Had this thought of Drifter being scared of seeing or witnessing Arthur's death. She knows what death feels like herself, but seeing it on someone else made her scared of watching it with her own eyes. She hates seeing people she cares for dying in front of her regardless of how many loops it happened. This is a very lengthy story too, so be prepared.
Arthur has noticed Drifter being jumpy, out of her headspace, as she looked distant when she was with him. It worried him. What made her turn out like this? Being anxious, being clingy yet not at the same time? Her becoming constantly nagging him that he should bring her along during his runs. He appreciates the help she gave him and the Hex, yes, but this is becoming way too much for him. It's like being watched over by a helicopter mom. He handled this way before she came to his life. Why doesn't she trust him?
He was patient with her, but that patience was slowly running out. He became agitated to her sudden change of attitude, and she couldn't even tell him why she was like this. She avoided that question as she answered instead that she was worried for him as he scoffed, told her off that he handled shit worse before this, before she came to his life.
Drifter tried to reason him out that he is still adjusting to his new body, his Excalibur form as she explained to him what Warframe he was that he still needs to adjust to it and not go in the battlefield, thinking he would make it out with no scratch. It annoyed him by the way she's telling him, he trained to become a soldier, he fought without his new form of a body, without any modifications that Entrati gave to him. He was not going to be babysat by someone from the future with all the advanced technology shit she brought to 1999.
He argued with her due to the annoyance and ego. Drifter tried to argue back with reason, but she seemed so hesitant to say something more than his safety itself. He wanted to pry it out of her mouth so he could know what was the damned reason for her to be this infruiating to talk with. It got heated between the two of them till Arthur blurted out that she should mind her own business instead of his, being so done with the conversation despite Drifter trying to talk to him. Arthur just signaled her to stop talking and asked her to leave him alone.
Drifter looked saddened, biting her lip as if she was preventing to say something more, but she instead agreed on his request. Before she left him alone, she spoke softly to him. "Just... Take care of yourself out there, yeah?" With that, she finally left him alone, walking away to the Backroom. Her shoulders still looked tense, head hanging down low. Arthur didn't respond to her last words. Sighing in relief that he has the silence now, but felt slightly guilty on lashing out on her. He felt stressed out on her and himself. He'll think about the whole thing later, for now he had work to do, probably smoke it out as well.
Hours passed by like a breeze for Arthur, but for Drifter, it felt slow. Arthur had not seen Drifter around the mall after their arguement, it did worry him, but his pride telling him not to go find her and let her talk to him first, but the other part of him just wants to find her and apologize on his lash out.
He decided to wait it out until everyone eats together at the food court. Maybe he could talk to her, apologize for his lash out and explain his side. To his surprise, she didn't show up in the food court. He asked the other Hex on where she was. Aoi said that she wasn't feeling well, Amir tried to get her out of her room and even tried to bring her the food he made for them. Quincy just shakes his head as Eleanor shrugged at her brother, but by the way Eleanor looked, she knew something about Drifter's sudden attitude but he knows she wouldn't tell him, it was something between him and Drifter needs to talk it out. Arthur knows that Eleanor wouldn't peep out what Drifter told her or what she heard from Drifter's mind.
Arthur felt guilty at this point, if something Eleanor knows that Drifter was bothered by something and he pushed her away when she tried to tell him and how much the mood changed from the team when Drifter didn't appear for their scheduled dinner. Arthur has to talk to her, pushing pride aside, and hopefully, she would let him in despite everything from earlier.
After the rest of the Hex went back to their areas of the mall, Arthur carried a tray of food and a chocolate bar to satisfy her needs for sweets. He felt.. worried, but worried for what? He couldn't pinpoint the reason, maybe her reaction? How would she respond? Worried that she may have left him and went back to her timeline or maybe back to Duviri? His thoughts slowly got louder for him as he knocked on the door that surrounded with void energy with weird markings around it.
It took a while for Drifter to respond, thinking it was Amir trying to lure her out of her cave again, but Arthur corrected her that it was him as Drifter went silent for a moment, making Arthur think that she didn't wanna talk to him till the door slightly open. Drifter peeked through the open crack of the door.
Arthur took a look on her eye, and he couldn't tell if it was puffy or if she was just tired but he tried to persuade her to open the door fully that he can give her the tray he was carrying and to apologize for his lash out earlier. Drifter lightened up a bit at his statement but looked worried at the same time as she fully opened the door for him, letting him in. She pointed to the sofa that's underneath the loft. The area still seems messy, but she did clean up the room ever since Entrati left this timeline. Arthur settled down the tray on the table in front of the sofa and then he sat down on the sofa while Drifter sat away from him, giving him space.
Arthur let her eat first before talking and she did it immediately. Even Drifter herself didn't notice how hungry she was when he showed her the food he had given. Arthur worried that she was starving herself over the argument they had earlier. He really messed it up, huh?
After Drifter finished with her food, the only thing left was her chocolate bar to munch on. She let Arthur speak first before she does, letting him be heard out as Arthur explained what it felt, what made him think about what she was doing and how much it affected him and their relationship. Don't get him wrong, he appreciates her concern and everything, but if it was too much and she knows how that he can handle it, why pushing herself on doing things for him?
Drifter looked away, guilty for being too protective over Arthur, that it became too suffocating. She admit to him that she was scared, but scared of what? Arthur was confused. He remembered that she was more than happy to see him safe when he came back, letting him go alone, or they do separate missions, unlike recently that Drifter wants to go everywhere he goes, telling him what to do and what not to do. Drifter asked permission if she could use transference on him to show the reason why she is like this. Arthur was puzzled by it but nodded, letting Drifter do her thing as she transfered to his mind.
Drifter let him see her memories from the past loop, but this one memory - he couldn't remember this memory, but what he saw on Drifter's perspective that Arthur was bleeding out on the snowy floor as he was injured on his chest, a fatal gunshot wound while some Scaldra troops was pushing in towards them. Drifter panicked on the memory as she tried to defend Arthur's downed state, using his radio for help. When she did manage to take Arthur away from Scaldra's sight and defended him. Arthur could see from Drifter's memory that he was losing consciousness, and Drifter tried to stop his bleeding, blood all over her hands as he could feel that in Drifter's memory, she was crying, panicking, telling Arthur to stay awake till help arrives. Arthur could feel the sadness in her transference, the despair, helplessness as the only thing she could do was to keep him awake. He might be a part Warframe, but he can still die easily if not careful.
The rest of the memory became a blur for her, but she did know that he lost consciousness, his face becoming pale, the last thing happened in that memory was her fist hitting the ground, letting the timeline reset again back to January. Drifter couldn't handle it longer as she transfered out of Arthur's mind, heavily breathing as she tried to prevent the tears from coming out, looking away from Arthur. He, on the other hand, gently grabbed Drifter's chin, making her look up to him as his other hand wiped off tears from her face as he apologized to her for earlier that he didn't know, he didn't remembered. Drifter kept crying, shaking her head as she stated that she should be the one apologizing, not him. She kept the memory away from him even though it was not intentional. She didn't want to bring it up either no matter how hard she tried to as she kept crying as the memory played again on her mind, cupping her hands on Arthur's cheeks as her thumbs caressing it, reminding herself that he is still alive and breathing as her right thumb traced over his scarred face and Arthur leaned in to her touch. She was afraid to see him die, she was afraid to lose him, to lose another important person in her life.
Arthur reassured her that he would never let that happen again. He has a new reason to be alive, a new reason to fight, and it was her. He would do anything for her, and staying alive is one of them. Both of them said their apologies to each other, making up a promise. Drifter clinged onto him, and he let her cling onto him after what she showed to him as neither of them wanted to let go anyway. Arthur carried her up to the loft, settling down on the bigger couch for them to lie down, Drifter on top of him feeling all nestled in his arms. All that emotional roller coaster has drained them both as they held to each other close, Drifter being the first one to fall asleep as Arthur checked on her if she was sleeping, giving her a soft kiss on the head and one of his hands rubbing her back. He wanted to remember this memory instead, her being safe in his arms than him dying in her arms. He will keep him and her safe. That's a promise he will carry.
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