Chapter Text
Prologue
If the people of Etheria had to be known for one thing, they would be known for their loud parties and their tendency to throw grand celebrations for any occasion they saw fit. So, what better way to infiltrate the enemy’s territory by attending one of these parties disguised as a guest? The thumping music and bustling atmosphere would make easy work for a Horde spy to slip in and gather information undetected. Knowing this, the Horde decided that their cadets must be equipped with the skills needed to blend into these crowds and one of them included knowing how to perform a popular dance the people of Etheria loved– the ballroom dance.
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Chapter 1
The Horde
1.5 years before the war
It was another blistering hot afternoon in the Fright Zone and the Horde’s full metal structures made it feel like you were a pie being baked in an oven. Along one of the metal hallways, the sound of two pairs of feet pounding down on the floor, accompanied by a string of juvenile insults, could be heard.
Catra yanked Adora’s ponytail back, determined to win the race of who could reach the dance room first. Initially, Adora had a head-start. She had raced down the hallway while Catra was still keeping her sparring gear and called out that ‘the last one there is a dumbface’. It turned into a dirty race of hair pulling, shoulder shoving and foot tripping. It didn't start out fair so it certainly wasn’t going to end fair.
The young girls closed in on the dance room, both sharing the taste of victory on the tip of their tongues but only one of them would be able to fully relish its sweet flavour. Adora shoved Catra into a wall before slamming her fist down on the door’s keypad. The door to the dance room opened but before Adora could enter, Catra managed to recover quick enough to grab Adora’s hair, yanking her back again. Catra thrusted Adora behind her and used that same momentum to slip through the open doorway, claiming victory.
“That was way too easy. You should cut that dumbface ponytail off then maybe you’d stand a chance at winning.” Catra teased, now twirling around the big empty room with her arms stretched wide open. “Or don’t. I wouldn’t mind you losing all the ti– “.
Adora lunged at Catra, knocking them both to the floor with a solid thud. They began pulling and tugging at each others’ hair, limbs and clothes, both girls trying desperately to gain the upper hand and pin the other down.
“You cheated!”
“You cheated first!”
“Cadets!” Octavia entered the dance room. “Was the sparring session not enough for the both of you? Get up from the floor.”
Adora and Catra sprang up to salute Octavia, their bodies going as straight and rigid as a rod. “Force Captain Octavia. Our apologies. It won’t happen again.” Adora spoke for both of them, a light blush stinging at her cheeks.
Octavia eyed the girls. It wasn’t their first time getting caught like this. But Octavia knew Adora and Catra were promising soldiers, always out-performing their fellow cadets in every class, even in dance. As unconvinced as she was, she decided to let them off. “Your technique was horrendous and you’d both be killed in an instant. Get ready for dance lesson. You are dismissed.”
The girls relaxed and fellow cadets started filing into the room. The dance room was spacious and had a high ceiling. Stacks of chairs were lined up along the walls adjacent to its entrance and a small desk with a sound system was stuffed into a corner. The cadets took their places at their usual spot with their assigned dance partner where they all formed a big circle in the middle of the room. A strange mix of indifference and relief started to permeate the air as more cadets came in. While some were happy to take a break from the gruelling training the Horde has to offer, most were unenthusiastic and would rather be back in their bunks sleeping.
Adora and Catra, however, loved to dance. Some days it was the only thing they looked forward to. The girls would never admit it out loud, but they enjoyed dancing with each other more than they did tackling or sparring or even stealing grey bars from Kyle.
Sometimes, when they were meant to be sleeping, they would sneak away from their bunks and out into the dark hallway where they would dance. Or if the moons were big and full that night, they would climb up onto the rooftops outside where the night guards weren’t patrolling and the only sounds that could be heard were their giggles and their hearts beating in unison.
Adora and Catra made their way to their usual spot and stood facing each other. Catra’s eyes narrowed and a smirk crept along her face. She lifted a single fingernail and pressed it against the middle of Adora’s forehead. “You could fill Etheria’s entire ocean with just the sweat dripping from your forehead.”
Adora swatted Catra’s hand away. “You’ve already made the forehead joke today. And it's hot, dummy.” Catra let her hand drop at her side, a smirk still plastered on her face.
Octavia clapped her hands together before announcing, “Alright. Take your places, everyone. We’re going to continue what we practised last week.” She began to turn away when she stopped in her tracks and turned to face Kyle. “Oh, and Kyle..” Every head turned to where Kyle was standing. “Let’s not have another ‘break-dancing’ incident this time, shall we?”
Octavia walked over to the sound system and turned it on. The speakers popped as it was jolted awake by the surge of electricity flowing through it. Soon, smooth melodic music started to fill the vacant spaces of the room and made its home in the cadets’ ears. It was briefly distrubed by a crackling sound as Octavia adjusted the volume knob.
Those sounds– the crackling, the popping. Adora and Catra loved to hear them. No matter how jarring it sounded to others, it signified to the girls that they had a reason to dance. That they could dance openly. That they wouldn’t get teased like they did when a few cadets caught them stealing a twirl or a dip in the locker rooms when they thought they were alone. That right now, they didn’t have to think about their duties as Horde soldiers and they could instead let the music swallow them whole and transport them into a different world where no one could disturb them.
Simultaneously, every pair reached for their partner, some begrudgingly. Each pair was made up of a follower and a leader and even though Catra assumed the follower role, she always held out her hand to Adora first.
“May I have this dance?” Catra asked with a playful upturn on the corner of her lips, exposing the pointed part of her canine teeth. Catra always asked this question before they danced and no matter how many times she asked, a blush would always threaten to take over Adora’s face. Luckily for Adora, she already had a pink flush thanks to the sweltering heat.
Adora was aware of Catra’s teasing. She noticed recently that the teasing ramped up ten fold and it felt as though Catra’s new hobby was to find different ways to make Adora’s face turn as red as her uniform. But Adora would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t like it. Every flash of a playful smile or teasing touch of a sharp nail or a tail sweeping strategically across her legs would send fireworks reverberating through her entire body. But despite her heart hammering in her chest and the blood rushing to her face every time Catra asked that question, she refused to give her any satisfaction and feigned indifference. Adora swallowed and replied as coolly as she could muster, “How chivalrous of you.”
Adora accepted the waiting hand and Catra’s face suddenly contorted into a grimace. “Ugh! Your hands are all sweaty again.” Something stirred in Adora’s chest. If Catra could tease then so could she. With her aloof facade filling her with confidence, she tightened her grip and pulled Catra towards her, their torsos now touching. “Shut up, dummy.”
Catra’s eyes widened with surprise at Adora’s bold retaliation for a split second before returning to her usual narrowed gaze. Adora felt, in her mind, that the pink tinge now growing on Catra’s cheeks was a fair trade.
Once Octavia saw that everyone was ready, she counted them in, in time with the music. Feet started shuffling against the dance room floor. The room started to move slowly, like old rusty machine gears being brought back to life after years of neglect. Each pair was trying to find their pace and footing, easing into the rising and falling motion of the dance. Octavia clapped to the song’s time signature, helping the cadets keep to the tempo. She was like a hawk, observing the room from the sidelines. She kept an eye out for improper posture or incorrect footwork and whenever she caught one, she made no hesitation to point it out.
“Keep your chin up, cadet.”
“Watch your footwork.”
“Let keep to the tempo, cadets.”
“Kyle! What on Etheria are you doing now?!”
But with Adora and Catra, she need not have glanced at them at all. Right from the start they immediately fell into rhythm. Their feet gilded expertly along the floor, not making a sound. They followed the music, letting it take them away into their own little bubble. When the Horde first incorporated dance lessons into their curriculum, they were hesitant. But they quickly learnt it felt something like sparring. With sparring, you have to be intune with your opponent–anticipating their every move, countering it swiftly and striking back. In order to do that, your body has to manoeuvre in a way that is fluid, precise and confident, much like it is when you dance.
As the music intensified, so did their movements. They were dancing with such precision and vigour that some cadets couldn’t help but stop and stare. Their blissful energy radiated throughout the room, collecting and gathering the cadet’s attention one by one and pulled them into a trance. They watched as the two executed spins gracefully, their footwork so precise you would think they had been dancing with each other for a lifetime. Soon, every pair caught on to what was happening and stopped, captivated by their exquisite display. They watched not with envy, but in awe.
Adora and Catra were oblivious to the stares that surrounded them. Their only focus was on each other and the music that drove them. Their eyes never left the other and the world around them turned into nothing but a blur of colours that made up the dance room.
They spun and spun and spun, commanded by the music entwining itself around their heads, matching the rising intensity of the song as it neared its end. On the final powerful note of the song, Adora led Catra into a dip, a move they had practiced countless of times that now came naturally to them. Catra let Adora take her weight, entrusting her dance partner to support her. It is at this point of their dance, as the last note of the song rang out into the air and dissipated, that they felt as if nothing could come between them. As long as they were together spinning, dancing, giggling, smiling, holding each other in their arms, nothing would dare hurt them. Having their arms wrapped tightly around marked a silent promise of security and protection.
Their chests heaved up and down, blowing hot breaths in each other's faces as they tried to catch it. Adora’s damp shirt clung to her torso and this time Catra didn’t mind the sweat. In truth, she never minded at all.
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Night fell and Adora tossed and turned in her bed. She willed her mind to shut off, but the more she forced herself to relax, the more restless she got. Adora kicked the sheets off with a huff and stared at the bottom of the top bunk’s mattress. She couldn’t lie still. Her mind was racing at a hundred miles per hour. She couldn’t stop thinking about what Shadow Weaver said about the possibility of a promotion for her in the near future. Shadow Weaver told her that she had the potential to become a great leader. To lead the Horde to victory one day. Adora should have been flattered, proud of herself even. But, she felt nothing but dread. It was too much for her.
Adora already channels all her energy into being the perfect soldier Shadow Weaver envisions her to be. But even her best isn’t perfect. Shadow Weaver lets slide a slip up or two. She’s still a cadet after all. However, she was told if she was to be promoted to Force Captain, there would be no more room for errors. Everything would be so different and she feared that her relationship with Catra would change too.
Adora couldn’t get a full breath of air in. Her thoughts of the ‘what-if’s’ and new responsibilities were suffocating her. Her body was hot, her mouth dry. The room suddenly felt like it was shrinking, leaving less room for her thoughts as they began to press down on her chest, squeezing the air out of her. She was struggling to breathe, only managing to take short quick breaths. The room kept shrinking and shrinking, her thoughts pressing down harder and harder until Adora couldn’t take it anymore. She bolted for the door. She ran down the hallway as fast as she could, not daring to look back in case her thoughts were following her. She didn’t want to see them if they were. She ran to the only place she felt safe.
Adora let her feet dangle off the edge of the roof top structure. The wind howled and whipped at her face, sweeping her hair back. The moon was full tonight and gently illuminated the ground and structures below. She took a deep breath of the cool night air in, relieved to finally be able to breathe. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the wind and the dull humming of the Horde’s machinery. Here, her mind went still. She thought of nothing. She only wished Catra was beside her.
“You okay?”
Adora twisted around to see Catra standing behind her, a worried look on her face. Adora tried to smile, but she felt it came out more like a pained grimace. “Yeah. Just needed some air. Did I wake you up?”
“You kicked your blanket on top of me, so yeah. I was about to throw it back but you looked… panicked. I asked what was wrong and you ran away.”
“Oh. Yeah. Sorry.”
She felt Catra slump down beside her and Adora rested her head on Catra’s shoulder. They watched as dark clouds slowly inched across the blackened sky. They sat together like this for a while, not saying a word. They didn’t need to.
Adora was the first one to break the silence. “Do you think we’ll stay friends forever?”
Adora could feel Catra shift. “What makes you say that?”
“I don’t know. Shadow Weaver said I might become a Force Captain,”
Catra pushed Adora off her shoulder and looked at her with wide eyes. “That’s great, Adora! Why do you look so sad?”
Adora twisted her fingers in her lap, avoiding Catra’s gaze. She thought about it, selecting her words carefully, the silence stretching on as every second passed. “Because I don’t want to lose you,”
Catra cocked her head. Her voice came out softly, “How would you lose me? I’ll be right here, dummy.”
Adora sighed. “Being a Force Captain means taking on more responsibilities. We won’t have time to see each other because I’ll be so busy doing… Force Captain-y things! I’ll be with the other Force Captains planning operations and they have their own separate units to sleep in. I would even have to start giving you orders!”
Catra gazed up at the pitch black sky solemnly, then back at Adora. The wind howled again in the distance. “Well, maybe you’re right. Maybe we won’t see each other as often,” Catra placed a hand on top of Adora’s, “But that doesn’t mean we won’t still be friends. Force Captain or cadet or whatever, we’ll always look out for each other. We promised, right?”
Adora smiled, touched at Catra’s rare tenderness. She turned her hand upwards and interlaced her fingers with Catra’s. They pressed their foreheads together. Adora replied, barely above a whisper, “Yeah, we promised,”
Adora wished time would stand still. She wanted to stay up here with Catra forever. She didn’t want to go back to sleep only to wake up to another day of training. She liked whenever they had moments like these– promising to keep each other safe. She took in every second to savour this moment; the softness of Catra’s hand, the warm breath tickling her face and the contrasting cool air blowing against her skin. Being with Catra made her chest swell and stomach drop all at once. It was like crash landing a Skiff, but the rush of it makes you want to do it all over again.
Catra pulled away. “Besides! Your promotion isn’t confirmed. Maybe they’ll come to their senses and give it to me instead!” Adora rolled her eyes. She tried to stop the smile spreading across her face and was completely failing at it. Adora nudged Catra with her shoulder. “You’re such a dummy,”
Catra snickered then stood up, stretching her arms and legs out with a yawn. “Now, since we’re here,” She then jumped off the ledge to a lower section of the rooftop and extended a hand up towards Adora.
“May I have this dance, my Force Captain?”