RECOMPOSE
by Ladywolvesbayne
Today is mostly about "surprises", you know. Beware if you're not exactly a romance fan, but still, enjoy! You know what's crazy? We closed last month's statistics with 2557 total visitors through all of June, isn't that just awesome? xD Also, I'm wondering if this story should go straight into M rating because things will... escalate, let's say, from now on... in many different levels. I don't know what to do. Anyway, enjoy!
18. PINK ELEPHANT
AUGUST 21TH 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY IN SLIP-SPACE
VEHICLE STATION 09
4:45 AM standard time
Be gentle.
Listen to her.
He'd been thinking about those words for the past five days. Not that he couldn't find them a proper meaning (he knew what Dr. Quinn meant) but there were way more important things to care about. Not seeing Cortana helped him to concentrate, the ship was under emergency protocol and everyone was busy, he had his own quota of work to do and people to shape up for the next assignment. That he could do, work. It was easier to be a machine, since being the man was far more complicated lately.
John placed his helmet and two crates half full of ammo over a workbench, and sorted through another crate of empty magazines. They had automated systems for that, but he needed to keep his hands occupied until 0800. When he was younger, he was so eager to get into action that even the simplest of tasks was fulfilling somehow; this was an old habit.
He heard the steps far away and recognized her immediately.
Cortana. She wasn't that far. The Chief heard her hesitate, curse under her breath and finally make her way across a shadowy path between two parked M510 Mammoths, until the lights of the workstation leaded her towards him.
He noticed the dark circles under her eyes, her body language spoke of fatigue.
"You're unusually hard to find today." Cortana said, leaning against a giant tire.
"Did Roland tell you?"
"Come on, I know you better than that." she puffed, mischievously.
He should have figured, since their most memorable conversations were always at late hours by an interesting pile of weapons to check.
"It's almost oh-five-hundred, why are you not sleeping?"
"Because you've been avoiding me." she said, with caution.
A projectile almost slipped off the magazine when he tried to plug it in. Cortana narrowed her eyes; it was difficult to startle the Master Chief and it was impressive to see that two little words managed to do it.
"I've been busy."
"I can't read your vitals now, so please, don't lie to me."
John looked straight at her face. Osman's orders kept him pretty busy lately, so he wasn't lying, but he wasn't telling the whole truth either. In the year they were paired (he couldn't consider cryo-sleeping for four years real 'quality time'), he shared things with Cortana but also kept some secrets from her, it was a basic strategic protocol. He didn't feel ashamed or worried, just... his current situation was a weakness, and he knew that weaknesses should remain secret so nobody else could take advantage of them.
"I don't need to lie to you, Cortana."
She sighed. "I almost wanted you to do it, you know? It would have been easier."
"And the point is...?"
"I think I didn't have a point at all, I just wanted to check with you." said Cortana, then turned around and started walking away between the massive vehicles. "And I'm making a fool of myself, so I better go. Good night."
"Cortana."
She stopped right there. He didn't have to say 'get back here' to make a statement, it was already implied in the tone of his voice. It was amazing how much she knew this man and how much she wanted to be at peace with him.
Cortana turned again and walked back, hugging herself.
"What is it?" his voice softened a bit.
She bit her lower lip and continued: "Today Dr. Quinn called me to her quarters and gave me a contraceptive shot. She said it's regulation, but something was off; she was smiling all the time. She also said you paid her a visit a few days ago."
John didn't say a word but felt his stomach flip a little. The quick clicking of the bullets entering the case filled the void until he decided it was time to say something. The truth, obviously.
"I did. It was about the exams I told you." John answered, carefully.
Cortana strode forward to stand beside him. "So, how did it go?"
"All green."
"And how about your back? Still hurts?" she asked, now frowning a little.
"The medication works just fine."
"It's... good to hear that."
John grunted something and kept working in silence. For a while, Cortana looked at the fast movements of his expert hands, refilling one magazine after another, placing the full one over the workbench and picking up an empty one from the crate. He had the fingers of surgeon to deal with bullets and other dangerous things, it was entertaining to watch him work. To watch him do anything. For years, all that she could do was observe him and protect him from the depths of the digital realm where she was almighty; now she was standing there in a real body, clumsy and limited, and he...
After a short while, it became painfully obvious: "Chief, don't do this."
He looked at her, briefly. "Do what?"
"When you don't talk to me, I know something isn't right."
"I really don't have much to say."
Cortana folded her arms, defensively. "We've barely seen each other in five days and you don't have anything to say? That's a new record."
John just took a deep breath. "Sit down and give me a hand."
"What?"
"You heard me. You need a distraction, here's one."
He took an empty magazine and placed it on her palm, impatiently.
"Chief..." Cortana started, puzzled.
"You don't know how to do it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course I do." she growled,
"Then what's taking you so long?"
She was about to reply, but then realized that John was drawing something in the air, against the metal of his armored thigh. Cortana concentrated at the slow movements of his index finger and soon recognized three letters: O-N-I. She gasped. Of course, they weren't talking at the Infinity's engine room, how could she be so brainless? Pretending that she was annoyed, Cortana grabbed a small box of bullets plus a bunch of magazines and sat down on the curve of the giant rim of one of the Mammoths. She started placing bullets, quietly, while occasionally glancing at John sideways.
"How is it going?" he asked, after ten minutes.
"Just peachy." she replied, with a faint smirk. "I'll be trainee of the month."
John nodded and they both continued working. After half an hour, her fingertips were sore and she wore the scent of brass alloy on her skin, but she felt better. She felt much better and a bit sleepy too. It was barely past five in the morning, now. Cortana leaned back against the rim and bent her legs, curling up over the cold metallic surface. Her hands kept moving, then she spoke:
"I'm sorry, Chief, I guess you're right. I needed a distraction, I've been working on quantum physics and mathematics for the past three days, I can't quite figure out the calculations, something eludes me. The worst part is that I'm tired but I can't sleep, my brain still works in AI mode or something. Today I wish I was nothing more than stored data, just watching you refill magazines."
He was about to suggest that Dr. Quinn could help her sleep, but...
No, he didn't want that woman giving her any more drugs. Of any kind.
"What calculations?" John asked, instead.
"For the reconfiguration of the Infinity's engines, so they can manage the amount of energy the jump to the Fortress requires. It's a big deal. Roland has been helping us but he's not designed for this, he's more the executive management type of AI." she ran one of her little, pale hands through her hair, then let out a weary laugh. "And everyone looks at me. It's like they expect me to pull a magic trick out of my hat like Dr. Halsey would. I'm Cortana after all, aren't I?"
He could say 'welcome to the club', but instead chose to grunt something, again.
"I wonder how you did it, all the time."
"How did I do what?" John said, calmly.
"Being the hero they all expected you to be. Not letting anyone down, ever."
John lost himself in thought for a moment, wondering about that. He was certain that he'd let down a lot of people, Cortana being the first name on his private list. But there was always the comfort of knowing that he did even better than the best he could, squeezing out until the last drop of luck he could manage. It helped him not to think so often about the brothers and sisters he'd lost over the years. Not everything was success; sometimes things went wrong, changing the tides and forcing him to make questionable choices. His hands slowed down and when he heard Cortana moan softly, John turned around to see her laying on her side inside the massive rim, with a hand under the cheek as a pillow.
"I'm worn out." Cortana whispered, her eyelids closed slowly. "I'm sorry, Chief."
And she didn't open her eyes again for a while, so John figured out she had fallen asleep with a handful of bullets clutched in her fist. It was a weird and uncomfortable place to take a nap, but she was dozing off like it was the best bed ever and that sight filled John with relief. He covered her with a thermal blanket lent from the medical cabinet of one of the Mammoths and resumed his work.
He waited until 0800 and then carefully picked Cortana up in his arms.
AUGUST 21TH 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY IN SLIPSPACE
S-DECK QUARTERS
10:23 AM standard time
Cortana opened her eyes and she knew she wasn't in her room.
Besides, someone was snoring. Not loudly, but loud enough to wake her up.
She gently pulled away the blanket (a thermal blanket, she realized, she was fully dressed except for her boots) and sat on the bed, then she stirred her arms to the ceiling, noticing the pale blue hue of the emergency lights. What time was it? There was no fear or confusion, Cortana understood she was in John's quarters. She instantly recognized the overall claustrophobic setting. He was sleeping on the floor beside the bed, lying on his back and covering his eyes with his right arm. No armor on, thankfully, just a plain white shirt and standard issue fatigue pants, barefoot and carefree.
And he was snoring. Well, it was more like a deep, rolling-thunder-like growl.
She couldn't help but feel both warmth and sadness. She couldn't remember when did she fall asleep but knowing that he'd been taking care of her like this was priceless. She resolved to go back to her own quarters and let him sleep.
Or maybe...
A flash of memory showed her images of that dream she once had, about the two of them together in a bright room that smelled of vanilla. Cortana chewed on her lower lip, trying to decide if it was a good idea or not. If he would accept or not. If this was going too far or not. Not enough data to assess the situation, the only thing backing up her idea was her own desire to fulfill the wish.
"Chief?" Cortana whispered, softly.
The snoring immediately ended and he removed his arm, to look at her.
"What's wrong?" he asked, like he hadn't been sleeping at all.
That was the good old Chief, he kind of always slept with an eye open.
"Nothing, just... thanks for watching over me. I feel much better now." she said.
"Don't mention it."
John crossed his arms beneath his head and closed his eyes again, peacefully.
She hesitated, nervous. 'Here goes nothing.'
"Why are you sleeping on the floor? That can't be good for your back. There's... okay, no, there's not plenty of space here for both of us, but I wouldn't mind to be a bit tight."
The Chief frowned and looked at her, suspicious.
"So, you're not going back to your quarters?"
Cortana opened her mouth, shocked. "It's a long way to my deck, but..."
"I don't mind. I'm fine."
Okay, it failed. She pursed her lips, both annoyed and embarrassed.
He shifted again and covered his eyes with his arm once more. Cortana pulled the thermal blanket around her and hugged her knees, looking at him from the bed. After a short while, John asked:
"What's wrong? For real this time." he didn't move his arm.
"I just want us to stop being awkward, that's it."
"If you are saying that because of the other day..."
"Yes, that's exactly why I'm saying it." she almost moaned, uncomfortable. "Why, Chief? I know what's happening to me, but I can't bring myself to truly comprehend it. I don't want this. Or I do, but I don't know what to do with it."
He didn't answer that time, she already said what he was thinking all along.
It was good to know that Cortana could still read his mind sometimes. John pulled himself up to a sitting position, leaning against the bed and folding his arms over the mattress, at her feet. The dim emergency lights tinted his hair with faint gleams of blue, his eyes were sharper than ever.
"You are angry, tell me why." he stated, dead serious.
"Well, I've obviously missed you these days." she whispered. "I miss us, I miss us being up to the neck in some really dangerous place, relying on each other and working our way out of trouble. Well, shooting our way out. I miss being your shield and your sword, sometimes I feel useless trapped in this weak body, and..."
"Cortana."
He didn't have to say 'stop doing this to yourself' out loud.
She raised her head to look at him. She could see the worry in his eyes.
Cortana sighed and rubbed her eyes with her fingers, annoyed with herself. Then, she looked away and pursed her mouth tight to keep her lips from trembling. He was painfully aware of every little move she made, to the smallest detail. John felt another of those insane urges, this one was telling him to reach closer and touch her, the tips of his fingers almost hurt with the anticipation.
The back of his mind already knew he was going to do it, anyway.
Carefully, he grabbed her ankle with gentle fingers. That made her react and she turned her head towards him, startled. The touch of her skin was so soft and warm, it immediately made him want more. More skin. More of her. Closer, now. Now.
He snapped out of it and kept his eyes up, watching at her face.
"This body of yours isn't weak, and you're not useless." John said, softly. None of them had the slightest certainty about how secure was the room, but at the point it didn't matter anymore. It was the right time. "Don't speak ill of yourself, you just have some trouble adapting into this new form, so pull yourself together and try harder. I know you can do it."
She arched an eyebrow, half impressed, half ironic. "You have a way with words, Chief, I'm sure you make all the girls faint."
"I wouldn't know, never tried."
"Pretending low self-esteem now? Keep going, you're doing great."
"Am I getting to you?"
She smiled. "You don't have to do anything to get me, really."
They both fell silent for a moment, such answer was as unexpected for him as it was for Cortana herself. She felt her cheeks on fire, wishing she could take that back.
Well, no; not really. There was a moment of hesitation...
But, then again, there was always this intensity implied between them.
John gripped her ankle tighter and pulled from her, drawing Cortana closer to the edge of the bed, closer to him. Cortana barely made it to grab the collar of his shirt so she wouldn't fall flat on her back. She squeaked, surprised, but instinctively circled his waist with her legs and held position, seizing him. Now her trembling hands were resting over his shoulders and there was merely an inch of air between their noses. It was the hottest air they ever breathed, and John had sniffed in quite some hellish places back in the day. This was different, much better. Perfect. Even on his knees, the Chief was taller than her, and noticing it made Cortana feel very excited for some reason; tiny wings fluttered inside her stomach.
He placed a hand at the small of her back, to contain her, and the other rested over the mattress, to support himself up. She carefully moved her hands from his shoulders to his face. Cortana's fingers caressed the weary lines of age around his eyes, barely noticeable under the faint lights.
His breath was so hot against her skin. Her heart was beating out of control, she'd waited so long for... well, everything. No more thinking. No more analyzing it, no more trying to figure out why. Just enjoying.
"What is it?" John asked, suspicious.
"Nothing, I'm just appreciating the view."
"You like what you see?"
"Very much, yes. I did a fine job picking you, the finest of the SPARTANS." she said, leaning towards him so slowly that it was making John very nervous. "No, not just the finest... my SPARTAN. My own big, though super-soldier who never gives up and is always there when I need him. The only man I enjoy bossing around."
He smirked. "Lucky me."
Cortana's hands crawled behind reaching for his back, closing the space between them. Their lips met, finally. This time the shock was completely unexpected; it was like a dam breaking apart, releasing an immense amount of once restrained power. The concept of a kiss was clear in his head, yet John found himself a bit insecure about how to perform it. She helped out, the tip of her tongue caressed his lower lip and then she bit him, audaciously. He tried to bite her back and so it all started, after few seconds it became easier and their mouths were moving against each other.
A mix of hot breath and barely audible sounds clouded John's senses.
There wasn't anything beyond her, her heat and her touch. Nothing at all.
John leaned back a little, carrying her with his strength; one hand was still pressed on the small of her back and the other went up, burying his fingers in her short, silky hair. Cortana felt a not-so-gentle-but-still-thrilling tug on her hair and their mouths broke apart, but then his lips were drawing a trail of fire across her mandible and neck, right over the pulse of an artery. And down, down, down towards her collarbone and the collar of her hooded sweatshirt.
She rolled her eyes, delighted, a soft moan escaped her lips.
That just pushed John over the edge. He hugged her against his body tighter, solid muscle clashing with soft, curvaceous forms, and she gasped for air when she noticed a bulky presence under her weight. She was sitting on it, and it was magnificent. That was really happening, she never thought...
Well, Cortana said it, once: there was something primitive about him, in an animal sort of way. She'd never been so happy to be right.
Light-headed already, Cortana's hands roamed down his chest and she pulled back (against her will) to reach the zipper of her sweatshirt. She wanted John to watch, there was something wicked about the very idea. The zipper rolled down slowly, revealing pale skin streaked with tiny dark freckles and a training bra. She heard him swallow hard. He traced with the tips of his fingers the line of reddish dots that weren't actually freckles, but scars of plasma burns.
Images of the night of the battle against Seven passed through her mind.
'Don't think about the shot. Just be with him and be happy.' she thought, troubled.
He kissed her forehead, very close to her hairline.
His scent was raw, powerful. Male and ready for action, she understood.
The next time their lips converged, it felt sweeter. Slower, yet deeper and more intense. It felt right. John said so much with a gesture so simple, everything he couldn't put in words was there translated in that kiss.
She broke the contact only to mutter: "Are we doing this, for real?"
"It's eleven-hundred. Do we have enough time?"
Her heart pounded faster, raising the fire inside.
"Well, Chief, unless you're planning to keep me in here for hours..." she gave him a devilish smirk, excited.
"Nobody can know, especially not Osman. If she finds out that we..."
Cortana nodded. "I know. I'm all over protocol."
They weren't mentioning the Commander because Palmer was the lesser of their problems. It was difficult to say: Cortana wasn't either a civilian or a military asset, she was somewhere in a gray area in-between that still, somehow, placed her as a piece of equipment belonging to the UNSC. Taking them apart from each other was the simplest of things that someone like Osman could do, none of them wanted to imagine anything beyond that. It was a tremendous risk.
Too late to back off now.
"You still have too much clothes on." he said, thinking out loud.
"Me? How about you?"
"I'm working on it."
The Chief pulled the sweatshirt, sliding it down her arms to set Cortana free from the garment. She did her own bidding by removing the straps of her bra, then pulled it above her head and tossed it aside; the next thing was tugging on John's shirt until he complied and removed it too.
"Now we're even." she mumbled, between the many kisses she deposited against his clean-shaven jaw.
John growled something.
They fell together on the bed, he still on top and her legs tangled around his waist. Her hands traced the rough lines of old scars here and there and his hands roamed freely up and down her waist, his thumbs slowly drawing the underside of her bare breasts. Cortana threw her head back and grabbed his wrists, she rashly placed those rough palms above her chest and managed to explain without words how did she wanted to be caressed. The sensations were explosive, uncontainable. She sighed in a strangled sound when John's large hands cupped both her breasts, fitting them perfectly.
"Chief..." she moaned, huffing.
"I like it better when you call me John."
"Noted." now she gasped, arching her back when she felt the scorching touch of his mouth on tender skin. Her arousal just reached a new level. "On a second thought, I might want to stay like this for hours, please."
Her fingers drifted absentmindedly down across his chest and stomach, tracing hard muscle and scars, until she found the cord of his pants. She tugged the knot loose and dived a hand beneath the waistband. He almost jerked away when...
Cortana laughed softly.
"Don't be so jumpy, you're touching and I want to touch too." she said. "What is it? You don't like it?"
He couldn't help but relate the maneuver to that disturbing nightmare about the Rampant Spike assaulting him, the other day.
"It's just that..." John trailed off.
"It was just instinct, don't worry. I won't hurt you." she craned her neck to place a kiss on his lips, calming him down instantly. She drew her hands back and cherishingly rubbed his arms from the elbow and up, reaching his solid shoulders. She looked at him, amazed. "It's okay, John. I like it, but we don't have to do anything you don't want to do, really."
Before she could say anything else, he covered her mouth with his and lowered his weight on her, anxious to feel Cortana's warmth against his own skin. She clutched her fingers at his forearms, digging with her nails. She actually started breaking sweat and the world spun around when she felt him pulling down her pants.
Right then and there, a soft chime rang in the air.
John went completely rigid and so did she. They both turned immediately their heads towards the intercom's general direction.
"Sorry to interrupt your rest, Master Chief, Captain Lasky requests you presence on the bridge." said Roland's voice. "I repeat..."
"Copy that, Roland. Thank you." John answered, his voice a little ragged.
"I'll be seeing you, SPARTAN."
Then, the musical bell-like sound rang again indicating the channel was closed.
"Fuck." the Chief cursed, under his breath.
Cortana frowned, worried. He'd never been one to use such words, but it was both surprising and exciting to hear him talk like that. It was the angered tone of his voice, probably, what made her feel more aroused.
To actually see him showing such a controversial emotion was priceless.
"I guess fun is over." she whispered. And it was: John pulled away from her at the very moment she said those words, but she grabbed his shoulders and pushed herself up until their lips met again. He sighed against her mouth, eyes closed, his sudden temper now at ease. There was a short hesitation, then she spoke: "It's okay, John. Now that we both know that... that we want it, we will have plenty of chances. I promise."
"That's my line." he whispered, and she let him go.
The Chief reached for his discarded shirt. She sighed, very discontent, and got off the bed to search for her brassier and sweatshirt. They both dressed in awkward silence, which she broke when she saw him head to the doorway: "Where do you think you're going with that tent on your pants?" Cortana hissed. "It's like you have a neon arrow pointing right there, there's no way it would go unnoticed. You have to stay here until it's gone."
John stopped dead and looked down, mostly annoyed.
"I'm being called to the bridge. If I don't make it, it will be suspicious."
"I know, but trust me: something like that is more suspicious. Specially coming from a SPARTAN of your generation and class."
The Chief considered her words for a short moment.
Probably a lot of cameras captured him on video making his way from the cargo bay to the S-Deck with Cortana in his arms, then entering his quarters. Maybe it was just futile to think of a way out.
"Point taken." John agreed.
Cortana brushed her hair behind her ears, thinking hard. "Let's do this: I'm going out first, you calm down and then go out and do whatever you have to do." she placed a hand on his forearm, to put extra emphasis into the message.
Ne nodded, thinking it over. "Cortana?"
"What?"
"How do you suggest that I 'calm down'?"
TO BE CONTINUED
AWWW YISSSS
Well, 'awwwlmost' I'd rather say XD these two manage to be funny even when having a sexy time (sort of). I kind of hate Roland right now, I almost bet he did it on purpose or something! Well, like I said, almost there; the dam just broke and now the rivers will flow wild! Okay, we all had our fair share of smexy fun and now it's time to concentrate, big things are happening and puberty shall not get in the way. We're going back to the fun wagon of action and actual plot! What? You thought it was going to be senseless porn from now on? Guess again.
Guest1: Well, there are two major issues that doesn't allow any of this to fit into canon because 1- the events of this fanfic overlap with the events of Halo 5 itself (it all happens around September of 2558, for what I've seen) and 2- it's only fanfiction and wishful thinking. But I'm working my ass off trying to make the story as plausible and close to canon as possible, that's all I can hope for now. Thanks so much for your support, I'm glad to write for you ^^
Pyr0: and I love you! Thanks, pal!
Niko: I hope this is up to your expectations. I'm sorry if I let you hanging over there, I promise I will make it up to you :) xD
Guest2: Honey, you don't have to check that often, updates are every Sunday (more like late night Saturday), and this far I haven't faltered one single night. I'm happy you're enjoying yourself :) you can create an account and follow the story, you'll receive email alerts whenever the new episode is up ^^ thanks for being here!
PhantomAnonymous; English is not my first language so I'm not actually sure of what "in for a painful Thursday night" means, I'm sorry. I feel there's an innuendo there but I can't quite catch it. I want to thank you for stepping up and saying it!
Let's meet again next Sunday! We haven't seen the last of this, but I'm really looking forward for your opinions, guys! Speak up, I can't hear you!