Work Text:
A crackle of electricity soared through the air, sharp and loud like a whip crack. One moment Faith Shepard stood beside him; the next, he watched an explosion of blue light dart across the battlefield.
Kaidan Alenko had seen her fight, yet every single time she had the ability to take his breath away.
In a blaze of biotic energy, two Geth who had the misfortune to be in her chaotic path went flying in opposite directions. One went through a wall. It didn’t collide with the wall or hit it; it disappeared into the cavity.
Kaidan’s mouth twitched a little as he realised there were probably healthier reactions to seeing the woman you loved violently hurling a synthetic soldier through a structure. He couldn’t care enough to think of one.
The other Geth simply kept flying with the momentum, and Shepard clocked it. With practised ease, she raised her shotgun and delivered a killing blow.
Over the comms, he heard Garrus Vakarian murmur his appreciation. “Save some for the rest of us, Shepard,” he declared.
Shepard glanced over her shoulder at him with a subtle grin. “Then keep up, Vakarian.”
With that stated, she cocked the shotgun and disappeared into the fray. Kaidan shook his head, then turned to see another Geth appear from behind a transport.
He aimed his pistol, fired twice and then sent it flying with a shockwave that made his teeth rattle, just for good measure. Kaidan was still getting used to his biotics; getting beaten on Mars had done a number on his implant, and he was still trying to build up his strength.
Fortunately for him, he had a Vanguard who had literally been rebuilt for this. He glanced around to see her zipping around once more, tossing a Geth into Garrus’ line of sight and watching as the Turian took a clean shot.
“There, are you happy?” Shepard added.
Garrus laughed, sighting down the barrel and aiming for yet another enemy. This time it was a husk, and it fell to the floor, a hole smouldering in its chest. Shepard tilted her head as she looked down at it.
“Corrosive rounds?” she questioned.
“Sometimes I like to keep it old school,” Garrus remarked.
A soft snort escaped the brunette. “Okay, Grandpa,” she quipped before giving Kaidan a grin. He returned it.
Too absorbed by their banter, Kaidan missed another Geth attempting to flank them. Shepard spotted it first, aiming at the man she adored. Whizzing past him, she collided with it, and fragments of it rained down on her like a mechanical shower. Shepard turned back to Kaidan, small flares of dark energy ripping across her skin and armour. The shotgun hung loosely in her grip, smoke rising behind her from the former Geth.
For a moment he forgot there was a war raging around them, about the Reapers who were plundering the galaxy for all it was worth.
There was only Shepard.
The terrifying and impossible woman who had captured his heart. Someone who didn't know the meaning of quitting; who had faced down incredible odds and still ended up being the last one standing. A woman with a heart of gold but wouldn’t hesitate to tell you to fuck off.
Simply put, he was in awe of her just as he was the day they met.
It was inappropriate timing, but he couldn’t help but watch her as blue ribbons of energy crawled over her. She looked exhausted and pissed, but she was radiant and alive. She was beyond magnificent, and the best part was that she didn’t even know it.
Faith Shepard didn’t fight to get noticed or because she thought people were watching. She didn’t charge at the enemy because she assumed she was invincible. She did it because someone had to go first, and she did it without argument.
The brunette stubbornly placed herself between the people she loved and the rest of the galaxy and demanded they go through her first.
Kaidan loved her for it, and part of him also despised it.
Fortunately, they had a moment of respite, so the distraction hadn’t cost him anything. Shepard had noticed him, though, and she narrowed her eyes at him, the biotics melting from her body.
“What?” she asked, slight irritation creeping into her tone.
“Nothing,” Kaidan stammered, earning him a smirk from Garrus.
“You're staring,” she remarked.
“Am not.”
Blue eyes narrowed further. “Uh-huh.”
A lone Geth, obviously late to the party, wandered into the combat zone. Kaidan didn’t look away from the N7, those whiskey-coloured eyes flooding with blue as he waved a hand in its direction and sent it flying. Shepard pointed her shotgun, not even bothering to sight down it and pulled the trigger.
A single shot and it dropped.
Shepard finally let her gaze simmer, giving him a satisfied smirk. When she did that, Kaidan’s heart did something extremely unhelpful and skipped a few beats. Not only could she disarm him physically, but she had the power to render him powerless emotionally.
After Ilos, their dynamic had changed dramatically, and it frightened him to see her running into the thick of things. Yes, she was an N7, a skilled fighter and one hell of a Biotic, but she was also the woman he fell hard for.
The events of Akuze had taught him that she was a survivor. Alchera was a sign that she could die. Then almost dying himself on Mars had reminded him that there were fates worse than death; it was leaving those you loved behind without having the opportunity to make amends.
Kaidan still wanted to yank her back by the arm before she charged into a firefight, wanted to remind her that she was a mere mortal like the rest of them. However, there was a trust that had developed between them. He was acutely aware of where she was at any given point, and Shepard constantly had her head on a swivel, needing to know where the rest of her team were even when things got hectic.
If his barrier weakened, Shepard was there to bridge the gap even though defence wasn’t where she excelled. When her charge left her unintentionally exposed, Kaidan was already there to act as a deterrent. He overloaded shields, and then she tore through their armour like butter.
When she drove forward, he took up the rear, guarding her six. There had been no orders or discussion. Just pure instinct of two people who had somehow fallen into one another’s orbit and developed a synergy.
Perfectly in sync with one another; poetry in motion.
“You’re incredible,” he finally admitted.
Her look faltered; the woman who could throw Geth through buildings had actually been caught off guard. She didn’t know how to respond to the surprise compliment even though Kaidan constantly showered her with praise.
In the comfort of her own cabin, she anticipated it, but not on the battlefield after mowing down her enemies. Shepard went to give him a similar comment, but Garrus interrupted her, his voice ringing in her ear.
“All Clear, Shepard.”
Stretching out her tired muscles, Shepard gave one last look around their surroundings and visibly sought out Garrus. His sniper rifle was on his back as he sauntered towards them; the danger had passed.
With the Turian giving the all-clear, that was good enough for her, and she magnetically attached her trusty shotgun to the side of her leg plate.
“Well, that was the easy part,” she uttered, glancing down at the new scorch marks on her chest plate. She brushed some of the dust off, caught Kaidan’s eye and gave him a shy smile, one that was reserved for him.
Kaidan felt his chest tighten when she glanced over at him, those eyes glistening like the deepest oceans, and the thought hit him with a force far harder than anything their enemies could throw at them. He truly loved her despite everything. They’d drifted apart once before, and the thought of losing her again scared him witless.
From one of the units, a door slid open, and more Geth piled out. Garrus was already reaching for his rifle, and Shepard was rolling her shoulders although a curse word rolled off her tongue.
“You ready, Major?”
As she said that, Kaidan looked back at her to see her body ablaze once more.
Beautiful. Terrifying. His. Well, maybe not completely his, as she would punch him out for even thinking like that.
However, somehow, against the most impossible of odds, Faith Shepard had chosen to be with him.
“Always,” he promised with a smile of his own.
The answer was good enough for her, and something flickered behind her gaze. It was subtle, but he could read the words she couldn’t bring herself to say. Not yet anyway.
Love.
Shepard turned her head, planting her feet and then launched herself at the next wave.
For a second she was nothing but light, and then the battlefield exploded.
Kaidan immediately followed, because that’s what they did. She charged into Hell, and he made sure she didn’t have to go alone.
