Thank you to my first reviewer! Standard disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or it's characters, only my musings.
Kasumi came barreling into Shepard's room and pounced on her bed, engulfing her in a full body hug. "Good morning, sunshine!" She giggled and rolled off of the groaning commander.
Shepard was disoriented and lifted her head up to see the smiling thief who had taken residence in her bed. She rubbed her eyes. "G'morning Kas.. uhng. What time is it?" She sat up reluctantly.
Kasumi beamed at her. "Early enough, Shep. Those muffins were the best I've had in.. I think, ever. You must've made them last night?"
Shepard wasn't awake enough for all of this excitement just yet. She turned, bleary eyed, to Kasumi and narrowed her eyes and plopped her head down on the thief's stomach, wrapping her arms around her and jerking the covers over her head. "Mmmhm. Five more minutes."
Kasumi giggled at her petulant friend. "Aw, come on now Shep. Rise and shine!" Her request was met with a muffled "uhhuhhh" and she began stroking her friend's hair when a mischievous thought struck her. "Hmm.. I couldn't help but notice a certain alluring Drell prowls the halls at night, too. Any chance you ran into him?"
With that, Shepard shot up, wide-eyed, and was reminded of her incident with Thane. Kasumi quirked a brow that was begging for explanation. Shepard pulled her knees into her chest and looked back over at her friend. "Ohmygod, Kasumi. I made an ass out of myself. He just showed up out of nowhere and scared the living daylights out of me and I made such a mess.. and he probably thinks I'm completely ridiculous. Some commander I am." She groaned. "Just do me a favor? Shoot me now. Make it quick."
Kasumi barely stifled the amusement – she was silently thanking her hood right about now – and hopped out of bed. "Oh, now. It couldn't be that bad. He shouldn't have snuck up on you, anyway. But you gotta admit, Shep, he's not that hard on the eyes. All mysterious and broody. I think our infallible commander has a crush..."
Shepard threw a pillow at her. "I don't have time for crushes, Kasumi. I barely even know him. I can't seem to talk to him without making myself look like an idiot."
"That's because you are an idiot, Shep. It's okay. We all love you anyway."
Shepard glared at her halfheartedly and pushed her on the arm. "Whatever. I need some coffee. Come on, let's go."
They were still a few days out from Korlus, en route to recruit the Krogan Warlord. That would be an interesting edition to the crew, for sure. Shepard sat in the hold thinking of her friend Wrex while listening to music. Kasumi was locked in her quarters, and no one else seemed ready to talk. She'd never been on such a close-mouthed ship before. Usually, she would socialize to bide her time and to ward off unwarranted thoughts. Not today, it seemed. She settled on running on the treadmill. It was like a form of meditation to her. Not like she had anything else to do, anyway.
In Life Support, Thane sat overlooking the drive core. This was quickly becoming a habit for him; staring off endlessly and contemplating events of the past, and not least of which: Shepard. He'd gone to her last night in an effort of trying to understand her more, but it seemed his social skills had atrophied worse than he thought. It'd been years since he'd had anyone to talk to, even longer since he had the desire to speak with anyone at all. He was being pulled toward her, inexplicably; but not without resistance. He rationalized to himself that it was because of her legacy; it had captivated him. He yearned to know more about her and what made her gears turn. He tried to shake off the offending thoughts when he heard the unmistakable sound of a cloaking device and in an instant he was up and facing the intruder. It was Ms. Goto. He relaxed visibly, but was still on high alert. "Ms. Goto. Did you need something?"
Her painted lips cracked into a smirk, and she sauntered to his collection of guns. "Nice rack, Krios." She turned and tossed him a wink. He inclined his head at her and gestured for her to sit.
"I admit, I was curious if you knew of me. I'm assuming I was correct. You do."
She snorted. "Of course I do. I may not have your memory, but I remember well enough."
"Indeed."
The silence stretched for a moment, and Kasumi fidgeted a bit. Finally, she said, "So. How are you liking it onboard the Normandy? Different from your life of solitude, I'd imagine?"
"Very. I prefer the solitude, but I am nothing if not adaptable. I will adjust. Tell me, Ms. Goto. What do you know of the Commander?"
The twinkle in her eyes threw him momentarily. It hadn't taken him as long as she'd expected to ask. This was good. She smiled. "Everything the media knows, of course, and then some. How would you describe what makes a person, anyway? Seems to me, the only way to discover is to seek for yourself."
"A fair point."
"Welp, gotta go, Krios. And hey.. don't let her blunt nature throw you off. She's really quite warm." And with that, she cloaked and left him alone once again.
His memory flashed back to the brief touch Shepard had bestowed on him. Her warmth had seeped through to his very core. Arashu, preserve him. He had to find her again tonight.
When the crew began going to sleep, Thane mindfully walked with a heavier step to prevent from startling the Commander; but she was not in the mess hall as he expected. He raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. He was being ridiculous, but the thought of finding her had occupied him all day. He decided to hazard a message to her, just to see if she was awake. He sat down at a table and wrote:
TK: Shepard, I do not mean to disturb you, but I am restless. Are you awake?
In the loft, Shepard eyed her omnitool suspiciously. Joker better not be sending her Elcor porn again. She picked it up and nearly choked when she saw it was a message from Thane. What had gotten into her? She was acting like a child. Ugh.
KS: Yeah, I'm awake. Up in the loft watching vids and drinking. Feel free to join me, if you'd like. Pajamas only. I won't have you in here making me feel underdressed. Door's open.
Thane quirked an eyeridge. He was being foolish. He had to admit, that was a casual atmosphere. He wouldn't get a better opportunity. He sighed and headed back to life support to change into his … pajamas.
He entered the loft to find Shepard splayed out on the couch tossing some popcorn in her mouth. When she saw him, she scrambled to stand up and scrubbed a hand through her hair. "Hey, Thane. Have a seat. Whiskey is in the cooler, help yourself."
Thane was completely bewildered, but he didn't show it. Instead, he poured himself a drink and took a seat on the couch opposite from Shepard. She eyed his full glass and raised a brow. "Uh... Thane, have you ever had whiskey before?"
"No. I have not."
She inhaled sharply, concealing her amusement. "Ah, alright. Take a sip, would you?"
He did as instructed, and Shepard inwardly cursed herself for not recording his reaction on her omnitool. Thane's face contorted as he tried to down the offensive liquid and failed miserably, sputtering and coughing everywhere. "By the Gods," he wheezed between coughs, "Why do you drink that?"
She was trying so hard not to laugh that it hurt. Funny, she seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "Thane, it's liquor. Most people don't drink it straight. Here. Give me that." She snatched his glass up and poured most of it's content into her own, shot the rest, and mixed him an Arnold Palmer. "Here. This is popular among the ladies where I come from." She smirked and winked at him, and he tasted his new beverage. It was good.
"This is much more .. pleasant, Shepard. Thank you. What are you watching?"
"My pleasure." She gave a mock bow to him, looking up at him through her lashes so he caught the friendly jibe, and took her seat rather closer to him than she had been. "Honestly? I wasn't even watching it. It was just on. I'm going crazy up here. I've never been so lonely on a ship before."
Thane hadn't been expecting that. "I.. know the feeling, Shepard. I've spent the last ten years alone. My body acted of it's own accord. My mind has been in slumber for too long." Where did that come from? He hadn't intended on sharing that.. But looking at her, so human and fragile, he couldn't help himself. He decided she was beautiful in her own way, and she must have caught him staring at her because she began to redden and busied herself with something else. The alcohol must've been more potent than he'd expected.
They sat in comfortable silence for some time, watching but not watching the vid on the holoscreen. Thane noticed Shepard had a glint in her eye. "What is it, Shepard?"
She bit her lip, an action that was completely endearing to him, and almost whispered, "Thane? Can I ask you something entirely inappropriate?"
"Anything, Shepard."
"Can I... Can I touch you?"
He nictated a few times and cocked his head. "Touch me? May I inquire into your reasoning for such a request?"
"I just.. I just want to know. I've never met a Drell before you, and I want to know if it feels like a snake's skin. I'm sorry. Nevermind. Forget I said anything." She threw her hands up and scrubbed them through her hair again.
Thane looked at her for a long moment. "Well?"
"..Well, what?"
"Aren't you going to touch me?"
"Oh. I.. Okay. Yeah. Give me your hand."
Thane scooted closer to her, never breaking eye contact, and extended his hand palm up. She looked from him to his hand and back to him again before squeezing her eyes shut and inhaling deeply to calm her nerved. She suddenly realized he smelled of sandalwood and leather, and it was simply intoxicating. Her pulse skyrocketed. She opened her eyes and tenatively reached for his hands. When he didn't immediately pull away, she looked back up to him and he raised a brow ridge as if to say "Go on..." so she resumed her studies. Her fingers traces the lines on his palm up to his webbed fingers. She touched them softly, and rolled his hand over so the vibrant scales were glaring at her. She gently ran her thumb down the back of his hand, to his wrist.. when she realized she had lingered overlong and released him abruptly.
"Wow. I'm sorry. It's so soft. I got a little carried away there." She raised her shoulder and scrunched her nose like she does, "I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable. I was just curious."
His lip quirked slightly. "Your skin is made of silk. How do you prevent yourself from getting injured in battle?"
"Hey! I'm not that fragile. It's a lot tougher than it looks, thankyouverymuch." She said with a snort.
All at once, Thane realized how his body was practically humming for her, and he didn't understand it. He needed to leave.
"Thank you for your company this evening Shepard. Perhaps we may do this another night. I need to retire for the evening." He stood, slightly off kilter, and bowed to her.
"Oh. Okay.. goodnight, Thane."
He was already in the elevator. "Goodnight, Shepard."