An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Summary: It’s been a few years since the war ended. Everyone is settled in. And a few people are starting to notice that Hordak does possess a...certain appeal.
Warning - the AO3 link contains mature content. I will post the SFW version here, on Tumblr, since you can easily cut out the mature sections. Tags are in my AO3 notes.
Content warning (for the Tumblr version): Sea Hawk, Bow, Scorpia, and Perfuma finding things about Hordak that they find appealing. (Not necessarily physical qualities.)
A/N: This is meant to be fun and shitposty, not really shippy. Please don’t take it too seriously. ; )
I’d also like to thank @dragonfoxgirl for providing some assistance with this. Thank you. ^_^
Bow looked at Sea Hawk, who seemed distracted. “Hey, are you okay?”
“Hm? Oh! Yes! Yes, I am perfectly fine! Just...” He looked over at Hordak and Entrapta, who were sitting under a beach umbrella a few meters away. “Have you ever...?” Sea Hawk swallowed. “Have you ever noticed that Entrapta is a, um, a very lucky woman?”
Bow blinked. “Huh?” Entrapta laughed, then, leaned close to Hordak. Bow’s eyes widened, watching as Hordak’s features softened. He brought her hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckles while she giggled. “Oh.” Hordak and Entrapta regarded each other with open affection, their fingers entwined. “Um.” Bow cleared his throat. “Not. Until now.”
Bow and Scorpia were seated at a formal luncheon, talking amiably, when Bow suddenly stiffened. Scorpia’s brows furrowed. “Bow?”
“Nothing! It’s...nothing,” he squeaked, sliding lower and lower in his seat, as if hoping to go unnoticed.
Scorpia followed his gaze, then frowned, seeing Hordak and Entrapta. “Bow,” she said, lowering her voice, “I thought you were better than that! Hordak’s been helping! And he obviously adores Entrapta—“
“It’s not. That.” Bow swallowed. He looked around them, then lowered his voice. “Have you ever noticed that...?” He straightened. “You know what? Never mind.”
Scorpia stared at him. “Oookay.”
His eyes went wide. “I’m. I’m gonna go get some punch!” He darted away from the table, and Scorpia couldn’t figure out why until Hordak and Entrapta appeared beside her.
Entrapta greeted her with her customary enthusiasm, while Hordak offered a simple nod. Neither of them were fond of hugs, so Scorpia just clutched her claws, resisting the urge. “I’m so glad you guys were able to come,” she said, smiling. Entrapta was in her customary overalls—a formal lunch was no reason to change out of her work gear—and Hordak was—
Scorpia swallowed, realizing that Hordak was not in his customary outfit. Or his armor. Her throat clicked as she swallowed, mouth dry. Without the armor, the figure he cut was not as intimidating, and his makeup was softer too—a smokey eye, rather than a pure black shadow. The dress he wore was black, of course, but it too was different—lacy sleeves stretched to his elbows, and the hem fell above his knees. A set of strappy sandals that laced up his calves accentuated his long, muscular legs. Scorpia could feel her face growing hot.
“You’re not wearing your armor,” she blurted out.
Entrapta beamed, spinning Hordak around—and unintentionally showcasing his back. The dress was open down to his lower back, covered only by the same lace that encased his arms. Scorpia could not help but notice that, though the edges were rough, the white pattern across his upper back was heart-shaped.
Entrapta babbled about something—an implant that eliminated Hordak’s need for the armor, Scorpia thought—but she was having trouble focusing on anything other than the elegant curve of his hips. She nodded mutely while Entrapta talked, thankful when they left to talk to Catra and Adora. When Bow returned, she leaned close. “Bow. Listen. I’m gay, but Hordak—“
“I know. Have you seen the way he looks at Entrapta?”
“Have you seen his legs?”
They both dared a quick glance, then exhaled slowly. “I am happily married,” Bow said firmly.
They shared a look, eyes wide and just a little panicked. “This doesn’t mean anything, right?”
“No!” Scorpia said, “No, of course not. It’s just.” She swallowed. “We’re just happy for Entrapta. Right?”
They exhaled slowly. “And not jealous,” Bow added.
“Not at all!” Scorpia agreed.
She dared another quick look, before taking a long drink.
Perfuma was walking in the gardens at Bright Moon, enjoying the spring sun, when she unexpectedly encountered Hordak. “Ah. My...apologies,” he said, standing. “I’ll leave you—“
“Oh, no! You don’t have to leave!” she said, trying to be nice. She smiled. “The gardens are for everyone, right?” He regarded her hesitantly, then nodded, folding his arms behind his back. He looked everywhere but at her as she came to stand beside him. “Were you enjoying the flowers?”
He glanced at her. “I was...taking a moment. It is peaceful. Out here.”
“Oh, yes. Very peaceful.” They were quiet, for a time, and Perfuma found herself glancing at him. He seemed younger than she’d always assumed him to be. “You know, I wouldn’t have expected to find you out here.” He looked at her, and his ears twitched. Her mouth curled into a smile, seeing that. “Appreciating the flowers.”
He lowered his head in an abbreviated bow. “Yes. Entrapta has been encouraging me to find value in things that are not ‘useful’ in the traditional sense.” His ears drew back. “Horde Prime had a preferred aesthetic he liked to enforce. Anything that did not suit that aesthetic was...discarded.” He ran the back of his claw over the thorns of a rose. “Finding such imperfections in nature is...pleasant.”
The corner of his mouth twitched upward in a subtle smile, even as he drew his hand back. She clutched the folds of fabric at her neckline. “Oh. Well. That’s—that’s almost poetic.”
He turned to her, soft smile still in place. “Entrapta says imperfections are beautiful. I am merely taking her words to heart.” She nodded mutely, and he looked past her shoulder. “Excuse me. It seems I am needed elsewhere.” He slipped past, footsteps quiet.
She watched him leave, not expecting to feel a little prick of...something as Entrapta greeted him at the gardens’ entrance. She shook her head, pushing those feelings away. Instead, she swallowed hard and began meditating on her surroundings, grounding herself in the present.
And if she took particular pleasure in noting the little imperfections all around her...well. That had nothing to do with Hordak, of all people.
