Kaidan stood staring out the window of his room, feeling a little nervous to see Shepard again. The last time they spoke he was still recovering from his wounds. Are you flirting with me, Commander? Let me live in the illusion. He promised himself he wouldn’t hold back anymore, and he certainly hadn’t when he blurted that out. He couldn’t imagine what Shepard thought of those words; back in the old days, Kaidan hadn’t been so forward.
They would start with whiskey and see how things went. He kept it so they could toast his release and now they could toast him becoming a Spectre. It still made his head spin to think of it. Shepard set the bar pretty damn high.
“I thought you were going to drink that with me, Major.” He turned and smiled at Shepard.
“Hey, there you are. Don’t worry, I haven’t opened it yet.” He did so and took the first sip before passing the bottle on to Shepard. “I hope you aren’t too disappointed that you can’t break me out. I just got my clean bill of health.”
“And you’re hitting the ground running,” Shepard finished, taking the next sip. “I’m not surprised.”
“I accepted Udina’s offer,” Kaidan confessed.
“Spectre Kaidan Alenko. It suits you. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” Kaidan reached for the bottle again for another sip. “Only the second human Spectre. Udina thinks they’ll hold a pretty big ceremony even with the war going on.” He smiled sheepishly. “I’m eager to serve, though, to save at least a few lives.” He held out the bottle and Shepard took it.
“You’ll do great, Kaidan. Though I admit I wish you could come back on the Normandy.” He took a few swallows before passing the bottle back to Kaidan. It gave the major something to focus on as he spoke his next words.
“I thought about it. I just… need to take care of some things first.” It was strange: even with his determination to not hold back, he was doing it right now. Maybe there was a small part of him wary of Shepard.
They put Horizon behind them but there was still Cerberus looming like a shadow. Kaidan needed that to go away so he could see Shepard clearly. As much as he wanted to be back on the Normandy, if he went now he sensed that shadow would cover things. He wasn’t sure what it would take but until he figured it out, it was better he stay on the Citadel. Kaidan tipped the bottle back and took a few generous swallows.
“You know that whiskey is supposed to stimulate blood flow,” Shepard mentioned.
“I know; the doctors actually recommend it. Tastes pretty damn good, too.” Kaidan gave him a fond look. “It… it was a very thoughtful gift.” He felt he was drifting a bit too close to territory he wasn’t ready for yet so diverted. “Did you buy it from your ‘favorite store on the Citadel’?”
“They were practically handing out discounts. It was a harmless endorsement.”
“I guess so,” Kaidan agreed with a laugh. “I just hope none of them realize that every store is your favorite.”
“No one ever said I could only have one.” Kaidan laughed again and took another swig of whiskey. He was feeling warm all over, and he didn’t think it was just from the alcohol. Talking with Shepard like this, being able to laugh and joke around, was something he desperately needed. It wouldn’t surprise him if Shepard needed it, too. A moment where they could just be two guys. Not two Spectres, not the savior of the Citadel and the L2 freak.
“I should go,” Shepard mentioned reluctantly. “Can’t have you with a hangover during your ceremony, Spectre Alenko.”
Back to business. Kaidan sighed but pulled back to his professional stance. “Thanks for coming by, Shepard.”
The bottle was still half full. Kaidan took a mental note of its vintage. Just in case.
