May I have John/Ashely at a party for the Kissing Prompts, please? If you're still taking them?
Of course you may! I always love writing these two cinnamon buns!
Available on AO3 | From this prompt here... inbox always open just let me know it’s from this list.
The After Party
Ashley's arm was wrapped around Shepard's waist, as much for supporting him as it was to be in close proximity to him; his arm was wrapped around her shoulder. The last month and few weeks had been long and agonizing. The recovery from surgery, the physical therapy, the psychological exams he wanted to scoff at, all had been so taxing on John. He was a man of action, he couldn't sit long enough without feeling agitated. He needed to move. And hospitals had a way of making sure you did just the opposite.
Now, as they walked back to the Normandy, a huge grin on his face, he was happy. The war was over, his girlfriend, his crew… family were all okay, and here he was, taking command of his ship once more. The thought excited him. There was just something about being out there in space, helping and protecting others he found so rewarding. He ran his hand against the hatch door.
"Skipper?"
"Hmmm?" He looked at Ashley, their smiles met, but there was concern in her eyes.
"Thought I lost you there for a moment. You okay?"
John's smile widened. "Everything is perfect’" he said as he brushed his lips against Ashley's forehead. He really meant it.
“I could use a drink. I do believe there is a freshly stocked bar down on the crew deck.” A coy smile tugged at Ashley’s lips which only caused John to laugh as they walked to the elevator lift.
“I do believe we have a score to settle. I mean… I did save the Galaxy, so that gives me a few points towards being the best human Spectre… but if you do want me to drink you under the table tonight…” He half-smirked. Ashley rolled her eyes, elbowing him in the ribs.
“Ow.” He complained slightly, as he rubbed his ribs with his hand. Ashley snorted as she pressed the button to deck three.
“Oh suck it up, princess, you’re fine.” Ashley rolled her eyes.
“You didn’t…?” He wasn’t sure he had heard right.
“Oh! I did!” Ashley gently shoved him out of the lift and towards the lounge.
The door whooshed opened as they neared it, Shepard was immediately greeted by the crew who had gathered and already started drinking. He was surprised to see even Jack and Miranda had made their way in here.
James raised his glass, “Hey hey, the man of the hour is here!”
Traynor was the first one to get up from where she sat on the ledge of the couch to come give Shepard a hug. “Welcome back, Commander!”
“It’s good to be back,” Shepard said as he let go.
Cortez was standing at the bar; he popped open the champagne bottle pouring it in glasses.
Miranda was the first one to take up a glass. Amused, Shepard chuckled as he and Ashley approached the counter to take a glass themselves. Miranda was usually the last person to loosen up.
“Still trying to be normal?” He smirked.
“Starting to get the hang of it,” Miranda mumbled with a sheepish look as she reached for Jack’s hand and intertwined their fingers. Shepard arched an eyebrow, his smirk now turning into a full grin. Boy, did he ever call it. Though, he never had expected for them to act on their feelings.
Jack punched him in the shoulder. “Shut up, Shepard!”
“Should start a dating service, Shepard. The Normandy seems to be a hookup site rather than an Alliance vessel,” Tali said as she sat on the bar tool. She grabbed the tripled filtered Turian brandy and poured herself a glass.
“You’ll be the first to know, Tali,” Shepard quipped as he reached for a glass of champagne.
“I’m good,” she said as she gulped down her drink through her ‘induction port’.
“Never mind that. Cortez, line up some shots will you. Reaper metal asses have been sent back to whatever black hole they came from. Time to fucking party!” Jack demanded.
~n~
The bar was littered with all types of different glasses. Shepard had lost count of how many shots and drinks he had, but one thing he was certain about, he felt a lot better than most of the crew. Courtesy of Cerberus upgrades. He could definitely confirm they were still intact and fully functioning. Catalyst be damned for lying to him.
Ashley had met him drink for drink until she felt like the contents were coming back up rather than staying down, so she admitted defeat to their challenge, which she didn’t take too lightly.
A couple of the crew members were snoring away on the couch, some had called it a night and headed to the crew quarters. While others still danced away to the blaring music in the middle of the lounge, others were playing poker at the table, or gathered around the bar for more shots.
It had been a good night. It was certainly nice to see everyone let their hair down, so to speak, knowing that there wasn’t a battle waiting for them the next day. For the first time in over three years Shepard actually felt relaxed.
Shepard was in the middle of taking his shot when Ashley came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders.
“Ash, you want one?” Cortez asked her.
“Nope. I think we can all say Shepard can drink me under the table.” She shook her head, her eyes a little wild, unfocused. She was slightly unsteady on her feet. Shepard chuckled.
“For that, he can give me a dance though,” she wiggled her brows.
“Ash…”
“Just one. Come on.” She tugged at his arm, and he acquiesced following her into the middle of the room.
Ashley wrapped her arms around his neck, his around her waist.
“I don’t really care for the dance. I just wanted you for a moment,” Ashley whispered in his ear.
“Impatient are we?” He chuckled as he leaned in closer to her.
“Just a little,” she admitted as she started closing the distance.
“Is that what I’ll get to look forward to everyday?” Shepard quipped.
“Maybe.”
“I don’t think I mind at all,” Shepard said as he closed the distance between them, planting his lips on hers as they gave in to each other. His hands travelled up her waist to eventually rest on each side of her face to keep her from pulling away. He wanted to keep feeling her soft lips against his for as long as he could. Knowing he had to behave in front of the crew drove him crazy. So many things he wanted to do right now.
Ahsley’s lips parted his as she bit down on his lower lip, pulling it between her teeth before she pulled away.
“I don’t think I mind either, sir,” she said coyly, as her eyes showed all the intent behind her words, before closing the distance once more.
Pulling away, Ashley took his arm and winked at him as she led him out of the lounge.
John smirked, he guessed he wasn’t the only one after all with such thoughts in mind.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply (see additional tags)
Relationships: Deimos/Praxis (Starfighter)
Summary:
Subtitle: Gardening with Deimos, The Fic.
Basically some schmoopy post-war Praxmos fluff.
Thank you @violetnyte for all your hard work organizing the Starfighter Secret Santa Exchange! Because you didn't get to participate yourself, I wanted to write you a little gift fic as thanks both for your selfless dedication to making the exchange run smoothly and be enjoyable for everyone else, and for welcoming me into the fandom just a few short months ago :)
Also, omg, it's my first Praxmos fic. So nervous to write it for the Queen of Praxmos... I know it doesn't include any of your favourite things (nsfw, angst, violence, non-con, AU, etc.) but I hope you enjoy this bit of fluff and have a wonderful holiday season!
My favourite discovery while getting this ready to post was that "Gardens & Gardening" is a recognized tag on AO3. Who knew?
Numbers, letters, spaces-- words that were definitely spelled correct, but held no meaning in Emiko's mind. She'd reached her limit, putting up her laptop and taking a deep, cleansing breath. Sinking into the bed, melting into the ambience of the strangely quiet apartment, she began to wonder-- when was the last time she'd been able to sit like this? To bask in the white noise of the fan and the faint background buzz of the world? No emergency meetings, no early morning commute, no simmering anxiety wondering if- when her partner would come home.
She'd gotten better about it in recent months, actually managing to fall asleep before light thuds and creaks woke her up-- though she'd be lying if she said she didn’t look forward to the quiet curses and apologetic kisses that followed. But despite her best efforts, the wailing sirens still haunted her waking hours. At work, at home, on the street-- when she looked at him a little too long a little too late at night, brushed her leg against his, watched him clean out his bad eye.
She looked over to Shouta, perched on the office chair he'd reluctantly taken over after moving in together, and watched as he drowned out the world around him, scanning and striking through lengthy reports, modifying his own. His silhouette was illuminated by a small desk lamp, casting warm, cozy shadows across the somewhat confined space. She watched his eyelashes flit as he scanned over the documents, watched his fingers move across his keyboard and tablet with absent-minded precision, the sound of clicking keys lulling her into a sense of mundane peace she'd nearly forgotten.
"Shou?" he responded with a low hum, the only indication of his attention as he continued his work, "When's the last time we had a quiet night like this? Together?"
He fell still, silent, the feeling gradually washing over him as he reclined. He sat deep in thought, a common sight to those who knew him, before dropping his foot from the chair and turning to face her. The lamplight casted beautifully across his tired features. His softened eye drifted between hers, a deep, slow sigh falling from his nose, replacing the words they'd mutually agreed upon.
Almost without looking, Shouta closed his laptop and locked his tablet. He backed the chair up against the desk and pushed himself up, maneuvering carefully into their shared bed, Emiko pulling back the covers and helping him get comfortable.
He nestled his face into the crook of her neck, breathing her in as his arm snaked around her waist. He sat in the moment, feeling her pulse against his nose, taking in everything he could before he spoke,
"I'm sorry, Emi. I said I'd dedicate time to you once I brought you home... and I haven't."
"Shou, sweetheart--"
She wove her fingers into his mostly dried hair, relishing the way he melted under her touch as her nails grazed his scalp. The last thing she wanted was to make him relive those months yet another time. He already did that enough for the both of them. "We've been doing the best we can to keep these kids going. Together. Just knowing I get to wake up next to you is enough for me." A deep rumble resonated against her arm, a short pause punctuating his thoughts before he slipped his hand under the fabric of his shirt, baggy against her skin, and caressed her hip with his thumb.
"But you worry. And that's the last thing I want. You always look so relieved when I come home late or after patrol... I want you to sleep through my entrance, my showers-- I want you to look completely unbothered by my absence. Like you'd forgotten I'd ever left." His hand stilled as he pressed his lips just under her jaw, drawing in a deep breath and sighing before pulling her closer, holding her tighter. "I want you to know that I'll come home to you. That I won't leave you like that."
She sighed, wrapping her arms around him in turn and scratching gently at the base of his neck.
"I'm sorry, darling. I know you’re not reckless or rash by any means..." she trailed off, holding him tighter, fighting off a small fit of tears as she remembered the way he'd held her hand in the hospital, the way he'd gravitated toward her under the heavy post-surgery sedation... the way he'd broken down in her arms after she'd woken up in that same hospital months later. "but things happen, despite our best intentions- you know that." Emiko planted a kiss into his hair, taking in the scent of the same 3-in-1 he'd used for as long as they'd known each other. "I know how strong you are. Capable. I just don't trust people to not take advantage of your weaknesses, to try and bring you down. There's still so many people that hate you for letting the kids fight--." He shifted from underneath her, pulling himself up just enough to look into her eyes from under his furrowed brow, cupping her cheek in his hand and sighing softly. She wondered if he'd ever know just how sweet he was.
"Hey... don't worry about that. You of all people should know that some people just need a target for their rage. And for the ones that act on it-." His calloused thumb caressed her cheek. One deep breath, one pregnant pause- and he was pressing his forehead against hers. "Emiko... don't let your fear for me kill the goodness you see in this world. That vision of a brighter future-- it's what I want to give my students, what they need to pass on to others... what I love most about you. You've always been hellbent on making it happen. Despite your setbacks."
Emiko's heart tightened in her chest. This dream she'd clung to since childhood, this deep-rooted belief she'd never been able to shake-- he'd mentioned this before, of course, but it never changed the way it made her feel, knowing her life partner held her dreams so closely in his heart. It was their shared dream, if they were being honest. Why they'd go days without exchanging more than simple phrases, why they came home exhausted, overworked, overloaded. They just weren't the types to leave things half-done.
And in the stress and repetition and constant changes, she'd almost forgotten.
She pressed back against him, almost as if to physically transfer her thoughts to him. 'I love you', 'thank you for being in my life', 'thank you for loving me', and a million more-- though out loud she only went with, "Thank you, Shou..." and planted a soft kiss on his lips, whispering "I love you."
She could feel his brow soften against her skin, the easing of his touch as he slid back into the crook of her neck, his eyelid fluttering delicately against her skin. She almost didn't hear his whisper above the white hum of their bedroom fan.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 終わりのセラフ | Owari no Seraph | Seraph of the End
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Hyakuya Mikaela/Hyakuya Yuuichirou
Characters: Hyakuya Mikaela, Hyakuya Yuuichirou
Additional Tags: Shinoa Squad mentions, Post-War, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, SO MUCH FLUFF, I could make a pillow from all this fluff
Series: Part 1 of Post-War Fluff
Summary:
Mika and Yuu spend time together while the squad waits for them.
