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commanderauri-art · 6 months ago

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Two pining idiots stuck inside during a blizzard with one bed? What could go wrong?

“You sure the Raven couldn’t have dropped us off closer to the settlement?” Auri called out to her companion over the howling winds. She tucked her chin even further into the scarf wrapped tightly around her neck, eyes squinting out through her visor-like goggles to survey their surroundings.

“Unfortunately, no. Wind’s too strong the closer we get to the top of the mountain,” came Delta team’s tech head. He was two steps ahead of her and similarly outfitted with his shoulders hunched against the cold. A gust of wind snapped over the pair, jerking back the fur hood Auri had shoved over head. Her short hair whipped around for a few seconds before she finally pulled it back into place, shoving errant strands out of her face in the process. “Plus a chopper would’ve alerted the Locust to the Stranded’s location. It’s one of the few they don’t really know about and their village leader wants to keep it that way. We’re lucky she even granted us an audience.” The wind carried his short bark of laughter back to her.

“Fair enough, I suppose,” the other soldier answered as she readjusted her pack on her shoulders, redistributing the weight. They both were carrying additional ammo, food, water, contraceptive needs and whatnot on top of their personal necessities in order to trade with the Stranded leader for the items the COG was limited on. Plus, Baird did say there was a hidden cache of supplies somewhere up here they could use as well. Bartering with the Stranded, while unpleasant as some of the men and women considered the battered military organization to be fascist, was an unfortunate necessity and would buy the Gears a token or two of gratitude.

Baird paused briefly to consult their map then their snowy location. A chill ran down his back and he shuddered hard before upping his armor’s thermals.

“I know it’s already a bit too late for it but I seriously couldn’t have worn my armor up here?” Auri asked as she stood by him and flexed her fingers in an attempt to get rid of the cold, grimacing at the pain; all seemed to be accounted for.

“Stranded already don’t care for us as it is,” came the reply. “Okay… If I’m reading this right, we’ve got maybe another hour or two before we reach their walls. Jack, you still good, buddy?” A little mechanical beep sounded off to their right as the little bot briefly de-cloaked. Only Baird, and a select few others, could really decipher the clicks, beeps and whistles Jack made. “Good. Just stay hidden for now, alright? Last thing we need is for some Stranded asshole to try and scrap ya. Now, your suit?” He tossed a look back at his companion and hooked a gloved thumb back at his chest plate. “Uh, we had a hard time figuring out who and, namely, what you were. Some backwater dickhead sees you marching up in here dressed like that and he’ll shoot first, riling up the whole village before anything else.” The Spartan grimaced as Baird continued. “Granted, some fusspot might still do that seeing us COG marching up to their gates but at least they’re familiar with us.”

“Alright. Guess you’re not wrong there. I just wish it wasn’t so damned cold.” She fervently rubbed her gloved hands together before tucking them back under her armpits.

“Just turn up the dial for your thermals. Should take the worst of it off.”

“I did about an hour ago and it’s still the same.”

Baird turned back to look at her, brows furrowing behind his goggles as he trudged through the snow to examine her gear. After shucking off her backpack, he began fiddling with the back piece of her chest plating, grumbling quietly to himself for a minute when he finally cursed loud enough to be heard over the wind.

“What’s wrong?” Auri asked, looking over her shoulder at him as Baird reset the plating and pulled his hood closer over his head. “They didn’t give me crap armor, did they?” She kept her tone light but her stomach dropped a little at a look from her companion.

“They’re a bunch of frigging dumbasses. I told them to check everything over before we left! Why does nobody listen to me? Ever?” He ran a hand over his lenses, wiping them free of snow, and crossed his arms as the Spartan shouldered her pack again.

“It’s not that far to the settlement, is it?” she finally asked after a moment’s pause. “If it is… Are there any other shelters we could stay in overnight?”

“No. Not from what I can remember of the area, no,” came his reply as Baird started up their trek once more. “Come on. You still got feeling in your hands and feet? Good. We’re maybe two hours out at the most. Soon as we get there and speak with the Stranded leader, we’ll get you somewhere warm. If they don’t have heaters, I can rig something up or we’ve always got fire.” Even under all that snow gear, Auri could pick up the lopsided grin he threw her way. “Keep me posted if you start gettin’ any colder. Last thing we need right now is frostbite.”

“Or hypothermia. Yeah, no. I kind of like having all my fingers and toes, thank you very much.”

“Hypothermia’s a bitch to deal with,” Baird replied as the Four began walking again. As she passed him, Baird had reached out with a hand and settled it on her lower back without realizing it; it was as if he was trying to keep her closer to him. Perhaps as to not lose track of her? Right as they both noticed, Baird dropped his arm quickly to his side, muttering a quiet apology as he picked up his pace. Auri shot him a questioning look but he remained silent. Sure, when they’d initially met up, Baird had rubbed her the wrong way. He was equal parts snarky, sarcastic and an asshole and when she had been confined to the Sovereign, he didn’t care to take over babysitting duty when it was his turn. Thank god that all ended when it did.

As the weeks went on, even when the commander no longer needed someone to escort her throughout the ship, Baird still sought out her company. He was still his same asshole self to a point. He didn’t try pushing her buttons like he had within that first month she was aboard the ship and they actually ended up having some pretty decent conversations without getting on each other’s nerves too much. Auri might’ve been reading a bit too much into it but she could’ve sworn that, during their last few talks, he’d actually been trying to flirt with her. Awkwardly. It was sweet though. She did try to puzzle it all out and getting any sort of answer from the tech was like pulling teeth. Baird was rather evasive when he wanted to be and she eventually let it be, at least for now, and they continued to flirt a bit back and forth ever since.

Until this mission. Auri joined up with him mainly to try and figure out if he was just pulling her leg or if this back and forth they’d been engaging in could potentially turn into something more. Did she even want that? Did he, with her current situation? They had been getting with the remaining scientists on Sovereign in an attempt to recreate the portal network that had dumped the Spartan onto Sera to no avail. If there was really a possibility that her stay here could become permanent, would she still pursue Damon? As the pair fell into silence, those thoughts assaulted her mind almost as hard as the snow. She hadn’t even realized her pace had slowed until Baird had stopped about twenty feet ahead of her and called out her name. The Gear’s voice jolted her from her stupor and she picked up her pace, cupping her hands in front of her mouth and blew on them.

The Four waved off the concerned look Baird shot her and hunched her shoulders down against the wind as it kicked up flurries of snow in its wake. Her layers of clothes underneath the borrowed armor did what it could to push back the biting cold but she could feel it starting to really seep in. They needed to get to the village and soon.

——

Nearly two hours had passed since the pair had last spoken with each other for an extended period. Every so often, Baird checked in with her, keeping the Spartan consistently by his side as he kept consulting the map and notes stored on the brace on his forearm.

“Alright. We should be getting close,” he announced, voice muffled by his scarf. He tucked the thing back in around his neck as the wind threatened to run away with it. “Keep an eye out for a pair of watchtowers towering over the tree line. That’ll take us right to the gates.”

“Ab-b-bout d-d-damned time,” the Spartan said through her chattering teeth. Damn it, she was cold. Auri kept her arms wrapped around her middle as Baird looped an arm through her elbow so she wouldn’t fall too far behind. “Damon. We-we seriously…. need to g-get inside.” She saw his head turn sharply in her direction at the use of his first name, something Auri didn’t do often. When she did, Baird knew something serious was going on.

“Stick with me. I think I see one of the towers… Okay. Yeah. Just through the trees, c’mon. It’s not much further,” he replied, tugging her along. The Four kept her head down, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other that she nearly stumbled in the knee deep snow when Baird pulled her to a halt. That’s when she looked up. Before them stood two wooden guard posts at least thirty feet tall. They had been reinforced by bits of scrap metal and barbed wire. A ladder could be seen on the right side of both towers and sitting in post were two guards in one and one in the other. All three were bundled up tightly to ward off the harsh weather.

A man, the voice confirmed it, leaned over the edge.”State yer business, Gear, and get on with it,” he called out.

“We’re here to speak with your village leader, Allyson. We’d spoken over the wire a few weeks back, looking to trade supplies? Ring any bells?” Baird yelled up to them.

The two guards shared a look as the third lazily rested what looked to be a Retro Lancer on top of the waist high wall that surrounded their post. “Names?” the second guard asked in an annoyed tone.

“Seriously? Alright, fine. Damon Baird and Rachel Auri. If you don’t believe me, ask your fearless chieftain. She knows we’re coming and we’ve gotta get inside. My partner’s about to freeze her ass off.” Baird hooked a thumb over at the Spartan.

“Keep bitchin’ at us and we’ll leave you out here overnight,” the second yelled back as the third guard consulted a battered clipboard.

“Let ‘em in,” the third said after a few seconds. “Got their names right here.”

“You sure, Jaxon?” the first guard asked. The third guard, Jaxon, nodded and gestured to someone behind the gate. Moments later, the wide doors creaked and groaned open, pushing the snow aside in the process.

“Alright, you two, you’re good to head in. Allyson’s off to the left next to the hospital. No funny business, got it?” Jaxon warned, eyeing the both of them.

“Yeah, yeah. Wouldn’t dream of it,” Baird replied in a dismissive voice.

“Baird,” Auri said in a low voice, drawing the first syllable, as they proceeded inside.

“What? Why you giving me that look? I’m not gonna start a fight with those dickheads. Wouldn’t be worth it anyways,” he shot back. The wind died down significantly as the gate shut close behind them. Sure enough, there was the hospital, if you could even call the three story ramshackle house with a medical logo on the front that. And right next to it was a one story little office building. The windows had been boarded up, the glass long since broken. The door swung open wide and out strode a tall woman dressed up in furs and leathers and she was making a beeline right for them. That had to be their village leader. And she didn’t look too pleased to see them. A pair of guards escorted her, dressed just like the ones in the watchtowers outside only with a little more armor. Baird had since dropped his arm from around Auri and pulled his scarf down from the lower half of his face to give the woman a half smile.

“You must be the village chieftain here. Allyson, right?”

“You’re late,” their leader said, skipping the introduction as she pursed her lips together, staring Baird down. Up close, Auri finally got a better look at her. Allyson had long red hair that had been pulled into a braid down her back with strands of gray dotting her scalp, the only real indicator of her age. Her face was covered in freckles that had faded a bit over time and a nasty looking scar wound itself from her right temple down to her jawline. Allyson’s green-blue eyes flicked over to the Spartan who stared right back at the woman.

“Well, apologies, ma’am, for the delay,” Baird replied sarcastically, drawing the leader’s attention back to him as Auri began to shiver beneath her clothes. “We would’ve been here a bit sooner but with, y’know, this winter storm hitting and also not wanting to draw Locust to the Raven, and subsequently to your village if we flew directly here, we were bound to be a little late. We’re fine, by the way. Thanks for asking.” He swung his pack around and dropped it onto the snow building up around their ankles. The guards flanking the village leader immediately brought their rifles up to bear as Baird began to unzip the front pocket. Auri stepped a bit closer to him, a hand going to the sidearm at her hip.

“You can call off your attack dogs,” Baird said, nonplussed about their situation. The two exchanged looks with one another as Allyson shifted her weight onto her other foot, a hand subtly brushing back the edge of her fur coat to reveal a serrated blade on her belt. Baird paused in his ministrations to finally look up at the woman in front of him, eyes dropping to the knife’s handle briefly then back up to her gaze. “You keep threatening us and you won’t get the verification code to the supply cache we’ve got hidden in the mountain here.”

“What’s to stop us from just killin’ you and takin’ it?” snarked one of the guards.

“Blake!” Allyson snapped off, whipping around to silence the man. Her braid had flung over her shoulder in the process, quick as a snake. Blake backed off eventually as Allyson turned back around and tilted her head at Baird who had since dropped into a low crouch behind his pack as he rummaged around the inside. “What is there to stop us from just taking it from you and leaving you to bleed out?” She said it so nonchalantly it was like she was asking about the weather. Auri casually rested her palm against the butt of her pistol, gripping it as she braced for a potential fight.

“Eh, well, not much save for the fact that the code’s right up in here. And that you don’t have the location,” came Baird’s reply. The Spartan, not wanting to take her eyes off the trio for long, glanced down at him in time to see Baird tap his right temple with a gloved finger as he squinted up at the chieftain. “You kill me, you lose access to a lot of supplies that could see your people through the end of winter. Maybe even into spring, if you’re lucky. I know there are other villages around here but without the proper equipment or vehicles, it’d be near impossible to get to them in order to broker a trade and all that happy horse crap.”

A twitching muscle in Allyson’s face gave away the fury hidden in the woman’s expression. “Fine,” she said after a few tense moments. “We’ll proceed as planned and once we’re done here, you lead us to the supply cache and be on your way.”

“Uh, gonna have to get a rain check on that last bit.” Baird dug out the containers and vacuumed-sealed bags they had packed specifically for this occasion and handed them over, motioning to the Four to follow suit. “My friend here has the beginnings of hypothermia. We need to stay the night. We can head out in the morning once she thaws and gets checked by a medical professional.” If their leader wasn’t pissed off before she was now. Allyson looked back to Auri, giving the commander a quick once over.

“Your… friend,” she spat out, “looks fine.” Now that was bullshit. Even despite the multiple layers blanketing Auri’s body, anyone could tell she was shaking up a storm.

“Ah, y’see. That’s where you’re wrong.” Baird shook a finger at Allyson who looked like she was about to spit fire. “We were high up on the mountain and out of COMM range by the time we found out her suit’s thermals weren’t operating at full capacity. We were already on the way and I kinda have this feeling you wouldn’t have liked for us to reschedule this little meeting of ours.”

Allyson’s cold gaze bounced from Baird to Auri and back again, small clouds of steam puffing out from her nose, before she held up her index finger. “One night. You stay one night, COG, and when morning comes, first light, you take us to the supply cache. Blake can show you to a vacant home. It should contain everything you need.”

In layman’s terms, “It should have everything to keep you inside and out from under my feet.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Baird threw another sarcastic smile her way but Allyson had already spun on her heels to head back into her office, her remaining guard carting off the supplies. No doubt they were going to inspect everything for potential damage or trackers.

“Alright, get a move on, you two,” Blake grunted as the pair shouldered their packs again, Auri with some difficulty as she fought against the cold. Baird kept close to her side as they followed the guard down a long, wide avenue to the far end of the street. They passed by several shops, most had already been shut down against the storm. One, what looked to be a small soup kitchen of sorts, had a door open and Auri could feel the warmth radiating out to greet them. She slowed down and nearly came to stop outside the door before she was being ushered away by Allyson’s personal guard.

“Ey, Blake!” called out a woman as they got maybe three steps away. “What’re you doing dragging this poor girl away for?”

“Chieftain’s order, Darla. They ain’t stayin’ long. They’re Gears. You don’ need to be wastin’ yer food on them,” Blake countered as Auri shook her arm from his grip. Darla, a stocky woman of about fifty with a salt and pepper braid thrown over one shoulder, clucked her tongue at that as she pulled her patched winter coat tightly around her body.

“Don’t you give me that crap, Blake Donnelly,” Darla replied, glaring at the man who seemed to have lost his spine suddenly. Satisfied with his response, Darla turned to the Spartan and Gear. “Dear. You two are half frozen stiff. Which house are they staying at Blake?”

“Darla, you don’ have to-“

“Which. House.”

He caved easily. “Last one on this stretch ‘ere. Black door. ‘Appy now? Can we go?” If she wasn’t so cold, Auri would’ve laughed. The man sounded like a petulant child.

“I’ll send some warm food and drink over to last you both through the night. I know some folks here,” Darla paused to shoot the guard another harsh look, “aren’t exactly pleased to see COG wandering behind our gates but you people are offering to trade with us so it’s only fair you at least get a warm meal or two out of it.”

“Thank you,” Auri replied as Darla reached out to grasp the younger woman’s hand and gave it a friendly squeeze.

“Of course, sweetheart. I’ll also have someone run you additional blankets we keep in the back for just such occasions. Each house should contain a heater or two. If there isn’t one or if they’re not working, ask Danny. He’ll be on your left side, green door. Tell him I sent ya if he asks and he should help out.” Darla gave them both a genuine smile which faded as she looked back at Blake. “Now you may go. And if I hear you or any of the other boys have given them trouble…”

“You won’t. God…” Blake scoffed as he redirected the two soldiers back onto their original while Darla stepped back inside. “Christ, I swear, Allyson ain’t the one in charge most times. It’s that friggin’ woman and-“ The man quickly caught himself when he realized what company he was in. “Don’t say a damned word. You both heard nothin’.”

Baird chuckled to himself and shook his head. “Right. We’re just a pair of dumb Gears, Chief. We heard absolutely nothing at all.”

——

Blake dumped the pair off quickly in front of the old house, unlocking the front door before stepping away. “Asshole could’ve just left us the key,” Baird grumbled to himself as he grabbed hold of the knob and turned it only for the door to catch in the frame. “Oh. Come on. Seriously?” The Gear gritted his teeth and, with one hand still wrapped around the frozen door knob, threw his shoulder into the door itself. It took two more tries before it finally swung open, nearly spilling Baird into the entryway and onto his ass. “O-kay. Maybe we won’t need the key. It should lock from the inside and if we need to do that every time we have to open the door, that should be enough of a warning. Come on.” He ushered the Four indoors and all but slammed the door shut behind them. It was a few degrees warmer inside but not by much. Wind could be heard whistling through the cracks in the windows and the entire first floor was completely bare save for a pair of twin mattresses shoved together and pushed up into a corner of the living room with a bunch of old blankets piled on top.

“Alright. Jack, make sure this place is secure as can be. At least for the night. I’m gonna go find those heaters.” Baird knocked his boots against one wall in an attempt to knock off the ice that had accumulated there but they both still managed to track in a bunch of snow. He removed his gloves, stuffing them in a pocket, as he rubbed his palms together and breathed on them to get the blood flowing. The Spartan had since dropped her pack off in a corner near the makeshift bed and shoved back her hood and goggles. Her cheeks were bright pink from the cold and her teeth were chattering loudly. Baird paused for a moment to look over in her direction and his lips thinned.

“Okay. I… don’t know how best to say this so I’m just gonna come out and say it,” he began tentatively. Auri turned around to face the Gear, her brows pulling together in a silent question. “I’m… gonna need you to strip.” The words came out in a rush and Baird could feel heat rising in his face out of mild embarrassment. It took a second for his words to register in the woman’s head and her eyes widened.

“Wait. What?” Auri’s mouth dropped open then shut close with an audible click.

“I know. Alright. That came out wrong. Okay, look. You need to get out of your wet clothes and-“

“I know how hypothermia works, Damon,” she snarked at him. At least she wasn’t stammering much right now. Being out of the wind and snow worked wonders on her but she was still too damned cold. “I was… just caught off guard. You’re right.” Auri heaved a heavy sigh then flexed fingers that were now clear of her own gloves. Her skin had cracked in several places and in the webbing between her index and middle fingers she could see dried blood. She grimaced a little and rubbed it off before tossing her gloves down onto the blankets nearby. There’d be time to apply a salve later. Now, she really needed to get out of her snow-covered attire.

The jacket went first then the gauntlets on her forearms and the armor pieces on her shoulders. It took a couple tries, working the fixtures, as her hands were more than a little numb. It was her cursing that drew Baird back to her. That and one of the heaters he managed to locate.

“Need help?” he asked as he knelt down beside the device and began fiddling with the knobs once it was plugged in.

“No?” Another quiet curse under her breath and he smiled to himself.

“That wasn’t a very convincing ‘no’.” Auri shot him an exasperated look through narrowed eyes as she was trying to unclasp the back straps on her chest piece when Baird stood up.

“Turn around,” he instructed her. “I need to take a look at this thing anyways if we’re supposed to head off in the morning. Don’t need you turning into an Auri-cicle.” The commander had been in the middle of giving him her back when he made that little pun. It took everything in her to not tell the man to piss off, that she’d work on it herself.

“You’re fucking ridiculous,” she muttered under her breath but Baird heard it nonetheless.

“Yeah, well, I’m just trying to help,” he replied matter of factly as he unhooked the armor piece and slid it off her. That gave him a chance to get a better look at the heating attachment. “God damn it! Those idiots seriously couldn’t have fixed this before we took off? When we get back, I’m going back through the damned log and seeing who was performing maintenance on this thing last.” He pulled back one of the panels and scoffed loudly. “The power cells crapped out and the wiring’s fried. Anyone coulda seen that from a mile away! They’re lucky. If the wiring had been crossed, it could’ve overloaded the system and exploded.”

“So, I could’ve gone out in a blaze of shrapnel and explode-y bits instead of freezing my ass off. Whoopee,” Auri said sarcastically as she sat down on the edge of the mattress and shoved off her leg armor, pushing it into the steadily growing pile nearby. “Maybe I should’ve gone for that. At least then I would’ve been warm.”

“You’re not helping,” Baird replied as he turned the chest piece over, searching for any other signs of damage.

“You aren’t either. Aren’t you supposed to be looking for another heater? I think Darla said there should be at least two.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m working on it.”

“No, you’re not. You’re just standing there.” Auri pulled off another sweater she had on over her bio-layer; at least that part of her suit she had been able to use. Yet, she was still freezing. Baird gave her a withering look as he set her chest piece aside to scour the rest of the home. While he was busy rooting about the place, Auri tapped her left boot rapidly against the floor, debating what she should do next. All she had on under her bio-layer was a tank shirt and a pair of compression shorts. Baird was out of sight for the moment and it didn’t take too long to shimmy out of the thing. Plus, she could just scoot under the blankets right after.

Setting her other clothes out to dry as well as they could draped over the counter, Auri worked her way out of her bio-layer and dove immediately under the blankets. Luckily, they didn’t smell nearly as musty as she’d expected and scooched over to where Baird had set up the first heater. When the Gear returned from his search, procuring two additional heaters, all he could see of the Spartan was the top of her head poking out from beneath the blankets. He almost laughed at the sight but kept quiet as he turned on the devices. Jack let out a chime nearby, confirming the home was secure for their stay. Regardless, Baird had the bot go into a standby mode while they slept. He then plugged in the remaining two heaters, setting one up at the foot of the bed and the other where he’d be potentially sleeping. That or taking the first watch depending on how cold the Spartan was going to be. He could see her covered form shaking just a bit as she tried to warm herself up.

A suggestion was already forming in his head but before he could voice it, a light knock sounded at the door. One of his hands immediately moved atop the sidearm at his hip as he quietly walked to the door. The windows were mostly boarded up and it wasn’t like anyone could hear him moving about inside. It never hurt to err on the side of caution however. He knelt beside one window, carefully peeking through a crack in the boards to get a look at their visitor when they knocked again.

A woman’s voice, muffled from the door, called out, “Hey, COG. It’s Darla. I’ve got the soup I promised you two. You mind opening up?” Baird let out a small sigh of relief, dropped his hand from the butt of his pistol and moved to the door.

“Uh, yeah. Gimme a sec. This thing’s… kinda… stuck,” he replied as he tugged at the doorknob. The wood inched open bit by bit. Once it was wide enough, small snow flurries crept inside and the wind nipped at the man’s exposed skin making him wince. After a moment, the door swung open and before him stood the Stranded woman from the soup kitchen. She was bundled up in her thickest sweaters and had a faded, patchwork scarf wrapped around the bottom half of her face. An old beanie was pulled down tightly over her ears. While Baird couldn’t see her mouth he could tell Darla was smiling at him with how her eyes crinkled at the corners. She was then pushing a large brown bag into his hands.

“Here you go,” she said, raising her voice around the fabric. “Two pints of chicken soup plus some jerky from the storehouse. You two have enough water to last you?” She then shook her head before Baird could answer. “I slipped you both an extra canteen each. Don’t worry about bringing back the tupperware. I’ve plenty back home.” The Gear could feel warmth leaking out of the bag and into his hands. It took everything in him to not clutch it to his chest and let it warm up the rest of his body. Clearly, the desire was plain on his face as Darla let out a low chuckle before her expression sobered.

“Your girl doing okay? Were you able to find the heaters I told you about?” Darla asked. Baird gave her a short nod.

His girl? Baird ignored that part before answering, “Thanks for that and she is. I’ve got them set up around the bed to thaw her out.” He shifted the bag from his chest and tucked it under an arm, sticking one snow-covered boot behind the door to keep the worst of the cold from sneaking in.

“Listen, if she needs treatment, I live above my shop. Just ring my doorbell and I can get her the help she needs.” The Gear narrowed his eyes a fraction as the older woman went to leave before he stopped her.

“Why’re you doing this?” Baird asked before adding, “Giving us food and all this?” Darla lifted a gloved hand up and tugged her scarf down below her mouth, giving Baird a grim smile before fishing out a long silver metal chain hiding underneath all of her winter layers. Baird blinked twice at the sight of the COG tags waving in the wind before Darla tucked them back beneath her clothes.

“I know you all aren’t what Allyson tries to make you out to be,” the woman said at length. “There’s going to be bad apples in every batch anywhere you go. Why let that ruin the rest of your bounty?” Darla pulled her scarf back into position and nodded to him before turning around to leave, calling over her shoulder, “Get some rest, COG. Have a safe trip in the morning.”

Baird lifted a hand up in a short wave as she hurried her way out of the cold then worked on getting the door to close again. “Huh. That was something I didn’t expect,” he muttered to himself. Baird then ran a hand over his hair, shaking free some of the snow before walking quietly over to the kitchen, setting their food inside the fridge.

“Who was at the door?” He about jumped at the question, having been so lost in his thoughts that he’d briefly forgotten about the Spartan buried in the blankets nearby. He left the kitchen to stand by her side of the bed and knelt down. Color was beginning to return to her face.

“Darla. She came by to drop off some food,” Baird replied as he started to shuck off his jacket, standing briefly to lay it near her belongings. “You up to eating a bit or are you still trying to thaw out?” Auri pulled the blankets around her a bit tighter at that.

“Let me warm up a little more and then I’ll get back to you on that,” came her muffled answer. A small smile pulled at the man’s lips.

“Alright. You still have feeling in all your limbs?” She dipped her head in a nod.

“Might’ve gotten a little frostbite on one foot but it’s nothing bad.” The Spartan shivered. “I’m still fucking cold.”

“I might be able to help you fix that,” Baird hedged as he looked back over to where Jack was hovering. He could faintly make out the telltale signs of the bot’s cloak given the slight ripples in the air. “Jack, gimme a heads up if anyone starts banging on our door, ‘kay?” Jack chimed his acknowledgment as Baird worked his way out of the rest of his clothes. Auri rolled over onto her other side, watching him with a puzzled expression.

“What’re you doing?” she asked as he began unlacing his boots.

“Getting out of these wet ass clothes.” Baird waved a hand at the small pile nearby. “You’re not the only one who’s cold.” He tugged his footwear off, focusing on the rest of his gear so he didn’t have to look her full in the face. “Now, I’m only gonna do this with your express permission, okay? I was going to suggest we share… body heat. I can’t sit here and watch you shiver like that.” It was then that Baird met her gaze. “I won’t do so if it makes you uncomfortable. Only goal here is to get you warmed up.”

Auri remained silent for a few seconds while Baird busied himself. He glanced her way every so often as she kept silent. He paused when he came to his belt and heard her shift upright into a sitting position. By the time Baird had looked back over, she’d pulled one blanket up around her waist and was fiddling with the edge of the fabric. She went to rub her right hand over her left forearm before checking the motion and settled her hands in her lap, fidgeting slightly still.

“Uh, you’re kiiinda creepin’ me out being quiet like that,” Baird said with a half smile which dropped quickly as his joke fell flat. “Okay, lame attempt, I know, but seriously. If you’re not comfortable with this, I’ll get something else figured out. I’m not trying to pressure you or anything.”

“No, no. It’s fine,” Auri replied, speaking up when he moved to grab his jacket from the counter. “You’re not-you’re not pressuring me.” Her gaze flicked up to the Gear’s briefly before dropping back down to the blankets; clearly the faded patterns interested her a lot more than the man who had been undressing before her. She hoped like hell her face wasn’t beet red. While nudity certainly didn’t bother the Four, this situation felt… different somehow but she didn’t let her mind dwell on it for too long.

“You’re sure?” Baird asked as he set the jacket back down. She could hear him walk over to where she was sitting, socks softly muffling his footsteps. Baird knelt down by her side and Auri saw him staring at her. “Because if you don’t-“

“Really. I’m okay,” she replied more firmly, cutting him off a bit too quickly. Baird narrowed his eyes slightly in response and studied her face a few seconds too long. Auri raised her brows at the blond. “Baird, I’m fine. Now, are you gonna get in here or what? I’m freezing my ass off.” As if to emphasize her point, a chill ran up her spine making her shudder hard.

“Alright, alright. Give me a sec…” Baird said, having stood back up and walked back over the small pile of clothes on the floor. Gathering them up, he spread them out on what flat surfaces he could find so they’d be relatively dry in the morning. While doing so, Auri took in a discreet breath and let it out quietly as she tried to calm her skyrocketing pulse. She needed to calm her nerves before her mind jumped to any conclusions. It wasn’t like they were going to have sex. He was simply offering another way to keep her warm through the night. On top of the three heaters he had situated around the bed. Auri mentally shook herself, looking back over at Baird just in time to hear him unhooking his belt buckle.

As if feeling her gaze on him, Baird glanced back over his shoulder and they locked eyes for a split second before Auri immediately laid back down on the bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment but she couldn’t get the image of that man undressing in front of her. Get a damned grip on yourself, she mentally yelled at herself. Besides, it’s not like he’s even interested. Sure, he’s kinda flirted back and he… has been talking to you a bit more than usual but he doesn’t like you in that way. He knows you’ve got to get back home eventually. You don’t have a future here. Least of all with him. So stop it! It’s not worth the heartache.

She’d been so engrossed in her thoughts that she had failed to notice Baird shifting the covers back beside her so he could slip in. It wasn’t until he was practically all the way under that Auri had finally felt the blankets move and almost leapt out of her skin. She choked out a startled curse and felt one of Baird’s hands wrap around her shoulder.

“Sorry, sorry! I thought you heard me,” he said, apologizing quickly.

“It’s… fine,” the Four answered back even though she felt the furthest thing from fine right now. He squeezed her shoulder once in reassurance then rearranged his pillow, fluffing it up a bit before stuffing an arm beneath it. Auri felt Baird tap her on the shoulder again and she looked back at him in askance.

“It’s gonna take you a bit longer to warm up like that,” he said and motioned for her to scoot a bit closer. “Don’t give me that look. I don’t bite.” Auri scoffed at that and rolled her eyes but, after a minute, she did eventually inch back toward the Gear. When she was five or six inches away from him, she could practically feel the warmth radiating out from his body. That about sealed it for her. Auri was still a bit hesitant and she took her time settling in as if to give him a chance to back out. He didn’t retreat like she half expected him to.

“I’m gonna put my arm around your waist, if that’s okay,” Baird announced and he only did so once the Spartan gave him a verbal affirmative. Baird moved carefully as to not startle her and soon his arm was wrapped about her middle. He pulled her closer to his chest and Auri let out a small, contented noise as the Gear’s body heat permeated her back. Without meaning to, Auri had tugged his arm tighter around her and pulled the covers up to keep the heat in.

“Shit. You’re colder than I was expecting,” she heard Baird curse softly. She was just about to apologize and move away from him when Baird hooked a leg around her hip, his body practically engulfing hers. “No, you’re good. You’re good.” He sucked in a small breath when the cold bottoms of her feet pressed up against his skin but was otherwise quiet for a few seconds.

“Are you alright?” he asked at length.

“Mhm. You’re stupid warm. Or… I am just really, super cold right now.” Baird huffed out a laugh and she felt him shrug.

“Little of column A and little of column B.” His warm breath ghosted over the nape of her neck. It sent a shiver down her spine that, for once, wasn’t due to the cold. Now that she was starting to thaw out, it was getting a bit harder to think straight. Auri shut her eyes tightly closed for a second and did her best to flush out all of the thoughts running through her head. It’d been a while since she was in close proximity with anyone of this nature and her neglected libido certainly wasn’t helping matters in the slightest.

Baird is not interested in you so knock. It. Off! Just enjoy the fact that he’s basically cuddling you for warmth. You shouldn’t have pushed yourself so hard to begin with, dumbass. You could’ve seriously gotten hurt. Auri ran a hand over her face, pinching the bridge of her nose before settling back in.

“Hey, if I do anything to make you uncomfortable, tell me,” Baird said softly, his tone serious. “Even if you gotta kick me outta the bed, please do.” That drew a laugh from her. “I just wanna make sure you’re warm and comfortable.”

“Why would I want to kick out my only comfy source of body heat?” Auri asked, peering over her shoulder at him. In the dying light, she could make out the half grin he was giving her. That definitely wasn’t doing anything against the fluttering in her stomach.

“That’s fair. Now get comfortable. We’ve got an early morning ahead of us.”

“Believe me, I’m well aware. I’m not looking forward to dealing with the village queen tomorrow,” Auri muttered into her pillow. She sighed quietly then shifted around until Baird loosened his hold on her. Auri flipped over to face him and was discreetly startled with how close they were; only a couple inches were separating them.

“You… okay?” Baird asked, brows furrowing together. Auri nodded and scooched forward.

“Yeah. Ah. This is probably a stupid question,” she began hesitantly, chewing her bottom lip, “but can… I hug you?”

Baird fell silent, most likely surprised, before she heard him nodding. His free arm moved to settle around her torso, drawing her into his chest. Auri snaked her arm that wasn’t pinned beneath her body around his neck and buried her face into his shirt, inhaling his scent. It then felt like something snapped inside her. She felt her eyes begin to sting suddenly. Maybe it was the physical fatigue. Maybe it was the fact she felt too damned cold for her liking. Maybe it was a hundred different things, who knew. The last few days had been difficult and perhaps trekking up a snow covered mountain in a blizzard with faulty equipment had been her breaking point. All Auri knew then and there was that she needed that physical touch another body could provide. Besides, a hug seemed to make most things better after a little while. They were both a little hesitant with one another but, when Auri wrapped herself tighter around his body, Baird returned the gesture in full, almost crushing her against his chest. Seemed he needed this too.

A tear or three leaked out of her eyes and were luckily absorbed into Baird’s shirt without him noticing as Auri worked on getting her emotions in check. She quietly sniffled and squeezed her companion one last time before releasing him. The Spartan shifted back enough to be able to look him in the face and almost jumped when she felt his palm settling against her cheek. His thumb made a small sweeping motion across her skin, wiping away a few traitorous tears that had slipped out. The motion had been terribly sweet and pulled hard at her heartstrings. Auri then withdrew, feeling her companion’s hand fall away, as she swiped the back of her own hand over her eyes, sniffling.

“Sorry. Think I’m a little more tired than I was expecting,” she explained, giving him a weak smile. “We should probably get some sleep.” Auri went to roll onto her other side but then stopped herself midway to turn back. She felt around in the dark for Baird’s hand and placed hers over the top of his, squeezing it once. “I, um. Thanks, y’know, for, uh, watching out for me,” Auri said haltingly, like she was trying to search for the right words. “I appreciate it.” She wanted to say more but didn’t know what else to say, let alone, how to express the feelings in her heart. Maybe someday, or perhaps not at all, she may but now wasn’t the time. Baird turned his palm upward so he could take hold of hers and squeezed her fingers in return.

“Hey, it’s what I’m here for,” the Gear replied, clearing his throat, “regardless of what those schmucks back on the ship think.”

Auri snorted. "Someone’s a little full of themselves tonight,” she replied as she rolled her eyes and settled back down, tugging the blankets back over her shoulders.

“Well, yeah. You know who you’re talking to, right?”

“Here I thought we were having a moment. You ruined it.”

Baird scoffed. “You’re cruel, you know that, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah. Now, could you please warm my cruel ass up? If we end up going out into the snow like this again, I am wearing my suit come hell or water. I am not dealing with this bullshit again.”

“Can’t really blame you there,” Baird replied as he laid back down. “Guess I’ll have to make something up if Stranded start pestering us about you.”

“Let’s worry about that later,” Auri said around a wide yawn that cracked her jaw. She then shifted backwards a bit till she almost bumped into the man behind her. He wrapped an arm around her torso, drawing her closer until her back was flush against his chest. Auri snuggled deeper into the covers as Baird hooked his leg back around her hip, letting her leech away as much of his body heat she could. Just before she crashed, Auri could’ve sworn she heard Baird murmur something to her but it was only a matter of seconds before the Spartan drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

—-

When Baird awoke hours later, bits of sunlight had seeped in through the breaks in the boarded up windows. Seemed the storm had finally blown itself out as the wind wasn’t howling at the door. He went to stretch his arms over his head and attempt to wake up fully when one arm snagged on something. More aptly someone. The Spartan was practically hugging his arm to her chest and was curled up tightly on her side of the bed facing him. She was still solidly out like a light and shifted a bit closer to Baird in her sleep. His expression softened at the sight and he smiled. While they did need to get moving, he knew Auri had pushed herself hard, a little too hard if anyone asked him, the previous day and with faulty equipment no less. There’d be hell to raise when they got back to the Sovereign but now wasn’t the time to worry about all that.

Surprisingly, their escort from last night wasn’t trying to beat down their door so maybe they caught a lucky break. Maybe Darla had worked some of her magic on Allyson or maybe the woman would rather wait out the storm than trek through it. Whatever the reason, Baird was a bit glad that they had some extra time to themselves. He’d let the commander sleep until it was time to get moving. For now, he needed to figure out how to work his arm out from under her grasp. Right as he went to pull his trapped limb out, Auri blearily opened her eyes and yawned an animal yawn, all white teeth and pink tongue. She yawned once more and rubbed at her eyes before finally taking stock of her surroundings.

“Oh. Mornin’, Damon,” she mumbled, her voice thick from sleep as she tried to wake up. It took her a moment to realize she’d been wrapped around her companion’s arm, apologizing tiredly as she released him, and sat upright. Her hair was rumpled on one side from where she’d been sleeping and Baird felt a tug on his heartstrings. She looked so damned cute but he wasn’t about to spoil the moment by pointing out the obvious. Instead, Baird just sat back and watched her for a minute as he tried to wake up himself. He rolled out his shoulders then his neck, relishing the feel of his joints popping back into place. Seemed he hadn’t moved much in his sleep.

“I think… you chased me across the bed at one point,” Auri said around another yawn.

Or maybe he had.

Baird shot the woman a look and she smiled sheepishly back at him. “Please. I’m not going to tell the others,” she said, pushing her shirt strap back up her shoulder. “It was kinda cute. I think you were also muttering in your sleep but I couldn’t really hear anything.”

“I am anything but cute,” Baird retorted before pausing, searching his memory. “I… also don’t remember doing any of that.”

“Pretty sure you were sound asleep.” Auri lifted her arms high over her head and arched her back a bit as she stretched. She raked a hand through her hair and glanced back over at him when he hadn’t responded. Auri raised her eyebrows and looked pointedly at the Gear and that was enough to snap him out of his stupor.

“Um. Yeah. No, I, uh, knocked out pretty quick last night,” he replied as he shoved back the blankets. He regretted that almost instantly, the cold floorboards creaking underfoot as he padded across the floor to where he’d laid his clothes and gear out. Most of it had dried overnight and as cold as it was, he knew they’d warm up once they were on him for a while. Jack had decloaked and floated over to the pair as Baird threw on a shirt and bottoms, making for the chest piece Auri had been using. He dug around in his pack before finding his repair kit and got to work while the Spartan dressed. He studied the armor piece intently to keep his eyes from straying back over to the other soldier. It didn’t take him long to get lost in his work. It was going to be a patch job at best but it’d keep Auri from freezing long enough for them to get back to base.

Almost thirty minutes had passed before a hard knock sounded off at their door. Jack immediately hid his presence as Baird shut the battery pack hatch closed and handed the gear over to the Spartan who’d pulled on everything save for her chest piece. Their “host” hammered their door once again, clearly impatient. Baird got up and quickly donned on the rest of his own gear, calling out, “Hey, gimme a minute! Unless you want to see a buck-ass naked man in here, hold yer horses!” A muttered response could be heard on the other side then but the words were unintelligible. Baird shook his head and grabbed his weapons and pack. Auri did the same after shutting off the heaters and stood behind and to the side of Baird as he yanked the door open. At first, it refused to budge but after a few seconds of coaxing and prodding, he managed to open it wide enough for them both to step through. Sure enough, their escort from the previous night stood on their doorstep. Bryan. No, Bailey. Brandon? It started with a B, that much Baird remembered. That and the man was a prick.

“Wakey, wakey, COG. We’re behind schedule and chief’s gettin’ impatient,” he sneered, taking a step back to give the two just enough room. “Les’ get a move on, yeah? Sooner you’re outta here, the better.”

“You’re the ones who wanted to move at dawn yet no one was banging on our door when the time came,” Baird remarked. “Guessin’ you guys had to wait till the blizzard finally died down.”

“Whatevah,” the man growled as he led them to the back end of the village. Another gate was stationed there, not nearly as high as the front entrance but still had a pair of watch towers on either side. Allyson stood there, practically glaring at them both. She dressed in an outfit similar to the one she wore yesterday and had an old Retro Lancer in hand and Boltok pistol riding her hip. Three more men joined her; clearly her personal guard.

“Morning, Chief,” Baird said, a false note of cheer leaking into his voice. “Hope you all slept well.”

“Skip the pleasantries, COG,” Allyson spat out, her mouth twisting into a frown. “Lead us off to the cache so we can be done with this and you can leave.”

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” Auri muttered under her breath. Allyson’s gaze instantly locked onto her and her eyes narrowed a fraction.

“What did you just say?” the village leader growled. Auri plastered a blank look on her own face and stared at the other woman.

“Nothing,” the Spartan replied in a bored tone as she fell in step with Baird as he took the lead.

Snow crunched underfoot as the small group hiked through the trees. Bird song drifted down from above them. Soft white clouds lazily floated on by, a stark contrast from the thunderous gray mass that had blotted out the sky the day prior. Baird took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, enjoying the smell of the fresh mountain air. It would’ve been a nice little hike had it not been for the company they were keeping. They’d be rid of Allyson and her posse soon enough. It just couldn’t happen fast enough for Baird’s liking.

When they were about a quarter of a mile out from the hidden cache of supplies, Baird slowed his walk. He held up a closed fist to the rest of the group as he scanned their surroundings. He didn’t know what caught his attention but he-

“Why are we stopping? Are we near the cache?” Allyson snapped at him. “If we aren’t, we-“

“Shut it,” the Gear hissed harshly, slanting a sideways look at the woman. Fury was written plainly across her face. “Look. Something feels off here. You guys haven’t had any recent Locust sightings, have you?”

One of the guards laughed aloud, the sound echoing off the trees. “Nah, man. Not for the last couple weeks. They enjoy the cold no more’n we do.”

“Then what the. Fuck. Is that?” Baird gestured at a large patch of trampled snow with the muzzle of his gun. The guards peered around and one knelt beside the mess of tracks.

“I dunno. We’ve got a bunch a deer’n shit movin’ through these woods. Can’ expect us to keep track of ‘em, can you?” the first guard asked. “Like I said, we haven’t seen Locust in weeks.”

“Just because you can’t see ‘em, doesn’t mean they’re not there, jackass,” Baird snapped back.

“Hey, Mike. Didn’t Charlie’n his brother say they heard a bunch of noise a few days ago near the south side of the village?” one guard in a faded yellow beanie asked as he took a closer look at the tracks.

“Yeah. It was probably a herd movin’ through here. Migratin’ or some shit.”

“I dunno know, man. These tracks look awful big to be deer.”

“We’re wasting time babbling like old women here,” Allyson spoke up, readjusting her grip on her weapon. “How far are we from the supply cache?” While her tone and body language clearly demonstrated her anger and impatience, Baird could see a flicker of fear and worry in her eyes.

“Not far,” Baird replied quietly as he began peering through the trees around them. “Maybe quarter of a mile or so inside an old cave.”

“Okay then. Let’s move.”

“Hold on a moment.” He stepped quickly into the woman’s path. If looks could kill, he’d be dead on his feet. “Listen to me. A lot of shit moved through here pretty recently. Blizzard only stopped, what? A couple hours ago?” Allyson went to step around him but Baird moved again, this time placing a hand on top of her shoulder to keep her from storming off. “Just. Wait. Alright? These tracks are fresh. If they’d happened before the storm rolled through here, they’d be gone by now, right?” Allyson pursed her lips but took another look at the disturbed powder. Some of the anger left her expression and Baird knew he was starting to get through to her when Auri stretched out a hand, grabbing his attention.

“What is it?” he asked quietly, looking over his shoulder at the other soldier.

“Movement. Ten ��o’ clock,” the Spartan whispered, keeping her eyes trained on where she’d seen it last. The three guards immediately brought their weapons up to bear. “Moved too quick for me to get a bead on it. Baird, we’ve got maybe two options here.” She glanced at him briefly before returning her gaze back to her original spot. “Move back to the village for reinforcements or press onto the cache and use the supplies. If we stay out here in the open for much longer…”

“I know.” He breathed out slowly, returning his attention back to Allyson. “It’s your call. Either we head back to the village and come back here another day or we press on and grab the supplies now. Either way, we’ll have a fight on our hands. At least this way, if we head back to the village, we’ll have extra guns on our side.”

The redhead’s lip curled but it was more in frustration at the situation at hand than at the Gear. She readjusted her grip on the old Lancer and let out a breath, looking Baird dead in the eye. “We press on, COG. We need those supplies. Mike.” She threw a glance over her shoulder at the man. “Head back to the village and notify the rest of the guard. Get those who can’t fight below ground and arm anyone who is able bodied to be safe.”

Baird stepped forward and gripped the man’s shoulder before he had a chance to leave. “The moment the gunfire starts, break away from us. Locust’ll be less inclined to chase after you if we’re firing at them.” Once Mike nodded, Baird released him and turned his gaze back to the trees. A cloud rolled over the sun, blanketing the entire area in gray. Everything was dead silent now, even the birds had stopped singing, and he could’ve sworn he heard the Locust grunting to themselves. Maybe they thought the group hadn’t spotted them and were trying to get into position for an ambush.

“Chief, get your guys behind the tree to your left and then the one on the right here,” Baird hissed, his voice barely above a whisper. Allyson looked like she was briefly going to fight Baird on ordering her men about but she relented. At least she was starting to pick and choose her battles with him and, right now, Baird wasn’t the enemy to focus on. The woman jerked her head at the remaining two guards with Mike poised to take off soon as the fighting started. Auri had already darted through the snow as quietly as she could, running doubled over and used the thick brush as cover until she got a decent angle on the Locust. She gave Baird a thumbs up and braced the butt of her rifle against her shoulder. Her breath came out in small, white clouds from beneath the scarf wrapped about her neck.

“On my mark,” the Gear murmured, then counted down with his free hand. Once his index finger dropped, the humans let loose on the Locust. Mike shot off like a rocket back towards the village, losing his balance twice in the knee deep snow. Some of the incoming hostile fire tried to shift his way but Allyson held down the trigger on her weapon long enough to dissuade them of that notion. Then came the sound that Baird dreaded.

“BOOM!”

Baird barely managed to yell out to the others to get down when an explosive round shot through the trees, detonating a ways off from both groups but it still managed to knock down a tree.

“Sonuvabitch. Is that-?” one villager began to say before Baird cut him off harshly.

“Yes, it is. Keep. Fucking. Firing!” He emptied his rifle’s mag before switching it out for a fresh one. Another deep voice had echoed the first and soon enough a pair of Locust built like brick shit houses came lumbering into view. Fucking Boomers.

“Auri, you’re with me,” Baird called out to the Spartan. “Focus fire on those two. We can’t let them get close!”

“On it!” she replied, slamming a fresh clip home in her own gun before changing cover. The Four darted around to the right in a half circle, ducking behind another large tree trunk and fired at the closest Boomer. It bellowed out in anger and swung its Boomshot her way and fired. Baird’s heart leapt into his throat as the round punctured a head sized hole through her cover, spraying her with broken pieces of wood. It wasn’t enough to send that one tumbling to the ground but it was pretty close.

Her head snapped up once she was relatively clear and saw how weak the trunk was. Baird then watched her for a moment, her gaze locking onto the Boomer, a plan clearly forming in her head. A second later, she thumbed the switch for her Lancer’s chainsaw attachment and began cutting through the rest of the trunk, teeth gritting together in concentration. The loud sound drew the other Locusts’ attention which prompted Baird to immediately fire on them, if just to buy her more time. The next thing he heard over the staccato beat of gunfire was the sound of cracking wood then the subsequent whoosh as the pine toppled to the ground-

Right where one of the Boomers had been standing. It hadn’t been enough to kill it but the tree was able to incapacitate the damned thing enough to keep it out of the fight. Its partner roared in anger as its Boomshot swung around to face her and quickly advanced on the other soldier. Without another word, Allyson sprung out around cover, drawing her large, serrated knife from the sheath on her belt. The snow didn’t seem to hinder her much as the village chief charged over to the heavy-footed Boomer.

She swung the blade out when she reached the second Boomer’s back and caught it across the backs of its knees where the armor was at its weakest, her guards providing her with covering fire where they could. It screamed in pain and staggered forward into the snow almost face first. It lashed out behind it in an attempt to grab the redhead but missed, blinded by its rage. Seeing an opening, Auri plucked a grenade from her belt, swung it twice then lobbed it at the remaining Locust before joining Allyson. The chief didn’t bother swapping out mags as she proceeded to jam the rifle’s bayonet several times into the Boomer’s back. In one final attempt to bring the human down with it, the massive Locust gripped Allyson by the arm at last, wrenching her into the snow.

Allyson blindly thrashed outward with her other knife wielding arm but couldn’t hit the Boomer in the head from the awkward angle she was in. That’s when the sound of a chainsaw tearing through flesh and bone filled the air. The Spartan had brought her Lancer down on the Locust’s limb as she had the tree and kept pushing, ignoring the gore splattering her clothes and body. The Boomer howled in pain but the howl abruptly cut off as soon as a knife had been slammed right into its temple. The rest of the Locust had either fled now or were slowly bleeding out in the snow, the red a stark contrast against all the white.

Both the chief and commander were breathing heavily from that ordeal, wiping off bits of chunks that had fallen onto them, when Auri extended her hand to the redhead. Allyson didn’t hesitate to grasp the Spartan’s proffered hand and let herself get hauled up, spitting out blood that had gotten into her mouth. Baird and the two guards hurried over to them once they were sure the Locust weren’t going to mount a counterattack. Allyson cast a look off in the direction their enemy had taken with a rather pissed off look on her face.

“Jenks,” she said, exhaling explosively as she flicked a bone fragment off her forearm, “When we get back to the village, get a team together to follow these tracks back to their nest. Finish them off. We cannot have them coming back to our home. Once we have the weapons from this cache, that task should be easier to accomplish.” Allyson then looked back to Baird and Auri, the anger replaced with exhaustion that they all felt. “Please. Lead the way.” Baird gave her a curt nod and, after they ensured that everyone in their group hadn’t been injured and the dead Locust were just that, dead, they continued on their original route.

Sure enough, a quarter of a mile down, they reached a weathered, old outpost that clung to the edge of a cliff. Allyson stopped in her treks, looking at the building with confusion.

“This can’t be right,” she said. “We already examined this place from top to bottom. Your coordinates have to be wrong.”

“Nope, not wrong,” came Baird’s reply as he walked up the rickety steps. “Y’all just weren’t looking in the right place.” He shoved his shoulder against the faded door until it gave way. There was enough light seeping in through the cracked boards along the windows to see by as he searched about the place. His pace quickened when he neared a moth eaten rug by the back corner and flipped it over. Allyson and her posse had stepped inside as he revealed the locked hatch and Baird glanced away as he felt a rather satisfied grin pull at his mouth as he entered the code. It buzzed once before letting out a sharp beep, accepting the passcode. With the locks disengaged, Baird swung the door upward and revealed crates of ammo, hand grenades and several pairs of rifles, handguns and a few grenade launchers at the back.

“Let us pack up some of the ammo ourselves. Rest is yours, Chief,” Baird said as he reached inside and began pulling up a few of the crates. “Ya might wanna get a couple more guys out here. Looks like it’ll take you a few trips.”

“Very well, COG.” Allyson’s boots echoed dully against the floorboards as she approached him to peruse the contents for herself. “Thank you. And… thank you both for your assistance in that fight.” She looked over to Auri who was still wiping off some of the blood that hadn’t turned completely tacky yet. “Your… friend is welcome to shower before you leave our village. Make it quick.” The Spartan’s eyes widened a fraction in surprise.

“Thanks. I’ll, ah, be sure not to use up all your hot water,” Auri replied, a relieved smile on her face. She didn’t exactly fancy walking all the way back to the LZ coated in a fine layer of gore.

“Make sure that you do. It’s difficult enough keeping hot water supplied to the village without others making use of it.”

The commander swallowed her smile and nodded once. Outside, they could hear several pairs of boots crunching through the snow. Baird instantly shot up, a hand going to his sidearm but Allyson waved him off. It was Mike with a few extra hands. While he did alert the others back home, he took it upon himself to double back with a couple guards in case the fight took a turn for the worse. After coming across several dead Locust, and saw that their people weren’t among them, the group followed the snow tracks down to the outpost. With the added help, Baird and Auri were no longer needed once they got their share of the cache.

With the promise of a hot shower in her near future, Auri double timed it through the snow and back to the house they’d stayed in the previous night. She scrubbed the blood out from her hair and her skin, going over herself twice before she was finally pleased. In the meantime, Baird had already called up the Raven and had been wiping down her armor the best he could, having tossed her other clothes into the washer. It’d be a minute before their pickup was even remotely close.

A few hours later found the two soldiers halfway down the mountain at the aforementioned LZ, a Raven steadily approaching. It touched down, grabbed the pair and took off, leaving the village and mountainside well behind them.

___

It was already well into the evening by the time they neared the Sovereign. The ship was a welcome sight to behold. The Raven soon landed on a free pad, depositing the soldiers. Dom and Cole had been walking over to them, rather happy that the two made it back safe and sound.

“I’ll get the report turned in if you’re wanting to crash below deck,” Baird said to the Spartan as he turned off in the direction of the bridge.

“That actually wouldn’t be a bad idea,” she replied. “I’ll drop off my gear. Don’t forget to check the maintenance logs.”

Baird laughed then gave his squad mates a quick rundown on the bullshit they had to deal with the day prior. “Oh, trust me. I am definitely not gonna forget that. Friggin’ dumbasses.”

“Oh, and Baird? One more thing.” The blond gave Auri a puzzled look as she walked up to him. She gently cupped his chin, stood up on her toes a little, and, with Dom and Cole both as witnesses, placed a brief kiss on his stubbled cheek. “Thanks.” She flashed him a smile, her face turning a slight shade of pink before hurrying off downstairs to her bunk before anyone could stop her.

“Whoa, okay. What was that for?” Dom demanded, letting out a laugh of disbelief.

“I’d very much like to know that, too, Baird,” Cole remarked with a broad grin on his face. “What’d you two do out there? Did you-?”

“What? No, uh uh. I am cutting off your train of thought right there, man,” Baird quickly said.

“There ain’t no cutting the Cole-train off, baby. Especially not with something as juicy as this on the table!”

“I hate you.”

“You didn’t say nothing didn’t happen though,” Dom helpfully pointed out.

“Okay, I hate both of you,” Baird amended, glaring daggers at the pair of them.

These two definitely weren’t going to leave well enough alone but, to be quite honest, he didn’t know exactly what to tell them. It was clear Rachel was interested, now it seems. They’d been flirting a bit back and forth and, after last night, Baird had felt like something had sparked between them but he didn’t know what that meant for the future. Their future.

That answer would have to wait, however. He was dog tired and still had a mission report to drop off. He bid his friends goodbye and evaded the rest of their questions, assuring them he’d talk about it later much to their disappointment. When he went to bed later that night, he found himself missing that warm body curled up right next to him and the soft, clean soap smell. She must’ve come across one that had a faint floral scent and almost wished she could’ve stopped by again. He really could have gotten used to her sleeping beside him but Baird was getting too far ahead of himself. For now, he’d just focus on the next day.

All new days brought new beginnings with them, right?

#auris artsy doodles #Auri writes #halo gears Drabble #drabble piece #gears of war fanfiction #Oc x canon

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iceviolet11 · 3 days ago

Text

Familiar Faces

A Destiny 2 | Gears of War Crossover

Summary:

Wynter — A guardian of 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 origin...

A Savior of the Last City from the Red Legion...

A Warlock turned huntress of the Scorn Barons and killer of the Awoken Prince who murdered her brother Cayde-6...

She still mourns the loss just 6 months after that fateful day. During which she thought were harmless but vivid dreams, fueled by anger and grief, were, in fact, answers to questions she's had all her life. So when she decides to go on a one woman journey to seek out these peculiar answers, Wynter lands in a place where she has been before, only she doesn't know that yet.

And the eventual 25-year worth of horrors that would come to light..

Banners are by @strangergraphics

Chapter Two | Six Months Later

"I can't do it. I'm losing my mind."

Wynter muttered to herself like a damn loony.

"Yeah, can't do what?" Her friend Paige questioned as she continued to fix whatever invention she was tinkering with. God, she's not listening...

"Six months. It's been six FUCKING months!" Wynter yelled while she stood up, anger threatening to bust out.

"Holy crap! What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Are you messing with me?" Wynter glares at her as she hears Kai appear. Paige stands up from her table and walks to sit on her shop's counter.

"Yes, come on. You know me. The thing is, you won't let me in lately. Yes, I know you're stuck in here. It's just because they're worried about you. I am, Kai is, and —"

"I'm fineee. Seriously though, six months. I'm good, I'm eating, sleeping —"

"Yeah, if instant ramen and alcohol are nutritious, then...oh, and no. You have NOT been sleeping well. Just painting and sketching in your makeshift studio." Kai confessed as they both looked at me, judging.

"Et tu, Kai?" Giving up on anger, Wyn jumps up to sit beside Paige. "I just... don't know what to do. Something's been bothering me, for a while now. I try to sleep, I really do but..."

"But what?" Wynter contemplates telling them both since they might look at her and decide to put her in a padded room. What she wants to reveal is considered taboo to the Vanguard.

"What the hell...Whenever I go to sleep, I have this recurring dream. Every night, and I think it has something to do with this." Wynter said, making a gesture to her necklace. A necklace that has a bigger mystery than when it was found on her, but she feels compelled to wear it always.

"What dream?" Paige asked.

"It's when —" she then heard a whiny noise. A certain one. Great...

All three turn around to see those Chloe and her fucking hyenas always by her side; They've been bullying and treating us like crap ever since we were kids. Me especially, because I'm a guardian. Long story...

"Oh look! It's Thing 1 and Thing 2. Still selling your worthless junk, huh? How desperate are you really? Trying to continue the family business, huh?' Chloe said, flashing a smug smile like a damn know it all.

"It's none of your business, bitch." Wynter snapped at her.

"Who are you calling a bitch, bitch!" Her friend snapped back. Jumping off the counter, Wynter faced them with already a pissed-off attitude.

"When you're being a bitch to my best friend, hell yeah I'm gonna call you out!" She exclaimed as she continued to get in Wynter's face. Katie tends to get in her face in honor of the queen bitch herself.

"Woah!" Chloe gets in between to "calm" her friend. It's...a struggle to get under Chloe's skin. You have to do something major; like me, she hates me. One good thing about being a part of the Vanguard is that I don't have to see them! On the other hand, Paige took the brunt of it, and that's not fair for her.

"Why don't you just shut the fuck up," Chloe said. She walks around the counter to continue her "speech". "You have always thought you're so high and mighty in your ivory fucking tower! Like, oh my God! You actually are convinced that people want to be near you. You only have a useless freak, a stupid robot, and the only other person only died just to get away from you..." She said, heartlessly.

All Wynter could do was just stand there. She hears Paige go off on Chloe, but it's like she's far away. I start to think of Cayde, but then memories just hit me; The Prison of Elders, all those fallen attacked him....Sundance....Uldren. That loud bang and...I..I can't brea—

"WYNTER!" Her body flinches as Kai and Paige look at her, concern appearing on their faces.

"My God, are you okay?" Paige asked.

"Yeah, you were just staring at nothing, breathing very hard. Your heart rate was rising rapidly." Kai interjects.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Where did those hyenas go?" She asks while backing up to get some space since it feels like her lungs are about to explode. Hearing Kai chuckle, helped Wynter to calm myself.

"Huh...Paige chased them off...with an arm!" Kai starts giggling and Paige tries to explain.

"Hol up a minute. It was a prosthetic. Don't worry, it was a prototype. Not a customer's...actual arm." She assured Wynter as she remained shocked. We went on to our previous talk before, where we were so rudely interrupted. "So! I have a suggestion."

"Suggestion?"

"Yep! A...girl's night! Oh, we haven't had one in a good while. We'll do it in your room, get some snacks, I'll get my projector to watch a movie...?" 'Damn, she's right. It has been a while, and I'm partially to blame.' Wynter thought. She keeps staring at me playfully which causes me to raise an eyebrow. She's so weird but hey it's underrated these days...

"We could also talk about 'problem' and everything. Come on, please??" She begs.

"Fine! How could I say no?" I said as she let out a squeal and immediately hugged me. "Okay! Let's go you two!" Paige grabs her hand as she closes up shop and drags the warlock through the small crowd in the market area with Kai floating, trying to keep up.

Nightfall arrives as the Traveler shines through the sky, illuminating the city. Whenever Wynter peeks out the window, it always looks so...ethereal. I'll never get tired of admiring it. Leaning and sitting on the edge of the windowsill, brushing her wet hair after showering to get ready for the sleepover. It does help to clear the mind. An attempt that's hoped to work...

Paige decided to give a job to her, well, a warning to make sure her room wasn't a complete depression dump. So she tided up but couldn't touch the studio, not yet... That they need to see for themselves. Since everything is prepped, it's time to play some tunes. Paige refurbished this old cassette player that people used, I guess. It took her a while since this type is from pre-collapse. It's certainly convenient since the only players from the Golden Age were destroyed and archaic. Kai wanted to go for some reason, but he wouldn't tell me. So Wynter made herself useful. The room goes silent as a somber piano melody comes alive on the boombox. Oh man, I love this song...

All around me are familiar faces

Worn-out places, worn-out faces

Bright and early for their daily races

Going nowhere, going nowhere...

A knock omitted on my door and it opened, revealing Paige and Kai.

"Oh, this song! I like this song." Kai said, spinning like he does when he gets excited.

"Yeah I like it too but you in the window. You're looking like one of those princesses...what is it Disney??" Paige teased.

"Really? A Disney Princess?" She just shrugged as I scoffed at the idea. "Well, that's creative. Though I'm far from one of those."

"Eh, who knows? Getting off topic! I of course knew what snacks to get and got the booze." She rattled the bag in her hands playfully. She placed it on the couch with blankets. "Oh! I like what you did, with all the lights!"

"Yeah, we can lean against the couch and sit on the carpet..with blankets and stuff..." I rambled on. Starting to feel nervous, I tend to fidget a bit. She must've noticed so Paige reassured me.

"It's okay. I think it's really cozy, don't worry." Paige places a hand on her shoulder and brings her friend back down to earth.

"Thanks, Paige."

"Of course, sis." Paige then clapped her hands in happiness as she prepared the projector. "Okay, are we ready?!" She exclaimed. "Kai, tell her what movie we watchin'!" Kai makes a "!" appear on his head. He decides to backflip and twirl happily.

"Yes, yes! Hehe, it's our favorite movie! Wall-e!"

"Wait...are you for real?!"

"For real! We used to watch it all the time when you were little. I miss it.." Kai continued but she could've sworn he sounded different for a quick second.

"Yeah, same buddy. So, good choice." He twirls again. So cute...

"Sooo let's put it on the projector!" CHOP CHOP!" Paige ordered as she scrambled around the room. Wynter didn't want to stop the smile creeping onto her face.

After an hour or so of laughing, awwing, and blubbering over Wall-E, the credits rolled on. Letting out a big breath, Wynter grabs to gulp down the rest of the blue liquid courage that stings a bit going down my throat. 'Yeah, I think I'm getting tipsy...' Paige on the other hand...

"Girl, this is the BEST comfort movie of all time!" She exclaims. Wynter tried suppressing her giggling but failed horribly. "Hey don't laugh! It's true! God, I'm so jealous. You get your own wall-e..." Paige then grabbed Kai and hugged him as if he turned into a plushie which in turn caused Wynter to laugh louder!

"Okay, okay! I get it! Just let me gooo!" Kai asked, begged really. Paige lets out a drunken whimper and graciously lets go of Kai's tiny body.

Yeah, she's drunk...

She gets up from the ground in slow motion, holding her arm out like there's an invisible wall. Slowly, she heads towards my art room. "Shit.."

"Oooo~ what's behind door #2?" She slurs a bit.

"W-wait! Please don't go in there! You're too drunk to understand..."

"Fuck off! I'm perfectly fine!" On cue, she bumps into the damn wall. Told ya... Wynter gets up from the other side of the room to get to Paige.

"Seriously?! Don —" But too late. She flicked the switch, Lights illuminating the room before us. Vines and paintings decorated the walls like we just opened up into a fairy tale book. Paige gazed upon the large canvas that was held up by the easel. A large tarp covers the ground and she sees a cart/desk supplies skewed everywhere.

"Whoa. This is..." She muttered as she moved towards some finished works slanted by the wall near the window.

"Yeah. I know, it's not the best. I said as Paige looked at me, eyes bulging.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! These are fucking phenomenal! God if there were museums still around..."

"Okay, that's a little much..."

"Uhh no it's not!" Kai interjected as he scanned around. He's been in here before but not after well... everything. He then wanders over to the covered-up canvas on the easel.

"What's this one?" Kai asked as Wyn walked over to the both of them.

"This-" Taking off the sheet, it reveals a certain painting.

"is what's been occupying my dreams for a while." Stepping back a bit so Paige can look.

On the easel, was a large painting of a beautiful mansion. A mansion with many rooms and red vines wrapped around both sides of the manor, reaching almost to the root. Brushes of Strokes of warm yellows, lush green trees, and vintage cobblestone casing the edges of the corner post and the front of the manor. The painting felt nostalgic, but yearning for something?

"This is beautiful. Why cover this?" Paige asked.

"Sometimes it gets to me." She goes to point to another painting that she uncovered. Paige's reaction was not surprising. It was a painting of a woman, a beautiful woman with short blonde hair and a pale yellow dress. She was smiling with what looked like the wind in her hair.

"This one is very important to me..." Wynter admitted.

"She's beautiful, who is she?"

"That's the damnest thing. I have no clue." She huffed and started to pace back and forth. Panic flows through Wynter's head, like a 1,000 miles an hour. Paige didn't say anything, just stared at the painting.

"Damn, well, when did everything start?" She finally asked. I sat on the stool in front of the painting. Defeated.

"It started back when Ghaul & the Red Legion invaded. When I lost my light. After Ghaul kicked me & the Guardian off this stupid ship, that was my first time having this dream. Certainly not the last...

"What's the dream? I mean, were you in the dream or somewhere else?" Kai asked.

"...When I fell, I was in this grassy field. I started walking and I came across that mansion. It felt like I should be there but I don't know why. It didn't make any sense to me." I started to explain.

"Okay. What happened then?" Paige said while crossing her arms, listening intently.

"I go across this cobblestone bridge where I see that woman I've been sketching, a little boy and girl running toward this man, planting a tree-"

"Wait. Planting a tree? Paige looks at her, confused.

"That's what you're asking about?"

"Yeah." Wyn raise my eyebrow toward her. "What? I-It's a... Valid question."

"Yeah, he was. He had a big ass tree over his shoulder." Wynter remarked, not making a huge deal out of it.

"Dammmmmn, how did he do that?"

"Paige...."

"Sorry, sorry! I'm still buzzed." She shook my head at her, disapprovingly.

"After that, the woman looked at me and I started walking towards her...like I was in a trance. When I stood in front of her, she just smiled at me. Then I jumped awake, the Guardian shook me awake." Wynter continued my story.

"Pretty specific.

"Yeah, it is specific because I've had that same dream every other night since. So I painted it, as an outlet —"

"To find some answers." She finished my thought. Still feeling anxious, I stood up and grabbed the painting of the woman to replace the one on the easel. Just to stare at it, that's all I've been doing.

"I can't do it anymore, Paige. I'm painting, sketching looking even at old photos of when I was a kid. I'm getting nowhere... I said, feeling overwhelmed. My voice my ory, again. gets shaky as my lip quivers, about to cry. Again.

"Hey. It's okay." Paige heads over to me. She rubs my back, placing her head on my shoulder. "It's okay... god I can't even imagine what you're going through...

"No, it's not okay!" With a burst of anger, Wynter sprung up and began to clench and unclench her fists, attempting not to boil over. "At first, I thought it was okay you know? Simple but weird dreams. We all have weird dreams, but more and more they get more vivid. They got so surreal, until...oh God, that horrible nightmare..." Wynter confessed,

"Okay, okay just breathe," Paige said calmly,

"I can't..."

"Yes, you can." She gently put her arms around her for a hug, rubbing my back like Wynter was a little kid again. "You know what, let's get into the living room, sit down and you can tell me everything, okay?' Paige looked at her while she was looking down at the tarp, stained with paint and such.

Wynter let out some sniffles, trying to deep breath to calm myself. Tears still painted my red cheeks. She guided me as she said she would.

"Okay. Let's get started. Take your time but please, tell us everything."

#destiny 2 #gears of war #gears of war 4 #video games #crossover #fanfiction #hurt/comfort #dealing with grief #thank you #i was terrified but seeing the positive response just pushed me to write more #writing #eventual trigger warning #eventual romance

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