Day 1, December 17th: First Encounters.

A first encounter with Kaidan and Shepard. This could be a first meeting, a first kiss, first time fighting together, or some sort of AU! Let your imagination run wild!

This was written for Shenko Appreciation Week on Tumblr

"Pour me another Kaidan."

"I think you have had enough Shepard."

"I order you to pour me another shot Lieutenant."

"We finished the bottle. There is no more." That was a half-truth. Kaidan had only had one shot. Shepard had drank most of the bottle herself.

"Fuck."

Kaidan was worried about her. The moment they had returned to the Normandy, she had shed her armor without bothering to clean it like she normally did and headed straight for the mess. He had followed after her and found her already two shots into a bottle of whiskey. He really couldn't blame her after what they had discovered.

Hackett had sent them to investigate who was killing former Alliance scientists, all of whom worked on a classified project on Akuze. It had been a tough fight, but they had finally found the last remaining scientist being held at gunpoint by Corporal Toombs whom had been assumed dead in the thresher maw attack on Akuze. Shepard had been unable to keep her shock from showing. He said he had been taken by a group known as Cerberus and experimented on. He said they had been responsible for the maws because they wanted to study them.

The idea, even without any proof, had obviously shaken her. She carried scars from that attack that must run deep. He had seen a glimpse of them while investigating a distress signal, where they had been ambushed by a thresher maw.

"I have another bottle in my room," she declared suddenly as she attempted to stand. She immediately began to sway and it was only Kaidan's quick reaction at moving to her side that kept her upright.

"Yeah let's get you to your quarters." "And into bed," he added in his head. He couldn't believe that she hadn't passed out yet. He was glad that her cabin wasn't far from the mess hall. He was the only thing keeping her on her feet and having her pressed into his side with his arm around her was leading him to incredibly inappropriate thoughts about his CO. "Get it together Alenko," he thought to himself.

Upon reaching her room, it proved more difficult than he thought to hold her and get the door open but he finally managed it and helped her sit on the bed. She fell backwards and started giggling. He didn't think he had ever heard her giggle. He should not have thought it was as cute as he did. He bent down to help her remove her boots, he doubted she had the dexterity to manage it at this point, and when he was finished he began to rise to his feet before Shepard caught his legs with hers and pulled him knocked him off balance causing him to fall on the bed beside her. "Oh shit."

Looking over at her, his amber eyes locked with her hazel ones and he felt all of the air leave his lungs. She looked so beautiful. "Hi." A completely innocent word said with a very not innocent tone. "Did you know that you have really lovely eyes Kaidan? I could stare into them for hours."

"You are very drunk Shepard."

"Yes. Yes I am, but it doesn't make it any less true. It just means that Commander Shepard is off duty and Luna wants to play."

"Shepard…," he started before she silenced him with a finger on his lips. He froze as her index finger was replaced by her thumb gently grazing his bottom lip.

"So soft," she whispered as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. He wanted to pull away. To tell her no because she was drunk and probably wouldn't remember this but his body overrode his mind for a moment and he found himself kissing her back. It was only when she tried to deepen the kiss that he found the control to pull away.

He was going to apologize but before he could speak, Shepard had fallen backwards and began to snore slightly. He climbed out of her bed as gently as he could and pulled the blanket over her. He debated with himself for a moment before leaning down and placing a kiss on her forehead. She may not remember tomorrow but he would never forget the feel of her lips against his or how she had fit so perfectly against his body. He desperately needed a cold shower. Or twelve.