#F!Ryder x Jaal

[avaquet]

My upcoming long fic:

What if the Ryder twin wasn’t in a coma for the entire game?

What if Ryder was a pathfinder but not necessarily the “chosen one” (basically, needing an angara on the crew to get through remnant areas)

It’ll be f!ryder x Jaal because I cannot help myself

Still debating if I should add another romance??? M!Ryder and ..?

[angrykittybarbarian]

Egg Timers

So a while ago I wrote this one shot as a tribute to my friend’s grandfather who passed away suddenly last summer. The following story is inspired by one that has actually happened and when she told me this story of her grandparents I couldn’t help but think that my Ryder and Jaal would totally do such a thing. I hope you like it, I’m not really much of a writer.

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It was a sunny and peaceful day on Harval. The red gas giant was looming over the sky and groups of mantas hovered across the horizon.

Two years have passed since Rachel Ryder, human Pathfinder, had defeated the Archon and effectively began the end of the kett as a meaningful force in the Heleus cluster. Normalcy began to descend over the troubled galaxy, a normalcy the Milky Way species desperately welcomed back and adult angara were absolutely unacustomed to. Even without an imminent threat most of them constantly walked around in battle armour, as if ready to strike down any possible attacker who might show themselves and Resistance patrols were still a very common sight too, although they mostly spent their time walking around and doing nothing.

Colonist settlements and angaran daara began to truly develope and grow. On Harval it meant that the hidden villages stepped into the light where they were formerly hidden by the planet's viscious jungle. And this developement contained a variety of new buildings. For the first time after centuries of chaos and disorganization the angara started to run their own buisnesses. Not the loose trading exchanges they did with eachother mostly to keep everyone alive and supplied, but actual economic structures in co-operation with Milky Way traders.

One of these buisnesses was a shop in Daar Pelaav that opened on this exact day. It wasn't really something special if it wasn't for the galactic scale war with the kett not too long ago. The shop sold mostly kitchen wares and cooking utensiles like plates, pots, pans, bowels and any tool necessary to keep the tummy happy, but also decorational items, simply made to look pretty on a window shelf.

Colourful shining balloons decorated the entrance. A big red sign read '10% opening discount on everything' and a human woman in a painfully yellow t-shirt distributed small packages of candy to any children entering the building with their parents.

Like other curious inhabitants, the Ryder siblings and their partners decided to take a look at the new shopping opportunity.

Rachel, Jaal, Jacob and Vetra came here per Vetra's request respectively. Originally it only involved her husband Jacob, but when Sahuna heared from Rachel, who was telling Jaal that her brother and his lover planned to pay a visit there, the older angaran woman insisted that her son and daughter bring her one of those flower forms she had seen on the extranet not a long time ago so she can bake her pies (or attempts of the same) in them, instead of the blunt round ones she happened to have around during her first try.

So here she stood, with her husband and a clear quest from her mother-in-law. Vetra wasn't so clear about her interest in the place however.

„So, why are we here again?“, Rachel asked, as the group walked in, deliberately ignoring the cringe worthy smile of the woman in the eye cancer provocating t-shirt.

„Vetra wanted to buy something.“, came Jacob's immediate and prompt response.

„Oh really, Captain Obvious? And I thought she wanted to sacrifice a fiend here.“, Rachel shot back, slightly too sharp. It earned her a low chuckle from Jaal and a nervous mandible twitch from Vetra.

„Well, it's because she didn't tell me either what exactly she wanted here, oh mighty queen of saracsm.“, Jacob answered dryly. Vetra beside him fidgeted with her talons restessly.

„I actually wanted it to be a surprise...“, she mumbled shyly. Jacob's face lost at least two shades of colour. Oh boy, not again...

„I found an earth recipe in the Nexus data banks and...“, Vetra explained.

„Vetra, please...“, Jacob attempted to talk the idea ou of her.

„...and I need a very large pot for it and we don't have one, so...“, the turian ended her explanation and glanced into the round.

Rachel had a wide grin on her face that reached from one ear to the other. Her twin brother had told her about the incident with the burnt steak.

„Ah, you wish to cook for him. To take care of someone's every need is a true testimony of love.“, Jaal commented.

Vetra's mandibles twitched again, this time with hope and a slight sparkle in her eyes.

„Yeah, well, she doesn't need to cook for me. There are othr ways, love.“, Jacob said hestitantly and turned to Vetra with his last sentence.

„You don't want me to cook, because of last time?“, she answered with audible dissapointment.

„What? No, no. I mean, I'm an adult-“, he stumbled over his own explanation.

„Or trying to be.“, Rachel threw in. Jacob sighed heavily almost bordering on a growl.

„Look, point is, the reason I'm with you is not because of you being some kind of subtitute mom for me. I'm with you because I enjoy your company, I enjoy you and because you show your love by being there when it counts. That's all I need.“, Jacob replied, his ckeeks won their colours back and turned into a glow of red now.

He looked at Vetra and took her hand in his, exhaling shakily. It was like he was confessing his love to her for the first time.

And here he was complaining about her and Jaal being sickeningly sweet together, Rachel thought, still grinning like an idiot.

She felt Jaal's hand wander up her back and finally resting on her shoulder. He drew her slightly closer and gave her a knowing smile. He thought the same.

„And this is why I love you.“, Vetra said softly.

„No pressuring expectations. But this is also why I want to do this. Not to conform to some ideal or duty. I just thought why not make something nice once in a while?“, she said with more confidence.

Jacob sighed defeatedly. „Alright, let's get in. But promise you'll let me help you with this.“

„Deal. Oh, and you two are officially invited to dinner now.“, Vetra gazed at Rachel and Jaal with her last sentence.

„A pleasure.“, Jaal replied happily and Rachel nodded in agreement.

The group finally entered the shop. A few signs hung from the ceiling, giving directions to the various sections.

„Okay, so cooking is to the right and baking to the left. Where do we go first?“, Rachel asked.

„How about we split up, quickly get what we need and meet up at the exit?“, Jacob suggested.

„Good plan, let's not waste more time in here than needed.“, Rachel agreed. She hated shops like this one, not because it wasn't fun shopping for dayly tools like pans and baking forms, but because she tended to get carried away by the offeres and as a result ended up leaving more money behind than necessary because that bowl was so beautiful and little else.

The group did as planned. As Vetra and Jacob walked straight for the cooking department Rachel and Jaal began looking for the requested silicone form between other baking utensiles. To their great dissapointment they didn't find the desired item anywhere.

„Maybe ask a clerk?“, Jaal suggested. As if on command an angara with a name badge reading his name pinned to his rofjin with the same sickening yellow as the woman's t-shirt from outside they walked by.

„Uh, excuse me?“, Rachel beckoned for him to stop.

„Yes, how can I help?“, he answered.

Rachel proceeded to explain what they were searching for. The angara replied that they had had only few exemplars to begin with which were taken already early on on that day.

„I'm sorry. Perhaps we'll have another load next week.“, he apologized.

„Thanks anyway.“, Rachel answerd and left the clerk to go on about the rest of his work.

„Kind of a pity but not so dramatic. We just come back next week.“, Jaal said. The words were on themselves nothing special but they way he said them made Rachel think for a moment. Like many other angara Jaal still wasn't used to having such certainty in his life. Not too long ago he couldn't even surely tell if he would live to see the next day. Rachel shook the thought away. The shop wasn't really the place to dwelve deeply into such gloomy thoughts.

„Back to our rendevouz point then.“, she prompted and the pair made their way back to the entrance which was also the exit. Rachel however was stopped in her tracks not two seconds later.

On a table she saw packages of egg timers arranged above one another in no particular order. Many of them were standing there unpacked. About twenty to thirty of them.

„Darling one?“, Jaal asked her in confusion as he was forced to stop suddenly as well. A diabolic idea came to her mind and once again a grin spread on her face. But this time it was an evil one.

„You see those things?“, she said and tilted her head to the egg timers. Jaal eyed the devices dubiously. „Yes. What are they?“, he asked. „Egg timers. You use them to see if your cooked egg is ready. They ring once the required time is up.“ Jaal opened his mouth slightly as if he wanted to say something but closed it again. His eyes wandered a bit around as he processed the information until it seemed to sink in as much as it could.

Rachel still grinned. „And...?“, Jaal questioned further as he saw the lasting smile.

„Okay listen, we turn on these unpacked ones, all with a one minute difference.“, Rachel answered. Jaal's face split into a wide smile as he slowly understood where this was going.

„And then we wait.��, he said.

„And then we get the hell out of here.“, Rachel corrected and they immediately proceeded to realize their genius plan. They worked as quickly as possible so they would have enough time to escape before the alarms would go off and returned the colouful devices to their places as accurately as possible so no one would notice that something was off. Once they were done they rushed away to the exit.

Jacob stood behind Vetra as she measured two pots that caught her interest the most against each other.

„Do you think this one's enough?“, Vetra asked and held up the slightly smaller one.

„Depends on how much you want to make.“, Jacob replied.

„Hm...“, Vetra made. She glanced at both pots in exchange before she decided to put the small one back.

„This one's only slightly more expensive. And it will not be too small if we decide to make a bit more.“, Vetra explained. She seemed to be content with her choice and that was for Jacob enough to go with it.

„Alright then, let's go pay and...“, Jacob stopped in midsentence as he turned towards the outskirts of the baking department only to discover Jaal and Rachel fumbling with the egg-timers.

„What's up, Jacob?“, Vetra now asked after his sudden silence. The turian lady followed her lover's gaze to its focus. They both observed the other pair for a few moments before Jaal and Rachel appearantly decided to jogg out of the shop, giggling maniacly and loud enough for Vetra and Jacob to hear.

„Did they seriously...?“, Vetra asked with an unbelieving surprise.

„These children.“, Jacob commented laughingly and shook his head slightly.

Only seconds afterwards the egg-timer began to go off. One loud deafening ringing after the other started to sound through the room in a seemingly unending harmony of panicking annoyance as confused clerks scuttled around the table attempting to turn the devices off.

Shopping for houshold utensiles turned out to be fun after all.

[itsyasyall]

Ryder have soft hair (the things i wouldnt do to have long hair options)

[sky-scribbles]

It takes longer than it should for Jaal to notice that Ryder is avoiding him.

He notices only once everything’s over. After his family’s shuttle is headed homeward, after Lexi has dressed the gash on his cheek and muttered that he shouldn’t always expect to be so lucky. After he’s taken the time, during the spaceflight back to the Nexus, to name  every feeling he has about what happened.

The next step is to share those feelings. But Ryder is, suddenly, not responding to calls, and nowhere to be found.

Jaal has no desire to trawl the Nexus on foot, so he asks SAM where to find her. There’s a lengthy silence – something he didn’t expect from an AI – followed by the synthetic voice directing him to the Hyperion’s cryo bay.

He’s never been to the human ark before, and he isn’t surprised by the eyes that turn to him as he crosses the habitation deck. Some of them must be fresh out of stasis, judging by the way they jump when they see him. Jaal chuckles to himself. If they think he’s the strangest thing Heleus has to offer, they are in for a very interesting morning.

But there at the other end of the deck is Ryder, hurrying to meet him – and while others stare, she smiles. So Jaal smiles back. And everything inside him smiles along with his lips, a warmth punching through his veins that’s fierce and electric and alive.

She holds up her hands as he approaches, and there’s a flush to her cheeks. ‘Okay, before you say anything, I’m sorry for blanking you. I switched off my comm. Then SAM said you were trying to get hold of me, and I realised I was probably worrying everyone –’

Jaal shakes his head to stop her. ‘You wanted to be alone. Why didn’t you say so earlier?’

A pause. She stares at him, and he wonders if she’ll deflect, defend, as humans so often do. But she draws in a breath and says, ‘Because my reasons for wanting to be alone were… selfish.’

‘So? Sometimes we need selfishness.’

‘This wasn’t a good kind of selfishness. What I’m thinking is unfair. Unfair to you, specifically.’ Another silence, before she gives him a rueful smile. ‘And you’re going to tell me that not talking about it is just going to leave bad feelings hovering around without being dealt with, right?

‘Naturally.’

‘Okay. Well, what happened on Havarl…’ Ryder shoves her hands into her pockets, as if trying to stuff away her discomfort. ‘You brought your family home. And I know it was horrible, your sister shot your brother, and then Akksul shot you, but you got them back. You could go to them and be there for them and help them. And I… can’t do that. For my brother.’

Ah.

‘That isn’t selfish. That’s simply –’ Jaal hesitates, because the word on his tongue was angaran. He’s not sure saying that’s human would be a suitable replacement, because to say that’s angaran is to say, that is what it is to love your family.

It must be so terribly lonely, being human.

‘Natural,’ he decides on at last. ‘For a person, and for a sibling. By standing here, I’m reminding you of what you don’t have. If it’s uncomfortable to talk to me, I can leave.’

‘No.’ Her arm twitches, as if she were about to reach out to stop him, and thought better of it. ‘If you need to talk, I’m –’

‘I don’t. I wanted to talk. I think you’re the one who needs to talk.’

Because if being human is lonely, being Ryder must be lonelier still. Set apart from her people by the title of Pathfinder. Only two parents, both torn from her life; only one sibling, suspended in an indefinite sleep. It’s no way to live. 

‘I mean, there are things it’d be nice to get off my chest.’ Another idiom, Jaal guesses. At least this one’s meaning is obvious. ‘But I don’t want to lump all my messy family feelings on you, Jaal. Not after what you’ve just been through.’

‘Lump? The feelings you have are not lumps. They’re part of you. They should be heard.’ He sees her preparing to interrupt him, and presses on. ‘Yes, things have been... difficult, with my family. So we talked. And later, we’ll talk more. And we’ll keep talking until there’s nothing more to be said. In the meantime, if didn’t feel that I could listen to you too, I wouldn’t have offered.’

Ryder’s smile has softened. Before, it seemed apologetic. Now there’s a warmth and brightness behind it, and perhaps... perhaps she’s feeling that same electric rush he did earlier. 

He likes to think she is.

‘Okay,’ she says. ‘Sure. I... if we’re going to talk about my brother, do you want to come and meet him? Not that he’s in a position to meet anyone, but... you know what I mean.’

And Jaal does understand, of course. So he dips his head, and Ryder leads him to the cryo bay.

Scott Ryder is easy to identify. A similar face to his sister’s, the same hair; Jaal assumes that his eyes, if they were open, would be the same dark brown. Ryder squeezes his hand as they reach him, and gives Jaal a small, sad smile. ‘Meet the family.’

And the scene is so far away from what Jaal pictures when he thinks of family – the crowded rooms on Havarl, the chorus of voices, the rowdy dinners and laughter and the warm arms – that he wants to howl aloud. He remembers the gun-blast roaring off the walls of the Forge, watching Lathoul jerk and fall. Feeling his brother slump into his arms and feeling one white-hot, screaming thought envelop his mind – let him live. He’s my brother. Let him live.

Ryder is living that in slow-motion every second. She walks and breathes and heals planets with that same scream sounding in her mind. 

Jaal considers telling her how strong she is, but he suspects she’s very tired of being strong.

‘It’s been a really long time,’ Ryder says, settling into a seat at her brother’s side. ‘I thought it would be days or weeks before he woke up, but he’s been like this ever since we got to Heleus. The medics say it won’t last much longer, but… part of me doesn’t believe them.’

‘You’re afraid,’ Jaal says. Not to poke the wound, but because her shoulders are tight and her face distant, and there’s something she’s not saying. ‘Of more than the idea that he won’t wake up.’

‘Yeah. I’m afraid of what happens when he does. When he went into cryo, I was just his sister. Now I’m the Pathfinder. I have a ship, and a team, and people treat me like some big hero.’ She huffs and slumps back heavily in her seat. ‘Scott and I have a birthday coming up, you know.’

(Jaal makes a mental note to research human birth anniversary ceremonies. He’s read something about them before, but can’t remember much past gifts, a ritual song and a conical hat.)

Ryder places her hand on Scott’s shoulder. Fingers trembling a little. ‘He’s going to miss it. What if he misses a ton of birthdays? What if I’m so different when he wakes up that he doesn’t recognise me? I feel different. Do I seem different?’

‘Yes,’ Jaal says, because it’s true. ‘You are different. And when your brother wakes up, you’ll be different again. So, you’ll talk. And you’ll talk more. Until there’s nothing more to be said.’

She looks at him again, looks for a long time. Maybe he’s imagining the touch of wonder in her smile, but he doesn’t think he is. ‘You make it sound so... simple.’

‘It isn’t. Feelings are complicated. That’s why you share them.’

This earns him a fleeting grin. ‘Yeah. My family is abysmal at sharing our feelings. But you’re right. If humans just said things to each other sometimes, maybe the Ryders wouldn’t have turned out as a heap of messes.’

‘Well, angara aren’t immune to being messy. I remember one time three of my siblings joined the Roekaar without talking to anyone about it. When I went to sort it out, half of those present got shot.’

Ryder bursts out laughing. And for a moment, this scene feels a little more like family.

‘Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?’ she asks. ‘About what happened?’

‘Hmm. In part. My face hurts. And, yes, my sister shot my brother a few days ago, and that... also hurts. The human VI in cultural exchange said that I should ask a human about something called ice cream? I’m told it’s good for being sad.’

Ryder’s grin widens, and she pats her brother’s shoulder before getting to her feet. ‘Hell yes. It’s pretty hard to find right now, but Vetra said she got hold of some recently. I’ve been saving it for a bad day.’

‘Good! This is what I meant earlier. Getting ice cream to deal with your feelings is good selfishness.’

She laughs again, eyes scrunching shut and creasing at the edges. And one day, Jaal thinks, one day soon, he’ll tell her how beautiful it makes her look.

Her brother may have a half-stranger waiting for him when he wakes. But that stranger is someone deep-feeling, deep-thinking, who speaks from her heart a little more boldly each day. In a strange way, Scott Ryder is lucky to have a chance to get to know her all over again.

(Lucky as Jaal was, the day he watched a strange ship descended upon Aya. The day when, without knowing it, he was waiting to meet and know and love someone really quite wonderful.)

[sakialumei]

The Jaalmance in Mea is so lit. I was thinking of doing a drabble where they attempt to communicate without their translators. Thoughts??

[hexelina]

Getting mixed up in family affairs 💜

[ellstersmash]

• H e l e u s   D e f e n d e r •

Peebee held up her hands in mock innocence and gave Jaal a wide berth as he scooped Andi up in one arm over his shoulder.  She let out a surprised yelp and clung to his rofjinn as he ducked through the doorway, careful not to hit her head on the frame.  His other hand covered her ass quite deliberately from the rest of the crew’s view as he turned to regard the others with a stony glare.

“Now, if you will excuse us,” he said with a slight growl. “I need to conduct a personal inspection of the Pathfinder’s new armor.”

Andi gave them a jaunty wave as she was hauled off, embarrassment giving way to self-satisfaction at Jaal’s reaction.  

At least until Peebee yelled after them, “It’ll look even better on her floor!”

AHHH IT’S @kittlesandbugs' BIRTHDAY!!!!!! Kit, you’re amazing. And your stories and characters are also amazing, so to commemorate this incredibly special occasion, @bearly-tolerable and I commissioned @lonicera-caprifolium to draw this scene from “Heleus Defender.” lbr...it begged to be immortalized. :D

Happy birthday, Kit!! We love you so very, very much. 😘😘

[inquizies]

[tujimaartwork]

Image one completed! Linework was something that’s been hiding in a “To Do” folder since my first playthrough of ME:A. 

Vera Ryder, finally making her drawn debut! Hopefully I’ll get some more stuff of her sketched up, we’ll see....

(please forgive the color seeming off, if it does, my monitor makes all color look off so it makes editing difficult)

[hotwing-sauce]

This fic is rated M for Mature

There's always another mission.

Work hasn't slowed down since the Archon's defeat; it's just like they say. There's no rest for the wicked. And Ryder feels like she's the most wicked of them all, the way that problems have been piling up lately.

A squad of angaran scouts have gone missing on Aventia, a planet abandoned two decades ago. The scouts were to measure the habitability of the planet--but instead, they disappeared without a trace. After a week without communication and the lack of a distress signal, Ryder was contacted personally by Evfra to search for them.

Please consider supporting me on patreon! Or donating to my ko-fi, here!

[angrykittybarbarian]

A little Rydaal for the evening. Nothing special, just a sketch I made during offtime at work.

[kittlesandbugs]

Coffee

Pairing: F!Ryder x Jaal Rating: E for everyone Summary: Ryder and Jaal are in the early stages of a relationship.  Jaal attempts to surprise her with something she likes.

"Jaal... since when do you make coffee?"

Jaal startled from his hunched position over the coffee pot and yelped when his head connected with the cabinet.  Rubbing the top of his head, he turned to face her.

Andi Ryder stood in the doorway.  Her short hair was standing straight up on one side, and her clothes were rumpled from sleep.  She stared at him, her mouth quirking slightly in amusement.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes.  I'm fine.  But... shouldn't you still be asleep?"  He fidgeted slightly, embarrassed.  He felt like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"I woke up before my alarm and decided to hell with it," she said with a yawn.  "I smelled coffee and came to investigate.  You haven't answered my question though.  Since when do you make coffee?"

"I... well.  You like coffee.  A lot.  You always start your morning with coffee."  He didn't seem able to quite meet her gaze as his voice trailed off.  "I thought I would surprise you with it...?"

Andi covered her mouth as she let out a giggle, which flustered him even more.  "Oh my god, Jaal.  That's so sweet of you."  She sidled over next to him to inspect his handiwork.  "It smells perfect.  Who taught you to make coffee?"

"I asked Liam to teach me.  He said you--" Jaal cut himself mid-thought.

She poked him in what she presumed was his ribs.  "What did he say about me?"

"He said that 'you drink it wrong'?  Is there more than one way for humans to drink something?" His brow furrowed in confusion.  "Also, eight of your pounds of sugar would not fit in a mug."

Andi barked out a laugh.    "That's hyperbole there.  Liam just likes his coffee black.  He thinks I ruin it, by adding cream and sugar.  It's too bitter if I don't.  Have you tried coffee yet?"

Jaal shook his head.  The coffee pot gurgled to signal the end of its brewing, prompting Andi to grab a pair of mugs from the cabinet.  She nudged him out of the way.  

"He showed you how to brew, but let me show you how I like my coffee.  Grab the cream from the fridge, please?  White carton."

She deftly poured up the coffee and returned the pot to its holder for the next person.  Then she reached up for the sugar and cursed when she saw someone had put it on the higher shelf out of her reach.  She didn't even have to ask as Jaal reached up and plucked the container off the shelf.

"Thanks!"  Andi fished a spoon out of the drawer and made a show of doling it into her coffee.  "One, two spoonfuls for me.  These are big mugs.  And about this much cream,"  she said as she topped off the coffee and used the spoon to mix it all up.  She handed the other mug to Jaal.

"Try yours black, and if you don't like it, we can sweeten it up.  Careful though, it's hot!"

Jaal gave his mug the same look one might give a snake that was gunning to bite him before carefully taking a sip.  His eyes widened in surprise.  "This is... very good!  The warmth is pleasing, and the flavor reminds me of treats one of my mothers would give us when we were young."

"Really?  Peebee wasn't kidding about how different your taste buds must be.  Most human kids hate black coffee."  She offered her mug to him.  "Wanna try it my way?"

He took a sip, and couldn’t stop his face from scrunching up in displeasure.  He handed it back to her immediately.  "I am sorry, but I must agree with Liam on this.  You ruined it."

Andi shrugged and stuck her tongue out at him.  "Yeah, well. I have a massive sweet tooth.”

She put the cream back in the fridge and sat down at the table, gesturing for him to join her.  Jaal took the seat opposite of her.  She gave a pleased hum as she sipped her drink.

"Coffee makes everything better."

Jaal regarded her curiously.  "Liam said the same thing.  What is so special about coffee?"

Andi stared at her mug.  It would be so easy to just wave the question off with a "it's good," but she felt like she owed a better explanation than that.  Why did she like coffee so much?  She pondered over the question for a bit.  "For me, I guess, it... reminds me of home.  Mornings with my family.  Dad was always really busy, travelling a lot.  And then when he was home, he missed dinner all the time.  But he never missed coffee in the morning.  Mom always had it ready for him before she..."

Jaal placed a comforting hand over hers.  "I am sorry. I did not mean to bring up painful memories."

"No, those were good times.  We were happy."  She shook her head.  "I just never really thought about it before.  I guess there’s more to my love of coffee than just the caffeine."

"What is caffeine?"

"It's a mild stimulant.  Most people drink coffee to help them wake up in the morning."

With a sigh Andi stood up with her half-finished coffee.  "I have to go write some reports that Tann's been harassing me about."  On her way around the table, she stopped to give the Angaran a peck on the cheek.  "Thanks, Jaal.  Same time tomorrow?  I promise not to be early."

"Yes.  Yes, I would like that."

Liam found Jaal sitting at the table, with a cold mug of coffee, his hand on his cheek, and a dopey grin on his face.  He gave the Jaal a wink and a nudge.

"See, I told you.  Coffee makes everything better."

[lockescoles]

“I love you too, Jaal.”

[sky-scribbles]

The first time Ryder hugs him, it’s after Voeld, and he’s raw and heavy, and the soft press of her arms feels to Jaal like a cool dressing on a wound.

It happens because she finds him crying. She enters the room while he’s still hunched over with his head in his hands, and he doesn’t try to stop the tears. Because he can’t, and because – why would he? Every kett he has ever killed was the walking grave of an angara, and his tears are for them, for their mutilated futures. His tears are rage and they are yawning grief and Jaal would sooner lose a limb than be ashamed of them.

Ryder stops in the doorway. Hesitates. ‘Do you need to be alone, Jaal?’

When he doesn’t answer, she crosses the room to kneel in front of him. Leaving a little space between them, like she has ever since he joined the Tempest. And it’s that – the realisation that she’s still respecting his caution, respecting his mistrust – that makes him shake his head.

‘Okay,’ she says, very quietly. Then she half-raises her hands. ‘Can I –?’

Jaal leans into her arms before she can finish the question.

And she holds him, her arms gentle around his neck and her breath warm on his skin as she whispers, ‘I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.’ He holds her too, and it doesn’t feel like a meagre substitute for having one of his mothers or siblings to hold onto. Because she is his friend, this uprooted warrior, this open-hearted explorer. She’s kind, and she cares, and he trusts her. Having her here, now, when he needs to be anything except alone –

It feels like being taught how to breathe again.

And as it turns out, Ryder gives very comforting hugs.

The second time, it’s to save his life.

An Observer rises behind him, and he doesn’t see it. Ryder screams a warning, and Jaal leaps aside fast enough that he isn't bisected by the machine's beam. Not fast enough to avoid it glancing across his back, frying his jump-jet into a useless mess of sparks, and sending him toppling feet-over-Rofjinn into Havarl’s Chasm of the Builders.

And Ryder, who is brave and big-hearted and just a little bit crazy, leaps after him.

A single moment of blinding panic – what is she doing? – before she flings out one arm. Her body ignites with blue-purple energy. And Jaal has the curious experience of feeling himself become weightless, as Ryder’s biotic pull catches him in mid-air and yanks him to her.

Sometimes he forgets how strong the AI woven into her sinews makes her. He remembers it now, as she clasps him to her with a firm, furious grip, holding tight against the buffeting of the wind. Her jump-jet roars into life, lowering them down safely into the water below.

And – he probably shouldn’t keep holding onto her. Peebee is still a whole cliffside above them, holding off three bots at once. But Jaal’s veins are alight with adrenaline, and Ryder thew herself after him, and she doesn’t seem to want to let go of him either.

‘Not many people can say someone has jumped off a cliff for them,’ Jaal remarks, as he finally untangles his arms, and she laughs.

‘Not many people can say they’ve known someone so worth jumping off a cliff for.’

He starts to lose count after that. She’s a very huggy person, and Jaal is very much fine with that. So is he.

But there’s one time that he etches into his memory. They’re in his room, lying under computer-generated stars, the light casting blue and gold and white across her face. Which is beautiful, but not quite so beautiful as the warm weight of her hand in his and the fact that she kissed him.

For a long time, they lie there. Jaal’s family clamours mutedly from behind the door.  Above them, the stars turn.

Then Ryder – then Mae shuffles closer, and Jaal wraps one arm around her shoulders as she squeezes up against him. ‘Been a long time since I had this,’ she says, rolling onto her side and placing her free hand against his chest. ‘Someone to hold onto. Family.’

Jaal smiles and turns to press his lips to the top of her head.

He’s never touched her hair before, not with his skin, and it’s smoother than he expected. Sleek. On a whim, he pulls off his left glove and reaches out to run his fingers through the strands.

And it hits him that this woman crossed the void between galaxies, looking for a homecoming, and ending up lying at his side. So close that he can feel her breathing and run his hair between her fingers. There’s so much that he wants to say, so much that he feels, and he wishes the stars above them were real so he could shout to all of them – look. She's beautiful. She's here.

But instead he just kisses her head again and says, ‘Welcome home.’

[sakialumei]

Working Title: Learning

Heyooo here’s proof I’m working on that Jaalmance fic I mentioned!

“Did you ask your SAM?”

“Yes. He think it’s a terrible idea.”

“And…” Jaal hesitated. “Because of its principle…?”

“No. He pulled out my report cards from high school and noted that I almost flunked First Year Asari.” The angara crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. “Look, universal translators were things for decades! Only linguists and overachievers really paid attention to those classes. And, whaddaya know, they are indeed universal.”

A low, guttural chuckle came from Jaal’s throat. “Still, there really is no danger, is there? After all, you can turn on the translator as easy as you can turn it off,”

“That’s what I thought… I mean… can’t hurt, right?”

The two exchanged a look, smiled slowly creeping onto their faces. Ryder could feel Jaal’s encouragement without him saying a word, and a moment later, felt his impatience too. Reading his mind was so easy because of how often and passionately he expressed himself. If all angara were open books, Jaal was the adventure novel that Ryder couldn’t put down. Needless to say, easy to read meant that he should be easy to understand, right?

That, and she had been all too curious on how angaran Shelesh sounded. Not just their accents and the words of the day he left on the forum. Real angaran Shelesh. And she wanted it hear it from Jaal.

“Okay,” she said in a sing-song tune as she opened up her omni-tool. “Translator is going off…” She punched in a couple of buttons. Are you sure you wish to turn off universal translation? Yes. “Now.” Universal translation offline. Please be careful when speaking to alien species. To turn universal translation back on—

“And that’s done.” She looked back up to him. “Okay…” She heard the steady beat of her heart as Jaal stood from the edge of her bed and approached. He stopped near her, focusing on nothing else.

“Varra novoa.”

[hexelina]

I finally romanced Jaal 💜