I do not own the Mass Effect universe I just love to play in the sandbox :)
A/N So this is the first Fanfiction I have ever had the courage to openly present to anyone. I don´t have a beta, and since I am not a native speaker/writer please let me know if you detect any errors should you even feel the need to leave me a comment ^^. The cover art was made by myself.
In the quiet hours
Despite the early morning there was always movement behind the blinds of the Silversun Strip apartment bathing the rooms in a gentle orange glow.
It was quiet besides the occasional snoring of the two Krogan at each end of the flat.
A dark figure emerged from one of the bedrooms, followed by another, silently descending the stairs. Feathery touches, warm glimpses exchanged from years of knowing the other. Eyes, the colour of honey and those like the wintery sky communicationg in the twilight. Lingering on the sofa. The smell of coffee.
Someone standing on the upper floor, observing the private moment shamelessly from afar. She sits low on his thighs, cup in hand, knees pulled up so they lean against his chest, creating the trace of distance that is obliterated by soft caresses drawing figures on the skin of her leg. Both too caught up in each other to notice his presence.
Muffled laughter reaches his ears.
This state called Love was never a thing he could really grasp or truly believe in. Neither could his sister in arms, he knew that. But watching those two, creating an air of safety, familiarity and unconditionality, made the soldier give a picture to the word.
It was special not in a cheesy, overly romantic and illusional way, but soberly and natural. They were partners in all aspects of their life. Taking every crisis that came their way with their eyes open. Trying to stay on top and make the best of it even if the options were limited.
But first and foremost they were friends. Trusting and unrestrained in the way they interacted. Was it perfect or unshakable? Far from it. That´s not how sentient life worked. That he had learned over the span of his life. Nothing came easy and had to be deserved through hard work and there was always a price to pay with parts of yourself you dind´t want to part with.
He couldn´t tell what the next days or weeks would bring, or at least right in this moment he didn´t want to think about it, if he was honest. Nothing ever ended with a "happily ever after", but it was no reason to destroy the last quiet, content moments beforehand.
Strangely those were what made it all worth it, even though he had to remind himself of it time and again. "One day and one battlefield at a time." She had told him on more than one occasion, trying to convince them both without sugarcoating an empty lie.
One thing was for sure. He would stand with her until the end however it would turn out.
One day and one battlefield at a time.