2000 word Jaal x Ryder fic feat. the crew and a birthday party! (and cats)
Slight spoilers under the cut
It was Fiona’s birthday. 23. Nearly a quarter of a century, give or take 600 years. Scott’s birthday too. She wanted to be on the Nexus, celebrate it with him, but instead, she was stuck on underside of the icy ass of Voeld, waiting for mission results. Sure, it had warmed up since they’d activated the Vault, but it was not paradise. Her email terminal pinged, dragging Fiona’s attention away from her melancholy, and she rolled off of her bed to shuffle over and read it.
“I have a present for you, Lexi said it was your birthday today. And you thought none of us would know, just because you didn’t say anything. Ha! Liam pitched in on ideas- said you were missing some things from the Milky Way. Hope this helps. Meet us in the crew quarters, and hurry!” -Vetra
Her interest was piqued. Of course Lexi would spill that detail.
“Patient confidentiality,” she snorted, fixing her hair and ensuring she looked at least semi-presentable. Then again, there was the possibility of a party, and parties meant pictures… Better to dress herself in real clothes and brush her hair. Plus, she had no doubt Jaal would be there. She indulged herself for a brief moment as she ran a comb through her brown waves, reading his recent email- dearest, he called her. It made her heart flutter.
The crew quarters were just down the hall, and Fiona cautiously waved the door open. She was met with a group of smiling faces, all of them mischievous. Her whole squad had crammed into the small space, even Gil, Lexi, Suvi, and Kallo perched on some of the bunks.
A chorus of happy birthdays brought a massive grin to Fiona’s face. It only widened when Vetra presented a cake, Peebee standing proudly next to her creation.
“Do you know how hard it was to bake that properly on this ship? Gil and I had to rig up an oven from the Nomad’s power source! No synthesized cake for you, Fi,” she proclaimed. Sure, maybe it showed she cared a little too much, but Peebee was willing to bend her rules. Humans didn’t get that many birthdays.
“Aw, you guys, this is amazing! I don’t even know how you managed to get the ingredients for this… Shit, Vetra, can you even eat this?” Fiona couldn’t push the smile from her face, giggles bubbling through her words.
“Ah, I don’t do sweets that much. Well, actually, I- uh- procured some dextro-chocolates from someone, but those are long gone.” The turian shook her head slightly, mandibles flaring. “Now, this isn’t actually the present I was talking about. If Jaal would stop messing with it, we could actually give it to you. It’s in the bathroom.” Vetra passed the cake to Cora with a firm warning to not let Drack anywhere near it- the krogan was eyeing it with vicious intent.
“You’re gonna love it, Fiona. But you have to promise to share, okay?” Liam piped up, sliding next to her.
“Share? What- Why is my present in the bathroom?” Fiona asked, following Vetra and Liam. She knew Jaal was fond of making gifts, but… the bathroom?
“Jaal, we’re coming in. Is it ready?” Liam asked, knocking on the metal door.
“It is ready, yes. And it will not stop talking,” Jaal replied through the door, and Fiona balked.
“You’re giving me something alive?” She hissed, terror on her face as Liam opened the door. God only knew what creature they’d found in Andromeda to torture her with.
“Oh, relax,” Vetra mused, “you’ll know how to take care of it. So, ready to meet your gift?”
The door slid open to reveal Jaal sitting on the ground, twisted to look behind him.
“Come now, you must meet your mistress, little furry thing,” he chided, moving to herd it to the front of the room. Liam shut the door, leaving the four in a very cramped bathroom. Fiona completely forgot her mild claustrophobia when she saw what Jaal was talking too- a small, gray cat, with gorgeous green eyes.
“Holy. Shit,” Fiona breathed, dropping to her knees. “Where the fuck did you find this? How did you get a cat holy shit?! Cake and a cat, am I dead?” She immediately put a hand out, cooing at the creature and wiggling her fingers.
“Lexi told us that the initiative had therapy animals put in cryo alongside the rest of us. Said they’d help with stress levels. It didn’t take much convincing for us to get her on board with the plan, and this little one followed. It’s a boy, his name is up to you. But, a warning, I think you’ll have to fight Jaal for him,” Vetra explained, her heart warming as the cat sniffed Fiona’s fingers. The Pathfinder let out a small whimper, its whiskers tickling her skin.
“Fiona, are you- are you crying?” Liam asked, nudging her with his knee.
“Yes! This is the best birthday I’ve ever had, and I just- you guys, you’re the best!” She let out a small sob, happy tears spilling over her cheeks.
“Is this normal? Do humans cry when you are happy as well as sad?” Jaal asked, observing the exchange carefully.
“Uh-huh. You’ll find that humans cry about a lot of things,” Vetra replied, and she elbowed Liam. “Wanna give them some alone time?”
“I guess. But seriously Fiona, share the cat. I’ll save you a slice of cake!” He and Vetra slipped out quickly, the sounds of loud music wafting through the walls.
Fiona took a deep breath and rested her back against the door, idly running her hands through the cat’s fur. It was already purring- hell, the thing was affectionate. She blinked the tears from her eyes and finally acknowledged Jaal with a small wave, sitting cross-legged across from him. The cat stretched and paced over to the angara, rubbing against his knees. Jaal watched with absolute fascination, mimicking Fiona’s petting. He was rewarded with a chirp.
“That is a new sound,” he commented, a smile crossing his face. “Are these common pets in the Milky Way?”
Fiona grinned- he said Milky Way in the best way. “Meelkee Way,” she mimicked, stifling a laugh. Jaal rolled his eyes, but let her continue. “Yes, they are. I always wanted a cat as a kid, but Dad never let us keep one. Said they were too messy. Of course I’d have to make it to a whole different galaxy just to get one,” she joked, and Jaal chuckled.
“The angara have symbiotic relationships with animals for agriculture, but we have no animals that are so… domestic. I like it.” He really was fascinated, observing how it wandered and explored the room. “Liam, Suvi, and Cora all advised that it be introduced to the Tempest in small intervals. The bathroom seemed the best choice, both to hide it from you and keep the ‘litter box.’ Will it only defecate in there?” He obviously wanted to know more, but the nature of his questions made Fiona snort.
“Asking the real questions there, huh Jaal? Yeah, most cats will naturally ‘go’ in their litterbox. They also get really crazy sometimes and will start jumping on walls and tearing things up. We call that the ‘midnight crazies,’ even though it happens literally whenever they want.” She wanted to gush about cats- the number of vids she’d watched in her spare time, it was almost shameful.
“That is fascinating. Do you have thoughts on the name?” Jaal asked, waving Fiona over to sit next to him. She obliged, scooting over. Their knees were touching by the time she settled, and the contact made his email suddenly jump to the forefront of her mind. The cat began to clean himself, one leg stuck high in the air. Jaal’s brow furrowed, and he shook his head.
“I was thinking Tann. You know, to fuck with him? Get off of a serious vid-call with him, just to see the cat cleaning itself on the deck. Classic shit right there,” Fiona laughed, framing the cat with her thumb and forefingers. Jaal side-eyed her curiously, his pupils narrowing.
“I like your sense of humor. One of the many things you are wonderful for, jokes,” he commented, and Fiona blushed.
“Must you constantly make me red?” She asked, calling Tann over with a few clicks of her tongue. He regarded her plainly, tongue half out of his mouth, and continued his cleaning.
“Would you prefer I stop?” Jaal asked, and Fiona shook her head.
“Nah, it’s probably good for keeping the blood circulating. So what’s this about fighting you for the cat?”
“Well- he has been on the ship for a day now, and I like him. He is affectionate, but also strong and agile. They are little hunters, and- well, no, this is silly.” He was bashful, Fiona could tell, and she nudged his knee with hers.
“Aaand..? Come on, Jaal, I won’t laugh,” Fiona reassured, and Jaal sighed.
“He looks angaran. I believe it is the eyes,” Jaal admitted, his gaze cast to the side.
“Oh, you do have similar eyes. I always thought you reminded me of a lion for some reason,” Fiona mused, the connection finally making sense.
“What is a lion? I thought this was a cat,” Jaal frowned, crinkling his nose in confusion.
“So, this kind of cat is Felis catus, the domestic breed of cats. There are different species of cats on Earth, some of them are large predators. Like lions, Panthera leo. They can weigh up to 250 kilos and they’re pretty ferocious. I’ll email you a link on them later, but that’s a pretty good thing to be compared to.” Fiona watched Tann pad up to Jaal and climb in his lap, his fur wafting off and sticking to Jaal’s bioelectric field.
“They shed,” he grumbled, swiping fur off of his rofjinn.
“Yeah, good luck getting that off,” Fiona teased. “So, how are we going to get cake and watch the cat at the same time?”
“I believe Liam expressed interest in spending time with him. I am eager to try this ‘cake,’ given your reaction to it. Shall we?” Jaal gently moved Tann to the floor, earning a protest from the feline. He frowned, apologizing to him, and they quickly opened and shut the door.
“I will trade cake for time with the the newest member of our crew! His name is Tann, and he licks his butt!” Fiona announced, and Drack almost choked on his cake.
“I have to tell Kesh!” He exclaimed, his rumbling laughter spreading through the crew.
“I call the cat!” Liam called, grabbing two plates and handing them to Jaal.
“SAM?” Fiona asked quietly, watching her friends in their reverie.
“Yes Pathfinder?”
“Can you record this moment? Save it for me?” There were tears in her eyes again, emotion hitting her like a brick.
“Of course, Fiona. I’m glad you’re happy,” SAM commented, and Fiona nodded.
“Me too, SAM. I think we might finally be home.”
“I concur.”
Jaal arrived a few moments later with cake, the plastic fork awkward in his hand.
“I certainly hope you enjoy that. Cora said she saved it for you, it is a corner piece,” he elaborated, and Fiona shot Cora a grateful smile. She cared, in her own way.
“I hope you like it too. Darling,” she added, the joy in her heart making her daring. It caught Jaal off guard, his fringe shading blue.
“Of course. Dearest.” He took a bite of his cake and his pupils widened, focusing in on the plate. “There is too much sugar in this,” Jaal groaned, “How can you eat this?”
“Well, shit, I’ll eat yours too!” Fiona cheered, and Jaal shook his head. Fiona was a handful, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Who wants to take a group picture? Someone get Liam!” Suvi called from the other side of the room, and the party spread out into the hall and the galley. Someone found the beer, and for a brief moment, no one worried about the fate of the galaxy.
read it on ao3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10541802
