Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was Bow’s week to choose the Best Friend Squad’s stress-relieving field trip.

“Day off, day off, day off!” he chanted as the trio headed down the town street, a print advertisement for a recently-opened café clenched in his hand.

Glimmer smiled brightly, scanning over the bustling outdoor market and citizens dressed in pastels. “I haven’t been to Lohery since I was a kid,” she said, stopping her friends at a vendor’s stall. “Wait, hold on—”

The princess took a diamond-shaped blue fruit from the farmer’s basket, passing him twice the advertised price.

“Thanks!” the farmer hollered as the squad walked on. Adora grinned at Glimmer as she took a massive bite of the fruit.

“How is it?” Bow asked as the juice dribbled down Glimmer’s chin. She giggled and flashed a thumbs-up, passing the fruit to Adora.

“If you guys like the street market, you’ll love today’s main attraction,” Bow said, opening up the advertisement he had found in one of Angella’s subscription magazines. “Lohery’s coffee is supposed to be legendary, and they haven’t opened a new café in years.”

Adora shrugged. “Never heard of Lohery coffee.”

“Yeah, well,” Glimmer said, “that’s ‘cuz you grew up with the Horde.”

“I mean, we had coffee in the Fright Zone,” Adora said. “Wasn’t ever my thing, though—messed with my sleep routine.”

“I bet you all drank your coffee black,” Bow said, making a sour face. “Dark, evil coffee.”

A half-smile appeared on Adora’s face. “Catra did.”

Bow and Glimmer exchanged a glance, their expressions falling. Adora, lost in thought, tripped on the cobblestone street.

“Whoah, whoah,” Bow said, supporting his friend. “You good?”

Adora chuckled at herself and nodded. “Yeah. Of course.”

“Because, you know, you’re allowed to… have memories and all. Feelings, even.”

“Yeah, I know,” Adora said. “Don’t worry, guys, seriously. I’m great. It’s my day off from… all that.”

Glimmer sighed and grabbed the advertisement out of Bow’s free hand. “We should be there soon.”

~

The café was in the newest part of Lohery, about the size of the throne room on Bright Moon, dimly lit with quiet jazz music coming from unseen speakers. The décor was warm-colored and lodge-like, and a massive stone fireplace sat in the center of the space, surrounded by cushy leather armchairs. Bow, Adora, and Glimmer collapsed into one each, taking in the smells of old books and freshly-brewed coffee.

“This is so nice,” Adora sighed, sinking into her recliner. “I’m not leaving this chair for the next six hours.”

“That’s fair,” Bow said. “You trained super hard this week.”

“Well, you know,” Adora said, “we’re up against a lot.”

“Lalalala, stop!” Glimmer interrupted. “Day off!”

“Uh-huh,” Adora muttered, a serene smile on her face. “Day off.”

Bow stood up and glanced toward the counter. “I’ll get us drinks. Glimmer?”

“Whatever has sprinkles,” she answered.

“Adora?”

“Mm,” Adora said. “How about a black coffee.”

“Seriously?”

“I’ve always kinda wanted to give it a shot.”

Bow grinned as he walked towards the coffee counter, where a single barista managed the equipment. The barista slid a drink towards a customer in waiting, and then spun over to take Bow’s order.

“Hiya!” she greeted, her eyes alight with caffeination. “What can I getcha?”

Bow smiled and glanced up at the menu, a large blackboard with items written in chalk. “Uh, a chai latte for me, a pixie cream for my friend, and a black coffee for my other friend.”

“Good choices,” the barista said, nodding her head. “I’ve gotta get the sprinkles from the back room. I’ll get those drinks started in a mo’.”

“Take your time,” Bow said graciously, leaning against the counter. He scanned the café over as the barista disappeared through a back door, searching for any sign of the Hoarde. He and Glimmer had privately decided that the field trips were more for Adora than either of them, so while she finally took a break, they vowed to remain on guard. Lohery, after all, was neutral territory in the conflict between the Rebellion and Horde.

“Oh, man,” Bow muttered as he spotted a familiar head of messy blonde hair, disappearing behind a bookshelf in the corner of the cafe. Was that…?

“Kyle,” he said tiredly. “Hopefully it’s his day off, too.”

Bow knew that was unlikely, but still followed the Horde cadet into the shadows.

~

The barista was having a hard time finding the sprinkles. They were in the back room, somewhere, probably covered in dust. The pixie cream was not a popular drink at the café—in fact, it was pretty much a glorified milkshake.

The back room was large and dark, with a single dead lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. The walls were lined with shelves, covered in spare seasonings, beans, and machine parts. The barista could barely see the space in front of her, groaning as she grabbed aimlessly for her desired object—

Pit-pit-pit-pit-pit-pit.

The barista froze, the nearby footsteps ceasing just as she did. It sounded like claws against metal, the same metal as the shelves…

BAP!

A spare frother slammed against the barista’s head, knocking her to the ground. She looked up and saw a cat-girl in Horde uniform, wearing a wicked grin and teasingly holding the container of sprinkles.

“Found it,” she said, turning for the door. She slammed it behind her, and the barista heard the lock turn.

The barista groaned as she sat up. “I hate this job.”

~

“Kyle!” Bow whispered shouted behind the tall bookshelf. Sure, enough, there he was, the kid Bow had briefly ‘befriended’ while captured in the Fright Zone.

“Heh, hello…” Kyle said as her stared directly over Bow’s shoulder. Bow turned sheet-white and looked behind him.

“Lovely day!” Scorpia greeted. She slammed Bow against the tasteful stone wall, and everything went black.

~

“Gee, this is taking Bow a while,” Glimmer said as Adora dozed off in her chair. “I should probably teleport to the counter, make sure he’s okay—”

“Hi, sorry,” said a voice from behind the girls. It was a café employee they hadn’t yet seen, a dark-skinned girl with cornrows. Adora didn’t even open her eyes.

“Those ours?” Glimmer asked, eyeing the two drinks on the metal tray. The employee nodded.

“Yep. Here you go.”

Glimmer took both hers and Adora’s drinks, and then narrowed her eyes. “Uh, have you seen our friend, Bow? Y’know, the one who ordered these?”

The employee shrugged. “Bathroom?”

Glimmer sighed. “Okay. Thanks.”

“Yeah. Bye.”

The employee walked away, and Glimmer reached over towards her friend. Adora stirred, her eyes rapidly blinking, retreating from rest.

“Uh, oh, hey,” she said, eyes focused on Glimmer. “Whoah. Haven’t woken up with someone that close in a while.”

Glimmer raised an eyebrow. “Catra?”

Adora ignored the question and extended her hand. “Coffee, please.”

“Thought you said it messed up your sleep schedule?”

“Can’t sleep. Have to stay awake for my day off.”

Glimmer sighed and obliged. Adora took a deep breath of the mug, which contained piping-hot black Lohery coffee.

“Yep. Smells the same.” Adora mused.

Glimmer wrinkled her nose as Adora took an experimental sip. She made a face, and instantly spat it out.

“What’s wrong?” Glimmer asked, already reaching for a napkin from her iridescent fanny pack.

Adora stuck out her tongue and placed the coffee on the fireplace. “Augh. That’s bitter.”

~

Being a barista, Catra realized, had its perks.

She grinned as she took a deep sip of black coffee, its awful taste traveling down her throat like liquid gasoline. She shivered from the sensation and headed towards the back room door.

Knock-knock.

“Who’s there?” Scorpia’s voice greeted from inside.

Catra rolled her eyes. “Obviously, it’s me.”

“I don’t know that for sure,” Scorpia said. “It could be Entrapta.”

“Entrapta is back at the Fright Zone,” Catra argued, “which you definitely know, since she’s cleaning up your mess.”

“Those control panels aren’t made for big claws,” Scorpia said, wounded. “I already said I was sorry.”

Catra frowned, the tiniest vein of guilt pulsing. “All right, it’s fine. Uh, it’s me. Catra. Will you let me in now?”

“Say the password,” Scorpia said, excitement and anticipation in her tone.

Catra flexed her fists but kept her voice level. “Banana nut muffin.”

“Aw, it is you!”

Scorpia wrenched the door open, quickly letting Catra inside. Within the storage closet were shelves of café supplies, a now-working lightbulb thanks to Kyle’s rudimentary technical know-how, a bored-looking barista with her hands bound, and Bow, one of Adora’s new pals, tied to a chair.

“I’ll scream!” Bow threatened, shaking in his confinements.

The barista snorted. “The room’s soundproof. I’d know—I come in here and scream, like, every break.”

Scorpia turned to Catra, not a hint of malice in her voice. “We should get you one of these.”

“Enough,” Catra said, her face slightly pinker. “Boo—”

“Bow.”

“Bow, you’re close to Glimmer. You brought her here today, yes?”

“Uh, I mean, her and Adora—”

“We’re not here to talk about Adora,” Catra hissed, causing Scorpia to step backwards. “Our plan only concerns Glimmer, the princess daughter of the Rebellion’s leader and the queen of Bright Moon.”

Bow raised an eyebrow. “Uh, okay?”

“We’ve poisoned her drink,” Catra said plainly.

Bow gasped. “You—what?”

“It’ll make her sick,” Catra continued, “and only we have the antidote. In exchange for it, Queen Angella will have to give herself up.”

“Queen Angella,” Bow said, the pieces coming together in his head. “It was her magazine that had the advertisement for this café. Did you… did you plant it there?”

“I guess print media really isn’t dead!” Scorpia exclaimed, offering Kyle a high-five. Kyle reciprocated, wincing at the texture of Scorpia’s claw.

“It’s a smart plan, I’ll admit,” Bow said. “But didn’t you already try this before, by holding Glimmer ransom? We’ve stopped you before, and we’ll do it again. You may be smart, but so’s Adora, and plus, she’s always on guard. I bet she’ll figure out what you’re up to. I bet she already has.”

Catra narrowed her eyes. “I will personally make sure Glitter—”

“Glimmer.”

“Glimmer consumes her drink.”

Bow smirked. “Oh, yeah? That’ll be hard to do, stuck back here with me.”

“Fine!” Catra roared, heading for the door. “I’ll go guarantee that Glimmer falls into our trap!”

“Just make sure Adora doesn’t notice you, because that’d be bad!” Scorpia hollered helpfully as Catra slammed the door behind her.

In Catra’s absence, the room went silent. After a second, Scorpia offered Bow a can of whipped cream from the supply shelf.

“Want some?”

Bow frowned, but only for a second. “Hit me,” he said, and then opened wide.

Chapter Text

Glimmer didn’t know if she had the stomach for this monstrosity of a drink.

It had sprinkles, sure—but also candy garnishes, some purple syrup, and most concerningly, a metallic scent when she got too close. She sighed and lowered it onto the fireplace mantle, collapsing into the armchair beside Adora.

“You gonna drink yours?” she asked as Adora eyed her own black coffee.

Adora shook her head. “It tastes awful. I don’t know what I was thinking. I don’t know what Catra was thinking. Seems that way about a lot of things.”

Adora sunk into her chair, somehow more miserable than she had been after a long week of battle strategizing.

“Well, this idea was a bust,” Glimmer sighed. “When Bow gets back from the bathroom we can leave, if you want.”

“Nooo!” Adora protested, although her tone was not at all committed to the sentiment. “It’s great! I’m so relaxed.”

“Great, because Catra’s standing right behind you.”

“WHA—”

“I’m kidding!” Glimmer cried as Adora jumped out of her chair. “Just… I dunno, I wish you really could relax. I wish Bow and I… could do that for you. You know these days are for you, right?”

“I had a feeling,” Adora said sheepishly, sitting back down. “It’s sweet. I’m touched. But I just don’t think I can have fun right now, or relax, or whatever. Usually, I just feel kind of… lost.”

“I feel guilty that I don’t,” Glimmer said shamefully. “Like, sometimes, I’m okay. I feel like I’m home and all.”

“No, no!” Adora said. “I don’t not love you guys, the Best Friends Squad, the Rebellion, but… it’s hard to feel like everything’s right. Not when… I left Catra behind.”

Glimmer looked at Adora sternly. “Adora, we’ve been over this. She chose to stay where she is. And she’s hurt you, several times. Like, physically.”

“She’s hurt She-Ra,” Adora corrected Glimmer. “In combat.”

“Don’t make excuses for her.”

“I’m not! Listen to me, I know I sound like a lunatic, it’s just… you weren’t there, Glimmer. Growing up in the Fright Zone. Cruelty, and violence, and sparring… it happened every day. It was encouraged. All of the cadets, we’d beat each other up for fun. And Shadow Weaver was watching, always… taking notes. It was a hostile, toxic environment. But Catra and I… we had each other. We meant everything to each other. And then I just left, knowing how much she suffers there, probably even more without me, and how much… how much I really did—do—care about her…”

“I’m sorry,” Glimmer said, “but she never looks like she’s suffering, Adora. Especially when she’s sinking her claws into the Rebellion. Into you.”

Adora glanced down at the black coffee, bitter and overwhelming, the unfortunate addiction of many. “That’s ‘cuz you don’t know Catra.”

Glimmer frowned. “Well, I know you. And I care. Bow and I are here. I’m sorry that… Catra… isn’t.”

“I just wish I could relax,” Adora said. “Take a break. Enjoy a place like this, a drink that actually tastes good. Laugh. Breathe. Something.”

“And I wish I could help,” Glimmer sighed, glancing at her drink. She paused and then stood, taking another whiff. “This is disgusting, by the way.”

“I wasn’t gonna say anything, but…”

“I’m throwing it out.”

“Good call.”

Glimmer frowned as she headed for the trash cans at the other end of the café. She could see Adora in the corner of her eye, nestled up against the armrest of her chair, stroking it gently as though it was a…

Damn it.

~

Catra had heard the entire conversation, perched on the other side of the café fireplace. She lowered her book, which she had held to disguise her eavesdropping, and scowled. So Glimmer hadn’t fallen for the poison, and her newest plan had failed.

It hadn’t been her most genius machination, that was for sure. It was pretty much Kyle-level thinking. Next time, she’d make sure the operation was up to her caliber.

She knew that she ought to notify Scorpia, Kyle, and Lonnie, release Bow, and retreat to destroy the Rebellion another day, but something tugged at her. All the things Adora had said, about her, about leaving…

Adora had had no reason to lie to Glimmer. Catra had always assumed that when Adora begged Catra to join her, all her professions of caring were only to diminish Catra as a threat. But here, in a private conversation with a friend, there had been no reason to lie.

So Adora really did miss Catra, just as much as…

No. It couldn’t be true. And after all, Glimmer was right—Catra had hurt Adora, or She-Ra, whatever, so many times. There’s no way she’d be forgiven now.

Catra allowed herself a look at Adora, eyes blissfully closed as she stroked the armrest of her chair, almost how she’d stroked Catra for the years they’d lie together in bed. Adora, tired from training, stressed about her rank, and Catra, drained from a rough encounter with Shadow Weaver or another cadet looking to fight. Catra would allow herself the vulnerability of curling up at Adora’s side, fitting against her like a puzzle piece, leaning into the always-gentle touch of her only friend.

Adora and Catra had both been able to relax, back then. That had felt like home.

Now, they were both lost.

Catra turned her head from Adora and headed towards the back room of the café.

~

“All right, party’s over, we lost,” Catra said unceremoniously as she slammed the door behind her. Bow sighed with relief, free of his entrapments, mid-way through a game of rock-paper-scissors-claw-claw-claw with Scorpia.

“She didn’t drink it, right?”

“No, it smelled like metal and she threw it out. Note to Kyle: next time, get better poison.”

Kyle shrugged as Catra walked past him and grabbed Bow by the shoulder.

“Ow, that hurts—”

“Lonnie told your friends you were in the bathroom,” Catra said as she steered Bow towards the door. “Stick to the story, and we’re out of your hair.”

“You’re… retreating?” Bow asked, dumbfounded.

“That doesn’t sound like you, Catra,” Scorpia said.

“Yeah, well, I guess no one really knows me,” Catra said tiredly.

“Can I leave, too?” the barista asked, raising a hand. Catra smirked and lowered it for her.

“Sure,” she said. “But you’re gonna have to do me a favor first.”

~

“Bow, there you are!” Glimmer exclaimed as the archer made his way back to his friends.

Bow nodded and mustered a smile. “Sorry I took so long.”

“No problem,” Adora said. “Thanks for bringing us here. It was a great idea.”

“Eh,” Bow shrugged. “Maybe it wasn’t. I think that street fruit made me kind of sick.”

Glimmer winced. “Ooph, I hope I don’t—”

“Uh, hello,” a voice interrupted. The barista passed Adora a newly-made drink. “This is for you.”

“Aw, thanks!” Adora said, looking to Glimmer.

Glimmer shrugged. “Wasn’t me.”

Bow shook his head. “Me, neither.”

Adora raised an eyebrow at the barista, who gave her a rigid smile. “I was told to bring you this,” she said. “It’s a cinnamon-spice latte, the Lohery specialty.”

“But who…?” Adora began to ask, but before she could, the barista sprinted away.

Bow sighed and sniffed the drink. “I mean, it smells great.”

“Yeah,” Adora said. “It does.”

“Have any idea who it’s from?” Glimmer asked, her gaze suspiciously fixed on Bow. He rubbed his neck and looked away sheepishly, trying to signal that he’d tell her later.

Adora, meanwhile, took a deep sip of the beverage. “Whoah,” she exclaimed. “Now I really am glad we came.”

“Tastes good?” Glimmer asked, a slight smile on her face.

“Warm and comfy,” Adora said. “Kind of like home.”

It wasn’t until Adora finished the drink that she saw the writing inside the paper cup, a message intended only for her:

HEY, ADORA—

HAVE A NICE DAY OFF.