#masseffectfanfic

[masseffectfanfic]

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#masseffectfanfic #mass effect fanfiction #mass effect andromeda #mass effect

[lieutenantabrudas]

Words: 2,055 Fandom: Mass Effect Trilogy Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sparatus (Mass Effect)/Original Female Character(s) Characters: Sparatus (Mass Effect), Original Turian Character(s) Additional Tags: Parenthood, Fatherhood, Childhood Trauma, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Medical Trauma, Father-Daughter Relationship Summary: The first two and a half years of Callie's life were nonstop surgeries, treatments, tests, and anxiety. Ierian understands entirely why his daughter isn't thrilled to be seeing another doctor, just when she thought she was free. He's not exactly excited, either. But she's almost four, and scared, and he can make himself be brave for her sake.

written for the shrimp skwad writing server’s surprise challenge 006: daddy dearest, warnings for mention of past medical trauma to a child (the child is fine now, for the record)

the oc referenced in the ship tag is sparky’s wife teia who doesn’t appear but is mentioned, obviously if we’re talking about his daughter with her then the ship is relevant so that’s why it’s tagged, don’t be fucking freaks if you read this as incestuous somehow i’ll kill you

#mass effect #mefanfic #masseffectfanfic #councilor sparatus #turian oc #canon x oc #mass effect oc #sparatus family #calvetorin sparatus #ierian sparatus #writing

[aceghosts]

For Rooney: ‘honestly,  i’m always there.  in my head.  the scars on my body might’ve healed but i never really walked away from it.’

Thank you for sending this one in! It's been so long since I've written anything for Rooney; it was really nice to write for them again!

Prompt: ‘honestly, i’m always there. in my head. the scars on my body might’ve healed but i never really walked away from it.’ came from this Prompt List, and I combined it with this post of ideas from @irikahkrios, specifically: "sole survivor shepard brings irikah as the second squadmate on grunt's loyalty mission. they're visibly shaken after fighting the thresher maw, irikah can't help but notice, she opens up to them about the home invasion she only narrowly survived and the two of them have a conversation about trauma and healing."

Summary: During Grunt's loyalty mission, Irikah Krios notices that Commander Rooney Shepard, normally cool and collected, is thrown off by the Thresher Maw. After the trio return to the Normandy, Irikah is determined to find out what is bothering Shepard so much.

Words: 3,285 words.

Warnings: Heavy warnings for explicit descriptions of trauma, especially regarding the Krios family home invasion, and Akuze. This also mentions the missions in ME1 regarding Cerberus. Descriptions of Trauma, blood, death, and canon typical violence. I think I covered everything, but let me know if I missed anything.

Author’s Note: First, thank you to @irikahkrios for the ideas regarding Irikah. Second, I did take some liberties with both prompts, namely that this is a role swap between Thane and Irikah. So you know, no Thane. (I know; I'm evil. >=3). Third, this is my first time writing Irikah, so I hope I nailed her character. Fourth, the title from the AO3 version comes from Running From My Shadow by Mike Shinoda feat. grandson. (Please listen to Post Traumatic. It's such a good album.)

AO3

Irikah narrowly ducks behind cover, the ground shaking beneath her. She readies her pistol, the proving grounds eerily quiet as the trio waits for the Thresher Maw to strike. Any moment now, the Thresher Maw will show itself again. To her left, Irikah hears Grunt laugh loudly, cocking his Claymore shotgun. “FINALLY! A battle worthy of us, Shepard!”

She leans out of cover, catching sight of the Commander ducked behind another barrier to her right. Shepard’s eyes are wide in fear, the Widow Sniper Rifle gripped tightly in their hands. They shake, appearing to hyperventilate. A cold shiver runs down Irikah. Commander Shepard is scared? The Commander always seems unfazed by any challenge set before them and the crew, a sturdy pillar to lean against in the darkest times, and a soft place to land in the quiet moments. To see Commander Shepard undone by a creature like a Thresher Maw is unsettling. “Commander!” Shepard doesn’t respond, eyes darting back and forth. Irikah wonders what the Commander sees in the prison of their mind. “Shepard!”

Shepard’s head snaps toward her, sucking in a deep breath as Irikah pulls them back to reality. They nod, swallowing uneasily as they ready their sniper rifle. “Thank you,” Shepard replies shakily, seconds before the Thresher Maw bursts forth from beneath the ground. She watches as the Commander launches into actions, their movements shaky and less confident.

--

Irikah waits in Life Support; her mug of tea growing colder by the minute. Shepard should have arrived for their little chat by now. Normally, Shepard would come visit her with their mug of tea, and the pair would chat about any topic that came to mind: books, music, history, science, etc. Even if Irikah and Shepard saw things differently, Irikah appreciated their honesty and willingness to listen. It has been a long time since Irikah has made friends and an even longer time since she was close to someone outside of Kahje. Or at least, Irikah thought they were close. If Shepard couldn’t make it, they would let Irikah know through EDI or a simple message.

Getting up from the table, Irikah ventures out of Life Support. The Mess Hall is busy, Cerberus crew members chatting as they partake in shared meals. While she would consider herself on friendly terms with many of the crew members, Irikah worries about their anti-alien agenda. Continuing through the mess hall, Irikah catches a glimpse of a Joker through the Medbay window. If anyone knows where Shepard will be, it is certainly him. Shepard always speaks of him highly, clearly considering Joker to be a good friend, possibly their closest friend. And it’s not uncommon to find Shepard asleep in the copilot’s seat beside him.

The doors open with a soft noise, Irikah stepping through. Four pairs of eyes land on her, all watching with different degrees of wariness. Joker stands near the doorway, raising an eyebrow at her appearance. Garrus leans against one of the beds, watching her suspiciously. Tali smiles from behind her mask, always delighted to see Irikah. Dr. Chakwas also smiles warmly at her, but Irikah notes the concern hidden in her grey eyes. “Irikah, is something wrong? Your next checkup isn’t for a while.”

“I was hoping you would know where Shepard is. We were supposed to have tea this afternoon.” The atmosphere grows more serious, the four members of the Normandy’s original crew sharing anxious glances. “Is something the matter? Is the Commander unwell?”

“No one’s seen Shepard since Grunt’s Rite of Adulthood,” Garrus states, mandibles flaring slightly in concern.

“We know they went up to their cabin, but they haven’t come out yet.” Tali looks away, clearly worried if Shepard will ever leave their cabin.

“Why?” She asks, her mind running through the possibilities. Irikah settles on Shepard’s fear at the Thresher Maw, how they seemed so distant from the situation at hand. “Did it have something to do with the Thresher Maw?”

Again, more shared concerned glances. “Sorry, Irikah,” Joker smiles apologetically, “You’re gonna have to hear that story from Shepard.”

Irikah hums in response. “Perhaps, I will.”

Joker snorts in response. “Good Luck.” Irikah is going to get to the bottom of this. Thankfully, she might have someone willing to help her.

--

Armed with two mugs of cinnamon tea, Irikah steps into the Normandy’s elevator. “To Shepard’s cabin, please EDI.”

“As you wish, Irikah.”

“Thank you, EDI.” Shepard ordered EDI to allow no one up to their cabin. Miranda, Kelly, and a few other Cerberus Crew Members all tried to get to Shepard’s cabin, only to be blocked by EDI. EDI appeared to believe that Irikah’s presence would be soothing to Shepard, while any of the Cerberus crew members would only stress Shepard further. The door slides open, and Irikah steps silently into Shepard’s cool cabin. Venturing farther in, Irikah finds them at their desk, head buried in their hands. “Commander?”

No response.

“Shepard?”

No response.

“Shepard!”

Shepard’s head snaps up, eyes blinking rapidly. They spin around in their desk chair to face her, looking utterly perplexed. Shepard tilts their head slightly. “I don’t remember calling you-.” They pause midsentence, eyes focusing on the mugs in Irikah’s hands. Running their right hand through their short, dark red hair, Shepard stands up from their desk chair, extremely apologetic. “Irikah, I’m so sorry. I got caught up in work.” They motion for her to follow them down to the leather couch. “Please take a seat. I’m really sorry about this.”

“You have nothing to apologize for Shepard.” Their shoulders drop in relief as she places the two mugs down on the ottoman. Taking a seat on the couch, Irikah pats the spot to her right. “I am worried about you, Shepard. You seemed unwell earlier today.”

“I’m fine.” Shepard’s response is unusually curt, an unreadable expression on their face. They don’t sit, hands curling into fists. “I’m fine. What happened earlier today was a moment of weakness and will not happen again. I apologize for my improper conduct, and I hope to regain your confidence. I understand if this impacts your view of me as Captain of the Normandy.”

Irikah blinks, jaw dropping in shock. Did Shepard think they had something to apologize for? The Commander always held themself to a high standard, determined to lead by example. This, however, was unhealthy. No one could handle this pressure, not even the infamous Commander Shepard. “Shepard,” She starts, picking her next words carefully, “I’m not here to berate you over your behavior. As far as I am concerned, you had an understandable reaction to a Thresher Maw.”

They tilt their head, eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Then, what are you here for?”

“Please, sit. I want to talk, as we normally do in Life Support.” She pats the leather couch again, hoping Shepard will join her.      

Shepard stills, and Irikah worries they will continue to push her away. Eventually, they sigh, sitting down next to Irikah. Shepard picks up their mug, a simple black one, before taking a sip. They close their eyes briefly to enjoy the taste. “Thank you for the tea; I really needed this today.” Shepard places the mug back down on the ottoman.

She smiles, slightly relieved. “I’m glad I could make you feel better. Do you want to talk?” Shepard tenses beside her, right hand forming into a tight fist. Irikah won’t push Shepard to talk, but it might help them open up if Irikah is honest with them. “I used to panic whenever anyone would knock on the door,” Shepard raises an eyebrow, tilting their head in slight confusion, “When Thane’s enemies attacked our family, I remember them knocking on the door. A knock on the door would bring those memories rushing back.”

Irikah feels the gentle, warm touch of a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to, Irikah. You should only talk about it when you’re ready, whether it’s with me or someone else you trust.”

There is the Shepard she knows, sturdy and understanding. “No, I want to tell you, Shepard. I opened the door, thinking it must be one of my sisters or my neighbors. Instead, I was thrown back into our home, only to be viciously attacked. Thane’s enemies were relentless; they wanted to send a message, one that could only be sent through violence and death. I screamed for Kolyat to hide; He was always good at hide and seek as a child.” Her body tenses, the memories flooding back as she recalls them. “I yell ‘Kolyat, hide!’.’ He freezes in the doorway of the kitchen. The Glass drops from his hand. I yell again ‘KOLYAT GO!’ He runs. Arashu, protect him.” She feels the gentle squeeze of Shepard’s hand on her shoulder in comfort. “I lost a lot of blood that night. Unfortunately, I still remember every second of it. Thankfully, Thane arrived shortly after. I thanked Arashu, thinking she must have heard my prayers.”  

Irikah closes her eyes, tears burning at the corners. Even after all these years, her love for Thane still burns strong. The memories take over again, her body stiffening. “It hurts. It hurts so much. I hear Thane. He begs for our lives. ‘Not her. Not my son.’. The Batarian does not care. He laughs; he laughs at Thane’s pain. He laughs at our pain. I see a pistol. As I take it, the pistol is heavy in my hand. I pull the trigger. BOOM! The sound is deafening. I drop it, ears ringing, as I crawl towards Thane. I hear him. I hear him, struggling to breathe. ‘Thane,’ I cry, ‘Thane, please….’. I pull him into my arms. He is so heavy, but I will hold him. He says, ‘Siha…’.” She jerks back to the present, swallowing down a sob. “I held my husband as his soul departed his body; I would not allow the man I love to be alone in his final moments.” Tears are now freely flowing as Shepard releases her shoulder. Instead, they pull her close, Irikah burying her face in the soft fabric of their N7 hoodie. Shepard’s hand rubs comforting circles on her back. “My soul almost departed as well, but Kolyat, oh Kolyat, he was so smart. He was able to sneak out and sought help from our neighbors.”   

“Irikah,” They trail off, their voice soft and empathetic, “I’m sorry. That is an awful thing to go through.”

“It was.” The pair are quiet, sitting comfortably in the silence of Shepard’s cabin. After a while, when the tears have stopped, Irikah pulls away, Shepard releasing her. They watch with concern as she wipes at her eyes. “I struggled with it afterwards. For a long time, I was scared of strangers, and of anyone knocking on the door. When I was staying with my sister, and I was home alone, someone knocked on the door and I…I panicked. I hid and was only found a few hours later. It was a neighbor, who knocked, trying to deliver some home baked goods. My Sister insisted I talk to someone. I think she wanted it to be her, but I was not ready to talk about it with her.”

“Who did you talk with?”

“One of Arashu’s Priestesses, Adrami. She was an older woman, much older than I was, but I found wisdom in her guidance. She helped me deal with my feelings, navigate how complicated they were. Eventually, she connected me with others, who had been through similar things. Having that community helped, and in time, I began to talk and start to take back my life.” She gazes curiously over at Shepard. “Do you talk with anyone?”

Shepard sighs, running a hand through their short dark hair. “I used to talk about Akuze with the group.”

“The Group?”

They nod. “Anderson made me go to it. Threatened to kick me out if I didn’t. It was a group of six of us, all Alliance soldiers, plus a counselor who was former Alliance. We met virtually or in person once a week. At first, we tried to avoid the elephant in the room; no one wanted to talk about what they’d been through. But we couldn’t avoid it. We started talking about it, and it helped, knowing that I wasn’t the only one who went through something terrible. Our Counselor, Tom, helped us find ways to deal with it too. Got me through a lot of dark thoughts.” Shepard smiles, remembering the group with great fondness. “We became closer and started healing. We would get together once a year and celebrate another year alive. I miss ‘em a lot.”

“You should reach out to them; I’m sure they would like to hear from you.”

Shepard frowns, eyes darkening as they shake their head. “No. They don’t want to hear from me, especially since I’m ‘working’ for Cerberus now.”

There is a decidedly bitter tone to the way Shepard mentions Cerberus. Irikah knew the Commander didn’t like Cerberus, but she assumed that Shepard didn’t like their humanity first agenda. This sounded personal. “Shepard, did Cerberus have something to do with Akuze?” Shepard stiffens, hands shaking. “Shepard, I-.”

“No,” They cut her off, clearing their throat, “You’ve earned this answer.” They take a deep breath, and Irikah takes their right hand into her hands. “Akuze was supposed to be a routine mission. We were going to find a missing pioneer team,” Shepard has a faraway look in their eyes, as they continue with a slightly distant tone, “We didn’t find the team, so we settled down for the night. Toombs, a friend of mine, and I were part of the first group on watch duty. Once the sun descended, the Thresher Maws were upon us.” Shepard draws a shaky breath. “It was awful, almost as bad as Mindoir. There were so many goddamn Thresher Maws; turns out we were on top of a nest. I was helpless. I’ll never forget the screams of my teammates. Toombs was the worse.” Shepard stops, shaking harder.

She squeezes their hand gently. “If you don’t want to-.”

“No. I want to tell you; I know you’ll understand.” Shepard swallows, composing themself. “Toombs and I tried to fight off the Thresher Maws. The ground collapsed below us at one point, and one of those fucking Thresher Maws started to pull him under. I tried so goddamn hard to save him, but I was helpless as I watched those monsters drag my friend underneath. I was knocked out, and by some miracle, I woke up, the only one alive. So, I did what any good Alliance soldier does: I got up and dragged my ass to the landing zone. After that, I was recruited for the ICT and became an N7.”

Irikah feels for Shepard; what an awful thing to have gone through. Yet, she still doesn’t understand how Cerberus is involved. “I’m sorry you went through that, Shepard. I fail to see what Cerberus has to do with Akuze.”

“During our mission to stop Saren and the Reapers, we encountered Cerberus twice. First, Cerberus was involved in the disappearance of Admiral Kahoku’s men. We were able to find his men and the Cerberus cell involved with their deaths. Admiral Kahoku was a good man, and he paid the ultimate price for searching for justice for his men.” Shepard’s tone is frighteningly cold, laced with bitterness and anger. Their dark blue eyes remind Irikah of the ocean on a dark and stormy night, of how tumultuous the waves are. “Admiral Hackett asked me to investigate Alliance Scientists being murdered. Turns out they were all former Cerberus.”

Irikah’s eyes widen, knowing exactly where this was leading. Cerberus had a dark reputation beyond its hatred of aliens. She had heard all about rumors of unethical Cerberus experiments. “Those former scientists had something to do with Akuze. Didn’t they?”

Shepard nods. “Eventually, we managed to catch up to one of the scientists. When we arrived, a former Cerberus scientist was being held hostage. Turns out I wasn’t the only survivor. Toombs also survived, but unlike me, Cerberus found him and experimented on him for years. They did awful, horrific things to him; things that no one should ever have to go through. Toombs also told me that Cerberus was responsible for luring the Thresher Maws, that we were just goddamn expendable to them,” Shepard glances over their shoulder towards their terminal, “Toombs contacted me; he found out I was alive and with Cerberus.”

“Shepard….” Irikah trails off, her heart aching for them.

They pull their hand out of her hands, standing up from the couch. Shepard walks away from her, their back to her. Stopping in front of the fish tank, Shepard reaches up, tracing along their left cheek. “Honestly, I’m always there, in my head. The scars on my body might’ve healed but I never really walked away from it,” Irikah gets up from the couch, joining them by the fish tank, “And now, the Illusive Man wants to pretend that Akuze didn’t happen, that Cerberus should be absolved since they brought me back to life. Everyone else gets to forget; I don’t get that luxury. I have to remember; someone has to remember what Cerberus has done.”

“Reliving the memories is a difficult thing, especially when you can’t avoid what reminds you of them.”

“Must be more intense for you. I don’t know what I would do if I had an eidetic memory.”

“Sometimes, it is very intense, but it helps having someone to pull you back.” Shepard looks over, gratefulness on their face. “You know, Shepard,” She suggests slyly with a smirk on her face, “If we were ever to rebel against Cerberus, I would join in you bringing them to justice.”

Shepard laughs, a wide smile on their face. “Thanks, Irikah. When we start kicking Cerberus ass, you’ll be one of the first people I call. Although, I think we’re going to have to stop the Collectors and Reapers first. Shouldn’t be too hard.” Irikah and Shepard both laugh, diffusing the tension in the room. When they finish laughing, Shepard grows slightly serious, clearing their throat as they turn towards her. “Thank you for listening. It was nice to get this off my shoulders. If you ever need to talk about anything, I’ll always be happy to listen, no matter what.”

Irikah turns toward Shepard, before pulling them into a hug. Shepard stiffens at first, clearly surprised by the gesture of affection. A second later, they relax, returning the hug. Shepard feels so warm and soft against her. “I’m always happy to listen, Shepard, no matter what. And you’ve been a great listener already,” She pulls away from them, “It’s been a long time since I’ve found people, I can trust outside of Kahje, and you are one of them.”

They look genuinely touched, smiling softly at her. “Thank you, Irikah, and for what it’s worth, I trust you too.” Shepard gently pats her shoulder, looking over to the mugs of tea a few seconds later. “I think our tea has gone cold. We should probably get new cups,” Shepard frowns, pausing for a moment, “and I should probably let Joker know I’m still alive. I have a feeling if I don’t leave my cabin soon, he’ll find some way to cajole EDI into helping him.”

“He’s been trying, Shepard,” EDI admits, “I told him that you and Irikah were having a serious conversation, and that it would be rude to interrupt.”

“Well come on,” Shepard says with a smile, heading over to the ottoman to grab both mugs, “We shouldn’t keep him waiting any longer.”

#mass effect #mass effect fanfiction #mass effect fanfic #masseffectfanfic #Commander Shepard #Themshep #Irikah Krios #the rooney fic tag #Commander Rooney Shepard #I won't let fear compromise who I am #kate writes #I really hope this turned out okay #I think I did Irikah a pretty good job #also drell flashbacks scenes are the worst to write #I hate them

[senseandaccountability]

“You ever think about the future?” he asks as everything burns around them but they stubbornly make steak sandwiches and bring them along with a bottle of wine to the couch because they are still alive. She nods. “It’s known to happen, yeah.” “Yeah? Am I in it?” “Kaidan.” Her grin is toothy and wide, completely irresistible in that way she’s always been to him. “Come on, all I see when I think about the future is an indefinitely extended shore leave with you. You know that.” “Mmmh?” He does know that and it’s a warmth at the center of his chest; he’ll never tire of hearing her say it and he will indulge. “I need details.” “Details, huh?” She’s leaning closer, straddling him where he sits and gives him a slow kiss. Way back when he still hadn’t kissed her, hadn’t even touched her but thought of little else, he used to think she’d kiss like she fights - like a punch or an oncoming storm - but she’s slow and soft and sensual and she looks at him like he’s never seen her look at anyone else. “Well, how about the two of us alone like this. Lots of really nice food - I’m never having ration bars again if I survive this. You could grow a beard, I could grow an ass.” Kaidan chuckles, running a hand over her back, all the hard planes of her soldier body. “I like the sound of that.” Sometimes, the mere image of it is too much, even for a fantasy. Shepard, untouched by war for the first time since they met, walking beside him at a beach somewhere. Her face marked by the outdoors, her sharp lines dissolved, the violence in their bodies finally coming to rest. “You know-” she begins, but pauses herself; he can see a glint of pain in her gaze though she smiles through it, pushing hard against those shadows. That’s how they speak these days, in half-sentences and a lot of spaces between words. That's what extinction does to your language but he doesn’t want to think about that right now, doesn’t want to parse through broken syntax or unfinished forevers. “I know,” he says, simply; there is nothing more to say.  ((I cannot with how soft she looks here. Soft babies.))

#kaidan x femshep #Kaidan Alenko #shenko #masseffectfanfic

[acciokaidanalenko]

Breakfast Pt. 4 Preview: "Doubts"

“She’s been working with Cerberus this whole time, Alenko. You know she has. You think she loves you? Hah! She wormed her way back into your bed to cloud your judgement. End this nonsense now! Shoot her!” Udina hissed into Kaidan’s ear. His heart felt like it was ripping in half as he stared at her, a few yards away and on the business end of his pistol.

"Kaidan, don’t listen to him. You have to trust me. Please." Her voice was low and pleading as she held his gaze. Shepard took a hesitant step forward as she lowered her own gun, signaling to Garrus and James behind her to do the same. James immediately complied, leaving Garrus no choice but to follow her silent order. She slowly holstered her weapon and continued walking toward him, holding up one hand with a cautious expression. “Udina’s the one behind this attack, Kay. He’s been funneling money to Cerberus. Valern caught onto him and notified me. I came here to meet with him and the Executor, but I was too late. The attack had already begun by the time we got here.”

Kaidan’s hands began to shake as she drew nearer to him. Each cautious step forward made his heart ache, his mind reeling as her eyes pleaded for him to just trust her . A light throbbing started working its way into his brain. He tried to ignore it as thoughts rushed through his mind. There were so many factors to consider, and nothing seemed to add up. He had to decide who he trusted more; Udina or Shepard. As he quickly considered it, he realized, was it really a question at all?

#commander shepard #commander natasha shepard #kaidan alenko #james vega #garrus vakarian #councilor udina #cerberus coup #coup attempt #me3 #mass effect 3 #femshep #custom femshep #mass effect #masseffectfanfic #chapter preview #breakfast fic #f!shenko #shenko #commander shepard x kaidan alenko #kaidan x femshep

[sundogsandrainbows]

Following Kaidan dealing with one crisis to the other, while hoping he hasn't killed his XO and military career at the same time. Partly inspired by this post. Chapter 1 of 2.

Part Of My ME/Shenko Fic Series

EXCERPT:  

“Shepard!”

Kaidan struggled against the constraints of Williams’ iron grip around his waist, holding him in place. How could he not try to reach her, to help her? After all, it was his fault, his fault his XO was –

“Don’t be stupid, Lieutenant,” she hissed into the comms and past his ear alike, all while the beacon suspended the Commander unnaturally in the air. “It is too dangerous!”

Yes, exactly this was the problem here!

His heartbeat raced frantically in his ears, droning out even the eerie hum of the now activated Prothean beacon as it kept her prisoner in its beam. Seconds ticked down like minutes, like an eternity with Shepard convulsing and writhing in the thrall of its green light, high above ground.

Oh god. She was in pain and it was all his fault.

The humming increased further and further, as loud as several beehives, until it boiled over with the beacon’s explosion. It catapulted the Commander away from it and she landed flat on her back. There she stayed and did not move, like dead.

Shit. Shit. Shit .

Williams let go at last and he scrambled to his feet and over to her with heart-clenching panic. She pushed him out of the way and now she did not move. Kaidan shifted her body into a stabilizing, even position with her neck and back better supported by the ground than it had been before. A quick check with his omni-tool of her suit’s HUD read out   showed her vital signs as normal, if with a slightly elevated heartrate. Congratz Alenko you haven’t at least killed your XO outright! Which honestly was not saying much since she was out cold after being caught and convulsing in the beam of a fifty-thousand years old device. So what the hell could ever go wrong with that? Except everything and he – Kaidan glanced over his shoulder to Williams – they needed to get her back to the Normandy and into the med bay asap.

“Shit…” Williams breathed, hovering over Shepard. “Is she…?” No, no, no. Not yet. Hopefully not at all because god the fallout from that. Eden Prime Beacon lost to a dumbass marine who killed his superior officer, the N7 war hero of Elysium – shit – on the first ground mission through his nerdy curiosity. System Alliance refused to comment on this embarrassment. Yeah, he would never ever live down such a fuck up of this dimension, nor forgive himself for it. First Jenkins, now –

“She pushed me out of the way…” he replied dumbly as if the Chief hadn’t been around for that. And then, there was the beacon... or rather what was left of it. Splintered off at the bottom, it still glowed weakly green around its broken edges for another moment until it faded out under the cloud of smoke. The beacon was a total loss like the complete mission had been as it went from routine deployment to hell in a handbasket in five minutes tops. Captain Anderson would have his head for this. 

And Kaidan would let him, honestly.

CONTINUE READING

#kaidan alenko #nora shepard #masseffectfanfic #mass effect #female shepard #ashley williams #noralenko #otp: dorks in space #pre-relationship #series: per aspera ad astra #meri writes things #shenko

[diaphanouso]

DiaphanousO on Ao3

My ME fanfics^

#mass effect #masseffectfanfic

[helila]

“The Illusive Man gave me her dossier. He knew who we were picking up.” There was a steely edge to Shepard’s voice. She moved with the steady confidence of a predator, the interior lights outlining her form with an eerie glow. The fact that what used to be a slab of meat under the cold laboratory lamps now possessed such power and life, made Miranda feel captivated for a brief moment. Shepard stopped in front of her, glaring her down. “I’m playing the cards your boss gave me, so don’t try and tell me that I have free reign here.”

Fine. Miranda stood up, nearly matching Shepard’s height in her heels. “Pinning the blame is never a good look, Commander.”

Chapter 8 is out. Has been out for a couple days now.

LINK

#mildly threatening somewhat pleading reminder that i write #mass effect #miranda lawson #femshep #lina shepard #fanfiction #masseffectfanfic #ao3

[mighty-peacock]

New chapter of Love Hurts has posted! Enjoy! https://archiveofourown.org/works/37468930/chapters/94671094 Artist: Silvermitt . . . #masseffectfanfic #masseffectfanfiction #masseffectromance #nihlus #nihluskryik #nihlusfanfic #nihlusmasseffect #lovehurts #elvenprophecy #ao3 #deviantart https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbbz1HlO_2b/?utm_medium=tumblr

#masseffectfanfic #masseffectfanfiction #masseffectromance #nihlus #nihluskryik #nihlusfanfic #nihlusmasseffect #lovehurts #elvenprophecy #ao3 #deviantart

[weatheredlaw]

“We could take a walk on the Presidium,” Garrus says. “It’s still only smoldering a little.”

“Very romantic.”

Garrus makes...a noise. “I, uh—” He pulls her away from the crowd. “It doesn’t have to be. We could go watch some varren racing with Wrex instead.”

or: shepards gives tali some bad news about an old friend. it leads to interesting places.

#masseffectfanfic #mass effect #mele #talibrations #tali x garrus #my fic #g: mass effect

[aevallare]

Chapters: 15/? Fandom: Mass Effect Trilogy, Mass Effect - All Media Types Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Relationships: Thane Krios/Female Shepard, Background Tali'Zorah nar Rayya/Miranda Lawson Characters: Female Shepard (Mass Effect), Thane Krios, Irikah Krios, Garrus Vakarian, Miranda Lawson, Mordin Solus, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Jeff "Joker" Moreau Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Thane Krios Lives, Thane Lives

Summary:

"Mordin is the most celebrated geneticist and doctor in the galaxy, and Miranda brought me back to life from scraps. What makes you think there's any good reason that you have to die?"

"Celebrated? Perhaps. Krogan would argue notorious," Mordin interjects. Miranda crosses her arms, looking Thane dead in the eye.

When they put it like that, it's difficult to argue.

-

thane doesn't have to die, so shepard doesn't let him.

#shrios #mass effect #mass effect fic #thane krios #masseffectfanfic #mine #fic

[masseffectfanfic]

Happily Ever After

Creator: SunnyCapri (AO3)

Pairing: Femshep/Garrus

Current status: Complete

Rating: General

Warnings: None

Notable Tags: Fluff, Engagement 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46427011

#Mass Effect #mass effect fanfiction #masseffectfanfic #femshep #femshep x garrus #Garrus Vakarian

[lieutenantabrudas]

Words: 810 Fandom: Mass Effect (Comics), Mass Effect - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Abrudas/Desolas Arterius Characters: Desolas Arterius, Abrudas (Mass Effect) Additional Tags: Developing Relationship, Falling In Love, Rivals to Friends to Lovers, Romantic Fluff, Implied/Referenced Sex Summary: Valis has called Desolas a lot of different things over the years.

been stressed, wrote desolas musing about the different names valis has for him to make myself feel better. the implied sex tag is mostly just to cover my ass, it’s very blink-and-you’ll-miss-it but i don’t feel like getting grumbled at so. enjoi

#desolas arterius #lieutenant abrudas #desabrudas #masseffectfanfic #mefanfic #mass effect comics #mass effect: evolution #abrudas #writing #valis abrudas #arterius family #'why do you tag so many things' i forgot my own tagging system mostly

[aceghosts]

Snowball Fights

Prompt: 7. Kissing in the snow + 30. “Why does the house smell like its burning?” for Rooney and Thane by @spookyvalentine.

Summary: Kolyat and Thane have never experienced snow before. Luckily, Rooney is there to help them. (Post ME3 in a Thane Lives AU.)

Words: 1,284 words.

Warnings: No warnings! Just Fluff.

AO3

[Prompt List]

“The Cookies should take about 30-35 minutes to bake. We’re free to do whatever we like until they are ready,” Rooney explains as they slide the tray into the oven before closing it.

“Thank you, Siha. I’m excited to try your cookies,” Thane replies, pressing a soft kiss to their cheek as Rooney stands up.

“Yeah, thanks.” Kolyat sounds distracted, his eyes firmly focused on the white ground outside as he leans against the windowsill. He’s been curious about the snow since it started last night, but he hasn’t gone outside to investigate it. Rooney won’t let him miss out on the magic of snow, thinking on their own happy memories of childhood. Perhaps, Kolyat needs a gentle push, a little nudge to go outside.

“Kolyat,’ Rooney starts gently as he turns to face them, ‘We can go outside in the snow if you like. I'll crack a kitchen window open and keep an eye on the time via my OmniTool. Those cookies won’t burn if we go outside for a few minutes.”

He looks conflicted, glancing outside at the snow before returning his gaze to Rooney. “I’d like that, if it isn’t too much trouble,” Kolyat replies, slightly shy. Rooney and Kolyat are both still getting used to each other, especially now that the Reaper war is over. Before the end of the Reaper War, Rooney and Kolyat only met each other a handful of times. However, Rooney is determined to show Kolyat that he can trust them and that he never needs to fear that Thane might choose Rooney over him. And right now, Rooney is determined to make sure that he won’t miss out on his first experience with snow.

Rooney nods with a warm smile. “It’s no trouble at all, Kolyat. Come on, I’ll show you some of the mischief I used to get up on Mindoir as a kid whenever it snowed. Make sure that you and Thane bundle up; I don’t want either of you to turn into drell icicles,” They tease.

“Thanks, Shepard!” He hops away from the windowsill, walking towards the closet with jackets, scarves, and other winter accessories.

Thane’s hand slides into their mechanical hand, pressing another kiss to their scarred cheek. “Thank you, Siha. His enthusiasm reminds me of when he was a little boy, when we would play in the rain.”

They squeeze his hand. “It’s Kolyat’s first snow. He should be excited.”

—

Several minutes later, Thane, Rooney, and Kolyat trudge outside into the cold. Soft flurries fall around the trio as the sun barely pierces the gray skies above them. The snow beneath their feet crunches as the ground is covered in white, no other color in sight. Kolyat glances around, surveying the pine trees surrounding the property covered partially in snow. He lets out a soft laugh of amazement. Even Thane seems taken by the wonder of snow, his eyes wide as he surveys the scenery. “What do you do with snow?” Kolyat asks, unsure of what exactly should be happening.

“Lots of things. I promise I’ll take you both sledding tomorrow.” They remember sled races on the big hill outside of town back on Mindoir, Jack and Danny’s laughter ringing clearly in their mind. “We’ll start easy. How do snow angels sound?”

Kolyat and Thane share glances. “Snow angels?” Kolyat asks, a hint of curiosity and nervousness in his voice.

Rooney nods before plopping on the ground in a starfish position. “Snow Angels,’ They repeat, moving their arms and legs, ‘You just start moving like this, and voila, you have a snow angel.”

Doubtful, Kolyat plops down beside Rooney in a starfish position. He moves his arms and legs slowly at first, gradually increasing his speed. “Look, Dad! I’m making a snow angel!” Kolyat laughs, joy clear in his voice.

“You’ve gotten the hang of it!” Rooney encourages him as Kolyat continues to move his arms and legs.

Rooney hears the snap of an OmniTool camera as they glance over at Thane. He holds his OmniTool up, a photo of Kolyat and Rooney on the ground in the snow. “Look at you two,’ He smiles, his dark eyes shining with love for both, ‘Your snow angel is turning out wonderful, Kolyat!”

Sitting up, Kolyat looks over at Rooney with an excited smile. “What’s next, Shepard?”

They climb up to their feet, holding out their human hand for Kolyat to take. As they pull Kolyat up to his feet, Rooney suggests, “We could make a snowman, but I don’t think we’ll be able to finish before the cookies are ready. Or, we could have a snowball fight.” They release his hand, dusting the snow off.

“A snowball fight?” Kolyat looks intrigued. He glances over at Thane before looking back at Rooney.

They kneel, grabbing a handful of snow. As they stand up, Rooney carefully molds the snow into a ball. “A snowball fight. Some of the best fun I’ve ever had as a kid.” Snowball fights always turned into a free-for-all between Rooney, Jack, and Danny. The worst was when Danny managed to dump snow down the back of their jacket, Rooney yowling at the shock of the cold as Danny and Jack fell to the ground howling in laughter. With a smirk, Rooney winds their arm up, hitting Thane in the chest with a snowball. Kolyat gasps, his eyes widening, as he stares at Rooney in disbelief. Looking over at Kolyat, Rooney says, “That’s how you make a snowball and throw it at someone.”

Thane smirks, a hint of mischievousness in his eyes. “Are you prepar-?” Another snowball hits Thane, cutting his sentence off.

“Sorry, Dad.” Kolyat grins, clearly unrepentant.

Thane shakes his head. “I hope you both know what you are getting into.”

“Bring it!” Kolyat leans down, grabbing more snow to pelt his father with.

Immediately, the snowball fight turns into an all-out war as snowball fights always do. It starts with Rooney and Kolyat, teaming up. Thane laughs, trying to dodge snowballs as Rooney and Kolyat work together to hit him. Eventually, Kolyat tires of hitting his father with snowballs, aiming for Rooney instead. The teams immediately switch, Kolyat and Thane versus Rooney. During the whole time, Kolyat laughs and smiles, seeming truly happy. Rooney thinks this is one of the first times that they’ve seen Kolyat let loose and have fun. Thane looks to be having just as much fun, a smile hasn’t left his face the whole time. It warms their heart to know that Thane and Kolyat are having fun; it warms their heart, even more, to know that Thane and Kolyat’s relationship is truly getting better.

As they look over at Thane, they notice the pine tree branch above him, shaking with snow. “WATCH OUT!” Rooney yells, knocking him out of the way, the snow slams to the ground behind the pair. Rooney lands on top of Thane, both falling to the snow-covered ground. “Thank you, Siha.” He tucks a strand of dark red hair behind their ear, capturing their lips with his own. Rooney shivers from the chill of the snow as they deepen the kiss. Kolyat groans in the background as the pair pull away from each other.

“Sorry, Kolyat. Couldn’t-,‘ Rooney stops speaking as they climb to their feet, sniffing the air softly, ‘Why does the house smell like it’s burning?” Their eyes widen as the realization dawns on them a second later. “SHIT! THE COOKIES!” Rooney shouts, sprinting towards the house as fast as they can. Behind them, Thane and Kolyat laugh with Kolyat doubling over in laughter. Even if the trio didn’t get to have cookies, at least, they had fun today, and that is what really mattered.

#Mass Effect #Thane Krios #Commander Shepard #Kolyat Krios #shrios #themshep #masseffectfanfic #mass effect fanfic #otp: time for me is short siha but any that i have is yours to take #Commander Rooney Shepard #I won't let fear compromise who I am #kate writes #the rooney fic tag #I'm sorry this took so long!!! #I'm still a little unsure on this one #but I still hope people enjoy it #it's kind of short #but cute!

[senseandaccountability]

The grief eventually withers inside him, a slow gradual shift taking place that year when he follows every piece of news on Cerberus, on Collectors and Reapers and Shepard and sleeps entirely too little for months in a row.

She blows up the Collector base, he catches the gist of it on the news and he thinks of course she did like he still knows that. (He does.) He hears she loses people (again) and he thinks about Torfan, thinks about all those unasked questions he thought he would have time to ask. About enduring, about moving on, about shedding the weight of the galaxy. Thinks about the Butcher of Torfan, how she hates the nickname and closes around it like a feral animal, protecting not only herself but those lost. (She remembers every name; she once told him during a long patrol on a distant moon.) Then there’s the turmoil in the Bahak system and a whole damn relay being shattered and Kaidan witnesses hearings both in person and via comm link like the rest of the gossip-hungry brass and she’s back with them, at least partly, at least part of her. What parts she left for Cerberus he does not know, cannot bear to think about. There’s a new scar on her lower lip, a heavy streak of sorrow in her eyes and whenever he sees her in front of the admirals she reminds him of her mother at the funeral. “She’s fucking lost it, this time,” someone at the station says to someone else. “Didn’t she do that a long time ago, I mean really? And now with her Cerberus connections, too.” “Yeah, not even Hackett can get her through this one, I bet.” “I read the report,” Kaidan says. “It held up.”

The truth, should someone force it out of him, is that he read it five times and went over every detail of it, looking for reasons for his doubts, looking for a place to leave them behind. He feels like an idiot, a fool scrambling for his lost faith somewhere in a cathedral of stone and prayers and it’s crumbling, the whole place is coming down around him but so are the Reapers and this is no time for mistrust.

Then he sits through all these meetings and sessions and watches Anderson place himself on the line for her, watches the blunt, soft-spoken force that is Admiral Steven Hackett grind the critics to dust, hears them both call Shepard a hero, a remarkable leader, saying her judgement is impeccable and her reasoning solid and he doesn’t disagree with that, of course he doesn’t, it’s just -  You’d stop me, right? Her voice in his memory, the incredible softness of her fear, the intimacy of it. He’d promised her then, promised himself, that he would always do just that. Even if everything else ends between them, even if it’s the one last thing that remains he will honor her humanity and her trust in him. I’d stop you, he answers her again now, in his head, as she stands before him in her uniform once more, like the past three years have all been a terrible dream. I would. Earth is under siege, the Arcturus fleet is decimated and he sits in a shuttle headed for Mars, by Shepard’s side and there’s nothing to do but to lock himself to his own oaths and faithless hope as they travel through the stars. ------------ Writing my way through MELE. The rest here: And Tell Me the Hour of Light

#shenko #kaidan alenko #female shepard #kaidan/shepard #masseffectfanfic

[acciokaidanalenko]

Taking on the Universe, Chapter Four.

Newest chapter of my f!Shenko fic is up!

Summary: Kaidan is curious about the commander's past. After some observations of his own, he turns to her oldest friend for some information.

CW/TW: None

Preview of chapter below. AO3 Link: here.

Kaidan walked onto the bridge shortly after the briefing ended and was immediately aware of Shepard’s presence. He’d already felt her biotic aura twice today, and both times the sensation had threatened to overwhelm him. However, this time it felt different . In place of the mild tingling he’d felt earlier was a heightened sense of unease. She was clearly bristling with emotion, and it was coming out through her biotics.

He’d heard many stories about the commander over the years since the Skyllian Blitz, as had most people. But it was one thing to hear those stories, and another thing entirely to be in her presence. Everyone in the Alliance knew of her accomplishments, some of them had been inspired to enlist after hearing of her heroism on Elysium. Kaidan had been most impressed with the tales of her biotic abilities. Human biotics still carried a stigma, but her actions had helped improve some of the public’s opinion of them.

As Kaidan silently crossed the small area to resume his post at the copilot’s console and continue his work from earlier he saw that Shepard was standing beside Joker’s chair again, the same way she had been earlier after they had introduced themselves to one another. Her eyes were fixed on Joker’s hands as he made his final preparations for launch. The Normandy was set to depart within the hour. He glanced sideways at them as Shepard and Joker continued the conversation they’d been having as he’d entered the bridge.

“-and hopefully that’ll be the last time you have to see him for a good, long time, Nat. But seriously, if those flashbacks get any worse you should probably-” Joker was saying before Shepard bumped her hip against him pointedly. He glanced up at her quickly with an annoyed expression. As their eyes met he seemed to understand and his eyes darted toward Kaidan. Shepard cleared her throat softly and pushed away from the pilot’s chair.

“Thanks for the concern, but I already told you I’ll be fine, Jeff. I’ve got to go get my gear, but I’ll be back up here in time for launch. Our special guest will be joining us for a front row seat during our departure,” she informed him as she turned to leave. Her gaze met Kaidan’s for a brief moment. His heart rate quickened as he realized how captivating the color of her eyes were. They were a bright blue, almost the same color as Earth’s sky on a perfectly sunny day. Before he could fully process the thought, she was gone. He turned back toward his console and tried to focus, despite his mind’s insistence on recalling his observations during the briefing.

#commander shepard #commander natasha shepard #kaidan alenko #mass effect #masseffectfanfic #me1 #shenko #f!shenko #commander shepard x kaidan alenko #shepard x kaidan #ao3 fanfic #taking on the universe #updates on thursdays #britt writes #jeff moreau #joker #captain anderson #david anderson #admiral hackett #steven hackett