A/N: A little warning...substance abuse in this chapter.

October 6, 2171. Kaidan leaned back on the couch and flipped on his datapad. He started to read the chapter that he had dreaded since the class started. "Human Biotics" it was uninterestingly titled, but for him it held all his own self-loathing and all the prejudices everyone else had. "Biotics can be divided into three catagories based on their contamination with Element Zero." Even the textbook writers think we're subhuman, he thought. "Primary, secondary, and temporary based on red sand use." Kaidan automatically labeled himself a secondary biotic as he moved on.

"Hey Alenko! Dude, you study too much!" A lanky young man entered the room.

"Shut your fucking hole, Brady," Kaidan snapped at his roommate. "You don't study enough."

"Tsk, tsk, Alenko. We don't talk like that in front of ladies," said Tyler Brady, as he opened the door wider and swooped his hand out to two pretty girls entering the room. "Leslie, Kyra, that's my dumbass roomie, Kaidan Alenko. He has a stick up his ass."

The girls giggled and Kaidan felt a slight heat on his face. He looked up and saw Brady pulling a bag from his backpack. "You, my ever-so-studious friend, are behind. I've already read the chapter and it gave me an idea." Brady winked toward the small bag. "Have a seat, ladies. Alenko won't bite."

Kaidan curiously put his datapad down and moved to make room for the girls. The cute redhead sat next to him and smiled. "Hi, I'm Kyra. We met Tyler in chem lab. I'm a nursing major and so is Leslie. Are you pre-med like he is?"

"Yeah, but I don't know why you'd want to hang out with an asshole like him," Kaidan joked, enjoying her attention.

"Well, he promised us a good time with him and his sexy roommate," Kyra laughed.

"He called me sexy?" Kaidan said in a low voice, raising an eyebrow.

Blushing, Kyra looked at her hands. "No, not exactly."

"Alenko, hey, there will be plenty of time for that later, as long as the girls want to stay," said Brady. "But first, it's time for a little show." Picking up a tiny pinch of the substance in the bag in his fingers, Brady took a big sniff. "This is red sand. You wouldn't believe how easy it is to get!"

Kaidan looked a little incredulous at his roommate. "What does it do?"

Brady shook his head a little and gave a little wave. "Watch. Hold still, Les." His body began to emit a blue glow that Kaidan instantly recognized. Brady used one arm and lifted the petite dark-haired girl at the end of the couch. She squealed and giggled excitedly.

"Oh my God, Tyler! This tickles! I want to try!" she laughed.

Kaidan had never told anyone at the university about his own biotic abilities for fear of being ostracized like he had been as a kid. As a kid, he had been proud of being able to lift things with his mind. His friends' parents did not like that sometimes those things were people. His dad scolded him until his biotics were no longer fun, so he kept it to himself for the most part, until BAaT, where he had felt kind of free, for a time. After BAaT, biotics were the last thing he wanted to deal with.

Watching Brady and the girls get excited over his temporary biotic ability stirred a bit of jealousy. They could do that without fear and apprehension of what they could be capable of...but maybe it wasn't such a bad thing. Kaidan wanted a chance to relax, to forget about BAaT and Vyrnnus and just be young and free. He motioned to Brady. "Give me some. I want to try it too."

Brady held up a finger, handing the bag to Leslie and Krya. "Ladies first, Alenko." He threw his head back and laughed. "I had heard this stuff was awesome, but shit, I feel like a fucking god!"

The girls each took a quick sniff eagerly. As their bodies absorbed the drug, they began to emanate the same blue glow. "This is amazing!" Kyra exalted, reaching to touch Kaidan's arm. When she did, his own natural biotics felt hers and started to combine. He had forgotten how good it felt to be touched by another biotic. She handed him the bag. "Your turn," she smiled.

Kaidan smiled back, taking a bigger pinch than anyone else. He sniffed deeply and immediately felt his nervous system do a strange combination of relaxation while still heightening his biotic sensations. Kyra's touch on his arm was like fire, but he didn't want to pull away. He remembered this feeling. Lauren. That time they had sparred after she caught him and Rahna kissing...God, that was, this is...bliss. He knew he barely knew her, but he leaned in to kiss her anyway.

Kyra was very willing, probably taken by her own sensations as well, Kaidan thought, but just barely, because the world was beginning to melt away. All he could feel was the solid hum of biotics in his brain. There was no BAaT, no Vyrnnus, no Rahna, no Lauren, and no regrets. Finallly, no regrets.

x-X-x

Lauren sighed and tugged at her dress. "Mom, I look stupid."

Hannah Shepard smiled gently and shook her head. "You look wonderful. Aren't you even a little bit excited?"

"Not really. This isn't my idea of fun." The dress was a dark navy, a slender asari design. Lauren knew her mother admired the asari, mostly because of her father's Alliance service, but Lauren couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. "I just don't like dresses, Mom."

"I know, dear, but do this for me, please? There's a nice young man..."

"Rygus, Mom..." Lauren sounded annoyed.

"Rygus," Hannah finished. "And he asked you to this thing, so the least you can do is look nice."

"Mom, he is a turian, a planetary-exchange student, and he could care less what I wore. He'd probably prefer me in combat armor."

Hannah looked at her daughter skeptically. "Don't you think that's a little...prejudiced?"

Lauren pursed her lips. "Yeah, probably. I still hate wearing dresses though."

"And I am still making you wear it. He'll be here soon, won't he? So go finish getting ready," Hannah ordered.

Lauren climbed the stairs to her bathroom and looked at her face. Her mom had laid out makeup for her to put on. If she would have laid out the pieces of an omni-tool for her to assemble, Lauren would have been less confused, and she didn't understand tech either. Gritting her teeth, she swept the mascara brush on her lashes and put the faintest amount of color on her lips. "Good enough," she muttered.

The doorbell rang, signaling Rygus' arrival. Lauren walked down to see him standing there awkwardly. "Hey Lauren." His dual-toned voice showed a bit of tension.

"Nice to see you, Rygus. Let's get out of here."

"I, uh, got these for you," he said, thrusting a mussed bunch of wildflowers in her face. "My mom commed me with all of these Earth customs. I didn't think I could remember them all, but I remembered this one."

Lauren eased and gave a little laugh. "Yeah, flowers are nice, I guess. Thanks. I'll tell you right now, these are more for my mom."

"Fine with me," he said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I've got a taxi outside waiting."

He opened the door for her and the pair walked toward the car. "You know, I don't really do these kinds of things. Turians aren't much for parties like this," Rygus confessed.

"To be honest, Shepards don't dance and this is the last time I'm ever doing anything like this. But," she wrapped her arm around his, "I'm glad I'm going with a friend. We can be miserable together."

"Or we can just laugh at everyone else." His mandibles widened in a smile. "You know, you didn't have to get all fussed up for me. I would have liked you even if you were in in combat armor."

Lauren smiled knowingly. "Rygus, you make me like turians more and more."

A/N: Thank you for the follows and for reading! Let me know what you think!