Blackwork | By : PestoMonkey Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 11594 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. |
James entered the mess to a combination of aromas that immediately set his stomach grumbling loudly. For the past few days, ever since the Arrae mission, it seemed like they were eating like kings, but it had nothing to do with the quality of their provisions. For the first time since they'd left Earth, they actually had someone on board the Normandy who could cook.
He'd met the pretty scientist who was the current favorite - although unfortunately only temporary - crew member, Brynn Cole. They'd chatted a few times in the intervening days since she and her colleagues had boarded the Normandy, and he'd learned that she'd received no less than six marriage proposals from the Normandy's crew - human and alien alike - over her cooking, much to the chagrin of the man who was the obvious recipient of her affections: one Jacob Taylor. James had recently learned of the history between his own Commander Shepard and the former Alliance soldier/former Cerberus operative, but he'd only learned it through idle chatter and rumors so had taken it with a grain of salt. The man was clearly devoted to Brynn and there didn't seem to be any overtly strong feelings whatsoever between him and Shepard. On the contrary, they had greeted each other like old friends and Shepard had hugged Brynn like she was a long-lost sister when the woman had finally stepped foot on the Normandy. When he grabbed his tray, he wasn't sure what he was being served. All he knew was that it smelled fantastic, but as he moved away from the kitchen area to a table a more distracting aroma hit his nose and made him stop and look around the mess for a moment. His nostrils flared and he felt his groin twitch in response to the delicious, warm almondy scent of Shepard fresh out of a shower. He couldn't see her anywhere and felt a stab of disappointment at the realization that she'd probably taken her dinner back to her quarters so she could work. The scent of her seemed to cling to his nostrils as he made his way in a daze to a nearby table to sit down. He immediately started shoveling his food into his mouth, forgetting completely how much he'd planned to savor his dinner when he'd first smelled it. "Hungry, James?" he heard Kaidan's familiar voice say with a soft laugh from across the table. He'd been so distracted he hadn't even realized who he'd sat down with. He took a swallow of his beverage and paused in his eating to greet the others. Aside from Kaidan, he noticed Steve sitting next to him and Jacob directly across from him and gave them a terse greeting before returning his attention to his food. "As I was saying," Jacob said, continuing a previous conversation that James had apparently interrupted, "She hasn't changed. Christ, she still uses the same soap." "So you were close, when you were on the Collector mission," Kaidan asked cautiously and James' ears suddenly perked up. Jacob cleared his throat and glanced across the room to Brynn. He spoke quietly, "We were friends. But when you're going into something that there's a good chance you might not come out of alive, sometimes you need a little more than that. We were never a 'thing', Shepard and I. I won't deny that I enjoyed the night we spent together before we stormed the Collector base. And I won't deny that I was probably just a little bit in love with her after she got us all out of there alive. Shit, half the crew probably felt the same way I did, but I knew better. She's just way too much woman for me - a league of her own. Brynn is just the right amount." He smiled warmly in the direction of the kitchen and they all turned to look and saw the object of his affection smiling back with equal warmth. James stopped chewing abruptly and stared at his plate for a moment before swallowing. He took a long swig from his drink and studied Jacob while he swallowed. All he saw looking back at him was another soldier who'd been through hell and survived to tell the tale. But the question ate at him: How could you not love the woman that could bring you back from something like that, even just a little bit? "You okay, man?" Steve asked him with a concerned look. "You've been awful quiet." James ignored Steve and looked intently at Jacob, asking in a biting tone, "So, if you only slept together the one time, how is it you recognize her soap so easily?" Jacob gave him an incredulous look and pushed back his chair, recognizing the larger man's hostility and going immediately on the defensive. He held up his hands, palms out. "Dude, it's just something you notice sometimes, especially when you live on a fucking ship with someone. Not to mention she was just here not ten minutes before you showed up." James' nostrils flared and he felt his fists clench. He vaguely noticed Kaidan and Steve both standing up and Steve leaned towards him, speaking in a quiet, even voice in his ear. "Vega, chill the fuck out, or I'll have to hurt you." The absurdity of Steve's comment caused him to pause and he looked at his friend dubiously. "You're a funny man, Cortez," he muttered, but settled back in his chair, his muscles still tensed and ready to fight. He gave Jacob a steady glare. Jacob started laughing softly and pulled his chair back in close to the table. "Oh fuck, man, you are done for. She is already so far under your skin, I almost pity you." "Almost?" James asked, sulkily. "Yeah, almost. I did spend the night with her once." He gave James a knowing smile before continuing. "I just hope you survive this war. With Shepard your odds are about 50/50, and that's good for the types of missions she drags you around on. If you do survive, I wish you both the best."
ooOoo
ooOoo
While AFF and its agents attempt to remove all illegal works from the site as quickly and thoroughly as possible, there is always the possibility that some submissions may be overlooked or dismissed in error. The AFF system includes a rigorous and complex abuse control system in order to prevent improper use of the AFF service, and we hope that its deployment indicates a good-faith effort to eliminate any illegal material on the site in a fair and unbiased manner. This abuse control system is run in accordance with the strict guidelines specified above.
All works displayed here, whether pictorial or literary, are the property of their owners and not Adult-FanFiction.org. Opinions stated in profiles of users may not reflect the opinions or views of Adult-FanFiction.org or any of its owners, agents, or related entities.
Website Domain ©2002-2017 by Apollo. PHP scripting, CSS style sheets, Database layout & Original artwork ©2005-2017 C. Kennington. Restructured Database & Forum skins ©2007-2017 J. Salva. Images, coding, and any other potentially liftable content may not be used without express written permission from their respective creator(s). Thank you for visiting!
Powered by Fiction Portal 2.0
Modifications © Manta2g, DemonGoddess
Site Owner - Apollo