Fill: Matchmaking Protocol [8/?]
anonymous
March 21 2012, 16:14:33 UTC
He examines the scans, and EDI cannot categorize his expression. Her analysis of it is inconclusive. In most cases, EDI would be anticipating her programming engaging a positive feedback loop at the prospect of finding something new about Jeff, but the idea that she may have upset him is, to her approximations, unsettling.
"Look, it's not that I think Kaidan's a bad guy, or that the Commander can't take care of himself, I just-" Jeff says. His expression softens into one that EDI can identify as protective, "You know, back on the first Normandy, we had this running joke about one of them giving in and jumping the other. Ash kept saying we should start a betting pool, but with all the crazy stuff with Saren we never got around to it. Then the collectors destroyed the first Normandy."
He breaks off to stare at the scans before continuing, "Kaidan hasn't exactly been the poster boy for trying to understand the Commander's situation with Cerberus. I mean, Cerberus is creepy enough to make vorcha look cuddly, but the Commander? He's always been the Commander. I just can't help thinking there was a reason they never got together before that wasn't just Alliance regs. But hey, what do I know? I just fly the ship."
Jeff winks at her, and EDI marvels at the elasticity of organic expression. It seems she could study Jeff for his entire lifetime and not be able to catalogue all the nuances of his personality. The idea trips a positive feedback response in her programming. "Should I discontinue my efforts with Shepard and Major Alenko?"
"Nah. If Kaidan makes the Commander happy, then I guess can get behind that. Besides, why ruin a perfectly good opportunity for blackmail?" Jeff says and then cringes, "Just try not to encourage the public sex in the ship. Or at least don't tell me. I don't want to go down to the mess and know they've christened the surfaces or something,"
Considering his earlier reticence, this is an unexpected but pleasant turn of events. EDI considers her courses of action, and comes back to her initial conclusion about the effort, "Would you like to help, Jeff? Extranet sources are rarely reliable on matters of romance, and I have been have been compensating to the best of my abilities. My calculations suggest that my efforts would be at least thirty percent more effective with your input."
He makes no verbal response, but he pulls the elevator controls up on his console and makes the elevator travel down a foot with a shuddering jolt. Shepard's breathless swearing fills the bridge through the intercom a moment later.
Jeff grins. The expression triggers the strongest of EDI's positive feedback responses.
-
That's it for now. I'll try to get the next parts up faster. Please anticipate Joker's meddling and maybe even a tiny bit of conflict because the fill got plotty on me.
Re: Fill: Matchmaking Protocol [8/?]
anonymous
March 22 2012, 04:45:39 UTC
The wait is freaking worth it! I am so excited for more!
I love that you showed us a glimpse of how Kaidan and Shepard make each other's knees wobble and especially how you handled Kaidan's reaction with regards to recent events. It's something so Kaidan. Oh and thank you for that Spectre nod too.
I was actually quite nervous on how Jeff would react and I can't help but let out a sigh of relief that Jeff has come around. Plus, now EDI and Joker can team up and make this matchmaking even more eventful! Ugh, I love this fill. I love your EDI. I love your Kaidan and Shepard. I love it so freaking excited for more!
SO happy that you updated! Thank you so muuuuchhhh!!!
Fill: Matchmaking Protocol [10/?]
anonymous
April 4 2012, 23:11:22 UTC
The omnitool gives another violent buzz. Apparently, according to Kaidan's helpful John-stalker, he's in the war room which can only mean he's working.
Again.
Kaidan rubs at his face and goes to look for his shirt. When this is all over, he's going to find whoever is feeding him all of the information on John and hug them.
Or punch them. Whichever is more necessary. Hell, if Kaidan's feeling generous, he'll do both.
-
John is staring at the data pads lined up around the conference table. There's one for each of the groups they've picked up so far, streaming live status reports. He thinks for a moment that after all the twenty-first century efforts against pollution, he sure is using a hell of a lot of energy. And then he reminds himself that, well, none of that's going to matter if they can't stop the reapers and won't that be a load off his conscience.
He groans and drops his face into his hands.
It's only when familiar hands are catching his flailing fist with a matching but gentle biotic pulse that John realizes he's nodded off. He traps a frustrated groan behind his teeth while Kaidan carefully steps into his space and pulls him close. John lets himself turn his face into Kaidan's stomach and cling for a long moment.
Kaidan lets him have a moment before pulling up a chair and coaxing John to lean in. Some part of him makes a token effort to straighten up and get back to the work he laid out, but a firm tug to Kaidan's chest gets John's hands to drop. This isn't really the place to be so affectionate, but John is too tired to give a shit.
Kaidan's thumb rubs warm circles into the back of John's neck over his amp, "You know, I mean it when I say that I want you to wake me up if you're going to leave bed. Any time, John. What's on your mind?"
John doesn't really want to talk about it. He really doesn't, but he's too tired to stop all the words from sneaking past his lips, "I-Koris's men. They were just civilians. They didn't sign up for this shit, and they still died for it. Dreamt about-it doesn't matter."
The fingers at the back of John's neck start to weigh his eyelids down, lulling him while his brain struggles against sleep. He's not sure he's ever been so tired in his life.
"I won't lie and make it sound better than it was, but... the quarians need Koris to be the voice of their people. You said yourself, they didn't sign up for this. The geth-uh, Legion-seems willing to broker peace. Koris's word might be what we need to get all the admirals on board," Kaidan says, resting his cheek against John's head, "You did what you could under the circumstances, John, and that's more than what most people could be expected to do."
"Look, it's not that I think Kaidan's a bad guy, or that the Commander can't take care of himself, I just-" Jeff says. His expression softens into one that EDI can identify as protective, "You know, back on the first Normandy, we had this running joke about one of them giving in and jumping the other. Ash kept saying we should start a betting pool, but with all the crazy stuff with Saren we never got around to it. Then the collectors destroyed the first Normandy."
He breaks off to stare at the scans before continuing, "Kaidan hasn't exactly been the poster boy for trying to understand the Commander's situation with Cerberus. I mean, Cerberus is creepy enough to make vorcha look cuddly, but the Commander? He's always been the Commander. I just can't help thinking there was a reason they never got together before that wasn't just Alliance regs. But hey, what do I know? I just fly the ship."
Jeff winks at her, and EDI marvels at the elasticity of organic expression. It seems she could study Jeff for his entire lifetime and not be able to catalogue all the nuances of his personality. The idea trips a positive feedback response in her programming. "Should I discontinue my efforts with Shepard and Major Alenko?"
"Nah. If Kaidan makes the Commander happy, then I guess can get behind that. Besides, why ruin a perfectly good opportunity for blackmail?" Jeff says and then cringes, "Just try not to encourage the public sex in the ship. Or at least don't tell me. I don't want to go down to the mess and know they've christened the surfaces or something,"
Considering his earlier reticence, this is an unexpected but pleasant turn of events. EDI considers her courses of action, and comes back to her initial conclusion about the effort, "Would you like to help, Jeff? Extranet sources are rarely reliable on matters of romance, and I have been have been compensating to the best of my abilities. My calculations suggest that my efforts would be at least thirty percent more effective with your input."
He makes no verbal response, but he pulls the elevator controls up on his console and makes the elevator travel down a foot with a shuddering jolt. Shepard's breathless swearing fills the bridge through the intercom a moment later.
Jeff grins. The expression triggers the strongest of EDI's positive feedback responses.
-
That's it for now. I'll try to get the next parts up faster. Please anticipate Joker's meddling and maybe even a tiny bit of conflict because the fill got plotty on me.
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I love that you showed us a glimpse of how Kaidan and Shepard make each other's knees wobble and especially how you handled Kaidan's reaction with regards to recent events. It's something so Kaidan. Oh and thank you for that Spectre nod too.
I was actually quite nervous on how Jeff would react and I can't help but let out a sigh of relief that Jeff has come around. Plus, now EDI and Joker can team up and make this matchmaking even more eventful! Ugh, I love this fill. I love your EDI. I love your Kaidan and Shepard. I love it so freaking excited for more!
SO happy that you updated! Thank you so muuuuchhhh!!!
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Again.
Kaidan rubs at his face and goes to look for his shirt. When this is all over, he's going to find whoever is feeding him all of the information on John and hug them.
Or punch them. Whichever is more necessary. Hell, if Kaidan's feeling generous, he'll do both.
-
John is staring at the data pads lined up around the conference table. There's one for each of the groups they've picked up so far, streaming live status reports. He thinks for a moment that after all the twenty-first century efforts against pollution, he sure is using a hell of a lot of energy. And then he reminds himself that, well, none of that's going to matter if they can't stop the reapers and won't that be a load off his conscience.
He groans and drops his face into his hands.
It's only when familiar hands are catching his flailing fist with a matching but gentle biotic pulse that John realizes he's nodded off. He traps a frustrated groan behind his teeth while Kaidan carefully steps into his space and pulls him close. John lets himself turn his face into Kaidan's stomach and cling for a long moment.
Kaidan lets him have a moment before pulling up a chair and coaxing John to lean in. Some part of him makes a token effort to straighten up and get back to the work he laid out, but a firm tug to Kaidan's chest gets John's hands to drop. This isn't really the place to be so affectionate, but John is too tired to give a shit.
Kaidan's thumb rubs warm circles into the back of John's neck over his amp, "You know, I mean it when I say that I want you to wake me up if you're going to leave bed. Any time, John. What's on your mind?"
John doesn't really want to talk about it. He really doesn't, but he's too tired to stop all the words from sneaking past his lips, "I-Koris's men. They were just civilians. They didn't sign up for this shit, and they still died for it. Dreamt about-it doesn't matter."
The fingers at the back of John's neck start to weigh his eyelids down, lulling him while his brain struggles against sleep. He's not sure he's ever been so tired in his life.
"I won't lie and make it sound better than it was, but... the quarians need Koris to be the voice of their people. You said yourself, they didn't sign up for this. The geth-uh, Legion-seems willing to broker peace. Koris's word might be what we need to get all the admirals on board," Kaidan says, resting his cheek against John's head, "You did what you could under the circumstances, John, and that's more than what most people could be expected to do."
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