Even though she’d taken to the Hanged Man Isabela undoubtedly missed the sea and her boat. Looking out the window she sighed to herself, with the fog in the air it would have been the perfect day to be out on the water and looting other boats.
“Do you miss it then?” A voice asked from beside her and Isabela glanced over to see Merrill had come up next to her, slipping away from the rest of their group.
“I do.” Isabela admitted, “Though you make me miss it less kitten.” She winked at Merrill but the innuendo went over Merrill’s head as it usually seemed to.
“I’ve only been on a boat once.” Merrill admitted, her gaze going out of focus as she was clearly remembering something, “I didn’t do very well on it.”
“You just need to have the proper captain.” Isabela said, “Some people just don’t know how to navigate.”
Merrill smiled at her, bright and genuine like always, “Do you think we could go sailing some time.”
The offer took Isabela by surprise and she laughed, “Any time you want kitten.”
She was surprised by how Merrill ducked her head and looked over at Isabela from under her lashes, “Do you think we could try tonight?”
She noticed Merrill was nervously twisting her hands around her staff and realized that perhaps her innuendo hadn’t gone unnoticed after all. Isabela leaned in with a smile, “I did say any time.”
She was pleased when Merrill relaxed slightly, her eyes growing soft in the glow from the candles, “Oh, that’s…” Merrill grinned, “That’s perfect.”
Isabela was already calculating just how quickly they could give their companions the slip to enjoy the rest of the night to themselves.
for nonshepardshipweek: five times someone figured out Ashley and Kaidan were dating. also here on Ao3
~~
Wrex
In Wrex’s opinion the humans danced too much. Not physically though he thought that of other humans based on what he’d seen, but mentally – around topics they weren’t sure they wanted to discuss. It was better to just be blunt about it, hurt feelings be damned.
So every time Kaidan came down to the cargo bay and struck up a conversation with Ashley Wrex would sigh to himself and know this was about to be an uncomfortable next twenty minutes.
“Hey LT.” Ashley greeted Kaidan as he walked up and immediately Wrex knew something was different. There wasn’t the formal air of greeting in her voice, it was almost fond.
“Ash,” Kaidan nodded back at her and from the corner of his eye Wrex could see him resting his arm against the cargo bay wall and leaning into it; something he had never done before. “Was wondering if you’d had dinner yet.”
“You mean those rations that the Alliance thinks make a meal? Not yet but I might pass tonight, I’ve got things to do.”
He’d been around humans enough to hear that she was flirting, not the stumbling flirtation that the two of them had been doing the past few months but in full confidence.
“Maybe you could squeeze this in, and it’s homemade. No rations, I promise.”
“I could be convinced.” Ashley replied and Wrex thought he saw her inch just a bit closer to Kaidan.
“Good to hear it.” Kaidan grinned at her, “I’ll see you later then.” His hand brushed by Ashley’s as he moved. When he walked by Wrex the Krogan snorted in amusement.
“Could have solved this weeks ago.” Wrex intoned and when Kaidan gave him a strange look he returned it with a wide smile that seemed to unnerve most people.
At least the dancing was over.
Garrus
“Can you see them?” Ashley asked Garrus for what seemed like the fifteenth time.
Garrus didn’t even look over at her, just continued to look through his scope. “I see them. It’s not good. They’re cut off.”
Next to him Ashley cursed, her fingers clenching over her assault rifle. “Anything we can do?”
“We’re not in a good position for it.” Garrus admitted, he looked away from his scope to look over at Ashley curiously. “Are you doing okay?” Normally he did like fighting alongside Ashley, she was quick and level headed in a fight and knew that sometimes it took whatever need in order to get done. He’d never seen her this agitated before.
“What about that cliff over there?” Ashley jerked her head in its direction, “If we can get up there we could find a way to circle around it and rescue Kai- Alenko and Shepard.”
If Garrus had eyebrows they would have shot up in surprise at Ashley’s slip up, as it was she was already averting her gaze. He wanted to question it more but it occurred to him that this would be an embarrassment to Ashley who took pride in being a soldier and would be thinking of this slip up later no doubt.
“Sounds like a plan.” He said and Ashley looked back over at him with a flash of gratitude on her face.
From one fighter to another he’d never tell anyone.
Tali
It was always surprising to Tali how empty the Normandy felt. It wasn’t like Quarians had no room to move on the ship freely without running into anyone but they still saw each other far more often than she felt she saw anyone else on the Normandy.
Feeling somewhat lonely Tali wandered out of Engineering and into the cargo bay, wondering if she could at least talk to Garrus if he wasn’t too busy calibrating something. Instead when she walked out she nearly ran into Kaidan.
“I’m sorry,” Tali said at the same time Kaidan did and exchanged a laugh with him. “I wasn’t expecting to you down here, Lieutenant.”
“Kaidan’s fine.” He said, brushing off the title with a wave of his hand, “I was uh, I was just looking for Williams.”
“Well she’s not in Engineering,” Tali assured him, “I’d have seen her otherwise.”
“Makes sense,” Kaidan lifted his hand to scratch the back of his neck in what Tali recognized as embarrassment. “If you see her can you just let her know I’m looking for her? And uh, that I’ll be in my quarters.”
The tag on made her curious and Tali narrowed her eyes to peer at Kaidan through her glass helmet. It was hard to see on him even without the terrible lighting in the cargo bay but she was certain there was a flush to his skin.
“I’ll let her know.” Tali told him, tilting her head when Kaidan relaxed his shoulders and smiled at her.
“Thanks Tali.” He nodded once at her and walked back to the elevator, leaving her standing there trying to puzzle out what was going on.
It was an hour later when she was sitting with Garrus and talking about strange human expressions they’d heard that it hit her and she had to stifle her laughter least Garrus ask her about it.
Liara
When she walked out of the lab doors to see Kaidan on a medbay bed and Ashley standing next to him she nearly apologized before the scene struck her quiet.
Earlier that day on a mission Kaidan had been facing another biotic and by the time they got back to this ship his migraine had gotten the best of him to the point where Ashley had practically been carrying him on to the ship herself.
She hadn’t seen Ashley since then however after Kaidan was dropped off at the medbay but now Ashley was standing next to him, her hand resting on his arm and looking down at him with a soft smile that Liara had never seen from her before.
Kaidan stirred in his sleep and blearily opened his eyes to stare up at Ashley, “Can’t be comfortable there.” He said, voice low.
“I’m good where I am.” Ashley replied, patting Kaidan’s arm.
Nothing more was said between them but it didn’t have to be and Liara quietly walked back into the Lab without another word, not wanting to disturb the moment between them.
Shepard
Shepard found Kaidan next to the team’s lockers, staring at a book of poetry in his hands.
“She was a good soldier.” Shepard said, her own sorrow bleeding through. She’d have to live with Ashley’s death on his hands for as long as she breathed, knowing it was her call to make.
“She was more than that.” Kaidan finally said after a minute of silence.
Regret crushed her more, Kaidan’s reaction to Ashley’s death finally made sense to her.
“I’m sorry Kaidan.” Shepard sighed, reaching out to touch Kaidan’s shoulder but then thinking better of it. “I am.”
Kaidan didn’t say anything else and Shepard didn’t think there was anything left to be said. She stood there in quiet support as Kaidan thumbed through the book of poems – the only thing he left of someone he had loved.
