Chapter Text
The morning's light softly fell onto Kaidan’s face in a quiet wake up call. Its bright rays touched his eyes and dragged him from the half-sleep he was peacefully enjoying. As he pulled his eyelids back he saw the soft light illuminate the bedroom in pale yellows and whites. He glanced over to the clock by the bed and saw it was 6:48 am, he’d slept in. With a small groan, Kaidan turned over onto his back and noticed the other half of the bed empty.
With a huff, he pulled himself into a sitting position and surveyed the room. There wasn’t much in it besides a bed, a dresser, some framed photos, a door to a bathroom, and a big monitor that almost exclusively played Blasto. Though at the moment, it was missing a particular commander who was likely already going about his day. So Kaidan pulled himself from the warm sheets and began his morning routine. He went to the bathroom, took a quick shower, brushed his teeth, thought about shaving, decided it could wait, styled his hair, thought about shaving again, decided it was fine for today, and threw on a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt. Then he made his way down the stairs.
As he got to the first floor, the muffled sound of laughter could be heard. When he rounded the corner into the living room, from beyond the glass back doors, Kaidan saw the wagging tail of a happy dog jumping back and forth as a smiling Shepard held a red ball. The commander was wearing a thick sweatshirt with a faded Blasto logo and worn blue jeans tucked into a pair of Alliance issued boots. On top of his shaved head was a black beanie with an N7 logo on the side. The air was starting to get cold in Vancouver and the wind off the English Bay made the mornings brisk. It wouldn’t be long now till gloves and winter coats came out of storage. Their dog, Normandy, ran happily after the red projectile as Shepard sent it across their yard. The little German shepherd caught it mid-air like she always did and the bundled commander gave cheers of encouragement.
Kaidan smiled at the lively scene as he made his way over to the kitchen for the coffee maker. This was often how their mornings went, Shepard would wake up around 5 am and get ready for the day. After that, he’d head down stares and start the coffee while catching up on the long list of extranet mail that always accumulated overnight. Once that became too much, Shepard usually worked on whichever model ship he was currently putting together. Right now it was a model of the Hammerhead, courtesy of Cortez. He’d occupy himself with that until either Normandy wanted to play or Kaidan came downstairs. Usually, Kaidan wouldn’t be too far behind, only a half-hour or so, but they’d been up late last night bingeing extranet vids and catching up on messages from across the galaxy.
As Kaidan made his way into their kitchen, he saw a hot cup of coffee sitting on the counter with a lid. A small note with his name written on it and a bunch of poorly drawn hearts sat beside it. He took the lid off and the bitter smell of roasted beans filled the space around him. He smiled down into the light hazel color and took a small sip. It was still piping hot and Shepard had made it just how he liked it, a little milk and no sugar. The bitter mixture warmed him and shook the last traces of sleep from his mind. As he enjoyed his morning drink, he heard the back door open and the sound of paws tapping across the floor.
Suddenly, Normandy was at his feet pushing her body against his legs as her tail whipped back and forth with her ball in her mouth, “Morning, Norm.” He reached down and began petting her head happily as she pushed her whole weight into him. It was a good thing he was braced against the counter or she would have pushed him over. As the happy dog indulged in morning pats, Kaidan looked up to see Shapard at the back door taking off his hat and wiping his boots. The sun was shining on his broad back and his blue eyes seemed more vivid in the morning’s light. His cheeks were slightly pink from the cold air and his tall frame cut an impressive figure. Two and a half years of marriage and the sight still warmed Kaidan’s cheeks, “Morning, Shepard.”
Those blue gems turned to him and the old soldier’s face broke into a grin that crinkled the corners of his eyes. With the dull bangs of his boots, Shepard walked over to him, “Morning, K.” He leaned in and placed a sweet kiss onto Kaidan’s lips. They were cold from being outside and his mouth still tasted like black coffee, and to Kaidan, it was perfect. When Shepard pulled back, he rose a chilled hand to Kaidan’s cheek and gave the bristled hairs a rub with his thumb, “Getting scruffy.” With that, he turned around to get Normandy’s breakfast.
“I knew I should have shaved.” Kaidan felt the rough patches of hair on his face and could have sworn they felt longer now than they did moments ago.
“It’s fine, I like it. Looks more casual. Oh, maybe grow a full beard and then you’ll look like one of those Canadian lumberjacks from the underwear commercials.” Shepard filled the dog’s bowl with some kibble as Kaidan took a seat at their small table to look through his messages.
“Haha, very funny.”
“I’m serious, you have the ass for it.”
Kaidan felt the corners of his mouth pull into a smirk, “I’m not doing that. Besides, the anniversary is coming up and we’re expected to make an appearance. I would look ridiculous walking in with a beard.”
“I disagree.”
“You’d be the only one.” Kaidan looked at the long list of new extranet mail and private messages that filled his inbox. Despite all their hard work of going through it last night, the messages came back tenfold, “You’d think the AI could sort this mess better.”
Shepard walked back over and took a seat across from him, “Ya, I know what you mean. I spent a good hour just going through all mine this morning. It’s that time of year again, huh Kaidan.” He felt Shepard nudge his leg with his foot as the commander ruefully smiled at him.
In a week, it’d be the fifth anniversary of the end of the Reaper War. It was a galactic celebration where all races came together to celebrate their victory and remember the ones they’d lost. It was such a big celebration it took about a week for all the festivities to end. Two if you were on Tuchanka. That’s what happens when there are so many stories to tell, so many things to celebrate, so many people to remember. And each year every member of the Normandy crew got bombarded with invites to every prestigious occasion one could imagine. From the most exclusive events on Illium to the formal ceremonies on Palaven, anyone even affiliated with the famous team would be extensively invited to join the festivities. And no one was more in demand than the Great Commander Shepard.
Though the first and second anniversary neither he nor Shepard had attended any public events. After the final push, Kaidan had shattered his leg, cracked six ribs, and blew out his amp. He was cooped up in recovery for a good month before they discharged him on medical leave.
Meanwhile, the commander had been found at the bottom of a bunch of rubble on the citadel with a cracked skull, collapsed lung, broken femur, broken ribs, and just about any other traumatic injury one could think of. To say it was touch and go for a while would be an understatement. He was practically dead upon discovery and spent the next two weeks with doctors telling everyone to prepare a hero’s funeral. It was the longest two weeks of Kaidan’s life. Where he should have been celebrating the end of a three-year journey and the survival of the Milky Way, he was sitting in a dark hospital room with shaking hands and anxiety gripping his heart. He didn’t think anyone on the Normandy got much sleep those two weeks.
But Shepard defied death once, and apparently, he was keen on doing it again because one day the doctors declared he had a steady heartbeat with no mechanical aid. It was far from a roaring endorsement. There was still too much damage for the promise of a strong recovery but it was enough to ease their fears. And once Kaidan was released from the hospital, he became Shepard’s self-appointed shadow, never too far away.
So when Shepard woke up two months later, he was right there to lend a hand in his recovery. A recovery that would officially take two years of constant monitoring, physical therapy, counseling, and medical miracles. It was practically Project Lazarus: Part Two. It was a long two years that finally ended when citadel staff officially discharged him and cleared him for space travel. That was when they both hopped on the Normandy SR2 for one last ceremonial trip. A trip that would take them to Earth where they’d spend their post-war years away from violence.
That’s where they were now, in a nice house by the English Bay not far from the one he grew up in. His mother visited often and would cook them meals big enough for a Korgan army that would leave them supplied with leftovers for the rest of the week. Their friends would visit whenever their own post-war lives freed up the time or they needed to hide away from some responsibility. They also adopted Normandy because Shepard always wanted a pet bigger than his hamster and varren weren't permitted on Earth soil. So the little dog found in the rubble of Vancouver after the war joined their home and became their happy companion.
It was peaceful in their little abode as they lived out their days along the bay, though far from boring. While they both were technically medically discharged from the Alliance, they were hardly retired. The two of them would often go into the nearby Alliance Training Academy to mentor recruits and train soldiers. Kaidan primarily worked with the biotic groups while Shepard worked with special forces and helped prep those going to The Interplanetary Combatives Academy. Once and a while they’d hold a special class like “How to Face A Rampaging Korgen” or “Fighting Asari Mercenaries; The Do’s and Don’ts.”. When they weren’t preparing Alliance soldiers, they were acting as ambassadors, diplomats, Reaper consultants, Alliance Representatives, and any other odd job that required accomplishing mildly inconvenient to impossible tasks. That’s the work you got when you’re responsible for ending lifetime rivalries, forging diplomatic ties, saving the galaxy, and having a pretty face.
A beeping at their vid com pulled Kaidan and Shepard’s attention from their omni tools. Shepard sighed, “I swear if Grunt's calling again to tell me about how many things he’s killed today, I’m blocking him.” He got up to make his way over to the machine. Kaidan sipped his coffee as he watched Shepard pull the request up and give a look of surprise, “It’s Admiral Hackett.”
“Hackett?” Kaidan put his coffee down and turned his body to fully face Shepard. If Admiral Hackett was calling it was typically to ask for their help on some Allicane related business.
Shepard hit the answer button as he straightened his shoulders and schooled his expression. If not for the Blasto sweatshirt, he would look like the perfect soldier at attention.
Then the image of Hackett came on the screen, “Admiral.” Shepard gave the screen a salute, not needed at this time but an old habit.
“Shepard, sorry to disturb paradise so early.” The Admiral gave a small salute back and smiled.
“No disturbance, sir. What can I do for you?”
“Right to business, Shepard. I appreciate it. Is the Major with you?”
On cue, Kaidan stood up and walked beside Shepard. When he came into view, he gave a less formal salute, “Morning, Sir.”
“Morning, Major. I only ever seem to call on you two for business, so I’ll cut to the chase. You two have been requested by quarian command.”
Kaidan gave a quick glance to Shepard, “Quarian command? What do they need?”
“You've been requested to accompany a research vessel into the Hades Nexus to help investigate a reaper signal.”
Shepard raised an eyebrow, “Reaper signal, haven’t heard about one of those in a while.”
“From the mission brief I received, it seems to be coming from an old reaper ship. It was discovered by quarian researchers when scanning planets for possible colonies. They picked the signal up but can’t make heads or tails of it. Current teams who’ve worked with reaper tech are even having a hard time with it, so they’re calling for the best.”
Kaidan felt the old pang of excitement, the kind you got just before jumping headfirst into a hoard of husk. But now that feeling of excitement was almost always accompanied by the dread of uncertainty, “With all due respect Admiral, we don’t do active combat anymore. And in my experience, reaper signals almost always end in gunfire.” They had a rule, no live combat. They’d run around playing diplomat and run drills to show off to the recruits till the Alliance were smiling fools, but their days of facing down hostile threats were done.
While Shepard had come miles in his recovery, he would never be what he was. On bad days, he’d have a limp in his left leg and couldn’t raise his right arm above his chest. Headaches and frequent pain in his hip were common on good days. And while he could hold his ground in simulated combat and training exercises, there’d be hell to pay later when the fatigued muscles and overworked joints settled in for the night. Sure, sometimes it couldn’t be helped. Just like at Ryuusei's Sushi Bar, bad people think they can pull a fast one. But an unforeseen assassination attempt isn’t the same as willingly going into combat. Shepard fought tooth and nail against Kaidan’s rule but it was something he refused to give on. Kaidan had already lost Shepard once and damn near lost him again, he refused to let the man get a third shot. They settled on both of them retiring from active combat in favor of support roles.
“I wouldn’t send you two in if I thought there would be trouble. They’ve located the vessel and there’s no life on board. From what they’ve decoded from the signal, it seemed to be transmitting data, not sending out any call for help or receiving transmissions. Ground teams have already scouted and confirmed no hostile threats on board.”
Shepard didn’t look too worried about hostile presence but a little unconvinced by the mission parameters, “There has to be more than that, Admiral. There are plenty of other people who have more experience with strange signals than me. Just ask Traynor, she can make data analysis into a galactic sport. So why go through the trouble of dragging us there?”
“Because their reports of the ship match details from your reports of collector ships.”
“Collectors?” Shepard glanced at him with a bit of shock, they hadn’t heard of any collector presence since the war’s end.
“Details in the reports you provided Alliance command about the different collector facilities your team infiltrated are matching details of the ship the signal's emanating from. Not every detail matches what you described but enough for quarian command to contact me. There are few people in the galaxy who have ever seen a collector, Shepard, even less who have seen their tech first hand. They want you as a consultant. What do you two say?”
Kaidan still felt uneasy, “Admiral, I wasn’t there when Shepard faced the collectors. By the sounds of it, I’m a little under-qualified for this mission.” Kaidan hated just about everything in that sentence. He hated bringing up the time he turned his back on Shepard, he hated to think he was incapable of any mission, and he really hated the idea of Shepard going into any unknown without him.
He noticed Shepard intensely looking at him side-eyed and Kaidan knew he was holding back a protest. Meanwhile, the Admiral responded, “Major, you’re a tech expert in your own right and have worked closely with some of the most experienced reaper and collector experts this galaxy has to offer. Trust me, the quarians won’t say no to your help with your resumé and reputation. Besides, I won't send Shepard in alone. The boy’s accident-prone and will need you there to pull him out of the fire when something eventually goes wrong.”
Shepard’s attention went from him to the picture of the Admiral, ‘Hey-”
“What do you boys say? Can I tell quarian command to prep the welcome party?”
Kaidan looked to Shepard and their eyes met. Shepard raised an eyebrow letting him know the commander was all for the welcomed trip to the far reaches of space. He gave a small nod in agreement. It was time for them to get away from paradise for a little bit anyway.
“Yes, sir. We’re in.” The corners of Shepard’s lips pulled up in a subtle smile.
“Good to hear. Galactic transport will be ready for you two at Alliance Naval Base HMCS Discovery at 1300. I’ll send you the details of the hanger number and who you need to meet along with the mission report within the hour. You’re expected to be in Alliance-issued uniforms. Protocol requires full armor and prepared weapon when entering an unknown foreign vessel, so don’t forget your gear.”
“Think you need to tell us that, Admiral.” Shepard gave the old man an exasperated smile.
“Just making sure paradise hasn’t softened you both too much. Can't have you two showing up to a quarian research mission wearing Hawaiian shirts and flip flops.”
Kaidan snickered at the thought. They didn’t even own Hawaiian shirts but Kaidan thought the sight of Shepard in one might be worth a shopping trip.
“That’s all I have for you boys, you should start packing.” They both straightened their backs and gave their salutes to the screen, again, old habits. Hackett returned it and went to cut the com but stopped halfway, “Oh and I hear an old friend of yours will be on the mission with you. Hackett out.” And with that, the line was cut.
They both stepped away from the vidcom and back to the table. Kaidan retrieved his coffee and took another sip. Being called out last minute to a mission wasn’t unusual for them. In fact, they were given more time than usual. But neither of them minded. The only thing they had planned for the week was trying to balance all the vid mail and party invites, so they were happy for the mission.
“An old friend, huh?” Shepard leaned his hip on the side of the table, “I can take a pretty good guess on who that is.”
Kaidan smiled over the rim of his coffee, “Quarian high command, reaper tech, and add you to the mix, if she’s not involved I’d be worried. Hell, she’s probably the one who made the request to Hackett.”
Shepard leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Kaidan’s forehead and pushed away from the table to open the fridge, “I’ll be good to see Tali again. Haven’t seen her since Grunt’s birthday party and I don’t think I remember enough of that for it to count as a visit.”
“To be fair, I don’t think any of us remember that reunion very well.” Blurry memories of empty bottles of tequila and ryncol seeped into his head. He vaguely remembered James Vega eating a pizza while they watched Grunt jump into a pool wearing a blond wig. Or was that the lake on the Presidium?
The sound of the stove’s burner turning on pulled Kaidan from his hazy memories. Shepard was heating a pan with half a dozen eggs sitting by some raw bacon, American style, “After breakfast, we’ll call your mom to come pick Normandy up. We should also double-check our bags to make sure we have all our gear and pull some thermal clips from storage. I don’t want to think about the requisition paperwork they’ll have us fill out to use some of theirs.” Shepard stopped his train of thought and regarded his eggs, “Should I make some home fries with these?” Shepard pointed to the raw ingredient on the counter.
Kaidan got out of his seat and walked over to the cabinet to pull out some potatoes, “Might as well, if an Alliance cruiser is picking us up then you know our lunch will be dried rations.” Kaidan pulled out a knife and cutting board and began to dice while bacon began to sizzle in the pan.
“That’s one thing I don’t miss about the alliance. They never figured out how to make decent food.”
“Almost as bad as hospital food.”
Shepard made a gagging noise and he could relate. They’d both eaten enough of that to last a krogan lifetime, “Maybe they’ll at least have those little packets of salted cashews.”
Kaidan pulled out another pan and placed it on the burner next to Shepard, “You’re the savior of the galaxy, I’m sure they can procure some cashews for the flight. Hell, maybe even get you two packs.”
Shepard gave his bacon a flip, “Here’s hoping all that almost dying finally pays off.”
“Almost dying?” Kaidan smiled at him.
The corner of Shepard’s mouth lifted, “You know what I mean.”
☆
The SSV Somme was a standard Alliance frigate. It was manned by a large crew and ran much like the Normandy did, though the ship’s specs were less advanced than their old ship. When they first walked abroad, Kaidan could tell immediately they’d scrubbed the ship from head to tail. All boot scruffs were cleaned from the aisle, every surface shined with not a flake of dust, and he could have sworn he smelled lavender in the air trying to mask the smell of eezo and metal. He bet his last dollar their XO had the crew scrubbing for hours when they got the news they’d be escorting the Commander Shepard and Major Alanko on an escort mission. White glove inspection and all.
He was inclined to feel bad for the crew but, judging by the way they looked at them when they stepped aboard, he didn’t know if any of them complained about the job. Big-eyed and slacked jaw recruits along with seasoned vets all gave starstruck salutes as they walked past. Then they were all nervous glances and restrained smiles when their backs were turned. To the crew of the Somme, two legends walked among them.
Kaidan always found this part of fame conflicting. He was never one who sought out attention, never thought his name would be remembered beyond the people he knew. Yet somehow, along the path of fighting the good fight, he found his name etched into stone. He was glad for the things they’d accomplished, the good it brought to so many. He just didn’t know if he liked the pedestal they put him on.
Shepard, on the other hand, never seemed to let it bother or change him. He never got jagged from the starstruck onlookers or portentous from the attention. He stayed relatable and willing to pull his own weight, never expecting others to give him special treatment. Kaidan found it pretty amazing considering Shepard was treated like royalty wherever he went. After all, while Kaidan's name was written in stone, Shepard’s was etched in the stars.
They spent their uneventful cross galactic trip answering questions from the crew and retelling a few stories from the war. Everyone there had a story of their own. From the funny antics soldiers got into in the rare time between combat to the unbelievable stories of survival and luck. And as the storytelling went on, Kaidan could see it in their eyes. The unspoken part of the tale where the characters involved didn’t make it home. With the anniversary right around the corner, Kaidan could tell the crew was getting sentimental. It was walking a sharp edge, reliving the tales. A happy memory interrupted by remembering the hour that followed it. He knew Shepard could feel it too but the commander was good at walking that sharp edge. When the group began to teeter over, he’d rial them up with tales of their more ridiculous adventures. Anything from their meetings with Conrad Verner to the hanar diplomat and his mistress.
By the time he got done telling them all about the time he had to pick Grunt up from C-Sec at the noodle place, the whole crew was in tears of laughter and Shepard had three empty bags of cashews on his lap. He was opening his fourth when the ship's pilot came over the intercom with an ETA of 15 min. They both got up from their seats with disappointed cries from the crew as they made their way to the hanger bay to gear up.
Kaidan pulled his blue armor from the storage container and diligently began strapping on the familiar metal pieces. Shepard carefully put on his own gauntlets and boots as well. When all that was left was his chest piece, Kaidan walked over to help him, “Think you got enough peanuts to last you the mission?” He strapped the N7 plate into place and admired the other in his full combat armor.
“First, they were cashews, peanuts are overrated. Second, do you think if I asked they’d give me some for the car ride home after we get back?” Shepard reached for his rifle and secured it on his back.
“I’m sure they wouldn’t mind. Again, cashews are a small price to pay for the audience of Commander Shepard.” Kaidan followed his lead and got his weapons secured. With both of them geared up per Alliance regulation, they made their way to the airlock with a small entourage of alliance marines.
“I don’t want to wipe them of their cashew supply, it’s the only good food they serve on these ships.” They all stopped in front of the airlock as decontamination protocol kicked in.
“I don’t think you’d be able to eat all the packets of nuts they have here, Shepard.” Kaidan smirked at his dork in prestigious N7 armor. Not a single member of the Somme realized their great legend was nothing but a goofball in armor.
Shepard smirked at him and spoke low next to his ear, “You of all people should know how good I am at eating nuts.”
“Oof, that was bad. That was really bad.” Kaidan shook his head in disappointment at the low blow.
“Ya, it was. Like really bad. I mean, it was awful! Kaidan, why didn’t you stop me from saying that? ” Kaidan could see the laugh Shepard was trying to hold back.
The decontamination sequence was ending and the chamber began decompressing, “Shepard, I don’t think anyone can stop you.”
“It’s a good thing you're stuck with me then, I’m pretty sure that joke would have scared most people off.” Shepard smirked at him again and he found himself smiling.
“Ya, good thing I’m not most people.”
Shepard smirk turned sweeter, “No, you’re not.” And before the airlock door could open to their destination, Shepard quickly leaned over to give him a quick peck on the lips, oblivious to the other marines stuck in the room with them.
☆