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Charlie fired her pistol at the target at the far end of the shooting range until the gun's thermal clip reached it's max. As she ejected it, she saw a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye and turned towards it to discover that Kaidan had entered the range.
"Hey, I didn't hear you come in," she said, offering him a smile as she holstered her pistol.
"Figured I'd get some practice in while we're docked here," he replied, gesturing to the guns he brought with him.
Charlie pressed a button on the console before her, the target zooming down the range towards her as she watched him place his pistol down, getting his assault rifle—a standard M-8 Avenger—ready to use. Glancing at the target she'd been shooting, she noted the dispersal of her precise, accurate shots before she pressed another button to switch out the used target for a new one.
"The Avenger's new," she started, looking back to Kaidan. "When did that happen?"
He huffed, the corner of his lips turning upwards into a lopsided smile. "Anderson insisted I pick it up after I got promoted a couple years ago." His face suddenly fell, his lips pursing together. "He figured relearning it would be a good distraction…"
From my death, Charlie finished mentally. "Was it?"
Sighing, he looked down to the rifle in his hands. "At first it reminded me of you," he said quietly, and her throat tightened at his words, "but I learned to deal with it." She opened her mouth to speak, to say something, but her mind was blank and she promptly shut her mouth, her brow furrowing. Kaidan breathed in deeply and focused on her again. "I hadn't used one since basic training. It took some time to readjust, but I like it."
"I told you so," she said with a grin, remembering the time she tried to convince him to try out an assault rifle back on the SR-1. "Welcome to the big guns club, Major."
He chuckled. "Thanks."
She held his gaze until she started eyeing the rifle in his hands, an idea popping into her mind. "You know… I've been watching you with that Avenger and I think I've got a few tips to improve your shooting."
Kaidan quirked an eyebrow at her and bit back a knowing smile. "Tips?"
"Mostly gun mods."
"Thought so."
"You interested?" she asked, tentatively, not wanting to overstep, despite the fact that if it were anyone else she wouldn't have even bothered to ask. He nodded, and she took a step closer to him, her eyes widening as a smile lit up her face. "Now, don't get me wrong, the Avenger is a good weapon for any type of soldier," she began, her voice higher in pitch as she talked faster than usual. "It's lightweight, pretty accurate, it has a sizable capacity, and compared to other assault rifles, it's quicker to reload the thermal clip. It doesn't really have any major drawbacks, but it doesn't exactly have any major strengths, either. But, you can still make it better.
"First off, I've got an extra thermal scope if you want it, which'll come in handy when those Cerberus assholes try to hide behind their smoke grenades. And if you increase the capacity, you'll be able to inflict more damage before reloading, which'll counteract it's lower than average damage capability. Extending the barrel will let you do more damage, too.
"Or, if you're not attached to it, you could always use an M-25 Vindicator. It packs more of a punch and it's more accurate. Only downside to the Vindicator is that it's got less of a clip capacity and the three-burst fire doesn't work for every combat situation," Charlie finished, slightly breathless. Kaidan didn't answer her right away, and she frowned, staring at him. He was looking back at her with his head slightly tilted to the side with a tiny smile on his lips, almost as if he were in another galaxy. "Did you get any of that? And why are you looking at me like that?"
He snapped out of whatever daze he was in, his brows furrowing as a slight blush tinged his cheeks. "Like what?"
"I don't know. Like whatever weird way you were looking at me."
"I wasn't looking at you weird."
"Yes, you were," Charlie insisted, shooting him a look.
"I wasn't… oh, forget it," he muttered, scratching the back of his neck, darting his eyes away from her.
She studied him a moment longer before crossing her arms over her chest. "Anyway, those are my suggestions for your rifle."
He returned his gaze to hers and let out a light chuckle, a smile on his lips. "Are you going to tell me how to handle my pistol, next?"
Barking a laugh, she shook her head. "No, I know how good you are with it," she said. "You're not as good as me, though. It helps that my Paladin's a step above your Carnifex."
"Really? You want to test that out, Charlie?"
She smirked. "Those are just the facts. But if you want to lose… I can indulge you."
"We'll see about that."
Just as they were about to grab their pistols, Charlie's omni-tool beeped, and she pulled up the display, groaning at the message asking for her assistance back on the Normandy.
"Damn it, I have to go," she grumbled. "Rain check?"
"Yeah," Kaidan replied, smiling past the disappointment in his eyes.
"See you back on the ship."
He nodded and Charlie grabbed her guns, turning to leave the shooting range. Casting a final glance over her shoulder before she reached the door, she found him still smiling at her, and she couldn't help but smile back as her heart fluttered in her chest.
She was still smiling when she got to the Normandy.
- . - . - . - . -
Charlie dangled her feet over the edge of the weapon bench in the main battery room as she watched him calibrate the ship's main guns. They'd been talking before they settled into a comfortable silence, content to simply be in each other's presence.
She zoned out after a while, her mind wandering to the war and what was still to come, until her omni-tool beeped, signaling a new message—from Kaidan.
what are you doing now?
main battery with garrus. he's calibrating the guns. again. why?
i could use your help. i can't decide between extending my rifle's barrel or increasing the capacity.
be down soon.
Charlie looked up from her omni-tool to find Garrus staring at her with an amused expression. "What?" she asked.
"Let me guess," he drawled. "Message from Kaidan?"
She narrowed her eyes at the turian. "What makes you say that?"
"I haven't seen you smile like that in a while. It's been happening a lot since he's been back."
She huffed, unaware she'd even been smiling. She probably looked ridiculous staring at her omni-tool like that. "Well… yeah, it was him," she replied, ignoring the heat in her cheeks as she hopped down off the weapon bench. "He needs some help in the armory, so I'm going to head down there."
"Oh, I see. I'm getting abandoned for the boyfriend," Garrus droned, and she shot him a glare.
"Because sitting here watching you calibrate the ship's guns is so productive," she shot back. "And he's not my boyfriend."
"Not yet," he muttered under his breath, focusing back on his work.
"We're… I don't know what we are," she started, feeling as if she had to explain herself, but couldn't find the right words. "I just know that I'm glad he's back."
"So am I. You're not as mean."
"Oh, shut up, you ass."
"Look who's talking."
"I'm leaving now!" she shouted, as she stalked out the door. She heard Garrus laugh to himself and she smiled, shaking her head. Quickly striding over to the elevator, she pressed the button for the fifth deck, and leaned back against the wall while tapping her foot as she waited for the elevator to get down there.
When the doors finally opened, Kaidan was waiting for her, a smile on his lips that she couldn't help but return. She walked up to the weapon bench and leaned against it, glancing over his assault rifle and other supplies laid out upon the surface.
"I figured I'd ask the resident expert which mod she would use," he said, and Charlie smirked.
"Resident expert, huh?"
"Resident gun lover?"
"I like expert better. Makes me sound more sophisticated," she replied, earning a light chuckle. She turned her attention to his gun, running her fingers over the length of it as she pursed her lips and her eyes darted back and forth from the rifle upgrades he also had out. "I'd extend the barrel. It'll probably pan out better in the long run since the clip reload is quick. Better to have more damage per shot than trying to have more shots since you can already get in a lot with the quick reload."
"Looks like I'm extending the barrel, then," he said, reaching for the mod. Charlie reached for it at the same time, their hands making contact, fingers brushing against each other's. Her heart seized in her chest at the accidental touch, and she quickly jerked her hand back, tentatively meeting his gaze. He was staring right back at her and she swallowed hard, getting lost in his whiskey-colored eyes. She barely registered her heartbeat thumping wildly in her ears, too focused on him and how his lips parted as he took in a sharp breath. Her eyes were drawn to the scar on his lips, and she wanted nothing more than to press her own lips against his.
"Charlie," he rumbled, his voice low. He shouldn't have been allowed to say her name like that. "You should do it."
It took her a second to realize that he was referring to extending the barrel on his rifle. "You sure?" she breathed.
"Yeah. You're the expert."
Huffing, she took a step back from him and turned her attention to his assault rifle and bit her lip as she got to work equipping it with the extended barrel mod. She took her time with it, and was as careful and meticulous as if she were handling her own gun. As something that could keep him safe in combat, she wanted to make sure it worked perfectly. When the extended barrel was on, she quickly grabbed the extra thermal scope from her armor locker and switched it out with the one already on the gun, peering through the scope when she finished.
Giving the gun a final once-over before deciding it was finished, she handed it over to Kaidan. "There you go. All this baby needs is a thermal clip and she'll be ready to go." He took the gun and inspected it for himself, getting a feel for the changes. "It might be a bit heavier with that scope and barrel, but it shouldn't take too much getting used to."
Kaidan placed the rifle back on the weapon bench before turning his gaze to hers, a small, lopsided smile on his lips. "Thanks, a lot. I appreciate it."
"Anytime," she replied, quietly. "I mean it. You know where to find me if you need gun advice or anything like that."
He let out a short laugh. "I'll keep that in mind."
"And even if you don't need help, you know I like fiddling with my guns. We could… fiddle together, I guess."
"Well, if you want to stay… I was planning on cleaning my pistol," he offered, and she beamed at him.
"I'll grab mine," she burst out, before darting off to grab her guns. She placed them on the weapon bench beside his and picked up her pistol, making sure there wasn't a thermal clip inserted before she started to take the gun apart. Kaidan did the same with his, and she peeked over at him while she worked, finding him smiling at her. Looking away, he rubbed the back of his neck before he continued, and Charlie grinned to herself.
She was starting to act like a lovesick teenager with her first crush around him, but she was past caring—like she had told Garrus, she was just glad that Kaidan was around again. They ended up spending so much time together on the old Normandy, and even though they were on shitty terms when she died, she still missed having him around during her time stopping the Collectors.
Now that he was back, things were looking up, at least with her personal affairs. The galaxy was still falling apart more and more as each day went by, but when she was with Kaidan she could almost forget the horrors that were happening around the galaxy and that she was supposed to save everyone. Spending time with Garrus, Liara, and her other friends helped, too, but Kaidan… he knew her better than anyone on the ship, better than she knew herself, and ever since the SR-1 days, he always knew what to say to make her feel better whenever she felt like crap.
Even if that was saying nothing at all while they cleaned their guns together.