Chapter Text
Hordak didn’t give her much chance to even contemplate getting dressed; not that her clothes were intact anyway. In one smooth movement he rose from the comfortable position above her naked body and lifted her into his arms, along with his cape which he wrapped around her. She barely managed to reach for her gloves with her hair and his arm cannon forgotten on the floor before he strode out of there, towards the noise outside.
Entrapta didn’t know what to expect nor did she bother to think about it; she would know soon enough. But she felt how tense Hordak was, his lips pulled back into a sneer and his arms covering her protectively.
While she’d never pictured herself as a damsel in distress, she was willing to admit that she enjoyed her current position very much and there had been lonely nights on Beast Island where she’d longed for this scenario. She nuzzled her face into the steel covering Hordak’s chest.
The light outside nearly blinded her after getting used to the darkness of the cave with Hordak’s eyes and mouth as her only light. It took her several moments to see anything at all, even in the shadows beneath the forest trees, but she heard the beeping immediately.
“Oh, it’s only Emily!” She jumped out of Hordak’s arms, ignoring his attempt to protest and running over to greet her dear friend, hugging her the best she could. Luckily, her hair was long enough to cover the bot completely and it did.
“Entrapta, there might be others nearby!” Hordak was by them in a second, draping his cape over her to hide her body. She wasn’t a modest person and was fairly certain that Emily would alert her if there was anyone else here, but she let him swaddle her in the soft cape.
Emily beeped at her, questioning where her clothes were. “My clothes were… ruined.” Entrapta giggled, looking up at the warlord above her head who was busy scouting for enemies. Emily’s pink light flickered at her in question; that kind of knowledge wasn’t programmed into her. “Do you still have all my stuff?” Her hair flipped open the second panel to the right of Emily’s light to reveal the storage space in there.
This had caught Hordak’s full attention. He bent down to watch with curiosity as she began to pull out her spare clothes which were in a big pile among her books, a few Horde standard batteries, First Ones’ crystals, snacks without an expiration date and a lot of other stuff. She came across two bottles of Grape Fizz. “Ooh, I haven’t had this in ages.” She popped the lid on one and drank half its contents, then offered some to Hordak who just looked at the bottle with slight disgust.
She shrugged and turned back to rummaging around the storage for her underwear; she’d definitely left some there, but it was a mess in there and though she could pretend it was because of Emily’s movements, the truth was that she had probably just thrown her things in there. This was back when they were going to the Northern Reach.
“Eureka!” She yelled when she finally found them. Pushing the cape off her shoulders and handing it to Hordak - who looked around them in panic as he tried to shield her body - she began dressing in the admittedly dusty clothes.
“How much do you have in there?” He muttered, trying and failing to discreetly watch her dress. She found herself enjoying his eyes on her and slowed the process of dragging her tube top over her head, allowing him to watch her breasts a little longer before she covered them. It pleased her to see a large protrusion in his skirt, especially as she knew he wasn’t wearing an undergarment under that skirt. Such easy access! But Emily was there now; they should wait.
“Oh, just some essentials,” she answered, her hair beginning to search for a pair of boots while she pulled on her gloves. “Tools, clothes, books I still haven’t read, old recordings, food, hair ties...” She closed the panel gently and patted Emily. “Will you get my boots in there?” She pointed to the cave they’d come out of and the bot beeped proudly as she hobbled into the cave. “Apparently no boots though,” she shrugged with a grin, looking up at Hordak.
His eyes were wide and held an emotion she couldn’t quite place - like most people’s emotions. “Old recordings?” he asked hoarsely, quickly looking away. “I thought that… that they had been destroyed.”
She placed a tendril of hair on his shoulder, but reached for his hand as well with her own. “You were looking for my recordings? For what?” It shouldn’t surprise her really. Most of their time had been focused on the portal, time they could’ve used to improve the Horde’s weaponry. He had heard some of her ideas; she had recorded plenty of them.
“I… I told my Force Captains that it was for the data, but…” He didn’t look at her, but covered her hand in his own with his other hand. “I just wanted to hear your voice.” Entrapta’s heart felt like it expanded, metaphorical butterflies fluttering in her belly. Oh, he had really missed her.
She lifted herself with her hair until they were the same height and kissed him on the lips. He reciprocated without hesitation, wrapping his arms around her to embrace her fully. Her hands, although gloved again, slipped around his neck and into his blue hair. Oh, she could get used to this. His lips were addictive and she would gladly spend the rest of her life in a lab with him, living on nothing but science and love. And tiny food.
Just when she began to consider pulling him into the cave again and continuing what they’d started, Emily emerged with her boots, beeping loudly in triumph. Apparently, it had been pretty difficult to find the left one. Entrapta reluctantly let go of Hordak who let her sink down to the ground to put on the boots.
“So… what happens now?” She asked him as she tightened the velcro on her boots - she’d never really learned how to tie shoelaces - and pulled her pants legs down over them. Barely had she finished before she was swept into his embrace again.
“I destroy Force Captain Catra and then I will make you my wife.” He kissed her sweetly on her nose. “That is, if you will still have me.” His eyes were nearly impossible to read without pupils, but she could sense the nervosity in his voice. After learning the truth - that he hadn’t sent her to Beast Island, that he returned her feelings for him - she felt fairly confident in her ability to understand his subtle social cues.
Her hair snaked over his shoulders and down his back while she planted her gloved hands on his cheeks, smiling at him. “There’s nothing I want more, Hordak.” Only a small smile graced his lips, but the joy in his eyes was easy to read, even for her.
She kissed him chastely before jumping down to Emily and pressing the button to record. “Now, there’s a lot of things I want to do as well because I haven’t been in a real lab for a year and I’m itching for some proper equipment. The princesses didn’t have much! But there are a few things I’m gonna need. I left a backpack at the observation post nearby. So while I get that, you can destroy Catra and then we’ll meet up-”
“No,” he said firmly, reaching for her wrist before he stopped. She noted that he was quick to get used to casual touching when it involved romance, but apparently not other situations. “I’m not letting you out of my sight. Not when I’ve finally…” He trailed off and looked away. His eyes glimmered with unshed tears. How often had he cried after she disappeared? Was it as much as her?
She took his hand again while her hair pulled at his shoulder until he looked at her. “Hey… I promise I’ll be back in a jiffy. Besides, I really don’t want to face Catra again.” Her hair fiddled with her mask. Usually, she didn’t find the need to hide around Hordak, but thinking about Catra - now that she knew the truth - pained her. She’d thought Catra was her friend, but it was just another proof that she wasn’t cut out for friendship.
Hordak seemed to understand. He bent down on one knee, lowering himself to her level. She’d never seen him do that before and felt herself blush. “You never have to lay eyes on her again. I will see to that.” He pulled at her sleeve to uncover her wrist and kiss it, sending shivers through her. “You will return to me?”
“I will.” She leaned in to kiss him and he hugged her small body, pulling her as close as possible. When he broke the kiss, she was breathless and regretting that they didn’t have any privacy here now that Emily had come. But they would be together soon enough. “I love you, Hordak.” She rested her forehead against his, aware of the hitch in his breath as she spoke those words.
“I love you too, Entrapta.” He replied in a raspy voice. Her cheeks hurt from how much she was smiling. His love made her feel invincible.
They parted reluctantly, Entrapta waving him goodbye as she sat on top of Emily who trotted happily away. He watched them as they disappeared between the trees, but Entrapta managed to catch a glimpse of him as he dramatically turned with a whoosh of his cape and walked away like a predator stalking a new prey. She wouldn’t want to be Catra right now.
Catra was satisfied.
The Alliance was losing. Her strategies were leading the Horde to victory and soon they would take over Brightmoon. From then on it would be a matter of months before all of Etheria had been conquered.
She looked over the battlefield, trying to locate Adora. Ah yes, there she was, fighting the many drones that came at her. Hordak had done well in improving them; he’d never needed Entrapta at all. Catra’s decision to send the little scientist to Beast Island, even as impulsive as it was, had been a clever one. They would never have gotten so far if Hordak had stayed holed up in his Sanctum with Entrapta.
Catra had planned to join the fight. Of course, Hordak already had, eager to prove his worth to Entrapta whom he thought was with the Princesses. But Catra waited for Adora. She had very little reason to fight any Etherians or the other Princesses; it was Adora she wanted. To prove to her how much better she was without her.
Her eyes were locked on Adora, so much that her keen feline senses didn’t even take notice of the person coming up behind her. It wasn’t until she heard a nasal voice speak her name for the first time in nearly a year that she tore her gaze away from Adora and turned to the figure behind her. “Oh, hi there, Catra!”
“No…” It couldn’t be. How could she be here? She’d been banished to Beast Island! No one could survive that place. “You can’t be here. Not now. You’ll ruin everything.” There was no doubt in Catra’s mind that Hordak would kill her on the spot if he knew the truth.
Entrapta’s face fell. “Oh. You’re not happy to see me.” She raised a hand to her mask and slammed it down over her face, reaching for one of her ponytails to fiddle with. “I thought we were friends. You said so.” Catra thought about the best way to dispose of the nerdy Princess without anyone noticing. She might scream and with Entrapta’s distinct voice, that would draw attention to them, even from the battlefield.
A hand lifted Entrapta’s mask again; she cocked her head to the side in a scrutinizing way and began to walk closer to Catra. Too close. “I know I’m bad with people. But I think you are too.” Catra’s heart beated a little faster at her words. “People have hurt you too. You said you were abandoned like I was. By Adora. And Scorpia. Both of them fled from you.”
“They left because they were weak.” Her hands tightened into fists, ready to strike. Entrapta scrunched her nose, contemplating. She seemed so different, like she was seeing right through Catra. Her eyes looked up and down Catra’s trembling frame as she began to circle her.
“I don’t know... You know as well as I do that people mistreat you or cast you away if you aren’t good enough. Hasn’t that happened to you?” Catra pictured them all before her: Adora, Scorpia, Shadow Weaver, even Hordak. “Friendship are hard for me. I talk too much about science and forget about others’ feelings, but I’m lucky that they still want to be my friends. They even came to Beast Island to save me!” Entrapta leaned in behind Catra and continued. “You though? There is no way anyone would do that for you. And who can blame them? Why should they come for you when you are the one who drives them away?” Entrapta walked around her to face her again, waiting for a response.
But Catra didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t like Entrapta who people avoided because she was so weird. People liked Catra, admired her… Didn’t they? She thought about Kyle’s words: ‘We used to be your friends. Why are you treating us like this?’ Was she the one who drove them away? All of them?
She looked at Entrapta, fighting against tears. “Why are you saying these things?” A little smirk appeared on Entrapta’s lips; Catra pushed the sadness aside and found her anger instead. “Why should I even care about what you say? You’re just a little Princess who knows nothing about being a leader. I’m better than you. I will lead the Horde to victory.”
“Will you?” Entrapta stepped closer again, a little too close. She didn’t have a sense of personal space, but Catra was not understanding of that right now. The Princess’ eyes widened almost manically and she smiled like she’d discovered a new First Ones’ crystal. “I think you will be dead the moment Hordak hears what happened to me. Imagine that: killed by the last alley you had in the world.”
At this, Catra finally snapped. She pushed the hurtfulness of Entrapta’s words deep inside her and replaced it with rage. White, blinding rage that had been burning inside her for years and years, built by Shadow Weaver and fueled by Adora's betrayal. She would make sure that she got what she wanted. Hordak would never know the truth if she killed Entrapta first.
She lunged at Entrapta, pushing her to the ground and landing on top of the sturdy, small body. Her fists delivered blow after blow, aiming at the places that would damage the most. The Princess started to laugh at her between each punch, that annoying cackle infuriating her even more. How dare she mock her?
It wasn’t just Entrapta she was hitting, but everyone who had ever hurt her. Her mind was falling apart and the only thing she could do was lash out because it was all she’d ever done. The bloodied face beneath her fists changed to Adora’s, then Scorpia’s, Hordak’s, Shadow Weaver’s before turning back into Entrapta’s. She was so consumed by her rage that she thought she was imagining it.
She didn’t even notice it when the color of Entrapta's skin changed from olive brown to a dusty green nor hear how the loud laughter in her ears switched into another’s voice.
Only when she heard the roar of her name and the familiar sound of the arm cannon charging, did she stop and turn around to see Hordak's furious face and the cannon pointed directly at her.
Hordak wandered through the battlefield to find the deceitful little cat. Now that Entrapta wasn’t with him, the wrath inside him grew with each step he took. She’d pretended to be his friend, made him trust her, and all while Entrapta was suffering on that terrible island. It was only because of Entrapta’s brilliance that she’d survived. He could’ve lost her, she could’ve been…
He forced the tears in his eyes away. Entrapta was safe with Emily. Soon, they would be reunited and nothing would keep them apart again. But to ensure that, he had to dispose of the feline.
It took him longer than expected to find her. He’d presumed that she was fighting like everyone else, but instead she was hiding like a little coward at the observation post. Her demise would have to be quick; his search for her had delayed him and he wanted her dead or at least incapacitated and out of sight before Entrapta returned.
He was striding towards the observation post when he heard the She-Ra call out his name behind him. “Lord Hordak! I challenge you to battle!” On any other day he would be glad to fight the magical Princess, but he had no time for her now; Catra was his main target. He ignored the She-Ra and continued up the hill where they’d placed their post among scattered trees, even though he heard her follow him.
Barely had he reached the top when he saw something that made his blood boil: two figures were fighting on the ground not twenty meters from him. He recognized the one with the upper hand as Catra, but it was the purple hair from the other person that enraged him to the point of madness.
Entrapta had as promised quickly gotten her things and had come looking for him. Instead she’d fallen right into Catra’s hands. Catra who was beating her, trying to do what not even Beast Island could do.
“Catra!” He loaded the arm cannon at full capacity as he ran towards them, his ears hearing nothing but the charging laser of his cannon and seeing only the two figures on the ground. The unscrupulous wretch turned to look at him with frightened eyes, blood splattered over her clothes and her face.
Entrapta’s blood.
He aimed the cannon at her head and fired.
A sword hit the cannon so hard that his arm was pushed downwards, the laser shooting into the ground right before the cannon shattered into pieces, leaving no trace of it on his arm except the straps. He looked to his right where the She-Ra was standing with her sword raised, heaving for breath. But she wasn’t looking at him. Her eyes were on Catra. “Run, Catra!”
Whether the nasty cat followed the command or moved on her own account, she removed herself from Entrapta on the ground. Hordak was next to his beloved in a second, kneeling in front of the hurt woman he loved, and grabbed a tendril of hair in his hand. He reached out to touch her face...
But her hair was different. It was limp and lifeless, not curling around his hand or even pulling away. He looked down at the hair in his hand, watching as it turned from a lush purple into blonde.
That’s when he finally heard the laughter, the condescending laughter that had been in the background all along. And when he looked down at Entrapta, it wasn’t the golden brown skin beneath the spilled blood nor was the mouth pink and soft, the warm lips he’d kissed no more than an hour ago; the skin was green and scaly, the mouth leering with pointy teeth. The golden eyes blinked with horizontal eyelids.
Horror struck him like lightning. He scrambled backwards, falling to the ground. The imposter stared at him with a bemused look, but their figure was drowned in water as his vision filled burning hot tears.
Had- had it not been Entrapta in the cave? Had the shapeshifter played the role of the woman he loved, had deceived him to-? No, no! He turned and threw himself forward, digging his talons into the soft earth, as he dry-heaved between shallow breaths.
Was Entrapta truly dead then? Was he so easily fooled, so desperate to see her that he had believed Double Trouble’s disguise? But her hair had entangled itself around his limbs… Did shapeshifters have the ability to copy that? And she had felt so real in his arms, she had known things that no one--
He howled up at the sky, his body trembling with fury, sorrow, pain, disgust and... lost love. There was nothing for him anymore. He could not handle this pain inside him, it was too much. She-Ra… she was here, she could end it. He would- he would beg her…
Suddenly, familiar vines of soft hair glided over his body, anchoring him and bringing him back to reality. He thought for a moment that it was the shapeshifter and clawed at the hair, but stopped when a gloved hand touched his cheek. “Hordak, it’s okay. I’m here.” He gripped the hand and held it firmly against his cheek as he raised his eyes to look at the person before him.
It was Entrapta. It could be no one else.
He let out a shaky breath, finally letting the tears run down his cheeks, as he gazed into her beautiful, kind eyes. Then he saw the bite mark on her neck, the one he made which no one else could’ve known about until now. “Entrapta…” he whispered, reaching for her body and tugging her to him until she stumbled into his lab with a small, surprised yelp. Her hair embraced him while she ran a hand through his hair, her other hand still cupping his cheek. “It is you.” He breathed.
“It’s me. I’m here.” She kissed his forehead, but it wasn’t enough - it was never enough - and he lifted his face to align their mouths. His lips were wet with tears, but she didn’t seem to care, kissing him with all her being until she had to come up for breath. He buried his face in her neck and kept his arms around her, breathing her in.
Slowly, he calmed down and, to his dismay, became aware of their surroundings. He looked up to see the bot called Emily standing with its laser ready to fire at Catra and the She-Ra now in her natural form - Adora. They were watching him and Entrapta with stunned expressions. Even the shapeshifter who had risen from the ground and backed away appeared to be speechless. He could hear shouts from the Rebellion coming closer.
He rose, lending a hand to help Entrapta up, and kissed her hand when she was on her feet. “I have a declaration that you may not agree with, but I need you to let me say it. Is that acceptable?” She nodded, much more understanding than he could’ve ever hoped for.
He held a tendril of her hair to keep her close as he walked over to Adora who pushed Catra behind her to shield her. He stared down at the small traitor, then at Adora. “I do not care what you do with her. I do not care about the war. It is over. But know this: if I ever lay eyes on that Machiavellian vermin again, I will kill her. I will rip her head from her body and crush her skull with my bare hands. And if she comes near Entrapta or anyone I care about, I will do it so slowly that she will feel everything. Am I clear?”
Adora’s eyes widened and she nodded profusely. “Good. This bot Emily,” he petted the robot affectionately and it beeped in delight, “will follow you to make sure that you treat the prisoner as she deserves. You will allow the bot to follow you at all times until I or Entrapta change her orders. Do you accept this?”
“Yes, Lord Hordak, we- we will treat Catra as eh… I will make sure that she is punished. And I think Scorpia knows Emily too, so…” She saluted instead of ending the sentence and quickly turned to push Catra down the hill, away from his sight. They passed some other princesses and exchanged a few hasty words which caused them all to retreat.
“I hope we can still be friends!” Entrapta yelled at them and Adora turned to smile kindly and signaled with her thumb that it was an agreement before disappearing down the hill. He, too, hoped that they could be friends. He knew Entrapta wanted friends, although he didn’t understand why.
Hordak turned to Double Trouble who was wiping blood away from their face with their fingers, then licking those fingers. They looked up at him with intrigue when he walked closer. “You will never take another form near me or mine. If you do, I will tear that smirking mouth off your face.” Their reaction was subtle, but he saw the fear in their eyes.
“As you wish, my Lord.” They purred, bowing overdramatically. “I will be at your service if you need me.” They raised their hand and moved their fingers as though waving with each individual digit before turning to walk away in an almost slithering fashion. Hordak shuddered, slightly overwhelmed by the unease he felt around the shapeshifter.
“Aw, I wanted to talk to them!” Entrapta whined, her ponytails fizzing with frustration. “Imagine the data we could have if we studied them. Aaaargh, I know, I know. Biology isn’t my expertise, but I could learn! I've already been practicing.” Hordak walked over and engulfed her with his much larger body which made her hair settle and pull him closer instead.
“You’ll get your chance, I promise.” He said, meaning every word. The shapeshifter appeared to be willing to do anything if it paid well or had entertainment value.
“Oh! Since they’re reptilian, I wonder if they’re like lizards where their tails regrow when you cut them off!” Entrapta continued. “I found these lizard-like creatures on Beast Island that could regrow every limb on their body. It made vivisections much easier because it took a lot for them to die.” He tensed when she mentioned Beast Island. It reminded him of his failure to protect her and his lack of trust in her. If he had questioned Catra’s words, Entrapta would never have stepped foot on the island.
“Entrapta,” he pulled back from their embrace to look at her, though he felt so ashamed that he wanted to look away almost immediately, “I want to apologize. You, of all people, were the one who least deserved to be sent to Beast Island. I failed to keep you safe and trust that you would never betray me. The pain of being without you was horrible, but the thought of losing y-” A tendril of hair covered his mouth.
“Hey, I’m here, I’m okay.” She smiled and lifted herself to match his height. “I’m like those lizards: very hard to kill.” A hand took his hand and attempted to entwine their fingers which wasn’t successful due to her bulky glove and his much larger hand. She giggled a little. “And you’re hard to kill too. Horde Prime sent you away to die and you’re still alive decades later in another dimension.”
“Hmm.” He grumbled. “I am just bad at following orders.” It wasn’t something he was proud of, but when Entrapta laughed, he couldn’t help but smile a little. She leaned forward to kiss his cheek, her arms wrapping around his neck. His hands found her hips, feeling the strong muscles beneath her overalls. He was amazed at how natural it already felt to touch her, despite the fact that none of them were used to casual touching.
“Sooooo, no more war?”
“No.” He said firmly, but with a small shrug. It wasn’t something he’d thought much about, but it felt right. “Prime has not come yet as he should. Perhaps he cannot pass through dimensions or he might not care about me. Either way I will be too busy to fight the princesses anymore.”
“Oh.” Entrapta’s shoulders fell, her expression almost disappointed. He knew how much she loved to build weapons. “Busy with what?”
He slid an arm under her knees, making her yelp in surprise, and pulled her into a so-called ‘princess carry’ which was very fitting for his tiny beloved. “I will be assisting my lovely lab partner in all her endeavours, whether it is opening a stable portal, vivisecting a shapeshifter or even bringing plumbing to all of Etheria.” No matter how tedious the last bit sounded.
She squealed and jumped from his hold to wrap her arms around his neck again and her legs around his waist to hug him tightly. “Oh Hordak! You have no idea how many times I’ve dreamed that we could work together forever. I can’t wait!” She pulled back to look him in the eyes. “And I’ve always told you that indoor plumbing is the way to conquer Etheria.”
He chuckled, the sound still unfamiliar to him. “You have. But you have to wait a few days before we begin.” He smiled darkly at her.
“Why?” With her legs around his waist and her breasts pressed so firmly against his chest, he was baffled that she had to ask. Instead of answering her directly, he wrapped a broad hand around the back of her head and pulled her mouth into a fervid kiss. She hummed with comprehension and reciprocated immediately.
Waves of deep love and unbridled lust washed over him. He was drowning in this woman. She drove him wild with her hair and limbs everywhere, touching places he’d never been touched before, and her moans filled his ears as he cupped her breasts and squeezed her ample rear.
He walked forward with her in his arms, never ending their kiss, until her back was up against a tree where he trapped her with his body. In a few short seconds he’d ripped her spare clothes into pieces and pushed his tabard aside to press his hard shaft against her folds. He groaned at how soaked she already was and paused their frantic kisses to inhale the titillating aroma of her desire, such a potent scent in the air. “Entrapta, I must have you now.”
“Yes…” She agreed breathlessly and positioned herself on top of his cock, slowly sinking down onto him, but impatient as he was, he rammed his hips forward and slid deep inside her. He moaned at the feeling of being enveloped by her wet heat, yet he didn’t miss her gasp and slight hiss nor the pressure of her gloved hands digging into his shoulders. Her face was buried in his neck, her breathing shallow as she attempted to adjust to his intrusion.
He was struggling to stay still until she was ready, wanting to have more of her. But she was so small compared to him and he knew she might be sore from earlier. His right hand reached up to lift her face and gauge her reaction. The moment they locked eyes, she let out a breath of relief and started to move, grinding herself against him.
It was enough reassurance. He pulled nearly all the way out, then plunged back inside her slick core again and again, finding himself unable to hold back. He claimed her lips once more and again she moaned, spurring him on.
He mumbled words of love and the promise of a long life together between kisses - softly spoken words even as he took her hard against the tree - swearing to her as she clung to him and cried out his name that one day he would give her the stars.
Her tight walls contracted around his cock and she shook with rapture repeatedly. His control began to waver, her gasps and moans in his ears too enticing. She was his sanctum now, a true sanctuary, and with a last, fierce thrust, he let himself go inside her, feeling her radiance wash over him and calling out her name until his voice grew hoarse.
Afterwards, he swaddled her tired, naked body in his cape and sat back against the tree with her in his arms, delighting in the way she snuggled against his chest and covered them both with her hair while she began to talk about her plans for future projects.
He didn’t know if they were going to the Fright Zone next, to Dryl or some place else. All he knew was that they would be together and that would be enough.