Work Text:
The snowball hurled towards Liara, breaking into a dozen pieces upon impact with the back of her scalp crests, quite literally before she even knew what had hit her.
“Hey!” Liara spun round, glaring accusingly at Shepard who, in return, met her eyes with a sheepish grin.
“Sorry, Li. I wasn't expecting it to hit you that hard. You alright?”
“I'm fine. Or, ugh,” Liara suddenly became aware that the snow that had wedged itself between her crests was starting to melt uncomfortably from the heat of contact, “I will be once I get all this snow out from between my crests.”
Shepard trudged towards her bondmate, ready to offer a helping hand as Liara raked her fingers between the indents of her scalp. What Shepard had failed to notice, however, was that clutched in the asari's other hand was the ball of snow she had begun rolling before being interrupted.
Shepard sensed that something devious was about to happen when the frown of mild annoyance on Liara's face shifted into a mischievous smirk. Before she could mentally debate whether to jump out of its line of fire, the snowball collided with her chest, thudding back onto the ground as quickly as it had left Liara's hand.
“Really, Shepard? Not even an attempt to dodge that one?” Liara teased through her laughter at the betrayed expression on the human's face.
“I could've jumped out the way! But it's only fair I let you win that one to get back at me.” Shepard countered with mock-indignity, though she was certain that the hint of disbelief she couldn't quite mask in her tone gave away the truth.
Closing the gap between Shepard and herself, Liara couldn't help but continue the banter. “And I could've showered you in snow using my biotics, but it's only fair I play nicely.”
“Wait, you can do that? How come I never knew you could do that?” Shepard stared at her bondmate as if she had just revealed the biggest secret in asari history.
“You've never taken a trip with an asari into a winter paradise before.” Liara shrugged. She'd never really considered how unusual the idea of biotic-controlled snow could be to a non-biotic until now. Mornings spent using biotics to clear skycars of the previous night's snowfall had always been commonplace for asari, especially in Thessia's colder regions where snow was a part of everyday life.
“Liara, that's one of the first things you asari should tell people when they're planning on going anywhere snowy with you! You know, something like 'come visit this winter paradise with me, but don't get too comfortable because I could turn you into a walking snowman at any moment without even laying a finger on you' would do the trick.”
“Relax, Shepard.” Liara chuckled. “It's not like we asari are the only ones you should be watching out for, there are plenty of biotics who aren't asari walking among us each day that you wouldn't even know were biotics until they show you. It's those people you ought to be worrying about. Besides, if you search for the right things, I'm sure the extranet will bring up plenty of asari snow-based sports tournaments for your viewing pleasure.”
“Why would I want to watch any old asari playing in the snow when I can be watching my own asari who's with me right now?” Shepard walked a few steps back, outstretching her arms, “C'mon T'Soni, show me what you've got!”
Liara raised an eyebrow marking at the challenge. “I don't know, Shepard. I'm by no means as trained as an asari athlete. In fact, I haven't used my biotics in the snow since I was little and going on trips with my mother. And even then, I spent more time digging through the snow than I did playing with it.”
“Well, I've never seen anyone use their biotics in the snow before so I have nothing to use as comparison but either way, I'm sure you're way better than you're giving yourself credit for.”
“Alright, I'll see what I can manage. But on one condition.” The shivering asari crossed her arms against her chest, partly in defence against the frosty temperature but also to show her bondmate she meant business. “As soon as we're done, we're heading straight back to our cabin and getting warm by the fire. It's too cold to stay out here much longer.”
“Now that you mention it, you are starting to look kinda blue.” Shepard paused for the pun to sink in. They had been strolling outside, taking in the scenery for several hours now and the temperature was starting to drop even lower. “You've got yourself a deal!”
Her bondmate, entirely used to her terrible puns at this point, just rolled her eyes and uncrossed her arms. She took several steady steps to the side and turned her body away from Shepard.
“The pun wasn't that bad, was it?” Shepard joked.
“I'm surprised you didn't make it sooner.” Liara mused, relaxing her posture as she focused on the ground in front of her. “I haven't done this for a very long time and I don't want to risk causing you injury.”
“Pssh, remember who you're talking to here. I've dealt with plenty of injuries in my time and survived! I'm pretty sure some snow isn't going to hurt me.”
“Exactly my point, Shepard. You've had enough injuries to last a lifetime and I'd prefer not to add to the long list of wounds you've survived, snow-related or otherwise. Don't forget snow can pack quite a punch on its own, and with biotics involved, it can be even worse.”
“Now see, you're just making me even more excited to see what you're capable of!”
Shepard observed the familiar blue glow of biotics manifest across Liara's skin as she unleashed a blast into the snow, sending several inches flying outwards before settling again further in the distance. She then carefully began rolling up a snowball, using the force of her biotics to make it gradually grow in size as it travelled along.
Pausing, she faced Shepard who was clearly mesmerised by the demonstration. “What shall I do with this snowball?”
“Uh...” Shepard searched her brain for an idea. Snowman? Igloo? Throw it down a hill? “Drop it from really high in the sky.”
Not the most elegant suggestion but admittedly, that wasn't exactly her forte.
“I'm not sure that's a good idea,” Liara glanced nervously towards the mountains resting far in the distance, “that could probably trigger an avalanche.”
“Catch it before it lands?”
“Now that I can do.”
Shepard stood a spectator as Liara lifted the snowball several feet above the ground with one hand, prepping the other to catch it as it fell. Once Shepard gave the go-ahead, the snowball plunged downwards before abruptly coming to a halt inches away from the ground. Instead of crashing with force, Liara gently lowered the ball back onto the snow where it had started.
“You made that look so easy.” Shepard remarked, her voice filled with awe.
Her bondmate grinned, though a strained expression had crept its way onto her face as she began panting slightly. “Perhaps I'm more out of shape these days than I'd like to admit.” She mused.
“Hah, you aren't the only one.” Shepard chuckled, gesturing to herself. “It's not like either of us have had reason to keep our skills sharp since the end of the war. But that just makes what you did even more impressive. How heavy was that snowball anyway?”
“Oh, just a little.” Liara responded, in what was possibly the biggest understatement she could've made in that moment. “I forgot how warm biotics can make you when you overextert them. Maybe I don't want to go back inside after all.” She teased.
A lightbulb switched on in Shepard's head. “Wait a minute... So you could've done all this the whole time we were on those desolate snow planets back when we were tracking down Saren? If I'd have known that, downtime while repairing the mako would've been a lot more fun.”
“Goddess no, that would've been a terrible idea.” Liara groaned at the mere thought. “Shepard, you didn't need encouragement to trash the mako more than you already did, especially just to see me put on a performance. Anyway, we could've attracted no end of enemies. I'm sure a thresher maw would not have appreciated me making a mess of its home.”
“It would've added an element of suspense! Think about it Liara. All that boredom, stretching our legs as the mako fixed itself, just waiting to hop back in and get the party wheels started again...”
“And what would we have done if that 'element of suspense' had turned into an actual dangerous situation? We could've jeopardized the mission. I think our downtime was probably my favourite part of the mako experience anyway precisely because we were able to take a breather.”
“Come on, really? I thought the reason why you screamed so much in the passenger's seat was because of how much you were enjoying the ride.”
Shepard gave Liara a knowing wink and a grin. The mako, and Shepard's lack of control over the vehicle, had been a running joke for several years now, not just for Liara and herself but for her whole crew. Bringing up the mako in a conversation felt like a moment of nostalgia, unity and pure unadulterated fear all rolled into one: the entire squad felt the turmoil of Shepard's driving (except for Wrex, who had often encouraged Shepard's erratic driving habits, taking immense joy in the fact that at least one human knew how to “drive like a krogan” much to the dismay of everyone else).
“That's why I valued being able to take a breather so much, because I was able to get the air back in my lungs ready to restart screaming as soon as you revved up the engine.” Liara deadpanned, but the crack in her facade as she reciprocated Shepard's grin didn't go unnoticed.
“You aren't fooling me, T'Soni. You loved spending time with me, even when my skills as the driver of an old, cumbersome tank proved to be a little, let's say...” Waving her hand around slightly, Shepard urged the appropriate word to come to her, “... rusty.”
It was then that, unable to hold back any longer, Liara let out an uncontrollable snort as her bondmate drew her conclusion. She leaned back on her right leg in an attempt to stabilise herself as she vibrated with laughter, but in doing so, slipped on an icy patch underfoot resulting in her whole body being unexpectedly thrown backwards. Through her confusion Liara unleashed an accidental blast of her biotics, flinging it in the direction where Shepard was stood in shock.
Shepard, watching the scene unfold almost as if in slow motion, was immediately hit with the (fortunately weak) biotic wave and was coated from head to toe in snow. She staggered back against the force but maintained her balance as Liara landed on the floor. Liara sunk into the snow and sat staring upwards towards the sky, dazed for several moments until Shepard, looking much like one of the walking snowmen she'd complained about being turned into earlier, pulled her back onto her feet.
“Shepard! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen. I just–”
“Don't worry about it,” Shepard smirked, “that actually felt pretty refreshing. Forget what I said earlier, I think I pull this look off well and it's tactical, nobody would ever see me coming!”
Liara dusted the snow off her back and leaned in to aid Shepard, though stopped short as the human freed her body of the remaining snow in a thorough shake.
“Did you get hurt when you fell?” Shepard asked, her words now laced with concern.
“No, I'm alright, I was mostly just surprised to have slipped.” Liara noticed that her bondmate had begun to shiver but was stubbornly doing her best not to show it. “Are you ready to return to our cabin, Shepard?”
Shepard nodded a bit too enthusiastically, teeth chattering, before catching herself, “I mean, uh, if you want to. Whenever you're ready.”
“I'll take that as a yes.”
The pair steadily made their way back into the comfortable embrace of their cabin, arms wrapped around each other, eager to regain warmth against their skin.
Later that evening, the pair were laying outstretched on the carpet under a shared duvet in front of the fireplace, hands wrapped around their freshly made hot chocolates as they basked in the heat that now graced them.
“So tell me, Shepard. Now that you've experienced your first day in the snow that hasn't been spent chasing down bad guys, have you enjoyed it as much as you thought you would?”
Shepard, who had been lost in thought while admiring the flames, propped herself onto her side as she turned to face Liara. She took a sip from her steaming mug, considering her answer.
“A lot more than I thought, actually. There's so much you can do with snow that I hadn't even imagined. I've watched vids where friends and families find themselves having snowball fights but I've never really thought about how a snowball feels when it hits your body or the way the little particles of ice melt from contact with your skin.”
“And you discovered something new, too. You never knew you had a bondmate who could transform you into a sentient – what do humans call them again? – a sentient, walking snowman?”
Shepard flashed a grin at the memory, “Exactly, now that's something I never thought I'd get to enjoy.”
Studying the human's features, Liara couldn't help but notice the way the flames cast a low flicker against the side of Shepard's face, her cheek reflecting a soft glow from the fireplace. It made her look warm; inviting, almost as if she could stay, fully contented, laying close to Shepard like this for the rest of her days and call herself at home. Almost as if she could lean forward, drawn to the light on her bondmate's skin and kiss her gently, focused on nothing but the heat between themselves and the crackles of burning firewood.
Shepard got there first.
Pulling back from their embrace, the couple found themselves beaming equally as bright as each other in an unspoken moment of “how did we ever get this lucky?”. After all, there was once a time where being able to simply just exist together like this, in a life beyond the horrors of the war, felt like a distant dream. A what-if, a maybe. For it to now be definite reality was a surreal feeling.
“So, about tomorrow. You ready for another whole day in the freezing cold?” Shepard asked after the moment passed.
Liara reached out, resting her mug-free hand on top of Shepard's. “Only if you're ready to learn more about what it means to experience the snow. We'll be making angels with our bodies next.”
“Sounds perfect to me.”
With that, the pair settled into comfortable silence, neither realising that they had fallen asleep until they awoke the next morning cuddled into each other in front of the burnt-out fireplace.