Chapter Text
December 11th, 2800
It was cold. The kind of cold that wasn’t just felt but endured, clinging to skin and sinking into muscle. This was the first thing the Hunter always noticed when night came, the cold. Winter had claimed the Tower full force, and the mountains to the west offered little protection from the winds that whipped through the City.
By the time Sophia returned from her solo mission on the Moon, it was 3 AM. She exhaled slowly, trying to shed the weight of hours spent in darkness and combat. Missions like these had become routine. Too routine. She was always getting sent to the moon, and the Hunter couldn’t help but wonder if it was a jab at her because of the ‘Young Wolf’ title.
Silently grumbling, she sent her ship away from the hanger and hiked up to Prime Fire’s apartment. The Tower was nearly deserted at this hour, the stillness only broken by the occasional sound of boots on stone or the distant hum of machinery. There was a sparse amount of life around at this hour, the only people she passed were the postmaster and a pair of guards stationed near the main courtyard. Nodding at them absently she wrapped her arms around herself. The wind cut through her undersuit, sharp and biting until she summoned her helmet to block it out
Her footsteps echoed as she made her way through the Annex. The wind was picking up at this point, and snow fell in flurries, catching in the glow of the Tower’s lights. Everything was decorated for Dawning. Lights were strung up everywhere, banners fluttered lazily in the wind. While it looked cheerful during the day, everything almost had a haunted look at night.
By the time she reached the steps of the apartment complex, her chest felt heavy with a familiar dread. Her body moved automatically, her legs taking the stairs two at a time even as her mind screamed at her to stop. Sophia was not quite ready to be home again. When she reached the door, she hesitated. Her fingers hovered over Avery, her Ghost, for a fraction of a second before she gave the command to unlock it. The door clicked open with a soft hum, and she slipped inside, careful to close it quietly behind her.
The apartment greeted her with a familiar silence. She stood in the dark entryway for a moment, her breath fogging slightly as the warmth of the room met the cold clinging to her body. She flexed her fingers, feeling the ache of strain as she summoned her armor away, leaving only the black undersuit she wore beneath.
The material clung to her, still dusted with gray from the Moon’s surface and streaked with dried blood from a wound that had been healed hours ago. There was thankfully no one awake to greet and pester her.
The sight of the room greeted her as she came in. The couch against the left wall, and a shitty Golden Age TV facing it, something that Azul stole from some long-abandoned house and managed to fix somehow. Straight ahead, a sliding door led to the small patio, where the snow fell more heavily now, coating the glass in a thin layer of frost. To her right, the hallway branched off toward the kitchen and bedrooms.
She flipped on the light. casting the room in a soft yellow glow. Walking forward Sophia grabbed a random blanket from the couch and threw it over her shoulders like a makeshift cloak. The craving for a smoke was stronger than her desire to avoid the cold.
Sitting down in a chair on the patio, she pulled the blanket tighter around her as she lit a cigarette, the lighter sparking weakly in her trembling fingers. The first drag hit her lungs hard, the sharp taste grounding her in the present moment. Her thoughts however spiraled as they always did, dragging her back to the same guilt, the same questions she couldn’t answer. Scout wasn’t blind, she knew that she still felt guilt for her mother’s death, mingling with the lingering pain of her self-imposed separation from the clan.
She had been told countless times that she wasn’t the wrong person for the actions she did, running away from the clan. To be honest, what else were you supposed to do when the first people to give you any kind of attention, didn’t gawk at your face but instead allowed you into their home? But, how do you forgive yourself for the person you did not become? She came back, sure. Forgive and forget, but the Scout never forgave herself in the first place.
But then there was Sana.
She was the only one out of the Prime Fire clan that held a grudge. The flame that the gunslinger held against Sophia’s neck, caused her to fly away from all forms of communication with the clan for a long while. It took time for Sana to begin to grow closer to Sophia, and even then there was a 6-foot pole between the two for a bit.
But lately, things have changed. Sana had changed in a way that Sophia didn’t understand. The girl would listen almost intensely to her. She scheduled Sophia on the roster for Gambit, knowing that the Arcstrider wanted to play. Hell, the other Hunter even spent nights on random parts of the Sol Galaxy with Sophia, just so she wasn’t alone. Things like that meant everything to Sophia, there was no other way to describe it.
By the time the sun rose, painting the sky in soft blues and pinks, Sophia’s cigarette was just a burned-out stub between her fingers. Her body felt heavy with exhaustion, her limbs stiff as she stood from the chair. The Young Wolf put the other unused stolen cigarette from Corey’s hidden stash that isn’t as hidden as he thinks, shoving the bud in the bowl with the other dying sticks.
Inside, it was still but calm and quiet. A little after 5 AM, whoever was up or on early patrol or some other responsibility was long gone, having slipped out with Sophia noticing. Anyone else still home was asleep.
Only slightly ashamed of it, Sophia’s sleep schedule wasn’t the best. When she did sleep, her body was tired beyond even the essential function of being able to breathe. The Hunter laid down on the couch, sinking into the worn cushions. Lying on her back, Sophia stared up at the ceiling fan, its slow, hypnotic spin blurring in her vision until she could no longer keep her eyes open. Sleep claimed her quickly, her mind drifting into a deep, dreamless void.
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When Sophia finally stirred, the apartment was bathed in daylight, the soft warmth of the sun flooding the room through the sliding glass door. She allowed herself to slowly rise to be awake, no danger immediately being sensed. Shifting slightly and peering her eyes open, the first thing Sophia saw was Sana sitting at the other end of the couch by Sophia’s boots. The Gunslinger was softly talking to someone in her comms, eyes focused on something, not in this room.
Sophia’s gaze lingered, caught between surprise and the hazy remnants of sleep. She hadn’t expected anyone to be here, let alone Sana. She looked like she’d just come back from a mission. Wearing her full gear, well, everything but the helmet and gloves, a line of dirt was still on her cheek, and her armor was a bit scuffed.
And then she noticed it, a hand resting lightly on her ankle. Warm like fire, Sana’s thumb brushed in soft, rhythmic circles over the bone. The touch was steady, grounding, and disarming all at once.
The white-haired girl froze at this. The urge to move was just as strong as the fight to just stay there and let the soft heat continue.
Still having not noticed Sophia’s rose from slumber, her words finally came into focus and pulled her into the present. “Yeah, it’s the most annoying thing, Soul, I’m telling you. You think that a partnership with the factions would chill them out a bit, but I just got a message yesterday with one of them asking me to showcase yet another gun.”
Sana leaned her head back, black curls swaying from framing her face to cascading behind her shoulders. The Arcstrider watched every strand move, in an almost trance, as they fanned Sana’s profile on her face. A dark complexion that radiated the sunlight coming in through the glass door. Sophia’s breath hitched as the sunlight caught her features, highlighting the freckles across her cheeks and the faint creases near her nose as she smiled mid-conversation.
It was too much.
Cutting the thought off before they spiraled any further, Sophia sat up abruptly, curling into herself and pressing her back against the couch’s armrest. Her bangs fell forward, obscuring her eyes, but not the flush creeping across her cheeks. She fixed her gaze on the wall in front of her, trying desperately to ground herself in anything but the sight of Sana.
What in the Traveler’s name was she even thinking?
Sana’s voice faltered for a split second, and Sophia heard her quickly wrap up the comm call. The Gunslinger shifted, scooting closer. The Gunslinger’s voice was suddenly more intimate to her ears, the white-haired girl jumping slightly. “Are you ok, Scout? Sorry if I startled you,” the other girl said.
Sophia jumped straight up, taking a step away from the couch, trying to put distance between the two. She could feel the feeling of a blush scatter across her cheeks, ducking her head down.
Sana rose as well, her expression unreadable now as she closed the distance between them. “Sophia?”
The Hunter’s boots might as well have been glued to the floor. Every instinct screamed for her to move, to run, but her body refused to cooperate. Instead, she stood frozen, heart hammering in her chest as Sana stopped just a step away.
They were close. Too close.
She wasn’t used to this. The Young Wolf was used to running at the first sight of any trouble. She was used to her Light showcasing emotions, the Hunter always ran. So, when this developed right in front of her and all Sophia could do was stand there, she didn’t know what to do.
The curly-haired gal slowly moved closer to Sophia till they were standing head-to-head. Every move projected before they happened, she felt like a spooked animal. Scared of what was going to happen.
Something went through Sana’s head, the younger Scout could see that. They stood there in silence for a moment or two, all Sophia could hear was the rush of the City below them, and the sway of the other Hunter’s cloak with the fan.
Almost spacing out, Sophia never realized the slight height advantage Sana had over her. Where the white-haired girl had to tilt her head up to see others in the eyes, the other could just see everyone in the face correctly. Height usually didn’t bother the younger, but it did tend to be more noticeable in moments like these.
The Arcstrider shifted back and forth on her feet, trying to rub the sleep away from her eyes that rested like a heavy coat, the motion seemed to snap Sana out of her trance. Sophia wasn’t sure what the thought process was, hesitation, perhaps?
But Sana eventually took a step back and gave her a short smile. “You should probably get ready for the day,” she said gently, gesturing toward the hallway. “We’ve got a Crucible series later. Don’t want to keep Shaxx waiting.”
And with that, Sana turned, heading toward the door. She gave a casual wave as she left, the door shutting softly behind her.
Sophia stood there for a long moment, her pulse pounding in her ears, her thoughts a chaotic mess.
What on Earth was that?