Chapter Text
“Very well done indeed, Force Captain,” Hordak crooned through the small screen. Catra grinned wickedly. “They have no idea why. Most of them don’t even know I’m here,” She crooned back. Hordak hummed as he stroked Imp’s chin. The monkey hybrid purred, his tail wagging. “Perhaps you can still be of use to us,” The leader of the Horde mused. Catra stayed neutrally composed. “Keep feeding us updates, Force Captain. If they prove to be of use, then you may return to your position once we’re done,"
Catra smirked as she ended the call, immediately dropping the badge to the ground. She kicked it under the bed, where she’d found it, and began to pace. Her hands shook as she moved, despite her clenching them into fists.
Fucking Adora.
The dumb bitch ran away, still injured mind you, late last night, and hadn’t come back… not that Catra could smell, at least. What? Living in each other's pockets for the better part of seventeen years made you accustomed to their scent. Lonnie, for example, smelled of coffee. Rogelio smelt of chemicals, Kyle smelt damp, and Adora smelled like the forest.
Not that she trusted her enough to allocate a scent like that, no. Catra happened to be in the whispering woods one day as she came across a nice, comforting smell. Her traitorous mind immediately flew to Adora’s comforting nature, and thus the scent stuck.
Unless she had actually come back, and her scent had changed.
It wouldn’t be the only thing that had.
~
“What did you do!?”
Catra shrieked as a ball of pink glitter was thrown at her head. She hissed, unsheathing her claws. “What is your problem!?” She shouted, dodging another pink ball of energy. “Adora’s gone! What did you do!?” Knowing her position was somewhat delicate, Catra took a steadying breath and sheathed her claws. “Are you gonna talk to me like an adult? Or do I need to get the babysitter in?” She snarked. Glimmer growled, stalking over. Her fist lit up pink. “What…did…you…do?” She spoke slowly. Catra subconsciously took a step back. “I didn’t do anything. She came in here, dragged me around by my shirt, then left,"
Glimmer snorted. “I doubt that. Adora doesn’t just grab people by their shirts,” Catra couldn’t help the bitter scoff. “Then you clearly don’t know her all that well,"
The two women glared daggers into the other's head.
Glimmer finally relented, dropping her fist. “She left the meeting as well… but she was crying,” Catra’s eyebrows furrowed. “Crying? Adora doesn’t cry,” She titled her head briefly. “Not unless she’s in a fuck-ton of pain or something really bad’s happened,” Catra scanned Glimmer’s face. “She-she said something about a village being destroyed,” She said quietly. Glimmer scoffed. “You could say that,” She replied bitterly. Catra cleared her throat, somewhat hesitantly. “Adora always cared for the young kids… the ones who couldn’t stand up for themselves,"
She scoffed fondly in thought. “The amount of times she took a beating for standing up for them… or starvation punishments…” She trailed off, realising who she was talking to. Catra hissed to herself, looking away, folding her arms. Glimmer made a strange sound, but Catra refused to look up. She knew the sound.
Upset… worry… pity.
Nobody in the Horde did pity. That was something ingrained from a minuscule age, before you were even walking. If Adora had managed to break out of that, then good on her. Seriously.
After a beat, Glimmer spoke again. “You’re her best friend."
Were. Catra and her were best friends.
“You know her the best out of everyone here,” The Princess admitted. “Where would she go if she was upset?”
~
Glimmer reluctantly followed Catra. She understood the magicat's reasoning for not wanting to be followed, despite it hurting a lot. “If Adora wanted to be found, she’d’ve told you where she goes,” Catra snarked as they walked through the hidden back routes of the castle. “Oh, and she’s told you?” Glimmer argued. Catra scoffed. “Of course not. But she wouldn’t have changed all that much in a year, Sparkles,"
Glimmer grumbled. Catra continued walking for a few more minutes. They stopped near a door. “This goes upstairs?” Catra asked. Glimmer hummed in confirmation. “Good. Stay here. I’ll talk to her,” Glimmer thrust her hand out. “Oh no,” She chuckled. “You think I’m leaving you alone with my injured best friend? Not happening,”
Catra fought back against the urge to smack Glimmer. They were not best friends. Best friends knew everything about each other. Favourite colours (red), what they wanted to do when they were older (have a family), favourite weapon (stun baton), enemy (Octavia), deepest secret (caught pleasuring herself in the shower block to a photo once), crushes (none - admitted with a flush and glance to Catra’s hands), fears (the dark), triggers (unwanted touching) and how they move. That’s why their fights weren’t over quickly. Adora knew how to counteract Catra’s strikes, just as well as Catra knew how to hers.
Instead, she settled with a groan. “Sparkles, please. We were trained in the Horde. Adora could take me with half an arm missing,” She rolled her eyes. Glimmer didn’t move. Catra picked at her nails. “And I pinky promise not to hurt her,” She mocked, fully waiting for Glimmer to refuse the snark. “Fine. But I will expose you to the alliance if you pull anything funny, Horde scum,” Catra blinked in surprise. She masked it quickly, opening the door. “You Princesses are all the same,"
~
She walked up onto the roof, not surprised in the slightest when a blonde head in a red jacket sat at the edge. Catra sauntered over, shaking off the initial unease. It wasn’t usually this way around. It was Catra sulking on the rooftop, with Adora coming to find her.
(and comfort)
She approached the edge, standing there for a moment with her hands on her hips. Adora used to do this; she’d wait for Catra to make the first move, or say the first thing. So, Catra watched the moon begin to deep beneath the landscape, the sky lighting up in a pretty array of colours they didn’t see in the Fright Zone. “It’s nice… isn’t it?” Adora asked quietly. Catra sighed softly as she sat. “Don’t try to charm me,” She warned playfully. Adora scoffed breathily. “I wasn’t. I was making conversation,” She folded her arms. “I won’t bother again,"
Catra exhaled. “Don’t be so sensitive,” She said, bumping her shoulder. Adora grumbled. “Why’re you up here?” The magicat asked a few minutes later. Adora stayed quiet. “Come on. Sparkles is getting worried,” She tried. Adora was quiet still.
Catra stopped talking, just listening. The moon dipped beneath the landscape as the sky changed from hues of red and pink to blues and blacks. There was a quiet sniff to her side. Catra turned. She frowned in worry. “Why’re you crying?” She asked softly. Adora’s eyes were puffy red… she’d been crying for a while. “I don’t even know,” She exclaimed wetly, chuckling bitterly into her hand as she aggressively wiped her eyes. Catra watched, unable to do anything but. “I just… I keep telling myself that people die in war, that people get hurt,” She sobbed. “But she was nine, Catra. Nine,“ She wiped her eyes to no effect. They kept pouring. “I couldn’t do a fucking thing about it. Because, what? I was sleepy?"
Catra hesitated in reaching a hand out to comfort the breaking-down blonde. She’d never heard such malice in Adora’s normally sweet voice. “I was tired, and a kid died,” She said. The weight of the words fell upon Catra’s shoulders. She committed to putting her hand onto Adora’s shoulder. The blonde sniffed but offered no further words.
Catra continued watching the sky change from light blue to dark to black as the third moon rose for the night. She waited until the sky was completely black before trying again. “Adora…” She began. The blonde shook her head. “Nothing you can say will make me feel better… so don’t even bother,"
“I wasn’t going to talk about that,” Catra snapped. Adora’s body tensed slightly. Catra sighed. “Look. I was, but… you’re right. People do get hurt in war, people do die,” She ignored Adora’s teary eyes staring into her soul, focussing her stare ahead. “Whilst I’ve done some… things… at the Horde,” She paused, thinking of her words. “I have never, and will never authorise a murder of a kid… or anyone really,” She ran her hands through her hair.
Adora barked a laugh. “Oh, how magnanimous of you, truly,” Catra snarled. “What exactly do you want from me? Huh?” Adora’s chest heaved with breath. “To leave! Leave the Horde! To join me!” Catra growled as she looked away. “I’m not doing that, Adora. We’ve had this argument before,"
“I’d leave the Rebellion for you, Catra,” The blonde pleaded. Catra nearly looked back. “If you left the Horde, I would leave the Rebellion. We could-we could live happily in the whispering woods. Razz’d take care of us,” She rambled. “Nobody would ever find us again,”
Catra sighed loudly. “I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. I’m not leaving the Horde, Adora. You chose to leave us, to leave me… I’m not gonna make the same mistake,"
Catra stood up and began to stalk away. “Catra, wait, I’m sorry!” Adora audibly scrambled to catch up. Catra heard her whine, followed by a loud crash. She turned. “What the hell kind of begging is this?” She stalked over, wrinkling her nose. Adora gasped from her fallen form on the ground. “Not begging,”
Catra frowned as she crouched. “You’re hurt,” She narrowed her eyes. Adora panted on her hands and knees, whining lowly. Catra rolled her eyes. “Stay still. I need to take off the jacket,” She ignored Adora’s weak protests as she undid the red jacket. Ordinarily, she would’ve sliced it off, but she wasn’t that evil. Catra knew that jacket was the one thing Adora held throughout her entire life. Apparently she’d found it when she was two. It was the only thing that was well and truly hers. No Horde markings on it either.
Adora’s white compression shirt was a horrid dark red. Catra sighed angrily. “Come on. Up,” She grabbed an arm and slung it around her neck. Adora’s face dropped several shades, swaying as she stood. Catra waited. She could easily take Adora’s full weight without breaking a sweat, but that wouldn’t exactly look good would it? Walking back into the castle, unconscious Adora, blood down her front?
“M’ok,” She mumbled a few moments later. Catra rolled her eyes, wrapping an arm around her waist. “You need to be more careful, dummy,” They walked up to Glimmer, who immediately held her fists up in pink energy balls. “No, Glim… s’my fault,” Glimmer glowered. “Dipshit here ripped her stitches again,” Catra supplied. Glimmer continued to scowl. “You think I’d bring her back to you, risking myself being captured, if I’d caused this?” Catra taunted. Glimmer opened her mouth to speak-
“m’gon pss'ut,”
Catra was pulled forward with a yowl as Adora fell unconscious. She grunted, pulling her back. “Sparkles, what’re you doing? Cus she’s bleeding out,” Glimmer’s shoulders fell. “Fine. I’ll drop you in her room first,"
She did, whisking Adora off to the infirmary quickly after. Catra’s eyes fell to the badge under the bed. With a disgusted scoff, she dropped onto the bed and shut her eyes.