Chapter Text
Aurora Shepard had forgotten what sleep was. In the last few years, her constant anxiety over the missions involving the Geth, Saren, the Collectors, and the Reapers had kept her up well past the time she should’ve been asleep. And of course, now, she had a new worry to add to the list: Cerberus. As if the war against the Reapers wasn’t bad enough. As much as she hated the organization, they should’ve been helping humanity fight instead of making things even harder.
Finishing up her reports on the latest mission, Aurora sighed, putting her head in her hands, feeling fatigue take over her already exhausted body. Everything had become too much over the last few months and it wasn’t just the war. It was losing people she cared about, losing planets to the Reaper invasion… the amount of innocent people being harvested or flat out killed made her stomach turn.
She’d also had no word from her mother in weeks. She tried her best to not worry, but she couldn’t help it. It was her mother out there, working on the Catalyst with the other scientists. So much was riding on the weapon, she knew that. She only wanted to protect her mother, as ridiculous as it seemed.
“That doesn’t sound good.”
The voice startled her out of her dark thoughts. She hadn’t even heard the door open. When her eyes adjusted to the low lighting of the room, Aurora saw Joker standing there, leaning against the fish tank, his green eyes giving her that look she was growing accustomed to. The look that said he was worried about her.
“It’s nothing, Jeff.” She assured him, turning off the light on her desk and standing, stretching her arms over her head in an attempt to work out the knk in her back.
Joker’s eyes slanted in her direction. “Don’t give me that bullshit, Shepard. I know you.”
She sighed again, this time giving in to her exhaustion and sinking onto her bed, wishing she could just fall asleep. “I haven’t heard from my mom.”
His face softened. “We’re talking about Rear Admiral Hannah Shepard. If you got anything from your mother, it’s your tenacity to fight against impossible odds.”
“I can’t tell if that’s supposed to be a compliment or not.” Aurora teased although her heart wasn’t in it.
Jeff joined her on the bed a moment later, taking one of her hands and squeezing it lightly. “What I’m trying to say is that if anyone can do this, it’s her.” He paused briefly, stroking the skin of Aurora’s hand with his thumb. “And you can do this too, Rori.”
“Sometimes I’m afraid that I can’t.” Staring at their entwined hands, she realized how lucky she was to have Joker not only as her best friend, but also as the man she loved beyond all reasoning. And sometimes she’s too honest with him, but it’s those moments that reinforce her decision to trust him with her heart. “People are dying and I can’t stop it.”
With a disgruntled sound somewhere deep in his throat, Jeff shook his head. “Look at me, Aurora.”
She didn’t want to because she knew what she would see in his eyes, but she did anyway. He was watching her with a fierce gaze, an expression on his face that said she wasn’t allowed to argue with whatever he was going to say.
“You are only one person in this war, but you take on the burden of millions. Stop trying to be the hero. I don’t say this because I don’t think you can do it, but because you don’t have to. If the Council had listened to your warning two years ago, we wouldn’t be in this sorry state. All we can do is fight with everything we have, but we can only do that if we take care of ourselves… and the people we love.” Jeff pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist, lingering there briefly. “Get some sleep. The rest of us will take it from here for the time being.”
She wanted to take him up on the offer, so badly that it almost physically hurt, but she knew that even if she laid down in her bed for the rest of the night, there was a low chance she would actually sleep. Instead, she turned her body so that she could extend her legs over Joker’s, keeping them bent at the knees so they hovered above him.
Joker raised an eyebrow at the movement. “What was that for?”
Aurora smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder. “Keeping you to myself for the next few hours. If you don’t mind, of course.”
He laughed. “This isn’t what I had in mind when I came up here.” He draped an arm over her shoulder, pulling her as close as he could without hurting himself. “But I’ll take it.”
Aurora rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. That was one thing she could always count on him for: he could bring a smile to her face even in the direst of times. “I love you, Jeff. Thank you for being here.”
He leaned his head on top hers, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he did so. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else. Besides, who else would you trust to pilot the Normandy?”
Burying her face into his neck, Aurora knew he could feel it when her smile widened. “No one.”
“Damn straight. I’m not going anywhere. You need me.”
The man didn’t realize how true that statement was. I do , she thought as she closed her eyes, the sound of Jeff’s breath in his chest lulling her into a deep sleep she could no longer fight. I need you.