Huerta Memorial Hospital, the Citadel, Sunday
It hadn't exactly been the most... enervating time lately. Kaidan'd been here, on a hospital bed, letting doctors poke and prod at him. He was using the time to try and keep tabs on his old students - if he could find them at all - and writing letters to whoever was willing to read and respond to them.
He didn't exactly expect the guy who came marching in the door. Not that was a bad thing, considering he was busy fending off one of Udina's latest attempts to rush his answer on the Spectre thing.
Predictably, the expression on Udina's face turned to something... curdled... as he saw Shepard. "Shepard," the man muttered as he marched out the door.
"Udina," Shepard echoed, raising an eyebrow at him.
Kaidan smiled wryly at him. "Shepard, hey," he said. "You just missed snack time-- actually, that's probably a good thing. Thanks for coming."
"No problem," Shepard said.
He took one look and noticed the chair by Kaidan's bedside. He sat down on it, a little awkwardly. He looked... tired, Kaidan noticed. Not that most of them weren't tired - except for him, he'd had nothing to do but rest - but... there was this... he didn't know. Something about it.
"What'd Udina want?" Shepard asked. "Still thinking about the Spectre position?"
"It's a big honor," Kaidan said quietly. "A huge responsibility. Just need to be sure." Drove Udina up the wall, but... yeah.
Shepard reached behind him and produced... was that a bottle of whiskey? "I got you this."
Holy crap, that was a bottle of whiskey.
"Wow, thanks, Shepard," Kaidan said, staring at it. He... what? He wasn't sure what to make of that. "That's... really great." A I'm-happy-you're-still-alive gift? A I-hope-you're-not-angry-at-me-anymore gift? Or... what? Shepard wasn't usually the gift-giving type...
"Just a little pick me-up," Shepard said, sitting back.
Kaidan put it down on the table next to his bed. "Maybe when I'm out we can crack it open and celebrate," he said cautiously. "I'm so ready to get out of here, Shepard. You can't tell, but I'm tied to this bed by medical red tape. I mean Doc... Doc says I'm good to go, but then she always finds 'just one more test' to run."
Which was the part that drove him up the wall. Jack and Allie were probably grateful.
Shepard smiled. A little. "You doing okay?" he asked.
He sounded... genuinely interested. Then again, of course he was. Shepard wasn't just the boogeyman who'd worked for Cerberus. Just... hard to remember that, after everything.
"My implant got a little... rattled, so Doc wants me to keep the biotics offline for a bit," Kaidan said, sitting up. "It's really no big deal."
Though how many times he'd had to tell Allie that...
"Need me to break you out?" Shepard asked. Now that was beyond interested into fond. Huh.
Kaidan let out a chuckle and dropped himself back onto the bed. "I'll let you know."
"I'm glad you asked me to come," Shepard said, sitting forward. "It's good to see you're going to be okay."
"Thanks," Kaidan replied.
He meant that. He really did.
"You almost died on my watch," Shepard continued. His eyes darted briefly to the floor. "It was... horrible to see."
Kaidan took in a deep gulp of air. "I want you to be straight with me, then," he said. "So... I want to make sure... after Mars, after Horizon... You and me, we're good?"
Hadn't realized that was something he wanted to know until now. Not really. Like he'd thought earlier, some part of him hadn't actually expected Shepard to show up. To stay out there, something alien, someone he didn't know. But now... now he wanted to know. You know?
There wasn't a trace of uncertainty in Shepard's voice, which was... nice. "We've been through hell together, had each other's backs. That kind of bond is hard to break."
Kaidan searched Shepard's expression for... something. "But no, not just that. You were my commander, sure. But you listened, too. We went through Ash's death together..."
"Yeah," Shepard said quietly. "We did."
"So, what do you say?" Kaidan sighed. "Are we good?" Friends? Maybe? Christ, he wanted to be friends again, it was so-- teenage, really.
"We're good," Shepard said immediately. He'd never had a problem with Kaidan. Not really. The whole Cerberus thing... sigh. "It was great to have you back on the Normandy."
Kaidan shut his eyes. "Thanks," he said.
"Feel like we've cleared the air?"
"Yeah," Kaidan said. "You know, I'm not sure that I've been wrong about Cerberus... but I've been wrong about you." Been thinking about that a bit, lately. Wasn't sure until now, but... yeah. "I should let you get back to the Normandy."
He smiled a little, and hoped he didn't sound too wistful as he said, "Wish I could come with you."
"Take care of yourself, Kaidan," Shepard said. His smile was a match, there was that. "We need you at a hundred percent."
"Will do," Kaidan replied. "Thanks for coming."
[[ nfb, nfi, ooc-okay! taken from mass effect 3 with some narrative added in for spice. ]]
He didn't exactly expect the guy who came marching in the door. Not that was a bad thing, considering he was busy fending off one of Udina's latest attempts to rush his answer on the Spectre thing.
Predictably, the expression on Udina's face turned to something... curdled... as he saw Shepard. "Shepard," the man muttered as he marched out the door.
"Udina," Shepard echoed, raising an eyebrow at him.
Kaidan smiled wryly at him. "Shepard, hey," he said. "You just missed snack time-- actually, that's probably a good thing. Thanks for coming."
"No problem," Shepard said.
He took one look and noticed the chair by Kaidan's bedside. He sat down on it, a little awkwardly. He looked... tired, Kaidan noticed. Not that most of them weren't tired - except for him, he'd had nothing to do but rest - but... there was this... he didn't know. Something about it.
"What'd Udina want?" Shepard asked. "Still thinking about the Spectre position?"
"It's a big honor," Kaidan said quietly. "A huge responsibility. Just need to be sure." Drove Udina up the wall, but... yeah.
Shepard reached behind him and produced... was that a bottle of whiskey? "I got you this."
Holy crap, that was a bottle of whiskey.
"Wow, thanks, Shepard," Kaidan said, staring at it. He... what? He wasn't sure what to make of that. "That's... really great." A I'm-happy-you're-still-alive gift? A I-hope-you're-not-angry-at-me-anymore gift? Or... what? Shepard wasn't usually the gift-giving type...
"Just a little pick me-up," Shepard said, sitting back.
Kaidan put it down on the table next to his bed. "Maybe when I'm out we can crack it open and celebrate," he said cautiously. "I'm so ready to get out of here, Shepard. You can't tell, but I'm tied to this bed by medical red tape. I mean Doc... Doc says I'm good to go, but then she always finds 'just one more test' to run."
Which was the part that drove him up the wall. Jack and Allie were probably grateful.
Shepard smiled. A little. "You doing okay?" he asked.
He sounded... genuinely interested. Then again, of course he was. Shepard wasn't just the boogeyman who'd worked for Cerberus. Just... hard to remember that, after everything.
"My implant got a little... rattled, so Doc wants me to keep the biotics offline for a bit," Kaidan said, sitting up. "It's really no big deal."
Though how many times he'd had to tell Allie that...
"Need me to break you out?" Shepard asked. Now that was beyond interested into fond. Huh.
Kaidan let out a chuckle and dropped himself back onto the bed. "I'll let you know."
"I'm glad you asked me to come," Shepard said, sitting forward. "It's good to see you're going to be okay."
"Thanks," Kaidan replied.
He meant that. He really did.
"You almost died on my watch," Shepard continued. His eyes darted briefly to the floor. "It was... horrible to see."
Kaidan took in a deep gulp of air. "I want you to be straight with me, then," he said. "So... I want to make sure... after Mars, after Horizon... You and me, we're good?"
Hadn't realized that was something he wanted to know until now. Not really. Like he'd thought earlier, some part of him hadn't actually expected Shepard to show up. To stay out there, something alien, someone he didn't know. But now... now he wanted to know. You know?
There wasn't a trace of uncertainty in Shepard's voice, which was... nice. "We've been through hell together, had each other's backs. That kind of bond is hard to break."
Kaidan searched Shepard's expression for... something. "But no, not just that. You were my commander, sure. But you listened, too. We went through Ash's death together..."
"Yeah," Shepard said quietly. "We did."
"So, what do you say?" Kaidan sighed. "Are we good?" Friends? Maybe? Christ, he wanted to be friends again, it was so-- teenage, really.
"We're good," Shepard said immediately. He'd never had a problem with Kaidan. Not really. The whole Cerberus thing... sigh. "It was great to have you back on the Normandy."
Kaidan shut his eyes. "Thanks," he said.
"Feel like we've cleared the air?"
"Yeah," Kaidan said. "You know, I'm not sure that I've been wrong about Cerberus... but I've been wrong about you." Been thinking about that a bit, lately. Wasn't sure until now, but... yeah. "I should let you get back to the Normandy."
He smiled a little, and hoped he didn't sound too wistful as he said, "Wish I could come with you."
"Take care of yourself, Kaidan," Shepard said. His smile was a match, there was that. "We need you at a hundred percent."
"Will do," Kaidan replied. "Thanks for coming."
[[ nfb, nfi, ooc-okay! taken from mass effect 3 with some narrative added in for spice. ]]