#shenko fluff friday

[eleneripenneth]

Something About Shepard - Shenko Fluff Friday (Citadel DLC offshoot) - WARNING, Long

The Citadel

Residential Apartment 631

  "So, no shit, there we were...."

"Is this how all turian war stories go?" Joker leaned one elbow on the bar and aimed his trademarked smirk at Garrus.

"I may have spent too much time with a smartass pilot, and maybe that colored my commentary. Now, shut up and let me tell the story, Moreau."

"Hey, just tryin' to keep you real, man."

"You're going to need more alcohol to do that." Garrus' grin was pure turian, mandibles flexing widely. "Now, where was I? Oh, yeah. Omega. Anyway, this will be a surprise to no one here, but Shepard charges into this horde - and I mean a horde - of Blue Suns. It's just her on the ground, and I can see she's gonna get overwhelmed, and this melee she's inconveniently gotten into is playing hell with my nice neat sniper setup. Not like I want to shoot my CO in the head, right? So I do what any sensible soldier would do."

"Call for backup?" Joker drained his whiskey.

"Hell, no. Who has the time? I dive right in after her." Garrus took a deep pull on his snifter of turian brandy.

"Yeah?" Beside him, James leaned one huge arm on the bar top. "Reminds me of that time on Mars. You remember that time on Mars, right, Major?"

"Oh, yeah. I remember." Kaidan rubbed the back of his head in memory.

"That was not my fault, Major Alenko," EDI informed him. She was standing off to the side, unsure of her place in a gathering of organics whose stated mission was to get plastered. "This platform was under another AI's control. Rest assured, any subroutines indicating hostile intent toward any member of the Normandy crew have since been purged."

"Er, thanks, EDI." Kaidan raised his beer to her. "I appreciate it."

"Anyway," James cut in, "there was the Cerberus mech, pulling a quick getaway with a gunship. I heard the Commander yelling for anyone to take her out. Probably could have shot her down, but I'm no fighter jockey and I want to make real sure she's grounded permanently. So, I crash the shuttle into her gunship midair."

"And nearly took out the shore party, as I remember. Amateur." A few stools down the bar, Cortez muddled his glass between his palms, watching the whiskey spin in an amber circle.

"Hey, I figured they'd dodge, Esteban. And they did. No harm, no foul."

"Except for the part where the mech tried to turn the major into roadkill."

"Yeah." James frowned, then took a pull from his beer to compensate for the bad taste that memory left in his mouth. "That wasn't the best. Commander took it bad."

"Hey, that's not where we're going with this." Garrus held up one hand before the mood in the room could turn maudlin.

"Before I spike a migraine in memorial to that particular memory, can I ask where exactly we were going with this?" Kaidan wanted to know.

Joker peered critically at the bottom of his glass. He had been pretty certain there had been some alcohol in there a minute ago. "We're trying to figure out how Shepard manages to get us to risk our lives on a daily basis. Sometimes twice a day."

"Current calculations put near-death incidences at 2.7 times per daily cycle, rounded down." Glyph offered from his spot in what James had begun to refer to as the "dry corner" of the room.

"See? It's worse than I thought." Garrus leaned on the bar and looked like he was reminiscing. "Granted, there was a stretch when Shepard wasn't dragging us into trouble."

James held up a hand. "Hey, I thought we agreed we wouldn't go there."

Everyone nodded but Garrus himself. "You agreed. I just made 'mmm' noises and let you think I agreed. It isn't the same." The turian swirled his brandy around in his glass. "But let's be realistic. If Shepard is breathing, she's in trouble; if she's not in trouble yet, someone will comm and ask her to get into trouble, and if she's in trouble, she's probably bringing us along for the ride."

None of them were particularly inclined to mention that Shepard hadn't been breathing at one point, and had still managed to be at the epicenter of a shitstorm that had eventually ended with Liara becoming the Shadow Broker and Garrus getting his face shot off by a rocket. "OK, then how do you explain the whole Archangel thing on Omega? Shepard wasn't even there." James crossed his massive arms across his equally massive chest, straining his Alliance T-shirt at the seams.

"Yes, Garrus." Tali was perched on a bar stool next to him, shamelessly filching refills from his stash of dextro-alcohol. An emergency induction port was perched daintily in her mask. "Shepard was not on Omega at the time you decided to... how did you put it? Clean up the streets?"

"You're right." Garrus tilted his head to one side and considered. "Which means that I chose to do something blatantly stupid, heroic, and very likely terminal, with an extremely high probability of explosions, without Shepard being around to directly influence me. Wow. That's kind of scary."

"From your description, without biological data to verify, Commander Shepard could theoretically be classified as a viral influence. If that is so, then she would potentially be the first sentient bipedal virus known to the galactic database." EDI crossed her arms over her chest in mimickry of the pose she saw many of the organics make.

Kaidan choked on his beer until Steve helpfully pounded him on the back. "Did you just describe Shepard as a virus, EDI?"

"Yes, Major."

"Well, she has a point."

The major blinked at Tali, who was the last person in the galaxy he would have thought would be disparaging Shepard. "Seriously?"

"Well, no, not really.... but if you analyze what Shepard actually does..." The quarian tilted her head in a manner very reminscient of Shepard herself. "The addition of her presence tends to infiltrate and co-opt most of your processing power, so you can only think about her needs. That infiltration tends to take normal organic self-preservation programming offline. And then she uses your processing power and individual runtimes for things they were never intended to safely do."

Kaidan just stared at her. "How much have you had to drink, Tali?"

"Oh, not much. Just enough that that actually made sense."

Kaidan considered the beer bottle dangling from his fingers. "Yeah. I think that's about how much I've had, too."

"Hell, Major, you had to have more than that." James clapped the older man on the back, making him stagger. "You married the virus."

A slow grin spread across Kaidan's face. "You'd know, Vega. You were there."

"Yeah. And, y'know, me and Garrus were totally not kidding when we threatened your life and manhood if you ever hurt Lola again. With respect. Sir."

"Totally not kidding." Garrus nodded with the gravity of the very drunk. "I will put a bullet in your head, Alenko, and you will never even see it coming. The only question you need to worry about is, which head am I aiming at. 'Cause you seem to have grown another one since this morning."

"Not gonna happen, Vakarian. I'm wise to you."

"You have to sleep sometime, Alenko."

"The hell I do." Kaidan's smile slid slow and hot across his mouth.  "I'm a newlywed.  Sleep is for the weak."

"I so did not need to hear that," Joker muttered. "You owe me a beer for that, Alenko."

"I'll spot you something stronger." Agreeably, Kaidan poured some of their dwindling supply of tequila into a glass.

"Thanks." Joker tossed back the shot and grimaced. "Man, I needed that. I don't mind thinking about Shepard naked - she's seriously hot - but I really don't need a mental image of you in the buff, Major. No offense."

"None taken." Kaidan helped himself to another beer. How many had he had again? "But, Joker, if I catch you mentioning Shepard naked again, I just might have to kill you. With my brain."

"Roger that." Wincing, Joker sidled away. "Though you might want to talk to her about going around in that little black dress."

"What's wrong with Shepard's dress?" Liara wanted to know. "It's very becoming."

"It's.... ah.... "

Cortez slapped a hand over Joker's mouth before the helmsman could answer. "I'm sure Joker was about to agree with you, Liara."

"As a primitive mating signal, it seems to be quite effective." Javik sounded more than usually disdainful. "However, in my cycle, walking around in anything less than full armor was punishable by death."

"That seems to have happened a lot in your cycle, Javik," Liara observed dryly.

The Prothean shrugged.  "Less than you think. As a consequence, death is very motivating. We Protheans were very efficient people."

"Is Javik pontificating about death again?" Shepard walked into the room, a tray of fish and chips in one hand, a second tray containing keftethes in the other, and a bucket of ice cradled in the crook of her arm.

"Yeah, but his predictability is just one of those things we love about him." Joker grinned into his glass.

"Hey. I told you I'd help.  You didn't need to take over the kitchen all by yourself." Kaidan took the trays from her, putting them on the coffee table, where the food was immediately fallen on by several apparently starving teammates.

"I wanted you to relax.  Mostly to see if you actually could.  I'll get you in the kitchen some other time." She dropped the ice bucket on the bar before she kissed him, grinning against his lips when catcalls broke out from the peanut gallery behind them.

"Oh, I can relax."  Kaidan grinned back, touching his forehead to hers and sliding his arms around her waist a little more securely.  "But there's a couple of conditions that need to be met, first."

"Oh?  Do tell, Major."  Shepard walked her fingers up the back of his neck and brushed a teasing touch across his implant site, a wicked light in her eyes. 

"Oh, get a room, you two." Garrus snorted.

Shepard shook her head.  "Are you kidding? With my luck, Kasumi would be in it. I already caught her going through my underwear drawer earlier."

Kaidan raised one eyebrow.  "Seriously?"  He leaned closer and whispered, "She didn't get my favorites, did she?"

Shepard gave her husband an almost predatory smile. "No."  Her voice was equally quiet.  "I'm wearing those."

"Mmm.  Good to know.  Just to warn you, I plan on taking them off you later." He kissed her again, slowly, and his voice dropped an octave."With my teeth."

Kasumi materialized a foot away. "Could you speak up for the camera, Major? I didn't quite catch that."

A low, warning growl that sounded like it should have been coming from Wrex or Grunt rumbled in Kaidan's chest.  "Kasumi, if you don't want to be hit with a reave, you'll point that elsewhere."

"You have to find me first."

Kaidan scowled. "Not with a wide enough field, I won't."

"Oooh, the major has teeth," Kasumi mused, amusement coloring her husky voice.  "I like him, Shep."

Shepard stifled a small growl of her own, but only barely. "Mine, Kasumi."

"Fine. Don't share. I wouldn't." The thief vanished again in a crackle of static and cloaking technology.

"Wait! I figured it out!" Jacob slapped a hand down on the bar, making Jack jump and shoot him a nasty look before she resumed stuffing her face with battered fish. "Shepard's not a virus."

Miranda looked at Samantha Traynor, who was currently acting as bartender and arched one perfectly-manicured eyebrow. "Whatever you gave him, I don't want one."

"For once, I agree with the cheerleader." Jack snorted, then shoved a handful of food into her mouth. "Shit, what a terrifying thought," she muttered with her mouth full.

"Wait, I'm a virus?" Shepard blinked. "What the hell have you people been drinking?"

"Lots of stuff. I kinda lost track. OK, Taylor. Spill it." Joker settled his hat more firmly on his head.

"It's simple." Jacob grinned widely and slung an arm around the extremely startled Liara, making the pink umbrella in her glass tip precariously over the side. "Ladies and gentlemen - and Javiks - I give you Commander Rose Badass Shepard, the best damn poker player in the galaxy."

There was a moment of relative silence as everyone considered the statement.

Then, "When was I voted a virus?"

"You're not a virus, Shepard, you're a player. Keep up." Grunt rumbled from the couch. A indistinct grumble of low sounds that sounded like "the battlemaster's gone soft since she mated" came from his direction.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm seein' it." James nodded, waving his beer bottle in emphatic circles. "Shepard's so badass, she bluffs Death. And wins."

"That's why we keep risking our lives whenever she asks us to?" Tali asked dubiously. "On the basis of Shepard's winning streak bluffing Death?"

But Jacob was nodding. "You gotta admit, she's currently undefeated. In the card game of life, Shepard is the queen of the running bluff."

"To bluffing!" James raised his beer. "May no one ever call you on it, Lola."

"Well, hell, I'll drink to that," Shepard grinned wickedly at her him and then planted a firm kiss on Kaidan's mouth.   

[sagasvanhildr]

Shenko Fluff Friday is back!

This is the story of how my Shepard got the idea for her first tattoo post-reaper war.  I'd like to thank Unwizard for literally spending the last year talking out every aspect of this character's life with me and Galley whose talk of tattoos finally inspired me to write this down.  

  The breeze coming off of English Bay and filling their home with the scents and sounds of the beach was too enticing to stay indoors on the sunny summer day.  They had let the kids sleep in long enough.  It was time to get some fresh air. 

Now, Shepard watched as her two oldest children splashed and played in the water with their father; the third giggling happily in Kaidan's arms.  Reflexively, she ran her hand along the new little bump in her abdomen.  Soon, baby number four would be kicking away like crazy if she was anything like the others.   

She laughed as she remembered Garrus's reaction to the news.  Another one, Shepard?  So you saved the Earth and now you're leading the charge in repopulating too?   

What could she say?  She'd always wanted a big family.  Growing up practically alone will do that to you.  That was one of the reasons that she had loved having Jack live with them too, but now the girl that had come to be like the sister she never had was moving on and finally starting her own family.  It had Shepard feeling a little down, but thinking of the new life that would soon take her place at filling their home with screams and broken objects eased her mind.   

Truth be told, she was feeling a bit melancholy in general lately.  Almost eight years had passed since she had destroyed the Reapers.  She loved her life; everyday she was thankful that she and Kaidan had been given the opportunity to finally have all of this.  And many of her friends had decided to stay on Earth as well after either taking an early retirement from the Alliance or coming to teach at the school that the two of them had set up for all of the new biotics that were born after the war.   

Jack and James were getting married.  Garrus had purchased a home nearby because 'he doubted she was done getting into trouble'.  Steve had even found someone.  Everyone was really moving on with their lives. 

But everyday she also thought of the ones who hadn't made it to the happy ending.  Mordin... Thane... Legion...  They'd all come so close before falling.  It hurt her to think that she had failed them.  And even now, she had done nothing to honor them, to thank them for their sacrifice. 

Kaidan would say that living her life was enough, but she didn't believe that it was. 

She had wandered a way down the beach while lost in her thoughts, but at this moment realized just how far out she was getting and turned around to head back.  At the first step, something partially buried in the sand caught her eye.  Shepard couldn't explain it, but it just seemed out of place. She gingerly bent down and pulled it free. 

It was an ordinary seashell, just like the other million or so scattered across the beach.  She saw them everyday; she had chosen this location for their home because she wanted the reminder.  Might go somewhere sunny.  Sit on beach, look at ocean, collect seashells.  Might run tests on the seashells. 

But the shell was also a color combination that she had never seen before.  Mostly a pale green, but with dark ridges and red hues at the edges.  Kalahira, mistress of inscrutable depths, I ask forgiveness.  Kalahira, whose waves wear down stone and sand... 

Wiping the sand off of it, she realized that it had been damaged.  It had probably been tossed about in the tide and battered against the rocks because part of the center had chipped away.  That doesn't explain why you used my armor to fix yourself.  There was a hole. 

She shut her eyes against the onslaught of emotions this simple thing caused within her.  How could something so small, so seemingly insignificant in the grand scheme of things, reduce her to a blubbering mess as she knelt on the beach?   

Maybe it was some kind of sign.  Each of them was insignificant in the grand scheme of things when you thought about it.  The Reapers had shown her that.   

No.  That wasn't true, was it?  She hadn't done it alone, but would someone else have subjected themselves to the hell that she went through to get there?  Would she have had the same result if Kaidan hadn't been by her side?  He was important.  Their beautiful children were important. 

No.  It was certainly a sign, but that wasn't it.  Everyone that had fought with her had been important.  Significant.  Especially those that she had lost.  This was her way of knowing that they were still with her.  They were just waiting across the sea.  

She stood and headed back to Kaidan and the kids, a new smile on her face and the shell in her pocket.   

"Hey," Kaidan said as he saw her approaching, bouncing their little boy in his arms.  He must have noticed that she'd been crying because his look turned to one of concern.  "Is everything alright?" 

"Everything is perfect," she smiled and kissed first his cheek and then their son's.  "Remember when I said I wanted to get a tattoo?"  They had talked about it a long time ago but she had never been able to decide what she wanted. 

"I think it finally came to me."  She placed her hand in her pocket to ensure that it was still there.   

She hadn't yet done anything to thank them, for all that they had done and what they had given her, but this would be a good start.

[sagasvanhildr]

Where did this motivation come from?

Prepare for some Shenko fluff tonight, followers.

[eleneripenneth]

Birthday Fic called on account of kids

As we all know, when kids are in the mix... stuff happens.  In my case, it turns out it's really damn hard to write anything when you're babysitting your 11 month old niece along with your 4 year old son.  So now I owe poor Rose a birthday story, birthday smut, and Fluff Friday.  Le sigh.  Hopefully I can get something done.  Also hopefully, I will learn how to put my stories on nice pages like galley and sevanderslice do.  I think I'm too old for Tumblr....

[clockworkcuttlefish]

I promised fluff. This isn't really fluff but it's the closest thing I have.

Prologue of my post-ME3 headcanon, which'll get posted at some point.

By the time she woke up, she’d almost forgotten where she was.

The words and sensations of the night before had disappeared into one of her usual nightmares, with the child she’d failed to save and everyone she’d lost, waking her up disoriented and (though loath to admit it) terrified.

It was only when the arm beneath her flexed, when the slightest huff of air danced on her neck, that she remembered where she was. Slowly, so as not to disturb her bedmate, she carefully extracted herself from his arms and sat up, nausea rearing up inside her as she ducked her head. The bed shifted as Kaidan rolled onto his back, the smallest grumble indicating a slow rise into wakefulness, and she hunched even further.

“Hey.” His voice was even more raspy with early wakefulness, and the bed shifted more as he propped himself up on his elbows. “You ok?” Shepard didn’t answer, leaning forward onto her knees and digging her palms into her forehead. His hand pressed into her back as he moved closer to her. “What’s up?”

Her first instinct was the one she always had when she woke him up because of her nightmares, but before she could rush to put him at ease she’d looked up at her armor locker and blurted it out.

“Kaidan . . . are we going to make it?”

He sighed, pressing his forehead against her arm as his hand traced across her shoulderblades. “We’re ready. You’ve put everything together — you’ve built hope.”

“I’m glad I inspire that, but . . .” She swallowed, looking back at him. “You’re right.” She traced a line down his sternum, comforted by the warmth of his skin underneath her hand. “Give us hope and a fighting chance. Hell, the Reapers better watch themselves.” Shepard leaned in to press her lips to his gently, then moved off towards her shower. She could feel Kaidan’s eyes on her, his worried gaze indicating that he hadn’t believed a single word she’d said. That like always, he’d seen straight through the facade that she never seemed to be able to keep up around him.

When she came back out of her bathroom, Kaidan was gone. Folded up next to her terminal — which she always checked as soon as she’d had her shower, a habit he’d long known — was a folded-up piece of paper that she was certain hadn’t been present before, resting on top of a brand new, N7 painted Graal shotgun. With her hands shaking she unfolded the paper, instantly recognizing Kaidan’s fairly bold handwriting.

Hey,

So I was going to do this when we woke up this morning, since this seems like it’s it. But you’d had your nightmare again and, well, we don’t have much time. And I think I might prefer it this way. I’ll do it right if you want later.

I love you. I always have, and I’ll love you forever no matter what happens.

So, Shepard . . . when we get out of this, will you marry me?

Kaidan

P.S. I had them certify this for face-punching. I’d still recommend using the shotgun for that, though.

Out of the last fold of paper rolled a simple silver ring, a single blue stone set into it at the top and rimmed with tinier red stones. It was on a short, thick chain with a silver tag, and she ran her thumb over the text. One of Kaidan’s dog tags.

She swallowed, pinching the ring between two fingers and letting the tag dangle, her previous insecurities resurfacing with a vengeance.

When they got out of it? What if they didn’t? That was far more likely — a complete annihilation of this cycle to make way for a new cycle free from the Reapers, a sacrifice that would allow anyone else ever born to live free without fear of harvest.

But what if they did? What if she did the impossible and destroyed the Reapers and they’d never come back . . . and that chance to move on to something other than this came?

What if?

She hesitantly slipped her own tags over her head, shakily removing one of the two and sliding the ring and other tag onto it.

When she went down for breakfast carrying her new shotgun with the intent of modding it after breakfast, she slid the note back to Kaidan as she passed with a single silver tag and one word written at the bottom: Yes.

[jedibubbles]

Balance - Heat

Here's another Shenko fluffy fluff ness.  Same 'verse as others.  I'm not that fond of this one, but it's something.

Disclaimer:  Mass Effect franchise does not belong to me.  It is the property of Bioware and EA, maybe others, too.  

Overwhelming heat pulled Shepard out of sleep.  What made her reluctantly open her eyes was the sweat making her t-shirt stick awkwardly to her back and the chest behind her.  A heavy arm pinned her down as hot breath moved across her neck.  The covers felt heavy and soaked with sweat.  Her cheek was glued to Kaidan’s arm by dried moisture. 

She resisted the urge to swear aloud, mindful of him still sleeping behind her, and set about dislodging his arm without waking him up.  It was a fruitless effort because Kaidan was a clingy sleeper and a cuddle monster; every time she pulled his arm away from her body, he tightened his grip.  The battle went on for a minute before he started making his “I’m waking up” grumble; she froze. 

His mouth kissed the back of her neck as he nuzzled his head closer.  She felt the tip of his nose brush through her sweat-drenched hair and for the third time that night wondered how he could sleep through Egypt’s heat.  This was their third reassignment that year, and she had been ready to leave within an hour of arriving.  They were in Cairo to help rebuild the city; their duties were to be the same as they had been in Mumbai, St. Petersburg, and Istanbul.  She and Kaidan did a lot of heavy lifting and survivor recovery mixed in with the occasional rebuffing of mercenary forces.  

The work was fine, easy and fun.  However, due to the city’s fucking sensible priorities, repairing Alliance quarters climate controls was low on the list.  Being raised in controlled environments all her life left her with a love of temperate, controlled climates.  Kaidan used to laugh at her need for unilateral control of the thermostat, but he stopped laughing when she slept on the couch for two weeks because he raised the temperature at night, and she couldn’t sleep when she was too hot. 

Motherfucking biotics, she thought.  For the first time in her life, she wished she wasn’t a biotic, maybe then she could fucking sleep in the same fucking bed as her fucking boyfriend without the temperature being a cool twenty degrees Celsius. 

Kaidan finally stilled, and an idea hit her.  She gently jostled him a bit, and started to pull away.  When he let out a dismayed whine, she muttered, “Bathroom.”

His arm tightened around her but with another elbow to the side, he loosened his grip.  She rolled out of the bed and stood, making her way to the other side of the room.  After a quick trip into the bathroom to dump tepid water on the back of her neck, she paused at the foot of the bed, formulating a plan. 

Kaidan occupied the left side of the bed, which was normally her spot that he would eventually roll to as the night went on.  Without her there to hold him up, he had rolled to his stomach and started to snore.   His right arm was partially concealed by his chest while his left hand twisted in the sheets where her body had been.  His empty right side of the bed looked comfortably disused, lacking sheets except for the tiniest sliver near the middle of the bed since Kaidan always tangled his feet in them and dragged them along as he slept. 

She could sleep on “his” side of the bed for the rest of the night, especially if she moved the pillow from that side into his arms.  She could also turn on the ceiling fan that had heretofore gone disused because they both found the weird clicking noise it made creepy, but at this point she was willing to get over the small discomfort if it brought a breeze.  Opening the shutters of the window would bring in an even better air flow.

Plan decided, she executed it and cuddled into the right side of the bed with a sigh.

----------

A banging noise woke her up.   She had a warp prepared in her hand before she was fully aware of the noise and immediately let it dissipate when she realized the noise came from one of the shutters.

“Attack?” Kaidan sleepily asked as he rolled over to face her with bleary eyes.

“No, just the window.” She retied the shutters closed before slipping back into bed.

Kaidan wrapped his overly warm body around hers before she could get fully settled.  He rubbed his nose against the shell of her ear and mumbled, “What are you doing over here?  And where’s the pillow?”

She turned enough so that she could land a kiss on his cheek.  “Go to sleep.”

He reached behind him and grabbed her pillow, stuffing it under his head.  Maybe she could convince the Brass to transfer them out in a week or so.  She could only take the heat for so long and frankly, Kaidan didn’t understand personal space even when they fell asleep angry with each other.  And damn it all, she’d grown to like sleep again.  Until then, she would just re-execute her former plan with the exclusion of the windows. 

[seermusings]

Hokkien Noodles in Flight

For Shenko Fluff Friday. The expanded fic that leads off of Chinese Omnimail as prompted by Shenkokoro. ________ Zakera Ward was unusually quiet, its inhabitants few as the two Alliance personnel walked side by side along the walkways. Advertisements flashed across every surface, parroting out different wares, each demanding attention by name. The area was bathed in the purple glow from the Serpant Nebula, its colours splashed across Shepard's pale skin. Kaidan rarely had his breath taken away nowadays but Shepard... she was otherworldly in its light. Shepard seemed to notice his gaze and looked curiously, a small smile flickering at the corners of her mouth as she watched him. He was like a love struck teenager all over again mooning over his school yard crush, but he wasn't sixteen anymore. "If you keep staring at me like that Kaidan, I'll be forced to think I have something on my face." She said, amusement colouring her voice. "Sorry. You don't have anything on your face,' said Kaidan as he reached over to take her hand. 'I was just admiring the scenery, and how beautiful you are." "Geez Alenko, if you're trying to make me blush it's working." Shepard said with a laugh.  He hadn't heard her laugh in days. At least not freely. He watched as something caught Shepard's eye, the way she regarded everything with an insatiable curiosity. Kaidan gently tugged on her hand, returning her attention to them and not the hanar attempting to extort money from a krogan (he wished it luck with that). A large gaudy sign flickered above them and he ushered Shepard in front of him, stepping into the small restaurant. Music from earth's orient played through speakers from the ceiling, the interior clearly designed to reflect the asiatic heritage. Shepard's eyes widened as a petite woman stepped out and greeted them, directing them to a booth by the back wall. Shepard slipped in to one of the seats, her brow wrinkled in confusion at how short the tables and chairs were, her hands on either side of her as she arranged her body into the space. Kaidan followed suit, with none of Shepard's grace, banging his knee loudly on the wood and nearly upending the table. Shepard stifled a laugh behind her hand as the other patrons glared in their direction, Kaidan waving apologetically back before he settled himself and took a menu. Shepard picked up her own and perused it. She had a habit of nibbling her bottom lip when she wasn't sure of something, usually when her crew members were trying to convince her to do something. Like when Wrex had tried to introduce her to sashimi Krogan style. Shepard drummed her fingers on the table, eyes flickering from the menu to Kaidan as she waited for the waitress to reappear. Kaidan reached over and took her hand, brushing his thumb across her knuckles. She gave a smile, grey eyes glinting with excitement as the waitress came over. Shepard gave her order and Kaidan followed suit before their menus were collected and taken away. "This is a lot better than doing Spectre expense reports. I'm glad you agreed to dinner." "I could hardly say no to fortune cookies. I guess the company is nice too." "I'm wounded Shepard." Dinner passed in comfortable silence, the occasional topic of conversation popping up when he wasn't trying to pack as much food into himself as possible. Shepard ate at a more sedate pace, chasing pieces of black bean beef in loops around the plate.  "I caught Garrus looking up suggestive positions in the Kodiak over the extranet earlier..." Shepard half spat the hokkien noodles from her mouth, the other half attempting to go down her throat with limited success. Her eyes watered as she wheezed for breath and Kaidan leant over the table to thump her on the back, unable to hide the smile that crept onto his features. Shepard coughed violently before she drank some water, throwing Kaidan the dirtiest look she could manage between gulps. Bits of noodle lay sprawled over the table and he was marginally impressed with the velocity in which they had left her mouth.  "You did that on purpose." "You can't prove that Shepard, it's not my fault you chose the wrong moment to eat." Kaidan said innocently as he helped her remove the food from the tabletop, fingers brushing over the back of her hand. "What happened to the shy, foot in mouth, overly flustered Kaidan Alenko?" Kaidan shrugged and passed Shepard a fortune cookie. "He's still there. What does yours say?" Shepard cracked open her cookie and pulled out the message inside, unfurling the paper with a flourish. "Your heart is pure, and your mind clear, and your soul devout. Huh, sounds like Shi'ala found herself a new job. How about yours?" "You have a deep appreciation of the arts and music." Shepard stared at him before she reached over and pried the paper from his hands, reading over it. Her brow wrinkled and she raised her eyes to meet his. They stared at each other for a few moments, identical smirks flashing over their faces. "Thanks Kai, I enjoyed tonight." she said, leaning over the table to kiss him. "It was worth it. That noodle footage they've recorded is going to be worth a fortune on the extranet, I'm going to retire well." The sharp kick to his knee was worth it just to see Shepard smile.

[tunicnoir]

Still got it

(Kay so this isn't fluff so much as hilarity? But Ehh, It's Friday and this idea keeps making me laugh. Also it ended up being way long. Fuuuu. Apparnetly I'm doing this writing thing sorta regularly now... Interesting.)

Ten yards. It was only ten yards between the commander and her goal. It wasn't far, but she knew the enemy was out there. Silent and waiting. She held her weapon in both hands, finger ready at the trigger as she peered out from her cover. Shepard scanned the field catching a glimpse of her opponent, hidden behind a tree about about twenty paces ahead. He hadn't noticed her.

Smirking Shepard charged from her cover with a roar, "GETTING SLOPPY ALENKO!". Caught off guard Kaidan narrowly dodged Shepard's fire, rolling behind another tree as bright bursts of colour erupted behind him. They were the last two left standing in a heated battle.

Since she'd been 'officially relieved of duty' three months ago and Kaidan had noticed Shepard had been growing increasingly restless spending so much time around the house. So much so she'd even taken it upon herself to try 'fixing' things... which had been an unmitigated disaster. The drain in the bathroom sink had never quite been the same since. Thus Kaidan had taken it upon himself to find something to occupy his wife's time.

He'd thought she'd enjoy paintball, and he couldn't necessarily say he was wrong but... Shepard had gotten rather carried away. Kaidan had forgotten just how competitive she could be, coupled with just how much she missed the Alliance, their paintball adventure had become nothing short of a nightmare for anyone who got in the commander's way.

That morning they'd met Vega and Jack in Vancouver then drove out to the nearest paintball field, Shepard clearly excited to be out of the house for something other than groceries. They arrived, rented their equipment (except for Vega...who happened to be a bit of a paintball enthusiast in his off time, he kept harping on about how his gun was a 'well oiled machine' and that he'd be sweeping the majors wife off her feet with his moves) and geared up. Soon after the group was divided into teams, A bunch of regulars who looked fresh out of their teens ended up divided amongst the group. Jack and Kaidan were to be facing off against Shepard and Vega. 

"Aww man... Who invited the old folks," one of the kids groaned, eying Shepard who had clearly started greying.

"Ohhh you'll be sorry for that," Shepard growled making a display of how easily she loaded the gun... She hadn't been paintballing before, but really the principle of loading a weapon, air soft or not, was pretty straightforward.

"Whatever. Just watch you don't break a hip or somethin' old lady." The kid retorted, turning and heading out for the field, totally missing the well aimed punch Kaidan prevented his hot tempered wife from delivering. 

It was from that point on Kaidan knew this may have been a bad idea.

The game started fairly tame, most of the younger crowd had scattered off leaving Shepard and Vega alone to come up with a plan of attack. They'd deduced that Kaidan and Jack were the only real threats that lay in wait. Still, Shepard really wanted to kick the snot out of that brat from earlier. So it was decided, divide and conquer! They would rendezvous after pushing the other team back a few feet and then split up again, how hard could it be to take down a group of twenty somethings? They were hardened soldiers! Saviors of the galaxy at that!

The game had gone on without incident up till they had Jack and the kid who'd goaded Shepard on earlier pinned against the fence marking the playing fields boundary, still in good cover thanks to the trees.

"What'sa matter Shep!" Jack called, "You gone soft on me?!" 

"Hey Grandma!" The kid joined, still not understanding that he was gun to gun with the commander Shepard, "Ain't got the guts to pull the trigger? You're pretty useless without Grandpa around aren't ya!?"

Welp. That tore it. Before she knew it Shepard was flaring blue, she marched out of her cover gun blazing, paintballs flying wildly through the air "I WILL DESTROY YOU!" she bellowed nailing the kid right in the gut.

"HEY! SHEPARD THAT'S MY LINE!" Jack shouted in response, firing on the commander.

Jack had only just missed, Shepard hitting Vega instead... Which was good enough for her... if it weren't for Shepard nailing her right when she stopped to gloat. Something about kicking Vega's sorry ass right back to New York.

"Looks like Lola's still got it." Vega grinned, him and Jack heading off for drinks while they waited... The Commander and The Major would probably be a while.

----

Shepard had lost sight of him, she moved silently from tree to tree eyes peeled for any sign of movement.

"Oh Major..." Shepard grinned, voice husky, "Should I tell you all the things I intend to do with you when all this is over..." 

Kaidan's breath caught in his throat. He knew exactly what she was doing. Unfortunately for him it was working...

"I can't wait to get you out of that gear. Out of your clothes... Mmmm Just thinking about it is getting me turned on..."

Kaidan smirked, navigating the forest undetected as she spoke, he'd managed to loop around her, now having her in clear sights while she had no idea where he'd gotten off too.

"Kaidan..." Shepard breathed, peaking out from her cover, back unknowingly facing her husband. "...I need you. Now. I just want t-"

He cut her off, wrapping his arms unexpectedly around her waist and pulling her into a deeps kiss. Caught off guard, Shepard loosened her grip on her weapon, leaning into his kiss, a moan caught in the back of her throat. Kaidan pushed her back against the tree she'd been hiding behind. Hands roaming down her body he pushed his leg between her thighs groaning as her free hand groped his back side.

"Shepard." He breathed, breaking their kiss, "I love you."

Shepard smiled, gun now pointed at her unwitting husband's leg.

She pulled the trigger.

"Love you too!" Shepard smirked, leaning into him and pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Lets do this again sometime." She winked, walking away from him with a sway to her hips. Kaidan's eyes lingered on her, licking his lips before he followed her lead, glad to be calling it a day.