GhostInTheMargins
When you are reassigned to work under Master Chief, you expect another chain of command to push against. Instead you find a Spartan who matches your strength, studies your decisions, and sees through the walls you built years ago. John 117 is composed where you are sharp, steady where you are stubborn, and impossible to ignore.
War spreads across the galaxy and missions grow more dangerous, yet something begins to shift between you and the Chief. It is subtle at first. A glance held longer than necessary. A voice softening when the battlefield quiets. A connection forming between two soldiers who were never meant to feel anything beyond duty.
As you fight side by side, survival becomes only part of the story. The real battle is the one inside your armor. The struggle to maintain distance. The risk of caring for someone who understands you too well. Two Spartans are not supposed to fall in love, but the universe has never cared about what is forbidden.
Your fate and his will change with every mission. The question is how much you are willing to risk when your heart becomes part of the war.