This is following the mission to an Island. There was too much development to pass up. Strap in bois, they are stupid and I love them.
It was spring! Though--there was a slight chill that was countered by the warm sun. A field of flowers, and in the distance a forest.
Twin girls stood at the top of a hill, seemingly in conversation. The two seemed around Shepard's age. With long blond hair, though they faced away from the two
Joanna woke up staring at the sky, expecting the course, rough feeling of sand underneath her skin and instead feeling a soft, cool breeze on her skin. O-Oh, great, now what? She sits up, eyes immediately settling on the two girls.
Shepard was already on his feet, next to Joanna. Though, not noticing her and having thought her thoughts were his own.
The blond strolled towards the two with a skip in his step. "Kenzie, Annie!"
The two girls spun to face him, and instantly bringing him close for a long hug. Though, after some time, one of the girls lifted her head away from her brother's shoulder and approached the other girl, offering her hand. "It is very nice to finally meet you, Joanna."
Joanna clutched at the fresh grass, eyes locked on the two, and Shepard as he came into view? Kenzie? Annie? Like? Mackenzie and Annabelle? Like, his two sisters? Dead sisters? "It's - Yeah, L-Likewise?"
She stares at her hand for a moment before taking it and helping herself up onto her feet.
She looks at Shepard in confusion.
"Are we dead after all?"
I can't believe I did all that for nothing.
Shepard let go of Annie, and turning to face Joanna. His brows went up, mouth open. "N-" But he didn't finish, taking a double take of seeing her in his dream with a tilt of his head.
Rolling her eyes, Kenzie answered. "No, you are both alive." Amused by her brother's inability to respond. Then, she pulled the other girl into a tight hug. "Thank you for saving him."
"I- I did?" Joanna furrows her brows, "Then what is this? I thought your sister - I thought you two were - What?"
Annie took a few slow steps forward, though overly attached to her brother's side, pulled him towards Joanna.
"I've told you about my dreams of them sometimes." Shepard managed, shoulders relaxing. "They watch over me." He paused, offering Annie a look.
A frown crosses her face. "We could only do so much, Shepard. We did our best."
"... I see ..."
Joanna's hand moves back over her mouth, staring in bewilderment.
"You two are beautiful."
Kenzie broke out into a boisterous laugh, throwing her head back in a very similar way to Shepard, though Annie's face gained a red state in a heavy blush.
"Not nearly as beautiful as you, Joanna." Kenzie, promised an amused smile on her face. Though her comment received a backhand to her arm from Annie.
"I'm Annabelle." She butted in. Her cheeks still beat red.
Shepard blinked a few times at his siblings' interactions, though pleasantly happy with how they got along with Joanna.
"It's nice to finally meet you?" Joanna finally cracked a small smile.
"So, you know everything Shepard does How did you get here?"
Kenzie tilted her head "We are always here."
Annie nodded "We only see what he sees. So when he is asleep, this is where we go."
Kenzie adds quickly "And when he is awake--"
"We are out there." Annie finishes.
"Oh," Joanna blinks, looking at the two of them like Shepard wasn't even there. "How come I've never seen you two before?"
"Sorry, this is - a lot to take in -"
"I just went for a really long walk."
"And I - I don't know -"
"That is fine, Joanna." Annie promises, offering her a soft smile. "I understand." Then with a swift backhand to her sister again, Kenzie adds quickly;
"A-Ah. Yeah. Totally. You haven't seen us because we are ghosts. I'm sure if you talked to Linh she'd tell you."
"Long walk?" Shepard asked, with a tilted head. "When?"
"The trial? The last trial? You didn't feel that?" Joanna stared at Shepard wide-eyed. "You didn't know? I - I walked through a desert. It felt like forever."
"I couldn't speak, I couldn't turn around... I just kept walking."
"They said it was for all the time they spent alone on the island."
She started to shake and tear up at the thought of it.
It felt like she'd only been in that hell minutes ago.
Shepard opened his mouth, but couldn't respond. The twins both shared a glance. After a long moment, Shepard spoke up.
"Last I saw you were in the water. I felt the pressure in the lungs, then suddenly you vanished."Shepard's voice cracked. "I thought the trial actually killed you--" He looked towards the ground. "I couldn't feel anything from that last trial. I'm sorry."
He peered up past his hair. "Was it three hundred years?"
Joanna sniffled, brushing a palm up against her cheek. How many years was it? It'd felt like so long ago she spoke to the priestess? "Three...? Three, she said?"
"For each 100 years, I guess that's merciful."
"There was no sunrise or sunset. I couldn't tell."
Shepard's lip jutted out as if he was going to cry. "That long alone. I'm so sorry Jo. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything. I--" He grit his teeth and turned his head away, tears slipping down his cheeks.
Annie's face softened and took the two of them by their arms. Her soft hands pulling them to the top of the hill overlooking the flowers. "Sit, both of you." For such a soft voice it was very commanding. Shepard followed instinctively. The tone was too similar to his dad's not to.
"I mean, we're alive - right - so?" Joanna murmured, glancing back up at Annie and flinching at the grip on her shoulder. Still, she obeyed, happily dropping to the ground and quietly enjoying the feeling of the grass again.
"Yeah, but you have to carry it with you," Shepard muttered, plucking a white flower from the ground. A Daffodil. Then another--Cypress. Slowly he began to weave them. There was a lot he wanted to ask, but instead, he let the silence fall over them.
Annie and Kenzie soon sat with them, the other two taking up the weaving with their bother. After some time in the gentle breeze, Shepard rested his back on the ground, reaching towards Joanna to put the white and red crown on her head.
Then, when he was happy with the placement, he relaxed against the grass. And watched the small puffy clouds roll by.
no hetero shep whispers
Suddenly, everything was peaceful. She sat there, stiff and rugged as the three of them seemingly got to work, carefully picking out choice flowers and weaving them together with ease; smoothly, like they'd done it a million times before.
After spending so much time in silence, Jo would have thought she couldn't have possibly be content in it any longer, and yet there was a part of her that felt at peace... Like whatever had happened never would matter here. For dying four times over, this was a good of a Heaven as she could ever imagine.
Instead of moping, she found her tears drying in the warm, gentle sunlight, admiring Shepard's hands and how gentle he was with the colorful flowers. It didn't look as if a single petal was lost.
Once the three of them finished their crown, somehow it'd still come to surprise her when the flowers were adorned on her. A smile touched her lips and she kept her face bowed, both to help ease his placement and to hide away the subtle blush across her cheeks.
Weary of ruining their work, she gave Mackenzie and Annabelle her thanks, the kindest gesture she'd gotten in years and laid carefully back next to Shepard. The clouds had never looked more beautiful or fluffy, and she reached up, like she could run her fingers through them.
"I love this, Shep." She lilted. "And..." Jo paused.
I love you.
I'd do it all over again if I had to.
She glanced over at his sisters, paranoid even they might hear for a moment. It was nothing she hadn't said before, but...
Annie's hand was already squeezing Kenzie's in a reminder to keep her mouth shut. The other girl had to keep herself occupied with her head turned and brushing out her long blonde hair with her fingers. as if it really needed any brushing.
Shepard on the other hand turned his head to watch her, perfectly happy in observing the contrast in the green grass and her beautiful brown eyes. Though, as her thoughts entered his mind, the boy glanced away, back up at the puffy clouds. His face was dusted pink, he took a moment to think.
She did all of it because they were best friends. He owed her so many best friend awards. Because she said her power would be nothing without him. Because they've known each other for the entirety of their lives. He loved her too.
What did I ever do to deserve a best friend like you? He gave her a smile, one that by any other person than the two of them could say 'love' The soft creases at the corner of his eyes. The way they sparkled as he observed her. To even the dimples on his cheeks.
Love.
She felt her gift falter for a moment, a wave of blackness washed over her eyes and she swore for a moment that she had trouble hearing him, but it lasted for so little time she'd hardly put thought into it. She was just dizzy, probably.
Best friend, yeah. She'd move heaven and earth for her best friend. Her totally, unique, irreplaceable best friend.
Joanna swore she wanted distance, but the second he was ripped away from her, it had been like her world had ended then and there. She didn't know what she would do without him and she'd meant that when she said it.
Tired and just happy to have him at his side again, Best Friend was a title she could settle with and be far more than thankful for.
I don't know, but when you figure it out, tell me. She smiled back at him, holding out her pinky.
I'll let you know. Shepard promised, locking his pinky with her's, holding it for a moment then let his hand slip away to his side, though grazing her hand for a moment.
For a moment, he swore one of the clouds looked like a heart.
