They walk across a barren world, the desert air rippling. Sweat slicks down Shepard's hair, curling wet and black against her neck, insects hum and Ash worries at her assault rifle beside her, flicking the safety on and off. Kaidan has taken point ahead of them, scanning for minerals with his 'tool. The Mako had said there would be some platinum around this area and Shepard had ordered them out of the air-conditioned comfort to find the precious metal.
"He's hot, right?" Ash speaks up. Shepard can tell she's bored. Shepard isn't though, even with the heat it is…companionable to walk with her two human soldiers. The assignments lately have been rough, hectic and violent. A walk on a silent world on a treasure hunt for minerals is relaxing to Shepard.
Shepard blinks at Ash, startled from her heat-induced reverie. "I'm sorry?"
"The Lieutenant." Ash smiles and points ahead to Kaidan.
Shepard says, "I really can't comment on that one, Chief," desperately hoping Ash won't pry further. She hadn't been that obvious, had she?
Ashe nudges her with one cocked hip, clanking their armor together playfully. "Oh come on. I saw you checking him out. Almost as much as he was checking you out."
Shepard's heartbeat quickens, a little swoop in her stomach. That's becoming a frequent thing lately and she's still not sure how to make it go away. She's never felt like this before. "Really?"
"Hell yeah," Ash enthuses, "I thought we might have to hose him down when we got back."
Shepard glances ahead, making sure Kaidan can't hear their conversation and by some coincidence, or maybe he felt her gaze, Kaidan turns to look back at her. Their eyes meet and he smiles shyly, a small quirk to his lips. Hardly noticeable, but Shepard sees it. She always sees it. Shepard grins at him, embarrassed and looks away.
"Aha!" Ash crows at their antics, "So you do think he's hot."
"I never said that!" Shepard splutters but she can't wipe the self-conscious smile from her face. Ash is too easy to talk to, she cuts past all the bullshit, and Shepard loves her for it. It's strange, she'd never thought she could be friends with someone so different from herself, but now she can't imagine not serving with Ash, not being read one of Ash's poems over sandwiches in the armory. Shepard has never heard words like the ones Ash's pleasant voice glides over, so flowing and lyrical.
It's fascinating. Ash talks about a benevolent god and Shepard wants to believe while also knowing she never can.
Ash snorts inelegantly beside her. Shepard fusses with her own pistol in its holster, heat blooming across her face and not just from the desert sun.
"Kai-...Alenko!" Shepard calls to Kaidan, wanting to distract Ash from her teasing and get back to the Normandy. "Hurry it up."
"Not long, Commander. I've almost narrowed it down!" Kaidan calls back, sloppily waving to her. His voice echoes across the empty sands and seems to shoot right into her heart. Damn him, how can an order acknowledgement be charming to Shepard?
"Uh. What was that?" Ash says, incredulously.
"What?" Shepard turns to her raising an arched eyebrow.
"You got all flustered over his name."
"No, I didn't." Shepard answers too quickly, caught in her fumble.
"Oh, you soo did." Ash smiles, half-laughing.
Shepard gives up; Ash is just going to keep pressing her. "Fine. I feel weird calling him Kaidan, it's too informal. But then I don't wanna just bark 'Alenko!' at him, like some hard-ass. I don't like being a hard-ass with a stick up her butt."
"Uh-huh." Ash nods, considering. "Then call him LT like I do, he likes it and he just looks like an LT. He's cute and needs a cute name."
Shepard scoffs. "He's not cute; he's older than both of us, Ash. I dunno..."
Shepard does think him damn cute though, despite her denials. It's the eyes, she tells herself, the big brown eyes.
"Oh come on, Skipper! Live a little! This Saren business won't last forever and when it's over I want to see you two dancing dirty on shore leave and sticking your tongue down his throat." Shepard laughs at the mental image, Ash never does mince words.
"Men?" Ash continues, "It drives them wild to know you've got a special name for them."
Shepard thinks about her advice, realizing something. "So what about you? I don't want to step on anyone's toes…"
Ash was the one who came up with LT in the first place, and if she is telling Shepard to use it as a flirting method…
"Oh Shepard!" The bubblegum armored woman shakes her head. "Sure, he's easy on the eyes and if he weren't right into you I would probably try and throw a leg over him. But, no, no. I backed way off when he inserted his foot firmly into his mouth and called you beautiful."
Shepard breathes an internal sigh of relief; she had worried for a moment there. If Ash had been interested she would have let her have him, ignored the frat regs for Ash and tried not to feel like she had let an once-in-a-lifetime thing slip by. Shepard wouldn't have really known how to handle two of her crew hooking up, she preferred to deny all knowledge and let them handle it like adults. Bad commander policy maybe…But Shepard didn't join the Alliance to tell people how they should and should not feel.
She certainly didn't have any control over her own feelings….
Ash speaks up again, "Besides, you like him, and you're my friend...not to mention a scary-ass commander who will kill me with your brain."
Shepard laughs loudly, the sound travelling to Kaidan who looks back, smiling again. Shepard waves to him jauntily, silently telling him to go back to what he was doing. Kaidan shakes his head at the two women and brings up his tool again.
"Aw Ash, I'd never kill you. Who else would encourage me in horrible life decisions?" Shepard leans in and bumps back against Ash's shoulder.
"The only horrible life decision would for you to not get a piece of that." Ash motions to Kaidan's ass. Shepard feels a little bad that they are talking about him like this, when he has no idea, but she also cannot stop smirking at his armor-clad behind.
"Also, we never had this conversation." Ash says.
"I never heard a thing." Shepard nods vehemently. So not a reg-friendly conversation, but nothing on the Normandy seems to conform to regs these days. Why start now?
When they are done, the Mako loaded onto the Normandy again, minerals surveyed and they are thoroughly sweaty and sand-blasted, Shepard starts to clamber down from the Mako's cockpit.
Kaidan is already on the deck, and he holds out a hand to steady her. Shepard grasps it and hops down, and for a moment his hands settle on her waist to catch her. It's not a big drop to the ground, but the other week Tali had been a little clumsy and face-planted out of it. He's just being polite but Shepard's heart races at the contact.
"Thanks, LT." She murmurs, remembering Ash's advice.
Kaidan looks startled for a moment, catching her eyes. Shepard thinks that maybe a little bit of pink suffuses his dusky cheeks. "Um...you're, ah, welcome Commander."
Coming around from the other side of the vehicle, Ash gives Shepard a big grin and a thumbs-up. The motion catches Kaidan's eye, "What?" he says, looking at the Gunnery Chief confusedly.
Ash smiles innocently. "What, sir?"
Shepard walks off to the showers; she has to bite her lip to stop the shit-eating grin threatening to break across her face from inviting questions from the crew.
Kaidan questions Ash curiously again, and Shepard can just hear Ash's retort of: "I'll tell you one day, LT. When you're old and grey and I'm forever awesome and hot and still giving great advice."