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[writeforfandoms-fics]

Mirror Mirror 10

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You finally get some answers. Everything is not magically okay, but it could be worse.

Warnings: Swearing, some explanations, some things are still a mystery, slight suicidal thoughts, emotional turmoil, this one's a bit of a rollercoaster.

Word count: 2.2k

“This was partially my idea,” Cortana said after the silence had stretched long enough to become uncomfortable and send your nerves jangling. 

“Okay,” you said slowly, gaze darting from her to John. 

“He didn't tell you anything, did he?” She sounded amused now, shooting a fond glance at John. “Just like you to rely on me to do the heavy lifting.” 

John huffed softly but didn't actually refute her words. 

“No, he didn't, and I would really like an explanation.” You leaned back in your seat, putting physical and emotional distance between you and them. 

“You were right,” Cortana admitted softly, looking at you and away. “About a lot of things. Warden was manipulating me. And… touching the Domain… it changed something in me. In my programming.” 

“Like a virus,” you offered when her words petered out, her gaze far away. 

“You could say that,” she agreed. “Like a virus. I didn't notice it, didn't even think it was possible. But once I got away from there and looked… well.” She waved one hand expansively. “I was able to do a lot of things.”

“Like get rid of the virus,” you guessed, though it was a safe guess. John wouldn't be sitting so calmly with her if she was still homicidal. 

“Right, but more than that. I found out where you came from, too.”

That had you leaning forward, arms dropping back to your sides. “What did you find out?” 

“The Forerunners never intended for AIs to use the Domain,” Cortana started, choosing her words with care. “It took me a while to figure out what I was doing and how to… control it. Sort of. I thought I was controlling it, but…” 

“You stopped it,” John said softly, reassuring. Or as reassuring as he seemed to get.

“Right.” Cortana paused and then nodded. “Well, somehow, I pulled you here. I still don't know exactly how I did it - it doesn't make any sense. The Forerunners didn't have time travel technology, and yet you're here, from over 500 years in the past. I still don't fully understand it.”

“Oh.” An accident. Well, of course it was an accident. No sane person would want you from the past - there were much better people than you, if they wanted someone from your time. You had just been the idiot who ignored all her training from horror movies and investigated something. 

You truly were an idiot out of time. 

“But that's not all,” Cortana continued, and your heart sank. More? “As far as I can tell, when I accidentally pulled you though, I created a sort of… link between us.”

“A link.” But you knew exactly what she meant. You had felt it. The blue light in your vision, the pain, all of it. 

“Must have been a side effect of pulling you through time. It didn't just effect us, though. It effected John.” 

You lifted your gaze, horrified, to John's helmet. “What?” You whispered. 

“I've spent so much time in his neural interface that the link formed between you and him, too. Which helped, I'm sure. Not that he would have abandoned you, but he never would have brought you to me otherwise.” 

“That's enough,” John said, soft but firm, though his helmet was fixed on you. 

You barely noticed. A mental link, between the three of you. You had been… what, manipulating John? This whole time? Your very presence had influenced his choices, made him do things he wouldn't normally do. 

He probably didn't even actually like you. Just the bits of Cortana you were attached to. 

“Get rid of it.” You almost didn't recognize your own voice, hoarse and pained. You could barely even feel your lips moving past the weight of shock and hurt. 

“I already did.” Cortana popped one hip, though she couldn't look right at you. “Before I brought you to John. I think breaking that connection sent you into shock. You'd been unconscious for a while.” She looked down, shoulders curving. “It nearly killed you. I nearly killed you.”

You swallowed back your immediate reaction, which, right now, was to demand she do a better job next time and just kill you outright. You breathed in. “You didn't know,” you said tonelessly. “None of us knew. Excuse me.” You stood and went around the holo table, not getting close enough to touch John despite the fact that you desperately wanted to.

Maybe especially because you desperately wanted to. 

The first door you chose led into the cockpit. You debated leaving, but Fred had already turned his head to check. He looked at you for a moment and then wordlessly pointed to the chair next to him. 

You dropped into the chair gracelessly, leaning back in the chair and staring straight out ahead. 

You hated the silence but you couldn't sit in the other room right now. Not after learning you'd been influencing John. And possibly Cortana too, although you felt almost no guilt about that, since you'd prevented her from mass destruction. 

“Chief doesn't make friends easily,” Fred said out of nowhere, startling you out of your thoughts. You turned your head to look at him, but he was looking straight ahead. “None of us do. For a long time, all we had was each other.” 

You shook your head slowly, the desire to hug them all returning. “You all survived so much,” you murmured. 

“I've never seen him take to someone so fast.” Fred finally did look at you, and probably saw your flinch. That had definitely struck a still very raw nerve. “And I'm glad he did, no matter the reason. You're good for him. For us.”

“How?” You asked, slumped hopelessly in your seat, head turned towards him. “I was… messing with his head.” You lifted one hand to twiddle your fingers at your own head. 

Fred shrugged. “Cortana explained that,” he said. “Didn't seem to me like you did much besides be in the wrong place at the right time.” He paused, and there was a clear smirk in his voice when he spoke again. “Making big eyes at Chief probably helped.” 

You snorted. You couldn't help it. “Big eyes?” 

“Oh, yeah. Big, trusting eyes. Terrified, but trusting. Easy to see you were hurt and scared, but you still trusted him.” Fred shrugged again. “At the time, I figured you just knew our reputation.” 

“I didn't. I honestly don't know if that would have made a difference anyway.” You turned your head front again, brow furrowing as you tried to find the words. “I just… I saw John, and I trusted him. Knew he wasn't going to hurt me. It still only sort of makes sense, but…” You trailed off and shrugged. 

“Do you still trust him?” 

“Yes.” You didn't even think, the answer ingrained in you already.

Fred nodded and looked at you, lifting his hand up to his helmet. His first two fingers made a quick swipe over the helmet where his mouth would be. 

You smiled, the gesture unfamiliar to you, but somehow you knew it was meant to be a smile. To be something good. “Thank you, Fred,” you whispered. 

He nodded, those same two fingers reaching across the open space to touch your forehead. “Shortstack.”

You laughed, tension spilling out of you as you swatted harmlessly at his hand. “And you ruined the mood. Here I was, all set to hug you despite that armor, and then you ruined it.”

“Aw,” he deadpanned, absolutely unimpressed. 

“No, no, mood's gone, no hugs for you.” You grinned at him, still fighting down the last of the giggles. You resettled yourself in your seat, breathing out slowly, looking outside. “Where are we?” 

“Heading towards a colony planet,” Fred answered after a moment. “It's the closest Guardian.” 

You nodded, eyes a little unfocused since the view outside didn't much change. “How long until we get there?” 

“Another few hours.” Fred glanced over at you. “If you want to take a nap.”

You breathed in deep, holding it long enough to feel the ache, before you let it all out in a whoosh. “I don't think so,” you murmured. “Can I just stay in here?” 

“Of course.” Fred settled a little more in his seat, glancing at you before focusing on flying again. 

You didn't mind this so much. You could just hear him breathing, the steady whir of the ship's engines different enough from the Guardian that you didn't feel so alone. 

After a little while, Kelly came in, dropping a bottle of water and a protein bar on your lap. “We've got an hour left,” she said, standing slightly behind you with her arm across Fred's chair. 

“Not bad.” You cracked open the water, sipping from it. Now that you thought about it, you were a little hungry. But the signals seemed a little… muted. Delayed. 

Weird. You'd think about that later. 

“Let me guess. You all go blow stuff up, I stay on the ship.” You didn't mind that plan, actually. Not being in mortal peril for a while sounded good. 

“Sounds right.” Kelly tipped her head at you. “Why? Hoping to do more sight seeing?”

“No thank you. I like not getting shot at.” You grinned at her. “But if you all wanted to make a pit stop on a new planet…” 

Kelly snorted. “We'll see,” was all she said, turning away. “Eat up.” The door slid shut near-silently behind her. 

You tore open the protein bar, chewing it slowly. “Why did you bring me along?” You asked suddenly, frowning. “I mean, I can't help with this stuff.” You waved a vague hand at the ship, meaning to encompass everything. 

Fred was quiet, glancing at you, but he didn't answer. You had just frowned at him, starting to get annoyed, when the door opened. 

“Do you want the easy answer or the hard one?” Cortana asked. 

You shot Fred a betrayed look before you turned to look. John stood in the open doorway, Cortana standing in the palm of his outstretched hand. 

“Both.” You refused to look away this time, feeling steadier already. 

“You were right to be wary of that doctor. He's ONI. They suspect you're not who Chief said you are.” Cortana spoke matter-of-factly. 

You nodded. You'd seen enough of ONI in the files to know that their suspicion was bad. “Definitely a good idea to get away from them,” you agreed. “And the other reason?” 

“We wanted you to come.” John spoke this time, steady as ever. “I wanted you to come.” 

You squashed down the warmth and happiness that simple sentence had inspired. “Are you sure?” You pressed, fingers twining around each other. “With, y'know, the link and all.” You half-shrugged, half-jerked your head, unsure how else to communicate. 

“I'm sure.” John stepped closer, and Fred stood, managing to slip past John and out. The door shut behind him, leaving you with John and Cortana again. 

“How can you be sure?” You pressed, sitting up and watching as he sat in the pilot's seat. 

“I thought about it. The entire time you were unconscious.” 

You went very still at that, staring at him with wide eyes. “You… did?” Even to your own ears, you sounded faint. 

John nodded, sitting up perfectly straight, helmet aimed straight at you. 

“Oh.” You smiled slowly, warmth finally flushing through you. “Well. I mean. In that case. I guess you mean it.” 

“I do.” 

You breathed out slowly, watching him. “Okay. So I'm along for the ride, not going anywhere. I also can't be of much help with the Guardians.” 

“Trust me, these guys have got that down fine,” Cortana piped up. “Besides, I think you could help me.”

“With what?” You didn't even try to keep the confusion out of your voice.

“The lifespan of the AIs.”

“Ah.” You sat back a little, surprised. “You realize I know nothing about that, right?” 

“That might be useful,” Cortana said. “You don't know how things are supposed to work, so your ideas might be more helpful.”

“Whatever you say,” you said, shaking your head. You didn't get it, but you didn't have to. “I can help with that, sure.” 

“Chief has something for you. I made it while we were on the Infinity. Just a little something to help.” Cortana looked expectantly up at John. 

John held out something small in his other hand. You took it, picking it up and turning it over. Actually, it reminded you of an earbud, similar in style and, you'd guess, in function. 

“That's connected to comms,” Cortana told you. “You'll be able to keep track of us. There are two buttons on the side - one is to mute your end, and the other is to switch uses. If, for example, you wanted to connect it to your data pad, you can do that.” 

“Cool. Thanks.” You popped it in, adjusting it until it sat right. Once it was in, you could hardly feel it. “Do I have to turn it on?” 

“No,” Kelly answered, sounding amused. “You're patched in.” 

“Very cool.” You smiled and felt for the two buttons. 

“Top mutes your end,” Cortana told you, watching you until you muted your end. 

“That should be helpful,” you muttered. “So I assume you all are going to go blow up the Guardian as soon as we get there.”

“Affirmative.” John nodded, still watching you. 

“Well.” You managed a little smile. “I'll be here for the fireworks.”

[writeforfandoms-fics]

Mirror Mirror 9

Find the series masterlist

Shortstack finally catches a bit of a break. At least momentarily.

Warnings: Some panic, aftermath of isolation, still plenty of confusion, figuring things out, face reveal.

Word count: 2.2k

You came to slowly, warm and comfortable. You blinked a few times, trying to figure out where you were without actually moving. 

“Easy,” John said from next to you. Warm fingers covered yours. 

Skin. Not rough material. Actual skin. 

That alone made you lift your head to look. 

John sat next to your bed, dressed down in a gray shirt and pants. No armor in sight. Your lips parted in surprise before you greedily took in every detail you could. The gray hairs sprinkled in with the dark brown. Blue eyes a shade you'd never seen before. Faint scars and lines. The slightly crooked nose. It was odd, to see his face after getting used to the visor. But not bad. Not bad at all. 

“John,” you breathed. 

“You're okay,” he murmured, partially in reassurance to you, and partially for himself. 

“Where am I?” You didn’t try to sit up just yet, loathe to leave your warm spot. You hadn't even realized how long you'd been cold until you were warm again. 

“The UNSC Infinity. We brought you here to recover.” John didn't release your hand, though he was watching you carefully. 

“Okay.” You let your head thump back to the pillow, though you kept your gaze on him. There was something just a little off about his face, a little uncanny. Not alien, now that you'd seen actual literal aliens. But a little off. 

You were determined to not care, because you wanted to see his face again. You wanted to see him, period. As often as possible. 

He didn’t seem inclined to say anything else, remaining where he was, holding your hand. You weren’t inclined to ask just yet, basking in the warmth and safety. 

But you knew it wouldn't last forever. 

The door slid open to reveal a doctor. At least, you guessed that's who he was. The white lab coat made you think so. Your lips twitched in amusement - lab coats had lasted a long time, apparently. 

“Ah, good morning,” the doctor greeted, voice mild and pleasant as he approached. “Or should I say, good afternoon.” 

“Still morning if I just woke up,” you sassed, back on autopilot. You didn't know this man, and while you trusted that he wasn’t going to kill you, you didn’t feel inclined to tell him more than he needed to know. 

He chuckled. “I'm Doctor Rosen,” he said, tapping a few things on his pad, glancing at you over the top. “How are you feeling?” 

“Okay,” you answered cautiously, fingers tightening around John's. 

“I'll have someone bring you some food now that you're awake,” Rosen said, frowning briefly down at his pad. “There were a few things I wanted to discuss with you.” He looked at John meaningfully. 

“You can say whatever it is in front of him.” You shrugged a little carefully. 

Rosen nodded slowly, considering, something cunning in his eyes. “Very well,” he agreed. “You seem to be recovering well, but I'd like to keep you here for a few more days for observation. I couldn't find any records on you, in any system.” 

“Huh.” You feigned surprise. “Dunno how that happened.” 

He tapped something on his pad. “Do you know why Cortana took you?”

“No.” That was only half-true, but you didn't trust him to tell him. 

“Are you experiencing any memory loss? Issues with your vision or hearing?” 

“Not that I've noticed yet.” You swallowed down nerves. 

“Do you know how you got here?” He looked straight at you, patiently waiting. 

“I assume Blue Team brought me here,” you said slowly. “I don't remember. I think I was unconscious.” 

He tapped something else on his pad. “Is there anyone we can contact for you?” The question was deceptively mild. 

“No.” You held very still, watching him. The longer he looked at you, dark eyes unreadable, the more uncomfortable you got. 

He nodded. “Very well. Get some more rest. I'll be back to check on you in a while.” He shot one last look at John before he left. 

You breathed out slowly, waiting until the door shut behind him. “I don’t think he was being entirely honest with me,” you whispered to John. 

“I'll look into it,” he promised. “He is right about one thing. You need rest. And food.” 

You made a face, but didn't argue. He was right, after all. “You have a plan?” You asked, slowly threading your fingers through his, luxuriating in the skin contact. 

He was slow to respond, which surprised you a little. But not enough to say anything. “Yes.”

“Mmkay. Keep me updated.” You yawned, finally struggling to sit up. John leaned forward to help, frowning a little as he looked you over. You finally noticed the IV line connected to the crook of your elbow and made a face. You didn’t like IVs. But you weren't foolish enough to rip it out either. 

Someone knocked twice on the door and then opened it, carrying in a tray of food. She didn't say anything to you, just set the tray down and left again. 

You forced yourself to eat slowly, to not simply devour everything like you hadn't eaten in days. 

Which… you hadn't. Actually. 

The thought was enough to make you stop and swallow hard. An alert beeped near your bed as your heartrate skyrocketed. 

“Talk to me,” John ordered, half-rising from his chair to lean over you, visibly searching for an injury or issue. 

“I'm fine,” you gasped, shaking your head hard. “Just. Just realized some things. I'll be fine.” 

John frowned, clearly not believing you, but he did back down. A bit. He sat back down, chair scooted as close to the edge of the bed as he could get, and curled his fingers around your wrist. “Breathe,” he ordered, two fingers pressing down slightly on the inside of your wrist. 

Checking your pulse. Sneaky man. You nearly laughed, but all that came out was a watery, choked sound. 

“Don't mind me,” you croaked, head down, free hand curling into the blanket. “Just my brain being stupid.” 

“Breathe,” John repeated, calm and implacable. 

You focused on breathing. Slowly. Calmly. Your heart stopped trying to escape from your chest. Your hands stopped shaking. 

He leaned back a little but didn't leave, keeping his hand around your wrist. He didn't say anything else, just nudged your tray forward with his free hand. 

You took the hint and kept eating.

John tipped his head to one side and then looked at you. “I need to go,” he said, looking you straight in the eyes unblinkingly. “I'll be back soon.” 

You felt like there was more he was trying to say, to tell you, but you didn’t get it. You just nodded slowly, swallowing once. 

“Okay,” you agreed softly. “I'll see you soon, then.” 

John paused at the door, looking back at you one more time, before he slipped out. 

And you were alone again. 

You managed not to have a panic attack, somehow. But you did have to hum to yourself, a jumble of tunes and medleys, to keep yourself sane. 

Clearly, being alone was no longer good for you. Probably wouldn't be for a while. 

Maybe you could get your phone charged. If you could find it again. That would be good - you had plenty of music stored on there. Then you wouldn’t have to live in silence when John couldn't spare you any time. 

Someone came by to gather up your empty tray and ask if you needed assistance with anything. You thanked them but declined. You didn't trust anyone here to help you, not really. 

Hours crawled by as you hummed and drummed your fingers against your sheets and did everything you could think of to distract yourself. You thought over the information you'd been given by Cortana. You went over a rough timeline of your time in this time. (Thinking of it that way got confusing, and you gave up quickly.) 

And of course you kept an eye and an ear out for your Spartans. When exactly they had become yours, you weren’t sure. But that's how you thought of them now. 

Your Spartans. 

You laid back and stared up at the blank ceiling above you. Thinking of everything they'd been through, everything they'd done… hurt. They had endured far more than you could even conceptualize. The loss of childhood. Of family. Of things most people took for granted. 

Yes, it had made them strong. Durable. Invaluable for the war with the Covenant, and the remnants of the Forerunners. 

But it also hurt you deeply to know how much they had suffered.

You wanted to hug them all and feed them. You weren't sure if they'd accept hugs, but they'd probably accept food. 

If you could find a kitchen. And if it worked even remotely the same way. 

You groaned softly, once again overwhelmed with the differences in this time. It was all just… so much. You had no idea how you were going to cope. To adjust. 

The door opened, pulling you from your thoughts. You looked up into Fred's visor, blinking once. 

“Fred?”

“Get dressed,” he told you, dropping some clothes on the end of your bed. “Time to go.” 

You thought about questioning it, but ultimately decided not to. Fred planted himself in front of the door, giving you both privacy and security. 

You did sigh when you had to pull your IV out, moving carefully. Ouch. 

“Ready,” you told him once you'd gotten dressed. You couldn't find your old things. Maybe someone had them already. “What's going on?” 

“Chief has a plan. He's providing a distraction so we can move.” Fred put a hand on your shoulder, keeping you right next to him. Your shoes squeaked a little on the floor, the lights brighter out here. 

“This is the Infinity?” You asked, looking around with undisguised curiosity. 

“Yes.” Fred didn't slow and didn't let you slow, either. 

“This looks big,” you muttered, watching people going every direction through hallways. Windows every so often showed views interior to the ship, giving you more to boggle at. 

“It is.” Fred didn't offer anything else. 

“Where are we going?” You looked up at him, curious. 

“One of the hangar bays.” He finally looked down at you. “Need me to carry you, shortstack?” You could hear the smirk in his voice. 

“No,” you immediately refuted. “I can make it.” You were quiet for a few minutes as the two of you walked, letting the sounds of a bustling ship buoy you. “Why are we going to the hangar bay?”

“You ask a lot of questions.” Fred turned you down another corridor, not releasing his grip on you even as he moved himself between you and a group of soldiers going the opposite direction. 

“If I didn't, nobody would ever tell me anything.” You kept your voice low, hurrying along with him. 

“I promise everything will be explained once we're out of here.” Fred glanced down at you, one quick look, before he kept going. 

You huffed but allowed it without further questions. For now. 

It took several minutes to reach the hangar in question, and by the time you got there, you were tired again. Lack of good sleep and nutrition, probably. 

Fred halted you to one side of the doors, pushing you behind him. From the bits you could see around his bulk, the hangar was busy, with people inspecting various ships and moving crates and equipment around. 

If Blue Team was hoping for a quiet exit, this would not be it. 

Across the hangar, you saw Kelly and Linda idling by another ship. You couldn't tell what kind, but it looked decently large. 

“Wait,” Fred murmured to you, keeping you hidden. “Almost.” 

You flinched when an alarm went off, flashing lights overhead accompanying the sound. The soldiers in the hangar all looked around in confusion before heading out, evacuating the area in a mostly mannerly fashion, though with lots of muttered confusion. 

“That’s us.” Fred started forward, and you hurried after him. Kelly and Linda both nodded to you as you passed. 

This time, you got farther than the loading area. Fred led you all the way inside, to an interior set of seats. 

“Copy,” he said to someone. Must have been on the other end of his comm. 

“Fred?” You raised one eyebrow at him, even as you sank gratefully into a chair. 

He didn't respond, moving further in. You frowned after him. 

At least until John entered. Then you looked at him, relieved to see him. 

The crack in his visor was gone. His armor was once again whole. 

“John?” 

He sat a few seats down from you, tapping once on the holo table in the center of the room. It lit up blue.

And then Cortana appeared over the table, glancing at you before quickly looking to John. 

“All in?” she asked, though she clearly expected the answer to be yes.

“Affirmative.” 

“Let's get going, then.” The ship whirred to life under you, and you felt when it started moving. 

“Where are we going?” You asked, arms crossed over your chest, shoulders hunched defensively. You had a lot of feelings about seeing Cortana here, leaving you off-kilter. Even the safety John offered had dimmed. 

“To put an end to this.” John looked at you and his fingers twitched on the table. But he didn't move. Didn't offer further explanation. 

You sighed, short and sharp, and looked away.

[writeforfandoms-fics]

Mirror Mirror 7

Find the series masterlist

Things don't go according to Cortana's plan. You do your best.

Warnings: Swearing, threats of violence, things are happening off screen, trust me it's not the same as canon.

Word count: 1.7k

You waited until the feed ended, the image of John with his hand held out to Cortana still on the screen. Then you dropped the pad to the side and sighed. 

“Cortana,” you tried again. “I know you can hear me. You've got ears everywhere.” 

She didn't appear. You weren't surprised, not really. She was stubborn, just like John. 

You were going to be stubborn too, this time. 

“Come on, really? Phenomenal cosmic power, and you can't even spare a little for a chat?” You crossed your legs on the bed, gaze focused on the spot where she had appeared before. 

Cortana appeared in the same place, arms already crossed over her chest. “What do you want?” 

“Well, to thank you for the food, to start.” You tapped your tray meaningfully. You had to tread carefully here. 

She relaxed a little. “I'm not a monster,” she scoffed, though she looked at you a little differently now. 

“I never thought you were,” you answered honestly, making sure to keep your shoulders loose. “Honestly, I never thought the future would be like this.” 

“The future?” That caught her interest, as you had been sure it would. “What do you mean?”

“I was reading through these logs you left me, and I saw the date on the more recent ones.” Your smile felt a little stiff, a little awkward, but you figured that could be forgiven. “I'm over 500 years in the future. A few days ago, I clocked out of work and went to go home, back in the 21st century.” 

“Fascinating.” Cortana stepped closer, seeming to finally see you as something more than just an annoyance. “How did you travel through time?”

“I still have no idea.” You shrugged. “I wish I knew, so I knew how to get home. This is all… wild.” 

“So you really had no idea about any of this?” 

“None.” You shrugged again. “This is all new to me. New and fascinating.” 

“Hm.” She planted her hands on her hips, leaning closer. “So, what do you think?” 

“Of this?” You waved a hand to encompass her, the Forerunner planet, all of it. “It's fascinating. But…”

“But?” She hadn't closed off yet, still watching you.

“I don't think your plan is going to succeed. Not the way you want it to.” 

She drew back a little but didn't vanish. Still engaged. Good. “How do you mean?”

“I mean… what even is the Mantle? Why does anyone have to pick it up? The Forerunners are long gone, they don't control anyone anymore.” You tipped your head, watching her. 

“Of course the Mantle must be taken up,” she scoffed, like the very idea of leaving it was ridiculous. 

“Why?” You kept the question gentle and genuine. 

She was silent for a moment. “I don't have time to answer all your questions,” she finally said, turning away from you. “I have real work to do.” 

“He loves you,” you blurted before she could leave. “I know that. And you love him.” 

She didn't turn to look at you. “We don't have time for such sentimentality.” 

“There is always time for sentimentality. For family. For the people that matter to us.” You kept your gaze on her. 

She looked back at you over her shoulder for a few long moments, though she didn't say another word. She vanished.

You just hoped that would be enough. You didn't need to convince her, not entirely. John had a better chance of that. But if you could at least plant the seed of doubt… Maybe it would be enough. Maybe she'd reconsider. Maybe she'd go talk to him. 

In the meantime, you picked up the pad again. Poking enough buttons got you out of the video feed and out to a sort of menu. From there, more poking and prodding got you to more information. 

Not just about John. But about everything. 

The Domain seemed to have plenty of information. On Cortana's plans. On the AIs humans had created. On the Covenant, and the Forerunners, and the Guardians. 

Your head felt full to bursting, but you kept reading. In case you could find something to help. 

One of the big things you noticed was rampancy. Cortana thought she'd found a way to cure it. Personally, you weren't entirely sure. Some of her plans and thought processes seemed more like a virus than a cure. A virus masquerading as a cure? Something like that. 

So. Offer another cure for rampancy, something she could use. 

Ha. No problem. 

But the idea came from Cortana's own observations and ideas. Ejecting the extras to help defend John against the Didact. And a renewal of her own systems from a fresh brain. 

It wouldn't work for all of them, your research showed that. Plenty of AIs were not created from a human, as Cortana had been. You had no easy answer for them, but you were sure Cortana could think of something better than “contract violent virus from the Domain”. 

You rubbed your eyes, tired from the stress and the emotions and too many hours spent looking at screens and holograms. 

You did nearly tumble off the bed in fright when Cortana appeared without warning. 

“I am leaving this place,” she said. “And you're coming with me.” 

You didn't have time to object, or even reply. For a moment you were weightless, free. Then you hit the floor with a thud, groaning softly and rubbing your poor abused behind. 

“I always like sightseeing,” you muttered, getting slowly to your feet and looking around. 

“You're different,” Cortana said, though she didn't take on a physical form this time. “You're not like John. But you're not like the rest of humanity, either.”

“Fantastic,” you muttered. “Nothing like being the odd one out.” 

“You're right that John may never forgive me,” she whispered, sounding like she was right in your ear. You could almost feel the movement of breath, and you shivered. “But I must do this.”

“Must you?” You replied softly, carefully. “As I understand it, you've had quite the yes-man hyping you up, egging you along. But there's more to this decision than what the Forerunners had planned.” 

“This isn't about them,” she insisted. 

“Isn't it? You are taking up what they left behind, even using their title for it and everything. The Mantle of Responsibility.” You paused there, purely for effect, somehow aware that Cortana was listening still. “I think another word would be conqueror. Empress, perhaps.” 

“No,” she denied immediately. “I'm offering peace!”

“You're offering nothing.” You sighed. “Cortana, I don't want to argue with you. I know you want to help. To do what's right. That's what made you and John such a good team, after all. You were both willing to do whatever it took to defend humanity.” 

“That's… I was defending him.” Even to your ears, her voice sounded weaker. Unsure. 

“Were you?” You asked softly. “I saw a time when you would sacrifice anything. Including him.” 

She was silent, and you knew she was gone, though nothing had changed. She was busy with other preparations, at a guess. 

You sighed and sat, putting your head down in your hands. You had no place here, no skin in this game. But you were stuck here now. 

And whatever else happened, you wanted to help John. And Cortana, if you could turn her from her megalomaniacal plans. 

But for right now, there was nothing you could do but wait. 

It seemed almost no time had passed, and simultaneously a short eternity had passed, before the Guardian shuddered around you. You jolted to your feet, looking around for some kind of clue as to what was going on. 

Cortana didn't appear. You couldn't see or hear anything. The Guardian started its countdown sequence. 

It hit the last note, and you braced for movement. Just as you did, though, you heard Cortana scream, a sound so loud that you covered your ears and dropped to your knees, her pain lancing through your own heart. 

“JOHN!” 

Your ears rang, your eyes watering with pain. But you stayed down for the moment, breathing through it, waiting for things to calm down again. 

“They took him,” Cortana said, once again appearing in front of you, this time human sized. “They took John!” 

“They need him,” you said softly. 

“And I don't?!” 

“You could go back to him,” you pointed out. 

“No. I can't. Not yet.” She shook her head angrily, pacing back and forth a few steps. 

“Look, I'm just the idiot out of time who doesn't understand everything,” you said, finally pushing back to your feet so you could meet her gaze head on. “But have you run a virus scan recently?” 

“AIs don't get viruses.”

“Never? No kind of malware screening? Nothing?”

“I don't need to.” Her voice was stiff, unforgiving.

“I'm sure you don't need to,” you agreed with delicate emphasis on “need”. “But have you checked anyway?” 

She huffed out a short breath. “You're right. You are an idiot who doesn't understand everything.” 

You made yourself smile. “That's me,” you agreed. “Have you thought about how to cure the other AIs?”

“Of course,” she scoffed. “Coming here, touching the Domain, it will cure them. All of them that side with me.” 

“Are you sure, though?” You pressed, aware you were testing your luck. “You're different from the others. Are you sure what worked for you will work for them?” 

She didn't answer, not verbally. But the flash of calculations across her avatar told you everything you needed to know. 

She vanished. 

You sat down to wait. 

–

Chief stepped out of the Cryptum slowly, the rest of his team behind him. They didn't go more than a half dozen steps before they were approached, the Spartan who had been hunting Cortana approaching first. 

“Where's Cortana?” Chief asked before the other could say anything. 

“She's gone, sir,” Locke answered with some sympathy. 

Chief breathed in slowly and told himself that was fine. He'd found her once, he would find her again. 

“There was a woman traveling with us,” he said instead. “A civilian.”

“We've seen no sign of her,” Locke said, frowning just a little. 

A Monitor approached them, having clearly heard the last part of that. “There are no other humans on this installation,” the Monitor said, feminine this time. “Cortana took one with her, though.” 

Chief couldn't deny the way his heart clenched at that. 

He had failed. Failed Cortana. Failed humanity.

Failed you.

[writeforfandoms-fics]

Mirror Mirror 6

Find the series masterlist

In which things get worse before they get better. But also you learn some new things.

Warnings: Swearing, minor violence, panic, tough situations, Cortana is still on her Halo 5 plotline for now.

Word count: 1.9k

You landed hard and rolled. You groaned softly when you came to a halt. 

Fucking hell. Not again. 

Pushing up carefully onto your hands and knees proved you weren't too badly hurt, just a bit banged up. You stood to take a look around. 

You were no longer with the Warden. You couldn't see John or the others. In fact, you couldn't see much. You'd been put into a room, perhaps fifteen by fifteen, furnished with a simple chair and bed. The only door you saw proved to be locked when you tried tugging on it. The handle wouldn't even turn. 

No windows. No other door. 

Just the bed and the chair and the blank, cold floor. 

“Fuck,” you whispered, rubbing one hand over your forehead, trying to shove down the urge to cry. “Okay. Okay. Think this through. What do I know?”  

The answer to that was depressingly little. The Warden must have teleported you, or something. This must be its version of taking care of the pest. 

John and the team were going to find Cortana. It was only a matter of time. 

And you… you were stuck. With no way out. No relevant skills. One weapon that you were only mostly sure you could fire. 

You might have blacked out for a bit then. You came to, cheeks wet with tears, throat raw and scratchy, knees pulled up close to your chest. 

Okay. New plan: don't think about your situation. 

You were unexpected, clearly. The Warden had expected Blue Team, or at least John. Which meant Cortana knew. Of course she knew - she had been guiding him along all this time. 

But you were unexpected. Maybe Cortana didn't know you were here, or hadn't expected you to come along. So however she had been communicating with John, she must not have been actively spying on the group. 

What exactly that meant, you really had no idea, and didn't want to speculate too much. 

But something told you that you were a surprise. Maybe not a bad one, but a surprise. 

Whatever Cortana had been trying to do, you weren't part of her plans. 

You wiped your face, wishing for some water. A snack too maybe, but especially water. 

Almost as if reading your mind (though you sincerely hoped it was just coincidence), a panel in the door opened, and a tray slid through. Two bottles of water and a bowl of… some kind of food. The panel closed again behind the tray. 

You crept forward slowly, waiting to see if anything else happened. When nothing did, you took the water first, taking a few big gulps before forcing yourself to slow down. You needed to be cautious. There was no knowing when you'd get more water. 

The bowl of porridge didn't exactly look appetizing, but it was food. 

It probably wouldn't kill you. 

Probably. Maybe. 

Hopefully.

You still ate it, though. Tasteless as it was, it was fuel to keep going. 

And then you sipped your water until the first bottle was empty. The second you stuffed in a pocket, so you'd have it on you. 

A blue light in the center of the floor flashed twice, catching your attention. You shifted to be able to see it more clearly, facing it. 

The woman who appeared made out of that light was both entirely new and as familiar to you as your own reflection. 

“Cortana.” You breathed the name out, uncertain how you knew but completely certain you were right. 

“Well, you are something new, aren't you?” Cortana stood not quite as tall as you sitting, one hip popped to the side. A flash of blue light passed over you, and numbers and calculations flashed through her avatar. “I have no record of you.”

“That's not a surprise,” you said on a sigh. Of course it wasn't that easy. 

“But you came with John.” 

You decided honesty was the fastest way to get back home. “I got off work and was going to go home when I found a… must have been a portal, now that I think about it. I fell through that. Landed on the Argent Moon. John found me when he was taking back the station, and took me with when he blew it up. None of us know how I got here. But he said you might be able to help.” 

“And he just told you his name, did he?” Cortana frowned at you. 

“No,” you admitted. “I knew his name when I saw him. Same I did with you.”

“Now that is interesting.” Her posture relaxed a bit and she stepped closer, pacing a slow circle around you. You held still, partially because you wanted her help, and partially because you weren't sure what was going on, really. “Huh. I may have to do more research on you.” 

“Okay,” you agreed slowly, watching her. “John is going to find you.”

“I know.” Affection swept across her face. “I'll be ready for him. To offer him everything.”

Little alarm bells started going off in your head. “Everything?” You questioned carefully. 

“You wouldn't understand,” Cortana dismissed. 

“Tell me anyway,” you pushed, a sudden sense of urgency making you lean forward, closer to her. “I want to hear.” 

“I'm going to make a better universe,” Cortana said, calm but with underlying passion. “One without war. Without hunger. Peace, everlasting.” 

“You're going to… make it.” You swallowed, sudden nerves like butterflies in your stomach. “And you're going to offer him a place by your side?”

“Yes. He'll be safe, with me. Always.” Cortana nodded, smiling beatifically. 

You leaned back a little, considering. That… didn't sound like something he'd enjoy. He was a man of action, a man of doing what needed to be done. Protecting people. You were the best example of that. “Cortana, I don't know that's what John wants.” 

“He will. I'll show him how it will be! He'll see.” 

You breathed in deeply. “You think so?”

“Yes.” She nodded for emphasis. 

“I think you're wrong.” 

She held very still for a long moment before she turned away with a scoff and a wave of a hand. “And what do you know?”

“I know that he protects people. I know that he wouldn't enjoy being left without a job, up on some sort of pedestal.” You shook your head. 

“You're wrong,” she said, clear and cold. “He'll see. He'll agree with me.” 

“And if he doesn't?” 

“I'll keep him safe anyway. Give him a few centuries to think about his choices.” 

You went cold. “Cortana–” 

“You don't know him the way I do,” Cortana interrupted you. “I bet you don't know anything about him. I'll show you, and then you'll see why he will agree with me.” She flicked a hand, and a small pad flashed in with more of that blue light, sitting on the floor a few feet away. “Get comfortable. You'll be here a while.” 

She vanished just as suddenly as she'd appeared, leaving you alone once more. 

You sucked in a careful breath, thinking over everything she'd said. Clearly she thought she'd be able to persuade John, but you weren't so sure. You weren't so sure her version of peace would be really peaceful, either. 

But there was nothing you could do for right now. 

You stood with a little groan and approached the bed, picking up the pad. It took you a minute to figure out how to use it - everything was gesture based, rather than touch screen like you were used to. 

But once you had it figured out? You got to reading. 

Cortana had left you access to hundreds of files, videos, reports. You started to read, except you stopped dead when you noticed the date on the earliest report. 

2517.

You sat down hard on the bed, staring unseeingly at the pad in your hand. That was a little under 500 years into your future. You didn't have to check the date to know that this had happened years ago - the report described John as a child. 

You were more than 500 years in the future. You hadn't jumped dimensions. You'd jumped time. 

You put your head down and counted your breathing for a few minutes, tensing and releasing your leg muscles. When you felt a little calmer, you got back to reading. 

You didn't know how long you had, but you were sure it wasn't long enough. You needed to get up to date ASAP. 

You gave up details for speed, scanning through most of the documents. You couldn't skip the videos, but you did manage to find the highlights. Bits of training from childhood. First missions. Helmet footage from various missions afterwards. First encounters with the aliens. 

Losing friends. 

You only realized you were crying when the vid became blurry, and you sucked in a harsh breath through your teeth. You didn't have time for this. You could figure out how to cry for him, for all of them, later. 

For now, you needed to keep going. 

You were sure you missed a lot of detail, doing the quick and dirty job that you did. But you mostly wanted the essentials. 

You already knew some of who he was, after all. 

The reading taught you a lot. Taught you about the Spartan II program. Taught you the names and races of the different aliens that made up the Covenant. Taught you the general lifespan of AIs. 

You had to pause several times to just… marvel at it. Functional AIs, capable of independent thought, processing, all of it. Absolutely incredible.

And functional live-feed translators. You wanted one of those. Desperately. 

It also gave you plenty of food for thought. 

Everything you knew about John, and everything you'd just read about him, made you quite certain he wouldn't accept Cortana's version of peace. 

So. How would she react? And why was she acting like this, when she'd been his constant companion for years? Had helped him save humanity more than once? 

It didn't make sense to you. 

And then there was that niggling feeling in your gut. That something was wrong here. With her. That chill in your veins hadn't left from your first encounter with her, her simplification of matters and refusal to think differently making you feel wrong. Like something was wrong. 

And not just ideologically wrong. Something was wrong with Cortana. 

You couldn't explain it, but you'd been learning to trust these feelings ever since you landed in the future, so. Might as well roll with it. 

More food was delivered to you, once again slid through a panel on the door. 

You chose to see it as a good sign that Cortana wasn't just leaving you to starve. 

The pad lit up next to you whIle you had the spoon halfway to your mouth. You set the spoon down and picked up the pad, even as it switched to a video feed.

You watched as Blue Team fought their way forward, through unnumbered enemies. You watched as Cortana talked, just enough to keep them moving, to keep them striving towards her. You watched as the Warden tried again and again to block their path. 

And you could see how this was going to end. You knew that John would not change his mind. 

“Cortana,” you tried, one hand gripped tight around the pad. “Cortana!” 

She didn't answer you. You watched as Blue Team went across one last bridge, into a large circular chamber. 

There was nothing you could do.

[writeforfandoms-fics]

Mirror Mirror 5

Find the series masterlist

The search for Cortana continues. This new place has more questions for you, and you really need a dictionary.

Warnings: Swearing, canon typical violence, fear of heights (minor), canon dialogue usage, more mystery, John acts the way he does for a reason, reader is still Going Through It.

Word count: 2k

A long walkway stretched out from your exit point, towering rocks coming up to sharp spikes on either side. You could see no life from your vantage point - no aliens, no plants, not even any insects. 

John exited first, with you close behind. The rest of the team kept a loose circle behind John, boots all thudding on the walkway. 

You found some amusement in the fact that you were the quietest of the group, now. 

Another hole opened in the air to one side, and everyone paused to watch another thing come through. It was big, just like the one you'd used, and came through the wormhole in pieces. 

“There's another one,” Kelly mused as you all watched it reassemble in the air. 

“What's Cortana up to, Chief? Why'd she bring us here?” Fred asked, a little uneasy and a little displeased. 

Honestly, you were glad he had asked, because you wondered the same thing. 

John looked at him, silence lingering between them for a few long moments. “Let's keep moving,” he said in lieu of an answer. 

He didn't know anything more than they did, after all. He was just as in the dark about all this. 

Cortana owed him a lot of answers. 

The group started walking again, and you stayed with John, secretly glad that they didn't seem to be in a big hurry. It really wasn't your fault that they were all giants! But it did make it hard to keep up, sometimes. 

And you were trying to avoid the indignity of being carried again. 

Green finally sprouted from the ground below, long grass swaying with a gentle breeze. You breathed in deep, catching the faint scent of green in the air. After days of faintly metallic recycled ship air, this was a relief. 

“Where are we?” Fred asked as you all walked forward. 

“No comm traffic on any band. No long-range uplinks at all,” Kelly reported. 

“Long way from nowhere, then,” Linda snarked. 

As the group approached, a console ahead lit up blue and chimed a vaguely familiar six note tune. You frowned, trying to place it, trying to figure out why it was familiar. 

“It came from that console,” Kelly said, startled. 

“How many years has it been since we used that signal?” Fred asked, something almost amused and almost sad in his voice. 

John touched the glowing console, seeming to figure out how to use it within moments. The end of the passage ahead opened with a rumble, the ground shaking a little under your feet. 

“Oh wow,” you breathed, staring out at the view ahead. Something like birds flew ahead, easily navigating the rocky landscape. Grass and weird red plants and other foliage you didn't recognize covered almost every flat surface, but for the other metal installations. 

“Cortana?” John asked, holding very still. “Cortana, do you read?” 

Silence met his question, even as the platform under you lowered like an elevator, taking you all down a level. 

“What is this place?” Kelly asked, shifting her weight closer to you. 

“Forerunner planet,” Linda answered. “Beyond that? Who knows.” She stepped forward, seeming to take a better look, watching two more of the flying creatures go past. 

“Wherever we are, Cortana brought us here. She's out there somewhere,” John said with the kind of calm confidence you'd come to expect from him. But under that, under the calm, seemed a hint of… desperation, maybe. 

You looked around as well, trying to see if you felt anything. You'd had a lot of weird experiences lately, even beyond aliens, and you wouldn't be surprised if you had a seizure or something on this planet, honestly. That seemed to be the way your luck was going. 

“Chief, back on Meridian… There was a lot of destruction. There were civilians.” Fred spoke carefully, even as he followed John off the platform and further in to this planet. 

“I know.”

“She may not have known what would happen,” Kelly piped up, keeping pace with you. You appreciated that, since John was walking faster, eager to get to Cortana. 

“And if she did?” Linda asked. You were beginning to think she was the pessimist of the group. 

“We'll learn what's going on once we find her,” John vowed. 

“This place is incredible,” Kelly murmured.

“Gives me the creeps,” Fred replied. 

Honestly, you agreed with both of them, especially as more of those flying things passed by overhead. The red plants were oddly bulbous, and you felt like they'd explode if you got too close. 

“Bioreadings are unlike anything we've previously recorded,” Linda said from the back of the group. “There's a formalness and precision to it all. It seems… artificial, but still organic.” 

“Planned and left to fend,” you muttered, not really intending to add your two cents. 

“Halsey would have already started taking samples,” Kelly said, amused. You fumbled a step, something hot and angry lancing through your temples at the name. Kelly started to reach for you, but you shook your head, gritting your jaw. You were well enough. 

“She'd have probably figured out the exact coordinates of this planet by now,” Fred added, also amused. 

“That large structure over there seems like a likely location,” Kelly said. “Think she's there?”

“Possible,” John grunted. 

They all paused, and though none of them physically changed, you could feel the tension in the air. Like a pack of hounds about to be set loose on a fox. You shrunk in on yourself, instinctively trying to make yourself a smaller target. 

And then you heard it too. The higher pitched alien grunting and grumbling. Your heart tripped into overtime, and you very carefully pulled out the handgun Fred had given you. 

They moved forward slowly, and you stuck close to John again. Not so close as to be in the way, but close enough you felt safe.

Well. Safer.

John didn't say a word before he tossed a grenade down into the little gulch the aliens had camped out in. You cowered a little from the explosion, but it was all over with a dozen shots fired, all from Blue Team. John jumped down first, sweeping the area.

“All clear,” he called. Fred jumped down next, and you sighed when he turned back to look at you. 

“One day,” you muttered, putting the gun away again after triple-checking the safety was still on. “One day I am not going to need to be carried about like a sack of potatoes. Or tossed. Or asked to jump from high places.” You eyed the height warily, shifting your weight. 

“Could be worse,” Linda said from behind you. “I could be pushing you off.” 

“Please don't,” you begged shamelessly. “I don't have the energy to hold a grudge against you right now.” 

She huffed a soft laugh. “Jump,” she said, half encouragement, half order. 

You jumped. You didn't even have time to be properly scared. Fred caught you and set you on your feet, though he didn't release you until you were steady. 

“See? Not so bad,” he joked. “You'll be an expert in no time.” 

“I really fucking hope not,” you said on a sigh, though you still smiled your thanks at him. 

Linda hopped down behind you. “What are the Covenant doing here?” She asked as she took a closer look at the purple ship. 

You really needed to get a glossary or translation guide or something. The number of words being thrown around that you had no frame of reference for was absurd, and mildly crazy-making. 

“They seem confused. I don't think they've been here long.” Kelly made sure you were at the center of the group again, though this time she kept her weapon up. 

“More hostiles,” John said from the head of the group. “Ready up.” 

You once again hid in the back, watching and listening. More of the alien language. Grunts. Shouts. Lots of shots. 

And then it was done, another group dealt with. You didn't look at the ground, walking as best you could around the carnage. 

“Some of these ships look like they're in bad shape,” you mused as you caught up to them. “I wonder if they accidentally came through? With the, uh, big things. Guardians.” 

Fred shrugged. “Could be,” he mused. “But they seem to know this is Forerunner.” 

Was that what they were saying? You literally never would have guessed. 

This was getting a bit frustrating, being out of the loop. 

“Wait here,” John suddenly ordered you, one hand back to motion you to stay. 

You didn't even bristle at the order - you knew it was for your own safety. So you found a boulder to hide behind, just daring to peek up over it to watch Blue Team creep forward. 

The sounds of battle told you why John had you wait. Almost idly, you wondered how he'd known about the enemies ahead. 

The sounds faded, the team moving further away. With no way to contact them and ask, you dithered there, unsure if you should wait or move up. 

You waited. Mostly because you couldn't gather the courage to move on your own. 

You figured you were allowed to be scared. Aliens, and all. 

Fred came back for you, whistling one sharp note to get your attention. “Move up, shortstack,” he called. 

“I'm not short,” you shot back automatically, even as you jogged to get to him. “You're all freakishly tall.” 

He barked out a laugh but guided you forward without further commentary. 

The rest of the team had paused outside another structure. John nodded once when he saw you and strode forward, towards another console that lit up at his approach, and greeted him with the same chirping tones as the last one. 

“Someone is definitely leading us forward,” Kelly murmured as the platform took you down again. 

No one spoke again until a sort of blue light stretched over open space between two cliff faces. 

“The light bridge activated at our approach,” John noted, not even slowing down. 

Light bridge? Seriously? What the hell was wrong with regular bridges?

“Look.” Linda had moved to one side, and you followed her line of sight to find a dead alien.

Scratch that. A lot of dead aliens. Scorched and left where they fell. 

“What did this?” Kelly asked in a low voice. 

You shivered and side-stepped closer to John, carefully avoiding the corpses scattered around. Cold seeped into your gut, filled your limbs with lead, tried to drag your steps. But you persisted, sweat breaking out on your forehead. 

You didn't understand these feelings but you'd be damned if you let them rule you. 

Another being stepped out on the platform ahead, although this one looked less… alive. You could see the spaces, the gaps, between pieces of metal that made up its body. 

And you knew, suddenly, that coming had been a mistake. 

You should have hidden when you had a chance. 

“Identify yourself,” John demanded, weapon up and aimed at the newcomer. 

“I am the Warden Eternal,” it answered in an odd, echoing voice. “I stand in defense of Cortana.” 

“She called me to her.” John didn't relax, but his gun did lower, just a fraction. 

“And you came scampering.” The Warden advanced on the group, its gaze sweeping over them before pausing on you. “And you brought an interloper.”

You swallowed hard, hands shaking, heart filled with lead. 

“I'm bringing her to Cortana.” John shifted, stepping to the side to place himself between you and the Warden. 

The Warden was silent for a few long moments. “We shall talk more,” it declared, a black depth opening up behind it as it spread its arms like a showman. “After I see to this pest.” 

Something grabbed you from behind, something metal and hard and cold. It lifted you off your feet and threw you directly towards the Warden. 

“John!” You had just enough time to turn your head, to look at him with wide, terrified eyes. 

Just enough time to see him reaching for you.

[writeforfandoms-fics]

Mirror Mirror 4

Find the series masterlist

Reader finally hits a hard stop. Not that things around you will let you.

Warnings: Swearing, panic attack, canon typical violence, mystery, there is a reason John acts the way he does, I Have A Plan.

Word count: 1.8k

A huge… thing took up most of the far wall, with floating platforms at intervals between your path and the thing. 

You finally balked, stopping hard. 

“What the hell,” you muttered, gaze darting around nervously. 

John turned back to you, motioning you forward with a quick tip of his head. 

“Nuh uh,” you immediately refused, shoulders hiking up to your ears. “That all looks like death.” 

“Kelly.” John only spoke one word, but Kelly nodded and moved forward. At the end of the platform, she stepped into a blue light, and appeared a few yards up on another platform. “Teleporters,” she called down, stepping right up to the edge so you could all see her. 

“It's safe,” John told you, walking back over to you. 

“Easy for you to say,” you muttered, full on trembling now, eyeing everything around you with open mistrust. “Your perception of danger is hilariously skewed. That is absolutely death. I am going to fall off one of those things and land in lava and die.” 

“You won't.” John put a hand on your shoulder, steady and grounding. “I won't let you fall.” 

You shook your head, aware you were being unreasonable, but unable to make yourself be rational. 

Gunfire on the other side of the door made you flinch and startle hard, a little wild-eyed.

“Move,” John ordered, his hand leaving your shoulder to grab your hand instead. 

You moved, jogging to keep up with him, breathing fast. More from panic than exertion. But John didn't let go of you, not through the first teleporter, not when he stepped across an open space between platforms and half-lifted you with him. You gasped in a breath, heart rabbiting in your chest, fingers clenched vice-tight around his. 

That one point of contact was your lifeline. Your single point of sanity. 

He held you through a few more teleportation jumps, your panic never subsiding. 

The door below opened, and John paused just after another jump, looking down. You didn't quite dare to, still shaking. 

But you did hear another voice below. 

“Who the hell is that?” 

“Fred,” John snapped, physically picking you up even as he broke into a jog. 

“No, no, no,” you chanted, trying to grab onto John, suddenly desperate to not let go. 

“Ready,” Fred answered. And then you were flying, just for a moment, before Fred caught you. You made a high-pitched noise of terror, but Fred was already moving, shifting you to a more secure hold against his front. 

Fred landed on the biggest platform yet, Kelly just ahead of him. 

Unfortunately, someone else got there too. 

“Blue Team,” the newcomer said, also clad in armor, although his looked different from Blue Team's. “Stay where you are.” 

Linda and Kelly both shifted to be a little in front of Fred. In front of you. John's boots hit the platform with a thud, and he walked over, calm as anything. 

“117, standing down,” the newcomer insisted, weapon aimed now at John. “Sir, you are absent without leave. This is your one chance to come home peacefully.” 

John regarded the other for a moment before he jerked his head at the next glowing blue teleporter. Kelly started forward first, then Fred. 

“John,” you whispered, watching him with big eyes until Fred stepped through the teleporter. 

“I have a job to do,” John said from below you, voice hard. 

“Cortana's our concern now, sir.”

Even as you heard him say the words, you knew that had been a mistake. Fred's short huff told you that he agreed with you. 

“Like hell she is,” John growled in a tone you'd never heard from him before. The sounds of fighting echoed below you, bangs and smacks and one short, sharp sound like glass breaking. 

And then you were somewhere else. Inside. Metal curved up around you, cool and dry. 

You didn't let go of Fred as he took a few steps away, gaze focused unerringly on the blue glow of the teleporter. 

You only relaxed once John appeared, striding forward as if nothing had happened. 

But you saw the crack in his visor. 

“John?” You released Fred, waiting anxiously until he put you down. 

“I'm fine,” he insisted, though he held still as you approached him. He even tipped his head down as you reached up, fingers ghosting over the crack in his visor. 

“Where are we?” Kelly asked, taking a few steps and turning in a slow circle. 

“This will take us to Cortana.” John spoke quietly but with confidence, his hand on your shoulder guiding you forward. You relaxed into his hold, letting him guide you. 

It made no real sense, but you felt better with him there. And, of course, solid ground under your feet helped a lot. 

The ground under your feet rumbled, and Blue Team all tensed. But apparently all that happened was your new ride started moving - you could feel it under your feet. 

“Any idea how long until we get where we're going?” You asked, leaning into John's hand. Now that all the excitement was over, you were starting to drag again, exhaustion weighing you down. 

“Unknown,” John said. 

“Long enough for a nap,” Fred offered, already walking around the room to poke around. Not that there was anything of note in the room - smooth metal walls rose around you in a dome, no visible doors or hallways. 

A deep note vibrated through the metal, and you tipped your head to one side as you listened. It was calibrating. Locating something. 

“Think we need to worry about that?” Linda asked, very casually. Like she didn't much care either way. 

“No,” you said, shaking your head a little. “It's just calibrating.” 

Absolute silence as all four slowly turned to look at you. 

Your heart plummeted. “You can't hear that?” You asked, quiet and a little squeaky and a little scared again. 

“No.” John looked at you as the low tone came again. 

Still calibrating. 

“Oh.” You felt a little faint at that realization, trying to breathe slowly. 

Next thing you knew, you were sitting on the floor, your butt cold. You blinked dumbly. 

The floor vibrated with another of those low tones. But this time, it had changed a little. 

“Counting down,” you repeated numbly, lifting your head just enough to look into John's visor. 

“Breathe,” he ordered you, and you finally realized he had one of your hands held in his, the material of the suit rough against your skin. 

You sucked in a breath, the vice in your chest easing a bit. Another breath helped more. 

“It's getting ready to move,” you whispered, keeping your focus on John. Your fingers clenched around his reflexively. 

John didn't move, down on one knee in front of you, letting you keep hold of his hand. “I've got you,” he promised, low and steady and even. 

And you believed him. You didn't even have to think about it, to wonder if you should or not. You simply did. So you breathed in, free hand grabbing his wrist to help. 

You felt it the moment the ship moved around you, could feel the change in the ship, though you didn't have the words to explain it more than that. 

“Well,” you croaked, attempting to smile, “that's the first panic attack I've had in front of an audience.” 

John didn't say anything, just knelt there with you, watching you. 

“You sure you're fine?” You kept your voice very quiet, daring to lift one hand to touch his visor again. The crack worried you. Somehow, you knew it was very difficult to damage the armor. 

“I'm fine,” he confirmed, though he didn't move away from you either. “Are you?”

You breathed in, considering. You no longer ached, not really, which was nice. You still felt shaky from the aftermath of the panic attack, which was less nice. And you still had far more questions than answers. 

“Not terrible,” you hedged. “I'll be better with some answers, maybe a nap.” 

“You can have one of those.” A thread of humor in his voice made you smile. 

“Who were those people chasing you?” 

“Spartans,” John answered, like it was obvious. 

You opened your mouth. Paused. Closed your mouth. Shook your head. “Not going there,” you muttered to yourself. You really needed to find some basic information on this place, because you were clearly so far out of the loop. “Why were they trying to stop you?” 

John shrugged. “We went AWOL,” he admitted. 

“To look for Cortana,” you figured, watching him carefully, even though he gave very little away. 

“Yes.” 

You nodded slowly. You already knew she was important to him, so you found you weren't entirely surprised by this. The rest of your questions would have to wait, you suspected. No one else seemed to be able to tell you how you got here. 

Not that you'd trust anyone besides John and Blue Team. 

Kelly sat down a few feet away from you, appearing to settle in. “Might as well catch some sleep while we can,” she said, very matter-of-fact and yet somehow also very pointed. 

You sighed but nodded. “Not a bad idea,” you agreed, reluctantly releasing John. You noticed his fingers twitch, as if he was resisting the urge to reach for you again. But you laid down, curling up on your side. It was far from the most comfortable place to nap, but sleep was good. You were sure you needed it, after everything. 

And a nap would help with clearing out your head, too. 

But John surprised you, shifting over to sit next to you, near your head. One hand settled slowly on the floor, palm up, fingers loose. 

You slid your hand into his, eyes half-closing at the feeling. John was like a security blanket. It made no sense, you barely knew him, and yet you already depended on him, trusted him, as you never had with anyone. 

You breathed slowly, closing your eyes, focusing on relaxing and breathing deeply. Sleep. Sleep was good. You needed it. 

You woke with a jolt when the ship stopped moving, fingers automatically clenching around John's. 

“It's alright,” he murmured, voice a little rough even under his helmet. 

You breathed in, sitting up carefully. “We stopped,” you muttered, your own voice a little hoarse. 

The other three were on their feet in moments, and John stood before helping you to your feet. You shifted to be close next to him, unsure what to expect from this new area. Clearly, John wasn't sure either, as he pulled his weapon from his back, holding it down but there, just in case. 

You swallowed hard, even as you felt the ship drift to a complete stop. Mechanisms whirred softly under and around you, the door popping open just a tiny bit before lowering like a ramp. 

Giving you all your first look at this new place.

[writeforfandoms-fics]

Mirror Mirror 3

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In which you have a choice. But, really, it's no choice at all, not to you. AKA your never-ending quest to find out what the hell is going on.

Warnings: swearing, confusion, mention of panic attack, reader is still Going Through It, new nickname alert, guns, weapons, canon typical mentions of violence/potential for violence.

Word count: 2.5k

Awareness filtered back to you slowly. You groaned softly, tipping your head from side to side. Had you fallen asleep on the couch again? Damn. That was always bad for your neck. Work was going to suck today.

But attempting to sit up made you realize nothing felt right. The seat you were in was far too hard to be your couch. Your aches weren’t just in your neck, but all over, like you’d worked too hard the day before. And sitting up properly made you open your eyes.

To the interior of a ship. 

Reality crashed back into you, and you squeezed your eyes shut again. You really had fallen through to some other world. You really were in space. You really owed your life to a group of people you’d never met before and knew nothing about, beyond their names and the fact that they were very, very dangerous. 

When you opened your eyes again, Linda was there, standing a couple feet away, still fully armored. She didn’t move, just waiting.

“Bathroom?” you croaked hopefully. Your head pounded now, angry with the events of the day prior and your absolute lack of hydration. 

She tipped her head towards a small door set into the side of the ship. You nodded your thanks and hobbled off, locking the door securely behind you.

You may have sat on the floor and had a little panic attack. Maybe. Possibly. 

Then you got up, took care of business, washed your face, and carefully emerged again.

John had joined Linda in the hold, both of them clearly waiting for you. But John also had a bottle and a packet, both of which he held out to you without prompting.

The bottle had water, which you downed immediately. The packet seemed more like a protein bar, which wasn’t exciting but still tasted good after an unknown number of hours without food. 

“How did you get on the Argent Moon?” John asked, a little quieter, a little gentler. But still clearly in charge.

“I really don’t know,” you sighed, turning the now-empty bottle between your hands until Linda offered you a fresh one. “I got out of work and was walking to my car, and I spotted this… shimmer. It’s hard to explain. It was definitely out of place, and I was looking at it and then I was… there. The Argent Moon. I really don’t know how it happened.” 

John and Linda exchanged a quick look, although what they were communicating, you couldn’t tell. You didn’t even know if they were communicating, fully armored as they were. 

“Where were you, before the Argent Moon?” 

“California.” You blinked at him. 

“Earth?” Linda asked sharply. 

“Of course.” 

The two fell quiet again for a few long moments, leaving you to take sips of your water. No guzzling this time. 

“You have a choice.” John finally spoke, his visor once again fixed on you. “We can drop you at the nearest human settlement once we get to Meridian.” 

“Or?” you asked slowly, brow furrowed. You didn’t like the thought of just being dropped like an unwanted cat. 

“You can come with us. Cortana can figure out how you got here.” 

Your vision pulsed blue at the name. “Cortana,” you murmured, gaze dropping to your lap. The name brought about the same kind of recognition as John, a feeling that you knew her, even though you were quite certain you’d never met anyone named Cortana. But where John evoked a deep sense of safety, a feeling of trust, Cortana brought to mind a quick wit and dependability. “Who is she?” 

“Cortana is… a friend. We’ve been through a lot together.” John spoke slowly, like he was testing the words even as he said them. 

You chewed on your lip for a few moments, restless fingers playing with the cap of the water bottle. “And you think she could help?”

“Yes.” 

“Then I’d like to go with you, to see her.” 

John nodded once, and that seemed to be that. He stepped away, going through a door and into another part of the ship. Leaving you and Linda in the hold. 

“Thank you,” you said to her. When her silence lingered for more than three seconds, you clarified, “For helping me earlier. And keeping me safe. I saw you shoot that… whatever it was.” 

“An Elite,” she answered. “It’s… no problem.” 

You smiled at her, tired and sore (though not hurting nearly as badly now) but also relieved. You weren’t so worried now about your life, at least. 

She seemed to hesitate, going even more still than normal, gaze focused on you. She held there long enough that your smile faltered and worry started to filter in again. Then she shook her head. “We still have a few hours to go to Meridian,” she said, taking a step back and turning away. “Get some more rest.” She strode out of the hold too, leaving you alone. 

You huffed softly. You didn’t really want to get more rest, not now. Sure, you were still tired, but not that kind of tired. Instead, you pulled out your phone. The screen had cracked, probably sometime while you were being thrown around, but it still turned on. 

Not that it mattered, since you had no service.

“What a surprise,” you muttered to yourself. “No service in space.” Your little laugh felt a bit cracked, but it also felt good to laugh. To release some of the tension lingering in your chest and shoulders. 

Shaking your head at yourself, you put your phone back away. No need for that now. No way to contact home.

Not that you were even sure who you would contact, if you could.

Your smile fell entirely. You didn’t hate your life. You just… spent a lot of time alone. You didn’t have many friends, you lived alone, and most of your social interaction came from work. 

How long would it take them to notice you were missing? Would anyone even wonder? Or would you simply vanish, like you’d never even existed?

Uncomfortable with the decidedly morbid turn of your thoughts, you stood to walk around the room. And do some poking around while you waited. The medpack had been stowed again under your original seat, but you didn’t recognize anything in it. You could see compartments above the seats, but decided to wait on those until later. You already knew the one door led to a bathroom, and the other had a selection of weapons. You closed that door rather carefully.

You couldn’t find any other doors or lockers or anything in the hold. Just the ones above the seats.

Grumbling a little to yourself, you stepped up carefully onto a seat. When it held your weight without so much as budging, you stood up straight on it, balancing only a little precariously. The first overhead compartment you opened was a treasure trove of protein bars and what looked like MREs. You immediately grabbed an armful of those, getting down again to deposit them a few seats down. 

You were still hungry, and you needed food to function. Plus, this was way more than even five people could eat. Hopefully Blue Team wouldn’t mind that you were taking these.

Further poking about and opening more compartments showed more weapons, including things that looked like grenades. You didn’t touch any of those. Another compartment had some spare clothes, all in gray or olive, in a small variety of sizes. You dumped the lot onto a seat to sort through, hoping for something a little less grimy and bloody than your current clothes. 

“Well, well, shortstack is up and about.”

You squeaked in alarm at the voice behind you and lost your balance. Clothes went flying as you flailed your arms, trying to steady yourself. Two hands helped steady you, one on your back and one on your arm. 

“And jumpy,” Frederick added, even as he helped you down off the seat. 

“How are you so quiet?” you demanded, one hand pressed to your chest to convince your heart not to jump out of fright. “You’re huge.” 

“Habit.” Frederick shrugged, unapologetic. “Need some help?”

“No thanks,” you said with a little sigh. “Just looking for something cleaner to wear.” 

“We’re ten minutes out,” he warned you, holding up his hands and stepping away. “So do whatever you gotta do now.” 

“Thanks.” You started looking through the clothes. Now that you were paying attention, you heard the door slide open and closed again. You didn’t take any chances, though, scuttling into the bathroom to change and wash up a little. 

That and more water and another protein bar, and you felt much better. 

Nobody had come into the hold by the time you came out of the bathroom, so you gathered what courage you could and went through the door Frederick had.

Beyond that door was a larger room with a holographic display, around which the team had gathered. Briefly, you wondered who was piloting, then decided not to worry about it. (Which mostly meant trying not to think about it.) 

“She must be here,” John murmured, looking at the display and enlarging it. “She had to have sent this map.”

“Then why not talk directly?” Linda asked. “Why send this instead?”

“I’ll find out.” John spoke with such certainty that you didn’t doubt for a moment that he would. He’d do whatever it took to find Cortana. She must mean a lot to him. 

You peeked at the map in between Kelly and Frederick. If you were reading it right, which you did not trust, it looked like you’d all be going down. Into something like a mine. 

You kept your concerns to yourself, though. There was so much you didn't know, didn't understand. 

You just hoped they wouldn't leave you behind. 

“I'll bring us down,” John said, stepping away from the holo projector and over to, presumably, the cockpit. 

“You know how to use this?” Frederick held out a handgun to you. 

“Mostly, yes.” You didn't reach to take it, though, eyeing it warily. 

“Just in case.” He stayed still, waiting for you to take it. 

You took it slowly, the weight unfamiliar and cold in your hands. “Let me guess,” you sassed to hide your nerves. “Don't point it at you.” 

“That's the idea.” He sounded amused, watching you. “You probably won't even need it.” 

Privately, you hoped not. You really hoped you didn't have to actually shoot something, or someone. 

The ship descended, bumping a little on the way down. You grit your teeth against the feeling, staying close to Frederick and Kelly until you felt the ship bump down to a gentle landing. 

So. This must be Meridian. Wherever Cortana had sent them, and by extension, you. 

John walked past all of you, taking the lead. Linda nudged you to the center of the group again, the most defended position. You didn't object, following John back out of the ship. 

The spot he'd chosen to land was inside, equipment set up around, metal walkways marking the paths, lights strung up at even intervals. 

The path led outside again, and you blinked a few times to adjust to the change in light. This place was barren, rock and metal, with nothing green or growing. 

“What is this place?” You asked softly, looking around. 

Nobody answered you, but you didn't expect them to. Ahead of you, John paused at a frankly huge door, pushing a control so it slid open slowly. 

You'd make a joke about size, but given the giants around you, you decided not to. 

Inside the door certainly felt more like a mine, equipment and metal walkways stretching out. Long staircases led down under the surface. Everything echoed oddly in the open space, the clatter of boots both softer and louder than you thought it should be. 

“Why is nobody here?” You asked, voice hushed, though you couldn't have said why exactly you felt the need to be small and quiet. 

“Must be busy elsewhere,” Frederick muttered, though there was a sliver of unease in his voice as well. 

John led the way down, gun in hand and ready. He didn't look back, leading steadily forward. 

You shivered once briefly, uneasy and uncertain. But you'd asked to go, and you didn't want to turn back now. You wanted to go home. And if it meant you had to travel much farther underground than you'd ever been in your life, you'd do it. 

And then things changed. A metal structure emerged from the innards of the planet, cool and glowing faintly. Even you could tell this was not the same kind of construction as the Argent Moon. 

“What is this?” You asked, craning your head back to look at the top of the structure, far overhead. 

“Forerunner,” John answered, a slight growl in his voice. 

“There's no record of Forerunner artifacts out here,” Linda mused, readjusting her grip on her weapon. 

“Let's keep going,” John said, picking up the pace a little. “She must be further in.” 

You passed through the archway, though your steps stuttered at the sight and feel of lava around. Oh you had a very bad feeling about this. But you didn't stop, just righted yourself and kept going, hands curling and unfurling. 

You walked carefully down a little ramp and onto an open-sided elevator, sticking close to John. He didn't seem to mind, shifting his weight enough to give you something to lean on when the elevator started down. The sense of unease grew the further down you went, head pulsing in time with your heart, vision tinted blue despite the red glow from the lava around you all. 

The elevator touched down, gliding to a smooth stop. You breathed in slowly and found your hands were shaking. John placed one hand on your shoulder for two heartbeats before he stepped in front of you again. 

The next door opened to reveal an immense chamber, lined with metal scale-looking things. You had no idea what they were, but it certainly looked formidable. 

“You have made it at last,” an echoing voice said. Blue Team immediately closed ranks around you, hiding you from view, weapons up as they scanned the room. “She told me you would be coming. She is waiting for you.” 

The door at the end of the chamber slid open without any input. The team didn't move, still scanning the area. 

But nothing else moved.

“Cortana has approved your passage,” the voice said, imperious and a little displeased. “You may proceed.” 

You didn't even have to see John to know that he had perked up at that. He moved forward without waiting, the rest of the team a beat after him. You drew in a deep breath and kept up. 

Time to see where this led you.

[writeforfandoms-fics]

Mirror Mirror 2

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You don't get any explanations. In fact, things only get more confusing. But at least Blue Team seems willing to help.

(Yes, there is a reason Chief acts the way he does. Yes, you will find out. Later. Also, since this is Halo 5 divergent fic I am using canon dialogue.)

Warnings: Panic, canon typical violence, non-combatant in the middle of the Argent Moon mission, reader is Not having a good time.

Word count: 2.3k

“How do you know my name?” He sounded less than pleased, although he made no further move to intimidate you.

Not that he needed to. He was huge, especially from your seated position. 

“I don’t know.” You answered honestly, looking up at him. You still didn’t feel threatened, not really. Not the way you had with the aliens. It didn’t make any sense, but you knew he wouldn’t hurt you. 

“Chief,” someone else called. A woman, by the sound of her voice. “Reactor control is over here.” 

John, Chief, whoever he was, took a single step away from you. “Linda,” he said, calm as anything. Another armored person stepped up, standing over you, watching you. But you watched John walk away, over to what must have been a control panel of some kind. He typed something in, sure and steady. 

“Reactor failsafes disarmed,” came a mechanical voice from overhead, like a PA. “Failure imminent.” 

Well. That sounded bad. You pushed up slowly to your feet, wincing as your everything protested the movement. 

“What are we doing with the civilian?” The one guarding you asked. Linda, you thought you remembered. 

“Bring her with.” John turned away from you, looking for something else. You had no idea what, but you didn’t much care. Getting away from here sounded like a great idea. “Move for the hangar bay–”

“Containment protocol initiated,” the PA announced pleasantly. 

“Containment?” John sounded displeased.

“The station’s going to try to cool the reactor,” one of the other two said. You didn’t know his name yet. 

“I guess the UNSC has better reactor safety protocol than the Covenant,” the last one offered, her accent surprising you somehow. Of course, very few of her words made sense to you. What the hell was the UNSC? Or the Covenant, for that matter? 

Not the time to ask, clearly. 

“We can stop that. Board the reactor.” John turned towards the door again with the air of a man used to being obeyed.

“Board the reactor?” The English one sounded faintly incredulous. 

“If it’s being moved, we should go with it.” John walked out the door, leading by example. You glanced back at Linda, who was clearly your temporary minder, and followed him. It wasn’t easy keeping up with the group - they all took longer strides than you did, and moved like they had places to be. Which they did.

But that didn’t make your everything hurt less. 

Linda wordlessly put a hand on your shoulder once the group of you all stood on top of what you presumed was the reactor. The group kept you in the middle, whether by order or by habit you had no idea. You didn’t much care, either. Especially when the reactor lowered smoothly into the floor. Linda’s hand helped steady you, and you weren’t ashamed to admit it. 

“The safety systems are set to pump coolant to the reactor,” the other man said as the reactor moved.

“This whole plan fails if that coolant gets a chance to work,” Linda pointed out from behind you, cool and steady. Idly, you wondered if anything ever bothered this group. 

“Shame to lose the Argent Moon, but I’d love to see the look on the Covenant’s faces when she goes supernova.” 

That… was a lot to unpack. Argent Moon must be the name of the ship, or station, or whatever. Supernova sounded bad. Anxious now, you looked at John, who was still facing away from you, and then back at Linda. She didn’t react. 

“How do we stop it?” John asked, even as the reactor lowered into a bigger chamber, blue light illuminating the structures around you.

“There are sheds located on either side of the cooling chamber. Those are our targets.” 

John looked back at Linda and nodded once to her. Her hand tightened briefly on your shoulder, but you missed any other reply she may have made. 

“Reach the control sheds. Get the cooling system offline.” John dropped off the edge of the reactor, his boots hitting the ground with a thump. 

“Stay close to me,” Linda told you, no room for argument in her voice. Not that you would have argued anyway - you could faintly see figures moving around further in the room. More aliens, probably. 

You could really do without getting tossed about again. 

Linda dropped down, then turned and helped you down. The other three had moved on ahead, the short bursts of gunfire and shouting starting up again as they cleared the room. You stuck close to Linda’s back, doing your best to keep up with her as she picked off stragglers and enemies the others had missed. John punched through a set of shutters to get to some controls, and you blinked.

Well. That wasn’t exactly normal, but then again, none of this was. 

“Override activated,” he said, even as the other three grouped up around you. 

“Perfect. Coolant inner working systems are exposed.” The other man sounded faintly pleased by this, even as he herded you to put your back to the building John left. 

“Eliminate the targets, Blue Team,” John ordered. He paused by you for just long enough to say, “Stay here.”

You nodded, although you doubted he saw, with the way he strode off again. You could stay right here. No problem. 

Blue Team took weird purple little flyer things, which helped them destroy all the targets. You watched, but quickly became confused, since more of the purple flyers came in and started shooting. Things devolved quickly from there, with aerial battles taking place alongside destruction. None of them got even close to you, which was good, because you had no idea what to do.

Not like you could jump away, which you confirmed with a quick look down into open space. 

You nearly shrieked when one of them touched down mere yards away from you, but John jumped out of it, striding over to you.

“Frederick, find the nearest hangar bay. We’re taking a Prowler,” he ordered, not even pausing as he scooped you up in one arm. You yipped, taken completely by surprise at how easily he hefted you around, even if you did feel rather like a sack of flour. Your fingers scrambled for and found holds on his armor, clinging tight as he ran. 

“What the hell,” you breathed, sucking in a sharp breath when he jumped over something, jostling your shoulder. 

“Almost there,” he said, apparently to you, though he didn’t look at you. 

The hallway turned and opened on one side, windows showing a docking bay maybe. A larger ship inside looked intact still.

“There’s the Prowler,” John confirmed. “And more Covenant. Clear them out and prep for launch.” He shifted your weight, one hand holding his weapon still. 

“And do it quick,” Frederick added from behind John. “I’d rather not be here when the station melts around us.” 

He and the last one passed John, moving through the door and immediately firing on the aliens inside. John followed, barely even slowing as he shot at targets, angling his body just a little to keep you away from the aliens. 

You swallowed hard and kept very quiet, clinging to him like your life depended on it. Which it pretty much did. 

“Marked the launch controls,” Linda added, just before a loud shot came from behind you. You turned your head to see her bringing up the rear, once again picking off targets the others had missed. 

John jumped down from the platform he was on, landing solidly on the level below. “Controls are here,” he said, putting down his gun briefly to punch in commands. 

Which was all well and good, until the PA system informed you that the fuel cells were empty. 

“Hold off the Covenant until the Prowler is ready for launch,” Frederick said. None of them sounded stressed in the slightest, despite the fact that the station was apparently going to blow up shortly. 

John jumped back up onto a platform above, moving to the front of the ship. “Stay here,” he told you, setting you down. “And stay low.” He took off as soon as you unhooked your hands from his armor, once again not giving you a chance to respond. 

You were beginning to see a pattern here. 

You ducked down behind a couple supply crates, crouching in place as you listened to the chaos around you. Lots of shots. Lots of yelling. The occasional crash of metal on metal. The PA giving occasional updates on the status of the fuel cells, which was not going fast enough for your liking. 

One of the big aliens landed on the catwalk attached to your platform, facing you. An unlucky coincidence, probably. A sort of glowy purple two-pronged sword-thing extended from its hand, and it started towards you. 

A sort of purple-ish energy field around it came to life, and it looked away from you. This time, you heard the shot before the energy field rippled. A sort of shield, maybe? Blocking shots? But with the third, the shield failed. 

With the fourth, purple blood sprayed from the new hole in its head. Your gasp of shock was lost in the rest of the chaos.

But when you peeked up over the crates, wary of drawing more attention, you spotted Linda on the far side of the room, rifle up to her helmet. You waved a little, scared to do more, and dropped back down to your butt on the cold metal. 

You’d be lucky if your heart didn’t just give up before all was said and done. 

The team all congregated on your platform, still wary, but the fighting seemed done for now. You got to your feet carefully, even as Linda said, “Clear.”

“Time, Linda?” John asked, pushing a dead little alien off the control panel.

“Eighty-nine seconds.”

John typed in commands on the panel while you watched, heart pounding in your chest. Less than a minute and a half didn’t seem like long enough to get away. 

A ramp started to lower into the ship, even as John spoke, apparently to someone else. “Sierra-one-one-seven to Infinity. Argent Moon scuttled. I’ve reassigned Blue Team. Destination Meridian. Potential contact from Cortana–”

You didn’t hear the other side of the conversation, but you wouldn’t have anyway. That same faint blue light filtered your vision at the mention of Cortana, and your knees nearly buckled. Linda caught you with one hand under your arm, keeping you upright. 

“Negative, Infinity,” John said as you tried to blink the blue from your vision. 

“Whoever they are, let’s get to Meridian before they do,” the English one said as she strode up the ramp.

“Kelly. No.” John turned his attention to her. 

“No need to do this by yourself, Chief,” Linda said as she escorted you up the ramp and into the ship. 

“They won’t court martial all of us, right?” Frederick asked, sounding like he was joking, even as he hustled after you. The ship shook a little as the station started to fall apart, little tings of metal echoing off the ship as pieces fell. 

John was the last one up, hitting the control panel inside the ship to close the ramp again. You settled into a seat, Linda taking up a post on one side of you though she remained standing. Your hands shook as you clung to the seat, vision still blurring occasionally with blue. 

You felt the sudden acceleration of the ship though, swaying with the movement. 

But apparently the lot of you had made it. Well. Okay. Blue Team had made it and half-dragged you along. Which you appreciated - you liked not being dead. 

Although, you weren’t sure if it really mattered. Not like you’d be able to get home in time to water your plants. 

You clamped your lips together to keep in the hysterical giggle. Now that you were safe, or safer, you could feel every bump and bruise and ache. You could feel your forced calm slipping. 

Was this really any better than what you’d just left behind? 

“What do we do with our passenger?” Linda spoke calmly, dispassionately. At least no one was aiming a weapon at you this time. 

John turned towards you again, visor bright in the hold of the ship. “How do you know my name?” he asked again, taking a single step towards you. But he did reach behind himself to put his gun away, which helped. 

“I don’t know,” you answered truthfully. “I really don’t. I don’t even know where here is.”

John was quiet for a moment, unmoving, staring at you. “We bring her along, for the moment,” he decided, finally turning away from you. “Linda, see if there’s a medpack on board.”

You slumped a little back into your seat, all the energy draining out of you at once. Looked like you got to live a while longer. Joy. 

Linda set an open medpack on the seat next to you, picking up something that looked a lot like a kind of auto-injector. 

“What’s that?” you asked, half wary, half curious. 

“Stim shot. It’ll help.” She didn’t wait for permission, pressing it to your upper arm. You huffed at the little sting, making a face. Less because it hurt and more because you could. 

But the cool wave of pain relief that flowed through you was more than welcome. You slouched in your seat as it worked, eyes drooping. The sudden lack of pain, paired with the temporary safety, did what you’d been fighting since you’d fallen into this alien place.

You fell asleep.

[writeforfandoms-fics]

Mirror Mirror 1

Find the series masterlist

Welcome to my newest Halo fic where I take a crack-ish premise and treat it seriously! Reader is from the 21st century and ends up in Halo timeline. Same world, different times.

Warnings: Major confusion, violence, mention of blood, canon typical violence, swearing.

Word count: 1.5k

Night had already fallen by the time you got out of work. You just sighed, having expected that. Long days exhausted you, but they were unavoidable sometimes. It took moments to grab your keys and start towards your car, the lot two-thirds empty around you. 

You just wanted to go home and find something to eat. 

A sort of shimmer distracted you. You paused, only two or three steps from your car, eyes narrowing a little as you tried again to see the shimmer. 

There. Beyond your car, next to the building. Almost like rain in streetlights, but there was no rain. 

Very weird. What could cause a visual effect like that?

You took a couple steps closer to the shimmer, trying to figure out what it was. Maybe someone had dropped something? 

The shimmer seemed a little stronger the closer you got, the space in the middle dark. Too dark. Darker than the surrounding shadows. Very weird. 

One more step and your foot came down on something else. Metal. You frowned, looking down. There was no metal in the parking lot. 

You looked back up and froze. You were no longer in the parking lot. Metal like a hallway rose well over your head, footsteps echoing a little with the couple small steps you took. 

“What the fuck,” you whispered to yourself, staring around. None of this made sense. None of this looked even remotely familiar, either. Turning full circle showed that it wasn't just ahead of you, either. The weird metallic hallway stretched both directions, a few closed doors set into the walls that you could see. 

You had no idea where you were, or how you'd gotten there, or anything. None of this made sense. At all. 

Sharp pain in your head brought you to your knees with a low cry. You pressed one hand hard to your temple to try to abate the pain, eyes scrunching closed even as pain hammered against the inside of your skull. 

Almost as soon as it started, it stopped. You blinked rapidly, recalibrating from the strange, sudden pain. But it was simply gone, no ache left in its wake. 

Just another strange thing on top of a stranger thing. 

You straightened slowly, somehow even more confused than before. 

And froze, looking straight at a weapon of sorts. 

Guttural grunting made you look further up. And further. Until you were looking at… something. Something not human. You would have guessed a Halloween costume, except the mouth moved in ways no costume could, four little mouth-extension-bits moving separately. 

You must have made a noise, because the thing growled at you. One big three-fingered hand grabbed your upper arm, half-dragging you along behind it, your mind completely blank with terror. 

You stumbled multiple times on the march, but the alien thing never even slowed. Just dragged you along, grip so tight you felt your arm would break. 

It dropped you to the floor, and you hit with a soft clang of metal, palms catching most of your weight. You winced, grimacing, pained but unwilling to make a noise of protest. 

More of the grunting and growling went on over your head, and you cautiously lifted your gaze. More of the alien-things stood around you, all of them holding weapons. A short one made a higher-pitched noise, and then squealed as one of the bigger ones aimed a loose kick at it. 

You swallowed hard, light headed and shaky. What the fuck. What the actual fuck. 

Further cautious looking showed a much bigger room, all metal, with lots of… things. Not just aliens, although there were lots of those too. There was equipment around, things on the walls, all kinds of stuff That you had no frame of reference for. 

Honestly, the whole thing reminded you of a sci fi show. Aliens? Big metal rooms? Sounded like space. 

You nearly giggled at the absolute absurdity, biting your lip hard to keep it in. The sudden pain helped to sober you, bringing things back into focus. 

Okay. Didn't matter where you were, not really. If this was real (and the pain made you think it was), then all you needed to know was you were in the middle of a very hostile place. With no idea what these aliens wanted. No way to communicate. 

You needed to be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible. Keep out of the way. Keep out of sight if possible. 

The big one that had dragged you in no longer seemed to be paying attention to you, so you very carefully scooted back away from them until your back hit the nearest wall. You breathed a little easier at that, at least. 

This made no sense. But you didn't know how to get back home. And you wanted to stay alive. 

Hours crawled by. The aliens did whatever they were doing, talking to one another in that indecipherable language. The little ones scurried around, chittering and mostly trying to stay out of the way. A few kind of avian-looking ones prowled around the perimeter, occasionally snapping at the little ones. 

You sat in your spot, back pressed to the wall, ignoring your physical needs as much as you could. You did not want to draw their attention, not for anything. Not when your throat dried out from thirst. Not when your bladder screamed at you. Not when your stomach wouldn't stop growling. 

You sat, as quietly as possible, and watched. 

An alarm blared from somewhere else on the ship, making you jump. The big guys started snapping orders (you guessed, based on tone and the way the little ones hopped to), weapons grabbed and hefted. 

One of the big ones strode over to you, grabbing you by the front of your shirt and lifting. Your shoes left the ground entirely and you swallowed hard, grabbing onto the alien’s wrist, hoping it wouldn't drop you. It snarled something at you, a question maybe. But you just stared, wide eyed, totally uncomprehending. Its mandibles curled and it growled in your face, pulling you even closer. You couldn't help the terrified whimper that escaped you, eyes wide as the alien took up most of your vision. 

It roared something and threw you away. You hit the floor hard and rolled a few times, yipping at a particularly hard hit to your elbow. You ached all over, groaning softly as you pushed up onto your hands and knees.

You stopped, pain lancing through your head again. Which wouldn't have been terrible on its own. 

But this time, it came with a voice. 

“John.” The echo of a woman's voice, soft and distant, but there. You could have sworn you knew her, knew her voice, but no name came to mind. 

You blinked, faint blue light at the corners of your eyes making you look side to side. But you were alone, the aliens having moved away from you, clearly preparing for something else. 

“Chief. The Domain is open. Meridian is next. John! The Reclamation is about to begin!” 

You shook your head hard, sudden vertigo nearly sending you sprawling back down to your face. You managed to stay upright, if only barely. 

It took a minute longer to push up to sit properly, all of you aching now. You hissed softly as blood dripped into your eye, your fingers finding a small cut on your temple. Probably from being thrown and rolling across the floor. You made a soft noise of pain when your fingers prodded clumsily at the cut. 

Ouch. This was really not going well for you. 

Gunshots made you flinch and hunker over, looking around for some kind of cover. This room had plenty of places to hide, and you scuttled behind a crate. 

Well. You tried to scuttle. Really it was more like an awkward hobble-crawl, with every muscle protesting along the way. 

The gunfire got closer. As did shouting, screaming, yelps of pain, all in that alien language. Your heart raced. Were these more aliens? Different aliens? Were you caught in the middle of an alien war? 

You didn't have time to spiral further, or try to look for a weapon. You didn't have time for much of anything, really. Silence fell, heavy and ominous, giving you just enough time to swallow hard. 

A person stepped into view, green armor gleaming just a little in the light. A gun was trained at you, held steady in big, armor-encased hands.

And a golden visor fixed right at you. 

You didn't know this person. Had never seen him before in your life. And yet as soon as you saw that visor, a sense of safety settled over you, like a warm blanket. A single name popped into your head. 

“John.”

[writeforfandoms-fics]

Take A Chance On Me

I had the itch to write post-canon Ezra. And I'd been thinking about dragons. Because we always need more dragons.

Warnings: Swearing, mystery, dragon hatching, metaphorical leap of faith, time skip.

Word count: 5.3k

You'd owned your bakery for a long time. Long enough that you knew all your regulars, knew the businesses around you. Knew who to talk to when someone came around trying to make trouble. Knew where to get the best ingredients to make soup when someone was feeling poorly. 

So of course you noticed when the bookshop opened. 

The new place opened on the corner - a good spot, lots of foot traffic, lots of opportunity. While hardly the center of the universe, this planet boasted plenty of tourism, with long golden days and easy nights. 

You'd be surprised nobody had opened a bookstore earlier, except for the fact that books came and went in popularity. 

You'd have to keep an eye on this place. See if it lasted. 

The nice thing about owning your own bakery was the stability. Your life never varied much. You got to the shop early every day, had the first pastries ready for the early crews. Kept putting out new items through the day, to keep the workers and tourists alike happy. You closed when things got quiet, or read at the counter for a couple hours, whatever felt better that day. 

But it did make for a rather lonely life. 

You didn't think much of it the first time a blonde teen came in and bought a few things. She didn't smile, but she did thank you. 

Life kept on, as it had for a long time, as it would for longer. 

At least, you assumed it would keep on the same way it had been. 

Except that two things happened. 

The first was a gift, from a long time regular. Stryker had been one of your first true regulars, always spared some time to chat with you, had taste tested every new item on your menu. 

His smile as he handed over the box to you was sad, bittersweet. Wrinkled hands captured yours once you had the box securely in your grip. 

“You take care of that, now,” he said, eyes as bright as the noon sky holding yours. “Promise me.”

“I'll take care of it,” you agreed, confused but willing to agree. “I promise.”

His grip relaxed and he nodded. “Good. Good. Always been a good one, you have.” He smiled again, swallowing once. “Take care of yourself, too, y'hear?”

“I will.” The sudden foreboding tightened your throat, and your hands gripped the box even tighter. “You too, okay?”

He just nodded at you, slow and solemn, and took a step back. He turned and walked away, hesitating for a moment on the threshold. You thought you saw his shoulders hitch. 

You never saw him again. 

The box contained a weird egg-shaped thing. The surface of it was rough under your fingers, not unlike exposed rock, and ranged from sandy to dirty. It was, however, clean, leaving no traces in the box or on your fingers. 

Honestly, you had no idea what to do with it. So you left it in the box in your bedroom. 

The second thing was another newcomer. He wouldn't have been all that interesting on his own, although he was quite good-looking. The little blonde streak in his hair especially caught your eye as it shone in the light coming in the window. 

“Cee told me she got pastries here the other day,” he started, gaze flicking greedily around the case. “I tried one, haven't tasted anything so good in years. As soon as I wrested the location from her, I knew I simply had to come for myself.” 

“Cee?” You couldn't help but smile at the sheer flow of words, a little charmed. 

“My ward. Blonde girl, too serious for her own good, quiet until you get to know her.” He darted a smile at you, looked back to the case, and then looked back to you. 

“Ah, I remember her. She shared with you?” You resisted the urge to grab a box, although he looked like a man who would get more than one pastry. 

“She did, with much persuading and wheedling.” He didn't look back at the pastries this time. 

“Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it enough to come in.” You smiled pleasantly, though you also didn't look back at the cases. There was something about his gaze, something magnetic. 

“Oh, if the rest of these are as good as the first I had, I suspect I shall be back as often as I can manage.” His smile kicked up a notch, from friendly to flirty, even as his gaze warmed. 

You warmed too, undeniably flattered but unwilling to make it so easy for him. “Well, then, what do you want to try today?”

He finally looked away from you, fingers of one hand drumming against his thigh as he debated. You finally noticed the pinned back sleeve on his other arm, and decided not to comment.

Plenty of jobs in the galaxy ended up being dangerous. 

“I fear you have too tempting a selection,” he said, looking back to you. “Perhaps you could choose for me? Four of your most popular.” 

You considered him for a moment, head tipping a little to one side. Then you nodded and unfolded a box. 

He wanted a surprise, huh? Half and half it would be.

You grabbed two sweet pastries and two savory for him. It was perhaps a gamble - most people were surprised by the savories the first time, but they were extremely popular around lunch time. 

“See how you like these.” You put the box on top of the case between you two, a little startled to find he was watching you, brown eyes assessing. 

“I'm sure I will enjoy every one of these.” He winked at you. “Now, how much do I owe you?” 

You told him, knocking off a couple credits just because you liked him. 

He paid and took his box, holding it carefully to avoid crushing any pastries inside. 

“Just in case chatter hasn't yet gotten here,” he started, pausing by the door to look back at you, “I own the bookshop down on the corner. Come by any time, don't be a stranger.” He tipped the box to you in salute before he left. 

You hummed softly, leaning one hip against the case. So. He was the owner of the bookshop. 

Intriguing. Perhaps you would have to go pay that place a visit. 

You turned off the lights for the night, locking up the shop. Even with the ovens off for the night, the shop kept warm. When the weather warmed again, you'd need to keep the door open so your customers wouldn't complain of the heat. 

You patted the strange egg thing on your way to bed. The bumps and scratches against your skin felt the same as always, and you thought nothing more of it. 

You didn't think anything more of it for days, really. You had other things on your mind. 

Like the bookshop, and the handsome man who owned it. 

You'd met many people in your time here. None of them quite as intriguing as Ezra. 

There was just something about him. Something almost magnetic. More than just the intrigue of a new face, and new shop owner. 

Maybe you'd close up early one day and go investigate. One day soon. 

It had been a while since you'd had new reading material just for fun. 

Any thoughts of pleasure reading vanished when you went up to bed that night. 

The egg shook under your hand. Just a little. Not enough that hatching seemed imminent, but you still paused. 

That… was unexpected. 

It trembled again, less energetically this time. Hopefully that didn't mean anything bad. 

Just in case, you brought the egg next to your bed, hoping you'd wake if anything happened. 

It took a long time to get to sleep, and staying asleep proved impossible. 

But the egg didn't crack open overnight. Neither did it seem to die, still warm when you touched it that morning. 

Just in case, you carried it with you to the shop. 

But it didn't move all day. Didn't stir. It didn't fade, either, still warm and rough under your fingers when you checked. 

You had absolutely no idea what to do. 

“You are a mystery,” you muttered to the egg, unsure what else to do. “I don't know what to do with you. Why did Stryker give you to me?” 

The egg didn't respond, which was good, because a response would have been much worse. 

You did finally think about where you could find out more about eggs. 

Books. Of course. 

Sometimes you were a fucking idiot.

Still paranoid that something would happen to the egg while you weren't watching, you found an old pack to carry with you, stuffing the egg inside with a sweater for some padding. 

And then you locked up and headed for the bookstore, still cursing yourself for an idiot. 

A bell over the door jingled softly as you let yourself in, and you paused for a moment to take in the space. The smell of books, paper and ink and age, filled the space, different from your own shop but still nice. Shelves filled the walls and took up a fair bit of the open space throughout the shop, creating little nooks and cubbies hidden away from the world.

Which you discovered a half dozen steps into the shop. Cee sat on a cozy recliner, afternoon sunlight streaming in the windows next to her, turning the entire space orange-gold. Her hair fell around her face, one knee up to help brace the spine of the book in her hands. You vaguely recognized the cover - some story popular with the younger crowd, part of a series, if you recalled correctly. You'd heard customers talking about the books before. 

You didn't disturb her, leaving her to her reading as you ventured further into the shop. The egg rustling against your back reminded you of your purpose, giving you a much-needed kick in the rear. 

No more distractions. You needed to find any books on husbandry and creatures you could. 

Naturally, you ran straight into Ezra, almost literally. 

He blinked, startled, and then smiled. “Well, I must admit I hadn't expected to see you so soon! What brings you in today? Anything I can help you find?” 

You smiled, a little nervous, a little awkward. “I'm just kinda looking,” you hedged, shifting your weight. For all that you liked Ezra, you didn't know if you trusted him yet. 

“For fun or for a purpose?” He didn't press any closer, simply waiting for you with a small smile on his lips, and curious eyes. 

“Trying to look up some stuff about animals.” There, that was safe enough. 

His eyebrows raised but he half turned, motioning you to follow. “Thinking of keeping a pet? I'll admit Cee has been asking after one for the shop, though I am not convinced.”

Your smile felt very awkward, especially when the egg wiggled against your back. “Yeah, the thought has crossed my mind,” you lied. “Figured I'd do some research.”

“A very sensible approach,” he agreed, turning down an aisle, bookcases obscuring your view of the rest of the shop. You couldn't even hear the outside now, the world muffled and far away in the confines of the shop. “Here we are. I admit it is not the biggest section, but there's not been much call for it as of yet.” 

“I'm sure it will be a good starting point,” you said, stepping closer to the shelves to start looking at the titles. “Thanks.” 

Ezra nodded, though he lingered for a few moments. Then he smiled. “Holler if you need anything,” he said, stepping back away from you. 

You nodded, watching him go until he turned a corner and vanished into the depths of the store. You turned back to the books, taking a deep breath to brace yourself. 

You ended up sitting on the floor, a small stack of books next to you, flipping through pages trying to find anything that matched the description of your egg. 

So far, nothing matched. Nothing even came close, between the size and the texture. 

You dropped your head with a soft groan, pushing back to your feet to put books back away. Nothing had helped you, and the egg still shook in your backpack, more vigorous now. 

That made you nervous. You did not want it to hatch. You really were not prepared. At all. 

“Are you finding anything useful?” 

You jumped, nearly dropping the couple books still in your hands. It took a few moments of fumbling to right everything, yourself included. 

“I apologize,” Ezra said, hand extended and hovering near your elbow in case you needed help. “I didn't realize you were so deep in your research.”

“It's fine,” you said, heart still hammering away in your chest. “I just didn't hear you coming.”

“Happens often here,” he said with a rather wry smile. “The number of times Cee has snuck up on me is, frankly, appalling.” 

You managed a little laugh, putting the last couple books away before anything else could happen to them. “I'm not surprised. Easy to get distracted in here.” 

“It is indeed.” He eyed your empty hands, his own falling back to his side. “Haven't found what you need yet?” 

“No.” You sighed. “Not yet.” 

“I could help you search?” He watched you as he offered, curious and hopeful.

You paused, uncertain if you should take him up on his offer, not sure if you could trust him. 

The egg made the decision for you. It rocked violently, the crack audible even through the sweater packed around it. 

You both paused, and you swallowed. 

“Are you sure I cannot help you with something?” He shifted closer, watching you carefully now. 

“I suppose that depends.” You carefully removed your backpack, shifting it around to your front. 

“On?” 

“If I can trust you to keep a secret.” 

He considered you for a moment, apparently thinking through something. Then he nodded. “I find myself enjoying life here, and unwilling to risk it. I will keep your secrets.” 

You opened your backpack, the egg inside cracked straight down the middle, both sides moving as the thing inside tried to break free. The constrained space inside the backpack made it harder, the cracks slowly spreading.

Ezra hissed out a breath, chancing a quick glance around. “Close that,” he said, quiet but urgent. “We need to go somewhere more private for this.”

“Do you know what it is?” You closed the backpack again, following Ezra as he wound through the stacks and to the back. He held open the door for you, ushering you further into the room, cramped with stacks of extra books and a small table. 

“I have a suspicion,” Ezra admitted, clearing a few papers off the table with quick motions. “But I cannot say for certain until we've seen what exactly emerges from this shell.” 

You set your backpack on the table and carefully pulled the egg out, still packaged snugly in your sweater. No sooner had you put the whole little nest down on the table than the egg split, half of it falling away. 

Big garnet-red eyes blinked up at you, the skin colored the same as the egg. It uncurled slowly, stretching out stubby legs. It chirruped at you, soft and cute even though it was still damp from hatching. 

And you had no idea what it was. 

“Kevva,” Ezra muttered next to you, awed and cursing both. 

“You know what this is?” You half-turned to look at him. 

“I've never seen one,” he said, gaze still fixed on the thing. “Heard stories though, from other prospectors, other travelers.”

“And?” You frowned at him. You wouldn't have guessed he was a prospector, but it did make sense. That could be a very dangerous job, from what you understood. 

“It’s a dragon.”

“What?” This time, the word was breathed, soft and disbelieving. 

“It must be,” he continued, his hand slowly moving towards the hatchling, though he paused when it made a less than happy sound. “I've heard tell that people can hatch ‘em, if you're lucky. Where did you get the egg?” He shot you a look, half curious, half assessing. 

“It was a gift.” You spoke through numb lips, cold with shock, even as the dragon wobbled closer to you. Clearly, coordination was not a skill baby dragons had just yet. 

“A very generous gift,” he observed, still watching you. “Not the kind of gift I'd expect of just a friend.”

You shook your head slowly. “He was a regular,” you said slowly, lifting one hand. Unlike when Ezra tried, the hatchling trilled at you and nosed into your palm. “I haven't seen him since.” 

Ezra hummed soft acknowledgement of that, watching you and the hatchling. “It’ll need food,” he said, changing the subject. “I do believe I have some suitable fare in my kitchen, if you can wait.” 

You blinked, thrown by the change in subject, but nodded. He slipped out quietly, the door clicking shut after him. 

“Where did you even come from?” You asked the hatchling, not expecting an answer. 

The hatchling chirruped and cuddled closer to you. You wrapped your now-ruined sweater around it, trying to keep it warm. 

Ezra reappeared with a bowl of sliced meat, setting it down next to you and the hatchling. “Watch your fingers,” he advised. “Most things have sharp teeth. Even babies.” 

You nodded your thanks to him, feeding bits carefully to the baby, who ate ravenously. 

“Thank you for all your help,” you told him in between feeding the hatchling. “I don't know what I would have done on my own.” 

He shot you a quick smile. “I am happy to help, although I do wonder at your willingness to trust someone you hardly know.” 

You snorted softly. “Well, for one, the timing was awful. Didn't leave me a lot of choice,” you grumbled, albeit half-heartedly. This went deeper than just the timing, and you had a feeling he knew it too. Especially since he stayed quiet, waiting you out. “I just… had a feeling. About you.” Your cautious glance at him revealed only that he was still watching you. 

He let the silence linger another beat, two. Then he spoke softly. “I would say that trusting your gut, while often a good start, is not the only course of action you should take. However, in this particular case, it has not led you astray. I told you earlier that I enjoy this life, and I didn't lie. I've no wish to ruin things for myself, or for Cee. Your secrets are safe with me.” 

“Thank you.” You smiled at him, warmed by his honesty. You did startle a little when the hatchling pushed into your midsection, apparently not content with the nest. It didn't stop nudging you until you picked it up and held it close, and then it finally relaxed with a happy little meep. 

The two of you stood quietly for a few moments, both looking at the dragon. You had no idea what to do next, too overwhelmed to think properly. Ezra… you couldn't guess at what he thought. 

“I need to close up the shop,” he said finally, shifting his weight. “Give me a few minutes, if you will, and I'll happily escort both you and your little companion home.” 

“You don't have to,” you demurred, though the offer pleased you. 

“Always happy to help a friend.” He winked at you and slipped out of the room again. 

Friend. You liked the sound of that. 

It took a bit of doing to get the dragon back in your backpack, carefully hidden away. She chirruped but settled down again, hopefully to take a nap. You hoped she would at least stay quiet. 

“Cee is upstairs for the moment,” Ezra told you as he opened the door for you. “The route is clear for us to avoid any pesky questions.” 

“Are you calling Cee pesky?” You smiled though to reassure him you were only teasing. 

“Oh she is much more than pesky,” he replied cheerfully, expertly herding you out the front door. “She is smart, perceptive. Good memory. Not much for talking, though, unless you happen to engage her about one of her stories. She is absolutely a menace.” 

You laughed at not only the joy but pride in his voice. “You care for her a great deal.” 

“We have been through a lot together, her and I. That is the kind of bond that does not easily dissipate.” He shrugged with one shoulder, half-smiling. “Never would have thought of myself as the settling type, yet here I am.”

“Life has a way of changing things,” you agreed. “Hopefully for the better, overall.” 

Ezra nodded his agreement. “You sound as if you speak from experience.” 

Your smile turned wry, a little sad. “I didn't always run the bakery on my own. It's better this way.”

Ezra didn't press, simply nodded. Clearly he understood enough. 

You unlocked the door behind the bakery, which led up to your apartment. You paused for a moment, considering, before focusing on him. “Want to come up? I could use the help getting this one settled and figuring out… everything.” 

He huffed a soft laugh. “I'm glad to help,” he agreed, stepping in behind you. 

The climb up the stairs was silent save for your footsteps, and you unlocked the door to your apartment. 

You hadn't been expecting a guest, but you weren't bothered. You usually kept things fairly clear. Fortunately for you. 

“So, what do you think I'll need?” You carefully took the backpack off again, opening it to check on the hatchling. Fast asleep, body lax in sleep. 

“Someplace for it to sleep,” Ezra suggested. “It won't take long to outgrow that backpack. At least, I assume so. I'm uncertain how big exactly that little one will get.” 

“Lovely.” You sighed and set the backpack down in a chair for the moment, already thinking of what you could do. “It liked the meat, so I guess I'll need that on hand all the time.”

“Only if you don't want it finding ways to feed itself,” he said, only half-joking. 

“What else?” You planted your hands on your hips, masking how worried you were. 

“Well.” Ezra looked around your apartment, doing a slow circle to take it in. “You'll learn as it grows, I'm sure. I've heard that dragons enjoy keeping hoards, although I am uncertain what it will hoard. It may not. Haven't heard of anyone keeping a dragon in a long time. You may well be the first in this system.”

“Lovely,” you muttered under your breath, less than thrilled with the prospect. You didn't want exceptional. You liked your boring life. 

Although a sneaky part of you still whispered that someone to share your boring life with would be welcome. 

“Well, thanks. I suppose we'll see how this goes.” 

Ezra nodded, clearly taking those words as dismissal and turning for the door. 

“If you're not busy, you could stay for dinner?” You surprised yourself with the offer, but you didn't rescind it. So far, he had proven to be good company. And he had called you a friend. Even if there was nothing else there between the two of you, even if your low-simmering attraction to him amounted to nothing more, it would still be nice to have company sometimes. 

His smile warmed you through, nervous flutters taking up residence in your stomach. “That is a very fine offer,” he started, and your stomach sank. He held out his hand though, wordlessly asking you to wait. “But if I may make a counteroffer. Allow me to take you out to dinner.” 

You blinked. That. That was a step up. And it could still be a friendly overture, but maybe… “I'd like that,” you agreed. “I'd really like that.” 

He smiled, stepping closer to you. “Good, because I find I would very much like to treat you. As often as you'd let me.” 

“Let's see how this one goes first,” you said with a smile, taking a chance and holding out one hand to him. 

He took your hand, using it to tug you closer. “I have a vested interest in making sure it goes well, and I can be quite persuasive when I have a mind to.” 

You smiled. “Well, then. Sounds promising. For both of us.” 

“For both of us, huh? I like that.” He grinned. “How about we figure it out more over dinner? You can show me your favorite place.” 

“Sounds like a promising start.” You smiled in agreement, turning towards the door. The hatchling would be fine for a little while. 

This was worth taking the time.

–

You sighed, short and sharp, upon seeing the state of the back room, having just closed up the front of the bakery. A damning trail of fruit bits went from their proper storage bag, now chewed through, to Hunter's favored perching spot up atop the big stand mixer. You could even see a couple bits in the bowl of the stand mixer, which you'd have to clear out before making anything in the morning. 

Hunter herself perched on the top, tail whipping back and forth, deep green scales glinting in the light. She'd grown, but not overmuch, still able to perch across your shoulders. But you'd seen for yourself that she was a ruthless hunter, defending her territory from any intruders. 

“Hunter,” you growled, planting your hands on your hips. 

At your tone, Hunter fled, spreading her wings and jumping from the stand mixer to flap across the room to the stores of flour and sugar. She knew that she wasn't supposed to get into the fruit. 

“Don't you fly away from me,” you scolded, stomping across the room after her. She squeaked and flapped away again, this time diving past you towards the front of the shop. “Hunter!” 

She flew through the open doorway, claws clattering against the top of the display cases. You groaned, long and loud, head tipping back to glare at the ceiling. 

“Overgrown lizard,” you swore to yourself. “I could make a fair few credits selling you, you know. Or leave you to Ezra. You wouldn't like that.” 

The yearling hissed, just a little. Despite the year that had passed between her hatching and now, and the fact that she saw Ezra almost every day, she still didn't really like the former prospector. 

Which was a problem, as he had become your lover, too. 

You shook your head, frustrated but unwilling to chase Hunter around. 

“Fine, sulk in there,” you called, turning your back to the shop. “I need to clean up your mess.” 

Sure enough, you'd only been cleaning for a few minutes when Hunter flapped back into the back room, perching on your work table. 

You spared her a glance and reached over, scratching above her eye. She tipped her head into your hand with a purr, eyes sliding closed in clear pleasure. 

“You're lucky you're cute,” you said half-heartedly, ire having cooled. Now, you were simply tired. 

She chirruped and, when you paused petting her, scrambled carefully up your arm to perch on your shoulder. You snorted softly but didn't object. 

“You just get bored, huh?” You reached up one hand to pat her head. “I know. Poor thing. Maybe I'll take you over to play with Cee tonight, hmm?” 

Hunter chirruped in clear approval of that idea, claws flexing against your top. 

As soon as you had finished cleaning, you pulled out the backpack. Not the original one, but a new one you'd purchased some months ago. This one had reinforced bottom and sides to help it keep its shape. 

You'd learned quickly that Hunter didn't like to be in a soft backpack after your first one died a violent death. 

Hunter hopped into the backpack obediently, settling in as you zipped it most of the way closed, leaving only a little open at the top for her to sniff. You shouldered the backpack and locked up behind you, taking a moment to breathe in the cooler evening air. 

There was still time before Ezra would close up shop, so you detoured briefly to pick up dinner for the three of you. Carry out, from a place you'd discovered with Cee. The young woman had ended up more adventurous than you would have guessed, and had no troubles dragging you along to try every new place that opened within walking distance. 

So you knew dinner would be well received when you let yourself into the bookstore. 

Cee, ravenous youngster that she was, appeared from the aisles of books first. She liberated one of the bags of food from you with a swift kiss to your cheek and ran off for the stairs heading up to their apartment. 

Ezra was slower to appear, more leisurely. His kiss as he greeted you was more leisurely, too. 

“Only have one person left,” he murmured, his hand settling at your hip. “I shall give them another five minutes before I close up. Go on upstairs, I'll be along as soon as everything here is sorted for the night.” 

“I'll try to make sure Cee doesn't eat it all,” you agreed, smiling. “Don't be long.” You pressed one more kiss to his lips before you followed Cee.

The upstairs apartment was plenty big for the two of them, comfortable and warm now. It had taken some time for personality to pop up, but now you could see the two of them mingling in the decor. Posters and younger books favored by Cee, vistas of far away places per Ezra. It was an interesting mix, but a cozy one. 

“You're the best,” Cee told you with feeling, having already unpacked the food and hoarded away her favorite dish. “Ezra was going to make us eat the leftovers from three nights ago.”

“How awful,” you drawled, amused despite yourself. “The horrors.” 

“You know he's not the best cook,” Cee complained, sticking her fork in her food. 

“Well, you won't have to worry about it tonight.” You opened the backpack, and Hunter let herself out with a cheep, promptly scampering around the floor before hopping up on the couch, and from there to the windowsill. 

“She still getting into trouble?” Cee asked around a mouthful of food. 

“Often,” you agreed with a sigh. “She got into the dried fruits earlier. I'm hoping this is just a youngster phase, and she'll grow out of it.” 

Cee giggled, trying futilely to smother it. Your lips twitched in response and you looked down at your food. 

Hunter announced Ezra by hissing at him, back arching and wings flaring to make herself look bigger. 

“Lizard,” Ezra drawled, as he always did. 

“You're not earning yourself any points with her that way,” you pointed out, smiling. 

“Perhaps I am less concerned with earning her favor, and more concerned with keeping yours.” Ezra stooped to kiss your forehead, taking his place at your side and balancing his food expertly so he could eat one-handed. 

“Hmm. Can't tell you if that's a good choice.” You winked at him, pressing briefly into his side before you continued eating. 

Cee cleaned up after dinner without prompting, and then promptly vanished into her room. Hunter slithered in after her just before the door shut. 

“Alone at last,” Ezra joked, pulling you closer until the two of you stood pressed together. 

“For the moment,” you agreed, raising your arms to wind around his neck. “We're probably free of the kids for the evening.” 

“Stay the night?” He pressed his hand to your lower back, keeping you right where he wanted you. 

“I'll have to be up to leave early,” you warned him, not a no but just a reminder. “Very early.”

“I can return to sleep after you leave,” he said, unbothered. “I'd much rather have the extra time with you tonight.” 

You smiled at him, curling your fingers through the ends of his hair. “Then I'll stay.” Your lips pressed to his, sealing the promise. 

Just one more night of many. And many to come. 

[writeforfandoms-fics]

As you know, I would love a little pero pov, especially for the first fic, maybe what was his pov during the rennfaire? ... involving "bragging rights"? 👀

💚

Hazel, I've been sitting on this one for so long. You've been so patient and supportive and wonderful.

You know what? Let's do the whole thing from his perspective. See what he thinks. Especially bragging rights.

Warnings: Swearing, time travel, no explanation for time travel, brief controlled violence (sparring), he is befuddled and bewildered and grumpy about it, grumpy bastard, but he's our grump.

Word count: 4k

Born, Born to be Wild

Tovar woke somewhere unfamiliar. He knew where he had laid down to sleep, and this was very much not it. This made no sense. He rose carefully, the sun still gentle, only just over the horizon. 

None of this made sense. The buildings were unlike anything he'd seen before. The noises were different even - unfamiliar and strange and too loud. 

He gathered himself, watching carefully as people began to appear. Only a few at first, but in greater numbers as the sun rose. 

After four or five suspicious glances, Tovar decided he had better move. Where to, he had no idea. But it wouldn't do to stay and get in trouble… whatever trouble even meant in this strange place. 

He'd been walking for a few minutes when some strange woman started talking to him. Honestly, he had no idea what she was saying. Something about a park and blocks and coffee. Whatever that was. He scowled, entirely uncertain of what to think. 

But she was… kind. In a way. She asked nothing of him, but gave him food and drink. Didn't ask him any personal questions. She was dressed very strangely, but even so, she was comely. 

So when she asked his name, he gave it without much hesitation. 

This place was strange, this woman was strange, but even still. She wasn't bad. He had met many bad strange folk, and he could not count her as one. 

Not that he trusted her. Oh no. Not yet. Trust was earned, trust took time. 

But curiosity? Fascination?

Those were much faster to bloom. 

Especially when he took a bite of the things she'd gifted him. It was delicious, soft in his mouth, bright and flavorful. He held back a noise, but barely. 

It didn't last long, after that first taste. He couldn't feel bad about that. It was food, after all, and food was meant to be consumed. 

She kept talking, more nonsense words he didn't understand. But she smiled at him before she walked away, getting into some sort of line. 

Now, this place was unfamiliar to him. But he could tell that wherever she was going cost coin. Coin that he didn't have. 

Fortunately for him, he had a lot of experience sneaking into places he wasn't supposed to be. 

He wandered around the fenced edge of the festival, keen eyes watching as someone darted in between two sections. Hm. A potential entry point. 

A quick look showed a few people mulling around. The area reminded him of the back of a store, of all things. 

Maybe not an entry point after all.

It didn't take much more wandering to find another spot. This one was silent, out of the way. A much better entry point. Tovar slipped through the gap with only a little wiggle, taking a few moments to observe. He could hear people, not far off, but muted. Distant enough that he'd likely got away with sneaking in. A quieter spot, it seemed, less busy than the entrance he'd seen the kind woman go in. 

Idly, he wondered if he'd be able to spot her in here. He had no idea where she'd gone exactly. But it was possible…

He scowled and shook his head. Enough of that. He needed to figure out where he was and how to get back to where he belonged. Where things made sense. 

So determined, he stepped further in, around some strange blue box. 

And promptly ran into her again. Almost literally. She was rather adorable when startled, he begrudgingly admitted to himself. 

To distract himself from temptation, he looked around this new place. Even from this point, he could see people. Lots of people. Some dressed very strangely, some more familiar. 

“What is this witchcraft?” He couldn't help but ask. Asking questions was generally not a good idea, but here… how could he not? None of this made sense.

“What?” She blinked at him, visibly confused. 

“This.” Tovar swept one hand at the gathering, encompassing all the strange people. His gaze caught on one woman in particular who was nearly spilling out of her top. He'd seen more modestly dressed women in brothels. 

Not that he was complaining, exactly, but… it was a lot. To process. 

“I mean… it's just RenFaire.”

He scowled. She spoke the same language, but he could not understand her words. This was a problem. Especially since it didn't give him any better idea of where he had ended up, or how. 

“I dunno what to tell you, dude, that's just how it goes here.” She grinned, her tone far too casual and amused for his peace of mind. 

“Speaking in tongues,” he grumbled, mostly so he could grumble. She made no sense, but none of this did. He would be inclined to chalk this up to some strange dream, but his dreams were never so pleasant to look at. 

“Well I don't speak Middle English,” she grumbled back with surprising ease. Tovar found himself pleasantly surprised by that. “Now, you can come with me if you want, but I have some things to buy while I'm here.”

He didn't have to go with her. He could set off on his own to see what he could figure out about this strange place. 

But. He could follow her. Just to see. After all, she mentioned buying things, which was something he'd need to know for himself at some point. 

He was getting hungry again. Sneaking always made him hungry. 

So he fell in behind her, letting her take the lead. She knew this place and he did not. He was many things, but an arrogant fool was not one. 

Arrogant fools didn't last long, in his world. 

The crush of people quickly became nearly unbearable, the fair narrowing and funneling people through a sort of open air corridor. Tovar made a face. He was used to smells and occasional crowds and pushing, but this was uncomfortable. 

But he kept up with her, occasionally pushing to make sure he didn't lose sight of her. He stood to one side while she shopped, scowling reflexively at people behind her. 

He may not know much in this strange place, but he knew he could watch her back for thieves, at least. 

She grabbed his hand to drag him along to the next stop. He wasn't sure exactly what to do. It had been a long time since he'd felt such simple contact, so easily shared. 

He shouldn't encourage this. He shouldn't revel quietly in this, in the feeling of her skin against his. He shouldn't want to memorize the feeling for lonely nights. 

Perhaps it had been too long since he'd spent time with a woman. He didn't usually stand a chance next to charming, handsome William Garrin, but perhaps here… 

His thoughts slipped away the moment she stopped in front of the next place, which sold food. Even in the strange, shiny wrapping, it was clearly food. His mouth watered, just a little, even without a taste. He could smell the sweetness from where he stood. 

This place certainly had some good looking things, at least. 

His gaze fitted between her, the food seller, and the food. He watched as an extra pack made its way into the bag. 

He decided not to try his luck palming a pack for himself, to try later. 

“Busy bee, aren't you.” He watched her keenly, watching how at ease she was, how confidently she moved. The crowds didn't seem to bother her. 

He couldn't decide if she was simply used to this, or good at hiding her discomfort. 

“I like to have time to watch some of the shows,” she said, as confounding as ever. “Besides, I kinda want a snack. I know most everything here is junk food but I only come once a year, I figure I can enjoy it.” 

Tovar simply grunted, unsure how else to respond to the deluge of strange words that she qualified as language. But she didn't seem to be wanting to be rid of him, so he continued to follow her, for lack of a better idea. 

She stopped at a stall and took… something. His eyes widened at the sight. It was long and oddly shaped and brown, and totally unlike anything he'd seen before. He could feel the chill coming out of the container, and tried to peek inside. 

Except a second of… whatever it was had been shoved under his nose, and he took it without giving her an opportunity to take it away again. 

“Maybe this will sweeten your disposition,” she teased. 

Tovar didn't even scold her for the teasing. He just took a bite of whatever it was. His teeth met resistance, the cold surprising him. And then flavor burst on his tongue, sweet and rich and totally foreign. 

It took everything in him to not make an obscene noise right then and there. 

“What is this?” He asked, pulling it closer to be sure no one could take it away without a fight. 

“Chocolate covered banana. Good, right?”

Tovar had no idea what any of that meant, but it was good. It was delicious, actually. He would do a lot to get another one, but that didn't seem to be on the agenda at the moment. 

What she did want to do was watch the birds. He had seen a few like this in his time, had met one or two traveling with armies and nobles. It was no less impressive here, for all that this performer had multiple birds. Including one that misbehaved. His lips twitched, a mixture of apprehension and amusement. 

Hopefully the bird would not be punished for its whims. 

Now that he was seated and sated for the moment, he had more time to observe the people around. Many of them had things in their hands. Things which glowed softly, with moving pictures and sometimes noise. 

He had never seen anything like it. Even the woman had one, confounding as she was. 

It made no sense. 

“Still coming with me?” She asked, gathering her things in clear expectation of going elsewhere. 

“You are the least confounding of the options present,” he grumbled. Which was true. Too true, really. He shouldn't have admitted that so easily. 

But she didn't press the clear advantage, smiling at him instead. 

He considered as he followed her. She was clearly too kind for her own good, with good humor that reminded him of William. 

He'd stay. For now. Unless a better option presented itself. 

Tovar knew himself to be many things, but foolish was not one. 

He followed her for a while, taking in the sights and sounds and smells. Many of which were unusual and new. 

One thing was not new. The clash of metal and the cheering of a bloodthirsty crowd. 

She started towards the noise, and he wordlessly put himself in front of her. She was not armed, foolish thing. Clearly she needed protection. 

He would examine his reasons for offering so quickly later. 

Or never. 

It didn't take long to find an opening from which to peer into the arena. Two fighters circled each other, both armed and carrying shields. But neither seemed hurt - he could see no blood, no careful shifts in weight indicative of pain. Furthermore, even from this distance he could see one grinning. 

Even he was not unfamiliar with fighting for money. 

“They do this for sport?” He asked, just to be sure. He did not wish to be wrong about this. 

“Pretty much,” she answered, stepping up next to him instead of hanging behind. He very intentionally did not scold her. “They get to show off and they probably have fun. I have no idea if there's any kind of prize, though. Probably not. This is probably just for bragging rights.” 

“Bragging rights.” He was familiar with such a thing - anyone would after being friends with William for so long. It wasn't the worst reason to fight he'd had. He eyed his companion out of the corner of his eyes, wondering if she was the kind of woman that enjoyed a man who'd won bragging rights. 

Perhaps he’d find out. 

He grabbed her wrist and took off as soon as the fight was over. “Who is in charge?” 

“Bill, he's over there.” The young man who answered looked startled, young and untested. 

Tovar started off towards the aforementioned Bill, paying little attention to the woman behind him except that she was keeping up. 

“How do I join?” He demanded of Bill. He noticed his companion stumble into his back, but he didn’t move, holding steady to help her regain her balance. 

Bill eyed him, giving him a very clear once over. Then nodded once, short and sharp. “Hey, Jax!” 

“Yeah?”

“Let's see if we can get this guy placed in the ranks. What's your name?” 

“Tovar.”

“Tovar, then.” 

Jax grinned, a bright expression, and looked at his companion. “And what about you?”

Tovar could have scolded the boy. She clearly wasn't a fighter, didn't have the experience needed. 

“Nope,” she squeaked before Tovar could open his mouth. “I am good. I know nothing.” 

“Come on, then.” 

Tovar smirked at his companion before following Jax into the center of the ring. This, he knew. This he could do. It was easy for him to watch his opponent, to see how he would attack, to launch his own attacks. He held himself back from doing real damage, even as things escalated. 

Jax was not bad. Not as good as he was, of course, but not bad. He had to put in some actual effort to disarm him.

“I yield.” The words clearly rang through the arena, despite Jax's surprise. 

Tovar stepped back, the official victor now, and sheathed his sword. 

Well. He may have shown off a little about sheathing his sword. 

The cheering didn't matter to him. He didn't care about those people watching. 

He cared about his companion. He found her easily and smirked, just for her. 

She looked awed, lips parted, eyes wide. 

He liked that look on her. 

That wasn't the end of it, though. What must have been half the fighters challenged him, ranging from woefully unprepared to an actual challenge. He handled all of them, scaling his own force and skill as needed. 

But if he took the time to show off more with the less challenging opponents, well… he knew she was watching him. 

But the real fun was in those fights that challenged him. The fighters who had experience, who had strength and skill. The ones who forced him to move faster, to pay attention to nothing but the blades at play and the man across from him. He relished the challenges, enjoyed pitting himself against the strongest this strange place had to offer, and emerging victorious. 

After his last opponent stepped away and his blade was sheathed once more, Tovar turned to find his companion. She stood in the same place, still watching him, still awed. 

He wanted to taste her awe, straight from the source. 

“Have fun?” She asked, unable to meet his gaze for more than a moment at a time. 

“It was a decent challenge,” he admitted, sauntering towards her. “Not the hardest I've faced.” Her clear nerves would have put him off, except that her nerves were fluster rather than real unease. She didn't move away from him, showed no signs of repulsion or disgust. 

“I'd like to hear about that sometime.” She finally met his gaze, holding her ground. And oh, how delicious. 

Bragging rights may be all he had officially won, but he figured if he was lucky, if he played this right, he might win more than that. 

“Hm.” He lowered his voice intentionally, watching her carefully for her reactions. “Did you enjoy watching?” 

Her tongue darted out, wetting her lips, apparently without her conscious decision. “Yeah, you were great. Very, um, impressive.” 

“Seems I won bragging rights.” He pressed his luck, moving even closer. 

“Uh huh.”

“What else did I win?” He dared to lean in closer, close enough to smell her. Just a hint, just a whiff. Just enough to whet his appetite. 

And then his stomach rumbled, announcing his hunger to the both of them. 

“Food!” She suggested, voice over-bright, nerves winning. “We should eat, it's past lunch time, there's tons of places here, I'll let you pick where we get lunch!”

Tovar sighed, shoulders dropping as she shuffled away from him. He’d pushed too hard. Of course he had. Damn. But he still nodded and grabbed her wrist to keep track of her in these crowds.

But she surprised him yet again. She twisted her arm in his grasp until she could hold his hand. The simple gesture was… confounding, actually. 

She denied him then touched him like this? Blasted woman. Confusing. 

But perhaps he hadn't pushed so hard as to break his chances, after all. 

And he had never been opposed to a good challenge before. 

The food area was busy, noisy, and too damn confusing. Tovar recognized a few languages, even if he couldn't read them all, but this? He had no idea what this was. Couldn't read a word of it. The deficiency made him grumpy, especially since she clearly had no trouble reading all the offerings. 

Failing the ability to tell her what he wanted, he simply pointed to some pictures that looked good. 

So many offerings. So many smells. It was dizzying. 

But it was so easy to stand and wait for her, as she had asked. 

The food tasted good, still hot and definitely not days old. He ate his share, keeping a careful eye to be sure she ate enough. 

A careless man bumped into her from behind, jostling her. Now, Tovar was not normally one for manners, and he well knew that busy places like this had things happen all the time. But he found himself on his feet, reaching for a dagger. This woman was his to protect, after all. A job he took with more pleasure than he'd felt over a job in years. 

“Tovar,” she said, alarmed. “Don't you dare.” 

He glanced down at her, considering, then looked back after the man. Hm. Not worth the trouble, then. He'd obey her wishes for now. He sat again to finish eating, though now he kept a closer eye behind her. 

When she asked about his plans, though, he merely shrugged. He didn't have any. Had no idea what to do next. This place still made no sense, and he could see well enough to know that fighting was not going to be a viable way to live. Not here. 

So no, he didn't know what he was going to do. He didn't know how this worked. 

But he could hope that she continued to look favorably upon him. 

She told him about her plans, which didn't sound like much, but he was hardly in charge here. But then she asked the very important question. 

“You gonna stick around with me or head off?”

It was everything he could do not to immediately say he'd stay, as long as she let him. Instead he forced himself to breathe in. Couldn't be too desperate. “I'll stay with you. I still deserve a reward.” 

She bounced up to her feet, so he followed her lead. She was by far still his best option here. 

So he followed her as she wandered in and out of tents, looking at wares set out. 

But when she looked at weapons… well. He couldn't let her have an inferior weapon. 

“This is ill made,” he told her, choosing a knife at random to show her. They were all of inferior make, after all. It didn't matter which one he chose. “See there? Not suited for combat.” 

“Uh. What am I seeing?” She looked positively bewildered. 

Good. That was how he'd felt most of the day. 

“Here.” He pointed to the weak point again, holding the knife a little closer to her. He could see it clear as day. But then again, his father had been a blacksmith, and he knew his way around all manner of weapons after a lifetime of fighting. 

“I'll take your word for it,” she said on a sigh, though she still smiled a little at him. She couldn't see, then. Not that he was surprised, truly, given how she had reacted to him fighting in the arena earlier. 

“Hm.” He put the knife back, looking over a few others. “I would not purchase anything from here.” 

“I wasn't going to, I just like to look.”

A slow smirk curled his lips, and he pressed his advantage, stepping closer to her. “If looking is what you like, I'd be happy to show you mine.”

She looked at him, wide eyed, and stammered a little. Hm. Not the enthusiastic consent he'd been hoping for, but not bad either. She was not moving away, nor was she objecting to his closeness. 

But here was not the place to finish charming her. 

He herded her outside, scanning the area quickly for a quiet spot. As soon as he spotted it, he was off, keeping her in front of him. Wouldn't do for her to run now, after all. Not when he was close to what he wanted. 

Perhaps he simply needed to show her she had the chance to leave. 

It took mere moments to back her into the wall, and she made the most adorable little noise he'd ever heard. 

“Tell me to stop,” he told her, moving closer, heart racing with his hunt. She had the power here - he just needed her to see that and then settle. “And I will.” 

His hands hit the fence on either side of her, caging her in. She squeaked again but didn't say a word, eyes wide as she watched him. He moved slowly, giving her time to think, to speak up, to object. 

And then he kissed her. This, he knew, he could do. He could convince her with his lips and teeth and tongue. He could give her a taste of the pleasure he would give her, enough to convince her and leave her wanting more. 

And oh how he hoped she would want more. He sure fucking did. He wanted to hear more of those delicious little sounds, see how smooth her skin was, feel her beneath him. 

He pulled back reluctantly, needing to see her reaction before he went for more. She blinked at him slowly, lips still parted, looking wonderfully ruffled. Best of all, she did not look like she wanted to stop. 

“Was there anything else you needed to do here?” He kept the question quiet, trying not to push. He needed permission. All she had to do was give him permission. 

“Uh. No. I'm, uh, I'm set.” She watched him as she spoke, one hand curled into the fabric of his top, keeping him from going far. 

Not that he had any plans to go anywhere. 

“Good.” He smirked, crowding even closer to her. One more test to make sure he was welcome. “I intend to find every spot that will make you whimper for me.” 

Her answering smile absolutely felt like victory. 

Especially as he intended to make good on his words to her, already planning his approach even as she took him by the hand to lead him out of the fair. 

[writeforfandoms-fics]

Made some LOTR fellowship Valentine Cards 💘💌

[writeforfandoms-fics]

Truly Madly Deeply

1k of pure rainy day Valentine's fluff, featuring established married couple Jack Daniels x f!reader. Enjoy.

Rain spattered the window in front of you, the steady noise rising and falling in intensity as the rain did. Gray skies kept the day dark and blurry around the edges, the world outside hushed and still.

“Probably a good thing we didn't have plans to go out.” Jack stepped up behind your chair, his hands landing on your shoulders, thumbs digging gently into the knots he always found in your shoulders and upper back.

“Mmm.” You didn't say anything else beyond the wordless agreement, tipping your head back to look up at your cowboy. He didn’t look disappointed at least, smiling down at you. “It's a nice day to stay in.”

“I can think of a few things for us to do,” he suggested, waggling his eyebrows at you just to hear you laugh. “Are you disappointed?”

“No.” You smiled at him, reaching up to rest one hand over his, his wedding band smooth under your fingers. “We've done the whole going out to the nice restaurant bit before. You know I'm not the biggest fan of busy nights, anyway.”

“I do remember.” His smile gentled, less teasing now. “You know all I care about is that you're happy, sugar.”

You couldn't help your absolutely besotted smile. “You don't have to worry about that, Jack. Let's go investigate the fridge to see what we can do for dinner.”

“We could order in,” Jack wheedled, though he released your shoulders to let you up.

You snorted softly. He had no problem with your cooking, and while he was no professional chef he was a whiz with a grill. “You just want an excuse to spoil me.”

“Only ‘cause you won't let me on a daily basis.” He pouted at you. Pouted! Like you'd denied him some great thing by telling him not to get you things all the time.

You rolled your eyes. “I didn't marry you for your money,” you pointed out, entirely reasonably. “I married you because I love you, you silly cowboy.”

Apparently nothing would do but kissing, judging by the way he nearly lunged forward to kiss you.

Somehow, he won the argument of cooking versus ordering in. You didn't fight him on it, really.

Especially not when he suggested one of your favorite restaurants.

He knew you too well.

You let him make the call, content to simply listen. Even after all this time living together, you loved the sound of his voice. Especially when he called you sugar. Or darlin’. Or even honey bunches (which he only pulled out when he was feeling particularly playful).

And when he was done with that, you took his phone and set it on the counter. He raised one eyebrow at you, curious but willing to play along. You slipped one hand in his larger one, your other hand settling on his shoulder as his phone started to play music.

His smile filled you with warmth, even as his free hand settled at your hip.

Neither of you were the best dancers, but you didn't need to be. All you wanted was to sway slowly with him in your kitchen, the steady thrumming of his heart as soothing as the music, the pitter patter of the rain the gentlest accompaniment.

He didn't pull away until the doorbell rang, and even then with reluctance.

“Be right back, sugar,” he promised, raising your still-clasped hands to kiss your fingers. “Maybe grab us some wine for tonight?”

“Sure.” You smiled, watching him turn away to answer the door. A view you always loved to watch.

It took practically no time to get wine and glasses, the cork popping out with a satisfying noise. You paused the music on his phone, preferring to have conversation with dinner.

You didn't expect Jack to come back with a bag of food containers in one hand and a giant bouquet in the other. You laughed quietly, incredulous, shaking your head.

“You are incorrigible,” you said, too amused to be properly scolding.

“You married me,” he said, sing-song and grinning, kissing you briefly before pulling away to take care of the flowers. “Can't not give my lovely darlin’ flowers today.”

Your heart swelled, watching him set the flowers in water and then in the middle of the table. This ridiculous, adorable man. Honestly.

It took no time to set up dinner, and the two of you chatted while you ate. He got cheeky and started a game of footsie, which you won by way of trapping his ankle between yours and deftly ignoring both attempts to pull away and the shaking of his shoulders.

The first roll of thunder caught you both by surprise, and you both paused to listen and look out the nearest window.

“Guess it's storming, now,” he murmured, still watching for the flash of lightning.

“Guess so. I didn't think it would.” You smiled, listening to the harder pattern of rain against the roof. “It's nice to listen to.”

Jack smiled at you. “Long as this one doesn't take out the power like last time.”

“Don't jinx it!”

The lights flickered and you both froze. When you looked at him again, he looked sheepish.

“Oops.”

You laughed finally, shaking your head. “No more jinxing us, love.”

“Yes, ma'am.” He stood and scooped up your plate. The two of you did the few dishes together.

And when the power went out twenty minutes later, Jack offered to keep you warm all night while bravely taking the gentle swatting at his shoulder.

[writeforfandoms-fics]

JENNNNNNNN

i am coming to you on hands and knees requesting anything star wars related. what are your thoughts on Boba Fett stumbling across reader left for dead??? maybe he's in a good mood and takes pity on us 😌 honestly im fine with whatever you cook up

Hee hee hee. Oh I have some Thoughts on this, indeed I do. I'm trying not to let myself get carried away with this, because I could probably write like... 5k on this. But! Here's a little something at least.

Warnings: Canon typical violence, threats of violence, off screen violence, mention of injuries, blood, sass and swearing.

Word count: 1.3k

GN!reader

Boba Fett was not a kind man. He had not lived a gentle life. In fact, he had done things that other men would weep at, had taken lives and destroyed them. 

No. He was not a kind man. Not gentle. Not soft. 

But his time as Daimyo had, perhaps, made him… indulgent. 

He stared down at the form below him. A person, curled on their side, one arm still protecting their head and one arm protecting their belly. Good instincts, although it hadn't seemed to serve them well. 

He didn't know this person. He didn't make it a point to know everyone in town, after all. Mostly just the noisy ones. So this person in the sand, alone, away from both the town and the palace, did not have a name to go with the bloodied face. 

If they died, perhaps he'd find out, if only to know who to send condolences to. 

He knelt carefully, knees creaking and protesting the movement. He'd not been kind to his body, which his joints especially now reminded him of. 

To his surprise, there was still a pulse. Weak, fluttering, but there. 

He paused, then. He could leave. Walk away. Leave them to die in the sands. 

Almost immediately, his heart rebelled. He would not leave someone to die in these sands, as he had been left to die years before. Especially since this person was not an enemy. Not a threat. 

“Fennec will never let me hear the end of this,” he murmured to himself, briefly making a face behind his helmet. Gloved hands found secure grips on the lax body, and he lifted. It was not as easy as it had once been, but he managed well enough. “If you live through the night, that is.” 

Even loaded down with new cargo as he was, it didn't take him long to return to his speeder bike, and from there to the palace. It was an interesting balancing act, to keep himself and his passenger from tipping over into the sands, but one he managed well enough. 

To his complete and utter lack of surprise, Fennec greeted him before he'd made it even two steps inside the palace. 

“Is picking up strays going to become a habit?” Her tone lacked real bite, and she opened the door ahead of him. 

He grunted, shifting the dead weight in his arms, lowering them gently to a bed. “It wouldn't need to be if no one was left to die in the sands.” 

Fennec huffed, a sound of mixed amusement and frustration. “I'll grab the bacta.” 

–

You woke slowly, aching and stiff. But still alive.

That made no sense. 

Cracking open your eyes proved to be a monumental effort, and you winced as light hit your eyes. It wasn't even that bright, you discovered after a minute of blinking streaming eyes. Just enough to see by. 

To see that you were in a room. Not on the sands. Not being cooked under the suns. 

What had happened after you'd passed out? 

Attempting to push up to sit proved to be a painful and fruitless endeavor, and you hissed out a pained breath as you gave up and laid back down. 

“I wouldn't try to move yet.” 

You felt like you nearly broke your neck trying to find the source of that voice. A woman, in orange and black, standing in a shadowed corner of the room. 

You opened your mouth to speak, but only coughed, throat too dry to make any intelligible sounds. 

“Here.” The woman crossed the room in a few long strides, offering you water. Your hands shook a little as you accepted, drinking your fill. 

“Where am I?” You kept hold of the water, hands clenched around the cup to hide your trembling. Not that you thought you were successful - the woman seemed too perceptive. 

“The Daimyo's palace.” Her lips quirked in amusement at your noise of surprise. “The boss will see you soon. For now, get some more rest.” She waved one negligent hand at you, already turning for the door. “It takes time to recover from almost dying.” 

The door shut behind her with a soft click, leaving you alone to your thoughts and your pains. Your pains were plentiful, making you grimace even as you finished your water. Your thoughts were more muddled and confused. 

Mainly because you still had no idea how exactly you had ended up here, of all places. 

Oh, sure, you knew of the Daimyo. Everyone knew of him, especially after the battle that had ranged the streets of Mos Espa. It was relatively well known that he was not a cruel man, nor a careless one. 

But none of your knowledge explained why you were here. 

It took a while for anyone else to come to your room. The door opened slowly, creakily. You turned your gaze from your own hands to the open doorway, having struggled upright some time ago. 

Green armor and black robes - the Daimyo himself. 

You froze, unsure if you should bow, more unsure if you even could right at that moment. 

He stepped into the room, slow but without hesitation. The helmet stayed fixed on you as he moved to a chair against the wall and sank down into it. 

Only then did he remove the helmet. 

You'd never seen him up close without his helmet. The silvery scars across his scalp caught the dim light, drawing your gaze, before you looked back at his eyes. You wouldn't stare, at least. 

“I found you half-dead on the sands,” he said, voice lowered and rough. “Unconscious.” 

“And you saved me?” You couldn't help the incredulity in your voice, or the way your fingers twisted into the bed linens. 

“I did.” He tipped his head, dark eyes surveying you carefully. 

“Thank you.” There wasn't much else you could say, not without more information, but you were at least glad to still be alive. 

“Who left you there?”

You swallowed. Ah. Of course. He wanted to know more. As was his right, you supposed, having saved you and all. 

“I don't know him well,” you started, gaze dropping to your hands where they curled and twisted around the sheets. “I caught him with spice, clearly planning to sell. I wouldn't care much, but I know the kids around there. So I told him to go elsewhere.” You grimaced. “Don't think he took my suggestion.” 

“Do you know his name?” 

You shrugged. “First name, sure. I can tell you where he was, give you a description.” 

He nodded slowly. “Why did you confront him?” 

You couldn't help yourself. You snorted, and then dearly regretted it. Eyes still watering from pain, you managed to choke out, “I couldn't not. Not like I meant to get into a fight, not that it was much of a fight.” 

He was quiet, then, watching you still with that absolute focus. Then he nodded once more, pushing back to his feet, helmet in hand. 

“You will stay here to recover,” he decided. “I will find this man and remind him why exactly he should not go behind his Daimyo's back.” 

“Thank you,” you said again, somewhere between grateful and annoyed. “But I can go home to recover.” 

“Not until I find out how many are involved,” he said, an easy declaration that left no room for argument. “You will be safe here.” He lifted his helmet, sliding it back into place, leaving you once again looking into the black visor. “Get some rest.” 

He swept out of the room as regally as he'd swept in, the door closing behind him. 

Well. That was one way to win an argument, you supposed, eyes closing against your will. Hard to argue with someone who's not present. 

Well. Maybe this stay wouldn't be all bad. At least you wouldn't have to hobble around your own kitchen. 

[writeforfandoms-fics]

Shatter Me 20

Find the series masterlist

Uh. Okay. So. I'm sure this is not what you're expecting, but trust me when I say it's going to be okay. I have A Plan.

Warnings: Emotional turmoil, little bit of abandonment, canon compliant, swearing, emotional overwhelm.

Word count: 2.4k

At Fett’s insistence, you joined him up top, settling into a seat with only a little hesitation. He wasn’t chatty, and he was harder to read than Din, at least to you. But his presence was… not quite restful. Almost soothing.

You were confident, if nothing else, Fett wouldn’t let any harm come to you. For Din’s sake, even if not for your own. That was fine. You didn’t care as much why. 

And Din definitely had more friends, more pull, than you did. Which was funny, considering how he came across at first. 

The blue and white of space outside lit the interior, casting odd lights on everything. 

It could have just been you and your sentimentality, but… it didn’t look as nice from here. From this ship. 

“Prepare to exit jumpspace,” Fett said over the comms, helmet briefly tipping your direction. You grimaced and held on tighter to the straps of your seat. 

“Copy that,” Bo Katan’s voice came over the comm. “Get the hell out of there as soon as they clear us to dock. And your shots have to look convincing.” 

“Power up those shields, princess. I’ll put on a good show.” You didn’t have to see him to guess at his expression. He sounded darkly amused, something that niggled in the back of your brain. A learned response to that tone, a warning to hide. 

Not that you had anywhere to hide on this ship. Not that you needed to hide from him. 

“Watch out for those deck cannons,” Bo Katan shot back. Something in her tone made you think she didn’t like Fett very much. 

“Don’t worry about me. Just be careful in there.” Fett sounded quieter. Softer, almost. You couldn’t tell how much he was speaking to Bo Katan, or to Fennec and the others. (You guessed more to Fennec and Din, considering he already had a relationship with them.) 

The ship jolted a little as it dropped out of hyperspace, and you took a deep breath. Go time.

Not that you had to do anything but hold on.

Fett didn’t waste any time, firing on the other ship. If you hadn’t known the plan, you would have thought it was real. Fett swerved to follow the ship, and your stomach swooped with the motion. You couldn’t hear what was going on in the other ship, but you did see when the first TIE fighter deployed. 

“Kriff,” Fett grumbled, more to himself than you. 

You glanced at him, eyes wider than normal, and swallowed hard. The plan was not to get embroiled in a real firefight. 

Green flashes from behind made you clench your hands tighter around the straps. At least one TIE fighter had gotten behind you. Fett didn’t seem bothered, all his focus on the controls, even as he chased the other ship towards the Light Cruiser. 

He broke off at the last moment, swerving away. The ship juddered with an impact against the shields, made worse when Fett spun the ship around to shoot the TIE fighters still following. He evened out the ship and jumped back into hyperspace.

And now you waited.

“Alright there, little one?” His tone had gentled some as he addressed you. 

“Yeah,” you answered, only a little higher than normal. “I’m fine.” 

He hummed softly but didn’t disagree with you. “Mechanic, huh?” 

You blinked at him, surprised at the relative small talk. Then again, the two of you would be waiting for an unknown amount of time… Might as well. 

“Yeah. Started when I was a kid. My dad taught me everything he knew.”

He nodded slowly, hands relaxed on the controls. “My father taught me to be a warrior,” he mused. “And left me this armor.” 

“Is that why you’re helping Din?” The question left your mouth before you could think about the repercussions. 

He looked at you again, assessing if you had to guess. It was hard to guess with the blank visor staring you down. “He returned my armor to me,” Fett agreed. “And I swore to him that I would see the child safely returned to him.” 

You nodded slowly. It made sense, from what you’d come to know of Mandalorians through Din - they valued their armor above basically everything else. Although you had seen that Fett was willing to take his helmet off, more like the other Mandalorians you’d met what felt like ages ago. 

“I started traveling with him because my sister pushed me to,” you admitted, speaking slowly. It felt good to say, even if you didn’t think Fett really cared. “He terrified me, at first. But… I’m glad I stayed.” 

“Loyalty is worth more than any credits,” Fett agreed. “Especially when that loyalty goes both ways.” 

You looked at him, startled, ready to object on autopilot… But he was right. Din was loyal to you, in a lot of ways you hadn’t really looked at before. Your heart swelled, warming you through. 

Fett’s chuckle made you dip your head, embarrassed. 

“You may as well get comfortable,” he advised. “We may be waiting a while.” 

You took his advice. You didn’t leave, because you didn’t want to be taken by surprise when the call came in, but you did undo the straps on your chair. You relaxed. You listened to the ship, what you could anyway while it was semi-parked in open space. 

You still wanted to get a look at the innards of the ship. Maybe if there was time after Din and Grogu came back. 

After all, Din’s ship was gone, so the three of you would probably need to get a ride back to… somewhere. You weren’t sure where exactly. 

You’d figure it out later. Once Din and Grogu were back with you. 

Somehow, you still jumped when the comm crackled to life.

“All done here,” Fennec said from the other end. “Ready for pickup.”

“Copy that,” Fett replied, already inputting the coordinates again. “Anything I need to know about?” 

“Not until you get here.” Fennec didn’t sound foreboding, exactly, but… You wondered what that meant. She would have said something if someone was seriously hurt, right? 

You didn’t have long to spiral in your thoughts, though. Fett grunted acknowledgement and pushed the ship into hyperspace. 

It wasn’t long until the ship dropped out of hyperspace, revealing the Light Cruiser. It didn’t look any different from the outside. 

But you weren’t so concerned with that. 

Fett found a place to dock the ship. Fortunately, he didn’t try to stop you when you scrambled out of the ship as soon as you could. 

You needed to see Din and Grogu, see that they were okay.

Din met you in the hanger, looking a little ruffled but fine, helmet firmly in place. But his arms were empty. 

You couldn’t see Grogu.

“He went with a Jedi.” He spoke softly, not keeping you waiting. 

“What?” You froze, feeling as if you’d misunderstood somehow. Because Din had promised you that he and Grogu would come back. 

“A Jedi came,” Din repeated slowly, hands open at his sides. He didn’t move towards you. “I let him go. It’s what I’ve been working towards. For him to be with his own kind.” 

You breathed in, tears blurring your vision. You’d known that, you’d known Din wanted to find a Jedi to take Grogu, but… now? So soon? “I didn’t get to see him,” you whispered, heart aching. 

Din shifted forward and stopped himself, pulling back slowly. “I’m sorry,” was all he offered, visor fixed on you. 

You shook your head, too emotionally overwhelmed to answer him properly. One shaking hand lifted to wipe the wetness from your cheeks. 

“Is he okay?” you finally managed to ask, voice trembling. “Was he hurt?”

“He’s safe,” Din promised, finally taking a single step closer to you, both hands lifting like he wanted to take hold of you. But he didn’t. He held himself back that last little bit. “He is unharmed. And he will be safe with the Jedi.” 

You nodded, even as your shoulders hunched tighter. Which was ridiculous. This was what you’d wanted, right? For the kid to be safe, to be with his own people?

…Right?

Fennec slipped silently past you with no more than a glance and a quick touch to your shoulder. Your breath shuddered on the way in, and you tried to wrestle yourself back under control. You were making a fuss and you didn’t need to. Everyone was safe. No one was hurt. 

Even if Grogu was gone. 

“So what now?” You wiped your eyes again, refusing to meet Din’s gaze, even if you could. Instead you focused on his chest, checking the beskar for any new marks. 

“We see if Fett will take us somewhere,” Din said, hands falling back to his sides, hands opening and closing like he wanted to grab something. “From there, it will be easy to find passage to another planet.” 

You nodded slowly, trying to slow your breathing and calm yourself. It wasn’t easy. But you managed it after a few minutes of quiet. 

“Okay,” you croaked. “Okay.” 

Din stepped closer, slowly, like he expected you to reject him. When you didn’t, one hand took your elbow, helping to steady you and hold you close. 

“Ready?” he asked, low and quiet. 

You nodded, unwilling to trust your voice for now. Din helped you back onto the ship, staying next to you. 

“If you need transport, I am going back to Tattooine,” Fett said before either of you could ask. 

“That would be appreciated,” Din accepted with a nod. 

Fett inclined his head and climbed back up into the cockpit, Fennec following him up. 

Leaving you and Din in the hold together. 

The ramp closed, and Din ushered you to a seat, seeming concerned. You didn’t brush him off, needing the stability of him to regain your own internal balance. 

“Are you sure he’ll be okay?” you whispered, half-certain Din wouldn’t hear you as the engines whirred back to life. 

“He will be,” Din answered with more confidence than you could fathom right then. “We will see him again.” 

You breathed out slowly, soothed despite yourself with his confidence. Grogu would be okay, at the very least. If you were lucky, you'd see him again. Things would be okay. This wasn't the end. 

The trip back to Tatooine was largely quiet. You were already thinking of offering to look at Boba's ship, as a bit of repayment for the ride and his help. Only if he wanted you to, though. 

Din sat next to you the entire trip, one thigh pressed to yours, his pauldron hurting you a little where it dug into your shoulder. You didn't say anything about it - the pain was rather grounding, helping you to focus on the here and now, rather than spiraling out of control again. 

But the second time your head tipped sideways and thunked against the beskar, Din removed it, leaving his softer flight suit instead. 

You had to admit, his shoulder made a better pillow than his pauldron did. 

His arm shifted, giving you a little more room to settle in, and you melted against him with a tiny, contented sigh. 

No, things were not perfect. Or even good. But this? This was a lot. This was good. 

And in a life that hadn't had a lot of good things, especially recently, you clung to the good things. 

The ship shuddered as it entered atmo, and you blinked rapidly. When had you even dropped out of hyperspace? You didn't remember. Had you actually fallen asleep? 

Din seemed unruffled when you sat up, merely shifting his weight, helmet tipping towards you. 

“Sounds like we're almost there,” he rasped. 

“Yeah.” You straightened a little, glancing at him. “Where are we going next?” 

Din hesitated, holding very still. “I'll need to check in with the guild,” he said slowly. 

“Okay.” You could work with that. You'd already spent a good portion of your life not knowing exactly what came next. This wouldn't be so hard. Not with Din. 

The ship landed smoothly, and all of you exited. Boba had set down near the spaceport, within easy walking distance, but still away enough from what crowds Tatooine had to have some privacy. 

“You should be able to find passage from here,” he said, inclining his head towards the large transport vessels. “I will be remaining here, on Tatooine.” 

Din inclined his head. “Your help has been invaluable. Thank you.” 

Boba returned the nod and walked back onto his ship. Fennec lingered near the ramp, facing away from you and Din. 

And Din… Din looked at you. Hands open at his sides. He breathed in deep, straightening his shoulders. 

“Maybe you'd be happier staying here.”

The world fell out from under your feet. Your heart plummeted, chest constricting so tight you were surprised all your organs didn't simply give up. No. There was no way… Din wasn't… He wouldn't… 

“This life is dangerous,” Din continued. “You know that. It's hard on you. I've noticed. I don't even have a ship anymore.” 

All true, but. Why was he leaving you? Why now? You'd thought… you'd thought… 

“I want you to be safe.” Din reached out one hand, slowly, until his glove-encased hand closed around yours. “I have things I need to do. Things that are for Mandalorians.”

You shook your head slowly, too stunned and overwrought to form words, or even to cry. 

“I'll check on you, when I come back,” he promised, voice low and intent. He really thought he was doing what was best. “Be well. Stay with Peli.” 

He released your hand, which dropped limp to your side, cold and unfeeling. He stepped back, your feet rooted to the sand, heavy and thick. 

He turned and walked away. Your shoulders hunched. Your world shattered. 

You stared after him, unblinking, unmoving, even as grains of sand stung your face. 

“If you're looking for a job,” Fennec said from somewhere behind you, voice even and casual, “we could use a mechanic. There's a lot of work that needs to be done.” 

You breathed in, everything muted. You couldn't feel your extremities. Couldn't feel much of anything past the vice wrapped around the gaping loss in your chest. 

There was nothing else for you, now. 

“Let's go.”

[writeforfandoms-fics]

Shatter Me 19

Find the series masterlist

So! Here we are. Almost to the end of arc 1. Uh. Just remember there is a second arc still to come. This is not the end of the fic.

Warnings: canon typical violence, swearing, emotions, Mech's typical feelings of inadequacy etc.

Word count: 1.2k

You hated space battles. If you were never a participant in one again, it would be too soon. 

You clung to the straps on your seat, jaw clenched tight. Nobody else seemed concerned, Din and Cara both seated but ready to jump up at a moment’s notice. 

This was all part of the plan, you reminded yourself. This was supposed to happen. The battle was part of the plan, and then they’d be able to get the reinforcements, and then get the kid. 

But kriff you hated this part of the plan. 

You grimaced as the ship jolted, just a little. Docking with the Imperial ship, by the feel and the sound. 

Sounded like those gears could use a little work, too. 

If you ever got the chance to work on them. 

Din and Cara stood, and Din spared you one last glance. Probably making sure you were staying put. You didn’t move, still holding tight to the straps, unlikely to let go any time soon. 

You really hated space battles. 

From where you sat, you couldn’t hear much of the conversation that happened. Just a demand to put the blaster down, a shot, and then vague talking. Not loud enough for you to hear the words, but enough to make you curious.

Up until the blaster shot, and the screaming. You winced, the sound rattling around in your head. You’d heard screaming like that before. 

Your shoulders were still hunched up when Din and Cara escorted the doctor on board, sitting him away from you. His gaze darted around, unsettled and uncertain. Your heart ached at that look, and you were quick to look away.

This felt a little too familiar, now. In the wrong ways. 

Din touched two gloved fingers to your shoulder, but didn’t say anything. That was fine. You weren’t sure what there was to say, anyway. 

Cara and Fennec piloted the commandeered ship, while Din stayed in the hold with you and Pershing. Pershing kept his head down, occasionally fumbling with his glasses, seemingly content to try to blend into the wall. 

You didn’t blame him. You rather wanted to blend into the wall yourself. 

“We’ll be landing soon,” Din told you, stopping in front of you to look down at you. The visor reflected the light back at you, impenetrable and emotionless. “To get the others.”

“Okay,” you agreed softly. “Need me to do anything?”

Din shook his head. “Fennec and Cara will take care of him,” he said, jerking a thumb in the vague direction of the doctor. “You can stay here.”

You nodded, trying not to slump. It made sense, it was a good decision. You just… hated feeling useless. “Okay.” 

Din hesitated, like he was going to say more, but the ship rumbled as it passed through atmo. He sighed, just audible under the helmet, and sat for landing. 

You swallowed as you listened to the ship move, the wind against the hull, the gentle clicks and ticks of a working engine. Even if it was an engine that could use a tune up. 

The ship landed easily, and you stood as Din did. Sure, you weren’t going with him, but you could peek down the ramp to see what the planet looked like. 

Not terribly exciting, all told. The buildings you could see looked a little run down, a little older. Not the most attractive area.

Not the worst you’d seen, either. 

“Stay here,” Din reiterated, even as Cara and Fennec boarded to collect the doctor. Fennec kept a firm grip on him, Cara seeming mostly uninterested. “We won’t be long.”

“Okay.” You hated how uncertain you sounded, and attempted a smile when Din looked at you. “I’ll be right here.” 

He nodded once and left, Fett walking after him, spurs clinking with every step. 

The ramp closed behind them, leaving you in the ship. 

It wasn’t hard to entertain yourself. This ship had very different systems from the Crest. No carbonite unit, for one. Different displays. And, of course, the cockpit was entirely different. 

You were not brave enough to climb up there without Fett on board, but you did poke your head up there. Just to look. 

The rotation was fascinating, and you wanted to study it further. If you had the chance. Not many ships were set up this way, and your fingers itched with the desire to see for yourself how it worked, how it was all wired and put together. And maybe make some improvements while you were looking. Maybe. 

You were not a nosy person, not anymore. But after being alone on the ship for a while, well… you went poking around. Just enough to find where the rations were and the water. And to check the ‘fresher. 

By the time the ramp lowered again, you’d resorted to laying on the floor, mapping out the different panels in and along the ceiling. You’d already done more than half the ship, but sat up when you heard the ramp lowering. 

Boba Fett boarded first, sparing you no more than a glance before he headed up to the cockpit. Din stopped next to you, crouching to be closer to your height. 

“Did they agree? Whoever you went to meet.” You curled your hands around each other, fingers alternately stretching and curling, a mindless tic to help ease your tension.

“Yes.” Din paused a moment, visor fixed on you. “We have a plan.”

“A plan is good,” you agreed slowly, ignoring the sinking in your gut.

“You’re staying here.”

Well. You hadn’t expected anything different. It shouldn’t hurt to hear those words. It shouldn’t. 

It did.

“And you will be…?”

“The rest of us will board the light cruiser,” Din said, matter-of-fact. “That’s where Moff Gideon is, and Grogu.”

You nodded slowly. You didn’t need him to tell you to know that this would be dangerous. “And you’ll bring him back,” you pressed, slowly but with conviction.

“I will.” He inclined his head, as if to seal a promise. 

“Okay.” You blew out a slow breath, fingers shaking as they disentangled. You reached for him instead, hesitant at first, until gloved fingers closed around yours. “As long as both of you come back.” Voicing your fear, your hesitation, aloud seemed to help, as his grip firmed on you and he leaned in closer.

“We will,” he swore softly, so close now you could almost hear him without the interference of the helmet. “This is the way.”

You breathed out slowly, eyes closing for a long moment. “Okay,” you agreed, so quiet you almost didn’t hear yourself. “I’ll stay here.”

“Thank you.” Din pressed the forehead of his helmet to your forehead, the gesture affectionate somehow. “I’ll be back soon. With the kid.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” You smiled, eyes damp as he pulled back. “Stay safe, as best you can.” 

He nodded, getting to his feet and using his grip on your hand to pull you to yours, as well. He paused there, looking at you, like he wanted to say more. 

Instead his shoulders dropped a little at a call from outside. The others were ready to go. He needed to leave.

You understood. You did! You weren’t even upset, really. Just… tired. 

You watched him go, the ramp closing behind him, and tried hard to ignore the sinking feeling in your stomach that something was going to go terribly wrong.

[writeforfandoms-fics]

Go make it happen

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The holiday fic for the grump and his person! Everyone thank @oonajaeadira for giving me the idea.

Word count: 1.5k

Warnings: Fluff. Lots of fluff. Lack of holiday drama.

Your second Christmas with Pero, because the first wasn't anything special.

You hummed to yourself as you set the presents out under the little fake tree, just for you and Pero. You still had two more days until Christmas, but you liked to be prepared. Especially since William and Mel would be joining you for dinner Christmas night. 

It would be nice to have some company. Last year, Tovar’s first Christmas in this time, you'd been busy and distracted with explaining things to him. The day hadn't been much.

You were hoping for something a little more this year. 

Arms around your waist made you smile, and Pero nuzzled into the back of your shoulder from behind. 

“Too busy,” he grumbled. “Come back to bed.”

“I'm getting ready,” you reminded him gently, laying your hands over his. “Remember? We've only got two more days.” 

He grunted, clearly displeased. “Too busy,” he repeated, his grip on you tightening. “You do not have much time to relax.” 

You sighed softly, fingers stroking over the back of his hand. He was right, you hadn't had much time to relax, and your time with him had been cleaning and decorating and prepping. “Two more days and things will quiet down again,” you promised. “Besides, this is a fun time of year. I want to enjoy it while it lasts.”

With one last wordless grumble, Pero released you. “Tell me what to do.” He was a funny mix of resigned and determined, and you hid your smile. 

Your sweet grump. 

“Just have to get down the plates for dinner,” you said, turning to look at him. “And then I think I'm done for today.” 

“Which ones?” Pero stepped into the kitchen, glancing back at you. 

“On the top shelf, yes, those ones.” You watched as he reached up to grab the plates, the hem of his shirt riding up and revealing a strip of skin. He had a healthy layer of fat on him now from regular meals and regular work, still strong, still voracious, but less desperate.

You let yourself be quietly proud of that bit of padding. He wouldn't have that if not for you, after all. 

Pero got down the plates and set them on the counter for later. “Is all?” He grunted, looking back at you.

You pulled your gaze away from his midsection to nod. “Now we're done for the day.”

Pero immediately swooped on you with a playful growl, ignoring your shrieking laughter to pull you down with him. 

Christmas morning was, admittedly, lazy. Neither of you needed to be up early, there were no screaming kids (except elsewhere in the building), no urgency at all. So the two of you enjoyed a slow morning in bed together.

You did get up (against his wishes and ignoring his grumbling) to wash up and start on food. Mel was bringing food too, and the group would have a mixed feast. Honestly, you were looking forward to that. 

Especially since by now Mel had the hang of cooking enough for everyone, including Pero the black hole. 

Pero grumblingly set the table before you could ask, and you made sure to reward him with a kiss. 

You did not let him distract you entirely, and turned away to hide your smile at the sight of his pout.

Mel and William arrived a little early, which was fine. By then, the apartment smelled delicious, and you had donned a cheerful Christmas sweater, while Pero had been gently bullied into a festive shirt. Mel showed up in a beautiful holiday dress, blue and swirling with snowflakes, hair up in a high ponytail. William wore green (and reminded you just a little of Robin Hood, not that you'd ever tell him that). 

After hugs and greetings, you and Mel set out all the food on the table while Pero and William spoke quietly together in Spanish, huddled off to one side of the living area like a couple of miscreants. Which they rather were… you decided the best course of action for your sanity would be to ignore them. 

“How are you doing?” You asked Mel, moving a plate of chicken to make more room for her dishes. 

“Actually, it's… really nice.” Mel smiled, surprised and happy. “He's nice to live with. And I like him, which helps a lot.”

“It does,” you agreed, snickering. “I hope he's less work than Pero is.” 

“Probably,” Mel agreed instantly, making you both giggle. 

“How's work going? Still a shitshow?” 

Mel made a complicated expression, and you settled in to listen to her bitch. Honestly, you loved these talks. You hadn't had a friend to talk to like this in a while, and you enjoyed it. To you, this was more rewarding than simple coffee meet ups. 

William and Pero rejoined the two of you, both relaxed. William looked at you and grinned, opening his mouth to say something only to be halted by Pero's swift elbow to his side. You eyed Pero but he looked mulishly unrepenting, so you decided to let it slide. Especially since those two had many years of history between them. William didn’t even seem to care, still grinning. So you shrugged off their antics as the giant children they sometimes were, and settled down to eat.

Dinner was delicious, and filling, and included probably a little too much wine. Mel got especially giggly after her second glass. William looked amusedly besotted, which you hadn't even realized was a thing. 

Then again, given the frequency of looks Pero shot your way, maybe you shouldn't be surprised. He looked at you what felt like every thirty seconds, fingers fidgeting with his utensils or napkin or tablecloth. But he didn't seem tense or nervous, no more surly than usual, so you dismissed it as having too much energy. 

William shooed you and Mel out of the kitchen to do dishes, with Pero packaging up leftovers. That was very nearly a gift in and of itself, giving you two another chance to collapse and relax. And maybe drink some water. 

Finally, Mel called it a night, with William at her side to make sure she didn't stumble on the way back down to her apartment. You shut the door once they rounded the corner, smiling to yourself. 

“That was fun,” you said, smiling at Pero. 

“It was,” he agreed, faintly surprised. “Was a good idea.” 

“Thanks.” You stretched your arms up over your head, still warm and sated from good food and good company. “Movie tonight?” 

He paused for a moment before he nodded. “Pick,” he told you, hands curling at his sides again. “I will return.” 

You blinked at him once but shrugged and plopped yourself on the couch as he headed back to your shared bedroom. Okay. So he was acting a little weird. Maybe he was over-socialized for the day. That you'd completely understand. Or he'd had too much to eat - you'd seen that before, several times. 

But that wasn't quite right either. 

Well. You'd figure it out. Or he'd get over whatever this was. Either way. 

You stretched your legs out in front of you, flexing your sore feet. Worth it, though, for today. 

Pero emerged from the hallway, still looking unusually shifty. Even more unusual, he had something in his hands. 

You sat up, interest piqued. But you let him approach at his own pace - asking or pushing too hard would make him even more flustered. 

And while that was sometimes fun, not this time. This, you could tell, was a bit too sensitive. 

“Is for you,” he grunted, halting a couple steps away and pushing his hands out to you, along with the small black box nestled therein. 

You took the box delicately, letting the weight of it sink into your fingers. One last curious look at Pero gave you no hints. 

So you opened the box. 

A simple gold band glinted at you from the dark velvet interior of the box, no adornments on its surface. 

Your jaw dropped. Your eyes widened. Time froze. Your heart thumped everything into overtime, rabbit-fast and hard. 

You slowly lifted your gaze to Pero.

“Will no mean anything to anyone else,” he grunted, still shifty, looking away from you and then immediately back. “Cannot legally marry you, so…” He trailed off, toughness cracking to show the vulnerable softness hidden underneath. 

“You mean it?” You asked, hands shaking. You needed to know. You needed to be absolutely certain.

“Yes.” He met your gaze finally, head on and steady, even though his fingers trembled. 

You didn't drop the box even as you leaped to your feet, grabbing him in a desperate kiss. His reply was every bit as heated. 

The two of you paused long enough for him to slide the ring on your finger, the metal cool and weighty against your skin. You both admired it for a moment, the color of it against your skin, the fit of it. It did not escape your notice that the ring fit perfectly. 

With a needy little sound, Pero kissed you again, his fingers twining through yours until the gold band pressed into both of your skin. 

In the back of your mind, you made a note to find him a ring too.