Archive of Our Own ^beta

The biggest surprise, when somebody finally figures out how to turn an exo frame into a ghost shell, is that nobody had figured it out sooner. Once you seat the ghost itself, the rest is all peripherals, just like any other ghost shell. It's complicated peripherals, of course, with a lot of moving parts, and so a lot of ghosts don't bother--much easier to live in your guardian's backpack and get on with the business of saving the world. But a few ghosts give it a try.

Crow is actually the one who brings it up. They're on an evening walk through the City, chatting quietly about their latest Vanguard mission, the sun casting long shadows through the buildings as the lights in homes and businesses start to flicker on. Another guardian is coming towards them on the sidewalk, and it takes a second for Glint (and Crow) to recognize the exo at her side for what it really is. Glint can't help but notice that the guardian and the exo, they're both smiling.

Glint can't help but notice that they're holding hands.

Crow goes quiet, watching the guardian and the exo. It's not until they've all passed each other that he speaks up. "I'd heard we could do that now! I'd been wondering how it worked."

"Pretty well, it looks like," Glint says, doing his best not to sound like he is almost vibrating out of his shell with excitement.

Crow glances over at him. "Is that...is that something you'd be interested in?"

"Gosh, imagine if I had a body!" There's a long pause, where Glint knows they're both imagining it. He wonders if Crow is imagining the same stuff he is; he panics a little, continuing, "I could punch Spider for real!"

A laugh escapes Crow, and he reaches out to gently knock his fingers against Glint's shell. "While I appreciate you defending my honor, you've done more than enough already."

Glint lets out an exaggerated harrumph. "Well. I think I'd still like to try it. Having a body, I mean." He hesitates for a moment, looking at Crow. "Is it something you'd be interested in?"

Crow grins, giving Glint a look that's both teasing and sincere. "I could be convinced."

There's a workshop in the City where they modify exo frames to be ghost-compatible, and Crow and Glint make their way out there on one of their days off. It's not until they're there that Glint starts to have second thoughts. "It's all just so much," he whispers to Crow as they make their way along the rows of tables filled with exo bodies. They'd just gotten in a fresh batch from Europa, the guy who runs the workshop had told them, and Crow and Glint can have their pick of the bunch.

"'So much' how?" Crow asks gently.

Glint's flaps spin nervously. "So much pressure, so much hassle. So much trouble to go through. So much glimmer."

"No more than what Tess Everis wants for some of her fancy shells."

"Yeah, and I don't ask you for those either!"

Crow shakes his head and laughs. "Look. If it's what you want, it's worth it, no matter the cost or the trouble."

"Really?!"

"Really." Glint floats down to rest in Crow's outstretched hands, and Crow pulls him close to his chest. "Really."

As they continue to peruse the exo bodies, looking for just the right one, Glint becomes aware of the way the man who runs the workshop is looking at them. It's similar to how they'd been looked at years ago, when the other guardians knew who Crow had been and still held it against him, but different in an unsettling way. "What's his problem?" Glint whispers, nudging Crow to look.

Crow looks, and after a moment he ducks his head with obvious embarrassment.

"What?"

"Pretty sure he thinks this is a weird sex thing for us," Crow mutters.

It's not a weird sex thing, Glint wants to protest, but given the strong blush that's still creeping purple up Crow's neck and across his cheeks, he is pretty sure this wouldn't be helpful. (He's not certain it is a sex thing at all, although he's also unsure it's not not a sex thing? Either way, it's not weird; everything else is a bridge they'll have to cross if and when they come to it.)

Eventually, they find the right body. It's male, in a similar shade of red as Glint's shell. It could charitably be called 'compact'; uncharitably, it is 'squat'. Glint's not sure if its face is handsome, or if that matters. The whole thing feels right, though, in a way Glint can't explain.

Crow smiles at him, and that feels just as right as ever.

The exo body, when Glint can finally bring himself to try it, is strange. The place where his little body is seated within the larger body is where a normal exo's eyes would be, a single eyeball looking out instead of two. It's hooked up to allow him to access the exo body's brain, which in turn allows him to access the rest of the exo body. For somebody who's used to fins and flaps, it is weird as heck.

Standing nearby, Crow looks nervous. He asks, "Did it work?" Which is a fair question, since Glint is so overwhelmed by the thing that he has not managed to move it or make any noise at all.

Glint stops and takes a metaphorical deep breath. He knows bodies, intimately--well, he knows a body intimately. He knows and is aware of every inch of Crow: every muscle, every bone, every organ and weird wiggly tube, every single circulating drop of blood. He knows how all the body's systems work together, knows how to fix them when problems arise. He just needs to take that knowledge and map it onto this body. How hard could it be?

"Hang on," he says.

Crow waits, and Glint gets to work.

He realizes afterwards that he probably should've warned Crow before he launched himself and the exo body at him for a hug. Crow is not prepared for him at all, for Glint to have control of the body or the size of the new body or the speed and force with which Glint propels it. They both go tumbling backwards onto the floor. Glint lands squarely on top of Crow, and something in Crow's body makes an unpleasant crunching noise.

"Look at you--you've had your own body for two seconds and already you're crashing around like a titan," Crow jokes weakly from below him.

"Oh no oh no," Glint wails. "I'll fix it, hold on." He is mortified. He is panicking. He is reaching out through the Light to see where Crow's injury is and how he can heal it, turning his attention from his own new body in his rush to help Crow.

"You could start by getting off me," Crow grits out. There's no anger in it, though Glint knows it would be justified. "I think I have a couple broken ribs."

"Right. Yes. Okay." Another metaphorical deep breath. Glint maneuvers the exo body to its feet, extends a hand down and pulls Crow up off the floor. Once they're both relatively stable, then he reaches out and heals Crow, knits his ribs back together, fixes every bump and bruise.

"Thanks." Crow dusts himself off and smiles at Glint.

"I'm so sorry," Glint says, making a face--and that's weird too, being able to make a face, even having a face.

"It's okay," Crow says. "So, you have it figured out?"

Glint shrugs. "I think so? Yeah, I think so."

Crow raises a hand and waves at him. Glint mirrors the movement, relishing each waggling finger and the way Crow's face splits into a grin. Crow reaches out to him, takes Glint's hands in his and pulls him close.

"Hi," Crow says, ever so softly.

"Hi," Glint echoes. Carefully, he raises Crow's hand to his new mouth and kisses it.

Crow exhales, surprise and delight and palpable relief playing across his face. "I wasn't sure if you..."

"I'm yours, Crow, in every way I can be." Glint meets Crow's eyes. "You know that."

"I know," Crow says, smiling, and then he takes Glint's face in his hands and kisses him.

Glint hasn't let himself think about wanting this, about how much he's wanted this, but it turns out he has wanted this so much. So many parts of him are stirring that he's never contemplated before. He is overwhelmed and he loves it. He kisses Crow back, kisses him and kisses him, kisses him until he can feel through the Light that Crow needs to breathe--his lungs are starting to burn. Even then, Glint is the one who pulls away; Crow chases after him for one last kiss before he stands back, breathing hard.

"I'm yours, Glint," Crow says, gazing at him fondly.

"I know," Glint says, smiling.

This, of course, is exactly when Crow's comm goes off. His presence is needed at an impromptu Vanguard meeting, and Crow promises that he'll be there just as soon as he can.

He and Glint look at each other, neither one wanting to go.

"I probably shouldn't take this out in the field," Glint admits. "We're both much safer when I can fit in your backpack."

"Right, of course." There's a wistful note in Crow's voice, and Glint reaches out to hold his hand.

"It'll be here when we get back."

Crow squeezes his hand. "You'll be with me--what more could I ever need?"

Glint sits the exo body down on the sofa and transfers back to his usual shell. He wiggles each flap and fin, reorienting himself; it must look a little silly, because Crow chuckles as he watches.

Feeling bold, Glint bumps his shell against Crow's lips once more before settling into his usual spot in Crow's hood. Crow reaches back to rub his knuckles against Glint's shell affectionately. Everything has changed and nothing has, and Glint hopes that Crow can tell that he's still smiling.