Work Text:
Adora. The name sits in her tongue; she bites it back. “Horde Lord.”
She stands before Catra, chin lifting. Staring her down. Her stance is more dignified than the last she's seen her, eyes unyielding and relentless–as though she traced down any remnant of her identity and slit them into smithereens. A twitch of her brows, and then, “Hello, Catra. Or is it She-Ra now?”
Catra inhales sharply as the other stalks over, a steady pace that almost makes her want to give in, surrender. But she holds her ground–barely. “You don’t understand,” she breathes, with the faintest hint of desperation. “The Horde's not what it makes itself out to be. Come with me.”
The Horde Lord’s lips curl downwards. “And side with the enemy? Like you did?” she says, halting inches from her face. And it’s ironic to think that, for all this time, Catra has wanted to be her equal, to feel deserved to stand beside her. Yet it’s not until some so-called destiny has paved their way apart from each other that they stand in equal stature.
She chuckles low. “You’re deluding yourself.” But then her fingertips come to brush past her cheek, her palm settling against it. “You didn’t have to leave, you know,” she says, her tone soft with hurt, for once. “We could’ve ruled the world, just like we wanted to. You could’ve been by my side.”
And Catra feels herself slipping, her breath catching in her throat. Her hand moves to reach toward hers: “Ado–”
The earth quivers, and then heavy footsteps. The door behind them comes unhinged, revealing a set of Horde soldiers with their weapons at the ready.
A soldier falters, their weapon lowering slightly. “My Lord–”
The Lord in question immediately disarms them with a flick of her whip, sending them sprawling into the ground. “Go,” she hisses at Catra, refusing to look at her.
“No, wait–”
“You won’t be so lucky next time,” she warns darkly.
Catra retracts as the Horde Lord turns her back on her, pacing away. It takes her a moment, but she finally relents. When she reaches the exit, she lets herself look back. And she catches Adora looking back at her, with that same scared expression she had when she begged Catra to stay.
And that would be the last time Catra would ever find the slightest hint of emotion in her face for a long, long time.