Fanfic writer with a passion for exploring romantic relationships // Fandoms: Horizon Zero Dawn, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age // Fandom: Dragon Age, Horizon Zero Dawn, Mass Effect
This has been my favourite chapter to write so far of my Reyes and Keema BFF fic! I just had to share here. I hope you enjoy!
Keema laughed… and then she just kept on laughing.
Reyes smiled weakly at her. “Okay, Keems. I’m funny, but I’m not that funny.”
Keema was drunk. After telling her about the Oblivion problem, Reyes had had trouble calming her down. She was insisting that Sloane was behind it, and nothing Reyes said could convince her that they needed more information. Keema had gotten increasingly angry at him for trying to remain logical, so Reyes had had no choice but to fall back on a time-honoured human tradition for coping with emotional distress: he’d gotten her very, very drunk.
Reyes reflected that perhaps he’d gone a little too far by adding whiskey to her third and fourth glasses of wine. She’d announced grandly that she loved the combination, but Reyes wondered if she wasn’t in the position to make judgment calls about the quality of a drink at this point.
As friends were wont to do when the alcohol started flowing, she and Reyes had gotten to talking about sex. In truth, the topic of sex would usually have been something of an academic conversation given the physiological and anatomical differences between angara and humans, but Keema was way too sloshed for this to be anything but raunchy.
Keema turned to face Reyes and grabbed his arm. “You know who’s really not funny? Evfra. You haven’t met him, but he’s a complete hardass.”
“Yep, you said that already,” Reyes said, trying hard not to laugh.
“Did I? I did. Right. But I didn’t tell you that his ass is also hard and as sculpted as rocks. Stars and skies, he is a gorgeous man. Those thighs? They’re so muscly from killing kett.” She hiccuped daintily before continuing. “Reyes, he is always frowning. I have never ever ever seen him smile. It’s so fucking sexy. If I could, I would ride him straight from here to Zheng He.”
It was too much. Reyes laughed until his stomach hurt and tears were squeezing their way out of his eyes. Keema pushed his shoulder, trying to regain his attention. “You think this is funny, do you?” she slurred. “It’s not funny at all. I haven’t had sex in years. Years, Reyes. You don’t know what that’s like.”
Reyes wiped his face on his sleeve. “I do, actually. I haven’t had sex in years either.”
Keema stared at him, swaying slightly. “You haven’t? You?”
Reyes shook his head. “Nope. Not for 634 years, to be exact.” He smirked.
Keema stared at him in confusion, then suddenly she got it. “Oh! Oh. You’re stupid.” She feebly pushed him again in the chest. “Come on, surely you’ve been riding somebody on this planet. You know everyone.”
Reyes shrugged. “I actually haven’t. Work has been all the satisfaction I need.” He gave her a mock-virtuous look.
Keema wrinkled her nose at him. “Ew.” Then she sighed, her face becoming serious. “I miss touching someone,” she admitted bluntly. “I miss having someone touch me. It’s not just the sex part, but the layaveraash. That’s what I miss the most.”
Reyes frowned. “What was that? Laya-what?”
“Layaveraash, you know.” Keema stared at him like he was particularly stupid child, then sighed in exasperation. “It’s that feeling you get from holding someone after sex. Well, not always after sex, but… just holding someone, having your body touching theirs, knowing you’re not alone in the world because someone is touching you, anchoring you to the world. It’s that feeling. I miss that.” She tilted her head curiously at him. “Do you miss that?”
Reyes shrugged lightly, but suddenly found he couldn’t make eye contact with her. In all honesty, he wasn’t sure he knew what that felt like. “I definitely miss orgasms,” he retorted, changing the subject. “Wouldn’t mind having one that didn’t involve my own hand.”
Keema burst out laughing again. “Ew!” Then, as her laughing died down, she looked at Reyes.
Reyes looked back at her, staring into her big azure eyes.
A sudden tension tautened the air between them.
Keema frowned slightly and tilted her head quizzically.
Reyes raised his eyebrows and shifted his eyes to the side awkwardly, trying to look anywhere but at her.
The tension turned uncomfortable.
Abruptly, Keema wrinkled her nose. Then the two friends burst out laughing, and Reyes playfully pushed Keema off the couch onto the floor, where she collapsed in a giggling heap.
Still laughing, she hauled herself back onto the couch beside him and took a slug of wine/whiskey, then impulsively wrapped her arms around his neck so that he was awkwardly leaning over her lap, his head tucked under her chin. “Come here, you idiot. I would never ever have sex with you, but I love you anyway,” she said with fuzzy affection.
Reyes chuckled, reaching up to awkwardly pat her on the shoulder. “All right, all right, you wino. Let’s get you something to eat.” He gently disentangled himself from her embrace, then stood and hauled her up from the couch, supporting her as she stumbled over her own feet.
“I know you love me too, Reyes. Even if you’re too emotionally constipated to say it,” she teased as he helped her over to the kitchenette counter and settled her in a chair.
Reyes smiled indulgently at her, then on an uncharacteristic impulse, he kissed her on the forehead. She probably wouldn’t remember tomorrow that he had done it. “Okay, Keems. Now what do you want? Nutrient paste, adhi jerky, bread…?”
As Keema loudly and emphatically demanded an adhi sandwich and Reyes prepared it for her, he thought about her words. Reyes didn’t have much experience with love, romantic or familial. But if feeling comfortable with someone, wanting the best for them, and just wanting them to be happy was familial love, then…
Today’s fanfic prompt was either Cannon or AU, and I’ve gone totally AU.
My biggest HC is that Reyes learned all his Charlatan tricks as Aria T’Loak’s protégé, then eventually escaped her by joining the Andromeda Initiative. This is a short story of what might have happened if Reyes had stayed on Omega as Aria’s number-one man instead of joining the Initiative. Some of it is adapted from my original Aria T’Loak/Reyes Vidal story.
Fair warning: I LOVE Reyes and I LOVE Garrus but in this story they go head-to-head. Oh dear oh dear oh dear what have I done…
2183 C. E.: Omega Station, The Milky Way
BLAM. A third and final shot rang out, and the merc towering over Reyes crumpled, bits of skull and blood sprinkling over the docks as he fell. Jesus, that was a close one, Reyes thought with relief as he stood shakily, but he wasn’t in the clear yet.
Being followed and jumped by three armed mercs on a deserted dock on Omega was not Reyes’ idea of a good evening. He probably could have handled the mercs by himself, though it would have been a close shave with them all being armed; but the person who had ‘saved’ him – clearly a sniper, from the precision of the shots and the fact that the shooter had not yet revealed themselves – introduced a new, totally unknown element of danger.
There. At the upper level ringing the docks, Reyes caught a hint of movement. A figure stood – a male turian, from the distinctive crest. He slung a Black Widow sniper rifle smoothly over his back, then made his way towards the stairs that led down to the docks level as he spoke. “Walking around Omega’s deserted docks at this hour is a good way to get yourself killed.”
Despite the turian’s blunt words, his polyphonic voice sounded kinder than the average turian’s… and unusually kind for Omega. He’s not a local either, Reyes thought. He slapped on a dorky, naive smile and replied, “Yeah, I’ve only been here a couple months – still don’t know where I’m going half the time. Don’t know how to thank you – I’d be dead if you hadn’t stepped in.”
The turian drew near, and Reyes examined his saviour curiously. The turian sniper sported blue clan paint over his malar carapace, and a distinctive, minimalist visor over his left eye – probably helps with aiming, Reyes thought with interest. The turian looked him over suspiciously and asked, “Are you hurt?”
Reyes shook his head. “I’m good, thanks. Really. That happened so fast.”
The turian continued to study him, a frankly mistrustful look on his face. “I’ve seen you with Aria T’Loak’s people. You’re falling into a bad crowd there. Maybe I should take you out as well.”
Fuck. Me, Reyes thought with a surge of anxiety. Time for some smooth talking. “I’m with the Alliance. I came here on a mission, but everything went wrong. Aria kept me as a prisoner and now I’m working for her… I didn’t know what else to do.”
The turian sniper eyed him with open suspicion, then gave a small nod. “Get off this station if you know what’s good for you,” the turian said sternly. He stared intently at Reyes, and there was a gleam of hardness in his eyes. “If I catch you involved in any criminal activity, I won’t be so lenient next time. Go.”
Reyes nodded emphatically. “Yeah, I’ll try and get out of here. Thanks again, I really…” But his turian saviour was already walking away purposefully. As the turian disappeared into the shadows, Reyes swallowed, then remembered that Anto, Aria’s second-in-command, must be waiting somewhere on the docks for him. He called Anto on his omni-tool.
Anto answered almost immediately. “What the fuck was that?” he hissed. “I hid when I heard the shots. How the fuck did you get out of that alive?”
“Some fancy talking,” Reyes replied, as relief began to finally wash over him, making him feel giddy. “Fanciest fucking talking of my life. Who even was that guy?”
Anto grunted. “We’ve been getting reports about that guy. You’re lucky you’re not dead, Vidal. You just talked your way out of being sniped by Archangel.”
********************
Garrus Vakarian melted into the shadows, the Black Widow on his back a comforting weight that reminded him of his purpose. Before she had died, Shepard had jokingly used the phrase ‘taking out the trash’ in reference to criminals getting what was coming to them. With a pang of grief, he thought of how she would have made some kind of joke about him being a garbage-man if she could have seen him now.
Three criminals down for the count in one night, Garrus thought to himself with grim satisfaction as he slipped through Omega’s alleys and corridors to his shitty studio apartment. That human that they’d been targeting, though… Garrus would have to keep an eye on that one. Maybe he was just an innocent, caught up in Aria’s criminal dealings… But innocence and good intentions could be sullied by greed and corruption in a heartbeat. Garrus had seen it too many times to really have faith in anyone anymore. Especially on Omega.
He stepped into his apartment and engaged the omni-lock, then fastidiously cleaned his Black Widow before racking it carefully on the wall. He was just preparing a light meal when his omni-tool pinged: Lantar Sidonis had arrived. Garrus swiped his omni-tool to let his compatriot in.
Sidonis stepped in and the two turians nodded to each other sharply, then Sidonis sat at Garrus’ spartan dining/kitchen table. “How did you fare today?” he asked. Garrus and Sidonis, friendly though they were, rarely bothered with small talk.
Garrus handed him a glass of water, then joined him at the table with his food. “Took out three would-be murderers today. Eclipse lackeys; no loss. Gathered more info on that protection racket in the Blue Suns’ territory, too. It’s run by a batarian named Niall. But it might be a while before we can take it down. I managed to help out a couple of the families in the meantime.”
Sidonis lowered his glass and gave Garrus a stern look. “You’re going to go broke if you keep doing this, Vakarian. You have to stay alive on this station, too. That means having a few credits in your pocket, not giving them all away.”
Garrus grunted. Sidonis wasn’t wrong; Garrus was dipping into his own savings to pay the families’ protection fees, and soon his credits were going to start dwindling dangerously. But Garrus didn’t see an alternative at this time. If I stop paying their fees, the parents will get murdered, then those kids will become orphans, then they’ll get picked up by the gangs… This is the only way to stop the cycle. Even if it’s temporary.
SIdonis eyed his friend for a moment longer, then chuckled, his flanged voice warm. “I understand you, Vakarian. I do. Once we have a bigger team, we’ll be able to do more. Just hang in there.” Garrus sighed and nodded, his mandibles flaring in a slight smile. Finally, he took a bite of his dinner. “What’s the progress on the team?” he asked Sidonis. Sidonis had told him he’d found another disgruntled justice-seeker who was sick of red tape and might be willing to join their crusade.
Sidonis nodded and brought up his omni-tool. “It’s looking good. I’ll send you the dossier. Here’s what I thought…”
The two turians worked into the night, planning their various missions to sweep Omega clean of crime. Garrus savoured the joy of justice, the grim satisfaction of having a clear purpose. And if sometimes there was a wave of another emotion, something darker and more tragic, accompanied by the bittersweet memory of a certain N7 commander with short black hair and intense green eyes, Garrus shoved it aside.
There was no time or place for grief or regret. Archangel had a purpose. He had to keep his mind, and his aim, sharp and focused.
Aria was stepping out of the shower when her omni-tool bleeped.
She huffed in annoyance as she grabbed a towel, then accepted the call with a careless tap of a finger and began drying her skin. “What?”
“We have a problem,” Anto grunted. “Security issue. Are you available?”
Aria frowned. Anto usually wasn’t one for crying fox, or wolf, or whatever that stupid human expression was. “Yes,” she snapped. “Come now.” She ended the call and quickly pulled on the black leggings and cropped silk tank she’d discarded just before her shower. As soon as she was dressed, the buzzer to her private chambers rang.
He got up here fast. Must be an emergency, Aria thought. She strode over to the door and checked the display to see who was on the other side, and instantly wilted with annoyance.
As expected, Anto was there… with Reyes, who was wearing handcuffs.
Fuck’s sake, she thought, then opened the door and planted one hand on her hip. “What the fuck is this?”
Anto shoved Reyes into the room. “I caught him trying to sneak out of the armoury with more than his permitted allotment of vests,” Anto said. He glared at Reyes, his four eyes rippling with an angry blink. “Stealing resources from us. You think he might be working with the Blue Suns? Maybe the Talons?”
Reyes laughed. “You really don’t know me at all, do you? I don’t bite the hand that feeds me. Besides,” he winked flirtatiously at the furious batarian, “you’d miss me if I defected. I couldn’t do that to you.”
Anto shoved Reyes until he stumbled to his knees. “Aria, what do you want me to do? Send him for an interrogation?”
Aria stared at Reyes’ smugly innocent face for a moment, then glanced at her second-in-command. “Leave.”
Anto blinked again, in shock this time. “But-”
“I will deal with this. Leave. Now,” she said, and Anto hastily jerked his head in a bow before hustling out of the room.
Reblobbing some shameless smut from my favourite crack ME:A/ME:OT crossover ship, Aria T’Loak and Reyes Vidal. They’re so terrible together, I love them.
Happy Reyes Vidal N7 Day!!!
My first piece of commissioned fan art by @xandrassketchbook, for my fic The Charlatan and the Pirate Queen.I wrote this thing over a year ago now and it could certainly use some editing, but I’m still pretty damned proud of it. Here’s an excerpt…
TW for explicit violence and gore.
****************
“Reyes Vidal,” Aria said, and Reyes lifted his head to look at her. Idly, she observed that he was quite handsome, even with his sweaty face drawn in pain: dark gold skin, unusual bronze eyes, nice lips. Only his boring bog-standard Alliance buzz cut detracted from his attractiveness. Aria was faintly amused that his face was completely expressionless, showing none of the pain he’d expressed through his tedious screaming.
Aria and Reyes stared at each other without speaking for a long, tense moment, until finally Aria raised one eyebrow sardonically. “Who sent you here?” she asked, her voice flat and cool.
Reyes continued to stare at her, unspeaking. The only sound in the room was his breathing and the soft occasional drip as his sweat hit the floor.
Aria almost smiled. Impressive, she thought, but he’s just making it harder on himself. She snapped her fingers.
Grizz stepped into the cell behind her, dragging Reyes’s commanding officer with him, and flung the woman on the floor at Aria’s feet. Gojevic gasped with pain on impact with the floor, then struggled to her knees. Aria kept her eyes fixed on Reyes as she held out a hand to Grizz, and Grizz placed an M-11 Suppressor pistol in her palm.
Aria felt a cold thrill of satisfaction as this sequence of actions finally elicited a reaction from Reyes. His eyes widened slightly as they darted to Gojevic, then to the gun in Aria’s hand. Fucking humans, Aria thought snidely. They’re so transparent. Aria flicked off the safety and pointed the gun at Gojevic’s knee. “Let’s try this again,” she said smoothly. “Who sent you here?”
Reyes’ gaze flew back to Aria’s face, and she experienced a little thrill: his face was still neutral, but anger was starting to burn in those strange bronze eyes. And yet, he still said nothing.
Aria gave a tiny bored shrug and shot Gojevic in the knee.
The gunshot echoed loudly in the tiny cell, as did Gojevic’s shriek of agony. But Aria continued to watch Reyes’ face. His jaw clenched and he squeezed his eyes shut at the woman’s scream, but still, still, he was silent. So stoic for a human so young, she thought with grudging respect. That’s something I can use.
Aria slowly crouched down next to Gojevic, who was breathing raggedly on the floor… and pushed her index finger into the bloody bullet hole.
Gojevic screamed again, and Reyes slammed his cuffed fists on the table, just once. “Fuck!” he burst out.
Aria removed her finger from the wound and wiped her hand carelessly on Gojevic’s shoulder. She rose slowly to her feet and twirled the Suppressor idly on one finger before levelling it at Gojevic’s head. “Ready to talk yet?”
Reyes looked at her, and Aria couldn’t help the tiny smirk that pulled up one corner of her mouth. His face was practically incandescent with rage, his teeth bared like an animal. No begging from this one, no pleading, just… rage. That, I can definitely use.
“I have nothing to say to you,” he spat, his Spanish accent thickened with anger.
Aria shrugged. “Fine,” she said lazily, and Gojevic’s head slammed back as the Suppressor’s bullet hit home. Gojevic’s bleeding skull hit the ground with a sickening thud as Aria turned to Grizz and handed him the pistol. “Take him to Anto. Constant supervision, Level 1 security personnel only. Stitch him up and start orientation in three days.” Grizz nodded, then stepped out of the cell to make the call.
“Now what?” Reyes said, his voice raw from screaming, but otherwise flat and emotionless. Aria knew what he was really asking: whether she was going to kill him.
She turned back to face him. “Now you’re stuck with me, little boy. You took the wrong fucking mission.” Over her shoulder, she called out, “Grizz! Send that Alliance girl back to the Citadel on the next ship. I have a message for them.” She turned back to Reyes, and for the first time, she smiled at him.
XV. The Devil – Power of possession, manipulation but also vitality, strength, creative power, sensuality, humor Anubis – God of the dead, mummification, guide in the underworld, the one who weighs the hearts
So. Hello, Reyes, you shady bastard.
I went crazy with the symbolics. I mean. There is too much of it in this character and I couldn’t resist. The tarot, his past, his … call it present/possible future. Mixed all of it together. I know that Anubis isn’t really the representative of the Devil, but. I just went for it anyway, because the card suits Reyes’ character too well. ❤
Also no, I certainly didn’t think I’d dust my old Book of the Dead off to look for references for a scifi fanart. Aka I was looking for the goddamn heart, because I had no idea how to draw it. Hahah.
OMG. The detail and the thought in this?? It’s so amazing!!
The Sharper Edge of Love: Romance, Sex, and Fanfic 