We both know the heart's not bulletproof.

It felt like slow motion, walking down that ramp. John never had the time to confront his most confidential thoughts before. He remembers the compliments and the playful jests the warrior offered over his fighting skill. How he would never find a better ally in these dark times. John had undeniably returned those quips, but it was always something different, wasn't it? Something more. The touches of his hand that brushed his shoulder to make sure he was able to fight. The calming words to keep focus in battle. The stories they shared before missions. There was intention. John had been a fool to ignore it for so long. But now, as he made his way to the Arbiter to talk of these things, he didn't even know what he was going to say.

Thel looked up after moving a heavy crate, his amber eyes scanning over the large naval officer. "Spartan." He said as he stood tall, looking down at the man.

"You got a moment?" He asked, eyeing the marines that listened. Thel shifted his stance, offering his hand for the man to lead the way. John nodded before turning on his heel and headed for the far side of the FOB. John didn't know what to say, how to put it but he would do it with the best intentions he could. He finally stopped when they were far enough away. John didn't need the distractions of others around to speak his mind. Thel looked over the Spartan, unsure what this was about, he was just standing there for longer than what he probably realized.

"Speak your piece Spartan, or I will take my leave." Thel said finally, the air tense between them.

"You were right." John said as he kept his gaze from the alien. "About everything."

"This is not a surprise to me, however your words confuse me. What do you speak of." Thel huffed with a light attitude, crossing his arms over his chest in a defensive manner. John sighed in irritation. Why was he so bad at this?

"About Sangheilios. This." He motioned between them as his eyes finally turned to the Sangheili. "It has everything to do with it."

"And what is the concern? If you regret what has happened you only need to say so, I will stop this pursuit if it has fallen on deaf ears." Thel snapped back, his hearts breaking at the thought of it.

"No.. no it's fine." He said, closing his eyes as he clenched his fists.

"Then I do not know why we have this conversation, Spartan." Thel muttered angrily as he turned, not willing to hear the rejection again. But an arm stopped him, the grip tight on his forearm.

"Will you just give me a second to think? That's not what this is about. I just need to explain something to you." John hissed. He cursed the day he met this Sangheili. He had been a problem since the day he stuck a gun in his mouth.

"Then out with it." John took a deep breath as he tried to calm his racing mind. His hand falling back to his side.

"It was never about regret. I didn't hate you for it. You gave me something that I hadn't had to deal with." He muttered. "I wanted to stay when you asked and you knew I couldn't. I don't… have that freedom to do what I want to do. You know that." He said finally, looking up at the creature. "They black listed me from any mission that dealt with Sangheilios or you. Understand that I had nothing to do with it."

"Why would they do such a thing?" Thel asked, confusion in his eyes as he looked over the Spartan. He was beginning to realize that his avoidance was not due to their interaction or his pursuit but simply an order.

"Because I am not emotionally equip to handle relationships. I'm not mean for things like this. It's part of the training that I went through. They thought it would compromise me.." Thel sighed as he stepped forward, uncaring of prying eyes if there were any. His hand traced up his arm as his fingers flicked his chin up to look at him.

"And what do you feel? Do you feel compromised By me?" He questioned. A bolt of electricity ran down his spine, he had forgotten what the Sangheili's touch felt like. What it made him feel. Unsure of what it actually meant made his temper flare. Dr. Halsey had deprived them of everything. They were soldiers first and foremost. She did not expect something like this to happen. So when it did, the only option was to deny more so that they could not pursue any chance at basic human need. Little did they know it would cause an internal war within the Spartans.

"I do..." John muttered, swallowing hard against his fingers that pressed to his neck. Thel trilled at the thought of the Spartan's submission against his body once again. "But I don't mind it..."

"Then the time that remains on this Ring for the both of us is precious." Thel hummed, his hand slipping across his neck as it tugged at his Chief piece. "If only we had the option for having one another again.." Thel purred as he tugged him close, resting his head against the Spartans helmet. "Had I known about the barrier that this would have forced, I would have not been so hasty in my decisions." He spoke fondly. Had he just waited…. maybe things would've turned out differently. "Tell me John…. why is it that you only tell me this now?"

"I was trying to do the right thing." John said as he felt the pressure on his neck of the Sangheili resting against him. He could hear the deep breathing of his vocal cords against his earpiece. The sound of his hearts beating made the Spartan shiver, making the man melt against his touch as he had before.

"As always." Thel breathed in his scent against the rubber suit, his hand sliding against his body. "If only things were different." He muttered, looking down into his face plate. "We can worry about the details of this at a later date, however….. for now.. we must concentrate on the works of the Banished to stop their actions on this Ring, or we will not have a future to look forward too." The Arbiter reminded him. John only nodded at the words, his hand gently touching the Sangheili's chest piece as he looked at him. If only there was something to go back to. Cortana had crumbled the UNSC's forces and others around them. He didn't know what there was to even go back too.

"Not that there is much left. We'll figure it out, we always do." He reminded him as he pulled away, looking around the base, a couple of men looking their way. Of course someone was nosy enough to follow, but at this point John didn't care. They had more things to worry about than the Chief getting cozy with the Elite.

"We can reach the last of the beacons by the end of this week, we have much to do." Thelspoke, his eyes grazing over the Spartans armor.

"Sounds like the best option. Hopefully we can figure out what the Harbringer plans on finding." He said as he looked back to the FOB. John looked back to the Arbiter, glad to have cleared the air.

"Until then, John." Thel spoke softly as he left his han brush against the armor. John's spine shivered at his name, the Spartan smiling some under his helmet. At least something could work out the way he wanted too for once.

Yeah super cheesey. Sorry y'all. Just been trying to catch up on Infinite missions so I can actually have content, and figuring out what to do when the game ends. Also a bit of writers block.