A twanged muscle complained as sleep released me from its hold, although that wasn't what kept me awake. A strange tingling sensation danced along my skin, feather light pin pricks that stopped me from dozing off again. It wasn't unpleasant but was still uncomfortable. My eyes fluttered open, wincing at the orange light from the alarm clock. The alarm clock blinked 7:52am, my face burrowing into the pillow. Moaning, my eyes squeezed shut. Dammit, just when I thought my body was used to waking up early. For the first time in months, I overslept slept. My body rolled over, wincing as a sharp pain snapped up my thighs. Great, what was that complaining about? My hands rubbed my eyes, a heavy sigh slipping free. Something captured my gaze towards the window, a shadow on the right side of the bed. Every muscle froze. Val dozed beside me, one arm sprawled over his head. My jaw floundered open, brain working overtime. Pillow fluff stick to the points of his crest, matching the tears on the pillows around him. One pillow was torn to shreds. My sleepiness faded, the previous evening replaying in detail. My body chilled, eyes bugging to the size of plates. We started on the sofa, a frenzy of sensations and emotions, the sofa was narrow though, so he hauled me up in his arms to the bed. My clothes – and Val's – lay strewn over the sofa and coffee table. Air stalled in my chest.
My head lowered back against the pillows, afraid of waking him. Seconds later, my hands ran through my hair, butterflies raging in my stomach. Ok, I could deal with this, find a way to squirm free… oh fuck, what do I do?! After returning to Starquake after all the BS that happened before, my mind was in meltdown. Reorganisation of the funds, going over the requisitions and worrying about the message from… I fucked Val. Oh fuck, I slept with Val. We knew each other, worked with each other for ages, took comfort in each other's company. What was I thinking?! We were different amino-acid types and don't get me started on skin-textures- My heart crashed into my ribs, jarring me. Ok, breathe, calm down and think with a calm head. My hands slid down to cover my eyes. How do you damage control without hurting someone's feelings? How did Val feel about me? This shouldn't have happened, I should have waited to give Val's his markings! A few days, a week, Christmas. Dammit, there were so many other opportunities to do it, why did I do it when my head wasn't in a good place?
"I hope I'm the reason for that thundering heart," Val murmured, stirring himself awake. Every muscle froze, aching. My eyes twitched in his direction, watching as he rolled into his belly and propped himself up, leaning on his elbows. "Although, judging by your expression, it's not for a good reason,"
"W-What? No, no, I'm just… everywhere right now," I said, coughing out a feeble laugh to mask the anxiety crawling over me like an army of ants. Val's expression flattened, not fooled by the feeble attempt.
"Was it that terrible?" he asked. My jaw floundered, mind in meltdown.
"No! No, oh God, it was fantastic! Val, it the best sex I've had. Well, I've only done it 3 times but that's beyond the point! It's nothing like that, I swear, I'm just… trying… I'm…" I said, words faulting as his expression refused to change. A pathetic whimper won over me, burying my face into my hands, wanting to curl into a ball. Val watched me, calculating his next move.
"Do you regret sleeping with me?" he asked. My heart stopped, worst fears flashing before me.
"No!" I cried. A second passed, Val blinking with an unmovable expression. "Ah, I guess? …no!" I added with more fire. With one hand tangled in my hair, my shoulders slumped. "Both," I said, surrendering. Val remained unmoved. Oh why did everything go wrong with me?
"Alright, let's take a step back" he said as twisted, sitting on the mattress. My usual pride burrowed itself, not bothering to cover myself, my brain going Chernobyl. "Why are you freaking out if it isn't regret? You weren't drunk were you?" he asked. The creases in the duvet held my gaze, pleading it would make everything go away.
"No, no, I wasn't drinking. Dammit, I don't drink unless Mat'al gives me the look," I said. "I… I should have waited. I mean I have so much going on I needed…" I said, the words tumbling before my voice failed. Val furrowed his plates.
"From the top; what's wrong?" Val asked. I stared at him, one hand forever tangled in my fiery mane. A faint moan trembled in my throat.
"My head was everywhere last night… is everywhere. I'm stressed, anxious, freaking out and I needed to stop thinking about… everything. I thought by giving your present now, it'll give me time to calm down and distract myself for a while. But I had to convince you to let me near your face without letting you know, it ruins the surprise otherwise. Everything was great but when you kissed me, it… it broke what little control I had. Some stupid part of me made this crazy idea and I couldn't stop myself. I was desperate for… I don't even know!" the words tumbled out, tears swelling in my throat. Val stayed quiet, watching me flail and dig myself deeper into a hole. He shuffled closer, wrapping an arm over my shoulders, a talon rubbing my upper arm. My whole body shook.
"Dell, take a nice deep breath in," he said, keeping his voice soft. "What do you mean? I'm knew the Council wasn't playing nice but they've never pushed you like this," My body trembled in his grip yet a few words away from slumping into a puddle of gloop.
"After we got back to the Starquake to get everything sorted for take-off, I… I got a message from Child Services," I said. Val fell still, his finger froze. "They know of the attempted boarding and they consider Gideon to be in a dangerous environment and want to pass him onto to someone who… who won't keep him in such…" my voice died. Val's hand tightened a touch.
"But you've adopted him," Val said, confused. My head shook, desperate to wake up from… whatever this was.
"I've for a 2 year probation period due to my occupation and current abode. They can take him away at any point in time if they think I am not taking care of him or not ensuring he is safe," My voice strained, hair flying as unsettled hands tossed the red strands, emotions resurfacing even after a wild night in bed. "With the whole attempted boarding, Gideon stealing and piloting the ship, dealing with the Council and trying to get things organised because of that, I… I couldn't think.
"I did some of research. The only thing that can stop them taking Gideon from me is to have a registered guardian, someone who can take him if something happens. But because I caused such a fuss when getting him signed off, they will only accept family guardians. They hate me for threatening them, the bitch who fostered Gideon despises me and is looking for any excuse to get Gideon away from me. For God sake, she works for the bloody service, any tiny mistake and she'll learn about it. They think I have no other family so this is their way of getting back at me! I can't put Julian down because the Council would learn about him and he's the only family I've got. Even then, if I'm ordered to give Gideon to Julian for care, regardless for how long, Gideon would hate me!" I said, a small sob breaking loose, hands covering my shamed tears. Val's hand dropped to my hip, pulling me closer. "The only way I can get a guardian for Gideon that Child Services and Gideon will accept is a… a partner. I was so worked up last night and I wanted to distract myself, I wanted to get at least this crap off my chest. I tried combat simulators but they only made it worse,"
"Hint the music," Val said. A shaken nod dislodged more tears.
"Then you kissed me and I… I dunno, my brain just… I don't even know!" I cried, hands reaching for clumps of hair, doubling over as my mind refused to even argue with itself. Val raised a hand, teasing strands of hair free from my clutching fingers.
"Your stressed, emotional brain thought 'Oh, here's a nice guy who's interested. And Gideon likes him. Maybe this might work out'," Val said, a grin rising on his face. A stubborn block of anxiety freed itself with a surprised cough, just enough to smile.
"Something like that, yeah," I said. Val chuckled.
"You are such a mother," he said, murmuring against my ear. My brows dropped, frown pinned in place. "I don't know how likely that they'd accept a new boyfriend as a guardian but if they'll take it, go for it. And it makes you feel better," My scowl faded.
"Really?" I asked. Val wrapped his arms around me, dropping us back down on the pillows with a thud.
"Dell, if anything happens to you, I'll watch him," Val said. A hard lump rose, smashing against anxiety. In a second, my lips smashed against his, unable to think of anything else. Tension eased, muscles heaving in relief. He purred. "Now, with your fears tended to I believe, little madam, you owe me an apology," he hummed, grinning over me. My frown returned.
"About?" I asked.
"I recall a certain someone insulted my ability to face paint in the past," he said. My cheeks flushed, the fire in my heart stoked. "Not so easy now, is it?" he teased.
"…I'm not apologising," I said. He laughed. He leant down for a second kiss. A moan creeped from my throat. A whoosh sounded from the door, my heart stopping.
"Dellion, Dellion! You're sleeping in-" Indira's voice shrilled, freezing mid-sentence. The thundering feet stopped dead. Val and I snapped our heads around, Indira frozen mid-step, an arm held high above her head with her mouth agape. No one moved, no one dared breathe, gawking at the scenes before us. Blood pooled in my toes, a tremor shaking me. Indira shook once, loosening her control. I pointed a stern finger at her.
"Indira. Do not move. Do not speak," I ordered, throwing every ounce of authority in my voice. All the while, my hand slid the duvet over my chest. Val blocked most of the view, but one could never be too careful. The quaking only worsened. "Indira," I said, forcing a hardness to hold the girl in place. Val eased off of me. It cracked the woman.
"DELL AND VAL ARE SLEEPING TOGETHER!" she screeched, tearing out the room at breakneck speed.
My face froze, mind in meltdown as she thundered her words, her mantra of embarrassment, before diving into the engineering tunnels. Shouting after her wouldn't help, neither would cursing her name. Hell, even chasing her was pointless, I was in no dressed condition to chase her. It took a moment for the horror to pass, paralysed as my brain stuttered and failed. Faint echoes danced from the vents. My teeth nipped my knuckles, turning to Val as his face burrowed in the pillow. Well this could have gone better…
"I'm not leaving," Val said, muffled by the pillow. A sour snort answered.
"I'm not going out there alone!" I said. Val moaned.
We didn't have time. My combat mind kicked into overdrive. How long would it be before Raisha or Mat'al poked their noses in for curiosity's sake? But with Lanster on the cameras… a slow breath steadied myself. Seconds later, I bolted into the chill, rushing to the door to lock it. My heart calmed when the red hologram vanished. Next the cameras, mu omni-tool and captain codes shutting down all feeds to the cockpit. With that sorted, tension creeped out of my bones even if my mind whirled. Did I miss anything that would buy us some time? My head shook, wild hair tossing before stepping to the upper tier. Clothes lay strewn around the room, requiring a good wrangling to sort them out and dump them into piles on the floor. At least the mirror wasn't broken, thank God for new technology. I didn't need 7 years bad luck on top of this. Something trailed over me, a quick glance finding a pair of emerald coloured eyes following my progress. My back straightened, dropping a hip as my hands found my hips.
"Are you enjoying the view?" I asked, sweeping my arm over my stark, naked body. Val grinned.
"Maybe," he said. The flush warmed my cheeks, but his grin vanished under the pile of clothes falling over his head.
"I'm going for a shower. The mirror is there if you want to tidy up the markings," I said, ruffling my tangled hair.
Gushing water settled my mind, a soothing trickle of water clearing the haze. My skin still tingled from last night, although my thighs burned with every step. A blush burned my cheeks. My head shook, moving away from my control failure last night and accepted my will was weaker than I thought… under the right hands. But how would Gideon react to all of this? A quiet groan drowned in the smacking water. No, his reaction couldn't be worse than the disaster waiting downstairs. The whole crew knew by now, no thanks to Indira, and through the years of working with these people, they took any and every opportunity to make my life hell. This is a giant cake delivered on a golden platter. The water shut off, head shaking the last droplets off. How best to get out of this situation with my pride intact?
My hand grabbed a tub of deep skin moisturiser to take the burn from my thighs before leaving with a towel wrapped around my chest. Mar was bouncing with the usual barrage of messages waiting for attention. My hand batted the drone away. Work could wait until I defused the bomb growing downstairs. Back on the upper tier, the draws slid open, eyes trailing out the corner of my eyes. Val smoothed out a curve on his fringe, eyes flicking between mirror and me as he followed my progress. Well, if he wanted to make a mistake, that was his fault. A fresh uniform pulled out of the drawer before my hip closed it. My mind ran rampant, an image of a runaway line smeared across Val's face.
"I hope you have a plan," he said as the white undershirt slid over my head. My lips pressed together. "The crew will love this,"
"I've got a plan," I sighed. "Not that either of us will enjoy it," Val groaned as he turned his head, checking the markings. A tub lid snapped closed behind me. A flurry of fire ran through my bloodstream. Ok, so he knew a thing or two about face painting…
"Right then, I'll get changed before we… throw down the gauntlet?" he said, scratching the back of his head as he pulled his clothes on, wondering if he used the right phrase. He waited until the door unlocked, poking his head out before sprinting into the next room, locking the door after him.
My head shook, returning to the mirror to check everything sat in place. After this morning, my preened appearance wouldn't be the same for the rest of the day. Mar bounced in my face once more, reminding me of the incoming messages, but he flew across the room to avoid my shoving hands. Val would need time, time to stew over what awaited us downstairs. After about 20 minutes, the door parted, revealing an empty hallway, a pin-drop sounding like thunder. My back pressed into the wall, waiting for Val to emerge. The turian emerged 5 minutes later. He clicked his mandibles, now decked in fresh casual uniform. Part of me wished for armour. The dead man's walk to the elevator drove blood to my toes. The elevator ride took longer to my tortured mind. Nerves tingled until my toes bounced. The elevator doors opened, yet an empty hall waited. My weight shuffled, the nerves biting harder as footfalls echoed down the quiet, empty hall, moving towards the bridge. Val clicked his mandibles in a repetitive manner, shoulders too tense. Just before the doors parted in the bridge, a quiet hum hushed, noting our approach. So this was where everyone was.
"Your plan?" Val asked.
"Let me do the talking," I said.
The bridge doors parted, the smirking crew waiting in two huddled crowds, ending in a dead end of people. Funnelling us towards our doom. The atmosphere danced, electrified, but no one moved or spoke. Val and I took several steps between the canyon of people before stopping in the middle, the crowd closing in behind us. Val followed my lead. My eyes scanned the faces around me before the weight of their stares collapsed my shoulders.
"Alright, get it out of your system," I said. Val gagged.
"That's your pla-!" he squeaked.
His voice died in the resulting thunder. Even my shriek faded into the roar when Indira tackled me from behind, spinning me until my eyes danced. From the corner of my eye, Lanster held Val in a headlock, but he disappeared from view by the smothering of bodies. Rugged shakes on the shoulder, borderline painful pats to the back and a few ruffles to mess my neat hair up soon followed, all the while fighting to hear words through the incomprehensible din. A few 'congratulations' and 'how was it?' jumped out but the rest died. Unfortunately for them, they would not get a single word from me. I don't kiss and tell. My legs fought for stable footing, impossible with the mass of bodies around me. Val's surprised squeak and cursing roared over the noise, my eyes flying skywards. Val flailed in the air above our heads before crashing down into the bodies. Seconds later, he flailed in the air once more. Any attempt to laugh died after a bear hug from Utren and Shaul, crushing my lungs and reminding me of the pain tormenting you. They then played rancid varren… with me. My screams pitched through the din, the pair demanding details. They got curses instead. Marruns burst out laughing, his entertainment igniting my fury.
Ten minutes passed, ten minutes of sheer chaos before people calmed. My hair stuck in wild coronal loops, a train wreck of frizzles. Val swayed, dizzy as turians laughed behind him, poking at his markings. The only people not joining in this little chaos spree was Sitoln, Iona, Raisha, Mat'al, Seth, Drutus and Anthon. My hands combed through my hair, trying to tame what little pride I had left. Val and I crashed together through forceful shoves, a quiet prayer flying that his size was a larger target than me. My face felt tomato red, worsening my stung pride.
"Are you done?" I asked, my voice struggling to recover.
"Nearly," Indira said, mischief in her voice. She laughed at my groan.
"Well, congratulations, Captain, Commander. I wish you both the best," Drutus added, unfazed by the racket. My cheeks reddened more.
"Thank you," I said.
"Love the new markings, Val, although, Dell," Lanster said, throwing on a feigned stern tone. "Making up a random marking will not make you any friends in the Turian Hierarchy,"
"Just as well I got it registered then," I said. Lanster grinned.
"So, is this a thing then?" Anthon asked, dancing his finger between the pair of us. The blush gave me third degree burns. Val wasn't much better, glowing purple through his copper skin.
"I suppose it is, yes," I said. It began another roar, no kidnapping this time though, thank God. "If you are all finished," My captain's voice thundered on, it settled the crew but the grins and sneers refused to fade. "We've got work to do. Get to it!" I snapped, clapping my hands. The crew disappeared, sniggering. Drutus, Iona and Sitoln left without a sound. Seth grumbled something as he stomped out. Mat'al smirked as he watched me throw myself into the captain's chair.
"I hope this won't cause any… distractions," he said, eyes trailing over Val. Mat'al ignored my scowl.
"Only if you make a fuss," I said. He chuckled. Indira bounced around the Control Ring, squealing.
"I thought Val was going for Searte!" she said. "I thought he preferred asari!" Val frowned.
"Piss off," he grumbled. My head shook, eyes trailing over the crew, mind shifting back into work mode. This would be a long, long day.
"Mum," Gideon called. Every muscle jumped, eyes flying over my shoulder as Gideon trotted into the Control Ring, a wide smirk on his grin. "You're redeemed,"
"I'm sorry?" I asked.
"After that stupid date yesterday, I thought you were a lost cause. I'm glad to see you saw sense. Might need to 'borrow' the Starquake more often," he said, grin rising higher. My brows snapped down.
"Don't you even think about it you little bastard! …Wait how… how do you know what happened last night?" I asked. Gideon rolled his eyes.
"How innocent do you think I am, mum?" he asked. My jaw dropped. "Hey Cops, does this mean I can call you dad?" he asked, smirk rising as his hands cupped his hips as he stared up at the turian. Val snorted, taken aback.
"No. But then again, your mother has given me permission to do this," he said, yanking on Gideon's ear. The boy wailed and flailed under his grip, crying 'so not fair!'. Val grinned as he released him, watching the boy scurry away to put me between the pair. My hands covered my reddening face. Gideon needed mind bleach. It wouldn't stop his mischief though.
"So, did you plan this then?" Gideon's asked, recovering from his pecking order reminder. "Were you tricking everyone into thinking you were interested in the salarian?" My lips pulled down, but Mat'al's raised brows from my peripheral vision didn't go unnoticed.
"No, I didn't," I sighed, leaning against the back of the chair. "Look, I wanted to give Val his now belated birthday present, but I wanted to surprise him. Saere told me she tried face massages back when he was first injured and it seemed to be the only way to put the markings on his face without letting him know. Trust me, I was just as surprised as you. Blame Val," Val grinned above my head.
"Really," Gideon said, drawling his words. "You thought nothing would happen?" A fire burned in my chest.
"No I didn't and you can piss off now," I snapped. Gideon laughed.
"You've got a few missed calls, by the way. Marshal's going crazy," Gideon said. My head shook, reminded of the work ahead of me. My omni-tool lit up, marking the 3 missed calls. One was from Julian, two from the same number, but it wasn't a number I recognised. My back leaned into the chair the call connected, clucking my tongue as a screen hovered between the gap in the Control Ring computer banks. The sound of cheers deafened me when it connected, attracting the immediate attention of everyone in and around the bridge. My jaw dropped, lips turned down. The Normandy crew cheered on the screen, party poppers spewing in the air, Garrus blowing on a party blowout, Tali – wow, when was the last time I saw her? – carried a noise maker above her head and streamers coating the dozen people on the screen. In the back hung a made banner. 'Happy Getting Laid Day. Love, Normandy'.
"Look at the face!" Shepard roared, buckling under his laughter, pointing to the camera. "Oh my God, I want that in a frame! This is being recorded right? EDI, c'mon, tell me it is being recorded!"
"You requested that I do so, Shepard," the AI said. Shepard thundered in joy, fists in the air.
My finger ended the call, every other part of my body frozen. The noise died. My mouth closed with effort, turning to face Indira as she hovered just outside the Control Ring. She stood, a petrified statue, only moving her eyes, expression braced for an explosion in an uneasy smile.
"Indira. Who did you tell?" I asked, struggling to control my voice. Indira flushed.
"Um… well, I uh… sent a message around your um… your contact list?" Indira finished in a high pitch note. My eyebrows dropped with the corners of my mouth.
The omni-tool held my attention once more, opening the barrage of messages now barricading my inbox. One from Satrino started with a sharp 'HA' and finishing on a 'Grats on getting laid'. Another from Councillor Tevos congratulated me on my new relationship status but questioned why my commander felt the need to tell her and the other Councillors in separate messages, let alone at all. A third from Julian said 'We need to talk'. My eyes raised to Indira once more. Her lopsided smile weakened.
"I'm going to kill you," I managed, rage blinding me. "I'm going to butcher you like a fucking pig!" I roared, launching from my chair. Indira squealed and bolted away. "Julian! You had to fucking tell him! And Shepard!"
"But I was so happy for you!" Indira wailed as she dived out of the bridge. My feet pounded 2 steps behind her.
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT BETTER!" I screeched. A long day? Fuck that. This is going to be a long, long week.
The Fact Sheet has been updated for this chapter. Please see profile for link to Archive.