Redacted

The Dawning

I know, it's late lol. Got caught up with work and Christmas. Who would have known that as you get older, it gets harder to find gifts for your family

When was the last time he seated here like this? With a drink in hand surrounded by those he called 'family', his friends? To Ianos, it felt like another lifetime, the ghosts of those he had lost years previously just a memory in his mind.

But here he was, seated with not only members of Fireteam Redacted but with also the clan Galaxy as well; even Matt, the Medic Guardian who hardly even finds time to eat, let alone 'drink', was seated at the table with them, chattering away with the youngest members of the Exo clan as he too held a beverage in his hands.

Taking a sip of the glass in front of him, Ianos then felt eyes on his person, prompting him to turn to his side and his orange gaze locked onto yellow; Hush was focused on the cup he held in his hand, a curious look in her gaze as the child Guardian followed it when he placed it back onto the table. The Awoken Warlock can tell that she wanted a taste, to sate her curiosity on the beverage that she had seen both Angel and Akiva drink often.

Usually, when Ianos had little choice but to bring Hush with him to 'parties' such as these, he would have simply given her water, or a flavored beverage in place of the drinks that the older Guardians would partake in. However, he saw the determined look in her gaze and Ianos knew, that somehow, she would get her hands on a glass tonight, whether or not he was aware. As such, after taking another sip of his beverage, the Awoken Warlock then lowered his cup to Hush's level, letting the edges of his lips twitch upward as her eyes lit up as she took the glass in her hands. Expecting the child Guardian to take sips of the beverage, Ianos' orange eyes widen when instead, he saw her tip her head back, downing half its contents before he can even blink.

Her reaction was instantaneous, her yellow eyes going wide as she started to gag and wretch, slamming the cup back down onto the table before she slid out of her seat, and then crawled under. Sitting there patiently as Hush continued to sputter, Ianos then let out a smirk as the child finally crawled out from underneath her hiding spot, and he saw a look of betrayal glance over her gaze, "Now do you understand why we keep telling you 'not yet'?"

Letting out a snicker as Hush gave him a pout, Ianos waited until she was back in her seat before standing up and walking away, returning moments later with another cup however, this one was filled with a blue substance, one that made the child Guardian's eyes brighten. Placing the beverage in front of her before resuming his seat, Ianos watched as Hush grabbed the contents and downed half of that too, only this time, she was able to keep it down.

"If it wasn't for the fact that you were trying to teach her a lesson, I would have thrown a fit," Ianos shifted his orange hues towards the familiar violet form of Crystalline, seeing the female Ghost shift her parts against her core, "although, I highly doubt you were willing to give her more than what was in that glass."

The edges of the Awoken's lips twitched, "I knew the look in her eyes, she was determined to get her hands on some, either from Akiva or someone in this room."

"And you would rather let it be you?" Giving Crystalline a nod, Ianos raised a brow when he heard the female Ghost release a chuckle, her shell shifting against each other as she laughed; the Warlock simply resumed to his own glass in his hands, taking subtle sips as he heard the chatter continue around him.

That is when a hand clamp down onto his shoulder, prompting the Awoken to turn and stare deep into golden hues, "Hey Ianos, want to join us?"

A frown formed onto Ianos' pale azure features, "For what?"

Seeing the human Titan grin before nodding his head towards the exit of the room, the older Guardian followed his gaze, only for his scowl to deepen as he saw several of the party members leave; he spotted Angel's form amongst the group, followed by some of the members of Galaxy, and he swore he even spotted Knight/Unit Eleven leave as well.

"Follow and find out."

Narrowing his orange eyes at Akiva as the Titan simply gave him another smile and followed the others out, Ianos collected what he saw in his head before he heard a soft but curious hum beside him. Turning so that his gaze fell upon Hush, the Awoken Warlock raised a brow when he spotted the child Guardian's eyes follow those who were exiting the room, a dash of interest easily visible in her gaze.

"Hush?" Ianos saw her attention snap towards him, "Do you want to see what is going on?"

Half expecting her to sign quickly to him in response to his question, Ianos simply let out a soft smile when instead he saw her eyes beam up at him, feeling her light flashing happily in his direction, "I will take that as a yes."

Sliding out of his seat, the Awoken then offered a hand to the child Guardian, waiting patiently until he felt her small fingers intertwine into his before easing Hush out of her seat. Then, he turned and followed some of the shuffling Soldiers of Light out, feeling the young Titan literately skip along his side in tandem.

Xxxxx

Familiar flakes of white settled onto his shoulders as the pair stepped out into the Plaza, Ianos mentally grateful that he had taken Crystalline's words and helped Hush dress in heavier clothing; after all, the female Ghost has yet to craft proper battle armor for the child Guardian, and the two of them doubt that the armor she was resurrected in would do any wonders against the cold. As such, the Awoken/Human child was dressed in what other Guardians would call civilian garb, adorned in thick cloths and a coat to keep Hush' small form warm.

Despite it's function, Ianos couldn't help but let tinges of amusement emanate from the back of his mind when the child Guardian 'waddled' through the snow, scrambling at every attempt to bend down to pick up the fallen flakes in order to regain balance.

"Ah, right," Ianos turned his attention towards Crystalline, hearing the female Ghost let out a hum before seeing her yellow optic tune in onto the Warlock, "Hold out your hand."

Scrunching his features together in bewilderment, the Awoken Guardian, at first, gave Crystalline a doubtful look before hesitantly complying, hearing Ace's quiet words of warning reverberate in his ears as light beamed from the female Ghost's optic. Watching as the familiar thread of light and binary code formed in his hand, Ianos then frowned when azure cloth materialized into view, watching as the edges draped over his palm and fell to his waist.

"Hush made it," Crystalline stated as Ianos lifted his opposite hand and held the gift out in front of him, "With Knight's help of course."

"Wait, Knight helped?" Ianos heard Ace question, sensing the bewilderment from his Ghost, "Knight knows how to knit?"

"You should have seen the look on his face when I told him it was more of a Titan thing," Crystalline snickered, "but he helped Hush nonetheless, helped her make a scarf for everyone."

Ianos lifted a brow at that, "Everyone?"

That is when he saw the female Ghost bob her core towards the others, "Just look."

Confused, Ianos followed her words, only to blink when he finally noticed what Crystalline had meant.

With their growing 'family' dressed in casual garb instead of their battle armor, Ianos can easily see the familiar long drapes of cloth around their necks as they ran around in the snow, tossing snowballs at each other or rolling smaller ones into ones that reached their waist.

Akiva has one made of brown and bronze thread, piling the scarf so that it wrapped around his shoulders, any loose ends missing: Angel, his white and the edges colored with silver and green, draped not only around his shoulders, but his head as well, leaving enough to pull some over his mouth and nose to keep them warm: black, gray, and red can be seen on Pluto's, the Exo having draped one end over his shoulder, as if to mimic the cloak he always worn during active duty; Knight and Unit Eleven wore one colored white, the scarf casually draped down the front, hiding his hands behind the ends; Ianos even spotted Echo sporting one – although reluctantly (Ianos wouldn't be surprised if Unit Eleven was the one to convinced him to wear it) - his colored with the same shade as his fellow Exo, although his was marked with black.

Fluttering his lids as if to refocus his vision, Ianos peered down at the scarf in his hands, tracing his fingers over the dark azure threads before glancing over the orange and black designs, and then finally, throwing it over his shoulders, wrapping it loosely around his neck before letting the ends fall over his chest and back. Preferably, he would have lifted the front of his cloth to cover the lower half of his face, but with his helmet intact and still in the familiar garbs of a Warlock, Ianos found little need for it – he still, after all, had to hide his deteriorated condition from the Vanguard.

This didn't stop him from tracing his fingers over the edges of the scarf, his orange eyes flashing one of familiarity before turning his attention towards the front of the Plaza, memory pulling at the back of his mind.

"I still find it highly amusing that it is required for all Titans to learn how to knit," He said as he pulled on the edges of the cloth around his neck, earning himself a sheepish smile from his companion, "does Everest know how to make a scarf?"

"Scarves, mittens, hats, you name it," Ianos couldn't help but smirk at red flushing around the human Titan's ears, "he's, uh, better at it than I am."

"Well, considering that I am five years your senior, I'd say that I have just a 'tad' bit more years of experience than you, Chang." The Warlock watched as the Titan jumped as Everest leaned over his shoulder, flashing the dark-haired man a smile as his dark azure eyes glinted mischievously, "Do I get one?"

"Of course!" Chang's brown eyes widen before fumbling with the wrapped cloth underneath his arms, "It's uh, it's right here."

Seeing Everest's eyes beam in thanks, Ianos silently watched as the Guardian undid the ribbon at the top, dropping the box as he freed the long piece of cloth coiled in the package.

"H'mmm, comfy," The human Titan commented as he wrapped the scarf around his shoulders, Ianos chuckling at the flushed face of Chang, "Now, my turn to give you a gift."

Chang startled, "I beg your pardon?"

Crossing his arms in front of his chest as Everest took one of Chang's hands in his, Ianos nodded his head once in satisfaction as the older Titan bent down on one knee, the younger Guardian's brown eyes widening as a question flowed from Everest's lips, "Chang, will you marry me?"

Easily seeing Everest slide a silver chain into the younger Titan's hands, Ianos smirked as nearby Guardians came to a pause, the glint in their eyes glimmering at the scene as Ace finally spoke, "Well, it was about time."

Feeling hands press against his chest, the Awoken Warlock jumped out of his memories and stared down, glancing into the grinning face of the child Guardian.

You like? She signed, her orange hues beaming as her gaze eagerly glanced back and forth from his visor and the scarf.

Absentmindedly rubbing the edges of the cloth between his fingertips, Ianos let out a small hum as he answered, "Yes, I like it."

The squeal of delight emanated from the child Guardian echoed through the Plaza before he felt her arms wrap around his waist, feeling her head bury into his chest as Ianos let out a short chuckle.

Placing a hand onto her shoulder as a way of further making his thanks known, the moment crashed when Ianos felt an impact slam into the side of his helmet, sending him reeling. Feeling Hush's hands leave his waist, Ianos regained composure enough to turn and give Akiva a glare, wiping the remnants of snow from his visor as the Titan let out a laugh.

"Think I'm not going to retaliate?" A smirk formed onto Ianos' features as the Titan suddenly stopped, a look of horror flashing in his golden hues before he turned and ran as the Warlock leaned down and scooped a handful of snow in his hands.

"Do not worry, it's just a harmless game of snowball," Ianos had sensed concern from the child Guardian, hearing Akiva let out a laughter of warning to all as he tossed and caught the ball of snow in his hands before leaning back and aiming, "well, not technically 'harmless'."

Then, after a moment of scanning, he tossed the snowball as hard as he could, nodding his head in satisfaction as it slammed into the back of Akiva's head, sending the Titan sprawling.