The Bad Guy

Chapter 1

Catra was tired of waiting, but that didn't mean she was going to stop.

She had been lounging in a tree for hours, her limbs dangling languidly from a branch. Her tail flicked back and forth with increasing agitation. But as bored as she was, she wasn't going to do anything about it. Not yet, anyway. She was committed, at least until sundown. She would stay because, if the payoff came, it would be worth it.

It didn't matter that it was a terrible idea. It didn't matter that she was here to do a very stupid thing. She had been doing that stupid thing for weeks.

Or at least she had been trying to. The thing itself had only happened a couple times. But did that make it less stupid?

Catra sighed. She blinked her dual-coloured eyes and peered between the leafy canopy down to the sheltered clearing below. It was still empty, she was still alone.

The tight ball of nerves she usually carried in her stomach when she made the trek to this forgotten edge of the Whispering Woods–a part that had been spared in the Battle of Bright Moon, but had lost its ability to shift its landscape–had started to unravel after an hour of two. With the relief of these anxieties, Catra found she could relax a little bit. And as she relaxed, her mind began to wander.

The stupid thing was this: she and Adora had been meeting in secret. They had been sneaking off to this mystery oasis to be together.

It had started completely by accident; innocuous and unplanned. Catra had been scouting, trying to see what remained of the woods with her own eyes, when Adora found her. The pair had pushed through the dense underbrush at precisely the same moment, stumbling into a clearing filled with warm fragrant air and gently dappled sunlight, as if into a dream. That first moment was surreal for both of them, and they had hovered in the surprise of finding the other there, alone.

Of course, that hazy moment didn't last for long. The two launched at one another—as had become their destiny, it seemed—sparring with both their words and their fists. Adora hadn't used the sword or She-Ra against her. Perhaps that's why they wound up falling into one another – from throwing each other around in rage to throwing themselves down together. Into the grass, and into each other's arms; it was difficult to tell where fury ended and desire began.

That first meeting was fast and furious; all angry kisses and hands everywhere, sliding beneath hems and fingers knotted in hair. When it was over, they parted in silence without speaking about what they'd done or what it meant for them going forward.

It was a terrible, stupid thing, and Catra had enjoyed every second of it.

That's why she kept coming back.

Most evenings she spent the hours alone. The first time she returned, Catra knew she was being foolish, that she was desperate. She didn't really believe Adora would return, but that didn't stop her from being hurt when she turned out to be right.

And still she came back, night after night. Three days later, she was ready to call it quits–to chalk it all up to a single carnal and fabulous nightmare–when the sound of footsteps over fallen foliage announced Adora's arrival. Their eyes met. They didn't speak. They didn't need to.

They both knew why they were there.

There was no promise Adora would come tonight, but Catra deeply hoped she would. She needed her to – she needed her. The memory of Adora's lips and the taste of her skin came back to her almost palpably, sending a quiver through her body and igniting heat at her core. Catra was just sinking into a particularly luscious reverie when her sensitive ears picked up the subtle snap of a twig being crushed beneath a boot.

Instincts kicked in. Catra twisted on the branch and adopted an aggressive stance. She sniffed the air until she caught the scent – it was her.

She waited, breathless, until she saw Adora breaking through the trees. Her steps were cautious, and her steel-blue eyes scanned the clearing. A thrill chased its way up from Catra's stomach as she watched. There was something exhilarating about knowing it was her Adora was searching for.

Catra let the moment drag on, drinking in the tonic of being wanted a little longer. Then, when she saw Adora's eager expression falter, Catra shifted and plotted how best to leap to the ground for maximum dramatic effect.

"Adora! Adora, wait up!"

Catra froze. On the ground, Adora whirled around and looked back at where she'd come from. Each from their own vantage points, they fixed their gaze on the underbrush and watched in silent mortification as both Glimmer and Bow crashed through the trees and into the clearing; their oasis a secret no longer. Catra cursed under her breath, slinking back on the branch and further into the cover of the leaves. She berated herself for having been so caught up in Adora that she failed to realize the scents of other people were indeed mingling in the air, the clumsy sounds of pursuit echoing between the trees.

"What are you guys doing here?" Adora asked, her voice an octave too high to sound believably normal.

"We were wondering the same thing about you." Glimmer answered. She was smiling, but the expression itself was strained – anxiety tainting her attempt at appearing nonplussed. "This place is a long way from Bright Moon. Is everything okay?"

"Oh, sure! I was just looking for a quiet place to train."

Bow stepped into the middle of the clearing and turned slowly in place. "Why here? Don't you usually train at the beacon?"

Catra shuddered. The beacon – that miserable hellscape of First Ones tech. Every time she was reminded of the way it harvested her own memories to use against her—the way it stirred up vivid vignettes from her depressing childhood, with all its inadequacy and abuse—she felt ashamed and angry.

"Sometimes that place is too much," Adora admitted with a shrug. "Sometimes I just need a quiet place to go and swing the sword around, y'know?"

"Not really. But then again, I'm not the She-Ra." Glimmer stepped up and placed a hand on Adora's arm. From her hiding place, Catra bristled. "Can we help?"

No, you can't, Catra thought bitterly. Send them away, Adora. Tell them to get lost.

Back on the ground, Adora's gaze darted from tree to tree. She was searching for Catra again, but there was no way for her to signal she was there, waiting.

The moment hung as Adora considered. Catra held her breath.

But then Adora gave her best friends—her new ones, of course—a warm and gracious smile.

"Okay, why not?"