Chapter Text
It was nice to see the Ghost sector of Tharsis lively again. The little lights the Guardian and his fireteam recovered from across the frontiers were settling in nicely. Learning how to contribute to the colony of the unpaired as they continued their searches. They’d reached out to Micah-10, and she was looking forward to meeting with them.
The fireteam’s Ghosts often swung by after the jobs were done for the day. Not to brag about having found their chosen, but to socialize and offer their advice. The years Blue spent with Drifter were longer than their Guardians’ ages combined. Sometimes she wanted to point out they weren’t exactly very good at finding their Risen themselves, for how long it took them to do so.
She floated in, catching the tail end of a conversation. One of the unpaired, gushing about what he’d do when he finally found his. “I wish I had hands so I could hold them forever once I find them. I just know they’ll be so special.” The fireteam’s Ghosts nodded encouragingly. Blue could only roll her eye at the naivety. “And I’ll always tell them they’re doing a great job!”
“Nah,” she butted in, shaking her bulky shell to the side, “Spare the rod, spoil the Risen. You can’t coddle ‘em or they turn out all soft and mushy. Like that pulsatin’ shit on the back of an Ogre.”
Starmine’s Ghost scoffed. Flare. The queen bitch of all bitches. Blue still had no idea how that sweet little Golden Retriever of a heal bitch wound up with a Ghost like Flare. Or how the boys’ Ghosts tolerated her.
Flare’s shell oscillated around her, a dazzling array of colors rotating in sequence. She gleamed, well-polished, lovingly shined every day. Her cold cyan eye fell upon Blue, and she laughed in mockery. Then she returned her attention to the unpaired Ghosts fawning over her ornate shell. “Ignore Blue. In fact, do the opposite of whatever she says.”
“Ay, who the fu-”
“Everyone knows she screwed her Guardian up,” if Flare could smirk, she would. Instead she allowed her radiant flaps to twirl around her mesmerizingly. Showing off her fluidity.
Blue froze. Shook herself. “What? I didn’t do nothin’ of the sort. This is exactly how I rezzed him. Stubborn, obstinate, scared. Woke him up and the first thing he did was run in the other direction.”
“You’re proving her point, Blue. Blame him. It’s all his fault. Never yours.” G-Unit drifted over, beside his fireteammate. His shell boasted some of the most ridiculous subwoofers Blue had ever seen. She refused to accept any mods of the sort. Just. Absurd.
“A Ghost is supposed to uplift their chosen, not tear them down. Thank the Traveler he found Eris. Finally, someone to support him the way a Ghost should. But you never did.” Flare floated closer, extending one of her pulsing rainbow flaps to mockingly caress Blue’s new shell addition.
“Get outta here. I’ve always been there for him. He didn’t want a Ghost, and I stuck around anyway.” She’d always resurrected him. Dragged him back from death. Healed him. Stayed by him. Learned whatever he wanted her to. Did whatever he demanded. And received nothing in return. Not a ‘thank you,’ not a crumb of affection.
Flare, of all Ghosts, running her mouth. She was the rudest, nastiest alpha bitch anyone could ever come across. Her eye flickered in amusement, and Blue snapped. “Who the fuck you think you are, anyway? They don’t come more rotten than you. You think I screwed mine up, I ain’t got a fuckin’ clue how you haven’t given yours at least eight complexes. Flamin’ cu-”
The other drone laughed at her. They were all laughing at her, the fireteam’s Ghosts, surrounding her like a wolfpack closing in on a deer. The Guardian’s was silent, preferring to pityingly gaze at her.
“I have never turned my ire on my beautiful, precious, innocent little angel. Not once. No matter how many times she died when she was learning to use her gift. I figured out how to hide better to resurrect her unseen and encouraged her that each death was a learning experience. My beloved cinnamon roll came to know cruelty from the rest of the universe, and I was her safe haven. Something you will never be.” The chuckles didn’t stop. Blue twitched, withering under Flare’s scrutiny.
Because deep down, she knew that bitch was right. Drifter had never been her coddled darling, swaddled in her Light. Cherished and lavished with affection and bolstering words. She’d never rubbed his back while she healed the slightest little boo-boo, told him he’d get it next time. That he did good this try.
The other Ghost turned away from her, addressing the unpaired ones again, “Shower your chosens in adoration and encouragement. You never know how far they can climb with your support.”
And Flare was right.
Blue didn’t know.