Disclaimer: Mass Effect doesn't belong to me, nor do I intend to profit from this work of fiction.
Kaidan was avoiding her, Shepard thought to herself; since they'd gone done to Klensal weeks ago, he'd barely spoken a word to her. She frowned as her omni-tool pinged, and she saw the automatic message from Chakwas informing her that one of her ground team was unavailable.
She headed towards the med bay, wanting to find out who and why, and sighed as she passed the console Kaidan was typically stationed at, and found him sitting on the floor, an arm slung over his eyes as he dozed. There was her answer, she thought to herself, and knelt on the floor beside him. Remembering it was best if she didn't speak, she smoothed a cool hand over his brow, and carefully slid her arm around him to lift him to his feet.
Across the room, Ashley saw what she was doing, and silently moved to help her. She gestured towards the sleeper pods, but Shepard shook her head. They were too far away, plus it was really difficult to get an unconscious person strapped into one. She heaved a sigh, and gestured to her quarters, her bed was close, and they could just lay him down and go.
They shuffled towards her quarters, and carefully lowered him to the bed, and Shepard found an extra blanket to toss over him before the two women stealthily left the room.
When Kaidan woke several hours later, he groaned softly to himself. Whatever Chakwas had given him this time was kicking his ass. He blinked as he struggled to take in his unfamiliar surroundings through the drugged haze still clouding his brain. His sense of smell was still heightened as he caught a whiff of Shepard's unique scent, gun oil, explosions, and a hint of vanilla; and it distantly dawned on him that he was in her bed.
'Oh, shit,' he thought, the haze in his head disrupting his ability to think clearly, and he threw off the blanket covering him, and swung his legs off the bed, and fell to his knees when he tried to stand. "Damn it, he swore softly, and made a mental note to always check the syringe before Chakwas gave him anything.
He groaned in frustration when the door slid open, and Shepard rushed over to his side, "Kaidan, are you okay?" she murmured, sliding her arm around him to help him up.
"I'm fine. Whatever Chakwas gave me, my legs are numb," he rubbed his temples sheepishly, "Um, how did I end up in your bed?"
"I think the better question is, why were you still on duty with a migraine?" she asked, and bit back the desire to give him the dressing down he deserved. She shook her head, she couldn't hold back because of whatever was there between them; she had her own duties to fulfill. "Lieutenant, I can't use you when you are incapacitated because of your medication. Chakwas sent me a notice that you were out of commission for a few hours, and to be frank, finding you passed out at your post is unacceptable. Next time, take the time the doc gives you."
He straightened, and had the numbness in his legs not prevented him from snapping a salute, he would have, "Yes, ma'am."
She sighed, "Back to your other question, Ashley helped me move you. I couldn't leave you asleep on the floor. It's undignified. Especially for an officer," he caught the warning tone in her voice, and nodded.
"I apologize, Shepard," he said sincerely, and looked up at her in surprise when he felt her hand grip his.
"I know," she said softly, and he noticed for the first time that she was still wearing her gear. She'd gone planetside without him, he thought morosely.
"Where did you go?" he asked, rubbing a palm over her plated thigh.
She shivered, "Distress signal, wanted to take a look. It was a trap. Thresher maw."
He frowned, "Please tell me you didn't take that thing out on foot."
She grinned sheepishly at him, "The, uh, Mako was broken, so Garrus had to fix it while Ash and I…"
"Shepard, you could have been killed!" he exclaimed, and gave her shoulders a slight shake. "That was a ver-" he was cut off by her lips against his, and with a smooth motion, she straddled his lap, still in her suit, her heart thundering beneath her breastplate when his hands gripped her rear pulling her closer.
Their tongues dueled for supremacy, and she moaned softly into his mouth. God, she needed him. She pulled away from him, and reluctantly stood. "You know, one of us should really request a transfer at the rate we're going," she murmured to herself.
"I know it," he replied softly, a bit worried at the direction this conversation might be taking.
"But I need you with me," she said, "Not just because of the physical attraction, because God knows, that's almost overwhelming at times. But also because you help keep the Marines on this ship in line better than any other detail leader I've worked with." She gave a frustrated shrug of her shoulders, "The Normandy needs you," she said softly.
He pushed to his feet, prepared now for the numbness in his legs, and wrapped his arms around her, "Then lets take this slow and see where is goes, okay?"
She nodded, and gave a soft smile. "Yeah."