Kaidan wasn't usually a jealous creature. He'd never been particularly greedy when it came to his lovers; them having friends of the opposite gender had never really bothered him.

But this was different, this was Shepard.

Commander. Fucking. Shepard.

The one thing Kaidan had always prided himself on was his level-headedness, his ability to access the situation calmly and professionally. But it was near impossible to keep himself restrained around Emmet.

The man had this most infuriating habit of making Kaidan lose his cool when near him.

One such instance was just now. Liara; sweet, kind, helpful Liara and her stupid, touchy-feely blue hands on Emmet. His Emmet.

They had been discussing Mordin, the Salarian who gave his life for curing the Genophage that he'd worked on, a few paces away from Kaidan's watchful eye in the Mess. Emmet's face fell, his shoulders slumped and all Liara had done was reach out to comfort him.

(what are you doing! Get off! Don't touch him! Comforting him is my job!)

She gently placed her hand on his arm and it sent Kaidan into a jealous rage.

(How dare you! He's mine!)

Green with envy, he pushed past a bewildered James and stormed out of the mess and off to the Starboard Observatory.

He knew she meant no harm, they'd been friends for a long time, and he's always go to her for counselling but Kaidan hated their closeness.

More so than that, he hated how he knew she'd had feelings for him on the first Normandy.

And more than that still, he hated how well they looked together.

He sighed, all ugly feelings replaced with embarrassment and self-loathing as he pressed his forehead against the thick glass glaring out at the vast vacuum of space.

He heard the hiss-beep of the door opening and didn't raise his head. His glare burned holes through the glass.

He knew it was Emmet, even before he'd spoken.

"Alenko? You okay?"

(Of course I'm not okay! I won't be okay until women stop throwing themselves at you! Innocent or not.)

He was suddenly angry at Emmet, for making him feel this way, for the sleepless nights, the haunting dreams, the two years of mourning what could have been followed by seven months of angry silence and unsaid things.

Kaidan realised all of a sudden that he had known Emmet for just over three years and yet, he still didn't know him. Not the way Liara or Garrus or Tali did.

The fact of the matter was that he'd walked away from him, too wrapped up in his own self-pity to accept the hand back into Emmet's life.

He had no one to blame but himself and he hated that.

He felt Emmet's hand grip his shoulder and he turned Kaidan to face him.

"Come on Kaidan, there's nothing between Liara and I, you know that..." Kaidan recoiled, stepping out of Emmet's reach. The back of his neck singed with embarrassment.

(He knew? He bloody knew! Am I so easy to read?)

Kaidan let out a frustrated noise, scrubbing his hands over his face. "I know, Shepard, I know!" Kaidan fumed "But she's close to you and I'm not! She didn't leave you! She stood by you and I didn't!"

Emmet smiled "You're here now, aren't you?"

Kaidan growled. "It doesn't matter! Shepard, I didn't follow you at the drop of a hat! I should have trusted you and I didn't!"

The room was filled with the gentle hum of the Normandy. Emmet studied Kaidan quietly. "This is about Horizon." it was a statement, not a question.

Kaidan felt guilty all over again.

Emmet sighed, stepping forward and pulling Kaidan into an awkward, one-armed hug. "I get your reaction, Kaidan; I would have been the same."

"No you wouldn't have," Kaidan muffled glumly into Emmet's shoulder, the temptation to hug him back was at the fore-front of his mind.

Emmet chuckled half-heartedly "Okay, maybe you're right about that, but that doesn't mean I don't get where you were coming from." He pulled away, gripping Kaidan's shoulders.

He gazed at Kaidan for a long time before speaking again, this time sounding gruff and awkward "Look, Kaidan, if your fear is that Liara, or anyone for that matter would… distract me from you, you are sorely mistaken. I- uh… You…" he trailed off, looking bashful.

Him, big, scary Commander Shepard was looking at him like a teen with a crush.

Emmet looked as if he had no idea what to say next, so he didn't say anything, He patted Kaidan none too gently on the shoulders and fled the Observatory.

Kaidan didn't know why he found it so funny, but he was laughing long after Emmet's fleeing figure and pink ears had disappeared in a flurry of sexual confusion.

(Bet you've never made him blush, huh Liara..?)