I
Intoxicated

Though she wouldn't admit it to her, Kasumi Goto had a bit of a crush on Commander Shepard. Well, maybe a little more than a bit. The way Shepard carried herself around the Normandy, oozing confidence and leadership, was something one couldn't just ignore. When Shepard entered a room, Kasumi didn't need to look up to see, she just felt her there, yet the thief wasn't sure if it was the commander's confident aura or her scent that made Kasumi aware of her presence.

It was common knowledge that Shepard used to be in a relationship with a former ship-mate, and a female former ship-mate at that (well, at least as female as asari could be), and so there was the underlying sense that maybe, if Kasumi made the first move, it wouldn't be completely out of left-field for her target. Not that she had much confidence about it. Shepard had just entered the port observation deck, which Kasumi had unofficially claimed as her room, and, sitting on the couch with her feet up in front of her, Kasumi had blurted out the words, 'I was just thinking about you!' Luckily, it sounded fairly innocent, even though it wasn't.

Kasumi wasn't merely thinking about Shepard, she was actually having a bit of a fantasy involving Shepard. Not anything overly sexual, at least beyond the odd thought about what such things would be like, but rather that she was fantasizing about having Shepard sneak up behind her and wrap her arms around her, maybe planting a kiss on her neck. The thief was just about to call it a night and see herself to bed when the door hissed open revealing Shepard. Kasumi's heart did a back-flip, she felt a surge of adrenaline, and the statement came out without a thought toward it being something she shouldn't be uttering. It was if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't, and instinctively confessed her sins out of guilt. She wasn't normally one to give up her secrets in such a way, but there was something about Shepard that made Kasumi feel incredibly at ease.

Shepard smiled warmly in reply and made her way to the bar, as if people openly admitting they were thinking about her was a common occurrence. Either Shepard was extraordinarily confident in her social abilities that she brushed it off for what it was, a comment borne out of surprise, or she genuinely didn't think much of it. Perhaps Kasumi had come off as sounding like it was something she'd say to anyone. The thief was certainly known for speaking her mind a bit.

Regardless, Kasumi was a little embarrassed and hoped once Shepard had fixed herself a drink, the commander would disappear through the door after a quick goodbye and let Kasumi go to bed, where she would probably stay awake for a few hours more thinking about her. These hopes were mainly out of embarrassment, because, despite herself, Kasumi wished nothing more than to spend time with Shepard. This wish was seemingly granted, as Shepard walked up to Kasumi, handed her a drink and sat down next to her. Kasumi braced herself and planted her feet on the ground. She needed to be 'Kasumi Goto: Master Thief' at this moment, and not the silly, lonely little girl she felt, so she breathed deeply and with all the casualness she could muster, asked, "Shep, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Shepard smiled and took a sip of her drink before replying. "Well, you know me and how I like to get to know my crew. We haven't had much of a chance to do that together so far. The only real interaction we've had involved getting shot at by a fucking gunship, and while that can reveal certain aspects of whoever you're sharing that experience with, I'd argue it's better just to have a friendly chat. Certainly less dangerous, anyway. So I thought I'd come and sit with you for a bit. That is if you're not busy."

"I'm not, you're more than welcome." Kasumi took a sip of her drink as she watched Shepard smile then look away to take in the room and the view of deep space through the large view port. In reality, Kasumi had been kind of busy, and was looking forward to jumping into bed and maybe slipping into a dream that involved Shepard, but all that was forgotten with the thrill of seeing Shepard walk into the room. She had been forcedly pushed back into the real-time and she was now planning ways to make herself look like a relationship prospect to Shepard. Kasumi scarcely realised it what with the distraction of Shepard, but her heart was beating loudly.

"So, you were just thinking about me, were you?" Shepard asked with a wry smile. "May I ask what that involved?"

Kasumi swallowed the little sip she had taken of her drink in her haste to answer. "Oh, you know, just things. Random bits and pieces."

"Like what?"

Kasumi was trying to think of something concrete to say, but her mind wasn't letting her. She watched as Shepard's tongue parted her lips and then disappeared, leaving them ever so slightly moist. Though it was nothing sexual, just a quick lip of the lips after having taken a sip of her drink, Kasumi couldn't help but be hypnotised by it.

"It's nothing, just…"

"I'm all ears, Ms Goto," Shepard remarked with a smile, trying to pry the information from the thief.

"Well, on Omega," Kasumi started, thankful that her addled brain had finally thought of something. "When that batarian poisoned you, how come it didn't… you know… kill you?"

"Oh. I'm sort of 'synthetically enhanced,' you might say. I'm assuming it has something to do with that."

"Yeah, I'd heard about that. It's quite exciting!" Kasumi actually thought it was more fascinating than exciting. "So have you got metal limbs or anything like that?"

"Oh, no. It's mostly just things I needed when they rebuilt me. Nothing incredibly drastic, as silly as that sounds. I'm still mostly me. I do have bone and muscle weaving, so I'm stronger than I once was. Not super-human, but it took some getting used to. Thankfully, Cerberus had the foresight to do most of my physical rehab while I was still asleep."

"Anything intimate?" Kasumi asked before she could stop herself. "Oh, I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that!"

Shepard laughed kindly. "Don't worry, I'm assuming you're just curious. It's not everyday you meet someone who has died and been rebuilt. And like I said, we have to get to know each other."

"Intimately?" Kasumi said without thinking, again. She was trying to see if Shepard would acknowledge her as a potential partner, and this was her awkward and heavy-handed way of doing it. "Ack, I didn't mean that! What did you put in this drink, Shep?" Kasumi praised herself for adding that playful little accusation.

"Hey," Shepard laughed. "Don't blame me for your not being able to handle a bit of drink! There's only a touch of vodka in it. And in answer to your question, everything still works. Well, on the surface it does anyway," Shepard added, her smile faltering a little.

"On the surface? What do you mean?" Kasumi inquired, trying not to sound too nosey.

"It's just that," Shepard said as she leaned back into a stretch, of sorts. "It doesn't look like I'll be able to have kids."

"Oh, Shep. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up."

"Don't be, I think I needed to say it out loud," Shepard said, staring into her glass. "Besides, I hadn't even thought about having kids before being told I couldn't. Not really, anyway. I suppose Cerberus didn't think it was worth the money. I can't be too mad about that, though. Without them I'd still be dead. It's just… I don't like having that choice taken away from me, you know?" Kasumi nodded with a sympathetic smile. "They seem to have put everything back in the right place, so I can still…" Kasumi looked bewildered. "You know… imaxclay." Shepard muttered under her breath and nodded encouragement toward Kasumi, who, after a couple of seconds, understood Shepard's use of Pig Latin, and felt a pang of excitement in her core as she did. "It's just they didn't reconnect the pipes or whatever. It's not so bad, anyway."

"How so?"

"Well, you know I had that asari girlfriend?"

"Liara, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. Well, maybe, after I'm done with all this shit," Shepard gestured vaguely at the room. "I'm hoping that we can sort ourselves out and have a future together. She'll be the one popping them out. Little blue children." Shepard smiled to herself, deep in thought.

"Aww, Shep, that's adorable." Kasumi was genuinely moved by Shepard's words, but also somewhat disappointed. The thief hadn't realised that it was that serious, that Shepard was planning a life with her asari girlfriend. She also felt guilty about having feelings for this woman who, for all intents and purposes, was already claimed by another. Kasumi wasn't a home-wrecker. She was just… lonely.

"That's well into the future, though. I mean, I've got a lot on my fucking plate at the moment! But it's something to live for, something to fight for. I think we all need something like that. What is it you're fighting for, Kasumi?"

"Oh, I don't know. I did have Keiji, but… I suppose that part of my life is over." Kasumi welled up despite herself. She didn't know why she had suddenly let her emotions get the better of her. She had said goodbye to Keiji right in front of the commander, even though Shepard had advised her to keep the greybox, and not let herself go, but what with Shepard now almost completely out of her reach, along with losing her lover, and the loneliness those things made her feel, it all finally overwhelmed her. Kasumi let out a sob, and Shepard leaned forward to check the thief's face under her seemingly perpetual hood.

"Hey, hey. Come here." Shepard pulled Kasumi over into a one-armed hug when she saw that the poor girl had started crying. Kasumi let her head rest on the commander's shoulder. As big a bad-ass as Shepard could be on the battlefield, she seemed to be just as big on caring about her friends. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. That was a stupid thing to ask."

"It's all right, I'm just being silly," Kasumi reasoned with herself.

"I'll be the judge of that. As far as I can tell, you're more than within your rights to feel this way." Shepard paused for a while, seemingly in thought. "Come on, let's go up to my room, it's more private. Don't worry, I'm not taking advantage of you and your emotional state, it's just hanging out."

Kasumi smiled through her tears and laughed a little. "I think I'd like that, actually."

Seeing the Captain's Cabin was all Kasumi needed to take her mind off things for a little while. She was awestruck by it. While it was somewhat utilitarian in design, it was still quite impressive. The light from the large fish tanks in the left wall bathed the room in a bluish hue that contrasted nicely with the orange light that came from the user interface of Shepard's armour locker. The partition on the right of the entry was raised from the rest of the room, and had a glass case with a couple of ship models displayed in it. In front of that was a desk, which housed Shepard's private terminal, a medal display case and what looked like a picture frame with a blank screen. On the shelving of the wall opposite the display case was a small perspex box, and in it, scurrying about, a little hamster.

"This is quite the room, Shep!"

"Yeah. It's nothing like the room I had on the old Normandy. That was lot more… erm… well, it was a Systems Alliance room. Not much in the way of personal comforts."

Kasumi was peering into the fish tank, watching the lonesome Illium skald fish dart about. "So you're saying they didn't put a luxurious fish tank in your original quarters? The bastards."

"Says the girl with a panoramic view of the galaxy in her room," Shepard laughed. "I like the way you seem to have just claimed the port ob, by the way."

"Well I'm not sleeping in the crew quarters. I'm not military, I need my privacy, and a lot of it. I don't even like using the shower in the ladies' bathroom," Kasumi moaned.

Shepard walked up to the wall next to the shelving in the higher part of the room, and it opened, revealing a bathroom. "You can use this one if you feel the need."

"Wow, Shepard. You really have got it good," Kasumi said after joining Shepard at the door to the bathroom, peering into it.

"Maybe in a few years, when you've saved the galaxy, you might be afforded such luxury, too."

"Hey, I never said you didn't deserve it. Besides, people don't afford me anything. I tend to just take it," Kasumi added, with a cheeky grin.

"That explains the port observation deck. I'm actually surprised you haven't found your way up here before now. You… you haven't been up here before tonight, have you?" Shepard asked with a look of apprehension.

"Of course not. You're supposed to be able to trust me. It wouldn't be wise to piss you off, especially since my life might end up in your hands."

"Kasumi, I wouldn't just let you die somewhere purely because I couldn't trust you."

"I know you wouldn't, and it's because of that I don't sneak into your room. That, and I like you. You're cool, Shep."

Shepard chuckled. "It's been a while since anyone said I was 'cool.' So, do you want to start using my shower?"

"Whenever I want?"

"Whenever you want."

Even when you're in the middle of using it? Kasumi had stopped herself from saying. "Yeah, that'd be amazing. Thanks, Shep."

"Good. The port ob was starting to smell a little funky."

Kasumi feigned being offended with a gasp and pushed Shepard lightly in the shoulder. Shepard just stood there and took it with a cheesy grin spread widely across her face. The thief then turned to examine Shepard's ship models, and as she got close enough to it, she noticed the picture frame on the desk next to her flicking on.

"Oh, is this Liara?" The thief said as she picked up the photo to get a closer look and turned her head toward Shepard, who nodded in confirmation. "She's beautiful. And young! Wow, Shepard."

"Young? She's a hundred and six years old! Well, a hundred and eight, now."

"How young is that by asari standards? She doesn't look much over twenty."

"I haven't got a clue. She once said she was seen as little more than a child by her people, though."

"Did that not make you feel guilty?"

"A little, at first. But she's a lot stronger than she thinks she is. Or thought she was, maybe. Besides, she kinda made the first move."

"What's this? The Great Commander Shepard, seduced by a young asari maiden?" Kasumi teased.

"I suppose so!" Shepard laughed.

"So, is she the love of your life?"

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, I thought so. I don't know about now. I haven't seen her in two years. That's a long time to have missed." Shepard looked slightly downtrodden as she confessed this to Kasumi, which the thief noticed.

"I'm sure she still loves you, Shep. If she's got any sense, that is."

Shepard laughed and flashed a genuine smile of appreciation at Kasumi. "She has. She's the most intelligent person I know."

"Well there you are, then. You're worrying about a whole load of nothing if you ask me."

"Thanks, Kasumi. You're gonna make me blush."

The pair found their way to the seats situated on the lower half of the room in front of the bed and sat down, Shepard planting the bottle of alcohol and their glasses on the table as they did. They engaged in light conversation for about an hour until Shepard yawned widely and stretched.

"Holy fuck, I'm tired…" Shepard half slurred.

"And a little drunk from sounds of it."

"Shpeak for yourshelf, Kashumi," Shepard replied, exaggerating her drunkenness.

"I'm beat, too. Thanks for this, Shep. I had fun."

"Not a problem." Shepard stood up, almost off-balance, and stretched, looking around at the room. "You can sleep up here if you want."

"Thanks, but I have a bed in my room, and I'd rather use that than your couch."

"I have a big bed right there," Shepard pointed at the bed with one eye closed, as if lining up a shot on it with the rifle that was her arm, "and I think we should both use it together," Shepard said, without actually realising quite what she was implying. "Wait, I was just asking if you wanted to sleep with me. I mean… for fuck's sake. I am pretty fucking drunk," Shepard added with a big smile.

Kasumi was almost in hysterics watching Shepard act so very unlike herself. She was normally so composed, she had confidence in everything she said and her words were usually a lot more… well, intelligible. She really was quite drunk.

"I get you, Shep," Kasumi finally managed to say after her laughing had subsided enough. "Like you said, you're not trying to take of advantage of me."

"I think it'd be the other way around now, seeing how drunk I am. Jesus Christ."

"I think I had better stay with you, actually. Can't have the only hope for humanity choking on her own vomit, can we?"

Shepard chuckled. "I'm not that drunk!"

As Shepard walked over to the bed and started to disrobe, Kasumi stepped quickly out of her outfit and hopped into the bed. With her back against the pillow and her head against the headboard, she watched Shepard struggle with her clothing. "Now who's the lightweight?" Kasumi asked from the bed.

"Fuck you, Goto," Shepard laughed, slightly muffled through the shirt that was up over her head. When she'd finally, clumsily climbed out of her trousers, she looked at Kasumi, who was for once lacking her hoodedness and had her straight, shoulder length and almost pitch black hair on show. Shepard cocked her hip and put a hand on her waist as she said, "who's this beautiful girl in my bed and what have you done with Kasumi?"

"Oh, ha ha, Shepard," Kasumi sarcastically returned, though she appreciated the compliment.

"Seriously, you should show your eyes off more. You're gorgeous without your hood."

"I could say the same for you and your bra."

"Well, shit," Shepard said as she covered her exposed breasts with her arms, and looked back up to Kasumi with a toothy grin. "I'll just put a shirt on."

"Yeah, I think that'd be for the best," Kasumi agreed, though she admitted to herself, albeit guiltily, that it was quite the thrill to see Shepard standing in front of her in nothing but her panties.

Shepard all but collapsed prone onto the bed after pulling her t-shirt on, and pulled the covers over herself. "Sometimes, you just don't realise how drunk you are until you try to take off all your clothes off," she mumbled into the pillow.

Kasumi chuckled, settled herself into the bed and turned away from Shepard. It had been a strange night for Kasumi. She thought about the situation she was in as she laid next to Shepard, thinking about how it was what she had wanted. The hows and whys however were not. She concluded that her and Shepard wasn't a possibility, but now she could at least call Shepard a friend, and that was enough. As she reflected on this, a single tear fell across her nose onto the pillow. It took a while for her to fall asleep, even as Shepard lightly snored beside her, but she was happy she had stayed.

Shepard awoke to feel a strange weight on her chest, and an unfamiliar but pleasant smell filled her nostrils. She opened her eyes and looked down to see her view blocked by the top of Kasumi's head, who was snuggled up to her quite comfortably. She didn't quite know what to do in this situation, though she was quite glad she had decided to put a shirt on, as Kasumi's head was resting just above her bosom. She could also feel Kasumi's arm atop her stomach, underneath both the covers and, somehow, her shirt, as well as their bare legs intertwining. She didn't know whether to try to liberate herself gently from under the thief or wait until Kasumi woke up and let her do it herself, feigning sleep while she did. She didn't want to embarrass the poor girl.

Though there was a vague feeling of awkwardness in Shepard about her predicament, she couldn't help but feel extremely comfortable. It had been a while since she had been with Liara. Though two years had passed, it only felt like a few weeks to Shepard. Ever since Ilos, she and Liara had nary gone a day without waking up to each other, so they had both gotten very used to it, enough that to go without it wasn't a particularly nice experience. Shepard remembered the first time she had awoken in this bed, on the new Normandy, and she had never felt more lonely in her life.

So for the first time since her revival, Shepard woke to feel another life by her side. Even though it might cause awkwardness and embarrassment later, Shepard was happy enough not feeling alone in those vulnerable first moments of cognizance after sleep. She gently gave Kasumi a kiss on the top of her head, closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.