18. New Kind of Warfare

New kind of Warfare*

Shress woke up with a yawn escaping her lazily spread mandibles. she sighs in contentment as she languidly stretches. She didn't know why, but as her sluggish thoughts ambling through her mind she felt as if she had just had the best sleep of her life,.

'Maybe it's the bed.'

She buries her head slowly back into the pillow. While shifting her weight around a little to get into a more comfortable position she feels something against her abdomen and stops. Curiously she looks down and her eyes widen in realization.

There is an arm, a human arm, a muscled human arm, holding her.

As she froze, she slowly became aware that there was something strange about this setting. She tries to push herself backwards in an attempt to distance herself from the limb, but instead met a strong barrier. Carefully, she raises and twists her hand around and gently touches whatever is blocking her way, feeling the unusual sensation of human fabric.

As she lies there, trying to understand her situation she soon feels that there is something a bit off. Her legs are curled so they can rest on the bed, but she feels something resting right against them. Finally she realizes something slightly disturbing; her pillow seems to be moving slightly.

She touches what she hopes to be a plush cushion, but instead she felt something large, warm, and smooth.

'It can't be.'

However she knew there was only one way to know for sure. Hesitantly and carefully, she rotates her body and is met by an almost dream like fantasy. Resting next to her, cuddling her with one arm while supporting her head with the other, was Michael.

The human breathes slowly and evenly with his eyes still closed, obviously still asleep.

Shress feels a million emotions taking over her as she lay there. She feels horrified, frightened, and confused, and yet…happiness overruled all of these feelings.

She had hoped and even prayed, (to who she doesn't know,) that Michael wouldn't mind if she snuggled up with him. Now waking in his embrace, as if she was still having that dream. However this was real, all too real.

If she has to be honest with herself, this position was quite comfortable and, dare she say it, delightful.

Feeling a little daring, she raises her hand and runs her fingers, mindful of her claws, down the Spartan's chest. It is firm, unyielding, but she feels it quiver ever so slightly at her touch. Suddenly Michael releases a relaxed sigh as he lowers his head until it is resting on his arm along with Shress and she feels his arm pulling her closer to his warm body.

She panics for a moment before calming herself down. This feels right so nice, being close to another warm body, especially when that body belongs to someone who she is very fond of.

She allows a small smile to appear on her features as she rests her head against Michael's, feeling his soft fur slightly tousling her forehead while a comforting blanket of peace settles on her while she is in the human's single armed hug. She feels her eyes starting to droop and she begins to fall back asleep when a sudden thought crosses her mind.

'He's asleep, he could be dreaming that he is holding a female of his own kind, how will he react when he awakes to find he is holding me instead?'

The sudden wretched intrusive thought was enough to cause Shress jump out of the bed, breaking Michael's embrace and pulling some of the covers off along with her. She became completely still and silent, waiting for the Spartan to awake. Instead the human unconsciously starts to swipe the section where Shress was lying not too long ago. She thought she saw a slight frown appear on his face when he seems to have failed finding her.

She wishes she could return to the original position she was in and continue to enjoy the closeness and comfort Michael had provided, but she reminded herself of her past thoughts. It pained her to imagine that he was thinking of another female while holding her in his sleeping embrace, but it might be better this way. There would be less trouble if he awoke alone.

She turns to leave, but pauses and looks longingly back at the Spartan. He is still once more, but now with his hand resting in the area where Shress's body has left an imprint, almost as if it is still searching for her. She didn't want to leave, she wanted to return to him, but knew it was for the best, and yet…she wish to show her appreciation to the human who has respected and cared for her.

She has only done this with male Sangheili, but she still turns nervously back to the bed and silently approaches. She now stands over Michael who continues sleeping, unaware of her presence. She dips a claw downwards and it slowly twirls his fur in circles which caused the Spartan to let out a soft puff of air, his mouth pulling into a smile.

Shress smiles with confidence and before she could second guess herself, she leans down and licks Michael on the cheek. Michael stirs slightly, but remains in his slumber, which slightly annoyed Shress before she remembered she had decided to let the recent ordeal be a secret…even though she desires beyond measure that she could speak to the Spartan about it.

All she could do is sigh before ruffling his fur lightly as she turns and walks out. She pauses when she is halfway out the door frame to give the human a final glance before exiting and heads towards the fourth room.

Six POV*

Six's eyes open as soon as the door closes and releases his held breath once Shress left the room.

He rolls onto his back and covered his eyes with an arm as he growls, replaying what just had happened.

'Michael you idiot.'

He should have known that was going to happen, what was he thinking? In the early hour of the morning, or what he assumes is morning, he awoke to find Shress curled right next to him, even closer than the spot she fell asleep last night. He has no idea what made him do it, it was almost like acting on instinct, but he wrapped her in his arm, lifted her head and gently placed her on his other arm and brought her closer to him than ever before.

He had felt incredibly nervous, what if she woke and was offended by how he took her in his arms. Would it affect their friendship?

Despite all these worries though, he couldn't help but felt thrilled and comforted having her so close. She smelled of something exotic, something definitely foreign to the human nose. He had mused for a while whether Sangheili women used their own form of perfume or not. Her skin felt like warm leather and yet there was a soft tenderness to it. He had absent-mindedly played with her talons for a while, wondering if she used them in combat or the like. However, all of his thinking was halted as he felt Shress begin to stir.

He pretended to be sleeping, thinking it would be best to appear that way, but secretly he observed her and most importantly, her reaction. He felt her body stiffen and heard her easy breathing tense into something close to a gasp. He had considered whether he should try and move away or not when she suddenly calmed down. He was even more surprised when she huddled closer to him and even ran her fingers down his chest, which caused him to shiver at her touch. He felt suddenly bold as he pulled her closer to him, no longer caring if she thought he was asleep or not. He felt her start to panic for a second, before she calmed again and rested her soft forehead against his, Her breathing settled back into it's smooth rhythm with both of them at rest.

Six was ready to fall back asleep with her in his arms again when she suddenly jerked out of his grip. It took all of his skills and training not to reveal he was awake. He almost gave it away when he reached for her, but he kept his breathing in check and made sure his eyes remained closed.

He was unsure what Shress was doing, but he felt disappointment start to cloud his mind when he heard her footsteps walk away, towards the door. He thought she was heading out, which was why he became puzzled when he heard her pause and was surprised when he heard her returning to the bed. He had to fight with all of his strength to keep his eyes closed and lie completely still.

He became even more confused with what had happened, but he felt comforted when he sensed Shress playing with his hair as she always had. But he wasn't sure what it was that she did, but he suddenly felt a strange warm wetness on his cheek.

Having reached the end of that memory, Six touches the side of his face in question. He feels it, still moist, running from the top close to his eye all the way down before ending near his chin.

'What was that, was that a Sangheili version of a kiss?'

The thought was enough to cause the Spartan to flush lightly, definitely not a normal reaction of a Spartan.

He rolls over back onto his side as he thinks of what had just occurred. Did this mean Shress liked the hug or didn't she? She was the one who first cuddled close to him last night and when she awoke she had panicked a little, but eventually calmed and continued lying alongside of him. She appeared to be happy with the sleeping arrangement, but then she leapt away from him, literally. A change of heart perhaps, or was she still half asleep and didn't know what was happening at the time.

Or was she merely experimenting and decided she didn't like the contact?

The uncertainty, the unknown…Six was trained to handle unknown combat situations, but in this situation…he didn't even know what category this would fall under, much less how to respond.

Six punches the mattress in frustration. The bed absorbs the blow but it left a large dent behind. He sighs before deciding he might as well get up, no Spartan has ever been trained to lay around longer than necessary.

He swings his legs over the side, stands and stretches. He grimaced a little when his body releases a stream painful protest. His body is making good progress in healing, medical doctors would see him as a living miracle simply because he was able to stand, let alone walk, but for Six, all he felt it was as if he isn't healing fast enough.

The Spartan lumbers stiffly into the restroom once more and douses his face in cold water. It helps him to become more self-aware as the frigid liquid runs down his face and trailed further down his body. He shivers slightly but is grateful as it helps him wake up. When he faced Shress he wanted his mind to be prepared if she asked any questions. He would be able to answer as carefully as he could, and for that he needed to be awake.

He chuckles slightly as he realizes he was mentally bracing himself, as if he is about to head out onto a battlefield.

'And in a way I guess I am, just think of all your training, make the best tactical decision and hope for the best but be prepared for the worst…whatever that would be.'

Feeling his nerves starting to act up again, the Spartan slowly walks out of the restroom and out of the sleeping quarters. He needs to have breakfast, and there's no doubt Shress will be there as well, where else would she be considering the rec room is the only place that offers both food and relaxation?

His feet tentatively walks towards the fourth door, his heart starting to beat faster than ever before. Why is it he is suddenly feeling like this, even when he was walking into battle he usually didn't feel this way, in fact he would feel more at ease if he was getting ready for war, that way at least he would be armed.

Six hesitates at the door, still wondering why his nerves were acting up on him when he finally pressed the needed buttons on the terminal and the door opens with a subdued whoosh. He walks in to find Shress in the kitchen area of the rec room once more.

Shress looks up and they locked eyes. Six feels his throat dry and feels warm blood rising to his face. Shress breaks eye contact and quickly looks down, avoiding his gaze.

'Great, another one of those days.'

He walks to the back where Shress is and sees that she was preparing herself a meal, raw meat again. Six wonders if this is all that Sangheili eat or if the meat, or if it is the only thing on the ship that Shress could stand.

He muses this over as he goes to a cupboard to get his own breakfast. Today he felt as if he could stomach something other than bread, which was a relief considering he is starving. He shifts around in the 'breakfast' section, seeing if he can find something that could fill him.

He was examining a box of dehydrated cereal when he smells the smelt aroma of meat. Self-consciously he peeks over his shoulder as he watches Shress remove her meal from the microwave and walks to the more furnished area of the room. He thought for a minute before placing the box back and turns to the fridge. He unwrap a small amount of meat, places it in the microwave, reheats it and takes it out. He couldn't help but feel his mouth beginning to water at the smell, it feels like forever since the last time he ate warm meat, and not the dried out ones from the standard MREs.

Not fearing as much as he did when he walked in, Six takes the meat, forgoing a plate, and follows Shress to the furnish section to eat. Without looking, the Spartan sits at the couch and bites into the warm substance. He feels the sweet taste and texture slowly explode in his mouth as he chews, but he notice movement in his peripheral vision. He nearly chokes when he realizes that Shress is sitting on the other side of the couch as well, but she takes no notice of him as she concentrates on her own food. Six does the same and they eat slowly in silence. Aside from the subtle glances they would send to each other, they didn't communicate at all.

Finally the dreaded moment came when Six finished his steak and he was left sitting there with nothing to do while feeling Shress eyeball him. He merely shifts his weight and leans on the arm of the furniture, trying to get as comfortable as he could while listening to the sound of Shress's chewing filling the background. He couldn't help but notice there is a muted like thump every time she takes a bite and wonders how strong her jaws are.

'Probably strong enough to bite my head off if I offend her.'

He suppresses his shudder at the thought and decided he might as well try and open up a conversation with her.

"So…"

Six trails off as he desperately thinks of something to say before finally deciding to take a risk and ask what is on his mind.

"How was your sleep last night?"

Shress makes a sputtering noise, causing some half-chewed chunks of steak to fly out of her mouth as she leant over slightly. Six tries to give her some privacy by not looking at the dumped meat. He was about to ask if she was feeling alright when she looks up and he is surprised to see anxiety and…something else in her shinning silver eyes.

"W-Why do you ask?"

Her sudden stuttering takes Six off guard for a bit as he tried to think of a suitable reply. He tries to remain casual as he says.

"I'm just curious, that was your first time sleeping in a human bed, right?"

"I…well, it was…nice, I slept well,"

'She's not looking up. Does this mean she didn't like them sleeping together?'

Six pushes those thoughts away as he slowly nods, deciding to say something a little truthful.

"I had a good night's rest too, it was quite comfortable, relaxing and enjoyable."

"And why would that be?"

Glad she was looking at him again he offered her a gentle smile.

"I don't know, maybe it's the change in pace, I can't really remember when was the last time I took a break from the battlefield, not since…"

Six starts to lose focus as his eyes suddenly cloud with memories; people, places…a world on fire.

"Michael?" the voice brings Six back to reality as he looked at Shress who gives him a concerning look, "are you alright?"

Six thought for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, just thinking of something else," he gives his head a quick shake before looking back at her and said, "sorry, I was saying I haven't taken a break from combat since I arrived on Reach."

Shress nods before becoming silent. She seems to be in deep thought before she looks at Six and asks, "how long have you been fighting Michael?"

He gives her a nonchalant shrug. "Ever since I became a Spartan."

"How long ago was that?" she counters.

Six thinks for a moment, running quick calculations in his head before saying, "about ten years ago, I have no idea how Sangheili would measure that in units."

Shress lightly shakes her head before replying, "a year is the span of time it takes for your seasons to complete a cycle, correct?" Six nods in confirmation so she continues, " Sangheili measure that span with the passing of the summer seasons on Sanghelios."

Six nods once more, "It's the same with humans, despite our colonies having different…time spans, we all follow the one span of a year by Earth standard."

"I am unsure if our span of time is similar," notes Shress, "but if it is, then ten summers seem to be a long time."

"It certainly feels that way," agrees Six as he leans against the end of the couch, unaware of how this brought him closer to Shress.

He looks back at her and asks, "How many years, or summers, of fighting have you performed?"

Like Six before, Shress thought carefully before answering. "Most Sangheili of my age have been in service for seventeen summers." She falls back into her own thoughts before asking another question, "When do humans come of age?"

"Come of age?" Six asks in confusion.

"How many summers must a human have to pass before he is deemed ready for combat?" Shress rephrases.

"A human of eighteen summers is given the choice to join the military or not," explains Six, "but due to the…last few years, almost everybody who is able to fight is drafted into the UNSC."

Shress becomes suddenly interested, "you have a choice whether you wish to become a warrior or not?"

Six remembers all the reports and lessons he had learned of the Sangheili, how they lived in a combat based society; the thought of people wanting to be something other than a warrior must be a major shock to Shress, so he tries his best to explain the concept to her.

"Yes, most of the time, people are given the choice if they want to be warriors or not," he explains, "some people have different ambitions, like wanting to be a cook, or an artist, or a doctor, or a musician and so forth, basically it's their choice on how they wish to contribute to our society."

Shress looks down, probably trying to comprehend this new information before looking back up and says, "So you chose to be a warrior, your family, or whoever it was that raised you, didn't influence you to take the path of a soldier?"

Six flashbacks to when he was a kid, remembering all those people he was around when the Covenant came. He has long since forgotten who they were, but he remembers the anger he had felt after witnessing their deaths and how it was because of that anger that he volunteered for the Spartan program.

"More or less," Six finally answers as he looks away, unsure if he should tell the whole story to Shress or not.

Silence now lapse between them, filled only by the sound of their breathing. Finally Shress asks, "How many summers are you Michael, twenty-eight summers?"

Six gives an amused grunt before responding, "Close, twenty-two summers."

This causes Shress to cock her head to the side as she says, "but…you said humans come of age when they are eighteen summers, if you have been fighting for twenty summers then you should be about twenty-eight seasons…is this reasoning correct?"

Six gives her a reassuring smile, "You're math isn't wrong Shress, you got it right, but…" he hesitates a bit. What he is about to tell her is a Spartan secret that no one outside the program knows about, just to mention it could get him in trouble. Yet he wants to tell Shress, he feels he could tell her anything…well except for what happen that morning, but with this…yes, he does trust her.

He lets out a small sigh before saying, "most humans make their decisions when they are eighteen summers old…but I made mine when I was six summers old."

Shress leans in slightly as if to get a better view of Six before saying, "you were a youngling when you made your decision?"

He gives a light chuckle, "yeah, so I suppose you can say I was raised to be a warrior."

"Raised to be a warrior," Shress repeats, "this is similar on Sanghelios, younglings begin their trainings when they are born. As infants they are told the sagas of past champions, as younglings they are taught to act with dignity and how to handle weapons, harnessing their combat prowess begins when they passed ten summers, and from there, if they are male, they join the Covenant."

Six wears an amused look on his face as he asks, "so when are children given the chance to have fun?"

Shress shakes her head, "Only when they have time to themselves which isn't often, and if they are caught playing, running or having pretend battles, then usually their teacher will step in and order them to cease, to act with the pride of a Sangheili."

Six gives her a sly look, "and did you ever get in trouble for this?"

She gives him a cheeky smile in return, "I believe almost every Sangheili child has this flaw, we all have been disciplined in acting with pride and respect."

Six couldn't really picture Shress getting into trouble, then again if she is ever captured by the Covenant than she will be in really big trouble.

"Were you raised in a similar manner?" Shress asks as her next question.

Six couldn't help but smirk, "Just about, but when we were trained, me and the other Spartans, we had to learn how to fight, shoot, swim, drive, fly, how to use certain tech, how to fix things, how to use battle computers, learn advance calculations and various other things all in six summers."

He looks her in the eye as he says, "Remember…after we brought down the Long Night of Solace?" She nods in confirmation so he continues, "and remembered when I told you I was a lone wolf?"

She thinks for a moment before replying, "You said you worked on your own, correct?"

Six nods back, "Yeah, so that means I had to learn everything that a team would normally know, most Spartans finished their training in six summers, it took me six and a half summers to finish because I had to take extra training in…well basically everything."

Shress is silent for a moment before asking, "And did you have any fun as a child?"

Six thinks for a moment before replying back, "Well our drill instructors did everything they could think of to make us Spartans miserable and during this one training session as we were practising a hide and evasion technique," he pauses to smile, "we noticed the instructors were in the perfect position for an ambush, so…"

Shress's eyes widened at this. "You ambushed your own instructors?"

Six laughs, more at the memory then Shress's reaction, "Yeah, we paid for it after that, had to push a bus load of scrap metal up a hill, took us all night to do it, but it was worth it."

Shress stills looks unsure, which causes Six to laugh.

"Don't tell me we deserved that, the instructors had it coming to them, ever since day one they called us boot, sprayed us with dirty water and hit us upside our heads with stun batons. So when we had a chance to get back at them, well we took it."

Shress is silent for a while as she gazes at him, when she finally spoke her voice had a disgusted edge.

"I've never heard of instructors doing that to any Sangheili before."

Six shrugs in turn, "Yeah, even among humans to do that to kids would have been seen as barbaric, which is why Spartans became the secret of the UNSC up until twenty-five twenty-five, or somewhere around there when our presence was revealed to the public to help boost morale."

His Sangheili companion thinks some more.

"Well we have to defend our honor whenever it is challenged, so I suppose your attack was justified."

The Spartan chuckles before lowering his head, "well thanks for excusing my actions as honorable Shress."

This gets a laugh out as her, a sound that enraptures Six as he listens to the near musical sound.

A thought crosses his mind, but he waits until Shress is through laughing before asking, "Shress, how many summers are you?"

She gives him a broad smile before replying, "I'm passed twenty-seven summers."

Six wears a serious expression as he teases, "Wow…that's old."

"Indeed" she said bowing her head almost modestly, "not many Covenant soldiers, let alone males, surpass that age."

Six is now lost for words, his initial joke seem to have backfired on him.

'Well Sangheili honor and respect their elders, it's only logical that to become older is seen as a sort of treat to them'

"I am curious though," Shress's voice brought Six out of his thinking as he looks back at her, "can you give more detail of how you were trained?"

Six wonders if it's alright, if regulations would allow him until he decides to go for it, the very least he can do is name some types of training he had to undertake and not tell how.

"Alright," Six says as he makes himself more comfortable and looks into her eyes, "well when I first got to base for training, the first thing we had to was jump out of an aircraft."

Shress POV*

Shress has no idea how much time has passed, but if she was truthful, she didn't really care.

She listened to Michael as he tells of his upbringings to become a Spartan, a tale that fascinates, confuses and shocks her. She couldn't believe the physical trials that were inflicted upon the young humans and how they had to been able to balance their studies with their physical performances without failing. What confused her though is that even though the transformation into Spartans will make them stronger and smarter, she couldn't understand why they had to go through that kind of demanding training in the first place. She didn't really understand why it was that Michael and his fellow Spartans played tricks on their trainers when they knew full well it was illegal and they would always be punished. Yet what she finds the strangest thing is that Michael would laugh and smile as he describes their punishments, almost as if he enjoyed getting into trouble, and all for amusement. The best she could conclude is that it was a human reaction, something she would probably never fully understand.

She only interrupts Michael's storytelling to ask the occasional question like what a certain device he used would do, or why it is he decides to perform one action instead of the other. Yet chief among them was her inquires of certain human words and phrases.

They stopped for the occasional break and to prepare their meals. She couldn't help but smile as she remembered how Michael experimented with her using human cuisines, but her frustration was enough to inform him that she was carnivorous and she has no taste for anything green. She is happy to see Michael eating more, she didn't want to voice it, but his face and body seemed thinner then when they first set out on their journey. Now it had been steadily regaining its original full appearance.

At the moment they are sitting together on the long piece of furniture as they finish what she supposes is their supper meal. She is well aware she is eating the same meat she has been consuming for the past day, but she loved the taste and texture despite it alien nature. She glances over at Michael who is eating meat as well, not in large quantity as hers and he also has some greenery decorating the side of his plate.

"How can you bear the taste of that?" Shress finally asks and indicates the green food he w consuming.

Michael finishes chewing the food in his mouth before replying, "You mean my vegetables? Humans eat it because it's our primary source of vitamins."

"What are vitamins?" Shress once again questions.

"It's, uh, it's the things inside vegetables that help keep us humans healthy," Six tentatively answers, unsure if she'll understand, "if we wish to survive we have to have our daily intake of vitamins."

Shress wonders if the Sangheili takes vitamins and they don't even realize it. She muses over the possibility of what else could be in their meals that helps keep them alive.

As she thinks this through her head a daunting thought suddenly made its way into her mind. The humans know more about themselves then the Sangheili did. She doesn't know if exercising could help make a Sangheili stronger or if certain meat would make them healthier or if being called something like 'boot' could really help motivate her to do her very best at an activity. The humans have spent centuries studying and learning of themselves and their environment, where with the Sangheili…all that Shress knows for sure was how to fight and her level of family honor and dignity. Useless information should the unthinkable happen and the Sangheili are left to care for their own welfare and not the Covenant.

Shress finishes her mound of meat and places the empty dish on the small table in front of her; she then leans back against the furniture, feeling quite full and content. However it isn't long before she reopens her eyes and looks back at Michael seated just a mere unit away.

The human seems equally comfortable as he leans on the side of the furniture piece that slightly sticks out as he slowly chews his food, a faraway look in his eyes. She wonders what he is thinking, is it about the war, their current situation, or her?

As she watches, she couldn't help it when her eyes start to wander as they began analyzing his body. He is quite large by human standards, but she is still taller by a few precious units, this would annoy any male but he doesn't seem that bothered, or at least he doesn't voice it. His skin is light, but she knew how impressionable it is, she wonders if he can change his skin coloration considering she has seen different colored humans almost on a regular basis. She next takes stock on his body as a whole, his form is so different from a Sangheili and his strength barely matches that of an average male…yet there was something that drew her to him. Was it his scars, signs of a strong and capable warrior?

She looks away as her thoughts wonder around his appearance. There is something alluring about the human known as a Spartan, but what? Most females probably would regard him as ugly or undesirable compared to a Sangheili warrior. He is an enemy of the Covenant and thus an enemy of Sanghelios, an outcast to most, but now so is she. But the one thing that stands out is that he is an alien, a human being, a creature that is beneath her. Yet she doesn't believe that, he is as capable as any warrior and he is surprisingly caring, qualities that near all of her suitors had lacked. Was that why she is drawn to him, because he shows her kindness, more than any had ever showed her before?

A question suddenly worms its way into her mind, a question that she has asked before but want to again to see if it had changed. She turns her head around.

"Why did you spare me?"

Michael w on the verge if taking another mouthful of food when he pauses and looks her in the eye.

"What?"

She could see the confusion in his eyes so she asks him again.

"When we first met, when we fought, why did you spare me?"

Michael looks down before placing his now finished dish on the table before looking back at her.

"Well…why not?"

She allows a small hiss of frustration to escape before continuing.

"I was your enemy Michael, a Zealot trained and conditioned to annihilate your species, a powerful advisory, and yet when you had the chance you didn't kill me, why?"

Michael glances down before returning his gaze to hers, "The same reason you let me up to fight for my life, because it just felt like the right and honorable thing to do."

Shress thinks about the answer before looking at Michael again, "Is that all?"

He becomes silent once more before continuing. "Well at the time yes, but now if we are ever in a similar situation again, I wouldn't spare you" he leans forward and takes her hand in his, "I would save you."

Shress could hear the sincerity in his voice and her heart just about stops. Here was her former enemy, someone she once swore she would kill, now her only companion, her only friend and…something else.

The feeling is confusing and frustrating as she struggles to find a way to voice her mind when Michael asks, "Shress are you alright?"

She looks up at him as he gaze at her in concern. "Usually when I take your hand you start to purr or whatever it is that you do, is there something wrong?"

Shress feels her mandibles opening but no words came forth, she feels as if she is trapped, should she try questioning him about her feelings or should she talk of something else?

"Shress?" Michael presses again, this time leaning in a little ways. She feels herself becoming nervous upon seeing he is closer to her, but also a form of…excitement seems to be taking over as well. This is too much for her.

She disentangles her hand from his and stands, taking a small step away from where the Spartan is seated.

"I'm just…tired," she finally spoke in what sounds like a hoarse voice, "If you don't mind I'm going to sleep now."

Michael had a look of confusion on his face. "Alright, I'm going to put these dishes away and then I'll join you." He makes to stand, but halfway up he pauses and looks up at her, "that is if you want me to join you tonight."

"Of course," she suddenly said in a hurried voice, which causes him to give her a strange look so she stutters, "I-I mean you're still healing, of course you can sleep in the bed with me, that is-I mean, if you don't want me to be there with you or-uh, we can think of a-I mean if you want-"

"Shress," Michael calmly interrupts her, gaining her attention. He has a huge grin on his face as he continues. "If it's no trouble than I will join you tonight."

Shress feels a smile starting to form as she replies, "yes, of course, I'll…see you then," before he could say anything else, she quickly turns and walks out the door and closes it.

Once she is alone, she releases a held in hiss as she silently curses her foolishness.

'Why did she freeze like that?'

'Why couldn't she move?'

'Never has she ever experience something so humiliating in her life. But deep down she actually felt a little afraid. Why did she react the way she did, how is it that Michael had that effect on her?'

She ponders this as she walks back to the officer's quarters, still angry with her performance and her reaction, which, in her mind, was so feminine. She didn't spend years of training to be a Zealot just to have a single male cause her to act like a feeble woman.

She enters the sleeping quarters and makes her way to the bed. Her clothes are worn and full of wrinkles, but she doesn't have any spare energy to sew another set of clothing as she lies down on the bed, leaving the blankets on the floor, her clothing is enough to keep her warm for the night. She once again folds her legs and rests her head on a cushion, but she wished it was Michael's arm her head is resting on. She just releases a sigh as she closes her eyes and attempts to relax her breathing in a vain attempt to sleep, knowing full well that there is too much on her mind that is keeping her awake.

After what felt like cycles have past, she is ready to release a growl of frustration when she hears the door opening and closing. She instantly becomes still, closes her eyes and slows her breathing. It isn't long before she hears the soft thumping of footsteps that are coming closer and closer to the bed. Shress tries to calm herself as her pulse quickens as the footsteps came closer to her.

The footfalls finally falls silent, right next to the bed. Shress struggles to remain still as she feels the bed slightly moves as the Spartan climbs in with her. She hears him sigh as he shifts his weight before becoming still and his breathing came in slow easy breaths.

Believing Michael is now asleep, she releases her held breath and shifts her body around a little, careful not to disturb the human beside her.

Beside her.

She looks over her shoulder at the sleeping form of Michael. She wonders if he'll wake, if he does how will he feel to find her resting close to him? And what about her earlier thoughts, what if he dreams of holding a human female and instead wakes to find her instead?

Yet the need to be close to something, the urge of being with another warm being pushed her. She didn't wait for whole units like last time, now she scoots her form closer to Michael, careful not to cause too much seismic activity; she makes her way closer to the alien. Finally she feels her back gently pressing into his chest, his calm breaths running down her neck.

She feels a smile beginning to mark her face, but then she tenses when she feels Michael starting to move. She feels his arm falling into the same position as that morning, wrapping around her middle and pulling her close to his body. She feels her pulse quickening before calming down as she gleefully snuggle deeper into the Spartan's one armed embrace.

She releases a sigh of content as she repositions herself into Michael's folds, she turns and rests her head against his chest. She feels the soft fabric rubbing her head as Michael slowly breathes, she hears his gently heart beat slowly like a drum, and a feeling of bliss is starting to settle over her. Now she feels comfortable enough to fall asleep, but before she is taken by slumber, a familiar voice suddenly fills her with horror.

"Comfortable are we?"

Shress couldn't stop as she feels herself shiver slightly as she forces her eyes to look upwards. Soon her eyes met the softly glinting green ones that belong to Michael.

Shress didn't know what to say, what to do. Should she try to move away, stay where she is at, or do something more drastic? But at the moment she couldn't move, her body seems to be locked in its position as if its caught in a trap, and her mouth wouldn't move to form words, all she could do was leaver her mandibles wide, no doubt looking foolish.

Michaels grin slowly fades away as he leans back a little, "Sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to upset you."

Before he could move farther away, Shress shoots her arm out and grabs his shoulder, halting his progress.

"No, you didn't," she suddenly finds herself saying, "I-it's quite nice"

Michael didn't move, probably as unsure as she is, but a smile soon makes its way onto his features, Shress takers this as a good sign. She lets go of him, turn around and lie back on her side and says, "Could you…could you hold me again?"

Silence and stillness fills the room, causing Shress to wonder if she has made a mistake. That thought is whisked away as Michael scoots closer to her and pulls her against him with one arm. His legs soon mimics her folded legs position and gently nudged them behind hers, almost fitting together. He then places his other arm close to the top of her; she knew what it is intended for. She raises her head slightly, allowing Michael to move his arm underneath her as she brought her head back down on the natural pillow. She lets out a soft sigh and a gentle hum soon vibrates from her throat.

She hears the human chuckle as he whispers close to the side of her head, "you really like this don't you?"

Shress becomes embarrass again as she tries to think of a response, "well…I've never been in this position before, it's just something new I am experiencing."

Again Michael chuckles, "I thought you were the one with all the suitors, so none of them ever held you like this?"

Annoyed at his antics, she twists around carefully so she wouldn't break from his hold, and looks at his face. His smile and mischievous eyes were starting to really agitate her, so why doesn't she have some fun with him instead?

"Well, I don't know about you and your suitors Michael" she says in what she hopes to be an innocent voice, "but among Sangheili, to be with a female in bed usually means doing something more than just holding her."

Soon she begins to laugh at what she sees. Michael's face became bright red before becoming startling white. His eyes are huge and his single jaw opens and closes as if he is struggling to say something but couldn't. She didn't get the privilege of seeing a look of pure shock on a human's face, let alone a Spartan, on a daily basis, so she made sure she enjoyed it.

Slowly Michael begins to regain his composure and Shress's laughter starts to subside. Finally with his original coloring back, he asks, "So I take it you've been with a lot of people in bed then?"

Shress's smile fades as she looks down, not looking into Michael's eyes. The truth was, she hasn't been with anyone like that and who would want her once they know her secret? One that she could not hide, that affected her whole life and the primary reason why she has yet to find a mate.

"Not very often, no," Shress responds back, but she knew Michael will ask questions so she tries to steer the conversation away from her. "Unlike you I am sure, you must have mated with many women and sired many younglings by now."

Once the words left her mouth, she instantly wishes she can take them back, but it is too late. She keeps her eyes off Michael as she begins to dwell in her own self misery. For some reason, the thought of Michael being with another woman, and being in bed with her, fills Shress with unknown anger and grief. And no doubt she reminded him of someone else probably more favorable and beautiful than her, a female of his own species.

There's no escaping reality, she raises her head to see what he will say, but is surprise once more. Michael has once again gone white in the face and his mouth is now hanging slightly open agape.

He says nothing for a few units before finally stuttering out, "A-A-Actually, no, no Shress, Spartans aren't allowed to…uh…be with any females."

Now Shress feels confusion rather than sadness, she tilts her head slightly as she looks at him, "why," she questions, "don't your military wish to produce more abled warriors like yourself?"

Shress wouldn't have believed it if she was told humans could turn whiter than how bleach Michael had become, but Michael made her believed it. It was hilarious watching the near stoic Spartan losing his poise, but with him doing it often now is starting to look alarming.

Finally Michael coughs a little as he finally speaks once more, "Spartans are definitely not allowed to do that."

He sees her curious eyes so he elaborates, "Remember when I told you how Spartans are made?" Shress nods in confirmation, "well…we aren't sure how the argumentation really affected us, we have no idea what would happen if we ever…mate with someone, or what the results would be," he glance at her, "so in order to protect ourselves and anyone we may choose as our…partners, we aren't allowed to do anything of the likes."

Shress couldn't believe what she is hearing. Here is a being with almost the same problems as she does, but his can possible be fixed, hers couldn't, but that doesn't eliminate her feelings for him, the fact that he doesn't have a mate for some reason causes her to smile.

Michael grins at her as he gently pokes her shoulder, "what's so funny?"

"Nothing," Shress says as she desperately tries to stop smiling. As she tries to stop, a thought suddenly creeps into her mind that causes chills to blow down her spine.

"Michael," she says, trying to gain the courage to at him, "were you awake this morning?"

She doesn't look him in the eye; instead she stares down at his chest, trying hard to ignore the muscle expanse before her.

Slowly Michael answers, "Yes."

She lets out a shuttering breath. "Did you feel something…wet?" she wouldn't describe a lick as such, but she has no idea how else to describe it.

"No," Michael replies.

Shress frowns slightly in puzzlement, but before she could think long about it, she feels a wet, yet warm sensation on the top of her head, which just about stops her from breathing. The feeling disappears and Michael whispers close to her, "I felt something warm…did you?"

Slowly Shress nods her head as she asks, "Is that…a human sign of affection?"

"Yes," Michael replies carefully before asking, "and is it the same thing with a lick?"

Shress feels her throat drying as she finally forces her eyes to look into his. They are quite beautiful if she has to be truthful. They are dark often times, but now they look as if they are gleaming and full of what she takes to be care and gentleness, a side of a Spartan that she has never seen before.

"Yes," she finds herself answering in a near whisper tone almost similar to Michael, "it is."

Michael slowly smiles at her but it fades. Shress begins to panic.

'Does this mean he does not feel the same? Does he find my figure unattractive? Does he prefer a human female instead of me? Of course he would, what sensible being wouldn't, then again that would mean me as well.'

Michael finally sighs, "Shress…I just told you, I can't mate, something bad could happen to me," he looks at her with pain filled eyes, "or you, and I don't want anything to happen to you."

Shree feels more than touched, she feels something more. She wants to be with him more than ever now; there is no question…she has developed feelings for this human.

She doesn't hesitate as she twists fully around and gives him a tender one armed hug. Michael responds in kind with a full embrace as they cuddle together, edging closer to the middle of the bed to give themselves more room.

"It's alright Michael," she finally said, "I really don't care...as long as I am with you." The words felt right and her inside filled with joy as she said them, but she feels even more delighted when she sees the smile and happiness in Michael's eyes.

She leans closer to his face but pauses, her maw is a mere unit away as she looks into his eyes and she asks in a rather timid and self-conscious voice, "if you will have me."

Michael grins at her before raising himself up slightly and press his lips against her cheek once more, this time closer to the opening of her mandibles as he whispers, "Just as long as you'll have me as a suitor."

She smiles at him as she responds, "agreed," with that she leans forward and licks the side of his face, hoping to provide him with the same warmth that he provided her.

He rolls them back to their original positions, but this time with Shress facing him as she cuddles closer to him, feeling his body against hers, feeling the warmth that he is providing.

"This is so…so…comfortable," she finally voice as she runs her four talons down his chest, merely feeling his muscle, careful not to cause any damage.

She could hear the smile in Michael's voice as he says, "Shress…can you look up?"

She does and finds herself staring into Michael's bright green eyes; she knows he is just as happy as he is judging by the glint of light in his eyes.

He leans close to her, appearing nervous. "Can you…pull your mandibles together?"

Shress cocks her head to the side. "Why?"

"I want to try something, something…human," he says as an answer.

Shress is curious at what this human thing would be, but she performs it, forcing her jaws to move into an unfamiliar formation. She presses her mandibles together until they are touching, she couldn't speak or do anything else for that matter. She glances at Michael to see if she could glean any hints from him when he surprises her once more. Without warning, he moves closer to her and presses his lips against the center of her newly formed single mouth.

Shress feels her eyes widen in shock and confusion, but that soon melts away as a new emotion takes over. Warmth starts to fill her body, coursing through her and touching every inch as Michael's gentle lips connect them to each other. She soon closes her eyes and leans forward some more, hoping Michael would do it again. Michael obliges and reaffirms this action until she finds herself clinging onto him as he continues to press his lips against her until finally they are forced to break apart to breathe much needed air.

They pant slightly when the action is done; Shress looks at Michael as she asks, "What was that?"

He chuckles lightly, "a kiss, a human show of affection…the first one I have ever given before."

Shress feels thrilled knowing she is the first to have ever won his affection in such a manner. She nuzzles his neck lightly as she rests her body against his as she lets out a sigh and looks up at her new suitor.

He returns the smile and leans down towards her. Knowing what to expect, Shress pulls her mandibles together once more and gradually welcomes the kiss, allowing the warmth to enter once more. They kept their faces together as long as they could before breaking apart and are breathing heavily once more. They smile at one another again before Shress scoots herself back onto Michael's arm and made herself more comfortable. Michael follows her lead and rests his head on his arm as well while he moved his body closer to her. He plants one more kiss on the side of her head before pressing his forehead against hers. They both let out sleepy sighs, finding warmth and comfort in each other.

"Good night, my beautiful Shress," Michael whispers to her.

She feels pure happiness course through her, hardly anyone has seen her as beautiful, and to have Michael say it somehow made it all the more special.

"Good night, my handsome Michael" Shress responds.

The human responded by pulling her, a Sangheili, closer to him, she folds herself a little so she can rest fully within his embrace. He brings his head to rest close to her, he closes his eyes but his smile is still present as he holds her close to him.

Shress closes her eyes as well before resting her own arm across Michael and holds him in her own embrace. She knew right then, with Michael by her side and with the both of them holding each other close, it's going to be the best sleeping position she could have ever asked for.