Work Text:
One year later...
“You’re staring.”
Carter cocked his head to one side, smiled at her. “Do you have a problem with that?”
Artemis responded by punching his bicep, eliciting a laugh from her partner.
“I’ll take that as a no, then.” A cheeky glint brightened his eyes.
“You’re such a sap.” Artemis gave him a shove, pushing him down onto the sand, and yelped when he pulled her down on top of him. “Hey! You asshole!” Not that she was really complaining. Her perch was very comfortable, after all.
“Yeah, but you like it when I do stuff like this.” The cocky half-grin almost had her punching him again. Almost.
Instead, she laughed and buried her face into his chest, before rolling off him to settle into the sand beside him. “You know me so well.” she remarked, amused but also half-serious. She settled against his flank, resting her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her waist.
It was almost instinctual, the way they gravitated towards one another, and rotated around one another. Like a planet and its satellite. He pushed, she pulled; she twisted, he turned; she took offense, he went on defense. It was harmonious synchronicity. Poetry in motion. That was simply how well they had come to know one another, as time had worn on. It was not even on the same base level as most Spartan pairs. Theirs was more an intimate dance, of knowing one another’s thoughts before either of them had said a word, of filling in the gaps where the other left off.
It had worked so well for them, over the past year.
But now, things were changing. Humanity was settling into a new rhythm, a new routine. The UNSC had new tasks for its remaining Spartans. Most of their active-duty brethren were out mopping up factions, way out in the fringes of the galaxy, or dealing with the Insurrection, closer to home.
Their own new role was to recruit, and later train, the next generation of armoured warriors. Dubbed the SPARTAN-IV Program, it was spearheaded by none other than a Spartan-II washout, Musa-096, or Rear Admiral Ghanem, as he was better known.
Artemis and Carter had begun to find their footing, in their new roles, and the impact it had had on their lives — both personally, and professionally.
They had worked hard, had worked tirelessly, and worked diligently. So much so that Rear Admiral Ghanem had all but ordered them to take some time off, go on shore leave. He’d told them, with a wink and a smile, that they’d earned it. Told them that they’d worked plenty hard enough over the course of their long careers. He wanted to give them a break to ensure that they didn’t burn themselves out.
Thus far, their vacation in one of the many beach towns of New South Wales, had worked like a charm.
Mostly.
There was still one thing that Artemis had been putting off. The problem was, she didn’t entirely know how to go about broaching the subject. It wasn’t something that she could take lightly, after all.
A sigh breezed past her lips, and she curled her toes into the sand, still warm from the heat of the day.
“Things are changing for me... Some of them faster than I could ever anticipate.”
Artemis stared out at the water, stretching far, far beyond the horizon, farther than her eyes could see. The moon shone upon the waves, gilding them in silver. The stars overhead twinkled, cool and bright. It was picturesque; ethereal, even.
Enchanting.
Carter’s hand slid into hers, palm warm and calloused. She rubbed her thumb over the rough-skinned knuckles, and sighed again.
“How so?” His voice was no more than a gentle rumble. Soothing, and a sound that she could appreciate.
She ducked her head, although whether out of shyness or shame, she could not tell. Her eyelids fluttered closed, and she sighed a third time. There would be no easier way to tell him other than getting straight to the point, she supposed. Beating around the bush was just a waste of time, after all.
“Well, I’m...” She worried her lower lip between her teeth. “Pregnant.”
“What?”
And then his mouth was on hers, greedy and demanding. He pushed her onto her back in the sand, not rough, not forceful, just insistent. She laughed into his mouth, surprised and relieved and confused.
“Something wrong?” she questioned, when he finally came up for air.
“No—” He paused. “I love you.” His voice lowered, deepened. “I love you.” He kissed her again.
“Sap,” she reminded him teasingly, and his mouth curled into that slow, lazy grin that she loved so much.
“Your sap.” he corrected, and she laughed again, flipping them over to sprawl out on top of him.
“Damn right.” She lowered her head to rest on one broad shoulder, and sighed, this time contentedly. It hadn’t been as difficult as she had thought it would be, to get those words out. To tell him how their lives were going to change yet again, and this time in a big way. Safe to say, she was relieved it had been as simple as telling him straightforward.
Carter nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, wrapping his arms around her. Being like this, just the two of them, without a care in the world... It was so surreal, and so freeing. She hoped it would never go away.
She closed her eyes, basking in his scent, his warmth.
“You know... I’m glad I have you next to me, for the rest of my life. There’s no better partner I could ask for than you.” she murmured, and felt the vibrations through his chest as he hummed his agreement.
Peace.
That was what she felt.
Peace, security, the warmth of home.
“I love you, Carter Lothal Harkness.” As Artemis whispered the words, she felt the stirring of life within her for the first time, which was a surprise to her — but not an unwelcome one.
This was met with a deep, rumbling burst of laughter, followed by Carter kissing her on the forehead, the joy like a bright spark in his blue eyes. “I felt that,” he confessed, and his happiness burned brighter than the warmth of Sol. His arms tightened around her, and he pressed his cheek against her own. “I love you too, Artemis Arcturus Katona.”