Chapter Text
“Yeah, just like that! You’ve got it!” Teela’s mocking voice rang out, followed by a fit of laughter.
You groaned, covering your face with your hands. You hadn’t slept last night, not after your disastrous meeting with Adam, instead lying in bed until the sky outside started to turn purple and you deemed it an appropriate enough time to bother Teela. She had been reasonably upset when you woke her, her red hair sticking to her face as she glared at you, but she was willing to listen. If there was one thing you’d always appreciate about Teela, it was how dependable she was, no matter what.
You spilled your guts to her, lying flat on the floor of her room and staring up at the ceiling. It was always hard to look at her while you talked about Adam, mostly because she couldn’t help but laugh every now and then. You couldn’t really blame her after all, you knew you were being silly about the whole thing.
“It’s not that funny…” You mumbled, finally glancing at her.
She giggled once more before clearing her throat. “Well… I guess that means he’s too stupid for you.”
“Very helpful Teela, thanks.” You roll your eyes, getting up off the floor with a stretch.
She opened her mouth to speak once again, only to be cut off by an alarm blaring through the palace. You looked at each other for a split second before leaping into action, Teela throwing on her armor and you rushing to your room to do the same. You grabbed your shield, something recently modified by Duncan. It seemed to work fine when you had used it in training, but training and real battles were two very different things.
You caught sight of Adam and Cringer rushing through the halls, turning a corner. Away from the action. You skidded to a stop for a moment, looking in the direction he had gone, before shaking your head. Adam was your best friend, but you had a duty to the kingdom first. You ran outside, just barely hearing Duncan shout “-attacking Greyskull!” before he, Teela, and the other Masters headed off. You jumped on a nearby sky sled and sped after them, quickly taking off.
“Thought you wouldn’t make it!” Stratos shouted over the winds, flying beside you.
“And let you guys have all the fun? Not a chance!” You retorted, grinning.
It wasn’t long before Greyskull was in sight, as well as Skeletor and his army. You could see some sort of beam being shot at the castle’s door, no doubt some sort of attempt to force it open. The battle began as soon as you landed, your feet barely on solid ground before a sword struck your shield.
You grunted upon impact, glancing up into the eye of Tri-Klops. He glared at you, eyes spinning as he prepared a blast. In that moment your thumb slammed down against the button Duncan had installed, sending an electric current from your shield that ran through Tri-Klops’s sword. He shouted, the electricity causing him to fly back and into a nearby rock.
“You’re too late, fools! Greyskull’s gates are opening!” Skeletor’s voice rang out, causing your head to whip around.
The gates were indeed coming down, and fast. You rushed forward, trying to somehow, some way stop Skeletor from getting inside, only for a loud thud to echo, the gates fully down…
…Revealing He-Man, seated upon Battle Cat. Cheers came from your forces as he sprung into action, taking on Skeletor and leaving the rest of you to deal with his cronies.
The battle wrapped up soon after, Skeletor and his men retreating as they shouted promises of revenge. You caught a glimpse of someone in the castle’s tower as you celebrated with the other Masters, causing you to look up and lock eyes with the Sorceress. She smiled down at you, and you awkwardly returned the favor, before she vanished.
He-Man left not soon after, as he usually did, leaving you to stew on your thoughts as you returned home. You weren’t sure what you thought about Eternia’s new champion. Sure, he was heroic and a great ally, but he was so mysterious and strange. He was always there when he needed to be, but how did he know? Duncan had mentioned contacting him when you brought it up once before, but you weren’t sure if you believed that. There’s no way he would’ve had time to contact He-Man the instant Skeletor attacked. And where was He-Man any other time? He didn’t return to Greyskull after the battle, so you were almost sure he didn’t live there. Too many questions, not enough answers.
Adam was standing in the courtyard when you had all returned to the palace, Cringer by his side. He looked sheepishly apologetic as he explained he got outside too late when the alarms were going off, and had no way of joining you all at the fight. Teela merely rolled her eyes, striding past him with a huff. You debated on telling him that you had seen him actively run the other way, but decided against it. For now, at least.
He stood by your side as Duncan asked about your shield, how it worked, if you had felt any of the current, reminding you to put it back on its charging dish as soon as you could. Soon enough, it was just the two of you, and Cringer, left standing in the courtyard.
“Hey, you look tired.” He commented, a look of concern on his face.
It only just hit you then how exhausted you were, feeling like all your energy had been sapped from your body.
“Yeah, I didn’t really sleep well last night, I-” You were cut off by a yawn, and Adam chuckled.
He patted your back, gently pushing you in towards the castle. “Why don’t you take a nap? I’ll make us some breakfast, well lunch now I suppose, and wake you up when it’s done.”
“Can we get a move on then? I’m starving!” Cringer chimed in, causing you both to laugh.
You smiled softly at Adam, cheeks heating up. “Alright, but you’ve gotta promise to wake me up. I don’t want to sleep all day.”
“I promise.” He said, holding up his hand.
The three of you headed inside, giving a wave when you split into different directions. You set your shield on its base as soon as you got to your room, before crashing into bed, not even bothering to take your armor off. It only took a few minutes for you to fall asleep, a small smile on your face.
***
Adam was cooking, Cringer waiting eagerly at his side, when the Sorceress’s voice called out to him, asking that he return to Greyskull immediately. He hesitated, but knew she wouldn’t have called for him if it wasn’t important.
“But what about lunch?” Cringer asked, frowning.
“It’ll have to wait.” Adam responded, heading off.
“What about Y/N? You promised you’d wake him up.”
Adam paused for a minute, sighing. “I’ll have Orko wake him. I’m sure he’ll understand.”
And with a quick stop to speak to Orko, the pair left for Greyskull once more.