Garrus was sitting on Mia's tiny, uncomfortable couch, scrolling through a datapad while his best friend showered, getting ready for her dinner with Kaidan.
After Feros, Mia hadn't spoken to anyone on the ship. She'd taken an hour long shower, blasting music as loud as her omnitool would allow without distortion. No one tried to interrupt her after she'd brushed off Kaidan. Except Garrus. After the first thirty minutes he swung by the bathroom to check and see if she was still there. He'd hacked her omnitool, pausing her music long enough for her to confirm she was alive. He'd waited outside the door for her to finish, going over reports on a datapad while he listened for her.
She'd been more upset than he'd probably ever seen her, and that was saying something. He knew she was upset because she wasn't crying. She was doing her best to fill her time and think about anything other than people. Garrus understood the desire, but he also knew she needed the people she was avoiding.
Which is why Garrus was sitting on her tiny couch in her apartment on the Citadel. For some reason, he was the only one she wasn't pushing away. And he knew she needed him right now. He still hadn't gotten her to talk about the debrief. He figured she'd come to him, when she was ready.
Garrus glanced up, then sat his datapad down on the arm of the couch as Mia came into the living area, towel drying her hair. She was wearing sweatpants and a sports bra, her usual work-out attire, and Garrus frowned.
"Thought you were getting ready for your date?" Garrus asked skeptically.
"Would I be horrible if I canceled on him?" Mia asked, plopping down on the couch beside Garrus after pulling on her N7 sweat jacket and zipping it up halfway. The turian turned to look at the smaller human bemusedly. He was always so surprised by how much smaller she was when she wasn't wearing her hard suit.
"A little rude, maybe. You're supposed to be there in two hours. What's up?" He asked, frowning at her.
"I just… don't want to be around people right now. Too many emotions." She said, clunking her head back against the headrest and throwing an arm over her eyes.
"So glad I'm not a person," Garrus chuckled.
"No, you're not people ." Mia corrected, glancing over at him from under her arm. "You're my person, which is why you have the right to sit on my couch. You should feel honored." She said dryly.
"Honored?" Garrus asked. He did feel honored that Mia wanted him there. She was going through a lot, and being the only person who could help her when she wanted to shut out the world… Garrus understood why John fell so hard for Liara.
Wait, he wasn't falling for Mia. She was just his best friend, his battle buddy. Right? He looked down at her just as she lifted her arm off of her face, some of her wet hair clinging to her forehead. He caught himself smiling at her just a second too late.
"What?" She asked, her expression caught halfway between a smile and a frown.
"Nothing, just… feeling honored," He teased. "Anyway, you're avoiding the question. You don't want to be around people. So if I'm not people, why is Kaidan?" he asked genuinely.
"It's- I… it's not that easy," Mia grumbled, her eyes darting away from Garrus's.
"What's not?" Garrus asked, shifting his body so he was facing her, his arm draping over the back of the couch behind her.
"You make me feel… safe." She explained slowly. "Like I can let my guard down because I know you've got me. You'll catch me when I fall, I know that. With Kaidan…"
"You don't know that?" Garrus asked. His frown deepened when she withdrew into herself a bit, hugging herself. "Hey there, what's going on?"
"He's already let me fall once, Garrus." She whispered. "I don't know if I can… if I can do this."
"What's 'this'? The date, or being with him?" Garrus asked for clarity. He wanted to know for himself just as much as he was trying to help her get her thoughts in order. He'd done this with her a few times before, and prompting her when she wasn't making much sense seemed to be the easiest way to get sense out of her. He internally chuckled at the thought of his C-Sec training being applicable to a human's dating life.
"It's not just Kaidan," Mia sighed, shaking her head. "It's like… sometimes I feel like there's something out there, some external… force determined to make sure I… die alone, or something. There's been so many close calls, I've lost so many people… I'm sort of starting to believe it."
"What do you mean?" Garrus asked, frowning.
"Maybe I've read too much Lovecraft, but it's the same feeling I get. Something's watching me and actively trying to kill me. Worse, it… makes me afraid to get close to people. Like being associated with me is a death sentence for them. It's like I'm not allowed to just live and be happy. And with the weirdness on Noveria, and the glowing eyes thing… I don't know what's going on with me, Garrus, but I don't want to drag other people into it." She shook her head. "And the only people I've tried to drag into it have told me I'm crazy. I'm worried they might be right," she sighed.
"No, you're not." Garrus said, watching her face carefully. "It's not crazy to catastrophize after you've been through countless catastrophes. At this point, it probably feels like pattern recognition. But I will tell you this: people care about you. And if there is some cosmic entity out to ruin your life, I've got some bad news for it. I'm not going to let it." Mia cracked a smile at that and he knew he was getting somewhere.
"You're going to tell some Great Old One or some shit 'no'?" she asked incredulously.
"Absolutely," he told her with a smile, relaxing and not remembering to control his subvocals. He was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to pick up on the admiration in his tone. If she did, he could always write it off as respect, right? "You're my human. It's just gonna have to play nice or learn the hard way that I won't."
"As sweet as that is, Garrus, what could you even do?" She asked, looking up into his eyes. A playful light danced behind her green eyes and he had to remind himself to focus on his words instead of watching her.
"I'm honestly not sure." Garrus admitted. "I don't know what's going on with you, either, but I don't want you to face this alone. All I know is this: you're not crazy, something is happening, and I'm gonna be right beside you the whole way while we figure it out." he told her, then shrugged. "For whatever that's worth."
"This is why you're not people," Mia murmured, a small smile finally coming to her lips.
"You need to talk to Kaidan about this, Mia. Have you actually had a conversation with the man since Luna?" he asked her.
"No," she said, darkly. "The dinner invite was an email. I haven't talked to him outside the comm room. He tried, that was… that was on me," She admitted. "I just couldn't deal with it in public like that." Garrus understood her hesitation with this date now. The gears clicked into place and he nodded once, turning to open his omnitool and send a quick message.
"What are you doing?" Mia asked, sitting up to look at his screen, though he turned away from her just as he hit send and closed his omnitool.
"Being your wingman," He told her, turning back to Mia. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"What-?"
"You don't want to be in public. You want to feel safe, right? That's the only way this conversation is going to go how you need it to, unless I've misread everything you've told me." Garrus said, smiling down at his friend.
"No, that's pretty spot on. Your point?" Mia asked, arching a brow at him.
"My point is Kaidan will be here with-" Garrus checked the message that just came through on his omnitool, "Do you want pizza or wings?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Wait, he's just- you told him to-" Mia fumbled, frowning at the ground while trying to process what was happening.
"Both, got it," Garrus said, turning back to his omnitool to respond to Kaidan.
"You told him to come here? " Mia asked, finally able to process her words.
"Sure did. Any decent gentleman would pick you up anyway, right? It's one date, Mia. It's a meal and a talk. If you still feel like this afterwards… you don't have to pursue anything with him. But you need to talk to him. Give him the chance to apologize. John did." He pointed out.
Mia let her head fall back against the headrest, letting out a frustrated groan that was just cute enough to make Garrus laugh.
"Fucking fine, you have a point . It's free food and a conversation." Mia agreed, closing her eyes and letting herself relax a little. "When's he supposed to be here?"
Garrus chuckled as he checked his messages and sent one last message back.
"Fifteen minutes," He told her, anticipating her freakout.
"Fifteen- I'm not even dressed or anything!" Mia said, getting to her feet frantically.
"Really? Those look like clothes to me." Garrus chuckled, arching a brow at her.
"Not- not date appropriate clothes," She scoffed.
"According to who?" Garrus challenged.
"Human media! All of our movies and songs talk about how the first date needs to be perfect, dinner and a movie, dress up, go out. I can't just…" Mia paused when Garrus pulled his omnitool up again and then her own dinged as he sent her something. She pulled it up and opened the new email.
"Did you just send me a copy of The Notebook ?" Mia deadpanned.
"It's the salarian reboot from a few years ago. I don't know if you've seen it but one of my old C-Sec colleagues swore by it for date nights. Sent a copy to everyone on the email chain. Humans write a damn good story, but nothing beats salarian acting," He explained. "So, dinner and a movie. One meal and a conversation. You can do that, Mia."
"Why does it feel like you're hyping me up for a mission?" Mia groaned.
"Because it's working," Garrus laughed and Mia threw him an accusatory glance. A knock came at the door and Garrus got to his feet, smiling down at a panicking Mia. "Guess the food didn't take that long. I'll get out of your hair. If you need me, I'm only a message away, alright?" Garrus told her.
"Thank you for everything," She said, standing and hugging the man. "I don't deserve a friend like you."
"Yeah, you do." Garrus murmured as he hugged her back. "Come on, let's not keep the man waiting." He pulled away from her and tried not to look into her eyes. He wanted this for her. Kaidan could be good for her, with the right help from a few friends. And all Garrus wanted was to give this woman a reason to be happy.
He opened the door to see Kaidan standing there with two boxes of food stacked in one hand and a bouquet of exotic-looking lilies in the other. He smiled at the man, giving him an approving nod.
"Good to see you, Kaidan." Garrus told the man.
"You too, Garrus," Kaidan said, glancing behind the man to see Mia standing there. Garrus watched the man's face for a moment. He only had eyes for Mia. Garrus couldn't blame him.
"You kids have fun, now," He told them before switching places with Kaidan and heading out. He'd had plans to meet up with John at some bar he'd been talking about while Mia and Kaidan were at dinner. He just hoped the night went well for everyone.
Kaidan Alenko Mia Shepard's Apartment, The Citadel 1900 hours "I really want to stay at your house." -Rosa Walton & Hallie Coggins
Kaidan's heart had been racing since he got the message from Garrus. He was in her apartment? He was glad that she had him to turn to, but it rubbed him the wrong way that Garrus changed his plans on him like that. He'd wanted to take Mia to a nice place on the Presidium, really help her feel special.
But then he really thought about Garrus's words. Mia didn't feel safe, and Garrus was concerned enough that he gave Kaidan a heads up. And then Kaidan realized that Garrus was playing wingman on both sides when he told him to grab pizza and wings. He was still insanely nervous. He felt like he was going into a mission with no intel.
And then he met her eyes, standing behind Garrus, and everything stopped. He'd been right, she was in her work out clothes. He tried not to stare at her too much, but seeing her freshly showered in the comfort of her home was… intimate. It was everything he wanted. Suddenly, he found himself silently thanking Garrus and glad that he'd decided to wear an Alliance hoodie and cargo pants. Casual was nice.
The turian left quietly and then they were alone. Kaidan stood awkwardly outside for a moment, smiling at her shyly.
"Hey," he said softly.
"Hey," She said, smiling up at him. Mia was the shortest member of the ground team, and though Kaidan himself was only six foot tall, he thought it was cute that she had to look up at him when they were this close. "Come in," She said, biting her lip after a moment of watching him.
"Oh, thanks." Kaidan said, coming into the apartment and pulling the door closed behind him. He held out the boxes in his hand. "I brought food?" he said, and then remembered the flowers in his other hand and extended them. "And these are for you," He said, smiling sheepishly. Mia smiled, taking the flowers from him and smelling them. She set them down on the counter in the kitchen, and Kaidan made a mental note to get a bouquet with a vase next time.
"I, um. I've got the salarian reboot of The Notebook . I know it's kinda of a chick flick-"
"No way, the lead actor makes that movie. You must not have seen the reboot." Kaidan relaxed a little, moving over to the couch and setting down the food on the coffee table.
"I haven't. Watched the human one a few years ago after I tracked down an old DVD player." She admitted, moving over to sit down on the couch.
"You have a DVD player?" Kaidan asked, incredulously, sitting beside her.
"Yeah, I love old Earth tech. Tracked it down at an antique shop on Jump Zero. I have a small collection of DVDs and an old television that still works with it." Mia told him sheepishly.
"Then why are we even considering the reboot? I'd love to watch the original with you." He told her, watching Mia's face light up.
"Really? That's- okay, that'd be great. It's set up in my bedroom, maybe we eat, talk, then… see where things go?" She asked, and he saw the hesitancy in her face. He smiled at her reassuringly.
"Of course, I'm just happy to be here," He told her, standing up and moving to her small kitchen. "Plates?" he asked.
"Beside the sink," She answered, watching him carefully. Kaidan moved about her kitchen, getting plates for both of them. "There's drinks in the fridge. Probably just sparkling water or juice, though. Sorry, not had much time to go to the store."
"You say as if I don't know exactly where you've been," Kaidan teased.
"I missed you," She said at once, and Kaidan turned to look at her with a little frown.
"What do you mean? I haven't gone anywhere," Kaidan said.
"Maybe not physically," She admitted, and the look on her face when she looked down was enough for him to return to the couch, placing the plates in his hand on top of the forgotten food boxes and sitting on the couch next to her.
"You talking about Noveria?" he murmured sitting on the edge of the couch, his arms braced on his knees with his hands clasped.
"Yeah," She nodded, not looking at him.
"I'm sorry about that," He told her genuinely. "I… talked to John. Asked him to take me off the ground team to give you space. I didn't mean to make you feel worse, Amelia. I- I've been so scared I messed this up before I even had a chance to get it started."
"You had my back after Feros, though," She admitted. "What changed?" She asked, looking over at him.
"I realized I was a dumbass who was hurting the girl I cared about." Kaidan said honestly. "John helped, a little. Helped me understand what I wanted in life."
"And what's that?" Mia asked, turning to face him. Kaidan took a deep breath, taking in her features for a moment. He brought his fingers up to trace her jaw bone, his hand resting on her neck while his thumb stroked her cheek.
"I want to walk you home from the bar on shore leave. Listen to music under the stars for hours with you. I want to buy you a house on Earth, give you a home. I know, that sounds crazy-" Kaidan was cut off when Mia leaned forward, pressing her lips against his. He gasped, but quickly returned the kiss, letting his hands slip to her waist. Her kiss was warm, sweet, and agonizingly short. When she pulled away, she looked up into his eyes, and he saw her eyes glowing, a dim light in her eyes. That had to just be the light, right?
"That was… unexpected," He chuckled, brushing some hair off her forehead.
"I could say the same to you, Kaidan Alenko." She countered. "So you don't think I'm crazy?"
"There's something going on with you, Mia. Trying to deny that is like denying the wind. What's going on with you doesn't matter as much as the fact that I trust you. With my life. And I'd like you to be able to trust me with yours." He told her honestly. Kaidan thought Mia was sick, much like John did. But he wanted her to get better, believing that she could overcome her mental illness and be a better soldier for it. He wanted to help her get there.
Mia's hand came up to graze over his cheek, her hand feeling smooth against his five o'clock shadow. Kaidan leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers.
"I do," Mia told him, and Kaidan's heart soared. He'd been worried he'd lost her trust for almost a week. "I trust you with my life. Thank you for believing me." She told him, laying her head on his chest. He held her tightly and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"So I normally don't like eating in bed but I think I could make an exception for a pretty girl, some pizza, and a DVD copy of The Notebook. " Kaidan suggested.
"Do you really want to watch that movie? I have Saving Private Ryan , too." She chuckled, and the relief on Kaidan's face must have been obvious because she giggled.
"God, yes." He said with a laugh. "I'd watch anything with you, but one of those movies is just objectively better." He told her.
"Come on, Lt. Commander," Mia teased, getting to her feet and holding out a hand to lead him to the bedroom. "It's a long movie."