Disclaimer: I don't own She Ra!

Title: Be Gay. Do Rebellion. Build a Pillow Fort.

Summary: She still couldn't handle people looking at her when she was hurt, or ill, or hurt and ill. Thankfully, Adora's friends are willing to work around this.

…

Adora loved her friends. That alone was considered a rebellion to the Horde. She loved all of them, and- in spite of every part of her screaming it was dumb- she still loved Catra. Still felt guilty over smashing her into that wall. Still felt very angry about the things she's done.

But even with the deep, cemented understanding that she was a rebel, she was safe(ish), and the Horde was far away, there were certain habits Adora didn't kick. She still stored food. She still got up before the sun. She still prioritized other people's feelings over her own- though, in Bright Moon, Adora was able to pick and choose those very special people who could do everything short of stick a dagger in her and she'd manage to forgive them, or something close to it- and if they happened to come by one very early morning hungry, she would be awake, alert, and obliging.

There were hiccups, of course. Guards didn't like seeing her wandering castle grounds early in the morning, so she was sequestered to her room. Adora knew less about the kinds of food here than she did the Horde, so she was just as likely to pick up something that would easily grow rotten and pungent as she was something that would stay decent for months. Adora had nightmares often, and it didn't feel right to ask someone to sleep in her room in the middle of the night- it was one thing to ask for a sleepover after dinner, but not when there were more stars out than people.

She still couldn't handle people looking at her when she was hurt, or ill, or hurt and ill.

Thankfully, Adora's friends are willing to work around this.

Adora stumbles into her room, locks the door, and sleeps for a couple of hours, all the while clutching at her stomach. Stitches hurt, and so does getting stabbed. But it's fine. She's She-Ra. She can't not be fine.

The first arrow lands firmly into the wall across the room. A second one pings soon after, and then they both unfurl small pieces of paper. Adora cautiously stands, feeling too iffy to actually go over to the window and start a conversation. Not when her shirt is still bloody. Once it's washed and white again, maybe.

Need any supplies? The first note reads. The second adds; Love ya! Bow.

As if it could be anyone else, Adora thinks to herself, smiling just a little.

Adora is capable of writing, and her handwriting is very neat, but she is not eloquent or flowery in her words like some she's read. Shadow Weaver taught her to fill out reports, not discuss feelings for pages at a time. It's probably because of that that she feels so awkward while scrawling out some bandages would be nice. You're the best. Adora.

She ties the letter to a dagger and chucks it out the window. Judging by the yelp Bow utters, it's a bit too close for comfort.

Glimmer is a very brave individual, Adora has learned. She's brash, and bold, and to this day she still doesn't have the firmest grasp on her mannerisms in spite of thorough research, but that only makes her a more impressive foe in battle.

But it also leads to situations like this, where Glimmer practically slams her fist into the door while yelling, "Hey, Adora! I brought the spare med kit!"

"Uh, thanks?" Adora closes the book she'd been reading- poetry, she thinks it's called. It's interesting, if baffling. She hadn't known there was so many words for said.

"Are you out of sight of the doorway?" she bellows. "I'm not gonna peek, but I wanna make sure."

"I think so, yeah."

"Okay, cool. I'm gonna open the door a little bit to drop the kit, alright? Then I'll be out of your hair."

"You make this sound like a hostage situation," Adora notes, a bit amused.

The door- now unlocked, since word has gotten out that she be left alone- creaks open slightly. The barest flash of Glimmer's gloved hand registers as she clumsily drops a white box inside. The door slams shut.

"Get better soon!" Glimmer says, then leaves her be.

Spinnerella and Netossa share a brief visit after Adora gets the stitches removed. They say very little and keep their eyes averted, which makes Adora feel safe and a bit ashamed. They shouldn't have to go to these lengths for her. No one should.

They build her a pillow fort, which is nice. It also serves as a way for people to come and go without disrupting Adora's comfort. She lounges back on pillows far larger and softer than she thought possible as they take the sheets and her clothes for a wash, leaving her in her briefs and undershirt. Less than an hour later the sound of shoes startle her out of a doze. Adora grabs her sword as the person comes closer, sitting down on the hard floor near her fort.

"Heeeeeey." Mermista's familiar rumble is calming. The Princess sounds bored as she goes on. "Heard you got stabbed, or whatever."

"Hey, Mermista." Adora carefully edges closer, making absolutely certain that the blanket cover kept her hidden. It was fairly thin blanket. She could just make out the woman's form, and vice versa. "What're you doing in Bright Moon?"

She let out a long groan. "The Queen asked me to give some lame speech about repairs to the Whispering Woods. It was whatever." There was a pause. "Uh, hey. I brought some, like, ocean animals for you to look at. If you're cool with animals being in your fort."

"Sure," Adora says, because her curiosity is far bigger than her worry about some scab on her stomach. Mermista lifts the bottom edge of the fort and floats in some fish with her powers, each contained in little floating bubbles of sea water. Adora watched them move with rapture as Mermista droned on about sea horses, clownfish, and algae eaters.

"Hey, you see that little round guy?" she asks suddenly. "Give him a gentle poke on the belly for me. Nothing too hard."

Adora reaches into the sea water to gently touch the creature, only for it to puff and grow before her eyes. She snatched her hand back with a laugh of sheer delight. "He got bigger!"

"Yup. That's a pufferfish. See those spikes? Their whole thing is when something tries to eat them, they blow up like 'try me' or whatever. It's pretty sick."

The visit is cut short but the sound of an explosion in the distance, followed up by a familiar cry of, "ADVENTURE!" Mermista grouses about her terrible taste in sailors as she says goodbye.

Adora feels warm the rest of the day.

Perfuma is... amazing. In a way, her powers dwarf most of the other Princesses. The ability to create something from thin air- the Horde would kill for something like that. They probably already had.

All that aside, there's a certain level of daunting to wake up from a nap to find her entire room reeking of flowers. Adora hears Perfuma humming a happy little tune as she sets jars of something on the windowsill. The entire outside of her pillow fort is wreathed with them, a few delicate petals slipping further inside.

"Wow," was all she could think to say.

"You're awake!" Perfuma claps her hands together. "Wonderful. I brought you some chamomile and jasmine to help you rest up. I know you can get antsy. I also have a selection of fruits for you- I didn't want to slip the plate into your fort while you were asleep. That'd be invading your privacy."

Adora grapples around and finds the plate just outside. She bites into an apple with a moan. Stars, how could she have survived so long without half the food they have in Etheria? "Thank you, Perfuma. You're the best."

"I know," Perfuma sighed dreamily, then got back to work filling the room with flowers. Adora could only imagine the hassle cleaning the wilted petals out would be later.

"I've never been stabbed before." Frosta swings her legs off the edge of Adora's bed. "I guess that makes me better at this war thing."

"All due respect, your majesty," Adora returns while sliding her belt through the loops. "You just started 'this war thing'."

She made a noise of agreement, tilting her head to the side. "It's actually a lot more boring than I thought it would be. A lot of waiting around. A lot of quiet desperation. The pillow fort is new, yes?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think I've ever made a pillow fort before," Frosta said with a note of longing, but it was mostly overshadowed by her usual clipped tone.

Adora managed a chuckle. "Me neither. Spinnerella and Netossa made it." She hesitated, calculating. Frosta was... alright. Not a big fan of hers, but alright. "I have some leftover cushions. We could-"

"Absolutely not."

"Understood." She took in a deep breath. This was always the hardest part- returning after hiding away for so long. She reluctantly brushed the blanket aside. "I think I'm ready to return to duty."

Frosta was smiling. "Took you long enough."

The first time Adora glimpses Queen Angella after her self-imposed grounding, the Queen's eyes barely slide in her direction before a hand and a wing has gone up almost instinctually to shield her eyes, and Adora wants to sink into the ground out of sheer embarrassment.

"I'm, uh-" she clears her throat- "I'm better, ma'am."

Queen Angella straightens. Her wing folds back to its usual shape and her fingertips touch in a very typical pose for her. She doesn't seem surprised. "I'm glad to hear it. We have a meeting in an hour. Are you up for it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'll see you there, then."

When she walks in, Bow hugs her tight to his chest and starts blubbering. Glimmer joins, patting the archer on the back while squeezing. Then its a hodgepodge of Alliance members, congratulating her on a successful recovery or following suit or both. It's nice and sweet and okay, maybe Adora cries a little too.

But that's okay.

She doesn't mind if they see that.

Author's Note: My dudes I stayed up 'till one A.M. just to finish writing this fluff. I don't even have a title, the doc is labeled 'Ppl respecting Adora's boundaries' bc it's so late.

-Mandaree1