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“The more you move, Shepard, the longer this will take.”
Shepard tried to hold in his grimace as the tip of the makeup brush swept over his sore eye socket again, gritting his jaw as Liara continued her ministrations. “It’s not my fault I’ve got a black eye.” he grumbled.
“Didn’t you actually start the fight to begin with?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.
“The guy shoulder-checked Jack into the boards. Everyone knows you don’t mess with the other guys' goalie. A lesson needed to be taught.”
“By beating the other senseless?”
He shrugged. “At least Jack couldn’t get to him first. He lucked out with me. Besides, it’s not like this is my first trophy.”
“Well, then you’d think you’d learn to handle it well enough to sit. Still.” She enunciated her point by gently, but firmly, pushing against his jaw to straighten his face when he had drifted to the side once again. “I don’t want to ruin it.”
They’d been at this for the better part of fifteen minutes, Shepard sitting back straight and face forward on a barstool, trying to stay as still as possible as Liara stood in front of him painting his face with cheap Halloween makeup with a deft hand.
The whole crew was getting together for Mirandas big Halloween party she threw every year at her fathers mansion. While a huge gathering with loud music and excessive amounts of booze weren’t usually Shepards cup of tea, it’d been a long few weeks and even longer since the entire gang had actually come together. And with all the work his team had been putting in on the ice, it was long past overdue to properly blow off some steam. And with the fall season in full swing and decorations littering the stores and establishments, this party was nearly unanimous in the groups choice of celebration for the Halloween holiday.
Most of them had agreed to meet up at Shepards apartment and carpool to Mirandas. Liara, James, Garrus. Tali and Jack were the first ones to show up, hanging out in the living room awaiting the arrival of the rest of their group with most, of course, dressed appropriately in their respective costumes.
Liara wore a lab coat she probably took from the university over dark clothes. But she’d done it up with purposeful rips, gashes and torn sleeves with darkened edges that looked like burns along with a few strategic splatters of fake blood over the previously clean white front. Her eyes were darkened with artificial shadows and she even had on fake contact lenses that gave her eyes a creepy pale glow. It seemed she was going with a mad-scientist vibe that fit her alarmingly well.
Jack was covered in tight-fitting black clothes with an overwhelming variety of belts, leather straps, and chains that jingled with every movement, all underneath a floorlength leather trenchcoat. With her black lipstick and fake fangs, she looked like a vampire hunter or occultist, although Shepard couldn’t quite put his finger on which one, if either. He sure wasn’t going to be the one to ask and face her wrath if he happened to get it wrong, though.
Tali sat on the coffee table in front of Garrus in her pretty accurate, albeit more modest, Laura Croft outfit, with a long sleeve shirt and pants covering most of her arms and legs underneath the iconic tanktop and shorts. She did a really good job on the utility belt she sported around her waist, paired with a toolkit and thigh holsters to complete the look.
James was sporting a simple but classic Frankenstein look, drawn on stitching crossing over his face and arms. Not near as extravagant as the ladies, but enough to still fit. Most likely Steves work.
Shepard and Garrus were easily the most underdressed of the current group, both originally planning for just casual wear this year. With games practically every other day, Shepard couldn’t find the time or energy to even choose a costume, let alone to put in the same amount of effort the others had. He’d never really been one for going all out on Halloween anyways, preferring to just enjoy the sights rather than partake himself. So he’d decided on the lazy route, donning his regular hoodie and jeans and calling it a day, figuring that he was only going to be with his friends and get drunk, not to win a contest.
Until Liara and Tali had arrived, appalled at their state of undress and decided to take matters into their own hands, claiming what was the point in going to a Halloween party if you don’t look the part?
So the girls had corralled him and Garrus into their seats and went to work immediately because of course Liara had brought her bag of makeup with her, probably to do touchups throughout the evening. And despite both their protests, the women were nothing if not steadfast in their tasks. So, after a mixture of puppy eyes from Tali (very effective by the way) and simply not being given a choice by Liara, they reluctantly agreed.
So here he was at the bar with Liara focusing intently on her work, and Tali leaning over Garrus as she brushed blue paint across the bridge of his nose.
Shepard had no clue as to what she could be doing to his face as she immediately got to work, but hoped whatever it was it would turn out pretty decent. All he knew was that the wide brush smearing black paint over his sore socket was starting to get a little painful.It wasn’t the worst injury he’s received by far, it wasn’t even the worst black eye he’d gotten over the course of his career, but the pressure wasn’t helping with his squirming either. Liara, to her credit, was trying to be as gentle and brisk as possible as to not cause him any more discomfort than necessary.
“Alright,” She said, setting the brush on the countertop. “I’ll save your eyelids for last to give you a break. Tilt your head down.”
Thankful for the small mercy, Shepard dutifully did as he was told. His seated position still gave him a few inches over her, so now he was facing her more headon.
He heard the doorbell ring.
“I’ll get it.” James announced, hopping up from his seat and making his way to the door.
Shepard couldn’t see the door from his position but heard it open with voices and exclamations of greeting drifting in. Liara had started drawing a smooth line from the corner of his mouth and across his jaw when James and the new faces turned the corner into the living room.
“Ash! Glad you could make it.” His greeting almost immediately subdued by a flick to the forehead from Liara at the sudden movement.
“Hey there, Skipper. Long time no see.” Ashley greeted with a grin which only widened upon taking in Shepard and his situation. “Playing dress-up I see.”
“No more than you I suppose.”
It seemed as if all the girls were going all out this year with their costumes of choice, though Ashleys by far was the most intricate. She donned a futuristic-looking set of armor, complete with individual paneling and even some LED lights that glowed blue on her chest, all apparently handmade. It was admittedly pretty impressive, although Shepard couldn’t help but feel a bit baffled at the amount of time it must have taken to make. She lifted her arms, doing a slow spin to show it off. “You like? Tali actually helped me with the electronics and the fitting. Honestly couldn’t have finished it without her.”
“The hardest part was finding a place to hide the battery to keep those lights on. I’d recommend not spilling any liquids on it.” Tali replied a little shyly from her position on the table, briefly pausing in her task giving Garrus a moment to nod his greetings. His face was covered in intricate lines of blue paint across his nose and jaw.
“No, the hardest part was the helmet. Now that was a bi-wait, where is it?”
“Right here!” A new voice called out as Kaidan rounded the corner, homemade helmet in hand. “You left it in the car so I ran back down to get it.”
Despite dressing much more casually than most of them, Shepard still felt his breath catch when Kaidan came into his line of sight. Dressed in khaki slacks, dress shoes and a black turtle neck that fit him oh-so nicely, it was more formal than anyone else's outfits, but Shepard couldn’t bring himself to find any fault in it, although he was also probably heavily biased in his opinion. With his dark eyes and strong features, he gave off a rugged sophistication that matched well with his outfit that he couldn’t help but appreciate. He made sure not to stare too long though in case anyone caught him. They’d never let him live it down.
“You know this is a Halloween party Alenko, not a wine-tasting event.” Garrus called out from his seat.
“Oh God, is that fucking tweed?” Jack exclaimed in disgust.
Shepard noticed the jacket Kaidan had slung over his arm, which did in fact look like a damn tweed jacket. He didn’t even know he owned one.
Kaidan shrugged good-naturedly. “Kind of last minute. It’s all I could find in my closet, so I guess I’m just a professor this year.”
“Sexy professor?”
Yes.
“No. Sorry to disappoint.” Kaidan deadpanned as he handed the helmet to Ashley.
“Boring.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying.” Ashley added with a look that showed this wasn’t the first time the two had had this conversation.
“Sorry not all of us have the time to handmake every piece from scratch.” He retorted, setting his coat down on the counter and finally turning towards Shepard, a smile growing on his face. “Been busy?”
“Liara has.” Shepard started to grin back but thought better of it at the glare from the woman in front of him who hadn’t even turned away from her work to greet the new guests.
“It’s not my fault you all put in no effort this year.” She scolded instead, starting her drawings on the other side of his face.
Ashley huffed in agreement. “Seriously. Do you know how long it took to get him just to do that?” She gestured towards Kaidan. “I mean really, you put on your interview clothes and call it Professor? That’s all you could come up with?”
“I’m sorry, did you want me to show some skin? Maybe cut off my midriff and waltz around like that?” Kaidan asked sarcastically, and Jesus isn’t that an image that probably won’t be leaving Shepards mind for a while.
“More fun than that, at least. You do look like you’re about to give an anthropology presentation rather than celebrate anything.” Tali interjected.
“Yeah, at least Shepard and Vakarian had the right idea-” Ashley stopped mid-sentence and Shepard could see the idea form even before she slowly turned towards Kaidan, a mischievous grin growing on her face.
Kaidan decided he didn’t like that one bit as his eyes widened and he immediately brought his hands up as if to ward her off. “No. No Ash, absolutely not-”
“Oh come on. Just a little something? Make it unique?” She asked sweetly, stepping towards him in an almost predatory way.
“No, I don’t want-”
“Well good thing I’m not giving you much of a choice.” She declared, bringing her hands up and physically moving Kaidan to the closest barstool and forcing him down into it. “Liara, you mind?”
“Not at all.” Shepard was pretty sure he was the only one to see a faint smirk on the scientist's face as she continued to focus on her work, now moving to his lips.
Shepard wanted to chuckle at the look of pure indignation on Kaidans face as he looked over imploringly. Shepard could only shrug, that and a stiff grin the only thing he could offer him, as if he weren’t in the same exact situation.
Ashley dove into the pile of makeup and tools strewn across the counter until she found a plain black makeup pen before taking her own place in front of a disgruntled Kaidan “Alright. Now close your eyes.”
“Absolutely not.” He said flatly.
She rolled her eyes exasperatedly. “You’re only making this harder on yourself, Alenko.”
“What could you even add that would make sense? Do I not have any choice?”
“Unfortunately, it really is just easier not to argue. Less painful too.” Shepard interjected, and as if to prove Shepards point, Liara flicked his nose this time, causing his face to scrunch up.
“Liara-” Kaidan was practically pleading now.
“You’re on your own this time, partner.” She quipped, sparing him only a glance with a not-so-innocent smile before turning back.
Damn girls are ruthless. Shepard thought to himself.
“How about this,” Ashley interrupted, “you let me do this and I’ll pay for all your drinks tonight.”
Kaidan quirked a brow, unimpressed. “That’s it?”
She frowned, as if she figured that would be enough to win him over. “Well, what else do you want?”
His mouth twisted in thought for a moment, before flashing a hint of a smirk of his own. “I also want you to jump into Mirandas pool.”
Ashley placed her hands on her hips. “That’s it?” She parroted mockingly.
“Off the balcony. In your uniform.”
Shepard saw Ashley's confidence waver slightly at the mention of her costume. “You’re kidding.”
“Do I look like I’m kidding?” He challenged calmly, crossing his arms over his chest. “Take it or leave it.”
He watched enraptured as Kaidan and Ashley glared at each other for a long moment, neither moving as if daring the other to be the first to concede.
And, reluctantly, it seemed that Kaidan won out as Ashley finally sticks her hand out in front of her, with a gritted “Fine.” Kaidan looked just as surprised as Shepard felt that she actually accepted, but he finally shook her hand anyways, grumbling “I still feel like I’m going to regret this.”
“If all goes to plan, you won’t be sober enough to regret anything. Now shut your damn eyes.” Ashley ordered again as she uncapped the pen, stepping closer.
With a resigned sigh, Kaidan reluctantly closed his eyes, at the mercy of the woman before him.
God help him.
“Wait, hold on. We could’ve negotiated this whole time?” Garrus exclaimed disbelievingly, followed by Tali scolding him for messing up a line with his movements.
Shepard, bemused, focused back on keeping still for Liara who continued her work intently.
A couple of minutes passed with little conversation until the doorbell rang once again, James already up to answer it.
Once again the front door opened and closed, in walking EDI and Joker who looked around the room at the paired off groups in confusement. “What, is this a salon now?” Joker quipped.
“Don’t ask.” Kaidan grumbled from his seat.
EDI, dressed in a skintight android bodysuit that left little to the imagination, looked around. “It seems we are helping each other with our facepaint.” She paused, considering, before suddenly grabbing Jokers wrist and dragging him towards the opposite couch.
“Oh no, you’re not-”
“Sit.” She ordered before beelining it for the counter, browsing for a moment, grabbing a few things and returning to where Joker now sat.
“Do I even get a say in this-”
“No.” The simultaneous replies of Shepard, Garrus and Kaidan seemed to be enough to shut down any reasonable argument on Jokers part and as motivation for EDI to also sit on the coffee table across from him, taking his face in her hands and lifting a brush.
And it must have been inevitable, and Shepard really should have seen it coming. Because not too long after that, he caught a glance of Jack smiling maliciously in James’ direction, with his defenseman practically sweating bullets.
“Hey Muscles~”
“Please don’t.”
“Why so tense?” She asked in mock concern, slowly sitting up from her lounging position on the recliner.
“I already have a costume, I practically have immunity!” Shepard wondered if he could sense a waver of real fear in his voice.
“I just have a few ideas for…improvements.”
In the next second James was up from the couch and practically sprinting from the living room, with Jack launching out of the recliner immediately on his heels, chaos ensuing. Although other than Tali getting startled enough to curse quietly, the ladies didn’t waver in their tasks, and none of the men moved from their own seated positions.
The only thing Shepard could hear from his seat was heavy footsteps as the chase led upstairs and into the loft, sounds of a scuffle, some yells, and finally a particularly loud thud that was undoubtedly James’ body falling to the floor, followed shortly by a comically high-pitched “Shepard!” and more scuffling.
“Children, behave yourselves.” Shepard muttered tiredly as he tilted his head to the side per Liara's directions.
The sounds of a struggle continued for a minute, before suddenly going silent, plunging the apartment back into relative quiet.
“Should…we be concerned?” Tali asked hesitantly.
“I’m sure he’s fine. Although we might need a new defenseman.” Garrus replied easily, not even opening his eyes.
And as much as Shepard wanted to complain about his situation, he had to admit that at least he stood the best chance of coming out unscathed from his impromptu makeover.
Before he could take a chance to look over and check on Kaidan, Liara interrupted him. “Alright, close your eyes. I’m almost done.”
He did as he was told, once again feeling the bristles of a brush stroke over his eyelids.
With his eyes closed, he could hear the muffled conversations or grumbled words from the people around him. Occasionally mixed in with some exasperated noises, light hearted laughs, and as time went on concerningly, some snickers and snorts. Which he couldn’t help but be at least a little concerned about.
He heard footsteps come back down the stairs, presumably Jack.
“You didn’t kill him, did you?” He heard Garrus ask. “Cause I don’t think Anderson would be too happy about having to find another replacement because of you.”
“Oh please, he’s fine. He was waking up when I came down.”
Shepard sighed wearily. “I get that you could probably afford to replace it, but I’d still appreciate it if you didn’t break any more of my stuff, Jack.”
“You need better shit anyways.”
Shepard just stifled a groan.
“Well whatever Jack did can't be as bad as whatever is going on with Kaidan over there.” Joker remarked loudly.
“What-”
“Don’t listen to him, just stay still. Nearly there.” He imagined the short scuffle off to his side was Ashley practically wrestling Kaidan back into his chair and Shepard had to suppress the urge to open his eyes and take in the chaos slowly developing around him. But he stayed still, silently hoping that he was in better hands with Liara.
True to her word, shortly after, Ashley let out a satisfied breath as Shepard heard the cap of a pen being snapped back on. “Alright Twinkletoes, I’d say you are officially party ready.”
“I’ll say.” Tali was just full of delight, her barely suppressed giggles only adding to Shepards intrigue.
With that comment, he heard Kaidan jump up from his seat, finally out of range of Ashleys grasp, and sped for, what Shepard assumed, the bathroom around the corner like his heels were on fire. At the same time, Liara spoke up. “Just a few more finishing touches…and…there. All done. You can open your eyes now.”
He did, the light from the room hurting his eyes briefly before adjusting. Liara stepped back, admiring her work with a nod, and, notably, with no malicious expression.
Before he could even reach for the handheld mirror on the counter next to him though:
“Ashley!”
Oh boy.
Shepard turned around just in time to see Kaiden step around the corner into the large living space, staring absolute daggers at the giggling mess of the marine across the room.
And whatever Shepard had been expecting to see did absolutely nothing to prepare him for the reality of the sight before him.
Kaidan, standing there in his black turtleneck, ironed slacks and business shoes, looking all the professional gentleman, sporting a frown so deep it formed lines around his mouth, with…
…cat whiskers and a nose scrawled on his face.
It was so unexpected and such a stark contrast to his outfit and expression, Shepard had to physically hold back a noise that was somewhere between a choke and a laugh. Thankfully whatever noise he might have made was covered up by Liara trying to smother her own amusement by coughing into her hand unconvincingly. “It’s certainly…something.”
“Aw, Kaidan! You’re adorable now.” Joker teased, a wide grin on his face. This seemed to set Ashley off even more, now having to hold onto the counter for support as laughs racked her body.
And a small part of Shepard had to agree. The drawn-on whiskers across Kaidan's cheeks on top of the expression of pure exasperation was oddly endearing. Yeah, it was kind of adorable. Not that he would ever dare say it outloud.
“Why?” Kaidan finally asked in bewilderment.
“You left me no choice! Did you really want to go to a party looking like my granddad?” Ashley said in between breathless laughter.
“But why…this?” He gestured exasperatedly towards his face.
“You think you got it bad? At least you don’t look like you lost a fight to a lawn mower!” All eyes turned towards Vega finally coming back down the stairs, and Shepard didn’t even bother with the same courtesy he showed for Kaidan in stifling his laughter.
On top of James’ zombie makeup was what Shepard could only assume was a clown face literally scrawled across his face, adorned with a squiggly red mouth and lines running vertically across his eyes. It really did look like a mess, and Shepard couldn’t help but feel just a little sorry for his teammate.
Jack, on the other hand, didn’t look or sound sorry in the least. “I think it’s an improvement. Definitely from how you normally look.”
“It is…unique?” While Tali was probably trying to be encouraging, the question in her statement made it fall a little flat. She was in the process of gathering up her own makeup supplies, finished with Garrus’ face as well.
“Not the first time he’s heard that, I’m sure.” Garrus quipped with a sly glance at Vega, who only responded with a rude gesture as he stared into a wall mirror, muttering “Estaban’s gonna kill me.”
Shepard turned back to Kaidan, annoyance still evident on his face. He smiled softly, trying to be reassuring. “It’s really not that bad, Kaid.”.
Kaidan looked at him, taking him in for the first time in a while, and Shepard noted, with no small amount of curiosity, his eyes widening slightly before quickly glancing away, his grumpy expression shifting to one of faint embarrassment as he cleared his throat. “Even so, yours looks a hell of a lot better.” He mumbled.
In all the commotion, Shepard had forgotten to even look at his own face. He turned back to grab at the handheld mirror on the counter, lifting it up to finally see his reflection, his eyes widening in surprise.
The skull makeup was simple, nothing too extra, but extremely effective. The linework was smooth and precise, the black on his sockets completely covering his bruised eye. She had even added some contouring to his cheekbones to enunciate his features and give him a more skeletal look that went well with the two rows of teeth drawn in steady lines across his lips and jaw, the small corners and spaces filled in with more black.
It looked really good, especially compared to how he could have fared.
“Liara, this looks great. Thank you.” He said with genuine appreciation. Liara simply shrugged with a small smile. “It's not my best work, but it will do for the occasion.”
“Of course Shepard would luck out.” James continued to grumble from the living room, struggling to rub off some of the excess makeup but only resulting in smudging the clown face further.
Ignoring him, Liara began cleaning up the mess on the bartop, putting her supplies away. “Unfortunately, we are running late enough as is. And now that everyone is here, we should really get going. “
EDI and Tali had finally finished their own makeovers, with Garrus now sporting blue markings angled across his face and Joker with thin black lines resembling robotic panels on his. Shepard finally stood up from the stool, stretching his legs and walking towards Kaidan, bumping his shoulder gently with his own. “Joker was right though. You do look pretty adorable. “
Kaidan scoffed, but the corner of his mouth lifted a little. “Shut up.” This close, Shepard could see a faint pink dusting his cheeks.
Cute.
“Actually, I think you look the scariest out of everyone here.” Shepard declared.
The other man looked at him, eyebrows raised. “Oh? How so?”
“You look just like Sophie.”
The exasperated eyeroll only made his grin widen, but the genuine smile finally starting to grow on Kaidans face made it worthwhile.
“You act as if my cat is the antichrist.”
“I have no evidence to the contrary, so far.”
“Maybe if you didn't scare her when you first met…”
“I scared her? She damn near gutted me before I even knew she was there!”
“I know, I heard.” Kaidan side-eyed him in amusement.
“Not a word, Alenko.”
Kaidan chuckled. “My lips are sealed, Shepard.” He suddenly looked confused, turning towards Shepard. “Wait, how can something be scary and adorable?”
“Well, I'd say you do both pretty well.” Shepard remarked and, for the hell of it, gently tapped the end of Kaidans nose with his finger right on the lopsided circle drawn there. He laughed as Kaidans face scrunched up adorably and he swatted Shepards hand away, noticing the color darkening on his cheeks briefly.
“Besides,” he continued. “It could be worse. You could be James right now.”
“I heard that Loco.”
“Wasn’t trying to be subtle, Vega.”
Kaidan shook his head, but it seemed the worse of his ire was gone now, which Shepard would consider a win.
“Are you lovebirds ready, or did you need a minute?” Shepard shot a glare towards Garrus, who was heading towards the door with the rest of the group.
Kaidan inclined his head towards the group. “We should get going.”
Shepard nodded and started towards the door, when he saw Liaras makeup bag still sitting on the counter and a thought struck him. A completely random, and probably unnecessary idea. Before he could think any more about it, he called out to the group “Actually, give us a second guys. We’ll meet you down there.” He chose to ignore the various looks this got him, one of confusion from Kaidan, as well as some shared look between Liara and Garrus he did not want to look deeper into before everyone else started filing out through the door.
“Just don’t take forever. I’ve gotta get a few drinks in me pronto to deal with this.” James called out as Jack shoved him none too gently from behind, and with her being the last person out, shut the door behind her, leaving Shepard alone in his apartment with Kaidan. The sudden absence of noise and chatter had Shepard internally panicking for a second whether he just made an awkward mistake.
“Something wrong Shepard?” Kaidan asked curiously.
Steeling himself, Shepard turned towards the bartop where Liara’s makeup bag was still sitting, and after sifting through it for a minute, found what he was looking for. Then he turned on his heels and headed for the bathroom, motioning for Kaidan to follow. “Come on.”
Confused but obliging, Kaidan trailed after Shepard back down the hall towards the bathroom he’d absconded to earlier, which still had the lights on.
Shepard entered, heading over to a cabinet to grab a clean washrag then turned the tap on the sink until the water ran warm, soaking one end of the cloth before cutting the water off and turning back to Kaidan.
Still standing in the doorway, the other man eyed him suspiciously. “What’re you doing?”
Trying to act as nonchalant as possible, Shepard shrugged. “Thought I might fix it up a little. No offense to Ash, but it does kind of look like a kindergartner drew on your face.”
Kaidan scoffed. “What happened to ‘not that bad’?”
“It’s not, but I figured we minus well make it better.” He motioned with the rag in one hand and the pen in the other. “Or if you really want, we can just wash it off. It’s up to you.”
Kaidan was quiet for a moment, as if debating. When the silence began to stretch just long enough for Shepard to start seriously second-guessing himself, Kaidan finally stepped fully into the bathroom, stopping in front of Shepard and facing him by the sink. “Alright. Do your thing.”
Shepard couldn’t help himself. “Just like that? You seem a lot more willing now than you were earlier.” He remarked teasingly.
“I trust you a hell of a lot more than Ash. At least you don’t have this well beloved pastime of making me look like an idiot.” He pursed his lips. “At least, I hope not.”
Shepard chuckled fondly. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Kaid.”
He set the pen down on the counter and, without really thinking, started to reach up towards the other mans face with the cloth before stopping himself. He realized that he didn’t need to wash Kaidans face like he was a child. But Kaidan himself hadn’t made any move towards the rag in his hands either. So, nervously, he looked up to meet his eyes. “Can I?”
Brown eyes flicked from Shepards face to the rag in his hands, before meeting his gaze and giving a small nod and, to Shepards surprise, let his eyes fall shut.
Shepard felt himself swallow hard at the realization of the situation he'd just gotten himself into. Standing in his bathroom, his apartment, alone with the man that turned his brain to mush, given permission to touch with practically no hesitation on the others part-it did funny things to his chest that was suddenly alight with nerves.
Kaidan wasn’t an overly touchy person. Sure he reciprocated friendly bumps and pats as well as the occasional hug if the situation called for it, but it was a boundary he held firm to. It was a privilege he allowed few, usually reserved to those in their friend group (sometimes begrudgingly such as Ashley) and one that Shepard never took for granted. Even going so far as to shut others down when he noticed Kaidan getting uncomfortable when people, especially strangers, were getting a little too friendly.
And yet here he was, giving Shepard the most explicit of consent, trusting him to be up in his personal space, putting his hands on him. And maybe he was completely overthinking it, or just good old fashioned wishful thinking, but the implied intimacy of the seemingly innocuous action was nearly overwhelming.
Ignoring his rapidly beating heart, he finally brought the rag up and, using the damp corner, started gently wiping the worst of the lines on his cheek that resembled a circle more than anything, the brief furrow of Kaidans brow the only outward reaction.
After a moment of wiping, hoping that he could make it better by removing the excess, Shepard decided that the line was a lost cause and would have to be redone entirely. He used his thumb to swipe the cloth across the expanse of Kaidans cheek, still conscious of being careful.
“I'm not made of glass, Shepard.” Kaidans rough, quiet voice penetrated the silence that had enveloped between them.
“Just trying to be careful.” He muttered, struggling to focus on the task at hand and not on the way the mans cheek gave so easily under his strokes. He was close enough to him now that he could feel the warmth of his breath as Kaidan huffed in amusement. “Because I'm so fragile, right?”
No. But you are precious. His brain supplied unhelpfully.
“Not at all. Hell, you're tougher than half the league combined.” He said instead, swiping just a little harder until the makeup disappeared completely. He busied himself switching out the rag for the pen, uncapping the lid. “I know I couldn't do what you do.“
He paused again as he raised the pen, trying to figure out the best way to go about this. He didn't want to mess up and have to try again, they'd end up never leaving.
“I'm going to help keep your head still, alright?”
Kaidan opened his eyes, glancing at Shepards free hand, before whispering “Alright.”
With his other hand, Shepard placed his thumb and forefinger under Kaidans chin to tilt his face up ever so slightly, keeping them there as an anchor as he finally brought the tip of the pen to brush gently over the other mans cheek.
Now that he was adding instead of removing, he had to get even closer to see what he was doing, and it was with a particularly heavy thud in his chest that he realized that their faces were now only inches apart, close enough where he could feel the warm fan of Kaidans breaths on his face.
It would be so easy. To just shut his eyes and take the leap, close the gap between them. To lean forward a little, just enough to brush their lips together so he could finally know what they felt like against his.
Shepard dashed the thought away like it was the plague. He had to get himself under control. The proximity was getting to his head as if he were a teenager again. He mentally scolded his apparently weak resolve, and steeled himself to focus entirely on his work and not on how warm Kaidans skin felt under his fingertips, and prayed that, this close, the other man couldn't hear his heart threatening to beat out of his chest.
“You seem tense.” Kaidans voice, still quiet but so close, startled him.
Shepard cleared his throat. “Just trying to focus.”
“Distracted?”
He made the mistake of glancing up just to see honey-brown eyes already looking back, eyes half lidded with an unreadable expression. And all Shepard could hope for at this point was that his own makeup covered enough of his face to hide how hot he knew it was getting. He swallowed around a dry throat. “Not at all.” He rasped out.
Kaidan continued to stare at him, as if he were searching his eyes for something. But after an excruciating moment, he hummed low in his throat before closing his eyes once again, allowing Shepard to resume his task without the weight of his gaze. Though he didn’t miss the small smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
And thank God for that, because as good as Shepard usually is at keeping his emotions under wraps, there was no telling how much longer he could’ve held up in that position without either kissing the man silly or sprinting out of the apartment entirely.
However as he refocused on his work, he slowly but surely found himself getting lost in the motions, switching between pen and washrag as he needed and growing more confident with his touches as he guided Kaidans head where he needed it, brushing his hand along his chin and jawline to help keep him steady. He felt Kaidan relax as well, allowing himself to be moved with no resistance. Occasionally, he would open his eyes to watch Shepard’s hands, but for most of the time he kept them shut. If Shepard didn’t know any better, he might have even called the look of his face one of contentment.
The whole situation, while pretty ridiculous in retrospect, felt oddly intimate.
But it was only whiskers and a black dot for a nose, so once he finally got down to business, the whole affair didn’t take more than a few minutes. Finishing the circle on his nose to make it a smoother shape, Shepard set the pen down, taking in his handiwork with a small nod. “Not too bad, if I do say so myself.” He finally declared.
Kaidan opened his eyes and being this close, Shepard couldn’t help the swell of fondness in his chest as he took the man in properly. His nice clothes, the damn cat whiskers on his handsome face. The whole look was so ridiculously endearing he wanted to laugh.
Kaidan glanced towards the mirror. “Can I look?”
With a start, he realized that he had yet to move his hand away from Kaidans jaw. Hesitantly he brought his hand away and back down to his side, a part of him already grieving the contact.
Kaidan turned his head to look at his reflection, and Shepard watched as he examined the new marks on his face, ones that were definitely an improvement over the originals. “What do you think?”
Kaidan looked at him through the reflection with a small smirk. “Well, it’s good to know if the NHL doesn’t work out you could have a prosperous career as a makeup artist.”
Shepard laughed, shrugging a shoulder. “What can I say, I was a huge hit at birthday parties.”
He chuckled, pushing away from the countertop to face Shepard again. “Thanks Shepard. It looks good.”
Raising an eyebrow, he grabbed the pen off the counter to put the cap back on. “So you don’t hate it anymore?”
Kaidan studied his reflection again, tilting his head as if contemplating. “Not as much. I think it’s growing on me. What do you think?”
What did he think? Shepard thought there’d never been anyone else to walk the face of the earth that still managed to look good with cheaply done cat makeup in a damn turtle neck. While he didn’t say exactly that, he did say: “I don’t think anyone else could pull it off.”
“I guess I’m just full of surprises.”
“I guess you are.”
The moment was interrupted by a high-pitched ringing coming from Shepards pocket. “Shit, that’s probably them.” He muttered, grabbing his phone and seeing that it was Jack calling. He’d completely forgotten that they were both expected downstairs, and that they had taken significantly longer than he’d originally planned.
Resignedly, he pressed the answer icon and brought the phone to his ear. Before he could even open his mouth to formulate an apology, Jacks voice overpowered him.
“If you two are done sucking each other off, I’d like to get this show on the road now! The night isn’t getting any younger.”
And of course in the quiet of the bathroom and with her booming voice practically echoing off the tiles, despite not even being on speaker, Kaidan could hear every word from the other end. Shepard stifled an embarrassed noise, looking away towards the doorway. “We’re on our way down.”
“And I’m already gone. Everyone but Liara, Tali and Garrus already went ahead. They’re waiting on you two idiots.”
“Then why were you the one to call me?”
“They figured you could use a little encouragement to get your asses moving. Now chop-chop Shepard, I'd hate to get a headstart in drinking you under the table.” And with that lovely “encouragement”, she abruptly hung up without giving Shepard a chance to reply.
Sighing, he slipped his phone back in his pocket, turning back towards Kaidan who was looking at him with a bemused grin. Rubbing the back of his neck, Shepard inclined his head towards the doorway. “We should probably-”
“Go. Yeah, probably.”
They exited the bathroom, Shepard grabbing Liaras bag and Kaidan shrugging his coat on and finally making their way out the front door. As Shepard finished locking the deadbolt, Kaidan said suddenly: “Yours still looks a lot better though.”
He turned quizzically as they started walking down the corridor towards the elevator before realizing that he was talking about his facepaint. “Oh, thanks. I just got lucky that it was Liara who got to me first.”
Kaidan hummed. They approached the door and pressed the button to call the lift up. He looked up at the blinking red numbers as it approached.
“I suppose I got lucky too, then.” He flashed a genuine smile at Shepard, as the elevator doors opened and Kaidan waltzed in without another thought. He turned around, hands in his pant pockets. “You coming?”
Shepard blinked, and finally, with a smile of his own, stepped onto the lift, pressing the button for the ground floor and taking his place beside Kaidan as the door closed behind them.
________
Liara: So allow me to get this straight…
Kaidan: Why are you texting me? We’re literally sitting in the same car.
Liara: Something tells me you don’t want what I’m about to say to be made public, not with Shepard in the passenger seat.
Liara: Instead of logically just removing the paint like I expected you to
Liara: Not only did you let Shepard redo it, but now you suddenly have quite the attachment to it.
Kaidan: So what? He offered, I accepted. It was more than what Ash did.
Liara: He must’ve had to get awfully close to do that.
Liara: And you two definitely took your time up there.
Kaidan: I fail to see the point.
Liara: You enjoyed it way too much, didn’t you?
Liara: Kaidan.
Liara: You can’t just avoid me by staring out the window.
Liara: If I can see your face turning red then I promise that everyone else can.
Kaidan: I have no idea what you’re talking about.
Liara: Of course you don’t.
__________
Garrus: Meow~
Shepard: Fuck off