Chapter Text
“I thought I’d find you boys out here! What kind of trouble are you getting into?” Saeanna waved up at Crow and their mentor, Cayde-6, who smiled brightly and waved back.
Sliding down the old roof of the house they were camping on, Crow jumped the distance to the ground and landed in a crouch in front of her. “Awe, Sae! We aren’t always getting into trouble!”
Slinging an arm over her shoulder, Saeanna wrapped an arm around his waist as they watched Cayde pack up their things. “If you aren’t getting into trouble, you’re usually planning it.” She laughed and poked him in the ribs. “I’m only kidding, Light. Devrim told me the two of you were out here helping with the rogue Cabal. Did ya get ‘em?”
“Hell yeah we did!” And there he was! The old hunter vanguard himself. A blur of blue glinted in the sunlight before a puff of dust blew around his boots before her. “Sae! I’m surprised you found us!” No longer was she pressed into Crow’s side. Metal arms scooped her up and swung her in a circle.
“AAH! Cayde!” Saeanna giggled as she hugged him back. As soon as she was back on her feet, Sae gasped out a laugh. “Did you forget I am a hunter and best friends with two of the biggest troublemakers in the tower? I think I could find y’all anywhere.”
“Was that a challenge?” A metal eyebrow shot up and she was quick to run behind him, pressing him forward by his shoulders.
“No!! No it was not!! Come on, big boy! Ikora wanted to talk to me before we go out tonight!” It was as if his feet grew roots at first, his body becoming an immovable object. Damned Exo!
“I don’t know! That sounded like a challenge to me! Maybe we should play hide and seek, Saeanna.” Crow laughed and Cayde was quick to agree
Sae groaned. The idea of hunting them down in a game of hide and seek sounded like an actual nightmare. “Would you want to spend the night out in the cold, damp night air waiting for me to find you or would you rather be drinking and dancing with Crow and I.”
“I think- Wait! Why wouldn’t Crow be out hiding with me?” He looked at Crow with the most offended expression. “Et tu, Brute?”
“Are you kidding? Crow wouldn’t miss out on a night with me. Pride be damned.”
It was funny, watching the struggle pass over the Awoken man’s face before he finally gave into her teasing. “Gotta say, Cayde, she isn’t wrong. My pride would cave under just about anything for her.”
“So whipped… Fiiiiine!” Cayde groaned and let Sae resume pushing him back toward their ships. “I guess I’ll just have to take up that challenge later.”
“I’m not whipped! You’re the one that caved after one threat!” Crow pushed Cayde’s shoulder, sending the Exo stumbling to the side.
“Am not! I’d take her up on it! I’m just a bit tired. These joints don’t move quite like they used to!” Glint, Theia, and Sundance all rolled their eye at the same time and continued following the trio as they bickered.
“I don’t believe it for a second. Whipped.”
“Am not!”
“Am too!” Saeanna smiled as they fought back and forth, knowing how much they both cared. All three of them had been through too much to deny the others anything. After Cayde’s near death at the hands of Uldren, the mad prince had been put down summarily after being hunted for weeks. When he’d been resurrected, though, some of the guardians must not have gotten the message that he’d been killed and the poor new light had undergone some of the worst deaths imaginable. It was by chance that Cayde and Saeanna had stumbled across the lightbearer as he was trying to escape Earth. With no Supplies… On a several day journey…
He was thinner than she had seen any guardian and the way he flinched as she reached out to help him broke both of their hearts. That night, Crow was given the empty room in their apartment and fell asleep in safety with a full stomach for the first time since he’d been resurrected. To say Cayde’s anger was explosive after finding out about what Crow had gone through was an understatement. Sitting in our shared living room, enjoying a bowl of ramen, the poor man had unloaded on them his trials after being resurrected.
Needless to say, they’d had to replace half the kitchen, living room and the cleaning bots had a hell of a time removing the scorch marks all the way to the war table. They’d decided that they didn’t mind the second room mate and Crow was the most comfortable around them so, with Zavala’s and Ikora’s approval, their spare room was filled and everyone was happier for it.
After that, the three hunters were inseparable. Not once had they gone on patrol alone and the tower saw their first single-class fireteam. When they finally reached their ships, Sae waved to them before sending a blip to Ikora, letting her know she’d be arriving shortly. It was going to be a good night but first, she had to talk to one of her oldest friends.
*
“Here, Sae. Sugar and milk are on the table.” Ikora’s lithe form sank gracefully into the cushions across from her. There were many beautiful places in the tower, but Ikora’s “Office” (She always joked) was the most breath-taking. Dozens of varieties of plants rested and hung around them, glowing like Emeralds in the golden glow of the sunset. Warm, soft materials twisted in the soft breeze that filtered through two of the open walls. The soft humm of the courtyard below paired with the distant thrum of the sprawling city at the base of the tower gave it a cozy, yet secluded atmosphere.
“Thanks, Kora.” She fixed up her drink and took a grateful sip before tilting her head back with a sigh. “I’m sorry for taking up your afternoon…”
“No, don’t apologize. You’ve been more tired than usual the past couple of weeks. What’s been going on?”
Sae leaned forward and rested her elbows on her crossed legs, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger. “There’s no easy way to say this…”
“Does it have to do with your roommates driving you up a wall?” She held up her hand at the shocked look Sae shot toward Ikora. Her jaw was fit to detach and hit the floor. “The entire tower has been taking bets since you three went off to take care of the cryptolith. Darling, be honest. What’s going on?”
Warm chocolate eyes melted her resolve and she crumbled like a cookie in warm milk. Once again, her face landed in her hands and she sighed. “Kora, I love them… Both of them.”
A beat of silence before Ikora chuckled. “And?”
“And?? Ikora, that’s so selfish, and it could never happen!” Her voice raised slowly as she spoke, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. “It’s so hard to live and work and just * exist * beside them when I want to… Ugh…”
“Tell me why that’s impossible. Crazier things have happened in our lifetimes, you know that!” Ikora’s voice stayed low and calm, trying to comfort her friend from where she rested.
“Cayde… Well you know Cayde. He values his freedom more than anyone we know. And Crow had a thing with Amanda for a long time. He just seems so happy alone. Why would I want to ruin a good thing for something that, most likely, neither of them want.”
Ikora rolled her eyes and smiled at Sae. “Keyword there is had . He had a thing with Holiday over a year ago that only lasted a solid two months. I’ll admit that Cayde has always enjoyed his freedom but something has been different since he met you. Even with Zavala and I, he was never too attached, always preferring to disappear and go his own way. With you and Crow, he’s prone to stick close.” Saeanna said nothing and just thought on Ikora’s words. “Trust me when I say the attraction is there. Everybody can see it.”
“Maybe… if either of them brings it up, I might be willing to give it a shot but…” She sighed and cradled the cup in her hands as she stared morosely into the dark liquid. “The improbability is too high. I doubt either of them even find me attractive in the slightest,”
~
“What!?” Cayde stared in open mouthed shock at Ikora’s recollection of the events a couple hours prior. “Of course I find her attractive!”
“Is it that impossible?”
Cayde and Crow asked at the same time, looking at each other (Crow blushing) before looking away quickly. Ikora simply laughed and set down her drink with a wave to the bartender. “I know you do, and no. It isn’t impossible at all. We just have a bad case of self-doubt and overthinking on our hands. You know how she gets. The ball is in your court, boys. I’m going to fade back to my apartment while you give our girl a boost.” With a wink, she slid off the bar stool between them and disappeared into the crowd.
The unspoken words between them were heavy for a moment. Of course, it was Cayde who broke the contemplative silence. “Sooo… Not impossible?”
Crow coughed out a short laugh before looking up with a shy smile. “I can’t say that I think it would be…”
“Noted… Maybe we should have that talk with our girl when she finally gets here.” It was the first step, the loaded gun that Crow could accept or reject.
Even though two options were there, only one answer was the obvious choice. “She’ll be in for quite the surprise, won’t she?”
Well, there went that hurdle. Cleared without effort. Cayde shifted in his seat to keep from kissing the man outright. Yes, Sae was their focal point, but he would be lying if he didn’t find the former prince deadly attractive. And from the way Crow was looking at him, it wasn’t a stretch to believe he felt the same. So as they waited for their partner, they laid out a game plan. Just talking about this, so close within reach made the both of them happier than ever.
“Heya boys! What did I miss?”
Saeanna squeezed between them and into the empty stool, glancing between both of their faces with a small frown. Crow laughed and threw his arm around her shoulders. “Ah, nothin much, just some idle chatting. Want your usual?”
Her smile was infectious and it warmed their chest to see it. Saeanna turned to face Cayde after Crow gave her a slight squeeze and left to get her drink. “I’m glad to see you too.” There was something to the quality of his voice that made her melt for the second time that night.
She leaned forward and enveloped him in a tight hug, which he returned with fervor. “Getting started without me? Tsk.” She shook her head with a laugh and leaned forward to make a show of taking a long look at his face. “Well that’s a look I’ve never seen before! What is that about?” She pursed her lips and tapped his shoulder teasingly.
“I’ll tell ya when we get back to the apartment, don’t worry.”
“Promise?” She held up her pinky with a light wink.
“Abso-sassafassin-lutely!” His digit wove with hers and they shared a small smile.
“Your drink, Sae. Cayde, I got another for you. Looking kind of low there.” Crow deposited a soft kiss on the top of her head and took a seat beside her. This is how it always was with them. Affectionate, protective, and certainly more hands on than others… Maybe Ikora had a point. She could hear Cayde and crow swapping jokes over her head as she slowly sipped at the glass of bright blue liquor that she liked. Despite the smiles they pulled from her, she felt her mind slipping off to the sunset and Ikora’s words.
“Oh my cotton socks, Saeanna! You’ve never looked so distracted on a night out! Obviously, we aren't doing our job.” Cayde hopped off his stool and took the drink from her hand. “We’re gonna dance till whatever’s on your mind is gone.”
“But Cay- Ah!” His jaw was clenched and he practically dragged her off her seat. “Crow, help!”
“Sorry, Butterfly, no can do!” He leaned against the bar, something sparking in his eye. The beat was hypnotic and Cayde was a wonderful dancer. Within moments she was lost in the push and pull of his body.
Chest to chest, Saeanna couldn’t care less as he tentatively nuzzled against her cheek as her arms wound up and around his neck. “Wanna try somethin’…” His voice was low in her ear and she shivered at his tone. Foreign though it was, she had to admit it sounded good.
“Oh?” She asked breathlessly.
Instead of pulling her closer like she thought, his hands gripped her waist and spun her around, directly into the arms of the man she didn’t know was behind her. Crow.
Her traitorous heart pounded as his hands settled just above Cayde’s. If they hadn’t managed to pull her mind away from that pesky thinking before, they were doing a fantastic job now. It was sinful how they sandwiched her between them. She couldn’t speak around the surprise and excitement building in her. So instead she gave over into this impossible situation and just danced, letting them carry her worries and fear away. It was ecstasy, having their hands on her body, even like this, and they were most certainly on her body. Two sets of hands moved so fluidly along the lines of her body, it seemed like a dance. There wasn’t a whisper of breath between the three of them as they moved in tandem to song after song after song. Finally, when none of them could take it any more, she led them both from the dance floor, breathless giggles wisping out of her as she ordered water for her and Crow. “What’s gotten into you two?”
As it always was this time of night, the bar was packed. Dancers pressed against those waiting on drinks and those ordering were two, maybe three people deep in some places. Which is why no one batted an eye when Crow’s fingers pressed into her hips and pinned her against the bar in front of her. She gasped and her eyes went wide as his breath brushed against her ear. “Nothings gotten into us, little Butterfly. Though we’d like to get something into you.”
This wasn’t Crow… this couldn’t be her quiet, reserved Crow. Eyes wide, she slowly looked up until the back of her head was resting against his sternum. Lo and behold, it was his golden eyes staring down at her, full of fire and heat and a hint of amusement at her confusion.
“Is it so hard to believe, Saeanna?” Cayde was at her side, an arm wrapped around her front to stake his own claim.
She slowly shook her head and a chuckle rumbled through the chest behind her. “Want to head back home, Sae?”
She knew what waited for her if she said yes. This was it. This was the point of no return, a line she didn’t know if she should cross. That small voice whispering doubts was drowned out by the rest of her mind screaming for her to say yes, so help her God. When the time came, she’d wanted to sound confident, maybe flirt and smile. That wasn’t what happened, though. A small ‘Please’ was all she could manage, eyes flicking between Cayde and Crow. It was all the permission they needed. The arms framing her body tightened, their eyes becoming predatorial. “Sundance…”
That was why Theia was so quiet! She was in on this! The air around them shimmered as all three ghosts simultaneously transmitted their guardians to the apartment. As soon as they were gone, a table in the back went silent, only one occupant laughing softly. “Goddamn it, Ikora…”
“Don’t be mad, Zavala. I can’t help it that you’re about as observant as a rock.” The Awoken Commander didn’t respond, only rolling his eyes and handing a hunk of glimmer to the Warlock Vanguard at his side.