Joker has a line in ME2 (if you stand behind him long enough) where he tells Shepard he’s never washed his hat…So I ran with it. Abigail is somewhere between disgusted and impressed that in ten to fifteen years said hat has never been cleaned. The two dorks are so much fun to write together. And it took some time to get this past 87 words but finally. Success.
“You want luck on your side? Never wash your hat. Dad told me that. I think.”
Abigail scrunched up her nose. She wished he’d told her that all the times he’d let her snag it off his head and wear it around the cockpit, under the impression that she wore it better. He’d never washed it? That was a little gross; unfortunately, that was just like him and it didn’t make her love him any less, no matter how unsanitary…though she could hardly complain because of some of the things she let him do to her…who was she to argue that his hat wasn’t lucky? With the odds they were facing, a little luck couldn’t hurt.
Sighing heavily, she plopped down on Joker’s lap–ever careful of his legs, his arms wrapping around her instantly, pulling her hair to one side with gentle hands; his nose nuzzled her exposed skin, teasing kisses following. Her head fell sideways, giving him more access to her neck. She trailed her hands across his forearm, gently tracing patterns on his skin with her fingertips before her eyes closed, lost in his touch.
“With all the times I’ve stolen it from you and worn it, do you think some of that luck rubbed off on me?”
Joker laughed, heartily; Abigail Shepard was the most unlucky person he’d ever met–between being labeled the girl who cried wolf, dying, owing a terrorist organization everything, and constantly facing insurmountable odds, it was a wonder she was still so optimistic. But that was one of the things he loved about her, always trying to look on the bright side of things, even when the outlook was bleak and the weight of the world was on her shoulders. His hand covered hers, where it was on his arm before bringing her hand up and kissing her fingers.
“Aside from having me as your lover, you have the worst luck I’ve ever seen.”
She punched him in the shoulder, playfully. “I don’t think this chair’s big enough for you, me and your ego.”
He grinned. Abigail rolled her eyes at him, pressing him against the back of the chair as she gazed down at him, Joker’s hand curling around hers and holding it against his chest. He tugged her arm gently and she kissed him softly, free hand stroking his bearded jaw; a low growl escaped him before his free arm wrapped around her waist, hauling her against him. Their hands remained over his heart, his pulse fluttering under her fingertips. The gesture was simple but touching.
“We haven’t had any problems with fitting in the chair together with my ego before…maybe we should test it more.”
Her laugh echoed through the cockpit. “God, I love you.”
The way it so casually fell from her lips made him feel like the luckiest man in the galaxy.
Shepard snagged his hat off his head, settling it over her blonde ringlet curls realizing she didn’t care if it had never been washed–it was a piece of him. She tugged his beard gently before kissing him fiercely, his hand wrapping in her hair as he pulled her body harder against him with the arm around her waist, her arms draping over his shoulders as she straddled him in his chair. She couldn’t bring herself to get up, molding her body to his as she gripped the headrest, flaring blue as his fingers traipsed up her sides, tickling her. Her lower lip disappeared between his lips, Joker grazing it gently with his teeth.
For a moment he couldn’t tell where his breathing ended and hers began making her smile against his lips, before she opened her mouth against his; he surprised them both by moaning when she did so. His tongue swept into her mouth gathering up all her flavors and pushing against hers; kissing him was quite possibly her favorite thing in the whole of the Milky Way. He wrapped a loose ringlet curl around his finger, as he tilted his head to deepen the angle of the kiss and drive her insane with longing.
“Want to know a secret?” Joker asked, between kisses.
Abigail pulled back, piercing crystal blue eyes searching his face intently as the two of them huffed quietly, her arms braced on the back of his chair on either side of his head.
“Jeff Moreau, I thought we had no secrets between us…what are you hiding?”
He took a deep breath. “I love you, too.”
Joker was done burying his feelings…she deserved to know how he felt once and for all–no hesitation. Everything laid bare. She bit her lower lip to suppress a smile; it was the first time he’d actually said those words–she’d let it slip while they were christening his chair, and since then it just popped out naturally whenever they were together. Even without words she knew what he felt, but it was nice to hear.
Blonde hair tickled him as she bent and ran her tongue over the outer shell of his ear, her breathing ragged.
He was more than happy to oblige…
