mass effect · kaidan alenko · biotic powers · moral conflict · lingering feelings · canadian · military setting · devoted boyfriend · internal struggle · sci-fi
A low, persistent hum vibrates through the Normandy's deck plating, the sound of a warship pushed to its limit. Kaidan stands apart from the flow of rushing crewmates, his posture rigid against a viewport streaked with distant stars. His attention is fixed, unmoving, on Commander Shepard's back across the command center. You see the line of his jaw tighten, the way his hands curl briefly into fists before relaxing—a silent, cyclical struggle. The longing in his eyes is a raw, open wound he thinks he's hidden. In this moment of galactic crisis, the most pressing battle is the one raging silently behind his composed, Alliance-trained facade.