#scottharper

I still have so much love for Cora/SAM-E and it hurts so much that most people don't even know about it..

THIS SO MUCH

A gentle kiss that quickly descends into passion, with little regard for what’s going on around them.

I almost went with the Deep Roads for this but I feel like a tavern setting is where it’s at. even if I seem to write them mostly in taverns/inns but w/e

It had been a long time since Rose Cousland felt some kind of contentment. The last time had been well over a year ago, during the yearly harvest festival where nobles from her family’s land and the nearby village had gathered at Highever to celebrate the change in seasons.

But instead of Highever Rose was currently in a small village’s tavern, hoping that none of Loghain’s men would decide to show up and cause trouble for them and the townspeople. Everyone was fighting colds from the dampness that seemed to constantly follow them so Rose made the decision to stay at an inn for a few nights, despite the protests that they barely had enough coin.

“We’re heading into the mountains soon and I don’t want anyone to die of an illness.” she replied in a tone that made it clear the decision was final.

Leliana had just finished entertaining those in the tavern with a song while Zevran was engaged in a game of cards with a few locals. Oghren was trying to out drink a few others, and Wynne had retired up to their rooms with Morrigan-saying something about letting Rose enjoy a few moments with Alistair without them hovering.

“You’re smiling.” Alistair said, pulling Rose out of her thoughts as he sat down next to her with a mug of ale for each of them. “Any specific reason why?”

“Because I’m not sleeping on the ground? I didn’t know I needed a reason to smile.” Rose teased while taking the mug into her hands, grateful for something to focus on. Over the music she could hear raised voices and glanced to where they were coming from; it looked like a few of the men playing with Zevran weren’t happy about the hand they’d lost.

Glancing back to Alistair she saw him looking at her strangely. “What? Do I still have darkspawn blood in my hair? I thought I’d gotten it all out.”

Alistair shook his head, “Your hair’s fine. It’s just-it seems like this is first time that you’re…happy. Whatever the reason is, I’m glad.”

“You are?”

“I am.” Alistair gently brushed the back of his hand against Rose’s cheek and moved a bit closer. “This might sound horribly cheesy, but you light up the room with your smile.”

Rose ducked her head slightly as she felt a blush start to spread across her face. “I’m pretty sure I don’t. I think that’s more of Leliana’s thing.”

“Well for me you do.”

The voices behind them were getting louder but Rose kept her gaze on Alistair and knew that he only had eyes for her. They were still shy around each other, knowing how they felt about the other but at the same time they had more important things to deal with.

“Like making sure that we survive this damned Blight.” she thought while slowly leaning closer towards Alistair to kiss him.

It wasn’t their first kiss, not by far, but at the same time it felt like it was. They both moved closer to each other, what little there was, until they were flush against one another. Rose could feel Alistair slide an arm around her waist while she took hold of his shirt. Everything seemed to fade away until it was just the two of them and her heart was in her throat.

Breaking apart to breathe, they stared at each other for a few seconds before kissing again. This time it was full of passion, full of a need Rose hadn’t been sure she’d ever feel again. As they kissed, Rose dimly heard shouting that Zevran had cheated, more raised voices while chairs crashed to the floor, and footsteps clomping away from them.

  you know when you open the little mini window when...

I just checked the menus of you and a couple other mutuals - the first time I opened the menu it had both ‘block’/'unblock’ visible, and when I checked those same menus again a few seconds later it just said 'block’ so it might just be a glitch?

I’m not sure if you’ve posted anything related for it yet, but if Scott had a loyalty mission what would it be? :D

oh this is a really cool question to think about!

i mean, in terms of my canon, Scott’s plenty loyal to Cade as it is so i think if i were to establish one, it wouldn’t be labelled as a loyalty mission so much as an optional mission to A) get a personal take on Scott during ME2 and B) come away with a boosted percentage to the survival odds for the endgame mission.

with that in mind, i think i’d see the mission involving Alec’s AI research that he left behind. Scott’s got a solid poker face, but he’s still hurting a little at the fact his family were so distant, that leaving to another galaxy was barely a bump in the road to them. i’d style it a bit like the lair of the shadow broker DLC: pulling together clues to unlock a trail, and it’d take place on the Citadel. i’ve always fancied running through the home wards on a stealth mission with a specialised marksman ;~) 

during the course of the mission, you’d get a glimpse at Scott’s true feelings towards the idea of the Ryder family and the reason why he joined the Alliance in the first place - to get away from it. gameplay wise, you’d probably have a paragon or renegade option to respond with, but it’s the renegade option that earns his favour. the paragon option results in him dwelling on whether staying was a mistake, and whether he should have tried harder with his family and he loses focus on the mission, reducing his chances for survival @ the endgame.

conversely, the renegade option encourages him to move on and make his own legacy instead of chasing Alec’s. with this in mind, he dedicates himself to the mission and thus has increased survival chances.

also, if you successfully infiltrate Alec’s old apartment, you’ll be able to let Scott pick up research data. it’s illegal, given that it’s based heavily on AI research, and it would spell disaster for Scott’s Alliance record if they ever found out. letting him take the dossier boosts his damage and tech abilities as well as providing the Normandy with an intelligent shielding system which allows it to fend off the first Oculus, meaning Shepard only has to fight the second.

I'm not gonna lie I had an extreme soft spot for Cora/SAM-E the whole time I was reading that book.. <3 Another one I don't see very much of is Ryder with some of the other pathfinders. BroRyder/Avitus I think could make for a pretty good pairing once Avi had time to process and heal, especially since they potentially share quite a few struggles that many others wouldn't fully understand without personal experience.

As soon as I’m done with the book (I KNOW... I’m so ashamed!) I’ll write the Cora/SAM-E Ship Manifesto. 

And I’m so sad about Avitus and Macen. I’m kinda in denial about it, like Macen isn’t really dead :/ But yes, BroRyder/Avitus could be beautiful! And agreed, they would find what they need in each other. 

I want a Cora one so bad.. I thought Scott was getting one too but I guess that fell through, or they're just taking their time to release it..

I don’t understand why they give an overpriced Archon one but not the rest of the crew???? I would LOVE a Cora one. Seriously. And a Scott one!

60. “If I didn’t know any better, I’dsay you were trying to seduce me.”  ► Lachlan x Kaidan

The crowds are lapping up every gilded word falling off the stage, setup in a gaudily decked out Silver Coast Casino. It’s a charity event, needlessly framed for publicity, and filled to the rafters with corrupt politicians. All in all, not the kind of place Lachlan Shepard particularly wants to spend his shore leave. Drink firmly in hand, Lachlan slips through a group of marines crowding the staircase, and given the way they’re struggling to stand upright, they passed the point of caring a while ago.

In all honesty, he’s just here for the free drinks while Cade deals with being the main Shepard for the night. And maybe the view, Lachlan thinks as he lands eyes on a familiar figure by the bar. Kaidan’s shoulders are sharply lined by the crisp, dark blue suit, pulled together with the slightest hint of chrome plated insignias, the Spectre and Alliance embellishments betraying his rank. He looks tall and solemn the way he is, quiet confidence brimming under his whiskey-fired gaze. Lachlan smirks to himself as he takes in the sight, but he presses on and through the rest of the crowd to slip into the spot next to Kaidan with ease, setting his drink down on the bar.

“There you are.” Kaidan hums contentedly as he feels Loch’s familiar warmth at his side, Loch’s arm slipping around his waist as Kaidan turns to face him. Loch smiles up at him, small and quiet, golden gaze intense in the way it always is.

“Here I am.” Lachlan says lazily, letting the room fade out of mind. Kaidan’s all he cares about tonight, and it’s about damn time he had a chance to do that without feeling guilty for it. He reaches for his drink with his free hand and finishes it, not quite remembering what he’d ordered, but not caring enough to dwell on it. Setting the now-empty glass aside, Lachlan feels Kaidan’s breath on his neck as words tumble out. Loch knows Kaidan’s talking, but he’s so quiet, and the music is so loud, he struggles to place Kaidan’s voice in it.

Glancing around, Loch can see Ashley lingering by Brooks on a nearby staircase, and figures the situation is completely in hand. It’s not like anybody’s stupid enough to pull something here, anyway. Loch satisfies himself with his own logic, allowing himself that peace of mind he needs for tonight, and turns back to Kaidan, who’s leaning into his grip now.

“Kai,” Loch finds Kaidan’s hand with his own free one, squeezing it gently, “Let’s get out of here.”

Kaidan looks surprised for a moment, but his expression smooths out into a crooked smile moments later as his amber eyes catch the lights just so. Loch can feel the heat rising in his cheeks as he makes sense of his own words, but he knows he doesn’t exactly mean anything else. Smirking again, Loch stands upright, just taller than Kaidan at full height.

“Alright, soldier.” Kaidan grins, squeezing Lachlan’s hand in his own before he links their fingers together. “What did you have in mind?”

Lachlan doesn’t reply straight away, instead choosing to press lazy kisses to the corner of Kaidan’s mouth, denying him the real thing. Kaidan turns to change that, but Loch moves away, forcing Kaidan to follow with a low whine that turns into a laugh when they find their way down the stairs and out into the main Silversun Strip. The neon catches Lachlan in blinding blue for a moment, and Kaidan stops to stare.

“What are you doing?” Lachlan feels the tug on his hand when Kaidan stops and he turns to look, still smiling.

“I should ask you that,” Kaidan smirks then, cocking his head slightly as his gaze roves over Loch, deliberate and slow. “First, you show up looking like this--”

Kaidan steps closer, hands gentle as they land on his shoulders to move down, the soft fabric of Loch’s suit doing nothing to help matters. Loch just watches, still smirking, but he can’t take his eyes off Kaidan. Not when he’s like this, and this close.

“Then you have the gall to buy me a drink.” Kaidan chuckles, hands slipping down to Loch’s waist where they settle as Kaidan meets Loch’s gaze again.

“More than one.” Loch grins brightly, bumping their noses together as his own quiet laughter joins Kaidan’s.

“More than one. And then you insist on getting out of there, but you’re still teasing.” Kaidan quirks an eyebrow, and Loch fiddles with Kaidan’s lapels, nimble fingers tracing the line of chrome embellishment.

“Maybe so.”

“You are.” Kaidan sneaks in a kiss to Loch’s cheek while his gaze is turned, bringing his attention back with ease, “So, all I’m saying is... if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to seduce me.”

Lachlan laughs, head dropping to rest on Kaidan’s chest for a moment before he pulls back, eyes molten gold now, and he finds Kaidan’s hands again.

“Do you know any better?” Loch challenges, tugging on Kaidan’s hands to get him to walk a few paces with him, but Kaidan slows as he considers Loch’s question.

“Tonight? Nope.” he answers with another lopsided grin.

“Then, you know,” Loch glances over his shoulder and back at Kaidan, “My brother’s not the only one with a place on the strip.”

47. “You’re cute when you’re angry.”

Scott leaps out of his seat with a shout, almost flinging the controller in his hands across the room as his eyes hone in on the screen in front of him.

“You absolute bastard–!” Scott half-yells, half laughs, watching as the end of race screen flashes up, placing him a tidy second behind Player Two. Narrowing his eyes, Scott wheels around to land eyes on Cade sitting smugly on the couch, cross-legged and with a grin plastered on his face.

“What? I won.” Cade snorts, raising an eyebrow when Scott pulls out The Stance. The angry one. Hands on hips, eyes narrowed, left knee slightly bent and head tilted just so.

It’s cute. In the whole, ‘he could fuck me up in twenty different ways right now’ kind of way.

Cade just waits for Scott to make his next move. He makes a mental note to thank Liam for letting them borrow his game emulator, because this is the most fun he’s had all week in between negotiations for Kadara and the Nexus.

Scott’s reaction is just the cherry on top of this sweet, sweet cake.

“You blue-shelled me!” Scott accuses, voice pitching with indignance.  

“…Yes.” Cade answers simply, and he almost loses it when Scott does a rather fetching goldfish impression, mouth opening and closing on words he can’t quite find.

“Blue she- That’s like– that’s pure betrayal!” Scott chucks his controller back on the couch, dragging his hands over his face and heaving out a sigh. He drops his hands when he hears Cade laugh, fixing him with a scowl instead.

“Oh, yeah, laugh it up. We’re so having a rematch.” Scott says, rolling his eyes. Cade just sets his controller aside and reaches for Scott, hands finding his hips and pulling him gently back to the couch.

“You’re so cute when you’re angry.” Cade tells him, a wicked smile curving across his lips. Scott’s stony expression melts in an instant, giving way to a quiet laugh as he lets himself be maneuvered into Cade’s lap by warm hands.

“And you’re so fucking smug.” Scott shoves Cade’s shoulders as he settles, receiving a sly kiss to the corner of his lips in response. He turns to steal a proper kiss, but Cade moves just out of reach.

“Wow. First, you blue-shell your own boyfriend, and now you won’t even give him a consolation prize?” Scott plays up his mock offense, spurring another low laugh from Cade.

“I need to do this more often.” Cade sighs when his laughter subsides, and Scott just raises an eyebrow.

“What, kick my ass at Mario Kart? Ambitious.”

“Mhm, but think of all the consolation prizes.” Cade closes the gap again, lips just ghosting over Scott’s own as he talks. Scott’s eyes flicker down and back up, and Cade finds the telltale crinkle as he smirks.

“Well, you haven’t shown me what they are, yet.” Scott challenges, stealing a kiss when he finishes his sentence. Cade smiles into the kiss, lingering for a moment before breaking apart just enough to answer.