Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

TO: [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: Checking In

It's Shepard. Sorry about your face. How's that healing up?

TO: [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: Checking In

What, are you my buddy, now?

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: RE: RE: Checking In

I punched you in the face. Your father is a friend of mine. I just wanted to apologize and see how you were doing.

Have I offended?

TO: [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: RE: RE: Checkin In

Don't remind me.

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: That's Too Many RE's

Of what? Being punched by a human woman, or that I know your father?

TO: [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: That's Too Many RE's

Both.

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: RE: RE: That's Too Many RE's

Fair enough.

How's Mouse doing?

TO: "Dad's new replacement girlfriend" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: Talked To Mouse

So you're boning my father, and since you want him to like you, you're trying to get in good with me, is that it?

What's next, trying to act like you're my mom?

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: RE: Talked To Mouse

Hardly. I know I'm not your mother, Kolyat.

I wouldn't mind being your friend. But you are not the key to my relationship with Thane.

TO: "Dad's new replacement girlfriend" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: RE: Talked To Mouse

You expect me to believe that?

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: RE: RE: RE: Talked To Mouse

That my relationship with your father is independent of his relationship with you? That my being friends with you would be independent of my relationship with your father?

Yes.

TO: "Dad's new replacement girlfriend" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: RE: RE: RE: Talked To Mouse

Whatever. Just don't act like you're my mom.

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: RE: Acting Like Your Mother

Wouldn't dream of it.

TO: "Crazy Face-Punching Human Woman" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: RE: Acting Like Your Mother

Good.

TO: "Some Teenaged Boy Or Other" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: Answers

You never did tell me how your face was healing up, or how Mouse was doing.

TO: "Crazy Face-Punching Human Woman" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: Answers

Face is fine by now. There a reason you never get to a message in less than five days?

Mouse is okay. He's got a couple copies of some VI sounds like you. Did you really say, "I delete data like you on my way to real errors?"

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: RE: RE: Answers

Good to hear it.

Takes me a while because I'm a busy woman. But hey, only three days for this message. Improvement, right?

Could have sworn I told him to delete those. And no, I never said that. Threats like that aren't my style.

TO: "Crazy Face-Punching Human Woman" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: RE: RE: Answers

Mouse says it is. He's not so bad.

Maybe he's right.

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: RE: RE: RE: RE: Answers

I was in a hury.

Chapter Text

TO: "Crazy Face-Punching Human Woman" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: In a Hurry

That's the best you can do?

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J. Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: RE: In A Hurry

Afraid so. Thane and I were racing against time to find you before you did something you'd have regretted for the rest of your life.

TO: "Dad's violent girlfriend" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: RE: In a Hurry

Let me get this straight: you beat up Mouse so you could find me?

And I'm supposed to like you?

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J. Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: RE: RE: RE: In A Hurry

You're not "supposed" to feel anything at all for me, Kolyat. How you feel is entirely up to you.

TO: "Dad's violent girlfriend" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: RE: RE: RE: In A Hurry

Are you even serious? Who talks like that?

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J. Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: (no subject)

I do.

TO: "Dad's violent girlfriend" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: (no subject)

Well you sound like an idiot.

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J. Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: RE: RE: (no subject)

And you sound like a teenager.

TO: "Dad's violent girlfriend" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: RE: RE: (no subject)

I am a teenager.

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J. Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: Voices

I, for one, believe you can overcome your nature as a teenager and behave like a rational sapient being.

TO: "Dad's violent girlfriend" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: Voices

You mean like you?

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J. Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: RE: RE: Voices

I've done plenty I'm not proud of, but I always had solid reasons. Not always good reasons, but they were always solid.

TO: "Dad's violent girlfriend" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: RE: RE: Voices

Like "I was in a hurry?" Sounded like a weak excuse to me.

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J. Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: Excuses

I don't make excuses.

I'd say you've run out of ammunition on the Mouse charges, Kolyat. Care to try something else?

TO: "Cheap Substitute" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: Excuses

Do I have to?

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J. Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: RE: Cheap Substitute

And now we come to the real obstacle.

This is the one and only time I will reference my relationship with your father — or yours. Disregard this if you want, delete this if you want, but it needs to be said.

When I was fifteen, my parents divorced. I hated every man my mother brought home after that. It took me three years to understand that she wasn't looking to replace my father, or what she lost when she mistakenly (I thought) broke things off.

Believe me when I say I understand how you feel, but you don't have three years, Kolyat.

I don't care if you like me at all. I'm not in this relationship to replace your mother. I'm in it because I care about Thane.

Your father is not trying to replace Irikah. If he was, he wouldn't be with me. Try not to make this any harder on him.

TO: "Cheap Substitute" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: TL;DR

So you think you understand me? Your parents just divorced. It's not like your father got your mother killed.

Whatever.

TO: "Cheap Substitute" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: Cowardice? Color me surprised.

What, you're not going to try to change my mind?

TO: "Cheap Substitute" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: Are you pretending to be dead or something?

Look, I know you're alive (probably). I just talked to Dad last night and he didn't act like you were dead.

Don't think you can run from this fight or something. I'm not going to let you.

Chapter Text

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J. Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: RE: Are you pretending to be dead or something?

Too busy to fight with petulant teens who upset their fathers. You want to get into a pissing match, go pick a fight with Bailey.

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J. Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: I cannot believe you

I didn't mean that literally.

Do you realize that job is the only thing standing between you and Aggravated Assault, Assault&Battery, and Attempted Murder?

TO: "Cheap Substitute" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: Believe it

A job you got me.

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J. Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: RE: Believe it

So you get yourself thrown in prison?

TO: "Meddlesome Substitute" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: RE: Believe it

I'm not in jail yet, am I?

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J. Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: Grow. Up.

You realize that's another assault charge that could go on your permanent record?

You realize your father spent an evening in the med lab because you worried him that much? Turns out holding your breath isn't good for Kepral's syndrome. One of his lungs deflated and didn't want to reinflate again.

I don't care if you resent me. I don't care if you resent what I've done trying to help you.

I don't make threats lightly, and I try not to make them often. But what you do affects other people — your father included. And if you ever, ever do that to him again, I will smack you down so hard your head won't stop spinning until your great-grandchildren turn thirty.

TO: "Dad" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: What
ATTACHED: Extranet Mail Item: "Grow. Up."

You didn't tell me you spent a night in the med lab!

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Thane Krios
SUBJ: RE: What

I saw no need to worry you. It was only a few hours.

I must ask that you not repeat these actions, Kolyat. You have a chance to avoid walking my path.

I want to see you take that chance.

TO: "Meddlesome Substitute" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: Running again?

And now nothing, huh?

TO: "Cowardly Substitute" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: You can't seriously think I'll just let this go?

My father and I can both be pretty stubborn. Don't think you're getting out of this that easily.

Whatever your relationship with my father, whatever you've done to try and help me, you don't get to talk to me that way. You don't get to threaten me. And YOU don't get to play that stupid high-and-mighty, "I know what you're feeling but it's wrong" card.

TO: "Cowardly Substitute" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: Really?

No smug "I told you so"? No high-handed "I'll talk to you how you deserve to be talked to"?

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J. Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: RE: Really?

Do I have to?

TO: "Cheap Time-Waster" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: RE: Really?

And now we come to the real obstacle.

You think I'm just your boyfriend's kid. You think because your parents got divorced and you're some human war hero and my dad's hot for you, that we can be friends.

We can't. Because my dad's hot for you. And he's dying.

I don't have much time left with him, Shepard. And I don't want to share any of it.

TO: "Kolyat" [email protected]
FROM: Cdr. J. Shepard, SSV Normandy
SUBJ: RE: RE: RE: Really?

I can understand why you feel that way, but you need to remember you're his son. You'll always come first to him. If you asked him to choose, he'd choose you without blinking.

TO: "Cheap Time-Waster" [email protected]
FROM: Kolyat Krios
SUBJ: RE: RE: RE: RE: Really?

Maybe I will.