The Last Spartan... Master Chief x Reader
"Spartan's never die, they're just missing in action."
Warmth…… light…. Soft, yellow light. Delicate tendrils of light bending and twisting as they filtered through the lush, green layers of trees. Sweet, the fragrant scent of apples and fresh wildflowers wafting through the air.
*Child giggling*
“Come on, Daddy! You been sleeping foreverrrr.”
Two dark eyes slowly opened, a hand flexed, and a small crack could be heard from his shoulder as he rotated his arm, a slight hiss escaping the prominent figure. He looked to his left, startling slightly, when he saw the small child beside him.
“Come ON, Daddy, Mama’s gonna eat all our pie!”
The figure was struck by disbelief. Where was he? Was he asleep? Hallucinating? Maybe some of the drugs he’d placed for the Spartan had leaked and infected him! The little girl beside him giggled, pulling on his arm.
“Come on, Daddy! Up! Up!”
The large figure staggered to his feet, his breath catching when he saw he had been asleep under a large pine tree…. A particular pine tree. As he watched the young girl running off, he could see a house at the bottom of a steep hill. The hill was filled with flowers and herbs of all kinds, but primarily daisies. They were her favorite.
“Daisies….” The figure whispered to himself,
*Child giggling*
That laugh, that little mischievous giggle, was joined by a lighter, breathy chuckle—the joyous, familiar sounds echoing off the walls of the valley the house was positioned in.
“Come down for lunch, Cali. You’ve been up there all morning!”
The figure tilted his head to see a woman appear in the doorway of the house, her shirt a brilliant color of yellow, bringing out her dark hair. The figure took a tentative step forward, was this real??
“Heheheee, come on, Daddy!”
A small hand reached up, grabbing the larger figures in her own. The figure looked at the face of this small girl with her cute band of freckles and light, sandy brown hair smiling. He’d missed her so much.
“After lunch, I ha-have something for you.” The little girl confessed as she pulled the large man down the hill. He chuckled at how she stumbled over her little feet,
“Here… let me just- There you go!!”
“WEEEEEEE!!!! Mummy, look at me!” The little girl squealed with delight, holding her arms out at her sides as the male picked her up and ran with her,
“Thank you for choosing Sunshine airlines today. Please stay seated until the craft has come to a complete stop.” The male figure laughed as he lowered the small girl to the ground, straightening up to look at the woman in yellow.
“You're going to pull a muscle doing that one of these days.” She laughed, leaning in to kiss him softly. The figure hummed as he reached up to gently cup her face, his thumb caressing the hollow of her cheek.
“Ewww, grown-up cooties.” The little girl made a face of disapproval, her nose scrunching.
“Would you like kisses to Sunshine?” The male joked, chasing her around the kitchen, making kissing noises as he did so. The little girl squeaked as she scampered to get away from him, her laughter ringing pleasantly in the man's ears.
“Alright, you two, that’s enough.” The woman chuckled, waving a hand towel at the man as he came to a complete stop.
~~~~~~~~~~
“That was yummy.” The little girl declared as she finished off the last of her apple pie. The man grunted in agreement as he watched the woman in yellow get up from her seat. Hearing every one of her steps before it even happened, the little girl scampered down from her chair and pulled on the man's arm once more.
“Okay, come on, Daddy, I got somefing to show you.”
“I think we should-
“Oh, don’t worry about me, Cali. She’s been dying to show you all day. Shoo, the both of you.”
The man allowed himself to be pulled along by the small girl once more, smiling fondly as her curly hair bounced up and down in sync with her steps. She led him to the meadow behind the house and had him sit,
“Now you gotta-gotta close your eyes.” The little girl instructed, holding something behind her back rather suspiciously,
“What are you up to, Sunshine?”
“Nofing! Close your eyes!” The small girl's slight lisp was adorable, compelling the man to do as she said. He closed his eyes, only opening them when he felt something tickle his forehead. At first, he couldn’t see what it was, but he could see a thin, yellow petal as he looked up.
“I made you a crown! Mummy showed me how to make them!” The small girl giggled, her laugh echoing all around him once more,
“Do you like it, Daddy?”
*Little girl giggling*
“Daddy?”
“Wake up, Daddy! You’ve been asleep!”
“Hehehehe!!”
“Cali!”
Cal-Cal-Magist-Magistrate?? Magistrate?? Are you alright?”
The grassy, floral hill began to wither, and the smiling girl faded away in a cloud of dust. The sunlight became obscured by dark, gray clouds that rolled in with a mighty gust of wind. And the male figure went from being surrounded by flowers to cracking cement walls. The joyous laughter turned to radio static and the warm, sparkling sunlight? Transformed into the cold, bitter darkness of the dimly lit room, he found himself in.
“No! NOOO! Give it back!” He cried, turning in a fit of rage with his gun out, pointed at the source of the interruption. The young ONI agent threw up her hands, looking absolutely terrified,
“Si-sir??!”
Callahan’s grip on the gun tightened, but his hand began to shake as a young female appeared next to the young ONI agent,
“Daddy??” She asked worriedly, her face showing concern, “What are you doing? Put the gun down….”
Callahan shook his head violently, “Leave me alone…….”
“Put the gun down, Daddy….”
“LEAVE ME ALONE!!” Callahan screamed, throwing the gun on the floor, crushing it with a single stomp, “GET OUT, GET OUT GET OUUUTTT!!”
“You’re scaring me, Daddy….” The young girl said, “She was trying to help you….”
“I DON’T NEED HELP!! RRAHH!!”
Callahan lunged for the young girl, but his hand phased right through her astral form, causing the young woman to disappear,
“No! NO! Come back, Mia! Don’t leave me!”
~~~~~~~~~
“What’s taking him so long?” You wondered, asking no one imparticular, you, Fred, Cortana, and Talis were back on the ship waiting for John’s signal to move the ship, and it had been well over an hour. At this point, you were beginning to worry John had been captured or worse.
‘Stop thinking that! John is better than that!’ You chided yourself as you sat there, watching as Cortana ran another diagnostic on the ship, poor Cortana… she and John had been partners before the ONI takeover, and to your knowledge, John was the ONLY partner she’d ever had, you could only imagine how worried she was. Maybe it was her worry that, in turn made you worry? I mean, you had no idea what John was walking into, and knowing Callahan, it was meant to try and hurt him. What did this guy have against John and his siblings anyway??.... John…. He’d looked so confident, so determined…so….
‘Handsome is the word you're looking for….’ Your mind interrupted, you jolted slightly from the direction your thoughts seemed to be headed in, I mean sure John was good looking… but-
“There! That’s the signal. Let's get moving.” Cortana urged. You quickly scrambled to the front of the ship, and after pressing a few buttons, you were gliding over the wasteland that was once ONI squadrons, looking for any signs of John.
“He’s gotta be down there somewhere….” You mumbled, “Fred, do you see anything from up there?”
“Negative, nothing yet….”
‘Come on, John…. Give us something… anything.’
“Hey, Fred, I think I see a flare a few miles-
*Static*
“Fred? Hello?”
“I should’ve guessed you would be here… Hello Little Bug.” Callahan’s dead, cold voice from the other end of the com made your blood run cold. How did he manage to tap into the ship's coms?!
“Callahan.” You spat, feeling a surge of anger course through you,
“Aww, that’s not the play of the game Little Bug-
“How did you manage to infiltrate our coms?” You demanded, earning Cortana’s attention,
“Oh, it was rather easy… but I won’t bore you with the details. I just wanted to have a little chat… after that impressive display when we met, I thought it only proper that I introduce myself.”
“I know who you are… you twisted bastard.” You growled, noticing Fred had gotten down from the main turret and was standing relatively close behind you,
“Temper temper Little Bug….” Callahan chuckled, “I can see why Johnny keeps you around. I assume you're looking for him at the moment?”
“What did you do??” Your voice now slightly raised, causing Fred to wince just a bit,
“I’m slightly wounded Little Bug. I haven’t done anything to him… yet.”
“You stay away from him.” Your voice dripped with venom, “All he wants is his family.”
“Dear (Y/N)...” Callahan’s voice was scarily close to John’s, the gruff sweetness causing goosebumps to travel up and down your arms. “Once he has his family, what do you think he’ll do then? Once he’s done using you…..”
“John isn’t using me.” You argued, but why wasn’t there absolute certainty behind your words?
“Do you really believe that?” Callahan scoffed, but his voice was…. Almost father-like in tone, “Once he has what he wants, you’ll be of no further use to him, just another nameless face who helped him in a time of crisis. You’ll lose everyone just like I did my daughter.”
“Your…. Daughter?” Your voice felt strained, Fred cringed at the mere mention of her,
“Yes, my sweet, baby girl, my only sunshine. You know what that’s like, don’t you (Y/N)? To be separated from your family…to be used.”
“John isn’t using me!” You insisted, feeling your anger beginning to rise once more,
“(Y/N).... when has he thought about you? Made an effort to ask how YOU’RE doing?”
“He–” You paused for a moment as you searched for something… anything. Come to think of it, John only talked to you recently when it was about Fred, his armor, or those few, rare times when the two of you seemed to bond over something as simple as guilt…… when had the two of you ACTUALLY talked about… the two of you? Callahan sighed softly,
“Good luck, Little Bug– If I’m right, he will need your assistance yet again.”
You smacked the console in frustration as his mockingly sympathetic voice rang in your ears. Fred placed a gentle hand on your shoulder,
“Don’t let him get under your skin (Y/N)...” Fred encouraged, “It’s what he wants.”
You nodded as you approached the signal flare and began the process of landing the ship, but still….. Why did some part of you believe him?
“I see him….” You announced, grabbing your compressed toolbox, pistol, and a portable energy field… just in case things got sticky.
“Fred, keep monitoring the coms. I don’t know HOW Callahan managed to get in but see if you can secure it somehow… and of course, be ready for a quick getaway.”
“Roger that…. Good luck.” Fred nodded, turning his attention to the coms as you exited the ship.
~~~~~~~~~~
The night air was warm and slightly suffocating as you ran from the ship to where John stood motionless. He was standing in front of an old, beat-up house that looked like it’d crumble if you blew on it.
“John…” You called, relieved to see that he was alright, but John didn’t answer… it was like he was… dazed.
“John?” You called his name once more, wondering what could be troubling him. You reached out, placing a hand on his arm, not prepared for the violent jolt followed by the muzzle of a pistol being pressed against your forehead.
“John! Hey, John, it’s me!” You exclaimed, holding your hands up in a non-threatening manner, this felt oddly familiar… it took a second, but John managed to come to his senses, quickly lowering the pistol once his brain registered that it was you.
“(Y/N)??” He sounded confused,
“Yeah, it’s just me, John.” You assured, “We came to get you after you transmitted the all-clear.”
“I–when did I?....” John’s voice trailed off, and at this point, you were becoming worried,
“John…….. Are you okay? Why do you sound so disoriented?”
“I’m fine….” John stated, but you could tell he was lying, he was unsteady, and his voice was too glazed over for him to be okay. It was then you noticed that his leg was bleeding… quite a bit.
“Fucking hell John!” You cursed as you knelt down to examine the wound. A bullet managed to hit him right on the upper inside of his hip.
“Out of all the times to get shot, John….” You mumbled as you tore a strip of cloth from your jumpsuit, being sure to tie it above the wound. John hissed in pain as you secured the knot,
“When did that happen?” You asked after you stood back up,
“Don’t know….” John groaned as he tested his leg. Why did he feel so sluggish? He looked past your worried gaze to the doorway of the house. Kelly was in there somewhere, waiting for him to save her. John pushed forward, barely taking a step before he found himself slumping against the house.
“Whoa, hey, easy, John.” You urged as he all but collapsed against the doorframe of the house. What was the matter with him?
“We have to get her out.” John felt like he’d drop at any second from how tired he was. Whatever drug he’d been affected by had completely drained him of his energy.
“I think we also need to get you back on the ship.” You said as you placed one of John’s arms around your shoulder, supporting him as he stood back up,
“No… I’m fine….”
“John, your not fine.”
John made no further argument as the two of you stepped inside the crumbling structure, John using his helmet lights to illuminate the room. As you carefully crept through the house, you looked around to see you were standing in a living room of some sort. The furniture was threadbare and broken, sitting in piles of rubble while the moonlight shone through the broken roof, illuminating the room in a bright, blueish glow.
“Where are we?” You asked quietly as the two of you made your way up a few stairs connected to a long hallway, John looked around several times before replying.
“I–I think this was my-
A sharp, female scream pierced through the air, causing you to nearly jump out of your skin, your feet slipping a bit after you’d landed. After readjusting your grip on John, you looked down to see what could’ve possibly made you slip and nearly gagged. You were walking….. In a trail of blood.
“Kelly…” John’s voice sounded so… small as he looked down at you, noticing how shaken you’d become.
“(Y/N)... focus, it’s just another one of Callahan’s tricks.”
“If it helps, it’s not her blood…… well… not all of it.” Callahan’s sick laugh causing you to shudder, “Good luck getting her out, Johnny boy… I hope you’ve enjoyed your time back home.”
John grit his teeth, frustrated with his weakness, as the two of you approached the end of the hall. There was a singular room to the right….. A familiar room… John groaned as he tried to move independently of your support, but he only managed to make it a few steps before–
“John, what were you thinking?”
Some form of…. A hologram appeared in the room, showing a teenage John and Kelly sitting on a log while cleaning a few lacerations. Honestly, you felt like you shouldn’t have watched as this appeared personal to John.
“It worked though,” Young John protested, “O-oww! That stuff stings,”
“Maybe if you hadn’t gone alone and made me stay in hiding, you wouldn’t be so banged up.”
“Kelly…. I’m fine. A few scratches won’t kill me… and come on, you knew the mission was to neutralize all the marines by use of the darts.”
“You still could’ve had at least one of us with you.” Kelly mumbled, “There.”
John glanced back at Kelly, offering a small smile, “Thanks, Kelly.”
The memory then burst into tiny little sparkles, floating around the room with the sound of innocent laughter. You glanced at John to see his hand clenched into a fist before dropping his arm from around you, stepping into what probably was his childhood bedroom. It was…. Empty… too empty, you opened your toolbox and removed a scanner, placing it on the floor as you suddenly got the notion nothing was as it seemed. From where you both stood in the doorway, you could see a dimly lit cryo-tube at the other side of the room, once again…. The space was empty.
“John,” You whispered, squatting down to look at the scanner as tiny dots began appearing,
“Don’t mo–
Your scanner lit suddenly up! An obnoxious alarm coming from the small device as you scurried to your feet, pulling John back as gently as you could with his injury.
“(Y/N) what are you–
“Laser field.” You stated, pointing in front of the two of you, “It’s an infrared laser field, one of us trips the laser, and my guess is…. Something bad happens.”
John thought for a moment, “Knowing Callahan. We’ll be killed in an explosion.”
“Give me a second,” You said, pressing a few buttons on your scanner, “Can you switch your helmet's vision to-.
“Done,” John stated as he looked at the sea of lasers almost directly in front of him. “How do we shut them down?”
“Well, there are a few options,” You began, placing a pair of round goggles on your face. You tapped a small sensor on the side and started looking around the room,
“We can either block the sensors… which unfortunately are scattered, so we’d essentially be trying to put together a puzzle, we can try to find a security panel with the controls, or they could be controlled remotely via a computer.”
John watched as you held your scanner up, moving the small screen around before it beeped again,
“There’s a centralized computer system just outside. Wait here…. I’ll go disable it.”
“Not a chance,” John groaned as he moved once more, “You’ll be defenseless while you're trying to disable that.”
“I’m going to need you here for when the laser array is down, your going to need to start the warm-up cycle on the cryo-pod so Kelly isn’t disoriented or in a panic like Fred was.”
John didn’t like the idea of sitting on the sidelines. In fact, he HATED the idea. Who knows if Callahan had additional troops that were ready to pounce as soon as you left the house? He wasn’t willing to take that chance.
“I’ll go instead. You can take care of the cryo-tube.”
“No,” You argued, “You’ll stay here, you don’t know what type of security this is and how it will work John, this is my field of expertise, and your injured, if someone is out there, then you’ll be no match for them in this state.”
“My point exactly,” John retorted, “If Callahan has more troops out there, you’ll stand no chance.”
“You know I was hoping after everything we’ve been through that you’d have a little more faith in me.” You quipped, feeling wounded by John’s words, “I’m not defenseless, you know, your not the only one who knows how to work a gun.”
“That’s not what I meant.” John shook his head, trying to order his thoughts,
“Then what did you mean, John?” You pressed, crossing your arms as you glared at him, “Because that’s what it sounds like.”
“I–
‘I won’t be able to protect you from in here…’.
You waited for John to finish his thought, but you quickly lost patience,
“Look, just stay here, we’re wasting time, and I personally don’t wanna be meeting up with your buddy Callahan.”
John winced as you gathered your things from the floor and turned to walk out. His hand, out of pure instinct, reached out, gently grabbing your upper arm. You stopped…. And turned back towards him, your brow scrunched in confusion.
“John?”
John felt as if time had gradually come to a stop as he stared at you, taking in your moonlight features, from the curve of your brow to the hollow of your cheek, trailing down to your lips. Since when was he so worried about you going off on your own?
“Where were you when I needed you?”
John shook his head. He didn’t need his mind clouded. He had to stay focused.
“John…. Are you alri–
“Be careful… If it’s too risky, get back to me as fast as you can.”
Something about the soft urgency behind his voice made your face grow warm, and a tingly feeling broke out all over your body as you continued to stare into his visor, almost being able to see the look on his face. You imagined his brow was furrowed in a serious yet concerned manner, with his deep blue eyes swimming with that unreadable emotion.
“O-okay…. Just be ready when I get the lasers down.”
John nodded, slowly letting go of your arm, the gnawing sensation of worry settling over his stomach. He should’ve gone with you….
“John?” Your voice coming in over his private com channel caused a brief feeling of relief before more worry settled in,
“I’m here….”
“Good, I just wanted to make sure I could reach you over the coms… I’m almost to the panel.”
John listened to the sound of your soft breathing as you scurried about outside, finding the sounds quite soothing. At least he could hear what was going on around you.
“Fuck….” You whispered,
“What is it?” John asked,
“The security panel is rigged to blow if a hack is detected… this is going to take me a second…. Stand by.”
John heard the furious tapping of keys and a few muffled curses, for several minutes,
“Okay, I think I have to where the system thinks the admin is accessing remotely….. I’m transmitting the security codes to unlock the tube now….. And if I didn’t do my job right then, we’re all about to die…. Shutting the lasers down in 3…2…1… now.”
John heard the sound of a computer shutting down, then a quiet gasp,
“What’s wrong?” John questioned, worry settling into his stomach once more. You were silent…
“(Y/N)... talk to me, what’s going on?”
“We have five minutes…..they’re coming, John….”
John wasted no time in springing from his current position against the wall, hissing sharply from the sudden pain that invaded his side. He’s lucky the shield upgrade was so good, or else the bullet would’ve gone right through his hip and shattered both the bone and torn the tendons.
“I hope that cryo-tube is almost done warming up….” As you reappeared beside John, you stated, “We’ve got a lot of incoming.”
“How many??” John as he typed in the security codes,
“Too many, I’m guessing their friends of the squads you killed.” You joked, trying to keep the mood light as you began the process of loosening the heavy bolts on the sides of the pod.
“I doubt it,” John replied with just the tiniest bit of amusement in his voice, of all the times to be joking, “but if you had to guess?
“I’d say easily two hundred, maybe more. They’ve got heavily armored trucks and some troops armed with rockets.”
John cursed under his breath as the cryo-tube began whirring to life, the light inside flickering weakly as it made a loud hissing noise.
“Get ready,” You said as you nudged John in front of the cryo-pod, going to the controls, “Cracking the case now.”
As the cover began to rise cold, icy steam poured from the inside of the pod until it had covered the room in a fog. John braced himself for quite possibly the worst-case scenario but instead found himself catching a half-conscious Kelly. His injury screamed in protest as he slid to his knees, cradling her chilled, armored form.
~~~~~~~~
“Kelly…. Kelly, wake up!”
“Mmm… go ‘way Sam…” Kelly groaned as she tightly pulled her blanket around herself. Why was she so cold?
“See? I told you she’d make it! John, she’s awake.”
A gentle, firm hand rested atop Kelly’s aching head, causing her newly augmented eyes to slowly open. Despite the throbbing and stabbing pain she felt, she could make out the familiar faces of John and Sam as they knelt beside her bed.
“Why do you both look so amazed?” Kelly asked after Sam had managed to convince her to drink some water,
“You were on the edge for a while, Kels… we were scared you weren’t going to make it,” John informed gravely as he sat on the left side of her bed, Sam quickly moving to sit on her right.
“I told him he just needed to trust in you a bit more.” Sam glanced over at John with a smirk, expertly concealing his own worry. Kelly smiled as she looked at the two of them.
“Don’t you both remember that we agreed it’d be you two that are the death of me? Being so slow and all.”
“Hey now… no need to rub it in.” A small smile spread across John’s face as he gently held one of her hands in his own, Sam copying his action as the three of them shared a quiet moment of collective joy in an otherwise grim medical bay.
~~~~~~~~
“I don’t like this any more than the others do, Chief…” Kelly began as she and John packed close to a weeks worth of rations into their UNSC issued backpacks. “Callahan seems to have known our every move. He’ll see this coming.”
“This is one he won’t expect.” John assured, “He’ll be expecting us to stick together like we always have.”
Kelly wanted to ask him where he’d go so badly, but she knew John wouldn’t tell her even if it was for her peace of mind. If Callahan managed to learn John’s location because of her, she’d never forgive herself. John sensed the inner turmoil Kelly was experiencing and stopped her thoughts in their tracks as he placed a hand on her shoulder,
“Focus on staying alive….” Was all he said before standing up, grabbing his helmet from the seat beside him,
“John….” His name felt somewhat unfamiliar on her tongue now. She’d grown so used to having to use his rank that they both seemed a little surprised.
“If something happens………….”
Kelly’s words felt trapped in her throat, she didn’t even want to entertain the possibility of the worst, yet it seemed to be the way things were headed.
“You run…… I’ll find you,” John promised, glancing back over his shoulder at her once more before slipping his helmet on and sealing his suit. That was the last time she’d see him….. Maybe ever.
“I’ll find you……..”
~~~~~~~~~
Kelly felt like she’d been trapped underwater, her hearing was muffled, and her body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. Her eyelids felt as if they were cracking as she slowly opened her eyes, seeing nothing but blobby shapes at first as her helmet was lifted off her head.
“-- She alright? Is she alright?” An unfamiliar voice asked. Kelly’s head spun as she attempted to glance around, trying to get a grasp on where she was,
“-Elly…. Kelly, can you hear me?”
That voice….. So… familiar…. It reminded her of the snowy forests on Reach, the warm sun in the outdoor training yard, and brought about a feeling of constancy. This voice had always been beside her, leading her, caring for her when she was too weak to walk, teasing her along with Sam. Kelly slowly began to look up, her eyes trailing over his familiar armor, and eventually meeting his now helmetless face. His brownish/red hair hadn’t changed. In fact, she could still see his freckles.
“To-Took you long enough slow-slow poke.
His deep, blue eyes showed immense relief as he gave her a small smile.
“Found you, Rabbit.”
~~~~~~~~
You felt a slight prick of jealousy overtake you as you busied yourself with scanning the closing enemy forces, hearing John speaking with such…. Tenderness was foreign as he was usually Mr. Gruff, tough guy who just rolled his eyes and couldn’t stand still.
‘What am I thinking, get a GRIP on yourself (Y/N), this is his sister…. You’d act the same way, probably more, if you were in his shoes.’ You chastised yourself as you released a few of your small bug drones into the air, flying it over the house.
“What do you think he’ll do once he has his family back?..... You’ll no longer be of use to him, and you’ll lose everything like I did my daughter.”
You clenched your jaw, willing Callahans’ voice to go away as you took in the view from the skies,
“We’re so fucked.” You whispered, glancing back at John, who was making quiet conversation with Kelly.
“How is she?” You asked, walking over to the two of them and kneeling beside John,
“She’s very disoriented.” John replied, “And she’s showing signs of extreme exhaustion.”
“After two hundred years, I’d think exhaustion would be the last thing she’d be exhibiting.” You chuckled in spite of yourself. “I hate to break this up, but we–
“We need to move.” John finished, “What’s the status on the enemy?”
You bit your lip as you showed him your feed on your small screen, “We’re in trouble….”
“Congratulations! You managed to survive. After all, two hundred years seems hasn’t passed for you at all, has it, Johnny boy?”
John was glad Kelly was so disoriented. He feared that she’d go into a blind panic as Fred had,
“And I see you’ve managed not to blow up, how sad….. I take it Little Bug was of use once more?”
John noticed your hand clenching into a tight fist, a growl escaping your now clenched teeth.
“You know I’m all for a touching family reunion, but I fear that this is where the pathetic quest ends…. You should’ve fled when you had the chance… ALL FORCES! OPEN FIRE! I WANT THEIR CORPSES ON BOARD BY O-SEVEN HUNDRED!”
You barely had time to register what was going on before John was pulling you down and swung around, so he was shielding you from the onslaught of bullets that began piercing the walls, taking several shots to the back.
“John!” You exclaimed as the three of you fell forward, John grabbing his and Kelly’s helmet and placing his over your head in one, fluid motion as you all laid flat on the floor. You screamed as a bullet struck right by your hand, instantly pulling your arm closer to your body.
“Any ideas?” You asked as he helped Kelly slip her helmet back on,
“Can-can we exit the building and flank them?” Kelly asked, her voice still sounding distant,
“Negative, they have armored vehicles and heavy artillery on every side,” John informed, ducking as another bullet struck the floor by his leg,
“Are you guys alright in there?! John! (Y/N) Come in!” Fred’s voice suddenly rang over the coms. He must’ve found a way to get them working!
“Fred!” You’d never been happier to hear his voice in your entire life, “We’re pinned down in the structure, we have Kelly, but Callahan deployed the rest of his forces on Eridanus here.”
“Of course he did.” Fred spat angrily, “Is there any way you can get out of the building? If you can, it’ll enable me to fire one of the high-velocity shock missiles from the ship's hull.”
“Unless we’re digging a really deep hole, there’s no way we can get out without being ripped to shreds.” You stated grimly, you glanced over at John, who was still covering Kelly’s vulnerable form, he appeared perfectly calm, but you could tell from how quick his breathing had become that he was… scared. John was afraid… afraid of dying in this crumbling structure that once was his home, fearful of losing his family that he was just starting to reclaim, and maybe…. Just maybe….. He was scared to die. No one can in one hundred percent honesty say that they don’t fear death. It was inevitable. But just because something is inevitable doesn’t mean you can’t have at least a slight fear of it.
“Fred…” John’s tone was grave as he spoke into his com unit,
“Don’t even say it, John.” Fred growled, “There’s got to be something else we can do. I can take the ship and do a few fly-by shots.
“They’ll shoot you down.” John retorted,
“Well, it’s better than what you're suggesting!” Fred argued. You could hear how strained his voice was, “Don’t ask me to do that, Chief.”
It was in the middle of that high-strung emotional conversation, with bullets flying all around you, and your mind in a complete scattered mess that you remembered….
~~~~~~~~
“Take this….”
“What is it? It looks like the shield module I’m going to be installing in John’s armor.”
“I tweaked your original design a bit, it’s a portable energy field that uses the same technology but is stronger, and it's shockwave resistant. You’ll be safe should you need to use it.”
“Ever the tinker, huh Jamie?”
“Pfft, and HOW many times has my tinkering saved your arse?”
“Did you hear me denying ANYTHING? It was a compliment.”
~~~~~~~~
“Fred!” You interrupted, “Prime that missile for launch, and when I say you fire the damned thing!”
The look you received from John was one for the books, “What are you–
“I have an idea, trust me….” You shouted, fumbling in your bag until you pulled out the module.
“How is a shield module supposed to help us?!” John yelled over the increasing volume pulling you back towards him as a massive chunk of rubble fell from the wall as they’d begun assaulting the house with rockets.
“It’s not a shield module. Just trust me!” You replied, slamming it down on the ground. The three of you were instantly enveloped in a purplish, blue bubble.
“This is a–
“FRED, FIRE THAT MISSILE!”You yelled, looking over at John, “Then I want you to take the cloak off and get ready for emergency launch!”
“Keep a tight grip on Kelly, we’re going for a ride.”
You took John’s helmet off your head and slipped it back on over his head, the seal closing.
“You’ll need this a LOT more than I will.”
“Firing now!”
“(Y/N) this is–
“Insane? Yes, it is, but if this works, then it’s worth it.” You stated as you took the small armor cube out from your bag, sticking it to your chest and activating it, the lightweight armor covering your form like a second skin. Time seemed to come to a drastic standstill as your heartbeat drowned out the rest of the noise, it drowned out the noise of the missile hitting, the feeling of complete weightlessness as you, John, and Kelly were sent rocketing through the air as the force of the explosives combusting sent the three of you shooting into the air and on a direct course for a patch of trees by the ship.
“This is gonna hurt….”
~~~~~~~
“UP! (Y/N) get up!!”
You groaned as your eyes fluttered open, your ears were ringing, and your body felt as if you’d had something heavy roll over it several times.
“Can you hear me? get up!”
Your spinning vision finally focused, and you found yourself staring up into Fred’s concerned eyes,
“Fred? What are you doing–
“You're as crazy as the Chief, you know that? Crazy, but brilliant.” Fred stated as he pulled you to your feet,
“Whe-where are John and Kelly?” You asked as Fred ended up having to half carry, half drag you to the ship a few meters away.
“They're already on board,” Fred assured, “You were thrown the farthest due to how light you are. Our armor doesn’t exactly allow a lot of air time.”
“I-I’ve noticed….” You chuckled, your side was killing you, and you were pretty sure you had several broken ribs, despite the Zir’s armor being so durable, hitting a few trees that the speed you had more than likely been flung at was bound to result in something being broken. As Fred sprinted up the ramp, your blood ran cold, and you felt like you would be sick. Kelly was cradling John, who was lying in a pool of his own blood, his back and side bleeding profusely.
“John!!” You cried as Fred sprang to the front of the ship, you sank to the floor beside him, holding your side as you looked over at Fred,
“He’s losing a lot of blood Fred. He’s never going to make it back in time!”
“Then we’re going to have to do the same thing for him that you did for me.” Fred replied, “Kelly, are you functional?”
“Affirmative…. Still a little dazed, though.”
As Fred initiated the take-off and shot you into slip space, he then removed his helmet and picked up a few tools.
“It’s good enough.”
(4 Weeks Later…..)
“How are you feeling today Kelly?” You asked as you placed a bowl of stew in front of her, since returning to the Zir’s cave Kelly had been showing signs of withdrawal and was still disoriented. She was also extremely sensitive to loud noises and would randomly get headaches or bad nose bleeds.
“Better, thank you…” She replied as she picked up her spoon and began to eat, you had made sure she was relocated to the quietest part of the caves near Fred and John which she was grateful for. The two of you had actually started to become decent friends, but with her mind, in the lagging condition it was in she was also having memory problems… except for when she had nightmares. It was almost a nightly ritual for you now, randomly, at certain times in the night, you’d get up and make rounds. Give James their tea, Fred his hot chocolate, and Kelly preferred a warm snack before going to check on John…….. John.
You repressed a heavy sigh as he came to mind, he’d become incredibly sick over the past few weeks, apparently, his wounds had never properly closed (due to his stubborn arse refusing to stay still), And had been running a high fever for the past… five days now. You were worried feeling partly responsible for his condition, if he hadn’t pulled you down he’d only be dealing with one gunshot wound and not four.
“Did you need anything else?” You asked as Kelly ate, she shook her head before glancing at you.
“A puzzle maybe.”
“Huh…. well, I’ll see what I can find… I’ll be back later.”
After leaving Kelly’s nook, you had to take a second and catch your breath before making your way to John’s section. You pulled back the heavy blanket to see John glancing around the candle-lit room in a fevered haze. The IV bag distributing his medication and keeping him hydrated nearly empty once again.
“Your awake….” You whispered as you quickly crossed the room to stand next to his bed, John glanced up at you squinting his eyes.
“(Y/N)?....”
“Yeah it’s me…” You nodded watching as John attempted to sit up,
“No, don’t try and move,” You urged, “The doctor said your wounds are infected, we just barely got you the medication before it turned ugly.”
John groaned in pain as he managed to prop himself up a bit, rearranging his blankets which consisted of furs and other heavy materials.
“Kelly…. How is she?”
You felt your heart sink a little more everytime he asked that, not once since you’d gotten back had he asked about you, it was always about Kelly and Fred. Which granted, they’re his family, you were just hoping that you possibly might have been important enough to be on his mind.
“She’s good…. She seems to still be disoriented, and she can’t be in the main caverns yet, she’s apparently really sensitive to sound. But she’s eating and sleeping plenty.”
John nodded shaking his head to try and clear the fog that had settled over his mind,
“You need some water?” You asked, noticing how he kept licking his lips, John nodded, groaning as another shiver ripped through him. You reached for the pitcher of water on the wall beside his bed, being sure to place a straw in it before handing it to him.
“Take small sips, you’ve been having trouble keeping things down.”
“I have?” John asked after a few sips, you nodded.
“You were in a bad way John… You kept vomiting, passing out, you couldn’t eat anything, not even broth.”
John’s brow furrowed as your expression crumbled, you bottom lip quivering before you started to sniffle. This woke up his partially drugged brain as he stared at you,
“(Y/N).... what’s–
“Don’t you ever do that again…” You managed through clenched teeth, “I was fine, you did-didn’t need to get shot because of me.”
John watched as you sat down in the chair beside his bed, burying your face in your hands.
“It was my own, stupid fault. If I’d been faster they wouldn’t have gotten the upper hand.”
John was silent for a moment, his deep, blue eyes studying you carefully for a moment,
“It wasn’t your fault (Y/N).” He consoled, “Callahan knew exactly what he was doing, if it wasn’t for your quick thinking we’d all be in body bags right now.”
In the midst of your crying you felt something gentle grasp your chin, tilting it upwards to meet John’s gaze. His eyes held that unreadable expression as he then placed hi hand on the side of your face, his thumb brushing away your tears.
“The wounds will heal, I wasn’t going to let anything happen to you.”
You hiccuped as John’s gaze turned soft, averting your eyes, your heart had begun beating incredibly fast at John’s words and the already warm room felt scorching hot.
“I’ll go get you something to eat, the doctor said you needed to at least try and eat something today.”
~~~~~~~~
Since that day you’d become strangely…. Distant, which confused the hell out of John, He also noticed that everytime you came to see him you looked…. Exhausted, and were limping just a bit… but also when he asked about Kelly and Fred while still on bedrest you looked…. Sad. Throughout the next few weeks, John found himself missing your company, your snarky comments and even you calling him snowman. When he heard your name from Fred or someone else he felt…. Light and happy. But everytime the two of you would lock eyes, you’d scurry away, or when you’d come into the repair bay you wouldn’t even spare him a glance. These odd behaviours made no sense and were becoming slightly hurtful to John. A few weeks ago you’d been crying and fussing over him, what was bothering you? Did someone somehow manage to figure out how he was feeling and tell you? Had he said something? Done something?
‘He’s just worried like any sibling would be…’ You told yourself, yet you couldn’t help but hear Callahan’s voice echoing through your thoughts.
“When was the last time he asked about YOU?”
~~~~~~~~
“And what do you think he’ll do once he has what he wants? You’ll lost everything, just like I lost my daughter…. My only sunshine.”
“John isn’t using me!”
“(Y/N) earth to (Y/N)...”
You snapped out of your trance as John waved his hand in front of your face,
“You’ve been staring at the wall for five minutes… your food is going cold.”
“Oh…. I didn’t notice.” You replied as you poked at your dinner, John raised an eyebrow as you poked at your food, you were never one to turn your nose up at food, especially not when it was top tier beef. If there’s one thing he knew it’s that you loved your meat. John cleared his throat after a few moments gaining your attention once again.
“Can I speak with you?”
“About what?” You asked copying him as he glanced around the cavern,
“Somewhere a little more isolated?”
You sighed as you got up, leaving your half eaten dinner on the table,
“Okay, have it your way…”
John’s brow furrowed as he got up from the table, following you as the both of you wound your way up to the surface. The elevator ride up to the top was long and awkward. Once the two of you were at the surface, you were able to see the stars just beginning to twinkle through the pink and orange clouds of sunset. The wind was harsh but not quite as cold…. Spring was definitely on it’s way.
“What’d you want to ask me?” You questioned, raising an eyebrow as you looked up at John.
“We need to start looking for Linda, we’ve been out of the game for too long.”
You don’t know why, but your anger instantly burned red hot. THAT’S what he needed to talk to you about? The scenery was set up so perfectly for any other topic, but this?
“Oh my god….” You breathed shaking your head, “He was right… the bloody lunatic was right.”
John’s brow scrunched in confusion, “Who was right about what?”
“Callahan…” You blurted, “He told me while I was coming to get you on Eridanus II, that all you were doing was using me… and at first I didn’t want to believe it. Because I honestly wanted to think after all this time that I actually MEANT something to you. But he was right, I’m nothing more than someone you can use right?”
John’s eyes went from confused and concerned to ablaze with anger, you hadn’t seen him this angry since you’d made him agree to let you go with him.
“You should by now that he just wanted to get under your skin.” He began, “If I was using you I wouldn’t have allowed you to do anything other than upgrade armor and fly a plane.”
“Which is about all you’ve done John. You haven’t asked ONE time about how I’ve been doing since leaving Eridanus II, in fact the ONLY time you asked me how I was doing was because you needed my help to find Kelly. Other than that it’s arms length, so why shouldn’t I think your just using me? For all I know the only reason your keeping me safe is because without me you couldn’t navigate your way through the universe.”
John was fuming, had all the time you two spent together meant nothing to you? Those few fleeting moments of eye contact? Those accidental hand brushes, the time where he kept your hands warm, when he’d displayed concern and worried over you leaving his side, had all of that been empty gestures? Aside from that, why did he feel like someone was taking a knife to his heart? Why was he so upset by this?
“I thought you were smarter than that.” Was all he managed to say, his voice strained from the anger and sudden lump in his throat, what was happening to him?
“Oh you– you know what? Maybe I AM smarter than that. I’m smart enough to know that you ONLY seem to care is when we’re getting shot at or in those very rare moments when I actually seem to think you care. Other than that you overlook me, I might as well not exist. So how about you go ask Fred for help with finding Linda I’m sure he’d be happy to help.”
You held your side as you limped away from John who just stood there, staring at the place you’d just stood, what had just happened?
~~~~~~~~
You buried your face in your pillow as you cried for what felt like the upteenth time that week, why had you said that? You didn’t mean any of it…. Well the part about being hurt by John not asking about you yes… but you knew deep down he wasn’t using you.
“You’ve got to stop hun… beating yourself up about it won’t make it any better.” James remarked as they brought you a cup of tea. You’d been holed up in their room since your argument with John and they’d been gracious enough to be the middle ground. Going as far as to keeping John away so you could heal and rest.
“I’m such an idiot Jamie….” You sniffled as you sipped your tea, James sighed as they patted your back,
“Your not an idiot hun… You’ve been chasing his family down and when your injured or upset he doesn’t even ask how your doing…. You have a right to be upset.”
“Bu-but I don’t want to be…. I jus-just want him to talk to me… like we’re actually partners.”
Jamie frowned as they placed an arm around (Y/N’s) shoulders, “I think there’s another reason your upset isn’t there?”
You looked over at Jamie in confusion, “Wha-what do you mean?”
James deadpanned with a: Are you kidding me?? Face.
“We’ve been friends a long time, I dare say there’s no arguing that we’re the only friend the other has…… and I’ve seen how you are around him.”
You felt your face grow warm,
“You like him…. A lot don’t you?”
~~~~~~~~
“And she’s refused to even see you?” Fred asked in disbelief as he looked up from his current blade project, John nodded.
“Everytime I’ve tried James has been there to tell me she needs to recover. I still don’t see why she would think that Callahan was right… I thought she trusted me more than that.”
Fred looked over at his leader….. His brother before standing up straight, brushing his hands on his soft, leather apron.
“Have you told her?”
John looked over at Fred, raising an eyebrow, “I don’t follow.”
Fred chuckled, crossing his arms, “Chief, I know you, we’ve grown up together, we’ve fought together…. And I know how you are when it comes to talking to people. Especially about personal matters.”
John wasn’t sure what Fred was getting at, “I still don’t follow.”
“I’ve seen what you’re like around her Chief.” Fred began, “You get excited when she walks into the room, you hated the idea of getting her involved in the first place… but especially after finding me. You argued with her about her disarming a laser field because you didn’t want her out of sight…..”
John felt his face flush and he suddenly felt very exposed,
“You want to be close to her don’t you?” Fred’s question was more like an indirect statement, of course he wanted to be with you…. He missed you.
“Yes.”
“Then you need to tell her. Tell her everything you told me.” Fred advised before going back to his blade,
“Since when did you become an expert in relationships Fred?” A female voice inquired, John and Fred looked up to see Kelly standing in the doorway of Fred’s workshop. She looked tired, her skin was slowly regaining it’s normal, healthy color. John noticed she was a bit unsteady and quickly walked over to her, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.
“You need to be careful Kels.” John gently scolded as he walked her back to her nook,
“I am John.” She replied with a dry chuckle, “At this rate I’ll die in that bed then from Callahan’s agents.”
“Not funny…” John said as he helped her sit down, making sure she had water and something to eat before spending the rest of the day with her.
~~~~~~~~~
The next day, John was rudely awoken by James invading his nook.
“Where is she?!” They yelled, John shot up from his bed, grabbing his sidearm and turning the safety off, only to find James also had their pistol drawn.
“What are you doing??” John demanded as the two kept their weapons trained on each other,
“You heard me Spartan.” James seethed, “Where. Is. She??”
“Who– (Y/N)?”
“No Kelly you dumbarse OF COURSE (Y/N).”
“I thought she was staying in your room.” John said as he sprang from his bed, throwing a shirt on.
“She was, until I came back from night watch to find her gone.” James informed John finished dressing,
“Well where would she go? There aren’t many places she’d wind up.” John felt his chest begin to constrict with panic. What if Callahan had learned where you were hiding and taken you? Or maybe you’d decided you’d had enough and just gone ho– that’s it.
“I know where she is.”
~~~~~~~~
‘I’m so stupid.’ You thought as you curled up on your couch, you’d just wanted some space to think, being so close to John was both heartbreaking and maddening, so you’d gone home in hopes that you could sort out your feelings and thoughts there. It was there you’d come to the conculsion that you needed to apologize to John for hurting him, but also…. You needed to come up with a way to tell him how you felt also. You missed him. You missed his occasional jokes, the way he’d roll his eyes at something stupid, hanging out with him while you installed something or repaired his armor, his rare but occasional smiles, the way his brow would furrow in concentration or the way he’d stare at you those few times you’d actually felt sparks between the two of you.
You were so caught up in your thoughts that you didn’t even notice a vehicle pulling up in front of your house or John frantically sprinting to your front door, using the key you always kept under the mat to let himself in. Upon hearing the lock click you looked over expecting to see James walking through the door with a fiery temper about to reign down on you. Instead it was……. John?! He glanced around frantically before his eyes landed on you,
“You had the entire Zir colony up and looking for you and nearly gave James a heart attack you could’ve left a no–
John’s next sentence died on his tounge as you seemed to appear in front of him, wrapping your arms around him tightly. John was stunned… too stunned to move. So he stood there awkwardly while you hugged him, slowly, but surely returning your embrace.
“I’m sorry…” Your voice was slightly muffled by John’s shirt, “I’m such an idiot…”
John gave you an empathetic look as you pulled away, still keeping you within arms length as he rested his hands on your shoulders,
“Your not an idiot (Y/N)..... you were right. Other than a few isolated incidents I didn’t make much of an effort to ask about you, and for that I’m sorry.”
You looked up at him in slight surprise, not expecting him to be so… open about it. But you were glad nonetheless as you smiled at him.
“How are you feeling?” John asked as the two of you stood there,
“Sore but fine…………”
There was a long pause before you decided to just up and tell him, it was now or never. Gathering your courage, you took a short breath.
“I missed you.”
John felt his chest tighten once more, most of it due to that fluttering feeling invading again.
“I missed you too…”
After that things seemed to shift, while you made breakfast for the two of you, you could feel John’s gaze on you the entire time. And while you were eating one of his hands gently rested atop your free hand. This unspoken, electric charge beginning to build between the two of you…. Was this…. What you thought it was? There’s no way he could…. right??
Ha! You thought you were getting a love confession? Not yettttt, these two have a wee bit more to go. Once again all the hugs and kisses to my beloved mutual @inactivehermit for helping me with this. I enjoy our brainstorming sessions.
Tagging: @morganas-pendragons,@vex-fox@inactivehermit,@kfcspicychickensandwich,@aot--levi--ttd,@bigfoot-is,@captain-of-my-game1992,@howlingmoonaite,@catalystof2ndthoughts,@tranace-con,@alpha-wo1f2,@stageworksx,@windbluume, @j-ma26-rb,@xback1021.
