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rubyredsundae · 4 years ago

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Mass Effect Trilogy Tag!

I was not tagged by anyone, I just really wanted to join in. If you see this and want to as well, please do! I've been loving reading through everyone's :)

I am a fan since… 2011ish? Definitely at least a year before ME3 came out. I remember watching my brother play ME2 and thinking it was so cool. While he was away it was a huge comfort for me to play it in his room, kind of like a bonding or cathartic experience for someone who wasn't there at the time.

When ME3 came out, me and him went to the midnight release at a gamestop like 40 minutes away or something, wearing clothes we threw together to kind of fit the N7 color scheme. Even though we don't talk anymore, those memories are still really precious to me. Also, the nostalgia of playing ME1 after-school or on the weekend, running to get my easy mac from the microwave during a cutscene, stuffing too hot mouthfuls while speeding the Mako towards the conduit on Ilos.

Favorite game of the series: It's a tough call between ME1 and ME2, but I'd say ME2. It's the game I get the urge to replay the most.

MaleShep or FemShep? Femshep all the way. I only play MShep when I want to do his exclusive romances. No offense to BroShep, but ME was the first game I ever played that let me not just be a girl, but customizable. Not just to be the already generated token girl character in a pack of boys. And not only can you play Femshep, but every game you are surrounded by smart, funny, tough women as squadmates. It was such a huge deal to me, and still is. Femshep represents so much. As Jennifer Hale put it, FemShep was a military grade boot to the video game industry glass ceiling.

Earthborn, Colonist or Spacer? I personally tend to lean spacer in-game, but I tend to use Earthborn when I'm writing fics.

Paragon or Renegade? Usually Paragon, but Renegade playthroughs can be really interesting, especially if I have a detailed background about why Shep is the way they are. My first Renegade, Krystle, is pretty bigoted and anti-alien until she meets Liara. Krystle is naturally guarded and quick to anger, so meeting someone who seemed to accept her and listen to her without judgment really opens her mind.

By the 2nd game, she wakes up in the cerberus lab with new biotic powers, having previously been a regular foot soldier. This makes her seeth, having someone completely take her agency, agreeing with the illusive man on the surface but plotting against him the entire time. She starts to lean more Paragon, if only to piss him off. She has the biggest smirk on her face when she blows up the collector base.

Biotics or Tech? Oooh, this is hard. Maybe biotics just the tiniest smidge because of Jack/Samara biotic bubble throw during the suicide mission. I don't know if we'll ever get a screen adaptation but THAT is a moment I would pay to see done with a big SFX budget behind it.

Favorite class: Sentinel! I don't know how much this reflects on my class preference in gaming in general, but I love the 'jack of all trades'ness of it. By the time I get an assault rifle, I don't really feel the need for anyone else to make up for something I lack. Also, tech armor in ME2? Where your shields regenerate automatically when it breaks, and the cool down is when you initially active it, instead of when you detonate it? Chef's kiss. I understand why it was nerfed in 3 but I'm still mad.

Favorite companion: Ho boy. This is obviously very difficult to choose but I'm gonna say Miranda. I've always loved and identified with her character, I love the accent, and she's always useful on missions. I was so happy when I learned she could be a squadmate in the armax arena.

Honorable mention to Ashley in ME1. Her character is rarely used to exposition lore, so she just gets to have her personality fleshed out. I don't always agree with her but she does seem genuinely willing to listen. ME3 tosses her out the airlock though; partially because her content was bugged and never restored, leaving her inclusion feel half-baked, and partly because Ash and Kaidan have to be able to serve the same plot function as each other and it negatively affects her character more than his. This could also be intentional on bioware's part, to try to flesh out kaidan's personality and tone down Ashley's as a response to criticisms of them from ME1.

Least favorite companion: Also difficult, because I don't really hate anyone as much as I am just less interested in some. I didn't like Zaeed for a long time, but I think he's much better and really funny in ME3. James was pushed on me too much at the beginning and it made me really dislike him, but I think he's greatly improved and also pretty funny in Citadel DLC. I'm also pretty indifferent to Jacob; I don't think he's a bad character, just disappointing because there was a lot of potential.

Not that every character has to go on and do some grand quest to be interesting, but I don't feel like Jacob every really got a big hero moment like everyone else. He is a very calm and introverted person (imo) who doesn't really share his feelings, so it's always been hard for to to connect with him on anything.

My squad selection: Depends on the game, but it usually involves Garrus lol. Typically it's Liara/Garrus in ME1, Miranda/Garrus for ME2, and Liara/Garrus again in ME3. I am very boring and predictable! If you have any suggestions for me to try out and mix things up, let me know!

Favorite in-game romance: Also depends on the game. ME1 it's Liara, hands down. It was the first game, really the first piece of media, where I was told two women could fall in love and be happy and that was okay. The amount of enlightenment and comfort in figuring out that I was bi these games brought me is kind of wild to look back on.

ME2 is a toss-up between Garrus and Thane. They are both wonderful but in completely different ways. I tend to now romance Thane on characters I don't plan on importing to ME3, or if I do, to just have a really depressed fucking Shepard lol. I hate how much Thane was brushed off, especially if you romanced him.

Other pairings I like: l love Miranda so much, but I'm a gay girl so I ship her and Femshep. Same goes for Tali, Jack, Ashley... damn I'm just really gay for straight girls huh :/

I don't really have any other ships for non-Shep related pairings.

Favorite NPC: Shiala is really cool to me, I wish we got to see her in 3. Emily Wong is also cool, also wish we saw her in 3. There's probably a lot more that when I come across them next I'll be like, "you! I love you! You're my favorite."

Oh also Joker! And EDI! But not together. Idk I feel like ME3 threw a curveball at me with "do you support organic/non-organic relationships?" Like m'am please don't ask me, I accidentally drank turian liquor last year, I'm not qualified to be an expert on this.

Favorite antagonist: Tbh I really dig Saren. I think his reasoning is super fascinating, both to set up how someone who's indoctrinated can rationalize to themselves that they are still in control; and as a foil to Shepard, to show what can happen when you become too isolated and the ends justify the means. I think his VA does a great job of walking the line between desperate survivor and madman. He's also the only antagonist in the trilogy that we ever fight 1 on 1 (ignoring squadmates) and it feels more personal. I think he's such a fantastic foe for the first entry in a trilogy and I don't think he gets enough credit.

Favorite mission: Is it cliche to say the suicide mission? It's honestly close to perfect. The stakes, the sequencing, the cinematics, the score. Everything works so well.

Favorite loyalty mission: Kasumi's and Tali's are really cool, as we all know. Samara's is also cool because it is entirely non-combat based. Shepard has to prove they can accomplish what seems impossible without a gun or biotics.

The confrontation at the end with Morinth always haunts me a little, because they are both right in their own way. Morinth's final line, "and they say I'm the monster", as you let Samara kill her, watch her scrambling backwards in fear... I know that she's a remorseless killer, but it gets me every time.

Favorite DLC: It's Citadel, obviously. Turns out what I really wanted was quality time and a party with all my friends. I love mass effect for many reasons, but simulating friends and affection when I had none has always made me bond to this series like other games don't. Is it sad? Sure! But I don't think love and affection for fictional characters should ever be shameful until it makes you hurt other people.

Control, Synthesis or Destroy? I'd say destroy. If the other options were presented earlier and we had time to stew with it, maybe I'd be more split. But all of this in 5 minutes? It's not like the collector base where the implications are obvious and the choice is just down to what Shepard believes. The 3 choices all seem like space magic out of nowhere, and none of them seem to really offer any insight on what Shepard should believe. So I say destroy, just because it's what Shep has intended and is most consistent with their character and their admiration of Anderson.

Favorite weapon: The spectre level assault rifle in ME1. Never have I felt more powerful.

Favorite place: Idk why but I just thought of the creepy lab with all the scientists during the leviathan DLC. I really love when Mass Effect leans into the Lovecraftian horror aspect of things. Talking to Sovereign and Vigil in ME1 gave me goosebumps my first few playthroughs.

A quote I like: I have hundreds, but the one off the top of my head is, "After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began." I have a poster of it up on my wall right now!

#mass effect #mass effect trilogy #mass effect trilogy tag

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lyrishadow · 4 years ago

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Fictober 29: Then you were gone

Prompt29: “Back Up” Fandom: Mass Effect Title: Then You Were Gone Pair: Egan Shepard/Kaidan Alenko Warning: Main character death Rating: T

Toward the end of the furlough on Earth, Egan was sitting in his room at the hotel the Alliance had sprung for, and reading reports. Reports on Geth activity, which he had been informed were where his crew was going to be sent to deal with things. When the chime sounded to say someone was at the door he dropped the report with surprise - his crew were enjoying the break, home with family, or free to do whatever.

"Alright, one second." He managed to call out. The suite wasn't huge but it was nice, Hackett knew the owner of the place apparently.

Egan checked that had on a pair of shorts and threw on his training shirt, no good opening the door naked. "Yeah?" He opened the door confused. "Did you order two Canadian beers?" "Kaidan!" Egan was happy to see the man whom he adored, even if he had not articulated his affections yet. "Come on in." Egan waved to the room "this is apparently my reward for saving the galaxy." "Data pads and an empty whiskey?" Kaidan joked " that’s rough."

"Sit down, relax, tell me what brings you here?" Egan sat down on the leather sofa, fully expecting Kaidan to put space between them, as usual. To his surprise, Kaidan sat next to him. "Shepard, This is where it gets awkward, and I need to just say it.” Kaidan blushed “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking," "You know you can…" "Sorry, Egan." A ghost of a smile on the man’s face before he once again took up staring at the beer he had placed on the table. " Lots of thinking since Virmire …since the Citadel.." "Yeah?" "You know, on the Citadel there was a long moment we thought you were dead." "I am very hard to the kill," Egan replied, puzzled. “But we covered the in case of death talk so it’s not that…” "I guess you are, listen this is hard for me to explain." Kaidan was very serious " at that moment, I realized I didn’t want to be in a galaxy without you." Egan took a deep breath and exhaled "Be direct Kaidan, what exactly do you mean?" "Well. I thought you and Ash had a...thing." Egan shook his head. He had a thing for Kaidan and had been trying to avoid the guy but otherwise. "Then I felt guilty that you saved me.." "I couldn’t let you die, Kaidan you are… important to me." "I am?" "Yes. But keep going you were explaining something to.." "I think I'm in love with you." Kaidan blurted. Egan blinked at Kaidan. "Back up. What did you say?" " I think I’m in love with you." Less fast, more certain, which was good for Egan because he didn’t want to rush things. " I mean I have had a crush on since you saved me in the old days, and.." Egan threw caution to the wind and suddenly pulled Kaidan into his arms. "Hell." Egan muttered, "I’ve got to be dreaming…" "Not dreaming." Kaidan managed to whisper before committing to the hug. "Though that raises some other questions..." "I was sitting here thinking about you," "Oh?" " That I would never get the chance to do this…" Egan pulled Kaidan to him, kissing him softly. “God Egan you are so cliché sometimes.” Kaidan laughed “Should I have seen it?” “No no, hid it well, can’t be in love with one of your officers on active duty.” Egan knew he said that too fast. “True….” Kaidan paused “I don’t know what to do now.” Egan did laugh at that. It was such a wholesome moment in the grand scheme of things, the showing up to a crushes door and blurting a confession.

“No rush.” Egan gestured to the data pads “They want us after Geth when we go back.” “You sound disappointed?” “Oh, I am. You and I know the Geth are not the issue.” Egan shook his head “How the hell to start working on saving the galaxy again... I don’t know.” “I hear a beer goes a long way when you are thinking?” “I wonder who you heard that from? ”Egan handed over the beer, suddenly seriously adding “Kaidan…. I…” “You don’t have to tell me if it’s hard to do so Egan, I came here thinking you would laugh at me so..” “Wait… let me do the awkward talking for a minute.” “Ok ok..” Kaidan took the beer and settled in beside Egan. “When we first met, when I was fifteen, I thought you were good looking then. I didn’t know the first thing about picking anyone up, let alone a random guy who I didn’t know anything about…” Egan coughed “I think you might even have thought I was hitting on you or something.”

“A little?” Kaidan admitted. “Though to be fair, you did take my hand.” “Oh, I had forgotten that the view was worth it though.” Egan sighed “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine you might feel the same way. Well ok, in some of my wildest dreams.” “Does it help or make things worse?” Kaidan replied “I don’t know if admitting feelings is any good for either of us… not if…” “Now you are thinking Virmire and the Citadel again…” “Yeah.” Kaidan took a sip of his drink “Egan if something happened to you..” “I can’t promise Kaidan.” Egan glanced down at the data pads, his job was risky, even before saving the galaxy came into it. “I know.” They sat in silence for a moment before Kaidan put his beer down and moved over closer to Egan. “Let’s just… take what we have.” “Sounds good.” Egan kissed Kaidan again, this time reciprocated and the promise of things to come.

Two weeks later they were back on the edge of the Traverse. Kaidan was half-listening to someone talk to him and half wondering where Egan had gotten to. The Normandy wasn’t that big. “All hands brace for impact!” Joker called over the coms, that is when Kaidan moved. Grabbing his helmet he ran up to see what was going on. Egan was deploying the buoy that would identify them to their rescuers and there was fire spreading through the ship. “C’mon…” Egan slapped his hand on the button. A moment later hitting one close by that activated the evacuation protocols. “We are being attacked… get everyone to the escape pods.” “Joker won’t leave, nor will I…” “Kaidan…” Egan sighed “you have to get everyone off. I will get Joker.” “Ok.” “Go… now..” “Shepard…” “Kaidan go!” The last time Kaidan saw Egan alive was when he tossed him the fire suppressant and ordered him to go. It wasn’t even a decent goodbye.

#fictober20 #Mass Effect #OC: Egan Shepard #kaidan alenko

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incorrectly-quoted-queers · 5 years ago

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Drunk Punch Love: INTERMISSION ARCHANGEL

Pairing: FemShep and Garrus Vakarian (Shakarian)

Rating: PG-13 (with some tossed F-bombs)

Summary: Their awkward, badass journey through saving the galaxy and accidentally falling in love

INTERMISSION ARCHANGEL: 10 Days

Garrus could hardly stomach the funeral. He was surrounded by countless stiff shirts and big banners and people who knew her as the Commander, the savior.

He didn't want to think about how few of them actually knew her. It made him feel sick.

But he was stuck thinking about them, because thinking about the fact she wasn't here to make fun of all the dumb revelry, or sneak away with him to pester gunners about their stocks, made it far worse. It was like he had a bleeding wound in his chest and it wouldn't fucking stop, and everyone else was just figuring out how to sign each other's casts.

Bright spots were family speeches; Anderson, Joker, and Admiral Shepard stepping up and talking about the woman before the hero. That was the kind of things he wanted to think about: Anya, getting her first pointe shoes on the same birthday she got her first gun. Anya, the loud snorer who failed the tests she studied and aced the ones she didn't. Anya, who never took the Alliance seriously until she went on her first mission, because the second she got a taste of saving people, it changed her.

Hearing stories that sounded even the smallest bit like the Anya Shepard he knew was so much better than all the pomp and circumstance bullshit happening around it.

When it got to the reception, he wasn't even sure if he should stay. He couldn't look Joker and Kaidan in the eyes, knowing their stubborn asses were why she wasn't here. And the rest of the crew? They didn't understand what happened that day. They didn't understand how the Collector ship ripped everything he thought was solid and strong to shreds.

That was the extra bullshit; only Shepard would spook an otherwise mythical species back into existence. Nothing normal could ever take her down.

But it was that part about her getting taken down that was still fucking him up.

Hell, maybe the other two didn't deserve as much blame. He could've dragged her into that escape pod, but like the rest, he listened to her orders and let her go.

Garrus should've known "I'll find you" was heroic bullshit.

Instead of listening to another person ooze about said heroism, he shoved past a frightened looking Kaidan and walked out of the memorial. Guy half looked like he thought Garrus might've been serious about his threat. He hadn't contemplated killing Kaidan, not really, but maybe that would make him feel better, replace his own bleeding heart with something else.

Walking around the Citadel, he didn't know how, but he ended up at a bar. And he ordered the strongest drink he could think of, Krogan ryncol, but he couldn't stomach swallowing it. He just ended up staring down at the bottom of the glass, wondering what Shepard would say to him.

Suddenly, a voice that sounded a little too familiar was talking to him. "You just came from the service, right?" Garrus had to blink a few times as he looked up. In front of him was a blonde, weathered woman in Alliance garb, with one robotic, blue eye and a green one that he knew too well. All throughout her face, there were echoes of the woman he was aching to hear from, but it wasn't her. She extended a hand. "Oksana Shepard. I couldn't stand the fluff, either. And if you salute me right now, I'll punch you."

He took her hand and gestured to the seat next to him. That last part also sounded familiar. "Garrus Vakarian."

"You're one of the strays she picked up for her mission tracking down Saren. From the reports I swiped, she thought highly of you."

Any other day, he'd take that as a compliment. But right now, it just felt like another concussive shot to the chest. "The feeling was mutual."

"How was she doing, at the end? And not the savior of the citadel pride that she lied to me about."

Garrus traced the rim of his glass with his talon, not really sure if this was a conversation or an interrogation. The seriousness in Admiral Shepard's voice hinted towards the latter. But her rank didn't make him feel any easier about it. Garrus said, "I don't know-"

"I respect your loyalty to her, but she's dead, Vakarian. Let me know my daughter."

Swallowing, he saw where Shepard got her intensity. He finally sucked it up and downed some of the ryncol. Garrus tried his best not to picture her face too much; it made it hurt worse. "She was struggling. Losing Ash... our Gunnery Chief, it really dug into her problems with Akuze. And after Saren, the rest of us were moving on. She didn't like that, either. I didn't know until the end how much. If the Collectors hadn't hit, I probably would've changed my plans and stayed, help her get ready for the next fight. But I guess that's not an option now."

"You two were close?"

He could feel Shepard's hand in his, calloused but small and holding onto him like he was a lifeline. And he could hear her in his ear, telling him how he reminded her to be human. And he even could feel her breath on his cheek, practically begging him not to go, but then-

Garrus downed the rest of the vile drink. Before he answered, his other hand fisted the fabric of his pants and his talons dug into his flesh. "Yeah, we were close."

Next to him, Admiral Shepard hit her fist into the table. "I want to blame her comrades, like you. I want to blame myself for making a soldier out of a dancer. I even want to blame my Anya. But it doesn't matter, because my beautiful little foolish detenysh is gone and I'm alone."

"Detenysh?"

For the first time since she sat down, Admiral Shepard smiled. "My crew used to call me the mother bear of the Alliance. So when she was born, they called her the cub. My little cub. My detenysh. It's-"

"Russian. Shepard mentioned it."

"She told you a lot, didn't she?" Admiral Shepard was putting a hand on his shoulder, and it was hard to make out her expression. Unlike his Commander, who spoke with her whole face, the Admiral only made the subtletest movements. "Were you and my daughter...?"

For that one, Garrus could be firm. Or, at least, fairly honest. "No. Shepard was my best friend."

With an eyebrow raised, the Admiral kept going. "Okay, sure, but did you two ever-"

"No!" Garrus realized he said it a little too loud a little too late. Despite his answer, the Admiral had this uncomfortable smirk on her face. He didn't want to be looked at like that. Especially not by someone who looked so much like... Rubbing his forehead, he tried to clear things up. "Nothing like that happened between the Commander and I."

Admiral Shepard shrugged. "Too bad. My daughter struggled to connect with people. But I suppose a best friend will do." Taking a deep sigh, she leaned on his shoulder to stand up, looking older than her years. "Thank you, for being her friend. Now, I'd love to embarrass some stories out of you, but I'm sure the Alliance leadership isn't happy I disappeared. And I probably need to save Joker from politics." With way too heavy a hand, she patted his back. "Best of luck, Garrus Vakarian."

And she walked off, just like that.

He'd love to say that the conversation comforted him. But if anything, it only made him angrier. If Shepard was here, she'd laugh with him about how goddamn awkward that was, and she'd tell him stories about how her mom always pried like that. Something.

Instead, he just got to sit here silence, alone.

No matter what the hell he and Shepard were, clearly they were getting somewhere, their friendship mattered. All that talk she had of not being a good enough hero? Somehow, he felt like he was helping her wash that self-loathing and doubt away. And she had definitely been making a better man out of him. Hell, he was ready to ship himself off to the Spectres for the chance the help the galaxy like she did.

But one goddamn laser and none of that mattered anymore.

Well, one goddamn laser and two idiot men who he knew were just doing their jobs, but dammit, he wished they did them better.

All he had left was his empty glass and a mirage of a woman across the table from him, her soft brown hair falling out of its ties, giggling over childhood romance and her own loneliness. Her green eyes squinted away when she laughed, because she always laughed with her whole face, kinda like she was about to sneeze. And he'd never see that again.

Okay, it was time to leave the bar.

Garrus wasn't quite sure when he started walking towards the Alliance shore leave apartments, trying to find out if there was anything left of her there. But when he got there, to the one she'd shown him their first time on the Citadel, her name plate was already gone.

Goddamn everything he knew about her was just slipping away and he couldn't stop it.

Staring at the empty plate, he lost any level of self-control. Pounding his fists against the door, he just wanted the pain to go away. Or better, he wanted her to open this damn door, tell him it was all just some awful, elaborate undercover mission and she was back and they could be like they were before.

But he only got a few pounds in before a door opened across the hall. Lucky man he was, it was old brown eyes and biotics himself, Lieutenant Alenko.

When their gazes met, he could see the fear in Alenko's eyes. He'd seen that kind of fear before, normally from new-to-space humans who assumed turians were angry, war-hungry monsters.

Between him and Alenko, though, they knew exactly why he should be afraid of him.

Before he could even get in a word, Garrus put his forearm against his chest and shoved him against the wall. "Because of you, she's not here anymore. Do you even have anything to say about that?"

He knew he was probably going too far, and he could tell from how Kaidan was breathing that he was putting a lot of pressure on his windpipe. But frankly, he didn't give a damn. It took a moment, but Kaidan finally said, "I'm sorry, Garrus. I fucked up. I-" Garrus just pushed harder.

Out of nowhere, Kaidan's door opened and Liara came out, in an Alliance robe, clutching a fistful of biotics. "Garrus, put him down."

Of all the things he wanted to do, his favorite would be to shove Kaidan through some Presidium glass and see the shatter patterns, but he listened. After all, maybe telling them what assholes they were would make them feel worse than some broken bones. Garrus crossed his arms and said, "Riiight, I remember Shepard told me you two hooked up. Well, congratulations, without your pathetic crushes on her you wouldn't be here together. You get to be happy. But she's not here, and you both know that's bullshit."

Kaidan started, "I think we should all just-"

When he flicked his glare over to him, the biotic stopped dead. "I don't take orders from you."

"Garrus, she wouldn't want you to do this." His head turned to Liara, and it felt like she was peeling away his plating with a welding knife. "I know how you feel-"

"None of you understand how I feel." He didn't want to be any closer to Liara, and he definitely didn't want to admit there was anything right to what she was saying, but slowly the ache started winning over the anger. "Fuck, I just need to go."

They might have called for him another time or two, but he didn't listen. He just wanted to be off this damn station, and anywhere but here.

He was over the Alliance and their bullshit; the only thing good about it was Shepard and now she was gone. Without her, all he wanted to do was go somewhere her memory hadn't infested.

Without even heading back to his old apartment, Garrus booked the first passage to Palaven.

///

This is a fun littler Intermission I wanted to do, exploring Garrus' side of things during the two years Shepard is gone. But it's only a few chapters, then we'll be back to Part 2.

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#Drunk Punch Love #shakarian #femshep x garrus #garrus vakarian #Anya Shepard #Intermission: Archangel #Funeral #commander shepard #Shepard's Funeral #Liara x Kaidan #Kaidan Alenko #Oksana Shepard

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virmireisms-a · 3 years ago

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Ash gave him time to speak, sipping at her drink as she waited. She wanted to know--part out of curiosity, part to help him understand--but if he didn't want to talk about it, she wasn't going to make him. But as he talked about Rahna, Ashley nodded along, putting the pieces together. Suddenly, his anger made perfect sense; it wasn't rage born of hatred, or malice. It was because he wanted to protect his friend.

She was quiet, contemplative, before she spoke. "Sar had this... boyfriend, once, Mike. He was a real piece of work. He wanted things to go much faster than Sar was comfortable with, and he got... a little pushy. Not bad, but just... toeing that line, you know? Lynn kept sending me worried messages, but I told her to relax. I was on active duty--garrison posting on Czarnobog, since this was a couple years before I was on the Normandy--while they were on Amaterasu, and at the time, there was no way I could afford a fast-packet flight. I mean, I would've been concerned if he didn't ask at all, but he was kinda just... too much. Mike thought, oh, romantic walk in the woods, it's well past time they'd do the deed, and Sar levered him face-first into a tree.

"I ended up going back to walk her to school for a few days, and on the last day, Mike was there waiting for us. Everyone in the school knew what he'd done--and that Sar had put him in his place--but... the only reason I didn't almost snap him in half was her asking me not to, sort of." Not nearly as wild as what Kaidan had done, but comparable. "But honestly... if he'd come so much as too close to touching her without her stopping me, there would've been fists flying. I wouldn't have hesitated. Sar and I had our differences, but nobody messes with my sisters. Nobody.

"My point is--we all get a little... worked up when people we care about are in danger. Did it never occur to you that you've done the same reckless kind of behaviour other times? Think, Kay." She paused. "Mars. Yeah, maybe I'm not sensitive like Rahna was, but... Shit, you charged that hunk of metal faster than I've ever seen you move. Didn't see much after I got tossed like a football, but... It sounds like it was the same, or at least similar. You charged because you were trying to protect someone." She sighed.

"I think what Rahna probably meant is that... it wasn't right that you killed someone, but why you got upset made sense. And... well, she was probably scared. It sounds like she just... wasn't the kind of person that we are--you, me, even Alisa, sweet as she is. Anyone in their right mind would've been scared, especially at that age." Ashley shuddered. "And frankly, I doubt Alisa's scared of you now."

She made a face. "Shit, you should be the one scared of her. She's terrifying. With the way you tease her, I wonder how you're still alive. Talk about flirting with death. I certainly wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of a hundred and twenty pounds of pissed-off biotic like her."

Finishing his drink again he poured himself another one and filled Ash’s glass too, clearly he was getting to her which was funny but at the same time a little sad. Kaidan didn’t exactly know where she was trying to get to with all this, he wouldn’t admit liking Alisa because he shouldn’t. “Well I guess they never considered about biotics combined with hormones.” Or children developing. Kaidan had met some biotics that were really messed up and had been their entire lives. Some of them were practically in a cult and Kaidan could tell how they spoke that they never really grew up right.

Kaidan didn’t have a childhood after going to BAaT and maybe he was a little bitter about it, and his only best option was to go by the Alliance and get his pay check. Not that he wasn’t happy where he’d ended up, even with all the crap he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

Then Ash asked why he hesitated. It wasn’t easy to talk about it even if being with Alisa had brought up more fun memories they did have in the camp. Taking a big sip of his drink he played with his class before clearing his throat a little. “Before the camp started I met someone, before Alisa. A girl, we were the same age, Rahna. She was the one who eventually approached Alisa and introduced me. We hung out together a lot, I looked after them. Alisa was strong but Rahna was sensitive. After Alisa the show just went on. We were expected to use biotics for everything and she reached for a glass of water with her hand, exhausted. The trainer, turian asshole, just.. broke her arm so I knocked the bastard over. So we fought and eventually he just pulled out his knife and cut me so I just… kicked him. The next thing I know everyone was staring at me and he was dead.”

Pressing his teeth together Kaidan stared at emptiness for a while before clearing his throat again and adjusting in his seat, “Rahna didn’t say a word to me after that, didn’t even look at me, let alone let me get closer than five feet. Before she left the camp though she… she made it clear what I did was wrong. But that she understood the principle, whatever that means. Never heard anything about her after.” She’d made it obvious her parents weren’t that good people so god knows where she ended up.

#// smashedagainstashuttle #ash vc: dude she's a terror how are you still alive

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galpalaven · 8 years ago

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shepard spars with pretty much anyone, usually, if she’s in the mood for a good fight without actually--you know, killing someone.

with ashley, she dodges. ashley’s a charger, likes to punch and use her body weight to knock you down. shepard sidesteps, spins, hands behind her back, barely even breathing hard, until she can kick a foot out and send ash tumbling to the ground. ashley says she reminds her of sara--sun reminds her that she has, in fact, studied martial arts

kaidan is thrown off by sweet words and smiles, and shepard uses her feminine wiles a little too freely when they spar. its all good fun and harmless, they both know, but he falls for them every damn time.

with liara, its biotics practice, and the asari has decades upon decades of training on her, but shepard is wild with her biotics. shes wild and untamed and she can catch liara off guard, put her on her back at the last moment with a laugh.

tali isn’t a hand-to-hand fighter, but shepard insists on giving her self defense pointers. at least, if she ends up in another alley, she’ll have a better chance of getting out alive.

wrex is a monster, and damn near breaks shepard’s spine the first time he throws her. she waves him off, even as dr. chakwas frets. “i’ll get you back one day, old man. just wait.” she knows better than to try again, though--and curing the genophage settles that score anyway.

thane is a master, as at ease in a fight as he is standing still. shepard takes his hits hard, and its the first time she’s lost a sparring match in longer than she can remember (not counting wrex). she learns fast, though--watches his moves, left hook right hook step back swing--and he laughs through his heavy breathing when she finally manages to pin him down. “well done, siha.”

zaeed fights dirty, and she knows dirty. she learned to fight dirty in the back halls of dirty space stations, in alleys where her height and chest meant men thought they could take what they pleased. learned to fight dirty from a mother who had grown up in a bad place, and learned that sometimes you can’t play by the rules if you want to live. after she puts him on his back the first time, he refuses to play again.

grunt is dangerous, but she’s faster than he can catch sometimes, and since he’s a krogan, she lets loose a little more. she finally gets nova and charge down, sparring with him. leaves a dent in cerberus’s logo on their shuttle that she can’t quite feel bad about.

kasumi refuses, as does jacob for whatever reason. sun doesn’t mind so much.

jack is--incredible. she’s angry and she doesnt hold back, but even she steps back panting from their spar--neither of them having been able to pin the other--impressed with shepard. “you’ve got some moves, princess.” shepard just laughs and shakes her head, trying not to remember the blood on her hands from that day when she was sixteen on mindoir. “you don’t know the half of it.”

miranda tells her its unprofessional, though over a year and a half later, she says “buy me dinner and i’ll think about dancing with you,” at sun’s engagement party. shepard just laughs and shakes her head--troubleshooting space divas shouldnt be fighting each other anyway

samara refuses to spar, but she teaches shepard to meditate. she teaches both shepards to meditate, actually, and its life changing. shepard feels the stress melt away, feels the weight of the world lift for one moment, and its a trick she carries with her long after samara has left the normandy.

she uses marine tactics with vega--straightforward, punch and kick, grab his arm and toss him like a rag-doll when he lets his guard down for a second. they laugh together and shepard remembers what its like to have friends outside of her little suicide squad

javik only watches from the sidelines, no matter how many times she asks. “i would only embarrass you, commander,” is his excuse. she grins and shoots back, “i think you just think i’ll embarrass you.”

kira only fights sun when they’re both too worked up to find anything else to do. with two sticks and a drum beat, its a real fight, but they never land a hit on each other--she can read her cousin like a picture book, and kira can read her right back. they spin and twist and flip and clash until they tire--except the one time they dont. the time before earth, the time right after thessia--kira tosses her a staff and tells her to get in the ring and sun ends up face first on the mat, hands behind her back and a stick pressing her neck into the ground. “you’re better than this,” her cousin says. “don’t let this loss blind you. you have to push forward. we need you.”

with garrus, it’s a dance. sun knows turians, and sun knows garrus (knows each and every weak point on his body, the last time before they hit earth--which spots make him gasp, which spots make him groan, where to press her mouth to make his eyes roll back in his head) but this isn’t about that. he’s never quite forgiven her for their first sparring match, back on the sr-1, and he’s determined this time. kick, punch, block, twist--he meets her, hit for hit, but then he stumbles, because she’s spinning them as she moves, and his feet get just a little too tangled, sending him to the ground with a resounding thump. she falls astride his waist, smiling down at him as his hands run over her thighs. “pinned ya,” she laughs, wriggling away before he can get any ideas.

when her eldest daughter is 13, she puts on shepard’s n7 hoodie--its too small for her, god how turians grow--and asks her to teach her to fight. “i’ll be going to boot camp soon. i want to be ready.”

sun tilts her head. “don’t wanna ask your dad?”

nox just flicks her mandibles in a grin. “please. we all know you could put dad on the ground in two seconds flat if you wanted.”

sun finds she can’t really argue with that.

#sun shepard #@ me go THE FUCK to sleep #my writing #nox was adopted and already old enough to remember her name when they adopted her #mass effect

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aliemah · 8 years ago

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Friends or More prompt - Offended

Prompt: “I’m personally offended that you didn’t get me to be your fake date.”

This is gonna be a more modern day AU, because... why not. And yes, I realize I’m playing a whole bunch of tropes here, but come on. That’s what we love. More or less inspired by @hotdadcorvo‘s fic Two and a Half Steps (link to AO3)

Also available on AO3 and ff.net.

John was more than a little suspicious when Ashley had disappeared without a word for about a week, only answering what few messages he sent with either clipped sentences or single words at a time. She was distracted by something, and he was determined to find out. The two of them had plans this upcoming weekend, and he needed to know she wouldn’t bail on him.

He tossed his phone onto his lousy excuse of a bed, and stripped his clothes to go take a shower. John didn’t want to think she’d snuck off with some guy again - that had happened before and some bad things had happened, mostly to her bank account and her job. And that was why she’d been living with him for the past eight months or so. Ashley was getting back on her feet though, and talked about maybe finding her own apartment nearby.

He’d never admit it, but the thought of her leaving made him feel uneasy. The two of them had been friends since they were kids, they’d always gone to the same school, even the same college. At one point they’d even considered the possibility of dating, but it seemed like she’d moved on pretty quick after it was brought up. He still regretted not jumping at the chance.

Once he got out of his shower, he checked his phone, hoping for a reply to the plans they had made. There was nothing except a missed call from an unknown number. There wasn’t a voicemail so he ignored that fact and double checked to make sure the message sent while he went to pull some fresh clothes on.

The rest of his day, until he got called in to go to work, was spent trying to figure out where she might have run off to, and when she might be coming back. John went so far as to ask what few co-workers knew her well enough, but it seemed no one knew at all where she went. He sighed and pulled open the door to the gym floor, making rounds asking everyone if they needed anything, or occasionally helping them out with their technique.

John had worked at this gym for about 5 years now as a personal trainer, only coming in during the afternoons, usually, or on his days off, he got called in sometimes to fill in for someone else. He liked his job, and he was paid well enough for it to stick around. Not many of the others had stuck around for as long, most only sticking it out for a year and a half before moving on. Though, that was mostly due to some of the clients that walked in.

There was a particular gaggle of mothers who came in at least three times a week, wearing obnoxiously bright clothing, to match their obnoxiously loud voices, and they would always request that a personal trainer come help them - always male, and always either James, Kaidan, or himself.

What made these women extremely obnoxious to John in particular, was that they would always scream about how they were married any time John verbally corrected something, or if he came anywhere within three feet of them. But they certainly didn’t act like they were happy, with the way they were constantly flirting, making comments, and not so secretly checking out their trainers.

Lo and behold, he instinctively shuddered when he heard the shrill laugh, forcing a smile on his face. James and Kaidan were both off today, which meant he was really being put through hell. It was almost the end of his shift, too.

Ashley had begun working here about 4 months ago, either cleaning off machinery, or working the front desk and handing out equipment or taking cards. When these women came in, Ashley always tried to be politely rude, making John laugh. Not to mention she always tried to make some excuse that John wasn’t available, and that another trainer was available to them.

She wasn’t here to protect him, or make him smile.

Just then his pocket buzzed, and he took a sharp turn into one of the empty rooms when he saw Ashley was calling. He narrowly avoided the receptionists line of sight, forcing the women to turn out when they heard they couldn’t get their trainer.

“Ash?”

“Hey John.” her voice sounded raw, and tired. “First of all, I’m sorry I skipped out for a few days-”

“A few days? Ashley you were gone for a whole week.”

“Fine, whatever. I’ll tell you all about it when I get home. I just called to ask what you wanted from Palaven Burgers.”

John could tell her phone went over the phone because her voice became muffled, and a lower, familiar voice could be heard.

“Who’s with you?” he asked quickly.

“Kaidan. Why?”

“I... What’s he doing with you?”

“I’ll tell you when I get home, now what do you want?”

“You know what I usually get. That’ll be fine. But listen, Ash, I’m at work right now, I still have an hour-”

“I’ll throw it in the microwave to keep it warm. Hey, do you care if Kaidan comes over for a bit? He said his roommate is uh... occupying his apartment right now with some company.”

“It’s fine I suppose.”

“Alright. Have fun with work, talk to you later.” she said with a happy, sing-song voice that really only meant one thing. He groaned and shoved his phone into his pocket, going to the locker room quickly to grab a few things, and then heading back out to find a punching bag.

Why didn’t she tell him? She could have just... told him. There was no need to sneak around like that, not with one of his best friends.

He’d known Kaidan maybe a little longer than he’d known Ash. Kaidan had disappeared, and gone to a private school for a little bit, coming back with a completely different attitude, and a few issues, but he’d worked them out by now and he was a perfectly functioning human being. The three of them had been through a lot together, and when they were in high school, Kaidan had been the one to suggest to John that he and Ashley would make a great pair. They were always hanging out together, anyway, she’d practically lived at his house. John denied it, saying it would be too weird. Besides, he’d had his eye on another girl for a while, and wanted to see where that might take him.

As he hit the punching bag, sweat beginning to form on his brow, he recalled all the times the three of them had been together - all the times he’d wondered if Kaidan might have swooped in to take Ashley for himself. He always denied it, and he’d never lied to John before - in fact he’d said that Ashley was too much like family for him to have anything other than a platonic interest in her. But there had been looks, and laughs, and jokes...

He leaned himself against the bag to steady it, catching his breath. He let out a soft groan as he stood upright, his arm a bit strained. He went easy on himself as he made rounds again, the gym emptying out as it neared closing. Sometimes he wondered what it might be like if they were open later, or even 24/7. There were times he’d have liked to come in at 2 AM and just run, or punch something.

Soon enough, he was back in his car, heading home and feeling a bit better, knowing Ashley was back. The drive was shorter, as well, and within what seemed like a matter of seconds, John was climbing up the stairs, and opening up the front door, immediately smelling the burgers, and hearing Ashley’s laugh. The door shut itself heavily, and she called his name out, appearing around the corner and taking John completely by surprise.

She’d gone to prom with him, unable to find anyone else willing to ask her to go, and truthfully the two would have spent the evening together anyway. Ashley looked beautiful then, but... what he saw now blew that amazement out of the water.

Rarely was her hair down, let alone tampered with. Instead of the slight wavy brown hair he was used to, it was completely straight, and glossy. Her eyes looked brighter than usual, the surrounding area slightly smudged with a mix of dark brown eye shadow and eyeliner, and likely mascara too. Her lips, he could tell, used to be a light red, but that too had smudged a bit and come off.

And sometimes, John would admit, he forgot just how much of a woman Ashley was. Bare shoulders gave way to a sweetheart neckline of a light blue dress. It was tight to her waist, where it gave way to a thickly wrapped piece of black ribbon, with a slightly more forgiving fabric of the same color that simply fell freely after the apex of her hips following that, ending at her knees with a sense of modesty and appeal.

Ashley held her hands in front of her, wringing them slightly with her palms to the ceiling, and her lips curved into a smile. They both stood there for a second before she took a few steps forward, reaching out to hug him.

“Whoa, hold on.” he laughed. “I just got back from work, I’m all sweaty, and...” he swallowed, looking down at her now that she was right in front of him, “I... don’t want to ruin that dress.” He paused. “Uh... why are you wearing a dress?”

“Come eat and I’ll fill you in.” she said, motioning back to the living room that was on the other side of the hall they were in.

“Give me five minutes to shower, please.” he smiled, feeling absolutely gross covered in sweat. Not to mention his arm was still in pain.

“Fine. I’ll heat up your dinner while I wait.” she spun on her heels - her feet bare and toes painted silver. The fabric of her dress flowed behind her, showing the slight sway of her hips as she walked. John followed her down the hall until she turned to go back to the living room, then to the small kitchen. He peered in for a moment, not too surprised to see Kaidan lounging on the couch with a burger in hand, wearing a nice suit. They both waved without saying a word, and he turned to go shower, confused.

Where would she go that would require dressing up like that?

He repeated that question over and over while he rinsed off, finding no answer as he thought to himself. Once he pulled on his clothes he went back out, sitting on Ashley’s other side, and thanking her as he took a bite of his burger.

“So where were you?” he asked, yet again, after swallowing a few bites. She had already finished eating, so she was free to talk now. And he wasn’t going to let her leave without telling him.

“I was at my sister’s wedding.” she started, rubbing the back of her neck a bit as she looked slightly embarrassed. “She called me Saturday, and I left for the day to go there, but she called me again Sunday saying she needed help setting things up, and making sure all these things were ready-”

“Seems like she took advantage of you, a bit.” John mentioned between bites.

“I mean. A bit. But, she’s my sister, what am I going to do?” she shrugged, and sighed. “Anyway, I... called Kaidan, to see if he might feel like helping me, and keeping me company. He’s always had an eye for details. And... we stayed and the wedding was today.”

John nodded, a question coming to mind quickly.

“I thought your sister was only a few minutes away? Why didn’t you come back?”

“Destination wedding.” she rolled her eyes. “I know a couple of hours isn’t a bad drive, but... with how early she needed things to get done, and how late we ended up staying awake, it was just easier to stay at the hotel. Besides, she helped pay for the room, since she knows I’m still trying to recover from... what happened.”

“That would explain that, yeah.” he sighed, not able to ignore the knot in his stomach that was keeping him from eating anymore. He glanced over to Kaidan, watching him text on his phone, presumably to his roommate. It was getting later by the minute, and they both looked pretty tired. He knew he would be after driving all that time. “So, um... how was it?”

“It was cute.” Ashley grinned. “Definitely had a little bit of both of them everywhere, and it seemed like the whole thing went off without a hitch. The food at the reception was pretty good, too.”

“I’m glad you had a nice time.” he said, not watching himself and letting the sarcasm line his words.

“I’m gonna head out,” Kaidan said almost immediately after, standing up, “I’ll see you at work on Wednesday.” he showed himself out, and now it was just the two of them.

John somehow finished eating, and once he was finished, he leaned back on the couch, looking around. He hadn’t cleaned much, since she hadn’t been here to bother him about it. But at least he’d kept up on the dishes and laundry. That was more than he used to do, that much he would admit.

“Thanks for getting me dinner.” he finally spoke up.

“You’re welcome... it was the least I could do after worrying you.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” he scoffed.

“Look, John. I’m sorry, okay? What’s bothering you, you aren’t usually this upset over something like this.”

“Upset? No, I’m a little beyond that. Offended, even.”

“Offended?” she crossed her arms, facing him a bit more.

“Yeah.”

“About?”

“The fact that you asked Kaidan to go with you instead of me.” he said, standing up to go... somewhere. He needed to move, so he could think. He ended up just standing in the middle of the room.

“Seriously? You’re offended over that? I find that hard to believe, I was under the impression you hated being a fake date to these things.”

“I’m personally offended that you didn’t ask me to be your fake date, alright? I would have loved to go with you, you should know that.”

“Well... I didn’t ask you, okay?” her voice grew soft and she curled in on herself a bit. “I can’t change that.” She was quiet for a moment, then she looked back up to him as he paced. “I was going to ask you but you seemed busy, and... I don’t know, I didn’t want to make things awkward.”

“Why would it be awkward, Ash? We’re already living together, in case you haven’t noticed.” he threw his arm out to gesture to the whole apartment, pausing to look at her, and listen.

“Because, I don’t really do well with people asking personal questions about a relationship I don’t have, alright? It’s bad enough that on the way back Kaidan was grilling me, and asked if we were dating-” her hands moved to cover her mouth and she immediately stood up and walked briskly from the room.

Or she tried to.

John followed her and eventually grabbed her shoulder gently before she reached the bedroom.

“Ash,” he said quietly, taking a minute to get the words out, “I... thought you might be seeing Kaidan. Do you mean to tell me you aren’t?”

“Why on earth would you think I was seeing him? He’s seeing someone else now.” she asked, ripping her shoulder away and staying facing the door, away from him.

“I don’t know, you two... you’ve been doing a lot of things together recently. Without me.” he rubbed the back of his head, sighing. The news about Kaidan was a relief but he was still upset. “Look, it doesn’t matter, I-I... I’m sorry.”

“I should have asked you. I just thought you would have said no so I went to Kaidan.”

“Why did you think I would have said no?”

“You said once that you didn’t really like weddings.” she shrugged, turning to face him again, her arms wrapped around herself in a hug.

“It depends on the company.” he muttered.

“I’ll remember to ask you next time.” she smiled, stepping closer and holding her arms out.

John leaned down a bit to wrap his arms around her, feeling the small ache in his chest start to ease. Though the nervousness was still there, and he wondered if now might be a good time to tell her what had been on his mind nearly all week.

“Would it be okay if I slept in your room tonight?” she asked while they were still close. Maybe it was a good thing, neither one of them could see the others’ face.

“That’s fine, yeah.” he tried not to seem phased by it, but when they stepped away from each other, she was smiling.

“Thanks.”

John turned back to the living room to clean it up a little before going to bed, wanting a few minutes to think it over. She deserved to know, and the sooner he got it out, the sooner something might happen. At least he’d know for sure what would happen, and how she felt. He wanted to hope she’d feel the same, but he had to remind himself that there was a chance she might not.

“You don’t have to clean up by yourself.” Ashley said, coming back out a moment later.

“Why are you still wearing that dress?” he laughed, watching her help him clean for a moment before continuing.

“I like it, and I spent a good amount of money on it, so I’m getting the most out of it I can.” she said.

“It does look good on you.” he said without hesitation while his back was turned to her. She didn’t reply for a few seconds, but when she did, she was clearly a bit distracted. He glanced over and saw the remains of a blush on her cheeks as she kept her gaze down.

Once they finished cleaning he stood leaning against the wall with his cheek pressed against it, thinking. Ashley sat herself back down on the couch, puling her phone up and John watched her for a few minutes before he quietly turned to the bedroom, about to shut the door when he remembered Ashley had wanted to stay in there with him. So he left it open and went to lay in bed and look at his own phone in the dark.

Funny enough, the first time he’d seen her wear a dress was also the first night they’d even considered sharing a bed for a night. They’d gotten back late enough that her parents had locked the door, so she was stuck with him. But she was over enough that she had what she needed at his house, already. He let her change in his room while he got them something to eat downstairs, bringing it back up so they could eat without being disturbed. At some point, they’d just fallen asleep on the bed. Sure, they woke up curled around each other, but neither thought anything of it at the time.

John thought about it all the time, though. How different would things have been for them had he spoken up sooner, and told her how he felt then? Why wait all this time?

“Hm, thought you’d be in here.” she said as she came in. “Can I turn on the light and ask a small favor?”

“Sure?”

The light flicked on and for a moment it stung his eyes, but he adjusted quick enough and sat up as she walked over, sitting herself down on the edge of the bed.

“Can you unzip me?” she said, pulling her hair over her far shoulder, and looking over at him for a split second. He reached over without a word, getting it just past her shoulder blades where she could reach the rest herself. She stood up and he watched her walk out, undressing herself the whole way. He heard her stop just outside his door and take the whole thing off, before continuing a few more steps to her room to put on something else.

He sighed and threw his arm over his eyes as he laid back, wishing he could have just said something. It was certainly too late now, wasn’t it? She didn’t like talking before going to sleep, unless she was drunk, or she’d had a bad day. But he knew she’d had a good day, so she’d go right to sleep, and tomorrow would be just like any other day. She’d never see him as anything more than the friend who let her stay with him when she got into a little trouble.

A moment later he heard the light switch flick off, and soon the bed shifted beside him as she flung herself down. He could smell the perfume she was wearing - it was fruity, and subtle. He liked that one a lot, it fit her personality. And after a moment he felt the bed shift again.

“John?”

“Hm?”

“I’m really sorry I freaked you out... I don’t know why I didn’t just tell you what was going on, I don’t know why I didn’t... ask you to come...” she paused for a second, and then he felt her scoot right up against him. Silently, the two of them shifted, and soon she was right where he wanted her to stay forever - under his arm, curled up next to him. She even threw her leg over his, completely relaxed.

“It’s fine, Ashley. You came back, you’re safe, and you had a good time. Plus you were with Kaidan, that’s... there’s worse people you could have gone with.”

“I really would have liked to go with you, if I’m being honest.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” he felt her nod against his chest. “I’m always most comfortable around you.”

He chuckled and he heard her laugh softly. John hugged her after another minute, and kissed the top of her head without thinking. Ashley then buried her face against him, and said something he could feel, but couldn’t really hear.

“What?”

“I said, I love you.”

“Well I love you too.” he said without missing a beat.

She buried her face in his chest again, but that was the last thing either of them said before they fell asleep.

And the next morning, while it was as if nothing had been said, John didn’t want to let her out of his arms, and the two laid on the couch nearly all day, just watching TV together. He’d tell her eventually how he really felt, but for now, he could be happy just having this.

#Mass Effect #fanfic #prompt #Offended #Shepley #John Shepard #Ashley Williams #friends to lovers trope #cute #Kaidan Alenko #he's in there too whoops #friends or more prompts #friends or more #hotdadcorvo #aliemah-0 #queue me up scotty

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incorrectly-quoted-queers · 5 years ago

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Drunk Punch Love 2: Chapter 2

Pairing: FemShep and Garrus Vakarian (Shakarian)

Rating: PG-13 (with some tossed F-bombs)

Summary: Their awkward, badass journey through saving the galaxy and accidentally falling in love

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22089466/chapters/54170929

Part 2- Chapter 2: Alliance Stowaways

Before she could even adjust to being back on the Normandy with people she didn't know, and even before she could introduce herself to any of them, they were passing by a new colony hit by The Collectors, Freedom's Progress. Anya remembered duty-life was high pace and unexpected, but it kinda felt like she hadn't had time to breathe.

And the entire thing was overwhelmed by waves of emotion, because not only did they find a derelict colony, but they found Tali, too. Her Tali, engineering extraordinaire, cute laugh, and all. She was a leader, now. Watching her felt surreal, seeing the awkward wingwoman of Ash Williams so sure of herself now. They pushed down opposite sides of the pavilion, but all Anya wanted to do was fight by her side again.

But that wasn't her place anymore. It was Tali's team.

When they shot down the last bots and got to the one survivor, Veetor, he was a mess. They did some quick questioning, but it wasn't long before the guy just needed a blanket around his shoulders and to get cared for back home. Tali's people were walking him back to their ship and Anya felt so desperate to not let her go. Not again.

Being an emotional wimp about asking people to stay was part of her charm, though. And how could she ask Tali to give up being a leader just to be on her ship again? That'd be selfish. So she hugged her, told her to keep in touch, and made a few jokes about coming back from the dead.

Then, she watched Tali walk away from her.

She understood how important it was for Tali to continue supporting the Flotilla and getting Veetor home. But also her chest deflated as one more reminder of who she really was floated away.

Walking down the halls of the Normandy, wondering when they'd get to the Citadel so she could get some proper sweats instead of these ridiculous Cerberus slacks, it all was just too much. Too-friendly Jacob had barely let her breathe post-mission before he was taking her on this tour of her own ship.

It made sense why he was doing it, there were a lot of changes to Joker's beautiful baby. At the same time, though, she could feel wisps of memories in every corridor. Pressley used to give her bad jokes and every opinion he'd ever had on the command deck. She met Kaidan in the cockpit, where now it was just Joker and some AI named EDI bickering. Tali's engine room station was replaced by two funny engineers named Gabby and Donnely, but the way they played off each other was a little overwhelming for her jumbled brain.

And when they passed the battery, and he told her this was where the ships' gun calibrations were, she knew this was where Garrus would've belonged. But he didn't, because this wasn't quite her Normandy, and he wasn't here. The turian that got her through Saren was MIA. Maybe even-

Anya couldn't think about that or everything felt even more hazy.

Things brightened up, though, when Jacob walked her into the med-bay. Much to her surprise, the doc wasn't a stranger. She was an old friend. Prim, silver-haired, and beautiful as ever.

Much faster than she could get a word out, Anya pulled Dr. Chakwas into her arms. She said, "Good to see a friendly face."

"I'm sure, Shepard." When she pulled back, Chakwas touched her cheek. Part of it was affection, but the doctor also had her intense "medic" glare on. "Cerberus still hasn't erased the scars they left on you."

Her fingers waved away the woman's hand and brushed her own cheek; it was sensitive, but not painfully so. "Yeah, well, I'm no stranger to scars. Adds character."

Chakwas laughed at her. "Like you need any more character." A million moments and memories seemed to pass between them, half with Shepard in sweats swearing about some stitches. While she didn't mind scars, stitches always made her skin itch.

But that wasn't important. What was important was that she sniped another top-tier Alliance officer just by coming back from the dead. "How'd you end up here? I never thought-"

"I'd leave the Alliance? I haven't quite. You wrack up a lot of shore leave by my age. And when I heard there was going to be another ship captained by Commander Shepard, I had to join."

Jacob coughed into his hand and stood up straight, giving Anya an apologetic look. Considering he was interrupting Chakwas, it wasn't nearly apologetic enough. At her glare, he looked a little unsettled. "Hate to break up the reunion, but we still have a lot to see."

"Fine." Crossing her arms over her chest, Anya gave Chakwas a serious look. "I'm coming back later for you. You, Joker, and I are having dinner."

"I wouldn't miss it."

Following Jacob out of the med bay, she kinda wished she could karate chop his head off. It was like she got a new Alliance lackey without as many Chain of Command perks. And at least Alliance soldiers looked at her like a living legend; Jacob looked at her like a cash prize Cerberus won after some high stakes gambling. She was pretty sure she hated that more than the heroic evangelizing.

Anya also didn't enjoy being stuck in an elevator with him and, with four floors on the Normandy SR-2, it had happened way too much in one day. The dude radiated an uncomfortable amount of self-confidence and heat. She wasn't sure yet if any of it was justified.

Lucky for her, when the door opened he gestured for her to walk onto their final floor: the captain's quarters. Anya entered her room and was barely listening to him, marvelling at it. There was a great desk spot, shelves, a huge bed, a couch that looked even nicer than her Alliance one. If she ever did movie night-

Before she could stop herself, Anya winced. Once she stood in the center of the room, Jacob said, "And this is where you'll stay, concluding our tour."

She was a little cranky about that. Anya definitely could've talked a few more minutes with Chakwas and shown herself this room. But Jacob just kept talking. "Since we're not military, things can be a little more luxurious than the typical Alliance ship. Keeps the people happy."

"Wild to think this is mine." She pressed her fingers to the glass of the empty fish tank. Guess Cerberus wanted her to upgrade from her plants on the Normandy. Feeling a pang of nostalgia in her heart, Anya remembered how much she loved waking up to her succulents and ivy. She'd have to get some more since hers got blown out into space.

That thought didn't make her feel so good, either.

"Best Commander in the galaxy deserves it." Anya nearly vomited. She wasn't great with the overblown compliments, but she hated it even more coming from a soldier subordinate. Gave her too many memories of regretted conversations with one Kaidan Alenko.

Jacob didn't seem to catch her distaste, though, and continued gushing like a proper fanboy. If only he knew how much she hated it. "Just wanted to say, it's an honor serving under you. I expected the best, but being in a fight with you.. It's something else."

Yep, this was three steps too close to Alenko territory. Remembering what happened the last time someone talked like that and got her alone in her quarters, Anya got a little overwhelmed by the panic in her gut. It was seething, begging for things to be less complicated this time. She was a soldier first, not her teammate's fantisized sex dream.

Shepard blurted, "I have a hard rule against intimate relationships with my subordinates."

Turning towards her, Jacob peered. If anything he seemed surprised. Shit. He was just being a fanboy, not the Alenko kind, wasn't he? With an uncomfortable nod, he said, "O-kay. Duly noted." He walked past her, careful not to touch her at all. "If you need anything, Miranda's just a deck below and I'm by command."

Then, he was gone.

Of all her years as a commander, she did a great job being everyone's friend. At some points she almost convinced herself she was charismatic. But the second a topic made her uncomfortable? Anya clammed up.

That was normal enough in the early days, but since her last mission she panicked about someone having the hots for her, becoming even more of a bumbling idiot.

Liara, Kaidan, and Garrus broke her, didn't they?

Deciding she was over thinking about the romance politics on the old Normandy, Anya went over the dossiers The Illusive Man gave her. He recommended first to pick up a Salarian scientist on Omega, one who might be able to synthesize against the Collector nerve bugs. Past that, there was an old, seasoned merc named Zaeed that Cerberus bought out, some merc-killer named Archangel, the Krogan Warlord Okeer, a high-stakes thief named Kasumi, and some super-biotic, Jack, on a prison ship.

Cerberus' picks of team members were definitely a bit more... colorful than hers ever were. The shadiest person she worked with was Wrex, and that one was currently trying to create a unified Tuchanka. Wasn't exactly the same as a straight up war criminal.

Considering the calibre of people The Illusive Man wanted her to get, brilliant but dangerous, Shepard thought it best to read over the whole files. All it took was a glance over Jack's file to realize she was a girl, and that would've been a dumb, unecessary false assumption. Also, Zaeed had beef with the Blue Suns and Okeer was working with them, so that might cause some conflict she had to be aware of.

But just as she was opening Kasumi's file, arguably the tamest of the bunch, her omni-tool pinged. It was Joker. The guy preferred audio files because texting put too much pressure on his bones sometimes, so she turned up her volume. "You wanted dinner? Get your ass down here."

Anya ran her hands through her hair. Typical. Of course she would forget a dinner she planned herself. Literally only twenty four hours back with Joker and he already had something to give her shit about.

She was doing a great job turning over a new leaf in her second chance at life.

Trying to act casual, Anya quickly brushed her messy as hell hair and used the elevator to get to the crew dec. When she got there, Joker and Chakwas were leaning back in their chairs, like parents who caught their kid sneaking in late. They even had a pizza in between them.

Joker smirked and gave her the snark she expected. "We were waiting here for half an hour before we realized your dumb ass got all workaholic on us already."

"There's a lot to catch up on, Sue me." Shepard sat down and put a slice of pizza in her mouth. Classic cheese and garlic. She gave Chakwas a thumbs up for her cooking prowess. Sure, it was probably a frozen pizza, but Chakwas' always tasted better than anyone else's. In between bites she said, "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Shepard."

After she wolfed down half a slice, she asked, "While I eat like an animal, is there anything big in the Alliance I missed?"

Joker started. "Without your backing, Udina took over the council seat. Granted, I think Anderson was relieved."

She shrugged. That was what happened when you chose a seasoned, bad luck soldier to make your political decisions. Anya always figured Anderson would quit the job eventually. "Figures."

Chakwas looked a lot more hesitant with her comment, but she still did it with a smile. "I did a mission stint on the SS Marakov. Can report you're an easier Shepard to have a meal with."

Joker added, "I also spent some time with Oksana. She's buried herself in work. They left for a deep space recon mission a few months ago. No clue when they'll get back."

Anya kept chewing, trying to wrap her head around everything they were saying. The doctor's eyes were soft and sympathetic as she said, "To be quite honest, other than losing you... Not too much has changed. Although, the space you left was very real " Chakwas placed her hand of hers and it was so tender that Anya swallowed down the last of the pizza in her mouth. Everything was a wild mess, after dying, but it was so comforting to know people had her back.

And then Joker somehow ruined and enhanced the wholesome moment all at the same time. "To be really quite damn honest, it never felt real. I always felt like you should be showing up any moment to kick my ass for doing something dumb."

Before she could tell them how much their words meant to her, Miranda was over the intercoms. "We've made it to Omega, Shepard. Meet me in the briefing room."

Anya grumbled. "Dammit, I only got one slice of pizza." She shoved another one in her mouth and basically swallowed it whole. It was better than no pizza.

Chakwas just kinda stared at her in awe. Joker, on the other hand, said, "Fuck. Well, I guess I'll give this to you now."

He handed over a box and, while Shepard inhaled another pizza slice, she opened it. Inside was a pair of classic, cozy Citadel sweats. With a gulp, she beamed at Joker. "Thank-"

"Nope. There's another thing."

Pulling the sweats out, underneath was a set of ballet flats. Joker had seen her practice a few times when they were roommates, but she never knew he understood how much it meant to her. She couldn't smile wide enough for that one. Putting the sweats back on top of the shoes, Anya said, "Thank you. But you tell anyone what's in here, you die "

With his annoying smirk, he started to walk towards the elevator. "I know."

Her eyes flicked back to Chakwas and she grimaced. "Sorry I couldn't have a nice long dinner with you two. I'll make it up to you."

"I know you will."

Shepard saluted and then, with her box, ran towards the elevator. After it dropped off Joker, it was her turn to go to her room and suit it. She said to herself, "After we pick up this Salarian scientist, I'm going to remember the sweet feeling of sweats again."

And that was enough of a beautiful, human thing to make coming back to life really worth it. After all, she needed something to be excited for, beyond saving the galaxy. Sweats and those two Alliance stowaways didn't give her back the team she lost, but for now? They were enough.

Awww I love the Alliance babies. And knowing what we all know about Kaidan *glares* it's nice to know that some other friends still have Shepard's back.

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#Drunk Punch Love #Shakarian #femshep x garrus #Garrus Vakarian #Anya Shepard #femshep #Chakwas #Alliance #Noermandy 2 #Cerberus #F*** the Illusive Man