Chapter 4

Friendship

The days went by slowly, and Caboose grew rather weary of the Freelancer, but it wasn't the kind of weary that he was afraid of her. Instead, the cobalt soldier would stand in the hallway and if the Freelancer should pass, he would nod at her. The dark armoured female would wave lightly back with a soft "Hello". This happened regularly, and Caboose began to pick up on the patterns she would pass by with. It was usually late at night, or early in the morning. Caboose was well aware that people liked their privacy, but his head began to arise suspicions, such as the Freelancer giving the Reds information, even though there was none to give. One night, Caboose waited for Tennessee to pass again, before waiting thirty seconds and following. He didn't follow her closely, but he kept her in his sight, leaving his weapons at the base, so that he didn't seem like a threat to her if she caught him. He was about twelve paces behind her and she headed down one of the passages near the base. Caboose remembered this one well, because he used to come down here a lot to look at the small lake in it. As the Freelancer went round the right hand passage, Caboose laid on his front and looked over the edge of the higher part in the passage. He could only see the shadows, but he knew who the other was, and his heart sank a little, and he suddenly felt rather sick.

"I thought you'd be here." The Freelancer murmured, and the other shadow looked up from its position on the rock, before standing up and walking towards her. "What did you want to tell me?" The other soldier stood in front of her, their chests almost touching. He then very straightforwardly murmured;

"I realised the other day that I began ta' like you a little too much." Sarge said, and Caboose noticed neither of them had their weapons. Even so, the sick feeling remained. "So I was wonderin' if maybe you'd come ta' Red Base and spend time with us." He chuckled nervously. "Cause to be frank, Reds are the best! Ev'ryone knows that." Tennessee seemed to stiffen but she didn't step away, despite how close the red soldier was too her. Caboose held his breath; what if she left them? They'd be helpless! And he wouldn't have anyone to talk to …

"I'm sorry, Sarge." Tennessee murmured, and put a gloved hand on the Red Soldiers shoulder. "But I could never betray my team like that. They need me, especially Caboose. You should know that betrayal is the worst crime a Soldier could possibly commit." Sarge nodded to the Freelancer, although it was obvious to Caboose that he was disappointed.

"You're a perfect soldier." Sarge commented. "Your only imperfection is that you're a blue." The Freelancer chuckled, and Caboose bit his lip.

"I wouldn't call that an imperfection." She smiled beneath her visor. "I'd call it a difference." Caboose stood up silently, and stepped away a little. He was convinced she would have said that she wasn't a Blue, and that she was a Freelancer; neither on Red nor Blue, but she hadn't. He sat in the top corner of the cave, and hugged his knees to his chest. For some reason, what Tennessee had said warmed him, and he felt really happy, so he couldn't understand why he was crying. He pried his helmet from his head and zoned out for a while, and didn't listen to the rest of their conversation.

"Caboose?" The cobalt soldier looked up and blinked at the Freelancer, who had the light on her helmet on. "Did you follow me here?" He stayed quiet, and just stared at her; he was confused, and his stomach felt weird … almost tingly. The Freelancer crouched down to meet his eye contact and gazed at his curiously.

"You've been crying." She stated, and Caboose frowned wiping at his face with gloved hands.

"No I haven't." He grunted, and the Freelancer smiled, kneeling down in front of him and pulling his hand away from his face.

"You know," She said quietly, "You shouldn't need to feel afraid to show your emotions around anyone; especially me." Caboose was silent, and avoided her eye contact briefly. "Caboose?" He met her gaze again and he felt a little confused. It was like staring at a brick wall, because he couldn't see her eyes; he was just staring at her visor. As if she could read his mind, she reached up, and the block colour of her silver visor faded, and due to the light on her helmet, he could just make out soft bluey-brown eyes and light-brunette hair covering part of her face if it hadn't of been pulled back by the helmet.

"You know you can trust me, don't you?" Tennessee asked, and Caboose nodded once, some of his blonde hair bobbing in front of his face. She smiled at him again and stood up, holding a hand out towards him. "Let's go back to the base." She murmured. "You know I'll never leave you guys, Caboose." Caboose stared at her hand, then took it lightly in his, letting the Freelancer help him stand up.

"I am glad to hear that." He said softly, and Tennessee put an arm around his shoulders as they sauntered towards the base. "Tennessee?" He looked at his feet as they walked, and he noticed Tennessee's other hand held his helmet.

"Yeah?" She replied, looking at the dark sky calmly. Caboose felt his stomach churn, and the sick feeling came back, however, it wasn't a bad sick feeling. He found it weird.

"Are … are we friends?" He said shyly, and his voice trailed off, but Tennessee heard him perfectly, then she smiled, and nudged him reassuringly.

"Of course we are, Caboose." She squeezed his shoulder and he put an unsure hand on her back. "Did you think I didn't like you or something?" Caboose shrugged, and looked up at the base as they neared it.

"Well," He decided to admit the bitter truth. "I do not really get along with anyone here; especially with the girls. Girls never like me." Tennessee scoffed, and they began to walk down to the corridor in the base.

"I like you." She murmured. "And I'm a girl." Caboose smiled, and bowed his head.

"That makes me happy." He started to grin, and they stopped outside of his room. "Um. Thanks for being so nice to me, Tennessee." He hesitated, then leant forward and hugged the Freelancer timidly yet briefly, and she hugged him back. "I really app… um … appreci…ate having someone to talk to." Tennessee smiled, and looked into the soldiers' eyes as he pulled away and stood awkwardly in front of her.

"It's alright, Caboose." Her smile was soft and warming, and for some reason, now he could see it, Caboose found it a little attracting, which bewildered him. "If you're happy, I'm happy. You're my closest friend here, you know." Caboose blushed, and looked away. "Well, you should go to bed." Tennessee added hastily. "It's very late. I'll probably see you sometime, someplace tomorrow." She patted the cobalt soldiers' shoulder and gave him his helmet back. "Good night." Caboose nodded, and with that, Tennessee's bedroom door clicked behind her. Caboose padded into his room, then leant against the door as he closed it, before bumping his head on it and sighing. He felt weird, but it wasn't a horrible feeling. His stomach felt fluttery, and he wanted to talk to Tennessee about it. Well, in all honesty, he just wanted to see her. Hugging her was the best thing that had happened to him the whole time he had been in Blood Gulch.

What the hell was happening to him?

The following day was crisp and dewy in the morning, as the seasons moved on to winter. Droplets of water rested on flimsy blades of grass, a breeze gently knocking the droplets off of the grass and into the soil, mingling with the earth. The sky was clear of clouds, and the oceans waves rippled against the sand in unison.

On top of Red Base stood Sarge, who was gazing across the currently desolate land in front of him. He reached up and nudged the top of his helmet, edging it back a little, and then pondered about how Tennessee was doing. He had heard a new Recruit was joining the Red Team, but he was fully aware that they would be nowhere near as strong as Tennessee was. All of a sudden, questions filled his mind; He wondered how she got there in the first place, and how she became a Freelancer. He grunted absent-mindedly – No doubt the blues knew. He could see from there as movement began to arise on the Blues Base that they accepted her as one of them, and what made him feel even bitterer was that he could clearly see that Tennessee had grown close to Caboose. He had spotted the two walking together at night after he had talked to Tennessee, and it made him feel sour. He knew very well why, he just wouldn't admit it.

"Sarge?" The Red Base's leader turned to look up at Simmons, who was standing empty handed behind him. Simmons was equipped with maroon armour, a DMR on his back and a pistol on his upper right hand thigh. He didn't have his helmet on, and his face was framed with dark brunette hair that was cut evenly at each side, piercing blue eyes shone from beneath his bangs. Grif, who was stood behind him, had dirty blonde hair and green eyes. His armour was a golden colour, and he possessed an Assault Rifle and a Pistol. "Should Grif and I go and patrol the borders?" Sarge felt blank, and then raised a hand in dismissal.

"You do what ya' like, Simmons." He grunted, and turned away. "I'll find somethin' for ya' later." Simmons turned and looked at Grif, who shrugged, holding his hands up at shoulder-height. He took a final glance at Sarge before turning and lightly pushing Grif away – He could feel that Sarge needed some space, and as much as the maroon soldier wanted to deny it, he wanted some space with just him and Grif, too. Grif was unsure about his place with Simmons – he knew there something there, but he didn't want to point it out; he really, really, didn't want to make the first move, just in case he cocked it up, which he silently admitted that he would, so he would wait. Grif was definitely not the patient type, but he was willing to wait for Simmons. If Simmons gave no sign, he would before forced to move on, even if it hurt.

The two left Sarge alone, and the crimson soldier sighed, sitting down and propping his shotgun up next to him. Eventually, his head fell into his hands, and he pulled off his helmet, exposing the dark grey buzz cut underneath, his grey eyes showing no sign of emotion. He spaced out, wondering what it would be like if Tennessee had joined the Red Team, wondered if she would like him, as he liked her. He shook his head and stifled a single chuckle. Of course not; It would still end up the same. The fact was, was that it won't happen, and Sarge would have to sit in Red Base with a bunch of guys that were inevitably homosexual. It struck him as odd, but he found that he wasn't really bothered with Grif and Simmons being together, and despite his so called "hate" for Grif, he hoped that Grif would learn something from Simmons, and Simmons would learn something from Grif. It would be killing two birds with one stone.

"Um. Excuse me?" He was knocked out of his little fantasy, and looked down at the Spartan in crimson armour stood on the soft green grass below him. They weren't very tall, and their voice was light and fluttery. "Is this Red Base?" Sarge's mouth was ajar, and when he realised so, he quickly closed it, and stood up, picking up his shot gun and shoving his helmet back onto his head.

"That it is." He straightened his back, and lowered his head. "You tha' new private?" The Spartan below him nodded once, and raised a hand to its helmet.

"Just arrived, sir." They're more of a kiss-ass than Simmons. Sarge thought privately. I like it. "Private Mina Maricalo, Spartan D-117." The Privates hand fell to their side, and they stood with their shotgun in their hands – Another quality Sarge admired. "Not to be mistaken for J-117, sir. Just caught up in the early Alphabet." Sarge raised an eyebrow from under his visor.

"Mina, eh?" He caught on as to why their voice was so light. "You're the first female recruit we've been handed. Don't worry, though. The other Privates are all fancying each other." He chuckled to himself, and the female Spartan seemed a little uncomfortable. Sarge then gestured for her to come onto the roof, backing up a little. When she stood by him, he held a hand out.

"Name's Sarge." He introduced himself, and Mina took his hand. "I'm the leader of Red Base. Don't overwork yourself though. You seem like a good asset, so I'll go easy on ya." Mina looked over and Blue base – all seemed to be tranquil over there. "Oh, that's Donut." She turned and her eyes fell upon a Spartan in pink armour, and she suddenly felt a little confused. "Yes, he's male."

"But he's wearing pink …" She murmured, and Donut seemed to go ajar.

"It's lightish red!" He protested, and then turned to look at Mina. "Oh. Hi there, newbie." Mina scowled, and Sarge grunted.

"You'll get used to 'im." He grumbled, and looked across to find Simmons and Grif – Sure enough, they were stood on a highest part of the canyon, overlooking the bases. "Those two up there are Grif and Simmons: Simmons being the Maroon one; Grif being the Yellow one." He chuckled, and Donut bit his lip.

"He's gonna hate you for that, Sarge." He murmured, and Sarge shrugged.

"It'll be my amusement for the day." Sarge looked down at Mina, and she was staring intently at Donut. Would it really be, though? He wondered. Having a female on the team will definitely be interesting.

AN: Due to Tenn letting Sarge down, I'm shoving in another OC because I feel bad. I'm sure there'll be tension between Tennessee and Mina, Ahahaha. xD. Also, if you couldn't tell … LET THERE BE GRIMMONS. I support the two's every-growing relationship, and it also gives Donut some humour to shove in, too. If you have anything you'd like to see develop in the story, by god let me know. :'3 Viewer input will be really, really helpful. I want to know what you guys want to see in this! Hope you enjoyed to latest instalment!