Work Text
"You can't be serious!" "But I am, Zavala!" The Titan and Hunter glared at each other in the meeting room, the other Titan and lone Warlock there with them visibly tense. The Strike Commander took a long, slow breath, leaning against the table with his hands, eyes on the dozens of reports he has yet to read. "Liam, I understand that being with that man has helped you grieved the death of Cayde, but--" "But nothing!" Liam snapped, earning a glare from one of his trusted friends, but he didn't care. "You can't be actually suggesting that you're going to stay by his side, are you? That you'd just abandon the Tower and your fellow Guardians for a man you've only known for six months, if that?""I'm not abandoning anyone! How many times do I have to remind you of ALL of my affiliations?!" Liam nearly screamed, his frustration at the breaking point. "And that means that you'll still be able to serve the Tower and the Vanguard like you're supposed to?!" Zavala retorted, straightening up but Liam wasn't backing down. "Hasn't stopped me so far has it?" He bit back. "Okay, that's enough!" Ikora's voice broke into their argument sharply enough that both men flinched, Zavala keeping his eyes on Liam while the Hunter turned to look at the wall."You two have been bickering during these meetings more and more. We aren't getting anywhere and the public has started to take notice." "Is it really any different than when we had Cayde?" "FUCK YOU!" Liam roared, seeing red and wanting to clock Zavala's teeth down his throat. Shaxx, however, was able to sense the murder within him and quickly restrained him, grunting with the effort it took to do so. Zavala thankfully looked very ashamed after he realized what he had said, words he knows he doesn't mean, and could no longer keep his eyes on Liam.Ikora let out a heavy sigh. "Liam, you know you can talk to us about anything, yes?" "...I know." Ikora looked over Zavala before turning her focus fully onto the acting Hunter Vanguard. "Zavala, Shaxx, and I have noticed that you've been seeking out the Drifter's company more and more frequently as of late, and we're simply concerned." "Why? It is a crime that I spend time with my boyfriend?" Liam chewed out, a low blow, but it was one he needed to take right now. As much as he knows they're genuinely concerned about him, he's seeing the signs of Zavala falling back into his more emotionally withdrawn state, of Ikora's anger flaring more easily, of Shaxx cracking down even harder on the Guardians in his Crucible while barely managing to keep his personal emotions in check.They're reverting back to how they acted right after Cayde was killed. And it was making Liam both worried and pissed off himself."No, but--" "But nothing, Ikora." Liam let a tired breath escape him. "...Look, I get that you're all concerned about me, and I understand where you're coming from, but I can't give any of you an honest answer until you're honest with me first." "Honest with you? We've been honest this whole time!" "So you'll tell me why you've started to withdraw emotionally again, Zavala?" Liam asked, voice soft but tone harsh, and he didn't miss the way the Awoken flinched. "...I thought so." Quickly, Liam was out of Shaxx's arms and heading for the door. "Liam! We're not done talking!" "Oh, I know. That's why I'm leaving."Drifter couldn't have ducked out of the way any faster, narrowly avoiding getting a Fallen wire rifle to his head, Liam's enraged screeching echoing through the Derelict. "Take it easy, brother." Liam shot him a nasty look, but quickly realized his current behavior and dropped the stare he had leveled his boyfriend. Nis and Echo had wisely stayed further away from their friend, neither of them liking his current state of being. "...Did you and the Commander get into another fight?" "What does it look like, Echo?" He snapped at his friend, instantly grimacing and looking away."...I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that." "It's alright." "No, it's not." Liam stated, a lungful of air leaving him as he leaned against a wall, hands coming up to scrub over his face for a moment. "You and Zavala have been fighting with greater frequency these last few weeks." Nis spoke up, striding over to her friend and resting a hand on his shoulder. "I know. It's just... They're starting to revert back to how they were when...Cayde died, and they won't tell me what's making them go back." He had to pause for a second before saying the name of his late fiance; Liam had already figured out that no matter how much time passes, the pain of losing Cayde-6 will never go away or ease."They've gone back? Really?" Echo asked and Liam nodded. "Unless you know them as well as I do, you won't even notice, but..." "Have you asked them about it?" Liam nodded to his Warlock friend, matching her frown with his own. "It's not like Miss Rey to ignore her students..." While Liam is clearly not a Warlock, he still studies from time to time under Ikora's care, the two of them getting into famously heated debates over battle tactics and certain points of obscure history. "...A storm's coming." Drifter spoke up suddenly, all eyes snapping to him."I know you've felt it, Dredgen; taste it in the air like a coming rain." "...I know. I've felt the presents of the Nine more strongly anytime Xur's in town; there's also the things Queen Mara told me before she left." "Where did she go anyway?" "To help a mutual friend of ours; you remember the Exo Stranger we all met on Venus?" "How could I not? She scared the shit out of me." Echo stated, getting a small laugh from his other fireteam members. "Milady had mentioned that she was going to meet up with an old friend of mine, and I'm certain that it's her she was talking about." "...I'm not sure I like the sound of that." "I'm not exactly at ease with it either, Nis, but I trust my Queen to know what she's getting into.""With everything that's about to happen, brother, you may have to pick a side to stand with." "I know." Drifter stepped up then, his stride long and swift, swallowing up Liam's personal space in moments as his hands rested on his shoulders. "Listen to me: I don't want our relationship to sway you one way or another." Liam's eyebrows nearly shot off his forehead at his lover's words; his fireteam looked equally shocked. "You are a man who's loyal to many, and are able to keep your loyalties strong. I just..." Drifter sighed, his head dropping with a weak chuckle."If you have to pick between the Vanguard or myself, I don't want your choice to be stacked just because we're dating; if you need to stay in good tidings with them, then do it." "...Drifter, I'm going to stand by your side no matter what." He didn't expect to see the worry that flashed into the man's brown eyes at his words. "But should you?" "...What are you suggesting, Drifter? That Liam go against you? A man that he loves and holds dear?" Nis questioned and the named Lightbearer rubbed the back of his head. "If it means that life will be easier for him emotionally, then yes. Look, I'm normally a guy who doesn't care if the boat gets rocked, but this? This is different." He leveled his look onto Liam then. "You've been the acting Hunter Vanguard ever since you've come back with the love of your life dead in your arms. You basically ARE part of the Vanguard now; which means that whatever you do is going to be seen by countless Guardians.""Drifter, I can keep my loyalties strong, if that's what you're worried about." But he shook his head. "I'm worried that, should you stay with me when the storm hits, that you'll be banished from your home." "Then so be it." Drifter gawked at the response. "I'm a Hunter, Drifter: my home is wherever I make it. Besides, no matter what happens, all three of us will be by your side." "What? But I thought--" "You've seen how fucking powerful Nis is in Gambit! Hell, two out of the three guns she uses came from Gambit!" Nis couldn't deny that; her Bygones and Distant Relations were constantly at her side, and no matter how good a different gun was, if she needed something she knows will save her life, she's bringing those two guns."What about Echo? I know Nis likes me because I was helping you out, and she just happened to fall in love with Gambit, but him? I can feel the distrust he has towards me when he's out in the ass end of the Tangled Shore!" Echo narrowed his eyes to prove Drifter's point further. "Look, out of all of us who've played Gambit, he's the ONLY one you've given Hazard Of The Cast to; ya know, the auto rifle I've been dying to get my hands on?" Well...Liam wasn't wrong. "While I may side more with the Vanguard on most issues," Echo began, all eyes now on the Exo who was leaning against some of the railing, "I trust Liam's instincts more. If he trusts you, then I'll trust that you won't immediately try to stab him in the back.""Ah, Titans. Always trying to protect everyone they meet." Like Drifter could talk; he's a Hunter now, but back before the change he was reborn as a Titan, so he understands the mind set better than most people. "Alright, so lets say for my own amusement that all three of you do trust me and stick by my side: how will you know what the Vanguard's next move will be?" Liam and Echo sighed, Nis pinching the bridge of her nose. "It's like you're trying to get me to punch you." "Do it, Echo, he'll like it." Liam deadpanned, and Drifter got a little worried that his Exo friend might take up the offer."Look, while I appreciate the support, one of you needs to stay close to the Vanguard, and since we know that Liam's happily jumped out of that boat to stick with me, it's gonna be one of you two." "...Well, I suppose I can do it." Echo replied after a beat of silence. "You sure?" "It makes sense, doesn't it? Most Titans would stick with the Vanguard if a line gets drawn in the sand." "That's true, but..." Liam's fingers floated to his mouth, deep in thought. "...I get it." Nis stated, getting her Hunter friend's attention, "You're concerned that if Echo is our liaison for the Vanguard, that someone would realize what he's doing and report him." Liam nodded his head. "I know you don't mind being put in harms way, but if Spider taught me anything it's to keep the ones you completely trust protected, and that Fallen doesn't have that level of trust with a lot of people." "I wouldn't doubt it." Echo muttered, Liam trying to come up with a way for them to keep an eye on the Vanguard should shit hit the fan while also keeping the ones he cares about safe.Then it hit him."Nis." The Warlock looked to him, ready to answer whatever he was about to ask when she saw that it wasn't a question that had him saying her name: it was a revelation. "Me?" She asked, suddenly understanding where his thoughts have lead him. "What about her?" "She can be our spy. Think about it: a Warlock who's loyal to the Vanguard. If someone stumbled upon her talking to us, they'd assume that she's trying to sway us back, to leave Drifter's side. And given how close everyone knows we are, as well as with our other raid team members, another Guardian--perhaps another Warlock or Titan--would assume that the Vanguard is having Nis exploit that relationship to get information out of us on what the Drifter's doing, and not the other way around!"The idea was so crazy it was brilliant.And it made sense: a Hunter will always follow their instincts, so some may stay loyal to the Vanguard, but a large hunk of them will stick with Drifter; Warlocks love to learn, and many can see that if they stay with Drifter, they can learn more about things that are just unknown in the Tower's archives; Titans will always try to protect the most amount of people that they can, so them staying completely loyal with the Vanguard falls into common sense, but some will want to seek the thrill that comes with the danger of staying with Drifter, so there will be a few of them."Please never go to war with the universe, your enemies won't have time to surrender, let alone figure out what's going on." Drifter commented, a disturbed but amused smirk on his lips. Liam returned the grin. "Alright. So we have our plan set up; should I avoid doing anything like Gambit?" Liam shook his head. "No. I've got a feeling that he's got something bigger and hopefully better coming out of the woodwork soon. And if I know you, you'll wanna try it at least once." "And then get hooked on it like the original Gambit and keep coming back." "'Like the original Gambit'? The fuck are you planning?" Drifter smirked to his boyfriend. "You'll see."Liam caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye, but didn't let the others notice. "Okay. I guess we should head off and do our own things for a while." "So...Crucible?" "Private rumble match?" "I'm in." Echo and Nis exchanged, and now Liam REALLY wanted to go and just watch that chaos unfold. He had other things to attend to, however. "Have your Ghosts record the match; I've got to see how badly she wrecks you." "Oh, ye of little faith..." Echo teased, the group sharing a smile and a hug before the Titan and Warlock departed."...Have you been here long?" Liam asked, Drifter raising a brow before he heard a baritone chuckle vibrate in the air. "Of course you would have noticed." Shin Malphur spoke as he stepped out of the shadows, greeting Drifter with a nod, which the man returned. Liam's glad things worked out the way they did between the two men. "And I've only been here long enough to hear your little plan. A cunning one, by the way." Shin stepped closer, cupping one of Liam's cheeks in his palm. "And you're certain it's going to be the right move?" Liam sighed heavily, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Shin, resting his full weight against him. "I don't know. But, it feels like the right move to make." "...As long as you don't regret your choice, I have nothing to say about it." Drifter's hand combed through Shin's hair, smoothing it down a little."You were sleeping in the cargo hold weren't you?" He asked and Malphur looked like he just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "You do know I have a bed on this ship, right?" "I know." "So why don't you use it? You use the one I have in my dingy hallway often enough." "...You sure you don't mind?" "Shin, I offer up my bed to people for normally one thing; you and Liam get to have two options." "Traveler, I forget you're such a whore." "What?! I'm out of the system for a couple centuries and I'm not allowed to have a little bit of fun when I get back?" "By the Light, do I even want to know how many people you've slept with before you started dating me?" "About 58 in total." Drifter stated."Oh, I don't know what's worse: the actual number or the fact I thought it was gonna be higher." "How fucking high did you think it was gonna be?!" Drifter demanded to know, but Liam simply snuggled further into Shin's embrace. "I don't think he's gonna tell you." "Of course not. Little punk..." Shin and Drifter exchanged a look, one of agreement of what needed to be done. No matter what, both men cared too much about Liam for him to not be protected: by Drifter while Liam's in the Tower, or doing Gambit and Strikes; and by Shin while Liam's out in the world, doing his own thing."...By the way, I sorta eavesdropped on the meeting you had with the Vanguard and Shaxx." Drifter admitted, hearing as Liam groaned. "I was wondering why you were outside of the room so quickly." "So...what other affiliations do you have?" "Well, there's obviously the Vanguard as a whole. I'm also loyal with the Dead End Cure and Shadowjacks Hunter groups; then there's the Thanatonauts and Gensym Scribes Warlock orders." "Thanatonauts? Really?" Drifter asked, surprised by the name drop. "They've learned quiet a lot because of what I've saw." "What other groups?" Shin asked, now a little more curious himself."Well, there's the Firebreak, First Pillar, Pilgrim Guard, and the Sunbreakers Titan orders." "What about the Crucible? I know there's multiple sponsors for that." "And there is. I am associated with the Crucible and the Iron Banner itself--nearly all Guardians are--as well as Dead Orbit, Future War Cult, and New Monarchy." "All three? I thought Guardians could only be tied to one faction of the Consensus?" Drifter asked, seeing the confusion on Shin's face, who's slowly learning about all of the different politics of the Tower. "Well, I'm indirectly connected and represent FWC and New Monarchy through Nis and Echo--Echo's with the War Cult--while I personally am part of Dead Orbit; most Hunters are given the survivalist philosophy of the faction, but we have Warlocks and Titans as well."I'm also an SRL champion, so that counts as well." "Does it?" Liam hummed. "The Sparrow Racing League has actually held up pretty well, and most people who knew about it before the Red War have set up private courses to run; I partake in them as well, and I always win." "What of the other City factions?" "Well, all Guardians have to deal with a Cryptarch in order to have our engrams decoded, but very few of us actually help out the Crypto-Archeology, though I do; they have huge stores of information that they need, but given that Cryptarchs aren't properly trained with weapons, they need a Guardian's help in order to retrieve them, which is what I do."I do, also, have allegiance with House of Judgement, Crota's Bane, and Queen's Wrath factions as well." "Two of those are for the Reef, right?" Drifter asked, Liam nodded. The trio had moved to the table the older Lightbearer had tucked away, all of them realizing just how long this conversation's gonna be. "Crota's Bane... I've never heard of that one before." "And likely never will again. It was headed by a woman known as Eris Morn, who had suffered at the hand of the Hive, or at Crota's hand, to be more specific. Crota was one of the Hive Gods I've slain, but his influence was still pretty strong after his death; still is, if I think about it.""So what about the enemies of the Light? I know you've got friends and partners among our enemies." "Well, if we're going off that, then I should mention that I'm already in a cult." "What?" Drifter asked, a surprised glee in his voice. "Yeah, the cult of Osiris. Said man wasn't exactly thrilled to hear that his teachings has created a cult, nor the extreme dedication some of his followers have gone to to show their loyalty, but he's fine with his teachings having survived for as long as they have." "Now I can't tell who's the crazier one." "His followers, if you believe most rumors." Liam countered, a sputter of laughter escaping Drifter."This House of Judgement, it's lead by a Fallen, right?" "Mm-hm. Varkis, the Loyal was the one who lead the House." "What other Fallen Houses are you part of?" Shin asked, having seen first hand just how close Liam was to a lot of enemies. "Let's see...there's the House of Devils, and their Splicers who I've been helping recover from SIVA; House of Winter and House of Wolves, as there was actually a good chunk of them who didn't want to rebel, but they couldn't disobey their Kell; House of Dusk, and House of Rain." "House of Rain?" Drifter asked, not having heard the name before. "They were a House that was destroyed during the Whirlwind and had prophesied about the 'Kell of Kells' the Great Machine would crown and bring all of the Fallen Houses together as one." "The Great Machine?""Oh, that's right, you don't know do you?" Shin shook his head at the question. "The Great Machine is what the Fallen called the Traveler; it was once on their side." Liam wasn't surprised by Shin's reaction. "The Eliksni people have been through a lot: lost their home, their cultures, their history. They've been trying to understand not only who they are as a people, but why the Traveler left them in the first place." "...Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the House of Dusk the remaining Fallen Houses crashed into one?" Drifter spoke and Liam sighed. "Yes and no. But I can explain it further another night. I'm sure you want to hear the other enemy factions I'm part of." "I think we both are." Shin stated, seriously interested to learn more."Okay, Hive Sects...I think I'm only part of the Spawn of Crota, Blood of Oryx, and Grasp of Nokris sects." "Just three?" "Well, they're the sects belonging to Crota, Oryx, and Xol; you know, the three Hive gods I've killed?" "Oh." Drifter said with a happy little chuckle. "Wait, what about the Taken? Or the Scorn? Those are technically part of the Fallen and Hive." "Well, the Taken are part of all of the enemies of the Light minus the Scorn, but yes." "No shit? The Scorn call you one of their own?" "Surprised me too, but yeah." Drifter leaned back in his chair honestly a little impressed. "You've got to tell us the stories behind these connections; I swear, you've got the BEST history to tell." Liam shrugged, making it seem like it was no big deal, which to him it wasn't (at least at this point in his life)."How about the Cabal?" "That's just the Siege Dancers, Dust Giants, Blind Legion, and Loyalists; I should also mention that I AM very loyal to Emperor Calus as well." "Not surprised. He's got quiet the hard-on for ya." Liam chuckled warmly at his boyfriend's words. "So what about the Vex? Certainly don't have too many friends there, right?" "Um, wrong. Hezen Protective, Sol Divisive because yes, a large portion of them did survive, Precursors, and Descendants I have good ties with." "Shit, that's a lot of people." "And I'm still not done. You have Queen Mara herself, Rasputin, the Spider, Osiris, the Exodus Black and Failsafe as I am the new Captain for it, Devrim and the Farm, Sloane, Xur and the Nine, Asher Mir, Ana Bray, Brother Vance, Petra Venj, the fact that Cayde promoted me so I am officially a Warden for the Prison of Elders, and my connection to Riven.""...Holy shit. I didn't realize just how large your network was." "No one does, that's the beauty of it. Hell, I even managed to impress Spider with it, and he was rightfully pleased to be apart of it." "Geez, I wonder why?" Drifter retorted, but there was a playfulness to his tone, so Liam didn't mind. "With so many connections, I really hope that you've made the right choice with having Nis keep an eye on the Vanguard." Shin spoke up, having grown quiet after he asked about Liam's relationship with the Taken and Scorn. "...I know I did." "Your Ahamkara tell you that?" "Heh, which one? I have two now." The group shared a warm grin. "But in all seriousness, no, neither of them said that I did. I just...know...that I did." "Ah. Hunter instinct." Drifter commented, leaning both himself and his chair further back, now balanced only on two legs, arms crossing over his chest."...Ok. I'll trust your judgement of it, Dredgen." "Yes, I too, will trust you've made the right choice, Liam." "Thank you, you two." Shin and Drifter both gave Liam a smile as the Hunter looked out of the viewport to the stars around them, the Derelict having been settled above the Tangled Shore. ...I know I made the right choice. Now it's just a waiting game to see who makes their move first.