Heat
What is heat? Is it simply the quality of being hot? Is it the energy that the sun projects onto an individual? What are the effects of heat on said individual? Does heat simply make you uncomfortable and perhaps manifest into physiological symptoms of sweating? Nervousness? Lust? Can the heat make someone turned on?
Shepard trudged forward slowly, exhaling a deep sigh as the questions raced through her mind. She shook her head, the damp blonde strands sticking to her neck and face. Tuchanka is definitely hot and they were lifting heavy crates full of armor, guns, and supplies. Shoving them onto the shuttle so that Cortez could take them back to the Normandy. She grunted as she lifted her side of the metal crate, stacking it carefully among the others. She dusted her hands together, nodded gratefully at Garrus and looked up glaringly at the sun.
Aliyse Shepard was no stranger to hard grueling labor. She even enjoyed a good work out which Wrex had heartily acknowledged she'd get when she insisted that she and her crew could move the crates without bothering the krogan. She sighed again glancing behind her. She knew without a doubt the only reason she was blaming her current condition on the heat was because she didn't want to admit that perhaps watching the muscles ripple on the unusual public display of a naked chest belonging to Major Kaidan Alenko was really what had her sweating.
He and James were working together, the heat making both men take their shirts off in search of some.. albeit nonexistent relief from the sun's heat beating down on them. Vega had grinned at her, with a wink and no shame stripped his grey t-shirt off over his head before he picked up his side of the first crate. Kaidan being more reserved only begrudgingly joined him later when his shirt became unbearable in the planets hostile temperature.
Shepard made sure she didn't stare to long when she snuck little appreciative peeks at the Major. She didn't need any smart ass comments from Vega as uncomfortable as she was. However, she couldn't stop her bright green eyes from flashing over his well defined muscles every time she turned to move back to the seemingly never ending stack of supply crates. Kaidan had bulked up some since the last time she had seen him. She groaned under her breath. The man looked God-damned good.
"Why the hell did I insist that we could do this on our own?" she growled out.
Both men and the turian only grunted in reply, knowing better than to answer her. She growled again. She was far too nice sometimes. Not wanting to inconvenience the krogan because they were supplying her and her crew now seemed like a really stupid idea.
Working as fast as she dared, Shepard couldn't help but to have her thoughts digress again. She and Kaidan have patched up their relationship somewhat since their chat in Huerta. She believed without a doubt that they were once again friends. The idea of just being friends with Kaidan depressed her. She loved the man. Despite his mistrust of her, despite him.. well despite everything. She was without a doubt head over heels in love with him. She hadn't, couldn't be with anyone else. Every time she closed her eyes it was his face that she saw. When she laid in bed at night it was his body that she imagined was wrapped around hers and his hand that she pretended was touching herself instead of her own… and she needed to stop that line of thought. In fact it was that very line of thought that made her focus more on the heat than she needed to in the first place. It was that line of thought that had her breathing hard and had her shivering when a fine line of sweat trailed its way down in-between her breasts.
Garrus looked over at her with worry or perhaps with a knowing smirk. She never really could decipher every single movement of his mandibles and their underlining meanings. Garrus was her best friend and knew her better than she knew herself. When he jerked his head slightly toward the two marines in an unspoken question she slightly shook her head. Not needing to speak to let the turian know she didn't want to talk about it.
Finally the last crate was loaded and the four stood together against the shuttle catching their breaths. Kaidan stood next to Shepard half naked and covered in a sheen of sweat that had every muscles and line of his body standing out prominently. She somehow maintained her cool friendly stance and demeanor outwardly, but inwardly her fingers itched.. hell ached to touch him. To trail her finger tips over his broad shoulders, across his chiseled chest, entwine in his subtle sparse of hair and then follow the trail that led lower. She wanted to step in front of him and run her hands all over him. She wanted to press her lips against his skin and to taste him. To taste the surely salty tang of the sweat that covered his body, to breath in the scent of him that she remembered so well.
She didn't notice that she was trembling with need as she was lost in fantasy, but obviously the others did. She had a fraction of a second worth of thought that Garrus and Vega were now gone as Kaidan suddenly grabbed her and pushed her up against the shuttle, kissing her feverishly. His tongue probing and demanding entrance. He had noticed her looking at him, how her body called to him. He couldn't deny her. Shepard arched her back towards him as he ran his hands across her stomach and breasts. He kissed her with all he had within him. His kiss telling her everything he couldn't put into words. I love you. I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I'm lost without you Aliyse. She kissed him back, accepting his unneeded apology. She hoped her body told him back, I'm broken without you.
They fought against the clothes that separated them. Tugging and pulling and tearing the cloth. Teeth and lips nipping and kissing the skin they could reach, hands roaming with the harshness of necessity for each other as skin was exposed. Kaidan's hands reached around and behind Shepard's thighs as he lifted her up and with barely contained raw passion he thrust up and forward, entering her. She wrapped her legs around him, opening her body to him willingly. Taking him in deeply and completely they both sighed in contentment. Shepard laid her forehead against his and looked deeply into his liquid brown eyes. Her hands came up and brushed against his cheeks, caressing his face softly. He smiled at her and began to move slowly. His body firmly holding her in place against the shuttle, he allowed one of his hands to journey across her bottom, up her back, fingers dancing across her spine. Electricity shot though her at his touch. His slow deep strokes into her fueled the heat within her body until she felt like she was being burned from the inside out. It was exquisite. His hand finally twisted itself in her hair and tugged softly turning her head so that his lips could wrap around hers again. He pulled away slightly to murmur her name against her lips and Shepard stilled. Her heart breaking in a million different pieces. He whispered his doctors name…
The illusion shattered around her and she had to use every ounce of willpower she possessed to not drop to her knees. She sucked in a deep breath and pushed herself away from the wall where she let herself hope, to dream. Turning around she smiled at her three friends. Her resolve and control once again firmly in place. It had to be. There was no room in war for her to turn into a sobbing silly woman. They had a galaxy to save.
Kaidan returned her smile and handed her a bottle of water. She held out her hand and gladly accepted it. She couldn't stop the tremble of her hand and he noticed. Frowning up at her in concern, she only turned away when underneath the concern she still saw wariness and uncertainty, and yes.. still mistrust.
Her love would never fade. She was learning that sometimes you had to love another enough to let them figure things out on their own. She was glad to have him standing next to her, supporting her in this insanity even if he didn't fully trust that she was the same woman that he once said he loved. She would accept what he was willing to give, and if he was willing to be by her side against the fight with the reapers, well she would fight like hell to make sure he had a future even if it wasn't with her.