#she-ra fluff bang 2020

[theoeclipse]

Baby’s First Words

Hi everyone! This is my submission for the 2020 She-Ra Fluff Bang! It’s a little fluffy story of Catra being a good mum, Finn saying their first words, Catra being an emotional good mum, and later on Adora also being an emotional good mum.

Really I just wanted cute fluffy parental Catradora raising their baby together.

Please check out @jujufire ‘s art they did for this fic, it’s too adorable!!

You can also read it on AO3 if you prefer.

~~~~~

Catra let out a loud gasp, her eyes wide with horror as she held a hand to her chest, gripping frantically at her shirt while stumbling forward several steps before collapsing to her knees.

“Argh! No! The mighty mountain troll got me! I've been hit, argghhh!” She continued to claw at her chest dramatically, flailing her arms outwards and flipping her ponytail back. “If only there was someone who could save me, and take down the monster that's been eating all of the villagers!”

A high pitched giggle resonated from her left and she snapped her eyes to look at the little bundle of fur sitting on a plus pillow and watching her with sparkling eyes the shade of the bluest sky.

Inhaling sharply she slapped her hands to her cheeks, her lips trembling as her eyes filled with wonder. “Could it be? The Mighty Finn of legends?? Mythological warrior knight who once fought off the savage Horde all by themselves with only a stick and their loyal steed?!”

Finn giggled again as Catra scooted quickly over to them, scooping the little child up in her arms and lifting them up into the air triumphantly.

“Yes! It is I, the mighty Finn! Fear not Lady Catra for I will save you and slay this foul beast!” Catra did her best to put on a goofy and heroic voice, pretending it was Finn talking before bounding forwards and letting loose a cacophony of fake fighting sounds.

Holding Finn's little arms she acted out an entire scene of punches and wild swings, even a few roundhouse kicks, before finally shouting triumphantly in her best fake Finn voice.

“Ahah! The monster is slain and your village is now safe, Lady Catra!”

Clearing her voice, she placed the exuberantly laughing baby down on the ground before clasping both her hands together and looking ever much like a starstruck Princess.

“Mighty Finn! Thank you so much, you've saved our town and our people, we will be forever in your debt!”

Little Finn was now clapping their tiny little hands against their thighs, their high pitched giggles only making Catra break out into a smile that nobody could have wiped off her face if they'd tried. She couldn't help the musical laugh that escaped her as she scooted over and picked Finn up again, shucking them up so that they were sitting in the little nook just above her hip bone. 

Still smiling, she pressed several little pecks all across Finn's forehead, cheeks and nose. This only made the child coo with delight, letting loose a tiny little high pitched purr as they nestled closer to her chest. A matching purr started to resonate from her own chest as she carefully ran her fingers through Finn's slowly growing mane of golden blonde hair. Just like their mother's.

With a warm sigh escaping her lips, she allowed herself a few more moments of mother-child bonding and snuggling before getting up and making for the kitchen, still holding Finn snug against her waist.

“Now what do you say to a snack after such a hard fought battle, mighty Finn?” Catra teased, gently booping the kitten on their nose and receiving a squeal of delight in reply. She grinned, pressing another kiss to Finn’s forehead.

Their place wasn't the biggest of houses, but that was plenty fine by her. Living in the palace had never really been something she'd been interested in, so when Adora had agreed to have a place built just for them outside the palace grounds at Brightmoon she had been over the moon.

It was warm and cosy, with warm toned walls all throughout except for in Finn's nursery- sky-blue walls that Catra loved because they reminded her of the eyes of the two things most precious to her- her wife and their child. The beds were softer than the bunks they had in the Fright Zone but firmer than the ridiculous pillow beds the Brightmoon palace seemed so fond of.

Their kitchen was roomy enough to get around with polished wood benchtops and an island in the middle where her and Adora had spent many nights learning to cook together while drinking far too much wine.

She made her way to the fridge and pulled out one of the snack containers of pureed fruit and vegetables that Finn had become fond of lately, popping it into a machine that Entrapta had called a 'Micro Radio Frequency Particle Excitement Box' that after 30 seconds had warmed the food to just above lukewarm temperature.

“Ohh Finny, lookit what Mama's got for you!” Catra spoke with mild excitement, carrying both the child and the food over to their high chair at the dining table.

Finn squealed with excitement as she put the food down on their little table and carefully lowered them down into their chair.

“Baba! Abbub..” Finn started to babble as they often did around food, and toys, and their mother. Catra grinned to herself. She'd likely never get these two to shut up once Finn was capable of holding a conversation.

She retrieved a spoon from a kitchen drawer and quickly returned, pulling up a chair beside Finn's high chair and carefully beginning to scoop a spoonful of orange coloured puree up. Watching her child's face light up in excitement she was overwhelmed with pure happiness as their mouth opened expectantly.

“Look Finny, here comes the flying horse!” She proceeded to make whooshing and zooming noises, flying the spoon around in criss-crossing directions before bee-lining for Finn's mouth. The kid hummed happily as they chowed down on their snack, bright blue eyes looking up at her with awe and joy. So much so that it almost made her chest ache.

“That good Finn?” She asked, plopping another mouthful  in and laughing softly as they clapped their hands together. They definitely got the food excitement from their mother too.

Looking up at the clock on the wall, Catra sighed. It was still only the early afternoon, and Adora likely wouldn’t be home until after it got dark. While Catra had gotten a lot better these days at spending time apart from her wife, there was still always a part of her that deeply yearned and ached whenever they had to be away from each other, even if it was only for a few hours. And of course she had their child to look after, their beautiful little blonde haired, blue eyed kitten that a special place in her heart now beat solely for.

Speaking of said kitten, Finn had finished up their snack and was now babbling happily, bits of puree smudged in a few spots around their mouth. Catra smiled softly and went to retrieve a cloth, dampening it first before returning to clean up Finn’s face. They wriggled a little restlessly, letting out a soft cry as the cloth was swiped over their mouth, chin and cheeks.

“Stop fussing, trust me you don’t want this stuff dried up in your fur,” she furrowed her brows, inspecting their face closely before dabbing a few more times. “I guarantee that will be more of struggle for both of us and I’ll probably end up having to get the razor out.”

Finn let out a soft noise of annoyance as the last of the food was removed, Catra putting the cloth to the side before letting out a long dad-noise grunt while picking up the now slightly heavier Finn and shifting them up to her chest. She began the after-meal ritual of gently clicking her tongue while bouncing the kitten and patting their back, swaying a little from side to side before making her way back to the living area where some of Finn’s toys were strewn about.

On the way there she passed by a photograph of her and Adora only a few months after Finn had been born on a day trip to the Whispering Woods for a picnic. They were seated on a blanket, Catra’s arm wrapped around Adora’s shoulders as they both looked down at their baby who was swaddled and held securely in Adora’s arms.

A smile crept onto Catra’s face, her hand still patting away at Finn’s back. Reaching out she let the rough of her thumb rest against the glass protecting Adora’s radiant face, as though hoping that somehow her wife would feel the gesture of affection through a photograph and from miles away. She knew it was important for Adora to attend to her Princess duties- to her She-Ra duties- but it didn’t make her miss her while she was away any less.

Still, maybe when Finn was older or they could convince Glimmer and Bow to babysit then she could attend a few of these political and beneficial-for-the-people outings.

It was as she was pondering the future and missing her other half that Finn finally let loose a series of small burps, followed by a little coo as though they were happy with their achievement. Catra chuckled.

“Good job little one, almost gave Adora a run for her money.”

Giving the photo one last glance, she continued on to the living room. She set Finn down on their soft cotton playmat, covered with colourful patterns and embossed animals. There was a criss-crossed arch over the top of the playmat that had a few stars and moons dangling from it- one of them even had a pull cord that made it start playing a soft lullaby tune that always seemed to calm down Finn when they were having a tantrum or wouldn’t settle for a nap.

She retrieved a few plush toys from where they lay strewn about and handed a large pink teddy to Finn, setting down the others nearby in case they decided they were in the mood for something else. Catra reached for her video-pad lying nearby on the couch and settled herself in to unwind and find something to watch.

“Alright Finn, Mama’s gonna find us something fun to watch until dinner time. Sound good?”

She peered over at her kitten, smiling when she saw vibrant sky-blue eyes peering back up at her, one little hand raising up and flailing in her direction. Reaching out she took the hand, leaning all the way down and peppering a few kisses to the furry back of it. “Mama’s here baby.”

“Amma… ahh..” Finn started to babble, Catra looking up with a crinkle in her brow, fondness welling in her chest. The little kitten seemed to have a personal dilemma, their little face squinting in concentration. “Ahm… Mama!”

Catra froze. Oh no. Oh no no. Oh, it wasn’t supposed to happen like this. This… Adora was supposed to be here, they should have been together, Finn should have been speaking their first words for them both and now-

Oh, but Finn was looking up at her so, so adoringly. Those big eyes so full of light and joy and everything that was right and good with the world. And it was her child. Just as much as it was Adora’s. Finn was a part of both of them. And now here she was, sitting there staring like a stunned mullet as she realised that this was real, and this was good, and this was happening to her. She had a child with the woman who’d she’d loved since she had been a child herself, the most perfect and amazing woman in the world. 

Catra was a mother. A proud mother. A soft mother, and she hoped- a good mother. She tried every single day when she woke up and kissed Adora on the cheek and then kissed Finn on the forehead to be the very best mother. The mother that she and Adora never had.

There was a sharp burning sensation prickling at her eyes and she was vaguely aware of a tickling feeling as tears had started to carve a path down her cheekbones. Finn was still staring at her with absolute adoration, and she took a deep but shaky breath before scooping the child up in her arms and holding them close to her chest.

Finn let out a musical giggle, patting at her arms. “Mama!”

Letting out a soft laugh, Catra snuggled them tighter. She inhaled the smell of their blonde mane, her breath tickling their little ears and making them twitch. There was something so comforting about that ‘new-baby’ smell, even though Finn technically wasn’t that young anymore. She even found herself purring with pure joy, letting a few more tears fall from her eyes and hoping they didn’t get moisture all over Finn’s jumpsuit.

“I love you so much little bub.” Her voice came out just above a whisper, giving Finn one last squeeze before resigning herself to put them down in her lap before they started to get irritable with their Mum cramping their style.

Placing them in her lap, she grabbed the video-pad once more and flicked through a few things before finally deciding on a cute cartoon about horses and penguins for them to watch together. This seemed to please Finn, who let out a small whine of excitement while trying to reach out and ‘pat’ the horsey on the screen.

Catra just chuckled and ensured she was holding it far enough away that they couldn’t reach.

Eventually it started to get dark. Catra made the rounds about the house, tidying up Finn’s toys and making sure the dishes were clean in the kitchen. She warmed up some dinner for herself after feeding Finn and then putting them down in their crib for the night. She’d just finished putting away some laundry in their bedroom when she heard a soft rattle and the creak of the front door cautiously opening.

Her nose twitched and a smile crept onto her face as she caught a whiff of Adora’s scent- light and musky, with tones of vanilla and amber and a little bit of sandalwood. Making her way from the bedroom she opted for the less subtle approach, heading straight for her wife as she was shutting the front door and wrapping her up in a crushing hug.

“Mm! Catra, hey!” Adora greeted her warmly, easily melting into the embrace and wrapping her arms around her slender waist. 

Catra buried her face in Adora’s neck, a few stray strands of blonde hair tickling her nose but she didn’t care. “I mimthed myo.”

Adora chuckled, running her hands down Catra’s side and tilting her head just so. “Sorry what was that? Can you repeat it I think I’m losing my hearing.”

Grunting softly Catra pulled away, still smiling as she met her wife’s eyes. “I said-” she punctuated it with a soft kiss. “I missed you.” Another kiss. “You big dummy.”

“I missed you too, babe.” Adora replied, more than happy to return the kiss, wearing her own matching dorky smile.

A few seconds later Catra returned to their original position, burying her head again and holding onto Adora as though her life depended on it. While more than happy to return the embrace, Adora smoothed her hands along Catra’s back in a calming motion for a few moments before speaking.

“Everything okay?”

Catra went still, letting out a long breath before slowly easing herself back from Adora; just a little bit.

“Yeah I’m fine it’s just that-” Catra paused, looking away as colour made its way to her cheeks and she felt a lump starting to form in her throat. “Finn…. said their first word today.”

She bit her lip as she gained the courage to look back, hoping that Adora wouldn’t be sad or disappointed that she wasn’t there, but all she found was glowing blue eyes and a radiant grin that could have threatened to crack Adora’s giant head in half if she wasn’t careful.

“Really??”

Laughing softly Catra took Adora’s hands, grasping onto them like a lifeline and running her thumbs over her knuckles. “Yeah. You’re… not upset you weren’t there?”

Adora’s eyes flitted between her two different coloured ones, eyebrows furrowing in confusion before she let out a dry laugh. “Catra, why would I be upset?”

“I don’t know! I just thought- Ugh, I don’t know I just wished you’d been there and I guess I just felt bad that you didn’t get to hear it with me.”

She’d started to avert her gaze, her cheeks getting warmer as she rambled but she found two strong hands cupping her head and bringing her back to look up at her wife. Adora was smiling at her, her eyes soft and loving as they always were and it made her heart burst with joy. Damnit, those tears were probably going to make a reappearance.

“Catra I love you, and I love Finn. We’re parents together, and I’m going to get to be there for so many of Finn’s other firsts. I’m just glad you got to be there for it even though I couldn’t be.”

A tear slid down her cheek but Adora’s thumb reached up and swiped it away. Sniffling to herself, she rolled her eyes and pulled her big dumb wife in again for another hug. “You’re such a sap.”

Adora laughed, a lilting and musical sound that made Catra’s heart beat a step quicker than it had been. “Oh yeah, pfftt totally.” They hugged for a few moments before Adora interrupted it again. “So, what did Finn say?”

Oh, yeah. That’s right.

Catra looked up, still very much enveloped in Adora’s arms but just far enough away that she could meet her gaze.

“Mama. Finn called me Mama.”

Now Adora looked like she was going to cry, her eyes bright and wobbling with unshed tears as she held her gaze. “Please don’t cry. You’re going to make me cry again!”

“But, you’re Finn’s Mama! And they called you Mama! That’s just… just so…” Adora’s lip did that little thing it did right before she started crying from happiness, that little quiver that every time was equal parts adorable and heart-crushing. Catra felt her tears coming yet again.

Adora sniffed as tears of happiness started to roll down her cheeks. Catra whined softly, unable to stop herself as her own tears came again. She hid her face in the collar of Adora’s grey jacket, unabashedly wiping her face there and letting the fabric absorb them.

“Catra I’m so glad we’re parents together.”

Catra nodded, wiping more tears away. “I know, we’re the best Mums in all of Etheria.”

“More like in the whole Universe.”

They both laughed then, a warm, rich sound that they shared together as they rocked back and forth in each other's arms. “You’re such a dork.”

Adora laughed, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Yeah I know.” She paused, humming softly. “Catra?”

“Hmm?” Catra was purring, her tears finally slowing as she rubbed her face into Adora’s neck. She couldn’t help it, she just smelled so damn good and it was always comforting to hide her face there.

“I’m hungry.”

There was a pause before Catra let out a chuckle, placing a kiss at Adora’s jawline before pulling away. She took her by the hand, tugging her in the direction of the kitchen.

“Come on hot stuff, I’ll heat up dinner for you.”

That night when Finn woke up fussing for a snack, they got up together, huddled close just the three of them as Adora fed them. She was about to finish putting the last spoonful of pureed peas and potatoes in their mouth as little Finn looked up at her, smiling brightly and giggling playfully.

Reaching up the kitten patted Adora on the cheek, cooing softly.

“Mumum!”

If Catra had thought that her ugly, emotional crying earlier had been absolutely terrible and embarrassing then she truly no longer had anything to fear. It seemed Adora’s ugly, emotional crying won out in terms of dramatic points. 

That night she may have spent a good two hours just cuddling with both her wife and child until Adora had eventually calmed down enough to put Finn back to bed in their crib. Adora had snuggled up to her and rambled to her until she was high from lack of sleep in the early hours of the morning, talking about all her greatest fears about being a good parent- being a good mother- all of the fears instilled in her from their childhood with Shadow Weaver.

All the same fears Catra had.

But now she saw those same fears reflected in Adora; Adora the wonderful, the strong, the brave, the kind, the most amazing woman and mother that Catra had ever known. Well, she realised that maybe together they really would be the best parents that Finn could have.

As Adora began to snore from where she lay sprawled against Catra's chest, she wondered to herself, fingers gently playing through golden locks of hair.

“I think I wanna have more kids.”

Her wife snored. Catra smiled.

She would tell her when she was awake. Eventually.

~

[princessspacelesbians]

She-Ra Fluff Bang is here!!!

Intergalactic Humanitarian Aid 101

AO3

There was a shriek from the other room that had Adora leaping to her feet, chair clattering behind her, sword starting to come into existence in her hand. The civilian administrators and diplomats around her all take involuntary steps back as her eyes start to glow. Energy crackles in the air around her as the magic of She-Ra starts to surface.

That noise was most definitely Bow. She’d spent too much time, too many dangerous missions with him to not recognize it. And no matter how much diplomacy Queen Glimmer and the rest of the Princess Alliance had put into laying the groundwork for this mission, if anything, anything, happened to her friends, Adora would not hesitate to bring the whole planet down. She’s halfway out the door, when there’s a follow up shriek, though this time, there are words that she can make out.

“Oh my gosh Catra!” Again, Bow’s voice. And now Adora’s sprinting, the words to fully summon She-Ra’s magic on the tip of her tongue. Bow being in danger is bad enough, but he can at least handle himself through most non-magical threats (and quite a few magical ones as well). Something threatening both her best friend and her girlfriend, enough that Bow is crying out for Catra? Whatever it is, it had better prepare to face her wrath. The people behind her can only stare as she goes charging out.

“Bow! Catra! Hold on!” Adora yells, skidding around a bend in the hallway. She knows where they are. Unless whatever it is has tried to kidnap them, her team is still in the loading bay. They’re here delivering medicine! And food! This was supposed to be a peaceful mission! The planet they’re visiting has been nearly destroyed by Horde Prime and they’re here to help rebuild. Diplomacy! Peace treaties! Humanitarian aid! All that stuff that Glimmer and surprisingly Catra are really good at! Who would try to ambush them?

She makes it to the door to the loading bay, currently half open. Adora kicks it all the way open with enough force for the knob to shatter upon contact with the wall. She raises the now fully-formed sword above her head and begins to speak.

“For the honor of Gray- wait what?”

For as much combat training as she has, and as she would like to be able to process the scene in front of her, Adora’s brain comes crashing to a halt.

“Adora! Tell him to stop laughing at me!” Catra cries in indignation.

“But you’re just too,” Bow pauses, and instead of actually describing Catra, settles for the squeal he reserves for puppies trying to walk and bouncing off each other and babies trying to have conversations despite not being able to do more than babble

“I am not!”

“Yes you are!”

“No! I’m not!”

“You totally are!”

“Adora! Make him stop!”

“Adora! Just look at her!”

Adora manages to process and act upon Bow’s last statement. Lowering her hand and releasing her magic, she finally is able to focus on and process the scene in the loading bay.

Most of the boxes of supplies have been emptied and moved to wherever the locals want them. A few are still sitting in the bay of Mara’s ship, which is still docked exactly as it was two hours ago when she left for the meeting and Bow and Catra started working with the dock crew to offload.

The local crew is not presently anywhere to be seen. Moving supplies, probably. Not kidnapping her team, definitely. Bow has collapsed to the ground, half-sitting and half-falling over, staring at Catra with massive eyes. His hands are covering his mouth, like he’s trying to contain his laughter. He’s only half succeeding. Catra is sitting. Squatting, actually.

No, Adora thinks to herself. Half-squatting, half sitting. Squitting? Sauting?

It takes her doing a full double-take to realize that Catra is sit/squatting in an empty crate. No wonder she’s in such an awkward position, Adora adds to her previous train of thought. She’s trying to cram her body into a space maybe a quarter of what she would need to succeed.

“Catra?” Her voice comes out a little strangled. “What, um, what’re you doing?” Catra glares at Adora, eyes filled with even more indignation than her voice had held moments before.

“Well obviously I’m, um, I’m trying to, um,” Catra peters out as she looks down at the box she has jammed her feet and hands into. She tilts her head and wiggles one of her arms.

“You don’t know, do you?”

“No! I don’t! Okay? There was an empty box and I needed to sit in it!” She stops moving her arm and tries to sit back with mixed results.

Bow giggles. “And you’re just so cute in there!”

“I am not cute! I’m vicious! And terrifying! I was a Force Captain in the Horde and I was a Colonel in the Brightmoon Armed Forces and now I’m a renowned diplomat who people recognize across the universe! I am not cute!”

Adora glances at Bow, who has not stopped fawning over her girlfriend. It also appears he did not pay attention to a single word Catra said.

“Catra, you know I love you, right?” Adora asks, eyes not leaving Bow.

“Of course I know that! Now tell Bow to stop making that face at me!”

“And I’ll stand with you through anything life may throw at us? You know this, right?”

“Yes!” Catra groans out. “I love you too, Adora!” Despite the rage in her voice, Adora can’t help but smile. Catra always means it when she tells Adora she loves her. “Now get Bow to stop!”

“I’m glad you understand how much I love you. But, um, you are totally adorable right now. Like, a new level of adorable I didn’t think you could reach.”

“You too?” Catra shouts this time, betrayal written in every feature. She begins rocking the crate back and forth ”How could you? I trusted you Adora! I swear, when I get out, I’m going to come for you!” Adora coughs to cover a laugh. Bow perks up.

“When you get out?” he asks. “Are you- no! You’re totally stuck!”

“I am not!” Catra cries.

“Oh my gosh, you’re stuck!” Adora whispers through her hands, which are now covering her mouth in the same adorably surprised manner Bow’s were when she walked in. “You tried to sit in the crate and now you’re stuck!”

The crate topples over, Catra falling with it. No one speaks for a few seconds. Adora is about to ask Catra if she needs help, when Catra sighs.

“Okay, maybe I’m a little stuck.” Bow squeals again. Catra hisses at him, and then turns her head to Adora. “Can you, maybe, possibly, help get me out?”

“Of course! Just, um, Bow? Do you have a camera on you?” Adora asks, glancing over to where Bow has practically melted into a puddle. Catra’s eyes go wide.

“No! No no no no no! You do not get proof of this! No one else shall ever hear of this!” Catra resumes her squirming, but her luck hasn’t changed. Bow manages to stand up and reaches into his pocket. “Bow! Don’t you dare!”

“I love you Catra, but I’m with Adora on this,” Bow whispers from behind the camera. Adora can see the effort it’s taking for him to not go and start cooing over her girlfriend again. “How about this? I won’t show anyone these photos until your wedding?”

“No! You never get to show anyone these photos! This never happened! Adora! Make him stop!”

“Our wedding?” Adora asks.

“Not the important part, Adora! Ugh! Stupid box! Release me!”

“Glimmer and I have a whole album of embarrassing photos that we’re gonna show.” Bow doesn’t even look up from his camera. “Scorpia’s even thrown a few in that she found of the two of you when you were younger. Evidently your teammates in the Horde had, um, blackmail material, as she put it,” Bow finishes and starts looking over the pictures.

“Hey! Those photos also don’t exist. Just like there will be no proof of this. Now Adora! Can you please help me get out?”

“Of course, love. Um, okay, here.” Adora scrunches her face up in concentration, and then she’s holding a golden crowbar with a slight glow to it. “Hold still.”

~~~

Catra slowly closes the door after Adora leaves, the concerned officials following after her. They’d been standing just outside in the hallway the whole time, but hadn’t said anything. Evidently they were just as confused as Adora had been. 

The door doesn’t line up with the frame, so Catra pokes her head out into the hallway quickly. After confirming that Adora is far enough away, she turns back into the loading bay and stalks right up to Bow.

“You!” Her whispered shout is accentuated by a single finger pointing right at Bow’s nose, maybe an inch off of contact. “You almost just ruined it!”

“What? The photos? If it really means that much, I’ll delete-”

“Not that, Bow,” Despite being the only two people in the large room, Catra glances around and leans in close. “I haven’t proposed yet!” she whispers.

“You haven’t-”

“No!” She’s back to full volume now, arms thrown up in the air. “We’re having a picnic the night after we get back from this, and I’ve got this whole thing planned.”

“Wait, but, she’s wearing your pin today-”

“Bow,” Catra pauses and pinches her nose. “Bow, listen. I love Adora, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her, but she can be totally oblivious. Pretty much every day, she ends up wearing something of mine entirely by accident.”

“Maybe she thinks you’re already engaged.” Bow steps away from Catra, who upon realizing how close to his face she was, stumbles back a few steps as well. 

“Well I haven’t proposed! And I don’t think she has. I would know if she had, probably. Right? No! Unimportant! The pin’s not the engagement gift, it’s that cuff you and Glimmer helped me pick out.”

“I know, I know. But at least she didn’t get stuck on that for too long, right?”

“Yeah. I should be fine. She doesn’t know, right? It’ll be fine. Everything will be just fine. Well, um, I guess we better finish unloading.” Catra turns back towards Mara’s ship and begins to climb back inside.

“And hey, Catra,” Bow calls after her, following into the bowels of the ship. “Look on the bright side! I sent the pictures back to Glimmer, and she’s already put them in the slideshow we’re making! Everyone you two invite is gonna get to see!” 

“Ugh! I am so going to end you!” Catra shouts from deeper in the ship. Bow can’t help but smile at the empty threat.

[hellofromthe-otter-slide]

Even in Another Life

Hey, everyone! How are we all feeling about the last season in a week? Excited? Pumped? Full of dread? 

Yeah, same.

Anyway, here’s what I wrote for the @catradorabigbang. You guys should totally go read everyone else’s amazing fics, and see the wonderful art, because everyone put so much work into this.

My artist is @existentialcatra, and my guys, the artwork she made for my fic is absolutely amazing, so be sure to pop in and let her know how much you like it.

Enjoy!

Read on AO3.

~

Adora doesn’t know what she expects from Half Moon. After the failed invasion, the Horde still didn’t know very much about the isolated city, and the cadets only learned what the Horde could’ve done better before the Magicats closed their city to anyone without Magicat blood.

As Glimmer and Bow lead her safely through the wards, she definitely doesn’t expect a bustling city as big as Bright Moon. The city is so untouched and unfazed that it’s like the war isn’t even going on past their wards.

Two guards cross their spears to stop them from coming further into the city, and Adora stops just short of bumping into Bow.

“State your purpose,” one guard says, her voice authoritative, but Glimmer and Bow don’t falter.

“I’m Princess Glimmer of Bright Moon,” Glimmer says, trying hard to match the guard’s tone, “I’m here with my Royal Archer and She-Ra to meet with Queen C’yra and Princess Catra.”

“Inform the Queen that her visitors have arrived,” the same guard orders to one of the others behind them.

Adora watches the Magicat pull a device from his belt and talk into it. She’s never seen anything like it, not even among all of the advanced technology the Horde created. The communication seems to be almost instantaneous, and within moments, he says, “The queen has asked us to bring the visitors to the palace.���

The two guards pull their spears back and another guard motioned for them to follow.

He leads them through the main square, and Glimmer and Bow chat excitedly on either side of Adora.

“I can’t believe we’re one of the first people in years to be allowed into Half Moon!” Bow whispers, but based on the twitch of the guard’s ears, Adora can tell that he’s listening in, “I’ve heard rumors that the Magicats are more advanced than anyone on Etheria, even Dryl.”

“Nobody tell Entrapta we were here then,” Glimmer says, “We might lose her in the Alliance if she learns she wasn’t invited.”

Bow nudges Adora, “What do you think?”

“It’s, uh,” Adora doesn’t know the word she’s looking for. She doesn’t want to say what she actually thinks, because it involves what she learned from the Horde, and knowing that the guard is listening, she doesn’t want to lose anyone for the Alliance because of her previous affiliation.

In her short time with the Rebellion, she’s learned to hide how she was raised.

“It’s busier than I expected,” Adora finally settles on, her hands moving restlessly because she doesn’t exactly know what to do with them.

“It’s amazing!” Glimmer responds, grabbing onto Adora’s arm in excitement.

The palace sits overlooking the square, and the guard bows to a woman standing at the top of the stairs.

“Your guests, Queen C’yra,” the guard says, presenting Bow, Glimmer, and Adora.

The first thing Adora notices about Queen C’yra is how she holds herself differently than Queen Angella. Where Queen Angella is silent power and regality, Queen C’yra holds herself like a warrior, and Adora notes the scars over exposed fur and a battle-worn sword hanging from the queen’s belt.

Glimmer and Bow bow, and Adora sinks into a rushed, awkward bow as well.

“Thank you for opening your city to us, Queen C’yra,” Glimmer says in her formal voice, “We appreciate the trust you put into us.”

Queen C’yra smirks. “You should be thanking your mother, Princess Glimmer,” she says, her voice far less formal, “She’s the only one outside of the Magicats who knows how to evade the Whispers Woods’ magic that keeps us safe.”

“Well, thank you for not attacking us upon entry,” Bow jokes with an easy smile.

“There’s still time, Royal Archer,” C’yra retorts, and she sends a wink his way.

Then C’yra’s gaze falls on Adora and the hilt of the Sword of Protection peeking over Adora’s shoulder.

“And the mighty She-Ra, I presume,” C’yra says, gesturing to Adora.

Adora feels weird being referred to by her princess alter ego. It’s only been about a month since Adora learned of her destiny, and while she’s helped Perfuma protect Plumeria and strengthened Sealineas’ gates, she still doesn’t feel like she deserves the reputation that comes with the title of She-Ra.

“My name is Adora, ma’am,” Adora says, fighting every urge to salute her.

C’yra’s eyebrows raise, and Adora sees a small smile on her lips. “There’s no need to call me ma’am.”

Adora shrinks into herself a bit, “I’m sorry.” She bites her tongue to stop the “ma’am” from slipping out again.

“And there’s no need to be sorry.” Adora watches C’yra soften just a bit, and she wonders what she’s done to warrant it.

“As you know,” Glimmer says to move the conversation away from introductions and Adora’s embarrassment, “We’re here to talk to Princess Catra about joining our new Princess Alliance.”

C’yra laughs, “If you can find my daughter, you can discuss whatever you like with her.”

Glimmer, Bow, and Adora share a confused look, and C’yra smirks.

“Catra has never enjoyed feeling trapped within the city,” C’yra explains, “Felix and I are lucky if we can find her throughout the day. She spends a lot of time hiding out in the Whispering Woods.”

“Shouldn’t she stay inside the wards?” Bow asks.

“It is not my job as queen to trap anyone within the city, let alone my own daughter,” C’yra’s formal voice hides something underneath, and Adora can’t quite figure out what, “Like all Magicats, Catra is free to come and go as she pleases, and she prefers the Woods.”

Adora sees Glimmer slump just so, and Adora hates seeing her so dejected, so she asks, “Would it be possible to try and find her?”

“You can try,” C’yra says, “She likes high places, so you’re not going to find her anywhere near the forest floor.”

“Thank you, Queen C’yra,” Glimmer says with a wide smile.

C’yra nods, “I’ll inform the guards that you are allowed to roam the city and surrounding area unsupervised.”

C’yra leaves them on the steps of the palace, and Bow turns to them quickly.

“How are we supposed to find Catra?”

“We track her,” Adora says simply, and Glimmer and Bow look at her in disbelief.

“Everyone leaves a trace,” Adora justifies her response, “Even Magicat princesses who know their surroundings well.”

“Where do we even start?” Glimmers asks.

“The patch of Whispering Woods closest to the palace,” Adora says like it’s obvious, “She’s more likely to stay somewhere close, both out of comfort and safety.”

“Alright then,” Bow wraps an arm around Adora and Glimmer, “Let’s go find a princess!”

~*~

The Whispering Woods surrounding Half Moon is just as confusing to Adora as the Whispering Woods everywhere else. She almost expects that weird woman who taught her to use the sword to pop up out of nowhere, but as far as she can tell, it’s only the three of them.

Adora trails behind Bow and Glimmer, and she looks around herself as Bow tries to direct them on his tracker. They’re talking about where to go and which way Princess Catra might have gone, but all Adora can focus on is the feeling of eyes following their movement and the soft rustling of leaves that seems to follow them.

She swears she sees a flash of orange amongst all the green, and she starts slowing down to let Bow and Glimmer pull ahead.

She stops in front of one of the thicker tree with low, sturdy branches and looks up.

She doesn’t expect to see one blue and one golden eye shining in the shadows of the leaves.

“Princess Catra?”

There’s some rustling, and then a girl about her age stretches out along one of the lower branches, her tail swaying almost lazily.

“You’re a lot more observant than your friends,” Catra comments, watching Bow and Glimmer continue on ahead without realizing Adora stopped.

“I thought you would be harder to find,” Adora says, “Queen C’yra made it seem like we had no chance.”

“I let you find me,” Catra scoffs, “My mother told me that She-Ra would be coming to visit today, and I can’t deny that you piqued my interest.”

“How did you know I was She-Ra?”

“Process of elimination,” Catra looks up to watch Glimmer and Bow look around themselves, “I know Sparkles is the Princess of Bright Moon, and based on the name, I figured the archer couldn’t be. Therefore, the great and powerful She-Ra, lost to Etheria for a thousand years, has to be you.”

Adora doesn’t respond. It’s easy logic, and the way Catra explained it made it sound like she expected Adora to figure it out herself.

Catra is still watching Bow and Glimmer as she says, “I can’t say I’m surprised that you’re the brains of the operation.”

As if they can tell they’re being talked about, Bow and Glimmer look between each other and then back where they expect Adora to be. They look around themselves until they see Adora further back among the trees.

Adora points up into the tree in explanation, and Glimmer teleports her and Bow over.

“Why didn’t you tell us you stopped?” Glimmer asks worriedly.

“I found Princess Catra.”

“Again,” Catra says, her voice slightly annoyed, “I let you find me.”

Bow looks up and smiles, “Hi, we’re here to talk to you about—”

“The Princess Alliance,” Catra interrupts him, “Yeah, I know. Even in isolation, word gets around.”

Bow doesn’t seem fazed, but Adora can feel Glimmer’s frustration radiating off of her in waves.

“I’ve heard you already snagged Mermista,” Catra smirks, “How did you even manage that?”

“I turn into an eight-foot-tall princess with a sword,” Adora says, “And I fixed her gate.”

“And Entrapta?” Catra asks, curiosity finally getting the best of her.

“We saved her from a virus she created!” Bow says excitedly, “I got to test my sonic arrow. It was awesome!”

Glimmer glares at him, and he awkwardly correctly, “Awesomely awful.”

“That virus infected Adora too, Bow.”

Adora wishes she could remember what happened at Dryl. She remembers getting there and Bow lecturing her about the negatives of only using force, and she remembers what happened after the infection bled from She-Ra’s sword, but everything in between is hazy.

Glimmer tried filling in the details, but even still, Adora’s head can’t wrap itself around all of the information.

“It’s fine,” Adora says, “From what you guys tell me, his arrow was pretty awesome.”

Bow lights up again, “It was more than awesome. Entrapta used her hair to pull us away and I had one chance to—”

Glimmer covers his mouth with her hand. “We’re not here to relive your heroic actions again,” Glimmer says, “We’re here to convince Princess Catra to join the Alliance.”

“Right,” Bow says with a nod once Glimmer removes her hand, “So,” he looks up at Catra shaded in the tree, “Will you join?”

“From what I hear, you’ve gotten every member of your Alliance through some depth of gratitude,” Catra says, “That means I have no reason to join. Half Moon doesn’t need the assistance of She-Ra for any reason. The wards are still strong, the Magicats thrive, and I owe the Rebellion nothing.”

Catra swings down the last few branches to stand before Adora, Glimmer, and Bow, and Adora remarks that she’s far less intimidating up close. In the shade of the trees, Catra has an air of mystery about her. Adora could only really see her glowing eyes and the sway of her tail, but now that Catra’s standing right in front of her, she realizes something.

She’s just like them, kids affected by the war that’s surrounded them since birth.

“What did the Rebellion ever do to you?” Glimmer asks angrily, “We’ve done nothing but fight the Horde and try to protect Etheria.”

“If you have to ask, you’re not worth my explanation.”

Catra starts to walk away, and Adora can tell Glimmer is about to go after her with heated words, so she steps in front of Glimmer and puts her hands on Glimmer’s shoulders in what she hopes is a comforting way.

“Maybe we shouldn’t get angry at the princess we’re trying to recruit,” Adora suggests with a small smile, and she sees Bow nod his head in agreement.

“I don’t think there’s much more we can say to convince her,” Bow adds on, looking dejected.

“Wait,” Adora says quickly, an idea popping into her head, “I think I’ve got something.”

She squeezes Glimmer’s shoulders real fast before leaving Bow and Glimmer behind to catch up to Catra.

She’s lucky Catra decided to walk the path as opposed to the trees, and when she sees her further ahead, she yells, “Wait!”

Catra keeps walking.

“Princess Catra!” Adora tries again.

Catra sighs and turns around. “Nothing you say will make me want to join.”

“I know you love Half Moon,” Adora says, “But I also know that you feel trapped within the wards.”

Catra’s expression goes from unimpressed to angry. “Who do you think—”

“I know what that’s like,” Adora says before Catra’s anger builds exponentially, “I know what it’s like to feel suffocated in a place you love so much. I know what it’s like to want freedom.”

“You’re talking about the Horde.”

It isn’t a question, but it feels like an accusation, and Adora feels uncomfortable in the uniform she can’t seem to change out of.

“It was my home,” Adora admits, “Or I thought it was.”

“That home attacked my people and drove us into hiding.”

“I didn’t know what the Horde was like,” Adora tries defending herself, “They told us that everything we did was for the good of Etheria.”

Catra laughs, and it comes off like a scoff. “How does nearly obliterating an entire race of people seem good?”

“I didn’t know, okay?” Adora clenches her fists. “They didn’t tell me anything, because I wasn’t ever meant to know until I was so indoctrinated that I didn’t know any better.”

“That’s not an excuse.”

“I know!” Adora snaps, “I know, but before Glimmer and Bow found me in the Whispering Woods, the Horde was the only thing I had. I’ve been there since I was a baby.”

“So, what’s so persuasive that it can take you from your home in a day?”

“They told us Thaymor was a base for the Rebellion. My first mission as Force Captain was supposed to be its destruction, but I got there with Bow and Glimmer, and it was this small village of civilians having a celebration,” Adora takes a deep breath and looks out over the woods, “Even as Bow and Glimmer’s hostage, I still became Thaymor’s destruction, all because the Horde couldn’t let me go.”

All because Shadow Weaver couldn’t let me go.

“And it wasn’t just seeing Thaymor and how I was lied to,” Adora adds, “The Horde is destructive and abusive, even to the soldiers that power it. When you’re seen as one of the best, it doesn’t make that abuse go away. Leaving just became a lot easier in that moment.”

Adora’s never admitted that before, never said out loud anything to suggest what Shadow Weaver put her through, and she’s sure she sees Catra soften just so, sympathy breaking through her angry exterior.

Catra has every right to be angry with her, with this manifestation of everything she’s been raised to hate, but that unexpected sympathy and understanding makes Adora wonder if she actually broke through.

Their silence pushes into uncomfortable, the ambient sounds of the Whispering Woods rustling and murmuring around them. Adora wonders whether she’s lost any chance at Catra joining the Alliance, but if Catra doesn’t want to join, why didn’t she just leave Adora standing alone on the path?

Catra sighs and crosses her arms, “So, becoming a member of the Princess Alliance is supposed to give me my freedom.”

Adora nods.

“That doesn’t change the fact that I still owe the Rebellion nothing.”

“You wouldn’t tell Glimmer why.”

“Because she should already know,” Catra hisses.

“Will you tell me?” Adora asks, “I have no reason to know.”

Adora is almost certain that Catra won’t tell her, but just as the silence creeps into uncomfortable, Catra finally says, “When the Horde attacked Half Moon, we asked the Rebellion for aid and received none. We only survived because the Whispering Woods created the wards that shrouded us from Hordak’s forces.”

Adora remembers learning about the failed invasion of Half Moon. She read about how Hordak was practically guaranteed a victory, but when they reached the point of the woods where Half Moon was meant to be, there was nothing there.

It was like the entire city disappeared.

“I’m sorry,” Adora responds, and she isn’t sure if she’s apologizing for the Rebellion’s failure to act or the Horde’s attempted invasion.

All she knows is that sorry feels right in that moment.

“What can we do to get you to join?” Adora asks.

“Nothing,” Catra answers, “I want nothing to do with the Rebellion. The Magicats will not sacrifice themselves for the people who would’ve let them die.”

Adora knows she’s lost. “I understand,” she says, because she does.

She knows how hard it is to fight for something you aren’t sure you believe in.

Catra’s eyes go wide, like she’s never heard that from anyone before. “You understand?”

“I do,” Adora smiles, “I just hope you’ll change your mind someday.”

“Unlikely.”

“Alright, well,” Adora turns to leave, “I’ll just get back to my friends then.”

“Wait.”

Adora turns back around.

Catra sighs, “You should come back to Half Moon.”

Adora is sure she looks confused, and Catra rolls her eyes.

“It is against Magicat custom to send guests from the city without a meal,” she explains, “I’m just following tradition.”

“I’ll go get Bow and Glimmer then.”

~*~

C’yra and Catra stand on the steps watching Bow, Glimmer, and Adora walk through the main square to leave, and Catra can practically feel her mother’s gaze piercing into her.

“Yes?” Catra says with an edge to her voice.

“They asked you to be a part of their reformed Princess Alliance.”

Catra nods, “And I declined.”

C’yra sighs, “Catra—”

“Be honest,” Catra says, cutting off whatever C’yra was going to say, “If you were in my position, would you have said yes?”

“They have She-Ra now.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Well, kitten,” C’yra turns to go into the palace, “I’m not the one in your position, now am I?”

“They didn’t help us,” Catra follows C’yra through the grand doors, “Why should we help them?”

“You and Glimmer used to be friends.”

Catra scoffs, “We were three, and you haven’t seen Angella since she last visited ten years ago.”

They make their way through hallways past guards and palace staff, each one bowing at them as they pass, and Catra nods to each one in acknowledgement.

“Angella came with excuses,” C’yra says, “And I was not ready to accept them,”

Catra knows that story all too well. Her parents have never hidden anything from her, so when she asked why Angella stopped coming, C’yra explained everything.

How Half Moon practically begged for reinforcements, but no one ever arrived.

How Mystacor advised against sending aid.

How the Rebellion viewed the Magicats as dispensable.

“So, I’m just supposed to accept them now?”

“No, Catra,” C’yra opens the door to the throne room and leads Catra back to her office, “You’re supposed to form your own opinions with the new information given to us now.”

Catra sits across from her mother and slumps into her chair. “I’m supposed to join because they have She-Ra now.”

C’yra smirks, “You two already seemed to enjoy each other’s presence.”

Catra knows her mother is right. There was something about Adora’s confession in the woods, about her missing the place she thought was home, that made Catra want to know more.

She blames it on Felix and all of the books he read to her growing up. It gave her this hunger for knowledge that her and her father share, and while he finds it invigorating, Catra almost finds it grating. Not only does she want to learn more about She-Ra and determine myth from reality; she also wants to learn about Adora and her tie to this destiny that seemingly grabbed her out of nowhere.

“Shut up,” Catra retorts, hoping it’ll drop the subject, but she knows C’yra better than that.

Her mother will never back down.

“I’m pretty sure I saw you smile at her,” C’yra taunts, “Who knew all it took to get you to smile was the return of She-Ra.”

“Her name is Adora,” Catra says, and she immediately realizes it’s the wrong thing to say to end this conversation.

C’yra has that smile on her face like when she realizes her opening to win a spar, and Catra is up and out of her chair before C’yra can say anything.

“I’m going to the library.”

“See you at dinner, kitten,” C’yra calls after her, and she closes the doors to her mother’s lighthearted laughter.

~*~

A few days after their visit to Half Moon, a letter arrives in the mail addressed to the newly formed Princess Alliance.

“I’ve decided to give your group a chance,” it reads, “Don’t mess it up.”

It’s signed by Catra, Princess of Half Moon, her family’s coat of arms beside her name.

“I wonder what convinced her,” Bow says, putting the letter down.

“Doesn’t matter,” Glimmer says excitedly, “We got another princess!”

As Bow and Glimmer celebrate, Adora grabs the letter and smiles down at Catra’s messy signature.

~*~

After Shadow Weaver’s attempted manipulation of Adora at Mystacor, she still isn’t certain the shadows around her are harmless. She was able to get a few moments of peace after defeating her old commander, but the peace and clarity she gained doesn’t last long.

She still hears Shadow Weaver’s manipulation, still feels the shadows on her skin. The ghost of Shadow Weaver’s hand sears itself into her cheek, and she closes her eyes to try and forget her touch.

No matter how many times the Rebellion wins against the Horde, no matter how far away she gets from the Fright Zone, Adora’s afraid she’ll never leave Shadow Weaver’s grip.

That’s how she finds herself alone in Bright Moon’s training grounds, the Sword of Protection leaned against a training dummy as she runs through old Horde training exercises with a staff. They’re easy and familiar, and they help her mind stay blank and focused.

She doesn’t snap out of her focus until she hears someone come up behind her, and she swings without a second thought.

Catra evades the attack easily, and as she pulls herself up from her crouch, she brushes herself off.

“Hello to you too,” Catra says sarcastically, “I wasn’t aware being attacked was Bright Moon’s custom for welcoming Alliance members.”

“You shouldn’t have snuck up on me like that.”

Catra head tilts just so, and her brows come together in confusion. “I don’t think calling your name a few times counts as sneaking up on you.”

Adora isn’t sure how she missed that. Was she really so deep in her head that she didn’t notice?

You need to focus, a voice in her head, a voice that sounds suspiciously like Shadow Weaver, whispers, She could’ve been an enemy. She could’ve killed you easily.

“Are you okay?” Catra asks, her voice sounding concerned.

“I’m fine,” Adora lies, and before Catra can question her, she asks, “Am I late to the meeting?”

Catra lets her lie go, but Adora can feel that she’s choosing her actions and words carefully.

“You’re not late,” Catra assures her, “I’m early.”

“From what Glimmer tells me, you’re not well known for being punctual.”

Catra laughs, and it’s short and squeaky, and Adora has a fleeting thought that that laugh is probably the cutest thing she’s ever heard.

A voice that sounds like Shadow Weaver whispers, Relationships are a waste of your time. You can’t focus if you’ve tied yourself to someone else.

“We were so little,” Catra says through her laughter, “I’m surprised she even remembers that.”

Adora smiles, and it feels fake, and she’s sure Catra notices. Adora turns away so that she can’t give anything away.

Keep your emotions close to yourself, she remembers, Emotions are easily manipulated against you. If your enemy knows how you feel, they know how they can destroy you.

Catra’s not my enemy, Adora thinks, Catra is an ally. She thinks it over and over again to fight against the Horde’s training and Shadow Weaver’s manipulation sewed into every fiber of her being.

“You’re not a bad fighter,” Catra says, and Adora still has her back turned, but she can imagine Catra’s cocky smirk, “Your form is very precise.”

Adora sheaths the Sword of Protection and turns. “I was top of my class.”

“I’m one of the best warriors among the Magicats.” Adora hears a small twinge of challenge in Catra’s voice, and she knows she’s going to rise up to the bait.

“Weapon of choice?” Adora asks, then notices a sword on Catra’s belt.

“This is ceremonial,” Catra explains, “I’m proficient, but it’s not my choice.”

“So, what is?”

“A staff,” Catra crosses her arms and smirks, “I’m faster than I am strong, and I can’t put much power behind a sword. Staffs allow evasive movement and they’re versatile.” She points to the sword on Adora’s back. “I’m assuming She-Ra’s sword is your choice.”

“Actually, no,” Adora admits, “I was trained primarily with a staff as well. I only use the sword because it’s expected of me.”

Catra smiles, “I think we have enough time before the meeting.”

Adora understands what Catra’s implying. “The staffs are stored in that shed over there.”

“Rules?” Catra asks, moving past her to grab a staff while Adora readies herself.

“First to disarm and pin wins?”

Catra sets her ceremonial sword beside the Sword of Protection. “It’s on.”

They fall into stance, and then their spar begins.

They’re careful of each other at first, trying to figure the other out and determine the best way to attack.

Adora knows that Catra is fast and nimble. She’s fast enough to have easily evaded Adora’s attack from earlier, and she spends most days among the treetops of the Whispering Woods. Even from their brief meeting right outside of Half Moon, she knows what to look out for.

She wonders how Catra is assessing her. Catra does a few testing jabs, and Adora dodges them easily enough, but Catra finds a weak spot fairly early on.

Catra jabs, and Adora almost isn’t fast enough to hit Catra’s staff with her own to stop the attack.

“Shut up,” she says quickly, and Catra smirks.

“I didn’t say anything, She-Ra,” Catra taunts, and she finally moves in for her first move, pairing jabs and sweeps to try and best Adora.

Catra’s style is so much different than everyone Adora sparred with in the Horde. Her movements are fluid, and she doesn’t focus on strength. She’s trying to tire Adora out instead of overpowering her, but Catra leaves the smallest opening that allows Adora to unleash a few attacks of her own.

Catra stumbles, and Adora smirks. “Were you not expecting that, Princess?”

Catra bristles at the title and she blows a stray piece of her mane from her face.

“I’ve been fighting Magicats for too long,” she falls back into stance, and Adora breathes out a laugh, “I’ve gotten too used to sparring Lysander.”

“Who’s Lysander?” Adora asks, blocking a sweep towards her knees.

“A friend,” Catra rolls out of the way as Adora brings her staff down, “He’s the son of one of my mother’s friends, so we grew up together.”

“Is he a good fighter?”

Catra tries to disarm Adora, but it doesn’t work. “I’m better.”

They fall silent after that, both too focused to say anything more than taunts.

It’s been so long since Adora has sparred, and Catra is the ideal opponent. As she thinks about her next move, she realizes that she hasn’t thought about the shadows or manipulation since they started. Her mind has been completely clear from anything other than her next attacks and blocking.

She doesn’t want to lose, but she finds herself thinking that she doesn’t mind if Catra bests her.

It’s so against the Horde’s teaching, and Adora doesn’t care.

Catra disarms her, and Adora falls into a better stance to fight without a weapon. She uses her forearms to block hits, and she grabs the end of the staff in the next move and disarms Catra.

Adora throws the staff away so that they’re doing hand-to-hand combat.

“That was a good move,” Catra admits, her stance changing just so.

“Thank you,” Adora throws a few punches and Catra aims for her knees.

Adora is about to throw another punch when she hears someone calling her name, and just as she turns, she feels her knees give out and then Catra is on top of her, pinning her to the ground.

Catra smiles wide and victorious. “I bested the great and mighty She-Ra.”

“That’s not fair,” Adora tries unpinning herself, “Someone said my name. I got distracted.”

Catra puts her finger against Adora’s forehead. “I don’t believe that’s my fault.”

Adora stops fighting and just looks up at Catra, and she sees Catra’s smile go from victorious to soft.

“Are you feeling better?” Catra asks, and Adora doesn’t try denying the storm that was her head earlier.

She just nods and says, “Yeah.”

Someone says Adora’s name again, and when Adora looks to the entrance of the training grounds, she sees Glimmer and Bow coming through, looking around.

“I think we might be late to the meeting,” Catra stage-whispers as she gets off of Adora.

Normally Adora would mind being late. The very idea of it would set her thoughts spinning, and she would have to try and get a handle on her breathing.

Right now, though, with Catra’s hand in hers as Catra helps her up, Adora couldn’t care less that she’s late. Her mind is clear, her emotions are settled, and she feels safe for the moment.

Glimmer and Bow notice them, and Glimmer teleports them right in front of Catra and Adora.

“There you are!” Glimmer says, “The meeting was meant to start ten minutes ago.”

“You’re usually ten minutes early,” Bow says with a warm smile.

“I distracted her,” Catra says, clipping her sword back to her belt, “It was my fault.”

“Well, come on!” Glimmer grabs onto Bow and Adora, and Adora puts her hand on Catra’s shoulder, “Everyone else is waiting on us.”

~*~

Later, as the meeting comes to an end, Adora catches Catra just before she leaves.

“I want a rematch,” she says, “You only won because Glimmer and Bow distracted me.”

“Name the time and place,” Catra says with her confident smirk, “I’ll be happy to kick your ass again.”

Adora smirks too, “You’re on.”

~*~

Adora enters the Kingdom of Snows anxious and uncomfortable. She doesn’t have She-Ra’s sword, and she just has this feeling in her gut that something is going to go wrong.

On top of all that, Glimmer had her wear this dress, and Adora has never felt more exposed and uncomfortable. She wants to be back in her usual clothes, but they apparently aren’t appropriate for Princess Prom.

There’s a lot that isn’t appropriate for Princess Prom, and there are rules she has to follow, and Adora lists them off in her head as they wait to greet Frosta.

Curtsy must be held for at least three seconds.

There must be no fighting.

Greeting must be kept to under a minute.

And then they make it up to the front, and Adora bows while Glimmer curtsies, and Adora come up from the bow and completely embarrasses herself.

She tries correcting her mistake, and Frosta denies her offer to join the Rebellion, and Adora finds herself on the second floor overlooking the dancefloor when Catra finds her.

“You look miserable,” Catra says, leaning back against the balcony.

Adora slumps forward. “I failed to get on Frosta’s good side,” she mumbles, and when she looks over at Catra, she says, “I didn’t know I could wear a suit.”

“Did Glimmer put you in that?”

Adora nods.

“You look uncomfortable.”

Adora pushes away from the balcony and collapses onto a nearby couch. “Why are there so many rules?”

“They’re formalities,” Catra says, sitting down beside her, “And Frosta cares about formalities because it’s the first time she’s hosting.”

“Has Half Moon ever hosted?”

“Back when my mother was princess,” Catra smiles, “According to her, every second of it was actual torture.”

“You can tell Queen C’yra that this prom isn’t much different.”

Catra laughs her squeaky little laugh that Adora’s so fond of. “Where’s the rest of the Best Friend Squad?”

Adora sighs and slumps further. “Bow is with Perfuma,” she says, “And Glimmer is upset because Bow is with Perfuma.”

“So, you’re directly in the middle of it.”

“I just don’t get it,” Adora confesses, “Glimmer told me that she’s used to it being just her and Bow, so him branching out makes her feel jealous, but I just don’t understand.”

Catra quirks her head just so. “What don’t you understand?”

“All of it?” Adora picks herself up a bit, “I’ve had squad mates, but I’ve never really had friends, so maybe I just don’t understand how to have friends.”

Catra rolls her eyes. “I think you understand how to have friends just fine.”

Adora crosses her arms. “I obviously don’t. Glimmer is upset, and I don’t know what to do to make it better.”

“You can’t,” Catra says simply, “It isn’t your thing to fix. Glimmer and Bow need to sort it out themselves.”

“But Glimmer’s upset.”

“And I’m sure Bow is too, but you can’t fix their problems for them.”

Adora stops herself from saying, But I want to. She isn’t sure Catra would understand that deep down, even though Adora knows this isn’t her fault, there’s still a voice in her head that insists that she has to fix it.

She’s saved from having to say anything else by someone draping themselves over the back of the couch. “Catra,” the newcomer whines, “I’m bored.”

Adora looks up and sees a Magicat, his tail swaying just so and his claws pulling slightly at the ends of Catra’s mane. She swats him away, but he just keeps annoying her.

“It is not my job to entertain you,” Catra hisses, swiping at his hands.

“I’m only here because her Majesty insisted.” The way he says the words drips with humor and sarcasm that mirrors Catra’s own. “Her Highness can’t go anywhere without a royal guard.”

“I can handle myself,” Catra says, grabbing his wrist and twisting back.

He crumbles just so, but he recovers pretty quickly when Catra lets go.

And then he notices Adora sitting there watching them.

“Oh,” he says with a smile, “I didn’t realize you had company, kitty.”

Catra punches him, and Adora almost looks around to make sure one of Frosta’s guards didn’t notice.

“This is Adora,” Catra introduces them, “Adora, this is Lysander.”

Adora puts out her hand to shake, a custom she’s become more and more comfortable with the longer she lives in Bright Moon. “The childhood friend, right?”

Lysander’s smile turns into a smirk. “So,” he draws out, shaking Adora’s hand while looking over at Catra, “I’m a part of your conversations outside of Half Moon’s wards?”

“Once,” Catra emphasizes, “I mentioned you once, and it was to mention how bad of a fighter you are.”

Lysander puts his hand over his heart like he just got shot, and he falls onto the couch, draping himself over Catra and Adora’s lap. “You wound me, Princess,” he says dramatically, “My heart is so broken that I may not survive the journey back. Tell my parents that it was a noble death.”

Adora hides a laugh, and Catra rolls her eyes before shoving Lysander off of them. He falls to the floor in a heap, and he doesn’t seem angry when he pulls himself back up.

“Did you mention how good I am at magic though?” he asks, brushing off his formalwear.

“You have magic?” Adora has never heard any mention of anyone having magic outside of the sorcerers of Mystacor and the magic that the princesses harness from their runestone.

“Yeah,” Lysander says like it’s common knowledge, “There’s a whole class of mages among the Magicats,” then he turns to Catra, “Do they really not know this?”

Adora turns to Catra too, and she’s pinching the bridge of her nose, her eyes clamped shut.

“No, idiot,” she growls out, “Almost all knowledge of Half Moon and the Magicats was lost when we hid ourselves away.”

“We haven’t been gone long enough for people to forget us,” Lysander insists.

“It’s not like they deemed us important enough to learn about before,” Catra says, scoffing slightly, “It wouldn’t surprise me if Mystacor hid it. They like being the only magic-wielders outside of the princesses.”

Adora’s trying to catch up, but it’s hard to wrap something this new around her head.

“The Magicats have sorcerers,” she says, more of a statement than asking clarification.

“We’re called mages, but yes,” Lysander answers, “There’s a select few among us who are able to use magic outside of the royal line.” He says it with a hint of pride in his voice, and Adora guesses that he is proud to be one of the few who can.

“Where do you get your magic from?”

Lysander smiles, “Magic is abundant in Etheria. You just need to know how to harness it.”

Adora doesn’t get a chance to ask anymore questions before she sees Glimmer coming towards her, unshed tears in her eyes.

She’s already getting up from the couch before Glimmer reaches them, and she grabs onto Glimmer’s arm before saying to Catra, “I’ll find you later, okay?” She hopes Catra understands her silent, I want more answers.

Catra nods, “I’ll see you later.”

Adora takes Glimmer where she hopes no one can see them, but she has a good view of the dancefloor beneath them.

She’s comforting Glimmer and assuring her that Bow would never leave her behind when she sees someone she’s only ever met in passing.

Glimmer notices Adora’s lack of attention and follows Adora’s line of sight.

“Who are they?” Glimmer asks, brushing away a few stray tears.

“Force Captain Scorpia,” and then Adora sees who Scorpia has on her arm, “And Lonnie.”

“How did the Horde get in here?” Glimmer asks, “This is only open to princesses.”

“I heard a rumor back in the Horde that Scorpia was a princess,” Adora tells her, “Apparently their family gave Hordak the Black Garnet without a fight.”

“That’s who she is?” Glimmer glares down at the two Horde soldiers, “My mom told me about that. Hordak wouldn’t have gained power so quickly if they hadn’t surrendered.”

“We need to tell Frosta,” Adora decides, “They have to have something planned.”

Telling Frosta does not go as planned. Adora ends up on her back as the Kingdom of Snows guards force her and Glimmer back, and Lonnie smiles at Adora like they’ve already won.

“This is neutral ground!” Frosta proclaims, “Princess Scorpia and her guest are allowed as per the rules. Is that understood?”

“But—” Adora tries but is cut off by Frosta’s glare.

“I said, is that understood?” Frosta asks again, her voice full of power despite her age.

Adora nods, but she glares at Lonnie when Frosta turns.

“I’ll follow Lonnie,” Adora whispers to Glimmer, “You watch Scorpia.”

They split, and Adora watches Lonnie act seemingly normal. Adora isn’t fooled, though. She knows that Shadow Weaver sent them here, and she knows they have something planned.

Catra finds her looking over the balcony again, though this time her attention is on the person Adora is watching intently.

“You’re never going to get Frosta to join the Alliance if you keep going against the rules,” Catra says, her eyes watching Lonnie too.

“I know they’re up to something,” Adora insists, “They wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“This seems personal,” Catra remarks, “Someone from your old life?”

“An old squad member,” Adora admits, “We were never close, though. Everyone else on my squad were close with one another, but none of them liked me.”

“How come?”

Adora doesn’t want to answer. Answering would be admitting things she’s tried not to think about since Glimmer and Bow brought her back to Bright Moon. It would dredge up every thought and memory she’s been tamping down so deeply she’s not even sure they happened at all.

She’s saved from answering when she sees Lonnie look up at her and place something in the trash, and Adora is sure it’s some kind of bomb or something filled with knockout gas. She runs to go down the steps, but just then, Frosta announces the dance, and there’s no way she can avoid this.

She ends up in the middle of the dancefloor trying to spot Lonnie, but then the music starts, and Catra is right beside her offering her hand.

“She’s just over my shoulder,” Catra says softly, “Follow my lead and keep an eye on her.”

Adora takes Catra’s hands and mechanically goes through the steps Glimmer taught her, but she loses Lonnie just as she changes partners.

Then Glimmer says she upset Bow and lost Scorpia.

Then Perfuma asks her if she’s seen Bow.

Then Adora asks Glimmer when she last saw Bow, and Glimmer doesn’t have an answer.

And then Lonnie is there with a smirk in place.

“Well, if it isn’t Shadow Weaver’s favorite?” she says, her voice dripping with malice, “It’s good to see you since you abandoned us, Adora.”

Adora looks over Lonnie’s shoulder and sees Lysander just behind Catra, his hand on her shoulder to stop her from breaking custom and attacking Lonnie.

“Why are you here, Lonnie?” Adora asks, refusing to take the bait.

“I’m just enjoying myself,” Lonnie says, and Adora knows it’s clearly a lie, “Scorpia got the invite, and Shadow Weaver couldn’t resist. Anything to get you back, right?”

“Where’s Bow?” Adora asks, “I know you have him.”

“You should really be asking where Scorpia is.”

And the bombs go off, rocking the Kingdom of Snows and sending everyone sprawling. Lonnie pushes herself up quickly, and Adora is quick to follow her.

Their fight is short, and Adora realizes halfway through when Lonnie smiles and jumps from the cliff that this is all just a distraction. Adora tries to catch her, just narrowly missing, but then a ship rises from the clouds, and Adora sees Bow and Glimmer tied up, Rogelio, Kyle, and Lonnie surrounding them.

There’s a glint of blue, and Adora sees the Sword of Protection wobbling in Kyle’s hands.

There’s no way she could make a jump to the ship.

She’s lost Glimmer and Bow and She-Ra.

“It looks like we won, Adora,” Lonnie calls as the ship lifts into the sky and leaves for the Fright Zone.

~*~

Adora leaves her meeting with Angella, and just as she’s about to sink to her knees, her thoughts repeating You lost them, you lost them, you lost them, she notices flowers filling the hall.

When she follows the drift, she sees Mermista, Perfuma, Entrapta, Sea Hawk, and Catra sat in one of Bright Moon’s windows.

“What are you all doing here?”

“We’re the Princess Alliance,” Mermista says, “And the Horde took one of our own.”

“We can’t just let them think they can win that easily,” Catra adds.

“We’re ready for our first mission!” Perfuma tacks on at the end, her excitement beating back Adora’s hopelessness.

For the first time since Bow and Glimmer were taken, Adora actually thinks there’s a chance.

“Let’s go get our friends back.”

~*~

It’s in the middle of the fight against Lonnie, Rogelio, Kyle, and the other guards placed in the jail quadrant when Adora looks over and sees Catra facing off against multiple guards with stun batons.

Nothing is out of the ordinary until suddenly, there’s multiples of Catra, and Adora wonders if Catra is moving so fast that she’s seeing quick glimpses of her, or if she really has duplicated herself.

She doesn’t get much more of a chance to think about it before Lonnie comes at her, her attacks strong and relentless.

~*~

Catra catches Adora and Glimmer right as they stumble outside of the Black Garnet room, the Sword of Protection slung across her back.

“I told you to go,” Adora says, slumping into Catra’s hold, her brain feeling fuzzy and loose, like her memories and feelings and thoughts can’t connect together in any way.

“I wasn’t leaving you here when both of you are weak,” Catra says, “They still had She-Ra’s sword, and I wasn’t just going to let you sacrifice yourself.”

“Where did you find it?” Adora picks herself up, a hand going up to her temple where a dull throb echoes underneath everything.

Catra grabs Glimmer’s arm and puts it over her shoulders. “One of the Force Captains just gave it to me. Scorpia, I think? She told me to take it and get out.”

“The Fright Zone will be going into lockdown,” Adora holds out her hands for the sword, “Our only way to get out is for me to break us out.”

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay enough to do that?”

“It’s our only choice.”

Catra gives Adora the sword. “I’ve got Glimmer. Let’s get out of here.”

~*~

Adora, Glimmer, and Catra just barely make it back to the skiff, and Adora looks around and realizes they’re on person short.

“Where’s Entrapta?”

Everyone besides Glimmer and Catra looks up at Adora with regret and sadness.

Bow and Mermista say that she didn’t make it, that she’s gone.

The chamber purged with Entrapta still in it.

Adora sinks to her knees, She-Ra melting away so that she’s just herself.

I saved Bow and Glimmer and lost Entrapta, Adora thinks, an emptiness draining her of anything she might be feeling, I just keep losing people.

~*~

The Princess Alliance falls apart once they return to Bright Moon, and Adora doesn’t blame them. She’s proven to be a terrible She-Ra and an awful leader.

Of course, she would ruin the Princess Alliance too.

She’s in a corner of Bright Moon’s gardens, staring blankly ahead at the statue to Entrapta that Perfuma constructed from vines after they returned.

“It’s not your fault.”

Adora turns to see Catra standing a few feet away.

“I thought you left when the rest of the Alliance did.”

Catra comes over and stands beside Adora’s bench. “They’re afraid,” she says, looking out at Entrapta’s statue as well, “The war has been something distant and avoidable for a lot of them until now, so losing someone is a harsh reality they weren’t ready to accept.”

“You sound like you’ve already accepted it.”

“The Horde almost attacked my home,” Catra says, her voice even, “My mother and father were willing to risk themselves in order to keep it safe.”

“They didn’t have to, though. The Whispering Woods kept you safe.”

“The Horde’s attempt to raze Half Moon to the ground was not the first time the Magicats saw battle against them,” Catra says, her voice soft, “My mother was a part of the first Princess Alliance, and Magicats fought in the battle where King Micah died.” She pauses, takes a deep breath, and says, “When my mother thought the Magicats would have to fight the Horde on her own, she and Felix sat me down and told me how much they loved me, even if they would never see me again.”

The reality of Catra’s words sinks deep into Adora.

“They were preparing to die,” Adora whispers, and Catra nods.

“You understand the cost of war because you were raised with the Horde’s propaganda,” Catra’s voice is steady as she says it, but she doesn’t look down at Adora at all, “Glimmer understands because she lost her father in battle. I understand because my parents and my people prepared themselves for annihilation. The other princesses haven’t had anything like that before this mission.”

“I still failed,” Adora drops her head into her hands, “I let Bow and Glimmer be taken in the first place, and now Entrapta’s—” Adora chokes on the word dead and says, “—gone, and now Glimmer’s glitching, and I visited She-Ra’s temple to try and learn how to heal her, but Light Hope just kept insisting that I need to let go, and—” Her voice drops before she can confess the last bit.

And I haven’t been sleeping, Adora thinks, Every time I fall asleep, I’m back in Shadow Weaver’s chamber, her hands on my face, but this time, Glimmer doesn’t free herself. This time I lose my memories of Bright Moon and Glimmer and Bow and the entire Princess Alliance. This time I go back to being the Horde’s perfect soldier.

“Hey,” Catra grabs one of Adora’s wrists to get her attention, “You’re putting too much on yourself.”

“It’s my fault,” Adora insists, “I have to fix it.”

“You can’t fix everything all at once.”

Adora pulls her wrist from Catra’s grip, “You don’t understand.”

“Fine,” Adora watches Catra’s tail flicking angrily, “I thought I would come out here and try to help, but you obviously don’t know how to ask someone else for help, so have fun repairing everything yourself.”

Catra goes to leave, but Adora jumps off of the bench and grabs Catra’s wrist.

Catra stops and turns.

“I’m sorry.”

“You should be.”

Adora sighs, “I’m not used to anyone offering to help.”

“What about Bow and Glimmer?”

“Of course, they offer. I meant before,” Adora lets go of Catra, “Asking for help was a sign of weakness in the Horde. I guess Bright Moon hasn’t rung that one out of me.”

Catra crosses her arms. “A few months really isn’t enough time to break old habits.”

Adora nods. “I think you might be the only person to acknowledge that.”

Catra seems to soften a bit at that. “The Magicats believe that asking for help is actually a sign of strength,” she explains, “It shows wisdom to realize you can’t do it alone and trust in those around you in allowing their assistance.”

“It just feels like I’m not enough,” Adora admits softly, “I wasn’t enough to keep the Princess Alliance together, I wasn’t enough to save Entrapta, and now, I’m not enough to heal Glimmer.”

“You’re focusing on too many problems at once,” Catra goes back and sits on the bench, patting the seat to invite Adora to join her, “Even She-Ra needs to take things one step at a time.”

Adora sits beside her. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“Start by realizing there are some things out of your control,” Catra says, “The Princess Alliance dissolving is not your fault, and you weren’t even there to help Entrapta. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s the other’s fault for not pulling her out in time.”

“But—”

“Nope,” Catra clamps her hand over Adora’s mouth, “We’re not discussing blame anymore. I don’t want to hear it.”

Catra keeps her hand over Adora’s mouth to make sure that Adora isn’t going to dissolve into guilt as soon as she gets the chance.

“Bow and Glimmer don’t blame you,” Catra says softly, and Adora notices that all of Catra’s edge, every bit of sarcastic wit and unaffectedness, are gone, “The Princess Alliance may seem like they blame you, but really they blame themselves.”

Adora has noticed over the few months since Catra joined the Princess Alliance that she’s the only one who ever gets to see Catra like this. Catra puts on an unaffected manner for the most part, and even when her and Mermista get on a role, it’s sarcasm and dry humor.

She saw a hint of it once when Catra listened to Entrapta detail her latest science experiment, but this softness, this caring, this breaking down of walls, Catra only ever shows it to her, and Adora isn’t sure why.

“Nothing is completely your fault, Adora,” Catra says, taking her hand away and settling back into the bench.

There are a few moments of silence where Adora wonders what to say, and Catra doesn’t say anything else. Catra’s giving her the chance to gather her thoughts as she looks out over the garden, her ears turning to each noise.

When Adora is finally able to speak again, all of the blame and guilt is the last thing on her mind for the first time since they came home.

All she can think of is one thing.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Go ahead,” Catra says, her attention pulled away from some bugs bouncing from flower to flower.

“In the fight in the prison,” Adora says, “There were multiple of you.”

Catra smirks, “That’s not a question.”

“Okay. Why were there multiples of you?”

Catra crosses her legs on the bench. “Half Moon has a runestone,” she says, “As princess, it gives me the ability to create illusions.”

“So, you could make anything?”

“Yup,” Catra pops the p on the end, “The multiples in battle just help because it confuses the enemy. They don’t know which of me to target.”

“You never mentioned.”

“Half Moon is a bit secretive about our runestone. It’s the reason Hordak wanted to take Half Moon in the first place.”

“Why are they so secretive?”

“Well,” Catra looks down and around like she’s trying to figure out how to phrase what she’s thinking, “Our runestone is a bit different than the other runestones. The royal line isn’t the only ones who gain magic from it. In a way, it powers all of the Magicats. That’s why we have mages among us.”

“They draw their magic from the stone?”

Catra nods, “Not as much as C’yra and me, but enough to be proficient.”

“And Hordak wanted the stone to harness that special magic.”

“According to C’yra, it was that former sorceress who led the charge,” Catra crinkles her nose a bit, “Apparently taking the runestone from the royal family who occupied the Fright Zone wasn’t enough. She wanted ours to give magic to their soldiers.”

Adora freezes at the mention of Shadow Weaver, and it’s like she can feel the ghost of Shadow Weaver’s hands one either side of her face, lightning crackling and trying to push deep into her memories.

“Hey,” Catra reaches out for her, “Are you—”

“Don’t,” Adora pulls away and scoots as far away from Catra as she can.

“I don’t know what I did.”

“Nothing,” Adora says a little too harshly. Her hands clench into fists in her lap, and she closes her eyes, fighting off memories.

“What can I do?”

“I—” Adora takes a shaky breath, “I don’t know.”

“Okay,” she hears Catra get up and move in front of her, “Okay, let’s try breathing. Deep breath in.”

Adora’s breaths are getting shakier and harder to control.

“Come on,” Catra says, soft but urgent, “Deep breath in.”

Adora takes a deep breath in.

“Hold it.”

She does.

“Deep breath out.”

She releases it.

Catra walks her through a few cycles of that until Adora opens her eyes, feeling a bit calmer.

“There’s obviously something else going on,” Catra says in that blunt way Adora’s grown used to.

“It’s hard to explain,” Adora breathes out, because it is. How is she supposed to explain years of manipulation that Shadow Weaver played off as love and care for her beloved protégé? How does she explain it without sounding ungrateful and awful?

“Something happened in the Fright Zone,” Catra says, “Before I found you and Glimmer.”

Adora nods.

“What happened, Adora?”

Adora laughs, and it’s humorless. “That woman you mentioned,” she says, “Who wanted your runestone. Her name used to be Light Spinner, but it’s Shadow Weaver now.”

Catra tilts her head curiously.

“She’s the one who raised me,” Adora whispers, “She was my commanding officer.”

Catra pulls herself back up so that she’s sitting beside Adora on the bench, making sure to keep enough distance so that Adora doesn’t feel crowded.

“Everything she did growing up,” Adora’s voice feels empty, “How she raised me, it was to make me the Horde’s perfect soldier. I was going to take over for Hordak someday. I was going to lead the Horde to victory over Etheria.”

Catra stays silent, and Adora starts picking her the skin around her nails as something to focus on.

“I didn’t realize all of the manipulation until I got to Bright Moon,” Adora confesses softly, “I didn’t realize everything she did wasn’t meant to make me better for me. It was meant to make me better for her. All of my success was meant to boost her up and show Hordak just how good she is.

“But she cut me off from my squad. She made me believe that I needed to be a leader while they needed to learn how to be led, and they hated me for it. I was isolated and alone, and I thought that’s what had to be done. A good leader didn’t need friends. A good leader needed good soldiers to command.”

Adora takes a deep breath and looks out across the gardens. “I was willing to give myself back to Shadow Weaver to save Glimmer, and she almost completely wiped my memory of everything that’s happened since I got to Bright Moon. She almost wiped Bow and Glimmer, Angella, the Princess Alliance,” Adora pauses for a moment and looks over at Catra, “You.”

Catra’s smile is softer than Adora’s ever seen it.

“It just,” Adora sighs, “It drew up some bad memories of the same thing happening as a kid, and all of the nightmares I had when I first got here are coming back, so it’s hard to sleep.”

A beat of silence, then Catra says, “That is really fucked up, Adora.”

And Adora laughs, because it’s not the response she was expecting. She’s so used to Bow and Glimmer’s soft affirmations that Adora’s safe here at Bright Moon, that Shadow Weaver can’t get to her here, that Catra’s blunt honestly is refreshing and new.

“Yeah,” Adora says through her laughter, “I guess it is.”

Their laughter dies away, and when Adora looks at Catra, Catra’s looking right back at her, her mismatched eyes open and honest.

“If you ever need to get away,” Catra says, “Half Moon is probably the safest place on Etheria. You’re one of four non-Magicats who know how to evade the wards.”

“Do you ever wish the wards never went up?” Adora asks tentatively, “Do you wish you weren’t trapped within Half Moon’s borders?”

“Yes and no,” Catra looks away to the Whispering Woods in the distance, “I know that if the wards didn’t go up, the Magicats would have been slaughtered. Even with our skilled warriors and mages, the Horde outnumbered us significantly. The Whispering Woods did it to protect us.”

“That doesn’t tell me how you feel.”

“I wasn’t meant to be trapped in a city,” Catra sighs and leans her head back on the bench, “C’yra says I’m like her in that respect. When she was my age, she traveled Etheria, and when I was a kid, that’s all I wanted too, but then the invasion almost happened, and the wards kept us in, and I couldn’t travel safely without fear of being kidnapped by Hordak.”

Her head tilts so she’s looking at Adora. “The Princess Alliance was really my first chance to get out and do what I wanted to do.”

“Why didn’t you leave with the rest?” Adora asks, “When we first met, you told me that Half Moon didn’t owe the Rebellion and that you didn’t want to be a part of an Alliance that didn’t help the Magicats when they needed it most.”

“I’m going back to Half Moon,” Catra says with a bit of regret in her voice, “The others weren’t wrong. The Horde is getting stronger, and I need to ensure the safety of my people, especially with the possibility that Shadow Weaver might’ve figured out how to get through the wards while she had Glimmer.”

Adora looks down, but Catra quickly raises her head with a finger gently under her chin.

“I’m not leaving because I think you failed,” Catra promises her, “And I’m not leaving because I think the Princess Alliance failed. I’m still here for you, but I have the Magicats to think about too, and I can’t let my people down.”

Adora nods, and Catra runs her thumb gently along Adora’s jaw.

“I see now that while the Rebellion let us down, not all of its members are awful,” Catra says with a soft smirk.

“Did you just admit you like being around me?” Adora asks with her own smirk.

“I admit nothing,” Catra runs her thumb up and over Adora’s cheek before getting up, “I do need to get back to Half Moon, but I’m just a letter away.”

“Tell Lysander hi for me.”

Catra rolls her eyes, “I see you’ve fallen for his charm too.”

Adora laughs, “I know you care about him.”

Catra turns around and walks a few steps backwards, “It’s only because he’s practically family.”

“Sure,” Adora waves, “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, Adora.”

Adora watches Catra leave the garden and disappear into the Whispering Woods, her form melting easily into the shade of the trees.

~*~

Catra stands at the edge of Half Moon with C’yra and Felix, watching the wards flicker and start to fade as the Whispering Woods freezes over.

“What do we do?” Catra asks, “If the wards dissolve, Half Moon is vulnerable again.”

“We’ll get the mages to hold it,” Felix suggests, “With their combined power, they should be able to keep us hidden enough.”

The ground rumbles with the sound of tanks, and Catra can see them in the distance, the heavy machinery knocking over trees and foot soldiers surveying the area around them.

“We should send a few warriors out,” C’yra says, “We can pick off some soldiers before they make it to Bright Moon.”

“They’ll need to stay to the trees,” Catra adds, “The Horde soldiers won’t think to look up.”

C’yra nods.

“Your Highness,” Percy runs up behind them, a message in his hand, “This just arrived from Bright Moon.”

Catra takes it and reads it quickly, and when C’yra nudges her shoulder, she looks to the sky to see a bright purple light reaching up through the clouds.

“That’s a distress beacon,” Felix says, “Bright Moon is asking for help.”

C’yra turns to Catra before Catra has a chance to say anything. “You need to go, kitten.”

“I’m not leaving Half Moon when the wards are malfunctioning. You need me here to keep Half Moon safe.”

“We can handle this, Catra,” Felix says with a soft smile and a hand on Catra’s shoulder, “The likelihood that the Horde will turn their sights on us is slim. We’ll take out the soldiers we can and keep our people safe.”

“Right now, the Princess Alliance needs you,” C’yra runs her thumb over the tufts right under Catra’s ear, “Adora needs your help.”

Catra looks between her parents before nodding. “Stay safe.”

“You too,” Felix and C’yra say together, and they pull Catra into a quick hug before they nudge her outside of the wards into the withering Whispering Woods.

~*~

Adora feels confident that they can fend off the attack until the tanks part and Shadow Weaver comes out of a sea of soldiers.

“Oh, Adora,” she says, her voice so sickly sweet, “You’ve really strayed too far.”

Adora raises the Sword of Protection, “Of course you’re behind this.”

“Bright Moon will fall, and you will be mine again.”

And then Adora is flooded by shadows. She tries fighting, but they just keep coming. When she cuts down one, two more appear in their place, and Shadow Weaver’s taunts provide their own form of attack as Adora tries to focus.

One attack kicks She-Ra’s sword from Adora’s hand, and she barely gets a chance to panic before Shadow Weaver uses the loss to her advantage.

Even when Adora believes she’s won, Shadow Weaver pinned to Bright Moon’s cliffs, Shadow Weaver lets out a dry, sardonic laugh and says, “Adora, you really should know better.”

When Adora looks up to Bright Moon’s moonstone, she watches Angella go down, leaving the runestone open to the Horde’s attacks.

Adora can’t make it to Angella in time. Without her sword, she’s helpless, and four Horde soldiers are able to subdue her with their stun batons.

She falls to the shallow waters, screaming as electricity runs through her.

Through blurry vision, she watches Shadow Weaver comes up to her, and she slumps against Shadow Weaver’s hand as Shadow Weaver cups her face.

“Finally, you have failed,” Shadow Weaver pushes a piece of hair from Adora’s face, and then she pulls her hand away, and without the support to keep herself up, Adora slumps to the water.

“Finally, Bright Moon has fallen, and you will be mine again.”

Adora hears Shadow Weaver muffled through the water, and she closes her eyes and accepts that this is it.

She’s spent months thinking that she could leave the Horde and never go back. She’s spent months believing she could be a part of the Rebellion and destroy the thing that took her in and beat her down until she was almost nothing.

I thought I could win, Adora thinks, I thought I could be more than what they made me.

She feels a breeze, and then Shadow Weaver and the soldiers are blown away from her, and she hears Bow assure her that everything is alright, that all hope isn’t lost.

“We can still fix this, right?” Bow asks, his voice desperate, “Please, tell me we can still fix this.”

Adora looks down into the stone of her shield, and she’s greeted with She-Ra, only she’s far more beaten and battered than Adora has ever seen her.

Then she looks up to the tanks all aimed at her or the moonstone, and Shadow Weaver leading the charge with her shadows surrounding her.

And Adora apologizes, and Bow tells her it’s okay before hugging her, Netossa and Spinnerella joining in, and even though Adora knows that they have lost, that she’s failed, it’s a small comfort.

But then the sea rises around them and crashes down on the tanks and soldiers on the shore, and vines imbed themselves in whatever tanks are leftover, and Adora sees something quick and orange taking out Horde soldiers as it comes out of the woods.

As each member of the Princess Alliance comes to Bright Moon’s aid, Adora feels She-Ra’s power growing, and in turn it gives all of the other princesses a boost.

They all work together to take out the remaining tanks and soldiers, and from her spot on Swift Wind, Adora watches Catra use her illusions to draw fire to distract them from Bow’s arrows.

They become so powerful that each of them starts to glow, and Adora looks behind her to see Catra’s glowing a bright orange between Frosta’s icy blue and Perfuma’s green.

With one wave of magic, the Horde forces that came to Bright Moon are defeated, and all of the princesses start celebrating. Adora watches Frosta jump up and hug Perfuma, and she smiles as Sea Hawk pulls Catra between him and Mermista, Catra’s glare not even fazing him as he lifts an arm and yells, “Adventure!”

Adora catches a glimpse of Shadow Weaver disappearing into the Whispering Woods on a skiff, her hair limp and her shadows nowhere to be found, and for some reason she feels pain and regret, but it’s wiped away for the time being as Angella motions for Adora to join her hug with Glimmer.

Bow shoves her into the embrace, and Angella whispers, “Thank you,” and it’s enough to push aside her feelings for the moment, because right now, after the battle and facing off against Shadow Weaver, Adora feels safe encased in Angella’s wings surrounded by her best friends.

~*~

After all of the celebrations and recounting the coolest moments of the battle, Catra finds Adora alone in her room.

Adora is on her bed facing the balcony looking towards the still-frozen Whispering Woods.

“Glimmer said I’d probably find you here,” Catra says as a greeting as she closes the door.

“I guess I was all partied out,” Adora comments, refusing to look back at Catra.

Catra sits on the bed and then flops back so that she’s looking up at the canopy above Adora’s bed. “My gods, this thing is hard as a rock,” she shifts, trying to find anywhere that’s even slightly comfortable, but nothing seems to help, “Do you really sleep on this?”

Adora looks down at Catra twisting and turning, “I grew up sleeping in barracks. It’s the only way I could feel comfortable here.”

“If I had escaped from the Horde, I would’ve insisted on the fluffiest bed Bright Moon had,” Catra finally finds a position comfortable enough, “I would want to sink so deep into it that I wouldn’t be able to leave without someone else’s help.”

“Is that what your bed is like back in Half Moon?”

Catra snorts, “C’yra would not tolerate that nonsense. My bed is more comfortable than this, but it’s nothing extravagant.”

Adora smiles, “You should ask Glimmer to take a bed back with you.”

“I’ll be sure to bring it up the next time I see her.”

They fall silent, Catra looking up at Adora, and Adora looks out of her balcony window again.

“You came,” Adora whispers, and Catra isn’t sure if she’s supposed to hear it.

“Of course, I came,” Catra says, sitting up so she can look out of the balcony too.

“What about Half Moon?” Adora asks, “What about the Magicats?”

“They’re safe,” Catra promises, just as much for herself as for Adora, “My mother sent word when she saw the Horde soldiers retreating.”

“Nobody was hurt?”

“No one,” Catra smirks, “The warriors even took out a fair amount of foot soldiers from the trees before they could even make it to Bright Moon.”

Adora nods. “That’s good.”

Catra notices something off about Adora. Unlike everyone else, with their celebrating and enjoying their victory, Adora’s subdued. Throughout the party, Catra saw her smile slip when she didn’t think anyone was watching her, and the smile she wore whenever Glimmer or Bow turned her way felt fake.

“I didn’t think you would come,” Adora admits, “I didn’t think anyone would come.”

“I wasn’t lying when I said I would still be here for you, even if I’m in Half Moon.”

“Why?”

Catra’s brows come together in confusion. “Why what?”

“Why me?” Adora asks, “What’s so special about me that makes you care?”

“You’re so dumb.”

“Hey!” Adora turns to hit Catra, but Catra catches her wrist before she can.

“You are,” Catra says through squeaky laughter, “That’s such an unbelievably dumb question.”

“How?”

“Because Adora,” Catra tilts her head and smiles, “It seems impossible to believe that you can’t see just how amazing you are.”

That sentence sends a pleasant warmth through Adora, and it’s something she’s so used to when she’s around Catra. It seems like every nice thing, every assurance Catra gives her, makes her feel warm and safe and buzzing.

“She-Ra is amazing,” Adora says, “I’m not.”

“Okay, that might be the dumbest thing you’ve ever said.”

“Stop calling me dumb!”

Adora shoves Catra gently before wrestling her down to the bed. Catra tries using her speed, but Adora already has the advantage, and she pins Catra down to the bed with ease.

“You know,” Catra says sarcastically, “This bed is even more uncomfortable like this.”

“You’re just upset because it only took me a few minutes to pin you this time.”

“You had an unfair advantage, and you’re using your bed like a torture device.”

Adora laughs, and it’s her first real laugh since before the Battle of Bright Moon.

Catra smiles.

“You’re still dumb, though,” Catra says, and Adora takes the bait.

“Why am I dumb?”

“Because,” Catra says with an eye roll, “You think that She-Ra is the only amazing thing about you, when in reality, She-Ra doesn’t even make the top ten.”

“How?” Adora asks in disbelief, “She’s a super strong warrior princess and I’m just me.”

“I like just you,” Catra says, her tail coming up to brush against Adora’s side, “Just Adora is passionate and determined and caring beyond belief. She-Ra is an extension of that, not the other way around.”

Adora doesn’t know what to say. Nobody has ever said anything like that to her, not even Bow and Glimmer, and she’s just not used to someone appreciating her, just her, just plain old Adora.

Catra pulls one of her wrists from Adora’s soft grip so that she can run her fingers lightly over Adora’s jaw. “I like learning about you,” Catra’s voice is so soft as she speaks, “Every part of you, and you’re one of the few people who take the time to learn about me,” Catra laughs softly, “I don’t know why, but I’ve liked just Adora since you were the one who noticed me up in the trees.”

When Catra says “like,” it has more weight than Adora is used to. It feels as though it means something different, and it makes Adora feel emotions she isn’t sure she has the words to describe.

“I’m not sure I understand,” Adora breathes out.

“That’s okay,” Catra’s thumb brushes along Adora’s lower lip, “I’m guessing you didn’t have many confessions of feelings in the Horde.”

Confession of feelings, Adora thinks, What feelings?

Sure, she feels a certain way around Catra, and sure, it’s nothing like how she feels around Glimmer and Bow or anyone else in the Princess Alliance.

“When I tell I like you,” Catra says, and Adora wonders if Catra can just sense her confusion, “It means that I like you more than friends.”

More than friends isn’t a phrase Adora understands.

She doesn’t voice her misunderstanding this time though.

“Have you ever been kissed, Adora?”

Adora shrugs, “Once or twice.”

The Horde never endorsed anything close to relationships, but they didn’t discourage it either, and Adora remembers a few experimental kisses stolen in the locker rooms after everyone left and in the barracks in the dead of night.

“Can I kiss you?” Catra asks, soft and quiet but sure of herself.

Adora swallows around a lump in her throat and nods, and Catra pulls her down to the bed with the lapels of her jacket.

The first thing she notes is that Catra is softer than she expects. Adora expects her lips to be chapped and the fur that covers her body to be rough, but as she sinks further into the kiss and cups Catra’s face, it’s like every part of Catra is soft and pliant underneath her.

Catra’s hands go back and pull Adora’s hair from her ponytail, and as blonde hair falls over Adora’s shoulder, Adora feels Catra’s nails at the base of her skull and she hums.

Catra does it again, and Adora feels Catra’s lips quirk up into a smile against her own.

Adora pulls back, her breathing heavy, and Catra smiles up at her so bright and open.

It’s unlike anything Adora has ever seen.

“I think I like you too,” Adora breathes out, her lips pulling up into a smile.

Admitting that feels dangerous, and Adora can hear the small, weak chants of, Never show how you feel, but with Catra, nothing is as dangerous as it seems. Her feelings aren’t dangerous in Catra’s hands, because Catra opened up to her first. Catra took the step and made herself vulnerable, and Adora met her halfway.

I’m safe here, Adora thinks, I’m safe in Bright Moon. I’m safe with Glimmer and Bow, and I’m safe with Catra. My feelings are safe with Catra.

“I’m happy you’re smiling again,” Catra pushes a few stray pieces of hair from Adora’s face, “You seemed so empty earlier.”

And Adora was. Without the distraction of the Alliance and celebrations and everything going around her, it allowed her to sink into the pit of almost losing. Every word Shadow Weaver said during their fight, every taunt she used to break Adora down, returned with a vengeance, and Adora was doing everything she could to keep them at bay.

Having Catra here doesn’t automatically fix it, but Catra offered Adora a rope and hoisted her out of those thoughts for the time being.

“I’m better,” Adora leans down to kiss Catra, but stops just short.

Is this something I’m allowed to do now?

Catra leans up the rest of the way and gives her a short peck.

Yes, Adora thinks with a smile, it is.

“I know I can’t magically make it better,” Catra says, “But I am happy I could help.”

“I’m really happy you decided to join the Princess Alliance.”

Catra laughs, “You know, I never thought I would be admitting this, but I am too.”

“I won’t tell anyone that you like being here,” Adora promises, kissing along Catra’s jaw.

“You better not,” Catra flips them, and Adora’s head falls to her pillows, her hair billowing out, “If you do, I am not legally responsible for the disappearance of She-Ra.”

“Your secret is safe with me.”

Adora pulls Catra down to her, and their kiss is soft and sweet, and she wonders if the outside world could pause, just for a moment, so that they can stay right here with nothing to interrupt them.

~*~

The next morning, Bow slowly cracks open the door to Adora’s room and pops his head inside.

“Adora?” he calls softly, and when he doesn’t get an answer, he turns to the bed to see Catra sprawled out on top of Adora, the both of them sound asleep.

He closes the door as quietly as he can and turns to Glimmer.

“Catra’s in there,” he says with barely contained excitement, “They’re all cuddled up together.”

Glimmer smiles wide, “That’s too cute!” She tries to keep it to a whisper, but her voice bounces off down the hall, and both her and Bow wince and wait for movement on the other side of Adora’s door.

It stays silent.

“Come on,” Bow says, “Let’s let Adora sleep in for once.”

[drtoof]

For the She Ra Fluff Bang 2020

Personal Prompt: Rain

We see rain only once throughout the show, and the episode had some very high tension. I wanted to do a quick scene of the simple comfort of hot drinks and listening to the perfect sound of rain.

[leniiva]

:DDDDDDDDDDD

My piece for the She-ra Fluff Bang!

[nozomijoestar]

I used to have this story exclusively on my Ao3 but since I deleted that last December its taken me months to feel any rhythm of comfort uploading writing online again be it original or not; so I’m finally planning to reupload stuff I saved that isn’t already tagged here

Originally written under ‘Start and Start Again’ for She-Ra Fluff Bang 2020 and my first standalone novella length thing at 10k

-

The journey of Catra’s ever changing life begins with one step forward

It started as a bump on her stomach. A mild thing no bigger than her fist. Yet it stuck out the way the crown piece of a treasure hoard shines. Catra stumbled backwards; gripped the sink to keep her balance. She stared deeper into the full length mirror. The bump remained, had it gotten taller in this light? It was smooth to the touch or rather as smooth as fur could be. The softness of her was something to take great pride in. Anyone who assumed her messy were proven dead wrong. Now wasn't the time for petty thinking however.  

Catra sank to the floor still clutching her stomach. She felt it join as part of her, this new thing, and if she strained her ears she just knew it had a heartbeat. A child. Adora's- no their child. She has to swallow to not shout 'Holy Shit!!!' at the top of her lungs. Instead it makes her bite her lip until blood trickles. Catra winces then recovers; she stands and runs water to splash on her face. The woman staring back in the vanity mirror is smiling under the wet bangs sticking to her forehead; smiling like an idiot now disheveled. She pivots and bolts out the bathroom yelling.

"Hey Adora! Adora come over here!"

"Catra? What's going on this early?"

She dashed around the sofa through the living room to find Adora rubbing her eyes and slinking out of bed. She heard her mumble already about waking ahead of schedule; it made her try not to roll her eyes. Of course she'd fixate on that right out of sleep. Before she let her get in another word Catra stopped in front of her. She grabbed Adora's hand and pressed it to her stomach. A lopsided grin was all she could muster for a reply. It took a few seconds, then Adora's eyes went wide. She saw her stare at the bump with such reverence Catra felt tears fall.

"You're...we're..."

"I know."

Adora pulled her down into a hug so tight Catra had to tap her to ease it.

"I'm gonna be a parent...Catra you're gonna be a parent! It's, it's real. It's actually happening."

"Told ya it'd work out."

Then Adora sucked in a huge breath and went rigid gawking at the ground.

"Oh my god I'm gonna be someone's mom. I dunno the first thing about babies! Catra who do we even ask-"

"Um, all of Bright Moon and our friends? They already know we're trying did'ja think they'd ditch us now?"

"No! No of course not. It's just this is actually happening. What if I mess it up already and something goes wrong o-or they come and don't like me- can babies think their mom is lame before they're born? What if-"

"Adora. Do you still want a baby?"

"Yes. More than anything. Sorry I know I'm being-"

"Hey. That's all you need; someone like you is gonna do fine. So stop or you'll give yourself a heart attack before the kid's even here."

Catra sat beside her and rubbed circles on her back. A sigh filled the room when Adora leaned her head on Catra's shoulder. She planted a kiss in her hair and wrapped an arm around her.

"...I wouldn't have my kid with someone I knew'd be shit at it. Or to me. You're you Adora, I didn't choose anyone else."

"I know I know. We're nothing like Sha-"

For an instant something stops Adora as if she's been gagged. Her eyes go wide again haunted by the sinister. She tries speaking only to make a strangled sound. They exchanged a look of understanding no one should have. A look of indescribable pain. Shared pain. Adora strains to start a third time when Catra finishes it.

"Nothing like Shadow Weaver. And we never will be. You can kill me if I do."

"I wouldn't go that far but...me too."

Wordlessly she let Adora slide against her and rest on her chest. Catra purred as she traced her claws along Adora's arm. Her tail coiled around Adora's waist when she bent to kiss her cheek. A hum is all she gets in reply; its more than enough.

"We're better people now, aren't we?" She asks.

"We'll always be better if we try. You're right I shouldn't be so hard on myself. Catra?"

She saw the eyes staring up fill with worry like it held the same value as water. Like it was something born in Adora's hands and for all their years since childhood it may well have been. Like it paired perfect with the tension stiffening her face. A face that deserved only to finally be soft forever. Catra whispered already knowing she wouldn't cure anything. It was too late of course; shame was her birthright too.

"I'm happy. I'm so happy right now I can't put it into words even for you. But that doesn't change what I've done. Who I was before this, before this version of us...back when we woke up everyday wondering if that'd be the last time."

"Catra no."

"I hurt you, Adora. I keep saying it because it's never going away ok? I hurt you, I hurt Sparkles and Arrow-Boy, Scorpia...Entrapta. The entire damn planet can bite me in the ass someday and I'd understand. The Horde destroyed. This being the happiest time of my life doesn't erase that."

"Catra-"

"What if I get frustrated and relapse? What if it's not even something I do it runs in families and I'm ruining them right now by being their mother because being a failure is just destiny?!"

"Enough."

The hands holding her head were firm as Adora moved to tangle them in her hair. She lowered her fully onto her lap; let herself purr with a breath in. Her eyes closed, tears fell. Adora's thumb wiped them away. It was so gentle Catra couldn't help a sob. She let everything pour out, let herself be wracked by hiccups; not one received judgement. She sat raw, bare in a place where dignity came innate not earned and knew herself still the invader. The conqueror. An aide to desolation.

The knotted feeling in her throat overpowered the new life under Adora's touch. Her stomach tingled at the caress; did their child want to scold her too?

In the end Adora's voice, that better half, guided her to reason.

"You're allowed to feel bad, remember? Like Perfuma said? I cant stop you no matter how much it hurts to hear. You're allowed to have bad days; but you're not allowed to give up. And you're not allowed to stop improving."

She let herself be pushed gently onto their bed; settled into the wholeness of their bodies resting together like they were made for nothing else. Adora is warm, her chest is safe, and her blonde hair falls across Catra better than a curtain. She purrs and purrs in her arms unable to stop, to entertain the thought for stopping. Hands wander the length of her then settle on her hips. Adora's thumb circles her fur until she wraps her tail along that forearm. They kiss and by god Catra will never get over the bliss it brings.  How do you get over a free fall?

In silence she lets herself be tucked further against her; their legs entangle just as a feeling indescribable bursts from deep within. Something Catra knows she's understood for as long as she could remember that refuses to emerge in glimpses anymore. Only Adora can hope to know it in equal measure. She wants to wish that more than she's ever wanted at all. She swallows before meeting Adora's eyes. Adora has the briefest second for confusion when Catra's impulse strikes in her softest voice.

"It's like you know me better than I know myself."

Adora's face went wide then slid into the chuckle they know means contentment.

"Because you let me in."

And let her in she continued to do. For every day she grew bigger not a feasible moment did she spend alone. If she hungered the kitchen stocks ran dry, when she rested Bright Moon went still. Whenever she yowled or groaned there came Adora to massage her, Bow to shoo away prying eyes, Glimmer to order so many extra pillows for their room she thought there'd finally be something to suffocate her worse than herself.

She sat at the center of the castle gardens in the sun. Seven months had turned the seasons hot into mild into cold that'd kept her tucked in Adora's embrace, now turned again another leaf into Spring. Her back ached under a pressure fanning up her spine and centered on her swollen belly. Catra stifled a groan. Adora sat slumped over the table sound asleep opposite her. The gentle snores rumbling from her chest punctuated the bird calls like a bad note cutting a song. Catra laughed as soft as possible. Maybe their kid would pick it up from the get-go.

The ice in her drink clinked as she sipped. That's when she heard another step through the grass. She glanced at a hedge over her glass brim.

"Quit screwing around before someone else sees you."

"Ohhh Kitten you still don't know the meaning of fun do you?"

"Shhh. Adora's asleep. Thought you'd be quieter too. Must be sooo hard going soft."

A guard emerged from the shadows in white armor. The crescent standard of Bright Moon on the chest liquified then twisted into darkness. It bent and spread until a new figure emerged. Double Trouble shook out the unshaven half of their blond undercut. They stretched into a saunter across the paving stones.

Their high heels made that grating 'click clack' noise she'd once waited for in the Fright Zone. On reflex she glanced at Adora; she was still asleep, now drooling. The nasal pitch Double Trouble called a voice went lower even as their words dripped sass. Catra wished it'd never change, if you dragged the thought out of her.

"I'm surprised you've kept that tongue of yours looking like that. What a nasty little bite from an expecting mother."

"Oh really? What a tired act from a spy about to be washed out in peacetime. Hey don't sit there!"

"No darling you made the bed now lie in it for that one. This table is more than enough for a party."

They smirked at each other and knew there was nothing to forgive. Double Trouble gave Adora a once over look; their eyes lingered on Catra's stomach. They crossed their legs and arms with that flair Catra secretly imitated in the mirror. She went back to drinking.

"Seems like you two tied the knot finally. So sorry I had to miss that event, the stage called me. Color me not shocked to have seen this coming a mile away."

"...What's that mean?"

"It means darling there are countless women throughout the universe who'd kill for your position. Wife of She-Ra and now adding to this little litter you two are starting? Honey you're the most envied yet admired woman anywhere."

"Yeah well I'll believe it when I see it. That many people couldn't like me unless there was something to take."

"Dear, would you look at me?"

She did and found them filing their nails. Typical. They continued.

"Are we friends?"

A pause. Catra twiddled her thumbs. They looked her dead in the eyes now.

"Yeah."

"And her over there, what is she to you?"

"I...Adora is part of my everything."

"Why?"

"What'd you mean why?"

She stopped herself and startled; her eyes widened toward something distant, somewhere within. There from her memory stood Adora, begging her to turn rebel, Adora catching her before a drop to certain death, Adora laughing as they held hands like children again through dark tunnels. Adora overturning an empire millions strong to save her on nothing more than her heart. Adora crying always crying but never stopping.

Foolish and lovely Adora who promised her in infinite ways she was worth it.

Double Trouble grinned into a sound of contentment. They put their filer away and stared expectantly but not without care.

"I take it you know. Now tell me this and be honest- what about Glimmer and Bow? What about all these other princesses and their kingdoms? How do they treat you?"

"They're...they're kind to me. Every time we were off planet letting Adora do her thing, seeing people hold magic for the first time...putting up with my crap before this baby and...helping."

"Oh dearest me that sounds like dare I say, friendship!"' They gasped in mock surprise and laid a hand on their chest.

Catra shot them a scowl; it didn't last.

"Shut up before Adora gets up and misses another hour of sleep. Do you have any idea how she's been? I don't think she's even running on anything anymore like, everyday."

"Taking care of you I'd assume. Go on am I right?" Double Trouble asked (with a wiggle of their eyebrows of course) as if they were on the verge of a delicious secret. For all Catra knew they probably did and could eat those.

"Don't read my damn mind." She replied resting her chin on her palm.

"Darling, Catra, enough moping. Having to kick you in the rear like this when you of all people are making kittens is a bad look. Times have changed; you're not that hollow eyed puppet I knocked sense into back with the Horde. Be free, live a little, throw your kid wild birthday parties. And for the love of theatre get some better stylists for the two of you. I won't stand for a child who's moms aren't looking fabulous."

The whirlwind of gestures their hands made came to a stop. They stared yet again with that expectation bearing down on her. Catra read their eyes. It came from a good place; a place deep, deep past the snark. A veil of doubt that'd anchored in her fell away. Everyone had been kind no- was being kind. The cruelest thing they could do was throw a pregnant woman out to fend for herself and that was seven months too late. 'Or early. Weren't you found in a box? Weren't you out with the trash once time was up?'

She shuddered. No, it wasn't like that anymore, it had no right to be. No power over her; no power over her family. Catra grit her teeth and fangs flashed. She wouldn't let it. Without thinking a growl rumbled through her. Double Trouble clicked their tongue.

"Stress is extra bad for you right now Kitten. Just try to keep stepping out of that head of yours and see what's around for a change."

At last they stood and made to leave; Catra almost reached to stop them, then thought better. What more was there to add? They'd seen her for an open book. Instead she swallowed hard. The voice that called out to them bled sincerity.

"Thank you."

"Pay me back by making good choices darling."

Two weeks later she wriggles her toes on a beach in Mystacor. The sky shifts from twilight to orange dusk. She just knows she's counted the exact same number of clouds the past hour. The air is so clean it's her only barrier from passing out; every breath jolts energy beneath her aches. Adora's footsteps are easy to read when her ears perk. She wraps her tail around her at the feel of them sitting together.

Adora hums before reaching to stroke her belly. The kiss on her cheek is simple yet her blood dances in excitement. Their fingers lace together on the sand. It grounds them. Catra knows Bow is carrying something by the slightest drag in his gait; Glimmer (if you asked her Catra still had the right to call her Sparkles, Queen shit and everything aside) followed behind. The four of them were a crowd that made anything happen.

As if on cue the baby kicked. Whatever the others blathered about faded from her mind into white noise. Beside her time stopped for Adora too; this kid was already making them predictable. The wonder Catra watched spread across her face stayed fresh as ever. Glimmer and Bow went silent. She felt their eyes trace over, heard their breath hitch. She smiled.

"Can I feel it this time?"

"Glimmer you always ask that. Save room for Uncle Bow, who just so happens to have something I know they'll love!"

"My Aunt helped." Glimmer added behind a hand though Bow could hear her.

"Yes she did but only the clothes; these were all me. See for yourselves."

He revealed a set of dolls from a sack. Each were handwoven and stitched so well if she didn't know Bow she'd guess a machine's handiwork. Her breath hitched. Their likenesses were posed under his movements as Glimmer clapped with a giggle. Adora gasped, covered her mouth while her eyes watered. Big ol' softie her Adora was; yet she fought her own tears. The doll with her face wore a grin between cockiness and charm. The smarmy, ruthless, torn glare of her past self morphed on the silk in her minds eye. Its fangs were bared and its sneer cruel.

Catra shuddered and recoiled until she nearly toppled onto the sand. Her bug eyed stare at the thing matched her heaving chest. Nausea that chased a prickling sensation washed over her like a wave; a force of nature. Several deep breaths gave her some composure but the world continued to blur in a haze. Her heartbeat thrummed in her throat and hearing faded and-

And then Adora filled her vision; Adora held her tight until finally she went still. She felt her cheek cupped and fingers massaging through her hair. Though it had regrown thick as a mane despite reaching her shoulders Adora's nails found her scalp. Of course they would; she purred into the embrace and bit her lip to swallow a cry.

'Just try to keep stepping out of that head of yours and see what's around for a change.'

She blinked; the world popped back into place. They stared at her with faces on a scale from terror to worry; as if there were much difference. Bow's pleas about what was wrong stopped the instant her eyes dared linger on her doll again. He looked down and understood; away it went into the sack.

It wasn't the sentiment that upset her. He knew why. Words returned slow when he took her hand.

"I love it Bow, thanks, really; it's sweet of you. I'm sorry I...y'know. Need to keep working on myself."

"Hey don't apologize for that it's alright. I should be the one saying sorry; I didn't think it was still this bad for you."

"Whatever keeps bugging you we're here ok? No shaming, Horde Scum." Glimmer added with a smile that continued to forgive her more than Catra deserved in her opinion.

But if her own words couldn't be trusted, had she been shown forgiveness after all?

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Adora, always there to cut to the point. She found her voice.

"When I saw myself it's like realizing my kid's gonna idolize me. They're gonna grow up having me everywhere if I'm really with them or not. They might even say they wanna be like their mom. Makes a feeling come over me...who I was tries to tell me they'll find nothing to be proud of."

"Oh Catra. We can't not let you feel that way but what matters is you've changed. You keep changing everyday; look at you now! You're committed to motherhood for one, you and Adora are amazing together, you helped me with so much paperwork- c'mon Bow tell her."

Glimmer nudged Bow until he nudged back; he gave Catra a stare that pierced her doubts. She'd rarely seen anyone who captured the sensation of light poking through clouds. He deserved to be called a sun. She swallowed hard again. God, this baby had her emotional.

"You've come a long way. We chose and keep choosing to help. I know it's hard but don't let whats in your head overpower that. We care. You're not gonna go back to being who you were. If you do, we'd stop you because we want to."

"But, everything with Angella-"

Fuck she mentioned it. Why? She just had to bring it up didn't she? 'Do you enjoy shooting yourself in the foot?...' A squeeze on her arm brought her mind to a halt. Damn, Adora may as well have a license in reading her mood. Glimmer sighed from a deep breath. She watched her face knit into something between grief and acceptance.

Everyone went silent, hinged themselves on whatever Glimmer said next. When she spoke her voice came thoughtful yet blunt.

"My mother is gone. Because of you or not she's not here and wallowing in anger and self pity isn't going to bring her back. I'm sure if she saw me still doing it she'd be upset. I've had the years I needed for that; the Catra in front of me isn't the same who pulled the switch."

Glimmer put a hand on Catra's shoulder and smiled when it was welcome. Their eyes met and she saw Bow nod. Glimmer continued in her queenly voice this time; gone were any hints she spent hours practicing, her mother's strength rang clear.

"Don't discredit our choice to forgive. Trust us to stay honest with you and care. Trust yourself like I know you can. Now, let's rate how cheesy my Aunt's baby clothes look!"

Catra's senses returned as if popping back into existence. Just like that they jumped into the next discussion, the next joke, the next tease. She sat with no one but herself to blame; no one but herself for guilt to feast on. Was that it? Was she still trapped in time? How simple it'd been to get an answer for once, yet beside it came more than she understood. The baby kicked again. She sighed and touched her stomach.

"Sorry you've got an overthinking Mama kid."

Adora nudged her. She turned to find that contagious smile to reel her in.

"Hey they're right y'know. Everything is gonna be ok, I promise."

Promises sacred as they were didn't lessen the pain. Her vision blurred at another stab of pain, another push as her entire body pulsed. Her lower back had it the worst; every ounce of pain coursed from that white hot center until Catra was sure she'd been reduced to jelly, if she could ever see straight again. Another scream tore her throat. Her body arched.

The hiss Adora shot out as Catra's claws dug into her hand registered faintly. She could hear Entrapta babbling some science jargon. Scorpia's frantic voice came beside Entrapta's assembly of rumbling tech no doubt worried over everything; that still didn't help an entire baby kicking out of her. Didn't anyone get that? Now wasn't the time for anything other than whatever got this tiny person out.

Catra screamed and shook and writhed and no matter how many times Entrapta said push it blurred together. She let her head loll sideways in exhaustion. Adora stared at her seized by panic that could do nothing but watch, and hated it. It scratched at the unfocused rage gathering around her like storm clouds. Whatever she said fell hazy on Catra's ears because not a moment behind Catra yelled,

"Next time you're doing this; when this is over I'm kicking your ass AdorAHHGGUUHHH!!!"

Several deep breaths and pushes later a wail robbed anything she could say. Every voice stopped, every head turned and every ear strained. It came again. A high pitched wail echoed through the room. A baby's first cry. There was no time then; no past nor future only the moments for each cry hurled into the world. She watched a shape writhe in Entrapta's arms at the foot of the bed. A flash of metal later and the umbilical cord was cut.  

Everything remained a blur...then Entrapta handed her a squirming bundle. The baby rested against her easier than breathing. It was just, so right; one of the most right things Catra ever knew. Their fur matched her tan orange down to the slightly darker stripes. The hair is all Catra; she'd recognize that messy brown anywhere. It's when they blink at her for the first time, that's when Adora's blue eyes stare back.

Their hands are curled into fists and they fuss under her gaze. They blink once, twice, Catra finds herself counting everything. A purr deep enough to rattle them took her by surprise. At last her claws retracted from Adora's skin; she cradled their child between measured breaths. The instant she's released Adora doesn't waste a second coming closer.

They look at each other then their child then back again. Tears are the first thing they feel together followed by Adora's lopsided grin.

"Still wanna kick my ass?"

"Shut up and get in here dummy."

Catra's voice is hoarse but that doesn't lessen the spark in their kiss. Fingers tangle in Catra's sweaty hair and she's breathless when they pull away. There's a moment of silence until Entrapta gets the drop on them. Of course she does, she's Entrapta. They can spy the glint off her tape recorder.

"Just to confirm the baby is healthy at seven pounds eight ounces, a length of twenty centimeters, tail included, and a sex of male. Now the real question is have either of you chosen a name?"

The thick tendril of Entrapta's hair holding her recorder wiggles closer. Catra snarled on impulse and fought to not snap her teeth too.

"Don't hold that thing so close to Finn's face. The sound or whatever's gonna hurt his ears."

"Finn? You want to call him Finn? I thought you still weren't sure about any names." Adora said with the slightest confusion.

"Yeah I was but...I dunno it just feels right. Doesn't he look like a Finn? Hey Scorpia come over here! Does he or does he not look like a Finn?"

If it was possible for scorpions to move like they wanted to break the sound barrier without actually doing so, that was how Scorpia rushed over. Honestly Catra would laugh if she weren't cradling her son as if guarding her trove. Those enormous pincers are enough to shadow Finn's head as he attempts to swat one. Instead Adora gave him a finger to cling on. The tears streaking from Scorpia's eyes dripped waterfalls down her chin.

"Wildcat you're asking me what he looks like? Oh of course he's a Finn, look at that handsome little face and that tiny nose! And his hair! Catra that one is all you oh that stuff is gonna break so many combs I tell ya. He's even got his claws already; you guys have a mama's boy on your hands gosh. I remember when Flora hatched, ah good times..."

"Scorpia..."

"Huh? Oh sorry Wildcat yeah he's definitely a Finn! What'd ya think Adora? Entrapta?"  

"Hmm...Baby Log Day, well day of birth. Catra has asked me if her newborn resembles a 'Finn'. As the only knowledge I'm aware of regarding this relates to fish, I will say yes. Fish and their fins are something cats enjoy and thus it is logical."

The line of stares fixed on her made Entrapta press her recorder.

"Addendum, it is also very cool."

"Adora?" Catra called.

Every stare turned toward her awaiting a verdict. Finn gurgled and squirmed when she met his stare. There fell a moment of purest silence.

"Yeah. Finn is a good name. We'll get him ready to propel through life."

There was an echoing 'thwack' when Catra smacked Adora's hair poof; Adora's giggling poured out even as Glimmer, Bow, and every Princess they knew finally appeared. Catra's bed was rushed by a crowd acting like they'd never seen an infant. Then again, no one had seen anyone of Catra's race all her life. Not that she'd asked around.

"I'm so sorry we couldn't come sooner! The meeting ran into overtime but we're here now. Where's the baby?"

Glimmer moved through the parting crowd as she spoke; her body radiated energy while her eyes scanned around. She and Bow must've shared the same mind because they were the first to study Finn. Their jaws dropped.

"So. Darned. Cute. Those ears." Bow said. His eyes practically sparkled with joy.

Glimmer looked at Catra, then Adora with a face that fought a hold on restraint.

"You guys can hold him. Just don't crowd his space." Catra said smiling.

Those were the words that released whatever collective breath everyone held. Finn was passed around the room leaving praise and awe in his wake. Everyone had their own opinions; so much so that the buzz of their chatting built Catra's headache right as Finn was finally returned. Frosta was yelling about how to shape a commemorative ice sculpture; Perfuma created several bouquets now burying Adora. Bow, Entrapta, and Scorpia stood putting their heads together discussing proper baby nutrition over the next year.

When she checked Finn his face grew red then wrinkled and that's when it hit. A full strength wail. The kind of cry to break noise into silence and validate Catra's agitation. Something resembling peace slid over the tension settling in the air. Adora managed to roll out of the flowers before looking at Catra. A nod in response is all she needs to wrangle everyone away. When the door closes for the last time only the three of them remain.

Finn continued crying though nowhere as intense. Catra took a deep breath, then she held the infant face down, tucked his arms across his chest, and finished by holding his bottom. She had to give herself credit; not a single mistake, Perfuma may as well have done it for her. The cries quieted immediately and ceased when she gently rocked him. In a minute he lay snuggled on her chest. Sleep made his eyes fight to stay open though he soon lost.

"He curls up just like you."

"Yeah. We'll see if he keeps the whole castle awake with your snoring." Catra replied chuckling.

Adora is beside her in seconds with that lopsided grin. The bed gets crowded bearing the three of them but it'll manage.

"I'm not an awful snorer ok; everyone's gonna survive when they sleep. They've done it this long."

"So you admit it's a problem."

"No! Anyway that's not important look at his chubby cheeks. That's all him."

"Babe, I think that's something every baby has. Did you forget all seven of Scorpia's kids, or even Bow and Glimmer's daughter?"

"Of course not but you're not looking at them. We made those. They're perfect and adorable as much as the rest of him."

Adora stroked Finn's hair and nestled against Catra's side. Together they yawned then laughed.

"Tired?"

"I gave birth Adora of course I am."

"Heh, sorry. Nighty night you two."

She's long learned Adora's penchant for sleeping hard enough to make the dead jealous. How exactly she can turn it on and off yet thrash restlessly, still waking up then tackling an entire day? After years Catra might never know and, some days, didn't care to anymore. It simply was. That was Adora, always rushing to do everything, solve every problem, take every blow. No matter how much their loved ones- no matter how many times Catra told her otherwise some piece stayed. It was like an infection molded into Adora's skin.

God did Catra still hate it. If Finn inherited that...

Her body ached worse than getting dragged by rope. She would know; Glimmer had been the one pulling after all.  In those days of war and violence whipped into a storm this feeling was nothing new. Yet it was. Now there came a new tired setting on her bones. The tired from achieving something bigger than herself yet selfish in origin. Well, maybe the selfish part hadn't changed.

Maybe she really can be good not just do good. Adora began to snore as Catra let sleep claim her.

When Finn turns one year old Catra has settled into the race of parenthood. There's feeding time, nap time, diaper changing, the once a week checkups, and making a fool of herself so Finn laughs. One day passes with the funneled energy of several; no longer can she rise with the sun into a cage of rumination. Finn dictates her snapping awake on whims as random as the harried sleep itself.

She can't mope she just can't, he won't let her. He needs her and for the first time even beyond Adora, Catra accepts it. Not hesitating or doubting or anything else. Not the painstaking slip and climb over struggle after struggle until she and Adora were finally level. Finn right now is only a creature of needs; without her...she doesn't want to think further. There is finally someone for whom she can only give at the very beginning. The stress is worth it, it's not about her faults.

Perfuma notices of course. The way she walks ever eager into their meetings, even with eye-bags, stands far more confident than the hesitation that made her drag her feet. From the stares she gets now it's as if persecution and guilt lie only in her shadow. At least, that's what she thinks Perfuma means when one meeting she says,

"You look radiant Catra! Have you been keeping up with your personal letters?"

The morning light shines behind Perfuma making her hair resemble a glow. Combined with her chipper voice and pristine skincare (Seriously how did she keep up with seven kids at her heels?) Catra would be getting a headache right now. The old her would think Perfuma above her wielding such composure, such carefree grace. The her of the present instead replies weary but smiling.  

"I have. For real this time too. No more skipping days."

"Oh lovely, I'm glad you're coming around. Self reflection and forgiveness can be so liberating; never forget you're allowing yourself space and patience. Walk with me."

She's heard those words enough to make her head spin, but now they land in her heart. A warmth seeps in the way she thinks Perfuma always intended. If she had to reflect now as they pass Scorpia's gardens, she wouldn't call messy hair, tired eyes, and what might be clothes from two days ago radiant. Perfuma probably wasn't being literal.

The trails of Perfuma's green shawl (Seemingly more fluttery today than usual; like butterfly wings if she had to compare) stop inside a wide room. Catra knows which pillow to sit on and in seconds Perfuma is across her. Their eyes meet then close before performing a basic breathing exercise. One breath in and Catra gathers her worries, one pause, on the exhale her body relaxes.

Her eyes open and find Perfuma doing the same. The ear to ear smile on her face still unnerves Catra like a pinprick; it's strange to be so happy in a world built on entropy. Catra's allowed that hesitation, right? No she's being an idiot again; she's seen Perfuma a mess, back when Scorpia and all her people contorted under Horde Prime's marching orders, under the chips once burrowed in their flesh.

Regardless she'd never given up then. She hadn't been Catra running away the minute she projected doubt on Adora. She shook her head and sighed. This was getting nowhere. Of course for her part Perfuma sat in silence, waiting for as much time as Catra needed. She smiled shyly at that.

"Sorry got lost in reflecting I guess."

"It's alright Catra that's what we're here for. Do you want to share your thoughts?"

"I think you already know after this long." Catra licked her lips nervously.

"I don't mind listening."

A long pause. She read nothing but openness in Perfuma's eyes.

"You know I've said before I was jealous of you, unnerved even. How could anyone stay so happy when the world hurts? Well now I think I understand. There's no point in dwelling on my pain. Sure I can feel it, acknowledge it, but it'll pass again. Letting it control me when it's something I'll carry forever is exhausting. All I've done then is hurt myself when for once no one else wants to. That's what Finn's made me  realize."

She finished with a sigh and slackened shoulders; a woman spent at last of a pointless barrier. Isolation was no longer a badge of honor; it never had been. Perfuma wore genuine surprise like she'd heard something profound, not Catra stating the obvious. When Perfuma next spoke the words poured out afraid to stop. Afraid, Catra senses, that Catra will bolt away in embarrassment.  

"I'm proud of you that's the most you've shared all at once yet. And it sounds like it truly means self-love. You're allowing vulnerability and have accepted a truth. We are all works in progress."

"Thanks. I guess I have." The tears flowing down Catra's face make her voice wobble.

"Would you like a hug?"

With a nod Catra opened her arms and wept into Perfuma's dress; she wept the choked yet earnest sobs of a child. She felt a hand pat her hair.

"What happened when you were a child, it's not your fault."

There comes a pause where Catra stiffens then pulls back but not away. Her watery eyes glisten under the light while the rest of her trembles. Her lips quiver wanting to fight a new sob on instinct; it makes her teeth grit. None of it is hostile, Catra stares at Perfuma who again brings down the axe on the final barrier tainting her heart. Despite herself the words are out; Shadow Weaver installed that defense mechanism in her, denial.

"It is...it is."

"It's not your fault."

"But it is! I deserved it because I couldn't fight back!"

"It's not your fault."

"It...I...did."

Catra's face scrunched under the weight of the lie. She gets a solemn head shake in response. The sick sensation in her chest crumbles and her body feels no stronger than jelly. This time she clings back in Perfuma's embrace. She wails. Perfuma's reassurance pierces the scared girl inside gentle as sunshine.

"It's not your fault."

When the flood within her passes they mulled over tea. The silence now settled almost as comfortable as being with Adora. If Catra thought harder on it though, maybe silences themselves didn't need Adora to be good. Maybe the truth is Adora isn't the only bond to believe in; the others have waited on Catra long enough. She feels a pang of guilt at that. It flickers then dies when she hears the question,

"How are you and Finn? You mentioned him earlier."

"Kinda speaks for itself just looking at me y'think? But uh, sorry. It's been great; busy every second and sometimes I wanna tear my hair out but...in the end I really do like being a mom. It's not just about loving Finn and having him with Adora either. It's also like...I dunno..."

"Like starting over; a second chance?"

"Yeah...yeah I think it is." Catra smiled.

"The advice I can give for that is don't forget you're still guiding him. Parenting with compassion and trust will help you both, but he must find himself and make his choices."

She had nothing to add other than slight alarm. Then the weight behind the words settled, planted seeds in her thoughts. She stared out the window drinking her tea; her mind drifted and for once the peace of it wasn't strange.

When Finn is two years old he shivers in her arms. The storm sent another sheet of rain beating against the castle. Grey covers the window glass and another lightening flash dimly illuminates the room. In the span of a blink it's gone; Finn  mewled stuffing part of Catra's shirt in his mouth. Her hand ran through his hair. That seemed to relax his hold.

He looked up at her with Adora's wide blue eyes and for an instant Catra remembers being six, Adora's blanket her only comfort on nights like this.

"It's a thunderstorm Finn. I know it sounds scary but it'll pass ok? It always has before. You were too little to remember."

"Where's Mommy?"

She hears the fear getting ahold of him; she answers a touch too fast. It takes everything in her hoping he didn't notice.

"With Auntie Glimmer remember? They're meeting about adult stuff. We have to wait."

"I want her here."

"I know Finn, I know. She's coming. You're ok with me. Nothing bad will happen. Mommy's coming soon."

He nodded and though he whimpered he concentrated on Catra alone. At the next roar of thunder however he stiffened with his tail gone frizzy. The door opened bringing a stripe of light and Adora's unmistakable silhouette. Immediately Finn sprang out of Catra's arms to tackle Adora's legs. Catra hears her gasp then laugh softly as she kneels.

"Mommy! Be She-Ra!"

"Hey there to you too Finn. Why do you want She-Ra out?"

"Make bad sounds go away."

"It's the weather, I don't control that. Weren't you safe with Mama? Look she's waiting for us and I bet she stayed the whole time."

"But I want Mama and Mommy..."

Catra left bed and kneeled beside Adora. She ruffled Finn's hair; his tears were gone with a swipe of her thumb. Adora held his hands smiling while Catra went on.

"It's ok to be scared. We won't leave you not ever."

"Even when one of us isn't here with you, remember we love you. Think real hard about us when you're scared and all the bad stuff will go away."

Finn sniffled, swallowed, fumbled to speak those words they knew were sacred.

"You promise?"

"Yes." They reply together.

More thunder cracks the air signaling another swell of hissing rain. She watched as he froze squeezing his eyes shut. His hands balled into fists; he didn't flinch or cry when the storm gentled again. Now he stood trembling but no less brave. The warmth spreading through Catra was mirrored in the indescribable pride on Adora's face. She reached for her hand and it was held.

"Like that?" Finn asked, staring at them as if everything hinges on this moment.

"Just like that."

Catra kisses his forehead; it's no time at all until they hug him close. His heartbeat calms under their embrace and she purrs; it's always as hard as the day he was born. The purr she feels back widens her eyes then-

"Mama why're you crying?"

"She's happy you did it, right Catra?"

"Yeah...I'm happy Finn."

She shivers at Adora's kiss on her cheek. The touch of her breath tickling when she whispers almost makes Catra purr, for a reason neither can say aloud. She wraps her tail around Adora's wrist and listens.

"I'll get him to bed ok. Won't be long."

Catra mumbles her reply against her lips,

"I know."

They kiss and though it's a second before Adora pulls away, Catra knows peace.

At three years old Finn runs through the halls whooping and hollering. The stuffed bear glides through the air in his grasp. She knows Mr. Snuggles will need a wash when the day's done. Cupping her hands around her mouth she gently calls after.

"Don't run so fast you'll trip. Watch where you're going."

"Yeah Mama I know!"

Of course the thud she expected comes not an instant later. Even if he landed on carpet her blood pounds in panic; she sprints light on her feet toward his side. No second is wasted righting him from laying flat on his belly. She checks his arms, his legs, his face, the back of his head is fine too. He holds his wrist looking down ashamed.

"My head hurts."

"It's alright we'll get some medicine before seeing Mommy. Next time watch out ok? I might not have been here to help."

He nodded but still won't meet her eyes. Her expression falls. She sits with her hand giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze; her tail twitched nervously. Finn is silent. Far more than if he acted up or felt too embarrassed. The air itself feels heavier as if to breathe means starting a count down before down becomes up and left is right. Her voice shakes ever so slightly. Was this because of her?

"Finn? What's wrong? Does it hurt real bad?"

"Auncle Dee Tee told me something that made me feel funny. Flora and Angella said boys get hurt a lot when they play. B-But I like girl games with them too! When I fell I remembered what Auncle Dee Tee said."

"That's just silly there aren't 'boy' and 'girl' games. Just games. What'd Auncle say?"

"They said that too. They said nobody has to be a girl or boy if they don't want to. They said a big word like 'nuhncun-foming' I think."

She hears footsteps round the corner, a walk she could pick out anywhere. Adora stops then assesses; she wastes no time coming to them. Immediately her face is knit in worry and concentration. Catra knows that look better than herself. The look of a soldier, of years honed as a commanding officer, the look her fantasies once replicated dreaming of their conquest of Etheria...it's never appeared serene as it does now.

It reminds her not for the last time she's not alone.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt Finn? I knew I heard something bump on my way over."

"He tripped and fell but it's not serious. I checked already. He just has a headache."

"Good. C'mon let's go get medi-"

"Adora wait. He had something important he was saying. Finn? Can you tell Mommy what you told me?"

His expression finally lights up again; courage gathered when he stands straighter and stares at them firm.

"When I fell I remembered what Auncle told me. They said some people don't feel like they're just a boy or girl. My girl friends said boys fall a lot playing; I like their girl stuff where we don't fall a lot too! I wanna...I wanna be like Auncle. Auncle sounds like me."

They sat and the silence turned to awe. They glanced at one another then at Finn, who stood in utmost seriousness. Double Trouble's words floated to the surface of Catra's memories. She had to step outside her own head right? Well this time the world did it well enough for her. Adora as usual is the first to make a move.

"What do you want us to call you?"

"I'm Finn! I don't wanna be a boy or a girl I wanna be both! I wanna do everything I like as me. Can I be 'nunhcuhnfoming' too?"

To their surprise they chuckle as Finn looks on, conviction dropping into worry. Catra grinned and pulled Finn into a hug.

"You can be whatever you want kid including nonconforming. We're not gonna say no to anything like that."

"Do you want us to still call you 'He'?" Adora said in a tone that announces she's not worrying herself sick for once.

"Nuh uh! Auncle uses 'They'."

"Then that's what we'll use too. Thanks for telling us Finn."

Finn, they, beam from ear to ear. They picked up and dusted off Mr. Snuggles holding him close. They purr echoing through the hall; by instinct Catra joins in while Adora plants kisses all over Finn's cheeks.

"Does your head still hurt?"

"A little..."

"Let's go make it better then."

Finn is four when their troublemaking streak starts to shine. They let Adora chase them through the back gardens at a sprint. It's an unspoken dare to crown who's faster and watching from the sidelines, Catra doesn't need to guess it's Finn. Like what she imagined of any child of hers Finn scampers up a tree next. They wave a toy and blow a raspberry down at Adora who's panting for dear life. Her poor fool never stood a chance.

Adora stands hunched over, her finger raised to call a time out. She's still gathering her breath when Catra hears her force out words as she walks toward them both.

"Ok give Mommy a break for...five minutes...or forever. Ugh."

"You're too slow so I win!"

They watch as Finn sticks their tongue out again. Catra kneels to pat Adora's shoulder. She plants a kiss in her hair and grins.

"Hate to say it but I told you they'd beat you. Give it up Adora."

"I'll never...understand...how you two...do it...so unfair."

"Only She-Ra can win a race with me Mommy. If you're She-Ra it's really hard to keep up."

Still wheezing Adora glanced at Catra in defeat. A shrug is all she gets in response. Finn sits on a branch above them swinging their legs, the embodiment of confidence. Then they do something that throws off even Catra; they hang from their perch by the tail. Upside down Finn pays no heed to their gaping Mama and instead teases Adora with another raspberry. She falls on her ass yelping.

A choked giggle left Catra before rising to laughter. By the time she's full on snorting she rolls in the grass; upside down Adora scowls at them both but it's all in fun. The way she sees her blush makes her nerves go fluttery. She doesn't need to be told when their eyes meet and Catra knows it's mutual. Before anything can come of it Finn lands on the ground effortlessly.

She watches them tug Adora's sleeve; the fake modesty and flattering lilt they're piling on too thick gives them away. The fact that they can hold the performance this well is far more a Catra thing than Adora. She feels hesitant pride bubble within her. Could she have that knowing where it came from?

"Mommy my toy got stuck up there, can She-Ra get it? Because she's faster and stuff."

"Finn I can't keep transforming all week."

"Pleeease? It's the last day today; you said I could ask sometimes."

"Damnni-uh I mean I remember. Fine but only because you asked nicely."

Catra doesn't need to be an Entrapta-level genius to hear the unspoken, 'And because I totally lost too.' Finn definitely  hears it by the satisfaction in their grin. With a resigned sigh Adora straightened and stretched out a hand. From the bottom of her lungs she bellowed,

"For the Honor of Greyskull!"

A blinding light engulfed Adora from the outline of a golden sword. Catra still had no idea where it always came from. It was of course magic however; you never had to question that kind of thing. She figured that was why it felt comforting, familiar, compared to hard numbers. Most of all, she muses as the light dims, magic embodies everything Adora has been long before the sword.

The light leaves dissolving into rainbow trails. They outline She-Ra's massive form towering at eight feet. Her arms are almost as thick as the tree branches themselves when she begins to climb. Finn watched with their jaw hanging and eyes wide. Their fists rest against their teeth as if every transformation will be the last each time; the anticipation mixed with joy is almost palpable when it infects Catra.

She nudges them while Adora gets tangled in leaves. Finn's rapture breaks and they flash her a knowing smile.

"You love being sneaky huh?"

"She-Ra is cool!"

They look up together and find Adora fumbling not to fall. Though She-Ra carries a noble poise Adora is very much the one nervously sweating. Catra grinned.

"She's very cool."

Adora successfully lands without a scratch; the toy rocket is the size of a river stone in She-Ra's large hand. In an instant  it's back to scale when She-Ra is dismissed, a gold afterglow outlining Adora. It hits Catra then that Finn has grown at level with Adora's waist. When did that happen over the years?

"One missing toy rescued from an evil tree. It won't be eating any more any time soon."

"Thanks Mommy. No more She-Ra for a little bit."

"Right. Mommy needs breaks just like She-Ra does too."

Catra takes Adora's hand and wraps her tail around her. Her purr is soft though outmatched by the gentle kiss she gives her wife. She glanced at Finn who waits expectantly; the toy is already forgotten in favor of another game. Catra chuckles.

"Ok Finn you've had enough of bossing Mommy. This time I'll race you home."

"Loser has to give up dessert!"

"Sure kid. Ready set go!"

Like a bullet Catra sprints down the low hill; she barely hears Finn's call above the wind. In seconds they're right behind and she finds herself laughing carefree into the dusk.

Finn is five when their fur becomes their first taste of responsibility. Their tail is a mess of frizz most mornings; their thick hair resembles a mop fighting against every tame comb they own. Catra does her best to guide them, but she hasn't been five in twenty years. The memories since remain dark and pressed under the claws of greater horrors. Had she ever had time to brush herself seriously then? Not a relevant question; this isn't the time for self grieving.

Finn fusses, tries again, then scowls. They look at her with a plea in their eyes. Catra blinks then finds them slumping shoulders and lips quivering. Their hair seems messier than before for every wrong stroke. It takes her longer than she'd like to notice the budding tears.

"Hey it's ok we'll keep trying. It's hard at first but you can do it."

"Bet it's easy for you Mama."

"Why's that?"

"Because you never get messy. Your hair is always pretty."

Catra beckons and they come within her reach. She wipes their tears, smoothes their tangles best she can. They stare into her eyes with that intensity only they can muster.

"I used to be worse than you. When I was your age I had no one helping me."

"Not even Mommy?"

Catra laughed quiet and gentle, always gentle.

"She tried but she was as small as you. And we know Mommy doesn't look the same; she didn't know how. Do you know how old I was when I learned to keep my hair pretty? Really got good at it?"

Finn shook their head. She could sense the sadness give way to curiosity, to a rising hope.

"I was already a grown up. Wayyy bigger than you y'know? If it took me so long there's no rush. You keep trying until it works ok."

"Ok..."

"Let's start over. Just watch me first."

Time passes in a haze enough for her to learn Finn took after her old temper; step by patient step her hands once drenched in the blood of another life calm them to retry. They break for lunch and laugh together, their mistakes now harmless behind them. This, Catra has learned, is completion.

Princess Prom makes everyone nervous and excited equally. She watches Finn, taller than most other ten year olds, adjust their tie. She smiles remembering how many they'd tried on that morning without complaint. How when the right one came along they'd strutted prideful for her and Adora's opinion. They fidget flexing their hand and rocking on their heels. She can't blame them; the announcer's droning speech packs more formality than Catra thought was possible.

Put simply, it's boring, and they both fight a yawn. Adora doesn't notice them tap their feet together, one leading the other following, until another six minutes that pass like hours. She shushes them but when another minute crawls by she joins in. The three of them form a jagged rhythm while holding back giggles.

When the solemnity is done away with and the dance floor opens they lose Finn to their friends. She sends them off with a cheek kiss and Adora's blessing to have fun, then they're alone. They whisk themselves to the snack bar; she watches Adora gorge on tiny food like she's taken Entrapta's appetite for herself. Smirking as she leans against the table she knows Adora can feel her gaze.

"Alright Princess charge your battery any more and I'll dance by myself."

"Noa faish wahit fo me!" Adora forced out through a mouthful.

"Hey easy there. What's that translate to?"

Adora swallows hard and snorts at her.

"I said no fair wait for me. Now you're getting payback."

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try."

Before she can register it a cupcake is smashed into her mouth. She can hear Adora laughing even when Catra serves one back in retaliation. By the time they've wasted three cupcakes they don't hear Scorpia saunter over. They nearly tumble face first into her serving tray.

"Whoa slow down guys! Party just started to get so worked up. You two sure love having fun."

"Sorry Scorpia didn't see you there. Catra wants to hurry and dance; I want to savor what Entrapta had prepared tonight."

Catra stuck out her tongue and laughed when Adora elbowed her side in jest. When they look over Scorpia has forgone food entirely. She stares at them, her eyes glistening from would be tears.

"You guys are just adorable did you know that?"

"You remind us all the time." Catra replied and wrapped an arm around Adora.

"Actually uh, on second thought, I've got icing down my dress. Excuse me ladies."

Adora gives her a peck of a kiss before disappearing. Catra watched her go spellbound by the soft lights cast on everyone. Adora's outline is dreamlike, Catra can hear her breath hitch. Then far too suddenly she's gone. It's funny, she no longer feels the pain that once tore through her fast as lightening. Maybe parting no longer means goodbye. She knows she always knew.

"Y'know Wildcat I gotta say I've never seen you look this happy. Well happier than that time in the Crimson Wastes. Oh or when Finn was born. It's nice."

"Heh. We're in the same boat then. I can't even tell when it started."

"Wanna know how I can tell this time?"

The intensity in Scorpia's tone made Catra straighten. She stopped trying to eat another cupcake and met her gaze.

"It's the eyes. They're so clear these days. They're empty, not in a bad way. Like...it's like you can take on anything. You've got resolve but it's not angry."

"Calm?"

"Yeah. Calm and whole. That's some strength even I don't think I have yet. Your eyes can see through anything."

"Geez way to praise a girl. I think I get it though. Adora's been saying something similar. Glimmer, Bow, Perfuma...everyone brings it up somehow. They act like I'm supposed to know just haven't told them." Catra smiles around a bite of her snack. It was achingly sweet yet she closed her eyes and tasted the love put in.

"Of course they see it too. Every truly strong person is kind."

Catra's eyes widen. For a moment she moves as if to speak then instead smiles, content. Her heart feels light as a feather.

She spots Adora returning through the crowd. Everyone parts reverently for the savior of the galaxy; to Catra it's another homecoming. They don't need the titles or praise; at last having each other, having themselves, is enough.

Scorpia takes her leave just as Adora emerges. The teasing look she wore before is replaced by excitement; the kind that simply is because it can be. Without prompting she offered Catra her hand. She's seen this scene countless times in as many settings. She takes it.

"Ready for that dance I owe you?"

It happens in an instant; Catra reads her eyes. They're calm, resolved, kind. Her reflection stares back within their clarity. She smiles. She hopes Finn will have those eyes someday.

"Always am."

[ambii15]

It's here! My piece for the 2020 She-Ra Fluff Bang is live! I want to thank @electrocatt��for working with me and making such a beautiful piece of art work for this fic which you can find here! Please give them a follow and a huge thank you because the artwork they did is truly stunning! I hope you all enjoy! 

[dcubang]

2020 DCU Bang Summaries

2020 DCU Bang Claiming Instructions | Claiming Form Claims are now open!

Summaries after the Read More

2020 Summaries

1 Title: Green (may be renamed) Word Count: 9961 Genre: Fandom/Universe: Batman - All Media Types Characters/Pairings: Damian Wayne, Tim Drake, Jason Todd - Tim Drake/Jason Todd/Damian Wayne, Tim Drake/Damian Wayne, Tim Drake/Jason Todd, Jason Todd/Damian Wayne, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent (background), Jonathan Kent/Damian Wayne (background) Warnings: Dubcon, non-consensual drug use Rating: Explicit Summary: Jason and Tim agree to coach Damian through trying weed for the first time. All is going well, until they realise they’ve been dealt Ivy-brand weed and inadvertently been dosed with sex pollen. Obviously, a threesome ensues.

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2 Title: Love and Other Four-Letter Words Word Count: 10.4k Genre: Angsty Romance Fandom/Universe: Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Birds of Prey Characters/Pairings: Hal Jordan / Dinah Lance / Oliver Queen Warnings: Angst (happy ending), violence, gun violence, drinking, threesome, polyamory, open marriage, emotional infidelity, swearing, depression, self-loathing, nasty past breakup Rating: E Summary: After yet another breakup with Carol, Hal and Ollie find themselves on a road trip across America. Along the way, Hal starts to realize he’s feeling a bit more than friendship for his best friend. The days pass, and the two grow closer, but all too soon the trip must come to an end. On Ollie’s insistence, Hal agrees to stay with him and Dinah in their Star City home. He easily falls into routine with them, but living under the same roof has caused his feelings to multiply tenfold. After a rejected kiss in the middle of the night, Hal has to finally figure out what it is he wants. Dinah, caught in the middle of the two, is forced to confront her own feelings on the situation, eventually making her thoughts known. After a mission turned sour and a near-miss, the three grow closer still, eventually developing a relationship with each other. The story is entirely in Hal’s POV and there is quite a fair bit of self-hatred.

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3 Title: The sky's gonna hurt when it falls Word Count: 12k Genre: Drama, Angst, "Romance" Fandom/Universe: Nightwing (comics), Batman (All Media Types), Heathers (All Media Types) Characters/Pairings: Jason Todd/Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson & Catalina Flores. Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Catalina Flores, Harley Quinn, Crystal Frost, Barbara Gordon, Roman Sionis, Jack Napier. Warnings: graphic violence, suicide, bullying, violence in schools, underage drinking, parental neglect, homophobia, drug use, major character death, threats of non-con, underage sex Rating: M Summary: All Dick Grayson ever wanted to make Gotham High School a better place. So when queen bee Catalina invites him to be part of the most powerful and ruthless clique in school, he jumps at the chance to accept her invitation---after all, it's easy to change the system when you're the one making the rules. Things get complicated after the arrival of the dangerous new kid, JT, who urges Dick to bite the bullet and abandon high school politics before it's too late. But Dick can't help but feel that JT has another plan for the bullet... AKA the Heathers/Jaydick crossover no one asked for. This work is set in 1989 and contains excessive use of 80s slang. Like the movie and musical, themes of violence, suicide, homophobia, and bullying are present throughout. Situations of dubious consent and threats of non-con are mentioned but not in detail.

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4 Title: The Ghosts of Robins Past Word Count: 9,399 Genre: Action, casefic, drama, canon divergence Fandom/Universe: Batman Characters/Pairings: Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, Alfred Pennyworth, Jack Drake, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd. Jason Todd/Dick Grayson Warnings: Kidnapping, mentions of torture Rating: PG-13 Summary: Bruce never planned or wanted to take on a third Robin. Dick seemingly vanished off the face of the earth at fourteen and Jason was murdered at fifteen. Thirteen-year-old Tim Drake came into his life while he grieved for Jason, insisting Bruce needed a Robin to keep him balanced. Against his better judgment, he accepted and began training Tim. Now, at fourteen, Tim’s more than earned the mantle of Robin and his place at Bruce’s side. But did Bruce make a terrible mistake in accepting him? If something should happen to Tim, could he handle another loss? Bruce hopes he won’t have to answer that question. Soon he has a new case on his hands. People are being killed with gold tipped knives with owl symbols on their hilts. Bruce believes the killer is mimicking the Court of Owls to scare Gothamites while Tim believes a Talon is responsible. Dismissing the claim, Bruce continues to fight Gotham’s crime while doing his best to keep Tim safe. Even the best intentions fail. After a wrist injury prompts Bruce to send Tim home early, Bruce is horrified to receive a call from Jack the next morning saying Tim is missing. Try as they might neither man can find Tim. And Tim at last discovers what happens to the long lost Dick Grayson: he was abducted by the Court of Owls and trained to be a Talon along with the resurrected Jason Todd. Now, they have their eyes set on him.

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5 Title: Cats and Devil Bats Word Count: ~5,900 Genre: Romance, Supernatural, Action Fandom/Universe: Batman (comics) Characters/Pairings: Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne Warnings: Noncon, graphic violence Rating: NC-17 Summary: Batman is a violent vigilante who stalks and kills criminals. When Catwoman finally runs into him, she fully expects to die. But she doesn’t. In fact, he seems to want something else entirely from her. Meanwhile, Selina Kyle meets the enigmatic and very wealthy Bruce Wayne and the two begin a relationship. What happens when their two lives finally cross? And what’s all this about a Bat demon anyway? Everything takes place in Gotham: on rooftops, Bruce Wayne’s penthouse, Selina Kyle’s apartment, Wayne Manor, and the caves beneath it. The noncon is Batman/Catwoman and occurs throughout. It’s not 100% handled well by either of them. Relatively graphic violence in the later chapters, but nothing permanent.

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6 Title: What I Know Now (subject to change) Word Count: 9k written, maybe 12k total Genre: Angst, fluff, adventure Fandom/Universe: DC Comics or Young Justice Characters/Pairings: Jason Todd/Dick Grayson, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne Warnings: None Rating: PG, T Summary: Set in a YJ timeline where Jason and Dick are only two years apart, Dick falls in love with Jason when they're younger only to be devastated when he dies. And although Jason comes back to life as normal, he instead stays with the League and becomes a brother figure to Damian. Eventually Damian is sent to live with his father, and as his new family begins to grow on him, he begins to tell them more and more of "Akhi," who sounds achingly familiar to Dick. This story is set mostly in Gotham, with a few scenes in Nanda Parbat in the middle when Jason and Damian are with the League. No major warnings besides the Jason/Dick relationship if that bothers you. Some swearing and descriptions of Jason's death and resurrection, but it is not in explicit detail.

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7 Title: To the Fairest Word Count: 18,000 written Genre: Mystery Fandom/Universe: Batman (comics) Characters/Pairings: Bruce Wayne/Zatanna, Bruce Wayne, Zatanna Zatara, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Kara Zor-El Warnings: canon level violence Rating: Teen Summary: The Queen of Fables has another tale to tell… In this thrilling mystery Zatanna, the Mistress of Magic, wow’s audiences while solving crimes with the help of her new sidekick: Batman. Co starring in this mystical mystery are the youngest world's finest trio: Robin, Robin, and Supergirl. Will they be able to return a Talon to his nest or will birds fly? Join us in Gotham city, Metropolis, a witch's sales outlet, and a creepy shake filled with sentient vines. No warnings need apply.

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8 Title: we could put some roots down Word Count: 14378 Genre: Fluff, Romance, Drama Fandom/Universe: DCU (pre-New-52), Nightwing, Deathstroke Characters/Pairings: Slade Wilson/Dick Grayson, Batam Warnings: family drama, Bruce Wayne’s A+ Parenting, mention of Catalina Flores Rating: PG-13/Teen Summary: A set of multiple vignettes that center on Dick and Slade as they interact with the other members of the Batfam as Tim and Bruce come home to act as a catalyst of change. Dick grapples with what Bruce’s return means for his time as Batman while Jason teases that his relationship with Slade might be moving to the next stage. Dick and Tim finally get closure and the ability to clear the air between them while engaging in a bit of brotherly bonding and teasing. As always, Alfred holds all the answers. The story takes place mainly on the grounds of Wayne Manor, in the Bat Cave, or inside the Manor itself. The timeframe of the story takes place over the course of a few weeks to a month.

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9 Title: Scarlet Tears Word Count: 12,857 Genre: Action/Adventure Fandom/Universe: The Flash Characters/Pairings: Barry Allen/Leonard Snart Warnings: mpreg Rating: Explicit Summary: Leonard Snart decided to take a break from the Legends, with Mick in tow. They head back to Central City, only to find Team Flash in a bit of trouble…well not the team just Barry. A young Meta causes trouble with her power exactly what is her deal?

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10 Title: The Date (or The Bargain, haven’t decided yet) Word Count: 6,040 Genre: drama, hurt/comfort Fandom/Universe: Batman, Red Robin, Ra’s al Ghul/League of Assassins Characters/Pairings: Tim Drake, Slade Wilson, Ra’s al Ghul, Kon-El/Conner Kent, Bruce Wayne. Ra’s/Tim pairing Warnings: Kidnapping Rating: PG Summary: After a long and exhausting week all Tim looks forward to is catching up on his sleep. Much to his surprise he wakes up not in his comfortable bed but handcuffed to a seat aboard Slade Wilson’s private jet. He soon discovers that Ra’s al Ghul paid Slade to kidnap him and deliver him into Ra’s’ care. Angry, Tim’s thinking of his escape when Ra’s presents him with a deal: if a member of his family contacts him in one week, Ra’s will leave Tim alone for six months. Tim accepts the deal. As days pass with radio silence from the Bats, Tim has to face the truth about how all of them have grown apart and they’ve done little to draw him back in. Is he better off staying with Ra’s despite their vastly different morals? Or does Bruce deserve a chance to prove himself?

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11 Title: When You Move, I Move Word Count: 9150 Genre: Fantasy, Action/Adventure Fandom/Universe: Batman, Nightwing, Red Hood and the Outlaws Characters/Pairings: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson/Catalina Flores, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne Warnings: Non-Con/Dub-Con (non-graphic) Rating: R Summary: Despite having been in love with one another since they were children, Crown Prince Richard and Dragon Slayer Jason are faced with the fact that they are bound by duty and law to never marry. King Bruce manages to come up with a plan that would allow the pair to remain close and for Richard to fulfill his duty as the future king. He proposes a marriage of convenience to a woman, Catalina of House Flores, who is on the brink of permanent maidenhood after having been passed over by too many men in the past. And though she was aware that the future king would never love her, Catalina grows bitter and jealous over the love between the two men and the love her and Richard’s son shares with that man. So she calls upon the help of a crone to curse both men to live this life and all future lives close to one another but never allowing them to be together. And though the crone grants the curse she places a contingency: if one of them were to die before their 18th birthday then the curse would be lifted and they would be reunited to share the love they have been denied. When Dick and Jason come into contact with the god Fate in their current life, the pair are made aware of what had been stolen from them decades in the past and shown that because of Jason’s untimely death at the age of 15, the curse has been lifted. And Jason is finally given the answer as to why he was awoken in his grave all those years prior. With the truth laid out before them, the pair must figure out what it means for them in this lifetime and all future ones.

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12 Title: The Sorrows Of Healing Word Count: 18k of 20-22k written Genre: Slice Of Life, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Character-centric Fandom/Universe: Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics), AU from Battle of the Cowl Characters/Pairings: Dick Grayson & Tim Drake, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Alfred Pennyworth - Alfred Pennyworth, Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, Tim Drake Warnings: Off-Screen Character Death, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts and Intentions, Racism, Past/Referenced Child Abuse, Hospitals and Therapy Rating: M Summary: It was Dick who had taken up the Cowl after Bruce had died. It was Dick who had become Batman, taking Damian, Tim, and Alfred with him to the penthouse for a fresh start. But things could never be that easy. All of them were haunted by sorrow: Tim not capable of believing that his second father was gone as well, Dick almost breaking under the pressure of standing tall in the face of a crisis, Damian uncomfortable and lost in these unfamiliar waters he was forced to navigate, and Alfred mourning yet another child. In a world in which Bruce actually died, becoming a family again is harder than some might think. In the midst of fights, the racist white Gotham High Society, and Tim, who fled the nest in a last attempt to resurrect something that no longer exists, it is hard to find hope, and yet all of them somehow manage to do so anyways. The story mostly takes place in their Gotham City penthouse, a ballroom, a Baghdad hospital room, and the graveyard. This is a story of healing - but also about the growing pains along the way - so be aware that Tim and Dick deal with depression (Tim with suicidal thoughts and intentions as well), that Damian and Dick face racism, that Damian's childhood will be referenced as the unpretty mess that is was, and that Bruce will not return. His children will have to learn how to fly on their own.

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13 Title: since you’ve been gone (I can breathe for the first time) Word Count: 9,134 Genre: whump, hurt/comfort Fandom/Universe: Batfamily comics (mostly preboot canon with occasional elements of New 52 & Reboot canons) Characters/Pairings: Tim Drake, Batfamily, implied one-sided Tim Drake/Ra’s al-Ghul Warnings: Body horror, depression, child abuse, body modification (consensual and non-consensual), terminal illness, child death, substance abuse (harmful self-medication). Rating: Mature Summary: A study of Tim Drake and his experiences with Hanahaki (specifically, familial Hanahaki), mostly following comics canon with a few changes. Starts when Tim is a child (pre-Robin). He befriends the Gotham Sirens after seeking out Poison Ivy to obtain a growth stopper for his Hanahaki, and later befriends Jason-as-Robin. After Jason’s death and Tim’s parents find out about his Hanahaki, Tim seeks out Batman and becomes Robin. Eventually, after he starts spending time with Bruce, his Hanahaki fades. Years later, following the events of Red Robin and Tim’s distancing from the family, it returns with a vengeance. This story is primarily set in Gotham (at Wayne and Drake manors and the Batcave in particular), with scenes in Iceland (including a glacier) and other locations around the world. Being a Hanahaki fic, the story does contain quite a bit of body horror and terminal illness. The depression occurs throughout due to the Hanahaki & events of Red Robin, as does the body modification (in reference to forced surgery and growth-stopping drugs Tim takes (also the substance abuse tag).). Child abuse is neglect on the part of Tim’s parents, and correlates to the non-consensual body modification tag. Child death is Jason Todd’s canon death.

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14 Title: Forging Friendship Word Count: 4k Genre: Action/Adventure Fandom/Universe: Young Justice Characters/Pairings: Roy Harper, Kaldur’ahm, Black Manta Warnings: None Rating: PG-13 Summary: Green Arrow takes Speedy on a mission at the Star City Wharf with Aquaman and the new to the surface Aqualad. When the mentors give them a solo task, Speedy is very unsure about working with the new hero and tries to only focus on his mission. However, the mission goes wrong, forcing Speedy to risk his life, and face his fears, to save Aqualad. This story takes place primarily at night at a warehouse near the ocean. However actions scenes take place inside the warehouse with lots of crates that create a maze effect, and at the end of the story they’re all on fire.

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15 Title: (Better Things to do than) Chasing White Rabbits Word Count: 4k of what will likely be 6k Genre: Romcom and action/adventure Fandom/Universe: DC, Pacific Rim Characters/Pairings: Slade Wilson/Dick Grayson Warnings: violence, swearing, slurs (Gipsy Danger is the canon name of a jaeger), overprotective parent Bruce Wayne, sexual innuendo, secret identities, Slade's canonical bad parenting (but at least he's trying to work on that), accidental relationship, family drama, frenemies to lovers Rating: Explicit just in case, though I don't think sex will happen until the next installment in the series Summary: Rumor has it that Dick Grayson can drift with anyone. Slade Wilson has the opposite problem, and kids. Killing kaiju may be easier than parenting, and that's with Grayson playing mediator when he inevitably messes up. Dick, meanwhile, is tired of Bruce overstepping boundaries, and Slade just offered him a chance to help a villain redeem himself while also rubbing B's nose in the fact that clinging so tightly is more likely to drive all his kids away than make anyone want to stay. Even Nightwing has a rep for cheerful spite. Stacker Pentecost is too tired for this; he's got a daughter pushing to join the program, said program to run, and the Becket brothers are enough of a headache. That said, if an internationally wanted mercenary is truly willing to join the program, he'll welcome Deathstroke. He just doesn't want to lose Grayson in the process, or the Wayne family funding for the program. Jason, meanwhile, wins Best Brother accolades, and not just for donning Nightwing while Dick pilots giant robots.

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16 Title: in reverse, tragedy Word Count: ~12k Genre: Drama, Action Fandom/Universe: Batman, no specific canon Characters/Pairings: No Pairings, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Talia al Ghul Warnings: Dehumanization of Talons, Canon-Typical Violence, Decapitation Rating: PG Summary: Around two years after Batman fires Robin and Jason Todd (AKA Batboy) returns from an interstellar mission to find his sort of little brother missing, Talia al Ghul's jet touches down in Gotham. Her objective? Take revenge on the Court of Owls, the secret society hidden under Gotham that ordered Ra's al Ghul's death at the hands of a Talon, one of their personal assassins. During her mission, Talia is once again confronted by the Talon she fought when defending her father. After an intense battle in the Court's underground labyrinth, Talia defeats the Talon. As she unmasks him, she realizes that this Talon is the key to answering a question that has plagued even the Batman: what happened to Dick Grayson? (Sort of a Reverse Robins story, but more accurately a Mix-'Em-Up Robins story.)

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17 Title: bury the dead where they're found Word Count: 8K-ish Genre: Action Fandom/Universe: Batman (Comics) Characters/Pairings: Dick/Koriand'r, Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Slade Wilson, Gotham Rogues Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Murder Rating: PG-13 Summary: After returning to Earth and discovering his little brother is dead, Dick Grayson finds himself questioning how heroic Batman's "No Kill" rule truly is. Faced with Bruce's temper and the disrespectful ways Bruce has chosen to honor Jason, Dick decides it's time to take matters into his own hands, and makes a plan to remove the threat of the Gotham Rogues once and for all. Jason Todd, freshly back from the dead, doesn't understand what happened when he looks at the news in Gotham and sees that the Joker is dead. Determined to figure it out, he leaves Talia and makes his way back to the city that led to his death, only to learn from a strange source the truth of what went on while he was away. This story takes place in various locations, including the batcave, an apartment, Arkham Asylum, and the streets of Gotham.

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18 Title: Coffee Shop Love Word Count: 7,494 Genre: Fluff, Romance, Crossover, Alternate Canon Fandom/Universe: DC Comics/MCU Characters/Pairings: Dick Grayson/Tim Drake/James "Bucky" Barnes, Owens/Pru/Z, Conner, Cassie, Bruce/Diana, Bart, Cassie/Cass, Jason/Roy/Kory Warnings: None Rating: PG-13 Summary: Five years ago, Tim Drake saved Bruce and walked away from his so-called family and with Owens, Z, Pru and Bucky Barnes the Winter Solider and started up a small coffee shop with only Conner, Cass, Bart, Cassie and Alfred knowing where he is. Tim was happy until the day the Bats and the Avengers found him. Dick has never forgiven himself for driving away Tim, he longs to make things right with him, even if they never become anything but brothers but those plans are derailed when it comes clear to him that James "Bucky" Barnes has more than friendly feelings for Tim. Soon it becomes Dick vs. Bucky for Tim's heart. Tim just wishes that they would have asked him first.

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19 Title: Against His Heart Word Count: 6,566 Genre: Angst, PWP, rape recovery, happy/hopeful ending Fandom/Universe: DCU, no particular canon Characters/Pairings: Dick Grayson/Roy Harper Warnings: Past rape/noncon, slut-shaming, consensual nonconsent Rating: NC-17 Summary: The morning after Dick Grayson learns that Tarantula has died in prison, he gets on a train. Somehow he ends up at Roy's place. Nobody knows about everything that happened with Tarantula; even Dick forgets parts of it. He wishes he could erase everyone who'd ever touched him, even if that would erase Roy, so that Roy could touch him anew. They decide to pretend, and play out a situation where Dick is a virgin. A few awkward hiccups and a whole lot of feelings come out. It makes Dick realize something he wants--something he needs, maybe. He wants to pretend to struggle and say no and for Roy to keep going. They pick a safeword, Dick promises to use it, and so he does. Most of the scenes will take place in Roy's apartment which is somewhere in south New Jersey. It's not an AU (i.e. they are superheros), but they're out of uniform for the story. This is definitely a PWP, with a focus on sexual trauma, beginning to heal from trauma, and hints of a burgeoning DickRoy romance. There are no flashbacks to rape, but there are mentions of it throughout, including Dick's feelings towards his own body and his thoughts during sex with Roy. For a majority of the fic, Roy believes that Dick's relationship with Tarantula was fully consensual, before Dick ends up telling him that it wasn't. Dick is a trans man, and Roy is a cis man.

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20 Title: Stay Awake With Me Word Count: 10,738 of 40k Genre: Mystery, Case-fic Fandom/Universe: Court of Owls (comics) Characters/Pairings: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne Warnings: Major Character Death, Violence Rating: NC-17 Summary: When Dick goes missing, the family works together to try and find him. When Bruce goes missing, the mystery only begins to show itself. In an investigation which will span decades, Clark must work together with the remaining members of the Batfamily to unravel the secrets of Gotham's underbelly, and not only stop the Court of Owls in their bid for power, but to also catch Talon!Bruce and Talon!Dick. The fic will explore two timelines: the 'present' timeline which deals with the court of owls plot and a 'past' timeline that explores Clark's role in the batfamily.

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21 Title: The Maiden in the Tower Word Count: 6k complete so far, looking to be around 10-11k total. Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romantic Comedy, light Drama Fandom/Universe: primarily the pre-Flashpoint DC canon, though that’s more of a guideline than a hard rule. Characters/Pairings: Everyone Loves Tim Drake, ultimately Dick/Tim; Klarion the Witch Boy, Bruce, Barbara, Cass, Cassie, Kon and Bart all have prominent roles. Featuring cameos from as much of the DCU as I can fit in before the deadline, primarily Titans and Young Justice. Warnings: Low-key canon-typical violence and a ‘happily ever after’ kiss for two (full-grown) adopted brothers. Swearing. A few people get made the butt of jokes but it’s nothing too mean-spirited. Rating: PG-13 (technically R for swearing but content-wise it’s strictly PG-13) Summary: Klarion’s idea of the perfect birthday present is to trap Tim in the highest room (Bruce’s office) of the tallest tower in Gotham (Wayne Enterprises) and flood the rest of the building with a mix of living vines and fairy tale obstacles that can only be overcome by Tim’s true love. Shenanigans ensue as half the superhero community competes for the hand of the fair maid Red Robin. Pay-off is Dick/Tim but the lion's share of the page time is spent watching people fight fairytale tropes while Tim and Klarion snark with popcorn. Light-hearted comedy in which some characters get made to look the fool, ultimately gets no sexier than a True Love’s Ending Kiss. Set entirely within a vine-infested, magically-warped Wayne Tower with everyone from the Bats to the Titans to Tim’s civilian friends dealing with fairytale nonsense: glass mountains, living office supplies, pixies swarms, catching the cat who has the key to the next floor, etc. Meanwhile Tim hangs out in the penthouse with Klarion and a pint of ice cream watching the event like a reality show and getting dunked on for being an archetypal Disney Princess. Fun times for all with a light sprinkling of angst for flavor.

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22 Title: The Antecedents to Reunion Word Count: 13,500 (out of approx. 20k) Genre: Steampunk AU, slice of life, case fic Fandom/Universe: Batman comics, drawing heavily from the Court of Owls storyline and Cass's Batgirl run Characters/Pairings: Cassandra Cain/Stephanie Brown (preslash), Tim Drake, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson Warnings: non-canonical limb loss, temporary character death, fake character death, grief/mourning, implied brainwashing, past child abuse, drug use in an interrogation by a minor character Rating: PG-13/Teen Summary: In a verison of Gotham that never existed, a version of Gotham where clockwork and steam bring the city through the night, Dick Grayson is believed to be dead, and Cassandra Wayne has just returned from Hong Kong. But as Cass settles back into the city, she quickly discovers that something-- or someone-- is trying to get her attention, and that the clock is ticking on how much time she has to figure it out. This is very much a "slice-of-life" fic, except it's set in a Steampunk AU. This story is set mostly in Gotham, with there being one flashback scene to Cass’s apartment in Hong Kong. In Gotham, characters go to the manor, a gala, an ice cream parlor, and the Iceberg Lounge. There is also a fight scene in Robinson Park against Poison Ivy, in a villain’s apartment against droids, and a brief chase scene across rooftops. The plot with the Court of Owls is fairly in the background of this fic, as the real focus is Cass, her relationships with the other bats, and the intricacies of mourning. This story has a hopeful ending, in that it ends with Cass discovering that Dick is alive, but the actual reunion is left to the reader’s imagination.

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23 Title: With Blood and Rage of Crimson Red Word Count: 6,968 Genre: Angst, Action/Adventure Fandom/Universe: DCU, Batfam, Lantern Corps Characters/Pairings: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardener, John Stewart, Bleez, Rankorr, no pairings (however, I might include hints of Batlantern (HalxBruce) later) Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence, mentions of past underage attempted rape, mentions of past drug use, mentions of past child abuse Rating: PG-13 Summary: Jason was only 11 when his life was irreversibly changed. Now the newest member of the Red Lantern Corps, he is immediately thrust into a dangerous game where losing could mean death. With practically half the villains in the universe after him and the rest of the Lantern Corps, Jason must watch his step at every corner. To overcome this threat and find a way to save himself and the people he cares for, Jason must first overcome his own inner demons and learn to trust himself and the people around him. This story is set on multiple planets throughout the DC Universe. On Earth, we see Gotham City, the Batcave, and the Watchtower, in space, they travel to Ysmault and other planets that I made up for the purpose fo the fic (so you will have mostly free reign with the design of those planets if you choose to draw scenes involving them). This story involves canon-typical violence throughout. At the start, there are mentions of child abuse, and there is camera footage shown of attempted rape of a minor, but nothing explicit. At the start of the story, Catherine Todd is found by Jason post-OD and that is mentioned a few times throughout the story. The abuse and attempted rape are mentioned a little throughout the story, but not much, as it is not the focus, rather a back story for Jason. Other than that, there is no smut, or even pairings (unless I decide to do the Batlantern, but that will be a minor background pairing). There might be some language, but it is kept to a minimum.

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24 Title: You Have Their Eyes (But You'll Never Have Their Smile) Word Count: 6,679 Genre: Action/Adventure, Mystery, Angst Fandom/Universe: DCU, Justice League Characters/Pairings: Jason Todd, Kyle Rayner, Donna Troy, Chris Kent, Lorena Marquez, Connor Hawke, possibly Jaykyle Warnings: Canon Typical Violence, Mentions of Past Character Death, might have some minor language Rating: PG-13 Summary: Eight years ago, the Justice League vanished into thin air. Since then, their proteges have been left behind to pick up the pieces of a broken world. Struggling to fill shoes that don't quite fit, the next generation of the Justice League is faced with their pasts as an old case makes a reappearance, eight years after the original Justice League closed it. This is set on Earth, in various locations like Wayne Enterprises, the Watchtower, the Whitehouse, Los Angeles, Malaysia, and Atlantis. As stated before, violence is a part of this fic, but nothing more than you would normally see in canon. Past character deaths are mentioned, including Jason's temporary death, and the supposed deaths of the original Justice League. There is cussing, but only like two or three words in the entire fic. There are also mentions of a court stripping away Donna's parental rights to Terry.

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25 Title: Heavy the Head Word Count: 4k~ Genre: Greek Gods AU Fandom/Universe: No specific canon Characters/Pairings: Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson, assorted batfamily characters Warnings: No real warnings; there's some smut at one point in the fic Rating: NC-17 (overall it's rather tame, but some smut) Summary: Slade is an old nature god, one rather bored with the politics of Olympus. He is, however, rather fascinated by the reserved god of the dead Richard, remembering how different the boy was back when he truly was just a boy. He's always like oddities and figuring out puzzles, and Richard certainly is one at that. Dick would really prefer that everyone leave him alone to do the job he was assigned a millenia ago. Visiting Olympus brings him no peace, not when he knows he'll have to leave again soon, not to see his family for another century or so. Of course, there's always Slade, who's happy to give more than Dick is usually comfortable accepting. Not that that ends up being a bad thing. This story takes place in Mount Olympus, at a waterfall, and in the Underworld.

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26 Title: Hearts Beating Side by Side Word Count: 3,600 Genre: Romance, Drama Fandom/Universe: Young Justice Verse Characters/Pairings: Garth - Tempest/Kaldur'ahm/Dick Grayson Warnings: Threesome, misunderstanding, pining, dirty talk Rating: Summary: On the precipice of changes in their lives, Garth and Kaldur find a momentary reunion and the repressed childhood love that they have both harbored for the other is reignited. But the weekend won't be an easy fall into long awaited love. Nightwing has reappeared after months of silence in the guise of his civilian persona, Dickie Wayne-Grayson. And even though he's playing the part of full-time playboy, Garth can see the spark that Dick lights within Kaldur. And it's not a one-sided feeling. A weekend of diplomacy is consumed by Garth and Dick's competing jealousy; each believing Kaldur has eyes for the other. Garth thinks Dick is leading Kaldur on, and Dick thinks Garth has won Kaldur's heart before the weekend even began. They bicker, and banter, until they Bang It Out. When Kaldur catches them, there's guilt, and confessions and polyamorous negotiations.

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27 Title: hold onto the fire even if you have to burn Word Count: ~7k Genre: Angst with a happy ending Fandom/Universe: DCU (specifically Batfam) and post-Underworld Unleashed Characters: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Zatanna Zatara, John Constantine, Donna Troy Pairings: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd (endgame), Dick Grayson/John Constantine/Zatanna (temporary) Warnings: Threesome, rape/non-con mentioned, self-harm (through magic), depression, lack of self-worth, explicit content, graphic violence, temporary major character deaths. Rating: NC-17 Summary: Dick Grayson is no Batman. After Bruce Wayne refuses to resurrect the late Jason Todd, Dick takes matters into his own hands. Armed with the knowledge of a deal that didn't go through, Dick allies himself with Zatanna and Constantine in a bid to right the wrong that Bruce ignores -- even though souls come at a cost. Dick knows he's strong enough to take the pain to save Jason. But can he stop at Jason? Can he let his fallen friends and family stay dead? Dick is determined to save everyone he can, even if it means losing his soul. The story takes place in multiple locations, primarily in Gotham and Neron's throne room in Hell, with occasional switches to Bludhaven. Rape/non-con refers to past instances (Dick/Mirage, Dick/Catalina) that are discussed at length. Threesome takes place as part of a magic ritual. Self-harm is heavily implied through self-sacrificial actions and reckless behavior (as well as the literal deals with a devil). Graphic violence will be canon-typical. Deaths are canonical deaths and happen offscreen (with the exception of Donna Troy and Damian Wayne who die in front of Dick and are described vividly). There's an alternative ending that includes Dick Grayson dying, but that's only one of two endings that will both be written.

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28 Title: The Deepest Secret Nobody Knows Word Count: ~6500 written (~15000 total) Genre: Romance Fandom/Universe: General DCU, Batman, Green Lantern Characters/Pairings: Bruce Wayne/Hal Jordan Warnings: Unintentional Exhibitionalism, characters/relationship being outed without their consent Rating: Explicit/NC-17 Summary: Hal and Bruce have been fucking for a full year, but have only been in an acknowledged relationship for six months. A jealous co-worker, who will stop at nothing to destroy Bruce Wayne, has a private romantic encounter between Bruce and Hal taped, then releases photos of the encounter to the press. Hal now finds himself thrust into a part of Bruce's life that he'd only had a vague impression of previously. While he believes that his and Bruce's relationship is solid, he's still left wondering if this will prove to be too much trouble to bother with, for himself, for Bruce, and for Bruce's family. Takes place primarily in Gotham (WEI offices, the Batcave, and the manor), with minor placement on the Watchtower, in Hal's apartment in Coast City, and varying Bruce boltholes around Earth. No serious warnings, other than semi-graphic/graphic sex.

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29 Title: In the Shadow of the Empire Word Count: About 12 or 13k, just under 9k written Genre: SciFi, Action/Adventure Fandom/Universe: Batman (though no particular canon), Star Wars AU Characters/Pairings: JayDick, JayTim, implied DickTim, pre-DickTimJay, Cass, Steph Warnings: Graphic descriptions of violence, dub con Rating: NC-17 Summary: For most of the galaxy, life under the Empire's thumb was difficult, stressful, and painfully short. Dick and Jason knew this all too well, trying to keep their rustbucket of a ship in one piece while living job to job on the fringes of the Empire's control. It was a hard life, but as an ex-Jedi and a so-called 'troublemaker' wanted in multiple Empire systems, they didn't have much choice. But when a job goes wrong, they and their crew find themselves on the run from the Hand of the Emperor; a masked dark side user who is as feared as his origins are mysterious... and who is much more involved in Dick and Jason's past than either of them could guess. This story exists within a Star Wars setting, roughly around the time of the Original Trilogy. Scenes take place aboard Jason's ship, on a derelict Republic cruiser (i.e. no lights and without atmosphere or gravity), and on a small, heavily forested moon where the showdown happens between the ship's crew (Dick, Jason, Cass, and Steph) and Dark Side!Tim. The graphic violence is to the tune of blaster and lightsaber wounds. The dub-con occurs when Jason drunkenly sleeps with a stranger at a bar, who later is implied to be Dark Side!Tim undercover. This counts as dub-con because Tim is actively concealing his identity to get information out of Jason and because Jason would likely not have slept with him if he knew who he was and what he was doing.

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30 Title: There Be Dragons Word Count: 6425 words Genre: Urban Fantasy, Dragons Fandom/Universe: Batman Characters/Pairings: JayDick Warnings: Descriptions of burning buildings, violence, some gore Rating: M Summary: In Gotham, there be dragons. A pureblood dragon, Bruce revolved his vigilante persona around his ancestry, to become, Dragonman. Dick’s dragonhood was a direct result of Bruce’s ingenious DNA bonding–a gift he now refuses to use. For a moment in his life, however, he tolerated it, for Jason. Then Jason died. For six months, as far as Dick and Bludhaven was concerned, there were no goddamn dragons. Then one night, fire licked the sky. No matter how fast Dick ran, swung and flew, it was too damn late. A casino was razed to the ground. Human bodies stacked in piles. The shadow of a red dragon’s wings flapped in a distance. There was no question, however impossible, who did it. Dick couldn’t believe it. Dick wouldn’t believe it. This dragon flew around in Dick’s city on a raging warpath, knowing more than he was letting on. Dick intended to find it, and stop it.

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31 Title: When the Winds are Howling Strong Word Count: 3040 Genre: Found family, omegaverse, no capes AU Fandom/Universe: Batfam, Red Hood and the Outlaws Characters/Pairings: Jason Todd, Dick Grayson Warnings: Implied non graphic rape, intersex omegas, severe misogyny against omegas. Dick is a cop but he’s on leave through 90% of the fic Rating: PG-13/Teen. Nothing is graphic, but the topics are heavy Summary: Dick signed up to be a foster alpha, but never expected that he would actually be given an omega. Then Gorden’s men find an gang’s omega in heat and in bad shape. Since most foster alphas are searching for a mate, Dick is given custody over the omega. Jason was pulled off the streets by Joker’s gang when he was fifteen and life’s only gotten worse from there. As a gang omega, Jason served mostly as a form of recreation for the other gang members. After four years in hell, Jason’s given up all hope of escape. He’s got a new alpha who seems decent, but past experience has taught him those are the worst ones. Found family is the core of this fic. Dick helps Jason with his reintroduction into society/introduction to Gotham’s high society and both are forced to confront their internalized prejudices against other castes. It’s set in Gotham and explores both the slums and the glitzier districts. Jason and other male omegas will be depicted as wearing more feminine styles, including dresses and skirts. Key scenes: Dick taking custody of Jason, Dick and Jason growing used to each other, Tim and Damian meeting Jason by accident, Jason dumping out all of Dick’s liquor cabinet, Dick taking Jason shopping, Jason meeting Bruce and Alfred, Dick takes Jason to a gala and they work through a meltdown, Jason shows Dick where he used to live before Penguin and Joker, Dick and Jason fight after finding out everything Jason did in the gangs, Sheila makes an appearance, Jason is induced into an artificial heat, Dick and Bruce find Jason who is already making progress to rescue himself, End by Jason cutting the ribbon to an omega shelter.

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32 Title: Midnight Rendezvous Word Count: 4000+ Genre: PWP, Drama Fandom/Universe: Batman, Nightwing/Grayson Characters/Pairings: Midnighter/Dick Grayson, Bruce/Dick Grayson Warnings: Explicit sex, References to violence, Maybe unsafe sex Rating: NC-17 Summary: Dick is tired of the Golden Boy act. Tired of waiting for Bruce’s approval. And he’s beyond tired of not being noticed... So tonight, he’s going to find someone one who will.

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33 Title: crowns of violets and roses Word Count: 3009 Genre: Romance, Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology Fandom/Universe: Batman - All Media Types Characters/Pairings: Bruce Wayne/Jason Todd Warnings: Attempted non con, swearing, descriptions of violence Rating: Explicit (NC-17) Summary: Modern Hades & Persephone AU. After Bruce Wayne’s parents die, he becomes lord of the underworld, leaving the seasons and harvest unattended. Replacing him are the two Robins, Dick and Jason, spirits of spring and growth, but neither is able to fully step into the Waynes’ empty mantle. Things are further complicated when Dick wants to move on to a new role and Jason’s propositioned by another god. Bruce pulls Jason into the underworld, offering him sanctuary from the threats above. In the shadows, Jason finds both his strength and love. But without the work of both Robins, the land crumbles, threatening the lives of mortals and the power of the gods. The only solution is for Jason to return, unless Bruce is able to out think their enemies. The setting for this story is largely modern with stylized elements from different periods (gothic, art deco). The Underworld, which is the primary setting, is heavily influenced by Wayne Manor and the Cave from comics and the animated series. Other places can have a more Gotham art deco influence.

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34 Title: Bruce Wayne, the Court of… Word Count: 4035 Genre: AU, humor, fluff, angst Fandom/Universe: Batman comics, Nightwing comics, Red Hood and the Outlaws comics, Batman: Under the Red Hood Characters/Pairings: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne Warnings: rape, death, beating, abuse, violence, spoilers for: Forever Evil arc, Court of Owls arc, recent Nightwing comic arc, recent Batman comic arc, Red Hood and the Outlaws #25, Batman and Red Hood #20 Rating: T/Teen And Up Audiences /PG14+ Summary: Bruce had made many mistakes in his life. The most horrifying and disastrous were the ones involving his family. The way he treated them, deceived, hurt and used finally blew in his face and he had to face the consequences. There was no forgiveness for him now, not from any of them. But maybe there was a way to avoid it all. This story is meant as a fix-it to all the mess the canon turned into. While the story focuses on talking about canonical events there are a lot of headcanon/fanon/tropes put into it as well ie. romantic relationship between adopted brothers. And although the topics discussed are serious matters the fic itself is slightly crackish. The story takes place in Gotham during the Batman: Under the Red Hood events. At first the action is placed all over the city: rooftops, docks, parking lot, train station; for it to narrow down to an abandoned hotel room.

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35 Title: Do You Love The Summer Like I Do? Word Count: 6116 words Genre: Romance, Action Fandom/Universe: Batman, Red Hood and the Outlaws Characters/Pairings: JayRoy Warnings: Descriptions of physical trauma, healing from injuries, violence, some gore Rating: M Summary: Those hazy nights spent blinking in and out of consciousness, events of Bruce cracking his hood open like an egg replaying like a neverending nightmare. Waking up to a stuffy bed, IV drips and the simmering heat. Roy’s dumb, handsome face hovering worriedly beside him. For those months of grueling physical therapy, Jason could depend on one thing to keep him going--Roy’ love. Jason would have put any grand plans of his to a screeching halt, if Roy asked him to stay on that island forever. But he had therapy to go to. Jason could respect that. Then, Roy died. And Jason missed the funeral. But unlike every other piece of shit who dared to call themselves Roy’s friends, Jason wasn’t about to let him lie. And he had a way of bringing him back.

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