Bonus Chapter as promised. At least one of them. Just because the story ended, doesn't mean I can't make anything. Oh, and while I want to include this in the Epilogue, I just didn't. So very lightly consider this Epilogue part 2 (Unofficially)
Response time
Fiamma379: Well, I certainly hope you will. I wish you the best of luck.
OnePunchPlayer: It may be complete but there are things I missed and plan on addressing. I already have the next bonus chapter headplotted (Idea in my head, and Imma just roll with it.)
Silentxmaniac: Glad you liked, thank you for joining my shitshow that is my discord. (Link in Bio, prolly). Well, here's a bonus chapter and I hear it is your birthday, so... surprise?
EmbersAtDusk2306: You think you're bittersweet? I'm bittersweet cause I had to end the story, but fear not. Bonus chapter's got you. Reread to find my cringe you missed on the first time around. It's there I swear.
WolfSPARTAN602: Story of my life right there. I will very much keep up the good work. Since I said that I was heading into a new Fandom to my very small list. Hint: my discord has a document of the prologue of the new story in progress.
Blackfang2201: Thank you for the well wishes and for reading the story. i appreciate every single one of you.
Guest: Going to pocket this for later. Even though Canonically, Guardians, and I believe Spartans are infertile for various reasons. Guardians, being ded. Spartans, augmentations.
Cool, now enjoy. Since this is a bonus chapter, it is shorter. Remember that.
Thank you.
...
"I cannot believe you are making me do this, Faye," Sebastian said, looking at his armor that he wishes he put in storage.
"Well, you said you would for me. Now that you allowed me to steal your last name, I get to do this," Faye smirked, flushing as she reminded herself of their kiss.
Sebastian rolled his eyes, "The things I do for love. Dove, am I right?"
"Don't being me into this, this was all your doing," the Ghost replied. "You're the one who made the persona, now get into your bed and lie in it."
Sebastian feigned hurt, "My own Ghost betrays me, how can I ever recover?"
Faye shoved him a little, "Don't be rude, but you may want to put your helmet on, don't want anyone to see you."
Without many complaints, Sebastian threw his 'Reaper' armor on, which adorned Noble Team's symbol as did Faye's Spartan armor. Then again, he did make armor after hers to honor her. That was a dark time when it came to Sebastian. The man did not have his head on straight, and while he's well onto the road to recovery, he could just fall back down the rabbit hole. However, with Faye here, he shouldn't even relapse. Sebastian's ship that he uses for Reaper arrived in the Tower and everyone in the Courtyard froze. They know the ship and they know the person, well, the entity within. They haven't forgotten about that Crucible match. Still, he didn't like being feared like this. Reaper was only an outlet for his pain since he couldn't process it in the proper manner.
Having one too many close calls with death, losing the love of your life, twice, takes its toll on a person. Not many people survive it, so Sebastian should consider himself lucky that he lived through it all. Now that he's got Faye, he will be forever content.
Faye was the first to step out of the ship and be transmatted into the Courtyard, and everyone in the immediate area was confused, not knowing who this was. Only the Hunters with keen senses and eyes could see a similarity between the Reaper and this new person. Faye had to shout, "I swear if you don't come out, I will come in and drag you out, is that understood?"
Sebastian appeared in his Reaper armor and shrugged before giving Faye a look that said 'lead'. She was the one who wanted to 'parade' him around, so he wasn't in control. Faye smiled under the helmet and looped her arm through his and started to pull him along. To sell the act, he resisted a little bit, but Faye held firm. "Nope, you promised."
Sebastian smirked under his persona, then he spoke lowly, only so she could hear, "That I did."
Even though she was leading, everyone thought Faye was either in league with him, or she was crazy. "Does she even know who that is?" a Warlock said
"What the hell, is she crazy? He's known to kill people for looking at him wrong, and she gets to hang around him?" A Titan shook in fear as Sebastian shot him a glance, and produced a knife, flashing it. "Eep!" the Titan yelped.
"Look at her armor, it definitely is unique, but… wait, that symbol. Is she his handler?" A male Hunter said, just observing.
"Bro, where the hell are you getting that from? Judging from the body language, they are obviously together," an Exo Warlock said, giving the male Hunter a blank look.
Both Sebastian and Faye lightly chuckled, neither confirming or denying that point. "So, Reaps, where do you want to go?"
Sebastian characteristically stayed silent, only giving a head tilt. He could hear people shouting, 'Does she have a death wish?' 'Reaps?! Is she asking to die?'
"Why do you have to be so silent? This is no fun," Faye pouted.
Sebastian shrugged his shoulders as he was trying his damndest to not laugh at her pout. It made her look so much cuter, even in the gigantic suit of armor. The gold visor was looking right at him. It was taking all of his restraint to not speak, instead, he was smirking before he redirected them to the East side of the Tower. The parade ended and that was when he let out a few snickers. "Sorry, just had to sell it. Now, I want out of this, it reminds me of my dark days. I would, however, make a different version of this armor."
"Of course, you would, where to?" Faye asked.
"Reaper's apartment," he said with a smirk. "However, you may not like what you see. It was… real bad."
"You forget what we've both seen, I think I can handle it," Faye said with confidence. Sebastian gave her a look before allowing Dove to transmat them both to the apartment.
Sebastian really didn't want to look at this place again. He really wanted to burn it down and never look back. However, this was a place where no one will bother him. So, naturally, he took Faye and Eve there. Dove remained outside much to the confusion of the latter. She didn't offer an explanation, but it was unnecessary when they entered the room. It was completely trashed. Yet, Sebastian walked around casually. "I told you I wasn't in a good place for those six to eight months, so I took out my lingering anger and rage on this room and other Guardians."
"I heard. Impressive Killstreak. You had Lord Shaxx's approval," Faye said, trying to cheer him up, because she noticed the downturn in his mood.
"No, the Reaper had Shaxx's approval, not me," Sebastian corrected. "I was never proud of it, I never liked being in that position of power, the fear. I never liked feeling arrogant. It's what got her killed, and it's almost what made me lose you forever." Sebastian took off his Reaper helmet with tears in his eyes.
Faye had Eve change her out of her armor and into casual clothes. "See if you can get Dove to do the same for him."
"I don't think she'll come in here, she never does, not after the first month," Sebastian wryly chuckled. However, he was proven wrong as she bolted in the door and changed his clothes to his more casual set. "Can we leave?"
"Back to your place?" Dove asked, uneasy of being in this room.
"Yeah, allow a cleaning crew in here and have this sold under an Anonymous Guardian. I don't want this place anymore," he smiled, reaching for Faye, "I have a piece of my world now."
Dove's optic softened as he said his declaration, "Well, hold on, and we'll be gone, just got to get this…" her optic flashed. "Now we can go."
Sebastian laughed at his Ghost's antics, then they were transported to Sebastian's place, not the Reaper's. With that, he dragged Faye over to the bed and laid them down. "And what are you doing?" Faye asked.
Sebastian was tired from the events of the past twelve hours, "Cuddling, and I would very much like it if you stayed for the night. I just want to experience the feeling of holding someone I love close."
Faye turned and face him, before giving him a chaste kiss, "Sure, I'll stay, plus I never got to cuddle with anyone before."
Sebastian smiled through his closed eyelids and from the kiss. Something so simple was so gratifying, "I'll lead then," he whispered before putting Faye's head into the crook of his neck while he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "Comfy?"
His voice came off as husky, unintentionally of course. Faye shivered as a result and it wasn't because she was cold, "Most definitely," she chirped before falling asleep, feeling safe in his arms.
Eve and Dove were in the bedroom doorway, taking in the sight of their respective Guardians. They both looked at each other and both of their optics took a slightly pink hue. "They are cute together, aren't they?" Eve inquired.
"Don't let Sebastian hear you call him 'cute', he'll roll his eyes before catching you and dismantling your shell," Dove quipped.
"Personal experience?" Eve teased, her voice barely withholding her laugh.
Dove sighed, "It was one time, and I learned from it. So, do not call him 'cute'. Anyway, there are some resting stations for both of us. I am going to archive my files and save them, then I'm going to defrag. It's been almost a year since I've done it." The elder Ghost went over to a portion of the wall that when she scanned, an entire screen came out that had a prompt for uploading and defragging.
Dove prepped it for uploading all of her video files and once she plugged in the process began immediately and within a few minutes, all of her video files were saved in the hard drive, accessible only to her and those she lets in. The defragging process took longer, it removed all useless data that either was corrupted or useless. Then, she inserted herself onto the proper table and began the process. While she did that, Eve explored the apartment.
The apartment was pretty barren as if it has been meticulously cleaned once before, and with that, Eve just floated around looking for something, anything on her courier. Her Guardian knows all she has to know. The courier was still widely unknown, the Traveler was very vague on who he was, but was assured that he could carry her to her Guardian. Still, she doesn't know anything besides the basics. "I wouldn't snoop if I was you, Eve." Dove's voice echoed in the apartment, except for the bedroom where their Guardians were resting.
"I wasn't snooping," Eve poorly defended.
"Trust is a two-way street. When the time is right, and they are more comfortable, they will open up a bit more, and you will learn more about your 'courier'. You were what he couldn't tell me about. Thankfully, they are in the honeymoon period, so expect them to be clingy for a while," Dove said gently, as to not scold the newborn Ghost.
"Fine, but could you tell me about your Guardian's mischievous streak that I've heard that he has?"
"Certainly, Now it all started when I…"
Sebastian woke up feeling more refreshed than he ever had before. Then, he smelled it. Her hair, it smelled like lavender, and maybe a little like oil, probably from her armor. During the night, she must have turned around, and now he was spooning her. Sebastian sighed, ruffling her hair, giving her a chill down her spine. She scooted back into the warmth and Sebastian took a steady breath and thought very morbid things to not have that ruin this.
Faye got cold during the night and without her armor, which according to Eve, she wore almost constantly before. Thankfully, she has her own Light to keep her warm, but for now, she was going to leech off of him. She felt more complete in the past day than she has in a while, not including the day she met Eve. It was quite a jarring journey from that point forward. Sadly though, both of their Ghosts had to wake up their Guardians.
It may not have helped that the Ghosts opened the curtains and let the sunlight in. They had stuff to do today and that patrol needed to be completed tout suite. Sebastian reluctantly untangled himself from Faye and he got up, but not before admiring her sleeping form, only for a few seconds. She looked peaceful and he didn't want to intrude. So, naturally, he left the room and let her sleep. Once he made it to outside of his room, he grabbed his shower stuff and freshened up.
Once that was done, he asked Dove to have his armor ready and on the armor stand. The stand was so he could inspect himself without the use of a mirror. When he deemed his normal armor compatible, Sebastian dressed in some slim clothing and then slowly put his armor on, reminding him of when Rosa would do it for him. While a throb in his heart happened, it was lesser than before. Pain will linger in his life forever, but that doesn't mean he can't overcome it.
Leaving a note for Faye, Dove followed him out of the door and got their ship ready, surprisingly, over the course of seven months, he didn't really use it much, but this time, he needed to. He wasn't climbing this cliff, he learned the hard way. Before he left the Tower, he stopped by Kaz, Senea, and Verra's shared house, since they moved out into a condo. He let them know he was leaving so they don't have to chase him down again.
Once that was over, he walked to Amanda's work station and greeted her. "What's got you so chipper today?"
"Woke up next to someone. Kinda nice holding her," Sebastian got a wistful smile on his face.
"Is it that new Guardian in the fancy-schmancy armor?" Amanda inquired.
Sebastian's face became red, "Yeah, but it's complicated on how I met her. Then there is the whole fiasco of when I was MIA."
"It has something to do with that, doesn't it?"
Sebastian moved the conversation along, "Yep, now is my ship ready to fly?"
Amanda chuckled, "Hmm, yeah, it's been ready for months, so where ya going? Just in case you need backup."
Sebastian lightly scoffed, "Just across the lake, west side, a quick patrol in a cave with murderous Fallen. I'll be fine." They are nothing compared to the Covenant. Sebastian climbed into his ship and thankfully, still remembered how to fly. He's had three hundred and one years of experience, he would know how to fly a ship. The launch was smooth and then he let the engines go to their cruising speed.
Once that was established, Sebastian relaxed, "So, Dove, ready?"
"Ready Guardian. I am happy that you're happy, you know that?"
Sebastian gave his Ghost a look, "Are you happy, though? Listen, I won't pretend that I don't know what is going on, but I know we've been distant, and have only just started talking to me after our silence. But, I am just as much of a person to confide in as you are. So, is there anything you want to tell me? Is it about him…?"
It didn't take a genius to figure out who was being referenced. "I still miss him, and I just… don't think I've ever fully processed it."
"That's partial, well, mostly my fault. I never considered you, and it was really really selfish. So, talk to me, Dove," Sebastian suggested. He wouldn't force his Ghost to talk, that would push the boundary way past its limits.
"Well, what if I started to like Eve?" Dove had to admit, she has spunk, something that she found endearing… "Oh my Traveler, does that mean…"
"That I'm not going to treat you any different if you happen to share a certain kinship with your fellow Ghost," Sebastian interjected, not being judgemental. He knows plenty of LGBTQ+ Guardians. He knows what love is, well now he does. He was never one to judge people on their sexual preference. He does judge on their actions though.
The conversation died there as they arrived at their destination and well, there was quite a surprise when he arrived. They seemed to be expecting him, which made Sebastian slip into his battle mind-set. Dove was a little shocked but realized he took a dangerous mission again. "Don't hurt yourself."
"Don't worry, those days are far behind me. Time to see if I can get inside without being detected."
Faye's eyes finally opened and she felt cold, and her arm reached behind her to seel that the bed was cold. So, he's been gone for a bit. Yawning, Faye pushed herself up and with a groggy voice, "Eve, you there?"
The Ghost sped into the room, "Goody, you're up. I might as well say that Sebastian left for a patrol, he had it scheduled for a few weeks, and today was the day. However, from his expression this morning, he was really contemplating not going, but he eventually left. He's got it bad for you."
Yawning again, "Anything else that I don't know?"
Eve didn't hear the question properly and spat out, "andIreallylikeDove."
That sobered Faye up, "Come again?"
"Uhm," the Ghost sputtered, "Nothing! I said nothing!" Faye only gave Eve a half tired glare before Eve admitted, "Okay, fine. I like Dove."
"And?" Faye didn't get it. So, what's not to like about Dove?
"No, Guardian, you misunderstand. I like Dove," Eve emphasized. Faye just gave a blank look before laughing hysterically. "It's not funny!" Eve pouted, optic turning pink.
In between Faye's snickering, "It kind of is, don't think I noticed your subtle looks at her while we were surveilling him. I don't see a problem. Ghosts can have a relationship as well, however it works."
"So you wouldn't be mad if I wanted to be with her?" Eve asked for clarification.
"No, little one, I would not. Now, I'm going to get dressed and go see if I'm scheduled for a City patrol," Faye said, finally getting up and stretching. When her muscles made the satisfying pop, she yawned again before grabbing a towel and other supplies. She may or may not have been snooping in his room a long time ago.
Sebastian walked out of the cave with some aches and pains. The Fallen were not happy to receive his company. All he wanted to do was check for supplies but the Fallen were kinda crabby then they started shooting, and then it just went from there. Don't worry, they are alive, sorta. At least the Kell is. The stupid ones who rushed him remind him of Grunts. The Vandals as Jackals. Shanks remain as abominations of the Fallen race. Captains are sorta like a cross between Brutes and Elites. Well, at least he thinks.
The Hunter shook off some of the blood from his knuckles and calmly said, "Did I miss anything important?"
Dove had given the update, "You haven't missed much. Faye woke up, and now she's waiting for you, after her patrol on the Wall. I mean you could surprise her, but you may want to clean up first, the blood won't come out with a simple wash."
Looking down, he noticed the blood staining his armor. "Ahh, you're right. I hate to ask, but…"
"Yes, you can have the armor, but swear to me that you'll change it," Dove said with a plead.
"I swear to you, I promise you that I will modify the armor tout suite. I would rather not appear to her all bloody, last thing that she needs to be concerned is the blood that is not mine and her wondering where it came from," Sebastian rattled off.
"You are such a sap, you know that?"
"Oh I know, but I could totally go for some R&R with her when I get the time," Sebastian said suggestively.
"Sebastian Rutherford!"