Oky...so bear with me here.

This is the first fic I'm writing...ever. Just trying to pass the time since I don't have my PS4 right now. :(

I decided to write about Ryder and Cora because I'm so gay and I think Bioware not making Cora a romance option for female Ryder is an absolute travesty.

Chapter 1: This isn't a date, right?

It was almost midnight, and Ryder and Cora had just finished setting up the comms tower high up the cliff overseeing the outpost. They've just fixed the Voeld vault, and the crew was spending a few days in the new outpost to take a break between all that action while at the same time overseeing its construction. Testing for technical glitches on the comms tower took longer than expected. Kallo offered to drive up the cliff where they were to check it personally, but Ryder figured it was better for him to actually be at the outpost's command center to check if the signal is being relayed.

Everyone else had their own jobs to do. Vetra was making sure that all the necessary equipment were being delivered. Liam was overseeing the staff assignments. Jaal was visiting angaran bases and forging relationships among outposts. Peebee was checking all the other remnant sites they've missed, and Drack was helping her out.

They've decided to rest a bit before going back down. Or to be more accurate, Cora suggested they rest a bit. Voeld looked rather beautiful after the vault was fixed-the green aurora that appeared especially looked fascinating, and Cora wanted to take the time and admire it.

And, although she hasn't admitted it to herself yet, she wanted an opportunity to be alone with Ryder.

That was when Ryder asked something she didn't expect to hear.

"Does it bother you at all, Cora? That after all that work all we've got are two measly outposts from two inhospitable planets?"

Was that what she thought? "Well for one, people live on Voeld, so I wouldn't call it inhospitable. I mean, it's not the ideal golden world that we've hoped, but we've fixed the vault and things there are bound to turn out for the better. And second, Ryder...we've done something that no one else has ever done before. I didn't think you were one to minimize our accomplishments."

Ryder suddenly looked flustered.

"Wait, no, I didn't mean it like that. I hope you don't think I'm saying that what you guys did aren't enough. None of this could have happened without all of you." She hesitates, but continues. This isn't easy for her. "I just...I'm always thinking that I could've done more. Like...what would my dad have done? If he was the pathfinder, would we be further off than were are right..."

"Stop right there." Cora interjected, placing one hand on Ryder's knee as they were sitting side-by-side on the ground with their backs against the Nomad's huge tires. "I don't like where this is going. Comparing yourself to your father is a one-way ticket to regret and you know it."

"You're right." Ryder sighed. "Of course you're right. It's just...well...the way I got this job doesn't necessarily inspire self-confidence. I'm like the nepotism hire."

"There's no use brooding over that. Believe me." Cora snickers, shaking her head slightly. Her hand still resting on Ryder's knee. Why is it even still there? "No one knows that more than me."

"The way you laid waste to all those reapers at the vault? Man, you would've made a super badass pathfinder." Ryder smiles, looking at the beautiful aurora in the sky as they talked.

This is one of those times when Cora thinks Ryder is being an idiot. Surely, Ryder knows that being a pathfinder isn't all about being good in combat? Or...

"Is this your guilt trying to make me feel better about not being the pathfinder?"

Ryder blushes instantly and looks down on the ground. She looks like a child who was caught stealing the cookie jar. It's downright endearing. Wait, what? Why does her brain keep going back to that...

"I...I'm sorry. I wasn't doing it on purpose. You're just, you're here, and it's just the both of us, and my brain automatically leads me to those thoughts." She smiles shyly, but Cora knows she's being serious. "You're such a great teammate, Cora. I could never ask for a better confidant. I'll never understand what kind of cruel joke it is that you're not the pathfinder right now."

Cora looks at Ryder intently. This. This is why she tries to find any excuse to be alone with her. The conversation flows differently when it's just the two of them: when there's no Peebee to crack dirty jokes all the time or Lexi to remind them to eat their necessary caloric intake, Ryder tends to open up, and Cora gets to see a side of Ryder she never usually sees.

But this pathfinder talk is what Cora doesn't want to dwell on. She's made her peace with it, and is genuinely happy about how Ryder has been running things. For someone who has never trained to be the pathfinder, she's been doing exceptionally well. Cora decides to lighten up the mood instead.

"You were there too, you know. You always knew when I pull off a Nova that you can detonate. It's impressive."

"That's because I always look at where you are."

Cora can feel her cheeks grow red. Even though the vault has been fixed, it's still cold in Voeld, and it feels progressively colder as they stay outside longer. Yep, that's the reason her face looks a tomato right now. It's not because she has a debilitating, heart-pounding, mind-blowing crush on her pathfinder. Nope, absoluuutely not.

They go back down to the outpost after a few minutes. They talked about other things-other planets, the tempest, what the hell's wrong with Gil-anything but the past. Cora doesn't want either of them to dwell on it.

When they get back to the parked tempest to get out of their armor, Peebee was right there to greet them. It looks like she and Drack got back earlier after their remnant expedition.

"Oh, the two lovebirds are back."

Oh god. She never knows how to respond to these jokes.

Luckily, Ryder was there to save her.

"Well, what about your hot date with Drack? Must not have been as hot as ours if you got back so early."

She admires Ryder's ability to deal with the different personalities in the tempest crew. She can be sly with Peebee, joke around with Drack, be serious and concerned with Lexi, and be affable with Liam. Ryder can even stand Suvi's constant avalanche of nerdisms. Last week she spent the a whole hour at dinner intently listening to her talk about one particular kind of rock.

And with Cora...well...she's been everything. She knows when to lighten up the mood, she knows when to be serious, she knows when she needs her assurance. Ryder makes her feel like she can do this. Like they can do this. With her, they can kick kett ass and find home.

And yet, no matter how easy it is to be with Ryder, Cora always feels hyper aware of herself when she's around. Hyper-aware of how she touches Ryder and how she responds to her. She finds herself stealing glances of her, memorizing what she looks like at the moment, noticing how the sun reflects on her face from one planet to the next...

It's easy to say she doesn't know why. But really, she does, and she's slowly starting to accept that. She finds Ryder attractive, and she doesn't know what to do about it.

Ryder and Pebee continue exchanging quips about their "dates". Cora adds to the conversation here and there while getting out of her armor, but really, Peebee's 'date' comment really set her thoughts on fire.

Because all her life she thought she was straight. She had semi-serious relationships with men here and there, but never women. Sure, those relationships with men never ended well, and sure, she found women attractive, but that was all it was. She had a ready-built excuse when one day her friends back on Earth asked her why she seemed to take notice of more attractive women than men: What? I just tend to admire the female physique. You don't have to be gay to recognize that someone of the same sex is attractive.

What a lie that turned out to be. She liked women, period. And it took one trailblazing (in more ways than one) pathfinder to finally get her to accept it.

She realizes that Peebee has already gone, and Ryder, who's already out of her armor, gives her a light pat on the upper arm.

"Nice work today, Cora." She hesitates, then brings up that sly smile. "And you know, Peebee's just jealous cause she knows you're a much better date than Drack."

Oh. Cora is not straight at all. Not at all.

Sooo there you go. :) If this goes well I'll add more chapters.