hey, adora - a collection of oneshots

an unhappy ending

what could've happened if we didn't get that perfect ending (season five spoilers)

"Don't you get it?" Catra's hand tangled in Adora's hair, her face buried in the blonde's neck. She was in there somewhere, helpless, listening. "I love you!" She whispered in her ear, hoping against hope that Adora could somehow hear her, that she could wake her up. "I always have." Her other hand tightened on the collar of that red jacket that Adora loved so much. She was in there, but just out of reach. Just beyond help. "So please," Her voice cracked, and she felt hot tears burning her eyes, her cheeks, her heart. "Please...stay." She wasn't sure what she hoped to accomplish. Words alone couldn't save Adora now. Hell, Catra wasn't sure anything could save either of them, but the confession scorched her throat, her tongue, insisted its way out in a broken whisper. She pulled back, eyes searching Adora's face for any sign of life.

Adora did not respond. Her eyes did not open. Green veins laced her face like a veil of mourning. Her hands were cold. Unresponsive. Dead.

The failsafe flickered and went out.

Catra stopped breathing. "A-adora?" Her voice sounded hollow in the empty room. Behind her, the Heart of Etheria pulsed, an insistent reminder of why they were here. "Hang on, Adora. Just...just hang on, okay?"

She cupped her soulmate's lifeless cheek, hesitated for a moment, and pressed her lips to Adora's. She'd imagined this a thousand times, dreamed of what their first kiss might be like, of what it might be to love Adora and have Adora love her back, but this was different. This was wrong. This was not how it was supposed to happen. Adora's lips were ice on her own, but they burned too. 

Catra's whole body burned. She didn't pull away, didn't let go. She'd let go of Adora too many times. She refused to believe it was too late to hang on. 

She didn't need to open her eyes to know that they were both glowing, but she didn't care. It wasn't a good glow. Wasn't a safe, or happy, or warm glow. It burned cold against her skin, sinking into a place in her rib-cage and settling there. 

When she opened her eyes and sat back, Adora hadn't changed at all. Catra was the one who had changed. Glowing markings etched--burned--themselves into her chest, labeling her, branding her, condemning her. 

Failsafe.

She stood, and let Adora's hand fall. Above her, the Heart pulsed rhythmically, taunting her with the mimicry of life. "I'm doing this for you." She wiped her eyes, gave Adora one last look--not of hope, but of goodbye--and laughed suddenly. "Not because I like you, or anything." 

As she stepped toward the Heart, her skin warmed. At first, it was almost nice. She could almost relax, almost sigh and fall forward into bed, and Adora would be there waiting. Then it burned, scorched at her skin and her chest and the failsafe until Catra wished she could rip it from her body and be rid of the pain. 

Catra forced her legs to keep moving, deeper into the Heart, deeper and deeper and deeper, until her clothes were burning away and her skin blistered and her mind, fortunately, drifted away into blissful, dreamless, emptiness.

Adora, wait for me. I'm coming.

- -

"Hey, I thought I'd find you here," His voice behind her made her jump, but she quickly relaxed, laughing softly and leaning into his chest. 

"Yeah," Glimmer hummed, wrapping an arm around Bow's waist. "Ten years, can you believe it?"

Bow looked up at the monument above them, a bronze monument to those who had lost their lives defending Etheria from Horde Prime's assault. A decade had passed, and weather had worn away some of the statue's finish, but their faces were still recognizable. 

Hand in hand, content smiles on their faces, Adora and Catra stood guard over the planet they'd sacrificed themselves to protect, eyes gazing up at a blue sky, free of Horde ships. 

"They're happy," Bow murmured into Glimmer's hair. "Wherever they are."

"I think they are," Glimmer agreed, and hugged him a little tighter.

The End