Author's Note: This story was previously posted on AO3 with the same name and I just felt like it was finally time to add it over here to FF. I made this fic as a gift for another fellow Carwash siblings Mainewash writer on AO3, Anath_Tsurugi. This fic contains the AU of Carolina and Washington being siblings and this story is basically my attempt to reconcile the established Halo lore with Red vs Blue regarding the possibility of Maine originally being a Spartan-II, because I've seen multiple characters in RvB suggested, but done so with a lack of thoroughness that I found dissatisfying. Soo, this is my attempt at it with Maine because he's honestly the best and most-likely candidate to be a Spartan-II if anyone is going to be.
Disclaimer: I own neither Halo nor Red vs Blue, I just love playing around with concepts and idea for both of them anyway.
Learning to be Human
Keiichi.
That is his name.
It's one of many that he has.
It was his name before everything changed.
Before the training, before the Chief, before the augmentations.
He knows he had another name, a last name, before all of that.
He can't remember what it was anymore, but that's not important.
There is no loss at the lack. You can't miss what you don't need.
Spartan-047.
That is another name of his.
He responds to it as easily as his birth name.
It is better than a last name. It's an identity.
He already has everything needs.
His identity is in the form of his fellow Spartan brothers and sisters and defined as his purpose in life to protect humanity against the Covenant.
Now he has another new name.
Reassigned to a new project by another civilian. Alone.
Agent Maine.
That's his new name.
The first agent of Project Freelancer.
From what he can tell, he was the only one here assigned to Project Freelancer. Everyone else volunteered.
They only needed him to get clearance to study his MJOLNIR armor and neural implants.
He's no Spartan here.
His identity is nothing here.
He is professional. He doesn't try to be friends with these people, these agents. He doesn't know how anyway.
Teamwork isn't the same here. They can't see that he talks without speaking. That he speaks with subtle movements of his body. Another Spartan would see it. The agents don't.
Nobody understands him here.
Nobody can.
He misses them, his Spartan siblings. John, Linda, Fred, Kelly, Grace, Jorge, and all the others.
Spartans were trained to act both in teams and as single units. He has done missions alone before, but never been separated from his family for so long like this.
It upsets him in a way he's never experienced before and has never been trained to deal with. He doesn't know what to do with these new feelings.
So does the only thing he knows how to do.
He fights.
Maine quickly develops a reputation for putting sparring partners in the medical wing. Most everyone quickly fear him and his strength and stay away.
It does nothing to ease the loneliness.
Project Freelancer does not focus on facing the Covenant directly. It deals with humans who don't care about betraying Earth in exchange for powerful Covenant technology.
It reminds him of Gray Team's mission, and of Jai, Adriana, and Mike. He doesn't know if they're alive, if he'd even know if they were killed.
Project Freelancer also works on securing technology and information to both keep away from the Covenant and to improve the UNSC's own firepower.
Early on, all agents were given a special new armor after his own had been studied in depth.
He got the new armor too. White with orange accents and an EVA helmet. It was just as fast and strong as his MJOLNIR and he was relieved. He had worried it would be a lesser quality armor.
It resembled MJOLNIR, but wasn't. The other agents didn't need augmentations to be able to wear it, and the difference in strength between them was much less than before. He was impressed.
There were new specialized weapons being developed too. A super-speed feature even faster than Kelly in MJOLNIR, an invisibility cloaking mechanism and an energy shield like those of the Elites, a holographic projection device, a portable E.M.P. unit, a true healing unit as opposed to a medi-kit, and rumors of a time distortion unit created by means of Slipspace technology. He was very impressed.
There is one Freelancer agent – only one – with red hair and green eyes like Linda and an aptitude for speed like Kelly that does not fear him. She is Agent Carolina. Her name is also Carolina. She doesn't ask for his. He doesn't give it.
She does not fear him like the others. In fact, she's the only one to willingly spar with him. She is driven and strong and getting stronger all the time. She quickly becomes the best agent in the Project and no one's surprised.
Maine is even more impressed with her than with the technology Project Freelancer has developed. Give her the same augmentations as him and a set of MJOLNIR and she would have been an amazing Spartan.
He admires and respects her. She reminds him of John. She reciprocates and just like that, he has a new friend and she's not a part of his Spartan family.
Carolina cannot understand him the way another Spartan can, but she tries to learn. She gets better over time and she eases his loneliness somewhat.
Then a new face appears on the Mother of Invention.
Agent Washington.
Carolina strikes up an accord with him almost instantly. Too quickly in fact.
He watches the way he learned to in training with the Chief. He suspects their siblings. He doesn't seek to confirm it. It's not his business.
His friendship with Carolina and hers with her brother means he interacts with Washington often.
He's surprised her blond, gray-eyed, freckled little brother doesn't fear him. He knows he's heard the stories on the ship. He's become friends with York after all. It doesn't seem to stop him though.
In fact, he goes out of his way to hang out with him, even without Carolina nearby. He doesn't understand why, but it makes him happy.
Maine still has difficulty not communicating orders and directions with his body instead of his mouth when he's in a team. It's more natural to move than to speak.
He doesn't know Washington has been secretly learning and mastering how to read and understand him until they win a two-on-two tag-team match against North and South and he hadn't said a word the whole time.
Surely a fluke, he gives Washington a suspicious, skeptical look, but says nothing.
Washington sees the look and his expression turns both puzzled and annoyed. "Why are you looking at me like that? Yes, I understood the directions you gave me during the match. I'm sure as hell not lucky enough to have been able to guess that accurately and it's not like I can read your mind. Really, there's no need to be so suspicious about it."
It makes no sense. If he truly does understand what he's saying, then how is he so much more proficient than Carolina, who's known him longer?
Instead, he asks, "Why?"
If Washington does actually understand him, he'll know what question he's really asking. If not, then he'll know for sure it's a fluke.
Washington averts his eyes and his freckled cheeks color up a bit. He looks embarrassed. "Well, I just thought… apart from my si- apart from Carolina, you don't have any friends and just seemed kinda lonely. I figured part of it was because you choose to communicate differently from the rest of us and thought that… maybe if I learned how to understand what you said, you wouldn't feel so isolated. That's all really…"
Maine is shocked speechless. He knows his method of speaking is not normal, but Washington learned it anyway, just for him. Nobody has ever talked to him like this. Nobody outside his family has ever cared about him like this.
His heart beats furiously in his chest and his throat feels tight and his mouth feels dry. Those words touched something deep and painful within him and it feels like grief and exhilaration all at once. It's an emotion he's never felt and doesn't know the name for.
"Friends?" he says his voice is still the same deep, rumbling base, but there's a note of timid anxiousness that he hasn't felt since he was six and first taken away from his family.
He hates himself for it. He was trained to let go of fear. Feel it and then ignore it. A mind clouded by fear is incapable of making rational judgements and handicaps the body. He should not be so anxious for this much younger man's approval or company. But he is. He wants this. He can't even explain to himself why. Chief Mendez and Dr. Halsey would be disappointed.
Washington looks shocked, shocked as Maine earlier, and then he slowly smiles up at him. His smile is warm and soft and he nods. "Yeah, we're friends."
Maine has felt satisfaction, exhilaration, and relief upon completion of assignments and missions. What he feels now is nothing like that. It's intense, but light and as warm and fulfilling as Washington's smile. He has never felt happiness like this. He amends Washington's name to Wash in his head.
They become partners, almost exclusively. Everyone on the Mother of Invention knows they are their best when they work with each other. Maine loves working with Wash as his partner. He is adaptable and they can successfully communicate with each other.
In a way, it's just like being back with his Spartan siblings. In other ways, it's not, because Wash is very talkative and expressive. He shares his sense of humor and Maine learns to appreciate wit and sarcasm. It's fun. He learns many things from Wash that he never learned in Spartan training.
He appreciates the training and the purpose given to him. He can never be grateful enough for what they gave him. With Wash though, he feels the lack of what he missed, what the training avoided and didn't feel necessary to allow. He was trained to fight. He's good at it. But there is a lot he doesn't know. It makes him feel incomplete. Lacking. It consumes him more than he likes, but he can't seem to stop it.
Wash inevitably picks up on his melancholy and eventually figures out the gist of why. He's aghast. "Maine, what-? How can you think that of yourself? You're not incomplete or whatever, you're amazing! You're strong and fast and an extremely skilled fighter! Not only that, you're quick-witted, analytical, adaptable and always thinking on your feet, not to mention just being overall brilliant! And on top of all that, you're unfailingly loyal and steadfast in your beliefs and a very caring person. I've learned more from working with and watching you than I have in my entire military career and you've really made me reflect on what kind of person I want to be."
There is an excited tension hanging in the air between them that Maine can't explain. His nerves are on edge and he's poised to either run or fight out of habit, but holds his ground. This is Wash.
Wash carefully lays his left hand upon his chest plate and peers up into his eyes. Gray meet brown and Wash exhales slowly. The tension is even more palpable now. "I want to be someone who can stand beside you. To hold my own and also be able to support you."
Maine watches Wash's right hand move up from his side and lift to his face. He doesn't move even a centimeter as Wash's hand settles on his cheek beneath his prominent cheekbones and caresses the side of his face. It sends pleasant tingling sensations down his spine and he doesn't avert his eyes. They're on the brink of something tremendous and he's afraid to do anything that might inadvertently break it.
Wash opens his mouth again and he's nearly breathless as he speaks, "I want to be someone you're proud of. To be worthy of you. I want to be more than just your team partner. I want to be with you. I want to love you."
Just like that, the spark is lit and the air comes alive like an electric current. It completely surrounds and stuns Maine into speechless silence. 'Love'? Wash loves him? Love, the kind that Wash speaks of, is not a familiar concept to him. Love for his siblings who grew up with him. Love for Chief Mendez and Dr. Halsey who raised him. Love for humanity to protect its survival at all costs. These are all aspects he understands.
But love for one single person like what Wash describes, to be the best you can be for their sake, to want to keep them close by, to protect them as fiercely as any family, he's never had anything like that. Never learned anything like that. He doesn't know how to respond to Wash's declaration or make sense of his own emotions spinning and tossing about in a jumbled, twisted mess upon listening to this revelation.
Without another word, Wash gently pulls on his neck to bring his head lower and closer to his own. Wash closes his eyes and presses his lips to his. A sharp thrill runs down his spine and he feels electrified. The kiss is soft and easy and it's achingly wonderful. If this is love, how could he have lived so long without knowing it? He knows the answer, but in this moment, he doesn't care about what all he's missed out on. He knows now. He's in love with Wash.
His first attempts to return Wash's kiss with his own are clumsy and inexperienced, but he feels the excitement and relief in the smaller man in response to his actions. Wash is a gentle, able teacher and Maine learns quickly.
The movements between them make it slightly difficult to get good purchase though. His left hand grips Wash's waist and his right threads through his blond hair on the back of his head to hold him still and bring him close. Wash obliges readily with a throaty hum. Their bodies press up against each other through their armor and Maine finds pleasure in the embrace and close contact.
He loves, he is loved, and he feels alive with emotions beyond his control for the first time in twenty-nine years since he was six and first began training to become a Spartan. It's for this reason that he tells Wash one of his most closely-guarded secrets.
"Keiichi."
They're the only two people still in the locker rooms this late at night after finally having gotten back from an Intel recovery mission without anyone the wiser.
Nobody else is around to hear his whisper and Wash looks at him over his shoulder with a confused frown. "Who's that?" he asks.
Maine simply lays his hand on his chest plate overtop his pounding heart as his heart.
The frown is replaced with a look of shock once Wash comprehends the somewhat cryptically-phrased sentence and realizes what he just said. Slowly, he points his finger at him and silently mouths the word 'You?' at him. Maine nods once with a smile.
Shock morphs into awe and Wash suddenly abandons his locker, making purposeful strides in his direction until he's standing in front of him. Maine reads the intent in his eyes before Wash even lifts his hands to his face. The still-armored hands cradle his cheeks and bring him down for an impassioned kiss.
He drinks it all in, thrilled anew to have this man's love, and know that Wash understands how very important it is – how much he trusts and loves him in return – that he has now freely given him his true name to use at his pleasure.
"Keiichi…" Wash murmurs against his mouth and Maine purrs with delight at the sound of his name on Wash's lips.
He grips the younger Freelancer's hips and spins him around on the spot, pinning him forcefully against the lockers with the entirety of his body. He's learned that Wash especially enjoys being pressed up against vertical surfaces by his bulk when they're kissing.
"David!" Wash gasps out and wrenches himself away with great internal effort though his hands still rest on his cheeks and his head falls back against the lockers. "It's me… My name… I'm David…"
Maine's brown eyes widen in awe as he stares down at him. David. He takes him all in, takes in every detail. He notes his flushed cheeks, his heavy panting through parted lips, and his gray-eyed gaze fixed upon him with tender, loving warmth. This is the man he loves. This is David.
He smiles softly down at him and lowers his head back down to him. He lays his forehead against his and closes his eyes. They're so close, he can feel Wash's – David's – breath upon his face and can smell his personal scent mingled with the salty tang of dried sweat. He loves the smell.
He tries the name aloud. "David," he says in his base rumble so deep it can make mountains quake.
He feels Wash's body literally shudder beneath his hands and a moan escapes his throat. Maine captures his mouth in another kiss and greedily swallows the sound. He's hungry with a desire that consumes his being and his whole body feels on fire. It's yet another thing he's never experienced. Unlike the other times though, he has an inkling how to respond, despite his inexperience, and he knows with certainty that only Wash can bring him to satisfaction.
He tries something new. He releases Wash's lips and turns to assault his neck. The results are immediate. Wash moans and whimpers with pleasure at his attentions, his hands sliding down his face to the back of his neck and his head tilting even further back to give him better access.
"You… You ever- ngnh…! Ever thought of maybe- oh-! ah…! Having sex before now?" Wash barely manages to ask him, breathless and gasping and so very needy.
He hasn't, but he is now, and he's quite eager to learn.
No longer are they just Maine and Washington. No longer just friends and teammates. Wrapped up and entangled in each other: sharing their rooms, sharing their lives, sharing their love, they've become so much more. Forever they are Keiichi and David. Forever lovers.
Kind of a bittersweet ending note given how we know the canon goes, but that's how I like my Mainewash. Angsty and adorably ironic. ^^ Anyway, one of the most challenging things I remember about writing this fic was trying to find a suitable existing Spartan-II character that Maine could have been. I did so because I hate making up characters like that in fanfiction. I much prefer to take a little-known character and expand upon or create an identity for them rather than creating an entirely new character from scratch. That's just how I am.
This Spartan in question could not have died for certain before or during the attack on Reach in 2552 and if they actually MIA, it had to be a vague enough reason that the question of their death or survival was truly up in the air. I only found one Spartan-II that I felt truly matched my search parameters, Keiichi-047, and ironically (happily for me), the name is Japanese and I've always headcanoned Maine as Asian.