Dreaming the Inevitable

"Knock, knock," Aro shoved open the door to one of the shooting ranges in place of actual knocking. It was early but the room was empty, the halls were empty so he was as loud as he pleased.

Asura, alone and with a Vestian Dynasty trained at a far away Cabal target, nearly leapt out the skin he didn't have. "Aro!" He put his free hand to his chest. "Damn it, I'm holding a gun! Why would you sneak up on me like that?!"

"I opened a door, Asura. Settle down." Aro closed said door and dropped with a groan into one of the chairs next to it. Asura's eyes followed him, holding that usual irritating glint of amusement. "What?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you look sleep deprived?"

"No. Never," was all Aro responded. Asura hummed and turned back to the Cabal silhouette, letting off two shots dead center on the forehead. "Bit early for all this, isn't it?"

"Room's soundproof."

"I mean, you. You're up early."

His friend shrugged. "Didn't feel like sleeping so I figured I'd go shoot something. Tire myself out." He let the sidearm's empty clip fall and clatter onto the table, immediately loading in another. "Besides, if I'm up early, what does that make you?"

"Sleep-deprived."

Asura snorted. Aro allowed himself a small smile. Then he asked, "How have you been feeling?"

Asura already had the sights aimed down and his finger was frozen on the trigger. He sighed and let his arms fall. Nearly every day for the last year has he had to hear that question and all its variations. It was well-meaning but it was all a polite, roundabout way of asking a very different question. Asura started seeing past it long ago and if he was alone with the asker, he would just answer directly. "Wrath's been quiet. Very quiet, since we left the Vault. He would surface now and again but other than that, he hasn't said a word or done anything overt."

Aro nodded. "Good. There were times I worried. Like that last match in the Crucible…"

"Hey! Not every time that I do something impressive means Wrath has taken over."

Aro's lips quirked again. "Is that why we still lost?"

"That's what we get for allying with randoms. Not our fault the other half our six man team didn't know how to capture zones." He unleashed a rapid barrage of shots. None fell below the target's neck. "Shaxx says 'Control', these people hear 'Clash'. Shaxx says 'capture and defend', these fools try to outshoot a Golden Gun while the enemy has a power play!"

"Yeah, Katrina really kicked us around, didn't she?"

"Do you know how many drinks I had to buy her?!"

"Well, maybe you won't talk such a big game next time." Aro leaned back against the wall, stretching his legs out and realizing he was still in his armor. Before the restrictions, he would barely notice when he was still wearing them. But that was only when he was out in the field for days or weeks at a time. He had figured it would take some getting used to again. Silently, Kain asked if he wanted them removed. Aro just shook his head no.

Asura, armorless, noticed the movement. "Hey, you got Hawkmoon on you, right? You mind if…"

Aro simply shrugged and unholstered the weapon, tossing it over. Asura caught it by the muzzle and then flipped it, holding the silver up to the light. "I know I say it a lot but this is a beautiful gun." He called up another target, Hive this time, and took aim. "What mods have you made to it?"

"None. Works fine." Aro pulled in his legs and stood, desiring a closer view.

"Yeah, but it could always work better, couldn't it?" He fired off two shots, dead center on the torso. "They made this thing with an exotic shard. The things it could do."

"I'll take it up with Cayde then."

"See that you do." He fired off seven more shots, all in quick succession aimed at the head. "A gun like this shouldn't go to waste." He handed the half-empty hand cannon back to Aro and called the target forward. Seven shots fired, two to make up eyes, four for a mouth and one tiny bullet sized button nose, earning Aro's good-natured look of scorn.

"I'm starting to think you want this gun for yourself, Asura." Aro had his Ghost return the weapon to his vault after Asura handed it over and returned to his chair.

"I certainly wouldn't mind if you felt like donating." Asura propped himself up on the table facing him, staring off to the side. He turned back and then asked. "Have you been having...dreams since we left the Vault?"

"I've been having weird dreams since the night I was first revived. Be specific."

Asura shook his head. "Right, right, I mean…" he hesitated, struggling to put the words together. "I've had some dreams. About the Vault."

"That's to be expected given what you went through."

"But they always involve me and a certain weapon," he said, "That's what's strange."

It was strange. It also explained why he was constantly mooning over Aro's gun. "A hand cannon, I take it?"

"It is. It looks familiar but I've honestly never seen it before."

"You get used to that. Trust me."

"And it's the only thing that seems to bring Wrath out of his...hiding, I guess you could say."

Aro blinked. "Ah. That is...have you not spoken to Ikora? Or the Speaker?"

The Exo waved the suggestion off. "Look, they're already on the lookout for a reason they should just off me and be done with it"

"Come on, Asura. You know it's not true."

Asura's shoulders rose in a limp, defeated shrug. "I just...rather not give them one yet. That's all."

Aro leaned on the table next to him, propped up on elbows. He had said it quickly but still, Aro caught it. 'Yet'. As if it were inevitable. To him, Wrath(A)'s attempt at rebellion and in turn, Asura's permanent death was not a question of 'if' but 'when'. Aro would have preferred to talk more about it but nothing of comfort came to mind. So instead, he asked, "Have you spoken to Crona?"

"Not yet," Asura quietly replied, "You're our expert on weird dreams so I came to you first."

Aro begrudgingly admitted he was right but it was expertise due to experience, not any actual understanding. Aro straightened up. "So then what do you want to do?"

"I feel...that given time and help…" he turned his head to Aro, "I can actually create this gun."

This was the kind of thing you questioned. Push for an explanation for what sounded like ridiculousness. But if it kept Asura's thoughts off of what he believed to be the inevitable and even brought Wrath(A) into a speaking mood again, it would serve. So Aro asked. "What do you need?"

Asura sent the target back into its original spot. Shutting out the lights, the two walked out of the shooting range, slowly moving step in step down the long, dimly lit hall. "First, things first, I need an exotic shard."

"Xur is your best bet," Aro advised. "If not him then I'm sure Cayde can get you something. The methods probably won't be completely legal-"

"But as long as it's not traceable back to me or him, who cares?"

Aro stopped walking. "Have you done this before?"

"Oh, not at all." Asura kept going, not even attempting to make his lie at least sound convincing. The halls were filling as the sun rose further and further. Civilians and Guardians alike greeted the two by name and not a single one could pronounce Aro's correctly. "You think the mess hall will be open? I could eat." Asura was already changing his stride to take him to the elevators.

"I'll keep you company." Aro started to adjust his path to follow when Asura grabbed him by the arm and stopped him.

"No, I will go alone. You will find Daniel." He let go of his arm. "He wasn't all that happy with you running off like that. Your wolf of a boyfriend spent the day snapping at everyone because he would have to spend the night without his favorite stuffed animal to cuddle." Aro shoved him away, with enough force to nearly knock the cackling Exo off his feet. But he was right and Aro knew it. He just hadn't really expected anyone to care. Notice, sure but not really care.

Asura went on while walking off. "You two go kiss, make up, kiss harder, 'make up' harder…" His hands shot up in surrender when Aro began stalking towards him. "Just saying! That's how it usually happens."

Kain popped into view over Aro's shoulder after Asura had finally been run off. "Daniel did sound a bit upset. Said he tried to find you."

"I'm going, I'm going. Not sure why anyone would get upset." Traveler knows they could all use a break from seeing his face and dealing with all it entails. He certainly could. Mirrors had never been his friend anyway. "Track him down. I'm not about to start running up and down this damn Tower."

Kain's response was immediate. "His room. Still sleeping."

"You were already tracking him, weren't you?"

Kain disappeared. Aro started in the direction of the elevators. "Yep. You gonna wake him up?"

"Might as well."

"Sounds dangerous."

"Be brave, Ghost."

"Asking for a mauling."

Aro shrugged. "You heard Asura. A 'mauling' will probably happen anyway."

"I know what you're referring to."

"Do you?"

"And you're weird."

"No argument there."

"Please grow up."

"I will not."

Kain removed his armor when he stepped into the bedroom. Daniel was there as he said, large frame spread across the bed with his feet sticking over the edge, snoring away seemingly without a care in the world. Aro could watch him for hours. Has, in fact. Sleeping was never the most pleasurable activity for him. Sleeping meant nightmares, which meant exhaustion that only led to more sleeping and more nightmares. His Light could sustain him, sometimes for weeks at a time but that never seemed to last.

He kneeled before the bed, put an arm to the man's exposed shoulder. "Daniel?" The man grumbled and smacked his lips in response. "Come on, Danny. I'm trying to apologize."

There was stirring. Then the fluttering of eyes and finally, the predictable, "Don't call me Danny."

Aro grinned. "You let Maya call you Danny."

"You're not Maya." The comforter slipped down as he tried to sit up but Aro's hand pushed him back down. "Where were you? Kain wouldn't tell me."

"Mars. The Scablands," Aro answered, moving off his knees to a sitting position. "Had something to take care of."

"Why couldn't Kain just tell me that? I was worried." Daniel's tone felt biting but Aro just attributed it to his own projection. On the contrary, instead of anger or the usual grimness, Daniel's eyes were soft, nonjudgmental.

Aro shrugged. "Honestly didn't expect anyone to ask."

Dark brows furrowed. This time Daniel sat up and Aro let him. "Why would you think that?"

He didn't respond. It would just sound stupid to say out loud. A person's feelings always were, to them at least. Aro didn't answer and thankfully, Daniel didn't push. "I apologize for not telling you. And for worrying you," Aro said, "It won't happen again, I promise."

Daniel sighed. Then the corner of his mouth started to turn upwards. "You're lucky you're cute."

"I do my best." Aro rose to his feet, groaning quietly. "I just wanted to apologize. I'll let you get back to sleep."

"Hey." A hand took his, keeping him from leaving. Daniel's tired features were laced with concern. "You're tired."

Three for three, Aro mused. "I'm fine," he tried to say, aware of how utterly unconvincing he sounded. Daniel was already moving backwards on his bed. When he felt he had made enough space, he stared at Aro. Aro stared back. Daniel's eyebrows rose expectantly and Aro groaned, "Fine."

The Titan grinned, watching Aro as he removed his shirt and grinned wider when Aro almost tripped over himself trying to remove his pants. "Nobody better need me for anything today. Not leaving this bed till way past noon."

Daniel was wrapped around him the second he slipped under the covers. "Hope you don't mind the company. M'not going anywhere either." With his forehead pressed to the side of Aro's head and his face buried in his neck, Aro heard him sniff a few times. "You smell like sand."

"Thank you. It's all the sand."

"And Cabal oil."

"Ah." Aro shifted uncomfortably at the memory. It was a display of brutality he hadn't done intentionally, however necessary to defend himself. "Had a disagreement with a few Sand Eaters."

A deep chuckle. "About?"

He shrugged. "Which one of us should stop breathing first. 'You, stop first.' 'No, you stop first." That cutesy crap couples do when they're talking on the phone. Went on until I got bored and just started shooting. Liven things up a little."

"And did you liven things up?"

"The opposite, unfortunately."

The chuckle became a full-blown guffaw. "Now I'm really mad you didn't bring me along."

Aro shifted onto his back, wrapping his arm around Daniel's head and intertwining his fingers into dark hair, sighing with content. "You would just steal all my kills," he murmured, earning himself another small laugh.

Things were quiet for a while. Occasionally one of them would say something or do something that earned them a comment from the other but most of their time was spent listening to the world pass them by outside and each other's breathing. It was Daniel who broke their companionable silence. Aro could hear him open his mouth, take in a breath and then pause, as if he was about to say something he felt he would regret. After a point, he decided to just bite the bullet and said, "You should come by my house sometime."

Aro's fingers, still running through the mess of spiky black hair froze. Then the arm slowly dropped down to the bed. "They've been talking about you," he continued carefully, "They haven't seen you in a while. And what with Maya and-" He stopped when he took in the look in Aro's eyes, fixed on the ceiling and full of pain. "Hey. Aro." He put a gentle hand to his cheek and forced him to turn. "It'll fine."

He swallowed, trying to clear the lump in his throat, to no avail. Aro didn't trust himself around Daniel's family, that was the short of it. They had both seen the future of their world and the year in between then and now had done nothing to lighten the magnitude of what they witnessed. At some point in the future, Aro would kill Tarlowe. He would kill Christine. He will kill Daniel. Maya, a girl he's known since before she was even ten, back when Aro was barely a year into his second life, would only live on due to the sacrifice her older siblings made to buy her time to escape. Escape from him. She would be pushed into an unending life of exile and war; forced to live with the knowledge that this random man, a risen Guardian her brother had simply decided to invite into his home one day, would be its downfall.

He loved her. He did. She was the sister he never had before the brother he never knew he had. Even then, blood relation be damned. He'd choose her over Pride in a heartbeat.

He'd choose her over himself in half of one. Despite everything, that was a truth he needed to remember.

"Alright."

"Hmm?"

Aro locked eyes with him again. "I'll go."

Daniel rose up slightly. "If you're sure…"

"You'll be there?"

"Of course."

Aro nodded. "Good." His arm around Daniel's neck rose up to the base of his skull, brought him closer into a kiss. They parted and Aro let out a slow shuddering breath. "Good."

The rest of the morning passed them by. Then the day and the afternoon. It was dark again and the two men had barely moved except to eat, stretch or relieve themselves.

Daniel was asleep again. Aro was not. Kain did his best, reading him books, transcribing recorded lectures until Aro had to beg him to stop. The worst of it was that he was tired. He had not slept an entire night at the end of any day for the last month and his Light could only hold him for so long. There was one measure; he could just have Kain stop his brain. He'd die on the spot. An extreme measure, too extreme to do while Daniel was here. Aro wouldn't have him waking up wrapped around a corpse.

He'll talk to Ikora, he finally decided. He'll talk to her tomorrow and hope she could provide him a better solution. When the bottom line was killing himself just for a bit of rest, the only place left to go was up.