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morganaseren · 3 months

Note

The Bodyguard AU 😌

((Your love for Tevos is showing again, friend. 😏 I gotchu though! I think you wanted three prompts from this if I recall correctly, so I hope you like these!))

Pairing: Rajhi Shepard/Councilor Tevos

Rating: General

AU: Wanna Be On Your Mind (formerly titled the Bodyguard AU)

---

"Who the fuck taught Sparatus how to do air quotes?!" Shepard crossed her arms with a scowl. "I swear, I'm going to break his fingers if he does that to me again!"

Tevos didn't even bother to look up from where she was perusing through various documents on her desk. "Please don't," she deadpanned even though she was all too aware her request was likely to be ignored with as incensed as the human woman currently was. Her point was further proven when Shepard continued on her with tirade without so much as missing a beat.

"Was it his secretary?! I bet it was his secretary!" Shepard began pacing along the length of her office--agitation evident in every movement--while voicing her thoughts aloud. "I see the way he leers at her!"

"Shepard--"

"'Interest in strengthening alliances with the newest members of the galactic community' my ass! They're fucking, Tevos! I just know it! I'd bet my entire salary on it!"

Tevos gave a long-suffering sigh as she pressed her fingers against her temples. "Considering I'm currently paying for your salary, one would think you would act with a bit of decorum."

"Look, outside of your office, I will act as damn professional as you want me to be. There's a reason why I had Miranda put that 'satisfaction guaranteed with services' clause in the contract with our clients." The woman pointed down repeatedly at the floor. "When we're alone though? I want the option to at least vent. If not, that's fine. I can always have Kaidan or Jacob stand in for me if you'd like."

It was likely the wiser option, Tevos knew.

She had met both men often enough to know they were utterly consummate in the duties expected of them. Tevos had employed enough bodyguards in her lifetime to know that they more than met the standards of such an intense industry. Still, there was something... refreshing about Shepard's personality in particular--one that was a powerful and bold as the former Special Ops commander of the Alliance.

And for as wild and spirited as Shepard could be, Tevos could admit the woman would never intentionally jeopardize her position as the asari councilor. Shepard was always the epitome of professional competence even among the most high-profile members in the galaxy.

Her connection to those very same individuals aside, she was everything one could ask for in a bodyguard.

Even Tevos could admit that.

Surely, she could forgive a few eccentricities in these private moments if it meant retaining the part of their relationship that she had come to appreciate. She tilted her head as she turned to consider Shepard more thoughtfully then. She couldn't help the soft smile that danced upon her lips.

"That won't be necess--"

"Councilor?"

Both she and Shepard turned to stare at the intercom at her desk. Tevos immediately recognized the voice of her secretary. She leaned forward to tap at the haptic interface.

"Yes, Esila?"

"The turian councilor is here to see you. He mentioned wanting to discuss some of the upcoming proposals for the Council." There was a pause. "Oh, and it seems he's bringing along his secretary. Would you like me to update the lunch order from your favorite restaurant?"

Tevos didn't at all miss the way Shepard immediately perked up with great interest at the mention of Sparatus' secretary accompanying him.

A dog with the proverbial bone as it were if she were to borrow the human idiom...

"That would be lovely, Esila. You can send them both in. Please do tell me when lunch is delivered."

"Of course."

Tevos ensured she had the intercom turned off before she turned to Shepard with a pointed stare. The woman responded by giving her the most winsome smile, but Tevos knew not to fall for it. "And you... behave."

---

"Miss Lawson's calm conduct in all matters is highly regarded by my colleagues."

"Oh, Miranda?" Shepard chuckled as she wandered over to her desk with their lunch. "Yeah, she's probably one of the smartest people I know. She's got a doctorate or two in fields that I probably couldn't even begin to understand. Don't ask me how she managed to do that between the type of work we do. I just chalk it up to being a Miranda thing at this point." She grinned. "I'm sure the Alliance Admiralty Board is still frothing at the mouth that I managed to steal her away from them when I left. Sorry about the wait with the food by the way. You wouldn't believe how long the line was for these."

Tevos was pleased when Shepard was mindful of placing coasters beneath their respective drinks. Tevos wasn't fond of the marks that were often left behind on the glass surface due to condensation. As she gazed down at the colorful beverages, she realized that the woman had ventured out to one of the Asian restaurants that recently received a boom in popularity thanks to having the asari councilor's personal bodyguard as a frequent visitor.

The drinks were something of a new, but well-appreciated, novelty on the Presidium for the small spheres nestled at the bottom of the cup. They were either made using traditional tapioca, which Shepard preferred because of the chew, or Tevos' favorite of the tropical fruit-filled balls that popped almost instantly on meeting her tongue.

"No need to concern yourself," she answered, smiling gratefully when Shepard handed her an oblong-shaped sandwich. She could smell the sweet, grilled meat almost instantly. Despite her focus toward finishing her remaining work, she couldn't help the way her mouth watered, reminding her she hadn't eaten since early that morning. "Did she hold a similar position to yours when she was in the Alliance?" Tevos wouldn't have been surprised if she had.

"No actually." Shepard wasted little time into tucking into her banh mi. Apparently, the woman's hunger had been greater than her own, for Tevos couldn't help but raise her tattooed brows at the large bite that had been taken. Shepard hummed appreciatively at the taste, finishing chewing before continuing with, "She held the same Lieutenant rank Kaidan had before we left. I honestly thought she'd make Captain before he and I ever did, but if you were to ask Miranda, she'd say something along the lines of her being tired of the bureaucracy."

"Hm. I'm sure with her resume she could have gone anywhere she desired."

"That's what I told her!" Shepard laughed. "I guess for her, working private security wasn't too far different from what we used to do." She shrugged. "The pay's better at least, considering the type of clientele we have. I don't think she's going to complain about being able to pay for the entirety of her sister's university funds without even having to bat an eye." The woman picked up her drink then--a coffee variant from what Tevos could tell of the color--to sample it and the tapioca balls, chewing carefully on the latter. "I appreciate that she was even willing to follow me on this little venture. It was admittedly a bit of a gamble when we first left the Alliance."

"I'm sure anyone would be lucky to have a second-in-command as level-headed and skilled as Miss Lawson."

"Oh, definitely. I'd probably forget that my head was on my shoulders half the time if it weren't for her. She's better at the business side of things than I am. Honestly, she has the patience of a saint, which says a lot, considering Jack and I normally--"

"Shepard!"

And Tevos blinked when Shepard jerked in place at the call of her name by the very woman they'd been discussing. From the volume, Tevos wagered that Miss Lawson was somewhere outside her office.

"Shepard! Why the bloody hell did Kasumi find surveillance footage of you and Officer Vakarian shooting drink canisters off the highest point of the Presidium?!"

"Oh, goddamn Kasumi and her hacking abilities..." Shepard muttered balefully. Still, she wasted little time in gathering her half of her lunch in her hands before throwing a grin Tevos' way. "Uh, I'll text Ash and tell her to take over guard duty for me for the next few hours. I should hopefully see you again during dinner if--"

"Shepard!"

The woman's smile only widened at the shout even if Tevos could see how those golden-colored eyes tightened at their corners with sudden nervousness.

"Excuse me. I have to go hide now."

---

"Whoa, what? Wait, wait, wait! You can't just leave me here with them!" she whispered frantically.

"Shepard, I haven't visited Thessia for the better part of a decade. I'm expected to at least talk to some of the politicians here during my stay. Surely, you can manage a half hour on your own while I do so."

In response, the woman inhaled deeply before placing both of her palms together, reminiscent of a prayer position. Then, she slowly raised her hands up to press the sides of her index fingers against her own lips.

"Tevos, I really don't think you realize just how repressed some of your colleagues are..." she murmured, dark brows raising as she widened her eyes pointedly.

Tevos sighed even as she was unable to stop the wave of fondness that washed over her amidst her exasperation. "Shepard..."

"They are!" she countered in a harsh whisper before flickering her gaze over Tevos' head inconspicuously.

Well, as inconspicuously as she could anyway.

The human stood head and shoulders above most of the asari in attendance.

"Look, remember how long it took for the people on the Presidium to get over their fascination with me when I first took this job? There's a reason why I didn't bother wearing a sari to this thing. I learned from last time! Everyone kept wanting to touch my arms!"

Tevos blinked before turning to eye her bodyguard's current attire. While she had been curious about the change, she hadn't bothered to question the reasons as to why. Shepard certainly didn't do the dark, three-piece suit a disservice. Still, while it was remarkably well-tailored, it did nothing to hide Shepard's impressive physique.

Considering the asari were a communal species, it wasn't odd for them to be rather casual around one another, but such conduct was typically reserved between close friends and family members. While she knew some of the maidens upon the Presidium could be forward with their curiosity, she had assumed her colleagues would have shown the proper level of etiquette to a foreign visitor in their midst--even for someone as unique as Shepard.

That apparently hadn't been the cause.

Tevos would be in Armali for the next month or so on business. Perhaps she could forego work for at least one night, especially since Shepard seemed so uncomfortable.

...She did, however, make a mental note to watch whomever had caused her bodyguard such discomfort.

Tevos held her hand out then in request for Shepard's own. "Would you dance with me?"

Shepard blinked, taken aback by the request, especially since it wasn't part of their typical routine. "Um, sure. If you really want to."

"Well, it serves two purposes," she admitted with a laugh even as Shepard took the lead. For someone as large and imposing as her, she was remarkably light on her feet. "You wouldn't be left on your own, and it would be easier to dance our way toward the exit than manage through the crowd here. I can announce our farewells, and we can depart for the rest of the evening."

"Oh? Oh!" Shepard grinned then. "That's pretty smart of you."

Tevos huffed out a small laugh. "I do try although I'm sure my mother might be somewhat disappointed that I'm not making more contacts tonight."

"I doubt it. Matriarch Osiria's been more interested in what you get up to during your day to day schedule than anything business-related."

Tevos' brows furrowed at the claim. "I... didn't realize you had become that familiar with one another."

"Oh, well you know that I like waking up early. She's normally down in the kitchen when I make my protein shake, and she likes talking with me."

"About what exactly?"

"Random things honestly although we had a pretty interesting talk this morning."

"Oh?" Tevos could feel a certain sense of wariness settling over her. "Should I be concerned with this topic of conversation? Do I even wish to know what you spoke to her about?"

"Well..." Her gaze turned toward the high domed ceiling in thought. "I'm not entirely sure if my translator glitched out when she asked, but she seemed interested in my pedigree?" She shrugged. "And then she went on to ask about when you would be giving her grandchildren,” she answered, snickering, especially when Tevos stiffened in her arms, almost missing a step. “She mentioned something along the lines of waiting centuries and there still not being a single toddler in sight. Although honestly? I think she only added that last bit to earn some sympathy from me. Apparently, my being around you all the time makes her assume I have better insight into your love life.”

#mass effect #councilor tevos #female shepard #female shepard/councilor tevos #OTP: The Hallelujah On My Throne #AU: Wanna Be On Your Mind #i finally figured out an OTP name for these two!#and i officially gave this AU a name 🙌#opposites definitely attract when it comes to these two 😌

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clericofshadows · 8 months

Text

don't ask about Ryuusei

Description: Regis Shepard receives an odd invite from Joker, which leads to him falling through a fish tank, being taken care of his lovers, and finding out that there's an identity theft plot against him--all in that order.

Pairing: Regis Shepard/Kaidan Alenko/Zaeed Massani

Rating: M

Word Count: ~14K

Regis was sitting at his desk, scrolling through his terminal when he saw a message from Moreau pop up.

Shepard, I've got a few things I wanted to go over with you. With the Normandy in dry dock, I figured we could meet up at that Ryuusei sushi place down in the Wards. I hear it's the best. Joker

Something was a bit off on the tone of the email, but it wouldn’t be the first time Moreau made EDI type up something for him. He didn’t recognize the name of the restaurant, but the mention of sushi made him pull a face so he searched it up. The first link revealed that it was not only a fancy, high-end sushi place but also housed in a fucking fish tank. He knows how much Regis hates fish. Hell, he was there when Regis boasted about getting the Cerberus crew to remove the eye-sore in his cabin.

So why would he ever suggest Ryuusei over any other restaurant? Regis will go the extra mile for some of his crew, but taking someone out to a fish tank themed restaurant is crossing the damn line.

He pushed the chair away from his desk and stalked back over to the living room. Kaidan made a concerned expression, sensing his anger from a mile away, making room for him on the couch.

“I’m going to murder him,” Regis said, flopping back down on the couch, pulling his omnitool out to show his husbands. “What the hell is this?”

Zaeed looked over his shoulder, squinting his eyes at the omnitool. “Are you sure it’s from him?”

“I’ve scanned it, ran it through my filters. Do you want me to message my friend in infosec? It’s legit,” he replied. “I’ve already looked up the place. It’s a fucking fish tank that only serves sushi and seafood. I’ll pass.”

“Joker’s an ass, but he’s not an idiot,” Kaidan said. Fair point to make. Moreau values his life over jokes when it comes to Regis. Most of the time. “Want us to go with you?”

“I might need some material witnesses, but I’d argue you’re both too damn biased to be of any use,” Regis said, turning to kiss Kaidan on the cheek. “I appreciate the offer, though.”

“That’s what Spectre authorizations are for, right? Abuse your goddamn power. Wipe your slate clean,” Zaeed chuckled. “So, are you going to go?”

“Might as well. What’s the worst that could happen?”

He could get food poisoning again. He was fifteen years old, and his mother took him out to a place on Arcturus known for its seafood. He was sick for days afterwards, his mother somehow escaping from the horror that he felt.

Regis swore off fish in any form since then.

“I could think of a few things,” Kaidan said, furrowing his eyebrows. “You just jinxed us.”

Regis rolled his eyes. “Just be on standby, loves. Hell, why did this place highly recommend formal wear? I rather not waste one of my suits on Moreau.”

“Think of you wearing one of those suits as something we can take off of you later,” Zaeed said, leaning over the couch to whisper in his ear.

Regis smirked, pulling him in for a kiss. “You have good ideas, Massani. Fine, I’ll wear one of my suits. But not my nicest one.”

He got up from the couch. “I’ll be back. Don’t follow me, because I know damn well you’ll make me late.”

“What? We would never,” Kaidan replied, laying his hand on his chest in mock offense.

Regis walked backwards to the stairs. “Bullshit. I can see you two already scheming.”

“Only about tonight, baby,” Zaeed said, curling up next to Kaidan. “We would never sabotage an important meeting.”

Regis stopped at the stairwell, a hand on the railing. He glared at them with narrowed eyes. “Sure,” he said, drawing out the word. “And I’m definitely straight.”

“The horror!” Kaidan chuckled. “Go get ready. We’ll hold down the fort.”

Regis smiled as he walked up the stairs into their bedroom, opening the closet and sorting through his suits. He grabbed a red vest, a black button down, slacks, and a pair of his combat boots. For comfort. He grabbed his silicone wedding rings and placed them on top of each other on his ring finger, keeping the real ones safe on his dog tags hanging in the jewelry box.

He also reached for his holster, designed to fit his N7 Eagle perfectly underneath his shoulder.

Sitting on his weapon bench was one of his visors. A thinner, smaller model turians tend to prefer to use, recently co-opted and refitted for human use. He tucked it in his vest pocket, one of the arms of the visor hanging off the side of his pocket.

Because you never know.

He took his time getting ready, ensuring no piece was out of place. He finished up by finger-combing some product in his hair and rubbing some oil into this beard.

When he walked down the stairs, rolling up his sleeves, revealing his inked arms, Zaeed let out a whistle. Regis rolled his eyes as he stood in front of the couch, twirling around so they could look at his outfit. “Good enough to take off of me later?”

“I don’t know,” Zaeed said, a sparkle in his eye. “This is a picture I want to keep. May just have to worship you with it on, only taking just enough off to make you writhe.”

Regis gave him a look , but he doubted it had much fire behind it. “You are not going to ruin my suit.” Zaeed held up his hands in surrender, keeping that smug expression on his face. Bastard. That’s all Regis is going to think about during the damn meet up.

Dry cleaning does exist…

Kaidan shook his head at Zaeed’s comment. “Do you really need the Eagle?” He asked, pointing at the holster.

“I’m a Spectre. I can open carry,” Regis said, crossing his arms. “Too much?”

“Yes, I know you’re a Spectre.” Kaidan rolled his eyes. Regis stuck out his tongue. “Nah. It suits you. Makes it clear how you feel about the meeting.”

“I’m going to be pissed if I find out this could’ve been a damn email.” Regis said. He stepped forward to kiss the both of them on the cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Try not to kill our pilot. Don’t have many of those that will put up with our crew,” Zaeed called out as Regis opened the door.

He shot him a one-fingered salute in response.

The ride to the restaurant was quick enough. Regis toyed with the rings on his finger, twisting them around. He wasn’t anxious, per se, but he wasn’t exactly looking forward to the meeting.

Mostly because he was going to give Moreau one hell of an earful.

The skycar stopped and he stepped outside, looking at the line of people. As he walked to the end of the line, all eyes on the first Human Spectre and Admiral, the host waved him forward. He sighed and got out of his place in line, stepping onto the fish tank floors, looking down on them with barely disguised annoyance. Moreau waved him over to a table in the back, a grin on his face and wearing a casual blazer and jeans.

Okay, something is weird. Something is definitely up. There’s no way he’ll ever be this enthusiastic about a meeting with Regis. They tolerate each other, and that’s it.

He almost wanted to see if someone was behind him.

He walked over to the table and sat down, lacing his fingers together on the table.

Moreau’s gaze landed on his gun. “Uh, was that really necessary?”

“Oh, you mean this?” Regis pointed at his holster. “I don’t know. Why the hell did you invite me to what I could consider the biggest abomination of a restaurant on the Citadel? You know I would’ve been perfectly fine at a damn noodle stand.”

“Wait a minute, you messaged me . For a second, I thought it was a prank. I mean, hello–” he gestured around. “I know you. This is your personal hell, but maybe you decided to let that all go to celebrate your favorite pilot.”

“My favorite pilot is EDI,” Regis deadpanned, keeping his face neutral as Moreau clutched at his chest in offense. “Shit, so you got a message from me, and I got a message from you… I knew I should’ve involved infosec.”

“You were about to involve infosec? Let me see that message you got,” he replied. Regis obliged, pulling up his omnitool. He read over it quickly. “That’s weird. My message is almost the same, except from you.”

“My filters and scans didn’t pick up any anomalies, so I just assumed you had EDI write and send it like you have a tendency of doing,” Regis replied, shutting it off. “This isn’t good.”

“Hey, she offers! It’s efficiency,” he defended. His gaze fell to something behind him. “Uh, there’s a low-ranking officer in blues trying to get our attention.”

Regis turned around to see a young woman waving desperately to get their attention, clothed in perfect dress blues, hat in place, and shoes shined to perfection.

Almost too perfect, but not uncommon with some of the lower ranks. Wanting to make themselves seem as important as possible, which he couldn’t blame.

Still… This whole situation made him unnerved. Regis got the attention of the host who was trying and nearly failing to hold her back. He made a “come here” motion and the host reluctantly let her through as she stumbled forward.

Another thing bugged him. Kaidan and Zaeed knew he was here. How did she know he was here? Did the press announce it that quickly? Admiral Regis Shepard spotted at Ryuusei, more at 11?

She stopped at their table, holding a datapad, almost sounding out of breath as she introduced himself. “Staff Analyst Maya Brooks. Alliance Intelligence. Com–Admiral Shepard, there are people trying to kill you.”

He’s been an Admiral since the end of the war. Kind of annoying that some people still try to call him Commander.

He and Moreau shared a look. Moreau spoke up. “Uh, yeah, that’s pretty typical for Shepard. What’s new?”

“No, like I’m aware of the remnants of Cerberus and other orgs, but ugh–” she shook her head, looking frustrated with herself. “Someone is hacking into your accounts. Comm channels, personal records… They’re targeting you specifically.”

Regis narrowed his eyes. “I figured that out before you got here. You and your department must’ve dropped the ball. I have my own fucking security, so what the hell is going on?”

She flinched back at his hostility, but something about it looked exaggerated. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been so harsh, but her high energy was getting on his nerves. “We don’t have all the intel yet! And I’m not about to guess when we don’t have all the information.”

Regis made a motion with his hand to continue. “Well, what do you know?”

“Take a breath, Brooks,” Moreau said. “Not like this is a life-or-death situation or anything.”

At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a lot of movement from the entrance. With a hand on his gun, Regis watched as a whole group of armored, armed mercenaries started pouring in, pushing the host aside.

Shit.

Regis made no move just yet, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself. He readied his Tech Armor on his omnitool, ready to flash-forge it over his body.

It’s a good thing he didn’t wear his best suit. He had a feeling it wasn’t going to survive this trip.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Tonight's performance is brought to you by random acts of violence,” one of the mercs announced, presumably the captain. At his word, his fellow mercs started shooting in the air, causing chaos and throwing up tables, causing the civilians to scatter and cower in fear. They shot at the glass, and Regis put on his visor as he got up, shielding Moreau from the fire and using the table as a make-shift shield.

As the visor calibrated, he noticed that the structural integrity of the building was severely compromised. You would've thought that an expensive restaurant would spring for the best glass for their precious fish.

He was going to leave a one-star review if he gets out of this mess.

“Spread out boys! Find me Shepard!” the captain announced.

Regis pushed Moreau down, keeping an eye on the analyst. He drew his gun and activated his omnitool, typing out an SOS to Zaeed and Kaidan.

Need help. Suit up fast. Ryuusei.

The message lagged a bit before eventually sending. Shit, they’re jamming comms too? He sent it just in time, but the warning signs on his visor weren’t helping with all the chaos on the tanks.

A fish restaurant is not going to kill him today.

“Stay there,” he ordered Brooks. “Moreau?” He asked, turning to him, looking him over with a concerned eye. “Are you okay?”

“Ow, my pancreas,” he groaned, clutching his side. “I’m fine. More durable than you think.”

Regis rolled his eyes, about to move forward, but a merc came forward and yanked Brooks out of her cover. She stumbled as they dragged her across the floor. “Goddamn it,” Regis muttered.

“Listen,” he said, getting Moreau’s attention. “I’m going to go after her. I’ve already sent word to Kaidan and Zaeed but rally the crew.”

“Rally the crew and your crazy husbands, got it,” he said, slowly getting up from the cover.

Regis smirked and kept an eye on Moreau, waiting for a trooper to try and get the obvious bait, holstering his Eagle. And then, one shouted. “Hey!”

Regis reached up and yanked the merc over his cover, flash-forging his omni-blade and sinking it in his chest with a growl.

He took the weapon off the corpse, not recognizing it as anything currently on the market, much less the Spectre market. Lightweight, suppressed, and human made.

Interesting.

“You used me as bait!” Moreau accused.

“Yes, I did. Now get the hell out of here!” Regis replied, twisting his fingers into a barrier, feeling the dark energy settle over him. He forged his Tech Armor as well, trying to provide as much protection on him as possible before leaving the compromised position.

Regis peaked around the corner, aiming with the new pistol and headshotting the nearest merc, watching in satisfaction as they collapsed to the ground. The gun barely made a sound, low enough to not be immediately detected as a gunshot.

Well, his Eagle is going to be useless. Damn. His favorite gun is already overshadowed by some new black-market tech.

He crept forward, gathering dark energy in one hand, twisting it into a Reave, tossing it at the nearest merc. The merc panicked, making him a perfect target. Pull the trigger, and then-–dead.

Regis prepped an overload on his omnitool, using his eye-tracking software to pinpoint the group of mercs near the bar, creeping towards his location. In a flash of red, he overloaded their shields in a rain of sparks, making them vulnerable to a blast of dark energy. He teased the energy in his palm, twisting his fingers to point forwards into a shockwave. The energy pulsed on the ground before blowing up in their faces, knocked out by the force of the blast.

“I’m over here!” Brooks called out. Shit. Another merc turned towards his direction, walking away from his position at the bar. Can she not read the fucking room?

Regis reloaded the pistol, grabbing a fresh heat sink from the ground and vaulting over the bar. He rushed towards the merc, detonating his tech armor with a clench of his fist, causing them to stagger. He forged another omni blade and stabbed it through the helmet, ripping it away in a spray of blood.

There definitely goes his suit.

Brooks was lying on the glass in front of the entrance. He ran towards her, gunning down the merc guarding the entrance. He slid down to her. Holding out a hand, he helped her up, her grip very tight. “You alright?” Regis asked, brushing off his vest, stuffing the new gun in his other holster. “Come on, we need to–”

He heard the sound of jet-propelled armor, and then a flash of red. She pushed him out of the way, Brooks took the shot meant for him, clipping her side.

Regis gritted his teeth as he moved to get up, winded by the way he fell on his back. The merc continued to fire around him, missing every shot, hitting the glass…

Well, shit. His visor flashed with warnings, the glass started to creak ominously, and then–

The glass shattered.

Regis cried out, reaching deep within the gravity well to start to slow his fall, but it failed, a spike of pain coming from his neck. He blindly reached for something, anything to grab onto. His hand slipped on the neon sign, the panels shattering with his weight until he stopped at the very end, his hand covered in cuts and starting to sting with the saltwater raining from above.

Slowly, carefully, he raised himself up, cringing at the pain radiating up from his hands and bare arms.

How the hell is he going to get out of this?

He started to try and climb up more, but then it started to creak. He widened his eyes as the sigh failed to support his weight, and he fell with a shout, rolling down the glass windows.

Reaching out for more purchase, his grip landed up an open window, and he was dangling once more. No time to think, no time to do anything as he looked up and saw more glass and remnants of the sign raining down.

He took a breath and let go of the open window, sliding and rolling down the wall until he landed on a solid platform.

Water still rained down on top of him as he slowly rose up, clutching his side and looking over his body. His hands were shredded and covered in blood. His arms were marred with cuts. He was soaked and smelling like fish.

Sure, he’s been through hell many times. But somehow the fish part made this encounter part of his worst.

With a pained sigh, he activated his omnitool and cursed at his low level of medigel, barely enough to seal the worst of the cuts on his hand. He applied it gently to his hands, ripping off parts of his dress pants to create a crude bandage.

It will be enough for now.

He glanced at his visor’s HUD, noticing that his amp was overloaded. Shit. No wonder he couldn’t levitate down.

He’ll need a new replacement, stat.

A flick of his wrist, and his omnitool reactivated. He searched through the comm feeds, only picking up on a local one. All others were still blocked, no way to get a message through to any of his crew.

He reached for the suppressed pistol, looking around to try and get his bearings.

“Admiral! I found a secure terminal. Are you okay down there?” Of all the people that are able to reach out to him.

“Yeah, feeling peachy.” No, he’s not okay. Not about to admit that to her.

He made his way through the scaffolding, jumping over to the next platform and sliding down the ladder. “Didn’t you get hit?” He asked, making conversation.

“Yup! I used a lot of medigel. Too much of it, maybe. Everything is a bit… bouncy?” She sounded very chipper, almost manic.

“You used too much,” he confirmed absentmindedly, jumping over to another set of platforms and sliding down another ladder, wincing at the contact with his abused hands. “Alert C-Sec. I’m looking for a way out.”

She didn’t immediately reply, and Regis was almost thankful for it. His gaze landed on a skycar lot across the street, selling top of the line models. A skycar took off from the landing pad. “I see a lot and a landing pad. Cision Motors.”

“Yeah, I see it!”

“Good. Get a shuttle there ASAP,” he ordered as he made his way down, finding himself in front of a freezer storage of some sort.

“So, um, it turns out that C-Sec has the whole area locked down. It’s going to be tricky to get a shuttle down there.”

Great. Regis made his way through the freezer, rubbing his arms at the sudden chill. “Well, keep at it and find a fucking solution!” He glanced back down at his omnitool, seeing two comm requests pop up. He read through their signatures and pushed them through, recognizing his husbands’ sigs from a mile away.

Finally. Some real help.

“Oh, and you should stay off your comm. Except for me! Because it’s hacked. And that’s how they found you.” Ain’t that convenient. He ignored her, climbing up the ladder and nodding at the salarian taking a smoke break, who barely spared him a glance.

“Do you even know who these mercs are?” He asked, hoping she had something to give him.

“No. They really don’t seem to like you!”

“That’s real helpful, Brooks. Thanks for that very astute observation,” Regis growled out, crouching down at the top of the building.

Why is it taking so damn long for their comms to get through? He glanced back down at his omnitool and pushed them through again, changing the security on the fly so they could patch into Brooks’ comm instead of his own.

If she complains about it, he’s muting her.

He leapt from building to building until he stopped at one at the edge of the market, seeing a group of the same mercs patrolling around. Shit.

Without his biotics, this wasn’t going to be fun. His visor helpfully outputted that the temp of his amp had gone down, but diagnostics were still too volatile for him to risk it.

“Regis! Can you hear me?” Kaidan’s voice appeared, and Regis relaxed minutely.

“Yes, love. Loud and clear. Zaeed got routed in, too?” Regis replied with a relieved smile, still perched on the top of the building, scanning the area before dropping down quietly, crouching down behind a random stall.

“Of course. We’re on foot, but close. Goddamn, can we ever have a peaceful leave?” Zaeed said.

Regis was looking forward to them peeling his suit off of him. Now all he wanted to do is soak in that hot tub and never come out.

“Joker let us know what happened. Did you really use him as bait?” Kaidan chuckled.

“Excuse me, who is this? You’re on an unsecured channel, and you are putting Admiral Shepard in danger!” Brooks yelled out. Regis shook his head and shot at the nearest merc, watching him collapse to the ground in a satisfying crumble.

“And who the hell are you?” Zaeed cut in. “Not like we have a lot of options here.”

Regis ignored the conversation as he summoned a drone, directing it to distract the mercs heading towards the body.

As they focused on the drone, he detonated it, overloading their shields and making them vulnerable to a few well-placed shots. Well, if they aren’t going to introduce themselves, he might as well do it. Not like he’s fighting for his life here or anything.

“Zaeed, Kaidan, this is Staff Analyst Brooks. Brooks, these are my husbands, Zaeed and Kaidan. Not the type to be putting me in danger,” Regis explained as he crept through the alleyway, keeping an eye on any other mercs. “Play nice, because I’m in the middle of something here.”

“As if you ever play nice,” Kaidan said with a barely disguised snort. “Can you send me your diag?”

Regis sent the outputs through the comm, hoping there was enough bandwidth to handle the data transfer. Luckily, it went through, and Regis rolled over to the nearest stand, aiming for the next group of mercs with another primed and ready overload.

“We’ll make sure to call Vik so they can get you checked out.” Regis could hear his wince across the comm. Yeah, he knew they weren’t great, but Kaidan was the most knowledgeable about bio-feeds.

The fact that he’s favoring Vik over Chakwas is signal enough that his amp problem is something serious. Great. Just like he thought but hoped he interpreted incorrectly.

He fired off the overload, taking down the second group with precision, disposing of the smoking heat sink and scooping up another off of the corpses.

“Just my amp. Can easily be replaced. I’ll be fine,” Regis said, checking his program cooldowns before switching over to the cryo freeze, firing it off at a sniper who was getting set up at the back counter.

He took a deep breath and continued forward, starting to feel weary. His hands and arms ached, and he was sure he was going to be a massive bruise by tomorrow.

Keep pressing forward, Regis. It’s this or death.

At the end of the street was a locked door. He glanced at the security and pushed through his Spectre credentials, the door opening and confirming his status.

“I’m almost at the lot. Just have a few more mercs I need to fight through,” Regis said, crouching behind an elegant potted plant. “Unless any of you are close enough to go ahead and save my ass?”

“Almost there!” Kaidan said. “Hold out a bit longer.”

“You say that like it’s easy,” he muttered, temporarily muting himself. He unmuted, “Glad to hear!”

He summoned his drone again and drew some of the mercs towards him. His hands started to shake as he raised up the pistol. Shit. He needs to get out of here, fast.

His first shot went wide, but the next hit home, taking down one of the mercs as the other shot at his drone.

He ordered the drone to shock the merc in a blast of sparks, finishing them off with another bullet. Only a few more to go.

He glanced at his diags again, seeing the output of his amp improving. Normally, he wouldn’t do this, but this is not a normal situation. He flicked his fingers into a singularity, feeling his corona roar to life before tossing it at the group of mercs waiting at the entrance to the skycar lot.

“Admiral! There’s a C-Sec shuttle inbound if you can get to the car lot,” Brooks announced.

“Got it,” Regis said, trying to keep his voice steady.

He’s going to pay for that later with one hell of a migraine.

Worth it to stay alive.

He grabbed some more clips and holstered the suppressed pistol, noticing a M-11 on the side. He traded it out for his Eagle, not caring for stealth at the moment, although he noticed that the gun pierced through armor like no other, almost like a mini Widow.

As he walked into the lot, he saw Kaidan holding a group of mercs in the air with his biotics, his corona burning blue. Zaeed had his Widow out, sniping the heads of the mercs before Kaidan threw them against the wall in a blast of dark energy.

Regis holstered his gun as Kaidan walked towards him, his corona slowly dissipating. To his immense pleasure both Zaeed and Kaidan opted to wear their matching long coats and infiltration style gear, Kaidan’s blue duster marked with the Spectre logo.

Kaidan’s expression morphed into one of concern as he got a better look at him, gaze falling on his hands. “What happened?”

“Fell through a fucking fish tank,” he replied, opening his arms for a hug. Kaidan hugged him back, and Regis let Kaidan support him as Zaeed prepped some medigel.

“And your amp?” Zaeed asked after they broke apart, clasping Regis on the shoulder. “I still want to take that suit off of you.” Kaidan rolled his eyes, shaking his head at his husband.

“Me too, so we can burn it later.” Regis sat down on the curb, taking a breath. “My amp needs to be replaced. It’s better than what it was, but I don’t trust it right now.”

“We’ll be calling Vik the moment we get back to the apartment,” Kaidan said with a nod, sitting down beside him. “Now be honest. Scale of one to ten.”

Regis closed his eyes. “Five, maybe six? That fall fucked me up. Only came out of it unscathed as it did probably due to Cerberus’s enhancements.”

Zaeed activated his Kuwashii visor and performed a scan of his own, kneeling down, starting to administer some medigel to the more superficial wounds. “Don’t see anything too abnormal, but I’m no medic. Your goddamn amp is still going crazy.”

“I may have used some biotics even after it threw a warning,” Regis admitted.

Kaidan gave him a hard look, but it was softened by the concern still written on his face. “Don’t use any more until we can get you checked out. Are your programs still running at optimal levels?”

Regis gave him a hard look of his own. “You know who you’re talking to, right?” He stood up and forged his tech armor. “No issues at all.”

“Then stick to them,” Kaidan said with a pointed look, checking over his N7 Valkyrie.

Zaeed stepped in between them. “Love the foreplay. Let’s get out of here? Landing pad is beyond a locked gate, maybe we should find a way to open it so we can get on with it?”

“Oh, I’m sure you want us to get on with it,” Kaidan muttered.

Regis rolled his eyes and stalked over to the set of offices where there was likely some sort of master lock to unlock the gates. They followed him as he activated his omnitool, priming it to overload the door. “Stand back.”

Kaidan slowly lowered his raised arm. “Just a minute, love.” He moved to knock on the window, and Regis noticed a volus sitting underneath the window. Ah.

“Would’ve been faster if you let him destroy the damn lock,” Zaeed said, gesturing with the Widow. “Hell, I could’ve blasted it off for you.”

Kaidan ignored them both. “Could you unlock the gate?”

With a mechanical sound, the gates lowered into the floor. “Thanks.” Kaidan said, walking past both of them with a smirk on his face.

“Well, I could’ve done that ,” Regis muttered, following close behind him.

“Boring. We could've been out of here by now if you hadn’t played nice,” Zaeed said, clapping him on the back.

“Isn’t that what you love about me?” Kaidan shot back, walking backwards towards the landing pad. “We need someone in this relationship who doesn’t immediately resort to violence.”

“There’s a key word in that sentence, love,” Regis teased. “‘Immediately.’”

As they made it to the landing pad, they saw a C-Sec shuttle flying towards them. Regis lowered his gun, raising up an arm to shield his face as the shuttle started to lower. The shuttle door opened, and he caught the flash of a turret. Shit. Nothing is ever easy.

“Get down!” Kaidan ordered, summoning up a biotic bubble as the mercs opened fire, bullets stopping in the wake of the dark energy surrounding them. Zaeed pushed them both behind the lot’s sign, throwing off a bundle of Inferno grenades to cover them before ducking into the bubble.

Kaidan let the bubble go, conserving his energy. They all shared a look, looking at each other first before glancing back at the shuttle, looking for a way out.

And then, the sound of glass shattering and the distinct sound of a krogan war cry came out of nowhere. Regis glanced at his diags to make sure he hadn’t fallen into shock.

“Is that–fucking hell…” Zaeed said in growing awe as the sound of an engine blowing up filled the air. “Good goddamn timing.”

The shuttle crashed to the ground and Regis risked a glance around the sign, seeing Wrex pummeling the mercs without breaking a sweat, headbutting and pushing them around before tossing one unlucky bastard out the back door.

“Just to make it clear, Wrex was not one of the people we informed,” Kaidan said, walking out of cover.

Wrex walked towards them calmly after kicking another merc out of the shuttle. “Maybe you should’ve, Alenko. Almost missed all the fun!”

Wrex pulled a minigun from a corpse and tossed it to Regis, who caught it with a grin. “Glad to have you here. So, what exactly are you doing here anyway?” Regis asked.

“Butting heads with the Council over krogan expansion,” he said. “Shepard, you should take up the human council position! We’ll have someone who could have our backs.”

Regis shuddered at the thought. “Respectfully Wrex, that’s going to be a hell-fucking-no.”

“Ah, what a shame. I get it though.” Wrex nodded at Zaeed who did the same in response.

Regis looked over the minigun as an explosion rocked the area, coming from inside the building. He sighed, shaking his head. “Wrex, you with me?”

“Always, my friend. Now, stay back. You’re too squishy in that outfit of yours,” Wrex said, priming his shotgun.

Mercs poured in from the ceiling, jumping down and ready for a fight. Two biotics–well, technically one at the moment–one krogan, and one pissed-off merc versus a whole company of mercs.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

Regis dashed over to the nearest cover, which was yet another sign advertising the business.

“So, we got a way out of here?” Wrex asked as he lifted a whole group of mecs for Zaeed to snipe.

“Of course we do. We’re goddamn professionals,” Zaeed replied, picking them off one by one.

“That’s not a yes, love!” Kaidan called out, throwing out a quick overload to take down an engineer about to set up a turret. Regis sent out his drone to assist, despite being low on resources. He tested the gun and took down a group of mercs advancing towards him, mowing them down without much effort.

He’s still going to mostly sit this one out. He’s not an idiot.

“Admiral!” Moreau’s voice filled the comm. “We’re on our way. I picked up Brooks. Figured you have a few questions.”

Sure, but not right at this minute. “Maybe later. By the way, that shuttle you sent? The C-Sec shuttle wasn’t C-Sec, it was filled with a bunch of mercs. So please, hurry up,” Regis replied, taking out a few enemy drones heading towards him with precision.

“What?!” Brooks asked with an exaggerated inquiring tone.

“You heard me,” Regis growled out, taking a breath as he replenished his tech armor.

“Right, sorry. We’ll be there soon!”

Regis started to feel a little bad for being so hostile, but something about her was rubbing him the wrong way. No one can be that damn chipper.

“Great place to fight in. Lots to destroy!” Wrex announced and the tell-tale sound of glass shattering filled the air. Zaeed shouted with glee as he fired off something explosive. Kaidan started to fall back, heading to Regis’s position.

Regis shook his head but was grinning all the same. Yeah, he missed this kind of action, not getting up to much of it post-war, clearing out Cerberus stations and herding survivors, working to scout the galaxy and continue looking for more history.

“Approaching your position, Admiral. Just following the gunfire,” Moreau chuckled. “Sorry it’s taking a while. Had to take the scenic route.”

“Copy that,” Regis acknowledged. He prepped another overload as a sniper tried to sneak up on him, their cloak revealed by his visor. No match for his technology. He fired it off, paying little mind to the arguing going on the comm. Brooks started yelling at Moreau for nearly crashing multiple times.

If it gets them here faster, Regis didn’t care how they did it.

“Hey, Shepard, get to the shuttle!” Moreau announced as the sounds of whirring engines grew louder and louder.

Kaidan yelled. “Fall back!” Starting to provide cover fire, he extended his barrier so that it would also envelop Regis, the blue dark energy surrounding him in a protective field.

Moreau maneuvered the shuttle so it was hovering just above the ground. Wrex charged towards the shuttle, throwing a set of Warp grenades behind him that exploded in a flurry of blue and red before jumping aboard. Zaeed was close behind, jumping on and holding out an arm. Regis grabbed onto him, and Zaeed pulled him close, holding onto Regis tightly as he stumbled forward.

Kaidan jumped aboard once everyone was secure and Moreau shut the shuttle door, halting the path of gunfire.

He took off in a burst of speed that was definitely illegal for this sector of the Citadel, the sounds of gunfire slowly quietening down.

Regis clung to Zaeed as they headed back to safety in silence, Kaidan watching them with a concerned eye. Even Wrex looked worried, leaning against the back wall of the shuttle.

“Vik’s meeting us at the apartment,” Kaidan said, breaking the silence. “Finally got the comms through.”

“Thanks. Adrian coming too?” Regis asked, trying to keep the exhaustion from creeping into his tone.

“Nah, just them. Figured you wanted a quiet apartment when we get home,” Kaidan replied.

Regis nodded in response, Zaeed rubbing circles into his back. “We’ll be home soon, babe. Ready to jump in that tub? You smell like shit.”

Regis couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m well aware.”

Before they entered the apartment, Wrex asked, “Someone want to tell me what’s going on here?”

Kaidan stepped between him and Regis. “After we get cleaned up.”

“But it’s important we stop the threat now!” Brooks said, moving past to try and get into the apartment.

“And it can wait until I get my damn amp replaced,” Regis said, blocking her from moving any further. “Get the rest of the crew up to speed. A few hours isn’t going to make any difference.”

“Come on, Brooks,” Moreau said, motioning for her to follow, meeting his gaze with a nod. “We’ll meet with the crew down on the strip.”

Wrex stayed behind as Moreau more or less started dragging Brooks with him. The moment they stepped into the elevator, Wrex motioned at the door. “Want me to keep an eye on your place as you take a breather?”

“That would be great,” Regis said, relieved. “I’m expecting Vik, remember them?”

“Sure do. I’ll make sure that only they get in for you.”

“Much appreciated, Wrex,” Zaeed said, shaking his hand.

“Anything for you. Try not to get too distracted with each other,” he laughed.

Kaidan rolled his eyes as he unlocked the door. “I make no promises to that.”

His laughter filled the air as they walked into the apartment, only quietening down after the door was closed.

Safe in the apartment, Regis started to pull off his ruined suit, tossing both his Eagle and the mystery M-11 on the coffee table. Kaidan moved in to help him, batting his hands away as he unbuttoned the silk shirt, gently pulling it off of him to not disturb the healing skin. Some bruises had already started to form, coloring his chest in a mass of purple. Regis winced as Kaidan ran a gentle hand down his chest, feeling for any abnormalities. “Let’s take the rest of this upstairs.”

Regis looked over at the stairway with hesitation. “Is it too much to ask for one of you to carry me?”

“‘Course not,” Zaeed said. “But before I pick you up, don’t play the strong Admiral. How are you really feeling right now?”

“Terrible,” Regis said with a sigh, sitting down on the couch despite his ruined pants. He kicked off his boots. “Neither one of you want to know how close I was to falling to my damn death back there.”

“Joker let us know. He caught a glimpse of the hole,” Kaidan said quietly, pressing a gentle kiss on the pulse point of his neck. “But you’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”

“I felt so helpless,” he admitted, looking down at his knees. “When my amp failed, I thought that this was it, no way out. Too damn lucky that I caught my hand on a sign and then on an open window after the sign broke.” He shook his head. “If any of the crew even thinks about joking about what happened…” he trailed off with a yawn, his unspoken threat losing steam. “You get the idea.”

“Most of the crew has a good head on their shoulders. Doubt they’ll risk your ire,” Zaeed said, taking off his gloves and tossing them on the couch, shrugging off his duster. “Ready?”

Regis nodded and allowed himself to be picked up into a bridal carry, cradled close to Zaeed’s chest as they walked upstairs. He could’ve made the trip, honestly.

But he wanted to be taken care of, and he was glad they picked up on that. He hadn’t felt so vulnerable in a long time, and he hated that he was put into that position.

Especially in front of an officer he knows nothing about.

Zaeed put him down in front of the bathroom and Regis pressed a kiss on the corner of his lip before stripping down, throwing the ruined and torn pants into a corner of the room. Kaidan had followed them inside their bedroom, stopping in the doorway. “I’m going to wait for Vik downstairs and start looking into this mess in the Spectre channels. Need me for anything?” Kaidan asked.

“I think we have it handled, babe,” Zaeed replied. “But don’t get too deep into it right now.”

Kaidan smiled. “I make no promises, love. Now relax and get better, Regis. Take all the time you need.”

“Don’t worry, I definitely will,” Regis said, pulling off his underwear and slipping inside the hottub with a groan. He felt both their gazes on him as he sunk into the water, dunking his head to get his hair wet and to start to scrub out the grime from the day.

“If you’re going to look at me, join me,” he said, pointing at them both.

Kaidan chuckled once Zaeed started to strip the rest of his leathers down, pulling off the reinforced fibers with quick precision. Regis watched as Kaidan leaned in to kiss Zaeed on the lips, cupping his head and pulling him close, pulling away just before it got heated. Zaeed almost seemed to chase after Kaidan, wanting more as he walked away from the bedroom.

Regis thought they all needed some quiet reassurance.

Zaeed tugged off his underwear and joined him in the tub. Regis raised up and Zaeed settled behind him, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him in close against his soft chest. He sighed, closing his eyes and relaxing into the embrace.

Zaeed grabbed Regis’s favorite shampoo and started to lather it into his hair, massaging Regis’s scalp with expert hands. He allowed himself to be pampered, to be taken care of.

A ritual they do if a mission almost went south. When they knew it was life or death.

They knew the score. So called “old” soldiers and mercs have been at it for too long and yet none of them want to leave.

Moments like this, however, reminded them what danger still lurked, how easy one of them could be taken away.

When Zaeed was done with his hair, Regis took a second to wash out the suds. About to grab the bottle to do the same for him, Zaeed batted his hand away, pushed the shampoo further away from him, and instead reached for the citrus scented conditioner. “You can take care of me later.”

Regis only hummed in response, relaxing even more as he started to work the conditioner into his hair, expertly applying it to his curls and combing out tangles with his fingers, making perfect little coils as he went along.

Maybe he’ll keep his eyes closed. Yeah, that felt nice. The sensation of being taken care of along with the repetitive sounds of the jets in the tub lulled him to sleep, allowing himself to relax fully knowing he was safe in the arms of a man he loved.

“Regis?”

His eyes popped open and he realized he wasn’t in the tub anymore as he raised up quickly, finding himself clothed in loose joggers and resting on their bed with a knitted blanket wrapped around him.

Was he really asleep for that long?

He rubbed at his eyes and noticed that the cuts on his body were nearly healed by the medigel, but the remnants of the heavy bruising still remained. It’s going to take a couple of applications to get rid of that, and Regis preferred healing things like that naturally, not liking the feeling of medigel unless it was necessary.

Kaidan had changed into a blue sweater and jeans, sleeves rolled up. “You fell asleep on Zaeed. He cleaned you up and got you tucked in. Only been about thirty, forty-five minutes.”

Looking around the room, he saw no sign of Zaeed. “Took care of me and bailed?” he chuckled.

“He’s out there with Vik and Ash. She wasn’t about to let Wrex stop her from checking up on you,” he explained.

Ah, Ash is here too? Great. He wanted to hear her thoughts on this mess before his apartment becomes home base for whatever the hell is going on.

“Good. Go ahead and send them up for me. And can you hand me one of my sweaters?” He asked.

“Of course, love. One of your off the shoulder ones?” He replied, opening one of the drawers after typing a quick message on his omnitool.

“Yeah. Vik needs easy access to my port. Are you going to get yours checked out while they’re here?” Regis asked after Kaidan handed him the sweater.

“Nah, they already ran some basic diags. All my outputs are good, so they’re not worried. We use different amps anyway.”

“Knew I shouldn’t have tried that fucking Savant. Work well but get pissy if you mod them,” Regis muttered as he pulled on the black, loose sweater.

“You modded a Savant?” Kaidan shook his head. “I doubt the Serrice Council will take kindly to that. Reason number one why I don’t use their stuff. Too damn regulated.”

“Hey, they have great outputs that are even better if you overclock them,” Regis defended. It’s not that he liked the Savants, but rather he enjoyed beating them down into submission.

“And that’s why I stick to HMBA. Modifiable, open source to Spectres, and I’m not breaking any terms of service in the process,” Kaidan said with a pointed look.

“Regis, my darling, you know how much I hate the Savant line,” Vik said as they entered the room, carrying a case full of their supplies. “If you’re going to go crazy, use one of my Armali mods if you must.”

“Armali has shitty power output,” Regis said, crossing his arms.

“Which is why I modded them,” they repeated. “I even have a license in order to do so.”

“Don’t argue with the doc, Regis,” Ashley said, leaning against the doorway. “We need to get you back out there so we can deal with the bastards who decided to target you.”

Regis rolled his eyes. “Good to see you too, Ash. Keeping my crew in check?”

“Only had to shut down a few who thought it was unfortunate you destroyed their favorite restaurant.”

“Thanks,” he nodded.

“No problem,” she waved it off. “Zaeed’s currently deciding if he wants to go down there and give the crew a piece of his mind or continue his debate with Wrex.”

“Do I even want to know what they’re arguing about?” Regis asked, watching Vik place their case on his weapon bench and take out some supplies.

“Last I heard they were bitching about shotgun mods,” Kaidan said, crossing his arms.

“It’s gotten worse. Inferno versus Warp grenades,” Ashley said, almost sounding grim.

“Inferno grenades are superior. If you’re going to Warp someone, do it right from the get-go. No external hardware required,” Vik said, walking back over to the bed, omnitool active and diagnostic tools in hand. “Sit up straight for me.”

Regis did as they said and closed his eyes as Vik felt for the synth-skin covering his wetware, housed just underneath his Torfan tattoo–the black skull that used to represent his squad. “Ah, there we go. Dare I say that Cerberus improved on interfacing?” They commented, raising up their omnitool and inputting a code.

Regis felt a twinge as his cybernetics adapted to the code, pulling the skin away to reveal the port underneath. “Which is why I’m working with Miranda to adapt this technology on a consumer level.”

“And you two are doing impressive work. Cannot wait to see it leave the trials. You are going to revolutionize biotic interfacing and so much more,” Vik said. “Kaidan, how is it working on you?”

He rubbed his neck. “Feels weird having easy access to my ports again, but I knew what I signed up for when I kept mine underneath the skin for better protection. Never liked the idea of exposed ports.”

Vik hummed as they scanned the port for any abnormalities. “I don’t see anything concerning. Just a temperature spike that caused the amp to shut down before rebooting. What were you doing when it shorted?”

“Trying to levitate down when I fell from that fucking fish tank,” Regis said, keeping his head still.

“Ah. Well, it’s going to happen again if you do anything intensive like that, I’m afraid. Were you able to do feats like that previously with no issues?”

“Been a while since I’ve had to do a maneuver like that, so honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever tested that specific mnemonic with it. Handled everything else I threw at it,” Regis admitted.

“Say it with me–” Vik started to say, but Regis interrupted him.

“Yes, yes, I know, test all maneuvers with any new amp and any new mods,” Regis sighed. “Been a little slow lately, so I never got around to testing everything.”

“Regis…” Kaidan started, getting that tone of voice that meant Kaidan was more than a little annoyed with him.

“Yeah, I know,” he repeated, closing his eyes. “I won’t do any more experimenting with my amps without testing everything I do. Happy?”

“Only once I see it in practice,” Kaidan said, his voice taking on a lower tone.

“Ah great, you two are flirting,” Ashley said, exasperated. “Keep that up and I’m leaving. Don’t need to hear how you solve problems.”

Kaidan chuckled. “Sometimes he makes it so easy.”

“He is right here,” Regis muttered. “Vik, can you remove it already?”

“Of course. What do you want me to replace it with?” they replied, professional as ever.

“How are your Armali mods? I like the blending they provide, but again, I miss the better power output in return.”

Vik grabbed the sealed container housing the chip. “Very comparable to an overclocked HMBA. You’ll still find that HMBA has better power outputs, but you lose out on the blending you prefer to do. HMBA is perfect for more controlled powers versus on the fly. Armali will allow you to stick to your style without sacrificing too much. If you hate it we can swap it out for something else. I probably won’t be offended.”

Regis mulled it over in his head. HMBA isn’t a bad amp per se, but he wasn’t too fond of its rigidity. Which suited Kaidan just fine, as he tended to stick to one mnemonic at a time, giving time to cool down and settle his field in between.

Regis was a speedcaster, switching and twisting mnemonics together to create reactions and unpredictable attacks only his lovers and most trusted companions know how to read. Sure, he could stick to rigidity if needed. But after Cerberus, he almost seemed to do far better with on-the-fly adjustments than ever before.

He blames it on the constant feeling of survival he felt while trapped in their claws, his biotics never quite the same since his resurrection. Kaidan always reassured that his field felt the same, when their coronas would intersect and twine with each other on the battlefield and in the bedroom.

But he could never shake the feeling that his biotics turned into their own beast after Lazarus.

“Let’s try it. If not, I’ll follow Kaidan’s route and trick out a HMBA,” Regis said. He caught Kaidan’s gaze, and he looked so smug. Bastard. He’ll wipe that smirk off his face once he gets his amp back in order and kicks everyone out of his apartment…

“Great. Now, take a deep breath for me,” Vik said, reaching in to disconnect the amp. Regis breathed in slowly, waiting to feel the detachment.

He shuddered as Vik pulled out the amp, feeling like he was dunked in cold water, his veins turning to ice. The corona pulsed around him once before winking out in a flash. “Fuck,” he muttered, taking slow, deep breaths, his heart racing.

“That’s what happens when you swap out an amp?” Ashley asked. “Damn… how does it feel?”

“Getting dunked in cold water,” Kaidan said, face pinched in discomfort. “Feeling sluggish even though your movements are clear. Feeling like your sensations are both heightened and diminished.”

“Exactly,” Regis said. “Feels different for every biotic, but most L2s tend to get the same effects. More intense.”

“Afraid it's not much different for us,” Vik said, dropping the amp into a separate container. “Technically I’ll need to report this to Serrice, but they also won’t take kindly to someone interfering with their settings. Even if you’re a Spectre.”

“So, what are you going to do?” Ashley asked. “Come on, we can bend the rules.”

“And that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’ll wipe the logs with my software, fudge the numbers, and they won’t look at it any more than usual because they’re getting it from me,” Vik explained. “Anything for you, Reggie.”

And there’s Vik’s way of showing that they’re doing him a massive favor. Goddammit.

“Wait, Reggie ?” Ashley repeated, her face breaking out into a grin. “How have I not heard that before?”

If his amp port wasn’t open, he would’ve started strangling Vik already.

“Oops,” Vik said, not sounding sorry at all. “Anyway, ready for the insert?”

“Do it,” Regis said with gritted teeth. “So, I can strangle you faster.”

“Hmm, maybe I have more diagnostics to do. Read some more logs. Get a good picture of your outputs…” Vik chuckled and turned to Ashley. "Childhood nickname that he secretly loves. Don’t deny it!”

“Does that mean you have childhood pictures too? Please, I need to see them,” Ashley said. “He must’ve been so cute!”

“I was fucking adorable,” Regis said, interrupting their conversation. “You can see all the baby pictures you want after you reseat my amp.” Ashley gave him a cheeky thumbs-up, looking expectantly at Kaidan, who held up his omnitool to prepare a data transfer. Traitor.

“Breath in deep for me, darling,” Vik said, taking the new amp out of its case.

Regis breathed in while they inserted the amp, his corona igniting in a bright violet in response. He exhaled as he let his corona surround him, keeping a handle on biotics from flaring out, adjusting to the difference in outputs on the fly. As a test, he pulled the scope sitting on his bench towards him. It flew towards him quickly, landing in his hand without a hitch. “Much better,” Regis sighed, crossing his legs into his meditative position, allowing himself to slowly levitate with a push off the bed before settling down.

“Beautiful,” Vik observed. “I think you’ll find that my amp will rank among the best.” They finished up by scanning it once more and resealing the synth-skin with another code. Regis rubbed at the now-sealed skin once finished, itching slightly after it meshed back together.

“I don’t even know if I can test it fully with all this shit going on,” Regis said, retracting his field. Kaidan’s biotics had reacted in kind, a subtle blue field around his eyes glowed while the rest of his corona was carefully hidden.

“Armax is just down the street,” Ashley said. “Surely we can get a few matches in.”

“Depending on what we find out,” Kaidan said, crossing his arms. “None of the Spectre channels had anything that stood out, and I couldn’t get Hackett on the comm. I could contact Hannah, but I figured you wanted to keep this on the downlow.”

“Fair enough. She’ll be worried, and I don’t want to deal with that right now.” Regis looked down at his loungewear. “If I’m going to talk with the crew, I’m getting changed into something different.”

“You and your appearances,” Vik muttered, packing up their stuff. “Need me to hang out while you debrief?” “If you want,” Regis said.

VIk shrugged. “Might need someone to patch all of you up. Karin is at some sort of conference right now, right?”

Ashley nodded. “Yeah, she’s sorry she can’t make it. And both Kaidan and I told her to stay put.”

“Then I’ll hang around. Ash, let’s sort through some pictures,” Vik said, offering a hand. Ashley took it with a grin, leaving Kaidan and Regis in their bedroom. He tugged off his sweater, looking through the closet until he found another one of his black button downs and slacks, pulling them on before grabbing a pair of socks.

“Feel better?” Kaidan teased, eyeing him up and down before grabbing both his hands. He leaned in for a kiss, and Regis returned it, soft and full of yearning. Hesitant to break apart, they both kept chasing each other. Regis removed his hands from his and pulled Kaidan in closer, cupping his neck and tangling a hand in his hair, breathing in his scent and his love. They finally broke apart after Kaidan started to kiss down his neck, peppering light kisses on Regis’s tattoo, stopping at the skin showing at the unbuttoned collar. “You smell better, too.”

“And here I thought you had more tact than Zaeed,” Regis rolled his eyes. “We better head down before they all assume we’re doing something else.”

“Probably too late for that,” he chuckled, reaching for Regis’s hand again. “Come on.”

They walked downstairs, hand-in-hand. Zaeed whistled at them, changed into a short sleeve white button down and jeans. “Beginning to think I needed to break you two up.”

“Or join them,” Ashley piped up, sitting on the couch next to Vik.

“Says you,” Regis said, directed at Zaeed, the two of them joining him by the fireplace. “Shall I tell the gang what you wanted to do to me earlier?”

“Might need to be more specific. I probably said a lot of things,” he laughed.

Regis shook his head as Wrex walked over to the door, letting Moreau and Brooks in. “Finally!” Brooks exclaimed. “You know, I can’t believe you survived all that. They had guns! And grenades! And those drone things!”

“As did Cerberus and nearly every other organization I’ve had to fight against,” Regis said, opening his omnitool. “Has anyone contacted C-Sec? Need to get Bailey read in on this.”

“Okay, that sounds… Wait! Wouldn’t that make whoever you contact a target too?” Brooks interjected, resting her chin on her hand.

Regis narrowed his eyes. “It’s C-Sec. You know, the security force onboard this station?”

“Honestly Shepard, she has a point,” Moreau said. “Do we even need to take that risk?”

Regis sighed and shut off his omnitool. “Fair enough. Guess we run this ourselves like everything else.”

“Wow, you agreed with me? Can you say it again?” Moreau asked eagerly, a grin on his face.

Regis gave him an annoyed look, about to tell him to bring up the rest of the crew when Brooks rambled, “Right. Ourselves. On our own. Outside the law. Okay, yeah.”

Even Kaidan started to look frustrated, a pinched expression on his face, his eyebrows slightly furrowed together. “Brooks, you need to focus,” Kaidan said. “You have a team of Alliance soldiers, Spectres, and top operatives from different species. If you can’t handle this, I suggest you sit this out and let us handle it.”

“I can’t sit this out!” She replied, balling her hands in fists.

“Fine,” Regis said, staring her down. “But this is my operation, and you will work under my orders. If I find that you are a liability to us and the mission, I will contact whoever I deem necessary to deal with the situation and damn the consequences. Clear?”

“Crystal,” she said with a nod, her voice surprisingly steady.

He can’t get a read on her. Maybe she’s too green, trying to over and undercompensate. It’s been a while since Regis has dealt with anyone in Intelligence that wasn’t a high rank, and a lot of people did join up after the war.

Perhaps he should withhold his judgment of her for now, skewed by his frustration at the whole situation.

“How did you even get involved in this mess?” Ashley asked.

She straightened up. “I monitor data for Alliance Intel to prevent fraud and hacking of officer IDs. Like someone using an admiral’s pass to get into a nightclub on the Citadel when that admiral is currently stationed on Pinnacle. I wrote a tracking program. It’s really neat! I named it ‘Mr. Biscuits’ after my cat.”

“Brooks,” Ashley said, getting her attention.

“Right! Sorry… Anyway, my program detected a breach in your classified files. Soon, everything we had on you was compromised: personnel files, mission reports, everything.”

Regis swore, shaking his head. “So, what you’re telling me is that they now have access to my military codes? My Spectre codes? Explains why they wanted to kill me.”

“Nothing to stop them until the damage is done,” Wrex said with a nod.

Regis looked at his crew, his gaze lingering on Kaidan and Zaeed. “Then we need to figure out who they are and shut them down. Ideas?”

“What about that pistol you picked up? A goddamn work of art,” Zaeed said, motioning to the M-11 still sitting on the table.

“Damn thing is so tiny I thought I was going to fucking break it,” Regis said, picking it up. “Packs a punch like a mini-Widow.”

The door chimed and Kaidan moved to check on whoever was at the door. A moment later he opened it to reveal Wren with her omnitool out.

“Hey Wren!” Ash waved. “Glad you could join us.”

“Of course! Been doing some research on my own. Glyph can hopefully give us some insight on that cute little pistol you have,” she replied, summoning up the drone.

“Did you ever get all the bugs fixed?” Regis chuckled. “Stubborn little guy.”

“Not really…” she trailed off, staring at the cyan drone. “It still bugs out some, but it is less bound to misinterpret orders. 85 percent of the time. Anyway, Glyph, start looking into this M-11.”

“I’ll begin collating relevant intel for review, Major Clarkson,” Glyph said, discs spinning.

“Well, I’m glad to see you in one piece. Hell of a fall back there,” she said, holding out her hand.

He shook it with a firm grip. “I’m alright. Still healing up, but I’m ready to deal with whatever happens next.”

“Good to hear. You know, you did the galaxy a favor getting rid of that place. Overpriced, overrated, and some of the blandest food I’ve ever had,” she said, shaking her head. “Saved me the trip of having to take it down myself, if you know what I mean.”

She turned to Brooks. “Come with me. Catch me up on what we know.” Brooks nodded and followed her to the dining table in the back of the kitchen.

“Well, Wren’s on point,” Wrex said. “So, where’s the rest of your crew?”

Moreau held up his omnitool. “Getting that covered right… now.”

The door chimed. Regis waved his omnitool to unlock it remotely.

“Had to gather some people who actually like getting shot at, you know,” he said as EDI walked in, flanked by Tali, Cortez, and Javik.

“Permission to come aboard, Admiral?” Tali asked cheekily.

Regis grinned. “I don’t know. This is my quiet place after all.”

“Good to see you doing okay. Wasn’t sure how to react after I heard what happened,” she replied, hugging him from the side, her knitted poncho swaying with the gesture. “Say, how did you get roped up into going to a sushi restaurant?”

“Thought Moreau was pulling a fast one on me and wanted to put him in his place,” he replied, glancing over at Moreau who ignored him in favor of talking with EDI by the bar. “Turns out it was an assassination attempt.”

“It’s never a dull day, is it?” She laughed. “Ah well. I got a little bit of relaxation in, and that’s all that matters.”

Kaidan and Zaeed rejoined him by his side after catching up with some of the crew. He turned to face both of them, lit by the fireplace. “You know, it was nice to see you two in action at the car lot. It was pretty hot.”

Both Ashley and Tali groaned. “Really, Regis?” Tali said, sitting down on the couch next to Ashley. Vik looked amused, watching them with a barely concealed glee.

He ignored them. Kaidan crossed his arms, nudging Zaeed with his shoulder. “Why, thank you.”

“We try,” Zaeed smirked.

Regis smiled, feeling his cheeks heat up. “What would I do without you both?”

“You’ll never find out,” Kaidan said as Zaeed chuckled, “There’s no goddamn way you’ll ever find out.”

“God, you three are so sickening,” Ashley said, shaking her head.

“Which is why we keep them on their toes!” Tali said, giving them all a look. “Time and a place.”

“This is my apartment. I’m going to do whatever I want in it,” Regis shot back as Zaeed kissed his cheek.

“You tell them, babe.”

Regis shook his head. “I’m going to check in with the crew, and hopefully soon Wren wil have figured something out.”

“Are we embarrassing you, love?” Kaidan asked. “Go on, do your job.”

“I’m not the only Admiral here.”

“And yet you’re the one who is in charge of the ship.”

Regis gave him a look and twitched his fingers, sending a small burst of dark energy to shock Kaidan. He walked away with a smirk, knowing his gaze was following him as he walked over to Moearu and EDI.

“You know, he used me as bait,” he said, sitting at the bar.

“Yes. You have mentioned that a few times, Jeff,” she replied. “A sound solution.”

“Hey, you’re supposed to be on my side!”

“I’m on the side of data, which states that Shepard’s strategy ensured that you got out with minimal injuries.”

“My pride is injured.”

“An unfortunate side effect that is rectified by personal growth and reflection,” she replied, not missing a beat.

Yeah, they’re fine. No need to interrupt.

Steve was sitting at the bar in the back of his apartment, away from all the chaos. Probably the quietest part of his place at the moment. “Hey Shepard. Glad you made it out okay.”

“Hey Steve,” Regis said, sitting down next to him. “Adrian didn’t join us?”

He shook his head. “Nah, said something about a job he needed to look into. He’ll try to stop by later, wanting me to tell you he is worried about you. But I know he’s not going to miss out on spending time with Vik so…” He trailed off, a knowing look in his eye. “I should’ve brought Tomas into this.”

“Coats would’ve been great to have on hand,” Regis said with a nod. “I’ve been meaning to ask if he wants to transfer on board the Normandy. Thoughts?”

“You matchmaker,” Steve said, blushing. “If you can make it happen and he’s fine with being on board our little circus, I’m okay with that.”

“Of course, anything for my crew.”

“Almost anything,” Steve corrected. “After that fiasco, never go out to eat with Joker!”

“Not that I ever enjoyed going out with him before,” Regis chuckled. “If I need a pilot in this mess, you’ll be the first I’ll call.”

“I’m sure Joker will take offense to that.”

“He knows I prefer you on the shuttle excursions. He’s a bit too… showy,” Regis said, shaking his head.

“Oh, I agree. Time and a place. Finesse is what’s needed for drop-ins.”

“Admiral,” Javik greeted as he joined them. “Much quieter back here.”

Regis motioned for him to sit down, but he stayed standing. “It is. Calm before the storm. Anything you want to say?”

He shook his head. “Nothing that hasn’t already been said. This is a first for me. Never heard of anyone in my cycle falling through a fish tank.”

“Wasn’t exactly my fault,” Regis said with a pointed look. “Blame the mercs.”

“I think I’m going to enjoy teaching them a lesson,” he grinned, showing pointed, thin teeth. “I heard our Broker say she found something out. Maybe it will be useful to us.”

“Thanks, Javik.”

He walked down the hallway to join Wren and Brooks. “If you’re ready, I already found something.”

“Want me to go ahead and gather the team?” Regis asked.

“Please do. The faster the better,” she said, not looking up from her portable terminal.

Regis announced for everyone to huddle up, and soon enough, the crew was around the dining table, waiting for Wren’s announcement. Like always, Kaidan and Zaeed stood next to him, flanking him on both sides.

Wren looked around the table, seemingly counting off everyone before clearing her throat. “We have a lead. I called in some favors to run a trace on the gun.” She typed something on her terminal that brought up a picture of an older man. “Which brought me to Elijah Khan. A casino owner who has been suspected of using his profits to smuggle weapons into the Citadel.”

“I found it interesting that after the attempt on Regis’s life, Khan made a call.” She pulled up the audio, the picture changing to a basic media player.

“I’m cutting you off and returning your down payment now.” The first voice must be Khan, sounding frustrated, perhaps even panicked.

“What’s the problem?” Someone replied, their voice sounding altered to stay anonymous.

“Turn on a vidscreen! When I sell a gun, I don’t want it showing up on the nightly news!” Great. Guess he needs to expect an interview or two in the future.

“You won’t be linked to me,” the voice replied.

“Save it. Our association is terminated. And if you even think about coming after me, I’ve got info on you ready for prime time, so you ponder that. Khan out.”

The call ended, and Regis crossed his arms against his chest. “Found our identity thief.”

“Unfortunately, they have an ID disguiser,” Vik nearly groaned. “Not even Adrian can get around those reliably.”

Regis sighed. “I was afraid of that. Anyway, did you find anything on the mercs? Affiliations, origins, any of that shit?”

Wren nodded, looking grim. “A PMC named CAT-6. As most of you should know, it’s the Alliance term for dishonorable discharge. Criminal records, steroid use, violent histories… you know the drill. Definitely hired by the thief, no association with Khan.”

“Good job with the phone call,” Kaidan said in approval.

“We can lean on Khan, probably get him to squeal,” Zaeed said, looking down at the gun. “Throw in a few Spectre threats and we can get him to talk all while taking the goddamn bastard down.”

Wren shook her head. “If only it were that easy. The casino has a panic room and chances are, he’ll go to ground there.”

“I would suggest providing programs to hack the doors alongside your own security,” EDI started to say, turning to face Regis and Wren. “But there are many guards and cameras on the premises.”

“Yeah.” Brooks said, adjusting her hat. “He could disappear or worse. If his guards ever open fire, normal people could get hit. Like I did.”

He hated to admit she had a point. But ‘normal’ people? Seriously? “I agree. We can’t risk any civilians that could be targeted by our actions. So, we go in quiet. Small team. No gunplay.”

Glyph reappeared on the table. “Major Clarkson. This evening the casino will be hosting a charity event to continue to assist refugees from the war.”

Wren smiled. “Perfect. Purchase some tickets and pull up a layout of the building.”

A holographic display of the casino appeared with a few key points highlighted on the map.

“This is great and all… but how close can we get? Who puts a backdoor in a panic room?” Moreau asked.

“Allow me,” EDI said, stepping forward and adjusting the sleeves on her button down, her visor changing blue as she interacted with the map. Parts of the map changed red, highlighting air shafts and vents. “This air shaft bypasses the security gate and ends up in storage. From there, the panic room’s door-camera can be disabled.”

“This isn’t just any casino,” Kaidan said, tilting his head to the side. “There has to be alarms in the shaft.”

“I have some countermeasures that should help. I’ll know more once our team gets inside,” Wren said, swiping to another screen on her terminal.

Javik looked at the map, resting his chin on his fingers. “Whoever goes inside that shaft needs to be small in size.”

Wrex laughed. “Yeah, that’s not me.” He gestured down at his armor.

Everyone’s gaze slowly fell on Tali. She shook her head. “I’ve done my time in the vents before. And besides, my suit’s built in tech will be picked up by the sensors.”

EDI piped up. “My presence in the casino would arouse suspicion. Mechs are not allowed since they can have cheating software, even if I wore my mech’s synth skin.”

Ashley held up her hands. “I can do infiltration, but not this kind of infiltration. Sorry, but no. You’ll need me for backup if things go south.”

Brooks looked at all of them. “What you need is somebody trained in zero-emissions tech. No electronics, no metal. Just undetectable polymers. We had a course back at Op-Int, disabling a bomb with these little tweezers. See, the bomb was filled with shaving cream…”

They didn’t have many options. Regis, Kaidan, and Zaeed were all too large and filled with tech and would likely be the main ones on the field. EDI and Tali were ruled out. Same for Javik and Wrex. Steve didn’t speak up during the meeting, but Regis wasn’t about to volunteer him. Vik’s implants and enhancements to improve their skills as a surgeon also prevented them from doing it. Wren’s running the operation.

Looks like it has to be Brooks. And Regis was hoping that wouldn’t be the case.

Regis met Brooks's gaze. “All right. You’re in.”

She stepped back. “What? No… What?!”

Regis gestured around him. “You said it yourself. We’ve all got too much tech. And it’s too risky to bring anyone else in.”

“But… I managed to get shot just coming to talk to you! Now I’m supposed to hack my way into a safe room?” Brooks replied, shaking her head.

“Getting shot was something no one would have planned for,” Kaidan offered. “There was no way to know that the mercs were already after Regis.”

“Exactly,” Zaeed said with a nod. “None of this is a typical situation and none of us have any goddamn options.”

She still looked hesitant, so Regis spoke up. “I recall saying to you that this is my operation and you will be working under my orders. Listen to our orders and focus. You have a team backing you up.”

She let out a sigh and nodded. Maybe this will teach her some confidence.

Or cause this whole operation to go down in flames.

Wren clapped her hands together. “Great! Now that everything is settled, there is one last hurdle to get us inside.”

“Which is?” Regis prompted, raising an eyebrow.

She grinned. “Black tie required.”

“Oh hell yes,” Regis said, damn near cheering. “It’s a good thing I didn’t waste my best suit on you, Moreau!” Kaidan also looked pleased, but Zaeed started to frown, never quite enjoying looking nice.

It took him no time at all after their wedding for him to start taking down his suit, leaving him in his button down while Regis and Kaidan stayed in their finery until that evening.

He’s going to enjoy dressing them all up to match and shutting up Zaeed’s bitching about the matter.

“I take so much offense to that,” he replied, shaking his head. “Are we all going into the casino? Or is it just these crazy lovebirds over here.”

“Small team. So just those three and Brooks,” Wren replied, pulling up the tickets. “The rest of us will say close, but outside, ready to react if need be.”

“When does it start?” Kaidan asked. “How much time do we have?”

“It’s supposed to go on for the entire evening late into early morning, so we can get there at any time. Fashionably late or just on time. Doesn’t matter to me as long as we get inside,” Wren said. “Now, let’s give our infiltration specialists time to get changed, shall we?”

WIth the meeting over, everyone dispersed, going back to hang out in the apartment, some deciding to leave to grab their gear so they’ll be ready to go if something happens. Luckily, they all had spare versions of their preferred hardsuits lying around along with their main gear, so at a moment’s notice the triad can be prepared for anything.

“Don’t take too long up there, boys,” Ashley said as she walked back to the couch.

“You have nothing to worry about. Regis is a goddamn tyrant when it comes to fashion,” Zaeed muttered, heading over to the stairs. “I’m sure he’s scheming already.”

“I have an idea in mind,” Regis replied, walking up the stairs. He stopped at the doorway, ensuring none of the nosy crew were within earshot. “But you know you love it. All three of us, matching on and off the battlefield, showing that I’m yours and you are mine. ”

“Don’t fret, love,” Kaidan said, wrapping an arm around Zaeed’s shoulders. “Just think, afterwards we might be able to make that promise to Regis happen. Except this time, it’s all of us.”

“And I’ll say it again: You aren’t going to ruin my damn suit,” he shot back, opening their closet to pull out three wrapped suits. One with red detailing, one with blue detailing, and one with yellow detailing. The human crew sometimes joked about them being the primary colors, but Regis didn’t care.

All they cared about was looking damn good, and Regis ensured that both on and off the battlefield. Fabrics made of strong synthetics, able to take a few hits if need be. Able to tolerate light action.

And be ready for any format event that is thrown at them, like this.

“A three piece?” Zaeed asked, slipping off the protective sleeve. “Hmm. Not bad. When did you get these ordered?”

“A while back. Wanted them for our anniversary… but I thought they would be great for this,” Regis said, running his hand down the fabric. “What do you think?” he asked softly.

“Beautiful work,” Kaidan said. “Can’t wait to see all of us in them, stealing the show.”

“And that’s the whole point,” Regis said, moving to kiss his cheek. “Is it bad to say I’m actually looking forward to this?”

“Nah, I know you love showing us off,” Zaeed replied. “Still doing okay?”

He nodded. “Thanks, by the way.” “No need to thank me, baby. Though I did panic a bit when you damn near went limp in my arms. You needed the rest. I only wish it was longer.”

“Me too. I wanted to join the both of you,” Kaidan said, glancing over at the tub. “Duty called and it still does.”

“It never stops,” Regis agreed. “Hopefully we’ll get some time to ourselves after this. We can’t be running this mission without stopping, and I want our apartment back.”

“I’m sure Vik and Ashley will ensure we get all the time we need to ourselves,” Zaeed said, starting to take off his clothes and put on the new suit. “Or I will make sure of it.”

“You’ll hear no complaints from me, love,” Regis replied. “Seeing you both out there…”

If he wasn’t covered in fish water, debris, and who knows what else, he would’ve shown his appreciation right then and there.

“Love, your competency kink is showing,” Kaidan chuckled, moving over to the mirror to gel up his hair.

“Can you blame me?”

“You know, there’s a reason why we chose those suits to wear…” Kaidan trailed off, heat behind his gaze.

They continued to chat, recapping the events of earlier today and ensured they all had the details squared way before the event later tonight.

If it wasn’t soured by the threat over his head, Regis would loosen up, enjoy the evening as Regis Shepard-Massani-Alenko, giving interviews, press, and showing off his lovers. Instead, he has to be careful to not draw any more attention than usual, and worry about the people around them, in case their assailant strikes while he’s vulnerable once more.

Putting on the suit felt like putting on armor, immediately falling into his media presence persona. How he wished he could be Regis at this moment, and not the ruthless Admiral.

But this time, he ensured he put the real rings on, the bands replacing the silicone ones that somehow survived the action of the day. To his utter adoration, his husbands did the same, their commitments to each other shining in the light of their bedroom.

All ready for whatever comes next. A casino heist at a charity event… if Regis knew where Kasumi was, she would be utterly delighted.

Just another day for Regis and his crew.

#mass effect #kaidan alenko #male shepard #zaeed massani #regis shepard #cleric's writing

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