"So what is you're doing exactly?"
The lithe form of Cortana flickered in the background as John packed a black bag full of standardised military recreational wear.
"I'm taking a detour."
Cortana flicked her hair in a flippant manner. "And I'm not coming? You really know how to make a girl feel special..."
John continued to pack his case and looked over his shoulder at her in a quizzical fashion. He snorted and zipped up his case and walked over to the datacube that held Cortana's key information.
"If you really want to come, you'll have to lie low. UNSC won't take kindly to my carting round computer programmes."
The feminine figure of programme put her hands on her hips, an angry stance that matched her tone as she spoke.
"You're going to regret calling me that one day Spartan..."
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"Patient 0832 is in the recovery bay, just down the corridor there, and then turn left at the end."
The nurse that greeted John was British, a rarity in the UNSC these days. He'd seen lots of different cultures in the Marines, Mexican, Australian, American- never really many British members. He presumed they were too honed in on the bureaucracy side of the military, helping the slick oiled machine defeat the Covenant with as little fuss as was possible. It only occurred to him as an afterthought of meeting the nurse, how without his Mjolnir armour, he still towered over the majority of humans. He was thankful that Cassandra were a Spartan too, it was that similarity that had kept their friendship solid, even through letters.
He walked down the gleaming hallways, immaculate and shining. Someone here was obviously dedicated to the cleaning aspect of these halls, and in a strange way, John admired this person. It was the same sort of showing dedication that John put into his own career, never missing a spot, never quitting until the job was finished, no matter how long the hours.
He turned left at the end, and at arrived another corridor, greeted by an electronic noticeboard pixelated with text of patient names and numbers. Cassandra was in room 1F. That was a bit further down this particular corridor, and John couldn't quite brace himself for her reaction to his unmentioned arrival.
He knocked on the door and waited silently for her answer.
"Come in."
Her voice was loud and healthy, John secretly let out a small sigh, thanking the stars that she were healthy and proceeded to open the door gently.
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Cassandra looked up to the door as it opened slowly and wondered who it could be. Doctors always tended to open doors swfitly, as if it were their own home and they were checking on a piece of furniture for wood rot. This was no doctor, that she was sure of.
"John?"
Her voice came out a little more apprehensive than she would have liked, but she smiled broadly nonetheless.
"I've often been called that. How are you?"
She nodded, her gaze wandering into the distance as she thought of the past months she had been locked in this very room.
"I've coped. Your victory, I heard it earned you a well deserved medal, am I correct?"
It was now John's time to smile broadly, and it had been a long time since he had been put on the spot such as now.
"Nothing escapes your ears as ever."
She smiled at him, and reached out for his hand.
"You were always bad at lying. What's happened?"
His stern eyes focused on her hand, no longer muscle wired, but soft and comforting, so unlike a Spartans.
"So much has happened. Finding other Spartans when I thought all were dead... Your hospitalisation. Dr. Halsey... Even for me this is getting too much!"
She stroked his hand in an affectionate way, to John it felt odd, he'd never really been comforted in his entire life. Cortana and he were playmates of sorts, when the going got tough, one or the other would crack a wise remark, dripping in sarcasm. It was as if they were old friends, but this affection that Cassandra showed him, it was different. It wasn't right, but he did nothing to stop it. It felt right. That was all that mattered.
"Life has been tough on everyone so far. Stick in there. You're a good warrior, you have a great team and you're respected. So you feel a little down? Everyone gets that. Even Spartans."
He laughed at her last remark, reminded of every time he had used being a Spartan as an excuse for his somewhat derogatory remarks towards the rest of the human species. He'd always thought of Spartans as being above relationships that humans went through, but now, in this room with Cassandra, he was beginning to feel different about what he had long since joked about.
"Your letter. You sounded..."
He was out of depth, he knew this. He realised he'd never fully understand Cassandra's letter, but he wanted to. He wanted to understand her, to know what had pained her so much that she felt life were losing its grip.
"You don't need to know everything John" she said, matter of factly. "Some things end up sounding worse on paper. This was one of those things."
He looked her in the eyes. Blue and round, they quivered slightly, making her look vulnerable, appealing to his masculinity.
"It was more than one of those things."
She looked away from his scrutinising gaze and looked into her lap for solace.
"I wish I could make you understand John, but I can't. So instead..."
She kissed him, grabbing his head in her hands, pulling him to her. He didn't resist. The sensation was overwhelming and he liked it. He in turn pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist before she pulled away suddenly.
"Now I guess you know why I wanted you here so suddenly."
There wasn't a lot to say, he just silently cursed his male ignorance for not reading the signs in her letters.
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Thankyou all for reviewing so quickly! It was such a lovely thing to wake up to, so I made sure I had this up today for you all!
:D
I'm off to University tomorrow, so for the first week I may be a little... Preoccupied, if you get me!
As for the British thing? If you have a problem with it, I'm British. So don't get narked!
:P
-Rhi