Stolen Hearts: Untold Tales
A Valentine's Gift
A/N: This is a pre-epilogue one-shot to my story Stolen Hearts. I won't say it is necessary to have read it to understand this or any after but there are certain comments and such that will make more sense for those who have. For those who have read Stolen Hearts, this is post Chapter 23 and pre-epilogue as I have already state but otherwise I don't have an exact timeline for when it happens. Just meant to be a fun/cute one-shot within that storyline universe. Anyways, happy reading.
Anastasia Shepard entered her apartment with her friends in tow and released a deep sigh of relief as soon as her sky blue eyes fell upon the familiar apartment. Home away from home, she smiled to herself.
It had been a long time since they had all stepped foot in her apartment due to their mission. Repairing the galaxy had kept them out of the Sol System and on duty constantly. It was fair, they had spent a lot of time in the Sol System previously before the Relay had been repaired and the rest of the galaxy was in dire need of getting stitched up.
The Normandy was her true home so that helped a lot in not leaving her to wish to return here. Relaxing in the apartment was all well and good, it was nice and had a comforting aura, but it wasn't her ship. Her ship was one of the few places she felt the most at home in, and the company wasn't bad either.
Everything was in place almost exactly as she had left it when the Normandy had departed to start Priority: Galaxy Repairs. A few things were shifted here and there, probably for the convenience of Zaeed, Jacob or Wrex, but otherwise it was still the same.
She scanned the apartment neither seeing nor hearing any sign of her three friends who had stayed behind for their own reasons. Hmm, must be out already, Shepard thought. I'll go see how they're doing once I'm done here.
The commander pulled the hair tie out of her hair allowing her long red locks to cascade down her shoulders onto her N7 sweater. It was nice to finally free her hair of the tight restraint she had not taken the time to undo after her work-out prior to docking on the Citadel.
Working out was the only time she did tie it up and that was to keep it from getting in the way, otherwise she preferred the freedom of having her hair down. Call it one of her strange quirks but having her hair tied back felt like a constraint more than anything else.
"All right everyone," Shepard spoke up as they all spread out across the apartment. "We'll be on the Citadel for the rest of today and tomorrow morning. Rest, go to the club and get drunk, do whatever you want to relax. If you have anything you need to get done while we're here, be sure you do it before getting drunk."
She flicked her eyes to their resident Krogan, a smirk pulling onto her features. "Grunt, no setting fire to and hijacking a C-Sec skycar or climbing the Krogan statue in the Presidium," she teased the tank-bred Krogan.
"Yeah yeah," he pouted, dismissing her statement with a small wave.
Shepard smiled at him then continued to look to the rest of her friends and crew. They had been hard at work helping refugees on planets as of late in both physical labor and mental. I wish I could give them more than a day, but they'll make the best of it.
Wreckage and debris were everywhere regardless of what planet they visited, which made clean-up somewhat taxing. But the scarred people and finding the dead took a toll on their mental capacity. Each death was a reminder of those they lost and how lucky they were to be alive still.
And there was never an end to the clean-up. With planet wide destruction that was not all that shocking, Reapers had been called Reapers for a reason after all.
Needless to say, down time had been scarce for the last few weeks.
Their saving grace consisted of three details. First off was a really good rotation schedule that gave every member time to rest. It prevented the group from burning themselves out or getting hurt due to fatigue.
Getting hurt or nearly killed in an attempt to help would not help anyone. If they were to aid as many people as they could, they needed to be at peak capacity. Rotating the crew to rest and get food in their system helped them to achieve that.
The second saving grace had to do with the ships making it back to the Sol System from all points on the galaxy. They weren't sending refugees back to the already strained system. Instead, abandoned or Alliance owned ships were returning to be repaired after becoming space worthy.
These newly repaired ships were then outfitted with ready and able crews who wished to join them in recovery efforts as new repair teams. This ensured the planets weren't just receiving help for a short time only to be suddenly abandoned.
With all the damage done, abandoning the wrecked planets after a few days or weeks of helping wasn't an option. The crews on the newly repaired ships brought more man power or supplies, helping to relieve the Normandy when the long hours began to tax the entire crew.
Finally their day of shore leave was the last saving grace. Although the crew was given breaks on the Normandy, they never truly got away from the work. Whether it was through reports or conversations, they were consistently head first in their mission.
What brought them out of it was all thanks to the repair teams needing to restock. It was a most needed break and allowed them to leave the stresses behind, albeit momentarily. There had been many long hours on the Normandy in the recent months and a break, even a short one, would revitalize the squad.
Whether that meant they would laze around all day or go out on the town was a decision left to them. As far as Shepard was concerned, they could earn themselves a huge hangover for tomorrow morning if they wanted to and she'd have no problem with it.
Whatever her crew needed to do to unwind from their hard days of work was fine, as long as it wasn't illegal.
All in all galaxy repairs were going well. It was a slow process of course even with all the hands they had spread out working together, but no one was complaining.
What did they have to complain about anyways?
They had survived the Reaper War and had the ability to make repairs, that was more than any cycle before them could say. For Shepard she was just happy to be alive and have the woman she loved by her side on the Normandy as they traveled.
As her friends began to migrate further into her apartment, the redhead searched for her lover, finding no sign of her. A frown creased her lips. Where did she go?
"Looking for someone?" The playful voice made Shepard smile as she felt arms wrap around her waist. She leaned back into the invisible body and rested her hands over the invisible ones holding her lovingly. I should have known she would be sneaking around already.
"Just the woman I love. She's gorgeous, has a love for sappy romance stories, and a wonderful penchant for kleptomania. Honestly, she gets me all hot under the collar," Shepard jested back.
The cloak deactivated and revealed a smiling but hooded Kasumi Goto. "Honey tongue." The thief kissed her on the cheek and tightened her arms around her affectionately. Shepard closed her eyes as she rested into her hooded lover finding immense comfort and relaxation in her arms.
It was not as if it had been all that long ago since the last time they had held one another, they barely went a day without seeing one another. Yet no matter how many times they did share time together, it never dulled the effects on them.
Each kiss and embrace filled her with warmth as the feelings of her lover collided with her own, swelling her heart to epic proportions. The amount of love she felt for the woman should have led to her heart beating itself out of her chest by now, yet there was a very good reason why it hadn't.
It couldn't beat itself out of her chest because it was no longer there.
Her heart no longer belonged to her. Her thief had stolen it without either truly noticing it and now handled it with the utmost care. The thing beating in her chest was just a muscle keeping her alive.
In return for stealing her heart unknowingly, Kasumi allowed the N7 to take off the chains that had guarded her heart from any feelings remotely to those she shared with Keiji.
Shepard never blamed her for having the chains there in the first place. A broken heart was not easily healed, and it was possible for it to never be healed if the person whose heart was broken never let someone in again.
Losing her partner and lover had scarred the usually fun loving thief deeply. She remained Kasumi on the outside, but on the inside, especially after retrieving the graybox, her heart yearned to have Keiji back. Knowing it was impossible had led her to blocking off romantic feelings from building. She would have relationships for the physical aspect, but never true love again.
Or so they had both thought.
Love was a mysterious force and the only cure for a broken heart. Neither had expected their friendship to evolve as it had, they had both been content as best friends. Or, at least that's what Shepard had thought until the war.
Her feelings had grown past the love of a friend to wishing to be the thief's lover. Of course she had not told her. The moments when she could have told Kasumi had been passed up on the belief she had that she wouldn't live past the end of the war.
Upon waking up in the hospital after the war was over things had changed between them.
Giving an intimate relationship a try had been a delicate process for them both in different ways. For the redhead she had to stop herself from letting all of her feelings for the woman free.
She had already fallen hard for the thief prior to the final push and in her final moments of making a decision to end the war her final thoughts had been of the many dreams she had wished to share with her.
To suddenly wake up from what she had accepted as certain death and find Kasumi there willing to give her a shot had made her equally ecstatic and cautious. Not only had she lived despite believing she would not see the end of the war, but her thief was there wanting to chance love again.
The N7 couldn't risk scaring her off by letting loose the entirety of her deep feelings for the hooded woman. Instead of taking a blunt object to the locks on the chains guarding her heart, the commander had taken her time slowly unlocking them until the chains finally fell off.
Kasumi on the other hand had a different delicate process of searching through her own emotions after finding out from Bailey first that Shepard loved her. The C-Sec Commander hadn't known Shepard had meant Kasumi when he had found her buried under rubble, but the thief had been the first of the crew in the Sol System to arrive after she was found.
It worked out quite well even if it hadn't been planned.
Add in the facts of the commander being out cold, barely clinging to life at the time of Bailey passing on the news mixed with the Normandy missing somewhere out of the Sol system and you had a very emotionally confused thief.
When she had woken up Shepard had tried to leave the conversation about her feelings for a later date. The commander had no intentions of overwhelming Kasumi by speaking of how much her care had grown for her, but that hadn't worked.
They couldn't just leave things unsaid, not after living through the war to end all wars. The redhead had promised herself in her death limbo to tell the thief how she felt. On the opposite spectrum, Kasumi needed to know how her friend at the time really felt. Hearing from Bailey that Shepard wanted an unidentified "her" to know she was in love with them was different than hearing it from the woman herself.
Much to her surprise and happiness her thief had been open to given them a chance to be more than friends.
The rest—after their initial particularly lame kiss that they both still laughed at—was history. It was a story from the recent past as they were living together in the wonderful present.
All of those memories played through her mind making the N7s smile broaden to a full blown grin. It hadn't been too long ago that all of that happened and some of the moments were heartrending, but the good memories were the best.
Moments worth remembering as Thane would say.
"You're not thinking anything…naughty, are you?" her thief whispered in her ear. Shepard chuckled as she felt warmth creeping up onto her face. I wasn't even thinking of anything like that and she makes me feel like I was imagining the feel of her bare skin under my palms or the feel of her lips pressing kisses down my body.
Her blush grew as her imagination took hold, bringing her down memory lane. She could remember in perfect clarity how those feelings felt and her skin began to tingle a little at the thought of it.
Next to go through her mind was the longing yet playful look Kasumi had given her as she kissed down her body last night. It was followed by the feel of her soft and perfect hands gliding across every inch of her body.
A shiver made its way down her spine and warmth began to build in her body. Wearing a sweater did not seem like such a good idea now that it was getting so hot in her apartment. Her thought pattern trailed to taking off the piece of clothing now forcing her to feel as if she was going to break into a sweat.
It was as that thought entered her mind that she imagined her lover's sweat covered body against her own as they shared a deep kiss. Having a vivid imagination did her no favors in this situation as the thoughts she was thinking were clear on her face for Kasumi to see.
The sound of her lover's soft yet gorgeous laugh made it to her ear before her lips pressed against her cheek again. "You are so cute when you blush and think naughty thoughts."
"I wasn't—" Kasumi stared at her with a knowing smirk, forcing Shepard to rephrase her initial statement. "I hadn't been thinking anything like that until you said something," she argued while banishing her blush.
She had already lost the battle, but there was no sense in giving her lover a lead in victories too great to catch up to.
The thief let go of her and entwined one of her hands with Shepard's, tugging gently as she smiled. With little reluctance, the redhead started towards their shared room on the upper floor of the apartment at a steady pace with Kasumi at her side, "Oh? What were you thinking about then?"
"Us prior to you falling head over heels for me," the N7 teased.
Kasumi shook her head and squeezed her hand lovingly. "I'm pretty sure it was you who was head over heels before I was." A completely truth filled statement if there ever was one. Even though they were just joking around, Shepard saw no need in trying to deny the fact. It wouldn't stop her lover from making a quip anyways.
Her thief gave a small shrug. "Besides, you went for my weak spot. I can hardly be blamed for falling in love with you."
"Are we talking about your weak spot for abs or your love for sappy romances since the way I sprung everything on you was like one of your corny stories?"
"Yep." Her answer made Shepard chuckle.
There was a lot more to their relationship than her love for abs or her love for sappy stories, that didn't make their banter any less entertaining. "I was also thinking about that first kiss we shared in my hospital room."
"I was nervous!" Kasumi argued. "You had been teasing me mercilessly and it left my thoughts too clouded to coordinate. You can't blame me for that."
"I don't. I'm at fault for getting caught off guard."
"And teasing mercilessly," the thief added for her.
"And teasing you mercilessly," she agreed.
The redhead stole a small glance at her lover as they walked, smiling at her N7 tags hanging around the thief's neck. Her eyes left the tags and moved to her own left wrist where the tattoo of a red rose was peeking out from under her sleeve.
The rose was lying horizontally with the stem on the left leading to the rose petals on the right. Across the stem leading towards the flower were the cursive written words I'm yours, forever. On the top petal of the rose was the word Kasumi and the bottom petal had Goto.
She smiled blissfully and turned her head back to the stairs they were climbing, feeling her heart warm at their prideful showing of who they loved.
They had both said those words to each other along with many other confessions of love over the time period they were stuck on the Citadel and as they had moved across the galaxy repairing what they could. Never did the words feel empty when either of them spoke them; they were always filled with their love.
Yes their hearts still pumped in their chests physically but figuratively they were now held by the other.
No one had ever meant so much to Shepard as Kasumi did. Her squad and friends meant the world to her and would always hold a special place in her heart, but Kasumi was her galaxy.
All the way through the war, she was always in her thoughts making a quip to help her keep going when everything was going to hell. It was her love for the thief that had given her the strength to finish her mission and save the galaxy even when her body was failing her.
Now in a time of peace she was able to share her love for the endearing woman without the threat of impending death around the corner.
Kasumi was in a similar boat as Shepard. She had never expected to give her heart to anyone else after Keiji had been killed. The master thief didn't want to go down the hurting highway for a second time, yet love had found her again in the form of Shepard.
Instead of pushing her away, Kasumi had accepted chancing them as a couple with open arms and quip to back it up. Keiji would always be in her heart, but she couldn't keep living in the past after her eyes had opened at the last moment to see the commander waiting for her to unplug from the graybox.
Shepard had never measured their love in comparison to the thief's previous lover—she wasn't trying to be Keiji. All she wanted was to be a good lover to the person she loved most, to be able to live the dreams she had dreamt for them.
It was one of the reasons why she hadn't pursued their relationship before the final push in the war. Kasumi had been attached to the graybox, clearly still not done mourning her lost lover and the N7 had no intention of forcing her feelings upon her.
Holding them back had hurt worse than any physical wound she had felt, but she would endure. By keeping them to herself it assured her that if she were to die it wouldn't cut as deeply on her best friend.
Maybe in a different life that meant never falling in love with her, but so long as she survived then the redhead had no problem loving her from beyond the grave. Hell that's what she thought was going to happen to her. Yet here she was entering her shared bedroom with the woman she felt so strongly for.
She hadn't let her last chance at life and love go to waste.
Her lover shut the door behind them and took her hood off, revealing her face and long black hair in a ponytail. "Any plans, Ana?" she asked as she moved to the closet in search for a different set of clothes.
At the moment her thief was wearing her usual black and silver armor because "It is really comfortable, and I like the way you stare at me when I wear it." As Shepard watched her saunter over to the closet, she couldn't help but smile.
Kasumi made that outfit look really good.
It was very form fitting and accentuated her lithe body in all the right ways. Of course for all the ogling she did, Kasumi did so much more when the redhead herself was in regular clothes, in armor or the few rare occasions she wore a dress.
The latter of the group didn't happen often, if at all for months, but when she did the hooded woman could not tear her eyes away from the sky blue eyed commander.
Usually it was Kasumi who got her in dresses in the first place. The first time had been when they robbed Hock and the second on their first date—and each time she had not let her eyes leave Shepard unless she had too. For one reason or another the thief really loved to see her dressed up in spite of how much the redhead hated wearing dresses.
"Plans?" Shepard considered the thought for a moment. There wasn't really much she wanted to do except check in on Jacob, Brynn and their new child as well as Zaeed and Wrex. Other than those plans all she wanted to do was relax around the apartment with Kasumi.
She shrugged and approached the woman from behind. "No, not really. I'm going to see if I can find Jacob, Zaeed and Wrex." Shepard wrapped her arms around Kasumi's waist as she searched through the commander's clothes for her own. "After that I'm up for doing anything with you."
"Anything?" There was a tease in her voice.
Shepard rolled her sky blue eyes, a smirk tugging onto her lips. "Within reason. I'm not going to jump into the Presidium Lake."
Kasumi turned her head for her to see her mock pout. "Aw, but Ghost said the water was really nice."
The commander rolled her eyes again at the joke, her smile growing as she did. The N7 Talon leader was lucky to have survived that day. Jumping out and off a balcony with Ambassador Osoba in tow to avoid a bomb meant to assassinate the Ambassador had nearly cost him his life.
Something the mysterious leader was well aware of.
"No taking a dip in the Presidium Lake."
"Oh fine. Spoilsport." The master thief continued pouting leading to the sky blue eyed commander to lean into her neck and nibbled tenderly on the flesh, earning a surprised yelp. She placed a kiss on the area she had bitten then continued to place kisses up her neck to her jawline.
"How can I make it up to you?" The redhead moved back down her neck and across her shoulder. At this point all progress in searching for clothes had been halted as Kasumi pressed her body further into Shepard's.
"You're doing a fine job right now."
Shepard smiled into her shoulder where she had just placed the latest kiss and began gliding her hands up her armored lover's abdomen. Her fingers were stretched out, running over ever curve to her body with familiarity.
Even though her armor was thicker than regular clothing, Kasumi was able to feel everything, the commander knew this for several reasons but the most important of the reasons was watching and listening to her lover react.
In the listening category was Kasumi's breathing. Her breathing had been steady before but now was losing its steadiness, hitching momentarily when Shepard cupped her breasts. From then on she was fighting to control her breathing, sometimes letting out shaky breaths due to the hands continuing to touch her armored cover body.
As she listened she also watched her lover reacting. Kasumi had leaned her body further into the N7's, closing a distance between them that did not exist all the while shutting her eyes at the same time. She bit her bottom lip as Shepard's hands returned to her breasts and her lips glided up her neck placing kisses at different points.
"Ana—"
Kasumi sucked in a sharp breath, stopping whatever she was about to say. The redhead smiled in victory, knowing she was melting in her hands. It was nice not to be the one melting for once after being teased mercilessly by Kasumi the previous night.
Call it a sort of satisfying revenge they shared with one another depending on who was the latest tease.
"Yes?" Shepard prompted.
"I know you're just teasing me but—" She let out a sound of pleasured delight as the commander nibbled down on neck again.
"But?"
"You are wonderfully cruel," Kasumi told her. "But can we wait until a little bit later."
Shepard nodded and allowed her hands to move back to neutral ground. "Of course. Is there something you need to do?"
"Yeah, but I shouldn't be long."
They parted from one another, the N7 of the pair moving back a little to give the master thief room to search through the closet. Eventually she found her clothes and moved to the bed where she set the clothes down before starting to undress.
As she got changed Shepard took a quick trip to the bathroom, brushing her hair after she was finished. As she exited she found Kasumi already redressed in her hooded purple tank top and black pants with her armor put back neatly in the closet. "What do you have to do?"
She was curious. Kasumi had not made any mentions of plans on their journey back to the Citadel. All she had been looking forward to was having some uninterrupted down time as well as teasing Jack and Miranda about going out for a romantic dinner.
Why the thief thought the two were going to go for a romantic dinner while on the Citadel today was beyond her. It's not that Jack and Miranda weren't allowed to go on romantic dates; the couple could do whatever the liked so long as they were happy.
But why was her lover convinced they would do something extra romantic today?
Had she missed out on a good joke?
In response to her question, Kasumi walked up to her with a teasing smirk tugging onto those lips Shepard wanted to capture in an eternal lip lock. Once they were nearly chest to chest, her thief leaned forward to press her soft lips against her own, engaging her in a slow and tender kiss.
The kiss did not last long but it left Anastasia content without any thoughts clouding her mind save for the wish to kiss her again. Much to her disappointment, Kasumi turned so her hip was facing her before giving her lower half a gentle bump with a wink. "It's a surprise."
Her lover began to move towards the exit with Shepard not far behind, "Can I get a hint?"
"No." Kasumi stopped at the door with the sky blue eyed commander, "That would ruin the whole point of it being a surprise." She pulled her hood up, concealing the top half of her face before wrapping her arms around the neck of the redhead. "But I'll be waiting for you, so don't stay out too long."
Well that was something to go off of at least. She was going out to do something related to a surprise she was going to give her. What said surprise would be was hard to guess at. The last big surprise she gave me involved hiding the Normandy's arrival until I walked into my apartment with all of them in it.
Shepard gave a small sigh of defeat knowing she'd never be able to guess what it would be. "Okay." She smiled at her thief. "I'll try not to let Zaeed talk me into a surplus amount of Claw."
They shared one last kiss and went their separate ways for the time being. First stop was Wrex who was busy with politics but was happy for a reprieve in the form of a visiting old friend.
Despite taking on the ambassadorial position for the Krogan, he was still the same old Wrex. With the combined efforts of all the races they were able to get messages through to Tuchanka and from what he had to say Bakara and her sister Krogan's were keeping all the males in line.
It was good news as far as Shepard was concerned. With those two working together, she was certain they would guide and renew the Krogan people, stopping them from falling back into the ways of their previous bloodshed.
Her old friend had to get back to it after catching up on his recent goings so the N7 left him to his work and made her way to find Jacob.
The former Cerberus operative was in Huerta Memorial Hospital with Brynn who had just given birth within the last week to their first child. Her friend had managed to talk Brynn out of naming the baby after Shepard to both of their relief.
There were enough people out in the galaxy who were thinking of naming their babies after her and to be honest she could do without that honor. Having a bunch of kids running around with the name Anastasia or Shepard wasn't something she was aiming for when trying to save the galaxy.
Jacob was very happy to be a father, though. He looked at his child with joy and at Brynn with a heart filled with love. They would be good parents, and he'd sure as hell be a better father than his own.
After departing from Huerta, Shepard met Zaeed at the bar inside the Silver Coast Casino as the veteran mercenary was telling a story about one of his past adventures to the Asari bartender. Normally the redhead was sure the bartender would have excused his stories as tall-tales, but when one took into consideration his scarred face and dead eye it was hard to doubt the man.
Zaeed didn't have to exaggerate any of his stories; they were all crazy enough as they were. Definitely the one about getting choked out by a Hanar, which happened to be the one he told the Asari about.
Looking back to the incident she had with Javik on the Blasto movie set, Shepard couldn't help but ponder if arguing with the jellyfish was wise.
Could he have choked the life out of her?
Would she have had to wear a neck brace to cover it up as well?
Explaining how you got that injury would nine times out of ten get people to laugh at you—not with Zaeed. You took his tale as a precaution for the next time you got in an argument with a Hanar.
It's why Shepard had reacted faster on her exchange against the indoctrinated Hanar while helping Jondum Bau and Kasumi.
Had he never told me that story, I don't think I would have taken him so seriously.
After the old mercenary finished his story and another drink the two took a walk as they caught each other up on the goings on the Citadel and out in the rest of the galaxy respectively. Besides the obvious repairs and working together, not much had changed since her last time on the Citadel.
In the words of Zaeed, "Same bullshit, different day 'round here. Without the Reapers cocking everything up and Aria keeping the mercenary groups in line, there isn't much to do. I haven't had a good brawl in a while. Kind of sad really."
To make it up to the mercenary, and without much coaxing for that matter, she brought Zaeed to the Claw machine in Castle Arcade to play a few games game where they continued to speak—and where he yelled at the game.
Admittedly he had gotten a lot better at it, he still missed now and then but he was certainly better than the last time they played. He also hadn't bankrupted himself so that was another positive.
I wonder if they have a hotline for Claw game addictions. It was doubtful but they had won a few kids plushy toys due to the mercenary's hogging of the game. All in all the addiction was serving a higher purpose in giving kids a plushy toy, so that was good…probably.
Shepard and Zaeed parted ways a little while afterwards with the promise of seeing each other sometime tonight or tomorrow.
By the time she had stepped out of the arcade more than a few hours had passed between leaving her apartment and visiting her three friends. Time to head back home, Shepard thought as she strolled back towards Tiberius Towers. I hadn't meant to be out this long. I hope Kasumi hasn't been waiting too long.
As she walked at a casual pace something solid collided into her from behind, nearly knocking the commander over. "What the hel—"
"Thief!" a woman shouted.
Shepard had caught herself before landing a glorious faceplant but at the sound of the shout her head shot up in a firm stare. The human running away had a purse slung across his body and the feet colliding against the ground behind her told the soldier someone else was chasing this person.
Now knowing someone else was going to chase this wannabe thief down gave her a choice in whether or not she was going to follow him as well. She did have Kasumi waiting for her back home and this person was a fast runner from what she could hear.
Still, the redhead couldn't just let this person get away if there was a chance only she could catch him. Without hesitation Shepard sprung up and began sprinting after the would-be thief. Whoever he was didn't matter, but he certainly was not a real thief. She knew a real one and had fallen in love with her.
This was just a sad attempt at being a thief.
"Stop!" Her voice echoed across the street. He showed no intention of stopping and was attempting to lose her in a crowd near the noodle shop she had found Grunt at with C-Sec. If these people weren't in the way I could grab him with my biotic's.
Unfortunately that wasn't possible. There was too high of a probability in hitting an innocent bystander and that was something Anastasia had no intention of doing. In an open area without a crowd she would have caught him easily, yet this was not an open area.
It's never that easy.
The streets were packed with people creating obstacles that really weren't needed right now. As the wannabe thief got through a crowd of people and began sprinting again right past the noodle shop with the commander hot on his tail something unexpected happened.
A flash of movement came out of the noodle shop nearly too fast for her to see. The blur got in front of the would-be thief and suddenly he was spinning backwards through the air before hitting the floor with a hard crack chest and face first.
"Someone call C-Sec and get this trash out of here," the person ordered after he took the purse off the unconscious man.
Shepard smirked as she came to a stop behind the man. "You were always one for making dramatic entrances. Nice clothesline, Ghost."
The N7 Talon leader turned around, his purple eyes piercing through his hood with utter surprise in them. "Shepard? I didn't expect you to be on the Citadel." He shook his head. "Shit, if I knew he was stealing your purse I would have hit him harder than that."
Considering the man spun through the air and was unconscious Shepard doubted he needed to hit him harder.
"Love, do you ever remember Shepard carrying a purse?" Tara's voice entered the fray as she exited the noodle shop wearing a smile. The purple eyed leader brought his free hand to his chin thinking over her question. Probably be simpler to tell him no.
While it would have been simpler, it was a bit more entertaining to see him thinking so deeply on the matter. It also allowed for the two females to speak to one another. The dark blue Asari with red markings met her eyes with a warm smile. "Greetings, Shepard. I'm glad to see you are well."
Shepard nodded in greeting to her. She was wearing a casual green shirt and black pants complimented by her N7 tags hanging around her neck. Ghost on the other hand was wearing a black hooded tank top and dark blue jeans with his N7 tags around his neck. "Glad to see you two as well. How are the rest of the guys?"
"They are getting some R&R while they can, although your arrival also explains why Whitney disappeared suddenly. I suppose Samantha Traynor did as well."
The sky blue eyed commander nodded in agreement. I guess Sam must have messaged Whitney and went to find her when she found out she was in fact on the Citadel.
"If you didn't carry a purse then…" Ghost finally rejoined their conversation after solving the puzzle of whether or not Shepard carried a purse. Having his initial dilemma solved led him to the next one as he looked to the object in his hand with suspicion. "Who does this belong to? It's not a bomb, right?"
"No, you don't need to take another swim," Shepard joked.
He let out an exasperated sigh at her as his lover muffled her laughs behind her hand. "It was one time. You guys have to let that go." The footsteps chasing after the would-be thief became slower causing Shepard to look over her shoulder to the owner. A Turian in a suit was the one approaching them appearing quite relieved as he panted heavily, "This yours, sir?"
"My wife's." The Turian nodded so the N7 Talon leader handed the purse to him. He quickly sifted through it assuring all the contents were still within and the wannabe thief didn't stuff anything in his pockets. The Turian let out a sigh of relief before closing it and bowing his head in thanks to them. "I can't thank either of you enough."
"No thanks needed," Ghost answered. "We were just doing what any good citizen would do. Plus a clothesline." The Turian thanked them again then left back in the direction he had come running from. "Never a dull moment, eh Shepard?"
"I don't ask for trouble."
"Heh, I've said the same thing." He chuckled. Shepard didn't doubt that with how much trouble she had seen him get into in the short time they had known each other. Still, he and his crew of former mercenaries turned war heroes and first ever cross-species N7s were as efficient and deadly as her own crew.
Any trouble thrown at them didn't really stand a chance.
"You on shore leave too?" the man of the trio asked.
"For today and the morning tomorrow. After that it's back into the field."
Both N7 Talons nodded in understanding. "We were lucky enough to get two full days. Tomorrow we head out too," Tara said. Shepard gave a nod, there was probably a reason they had two full days instead of one. Re-staffing the repair teams or debriefing on something important were the most likely of the possibilities. "How are your guys?"
"Good, tired and glad for a short break. But good. I was just heading back to spend time with Kasumi. She said she had a surprise for me."
Ghost gave her his signature smirk as Tara smiled at her in a knowing way, although she wasn't sure what it was for. Sure the pair could assume they were going to spend time intimately, but there seemed to be more to there reactions. "Well well, I think that means she's going to tie you down to the bed and have her way with you."
Shepard immediately flushed red in embarrassment as the purple eyed leader laughed hysterically, getting a few slugs from his lover who was shaking her head and laughing as well.
I had almost forgotten what being in his company was like. She shook her head and rubbed the back of her neck trying to banish the blush caused by the sarcastic N7. "I'm sure her Valentine's Day gift will be lovely," Tara said. "We won't hold you up any longer."
Shepard raised an eyebrow in question. "Valentine's Day gift?"
To her question, Ghost facepalmed. "Oh boy. You didn't know today was Valentine's Day, did you?"
"Today's Valentine's Day?"
He shook his head and smirked at her. "Well in that case you should head back and go find out for yourself." Ghost intertwined his fingers with Tara's. "It was nice seeing you, Shepard. We'll let you get back home to Kasumi. She's probably waiting for you."
With a short nod, Shepard let the two leave as she too headed back towards home with confusion clouding her mind. She had never been one to celebrate Valentine's Day; she hadn't ever had someone to celebrate it with if she were honest.
For that very reason she never paid any mind to the holiday. Not that she ever had the time for it anyways after Mindoir and becoming a solider in the Alliance. There was always something more important to do and none of her relationships were anything but physical prior to Kasumi.
On another note, she didn't believe you should shower the person you loved with love only once a year. She believed in showering them with love everyday which was why she made sure Kasumi knew how much she meant to her every second she could ever since they had started their relationship.
After her lover had been put in the hospital by the men who had bombed the refugee camp and tried to kill the Ambassador it had spurred her to do it even more than she had been.
Shepard entered the elevator and pressed the button that would bring her to her apartment as the memories of her bruised and unconscious lover filled her mind. It was still a painful memory now and continued to fuel the N7 to ensure not only that she protected her lover, but that she always lived in the moment with her.
Surviving the war had taught them both to make the best of every day they were alive and together because tomorrow was never certain. If either were ever to die early then they were going to die knowing they had made the very best of every second they were together.
The doors to the elevator opened, allowing Shepard to exit and head into her apartment. The commander had never been one to celebrate Valentine's Day, but she felt bad that Kasumi was possibly preparing some gift for her while she had done nothing.
I'll have to make it up to her if that is what she is up to. Some part of her mind was still hanging onto the hope that Ghost and Tara were wrong about her lover preparing a Valentine's Day gift. Granted deep down she knew it was doubtful they were wrong, not even she could deny how well the idea fit together with her lover's previous actions.
Heaving a heavy sigh of disappointment in her oblivious mindset did little to ease her mind as she climbed the stairs leading up towards her room. It wasn't that Shepard minded having to make it up to her or anything, it was the fact she had let the day come without realizing it and did nothing for Kasumi—the person she loved more than life itself.
Her doors opened revealing the lights to her room already dimmed with their two scented Ginger Peach candles already burning. As soon as she was in the room, the doors shut behind her, locking for the night. Two arms glided across her sides, locking around her stomach as a head rested on her shoulder. "Happy Valentine's Day, Ana," her lover whispered lovingly to her.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Kasumi," Shepard responded tenderly mixed with her own disappointment at herself. "Sorry for not realizing it was today. I wouldn't have known at all if I hadn't run into Ghost and Tara."
"Ah, so that's why you look so sad." Lips pressed against her cheek, "I've never celebrated it before either, but when I realized you didn't know I decided I'd make it a surprise and get you a really cute gift to replace that scary Husk head James and Steve broke while bowling. Besides, the only gift I want from you is what you give me every day." Their eyes met when Shepard turned her head to look at her and found a loving smile on her un-hooded lover's face. "Your love is gift enough for me."
The sky blue eyed commander smiled back at her, feeling warmth grow in her heart at the truthfulness in Kasumi's words. "As is yours."
All of her previous disappointment left Shepard at hearing her thief had purposely kept her in the dark for the sake of a surprise. I guess that's why she was going to tease Jack and Miri about going on a romantic dinner. The two detached from one another only to embrace each other again as their lips met.
The kiss was filled with passion as every ounce of their souls was poured into it. It was here in the embrace of her lover as they kissed that she felt all of her previous worries and downtrodden thoughts leave her in a figurative wind.
This was how she wished to spend every second of her life after she retired, in peace with the woman she loved dearly. No worries about any external issues, just Kasumi and her together sharing their love.
As the redhead made to pick up her thief to bring her to the bed she was stopped. "Wait, I want to give you my gift first." Kasumi detangled herself from Shepard reluctantly and made her way into the bathroom.
It was as she was walking away that she took note of her thief being barefoot as well as noticing a single red rose was lying on the closest nightstand a safe distance away from the candle. I wonder if she stole something this time or if it is just for us.
Her lover exited the bathroom with a medium sized red gift bag covered in heart designs. "Uh-oh. What did you steal?" Shepard teased.
"I didn't steal it…not half of it anyways," Kasumi retorted lightly. Shepard smiled and met her at the bed. She set the gift bag down on the bed and motioned for her to reach in to get her gift. "After you, Ana."
Whatever the gift was didn't look particularly heavy and it couldn't be something really large. A new gun was definitely out of the options here, not that the commander was looking for one anyways. Anastasia reached in without looking finding…something made of soft fabric.
The way Kasumi grinned at her had made her believe it might be a dress at first, but after feeling around it was definitely not a piece of clothing. It felt more like…The redhead pulled it out and couldn't stop the grin coming to her face. "Surprise!" her lover cheered.
In her hands was a medium sized brown teddy bear holding a cloth red heart with the white words You Stole My Heart sewed into it.
Honestly, it was really cute.
She loved the simplicity and adorable idea of the gift. Invictus will also be happy not to have something scream at him every time he comes out of his hidey hole.
"He's so cute, don't you think?" Kasumi asked as she smiled from ear to ear.
"He is," Shepard agreed but then turned to the gift giver with a tender smile. "But not as adorable as you."
"Aw, you say the nicest things." Her lover blushed. She guided Shepard's hands to stuff the teddy bear back into the bag, "But that's only half of your gift. Can you put that back in the bathroom please while I get your other gift?"
Shepard stole a quick kiss. "Of course, my love." Placing the bear in the bag back in the bathroom hadn't taken long, and secretly she pulled it back out of the bag to look at him one last time. She is too cute for her own good. She smiled at the adorable gift then put him back in the bag.
As she exited the bathroom with a quip in mind, Shepard stopped short finding her words and breath taken from her in one fell swoop. Sitting at the edge of the bed with one leg crossed over the other and her body facing to the side slightly was Kasumi no longer wearing her purple tank top or pants.
Those had been discarded to the floor on the side of the bed while the thief now sat in a black silk looking chemise nightie. While the nightie itself wouldn't have been a big deal ordinarily—except maybe leaving Shepard to ask why she chose to wear that instead of just a bra and underwear—this time was a bit different.
This chemise had sheer lacy cups with thin criss-cross straps, a low back that revealed from the middle of her spine up but was covered mostly by her free black hair. To top this all off—or bottom it off in location—the hemline to it barely reached her mid-thigh.
The sheer was dense enough to keep her velvet peaks hidden and it seemed Kasumi was also wearing underwear.
It was equally elegant as it was sexy.
Even though Shepard had seen her naked body before, her lack of showing off everything in this situation was arousing. Seeing the way it accentuated her curvaceous body, how her chest rose and fell evenly with controlled breaths, the way the candle light bounced off her bare skin.
She was breathtaking.
Ana's eyes trailed across her body going down her lovely legs and back up them to her covered yet beautiful torso gliding along the lines they formed. Her eyes stopped at Kasumi's perfectly shaped breasts, briefly taking in their splendor and wishing not to be standing at this distance so she could touch them.
Her eyes continued on though finding their way to the thief's usual purple lip paint that she had always found enticing. The paint led her to her soft luscious lips, the lips she wanted to capture so badly but couldn't because her body wasn't cooperating. Finally her eyes made it back to Kasumi's wondrous eyes, eyes that were filled with equal love and lust right now.
Kasumi was drop dead gorgeous anyways, but this?
This turned her into a goddess.
Kasumi gave her a shy yet sly smirk. "I didn't see much point in buying something that was going to end up on the floor anyways, so I stole it."
It was sound logic for the thief. The outfit was enticing, but it was going to end up on the floor as soon as the redhead could get her body to move again. Having trouble coordinating her thoughts at the sight of the beautiful woman who she was privileged to call her lover led Shepard to saying the first thing to come to mind.
"You're a goddess, Kasumi Goto."
Her thief blushed visibly in the candle light, averting her eyes for a moment, "You and that honey tongue of yours." She cleared her throat in an attempt to regain her previous boldness. "Care to join me, my dear commander."
With a small glance at herself Shepard realized just how overdressed she was for the occasion. A sweater, a tank top under the sweater, jeans, socks and shoes was what she was wearing as her lover was looking so beautiful in the chemise.
That needed to be remedied.
Once her body came back into her own power again, the redhead unzipped her sweater and made her way to the thief tossing the item to the floor as soon as she was free of it. Shepard nearly tackled her lover back onto the bed when she reached her and leaned down to kiss her.
Their lips met in an explosion of passion with the thief wrapping her arms around the back the commander's neck, smiling gleefully into the kiss. Shepard lifted her thief up who promptly wrapped her legs around her waist allowing her to move them further onto the bed.
Her shoes were next to be kicked off without either woman breaking off the feverish kiss they were engaging one another in. After they were discarded the sky blue eyed commander laid her lover down onto her back, going down with her so they were lying chest to chest.
They both broke off the kiss for much needed air only for the redhead to start kissing down her lover's neck and the bare part of her chest. Her skin was warm under her lips and the scent of her thief and the candles filled her senses. The fabric under her hands was silky soft as she ran them up the sides of the woman under her to the sheer lace cups holding her breasts.
She cupped them both and showered them with kisses before circling the covered buds with her tongue. Shepard could not contain her smile at the hum of approval from Kasumi, washing away her previous disappointment at not getting to capture the pink nubs hidden under the chemise without a barrier just yet.
Before continuing further down or removing the garment between them, Kasumi's hand found its way to her cheek caressing it in a silent question for her to return to her lips. Shepard obliged meeting her warm velvet lips once more but this time in a slower kiss.
She had to slow herself down. This was not a race to the finish line, no this was something they both preferred to savor by taking their time to help make the night incredible.
The thief's expert hands worked their way down her back to the hem of her tank top then glided under it her bare hands running across the N7s back. A shiver ran down her spine at the simple contact plus their kiss. Those hands knew every inch of her body and could find every scar and muscle line with practiced ease.
There was no becoming immune to it, which wasn't a bad thing. One of the reasons why it was so hard to become immune to it was due to the fabric constantly between her and the thief.
Since the day they had met Kasumi had worn gloves at all times of the day all the way until shortly after Shepard was able to leave the hospital. Never had she been able to feel the skin of the redhead except in a kiss or if her cheek rested against her own once they became an item.
As weird as it may sound to someone who didn't wear gloves or a full suit of armor almost every second of the day, both women had looked forward to the moment they could feel the others skin. Not even in a full body contact way either. That was there certainly, but to just be able to feel her lover's hands touch her face or arm or hand without a barrier of armor between them was amazing.
Even after the thief had stopped wearing gloves all the time and began wearing her tank top hoodie the feel of her bare hands and skin was something Shepard savored. It was almost as amazing as seeing her thief remove her hood for the first time and every time after that.
The stunning beauty under the hood never ceased to make her heart pump just a little stronger than it already did thanks to her.
Her bra was unclasped under her tank top making her smile at the wordless victorious noise her lover made within the kiss. They disengaged their kiss and Shepard leaned back up onto her knees, pulling the bottom of her tank top up with her as Kasumi helped her push it up past her smaller no longer confined breasts.
At the moment Ana was pulling her tank top and bra off over her head she gasped then let out a short quiet moan in pleasured shock. All of her movements stopped momentarily at the feel of Kasumi capturing one of her nipples with her mouth as she teased the other with her expert fingers.
Tossing the clothes to the side had taken a lot longer than it should have, but her body had been under the control of the tantalizing touch and lips of one Kasumi Goto. Breaking that control to continue where she had left off gave the woman enough time to attend to both pink nubs equally, leaving them aching in need along with the rest of her body.
A familiar eager yearning began to fill Shepard that only ever revealed itself under the touch of her thief. She took control of it before it could get out of hand and kept her movements and breathing controlled.
She brought one of her hands under the chin of her lover, guiding it up so their eyes could meet once more just before their lips found each other again. Her sweet lips parted giving the redhead access as her hands glided up, down and across her bare upper body.
Eventually they parted again, albeit reluctantly but it was for a good cause. Taking jeans off could become a project in moments like these, thankfully with the duo working together it didn't take long at all.
After discarding her jeans to the floor Shepard helped Kasumi to take off the chemise. As great as it looked on her body, it now was just a barrier between the two of them.
A barrier both agreed needed to go.
It found its place on the floor with the rest of the discarded garments leaving both women in their black underwear and braless. The scent of their candles filled the room, the light from them bouncing across both of their bare bodies making her lover look even more alluring than she already did.
Shepard brought her hand to Kasumi's cheek caressing it before tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. She cupped her cheek afterwards. "You are positively the most beautiful woman I know, my love."
Even in this dimmed light it was easy to tell the master thief was blushing a little at her statement of truth. No one matched her loving thief in beauty, neither in physical beauty or emotional.
Kasumi leaned further into Ana's hand, bringing her own to it to rub her thumb across the back it. She turned her head and pressed her warm lips against the palm of Shepard's hand before returning to her previous position. "I love you, Ana."
She smiled lovingly at her lover. "Aishiteru wa, Kasumi."
Kasumi closed her eyes and smiled a big smile. "Eien, I'm yours." She allowed herself to fall back down onto the bed, tugging gently on the hand she was holding to bring the sky blue eyed woman with her.
Ana followed and met her in another slow passionate kiss, letting every ounce of love she held for the woman underneath her seep into the kiss as Kasumi did the same.
Regardless of there being a holiday or not the two women always backed up their words with actions.
By the end of the night it had been a very satisfying Valentine's Day.
The Next Day
Kasumi exited the elevator of the Normandy and made her way into her Shep's cabin. They were heading back through the Relay to continue where they had left off in reconnecting the galaxy and helping refugees. That was fine by her, she enjoyed the work and with every step forward here they were both taking steps towards their dream for the future.
But that was still a long ways away. For now she was looking forward to reading one of her novels in the comfort of the redheaded beauty who was probably going to be going over reports as she did.
She entered the cabin and found her lover sitting at her desk on her terminal going through messages or reports. Kasumi was not sure which it was so she bent over, hugged the woman from behind and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Interesting stuff?" she teased.
"Nothing as good as your books, I assure you," Shepard replied with a soft laugh.
"So you have been reading my books," she fired back. Her Shep chuckled again but continued to read whatever it was she was reading. Kasumi placed another kiss on her cheek, not wanting to disturb her any longer. "If you can bring this over to the bed, you should. It would be more comfortable. For you and me."
Shepard broke her eyes away from the terminal and looked up at her with a smile. "I will be over there soon, my love." Kasumi leaned in for a kiss, capturing the velvety flesh and all of its splendor for a moment washing away all her thoughts like the rain in London had many months ago.
"I'll be waiting," she said as they parted. With a final smile, her Shep returned to work in turn making Kasumi smile fondly at her. She's still as much of a hard worker as she was back during the Suicide Mission. Before departing completely, she stole one last glance at the desk adjacent to the one Shepard was sitting at holding more ships for her model collection.
The teddy bear she had gotten her for both a good laugh and because it was cute sat where the Husk head had previously been, giving the desk a friendlier aura. She read the sewed in words and couldn't help but grin before leaving to read a book on the bed.
You Stole My Heart.
Kasumi chuckled quietly to herself.
Little did the person who created the bear know that it would not only find a place on the Normandy, but it also would speak for both of them.
I love you, Ana.
Always.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Mass Effect series or any of its characters nor do I make any profit from the writing of this fanfiction, outside of personal enjoyment. The copyrights, series and everything Mass Effect belong to Bioware and EA. Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy the other one-shots.