#alenkoats

Tagged by the amazing @daggertongue. Thank you!

Revising my Alenkoats story The loneliest Hour & re-writing whole scenes. I aimed for around 45K word. Currently sitting at 57'411 words.

Hackett looked Kaidan in the eye, raising one eye-brow. “And what would you have done if I had told you? Shepard would’ve still been with Cerberus.” Kaidan threw his hands in the air. “I don’t know! Tried contacting him, maybe! Talk to him! Reason with him! Anything!” “And lose your focus on what’s important,” Hackett retorted and raised his hand when Kaidan opened his mouth. “I know you think I’m a heartless bastard and that I don’t care, but that’s not true. Deep down inside, you know it. You know that Shepard was exactly where he needed to be – no matter how much we don’t like Cerberus. He brought back valuable intel and a frigate with an unshackled AI. He destroyed the Collector base.” “And he destroyed a solar system,” Kaidan shot back, glowering at Hackett. “During a mission you sent him on.” “I won’t deny that either.” Hackett stood up and clasped his hands behind his back. “This war is going to get ugly real fast. There’s no black and white anymore, and you of all people should know that.” “War doesn’t command me to commit atrocities or genocide.” “No. But if your choice is to either let the Reapers walk through our back door, or sacrifice 300.000 lives, the answer suddenly becomes very grey.”

Rules: post the first sentence of your last ten fics. If you haven't written ten fics, share as many first-sentences as you have. 

I was tagged by @dandenbo and @mtreebeardiles (yes, I have waaaaay more than 10! lol) - thank you, my friend! As for tagging, I'm going to leave it open to anyone who wants to share because you tagged my usual suspects! LOL *high fives*

All right, let's see what we have..

If London Falls (M, Mass Effect, Abby Williams/Major Coats (aka: Abboats) - set in London during the early days of the Reaper War)

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…

2. Brain Freeze (G, Mass Effect, mClone Shep/Kaidan Alenko - a oneshot for Kaidan and Aubrey in which Aubrey discovers freezy pops)

The heat was a problem.

3. Tales From The Inquisition (T, Dragon Age Inquisition, William Trevelyan & Cullen Rutherford - small moments in the friendship of the Inquisitor and the Commander)

There weren’t many things William could say he enjoyed while growing up more than looking through stacks of books.

4. Under Covers (T, Mass Effect, Gianna Parasini/Kaidan Alenko - little moments from a pairing for whom I have a story but have yet to get it written)

“You know, when they said we would be going under cover together, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

5. Bait & Switch (T, Mass Effect/Mass Effect Andromeda, AU/crossover, Kaidan Alenko/Reyes Vidal - The Alliance comes asking for Reyes Vidal's help. Part of The Golden Boy & The Shady Bastard series)(my SpecRecs 2022 piece written for @mallaidhsomo)

Of all the places in the galaxy to end up in a back-room meeting with an Alliance representative, the lower level of Afterlife on Omega wasn’t his first choice. 

6. Run Away With Me (M, Mass Effect, male Shepard & female OC - background story of how Earthborn Michael Shepard and his best friend leave the Reds and join the Alliance - part of the Biotic Pinball Wizard series)

Dimly lit, overly shadowed halls, even those that are supposed to offer safety, hold risks for those who enter unprepared.

7. Gaia's Chosen (M, Mass Effect/Werewolf: The Apocalypse crossover, set in Mass Effect world, Caleb Shepard/Kaidan Alenko - this story is set at the beginning of ME2)

The first rule of law for any soldier is that life becomes a constant assessment of risk from the moment they don the uniform.

8. May The Road Rise To Meet You (M, Mass Effect, Caleb Shepard - this is Caleb's story of Akuze)

Shannon’s grey skies weep readily across the city, a steady, calming rhythm during otherwise precarious times.

9. Nerf Gun Wars (T, Mass Effect, male Shepard - this is what happens late at night when my brain goes off the wall. Mass Effect + Nerf Guns + Assassination Game from back in the '80s when I was in high school)

It’s all fun and games … until the helmsman ends up in the medbay with a fractured toe.

10. As Cold As Ice (T, Mass Effect, Kaidan Alenko/Major Coats (aka: Alenkoats) - Kaidan and Coats face off with a Thresher Maw on Xawin)

(commissioned art of Benjamin Coats and Kaidan Alenko by @xla-hainex)

Chapter: Pet Day (full chapter found here)

“What is that?”

Coats lifts his hands to his chest; in one large palm, he cradles a tiny purring ball of tabby-colored fluff, the other scratches gently behind its ears. The ball of fluff mews and melts in his hands. “I don’t know, Kaid. What’s it look like?”

Not in a mood to be toyed with, Kaidan rolls his eyes and folds his arms across his chest. Leaning his hips back against the railing he ignores the everyday hustle and bustle of the Nexus that flows around them as he stares at his husband. “I know what it looks like. What I want to know is why you have one. And, maybe, where the hell it came from. I find it very difficult to believe anyone would put a cat into cryostasis for transport to Andromeda.”

Ben tilts the tiny critter so he can nuzzle their noses together. “I used to have one just like this when I was a kid,” he argues. “What better way to start off our new life together in a new galaxy?”

Kaidan snorts. “Oh, no, you didn’t. I have it on good authority that it belonged to Meggie.”

“Meggie stole Mr. Whiskers’ affection from me with a tin of tuna.”...

Read Full Chapter Here

Read From Beginning Here

So, Alenkoats is a thing, yeah? LOL The fabulous @xla-hainex brought them to life for me again! I cannot even begin to describe just how much I love the way she has interpreted Coats for me! (based off his design in the ME3 Reveal Trailer) Thank you so much, my dear!!!! They look just fabulous together!

And yes, this is me indulging in my rarest of rare pairs! :) If you're interested, their stories can be found here.

Oh, hey, a second chance to share some of the stories I couldn't on the last time around! Thanks to @mallaidhsomo for tagging me!

When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you’ve written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love.

Destiny's Road - (Shep/Shep, M) - Mass Effect - John and Jane Shepard's destinies have been intertwined since they were kids, sharing many a twist and turn. But life is about to give them their biggest challenge yet.

Broken - (shenko, M) - Mass Effect - MEBB 2015 - A broken Kaidan Alenko reunites with a disillusioned Garrus Vakarian on Omega after the loss of the Normandy and Commander Shepard. Together they find new purpose…and then a familiar face settles in their sights…

Shepard in Sherwood - (shenko, T) - Mass Effect - During some shared downtime, Shepard allows Kaidan to see her in a light he never has before.

The Barn - (mshenko, T) - Mass Effect - (non-military Shepard) - Cowboy, biotic and prothean archaeologist, Rhys Shepard decides that Commander Kaidan Alenko and the crew of the Normandy need shore leave. There is only one place he can think of to make that happen; The Barn on Mindoir.

MER Week 2021 - (Alenkoats, T) - Mass Effect, Mass Effect Andromeda - (Kaidan Alenko/Major Coats) - A series of writing prompt responses for MER Week 2021 for Kaidan and Coats.

(commissioned artwork by @xla-hainex)

Chapter 2: Long Time No See (On AO3 here)

Snippet:

It’s heartbreaking returning to London. To see the extent of the devastation and destruction the reapers have brought in a year. To know that just weeks before their arrival, he’d stayed at a hotel a few blocks away from here where his life had literally changed overnight. To wonder where the hell his husband is right now, or even if he was still alive. Kaidan’s chest aches, his mind races, he is desperately trying to not think the worst as Cortez flies them in over the city, and he is angrier than he’s ever been before in his life, and that includes when he faced off against Vyrnnus at BAaT.

Ben, where the hell are you?

There is little time to think about it, though. From the moment Cortez drops Shepard, Vega, and him off, it’s fight or be killed; and the reapers come at them in swarms. Wave after wave in some of the worst in terms of numbers they’ve seen since leaving Vancouver. Between the three of them, they manage to fight their way up from the banks of the Thames, obliterating and eviscerating whatever reaper forces get in their way. There’s a near miss when a Shepard’s shields fail and a Marauder nearly hits them in the head with a shot, and Vega goes down hard when a Brute barrels down on top of him. But the three of them have been working together as a fireteam since Kaidan returned to the Normandy, and together they clear the way and make their way towards the Hades cannon...

Read Full Chapter 2 here

Read From the Beginning here

Since I missed WIP Wednesday this week, have an Alenkoats snippet that came to life in the middle of writing my MEBB. (nearly ran away with me, too)

Setting: 2183/4, Alenko Orchard, Earth; post-Alchera, Kaidan Alenko, (Ben) Coats

~~~

“All I meant was, you tend to get stuck in your head and sometimes you need a –”

“’Swift kick in the arse?’” Kaidan finished for him.

Coats’ grin returned. “Never hurts.”

They continue on for a bit further until Kaidan finally works his way around the previous night. “Look, about last night…”

They’ve managed to get beyond the orchard itself to the outer edge of the property where it leads into the lower mountain range. Ben stops walking and turns, facing Kaidan. “Look, mate, you don’t need to explain it to me,” he insists. “What you’ve been through? I can’t imagine what that’s like, and I’m damned sure I wouldn’t be able to handle it as well as you did.”

Kaidan digs the tip of his boot into the ground, staring at the grass he displaces. “You assume I did handle it.”

“I’ve seen the reports, Kaid.”

Startled, Kaidan looks over at him. “You did?”

“Yours, Adams, Chakwas. Hell, Anderson gave me all of them before he sent me here,” Coats admits. “Wanted me to have some idea of what I was walking into.”

Narrowing his gaze, Kaidan adds, “Or to use in evaluating how I’m doing.”

“That too.”

Kaidan runs a hand through his hair as he turns away.

“The old man’s concerned,” Coats insists. “I told you that. He knows, Kaid. Knows you’re like an old bulldog with a bone and won’t give it up. He wants to give you a way to keep stirring the pot.”

Kaidan sighs. “But he won’t if he thinks I’m… what? Unstable? Insane?” Another thought occurs to him and Kaidan pales. Meeting Coats head on, he asks, “Is he worried my implant is causing –?”

The look of complete and utter shock that passes over Ben’s face is reassurance enough, but he immediately, vehemently, denies it. “No! So far as I know, that’s never even crossed his mind!”

The screech of an eagle overhead pulls Kaidan’s attention upward. Shielding his eyes with his hand, he spots the creature as it soars above, free and unfettered. Will I ever know that feeling again?

A hand at his shoulder pulls him from his thoughts. “Kaid…?”

“Sorry,” he replies, lowering his hand as he faces his friend again. “I just… This whole thing has left me a bit rattled. More than I thought, I guess.”