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“Damn, Zavala, you going for a record for most broken ribs or what?”
Zavala wheezes his disapproval for the joke as he struggles to straighten up with Cayde’s arm slung over his shoulder but manages to rumble a counter. “Are you aiming for Vanguard with the fewest limbs?”
“Touche,” Cayde grumbles as the remains of his leg swing against Zavala’s thigh.
Maybe it’s ill-advised to move given their injuries, but they’re also not doing any good atop this empty rooftop now that the Guardian has used the Vex device to jump to Ghaul’s flagship. At the very least, the Vanguard should make themselves less of a target by heading for cover inside. Ikora has gone ahead to make sure the way down is clear, spent shotgun at her side and likely concussed but still faring better than the Hunter and Titan Vanguards. The two struggle at the door, Zavala putting extra strain on his chest as he tries to balance Cayde and step through sideways.
“You wanna know the best thing about being an Exo, Zavala?” Cayde muses to distract them both and mask the nerve-fraying sound of the Awoken’s labored breathing. He doesn't even pretend to wait for a guess. “The best thing about being an Exo is having pain receptors that shut off in response to bodily trauma.”
Cayde waves his sparking elbow.
Zavala’s brow scrunches and they pause for a second as the Commander tries to shunt aside the feeling of his own blunt force beatings. First a Cabal fist to the ribs, then a foot, then a blade dulled by thick armor. Zavala’s counts himself lucky his lungs seem to have gone unpunctured.
“That’s…nifty,” Zavala grits out with just an unavoidable hint of envy as they slowly start the journey down the first set of stairs.
Cayde stiffens and Zavala forces his eyes open to make sure everything’s alright. He meets wide, lit blue lenses and a heavy jaw gaping in surprise.
“You said ’nifty.’”
Zavala blinks.
“Nifty!” Cayde crows. “This day just got a thousand times better. Ikora, did you hear that?”
Ikora’s response echoes from several stories below and a hint of an exhausted laugh bounces up the stairwell. “I heard, Cayde. Now, hurry. There’s an elevator down here that still has power.”
“Heh. Ikora thought it sounded funny too.”
Zavala ignores the entire exchange. If Exos can block pain relays, maybe they block other brain functions too.
“Hey, you ok?” Cayde suddenly whispers, close and louder to Zavala than he supposes it really is. “We stopped moving.”
“So we have,” Zavala realizes and then tracks the holdup to his own legs which have started shaking now that the last of adrenaline has run its course. “My apologies. Just…a moment please.”
Cayde senses this is not the time for a joke and keeps his voice low so as not to draw Ikora’s attention. “Hey, hey, Big Guy. I’ve got you.”
It could be debated- who has who. But when Cayde wraps his functioning hand around the back of Zavala’s neck and guides the Awoken in to rest against the Exo’s shoulder, Zavala does find himself exhaling a ragged breath heavy with all the fear and anxiety built up over the course of their infiltration of the City. The future is out of their hands now. The City's last hope resting on the shoulders of a single Guardian while the Vanguard limp away. Again. Thirty seconds to center himself is all Zavala allows but the sure grip and comforting squeeze to his neck promise as much time as he needs whenever he decides to take it.