Chapter 37 of my Mass Effect Firefighter AU! This chapter is a celebration of this fic somehow reaching over 100K words. Wow. It’s a longer than normal chapter, too.
It’s spring in Virmire. Garrus and Tali tie the knot.
As always, all of my works on AO3 are set to public, so you don’t need an account to view them.
We are getting close to wrapping this thing up!
Ch. 36 of my MShenko firefighter AU!
House Five sets up the city’s fireworks display for New Year’s. Kaidan and Shepard find some private time together.
As always, all of my works on AO3 are set to public, so you don’t need an account to view them!
This one comes courtesy of logicalfangirl, who sent me a bunch of prompts! I’m going to try to do them all, but I’m trying to get at least one done of everyone who sent one.
Kaidan gets his promotion to Lieutenant and goes out to celebrate and ends up in a one night stand with his soon-to-be CO, and awkwardness ensues when Shep boards the Normandy?
He doesn’t remember much about that night. It’s a bit of a blur of drinking, in which he might have had some ryncol. Maybe. The partying isn’t much of a memory. Lots of Alliance marines celebrating their promotions. Shepard celebrating his assignment to the Normandy. He doesn’t remember anyone’s name or new rank.
As he turns over in his bunk aboard the Normandy a few hours before liftoff, he remembers the bits and pieces from his glorious one night stand. The face doesn’t register in his mind right now. But there are hands. Glowing a soft blue and sparking electricity and desire all over his body. A biotic. Human. Male. He remembers that. The hands are firm and callused and warm. So warm as they trail over naked skin and taut muscles. Ghosting down to where he is even harder and the biotic stimulation is almost too much as the hands and electricity stretch and knead and open him up for something much better than fingers and hands.
He remembers cursing softly and arching up to meet the only thing that could possibly dull the ache of need that the touches were igniting and stoking within him. There’s a name on his lips, but it’s gone from his mind as soon as he whispers it against a soft, wet pair of lips. His hands are pinned above his head as they’re both swept along by a tide they can’t even hope to fight.
It’s a little bit of pain and a lot of pleasure mixed with sweat and booze that pull him over the edge. He doesn’t even know how long it takes. Maybe a minute. Maybe half an hour. He does know that his partner feels it just the same, though. His voice is harsh and melodic as he comes hard, and then his weight is settling on top of Shepard for another indeterminate length of time that Shepard doesn’t care about.
He says that they should probably clean up. Shepard agrees and they do. He says that he has to go because he’s shipping out tomorrow and wants to claim his bunk beforehand. Shepard replies that he’s the same. They say goodbye. Wish each other luck.
Shepard rolls out of his bunk, taking some pain killers for the hangover, and dressing quickly, and glad he’d had the foresight to take a shower before collapsing in bed last night. He’s listening to someone droning on in the CIC when the new recruits line up to introduce themselves to Captain Anderson and Commander Shepard, the new CO of the best ship in the fleet.
Shepard is hardly listening. His head still hurts and he’ll learn all their names later as he walks down the line, saluting when he should. But a certain voice gives him pause. His eyes glance up and meet deep brown ones that give him a sense of deja vu. And his voice… “Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko. Tech. Sentinel. Head of the marine detail. It’s a honor… sir.”
Shepard’s mouth goes dry and he licks his lips. There’s a knowing look in the biotic’s eyes. Shepard holds out his hand instead of saluting. Kaidan pauses noticeably and then takes it. His palm slides against Shepard’s and their fingers tighten together. Yes. Fuck, yes. Kaidan clears his throat, looking flushed and unable to meet his eyes. Shepard smiles. “Welcome aboard, Lieutenant.”
“Hey, Kaidan? Kaidan, I smell something burning. Is something burning?” Shepard stepped into the kitchen and paused, trying to take in the scene around him. “Did… something happen?”
“That’s such a nice way of putting it. You’ve cased the place. What’s your assessment?”
Shepard rolled his shoulders. “There’s a lot of smoke clearing out. Smells like it was something baking and also… cotton. Scorched pan in the sink with something gooey, and you’re… shirtless, so I’m assuming the smell of burning cotton is…”
“My shirt caught on fire when I took it off to grab the pan I was scorching and throw it in the sink.”
“Good reflexes,” Shepard said, biting back a grin. “What were you even doing?”
Kaidan hung his head. “I was trying to cook. Bake. I was making you a cake and the glaze was on the stove and caught fire. And now you’re up to date on the situation.”
Shepard peeked into the sink. “Why were you baking a cake?”
“Seriously? It’s your birthday.”
Shepard crowded Kaidan against the kitchen island. “Is it? I forgot. But there’s plenty salvageable here. After all, you don’t have a shirt on. I can do something with that. My present’s already half-unwrapped.”
Kaidan opened his legs to let Shepard get as close as possible. “This is true. Is this what retired soldiers do? Forget their birthdays and make out in the kitchen?”
“I do,” Shepard said, kissing him and running his hands over Kaidan’s bare chest and up over his shoulders, down his back to his waist. Kaidan jumped up lightly and sat himself down on the island. Shepard trailed his fingers forward to the button of Kaidan’s pants, snapping it open. “Will it spoil my dinner if I have a little appetizer?”
“Too bad if it does,” Kaidan said with a small smile.
Shepard trailed his lips over Kaidan’s neck and chest, taking time to swirl his tongue around each nipple, feeling Kaidan’s dick twitch in his hand, his muscles tighten and relax with his pleasure. All of his tells that he had no problem ever showing Shepard. The ones that only got better with time and touch. Shepard bent at the waist, kissing and nipping at the tender skin of his thighs as Kaidan spread his legs wider. He gently grasped the back of Shepard’s head, rubbing over his fresh buzz cut. “Do it,” he murmured, his voice more of a plea than a command.
Shepard sucked the head of Kaidan’s dick into his mouth, tonguing the slit, his fingers fondling his balls. Kaidan made a tight noise in the back of his throat. Squirmed until he could get closer. Shepard took his time now just because he could. Because it was his privilege. Because nothing felt better than the silky length in his mouth, filling him up and drawing all the moans of pleasure and desire that he could get from his lover.
And he especially loved being this close when Kaidan’s body locked up, his thighs coming almost closed to squeeze Shepard in a wonderful pressure right against his ears; holing him there when he cried out and came. Shepard swallowed compulsively and sucked him through the aftershocks until he trembled and pulled back.
Grinning, he said, “I should have given you the present, not the other way around.”
“I like the gifts we can share equally.”
“Then give me a minute to recover and I’ll give you yours.”
And here is the next chapter of my Mass Effect firefighter AU!
Ch. 35: Ashley isn’t as ready to return to House 5 as she thought she was.
As always, my works on AO3 are set to public, so you don’t need an account to view them.
Yes, I had to go there.
I don’t know why, but this check in gesture is so attractive. You know. Just before Kaidan gets his head smashed in.
“They didn’t change me, Kaidan, or how I feel about you.”
(Yes, I’m spamming Ianto gifs again. Fight me.)
“You always were stubborn.”
“Me?”
Stop flirting, you nerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrds
Yeah, sure! They LOVE to argue! I AM SO SORRY I DIDN’T SEE THIS ASK EARLIER!
“Look, I’m just saying, in a regular, hand-to-hand fight, Captain America could kick Thor’s ass.”
Kaidan put his coffee cup down irritably. “How can you even say that? Thor is a demi-god. You can’t just sucker punch him into the ground. Steve’s only human.”
“He is not!” Ianto argued, almost like he was personally offended by his lover’s assessment of his hero. “He’s a super soldier. Do you know what that means? I don’t think you do. It means he’s practically indestructible. He might as well be a god just like Thor!”
“They key words being ‘might as well,’ meaning he’s not. No way he could go three rounds.” Kaidan leaned back against the couch cushions and crossed his arms over his chest in a self-satisfied manner.
“That’s not true at all. Besides, who is Thor without his hammer? Nobody. All he can do is fumble around like a drunk rhino.” Shepard sniffed primly and mirrored Kaidan’s crossed arms.
“Yeah? And who was the Cap before he was injected with drugs? A short, scrawny nobody who got rejected from the army like, five times.”
“They weren’t drugs, and he’s a hero. An icon. Captain America. He embodies all of the ideals and patriotism this country has lost or perverted into what our forefathers never intended.”
"That doesn’t mean he could take Thor. That just means he’s got good motivation.”
“He could take Thor!”
“He could not!”
“He could too!”
Both men froze, noticing they were nearly nose-to-nose and far more worked up than initially intended. Then it became a silent battle of wills. Green eyes challenged brown for a full minute. A small mrow? questioned them. Blasto wiggled up between them, smacking Shepard in the face with his tail and head butting Kaidan. Then Kaidan broke character and chuckled. Ianto’s lopsided grin was quick to follow. He closed the distance between them swiftly and kissed Kaidan on the nose. Then he kept leaning and pushed them down until Kaidan was on his back, Blasto scrambling to the arm rest, and Shepard sprawled on top of his lover. Kaidan’s arm came around him.
“Wanna watch the Avengers?” he asked lightly.
Shepard’s laugh rumbled against both of their chests. “Sure. Want me to make the popcorn?”
"In a minute,” Kaidan said lazily, stroking his hands through Ianto’s hair. “I’m enjoying the moment.”
Jupiter Astrid James 