Pairing: Fred/Kelly
Pairing and situation suggestion by: Eon Penumbra
Title: Knife's edge
Extra note, this takes place right after 'The Package' from Halo Legends. If you haven't watched it I would suggest that you do. It's the best one from the movie.
Kelly walked through the halls of the ship. It felt good to be back in her normal equipment. The EVA helmet sometimes made her feel too vulnerable, open to headshots. She ignored the looks that she got from the soldiers as she walked past them. They just weren't used to the sight of a Spartan.
She moved to the storage room that had been cleared out for the Spartans to use while they were on board. She walked to her cot but stopped. Kelly's eyes glanced over to the two cots of her fallen comrades. Arthur had died watching their back.
Her gaze shifted to Solomon's cot. She still felt as though she could have saved him. She'd gone in there with him; she should have stopped him. She knew that something had felt wrong. John hadn't reached them in time. No, she couldn't blame him for it. She should have had the sense to get Solomon out of there and saved him.
She sat down on her cot and removed her helmet. She set it down on the cot beside her. She looked up as the door opened and Fred walked in. From the outside, the Spartans were impossible to tell apart. They all had the same armor, though the scorch and scratch marks were different. She could tell from his movements that it was Fred. He sat down on his cot facing her.
Fred removed his helmet and placed it on the cot beside him. "How are you doing, Kelly?" He reached over and set his hand on her knee.
Kelly smiled at the action. Fred was always caring and he seemed to take extra interest in the feelings of his teammates. "I'm all right." She shook her head. "That's a lie. I should have saved Solomon."
Fred shook his head. "There was nothing you could do, Kelly. I heard you on the COM, you tried to warn him against it." His hand gripped her knee but she couldn't feel it through the armor. "There was nothing you could do. I'm just glad that John got you out of there in time."
Kelly nodded. "Thank you for having my back when my frame went bad, and for coming around to pick me up. I was just so glad to see you still alive. I thought that we had been forced to leave you for dead."
"You know me, I'm harder to kill than that. You also know that I don't like leaving teammates behind." Fred released her knee and sat back a bit. The sat in silence for several minutes.
Kelly leaned forward and her lips lightly met his. Fred returned the kiss and pulled Kelly closer. They broke apart few seconds later. Kelly smiled at him and he blushed. She'd known that Fred had a particular affection toward her. She ran a hand through his black-and-silver streaked hair. She'd though it was a nice touch after his augmentation.
The door opened again and Kelly's hand was in her lap. John walked in and nodded to the two of them. He moved to his own cot. Kelly looked at Fred and blushed. Kelly could feel John's eyes on her and she tried to keep herself calm. She didn't want to give any indication of what he'd missed.
Kelly grabbed her helmet and slipped it on, feeling oddly secure in the enclosed suit. She could swear that the tension and embarrassment in the air was thick enough she could cut it with a knife. John seemed to relax and Kelly let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Fred grinned at her and slipped on his own helmet, hiding behind the reflective visor of his helmet.