak and the other clones who desired to live a little closer to the other kingdoms, to mend relations and have a better comprehension of the way Etheria works. Hordak’s brothers were curious, inventive and engaging once they were free, and went through rehabilitation to cope with the loss of Prime.

They were all so cute!

Entrapta looks to her left, watching Hordak move around the room. He keeps his eyes on the clipboard, hair falling over his forehead. He taps the back of it with his fingers, humming to himself as he kneels down to inspect a piece of equipment.

Entrapta smiles, propping her cheek against her hand.

Hordak senses a gaze on him, and he looks at her, smiling, “Did you need anything?”

“No, I’m content,” she says. But none as cute as him.

Odessa disembarks first, greeted by several of her uncles, her parents and siblings. Imp flies toward her, landing lightly against her back. She instinctively moves to the piggyback position, kissing his cheek. Emily whirs happily, and she leans over to kiss the top of her dome.

“Find anything fascinating?” Imp plays back in Entrapta’s voice.

“Yes! There was a lot on the flagship that we had to explore,” she says.

“Ooh, what’d you get?” Entrapta herself asks, hanging upside down from a rafter.

“I’ll show you in a bit. Right now, I need these two to go,” Odessa says, annoyed.

“Your friends?” Hordak asks, confused.

“No,” she points at Adam and Molly, who are standing behind Tristan and Hydrangea.

“What are you two doing there?” Entrapta asks.

Adam, shameless, grins at her, “Oh, we snuck up on the ship! It was awesome!”

Entrapta blinks, surprised by this development. She furrows her brows, “Wait, so you two were on the ship for that long?”

“Yeah, it was great!” Adam says, jumping over to stand by Odessa. “Can’t wait to do it again!”

Odessa glares at him, the urge to grind him underfoot intense, “You could’ve jeopardized the mission!”

“Uh, but we didn’t? I don’t see the problem,” Adam replies, folding his arms.

“The problem is that we had to have two additional people on board! Our supplies were meant for three, you’re lucky we had spares!”

Entrapta moves in, looking at Adam, holding his arms out with her hair, “Ooh, so you used my suits! Tell me, did it affect your mobility? What was your heartrate? Can you grab me your suit so I can scrape your skin cells off the inside?”

“Mom, please,” Odessa begs. “I want to yell at this idiot!”

“I know, sweetie, but can’t it wait ‘til after I pluck some hairs?”

“No way, you can’t go plucking my hair!” Adam protests.

Odessa whirls on him, poking his shoulder not-too-gently, “You get involved with my mission and you think you’re in any position to object to anything!”

Hydrangea approaches her, “Des, calm down.”

“I’ll calm down when he gets out of my sight! Having to deal with you for this long was torture!”

Entrapta hovers over Adam’s head, measuring his body with her tape, lost in thought.

“Entrapta,” Hordak says, getting her, and their, attention. “Perhaps this is the time to lay out ground rules.”

“Oooh, gotcha!” Entrapta swings over to him, sitting atop her hair in a swift motion. She nods at Hordak.

He walks forward, hands behind his back, coming up to Adam and Molly. Molly shrinks under his scrutiny, while Adam has the decency to look like he fucked up for once. “I will send the two of you home by portal immediately. I will be speaking with your mothers to inform them of your behavior, to ensure neither of you tell them anything different.”

Molly groans inwardly, knowing she’ll be the only one to care. Adam is likely forgetting everything as it’s said.

Adam’s ears flatten against his head, annoyed, “Dude, no offense, but we didn’t do anything to risk her mission.”

“It is not a matter of you managing to be competent aboard the ship,” Hordak chastises. “It is the matter that you were not privy to the information or mission itself to begin with. Your inability to think ahead has always been a problem.”

“But—”

“Do not argue with me,” Hordak whispers, deadly quiet, leaning close. At Adam’s silence, he pulls back. “The two of you will accompany me to the portal now. Come.”

Adam keeps from huffing, crossing his arms, ears pressed to his head. Molly rubs her left arm, looking over her shoulder.

Tristan meets her gaze, giving her a reassuring smile.

With that, she follows her brother and Hordak.

Odessa turns to her mother once they’re out of range, “I found some things on the ship that I know you’ll be interested in.”

Entrapta squeals, “Oooh, I can’t wait to see it!”

Hydrangea yawns, patting Entrapta’s shoulder, “I’ll have to see you all tomorrow, I need to go home and see how things have been.”

“Aaaaw, so soon?” Entrapta asks.

“Unfortunately,” Hydrangea says, hugging her tight. “I’ll be back later after I get some rest.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Gea,” Odessa says, opening her arms for a hug of her own. Hydrangea shakes her a little, the two laughing, before heading toward the portal. Odessa looks up, “What about you, Tris?”

He shrugs, “I don’t have anywhere to be.”

“You’re welcome to hang out with us!” Entrapta shouts.

Emily spins in place, beeping with excitement.

“Awesome,” Tristan says, giving Imp a high-five as he flies around his head. “I can hang out with your siblings while you and your Mom talk science.”

Odessa touches her mother’s shoulder, “So, do you think Dad is going to be gone a while?”

“He does have to talk to Adora and Catra, so probably,” she replies.

“Okay, because maaaybe I should show you one of the things I found without him.”

Tristan raises a brow, while Entrapta blinks in puzzled silence.

“Oh my,” Entrapta breathes, peering into the case. “That’s my girl! Not a single mark or blemish on it.”

Odessa grins, “I know! It came out perfect.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to let your dad know?” Entrapta asks a second time. “I think he might find it interesting, too.”

Odessa’s lips are pursed for a moment, folding her arms across her chest. She sighs, “It’s not that I don’t want to tell Dad. I’ll ask him some questions to hint about it, I suppose, but I don’t know how he will feel about it.”

“I think it would be best to be upfront,” Entrapta says.

Odessa bites her lip, uncertain.

Entrapta continues to study the brain in the jar. These discoveries could be important, but she understands her daughter’s concern. Hordak has been making reparations for decades now, but when it enters especially sensitive territory about his time serving Horde Prime, he becomes sullen, despondent and incapable of holding a good mood. She doesn’t blame her husband either. That’s a part of his past that continues to pain him. The years have softened his heart, and he feels shame and guilt every day for things he had done. She doesn’t want to lie to him, but she doesn’t want to hurt him either.

She imagines that’s how her daughter feels. Ethical dilemmas are her least favorite kind.

“I will see how he feels by implication,” Odessa reaffirms. “I won’t do more than that, at present.”

Entrapta nods, not liking any of this, but standing by her child’s decision. She takes the jar in her hands, “We will study it later. Why don’t you go and take this to your room?”

“Alright, I’ll put it away real quick. I’ll be back to show you and Dad the other thing I found,” Odessa says, jumping toward the ceiling and heading into the vents.

Entrapta sighs, then her smile returns when she hears Hordak’s voice from behind, conversing with Tristan.

“You’re more than welcome to spend the night,” Hordak offers, clasping his hands behind his back. “We have plenty of rooms to accommodate your needs.”

Entrapta bounds over, eager, “We’re having mini pancakes in the morning!”

Tristan smiles at them, “Thank you! I’d be happy to.”

Odessa hops down at this moment, grabbing him into a headlock, “Cool! If Gea was here, it’d be like old times!”

Chuckling, Tristan pats her forearm, signaling for release, and she obliges. He gives a yawn and stretches, “I’m gonna head to bed, then.”

“Imp, Emily, can you show him to his room?” Odessa asks.

More than happy to, the three exit the room, leaving Odessa and her parents in the sanctum. She walks to her bag, “There wasn’t much on the flagship, but I did discover this.”

Hordak and Entrapta stare at shining fragments, clattering softly on the table. Entrapta holds one in a hair strand, “Pretty! Where was this?”

“It seemed to have been located in one of Prime’s trophy rooms.”

“Look, hon,” Entrapta says, holding it up to Hordak. “The craftsmanship for this must’ve been delicate and precise.”

Hordak takes it between his fingers, inspecting it slowly, quietly. It does have an air of elegance. He somewhat recalls seeing it before in that room. Lined with trinkets from planets no longer around. Hordak frowns, placing it on the table, “Did you find anything else?”

Odessa considers her words carefully. She says, “I did find an area that had past Primes.”

“Was it intact?”

“More than we expected.”

“Did anything of consequence come about?”

“I did interact with one of the bodies,” Odessa tells him. “But it’s nothing that important.”

Hordak peers closely at her, and Entrapta glances at the ground, trying not to pull down her mask.

“An entire vicinity filled with inanimate bodies, and you didn’t do anything with them?” Hordak asks.

“Not really. I turned one on by accident, though, so I got to take a close look at it.”

“That must’ve been elucidating, on some degree, I suppose,” Hordak scowls, tilting his head. He adds, “Well, there’s no need to go to the flagship anymore.”

“I know, Dad,” Odessa says, sitting on the table. “That part’s done with.”

Hordak pats her head, an unexplainable relief coming to him.

Odessa’s stomach grumbles, and she gives a sheepish grin, “Oh, guess I’m hungry.”

Entrapta beams, “Late-night snacks! We got lots of fizzy drinks! I missed my little drinking buddy.”

Laughing, Odessa hops to her feet, “Mom, the day we get actually drunk together is gonna be nuts.”

Tristan wakes up to the sound of scuttling on the walls. Seeing Imp climbing around, Tristan closes his eyes, getting drowsy again.

“Morning!” Odessa yells, jumping on top of him.

Tristan throws her off him, smirking as she falls, “Des, I’m sleeping…”

Landing with ease, she stands, arms akimbo, “But don’t you want to eat?”

He debates whether to leave the warm comfort of the bed or enjoy the warm comfort of mini pancakes.

Noooooo…

“Gea’s bringing the really good syrup,” Odessa teases, poking his shoulder with her hair.

He opens one eye.

Tristan doesn’t take much convincing afterward, pouring caramelized fruit syrup onto an assortment of small pancakes, his third helping. Hydrangea pours him and her a cup of green tea with lemon, setting his cup down in front of him. He says thanks with a full mouth, and she smiles at him.

Odessa, on her third plate too, licks her lips, “This is so good! You’re turning into a pro at making syrups.”

“Thank you,” Hydrangea blushes. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

Taking a healthy sip of his tea, not minding the burn, Tristan lets out a satisfied sigh, “You keep this up, there’s no way I’ll be able to move.”

Entrapta looks up from her plate, peering closely at his face, “Have you been experiencing a slack in your metabolism? Are your joints functioning, or are you showing signs of muscle atrophy?”

Tristan smiles reassuringly, “No, no, I’m okay. The food’s just delicious.”

“It is!” Entrapta says, returning to her meal. She turns to Hordak, “Do you want to try any?”

“Hmm…” Hordak looks at the sweet cakes, drizzled with thick syrup. All of it golden in color. Pleasing to the eye, but he isn’t sure.

Entrapta grins at him, expectant.

“Very well,” Hordak says, taking her fork. He tries to not be aware of the eyes on him. Giving it a delicate sniff, he sticks it into his mouth, chewing meticulously. Thinking.

He looks at Hydrangea, giving a nod, “Excellent work.”

“T-Thank you!” she stammers, beyond shocked. She is going to remember this compliment for the rest of her life.

Entrapta, delighted he had a good experience, finishes up the rest of her food. Getting up, she announces, “Well, we’ll see you later! Hordak and I have a lot of work to do, so we won’t see you until tonight.”

“Alright, Mom,” Odessa says. “You two have a good day!”

Squealing at how adorable she is, Entrapta kisses her face multiple times as she says goodbye. Hordak pats her head before joining his lab partner.

“So,” Tristan begins, dabbing his mouth. “What are we up to today?”

Odessa turns to him, “I was thinking we might begin preparing for our next trip.”

Hydrangea sips her tea, “Our next trip will be when, do you think?”

“Preferably, sooner than later, and I am going to begin preparations in the coming days,” Odessa explains. “The next trip is going to be significantly longer, even with using portals.”

“How long do you expect?” Tristan asks.

“It might be more than a year,” Odessa answers.

“Oh!” Hydrangea says, setting down her cup. “More than a year… Where are we going?”

“I’d been thinking about it since we left the flagship,” Odessa says. “I think it would be provident to visit my uncles on Inicos. If no one on Etheria knows, maybe I have relatives that can give me better answers there.”

Tristan and Hydrangea glance at each other, both wondering what it would take to prepare it all.

“I understand it’s a lot,” Odessa tells them, aware that they’re unsure. “There’s no rush, since it will take a little time to prepare. I will inform you before we launch. Take your time to figure it out!”

Hydrangea smiles at her, “Alright, that’s good. It might take my parents a little convincing.”

“And you, Tris?”

“I’m sure I can figure something out with my folks,” Tristan replies.

“Excellent. I have a little bit to do around here for a couple hours, but I’ll meet up with you both later today.”

“That’s fine, I got stuff to do too,” Tristan stands, stretching out his arms.

Hydrangea claps her hands together, “I’ll see you guys later!”

Tristan doesn’t go home.

He swims through the ocean for several hours, thinking. Enveloped in the comfort of water, Tristan swims further down into the water, the light dissipating as he descends. Tristan looks to his side, shadows moving in the liquid black. He reaches out, skimming the surface of smooth skin. The aquatic behemoth lets out a sound of greeting, its voice thrumming through the water.

Swimming deeper, the pressure intensifying, darkness consuming his sight. He senses the scales of another animal, and it swims beside him for a while, enjoying his company. He loves to come down here. Communicate with all the oddities beneath the ocean, gliding along its floors, descending into greater trenches.

Despite what people think, the bottom of the ocean isn’t silent. There’s a cacophony of sound here, all varied in tone, pitch, and layered.

His mother never went beyond where dolphins ranged. Her demeanor, his father had told him, has remained exactly the same since they were young adults. But she has a penchant for cuter creatures, spending her time with more mammalian ocean-life.

His interest in creatures from dark depths was something she had no qualm telling him wasn’t to her taste. The first time he told her he would like to go out and swim into less shallow ends, she looked at him like he was bluffing. Like what he was telling her was a mere joke. At his insistence, she gave in, with much reluctance.

They swam toward the black, but never entered past where the dim sunlight ended. She told him it was an uninteresting place down there, and was rather disgusting. Made it obvious that she thought his choice was inferior to her own.

Tristan didn’t ask her to accompany him after that. He would only tell her he was going out, until it got to the day he knew it didn’t matter if he informed her of his whereabouts or not. She occupied her time and he was expected to do the same.

Being in this unfathomable space, he found a sense of peace. There was so much life here, unseen and unwanted by all above the surface.

He isn’t sure if anyone in his family had this desire for the darkness of the ocean, but he knows that he takes after his grandfather. Where once, Tristan shared the similar dolphin tail to swim, the more time he spent on his own, exploring, sensing, he found his own identity. His fin elongated, skin becoming sharp. No longer as agile or fast, but powerful all the same.

He pushes onward, tail propelling him downward still. Lost in thought and the feeling of not knowing where to go, but believing that if he keeps moving, he’ll eventually reach somewhere.

“I don’t like it,” Perfuma objects, arms crossed.

Hydrangea bites back a sigh, “Mom, it won’t be forever.”

“I think she’ll be able to handle herself,” Scorpia says.

“But for more than a year—”

Hydrangea sets down her teacup, “Mom, I know you’re worried about what will happen, but I would be among friends. And we would use a portal to help speed up the trip.”

Perfuma frowns, looking down at the table.

Scorpia turns to her daughter, “Hydrangea, hon, where is it you’re going again?”

“Inicos,” she explains again. “That planet where a majority of her uncles went to.”

Scorpia turns to her wife, “See, that’s good! That’s a planet where she’ll be more than okay.”

Perfuma rubs her temples. The idea of Hydrangea being gone for that long isn’t one that is sitting well with her. She would prefer if she remained in place. A child needs roots; what good would it do her to be away from home for that long? And there’s the fact it’s Odessa. There is no chance that this will be a one time thing. Hydrangea has been her friend for years; Odessa is too much like her mother—fixated on her goals.

“Mom, I don’t see any reason why you should be against this,” Hydrangea tells her.

Perfuma rises from her seat, “I’m going to bed. I will think about this.”

Hydrangea watches her mother go, knowing better than to continue her argument.

Scorpia sighs, “I’ll see if I can talk to her about it later.”

“Okay. There’s time left, but I would prefer to know sooner than later. You know how Odessa can be,” she replies, smiling.

Scorpia nods, sipping from her mug. There’s no reason for Perfuma to reject the notion, and with little base to go on. She knows Perfuma means well. She always does.

Once she encourages Hydrangea to retire for the evening as well, Scorpia leans against her bedroom door; she stares at Perfuma, brushing long yellow hair. Approaching her, Scorpia leans down to kiss the top of her head.

“I’m not wrong to be worried,” Perfuma says.

“I know.”

“I just…” Perfuma trails off, gently setting down her brush. “Hydrangea is growing up so fast, and I would prefer that she spend her time here, with her family.”

“I know it can be difficult. But when I was her age, I was getting ready to go out into the world.”

“Not for good reasons,” Perfuma says.

“The reasons aren’t really the point,” Scorpia says, holding up flaxen locks in a claw. She tried brushing Perfuma’s hair, once; she clipped right through it, and, horrified, she refrained from touching her for a good while. With practice, she can do it now, but only because she forced herself to try again. Even now, though, she feels… out of place. Bizarre and incongruous. She doesn’t want Hydrangea to lose her connections. To feel alone, and not know who she is. “The point is to let her discover what she wants out of her life.”

Perfuma reaches behind her, trailing her fingers along Scorpia’s jaw, “I know…”

“Give it some thought, at the very least,” Scorpia tells her.

Glancing down, Perfuma meets her wife’s eyes in the mirror, “I will see how I feel.”

The brain floats in its case. Undisturbed.

Odessa furrows her brows, wondering what she should do. Should she inform her father of her true intentions, or should she wait until she finds something of value to offer him? To show that it’s worth the effort?

She has deliberated over it for a while. She doesn’t want to exclude her father from the potential discoveries that await within the stars. But Prime…

He’s beyond a sore subject for Hordak. Her father is confident, proud, and immovable. But when Prime is delved into, either on a shallow or intimate level, he becomes sullen and distant. Similar to how he used to be, according to her mother. It normally takes Entrapta to bring him out of whatever reverie decides to perturb his thoughts.

Is it really a good idea to bring it up?

Odessa is not the sort to believe her father is weak. To the contrary, she has the highest respect and adoration for Hordak. And that’s partly why she hesitates to confide in him her plans.

He will eventually find out, though. He might not be good at picking up lies, but he is suspicious by nature.

Folding her arms, Odessa sits back in her chair, allowing the front legs to hover in the air. If she kept it a secret, he wouldn’t like it, but he may understand her reasoning if she explained why.

Ethical dilemmas are the worst.

“Odessaaaaa!”

“Hey, Mom,” she says, looking up at the ceiling.

“So, I was wondering what to prepare for your journey, and your father suggested that we give you a mini portal,” Entrapta says, hanging upside down. “The portal to Inicos will save you some time getting there, but if you want to send us something of value ahead of your arrivals, a mini portal might help!”

“Oh, that’s a good point!” Odessa says, feeling uncomfortable. “I’ll thank Dad for the idea later…”

Entrapta brushes Odessa’s cheek with a lock of her hair, “What’s wrong? Do you feel bad?”

“A little,” Odessa admits. “I don’t like not telling Dad anything, and, perhaps, I’m being unfair to you too—for having you keep it under wraps right now.”

Entrapta sits on her hair, “It’s not too late to be honest with him. Your father can handle more than we give credit for.”

“I know he can, but he has reservations about anything involving Prime,” Odessa says, shifting the chair back and forth. “He didn’t object to going to the flagship, but everything that comes after might not be to his liking.”

Entrapta places her hands on her cheeks, leaning forward, “Maybe we can try again to hint at it?”

“Dad’s too smart,” she says, setting the chair legs back on the ground and mimicking Entrapta’s position.

Entrapta and Odessa sit in silence for a few moments, each wondering about the best course of action.

“I still feel we should tell him,” Entrapta says.

“I do too, but I don’t want to risk Dad getting upset.”

“Then… I won’t say anything until you do.”

“Thanks,” Odessa replies, staring at the brain in the jar.

She doesn’t know why she hesitates so much when it comes to this. But she has inkling he might not approve. That isn’t a potential circumstance she wants tainting this trip—that he might not give his full support if he knew that this whole thing was to find out their origins.

Tristan lays in his room, staring up at the ceiling. Music plays in his ears, low and smooth in its lull. He can hear the faint sound of seagulls beyond his window, which gives him a growing sense of calm.

A knock on the door disturbs that calm. Annoyed, he says, “Yes?”

Mermista enters the bedroom, walking in. She inspects the room for a moment before addressing her son, “Are you busy?”

“No,” he answers, continuing to look at the ceiling.

“Good,” she tells him, folding her arms. “Because you’re needed downstairs to discuss matters in Salineas.”

Tristan groans, “I don’t know why I need to be down there.”

Mermista raises a brow, “You’re the prince, that’s why.”

He waves a hand in the air, “Still don’t see why I should.”

“Because I say so, how’s that for a reason?” Mermista declares, turning on her heel. “Hurry up, we can’t keep members waiting.”

He doesn’t move, wanting to drown out everything.

“Tristan, I said now!” she snaps from outside the door.

At the command, he throws his arms in exasperation, getting to his feet in a huff, “Fine!”

Walking quickly through marbled walls, Mermista shakes her head at him, “It wouldn’t kill you to be more involved with your kingdom.”

Tristan rolls his eyes.

“Don’t give me an attitude,” Mermista chastises. Another shake of her head, and she pauses mid-step to reach for his hair. “You don’t look the least bit presentable!”

“You told me to get going right now, you can’t get upset about that!”

“You should’ve been getting ready a while ago,” Mermista says, continuing to—very poorly—comb through his locks.

He steps backward, waving an arm, “I’m not a child, stop touching my hair!”

“If you didn’t look like crap, I wouldn’t need to,” Mermista says.

Tristan flushes in embarrassment and anger, “I never look like crap.”

“Right now you do,” Mermista insists. “Straighten your back.”

“It’d be a lot easier to do that if you got off my back,” Tristan snaps.

Mermista turns to narrow her eyes at him. She lets out a groan, “You know what, go back to your room. If you’re going to be immature, I’d prefer you not be there.”

With that, she continues walking without him.

Tristan stands there, miffed. Another waste of time! What does she even want? Whirling, he stomps back to his room.

This whole place is fucking stupid.

Hydrangea approaches Perfuma in the garden. Her mother seems to be in a good mood, “Hey, Mom.”

Perfuma turns, smiling, “Hello, dear! Would you hand me that water container please?”

Doing so, Hydrangea decides to mosey through the pathway. She lifts her hand over a row of violets, brushing their petals lightly with her fingertips. They respond to her touch, swaying gently beneath her palm.

“Is there something that you wanted, sweetheart?”

Hydrangea doesn’t look at her, listening to the flowers hum quietly, “I was wondering if we could discuss the trip.”

“Oh? I thought we dropped the matter,” Perfuma replies, tone nonchalant.

“No, Mom, you did,” Hydrangea says, voice equally collected.

Perfuma walks over to another section, pouring water into the soil, “There’s no reason to give an attitude, my young blossom.”

“Mom, no one is giving an attitude to you,” Hydrangea says, turning to her. “You’re the one who’s been avoidant about the issue since I mentioned it. Don’t you think you should hear me out?”

Perfuma sighs. Setting down the water pitcher, she places a hand on her cheek, “Alright… what is it?”

“All I’m asking is to go on an expedition for a while. I don’t think it’s that large of a request.”

“I believe you’re forgetting that you are a princess; you can’t go wandering the galaxy whenever you please—you have responsibilities here to your people!”

“I don’t understand your resistance. You’re always telling me that the best way to understand others is by putting yourself in their position.”

“You don’t have to travel around to do that,” Perfuma scoffs. “You can learn everything possible right here on Etheria.”

“Mom.”

“You aren’t ready to go out and be away from home for so long.”

“Traveling the galaxy is infinitely more safe than fighting a war, yet you did the latter around my age.”

Perfuma sighs, irritated, “You are being too argumentative.”

“I’m not being argumentative,” Hydrangea says, keeping her voice even, despite her own growing sense of frustration. “I’m trying to explain to you why this isn’t as bad as you make it out to be. This could be a really good experience for me!”

Perfuma shakes her head, “You are asking for too much at your age. You should be concentrating on your duties here on Plumeria, as well as your studies.”

“I haven’t slacked at all when it comes to my princess responsibilities. My studies are just fine, not to mention that if I travel around, I can learn about plants from other planets.”

Perfuma clasps her fingers together, taking a deep breath. Count to ten…

Hydrangea waits, knowing not to interrupt.

“I’m going to be frank with you, Hydrangea. I don’t like the idea of you traveling without proper support.”

“I’m not without support—Tristan should be coming too, and Odessa is capable. We’re going to be communicating with her parents, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“They’re not going with you?!”

Crap… “No?”

“That’s even more reason to not let you!”

Her patience wears a little thin, though Hydrangea keeps her temper levelled, “Mom, this isn’t a scary trip that is going to harm me. We’re going to a planet that has lots of Odessa’s relatives, we have a portal to go back to in case we want to arrive sooner, and we’re always well-stocked on supplies.”

Perfuma inhales through her nose, exhales through her mouth. She can’t help but be nervous about the idea of her baby girl going through the universe with absolutely no parental guidance whatsoever. She might not be a young child, but she has a lot to learn. Scorpia thinks she is being too restrictive, even though she doesn’t believe so. She didn’t have her parents during formative years, and she would’ve wanted to have direction when she was around Hydrangea’s age.

But she knows that Hydrangea is determined to help Odessa in any way possible.

Perfuma walks over to her daughter, patting her shoulder. She stares directly at her face, solemn. Hydrangea stares at her, expectant. Sighing, Perfuma gives a small smile, “Very well. I feel this is against my better judgment, but you are free to go.”

Hydrangea breaks into a beaming grin, “Really?! Thanks, Mom!”

“I want you to let me know what’s going on every day, okay?”

“Mom, I can’t do that, I’ll be busy. Once a month?”

“Weekly.”

“Biweekly.”

“I guess that will do...” Perfuma gives in. She can’t help but hug her close when Hydrangea embraces her tightly in her arms.

Hydrangea couldn’t believe her luck—she was actually given permission to go! This is going to be awesome!

“You want to do what now?” Mermista asks.

“I want to go with Odessa and Hydrangea on a space trip.”

“No.”

“Why?” Tristan asks.

“I say so.”

Leaning his cheek against his palm, Tristan scowls, glaring at the fruit spread along the table.

Mermista doesn’t look up from her food, “If you continue to frown like that, you’re going to get wrinkles faster.”

Tristan bites back a retort, knowing there’s no point arguing.

“I don’t understand why you even want to go space travel. There’s nothing out there that’s important to us Salineans.”

Tristan rises from his chair, “Fine. I get it.”

Mermista watches him go. He’s been more insistent on being away from home the last several years; he didn’t spend much time here for about a decade or so, choosing to go frolic with his friends nearly every day, and it was more so when Odessa would return from her trips. Mermista is not quite sure if this is something that all teenagers go through, or just her son in particular.

She spent much of her time in Salineas, occasionally visiting her friends from other parts of Etheria. But Tristan is the opposite of that.

Sighing, she doesn’t bother to call him back, listening to the faint echo of his footfalls past the doors. If he wants to be a brat someplace else, that’s his issue.

Tristan strides through the hallway in a huff, discontent written across his face. Never breaking his pace, Tristan heads outside, where the once calm surface churned and frothed as a raging sea. Diving straight into the waves, his tail morphs the moment his skin makes contact with cold water. The weather was unexpected, but that’s fine—he loved storms.

Racing through the darkening ocean, Tristan swims northwest. He doesn’t think of anything—simply revels in the sensation of darting through water. Eventually, the seas revert to a quiet demeanor. Approaching nearby docks, Tristan catches the sounds of roughhousing and glass breaking. Changing from tail to legs, Tristan moves his arms in a simple motion, wrapping water around the lower half of his body, he lifts himself onto the pier.

Walking toward the tavern, Tristan enters the establishment. Without another thought, he slides to the right, avoiding a body that got flung in his direction. Not looking down at the unfortunate patron, Tristan heads to the center of the room, glancing around.

“Alright, men! What do you say we go set a couple boats on fire!”

Tristan turns in the direction of the voice, accompanied shortly after by exasperated groans and complaints.

“Well, don’t everybody jump up at once,” Seahawk complains.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll come around when they’re not hungover,” Tristan says.

Seahawk looks up, grinning from ear to ear, “Tristan, my boy!”

“Hey, Dad,” he replies.

“Pull up a seat, son! Barkeep, a drink for the young man!”

Tristan watches one of his father’s friends fall onto the floor, passed out. Taking the chair for himself, he says, “You seem to be in a good mood.”

Seahawk twirls his moustache, “Ho ho ho, my boy, you’ll be pleased to know that I have an expedition coming up! A crew and I are supposed to go south and find a coveted treasure that hasn’t been seen for hundreds of years!”

“Oh yeah? What’s it called?”

Seahawk hums to himself, then waves his hand, “I can’t remember right now. But it’s bound to be a glorious trek across the grand blue that is the sea!”

The bartender places a drink in front of Tristan, who nods his thanks before taking a generous gulp. Tristan sets the mug down, “That’s great! It’s been awhile since you’ve done anything like that.”

“Indeed, my boy. And what about you? Have you been answering the wild call?”

Tristan traces the side of his mug, “Odessa does have an expedition coming up that would be fun.”

“Ah, sweet Odessa! That girl is always ready to explore. Hydrangea is going too, I presume?”

“Yeah, I don’t doubt that.”

“From the sound of it, you’re unsure about your place in this. Why don’t you go too?”

Tristan rolls his eyes, “You know how Mom can get.”

“My dear Mermista does tend to be unyielding,” Seahawk says, then shrugs. “Your mother doesn’t have to get upset about what she doesn’t know.”

Tristan smirks, “Dad, are you giving me permission to go?”

“No, but I’m not denying you the call to adventure, either!”

Shaking his head, Tristan takes another swig of beer. He slams it down on the table, much to his father’s delight. Seahawk shouts, “Barkeep, more of your finest alcohol, please!”

Tristan smiles to himself, relaxing in the midst of chaos. He might even sing a shanty with his dad for the shits and giggles of it.

Hordak has noticed a change in Odessa’s demeanor, however slight.

He didn’t think much of it, at first. She has been preoccupied with her upcoming mission, but she’s been working near non-stop since she returned from Prime’s flagship. Not wanting to pry into her affairs, Hordak believed it would be best to let her do as she pleases.

And it’s not that she’s pulling away from him. On the contrary, she’s always been an affectionate child with him and Entrapta. She’s, in essence, a good kid. But that’s the thing about good kids—they’re not total experts at covering up what they don’t want you to see.

Hordak comes up to Odessa, tinkering away with one of her personal tech projects. He leans slightly forward, “If you turn that bolt to the left, you should be able to get the polarity to work.”

Odessa, mutely, does so. At the sound of it working, she smiles at him, “Thanks, Dad!”

Smiling in turn, he pulls up a chair and sits beside her. He reaches for a wrench, and tightens a loose bolt, “You’ve been deep in thought as of late, Odessa. Are you excited for the expedition?”

“Yes! It’s going to be exciting,” she replies. She takes the wrench from her father with a lock of hair. “I haven’t heard from Tristan yet on whether he can come, but Hydrangea informed me her mothers are allowing her to go.”

Hordak gives a quiet nod. They enter the state of routine: Odessa works, and he watches. She asks for tools and he hands them to her. Their roles reversed from when she was a child. In addition, he gives her suggestions about what to do next and she’ll do it, or make notes for future projects. Hordak glances at Odessa. Not wanting to disturb the silence, but she breaks it first.

“What is it?” Odessa asks.

“Traveling to Inicos will take a fair amount of time,” Hordak begins. “Even with a portal taking you a part of the way, you will be absent for a while.”

Odessa giggles, looking up at him, “Aw, are you going to miss me, Dad?”

“Of course,” Hordak says, sincere. He turns to her, eyeing her movements. “You are my daughter. I want you to be safe on this mission. You’ve been gone before, but this is different…”

“It’s not too different,” Odessa replies, eyes centralized on her work. “I’ve been on trips before.”

Hordak inhales deeply, then exhales. “I know.” But there’s an aspect to this venture that is niggling the back of his mind. “You have a… passion for this journey that is dissimilar to the ones prior.”

Odessa’s hair moves around the table, skimming over the tools, “I guess I do.”

“Odessa.”

She looks up, meeting her father’s eyes.

“You would tell me about your goals, wouldn’t you?”

Odessa’s eyes flit over Hordak’s face, his expression earnest, open. “Yeah, Dad. I would.”

At his smile, Odessa stands up, “I’m going to get a snack. Do you want anything?”

“No, thank you. I’ll wait for you to return.”

“Okay,” Odessa tells him, walking out of the room.

Hordak’s smile fades, unable to shake that niggling sensation.

“Launch day!” Entrapta yells. “Are you excited, my little cupcake?”

“I’m born to be excited!” Odessa shouts.

The two look at each other, shaking their hands and screaming in anticipation. Emily spins in a circle, letting out a long beep, as Imp yells in his natural voice.

Hordak stands with his arms folded, chuckling.

Entrapta kicks her legs in the air, cackling at the top of her lungs, “This is an absolute thrill, and I’m not even going! Ooooh, my baby is going away for a while! Ah, I’ll miss seeing that cute widdle face every day!” For added emphasis, she squishes Odessa’s cheeks together, kissing her nose.

Odessa doesn’t pull away, a light blush on her cheeks, “I know, Mom. I’m gonna miss you too.”

Withdrawing, Entrapta goes into scientist-mode, “Now, remember: your uncles will be there to greet you and answer any questions you may have. By the time you arrive in Inicos, they should have a portal functioning again, so they can send you back to Etheria directly. Make sure to contact them when you are nearby.”

Odessa nods, shaking in place. Her heart always beats faster when she’s about to head out into space. She hasn’t been to Inicos in a long time, that it’ll practically be new. She has so much to look forward to! She hopes this won’t be a dead end before her true exploration begins.

She looks to her left, waving, “Gea! You’re here!”

Hydrangea walks up, Scorpia at her side, “Hey!”

Entrapta scuttles over to Scorpia, the two going for a large hug. Scorpia picks up Hordak, and he shakes his head in resignation, despite the smirk on his face.

“Must you?” he asks.

“Every time, Lord Hordak!” Scorpia teases.

“Scorpia,” he threatens.

“Whoa, haven’t heard that tone for years!” Scorpia says, setting him down. “Brings back memories.”

“I know,” Entrapta says in a softer tone, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

Hordak blushes, clearing his throat.

Hydrangea glances around the hanger, “Where’s Tristan?”

Odessa shrugs, “I’m not sure. I haven’t heard from him in a while.”

“He’ll be here soon, I think,” Hydrangea replies.

Odessa isn’t sure. She’s been holding out on his reply for weeks. Well, it’s not that she isn’t sure about his intentions; it’s his parents she isn’t certain of, and even then it’s just the one.

Hydrangea touches her shoulder, “I’m going to get my things inside the ship. Relay the plan to me when I get back.”

“Alright,” Odessa says. Arms folded, she taps her fingers quickly against her skin.

The hours pass and Odessa sets the final cargo in Celeste’s compartments. Sighing, growing frustrated and upset, she continues moving about the ship.

Hydrangea stares out at the front, equally worried.

Entrapta walks up to Odessa, “Has he arrived yet?”

“No.”

“I have everything set up for you in the cockpit,” Entrapta says, sitting on her hair.

“Thanks, Mom.”

Entrapta pats her back, “You still have an hour before you head out.”

“I know.”

Hydrangea suddenly yells, “Tristan! There you are!”

Odessa looks up, screaming at him, “You son of a bitch, where’ve you been?!”

Tristan runs up to them, an apologetic grin on his face, “Packing!”

Hydrangea holds a hand to her chest, “Thank goodness, we were beginning to worry.”

“If you missed out on this trip, I was going to be pissed at you forever,” Odessa tells him.

Tristan laughs, placing his luggage in the ship, “Well, you can love me more now.”

Odessa rolls her eyes, despite the smirk on her face.

Soon enough, they’re heading inside the spaceship. Entrapta is squealing in joy, kissing Odessa’s face. Scorpia hugs Hydrangea tightly, and pulls Tristan in for good measure.

“Have fun! Keep me updated on all the cool stuff you find!” Entrapta says.

“You got it, Mom!” Odessa replies, giving a salute.

Hordak comes up to her, patting the top of her hair, “Take care, Odessa.”

She pushes the top of her head into his palm, “I will. You know me, I can handle anything.”

He smiles down at her, “I know you can. But…”

“But?” she repeats, eyes bright and alert.

“Nothing,” he replies. He draws his arms behind his back, “I wish you safe travels.”

Odessa beams at her parents, kissing both of them on the cheek. She runs into Celeste, and waves at her family as the ramp closes, “I’ll see you all soon!”

Hydrangea and Tristan are already in the cockpit, awaiting her instructions.

“You guys ready?”

“Ready!” they crow together.

“Let’s go!”

Celeste rises into the air, and once it breaks the atmosphere, it gives a jolt of energy and light.

Scorpia wipes her eyes, “Ah, I forget they’re not little anymore.”

Entrapta pats her shoulder, “We made food, do you want to join us?”

“That’d be nice,” Scorpia says.

Entrapta turns to Hordak, “You coming?”

“In a moment,” Hordak replies, staring up at the sky.

Smiling, she pushes up from the ground on her pigtails, placing a soft kiss on his lips, “She’ll be okay.”

Hordak’s gaze scans the stars. Wondering if he should’ve been more forthright with his thoughts. He supposes he can talk to her at a later point…

Observing the sky, he waits until it darkens before heading inside.

#entrapdak #entrapta #hordak #odessa #entrapdak fankid #shera #spop

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mortviolette · 4 years

Text

Catra The Historian

Based on the characters developed for TV by Noelle Stevenson and owned by DreamWorks

Concept originally by sunnylildragun on tumblr

Written by MortViolette

Prologue

It has been 6 months sense the defeat of Horde Prime and all Etheria is well on its way to recovery. The Fright Zone now known as New Sorpion is ruled by Scorpia, who along with Perfuma helped the former Horde soldiers and clones settle into a more positive and healthy life. Entrapta had taken Hordak back to Dryl, promising to keep a close eye on him. The two learning from and experimenting with the remaining Horde tech. Glimmer had remained Queen but had appointed Micah as her advisor. Meaning he ran the daily operations whilst she kept the official title. Adora had insisted Catra move into her room immediately after arriving at Bright Moon. Adora still planned to go off into space eventually but she was first and foremost Etheria’s protector and knew she and the best friend squad needed to postpone their plans for at least a year or two. Bow had been busy assisting Glimmer and had not visited his dads in a while. Once things calm down the BFS decide to join Bow in visiting Lance and George at their recently repaired home in the whispering woods.

Chapter 1

As they enter Bow’s parents are quick to greet everyone. Lance holding a tray of snacks with an excited look in his eyes. Catra stands a bit behind Adora. She has gotten used to meeting new people at this point, but its still strange. Her mismatched eyes wondering around her surroundings. Its more books and artifacts than Catra had ever seen. The Horde was selective with its teaching of history. The bullet points primarily consisting of Hordak rules and princesses suck. Beyond that the former Horde soldiers knew extraordinarily little about Etheria and its vastly complicated backstory. A loud voice startles Catra a bit as her fur stands up. Lance having snapped her out of her thoughts. “And you must be Catra correct?” The man smiles, greeting the visitor. It is definitely Bows dad; she thinks. Attempting to reply. “I see where Bow gets his sunny disposition” She says with a playful level of snark. Both Lance and George Laugh. Lance especially finding it amusing. “Bow wasn’t kidding, you are as sharp as you are cute” He smiles warmly. Catra looking at him then at Bow with a death glare. “Stop telling people I’m cute!” She shouts, her tail shooting straight up as Adora and Glimmer join in on the laughter. She cannot help but smile a little at the sight of Adora laughing a slight blush forming on her cheeks. George cuts in threw the laughter. He has a more serious tone than Lance. A familiar commanding presence to it that Catra finds oddly comforting. Reminding her of old force captains she grew up around. “Well any friend of Bows is a part of this family. Whether they like the attention or not” He gives Catra a wink. Then gestures for everyone to follow as Lance chimes in cheerfully. “Lets all enjoy some snacks! I’m sure you’re all hungry from your trip, plus we have so many new discoveries to tell you about! Oh, and Bow, you must tell us more about what you and Glimmer have been up to lately.” He smirks. Bow blushes looking at him embarrassed. “Lance!” Catra cannot help but giggle seeing him flustered for once. Enjoying the irony.

After about an hour of conversation on their couches. Catra stands up, stretching a little. She decides to explore the house for awhile while. Only Adora notices, the rest very distracted by their current conversation. Adora stops her, grabbing her hand gently but firmly. “Is everything ok?” She sounded so caring. Catra could never get used to having so many people worry about her. She nods, thinking before speaking. “I just wanna look around. This place seems-I don’t know, neat” She mumbles over her words. Adora smiles wide, that stupid, dorky, lovable smile. Catra hadn’t shown much interest in anything outside of fighting and winning. When they had become comfortable at Bright Moon the BFS had tried to get Catra some hobbies, interests to keep her mind occupied. Perfuma having said it would help her adjust to her new normal and being bored and sitting around the room 24/7 wasn’t exactly great for her mental health. But nothing seemed to interest her. So Adora cannot help but be encouraging about this sudden interest. “OK, whatever you want babe” Catra sticks out her tongue to dodge the embarrassment her girlfriend is putting her threw. “Ok weirdo” She heads to the second floor for a bit of privacy. Looking at the seemingly endless rows of books. Its almost a bit intimidating. She looks curiously around, grabbing a few books and flipping threw them. She squints her eyes to focus, a habit she picked up from the few times she’s had to read during her time in the Horde. Its difficult but she manages to read a few random chapters and get the gist of it. But she feels a prominent headache forming from the effort. She sighs, starting to put the books back looking a bit frustrated. When she suddenly hears the familiar voice of Lance. “Have an interest in history Catra?” She looks a bit startled, calming her fur as she looks at him. “No, just bored of y- “She stops herself, taking a breath as Perfuma’s words of kindness and speaking your truth repeat in her head. She speaks again more calmly. “Maybe a little. We never learned about it in the Horde.” Lance looks on the verge of tears, causing Catra to look concerned, worried she did something. His tone is devastated. “You never learned history?! What a terrible thing! History is a wonderful world of stories and discovery. We have dedicated our life to it. A life devoid of a knowledge of history is simply something a cannot allow.” Before Catra knows it, several books are being placed in her hand. Nearly causing her to fall over. “Now this is just the basics to get you started, brief history of Etheria volumes one threw ten! But if you ever decide you want to learn more our home is always open to a fellow lover of history!” He smiles warmly at her, a warmth to him that Catra has never seen in a parental figure. She doesn’t have the heart to tell him about her difficulty reading and simply nods and attempts a smile. “Thank you, um you’re really nice” The two of them head back down the stairs. Catra gets a thumbs up from Adora, the rest of them surprised at the pile of books their friend is now carrying. After awhile they all head home, Adora insisting on carrying the books for Catra. Although she doesn’t mind watching the show of strength. Enjoying the walk home, Catra having refused to be teleported home.

Chapter 2

It was time for the meeting of the princess alliance, a weekly event that primarily consisted of pleasantries, followed by import information and closing in hours of upbeat conversation and genuine friendship. During the tail end of this particular meeting, Adora finds herself uncharacteristically alone in her chair. Catra had gotten in the habit of either sitting on the arm of her chair or more often than not sitting directly on Adora’s lap. Refusing to be away from her and occasionally chiming in with useful advice or ideas (She had been a Horde general for some time) which were often appreciated when they didn’t involve too high a dose of snark. But today Catra had decided not to attend, claiming she was going to read the books Lance had given her. Ever the supportive girlfriend Adora did not fight her on the idea. Despite knowing she would miss her presence, more worried about the feline being alone then her own feelings. Adora takes her mind of it by chatting with everyone. However, Adora was not the only one to notice the absence. Scorpia who was rarely hesitant to speak up, looked to Adora asking curiously. “Hey Adora, why isn’t Catra with you?” She says in an upbeat but equally concerned voice. Glimmer speaks up “Ya she’s never not attended a meeting. Did something happen?” Adora watches as the whole room turns their attention to her. She speaks confidently but slightly nervous at the attention. “She’s uh, reading” Scorpia looks shocked, mouth agape as she starts to lough a bit. No malice in it, simply finding playful humor in the idea. “Catra? Is reading? She never reads, even when she had to do paperwork for the Horde, she just had me or somebody else do it. Wow times change” She smiles looking pleased at the idea. Entrapta takes the opportunity to speak up, speaking quickly and excitedly as usual. “Come to think of it, I had noticed Catra would never read the blueprints or data I collected. I always assumed she just didn’t care about the way I did my research simply that it yielded results. But maybe there was more going on!” She says excitedly as if Catra is a fun science experiment. Glimmer who had been listening to the two of them intently turns to Adora. Speaking curiously but with a hint of concern. “Well Adora. You’ve known her longer than anybody. Can Catra read?” Adora takes a minute to think, her forehead creasing as she summons every memory of Catra she can. After a few moments she speaks, almost shocked. “Honestly, I can’t remember a time I saw her read. I guess I never thought about it” She rubs her neck, embarrassed that she might not have known an important detail about her childhood friend turned girlfriend. Glimmer speaks up, grabbing Bow, Adora, Scorpia and Entrapta. “OK, then let’s settle this!” Poof, pink sparkles of magic surround them and they are suddenly right outside Adora and Catra’s shared room. Entrapta attempts to rush in but Bow stops her, whispering. “Wait, let Adora check first” Entrapta lets out a restrained sigh as Adora leans the door open ever so slightly, trying so hard not to alert her girlfriend. With one eye Adora can see Melog, sitting at the foot of the bed, then she looks to the bed seeing books strewn about. Then seeing Catra who is sitting cross legged, holding a book right in front of her face and squinting. Annoyed sounds coming from inside. Suddenly, the doors swing open behind Adora, Glimmer striding passed her as she walks to Catra, who has jolted off the bed, fur standing up as she hides behind it hissing. “What the hell Sparkles?!” Glimmer ignores her reaction and speaks firmly. “Catra do you not know how to read?” Catra, who is still looking up from behind the bed grumbles at Glimmer, seeing the others following behind her. “Of course, I can read! How dumb do you think I am?!” Adora looks concerned at Catra, not intending to ambush her like this, but willing to go along with it if they get to the bottom of the issue. “Catra please, its us. Nobody is going to judge you.” Adora says as calmly and comforting as she can. Catra just ducks behind the bed, hissing again.

Entrapta walks over and grabs her from the bed, Catra hissing and struggling a little as she is bound. Meanwhile Glimmer grabs one of the books off the bed and opens it, putting it in Catra’s face. “Then prove it. Read one sentence from this book and we leave you alone.” Catra grumbles, looking grumpy as she says annoyed. “Fine!” She looks at the book squinting her eyes as she leans her head closer. “The Etherian P-princesses have b-been in, in- ugh that’s enough see I can read now let go!” Entrapta turns around adjusting her grip as she pulls down her goggles, examining Catra’s eyes. “Fascinating! It seems that along with heterochromia you seem to suffer from an undiagnosed problem with your vison” Catra yells angrily. “English please!” Glimmer puts down the book, looking at Catra sternly but caringly. “It means you need glasses Catra.” Entrapta lets Catra go but before she can get her bearings Scorpia rushes in grabbing her in a big hug. “Oh, you poor thing! To think you’ve been unable to read all this time and we never knew” Catra has a look of murder on her face but takes a deep breath. Channeling all her self-control as she speaks calmly “Scorpia, would you please put me down?” Scorpia quickly lets her go. “Right! Personal space” Glimmer gestures for everyone except Adora to leave, giving her a warm look before closing the door behind her. Catra sits on the bed, looking at the floor. Adora walks over, sitting down and wrapping an arm around her, gently rubbing her arm. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Catra looks away, then sighs before muttering quietly. “Because I was embarrassed” Adora just smiles, placing her other hand on Catra’s cheek as she lifts her head to face her own. “You don’t need to be embarrassed Catra. We aren’t in the Horde anymore; you don’t have to hide weakness. Its ok to need something.” She softly caresses her cheek, tears starting to form around her mismatched eyes. She speaks in a slightly broken voice, filled with sadness. “I just hid it for so long and eventually I just didn’t think I could tell anyone. I, I was afraid you would be mad at me for keeping it from you” Adora’s heart breaks hearing her say that. The thought of her girlfriend ever thinking she could be mad at her over such a thing tearing at her. Adora wipes some of Catra’s tears away and pulls her close tell their foreheads are touching. She speaks softly but firmly. “Catra I will never be mad at you for needing something. Yes, I’m upset you didn’t tell me. But I’m more worried that you would rather hide this from me then come clean. You need to tell me things and damnit we are getting you glasses because you clearly want to read those books”, she kisses her forehead, pulling back a bit as she looks at her. Catra takes a second, then speaks up. “I’m sorry I-I wouldn’t keep anything else from you I promise” Adora pulls her into a tight hug, placing her chin on her head, gently rubbing the back of Catra’s head.

About a week later Catra along with the BFS go to get her glasses. After professionals check her eyes to confirm Entrapta’s impromptu diagnosis, they begin the process of picking them out. Glimmer and Bow seem adamant about having her try on a million different ones, much to Catra’s annoyance. Eventually Catra settees on a round pair, claiming to have chosen them at random because she was sick of looking. It wasn’t because Adora said she looked cute in them. Totally not that.

Chapter 3

Over the last few weeks Catra has been diving deep into the books gifted to her. It took her awhile to adjust to the glasses and reading at a good pace. But after a day of reading she was off to the races. In just two weeks she had read each copy twice, filling them with countless sticky notes and highlights, even working up the courage to ask to barrow a few books Bow had with him, quickly finishing them as well. Everyday when Adora comes home Catra can hardly resist the urge to talk about what she has read, a brightness in her eyes and excitement in her voice that makes Adora smile wide every time. She is also crazy smart, Adora comes to realize. She knew the love of her life was clever but like wow, Adora barely understands half the things she talks about but what she does understand is extremely complicated. Catra seems especially interested in old wars and rulers, recounting several chapters on old battles won by wit or leaders overthrown threw clever plotting. When Bow happens to mention one night at dinner that his dads have several detailed books and artifacts on wars and even combat styles and weapons. Catra cannot help but light up and let out a cheerful purr at the idea. Catra is reminded by Bow of Lance’s offer for her to visit sometime, knowing they would love the company. Catra is hesitant to leave Adora’s side for long and she knows Adora is far too busy to visit with her for any long stretch of time. She says she will think about it, choosing to table the idea for now.

A few days later during a meditation session with Perfuma, the princess can tell something is bothering the feline. Her body struggling more than usual to relax. She speaks as she always does, extremely calmly and positively, still in her pose. “What’s troubling you Catra?” Catra groans a bit, it can be annoying how Perfuma always seems to see right threw her. “Its nothing” Perfuma lets out a light chuckle. “If it were nothing you would be able to relax instead of thinking about it. Remember Catra, holding in emotions only hurts you. Breath deeply and speak your truth” Catra sighs, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, then exhaling as she speaks calmly. “I’ve been thinking about leaving for a while. Bow’s dads offered to let me visit and well- “She takes another deep breath, then lets it out. “I can’t decide what to do” Perfuma nods, thinking for a moment. “You want to go, to learn about history. But you’re afraid to leave Adora for so long.” Yet again Perfuma saw right into what she was thinking. Catra opening her eyes and looking at Melog who is currently chasing a nearby butterfly. “We haven’t been away for any longer than 24 hours sense the heart.” Perfuma keeps her eyes closed, nodding at Catra. “It’s a big step for the both of you, to be afraid or nervous about change is perfectly normal Catra. But I know you want this, you yourself have gone on about everything you’ve learned with such joy during our meditation” She giggles, opening her eyes to look at Catra, pulling her attention back to Perfuma. “Your friends will still be here when you return, Adora will still be here when you return. You need to go where your heart leads you. If that means leaving Your love Adora briefly, to explore a love of history. You should take that choice to heart and really ask yourself. Will you regret not doing it?” Catra looks to the floor, the closes her eyes and repeats her breathing exercise a few times. After about a minute she speaks calm with a flare of determination in her voice. “Yes” Perfuma smiles. “Yes what?” Catra responds confidently. “Yes, I will regret not doing it. I-I really want to do it.” Catra feels a hand touch her shoulder, opening her eyes to see Perfuma looking down at her, big smile on her face. “Then you need to talk to Adora” They conclude their session, Perfuma always insisting on hugging Catra before she leaves. She waves and hops on Melog, headed out of Plumeria and back to Bright Moon. Back to Adora, a mix of nerves and excitement at the conversation and events about to come.

The other chapters are still pending. Just wanted to see what everybody thought so far. =3

@sunnylildragun

#spop catra #spop #catradora fanfic #fanfic #she ra catra #catradora #She Ra #she ra glimmer #she ra s5 #she ra bow #adora shera #adora #Catra the historion #perfuma #entrapda #scorpia #post s5 #catra

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kumeko · 4 years

Photo

Title: wreathe me in flowers

A/N: Written for the @adorabowlzine ! I got assigned Bow/Adora/Glimmer. They’re so fluffy and soft together.

…

“Bow…?” Adora asked slowly, squinting at the flower stems in her hand. Clumsily, she tried to weave one through the others—despite her combat skills, this wasn’t as easy as shooting a blaster or flipping over a rampaging robot. “What did you call this again?”

Bow beamed brightly, his own fingers nimbly threading stems together. Sitting cross-legged in the meadow, he had half a wreath in his hands with bright pink and purple flowers arranged in a pretty manner. “Flower crowns. Aren’t they great?”

“Yeah. About that.” Frustrated, Adora dropped her failed attempt on her lap. They’d been in this field for an hour now, collecting flowers and weaving circlets. She picked up one of Bow’s many successes of the day; in the time it took her to make half a crown, he’d made at least three. Spinning the wreath around her finger, she raised a brow. “I don’t think this has anything to do with combat practice.”

“Combat practice?” Glimmer snorted inelegantly, halting work on her own crown. While she’d done more than Adora, it looked worse…way worse. Adora felt a tiny bit of pride in that. “Are we fighting Perfuma next?”

“I hope not.” Adora glanced around the wide, open field they were in. A forest hemmed it on one side, a dirt path on the other. “We’re sitting ducks out here.” She picked up another crown, spinning it on her other hand. “And I think she could choke us with these.”

“We’re not fighting Perfuma.” Bow reached out, snatching back his crowns. Shooting her a frown, he carefully fixed them, shifting back any misplaced flowers. “And I might have lied about the combat practice.”

“Duh!” Glimmer laughed. With a teasing smile, she teleported behind Adora and patted her on the back. “I can’t believe you fell for that. And we’ve been here for so long! Did you just realize it now?”

“Maybe we were learning one of Perfuma’s skills,” Adora grumbled, picking at the petals around her. Gathering a bunch, she tossed them at Glimmer’s face.

Glimmer frowned, spitting a petal out of her mouth. Brushing stray stems out of her hair and face, she glowered at Adora. “It’s a flower crown. I don’t think even Perfuma could make a weapon out of these.”

“You’d be surprised!” Bow grinned, holding up a crown. “Like we could put a metal ring in one or a spy bot or—!”

“Or nothing and let a flower crown be a flower crown.” Rolling her eyes, Glimmer cut him off. She teleported next to him and examined one of his, then hers. “And why are yours so much better than mine? I was the one who taught you how to make these!”

“I practiced a bit?” Bow suggested. When Glimmer didn’t buy it, he bashfully admitted. “A lot. I practiced a lot.”

“Then when Mom complained about her garden…?” Glimmer trailed off, realization dawning on her face.

Bow nodded. “Yeah…don’t tell her about that.” A shudder ran up his spine at the very thought. “At all.”

Resting her chin on her hands, Adora hunched over as she examined the flower crowns, the very ordinary flowers weaved together to make a crown. Since coming to Bright Moon, she had found out many unusual things such as horses, dances, and love. That all her old friends and acquaintances were evil. What a boyfriend is. What a girlfriend is. The strangeness of having both. The joy of having both.

Flower crowns were something entirely new. Picking up the one in her lap again, she looked at Glimmer, then Bow. “Seriously, though. What is the point of this?”

For a moment, they both stared at her, their mouths opening and closing like fish out of water. They always did that when she asked about something that seemed obvious to them. And in five, four, three, two, one—

“Is that your first crown, Adora?” Bow asked, covering his mouth.

—the drama would start.

“A flower crown is…well, a crown,” Glimmer explained unhelpfully, “made of flowers.”

Crawling over to Adora, Bow sat behind her. His legs spread out around hers, and he leaned over to pick up her failed creation. “This isn’t too bad! We just need to bend the stem here, and maybe that one over there, and it’ll be fine.”

“That simple, huh?” Adora bit her cheek, watching as Bow’s nimble fingers carefully corrected her crown. He made it look so easy. “And what do we do with these after?”

Picking up a finished one, Glimmer teleported behind Adora and dropped it on her head. “You put it on like this.”

“Yeah, Sherlock, I kinda knew that part.” Adora looked up dryly at her girlfriend. She tapped the crown on her head with a finger. “It’s a crown. Duh. I mean, do they have any other uses? We’re making a lot of them.”

“We’re just making them cause we can. There are flowers, what else are we gonna do with them?” Glimmer shrugged before teleporting in front of Adora. She stroked her chin. “That looks good on you.”

“Really cute.” Bow nodded enthusiastically, getting up and dashing to Glimmer’s side. He made two “L’s” with his fingers, holding them out as though to frame her between his fingers. “We should take a photo. We’re never going to see this again.”

“Not if you act like this, you won’t.” Adora rolled her eyes. Cute, huh? She considered correcting them—she was more cool than cute—but let it slide. Taking off the crown, she rolled it between her hands and repeated her question. “So, what’s it for?”

“Well, nothing really.” Bow shrugged, holding up her unfinished crown as he sat back down. No, wait, it was finished now. He’d actually fixed it during the entire conversation. The boy was a genius, though Adora wasn’t sure if this was a useful skill. “It’s just something to do for fun.”

“Fun,” Adora repeated, staring at her boyfriend with a mixture of incredulity and disbelief. To be perfectly honest, she should have expected this. Bow never skipped over excitedly for training. She should have realized immediately that something was up. “So this has absolutely no combat purpose.”

“Not at all.” Bow paused, rubbing his chin. “Well, unless we’re trying to out-fab them. In which case, it’s lethal damage.”

“Come on, Adora.” Glimmer teleported back to Adora’s side. Sitting next to her, she rested her head on Adora’s shoulder. Or at least, she tried to. As short as she was, the best she could do was halfway up Adora’s arm. “We’ve been really busy with the war and it’s just been fight after fight after fight.”

“Yep.” Quickly, Bow crawled over to Adora’s free side. For a moment, Adora wondered if Glimmer’s teleportation had somehow rubbed off onto him; he’d moved so fast she was sure she still saw his after image in front of her, still making a flower crown. “We need to rest too! It’s been a while since we’d been on a date.”

“This is a date?” Adora asked, confused. They’d taken her out on dates before, things that usually ended up very touchy-feely with lots of hand holding and sometimes kisses. Which was sometimes a little more attention than Adora was entirely comfortable with, but it was actually pretty nice to have after another failed fight with Catra. “I thought dates were…you know. Kissing. And stuff.”

“A date can be anything!” Bow grinned. He started listing on his fingers excitedly. “Shooting arrows, doing each other’s hair, eating—”

“And this was close to our next mission,” Glimmer added in cheerfully, a small smirk on her face.

Ah, that made more sense. As driven as Adora was, Glimmer was even more so. Bow’s jaw dropped, his mouth opening and closing a few times before finally he took a deep breath. After a few seconds, he slowly released. “Nope, going to ignore that. Either way, this is a break. And a date.” He roughly ran his hands through his hair, pouting. “Why are you both such workaholics?”

“Aww, come on, Bow.” Glimmer tackled him and Adora into a tight hug. They all landed on the ground with a soft oof, Adora and Bow on their backs, Glimmer on top. Lying flat on them, she wrapped an arm around each. “We’re taking a break, aren’t we?”

Adora chuckled, turning her head to look at Bow. “Even though it wasn’t what you promised, it was a fun date. Especially the part where you were chased by that bee.”

“Please forget that part,” Bow moaned, staring at her balefully. With a sigh, he nodded. “Fine, fine. But next time, we’re going on a real date.”

“I promise!” Glimmer confirmed.

At the same time, Adora chimed in, “I swear it.”

A date without thinking of battle…or going to a battle…or preparing for a battle. Adora had no idea what that’d be like, but that was just another new thing she could learn in Bright Moon.

#spop #shera #adora #glimmer #bow #glimadora #glimbow #adora/glimmer/bow #glimadorabow #adorabow #fanfic #what is the ship n ame

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jeserai · 4 years

Text

blooming day (1/2)

for @perfumermista , happy valentines day!

If someone were to ask, Adora would say that her favorite thing about Catra is her laugh, or perhaps the light in her eyes when she gets excited about something. Or, no—it’s the sleepy rasp her voice gets each morning, and the way little curls always manage to escape her top knots no matter how carefully she ties them. It’s all the little things, she’d say, the little things that make Catra who she is.

She’s not in love with Catra though, she’s sure of it. Catra is her friend, her best friend, her roommate. Sure, Catra’s probably the person that knows her the best, and yes, they have done romantic things before, but—

They’re just friends. Best friends, but still, just friends.

The flower petals that are now staining her bed sheets only confirm that.

Before she can even begin to think about what this means, Adora hears the familiar sound of Catra’s footsteps stopping in front of her door, and she just barely manages to shove the flower petals beneath her pillow before Catra opens the door with a sleepily murmured greeting.

“Could you knock?” Adora complains, but she obediently moves over for Catra, who wordlessly shuffles closer and lets herself collapse onto the bed, her eyes closing as she curls up into a tiny ball with a huge yawn. Adora doesn’t hide her endeared grin as Catra blindly fumbles for the heavy comforter to tuck herself in; she’s long since used to what Catra calls her ‘morning nap’, and if she has to stifle a cough when Catra snuggles into her blankets, well. No one needs to know.

After a moment, Catra turns her head just enough to squint up at Adora through one eye, scowling as she catches Adora watching her. “Stop staring at me and come lay down,” she grumbles, and Adora snorts out a laugh before obediently melting into Catra’s space, lying facing her. Catra tangles their legs and fingers together like it’s nothing and sighs out a gentle breath that sends Adora’s heart racing as she counts each freckle that is scattered across the bridge of her nose and cheeks like stars.

“Adora,” Catra murmurs, this time without opening her eyes, “stop staring at me.”

Like always, Adora is helpless to obey Catra’s every wish, so she hums out a quiet noise of acceptance and closes her eyes, though she does not intend in the slightest to sleep. And how could she, with Catra so close? Her every breath stirs Adora’s bangs and sets her heart to racing, and as the gentle rise and fall of her chest evens out as Catra slips back to sleep, Adora blinks her eyes open, mapping out every soft curve and line of her face. The constellations her freckles make across her skin, the tiny divot just next to her left temple from an old childhood wound, the beauty mark that rests distractingly close to the corner of her mouth. Her lips, soft and plush, the wisps of curls that halo her face in sleep. Adora studies Catra like she is a painting, like she is something to be loved and revered and worshipped, and, well. Perhaps she is.

The tickle in the back of her throat comes back then, as Adora imagines reaching out to tuck Catra’s hair behind her ear, and before she can cough again—cough and wake Catra, cough and be forced to admit the truth that is beating inside her heart and blossoming inside her lungs—Adora carefully steals out of bed, making her way into the kitchen. As far as she knows, they’ve both got the day off, so Adora decides to make a late breakfast for Catra to wake up to. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon and on a whim, smoothies, made from the fruit they picked up at the open-air market over the weekend.

Just as Adora finishes pouring the smoothies into glasses, her bedroom door squeaks open and Catra pads out, and the confusion on her face quickly fades into joy when she sees what Adora’s done. “I didn’t know you were going to make breakfast, I would’ve helped,” she mumbles, and she suppresses a yawn as she passes on the way to help set the table.

“Did I wake you?” is all Adora asks in response. Smoothies done, she puts the blender in the sink and then grabs the butter from the fridge and the syrup from the cabinet next to it. Catra makes a quiet noise to show that she’s heard but doesn’t respond, instead sliding into her seat and waiting for Adora to do the same before she begins to pick out her pancakes from the giant stack Adora’s made.

“I still can’t believe that you actually like burnt pancakes, dork.”

“They’re not burnt, they’re just—a little crispy! It’s best that way, seriously.”

Catra wrinkles her nose and shakes her head, and Adora watches as she carefully spreads first a layer of butter and then a layer of syrup across her first pancake. It’s such a small thing, but it’s always so endearing, how daintily she eats, and Adora raises her glass to her lips to hide her grin as Catra now starts slicing her pancake into tiny pieces. By now, she knows what Catra will say if she asks why she does it—it’s quicker to eat it like this, you absolute heathen—just like Catra knows what Adora’s argument will be whenever she gripes about her just slightly burnt pancakes. Their friendship is built on playfully rehashed arguments and cups of too-sweet hot chocolate, skinned knees and paint on skin, meals spent together and endless days at the beach, and Adora wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Okay, I’m gonna ignore the dopey grin on your face, you weirdo.” Catra’s voice jars Adora from her idle thoughts, and as she snaps to attention, Catra tucks her right leg under her left, sitting in that odd way that she always claims is comfortable despite Adora’s disbelief. “Do you have work today?”

“No one’s called, so I have a free day so far. Why?”

“I’m just stuck on this piece...if you had time, could you…?”

“Of course. What’s up?”

Catra takes a few more bites of her pancake before answering, “I took on this client because I thought it’d be interesting...you know, change of pace and all that. But I’m stuck, I’ve never been this stuck before. They want something on that old proverb, you know, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. It’s interesting, and I want to do it, and it’ll pay well, but I just don’t know what to do.”

“Well, what have you thought of?”

Catra scowls, wrapping a curl around her finger and winding it round and round as she thinks. “I mean, monkeys is an obvious thing, but I don’t want to do obvious. People too, it’s just so...safe.”

Adora nods, casting her gaze around their tiny beach house as she thinks. “Something abstract…something...oh, what if instead of hands covering, you use something else?” And then, as she spots the bouquet of sunflowers that Perfuma had given her in thanks of a job well done. And— “What about flowers?”

Catra frowns, but it’s considering, intrigued. “Flowers, huh? That’s...actually not that bad of an idea.”

“Aw, thanks, I do get them sometimes. Do you want me to pick some up from Perfuma’s later?”

“I’ll come with you, if that’s fine…?”

“Of course, we can leave whenever you’re ready.”

Catra nods and gives Adora a tiny, pleased grin before turning back to her breakfast with a pleased little hum. “Then we can leave as soon as we get dressed.”

Adora nods and, just because she knows it’ll gross Catra out, she piles the rest of her eggs and bacon in her pancake to make a sandwich. It actually does taste good, and the added disgust on her housemate’s face just makes it all the more worth it.

But all too soon enough, their breakfasts are finished, and they quickly load up the dishwasher before heading back to their rooms to get dressed. It’s to be another hot, sticky day, apparently, and before she can open up her messaging app, Catra texts her first.

Catra: you wanna go to the beach after?

Adora: u read my mind

That decided, Adora tugs on an old red one-piece and throws a loose tank top and swim shorts over it. Her crocs are out in the hall, and Catra is waiting there as well, dressed similarly in a huge T-shirt with the sleeves cut off (that Adora is pretty sure is one of hers, the more she looks at it) and slides. Her hair is done up in two buns just like usual, and loose curls frame her face, and—

“Took you long enough, princess,” Catra grumbles. Adora snorts—because Catra’s always the one that takes longer to get ready when it really counts—and brushes passed her, trusting her to lock up behind them as she takes the stairs down, Catra close behind.

Adora’s yellow bike is still locked up on the rack outside their building, and Adora quickly unlocks it before patting the seat fondly and hopping on. Catra easily hops on right behind her, pressing close despite the heat already seeping through their thin clothes, and if Adora breathes in deep, she can smell the faint lavender notes of Catra’s perfume, and even more faintly, sea salt on the warm ocean breeze.

“You ready?”

“Always, princess,” Catra says. Adora feels her voice just as much as she hears it, and she pushes off with a grunt. It’s always hard at first, biking for two, but Adora loves the burn and ache in her muscles, and besides, all of the shops are at the bottom of the hill, so she doesn’t have to work for long. But she does anyway, pedalling fast as they approach the crest of the hill just to hear Catra shriek with laughter as they fly down it. It’s the squeaky laugh that Adora loves best, the one that she sometimes finds herself wanting to kiss straight from Catra’s mouth.

When they reach Perfuma’s shop, Adora waits for Catra to hop off before leaning her bike against the storefront. Then she turns to her still smiling roommate, carefully fixing her flyaway hair before following her inside.

Inside is cool and Perfuma is talking to the roses, though she looks up and smiles wide when she sees Adora and Catra standing in the entryway. “Oh, hi! I don’t have any deliveries for you Adora, but it’s so lovely to see you both!”

“I know, we’re just here to pick some flowers up for one of Catra’s projects.”

“Is that so? What kind?”

“I’m not really sure, honestly. I know about flower language, and I want to incorporate that if I can. Something having to do with sight, hearing and speaking.”

Perfuma nods, considering, then snaps her fingers and nods in excitement. “Okay, so I can think of a few right off the bat! For sight, lavender roses for love at first sight, and red daisies for beauty unknown to the possessor. Hearing...irises for good news, and pansy for thoughts. And speaking, almond flowers for promise, and ambrosia for reciprocated love. Does that sound good?”

Catra shrugs and Adora’s eyes fall to the thin straps she can see peeking out from beneath her shirt. She quickly looks away, back to Perfuma, who is flitting around the room, gathering up flowers with a happy smile on her lips. Her gaze lands on Catra again as if tugged there, and as Adora stares at the delicate curls kissing the back of Catra’s neck, she feels another tickle in the back of her throat. She coughs thickly, and when Catra twists around to make a face at her, all Adora does is stick her tongue out.

“How about this?” Perfuma asks then. She’s got a whole bunch of flowers, enough to make a pretty, variegated bouquet, but she separates them into three piles at the front desk. “These are for sight, these for hearing, and these for speaking.”

The first pile has deep red and pale lavender flowers, the second vivid purple and yellow, and the third the faintest pink and bright orange. Catra’s squinting at them as if trying to picture them on her canvas, and Adora may not have her eye for art, but she’s absolutely sure the end result—with these gorgeous colors and Catra’s skill—will be absolutely striking.

Finally, Catra nods. “Yeah, these are good.”

“That’s wonderful! I’ll wrap them up and—”

“Oh, Perfuma, can we leave them here actually? We were planning on going to the beach, we can just pick them up on the way home.”

“Of course, Adora! They’ll be right here, on the house!”

“Perfuma, we couldn’t—”

“Nonsense, you’ve done so many favors for me, especially in this heat wave. Plus, they’ll be used for art—that’s the best thing. They’re on the house, okay?”

Catra elbows Adora before she can respond and quickly says, “Thanks, Perfuma, we’ll be back in a few hours,” before all but dragging Adora from the shop and back out into the heat. Luckily, the bike is still in the shade, so the seat doesn’t burn when Adora gets on again, and she patiently waits for Catra to wrap her arms around her waist to begin to pedal to the beach. The breeze now does nothing to stop her from sweating, and by the time they make their way to the ocean shore, even Catra—who claims to never sweat—has a light sheen of sweat on her forehead.

They hadn’t brought towels, or sunblock, Adora realizes then, and if Catra notices or cares, she doesn’t say anything, just pulls her shirt over her head, kicks off her shoes and stares impatiently at Adora as she waits for her to do the same. Once she has, Catra reaches out to lace their fingers together as she leads them towards the water, which is somehow still cold and sends them both running back to the sand.

And she knows her arms will protest later, but that is a problem for future Adora, she decides, and so she easily scoops Catra into her arms and ignores the cold of the water, carrying them deeper and deeper, until she’s soaked up to her chest and Catra starts to get wet too. She’s got both arms wrapped tight around Adora’s neck, and though she doesn’t complain, her whole body is stiff. When Adora glances down at her, more than ready to tease her, she freezes, because. Catra is staring up at her, and her grip has loosened, and she does not seem bothered by the water anymore. All she is preoccupied with is just...looking at Adora. She is studying Adora like she is a painting, like she is something to be puzzled out and captured and admired. It makes the breath catch in Adora’s throat, and her heart skip a beat, and flower petals begin to bloom again in her lungs, so she does the only thing she can think to do, and dunks them both, hoping to god that the shock of cold water will cool her burning cheeks and calm her racing heart.

When she resurfaces, Adora is now holding a scowling, shivering Catra, and for a moment, she feels guilty. She’d forgotten how bad Catra is with the cold, and she’s more than half expecting her to yell, or throw a punch or try to get away, but all Catra does is lean the side of her head against Adora’s chest, sighing in something that Adora almost thinks is contentment.

Now would be a good time to tell Catra about the cough, about the flower petals, about the feelings she has been trying to deny for so long. Catra would laugh and roll her eyes, thinking it a joke, and then bluntly turn her down upon realizing that it wasn’t. And then it’d be awkward, and their friendship would be ruined, and then Catra would move out, and—no. It’ll be better to keep it hidden than risk losing Catra entirely, and these little moments are more than enough.

“Do you want to get out?”

It takes a long few minutes for Catra to respond, but she shakes her head, both eyes closed. “This is good.”

And she’s right. This is good.

In the end, they don’t get out of the water until Adora’s arms begin to ache and she reluctantly reminds Catra that she’ll have to bike them both home. Catra sighs, but agrees readily enough, and Adora waits as long as she can to put her back down on her own two feet. Once on the shore, Catra reaches for Adora’s hand again, tugging her to the wet sand on the very edge of the beach to try and find smooth stones and pretty shells to paint later. Once she finds some that she’s satisfied with, she gives them to Adora to hold, and they scour the beach until Adora’s arms are full and they are both fully dry and hot again in the hazy summer heat.

“Do we have ice cream at home?”

Adora thinks for a moment, then shakes her head. “I think we used the last of it for sundaes the other day. Do you wanna stop at Brightmoon?”

Catra wrinkles her nose. “I don’t want to, but…”

“What? You and Bow get along fine, don’t you?”

“He’s fine,” Catra agrees sullenly, “but I don’t like her. I don’t even want ice cream anymore.”

Adora snorts and shakes her head, biting the inside of her lip to keep from grinning. “How about we pick up the flowers, and I’ll drop you home. Then I can shower and go to Bright Moon. Sound good?”

“Only if you get me cookie dough.”

Anything you want, Adora wants to say, I’d get you anything you wanted. What comes out instead is, “Of course, dork. You ready to go, then?”

Catra considers for a moment, then nods. As they walk back to their clothes and then to Adora’s bike, they remain silent, but it is the comfortable kind, and Catra’s brows are furrowed as she trudges through the sand and Adora knows she’s thinking about her newest project; Catra’s always been a bit of a perfectionist, especially about work, but Adora loves that about her. Catra’s passionate, and it shines through in everything she sketches, paints, photographs. Even her attempts at sculpting are wrought through with love and resolve. Maybe that’s what she ended up falling for first, Adora muses, the way Catra shows her love, with her hands and her eyes and her mind.

That has to be it.

Catra’s arms slide around her waist again as she hops on the bike, and Adora pedals them lazy and slow just to feel the breeze warm against their faces and the sunlight, warmer still, on their backs. It’s a short trip, barely five minutes, and this time when they reach Perfuma, they find her outside, watering the flowers on display in front of the shop. She looks up when she sees them approach, placing her watering can down before calling out, “I was just about to call you!”

“What’s up?”

“Well, Mermista, or, you know, Salineas, not Mermista, really, but—anyway. Salineas needs some flowers for an event they’re having tonight. I’ve already packed them all up, they’re ready in the back room.”

“Oh.” Adora glances at Catra, already feeling guilty. Biking from Perfuma’s to Salineas, taking Catra and her flowers home, and biking to Bright Moon and back home...

As if reading her mind, Catra shakes her head and reaches out to tuck a lock of hair behind Adora’s ear. Her smile is drenched in fondness and tinged with a bit of regret, and her hand is soft and warm against Adora’s cheek. “It’s okay, princess. I can walk, you know.”

“But that doesn’t mean you should have to,” Adora murmurs, leaning into Catra’s hand for just a moment, “I don’t want you to have to.”

“Just come home quickly and I might have it in me to forgive you. Okay?”

And it’s not, but—“Okay, I will.”

Before either of them can say any more, Perfuma clears her throat and Catra steps back as if burned, looking anywhere but at either of them as she grabs her bouquet of flowers and hurries out of the shop. From the brief glance she’d gotten as Catra passed, Adora saw that her cheeks were just about as red as her own felt, and upon looking over at Perfuma, Adora finds her grinning, far too innocent to be genuine.

“So...you two are pretty close. Something you’d like to tell me?”

“We’re just friends,” Adora mumbles, and she knows it sounds like flimsy denial, but. That’s all they’ll ever be.

“You never know,” Perfuma shrugs, but—she does.

“I guess. Where’d you say you put the flowers?”

“The back room, I’ll bring them out for you. It’s not too many, they just ran out towards the end.”

Adora nods, waiting for Perfuma to disappear into the back room before heading out to her bike. At this point, Catra is just about halfway up the hill, and Adora reluctantly turns away from her when Perfuma comes out, carefully balancing three boxes stacked on top of each other. She puts them in the basket at the back of Adora’s bike, then stands to the side, waving goodbye as Adora pedals off back down the hill.

Salineas, situated down by the boardwalk, is only about a ten minute ride, and Adora is careful to coast as long as she can, acutely aware of her delicate package. When she reaches the front of the hotel, Sea Hawk greets her with a cheerful wave and a bow. “Adora!” he calls out, “Are those the rest of our flowers?”

“It is! I’ve—I’m gonna come in too, if that’s okay, I just want to say hi to Mermista.”

“Of course!” Sea Hawk takes two of the boxes and waits as Adora leans her bike against the side of the hotel and takes out the last one, and together they step through the revolving doors, Sea Hawk telling her about his latest misadventure. This one involves a boat, a family of turtles, and a box of matches, and Adora has to bite the inside of her lip hard to keep from bursting out laughing.

“And here she is, our radiant Mermista!” Sea Hawk calls. A few of the guests that are in the lobby turn to look at them, and Mermista drops her head into her hands with a loud groan.

“Sea Hawk, you have got to stop coming here! You don’t even work here!” she hisses, and then, more calmly, “hi, Adora.”

“Hey, just dropping these off for Perfuma.”

“Oh, right, thanks. Is she coming tonight?”

“Not that I know of, sorry. Why didn’t you ask her while you had her on the phone?”

Mermista very pointedly makes a face and plays with the ends of her braid, and Adora really can’t help the way her brow raises as a knowing grin spreads across her lips. “Shut up, maybe I didn’t think about that.”

“Oh, I’m sure you didn’t. And I’m not staying either, thanks for asking.”

Mermista gives her a look and swats Sea Hawk’s hand from her desk with practiced ease. “Okay, have a good night then, or whatever.”

“I’ll be going to the event, dearest Mermista—”

“No, you are not. Here, go borrow one of the boats for the night. And don’t set it on fire again. And before you ask, I am not joining you, I have work.”

Before their arguing can start up again, Adora begins to carefully edge towards the door, trying to keep out of Mermista’s line of vision before she volunteers Sea Hawk to walk her home like she did last time. She loves Sea Hawk, they all do, but…

Mermista looks over just as Adora reaches the revolving doors, and as panic sets in on her face, Adora mouths an apology and makes a break for it.

adora: im about to leave salineas, mermista was looking for you :)

perfuma: why? did she need more flowers?

adora: ...she wants you to be her date to the event tonight

perfuma: if she wanted me to go, she would’ve asked me :(

adora: just go!! I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you

adora: and if not, you can always come over, catra’s cooking tonight

perfuma: maybe, i’ll let you know

perfuma: and thank you, adora

adora: thank me by asking her out

perfuma: :)

Her first errand done, Adora pockets her phone and gets ready to head to Bright Moon. The local ice cream shop is just off the boardwalk, and it takes just a few minutes to bike down the familiar path. Before she knows it, Adora pulls up in front of the shop, a grin already on her lips as she enters the all too familiar shop. Inside, Glimmer and Bow are arguing behind the counter, though they quickly shut up and paste on friendly, polite smiles at the jingle of the bell above the door.

Once they see that it's just Adora, Glimmer quickly scowls and points accusingly at Bow. "Adora, tell him that crop tops are not appropriate to wear to work—"

"It's summertime!" Bow interrupts, "It's perfect! Adora, tell her it's perfect!"

As both of her friends turn to stare at her, insistent, Adora steps back, holding both hands up in surrender. “I mean—we are on the beach…and I honestly can’t imagine Bow not in a crop top.”

“See! At least Adora knows what’s up.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. What brings you here, Adora?”

“Just the usual—”

“A quart of coffee ice cream for you, and a quart of cookie dough for Catra? And uh...where is she, by the way? It’s pretty rare to see you two apart.”

Adora ignores the looks her friends are giving her despite the burning of her cheeks as she fishes out a couple of bucks to hand to Glimmer as Bow works on filling two contianers with ice cream. “We went to the beach earlier and she went home while I made a quick delivery for Mermista. Anyway, they’re having some dinner thing tonight at Salineas, you guys going?”

Bow and Glimmer look at each other, then quickly look away, both spluttering out excuses about the shop, and how they don’t have anything to wear, and—

“You and Catra should go, though,” Bow finally blurts out, “you guys could go together, if you know what I mean.”

“I do know what you mean, and I choose to ignore it. We’re not together. I...I like what we have.”

“But…?”

And. These are her best friends. Bow was the one that introduced Catra and Adora, and Glimmer was the first person to welcome Adora to Etheria. However much they tease, they really do love her and care for her, and—

“I’ve liked Catra for...a while. I really do like what we have, and I don’t want to...push her or anything. But when I woke up this morning, I coughed up flower petals. And...you know. What that means.”

“Oh, Adora…what are you going to do?”

“Nothing. Hope it goes away, I guess?” Adora shrugs and pulls out her phone as it buzzes in her pocket, her heart skipping a beat when she sees Catra’s name and one unread message.

catra: wya??

adora: about to leave bright moon :) be home soon

catra: okay princess, door’s unlocked

“I really don’t think—”

“Catra’s waiting, I’m gonna head out.”

At that, Bow and Glimmer share another look, but they do nothing to stop her from taking her ice cream and leaving. The bike ride home is quick and going uphill burns Adora’s legs and steals the air from her lungs as she pedals as fast as she can, as if somehow she will be able to outrun all of the feeling tumbling around inside of her chest and the tears she can fill springing up at the corners of her eyes.

It doesn’t work, and by the time Adora gets to their house, she’s breathing hard and still tearing up. She takes a few deep breaths to try and calm herself, then heads inside and upstairs, already feeling just a little bit better as she hears Catra singing to herself.

When Catra turns around and spots Adora at the top of the stairs, the singing abruptly stops as a fierce blush stains her cheeks. “Would you stop looking at me like that?”

With great difficulty, Adora wipes the grin from her lips in a show of acquiescence. “Am I not allowed to listen to you sing? Especially since I did bring you ice cream…”

Catra huffs and snatches the bag from Adora as she passes, and Adora watches in fond amusement as her housemate flounces over to the couch and flops down on it. “Well? Get spoons!”

“Of course, princess,” Adora teases, then goes to grab them both spoons, and Catra a glass of water because she always complains about the aftertaste of ice cream, and then whines until Adora gets her water to wash it away.

When she gets back to the living room, Catra is still frowning, but this time it is more contemplative, and when Adora nudges her in a silent bid to ask what’s wrong, Catra just sighs.

“I need a model for the paintings,” she grumbles, “I’d forgotten.”

“I could model for you?” The words force their way out all on their own, and Adora wants to take them back immediately—she’s never modelled, not even for Catra—but already her friend has turned on her with wide eyes and a bright smile.

“Oh, would you?”

And. Yeah, she would. She’d do just about anything for Catra, Adora realizes for perhaps the thousandth time. She’d do just about anything to see Catra smile like that.

(chapter 1 | chapter 2)

#she ra #shera #catradora #my writing #hope u like it :000

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pumpkinsandsuckers · 4 years

Text

Watermelon

AU where the only thing that happened was stopping the Heart of Etheria?

Princesses are still princesses, Catra loves parkour, and yeah, Adora might be able to crush a watermelon with her bare hands.

Catradora with hints of other ships

((I wrote this in a frenzy and don’t regret it at all))

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Fright Zone, Somewhere High Up, Thursday

“Right, you’re telling me she can crush a watermelon with her bare hands.” Catra scoffed, scratching her neck. God, why did she agree to a haircut? The chilly breeze sweeping past her now exposed neck was unnerving. She felt so vulnerable.

“I mean, well, it is a rumour.” Scorpia laughed, fumbling with the equipment. “Whoops.”

“Hey watch it!” Catra hissed as she dived forward, catching the camera. “Yeah, it better be just a rumour.”

“Great reflexes! As expected of Catra!” Entrapta bounced forward, propelled by her robotic hair. “Speaking of rumours, my friends from Bright Moon have been hearing stories about your hair!”

“What stories?” the black claws from Catra’s fingers extended, sharp and menacing.

“Oh, you know, the stories about your hair being so thick because it contained so many secrets.”

Catra’s eyes bulged. “WHAT?!”

“Yeah, and the other one about She-ra’s amazing physique. Have you heard? She can crush a watermelon with her bare hands? I’d love to see that! Collecting data from a being with that strength can help me with my research!”

“Alright, enough about Bright Moon. It’s a place for academic snobs and spoilt princesses.” Catra sighed as Scorpia shot her a look of disappointment. “Fine. Not you guys, alright.” Her frown turned into a slight smile, and she stretched. “You guys are fine. Now, let’s get this video done.”

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Bright Moon Keep, Friday

“Whoa, did you see what was posted on Super Pal Trio’s page?” Bow bounced up and down with excitement.

“Bow, not again. Those sort of people from the Fright Zone are dangerous! I can’t believe you’re following them.” Glimmer groaned, and looked at the girl behind her. “Fine, not all people from the Fright Zone are dangerous.”

“What sort of corny name is Super Pal Trio anyway?” Adora laughed. “That doesn’t seem like a name that would fit in the Fright Zone.”

“Oh, the Super Pal Trio is the best group! Second to us, anyway.” Bow’s eyes shone, and he swiped through his pad to show Glimmer and Adora the content pushed out by the independent group.

“Scorpia here is the muscle, but she also packs a powerful voice! She’s actually performed for many people!” Bow pointed to a video of a woman with an undercut, and-

“Really dangerous looking claws.” Glimmer muttered.

Bow glared at Glimmer, but continued. “And Entrapta! We’ve met her before she moved to the Fright Zone! Ah, what one will do for friendship and love. She’s a genius inventor, and right now, she’s working on developing prosthetic limbs! I wonder for whom though, she doesn’t have a strong interest in organic creatures.”

“Wow, that sounds impressive. I really should start using this… social media more.” Adora squinted. “It’s a trio, right?”

“Yeah! The last person is pretty famous in the Fright Zone! You may have heard of rumours of her too!”

“No, not really.” Glimmer and Adora replied in unison.

“Fine, your majesties.” Bow swiped, and let out an incredibly loud yelp. “She cut her hair?!?!”

“Who?!” Adora asked, and snatched the pad out of Bow’s hands.

The video was titled “Cat jumping dangerously”

“It seems that Glimmer is right.” Adora mumbled, and watched.

A brief shot of the skyline, familiar, bulky architecture with protruding pipes and pillars. The camera focused on a pair of legs, clad in black pants clinging to the skin. A black tail swished.

Adora bit back a gasp.

The video continued panning up, and right before it reached the upper back, the person took off running, sliding underneath a pillar, vaulting over short walls, and leaping from roof to roof. Adora focused on her so much, her face was inching closer to the pad.

And before she knew it, the figure turned around, having completed her run, and stuck her tongue out at the camera. A smirk, and the video ended.

“That’s..”

“She cut her hair!” Bow wailed.

“Well, she does look more adorable like this.” Glimmer commented. “Her long hair looked like a hazard in her past videos.”

Bow gasped. “No. Way. Glimmer! You had been watching their videos! Oh I knew it!”

“That’s Catra?!” Adora broke Bow’s celebration, and he stopped twirling Glimmer around.

“Yeah. The Parkour Cat!” Bow struck a pose, completely unrelated to parkour.

“She cut her hair!” Adora passed the pad back to Bow, and started to pace up and down.

“Yeah. Wait, do you know her?” Bow raised an eyebrow. This was unlike Adora. This was…

“Gay panic.” Glimmer sighed.

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Fright Zone, Monday

“So, who even is She-ra?” Catra asked Lonnie, trying to appear as intimidating as she could. She was utterly frustrated, and was going to figure it out by herself. Pictures had shown a blonde, tall, ridiculously good looking female dressed in an equally ridiculous outfit, and Catra would not tell anyone, but she found this ‘She-ra’ to be rather hot. And familiar looking.

“Uh, Catra, She-ra is a princess? She helped bring balance to the universe? Remember when Etheria was about to blow up because of some weird princess magic?”

Catra folded her arms. “Urgh, princesses.”

“Yeah! She-ra is the greatest princess! She is strong, beautiful, and really cool! Also, I’ve heard that she can crush a watermelon with her bare hands.”

“No one asked you, Kyle!” Catra shoved him - well, gentler than before, and stalked off. “What is with watermelons?!”

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Bright Moon Keep, Thursday

“Alright, I got us invitations for Entrapta’s and Scorpia’s party in the Fright Zone. I know what you’re thinking, it’s dangerous! Why should we go? But come on Glimmer, it’ll be so much fun!” Bow pleaded, almost on his knees as he clung onto Glimmer.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Really? You mean it?” Bow grinned, and threw Glimmer into the air. “Hooray!”

Glimmer teleported right beside him. “Yeah. We are princesses. We got the invites.”

“Wait what? So I had to help Mermista out for nothing? Argh!”

“I’m going too.” Adora stood up, looking at Glimmer. “You know what that means.”

“Ahhh!” Glimmer shrieked. “Makeover time!”

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Fright Zone, A Revamped Area, Saturday

“Oh, I really don’t know about this.” Scorpia whimpered, swinging her claws around.

“You’ll be great, I promise!”

Scorpia smiled at her communication pad. “Aww, thanks, Perfuma. I’m looking forward to seeing you later. Uh, and the rest too. Yeah.”

A light, airy laughter, and Perfuma concluded the call with an “I’m looking forward to seeing you too, Scorpia. Ok, bye!”

“What a dork.” Catra laughed, leaping from a pipe, landing perfectly on her feet. “But I guess I’m kinda… happy for you.”

“Oh, Kittycat!” Scorpia laughed, lunging forward to smother Catra in a vice-like hug. “I knew you cared for me.”

“Alright, alright! Watch the hair! It’s hard to work with short hair!” Catra wriggled out of the hug, straightening her clothes. A red top, black formal pants, ripped at the knees, and a black blazer slung around her shoulders.

“Looking good, Catra!” Entrapta yelled from her corner, still tinkering with some bots.

“I always do.” Catra smirked, and pushed Scorpia out of the room. “Now then, we have your debut party to attend. Entrapta, if you come out now, I’ll get you a whole room for bots.”

“Alright! Bots!”

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Fright Zone, Party Venue, Main hall

“Oh man, I knew the Fright Zone underwent some changes, but this is great!” Bow’s eyes sparkled. “I’m going to find Entrapta to ask her about some tech stuff! Whoo!”

“I’m going with him.” Glimmer shimmered, and disappeared.

“Haha. Cool, I guess it’s just me.” Adora laughed, and received a reassuring pat on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Adora, I am here with you too.” Perfuma smiled. “Frosta and Mermista have decided to explore the intricate network in the Fright Zone, but I’ll be here with you.”

The lights dimmed, and a spotlight shone on the stage.

“Er, hi, I’m Scorpia. Some of you guys may know me, and this is my first party as a princess.” She looked around the room. The lights were too bright, and she couldn’t make out anyone. “Oh boy. Er, I’m going to sing, so yeah. I’d love for my friends to be here to hear me so yeah.”

“Hit it!” Catra yelled from behind the curtains.

“Catra?” Adora frowned, and broke away from Perfuma, who was too distracted to notice anything other than Scorpia’s stage presence.

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Fright Zone, Party Venue, Shadow Weaver’s Daisy Garden.

Running away into the open was a mistake. Here, she was very obvious, and soon enough, she had drawn a crowd of familiar faces.

“It’s the She-ra!” “She-ra!” “The She-ra!” “Sign my arm!” “No, sign my shirt!” “Sign my watermelons!”

“Wow, haha, that’s really kind of all of you.” Adora chuckled, eyes darting around to find an alternative route. “Welp, out of luck.”

“Hey, what’s going on here?!” A loud, slightly angry voice rang out, and the crowd quietened. “There better not be any damage to the plants here!” A figure leapt from the balcony above, onto the soft grass.

“But you just stomped on that flower.”

Catra glared at the bold creature who said that, and he yelped, taking off. A few others followed suit.

“Catra!” The rest yelled, and took out their markers again. “Sign my arm!” “Sign my head!” “Sign my watermelons!!”

“What is with watermelons?!” Catra hissed loudly, before spotting the initial cause of the commotion. “Adora?”

She jumped over the crowd rushing towards her, stepping on a particularly tall reptilian as a stepping stone, before somersaulting and landing on the ground.

“Catra stepped on me! My life is complete!”

“Urgh, gross.” Catra ran towards the familiar blonde. “Hey Adora.”

“Catra?”

“You’re She-ra? Huh. I’d love to chat, but we should run. I hope you’re not that much heavier.” Catra hoisted Adora onto her arms, bridal-style, nearly heaving from the weight. “Okay nope, but this will do. I don’t think you can run in your dress.”

“Oh, I can’t, but She-ra can.” Adora grinned, and Catra dropped her.

“No, I don’t want any magical princess-”

“For the honour of Grayskull!”

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Fright Zone, Now-cleaner Sewers

Mermista paused, looking at an equally concerned Frosta.

“I don’t know why, but I think something reckless has happened.” Frosta folded her arms. “And I wasn’t part of it?!”

“I guess Adora became She-ra. Urgh, why.”

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Fright Zone, Somewhere High Up

“Adora! Put! Me! Down!” Catra shrieked, her claws betraying her as she dug into She-ra’s arms, their positions now reversed.

“Ow, Catra!” She-ra landed on a roof, and dissipated, leaving Adora, hair unravelling from her ponytails, cheeks flushed, and straddled by Catra.

They stared at each other, taking in the physical changes, the softness of faces now replaces with a rugged toughness. And yet, they will still soft, so beautiful in each others’ eyes. Catra had to drag her eyes away from Adora’s chest, in particular. Adora wasn’t doing any better with Catra’s unbuttoned shirt. But that moment passed, and they were gazing at each other tenderly.

“Hey, Adora.” Catra smiled. “There’s a lot I want to ask you, but right now. I really missed you.” She leaned down, tucking her chin into the gap between Adora’s shoulder and neck. “I missed you.” She took a deep breath, and felt Adora return the gesture.

“I missed you too.” Adora held their pose for some time, before Catra sprang up, embarrassed by her affectionate actions.

“Urgh.” Catra sat up, pulling Adora up as well.

“Heh, never knew you were so honest with your feelings.” Adora teased, smiling.

“Yeah, emotions are a thing I’m working on.” Catra smiled, scratching her bare neck again.

“I never knew you were a star! Parkour Cat, huh?”

“For the record, I did not choose that name. And you! You were a princess? You’re… She-ra?!”

“I am. I’m sorry, I left without saying anything. It was just… I finally found out who I really was, and I had to go on a quest and everything was happening so quickly-” She inhaled, missing Catra’s scent already. “I didn’t get to say so many things.”

“You know, I was really mad at the start. I took it out on so many people, until I was alone. Then I learnt to rebuild myself, my friendships, and well,” Catra leaned forward, tucking a stray strand behind Adora’s ear. “I wanted to be a better person for someone I cared about.”

“I never stopped thinking about you.” Adora sighed, leaning into Catra’s palm.

“Me neither.” Catra cupped Adora’s face. “I love you. I always did.”

“I love you too, Catra.” Adora pressed their foreheads together again.

“You’re such an idiot.”

…

“By the way, Adora, can you really crush a watermelon with your bare hands?”

“Er, sure, as She-ra.”

“Man, that’s really hot.”

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#SPOP #catradora #souhiwrites #catra #adora #fics

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creatlysse · 4 years

Text

Just watched SPOP S5 Trailer

First of all, let me just say before I get on a rant about this, I’m not happy. For multiple reasons but the main being that this is the final season and the trailer looks like this season is gonna mess me up.

Alright, now to discussing my feelings about the trailer because like I said, I’m not happy.

! SPOILER WARNING !

So, the trailer music is what I want to discuss first because holy shit, the theme of SPOP is supposed to be light-hearted and up-beat but this?? This is a piano, slow version. It already set the scene for s5, we all know now that this season isn’t gonna be butterflies and rainbows.

Adora walks out to what I assume to be a rebellion camp and we see Bow in the distance and what I think to be Perfuma? There are these kind-of drones in the sky. And then it fades to a black screen and Adora starts talking.

“When I broke the sword...” There’s a callback to the s4 ending, for when Adora is in her She-Ra form and she’s breaking the sword. Then we see the sword broken on some kind of table and all of it’s pieces are there. “... I thought I could make my own destiny.” Adora grabs the broken sword, the handle of it. I believe she’s staring at the gem of it when she brings it close to her face. “I don’t know what my destiny is anymore.”

The next scene is what is most likely to be Horde Prime’s drone soldiers walking out of a base. I think we all know this means war for certain.

The next scene over is Catra in Horde Prime’s mother ship, staring out to the actual world. We get a close-up of her face. I believe she’s staring out to see the stars, because we all know that everyone in that world except for maybe Hordak hasn’t ever seen stars in their lives. I also believe that she’s thinking over her mistakes because if I remember correctly, in s4 ending, she finally realizes that her actions are catching up to her.

Glimmer is in a cage in the next scene. Or, more specifically, a cell. She;s getting out of bed and she looks melancholy. I think we’re gonna have a full turn-over on Glimmer in this season. I don’t mean that she’s gonna join the opposite side, I just think this isn’t gonna be our Glimmer anymore in this season. Or, maybe, she’s gonna go back to being our shiny and sparkly Glimmer, but with heavy PTSD. Either way, s4 messed 4 Glimmer and poor baby is being held hostage now.

Next scene, we see the Princesses and SeaHawk backing up to each other’s backs and they’re surrounded by drones. Quick side note, I hate how well that scene fits in with the line of music in the background, ‘danger surrounds us...’

Oh my god I can’t tell y’all how much this next scene means to me. Adora, who has NEVER seen a single star in her LIFE, moreover ANYTHING that relates to space, and thought that MAGIC WAS BAD at the start of the series, is on a field with a dark sky full of stars and a portal in front of her. Moreover, what I can assume to be Mara, is watching over her and seeing everything she fought so hard to protect and hide away, be out in the light again and open for anyone to attack. Adora drops to her knees in front of the portal and what I assume to be Mara (ACTUALLY MAYBE ITS THE VERSION OF THE SWORD HUMANIZED JUST FOR THIS MOMENT AND IT’S FULLY WHITE AND WE CAN’T SEE SHIT BECAUSE THE SWORD IS BROKEN). Side note, I hate how the music fits in well again because in the exact moment that it says ‘but won’t bring us down,’ Adora falls to her knees.

The next two scenes don’t exactly fit in together but I’ll talk about them in the same paragraph. There’s ships, Horde Prime’s, flying around. And the next scene? Mermista, Perfuma, Frosta, and Scorpia. I have long awaited a moment with Scorpia fully stood with the princesses but not like this. They’re looking at a castle, maybe a base. Probably where Horde Prime is holding Glimmer.

“I can’t do this alone.” - Adora. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT YOU CAN TAKE FROM ME OVER MY COLD, DEAD BODY. Adora has said throughout ALL the seasons that she needed to do something alone at some point. She’s finally learning that she can’t, in fact, do everything alone. She’s all alone in the Whispering Woods, holding her backpack. I love the next scene because Bow, WHO THOUGHT THAT HIS FRIENDS WEREN’T GOING TO SAVE THEM AND DIDN’T CARE FOR HIM. says “You aren’t alone. You’ve never been.” I can’t tell y’all how much this breaks and rebuilds my heart. They hold hands in agreement, in alliance.

Maiden’s mercy, I hate the next scene as much as I love it. The princesses, INCLUDING ENTRAPTA AND SCORPIA FINALLY, King Micah, Bow, and Shadow Weaver are standing all with each other and something opens up to them. “It’s the Horde forces!!” you might say, but I raise you: It’s a First Ones base. I have two reasons for this: Have you looked at the way the light poses to a triangle? That’s a door to a First Ones base. The other reason? Entrapta is smiling happily in the background. She’s excited.

Next over, we have the Prime Horde’s castle which I talked about earlier, lighting up to see a giant hologram of Prime Horde. Next thing you know, we get to see him for real and he squints his eyes and snaps his fingers. The screen goes black and we hear Horde Prime speak. “Goodbye, my oldest enemy.” We see Adore, IN A FIRST ONES BASE CHAIR.

Next few scenes, we see the princesses fighting the Horde and protecting each other. Horde soldiers in the woods, Adora fighting against some Horde soldiers in a clear field. We can see Mermista using her ocean powers and trying to overcome them with a wave. We see Scorpia protect Frosta from drones. We see other Hordes (Hordaks?). We see Adora and a person I can’t make out about to jump out of a ship into space. We see Catra running through a ship, looking more worried than anything. We see Adora, Bow, and Glimmer (I THINK SHE’S BROKEN OUT?? OR MAYBE SHE TELEPORTED) running across a crystal with three other people. So, good news! New characters. We see Adora, Bow, Scorpia, and Swift Wing. They’re all sliding down a hill. We see the princesses (except for Scorpia), a single rebellion soldier, King Micah, and Shadow Weaver standing around Adora. We see Horde soldiers shooting out towards the princesses but they’re under a protective net, NETOSSA. “Prime holds every advantage in this fight.”

Oh my god the next scene is Catra looking at Glimmer in her cell. Meaning that yes, we’re gonna get a talk and/or scene between them. Uhh, next scene over, we see Shadow Weaver doing magic (trying to hold something back?).

Next scene over, Horde Prime is talking. “No longer shall She-Ra stand in my way.” Adora is raising her head from her hands and then she’s fighting in the next snippet. We see an up-close of Prime, and then we see Netossa shedding a tear (IF THEY HURT SPINNERELLA WE RIOT). Next few scenes, it’s the Horde soldiers fighting against the princesses and them fighting back.

ALRIGHT THE MOMENT EVERYONE HAS BEEN WAITING FOR TO TALK ABOUT THAT MESSES EVERYONE UP THE MOST: “Hello, Adora” BY CATRA. Alright, let me talk about this because this has me fucked up and scared for this season. Adora is standing in front of a few crystals and seeing their energy, and then she turns back. Then, we see Catra walking in her Force Commander outfit, but then it glitches back to her Season 1-3 outfit. THIS HAS ME MESSED UP AND I CAN WRITE AN ESSAY ABOUT THIS. Every single time in every single season, there’s always the “Hey, Adora~” moment, even when they’re on opposite sides. God, Catra is pining hard throughout the seasons. And then we hear this shit on the trailer and Catra saying “Hello, Adora” in a hesitant voice rather than the smug “Hey, Adora” we all know and love is heart-breaking and this fucks me up. On another one, not any lighter, we’ve seen Catra’s image glitch once before in s3. What did that bring? That’s right, heartbreak and acceptance and trying to move on. In s3, Catra played a mental game with Adora to just have Adora again but the moment it glitched and Adora knew what was wrong, she realized it was all Catra’s fault. And then, in that chapter of s3, Catra’s mistakes caught up to her and that’s when she realized that everything had actually changed and Adora was done trying to justify Catra’s actions. And Catra finally realized that Adora wasn’t the same one she knew. She finally realized. “Hello, Adora.”

We see Bow escaping from attacks and then the screen cuts to Glimmer crying, “Why are you doing this?” It cuts to Glimmer being fierce in front of Horde Prime, “You will never win.” Horde Prime smiles.

Adora is fighting in the next scene. Then, it cuts to Horde Prime and Catra, most likely planning something. There’s a green smoke. “Destroy them all!” We get a close-up of Horde Prime and then Horde Soldiers running. Then we see Mermista being surrounded.

“No!” Adora cries in the next scene. She’s shaking her head, crying out.

Then, in the next scene, we see Adora reaching out for someone’s arm. Catra’s. “Hang on!” Catra better get a redemption arc this season or I will cry. Catra’s hand is shaking.

We see Glimmer grunting (or maybe Adora? I can’t tell.) She’s doing magic.

Then, in the next scene, we see Adora and her face being filled up by white points. The screen goes black.

“Adora!” Bow yells out.

The music fades out.

“For the honor... of...”

We get a close up of Adora’s face and she’s trying to yell. Her voice seems to long for something, anything. She wants to do something. She wants to get her magic back.

“Grayskull!”

She’s reaching out. I would like to believe she’s summoning the sword, the one that’s broken in pieces.

‘We’re gonna win in the end...’

I have some thoughts and some theories on this but that’s for another post. This one is long enough.

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flowersandskeletons526 · 4 years

Text

“Broken Noses and Bad Ideas” - Modern AU Glitradora, Part 1

Quarantine is kicking my ass but writing in nice. Enjoy!

----

Glimmer lit a cigarette as she stood over two fallen punks in the alley, blood still trickling from her nose. One of the leather clad idiots groaned but stayed down. Glimmer waited a second to make sure neither were getting up to come after her. When they stayed still, she blew a puff of smoke towards the sky and stumbled out onto the sidewalk.

Wispy clouds turned orange above her as the sun slipped beneath the skyline, streetlights winking to life and neon signs illuminating the city. The smell of rain hung in the cool air. The lights made colorful, muddled reflections in the puddles scattered across the pavement. Glimmer tuned out the car engines and police sirens, the thudding of footsteps all through downtown, and focused only on the wet concrete beneath her boots. A chilly breeze swept her unkempt hair away from her face. She popped the collar of her jacket to keep the wind off her neck.

She made her way towards the outer rim of the city, to a tiny shop tucked between buildings. A pink and gold sign that read “Brightmoon Magics” hung above the front windows. Glimmer slipped into the cramped store, locking the door behind her and trudging to the back room. She opened the door to a narrow staircase.

“Hey, Glimmer!” Adora chirped.

Glimmer yelped and fell back against the door. She groaned, dragging a hand down her face as Adora rose from her seat on the stairs. “Adora, what are you doing here?” she asked.

“I came in earlier to tidy up while the shop was closed and I needed to talk to you, so I just hung out here until you got back,” Adora explained. Her Letterman jacket was tossed over her shoulder, a few stray locks of hair framing her face and the rest pulled into its usual ponytail.

“How long have you been waiting?”

“Not long. I had a lot to do.” Adora paused, frowning as she cupped Glimmer’s cheek. Glimmer winced. “Is that blood? Glimmer, what happened?”

Glimmer shrugged and swept past Adora up the stairs. “I got into a fight. It’s nothing.”

Adora followed. “With who?”

“I don’t know. I went over to Mermista’s and she had another rager going. Some girl bumped into me, blamed me for spilling her drink, her buddy got loud, all of that. Mermista said she didn’t know who they were.”

“And they beat you up?”

“No! God, Adora, calm down. You know I never lose a fight.” Heading to the bathroom, Glimmer ran cold water over a rag and held it to her face. “Besides, they barely hit me.”

“Glimmer.”

“What?”

“I know you’re lying.”

Glimmer turned, leaning back against the sink as Adora crossed her arms in the doorway. “Adora.” She poked the blonde in the chest and pushed her back. “I’m fine.”

Adora huffed and trailed after Glimmer as she tossed her jacket onto the table. “Since when do you go to Mermista’s parties?”

“I don’t know, for a while, I guess. I thought you liked Mermista.”

“Well, I do, I just don’t like all the yelling and drinking.”

“You’re a jock. Isn’t that your brand?”

“I’m an athlete, not a frat boy.”

“Thank God.”

Adora smiled and sat on the weathered couch. Glimmer flopped over the arm, stretching out and laying her head in Adora’s lap. Adora threaded her fingers through Glimmer’s pink and purple hair, exposing the black roots, and Glimmer smiled up at her.

“You’ve got to redo your roots soon,” she remarked.

“I can let it grow out a little more,” Glimmer said.

“And then you’ll complain about the black showing through.”

“Yeah whatever.”

Adora chuckled. Her bright blue eyes sparkled, bright and carefree and happy. Glimmer’s heart twisted with memories of simpler times, and she turned over, facing away from Adora. Adora tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Hey, I think Bow gets off his shift pretty soon,” Adora said. “Want to call him over and order a pizza or something? We could have a best friend squad movie night like we used to!”

Glimmer shrugged and closed her eyes as her brow furrowed. “I guess.”

“Or we could do something else? We could go bowling, head to the arcade, go out to eat somewhere. Do you want me to call Bow and see what he wants to do?”

“Adora, you’re doing it again.”

Adora’s hand stilled. “Doing what?”

“You did this right after she died. You try to distract me from it by just ignoring everything and letting it pass by. Please, just… not tonight.”

Taking a deep breath, Adora sighed and smoothed Glimmer’s hair back from her face. “Am I that transparent?”

“Like air.”

“That’s fair.” Adora leaned her head back. “I can’t believe it’s only been a year since Angella died. It feels like we’ve been drudging through a decade already trying to deal with this place since then.”

Glimmer hummed. In reality, she woke up every morning still aching like it was the first day, like she had just come home from class to meet the police on her doorstep. Her stomach coiled into knots as she remembered the night before the accident, how they fought and screamed at each other, how her last words to her mother were words of anger. The memory made her want to puke.

“Glimmer?” Adora asked. Glimmer looked up. “Do you want me to call Bow?”

“Uh, y-yeah. Yeah, a squad movie night sounds good.”

“Sweet!” Adora cheered. Glimmer sat up so she could stand, stretching her muscular arms above her head. “What do you want on your pizza?”

“Pepperoni and extra cheese.”

“Okay, I’ll get one for you and me and a vegan one for Bow.”

“Sounds good.”

Glimmer picked her head up out of her hands and tried to relax for the rest of the night. Adora and Bow distracted her with jokes and old ridiculous movies that they used to watch when they first met. It worked, for the most part, dragging her out of her own head and drawing a few genuine laughs from her. She didn’t tell Bow about the fight, or Adora about her secretly continued smoking habit, or either of them about her pounding headache and the guilt weighing her down like cement shoes. Putting on a smile until they left drained what little energy she had left.

Glimmer gave her friends one last hug as she walked them out. Adora smiled, one hand resting gently on Glimmer’s forearm. “Text us if you need us, okay?” she said.

“Okay,” Glimmer mumbled.

“Do you need us to pick up any extra shifts this week?” Bow asked.

“No, I’ve got everything covered. Thanks, though.”

“Okay, well, we’re here if you need us.”

“I know.”

Bow and Adora wrapped her in their arms and held her tight for a few moments before they left the store. Glimmer locked the door and set the alarm. Returning to the apartment, she tossed the leftover pizza in a barren fridge and made an ultimately forgotten note to go grocery shopping. She sat on the edge of the couch with a sigh.

Her phone buzzed on the table beside her. She groaned, reaching blindly with one hand and holding it up to her ear. “Hello?”

“Shimmer!” Seahawk shouted. “How are you, my friend?”

Glimmer jumped and held the phone away from her face. There was a scuffle in the background, and she heard a crash and Seahawk scream before Mermista’s voice came over the speaker.

“Alright, he’s gone,” she said as Glimmer held the phone to her ear again.

“No I’m not!” came his voice in the background.

“Ugh, go fix your mustache! Sorry, he grabbed my phone.”

“Does he not know my name or is he picking on me again?” Glimmer asked.

“I think he’s picking on you still. Anyway, Perfuma wanted me to call and check on you. She saw a post about those party crashers getting their asses kicked and thought you did something.”

“Can people even crash your parties? I thought they were open invitation.”

“Hey, I am trying to be nice here.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. They followed me and I left them in an alley.”

Mermista laughed, barely more than a huff but the most anyone could get from the queen of blasé. “I told her you’d do worse to them. I mean, Adora would have been breaking down my door if anything actually happened.”

Glimmer grimaced, forcing a laugh. “Yeah, no kidding.”

“Alright, so that aside, I’m taking a few people out this Friday. You know Netossa, right? She’s that grad student I was hanging out with a while ago.”

“Yeah, why?”

“Her wife Spinerella is the manager at the new bar downtown.”

“The Crystal Castle?”

“Yeah, now listen. Perfuma, Seahawk, and I are already going and wanted to see if your super pal trio or whatever you call it wants to come. They’ve got live music and a great bartender. I’ve heard she’s a little crazy, but cool.”

“It’s the best friend squad.”

“Whatever. Are you in or not?”

“I’ll ask.”

“Let me know. Bye.”

“See you.”

The next morning, Glimmer drudged out of bed to open the shop. Both Adora and Bow had class all day at the state college uptown. Adora was a political science major and star of the track team, the golden child of the entire school. Bow studied engineering and competed on the archery team.

Before everything, Glimmer was going to follow them and study politics or law or both. Now she could barely get through the online business classes she forced herself to take.

Glimmer adjusted shelves of crystals and vials of various herbs, dusting off old books and charms. She barely remembered her father, the founder of the store, having only a dusty framed picture in her apartment to remind her of him. Angella, however, she remembered as clear as day.

She was tall and regal, always dressed in flowy pink and sky blue dresses and dripping in moonstone jewelry. She seemed to float through the store between the cramped shelves and tables. Glimmer never quite understood how she managed to miss all the numerous creaky floorboards in the old building. She remembered Angella’s gentle smile when Glimmer came home raving about some new project, or the first time she brought Adora in looking for a job when the blonde first moved to the city. Glimmer had hung Angella’s portrait behind the front counter, but it wasn’t the same. It did nothing to ease the ache.

A bell rang as the door opened. Glimmer didn’t look up. “Hey there,” she called.

“Hey,” said an unfamiliar voice.

Light footsteps circled the store. Glimmer looked up as they paused behind her. “Can I help you with… anything?”

A tall, tanned woman stood by a shelf of vials. A mane of wild brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, held back from her face by a crimson band. A bright red tank top left her freckled arms bare, covered in toned, sharply defined muscles. Two gold rings pierced her bottom lip. She wore one gold hoop in her ear, reminding Glimmer of a pirate. Her long nails were painted black, and pale scars marred her knuckles. Bright eyes turned to Glimmer, one blue and the other a deep amber.

“Burning sage?” she asked.

Glimmer blinked, returning to her body and waving to a table. “In the corner.”

She stepped back behind the counter as the woman picked out a bundle of herbs. Setting it on the weathered counter, the woman leaned forward with her arms on the edge, studying Glimmer as she rang her up. Glimmer glanced at the woman and met her eyes. The woman tilted her head, sizing her up, it seemed. Glimmer trained her eyes on the cash drawer.

“Blessing a new place?” she remarked.

“Just moved in,” the woman replied.

“Welcome to the city.”

“Thanks.” The woman looked around as she took her bag. “Cute little place. I wasn’t expecting to find a place like this here.”

“Do you practice at all?”

The woman shook her head and stood up straight. “Only the sage, and it’s just a bad superstition I picked up.” She smiled, flashing sharp teeth. “Maybe I’ll pop back in to check out the crystals, though. Thanks for the sage.”

Glimmer nodded. Her eyes followed the woman out of the store until she disappeared down the street. A shiver raced up her spine. The intensity of the woman’s stare stuck with her like a frost frozen on her skin. It wasn’t unnerving, necessarily, but those bright, focused eyes tugged at Glimmer’s mind throughout the entire day.

By the time Friday came around, Glimmer’s headache had yet to fade. If anything, it was worse. She sat on the couch, dressed in her leather jacket and torn pink jeans, pressing the heels of her hands against the eyes. She considered cancelling until Bow showed up in his favorite tight black crop top, grinning from ear to ear. Glimmer smiled and tried to avoid any bright lights as they headed out.

“So, Adora’s not coming?” he asked.

“Late night study practice,” Glimmer explained. “She said she’ll be there next time.”

“Sweet.” Bow touched her shoulder. “Are you okay? I know you’ve been tired lately.”

“Yeah, of course!” Glimmer chirped. She linked their arms. “Come on, tonight we’re going to have fun and get wasted like real college kids.”

Bow laughed. “There’s the Glimmer I know!”

Glimmer forced a laugh and held his arm tighter.

The bar was loud and hot and dark despite the neon lights everywhere. Mermista and Seahawk were already on the dance floor, and Perfuma caught up with Glimmer and Bow by the bar.

“I’m so happy you guys made it!” she said as she threw her arms around them. “Come get a drink, the band is going to start in a few minutes.”

Glimmer and Bow followed the tall hippie through the crowded room. “Who’s playing?” Bow asked.

“Some new band, I guess,” Perfuma answered. “I think they’re called the Horde but I don’t know. Mermista does.”

A short woman with impossibly long purple pigtails stood behind the bar. She wore weathered overalls with the straps hanging around her waist, and a pair of red goggles was pushed up on her head. She grinned at them.

“Bow!” the bartender chirped.

“Entrapta!” Bow said. “Since when are you a bartender?”

“I needed the job to finance my projects. Mixology is technically a science, so it works!”

“Awesome. Oh, Entrapta, this is my friend Glimmer. Glimmer, this is Entrapta. She’s in my robotics class.”

“Nice to meet you!” Entrapta said. “What can I get you two?”

“Tequila sunrise,” Bow said.

“Whisky on the rocks, please,” Glimmer said.

The band came on just as they got their drinks. While Bow stayed by the bar to talk with Entrapta, Glimmer found a place against the wall to watch the show. Four people were already onstage, adjusting their instruments. The drummer was a burly man with green hair slicked back from his face and scales tattooed on his neck. The guitar player, a stocky woman with an undercut and dreadlocks pinned back from her face, hung back by the drum set. The bass player was a tall, strong woman with a white undercut and red scars up her arms, talking to someone offstage. Tucked off to the side was a pale, scrawny kid on the keyboard.

Someone stepped onto the stage, and the crowd erupted into cheers. Glimmer’s eyes widened as the strange woman from the shop stood before the front microphone. She opened her arms to the applause, grinning with those sharp teeth and dressed in metal and leather.

“Hello Etheria!” she shouted. “How is everyone doing tonight?” The crowd cheered, and the woman’s grin widened. “Alright. Let’s get this shit started!”

The drummer counted them off. The music was heavy but bright, with harsh drums and grungy guitar. They pushed a fast tempo as the front woman grabbed the microphone. Glimmer’s eyes were glued to the woman as she sang. Her voice was low and raspy, and she sang with an explosive fire that set Glimmer’s heart pounding. She hardly listened to the lyrics, just the sound of the woman’s voice as she belted out the notes.

Glimmer barely noticed when Bow slung an arm around her shoulders. “Aren’t they amazing?” he asked over the music.

“Yeah, they’re wicked,” Glimmer said.

The last song finished, and the woman paused for applause, inquisitive eyes scanning the crowd. “You guys have been great tonight,” she said over the cheers. Her eyes met Glimmer’s across the sea of people, and she grinned. “Come back again, we’re here all week.”

That odd chill settled over Glimmer again as the band left the stage. She nudged Bow. “Hey, I’m going to head home. I’ve got a bit of a headache.”

“Okay. Let me just say goodbye to Entrapta,” Bow said.

“No, Bow, stay. You’re having fun. I need a walk anyway.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you walking home alone.”

“It’s not ten minutes. I’ll be fine. I’ll text you when I get home.”

“Okay. Be safe.”

“I will.”

Glimmer sighed as she stepped out into the cool night air. Lighting a cigarette, she rubbed her eyes as she ghosted through the empty streets. The woman was stuck in her head. The sight of her singing was seared on the inside of Glimmer’s eyelids, with her wild hair tossed back from her face and the stage lights a bold red behind her.

Several pairs of footsteps clicked on the sidewalk. Glimmer turned. The people from Mermista’s party earlier in the week blocked her path, along with two more thugs to bolster their numbers.

“Hey, you!” one shouted.

Glimmer cursed. She spun on her heel to run, but they grabbed the back of her collar and flung her back. She managed to punch one in the jaw before they slammed her against a brick storefront. She opened her mouth to scream. The leader sucker punched her. Dazed and bleeding, she let her head hang as the punk laughed.

“Payback, bitch,” she spat.

The woman wore heavy jeweled rings. They left little cuts all over Glimmer’s face, breaking the skin through her clothes as the thugs rained blows down on her. She struggled to break free from their grip, but they held her tight against the wall. Blood poured down her face and soaked into her shirt. Her vision began to tunnel.

Muffled shouting echoed from down the street. The blows paused. Someone screamed in pain, and Glimmer was suddenly dropped to the ground. She heard a scuffle and more screams. Two of the thugs collapsed in front of her while the others bolted down the street. Blood poured from wounds in their back or side, pooling beneath them as they struggled to get away. The unknown attacker stepped over the leader of the gang and kicked her in the face, leaving her there to bleed.

Bloodstained boots approached Glimmer as her vision faded. The last things she saw before she lost consciousness were hands dripping with red and a pair of bright, focused eyes.

#glimmer #catra #adora #bow #bow she ra #perfuma #mermista #seahawk #scorpia #lonnie she ra #kyle she ra #rogelio she ra #glitradora #modern au #college au #she ra reboot #She Ra #spop #oh god this is gonna be a long one

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