#two random ass shinies becoming two of the most important people in the entire galaxy

[phantom-of-the-501st]

Thoughts on the Domino Twins

This idea was brought up by @biscuityskies on Twitter so credit to them.

But this is in reference to what Captain Rex said.

"You're exactly the kind of men I need in the 501st"

This man knew what he was talking about! Fives went on to discover the truth about the inhibitor chips, which not only saved Rex's life, but has also saved the lives of countless other men. Echo is now helping Rex get clones away from the Empire and into hiding, doing so because of the information that Fives uncovered. Fives and Echo have both been instrumental in aiding the clones during the rise of the Empire. Sometimes I feel like the show needs to address just how important those two were because it's not even just that!

They helped with

The Battle of Kamino

The Citadel

Umbara

The discovery of the inhibitor chips

The Battle of Anaxes

Getting the clones to a safe place as they are phased out by the Empire

And that doesn't even begin to cover what missions they probably helped out with off screen! When Rex picked those two shinies up on that moon, he didn't realise just how integral those two would be, not just during the war, but after it as well.

Anyway, the Domino Twins are great and I will forever be sad knowing that they are currently not fighting side by side.

[vagrantblvrd]

halo au (definitely inspired but laso) mavin. just gavin being cheeky fuck and saving the day (and michael, who won't admit it that he needs saving) and michael being michael

Ugh, yessss.

My knowledge of Halo lore is spotty at best (I’ve only played three of the games and not in any kind of order that makes sense + random bits of Halo-verse since then and stuff I’ve looked up on the various Halo wikis out there, but I love this so much? Like. Yes. The Halo universe is a deeply fucked up because wow, and super fascinating and incredible and One Day I will delve back into it, but I digress.)

Setting this sometime during the events of the first three games/Human-Covenant war era and doing a lot of handwaving/~artistic license on pretty much everything to do with things? (Because reasons.)

Anyway, anyway.

Everyone’s a Spartan-III and they’ve all been assigned to a special ops unit under Burnie’s command because reasons.

Newly formed after some incident or other that had the UNSC realizing they needed people properly trained to handle Shiny new, and he’s pulling people from other

They’re all Spartan-IIIs like Noble Team in Halo: Reach, right?

Hand-picked by Burnie and Geoff (and Jack) who have been given (nearly) free reign to fill the ranks and so on and go over thousands of reports they’ve been given clearance to read to select their people. Pull Spartans from other companies and all that and have them reassigned to their little corner of the galaxy for training and all that fun stuff.

Michael’s team is this anomaly in that things are a bit…weird as fuck.

Geoff’s the team leader with Jack as his second-in-command, and things get weird(er) from there with the addition of Ryan and Jeremy.

Which, fair, because Ryan and Jeremy, okay.

A.K.A. the “Battle Buddies”, whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean, and also there’s a rumor around base one of them is actually a Spartan-II? But neither of them will tell anyone which one of them it is, or if the rumor’s even true.

Geoff thinks it’s hilarious the way everyone on base tries to figure out this Great Mystery so of course he’s not talking. (And when he does it’s to sow confusion and chaos and generally be an asshole.)

There’s this glaring empty position because the last recruit for the team has been held up in transit.

Something about the ship he’s on getting caught up in a skirmish somewhere and just this whole series of improbable events that delay his arrival by a few months. Long after the rest of the team has trained together, gone on a few missions that had them forming bonds with one another that means they eye new faces a bit…warily/defensively?

Because, look.

That empty position being a liability on missions, so Trevor or Alfredo get tapped to fill in. (Lindsay and Fiona too, but those missions end in more chaos and confusion than anyone’s really comfortable with? So yeah. Lotta redacted sections in the reports.)

Anyway.

They become a close-knit team pretty fast, because war is hell and they’re all they have out there in enemy territory and other such cliches.

Michael and the others settle into life on base, get used to the way various teams get selected for what would be a suicide mission for any other bunch of assholes. (Luck and skill and a whole lot of who the fuck knows gets them through time and again even though there’s this knowledge it can’t last in the back of their minds, you know? Too many casualties in this war as it is, and the Covenant are relentless fuckers, but until then might as well give ‘em hell.)

And then!

The last member of the team finally, finally gets to base.

Michael and the rest are in the middle of a training exercise when he gets there and once they’re finished he gets back to the barracks first. Finds some asshole testing out the bunks like he’s Goldilocks and seeing it rubs Michael the wrong way because Jesus fucking Christ, okay. What asshole does something like that? (Not, as one would say, a great start.)

“The fuck do you think you’re doing?”

And Gavin – because of course it’s Gavin – is just :DDDDDDDDDDDD at him as he walks over to introduce himself.

Which goes about as well as you’d expect, because Michael is Not Happy?

But before he can get into it with Gavin (asshole doesn’t have the decency to be apologetic about being an asshole, no. Just grins at Michael like he finds all of this hilarious) the others arrive and there’s this whole Thing where Geoff’s like, “Oh, yeah, This is the asshole we’ve been waiting on,” and introductions all around?

Michael is like oh, Jesus fuck, no, but of course his life sucks just that much.

Cue montage scene of Gavin being a little menace all over the place, right?

Makes friends with Jeremy way too fucking fast – they’re horrible little goblins and should never have been allowed to meet, but again, war is hell.

Somehow doesn’t get murderized by Ryan, even after the Coin Incident, and the entire base learns to be wary of the two of them when they Plot and/or Scheme.

Geoff is horrifically amused by Gavin and Jack is like.

(Don’t ask, okay. Because those two are a goddamned nightmare and no one is safe and just. Don’t.)

Gavin also gets along alarmingly well with Trevor and Alfredo once someone makes the mistake of allowing the three of them within a hundred yard radius of each other. (If letting Trevor and Alfredo work together was a bad idea, letting them work with Gavin is catastrophically bad.)

Even worse, he gets along with Lindsay and Fiona and that’s like. At least as terrifying as him getting along with the Terror Twins.

He and Matt are just as bafflingly terrifying as Jack and Gavin and no one knows how that’s even possible. (Because Matt, mostly. But also Gavin.)

Through all of this Michael is just.

Annoyed with this little shit of a teammate, right?

Assumed Burnie or Geoff had made a mistake in picking him for their unit, the team. Thought he’d do something to fuck up and have him reassigned if not kicked out of the military entirely, but no, no.

He’s either some kind of savant or luck as fuck to have survived as long as he has given the kinds of combat he’s seen – Michael may have ~sweet talked Matt or someone else into letting him see Gavin’s files at some point because no way this little idiot got here with what Michael’s seen of him in training.

Sure, he squeaks by during training exercises and such, only just getting through/pass objectives/obstacles and looking like an idiot as he does. (And to Michael’s increasing annoyance/resentment the others don’t seem bothered by any of that? Like it won’t matter in the field on a mission with them relying on Gavin to watch their backs and so on, but fine. Whatever.)

Anyway.

Gavin is :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDD at Michael this whole time while Michael is >:(((((((((((((((((((((((((( and everyone else is either oblivious or amused at the two of them.

Gavin forever trying to get on Michael’s good side while Michael takes every opportunity to avoid him and all the shenanigans that entails.

AND THEN.

The team gets deployed for a Very Sekrit Hush-Hush Mission Of Utmost Importance somewhere.

(Because reasons.)

Get sent out to secure a McGuffin that was on a Pelican that went down in enemy territory and because reasons and shit goes wrong. (Of course it does.)

A hell of a fight to the damn thing to start with, this fucking Elite with a plasma sword making their mission a fucking nightmare.

Manages to get the drop on Geoff just as they get to the rendezvous point where their Pelican is waiting. Serious enough they loaded him on board with the McGuffin and Jack, but before the rest of them could get on the Covenant forces who have been on their asses this whole time catches up to them and the shooting starts. (Again.)

Odds stacked against them and the McGuffin too important to risk falling into enemy hands, so they have no choice but to get it the hell out of there.

Not quite a Last Stand for the rest of the team because Jack left them with an ammo crate before the Pelican lifted off and anyway, they manage to kill the fuckers who tried to kill them.

(Well, most of them before that fucking Elite calls a retreat and they’re left licking their wounds as they regroup.)

From there it’s going to be a long slog out of enemy territory, but Ryan who’s next in the chain of command goes all unsettling cheerful the way he’s wont to do sometimes and gives a rousing speech that mainly consists of  “Well, shit,” and “I think it’s that way?” (referring to safe territory), and “Let’s go boys,” which.

Yeah.

Michael is Not Impressed, but things could be worse, and anyway, anyway, they had to die sometime, right? (Why not now.)

Things go about as you’d expect for the first few miles, and then Gavin gets bored and starts in on his Questions.

Hypothetical nonsense that – for whatever reason – the others indulge him on.

Ryan and Jeremy have no problem arguing with Gavin over some dumb thing or another for a mile, then two before they switch to another idiotic Question and the whole time Michael is Annoyed.

They have to set up camp when it gets dark. (Could have pushed on through it with their armor’s capabilities, but it’s been a hell of a day and Ryan insists. Doesn’t want them making stupid mistakes that will get them killed because they didn’t stop to rest.)

It’s an uneasy night for all of them, worrying about Geoff and Jack more than their own predicament, which. Yeah.

Gavin seems unperturbed by it all the way he always does, and that irritates Michael who’s already tired and annoyed and that worry for Geoff and Jack not making things better? All of it making him shorter, sharper with Gavin to the point he gets looks from Ryan and Jeremy and ends up volunteering to take first watch to cool off.

Things aren’t exactly better the next day, but Gavin seems to have picked up on Michael’s mood or maybe the whole shitty mission is catching up to him because he’s quieter. Doesn’t stick as close to Michael as he usually does, which has Michael feeling guilty about being an asshole, you know.

(Gavin isn’t Michael’s favorite person, but he’s not the worst human being he’s ever met. That honor goes to Ryan, because have you met the man? Absolutely horrible.) Also, the others like him so he can’t be all bad?)

They trudge on for a few hours, Michael’s guilt about being a bastard to Gavin getting to him – along with the looks he’s getting from Ryan and Jeremy – and just as he decides to suck it up and apologize to him they get ambushed by Covenant forces lead by that same fucking Elite from before.

It happens when they’ve reached some kind of outpost, long abandoned because of the war. Damage and such around that looks like more than one battle’s taken place here and the odds of finding any supplies to help them get back out of there are pretty slim?

But they need a break and maybe there’s stuff here that’s been overlooked by other scavengers. (Or something.)

So of course that’s when the Covenant attack, and then the firefight with the shooting and killing (and explosions and ALL the fire?) and the four of them get separated, because of course.

Gavin knocking Michael out of the way of the Elite with a plasma sword, but in the process they fall into a storage area and it’s just.

A fucking nightmare down there fighting the bastard off before he can get either of them with his plasma sword. Gavin manages to stick it with a plasma grenade he got off a dead Grunt earlier in the fight, and it’s enough to send it packing.

Clawing its way out of the storage area and leaving behind a (convenient) exit route for them too, since there’s no way they’d be able to climb back out the way they came in.

By the time they make it back to the surface Ryan and Jeremy are gone, forced to make a run for it from the looks of things, and there are signs they’re being pursued by the rest of the Covenant forces that ambushed them. (Also, a trail of blood and whatnot most likely from the Elite headed in the same direction.)

And it’s.

Michael knows the Battle Buddies are more than capable of looking out for themselves, that even in the worst situation – which this is looking more and more like one – they’ll be able to handle whatever is left of the group chasing them, but.

Team, and Worry, and Jesus fucking Christ, how could the day get any worse?

(Murphy’s Law looks like it’s in action so best not to ask in case the universe decides to demonstrate.)

The whole thing is annoying as shit because Gavin’s armor is fucked from when he tackled Michael out of the way of the Elite’s attack.

Long, horrible rent in the back of his armor cutting across his shoulders and down to his hip. Didn’t make it through the plating, but it was damn close and the Elite managed to nick the power supply control unit (just missed the fusion reactor, which is good because obvious reasons?) and other important bits of Gavin’s armor in the process.

They don’t have much time/proper tools to fuck around with it because Ryan and Jeremy and them being hunted and all?

But Gavin doesn’t seem to care about getting it fully functional again.

As long as he can still move and the filtration systems work he’s good.

Really.

Sure, his HUD’s dead and there are other things drastically wrong, but the people who designed the armor knew what they were doing and it should keep him alive long to get the job done. (Whatever that is, so yeah.)

Gavin doesn’t say a damn thing about that stupid move of his, which is even more irritating, because Michael had things handled okay. Didn’t need Gavin playing hero or whatever he thought he was doing and he stews over the incident as they follow the trail Ryan and Jeremy (and their pursuers) left behind.

They continue on their merry little way, Michael taking the lead and shooting Gavin these looks when he lags behind.

And okay, Michael doesn’t hate him, no matter what some people might think, right? That initial…irritation/dislike/whatever the hell from their first meeting giving way to this general sort of irritation because Gavin -

Look.

Everyone in the unit has a Tragic Backstory, it’s the whole goddamned reason they exist, you know? Snatched up for the Spartan-III program when they passed whatever checklist they had for it, all these war orphans who wanted payback for what the Covenant did to them and theirs.

And Michael’s fine with that most days, living and working with people who understand what being a Spartan-III means. (Cannon fodder, mostly, even if no one says as much. But also the chance to get a little of their own back before they bite it, so yes.)

But then in comes Gavin who doesn’t seem to take it as seriously as he should. Fucks around in training and acts like it’s a joke.

Different from the shit the others get up to, stupid shit they pull when they’re off-duty or just being the idiots they are. Something that gets under Michael’s skin the way the others never did.

Only that’s not quite right, is it? Because Gavin’s an an idiot sure, but not that kind of idiot? Couldn’t be, if the others have taken to him the way they have. If Ryan and Jeremy haven’t done their best to chase/scare him off they way they have others in the past. (If Geoff hasn’t booted him out by now.)

And then there are the training exercises/tests and Gavin barely squeaks by those, sure, but the whole thing where he gets through them anyway. (What Michael’s seen of his files, different battles and other shit he’s survived this long.)

The way he’s kept up with the rest of them, carried his own weight. (This disaster of a mission.)

Not useless, like others Michael’s served with. Knows what he’s doing with that sniper rifle he carries, and none of the others seem to have a problem with him.

ANYWAY.

Michael looks at the idiot, sees Gavin gamely keeping up with him even with his damaged armor slowing him down and is just.

“I don’t get you,” which is mostly the truth.

Gavin confuses the hell out of him.

Most people get the hint when Michael scowls at them whenever he sees them, stop trying to make friends or whatever the fuck Gavin’s been up to all this time. (Most people though, Michael’s realizing, aren’t Gavin, so.)

Gavin, for his part, seems just as confused when he looks Michael’s way because what is he talking about?

They’re teammates, and while Michael’s an unfriendly bastard he’s Team? Growlier than the others, sure, but not unbearably awful and anyway, Gavin thinks he’s hilarious.

And then the slow, cautious Getting To Know Each Other bit where they actually talk? Like. A way to keep their minds off what they might find when they catch up to Ryan and Jeremy and the bastards chasing them and just.

Seems like the thing to do, what with the odds of them getting out of this being what they are.

They ~bond, and some part of Michael is annoyed at that because the principle of the thing or something? (OR maybe he’s annoyed at how easily he starts to like Gavin or just. Something. Whatever his deal is, he’s annoyed about it. Gavin notices, of course, and finds it funny as hell which is also annoying and it’s just. This vicious cycle of annoying.)

Around nightfall they come across this little canyon/gorge where Ryan and Jeremy have been forced into. Some kind of caves or other shelter they’re hiding in with the remaining Covenant forces facing them and doing their best to drive them out into the open to kill them?

Also, that fucking Elite.

Looks like he’s been through hell, part of his armor twisted and melted – from Gavin’s lucky plasma grenade and everything else they’ve thrown at him and all that – and some missing altogether, but still standing.

Barking out orders and clearly furious that humans did this to him and his troops and it’s beyond personal now.

(Mutual feeling, really.)

Conveniently (or not so conveniently) Michael’s comms are busted – took a bad hit during the initial attack at the rendezvous point – and Gavin’s has been busted since he saved Michael’s life in the ambush so they can’t contact Ryan and Jeremy to come up with a battle plan.

Not, you know, that they need anything too complicated?

About a dozen Covies between them and the Battle Buddies and a nice little spot for a sniper to get cozy for a bit, do some damage before things really kick off.

Gavin still has ammo for his sniper rifle – not a lot, but enough to give them a fighting chance here. Take out the Jackals along the ridge facing the caves, take out the threat they pose and leaving the rest to deal with later once he runs out.

They’re not doing great on the weapons front, Michael’s assault rifle and shotgun, and Gavin’s only other weapon is the Magnum pistol Gavin picked up off the ground after the ambush at the outpost after he lost his DMR in the scuffle with the Elite. (Used it to block an attack from the bastard’s  plasma sword and it didn’t survive, but better it than Gavin, so, again. Yes.)

Anyway, anyway.

Michael’s forte isn’t stealth, but even he can make his way close to the Covenant forces while Gavin picks off the snipers, take out a few grunts before they realize what’s happening and it turns into a free-for-all.

And he does get there because Gavin’s got his - their backs covered and it’s impressive as hell, really, considering he doesn’t even have a working HUD.

Michael feels this vicious little satisfaction when he hears the first shot from Gavin’s sniper rifle, sees the Jackal drop. Doesn’t bother to watch the others fall because there’s a Grunt in front of him and it’s muscle memory from there.

He gets two of them from behind before they know what’s going on, and goes for his shotgun when the third startles and whirls around on him, plasma pistol swinging in his direction.

Things get hectic after that, Ryan and Jeremy realizing the cavalry’s (such as it is) is there to save their asses and a whole lot of dying going on.

Somewhere in there Gavin makes his way down into the fray, Michael catching sight of his armor here and there before losing sight of him as the fight wages on.

There’s this moment – that slo-mo kind of moment – where the smoke clears and the crowd parts and all that Dramatic Moment shit and the damned Elite shows up.

Furious as fuck and bearing down on Michael who brings his shotgun to bear – assault rifle lost somewhere after he ran out of ammo and used it to melee a Grunt and couldn’t be bothered to retrieve it with a suicide Grunt running at him.

He fires, but there’s that godawful click because he used the last of his ammo on another Covie and Christ, what a shitty way to go out, right?

But then there’s Gavin again, the stupid fucker.

This wild yell and flash of blue from behind the Elite as he leaps over a dead body and onto the fucker’s back. Combat knife sinking into the unprotected back (took his chest piece off because it was so badly damaged before and useless) and then he’s grabbing the bastard’s head and twists, the Elite making this surprised noise before it goes down, finally, finally fucking dead as shit.

Michael stares because Jesus Christ, what the hell, and Gavin looks up to catch his eye. Breathing hard and kind of desperate in the way he looks Michael over because wow, adrenaline, huh?

Another Moment where they’re just holy fuck because what a situation and also a rescue – risky as fuck because if the Elite had turned when Gavin made that jump he would have killed Gavin while Michael watched and just.

A whole lot going on between them before some asshole Grunt fires off a shot way too fucking close to them to snap them out of it, remind them the fight’s not over yet, so maybe save it for later?

Gavin yanks his combat knife out of the Elite’s back and Michael takes his plasma sword to use while Gavin plucks up an abandoned plasma pistol from a dead Grunt nearby and they get back to it.

Cut down the rest of the Covies with Ryan and Jeremy until they’re the only ones left standing and then it’s “What took you guys so long,” and “We had everything perfectly under control,” and “Hey, assholes,” and so on.

Scavenging (looting) weapons and the long walk to safe territory.

And, like.

Michael still getting looks from Ryan and Jeremy, but this time it’s because Michael’s being friendly towards Gavin who is :DDDDD about it and things kind of go from there.

Once they get back to base the whole Play Pals thing happens – or the equivalent -  to counterbalance the Battle Buddies and Geoff hates these assholes, he really does. And then other shit happens, like Michael experiencing an accelerated case of Pining for Gavin who is amused as fuck once he realizes what’s going on? (Not like he didn’t have his own case of Pining, but that’s old news by now that pretty much the entire base knew about before he did? But Michael’s so damn surly about his own affliction.)

More missions and close calls – a few presumed dead scenarios and Hard Truths and Shocked Realizations and then the Smoochening.

Also.

Almost literally everyone else on the entire base being in on the betting pool regarding the two of them to Michael’s >:(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( because assholes.

~*The End*~

(Also, though. Gavin or Jeremy – or both – pick up a stray kitten on a mission somewhere and bring it back to base where it becomes a mascot and makes Michael’s life a misery because it can? Meanwhile Gavin laughing his ass off while Michael bitches about this tiny cat that has some kind of vendetta against him and Michael, Michael, please.)

EDIT: Also, turns out Jeremy’s the Spartan-II, something they all find out on a later mission where he saves the day via Spartan-II awesomeness involving like. A tank or something he punches to death. (Because that’s a thing you can do in Halo and it’s awesome as fuck and also fun.)