Welcome Home
In which JP tries her hand at a Mass Effect fanfic for @meficswap. @playfulclaws wanted some Shep/Kaidan celebrations so here’s a little welcome home party after he gets out of the hospital. Hope you like it!
“You’re worrying, Shepard.”
As if anyone can do anything else these days, but it’s not threats of galactic destruction that plague her thoughts right now. It’s in looking around the mess hall and seeing plates of food laid out, colorful drinks being passed from hand to hand, and hearing the soft, upbeat music pumping through the Normandy’s speakers. It’s not much, at least there are no banners and festive hats, but she can’t help the nervous bubble coming up her throat.
She’s taken on hundreds of enemies, faced down Reapers and geth, but it’s the thought of Kaidan walking from the elevator that makes her feel like unraveling. “You don’t think it’s too much?”
Liara offers a smile that calms the storm inside somewhat. “I know the Major will appreciate it and I have a feeling there won’t be many opportunities for moments like this in our near future.”
“I know, it’s just-” She stops as Vega’s voice bounces off the bulkheads.
“There he is! Now I can open the good stuff.”
“If that’s what you can call that engine grease,” Cortez mutters and receives a smack on the arm.
Kaidan’s eyes sweep across the open room, catching on hers a little bit longer than everybody else. “What’s all this?”
Chakwas comes and hands him a bottle. “A get together, Major. In honor of your recent promotion and speedy recovery.”
“It’s not like people come back from the dead often,” Garrus adds before nodding towards Shepard. “Well, most people. Must be a Spectre thing.”
She loses sight of Kaidan for a moment as others come to congratulate him and loses her nerve in the process. Heavy boots carry her over to the snacks where Traynor and a few others mingle. Shepard doesn’t even remember what she grabs and throws on a plate, tries her hand at small talk and does her best to keep her eyes away from him. She should stay far away. Her death hurt him once and whatever Cerberus remade her for, it wasn’t for white picket fences and views of English Bay. It’s for pulling the trigger of a smoking gun and going up in the flames.
But she’s still human. A human enhanced with certain aftermarket parts, but human still.
And even though she isn’t one for dancing, it’s something like choreography as the night continues on. Eyes connecting before glancing away, feet moving toward another only to step away and start it all over again. They are two bodies caught in a decaying orbit just waiting for the inevitable collision. It comes at the height of their little party, when Vega’s voice is even louder challenging Garrus to some type of display of bravado she should probably stop, but somehow she finds herself in a quiet corner with Kaidan and can’t look away.
“Having a good time?” she asks.
“At first I didn’t know what to think, but yeah, it’s nice.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing like that celebration Udina had planned though.”
He smiles. “It’s better. Besides, I’m pretty sure that party would have ended sideways all things considered.”
There’s a crash of bottles behind them. “It’s still too early to tell for this one.”
“You know, I remember when this used to be my station, on the old Normandy.”
“Lots of things have changed.”
Kaidan runs his hand up the wall next to them and his gaze goes soft, his voice turning to that gentle timber that always makes her fall just that little bit more in love with him. He moves forward, not by much, but it’s more than enough. “Lots of things, but not everything. Like I said, nowhere else I’d rather be.”
She steps closer until there’s only a few breaths between them. She shouldn’t, but she does. There’s a lot of things she’ll fight for and only one thing she wants to live for and it’s the golden galaxies trapped within his dark eyes that can only be seen so close. A million stars across millions of light years and this is the place she wants to be. “Then be here.”
“Shepard, I...” She watches doubt dampen the light in his gaze and the hope within her chest and suddenly it all hurts too much. It would be better to cut it all away instead of letting this wound fester, but she only, she wanted...She retreats before more damage can be done, but doesn’t get far as his hand wraps around her wrist. “Wait.”
And then he’s pulling her against him and it feels like a hundred bullets a minute going off inside her chest as their lips meet. There’s a desperate edge to his kiss, like he’s searching, chasing the memory, and finds the truth of it in the way she tastes. Fingers grasp into her short hair and she’s lost to it all, drifting in the ether, and even though her heart hasn’t stopped beating since they sewed her back together, it feels alive for the first time in years.
“Vakarian wins again!”
They break apart, the moment shattered, but by the look in his eyes not the fragile thing building between them again. She holds on for as long as she dares before giving up ground. “I should-we should go. Back to the party.”
“I’m right behind you. Always.”
