38 for the soft prompts, whoever you feel like!
38. "Do you remember our first kiss?"
Think I'm going to fill this one for Alyx & Miranda actually. Although, this turned out more spicy than soft. 👀
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Starboard Observation was quiet when Miranda entered.
She had been pacing around outside for who-knows-how-long before she finally gathered enough courage to step foot into the room.
It wasn't like her to be nervous around anyone; but then again, Alyx Shepard wasn't just anyone to her.
She clenched her fists at her side, tried to calm her breathing, futile as it may be.
It certainly didn't help that Alyx stood there so casually, her head pressed against the window, staring out into the vastness of space. A loose, off-white shirt remained mostly unbuttoned, creating a low, swooping neckline that exposed most of the bare chest that laid beneath. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, barely able to conceal the slight strain where strong arms stretched out thin fabric.
An old pair of jeans clung to the shape of her legs, tucked neatly into a pair of worn-out combat boots.
Grayish-blue eyes traced her ink from afar, familiar with every curve and line that stood out against golden brown skin. Almost every section of her body had a tattoo of some sort, the most visible now being the ones upon her chest and arms.
Miranda had went through the time and effort of returning each one to their former glory after bringing her back, and she would gladly do so again.
The purple glow of their cybernetic scarring flared for a brief second, Alyx acutely aware of the eyes trained on her.
"Something on your mind, Miranda?" she asked, turning to glance over her shoulder at her.
Ocular implants gave off the same light that her scars did, a definite change compared to the warm brown Miranda was used to.
Bracing herself, Miranda took a deep breath.
"I was thinking about you, actually."
Hesitantly, she strolled forward, her heels tapping upon the floor with every step. The closer she got, the more she could make out the finer details of Alyx's other scars, one upon her eyebrow, another at her lip. Several others scattered along her body from more recent fights.
Miranda yearned to reach out, to feel the patches of rough skin among the smooth.
"Well," Miranda sighed, shaking her head at herself, "I guess it would be more accurate to say that I was thinking about us."
"Yeah?" Alyx snorted at that, brow raised. "Is that so?"
Miranda wanted nothing more than to have her frown melt away into a smile, like it used to in her presence.
She wanted to be able to appreciate Alyx in all of her glory.
She wanted to be able to worship her from head to toe like she deserved, taking note of every mole and scar, every tattoo and piercing that she encountered.
It would be all too easy to give in. Miranda could reach out, brush dark curls back behind her ears, decorated in an array of silver chains and small hoops.
She could imagine the taste of Alyx's lips on hers. She wanted to feel that small metal ball roll against her tongue when she explored Alyx's mouth.
To feel the curve of her breasts fill Miranda's hands with ease. To toy with the bars pierced through stiff, sensitive peaks.
She wanted to seek out cool metal between parted legs, using only her tongue.
Even if they hadn't been together in years, Miranda knew that some things stayed the same, and it was that familiarity —that stability— that ultimately drew her in.
"Mm-hmm..." Closing the distance between them, she trailed off in a hum. "I don't know." She shrugged. "I guess it never really hit me before now, with you right in front of me—" Alyx swallowed thickly as Miranda trailed a lone finger down the center of her chest. "I never realized how much I missed you over the years, Aly."
The old nickname sent a shiver down Alyx's spine.
"Miri," she whispered. She grabbed her hand before it could venture lower, needing a second to think. "You drew that line in the sand, not me."
"Damn it, I know," she said, more frustrated with herself than anything. "But you've done so much for me even when you didn't have to —back then and even now— yet you never expect anything in return like other people do."
"Surprise, surprise," Alyx said, suddenly unable to meet her eyes. "That's what it feels like when someone actually cares about you."
"I know." Choked up, Miranda searched for the right words. "Alyx, look. I was young, I was foolish, and I made plenty of mistakes. But none of them so big as the one where I hurt one of the people that I care about the most."
Reaching out, she cupped Alyx's cheeks, angling her face so that they could lock eyes once again.
Miranda was instantly pinned in place by her gaze, her pale cheeks warming with the beginning of a blush.
"Nothing I can say will excuse what I did," Miranda admitted. "I screwed up, Aly. I can admit that, and I am so, so sorry. Perhaps it seems to you like I know where my loyalties lie, yet you make me doubt... everything."
She didn't try to hide her words. She didn't think of any potential consequences that might arise from them, knowing that The Illusive Man could be listening in, for all she knew.
Truth be told, in that moment, she couldn't find it in herself to care.
Silence settled between them, both of them processing what was said.
Then, a thought occurred to Miranda, and she chuckled.
"What?" Alyx asked, curious.
Miranda grinned when she noticed the slightest twitch at the corner of her lips.
"I was just thinking..." She stretched her arms up to wrap them around Alyx's shoulders, and Shep allowed it, much to Miranda's delight. "Do you remember our first kiss?"
Alyx settled her hands on Miranda's waist.
Rather than pushing her away, as Miranda expected, Alyx yanked her close and turned them in place.
In the blink of an eye, Miranda was pressed between Alyx's body and the window, the void of space looming over her shoulder.
But all of her attention was reserved for her beloved Commander.
Alyx stared down at her for a second, then smirked.
She leaned her forehead against Miranda's and asked, "How could I forget?"
Miranda sank her teeth into her bottom lip to hide how wide her smile had grown, a little bashful about how easily Alyx was able to influence her, even now.
"You were so cute," Miranda praised, combing her fingers through dark, wavy hair. "We were, what? Seventeen, right? Stopped at that one colony world to resupply before our next mission together, and you just absolutely had to go check out that festival of theirs. They were celebrating one of their local holidays, if I remember right."
"Cut younger me some slack," Alyx teased. Their noses brushed, playful. "I've never really seen much of the colonies before, besides what's on the extranet."
"Fair point." When Miranda tugged at the hair at the nape of her neck, Alyx stroked her hands up and down along her sides. Her thumbs brushed along the underside of her breasts. "I—You acted so afraid. Like you would break something, if you weren't careful. All I can think about is how you stared at all the stalls, yet never stopped or asked to play."
Alyx scoffed. "Wasn't used to having the money to do that sorta thing, but I remember a certain someone using the company's account to pay our way through everything."
"Credits well spent, if it meant getting to see you smile. You looked beautiful in all of the lights. I thought that I was the luckiest girl there, to have someone so amazing choose to spend their free time with me."
"Miri," Alyx breathed, her eyes flickering to her lips for a brief second.
Instinctively, Miranda wet her lips in anticipation.
"We fed each other candy back behind one of the booths, and it was so corny," Miranda continued with a laugh. "I thought that I was actually being smooth. Like in the vids. You asked how one of them tasted, and I said something about how you could always have a taste, if you wanted."
Miranda even lowered her voice into a sultry purr for added effect, fluttering her eyelashes up at Alyx, who choked on a laugh.
"Rest assured, I was into it," Alyx snickered. "Caught off guard, but into it."
"Good to know." Embracing the heat of their bodies, Miranda tugged her down to brush her lips over Alyx's, merely a hair’s width apart. "But let me be more straightforward with you now, if you'd let me. I want you to pick me up into your arms, let me wrap my legs around your waist, and I want you to kiss me, Alyx Shepard."
"Fuck," Alyx chuckled, her breathing shaky. "That all?"
"Oh, that's just the beginning, but we'll get to the rest later."
"Yes, ma'am."
And she didn't hesitate to pick her up into her arms, letting Miranda's legs wrap around her waist until she felt heels dig into her lower back.
Their lips crashed together, neither of them really knowing who leaned in first in their desperation to close the distance between them.
Not that it mattered because, for the first time in a while, everything felt right in the universe.
How was it that, when Miranda was the one that brought her back, Alyx was the one that made her feel alive, now more than ever?
Hopefully, it was an answer they could search for together.
