#zaeed x shepard

[finchmarie]

I'm so behind on smoochies for February, kicking off with Lark Shepard and Zaeed. Nothing gets the blood pumping like escaping a collector ship.

[asirensrambles]

Cultural Exchange

@flufftober

Flufftober Day 4: Zaeed Massani/female Shepard Cinderella Moment

"Some women find facial scars attractive. Mind you, most of those krogan are women." In which I take Garrus' line from ME2 after taking a rocket to the face and use it as the basis for krogan attraction as a culture, then explore how that would influence their perception of Zaeed Massani.

Not in a million years did Zaeed ever think he'd end up on Tuchanka. Then again, ever since accepting the contract from Cerberus, he'd been places and done things he never could've even dreamed of. So honestly, going to the krogan homeworld to visit the current clan leader should just be par for the course at this point. Considering they were meeting with Urdnot Wrex, one of Shepard's old squadmates from chasing Saren, he'd been surprised when she told him to suit up instead of Garrus or Tali. Nevertheless, when the Commander asked him to go somewhere, Zaeed followed.

Considering how rarely humans went to Tuchanka -if they'd even ever been there before- Zaeed was expecting to get more than a few looks. What he was not expecting was to get double takes and blatant once or twice overs. Grunt and Shepard were getting their fair share of looks too, but Zaeed was the only one getting stares. It was guddamn unsettling is what it was. None of the stares seemed to hold any malice, but Zaeed made his living by flying under the radar. So much direct attention burrowed under his skin and set fire to his nerves. Phantom pain prickled out from the edges of his synthetic skin grafts. Trying to remain as nonchalant as possible about it, Zaeed shifted his hands closer to the weapons strapped to his person. Shepard, by contrast, seemed more at ease than he'd ever seen her, even moreso than on Illium.

One of a kind, that woman.

Grunt, for his part, had an air of superiority about him that seemed to be setting other krogans on edge. If they made if off Tuchanka without a fight, it'd be a miracle. Hell, if they made it to see Shepard's old squadmate without someone getting decked, Zaeed would be surprised. It wasn't that they were looking for a fight, but with whatever was going on with Grunt and Shepard never one to back down, the odds of violence were significantly higher than zero. Fortunately, they made it to Urdnot Wrex's throne with minimal incident.

The reunion between the krogan leader and the Commander was far warmer than Zaeed would have ever guessed. The two had clearly bonded while hunting for Saren, easy affection on display. Wrex looked at Shepard with almost fatherly pride, and she seemed like a kid whose parents just got back from a long trip. As Shepard introduced the clan leader to her companions, Zaeed nearly sneered when Wrex's eyes lingered on him, giving him a once over. The once over didn't feel malicious, but the mercenary's nerves were on edege from all the looks and being in the center of so much attention. Strangely enough, the once over felt similar to ones he'd received from women and a few men in bars before Vido blew half his face off.

Wrex turned back to Shepard and chuckled. "Damn Shepard, of course you of all people would manage to find the one human that's actually good looking."

The gears in Zaeed's brain ground to a halt. Good looking? Him?

By necessity, he was not a vain man. Although he'd been considered handsome when he was younger, Vido had made sure that was never the case for the rest of Zaeed's life. While in the grand scheme of things, his appearance wasn't nearly as important as his life. Mercenaries didn't need to look pretty to get the job done. Still, it hurt the way people couldn't quite meet his eyes or would try and ogle him from the corner of their eyes while trying to be subtle about it. Mirrors were something Zaeed actively avoided for years after the incident with Vido, to the point where it was still a habit even now. So for anyone, even a krogan, to find him good looking? Well, he didn't have any idea about what to do with that.

Shepard grinned broadly at Wrex, but there was something softer to it Zaeed didn't want to think about as her gaze slid over to meet his eyes. "Didn't I just? It's nice having someone around who's good with a gun and a pretty face. That combination is so much harder to come by than you'd think."

Wrex roared with laughter. Meanwhile, Zaeed was fairly certain the rubble under him just experienced a landslide. A pretty face? Him? Shepard, one of the most beautiful, incredible, competent women he'd ever met thought his scarred, damaged face was pretty? There was no teasing to her tone, and while the commander could poke fun, she would never be cruel enough to joke about something like this. She meant it. Zaeed couldn't even begin to consider the implications of Shepard thinking he had a pretty face and giving him a soft smile, one he was now realizing had only ever been directed at him. While Zaeed tried to keep himself from fullblown spiraling, Wrex clapped Shepard on the shoulder.

"You really are part krogan, Shepard, you know that?  You get that there's nothing sexier than some good scars."

So that's why Zaeed had been getting so many stares earlier. He'd forgotten about that particularity of krogan culture. Unexpectedly, a ball of warmth settled in his stomach before spreading out to the rest of him. Maybe most of the galaxy would always find his scars ugly and repulsive, rather than a sign of everything he had survived and endured. If that's how it was going to thing, so be it.

But at least here, amongst the krogan, Shepard's people in spirit if not blood -and weren't the implications of that just something to deal with another day- Zaeed was beautiful.

[fontofnothing]

Mass Effect 3 test run update: Time to hang out!

[x3no9]

Beautiful piece of work done by @fernaitor ! Featuring Zaeed Massani and my OC Isaac Shepard. This is glorious! Pairs well with all my fics, but I decided to add it to Renegade Angels because ALOT of what is going on here happens in that chapter. Check out the full version via the link!

[imperial-topaz2003]

Mass Effect Questionnaire

I saw @littleneonlily do this, so I figured I'd give it a shot, too, while I still have Mass Effect on the brain. 1. Tie between Garrus, Wrex, and Liara

2. Mordin, Samara, Zaeed, and Garrus again

3. Liara again, Kaidan, and Garrus...again

4. The M-76 Revenant. Who doesn't love a non-stop barrage of death?

5. Still like the Revenant, but if you want me to pick something else, I'll do the N7 Crusader

6. Soldier. Go ahead, call me bland, but I think it best fits both the gameplay and the story. Though I do also like the Vanguard and Sentinel classes.

7. Noveria in Mass Effect 1. I dunno why, but I just love the atmosphere this planet has, both setting and story wise.

8. Tying in with the above, the entirety of Noveria's arc, for the same reasons, with Bringing Down the Sky right behind it.

9. The Suicide Mission itself, which is my favorite level in all of gaming. Runner-ups would have to include Garrus's Recruitment, Tali and Grunt's Loyalty Missions, and the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC.

10. It's gonna be a tie between Priority Rannoch and Tuchanka. And the entirety of the Citadel DLC, too.

11. Depends. With Male Shepard, I like to pair him with Kaidan (shameless Mshenko fan here). With Female Shepard, I like to romance Liara. For Runner ups, I'd do Garrus and Tali (hetero normies)

12. I kinda wish James Vega was a romance option, preferably Bi, because I love my himbos. Other than that, I'd love to see some bisexual romance options from currently romanceable companions, such as Garrus, Tali, Thane, and Miranda.

13. Mako. Both control like ass, but at least the Mako isn't made of wet tissue paper.

14. Oh boy, you guys are gonna hate me for this one, but to me...it's Tali. Look, I don't hate her at all. In fact, she's pretty good, but HOLY SHIT, some of her fans are zealous.

15. I dunno how the rest of the fandom sees them, but I do really like Samantha Traynor and Steve Cortez. For side characters, they're really well written, both character and romance wise.

16. Haven't played Multiplayer in ages.

17. Refer to above, though I do recall liking the Earth maps.

18. I'd say SR-2. If you wanna be more specific, I like the version of it in ME3.

19. Destroy all the way...and maybe control. I know, E.D.I. and the Geth won't survive, but it's not like folks are just gonna forget how to rebuild synthetics (unless you're a moron who gets everyone killed). Control is a decent runner up if you wanna spare the robots. Synthesis is bullshit space magic (seriously, what the fuck even happens in Synthesis?). And Refusal is just...dumb.

20. I tend to lean more towards Paragon. Granted, I do make some Renegade Choices here and there, either for the sake of pragmatism or sheer amusement, but generally, the Shepards I play will lean a bit more on the Paragon side.

Not tagging anyone this time, since IDK how many of my mutuals are Mass Effect Fans, but feel free to give it a shot.

[katlakitty]

N7Month Challenge - Day 28: Contact

Shepard was pacing around her cabin on the Normandy SR2. Time was running out, she could only pray that they would be in time to save the crew. This was her fault. If something happened to them it was her fault. She'd tried to distract herself with work, but it didn't work and she had almost made up her mind to simply go down into the starboard cargo bay and just let the old merch tell her a story from the past.

She had spent a lot of time talking to him, something about him was calming to her. Maybe because he didn't give a shit anymore, maybe because he had a dark past and played rough. Or maybe it was because she could see herself in him.

But before Shepard could leave the door to her cabin opened and said old merch marched in.

"Zaeed?" Shepard asked and stood up from the couch. "Did something happen?"

"No." The man almost barked and his white and blue eyes focused on her.

"So?"

Zaeed just stared at her for a moment without moving or looking away.

"I'm a woman of many talents, Zaeed," Shepard gave him an annoyed look. "But I still haven't mastered the delicate art of mindreading."

Zaeed snorted and scratched his neck, finally looking away from her. "When you let Vigo go I was furious."

Shepard blinked at him. "I know."

"But you promised to help me hunt him down," Zaeed looked at her again. "I'm counting on you to keep that promise."

"I will help you hunt him down if we survive," Shepard assured him again. "Is this why you came here?"

"No."

Shepard drew her eyebrows together. Usually Zaeed just said what he was thinking outright or he said nothing at all. Coming here and saying nothing was strange. "Then why did you come here?"

Zaeed rolled his shoulders and looked at her again. "I came here while I still have the chance to say it."

He fell silent again. "Say what?"

"I like you, Shepard."

"You like me?" Shepard repeated and stared at him. Of all the things that he could have said, this hadn't been on her list. After she'd spend months talking to him every chance she got, he chose this moment to tell her he liked her?

"I’ve always thought you are beautiful." Zaeed admitted in a low voice and tilted his head.

Shepard couldn't help it and started laughing.

A frown spread on Zaeed's face and he folded his arms over his chest. "What is it?"

"You’re really bad at this," Shepard said with a smile and took a step towards him.

"Thanks." Zaeed growled and looked away.

But Shepard wouldn't let him get away that easily. She had been attracted to him for a while now, the only reason why she had gone down to the cargo hold on a regular basis had been to talk to him. Being with him had made her feel safe, like she could do anything if he and Garrus had her back.

Shepard smiled and closed the distance between them. Zaeed's eyes widened surprised as Shepard cupped his face and kissed him. It took him a moment before Zaeed answered the kiss, but his arms wrapped around her quickly.

The thoughts in Shepard's head stopped screaming. Being close to Zaeed, feeling his hands on her back and his lips on hers drowned her doubts and fears. It was just them. Soon the need for more physical contact grew more intense and Shepard pulled Zaeed towards the couch behind her.

You can find a collection of all my N7 Month drabbles on AO3.

[charlatron]

WIP Wednesday

Tagged by three lovelies @fiannans @kittynomsdeplume & @starsandskies

Still deep in my Shaeed hole (and I'm never coming out!)

"Don't do this," Zaeed all but begged, futile though he knew it was.

"You know I have to," Aurora sighed, carefully lacing her slender fingers between his.

"No, you don't!" he quietly raged. "Come with me, we could go anywhere!"

"How would we live?" she sensibly reasoned, "You expect me to be a merc like you?"

"Sweetheart, nobody's a merc like me."

Aurora laughed brightly at his self-assuredness, though only briefly before her somber mood resurfaced. "I'm an Alliance girl, Zaeed. I have to do this."

"And here I thought you were my girl."

"Are you kidding me?" she passionately objected, "I have spent the last year borderline sexually harrasing you like some desperate harlot, of course I'm yours!"

Zaeed took her face in his hands, one thumb caressing the space where scars once lingered. "You have no idea what they're gonna do with you."

"No," she admitted, "and I know I can't expect you to wait around while they decide."

"Barbie, do you seriously expect me to just allow this to happen?"

Aurora chuckled. "Don't act like I couldn't kick your ass, Massani."

She thought that would get a laugh out of him, but instead his brow furrowed as he considered his next words - and she knew she was in trouble.

"Would it change your mind if I told you I loved you?"

Her heart felt like it skipped several beats before suddenly thundering back to life.

"...do you?" she reluctantly questioned, unable to swallow the lump of uncertainty in her throat. "No, wait, don't answer that," she begged, fearing her resolve may indeed waver.

Tagging @whiskynorocks @ashalle-art @alyssalenko @wickedwitchofthewilds @briarfox13 @hollyand-writes @kittimau @dalish-rogue @tightassets @schoute @pikapeppa @hanatsuki89 @zuendwinkel @kourvo and anyone else who fancies it <3

[choccy-zefirka]

So yeah Alisa’s Zaeed-mancing AU has diverged into a whole new Shepard whom I named Gina. She is very tall and her overall Presence TM was partially inspired by Gwendoline Christie (you might probably recognize the reference photo here!).

[jrmaxwell]

Claw Machine Date? Claw Machine Date.

[x3no9]

Fixed Zaeed’s eye and throat a bit.

[wild-karrde]

@twistedstitcher27 is also writing for Kinktober 2022 and that means each day a new prompt. This time it is Floor Sex with Fem!Sheppard x Zaeed Massani and oh boy ! I do not play Mass Effect, but now I need to find out all I can about Zaeed. Sheppard is also part of another storyline with Rex that is so very much worthit, but this rec is for the Kinktober Prompt.

YES! Steph has been killing it with the Kinktober prompts this week! The Kix/Dirty Talk one had me BY THE THROAT. I also have not played Mass Effect (I know, I know, it's on my list), but Steph's writing has definitely made me more interested to check it out so that I can get more invested in her stories that involve those characters. Thanks for the rec!

Participate in Fandom Friday to show your favorite creators from this week some love! :)

[clericofshadows]

CLERIC'S MODEL SWAPS REGIS SHEPARD/ZAEED MASSANI WHAT IF: Zaeed had a romance scene...? PART 1 (X) | PART 2 (X) | PART 3

[imrryr]

Fandom: Mass Effect

Pairing: Femshep x Jack

Characters: Jack, EDI, Kasumi Goto, Female Shepard, Kelly Chambers, Aria T'Loak, Zaeed Massani, The Grissom Students, etc.

Rating: Mature

Summary: Cerberus Headquarters has been destroyed, the Reapers have swarmed every system in the galaxy, and Jack is about to be trapped on the Citadel with twenty-million people who are all waiting to die.

Guess the only thing to do now is join the rest of the free galaxy in developing an intense last-minute crush on Commander Shepard.

Chapter Summary: The chapter that left me unsure whether or not to also tag this story as a Jack & Kasumi friendship fic. Jack might disagree!

Chapter Word Count: 5,995 (projecting maybe 10 chapters in total)

[nananarc]

Zaeed x Shepard x TIM

for @x3n09, check out their smut fics here!

Uncensored, uncut version on my Patreon:

[katlakitty]

Writing patterns

Thank you @sweeteatercat for tagging me ;)

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

1. Cyberlife was the leading company when it came to the development of Artificial Intelligence and Androids. From Software Instability, Reed900, DBH

2. GV200 ‘Gavin’ considered himself to be the unluckiest Android there was. My contribution Triple Chocolate Trip to the Synthetic Touch Zine 2024 (a 900Gavin Reverse AU zine), DBH

3. 'That's it, we failed...' From One moment is all it takes, RK1K prompt week, DBH

4. Connor’s footsteps echoed ominously in the empty hall of the former Cyberlife tower. From A new day, RK1K prompt week, DBH

5. The candle was flickering, causing the light to dance on the small piece of paper in front of Markus. From Facing your love, RK1K prompt week, DBH

6. All his life he’d known who their enemy was; those who couldn’t walk in the light of day, those who had to keep to the shadows, sneaky, ominous and hungry for blood. From Behind the lies, RK1K prompt week, DBH

7. "I'm not comfortable with this," Markus repeated himself as he followed Connor around the house. From Partners in (cute) crimes, RK1K prompt week, DBH

8. Thundering footsteps, running towards demise [...] From A failed attempt, RK1K prompt week, DBH

9. To be someone. From King of Kadara, N7 Month Challenge 2023, Ryder X Reyes, Mass Effect Andromeda

10. Shepard was pacing around her cabin on the Normandy SR2. From Beautiful, N7 Month Challenge 2023, FemShepard X Zaeed, Mass Effect 2

Hmm, interesting. There kinda is a pattern. Movements and statements. 😂

[x3no9]

Gorgeous commission from @tamago-art !! Captures the scene from my fic "Renegade Angels" so beautifully!

Full version via the link.

Thanks so much.