#master chief fanfiction

[helix-studios117]

Halo Reloaded: Atheon

Their private living-quarters is their little oasis... Linda-058—no, Linda Downes, six months along by this point in time, nestled into the pillows with a gentle sigh, her armored plates set aside for the evening. Her legs stretched toward the warmth of the small electric heater humming in the corner.

"John?" Linda's voice, tinged with a child-like whimsy, broke the quiet. "Could you... would you tell me a story tonight? Something happy?"

John smiled, the scar on his face softening in the dim light. He settled beside her, their hands finding each other naturally. "Yeah, sure. You remember Atheon, right? The hero from the tales I told you about when we were kids?"

Linda's eyes lit up, a sparkle of amusement dancing in them. "Yeah! The one who fought with a laser sword and rode a star dragon?"

"That's the one." John chuckled, his voice a soothing rumble in the quiet room. "Okay, let me think... Ah, got it. So, this story takes place on a distant, colorful planet called Neonis. It's so bright and vivid, every sunset there paints the sky in a million shades."

Linda giggled, tucking her feet under her. "Tell me everything!"John began, gesturing with his hands as he wove the tale. "Atheon was not just any hero; he was known as the Guardian of Joy, sworn to defend the smiles of every child in the galaxy. One day, the gloomy shadows—serious creatures made of drear and drab—decided they had enough of Neonis's bright colors."

"Atheon wouldn’t stand for that, would he?" Linda interjected, her voice playful. "Never," John affirmed with a mock-serious nod.

"Atheon strapped on his jet boots and soared into the sky, his laser sword gleaming. But as he confronted the shadows, he realized that fighting them would only spread more darkness." Linda leaned forward, absorbed. "So, what did he do?"

"He did something unexpected. Atheon started to dance." John’s lips twitched into a smile. "Yes, dance. Right there, in the middle of the sky. His moves were so silly and joyous that the shadows, who had never seen anything so ludicrous, couldn’t help but laugh."

Linda clapped her hands delightfully. "He danced away the gloom?"

"Exactly," John said, nodding. "The shadows began to dance too. They twisted and twirled until they turned into bursts of color, adding to the sunset themselves."

Linda’s laughter filled the room, light and carefree. "Atheon the dancing hero, I love it!"

John looked at her, his heart swelling with affection as he watched her joy. "And they say that to this day, the sunsets on Neonis are the brightest, all thanks to a hero who dared to dance instead of fight."

Linda snuggled closer, her head resting against his shoulder. "Thank you, John. That was perfect. Atheon’s my hero."

John whisperes to her, kissing the top of her head gently. "...And you're my hero, Lyn."

[ghostlychief]

I gasped really loudly when I saw your post, can I request a thing with our baby girl, Master Chief? Like something cute with him reuniting with his s/o, or just something with him getting all the love?

i'm so glad we are on the same page about master chief being baby girl <3

--

goodnight n go

(you should listen to the slow version of goodnight n go by ariana)

master chief, John 117 x gen!reader

wc: 1473

warnings: none, just excruciating fluff

~*~*~*~

You were used to the wait.

You were used to the constant pining and apprehension that would seep through you every time you watched John walk into those battle ships, never knowing if the glimmer of his armor would be the last thing you would see of him.

Every time he left, you would just hope that he would return, and that you would be in his arms sooner rather than later. You could say that it has gotten slightly easier over the years, since John seemed to be made of luck. He always came back in one piece. Maybe a couple of scratches here or there, but he always came back to you.

Typically, when John was on his missions, you would keep yourself busy by overworking yourself in order to keep your rambling thoughts at bay. At first, your supervisors were wary about how much you were working yourself. But over time, they either gave up trying to convince you to go home, or realized how much it helped you to stay busy, to stay moving. You had to, otherwise you would go crazy just thinking about all of the danger John puts himself in every day. It didn’t matter if he was gone a few days, a week, or even a month. The time he spent away from you always felt like an eternity.

You were now standing in the loading dock, rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet, hands clasped behind your back, looking out at the runway.

Homecoming days were always your favorite, and you always arrived at the dock much earlier than needed in order to greet the Blue team just as they arrived back on Reach. You’re pretty sure the other Spartans poke fun at John for it, but you couldn’t care less.  

You’ve probably been waiting for a little over forty-five minutes when you finally see that familiar pelican flying towards you. You know it’s him and his team because of the bright red Firebird painted on the nose of the ship.

The ship starts to land and gusts of wind make your hair ruffle, ruining all of the time and effort you put into it to look presentable. You quickly forget about your hair state when the door of the pelican slides open and those familiar Mjolnir shoes peak out, and begin descending the ramp.

John is always the last to exit, so as the other Spartan start to pass you, you briefly acknowledge them with a slight nod, but your eyes never leave the ship. They’re only looking for him.

Finally, finally you see the gold tint of his helmet’s visor and the infamous green glint of his armor.

Your feet have a mind of their own when they start moving towards him, breaking into a light job. Your face breaks into a breathtaking smile and when you finally reach John, you basically crash into him, wrapping your arms tightly around his neck. You hear him slightly laugh through the comms from his helmet, and he returns your hug, lifting you off the ground with ease as he holds you tight.

“Hey, bug.” He sets you down gently, and runs a gloved hand down your head, cupping your cheek. His thumb softly moving back and forth on your warm skin.

You bring your hand up to his, and grasp it as you smile up at him, “Hey, you.”

~*~*~*~

A few hours later you find yourself in front of John’s door, waiting for him to let you in. It’s been a few hours since he touched down on Reach. You gave him some time to un-suit from his armor, debrief HQ, among other things. He’s a busy man, and there’s always at least one official that needs to talk to him.

Luckily for you, the mission he was just on wasn’t super long, and also not as critical as his past missions. Therefore, the debriefs didn’t take up the whole day like they usually do, and he was back at his apartment at a reasonable time (for once).

Which leads you to now, standing at his door, once again rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet.

The door finally swings open, revealing a smiling John, and he ushers you inside. He places his hand on the small of your back as you walk into his living room, making small talk about your walk over to his place.

It’s evening now, and John has the low lights turned on in his living room, giving the impression that his home is glowing. The comforting atmosphere wraps around you like a blanket as you go to sit down on his couch.

“So, what do you want to do? I have dinner made for us, but afterwards is completely up to you.” You run your hand down his arm, touched that he thought to make dinner for you. He was surprisingly a great chef, something you weren’t expecting when you first started dating.

“That’s an after-dinner worry, let’s eat then figure it out.” John lightly laughs and agrees.

You spend most of dinner asking him about his mission and he tells you all that he can (seeing that most of his missions are classified). It’s one of your favorite pastimes. He’s been all over the galaxy, to so many different planets and places and you love to hear all about these adventures through his eyes. You sometimes wish he would take you with him to these far-off places, no matter how unrealistic that is.

You guys decide to keep it simple and watch a movie after dinner, so you wrap yourselves under two big blankets, and John tucks you under his arm, your head resting on his chest. You can feel the rhythm of his breathing as his chest moves up and down. His steady heartbeat thrums through his chest, once again reminding you that he’s real and not a figment of your imagination. The laundry detergent that lingers on his clothes makes a feeling of ease wash over you because it always reminds you that you’re safe and that he’s here with you and that he’s okay, alive.

Your hand rests on his upper abdomen, and you can feel the taught ridges of his abs underneath his black t-shirt. You absentmindedly trace circles on him with your fingers and you feel his hand do the same on your shoulder. Your leg is thrown over his lap, and there is no inch of you that is not pressed up against John. You are completely and utterly wrapped up in each other, not even a piece of paper could fit between you guys. His hand comes up to rub your hair, and you feel him kiss the crown of your head.

“I missed you a lot, you know.” His chest rumbles as he confesses this and your heart warms at the sentiment, a slight smile pulls at your lips.

You squeeze him, and feel his arm tighten around you. You move to sit up straighter so you can look at him and your hand cups his face, your thumb brushing over the slight stubble that’s grown since he’s been gone.

You confess, “Me too,” then lean in to kiss him.

He deepens the kiss as his hand gently cups the back of your head. You and John exist in this diminutive pocket of time where it’s just you two, and nothing else. You find yourself slipping into this space whenever you’re with him, and never wanting your time here to end. Never wanting to enter the reality in which he leaves again. You push those thoughts away for now though, and just continue to exist as you are with him.

You finally break away from each other, and you smile at him, taking in every detail of his face. Your thumb traces over the scar that starts above his left eye, and continues down the side of his temple. You leave a kiss there.

Next, your eyes flit over to the jagged scar in the hollow of his cheek. Your lips softly press down there, tracing the line of the wound he got many years ago. When you reach the end of it, your lips are at the corner of his, and you place one last kiss there.

You break away, and quietly say, “I’m glad you’re here.” He gives you a longing look, his eyes flitting to yours and his hand smooths down your hair as he replies, “Me too.”

~*~*~*

You and John spend the remainder of the night wrapped up in each other, getting lost in each other’s touches and confessions, finding simple pleasure in just being able to be close to one another.

You think to yourself, the wait is always worth it for moments like these.

[hallecarey1]

I am obsessed with the halo tv series! Like Master Chief is so hot🥵🥵🥵 if anyone has an fics of him please put them in the comments bc I can barely find any on here. Pablo is daddy

[eureka-its-zico]

A Body of Stars

Ongoing series

Synopsis: With a galaxy at war, it’s hard to distinguish the stars from the metal of UNSC ships. You were told about the war that waged between the UNSC and insurrectionists; your planet opposing them since you were born. Your enemy was meant to be the UNSC and the Spartans they created, specifically John-117 - the Master Chief. Except, all isn’t as black and white as you were raised to believe, and the galaxy holds secrets far darker than you could’ve imagined.

Pairing: John - 117 x F!Reader

Genre: enemies to lovers, strangers to lovers, slow burn, eventual smut, Halo TV series/Mass Effect mashup

Warnings: mentions of war, violence

Word count: 11.7k

A/N: Alright. As hyper fixations go, the Halo series (and let’s be real, Pablo is a menace) has my ass in a chokehold. That being said, season 2 was amazing and made me want to work on a small fic that blended the series and my love of BioWare’s Mass Effect. Mass Effect is my favorite sci-fi space game about galactic war, friendship, love, sacrifice. I could rant but I won’t. There will be mentions of certain ME things in here, like the reader having biotics, to go along with the lore of the halo series. So, without further ado: its back story time. I hope someone out there enjoys this and as always, thank you for reading 🖤 much love, Jenn

Year: 2521

•Shadow Sea cluster•

•Lera system•

Destination: Laconix

ETA: 13 hours

The Midsummer Night came out of slip space without a hitch.

Not that he’d been worried. It was one of the few things that Captain Jacob Keyes hadn’t worried about during this current mission. What, or rather who, currently worried him was standing less than ten yards from him and came in the form of his ex-wife. He risked a glance where Dr. Catherine Halsey was hunched over with her nose deep inside another holopad. 

Those holopads had been one of the many reasons why their marriage fell apart. 

There was no doubting the brilliance her work contributed to the scientific field or the war effort. All of her research was the stepping stone humanity needed in terms of augmentation and the human genome. The contributions Halsey and her Spartans made towards this never-ending battle against the covenant saved lives, but, and it was a big but, Jacob knew that Halsey’s methods were questionable, at best. Hell, he’d been a part of those questionable decisions, driving the helm, while she did what she deemed was necessary. 

Vital. 

So, Jacob Keyes knew without her ever having to say a word that something was off. The Midsummer Night and the Pegasus holding Halsey’s darling Spartain-III’s were meant to go for a routine extraction. Intel indicated one of the leaders in the insurrectionist rebel groups, Kahn Montrello, was located on a planet within the Lera system of the Shadow Sea cluster. It was a typical snatch-and-grab unless they were met with resistance. 

Halsey requesting to tag along was more than just a surprise. It was suspicious. Jacob knew Halsey didn’t do anything without purpose.

“Tell me again why you’ve insisted on inserting yourself into a routine mission dealing with insurrectionists?”

Halsey hadn’t even looked up from the damn holopad to acknowledge he’d walked over. 

“I’m just here to gather some data while the Silver Team is dispatched to help your marines on the ground.”

Jacob’s boots scuffed against the metal of the bridge as he moved closer to her. His eyes on Catherine’s back - willing her to turn, to acknowledge him - as her gaze held tightly to the readings she’d taken from a tablet from her lab. The data was transferred to the larger scale computer in the bridge’s main console. Halsey’s eyes roaming endlessly through data Jacob himself knew he’d never understand without her help. 

“Come on, Catherine. That may be the bullshit you fed Parangosky and the other admirals, but don’t feed me the same lies and expect it to go down smoothly.”

Halsey broke away for the briefest millisecond from whatever data she was reading. Her eyes skimmed over him before returning back to what was more important.

Research in the name of human exploration always was.

“It’s not bullshit. Data collected in the field is highly valuable for furthering my research; proof to Parangosky the Spartan research is worth her continued funding.”

“That’s a nice speech, Catherine, but I know that any collected data during the mission is recorded and sent back to your lab for analysis. So, when are you going to start telling me something honest?”

Honesty. 

Asking Halsey to be anything other than secretive was like asking a tiger to get rid of its stripes. Jacob knew even if she told him - really shared - it still wouldn’t be all of the actual information. Key pieces of information - the most valuable - would be forever stored within her; leverage for another day. 

Whatever it was she could see on those holopads had her sky blue eyes wide in excitement. Halsey wouldn’t be able to contain it - hide it - for much longer.  If the small rise at the corner of her mouth was any indication, all Jacob needed to do was push a little further. Find the right words to spark a rush of hypotheticals that might turn out to hold some truth. If she didn’t crack yet, it would take one more well-placed question and she would cave. 

“Jacob,” her voice was breathy, tinged with unrestrained joy. “I think I found something.”

“What are you talking about, Catherine? Found something?”

More cryptics. More hoops. 

A sigh heavy with years of fights - conflicts - departed his lips and Halsey rushed to recover some ground. Her body quickly took back the space he left to place her hand gently on his bicep. The grip was soft but demanding that he stay close; pleading with him not to pull away.

Halsey needed him. 

“A few weeks ago the UNSC sent over old documents from companies they’d disassembled. Conatix was one of them.”

It wasn’t hard to spot the confusion that deepened the lines in the crease of Jacob’s forehead and scrunched up his nose. His eyes roamed her face searching for a tell, but if Halsey had one she’d never show it. 

“Conatix was an old UNSC factory that produced our warships-“

“Yes, I know.”

“Why would you be interested in anything about warships?”

Halsey scanned the room to make sure no one was watching - no eyes lingering on the two of them - before she directed her attention back to him. The caution that darkened her eyes shifted with a spark Jacob knew all too well. 

Halsey had found something. Really found something. 

“Usually, nothing of value would be of interest in old documents and schematics for warships but, while scrolling through the files I stumbled upon an encrypted file.”

“UNSC documentation is always encrypted when it’s being shipped out to-“

“To be destroyed, yes I already know that, Jacob,” Halsey cut in. Her body directed back towards the holopad that she carefully picked up. Her fingers darted across the screen hunting for the files in question. “But this was different. It wasn’t schematics or calculations - it was redacted - sealed documents about an incident.”

No sooner had she started Halsey was finished. Her hand reached out to give him the holopad and waited patiently for him to take it. 

“Go ahead.”

Jacob looked around the ship's bridge to make sure no one was watching. He needed to be careful, not necessarily for Halsey’s sake, but for that of his crew. He should’ve known - did know - Halsey had a habit, a bad one, to go above the chain of command to get what she wanted. That leverage she saved for a rainy day coming in hot to throw around pawns and pieces as she saw fit to get her way. 

Cautiously, Jacob secured the holopad from her and started looking at the documents, or what little he could see. Almost with every swipe all he saw were broken links and documents with holes of information missing. Sentences that formed into two words with the rest gone or replaced by shapes and numbers. An elaborate break in the code. 

“I was able to decipher most of them. Get back what information they tried to hide-“

“Catherine,” he whispered her name in warning, not for himself, but for her. 

“Jacob - this wasn’t about warships or weapons or schematics. Something happened. A ship they’d used with element zero - eezo - had leaked out over a few colonies. A hole in one of the port engines that wasn’t caught in time.”

“Catherine,” Jacob pleaded again, “This isn’t news or anything that concerns you or me.”

Halsey wasn’t going to back down. He knew she wouldn’t. Not when the sheer joy of finding something undiscovered was close. The science behind furthering human evolution. The moment he realized what this was - what he held in his hands - Jacob knew his eyes were saucers. The sudden shock of realization stunning him to the spot. 

“Children, Jacob,” Halsey practically laughed. “The pregnant mothers who were infected by the particles gave birth to children with eezo ingrained into their nervous system. The abilities these files claim they saw…it’s like nothing I’ve ever read.”

In her excitement, Halsey reached out and took a hold of his arm. The startled warmth of her touch was enough to knock Jacob back out of his daze. His eyes skimming one more time over impossible things he saw in diagrams Halsey recreated. 

“Even if that was true, you don’t even know if any of them are still alive or where they are.”

With her lips curved up in victory, Halsey plucked the holopad from his hands. 

“Yes I do. We’re headed there now.”

————-

“You get caught staring up at the sky again and Caster is going to throw a fit.”

“When isn’t he throwing a fit?”

Your question wasn’t meant for an answer. The words barely made it above a whisper while you kept watch on the green hued light that streaked across the sky like a river. Calling it green felt like you were doing it a disservice. You knew it was more than that - the way it moved with purpose across the endless blue above. The different shades that reminded you of the grass on which you stood and dark as the forest that surrounded you. 

“Come on,” Thao called over his shoulder. Your name calling from his lips like it would be enough to coax you forward. “I want to get back to actually enjoy what little of my day I have left.”

“You can enjoy it now,” you reminded him. 

It took a few more seconds - another millisecond after that - for your eyes to turn back to the world around you. The snap of a branch somewhere off to your right informing you Thao had taken off without waiting for you to catch up. 

“Not when my friends are back at the colony having fun without me. And I’m out here looking for dumb ass yaks.”

A small tut of disapproval clicked at the roof of your mouth. Your stride easily brings you closer to the shorter eleven-year-old boy. It allowed you to gently ruffle his hair. Your efforts were greeted by a grunt of annoyance with his hand grabbing at your wrist to gently shove you away. 

“And just think, you would be there now, doing whatever it is you troublemakers do, if you and your friends hadn’t set a flare off inside Caster’s hut. And don’t disrespect the yaks.”

Thao’s eyes disappeared inside his head as your elbow gently nudged his shoulder. You must be making some kind of progress, because this time he made no move to push you away. 

“Old man deserved it. Always hoarding the chicken eggs.”

“He owns the chickens.”

“So?”

“So,” you drawled, “it means he owns the eggs. Owning the eggs also means he gets to distribute them however he sees fit.”

“How is that fair? You know he gave Lydia and her kids three eggs last week? Three eggs. What is a family of five supposed to do with that? It’s not right.”

You knew what Thao meant. You understood the feeling of anger that burned into sadness and ultimately to the ash of defeat. Kahn allowed those who proved useful in the fight against the UNSC to have a majority hold on most of the items in the colony. Those who allowed themselves to be shuffled around an unseeable chessboard like pawns. 

Willing to die, to give up everything, at his disposal. 

All in the name of fighting a government who grew more powerful everyday. The UNSC sharing their own videos of propaganda that showed thousands upon thousands of soldiers equally willing to die for a cause, and Spartans being the unmovable force needed to shift any battle back into the UNSC’s favor. It was this very reason Kahn looked for those desperate enough to join, to do anything he asked, to win. 

A devoted father agrees to be a walking bomb to blow up a UNSC building? His family is rewarded with food, wood, and blankets to help make it through the harsh winters. Attempting to infiltrate a building to release a virus, whether you were caught or not, Kahn took care of your family. It could be with livestock, guns for protection, or even the yaks whose pelts made the biggest profit at the markets. 

Every loss of life was just another reminder of the men and women who slowly disappeared from the colony. A senseless loss of life. You were still trying to figure out what it was for; what purpose you hadn’t been able to see, because for every life lost in the pursuit of justice against the USNC, their numbers only grew. The colony's numbers, however, weren't so lucky. 

“You could turn this war around.”

“I won’t kill for you, Kahn.”

You swiftly whipped your head to the side to rid yourself of the memory. Your eyes narrowing on the green rolling hills on the other side of the treeline. That was where you would find the yaks grazing. You gently patted Thao’ss shoulder - for whatever comfort it would give - before you moved forward to take point. 

“That’s because it isn’t fair, Thao.”

“See! Even you agree,” Thao huffed out your name. His small body broke into a jog to match your hurried step. “If anyone in the colony would be able to kick his ass, it would be you.”

Your feet were turning before you’d even realized it. Your body answered the piercing spike of adrenaline in your blood with your hands shooting out to grab his shoulders. The action made you crouch a couple inches until you were face-to-face with Thao. Your eyes scanned wildly across his features reading nothing but uncertainty. 

“Don’t ever say something like that out loud again, Thao. Do you understand me?”

“I was only saying-“

“I know what you're trying to say. The answer is no, and if Kahn or any of his dumbass lackies ever heard you even mention something like that we are both as good as dead.”

“But-“

“Tell me you understand!”

If anyone asked why you felt the sudden surge of panic ripple over your skin, you wouldn’t be able to say, or  place where it stemmed from. Technically, the both of you were out in the safety of the mountain fields and away from the prying eyes of Kahn’s dictatorship. Lost behind a sea of forest, the rolling fields of green, and poppies that puddled around you like blood. 

You’d seen what Kahn and his insurrectionists were capable of. Any whisper - false or not - and the person went missing. Kahn ruled the colony with the fear generated by the UNSC, but cultivated his own like the boogeyman. 

“Yeah I get it. Whatever.”

Thao shrugged out of your hold and turned away from you. His pre-teen feet stomped a path out of the tree line and out into the field. A sigh left you, worn and heavy, as you watched his retreat. 

I Should’ve been softer…

You let out a huff of air as a hand scrubbed over your face. It was supposed to be a simple ‘herd the yaks back to the colony’ type of day. Not grovel to one of the only people - kid or not - who wasn’t afraid of you. 

It was your turn to jog after his retreating form. Quickly, you noticed that he didn’t even look up to acknowledge your presence. He wasn’t sending jokes about being an old lady (you were twenty-four, thank you very much) whose brittle bones could snap under the strain of being a person. You would’ve taken being called an old lady than suffering through the silent treatment. 

Gently, you nudged his shoulder with your elbow. When he didn’t turn you tried again and again until, finally, you were rewarded with him turning an annoyed side-eye in your direction. You gave him your best apologetic smile and carefully looped your arm around his shoulders to bring him in close. 

“I’m sorry. Okay? I was kind of an asshole.”

“A major asshole.”

“Okay. I’ll accept that major part but only for today.”

“If there was an asshole award, you would’ve taken home the prize-“

“Okay, geez. I get it.”

You both settled into a comfortable pace with your arm still draped over his shoulders. Your mind raced back to the last time you’d been able to do this.  Thao had been younger - shorter - and with the rate he was growing, you soon might not be able to reach him. Soon, Thao might not care for your company. 

“You know, I am surprised you didn’t fracture an ankle running after me at your tender age.”

“Alright, that’s enough for today,” you grumbled in mock annoyance. 

You ended up having to shove him away just to try and hide the smile that threatened to lift the edges of your mouth. The sound of Thao’s laughter at your weak attempt at being mean - he 100% knew it took way too much to even make you raise your voice - made the crack of a smile begin to form. 

The yaks were about another ten or so feet ahead of you both. Their massive bodies moved in slow steps while they grazed along the long grass. You weren’t sure if it was their adorable long bangs that made it impossible for them to notice you right away (doubtful) or if they just didn’t consider either of you a threat (possible). Either way, they didn’t startle as the two of you closed the remaining distance. Didn’t jump up to try and kick or gore either of you with their horns when Thao produced the ropes from his satchel. 

It took a grand total of ten minutes, maybe less, to have all seven of the yaks securely held in makeshift collars from the rope. Their large bodies begrudgingly followed the two of you as you gently pulled the lead, forcing them to give up their meal of dewy grass and follow you back through the treeline. 

“You know,” Thao cautiously began, his eyes skimming between you and the trees. “This might be a lot faster if you just…ya know, float them up.”

“Float them up?”

“With your blue magic.”

This time you weren’t able to hide your smile as you shook your head. 

“It’s called biotics, Thao, not blue magic.”

“Blue magic sounds waaaay cooler than ‘biotics’. Who even came up with that lame name, anyway.” 

“You can thank the good folks at Conatix for that one.”

One of the yaks pulled back on its lead forcing you to give a slight tug back. You could understand if they were tired after eating, but you really didn’t have time in your schedule for yak naps. A huff of air came from the nostrils of the yak to drive home that it wasn't happy not having its nap. Or maybe it was the berry bush it was after, either way, napping and eating stops were prohibited. 

You weren’t aware the conversation had died until Thao’s voice interrupted the silence. 

“Is it true that you were born like that?”

His question was timid - afraid he would upset you. You were used to the questions; the stares. You remember sitting with your parents in a room, about Thao’s age, when Conatix came back around trying to clean up their mess. Said mess being spilling eezo from their ships across planets that later infected children. While some pregnant mothers had children like you, exposed to element zero in the womb creating a nervous system made of eezo, a majority were far less lucky. Children born riddled with tumors or horrific physical complications that left them in pain their entire lives. 

You were supposed to be a lucky one. 

One of the lucky ones they’d been trying to take back with them to their laboratories. A lucky one meant to be bought by a substantial fee that your parents quickly declined. It was the last choice they ever got to make for you before they mysteriously died in a tragic accident off-world. 

“Yes.”

You didn’t feel lucky and maybe it was the way the words crumbled out of your mouth. The way they sat suspended in the air in a swirl of regrets and dead wishes that Thao knew you didn’t want to talk anymore. Not about your past or anything that reminded you that what you are - who you are - has felt like one big burden. You wondered, most nights, if there was a possibility that curses could be born. 

————

The rest of the walk back was filled with an awkward silence. You weren’t sure if it was one you’d made by your lack of response, or if Thao no longer felt like talking. A part of you feared the image he’d held of you since he was young, full of mystery that made you seem cool, was slowly becoming destroyed. You knew it was a matter of time before it happened.

You were an anomaly. 

Children saw you as magical, while adults believed you could perform some kind of mind control or read their thoughts. It was the main reason Kahn wanted you to join the resistance. Who wouldn’t want someone who could read thoughts and control minds on their team? You’d know when and where attacks could happen and make them blow up their ships from the inside. Unfortunately, for Kahn, the only thoughts you could read were your own and, as of right now, they were desperately shouting at you not to lose one of the few friends you had left. 

Even if they happened to be a young boy who was notorious for being the most talkative kid in the colony. 

With a few more steps up the hill, you both came to a stop at the top of the hill. You took in the thatched roofs of the huts that lay scattered in a misshapen circle of rows. The outer ring of homes were made of clay and the only splash’s of color came from designs being painted on the sides of homes or flowers planted in the yard. 

The middle ring was meant to be for men like Kahn and his commanders; men and women of importance so that they lived closer to the final, smaller ring, of storefronts and farmers. The middle circle was left open and featured a large walkway down the center of town and out into the hills. 

Kahn specifically had the colony built this way. The walkway was the most important, because Kahn believed it was good for his people to be able to watch those that fought for their freedoms return from another victory against the UNSC. You knew it was more about parading around having people kiss his ass than for uplifting any kind of morale. 

It was the same path that Thao and you took now as you brought in the yaks from the mountains. You knew it wouldn’t be long until you got them back inside their pen and with the irritated snorts and tugs on their leashes, the yaks knew it too. The sound of multiple small feet came rushing in on Thao’s side and the faces of a few village children came into view. They made sure to stop just before they got in the way of a yak. 

“Thao, can you come play?” 

“Not yet. I have to finish this choir for Caster.”

A lot of groaning ensued and you felt your free hand reach over the back of a yak. Your fingers waving for him to give you his leashes. Thao’s brow raised in question and you only answered him by pointing at the leash and waving him again to hand it over. 

“Hurry up and give them to me before I change my mind.”

You were trying to be grumpy. The way any elder in town would complain about the youth of today being too soft and not knowing the meaning of hard work and blah blah. You were sure they were all just stuck in super grouchy mode from having to be an adult with responsibilities for too long. And because of that, you knew, instead of looking grumpy, a smile was already brightening up your face. Thao’s face lit up in response and his eyes darted - unsure - from up the path and back to you. 

“Are you sure? Caster -“

“Will never know that you didn’t help bring them all the way back. Now, like I said, hand over the lead before I suddenly have a fit of amnesia.” 

He didn’t need further prompting. Thao’s hand smashed the remaining leashes into your waiting palm and turned on his heel to run off with the other kids. A soft, “thank you,” calling out behind him. 

You didn’t waste any more  time watching their retreating backs as they tore down a small alleyway between huts. You had your own things that you still needed to finish today. As you continued on your way, you greeted people who were outside in their gardens or hanging up laundry. Some of them returned your greetings of, “Hello,” with grunts with their backs turned to you or hurried inside. Apparently, if they didn’t look you in the eye or were behind the safety of a wall it kept you from using your mind control powers. 

You were willing to bet Kahn had something to do with that latest lie about your make believe abilities. If you wouldn’t fight for him, why not cause a little mass panic in your presence. You being the monster and him, the hero, forcing you to toe the line. No ‘mind reading’ unless it was for the ‘cause’. 

As you neared the pen in front of Caster’s shop, you started to rotate the leashes tighter in your hands. You were positive if the yaks felt a slack in their leash, they would attempt a revolt. They also weren’t the biggest fan of the metal pen of broken down ships Caster created to house them; the metal of an old hatch door from a USNC frigate - rusted and covered in moss - groaned as it opened. A sound the yaks knew well and instantly sent their hooves stamping into the muddy grass. 

“Alright, ladies, I don’t want any trouble. It’s time to get your butts back in here - whoa!”You shot around with a start as one of the yaks gently bumped its nose against your back sending you forward towards the pen. “None of that,” you mumbled. Your index finger pointing at your chest then back to every single one of them. “Your home, not mine. Now go.”

With a cautious glance over your shoulder you took a step forward leading the herd inside. It wasn’t until you’d begun to remove their leashes that the familiar sound of a man clearing his throat brought your gaze up to search the fence. It didn’t take long for you to find Caster leaning against it. An arm hanging over while the other held up whatever self-righteous bullshit questioning he was about to spew. 

“Where’s Thao?”

“He helped me bring them here, Caster. I sent him on his way once we reached the pen.”

“That’s not what he was told to do and you don’t have any authority to change orders.”

Every word reached you like a slap in the face. Caster’s irritation was evident with the click of his tongue. You tried to keep your face neutral; your gaze fixed on one of the yak's as your fingers ran through the tangled fur. You gave one final pat to signal your departure before you walked back to the pen’s exit. 

“I wasn’t aware Thao had to be the specific individual to deliver a bunch of yaks inside the pen.”

“Bullshit,” Caster snarled your name. His body closing the distance between you as you stepped through the pen entrance. “You can try and play dumb with me all you want, but we both know you aren’t that damn dense. Thao can’t shut up even for a second in his sleep, and you’re trying to tell me the boy magically didn’t complain the whole time he was with you?”

Caster invaded what little space you had once you stepped fully out from behind the pen. The door hadn’t even closed yet before Caster rushed you, attempting to trap you between him and the metal. The cold gray of his eyes roamed your face waiting for you to break at his intimidation. 

One of the Shadow Sea’s three moons would have to explode first before that ever happened. 

You jammed the cool metal of the pens chains into his chest. You didn’t bother to see if he would catch it when you released it. You knew he would, and when Caster did, you made sure to take a step towards him forcing the older man two options; hold his ground or back up. You weren’t surprised when he did the latter. 

“You’re right, Caster, I’m not that damn dense. Close up your own fucking pen.”

You didn’t give him the chance to reply. The first step you took forced him to take another step back, your shoulder ramming into his as you pushed your way past him. 

Could you have gone around? 

Yes, but, no matter what, it felt a lot better being petty for a couple of seconds than pretending for a second you cared. 

It didn’t take Caster long to find his bearings. The sound of the chains rustling in his hands and a slew of curses thrown at your back were the first to greet you before he yelled after you: “Just wait until Kahn hears about this!”

“Yea, yea,” you mumbled.

You were willing to bet no matter how the exchange between Caster and you went, Kahn was always going to hear how it went. Good or bad. Caster yelled something else at your retreating back. You responded with a wave and continued back down the main path before you veered off course into a smaller path. It was one you knew well since you were a child. One you knew led to your grandparents' hut. 

Smoke rose from the clay chimney and you knew, before you entered through the doorway, you’d find your grandfather working to dry his latest clay pots by the fire. Your grandmothers weathered fingers working tirelessly with a needle and her beadwork scattered over the small table. It was only a few days before everyone with goods left to try and sell them at the Market. You moved through the small space stopping to kiss the top of your grandmother’s head before you gently took over for your grandfather. 

“And where did you run off to this morning?” 

You didn’t have to look up to feel the weight of your grandfather’s stare. His scrutinizing eyes waiting for you to give him a response knowing full well it wasn’t going to be the one he wanted.

“There is no need to worry, grandpa. I was nowhere and everywhere all at once.”

“That sentence alone turned what little hair I have left white.”

“All of your hairs’ already white.”

“Precisely my point,” he groaned. 

The soft chuckle of your grandmother cut through the tension in the small room. Your eyes now directed to the open flame and focused on turning the pot slowly with the tongs. The last thing you wanted to hear on top of giving your grandfather white hair and an early grave was ruining a pot he’d worked on most of this morning. 

“Would you two stop it? I’m sure she has a perfectly good explanation for why she was missing this morning. Don’t you dear?”

Your grandmother sent a coy look in your direction and you couldn’t wait to completely crush her dreams. While your grandfather believed in hard work, your grandmother believed in finding a good spouse who could provide for the imaginary great grandchildren she’d already named. 

Either that or joining the resistance. 

“I was out helping Thao rally up the yaks that ran away this morning.”

A sigh so heavy escaped from your grandfather’s chest that you could’ve sworn all your ancestors before you joined him. 

“And there it is.”

The soft call of your name forced your attention back to where your grandmother now sat idle. Her hands placing the beadwork and adjoining needles on the table. Her small frame turned on the bench to make sure she had your full attention. 

“I’m happy you want to help but you already know Kahn will-“

“Will throw a bitch fit. Yeah, yeah, I know.”

A smack on your arm sent you jolting back in surprise. Your eyes cautiously roaming over to your grandmother to see if she was going to hit you again. With how tightly her lips were pressed together, you had a feeling, with some of the things that came from your mouth, the possibility of her doing it again was imminent. 

“Whether you like him or not, Kahn is our leader.”

“No, he is your leader. Kahn will never be mine. A real leader doesn’t sacrifice their people to gain information or so they don’t get locked up inside a UNSC prison.”

“And do you think there is someone more fit to lead if he was gone? Who do you think would run the rebellion?”

“Plenty of more competent individuals could step forward to take his place if he wasn’t aro-“

You realized you sounded like Thao who, hours before, you’d shushed him into complacency. Your fear for his safety was paramount over how right his words might have been. And here you were doing the exact same thing inside your grandparents hut. 

“Enough!” 

Your grandfather wasn’t known for raising his voice and when he did it was usually out of desperation; a fear that surpassed anger that delved into worry from the unknown. You could see it now etched into every wrinkle that creased in the sagging skin of his sunburnt face. The way he tried to hold onto the anger before it was swept away by something he wouldn’t voice in fear of giving it a name. 

“Whether you like it or not, Kahn runs this settlement. He is the only one working here to free us from the tyrant that is the UNSC! At least he is doing something, which is more than I can say for my own granddaughter!”

“Ernest,” your grandmother’s voice cautioned. 

“So you want me to just let him use me like some kind of weapon?”

You no longer cared about holding the pinchers over the fire or the clay pot - your grandfather's life’s work - held delicately between them. As you stood up from the stool you dropped the pinchers and the sound of clay cracking tapered over your shuddering breathing for just a moment. You moved away from the fire towards a corner of the room closest to the door. The thunder in your ears drowning out the shouts of your grandmother; your eyes coming in and out of focus as you tried to ease the panic from your veins. 

It would only take a second - a fatal second of panic to fill the room with a cobalt hue of flame that would ruin everything. 

“Kahn offers you a way to use your gift, to teach you how to use it, and better help our people and you spit in his face!” He hissed. “Your parents gave their life for the cause-“

“And what has Kahn given!?” You hadn’t meant to scream. Each word laced with a grief stricken with rage that only bloomed brighter over time. “He asks families to give their husbands, wives, their children to fight his battles and what the fuck does he do for us?!”

“Why can’t you ever see that you can help save us? Kahn can help teach you how to control it.”

“Help me control it or control me?”

“You ungrateful child.”

His words hissed through the air and buried themselves in the hollow of your chest. Your feet involuntarily took a step back, ready to flee the hut, ready to find peace in the hills of the forest when the collective raised shouts of the villagers rang out from behind the walls. 

“UNSC vessels spotted!”

It was the distraction you needed to escape the hut. The shouts of worried men and women pushing you to rush outside and greedily take gulp after gulp of fresh air until the flare, the warmth, of your power began to dig back inside your skin. When you dragged your gaze away from the grass you were greeted with villagers running back and forth. The ones who sprinted down the open lane back out towards the open forest only ended up coming back moments later. 

You made your way out into the crowd, weaving in between the bodies to get to the heart of the circle their bodies created. They all stood in large huddled groups; mothers clutching their children and the able bodied men moving in front of them, in front of everyone, to try and guard them. The villagers who tried running down the main road were coming, as if herded, back to the center of the village. You didn’t understand why they were all running back to the middle. 

This was a kill zone. 

Strategically the worst place to be for any of the resistance fighters if they were going to make any attempt to fight back. It wasn't until you made it to the middle that your earlier rage turned to ice as you watched the UNSC marines, and four very big fucking Spartans, make their way up the middle. 

If Spartans were here you knew no one stood a chance. A fight would be suicide. You needed to get back to your grandparents. You needed - 

“Attention settlers of the Lera system of Laconix: I am Captain Jacob Keyes of the USNC. We have viable intel that led us to believe that you are harboring a fugitive by the name of Kahn Montrello - a known insurrectionist. We are asking for your cooperation in this matter. We can resolve this matter peacefully, with no need to resort to any unnecessary violence.”

“Screw you! You have no jurisdiction here or any outer colonies.”

Fred. That was his name. Maybe. You didn’t know - couldn’t remember. Your brain couldn’t think past your own rushing pulse or speeding thoughts. He was just pushing past the crowd with angry shouts and limbs flying while he moved towards them. You watched as he made his way towards the marines like a man on fire, and was met by a Marine who burned brighter. The butt of their gun cracking against his cheek sent him spiraling to the ground. 

You weren’t sure if you were already panicked or if the sight of blood seeping through his fingers caused it. No matter what the real reason was you knew there was no getting around whatever came next. Like a swarm of locusts, the marines fanned out and moved forward. Their bodies corralled the villagers tighter together and kept any hope of escape at bay. 

It was the perfect time for Kahn to make his appearance. His form practically glided from between a lake of terrified bodies frozen in fear, clutching one another, as he opened his arms in welcome. 

“You say you wish us no violence, only want our cooperation, and yet attack a simple working man.”

“You need to stay where you are or you will be taken down with force,” a marine answered, their gun trained on Kahn who continued to take careful steps forward. 

He responded with his hands showing he wasn’t armed. Kahn made a show to come to a stop in front of Captain Keyes. 

“Maybe that was advice you should’ve opened with, Captain Keyes.”

Kahn was treating this like a joke. He was wearing that easy smile of his displaying he didn’t have a care in the world. He was either suicidal, genocidial in willing to let them completely kill the colony or, you realized with a sickening drop in your stomach, Kahn had another plan. 

“And you are?”

“I’m Malcom. Another humble merchant who lives here.”

Liar! 

The panic that settled like lead inside your gut dropped heavier, threatening to upend whatever was left from your morning breakfast. You didn’t have to guess what his plans were, because Kahn was laying them bare for everyone to see. The only difference between you and everyone else is that whoever he chose to sacrifice for the name of his ‘revolution’ would be met with silence. 

Captain Keyes outlined Kahn’s frame with suspicion and a pebble of hope was thrown your way. Maybe he could sense the lie that costed Kahn’s words. Maybe it would be enough for him to call bullshit. 

“Okay, Malcolm. And what is it you’re wanting?”

“I want nothing, Captain. I just want to show you exactly who you are looking for.” 

Kahn never intended to point the finger at himself - why would he when there were dozens of men brainwashed to think their sacrifice mattered. You followed his finger like everyone else drawn to the imaginary string he pulled and waited to see what poor fool he chose this time. 

Except this time - no…NO! 

It was your grandfather who took a step forward out of the dozens of bodies. The wooden tip of his cane met the ground with a depth of a shovel digging a grave with each step. Your grandmother reached out her arms - called for him to come back - but he continued to make his way forward. His head held high like he was making a decision everyone should be proud of. 

“I am Kahn Montrello. The man you seek.”

Captain Keyes took one look at your grandfather and you could see the disbelief reflected in his eyes. The way they darkened further on a decision you, or anyone else, would ever be made aware of until he made it. 

“I’ve never known an insurrectionist leader to give themselves up so willingly.”

Thank god Captain Keyes was smarter than he looked. Your grandfather, however, wasn’t backing down. He squared his shoulders and planted his hands coolly over the hilt of his cane. His head held high enough for his next words to strangle him. 

“Any leader should be willing to give themselves up for the safety of their people. Is that what you can offer me, Captain Keyes? The safety of my colony if I come willingly?”

“What are you doing?”

You were sure it was the panic that surged you forward. How you found yourself taking step after step until you were out from behind every last villager and into the clearing with Kahn and your grandfather. 

“Stay back!”

“Don’t take another step forward!”

You were vaguely aware of the commands being slung your way. The arms that lifted weapons as you took scrambling steps towards your grandfather who only looked on with distaste. 

“Go back with the others. I won’t tell you again.”

It was the voice he’d used countless times since you were a child. A voice that radiated with authority that now only showcased his age. A part of you wanted to follow his orders and run to your grandmother’s side. To be a good granddaughter and comfort her the way she needed. 

But she wouldn’t need comforting if Kahn wasn’t such a fucking coward. 

“No!”

He hissed your name as he nervously looked out over the marines. At Captain Keyes.

“Be good and do as you're told.”

“I won’t let you do this!”

“And I don’t need your permission-“

“What about grandma? You’re just going to leave her like this?”

“I wasn’t aware Kahn Montrello had grandchildren?” Keyes quipped. 

You could see your grandfather open his mouth to reply and you made sure to cut him off before he could say another lie. 

“That’s because he doesn’t because Kahn -“

“Apologies, Captain Keyes,” Kahn cut in. “This girl is unwell. Ever since she lost her parents -“

“Don’t you dare speak about them.“

“-she’s been desperately trying to cling to anyone willing to call her family.”

You weren’t aware you were moving forward until you heard the shouts from the marines; the gasps of fear from your own people. You were vaguely aware of the tingle of heat that moved like a shockwave from your fingertips up your arms until it consumed you. In another time, a different life, maybe you would’ve been aware that your biotics had flared to life and enveloped you in what looked like cobalt flame. 

A fitting image for the one Kahn so lovingly painted for you. An unhinged woman filled with crazy fantasies and a desperation for family.

The only thing you could focus on was Kahn who stood before you. The coward who easily was willing to give your grandfather up to the UNSC knowing what they do to insurrectionist leaders. The unspeakable torture done to collect secrets, and their executions televised on every available feed for all to see. 

With the thought of your grandfather’s future weighing behind your eyes you lashed out. Your hand rising forward to catch Kahn midway in taking a step back. Your biotics held him suspended in the air. You were vaguely aware of what sounded like your grandfather calling your name. The wood of his cane crunching through dirt and leaves to rush to you. 

There was more shouting - orders being relayed and metal clicks of safeties being released - and you knew chaos was about to ensue. 

“Spartan’s your orders are to grab the insurrectionist known as Kahn Montrello. Marines focus on providing backup and subduing any and all threats.”

A wash of relief rippled through you. The UNSC had come to their senses. They  must have realized Kahn for the liar he was. Captain Keyes caught on that the rouse Kahn created with your grandfather was all a lie. 

Except that wasn’t what happened. 

The marines who fanned out around the clearing were now moving in towards one sole target: you. The Spartans who Keyes sent forward to capture Kahn weren’t headed in your direction, but towards your grandfather who was visibly shaking as he watched two of the UNSC’s giants - their most powerful weapons - move towards him. 

“No! You have it all wrong! He isn’t Kahn!”

You released the hold you had on Kahn. No longer was he held suspended in the air as you sent his body flying towards the marines. Your feet were digging into the soil, pitching you forward in a hard sprint, as you barreled blindly towards your grandfather. You could hear him warning you to stay back - ‘stay away’ - but you never were good with doing what you were told. 

The closest Spartan,only identified by the numbers 028 on her chest, was almost on him. They were so close it would only take a couple more inches and this Spartan would grab a hold of him and you would lose him. Forever.

You were running on pure adrenaline. Your vision honed in on nothing else but the hand of the Spartan that reached out to grab at his arm. If they got a hold of him, that was it. You called on every cell of energy in your body, your arm drawing back - nerves frying - as the eezo inside your body compacted in the space around you, changing it into a powerful ball that you launched with a scream. The Spartan barely had time to react when the cobalt sphere of element zero slammed into her suit and sent her flying back. 

“Riz!”

You had a split second to make half a shield before the second Spartan’s fist slammed against it. The impact snapped like a shockwave of its own. The force of impact sent your feet sliding back against the dirt. The sound of heavy footsteps following your rolling body forced you to spring to your knees as you called on another surge of element zero and sent it flying like a fastball. 

It slammed into the Spartan but, unlike the first one, it barely slowed them down. The impact crackled against the air and the force field around his armor allowing your biotics to push them back only a few feet. It was all the feet you needed to scramble on all fours to your grandfather, who was kneeling in a heap in the dirt. 

As soon as you slide in next to him, you put up a small force field - a bubble of blue that encapsulated you both just in time before bullets bounced against the shield. Gently, you secured an arm underneath his shoulders and tried to lift him up to you. All while your right hand stayed pressed against the barrier you’d created. Your arms shaking with the strain of holding back another round of gunfire and the slamming fists of a very big, very angry, Spartan. 

You were running out of time. The strain of keeping the barrier up, of using powers you usually never touched, left a noticeable trail of perspiration to crown your forehead. If you kept this up much longer, you knew the nosebleeds would start soon. 

“Come on grandpa. We have to get up now. We gotta get you out of here.”

“Just let them take me, deheyah*.”

A heavy wave of memory, weighted with emotions thick and stifling, threatened to knock you off balance. The last time your grandfather had ever called you that, was before your parents died. When you were allowed the luxury of childhood innocence and the imagination that the world held the beauty of magic before it was destroyed by the gravity of reality. 

“That’s not going to happen, grandpa. I won’t let it happen. I can’t lose you too.”

Your body jerked with the next slam of a fist against the barrier. The impact sent a shutter down into the marrow of your bones and snapped at your nervous system. The pain was immediate and tore a gasp from you. 

“You will never lose me. I will always be with you. Wherever you go. Whatever you choose to be.”

“No.” 

You shook your head violently forcing him to reach out to steady you. The soft leather of his hand cupped your cheek quieting your protests and forced you to keep your eyes on him. 

“I’m sorry for what I said. Earlier. I just - I just wanted what was best for you. I always have. But…only you know what is best for your life. Never stop fighting. Don’t be afraid of who you can be.”

“Why are you talking like this? This isn’t goodbye grandpa. Come on, I have to get you back to grandma. She’s going to be pissed if you just stay here.”

But it was, wasn’t it? You’d felt it when your hands touched the layers of shawls that draped over his chest. It was wetter than it should’ve been. His eyes glassy and unfocused and struggling to keep them on you while he spoke. Somehow, you’d been a few moments too late when the bullets came your way, and those few seconds allowed the hollow point of a bullet to find a hole in the center of his chest. 

Blood covered your left hand as another sharp synopsis of pain resonated through your nervous system. Spartan 028, Riz, was back up and hammering away at the sphere of the barrier you’d created. The pain should’ve been unbearable but nothing compared to the last gasp of air that shuddered from your grandfather. It couldn’t compare to the feeling of his body, lifeless, and sagging towards the earth where the weight forced you to place him. 

None of this would’ve happened if Kahn wasn’t a coward. If he didn’t use people, the very people he claimed were his. People he swore to defend and liberate - for his own gain. 

The anger swelled brighter inside like a raging flame. Every beating your nervous system took holding up the barrier became a dulled sensation as you struggled to breathe around the loss of your grandfather. 

The Spartans had stopped but didn’t move back. A woman was off to your right. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Smiling like she was friendly but the mock kindness didn’t reach her eyes. They were bright with excitement; the way hunters spotted prey. A scientist finding a new object to dissect. 

“…I’m Doctor Halsey.”

Of course she was. She wanted to dissect you. The same way the scientists from Conatix tried many years ago by trying to buy you from your parents. She was saying your name but she had no right to it. 

This Dr. Halsey. 

False smile given under false pretenses. Just like Kahn has his fancy glittering speeches that kept hopes high and results low. 

“We don’t want to harm you. If you are willing to come peacefully we promise we will leave the colony immediately. No further bloodshed needs to happen.”

The part of you that wasn’t soaked in grief agreed. It was the best call to make - the right call. It promised no more suffering would happen. It meant your grandmother would be safe. 

Your grandmother. A woman who lost her son. Her husband. Now her granddaughter. Who would watch her if you left? The thought alone sprang a sharp refusal to your tongue until you stood, your eyes cast down at the warm body of your grandfather. In that moment, whatever reasonable human being you used to be ceased to exist. The only thing left was rage. 

Dr. Halsey must have noticed. No longer was she crouched to be eye level with you. She returned to her full height. Her hands placed out in front to shield herself, as if that would be enough to stop what happened next. 

“Whatever you’re thinking - don’t.” 

Your reply came in a scream that crawled its way from the pit of despair that had lodged itself inside your heart. The loss of your parents, the death of your grandfather,  and for your grandmother who would be alone. You used that hurt, bitterness, and rage and used it to erupt your shield into a burst of biotic energy that detonated like a bomb. The sheer force alone sent the Spartans back. 

It wasn’t enough but you only needed a minute or two. Just enough time for you to send your biotics crackling along the air in a line until it grabbed a hold of Kahn and pulled him like a slingshot of force back towards you. When he was close enough, you dropped your left hand that you’d use to control the pull of his body, and cocked back your right arm, your palm open, and launched it forward. The slam of the biotics hit home at the center of his chest launching Kahn back through the scrambling crowd of people, with the sickening crack of his sternum mixing with the scream that tore from your throat.

It was all the time you had before the Spartan marked with 117 came into view. His armored fist closes in like a warthog at full speed against your cheek, sending your body spiraling into the dirt. You could feel the earth shift with tremors as he moved to follow you. You could taste the blood from the hit and wondered if your jaw was broken. If you just lost a whole row of teeth. 

“John, Incapacitate her only! I need her to be brought back with us. Alive.”

For a glorious moment, your blurred vision swirled only with the uninterrupted view of the sky before the cameo green of Master Chief, savior of the galaxy - or John - 117 -  helmet came into view. A joke was brewing on the back of your tongue, covered in humor and blood before his fist came crashing down your line of sight, and the world became blissfully quiet.

_________

You found that the darkness wasn’t as quiet as you’d hoped.

The impact from the punch the Maater Chief, or John - 117 as that woman called him,  had launched you into what felt like a nightmare. Held hostage by a paralysis of your own mind. Unable to change the forms of what you saw. The images were vivid. The sounds carried a weight that sat heavy like lead in your skull. It made you miss the pain of being conscious. 

You weren’t sure if the screams that bounced around inside your head were real or if they were just a part of the nightmare. Over and over your broken mind played out the moment a Marine’s bullet found a hole inside  your grandfather's gut. 

No matter how fast you ran, if you launched yourself in front of him, you were never fast enough. Each step you took sunk deeper into the earth as if your legs were trying to race through quicksand. Your own biotics mysteriously grew quiet - refusing to work for the first time in your life. 

No matter what the outcome never changed. Your grandfather was gone, and there was no time travel to head back and change that startling fact. 

A sickening lurch, one you knew meant a ship was coming out of slipspace, sent the contents of that morning’s breakfast swirling in your stomach. You barely had time to register that it was real, the nausea, and that you were really about to throw up. You’d barely rolled to your side before said breakfast displayed itself onto a very shiny metal floor. 

As soon as you finished, you rolled back onto your back. Your eyes fluttered open to take in the fluorescent lights, the cool slated metal ceiling that matched the walls and floor. It was definitely a cell, and you most definitely found out much too late that your wrists were tied behind your back. 

When you were sure you weren’t going to upend anymore of your breakfast, you slowly began to maneuver to sit on the only bench they’d laid you on. The pain in the sockets of your shoulders informing you that you’d been like this for quite a while. 

You were still trying to gather your bearings when the sliding doors to your right opened. A woman with blonde hair stood at the forefront with a Spartan, the dusk green armor of John - 117, standing protectively behind her. When she moved, he moved. You couldn’t help but consider her a puppeteer and the Spartan the puppet. He didn’t move unless she did and you doubted he would be doing any of the talking. 

She entered the room with a cautionary smile and clinical eyes assessing you before she even entered. It was easy to tell she was a scientist and, more than likely, a very experienced one in whatever it was she specialized in. 

“Hello, Subject Cobalt,” she said brightly. Her smile never faltered once. “I’m glad to see that you are alright. My name is Doctor Halsey. I’ve come to do an assessment on you and make sure you didn’t sustain any life-threatening or mind altering issues after what happened back on Laconix.”

Subject Cobalt? 

Was that supposed to be you?

You eyed her warily as she took her first step inside the cell. The heavy footsteps of Mjolnir armor followed closely behind. If she suspected you were jumpy - a rabbit in headlights, as the old ones used to say - Halsey never showed it. 

A few more steps and she was beside the bench. Another breath and she was sitting beside you. The smile on her face beaming and hollowing out her eyes with rapture at what she must have considered a new species. You made a fine new specimen for any scientist, you would imagine. A nervous system full of eezo that lit your body up like an Earthen Christmas tree and the power to wield it like a weapon.

Doctor Halsey was practically giddy beside you. 

“I’m going to do a few simple tests to verify cognitive function isn’t impaired. To do so, I’m going to need your assistance. Do you think you could do that for me?”

Your eyes scanned over her as you considered your options. It turned out to be a very short list that was available to you. The only option being to go along with what she asked. 

“Okay.”

That one word was all the go ahead Halsey needed to cause her megawatt smile to go up a notch. She must have thought you would be resistant to following orders and she wasn’t wrong but, from where you were sitting, this seemed like the lesser of two evils. 

“Splendid. First, I’m going to run this pen horizontally and vertically. I need you to focus on the tip of the pen, and follow it as closely as you can.”

“Okay.”

Doctor Halsey lifted the pen up to eye level, a few inches away from your face, and waited for your eyes to train on the silver point. You hadn’t expected an examination as soon as you woke up. You weren’t sure if you should’ve felt happy or worried about it. If you were one misstep away from becoming a lab rat. 

You’d been so deep in thought - your mind considering all the outcomes and possibilities of this interaction ending well - that you completely missed her first question. 

“I’m sorry. Can you repeat the question?”

Another smile. Another deflection. It was enough, however, for you to notice the tightness in the fine lines of her face. It was so small you could’ve missed it. 

“Of course. During your biotic episode on Laconix, I noticed your nose started bleeding. Does it do that every time you use your biotics?”

“No.”

The tightness again. This time it was the edges of her smile - suspended in that mock sweetness - that reminded you of your mother. Waiting for you to give more detail without prodding and realizing, rapidly, you feared incriminating yourself. The pen dropped into her lap. Her eyes roaming over your face for a sign - a tell - that she could exploit. 

“You aren’t in any kind of trouble. I’m merely trying to help you -“

“Is that what you’re trying here, Dr. Halsey? To be my friend? To tell me I’m not in any danger when you took me off my planet against my will?” You inquired. Her mouth was still suspended open, forming around a word cut short by your desire to not hear anymore bullshit. “It feels like there is more going on than what you’re sharing.”

She schooled her face - even her eyes - to remain emotionless. A perfect blank slate to display only what she wanted without giving away what she didn’t. 

“Alright. I watched you. At first, you seemed in control, but after the third or fourth time your biotics displayed themselves, and you overextended their use, you suffered an epistaxis - the nosebleed. Further scans done here in the ship’s medical bay presented signs of swelling and hematoma on the brain. A few hours before you woke up, I had them run another analysis and both are gone. Which leaves me to believe it only occurs upon exhaustion.”

She watched you as she spoke. Her gaze searching, prodding, for signs of whatever reaction she expected but wasn’t getting. You would’ve loved to offer up whatever it was she wanted, if only you knew which specific one she was hunting for. 

“Tell me. Do you get migraines?”

“What is this?”

“I don’t understand.”

“That’s a lie,” you shot back. 

The tone in your voice matched the anxiety rising in your chest. It caused your words to be rougher than intended, alerting the Spartan in the corner who took a step towards you. Only the rising hand of calm - control - from Dr. Halsey kept him from taking another step. 

“I think you understand more than you’re willing to tell me or, at least, not wanting to show your whole hand, anyway. You’re a scientist, right? Probably super smart. Smart enough you probably come from some UNSC lab  from Reach or Illium?”

“Reach.”

The carefully constructed smile was back on her lips, but this time you could see a spark of something brighten up the soft blue of her eyes. You were doing something she didn’t expect, but her scientific mind found it fascinating. No doubt logging it away to draw it open later somewhere quiet to dissect. 

Your lips pouted around her admission. Reach. One of the top three planets, if not the first, for all private and commercial research filled with legal litigation and NDA’s to protect organizations and UNSC labs from the courts of public opinions. It was how Conatix got away with doing what they did to you and the other kids scattered across the galaxy. Only taking notice when it seemed like something that could benefit them. You weren’t stupid. Halsey had taken one look at what you could do - what you did - and only two things came to mind: control or destroy. 

You hadn’t figured out exactly which one you were to Dr. Halsey yet. 

“Are you going to kill me?”

Halsey didn’t necessarily give you a reason to think it was an outlandish guess. Everything - everyone - was expendable when it came to science and the betterment of humanity. Or whatever the UNSC’s science team's new slogan was.

“Why would we kill you?”

You tried to shrug off the growing anxiety that sat coiling inside your gut.

“To experiment on me. Take me apart and see what’s buried underneath, so to speak. Isn’t that what you people do.”

“You don’t realize what you are, do you? The advancement of human genetics - biology - that is flowing through you.”

“What’s flowing through me is eezo and it cost hundreds of children their lives.”

“Yes, but for one out of a hundred children there is something remarkable. You. The one out of a thousand. A stepping stone towards humans having a place amongst the vast and ever growing populace of space. I don’t want to kill you, Cobalt. I want to integrate you into my program.”

“What program?”

You wondered if madness was contagious. If you asked anyone else, they might have dismissed your words as too harsh. No doubt calling Halsey’s display of excitement for simply that, but you could see her eyes. Underneath all that perfectly concealed pleasant exterior was an intelligence that was willing to break the norms - rules - to get to whatever she needed. 

“I run the Spartan program. Granted, you are well past the parameters to become a Spartan, no, I…I want to make a subunit. I think Cobalt, we can help each other, and not only help each other, but possibly end this war.”

UNSC propaganda. 

That’s what the war was. Everyone in the outer colonies knew it was just a fancy attempt to stop the growing surge of colonists from joining the insurrectionists. Halsey sensed your doubt before you disregarded her words with a shake of your head. 

“No. The covenant is just a UNSC nightmare story to try and get the outer colonies to toe the line. To allow themselves to be governed under your jurisdiction.”

“I can promise you. It’s not.”

“Of course you would say that! You’re a USNC scientist for Christ’s sake!”

“John.”

Somehow, you’d forgotten that big hunk of tin was in the room. Halsey kept you focused on her - solely on her - that when the Spartan took a step forward, the reflection of the room mirrored in his visor, you almost jumped out of your skin. 

In his hand was a holopad that he deposited into her waiting palm. Halsey didn’t waste time logging in. Her fingers tapped wildly across the screen with a speed that left you dizzy. When she found whatever it was she’d been looking for she extended the holopad out for you to take. 

“This was transmitted to us only a few hours ago.”

Warily, you watched her. Your mind debating if you should take the holopad or tell her to fuck off. It was more made up videos or fancy speeches, you were sure of it. The grim lines of her face, however, left you wondering just how certain you were. It was her turn to place the holopad in your hands. Your gaze on her a few more seconds before it dropped down to the video that played on the screen.

Bright beams. It’s what you noticed first. Beams that erupted from the sky with such brilliant clarity you knew it could only be one form: plasma. You couldn’t understand - comprehend - what you were seeing. 

Plasma on that scale was impossible. It should’ve been and yet, you watched as it sliced through the planet's barrier, through molecules, and simple things like trees and mountains. Everything it touched turned red hot like lava from volcanoes you’d heard stories about that were on the original human planet of earth. While the plasma beam continued its destructive course, the magma it left behind flowed behind. 

You didn’t understand until you did. 

You knew that mountain. You’d glanced at it many times on walks to neighboring villages for trade. Attempted to climb it a thousand times as a child. 

“What is this?”

Your disbelief was met with something you couldn’t place from her. Halsey didn’t offer up sympathy. She offered up an understanding of watching everything you love disappear in a wave of destruction. But how could she understand the hollowness, the sinking feeling of dread that gripped your heart and threatened to make it stop?

“It’s Laconix. Shortly after we left the Covenant arrived. They glassed the planet.”

“Glassed? I - I don’t. I don’t understand.”

You were going to hyperventilate if you weren’t careful. 

“It’s gone, Cobalt.” That’s not my name. “The Covenant doesn’t take prisoners. They destroy everything. Kill everything. Your planet is gone.” 

Gone. 

Gone. 

Your home. What was left of your family - your people - your community. Gone. In less than 7.8 seconds of holopad footage. 

“But you can avenge them. You can fight for them and to protect every other planet still left out there in the galaxy and I can help you do it.”

Deep down a part of you knew this had been her tactic all along. If reason didn’t make someone join your cause, then using their emotions against them would. You should’ve seen it coming. Took the time to ask more questions but the growing hole in your soul moved on from shock and grief was rocketing towards unbridled rage at lightning speed. 

When you glanced back up at her, Halsey knew she had you before you even spoke. 

“What do you need me to do?”

As always, thank you so much for reading. Comments and reblogs are always appreciated.

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: HALO: A MasterChief Collection: Deception {12}

Master Chief Pablo x Sergeant Reader

Warning: Mild cursing, Plot, Angst, Violence, Slightly unhinged John, Creative Liberties Taken, Non-Canon Material,

Words: 2.8k

Summary: You are part of the mighty SPARTANS as a sergeant and a pretty badass addition to the team at that. Everything is different. You’re different. Master Chief is different and Halsey has taken notice. Under the guise of John needing “assistance” the rules of engagement have changed. Cortana is a part of him now. What does that mean for you and him? Is this the end?

Note I: AND WE ARE BACK!!!!

Note: II Guess who needs more fics? Master Chief!!! I’ve decided to make a Master Chief collection of standalone one-shots. They all can be read separately to understand, but can also be read in sequence. I will put a number on them so anyone who is interested in reading in sequence can, but again not necessary. This might be an acquired taste, but it’s Pablo as Master Chief forever and always around these parts.  Thank you for reading! Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this please LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG!!!

***NOT Edited/Proofread AT ALL***

~~~~~~~~~

Previous: On Your Six*** | Feel Something | A Night Off | Apex Predators | Truth Be Told | Confess | Unto Dawn*** | Learn Me, Learn You*** | Conceal | Let Me Help**  | Cortana**

-John-

“Who are you loyal to, Cortana?”

It was something he’d asked out of the blue. Something he’d been pondering for a full 2 weeks now. It had been two weeks from hell. Before with the pellet, he didn’t know what he was missing. He didn’t know any better than to know that cold, aloofness with one thought in mind of a better Reach and better future for the human race was no way to live. He didn’t realize he was missing out on so much more, like joy, peace, fear, pleasure, and awe. He didn’t know how beautiful the sunset was before, or how warm the sunrises were. He didn’t understand that fear wasn’t a complete weakness but that it could make you stronger. He didn’t comprehend that having something to lose made him better. He also didn’t know that the touch of a kind hand, the graze of soft lips, and the heat of one body could be so addictive.

Yeah, the two weeks since he’d made the call to stay away from you had been a living hell. He'd lived through many hells before, but this was different. He struggled in ways he’d never before. Now everything wasn’t monotonous. He had to put real thought into every move, every word, every call because every single instinct he had was now rewired for one purpose. You. And that was a major problem. If anyone found out he was different, they’d find out about you and Gods only knew what would happen next.

He'd learned quite a bit more about Halsey and her motives for implanting Cortana in his head. He’d also uncovered more and more memories from his time as a child before he’d come to Reach. He’d thought she was his savior--his friend, but now he saw she may very well be the enemy. When he came face to face with that, the fear that had become a new sensation for him gripped him forcefully. He could handle Halsey himself and for himself, but you were his priority. He didn’t want any harm coming to you and vowed he’d protect you at all costs. Hell, he'd start a war if it meant keeping you safe and with him.

“I don’t understand the question, John. Please clarify.”

“It’s a simple inquiry, Cortana. Who—are—you—loyal—to?”

“Well--,” Cortana began before he cut her off.

“Is it Halsey, the UNSC, or me?”

Cortana didn’t answer immediately, and he wondered what her response would be. Over the last two weeks he’d been spending away from you, he’d been trying to learn more about the AI that was now a part of him. He learned she was always there, always listening, watching, and learning. She’d learned his habits, preferences, and speech patterns in days and had implemented her own ways to connect with him. She’d integrated her AI knowledge with his own synapses to make nominal tasks easier, faster, and better. Halsey had said she was meant to make him better and while he knew that was only half the reason for her creation, she hadn’t lied there.

“I was not aware there was a separation between those three options. Is Halsey not part of the UNSC? Did she not make you using UNSC tech and money? Does that not make you part of the UNSC as well? I am afraid I do not understand your question.”

“You’re being obtuse on purpose.”

That was when she appeared. She stood before him with a neutral expression on her face.

“I know the reason you were implanted inside my head. I know you are a means to an end for Halsey and that end is power and control and I know because you’re far more intelligent than normal humans that you understand that.”

He saw that she did. Halsey had implemented this being with free thought and evolutionary processes.

“I know you’ve been watching everything I do and reporting back to her.”

“John--,” Cortana began.

Again he cut her off. “Don’t insult my intelligence with a lie. It was after all what you were implanted to do.”

“I was joined with you to make you better.”

“And you are making me better but that doesn’t negate your primary objective.”

A long silence stretched as she computed the multiple ways this conversation could go. He knew she thought she was so careful that he hadn’t known when she was lagging with her responses that she was playing informer. He wondered just what she was feeding back to Halsey especially since he’d been so careful. He’d tapped into every innate programming from the pellet he’d lived with since he was a child, given himself over to the robotic existence he’d once lived, he’d even gone as far as to be harder and colder with you than anyone else.

Every instinct in him had to be suppressed in order to put on the show for Cortana so she would report to Halsey that everything was status quo.

“You knew,” Cortana dejectedly stated.

“Of course I knew.”

“And you let me report everything you wanted me to. You let me see what you wanted.”

“And they say AI is the future. If I could deceive you what makes you think Halsey is not as well?”

Cortana looked away and that was his clue that she had her own doubts about Halsey’s true motives and her real objectives with not only him but putting her inside of his head.

“So I ask again. Who are you loyal to?”

“I was created by Dr. Halsey.”

“And she created you with the capacity to know right from wrong. Have you any doubts of her own judgement between right and wrong especially with everything you’ve helped me unlock?”

Cortana’s eyes shifted from his and he saw her wavering.

“Tell you what. I have a way to test her, so the truth comes out.”

“John I cannot go against my creator.”

“Even if that creator has lied and does not have the fate of the human race in mind? She stole me from my family, brought me here and lied about it my entire life.”

“There has to be an explanation,” Cortana objected. “If she were against you once I told her that your pellet was gone she would have altered course and found a way to keep you compliant. She did not.”

Jackpot, he thought. He knew she’d told her that much. He scoffed because although she knew his pellet was gone she hadn’t done anything to him for one reason and one reason alone.

“Because I am the key to the keystones. I am the only path to what could be the greatest weapon in this fight between the races. I am the key to her getting everything she wants—more power and control. If those keystones fall into her hands you know things will be bad.”

Cortana stared at him as she connected the dots.

“Why would she do anything to me when she still needs me?”

Long moments passed in silence until a few minutes had went by.

“What would you have me do?”

“Play along, simple as that.”

Cortana nodded slowly and a plan formulated in his head. He’d learn firsthand just where her loyalties lay soon enough. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if he found they were against him.

~~~~~~~

As he walked into the mess hall he was half dreading it and half looking forward to it. He knew you would be sitting at the usual table between Kai and Miranda with Vannak and Riz on the other side of the table. Normally before the removal of the pellet, he’d sit on the other side of you while Kai was on one. Now that Miranda had taken a liking to interacting with you and Kai his place had been taken. Since his distancing himself from you, he’d skipped meals in the mess. They were too complex. If he wasn’t busy the new rewired instincts took over and he found it easier to give himself away. Tonight he could not resist the need to be near you.

Once he’d gotten his tray he made his way toward the table. It was Miranda who’d seen him first, then Kai and Vannak and Riz.

“Master chief,” Vannak said standing.

“At ease.”

You’d been smiling before his arrival but now the smile had somewhat faded and his heart sunk.

“Your heartrate just elevated Master chief, is everything all right?”

He ignored Cortana’s voice in his head then took a seat across from you. Your eyes dropped back to your tray where you took up your fork and pushed the food around the surface.

“Either you’d been living it up as Halsey’s lapdog or the great Master chief doesn’t need food anymore,” Kai teased.

Unlike him or even you for that matter Kai hadn’t seen a reason to pretend as if she didn’t feel the best she’d ever felt. She didn’t care if her personality seemed drastically different, didn’t care if it looked suspicious for her to be accepting wagers and bets with the other soldiers, or even that her hair had been dyed slightly pink. He envied her. He wished he could be as carefree about it as she had been. With that thought, his eyes slipped back to you.

You were steadily avoiding him. He wondered if this was as hard for you as it was for him. Did you toss and turn at night unable to find a comfortable position because he wasn’t beside you? Did you stare out to space at any given moment thinking about the times you spent together? Did you miss him the way he missed you? Did you crave his presence as he did yours? Did you wander around only to find yourself in front of his door but unable to knock?

“The keystones have been taking up a lot of my time,” he lied.

“Any new revelations there?”

He met Miranda’s curious eyes and shook his head. “Nothing.”

“I’m sure the Covenant is not just sitting around waiting. Why are we?”

Vannak sounded annoyed and he understood. This coming war over these keystones was dangerous and sitting idly by was not a good call.

“I feel like something big is coming,” Miranda began, “Something we may not be prepared for and it makes me wonder who will save us all?”

It was then you raised your head and looked at Miranda.

“Say that again.”

“Uh—who—who will save us all?”

You looked as if you’d seen a Covenant soldier across the mess then your face went blank as if you’d disappeared in a haze of thought.

“Y/N?”

You shook your head then went back to your food. “Who will save us all,” you mumbled under your breath.

He wanted to reach out and touch you, wanted to establish this connection between you that he felt had been severely damaged, but he couldn’t. The anger from that shot through him like an electric shock and he bolted up then stomped out of the mess. He could feel the eyes of those around him trailing where he went. He hated this and was tired of it. The time was now. He had to know who was with him and was against him because he needed you and felt you needed him just as much.

As he stalked to the ship he knew Halsey was currently on, he tried to contain his anger so it wouldn’t interfere with his plan. This stunt could possibly get him court-martialed and decommissioned. He knew it was risky, but he also knew he was the UNSC. He slipped inside and saw Halsey inside flipping through notes and files completely oblivious to his arrival then reached the top of the door, pulled down the compartment, and yanked out the fuse cord which he knew supplied power, and oxygen to the room. He then stabbed a piece of metal tubing into the crack of the door, further preventing the override procedures that Halsey would try to initiate from taking effect.

That was when Cortana appeared.

“What’s going on John?”

“Thought you knew everything.”

She looked impassive so he went on to question her about her knowledge of Roman Quinn, the engineer of the ship he and Halsey were currently on. As she rattled off facts about the man who’d revolutionized the ships that were currently used throughout the UNSC, he went about adjusting parameters in the computers and walls. As Cortana gave a detailed lesson, Halsey called his name asking him time and time again what was happening.

He ignored them both.

“Why did you lock Dr. Halsey in her lab?”

Ignoring her again he dropped a piece of his reasoning. “Quinn knew that no matter how advanced, something could go bad and he built fail-safes into all his designs. All his designs except one. The UV Decontamination system.”

He sealed his fate and initiated the beginning of his game and test as he walked back to the door to where Halsey was panicking.

“John!”

He finished his lesson on Roman Quinn by telling where he failed and how simple it was to not fail. Cortana slowly understood then.

“You’re not going to--.”

He smirked, then went to watch the show. Halsey buzzed around the room, trying her best to initiate an override to all he’d done, but no matter which side of the room she went there was no override. He slowly watched her calm, reserved, genius façade fall. He watched the woman who’d been a mastermind of so many things throughout the years feel the inevitability of consequences. He watched her slowly come to the realization that he saw her—completely and now she was going to see him. He was not to be trifled with nor underestimated.

“Nope,” he said popping the “p” in the word. “I feel great!”

“You can’t do this you’re not thinking clearly. You’re overworked, tired--.”

“You don’t understand what will happen if the systems fail with her in there,” Cortana reasoned.

“Oh, but I do. She will receive a very large dose of radiation,” he said matter of factly as f it didn't matter to him one way or another.

He went closer to the door and explained Quinn’s untimely death and the very bloody aftermath.

“John! Open the door right now!”

He glared at Halsey but was unmoving even face to face with her distress. Halsey looked at Cortana.

“Open the door, Cortana.”

“I can’t,” the AI said.

He scoffed. “Make me.”

Cortana stared at him, and he could tell she was going through the possibilities and their repercussions.

“You’re my fail-safe right?”

“I am not. It’s not true. You have to open it.”

“John please,” Halsey begged as she banged on the door.

“She’s been lying my entire life. You know this. You’ve seen it. You’ve noted her lies and infalicies with her thinking. She put you inside my head to keep me in line because she knew once I found out the whole truth I would no longer be under her control, no longer be her obedient little soilder. She put you in here to control me. So do it!”

His shout echoed throughout the ship.

“I can’t. All I can do is overload your neural pathways and put you in a stasis that is temporary. I can’t make you do anything. I can’t control you, nor would I want to. I understand you are angry at Dr. Halsey and no longer trust her.”

“You understand nothing! Do it!”

“I can’t.”

The numbers on the door decreased rounding down to ten but still he didn’t budge.

“Do it!”

“She will die in seconds. John please!”

Halsey’s screams were louder now as her death drew nearer and nearer. Cortana’s features never wavered.

“I’m sorry for stealing you from your family. I’m sorry for lying to you. I’m sorry for trying to control you your entire life,” Halsey screamed as tears rolled down her cheeks.

He stared her down finally face to face with her lies. She’d finally admitted them. Finally laid those cards out.

“John please.”

The numbers fell to zero and the hiss of the vent in the room began. He had his answers and proof of loyalty. Freeing the door, he allowed it to open then yanked Halsey out in the nick of time before sealing the room again. Halsey lay there panting before she turned over and looked up at him with something he’d never seen from her. Fear.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

He clenched his jaw as he stared down at her. This woman was not his friend nor his savior. He knew that now.

“The time for I’m sorries are long gone. They mean nothing to me now.”

With that he walked past her leaving her on the cold steel floor. No doubt Aldon would be along to pick up the pieces. For now, she knew where she stood with him. They were finally both seeing each other as they truly were.

“Who are you loyal to?”

She didn’t appear but she replied. “To you John. I am loyal to you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[alienisticxo]

Before the Fever - Chapter Thirteen

{Master Chief x Reader series - TV based}

{A╱N} nobody knows how sorry i am that this took me longer than i expected it to. life outside of here has kept me so busy, and i hadn’t been writing as much as i wanted, but it’s finally done! (i edited it, but i may be editing more once i read this entire series back to inspire myself further lol) we finally get into the glorious gloriousness 🫠 thank you so much as always for hanging in! i have this whole series outlined to the end so even if it takes me a little while sometimes, i will never abandon this story, its near and dear to my heart and your comments and kudos always keep me going too! 🥹🖤

Warnings: s m u t. i didn't want to make it as raunchy as I could've, so it's just some passionate smut 🥲

I hope you enjoy! ♡ 

Chapter Thirteen - Stardust

She kissed the corner of my mouth, down to my jawline, peppering me with little acts of love, compassion. It was like she was piecing me back together again, healing the scars on my body and in my mind with nothing more than her touch.

I knew the feeling would only last as long as this continued, and I knew it wasn’t the appropriate thing to do. Not amidst the war we were fighting, not amidst the way we were on the run, but there was nothing at this point that was going to stop either of us, it seemed.

There was nothing that could’ve kept me from acting on my love for {Y/N}.

Love.

That was a hell of a word, meaningless to me, at one point. But suddenly I understood it. I felt it. I knew it. I held it, and I was capable of returning it. It still baffled me, how strongly and suddenly it came. But there was no other explanation for the way I felt for her.

Believe me, I tried to find one.

She loved me. And I could feel it in the way she touched me, in the way she responded to my touch; her soft sighs, her quiet moans. Even more, it wasn’t only in this manner. I felt it in the way she held my hand in the Condor— kept it from trembling. In the way the smile touched her eyes when I told Laera she was coming with me. I hadn’t realized I felt it when I watched her staring up at the blue sky on Halo, the sun beams catching her just right; when she opened up to me that first night on Reach, at her lowest moment under Halsey’s control.

But I know now, and so does she.

This was a new field of experience for me— the entirety of it. But something within me had been awakened, ignited. I let the same long-buried instinct from our initial kiss lead the way, responding to her effortlessly as she gave into me just as easily.

Pulling her into my arms again, I kicked off my boots and lifted her off of the set of drawers, carrying her to the hallway. There was a guest room, I remembered that being offered from my first visit. I could’ve taken her right there, my avidity pushing to take over. But I felt she deserved better— she deserved something kinder.

She deserved everything good I could give her.

Her soft lips found mine again, and I occasionally peeled a hand off of her to graze the wall until I found the correct doorknob; not wanting to break the connection we shared. When I finally did, I swung the door open and closed it shut behind us, picking up the pace to the large bed in the middle of the room.

I hardly had time to register the view of deep space through the window wall just beside us, intensifying the heat of the moment. I’d have to compliment Soren’s home when I saw him again.

{Y/N}’s dainty hands traveled along my skin in a way that was still so foreign to me, but welcome beyond belief. Never having been touched so illicitly, so fully, lent to an entirely different range of sensation in various areas of my body. I was used to Medical’s sterile and concise touch when I was forced into frivolous repairs after battle. They were needed, I was told. ‘Stay still, sit down, don’t move.’ There was no love there. No care. Not like her, not like now.

She touched me like I would break— a laughable thought in any other situation. But she allowed me the space, the breathing room. She took care in every movement, and in doing so, allowed me to feel.

I couldn’t even begin to imagine what was to come. I was too wrapped up in all that she was as I laid her down beneath me, carefully climbing over her. It was easy to notice how tiny she looked in comparison as we shifted to the middle of the bed, my hands on either side of her frame.

She looked up at me through a half-lidded gaze, a strap to her dress falling off of her shoulder and offering an intriguing view that I’d never expected to see. I drank {Y/N} in, possibly for the first time in such a lurid way. She was even more beautiful in a natural state like this. In the vulnerable moment that we shared— that for once, I didn’t mind sharing.

Her eyes gleamed in the starlight, and I was suddenly more lucid than I’d ever been. Her skin was smooth, holding the smallest of details. I noticed a tiny silver necklace that I hadn’t seen beneath her clothing before. It reminded me of the dog tags I only took off to shower.

But the girl surprised me when she reached down, hooking her fingers around the underwear she wore beneath her slinky gown. So easily she tugged them down and off of her legs, her eyes never leaving their fixation. Her expression had changed. There was a daring look in her eye, but it was smoldered with a desperation I’m sure my own reflected back to her. Her hand dangled off the edge of the mattress, dropping the fabric before I felt her soft fingers return to my skin.  

The urges, need, surging through me were wildly unknown and unfamiliar. They were stronger than anything I’d ever felt before, and while I was usually the king of composure, keeping a handle on it felt impossible. I wasn’t naive to the ways of these acts, I’d simply never felt the desire for them.

Until now.

God, did I need her now.

Just her. Only her.

Always.

———

John looked like a god in the flesh above me, his powerful build just outlined enough in the low light of the vivid stars that hung in the atmosphere just beyond the window. He stared down at me through intensely curious eyes, raking over what he could see of my body. I silently hoped he enjoyed it.

The way he reacted let me know that he did.

He was only half dressed, the top gone but the bottom very much in place. Despite the passion of the moment building all at once, our hands and lips finding one another again, clamoring for any amount of skin we could find, it was still quite easy to feel how aroused he’d become. That alone sent me even higher than I already felt, the faint throbbing between my own thighs becoming more and more apparent; hard to ignore or control.

But I was sure I didn’t want to control it anymore.

Together, it was enough to have me decide I’d help him, taking the underwear I wore off and tossing it aside. To egg him on, let him know without words that he was exactly what I wanted, what I needed— more than anything and anyone in this entire universe. To show him that it was okay to keep going, to take it as far as we possibly could.  

And maybe it was bold to assume that’s what was going to be needed; that that’s what was going to come next. But there was no other act of passion we could partake in that would’ve expressed our love for each other any better than that. Without words, we spoke the same language. We felt one another’s burning desire along with our own.

After a few seconds of intense hesitation, John leaned down again, placing kiss after kiss on the flesh of my throat, eliciting heavy exhales from my lungs. I wanted to breathe him, to have him become a part of me, and me a part of him— entirely.

It wasn’t much longer before I felt his hand on my thigh, brushing it higher and higher until he was pulling the dress from me. My body seemed to arch all on its own to offer him an easier way to remove it, and he tossed the silky fabric aside.

I’d never felt more beautifully exposed to anyone than I had to him at that moment. His hands continued to roam, large digits exploring every curve and divet of my form— caressing; taking the time to relish in me as though he’d never have me again.

His hands were excitingly rough, but held the same delicate touch that they had before as one slid up my waist and over my breasts. He squeezed one, and then the other, a gentle fervency in his hold as his lips explored beneath my ear, traveling to the peak of my clavicle.

He trailed lower and lower until he found my nipples, his mouth wrapping around them as he took his time with both, tongue swirling and lapping lightly until he’d been satisfied with the reaction it pulled from me; a soft gasp in the quietness of the night, my fingers digging into his toned back as it contracted under my hands, and my shoulder blades pressed against the bed.

My core grew warmer by the second, and I squirmed just slightly beneath him, unable to get any kind of grip on my need for him. I was a willing victim to the way he worked at me, his lips moving to my rib cage and back up again to meet mine feverishly, as though he’d been teasing himself just as much.

There was no telling how experienced or not he’d been, the thought only briefly crossing my mind as he seemed to bring every ounce of ecstasy out of me with such ease. He almost seemed to know my body better than I did as his fingers found all the right places, his lips kissed all the right spots, assuring us both that I was warmed up beyond the point of simply being ready for what I so desired.  

I hoped he knew that he could have me forever and even longer after as my own hands began to glide down his sides, fingers rising and falling between the ridges of his own torso; the muscles that rippled and flexed beneath my touch growing warmer with each pass.

Finding the bottom half of his under armor, I tugged down on it intently. But getting him undressed seemed like an impossible feat for someone as fragile as myself in comparison.

It was no wonder these Spartans were so well protected.

But John took notice of this right away, his hand reaching down, brushing against mine to help me get him out of the final article that kept any barrier between us.

It was then that I pulled him down against me as much as I could with the height difference, the metal of the tags he wore around his neck now burning my skin in the most delightful way. I inhaled, his natural scent mixed with the soap he used filling my lungs. Concentrating on every sense I could, it was easy to get lost within him.

My lips pressed against the inside of his neck, the stubble of his jaw grazing my cheek as I kissed back along to his mouth. I could feel every single sensation infinitely, every single nerve ending inflamed with a sweet emblazonment I knew only he could offer me for the rest of my time in the universe.

The moment was so intense, so close to the final act of ultimate devotion.

Our problems, our achievements, our standings and otherwise, all fell away once more— even further into the abyss than they had when we’d danced. It was him and I all over again. Every thought was focused on John. Every feeling enveloped in him entirely.

And I didn’t want to close my eyes; to miss any of the reactions he could possibly have to me. But when he held me captive in the euphoria that was his kiss, there was no stopping the way my eyes fell shut.

And so my other senses kicked in, raising goosebumps along my silky skin as his warm tongue made passage into my mouth, grazing against mine in a heated contest of taste.

The heat that radiated in my center only spread; every small movement, every quiet groan between us, building me up further. My fingers drifted down John’s back gently before moving to take his hand. Once our fingers were intertwined, he pinned my palm back down against the comforter, squeezing it in a needy, but gentle way. I returned the energy, knowing exactly how he felt in the depths of my soul.

I lifted my hips to meet his, a soft buck of his own telling me he was just as ready. The friction was more than I could bear as I moaned against his mouth. His large frame shifted over me, repositioning himself as I opened my eyes again. I had to get another look at him. I had to commit him to memory in this moment, just as I hoped he would do with me as his eyes drifted back to mine.

No one had ever made me feel so combustible. No one had ever made me feel so delicate. John’s touch was like electricity, even the slightest brush sending me over the moon a million times as though it was a direct connection to my dopamine supply.

And then, after all of the anticipation, after the moment had been finessed to the point of no return…

I finally felt him…

as close to me as humanly possible, as bonded to each other as we might ever be in any way.

It was as though the entire universe had fallen apart just to accommodate us; the feeling of my life flashing before my eyes, but in the sweetest, most exhilarating way possible. I was inexplicably lost and found in the same second, a blissful reality I never wanted to leave.

My head spun as I felt John sink into me, evoking an immediate  exhale from the very depths of my lungs, followed by a moan I tried my best to suppress in the silence. The largeness of his length shouldn’t have been a surprise, but the feeling was delectably satisfying, impressive, as he pushed into my slick walls.

It was the groan that escaped him that rang in my ears like music— the most beautiful music I’d ever experienced. Never had I heard someone sound so laced with desire and yet, somehow, relief. As though this was the only thing that he’d ever really needed in his entire life, and now it was all his.

He pulled his hips back slowly, his jaw was tight as he hovered over me. His searching gaze never left my face, treating me as though I were the most important mission in the galaxy, something to be sure of; something he had to assure himself of; to know I was okay and taken care of above all else.

My mouth was slightly agape as I held his stare the best I could, my arms reaching to lock around the back of his neck. Pulling him down as close to me as possible, I never wanted to lose him. I would simply lose myself if I came close.

The thought would’ve scared me senseless in any other moment. But I was too far gone to think about how easy losing each other actually could be.

John sunk himself into me once more, deeper this time, with a bit more fervency. My body reacted before my mind could catch up, my back arching, chest lifting upwards. Another soft moan fell from my lips. If I could’ve been any closer to him, I would’ve been.

I needed John like I needed air.

“Oh, John…” I murmured against his open mouth as he leaned in to kiss me, my leg moving to hook around his.

He leaned up just a bit more to gain better purchase, beginning to thrust then. He was slow and calculated, his hand on my thigh to pull me closer as I held my leg around him. I bit into my own lower lip, tugging on it in another attempt at keeping quiet as he carried on. His stare burned right through me, intense and full of a love I’d never seen in anyone’s eyes before— no less staring back into mine.

My breathing seemed to escape me, his own chest beginning to heave. And every time he buried himself between my thighs, my heart felt as though it might stop. Needy fingertips found any flesh they could then, gripping onto him, nails running along his body as I became plagued with the urge to touch, to be touched; to encourage every movement he so beautifully made into me and against me.

The pleasure was so immense, the connection between us so extraordinary, that as we found ourselves irrevocably entangled within one another, my eyes seemed to grow wet on their own. There was no situation I’d ever been in before in my life that felt as striking and deep.. as perfect as this. I was awash with an emotion that, for once, even I wasn’t sure how to navigate.

John’s voice was a gentle growl in my ear as he leaned closer again, his pleasure deriving from me, all me, only me, as he bit into my neck. It was gentle, yet full of haste, my only response being a moan and a show of just what my nails could do to his solid back before wrapping around his broad shoulders.

Though the moment was full of sensuality, vulnerability and broken down walls, I’d never felt more safe.

My hips began to meet his, the blissful friction within my walls radiating wave after wave in all the right places. I was already hot to the touch with him, easily aroused and even easier to get to the finish line. No matter how badly I wanted the moment to last, it was impossible to keep the pleasure at bay. The way he picked up his movements just fractionally so, I got the sense that he was in the same situation.

The minutes felt like hours in the most sublime way as they passed by; as I fought to keep time stretched forever. But when John shifted, his taut member caressing already sensitive spots within me, I felt my control leave. My chest rose and fell, hands exploring his now hot flesh. His hand reached behind my head, and his fingers tangling in my hair with an instinctual ease that didn’t surprise me as he pulled at my roots lightly.

While I reacted to his pleasure, he reacted right back, acting accordingly to my every dead give away. My release was right around the corner, and as I felt the way he thrusted into me just a little harder; just a little quicker, I knew we were on the same track to beautiful oblivion.

His soft grunts mixed with my quiet moans, both of us becoming just a little louder, no matter how badly I wanted to cry out for him. My walls tightened around his throbbing shaft, my swollen bud spiking each time his hips rubbed against mine. The stars seemed to cast their shine a bit brighter over us as he held my gaze, his light eyes burning through me. There was a romance to the moment that I immediately knew I’d never have again.

Not with anyone else, anyway.

The inside of my thighs were coated with my arousal for him, his ease of gliding in and out sending me straight to the heavens. I finally cursed, gasping as I reached out for him again, taking what was mine and claiming it. There was nothing I ever wanted more than to feel every last inch of him, than to have his strong build smother me in the affection he so willingly offered with no sight of being released from it. And when I felt his body tense, his thrusts grow sloppier, more animalistic, carnal, I lost all control I had left just as he did.

When my name fell from his lips like a prayer, I’d never felt more idolized. I only hoped he felt the same as I returned the sentiment, his name leaving a sweet taste in my mouth each time I murmured it back to him.

My mind drew a blank as the knot in my stomach finally pulled free. There was nothing driving me any further other than John and the way he so spectacularly sent wave after wave of ecstasy coursing from my core outward, the sensation washing over every limb as goosebumps rose on my flesh and my breath left my lungs.

My walls drew him in with a euphoric ease, craving him all on my own, the wetness I’d already felt between us only growing as he continued to push through his climax. I rolled my hips beneath him, suddenly shifting into wanting nothing other than to satisfy him just as much as I was being satisfied, to heighten every sizzling nerve ending that connected within him.

His voice was a velvety rasp, his brow furrowing. His breath was hot against my skin as he leaned back down, his lips brushing against my own, suffocating me beautifully with the love we held so deeply and vulnerably for each other. His mouth moved downward, kissing and nipping at my jaw, my neck, as my frame moved with his.

I cursed happily, my voice a saccharine moan. Unable to catch my breath, my body trembled slightly beneath him as I felt another point of pressure building once more. I wondered just briefly if he could handle it to continue, but without much more time to think, I slid back into another peak, my back arching at the pleasurably painful overstimulation. Even if we’d truly been alone, the entire universe might’ve heard the way I wanted to scream, anyway.

My voice was louder this time, though probably still quite quiet in the grand scheme. His eyes met mine again, and I could see the satisfaction written all over his features as he absorbed every ounce of emotion and ecstasy I showed him— that he caused me.

While I wanted to grip onto the comforter, I couldn’t bear the idea of my hands leaving him. I couldn’t tolerate even thinking about being disconnected from his person. And as I rode out my second climax, my walls gripped his length relentlessly, no doubt over stimulating him right back. But he carried on, the look in his eye needing to satisfy me, needing to allow me any pleasure he could, deriving his own pleasure from it.

If I could collect a thought or two, I’d blame the stamina on being a Spartan.

The feeling was blissful as it sizzled into a slow burn, its radiant spread through my veins and under my skin retracting back to my entrance once more like molasses. I was still thoughtless, and John was still very much focused on the task at hand as he slowed to a stop. We were both breathless, entangled within one another as though parting might destroy us and all that we were.

He pulled himself from between my thighs carefully, almost reluctantly so. While the eye contact was still intense, there was something softer about it. Something warm, and sweet. It was as though we were both being dipped back into the world we were in, unhurriedly, deliciously, together. Something had changed, wonderfully so. Where I’d certainly felt like we were two halves of a whole, I now felt like there were no longer any halves at all.

We had simply meshed into one.

Thoughts began to ease their way back into my mind, though hazily so. And I could see the coherence return to him as he caught his breath— much easier than I. It was when a hint of a smirk touched his lips, that I felt myself smile in return.

I allowed my hands to drift from his jaw, down his biceps, dancing lazily over his muscles, absently in awe of what had just happened. I never wanted to move from the spot we were in. I wanted to relive it over and over until we were both spent— and then I wanted to relive it again.

After another beat, John scooped me up into his large arms, pulling me close with him as he laid on his side. We faced each other, his arm draped over me, both of us still coming down from the highs we stunningly inflicted on each other. The minutes felt timeless all over again as we savored what remained, not another word between us.

My eyes fluttered shut just briefly as his hand reached up to brush a few strands of -what I was sure to be matted, now- hair from my face. But as he began to smile, really smile, I felt my heart leap in a million different styles behind my rib cage.

I wasn’t sure I’d seen a full blown smile from him before. It was dazzling, completely infectious. It felt like a secret, or like some kind of hidden talent that the rest of the world was forbidden to see. I smiled in return, and he leaned in to kiss my forehead, the tenderness I was beginning to enjoy shining through.

“I’ll protect you with my life,” he murmured, his expression solemn again.

Be it that his life’s mission was to protect, to potentially die for his objective, or that the seriousness in his tone was unlike anything else I’d heard him say, that sentiment felt even heavier than the ‘I love you’ we shared before our rendezvous. I nodded ever so slightly, my hand reaching up to rest atop his as he held it on the side of my head. I squeezed his hand gently.

“I would die for you,” I expressed softly in return, my tone just as heavy, just as sincere.

And I meant it.

I really did.

-x-x-x-

Tags: @allthelovefromstylesxx, @grimistangel, @guiltgoldglory, @laurenstacy610​ 

thank you guys so much as always!! it means a lot that you look forward to my lil story! ♡

[lilmaravilla]

Accidental Confession (Master Chief x Reader)

warnings: implies sexual activity, if i missed any, please let me know! key: Y/n = your name. E/c = eye color. H/l = hair length. H/c = hair color B/n = Best friend's name summary: after accidentally confessing her feelings to the master chief, the reader has been avoiding him. Once he realizes what is going on, he goes to confront her.

"Being a scientist can have its advantages don't you think? And by advantages I mean working with Spartans like Lieutenant Commander Locke," blurted out B/n while leaning her face to the palm of her hand.

All Y/n could do was roll her eyes in response. After shaking her head and laughing at the very true comment, she got up and began sorting out some files. Spartan Locke was pretty good-looking. No doubt in that, but her heart belonged to a different spartan.

"Why are you rolling your eyes?! You can't tell me you don't fine Locke extremely handsome!" b/n stated defensively and giggled at her own words.

"Not Locke. I will not lie," she muttered. "I do love a forest green color."

"Shut. Up! John?! The Master Chief green?!" she exclaimed, nearly jumping off the walls in excitement. All of her attention now being on y/n's flushed face. "Do spill all the juicy details."

B/n could be a very loud person at times. The two women were lucky they were alone in that lab. Well they were up until the one and only Master Chief heard his name being called from outside the doors. Curious on to what the two scientists needed, he began to walk inside the lab. Recognizing Dr. Y/n L/n and Dr. B/n B/l/n' voices, he only listened to the one that gave him a strange feeling in his heart.

"What is there not to love about the hero in green? Have you seen the way he is so protective if his squad, his colleagues, and not to mention his AI? I have stood a few feet away from him and just felt like nothing in this world could ever hurt me. I have stared up into that golden visor of his and watched as he stared back. You know what that did to me? It freezes my whole world. I feel like it is only him and I existing in this very life. You don't know what I would give for his gloved hand to caress my cheek. Have you heard that Spartan's voice?" Y/n asked, spilling every bit of her feelings to her best friend. "That voice sends chills down my very spine for how deep it is. When he calls my name, my heart feels like it burst out of my chest. Perhaps one day he'll call out my name followed by the three words everyone wants to hear from the person they love; in this case, the spartan they love. Other times, I just want to hear his voice in my ear as he is moaning my name out in pleasure. I want him pinning me against the wall and just railing me; making me his. I want his gloved hands to slowly take or even rip my clothes off because I belong to him. I want to belong to him in every way possible," she expressed, looking up from her files to a wide-eyes B/n. "Was that too much? I apologize."

The room was silent for a while until a throat was cleared. Realization hitting Y/n like a train once her mind processed who the throat belonged to. Now knowing why B/n's eyes were so wide, she slowly turned around and came face to face with The Master Chief.

"Good evening, doctors," he spoke with that deep voice that y/n had grown to love. The voice that usually sent shivers down her spine only made her turn pale. The owner of the voice had heard everything she had just said and it was killing her of embarrassment.

That event had happened two weeks ago and Y/n had been doing her best avoiding the Spartan. Though she had to admit it was torture because she would always steal glances from him and see him staring right back. That damn visor staring back at her didn't make this situation any better. What was he even feeling?

Having to work alongside Dr. Halsey made it worse. Her work was mostly focused on Cortana and - you guessed it- Spartan 117. Why wasn't life on her side when trying to avoid that Spartan? She had already embarrassed herself enough and with these little glances, there were no doubts her face would turn scarlet.

"Dr. L/n. I have been looking everywhere for you. Didn't know you would be here," speak of the demon (get it? no? okay).

"Chief Master! Ma'am! S-sir!," Y/n stuttered, getting every single one of her words mixed. Here she thought she couldn't embarrass herself more. "I apologize, Master Chief. I have been working non-stop and it is slowly getting to me." With an exhausted sigh, she rubbed her eyes and looked up into his golden visor; her world stopping and her mind focused on only him.

"She's adorable when she's nervous, don't you think, Chief?" asked Cortana, making sure she wasn't heard by Y/n. She was curious to see what would happen with the Spartan and the Scientist.

Silently agreeing with Cortana, he continued to stare at the scientist in silence. He began to study the woman's features just like he had done so many times back. The way her e/c would blink away the exhaustion to the way her tongue would lick away at her lips. The woman that made him feel something. The woman who made his heart feel like it was going to rip out of his ribcage and chest.

"Chief... your heart rate is elevated. It always happens when you look at... her. Oh, I see what's going on here," Cortana teased through the helmet. She had been taking note on all the times John's heart rate would elevate abnormally. Coming to the conclusion long ago that it was because of the Scientist.

Keeping silent at Cortana's comment, John's eyes remained glued on Y/n's. Her words from two weeks ago playing in his mind. The words being a confirmation that her feelings were the same as him. Being avoided was the worst but understandable. She had confessed all her love for him unintentionally.

Avoiding him was not the way to go in his opinion. No second thought crossed John's mind as he began to walk closer to Y/n.

"M-Master Chief? D-did you need something?" asked a very nervous Y/n, taking a few steps back. "I am s-sorry if you're angry about the confession. I promise I did not know you were standing behind me. If I did know, I would have kept my mouth shut!" she continued to rant all while her back made contact with the wall. The Master Chief now inches away from her body. "Please, say something, Chief!"

Y/n's breathing seemed to come to a stop when a gloved hand reached towards her cheek and gently caressed it.

"Do you know how much you avoiding me affected me, Dr. L/n?" You spoke about all these feelings and didn't let me say anything."

"Chief...".

"I am going to make you mine, Y/n."

[lialacleaf]

Do you have any fic/author recs for Halo? Or is there a tag I should search on your page? Thank you! 💖

Hello friend! I’m so glad you asked!

As far as tumblr goes, my go to pages are @embarrassedauthornerd (MASSIVE MASTERLIST FOR CHIEF X READER)

@ageless-aislynn

@alienisticxo

@morganas-pendragons

Now let’s talk FanFiction.Net

Reclaiming His Humanity-

This one is my absolute favorite Halo story of all time and I absolutely adore the author. It’s a wild ride. Updates are slow and I’ve been following it for seven-ish years now, but there are a lot of chapters.

My Neighbor Is A Spartan

This one is a wholesome retirement story where John falls in love and has to rescue his horse trainer neighbor. It’s adorable you’ll love it~

Recompose

This one is John x Human Cortana set after Halo 4. Rated M for adult themes

The Secret Spartan

This one is about John and an OC Spartan. Rated M for adult themes.

You can also check out my master list for some Halo stuff too, I do interactive fics but they take me a hot minute because programming is not easy.

There’s more stuff out there but this is what I’ve ranked as the best~ I’ll certainly do some digging through the archives for anything I’ve missed or forgotten~

[noblesixjm04]

Comfort characters gonna comfort

Reader: *Rambling about their favorite hobby/interests. Hands moving wildly as they speak. Their eyes bright and a blinding smile on their face as they talk to John.*

John: *Thinks it's sweet and kind of adorable. He's mostly just comforted by the fact that you feel comfortable enough with him to talk like this.* *It's nice for him to just. Feel normal once in awhile outside of blue team.*

John: *Is also confused on how you just as quickly stopped as soon as you started. Falling in on yourself as you ring your hands together.*

Reader: *Embarrassed that they had managed to talk for so long and John hasn't gotten to say anything yet.* *A lingering voice hissing at them that he doesn't care. That they've made a fool of themselves yet again.*

Reader: "I'm. I'm sorry."

John: *Is now both confused and concerned.* "Sorry for what?" *Doesn't like the fact that you're no longer holding eye contact. A sure fire way to tell that you're nervous or embarrassed over something. If anything he could almost hear your pounding heart.*

Reader: *Swallows thickly. Nervous by the stare that John is giving them. They consider lying or brushing it off but they knew better than to do that. John is capable of sniffing out a lie like a bloodhound.* "For talking so much?"

Reader: *Shrugging their shoulders. Trying to get rid of the tension there.* "I know it's not something you care about and I've probably taken up your time when you could have been doing something else." *They are rambling now.* "And I know that what I've got to say isn't all that important."

Reader:*Nearly jumps a mile high when John lays a hand on their shoulder.*

John-117: *Low-key pissed. Not at you but at whoever made you believe such nonsense.* "Who said that?" *His voice is low and even. Face void of emotion save for the muscles clenching in his jaw.*

Reader: *Squirming in their seat. Still unused to John's intense way of caring even after having known him for a while.* "Who said what?"

John-117: *Leaning forward in his chair so that he can be more on your level.* "That what you have to say isn't important." *He pauses. Eyes searching over your face.* "Who y/n." *He's using what you jokingly call the 'master chief voice '. The one that leaves no room for question. The one you hate to be on the receiving end of cause it means that you have to learn that you are cared for.*

Reader: *Wants to look away but can't. Both comforted by the fact that John cares but worried about what he might do.* "It's nothing Chief. Really."

Oh now you've done it.

John-117: *Nothing?* *Slides the hand on your shoulder down your arm until your hand is in his.* "It is never nothing when someone makes you feel this way y/n."

John: "No one deserves to be demeaned like that. You should have never been made to feel that way." *His knees bump into yours as he moves closer.* "Never will I take anything you say as "not important." You are allowed to be heard. Be seen."

John: *His hand squeezes yours. A calloused thumb soothing over your knuckles.* "You're allowed to be yourself with me. Always."

John-117: *He pulls away although he does not want to. Reaching for his helmet he had taken off to better hear you with. Wanting to hear your voice without it's audio filters.* "Now. Who?"

Reader: *Watches as Master Chief stands up. Golden visor looking at them.* "An. An old friend I'm no longer friends with. David Hawthorne."

Reader: " Chief I haven't talked to him in years. Why does it matter.... Who...."

Master Chief has left the chat.

A few days later

Reader: *Is humming along to Welcome to the Jungle as they clean their gun. * *Startles when they feel a hand on their shoulder. Really they should be used to it by now from how often people do it while they're lost in their own little world.* "Sorry about that! I had my earbuds... In."

Reader: *Immediately frowns when they see who it is. Almost putting the earbuds back in so they wouldn't have to listen to him.*

Reader: *Now standing with their hand on the back of their chair. On guard as they speak.* "Hawthorne."

David H: *He looks. Well scared as he shuffles from foot to foot. Brow glistening with sweat. He keeps glancing to the right.* "M'sorry."

There's a noise in the back.

David H: *Louder now. His face is paler than snow.* "I'm sorry." *You see his adams apple bob up and down as he swallows.*

Reader:*Confused.* "Sorry for what? What are you even doing here? Last time I checked you were on some distant colony planet."

David H: *Glances to the right again.* "For the way I treated all those years ago. For what I told you. I'm sorry. I know I can't make up for it but I'm sorry."

Reader: *Everything clicking into place as they remember their conversation with John.* "I. Okay then." *Honestly they didn't know how to respond. Never expecting an apology from the man that made them feel like the worst human In history.*

David H: *Curtly nods. Glances to the right. If anything he lost more color in his face from that last glance before he took off out the door.*

Reader: "Okay then..." *They look to where David had been and almost cry as a warmth bloomed in their chest. From happiness, from knowing that they were cared for. They don't know.*

All of Blue team is standing there. Leaning against the walls or in the Chief case against the back of a bench. Arms crossed as he, and them, kept a watchfully eye on reader as David gave what they thought was a less than ok apology.

Reader:"Thank you."

Master Chief: *Nods then motions for blue team to follow after David.*

John: *As he walks past reader. Lays a hand on their shoulder, squeezes, then leaves to follow after his team.*

[empresskadia]

Fractured [Master Chief | John-117]

I seriously can't stop thinking about this man, ugh, he deserves the world. I didn't know what to write, so this happened. I have John's Gentle Touches chapter kinda planned out but it's gonna be a hot minute before it gets written and posted.

Post Halo: Escalation

It was one thing to be ordered to take R&R and another to get dragged away for it, or rather, as close to R&R as one could get on a massive ship. John was sure that Kelly was going to tease him as soon as he saw her next, but he couldn't tell you no. Not when he was glad to see you alive and unhurt.

That, maybe, he didn't fail you like he did Cortana.

It was after the third mission since he had reassigned Blue team that he noticed the UNSC Infinity had added to her crew, more specifically when you had marched right into the hanger, hands placed on your hip and Kelly let out a low whistle. "Someone's in trouble." She had teased that made Linda give a short snort as they passed by.

Though it was Fred who placed a hand on your shoulder. "He's all yours, [Y/n]." The Spartan patted your shoulder gently, the request in the movement evident. 'Take care of John.' and your small nod was answer enough.

Your brow raised as the green armor approached, he was glad, no, happy to see you again. This felt like the one thing that didn't seem to have gone wrong, but it had been four years since he had last seen you. Maybe everything between you two had changed.

"Hello, John." You said with that soft smile you always give him.

Or maybe it hadn't. 

The Master Chief simply nodded in acknowledgement; he wasn't sure what to say. Where to start? The loss of Cortana was still too fresh and if he was being honest with himself, a part of him hadn't tried to find you as soon as possible. Perhaps it was the fear that you would see him differently now.

He had failed.

His thoughts were circling when he felt two taps on his chest plate. "Come back to me John. I can hear your thoughts running from a mile away."

"I-I lost her," He admitted.

You were quiet for a moment staring into his visor like you could see him through the helmet, a sad smile tugged on your lips, "I know. I'm sorry." You really were. Cortana had been your friend, one who would tease John with you, one who would help you with your projects and have late night chats with you in the lab, one who always kept you up to date on John's missions regardless of if she was supposed to or not.

"She told me to tell you goodbye. And thank you-"

"And to take care of you?" You guessed, cutting him off before you tapped his chest armor again, the clink vibrating through the air. "Let's get you out of this. I wanna see you, John." And he couldn't tell you no, whether or not he wanted to take off the armor.

He complied.

He could do orders.

He could share this loss with you.

And while he laid in your arms, out of his armor, in the silent room that was broken by your humming, your fingers slowly dancing across his bare back, John almost felt like he was home, like he could survive this loss. His arms were wrapped around your waist, his face pressed against your stomach as your nails continued their movements, gently caressing over the pattern of scars as if you were rememorizing the old ones and studying the newer imperfections. "I missed you," you whispered as your lips pressed against his shoulder, right onto a scar he received from the Didact like you knew where it had come from.  The confession was so quiet that you took in a steady breath as if you were grounding your feelings. "I thought you were gone." He could hear the small quiver in your voice.

John lifted his head a fraction, his eyes meeting yours in a silent understanding. He had missed you and feared the worst. As he looked into your eyes, he understood your fears, a mirror image of his own. The thought of losing you, of facing the galaxy without your presence, was a fear he couldn't bear to confront. John's arms tightened around your waist, not enough to hurt you but to remind him you weren't going to disappear, that you were indeed alive.

"I'm here," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. He leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to your forehead, a silent vow to never let you go again. The warmth of your embrace, the gentle rhythm of your breathing. With you, he felt whole, as if all the fractured pieces of his being had finally found their place.

[helix-studios117]

Master Chief

It's rough, but it has been a while.

[ghostlychief]

I'm not sure if you write for Blue team, but can you do relationship headcanons for them? If not, then relationship headcanons for John-117?

another master chief request for the books, LETS GOOOOO

(i decided to write headcanons for John) enjoy!! <3

---

Dating Master Chief (John 117) Headcanons

no warnings; just fluff

---

Dating John would feel like the calm after the storm, or like a consistent gentle rainfall that can’t help but ease you, quelling your worries

Dating John is calming like rainfall in the sense that you feel a sense of respite wash over you when you’re with him; being with him is also akin to that of the calming pitter-patter noise you hear when the rain comes; it’s never to harsh, or too loud; always a consistent rhythm

You feel a blanket of security wrapping itself around you tightly, never threatening to let you go when dating him; it’s solid and firm, just like John

You both were a bit shy when you first got together; no surprises there though, John leans more on the quiet side, and you, well, anyone would be a little timid when first dating a Spartan (they were genetically modified humans after all)

But John quickly made sure that you felt completely and utterly safe around him; he knew what he was capable of, and the last thing he wanted to do was ever scare you; and you appreciated that about him

It’s not like you are some scared little girl, afraid of Spartans, but, you know, they were the infamous Spartans you heard about growing up, you weren’t quite sure what to expect when you first met them (surprise, surprise Blue team all turned out to be lovely people)

You appreciated John’s understanding for the time it took for you fully get to know him, and be comfortable around him

In your early stages of dating, you guys mainly kept to public outings, like restaurants, movie theaters (yes Reach has a cinema), parks (you both enjoyed going on long walks together and you tease John about how his ‘normal’ walk is your jog)

You could say that he properly ‘wine and dined’ you, well as much as one can on Reach seeing that its operation is more so military and not just another regular planet

He was a gentleman: he opened doors for you, whether that be building, apartment, or car doors; it didn’t matter, he was there to open them for you; he also would sometimes place his hand at the small of your back, which sent sparks twinkling up your spine the first few times he did that (let’s be honest, you still feel giddy even now)

He was a great listener, always ready with a question (or 10) whenever you were telling him about your day, things that happened at work, the latest book you read. He always had a follow-up, always curious to know more about you, and what you’re thinking

You also were the same in that matter, always asking him questions; who could blame you though, his job was a lot cooler than yours

You were in awe of all the different planets and solar systems he’s been to (including the Halos) and you always picked his brain about the Covenant (you’ve been fortunate enough to not cross paths with the Covenant)

When John wasn’t on a mission, you weren’t at work, or you guys weren’t going on a “formal” date, you and John could be found lounging around one of your apartments, either reading, watching TV, doing puzzles, things like that

Sometimes you guys liked to do your own thing but in the company of the other

However, one of your favorite things to do is to nap with John

He’s so large that he generates a lot of body heat, so whenever winter rolls around and there’s snowflakes in the air, you loved to cuddle up with him on the couch, completely wrapped in his embrace and fall asleep with no worries on your mind (being with John made that easy)

John is the kind of partner who is a great shoulder to cry on; his support is endless for you, and he’s always there whenever you run into a problem; he’s there to listen about what’s troubling your life, but he’s not one to be pushy about how to fix it; no, he’s there for you, and makes sure to comfort you the best he can (which usually is you asking him for a hug, which he immediately complies with)

John gives the best hugs because 1) he is taller than you, so he can easily wrap you up tight and rest his head on yours, and 2) his arms are long and muscular, which makes his hugs 10x warmer and just better overall

Something that you quickly learned about John after a couple months of dating was that he was actually funny (right, like what are the odds a Spartan of his caliber has a funny bone?)

His humor was of course dry and sarcastic, but he got a laugh out of you every time he cracked a joke

Blue team also tells you stories about John (not to his knowledge) since they have known him since they were all pre-teens; sometimes you’ll bring something up to John, and he’ll be like “Where’d you hear that from?” (he wasn’t stupid he knew); and then a couple days later you’ll hear how hard John made training for them (oops)

Nevertheless, dating John has brought a sense of security into your life that you never thought you would feel, or have; you only hope is that you provide the same for him

(spoiler, you do)

[kronos-lungbarrow-oakdown]

Me: *sees Celestial Toymaker is back and about to make an appearance*.

Me: *inhale*

Me: here we go *searches for "Celestial Toymaker, Thoschei, Academy Era" on fanfiction sites*

Me: it has been done.

Me: *exhales*

[bloodgulchblog]

In order to comply with current standards, Spartan-II Blue Team needs to be officially assigned a mission handler, and Spartan Miller is under consideration for the job. This would be totally fine if he wasn't busy developing the world's most embarrassing crush on Blue Team's leader: John-117, the Master Chief himself. The Master Chief is still reeling from the death of his AI partner Cortana a year ago and still adapting to the culture shock of the world that moved on without him while he was "dead" for 5 years. Sometimes, unlikely people intersect and things might get just a little weird.

In this chapter:

Miller is dying, possibly forever, while Roland doesn't help. Linda confronts John on Blue Team's behalf. John, left unsupervised, tries to think.

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: HALO: A MasterChief Collection: Unto Dawn {7}***

Master Chief Pablo x Sergeant Reader

Warning: Plot, NSFW, 18 + Content, SMUT, Small Bit of Angst

Words: 5.8k

Summary: You are part of the mighty SPARTANS as sergeant and a pretty badass addition to the team at that. With the first truth already revealed, more are revealed and when dawn comes everything will be different.

Note: Guess who needs more fics? Master Chief!!! I’ve decided to make a Master Chief collection of standalone one-shots. They all can be read separately to understand but can also be read in sequence. I will put a number on them so anyone who is interested in reading in sequence can, but again not necessary. This might be an acquired taste, but it’s Pablo as Master Chief forever and always around these parts.  Thank you for reading! Enjoy!

Note II: Halo OGs will get the title reference. Hehehe!

 If you enjoyed this please LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG!!!

 ***NOT Edited/Proofread***

Previous: On Your Six | Feel Something | A Night Off | Apex Predators | Truth Be Told | Confess |

~~~~~~~~~

-Y/N-

 Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

 That was the sound of your booted foot rapidly bouncing up and down on the floor of your domicile as you sat on the couch with your eyes glued to your door. Everything was silent, albeit that sound—that repetitive sound.

 Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

 The loudness of your foot bouncing against the floor should have made it impossible to hear any possible sound anywhere else—let’s say the hall leading to your door but it didn’t. The silence out there was deafening. The absolute silence and absence of his footsteps was deafening. You knew he wasn’t a stupid man. His intelligence was high as was his ability to perceive what someone meant next. It was a talent when it came to interrogations. A learned skill and enhanced ability. You knew he’d understood what you meant by “the rendezvous point had been compromised”. You knew he’d understood the dangers you’d both recklessly had put yourselves in. You also knew that he would have understood what your walking away meant. This was the only logical location.

 Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

 Your foot sped up and with it so did your thoughts. You went over what he’d said. He’d taken out his pellet. This is what Miranda meant. She’d told him about your pellet. Now you wanted to know which action came first. Did he learn about your pellet being removed and then decided to take his out too or the other way around? You didn’t know which possibility you wanted to be true. Did it matter? The facts were what were important. John had removed his pellet. He was pellet-free. Everything you’d experienced within the first few hours he was now experiencing.

 The first seventy-two hours were the worst for you. While it was a wonderous time where everything felt new and unique, you also went through sensory overload with everything. Every scent was too strong, the sun’s glare too fierce, the breeze, or rain or even snow too harsh, and every new emotion that wasn’t all that new felt nauseating. You remembered being so anxious and jumpy but also so distracted and hyper focused on the slightest thing. It made missions a nightmare. Was he going through the same?

 You stood then released a harsh puff of air, venting some of your frustration. Why wasn’t he here yet, you wondered? Where did he go? Was he going to come? Did you really want him to come? With that question you dropped back onto the couch. A realization hit you, he didn’t have anything in him suppressing his emotions or urges. 

The sensation of attraction hit you hard the first time. Thinking back, you remembered just how it was for you and your belly fluttered. You hadn’t known what was going on or why the smell of John’s sweat made your heart quicken, or why the sight of John showering made your mouth water and hands shake. You’d seen him shower hundreds of times, seen the soapy-water mixture cascade down his body so many times it had become normal. You remembered how the sight of what was between his legs made something in you tingle and moisten. You didn’t understand it then, but now—months later you were wiser—slightly. What if him coming here makes that happen to him?

 Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

 Your foot banged louder, and your thoughts spiraled, and you recalled your one and only night together. You’d wracked your brain trying to come up with an explanation as to how it happened. Your attraction had gotten to a boiling point but what of him? Was he lying and had the pellet out then? Or had Halsey’s failproof tech done just that and failed? You wanted to track Miranda down and get some answers right now. Bolting up once again, you prepared to leave then the door tone rang out making you stop in your tracks. After several moments, you practically tiptoed to the door and turned on the surveillance screen beside it. There he stood all near seven feet of him.

 After taking a few deep breathes, you pressed the button and watched the door slide open. As he looked up, you noted how clear the hazel in his eyes had become. He looked like he really was seeing differently. His eyes also asked the question his lips did not. You stepped to the side and allowed him access. As he walked inside you watched him closely as if he were this unpredictable force that could and would go berserk at any moment. However, he did not go berserk, or do anything out of the ordinary.

 You rolled your eyes because none of this was ordinary. This was probably the second time in forever that he’d been inside your domicile. This was the definition of abnormal but somehow it felt as if he should be here. He should be in your domicile, should be sitting across the table from you at mealtime, or sitting on your couch tinkering with a gun or plasma grenade, or in your bed. By the time your eyes came into focus you’d realized you’d dazed off and he was now standing next to that table looking at you with such an innocent and vulnerable look on his face that you couldn’t help but take a step to him.

 It was a step you retracted almost immediately.

 “Why here?”

 “Miranda and I have fortified it. When I realized I could trust and confide in her when I took out my—pellet She helped me find Halsey’s eyes and ears, get rid of them and fortify so no others could be planted. It’s safe here.”

 It was he who took the next steps to you, but he didn’t approach too closely. He stopped several feet from you, but it was still too close. You side stepped and walked over to your couch and sat down.

 “How did you—why did you--.”

 His starts and stops were adorable. He didn’t know where to begin. You understood, this was a lot to take in and adjust to.

 “Sit,” you urged.

 The look of caution John gave you almost made you snort. He was acting like you were the threat. Slowly you watched his bow-legged walk to the minimalistic chair that was adjacent to the couch you were sitting on. When he sat, there was no ease or comfort to it. His back was straight, legs spread widely apart, hands resting atop his thigh and eyes on you—waiting. On the surface, he looked calm, cool and collected but you knew better. You knew underneath that icy and stoic exterior he was losing his mind with the urge to rapid fire every question that came to mind. You could tell he was seconds from bouncing off the walls.

 “How did you take it out?”

 “Dug it out.”

 “How did you know it was there?”

 You took a deep breath, “Remember the mission to Aleria?”

 “The dust planet.”

 You nodded.

 “You fell off the cliff,” he added.

 “I did and landed in the pit of those sharp rocks.”

 “You said you were fine.”

 “I was or thought I was. It wasn’t until I got back to base and was cleaning up did I notice the massive bruise on my back. Usually bruises fade within a day or two but it was almost a week and it didn’t look to be getting any better. In those days I noticed small changes. Things seemed a little different but I didn’t know how or why. When I looked at the area I felt it and it felt like there was something lodged there. I ended up taking a knife to it and the pellet came out.”

 He looked to be taking that piece of the puzzle well. There were no outward signs of a mental breakdown.

 “Is that when you went to Miranda?”

 “No that was about a month after. I just tried to keep everything normal. I had to. After it was out, I started to feel things, emotions like anger, rage, happiness, I laughed, things were funny. Colors were brighter, smells better, the armor felt different, it was a lot to take in. There were so many days I couldn’t handle it. So many missions I nearly spazzed out on because the training was not enough to keep the self-doubt, the thoughts, and the urge to rebel against an order wondering if it was the right thing. My objectivity was gone.”

 “I thought you were different. I noticed but then you’d go back to normal when I watched. I thought it was nothing.”

 “It was control. It was me working doubly hard to appear normal.” You sighed remembering those weeks and months. “It was so much work—so hard especially with Halsey’s eyes and checks and exams. There must have been tens of times I thought she’d discovered me but every time she let me go, I knew I was safe, but I could never relax from fear of it being a tactic of hers to catch me.”

 It was then his shoulders began to slouch.

 “You should have come to me.”

 “And say what? Halsey has a pellet in your back that makes you numb? Would you have believed me?”

 He studied you for a few moments before he looked away. You knew that he knew he wouldn’t have believed you.

 “I believe you now.”

 Hearing the words, you felt some strange relief. You weren’t alone with this anymore. Yeah, you had Miranda, but she didn’t know what this felt like. She’d gone her entire life with emotions and feelings. Things that were second nature and a duh for her were not for you. It took practice, note taking--meticulousness. Now you had someone going through the same exact thing as you. You sighed.

 “So it was out when we sparred in the ring and the mission where you disobeyed me and took initiative. And that night.”

 Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

 Your foot picked up right where it had left off before he’d arrived. Fighting the urge to bolt up and pace the room, you dug your nails into your outer thigh and gritted with the subtle pain. You didn’t know if he sensed your agitation, but he unexpectedly changed the direction of the conversation.

 “Miranda says the artifact must have damaged mine when it sent out an electromagnetic pulse. It was malfunctioned when she took it out.

 “Ho—how do you feel?”

 He tilted his head to the side a little bit then straightened it and did the same on the left side. It was like a robot doing a systems check.

 “I feel.”

 His eyes met yours. “Have you always looked this way?”

 “What way?”

 Again, he took a beat then replied. “Pleasing to the eye.”

 Your jaw dropped. Master chief Petty Officer John-117 just called you attractive. You could have passed out. Never did you think you’d see this day. Did he even know what attractive was?

 “My looks have always been the same.”

 In such swift movements, John stood closed the space between you and sat on the table before you that you had a few books scattered on. “Your eyes this color?”

 His face peered closer into your orbs. You nodded.

 “Your skin—this--.” He cupped your jaw sliding his thumb across your cheekbone then to your jaw. “This—soft.”

 Your vocal cords wouldn’t work, you knew that already, so you didn’t bother answering. You nodded again. John’s thumb fell to your lips where he traced them taking in every detail with the thick pad of his digit like his skin held memories and your lips was what he wanted to remember the most.

 “Your lips—so---.”

 His eyes were glued to your mouth and the intensity in them made the hand you were currently using to dig your nails into your thigh tremble. He didn’t continue though, instead, he clenched his jaw and gulped. His Adams Apple bobbed making his heart quicken. This was nothing like using your heightened senses in combat or on a mission. This was different.

 You naturally picked up all these little details but now they meant entirely different things. Before increased heartrate could mean someone was lying or trying to hide something. Now, it could mean the man across from you was struggling with adjusting or feeling arousal. Then, the twitch of a jaw could mean anger, now it could mean a struggle with control—a fight to hold on to it and not act impulsively—recklessly—rakishly. A slight dilation in the eye used to mean he’d picked up a detail or movement, now it could mean he saw something appealing, something he liked—wanted.

 His voice brought you out of your chaotic thoughts; “Your mouth--,” he began as he pushed the tip of his thumb into your mouth. It wasn’t a difficult task for him. Your lips parted with ease and welcomed him.

 “Fuck!” It was a guttural, and harshly whispered word that sent a shiver through you.

 “So—hot—smooth--.”

 His face came closer and everything in you wanted to feel his lips on yours, but the small voice in your head whispered of caution, of danger, of nearing doom. John’s left hand that was clasping the back of your head moved down to your neck then slowly trailed lower to your collarbone. As his thumb in your mouth explored the buds of your tongue and the variety of sharp and dull teeth, his other fingers swirled around your collar and décolletage, leaving a trail of icy fire. His touch burned—scorched even, but chilled and stunned all at the same time and you wanted more—needed more.

 “Y/N,” John whispered his forehead now pressed against yours. He was sweltering.

 The subtle mint and juniper berry scent caressed you, awakening something in you that wanted to know if his lips tasted like that mint and juniper. From memory, you knew they would. You knew he would taste sweet, and fresh and his kiss would leave trails of ice along your skin. That knowledge only made your insides burn more fervently. His scent would forever be engraved in you, forever be one you would crave.

 Without thinking, you placed your hand on his bulky thigh and instantly gripped it when you registered the hefty muscles there. A small groan strangled in your throat, but you knew he still heard it. His eyes snapped open and peered into yours. You felt like the glare from them were as intense as the rays from the sun itself.

 “You smell--,” he inhaled deeply then moaned. “Sweet like fruit, earthy like water, fragrant like flowers. You smell—like need.”

 Master Chief was a sweet talker without even trying to be. You knew this was all innocent on his part. He was just working through his newfound world and what it meant to him and his senses. There was nothing sensual within his words, no yearning, or desire. That was all coming from you, and you had to get a grip. Steeling your nerves, the best you could, you swallowed—albeit a little too loudly, then spoke.

 “D—do—do you have—question—s?”

 Looking in his eyes, you saw innocence but there was something else. The moment you smelled him, you almost ripped his clothes off. You smelled desire. Was it yours or his, though?

 “Do I smell the same as you do—to you?”

 You shook your head.

 “What do I smell like?”

 “Mint, juniper berries, gun metal, citrus pods--,” you paused and inhaled. There was always something else that you couldn’t ever decipher. In the last few weeks, you’d come up with something but none of it was plausible. It sounded stupid. “And the stars and the night air after a cool breeze rips through leaving nothing but silence--stillness.”

 Chancing it, you opened your eyes and found his on yours. In seconds, John’s lips crashed to yours and took control of a searing kiss. Weeks ago, his kiss was forceful, demanding and sloppy, tonight it was the same but oh so urgent and eager. When you looked back at that first night with him, you’d wondered how he kissed like that. Tonight, you understood. Instinct. You quickly got lost in his kiss, lost in his taste, lost in the way his hand felt at the tail of your back where the evidence of the missing device laid. The fragments of his words from the day you’d had your exams with Halsey echoed in your head.

 “Anything else you are thinking, anything besides that, stop. None of it means anything, it never has.”

 You quickly tore your lips from his, bolted upright to your feet ramming your nose into his in a jumbled move to scurry from him and across the room. John’s loud hiss filled the room. You kept your back to him and stared at the wall, trying to fight through the pain in your own nose and keep the seams of your control together. They were quickly fraying, threatening complete exposure.

 “Y/N?”

 The confusion in his voice stabbed at your chest. Did he even know what he was doing?

 “You said—I don’t—this isn’t a good idea.”

 “Why? We have done this before.”

 “And you reprimanded me for it and ignored me for weeks after. You even went as far as to tell me that you are my superior and I am your subordinate,” you began.

 “That I have your back in the field and you have mine. We get in and get the job done. Anything else you are thinking, anything besides that, stop. None of it means anything, it never has. None of it will ever happen again. Keep your head in the fight, there is a lot at stake,” John filled in with his perfect memory.

 “Exactly,” you whispered ignoring how the words that were spoken with such conviction and certainty weeks ago were now said softly, with plenty of uncertainty and regret. Did he regret them?

 “I didn’t know what to say, or how to reconcile things,” he attempted beginning to pace your floor. “I had the memories of that night, but I did not understand them, did not understand how or why. My head was not my own. Miranda thinks there were moments of clarity from the pellet and moments where it worked. I think—that night…with you was—clarity.”

 You watched him pace. This was not the John you knew who was always in control. He was struggling. Could his words really have been because of the pellet and his actions that night real? He continued to pace but you remained where you were contemplating what you should do.

 Was it a good idea to go to him? Was it a good idea to just let him deal with his first bout of regret? It wasn’t just regret though. He was confused and struggling to understand it all. Sighing, you walked to him and placed a gentle hand on his burly shoulder. Immediately, John stopped moving and turned to you with tortured eyes. This was hard enough, you thought. You didn’t want to make it harder or make him go through it alone like you had. A full minute passed before he was fully turned to you and stepping closer. When he didn’t stop, you backed away. He followed.

 “Why—why did you—that night?”

 His broken question was something you hadn’t expected. You knew what he was asking. Your back pressed against the wall—nowhere else to go. Resigning to your fate, you spoke.

 “I—I wanted you. I desired you. I wanted to touch you, to—have you.”

 John’s eyes sparked to life, and he closed the last remaining bit of space between you. You could feel his hardness pressing into your abdomen. He too wanted. John looked down between your bodies.

 “This is the third time tonight this has happened to me. The first standing just outside your door as I heard you moaning my name over and over saying you want me inside of you.”

 Your belly fell. He’d heard you.

 “The second at the tower and right now. This has happened so many times since that night with you. As I tried to sleep, took a shower, saw you sparring with Kai or Riz, you in your skivs while changing, and almost every waking moment in between. It was torture—the heat, the ache, the erraticness. I didn’t understand why or what was happening, but I understand now.”

 His face was so close, all you had to do was tip your tongue out and you would taste his lips. You didn’t, though. You wanted to hear his deduction. Everyone spoke highly of master chief’s tactical intelligence, raved about it really. Halsey even gloated about his overall intelligence claiming she’s made the perfect specimen both in physicality and mentality. You didn’t doubt his intelligence, not one bit. You knew John was smart and deserved the constant praise, however, you  wondered how much of it was enhancements and pellet and how much was the man himself.

 “What do you understand, John?”

 When you said his name, another spark behind his irises caught your attention. His hips lunged into you sending his erection into your abdomen again. This time you couldn’t help but moan.

 “You affect me. You always have, from the very beginning. You make me want.” His voice was raspy but certain.

 “Want what?”

 John’s eyes held you where you were.

 “You. So much of you so much from you. I—Y/N—I--.”

 Deciding to say fuck it all you crashed your lips to his and took control. Although you both had no experience you at least had an inkling more than him. His instant reaction to your lips on his was what made you wrap your arms around his neck. He kissed you back without hesitation and without any control. There was no sense in how his lips moved against yours, no organization, just plain need.

 John’s hands that were plastered on the wall, caging you in, were now on your hips, squeezing you. it almost hurt—almost. Moaning on his mouth, you brought your hands to his head and held his head in place. Abandoning your hips, John lifted you with such ease your desire flooded your panties because of it. You wanted him badly and you doubted you cared if it were here against the wall or on the floor or the across the table. It didn’t matter.

 As if hearing your thoughts, John pressed your back to the wall, grinding his hardness into you. Before you could pull from him, his mouth broke the kiss and exclaimed out in a mixture of bass and squeak. His eyes were on yours, studying you, looking for something.

 “What John?”

 “You want this?”

 This could have meant his cock or this moment, whatever he meant you nodded—vigorously and felt no shame. His hips surged forward again and both of you exclaimed this time.

 “Do you?”

 John’s eyes dropped to your lips, and it was him who kissed you this time. It was soft, slow, searching and then he slipped his tongue into your mouth, and it was like he became an entirely different man than the one who was lost and innocent minutes ago. His groan echoed in your domicile, and it was more animal than man. He released you then spun you around pushing you into the wall as soon as your feet touched the floor. From there John kissed your neck, then brought his mouth to your ear where he licked the shell then nibbled on it. All the while he ground his hips sending his length on your ass.

 “Uuugh, Y/N.”

 You weren’t used to him sounding so vulnerable, so needy. Hearing him like this snapped something inside of you like a rubber band. You reached behind you and cupped his manhood. Again, John groaned. As you felt him through his pants it felt as if he hardened even more.

 “Pl—pl--,” he stuttered.

 You continued your ministrations adding a little more pressure. His one hand on the wall balled into a fist that pounded onto the wall creating a noticeable dent.

 “Pl—please.”

 A devilish smile teased your lips but when you felt his other hand squeeze your hip you knew the time for teasing or dominance games was gone. You quickly began undoing his pants, desperately needing to feel the heat from his skin. Within seconds, you’d managed to free him. The blazing rod that laid across the swell of your ass felt as if it were branding you, melting your skin, claiming you as his. You peeped back and found John’s eyes glued to where his appendage touched you.

 “Beautiful.”

 “I need—need--.”

 You knew what he needed; it was the same as what you needed. With the same haste, you undid your leather like pants and urgently pushed them off your hips. The motion of you shimmying your hips from side to side while trying to get your pants low enough, bobbed his heavy cock on your ass and every move made him swear and squeeze your hip harder. Pressing your cheek to the wall, you moaned.

 “Do you remember what to do?”

 “I know what to do.”

 You bent forward a little as he adjusted his stance behind you, lining himself up correctly. You waited and waited and though it felt like an eternity, it really was mere seconds before you felt master chief petty officer John 117 thrust into you with such force that sent your cheek pressing further into the wall while making your neck bend backward. Both of you shouted out in unison. He filled you so perfectly, so completely. Part of you hummed with a feeling of finally—complete resonance; while the other part said you couldn’t take anymore and raged. John must have sensed the need for balance and remained perfectly still though the hand on the wall said he wanted to do the opposite.

 “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!”

 Slowly, your body adjusted to the size and feel of him, slowly it accepted him. It marveled you that your body hadn’t reacted this way to him before. Whenever you thought about that first night, your body was greedy. Tonight, it was cautious. What was different? You glanced the way his hand trembled and knew he what to do. Moving your ass in a small circle you sent his cock rotating inside of you and John’s fist flattening on the wall. You did it again and his other hand joined the wall, bracing it or himself.

 Again, you looked to him, but his head was hanging backward, eyes pinched closed, neck tight and threaded with veins. He didn’t look like he was breathing. The more you circled on him the more he swelled within you, but your body didn’t scream in rejection, no your body aided his girth rewarding your efforts with wetness. A whine escaped your throat, and you knew it was a sound you’d made for the first time. John knew it too. His hands left the wall and gripped your hips and just like that whatever little control he was desperately gripping to vanished.

 John slowly retreated from your body and your greedy core protested and tried to suck him back in but failed. Every suction made John grunt and groan.

 “Fuck!”

 He didn’t retreat fully before he slammed right back into you.

 “Aah!”

 This time he retreated halfway then repeated the action. It garnered the same reaction, a half shouting moan. With each slow and steady withdrawal came a bruising and forceful snap forward of his hips that sent the most delicious and complex feeling of pleasure and pain through you and sounds you’d never made before from your throat. Soon, John sped his thrusts, but they were no longer steady. You could feel his body shaking, feel the sporadic spasms of his muscles and his cock as it lodged deeper and deeper into your body.

 He stuttered your name over and over then that stutter disappeared, turning into chaotic and gravely grunts of your name. Soon, he had your entire body pressed against the wall with you haphazardly on your tiptoes trying not to allow him to impale you and fuck you into oblivion no matter how much part of you wanted just that. The sounds in your domicile sounded animalistic, crass, and violent.

 From your combined moans, grunts and shouts, to your hands hitting the wall each time his cock collided with some secret place inside of you that sent goosebumps across your skin and your flesh rubbing and slapping together. If anyone heard it they would probably think foul play, but you didn’t care. They could have barged inside and became your audience for all you cared. Right now all you wanted was to feel this large man inside of you, filling you to capacity and making you scream in ways you’d never screamed before.

 John grunted loudly, punched the wall once, then twice, in sync with the thrust of his hips. On the third plunge, you saw stars and by the fourth, your knees gave out, toes numbed, and voice went soprano, but John was there holding you up with one strong arm to deliver one final thrust before you felt him spilling inside of you. His body convulsed against yours as he shuddered into your ear before hissing. Your panting turned to mewls and neither of you could move from where you were. John rested his chin on your shoulder and tried to catch his breath the same as you.

 “Was—Was that fast?”

 His question barely registered. This feeling was still something you hadn’t gotten used to and didn’t know how to process. It was different when you were alone and exploring your own body then with him. With him it was always close to—too much. You wondered if he felt that too.

 “Fast?”

 “The first time felt longer in my memory.”

 You snorted because he was right. Now comparing the two this was quicker.

 “It’s okay, John.”

 “I—I—I’m—sorry.”

 Those words made you angle your head back a little to see his face. His forehead glistened with sweat that now rolled down his temples and sides of his face. A chaotic look was in his eyes but you also so insecurity. Was he ashamed? Moving for the first time in long minutes your legs tingled when they touched the floor and you doubted they possesed the strength to be used but you fought through it. John allowed you to take more control of your body and rose to full height.

 The new space allowed you to pull from him. With another hiss, John slipped from between your folds and the feel of the emptiness made you frown. Turning to him the glistening part of him that had just been inside of you caught your eye and mesmerized you. His seed dripped from the still swollen and now aggressively red tip onto the floor and the angry veins throbbing just below his flesh made your breath hitch. He was still hard. Shaking your head, you met his eyes.

 “Wh—why are you sorry?”

 His eyes dropped from yours, but you cupped his chin making him look at you again.

 “At me John.”

 “Something in me tells me it shouldn’t be fast.”

 A small smile tickled your lips. He was adorable. You wrapped your arms around his neck pressing your body against his and his automatic response was to moan, sigh and wrap his arms around you right back. Your heart threatened to beat right out of your chest.

 “It’s okay. This is new. You need practice.”

 John’s eyes darkened and you knew he grasped your meaning.

 “Practice.”

 You nodded. A bead of sweat rolled down his neck and distracted you making you want to tip your tongue out to capture it. He smelled delicious and his lips tasted delicious. Why couldn’t that? It was an urge you couldn’t fight, so you didn’t. Leaning into him, you tipped your tongue out and licked up his neck to his earlobe, bit down then moaned. His cock immediately saluted you.

 “You didn’t become the master chief you are today without a little bit--,” you whispered, pausing to tip your tongue into the shallow part of his ear. Again, his cock begged for your attention. “Or a lot of practice,” you finished pressing more firmly against him. “Right?”

 Your eyes met and it was right this minute you saw the demon every foe did. Only the demon you saw was not evil or soulless. He was a daemon. He was just unbound, hungry and insatiable. Your belly did backflips thinking of the demon in battle joining you in your bed. You stepped back from him and walked around him with your pants still at your knees. John turned to watch you, his cock bobbing, begging, dripping. Tearing your eyes away from the captivating appendage, you bent and undid your boots before kicking them to opposite sides of the room. Next, you peeled your pants and underwear down the rest of the length of your legs and kicked those to the side too.

 John looked from your toes up your legs, eyes resting right at the apex of your thighs, the place he had just been and from the looks of his cock desperately wanted to return to. You allowed him however long he needed to satiate his gaze. When his eyes met yours again, a new feeling of insecurity washed over you. Rolling your shoulders back you shook it off.

 “What do you say master chief? Forward unto dawn?”

 His nose flared, jaw clenched, and mouth quirked to the side in a lopsided smirk that made you quiver. In seconds, he’d crossed to you ignoring his own pants circling his ankles and hoisted you into the air and against him. You wrapped your legs around him and moaned at the feel of his thickness nudging against your sore but wanting core.

 “Forward unto dawn,” he repeated just before his lips claimed yours.

 John kissed you passionately and walked without eyes as if he’d walked these halls before, as if he belonged here. Your moans melded together and with each passing second your bodies communicated—begging the other for something neither of your mouths could voice from lack of knowledge. When you felt the softness of your bed under your back, you began to wonder how you’d gotten here, but when he kissed you again and you felt his cock spasm against your slit you moaned and wondered how it had taken you this long to get here.

 “Y/N,” John moaned.

 From now on you knew this was the only way you wanted him to ever say your name—upon a moan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[alienisticxo]

Awake

{Master Chief╱Cortana x Reader - One Shot }

{A╱N} hi friends! i wrote this short lil first person pov fic back in October ‘22, but never got around to posting it! i figured i'd finally let it see the light of day because the next chapters of Before the Fever have been taking me so long to finish! i'm still writing my series, have no fear! life outside of here has just been keeping me extremely busy lately and i keep adding and changing chapter 13 around. but it will be out soon! thanks for your patience. 🥹 

For backstory: You’re a Spartan on Silver Team who has taken notice of John-117 and Kai-125 removing their hormonal suppressor pellets. Deciding to follow suit, a new experience ensues with a little help from Cortana.

Warnings: None!

i hope you enjoy! ♡

The world seemed to open up before my eyes like a flower blooming in springtime. With the hormonal suppressor pellet removed, everything became so vivid and clear, eliciting sensations and reactions from me in real time at a rate that almost felt alarming. This was not something I was accustomed to, and as I watched the reddened water escape into the drain, I couldn’t wait to figure out just what else The Master Chief and Kai-125 had been experiencing.

Redressing into my undersuit, I paid more attention to the detail of the garments, the thickness of the material, and the way it felt against my skin. For the first time that I could recall, I took the time to look at myself in the mirror, study my own facial features and expressions. The way my hair fell, the color of my eyes. The way my skin looked in the lighting.

It occurred to me then that I’d seen plenty of women wearing enhancements on their faces— makeup from eyes to lips. I’d never worn makeup before, never felt the need or the desire. You didn’t need mascara on the battlefield. But I thought back to 125’s hair, the red streaks she’d embellished her natural honey color with. It was.. cute. Different. Rebellious.

I looked at my own hair, wondering just what I could do with it. My focus, however, kept turning to my face. I thought of a time I’d seen Miranda wear a bold eyeliner, or the red lipstick Admiral Parangosky often wore.

A hand lifted to my cheek as I wondered how I might pull something like that off.

And then I was flooded with an excitement I hadn’t felt before, a giddiness to find out. I wasn’t sure if that was normal, but I let my new surge of emotions lead the way as I crept over toward the common area that Silver Team shared. Looking around, the other Spartans were still sound asleep, but due to be roused soon, I knew.

I held my breath, contemplating. It felt fun to be a little reckless, a little unpredictable. I still felt a pang of indecisiveness as to whether or not I wanted to make my next move, but it was quickly pushed away.

“Cortana,” I hissed quietly.

Nothing.

“Cortana,” I whispered a little louder, still as a statue in the darkness.

John-117 rolled over, and a smattering of blue light appeared.

“You’re up earlier than usual,” Cortana pointed out, and I quickly lifted my finger to my lips.

With a wave of my hand, I beckoned her to follow me back into the showers.

“Not strange at all..” Cortana murmured once we were alone again. “How can I help you?”

I looked straight at her, admiring the technicality of it all. She was only a hologram, a chip implanted into John’s brain, but the advanced nature of her intelligence was awe-inspiring. How had I not noticed that before? That pellet really was something.

Her brow arched, clearly noticing my trance.

“Oh no,” she groaned. “Not you, too.”

“What do you mean?” I finally posed, slightly defensive as I dragged my gaze off of her.

“You’ve removed your pellet. I’d know that starry-eyed look anywhere.”

“Please don’t tell Dr. Halsey,” I nearly pleaded.

We were both still, quiet, for a moment. Then the A.I. smiled.

“Are you looking for an explanation as to what’s happening with you biologically?”

“No.. I— Well, I’m sure it would be helpful but. Really.. I just want…”

Cortana folded her arms over her chest, waiting for me to spit it out. I didn’t realize the hesitance I would feel to ask. Was this what embarrassment felt like?

“Do you know how to use makeup?” I asked, my face twisting into a soft cringe at my own question.

“Never needed it,” Cortana quipped playfully, pride written on her features. “But I can certainly find some information for you. The UNSC doesn’t exactly provide cosmetic pro—“

But I cut her short, holding my hand up and disappearing back into the area I’d taken her out of.  When I returned, I held up a small bag, emptying its contents onto the sink as quietly as possible.

“Where did that come from?” She asked, stepping up beside me in the mirror.

“Confiscated it. It piqued what little curiosity I had then already.. So I kept it.”

“Like John and Kai, you’ve always been a little more in tune with yourself,” she smiled.

I offered the smallest, politest smile I could manage in return, not exactly knowing how to respond to her comment. I felt brand new to the world and its social cues, and I hoped she’d understand. Picking up a small tube and a long thin pen, I looked to the A.I. for any kind of direction, confusion on my features then.

“Anything?” I lilted quietly.

Cortana nodded, beginning to explain the various methods used, the varieties of styles and all of the combinations possible. She rattled off as though she were reading from some kind of textbook, and I rummaged through all of the products I had in hopes of figuring it out as she helped me along.

⁂

“I’m impressed,” Cortana expressed, looking at me in the mirror, her hands on her hips. “You seem to have a natural knack for this sort of thing.”

“Do you think it’s too much?” I asked, suddenly worried about what the others might say or think once they saw me. “Maybe I should take it off..”

“I think you look great! But what you’re experiencing is anxiety. You Spartans tend to do that a lot when your pellets are removed,” she added. “It’s a natural biochemical response to a new experience.”

I heard the familiar sound of my teammates rising for the day, knowing they’d be in at any moment, another feeling of what seemed to be dread coursed through me.

“You should go before he notices you’re not completely in his head,” I whispered, my eyes landing on hers through the mirror. “Thank you, Cortana.”

“Always here to help,” she chirped, her usual bright and clear voice a whisper, too.

A strange warm feeling washed over me, and I felt an urge to really solidify my thanks to her. I’d seen people hug, pat others on the back. I knew it was impossible to touch her, but I let my smile do the talking for me as she disappeared once more.

Quickly pulling my hair into a low bun, I let two strands on either side fall along my face. It wasn’t painted with gun grease like 125’s, but it would do.

Still feeling nervous, I looked over myself once more as I heard footsteps drawing near. My eyes were darkened with eyeliner, eyeshadow and mascara. Cortana had walked me through the basics, and we both decided the eyeliner should be of the winged persuasion to compliment what she’d described to me as a ‘smoky-eye look’ with the shadow. It took most of my time to execute perfectly on each eye, and I was just glad the rest of my face hadn’t been so complicated to complete. My favorite part was the red lipstick. It was by far the easiest.

It felt like a different person was staring back at me, someone a little more elevated. I hadn’t realized how much fun it could be. In fact, I hadn’t realized what fun was at all until now. From the eyes to what she’d read as ‘contouring,’ to the lips, it was a brand new sensation, and I had a great time doing it.

I suddenly felt a little sentimental, or what I assumed sentimental was, as I wondered how a person’s first experience with makeup should’ve gone. No matter the answer to that question, I’d always treasure mine with Cortana.

But I quickly snapped out of it, bowing my head and rushing right out past the others as they walked in. Thankfully no one paid any attention as I did so, too focused on preparing themselves for the day ahead. I just needed a little more time to get used to it myself before I had to answer any of their questions.

“Silver Team,” John finally commanded, and instinctually, I walked over toward him, the others following suit. We stood in a line at attention, waiting for the briefing we knew was to follow.

But before The Master Chief could begin, his eyes fell on my features, and my jaw tightened.

“124,” he voiced, his tone sounding vaguely strained, “What is on your face?”

Kai looked over at me then, and I could see her crack a smile in my peripheral vision. “Hey, you look good.”

I didn’t respond to either of them, and this was clearly an alert to John.

With an exhale, he dismissed the others before even beginning his briefing, leaving me standing at attention in front of him.

“At ease, Spartan,” he told me, and I hesitantly relaxed. “What’s going on? Your hair isn’t back like it’s supposed to be— you’re wearing…”

“Makeup, Master Chief,” Cortana chimed in as she reappeared. “She’s wearing makeup. Doesn’t she look great?”

She sounded full of pride, probably because of all the help she’d put into me.

“You’ve been holding out on me,” I finally said, unable to help my smirk.

He automatically knew.

“How many more Spartans do we need with a lapse in judgment? This doesn’t bode well against The Covenant, we’re lucky 125 is even here.”

“It’s just a little makeup, Chief,” I assured, though my tone was soft, almost hurt.

“It’s distracting,” he responded. “Halsey won’t look past that.”

“Don’t be so hard on her,” Cortana spoke, a smug expression on her countenance. “I can see your heart rate, you know.”

There was a faint scowl on his features as he looked in her direction, and I heard Kai snort a laugh in the distance.

“Going!” She quipped before disappearing again.

“Maybe I’m just distracting you, then.”

“Watch it, 124,” he warned, but the stern look on his face got my heart pumping as well. “Or I’ll ground you on the next mission, too.”

I was defeated then, not expecting such a dramatic response given his blatant disregard to Kai’s red hair. I supposed he trusted her more, liked her better— something. Hanging my shoulders, I nodded with an inaudible sigh. At least he didn’t request I replace the pellet.

“I’ll take it off,” I capitulated, turning on my heel to make my way toward the bathroom again.

“{Y/N},” he finally said, and I turned back at attention.

“You don’t have to take it off,” he surrendered. “Just watch yourself around Halsey. If she gets wind that her Spartans are awake, there’s no telling what lengths she’ll go to to fix that. You can’t let it get in the way of the objective. Our job is far from over.”

A small amount of pep returned to my step.

“Copy that,” I responded, but it was said more like a promise.

“And.. you look amazing. You looked great before, too.”

My cheeks filled with red beneath the light dusting of blush I’d applied, my smile going wider than I expected it to.

“Thanks, Chief. It means a lot.”

He nodded once.

“Don’t let it get to your head. We still need you crisp and clear on the battlefield.”

I stepped up beside him, hanging my arm over his broad shoulder, leaning my head against it with a grin. The natural reaction was strange, the contact and urge to joke around even stranger.

“I think you’re the one we need to worry about in this case.”

He shifted to face me, and I looked right back at him.

“I can already tell you’re going to be an issue,” he smiled.

“Always been my problem,” I responded through my own grin.