Is it worth it?

Disclaimer: I don't pretend to own Halo or Bungie's characters. I just pretend the storyline took a different route.

A/N: Caution. Slight yaoi lemon ahead. You've been warned.
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The truce would last however long it took for both ships to escape the planet. Unfortunately for both parties, their respective ships had much repairs that needed to be done. The air between the Renegade and Covenant became more and more strained as the hours passed.

The Brute leader slammed his fist on his armrest, eyes narrowed as he demanded, "WHAT?"

"I-I beg your pardon..." The quivering jackal squawked, "But... the damage the D-demon and Arbi-arbiter have done to-to the uh... the ship will require a whole day at least-"

"A WHOLE day?!" Raido exclaimed, arm swiping out to knock the smaller Covenant off his feet and across the room.

Another jackal ducked as his comrade slammed into the wall behind him, sliding ungraciously to the floor.

"I can't stand another MINUTE of this TRUCE with those damnable RENEGADES!" Raido ranted, pushing off from his chair to pace angrily back and forth, "And the DEMON... death would be too easy for that one..."

;-;

Ghlariknee looked up, startled as the door to his cabin whooshed open.

Master Chief was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed as he stated, "We need to talk."

Stiff, Ghlariknee turned his back on the Demon as he returned to polishing his armor, "There is nothing to be talked about."

The red Sanghelli heard the door closed, but he had a feeling the Demon was still standing behind him. When it was clear the other would not leave, Ghlariknee sighed as he continued, "You were not in your right mind. The mist-"

"May have been the main problem, but I still feel as if I've done something horribly... wrong." Master Chief had taken a step forward, only to stop himself in his tracks as he saw Ghlariknee tense. The Sanghelli still did not trust him, not even after the battle. With a defeated sigh, the Spartan walked a few step backwards, not stopping until his back had made contact with the furthest wall.

Interpreting the Demon's movement accurately, Ghlariknee let out a defeated sigh of his own, "It is not... Demon, it is not that I blame you. It is simply that..." But the red Sanghelli could not bring himself to finish the sentence. Instead, his thoughts trailed out in his mind, 'It is simply that I wish...'

Ghlariknee imagined the Demon's hands travelling over his skin. He shivered.

'...that I wish...'

He remembered how it felt when the Demon's mouth had been on his own. Hot. Demanding.

'I wish to complete the Sacred Acts with you.'

Ghlariknee blinked, startled, as the thought revealed itself to him. He had not felt such a need since... since the Arbiter had-

"Simply... what?" The Spartan asked, bothered by the silence and by the whole matter that he felt... so confused about.

Unlike all humans, the Spartan had never felt such a feeling as love or its companion... lust. The augmentations had ensured that he and all the rest of his Spartan comrades were never hindered by such feelings in the battlefield. They were to be objective. Obeying. They were to be the perfect soldiers.

Perfect soldiers led by... less than perfect leaders.

However, the event that had occurred in the Purification Chambers changed all that. He was starting to FEEL things. Things that he had never felt before. And he didn't know what to do about it.

(--What's the plan, exactly?--) Cortana whispered inquiringly.

'To right my wrongs.' Master Chief replied with his thoughts.

(--And then what? What do you expect after you manage to get your apology out there?--)

'Uh... we'll see where it goes from there.'

(--...--)

'...what?'

(--That's IT? THAT'S the plan?--)

Master Chief scowled as he heard the A.I.'s laughter fill his head. Why was she finding this so funny? 'It's not like this is an everyday occurance.' He snapped.

Cortana was too busy laughing to get out a reply.

"It is simply..." Ghlariknee sighed, abandoning the polish and the armor in his hands. Wearily, he shifted on the edge of his bed, turning around to face the Demon in his room, "Look... why have you come here?"

"Well, you see... it's just that, uh..." Master Chief stumbled over his words. Damn, he just wasn't good with this sort of thing. The Spartan could face hordes of flood, Covenant, and even that strange mist creature. He could rush headlong into battle, defending comrades and country, without a single bat of an eye. But against matters dealing with... FEELINGS... he just didn't... he couldn't... he felt like he would never understand ANY of it. He was so nervous he even found himself scratching his head just to give his fiddling hands something to do.

And on top of all that, Ghlariknee was starting to give him a strange look. How long had the Chief not said anything?

(--Say something, you big dolt.--) Cortana gave him a mental kick for good measure.

"Shut up." The Spartan growled.

Ghlariknee raised a brow ridge, his look one of disbelief. The Demon... had come all the way over here... to say THAT?

Realizing what he had just said aloud, the Chief raised his hands apologetically, quickly saying, "No. No, not you. I'm uh, sorry. I was talking to Cortana with that last one."

Master Chief sighed, exasperrated. This was getting him nowhere.

Ghlariknee just sat there, waiting for an explanation. He was too befuddled by the recent events to really even try to wonder what the Chief was getting at. So he just waited.

Before an uncomfortable silence could settle, the door to Ghlariknee's room whooshed open once again.

"May I enter?" The Arbiter inquired, not hesitating after the red Sanghelli's nod of assent.

But the moment the cobalt Sanghelli caught sight of the Demon, he tensed. Eyes narrowing as he examined the situation, the Arbiter was reluctant to conclude that the Demon HADN'T been stirring up any trouble with Ghlariknee. So he attempted to erase any scorn from his voice as he demanded of the Demon, "What are YOU doing here."

Master Chief had stiffened the moment the Arbiter had entered, though he wasn't quite sure why.

(--Is it just me, or does he seem to not LIKE you?--) Cortana commented quietly, sarcasm filling her tone.

'I don't know who shoved a stick up his ass, but I sure as hell am not staying here if I have a choice.' Master Chief replied to her in thought, his eyes on the Arbiter the whole time.

"I was just leaving." Master Chief's tone was clipped as he made his way past the Arbiter.

"Wait, what were you going to tell me?" Ghlariknee asked, finding himself halfway across the room before he had realized he was standing.

Half- turning, the Chief replied, his tone devoid of the coldness that had filled it when he talked to the Arbiter, "I'll tell you later."

"Why not tell him now?" The Arbiter asked, draping an arm so he could lean casually against the doorway, effectively blocking the Spartan's escape route.

The Chief's eyes hardened as he glared at the cobalt Sanghelli. As much as he wanted to punch that smug look right off the Arbiter's face, the Chief knew that would be pushing his alliance with the Renegades just a bit. Besides, it wouldn't help any to get him on good terms with the red Sanghelli behind him.

Instead, without another word to either of the Sanghelli, the Spartan rudely shoved past the Arbiter and stalked down the hallway. The Sanghelli didn't say anything immediately after his exit, but he could feel their eyes burning into his back.

;-;

Master Chief found himself in the Renegades training room hours later, his breath ragged as he doggedly continued striking something that resembled a punching bag.

'Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.' He berated himself with each blow he delivered to the inanimate object.

Why hadn't he just said it. It's simple. Three little words.

I am sorry.

Maybe it was the fact that that simple apology would not be enough. What else could he do to make things right? He wished he could just rewind the fabric of time itself. Erase that moment. Redo it.

Right. Rewind time.

--Reality bites, doesn't it, Chief?--

The Spartan grunted in reply, brushing sweat off his forehead as he sprinted off towards the Renegade's obstacle course.

--Don't pretend you don't regret not telling him.-- Cortana said matter-of-factly.

"Don't try to lecture me." Master Chief growled lightly back, performing a series of twists and tumbles to get through the obstacle course's intricate curves.

--I'm JUST saying...--

The Spartan tried ignoring her. But his conscience wouldn't let him. Besides, his persistant recollection of the earlier events wouldn't allow him much concentration. After a while, the Spartan receded, "All right. ALL RIGHT. I'll go and try talking to him again."

--Don't try. DO.-- Cortana said, a smirk to her voice.

Perceiving that her good deed for the day was done, Cortana concentrated on organizing files that had become... messy since her absence.

In the meantime, the Chief was grumbling the whole way back to Ghlariknee's door. "I can't believe she talked me into this..." Were the last, muttered words out of his mouth before the door whooshed open.

And that is when the Spartan recieved one of the biggest shocks of his lifetime.

John wasn't sure what hit him first. The warmth of the room or the groans of the occupants within it. But nevertheless, his eyes only grew wider as his vision confirmed what his mind tried its hardest to deny.

There, tangled up in the sheets of Ghlariknee's bed, were the Arbiter and Ghlariknee himself. And they weren't having a slumber party...

"Nnngghhh..." Ghlariknee partially moaned, his naked sweat-drenched form pressed deep into the bed's covers.

The Arbiter was breathing hard, his arms trembling slightly as he held his torso mere inches from the younger Sanghelli's toned chest. With a grunt of effort, the cobalt Sanghelli flexed his thighs and shoved himself deep inside of Ghlariknee. The pleasure was so great neither of the two could hold back their gratified cries. The Arbiter wanted nothing more than to pound into Ghlariknee's tight little entrance. And truth be told, Ghlariknee wanted nothing else.

Master Chief stood rooted to the stop, jaw gaping as the two continued their heated acts, oblivious to his presence. He found that his mouth was suddenly dry and his throat seemed to be devoid of any moisture as well. As he continued staring at the sweat-slickened forms, all he could do was swallow. And he swallowed hard.

'I must be having a nightmare.' The Spartan thought to himself, wanting to bash his head to wake himself up. But somehow, he realized that would do nothing more than add another bruise to his sore body.

'Move.' He told his legs. But for some reason the message wasn't being sent to his muscles, 'MOVE.'

Just as they were reaching their peak, the Arbiter happened to glance up. His eyes, glazed with lust, locked with the Master Chief's. Once John realized the Sanghelli had recognized him, the Spartan figured the Arbiter would have somehow lost his drive and fall back into that glare that was reserved especially for him. But the Spartan couldn't have been more wrong.

Eyes widening as he noticed the Demon standing there, the Arbiter only had to think how he must have been watching the whole time and...

The Arbiter, filled with much astonishment, came harder than he had ever come before.

In an instant, Master Chief tore out of the room like the flood was on his heels. As the door whooshed shut behind him, the Chief halting to lean against the wall and start breathing again, the Spartan couldn't help but hear the heart-filled cries of sated pleasure. Had he just... Did he just...??? But no. The Spartan must have been seeing things. The Arbiter hadn't actually been LOOKING at him as he came.

....Had he???

No. The Chief shook his head, trying to get his racing heart to slow down. But try as he might, he couldn't easily shake out the images of the sexual acts the two Sanghelli had been performing in there. And the Arbiter had LOOKED at hi-

'No.' The Spartan shook his head. The cobalt Sanghelli could NOT have been looking at him. The Master Chief had NOT just made the Arbiter come just by standing there. No. It was impossible. Both hated the others' guts.

"I did not just see that." The Chief said as he slowly, but surely, started to walk away, "Yes, that's it. It just... never happened. I didn't see ANYTHING."

When he was far away enough, the Spartan started sprinting. He needed to get back to the training room and work off all the tension he was suddenly feeling.

Strangely, Cortana remained silent.

;-;

As his breathing returned to near normal levels, the Arbiter felt Ghlariknee staring at him.

Turning to his lover, the Arbiter inquired softly, "What is it?"

"That's just what I was about to ask you."

"What do you mean?" The Arbiter replied, confused.

"What happened?" Ghlariknee asked, his voice murmuring.

The Arbiter returned with a smart quipp and a grin, "Why, the Sacred Acts, of course."

"No. What HAPPENED?" Ghlariknee pressed.

As he stared into the other's eyes, the Arbiter knew he could not lie. Not to Ghlariknee. He wasn't sure if he had EVER been able to lie to Ghlariknee. The other Sanghelli was just so...

'I can't... I just can't lie to him.' The Arbiter admitted to himself with a sigh.

"The... the Demon was here, while we were..." The Arbiter trailed off, knowing the repurcussions of the Demon's presence. But he could not lie.

"The Demon was HERE?" Ghlariknee's eyes widened, his arm enveloping the whole room with a wave as he continued, "WHILE we were... while we were in the middle of-"

Jaw set in a grim line, the Arbiter nodded.

He couldn't help remembering the exact moment he had noticed the Demon. It was while he was pounding deeper into Ghlariknee. For some odd reason, the Arbiter just KNEW the precise moment the Demon had entered. It had been right before the cobalt Sanghelli was about to enter the ever-ready Ghlariknee. And yet... he hadn't been deterred at all.

Rather, the Arbiter began to realize, he just may have been turned on even MORE. The Sanghelli frowned at that thought. How in the high heavens had the Arbiter been aroused by THAT fool? But the fact was that he had. And his... performance... with Ghlariknee had increased pleasurably because of it.

And Ghlariknee had noticed.

Smiling in sated passion, Ghlariknee drew the scowling Arbiter closer, smoothing the other's grim expression with a kiss.

Pulling away, Ghlariknee looked into the Arbiter's eyes, "You know what that means... right?"

With a sigh, the Arbiter replied reluctantly, "... Yes..."

He felt slightly disappointed. But at the same time, he felt an odd surge of excitement.

If only the Demon knew the repurcussions of his actions...