19. Unfolding Situation
*Unfolding Situation*
*Six POV *
Six lies awake in bed as he quietly observes Shress. She is sleeping, snuggled right next to him, head resting on his arm while his other gently holds her midsection. Shress has her own arms around him and has pressed her body next to his as she continues to breathe deeply and evenly.
He smiles as he lightly runs his hand down her arm as he takes her figure in. She looks no different from any other sangheili, but what makes her stand out is her leaner frame. She is neither skinny nor large, she's just…lean. She's about the same height as the people of her race, somewhere a little over seven feet, yet she is able to fold her legs closer to herself so she can rest in bed with Six next to her. Her mandibles slightly move in correspondence with her breathing, he could see into her mouth, but does his best not to stare as he considers it to be rude. Soon, like always, his mind begins to revolve around Shress.
What is it that draws Six to her? How is it even possible that she feels the same way? He is happy to have her close to him as he always wanted and even allowed his emotions for her to show, but these questions won't leave him alone. Out of all of the women that he has met, why is it that it was an alien that strikes his fancy? He's never been with any women before, thus making him nervous that he may offend Shress in some way or another, but it appears she does feel content at the moment.
He remembers the night before when he shared his first kiss with her. He will not lie, despite their differences, it was the best feeling he has ever experienced. He has been fighting in the war for a long time, he has always said he was fighting for humanity as he has been trained to do, but truthfully he has also been fighting for his spartan brothers and sisters. They are the only ones he has ever spoken to, spent time with and always wants to spend his time with; the only people that he knew loved him. Tough love of course, a love that is never soft nor spoken, but is always present.
Now however, he is offered the care and tenderness of Shress, a strong and capable warrior much like himself. He stares down at her and wonders about the kiss. He remembers feeling the warmth, the sweetness and the strange flavor on his mouth that definitely tasted alien. He wonders if he performed the action correctly. Ever since they began their relationship, he has been drawing upon memories of when he accidently stumbled upon two marines having a moment together, or on some of the other times he has accidently eavesdropped on other people due to his augmented hearing. It was in this way that he heard some marines talking about doing strange things when they whisper to one another about women. Some of the comments he has heard sounded outright unsanitary and even disgusting to the spartan, but who is he to judge considering he has never been in a relationship with anyone before and never even shared a kiss. He can only hope that he is making Shress happy with what he is doing, otherwise…he wonders what it would be like if he just licks her as is common among the sangheili.
Suddenly he feels movement and looks down at the woman in question. Shress stirs slightly before expanding her jaws to their full length and releases a wide yawn. She blinks her eyes open until she finally awakens and looks at the spartan.
Six smiles as he stares into her silver eyes before saying, "Morning sleepy head".
Shress tilts her head to the side as she always does when she is confused, an action that Six is starting to grow fond of, "Sleepy head?" She questions.
Six brings her closer to him, "Someone who sleeps a lot."
Shress growls lightly, "I only slept longer because I've never been this comfortable before."
Six still smiles as he gently places a hand behind her head and draws her close. Sensing his intention, she leans forward, unites her mandibles and allows their mouths to connect. Soon the same feeling of warmth and taste fills Six as he hopes she feels the same sensations as he does. As they pull away and he sees her smile, he knows she has.
She releases a soft sigh as she rests her head in the nook of Six's neck while he lays his head on top of hers, for once he is a few centimeters taller than she is. They lie still for a few more moments, both feeling quite pleased to be in one another's presence. It isn't long before Shress raises one of her hands and she soon begins to run her talons down Six's chest, causing the spartan to shiver as he feels the sharpened nails leaving light scratches on his skin through his shirt.
Six smiles some more as he watches her, her presence is definitely a lot better than anyone else in the spartan community. He still misses and loves his second family, but that was it, they were like family. People he has sweat, laughed and fought beside for years. He and Shress only fought once together, and yet that whole time on Reach seems to have strengthened their odd bond, not to mention their current situation; traveling through space alone with one another.
As he slowly begins to think of Reach, a question draws his attention. He wonders for an answer for a moment before leaning closer to Shress and ask, "Shress?"
"Yes?" She responds, slightly looking up at him.
"How did this happen?" He sees her curious look so he elaborates, "How did…the two of us get together, I'm not complaining," He says quickly, "I just can't help but wonder… What draws you towards me?"
Her eyes twinkle in amusement as she snakes her long neck forward in a quick motion and licks him on the cheek. "I told you already Michael, the gods fated us to meet."
He gives her a deadpan look as she continues to run her talons down his chest. "Is that why you fought off an entire covenant squadron? Because fate brought us together?"
Shress pauses in her scratching as she ponders the question. She looks away, slightly moving her mandibles as if she is talking to herself before she finally looks back to Six and answers.
"I don't really know," She says honestly, "But you're the first male that seems to…respect me for my ways and care for my well being."
"So I'm respectful." Sums up Six.
She smiles once more, "Yes, you're also kind, resourceful, and sensitive."
That last comment catches Six off guard.
"Sensitive?!" He questions in a shocked state, unable to comprehend how Shress could possibly see him, a spartan, as a sensitive person.
Shress laughs lightly at Six's reaction while she pulls him closer to her. She licks his cheek once more before speaking.
"Yes," She says with certainty, "Sensitive."
Six feels his mouth slightly opening before closing it as he asks, "So, you see me as a soft person who cries a lot and not the tough warfighter most people assume I am?"
Shress laughs as she responds, "That's not what I meant, when I said you're sensitive. I meant you know how I am feeling, almost as if you can sense it, and you make me feel better by telling me what I need to hear."
Six isn't sure if this image is better than the one he originally thought of, but he supposes in a way what Shress said is true. When you live among mostly stoic people your entire life, you learn to read their emotions even when they attempt to hide them.
He is brought out of his thinking as Shress once again runs her talons down Six's body, "And you?" She questions, "What do you find…alluring about me?"
Six has been wondering the same thing for months now, but he is sure he has come up with a decent answer.
"Well you have a fiery spirit for one," He counts off, "You are surprisingly caring when you choose to be, you are full of surprises and obviously zealous." Finally he cracks a smile as he leans against her head. "You also have a very attractive curve in your neck." With that he ends by kissing her on the side of her throat.
Shress shifts her weight a little and looks down, probably embarrassed. Six only laughs and kisses the side of her face before resting his head against hers. She leans back into him as well and sighs in what he hopes to be contentment.
Silence envelopes them once more, occasionally broken by the soft movement they made when they stroke the other's form.
"What's life like as a spartan?" Shress finally asks.
Six thinks for a moment, "Like nothing else." He finally says, "I guess you might understand some of it, trained from childhood to fight, willingly laying down our lives for humanity, and rarely honored."
"Rarely?" Shress asks looking at him, "After everything I have heard about you demons," She cringes a bit, before correcting herself. "I mean spartans, I can't believe your people wouldn't honor you."
Six sighs a bit, "Actually it's the Spartan IIs that receives all of the glory, most people don't even know us Spartan IIIs exist."
"Spartan IIs and IIIs?" asks a still perplexed Shress, "What's the difference between them; I didn't even know there are different breeds of spartans. And if there are IIs and IIIs, what happen to the first ones?"
Six chuckles, breeds he muses to himself, That's a good way of explaining our differences.
"Well, you see, spartans are originally from a place called Sparta, an ancient region on Earth." Six explains, "The Spartans were considered the best warriors of the ancient era, and even though they are over a thousand years old and some considered them barbaric, they are still held in awe to this day. They were trained from a young age like us and were trained to act as one, to work successfully side by side with each other. However, what ensured that the Spartans would become legends was the battle of Thermopylae"
"The battle of what?" Shress asks once more, seeming to become more agitated with the lack of information and the increasing number of questions.
Six patiently clarifies, "Thermopylae, it's a pass into Greece, where Sparta resides. One day a mighty army of invaders threatened their land, but with much of their country in disarray, they weren't ready for war just yet. However, that didn't stop the Spartans. With only a force of three hundred, their king, king Leonidas-"
"What's a king?"
Six feigns a sigh of irritation, "A king is a leader with a famous bloodline who inherited the position from an older relative." He looks at Shress, "May I continue now?"
Shress snarls a challenge but nods anyway. Six smiles at her as his hand slowly begins to massage the back of her neck, slowly relaxing her tense muscles. He waits until he hears her beginning to purr before picking up where he left off.
"King Leonidas, leader of the Spartans, led his company to the pass, the pass that many have come to know as 'The Hot Gates.' There they waited for their foe, the invaders, whose numbers were estimated to be up to a hundred thousand warriors-"
"A hundred thousand?" Shress exclaims, her eyes becoming wide once more, "And there were only three hundred Spartans? It must have been a massacre! How could that ensure that the Spartans would become legends?"
"Well if you let me finish then you would know," counters Six.
Shress growls once more and turns away from him. Alarmed by this, Six quits his antics and leans in close to her and kisses her neck.
Shress leans further away, "That's not going to work." She tells him.
Six grins as he asks, "Are you sure?" Before going in and kissing her neck once again.
Shress growls again, but it's weaker this time. Sensing her resolve steadily collapsing, Six continues to kiss her neck, steadily moving his lips upwards, closer to her mouth. She begins to fall back into his embrace as his lips neared hers. Finally he kisses her left cheek; in turn she looks back at Six and pulls her jaws together. Six happily presses his mouth against hers, feeling the wonderful emotion taking them both. They stay together as long as they could before needing to breathe again and breaking away. Shress smiles lovingly as she rests her head against Six's broad chest and gives a sigh.
Six is happy they made it through that small argument, if that is what it was, as he spends a moment gently running his hands up and down her back. Her hums start up again, announcing to Six that she is feeling happy once more.
She closes the distance between them as she licks his cheek and whispers into his ear, "I told you, you are sensitive."
Six briefly pauses, shocked as he realizes what she said is true, but soon the surprise melts away as he looks into her beautiful eyes and says, "I'm glad I'm able to make you feel better."
"As am I," She says as she nestles into his embrace once again. They are silent for a few moments before Shress speaks up, "You can continue if you want."
Six laughs again but says, "Alright, and I'll be more than happy to answer your question."
"Good." Is her only response as she lays her head on Six's arm once more and peers into his eyes.
Six smiles at her before continuing, "As I was saying, the invaders had a hundred thousand warriors, while there were only three hundred Spartan defenders, but that didn't stop them from performing their duty to protect their homes and families. They stood together as one, and they held off the invaders for two days."
"Really?" Questions a interested Shress, "How did they survive?"
"Well you see, despite people thinking they were barbarians, the Spartans were actually pretty smart." Six answers, "The Hot Gates is actually a narrow pass, so the invaders couldn't all rush in at once, they had to advance slowly and one at a time, making it easier and far more effective for the Spartans to, well, basically destroy them."
"Impressive," Shress comments, "Did they win the battle?"
Six sighs, "No, on the third day, a traitor showed the invaders a route that flanked the Spartans. having surrounded them, the invaders killed every last one of them, after that they proceeded into their homelands and left it ruins."
Shress's eyes become wide, "That's terrible! How did that make the first Spartans legends?"
Six gently smiles, "They became legends because of their valor and their willingness to march into the fray even if it will cost them their lives. They willingly fought to the bitter end, even though they knew it was all over and they were going to die, they fought to their last breath. Even in death they did their countrymen a great service, they became martyrs, and soon, the people of Greece fought in honor and remembrance of the heroes of Sparta until they drove the invaders away."
He looks at Shress as he finishes, "That's why the UNSC calls us Spartans, because we are willing to fight to the end if necessary and we are just as fierce when it comes to ground engagements."
Shress takes all this in before saying, "Sounds like you have a lot to live up to."
Six gives a small shrug, "It's not like I really have a choice, but it is challenging living up to people with that kind of reputation."
Shress nods, "It's similar in my case, especially since I'm the first and only female to ever join the ranks of a Zealot, some of the best warriors our society can produce, who fought in countless battles for centuries and uphold the sangheili honor," She sighs as she looks down, "And I've lost all rights to the title, a disgrace before the names of such mighty and noble warriors."
Six doubts some of the things the Zealots have done would be counted as noble but he doesn't voice his thoughts. Instead he positions himself until he is staring Shress in the eye as he asks, "Shress, what is it that Zealots are supposed to do?"
Shress gives him an odd look before saying, "We are charged with finding, protecting and restoring ancient Forerunner artifacts."
"Ok," Six says, "But aside from that, what else are the Zealots charged with doing?"
She still looks confused as she says, "We are also charged with protecting the weak and defending the helpless."
Six smiles at her, "Well there you go, you've learned that humanity is the one that needs help, we're not defenseless, but we are weak, and you'll probably be the first Zealot in a long time to truly live up to the reputation of the original Zealot warriors, and a female at that."
Shress looks to him once more before returning to his embrace, "Thank you," She mutters as her throat emits her usual gleeful purrs.
Six smiles and says, "You're welcome."
They lay within each other's embrace before Shress speaks once more, "You still haven't told me what the difference is between a Spartan II and a Spartan III."
Before Six can reply, he hears a growl and thinks that Shress is annoyed at him again for an unknown reason when he realizes it was his own stomach that had made the noise.
Shress laughs lightly as she says, "There are younglings on Sanghelios who could put that pathetic sound to shame."
Six huffs as he says, "You just wait, when I'm extremely hungry, then you will see how loud my growling can become."
She merely laughs at this before saying, "I suppose we should get up."
"Do we have to?" Six asks, "I'm willing to starve if it means spending more time here with you."
Shress shakes her head, appearing bashful once more, "Well I'm not, and besides, you're not the only one who is hungry."
Six finally admits defeat as he says, "Alright, let's see what we have."
He gives her one last smile before he swings his feet over the edge of the bed and sits up. Suddenly he hears a surprised gasp from Shress that sounds close to horror.
He looks over his shoulder at her and sees she has wide eyes and open mandibles as she gazes at him.
"What?" Six finally asks.
Shress doesn't reply, seeming to be shocked by something. Feeling concerned for her, he reaches for her hand, but she yanks it back as she scoots herself farther away from the spartan, which really starts to concern him.
Six twists his whole body around so he can look at Shress as he asks, "Shress, what's wrong?"
Finally Shress gulps, moves her mandibles a little before saying in a near whispery voice, "Your…your back…its-its…" She doesn't finish as she looks down, away from his gaze.
Confused by her words, Six reaches for his backside and feels alongside it. All he feels is the fabric of his shirt, the feeling of soft cloth passes beneath his fingertips. Suddenly he feels something out of place, smooth and warm, he instantly knows what it is; skin.
Slightly confused, and without really thinking, he takes his shirt off and inspects the back of it, and what he finds really baffles him. There are four perfectly made tears moving diagonally down his back, cut perfectly as if the work was done by a knife.
What could have possibly made… His thoughts slowly die as he turns to look at Shress. She is looking down at the bed not meeting his gaze while she slightly wrings her hands together… Hands with sharp talons.
Feeling momentarily alarmed, he reaches for his back once more and is relieved to find no skin breakage.
With that concern out of the way he looks up at Shress as he says, "Shress…was it…did you..." it isn't long before he is having trouble finding the right words to ask the question.
Shress refuses to look at him as she finally whispers in a hoarse voice, "I am so, so sorry Michael. I didn't mean to-I didn't even know-"
"Shress," He says as he sits back on the bed and tries to reach for her, "It's ok-"
She shakes her head, "No it's not!" She says loudly, "I could have hurt you-"
"And so could I," Six says as he edges himself back closer to her.
This causes Shress to shy away from him some more, "Please, just…stay away; I don't want to hurt you."
Six positions himself directly in front of Shress as he says, "You won't."
"But, I-I-," She didn't finish, with spartan speed and precision, Six leans in quickly and plants a kiss on her mandibles timing it perfectly when they come together briefly while she is talking.
Shress pulls away from him, "Michael, we shouldn't, I could-" Six does it again, but this time makes sure the kiss is much deeper.
Six has no idea what happens next, but suddenly he feels as if he is losing control of his body functions, like a dam has just burst and nothing is keeping its powerful force contained. He presses his body against Shress and gently pushes her back down onto the mattress while he lies on top of her. He sees her eyes widening at this action, but as soon as he gives her another kiss, her eyes start to lose focus and it isn't long before she closes them.
Six then takes Shress into his arms and holds her close while continuing to give her a kiss, delivering it with a passion he has never felt before. Shress returns it with equal enthusiasm, mashing her lips against his while they both try desperately to catch their breath with their mouths still connected to one another. It isn't long before Six begins to push Shress deeper and deeper into the folds of the bed as he continues kissing her, trying to taste as much of her as possible while feeling the warmth she is providing.
Soon Shress follows suit as she wraps her arms around the spartan, keeping him close to her. He feels her squeezing him against her while her talons slightly leaves scratch marks on his back, her previous restraint seeming to have disappeared. Six feels his hand running along her side, feeling her curves and caressing the sides of her cheeks. Shress, releases Michael of her embrace and her hands begin to travel up and down his chest, feeling the firm muscles as they went. Her talons leave faint scratch marks as they pass over his six pack as they work their way down; he feels them as they get closer to his lower region.
His mind becomes foggy, his eyes closing as she brushes her hand over where his manhood is under the admittedly thin workout shorts he is wearing. His heart begins beating loudly into his ears as the only thing he feels is pure bliss. Continuing her movement, Shress's chest vibrates under him, her purring having an effect over his mind as he presses himself closer into her embrace. His entire body feels as if it is on fire as she begins to rub up and down, pulling him farther into the bliss and pleasure of their embrace with each movement of her hand.
He wants, no, needs more. His hands begin to reach for the bottom of her roughly made kimono, grabbing it and pulling upwards. Her hand moves to the waistline of his pants and deftly plunging below them with a dexterity he did not know she had. As she makes contact with his manhood, her large yet gentle hand rubbing against it with no barriers between them, his own brushes past the inner thigh of her legs, tracing his fingers over the coiled muscles of her slowly spreading legs as he reaches his goal. His hand reaches her slit as he begins to run a finger against her entrance before sinking into her. The warmth he feels flows up from both her touch and his hand, spreading across his entire body as he nearly vibrates with a pleasure he never even knew existed before now. The actions from the two of them force them to moan in unison as they open their eyes, staring at each other. Her gorgeous silver eyes looking into his as time seems to freeze around them.
She is the most beautiful woman in the galaxy. He thinks to himself as he looks into her slitted eyes, seeing her care, desire and… something else. Something he is sure she sees in his own eyes. I… I think I love-
Suddenly, Six has a mental flashback of Onyx; the training planet for the Spartan IIIs. He is sitting at his desk in the massive classroom as a twelve year old. He, and all of the rest of Beta Company, feel themselves becoming deeply embarrassed as their AI instructor, Deep Winter, explains to them about the body functions and how it is that the human bodies reproduce.
"I can tell I have your attention." The artificial voice said as it echoes into Six's mind, "I am trying to tell you what you will go through in life and to stress that you must not give in to your human…protocols. To perform such activities with someone after the full completion of the augmentation process can lead to disastrous outcomes; both for you and whoever it is that you are with."
Six has no idea where that memory came from, but it brought him back to reality as it breaks whatever spell he was under.
Suddenly realizing what is happening or what is about to happen, Six literally jumps out of bed and lands three feet away from it; panting as sweat starts to pour down his body, both from their recent encounter and from the chilling memory. Shress lies in bed for a few seconds, breathing heavily as well as if she is shell shocked before rising to a sitting position, and looks to Six with confusion in her eyes.
Six is still breathing hard as he finally begins to speak, "Shress, I…I am so sorry, but we can't, I can't…do anything, I-I could harm you." He looks at her in the eyes, "Far worse than you could ever harm me."
Shress's breathing returns to normal, but Six is still close to hyperventilating as he stands there, looking away from Shress, unsure if she'll be mad or upset with him suddenly pulling away from her.
He hears the bed creak slightly, causing him to look up just in time before Shress wraps him in a hug. This isn't really helping him with avoiding what they almost did, but moments pass into minutes as she continues to hold him. Finally he returns the embrace, resting his head against her shoulder before shifting it into the hollow of her neck.
With him close to her once again, Shress lowers her head and says, "It's alright Michael." She says as she licks his face and continues to hold him close, "I understand."
Six has no idea why, but hearing her voice empty of malice and full of compassion causes his throat to clog with unforeseen emotion. Feeling relieved that he didn't lose her due to his actions, he presses his body against hers once more as he simply whispers, "Thank you." Hoping she'll know what he means.
When he hears her beginning to hum reassuringly and senses her hand running through his hair, he knows she does.
*Shress POV *
Shress lies down on the furniture that Michael calls a "couch" and patiently waits for him to join her as he puts away the dishes they just used for their breakfast.
As she waits, she begins to wonder what happened that morning. She was happy to wake up with Michael so close to her, then kissing her, and then talking to her before finally returning to kissing her again. The thought of their activities together makes her want to laugh, days of painful anxiety yields with her becoming intertwined with the one she desires, Michael, her suitor, her first human suitor.
Her happiness slightly dims as she remembers what happened later on in the morning. The discovery of Michael's torn clothing did surprise him, but he wasn't scared, the one who was afraid was her.
Shress has grown to care for the human, sacrificing almost everything for him and yet she was the one who almost harmed him. She couldn't help but wonder what would happen if one day she'd wake up and find Michael's blood on her hands? Or what would happen if she finds that it's Michael's throat that is cut and not his clothing? The thoughts pained her so much that she tried to back away from Michael, she wanted to be with him, but if that meant putting his life in jeopardy, then that's too much.
And yet, despite all that, Michael didn't back away, far from it, he rushed to her side, repeating over and over one thing; she'd never hurt him.
He then went further by giving her a kiss unlike any other. This one was full of something, passion, and it took him as it had taken her. It felt great, being so close and the emotions she was feeling was intense if nothing else. However it clouded her mind and she forgot what it was that Michael had warned her about; he couldn't mate, and they had just attempted it without even knowing.
Then it was Michael's turn to look afraid. What it was that he was afraid of, she didn't know, was he afraid of almost mating with her, almost harming her, or was he afraid she would reject him?
It wounds her to think that he feels that way when she knows deep within her that no matter what, she would never reject him, as a friend or a suitor. She hopes she can show him her commitment, and that she will be able to provide him with the same comfort that he has been providing her.
She turns her head when she hears the soft footfalls belonging to her new pursuer and Michael steps into her field of vision.
They had found a new garment to cover Michael's upper body, a blue "long sleeve shirt," as Michael called it. The wear was the only thing they could find close to his size, it looked uncomfortable to Shress and Michael would occasionally itch himself every so often. Yet she can't help but feel herself growing warm every time she looks at him, the shirt may be small, but it revealed all the muscles within his upper body. She tries her best to keep her eyes locked on Michael's green ones and not look at his muscle mass.
He gazes at her, running his eyes up and down the furniture piece before asking, "Where am I going to sit?" With what she takes to be a fake hurt voice.
Shress smiles at him as she presses herself back a bit, leaving some room for Michael to lie down next to her.
The Spartan gives an exasperated sigh, but when she sees his smile, she knew he didn't mind. He lies next to Shress and wraps her in their familiar warm embrace. She returns the show of affection for him as well, encasing him within her own hug.
She sees his smile, but she feels his body is slightly rigid and she knew he wasn't fully enjoying the experience, probably too afraid he'll lose control again. She is curious about what he thinks will happen to her if they mate, but she respects his distance, which was a first. Some of her suitors wanted nothing more than to touch her, an action she hardly allows, and here as a twist of fate is the one male she is actually interested in and he's restraining himself from mating, a first among her suitors.
She sighs slightly as she moves nearer to him and licks his face. He smiles, but it stills remain stiff, it isn't forced but neither is he relaxed like she wanted. She isn't one who gives up easily though, so she tries again. She cuddles closer to him and licks both sides of his face, making sure that they are both long and full of love. Their eyes meet and she can tell he is slowly losing his stoic stance. Next she licks him again, but this time she runs her talons down his body, feeling him shiver as her hands trail all over his form. His breathing has picked up and she can see his eyes looking as if they are starting to glow. Finally she adds the final touch; she leans on top of him and kisses him fully on the lips.
That's when he finally lost the struggle within him. His hands loosen their grip and they begin to travel freely over her body as they kiss. She feels cold shivers erupt all over her as his hands rub her arms, her sides and legs. She returns the gestures as well, only she can feel his shivers as her talons make contact with his skin. This mixed with the kissing is enough to cause her throat to hum in pleasure.
However it ends when Michael pulls away from her. She sees the pain in his eyes as he sadly says, "Sorry."
Shress responds by pulling him back into a hug and begins nuzzling his neck, letting him know in her own way that it was alright. She feels his hand on the back of her head, sliding it up and down her back, a motion that feels wonderful.
Units start to pass, but to Shress they feel like cycles. She wants to do more than merely touch Michael, she would settle for kissing again, but she knew the spartan is still afraid, and so is she slightly. How could an innocent kiss almost lead to a mating? It was a first for Shress and clearly for Michael as well. The event felt great to Shress, but now with Michael so stiff and afraid, she is starting to wish that morning never happen.
Finally deciding she needs something to think about other than mating, she informs Michael, "You've yet to tell me about the difference between the Spartan IIs and IIIs."
Michael looks at Shress strangely, as if he has awoken from a dream before replying, "Didn't I already-" His voice dies as she sees understanding starting to dawn in his eyes, "Oh," he said before continuing, "Yeah, I guess we forgot about that." He finishes with a nervous smile.
Shress feels heat rushing through her as she nods a bit, feeling equally embarrassed.
Michael coughs as he begins lecturing once more, "Well you see, like I said, the first spartans lived thousands of years ago and now, after so much time, a new generation of spartans are formed; the Spartan IIs."
He looks her in the eye as he recalls, "The IIs have been fighting since before the war with The Covenant began, battling rebels and the like. However after the war started, we began losing Spartans and our Admirals demanded that more are to be created, but Doctor Halsey, the creator of the Spartans, firmly said no."
"What's a-"
Before Shress could finish, Six quickly moves in and gives her a kiss. It annoys her that he cuts her off, but the sweet sensation of the kiss partially makes up for it.
"An Admiral is like the shipmaster of other shipmasters." Michael said in a vain attempt to get Shress to understand.
"A Fleetmaster." Shress translates.
Michael smiles at her before planting a kiss on her forehead, an action that she is growing to like as the Spartan continues, "Right. Doctor Halsey, as I said before, is the creator of the new Spartans. She planned out everything, or what she considers to be everything." He finishes, not noticing his voice changing.
Shress looks at her suitor in concern as she says, "You sound bitter."
Michael blinks before sighing, "Yeah, that's the reason why IIs and IIIs are different; because of Halsey." He looks at her to gage her reaction with what he is about to tell her. "You see, Spartan II's were given a different serum for the augmentation process, one that Halsey thought was perfect. And like I said, the Admirals demanded Halsey to make more Spartans, but she said no. She wanted people, or kids I guess, who were generally like the original Spartans, but the kind of children she wanted wasn't available. So she, without authorization, shut down the Spartan program."
Shress tilts her head slightly, "Then how was it you became a Spartan?"
Michael smiles fondly at her, "I'm getting there," he said, "We needed more Spartans, so without the doctors consent, the military restarted the Spartan program and attempted to copy the way Halsey made the II's; we even had the original instructors from the first program. However there were two things different about the program; the serum and us."
"The serum was different because this Doctor Halsey was no longer there, correct?" Shress asks.
"That's right," answers Michael.
She ponders for a while before she asks, "What was different about you and the other Spartans though?"
Michael sighs before responding, "You remember Jorge right?" Seeing her nod he continues. "He was not exactly the best example of the IIs, but you got a glimpse at one. Usually, they are all military, serious in work and when they are taking breaks, the most fun they seem to have is telling each other private jokes about one another. While the IIIs…" Here he smiles at her, "Well if you can imagine a lot of people like me then you will know what the difference between us Spartans would be."
Shress nods her understanding and gestures for him to go on.
"The other thing that separates us is the serum. It basically does the same thing the original did, makes us stronger, faster and more pain resistant. I don't really know what the full differences are, but I know one of them is that the original one, the one the IIs took, suppresses the hormones within them."
Shress stares at Michael, "Really?" She asks, "So they'll never want to mate?" She asks, the idea is very foreign to her.
The Spartan gives a shrug, "Well if they want to mate they can, but it'll be hard for them to feel anything."
Shress gives a tender smile, "I'm guessing the serum you took didn't suppress your hormones either did it?"
Michael's face becomes a light red as he says, "Pretty much, yeah."
Shress laughs quietly before asking, "Are those the only differences between the two Spartans?"
Michael frowns slightly in deep thought before saying, "Well, all the spartan IIIs are all orphans. We have all lost our families in one way or another."
Shress's eyes widen as another piece of Michael's history is revealed to her. Is it possible that the Covenant is the reason he does not know his past? She thinks, horrified. She takes in a shaky breath in, about to ask him the question.
The spartan says quickly, cutting off her train of thought, "And then there's Halsey herself. That woman is impossible. She is all kind and caring when the Spartans IIs are involved, some of them even sees her as a mother. But she sees us IIIs as nothing more than abominations because she wasn't the one who created us and we are so different from her 'perfect' super soldiers."
Shress appears puzzled as she says, "But I've seen your performance, you're no different than any other spartan I have seen in battle."
Michael did something strange, his eyeballs roll upwards, completing a circular motion before he says, "Tell that to Halsey. Unless she personally got a chance to experiment on me, I'm just a walking disaster waiting to happen."
She feels him shiver and she knew he was thinking about what happened that morning. She croons quietly before nuzzling his neck and licking his cheek. Once she is sure she has his attention she begins speaking.
"Michael, I care deeply for you and I know you would never willingly harm me, what happened, happened. Even I couldn't understand what it was that transpired." She looks him in the eye as she says, "Until you find me undesirable, I will always be here with you."
The Spartan stares at her curiously before gently placing his hand behind her head and moves forward as they kiss. Michael opens and closes his mouth, reaffirming the kiss which Shress finds amazing before they stop.
Michael leans against her head and kisses her cheek before saying, "I will never find you undesirable."
Shress feels her whole form starting to shake. Never has a suitor ever told her that. Many times she had suitors who wanted to see if Shress was "worthy" enough for the males, many of whom saw her as nothing more than a tool that will either gain them favor because of her family lineage or a way to ensure their line will last forever. Now here is a male who says he will never leave, even though they haven't mated yet and she is sure there are more beautiful women far better than her who can please Michael. This suitor, this human, this alien, wants her and only her.
Her whole form feels as if a blaze is slowly eating away at her insides while her spine is racked by chills. Never before has anyone had such an effect on her before.
She smiles widely before licking his cheek in return and settling within the spartan's embrace. She feels the human tightening his hold on her and bringing her close, allowing her to feel his warm puffs of air as he breathes down her back while his hands slowly start to rub her sides again. She hums happily at this feeling; it's the best she has ever felt before, to be loved and cared for, far better than the form of kindness she grew up on.
"I have never felt this way before." She finally says, "You're different from all the other males I've met."
Michael is silent for a moment before he asks, "What about your other suitors?"
She releases a tired sigh, "They were only interested in me either because they thought I could produce acceptable offspring for them, or as a way to join their family line with mine in order to gain favor with my father."
She suddenly becomes nervous after speaking. She has yet to tell Michael about her condition. She should, but whenever she tells one of the males she grows even slightly fond of they would leave her, and she most certainly didn't want this one to leave, not when she has nothing left.
In an attempt to hide her somber mood, she forces a laugh as she says, "When I think about it, you are probably the only male I have ever met who doesn't want to mate with me."
She hears Michael give a slight chuckle before asking in a rather concerned voice, "You're not offended I hope."
She shakes her head in return before licking his face again, "Not in the slightest."
He smiles at her before saying, "I will talk to a doctor about this, see if he can offer any… advice I suppose."
Again Shress shakes her head, "It doesn't really matter to me Michael." She lays her head on his chest, "I just want you here with me, the only person that has ever cared for me."
There's a moment of silence before Michael asks, "I'm the only one to have cared for you?"
Shress thinks for a moment before answering, "Well I had my family, but my father only loved me from a distance, I didn't even know he was my father before I joined the Covenant."
Michael oddly raises one of his eyebrows, "You didn't know who your father was?"
Shress sighs before speaking, "On Sanghelios, a child isn't told who their father is, so if the father holds an honorable rank then the child won't think they are better than anyone else."
"So you start out equally." Summarizes Michael.
Shress nods in response, "I didn't know my father was the Kaidon of my keep while I was growing up. I didn't even know I was directly related to him until I joined the Covenant's military. When my father saw me among the fighting men, he ordered me to go back home because I was a female and I did not belong there. I defied him, as I was there because the Prophet of Truth allowed me to be. When I did, he got angry and in his spasm of fury he accidently admitted I was his daughter."
"Wow." The Spartan said, "That must have been big news to you."
She bows her head, "Indeed."
"Well," Michael thinks for a minute before speaking again, "Did you know who your mother was?"
Shress nods, "Yes, my mother cared for me, she offered me comfort after I was finished being trained by the males of the keep. As a female I spent much time with her as she teaches me what I was to know as a house mistress, politics, housekeeping, how to get a male to mate with me-"
"Wait, what!?" Exclaims Michael, looking shocked with his eyes wide. Shress only laughs before shaking her head a bit.
"Well where else was I going to learn it?" She questions in a semi-innocent voice.
Michael shrugs, "I have no idea, I was lucky enough just to learn how it was that mating worked."
Shress laughs once more before continuing, "I enjoyed my time with my mother; it was probably the only good thing about my childhood aside from the few times I was able to play with the other children." Slowly she grows silent, remembering now because of her actions, she will probably never see her mother or her homeland again.
Michael is silent before he asks, "Shress, how many suitors did you have before me?"
Shress looks at the Spartan curiously, "Why do you ask?"
He shrugs as he usually does before saying, "Just curious is all."
Shress thinks for a moment, remembering all the males she has met before saying, "Before you? About fifty two."
Michael's jaws drops open and he appears to be staring at her in wonder, "Fifty two?!" He asks in a dubious voice.
She lets out a held breath as she says, "I know. Sometimes it is hard being the only female onboard a ship filled with males. It would have been more, but not a lot of males would like to have a warrior as a bondmate."
Michael still appears to be surprised before he finally closes his mouth and says, "So out of all those guys, I'm the only one that struck your fancy?"
Shress tilts her head to the side until Michael rephrases the statement, "I'm the only one that caught your interest?"
She smiles and says, "Yes."
Michael smiles back as he says, "Well then I'm honored."
She continues smiling as she lies on Michael's chest while his hands continue to run over her body. The setting is so peaceful and comfortable that Shress feels her eyes growing heavy, feeling as if she is tired once more. She starts to close her eyes, her last image is of Michael before her eyes shut and she is shrouded in darkness.
———UA———
Shress growls as yet again she pulls herself off of the floor, drowsily rubbing her eyes with a free hand. She looks over to see Michael, hands grasping the side of the couch pulling himself into a sitting position, seeing him in a similar state of drowsiness.
"Perhaps we should go back to the bed." She says, getting up from her position on the floor
Michael chuckles as he stands up, hand rubbing his neck. "Yeah, to be honest, I don't even remember falling asleep." He admits in a tired voice.
Shress gets up and offers a hand, smiling at the male before her. Never in her life has she felt so relaxed in another's presence that she has fallen asleep so easily, usually emotionally on guard for some form of trickery.
Hand in hand, they both make their way to the officers quarters, her throat thrumming and Michaels happy sighs filling the space, before the door closes behind them.
\/\/\/AUTHORS NOTE\/\/\/
And so begins the first major change of the fanfic, they are still on the prowler. Makes sense considering they spent a day going in the wrong direction.
Also: six has officially become the first spartan to make it to third base! Yay!
PS: Jtf0012 here stay safe and dont forget to leave a review to tell me and my editing group how we did.
