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The Eliksni warden wrapped his arms around his sleeping mate, adjusting the other’s position on his lap and allowing him to rest easier on his chest.Variks struggled to understand how the Guardian could sleep so easily. How he could allow himself to be so vulnerable. Yes, there were no real threats to be wary of at the current moment; they were in safe, private quarters. But even then Variks couldn’t help but think there was something foolish in allowing oneself to feel so at ease. Weren’t hunters the ones supposed to sleep with knives under their pillow?
His mate didn’t wear the thick armour of a Titan, and his hunter’s knife wasn’t currently on his person. He was completely vulnerable to any form of attack...
A small whirring sound caught the Eliksni’s attention.That’s right, the ghost would simply bring it’s Guardian back to life if anything were to happen. For as long as he had his ghost, the Guardian would have no fear of mortality.Variks watched the ghost. If it weren’t for the Awoken hunter bundled on his lap he would have gone over and toyed with the small machine for a while.
He’d heard his mate call it by an an unusual name, not that he could remember what that was. The warden found the concept of giving ghosts unique names a fruitless and odd concept anyway. At the end of the day they were still machines. It would be like naming Servitors, or Shanks.
There were many of humanity’s customs that he could not wrap his head around, after a while he found he had stopped questioning them to save himself the headache.
In the end, humans were oddly simple. To their core, they were highly emotional pack-animals with the ability to hold a gun. Maybe the Awoken were different somehow, maybe they were stronger-willed and wiser than their human counterparts. But they too had their flaws.
Would their species have thrived so much it wasn’t for the Traveller’s blessings? What would they be reduced to if they too were abandoned by the Great Machine? After all, the Red War was won by a miracle.
He thought back to the Red Legion and their Traveller Cage, and to his inability to warn the Last City of the impending attack. All he could do was watch. He spent the weeks following the attack anxiously waiting for news. He never imagined that Guardians could be reduced to something so weak and defenceless.
He glanced down at the hunter in his lap.
No, Guardians weren’t weak.
They were brave. Foolishly so. Maybe that’s what made them the Great Machine’s chosen.
Variks chuckled to himself at the thought, a deep crackled rumble rattled from the depth of his throat.
The foreign, distorted laughing-sound stirred the hunter. The Guardian let out a tired groan as he slowly opened his eyes. A bright golden gaze squinted at the Eliksni.
“Finally awake? Quite quiet today.” Variks asked, a light growl tracing behind his sly voice. His mechanic dominate arms loosened around the Guardian, but his secondaries were still wrapped around the other tightly.
The hunter shifted, but didn’t resist against the grip. He looked rather disgruntled over being woken up.
“You know when someone wobbles laminated paper? That’s what you sound like…. But louder.”
Variks was unsure whether that was a compliment or an insult. His eyes narrowed as he finally let go of his mate.
“Don’t look at me like that. I think your laugh is cute.” The hunter looked up again and let out a small laugh before sitting up. “And when you do those little clicks after you speak… Y’know, like ‘krrkrr’”
He brought his hands to his face and imitated the Eliksni’s clicks and growls.
“’Cute’...Hmm. You mock Variks…" A pause. "Funny joke.” The warden didn’t look very amused. “Very brave for you, trust-mate. I think you let yourself be too... vul-ne-rable.”
“What do you mean by that, love?”
“You tease and play your mock-games. I am larger than you, yes? You are softer… smaller... unarmed. If I wanted...” He paused, lifting one of his metallic arms and slowly bringing it to his mate’s neck. “I could kill you.”
The hunter scrunched his eyebrows, not really knowing how to take that. But soon enough he relaxed and leaned forward into the hand around his neck.
“You won’t.”
A deep croak emitted from the back of Variks’ throat. “How can you be sure of that?”‘Because I feel safe around you’
‘Because I know how much sleep you lost wondering whether I was survived or not’
‘Because of how tightly you held me when I came back’
‘Because of how vigilant you are when I sleep next to you’‘Because I trust you’‘Because I love you’‘Because you love me’A long pause graced the two.
Eventually the Guardian spoke. “Resurrection gives me stomach cramps. I won’t come see you for a month…" He slowly put his hand atop Variks' and gently moved it away. "And I’ll gossip about you to the Spider.”
Variks scoffed, a deep rattling emitted from his throat once again.
The hunter laughed before leaning into Varik’s chest, nuzzling his head into his mates’ soft fur collar.
Variks chuckled slyly. His arms crept up and wrapped themselves around his hunter once again.