scattershotmind

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We gotta start taking "child having an absolute meltdown in public" not just as a circumstance to be compassionate about, but as the valuable opportunity it is.

I personally like to close my eyes and pretend I'm the one who's screaming.

Scream for us all, little nugget.

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The longer I exist as a loudly proudly gay man the more I think that cishet men aren't actually attracted to women.

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I LOVE being autistic and trying to communicate because every time it’s

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By LabradoriteKing on Pinterest

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Today in niche genres of joke that I can never get enough of and will probably still be secretly thinking about four years later

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hate what people did to the dead dove tag

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gay people love him

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the idea that people have romantic attraction to people who aren’t their friends is so weird to me. i dont even know if i like you as like a person why would i want to play boyfriends with you

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Baa baa backstreets, have you any boys

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The Onion continues to never miss

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Girl when I tell you my life flashed before my eyes

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A Worrier's Pursuit

Harrowing - the only word the Guardian can think to describe all of this.

Even as the Vanguard - at full strength with Cayde back in the fold - discuss the final pieces of their plan with allies new and old, the Young Wolf rests against a stack of crates.

She sits on the dated paneling, cradling her Ghost in her lap. His state distressed her more than anything and she finds it difficult to focus on anything beyond him.

None of it matters without him.

She lifts Ghost up, gently tucking him into her hood. He nuzzles against her neck and rests - the sweetest sort of Ghost cuddles.

As her head settles back against the crate, there is the sound of a transmat not too far from her and a loud thud of heavy boots. Her eyes do not open, transmats are a common firing right now with Guardians pouring into the Traveler to lend aid.

But the startled voice of her beloved drags her eyes open.

“Cayde-6…I thought you died.”

Blunt, rumbling and amused at the same time - Lord Shaxx has arrived.

“Aw, you miss me, big guy?” Cayde chuckles as he steps up to the Warlord.

“...how?”

That's the only question that mattered and yet they were sworn to secrecy.

“Eh. Traveler needed a hand and a rallying speech.” Cayde waves his hand dismissively with a chuckle. “But all of this was enough to finally drag you out of the Tower, huh?”

Shaxx’s head turns toward the Young Wolf and Cayde's gaze follows.

“Oh, you went for it after all. Congrats. How long?”

“A handful of years. We share a home and our lives when times permits.” Shaxx says softly, reminiscent of her early years in the Tower. But it is clear his priority is the woman propped against the crates and Cayde seems to note that.

“Go get her, big guy. She needs you.” The Hunter Vanguard's voice is soft as he pats Shaxx’s shoulder.

The Titan nods and turns, moving toward the Young Wolf resting against the crates. Her head tips back with a soft smile beneath her visor. 

Her Titan came for her, just as he's always promised. To be there when she truly needs him beyond the Tower.

“You look a mess,” the Warlord murmurs as he kneels down beside her. His hand lifts, brushing his knuckles along the side of her helmet, “Do away with this, Little Hunter. Let me see–”

Her helmet vanishes in a transmat before he can finish his sentence and he is met with exhausted, agonized eyes. She tries to smile, she really does. But she can feel the Light radiating from the cracks in Ghost’s shell, she can feel the subtle tremor of pain he's feeling - there is no smiling for the Young Wolf.

She's so worried about her companion even if the love of her life is gazing down at her.

“Oh, Guardian,” he murmurs, strong arms gathering her up as he shifts to sit against the crate. She curls into him as her Ghost snuggles into her neck.

A haven, at long last. 

His touch soothes the tremors of her heart, quiets the racing of her mind. She finds a calm beneath the gentle Arc currents beneath her. She finds refuge in the soothing massage along her back and legs.

Being draped over the Crucible Handler does wonders for one's comfort. She feels less weighed down. Less drained. Sleep pulls at her but it is not the sort of desperation but the sort of comfort and familiarity.

Shaxx relaxes her in a way none ever could.

“How bad is it?” 

His voice rumbles beneath her head and there is a hitch in her breathing. She can offer no words but gently scoops her Ghost and shows him to the Warlord.

“...and you?”

She looks up at him as she replaces Ghost.

Worse.

Her confidence that they can win is shaken. She will fight until her last breath and then some even if it is all for naught.

But she is shaken.

The Witness nearly shattered her Ghost - her driving force. He is everything to her and she nearly lost him.

Shaxx seems to understand the silence and curls around her, cradling her tightly against him.

“Rest. You will need your strength and I will watch over you, my Little Hunter.” His helmet lowers, bumping against the top of her head lightly in a kiss.

She longs for a real one but she knows that cannot be afforded right now. The helmet remains on beyond the safety of their room.

Still, it does not prevent her from dozing in his arms and eventually, slipping into a deep slumber. He will wake her if need be, but she is safe here in his arms. Shaxx would never let anything happen to her.

She rouses sometime later, awoken not by the satisfaction of solid rest but by Cayde-6's voice and Shaxx’s firmer hold around her.

She can hardly make out the Vanguard's words but Shaxx’s are clear as day.

“I will join her out there.”

“I get you love your girl, Shaxx. But we need you managing the fleet armaments. No one knows those like you do, big guy. The Guardian will be fine. Crow is watching her back out there and I'm watching them both.”

Shaxx sounds reluctant and by the flex of his arms around her, she imagines he is at war with himself.

“I've never seen her in such a state, Cayde.”

“I know. But trust me, she can handle this. Our Guardian is tough. It's hard to see her so rough but…she'll push through. She always does.”

Shaxx’s helmet shifts, the edge brushing her hood. He's looking down at her, she can feel it. 

“...did Zavala tell you what she was like after you died?” He asks, petting her hood tenderly.

Cayde hesitates before he drops to a crouch beside them. “No. He…didn't get into that. There was a lot about him and Ikora but…they said nothing about her.”

“You'd have been proud of her carnage. She donned this cloak and…never hesitated. She tracked your killers across the Shore. Followed Uldren into the depths until she had her prey. But what struck me was how quiet she became.” Shaxx murmurs the last sentence, beginning to rub her back and she pretends to stir a bit before settling back down. 

“She's always been one for few words but it grew worse after your death. It broke her in so many ways. It wasn't until she saw a Nightmare of you on the Leviathan that I believe she truly began to face that guilt, that grief.”

Cayde remains silent though she can feel his eyes on her.

“She didn't tell me what was said, only that…you were finally at peace. She could stop carrying that guilt with her now. You knew she did everything she could. She began to speak, to lead. To be the true Hunter you knew she could be. The leader she is now.”

“I've only seen bits and pieces, but,” there is a smile in Cayde's voice, “I am proud of her. What she's accomplished. Not just the battles, but…” He lays a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently.

He knows she's awake.

“But you know the rest, don't you, kid?”

Shaxx’s chin lifts in mild surprise and he looks from Cayde to the Guardian in his arms.

She sits up slowly, giving the Titan a tired smile before looking to Cayde and dragging him into a fierce hug from her Warlord's lap.

I know. I'm glad I made you proud.

She knew. 

In a way, she always knew. By the way Ace felt in her hand. By the cloak on her shoulders. By her Light, she knew.

And now all was okay. He's back. He's alive. 

The Witness's days are numbered with the Vanguard at full strength again.

All will be well.

After all, Guardians make their own fates.

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