Work Text:
The prank had been funny.
Until Shadow Weaver found out.
Adora and Catra had snickered to themselves the entire time they were in the Hordes computer system, having found an unlocked computer in an empty corridor. They had searched their squad's cadet files, watched some security cameras, and finally, changed all the systems passwords to Catra’s favorite number.
And then, satisfied with their mischievous handiwork, had gone on their way to get ready for their post-lunch sim lesson.
Between classes and at dinner they’d had to hide their amusement at watching the chaos of soldiers and Force Captains and technicians running around trying to figure out what had happened and fix the problem, but Adora and Catra kept shooting each other wicked glances and biting their lips to keep from smiling.
There was nothing to trace the prank back to them, no reason to suspect cadets who shouldn’t have had access to the computer system to begin with.
That evening Shadow Weaver called Adora away from the dorms for a talk. She wanted to ask about training, and make sure Adora was reading the material she had given her to start preparing for Force Captain - though she was only fourteen and wouldn’t be ready for that position for at least another four years.
“I’m almost done ‘Kingdoms and Their Challenges,’” Adora told as she walked along beside Shadow Weaver, into the Black Garnet chamber. “I didn’t know the Horde had such a hard time taking Salineas.”
“Yes,” Shadow Weaver agreed, floating to the basin of water she kept off to the side of the room that Adora never quite saw the purpose of. “The Sea Gate is an obstacle we have not yet been able to break through. Hordak continues to work on technology to override it, but all his attempts as of now have failed.”
Adora brightened, seeing an opportunity to impress with an idea she had had while reading. “Actually, I was thinking, if we-”
Her thought was cut off by a soldier, in full armor with their face covered by a helmet, running up to the open door. “Ma’am,” They greeted to announce their presence, snapping to attention with a salute once Shadow Weaver turned from the dish. “The problem with the computers has been fixed.”
Adora masterfully kept her face blank despite the amusement that bubbles up in her. She couldn’t wait to tell Catra, and laugh about how long it took to solve their little antic.
“Force Captain Mantenna also went into the security footage from the hall of the computer of origin to find the culprit,” The soldier continued.
Adora felt like her stomach dropped to her knees.
She swore the soldier was looking at her through the mask, could feel their gaze, as they said, “It was two cadets, from squadron B twelve.”
Adoras heart was hammering in her chest, her palms suddenly sweaty, but Shadow Weaver remained impassive except for a slight raise of her chin. “Thank you for the report, tell Mantenna I will deal with the cadets,” She said evenly. “Dismissed.”
The soldier saluted again, and left, and with a wave of Shadow Weavers hand the door slid shut. She turned to Adora.
“I believe it is safe to assume I already know who the cadets in question are,” Shadow Weaver mused.
Adora gulped, her upper back and shoulders aching with how straight she stood even though she hadn’t been ordered at attention. “I’m sorry, Shadow Weaver,” She said, knowing there was no use trying to deny their guilt. “I-it, we- we weren’t looking to... it- it was just a joke, we-”
“I see, and you believe wasting the Hordes time is funny?” Shadow Weaver asked, her tone conversational as if simply asking which ration bar Adora preferred. She drifted towards the Black Garnet in the center of the room, laying her hand on it’s rippling surface and receiving a crackle of electricity around her fingers, the gem set in the forehead of her mask giving off a dim glow.
“N-no, ma’am,” Adora answered, staring ahead when Shadow Weaver looked at her.
“But I have no doubt Catra does, she is of the habit of wasting her own time, why should she care about anyone else's?”
Adoras perfect posture fell as she vigorously shook her head and waved her hands. “No, Shadow Weaver, ma’am, it wasn’t Catras fault! She didn’t- it was my idea to use the computer, a-and to change the passwords!”
Shadow Weaver cocked her head with a scoff. “Don’t be ridiculous, Adora,” She said. “I know you would only do something like this because you were influenced by Catra. She is a troublemaker, and she likes to bring you down with her.”
“Really,” Adora pleaded desperately, her voice trembling. She couldn’t stand to see Catra get in trouble again, when she was already in trouble so often and there was often nothing Adora could do about it. If she could stop it, even this one time, she would. And it’s not like it was a lie, Adora really had been the one to notice the unattended computer first. “She only did it because I said we should. She was following me.”
Shadow Weavers stared at her wordlessly, the white slits of her mask narrowing in scrutiny. Adora stared back unwaveringly, though everything in her wanted to avert her eyes. “It was my fault. I’m really sorry.”
Shadow Weaver floated to stand in front of her, forcing Adora to look up. She cupped her cheek in a cold hand, almost cooing, “If you are so determined to take the blame for Catras actions, you must also be willing to take the punishment?”
Adora resisted the urge to gulp even as her throat closed up and her hands shook at her sides. She had been reprimanded by Shadow Weaver before, after training mishaps and getting caught in restricted areas and even once for talking back when she was young. She knew what Shadow Weaver was threatening, she knew what was ahead if she agreed.
But Catra had gotten in trouble just the week before, and had come back to the dorms from an evening with Shadow Weaver in a sour mood. Adora hated knowing she had been hurt, hated the way nothing she said made Catra laugh that night.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Once again, Shadow Weavers gaze was piercing, searching Adoras face for uncertainty or a break in her resolve. When she found none, she stepped back. “So be it,” She said simply.
No sooner did she utter the words then Adoras body was seized by a red glow, her limbs tensing so tightly they ached, shocks of pain dancing across her skin until she couldn’t distinguish the separate jolts - just the full-body sting, the way it seemed to burn even inside her, as if the electricity ran through her veins as well.
She caught her breath, her face scrunching into a wince for a moment before she did her best to smooth out her features. Still, she felt her eyebrows twitch together, her mouth pressed into a hard line. It wasn’t that different then a shock from the training bots lasers, though it lasted longer.
Shadow Weaver walked around her in a slow circle as she stood frozen. “You know I hate to do this to you, Adora, especially when it’s underserved. You’re an upstanding cadet, a hard worker. You never make trouble on your own. I certainly don’t want to punish the wrong person.”
The magic fell away, leaving Adora to droop almost imperceptibly before she caught herself and straightened back up. Breathing hard, she shook her head. “It w-won’t happen again, ma’am” She promised.
“I trust it will not,” Shadow Weaver agreed. “Assuming, of course, you’re sure it was your doing.”
Adora nodded. She knew Shadow Weaver was giving her an out, an opportunity to change her mind about Catras role in their scheme, but she didn’t need it. Steeling herself, Adora said, “It was.”
Another blast of the Garnets magic wracked her body, stronger this time. Shadow Weaver watched her blankly, until Adora closed her eyes to get away from the cool stare, turning her face towards her shoulder. She grit her teeth, exhaled hard through her nose to control her breathing.
Shadow Weaver wouldn’t push her beyond what she could handle, Adora reasoned as the pain grew more intense, making her stomach want to empty itself and her chest burn with each breath. She was afraid her legs would give out as she couldn’t feel them beyond the searing sparks.
Catra would be punished worse. She always was. Adora swore to herself that she could take what must have only been half of what Catra would get.
When it stopped again Adora gasped for air, and for leniency, “I’m sorry,” She whispered. She flexed her fingers from the fist they had been clenched. “I’m sorry.”
“You are not children anymore, Adora, and the Fright Zone has no place for anyone whose goal is not singularly to aid in our mission,” Shadow Weaver lectured. “As a cadet, your job is to train for that, and today, you and Catra diverged from that job to hinder the rest of us. You are lucky news of your misbehavior did not reach Hordak, he has an incredibly low tolerance for wasted time.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Adora nodded. “I know.”
When the next shock came Adora couldn’t keep a cry from escaping her lips. She unconsciously curled in on herself, shoulders hunching and arms wrapped around her middle. Her knees buckled and she gave in, falling to sit on her haunches.
Shadow Weaver wouldn’t push her past what she could handle, Shadow Weaver wouldn’t push her past what she could handle, Shadow Weaver wouldn’t-
She sobbed with relief when it ended, shorter than the rest but so much worse that it had felt like an eternity.
She cracked her eyes open to see a crimson and black robe taking up her vision, and then Shadow Weaver crouched before her.
Adora flinched as she brought her hand back to her cheek, thumb brushing over her cheekbone softly in a stark contrast to the blinding pain that had just tore through her. “Now, I hope we won’t have to do this again,” Shadow Weaver said. “I know you to be a much faster learner then Catra… that is, of course, if this was your lesson to learn.”
Adora nodded shakily, not trusting her voice.
She didn’t remember being dismissed or the walk back to the dorms, just the ache in her limbs with every step, blinking back wetness that threatened to fall from her eyes and blurred her sight, wiping her nose on her shirt sleeve, and keeping her head down whenever she passed anyone. It was a struggle, but she wouldn’t cry, at least, not until she was covered by the safety of darkness that night in bed.
Catra was waiting for her in Adoras bunk. She perked up as soon as the barrack doors slid open to let Adora in.
“Hey Adora,” She welcomed with a crooked smile. “Did you hear they finally cleared up that crazy computer breach? Took them long en-”
Her words cut off as Adora got closer and Catra fully took her in. “What happened to you?” She asked with a raised eyebrow, her tone still teasing but Adora knew her well enough to hear the genuine concern underneath.
“Nothing,” Adora lied as she sat, back against the wall at the head of their bunk, and folded her legs - trying not to cringe at the stiffness in them.
“Was Shadow Weaver all ‘Adora, ten hours of reading textbooks a night isn’t enough, why do you need to sleep when you could be studying? ’ again?” Catra asked in a purposefully poor imitation of Shadow Weavers voice.
That got a small lift at the corners of Adoras lips. “Kind of.”
Catra crawled to sit against the wall at Adoras' side, casually throwing an arm around her shoulders. “Well, unfortunately you do need sleep, unlike whatever kind of dark creature of the night she is,” She said. “You’ve got like, four years to study, she can cool it.”
Adora barely heard the words, fighting again not to cry except this time because Catra was okay, she had done it, she had protected her, and Catras arm around her made her feel safe and in that safety the terror and pain was catching up with her and threatening to make her fall apart.
She realized Catra was looking at her expectantly, waiting for an answer, and growing more concerned as Adora said nothing. Adora forced a weak smile back onto her face. “Yeah,” She agreed.
Without thinking about it long enough to talk herself out of it, Adora let her head fall to rest on Catras shoulder, closing her eyes and letting out a breath she felt like had been sitting in her chest since the soldier came through Shadow Weavers door.
She could feel Catras eyes boring into her, could feel the worry rolling off her as her hand squeezed Adoras arm in silent comfort. But she didn’t pry, and Adora was happy to let her questions remain unanswered. Catra always hated it when she knew Adora tried to protect her, so Adora resolved that she didn’t need to know.
All Adora wanted was to sit next to her for a while, listen to her talk and laugh and feel her sleep easily that night even if Adora was restless, and know that it has been worth it because she had done something right by her best friend.