So many things depend on him. Lives, politics, the entire future. At least that's how it felt to him. Sometimes, the weight was too much for him and he ended up dreaming about something other than the Deep Stone Crypt. Sometimes, he couldn't sleep or stand still at night.
The Traveler granted him a strong burst of Light after his old Fireteam leader had killed him, why would he waste it by standing still?
Max-20. That was his name. Max-20, the sick guy who died and came back to life twice. The guy who now had the voice of the Traveler in his head.
|It's alright. No dangers for now. | As much as it tried comforting him, he shook his head, yellow eyes wide and glowing brightly. His gaze went to the small crack between the door and the floor, finding it to be illuminated by the light from the hallway. Right.
He wasn't in Andal's quarters. He never will be, not anymore. With a sigh, he sat up on the bed and pulled his knees close to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. His ears drooped down as he basked in the moments of silence. His Ghost was still powered off, having worked hard the day before to keep the Guardian out of trouble. The teenager hid his face in his arms just in time for the door to open and to illuminate his dark room with warm light.
"Everything alright in here?" The voice asked. It was familiar, but he still wasn't used to hearing it all the time. Usually he'd hear it when it was bickering with Andal but now... he had to listen to it all the time.
A weight was added onto the bed, next to him. Max lifted his head up slightly and looked over at the new Vanguard.
Cayde-6. Hunter Vanguard Cayde-6. He still wasn't used to hearing that. His Ghost had reassured him that it was the shock acting that way and that he'd get used to it.
"You doing okay champ?" Asked the older Exo, his hands on both of the teenager's shoulders. Cayde had been taken aback when he first saw Max- back when he'd been weak and almost devoid of Light despite having a Ghost. He remembered asking himself why someone would make a teenager an Exo, but hey; it was the past now.
That's what he kept telling himself. Andal was gone. It was the past and the Speaker assigned Max to him now.
Max shrugged, turning his head to look away and resting his metal cheek on his arms. Cayde's brows furrowed a little. He turned his attention to the nightstand next to the boy's bed, reaching over with one of his hands and opening a drawer. It was almost filled to the brim with various fidget toys, but he went with the classic rubber duck. He closed the drawer and focused back on the tawny colored Exo next to him. He gently nudged the back of his head with the rubber duck, successfully snatching the attention from the window to the yellow duck.
Max looked between the duck and Cayde, yellow eyes unsure. Cayde just wiggled the duck a little, making it squeak faintly. He sighed and looked away.
"What, you're abandoning Soldier just like that? Not even a 'goodbye'?" As much as he tried to lift the mood up, his little joke went unappreciated. As always.
After a few more seconds, Max gave in and held out a hand for the rubber duck. As soon as it was in his palm, he squeezed it and made it squeak. It held a sort of relief, to be able to squeeze it.
"Much better now, huh?" Hummed the Vanguard, pulling his charge closer to him. Max nodded, allowing himself to lean more against the sturdier-built man next to him. His brown ears were pointing fully downwards now, his eyes illuminated the rubber duck with more yellow. He ran a finger over the orange beak of the duck, relaxing his shoulders visibly. After a moment, he spoke up, voice soft and low.
"... Saw it comin' from miles away. I still wasn' ready." He mumbled. Cayde's blue eyes shone with pain too; Andal had been a good friend, if not his closest friend, his number two. Even when he'd become Vanguard, they'd stayed close-knit together with Tevis and Shiro.
"No one's ever ready for these things, kid. Not even me." He saw Max look up at him skeptically.
"What? It's true. Hell, I knew Andal pissed off a whole lot of people. Taniks... just got the last laugh." The name of the Fallen fell out of his mouth like venom. He hated even saying the name, hated thinking about Andal's last moments alive. The blue Exo's eyes looked up at the star-patterned ceiling of the kid's room. He tried his best to make it feel home before he went to bring Max to his new home. He only hoped that the boy liked his new room even a little.
"But," He started, taking a pause to look down at the spotted teenager, " We'll lay him to rest. We'll tell stories of him, share drinks, play games in his honor. It's what he would've wanted." Right after that son of a bitch Taniks was buried twenty-feet below the ground for good.
Max moved so he no longer sat in a ball, the rubber duck still in his hands. He pressed on the middle and made it squeak once again, watching the head expand comically. Ikora had given him this one to help him concentrate during lessons with the Speaker, it was the only fidget toy he hadn't broken yet.
Cayde pat his back a little and rubbed his shoulders to add some extra bit of comfort. He missed Andal; everyone did. But they had to live with it now, nobody could bring him back without his Ghost. It was life, as unfair as it was. His blue eyes settled back down to Max, watching him mess around with the duck. At least it won't be thrown around anytime soon.
"Try to catch more Z's, yeah? The Vanguard's going to have my head if you haven't rested well. Want me to make you a quick cup of coffee to help?" Max shook his head.
"Don't need it. Jus' wan' Andal back." Of course. If you'd ask a kid who lost something precious what they'd want back, of course they'd ask for the thing they lost.
A moment of silence passed before Cayde took action.
"Alright, tell you what. Scoots over. Come on. Give me some space." Confused, Max moved a few inches to the side to let Cayde also sit fully on the bed. Except what he didn't expect was for the Hunter to lay down and cross his legs over one another, making himself comfortable.
"C'mon. I'll tell you a story."
Max looked at him in confusion.
"Just lay down and you'll see." Hesitantly, the teenage Exo laid down next to Cayde, looking up at the ceiling. As he expected, it had glow in the dark stars and planets decorating it. A homage to when he'd been resurrected, maybe.
"Just point to a planet and I promise you I have a story involving Andal for it." Oh really? Max seemed a little amused with it, keeping the rubber duck on his chest. His ears perked up at he pointed to a planet.
"Io? Alright, Io it is. You know, Andal got lost in a lost sector on Io."
"No way."
"Ohoho yes way! See, he didn't want to admit it but..." And so, he told the story, gesturing with his hands as he did so. Soon enough he was nudged on the cheek by his own Ghost, Sundance. She looked over to his side and so did he, smiling a little at the sight.
Max, sound asleep and cuddled up to him with the rubber duck held loosely in his hand. Reaching down, Cayde pulled the blanket up to the boy's shoulder, wrapping an arm around him and holding him close while he stared back at the ceiling.
He may not be Andal, but he'll be the father Max needs.
