Chapter 1
She approached Kolyat when he left the station. As if she planned it. A predator ready to pounce. As if she'd been waiting, knowing exactly when he would be leaving the station. Not like his schedule changed much, to begin with, while he finished his probation period. He wondered if he even gave her much of a challenge, or if the depth of her stalking amounted to more than just asking around for him.
Not like finding one of two registered drells in C-Sec could've been a hindering challenge.
It took Kolyat a moment to realize who she was. A drell he met at a bar. A woman whose name he never took. An individual he didn't know anything about ... except for what she looked like beneath her dress.
It happened the night Kolyat passed his exams. His choice finalized. A decision to finish his internship and apply to become a full-fledged officer. Kolyat and a handful of others graduated from C-Sec Academy. Long nights of studying, combat training, self-defense classes and judicial law memorization paying off. It was finally his chance to change his life. To become someone better. Someone different. Someone he was proud to say he was.
A protector instead of a killer.
The party he joined started at a nearby club. It was something simple, just drinking and laughing with a few classmates. It wasn't until they left the club and went to a smaller bar that their entourage grew. Friends of friends joined the fray, strangers that looked amazing and smelled even better. Men and women who wanted a good time, a good drink, or a good lay. Badge bunnies he heard one of his co-workers snicker before he left for a hotel with one of the asari's that joined them.
When Kolyat's friends started to dwindle, that's when he saw her. It wasn't that he was looking for her, Kolyat actually had his eye on her male counterpart instead. A gold drell, tall and lean, with a narrow face, and piercing green irises. Exactly his type. She approached him first though, and when Kolyat saw the man he had his eye on already talking to a turian officer with a suggestive touch, Kolyat diverted his attention to the woman instead.
She was a petite little thing, barely reaching his shoulders. Soft blue scales and irises the color of emeralds. Her voice was melodic, her body lithe, and Kolyat found himself entranced by the way she moved. He liked people with charisma, and she laughed and danced with him like he was the only thing that mattered.
When they hit the third bar, he was completely inebriated, barely able to get his sentences out. They didn't need any words when they hit the hotel shortly after. They were wild and out of control, animalistic and free. No attachments. No worries or cares. Just chasing the sensation. The undeniable lust. Nothing more. He didn't know her name. She didn't know his. A perfect one night stand. No apologies and an empty bed without a trace of her the next morning.
That and of course his colossal hangover. He was lucky he remembered the woman at all.
Kolyat was startled to see her when she ran towards him. His mind unable to register her in a different setting other than the bar. Or the bed. Or the floor. Or against the wall. Or on her hands and knees, face buried, ass up. He felt like his reality was turning upside down.
She glared at him and hissed, yelled about something being all his fault. She wished they never met. He had no idea what she was talking about as she shoved at his shoulder making him stumble back. No time to question when she screeched for him to shut up without even letting him speak. He couldn't get a single word out.
"Have fun," she spat, thrusting a box into his chest. "I never signed up for this. It's your problem now."
He was completely stunned with no idea what to say. No clue what the woman was talking about as she stormed away screaming for him not to follow. She jumped in a skycar and flew away, leaving him gaping like an idiot after her, holding a mysterious package with holes cut in the sides.
Sweet Arashu, he prayed it wasn't a bomb.
Blinking in confusion, he placed the box down on the ground, feeling a definite weight within, unsure if whatever the hell it was, was fragile or not. He prayed again that whatever it was wouldn't blow up in his face. Crouching down he moved the flaps back and peered inside, curiosity getting the best of him.
He felt his lungs threaten to fall through the soles of his feet.
Wrapped in green cloth, tucked upon a small silver blanket, slept a yellow scaled, drell, infant.
"Holy, shit," he gasped, forgetting how to breathe, his existence freezing in place.
"Is he yours?"
"No, he's not mine!" Kolyat yelled, feeling panic take him over as he told Captain Bailey about what just happened.
A baby! A fucking baby! That couldn't be happening.
"Are you sure?" Bailey asked calmly, shifting a stack of papers on his desk, attention moving to the box Kolyat placed down in swelling anger. The baby jolted, awakened after Kolyat's rough treatment and outburst. A soft whimper escalating until a continuous cry bellowed from their tiny lungs.
"He's. Not. Mine." Kolyat slammed his hands down in front of the box, stressing every word.
Bailey grimaced, most likely from the infants screams and less likely from Kolyat's outburst, as he turned his attention back to his computer and continued typing whatever document he was working on before Kolyat stormed in.
"So, you don't know who that woman was? Never saw her before?"
Kolyat stared at Bailey in stunned silence and pulled his hands back. Several heartbeats and the denial stuck to the roof of Kolyat's mouth like a foul taste. He dropped his gaze unable to hide the lie even if he wanted to. Crossing his arms in front of his chest he did his best to look indifferent, failing miserably.
"Uh, huh, and this woman - did you sleep with her?"
Kolyat glanced up and frowned, looked at Bailey and then towards the howling baby. His cries unrelenting but pathetic in their sounds. The infant couldn't be more than a couple of weeks old at the very most, his throat still adjusting to sounds while his hyoid bone and vocal box developed.
Could it be possible that the baby was his? Kolyat tried to crunch the numbers. His mind coming up with every reason that the scenario couldn't be true. It was only one night. It was almost a year ago. Maybe less. Maybe ten months. She could've slept with someone else. He didn't notice that she was in heat that night. He didn't smell … he was so drunk then. The memories fuzzy. He couldn't even recall clearly with solipsism.
Before Kolyat could get a clear handle on his thoughts, Bailey snapped his computer shut. "Look, I'm going to give you a few days off to figure everything out."
"Figure what out?" Kolyat stared at him in disbelief, his heart a moment away from stopping.
"What you're going to do with the baby. Your baby, by the sound of it."
"He's not mine!" Kolyat yelled again. "What am I supposed to do with a baby?"
Bailey narrowed his eyes and stood, jaw tensing as he grabbed the box and walked towards Kolyat. His aura of authority forcing Kolyat to sober as the human man gave him a hard look. "Do what you think is best." He pushed the box into Kolyat's chest waiting for him to take a hold of it.
Kolyat felt like he was having an out of body experience. His stomach dropped to his feet. Everything was a dream, it had to be a cruel joke. There was no way that was happening. There was no way the baby was his. He didn't care what anyone said or thought. Everything was a big misunderstanding. It had to be.
Kolyat stared down at the infant in the box. His pitiful struggle as he battled to move his arms, hands confined snugly within the blanket. His eyes slowly opening for the first time.
Cerulean irises. The same as his.
The heavy weight of Bailey's hand on his shoulder became an anchor, his body felt ready to freefall, the human's words soft as Kolyat's mind proceeded to go blank in horror. "Welcome to adulthood, son – living with the results of your actions."
Kolyat walked through the station in a withdrawn fog, avoiding eye contact with everyone he passed, ignoring those he knew as they tried to get his attention with a wave or a shout of his name. He'd already hit his threshold for unnecessary antics for one day and didn't know how to answer any questions that would probably barrel drive towards him. All he could do right now was focus on the meltdown happening within the box he held.
Kolyat had no materials to take on the problem currently in his possession. He needed diapers. He needed baby food. He needed earplugs or duct tape to stop the noise. Some kind of clue. A time warp to a year ago. A hard drink. Wait, that's what might've gotten him into the situation, to begin with. Strike the last one.
Above all, he needed a plan for how he was going to handle the situation … and to take the baby out of the damn box.
He was almost to the point of sprinting as he made his way to the first elevator that opened. Juggling the box in his hands, Kolyat slammed his palm down on the call button and prayed no one else would see him as he made his way to the archive and possession storage unit. A large warehouse used mainly as a lost and found that Kolyat was first assigned to under Bailey's authorization when he was still working off his covered-up probation period.
Glancing up at the clock on the wall near the security doors, Kolyat sighed in relief when he saw that operating hours were over and he was less likely to run into anyone he used to work with. Swiping his ID card at the sensor, he opened the doors and moved towards an empty desk that stood near the entrance placing the box down on the counter.
The baby was close to irate, one hand breaking free of his confines, little fist shaking, indicating the level of heightened distress.
That is if his wails didn't give off the obvious hint already. Kolyat took a deep, steady breath, tried to ease his own hammering heartbeat before he gingerly reached into the box and carefully pulled the blanket away from the baby's other tangled hand. Once the tiny fist was freed from captivity, Kolyat proceeded to unwrap the cloth from around the baby's body, doing his best as the little guy fought against him
The cries subsided into soft mews of uncertainty and Kolyat took that opportunity to place his hands beneath the infant's armpits and lift him from the box. Kolyat went slow. Gentle. Adjusting his hold when the baby's head snapped back unexpectedly causing him to gasp and blanch in horror as he remembered that an infant's neck, at that age, was not yet strong enough to support the weight of the crown fringe. Kolyat took another deep, calming breath, and moved one hand to cradle the back of the baby's head while he pulled the infant against his chest in comfort and safety.
It was an odd sensation - to hold something so small and fragile in his hands. Kolyat had trouble processing the moment, and the fleeting enjoyment was ripped away as the baby screamed right beside his ear. Kolyat grimaced, forcing himself to endure as shock waves of pain ripped through his eardrum like fired lightning bolts from a vengeful god.
Clearing his throat, he purred and started to sway slightly from side to side. He wasn't sure if it was the correct thing to do but the movement felt natural due to the circumstance. He remembered his parents doing it to him for consoling when he was a child. "Easy," he whispered. "It's ok. I know the box sucked. I don't know why she put you in there, to begin with."
Kolyat waited and purred again to sooth the infant, giving him a few moments to hopefully pick up on the fact that Kolyat was trying to help him. Then anyway.
It worked.
At least Kolyat thought it did because the baby took a deep breath and quieted as if he was deciding what he wanted to do with himself. It was the window Kolyat needed. Using that second of hesitation, Kolyat shifted the baby in his hold and went to the computer terminal, doing his best to type with one hand into the search engine to find what he was looking for. The cries continued to stay quiet and Kolyat felt his body ease from a coiled tightness he didn't realize his muscles held since the infant was shoved into his arms unexpectedly.
He looked at the box in irritation. Nothing else within other than the blanket. No diapers. No wipes. No food. Not even a fucking birth certificate for the baby or a name for the stupid woman who abandoned him. She could've at least started a conversation before she fled, other than the screaming. How the hell was Kolyat supposed to find her? Didn't she realize how many registered drells were on the Citadel? If she was even in the database.
But that was the point, wasn't it? Kolyat was not meant to find her ever again, and a dark part of him knew it, too.
Kolyat huffed in resentment and tore his gaze from the box to the infant who whimpered like he was warning Kolyat that he wanted to cry again. Instead, his eyes opened, and he glanced up, allowing Kolyat another glimpse of cerulean irises and all their implications.
Pushing away another round of possibility he couldn't deal with just then, Kolyat moved from the desk and made his way towards the back of the warehouse. He used his solipsism as he moved, his memory and the familiar trail of when he worked in the department guided his way until he reached a specific set of shelves number marked in sequence.
Kolyat hummed in solace when he checked the retention label and noticed the date for claim had passed, making the items fair game for anyone who wished to claim them. Kolyat held the baby securely against his chest and reached his other hand out to pull the container on the bottom out enough to unlatch the cover.
Once aside, he smiled in relief to see the baby carrier still sitting within.
"Those are turian diapers."
Kolyat wasn't sure if the unknown voice was meant for him, but he dropped his gaze to the pack of diapers in his hand and read the label more carefully. He sensed whoever spoke start to draw near, and he glanced up and then around, noticing that he was alone in the aisle.
Well himself and a screaming baby.
"It doesn't say that." Kolyat huffed, unable to keep the irritation from his voice, hoping the person would mind their own fucking business and keep moving. He was having a hard enough day as it was to pile on any further bullshit.
The man approached him in several strides and smiled in friendly warmth, his hand reaching forward, fingers motioning for Kolyat to hand over the pack. Kolyat frowned but obliged and then quirked an eye ridge as the man placed the merchandise back on the shelf and moved several feet over to grab a brand Kolyat had stared at several moments prior and disregarded.
Another scream rose from the baby and Kolyat sighed in defeat, placing the carrier down on the ground and knelt beside it.
Any chance he could leave the baby in the middle of the store and make a break for it?
"Please. I'm trying here," Kolyat short of begged, rocking the carrier to try and silence the relentless bundle of noise.
"First-time parent?" The man asked, his sympathizing gaze shifting from Kolyat to the carrier and then back again.
The man was tall and lean, the same height as him, and like most of that particular small pocket of the Citadel, drell. His scales - what could be seen at least - were a deep purple, and his frills a rose-colored pink. He had no discernable markings on his face except for the two-perfect black crescent moons and the black pentagram scale on his forehead. Two small smudges of black lined the edges of his brow ridges.
It was his eyes though that caused Kolyat a moment of lapsed placement as he stared. Like he was anywhere in the galaxy except in the middle of a baby store with a screaming infant at his feet. The man's irises were a dark gold, like the embroidery of royal clothing, or the sunlight on desert beaches right before it faded to dusk or the color of a marriage hikari.
His was silver - Kolyat was unable to stop himself from noticing. Thin silver around his neck like a silent beacon. Come hither. Take notice. Single and looking.
"He's not mine. I'm just watching him for a few days." Kolyat made sure to say, establishing the foundation that he did not have a child, nor that he was in any kind of relationship. His own thin silver hikari evidence enough.
The man smiled wider, making Kolyat's mouth feel dry, the air leaving momentarily, before he replied, "I think he might be hungry." He handed Kolyat the new pack of diapers with a drell baby at the bottom of the logo. "These are for sensitive scales. Try those first before you get anything else. It's always better to assume he could be allergic to everything before buying a regular brand. Besides-" He glanced down at the carrier. "He looks like he's about to shed soon – and you should probably let me take that formula away. It's for krogan's."
"What?" Kolyat blinked in horror and embarrassment as the man bent down and took the bottle that was wedged on the side of the carrier by the baby's feet. "Please tell me I wasn't about to commit murder." Not even a few hours in and he was probably about to kill the kid.
The man chuckled and shifted the death formula in his hands. "The cashiers would've noticed and made a comment to you. If you left the store without a clear answer to why you were taking the wrong formula, the authorities would've been notified. Most likely you wouldn't have gotten far without being apprehended."
"You know a lot about this," Kolyat said cautiously, giving the drell another once over at how well dressed he was. He didn't look like any of the employee's Kolyat saw wearing a purple apron or shirt. Instead, he was dressed in burgundy dress pants, a black button up shirt and a matching, silver, black and maroon, diagonally striped tie.
Good looking and dressed to impress.
The purple drell smiled and reached his free hand into his pants pocket, pulling out a white card and flipped it over for Kolyat to see. A name badge with the company's logo etched at the top. "I sure hope so since I'm one of the store managers. I just finished my shift when I saw you." His gaze dropped back to the baby. "It seemed like you needed some assistance."
"Did his screaming give it away? Do you sell instruction manuals?" Kolyat deadpanned, unsure himself if he was being serious or sarcastic.
The man laughed regardless and put the ID back in the pocket of his pants. "I'm, Gavin. In case my name tag didn't give it away."
"Kolyat," he replied and sighed when the baby let out another ear-piercing scream making him grimace.
Gavin gave him a pained expression in return. "Stay here, let me get you something." Turning quickly, he left the aisle, leaving Kolyat alone for barely a minute before he jogged back around the corner with a handful of wrapped packages, minus the bottle of formula. Dropping to his knees in front of the carrier, Gavin rested the little wrappings on his lap and began opening one. "Do you mind if I give him something?"
"Will it make his screaming stop?" Kolyat watched in fascination, hoping Gavin had the miracle cure-all in his possession.
"Hopefully." Gavin grinned, opening the tiny bag and took out what appeared to be a long, flat cracker. "These will disintegrate as eaten. He only seems about 3 weeks or so. They will be easy on his teeth while they harden." Gavin held up the cracker and waited for the baby to focus enough to open his mouth. He purred and waited patiently, doing what he could to until the infant finally opened his eyes and listened to the soft purr vibrating from Gavin's throat. His cries subsided and he opened his mouth when Gavin urged the cracker near his lips. "There we go. You're just hungry. I understand."
Kolyat watched in silence while Gavin sat patiently until the baby ate a second and third cracker, his cries completely silenced and seeming content by the time he stood and smiled at Kolyat. "Thank you," Kolyat said sincerely. "I wasn't given anything to start off with and … I'm really new at this."
"I can tell." Gavin returned with a coy smile. "I can give you some more of the crackers. They're free samples we keep at the front desk in case the infants get antsy like your little guy here. If you follow me I'll also get you the right formula."
Gavin directed for Kolyat to follow as he started to walk towards the end of the aisle and waited for him to grab the carrier. Kolyat followed closely behind him, glancing at his face periodically and quickly away when Gavin turned to look at him and stopped short.
Kolyat stumbled slightly holding a hand up to tap Gavin's shoulder to prevent him from slamming against the man. He purred in apology and felt his frills heat, Gavin also blinking in surprise at how close Kolyat was. "Sorry. I was looking around and wasn't paying attention."
"Trying to take everything in? It can get a little overwhelming," Gavin answered simply.
Kolyat purred in agreement although he wasn't sure if he meant the baby store or Gavin's presence at that moment.
"Well, this is the aisle you're looking for." Gavin motioned, as they ended at a corner of the store. "All of the food he can eat is here. Don't go too crazy since you're only going to have him a few days, but I would recommend getting him some rik'hal lotion for his scales." He hesitated and smiled, looking down at the baby and then back at Kolyat, something unspoken in his gaze. "Do you need anything else?"
Kolyat looked down the aisle and then back at Gavin, the urge to ask for his number right on the tip of his tongue. He smiled and shook his head. "No, I think I got it from here … hopefully. Thank you, Gavin."
"Of course." He nodded, his gaze roaming over Kolyat momentarily before he blinked and looked away, his gold irises disappearing behind his black ocular scales. "Just look on the bright side, infants are simple. Eat. Sleep. Poop. There's really nothing more to it at this stage, and you only have him for a few days. You'll be fine."
"A few days," Kolyat repeated, the whole day coming back to him as he glanced down at the baby who stared back in silence.
A few days to figure everything out, even though he barely wanted to keep him for a few hours. A few days to give the baby back to the woman or to place him with the proper authorities - child protective services - an adoption agency - whatever that wasn't with him. The baby wasn't his. Not his responsibility. He was just an assignment that was thrown onto Kolyat unwillingly. He would take care of the problem and keep going like nothing happened.
Deal with it and move on. Just like the rest of his cases.
Only a few days. No attachments.
He could manage a few days before he got his life back.
