"You can't escape my cuddles" with Tom and Chyler
I am so sorry for taking so long to finish this prompt, but I am finally finished with it! I hope you enjoy it :D
Tom bent down and rested his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. He had been through a lot over the course of his life - Covenant invasions, the resurgance of ancient alien conquerors, even a robotic uprising like the science fiction stories of the turn of the millennium.
None of that had even begun to prepare him for this. He was flinching at every shadow, his heart hammering in his chest with every breath he took. He knew he was running out of time; he'd found somewhere to hide, to frantically try to finish his project, but he knew deep down that it wasn't going to be enough.
"I know you're in here... you can't hide from me."
The voice was chasing him... haunting him. It sent a chill down his spine in spite of himself. "I just need a little more time," he muttered under his breath as he tapped frantically on his pad. He had to keep working... he was so close, he just needed a little more -
His train of thought was derailed by the gentle swish of the door to his hiding place sliding open. He squinted as light spilled into the otherwise dark room, and his blood ran cold as a silhouette filled the doorway.
"There you are," the voice hissed, dark satisfaction dripping from every note. "You should have known better than to think you were going to get away from me."
Lasky held his hands up placatingly. "Wait," he pleaded, his breath catching nervously in his throat. "I just - "
Faster than he could track, the silhouette was upon him. The datapad was shoved out of his hands and suddenly he was pressed down against the couch cushions beneath him, and arms were wrapped around his neck almost tight enough to strangle him.
In spite of the rush of adrenaline coursing through him, Tom found himself laughing. "You were supposed to be asleep, Chy," he protested as his wife curled up against his chest.
Chyler lifted her head to scowl at him, though with her puffy sleep-riddled eyes and droopy lips it looks far more like a pout. "No," she argued, prodding him in the chest with her finger, "We were supposed to be asleep." She wrapped her arms back around him and rested her head on his chest.
Tom laughed again. "I needed to finish that report," he explained as he tried to reach again for his datapad. "Then I'll come back to - "
Chyler cut him off once more with a scowl, the expression appearing more serious this time. "No," she said firmly, grabbing his arm and pushing it against his side before pinning it there with her own arms. "You're staying right here, so you'd better get comfortable and put your arms around me."
Tom thought about protesting - about reminding her that he had work to do, and that he wasn't just her pillow - but he knew that it would have been a futile effort. He had never had much success in turning her down... for anything. "Alright," he finally conceded, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You win."
Chyler hummed contentedly. "Good answer," she breathed, nestling in tighter against him. "You should know by now that you can't escape my cuddles."
Tom rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but relish the weight of her body in his arms. "As if I could ever want to," he smirked, then pressed a kiss against the top of her head and settled in to sleep.
ALSO - as a bonus, here's a sneaky extra in my AU of your AU of your AU, in which Chyler survived Circinius IV and Cadmon was actually put on ice by ONI to hide his knowledge of the Covenant and upon his defrosting he was given and subsequently took the opportunity to become a Spartan-IV... and eventually fell for a certain best friend of one Captain Thomas Lasky.
(That was such a massive mess for what this is actually turning out to be but I don't even care it's worth it.)
Prompt comes from this list.
"Infinity to Fireteam Marquis, report in."
Commander Sarah Palmer's voice was tight. Measured. Professional. Everything it was supposed to be. It was important to be on her game - especially considering the fact that she wasn't really supposed to be personally handling training missions. However, as the leader of the Infinity's Spartan contingent she had a habit of affording herself a few creature comforts.
'Marquis Lead to Infinity, go ahead,' came the answer.
It was ridiculous, but just the smug tone of voice was enough to make her stomach flutter. She scowled to mask the way the corners of her lips threatened to turn up in a traitorous smile. "Report mission status, Marquis Lead," she said tersely, trying to at least pretend to keep up the image of impartial leadership. "You're running low on the mission timer."
Even as she spoke, Palmer tried to ignore the fact that she really wasn't supposed to be having this conversation on a direct encoded transmission. She also tried to ignore the thought of how badly she wished she were down there so she could watch his back in person.
No matter how hard she tried to ignore those things, however, her stomach still fluttered again when he answered.
'Don't worry about us, Infinity,' he said, and she could hear the little smirk that he always wore whenever he teased her. 'We'll make sure to come back pretty and punctual for you, Ma'am.'
Sarah shook her head, a quiet smirk on her lips. "Take care of yourself out there, Marquis Lead. Infinity out." With that she tapped the icon to cut their link and, in what had turned out to be something of a mission ritual of hers, she reached out with her index finger and brushed it against the solitary picture that she kept tucked in a drawer on her desk.
It wasn't a great picture - slightly blurry, her hair was blowing across half her face, and she hardly even recognized herself... but it was still her favorite. Specifically because of the man in whose arms she was wrapped... Spartan Cadmon Lasky, younger older brother of her CO and arguably best friend, Captain Thomas Lasky. Their relationship was a secret to everyone except Roland, and for good reason - there were about a million different reasons for them not to get together; the fact that Cadmon had spent the better part of three decades on ice being but one of many.
Still... Cadmon Lasky had a way of making her break the rules. "I love you, you idiot," she whispered to the photo with a fond smile that even he rarely got to see.
That same smile disappeared in an instant when her comm lit back up with a new transmission. 'Sorry Infinity, last got garbled; can you repeat that?' Cadmon asked. She could only imagine that his customary smirk was somehow even more smug than before.
Sarah ran a hand over her tight ponytail, sighing deeply. "No, Marquis, I will not repeat that," she said stiffly even though she couldn't quite stop the corners of her lips from turning up into a small grin. "Go kill some Covvies and ask me in person.
'Strong copy, Infinity. Anything for you.'
Sarah rolled her eyes as she tapped the icon more firmly, making sure that she severed the transmission this time. She rested her head in her hands and groaned softly.
He was never going to let her live this one down.
