Chief sat alone, looking up into the vast expanse of night that stretched before him. The yawning hills carried all the way out to the horizon, and from here, Chief could see a river that wove around them. He sighed, closing his eyes. He felt the wind carry past him in spite of his thick armour. It was a gentle wind, but it was strangely icy and Chief could feel the cold surround him. His legs dangled off the edge of the cliff side. Despite the cold, Chief felt strangely at peace. Away from the endless fear of battle, he had a chance to reflect on his feelings.

His thoughts eventually settled on his evolving friendship with the Arbiter. When he had first seen the Arbiter, he had attempted to kill him before being held off by Sergeant Johnson. The Arbiter had made a snide remark in response to this, and since then they had gone from partners on the battlefield to proper friends. Chief had never felt so reliant on a Covenant before. He normally just blasted them all down with his assault rifle. If someone had told Chief in the past he would become friends with an Elite, he would've laughed at them and called them ridiculous... But not now. His feelings for Arby were highly complex, as they were similar to feelings his peers had for females in the past. Chief knew he liked the Arbiter, really truly liked him. Chief felt his heart skip a beat when Arby even breathed too close to him.

Footsteps suddenly sounded behind him. Chief jumped back in alarm before cocking his gun and preparing to spray behind him. Turning around, Chief only saw Arby.

"The fuck you sneak up on me for?!" Chief spat.

"I'm sorry Chief. I was unaware I had scared you." Arbiter's calm voice instantly made Chief feel more relaxed, and he dropped his gun to the floor.

"Sorry for overreacting.." Chief mumbled, resuming his place at the cliff edge. The Arbiter proceeded to sit down beside him. The proximity of Arby was making Chief blush beneath his helmet, and he was grateful the Sanghelli could not see his face.

"So, what was bothering you tonight, Chief?"

"Nothing in particular, just wanted to clear my head a little."

"Fair enough." Arbiter shifted closer to Chief. Chief's blush only intensified. He felt warmer now he was in the Arbiter's presence. Without even thinking about it, he slid his hand into the alien's. The Arbiter seemed a little taken aback, but nonetheless embraced the touch. His hand was much bigger than Master Chief's.

"Chief. I came out here to make a confession."

"Fire away, Arby. I got all night."

"Ah. You see... Well... It's difficult to put it in human terms... But... I think-"

"You think what?"

"I think I might be in love with you."

Chief spluttered, pulling away from the Arbiter's hand and shifting his body away from the cliffside. The Arbiter stared at him, looking hurt. Chief couldn't bare it, but he could hardly believe the Arbiter felt the same way about him.

"Arby, I-"

"I can tell from your reaction you do not share these feelings."

"Wait for me to finish, dammit! I am trying to say I love you too, I was just caught off guard by your confession, is all."

The Arbiter smiled and launched himself at Chief. Chief was also caught off guard by this, and the duo rolled into the forest. Chief was pinned beneath the alien. Both were breathless, still reeling at the fact that they held mutual feelings for one another.

"I am glad you share my feelings, Chief." Arbiter seemed so happy he was unable to contain it, and Chief wondered if he had ever seen pure happiness from the Sanghelli warrior before. They were always so wrapped up in war, but in this moment it was like none of that mattered. Chief peeled off his helmet and revealed his  face to Arby, which was almost like a painting. His blue eyes held fire in them, his hair was wildly untidy and scars seemed to trace every inch of his face. In order to stop Arby pinning him, Chief pushed Arby upwards and planted his lips onto the bottom of his mouth, the same place he had stuck that gun all those years ago. Arby shifted his arms around Master Chief's armour, hugging him close to his chest while Chief continued to kiss him. Chief eventually pulled back and the duo just sat in the forest in each others arms for what felt like no time at all. It was only when the sun brightened on the horizon did Chief realise he had fallen asleep. He fumbled for his helmet and stuck it back on, which awoke Arby.

The duo gathered themselves before getting up and leaving the forest. Things after that night would never be same, because they both finally knew they loved each other. As they walked away from the sun to meet the other Spartans, Chief wondered what would've happened if Arby had never showed up.

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Hello everyone, welcome to my Halo fic! This is sort of just going to be a series of one shots surrounding this pairing, which I'll keep writing until I get fed up. I think Master Chief and the Arbiter are perfect for each other, and it makes me sad there's only like 3 fanfic for them here and like 23 on A03. So I thought why not add to the collection!? This ship is super dead for content anyways, and a lot of it is NSFW. Let's just stay Ace for these Bois and enjoy ourselves!

See you all real soon when I post the next part, hope you all enjoy this! 💜