Chapter 19: Unfolding Situation

Six POV

Six lay awake in bed as he quietly observed Shress. She was sleeping, snuggled right next to him with her head resting atop one of his arms while his other gently held her midsection. Shress had her arms around him and pressed her body next to his as she continued to breathe deeply and evenly, something that Six learned was an indicator of sleep for all species.

He smiled as he lightly ran his hand down her and took her figure in. She looked similar to other Sangheili, but her leaner frame juxtaposed her rough figure. She was neither skinny nor bulky, she was just…fit. She was about the same height as the males of her race, somewhere a little over seven feet, yet she was able to fold her legs closer to herself so she could rest in bed with Six next to her. Her mandibles moved slightly in correspondence with her breathing; he could see into her mouth, but he did his best not to stare as he considered it to be rude. Soon, like always, his thoughts began to focus on nothing but Shress.

What was it that drew Six to her? How was it even possible that she felt the same way? He had been happy to have her close to him, as he had wanted for a long time now, and had even allowed his emotions for her to show. But these questions hadn't left him alone. Out of all the women that he had met, why an alien? He had never been with any women before, which made him nervous that he might offend Shress in some way or another, but it appeared she felt content, at least for the moment.

He remembered the night before when he had shared his first kiss with her. He wouldn't lie, despite their differences—it had been the best feeling he had ever experienced. He had been fighting in the war for a long time, always saying he was fighting for humanity as he had been trained to do. However, one of his biggest motivations had been to fight for his Spartan brothers and sisters. They were the only ones he had ever connected with, who he spent the majority of his time with; the only people that he knew loved him. Tough love, of course, a love that was never soft nor spoken, but was always present.

Now, however, he was offered the care and tenderness of Shress, a strong and capable warrior much like himself. He stared down at her and wondered about the kiss. He remembered feeling the warmth, the sweetness, and the strange flavor in his mouth that tasted undeniably alien. He wondered if he had performed the action correctly. Ever since the two of them had admitted their feelings for each other, he had been drawing upon memories of when he had accidentally stumbled upon two Marines having a moment together, or on some of the other times he had accidentally eavesdropped on other people due to his augmented hearing.

It had been in this way that he had heard some ODSTs talking about doing strange things when they whispered to one another about women. Some of the comments he had heard had sounded outright unsanitary and even disgusting to the Spartan, but who was he to judge considering he had never been in a relationship with anyone before? Hell, he had never even shared a kiss. He could only hope that he had been making Shress happy with what he had been doing, otherwise… he wondered what it would be like if he just licked her as was common among the Sangheili. He wondered what her skin would feel like on his tongue.

Suddenly, he felt movement and looked down at the woman in question. Shress stirred slightly before expanding her jaws to their full length, releasing a wide yawn - another habit that Sangheili seemed to share with humans. She blinked her eyes open until she was fully awake and looked at the Spartan.

Six had smiled as he stared into her silver eyes before saying, "Morning, sleepyhead."

Shress had tilted her head to the side as she always did when she was confused, an action that Six found amusing.

"Sleepyhead?" She had questioned.

Six brought her closer to him, "Someone who sleeps a lot."

Shress grumbled, "I only slept longer because I've never been this comfortable before."

Six still smiled as he gently placed a hand behind her head and drew her close. Sensing his intention, she leaned forward, united her mandibles, and allowed their mouths to connect. The same feeling of warmth and taste filled Six along with the hope that she felt the same sensations he did. As they pulled away and he saw her smile, he knew she had.

She released a soft sigh as she rested her head in the nook of Six's neck while he laid his head on top of hers, for once it was like he was a few centimeters taller than her. They lay still for a few more moments, both feeling quite pleased to be in each other's presence. It wasn't long before Shress raised one of her hands, and she soon began to run her talons down Six's chest. The Spartan shivered as he felt the sharpened nails leave light scratches on his skin through his shirt.

Six smiled some more as he watched her, he definitely enjoyed her presence more than that of anyone else in the Spartan community. He still missed and loved his second family, but that was it; they were like family. People he had sweated, laughed, and fought beside for years. He and Shress had only fought once together, yet that whole time on Reach seemed to have strengthened their unusual bond, not to mention their current situation; traveling through space alone with each other.

As he slowly began to think of Reach, a question drew his attention. He pondered a question in his head for a moment before leaning closer to Shress and asking, "Shress?"

"Yes?" She responded, slightly looking up at him. She could see he had her full attention, the way her eyes were locked onto his, her expression soft but seemingly focused.

"How did this happen?" He saw her curious look, so he elaborated, "How did…the two of us get together? I'm not complaining," He said quickly, "I just can't help but wonder…what drew you towards me?"

Her eyes twinkled in amusement as she quickly craned her long neck forward and licked him on the cheek. "I told you already, Michael. The gods fated us to meet."

He gave her a deadpan look as she continued to run her talons down his chest. "Is that why you fought off an entire covenant squadron? Because fate brought us together?"

Shress paused in her scratching as she pondered the question. She looked away, slightly moving her mandibles as if she was talking to herself before she finally looked back to Six and spoke.

"I don't really know, but you're the first male that seems to…respect me for my ways and care for my well-being."

"So I'm respectful." Summed up Six.

She smiled once more, "Yes, you're also kind, resourceful, and sensitive."

That last comment caught Six off guard. "Sensitive?!" He questioned in a shocked state, unable to comprehend how Shress could possibly see him, a spartan, as a sensitive person.

Shress laughed. She licked his cheek again. "Yes," She said with certainty, "Sensitive."

Six felt his mouth slightly opening before closing it as he asked, "So, you see me as a soft person who cried a lot and not the tough warfighter most people assume I am?"

"That's not what I meant when I said that you are 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 liked this description of a sensitive person much better and he could see why this might be the case. When you live among mostly stoic people your entire life, you learn to read their emotions even when they attempt to hide them.

He was brought out of his thinking when Shress explored Six's chest with her talons once more, "And you?" She questions, "What do you find…alluring about me?"

Six had been wondering the same thing for months now, and he was sure he had come up with a decent answer. "Well you have a fiery spirit for one," He counted off, "You are very caring when you choose to be. You are full of surprises… oh and you are obviously zealous." With that, he ends by kissing her on the side of her neck. "I'm also finding that you have a very adorable purr when you are happy."

Shress shifted her weight a little and looked down, embarrassed. Six chuckled and kissed the side of her face before resting his head against hers. She leaned back into him as well and let out a breath.

Silence enveloped them once more, occasionally broken by the noises that came from their soft movements when they stroked the other's form.

"What's life like as a spartan?" Shress finally asked.

Six thought for a moment, "Like nothing else." He finally said, "I guess you might understand some of it: trained from childhood to fight, willingly laying down our lives for humanity, rarely honored."

"Rarely honored?" Shress asked, looking at him with clear disbelief shown in her eyes. "After everything I have heard about you demons," She cringed a bit, before correcting herself. "I mean Spartans. I can't believe your people wouldn't honor you."

Six sighed, "Actually, it's the Spartan IIs that receive all of the glory. Most people don't even know Spartan IIIs exist."

"Spartan IIs and IIIs?" asked a still perplexed Shress, "What's the difference between them? I didn't even know there were different breeds of spartans. Also, if there are IIs and IIIs, what happened to the first ones?"

Six smiled. 'Breeds' he mused 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 explained, "The Spartans were considered the best warriors of the ancient era, and even though they are a few thousand years old and some consider 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 asked once more, seeming to become more agitated with the lack of information and the increasing number of questions.

Six patiently clarified, "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. But that didn't stop the Spartans. With only a force of three hundred, their king, King Leonidas–"

"What's a king?"

Six feigned a sigh of irritation, "A king is a leader with a famous bloodline who inherited the position from an older relative." He paused and looked at Shress, "May I continue now?"

Shress snarled a challenge but nodded anyway. Six smiled at her as his hand slowly began to massage the back of her neck, relaxing her tense muscles. He waited until he heard 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 exclaimed, her eyes wide, "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," countered Six.

Shress growled once more and turned away from him. Alarmed by this, Six quit his antics and leaned in close to her and kissed her neck.

Shress leaned further away. "That's not going to work," She teased him.

Six said, "Are you sure?" before going in and kissing her neck once again.

Shress playfully growled again, and Six continued to kiss her neck, steadily moving his lips upwards, closer to her mouth. She began to fall back into his embrace as his lips neared hers. Finally, he kissed her left cheek; in turn, she looked back at Six and pulled her jaws together. Six happily pressed his mouth against hers, feeling the wonderful emotion taking them both. They stayed together as long as they could before needing to breathe again and breaking away. Shress smiled lovingly as she rested her head against Six's broad chest and gave a sigh.

Six was happy they made it through that small argument, if that was what it was, as he spent a moment gently running his hands up and down her back. He heard her start to hum. She was happy again.

She closed the distance between them as she licked his cheek and whispered into his ear, "I told you. You are sensitive."

Six paused, annoyed as he realized what she said was true. His petty anger melted away as he looked into her silver eyes and said, "I'm glad I'm able to make you feel better."

"As am I," She said as she nestled into his embrace once again. They were silent for a few moments before Shress spoke up, "You can continue if you want."

Six laughed, "Alright, and I'll be more than happy to answer your question."

"Good." She said as she laid her head on Six's arm once and peered up at him.

Six smiled 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? How did they survive?"

"Well you see, despite people thinking they were barbarians, the Spartans were actually pretty smart." Six answered, "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. Did they win the battle?"

Six sighed, "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 in ruins."

Shress's jaws dropped, "That's terrible! How did that make the first Spartans legends?"

"They became legends because of their valor and their willingness to march into the fray even if it 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 looked at Shress as he finished, "That's why the UNSC calls us Spartans because we are willing to fight to the end."

"Sounds like you have a lot to live up to."

Six shrugged and stated, "It's not like I have a choice."

Shress nodded and said, "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 Sangheili honor," She sighed as her gaze wandered, "And I've lost all rights to the title—a disgrace before the names of such mighty and noble warriors."

Six doubted some of the things the Zealots had done would be counted as noble but he didn't voice his thoughts. Instead, he positioned himself until he was staring Shress in the eye as he asked, "Shress, what is it that Zealots are supposed to do?"

Shress gave him an odd look before saying, "We are charged with finding, protecting, and restoring ancient Forerunner artifacts."

"Okay, but aside from that. What else are the Zealots charged with doing?"

She still looked confused, "We are also charged with protecting the weak and defending the helpless."

"Well, there you go. You've learned that humanity is the one that needs help. We are 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."

Shress embraced him and muttered, "Thank you,"

"You're welcome."

They lay within each other's embrace before Shress spoke, "You still haven't told me what the difference is between a Spartan II and a Spartan III."

Before Six could reply, he heard a snarl and thought that Shress was annoyed at him again for an unknown reason when he realized it was his own stomach growling.

"There are younglings on Sanghelios who could put that pathetic sound to shame."

Six turned his head, "You just wait. When I'm extremely hungry, you will see how loud my growling can become."

She laughed, "I suppose we should get up."

"Do we have to? I'm willing to starve if it means spending more time here with you."

Shress shook her head, appearing bashful once more, "Well I'm not. You are not the only one who is hungry."

Six finally admitted defeat as he said, "Alright, let's see what we have."

He gave her one last smile before he swung his feet over the edge of the bed and sat up. Suddenly he heard a surprised gasp from Shress that sounded close to horror. He looked over his shoulder at her. She looked mortified.

"What?"

Shress didn't reply. Feeling concerned for her, he reached for her hand, but she yanked it back as she scooted herself farther away from the spartan.

Six twisted his whole body around so he could look at Shress as he asked, "Shress, what's wrong?"

Finally, Shress gulped, moving her mandibles a little before saying in a near whispery voice, "Your…your back…it's–it's…" She didn't finish as she averted his gaze.

Confused, Six reached for his backside and felt alongside it. All he felt was the fabric of his shirt, the feeling of soft cloth passing beneath his fingertips. Suddenly he felt something out of place, smooth and warm, he instantly knew what it was: skin.

Without thinking, he took off his shirt and inspected the back of it, and what he found r baffled him. There were 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 died as he turned to look at Shress. She was looking down at the bed while she slightly wrung her hands together.

Her hands with sharp talons.

Feeling momentarily alarmed, he reached for his back once more and was 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 wasn't long before he was having trouble finding the right words to ask the question.

Shress refused to look at him as she finally whispered in a hoarse voice, "I am so, so sorry Michael. I didn't mean to–I didn't even know–"

"Shress, It's ok–"

"No it's not! I could have hurt you–"

"And so could I," Six said as he edged himself closer to her.

"Please, just stay away. I don't want to hurt you."

Six positioned himself directly in front of Shress as he said, "You won't."

"But, I-," She didn't finish. With spartan speed and precision, Six leaned in quickly and planted a kiss on her mandibles timing it perfectly mid-sentence.

Shress pulled away from him and tried to speak, "Michael, we shouldn't. I could-"

Six did it again, but this time made sure the kiss was much deeper.

Six had no idea what happened next, but suddenly he felt as if he was losing control of his body functions, like a dam had just burst and nothing was keeping its powerful force contained. He pressed his body against Shress and gently pushed her back down onto the mattress while he lay on top of her. He saw her eyes flutter at this action, but as soon as he gave her another kiss, her eyes started to lose focus and it wasn't long before she closed them.

Six then took Shress into his arms and held her close while continuing to kiss her with a passion he had never felt before. Shress returned it with equal enthusiasm, mashing her mandibles against his lips while they both tried desperately to catch their breath with their mouths still connected to one another. It wasn't long before Six began to push Shress deeper and deeper into the folds of the bed as he continued kissing her, trying to taste as much of her as possible.

Shress followed suit as she wrapped her arms around the spartan, keeping him close to her. He felt her squeezing his body against hers, while her talons slightly left scratch marks on his back - her previous restraint seeming to have disappeared. Six felt his hand running along her side, feeling her curves and caressing the sides of her cheeks. Shress released Michael of her embrace and her hands began to travel up and down his chest, feeling the firm muscles as they went. Her talons left faint scratch marks as they passed over his six-pack working their way down; he felt them as they got closer to his lower region.

His mind became foggy, his eyes closed as she brushed her hand over his workout shorts. A single talon started to pull them down. Suddenly, Six has a mental flashback of Onyx; the training planet for the Spartan IIIs. He was 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 was that the human bodies reproduce.

"I can tell I have your attention." The artificial voice said as it echoed 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 had no idea where that memory came from, but it brought him back to reality as it broke whatever spell he was under.

Realizing what was happening or what was about to happen, Six jumped out of bed and landed three feet away from it, panting as sweat started to pour down his body. Shress lay in bed for a few seconds, breathing heavily as well before rising to a sitting position, and looked to Six with confusion in her eyes.

Six was still breathing hard as he finally began to speak, "Shress, I…I am so sorry, but we can't. I can't. I could harm you." He looked her in the eyes, "Far worse than you could ever harm me."

Shress's breathing returned to normal, but Six was still close to hyperventilating as he pulled away from her. He heard the bed creak slightly, raising his head just in time before Shress wrapped him in a hug. This wasn't helping him avoid what they almost did, but seconds passed into minutes as she continued to hold him. Finally, he returned 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 licked his face and continued to hold him close, "I understand."

Six's throat started to clog with unforeseen emotion, feeling relieved that he didn't potentially hurt someone he cared for; he pressed his body against hers and whispered, "Thank you."

Then he heard her beginning to hum reassuringly, her hand sifting through his hair.

–UA–

Shress POV

Shress lay down on the furniture that Michael called a "couch" and patiently waited for him to join her as he put away the dishes they had just used for breakfast.

As she waited, she began 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 made her want to laugh, and days of painful anxiety yielded with her becoming intertwined with the one she desired, Michael, her suitor, her first human suitor.

Her happiness diminished as she remembered what happened later on in the morning. The discovery of Michael's torn clothing did surprise him, but he wasn't scared—she was afraid.

Shress had 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 found that she seriously wounded or even killed him? 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.

Yet, Michael didn't back away. Far from it. He rushed to her side, repeating over and over one thing; she would 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 were intense if nothing else. However, it clouded her mind and she forgot what Michael had warned her about: he couldn't mate.

Then it was Michael's turn to look afraid. What was it 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 wounded her to think that he felt that way when she knew deep within her that no matter what, she would never reject him, as a friend or a suitor. She hoped she could show him her commitment, and that she would be able to provide him with the same comfort.

She turned her head when she heard the soft footfalls belonging to her new pursuer and Michael stepped 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 couldn't help but feel herself growing warm every time she looked at him. The shirt may be small, but it revealed all the muscles within his upper body. She tried her best to keep her eyes locked on Michael's green ones and not look at his body.

He looked at her and then at the furniture piece.

"Where am I going to sit?" With what she takes to be a fake hurt voice.

Shress smiled at him as she pressed herself back a bit, leaving some room for Michael to lie down next to her.

The Spartan gave an exasperated sigh, but when she saw his smile, she knew he didn't mind. He lay next to Shress and wrapped her in their familiar warm embrace. She returned the show of affection for him as well, encasing him within her own hug.

She saw his smile but felt that his body was rigid; she knew he was not enjoying the experience—probably too afraid he'd lose control again. She was curious about what he thought would happen to her if they mated. She respected his distance, which was a first. Some of her suitors wanted nothing more than to touch her, an action she hardly allowed. This was a strange twist of fate. Micheal was the one male she truly wanted.

She sighed slightly as she moved nearer to him and licked his face. He smiled in return but still remained stiff. She wasn't one to give up easily though, so she tried again. She cuddled closer to him and licked both sides of his face, making sure that they were both long and full of love. Their eyes met and she could tell he was slowly losing his stoic stance. She licked him again, running her talons down his body, feeling him shiver as her hands trailed all over his form. His breathing picked up, and she could see his eyes looking as if they were starting to glow. Finally, she added the final touch; she leaned on top of him and kissed him on the lips.

That's when he finally lost the struggle within him. His hands began to travel freely over her body as they kissed. She felt cold shivers erupt all over her as he rubbed her arms, her sides and legs. She returned the gestures as well, her throat humming with pleasure.

Michael abruptly pulled away from her. She saw the pain in his eyes as he muttered, "Sorry."

Shress responded by pulling him back into a hug, nuzzling his neck, and letting him know in her own way that it was alright. She felt his hand on the back of her head, sliding it up and down her back, a motion that felt wonderful.

Units started to pass, which felt like cycles to Shress. She wanted to do more than touch Michael, she would settle for kissing again, but she knew the spartan was still afraid. How could an innocent kiss almost lead to a mating? It was a first for Shress and clearly for Michael as well.

Deciding she needed something to think about other than mating, she informed Michael, "You've yet to tell me about the difference between the Spartan IIs and IIIs."

Michael looked at Shress as if he had awoken from a dream.

"Didn't I already–" His voice died as she saw understanding starting to dawn in his eyes, "Oh," he said before continuing, "Yeah, I guess we forgot about that."

Shress felt heat rushing through her as she nodded a bit, feeling equally embarrassed.

Michael coughed as he began lecturing once more, "Like I said, the first spartans lived thousands of years ago and, after so much time, a new generation of spartans were formed: the Spartan IIs."

He looked her in the eye as he recalled, "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 were to be created, but Doctor Halsey, the creator of the Spartans, firmly said no."

"What's a–"

Before Shress could finish, Six quickly moved in and gave her a kiss. It annoyed her that he cut her off, but the sweet sensation of the kiss made 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 translated.

Michael smiled and continued, "Right. Doctor Halsey, as I said before, was the creator of the new Spartans. She planned out everything, or what she considered to be everything."

"You sound bitter."

"That's the reason why IIs and IIIs are different. It was Dr. Halsey. 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 genetically like the original Spartans, but the kind of children she wanted weren't available. So she, without authorization, shut down the Spartan program."

Shress tilted her head.

"Then how was it you became a Spartan?"

Michael smiled fondly at her. "I'm getting there," he said. "We needed more Spartans, so without the doctor's consent, the military restarted the Spartan program and attempted to copy the way Halsey made the IIs. 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?"

"That's right,"

She pondered for a while then she asked, "What was different about you and the other Spartans, though?"

Michael sighed before responding, "You remember Jorge right?" Seeing her nod, he continued, "He was not exactly the best example of the IIs, but you got a glimpse at one. Usually, they are all military, serious about 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 smiled 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 nodded her understanding and gestured for him to go on.

"The other thing that separates us is the serum. It basically does the same thing the original did, making 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 stared 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 did it?"

Michael's face became a light red as he said, "I'm not sure. I guess not, but I don't know the full extent of what it did to me."

"Are those the only differences between the two Spartans?"

Michael frowned in deep thought before saying, "Well, all the spartan IIIs are orphans. We have all lost our families in one way or another."

Shress's eyes grew large. 'Is it possible that the Covenant was the reason he does not know his past?' She thought, horrified.

She took a shaky breath, ready to ask him the question.

The spartan said 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 see 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 appeared puzzled as she said, "But I've seen your performance. You are no different than any other spartan I have seen in battle."

Michael did something strange, his eyeballs rolled upwards, completing a circular motion before he said, "Tell that to Halsey. Unless she personally gets a chance to experiment on me, I'm just a walking disaster waiting to happen."

She felt his resentment. She crooned quietly before nuzzling his neck and licking his cheek. Once she was sure she had his attention she began speaking.

"Michael, I care deeply for you. Until you find me undesirable, I will always be here with you."

The Spartan stared at her curiously before gently placing his hand behind her head and moving forward as they kissed. Michael opened and closed his mouth, reaffirming the kiss which Shress found amazing before they stopped.

Michael leaned against her head and kissed her cheek.

"I will never find you undesirable."

Shress feels her whole form starting to shake. Never had 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 would either gain their favor because of her family lineage or a way to ensure their line would last forever. Now here was a male who said he would never leave, even though they had not mated yet. This suitor, this human, this alien, wanted her and only her.

Her whole form felt as if a blaze was slowly eating away at her insides while her spine was racked by chills. Never before had anyone had such an effect on her before.

She smiled widely before licking his cheek in return and settling within the spartan's embrace. She felt the human tightening his hold on her and bringing her close, allowing her to feel his warm puffs of air as he breathed down her back while his hands slowly started to rub her sides again. She hummed happily.

"I have never felt this way before." She finally said, "You're different from all the other males I've met."

Michael was silent for a moment before he asked, "What about your other suitors?"

She released 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 became nervous after speaking. She had yet to tell Michael about her condition. She should, but whenever she told one of the males she grew even slightly fond of they would leave her, and she most certainly didn't want this one to leave, not when she had nothing left.

In an attempt to hide her somber mood, she forced a laugh, "When I think about it, you are probably the only male I have ever met who didn't want to mate with me."

She heard Michael give a slight chuckle before asking in a rather concerned voice, "You're not offended I hope."

She shook her head in return before licking his face again, "Not in the slightest."

"I will talk to a doctor about this. See if they might be able to offer any… advice I suppose."

Again Shress shook her head, "It doesn't really matter to me, Michael." She lay her head on his chest, "I just want you here with me. The only person that has ever truly cared for me."

There was a moment of silence before Michael asked, "I'm the only one to have cared for you?"

"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 raised an eyebrow, "You didn't know who your father was?"

Shress sighed 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," Summarized Michael.

Shress nodded 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 accidentally admitted I was his daughter."

"Wow." The Spartan said, "That must have been big news to you."

"Indeed."

"Well, did you know who your mother was?"

"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 taught me what I was to know as a house mistress, politics, housekeeping, how to get a male to mate with me–"

"Wait, what!?" Exclaimed Michael, looking shocked with his eyes wide.

Shress laughed, shaking her head.

"Well, where else was I going to learn it?" She questioned in a semi-innocent voice.

"I have no idea. I was lucky enough just to learn how it worked."

Shress laughed 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 grew silent, remembering now because of her actions, she would 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 shrugged as he usually did before saying, "Just curious is all."

Shress thought for a moment, remembering all the males she had met before saying, "Before you? About fifty-two."

Michael's jaws dropped open and he appeared to be staring at her in wonder, "Fifty-two?!"

She let out a held breath as she said, "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 appeared to be surprised before he finally closed his mouth and said, "So out of all those guys, I'm the only one that struck your fancy?"

Shress tilted her head to the side.

Michael rephrased the statement, "I'm the only one that caught your interest?"

"Yes."

Michael smiled back as he said, "Well then I'm honored."

She continued smiling as she lay on Michael's chest while his hands continued to run over her body. The setting was so peaceful and comfortable that Shress felt her eyes growing heavy. She started to close her eyes, her last image was of Michael before her eyes shut and she was shrouded in darkness.

–UA–

Shress growled as yet again she pulled herself off of the floor, drowsily rubbing her eyes with a free hand. She looked 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 bed," She said, getting up from her position on the floor

Michael chuckled as he stood up, hand rubbing his neck. "Yeah, to be honest, I don't even remember falling asleep." He admitted in a tired voice.

Shress got up and offered a hand, smiling at the male before her. Never in her life had she felt so relaxed in another's presence that she had fallen asleep so easily, usually emotionally on guard for some form of trickery.

Hand in hand, they both made their way to the officers' quarters, her throat thrumming and Michael's happy breaths filling the space before the door closed behind them.

-Author's Note-

Hey, I hope you all continue to enjoy these edits :3 -WhateverRex

Hey! New editor here! Really looking forward to finally completing this story. I'll try to reply to any new comments from here on out, so say hi! - C-Dog346

Sorry for how long this is taking, trust me I am well aware at the sluggish pace. Life should be slower in the next few months for me at least, and I should be able to get caught up to where JTF was soon enough. Thanks for stickin with it y'all. -Pyre