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Kaidan Alenko often felt awkward among his friends. They were kind, but he had never had many, and, squished into a small red leather booth with five other people left him feeling… isolated. The bar they were in was crowded, and the booth was sweaty and loud. Elizabeth Shepard was sitting across from him, the toes of her shoes bumping against his every few minutes.
She had handed him a beer, and Kaidan had accepted- sometimes getting a little buzzed helped with the migraines. Tonight, with the noise, and the lights, Kaidan stared into his third beer and felt his temples begin to throb.
“Shepard, how is your art exhibition coming along?” Liara asked quietly, or at least, as quietly as she could and still be heard. The exhibition had been all Elizabeth could talk about all month. Her eyes lit up.
“We’re having, like, a party for the opening this weekend! You’re all coming, right? It’s looking perfect, it’s almost ready!”
Tali leaned forward in her seat, a silly, drunk grin on her face. “Where is the gallery again?”
“It’s down the street from the history museum,” Garrus replied, “I’ll text you the address when you’re sober.” Tali hiccupped and started giggling.
Her high-pitched voice pierced Kaidan’s ears. A wave of nausea come over him and he leaned over the table.
Kaidan felt soft fingers on his knuckles. “Hey,” Elizabeth said. “Are you alright? Want me to walk you home?”
He nodded and shut his eyes, letting Shepard lead him into the cool night air. It was a little misty out, flecks of cold water dissipating against his skin and catching in Elizabeth’s red hair like a cobweb. She smiled at him and threaded an arm under his elbow, guiding him towards his apartment a few blocks away.
“Kaidan,” she said, facing straight forward but looking at him out of the corner of her eye. “Want to go with me to the opening party? You could pretend to be my date. It would be fun.”
Kaidan nodded, squeezing his eyes shut against the aggressively bright streetlights. “Okay,” he said.
The night of the opening, the doorbell of Kaidan's apartment buzzed insistently. Kaidan opened the door to find Shepard standing there in a tight-fitted black dress, jewelry draped around her neck. The flickering, greenish lights of his apartment dulled her hair, which she had styled for once.
"Kaidan!" Elizabeth grinned. "Are you ready?"
"Uh, yeah. Do I look okay?"
"As handsome as ever, big guy." Shepard tugged on his burgundy silk tie- one she'd given him a year ago for his birthday- and attempted to look serious before smiling again. Her lipstick was just a few shades off from her hair. Kaidan swallowed.
"Let's go!" She walked off, her hips swaying slightly. Her dress really was tight. Kaidan followed her down the tiny staircase and into the evening bustle of the city.
The gallery had bright, stark lighting, which reflected off Shepard's hair like fire. Her freckles contrasted prettily with her skin, the pattern broken by a faded white scar over her nose.
She was in her element here, socializing with other artists and collectors. They seemed to accept her, but their friends were clearly uncomfortable, standing near the wall and keeping to themselves. Kaidan wanted to join them instead of having Shepard parade him around.
"This is Kaidan," Shepard announed to the newest group of people she was charming, among them one of the owners of the gallery, an intimidating woman that had been introduced to him as Samara. Shepard grabbed his elbow and smiled at him- in heels, she was taller than him.
"Hello, uh, nice to meet you, I'm just going to- uh-" Kaidan ducked away and walked over to Tali, Garrus and Liara. They were standing by one of Shepard's larger paintings, an intensely colorful painting of what looked to be someone's back.
"Kaidan," Liara greeted him, smiling. "Shouldn't you be with Shepard?" He glanced back towards Elizabeth, catching her eye for a moment before she pointedly looked away.
Garrus and Tali were having an animated discussion about the owner of said nude back.
"I wish my back was worth thousands of dollars," Kaidan said, eyeing the label. Tali giggled.
"Just ask Shepard to paint some nudes of you," Garrus said. Liara laughed quietly, covering her mouth.
Kaidan felt his face heat under the bright lights. "No, I, um..."
Tali looked behind him and smiled. "Hey, Shepard," she said. They all turned, Elizabeth stopping a little too close. Kaidan could smell her perfume.
"Can I borrow Kaidan for a moment?" she asked.
"He's all yours," Liara replied. Garrus snorted.
Kaidan shot him a glare before following Shepard around the corner to a slightly darker, much emptier corner of the gallery. She turned around and raised an eyebrow at him. "Why are you acting so weird?" she said bluntly. She leaned in and grinned slyly. "Are you scared of Samara?"
Kaidan sighed. "No, Shepard, I just... I just don't like being your fake date. It's weird, all these people just assuming..."
Shepard stepped forward, smirking. She was very, very close. Kaidan swallowed and shifted awkwardly. "What about being my real date?"
Kaidan stepped back. "I- uh- what?"
Elizabeth glanced down at his lips and leaned in. Her lips were very, very soft, and she tasted of lipstick and red wine. Her fingers curled around the side of his face, her warm palm on his jaw. Shepard pulled back.
"Oh," Kaidan said.
Elizabeth laughed. "Come on." She swirled back into the party with a flash of red hair, and Kaidan, like usual, followed.