zavala x ikora, angst or fluff your call
Thank you for the request! This one ended up…very action-heavy. Which is a first, so I apologize if it’s kinda awkward or whatnot. It’s also fluff, which I did not plan on. But hey, its gotta be fluff if it’s crimson days amirite. Also, this is a full fucking week after Crimson Days actually launched, so… I took some liberties with Zavala’s supercharge, but eh. Also, featuring my titan OC Nebula and my Warlock Leilani as the opposing team. You might’ve met them during Destcember.
Crimson Days had arrived.
To the dismay of his peace of mind, Zavala could hear Shaxx yelling about love and war from his den across the way. While he did not bury himself in work as he used to, his balcony was still there for him to give guidance to guardians and offer strike assignments. He envies Ikora at times, who had a relative peace with no yells of “THIS IS WHAT LOVE SOUNDS LIKE” in her ears.
He misses the days when they were just a few feet apart from each other.
But then, Zavala wasn’t sure how he was roped into it, but he found himself in Shaxx’s Crimson Doubles, about to fly out to Bannerfall with no idea who his Bond was. His only consolation was that Shaxx had told him that it was just one quick round, not a first-to-three-wins match as it usually was.
Shaxx’s voice filled his ears once more, announcing the match.
“Show your partner your devotion.”
As Zavala was deposited on one corner of the map, he was met face to face with purple robes and dark skin.
Ikora. His Crimson Bond was Ikora.
For a moment he stood there, staring at her equally shocked expression.
“Surely,” she started, a devious smile lifting the corners of her lips even as she pulled out her ghost to check the subclasses the other team were using. A Sunbreaker and a Stormcaller against their Striker and Voidwalker. “Surely Shaxx does not expect the other team to win?”
Zavala let out a small chuckle, feeling the competitive nature of the Crucible get to him and his light giving energy to usually tired limbs, “That, or they truly to wish to test their steel against us.”
“Let them try.” Ikora’s words were punctuated with the lift of her shotgun, emblazoned with the Vanguard symbol, as they turned in unison to meet the opposing pair.
Zavala took the high ground, using his light to push himself up to the walkway that overlooked their side of the map, while Ikora quickly gained ground and pushed through the double doors that allowed entrance from the ground to the Center.
The barking of communication erupted between the opposing pair, though too quiet for either Vanguard to hear clearly.
Just as Zavala leapt into the air, arc energy surrounding his fist, gunfire erupted. Ikora’s shotgun went off, once, twice, and the sound of a warlock pushing off the ground filled the air.
The opposing warlock didn’t get very far before Zavala’s fist killed her.
As Zavala was picking himself up from his hurtle from the sky, Ikora’s shotgun went off once again, sending projectiles to their left. They hit the wall, missing the opposing titan by mere inches as she ducked back behind cover.
Zavala pushed forward, auto rifle in hand, into the adjacent hallway.
There was a muttered “oh shit” as the other titan realized the Drifting Apart debuff activated, marking her and her partner out for Ikora and Zavala to follow.
“Circle around.” Zavala told his Bond, “she’s running out the otherside.”
“I can tell, thank you,” Ikora shot back, already jumping up and over the separation between the Center and the right wing of the map.
“God dammit!” The Sunbreaker could be heard cursing as she met Ikora head on. Zavala saw her slide on her knees past Ikora, though not without taking half the shotgun projectiles to the chest. “Lei, get over here!”
An arcbolt grenade flashed out, catching both Vanguards in its radius. The conclusion of the flare was punctuated by a warlock in black and white robes landing next to her partner, who immediately put up a Titan barrier between the two teams.
Not to be deterred, Zavala leapt up and slammed back down, casting a mini-Fist of Havoc that shattered the barrier and threw the opposing titan across the way. The warlock floated up to safety in the nick of time before firing quick bursts of a bone-colored pulse rifle that slammed into the barrier Zavala threw up.
Ikora dropped her shotgun in favor of drawing a sidearm from her waist and dipped out of the barrier’s cover to fire a three-round burst into the fallen Sunbreaker, giving them another point. She turned around and threw a void grenade at the wall next to the other warlock, who cursed as it depleted her health to none.
With both of their opponents in the midst of being revived to different location, the pair of Vanguards took a quick breather.
“Any idea who that titan is?” Ikora breathed out, calming the adrenaline racing through her veins, “She almost got me with a hammer to the face.”
“Nebula Karthien,” Zavala answered, keeping a watchful eye, “I was not in charge of her training, however. I merely gave her mentor some pointers.”
“Oh?” Ikora raised an eyebrow at him, “Sounds familiar. Her partner, Leilani, was the same.”
“Then perhaps that was just a fluke, if I know who their mentor was. We should not underestimate our opponents.”
And, as a matter of fact, they were right to be careful. Nebula caught them both with Chaperone rounds as they took out Leilani in their next firefight.
The score remained in Zavala and Ikora’s favor; 3 - 2 as Shaxx announced, “One minute.”
Both teams’ HUDs notified them of the fact that everybody had their super charged. This last minute would boil down to who was able to utilize their’s best.
Zavala and Ikora met Nebula and Leilani in battle at the center of the map, around the metal structure that reached for the sky.
The first to fire off their supercharge was Ikora, who launched an explosive Nova Bomb at their opponents as they rounded a corner. It exploded against the corner, sending axion bolts after both warlock and titan. The warlock was caught by two and Ikora scored yet another point for their team.
Meanwhile, Vengeance made Nebula stronger as she called to existence the Hammer of Sol, and threw hammers at the axion bolts creeping up on her. They were rendered harmless, and Nebula surged forward to rain flaming hammers upon Zavala and Ikora. The titan’s light proved stronger, as both Zavala and Ikora were caught in the blaze. Shaxx’s yells could be heard from the other side of the Tower at that.
“Amazing! You got them both! HA!”
4 - 4. The score was tied as Leilani was reunited with her partner, and Ikora and Zavala were placed on the left side of the map.
“Thirty seconds!” Shaxx boomed, “It’s now or never!”
Indeed it was. The timer ticked down as both teams surged forward. Zavala’s fists once more were engulfed in arc light, but this time the energy traveled up and down his body, his footsteps leaving scorch marks as he ran.
The two teams met near the Center, but Zavala was faster as he leapt up and crashed back down in a Fist of Havoc, catching Nebula with the arc waves that coursed through the ground and air. Not at all finished, the striker leapt up once more at the opposing warlock.
Leilani, seeing her partner downed, sent her own lightning bolt to the ground as she cast Stormtrance.
Zavala took the strike practically to the face, but didn’t falter in rushing up and slamming his arc-powered shoulder into the Warlock.
The blow didn’t kill her, but Ikora’s shotgun following it up certainly did.
“I’m certain Lord Shaxx has blown out his vocal cords with our match,” Ikora commented later when they were back in the Tower.
“It would not be the first time.”
They shared a moment of amusement there, before they both turned to return to their respective stations. But, they did so reluctantly, as two magnets attracted to each other.
“I…” Ikora started, but unlike her, she faltered.
“Something on your mind?”
She was silent for a moment, as if deep in thought, “Shaxx asked me to participate, but…how did he get you to agree to participate in the Crucible?”
“Shaxx told me a fellow Titan wanted to test their mettle. He did not tell me it would be as Crimson Bonds, however.”
Ikora let out a quiet hum of acknowledgement. Then she looked up and looked him in the eye.
In that moment, Zavala found himself thinking…those eyes were beautiful.
“I was glad to be your Crimson Bond.” Ikora offered him a smile, but it was, oddly enough, more genuine that the first. “I always will be.”