notes: based on the Halo Wars 2: War of Wits commercials. this is not shippy, i just like them as begrudging friends


"Are we there yet?" came Atriox's impatient voice from the airplane seat beside the former Captain of the Spirit of Fire.

Cutter was enjoying a delicious meat soup, finding the nine hour flight relaxing opposed to his partner. "It's been three minutes since you last asked that," he said, sipping soup from his spoon, "so, no, we're not there yet."

"Then how long is it until we land?" demand the Brute.

Cutter feigned checking the non-existent watch on his wrist, "Eight hours and 43 minutes."

"BAH!" Atriox bellowed. "Your human transportation units are so much slower and ineffective compared to the Banished! Had we taken a Phantom we would have arrived at our destination by now!"

Cutter enjoyed his food so much more than his company at the moment. "Your transportation units, especially the Phantoms, smell like the horrible combination of cat urine and rotten eggs," Cutter argued, "and I thought we'd agreed that it was my turn to choose where to go on this vacation, and the one who picks the vacation, picks the means of transportation," Cutter finished, chewing on bits of carrots that had somehow found their way into his mouth while he had spoken.

His time spent with Atriox had done nothing good for proper food etiquettes. Taking another dip with the spoon in the soup, Cutter added, "After that slaughter I followed you on, I need something nice and relaxing."

The large brute turned to his partner with a distraught expression. "That was nothing near slaughter! That was a puny interpretation of it! Having only one type of weapon that shoots harmless lasers and with vests that sit too tight!"

Atriox turned away with a grumble but turned immediately back with a pointed finger, "And I remember very well that you enjoyed it! You kept shooting me and no one else for an entire round!"

Cutter clogged his mouth with all the soup's ingredients, "That is a gross misconception of what happened."

Atriox glared at him, "It is not!"

The big brute crossed his arms and turned away from the human Captain to glare at the back of the airplane seat in front of him, imagining his fiery gaze melting it down.

"And that vacation was actually enjoyable unlike how this one will be," Atriox added with a grunt.

Cutter sighed, swallowed the last of the soup, before leaning forward in his seat to catch his former archenemy's eyes. "You can be how sour and grumpy you want, alright, but I am going to enjoy this vacation," he paused to take a breath, "but I would rather have you with me on this than against me." He waited for a reaction of any kind, but leaned back in his seat when he got none. He added in a not-quite mumble, "There are other things to do than going to the beach."

Atriox grunted indignantly. He cast a drastic glare at the human captain, one that might as well have lasted for an eternity. Finally, he let out a reluctant snort.

"Fine. But I want cotton candy."

Cutter suppressed rubbing his temples. Atriox fixed his glare on him only more sourly.

"Fine," Cutter said, debating life choices. "You can have cotton candy."

The brute made light sounds of disapproval that reminded Cutter of the human tsk tsks.

"Not just cotton candy. I want all the cotton candy."

Cutter stared up at the airplane's ceiling, breathing in and out slowly. "Fine. You can have all the cotton candy you want." He wondered if he would actually get to enjoy the beaches as much as he'd imagined.

Atriox huffed resentfully but turned away from Cutter with a victorious smirk on his face.

"Just don't come to me if you get diabetes," Cutter muttered as he ordered and received a ham sandwich from the passing flight attendant.

He was about to take a bite of it when Atriox interjected once again.

"And waffles."

Cutter turned slowly and faced his partner with a deadpan look. "What?"

Atriox countered Cutter's deadpan look with one of his own. "I want waffles as well. All the waffles."

Cutter turned back to stare forward, closing his eyes in exasperation, "Jesus Christ."

But Cutter was determined. He was going to enjoy this vacation and he would allow nothing like the former Banished leader sending himself to the hospital with skyrocketing blood sugar to ruin it for him.

"Waffles with syrup. Freshly made. Not store-bought!"

Still, the former Captain of the Spirit of Fire had never questioned the paths in which his life had taken as much as this one.

While Atriox kept rambling, Cutter saw his chance to slip away and eat his sandwich on the toilet, for however long he could get away with it to both his partner and the flight attendant.