Blue Skies Prompt #4: Hot Therum Nights (Mass Effect)
Title: Hot Therum Nights
Author: fifmeister
Prompt: #4 - "If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance."
Fandom: Mass Effect
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Liara, Feron, with hints of Liara/Feron. And a cameo appearance from the adorable info drone.
Genre: Pre-romance, I guess?
Rating & Warnings: G. Spoilers for the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC.
Word Count: 990
Summary: Liara feels homesick, and Feron takes it upon himself to help.
Notes: There actually isn't all that much romance in this fic, so I guess I kind of fail at the prompt. But this is pretty much my first attempt at writing either of these characters, let alone together, so I didn't want to go overboard. lolwhatamidoing.
Liara was doing the foot-stomping dance again.
Feron looked over to where the asari sat at her desk, her eyes glued to her monitor. Her arms were huddled close to her body, her feet tapping in something almost resembling a rhythm. She cupped her hands in front of her mouth and blew into them, flexing her fingers and rubbing her palms together.
She'd been performing the little routine off and on for the past several days. Feron doubted she even realized she was doing it.
He rose and crossed the room, coming to a stop at her desk. "Cold?"
Liara jumped at the sound of his voice, tearing her gaze from the monitor and rubbing the heel of her hand against one eye. Feron recognized the signs of someone who'd been staring at a screen for far too long.
"Oh," she said, blinking at him for a long moment. Feron watched her patiently, waiting for her to pull herself out of whatever engrossing information trail she'd been following. "Ah, yes-yes, I am a little chilly. How did you know?"
He grinned. "Call it a hunch."
She gave a little sigh and leaned back in her chair. "All this information is fascinating, but it has been difficult, getting used to...this." She waved a hand at the ship's gloomy interior. "Just looking at these gray walls is enough to make one's blood run cold. It makes me miss the places where I used to work."
"Your office on Illium was pretty nice, as I recall."
"Well, yes, but I meant even before that." Liara took a sip from a mug sitting near her computer, then grimaced and set it back down. "I don't know if you remember, but I used to be an archaeologist."
She paused, face flushing a delicate purple as her words belatedly registered in her brain. "Oh, Goddess, I just realized how foolish that was. 'I don't know if you remember.' What a silly thing to say to a drell!"
Feron laughed, realizing with a start that it was the first time he'd done so in recent memory. "It's all right. You're not the first person to say something like that, and most people don't even catch themselves."
She shot him a grateful smile beneath her lashes, the expression lingering a moment before she coughed, pulling her gaze away. "Um, yes. What was I saying? Oh-of course, I used to be an archaeologist. I traveled to so many distant, deserted worlds where it was just me and the Prothean ruins, surrounded by nothing but miles and miles of nature and sky." She sighed, her expression growing distant. "The very last site I ever excavated was on a planet called Therum. It was the complete opposite of this place-all warmth and red soil everywhere you looked."
Feron activated his omni-tool, accessing the databanks and pulling up the file on Therum. A rocky, barren volcanic planet turned slowly on its axis before him, and he made a face. "You're feeling nostalgic for this?"
His tone was teasing, but Liara blushed again even as she sent him a mock scowl. "All right, so it may not have been the most hospitable planet I ever excavated, but...well, like I said, it was the last one. I'll always remember it. And even a hot, dusty planet like that one was better than living on a spaceship. It's just hard to look up and never see sky." She shivered, rubbing at her arms again, then gave him an apologetic look. "I should get back to work."
"No problem." He pushed himself off her desk. "I should, too."
He ambled across the room toward the area he'd claimed as his workstation, where the info drone hovered like an overeager pet anxious for its master's approval. Feron eyed it for a moment, then gave a resigned sigh.
"All right, secretary. I finally have an assignment for you."
The drone responded instantly, almost bounding toward him. "How may I assist you, Shadow Broker?"
He sighed again.
* * *
Liara released a long breath, letting her eyes slide closed, still seeing endless paragraphs of information scrolling along on the inside of her eyelids. She felt her shoulders relax, drooping forward, and her foot tapped a lazy pattern on the leg of her chair.
She felt drowsy and peaceful and warm. If she wasn't careful she was going to fall asleep at her desk again, lulled by the warmth and the sounds of wind and far-off animal calls...
She frowned.
Animals?
Her eyes popped open, and she looked around. For a moment, she could have sworn she was back at one of her excavation sites, with a breeze on her face and grit under her fingernails, but her quick scan of the room revealed nothing but the dark gray walls of the Shadow Broker's vessel.
Yet it was warmer, and unless she had completely lost her mind, she could hear bird calls coming from the room's corners and ceiling.
She rose, stumbling out of her chair and toward the workstation on the other end of the room. "Feron?"
The drell looked up, a quick grin crossing his face as she approached. "Hey, Liara. Feeling any better?"
"Yes, actually." She gestured at nothing in particular. "Did you...?"
He shrugged. "I know it's not as good as looking up and seeing sky, but I figured the ship had to have temperature controls and a decent sound system. The drone was happy enough to lead me right to them."
"I am ready to assist in any capacity, Shadow Broker!" the drone piped up helpfully.
"Oh, Feron." She clasped her hands. "You...thank you."
He shuffled his feet, looking embarrassed. "Fiddling with a couple of controls was the least I could do, but you're welcome." He gave her a sidelong smile. "Give me a little time and maybe I can haul some dirt in here for you to sift through, if that'll make you feel more at home."
Liara laughed. "I don't think that will be necessary, but I appreciate the thought. Truly, Feron, I am grateful. It's been a bit overwhelming with all these new responsibilities and some days I think I would lose my head if it weren't attached, and I just...thank you."
He looked at her a long moment before he reached out, almost tentatively, to cover her hand with his own. "Any time, Liara."
She squeezed his fingers, and felt a warmth in her chest that had nothing to do with the ship's temperature controls.
Author: fifmeister
Prompt: #4 - "If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance."
Fandom: Mass Effect
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Liara, Feron, with hints of Liara/Feron. And a cameo appearance from the adorable info drone.
Genre: Pre-romance, I guess?
Rating & Warnings: G. Spoilers for the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC.
Word Count: 990
Summary: Liara feels homesick, and Feron takes it upon himself to help.
Notes: There actually isn't all that much romance in this fic, so I guess I kind of fail at the prompt. But this is pretty much my first attempt at writing either of these characters, let alone together, so I didn't want to go overboard. lolwhatamidoing.
Liara was doing the foot-stomping dance again.
Feron looked over to where the asari sat at her desk, her eyes glued to her monitor. Her arms were huddled close to her body, her feet tapping in something almost resembling a rhythm. She cupped her hands in front of her mouth and blew into them, flexing her fingers and rubbing her palms together.
She'd been performing the little routine off and on for the past several days. Feron doubted she even realized she was doing it.
He rose and crossed the room, coming to a stop at her desk. "Cold?"
Liara jumped at the sound of his voice, tearing her gaze from the monitor and rubbing the heel of her hand against one eye. Feron recognized the signs of someone who'd been staring at a screen for far too long.
"Oh," she said, blinking at him for a long moment. Feron watched her patiently, waiting for her to pull herself out of whatever engrossing information trail she'd been following. "Ah, yes-yes, I am a little chilly. How did you know?"
He grinned. "Call it a hunch."
She gave a little sigh and leaned back in her chair. "All this information is fascinating, but it has been difficult, getting used to...this." She waved a hand at the ship's gloomy interior. "Just looking at these gray walls is enough to make one's blood run cold. It makes me miss the places where I used to work."
"Your office on Illium was pretty nice, as I recall."
"Well, yes, but I meant even before that." Liara took a sip from a mug sitting near her computer, then grimaced and set it back down. "I don't know if you remember, but I used to be an archaeologist."
She paused, face flushing a delicate purple as her words belatedly registered in her brain. "Oh, Goddess, I just realized how foolish that was. 'I don't know if you remember.' What a silly thing to say to a drell!"
Feron laughed, realizing with a start that it was the first time he'd done so in recent memory. "It's all right. You're not the first person to say something like that, and most people don't even catch themselves."
She shot him a grateful smile beneath her lashes, the expression lingering a moment before she coughed, pulling her gaze away. "Um, yes. What was I saying? Oh-of course, I used to be an archaeologist. I traveled to so many distant, deserted worlds where it was just me and the Prothean ruins, surrounded by nothing but miles and miles of nature and sky." She sighed, her expression growing distant. "The very last site I ever excavated was on a planet called Therum. It was the complete opposite of this place-all warmth and red soil everywhere you looked."
Feron activated his omni-tool, accessing the databanks and pulling up the file on Therum. A rocky, barren volcanic planet turned slowly on its axis before him, and he made a face. "You're feeling nostalgic for this?"
His tone was teasing, but Liara blushed again even as she sent him a mock scowl. "All right, so it may not have been the most hospitable planet I ever excavated, but...well, like I said, it was the last one. I'll always remember it. And even a hot, dusty planet like that one was better than living on a spaceship. It's just hard to look up and never see sky." She shivered, rubbing at her arms again, then gave him an apologetic look. "I should get back to work."
"No problem." He pushed himself off her desk. "I should, too."
He ambled across the room toward the area he'd claimed as his workstation, where the info drone hovered like an overeager pet anxious for its master's approval. Feron eyed it for a moment, then gave a resigned sigh.
"All right, secretary. I finally have an assignment for you."
The drone responded instantly, almost bounding toward him. "How may I assist you, Shadow Broker?"
He sighed again.
* * *
Liara released a long breath, letting her eyes slide closed, still seeing endless paragraphs of information scrolling along on the inside of her eyelids. She felt her shoulders relax, drooping forward, and her foot tapped a lazy pattern on the leg of her chair.
She felt drowsy and peaceful and warm. If she wasn't careful she was going to fall asleep at her desk again, lulled by the warmth and the sounds of wind and far-off animal calls...
She frowned.
Animals?
Her eyes popped open, and she looked around. For a moment, she could have sworn she was back at one of her excavation sites, with a breeze on her face and grit under her fingernails, but her quick scan of the room revealed nothing but the dark gray walls of the Shadow Broker's vessel.
Yet it was warmer, and unless she had completely lost her mind, she could hear bird calls coming from the room's corners and ceiling.
She rose, stumbling out of her chair and toward the workstation on the other end of the room. "Feron?"
The drell looked up, a quick grin crossing his face as she approached. "Hey, Liara. Feeling any better?"
"Yes, actually." She gestured at nothing in particular. "Did you...?"
He shrugged. "I know it's not as good as looking up and seeing sky, but I figured the ship had to have temperature controls and a decent sound system. The drone was happy enough to lead me right to them."
"I am ready to assist in any capacity, Shadow Broker!" the drone piped up helpfully.
"Oh, Feron." She clasped her hands. "You...thank you."
He shuffled his feet, looking embarrassed. "Fiddling with a couple of controls was the least I could do, but you're welcome." He gave her a sidelong smile. "Give me a little time and maybe I can haul some dirt in here for you to sift through, if that'll make you feel more at home."
Liara laughed. "I don't think that will be necessary, but I appreciate the thought. Truly, Feron, I am grateful. It's been a bit overwhelming with all these new responsibilities and some days I think I would lose my head if it weren't attached, and I just...thank you."
He looked at her a long moment before he reached out, almost tentatively, to cover her hand with his own. "Any time, Liara."
She squeezed his fingers, and felt a warmth in her chest that had nothing to do with the ship's temperature controls.