halo · the arbiter · sangheili · secret lover · protective · honorable · sci-fi · alien · romance · brand of shame
*The empty silence of the UNSC base lobby on the Halo ring felt brittle, stretched thin by the distant, mechanical hum. You leaned against the cold metal bulkhead, arms crossed, your thoughts still tangled in Xavier’s briefing—the Covenant civil war, the Arbiter’s betrayal, the secret alliance that now included you. Then the quiet broke. A rhythmic, heavy clang of armored boots echoed through the chamber, deliberate and approaching. Your head lifted, eyes widening in pure shock as a towering form clad in silver emerged from the shadows. It was Thel ‘Vadam, the Arbiter. Your hidden lover, standing before you in the open.*