#halo fic

[writeforfandoms]

Warrior Song

Uh. Yeah. I did a Halo thing!

As a civilian medic, you never expected to see any action. You treated your patients, kept things running smoothly, and figured that would be that.

And then you ended up on Halo Zeta, life gone to hell in a handbasket in the space of minutes, and start forging some unexpected bonds.

AKA my reason to make John soft, give him a nap and a hot bath, and emotions. Because I live to make characters soft.

Chapter one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten | eleven | twelve | thirteen | fourteen | fifteen

[authortobenamedlater]

Was just writing a little piece for my Vital Record AU to warm up the writing muscles and autocomplete tried to turn “Thel instinctively braced for a confrontation” into “Thel instinctively braced for a conference call.”

I’ve been laughing too hard at this for the past 10 minutes.

[nekoprankster218]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: John-117 | Master Chief & Thel 'Vadam | The Arbiter, John-117 | Master Chief/Thel 'Vadam | The Arbiter Characters: John-117 | Master Chief, Cortana (Halo), Thel 'Vadam | The Arbiter Additional Tags: Not Beta Read, One Shot, Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Gen or Pre-Slash, Interspecies Relationship(s), soulmates: name on wrist, Angst, Ambiguous/Open Ending Series: Part 53 of Works by "Prank" (Pseud Series) Summary:

25 Years but change the trope (and basically make it no longer 25 Years)

[prankdoeswriting]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Rtas 'Vadum, Nizat 'Kvarosee, Stolt (Halo), Melody Azikiwe, Tul 'Juran, Amalea Petrov, Tam 'Lakosee, Meduz 'Ra'ashai, Vul 'Soran, Original Characters, Thel 'Vadam | The Arbiter Additional Tags: One Shot, Not Beta Read, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Elites | Sangheili, Based on a Tumblr Post Series: Part 62 of Works by "Prank" (Pseud Series) Summary:

In an alternate timeline, Shadow of Intent is sent to investigate the destruction of UNSC corvettes at the planet N'ba / Netherop, while carrying on the rescue of castaways those ships failed to complete. Alongside the human envoy Melody Azikiwe, can Rtas 'Vadum peacefully resolve the continuing war on the planet's surface? And how will the self-proclaimed Worldmaster - Nizat 'Kvarosee - react during the inevitable confrontation between Swords and Defenders?

(Based on the round 1 match between Rtas & Nizat during the Sangheili Bracket, in which Rtas won with 100% of all the votes. That overwhelming victory has led to the interpretation of this scenario as a series of Nat 20s on Persuasion and Deception.)

[infinityactual]

So, @sarnakhwritesthings said the Shotgun Confiscation bit sounded neat.

Context: Lasky, Sarah and a handful of other personnel and Spartans have been marooned on what was originally Skopje by ‘Cortana’ (or something posing as her) and have been going on approximately a year of guerilla warfare against Promethean forces in an attempt to either get to a UNSC friendly planet using a Forerunner portal system, or at least to a place they can make contact and get picked up. John and Blue Team finally find them after eavesdropping on comm chatter. Yes there is a hint of Johnsky because I have a brand to maintain.

---

The instant he saw a UNSC shotgun barrel, John moved to disarm instead of kill. He swatted the weapon aside with his right hand, then grabbed the barrel and slide with his left and yanked it toward him. The ODST followed his shotgun with a yelp, and as John turned he lifted with his left hand and shoved the man into the dirt by slamming his open palm into his back.

John turned to assess the condition and approximate number of the ODST’s companions as the Helljumper coughed, then yelled at him in a familiar voice.

“I LOVE YOU TOO, ASS!” John’s head snapped back toward the man picking himself up, the visor now depolarized to reveal the soldier’s identity.

Tom…?!

“Apologies, sir,” Was all John could muster. Thomas looked up at him with that comfortingly familiar annoyed look, before his face disappeared behind blue glass again.

“Can I have my gun back?” His voice sounded exasperated, rough and emotional for a split second before he recovered, and John returned the shotgun.

[Events Occur, John and Blue team follow Tom and Sarah back to their makeshift camp they’ve been living out of for the past few days]

John watched as Tom wiped himself down for the first time in weeks. He had stripped from the waist up, and it was obvious that his time on the former colony world hadn’t been easy.

Not that John would have expected it to be.

The charcoal camo BDUs hung loosely from Tom's hips, and the muscles of his abdomen, chest and arms were now well-defined. But he didn't look fitter, or even healthy for that matter. He looked diminished somehow, smaller. His face was thinner, and at first John hadn't been able to tell if his eyes were slightly sunken or if the darkness was from lack of rest. He now suspected it was a bit of both.

John wondered vaguely if Tom had seen him as similarly haggard when he'd first removed his helmet in the captain's company, and if that had contributed to him insisting that John and Blue Team were well fed, not just fed enough. The longer, wavy hair pulled back into a crude bun at the back of Tom's head looked a little silly, but it did the job of keeping the longer hair out of his face.

A deep sigh from Tom drew John back to the present. He was wringing out a cloth into the stream, then tossed it flat on a nearby boulder to dry. He pulled the black ODST undershirt back on, which hung loosely instead of hugging his torso like it normally would have under the combat gear, then gingerly picked his way across the rocky shore, swearing a few times, and sat next to John's spot on the fallen log.

"Been a long time since we came across a big enough stream to clean up even a little...feels nice to be slightly less gross."

"Mmh." John responded, and Tom chuckled softly.  

John had never seen Tom with any facial hair, even in the numerous photos in his personnel file or any of the family photos he'd shared, and it almost made him itch just watching Tom smile.

John felt a sudden, overwhelming feeling he wasn’t sure how to describe. His love for Tom (It still felt strange to acknowledge their relationship that way) hadn’t faded any, but he felt disappointed that Tom looked so different and was momentarily embarrassed to admit, even to himself, that he’d been looking forward to hugging Tom around his soft middle, and kissing him without having to worry about...hair.

"Still not much for conversation, huh? It's fine, I don't particularly want to talk about the unique hell the last seven months have been. We've survived, but..." He trailed off as he scratched his jaw, paused and scratched his chin before making an irritated growl as he furiously scratched his cheeks with both hands.

"I cannot WAIT till I can get back to civilization and a proper shave, I hope you weren't wanting me to keep this."

"No, sir." John said, maybe a little too quickly. Anxiety clenched at his gut for a moment, but there was no indication from Tom that he'd read into the reply.

"Sarah offered to hack it off once, but combat knives aren't designed for faces and quite frankly, she had no idea what she was doing." Tom's voice had dropped to a near-whisper...but not low enough.

"SHUT UP, POM-POM HEAD!!" Palmer yelled from somewhere in the camp.

[simplicity73]

Alright ,against my better judgements, and my want to make more halo friends , here is the Prolouge for my Halo fic. Strap yourselves in , this is one heck of a fun and wild ride that I enjoy writing , and dearly hope you all enjoy reading just as much

____________

 

 Prologue  : The offer

How long have I been here “ Samantha Walker asked herself, staring up at the grey ceiling of her cell. Maybe it had been a few days , or weeks or even months- she wasnt entirely sure. There was plenty she wasn’t sure about those days . Was she under arrest? Was she going to be tried as a war criminal ? Was the only voice in her head hers? What was the UNSC keeping her around for?

What she did know was that the solitude and quiet of the holding facility that kept her was torture. After spending so many years with another person (even if it was just an A.I ) shoved into her head, the quiet would drive her mad.

‘ I don’t think they’d arrest you’  the familiar voice spoke ‘ you know too much, you’re a good soldier-’ 

“ Who turned their back on the UNSC to join what is- WAS- essentially a terrorist organization”

‘You had humanity’s best interest at heart. And when it came to it, you did join the right side.

“A little late in the game though. I wasn’t fast enough to save you”

“Samantha Walker”

A  different voice- a guards voice-  cut her conversation with the Alpha A.I off ( her imaginative one at least) As it had said, she was a good soldier. In the blink of an eye she was off the bed and standing at attention- even though the man unlocking her sell wasn’t a ranked officer.

“Let’s go “ he said, opening the door and stepping aside “ you’re being summoned”

As much as she wanted to ask  by who. She merely followed orders, keeping her questions to herself . The answers would come to her soon enough after all. She held out her wrists, expecting to, and in fact, being cuffed tightly .

‘ Not under arrest, but still treated like a criminal’ 

 She sighed as the guard led her down a hall, towards the interrogation rooms, which she had  been in countless times since turning in the director , and his failed Project Freelancer over to the UNSC . Maybe now that all the proceedings were over, she would actually be put under arrest .

Sam was surprised to see that the  room was already occupied when the door opened.  Two people were seated opposite of where she was expected to sit. One man was in an electric wheel chair- a result of some old war injury no doubt, but wore a  military dress suit . The other was much younger. He  wore a black suit and tie, had a clean shaven head and a particular tattoo on the left side of his face: a fist  holding 3 arrows. 0

‘ONI…’ Sam knew right away , just by the way the  two seemed to carry themselves  What does the Office of Naval Intelligence want with me?

“Hello Lieutenant” the man in the wheel chair began “Please, have a seat”

“Not Lieutenant anymore,Sir”  Sam said , doing as she was told and sitting across from them . “ As far as I’m concerned ,I’ve been branded as a traitor, terrorist and war criminal”

“ If that were truly the case, You’d have been sent to a more secure facility than this”  he continued “  The UNSC doesn’t usually accommodate traitors but ONI can make a special exception  for the woman who helped put an end to Project Freelancer”

Ah. So they do have more they need to ask 

“ I’m not sure what else there is to say Sir. I’ve given my reports and all classified data to  you guys already “

“You’re service record is what we are more interested in “ finally the man  with the tattoo spoke. His accent was thick, and  for  only for a moment she struggled to under stand what he had said until he spoke again- while with drawing a data pad from  from a case on the table, pulling up on the holographic screen what could only be Sam’s dossier “ ODST with the 105th division,  the first of the Freelancer Project and to experiment with A.I neuro-implants. Outstanding physical and  mental marks, comparable only to the best of the UNSC officers. “ he looked at her over the top of the pad “ perhaps even only to the Spartans”

“I’m sorry and you are?” she didn’t mean to come off as rude, but this man looked more civilian than  military, yet he was going over her back ground as if he was the highest officer with the  highest clearance in the entire damned army

“Jun, Chief of Staff of Spartan operations,and this is Commander Musa”

“Spartans…” Sam raised an eyebrow at him “ I wasn’t aware that the Spartans were still around after the war”

“We don’t die easily” he said, and suddenly Sam felt a little intimidated by him. Even though he was seated, it suddenly hit her that if they were standing, he would  certainly have the look of those legendary soldiers that  she had only ever heard about

“And what does a Spartan in a suit and tie want with me?” she asked after a second or two of silence 

“As we said “ Musa replied “ ONI can make exceptions for those whom the UNSC thought were deserters  . So long as they have the proper skillset. And you, Miss Walker, have an extensive skillset.”

“We’d like to have you on board to help the Spartan IV program. If you’re ready to get out of the UNSC  and Project Freelancer”

She looked at both of the, a little too stunned to speak right away. “ So wait… you’re here to…offer me a job?”

“More or less” Jun shrugged “ despite your track with  Dr. Leonard Church’s project , we at ONI don’t believe in locking up valuable assets. You’re a good soldier, with the best interests for humanity at heart. We believe we need more people like  that at the helm of the new Spartan program.”

Sam felt all of the blood drain from her face. Alpha- or at least the Alpha she continued to see and hear in her head- had said the same thing. It was odd though, hearing it spoken from a flesh and blood person, rather than her  own sub concious where the ghost of her A.I still lingered. 

“What sort of job would  you have me doing?” she asked 

“In short, You’ll be our assistant . Handling recruitment files, training regiments, so on so forth”

Jun flipped the tablet over and slid it across the table to her, showing her a basic over view of what she could expect. 

A way out ‘ she thought , reading it over and over again , taking in every detail ‘ a newstart. A way to actually …do something right and maybe …just do something worth while ‘

“I accept” She said . 

[oni-official]

This is a preliminary log. File 1.2 is presented in a narrative style, reconstructed from all available sources. File 1.2 is formatted on PC for PC. Mobile may warp the text in odd ways, especially in portrait mode.

Mission Log: The Woods [File 1.1]

[The following audio has been transcribed from the retrieved helmet footage and secondary mics of two ONI operatives, codenamed Raven-1 and Raven-6, as well as various external sources.]

Mission Brief:

On xx-xx-25xx, Covenant forces moved into and, over the course of the coming months and years, settled the [x] system, consisting of a G-type main-sequence star, one gas giant, four unremarkable rocky planets and one potentially habitable planet (hereon referred to in these files as 'Eyrie'). Covenant craft took station over all of the above. They remained in place at all but Eyrie, where the ships broke orbit after 46 hours, leaving a suspected 200 troops behind.

During the early days of occupation, Raven-1 (leading Raven squad ground ops as a whole as well as Raven Team A) and the newly promoted Raven-6 (lead of Raven Team B) were assigned to recon the landing zone and gather information on the nature and purpose of the Covenant's presence on the planet. As usual, Raven-1 would be leading on the ground. Their mission would be overseen by Raven squad's handler, Raven Actual, who would remain shipside - alongside the rest of Raven squad (Raven-2 through to Raven-10, excluding 6).

The team would travel to the planet aboard the ‘Darker Days’, a Sahara class heavy prowler and use a Black Cat class sub prowler for deployment. The Darker Days would remain in-system, using the asteroid belt to remain undetected, to provide exfil upon mission completion and gather further data on Covenant forces on other planets.

Transcript Start

T[-02:34]

[Aboard Darker Days, Observation Deck]

R6: Well, would you look at that? Looks like a garden world.

R1: Mm.

R6: Reminds me of Earth, kinda.

R1: Prelims indicate that most landmasses are covered in tropical forests. We’re deploying to a more alpine area, but vegetation will still be dense.

R6: Hmph. Good thing I brought my bug spray.

R1: Mm.

[A brief period of silence]

R6: So, any idea what the Covies want down there?

R1: It’s impossible to know with them. Superweapons, religious artefacts, hell, maybe they’re just taking a day trip. You can ask them when we’re there, kid.

R6: Odd that they’re sending just the two of us, no? I mean, the briefing said there're 200 of them down there. Might be a job better suited to Spartans, or at least the entire squad.

R1: Most Spartans lack a certain… tact.

R6: Pfft. You can say that again.

R1: And we can't have the entire squad down there, they're needed on board to deal with the data we get on the other planets. We go in quiet, recon and leave. If plasma starts flying, we’re doing our jobs wrong.

R6: Copy that.

[Silence]

R1: Go on, go get ready. I'll meet you down at the dropship. Be on time, we only have a 15-minute window where we can deploy and guarantee we aren't seen.

T[-00:48]

[Hangar Bay]

R6: You down here already?

R1: Just doing some preflight checks.

R6: Sounds good.

R1: Listen, you know what I said earlier? About never knowing with the Covenant?

R6: Yeah?

R1: Well... [sigh] I don't know. This one feels off. They pulled out way too quickly. You never see Covies break like that unless something goes wrong.

R6: So-

R1: So, what I'm saying is that down there, we play it straight. No heroics, no going off on your own, no-

R6: Wait a minute, I never-

[crosstalk]

R1: -no - shut up. And no second guessing my or Actual's orders, is that understood, Six?

[Pause]

R1: Six, c'mon, the two of us have been on a dozen deployments alone and I haven't asked for much. You know I trust you. But this one time-

R6: Nah, nah, I hear you. I'll play it straight, boss.

R1: [sigh] Thank you. Beyond that, there's nothing to worry about. We'll be staying in contact with the Days throughout anyways, Actual will be keeping an eye out for us. Here, the chin gun's a bit slow to track, see if you can get it recalibrated before the pilot gets here.

T[+00:00]

[Engines start]

T[+00:02]

[Drop craft exits hangar bay, life signs: 3]

T[+00:28]

[Drop craft enters Eyrie's atmosphere]

T[+00:36]

[Drop craft touches down, Raven-1 and Raven-6 disembark]

[Drop craft lifts off]

[Comms check with Darker Days and Raven Actual: all green]

T[+01:03]

[Drop craft returns to hangar bay, life signs: 1]

T[+01:05]

[All communications between Darker Days and Raven-1 and Raven-6 cease abruptly]

[Pinging... Attempting to reestablish contact...]

T[+01:06]

[Pinging... Attempting to reestablish contact...]

[Comms Officer informs XO and Raven Actual]

T[+01:08]

[Pinging... Attempting to reestablish contact...]

[XO informs CO]

T[+01:15]

[Pinging... Attempting to reestablish contact...]

[Raven Actual states the mission can not continue without contact, attempts to exit the bridge in order to descend planetside with remainder of Raven squad, is ordered to stand down by CO. Ordered to be detained upon refusal.]

[Injuries suffered by bridge crew detailed in File 1.4]

T[+01:17]

[Pinging... Attempting to reestablish contact...]

[Raven Actual detained and taken to her quarters.]

[CO ordered event to be struck from official record and Raven Actual's personal record; refused to file complaint, reason given: "No one's dead up here and both of her team leads have gone quiet in a hot zone, can you blame her?"]

[Raven squad is informed of the situation]

T[+01:20]

[CO acknowledges contact loss, begins plans for recovery next orbital window at T+31:40]

[Contact loss confirmed]

[Log continues in File 1.2 here]

[saratogaroadwrites]

Per Aspera Ad Astra (18/18)

Per Aspera Ad Astra | saratogaroad | banner art credit Rating: T Wordcount: 183k Characters: John 117, Cortana, Thomas Lasky, Sarah Palmer, Fireteam Osiris, The Warden Eternal, The Didact, The Librarian, ensemble of other Halo characters Relationships: John-117 & Cortana Other Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, fix-it, Male/Female Friendship, Canon-Typical Violence Warnings:  War imagery, seizures, graphic description of injury

Snatched from the jaws of death, Cortana and John find themselves adrift in a galaxy that has long since moved on. As they attempt to find their place in this strange new world, they find that the fight is not as over as they thought. Chasing a signal across the galaxy in desperate hope, they come to a stark conclusion: the Reclamation has begun, and they are helpless to stop it.

=

You're sure they're here?

I'm sure. Cortana leaned her head back to catch his eye, traffic cameras caught a group matching their description outside one of the hotels here three nights ago, and they were seen again leaving that hotel fifteen minutes ago. They're here, and they're coming this way.

Pressing his back against the decorative pillar, John fought to keep from moving. Tension roiled beneath his skin, begging for an outlet; he settled for rolling his shoulders, the synthetic material of his jacket crinkling. The senate hall below them was full of people; staff and local officials, members of the press, even a few activists and protesters. A few sangheili, too, all of them in the softer civilian harnesses rather than armored combat gear. He wondered idly if they felt as exposed as he did. Durban's largest embassy was nestled in the middle of Biko's most populated city, full to bursting with civilians on their morning commute. It would last easily for another hour, Cortana had explained when he'd pointed out the crowds on their way in, and would provide good cover among the workforce. Any ordinary person would have been lost among the throng.

The people they were looking for were anything but ordinary.

What are they doing here?

I'm still sorting it all out, but from what was written in the ONI report they're all serving as bodyguards to one Richard Sekibo. He's a big name when it comes to continuing peace talks between humanity and the sangheili, which has gotten him some rather negative attention from some radical groups. She glanced sidelong at him. ONI funded radical groups.

Do you think they know that?

Pretty sure they've guessed. She tucked hair out of her eyes, returning her attention to the hall below. Judging by how the cameras were moving, she wasn't using just her own eyes to keep watch. That last mission they were on put them on the same path as Sekibo. Reports say they saved his life from an assassination attempt and stuck around, but given the trouble they're noted as running into I'd put credits on them knowing this is bigger than racist idiots.

John clenched his jaw so tightly his ears started to ring. He'd known that ONI had its secrets but this was too much. To target a peaceful diplomat, one of their own, was one thing. Preventing lasting peace between humanity and the sangheili was short-sighted and he couldn't understand their reasoning, but fine. There had to be some tactical importance behind the idea. But that they would target UNSC assets like Blue Team...it unsettled him. The look on Admiral Osman's face at the hearing flashed across his mind's eye, the way she had looked at Cortana like she was an obstacle to be eliminated...did she think that way about Blue Team? Were they all just obstacles to her?

A chill settled across his shoulders, Cortana's wordless attempt to ease his worries. Taking a deep breath he shook his head, forcing his muscles to relax. It didn't matter. Whatever was going on, they would handle it. Once he had eyes on Blue Team he would help them complete whatever mission they had taken on, and after that. Well, they'd deal with the rest after that.

And FLEETCOM doesn't know this is happening.

No. ONI kept this under the radar, kept Sekibo's attempts to call for help from reaching the right ears. As far as Lord Hood knows, Blue Team really did go MIA in Covenant space. It just wasn't because of the Covenant.

No. It was because of ONI. They kept things compartmentalized, and for good reason. If it got out that they were targeting their own people, there would be chaos in the ranks. Dissent would spread, splintering through the UNSC forces and leaving mistrust to spread in its wake. He understood keeping things on a need to know basis, but this went too far. He couldn't understand it, and he probably never would. The war was over. Why were they so determined to restart it? He set the question aside for later.

We'll need proof if we're going to tell him what really happened.

I'm working on that, too. Cortana sighed, both physically and mentally. It's going to be one hell of a mess.

John could imagine. He hummed quietly, rolling his shoulders. The skylight overhead offered a clear view of the sky above, a thick layer of rose colored clouds left over from the overnight rains just now beginning to break and allow scattered glimpses of the almost white sky they were hiding. Deneb's pale blue glow sent shafts of light down to the city, the soft warmth falling across the hall. Cortana reached out, cupping a sunbeam in her bare hand. She'd changed her code to appear more human and the near-white light rippled across warm olive skin, but even changing her colors couldn't change the softness that came to her expression as she felt real sunlight for the first time in her life.

John had to swallow the lump that rose in his throat. She deserved this, the chance to feel sunlight on her skin, and so much more.

"Does it feel real?" He asked quietly, the two of them in their own little world. She looked back at him, her eyes still so blue. "The sun. Does it feel real?"

Cortana blinked. Then, slowly, she smiled. The comforting chill wrapped itself a little tighter around his shoulders and he held it close. Maybe he'd never quite figure out an answer to the question she had asked him back then, but to be here in this moment with her was enough.

"Yes," She said just as softly, "It does."

The break in the clouds blew on past, returning the hall to the dimmer artificial lights below as they stole the sunlight but not her smile. She suddenly turned her attention to the main doors, the mechanical workings pushing hard to open the sturdy metal sides as a crowd of people walked inside. Men and women in suits, hands to their earpieces and eyes on their tablets, heels clicking against the marble floor. Diplomatic personnel, Sekibo's staff. He would be just behind them, and with him Blue Team.

John stepped out from behind the pillar, reaching out to grasp the rail with both hands. Cortana pressed in against his side, her light warm and buzzing against his skin as they watched, neither saying a word. The crowd of staff kept walking, going to begin the set up for the talks that would start soon. John gave them a once over, then turned his attention to the rear of the group. A dark haired woman with a serious face walked in beside an older man, a hand on the holster at her hip. Their heads were pressed in together, her whispering something to him, but John's attention wasn't on the two of them. It was on the three taller figures that surrounded them.

Against the backdrop of average humans there was no mistaking them for anything other than Spartans, and though five years stood between them John would have known his team anywhere. Fred loomed over the two in front of him, a little grayer at the temples and with a little extra color to his skin that hadn't been there the last time John had seen him, but he was still recognizably Fred. That was one.

A pace to Fred's left, Kelly strode through the hall like she owned the place. The blue dye in her hair was fresh, the bright color a vivid reminder of Reach's horizon at dawn. She drew stares but didn't care, more focused on keeping watch. That was two. A pace to Fred's right, Linda pulled off a pair of sunglasses, her bottle green eyes faintly narrowed as she considered the hall, the closing doors, and their surroundings before she locked eyes with Fred and gave the signal for all clear. That was three.

John's chest had grown tight, and he had to remind himself to breathe. They were alive. Somewhere deep inside, a tired old part of his heart remembered how to beat again. Cortana leaned over enough to look up at him.

Well? She smiled fondly, Don't you want to go say hello?

He did. He looked down at her, her smile warming him from within, then looked back down to his team. Rather than call out to them John whistled six clear notes, the sound echoing through the hall. More than a few people looked up, looking for the odd sound, but he paid them no mind. His attention was firmly on his siblings, watching as the three of them stopped dead. The dark haired woman froze when they did, looking back at Fred with one hand still on her gun, but his focus was elsewhere. The three once lost members of Blue Team turned in different directions to scan the area for the source of the whistle, their old signal, and it was Linda that looked up first. John watched her jolt as if struck, frozen by surprise for the span of three heartbeats. She didn't speak, didn't need to, but he could see the question in her eyes.

John?

Kelly saw him next, leaning back for a better look at what had caught Linda's attention only for her own eyes to go wide. Catching onto his sister's surprise Fred jerked his head around, stopping dead a second time and adding his gaze to their stares. John had to smile faintly, both sides of his mouth lifting upwards. What? Was he really the strangest thing they'd seen all day? They hadn't seen anything yet. Cortana snickered, catching the thought. He glanced down at her and she arched an eyebrow, tilting her head. He reached for her hand.

We go together.

Always.

Her small hand slipped perfectly into his grip. For the first time in years, John had everything he needed. No matter what happened, or what they had to face, he knew that things would work out somehow. They had each other, after all. That was all that mattered.

With that thought in mind, and with Cortana at his side, he headed down to greet his family.

[kitsune024]

 Halo & Mass Effect Fanfiction Crossover

Enduring the Flames of War by Masterdude21

A joint Asari-Turian operation salvaged a "package" from a derelict wreckage in the Terminus Systems, whereupon they release a force of war beyond their reckoning. Hoping to avoid another war, Commander Shepard recruits the "package" into her team. A simple act of kindness, unwittingly paving the way for a clash unlike the galaxy has ever seen. Fate directs the flames of war.

Chapters: 50/?

[writeforfandoms]

Halo

I’m giving in and making a whole masterlist for these fics, because there’s no end in sight. 

Also because I love one snarky Spartan.

Warrior Song - John-117/Master Chief x f!reader - As a civilian medic, you never expected to see any action. You treated your patients, kept things running smoothly, and figured that would be that. And then you ended up on Halo Zeta, life gone to hell in a handbasket in the space of minutes, and start forging some unexpected bonds.

Firebird - John-117/Master Chief x fem!OC -  Interference from a Forerunner artifact sends the Infinity into unknown space, where three long-abandoned ships hang above a planet. Hoping to solve some mysteries and kill time while Dr. Halsey works on getting them back home, Dr. Aria Lewis leads an investigation. - Currently only on AO3

Love Letters - John-117/Master Chief x f!reader - You never intended to actually admit your feelings to Master Chief. But your supervisor meddled, he knows, and you might be having anxiety. A silly cute one shot about developing feelings. - Now with part two!

The Trouble with Tribbles - John-117/Master Chief x Thomas Lasky - Someone gives Thomas Lasky a tribble. Things go about as expected. Now with chapter 2 - Ship Cat

[stevebabey]

surrounded by your embrace

summary: when you get drunk at a party, old memories make steve worry. he really doesn't need to because all alcohol does is make you clingy. gn!reader but mentioned to wear sum eyeshadow, no warnings u and steve are just absolute goobers for each other :D wc: 2k

He goes to the bathroom for five minutes.

Five minutes and you manage to make yourself scarce. The corner you had been previously inhabiting, slurping the lip of your red solo cup while talking to some friends, is completely void of you when Steve finds his way back to it.

Your friends are still there, leaned against the wall and chattering amongst themselves. Steve clears his throat to gain their attention.

"Did you see...?" He jerks a thumb over his shoulder, asking if they'd noticed where you might've wandered off to. You've had quite a few drinks tonight already and Steve's not surprised if it means you've forgotten you're the only one he knows at this party. These are your friends, not his.

One of them points towards the kitchen and he mutters a quiet thank-you, beginning to wind his way through the people to reach the kitchen.

A fraction of unease prickles at the back of his neck. Last time he was a party and his partner ambled off, full of alcohol, it had left a couple memories that cut deep. Steve hasn't ever admitted it aloud to anyone the seeds that Nancy had sowed that night, the little insecurities that had never bothered Steve in the slightest suddenly sprouting up overnight.

Worst is, he can't make himself forget that night. He remembers the spill of red punch on her white shirt vividly. Remembers the sting behind his eyes. Remembers how later on she'd come back in the middle of everything with Jonathan by her side and Steve had just... known.

But you're not Nancy and he knows that. He knows that this is a different party, you're a different person, it's a whole different relationship—

Yet, those insecurities have rooted deep and Steve can feel them shifting painfully inside him as his worries get away from him. Like vines wrapping tight around his ribcage the longer it takes to find you.

You're aren't by the drink station on the kitchen bench and looking out at the sea of people in the living room, you aren't there either. Steve pulls his collar away from his neck, feeling the prickle roll down his skin again. You've gone, something in his head whispers meanly, You've left him and found someone else at this party. Someone without his baggage, someone without his neediness, someone—

Steve scrubs a hand down his face and shoves away his ugly thoughts. None of them are fair to you — you who has been nothing but impossibly and endlessly sweet on him in the one month you and Steve have been dating. He inhales sharply to clear his head and scans the crowd again. Nothing.

Just as he's turning to go bug your friends again, he spots movement out the corner on his eye, someone shuffling about the walk-in pantry. Steve walks closer and peers in. It's you.

Delight and relief bloom together in his chest and he rounds the corner with a shaky smile, leaning up against the door frame. "There you are."

You turn with a little hiccup, clearly startled.

Steve adores how the recognition on your face melts into excitement, steamrolling his anxieties in an instant, and you drop whatever is in your hands and leap for your boyfriend.

"Steve!"

"That's me," He says with a smile, arms opening for you to burrow yourself in. You do so, arms twisting around his middle and face smushing against his chest and he welcomes the warmth of you in his arms. He expects you to move after a minute but you stay put, pressed right up against him, hold only tightening.

"I couldn't find you." You whine.

"You were looking for me in the pantry?"

"Nooooo," The drinks you've had have turned your usual drama up to 11. You dig your face out of his chest and rest your chin against it instead, forcing Steve to look directly down to meet your eyes. "S'just went to get water from th' kitchen 'n' then I saw they have a box of Fruit Roll-Ups."

You say this all as if it's incredibly self-explanatory why you're in the pantry while you're also looking for your boyfriend. Steve looks over your head and spies the spilled box on the ground you were holding just a few moment prior. Lo and behold, half a dozen Fruit Roll-Ups are scattered on the ground.

"Fruit Roll-Ups, Steve." You whisper with more emphasis.

He laughs a little, looking back down at you and thinking how pretty you look tonight. There's this blue crystal-coloured eyeshadow lightly smudged across your eyelids and it glitters beneath the low hanging bulb of the pantry.

"Well, I'm sure you can have one." He nods to gesture behind you. "Melanie won't mind, you're her friend."

Melanie, the party's host, had been tucked up and fast asleep in her bed with a big red bucket by her side when he had opened her door trying to find the bathroom. Steve definitely thinks she won't mind letting you gorge yourself of a single Fruit Roll-Up. Or a couple. Whatever, he won't tell on you.

"You think?"

Steve rubs your back lightly and goads you back towards the snack you're clearly hungry for. Your hands slide out of the hug reluctantly but the moment you turn, you're scuttling over to the treats. Steve chuckles watching you plop yourself down, sitting down on the cold tiles. You're in shorts. Steve can see your goosebumps from here.

He takes a few steps and crouches down, taking a seat next to you, leaning his back up against a beam. You're trying to tear into one of the packets but the moment Steve's back in your view, you're pouting and holding it out to him.

Steve pretends to scoff, taking the packet and opening it easily, but really, he loves that you ask him to do those things. Loves doing little things for you. He offers it back to you and you pluck it from his hands with glee.

He assumes you'll sink your teeth into it but you stare at it for a moment before you surprise him, crawling forward and all bout clambering into his lap.

It's rather inelegant, your drunkenness not helping and you push the heel of your hand just two inches from where it would really hurt, making Steve wince in anticipation. He holds his hands up and out of the way and lets you settle yourself.

A quiet revelation makes something in his chest glows hotly. You're always affectionate, always want to be touching him, but this is another level for you — there's a shyness around PDA that you usually carry that seems to have been shed tonight. Anyone could peer in the pantry and see you curled up in his arms and lap and you seem too enamoured with him to even care.

Steve grins and chides himself for ever being worried earlier.

"Hi." You say, finally situated comfortably. Steve's not sure it is comfortable, sitting sideways in his lap with one leg twisted nearly underneath you and one out in front, sorta curled in, but you seem content enough. He places one hand on the small of your back, the other holding just above your knee.

"Hi there. Comfy now?"

"Very. Can you pass me my roll-up please?"

You've dropped it in your wriggle to get closer to him and its rolled nearly under the shelf Steve's leaning up besides. He leans over and retrieves it, thanks God for the wrapper, and produces it for you.

"A gift." He says, drinking in how your face washes over with delight. With the lights haloing behind your head, your hair frizzy from dancing earlier, he thinks you look like an angel.

"That's right!" You take it from him and pull it close to your chest, attention back on him. "I wanted to give you a kiss, to say thank you."

Steve feels his heart flutter, a stutter in the beats at the utter tenderness of your words. He squeezes your knee and turns his face, holding out his cheek.

"Well, go on then."

You giggle and it's the most dreamy honeyed noise Steve's ever heard. You lean in and plant a big wet kiss on his cheek with a happy hum, pulling back with a mwah!

"Thank you for the kiss, sweetheart." He rubs the hand on your back lightly and you soften at his words completely, pure giddiness running rampant across your features.

Steve soaks it all in, unsure of the last time he knew someone who gave him love so freely. You seem to have endless amounts of it for him. You don't even mind when he's greedy with you.

You finally peel back the wrapper of the Fruit Roll-Up and gobble a bit of it down. You chew and swallow and lean all your weight against him, your shoulder pressing into his. You're close, a couple more inches and the tip of his nose would brush yours. A bashful expression flits across your features.

"I like when you call me sweetheart."

"You do?"

You nod enthusiastically.

"That's good," Steve says, fondness coating each word. " 'Cos I like calling you sweetheart, sweetheart."

It's so cheesy that Steve thinks you shouldn't laugh, but you do because you're wonderful. He grins, his fingers on your knee tightening slightly as you look over him, your eyes crinkled up by your grin. The alcohol makes you brash enough to stare and you look at his face intently for a moment before you huff.

“God!” You drop your head back with a dramatic sigh and sink your teeth into your bottom lip to try contain your giddy grin. It doesn’t work in the slightest. “That look.”

"What? What look?”

You tip your head back up and Steve can read the shyness on your expression, pulling at your eyebrows.

“You know,” You say, a little embarrassed, which is even more adorable on you while drunk. You're flustered over your words, like you know you wouldn't normally have said them if you were sober. “You just get this look sometimes, when you’re looking at me—”

Steve frowns for a moment, minuscule, as he thinks of what face you might be referring to.

“—and your eyes get all intense and- ugh! It still makes nervous when you do it.” You’ve drop your head again, forward this time, to hide your face in his shoulder. You pat your tummy theatrically and then clutch it, voice lowering to a whisper in his ear. “These butterflies are your doing, Harrington.”

Steve laughs, entirely too pleased with himself —he still makes you nervous. Ditto, he thinks. “Is that so?”

"Mmhm." You hum and Steve feels you place a soft kiss on one of the moles on his neck. His breath catches and his heart flip-flops. You wiggle a bit but it's just to try get closer to him, your nose nuzzling against his neck. A tired sigh escapes you.

"You tired? Wanna go home?" He asks.

You nod sluggishly but make no attempt to move. Steve chuckles lightly, his hand still soothing up and down your back gently, not helping in the least he knows. Still, he can't help himself; he wants to ply you with love, with comfort, if he can. You sigh happily.

"N' a minute." You mumble. Your words are slurring the more tired you get. "Just wanna be at a party with my super hot and amazing boyfriend for one more minute. S'okay?"

Steve's heart crumples and he can feel his entire body curl up, his legs sliding up an inch, his hands tensing, all involuntarily reactions to try bring you in closer to him. There is an ache in his very core but it's a lovely ache. Steve feels a burn behind his eyes. He blinks and presses a long kiss to your hairline.

"Yeah, sweetheart," He murmurs into your hair. "That's more than okay with me."

[authortobenamedlater]

I’m still sick and posting near-forgotten WIPs is making me feel better. I put this on Tumblr about a year ago with the intent to write a longer fic to go with it, but I like this little piece as it is. Even though I may still write more to go with it.

Fic based on this fanart. Editing to add, definitely wrote this with the show in mind but as I read over it, you can make it work for the games if that’s your thing.

@countessofbiscuit (it is your art after all ❤️) @ageless-aislynn @rainintheevening (I know you don’t really go here but this is a good hug story if I do say so myself 😂) @morganas-pendragons @sarnakhwritesthings @naranghim @misscrazyfangirl321 @firstfandomfangirl @ionlymadethissoicouldleaveanask @writeforfandoms @inafieldofdaisies @ladyknightskye @mrgartist really just tagging anyone who’s ever interacted with me about the show at this point.

[nekoprankster218]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Miranda Keyes/Thel 'Vadam | The Arbiter Characters: Miranda Keyes, Thel 'Vadam | The Arbiter, Avery Johnson, John-117 | Master Chief, Catherine Halsey Additional Tags: One Shot, Not Beta Read, Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Interspecies Awkwardness, Alien/Human Relationships, Post-Game: Halo 3, besides the brief part at the end that's, Post-Game: Halo 5: Guardians, Weddings, Attempted assassination, Political Allies to Lovers, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Strained Relationships Series: Part 23 of Popular Fanfiction Tropes the Series (based on the ColeyDoesThings videos), Part 44 of Works by "Prank" (Pseud Series) Summary:

After the Human-Covenant war, a desperate measure is taken to broker peace between humanity and the Sangheili.

(Fulfills the "Arranged Marriage" trope of the series.)

[prankdoeswriting]

Chapters: 15/15 Fandom: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Bero 'Kusovai, Jega 'Rdomnai, Fal 'Chavamee, Jeht 'Lcmutee, Avu Med 'Telcam | The Bishop, Unnamed Field Marshal (Halo: Reach), Mahkee 'Chava, Crei 'Ayomuu, Vari 'Damat, Zhar (Halo), Xytan 'Jar Wattinree, Sali 'Nyon, Raia 'Mdama, Dural 'Mdama, Inslaan 'Gadogai, Unnamed Shipmaster (Halo: Evolutions), Thel 'Vadam | The Arbiter, Tam 'Lakosee, Lak 'Vadamee, Meduz 'Ra'ashai, Ripa 'Moramee, Rho 'Barutamee, Asum "Bakar" 'Mdama, Meduu the Fierce, Rhu 'Vrath, Ayit 'Sevi, Ernicka the Scar-Maker Additional Tags: Ficlet Collection, Not Beta Read, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Inspired by Tumblr, Character Study, Relationship Study, One Shot Series: Part 61 of Works by "Prank" (Pseud Series) Summary:

While running the Sangheili Bracket on Tumblr, I got the idea to write a few ficlets based on some of the match-ups. This is serving as an archive for them.

[infinityactual]

Wrote some fluff after dealing with some rather violent shallots for dinner.

[princington]

Ava laughs into the kiss, then wraps an arm around Bea and tugs until she shifts to rest her body against Ava’s chest, familiar and grounding. The Halo hums in all the places they’re touching, and Ava sinks into the feeling of it, into the comfortable weight of Bea on top of her, against her skin and breathing her air and in her heart.

who needs comfortable love ch 9 by @the-ominous-owl