#halo x reader

[empresskadia]

You: If I died-

John, cleaning his weapon: Death will not get you out of this relationship

[fortheb0ys]

I want Master Chief to take off his helmet. See his pretty face, sweat covered and glistening. A proud look on it from a mission well done.

I want to see that same face, just a different look on it. A look of desperation replacing it. Needy lust taken over him.

He's on his knees in full gear. His erection pressing painfully in his suit. His tongue hanging past his chapped lips. Eyes trained on your cock. A begging glimpse behind them.

He wants what's his. He wants his reward. He wants you in his mouth. Hands palm at the bulge in your pants, feeling blood fill your member quickly.

Your thumbs caressing is stubbled chin as you cradle his face. Eyes connecting, so does your understanding. You know what he needs and he will get it.

A small kiss is placed on his forehead.

"Well done, sweetheart." You whisper into the flushed skin behind his ear.

He closes his eyes in anticipation as eye contact is finally severed. The sound of your zipper, a clear sign of what's to come.

[specialagentlokitty]

Master chief x reader - learning new feelings with you

Saw that you would start writing for Master Chief. I finished watching it like a week ago so this is a funny coincidence😂. Maybe a Master Chief (John-117) x reader with this prompt “Did you mean it?” “What?” “When you said you loved me did you mean it?” from your 2024 prompts. So many of the 2024 prompts would be great for him. You don't have to write this if you don't won't to as always of course.( •◡-)-♡ - Anon💜

Sitting at your desk, you flicked through some of the files on the tablet you were holding, taking a sip of your tea that was sat in front of you.

There was a knock on the door and you looked up.

“Come in.” You called.

The door was opened, and you smiled a little bit at the Spartan and your cell doctor who came through the door.

“Miranda, Master Chief, what brings you here?” You asked.

The Spartan took a seat in a chair on the other side of the room, and Miranda walked over to you.

“I’m sorry Doctor, I know you’re very busy but John has been injured, and he refuses medical assistance. I thought maybe you could convince him to get help.”

You nodded, standing up from your desk.

“I’ll see that the chief is safe. Thank you for bringing him here.”

She smiled, heading out of your office and you turned around to John, walking over you took a seat in front of him.

“Why are you refusing medical care Master Chief?”

“I don’t know who I can trust, who I can’t trust.”

You slowly nodded your head.

“You’ve been having an influx of emotions since you removed the pellet from your back, these are emotions you have never felt before so you don’t know how to process them, that’s okay.”

You leant over the table, tapping a finger against the helmet over his head.

“However, refusing medical assistance when it’s needed is not okay. It’s dangerous to put yourself in that situation.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll be the judge of that, may you remove your helmet please? Show me where the injury is.”

John reached up, carefully pulling his helmet off, setting it on the floor next to his foot.

He looked up, his eyes connecting with yours, and you pulled a torch out from your pocket, flashing it over his eyes.

“Follow my finger.”

He did as you said, and you carefully turned his head from side to side to ensure that there was no pain or restriction with his movements.

“You’ll need a few stitches, but otherwise you’ll be fine. I can have somebody from the medical team come up and sort that out.”

“No.”

“No?”

You turned around to look at John, setting your tablet back down, showing him that you were listening to what he was saying.

“Do you not want the medical team to do it?”

“No.”

“Alright, I won’t call for them.”

Walking across your office, you grabbed a first aid box you kept in there and walked back over, taking what you would need out.

John didn’t say anything as you placed your hand on the side of his face, turning it just a little bit so you could work on stitching the wound on the side of his head.

“I hope you know that I’m no medical doctor Chief, so this will be a dodgy job at best.”

“I know.”

You hummed a little bit, remember what you had learnt a long time ago as you fixed up his injury for him.

When you were done, you bagged everything up, took your gloves off and set it all aside, sanitising your hands.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yes.” John replied.

You turned around to look at him.

“Do you feel you can trust me?”

“Why?”

“Because I would like to know why you refuse medical attention, why Miranda brought you here to see me.”

John clasped his hands together, leaning his head down to run his hands over it, letting out a small breath.

You didn’t pressure him, you simply walked back over to sit in front of him once more.

“Chief?”

He looked up at you, and you gave him a reassuring smile.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to tell me of you don’t want to, okay? I’m not here to force you into anything you don’t want okay? Remember this is a safe place.”

“I need to go.”

“Alright, that’s okay. If you do want to talk though just come and see me, my door is always open for you.”

He nodded his head, picked up his helmet and left, and you walked back to your desk.

You had a good idea as to why he decided to come to you instead.

After touching the object they had found, he’d glad glimpses of what you believed were memories, he’d learned he was stolen away from his family.

He wasn’t very trusting after finding out it was the very same doctor whom been with him and the pet her Spartans this whole time.

The only constant thing he had right now was you and the other Spartans, he had demanded to see your file to make sure you weren’t in on it as well, and you showed him.

You never hid anything from him.

So, if you had to guess, he was a little more trusting of you than any of the other doctors, and he felt more comfortable with you than the people who were usually poking and prodding at him after missions if he was hurt.

You had a few sessions with some of the marines, spending some times with them, talking to them and listening to their concerns or fears.

As late afternoon came around, you were walking around your office to stretch your legs, and there was a knock on your door before it opened.

“Doctor?”

You hummed, turning around, smiling at John as he came back through.

“How can I help?”

He quietly closed the door, standing to attention, hands clasped behind his back as if he were reporting to a supervisor.

“You seem to make sense of things when nobody else can. I don’t understand what’s happening to me.”

“Let’s take a seat and have a talk, yeah?”

He sat down, and you sat down opposite him.

He began to explain everything to you, sometimes pausing to find the right words or think about what he was saying.

He didn’t say much, and he stopped speaking to look at you.

“Do you understand what it is?” He asked.

“I do, yes. When we’re young we are taught how to handle our emotions, process them. Our parents teach us first, how to appropriately react to emotions. Does that make sense?”

John shook his head.

“Well, when I was a kid when I was angry I used to break things or throw things. My mom gave me a cup of water, but I was angry because she wouldn’t give me my favourite snack, so I threw the cup and broke it.”

John furrowed his brows a little bit.

“Over a snack?”

You laughed a little bit.

“Kids will do anything for their favourite snacks.”

You smiled at him.

“My mom put me in time out while she cleaned it up, then she came over, explained to me when I was angry I should never throw things, or hit people. When you’re angry you shouldn’t speak to people, and you should never go to bed angry.”

He slowly nodded his head.

“Our teachers continue these teachings, the grown ups in our lives help us learn about this emotions, how to handle them and how to process them. You never had that option, you had your emotions taken away from you.”

“Kai seems to be adjusting…”

“Kai is deflecting, Kai is finding things to occupy herself, but there will come a time where she will be forced to face the emotions she doesn’t know about yet. Grief, loss, pain, you’ll experience them as well.”

John raised his gaze from his hands to look at you.

“It’s hard to point which emotion it is you’re feeling, but if I had to guess I would assume perhaps anger, and confusion mixed into one.”

“What do I do? How do I make it go away?”

You gave him a sad smile.

“You can’t make them go away, you can push them down, but one day you will need to process them. There are different ways to doing this, and I can guide you, but I can’t process them for you, this needs to be something you do yourself.”

“What do I do?”

Getting up, you walked over to your desk and picked up a bit of paper, walking back over to him and you sat down next to him.

You were much smaller than he was, even sitting next to him on the couch it was clear that you were smaller than him.

You held it out to him and he took it.

“I keep this list for anybody who needs help figure out how to process their emotions. It’s a list of things that may help you. From going to the gym, writing letters, then there’s taking a step back from your current situation, go for a walk, find somewhere quiet to sit and just be you.”

“What do you do?”

“Well, I wait until the weekends, then I leave reach, and I go for a hike nearby. Around this time of year there’s my favourite place where all the flowers are in bloom, and I just sit there, sometimes I read, other times I just listening to the birds. I enjoy the escape of nature.”

John nodded his head, setting the paper down on his table.

“I decided to come here because I trust you.” He said quietly.

You smiled softly.

“Well, I’m glad you can. But Chief?”

You turned his head down to look at you.

“Next time please go to medical, it could be something serious. If you don’t like going there, you can get somebody to call for me and I’ll come with you, alright?”

“Why?”

You smiled softly at him, placing a hand on his arm, patting it a few times.

“Because you trust me, if that means I have to come to medical with you to make sure they don’t run any unnecessary tests, and make sure you’re alright I’ll do that.”

He nodded, and you got up, making your way back to your desk to put the paper away.

“Spartans were conditioned to only bond with other Spartans.” John said.

You looked over at him.

“I… don’t understand how to interact with other people.”

“That’s alright, you can learn if you want to. I’ll be going to my hike tomorrow if you would like to come along, I think it may help you.”

Taking another slip of paper, you wrote down a time and a place and walked over, handing it to him.

“I’ll be here, I’ll wait around for you, but you can find me there every weekend.”

He nodded, taking it from you and he left without another word.

The following day, just like you said, you waited for John, and he turned up a few minutes later, dressed in his work out uniform.

He usually wore it under his suit, so it made sense as to why he was wearing it now, they were most likely the only clothes he owned aside from his armour.

“How long does it take to get there?”

“Not long, we’ll need to stop to buy some water first.”

He nodded his head, following you to the shop, and you grabbed a couple of bottles of water, along with some food for lunch, paid for them and put them in your bag.

You and John made your way there, and you began walking the trail you walked every weekend.

“Doctor?”

“You can call me (Y/N), we’re not at the office. We’re friends right?”

“Friends?”

You smiled brightly.

“Well, you come by my office enough to not be friends at this point. I’ve never had somebody willingly come to my office so many times.”

He stayed quietly for a few moments, just searching around the trial.

He was looking around for threats, you knew that.

“How do I know what emotions are what?”

“Well, it depends on the person I suppose. And the emotion, take love for example, there are different kinds. Parental love, the love between a person and their parental figure, or parent and child. Then there’s plutonic love, the bond between friends, then you have romantic love, the love, the connection between two people who want to spend the rest of their their lives together.”

“How do you know the difference?”

You stopped walking, crouching down to look at some blue flowers that were blooming from the grass.

John knelt next to you to look at what you were looking at.

“Well, you have a plutonic love for the other Spartans, you’ll protect them, but just because you have to, but because they’ve essentially become your family.”

You looked up at him.

“Parental love, I’m not to sure how you’ve experienced that if you have. As a child I know you would have, and in time perhaps that’ll come back to you.”

You stood up, carrying on your walk, shifting the bag on your back and little uncomfortably.

John placed a larger hand on your shoulder, and he held his other hand out to you.

Taking the bag from your back you passed it over to him, letting him swing it over his shoulder.

“Thanks, it was getting a little heavy.” You laughed.

“Do you always bring so much?”

“Not always, but there’s two of us this time.”

“I’m sorry if I inconvenienced you.”

“Hey, come on chief, don’t say that. You’re never an inconvenience.”

John glanced at you.

“Why do you call me chief?”

“What would you prefer me to call you?”

He thought for a moment.

“I will call you (Y/N), only if you call me John.”

You smiled brightly up at him.

“Alright John.”

You carried on walking, every so often stopping to admire something and John would just stand there was stare at you.

He watched you carefully, not able to fully relax, put that sense that there was always a threat behind him.

As you reached a fork in the path, you took the one to the left, and soon enough you were surrounded by trees in full bloom, a sea of pink and white petals all over.

You walked to the middle and sit down, resting your hands behind you as you looked around.

“Why do you stop to look at everything?”

John sat in front of you, setting the bag between the pair of you.

“Well, it’s always important to take time to admire things you consider beautiful, for me, I find beauty in nature, the simple things that are all around us. I love it.”

John nodded a little.

“You never told me about romantic love. What is that like?”

“Well, again it’s different for everybody.”

“What is it for you?”

You were curious about his sudden curiosity about feelings, because the whole time since he removed his pellet he hadn’t shown much interest around them.

“John, can I ask why you’re suddenly curious?”

“Miranda says I love somebody. I don’t understand what that means.”

“Ah, I see. Well, for me it’s the little things that somebody does, what they like, the way they laugh, or the way they might make a small noise when they stretch. For me it’s about all the little things, not the big gestures. I don’t care about them, I’d take flowers over expressive dinner, walks instead of going to shows or things like that.”

John nodded his head.

He just sat there studying you, his eyes solely focused on you, watching your every move.

There was a reflection of the flowers in your eyes, and a warmth in your smile.

“How do I know if I love somebody?”

“Well, you could experience a need or want to be with this person, be next to them at all times. You’ll want to learn everything about them, it could be a tightness in your chest when you see them, a need to protect them. There’s a lot of different tells.”

“What do I do?”

You smiled.

“You could tell them, ask them on a date.”

John nodded his head, watching as you got up from where you were sat.

Walking over to one of the trees you stood under one of them, looking up through the blooming flowers.

John got up, walking after you and he stood behind you.

He watched your pointless attempt to try and reach them, there was no way you could teach them, but he could, so he reached up and took one of the flowers, giving it to you.

He enjoyed the close proximity to you, he didn’t know much about anything other than fighting, but he knew he liked having you nearby. He had an urge to keep you safe, and he liked seeing you smile.

“I love you.”

You snapped your eyes to him, head tilted back as you stared at him in pure shock.

John stared right back at you, his soft gaze focused solely on you, neither of you saying a work.

“Chief!”

He turned around, and you did the same thing, stepping from behind his larger frame.

“We have to go now.” Kai said.

John nodded his head, turning around to look at you.

“I’m sorry, I have to go. Please let me know you have returned home safely.”

You slowly nodded, just watching d he jogged away but you couldn’t get the thought out of your head of what he said.

Technically there was nothing wrong with anything going on between the pair of you as he wasn’t a formal patient you were simply doing a friend a favour by helping him.

You had to admit you did like his presence there, and you had wondered about if Spartans dated, held relationships and such.

You didn’t see John for a good few weeks, but the moment he was back after his debrief he made his way to your office and knocked on the door before walking in.

“Master chief?”

He frowned a little.

“I prefer it when you say my name. It sounds different when you say it.”

“Sorry John, what brings you by? Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“I wanted to see you.”

This made you smile, and you set down some of the books you were holding in your hands.

John walked over, he seemed to reach out for your hand but he hesitated.

“I would like to go on a date with you, but I don’t know how to do that.”

“Can I ask you something first?”

He nodded his head, and you reached out, holding his larger hand between your smaller ones.

You had to look up in order to look at him, his head turned down a little bit so he could look at you.

“Did you mean it?”

“What?”

You took a small breath.

“When you said you loved me did you mean it?”

“Yes. What you described is how I feel when I am around you, I want to explore this feeling, experience it with you. You see me for me, as John, not as master chief, even though you refer to me as master chief.”

You laughed softly, he enjoyed that sound.

“I’ll call you John from now on then.”

John studied you.

“Can you lean down?”

He complied, curiosity in his eyes.

Leaning forward, you pressed a very careful kiss to his cheek.

“Lets start slowly, a coffee date, get to know each other. You’re still learning about yourself, we don’t want to overwhelm you.”

He nodded his head, looking at his hands surrounded in yours, and he realised he had never known such a gentle and careful touch.

He enjoyed the different feelings he had around you, and he wanted to learn more about them, more about you

[cenittxnadir]

Master Chief Dating Headcanons

It is not news that John is not the most social of the group. Not even from the Blue Team. That position will probably be split between Kelly and Fred. So seeing John in a relationship is something completely new and unexpected, but it was nice to see, especially for the rest of the team who jumped at the opportunity to annoy him. It's not every day you get to outsmart Master Chief.

Leaving this clear, expect a lot of doubts and awkward moments with him, not in a negative way, this is all new to him but he is willing to learn your likes and dislikes while he discovers things that the UNSC has long been in charge of taking away from him.

John can be someone quite serious but behind closed doors and among his fellow Spartans he is one of the most relaxed, you won't see him laughing out loud or being flashy but with you he feels like he can be that child he couldn't be, not in a sense of immaturity but for the first time he feels that there is someone who can take care of him.

Dating Spartan is complicated, no matter what generation is. Everyone has trouble interacting outside of their fellow Spartans. So it is not something that despairs you, you will have to be very patient if you want to have a relationship with them.

In John's case, it's probably you who initiated the physical contact part, he doesn't mention it verbally but he really likes the attention you can give him and the day you told him how much you liked his hugs, he kept asking you if you wanted one He was happy, he felt that he was doing good in the relationship.

Consent for John is something vital, he is not used to being touched in a more intimate way, so all the time he will be asking you if he can hold your hand or hug you. He does not do it out of shyness but rather out of respect for your personal space. The last thing he wants is to bother you and it's the same thing he expects of you.

He's the epitome of a provider, something he didn't even know he was. Not only in the economic and material part. He is a protector by nature, so expect him to be aware of everything that happens with you even if you don't mention anything to him, so be careful trying to lie to him or hide something from him, he probably already knows but he won't tell you anything. Maybe you have your reasons for not telling him, but be very careful with this, he may feel insecure, so it is best to maintain good communication.

Speaking of economics, Spartans do have a salary, most of it goes into savings, since the UNSC provides them with all their needs. So taking this into account and John's military rank, he has a few zeros in his pocket. So when he discovered that many couples gave each other gifts as a sign of affection, he took this method to compensate you every time he had to go on a long mission. Soon after, he practically became your sugar daddy until the gifts were enough and you decided to put a stop to it. You explained him that a hug from him after so long without seeing him was worth more than any material gift.

John, being a protector, will be watching you at any time, not because he distrusts you but because you are important to him and he does not want anything bad to happen to you, he has had enough bad things in his life, you are one of the few good things that has. He can become jealous, but he would not do anything extreme or sick, as long as your life is not compromised, in case something like this happens, he will not hesitate for a second to use all possible means to protect you, even if it means abusing his of position.

In conclusion, you are the most precious thing he has, he will not let anything bad happen to you and that is a promise he made the day you agreed to be with him. Despite his appearance, John has learned to be more relaxed and enjoy the little things more, as long as you are by his side to show him how valuable his effort has been all these years and that now it is his turn to be taken care of by someone else.

[marz-barzz]

I made a non character specific fanfic for the sillies

No tws for this

~~~~~~~~~✨🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑✨~~~~~~~~~

"I missed you." He rasped, eyes heavy and swirling with a sort of desperate look that pleaded for you to hold him, begging to remedy all the sorrows, all the pain, all the tears shed in a horrible past long to be forgotten.

"I missed you too.." You murmured, his strong palms cupped your cheeks with such tender affection and sweet care, his crooked and misshapen nose brushing against yours. Bringing his palm to your lips, loving and gentle hands cupping the back of his large and firm ones. 

He felt perfect, you made him feel so perfect, so appreciated, so wanted, so... loved. In his eyes, you were the deity that loved him and him alone, no one earned your attention like him, no one worshiped you like him, no one laid down their devotion, their affection, and adoration for you like him. You made him feel like a human, and he wanted to thank you for that in the only way he could, the only words he knew how to convey his gratitude.

"I missed you so much..." an exasperated whisper left his chapped lips like it was a horrible secret that only you were allowed to know, kissing your lips so sweetly, so carefully, and downright lovingly, so gentle and sweet.

His love could've given you cavities, like a candied apple covered in sticky caramel and or a rich chocolate candy in a heart-shaped valentine's box.

He Pulled away with a small smack of puckered lips, eyes fluttering open to meet yours with the same love and adoration as you did, like a love-sick puppy, all for you and you alone. 

"Welcome back home." You smile, pulling him in for another kiss “I missed you.”

~~~~~~~~~✨🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑✨~~~~~~~~~

[short-honey-badger]

Shore Leave Masterlist

Summary: Captain Lasky orders the Master Chief a two-week shore leave. Overwhelmed by his lack of armor and unused to the flow of civilian traffic, he parks himself on a bench and meets you. John thought he knew everything about himself. It turns out you can still teach an old dog new tricks.

Link to AO3 -> HERE

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

[ceyx-of-the-shore]

When The Music Stops

PAIRING: Emile-A239 x F!Reader

SYNOPSIS: You were the only one who Emile would listen to in times like these. You didn't know he valued you as much as you did him.

WARNINGS: Angst in the beginning, mentions of blood, mentions of injury/fighting, eventual fluff, growing feelings, Emile is heavily sarcastic and comes off as blunt, no set timeline - just a drabble, etc.

*I do not give others permission to translate and/or re-publish my works on this or any other platform/into an A.I. program.*

You rush into the room, the door sliding quickly to the side beside you as a rush of chilled air slaps your face. The facilities on Reach were always cold—freezing, actually. Like a damn meat locker. The Medical branch more so than anywhere else, but this time you could deal with it. 

At the very least, it could steady out your heated annoyance.

“Emile!” You call, locking instantly onto the heavily armored man standing in his Mark V[B] at the center of the small room, hands clenched so hard you hear his gloves squeal as his knuckles crack inside of them. But the Spartan had already turned his helmeted face to you long before you opened that door, hearing your footsteps down the hall, the pattern of which he’d memorized months ago. That carved skeleton jeers in the overhead light, every little cut a funeral service for Covenant troops scored like paint across a canvas. 

To you, it was a far too familiar sight, and you liked it far more when it was out of your Ward.

“Jesus,” you comment, slapping the pad on the wall to make the door shut behind you as you walk through with a serious face, waving your hands in anger. “What the hell happened out there?! I have half of the staff running around trying to gather enough supplies to stabilize a damn skull fracture, Emile!” 

There’s blood on the ground of the examination room—your examination room. But it wasn’t Emile’s. It drips from his fingers and his MJOLNIR like a red river of dark deeds. The Spartan doesn’t even seem to mind it, and, you know, he doesn’t. If you had to guess, you would say he enjoyed it.

“Nothing,” that monotone voice slowly drips out, the SPARTAN-III nonchalantly shaking out his left wrist and fixing his stance, even though that casual rigidity remains. Animalistic calm. “Just cleaned up a few loose ends, Doc.”

“There are three ODSTs that went in for combat training today and are spending the night in here because of you,” you hiss, stalking up to the gigantic man and pointing a finger into his chest plate. He has to physically look down at you at this angle, and you think you’ll never get used to his unnatural height—both in and out of the MJOLNIR. “Carter warned you about another fight with non-Spartans, Emile—this can’t keep happening! I can’t keep trying to cover for you when you lose your temper!”

For once you’re shocked that the man in front of you lets you spew your words; it wasn’t often the hothead had nothing to say for himself, certainly about his own actions when his gung-ho attitude came out.

Your glare softens, tirade stalled for but a moment as the minutes lengthen after your scolding.

A silence falls, your own eyes blinking down at you from the reflection of the scarred visor, those etched marks that make up the image of death unwavering. Not a sliver of the Spartan’s visage is to be seen—it rarely is. Emile breathed slightly heavily, and his arms shook with leftover anger from not half-an-hour earlier when he’d sent his fist into those ODSTs. You can hear the scrape of his esophagus as clear as day, and if you strain your ears harder, you can image his fire-like pulse as well. 

Where a deep disappointment had bred, now only concern takes its place.

You blink, raising a hand from your side hesitantly; pausing. 

“Emile?” At the small touch on his elbow, the Spartan tenses, but you easily speak in a soft tone, dipping your voice. You can’t recall seeing Emile so…statue-still. “Hey,” you utter, brows creasing as the Spartan’s visor refuses to move an inch from staring you down. As if trying to calm himself by only your presence alone. “Hey, Big Guy. Okay, let’s…let’s take a breath, alright?”

You steady your own, but you know the rapid beat of your heart gives you away.

Emile grunts, turning his head from you to glare at the side wall; you know his jaw is clenched tight under his helmet. But he does as you ask, and you feel his chest bump your form as he inhales deeply.

It was a good thing you found him—of all the staff here, you seemed to be the only one he actually listened to. Even now, it brings a small feeling of pride with it, and you know it shouldn't.

It’s a quiet moment that once more settles, and you feel his tension seep out while you still hold onto his elbow, occasionally caressing your thumb up and down. You know the man best; you’re prideful because you’re the only medic on Reach equipped to handle his snark and aggression—the best at it. And the simple fact is that Emile only comes to you anyway.

“Good,” you nod softly. Taking a step back, you slowly tilt your head and frown at him. 

He scoffs before he speaks, but it lacks any venom. 

“Came on there pretty hard, Doc.” A nickname for you, only he’s allowed to use it. Emile grumbles and crosses his arms, feet spacing out. But his tone is…off. “Thought I’d be on my ass in a little bit.” “What happened?” You don’t beat around the bush, your eyes deathly serious. “You’re not acting right at all. You haven’t even bragged about how easy they were to bring down.”

“So I need to brag now, is that it?” 

Glaring, you set your jaw and level out with him. “Show me your hands, A-239.”

“Woah,” Emile drags out the word, chuckling as you grapple for his hand, moving his head to the side as if studying an ant and saying sarcastically. “Yes, Ma’am.” 

Peeling back the armor plating and the thick undersuit, you’re left with slightly inflamed knuckles. With the enhancements of the Spartan's physical forms, even so for the IIIs, these would heal fairly quickly—hours at most. But the sight still rang off alarm bells. 

How hard had he been punching those ODSTs to leave a mark on himself? Through armor and muscle? 

“Emile,” you urge, firm attention staying on the swelling.

You can feel his eyes on you—digging and heavy. But on this, you would not relent. In your time together, you’d grown fond of him and his horrible attitude. He was off putting, sure, and rough: a bit bad for civilian relations, of course; yet you’d had the privilege to know him as others usually didn’t. 

Emile was bluntly honest, and with you…he listened. That was a trust far earned and it had taken months to even get a break in him.

The giant released a low sigh and with a hand motion that equaled ‘fine,’ he shook his head and pushed out through a board tone. “...They were talking ‘bout you. Didn’t like their tones.” A finger touches the back of your skull, brushing across it briefly and disappearing as if never there. You fight back a gasp. “‘Specially when they thought it was smart to say it when I was right there.” 

You pause at that, still holding his warm hand as his fingers twitch in your grasp—tiny things compared to the calluses and bulk of muscle. It’s like your heart stops, a foreign heat making the room's chill completely halt. 

You stare at his knuckles and feel your eyes blink quickly. Inside of your chest, your heart completely skips beats.

“Took ‘em to the ring,” he says like he’s reading a report. “Threw ‘em down. They lost and I won, and I made them think twice when they’re talking about my favorite Medic like that.” His helmet shifts your way. “You think I’d let them get away with that, Doc?” 

“I…” you stutter, for once in your life, lost for words. Emile chuckles to himself, tilting his head mockingly. 

“Now isn’t that nice.” 

Your face burns even more as the man’s hand shifts out of your hold, tapping your chin up with a finger. His helmet leans into you. 

“Thought I’d stop by and have my girl check up on me before someone else managed to get in my way. You didn’t disappoint. Never do.” You’re speechless, heart rapidly pounding and throat bobbing with a swallow. You know he sees it because he chuckles again and his head moves up and down in a sweep of your body.

Emile hums, squeezing your flesh with his thumb and forefinger before letting his hand drop and pulling on his glove. 

“You hear anything going ‘round about you, you just let me know, yeah?” There’s a serious edge to that sentence. “Let me take care of it.” 

All you do is nod dumbly a blank moment later and feel your face go malleable. You don’t even know how to respond to that—you shouldn’t be encouraging physical fights just because you thought it was an…archaically sweet, if not inherently violent, sentiment.

But was Emile anything but? You knew what you were getting into.

“Good.” Emile moves his head back and stares for a moment longer, his chest rising and falling in a silent sigh of breath, before, soldier-like once more, he walks forward and exits the room with a whoosh of recycled air.

“Be seeing you, Doc.”

You hear the door slap shut and still gape at where he once stood in front of you, fire under your skin and a deep pull in your heart as you stutter under your breath. Clearing your throat minutes later, you blink, flatten out your clothes, and quickly exit into the hallway—hearing every connection of your feet to the floor.

There was something so very wrong about this that made you want to see how it might end. Even if it resulted in your blood-thirsty Spartan standing in your examination room once more, knuckles swollen and his body looming above yours like a silent, skeletal sentinel; some brutish dog ready to tear flesh at a moment's notice.

If only to feel his bare skin again, and the weight of his words on your chest.

"Shit," you breathe, grasping at the bridge of your nose as nurses rush past you. All of your thoughts are about Emile, and you have to internally wonder when that had started happening. "...This isn't good."

[agender-wolfie]

I don’t understand why Master Chief isn’t being simped for as much as other characters. He’s literally one of the og masked characters and people seem to love those. He’s also huge and the strong silent type. He’s the whole package. 💚

[love-beyond-space-war]

Atriox x Female Civilian Pet Reader; has really long hair down to her bottom and has the same braids and war face paint has him

❤️ Your TUMBLER! Keep it up 👍🏼!

Oh hey! I know you on my main blog :) Sure! I'm happy you enjoy my Tumblr(s). Made these HCs if that's fine, I don't have a lot of those on this blog. Not fully proofread, sorry for mistakes!

Atriox x Female! Civilian Pet! Reader

Synopsis: HCs of Atriox caring for a young human woman like a pet and companion.

Content Warnings: Romantic Pairing, Female Reader, Human/Jiralhanae pair, Human pets mention, Slight degrading behavior, Some possessive/protective behavior, Leans into dark territory at times but I kept it light, Canon typical violence.

You are easily Atriox's most prized companion.

He is fine with humans as some Banished are actually human.

Although... you're different.

You are no fighter, you aren't meant to be.

No, instead you were taken in as some sort of "pet" for Atriox after having nowhere else to go.

Despite this... the Banished leader treats you with care.

Care enough to leave his mark on you, anyways.

By that I mean he models your looks in his image.

He has your long grown out hair braided similar to his beard.

He's careful with it, probably doing it himself as you sit very still.

That along with similar face paint to what he wears.

When people see the skull-like war paint on your face... they'll associate you with Atriox.

Which is exactly what Atriox wants.

I say this as I imagine Jiralhanae are possessive of what's theirs.

If Atriox has claimed you as his human companion, a pet to pamper and coddle, then he wants the rest of The Banished to know.

Another way to show you're claimed is him dictating what you wear.

Atriox probably has Banished humans get your size then create human armor tinged a crimson red.

You're dressed like a warrior, even if you couldn't harm even the smallest creature.

That isn't your role... your role is to attend to the needs Atriox has.

Atriox has Banished members close to him, yet you're closest to him.

Atriox always has you around him.

Even during meetings others will catch him holding onto you, a young human woman dressed in Banished paint and clothing, sitting beside or on the large Jiralhanae.

The role itself is a bit degrading.

Yet Atriox doesn't harm you, surprisingly.

Atriox could slaughter or have others slaughter countless humans who oppose him.

Yet then he comes back to you and gently brushes his claws against your cheek or rubs your head.

You reciprocate, too.

Perhaps you were against this role in the start... but now you respect and maybe even adore Atriox.

He's your leader... a master probably... and the one who tends to you.

You can be Atriox is hesitant or even hostile to the idea of having other members around you.

They may speak to you briefly... but he will cut them off if they are too close.

He's possessive and dislikes the attention others give you.

However, he is quickly reassured when you go back to clinging to him and listening to his words.

Atriox finds pride in how well you listen to him.

If he asked you to roll over, you probably would.

As a result... your loyalty rewards you freedoms.

After all, he's already dressed you like him to show others not to touch you.

You can roam Banished areas as long as you come back to him.

Atriox keeps you clean and makes sure when you sleep it's in comfort.

If someone advised against him caring for you they'd be dealt with.

Atriox may not show it but he loves it when you declare your devotion to him.

Tell him you love him... tell him you're his... show your loyalty and he'll praise you.

He's taught you well, no?

Atriox definitely seems like he'd keep you in his lap.

His prized lap dog.

I imagine when it comes to treating you like a pet he'd call you things like, idk, "Good Girl?"

Again, it can sound degrading, but he means it in an oddly affectionate tone.

Especially when he says it while squeezing you tight or tracing a claw around your cheek.

I imagine if Atriox dies he'd have it set for you to go to who's next in charge.

He hates the idea of giving you to some other Jiralhanae... but he'll give you to someone he trusts to be cared for.

Which would most likely be Decimus or Escharum.

So despite your position, Atriox would take care of you.

You're protected... and in a way loved.

Atriox may not fully see you like he'd see a mate, but it's pretty darn close.

He is surprisingly caring towards you in private.

If you got injured he'd no doubt kill whoever allowed it to happen.

Atriox hasn't cared for any human as much as you.

You may be considered a pet to most others...

But to Atriox? You're most likely much more than that.

Which brings you a strange, but welcome sense of comfort when you see him.

[witchie-writings]

Y/N: Rules are made to be broken.

Carter: They were made to be followed. Nothing is made to be broken.

Kat: Piñatas.

Jorge: Glow sticks.

Emile: Karate boards.

Jun: Spaghetti when you have a small pot.

Y/N: Rules.

Carter:

[empresskadia]

Fractured [Master Chief | John-117]

I seriously can't stop thinking about this man, ugh, he deserves the world. I didn't know what to write, so this happened. I have John's Gentle Touches chapter kinda planned out but it's gonna be a hot minute before it gets written and posted.

Post Halo: Escalation

It was one thing to be ordered to take R&R and another to get dragged away for it, or rather, as close to R&R as one could get on a massive ship. John was sure that Kelly was going to tease him as soon as he saw her next, but he couldn't tell you no. Not when he was glad to see you alive and unhurt.

That, maybe, he didn't fail you like he did Cortana.

It was after the third mission since he had reassigned Blue team that he noticed the UNSC Infinity had added to her crew, more specifically when you had marched right into the hanger, hands placed on your hip and Kelly let out a low whistle. "Someone's in trouble." She had teased that made Linda give a short snort as they passed by.

Though it was Fred who placed a hand on your shoulder. "He's all yours, [Y/n]." The Spartan patted your shoulder gently, the request in the movement evident. 'Take care of John.' and your small nod was answer enough.

Your brow raised as the green armor approached, he was glad, no, happy to see you again. This felt like the one thing that didn't seem to have gone wrong, but it had been four years since he had last seen you. Maybe everything between you two had changed.

"Hello, John." You said with that soft smile you always give him.

Or maybe it hadn't. 

The Master Chief simply nodded in acknowledgement; he wasn't sure what to say. Where to start? The loss of Cortana was still too fresh and if he was being honest with himself, a part of him hadn't tried to find you as soon as possible. Perhaps it was the fear that you would see him differently now.

He had failed.

His thoughts were circling when he felt two taps on his chest plate. "Come back to me John. I can hear your thoughts running from a mile away."

"I-I lost her," He admitted.

You were quiet for a moment staring into his visor like you could see him through the helmet, a sad smile tugged on your lips, "I know. I'm sorry." You really were. Cortana had been your friend, one who would tease John with you, one who would help you with your projects and have late night chats with you in the lab, one who always kept you up to date on John's missions regardless of if she was supposed to or not.

"She told me to tell you goodbye. And thank you-"

"And to take care of you?" You guessed, cutting him off before you tapped his chest armor again, the clink vibrating through the air. "Let's get you out of this. I wanna see you, John." And he couldn't tell you no, whether or not he wanted to take off the armor.

He complied.

He could do orders.

He could share this loss with you.

And while he laid in your arms, out of his armor, in the silent room that was broken by your humming, your fingers slowly dancing across his bare back, John almost felt like he was home, like he could survive this loss. His arms were wrapped around your waist, his face pressed against your stomach as your nails continued their movements, gently caressing over the pattern of scars as if you were rememorizing the old ones and studying the newer imperfections. "I missed you," you whispered as your lips pressed against his shoulder, right onto a scar he received from the Didact like you knew where it had come from.  The confession was so quiet that you took in a steady breath as if you were grounding your feelings. "I thought you were gone." He could hear the small quiver in your voice.

John lifted his head a fraction, his eyes meeting yours in a silent understanding. He had missed you and feared the worst. As he looked into your eyes, he understood your fears, a mirror image of his own. The thought of losing you, of facing the galaxy without your presence, was a fear he couldn't bear to confront. John's arms tightened around your waist, not enough to hurt you but to remind him you weren't going to disappear, that you were indeed alive.

"I'm here," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. He leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to your forehead, a silent vow to never let you go again. The warmth of your embrace, the gentle rhythm of your breathing. With you, he felt whole, as if all the fractured pieces of his being had finally found their place.

[cafe-of-insomnaics]

Hands caressing your neck, tracing your jaw, rapidly feeling your body. You pulled back to grasp his hair. “Keep kissing me, please.” A breathless whisper fell from his lips.

Hands feeling up your back, squeezing your hips. Chuckling softly, you look at him with love in your eyes. “Baby, I need to breathe,” you said softly as you rest your hands on his armored chest.

“I want to taste you when I leave,” he whispered in your hair. You pulled back a bit, but he immediately pulled you closer. “You say that like you aren’t coming back.”

“Jorge! We are heading out!”

“I love you, come back.”

“I love you too.”

[specialagentlokitty]

Master chief x reader - shapeshifters fear

Looking at the man in front of you, your heart pounded in your chest, you cradled your injured arm as you felt the blood running through your fingers.

“John…” you whispered.

“My orders are to bring you in.”

“John don’t do this please… you know I’m not a treat…”

“My orders are clear. You are to be tried as a threat to reach, and for lying on your application forms when you applied to be a marine.”

You quickly shook your head.

“I’m not lying! I swear! They asked if I had any contact with a list of certain species and I didn’t!”

“You’re one of them!” He hissed.

“That’s doesn’t mean I’m in contact with them!”

“Then come in without a fight, answer the questions and maybe they’ll just give you time in prison.”

“I’ll be executed.”

He aimed his gun, and you took an unsure step away from him.

“John please… please I’m begging you…”

“Get on your knees, hands behind your head.”

You shook your head.

“John they’ll kill me…”

“I’ll talk with them, but you need to come in peacefully for me to be able to convince them.”

“Do you think that’s going to work?! You saw what they did to that man last week! I never did anything I swear!”

“Stand down.” He said.

You looked around for something, anything to help, and you saw a few barrels nearby but you had to act quickly.

You gave John a small smile, and you shook your head.

“I’d rather die.”

With that, you sprinted away, hearing a bullet go flying past your head.

All you had to do was get somewhere public, get lost in the crowd and go from there.

So all you had to do was get to the bottom of this building, which wasn’t an option with all the marines down there so you went up instead.

John was shouting your name as you ran, running over to the roof, then to the next one, and you jumped down a fire escape, running down the stairs.

You had the advantages of speed, and they knew that, if they lost sight of that then it would be over and you would be lost.

Ducking under the arm of a marine, you jumped down the rest of the way, rolling and you ran into the busy street below.

Weaving in and out of people, down to the subway where more people were and on to the tracks.

It wasn’t safe, but there were hiding places, empty tunnels that weren’t used anymore, so you made your way into one of them.

Creeping around, you crouched against a wall.

“I need help…” you whispered.

You knew they were here, it’s where the hid, and all of your species knew that there were a few who hid under the city for moments like this.

You heard some steps, and you looked to the side at the eyes peering back at you.

“Where to?”

“Just away from here.”

“Very well. Come with me.”

You were quickly taken away from the city, taken away from everything you knew, and taken somewhere else.

A different planet was all you knew, you were placed in a small and quiet town and given a home to share with somebody.

You were constantly on edge though, everytime a ship came in you were ready to run for it, and today was no different.

You were standing outside with the others watching as a ship landed, and you slowly began backing away through the ground when you recognised it.

“(Y/N)!” You friend hissed.

“I need to go.” You whispered back.

They glanced at you, then back to the ship, and you watched as the Spartans came out, two of them going to speak to the mayor.

You turned around, keeping your head down as you walked away, but you were fully aware that you were being followed.

“Stop running.”

You broke out into a sprint, jumping over a fence you ran through a field, and John nearly lost you in the tall grass.

You had changed, but he could see where you ran from the grass, and he began to track you.

You ran through the fields, heading for the mountains, John wasn’t far behind you.

“(Y/N)!” He shouted.

He could see the gleam of your fur in the sun just before you entered the trees.

You kept running, trying anything to get away from him, he was fast, you were slightly faster, if you could find a place to hide and lay low you would win.

While running, you could hear him shouting your name as you kept going, and you kept trying to get away from him.

Finding a wooden bridge, you dug your paws into the ground, coming to a halt and you covered the tracks with dirt, then crawled under it.

You listened carefully to the sound of his steps coming closer.

“(Y/N)!?”

You could hear him on the wooden bridge walking around, then you heard him stop.

“I’m not here to hurt you or arrest you.”

He looked around, and you slowly backed up from the way you were going, crawling towards the other side of the bridge to get out.

You quietly made your way out, and you stood up, turning your go back the way you came from and John was in front of you.

“We know you had nothing to do with the attack, you’ve been cleared.”

You slowly began backing away and he rose his hands.

“No, no don’t.”

John reached up, taking his helmet off and he slowly knelt down, placing it on the ground, his eyes studying you.

“Please don’t be scared of me…” he whispered.

He reached out and you turned your head away, a little unsure and he paused.

“I’m sorry…”

You backed away even more, and then ran back the way you had come from.

John kept coming back when he could, each time you would run away from him, and after a few months you had thought he had given up.

But he hadn’t, he arrived again just like every other time out of uniform, and he walked over to where you were standing in your front garden.

You began backing away.

“I know you’re going to runaway, but I have something for you.”

He slowly reached his hand into his pocket and pulled something out, setting it down on the floor, then he backed away.

“I’ll be here for a few hours until the last ship goes back to reach.”

With that he walked away and you walked over to pick up what he had left.

It didn’t seem like much, just an ordinary hologram, but when you opened it you saw it was a picture of you he had taken when you were trying to teach him new skills.

You loved that memory, just you and him, learning different things and just having fun.

You turned it off, putting it in your pocket, and you went back to what you were doing.

John didn’t wonder too far, he stayed nearby, hoping maybe you would come and talk to him, but you didn’t seem to show any interest in it.

You knew he was still there nearby, and after a while of ignoring him you nervously approached him.

John looked at you as you walked over, but you seemed a little bit nervous, and possibly scared.

“Will you come back?” He asked.

You shook your head.

“It’s not safe for me there…”

“It is, I promise. We had you cleared of all chargers and they’ll reinstate you.”

“So what? I can be blamed again when a shifter does something wrong?”

“No. So you can come back.”

You shook your head.

“I’m not coming back, stop coming here.”

You went to walk away and John shot forward, taking your hand and he walked around you.

“I miss you…” he mumbled.

You stayed quiet, and you looked at his hand that was still holdings yours, and you noticed is bruised knuckles.

“You should be more careful…”

John sighed.

“I’m sorry… I should have done more to protect you… to stand up for you…”

“People don’t trust me, that’s okay…”

“It’s not. I trust you. I know you would never do anything like that, but I was made to follow orders, I should have questioned them but I did. And now I’ve ran you away…”

You sighed slightly.

John took your arm, and he ran his thumb along the scar going across it, from where you had hurt yourself trying to get away from him.

“I made you scared of me…”

John leant down, kissing the top of your head.

“I really am sorry…”

With that he let go, and he made his way back down the street.

“I’m not scared of you…”

He stopped.

“I guess I’m just… I’m scared it’ll happen again…”

He turned around and walked over over, taking your face between his hands.

“If it does I’ll be right by your side I promise…”

“You’ll have to follow orders.”

“I don’t care. I will stand by you.”

“John…”

“I love you.”

You blinked a little in shock.

“I love you.” He repeated.

John leant down, brushing his lips against yours before he pulled away.

His eyes searched yours and you sighed a little bit, tucking your head under his chin because you couldn’t stay away from him.

You had always felt safer with him, and right now you felt safest in his arms standing there.

John held you tightly, a hand on the back of your head.

He knew it was going to take a while to get you to feel safe enough to come back to reach, and if that meant he had to keep going back that’s what he was going to do.

He has screwed up big time, now he had to make it up to you

[cenittxnadir]

Marrige Headcanon with John

The impossible happened. John dared to take the next step and proposed the idea of ​​"getting married." Can it really count as a marriage? His "idea" of marriage was not conventional. He really wanted to be with you and he felt comfortable with what you both had but he wanted more. He wanted to be able to feel freer and a little more human. Unfortunately, orchestrating a wedding and what being married socially entails did not fit with the lifestyle of a Spartan, so their wedding was something more symbolic. Nothing legal or religious, just two people wanting to unite their hearts and feelings in the middle of what seemed like an endless war.

Magically one day they were engaged out of nowhere. The topic came up for conversation and he proposed the idea of ​​getting married. At first you thought it was a joke so you just said yes to humor him but everything became more serious when the following week he came asking your opinion about having a slightly different ceremony and when the date of the event would be. That was where you realized that you were engaged and that he was very serious.

It was a fairly small event, just the two of you where you shared your vows and promises. No one else found out about this, not even John's team, although this only lasted a few months, he was the one who told them, since he was leaving on a mission that would last a long time and he didn't know if he would return. He just wanted to make sure you were okay, so he thought it was a good idea to leave you in the care of the rest of the team and they did an amazing job.

DARLING!!! GUESS WHO´S BACK FROM JAIL! HELLOW EVERYONE, I´M BACK

[noblesixjm04]

A Worm

Fredrick-104

While out in the field. Fixing the wheel on the Worthog.

Reader: "Hey Fred?"

Fred-104: *Hums in response. Keeping watch over the open field as he holds the Worthog up so that you could fix the wheel.*

Reader: *Pausing from loosening the lug nuts.* "Would you still love me if I were a worm?"

Fred-104: "I." *He stops. Trying to figure out if all those 'crayons' you had eaten earlier were messing with you.* "Y/n why would you be a worm?"

Reader: *You shrug and go back to twisting off the lug nuts. Tossing them into an old tin cup as you respond. Alibiet quietly.* "Dunno. But would you?"

Fred: *Sighs and stays quiet for a minute as he looks down at you. Your face dirtied and bruised. There's a hopeful look in those eyes of yours. Those eyes that have yet to dull even this far into the war.*

Fred: *He could tell that this meant something to you. He just couldn't tell what. And clearly he had taken to long to answer because you bit your lip and looked away. Shoulders hunching towards your ears as you went back to the busted tire.*

Reader: *You were a little embarrassed now. Maybe all of your dumb questions were now catching up to you with this one. Maybe Fred had just hit his limit with your shenanigans. Either way.* "Nevermind. It was a dumb-"

Fred: "Yes." *Something in his chest burned when you looked up at him. A grin so wide it was a wonder how your cheeks didn't hurt.* "I'd keep you in my pocket. Now pull the tire off. This is getting heavy."

Honestly he couldn't fight of his own smile on the way back. Your own bright grin almost blinding the entire way there.

Linda-058

The two of you had been meditating. Well. Linda still was. You were laying on the floor with your head in her lap. Counting every breath she made as you waited.

Reader: "Linda. Would you still love me if I were a worm?"

Linda: *Barely opens her eyes. You catch a sliver of green before she closes them again.* "Depends. Did I know you before you were a worm or are you just a random worm that I met?"

Reader: *You think for a moment. Reaching up to play with Linda's dog tags when they fall out of her shirt.* "You would know me before I was a worm. Doesn't make sense if i'm already a worm."

Linda: *You catch the barest hint of a smile on her lips before she's looking down at you. Red hair falling loosely past her shoulders. Her hand curling around your own."

Linda: "Then yes. I'd even have the UNSC make you your own sniper rifle so you could get into places I couldn't."

Reader: *Laughing softly.* "How am I supposed to shoot if I don't have hands?"

Linda: Thoroughly amused with you. Loving the silly questions you'd have for the others and her. The humanity that you would draw forth from them.* "You would have a tail though."

Reader: "Oh ya! Worms do have tails!"

The two of you were in the mess hall. Going over your respective playlists together and swapping old rock music when you randomly ask the question.

Reader: "Kelly. Would you still love me if I were a worm?"

Kelly: *Shrugging. Fred had told her about your strange question a couple of days ago.* "Ya."

Reader: *Beaming.* Really?"

Kelly: *She thinks its cute the way your hands patter against the table in your excitement. The grin on your face and the way your laugh sounds as it spills from your lips.* "Yep. Maybe we could get you some Spartan armor. Then you could be the strongest worm in the universe." *She nudges your foot with hers beneath the table.* "You could give the Hunters a run for their money."

Reader: *You snort a laugh. Adding on a led zeppelin song to the playlist.* "Now you're just messing with me." *You wave a finger at her. Laughing as you do so.*

Kelly: *She smiles. Picking an apple off her tray and handing it to you.* "Maybe. Now here. Eat."

Reader: *You look at her. Dead pan as you hold the apple, your elbow on the table as you look to it then her.* "Is this because of the worm thing?"

John-117

You had just finished training with John. You were tired, sore, and sitting cross legged on the floor. You were curled over your water bottle as you waited for John to finish up.

John-117: *Unwinding the wraps from his hands. Sitting on the floor across from you. Waiting for you to catch your breath before beginning your stretches.*

Reader: *You were regulating your breathing. Watching as John unwrapped his hands. The movements were methodical. Almost mechanical in their familiarity with the action. Slowly, more and more of his paled, scared skin was shown to you.*

Reader: *Your own still wrapped hands tighten around your bottle. You could feel your heart flutter in your chest as you open your mouth.* "Hey Chief?"

John-117: *Hums to let you know that he is listening. Moving to unwrap his other hand.*

Reader: "Would. Would you still love me if I were a worm?"

John: *Stops altogether. Blue eyes pinning you down. Searching over you. He sees your near death grip on your bottle. Could hear the hitching of your breath. See's the way your chin ducks down into your chest.*

John: "Why would you be a worm?"

Reader: *You glance away and shrug your shoulders. Feeling a little silly now.* "Dunno. Just am." *You begin to unwrap your hand. Trying to search for something to do besides stew in your own emotions.*

John: *Finishes unwraping his and begins to help you with yours. He knows you didn't need it but still.* "How did you become a worm?"

Reader: *You shrug your shoulders and try to will your shaking hands to still.* "Dunno." *You watch as John soothes your first freed hand. Feeling comfort from it and his calloused fingers trail against your palm. Feeling comfort from his steady warmth.*

Reader: "Does it matter?"

John: *He was trying to calm you in one of the few ways he knew how. That by being close to you and letting you move, work with your hands, allowed to to speak more easily.* "It does. I'd want to know how to turn you back. The universe is dangerous for a worm."

Reader: *You don't say anything for a moment. Mulling over your thoughts as John guided you through the first of your stretches.*

Reader: "Would you still love me though?"

John: *Pauses in what he's doing. One of his large hands is still pressed to your back. Moving upwards as you sit upright. Its steadying. Grounding as you look up at him.*

John: "I would find a way to turn you back." *His chest hurts when your face falls. He sighs a breath when you let out a soft 'oh'. And look away.*

John: "Look at me." *He's still kneeled down next to you so he moves to sit instead. It almost hurts him when you do look at him. Eyes glossy and he could tell that you were biting the inside of your cheek.*

Reader: "Ya Chief?" *Your voice is tight. You don't know why this mattered so much to you but it did. The others would be ok if you were a worm. Why not John?*

John: *Softly bumps you chin with his knuckles.* "I'd change you back from a worm because I would miss you."

Reader: *You tilt your head. Confused. Mainly because that wasn't the question.* "What do you mean?"

John: *Looks over your shoulder. Surveying the room before turning his attention back to you.* "Worms don't talk. Worms don't ask the questions you do." *Worms don't fill that empty spot in his chest like you do. The thought of losing you. Just the thought.*

John: *Taps a finger against your cheek.* "And worms don't care if people love them." *And oh how his heart burns when you cry. Brushing away the tears before more could form.*

John: "I would find a way to turn you back."

I love you how you are.

[short-honey-badger]

Shore Leave 3

Part 3 of this ever-growing series. Just can't help myself.

Warnings: Kissing. Some sad thoughts.

Masterlist

Part 1 -> HERE part 2 -> HERE

“Order whatever you want. My treat,” you tell John when the two of you arrive at the food stall. The smell of greasy burgers hits John's nose and his stomach roars. You snort at the sound as you examine the menu quickly before stepping forward to order. You live around the area and have been to this stall more than a couple of times. 

While you wait, John takes his time before ordering for himself and then stopping beside you to wait as well. You take a chance and lean against the solid wall that John creates, lips quirked up when he shifts to better accommodate your added weight. 

You hadn't expected your evening to turn out like this when you spotted the obviously overwhelmed man sitting by himself outside of the café, but you don't regret any of it. He was quiet, but you could tell that he was always listening to you, those sorrowful blue eyes following your every move. You aren't sure what pulls you to this man, but you don't want to stop it. 

It's in a comfortable silence that the two of you eat greasy food, parked at the furthest picnic table. John had ordered a massive amount of food, and you watched in disgusted awe as he consumed all of it in no time. You glance down at your half-eaten burger and large fry before pushing the tray of fried potato sticks at the big man. 

“Here. You can have the rest of mine.” 

John looks up at you, those pretty blues making your cheeks light up. He licks his lips, giving you an uncertain look, “Are you sure?” 

You nod and scoot the try closer to him, “Positive. You can order more if you want?” 

John doesn't know how to react to the kindness of you sharing and buying him food. It's been a long time since he's tasted anything that wasn't a MRE or nutritional paste in a tube. However, he is sure that it is supposed to be the man who buys things for the person he likes. Gods he wished Cortana were here. She could tell him what the right thing to do would be. 

“John? You okay?” 

Your new friend had gone silent after your offer, his face shuddering into nothing, and you had quickly grown concerned for him. He meets your eyes again and nods once. 

“My apologies. This is fine,” John assures you and even reaches out to take a fry and pop it in his mouth. You crack a smile and sip from your soda, content for now. 

The super soldier takes your tray when you finish up, dumping the trash into the nearest bin, and then offering you his hand. You slide your fingers through his own and John gently squeezes them like you had his earlier. Even in the dim light, his enhanced vision can see the way your cheeks pink at the initiating touch. 

The two of you walk back around the park, speaking quietly about easy subjects like the weather and what you like to do in your spare time. John was rather tight-lipped about everything, and you assumed it was because of whatever position he held in the UNSC. However, you did learn that he likes the color green and despises the color purple. 

John glances up at the digital clock that has been installed above the bathroom stalls, and he frowns when he realizes that it is nearing midnight. He slows to a crawl, his gate hesitant. The Master Chief doesn't want to leave your side, not when he didn't have a way to find you after this. And John needed to see you again. 

You look up at him and catch the slight scrunch of his brow. John doesn't look very happy, and his expression deepens when you speak up. 

“How long are you here for?” 

His hand tightens around your own, “Only two weeks.” 

It's your turn to frown this time, and you sigh quietly in disappointment. Damn. 

“Here I was hoping you'd have longer than that,” you say and stand before him, chewing on your lip as you debate on what to say. 

John has never had a good enough reason not to want to go back on duty, but he has one now, and John wasn't one to easily give up on what he wanted. Lasky had given him two weeks, and he would be sure to make the most of it with you. He likes to think that the captain and Cortana would be proud of him for finding someone who could bring out his humanity. 

“I understand if this is too forward,” John begins and stops to give you his full attention. He is a bit nervous to ask this, but the worst thing you could tell him would be no. 

You raise an eyebrow at him, licking your lips, and prompt, “...But?” 

“But it is getting late, and my friend once told me that a gentleman should always walk his date home,” John remarks and silently thanks Avery Johnson, the grizzled sergeant would have been overjoyed to see the stoic man use his advice. 

“I can make sure you get home safe.” 

The grin you reward him with is brighter than any Covenant plasma, and the spartan feels his heart speed up when you reach out, curling your hand along his shoulder to guide him down until you can press your lips to his cheek. You hear him suck in a sharp breath at the touch, his flesh pale and sensitive from being hidden behind a helmet for so long. 

You drop back down and catch his eyes, “I’ll lead the way, Soldier.” 

John isn’t expecting the way his body reacts to the nickname. He leans down and captures your lips in a kiss more demanding than the last. You squeak but quickly kiss him back, lips fighting to get on the same pace as his. His free arm wraps around your waist, and the Master Chief takes note of the way your soft body melds against the harsh plains of his own. 

He kisses you until you begin to push against his chest, and John is quickly reminded that you are a normal human. As he ends the kiss, pulling away just enough to rest his brow against yours, and realizes that the thought had left a bad taste in his mouth. He had so much blood on his hands, alien and human, why would you want to be with a machine like him? 

It takes you a second to catch your breath, but it takes even less time for you to notice that something is wrong. The furrow in his brow was deep, making the scars that littered his face stretch and catch in the street lights. You thought he still looked incredibly handsome even with such a dangerous look on his face. You take a chance, squeezing the hand you still hold, and then slide the other one up to cradle his face.

“Think you can do something for me, John?” you murmur and smile softly when those blue eyes glance down and lock with yours. He dips his head minutely so you continue. 

“Forget who you are for these next two weeks. Forget that you’re part of the UNSC. You’re just a man. You are just John.” 

The request gives him pause, and the Master Chief almost denies you the second it leaves your mouth, but he stops himself. Could he do that? Would the world crumble around them if he took time for himself to just be John? He didn’t know, but he wanted to find out. 

His voice is rough when he speaks, and you shiver when his eyes darken, pupils dilating when they catch your gaze, “Okay. I can do that.”