Shepard felt as though she were somehow standing outside her own body watching the current situation unfold. Her arms were draped around his shoulders and her body was pressed gently against his. His right hand was placed on the small of her back and his mouth was pressed against hers. It was an odd sensation for Shepard, feeling his subtle body heat soaking through her jumpsuit. Part of her wanted to pull away and curse her own stupidity, but the other part of her wanted the kiss to last for just a few more seconds. As their lips parted, Shepard's eyes met his for a moment before she focused on a spot on his shoulder, her cheeks burning slightly.
"Commander . . ." he began, but words seemed to fail him and he fell silent.
They both stood in silence, unsure what to say and unwilling to let each other go. Moments like this were few and far between, both of them knew that. The mission they were on was far more important than anything they'd done before and this time their lives were well and truly on the line, so every experience and every encounter was precious no matter how unexpected it was. They both knew that at any moment another crew member might find them, but Shepard didn't care and she was pretty sure he didn't either. There were very few places aboard the Normandy that she would've described as cosy or private, but this seemed to be one of them. The galaxy map and the comm. room were partially separated by a wall that was currently hiding their intimate moment from view. She felt his fingers stroking the small of her back and she smiled. It was a simple gesture, but oddly comforting. Shepard looked back at his face and her smile softened at his slightly bewildered expression.
"I uh . . . I have some rounds to do," she mumbled, her lips still perilously close to his. "You know, before we reach the Muu Relay. Thanks for, coming to check up on me."
"It's fine. I should probably get back to my post too," he mumbled, his hand falling away from her back. "Besides, how would it look if the first human Spectre was caught fraternizing with her creaky legged pilot when she was meant to be getting ready to save galactic civilisation?"
Shepard let her arms drop from around his neck and they stood in an awkward silence for a few seconds before she kissed him softly on the cheek.
"Goodnight Joker," she whispered.