Work Text:
Shepard was shocked to discover that Kaidan had left the Normandy after it docked on the Citadel. He was certain Kaidan would stay on the ship, holed up in the room he’d made for himself below engineering. But when Shepard peeked under the stairwell, Kaidan was nowhere to be found.
It shouldn’t have bothered him. He no longer had a horse in this race. He’d been gone for two years. Two years that Kaidan had spent in metaphorical and literal hell on Pragia. They were both changed men. Still, the gaping hole in Shepard’s chest were Kaidan’s life used to be had been replaced by the gaping hole where their relationship used to be.
Still, he couldn’t help but be drawn into Kaidan’s orbit, which was why he was down in this dark room in the first place.
Gabby and Ken said he’d left a while ago, right around the time docking procedures started. And according to Joker, he had in fact left the ship was the crew was given the all-clear.
Shepard stepped out of the airlock onto the docking ramp. He had an endless list of errands to run while they were docked on the Citadel.
“I think he was headed to the Presidium,” a familiar voice said, a moment before a tactical cloak shimmered and shut down.
Shepard snorted. “You shouldn't spy on him, Kasumi. That’s not helping him trust us.”
She shrugged. “Not spying, Shep. Just gathering information.”
“Uh huh.”
They stepped into an elevator, and Shepard inputted the Presidium as their destination, without really thinking much about it. Some of the crew could use some weapons’ upgrades…
“Why would he go to the Presidium?” Shepard wondered out loud. “It’s so crowded.”
Kasumi hummed nonchalantly. “It’s scheduled to rain there today. Lots of people like to watch the storm come through.”
Shepard spared her a look, his heart sinking in his chest. Kaidan had always loved a good storm. They’d sat in their room at his parent’s place during shore leave – after Saren, before Alchera – with the windows open, watching an epic storm roll in over the bay.
The storm had threatened to lull Sidney to sleep, but Kaidan had other plans, and thankfully his parents weren’t at home. They’d spent most of the afternoon tangled together on the bed, the rumbling thunder doing a decent job of drowning out the noises Kaidan pulled out of him.
The elevator deposited them on the Presidium just as the rain began to fall. It was as controlled as it could get, with the park offering shelter to those that wanted it. Otherwise, attendees could wander through the park at their own peril.
Like magnets drawn to each other, Sidney’s eyes found Kaidan in the crowd almost right away. He leaned against a railing, watching the storm roll in. His posture was casual and loose, more relaxed than Shepard had seen him since he joined the crew.
His face looked…almost serene, not pinched in tension or some inner pain that he refused to talk about.
Sidney wanted to go to him, to stand next to him and watch the rain. To grasp onto a shred of what they used to have. But…
“You aren’t going to say hi?” Kasumi asked.
Sighing, Shepard shook his head. “No.”
“Why not?”
He gestured at Kaidan with a hand. “He looks…relaxed. Happy. I haven’t seen him like that since I found him on Pragia. He deserves a break. I don’t want to ruin that.”
Kasumi was staring at him curiously. “What makes you think you would?”
Shepard sniffed. “Just a hunch. I don’t think I’m a person he wants to see right now.”
Kasumi glanced over at Kaidan for a moment, studying him. Thunder clapped in the distance. “You’ll bridge that gap, Shep. I have faith.”
Shepard snorted. “Yeah? Glad one of us does.”
She shrugged, grinning. “What can I say, I’m romantic. Now, didn’t you say something about errands to run while you’re here? Need some company?”
He smiled in spite of himself. “Yeah, Kasumi. That’d be great.”