trust me. // wraith x crypto

Chapter Two // Strangers

It had been a week since Wraith's first encounter with Crypto, yet she still couldn't keep her mind away from thinking about him for an inexplicable reason. They fought once, she'd seen him before, but there was something so notably unforgettable about how they worked together. Wraith told herself he had merely been a good teammate with no other motivations other than that of winning- after all, he had to look out for the squad to a greater extent as a scout position. However much she attempted to persuade herself of this, there was always a feeling of disbelief. He was selfless in the way he handled her, the way he talked to her, the way he compromised his own health and shield for her. She admired him for his ability to be so compassionate for a stranger; he was different from other people.

She raised her chin out of the thin black fabrics around her neck, breaking her eye contact with the ground as she erased the thought of him from the forefront of her mind. She grounded herself in reality, reminding herself the dropship could open any minute now. Finding her squad was first priority. She checked the matchmaking, the bright hue of the screen making her eyes squint slightly.

"Bloodhound," she read to herself quietly before she felt her adrenaline rise at the sight of the next name, "Crypto..."

Something happened.

What are the odds?

Doesn't matter, just do better than before.

She desperately tried to silence the voices' loud chatter, quickly whipping her head back and forth, scanning the dark room for any sight of a tall man dressed in green and white. She suddenly stopped, peeling her eyes away to look at the ground for a moment as if resetting her intentions.

It doesn't matter.

Why do you care?

Do better than before.

She shook her head, shifting her focus to look for Bloodhound instead. Her eyes landed on the frame of a heavily clothed person, a plague doctor-like mask concealing their face. Swiftly walking with a straight pathway, she approached them to begin talking about any sort of strategy to hopefully give their squad an upper hand. They talked without much to tell, a very procedural exchange, but Wraith's mind wandered back to Crypto. Closing out their conversation, Bloodhound gave her a nod before walking out to the closed dropship platform. Wraith followed behind before she saw the back of the hacker she had been expecting.

Talk to him.

She didn't hesitate to approach him; they needed to ready themselves as a squad. She took a few steps, until she was a few feet of distance away from him. She cleared her throat politely, attracting his attention. He turned his head over his shoulder, his eyes immediately locking onto her. She could have sworn his lips pulled into a smirk upon seeing her.

"Gotta hand it to matchmaking for pairing us up again," she started nonchalantly.

He returned her statement with a soft chuckle, "I guess so."

Their conversation drifted into comfortable silence, before the loud opening of the dropship panel erupted throughout the aircraft. Turning their attention to the open winds of the outdoors, Crypto and Wraith walked alongside each other, jumping out of the ship at Bloodhound's commands.

It all seemed so mundane at this point- jump, fall, fight. Feeling the soft grass hit her feet, Wraith quickly began to run into different buildings, looting its guns and armor. She picked up a p2020, a level one shield, and a frag. Not the best, but it'd have to do for now. Swiftly running out the door, she found herself face to face with another squad. She watched as their attention turned to fix on her position.