Requestor: Grass43211

AUs: None

Ships: Entradak

Notes: Post-canon

Warnings: Trauma

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To say that Hordak was unhappy with his new appearance was a gross understatement. Every time he looked in the mirror to find himself a spitting image of every other clone, his stomach churned. As much as he wanted to do something about it, he planned on respecting the fact that he wasn't to leave the spare room without permission. Queen Glimmer had been kind enough to let him stay in a comfortable place while the Alliance figured out what to do with him; he would not disrespect her generosity by ignoring her rules.

His stay in the spare room wasn't actually all that bad, considering his technical status as a prisoner. The room was far more comfortable than anywhere he'd ever stayed, and he received frequent visits from Plumeria's ruler, who had apparently taken it upon herself to rehabilitate him and prepare him to enter a post-war society. His favorite visits, however, were those from Entrapta. She came to see him almost daily, expressing her excitement for the day when he could accompany her out of this room and reporting her progress on the new armor she insisted on building for him.

When he took down his mirror and placed it in the corner, facing the wall, Entrapta was the first to notice and ask why. He didn't sugarcoat it, and instead honestly told her that he hated the way he looked and would rather not have to face his own reflection. She seemed mildly perturbed by this, but thankfully didn't press the issue. That was one of Hordak's favorite things about her; unless it involved science or seemed particularly important, she was willing to leave things alone when he didn't want to discuss them.

He thought that was the end of the issue, but as it turned out, Entrapta had a surprise up her sleeve. One day, she walked into his room with her arms filled with a bundle of clothing, as well as a small box balanced on top.

"What is that?" He asked from his perch on the edge of his bed.

"Well, you said you didn't like the way you looked, so I figured I'd help you change it to something you like better!" Entrapta replied, setting her burden down beside Hordak. She sifted through the bundle for a moment before pulling out a black t-shirt with a cartoonish skeleton dog printed on the front. "You could wear things like this until your new armor is ready."

"It certainly will set me apart from the other clones." Hordak chuckled as she passed him the shirt. "Thank you."

"That's not all," She replied in a sing-song tone. "See this box? It's hair dye. Just wash it into your hair and it'll turn a different color." She proudly presented the small box to him, showing off the word 'Indigo' in large letters. "I didn't know what color you'd like best, so I just picked up the closest thing I could find to what your hair used to look like. If you want I can look for other colors."

"This is perfect," Hordak smiled at her, taking the box into his hands. It would be nice to be able to look at his reflection again. "You've been very kind to me, Entrapta."

"That's what we do for each other," Entrapta returned his smile, though hers was far more excited. "I'll leave you alone so you can figure out an outfit and dye your hair."

With a quick kiss to Hordak's cheek, Entrapta left the room, leaving him alone with the box of hair dye and bundle of clothing. He sorted through everything, finding that most of the shirts had logos or cartoon prints. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything of the sort, but they were a gift from Entrapta, so he would accept them.

---

The next time Entrapta came to visit, Hordak was wearing sweatpants and the skeleton dog shirt, his hair freshly dyed. His mirror still wasn't up, but he had turned it around briefly just to see what he looked like now. Admittedly, the green eyes were still largely unappealing, but he felt better about his appearance than he had since returning to Etheria.

"You look amazing!" Entrapta practically threw herself into his arms, very nearly taking them both to the ground. "Do you like it?"

"I do," He replied as she shifted her weight off of him and onto her pigtails. "It's much better. I can't thank you enough."

"There's no need to thank me." Entrapta told him. "All that matters to me is that you're comfortable in your own skin. I want you to be happy."

Hordak felt his chest swell with affection, a feat that only Entrapta could accomplish. He almost hugged her again, but he knew that she preferred to touch rather than be touched, so he refrained. Instead, he simply smiled, wondering what in the world he'd done to deserve her.