She-Ra One Shots

Entrapta x Hordak: Imperfections

Entrapta continued her work tinkering with Hordak's portal machine. Something wasn't right however, she was extra quiet today. Entrapta was never this quiet, even when she wasn't talking to anyone she was still speaking in her little recorder. However, she was completely silent as she connected wires and fixed panels. She was sitting on the ground instead of on her hair, and her hair seemed to be twitching occasionally as if reacting to Entrapta's unease. Hordak immediately picked up on these little changes in her behavior. He had trained himself to watch closely for them in order to gain a mental advantage over an enemy in battle. "Entrapta, may you come here for a moment?" Hordak wasn't one to be polite and show many manners, however with Entrapta he never raised his voice or showed her any signs of disrespect. He only ever did so when he was extremely angry, and almost immediately after he would apologize. Entrapta reluctantly got up from her spot on the floor. She didn't want to stop working on the machine since it was the only thing distracting her from this uneasy feeling she was having. "You have been abnormally quiet for the entire day, as well as showing signs of unease. What is troubling you?" Hordak wasn't exactly the most knowledgeable person on emotions and comfort. He didn't know how to approach with a gentle and comforting attitude. He was forward and straight to the point when it came to discussing issues. After all, weakness in the Horde was something he did not tolerate. Entrapta seemed to be his only exception to this rule.

Entrapta did not answer his question, instead she just put her welding mask down to hide her face from him. She normally was very open to him about how she felt, but now she was avoiding him. He was aware that Entrapta couldn't really describe what she felt at times, so he just assumed that this was one of those times. He knew better than to pry, but he also didn't want to just go on like nothing is happening. "I see . . . well, as long as it does not inhibit your work I see no reason to order you to tell me. However, if you wanted to discuss it and possibly resolve the issue I am open to that." Entrapta didn't respond to this, she just turned back around and went back to the wires. She kept her welding mask down, which severely irritated Hordak. He didn't like when Entrapta shut him out, and he didn't like being unable to help her. Although he couldn't explain it, her presence in his sanctum made him feel at ease. It was a warmth that nothing else had ever brought him, not even Horde Prime. Although he enjoyed it, he also cursed himself for it. How dare he feel such feelings for anything other than his purpose of serving Horde Prime. How dare he have thoughts of not going back; of staying here and living out his days in the Fright Zone with his lab partner. He found himself wishing more and more that Horde Prime would not come for him as each day passed. For a small amount of time, he even considered abandoning the portal project.

Although he couldn't explain it, he felt a strong warmth whenever Entrapta was close to him. A warmth he did not wish to lose. He wanted to stay with Entrapta and continue their experiments together. He wanted to assist her in unlocking the mysteries of Etheria as she always wanted. But most of all in that moment, he wanted to help her rid herself of this negative feeling she had. He wanted to make her smile and laugh, he wanted her to be her usual bubbly self. He could listen to her ramble into her recorder about her experiments for hours. He just didn't know what to do to get that back. He cleared his throat once as he tried to strike up conversation as they worked. "I have been reading books and scriptures of this planet. Although any of which I do not understand. Etherians have such complex emotions and thought processes, the likes of which I am unfamiliar with." He hoped that by trying to initiate some sort of conversation, Entrapta would talk to him. Unfortunately he had no such luck, as she just continued to work in silence as he spoke. He was determined however to push on and try again. "One book in particular that I had read was discussing emotional imbalance. It talked about emotional abnormalities such as depression, anxiety, and stress. I have never heard of such imperfections but-" Hordak was cut off by this point as Entrapta dropped her tools and stood up. The room went silent to the point you could hear a pin drop. The tension in the air had thickened, and Hordak worried he had done the opposite of what he was trying to achieve.