Re: [Fill] The Loving Kind 3/?
anonymous
February 18 2011, 14:42:07 UTC
In the end, what had really brought him to Omega? Was it the little smile she reserved for someone who had pleasantly surprised her by doing something good, showing her the universe was worth saving? Was it the hollow in her hip he liked to scrape his teeth over? Was it the two gasps and shudder that preceded an orgasm, which was giving him some sort of Pavlovian love of laboured breath?
Was it the useless Council, the blind Alliance, the frustration of knowing what was coming?
In the end, Kaidan knew what the real answer was. He had gone to Omega in his best armour and with heavily modified weaponry because . . . because he wasn't going to stand in reserve, damn it. He wasn't going to wait until it was too late. And even if it meant working with her, opening up that wound - falling in love again? - damn it, it was what he had to do.
The lift doors opened to the crew deck and he found himself confronted by Kelly, her lips slightly downturned, her eyes cast to the floor. The moment she saw him, she transformed, beaming with delight. "Hello, Kaidan!"
"Kelly," he nodded.
"Been working out?" She passed a little closer than was necessary - and Kaidan knew he smelled strongly. "I think I should start working out more."
"I'm sure Jacob would set you up with a regime," Kaidan said, pausing while the lift doors closed, feeling that it was only polite.
Kelly was nodding, but her arms came up to wrap around her stomach. "Yeah . . ." she said slowly, as if she was already drifting out of the conversation. "He did offer to help Commander Shepard. Don't want muscles though, just want . . ." Her head jerked back up and she flashed him another smile. "I'll do that, Kaidan, thanks!"
Yeah I just bet he offered to help - the kid's fading out again, are you actually going to do anything about that? Kaidan placed his hand on the door just as it began to close. "You know, I think I've seen Samara practice some of her arts in the boxing ring. I hear those asari martial arts are really good for toning up." He smiled and shrugged one shoulder. "Besides, it can never hurt to know how to defend yourself, right?"
He stepped away before the door closed, leaving that thought with Kelly. There was always the chance he was wrong about the Yeoman's daydreaming, but the rest of the crew weren't so reticent about their experiences on the Collector ship.
And here he was stepping on Miranda's toes again. He groaned as he entered the shower room, tilting his head back. The warm, steamy air felt like walking out on Horizon. Jacob was already in the showers, eyebrows raised to question the newcomer. When he saw it was Kaidan, he quickly turned back to his soap.
Damn it. While Joker really had started it, Jacob was the one Kaidan worried about first. The man just acted so guilty every time he saw Kaidan. "Hey," Kaidan said, stripping off and dumping his work out clothes in the laundry. He stepped up to the next shower head and pushed his shoulders back, the strain in his muscles fading as his skin was pummelled by hot water.
"Hey," Jacob said, grabbing a handful of shampoo and rubbing it over his bare chest. His gaze tripped back to the bottle label, but he continued to work the bubbles into his chest hair, his jaw tight.
Yep. We're just two ex-Alliance officers, hanging out, jerking off to the same woman. Nothing wrong or creepy about that.
Re: [Fill] The Loving Kind 4/?
anonymous
February 18 2011, 15:21:04 UTC
The conversation had started innocently enough, awkward of course. Joker would always be the one who killed Shepard, and Kaidan knew he'd treated the pilot unfairly. But the second night on board the Normandy, he had found Joker in the mess and asked how he was and it had just come from there. Joker was easy to talk to. He got stuff out of you that you didn't know you had.
"So how's you and the Commander, huh?"
"Uh, I'm really not sure, Joker."
"She was pretty cut up after Horizon. I thought you guys might have, you know, called it quits?"
"I'm not sure."
"Well, you might want to make sure. EDI told me she was doing a real Sha'ira routine with Jacob the day after, real femme fatale stuff. Poor guy was never able to look her in the face again."
Kaidan began to massage shampoo into his scalp, conscious that Jacob was rushing through his ablutions. "Hey," he said, almost before he knew what he was doing. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Uh, sure," Jacob said, his shoulders angled away from Kaidan. Kaidan was overwhelmed with a high school urge to compare lengths.
"It's about Miranda," Kaidan said, flicking suds from his fingers into the drain.
"Oh!" Jacob almost crumpled with relief. He half turned to look Kaidan in the eye. "Sure, what about her?"
Yep, Kaidan was bigger. Just, and in girth it might not be such a sure thing, but still. And now you will never, ever do such a juvenile thing again. Yeah right. "Well you two have known each other for a while, right? I'm just wondering if there's something I should know about."
This time, Jacob flushed, looking away again. "Uh, kind of. Once."
"Oh, end badly?"
Jacob hit the panel and his shower switched off. He grabbed his towel and wiped his face down while answering. "It just ended." Bringing the towel down from his face, he wrapped it over his hips and scratched at his scalp, dislodging drops of water from his curls.
"So you're single?" Kaidan asked, as his brain went Now you're hitting on the guy?
Jacob blinked and stepped into the locker area. "I guess you could say that, sir."
"You looking?" Kaidan forced himself to continue to face the wall. Better than throwing himself at the operative, like Jacob clearly expected.
"Not really." Jacob was dressing as quickly as possible, water still glistening on his shoulders as he tried to stick his head through his sleeve.
"Oh, that's okay then." Kaidan placed his hand on the shower pipe, feeling a little static pass between him and the ship. Jacob jumped like he'd been stung by a bee and inspected his leg where it had brushed against the locker. "Damn shocks, eh?" Kaidan asked. "Yeah, me and Shepard used to say they should design a ships to discharge those damned things."
"Huh," Jacob said, rubbing his calf.
"Shepard and I go way back."
"Yes, sir," Jacob snapped to attention, half clothed.
Kaidan rinsed the conditioner from his hair, keeping his eyes closed and his back to Jacob.
"Yep. Well you probably know how it is with Miranda. Doesn't matter how it ended, you still feel . . . protective, you know?"
"Yes, sir," Jacob said emphatically, sidling towards the door. "I understand you completely."
Protective. It was jealousy. It was . . . protecting.
Random anon passing by
anonymous
February 18 2011, 19:40:08 UTC
Dear author anon, this is perfect. I laughed so hard it hurt. Good old-fashioned shower comparing is so full of win :) Thank you and please continue <3 <3 <3
Re: [Fill] The Loving Kind 5/?
anonymous
February 18 2011, 21:55:56 UTC
"But it was Miranda I was really thinking about."
"Wait, what?"
"Miranda? Oh come on, Kaidan, you've seen Miranda. She's perfect. Got that little girl lost routine that gets the Commander going. When Miranda asked Shepard to help with the sister? Swear to God, the Commander looked broody all week."
Back in 'uniform' - unlike Shepard he couldn't bring himself to work in dungarees, so a patch-less Alliance set of BDUs had to do - Kaidan returned to the mess. A few of the crew were lurking there, Tali included. She raised a hand in the quarian equivalent of a greeting smile. Kaidan nodded his head to her as he passed. Despite the energy bar, his stomach was growling after the work out and the little biotic pulse he'd used to shock Jacob.
Miranda's quarters had been offered to him, but he declined for two reasons. The first was that some perverse part of him was hoping he might not need quarters when Shepard had that beautiful cabin . . . the second was that he knew he was elbowing on Miranda's patch as it was. Shepard treated him as de-facto XO. Whether it was deliberate or not, she clearly valued Kaidan above the poor woman, who, as far Kaidan could tell, made a habit of giving the precisely wrong advice. It wasn't malicious, in fact Miranda seemed as horrified as anyone when it became clear her ideas wouldn't work out, but he would no sooner trust the woman's instincts than he'd let Shepard's pet varren sleep on the foot of the bed.
He took his food to the table and sat opposite Tali, digging his fork into the unnamed gloop. "How are you, Tali?"
"Fine," she replied, flicking her omnitool off and folding her arms on the table. "Have you seen the specs on the new Polaris?"
"Yeah," Kaidan said through a mouthful. "I can't believe they're putting in a mark four dissipator and passing it off as an upgrade!"
"It's a software upgrade, technically, but I agree . . ." Tali trailed off suddenly, the light dancing over her visor as she glanced up.
Kaidan glanced around. Shepard and Miranda exited Miranda's quarters, Shepard looking tired, but satisfied. Miranda was smiling, unguarded for once. She placed her hand on Shepard's elbow as they parted ways. "Thanks," she said.
"Ugh," Tali muttered.
"Not a fan of the Operative?" Kaidan asked in a low voice.
"What? Oh! No . . . I, I mean yes. Not a fan." Tali pushed her chair away from the table and adjusted her veil. "See you later, Kaidan," she said, jogging to catch up with Shepard as she approached the lift.
"Kaidan," Miranda ran a hand through her hair and gestured to her cabin. "I've been meaning to talk to you, may I?"
"You'll have to wait," Kaidan said, pointing to his meal.
"Oh." Miranda nodded, her mouth pursed and eyes wide. "Absolutely. Forgot you were an L2 . . ."
Re: [Fill] The Loving Kind 6/?
anonymous
February 19 2011, 10:25:46 UTC
'Forgot you were an L2'
Oh shut up, you sanctimonious little clone. Just because your biotics were designed and your metabolism doesn't run as high as mine. 'Forgot you were an L2' - as if. Kaidan had been here precisely two and a half days when the first migraine hit, after they'd cleared out an old Cerberus base. Miranda had walked into medical no fewer than three times, ostensibly on business, until Chakwas had ordered her not to return until Kaidan was feeling better.
The doors to Miranda's suite cycled open and the Operative looked up from her work with a smile, teeth sparkling, eyes softly crinkled at the edges. Perfectly symmetrical. Biotics without the insane consumption of energy. Everything about her set Kaidan's hair standing on end. And then on top of that, she had that label that glowed like a HUD marker. Cerberus Cerberus Cerberus.
"Shepard and I were discussing the crew earlier," Miranda said, gesturing for him to take a seat opposite. She had the shutters closed so the room looked like a metal cocoon. Kaidan didn't like to admit it, but he missed the look of the stars and the distortion of the mass effect drives. Everything in Miranda's world was sterile.
Nothing like Shepard. Everything in Shepard's world was dirty, real. Shepard was humanity, and Miranda was a pale copy. They were wrong for each other in every way.
"I wanted to thank you, Kaidan, for integrating into the crew so well. It can't have been easy for you."
Miranda's couches seemed designed to make their occupant sit ram-rod straight. He tried to relax into it and failed. "I knew I left the Alliance behind."
"Well," Miranda tilted her head to the side, her lips pressed together to hide a smile. "I meant more that, well, to take an effective demotion, Commander. Effectively you outranked Shepard, and now you're just one of our operatives."
"Oh yes," Kaidan said tightly. "I hadn't realised you meant that way."
"Well." Miranda clasped her hands together. "Shepard and I really appreciate how you've worked with the crew."
More than anything, it was just unhealthy. Miranda could only ever worship at Shepard's feet. It was the kind of thing that made Shepard squirm, that adulation for being the model human, perfect -remade- body. She was a happy accident of chance, genetics and environment. That Miranda wanted to quantify that and repeat it, it would only make Shepard feel nervous.
Kaidan smiled. I have you now, Cerberus. "Yeah, well, I follow my orders from Shepard. She asked me not to, you know, rock the boat too much." Come on, you're thinking about it. Like you didn't play dirty with Jacob. He smiled at Miranda, lowering his eyelashes slightly. He slumped backwards on the chair, propping his right ankle up on his left knee. "We did have a long talk about it one night."
"Oh?" Miranda sat straighter, trying to look at her screen and not at Kaidan's crotch.
"But we did decide, in the end, well considering our prior relationship, we thought it would be better not to draw too much attention."
Miranda nodded, staring intently at her keyboard. "Just wanted to thank you, thank you, Kaidan, you may leave."
"I think we should continue these meetings," Kaidan said as he stood. "It's good to keep abreast of things." He sauntered from the office.
This is getting ridiculous? Why don't you just go piss around Shepard's cabin if it's bothering you this much?
Well it wasn't jealous, he wasn't the jealous kind. He was just . . . making sure Miranda knew who outranked who. It was rank. That's all.
Re: [Fill] The Loving Kind 7/?
anonymous
February 20 2011, 18:53:25 UTC
"Oh, but, I feel like I should probably warn you. You know, as a friend."
"What are you saying, Joker?"
"Just that you might want to look up the word 'siha'. The commander asked EDI once. Never saw someone go so red."
Thane stretched out over the rubble, his cheek nuzzled against the sniper's grip. His breathing was slow, the gentlest rasp detectable under the hiss of air. Kaidan crouched on Agebinium's red dust, watching the sun as it began to warp upon reaching the horizon.
"What do you see?" he asked Thane.
"Still no hostiles. Shepard appears to be sleeping."
Kaidan suppressed a laugh, his snort clouded the screen of his visor temporarily.
"That woman could sleep through an elcor opera," Zaeed muttered from his position, further west. He was a dusty outcrop on the cliff to Kaidan's eye.
"My perfect woman," Kasumi said from her own vantage, unseen.
"Alright, settle," Kaidan cut over the chatter and Thane glanced up at him, his breathing mask revealing a smile.
From Kaidan's vantage on the cliff he could see the Firewalker parked out beside the base and he could see a figure basking in the non-existant warmth, a dark human-shaped blob on the wing.
"You don't like this plan," Thane said quietly, without the use of the radios.
"It's risky, but the payoff will be good," Kaidan said, inspecting his pistol for signs of dust contamination.
"For what it's worth, I don't like it much either."
Kaidan glanced at the prone sniper. Some of Agebunium's surface dust had begun to pile up against the sniper's coat, as if the planet was trying to reclaim him. "I don't like this planet," he said, shifting to ease the cramp in his legs. "Last time we were here, things went wrong."
"This Haliat character?"
"His brother," Kaidan said. He flipped to his stomach and stared down at the woman, alone in the canyon. He could remember squeezing out from the collapsed airlock, thanking Ashley for the help and turning back to pull Shepard from the tunnel. Ashley had broke out her sniper, already reporting on Haliat's crew beneath them, while Shepard stared back into the dark maw of the tunnel. "You okay?" Kaidan had asked. Shepard had nodded, but she had lingered for a moment, unsure.
A few days later, they had left Agebinium behind and gone to Virmire.
"Shepard is moving," Thane announced. "She's sitting up."
Kaidan sat straighter, staring down into the canyon. He could see the blobs moving about. "Kasumi, have we had radio contact?"
"The jamming signals are still operational. The canyon is a dead zone."
"She may just be talking to Grunt." Thane pushed his cheek closer to the gun. Then, to Kaidan alone, he said, "It would be easier if I could see her face. These helmets destroy communication."
Kaidan grimaced. "Is she rolling her shoulder?" he asked.
"What?"
"Is she touching her left shoulder?"
"No."
"That's a good sign."
The silence stretched on. "You know Shepard well," Thane said after a moment.
"Not as well as I'd like."
Thane nodded. "Your body would seek greater knowledge, even though your rules tell you otherwise. I understand."
Re: [Fill] The Loving Kind 8/?
anonymous
February 22 2011, 22:29:07 UTC
Thane exhaled softly, dust dancing away. The falling temperatures registered even inside Kaidan's suit and he wondered at Thane's choice of clothing. Were Drell cold blooded?
"Halliat's men have arrived. They're driving into the canyon."
"Copy that, I have them too," Zaeed reported.
"Kasumi?" Kaidan pushed his fingers against the helmet's radio.
"They're abandoning their Mako, looks like they've hit the deadzone." Kasumi's breath sounded a little laboured. "I'm approaching." The crackle of static began.
"Hold back until Shepard gives the signal," Kaidan said. He stared at the dark cliffs, knowing Shepard's crew was out there, but unable to tell where. "Nobody move till you see the signal."
Thane hadn't lifted his head from the scope in hours. It was dedication that unnerved Kaidan while he felt overwhelmingly relieved for it.
"You must trust us a great deal," Thane said softly.
"What do you mean?"
"To entrust us with something you care about so deeply."
Kaidan gritted his teeth inside his helmet. He could feel dark energy pulsing around them, the slightly static feel of the dead zone in the canyon.
"Shepard woke me from my sleep. There may be little time left for me, but when an angel arrives, I would not stop for the mortal body that may be hurt."
Kaidan blinked and stared down at the drell. "What?"
"In your terms, I see myself as competition. Shepard is approaching Haliat."
Kaidan's head snapped down so quickly his neck promptly cramped. He bit back on an oath and stared down into the canyon, watching as two shadowy figures, flanked by large krogan shapes, approached Shepard. He saw a sudden burst of light, a flashbang.
"That's the signal!" he shouted to his radio, "go, go, go!"
The snipers positioned around the canyon started to pick off Haliat's men, a brief firefight lighting up the canyon beneath them. When Thane relaxed and heaved himself to his knees, Kaidan placed a hand on the drell's shoulder. "Thane?"
"Yes?"
"I appreciate the warning. Let me warn you in return."
"Of course." Thane's eyes reflected the stars, blurry in the thin atmosphere.
"It's not that I trust you to take care of Shepard. I trust Shepard to judge you." He tightened his grip on Thane's shoulder. "And if you guys had failed, well let's just say my biotics spike higher than anyone but hers."
With that, he began the trudge down into the canyon, and tried not to wonder if the drell's sights were squared on the back of his skull.
Yeah, he trusted Shepard all right. That's why his skin was chilled to the bone with sweat.
Re: [Fill] The Loving Kind 9/?
anonymous
February 27 2011, 17:01:21 UTC
"But, uh, I guess you'd know. Does the Commander swing both ways?"
"Joker, what? What the hell?"
"I was just wondering!"
"Come on."
"Tali does."
"Joker!"
Shepard laughed so much that her uncut ale splurted from her nose. She howled in pain, coughing and choking back her laughter. She doubled over, helpless, and slid from her chair to the deck. She landed with a thump and Kaidan wheezed, slumping over the table and his cards. Of everyone present in the Skyllian five ring, only Tali maintained enough control to whack Shepard between the shoulder blades.
"So then!" Ken shouted over the rasping of his crewmates, "the krogan wipes his mouth, returns to his desk. Now the bugger's shaking all over, right, he's never heard anything like this. 'What do you call it?' he asks. The batarian just spreads his hands and goes 'We call it - the Council'!"
Those who had managed to suck in enough air to remain functional lost it with the punchline, and for five minutes Shepard's cabin was home to helpless bodies writhing in the throes of hilarity. By the time Kaidan had himself under control, his ribs ached and his cheeks were on fire from smiling.
"You should have been a comedian," Kasumi announced, reaching for her glass of wine. For the night, Kasumi had chosen to wear her hair down and it fell forwards as she lifted the glass, the strands brushing the back of her hand. Kaidan found himself fascinated as she flicked it back over her shoulder with a twist of her head.
"Don't give him delusions of grandeur," Gabby said. "That joke's ancient."
"I know you think I'm funny." Ken looped an arm around Gabby's shoulders and drew her closer for a sloppy kiss on the cheek. She squirmed, going bright red, much to Shepard's amusement. Ken released his fellow engineer with a wet smacking of lips.
"Now you're just showing off," Garrus mused, and Kasumi saluted him with her glass.
"Some of us are alone, lost and bitter," she agreed, sipping her wine with her pinky finger arched in the air.
"Aww," Shepard climbed back into her seat and folded her terrible hand - something Kaidan had been waiting for ever since her saw her cock her head to the side and cast a sidelong glance at Garrus as if she was checking her squaddie's load out. Taking Kasumi's cue, she took another drink as well, then wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Not all of us are bitter," she said, elbowing Tali in the ribs.
"What? Oh, no, no," Tali's speaker flashed and she ducked her head.
"Oh don't lie," Shepard poked at her friend, making Tali squirm much as Gabby had done.
"Yeah, Tali," Garrus said, his tone dripping faux concern, "how is Kal'Reegar these days?"
"Fine," Tali retorted sharply.
"Just fine?" With a little sight, Shepard abandoned the table and headed into her office, returning with more dextro packs for Tali and Garrus. She held another two cans of uncut between her arms. She lingered beside Kaidan, he could almost feel the heat that radiated from her body. He reached up to take one can, surprised that it stay so cold when in contact with her skin. His fingertips skimmed her elbow and she smiled, half turning to give Garrus his drink.
"So tell me about this Kal," Kaidan said, feeling as though a silence had descended upon them. Replaying the conversation in his head, he realised that people had only been recovering from Kenny.
Was he so painfully aware of Shepard?
Shepard returned to Tali's side, draping her arm over Tali's shoulders and bowing her head to the quarian's helmet.
Judging by the rigid spine and tightly clenched fingers under a concealing enviro-suit, he wasn't the only one.
Re: [Fill] The Loving Kind 10/?
anonymous
March 2 2011, 21:14:54 UTC
Garrus slung Tali's arm over his shoulders, taking her slight weight off of Shepard's frame as he stepped into the elevator. He turned as Shepard said a few quiet words to Tali. Garrus shot Kaidan a look over the top of Shepard's head, a look that conveyed envy and yet sympathy all at once, before Ken tapped the console and the elevator doors closed.
Shepard stood, staring at the doors for a moment, the chuckles of their friends fading away as the lift motors whirred. Shepard exhaled softly, her shoulders slumping, and she tipped her head to the side before turning back to Kaidan with a curious, almost wistful expression on her face.
Kaidan smiled, and headed back into her cabin as his heart started to pound, hard against his chest. He stooped to pick up a few discarded bottles and set them in the crate. He could feel her approaching him, hear her boots on the deck, feel the pressure of the air, the build of static.
A delicate hand reached around to his wrist, her skin contrasting against his, her hands a little rough from guns and atmosphere.
"Hey," she said, her words a breath of air against his neck.
Kaidan closed his eyes, standing straight in every sense of the word.
The hand trailed up his arm, fingertips resting in the crook of his elbow. Another hand brushed his shoulder, feather light and warm. Those fingers danced over to his other shoulder, then onto his neck.
And what about Garrus? That snide little voice in the back of his mind demanded. Garrus, who's been watching her for years.
"You know who I thought was going to pop his carapace, if you know what I mean?"
"Joker, I don't think I've understood even half of this conversation."
Shepard kissed the back of his neck, her lips pushing hair aside.
"Garrus was trying to be her back on Omega. Just saying, you know, after Horizon, she was pretty damned cut up. Garrus wanted your head on a stake."
Now her arms encircled him, her hands touching his chest. Her hips pressed into his butt, her breasts under his shoulders. Her lips moved to the side of his neck.
"Shepard . . ."
"No," she moaned, the groan tugging at the cord that ran directly from his ears to his groin. "No, please. I'm happy. I'm a little drunk." She rested her forehead between his shoulderblades. "I don't want to think."
"We should-" she licked his earlobe, drawing the flesh in between teeth. "Ahh, hah, talk."
"We could be doing something else." She released him, stepping away. "But you always gotta go with the conscience, don't you commander?"
He spun on his heel to face her. Her face was scrunched up, almost - almost as though she was fighting back tears. She wrapped one arm around her waist and let the other dangle by her side, fist clenching.
"Yeah, Kaidan, this whole ship pretty much hated you after that."
"So is that why you've been telling me all this, Joker?"
"No, it's true. They're all after her. But, uh, Garrus has this theory about spirits or something. He thinks your Shepard's. I didn't really follow the whole thing, but he's so damned pissed with you for breaking her heart."
Re: [Fill] The Loving Kind 11/11
anonymous
March 2 2011, 21:42:01 UTC
"No," Kaidan said slowly, sitting down on the vacated settee. "I want to apologise."
Shepard's brows quirked together. "For . . . Horizon? You apologised when you came on board, I know why-"
"No," he shook his head. "For . . . for some of the things I've been thinking lately."
Now Shepard sobered, tilting her head to the side as she scrutinised him. "What do you mean?"
"I . . . I've been jealous of Tali for God's sakes. I saw you put your arm around her tonight and I almost wanted to punch her!"
Shepard's eyebrows shot up towards her hairline and she suppressed a snort of laughter. "What?" Her arms fell back to her sides and she raised a hand to hide her smile.
"And it's not just Tali," Kaidan persisted, leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees. "I think Thane and I had a pissing contest back on Agebinium. I threatened Jacob with my biotics."
"Jacob?" Shepard repeated, eyes boggling. She circled the coffee table to sit beside him. "Why Jacob? He's all cow eyed over Miranda."
"Well I'm not sure if Miranda wants to fuck you or just be you." Kaidan couldn't help but grin as Shepard shifted in her seat. He leaned closer. "But Jack swears blind you were sniffing around her bunk, her words, not mine."
Shepard pursed her lips and looked down, so she didn't see his arm snaking towards her until it was too late and he was pulling her onto his lap. She laughed, steadying herself on his shoulders. "Kaidan!"
"I mean it. I've been so jealous lately I couldn't focus. Even Kasumi seemed like a threat and I've seen Jacob leaving her quarters looking violated."
Shepard leaned closer. "What do you think she does to him? I think Samara knows but isn't saying . . . "
"Listen to me," Kaidan said softly, guiding her away from the titbit of gossip. "I'm sorry for being so jealous." He let his hands drop to her hips and she bit her bottom lip. He couldn't resist a gentle brush of his tongue over the captured skin.
"I don't encourage it," she whispered against his mouth. He could just see her cheeks colouring.
"No, don't apologise." He kissed her jaw. Her hands fell to his hips and she rocked forwards experimentally. "You love them. They love you back."
"I love you."
His next words were swallowed by her kiss, the half formed argument fell away beside his shirt. "And I"
Her overalls, over the bed.
"Love you"
The pillows bounced off to land on the deck, the mattress foam absorbing their impact.
"But I don't"
The shoes last, thrown in a hurried arc over to the ghost town fish tank.
"Deserve you."
A full kiss, every inch of skin that could be pressed against skin, hot and smooth, curved and hard, slick and ready.
"Kaidan," Shepard gasped as they parted. "You think too damned much."
"I love you," he managed, before she enveloped him.
Re: [Fill] The Loving Kind 11/11
anonymous
March 17 2012, 19:27:01 UTC
Tension. My. Ass. Kaidan knew exactly why the turian kept inviting Shepard down to the ropes, and it wasn't to practice his damned reach.
Having done the Shep/Garrus romance too this killed me. I don’t often really laugh out loud at fics but this was just perfect.
"Bullshit. I don't want to break my knuckles on your skinny little shoulders," Zaeed retorted.
I never got Zaeed in my party, and this is the first time I’ve really cared. Love the way you write him!
or playfully flicked a grape at Garrus' carapace
Oh god, the mental images.
or blushed when Thane walked into a room.
Who could even blame her, Kaidan or not?
Yep. We're just two ex-Alliance officers, hanging out, jerking off to the same woman. Nothing wrong or creepy about that.
Joker, Kaidan decided, was going to have to die.
This is one of my favorite passages ever. EVER. I feel this needs to be my status somewhere.
Kaidan was overwhelmed with a high school urge to compare lengths.
Really, Kaidan, really? God, you’re ridiculous. And I love you.
"Yep. Well you probably know how it is with Miranda. Doesn't matter how it ended, you still feel . . . protective, you know?"
Oh god, all but threaten him. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? And why is it so attractive?
'Forgot you were an L2'
Oh shut up, you sanctimonious little clone.
I know a lot of people who would have liked the option to say that to Miranda. It’s funny imagining it out of Kaidan’s mouth, even if he never actually said it.
Ahaha, look up the word Siha. Amazing.
Thane nodded. "Your body would seek greater knowledge, even though your rules tell you otherwise. I understand."
Eee, more of Kaidan and Thane interacting! I just adore them both, and like I said before, the way you write them together is incredibly interesting.
Oh damn, Thane calling Kaidan his competition? Glorious. Kaidan’s response was delicious too.
"Joker, I don't think I've understood even half of this conversation."
Nor would you want to Kaidan. Nor would you want to.
Shep and Kaidan’s last conversation was SO DAMN CUTE. And sweet and urg. I love how easily they fit together; you do a lovely job with them. Garrus is right, they do seem meant to be, especially the way you write them. I love jealousy fics and this is one of the better one’s I’ve seen in a while, so thanks!
Was it the useless Council, the blind Alliance, the frustration of knowing what was coming?
In the end, Kaidan knew what the real answer was. He had gone to Omega in his best armour and with heavily modified weaponry because . . . because he wasn't going to stand in reserve, damn it. He wasn't going to wait until it was too late. And even if it meant working with her, opening up that wound - falling in love again? - damn it, it was what he had to do.
The lift doors opened to the crew deck and he found himself confronted by Kelly, her lips slightly downturned, her eyes cast to the floor. The moment she saw him, she transformed, beaming with delight. "Hello, Kaidan!"
"Kelly," he nodded.
"Been working out?" She passed a little closer than was necessary - and Kaidan knew he smelled strongly. "I think I should start working out more."
"I'm sure Jacob would set you up with a regime," Kaidan said, pausing while the lift doors closed, feeling that it was only polite.
Kelly was nodding, but her arms came up to wrap around her stomach. "Yeah . . ." she said slowly, as if she was already drifting out of the conversation. "He did offer to help Commander Shepard. Don't want muscles though, just want . . ." Her head jerked back up and she flashed him another smile. "I'll do that, Kaidan, thanks!"
Yeah I just bet he offered to help - the kid's fading out again, are you actually going to do anything about that? Kaidan placed his hand on the door just as it began to close. "You know, I think I've seen Samara practice some of her arts in the boxing ring. I hear those asari martial arts are really good for toning up." He smiled and shrugged one shoulder. "Besides, it can never hurt to know how to defend yourself, right?"
He stepped away before the door closed, leaving that thought with Kelly. There was always the chance he was wrong about the Yeoman's daydreaming, but the rest of the crew weren't so reticent about their experiences on the Collector ship.
And here he was stepping on Miranda's toes again. He groaned as he entered the shower room, tilting his head back. The warm, steamy air felt like walking out on Horizon. Jacob was already in the showers, eyebrows raised to question the newcomer. When he saw it was Kaidan, he quickly turned back to his soap.
Damn it. While Joker really had started it, Jacob was the one Kaidan worried about first. The man just acted so guilty every time he saw Kaidan. "Hey," Kaidan said, stripping off and dumping his work out clothes in the laundry. He stepped up to the next shower head and pushed his shoulders back, the strain in his muscles fading as his skin was pummelled by hot water.
"Hey," Jacob said, grabbing a handful of shampoo and rubbing it over his bare chest. His gaze tripped back to the bottle label, but he continued to work the bubbles into his chest hair, his jaw tight.
Yep. We're just two ex-Alliance officers, hanging out, jerking off to the same woman. Nothing wrong or creepy about that.
Joker, Kaidan decided, was going to have to die.
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"So how's you and the Commander, huh?"
"Uh, I'm really not sure, Joker."
"She was pretty cut up after Horizon. I thought you guys might have, you know, called it quits?"
"I'm not sure."
"Well, you might want to make sure. EDI told me she was doing a real Sha'ira routine with Jacob the day after, real femme fatale stuff. Poor guy was never able to look her in the face again."
Kaidan began to massage shampoo into his scalp, conscious that Jacob was rushing through his ablutions. "Hey," he said, almost before he knew what he was doing. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Uh, sure," Jacob said, his shoulders angled away from Kaidan. Kaidan was overwhelmed with a high school urge to compare lengths.
"It's about Miranda," Kaidan said, flicking suds from his fingers into the drain.
"Oh!" Jacob almost crumpled with relief. He half turned to look Kaidan in the eye. "Sure, what about her?"
Yep, Kaidan was bigger. Just, and in girth it might not be such a sure thing, but still. And now you will never, ever do such a juvenile thing again. Yeah right. "Well you two have known each other for a while, right? I'm just wondering if there's something I should know about."
This time, Jacob flushed, looking away again. "Uh, kind of. Once."
"Oh, end badly?"
Jacob hit the panel and his shower switched off. He grabbed his towel and wiped his face down while answering. "It just ended." Bringing the towel down from his face, he wrapped it over his hips and scratched at his scalp, dislodging drops of water from his curls.
"So you're single?" Kaidan asked, as his brain went Now you're hitting on the guy?
Jacob blinked and stepped into the locker area. "I guess you could say that, sir."
"You looking?" Kaidan forced himself to continue to face the wall. Better than throwing himself at the operative, like Jacob clearly expected.
"Not really." Jacob was dressing as quickly as possible, water still glistening on his shoulders as he tried to stick his head through his sleeve.
"Oh, that's okay then." Kaidan placed his hand on the shower pipe, feeling a little static pass between him and the ship. Jacob jumped like he'd been stung by a bee and inspected his leg where it had brushed against the locker. "Damn shocks, eh?" Kaidan asked. "Yeah, me and Shepard used to say they should design a ships to discharge those damned things."
"Huh," Jacob said, rubbing his calf.
"Shepard and I go way back."
"Yes, sir," Jacob snapped to attention, half clothed.
Kaidan rinsed the conditioner from his hair, keeping his eyes closed and his back to Jacob.
"Yep. Well you probably know how it is with Miranda. Doesn't matter how it ended, you still feel . . . protective, you know?"
"Yes, sir," Jacob said emphatically, sidling towards the door. "I understand you completely."
Protective. It was jealousy. It was . . . protecting.
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Good old-fashioned shower comparing is so full of win :)
Thank you and please continue <3 <3 <3
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"Wait, what?"
"Miranda? Oh come on, Kaidan, you've seen Miranda. She's perfect. Got that little girl lost routine that gets the Commander going. When Miranda asked Shepard to help with the sister? Swear to God, the Commander looked broody all week."
Back in 'uniform' - unlike Shepard he couldn't bring himself to work in dungarees, so a patch-less Alliance set of BDUs had to do - Kaidan returned to the mess. A few of the crew were lurking there, Tali included. She raised a hand in the quarian equivalent of a greeting smile. Kaidan nodded his head to her as he passed. Despite the energy bar, his stomach was growling after the work out and the little biotic pulse he'd used to shock Jacob.
Miranda's quarters had been offered to him, but he declined for two reasons. The first was that some perverse part of him was hoping he might not need quarters when Shepard had that beautiful cabin . . . the second was that he knew he was elbowing on Miranda's patch as it was. Shepard treated him as de-facto XO. Whether it was deliberate or not, she clearly valued Kaidan above the poor woman, who, as far Kaidan could tell, made a habit of giving the precisely wrong advice. It wasn't malicious, in fact Miranda seemed as horrified as anyone when it became clear her ideas wouldn't work out, but he would no sooner trust the woman's instincts than he'd let Shepard's pet varren sleep on the foot of the bed.
He took his food to the table and sat opposite Tali, digging his fork into the unnamed gloop. "How are you, Tali?"
"Fine," she replied, flicking her omnitool off and folding her arms on the table. "Have you seen the specs on the new Polaris?"
"Yeah," Kaidan said through a mouthful. "I can't believe they're putting in a mark four dissipator and passing it off as an upgrade!"
"It's a software upgrade, technically, but I agree . . ." Tali trailed off suddenly, the light dancing over her visor as she glanced up.
Kaidan glanced around. Shepard and Miranda exited Miranda's quarters, Shepard looking tired, but satisfied. Miranda was smiling, unguarded for once. She placed her hand on Shepard's elbow as they parted ways. "Thanks," she said.
"Ugh," Tali muttered.
"Not a fan of the Operative?" Kaidan asked in a low voice.
"What? Oh! No . . . I, I mean yes. Not a fan." Tali pushed her chair away from the table and adjusted her veil. "See you later, Kaidan," she said, jogging to catch up with Shepard as she approached the lift.
"Kaidan," Miranda ran a hand through her hair and gestured to her cabin. "I've been meaning to talk to you, may I?"
"You'll have to wait," Kaidan said, pointing to his meal.
"Oh." Miranda nodded, her mouth pursed and eyes wide. "Absolutely. Forgot you were an L2 . . ."
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In conclusion: F5F5F5F5F5F5
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Oh shut up, you sanctimonious little clone. Just because your biotics were designed and your metabolism doesn't run as high as mine. 'Forgot you were an L2' - as if. Kaidan had been here precisely two and a half days when the first migraine hit, after they'd cleared out an old Cerberus base. Miranda had walked into medical no fewer than three times, ostensibly on business, until Chakwas had ordered her not to return until Kaidan was feeling better.
The doors to Miranda's suite cycled open and the Operative looked up from her work with a smile, teeth sparkling, eyes softly crinkled at the edges. Perfectly symmetrical. Biotics without the insane consumption of energy. Everything about her set Kaidan's hair standing on end. And then on top of that, she had that label that glowed like a HUD marker. Cerberus Cerberus Cerberus.
"Shepard and I were discussing the crew earlier," Miranda said, gesturing for him to take a seat opposite. She had the shutters closed so the room looked like a metal cocoon. Kaidan didn't like to admit it, but he missed the look of the stars and the distortion of the mass effect drives. Everything in Miranda's world was sterile.
Nothing like Shepard. Everything in Shepard's world was dirty, real. Shepard was humanity, and Miranda was a pale copy. They were wrong for each other in every way.
"I wanted to thank you, Kaidan, for integrating into the crew so well. It can't have been easy for you."
Miranda's couches seemed designed to make their occupant sit ram-rod straight. He tried to relax into it and failed. "I knew I left the Alliance behind."
"Well," Miranda tilted her head to the side, her lips pressed together to hide a smile. "I meant more that, well, to take an effective demotion, Commander. Effectively you outranked Shepard, and now you're just one of our operatives."
"Oh yes," Kaidan said tightly. "I hadn't realised you meant that way."
"Well." Miranda clasped her hands together. "Shepard and I really appreciate how you've worked with the crew."
More than anything, it was just unhealthy. Miranda could only ever worship at Shepard's feet. It was the kind of thing that made Shepard squirm, that adulation for being the model human, perfect -remade- body. She was a happy accident of chance, genetics and environment. That Miranda wanted to quantify that and repeat it, it would only make Shepard feel nervous.
Kaidan smiled. I have you now, Cerberus. "Yeah, well, I follow my orders from Shepard. She asked me not to, you know, rock the boat too much." Come on, you're thinking about it. Like you didn't play dirty with Jacob. He smiled at Miranda, lowering his eyelashes slightly. He slumped backwards on the chair, propping his right ankle up on his left knee. "We did have a long talk about it one night."
"Oh?" Miranda sat straighter, trying to look at her screen and not at Kaidan's crotch.
"But we did decide, in the end, well considering our prior relationship, we thought it would be better not to draw too much attention."
Miranda nodded, staring intently at her keyboard. "Just wanted to thank you, thank you, Kaidan, you may leave."
"I think we should continue these meetings," Kaidan said as he stood. "It's good to keep abreast of things." He sauntered from the office.
This is getting ridiculous? Why don't you just go piss around Shepard's cabin if it's bothering you this much?
Well it wasn't jealous, he wasn't the jealous kind. He was just . . . making sure Miranda knew who outranked who. It was rank. That's all.
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"What are you saying, Joker?"
"Just that you might want to look up the word 'siha'. The commander asked EDI once. Never saw someone go so red."
Thane stretched out over the rubble, his cheek nuzzled against the sniper's grip. His breathing was slow, the gentlest rasp detectable under the hiss of air. Kaidan crouched on Agebinium's red dust, watching the sun as it began to warp upon reaching the horizon.
"What do you see?" he asked Thane.
"Still no hostiles. Shepard appears to be sleeping."
Kaidan suppressed a laugh, his snort clouded the screen of his visor temporarily.
"That woman could sleep through an elcor opera," Zaeed muttered from his position, further west. He was a dusty outcrop on the cliff to Kaidan's eye.
"My perfect woman," Kasumi said from her own vantage, unseen.
"Alright, settle," Kaidan cut over the chatter and Thane glanced up at him, his breathing mask revealing a smile.
From Kaidan's vantage on the cliff he could see the Firewalker parked out beside the base and he could see a figure basking in the non-existant warmth, a dark human-shaped blob on the wing.
"You don't like this plan," Thane said quietly, without the use of the radios.
"It's risky, but the payoff will be good," Kaidan said, inspecting his pistol for signs of dust contamination.
"For what it's worth, I don't like it much either."
Kaidan glanced at the prone sniper. Some of Agebunium's surface dust had begun to pile up against the sniper's coat, as if the planet was trying to reclaim him. "I don't like this planet," he said, shifting to ease the cramp in his legs. "Last time we were here, things went wrong."
"This Haliat character?"
"His brother," Kaidan said. He flipped to his stomach and stared down at the woman, alone in the canyon. He could remember squeezing out from the collapsed airlock, thanking Ashley for the help and turning back to pull Shepard from the tunnel. Ashley had broke out her sniper, already reporting on Haliat's crew beneath them, while Shepard stared back into the dark maw of the tunnel. "You okay?" Kaidan had asked. Shepard had nodded, but she had lingered for a moment, unsure.
A few days later, they had left Agebinium behind and gone to Virmire.
"Shepard is moving," Thane announced. "She's sitting up."
Kaidan sat straighter, staring down into the canyon. He could see the blobs moving about. "Kasumi, have we had radio contact?"
"The jamming signals are still operational. The canyon is a dead zone."
"She may just be talking to Grunt." Thane pushed his cheek closer to the gun. Then, to Kaidan alone, he said, "It would be easier if I could see her face. These helmets destroy communication."
Kaidan grimaced. "Is she rolling her shoulder?" he asked.
"What?"
"Is she touching her left shoulder?"
"No."
"That's a good sign."
The silence stretched on. "You know Shepard well," Thane said after a moment.
"Not as well as I'd like."
Thane nodded. "Your body would seek greater knowledge, even though your rules tell you otherwise. I understand."
Kaidan wasn't sure he did.
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It shouldn't be hot, but it is. I anxiously await further installments~
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"Halliat's men have arrived. They're driving into the canyon."
"Copy that, I have them too," Zaeed reported.
"Kasumi?" Kaidan pushed his fingers against the helmet's radio.
"They're abandoning their Mako, looks like they've hit the deadzone." Kasumi's breath sounded a little laboured. "I'm approaching." The crackle of static began.
"Hold back until Shepard gives the signal," Kaidan said. He stared at the dark cliffs, knowing Shepard's crew was out there, but unable to tell where. "Nobody move till you see the signal."
Thane hadn't lifted his head from the scope in hours. It was dedication that unnerved Kaidan while he felt overwhelmingly relieved for it.
"You must trust us a great deal," Thane said softly.
"What do you mean?"
"To entrust us with something you care about so deeply."
Kaidan gritted his teeth inside his helmet. He could feel dark energy pulsing around them, the slightly static feel of the dead zone in the canyon.
"Shepard woke me from my sleep. There may be little time left for me, but when an angel arrives, I would not stop for the mortal body that may be hurt."
Kaidan blinked and stared down at the drell. "What?"
"In your terms, I see myself as competition. Shepard is approaching Haliat."
Kaidan's head snapped down so quickly his neck promptly cramped. He bit back on an oath and stared down into the canyon, watching as two shadowy figures, flanked by large krogan shapes, approached Shepard. He saw a sudden burst of light, a flashbang.
"That's the signal!" he shouted to his radio, "go, go, go!"
The snipers positioned around the canyon started to pick off Haliat's men, a brief firefight lighting up the canyon beneath them. When Thane relaxed and heaved himself to his knees, Kaidan placed a hand on the drell's shoulder. "Thane?"
"Yes?"
"I appreciate the warning. Let me warn you in return."
"Of course." Thane's eyes reflected the stars, blurry in the thin atmosphere.
"It's not that I trust you to take care of Shepard. I trust Shepard to judge you." He tightened his grip on Thane's shoulder. "And if you guys had failed, well let's just say my biotics spike higher than anyone but hers."
With that, he began the trudge down into the canyon, and tried not to wonder if the drell's sights were squared on the back of his skull.
Yeah, he trusted Shepard all right. That's why his skin was chilled to the bone with sweat.
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"Joker, what? What the hell?"
"I was just wondering!"
"Come on."
"Tali does."
"Joker!"
Shepard laughed so much that her uncut ale splurted from her nose. She howled in pain, coughing and choking back her laughter. She doubled over, helpless, and slid from her chair to the deck. She landed with a thump and Kaidan wheezed, slumping over the table and his cards. Of everyone present in the Skyllian five ring, only Tali maintained enough control to whack Shepard between the shoulder blades.
"So then!" Ken shouted over the rasping of his crewmates, "the krogan wipes his mouth, returns to his desk. Now the bugger's shaking all over, right, he's never heard anything like this. 'What do you call it?' he asks. The batarian just spreads his hands and goes 'We call it - the Council'!"
Those who had managed to suck in enough air to remain functional lost it with the punchline, and for five minutes Shepard's cabin was home to helpless bodies writhing in the throes of hilarity. By the time Kaidan had himself under control, his ribs ached and his cheeks were on fire from smiling.
"You should have been a comedian," Kasumi announced, reaching for her glass of wine. For the night, Kasumi had chosen to wear her hair down and it fell forwards as she lifted the glass, the strands brushing the back of her hand. Kaidan found himself fascinated as she flicked it back over her shoulder with a twist of her head.
"Don't give him delusions of grandeur," Gabby said. "That joke's ancient."
"I know you think I'm funny." Ken looped an arm around Gabby's shoulders and drew her closer for a sloppy kiss on the cheek. She squirmed, going bright red, much to Shepard's amusement. Ken released his fellow engineer with a wet smacking of lips.
"Now you're just showing off," Garrus mused, and Kasumi saluted him with her glass.
"Some of us are alone, lost and bitter," she agreed, sipping her wine with her pinky finger arched in the air.
"Aww," Shepard climbed back into her seat and folded her terrible hand - something Kaidan had been waiting for ever since her saw her cock her head to the side and cast a sidelong glance at Garrus as if she was checking her squaddie's load out. Taking Kasumi's cue, she took another drink as well, then wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Not all of us are bitter," she said, elbowing Tali in the ribs.
"What? Oh, no, no," Tali's speaker flashed and she ducked her head.
"Oh don't lie," Shepard poked at her friend, making Tali squirm much as Gabby had done.
"Yeah, Tali," Garrus said, his tone dripping faux concern, "how is Kal'Reegar these days?"
"Fine," Tali retorted sharply.
"Just fine?" With a little sight, Shepard abandoned the table and headed into her office, returning with more dextro packs for Tali and Garrus. She held another two cans of uncut between her arms. She lingered beside Kaidan, he could almost feel the heat that radiated from her body. He reached up to take one can, surprised that it stay so cold when in contact with her skin. His fingertips skimmed her elbow and she smiled, half turning to give Garrus his drink.
"So tell me about this Kal," Kaidan said, feeling as though a silence had descended upon them. Replaying the conversation in his head, he realised that people had only been recovering from Kenny.
Was he so painfully aware of Shepard?
Shepard returned to Tali's side, draping her arm over Tali's shoulders and bowing her head to the quarian's helmet.
Judging by the rigid spine and tightly clenched fingers under a concealing enviro-suit, he wasn't the only one.
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Shepard stood, staring at the doors for a moment, the chuckles of their friends fading away as the lift motors whirred. Shepard exhaled softly, her shoulders slumping, and she tipped her head to the side before turning back to Kaidan with a curious, almost wistful expression on her face.
Kaidan smiled, and headed back into her cabin as his heart started to pound, hard against his chest. He stooped to pick up a few discarded bottles and set them in the crate. He could feel her approaching him, hear her boots on the deck, feel the pressure of the air, the build of static.
A delicate hand reached around to his wrist, her skin contrasting against his, her hands a little rough from guns and atmosphere.
"Hey," she said, her words a breath of air against his neck.
Kaidan closed his eyes, standing straight in every sense of the word.
The hand trailed up his arm, fingertips resting in the crook of his elbow. Another hand brushed his shoulder, feather light and warm. Those fingers danced over to his other shoulder, then onto his neck.
And what about Garrus? That snide little voice in the back of his mind demanded. Garrus, who's been watching her for years.
"You know who I thought was going to pop his carapace, if you know what I mean?"
"Joker, I don't think I've understood even half of this conversation."
Shepard kissed the back of his neck, her lips pushing hair aside.
"Garrus was trying to be her back on Omega. Just saying, you know, after Horizon, she was pretty damned cut up. Garrus wanted your head on a stake."
Now her arms encircled him, her hands touching his chest. Her hips pressed into his butt, her breasts under his shoulders. Her lips moved to the side of his neck.
"Shepard . . ."
"No," she moaned, the groan tugging at the cord that ran directly from his ears to his groin. "No, please. I'm happy. I'm a little drunk." She rested her forehead between his shoulderblades. "I don't want to think."
"We should-" she licked his earlobe, drawing the flesh in between teeth. "Ahh, hah, talk."
"We could be doing something else." She released him, stepping away. "But you always gotta go with the conscience, don't you commander?"
He spun on his heel to face her. Her face was scrunched up, almost - almost as though she was fighting back tears. She wrapped one arm around her waist and let the other dangle by her side, fist clenching.
"Yeah, Kaidan, this whole ship pretty much hated you after that."
"So is that why you've been telling me all this, Joker?"
"No, it's true. They're all after her. But, uh, Garrus has this theory about spirits or something. He thinks your Shepard's. I didn't really follow the whole thing, but he's so damned pissed with you for breaking her heart."
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"No," Kaidan said slowly, sitting down on the vacated settee. "I want to apologise."
Shepard's brows quirked together. "For . . . Horizon? You apologised when you came on board, I know why-"
"No," he shook his head. "For . . . for some of the things I've been thinking lately."
Now Shepard sobered, tilting her head to the side as she scrutinised him. "What do you mean?"
"I . . . I've been jealous of Tali for God's sakes. I saw you put your arm around her tonight and I almost wanted to punch her!"
Shepard's eyebrows shot up towards her hairline and she suppressed a snort of laughter. "What?" Her arms fell back to her sides and she raised a hand to hide her smile.
"And it's not just Tali," Kaidan persisted, leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees. "I think Thane and I had a pissing contest back on Agebinium. I threatened Jacob with my biotics."
"Jacob?" Shepard repeated, eyes boggling. She circled the coffee table to sit beside him. "Why Jacob? He's all cow eyed over Miranda."
"Well I'm not sure if Miranda wants to fuck you or just be you." Kaidan couldn't help but grin as Shepard shifted in her seat. He leaned closer. "But Jack swears blind you were sniffing around her bunk, her words, not mine."
Shepard pursed her lips and looked down, so she didn't see his arm snaking towards her until it was too late and he was pulling her onto his lap. She laughed, steadying herself on his shoulders. "Kaidan!"
"I mean it. I've been so jealous lately I couldn't focus. Even Kasumi seemed like a threat and I've seen Jacob leaving her quarters looking violated."
Shepard leaned closer. "What do you think she does to him? I think Samara knows but isn't saying . . . "
"Listen to me," Kaidan said softly, guiding her away from the titbit of gossip. "I'm sorry for being so jealous." He let his hands drop to her hips and she bit her bottom lip. He couldn't resist a gentle brush of his tongue over the captured skin.
"I don't encourage it," she whispered against his mouth. He could just see her cheeks colouring.
"No, don't apologise." He kissed her jaw. Her hands fell to his hips and she rocked forwards experimentally. "You love them. They love you back."
"I love you."
His next words were swallowed by her kiss, the half formed argument fell away beside his shirt. "And I"
Her overalls, over the bed.
"Love you"
The pillows bounced off to land on the deck, the mattress foam absorbing their impact.
"But I don't"
The shoes last, thrown in a hurried arc over to the ghost town fish tank.
"Deserve you."
A full kiss, every inch of skin that could be pressed against skin, hot and smooth, curved and hard, slick and ready.
"Kaidan," Shepard gasped as they parted. "You think too damned much."
"I love you," he managed, before she enveloped him.
They'd be jealous tomorrow morning.
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THIS IS WONDERFUL! They finally made up! He realized that - while hilarious - jealousy wasn't helping him! Garrus's theory on spirits~ <3
Well done, authoranon. Well done.
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I freaking loved it! This is the Shepard Kaidan fic that I have been looking for! I salute you author!anon fro this made me giggle like a schoolgirl.
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Having done the Shep/Garrus romance too this killed me. I don’t often really laugh out loud at fics but this was just perfect.
"Bullshit. I don't want to break my knuckles on your skinny little shoulders," Zaeed retorted.
I never got Zaeed in my party, and this is the first time I’ve really cared. Love the way you write him!
or playfully flicked a grape at Garrus' carapace
Oh god, the mental images.
or blushed when Thane walked into a room.
Who could even blame her, Kaidan or not?
Yep. We're just two ex-Alliance officers, hanging out, jerking off to the same woman. Nothing wrong or creepy about that.
Joker, Kaidan decided, was going to have to die.
This is one of my favorite passages ever. EVER. I feel this needs to be my status somewhere.
Kaidan was overwhelmed with a high school urge to compare lengths.
Really, Kaidan, really? God, you’re ridiculous. And I love you.
"Yep. Well you probably know how it is with Miranda. Doesn't matter how it ended, you still feel . . . protective, you know?"
Oh god, all but threaten him. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? And why is it so attractive?
'Forgot you were an L2'
Oh shut up, you sanctimonious little clone.
I know a lot of people who would have liked the option to say that to Miranda. It’s funny imagining it out of Kaidan’s mouth, even if he never actually said it.
Ahaha, look up the word Siha. Amazing.
Thane nodded. "Your body would seek greater knowledge, even though your rules tell you otherwise. I understand."
Eee, more of Kaidan and Thane interacting! I just adore them both, and like I said before, the way you write them together is incredibly interesting.
Oh damn, Thane calling Kaidan his competition? Glorious. Kaidan’s response was delicious too.
"Joker, I don't think I've understood even half of this conversation."
Nor would you want to Kaidan. Nor would you want to.
Shep and Kaidan’s last conversation was SO DAMN CUTE. And sweet and urg. I love how easily they fit together; you do a lovely job with them. Garrus is right, they do seem meant to be, especially the way you write them. I love jealousy fics and this is one of the better one’s I’ve seen in a while, so thanks!
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