#vanilla107writes
Text
Happy Birthday, Boy Savior
Pairing: EkkoJinx (Timebomb)
Words: 2753
Summary: Ekko watched the blue braids disappear into the night and he stepped out of his hiding spot. It was his birthday and he knew what she did on his birthday. She always remembered and without fail, delivered every year.
He opened the box and his heart ached as he looked at the cupcakes, each one lined up in neat little rows, with bright green icing and pink and blue sprinkles
Tags: Fluff, A Sprinkle of Angst, Childhood Memories, Reminiscing, Jinx canonically bakes so you can’t tell me that she doesn’t bake in her spare time, the cupcake she made in the last episode was so good too??, Jinx makes cupcakes
Read on AO3:
Jinx hummed softly as the oven dinged, and she opened the door to retrieve the cupcakes. They were a perfect golden brown and she smiled as she put the tray on the cooling rack.
“Icing…icing…icing,” she muttered before retrieving the butter dish and opening it. She inspected the butter, a pale yellow, and she smiled before shaking the whole block into a bowl. She got out the icing sugar and vanilla essence before eyeballing the measurements and whipping the mixture together until a fluffy white icing formed. She flicked some icing with her index finger and licked it off, tasting it before nodding happily.
"He doesn’t like sweet things!" yelled Mylo from her left side.
“Shut up,” she mumbled and the voice was quiet.
She took out the cupcakes from the cupcake pan, placed them on the cooling rack, and giggled, her tiny confectionaries all lined up. Jinx hopped to her food colouring collection and rolled a few of the tiny bottles in her hands before deciding on the green.
The colour of Firelights.
The colour of his hoverboard.
The colour she associated with him the most.
She mixed the colour in till it was bright green, eye twitching in concentration. She wrestled with a piping bag as she spooned icing into it and groaned in frustration when it popped.
“Sevika, I keep telling you to get the good quality baking shit! This is why I don’t like you!” she yelled, even though Sevika was far from her lab.
She transferred the icing into another bag with a little more caution and sighed in relief when it didn’t pop. She put the icing in her mini-fridge, waiting for the cupcakes to cool and she strolled to the other side of her lab to tinker with a grenade.
It was almost laughable how she was making cupcakes, sweet treats for anyone to enjoy, on one side of her lab but on the other, she was making weapons of mass destruction. An hour passed and she stretched before heading back to check on the cupcakes that were now cool enough to be iced. She got the icing out of the fridge, twisted the piping bag, and cut a hole at the tip before starting on the first cupcake. The pattern she was going for was a little wonky but she was out of practice so she shrugged her shoulders and moved to the next one. As Jinx iced each cupcake she got lost in concentration to get perfect swirls of sweetness. She debated adding sprinkles because she wasn’t sure if he’d like sprinkles before rolling her eyes.
“Who the hell doesn’t like sprinkles?” she laughed before grabbing her pink and blue sprinkles and gently tapping a few on each cupcake.
"Maybe he doesn't like sprinkles. Maybe you don't know him at all", whispered Mylo and she shook her head, ignoring him.
She gazed at her cupcakes proudly, giggling at the vivid green icing against the vanilla sponge and she grabbed the one that had wonky icing and took a bite.
“Oh, shit!” she mumbled, forgetting that the cupcake had a paper wrapper on and was greeted by a mouthful of paper and cake.
She slowly removed the paper from her mouth and peeled the rest of it away before taking a proper bite. She closed her eyes as she leaned against the counter.
Part of her felt stupid for continuing the tradition but another part of her felt it was necessary. She had been friends with Ekko for years before Silco adopted her and had celebrated his birthday with him almost every time. His parents always managed to scrape together enough money to buy him a cupcake and he shared with her every single time, much to her protests. The cake was usually dry and the icing too sweet but she was happy he always chose to share with her. She’d stick her tongue out at Mylo when he’d complain about it because he annoyed her and it felt nice to not be teased or made fun of for once.
The last time she had celebrated with him, he didn’t show up with a cupcake. He said that his parents couldn’t afford one that year and she was sadder for him because it was the one thing he always looked forward to on his birthday.
That had stuck with her, even after Silco told her it was them against everyone else.
Even after Sevika threatened to kill Ekko when they got into a fight and Jinx had nearly shot her right then and there.
Even after Ekko told her that they were on different sides and that because she was working with Silco, they were enemies.
She still baked him cupcakes every year.
She baked at least nine because nine was better than one, and the cupcakes they had when they were younger were dry and too sweet and she made them perfectly.
He deserved cupcakes that were perfect on his special day.
“Make me a cupcake!” Mylo taunted her and she gritted her teeth before finishing off the first cupcake and grabbing another one, ripping off the paper wrapper and throwing it behind her.
She aggressively bit into the soft sponge cake and buttery icing, Mylo’s words louder than before.
“You’re not even friends anymore! Quit fooling yourself. This was a waste of time!”
"Stop it," she hissed.
The cake became a pasty mush in her mouth and for a moment she struggled to swallow it before she rolled her shoulders back and tried to still her shaking hands.
"You’re the enemy to him! Enemy! He doesn't give a shit about you! Why would he care?"
Jinx only crammed another cupcake into her mouth, tears slowly dripping down her cheeks and the sweetness on her tongue only tasted bitter.
She hated that he could be right. She was the enemy to Ekko…but he still cared, right? She swore at herself because she didn’t need self-doubt.
Not on such an important day.
Stupid idiot Mylo. Stupid, annoying Mylo who made fun of her and everything she did. Claggor was quiet but he never spoke up when Mylo said mean things. He was too quiet in her opinion.
"Admit it. You miss him. You miss what you once were with him," Mylo said and this time, he sounded like he pitied her which only made her feel worse.
So she cried. She cried until her throat was raw and her eyes were swollen.
She allowed herself to cry, to scream, and to miss the one boy who showed her kindness before feeling slightly sick after all the sweetness she consumed. She dragged herself to the sink to drink a glass of water, hoping it would somehow make her feel better, and washed her face to get rid of the tears.
Jinx stared at the cupcakes on the counter, each one shining under the lights and she sighed before packing the remaining ones in a box with wax paper. She didn’t know why she cared so much. It was dumb and stupid but if she didn’t do anything, it would only nag at her until she was taking out the ingredients to make the cupcakes.
She left her lab, the smell of vanilla fading until she was underneath the night sky of Zaun, the first few stars peeking out.
She ran across rooftops, carefully balancing the cupcake box in her arms before landing a few hundred meters away from the Firelight base, on a rooftop of an old factory. She knew if Sevika and Silco ever found out she knew where the base of the Firelights was, Sevika would most definitely kill her, but it was her little secret and she could keep it that way.
She never knew if Ekko found the cupcakes. For all she knew, she could be baking them for a ghost but the cupcakes were always gone when she went back the next day and she always left them pretty close to the Firelight base, so it would be nearly impossible for him to miss.
Part of her wanted to stay, to see him and to halve one cupcake and share it like they had when they were kids, to laugh underneath the stars and point at the constellations. She had always made up her own whereas he'd correct her and she'd roll her eyes because he thought he was so clever but he was. The only difference was that they were older, not really friends but not loathing each other entirely, and the cupcakes wouldn't be dry or too sweet because she had made them for him.
Those days felt like a million years ago and she held back her tears as she gently placed the box down.
"Happy Birthday, Boy Savior," she whispered.
She knocked on the box twice as if she was knocking on a door before turning around and sprinting into the darkness and not looking back.
~~~
Ekko watched the blue braids disappear into the night and he stepped out of his hiding spot. It was his birthday and he knew what she did on his birthday. She always remembered and without fail, delivered every year.
He opened the box and his heart ached as he looked at the cupcakes, each one lined up in neat little rows, with bright green icing and pink and blue sprinkles.
He remembered how confused he was the first time it happened. He came home from a long day of recruiting people for the Firelights and was about to pass out on his bed when he saw a box of wonky-looking cupcakes sitting on his bedroom windowsill at his parent's place. Jinx had signed her name in crayon with a note attached simply reading ‘Happy Birthday’ and at first, he thought it was a cruel prank. But the handwriting was proof and he remembered how he had shared his birthday cupcake with her every year. The only other people who had known about that were Mylo, Claggor, and Vi and it was safe to say that they wouldn’t have spread that information to anyone.
And so, like clockwork, every time his birthday rolled around he’d find a box full of cupcakes.
Initially, he thought that maybe she was trying to poison him but after halving one of the cupcakes and running various tests on it, it was poison-free. He had so many questions to ask her yet all he did that evening was eat two cupcakes in silence.
This tradition was between Ekko and Powder. Not Ekko and Jinx.
But then again, he had always shared his cupcake with Powder on his birthday. But she was Jinx now and instead of his parents buying a cupcake for him to share with her, she baked at least nine...all for him.
Was she trying to tell him something?
And he always felt conflicted but he couldn’t help but look forward to it and every year, she managed to outdo herself.
One year, she had made chocolate cupcakes but to his surprise, she had added an insane amount of chilli to the cupcake and no matter how hard he tried to stop the heat traveling from his tongue to his throat, it felt like his body was on fire for the rest of the evening.
Another year, she had rigged a glitter bomb to go off as he opened the box. He had glitter on his hair for weeks. At least Scar and the children found it funny and the cupcakes were still good.
He inspected the green cupcakes in front of him before looking back at the empty space that Jinx had left a mere few minutes ago and the same questions that plagued his brain every year when he was in this position.
Did she ever check if he got the cupcakes? Or was she just hoping he’d find them by chance?
She made them every year and dropped them off relatively close to where he lived or was at a specific time…so was she just hoping he’d see what she had done?
Did Silco or Sevika know about this?
Wasn’t this crossing some sort of boundary?
Then, like he did every year on his birthday when Jinx would leave him cupcakes, he ushered his thoughts away before picking up a cupcake and nibbling the sponge and icing, checking for any sort of surprise. He found that it tasted like a regular cupcake (and not like chilli or anything suspicious) finally took a bite into it, chewing thoughtfully, before sitting down on the factory rooftop overlooking the skyline of the Lanes.
He was surprised to find that these cupcakes were probably the most normal she had ever made. It wasn’t until a firelight landed on his knee, the neon green lighting up his pants, that he realised that the bright green icing was representing that.
“Firelights, huh?” he smiled before eyeing the pink and blue sprinkles.
Was that supposed to represent her? He knew her nails were often painted pink and blue.
He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't sense
“Cupcakes from your girlfriend?” Scar asked, and Ekko froze as Scar took a seat next to him.
“I can explain-”
“-That she delivers cupcakes every year on your birthday?”
Ekko was quiet, his stomach rolling in anxiety. Scar was a comrade who he greatly respected. What was he supposed to say now that he caught him?
“Look, I know I shouldn’t be giving into my feelings of teenage angst and eating cupcakes from Jinx. I know that I’m dumb for having feelings for a girl that works for Silco. I know she’s killed so many of us…” Ekko whispered, guilt creeping up on him. “But this is the one time of the year when I feel that…she still cares and it’s not just bombs and bullets with her.”
Scar hummed and Ekko looked at the cupcake in his hand, icing slightly lopsided because of his first bite.
“If she really wanted you dead, she would’ve put more chilli in the buttercream that one year,” Scar said with a small smile and Ekko’s jaw dropped open.
“You…you knew about the chilli cupcakes?” he yelled.
“Yeah, you were really bad at hiding your pain so I did some snooping in your office for medicine and then I came across the box of cupcakes on your desk. Didn’t take my nose long to realise that the cupcakes were tampered with for a lack of a better word. I knew none of the kids had made you cupcakes so I put two and two together.”
Ekko laughed loudly before finishing off his cupcake.
“Thanks for looking out for me...and for keeping this a secret.”
“You look out for all of us Ekko and I know you’ve had it rough. I am concerned about this… thing you have with her, but I trust that you know what you’re doing.”
Ekko didn’t have the heart to tell him he had no clue what he was doing but he nodded. He offered Scar a cupcake and he declined. They talked for a little about strategy and organising a soup kitchen for the hungry in Zaun before Scar left him to go back to the base.
He could only wait and see what Jinx did and he knew it wasn’t going to be pretty or sweet like the cupcakes he was eating but he could count that at least count on his birthday every year, she cared enough to bake him cupcakes as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
He took a third cupcake and stared at it, the icing and sprinkles dim underneath the moonlight before he carefully halved it with his fingers. He put the other half down in its paper wrapper next to him before looking at the stars and taking a bite of his half. He remembered how many birthdays he had spent with her, sticky sweet icing on their tongues and light in their eyes as they talked about everything and anything.
He had thought about grabbing her arm as she walked back into the darkness and asking her to stay. He wanted to share his birthdays with her again. She was all he ever wanted...but there was too much at stake at this point.
So for now, he'd eat his half and wait for the day that he would have the courage to ask her to stay.
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Eclipse (in the shaded shadows where you and i meet)
Pairing: Ekko x Jinx
Words: 10 899
Summary: “Did you really mean what you said inside?” Ekko asked.
“Mean what?”
“The whole ‘you wanted to feel pretty and wear a nice dress for this evening’ thing.”
He watched her open her eyes and she looked at him before pushing down her skirts and gliding her hands over the fabric.
“We never got this kind of stuff in Zaun. I just wanted to experience it just this once,” Jinx murmured.
Tags: Fluff, New Year’s Eve Fluff, New Year’s Kiss, I needed an excuse to make them wear fancy clothes and slow dance, he is the sun, she is the moon, slow dancing.
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"Are you sure this isn't a bit...much?" Ekko asked, raising his arm and feeling the soft fabric against his skin, and Heimerdinger laughed.
"Of course not, my boy! This type of finery is completely normal at the Piltover New Year's Eve ball."
The suit was nothing short of extravagant. It was a white two-piece suit with a cape and gold embroidery adorning the shoulders and back. There was a large sun motif on the back of the cape that matched his gold shoes and rings. It was minimalist enough to not draw too much attention but enough to blend in with the other guests.
Ekko only stared at his reflection in the mirror before rolling his shoulders back and sighing. He was beginning to regret accepting the invitation from Heimerdinger as his plus one. He was aware of the annual Piltover New Year's Eve Ball and remembered his mother paging through the old magazines displaying the pictures of the guests arriving when he was growing up.
It was practically a fashion show and one of the biggest social events of the year, with celebrities, socialites, and leaders from all around being invited. Every year there was a theme and people who were invited went all out with their outfits. Ekko never thought he'd be one of the guests though, so standing in a Piltover boutique wearing a suit that surely cost more than his life, was surreal.
Heimerdinger had received his invitation a month prior and initially planned to not go but for some reason changed his mind last minute. He had begged Ekko to go with him and at first, Ekko had rejected the invitation. He despised Piltover and everything they stood for, so why would he go to a fancy ball that celebrated everything Piltover was when he knew that they didn't give a shit about Zaun?
But Heimerdinger opened up to him about Jayce Talis and Viktor and Ekko felt pity for the old professor. He could imagine how hurt he felt by Jayce's betrayal and in a moment of empathy, he accepted the invitation.
But standing in a Piltover boutique getting the last fittings done, it felt all sorts of wrong to go to a Piltover event as the leader of the Firelights.
"I don't know Heimerdinger...I don't know if I should do this," he mumbled.
Heimerdinger paused before ushering the fashion consultant out of the room. Once they were alone and double checked to make sure no one was eavesdropping, Heimerdinger lowered his voice as he turned to face him.
"What are your concerns about tonight, Ekko?"
"I...it just feels wrong. I'm the leader of the Firelights. I hate how topsiders treat us. I should be representing them. Not...not Piltover. And going to a fancy ball that’s reserved for the elite…I feel like a fraud," Ekko said with frustration.
Heimerdinger walked onto the platform and looked into the mirror at their reflections. He also wore a white suit with gold thread, the design simple in comparison to Ekko's suit, before standing up straight.
"I know this is hard for you and if you choose to back out, I won't be upset, but this isn't about representing Piltover at all. This is about representing you. You will be asked for your name and where you're from at the staircase and they will announce who you are. You aren't representing Piltover, Ekko. You're representing Zaun at a Piltover Ball. See this as an opportunity to show them who you are and what Zaun means to you. I would never ask you to represent a city that has let you down."
Ekko let Heimerdinger's words sink in before shaking his shoulders.
You're representing Zaun and what Zaun means to you.
He nodded and took a deep breath in before exhaling. He gazed at his reflection before grinning at Heimerdinger.
"Okay. Let's go to this fancy ball then."
~~~
Ekko was sweating under the bright lights as he walked towards the staircase. He didn't know how Heimerdinger was fine with his fur and the heat of the lights but he focused on relaxing. He was thankful that Hiemerdinger had chosen to skip the red carpet and avoid the paparazzi and cameras. He didn't need the Firelights to see him in the tabloids even though the likelihood of that was low.
You're representing Zaun. You'll be fine. Just schmooze your way in.
They walked to the announcer where Heimerdinger gave their invitation with their names scribbled on the top before the announcer turned to face the ballroom.
"Introducing Cecil B. Heimerdinger from Piltover and Ekko from Zaun."
It was as if the entire ballroom froze as their names were mentioned and Ekko's heart thudded in his chest as he felt the stares on him.
"Just be calm, my boy. You know who you are," Heimerdinger whispered as they descended down the stairs.
They walked down and Ekko took in the sight of the room. It was a marble and gold masterpiece with high ceilings and Piltover decor. There were white curtains along the sides of the walls and intricate centerpieces on the buffet tables. There was an orchestra softly playing music in the front and a few people swaying as they spoke but no one was dancing yet. Ekko figured that people would start dancing as the evening went on. He could hear the whispers of 'Zaun? That man is from Zaun?' and 'Heimerdinger? Wasn't he voted off council?' as they walked to the buffet table like filled with the most food he had ever seen.
This could feed the Firelights for at least a week.
He watched Heimerdinger take a plate and choose his food before following. Ekko wasn’t sure what he was looking for, so he grabbed a few things that look appetizing. They walked off to the side to watch other people mingle and he eyed Heimerdinger.
"Well that was…"
"Embarrassing?" finished Heimerdinger and Ekko chuckled. "I didn't expect a reaction like that to happen. I should've known about it with my status as an ex-council member and how some people here thrive off of gossip. I'm sorry."
"It's no problem. I'm used to large crowds staring at me with speeches to the Firelights," he said softly and Heimerdinger gave him a smile.
Ekko ate his food, his mouth in heaven as he tried the different finger foods. He wondered if this was everyday food for Pilties before taking another bite. He picked up a piece of fish (at least he assumed it was fish) and chewed it experimentally before nodding in bliss.
“If there’s one thing Piltover can do, it’s throw a good party,” Ekko hummed and Heimerdinger laughed as he bit into a mini sponge cake.
"Ah, Heimerdinger! So glad you could make it!" a voice said and Ekko looked up to see a beautiful woman in a halter-neck gold dress that reached her ankles. Her braids were loose and her sharp brown eyes took in his appearance.
"And you’re plus one from Zaun. Ekko, correct?"
"Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you, Councilor Medarda."
She raised an eyebrow in surprise and smiled, her expression softening almost instantly.
"The pleasure is all mine. I must admit when you responded to the invitation, Heimerdinger, I was surprised that you included a plus one and to hear that he's from Zaun was certainly not my expectation.”
“I wasn’t sure anyone would want to talk to me if I went alone so I asked Ekko to accompany me. He’s a brilliant inventor.”
Mel laughed and Ekko eyed her curiously. All the information he could find on her was sparse. All he could gather from research was that she was from Noxus and came to Piltover where she became part of the council a few years later.
Other than that, Mel Medarda was a mystery to him.
“Of course he’s an inventor!” she said as she regained her composure before focusing on Heimerdinger.
“Heimerdinger, I'd like to think that you aren't an outcast just because you're no longer on the council. While I came here to greet you, the real reason I’m here is because I don’t want any bad blood between us. I know a lot has happened but I do hope we can be civil. I don't want you to cut all ties with the people you've build friendships withjust because you aren't on council anymore."
Ekko watched as Heimerdinger nodded his head.
"No hard feelings Mel. I understand why Jayce made that decision."
Ekko wasn't sure if that was a lie or truth. While Heimerdinger had looked sad when retelling the tale to him, he seemed to be more at peace with the situation now. But then again, he didn't really know the feelings of the Yordle.
Mel turned her attention back to Ekko and he swallowed uneasily. He knew how powerful she was with her ties from Noxus and he stared back at her.
"Ekko, how did you and Heimerdinger meet? I will admit I haven't kept tabs on him but I am curious as to how your paths crossed."
Hemierdinger looked panicked for a second but Ekko knew how to answer.
"We met on the streets in Zaun. I was tinkering with an invention and Heimerdinger was inquisitive. We talked for a bit and shared ideas before he offered me an apprenticeship. I was hesitant at first but after a few lessons, I couldn’t say no.”
Ekko knew that was far from the truth considering that Heimerdinger found him off the side of the bridge with his ankle busted but the less Mel knew about him, the better.
“Oh, that’s wonderful! I hope some great inventions come from this apprenticeship and who knows, you might find yourself another Viktor or Jayce within Ekko."
"Ekko's his own person, Mel, no need for any comparisons. I have no doubt he'll create something marvelous," Heimerdinger said with a jovial tone.
"Of course. Apologies, Ekko I assure you I didn't mean it like that," she said and Ekko nodded his head in understanding.
"I'd love to ask more questions but I do have to see to the other guests. eimerdinger, you must come over for tea next week. I'd love to catch up with you,” she said, shaking Heimerdinger's hand and giving Ekko a nod.
Mel walked away and Ekko watched Heimerdinger exhale slowly before shooting him a smile of relief.
“I don’t know whether to be impressed or concerned that you’re able to lie so easily but I am happy you managed to make up such a believable lie at the drop of a hat.”
“Living in the Undercity will do that to you,” Ekko replied, taking another bite of food and Heimerdinger nodded before surveying the crowd.
“You don’t need to stay by my side the entire evening, Ekko. I assure you I’ll be fine as there are people here that I know. Mel was right that I shouldn't just cut everyone off just because I'm not on council anymore. Maybe I could learn a thing or two from my past students and friends here. Remember, think of this as an opportunity to show off what Zaun really is about,” Heimerdinger said and he discreetly pointed to a group of girls.
“I’m sure they wouldn’t mind talking to you.”
“And what makes you so sure of that?” Ekko asked in confusion.
“Well, they haven’t stopped staring at you since you walked in and you look rather dashing tonight so I’m not surprised,” Heimerdinger laughed. “Oh, look! One of them is walking over right now!”
Ekko didn’t expect to be approached so soon and he quickly eased his nerves before putting down his plate. He only acknowledged the girl when she was close enough to him and he looked at her curiously. She was a blonde with hair piled high in a up-do and wearing the most poufy pastel pink evening dress he had ever seen. Her strong perfume nearly had him sneezing before she greeted him.
“Sorry to disturb you! My name’s Eva Starling and my friends and I were wondering if we could have some of your time to talk to you. We’re especially interested in your outfit. It’s gorgeous!” she gushed.
Ekko was stunned for a moment. Did topsiders really initiate conversations like this? It felt so…formal but he shook off his bias before responding.
“I don’t mind. I got this ensemble at Ophelia’s on the edge of Piltover,” he said smoothly as he walked with her.
From the corner of his vision, he could see Eva’s friends giggling as they walked across the ballroom to them and once Eva introduced him to them, he was pulled into a deep conversation about fabrics and fashion. He inwardly thanked his parents for working briefly at the fabric factories and for retaining the knowledge as he smoothly maneuvered the conversation from fabrics to Zaun. He answered their questions lazily at first, not wanting to give them too much information about Zaun because he felt that the interest had to be authentic.
He didn't want to come off as a preacher.
Gradually the conversation spirled to the factories in Zaun and Ekko launched into one of the stories his mom and dad had told him after their shifts at work. Eva’s friends all gasped as he told them about the underpaid workers, his parents, and the factory conditions.
“That’s so horrible! How could the factory managers allow that?” Talia, one of Eva’s friends, exclaimed.
“Underpaid workers mean that there’s always a demand for money so they will work in those conditions to put food on the table.”
“Why can’t they just get better jobs?” asked Eva with a shrug of her shoulders and Ekko had to restrain himself from snapping at her.
Get better jobs? He had never heard of such ignorance in his entire life.
"Eva! You can’t just ask people to get better jobs!” Talia exclaimed.
“Most people in Zaun don’t receive a proper education as children because there’s a severe lack of funding for it. Without education, there’s no way a person is able to get a better job without those qualifications,” Ekko responded carefully.
They all gasped again and soon, Ekko was dragged to a couch on the side of the room, the girls sitting around him as he told them stories of Zaun. He couldn’t believe how easy it was to engage with them but also remembered Herimerdinger’s words.
They haven’t stopped staring at you since you walked in and you look rather dashing tonight.
Did that mean the only reason they were giving him the time of day was because he looked good?
Well he knew he looked good and if Pilties were only going to listen to him if he looked good in a suit, then so be it. He continued to talk to them, all nodding at his words, as if he was a king and them his subjects.
“I’ll definitely donate to the cause! You poor Zaunites shouldn’t have to suffer like this!” Eva cried as she wrapped her hand around his bicep and he chewed on the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from pushing her away.
Zaunites didn’t need pity. They needed a government that actually gave a shit about their city instead of prioritizing Piltover constantly and ignoring Zaun.
Ekko had noticed that Eva had taken quite a liking to him over the last two hours. She was fluttering her eyelashes, making eye contact whenever she could, and was practically on top of him on the couch. He knew that if the other Firelights had to see this, he would be teased endlessly.
He was sure Eva was a sweet girl, despite her not being the smartest one there, but he wasn’t interested in any sort of romantic relationship. His main priority was the Firelights and making sure that Zaun thrived. He didn't mind the attention, if anything, his ego was flying amongst the clouds but he was out of his element. Just because some upper class topsider women were showering him with attention, didn’t mean anything.
He had seen some of the other girls catch his eyes and blush but then they would look away. He realised that Eva was their leader. She had the most influence in the group and he realised that they were there with him because she was there.
He continued his conversations with the girls, the topics moving freely from Piltover technology, Zaunite street food, the tensions between Noxus and Ionia, and the Shimmer factories. Ekko managed to mix in lighthearted stories and humor with heavy topics to avoid giving lectures and casually complimented the girls on their outfits from time to time. He finally complimented Eva, who giggled at his words.
“I begged my dad to increase my budget for this dress because I wanted a pink one for tonight,” Eva explained as she smoothed down her bodice.
“I’ve been meaning to ask why pink? Isn't the theme sun and moon?” he asked.
“Because the sun is red and orange and pink is just a lighter shade of red!” she said with a dazzling smile. “It’s also my favourite colour and I didn’t want to wear a dress from last year like Talia. I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the same clothes.”
It was at that moment, Ekko realised he found Eva insufferable as he watched Talia's expression fall and look away in embarrassment. It was one thing to be ignorant but to be a bully and humiliate someone in public?
That was cruel.
“I think your dress looks gorgeous Talia,” he said nonchalantly and he watched her slowly face him, her cheeks red, as she looked down at her red evening gown.
“Thank you, Ekko,” she said softly.
“I don’t see the big deal in always having new clothes. If it’s comfortable and makes you happy, then go for it. Maybe things are different in Piltover but…” he gave her a once over and smiled, “I think you look dazzling, especially your hairpiece.”
Talia touched it self-consciously before giving him a smile and he could tell Eva was seething from not being the center of attention anymore because her grip on his arm tightened.
“Ekko, how about we go dance?” Eva asked but he didn’t hear her.
He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Surely that wasn't her? He focused on the staircase and he inhaled sharply, his stomach dropping as he saw the girl.
She was dressed in shades of blue, an unusual color for the theme but still somehow blending with everyone. He sat up straight and leaned forward, convinced his eyes were playing tricks on him but the blue hair was unmistakable.
Jinx was at the Piltover New Year’s Eve Ball.
Jinx...the girl who had tried to kill the same the councilors just a few months ago, who were present at the Ball.
"Presenting Miss Juliet Raelik from the Kasserak islands," announced the presenter.
Ekko knew that was a lie. While she carried herself with grace, he recognised her walk, her movements and watched as she descended the staircase before making her way over to the buffet.
“Ekko? Hello? Ekko!”
He snapped out of his trance to find all the girls looking at him, some of them failing to hide their laughter and others looking away with knowing grins on their faces. Eva was the only one who looked irritated.
“Sorry…I need to get a refill,” he said quickly before getting up, shaking off Eva’s iron grip, and walking towards the buffet.
He walked over to the buffet table only to find Jinx had vanished. He groaned before someone whispered in his ear, “Looking for me, Boy Savior?”
He turned around and there she was, in all her mischievous glory.
Ekko took in her appearance, her hair in a voluminous up-do with tendrils framing her face and light makeup. Her dark, long-sleeved, navy blue dress was bedazzled with tiny diamonds along the round neckline that gradually faded into the skirt in a lighter blue that looked almost white. He couldn't see her shoes from all the layers of abric but he figured she was wearing high heels with her being taller than him by a few centimeters.
He was temporarily stunned by her appearance and she grinned as she took a bite of a breadstick.
“Cat got your tongue?” she purred and he shook his head before the full force of the realisation hit him.
She was in the same room with the same people she tried to blow up just months ago and the only reason why all the councellors were alive was because Mel's armour saved them. They all needed hospital attention but healed over the months. Piltover amped up security and while no Zaunite ratted Jinx out purely out of loyalty to Zaun, they recognised that she had nearly started a war with Piltover. He hardly saw her these days but he refused to let her out of his sight tonight.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed.
"I could ask you the same thing," Jinx said as she ate a mini cake before her eyes widened and grabbed two more from the table and shoved them in her mouth.
He watched her in disgust and partial amazement as she grabbed another one and attempted to fit it into her mouth.
"Uh…my plus one invited me and will you please chew before putting another cake in your mouth? I know they're good but you’re going to choke if you-"
"-Hmph, found yourself a Piltie? I knew you'd follow Vi's footsteps," Jinx said as she swallowed her cake and he was surprised to hear a trace of bitterness in her voice.
"What? No, I'm here with Heimerdinger."
"The rat thing?"
"He's a Yordle and you know that."
“You know I meant to say that. So you’re officially a Piltie now? Wow, three months was all it took to leave it all behind?” she said with sarcasm and a raised eyebrow.
“This has nothing to do with Piltover… I’m representing Zaun tonight,” he argued.
He saw Jinx’s eyes widen and she put her empty plate down on the table before rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.
“Okay so if you are representing Zaun and trying to make peace with the Pilties-"
"-I'm not making peace with them-!"
"-Why is an entire group of girls glaring at me from across the room?”
Ekko froze and he stared at her before she rolled her eyes and looked away, allowing him to quickly turn his head and see Eva and her friends glaring from across the room.
“They’re glaring at you…? Oh…they are. They’re…uh…I met them a few hours ago and spoke to them. I promise they're nice-”
“Oh, I'm sure they're nice to eligible bachelors who they've never seen before at their other little gatherings. Breaking Piltie hearts already? From Firelight Leader to Piltover heartthrob in an evening,” she chuckled and he watched her survey the dance floor before grabbing his hand.
“Jinx- what?”
“It’s Juliet Raelik from the Kasserak islands for the evening. Now, just dance with me."
She only giggled as she pulled him to the dance floor and they clicked into place as the orchestral music sang through the air. He inwardly thanked Heimerdinger for giving him waltz lessons as his one hand on small of her back and the other holding her hand in a waltz. She was in his arms, dancing in a gorgeous gown and it felt like something of a fantasy. There was a part of him that wanted to dance with her forever but he knew what Jinx was capable of and if he could prevent the evening from whatever she had planned, that was a priority.
"What is going on…Juliet?” he asked again sternly. ”If you're planning something-"
"-Why do I always have to be planning something?" she interrupted.
“Because the last time I heard of you, you had blown up the council headquarters, which by the way, has every member here present tonight,” he whispered furiously. "How did you even get in here?"
Jinx blinked at him before shrugging her shoulders.
“Ekko, I want one evening to feel pretty and wear a nice dress. Can you please shut up?”
But you’re pretty all the time, his brain screamed but he stared at her in confusion as he registered her words.
Did she just call him by his name?
Not Boy Savior.
Not Little Man.
Ekko.
Did that mean she really didn’t have anything planned after all? He was speechless as they danced and after he got over the shock of her using his real name he cleared his throat.
"Um…you look nice," he said softly and she peered up at him, a small smile on her face.
"You don't look too bad yourself."
He couldn’t help but chuckle at her words and he spun her in a circle before bringing her back to face him.
“Got yourself quite a fan club,” she murmured and he cocked his head in confusion before shaking his head with a laugh.
“I'm sorry they're not being welcoming...they were nice to me,” he mumbled and she sighed.
“It's just because you're an attractive, eligible bachelor so I'm not taking it to heart. Although...some of them are glaring at me like I murdered their parents! Especially that blonde girl. Do you know her name?”
“Eva? Does she have her hair in an up-do and wearing a pink dress?”
“Yeah and...her dress doesn’t even match the theme! And before you say ‘Juliet, your dress doesn’t match the theme either!’, it does. It represents the tides and how the moon controls them so therefore the moon is represented! Plus, people have hints of blue in their outfits too but none has pink, so she’s the only one who looks like a walking fashion disaster.”
Ekko’s shoulders shook with laughter and Jinx grinned.
“She’s…definitely something.”
“That only tells me that you dislike her intensely. Spill the beans. How awful is she?” she asked mischievously, leaning forward as if he was about to tell her priceless information.
Ekko watched her in fascination at how normal this all seemed. It didn’t feel like he was the leader of the Firelights and she was the girl who he had lost. They were two people just dancing and gossiping about topsiders. He decided to indulge her.
“When I was talking to her earlier…she told me how Zaunites needed to get better jobs if they were being overworked. She also insulted one of her friends for wearing the same dress as the year before and has been flirting with me all evening. I suspect she likes me more than I anticipated.”
Jinx’s jaw dropped and shook her head before rolling her eyes.
“Pilties and their privilege. Sounds like a spoiled brat to me. And she was flirting with you? Ew, you could do way better. Wait…do you wanna piss her off? Get a little revenge?” she asked, her eyes bright with mirth.
“I’m not doing anything illegal-”
“-No! No no no no…okay, just…just hold me, okay?” Jinx said, stifling her giggles, and she removed her hands from his shoulder and his hand before wrapping them around his neck. “Now wrap your arms around my waist,” she murmured.
They were only a few centimeters apart and Ekko felt his heartbeat skyrocket. He placed his hands on her waist and he heard her laugh softly.
“You should see her face. She is furious,” she murmured.
As they turned, Ekko pulled Jinx into him, so that their bodies were pressed together and he watched her eyes widen in surprise.
“There…now it’s not just one-sided,” he whispered and he took in her magenta eyes.
So unfamiliar but familiar at the same time.
“It’s like you want to cause a riot with some Pilties,” she said with amusement, looking down with a small smile on her face.
“I was never on their side. I’m here to represent Zaun. No one else.”
Their gazes met once more as the song ended but there was a clinking sound that echoed the room and they all turned their heads to see Jayce Talis tapping a champagne glass from the front of the room.
“Good evening everyone! Just a quick announcement from me. Thank you all for attending the annual Piltover New Year’s Eve Ball. We know that a lot has happened this year but I assure you that the council will do everything in its power to keep the City of Progress thriving.”
Ekko watched Jinx roll her eyes in annoyance from his peripheral vision.
“City of Progress my ass,” she grumbled.
“Now, without further ado, please enjoy the rest of your evening. We have cuisine on the tables over there to suit any palette, a beautiful orchestra to dance into the night and don’t be afraid to chat to new faces!”
Ekko applauded as everyone else did and Jinx slow clapped in annoyance. The orchestra began to play again and Jinx led him off to the side.
“All that dancing has me thirsty. I need something to drink,” she said and Ekko had no choice but to follow her. They stopped at the drinks table, a large bowl of a cocktail in the middle with glasses of water around it. Ekko grabbed himself a glass before Jinx dumped some liquid into the bowl from a flask.
“What are you doing?” he sputtered and she grinned.
“Having fun! You should totally try some!” she said as she poured herself a glass.
“If you poisoned it-”
“I said I wanted a normal evening, did I not? And why would I poison myself?” she shot back, glaring at him before taking a gulp of the drink.
He was about to ask what she had spiked the cocktail with but her face lit up in a fake smile. It was unnerving to say the least.
“Oh my gosh, hi! Your dress is so beautiful!”
Ekko’s brows furrowed in confusion before he realised that Jinx wasn’t talking to him but to someone behind him. He spun around and came face to face with Eva and her friends. Eva gave him a sickly sweet smile before extending a hand to Jinx.
“Thank you. I don’t think we’ve met before. My name is Eva Starling. My dad is the owner of Starling Enterprises, which I’m sure you know already.”
“I’m Juliet Raelik and I didn’t know that about your dad but thank you for telling me,” Jinx said as she ignored Eva's extended hand and Ekko bit on the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing.
“How do you not know?” Eva asked, lowring her hand immediately, a flash of anger on her face before looking shocked and her friends giggled behind her. “I thought everyone knew. It must be because you’re from one of the islands right? They probably don’t teach you about the major contributors in Piltover.”
Ekko felt anger burn in his stomach at Eva’s words. He knew that Eva was just trying to humiliate Jinx or…Juliet? Whatever, she was Juliet for the evening.
“Well the islands are quite advanced Eva. I’m sure you didn’t know that my mother is queen there,” Jinx said, her sweet tone hiding the fury in her eyes. “And besides, I’m sure I read somewhere that Starling Enterprises was in danger of going bankrupt. It was all over the news a few weeks ago.”
Ekko raised an eyebrow at the information and looked at Eva, who had gone scarlet from her neck upwards.
“That was a rumour!” she said a little too loudly and Jinx glanced at her nails before Eva changed the subject.
“Oh and your mother is a queen? So you’re a princess! That’s impressive! Do you have any suitors?” she asked and Ekko wasn’t sure how much longer Jinx could hold up her lie.
“I’ve rejected all of them. None of them really clicked with me,” Jinx shrugged. “But there’s quite a few people here who seem to be possible candidates.”
Ekko watched as Eva’s friends all gasped and he found himself watching the conversation in awe.
“Oh? Anyone caught your eye ?” Eva asked, her voice cracking.
“Hmmm, I better not tell. Don’t want to go into the New Year telling everyone who I think is attractive,” Jinx said with disinterest.
“Well give us a hint please!” asked one of Eva’s friends and Eva glared before Jinx laughed.
“Alright…um…they’ve chosen to dress as the sun counterpart for the theme this evening,” she said, shooting Ekko a wink and he watched as Eva’s friends comically squealed and Eva gritted her teeth.
He realised that Eva was not good at hiding her emotions well at all and decided to try and diffuse the situation somehow before pouring her a glass of cocktail and handing it to her.
“Oh, thank you, Ekko. That’s so considerate of you,” she said giggling too much and he saw Jinx only grin before remembering that she had spiked the same bowl just a few minutes ago.
He watched in horror as she downed the entire glass and prayed that she wasn’t a lightweight. Ekko had no idea what Jinx had put in there but the alcohol seemed to hit her almost instantly as her face turned a rosy colour.
“Ekko! We should go dance!” she said a little too loudly, causing some heads to turn their way. “We were so rudely interrupted the first time round so I’m sure we could-”
“Eva! Keep your voice down,” Talia said quickly and Eva glared at her friend.
“Excuse me? Keep my voice down? I’ll speak as loud as I want!” she yelled.
“Eva Marie Starling, will you be quiet!” a voice hissed and Ekko tensed up as a woman wearing a floor length silver dress strode up to them, her presence radiating authority. She took one look at the glass in Eva’s hand before taking it out of her grasp.
“We agreed that you’d go steady on the alcohol! What is this?” her mother demanded and Eva blinked as if her thoughts were foggy.
“Ekko offered it to me and-”
“Oh no, you are not blaming someone for giving you a drink when you know you could have declined. No one is forcing you here to drink, Eva!”
“But…but Juliet must’ve spiked it!” Eva said accusingly, pointing a finger at Jinx, who looked back in faux shock.
“But Eva…I’m drinking the same thing as you…see?” she said as she drank the spiked beverage and put her cup down. “I’ve had two glasses and I’m fine. Maybe you’re a lightweight?”
Eva’s mother glared at her daughter before huffing and grabbing a glass of water from the table.
“You are going to sit with me until you’ve sobered up young lady!” she said and Eva struggled against her mother.
“But mom-!”
“No buts! You can return to your friends once you’re in a better mind space.”
They watched as Mrs. Starling dragged her daughter away and as if a spell had been broken, most of the girls walked away to the dance floor or to the buffet. A few of the others stood back, to talk to each other but only Talia stepped forward.
“I apologise…she usually isn’t this…wild,” she said softly and Jinx grinned.
“It’s okay, a party isn’t a party until someone gets a little drunk. Oh, Ekko, why don’t you dance with Talia? I’m sure you’d love to show off your dance moves while I…uh…go to the bathroom and...freshen up.”
Ekko didn’t have time to ask what that even meant because Jinx ran off into the crowd. She was willingly allowing him to dance with a topsider? Did that mean she liked Talia? Or was she only going to cause more mischief? While he wanted to go after her, it felt rude to leave Talia when she was the only one who seemed to be genuinely nice to him the entire evening.
“Uh…may I have this dance?” he asked Talia and she fidgeted with her hands.
“I don’t think Eva would like that…” she mumbled and he shook his head before grasping her hand and leading her to the dance floor, and he could hear some of Eva's friends giggling behind them.
They walked to the middle of the dance floor as the orchestra played another song and they glided effortlessly across the floor.
“You shouldn’t let Eva control your actions, Talia. I don’t know if it's a Piltover thing but…she’s not the boss of you,” he said and she averted her gaze.
“I know…it’s just easier to let her get what she wants. We had another friend…she usually stood up to Eva but then Eva managed to make her life a living nightmare and she became a social outcast. Thankfully she moved after we graduated from high school but still…her influence is terrifying.”
“You’re joking.”
“Unfortunately not…Eva has a lot of power especially because of her dad. No one has stood up to her since…well since today. Juliet is quite the feisty one,” she laughed.
“Yeah…she is,” Ekko said.
Juliet was more than feisty when she needed to be and if only Talia knew who she really was.
“Do you two know each other? You seem awfully close and if there is something between you two I wouldn’t want to intrude...” Talia asked quickly.
“Oh no. There’s nothing between us. She noticed how uncomfortable I was with Eva and she wanted to be a menace. So she stole me away for a dance.”
“Ah, a menace." Talia chuckled. "I must admit…I was a little surprised when she brought up Starling Enterprises going bankrupt.”
“Why?”
“Eva knows that the majority of her influence is because of her dad’s business. If she loses that, she’d be nothing but empty threats. When that article was published she was hellbent on making everyone believe it was a rumour.”
“How do you know if it’s true or not?”
“I don’t but the way Eva was acting…I could tell she was nervous and she’s hardly nervous. I felt like she was hiding something so I drew my own conclusions.”
“Are you close with Eva?” he asked, aware how serious their conversation had become and tried to not look too interested in learning information about one of the most influential topsiders, and she sighed.
“We were close a few years ago but I don’t know what shifted. I still care about her deeply but I hate the way she treats people.”
“So why do you hang out with her?”
“It’s easier to be friends with her than not to be friends at all. It’s all about connections in Piltover and with her dad being so influential, I’d rather stay quiet.”
“But surely your parents have connections too?”
“Sure we’re wealthy but Eva is in a league of her own and standing up to her wouldn’t be wise. I know it’s nothing in comparison to your life in Zaun but there’s different ways to sink or swim in Piltover and being enemies with Eva is the easiest way to sink. She has the connections to control our futures or completely destroy our reputation...I can't risk it.”
“A blonde who has rich parents can do that?”
“Surely you know someone like that in Zaun?” she asked and Ekko was quiet as he thought of Silco, the most powerful man in the Undercity and all his underlings, the Shimmer factories and his influence over Jinx.
“I understand,” he mumbled sadly and she gave him a sad smile.
“She has her good moments but I don’t know how anyone’s supposed to change her. The only person she can change is herself. And I don’t think she wants to at this moment.”
They swayed before Ekko saw the flash of blue hair in his peripheral vision and watched as a waiter offered Jinx a glass of champagne that she accepted. He watched her take a sip before wincing. She didn’t seem to be up to anything too chaotic so he could afford to relax but then he saw Eva walk up to her. He watched them exchange words and from the looks of it, Eva was getting angrier with every passing second.
“Oh no,” he whispered and Talia turned her head to see what he was looking at.
“This is not going to end well,” she whispered as they slid out of the dance floor.
Talia tried to make her way to Eva but Ekko stopped her, holding her wrist.
“Talia, I think we should stay out of this,” he said cautiously.
While he believed Jinx wanted a normal evening, he didn't trust Eva's emotions. He knew Jinx could handle herself but he didn't want Talia to be caught in the fray because she didn't deserve it.
“But…what if something bad happens?” she said gesturing to Jinx and Eva, who only seemed to be getting more red with every passing minute.
“You can’t babysit Eva all the time. Remember what you said to me? The only person she can change is herself. She is never going to learn if you keep softening the situation for her.”
Talia looked at him incredulously before nodding and taking a step back.
“So we just...watch?” she asked.
“If things get crazy we can intervene-”
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
He saw Jinx grin before whispering something into Eva’s ear and he knew she had said something that caused Eva to snap. He watched as Eva turned red with rage, screamed in fury, and she lunged at Jinx, who only stepped out of the way, and crashed into the one buffet table. Unfortunately for Eva, that buffet table had the chocolate fountain and he watched in horror as Eva screamed as the warm chocolate got all over her gauzy pink dress and hair.
“My hair! My dress!” she shrieked.
Her mother and some of her friends ran to her aid, as did security personnel and Jinx darted out of sight. Jayce ran up to her and Eva cried as she was escorted out of the ballroom, leaving a trail of chocolate behind her. Mel walked to the front of the room, tapping a champagne glass hastily before smiling brightly.
"Apologies everyone! Just an accident. We'll have Miss Starling all cleaned up in no time. Please, eat, drink and dance! Only half an hour from the New Year," she announced.
Talia was frozen next to him with her hands to her mouth but Ekko realised she was hiding her laughter.
"Oh my...I should've helped her...but wow she looked...hilarious," she snickered and Ekko smiled at her.
"Maybe she'll learn to not lung at people next time?" he said and she struggled to conceal her laughter.
Ekko would’ve laughed because finally some karma but knowing that Jinx was behind the whole thing had him worried for her safety. Usually he wouldn’t be concerned but knowing that she wanted a normal night (at least that’s what she said when they were dancing) he felt oddly protective over her in a room full of topsiders.
"Are you concerned about Juliet?" Talia asked and he groaned.
"I can't help but feel partly responsible for her. I'm from Zaun...she's from the Kasserak islands...I'm not sure if it's her first time at this Ball but...I feel oddly protective of her," he lied.
Protective my ass. I need to make sure she doesn't get caught by security.
"Say no more. You clearly care about her and I suggest you find her before Eva blabs enough to get security involved. I don't think Juliet needs that kind of angst into the New Year. I'll cover for you and her. I should go comfort Eva and I'll keep her distracted for as long as I can."
Talia was about to turn away before turning back to face him.
"Thank you for the dance and for talking to me about Zaun...I didn't know it was that bad."
"Most topsiders don't know how bad it is but now you know. Do with that information what you will," he murmured.
She squeezed his shoulder before lowering her voice, "And thank you for sticking up for me earlier. I appreciate it, really."
"Thank you for being real with me," he said, giving her a genuine smile and she shook his hand before walking out the ballroom and following the trail of chocolate that was almost cleaned up by staff.
Ekko looked around the room for Jinx but he couldn’t find her until he spotted a curtain gently blowing in the breeze on the other side of the ballroom. Curtains didn’t move without wind which meant there must be a door behind it. He looked around, making sure Eva hadn’t come back, before slipping through it and found himself on a balcony. There were sconces providing light above him and realised that he was looking into the gardens of the venue. He spotted various rose bushes and the scent of them floated to his nose before looking across the rest of the balcony, where he found Jinx pouring the champagne out the glass onto the grass below.
“So…you want to tell me what just happened with Eva?” he asked hesitantly and she placed the glass down on the windowsill.
“She was being annoying,” Jinx said with a twirl, the skirt of the dress flaring out and Ekko watched the moonlight hit the diamonds on the neckline.
“I saw Jinx…you said things to her too and she ended up lunging at you.”
“She needed to be put in her place. No one disrespects you or Zaun,” Jinx said, as if it was the easiest answer in the world.
Ekko didn’t know how to respond for a minute. Eva had disrespected him? And Jinx stood up for him? If he had known how this evening was going to go, he would’ve prepared himself to not be stunned into silence whenever Jinx spoke.
“She disrespected me?” he managed to say after a moment and he saw her jaw tense.
“Bitch said some shit like 'she saw you first and that I needed to keep my hands off of you', like a spoiled child. We both know that no one tells me what to do and I hated that she was making assumptions that you actually wanted to be with her. Then when I defended you, she said how Zaun was dirty and only thieves came out of that city and that the Kasserak islands have nothing to offer like Piltover does. So I put her in her place.”
Ekko watched her lean against the balcony, the moonlight bathing her in silver and she looked ethereal.
“I told her that she was a two-faced Pilitie bitch and who had the blandest personality based off of the two minutes that we spoke. I told her that you’d never date….court… whatever Pilties say when they date people, because she was too ugly from the inside. And that if she wanted a shot at dating you, she needed to actually have worked a day in her life and not rely on her daddy’s money which might be non-existent considering the company is bankrupt.”
“You called Eva Starling a two-faced Piltie bitch?”
“And I’d do it again!”
Ekko heard some applause from the ballroom but he didn’t care if someone was giving a speech. He could watch Jinx here and no one would get hurt…but then again she had only caused minor chaos this evening.
"I have two questions for you," he said to her and she looked up in acknowledgement.
"How do you know so much of the Kasserak islands? And what did you use to spike the cocktail?"
Jinx threw her head back and laughed before responding, "Did a little research on the Kasserak islands before getting this dress. Wasn't hard to research and I spiked the cocktail with Fire's Breath."
"Fire's Breath? But that's not too bad unless you have three glasses."
"Yeah so poor little Eva was a light weight," Jinx said with a strech of her neck before facing the gardens.
They watched the gardens and the fountain water trickle from the balcony and Jinx sighed before closing her eyes, as if she was savoring the moment.
“Did you really mean what you said inside?” Ekko asked.
“Mean what?”
“The whole ‘you wanted to feel pretty and wear a nice dress for this evening’ thing.”
He watched her open her eyes and she looked at him before pushing down her skirts and gliding her hands over the fabric.
“We never got this kind of stuff in Zaun. I just wanted to experience it just this once,” Jinx murmured.
A melody floated out of the ballroom and Ekko watched as she swayed to the music. It was a slow song, the violins humming and he rolled his shoulders back before taking a few steps towards her.
“May I have this dance?” he asked, cringing at the awkwardness of words and Jinx snorted in laughter before accepting his hand.
“Who would I be to turn down the most eligible bachelor of the evening?” she said through giggles
"Oh, shut up," he groaned and they slowly danced under the stars.
Ekko wasn’t sure when his hands wrapped around her waist and hers around his neck but it felt so natural to place them there. She laid her head on his shoulder as they swayed from side to side.
“Who taught you how to dance?” she asked.
“Heimerdinger. Took a couple tries to nail the waltz but I got there.”
“The Yordle taught you how to waltz?”
“Well, who did you learn from?”
“I taught myself!” she said proudly.
“Bullshit,” he muttered and he felt her snicker into his shoulder.
He couldn't help but notice how she seemed protective of him and he couldn't help but ask her.
“What if I told you that I wanted to date Eva?”
He felt her tense up and for a moment regretted asking her but she only laughed.
“That’s hilarious, Boy Savior.”
“Why? What if I actually liked her?” he asked jokingly.
“You’d be bored of her in two weeks and she’s the most uninteresting person I’ve ever met,” Jinx said bluntly and Ekko couldn't hold back his laughter.
“So what you’re saying is that I need someone interesting?” he asked once he caught his breath.
“Someone who…keeps you on your toes. Someone who keeps you guessing and your mind going. It can’t just be anyone though."
She paused as if listening to someone in her head before nodding.
"You’re the leader of the Firelights and they obviously have to know about that…so yeah you’re a lost case, Boy Savior. No dating Pilties for you,” Jinx said with a nod, as if satisfied with her answer.
“Guess I’ll have to date a Firelight,” he said.
“Guess so but that could be messy if you break up.”
“It’s like you don’t want me to date anyone,” Ekko grumbled.
“It’s not my fault you chose to be the leader of the Firelights,” Jinx said dramatically. “Maybe if you weren’t, you’d actually have a shot at dating someone.”
“So being the leader of the Firelights is limiting me right now? That’s your conclusion?”
“Yep!” she said, before holding him tighter, as if that was supposed to silence him.
It did silence him and he wondered if this was her way of saying that he should only date her.
She said that he should date someone who wasn’t a Piltie, which she wasn’t. She said he should date someone who knew he was the leader of the Firelights but not an actual Firelight because the break up could be messy and if they still had to see each other everyday, it would be even worse. So if he wanted to date someone, they had to be a Zaunite who knew he was the leader of the Firelights but not be a Firelight who kept him on his toes and was interesting.
She met the description but with their messy history…was there even a possibility?
He decided he was over-thinking her words and decided to enjoy the moment with her instead. They swayed in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company before he cleared his throat.
“Was this everything you thought it would be? Despite Eva and the chocolate fountain colliding?” he asked her eventually and she raised her head off his shoulder.
“Everything and more! And Eva being covered head to toe in chocolate was the cherry on top!” she grinned as she looked into his eyes.
Ekko heard some footsteps from inside and voices gradually rising as they stopped outside the curtains. Ekko prayed the wind didn't pick up otherise the curtains would blow and giveaway their hiding spot.
“Where is Ekko? I must find him!” roared Eva and they tensed up.
“We’ve looked everywhere for him, Eva. Maybe you should give it a rest? And you still have chocolate in your hair,” Talia said and Eva only screamed in frustration before the group of girls walked away.
Ekko and Jinx laughed and the voices inside got louder before Ekko realised the people inside were chanting a countdown.
Shit, it was New Year's Eve.
He had forgotten after all the chaos that had happened that evening.
"Five!"
It was tradition to kiss someone.
"Four!"
And a Jinx was in his arms. He could kiss her if he wanted.
But was it what she wanted?
“Three!”
He was the leader of the Firelights. She was...she wasn't on the right side...but if anything, tonight showed she didn't have to cause that much chaos to have a good time. It made him feel oddly content. Part of him felt that kissing her into the New Year was a bad idea on every level possible but the other part of him that had dreamed a life like this with her was riding on a high from how they had danced together.
“Two!”
“Jinx…I don't know if now is the right time but-” he began but she cut him off with an index finger to his lips.
"Pucker up, Boy Savior," she whispered and pulled him closer.
“One! Happy New Year!”
Ekko was sure there was applause and cheering but all he felt was the soft fabric under his fingertips as he held her waist and her lips on his.
He felt her sigh into the kiss and he tilted his head to deepen it. He swiped his tongue against her bottom lip teasingly and she giggled before granting him access. Ekko wasn't sure how long they kissed for but it was everything he could've wanted.
It was slow and soft as if they were making up for lost time. He gripped her waist so tightly, he thought he was leaving bruises. The thought of his bruises on her only made her hold her tighter. She only tightened her arms around his neck in response. When they broke apart Jinx only chuckled before sliding her hands down from his neck to his chest, her lips pink and her face flushed.
"Happy New Year, Boy Savior. Thanks for sharing that with me. Unfortunately, I should get going," she said breathlessly.
"What? Why?" he asked, still dizzy from the kiss.
"Let's just say...I didn't buy this dress," she grinned before giving him a final kiss on his cheek and jumping over the balcony.
He watched her land and sprint off into the gardens, looking like a princess from a fairytale, when someone cleared their throat from behind him. Ekko spun around, ready to make up an excuse to a girl jumping over the balcony and running into the gardens, when he registered who was standing in front of him.
"Vi," he breathed and she raised an eyebrow at him before gesturing at the retreating figure in the gardens.
"You...idiot!" she yelled, her anger flaring and he winced. "Did you seriously kiss Jinx? Tell me right now what I saw was a hallucination!"
He didn't know what to say to her. He was so dead.
"Yeah, I kissed Jinx," he said finally, realising that he should just come clean.
They stared at each other for a minute before Vi's facade broke and she snorted before dissolving into peals of laughter.
"Little Man all grown up, huh?" she asked and he blushed as she laughed again. "C'mon, it's better that you say that you were out here for fresh air than kissing Jinx, who stole Juliet Raelik's dress and left her knocked out in a closet."
Ekko was too dazed to comprehend Vi's sentence as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and dragged him back into the ballroom. He was surprised she wasn't upset with him. Those thoughts vanished when he saw Eva talking to a group of Enforcers tearfully in a corner.
"Some context would be great right now, Vi," he said nervously and she sighed.
"Juliet Raelik was found in her closet, tied to a chair and gagged. She explained that someone knocked her out in her hotel room and stole her dress, shoes, and her invitation to the New Years Ball. She woke up in darkness, gagged and bound to a chair. A concerned hotel resident said they heard noises from her room and Enforcers found her banging her chair on the closet door, trying to escape. The only reason I know about this is because Caitlyn got an Enforcer alert and demanded we stop by at the hotel to assess the situation. We came here as soon as we found out."
Ekko remembered what Jinx said about the dress and he watched the Enforcers leave Eva and exit the ballroom.
"No wonder she managed to get into the Ball so easily. She was lucky to get out when she jumped over the balcony. Enforcers probably know the dress description and now they'll have a description of Jinx from Eva," he said solemnly and Vi nodded.
"This is worrying as this might put Jinx on Enforcer alert because Juliet is royalty but it's honestly not the worst case. You want to tell me what happened to her?" Vi asked, glancing at Eva who ran out the ballroom to follow the Enforcers, and Ekko retold her the whole saga with Jinx and Eva.
"I usually don't condone Jinx's actions...hell I'm still getting over her blowing up the council quarters but…maybe I'll let this one slip. No one says shit like that about you or Zaun…even if she did steal a dress worth thousands and knocked out Kasserak royalty," Vi said and Ekko noticed the small smile on Vi’s face as well as her outfit.
She wore a subtle gold suit with white trimming on the cuffs and high heeled boots. Her hair was slightly curled and he swore he smelt perfume on her skin.
“I’m surprised you’re wearing those shoes,” he said and Vi rolled her eyes.
“Blame Caitlyn. I lost the bet and I have to wear these for the rest of the night. They’re not bad just…if something happened, I would break a leg first before helping anyone. What are you doing here anyway?” she asked.
“Here with Heimerdinger. He’s been really nice though and has let me mingle with other people.”
“Anyone to your liking? Like a girl with blue hair…?” she teased and he glared at her as she laughed.
“No comment, Vi. Are you here with Caitlyn?”
“Yeah, we ran late and only got here a few minutes ago but I still got my New Year’s kiss before the Enforcers arrived and so did you,” Vi grinned.
"You're never going to let this go are you?"
"Not a chance, Little Man."
They walked over to Heimerdinger who was talking to a thin man with brown hair before he beamed upon seeing Ekko.
“Ah! Ekko! Just the man I was talking about! You must meet Viktor! He was my assistant but is now the co-creator of Hextech!”
“Thank you Heimerdinger. I appreciate the praise but it is not needed. And you must be Ekko. I’ve heard a lot about you and from one Zaunite to another, I’m happy Heimerdinger has seen potential in you,” Viktor smiled and raised his hand and Ekko grasped it and shook it, aware of how boney Viktor’s hands were.
“Completely coincidental but I’ve learnt a lot from him in this short space of time,” Ekko said.
“That’s no surprise to me. I’d love to see what you’ve worked on another day-”
“-Viktor! Oh, thank goodness that debacle has been sorted- oh. Uh…Hello Heimerdinger,” Jayce said, faltering for a moment before straightening himself.
“Hello Jayce. I must say, you have gone all out with the decor this year,” Heimerdinger said and Ekko could feel the awkwardness between the two.
Jayce looked nervous but Heimerdinger seemed fine.
“I think I’ll give you two some time to catch up-” Ekko began before the Yordle interrupted him.
“Oh, that won’t be necessary. We have much to do tomorrow, Ekko, and I think it’s time we take our leave,” Heimerdinger said and Ekko nodded, not phased at the party being cut short.
He knew it would’ve been a different story if Jinx had still been there but he was fine to leave then. He had schmoozed with all the people he needed to and if Eva tried to talk to him again, he surely would not make it out.
"Tell Caitlyn I say hi. Sorry I missed her," he said and Vi squeezed his hand.
"I'll pass it on. Get home safe."
He said his goodbyes to Viktor and Jayce before following Hiemerdinger.
They left the ballroom and walked through the corridor to the carriage waiting for them outside. The plush velvet seats were heavenly as the carriage started moving to take them back to Zaun. They were quiet for a few minutes and Ekko was about to fall asleep before Heimerdinger tapped him on the shoulder.
“I do apologise for making things awkward just now. I suppose I wasn’t in the right frame of mind tonight to see Jayce,” Heimerdinger said as he fiddled with his hands.
“It’s okay. You seemed fine with him and Viktor. You acted well.”
“Viktor didn’t vote me off the council but they are partners. I can imagine Viktor must’ve felt torn too when he found out but I can’t make assumptions. Thank you for attending with me though. I got to catch up with some old students and council members. I do appreciate it.”
Ekko smiled, relieved that Heimerdinger had a decent evening after all.
“You seemed to have an eventful evening too. I saw your little group around you,” Heimerdinger said in amusement and Ekko chuckled.
“Yeah, that was quite an experience I’ll be glad to never have again. Piltover women are…intense.”
Heimerdinger laughed loudly and clapped his hands, “Intense one word to describe them! Do you feel you represented Zaun the way you wanted to?”
“I think I did the best I could under the circumstances. I think I might have gotten through to at least one person,” Ekko said, thinking of Talia and how similar their situation was.
He hoped that she would somehow distance herself from Eva but she could only change herself after all.
“Oh, before I forget! I managed to take this photo of you and that girl on the dance floor. I hope I didn’t overstep.”
Ekko thought he was getting a picture of him with Talia but his heart skipped a beat when he saw the blue hair. It was a photo between him and Jinx and they were smiling at each other with his hands on her waist and hers around his neck, and their clothes shining under the light.
"You seemed quite smitten with her all evening. I know there was some drama but I didn't have to worry myself in it. I'm not on council anymore so I don't need to!" he laughed and Ekko grinned.
This must’ve been taken when she was trying to piss Eva off.
"Happy New Year, Ekko. May this year be one of success and victory."
“Thank you Heimerdinger. Happy New Year,” Ekko murmured, eyes locked on the photograph.
He knew that photograph could be the only photographic evidence against Jinx since the dress description matched the one from Juliet but he wasn't planning on sharing it with anyone. He wasn't sure if Heimerdinger would ever ask him to give the photo to Enforcers as evidence but he would lie. Say he lost the photo or something. He needed to keep the memory of the Piltover New Year's Eve Ball and his time spent with her alive in every way possible.
Happy New Year, Jinx. I'm glad I got to into the new year with you.
He tucked the photo into his blazer pocket and watched the bright lights of Piltover dim into the neon ones of Zaun, before closing his eyes and dreaming of the sun and moon dancing together.
~~
A/N: Happy New Year everyone!
I know it’s the end of January, but I had this fic in my head since mid November and only really had time to start writing it on New Year's Eve LOL. (Also it wasn't supposed to be this long but I kept writing and writing and...here we are 10k later).
I want to thank Kissun13 for inspiring this idea! She said in the Timebomb discord server something along the lines of how Ekko and Jinx are yin and yang and how they're the sun/moon, day/night, and light/dark to each other. She said that they should wear fancy clothes because they deserve it and I was like YES A FANCY PILTOVER BALL LET'S GO. She then proceeded to send me a whole visual concept of their clothes and the way I could see their clothes in my mind told me that I had to write this fic. It was my first idea that I fleshed out in the server when the server was still quite small so I feel weirdly sentimental about the fanfic. So thank you Kissun13!
The biggest of virtual hugs to you.
Also the Island Juliet is from doesn't exist so...yeah do with that information what you will.
Title credit to Kim Lip - Eclipse from LOONA
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I Hate You (I Love You)
Pairing: Ekko and Jinx
Words: 2201
Summary: "Someone's in a bad mood," she mumbled and he rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, because you fucking shot me!" he said, pointing to his shoulder that was freshly bandaged.
"The bullet grazed you!"
He glared at her before continuing his walk and she followed.
"Okay, I'm sorry for grazing you but at least you aren't dead!"
Tags: Fluff, Some Humor, A Sprinkle of Angst Because I Said So, This takes place before Vi comes back to the Undercity.
Notes: This is all Sage's fault but also thank you to her (@timeunbind on Twitter) for this idea! She tweeted that she wanted to see Ekko and Jinx hate kiss and I couldn't help myself! This was ultimately the result. If you enjoyed reading this, comments or kudos are appreciated! Stay safe and have a wonderful day!
Read on AO3
Follow me on Twitter (@vanilla107) for updates and my latest obsessions.
He could feel her gaze on him and he tried to ignore how frustrated it was making him feel. He needed to get back to the base and she wasn't making his job any easier.
He knew how stealthy she was so the fact that he could feel her gaze was annoying to say the least. It's like she wanted him to notice her and he didn't have time to entertain him. What he didn't expect was for her to drop out of the shadows and fling her arms around him as if they were the best of friends and not enemies.
Well, maybe one-sided enemies. Jinx clearly felt like she could talk to him whenever she wanted even if he told her to fuck off.
It was irritating but...comforting and he hated that he felt that way.
After Vander died everything changed. The Undercity changed and after searching for Vi for weeks before accepting the bitter defeat that she was no longer with them, Ekko nearly cried when he saw Powder in the streets. He had ran up to her and hugged her tightly as if she would disappear any moment and told her that he had a small team of people who were surviving now that Vander had past. She had only blinked at him before he saw a tall, muscular woman exit the store opposite them and Powder only told him to leave, her expression one of seriousness.
Confusion hounded him for days.
Who was that woman? And why had Powder told him to leave? Wasn't she happy to see him? Mylo, Claggor, Benzo, Vander, and Vi were all dead so surely she'd be relieved to see a familiar face?
He saw Powder again two months later while scouting a rumored Shimmer factory and his heart had frozen in his chest when he saw who she was with.
Silco. The reason Benzo was dead.
And Powder was with him?
It felt like a slap in the face when she saw her giggle at something the seedy man said and watched as they walked away together.
Maybe he had brainwashed her? Maybe she was under some sort of trance?
He had stalked her for days after that but that older woman was always by her side. One day, an opportunity rose and Powder separated herself from the older woman once she went into a dingy looking house. He finally cornered her in an alley and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him.
"Powder! Are you aware you're working with Silco?" he demanded.
"Don't call me that. It's Jinx now."
She had said it so harshly that he was frozen in place, not used to Powder being so assertive.
"What? Jinx? I don't understand-?"
"Look, Silco adopted me after Vander…" she trailed off, her eyes going glassy before she screamed and held her head in her hands.
He gasped and tried to reach out to her bit she only hissed at him.
"Don't ever say his name!"
"What? Van-?"
"Shut up!" she screamed and he put his hands up in surrender and after a few minutes her breathing evened out and she stood up straight.
He had no idea what was wrong with her. Sure, she was prone to anxiety but Vi had always known how to deal with it. He had never seen her react like that before. Did Silco even know about it?
"Sevika will kill me if I'm not waiting for her once she's done. I need to go," she said and turned around to walk back but he couldn't let her go again.
"Powder! This is insane! Silco has killed so many people and you're just...okay with that?"
She stopped before turning her head slightly towards him.
"He cares about me. My name is Jinx. Don't ever call me Powder again. This is your last warning."
He watched helplessly as she walked away.
It was six months later when Shimmer was the most addictive drug in the Undercity and Ekko cursed knowing that Powder was associated with the man who caused all of it. He started training more, recruiting people and after years, he could proudly call himself the leader of the Firelights. It was a responsibility he was willing to bear. Finish what Vander and Benzo dreamed of.
But it was hard to ignore Jinx.
When they started meeting on the battlefield, Silco's men killing Firelights while she only stood back and watched…he couldn't believe it was the same girl he crushed on. But then she started visiting him, actively looking for him, starting conversations and cracking jokes as if everything was normal. He hated that he started looking forward to them.
This was the same girl he was supposed to hate.
So with her arms around him, he gritted his teeth before pushing her off and she pouted, her blue braids swaying with her.
"Someone's in a bad mood," she mumbled and he rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, because you fucking shot me!" he said, pointing to his shoulder that was freshly bandaged.
"The bullet grazed you!"
He glared at her before continuing his walk and she followed.
"Okay, I'm sorry for grazing you but at least you aren't dead!" she said and he said nothing. "Oh, the silent treatment? Really? Sevika already plays this game with me and it's getting super boring so please just say something."
"We have nothing to discuss, Jinx. Run back to Silco," he said gruffly.
She seemed hurt at his words and he felt his heart ache once more. He missed her. He missed her laugh, her smile, the way she'd show him drawings of her and Vi and he missed her playful presence. He had gotten so strict and serious after assuming the role of the leader of the Firelights that having Jinx around was sort of a stress reliever but her actually firing a bullet at him today was enough to know that they were on opposite sides.
"I didn't mean to shoot you...I'm sorry you got hurt," she whispered. "I was aiming for the wall behind you when someone bumped into me."
"But why were you aiming my way?" he yelled and he saw her flinch before he quickened his pace.
"Look, Silco felt like I could start handling guns and stuff and I needed to prove that I could and-"
"Do you not hear how fucking wrong that sounds? Jinx, you're not supposed to be handling guns!"
"Like you're not supposed to be the leader of the Firelights?" she shot back.
"Did you really think that Silco giving you a gun is some sort of protection?"
"He wants me to be safe!"
"Because you're on the wrong side! Why would you need a gun if you're on the right side? "
"Enforcers have guns and we all know they're supposed to be the good guys, idiot! And please, like you guys are any better!"
"We are better because we're not flooding the streets with Shimmer to the point that people are addicted. We're not killing innocent people! And we're not telling children to work in Shimmer factories!"
"Wow, you sound just like a Piltie!" she mocked. "Besides, Shimmer is just a drug! People can quit anytime they want!"
He laughed humorlessly before answering her.
"You know that's a lie. Let me guess, Silco told you that?"
"He doesn't lie to me!"
"Oh really? Does he tell you bedtime stories too?" Ekko spat.
"He looks after me! Sure he's intimidating but he's kind to me and gets me crayons and-"
"Oh my God, Jinx! He's using you! You're nothing but a pawn in his game!" he shouted.
"Shut up! You don't know anything about Silco!"
"Like you do? He's a manipulative liar who only looks out for himself!"
"You're wrong! He doesn't think I'm a screw up! He loves me!"
Ekko felt his stomach sink. Love? Silco loved her? A drug lord? Love the girl who had lost everything that one night? That felt like a punch to the gut.
Ekko loved her. He did. He only wanted the best for her. He wanted her to heal and take her somewhere safe, away from Shimmer and Silco. He loved her and she couldn't see that.
"Silco? Are you sure we're talking about the same guy here? He loves you? Ha, don't be naïve," he said.
"Yeah, is that so fucking hard to believe? Or am I not capable of having someone love me?" she growled.
Crap, that's not what he was trying to say. He cursed himself before trying to rectify the situation.
"That's not what I meant, I-"
"-Then what did you mean Boy Savior? C'mon, I'm dying to know," she smirked and he stared at her, the frustration and anger building inside him.
"I meant that you are fully capable-"
"-Didn't sound like that!"
"Can you just let me finish?!"
"I don't know, are you just going to insult me again?"
"You are insufferable!"
"Oh, so I'm not capable of having someone love me and I'm insufferable?" she laughed bitterly.
He closed his mouth, knowing that Jinx would simply twist his words over and over, and his frustration bubbled over. His body was moving on its own. He grabbed Jinx's wrist and pulled her in, her anger dissipating into confusion before he cupped her cheek and kissed her. Her lips were dry but soft and he ignored the rational part of his brain screaming at him to stop kissing the enemy.
He was supposed to hate her.
He heard her make a noise of surprise before she slowly relaxed into him and his back hit the brick wall. His hands moved to her waist and he felt her arms wrap around his neck. She deepened the kiss and he kissed her back with just as much vigor.
He was pissed.
Pissed at Silco, pissed that she wasn't with him, pissed that she was on the bad side and she didn't seem to know it.
But he could only tell her so many times before getting tired and losing hope.
Their kiss became messy, their mouths and tongues constantly moving for more contact and he realised just how much he didn't want it to end. The rest of the Undercity melted away and it was only her and him. No Silco. No Firelights. Just the two of them in their own world.
But they needed to come up for air eventually and Ekko stared into her blue eyes, her pupils blown wide and a light pink dusting her cheeks. She was staring right back at him, breathing hard and her lips pink and slightly swollen.
"I love you too," he whispered and he couldn't help himself by giving her one more kiss. It was a slower, sweeter one and he prayed that she could feel how much he truly cared and loved her, before letting her go and unwrapping her arms from his neck.
She looked dazed and took it as his cue to walk away away as fast as he could without any sort of confrontation.
He was thankful that she didn't follow him because he didn't hear her footsteps or feel her gaze on him like before, because that would only make it worse.
His heart was racing and he had kissed her holy shit.
He had kissed her.
How had he let his emotions get the better of him? Him, Ekko, the leader of the Firelights. He was smarter than that, yet he had been frustrated and angry.
He sighed as he made a sharp right then left.
Had Silco really made her believe he was the only one capable of loving her?
The thought made his blood boil but he couldn't do anything.
If Jinx believed that, he couldn't do anything, but there was a part in him that hoped that now... maybe she realised that it wasn't just Silco.
It didn't have to be only Silco that loved her.
He wanted her to believe someone else loved her.
Someone like him who had known her for years. Before Vander died. Before Silco adopted her. Before everything changed.
Because she deserved to be loved.
He walked into the base of the Firelights where the children waved at him and Scar gave him a nod. He waved back before going to his office and replaying the kiss with Jinx. He sat down in his chair, sighing deeply and trying not to beat himself up too much.
He replayed what he had told her after the kiss.
I love you too
But was that the truth? Did he still love her with her guns and bullets and bombs? Did he love the girl who had shot him today? Or did he actually love Powder and not Jinx because he had a crush on Powder? But weren't they the same people? Yes? No?
He put his head in his hands, trying not to overthink his decisions. As a leader he needed to be sure of his actions otherwise what was the point? The setting sunlight was warm through the window and he closed his eyes, the exhaustion of the day weighing him down.
"I love you too, Jinx," he murmured.
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Me: I'll just write a cute lil one shot.
Me: *ends up writing 10k words*🙃
#ekkojinx#timebomb#this fic wasn't supposed to be that long I SWEAR#vanilla107 writes#vanilla107writes#oh my word#it's okay though. I'm happy with it 😂💖#arcane
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Not to be angsty but...
I really would love to see Adora get Brightmoon armor or some sort of Brightmoon uniform when she fights against the Horde in season two (not as She-ra but as her normal self). She’s still wearing her Horde outfit and I can only imagine the pain when Catra sees her in Brightmoon uniform on the battlefield.
I mean going from wearing the Horde uniform and wearing the force captain badge to Brightmoon armor....holy fuck that would kill me.
*********************
The dust cleared but the ringing in Catra’s ears was still present.
Nonetheless, she grinned.
She had finally worn She-ra down enough to get her to detransform. The rest of the mission would be a piece of cake. Kidnap Adora, take her back to the Horde, imprison her and take over Brightmoon.
Easy.
She walked towards Adora, the blonde’s face one of pain as she tried to get up off the ground, but her body wasn’t cooperating.
“I told you Adora, I win and you lose-”
Catra stopped, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the outfit Adora was wearing. The usual Horde uniform had been replaced by a suit of purple and blue.The dark blue pants, lilac vest and violet jacket with the golden Brightmoon insignia sewn on it made Catra want to scream.
She had seen Adora wear her Horde outfit in battle before and even though she had been fighting against the Horde, Catra had always wondered if Adora wore it because she missed it...or if she was mocking them.
But now...she was a warrior of Brightmoon, not the same girl she grew up with.
Not the same girl she fell in love with.
A complete stranger to her.
The enemy of the Horde.
“Wow...you really are one of them,” she spat and Adora winced at the words.
“Yeah, and you are fighting for the wrong side!” Adora gasped.
“Shut up!”
Catra lunged at the blonde and pinned her to the ground, her eyes filled with rage.
“You left me. This is your fault. You brought this on yourself. And now...”
Catra flipped Adora over onto her stomach and gripped her chin, forcing her to look at the carnage around them.
The Princess Alliance was fighting hard against the Horde and there were explosions everywhere. Adora was sure she heard Perfuma scream and every muscle in her body protested in pain. A loud boom echoed the area and she struggled in the feline’s grip.
Catra’s free hand found the Brightmoon insignia and ripped it off the jacket, the fabric tearing loudly. Adora watched with wide eyes as the insignia dropped to the ground.
“All your friends are going to suffer, Adora...and it will be all on you.”
#she ra#shera#catra#adora#catradora#glimmer#bow#entrapta#spop#spop 2018#angsty#when will i ever write fluff?#vanilla107 writes#my writing#vanilla107writes
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All in good night’s sleep
“When you walked in with the guards, I was shocked and relieved to see you. I saw you limping and I just knew Hordak had something to do with it.”
“That’s why you ran to me and asked if I was hurt?” Catra asked softly.
"Yes...I was worried.”
Catra’s signature laugh echoed her room and she moved in a little closer to the princess.
“You’re still the same...always looking out for me.”
***************
Six months after the war had ended, Etheria is finally at peace and the people can sleep, knowing they'll have sweet dreams.
This isn't the case with Catra and Adora.
After realising they both can't sleep, Catra suggests they stay with each other.
This leads to Adora asking Catra things she never thought she would answer and tying up loose ends.
THIS IS FOR MY WONDERFUL FRIEND @bbbijou. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLLLL. I hope you like this and I hope you are having an amazing day! <3
********************
Adora rolled around in her bed, frustration slowly getting to her.
“I just want to sleep. Why is that so difficult? Can’t I have just one night?” she whined as she sat up and switched on the light next to her.
She put her head in her hands and sighed. This wasn’t the first time she couldn’t sleep. Sometimes nightmares of the Horde plagued her and other nights, like tonight...she couldn’t sleep a wink. It wasn’t bad, just more of a nuisance since she was tired but she just couldn’t fall the frick to sleep. She yawned and swung her legs out and walked out her room.
“Hot chocolate...yes. That will help,” she murmured as she made her way to the kitchen. This was almost a routine for her. Get up after three hours of tossing and turning, get a warm beverage and then try again (only to get two hours of sleep). She dragged her body through the palace and to the kitchen where she began to make her beverage. She looked at the moon from the kitchen window and groaned.
“It must be at least one in the morning,” she groaned.
“Actually it’s two in the morning but you’re not far off,” came a voice from behind her.
Adora spun around quickly but relaxed when she saw Catra leaning against the doorway.
“Catra...what are you doing here?”
“I could be asking you the same thing but...I think we both know,” the feline replied and walked towards the blonde, her tiredness showing in her steps.
It had been almost six months after the Horde had been defeated, Shadow Weaver was dead and Hordak imprisoned, as well as seven months after Catra had left the Horde to fight alongside the rebellion. It had been a huge turn of events with heavy questioning from Angella but after Catra proved herself on the battlefield, she had become an important part of the alliance.
The war had been devastating but Brightmoon had won and peace was restored to Etheria. But even though the world was free of the Horde’s clutches, didn’t mean that the memories stopped plaguing the minds of the young soldiers. Even though Adora and Catra had both dealt with their problems, spent time together by making up lost time and mended their friendship slowly but steadily, it didn’t stop the flashes of the Black Garnet in their nightmares or the visions of how Etheria could’ve been if Hordak had won.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Adora asked and the brunette nodded as she rested her head on the counter.
“For the third day in a row.”
“That bad?”
“If anything, it’s just getting annoying now,” Catra groaned loudly and Adora gave her a small smile.
“Hot chocolate?”
“Yeah, you know how I have it.”
Adora nodded and took out another cup and began to make the second cup, omitting the milk, knowing that Catra would react badly to it if she had to consume any of it.
“What about you? Nightmares?”
“No, I can’t sleep. I just can’t fall asleep.”
Adora didn’t realize that she had tears of frustration dripping down her cheeks until Catra gently wiped them away with her thumbs.
“Hey...I know it sucks but...we could...if you want to...I could stay with you? I know it’s unlikely that we’ll fall asleep but...It would be nice to talk to someone instead of staring at my ceiling for the next couple hours.”
The offer was tempting but they hadn’t shared a bed since the Fright Zone and the suggesting terrified Adora. It wasn’t that she didn’t want Catra with her. It just felt so personal now and after fighting against each other for so long to then fighting alongside each other...it made her want to say yes and no at the same time.
But it was either yes or no.
And Catra was right...having someone to talk to beat staring at her ceiling until dawn broke and her mind was more concerned of sleeping than her feelings towards her friend at that moment.
“I...I’d like that,” she said, her eyes lowered as she handed Catra her mug.
They walked back to Adora’s room in silence and Catra sat at the edge of the bed, her tail wrapping around herself as she sipped her hot chocolate. Adora sat down and nursed her mug until she broke the silence.
“Do...do you still dream of the Horde?”
Catra nodded.
“Yeah...mostly Shadow Weaver, which is a pain in my ass because even though she’s dead, I still can’t get her to leave me alone,” Catra laughed bitterly and downed the last of her hot chocolate before setting the mug aside on the desk next to them.
Adora, out of habit, reached over and gently began scratching Catra’s neck and she felt a warm sensation bloom in her chest as she heard the gentle purring start.
“I’m sorry...I wish I could help,” she whispered and Catra blinked slowly.
“Well...I’m not dreaming right now because I’m here with you...so you are helping.”
Adora hummed in response and set aside her now empty mug. She felt her body sag and patted the spot next to her.
“If you want me to keep scratching you, you can’t be at the foot of the bed,” Adora said sleepily.
“Oh wow, inviting me under the covers? What other plans do you have?” Catra teased and Adora mumbled something along the lines of “Shut up.”
Catra got under the duvet and sighed as she smelt the familiar scent of her friend. The thoughts going through her head were ones she had locked away for months. The ones she knew would be too sensitive to talk about to Catra. But in her sleep deprived state, her brain was foggy and she had no filter.
“You know..there are days when I thought that I’d never get you back…” Adora murmured, the first secret spilling out out her mouth.
Catra laid there silent, her eyes bright in the darkness, waiting.
“I thought it would end with one of us dead on the battlefield...Catra...I was so scared.”
Second secret out.
"The day that you came to Brightmoon...that same morning, I was breaking down. I was screaming and crying because I knew that everyone expected me to save Etheria. I knew that in the worst case scenario...I would have to kill you. The thought made me physically sick.”
Adora felt Catra’s hand on hers under the covers and she clutched it tightly.
“When you walked in with the guards, I was shocked and relieved to see you. I saw you limping and I just knew Hordak had something to do with it.”
“That’s why you ran to me and asked if I was hurt?” Catra asked softly.
"Yes...I was worried.”
Catra’s signature laugh echoed her room and she moved in a little closer to the princess.
“You’re still the same...always looking out for me.”
Adora exhaled heavily.
“Can I ask you something personal?”
“Yeah…?”
“Did...did you ever miss me? After I left? After the visions we saw in the ruins?”
Third secret out and pain flickered in Catra’s eyes.
“I did miss you. I was in denial most of the time to be honest. I kept thinking ‘Adora can’t be a princess. This all some weird dream!’ and then...I would be angry. I would hate you for leaving me so easily to people that you hardly knew. And you just...threw everything we had away like it meant nothing to you.”
“Catra…” Adora whispered softly but Catra placed an index finger on her lips.
“Let me finish. I missed you until the ruins. The ruins solidified the feelings of anger and hate towards you. I felt like you never truly needed me and I was just case aside. I had a goal now and I could aspire to be something bigger. With Shadow Weaver losing her spot in Hordak’s good books…I was second in command and was ready to lead but…”
Silence enveloped the room for a minute and that could be heard was their soft breathing.
“I still thought of you from time to time. At first it angered me because you hurt me and all I felt was pain. But after a while...I began to accept the sadness and if I ever thought of you...all I felt was longing.”
Adora was quiet and she squeezed Catra’s hand.
“Why did you come to Brightmoon that day?”
Catra was quite for a long time and Adora immediately backpedaled.
“If you don’t want to tell me-”
“No...it’s fine...I’m just a little surprised Angella never told you.”
“I...I asked her not to tell me. I knew if she did I probably would’ve killed Hordak.”
“I don’t doubt you,” Catra snorted. “Hordak called a mass assembly. He called me up and said how much progress we were making and how we could take on Brightmoon in the next few weeks. The cheering was insane. He turned to me and asked me one thing. He knew I was loyal but he told me...he said he wanted me to kill you.”
Adora stopped breathing for a minute. “He wanted you to-?”
“Yes. He wasn’t thinking of imprisonment or torture. He wanted you dead because the thought of you alive still made it likely for She Ra to protect Etheria.”
“And...what did you do?”
“My brain froze. I was at my peak. I was finally getting the respect I deserved but said no, that there must be another way. I said that we could imprison you, keep you in the cells and make sure you never got out. Possibly get you back with the Horde. Hordak...he said I was weak. He said I still cared about you and that I was just as much of a traitor for not not wanting to kill you. He had been using me the whole time, using my anger and hatred for you to fuel his plans and when he saw that I couldn’t do it, he wanted me imprisoned. I fought back and got through the vents. I escaped and fled to the Whispering Woods. I ran blindly and somehow ended up at Brightmoon. You know the rest...”
“So...you got cast out of the Horde because you didn’t want to kill me?”
“Yes Adora! I thought I hated you but I...I don't like the thought of you not breathing.”
“I think you mean to say ‘I can’t imagine a life without you, Adora’ but whatever floats your boat,” Adora said with a grin.
“No! Well...maybe! Stop talking!” Catra sputtered and the blonde laughed.
“I missed this…” Adora said, her brain slowly slipping from reality into dreamland as she resumed scratching Catra’s neck and the purring began once more.
“Yeah...me too…” Catra said with a yawn, her eyes slowly closing.
Adora could feel her eyes droop and she tried to keep them open.
Why am I suddenly sleepy when Catra is here?
She didn’t have time to answer her own question as her eyelids fluttered closed.
*************************
Adora woke up the next morning, warm and still sleepy but feeling ten times better than she had over the last few months.
“Wow…” she murmured softly as she noticed Catra’s arms were wrapped around her mid section, the feline’s body pressing against hers.
She tried to turn her body as slowly as possible to get into a more comfortable position and to not wake the brunette, but her blue and yellow eyes opened sleepily as Adora turned to face her.
“Adora? What’s goin’ on…?”
“Shhhh...it’s okay. I...I think it’s morning but...I’m going to sleep some more.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice.”
The two cuddled close, Catra’s purring being the perfect lullaby and Adora’s soft breathing allowing the couple to have their first proper sleep in months.
“Adora?”
“Hmmm?”
“Can we do this again sometime? I think this...this might be the only way I can sleep,” Catra admitted, her blush prominent on her face.
“How about tonight?” Adora smiled, gently kissing the brunette’s forehead, her eyes closing.
Even though her eyes were closed, she could tell Catra was smiling.
“Yeah...that sounds like a great idea.”
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No plan
I really love making angsty drabbles. This came purely from me wanting to know how Adora would react if she had to see Catra being tortured by Hordak at the end of season two. It’s angsty and I am sorry. I hope you guys like it!
********************
Scorpia’s lungs burned and she ran. She ran as fast as she could through the Whispering Woods, the yells of the Horde soldiers not far from behind her.
“No no no no. I need to get to Adora. She-“ the princess broke off, her thoughts going back to Catra, her wildcat choking in Hordak’s sanctum. The picture of the feline on her knees, tears in her eyes and gasping for air was burned into her mind.
Scorpia shook her head, her determination driving her through the thick trees.
“I need to save Catra. I have to ask Adora and the other princesses for help. They are the only ones...don’t worry Catra...I’ll get help.“
*********************************
“Your majesty! A Horde soldier approached the palace. What must we do with her?“ the guard said to Queen Angella.
“Bring her in,“ Angella said with a stern voice, the rest of the Princess Alliance quiet at their table. They had been in the middle of a meeting when the guard had made the announcement.
Adora’s hairs stood on end as her thoughts were going 100 miles an hour.
Horde soldier?
It...it couldn’t be....
Is it possible that Catra is here?
Her heart deflated a little when she saw Scorpia but the look on her face made her stomach knot. Scorpia looked up at Angella but before the queen could say anything, she spotted Adora.
“Adora! Catra needs you!“ she blurted out.
It felt like a kick to the stomach. Catra needed her?
“W-what do you mean, Scorpia,“ the blonde asked, her voice unsteady
C’mon Adora! Now is not the time to be worried!
“Why would Catra need me? She made it very clear-“
“-Hordak is...he’s torturing her,“ Scorpia whispered, her face twisted in pain and Adora felt her heart stop.
It was silent for a moment before Adora broke the silence.
“No...s-she...she was his right hand. He wouldn’t-”
“Shadow Weaver escaped. And...Catra is the reason for it.” Scorpia finished looking down at the ground.
All at once Adora’s world began to crash around her.
“No! You’re lying!” she screamed and the princesses gasped at Adora’s reaction and Angella was speechless.
“For all we know, you could be doing this to trick us. To lure us into a trap! Why should we believe you?” she growled.
“I...I have proof.”
Scorpia reached into her backpack and took out a pad and switched on the screen.
“I managed to leave a spy bot there before i left. This...this should be enough.“
Adora grabbed it out of her pincers and watched, in horror, at Catra on all fours. struggling to breathe, with Hordak calling her a traitor. She watched Catra get dragged away and saw Hordak turn back to face his invention in the sanctum before the screen went black.
“Adora, you have no reason to trust me. You can throw me in the dungeon and let me be your prisoner but please...save Catra. She is in danger and doesn’t have a lot of time-”
Scorpia never got to finish her sentence as Adora fell to the floor and screamed, long and loudly.
“Adora!“ Glimmer and Bow exclaimed and rushed to her side.
“Why...? Shadow Weaver? Catra!“ she screamed, her sentence not making any sense.
I...I don’t know if I can get her back...Hordak is so strong...I don’t have a plan...a plan good enough to work...
Adora looked up at Scorpia, tears dripping down her cheeks and the white haired Princess’s eyes widened in realization.
Scorpia...I don’t know if I can save her.
#spop spoilers#she ra spoilers#she ra season two#angst#vanilla107writes#vanilla107 writes#my writing#spop#catra#adora#catradora#have some angst yall
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Being A Hero
I fell into another fandom and I have absolutely no regrets at all.
I basically ship everyone with anyone in BNHA but I LOVE DadMight with all my heart. Even though this was supposed to be more Izuku and Uraraka centric, it ended up being more DadMight (which I have no problem with). A massive thank you to my beta reader @ellelalee (thank you for correcting my mistakes and giving me much needed insight on the young heroes of UA!) <3
I hope you enjoy the first of many!
Fanfiction Masterlist
Read on AO3
*****************
Uraraka Ochaco slowly opened her eyes, the light of the setting sun hurting her eyes for a brief moment.
“Where…? Where am I?” she whispered as she looked around the room and to her surprise, she recognised the white walls, curtains and the tiny old lady walking up to her with a clipboard in her hand.
She tried moving her body, but her muscles protested in pain and she sighed heavily as she tried to move her legs, but saw that they were bound in a cast as well as her left arm.
"Now now, dearie. I don't want you injuring yourself even more," Recovery Girl said as she patted the leg.
"I healed you but your legs needs to be stable for a few hours. You took quite a hit from that villain."
Uraraka groaned inwardly as the memories flooded back to her.
***********************
“Stupid training exercise! How am I supposed to be an amazing hero if I’m not improving?” she exclaimed, hitting her desk in frustration.
“Woah, Uraraka, it’s just one training exercise...you’ll do better next time,” Izuku said gently and she turned to face him sharply, her expression murderous.
“There isn’t another next time Deku! If a civilian dies and I can’t save them, then it’s on me!”
Her outburst had caused the whole class to look at the situation unfolding, looks of sympathy and concern on her friends’ faces.
“Uraraka-san, it’s okay. It was one exercise. Aizawa-sensei said there would be more this week. You’ll have time-” began Iida but she stopped him.
“Don’t Iida-kun. Just...don’t,” she said in a defeated tone and he backed away.
The other students from class 1-A began to give separate pieces of their own advice, hoping to cheer her up.
“Don’t be sad Uraraka-chan! Maybe something sweet will make you feel better?” suggested Tsuyu.
“I can make us all a cake? I have time and I have been meaning to try out a new chocolate fudge recipe…” said Sato with a small smile.
“Sato, you forgot that we ran out of flour yesterday after making that creamy chicken for dinner. We need to buy more this afternoon and by then it would be too late,” murmured Jirou with a thoughtful expression.
“Wait isn’t there that new cafe down the road? I heard that their cakes and desserts are quite affordable for all of us. We could go there after class today!” Hagakure squealed.
“Yeah, you’re right Hagakure-chan! We can all go check it out!” Ashido said as she wrapped an arm around Uraraka’s shoulders and gave her a bright smile.
“That’ll be nice, right Uraraka-san? We can have a good time and forget about the exercise,” grinned Kaminari and Kirishima nodded.
“That sounds like a great idea everyone. We leave once classes end! But Uraraka-san...don’t put yourself under so much pressure. You’ll do better next time-” Yaoyorozu began but was cut off by the brunette.
“I can’t relax! I need to be at my best!” she snapped and the class froze.
It wasn’t like Uraraka to lash out at anyone, and if anything, she was the last person to lash out.
The class was quiet as she got up from her desk and shrugged on her blazer.
“Uraraka? Where are you going-?” Izuku asked her, his voice laced with worry. But she didn’t answer him as she walked out the door.
*************************************
The afternoon sun was beating down on her as she stomped back to her dormitory.
Uraraka knew that Aizawa-sensei was probably going to give her some sort of punishment for skipping classes, especially her Hero class with All Might but she just didn’t feel up to it.
“Stupid training exercise. I should be improving! Why am I not improving!” she hissed to herself as she made her way across the school.
“I just need to work harder...but I am! Why is there nothing-”
She was cut off as she felt a hand wrap around her mouth and waist and yank her into the greenery on the side of the path. She tried to scream but it felt like her lips were sewn shut and her arms were pinned securely behind her back.
She was pushed roughly to the floor, the dust making her sneeze. She felt a heavy weight on top of her and she tried to move her body but to her surprise, she felt frozen in place.
What the hell…? I can’t move or speak..?
“Hello Uraraka. My name is Flink and you are going to tell me everything I need to know.”
She gasped as she felt a cold blade underneath her neck.
“You’re probably wondering why you can’t move or talk. My quirk is Binding. I can bind anything together and that includes body parts and so on. I wouldn’t pull too hard to free yourself...you might rip your skin off…” he chuckled and she began to panic.
She had never been in a situation like this before and she couldn’t touch him to try to escape.
No! I have to try!
She struggled against his grip, trying to touch him with the pads of her fingertips but she let out a muffled scream when she felt excruciating pain from her leg. Tears immediately began to pour from her eyes and she collapsed on the ground in pain.
“I don’t have time for you trying to be heroic. My quirk allows me to bind as well as unbind. I can unbind bones,” he chuckled and Uraraka whimpered in pain.
“You have many more bones in your body and that was only the first one. So, be a good girl and you won’t have to feel anymore pain.”
She couldn’t get a clear view of him from the way she was positioned but the way he spoke made her blood run cold. Uraraka figured he was quite cocky to attack a student in broad daylight at UA, especially after the USJ Incident that happened a few months prior but this villain...he was something else.
Is he part of the League of Villains?
She was completely powerless against him and with her broken leg, she couldn’t get away.
“Now, you’re going to tell me exactly what I need to know about UA High and Class 1-A. You will not scream unless you want to die today. Am I clear?”
She had to cooperate.
She couldn’t say no.
No! Keep fighting! You are a hero, you can’t give up now!
She thrashed against him , her motivation pumping adrenaline through her body. She felt his weight lessen on her back and she desperately trying to touch him with her fingers but she let out another muffled scream as he broke her other leg.
“Poor, poor girl. Look, you’re cute and I really don’t want to hurt you anymore than I have to but you are making my job incredibly difficult-”
She tried to yank her arm out of his grasp, interrupting his speech and he growled in anger. Losing his patience, he placed a hand on her arm and broke it, and she felt her body give out and collapse on the floor. Her tears soaked the soil and she whimpered in pain.
“-There...now that you’re all relaxed and comfortable, we can talk right? Unless you want me to break a few more bones…?”
She breathed heavily and he smiled.
“Good girl. Finally co-operating. You’ll tell me everything I need to know okay? Any funny business or screaming will make me have to break your other arm. Okay?”
She nodded helplessly and felt more tears drip down her face. He laughed and she felt her mouth relax, his quirk removed.
“Now, begin by explaining-”
Suddenly the weight was off her and she was free. She saw a blur of green energy and she knew it was Deku. Her hands were still bound and she tried rolling onto her side.
Is he alone? Crap, this villain is strong. If he ends up breaking Deku’s bones-
She felt a shock of pain against her head, Deku screaming her name as her vision went black.
***********************
She had put herself in danger and even the whole school at risk.
Ugh, I let my guard down! I should’ve seen him coming! Oh my gosh, I was completely defenseless. I nearly told him information about the school...I can’t believe I was taken down so easily-
"Now, most of your friends wanted to see you but I told them that your injuries were too severe and I needed to concentrate. That crazy villain really did a number on you. I’ve never had to do such intensive work on a student besides your classmate, who always broke his bones. I don't know if any of your friends are still outside because it's late but..." Recovery Girl said walking to the door and snapping the hero out of her daze.
Uraraka closed her eyes as her cheeks burned with shame.
Idiot! How could you get so riled up that you didn’t even see the villain coming?
"Oh! Hello Midoriya! Yes, she's all better now. Come in." Uraraka cursed and tried to calm herself down but her thoughts were in overdrive.
Why of all the people here, it's him?! Deku should've just gone home! I don't want him to see me like this! And...he...he fought Flink...he saved me. He put himself at risk...
"Here she is young man. Now, I'm sure you need to get going too as it is late but I'll give you time to talk. I'm going to go to the office to report to your teachers with regards to her injuries." The old lady walked out the room, leaving the two young heroes alone.
"Hey Uraraka, how are you feeling?" the green haired boy asked gently, a small smile on his face.
"I...I'm fine..." she began not registering the tears dripping down her face before breaking down into sobs, the emotions too much for her to bear.
"Woah, Uraraka-!"
"I'm sorry Deku. I'm so sorry!"
"W-what? Why? You're the one that's hurt! You got attacked!"
"I was angry...and I let my guard down and the villain got me. I...made everyone worry and put the whole school at risk-"
She stopped when she saw the bandages peeking out from under his shirt collar.
"You got hurt....because of me...I was reckless and wanting to prove myself. I was so sick of not improving that I didn't even notice the villain-."
"Uraraka...please don't blame yourself."
"Deku are you not hearing me? You got hurt! You came after me and...and you got hurt."
She collapsed into tears again, trying to wipe them away from her face with her hands. Deku was quiet for a while before sitting down next to her.
"Look...I know about wanting to improve. That's what most of my training is with trying to control my quirk. But Uraraka...you don't need to prove yourself to anyone. Even your parents say that as long as you’re happy...you’ll be fine. You're amazing already."
“But-”
“I know you feel guilty but what if it had been some other person? It could’ve been anyone who was attacked but you fought back.”
“Y...you saw that?”
“Yeah, as soon as you left the class, I went after you. I was worried and even if you didn’t want to talk, I didn’t mind keeping you company or trying to convince you to come back to class,” he said scratching behind his head with a small smile. “You struggling gave me enough time to form a plan and then he broke your leg and I might’ve...seen red...All Might said I got carried away...”
The brunette looked up and saw that he was blushing slightly and she let out a giggle.
“So protective, huh?”
“You were crying! And in pain!”
“I’m just messing with you!” she laughed, the sound filling the open space of the room, the white curtains fluttering in the late afternoon breeze.
"Thanks Deku...I guess it gets to my head sometimes especially with wanting to help my parents...it...it’s been rough at home. My dad hasn’t been getting much business for the past few months and I guess it just...got to me today."
"I’m sorry to hear that, Uraraka. But...I’m sure your parents would be distraught to hear that their daughter walked out of school...and got attacked by a villain because you felt that you weren’t improving. We’re only first years and even though you want to help them, you need to focus on you, on being the best hero you can be.”
“I know...I guess it...it gets to me. Especially since I’m surrounded by classmates who keep pushing themselves no matter the consequence,” she murmured, not meeting his eyes.
Izuku’s grinned faltered for a second and he nodded thoughtfully.
Yes, Deku...I compare myself to you because you’ve got this drive that no one else has.
“Well, how about we begin training together? You can improve as well as go up against me. I might not be on Todoroki-san’s level but...if that makes you feel better then we can do that? " he asked with a smile, the determination bright in his eyes.
She smiled and wiped away the rest of her tears.
“Thanks Deku, that sounds great! I wish we could start right away but now I have to wear this stupid cast! Recovery Girl said that it’s already healed but for safety measures, it needs to be in this thing for a couple more hours." she moaned as she gestured to her legs and her left arm.
"Hmm....how about we draw on them? Y’know like they do in those movies? I have a few markers in my bag if you want?"
She brightened at the suggestion and nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah! I'd love that! Even if it’ll be cut off in a few hours.”
Deku took out his markers from his bag, sat down and examined her casts.
"What would you like on your casts?"
"I don't really know. I mean 'Get better soon' is kinda pointless since I am better already...Why don't you just go nuts? You draw whatever you want, I'm sure you'll surprise me!"
Izuku's eyes widened.
"You...you sure? You’re giving me a lot of creative freedom..."
"Yeah! Go ahead! I’m sure you’ll make something great!" Izuku began to draw on her left leg and she watched him, a small smile on her face.
"Oh I forgot to ask...did the villain get caught?" she asked softly.
"He did. After I went after him, I alerted the group and the message eventually got to the teachers but All Might stopped him! It was surprising because it looked like he was on his way to teach us when he saw me fighting the villain. He still fought in his non-hero form and it gave the teachers enough time to help. It was amazing Uraraka! The villain put up quite a fight but he was taken down. He’s been detained and currently in interrogation."
"You really admire All Might, huh?" laughed Uraraka.
Deku’s expression softened as the marker went up and down on her cast, his eyes never leaving her leg.
"He's my inspiration. He's the whole reason I wanted to be a hero in the first place. Coming to UA and having him as my teacher...it's a dream come true. He’s done so much for us and even saving Kacchan...I owe him and I want to make him proud."
Uraraka felt her heart beat a little faster as her face grew warm. She really liked how open he was about his admiration for All Might. He had already achieved so much and she couldn't help but be happy for him. She watched him move from her left leg cast to her right one and she could just make out the figures of some people in their class.
"I'm really happy for you Deku. You've already come so far. I remember you saving me in the entrance exam and how you did so well in the semi-finals in the sports festival. You might not see it but...you are improving so much. You inspire me."
Uraraka immediately closed her mouth and her face went red. She made eye contact with him and saw that he had gone a cherry red too.
"I- Oh my gosh I didn't mean for that to come out!"
"No- It's...It's okay Uraraka!" he choked out. “It...It means a lot! I...I've never been anyone's inspiration..."
"You haven't? But you're one of the smartest in the class! You analyse every single hero! You are so strong and you keep pushing yourself! How can you not inspire people?" she laughed.
"I...I never thought about it like that before..."
"Well you are, Izuku Midoriya. No matter what anyone else says."
He looked up, and gave her a smile.
"Thanks Uraraka...really."
She smiled back, her cheeks still red but smiled anyway. He went back to drawing, this time on her left arm cast and after a few more moments of silence, he put the caps back on his markers and admired his work.
"Done! I...I hope you like it..."
"Deku...this is amazing! Is that the whole class?"
He had drawn every single person from their class on her casts as well as Aizawa-sensei and All Might. He added a few of All Might’s catchphrases and a few sketches of mochi.
"Yeah, everyone was pretty worried about you. Even Bakugou. A lot of them had to go back to the dorms because of the test tomorrow and they were sorry. I studied already and wanted to see if you were okay."
"That's...really sweet. I'll thank them all tomorrow- wait we have a test?!" she screeched, scaring Izuku so much that he fell off the bed.
"Yeah, that big test Aizawa-sensei was talking about since two weeks ago," he said as he rubbed his backside and stood up.
"Oh crap! I haven't gone through the last section! Dammit today was just the perfect day to get kidnapped by a villain and get totally K.Oed!" she groaned.
“Well considering the state you’re in...do you really think Aizawa would still let you write? I mean you were attacked...” Izuku mumbled.
“I’d rather be safe than sorry. Heroes still save people when they’re injured so I have to do the same.”
He nodded before opening his bag and taking out his notes.
"I still have all my notes on me. I can teach you the last section if you want?"
"Please! My grade depends on it!"
For the next hour, the two young heroes studied together and by the time Recovery Girl came back, Izuku had just finished quizzing her.
“Done! You’re all prepared!” he announced and she sighed in relief.
“Yay! Thank you so much! I really owe you one Deku!” she grinned and Recovery Girl smiled as she walked up to them.
“Hello you two, sorry I took so long. Principal Nezu and All Might wanted me to fill them in on your injuries oh-! I see you’ve been busy,” she noted admiring Uraraka’s casts, the class of 1-A displayed brightly.
“Deku drew it for me! I love it!” she smiled.
At that moment, a familiar blonde haired superhero burst into the room, his signature smile making his presence known.
“I am here!” All Might bellowed before blood spurted out of his mouth and he deflated to his normal form. Uraraka’s jaw dropped and Izuku looked a bit shocked but smiled. Recovery Girl hit All Might on the head and Izuku screamed.
“All Might! What have I told you about using your hero form?” she yelled and he rubbed his head in pain.
“I know I mustn’t use it-”
“But you keep using it! Stop otherwise you’ll drain yourself!” she warned and he sighed.
“Sorry Recovery Girl.”
“Hmph! Anyway, I need to go see Principal Nezu again with regards to your scans. Uraraka, you may leave, dearie. The cast should come off tomorrow morning so pop in before class starts. All Might, no more hero form!” Without another word, she walked out the room and closed the door.
“Sorry about that! Recovery Girl has been quite strict with me but anyway...”
He took a seat next to her bed.
“I wanted to catch you before you left. Uraraka, I wanted to check if you were okay. Recovery Girl told me you suffered quite a few broken bones and a blow to the head.”
Uraraka flushed and looked down shyly. Even in his skeletal state, his concern for her was heart-warming and to be asked by All Might himself, if she was okay made her embarrassed.
“I’m okay All Might-sensei. It was just a shock that’s all.”
“According to Midoriya, you put up quite a fight! I expect nothing better from a fine young hero like yourself,” he grinned and ruffled Izuku’s curls, the younger boy sputtering in embarrassment.
“I-it was nothing! I...I almost told him what he wanted to know…” she whispered and All Might sat down on her bed.
“Young Uraraka, you displayed bravery today. I can only imagine you were terrified but your wounds show how much you put up a fight. Young Midoriya saw you and you bought him some time. You may think you only put the school at risk but I assure you, you did exactly what a hero would do. I don’t know if your parents agree...especially since they were worried about you when we called them this afternoon, but they are happy you’re safe.”
All Might looked at the casts, a smile forming.
“Oh, I see you’ve drawn on them! Is this the whole class of 1-A? And is that me?”
“Yeah! Deku drew them for me!” Uraraka beamed with pride and Izuku blushed.
“A hero and an artist? Midoriya, my boy, you are full of surprises. Well, it’s getting late and since the breach security, Principal Nezu has increased the security once again. Every student is required to have a teacher escorting them too and from their dorms to the school building or at least be in a group of five. It may be annoying but that’s what we need to do. I am here to escort the two of you back to your dorm.”
Uraraka nodded and she slowly got out of bed with the help from Izuku. He picked her up and gently lowered her into a wheelchair. The walk back to the dorm was filled with chatter from Izuku talking to All Might about the fight with Flink. How they subdued him and if he was related to the League of Villains. Uraraka was only half listening but her mind kept drifting back to the words All Might had said to her.
Young Uraraka, you displayed bravery today. I can only imagine you were terrified but your wounds show how much you put up a fight.
She smiled wide at his words and before she knew it, they were at class 1-A’s dorm. Izuku and All Might picked up either side of the wheelchair and placed her on the stoop and opened the door. They were met with 17 pairs of eyes and the whole dormitory burst into a cacophony of noise.
“Uraraka-chan! “You’re okay!”
“We were so worried about you!”
“Midoriya-san said you were seriously injured!”
“Hey your casts look really cool- Holy crap is that me?!”
“Is that the whole of our class, ribbit?”
“Aizawa-sensei looks so accurate with his sleeping bag!”
“Whoa, there’s All Might!”
“Everyone! As Class Rep, I ask you to give Uraraka-san space! She just came out of surgery!”
The noise died down and everyone took a step back.
“Sorry Uraraka-san...when we heard of the attack from Midoriya-san...we didn’t know what to do. We were all worried,” said Yaoyorozu, eyeing the casts.
“When we heard what the villain had done to you, some of us nearly went after him,” admitted Kaminari with a grin and Jiro hit him on the side of his head.
“Yeah, like a dumbass! Uraraka’s injuries were severe and Midoriya-san just bought the teachers enough time too! One shock of electricity and you’re an idiot!”
“But Jirouuu!” he moaned as he rubbed his head and Shoji chuckled.
“But thankfully All Might and the teachers handled it,” Tokoyami said and he sighed in relief.
“Oh please, if Deku could handle it, then so could I,” Bakugou said with a smirk.
“Hmmm, you could totally handle a guy who’s quick binds bones together,” Todoroki murmured.
“And what does that supposed to mean Icyhot?!”
“I mean that even though you are good with your fighting skills, if he touched you, you would be helpless.”
Todoroki’s gaze shifted to Uraraka and he nodded.
“Even though Uraraka could’ve stopped him easily, he bound her and she couldn’t do anything since her quirk lies in her fingertips. So she did the next best thing. She stalled, giving Midoriya-san enough time to figure out a strategy.”
Uraraka’s eyes widened.
“Jeez Todoroki-san...you’re talking like you saw the whole thing!” she exclaimed.
“Well, all that matters now is that you’re safe,” said Koda and she smiled gratefully at him.
“Can we please eat the cake now? We’ve been waiting for hours!” exclaimed Aoyama dramatically.
“The...the cake that was decorated a few minutes ago? That didn’t take too long to bake Aoyama,” Ojiro said and the class laughed.
“Since you got attacked, the school went on lock down and we had to say in our dorms for two hours. We kept complaining to Aizawa-sensei that we wanted to make cake and I think he may have gotten irritated and bought us flour to shut up,” giggled Ashido.
Izuku wheeled Uraraka to the common area and on one of the tables sat a chiffon cake topped with fresh cream and strawberries. The girl gasped as Koda cut a slice and presented it to her on a plate.
“We all know you like cake and we wanted to make you feel better so Sato made you some.”
Uraraka took a bite of the cake and her eyes lit up in happiness.
“Guys, thank you. I...I also want to apologize for how I acted earlier. I wasn’t in a good space and I took it out on all of you. I am deeply sorry,” she said as she bowed, as best she could in the wheelchair, and when she looked up she was met with smiles.
“It’s okay Uraraka-chan. We can’t all have good days all the time,” said Tsuyu.
“Yeah, we’re here for you and besides we can’t have another explosive attitude like Bakugou here,” laughed Kirishima.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean you fucker?!” the blonde screamed and there were a few giggles from Ashido and Hagakure.
“Well, let’s cut up the rest and wish for your speedy recovery!” said Kaminari.
“Hey All Might-sensei, you should have a slice too!” said Midoriya as he offered the hero a plate.
“Well....I supposed one slice won’t hurt me,” he said with a grin and everyone gathered to sit in the common area.
Aizawa wasn’t surprised to see the students with All Might, eating cake when he entered the dorm. He was doing his last round of check ups before settling down for the night and tried to not let his tiredness show. He had been told that afternoon that there would be at least one teacher assigned to a dorm for security reasons. Even though he had a soft spot for his class, he knew that they were still teenagers who got up to mischief. His room was already set up and he was ready to hit the hay and call it a night when he saw All Might surrounded by his class. He expected him to be there with the new rule of teachers escorting students back to their dorm but it was getting late. Even pro heroes need sleep but All Might looked happier than a mother seeing her baby for the first time.
“Aizawa-sensei! Come join us! We have cake!” Hagakure said happily from the floor, and even though it was expected as she was invisible, Aizawa found it comical that the cake just disappeared off her fork as she took a bite. He was about to protest and give some sort of excuse but he caught All Might’s eyes and sighed.
“Fine. One slice and then everyone needs to settle down for the evening. We still have classes tomorrow as well as the test.”
He took a plate from Ojiro and sat down on the opposite couch where Jiro, Tokoyami, Kaminari, Koda and Shoji were sitting. He spotted Uraraka, sitting next to Midoriya and All Might, in the couch opposite him and nodded towards her.
“You still feel fit to write the test tomorrow? I wouldn’t usually give this as an option but you were attacked and your injuries were out of the ordinary. I don’t mind giving you a makeup test next week-”
“-Sorry to interrupt but it’s okay, Aizawa-sensei. I studied and I’m ready for tomorrow.”
“Seriously Uraraka-san? You’d still write the test even though Aizawa-sensei is granting you permission to skip it?” droned Aoyama.
“Well...it’s what a hero would do right? Heroes still need to be able to get up and fight when they’re down and not functioning at their best. Even though this is only a test, I still need to push through. Besides, I know my work. Deku studied with me when I woke up after surgery,” she blushed and Aizawa hid a smile.
You will make a great hero Uraraka.
“That was very generous of you Midoriya-san,” commented Iida and he smiled, blushing slightly.
“It was nothing really. Uraraka is a fast learner so it was easy.”
Aizawa nodded, “Very well then.”
There was a knock from the front door and the whole class froze. It was unusual for someone to be out at that hour and after the villain incident, they were all a little paranoid. A villian, attacking a student in broad daylight, on campus grounds? It was a ballsy move but it was enough to make the whole school stand on edge. Aizawa got up and walked towards the door, his guard up and he opened it, ready to fight, when he came face to face with Principal Nezu.
“Oh, good evening Aizawa-san. May I please come in?”
Aizawa moved so that the principal could come in and the students collectively let out a sigh of relief when they saw him.
“Good evening children.”
“Good evening sir!” Class 1-A responded, all of them bowing their heads.
“Ochaco? Can I please speak with you in private? Midoriya, Aizawa and All Might, please join me so that we can discuss today’s events.”
They nodded and All Might and Izuku began to help Uraraka back into her wheelchair when a voice rang out.
“Wait.”
All eyes were on Iida, his expression one of calm.
“Ah, Iida. You’re the Class Rep. What seems to be the problem?”
“Principal Nezu, with all due respect, I understand that you want to question Uraraka-san in private with regards to the attack today. But as Class Rep, I need to ask you this. Why can’t we as a class know about the attack. We will find out later anyway and this isn’t exactly a private affair. Uraraka was attacked and if the rumours are true, then it has something to do with our class specifically.” Iida bowed low, and Uraraka gulped at his stance. “I ask you to have the meeting you intended to have with Uraraka privately with all of us. That way we will know exactly what happened this afternoon and we’ll understand what the villain wanted.”
The room was silent and another voice broke through.
“I agree. If the rumours are true, Uraraka-san got attacked and was questioned about our school as well as our class. We are her classmates also and have a right to know,” nodded Todoroki.
“Guys it’s really not much-” Uraraka began, trying to save the situation but was interrupted.
“Fair enough. Uraraka, what happened exactly? We need to know details of why you were walking to your dorm when you should’ve been in class,” Nezu asked.
She nodded and launched into her explanation. How she felt like she wasn’t improving, to lashing out at her friends and then walking back to the dorms before being attacked.
“He said his name was Flink. His quirk was binding which was why I couldn’t move. He bound my skin together and my mouth so that I couldn’t move or scream. He first asked me to tell him ‘everything I know’ and held a knife to my neck.”
The common room was dead quiet.
“I struggled against him and tried to escape and that was when he broke my right leg. He said that I had many bones and that he could break them one by one until I told him what he wanted to know about UA High and Class 1-A. I refused to and struggled some more before he broke my left leg. He...he almost made it seem like we were friends...”
“What do you mean?” Aizawa asked.
“Like he said to me that I was cute-"
She shuddered, remembering how close he had been to her ear.
"-and that he didn’t want to hurt me anymore than he had to but I was making his job difficult for him which is why he then broke my other leg and left arm. After that he asked me of I was comfortable on the ground and asked if we could talk unless I wanted more bones to be broken. I had to cooperate. There was nothing else I could do and I nodded to say that I would go through with his questions. He threatened to break my other arm if I screamed or tried anything funny. I nodded and he unbound my mouth and he was about to ask me a question before Deku came and knocked him off of me. The last thing I remember was being worried about Deku because this guy’s quirk was so strong. And then... I got hit on the head and I was knocked out. The next thing I know, I'm with Recovery Girl in the medical bay.”
The room was quiet and Principal Nezu bowed, in thanks.
“Thank you. Clearly the rumours are true and that this man was not only after UA High but your class specifically. I don’t know if he predicted you to walk out of class in the afternoon-”
“Wait!”
Everyone turned to Izuku and he bowed quickly to apologize.
“Sorry for the interruption but I just remembered! When I went to fight the villain, All Might-sensei was on his way to our Hero class for the afternoon. Do...do you think that he was waiting to possibly attack him but saw Uraraka as an opportunity?”
“I...I can see why that would’ve happened. Everyone knows I’d sacrifice myself for someone else and if he had Uraraka as a hostage...I would’ve done everything I could to keep her safe,” said All Might with a sigh.
“But that makes no sense. Why would he attack me and begin questioning me if he could’ve just asked All Might?” asked Uraraka.
“Probably to see who was lying. If either story didn’t match up, he probably would’ve killed Uraraka,” Aizawa murmured and she felt a chill travel down her spine.
“I...I wonder what he would’ve asked me...” she whispered and All Might put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“Well it’s over now. You’re okay and that’s the most important thing.”
“Ugh, I kinda want to punch that asshole until he talks. He can’t seriously think he can just attack one of us and expect to get away with it,” Bakugou smirked as his hands began to spark.
“Now Kacchan-”
“What Deku? You want that bastard to get away with this?”
“Sounds like you want to go after him for revenge Bakugou...” Izuku said cautiously and the blonde sighed, remembering what All Might had said about the Hero Killer at the Hosu incident.
“It just fucking sucks! This random villain thinks he can just attack one of us?!” he hissed and Uraraka saw some of her classmates nodding.
“Now, now. I understand that you're all angry because a classmate of yours was attacked but that’s why you’re all training to be heroes. You want to save people. I know the feeling of wanting to get even but that is not how heroes work. Remember that," Aizawa said, his voice stern but empathetic.
"Thank you Uraraka for telling us this,” All Might nodded and the class settled down.
“Yes, thank you. As you all probably know, I have increased security but I am still worried about you all in particular, Class 1-A. I want you all to stay vigilant and to look out for each other. We can’t risk having another incident like this happen. Which is why All Might will stay here for the night as well, just in case.”
“You mean...it’s going to be a sleepover?” giggled Mina and Nezu nodded.
“If that’s what you want it to be. Now from what I understand, you all have a test tomorrow. Get some sleep everyone. Goodnight.”
The Principal bowed to Class 1-A as they said goodbye before he was escorted out. After that, there was bursts of soft chatter among the students, most of them asking Uraraka any extra questions about the attack before Iida stopped them.
“Guys, Uraraka-san has been through enough for one day. Let’s finish up the cake and settle down to bed. We do have a test tomorrow after all,” Iida said.
There were a few grumbles but they cleaned up and went up to their rooms. Midoriya lagged behind, looking at All Might and Uraraka. He appeared to be in deep conversation with her. With a smile he went to the elevator and straight to his bedroom.
She went through quite a scare today. I'm glad she’s okay.
Since Principal Nezu's sudden announcement said All Might was staying there for the night, he was going to sleep on the couch. Uraraka, who didn't realize how exhausted she was from the day's events, was slowly falling asleep next to him as he wrapped up his conversation with her.
“Young Ochaco, before you go to bed, I’d like to say how proud-”
He stopped when he saw her sleeping face and his face melted into a soft smile.
“You’ve had a pretty rough day...let’s get you to bed.”
He tried to move her but she wouldn’t budge.
“Is this a side effect of your quirk or something?” he huffed as he collapsed on the couch next to her, her sleeping body still on the couch.
“Well, I don’t think Aizawa would agree with me to let you sleep by my side but either you got heavier or I got weaker after losing my strength,” he groaned.
He looked down at the sleeping Ochaco, turned off the lights and threw a blanket over both of them before settling down.
“Good night Young Ochaco. You’re safe now.”
#bnha#mha#bnha fanfiction#deku midoriya#midoriya izuku#bnha midoriya#uraraka ochako#uraraka x midoriya#uraradeku#my writing#vanilla107writes#anime#anime fanfiction
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Flirting on the Battlefield (Part 1)
“Did...did you just moan-?” Catra asked, a grin spreading across her face and her eyes twinkling in mirth.
“No! I-I did not!” Adora yelled, her voice high pitched. Glimmer and Bow’s voices were getting louder and Catra knew she had to leave.
Catra chuckled and leaned closer to Adora’s face, the saviour of Brightmoon, completely still underneath her.
“Well, Adora. If that wasn’t a sign of desire...then I don’t know what is.”
**************
The Horde's last mission was a failure and Catra knows if she doesn't produce results, there will be consequences. After receiving some advice from Entrapta, she tries a new tactic, one that starts to work a little too well...
I think this is my fourth She Ra fanfiction and it's unhealthy. I literally can't stop thinking of this show and I NEED SEASON TWO NOW. Anyway, I feel like this is something Catra would totally try to do to get the upper hand! I hope you all enjoy reading it! Remember that comments, indeed make me combust with happiness.
Stay healthy!
vanilla107
xoxo
SHE RA MASTERLIST
AO3
****************
Catra banged her fist on the table in frustration.
“Dammit! How did they beat us again?” she yelled and Scorpia watched the feline pace up and down in their boardroom.
Catra, Scorpia and Entrapta where all together, trying to come up with new plan on how to conquer Brightmoon. Their last mission hadn’t been a success. If anything, it had been a disaster and one of their worst missions so far.
“Maybe it’s because they’re princesses and they have magical powers and we don’t?” asked Scorpia and Catra ran a hand down her face in annoyance.
“I know that Scorpia. We all do.”
A loud boom came from the adjoined room and Catra groaned.
“Entrapta, there better not be anything broken in there!” she yelled and the only response was a giggle.
“Nope! Everything’s fine! I needed to test out two new chemicals and observe their reactions. Now, what seems to be the main problem at hand?”
Catra lost it and screamed in frustration.
She flipped their planning table which had all their failed plans scatter on the floor. Her sudden rage shocked Scorpia. Sure, the princess had seen Catra angry but this...this was anger on another level.
“We have to get better! We can’t let this constantly happen! Hordak is expecting results and I can only afford to screw up a few times. There is no way I’ll be compared to Shadow Weaver’s failures!” Catra roared. She paced around the room, her frustrations slowly seeping away.
She walked over to their board of all the princesses in the alliance. Adora was right in the center and Catra sighed as she knocked her head against the photo.
“I have to report to Hordak next week and if there’s no improvement...I might lose my position of Force Captain...or worse,” she whispered and she felt Scorpia place a pincer on her shoulder.
“I understand your frustration but what can we do? We’ve tried everything...stealing Adora’s sword, stealing it while she was She ra, capturing Glimmer, capturing Angella...I think we’ve run out of ideas…” Scorpia murmured.
“What? No we haven’t! Catra obviously needs to use her knowledge in her relationship with Adora to her advantage!” Entrapta said cheerfully while she tinkered with a mini robot.
Catra and Scorpia stared at the scientist and she looked at them with a smile on her face.
“Um...can you please repeat that in normal non-science speech?” asked Scorpia and Entrapta sighed.
“Catra knew Adora when they were little kids. Catra should know Adora’s fears and desires. Maybe we can get some sort of plan from that,” she explained and Catra stared long and hard at Adora’s photo.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she smirked as she ripped off Adora’s picture from the board.
“I think...I think I have an idea.”
**************************
It was a few weeks later when the Horde attacked Brightmoon. The team was on a skiff awaiting their orders.
“Remember the plan. You guys keep the princesses from assisting She ra. I’ll take her head on and proceed to put my plan into place. Understood?” Catra said, her sharp tone of her voice rattling a few soldiers.
There was a chorus of ‘Yes Force Captain Catra!” and she grinned widely as she saw Brightmoon up ahead.
Oh, this is going to be fun.
***************************
Catra gasped in pain as she was slammed against a boulder, She ra’s hand holding her neck firmly in place. They were in a shallow pond while the rest of the Horde fought the princesses on the other side of the kingdom. The sun was setting, casting a golden glow over everything. Catra hated to admit it, but She ra looked breathtaking in the gold light but she had to stay focused. They weren’t too far apart and Catra noticed how blue She ra’s eyes were.
“What happened to all your training, Catra? What happened to you always striking first?” She ra gloated and Catra felt her blood boil.
Calm down. Just wait.
“Sorry, I got lost in your eyes. Can you repeat that?” Catra asked, her voice coming out a little lower than usual since her windpipe was under pressure but her tone still sounded seductive.
It was a bad pick up line but she knew it would be enough to confuse She ra for a good second so that she could escape her grip. She ra’s grip around her neck immediately loosened and she looked dumbfounded.
“What did you just say-? Ahh!” she screamed as Catra jabbed her side and escaped her grip.
Catra wasted no time in punching She ra in the stomach and roundhouse kicking her. The princess fell on her knees, clutching her stomach in pain.
“You know, She ra, this whole princessy get up of yours always confused me. Are you still the same Adora I know or do you suddenly feel entitled and put yourself on a pedestal because you’re ‘oh so high and mighty’?” Catra asked as she knelt down and grabbed her collar and yanked the princess closer to her.
She ra gasped in pain and Catra laughed.
“All this princess power and you still got your ass handed to you. I had high hopes for you She ra.”
Before Catra could say another word, the princess grabbed Catra’s body slammed her into the water.
Catra shrieked. She hated water.
“Aw, little kitty still afraid of the water? How about you go for a swim?” She ra grinned as she watched Catra clench her jaw in anger before the feline’s entire facial expression changed.
Catra’s eyes sparkled with mischief and her eyes flickered to the princess’s lips.
“Bite me,” she purred and She ra froze and felt her face heat up in embarrassment.
“Are you blushing?” Catra teased and she felt the strong girl’s grip falter at her question.
“I...What-?” was all she managed to get out before Catra kicked her off of her, winding her in the process.
She shook away the water coating her back and saw the princess gasping for breath next to her, lying on her back. As planned, a Horde skiff swooped down and had a ladder ready for her to latch onto. Catra quickly ran over to the struggling princess and knelt down. Her sensitive hearing picked up that Glimmer, Bow and the other princesses were right around the corner.
“Dream of me, okay Adora?” Catra said flirtatiously as she gently caressed her cheek before all the princesses arrived.
She ran back the the plane and latched onto the ladder as Bow and Glimmer appeared from around the corner and tried to shoot down the skiff. They took off and Catra was pleased to see that most of the Horde soldiers had retreated already. Scorpia looked at Catra from the pilot’s seat and grinned.
“So? How’d it go?”
“All according to plan,” Catra smirked and Scorpia laughed.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” Scorpia teased and Catra’s posture became rigid.
“No! This is all part of the plan, Scorpia! You know that!” Catra hissed, her voice becoming a few octaves higher and the princess laughed.
“I was kidding! But good performance anyway. Just...how are you going to explain this to Hordak?”
“I’ll sort it out. Don’t worry. Now everyone needs rest. We need to keep this up for the next week for it to be effective.”
“Yes, Catra. Let’s go back to the Fright Zone.”
Catra nodded and looked out of the plane and saw all the princesses surrounding She ra.
The princess de-transformed and Adora looked at the retreating skiff. Catra swore she made eye contact with her old friend but she just smiled.
There was so much more where that came from.
*******************
That evening Catra tossed and turned in her bed, frustrated that she couldn’t sleep. Scorpia’s words had her head in shambles.
Did she enjoy being seductive and teasing towards Adora?
Yes.
Did that mean she liked Adora?
...Possibly…?
NO! I need to concentrate on the Horde and being the best possible Force Captain. I can’t like my enemy.
Catra stared at the ceiling and thought of how Adora looked when she had said those provocative words. They had been friends since they were kids and Catra knew Adora had a soft spot for flirting or any brazen compliment. She used to be reduced to a blushing mess when they were kids and Catra teased her about it constantly.
As they got older, Adora managed to control herself around the teasing but still blushed if Catra tried hard enough. Since Adora joined the rebels, their talking ceased and Adora’s immunity to Catra’s comments must’ve lowered. The feline chuckled and grinned in the darkness, her blue and yellow eyes bright with anticipation.
“Oh, Adora. Tomorrow can’t come fast enough.”
****************************************
Adora was freaking out back at Brightmoon and she couldn’t sleep. She ended up pacing her room instead.
“What...Catra? What are you doing!”
Adora wasn’t surprised with Catra’s flirty behaviour but when she joined the rebellion, all of that ceased to exist. Now, Catra was just whipping out pick up lines and challenging her in her seductive tone which did make her heart beat a little faster and-
“Stop!” Adora yelled at her thoughts as she felt her face burn with embarrassment as she flopped herself onto her bed.
“Catra must have an angle with this. What game is she playing at?” she thought out loud.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing came to her mind when she questioned it. She grabbed a pillow and screamed with frustration into it.
“It’s okay...tomorrow is a new day...you just need to trust yourself. Besides, after the attack the Horde did today, they won’t plan another attack for a few more days...sleep Adora. You can do this. You just need to train.” Adora sighed heavily and got under her covers.
Catra…whatever you’re planning, you won’t get away with it.
**************************
“The Horde’s attacking a village! We need to go now!” yelled Glimmer as she burst into Adora’s room.
“W-what? But...but we just fought them yesterday!” Adora shrieked as she bolted out of bed.
“Look, I don’t know what angle they’re going for. First they attacked the palace and now it’s a village. I don’t know the connection but all I know is that Catra is there.”
Adora’s sense were wide alert when Glimmer said her old friend’s name.
“Let’s go stop the Horde,” she said with determination and grabbed her sword.
I will not let my guard down this time.
“For the honour of Grayskull!”
**************************
“Hey Adora~,” Catra purred when she saw She ra approach her.
They were in a secluded part of a forest, away from the village. Glimmer had told her to go after Catra while the other princesses fought off the Horde and helped the villagers. She ra gritted her teeth and there was something about it that made Catra chuckle.
“What? You aren’t happy to see me?” she smirked as she took a fighting stance.
She ra threw her sword and it landed just a few centimeters away from Catra’s face, lodged into a tree.
“Okay then, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” Catra hissed and she pounced, knocking She ra to the floor.
She ra immediately got up and charged for the feline. Catra jumped into the trees and hid amongst the foliage. The princess cursed. The trees leaves were thick and she couldn’t spot her Catra in them.
“So, Adora...you do realize I’m still going to call you Adora right? I mean you’ll always be Adora to me.” Catra’s voice echoed in the trees and She ra tried to find the source of it but was fruitless.
“Anyway, how was your sleep? Have sweet dreams?”
She ra retrieved her sword and clenched it to hard that her knuckles turned white.
“I hope you had sweet dreams and you know how dreams can reveal what our subconscious is thinking of. So, did you dream of me?” Catra giggled.
“Shut up!” She ra yelled into the open space.
“I wonder what you dreamed of me? The two of us together maybe? Like how it was before you left the Horde or...?”
Suddenly Catra pounced from one of the branches and hit She ra straight in the back, knocking her to her knees.
“Or did you dream of us differently...hmmm...like...” Catra walked over to She ra who was still on the ground trying to regain her breath.
She put She ra into a headlock and she felt She ra’s hands grip onto her arm to break free.
“-Doing things Shadow Weaver would’ve never wanted us doing together?” Catra whispered into her princess’s ear before kneeing She ra in her back.
She ra hissed in pain and Catra let her out of her headlock and immediately took refuge in the trees once more.
“You’re being a coward, Catra! Fight me like a Horde soldier!”
She ra snapped and she heard Catra’s giggle once more.
“You know I fight dirty, Adora. Just because you’re a princess now doesn’t mean I change too.”
Don’t let your guard down, Adora. Focus!
“I never changed! I found out that what the Horde was doing was wrong! How can you be fine with innocent people being hurt and losing their homes to the Horde?” she hissed and from the corner of her eye she saw Catra’s form leap towards her.
She turned sharply and hit the feline, causing her to crash into a thick tree. She ra walked over to Catra and grabbed her by her shirt and lifted her into the air, her sword dangerously close to her neck.
“Let go of my shirt, Adora,” Catra said slowly and She ra could feel her legs shaking.
“Enough! What are you planning with the Horde?” the princess pressed and slammed Catra into the tree, hoping she would be quiet. Catra hissed in pain but regained composure and looked directly into She ra’s clear blue eyes and gave her a wink.
“Let go of my shirt Adora, unless you plan on ripping it off of me...”
She ra’s eyes widened and she stared at Catra. Without a second of hesitation, the feline kicked her in the chest and lept to the other side of the clearing.
“You should see your face right now, Adora. You are so red,” Catra laughed and She ra clenched her fists in anger.
“Do you think this is some sort of game to you Catra? What are you playing at?” she screamed in frustration as she turned to face Catra.
“Maybe...it’s a little game called Cat and Mouse…and guess what-?” Catra ran towards her, her claws ready to inflict damage. The blonde managed to block her claws from scratching her but they were now face to face.
“-You’re the mouse,” Catra whispered before jumping back into the trees.
She ra gripped her sword and shook her head furiously.
“You think some seductive words are going to get to my head?” she hissed and sensed movement from behind her. She turned around but was too late as Catra knocked her to the floor, using all of her force to pin the giant woman to the ground.
“Well...haven’t they already?” Catra smirked as she saw the prominent blush rise on She ra’s cheeks.
Suddenly, She ra’s form flickered and she de-transformed back into Adora.
Adora stared at Catra with wide, confused eyes, her cheeks now painfully, obviously red.
“Adora? Adora!” Bow and Glimmer’s voices echoed the forest and Catra gritted her teeth in frustration.
She wasn’t finished with making Adora flustered but she had to go if she didn’t wanted to be caught.
“Bye Adora. Dream of me, ‘kay?” As she said those words she trailed a hand down the flustered girls face, down to her neck.
Catra’s blue and yellow eyes gazed into the endless depths of blue that was Adora’s, when suddenly a noise erupted from Adora’s throat and Catra froze, her eyes taking in the full picture of the girl beneath her.
“Did...did you just moan-?” Catra asked, a grin spreading across her face and her eyes twinkling in mirth.
“No! I-I did not!” Adora yelled, her voice high pitched. Glimmer and Bow’s voices were getting louder and Catra knew she had to leave.
Catra chuckled and leaned closer to Adora’s face, the saviour of Brightmoon, completely still underneath her.
“Well, Adora. If that wasn’t a sign of desire...then I don’t know what is.”
Without another word, she stood up and sprinted into the forest.
“Adora! Are you alright?” Glimmer yelled and her two friends burst into the clearing, weapons ready.
“I...I’m okay. Catra got away though.”
“Well, there will be another day when she gets caught. The Horde soldiers did do some serious damage on the village though. We need to go help them clean up and restore it first.”
Adora nodded and walked out of the clearing, only looking back once to relive how Catra had made her feel so vulnerable.
***************************
“Scorpia, you should’ve seen her face! It was priceless! A few more days of this and we’ll soon have full control of Brightmoon and Etheria!” Catra laughed and Scorpia smiled.
“So what is this flirting tactic anyway? How did you know Adora would still be affected by it?” Catra lept from her bed and onto the floor.
“I sorta guessed. I knew Adora always got flustered when I teased her when we were younger but I didn’t think it would still work!” Catra cackled and walked to the boardroom with Scorpia following behind her. “All we need to do is keep this up and Brightmoon will be in out hands.”
“Look Catra, I’m glad you’re happy but are you sure you want to go through with this? What if Adora becomes immune?” Catra’s canines glinted as she smiled.
“Oh, don’t worry, Scorpia. It’ll be fine. If anything, Adora hasn’t even faced the worst of it yet and she should be freaking out back at Brightmoon now. She won’t become immune anytime soon.”
**************************************
Back at Brightmoon, Adora was pacing her room again, mentally cursing herself.
She had moaned in the forest. Everything had happened so fast and she had moaned in pleasure to Catra’s touch and it was a disaster. She couldn’t help it. It just happened. Catra had been on top of her, saying all these damn seductive words with that tone that drove her brain crazy and her body had just responded-
Adora fell onto her bed and screamed into the blankets.
“Why? What is wrong with me? I shouldn’t be feeling things like this for Catra! She’s my enemy!”
Yeah, an enemy you want to do all sorts of sinful things too, her brain said.
“Shut up!” Adora yelled to her brain and she groaned in defeat.
She wracked her head trying to figure out what the hell Catra was trying to prove.
“Does she think I like her more than a friend?” she wondered out loud but then covered her head with her pillow.
“That’s not the problem! You freeze up when fighting her and Catra can not have that power over you!” Adora said to herself.
"She...she's with the Horde. This isn't some casual flirting or any sign of attraction. It's...war strategy," Adora said softly, her heart sore at the words.
“Let go of my shirt Adora, unless you plan on ripping it off of me...”
“Or did you dream of us differently...hmmm...like...doing things Shadow Weaver never wanted us doing together?”
Adora could feel the heat rising to her face and could almost feel how Catra’s body had pinned her to the ground.
No, Catra is using your emotions against you. Fight it.
She began pacing again, her brain working ten times faster. She walked over to her window and looked out, envisioning the Fright Zone among the forest.
“I’ll be ready next time Catra, you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into,” Adora hissed and went to bed.
#catradora#catradora fanfiction#fluff#adora#catra#spop#spop 2018#angella#vanilla107writes#vanilla107 writes#FotB
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Smoke and Bullets (Part 2)
Hey everyone! Thank you for everyone who commented and gave kudo's on my first chapter for this fanfic! Please remember to go check out @littleresalu art on Tumblr! It was her drawing that inspired it!
Just a super quick note, I am trying to make it 1920's 'Roaring 20's' historically accurate but honestly, it's driving me a little insane with all the constant research. I don't mind it, but having to check if a syringe was invented before 1920 will make you want to die after researching what women wore in that time period. I will instead use my creative license and bend the rules with regards to clothing and inventions to my will. It won't be huge hectic changes, I just want the girls to wear more lace and look more badass (sorry 1920's but those day dresses were not flattering the image of Catra and Adora).
I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Stay healthy!
vanilla107
xoxo
Read on AO3
Part 1
She Ra Masterlist
******************
It was a grey day in New Brightmoon and Adora and Catra walked to the bank, their arms linked together. Catra could feel the stares from onlookers and she didn’t hesitate to shoot a glare and they turned their heads the opposite direction.
“Catra, remember what we talked about,” Adora murmured and Catra buried her head into the taller girls neck.
“I know, I just....hate the stares sometimes. It’s like we’re always being judged,” Catra hissed. “Just because we’re female and together doesn’t make us any different from other people.”
“I know it’s frustrating but don’t worry, once word gets out that The Sinners are officially done, people won’t be staring because they’re judging, but because we are meant to be feared,” Adora said as she squeezed the brunette’s shoulder comfortingly.
Catra grinned and the bank building appeared around the corner. They walked into the building and walked straight to the secretary.
“Mr. Francis is expecting us. Adora and Catra,” Adora said and the secretary nodded and pointed them to the banker’s door. Before they could knock, the door opened to reveal the smiling face of the old man.
“Catra and Adora, come in,” he said warmly and Catra gave him one of her rare smiles.
Mr. Francis had been one of the main reasons Adora survived when she was let out of the orphanage. He guided her with what to do with her new found wealth as well as became a sort of father figure to her. Catra respected him for keeping her girlfriend steady while she was still in the orphanage.
***********************
“Adora!”
“Catra!”
The two girls embraced and Catra felt her body scream in happiness.
It had been nine long painful months but she was finally free of the orphanage and a legal adult. And she was finally with Adora, in her arms, where she was supposed to be.
Adora smelt of expensive perfume, a blend of flowers and vanilla, and there was a stark contrast to the softness of Adora’s skin to the calluses on Catra’s. The soft fabric of Adora’s day dress to the hard scratchy fabric of Catra’s threadbare shirt and pants was a sight but the feeling of euphoria was real between the two girls either way. Catra immediately noticed the old man, not standing far from them.
“Who’s he?” she hissed, her ears high on alert.
“Calm down, that’s Mr. Francis. He’s the banker who told me about my parents. He...he’s a good guy.”
Catra was not convinced and she walked up to him, her expression stone cold. Adora fidgeted nervously as she watched them from a distance.
“You must be Catra. Adora has told me much about you,” he said with a smile and she narrowed her eyes.
“How am I supposed to believe that you have Adora’s best interest at heart. You could be lying,” she said menacingly and he nodded.
“All reasonable worries but I assure you Miss Catra, that I only want the best for her. Besides being the family banker, I was good friends with Adora’s parents. It was a tragedy to see the family fall apart and...I could’ve adopted her but...I was scared.”
“Scared?” Catra repeated softly as she looked over to the blonde who was talking to a flower seller.
“I wasn’t sure if the gang would be after Adora next and I...I didn’t want to be targeted. I decided that I would watch her from afar and put her in a safe orphanage. Why do you think I put her in this tiny one right across town?”
Catra nodded slowly and looked at the man once more. She would need some time to adjust to him but she did feel like he meant no harm. His smile grew when she felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned around. Adora had bought a small bundle of flowers and handed them to Catra.
“For you,” she blushed and Catra accepted them, her expression softening.
If he really had taken care of Adora these past nine months then maybe he wasn't such a bad guy...
“Okay, Mr. Francis. I’ll be keeping an eye on you but...I think we’re going to be just fine,” Catra said and gave him a small smile.
“I know it will take time, but Adora has told me many stories about you. Let’s go back to the apartment and discuss what shall be done next.”
“Oh, but can’t we stop at the clothing store? Catra’s going to need some new clothes,” Adora said as they walked down the cobbled road.
“Adora, I’m fine. I just need to get a job at a factory somewhere and then I’ll be making money-”
“What?” Adora exclaimed loudly and the three of them stopped.
“What do you mean what?” Catra asked and Adora looked at her puzzled.
“Catra, you are living with me. There’s no way I’m going to let you work in a dangerous factory!”
Catra was happy and shocked all at once.
Adora wants me to live with her? She’s loaded after all so it wouldn’t be a problem…
But she was stubborn and a part of her liked being independent. She didn’t necessarily want to depend on Adora for the rest of her life.
“Adora, that’s sweet but...I can’t depend on you constantly. I need to play my part too, even though you are...incredibly wealthy now.”
“Who said that you would depend on me? I want you to live with me because there’s enough room for the both of us. I also...I also have an...opportunity for you and it’s risky but...I’d like you to hear me out. Can we talk about it at home though?” Adora’s tone had shifted from sweet to something more serious and it sent chills down Catra’s spine.
“Okay...but first food! I’m starving!”
“And then the clothing shop and shoe shop!”
Mr. Francis watched the two girls walk ahead and he sighed. Adora's plan seemed reckless and far-fetched but he knew he couldn't stop her.
“Adora...I hope you know what you’re doing. If this girl really is as loyal as you say she is...will she take a bullet for you?”
******************************************
The three of them settled down in Mr. Francis' office and he shuffled some documents around to make his space neater.
“Okay, so I’m assuming you want to deposit some money?” he said as he sat down at his desk and they nodded.
“How much?”
Adora hid a smile as she handed him the briefcase and he opened it. His jaw dropped and he stared at them.
“Do I want to know which gang this came from?” he asked and they shook their heads as he counted the stacks of money.
Mr. Francis, how do you sleep at night knowing that this money could be tainted with blood? Catra thought.
“Like a baby, Catra.”
Her eyes widened as he smiled and Adora tried to stifle a giggle.
“I know that this money hasn’t come from the most...legal of situations but...I know you girls aren’t bad people. You’re not necessarily killing people for no good reason and even though God might judge me a differently when I die...I’ve lived a good life.”
Catra smiled as he closed the suitcase.
“I’ll put this in the vault. As usual, you are allowed to access it whenever you want.”
He wrote a few things in his finances book and smiled.
“I look forward to seeing you next time girls.”
The two walked out the bank, now millionaires and Adora sighed as she checked her watch.
“We still have a few more hours till the final interrogation. Let’s go to the office and get feedback from Bow and the others,” said Adora and the two walked away. Mr. Francis looked at the couple through the window and he smiled.
"I'm happy you're happy Adora. I hope that today is the day you finally get closure."
**************************
The crack of skin against skin was sharp and Bow winced. Glimmer was sure she was never going to get used to seeing people get tortured as she closed her eyes. It was early evening and after torturing the Sinner’s men for the past hour, it was getting tiring.
Adora gritted her teeth as she grabbed a fistful of creased white shirt and yanked Danny forward. She groaned inwardly as some of his blood flew onto her pristine white shirt and black suit. She had just gotten the bloodstains out of them last week now they had to be cleaned.
Again.
She shook her head and tried to focus on the matter at hand and got a good look at Danny.
It was a shame.
Danny was attractive enough to possibly find a good job and settle down one day but he unfortunately ended up with The Sinners.
“Where were you the night of my parents murder?” she hissed but he refused to talk.
“Catra, the pliers,” she growled and Catra grinned maliciously as she placed the object into Adora’s hand.
The blonde, who was getting incredibly frustrated, forced his mouth open and jammed the tool into his mouth. She gripped onto a molar and pulled. The man screamed in agony as she ripped out the tooth. She gave him an icy glare.
“There’s still a good mouthful of teeth, Danny. Talk if you still want to be able to chew your goddamn food by the end of tonight.”
Catra watched while she leaned against the mahogany desk, her suit the colour of the blood dripping out of Danny’s mouth. Her amber and blue eyes switched back and forth between Danny and her girlfriend. Adora’s mood change from being her lover to the stone cold crime boss she was never ceased to surprise and frighten her.
The Adora she knew was soft and gentle, like her kisses, smelt like vanilla and her voice filled with loving words only meant for her.
The Adora the gang knew was stone cold steel and if you pissed her off, God help you. Word on the street was that she smelt of the blood of her enemies, had sandpaper skin and her words could tear a human apart.
Catra still wondered how Adora could inflict such pain on a person but...this was involving her parents. The parents who had been ripped away from her when she was a child. She could’ve had a good life. Catra watched as Adora yanked another tooth out of Danny’s mouth, his screaming hurting her sensitive ears.
“Stop! Stop! Please! I’ll talk!” he said, his words partly slurred because of his bloody mouth and his swollen cheek from the punch the brunette had gotten in earlier.
“I’m listening,” Adora said as she relaxed and threw the pliers behind her and Catra caught it with ease and wiped the blood off of it.
“I wasn’t exactly there on the night! I was on look out! I didn’t get told a lot of information, see? I was still a lackey, learnin’ the ropes! But Mista Jaw said we needed to kill your parents. That’s all I know!”
Adora sighed and she walked around the room, slowly. Catra knew he was a dead man already but she watched the scene unravel.
“Do you have a family, Danny? Wife? Husband? kids?” Adora asked slowly and he shook his head.
“No...I...I don’t.” “Do you know what it’s like to lose someone?” she whispered and Catra could feel the room get smaller.
“Yeah, my best friend Glen was killed last year.”
Catra tried not to laugh. She had killed Glen last year. She had caught him stealing from their cargo ships. There was only one way to make sure he never did it again and that meant a bullet to the head.
“Well Danny, I’m afraid this is the end of the line. You were there on the night of my parents murder and you chose to let them die.”
Danny was sobbing.
“No, please! I was weak then and afraid! I’ll be your double agent! I could get inside info from Mista Jaws himself! I’ll give you anything you want!”
Adora sighed as she took out her gun and aimed it at his chest.
“Danny, you’re a well known snake. I always do my research and I know for a fact that the Sinners aren’t you’re first gang. You’ve ratted out other gangs before in favour for your own life. What gives you any idea that I would ever put my own gang at risk, hmmm?”
The click of the trigger made Danny cry harder.
“Please-”
There was a bang and Danny’s body jerked back, before his head lolled forward.
Silence echoed the room before Adora straightened up and placed the gun on her desk.
“Chris, dispose of his body. Freckles, find a mop to clean up the blood. Janny, bring up Mister Jaws from the basement. It’s his turn,” Adora said darkly and the three ran off, leaving only her, Glimmer, Bow and Catra in the room.
“Bow...take Glimmer outside. I think she needs some air,” Adora said softly, traces of the kind and sweet Adora coming back.
Bow nodded and escorted the girl out the door and the door closed with a click. Adora sat down on her comfy leather chair and Catra sat on her lap, her mouth gently brushing Adora’s temple.
“That took too long,” Adora mumbled as she gently rubbed Catra’s bruising knuckles and the feline snorted.
“Well, hopefully, Mister Jaws will have the information you need.”
“That bastard better. I just want this to end.”
“Well...what are we supposed to do after this? I mean all of our stakeouts, blackmailing, practically having the whole of New Brightmoon in out hands...what happens once Mister Jaws is done for?” Catra asked.
Truthfully, Catra had never thought of the future. She was always living in the moment, whether it was taking down other rival gangs, practicing her aim, in the boxing ring downstairs with Bow or just being with Adora. Her life had been secured around Adora’s after she had left the orphanage and she was fine with it. Adora was the reason she lived in a nice house, got to eat everyday as well as find out who had murdered her love’s parents. She had made a promise to Adora and she was going to keep it.
“Well, we continue to rule with an iron fist. We can’t back down now once we’ve crushed The Sinners. We'll still have rival gangs and go on like we used to. We’ll still have our supply lines and as long as there are customers buying...we aren’t going out of business anytime soon.”
“So, nothing will change dramatically?”
“No...why?”
“I just...had a few ideas on how we could celebrate tonight…” Catra said seductively as she ran a hand down Adora’s cheek.
“Oh? Like what?” Adora whispered, her eyes flickering to Catra's lips.
“Let me give you a hint.”
Catra kissed Adora softly, her hands gripping onto Adora’s black suit. Adora pulled away hesitantly.
“No...not here. We need to set an example.”
Catra rolled her eyes.
“You are aware that the whole gang knows that we’re together? And y'know, for someone who regularly kills people, you are such a goody goody two-shoes!”
“Still, we need to be professional, sweetheart.”
Catra grumbled and Adora quickly kissed her again.
“Once this is all done-”
There was a knock on the door and Catra sighed as she got off of Adora’s lap and stood up straight.
Adora squeezed her hand before she said, “Come in!”
In walked Mister Jaws, bloody and bruised, with three of their lackeys dragging him through the door. Freckles walked in after, quickly mopping up the blood and exiting the room. Bow walked back in, Glimmer looking a whole lot better. The lackey’s seated Mister Jaws down on the chair and secured his arms and legs to it before standing on one side of the room.
“So, Mister Jaws if you are co-operative you might just leave here all in one piece...what can you tell me about the night of my parents murder?” Adora said she picked up a knife from one of her drawers and got off her chair and walked to stand right in front of him.
He laughed, even though Catra could see it must've hurt his jaw.
“This is what this is all about? Your stupid parents?”
There was a whisper of the lackey's all inhaling sharply. Adora looked at him and she smiled, it was unnerving.
Before Catra could do anything, Adora has pounced forward and cut off his thumb of his right hand. He howled in pain and Adora had fire in her eyes.
“Yes, it’s about them. Now are you going to tell me about the night you murdered them or not?” Mister Jaws was still whimpering in pain and Adora cut off his pinkie finger in response.
“Yes or no, Jaws?” she hissed as he screamed again.
Catra had never seen Adora so angry. She didn’t blame her. All their sources said that he had killed her parents. It was finally time for retribution.
“Yes,” he said weakly.
Adora nodded,“Why did you murder them?”
He blinked as if the answer was difficult to get.
“Why did you murder them?” Adora repeated, her patience wearing thin. The knife hovered over his ring finger and he stumbled for words.
“I...I can’t remember okay! It happened years ago! They were rich and we stole from the mansion!”
Adora put the knife down and she began to laugh.
“A few diamonds and what...a couple thousands was worth killing my parents over? You sick, greedy man. I hope you burn in hell,” Adora snarled.
She walked over to her desk and unlocked a drawer and pulled out a wooden box. She sat down on her comfy leather chair and stared at the man as she took out a cigar from the box. Catra produced a lighter and Adora took it.
She lit the cigar and exhaled, the wisps of smoke making her look almost like a goddess in her leather chair and mahogany desk. Catra moved to stand behind her, her arms draped around the blonde, a grin on her face.
"What shall we do with him Adora?" Catra purred, her breath warm against the shell of Adora's ear. Adora inhaled once more before answering, their prisoner in front of them shaking in fear.
"Easy, kill him." Glimmer and Bow were quiet as they watched Adora smoke the cigar down.
“Hey, you three. You can leave. It’s going to get a little violent in here,” Catra said and the three scurried out, looking relieved.
Catra had no doubt that they were going to tell the rest of the gang downstairs. Adora finished her cigar and reached into the box once more. Bow thought she was going to get another cigar but she took out a syringe filled with clear liquid instead.
“This is one of our dear friend’s latest invention. This type of poison is so concentrated it usually kills someone instantly.”
Mister Jaws looked smug for a minute.
“Can’t even kill me yourself?” he gloated.
Adora walked over slowly, the syringe still in her hand.
“Too bad that this isn’t concentrated. You’ll die a long painful death with one drop of this in your bloodstream. I asked my dear friend to make a special batch for you. You should still be alive for the the next few hours though, withering in pain,” Adora said as she drank in the fear flickering in his eyes.
“No, you’ll regret this Adora! I swear my men will come after you-!”
“Oh you mean the men we all killed? Last night there was a raid on Dock 79. Oh wow, the colour just...drained your face. I struck a nerve didn’t I?” Adora smirked.
“You bitch-!” he screamed.
“You’re done for, Jaws. Enjoy hell,” she said coldly, as she plunged the needle into his artery and pressed down the plunger.
#catradora#catra#adora#she ra#spop#mafia au#vanilla107writes#vanilla107 writes#smoke and bullets#she ra fanfiction#catradora fanfiction
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Smoke and Bullets (Part 3)
Hey everyone!
Okay so a few updates on my life: University is starting for me in a few days and I will need time to adjust to all the new work I will be getting. That being said, the updates won't be as frequent but please know that I will still be writing slowly but surely in the background.
I also used some 1920's slang in this chapter since there is more of an interaction between other people and I wanted to get an authentic feel for the 1920's. Scroll down to the end notes to see the translations! Remember to check out @littleresalu as this is her AU!
Stay healthy!
vanilla107
xoxo
Read on AO3
Part 1, Part 2
She Ra Masterlist
************
Catra watched Adora remove the syringe and Mister Jaws began to scream.
“Gag him and put him in the basement. He should be dead in a couple hours from the pain,” Adora said, her eyes devoid of emotion and Bow nodded and unstrapped Mister Jaws.
Glimmer secured his hands with handcuffs and looked at Adora, waiting for her signal. It was a tradition for Adora, as the leader of the gang, to address the rest of the crew downstairs after they had a huge victory.
Adora straightened her suit and turned around to look at Catra, and held out her hand. The feline could see the Adora she knew coming back, her eyes the crystal clear blue she knew and loved.
It scared her sometimes how easily her partner could be so cold...the coldness she never could peg Adora to possess. Catra walked around the desk and accepted the outstretched hand and watched as Bow and Glimmer walked out first, dragging the fallen crime boss.
Adora could hear the sounds of the gang cheering already as Glimmer and Bow walked out of the office.
“Are you okay?” Catra whispered and Adora felt her stomach squeeze.
“Yeah...I’m all good...just jumpy.”
“Hardly the words I’d thought I’d hear after you killed the man who killed your parents, you goof,” Catra teased and Adora smirked.
“We can’t all be poets like Angella,” she replied as they made their way to the door.
“Well Angella is a rich widow and has time to write poetry. She can’t run a gang like you.”
“Technically...she does…”
“Yeah, yeah, but you’re at the front! And doing the dirty work.”
“Angella can’t afford her reputation to be tarnished with blood, which is why she came to me. Without her I never could’ve done this...” the crime boss murmured as she thought back to the day that she had met Angella for the first time.
************************
Adora walked into the cafe and immediately felt self conscious. She hadn’t realized how under-dressed she was in comparison to the other ladies there, in their fancy day dresses with the latest florals and pearls dotting their necks. Her sky blue cotton dress was cute but still not to the quality of the other women. She could already feel the stares of other woman and the whispers seemed to echo. Adora cursed herself and looked around nervously.
“Maybe she isn’t here. Maybe this was a hoax. Why would Angella, the richest woman in Brightmoon, want to see me?” she mumbled to herself.
She was about to turn around and leave when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Adora? Oh my, you’ve grown so much since I last saw you! Come, our table is in the corner,” the gentle voice said from behind her.
Without a word out of her mouth she was lead to the table and she could see that the other women who had previously been judging her, were now looking at her with envy.
The booth was cosy, well-furnished and brushed by the light of the sun that fluttered from the tall window next to them.
“Here, this is my favourite spot. Tea?” the soft voice asked as they sat down.
Adora nodded and heard the voice order a pot of tea, a plate of sugar cookies and a few pastries from the waiter. While the older woman had been ordering, Adora allowed her eyes to fully take in the female that was sitting in front of her.
Angella was the perfect image of an elegant lady. Instead of following the new trends, like bobbed hair and the little black dresses that emerged from Paris, she still donned effortless wavy hair and a white silk tea dress that just hit her calves. Her sheer stockings with white Mary Janes made her legs seem even longer and her cotton gloves was the cherry on top.
Even though Adora had lived in an orphanage her whole life, everyone knew Angella, the richest woman in Brightmoon and a heart of gold. She was known to donate money to charities and Adora could remember when their orphanage had gotten a donation that lasted them a whole year of decent food. Angella was a mystery to Adora and if anything, she sounded like the women out of fairytales that could grant you your every wish.
But it still didn't make sense as to why Angella had invited her to tea.
“Angella…” she breathed in relief but backtracked quickly, her manners slipping temporarily. “Ma’am! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
The tall woman smiled and let out a small laugh.
“Adora, please call me Angella. I know that it’s a little…strange especially since you don’t know me that well at this point.”
“Oh...Okay…Angella. I…I came here because you invited me but...I am a little confused as to why you want to see me. I don't know you and...I don't think you know me.”
The elegant woman nodded.
“Straight forward and to the point. I like that,”
She took a deep breath.
“To be truthful...I don’t know how to tell you anything without...without making you sad but there’s no way I can phrase this any differently....”
Adora tensed and her gaze locked with the woman in front of her.
“I knew your parents Adora.”
The blonde was silent as the waiter brought their tea, cookies and pastries. Angella took a sip of tea and looked at the girl intently.
“I know this might be a lot to process and you might need some time-“
“-Tell me.” Adora closed her mouth and felt her face burn in embarrassment at her rude interruption.
“Please…tell me everything about them,” she said a little quieter and tried to keep her breathing under control.
Angella cleared her throat before placing the cup down on its saucer.
“Your father and mother met at school whereas your mother and I were neighbours and friends since we were babies. We grew up together. They were young lovers but broke up when your father had to go away and study. Your father had always shown disinterest at studying far away but shocked your mom when he announced he was leaving to business school in two weeks. Broke your mothers heart but after five years they reunited at a mutual friend’s gala.”
Angella smiled, her eyes lost in memory.
“That gala changed everything. Your father apologized profusely but your mother was never one to give out second chances so easily. She made him work for her favour and after five months she took him back. They dated for three years and decided to get married. The wedding was a grand occasion, both families thrilled for the couple. A year later, your mother gave birth to you.”
Adora clenched her tea cup and decided to set it down before she shattered it.
“You were their sun and moon, Adora. They took you for Sunday walks in the park in your pram, always playing with you and they loved seeing you laugh. It was round about the same time that I gave birth to Glimmer, my daughter. We often organized play dates for the two of you and you got along well with each other.”
Angella’s face few solemn and she clasped her hands in front of her. Adora noticed that she was trembling slightly.
“You were two years old when your parents were killed. I was in the countryside with my husband and Glimmer, visiting my sister for two weeks. We only heard the news a few days later. I…I tried looking for you when I came back. I thought you had been killed but I needed reassurance. I was so relieved when I found out you were still alive that I planned on adopting you.”
Angella grew quiet.
“I…I was scared though. The papers never stated why your parents had been killed. I only ever knew it was a gang murder. I didn’t know if they would come after me and my family but at that point I didn’t care. I wanted you to be safe with me. Word must’ve gotten out and the night before I was supposed to sign the adoption forms...my husband, Micah…was killed too.”
Adora found it hard to swallow, the tea leaving a sour taste in her mouth.
“The police had found him in an alley, stabbed to death. I knew I couldn’t afford to risk losing Glimmer too...even if the murders had been two separate cases. I didn’t want the same people who killed your parents hunting you down so I decided to contact Mr. Francis to relocate you to a smaller, lesser known orphanage on the outskirts of New Brightmoon. I wanted him to keep a close eye on you and be the one to tell you the news about your parents once you were old enough.”
Angella sighed and took long sip of tea before taking out a picture from her handbag. She handed it to Adora and the blonde's eyes widened. It was a black and white picture of two women standing together, both smiling. In one woman's hands was a tiny baby wrapped in a white blanket. It appeared to be a Christening.
“Adora, I am your godmother. Your mom asked me to look out for you when you were born and I never break my promises. I promised I would raise you in the absence of your parents and I tend to fulfill it. I know I haven’t been with you most of your life and you may think of me a coward but…I want you to have a good life. You’ve lost too much already.”
Adora felt tears threatening to escape her eyes and she hiccuped into her tea.
“I will try my very best to guide you and to help you if you let me. You are of legal age but...Mr. Francis has told me about your…plan and even though I don’t necessarily agree with it…it is your choice. I can’t force you to not do what you want to do-” Angella was cut off as Adora stood up and walked around the table to face her.
“Adora? Is everything-?” Angella asked with a confused expression before she felt the blonde wrap her arms around her and breathed heavily to stop the tears from falling.
“Thank you.”
Angella was shocked momentarily but returned the hug, despite the shocked looks they were getting from the other ladies in the café.
“It’s the least I can do. I…I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
“No…I...I understand why you did what you did.”
They broke apart and Adora walked back to her normal seat and eyed the sugar cookies.
“Don’t be shy! They are meant to be eaten,” Angella teased and Adora picked up a cookie and grinned.
There was still much she needed to know but Angella...Angella was family. Besides Mr. Francis, Angella knew her parents and had grown up with them.
“One question. Why did you want to meet here?” Adora asked. “I mean, I would’ve been a little cautious if we had met at your house but…you did also make me cry in public.”
“Word spreads fast and in case you haven’t noticed, I am the most influential woman in New Brightmoon. I can make things happen with a snap. So, now that these wonderful women have seen you with me…you will be getting things done a lot easier now...like that sales assistant that refused to sell you that coat you wanted?”
Adora felt her blood boil at the situation that had happened a week ago.
“I have the money! I don’t know why she refused! And...how do you know that?”
“I have eyes and ears everywhere, Adora. I know lots of things that would shock you. But to be blunt, it’s because you don’t look the part. Don’t get me wrong sweetheart, you look very lovely in that dress...but people are shallow, Adora. They take one look at you and decide whether you’re...the cat’s meow or not.”
Adora looked at her dress sadly.
“I know I could afford the clothes you wear…it’s just I… have a plan with the money I’ve inherited and I…I’m still waiting for someone to live with me.”
“Someone? Is this someone…Catra?”
Angella grinned at the fiery red blush on Adora’s cheeks.
“Yes…she’s my best friend back at the orphanage. I left her when I turned 18 and I said I would go back for her when she turns 18 in October. She…she has nothing. No money, no parents whereas…I have money and she…she is my family. She was my only family for 18 years and I can’t lose her. It’s already been torture sleeping alone at night.”
“But didn’t you have separate beds?” Angella asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile hidden behind her cup.
“I…I…I meant that…um-“ Adora stumbled over her words and she groaned.
“For someone who’s planning on forming a gang, you are very easily flustered.”
“I care about her a lot, okay!” Adora yelled and she quietened down when she saw the looks she was getting.
“Sorry…Catra means a lot to me. I can’t leave her when she’s always been there for me.”
Angella smiled as she picked up a beignet.
“I understand that she means a lot to you but please know…some people will not understand. Just be careful.”
Adora swallowed and nodded. She could pick up the hidden message in the widow’s words.
Please be careful of your relationship with Catra and how people will be with her skin colour.
She had always feared the blatant racism from people especially with regards to Catra. The topic always had been sensitive and there had been nights when Adora could hear Catra crying because of the treatment she got from the other kids as well as the caretakers. The bullying was harsh and even though Catra could handle it like a pro as she got older, it still stung.
Adora was sure that their relationship something more than…friendly. Being in a romantic relationship with another woman was unheard of in New Brightmoon and Adora had heard horror stories about couples like her and Catra, who had been killed because of it. Which was why Adora was so driven to make sure Catra lived with her and experience the life she was living.
The life where she could eat whatever she wanted. The life where she could afford clothes she never thought she could. The life where people would talk about them behind their backs because they loved each other but dared to never say anything because of their weathly status.
She wanted that for Catra.
Which is why starting the gang could kill two birds with one stone. They’d find her parents killers and be the most feared couple in New Brightmoon that no one would lay a hand on.
Catra with her determination and willingness to get her hands dirty and Adora’s strategy skills and wealth…they would be unstoppable.
*************************
Catra snuggled up to Adora’s arm and sighed bringing Adora back to the present. The blonde looked at her with ‘the pleading eyes’ and Catra groaned in annoyance.
“I hate it when you do that. Stupid eyes that make me melt,” she mumbled.
The brunette released Adora from her grasp and Adora noticed the slight pout on Catra’s face.
“I promise I’ll give you all the attention you need when we get home,” Adora said as she gave the feline a quick kiss on the cheek.
Catra huffed but Adora could see the small grin on her girlfriend’s face. The cheering was deafening when they walked out and Adora gazed down at the sea of faces from the banister. There was roughly a couple hundred people in her gang and she was proud of how many people they had recruited over the past seven years. Catra watched Adora lean against the banister and smile, her leadership skills starting to show.
“Everyone! Tonight is a night that will go down in history for the Alliance!”
The crowd cheered louder and Catra lowered her ears in sensitivity.
“Tonight, the Alliance is now the number one gang in New Brightmoon. We have taken down the Sinners! And as you can see, Mister Jaws is having a hard time functioning…” Adora smirked as the crowd laughed as she looked at him, his mouth frothing.
“But what I am trying to say is, we could not have gotten far without every single person in this room. Yes, Johnny I’m looking at you, I promise your bathroom cleaning duties helped us all.”
The crowd laughed again and Catra smiled.
She loved seeing Adora happy.
“I know all of you in this room. And every single one of you made a difference tonight. Sure, we’ve had spies before but we dealt with them. We’ve had missions go to shit but we always managed to claw our way out. Most of you know that I lost my parents to the Sinners years ago, and now I can be at peace, knowing my parents are finally at rest. I want you to all appreciate the life you have. It may not be the most...legal one…”
There were a few laughs and Adora chuckled.
“But you have a family and people who would be willing to take a bullet for you. Never forget that.”
Bow started chanting, “The Alliance!” and everyone followed suit.
“The Alliance! The Alliance! The Alliance!” the crowd repeated and Adora blinked back tears of happiness.
“Which is why tonight we celebrate as one. That being said, drinks on me at Salineas!” she announced.
Catra was sure that there would’ve been a riot if Adora hadn’t raised her hands to silence them.
“Just remember to look out for each other tonight. The heat got nothing on us but they wouldn’t hesitate to leave one of us dead. Other than that, enjoy your time! We have a big shipment coming in within the next week so I want everyone to be bright eyed and bushy tailed!”
Catra looked at her partner in crime and felt her heart stop.
Adora was glowing.
Her smile was genuine and she was sure that she had never seen Adora so happy. She couldn’t help but slip her hand in her girlfriends and Adora turned to look at her. She grinned and pulled Catra in for a kiss, catching the feline completely off guard but she reciprocated nonetheless. Catra could hear the whistles and whoops from down below and she laughed as she pulled away.
“What happened to being a good example Ms. Perfect?”
“Screw it,” Adora grinned and kissed her again.
“C’mon everyone! Let’s go to Salineas!” a voice said and the crowd walked out of various exits in the building and soon, it was deserted.
Bow and Glimmer dragged Mister Jaw to the basement while Adora started into the eyes of her loving girlfriend.
“I can’t believe it’s over,” she murmured as she kissed Catra again.
“Yeah...feels odd,” Catra sighed and she could taste the smoke on Adora’s lips.
Most people would be revolted by that but to Catra, it felt like home. They stood like that for a while in each other’s arms until Glimmer and Bow came back from the basement.
“Mister Jaws is in the basement,” Glimmer announced and Adora nodded.
“Glimmer, Bow, you two are the bees knees. Thank you for everything,” the blonde said as she hugged them. As she pulled away she gave Glimmer a concerned look.
“Are you okay? You didn’t look too good earlier.”
“Adora, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to you torturing people but don’t worry! Everything’s jake! Let’s go to Salineas.”
Catra smiled and Adora wrapped her arm around her waist and leaned her head on her shoulder.
“Let’s go, Glimmer.”
***********************
The cat's meow/The bees knees - The best/the greatest
The heat- the police
Everything's jake! - Everything's fine!
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The Best Present Ever (Dadvid)
Heyyyyy everyone!
Long time no see! I watched the Camp Camp season three finale and I just HAD TO WRITE SOME FANFICTION. Don't worry as there's no spoilers in this fanfic so if you haven't watched season three yet, it's all good! I adore how much effort the creators are putting into Camp Camp and I really do hope they make a fourth season! Dadvid is honestly one of my favourite things so I hope you all enjoy reading this and have a good day! Remember that likes and comments are always welcome! (But seriously if you leave a comment I will simultaneously combust with happiness).
Stay healthy!
vanilla107
xoxo
Summary: It's been a year since David adopted Max and now it's David's birthday. Max wants to make it one David will never forget and with the help of Gwen, he opens up.
Relationship/s: Dadvid and Gwenvid
Read on A03
No M/a/x/v/i/d shippers tagging this as M/a/x/v/i/d please.
*********************************************************************
Max was a nervous wreck and he was sweaty as hell. It was David's birthday and everyone he knew was here: Nikki, Neil, Gwen, Space Kid, Quartermaster- every single camper from Camp Campbell. David’s house was decorated with streamers, balloons and confetti strewn on every surface.
David had adopted Max round about a year ago after his parents never came to fetch him from camp. It was a tortuous journey for Max, going through deep depression to uncontrollable rage and bursts of tears over the next few days. David knew that Max couldn’t possible stay at camp forever and there had to be a solution. Gwen was the one who suggested temporarily caring for Max until his parents came round but David didn’t want to foster care Max. David wanted to make sure Max was in a permanent place of love and if that meant adoption for a short time, then fine.
The hardest part was asking the then ten year old to let David temporarily adopt him. David was shaky and he knew Max would hate him for suggesting it but the camp didn’t run during school terms. When David asked Max, Max said yes without even thinking. In his mind, anything was better than his good for nothing parents.
It took a lot of time to get the paperwork in order and an even longer time for the authorities to double check if Max’s parents were never coming back and they finally give in to David adopting Max. The first couple months were rough, Max’s mood swings were off the rail and David almost lost his temper more than once. David knew that the adoption wasn’t supposed to last for so long but Max’s parents never came and after three months, Max stopped hoping that his parents would come and decided the he didn’t care anymore.
He needed to care about what was happening right in front of him.
As the two began to form a routine and get into the habit of living with each other, it got better. Max was still the same sarcastic kid who swore a lot but he smiled more and complemented David when he was feeling up to it. David felt like he knew Max better than before and the moments when they would watch tv and Max would fall asleep next to him, were the ones he treasured most.
Max took a deep breath in and tried to center his thoughts. He grabbed a chocolate cupcake off the table and shoved it into his mouth to try and ease his nerves. The music was an upbeat guitar instrumental and David had really gone all out with food. He had spent the entire day in the kitchen making cakes and finger foods and all of his hard work had really paid off. Everyone was mingling with each other and Max knew that the minutes were ticking down to the moment he was waiting nervously for.
"Max?"
He snapped out of his daydream and looked up and saw Gwen, who looked worried.
Gwen and David had been dating for a while and sometimes Max confided in Gwen when he felt like he couldn’t talk to David. Since Gwen had a degree in Psychology, it was easy for him to talk to her about certain issues that he knew David would not be able to handle.
"Max I know you’re tense but...if you feel that this is too...much...you don't have to do it now."
Max took a deep breath. "I know...but I want to do this. You have the camera?"
Gwen grinned and produced a Polaroid camera.
"I got you, Max. Now, let's go and mingle. I can't have you sweating in a corner for the whole party."
She took his hand and walked outside where David and all the other campers were. He had a glass of juice in his one hand and a chocolate eclair in the other. He popped the eclair into his mouth and nodded at something Nerris was saying. He was talking to Nerris and Ered but when he saw Max his whole face lit up with happiness.
"Max!" David smiled and excused himself from Ered and Nerris. He walked over to the eleven year old and knelt down.
"I was getting worried since you walked into the house and you didn't come back for a while...is everything alright?" David asked his brow furrowed in concern.
Max rolled his eyes but couldn't help the smile on his face.
"Psh David, I just needed to get your present in order."
David gasped.
"You got me a present!?"
"Uh, yes? Isn't that what people usually do for birthdays?"
David beamed with happiness and clapped his hands together.
"Well then let's not waste another minute!"
"Wait David- we don't have to open the presents right now!" Max said in a panic.
Gwen came to his rescue and made up an excuse.
"David wait! We first have to sing happy birthday and cut the cake!"
"Oh! I almost forgot!" David exclaimed and skipped happily to the kitchen.
"Thanks Gwen," Max said softly and he breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Don't mention it. Let's go have cake and try to not be so on edge okay?"
*****************
"Dang, David makes a good cake!" Nikki smiled and patted her stomach.
"I'm happy David had the sense to make two cakes...Nikki nearly ate more than half of the first one." Neil laughed and Nikki stuck her tongue out at him.
Max stuck his fork in his cake and nodded and tried to keep the nervousness down. David was already done and looked very excited to open presents.
Everyone gathered round as David opened his presents. A watch from Neil, pinetree scented room spray from Nikki, dumbbells from Nurf, a helmet and knee pads from Ered, a framed painting of all all the campers from Dolph, a ‘magical’ wooden amulet from Nerris, a gift card for improv acting lessons from Preston, a cactus from Harrison, a book with 100 new campfire songs from Space Kid (everyone groaned when they saw the gift but David was ecstatic), a baseball bat from Quartermaster and a new 1# Counselor mug from Gwen since the last one had broke.
Max's present was last and Max could hear his heartbeat in his ears. Gwen put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and have him a supportive look.
David eyed the green package and grinned at Max.
The first gift was a knitted green beanie that Max had knitted himself. The second was David's favourite chocolates.
"Oh...I need to read this out loud?" David asked as he pulled out a thick envelope and looked at the first note.
Max nodded and watched David open the rest of his present. Max’s stomach was churning and he felt sick as David pulled out a stack of papers and read the note on top.
"David, happy birthday! You're one year older. Congratulations. This present is probably hands down the best present you'll ever get."
This brought a few laughs and David raised his eyes at Max who smirked. He felt the nervousness slip away and watched David as he began to read.
"Last year, a week after your birthday, you adopted me and all the paperwork was done. I finally got to go home with you."
Max was holding his breath and he could feel everyone's eyes on him and David.
"The adoption process was long and tiring but I'm happy I'm with someone who cares about me."
David's voice wavered and Max swallowed a ball of of uneasiness.
“I know I wasn’t the easiest kid. I’m still not the easiest kid but you somehow manage to still make me feel a little more happy everyday that goes by.”
David paused and took a deep shaky breath in.
“I want you to know that even though I have my really bad days, you still make me happy. I know it may not always seem like it, but I am. I remember how often we didn’t meet eye to eye at first but now we hardly have disagreements. I finally feel part of a family.”
Max’s stomach was coiled tightly in a knot as David read the final lines on his note.
"Which is why..." David trailed off and stared at the page. He then held the page in one hand and the thick stack of paper in the other. The thick stack was stapled together and David’s eyes flicked through all the pages.
David was quiet and he looked at Max.
"Are...are you serious?" his voice was laced with emotion and his eyes was welling up with tears.
When the adoption papers had been signed a year ago, Max made it known quickly that he never considered David as a parental figure. Max had done a lot of thinking since that day and he felt that today was the right time.
Max slowly walked over to him and looked up at David.
"I...I want to be part of this weird family thing...I know that I’m asking a lot and I know that once this form is signed there’s no going back but-”
“You...you know that you’re giving me the full rights and responsibilities towards you as if you were my own child...?”
“Yes David, I know! I’ve read the fine print and thought a lot about this and I’m fucking sure! Now can you please for the love of God just say yes?” Max exclaimed.
David was silent and for a minute Max thought he was going to reject his offer. After a pause David looked at the boy with a smile and tears of happiness dripping down his cheeks.
“The answer is yes, Max. You...you can officially take my surname and I will officially adopt you as my own.”
David opened his arms for a hug and Max’s and his vision became blurry. Without a second thought he hugged David, the scent of pine feeling all too familiar and comforting.
Cheers filled the air and Max was pretty sure Gwen was crying and taking pictures at the same time.
“Yes! Way to go Max!” Nikki yelled and grabbed Neil and began dancing with him. Neil was too happy to protest and tried to match Nikki’s steps.
“Now that’s hella cool,” Ered nodded and Nerris grinned as she whispered, “Family obtained. Leveled up.”
Everyone was happy for the family and the party was in full swing. Max had fun but that didn’t stop him from causing a little mischief by setting off fireworks.
Once the party had ended and everyone had left, Max had fallen asleep on the couch while David and Gwen cleaned up. David smiled at the sleeping boy and Gwen nudged him.
“Go on. Tuck him into bed and I’ll clean up the rest down here.”
David smiled and looked at the boy he could now call his son and picked him up and took him to his bedroom.
David tucked Max into bed and gently kissed him on the forehead.
“Goodnight Max...I love you.”
David felt a little vulnerable saying those words to Max since the whole feeling of being his actual parent was real and solid now...but he meant it.
As David walked out of the room he heard a muffled voice from behind him freeze.
“Goodnight David. I...I love you too.”
David couldn't help a few tears leave his eyes as he walked out of the room with his heart full of love. When Gwen saw him downstairs, she hugged him.
“Max has been planning this for a while now,” Gwen whispered.
“He has?” David asked, his voice getting wobbly again.
“Remember what he said David. He may have his bad days but you make him happy. You make him feel part of a family,” Gwen said and kissed his temple lightly.
David buried his head into Gwen’s shoulder and sobbed, the emotion too much for him and she gently rubbed his back.
Upstairs, Max fell asleep finally feeling that he was part of a family that cared and loved him. He wanted David to just propose to Gwen already but everything has a time and a place. David was now his official guardian and no one could take that away from him.
#camp camp#dadvid#its all fluffy and nice and UGHHHHH#fluff#gwenvid#max cc#nikki cc#neil cc#cc fanfiction#camp camp fanfiction#vanilla107writes
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Max's (almost worst) Birthday
Hey everyone! This just a lil something I wrote quite a while back but I found it while flicking through my fanfiction roughs! I am quite busy with university and work in general but I do try my best to keep writing! Hopefully with my holidays coming up son, I'll be able to write more! I hope you all like this fanfic and if you do, leave a comment! (comments drive me to write more, I'm not kidding).
Hugs and stay healthy
vanilla107
xoxo
Summary: Max had been dreading the day and he wasn't surprised when his parents forgot his birthday...again. Little does he know, there are people who still care about him.
Read on A03
Max felt like a deflated balloon. He didn't want his friends to see him and prayed that David and Gwen didn't remember.
He didn't want them to remember that it was his birthday.
He didn't mind that it was his birthday at the camp he had sort of hated but it sucked even more that his parents forgot....again.
It wasn't the first time that his parents had forgotten about his birthday. It was the third year in a row and for some reason he always got his hopes up that they just might remember.
But he was always met with disappointment.
He had been fighting the urge to cry the whole day and when he finally went to his tent after the last camp activity, he was grateful for being alone. He laid down on his bed and the sudden weight of the sadness became too much and he felt the hot, angry tears start to slide down his face.
"Fuck this!" he cursed and screamed into his pillow.
He let out a few more colourful swear words, each one worse than the last, before collapsing into a heap of broken sobs.
He didn't hear the soft footsteps outside his tent or the rustling of the door opening.
"Max...? Are you okay?" he heard a soft familiar voice ask him and he froze.
Shit.
He sniffed and sighed. It was pointless trying to hide how he was feeling.
He turned to face Nikki and his jaw dropped. She was holding a small chocolate cake topped with chocolate buttercream icing and the words ‘Happy birthday Max’ written on it in white icing. There were 11 candles, each on already lit, just waiting to be blown out.
"H-happy birthday M-Max...I made this for you in Baking Camp today...I wasn't sure what your favourite flavour is but e-everyone likes chocolate!" she laughed nervously, still a little shocked to see him with tears dripping down his face.
Max wiped away his tears and got off of his bed. He walked towards her and looked at the cake.
"You....made this for me?" he asked his voice raspy from the crying.
The green-haired girl nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah! I'm not sure how it tastes to be honest....this is the first time I've ever made something without it catching on fire..."
"-Thank you, Nikki," he whispered as he blew out the candles.
The grey smoke curled in the air and vanished and Nikki sat it down on his bed and began to take out the candles.
"It's no big deal! I mean it is your birthday and they're supposed to be celebrated and....your parents forgot...again..." Nikki trailed off, realization hitting her.
Max nodded and stared at the cake and his eyes widened when he saw Nikki produce a knife.
“Where the hell did you get that?” he asked in surprise and Nikki giggled.
“Borrowed it from Nurf. Said I needed to hunt the beast that lives in the woods and he just handed it over.”
As she said those words, she cut two slices of cake and Max could tell he was drooling over it.
He had skipped breakfast and lunch because he just wasn’t feeling hungry but now he felt absolutely ravenous. She handed him a paper plate of the cake and Max took a bite.
“Nikki...I don’t know what you did...but this cake tastes amazing.”
Nikki blushed at the praise as she bit into her piece.
“It took some planning, I’ll admit. I had to obtain quite a bit of chocolate bars from Dolph, get a cooking book from Harrison- that boy can really make a cookbook appear out of nowhere!- and then ask Nerris to put a magic spell on it so that it would taste good!”
Max licked the icing off his fingers and finished off his cake. He handed her back the plate and Nikki cut him another slice.
"I'm surprised you know that it's my birthday Nikki. No one else knows except David and the only reason he does is because he wouldn't leave me alone until I told him. So how did you find out?" he asked in between bites.
Nikki gave Max a sly smile.
"I broke into the counselor's room and checked the calendar. Birthdays are important Max and I make it my mission to know."
"Why?"
Nikki rolled her eyes.
"So that I can calculate when the next full moon would be and who I can sacrifice to the werewolves, duh."
Max couldn't help but smile.
Nikki was weird but a special weird.
They ate the rest of the cake in a comfortable silence and when it was done, Max felt a whole lot better.
"I gotta say Nikki, I'm a little surprised that David didn't remember since he went through all the effort to find out when my birthday is-"
Max was cut off when David and Gwen burst into the tent, wearing party hats and holding presents.
"Happy Birthday Max! I'm so sorry this is so late but things went a little pear-shaped while we were preparing your party-" explained David.
"-And then Nerf nearly ate all the candy, Space Kid screwed up the decorations and Preston wanted to put on a play for everyone and God knows that would've been an awful way to spend your birthday-" added in Gwen.
"But what we're trying to say is, Happy birthday Max! Now come on! We have a party planned and Neil is almost done with your fireworks display!" grinned David as he gave Max his gift.
Max and Nikki stared at the two and burst out laughing.
“Wow...what a way to make an entrance guys,” Max laughed.
Gwen rolled her eyes but she smirked when she saw the empty paper plates and the left over crumbs of the chocolate cake.
“Looks like someone was having a little party right here, David.”
“Don’t you dare!” Max yelled and David chuckled.
“C’mon you two, let’s go celebrate.”
David and Gwen handed their presents to Max and left the tent.
“Looks like they didn’t forget after all,” Nikki grinned and followed them out. “Let’s go! I’m excited to see what they have planned!”
Max nodded and put his presents down and began to walk to the exit. He turned around one more time to look at the blown out candles, the empty cake plate and the presents from Gwen and David.
He smiled for the first time that day and whispered, “Yeah, lets go.”
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I thought we were best friends (Part 6)
She-ra Masterlist
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
Ao3
*****************
“Easy, deep breaths Kitty,” Scorpia murmured as Catra cried into her shoulder.
They were still in the bathroom and Scorpia had found her there a few minutes after their phone call. Catra was sitting on the toilet, while Scorpia knelt down to wipe away her tears with a piece of toilet paper. It was awfully cramped but neither of them cared.
“What happened?”
“I saw Adora here...with Mermista,” Catra hiccupped.
She took a piece of toilet paper and blew her nose loudly. Scorpia was quiet and she furrowed her brows in confusion.
“But wasn’t she dating that Sea Hawk guy? The one who sang all those shanties?”
“Yes, that guy! And now she’s with Adora!” Catra screamed loudly and she dissolved into tears once more.
Her sadness manifested into rage. She hated herself for being so weak just because she saw Adora with someone who wasn’t her. She hated how much power Adora had over her even though she was the one who had called it quits three months ago.
“Why does she still have so much power over me? Why can’t I get over her? It’s been three freaking months!” Catra hissed and hit the stall wall angrily.
Scorpia’s eyes widened and she gently took Catra’s hand in her pincer, being careful to not pinch her.
“I broke it off because I needed to be on my own, dammit! I relied too much on her!”
There was a part of her that knew that she couldn’t move on. Adora had been her whole life since they were kids and even though she resented Adora for it when she was adopted, Catra had looked forward to the day they’d see each other again.
But she was never going to admit that.
“Well...you did leave on rocky terms with her remember? And this whole thing started because she called you her ex-girlfriend. Maybe if you two were still friends it wouldn’t feel this way,” Scorpia said gently.
“Scorpia, I can’t do that. I need to be able to live without Adora in my life,” Catra hissed and felt the all too familiar feeling of jealousy coursing through her.
“I’m sorry Catra...is...is there anything I can do to help you?” Scorpia asked softly.
Catra had just managed to hear Adora and Mermista talking about a mini golf course as they were leaving. Catra hated knowing that Adora seemed absolutely fine with moving on. She wanted her to feel how she was feeling; the burning anger, the bitter jealousy and the overwhelming sadness.
Her mind whirled with evil plans and she gave Scorpia her best sad smile.
“Yeah...there is something we can do.”
**********************************************
“Catra...what are we doing here?” Scorpia asked as the two of them paid for their entrance to the mini golf course. It was partly cloudy but the perfect weather as it wasn’t too hot or too cold. The clouds had gotten darker and Catra could tell it was possibly going to rain that evening.
“To have fun! I need to just clear my head of Adora and this place is perfect!” Catra lied as she tugged Scorpia by the arm and walked to get their putters and golf balls.
“Okay… I just don’t remember you ever saying that you liked mini golf. And… you were crying ten minutes ago because of Adora and now you want to go here?”
“Scorpia...please,” Catra said, adding a hint of desperation to her tone.
Scorpia looked at her for a long minute before sighing.
“Okay, let’s go have some fun. I never would have pegged you as a mini golf person.”
“Are you?” Catra asked and Scorpia blushed.
“I...I think it is fun. Everything is so tiny and cute,” she admitted and Catra giggled at her response.
“Hey, you cannot hold this against me! You wanted to come here!” Scorpia said defensively.
“Okay, okay. I won’t tell anyone!” Catra laughed. Catra didn’t like lying to her friends but her jealousy was too strong. After crying in the bathroom, her sadness was replaced with bitter jealousy and she needed a plan. Her thought process was erratic and illogical but she needed to get Adora away from Mermista as soon as possible. Just thinking about Mermista and Adora together made her skin crawl and her stomach tie in knots.
Adora actually moved on from me?
It’s been three months...so it is possible...?
What does Mermista have that I don’t?
Once the couple collected everything they needed they set out onto the course. The first five courts were outside, each one following a marine theme. Court 1 was dolphins, court 2 was starfish, court 3 was octopus, court 4 was sharks and court 5 was jellyfish. After those, there was an entrance to a warehouse and Catra assumed that there were other themed course inside there. Her ears perked up as she heard a laugh from the warehouse.
Adora must’ve just gone in there with Mermista. We need to catch up.
“Hey Scorpia, instead of doing the usual score sheet, how about we see who can hit the ball into the hole first? That counts as one point. Person with the least points has to buy the winner ice-cream!” Catra challenged.
Scorpia rolled her eyes but she smiled. She wasn’t sure what was going on in Catra’s head but she was happy that Catra seemed to have her competitive steak on. It felt like normal times. She would’ve loved if Entrapta was with them but she had to study for a test.
“Fine, but it better be two scoops on a sugar cone!” grinned Scorpia before she set down her golf ball.
“Do you think Entrapta could join us next time? I think she’d love all the tiny things,” Scorpia asked as she sunk a ball.
“Yeah, sure,” Catra said not really paying attention to Scorpia but more to where Adora and Mermista were.
They quickly made their way through the first courses and moved onto the warehouse. The warehouse was filled with different types of courses ranging from water fountain obstacles, intentional booby traps and stretches of fake greenery. Scorpia was in the lead with three points and Catra with two but she was only focused on one thing.
Where are you Adora?
She spotted the girl on the third course, laughing at something Mermista had said and Catra felt something inside her crack. Catra gripped her putt tightly to stop herself from pouncing on Marine Biology Major. At that moment Scorpia yelled and it was the perfect moment to get Adora’s attention.
“Yes! Another point! Try to beat that Catra!” Scorpia exclaimed loud enough for Adora and Mermista to hear and the blonde locked eyes with Catra.
At that moment, Scorpia noticed that Adora and Mermista were there and she looked at Catra, her face pinched in worry.
“Catra...we can leave now if you don’t want to be here.”
“I...I’ll be fine,” Catra said as she held eye contact with Adora as Mermista hit her ball only to curse that she didn’t get a hole in one.
“I...I could use a hug though,” Catra murmured and Scorpia gladly obliged. Catra sighed into the hug, her eyes fluttering closed for a brief moment before she made eye contact with Adora again.
She saw Adora’s eyes shift between her and Scorpia and the perfect student looked away. This only made Catra angrier.
What the hell? Does she not care that I’m with another woman?
Catra sunk her golf ball into the hole which left her and Scorpia’s score at 4-3. Catra hated how Adora was ignoring her. Is this really how she wants to play it? Not a single apology about leaving her for four years even after she ended their relationship. Even after avoiding each other for three months, now Adora was ignoring her completely? This made Catra’s blood boil as she moved on with the course. They caught up to Adora and Mermista quickly and Catra wrapped her arm around Scorpia’s bicep and sashayed past the other couple. Catra saw Adora’s face drop when she saw how Catra was holding Scorpia and the feline felt a twinge of satisfaction shoot through her. Catra leaned her head against Scorpia’s arm throughout the course and cheered her on, all the while making sure Adora saw all of it.
Mermista, who realized Catra’s presence was distracting Adora, did try to coax Adora’s attention back to her which was incredibly irritating to Catra but she was satisfied with how much Adora saw. Scorpia and Catra finished the course in half the time because they played by their own rules. Scorpia had unsurprisingly won the little competition which meant that Catra owed her ice cream. Adora and Mermista were on their last course and still hadn’t come out from the warehouse. Catra knew she had to do one final thing to put the cherry on top of her plan. They exited the course and handed in their putters and golf balls when Scorpia said she needed to use the bathroom.
“Wait Scorpia, which flavour do you want?” Catra asked stalling and Scorpia laughed.
“Chocolate, duh! You know that!”
“I was just checking…” Catra’s eyes narrowed when she saw Mermista and Adora walk out of the warehouse. Mermista walked off by herself and Catra saw Adora’s eyes land on her and Scorpia.
This was it. Her final shot.
“Hey, Scorpia...can I do something strange?”
“Well as long as it isn’t asking me to bury a dead body then sure-” Scorpia’s joke was cut off when Catra wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her in.
Catra kissed her. Scorpia froze beneath Catra’s touch. When the feline pulled away, she stumbled back in surprise, her face red. “I-I need to go to the bathroom,” Scorpia said with a stutter and she walked off quickly. Catra turned her head to see that Adora was still standing in the same spot, frozen in shock.
****************************
Adora felt her throat constrict and she wanted to throw up.
Is...is Catra and Scorpia…? They just kissed in front of you! Of course they are!
“Hey, I got us two chocolate bars from the snack bar- Adora?” Mermista asked when she saw the girl trying to hold back her tears.
“I think...I think Catra’s moved on…” her voice wobbled.
“Wait, what makes you say that?”
“They just kissed. In front of me. I saw it with my own eyes, Mermista. I thought we still had a shot-” Adora began babbling and Mermista placed her hands on the shaking girl’s shoulders.
“Stop talking. The best thing to do in this situation is to ask her directly if she’s dating Scorpia and leave. She’s already caused enough trouble for today,” said Mermista with an irritated look at Catra.
Mermista hadn’t been blind to what Catra had been doing on the golf course but she had tried to distract Adora for most of the time so that they could still have fun.
“I don’t think-”
“No Adora, I am here and we are going to ask her.”
******************************************
“Hey Adora. Long time no talk,” she said with disinterest as the couple walked towards her.
“Hey Catra…” Adora said softly and Mermista rolled her eyes and glared at the feline.
“I didn’t know you were a fan of mini golf,” she said her eyes blazing with anger.
“Oh, y’know, I just do it to feel relaxed and playing it with Scorpia is just-”
“Cut the crap, Catra. What are you doing here with Scorpia? I thought you two were only friends,” Mermista frowned.
“We are only friends.”
“That’s not what it looked like!” Adora suddenly yelled, causing Catra and Mermista to jump.
Catra’s temper flared and she took a step towards Adora, Shadow Weaver’s words echoing louder and louder in her head.
You need her by your side to thrive. I wonder how you’d fail if you didn’t have her in your life?
“Well, I don’t have to explain anything to you! You were the one who ‘wanted more space’ between us, Adora! That’s why you broke up with me in the first place! What about you and Mermista, huh? When did that become a thing? We’re not together anymore and why do you suddenly care who I date? It’s not like you cared when you left me for four years!”
“Catra…I...” Adora broke off and she put her face into her hands and broke down into sobs.
Mermista put an arm around Adora and glared at Catra.
“Let’s go home, Adora. I’ll make you some tea.”
Catra watched the two of them leave and she cursed that her plan to make Adora jealous didn’t work. She had expected her to lash out, scream or even go full on crazy but all she did was cry. She turned around to go and get ice cream from the snack bar when she bumped into a large figure. Scorpia’s face was void of emotion and Catra felt a shiver go down her spine.
Crap. How long was she standing there? Chill Catra, you can get yourself out of this one.
“Scorpia! I was just about to get you ice cream-”
“-You used me.”
Catra tensed up temporarily but tried to play it off.
“Scorpia, I know this looks bad but please understand-”
“No Catra! You can’t just expect me to understand and be okay with this! You brought me here under false pretenses to get your own petty revenge, bribed me to play the game your way, wanted to hurt Adora on purpose when you haven’t even tried to talk to her in months and then you kiss me! What kind of friend does that?”
“Scorpia-”
“Let. me. finish. You couldn't handle seeing Adora with another girl so you used me instead? You wanted to make her jealous so that she’d come running back to you? Well guess what. Maybe Adora isn’t the problem here! Sure, she abandoned you for four years and then expected you two to be friends again. Sure, she broke up with you first because she needed space. And guess what? Every freaking couple goes through that!” Scorpia was yelling loudly at Catra and the feline could feel herself shrink under the gaze of her friend.
“But that does not mean that you can use other people to cause more hurt on another! Adora probably had to deal with her own problems when she got adopted! Did you ever bother to think about her? Maybe she hasn’t spoken to you because she doesn’t know how to after you broke up with her! Maybe you need to take a good long look at yourself before pointing fingers at Adora and blaming her for your problems!”
“You don’t understand Scorpia! You grew up in a home that loved and accepted you. I never had that-”
“-You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t see you go quiet whenever the conversation shifts to family and us growing up? I know came from an orphanage, Catra. I have no idea what happened to you while you were there and judging from the way Adora acts around you, she doesn't either,” Scorpia’s voice cracked and tears dripped down her face. Scorpia was crying, her sobs making Catra break a little inside.
Catra hadn’t realized how dark it had gotten and she tensed when thunder rumbled. It didn’t take a long time for the rain to start falling. Catra flinched under the cold droplets and saw how deserted the golf course was.
“Adora isn’t a mind reader, Catra. She was probably dealing with her own problems when she moved schools! Adora being Adora probably wanted to prove herself to her new family and school so she worked her ass off. Was it shitty for her to not visit you or reply to your letters? Yes. Does this mean you had to twist the knife so deeply into her back? No.”
Scorpia’s short hair was plastered to her forehead and her clothes were slowly getting soaked through. There was silence for a brief moment before Scorpia opened her mouth again, her words cutting Catra like ice.
“Adora was probably the only person who knew you better than anyone else. If you haven't shattered any possible hope of ever being friends, let alone girlfriends, the night you broke up with her, you definitely have now.” Scorpia’s glare chilled Catra and the muscular woman turned around to walk away.
Catra sprinted forward and grabbed her wrist tightly, despite the rain making it difficult to get a good grip.
“Wait Scorpia! You’re my friend! You do know me!” Catra argued, her tone increasingly becoming panicked.
Scorpia removed Catra’s hand from her arm and continued to walk to the exit of the mini golf course in silence. She turned around to see the feline’s hands clenched into fists and could make out that she was starting to shiver. Her wet hair and fur reminded Scorpia of one of those stray cats who was left out in the rain to fend for themselves. Scorpia held Catra’s gaze for a second before wiping her eyes and saying her last sentence.
“No Catra… this person you are...this person filled with anger, jealousy and bitterness...I don’t know this Catra. I...I don't think I know you at all.” Catra watched Scorpia walk away and she wanted to run up to her and beg, plead or do something to make this better but Scorpia was already disappearing from her sight.
She lost Adora already.
She couldn’t lose another friend.
But her feet were rooted to the spot because somewhere deep down, she had asked for this. She had wanted to see how she could thrive without Adora in her life and she fucked up so badly that she hadn’t just lost the one girl she truly loved.
She had also lost two friends, Adora and Scorpia.
She sprinted out of the golf course and ran, her tears blurring her vision temporarily.
She couldn’t go to her apartment because Scorpia was going to be there. She couldn’t go to Adora’s apartment. Catra ran blindly and when she felt her lungs burn she stopped and tried to catch her breath. She looked around her for the first time and realized that she had found her way to the park and at the exact same space that she had sat when Glimmer had approached her after sending those text messages. The same place that she and Adora had so many of their dates. She sat down on the bench and brought her knees up to rest her head on them. She cried hard and ugly, not caring if anyone saw her. But then again, who would be out in the rain at a park?
“Catra?”
Catra’s ears stood up straight and she swallowed hard.
No, out of all the people to see her like this why did it have to be her?
“Please just leave me alone,” Catra whimpered, holding herself tighter and wrapping her tail around her body.
“Catra, you are soaking wet and are crying. You must think I’m crazy to leave you like this,” the voice said with softness but there was determination behind it.
“Look, I don’t think you’re supposed to care this much about me or-”
“I can when Glimmer has spoken much about you.”
Catra wanted to die as she looked up slowly and saw Professor Angella standing over her with an umbrella and groceries in her other hand. Angella raised her eyebrow at Catra.
“Look, Glimmer was way out of line-”
“Catra, I know. Why do you think she asked Scorpia to meet up with her the other day?”
“Scorpia...met up with her?” Catra asked, her tail going limp.
Angella sighed and handed Catra her umbrella before pulling her raincoat hoodie over her head.
“Come with me Catra. I have hot soup at home and I’ll see if I can get any clean clothes that fit you.”
Catra looked at the professor and she exhaled slowly. She had nowhere else to go and her stomach grumbled loudly.
When was the last time I ate? Yesterday...afternoon?
“Okay, but please...today hasn’t been the best so...can we please keep the questions to a minimum?” Catra whispered and stood up, the rain pattering lightly in the umbrella.
Angella nodded but Catra couldn’t see the small flicker of hope in Angella’s eyes as they walked to her house.
#catradora#adora#she ra#spop#spop fanfiction#catra#fanfiction#vanilla107writes#vanilla107 writes#my writing#shera#spop 2018
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Underneath the mistletoe (Part 2)
Merry Christmas everyone!
I hope you're all having a wonderful day with your loved ones and for those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, I still hope you have a fantstic day! I specfically wrote this chapter as fast as I could so that I could upload it on Christmas day so accept this as a gift from me to you! <3
Stay healthy!
vanilla107
xoxo
Part 1
Read on Ao3
Adora walked into the palace, the temperature rising significantly and she took off her fluffy jacket and walked to her room, still looking at the plushie. She checked the stitching if there was an suspicious sign of tampering with the unicorn and saw none.
“Maybe...maybe she did just want me to have it. It’s not like we ever had these in the Fright Zone…”
Adora stopped at her room door and opened it, just wanting to fall asleep. She undressed and crawled into bed her the plushie cradled in her arms.
“Catra...what are you trying to tell me?” she whispered and fell asleep.
********************************
“Adora! Wake up! We have an emergency!” Glimmer screamed and Adora bolted out of bed.
“What? Is the Horde attacking? Dammit I knew I shouldn’t of let my guard down-” she said as she got her sword and was about to transform.
“Woah wait! No, the Horde isn’t attacking!” Glimmer assured her and Adora froze.
“Then...then what’s wrong?” Glimmer sat down on Adora’s bed and looked at her with big eyes.
“Every Christmas season there’s a Santa Claus that visits a village and the children on the village visit him and tell him what they want for Christmas. It’s a huge deal in Etheria and it’s the one thing I looked forward to as a kid.”
“Okay…? So what’s the big emergency then?”
“Well...our Santa got sick...and we need you to replace him.”
“Wait, I need to replace him? Why me? Why can’t Bow or Perfuma do it? They have eccentric personalities that the kids would love!”
“Cause you’re She-ra! You were once part of the evil Horde and now you’re fighting with the Princess Alliance! It’s pretty legendary if I do say so myself.”
“So...you want me to transform as She-ra and listen to some kids for what they want for Christmas?”
“Yes! And No. You are the perfect candidate and the kids will love you but you don’t need to be She-ra to be an amazing Santa, Adora.”
“Glimmer...this sounds like an awful idea. I don’t even know who this Santa guy is!”
“I’ll give you a run down today. Tomorrow you visit the village and-”
“Woah wait! Tomorrow?”
“Uh...yes?”
Adora stared at Glimmer.
“You already said I would do this didn’t you?”
“I’m so sorry, Adora! But I can’t back out now! I opened my big mouth and said you’d do it and my mom already gave the approval! But look on the bright side! You’ll make a lot of children happy, Adora.”
Adora sighed and closed her eyes. “Fine. But you promise to go into depth about this Santa man. I can’t afford to get anything wrong tomorrow.”
“Yay! Thank you Adora! Get dressed! We need to get the tailor to make you a costume!”
“Wait a costume-? Glimmer this was never mentioned!”
**************************************************************
“Okay so Santa Claus had eight reindeer-” began Bow as Glimmer walked out to get the three of them hot chocolate.
“But what about Rudolph?” interrupted Adora.
“He only came in later to the story but you can include him if you want. Rudolph was the...runt of the group."
“Why? What was wrong with him?”
“He had a bright red nose.”
“He had a what?"
“Oh yeah, it glowed and that’s why Santa chose him to lead him through the snow because it was snowing really hard and-”
“Wait...you’re telling me that Santa had all these other strong reindeer but he chose the weakest one to lead because of his bright red nose?”
“Uh...yes?”
“Okay, this officially doesn’t make any sense.”
“Adora, it’s just a fairytale. It’s not real.”
“Then why are you telling children these things when they probably will believe it?”
“Because it’s fun? It’s a tradition? What do you want me to say?”
Adora threw her hands up in the air in frustration, her tone getting angrier with each sentence past her lips.
“Why would you tell children these things when you know they will believe in them? What happens when they get older? Do you tell them the story and they still believe?”
“Well usually the parents tell the children Santa and his reindeer, well his flying reindeer, aren’t real. Or the children find out. Or something like that.”
“Aren’t...aren’t they disappointed that he isn’t real?”
“Well...I was as a kid. I tried staying up all night once to see Santa and his reindeer but I fell asleep.”
“But...but what about the magic? What about the joy of it all?”
“Adora...I don’t know-”
“-I need to go for a walk,” she announced and grabbed her jacket.
“Adora, wait!”
But she was already out the door, greeting the cold night air.
*******************************
“Stupid Santa Claus. Stupid reindeer with his bright red nose,” Adora huffed as she exited the palace grounds and into Brightmoon.
Adora walked for a while, trying to let go of her anger and frustration but failing. She eventually found a clearing covered in snow. She wiped off the snow on a log and sat down.
“Ugh! What’s the point of even telling that story if it isn’t real?” Adora said out loud.
“What story?” a voice asked and Adora spun around and stared at Catra, who leaned casually against a tree.
“How long have you been there?” Adora growled and Catra waved her hand.
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t following you. I needed a walk and since there’s a ceasefire...I can walk here. You’re not going to go all princess on me for walking, are you?” she asked snidely.
“Look Catra I’m kinda in a bad mood now so just go,” Adora snapped and put her head in her hands. Catra was taken aback by Adora's roughness and looked at the girl curiously.
Adora heard footsteps towards her and she looked up from her hands.
“What’s wrong?” Catra asked.
“You’re actually asking me?”
“Well, mopey Adora is a whole lot more boring that angry Adora, so what seems to be the problem?”
“It’s stupid okay? You wouldn’t understand.”
“Adora, just tell me....even if it is stupid.”
The blonde sighed and looked into Catra’s blue and yellow eyes.
“Do you know the story of Santa Claus and his reindeer?”
“...No?” Catra answered and Adora launched into a full explanation.
After an hour, Catra stared at her.
“So...the story is made up and that’s why you’re sad?”
“No, well maybe but I have to lie to this children that Santa is real and that there are stupid flying reindeer and-” Adora swallowed uneasily and refused to meet Catra’s eyes. “...It reminds me a lot of the Horde okay? How they told us stories about the princesses and how they were killers and I just feel like this is it all over again...only with this story of a fat guy who rides around in a a sleigh of flying reindeer and somehow gets down chimneys to give presents to all the good kids!”
“What do the bad kids get?”
“Um….charcoal?”
“Damn Santa sucks.”
Adora couldn’t help it, but she started laughing long and hard. Maybe it was because this whole interaction with Catra felt so normal, or maybe it was because of their shared hatred for Santa, but all the pent up frustration of learning a fairytale seemed to ebb away. Eventually Catra started laughing as well, their laughter echoed the clearing. Their laughing died down and she looked at Catra gratefully.
“Thanks...I needed that.”
“Why are you even learning this dumb story?”
“I...I have to be Santa Claus.”
Catra was silent and she started to shake with laughter.
“You? You’re gonna act like his seemingly jolly old man? Adora this is gold!”
“I have to. Glimmer needed a replacement and volunteered me. I can’t let the children down.”
“That is so like you. I gotta be the hero! I gotta be this fat man who eats all the cookies and drinks all the milk- Ow!” Catra screamed when something cold and hard hit her shoulder.
Her jaw dropped open when she saw Adora smirking with a snowball in her hand.
“What was that Catra? You want to repeat that?” she asked throwing another snowball.
Catra dodged it and grinned, “Okay...if this is how you want to play it.”
Catra made a snowball and jumped into the trees.
“Hey! Unfair advantage!” Adora yelled and felt a snowball her her on the back of her head.
Adora screamed and made another snowball and managed to hit Catra while in mid air. They chased each other in the clearing, trying to hit each other with snowballs, laughing and shrieking whenever one of them got hit. They fell to the floor, out of breath and only their breathing could be heard.
“Hey Adora?”
Adora felt her chest tighten. When was the last time she had heard those words so sincerely?
“Yeah?”
“You’re gonna look funny in that costume.”
“I know.”
“I’m going to treasure every second of it.”
“Wait...you’re gonna be there?”
“Obviously! You’re gonna look ridiculous and I want to witness every second!”
Adora rolled her eyes but smiled. She was happy Catra was enjoying her time free from the Horde. The only ever came out to fight so it was nice seeing her and not having to transform into She-re every day.
“Ugh, I have to go. Bow probably wants to make sure I know the story.”
“I’m sure you know it. You’re Adora,” Catra scoffed but realized that she had accidently compliemented her enemy.
“Did you just...compliment me?” Adora asked, a small smile on her face.
“No! I did not mean for it to come out that way! Anyway it’s...it’s getting late. I need to go.”
Catra ran off without another word.
Adora sat up and felt the sudden chill and knew she had to get home before nightfall. She walked back to the palace feeling lighter and happier.
“Adora! Are you okay?” Bow asked her as she walked into her room, “You just left and we wanted to give you some space because you seemed pretty angry and-”
“Bow, I’m okay. I feel much better now. Test me on Santa Claus one more time. I think I’ve finally got it.”
**************************************************
“I look stupid,” Adora said bluntly as they did the last check ups on the costume the next day.
They were in a medium sized red tent, getting ready to meet the children of the village. Adora was in her Santa outfit including a beard, and watched as Glimmer stuffed a pillow up her jacket to make her more chubby.
“You look great!” smiled Glimmer, who was wearing a green elf costume.
“Glimmer, stop lying.”
“Okay, you look stupid, but the children are gonna love you!” said Bow as he put on his reindeer antlers.
“Okay but why is Glimmer wearing an elf costume? Where do elves come into the story?”
Bow and Glimmer looked at each other nervously.
“They...they make the toys at the North Pole…”
Adora stared at them before turning around and walking to the opening of the tent.
“Forget I asked!” she yelled as she stepped out.
Suddenly she was greeted by screams and she came face to face with a long line of children. “Santa! Santa!” the children screamed and she sat down on the large golden chair that Glimmer had instructed her to do.
“Okay everyone! If you want to see Santa, you need to be very good and in an orderly manner,” Bow said emerging from the tent.
Adora gulped nervously as the queue started moving.
This...this is going to be a long day.
**********************************
“I want a new dress, a toy car for my brother, my flowers to not die and...a puppy!” Adora laughed and tapped the little girl’s nose, who sat on her lap.
“I’m sure we can make that happy young lady! Remember though, you must’ve been good!”
The girl smiled brightly before getting a free candy cane from Glimmer and skipping off with her mother.
“Was that the last one?” Adora asked, pulling her beard down so that she could talk a little better and Glimmer squealed.
“Yes! Now we just need to pack up and go home….”
“-Sorry, but I think you forgot three people,” a low voice purred and Adora’s eyes widened. Catra, Scorpia and Entrapta stood there, bundled up. Catra smirked at Adora and she could feel the heat rush to her face in embarrassment.
“Sorry, we’re closed-” began Bow but Adora interrupted.
“I’m sure I have space on my list for three more people. After all, I’m sure these girls have been good-”
“Yay!” screamed Scorpia who ran up to Adora and sat on her lap with a huge smile on her face.
Glimmer and Bow looked at the sight in confusion but went back to the tent to start packing up.
“Okay, I want a new set of onyx earrings, a new bed because those bunk beds back home are uncomfortable and...oh and candy for my friends to share!”
Adora was a little shocked at Scorpia’s excitement but played along.
“I’ll see if that can be arranged!” Adora said cheerfully and it looked like Scorpia was going to explode of happiness.
“I… I’m usually on the bad list but… this is the first time I’m on the good list...will you keep your promise?” asked Scorpia and for a minute Adora was stunned.
Was this really the fearsome princesses that kidnapped Glimmer and Bow just a few months ago?
Adora swallowed and saw Catra looking straight at her, her face unreadable.
“I don’t know if I will be able to but...your friends care about you and they will make you infinitely happy,” Adora said softly and Scorpia nodded happily before getting off Adora’s lap and getting her free candy cane.
Entrapta was next, asking for new robotic equipment and improvements for Emily and Adora nodded and said she’d try to get her sleigh to the Fright Zone. Finally it was Catra. Scorpia and Entrapta left to go look at the festivities happening in that village, leaving Adora and the feline alone.
Catra walked up to Adora, sat in her lap and winked. Adora gripped onto her chair, her mind running at full speed.
Catra is up to something. Be vigilant.
“Hey Santa, how’s your day been?”
“It’s been good. Spreading cheer and making children happy is my job. So, what do you want for Christmas Catra?”
“Hmm...a kiss from my friend Adora.”
Adora froze.
“Wh-What?”
Catra laughed and leaned closer to her.
“Or am I on the bad list this year?”
Adora was speechless and she could feel her heart speed up. Of all the possible things Catra could say to her, it was that.
Catra is trying to get under your skin, like yesterday with the unicorn plushie. Just...keep in character and go with it. But...if I say she’s on the good list, she gets to kiss me? Is that what she’s implying? Okay, just RELAX. Go with it.
“Well Catra, unfortunately for you, you made the bad list this year. No presents for you,” Adora said, feeling like she dodged a bullet.
Catra only smirked and leaned in so that she could whisper into Adora’s ear.
“That’s too bad...I would’ve loved to of kissed her. She’d probably taste like gingerbread and sweet icing or candy cane. And she’d be so warm.”
Adora was struggling to function and tried to ignore the weird feeling in her stomach.
“That’s...um...descriptive. You can get a free candy cane though. Those taste sweet,” Adora managed to say without stuttering.
She took out one of the spare sweets she had in her pockets and offered it to Catra in hopes of her taking it and leaving.
She was dead wrong.
Catra unwrapped it and looked at Adora directly in her eyes as she began to lick the candy cane, her eyes shimmering with mirth.
Adora began to feel uncomfortably hot.
Too freaking hot to be in a Santa costume even though it was one of the coldest months in Etheria.
“What’s the matter Santa? You’ve gone awfully red. Are you okay?” Catra purred as placed her free hand on Adora’s forehead.
“I- I’m fine. It’s been a long day and I need to go now-”
“-Maybe it’s that fluffy beard. Let’s take it off.”
Adora wasn’t prepared for Catra to skillfully pull off the beard so quickly and it landed with a soft thump on the snow covered ground.
“There...much better,” Catra grinned as she took in Adora’s full red face.
Adora wasn’t just speechless, she was also unable to move. She had been sitting down for so long that her legs had fallen asleep. Even if she tried to push Catra off of her, her legs would not agree with her moving.
“You look so...beautiful…” Catra sighed as she cupped Adora's face with her one hand and the blonde's breath caught in her throat.
“I...I need to go. I still have many gifts to take to all the boys and girls of Etheria-”
“-Hey Adora, are you done?” Glimmer’s voice came from the tent.
Catra locked eyes with Adora, not seeming to mind that she was very close to the heroine, still licking that damn candy cane and making Adora want to strangle her.
“Bye, Adora. See you around,” she snickered before getting off her lap and walking away.
Adora felt all the air woosh out of her and she groaned in her chair.
“Glimmer, I can’t stand up!” Adora yelled and her two friends walked out of the tent.
“Adora, are you okay? You look red...do you have a fever?” Bow asked as he noticed the discarded Santa beard and how red Adora’s face was.
“No! I just...it’s been a long day and my legs have fallen asleep. Can we please go home?”
The trio went home, Glimmer and Bow mainly saying how proud they were of Adora for doing an amazing job of being Santa. Adora smiled and thanked them but her head was elsewhere.
“That’s too bad...I would’ve loved to of kissed her. She’d probably taste like gingerbread and sweet icing or candy cane. And she’d be so warm.”
Adora could feel her face heating up again and she clenched her jaw in irritation.
“Adora? You’ve gone red again. You sure you don’t want to see a doctor?" Glimmer asked with concern and Adora wanted the ground to swallow her so that she didn’t have to think about Catra.
“No...I swear I’m fine,” she lied.
She was not fine at all.
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I thought we were best friends (Part 5)
She-ra Masterlist
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4,
Ao3
***************
It had been three months.
Three months since Catra had broken up with Adora. And she was still not over the blonde who had her heart. Catra had tried coming up with an apology for weeks but how was she supposed to apologize for the traumatic events she faced when Adora had gotten adopted?
Adora had left her.
If anything...Adora was the one who had to apologise, right? She wasn’t sorry for her emotions because they were valid.
Adora had made no contact with her whatsoever when she left the orphanage and it hurt her every single day but...saying that all she had felt was lust for Adora at Mystacor...that was incredibly harsh. It might’ve a little bit but she wasn’t lying about wanting to be with her.
Catra stared at the tv in the apartment, trying to focus on the movie she was watching but she never could.
All she could think about was Adora.
She was grateful for once that they did different majors. Adora majored in Sports Science whereas Catra majored in Politics. Catra eventually switched the tv off and decided to get a coffee from her favorite coffee shop. Maybe it would help her feel better.
“Scorpia, I’m going to the coffee shop! You want anything?” she yelled as she got her bag, wallet and keys.
“Yeah! A matcha latte would be great! I’ll meet you there!” Scorpia yelled back from the bathroom.
As she walked out the door she remembered the day that they had reconnected. When they had seen each other on the volleyball court that day of their match...it had been quite a moment for the two of them.
*******************
“Yo! Captain Catra, we are going to kill this season with you on our team!” one of Catra’s teammates said as they stretched their muscles in the changing room.
“We are going to beat those princesses today. They’ve had the trophy for too long!” Catra grinned and they huddled.
“Let’s go Horde!” they all shouted before walking to the sports hall.
The screams were loud as they stepped onto the court but they were deafening when the Princesses came on. Catra wasn’t surprised, it was the Princesses home game so naturally they had more supporters. Catra turned to face her opponents when she felt her breathing stop. The blonde hair, clear, determined blue eyes and the smile that could make flowers grow.
“Adora?” she asked and it felt like everything happened in slow motion.
Adora turned away from her teammate and her jaw dropped, “Catra?”
They seemed to stare at each other for hours but a sharp whistle broke through the air.
“Okay ladies! Let’s get this game going!” yelled one of the coaches and before either of them could say another word, the ball was in the air.
After an hour, the ball slammed down on the Princesses court and the Horde shrieked as they won their final point.
“Catra! Catra! Catra!” her team chanted as they picked her up and carried her back to the changing rooms.
Catra tried to get a good look of Adora but she was hugging her teammates and saying encouraging words to them. After a warm, refreshing shower, Catra walked out of Brightmoon High School and to the gravel parking lot with her team.
“We should totally get celebratory milkshakes guys!” said Kyle, their water boy, as they trekked across the car park.
“That sounds good-” Catra started but heard quick footsteps behind her and her reflexes kicked in, causing her to face her attacker but instead she saw the bluest eyes.
“Catra!”
She was hit with a heavy weight on her body and she stumbled before opening her eyes.
“Adora? It’s really you?” she whispered and Adora laughed.
Catra felt the overwhelming urge to push Adora off of her and scream.
Why are you so happy to see me when you never visited? Why are you acting like we’re still friends?
“Oh Catra, I’ve missed you so much!” she exclaimed hugging her harder and Catra felt her anger disappear.
“I...I missed you too,” she said softly and hugged her friend back.
Her ears twitched as she picked up a gasp from her teammates as well as Adora’s. The Princesses and The Horde were strict rivals in volleyball and it had been going on for years. Catra also wasn’t a hugger at all. So she could only imagine what her teammates were thinking when she accepted a hug not from any old person but from a Princess.
“Congratulations on your win! I’m looking forward to our next one but don’t be too cocky. We’ll definitely bring our A game!” Catra rolled her eyes but grinned.
“Get used to losing, Adora. It’s not going to be easy with me as Captain.”
Adora smiled but the competitive streak was gleaming in her eyes.
“Oh really? Well then, why don’t we meet up after school sometime? Maybe you can have some extra practice with me and get used to losing again,” she said with a wink.
Catra could feel the blush rising to her cheeks and she knew that she had to respond. Adora was teasing her and she damn well knew that she was doing it just to get a reaction out of Catra. She couldn’t look like a complete dork in front of her team, The Princesses and Adora.
So she did the next ballsy thing she could think of.
She took a step forward and kissed Adora lightly on the cheek. It was soft, lingering but Catra knew what she was doing. Adora smelt like her fresh pine scent, something that never changed. She could feel Adora freeze up and she was sure Kyle had fainted. She heard Adora gasp softly and she smirked as she leaned close to the shell of Adora's ear.
“Heh, nice try Adora but you’re going to have to try a lot harder to let my guard down. Anyway, I have some celebratory milkshakes to get with my team. Till next time,” she said smoothly.
Before she walked away, she felt Adora’s arm on her shoulder.
“Fine, if you want to play it like that,” Adora scoffed and turned Catra’s arm around so that her wrist was exposed.
Adora wrote her number down in a marker and she smiled as she finished. “When you’re done reaping your win, message me,” with that she winked and walked back to her teammates who began assaulting her with questions.
Catra knew she was going to get the same treatment so she mentally prepared herself as she turned around to face her team.
“Catra…? Are you going to explain-?” Lonnie asked as they turned away from the scene and began walking.
“She’s an old friend. Not a big deal but this will definitely make the matches a lot more interesting,” she smirked as the left the parking lot.
“But you- you kissed-?”
“Kyle, it was just a bit of friendly rivalry teasing.”
“That sounds ridiculous,” Lonnie annoyingly.
“Do you have a problem with how I run this team Lonnie? Or do you have something you want to say to all of us?” Catra glowered and that seemed to shut her up.
Afterwards the tension eventually lifted and they collapsed into friendly conversation and talking about the highlights of the game. Catra on the other hand, kept glancing at her arm to make sure Adora’s number was still there and not fading away.
She never wanted Adora to fade away from her life ever again.
****************************
Adora sat in her apartment drinking tea. It was a lot colder now and she made sure she bundled up. She looked out the window, the clouds grey but held no promise of rain.
Don’t worry Adora! You’ll get over Catra in no time!
Glimmer had said that exactly three months ago and she wished she could but nothing worked. She had tried clubbing, meeting new people, drinking so much that couldn’t remember what had happened the night before (Bow and Glimmer were there for her when she woke up and kept her from doing anything stupid at the club) as well as throwing herself into her studies. There was one thing she hadn’t tried but she knew it would end in disaster.
Dating.
Technically, Adora could date someone but she knew she wasn’t ready. She still cared deeply about Catra and she kept wondering back to the day that Catra had broken up with her.
“You left me, Adora. How was I supposed to ever believe you were going to be there for me, when you left when I needed you the most? I sent you letters! I snuck out and tried phoning you and you never visited. And you promised you would.”
Adora had tried to come up with ways to apologize but it all seemed futile.
How do you apologize for never contacting someone after four years?
She had faced her own set of problems when she had been adopted like getting used to her new family, going to Brightmoon High School and trying to fit in. Being an orphan all your life meant not really keeping up with the latest fashion and pop culture and Adora had made Adora an outcast for the first few days at school.
Eventually Perfuma came into her life and after helping Perfuma with saving her gardening club, they had become good friends. She then met Frosta and Mermista at the volleyball team tryouts and was ecstatic when they all made the team. Perfuma attended every volleyball game to support Adora. Adora then met Bow through archery club and they became friends quicky with Bow’s patience to teach Adora how to hit a bullseye. Spinnerella and Netossa where the Captains of the volleyball team and were the oldest. Adora saw them as mentors and they always treated the team after winning a game. Entrapta and Adora had briefly met but she transferred schools soon after. She began throwing herself into school and her new friends but she never forgot Catra. She did get her letters and she read them all but she would get side tracked with homework and volleyball practice.
That still wasn't a good excuse for never visiting.
Adora sighed and put her tea down on the coffee table in front of her and she pulled her legs to her body, making herself as small as possible. She felt tears in her eyes but she didn’t try to stop them.
“If only I had been a better friend. Why did I just abandon her like that?” Adora sniffed and buried her face into her knees, crying quietly.
“Adora! We’re home! We bought your favourite cookies-” Bow exclaimed, with Glimmer behind him, but then he stopped, seeing the state of his friend.
“Oh Adora,” Glimmer whispered and she took a seat next to her and hugged her. Bow took out the cookies from the shopping bag and sat down as well, trying to calm the crying girl.
“I’m sorry guys. I know it’s been months since the break up but I can’t just forget about Catra or our history. I want to talk to her so badly but everything I think of sounds pathetic!”
Glimmer looked down guiltily and Adora squeezed her friends hand.
“Stop, you know it’s not your fault that we broke up, right? If anything...it revealed a whole lot about Catra I didn’t know about. I...I don’t know if I ever would’ve known if you hadn’t punched Scorpia in the face...even if it wasn’t the best thing to do.”
“I know- it’s just...I feel like I made things ten times more difficult for you. Scorpia is...actually super nice.”
Adora and Bow looked at her in confusion.
“You...you met up with Scorpia?”
“Yeah, a few days ago actually...I wanted to apologize for punching her in the face. She was a little surprised that I wanted to meet up but we sorted it out. She’s...she really cares about Catra a lot…” Glimmer trailed off. “Turns out that I have really low alcohol tolerance and drank too much. I think running out into the cold after being at a hot club was what made me really sick and the hangover did not help. I was insecure about making friends and you were the first person I met here. I wanted to be a good friend after hearing about your break up...I wanted to protect you from Catra. She caused you so much hurt and I was angry that she didn’t seem to see it.”
“Scorpia...she didn’t poison you?”
“Oh goodness no! Scorpia would never do that!” Adora nodded and put her head on the back of the couch. “But...did you really have a crush on me?” Adora asked and Glimmer blushed.
“Yes...I did. And I was jealous of Catra and how well you two just clicked. But Bow helped me sort through my feelings. I knew you and Catra were inseparable and I never should’ve stuck my nose into your business.”
Adora nodded and laid her head on Glimmer’s shoulder. “I just wish I knew what to do. Or just to forget about it for a little while. Everything I try just makes me think of Catra.” she murmured and closed her eyes.
Glimmer and Bow shared a smile.
“Which is why we downloaded this app on your phone!”
Adora’s eyes snapped open and she stared her phone that Bow was dangling in front of her.
“You did what?”
“Adora, it’s not a dating app, we know you aren’t looking for anyone right now. It’s more of a meet up and talk app. Look we know you miss Catra but when was the last time you talked with Mermista after high school?” Bow smiled.
“Mermista is on the app?”
“Yeah! She wants to meet up with you for lunch today It’s already been arranged.”
“Guys…I’m not sure...” Adora mumbled.
“Adora, we understand you don’t want to necessarily talk to anyone right now but you’re going to evolve into a hermit crab if you spend another day in this apartment.” Adora looked at the app and scrolled through the messages that Mermista and Bow had exchanged. If anything, it just looked like a normal meetup. Nothing weird or trying to set her up with someone new.
“Okay fine. I’ll go but you two owe me for making a profile of me without my permission!”
************************************************
Adora shifted nervously in the both were she was meeting up with Mermista. Her iced tea was too sweet and she felt sweaty all over. She had arrived a few minutes early just to mentally prepare herself.
“Adora, long time no see,” Mermista’s velvety voice said as she slid into the opposite side of the booth. Mermista was a Marine Biologist major and went to the same university as Adora, it’s just that their campuses were quite a distance from each other and it was difficult to meet.
Mermista hadn’t changed much since high school, same chic style and ‘I don’t care’ attitude but she had gotten a nose ring, which Adora thought suited her personality.
“Hey Mermista! It’s been ages!” Adora said a little too loudly and Mermista blinked slowly.
“Yeah it has...what are you having it looks good.”
“Oh, iced tea! It’s really...sweet! Yeah....sweet!” Adora said and realized how awkward she was being trying to advertise her drink.
“Adora...are you okay?” the girl asked as she ordered her ice tea. The blonde was silent and she sighed heavily.
“I...I’m not. I’m sorry that you dragged yourself here to catch up-”
“Adora. It’s fine,” Mermista said with a rare look of concern.
“It...it is?”
“I know that you and Catra broke up and I...understand that you’re still healing. I...I know what you’re going through,” she said softly and realization clicked.
“Did...did you and Sea Hawk...?”
A waitress placed Mermista’s iced tea down and she took a long sip.
“Yeah. What’s funny is that he broke up with me. He said we needed space which is freaking weird since he was the one who couldn’t stop spending time around me when we started dating! I guess...I guess I became too possessive of him when we got to university. I understand his reasons for ending our relationship but…” Mermista trailed off and Adora saw tears in the dark girls eyes.
Sea Hawk and Mermista had been the power couple in high school. Everyone thought it was hilarious how he would try to do these huge acts of romance and Mermista would constantly reject him. Eventually, he saw no point in trying to be with her and stopped, making Mermista realize that she liked him and how he treated her (even if it was a bit much at sometimes). Mermista had asked all her friends to help her pull off a grand romantic gesture (which ended in disaster) but Sea Hawk had been brought to tears. They went out on their first date and had been together since then.
Hearing that they broke up...it pained Adora to see Mermista so sad even though she wasn’t one to show usually her emotions.
“I miss him. I think of him all the time,” she choked out.
Adora gently put her hand on top of Mermista’s and she gave the girl a small smile.
“Looks like we're in similar situations. How about we ditch this place and go for a walk on the beach? I know the sea helps you think.”
“No...not the beach...Sea Hawk took me there all the time. How about the park?”
“Uh...let’s not go there...Catra and I had most of our dates there.”
“Well shit, we can’t go anywhere without remembering our exes, huh?” Mermista laughed.
Adora felt her heart squeeze a little at the mention of the word ‘exes’ and she tried to not think too deeply about it.
“How about....mini golf? It’s not too expensive and it opened a few months back. We can go check it out!” Adora suggested hopefully.
“Hmmm, sounds tedious but...that’s what I need right now,” Mermista nodded, a small smile on her face.
The two of them walked out reminiscing of their high school days and laughing.
***************************************************
Catra turned around from the cashier to watch Adora and Mermista leave, two coffee cups in her hand. She hadn’t heard any of their conversation but they had just left together, laughing.
No...it can’t be. Mermista...Mermista was dating Sea Hawk right? That goofy guy who sang sea shanties all the time. Wait, maybe they’re just friends? She seriously couldn’t be dating-?
She was trembling slightly and rushed to the bathrooms. She locked herself in a stall and tried to control her breathing.
“Has...has Adora...moved on?” she said whispered and felt her throat close.
She gasped and phoned Scorpia.
“Hey! I’m at the coffee shop! Where are you sitting?” Scorpia answered and Catra let out a strangled gasp, trying to get air into her lungs.
“Catra? Is everything okay?”
“No...no it’s not,” Catra managed to say before she cried. Her tears hitting the wooden bathroom floor and staining the floor, almost like how Adora had stained her heart.
#she ra#she ra fanfiction#vanilla107 writes#vanilla107writes#catradora#glimmeradora#scorpia#catra#adora#spop#spop 2018
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