Chapter Text
You sat on the floor, your legs dangling off the edge on the old Towers hanger. You were leaned back on one hand, with a protein bar in the other. The view of the city was breathtaking, with bright lights shining in the night’s sky, and the Travelers energy illuminating the building tops below.
You spent most of your free time here, observing the city and its beauty, despite the mess behind you. The leftover pieces of destroyed sparrows and ships still remained, and the black smudge marks of where fires once roared still gave off a burnt smell.
People tried to ignore the old tower, most people didn't even have any way to access it. Yet you couldn't help but linger here. Despite it's ruined and broken state, you liked it here. A good spot for you to escape.
You took a bite out of your bar as your Ghost slips into view.
“Are those things even any good?” He asks. You chuckle as you swallow your bite.
“No, not really. But they keep me going.” You responded, lowering the bar to your lap.
“You know the food bar is always open Guardian, even this late at night.” Your Ghost suggests. You shrug off the idea.
“Everything that's any good is gone by now, guess that's what I get for coming back this late, huh?”
Ghosts sighs, then fixes his eye on something behind you.
“You have a visitor,” He says.
You turn your body and watch as the Drifter approaches you, two small round containers in hands.
“Hey there,” He says, “Thought I’d find you here.” He sits down next to you and offers you one of the containers.
“What's this?” You ask, taking it from his hand.
“Uh, it’s a stew of some kind. Not sure what, but they were serving it at the bar earlier tonight. Thought ya might want some before it was all gone.”
He knew that you’ve been gone for some time, and just returned to the City. It had probably been days since you've had a decent meal.
You smile and thank him for the thought, as you put your half-eaten protein bar on the floor beside you. He then reached into one of his many pockets and offers you a spoon, which you accept.
This was not uncommon. For the past few months, the Drifter and you had been spending a fair amount of time together. It started with him observing you during your Gambit and Crucible matches, to offering you a drink or two, until you were sharing stories and tales. You started to grow more comfortable around the strange man, who at first was intimidating, to say the least. And while his intentions with Gambit and the darkness were still unknown to you, he was still someone grew to enjoyed sharing a drink with.
You unscrewed the lid of the insulated container, and hot steam pours out of the brown substance. It smelled of heaven as you try your first spoonful, and it tasted just the same.
One of the penalties of being a Guardian is taking what you can get when it comes to your needs. A protein bar here, or power nap there. Hell, it had been 5 days since you've actually slept in your own bed. The only thing keeping you going was the light your Ghost provided you with, just barely holding your unsteady body together.
It was no problem for you though. Lately, you haven’t liked sleeping. When you slept, nightmares often clawed into your mind. Memories of lost friends and haunting enemies, and you had no idea what was causing them. Regardless, you did anything you could do to keep those thought out of your mind.
“Woah, you better slow down, or you’re gonna choke ”
You chuckle as you set down your bowl, taking the time to actually swallow.
“Sorry, it’s been a while since I've had something this good.” You respond.
The Drifter snickers as he lowers his own bowl to his lap. “Yeah, you've been going hard lately. You've been gone for what, 4 or 5 days?” He asks.
“Yeah, there was some extra trouble going on in the Dreaming City. Couldn't really catch a break until today. I’ve got some night patrols scheduled for the EDZ in about an hour now.”
The Drifters smug expression changes, and his brows lower.
“You always seem to be so concerned with fixing everyone else’s problems.” He says, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
You're a bit surprised by his words. “Everyone down there is taking a pretty bad beating. After we killed Riven, everything’s only gotten worse.”
“Yeah, I get it.” He responds. “But you look like you’re about to drop dead. Shouldn't you sleep before you get yourself tangled in something else?”
“Zavala needed someone to take care of the patrols.” You say.
The Drifter scoffs.”There are a dozen other guardians who could take that off your hands. Guardians who have actually rested recently”
Your eyes lower, his words echoing in your mind.
“Well?”
You shoot your eyes back at him. “Why do you care so much off of a sudden?” You questioned.
His lips twitch, and he sighs. “You’re…. You’re strong, and dedicated, and sweet, but I don’t think you realize that there's a army of guardians behind you. You don’t have to keep on fighting like you’re alone.” He explained. His gaze rested on your face, observing the heavy bags under your eyes.
You remain silent.
“The only thing keep’n you going at this point is your Ghost huh? It’s ain't good for ya to continue like this on borrowed energy.”
You glance to you Ghost, who has appeared beside you. He slightly nods his features, confirming what the Drifter said.
“I don’t like sleeping.” You whisper. “I-... there are dreams, bad ones. I always manage to have them.”
His face looked concerned. “Well, you have to rest at some point.” He says.
You stare back at the Drifter, who held a genuine look of concern on his face, which you didn’t think was possible until now.
You lift your hot bowl into your hands and finish the dish, then rise to your feet before asking your Ghost; “Well, go ahead and cut me off.”
“Are you sure?” He hesitates. The Drifter returns to his feet behind you as you look at him.
“Yeah, might as well feel the consequences of what I’ve put myself through.” You respond, and the Drifter nods.
Your Ghost signs as he works over your body, until the hot feeling of the Lights supports vanishes, and 500-pound weights strap to your limbs. You gasp as your legs tremble, and the Drifter catches you before you collapse. You sink into him, not having the strength to do otherwise.
“Easy there,” He whispers, his voice rough.
You then fall limp in his arms, your body completely giving out. Your eyes close as you struggle to hold onto consciousness. The Drifter grunts as slips his arm under your legs, lifting you to his chest.
He looks at your face as you lose yourself to sleep. Your arms hung limply at your sides, and your breathing grew slow and steady. He lets out a long breath, then asks you Ghost what room number your quarters were.
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The Drifter struggled to find a way to open the door with the hand slipped under your back, until he spotted a keypad.
“A little help here?” He directed at your Ghost, who then entered a passkey on the nearby keypad, and the door slid open.
It was a simple dorm-like space, with a twin bed, a desk, and a open door which lead to a basic bathroom. A handful of auto and scout rifles leaned against the walls, and a dismantled hand cannon rested on the desk. You were in the middle of cleaning the weapon before you got the emergency call from Petra.
The Drifter rested your body on the bed, your eyes still shut and body still limp. He started to undo the laces on your boots until your Ghosts came into view. “I can do that.” He assured. In a few seconds, all of your armor was transmitted off, and you were left in your undershirt and a pair of dark shorts. With the thick layers of armor removed, the Drifter was surprised with how small your frame was.
Big things come in small packages, he thought.
The Drifter then carefully moved your body under the sheets, doing his best to not disturb you any further.
He looked at your Ghost. “You should let Zavala know she ain’t doing those patrols.”
“I already have” He confirms.
The Drifter noded. He started to face you, but then quickly turned to your Ghost again.
“Why’d you do it? Let her go on like that? Surely you had readings on her vitals, and you knew that she was more worn out that she thought she was.”
Your Ghosts eye blinked a couple of times. “Drifter, she’s... stubborn. I told her exactly what she was doing, but didn’t seem to care much.”
Before he could respond, the Drifter returned his gaze to you. You had started groaning, and your eyes fluttered as you struggled to fight off a nightmare. He sat on the side of the bed and gently ran his thumb over your hairline, doing what he could to comfort you. He could sense the powers within you. Your light, and something else. He placed his hand on your sweaty forehead, and you were cold. The power he sensed was all too familiar. Darkness had infected your mind, it’s icy claws tearing deeper into you with each passing second.
“Riven.” The Drifter said in realization. “The Ahmankara tapped into her. She must have infected her light during the raid.”
You gasped as you suddenly woke, eyes wide and body trembling. He quickly flinched his hand from your face.
“You good?” He questioned.
You took a second to regain your composure, then responded. “Yh-yeah...it’s nothing.” as you started to sit up.
“It ain’t nothing sister.”
You look at the Drifter, surprised that he was here, sitting on your bed. He then ungloved one of his hands and tucked the glove under his thick belt.
“What are you doing?” You asked.
“Lean back.” He said.
You did as he asked, confused about what his intentions were. He placed his large hand on your forehead.
“Um...Drifter?” You questioned.
“Quiet” He ordered. He then closed his eyes, concentrating his power.
You trembled as your body started to lose its heat, and winced as you felt shots of pain form throughout your frame. Sharp invisible claws dug into you, fighting to stay attached, like a virus. The Drifter saw the pain on your face.
“Hold on” He grunted. His hand then left your skin, and the pain vanished with it. A dark, oozy substance painted his palm. Darkness, you thought, in its purest form. He tightened the hand into a fist as the dark power drained into his skin. You were honestly amazed at how easily he drank in the dark, accepting it effortlessly. Then again, the Drifter was never interested in playing by the rules. He then uncurled his fingers with no trace of the black substance remaining.
“What did you do?” You questioned.
“You had a lotta pint up darkness in there. I’m betting that it was Riven, she had a lot of nasty tricks up her sleeve. She probably infected your mind while you were in her chamber.”
“Oh.” You whispered, touching your forehead with your fingers. It made sense.
Your nightmares started after you had killed the Ahamkara. The awoken had warned you that her powers in seduction were powerful, but you had not realized just how far the grasp on your mind could reach.
“You just... moved the infection from me to you?” You asked, looking back at his bare hand.
He chuckled. “I’ve been wrestling with the darkness for years, it ain’t gonna do nothing to me. You, on the other hand, didn’t stand a chance. Not so tough anymore now are we?” He snickered, his face smug. You didn’t respond, not having the energy to put up a fight against his smart mouth.
His tone then changed, and his words were soft. “You ain’t gonna have those dreams no more. You should sleep.”
He then rose to his feet, and your heart sank. Before he could step away, you grabbed his wrist with a firm grip. He looked at you, confusion striking him.
“Drifter, I-... could you stay with me?”
“Stay with you? Why?”
“I just… I still don’t want to be alone.” You admit.
He sighs, but surprisingly obliges. He pulls up the chair from under the desk and sat by the side of your bed, he leaned back and rested his feet on the edges of your mattress.
“Thank you.” You whispered.
“Yeah, no problem...sleep now.” He grunted as he leaned his head back.
You don’t fight off the waves of exhaustion as your heavy eyes close. You felt the Drifters light close to you. It was small, like a flame struggling to stay lit under a rainy sky.
But you could feel it, and it comforted your mind. You dozed off once again, and for the first time in months, you slept peacefully.