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“I know you don’t like bringing attention to yourself,” Shepard added, a brightness coming to her eyes, “so I thought it’d be best to celebrate quietly.”
Kasumi eyed the Commander from under her hood, a large smile forming on her lips. “I didn’t expect such a thing, Shep.”
“I know,” the redhead replied, giving her a quick wink. “One of the main reasons I wanted to do it.” She set the small cake on top of Kasumi’s desk, then handed the small parcel to the thief. “For you.”
Kasumi really hadn’t expected the attention. She was slightly disturbed the Commander even knew when her birthday was. After eyeing the parcel for a moment, Kasumi gently took the rectangular present into her hands. She immediately knew what it was.
“Books are expensive when you’re not stealing them, Shep,” Kasumi mentioned, look over at the Commander with a smile.
“I had favors to collect on,” Shepard replied with a shrug and a smile, leaning her hip against the desk within the room. “It’s a classic, so I’m assuming you’ve already read it. But I did check to see if you had it in your library first.”
Kasumi eagerly opened the package, gently inhaling the aroma of the text once opened. It was a smell she’d never—
“1984?” The thief looked the cover over, unable to hide a grin. “I haven’t been able to read it, actually. I’ve meant to for years.”
Shepard pushed herself off the desk, noticing Kasumi didn’t even look up when she moved. Before answering, the Commander simply enjoyed watching the petite woman flip through the pages, drinking in as much as she could from her next read.
“Hey,” Shepard interjected, gently elbowing the woman in the ribs. “No peeking.”
“Then you should let me read,” Kasumi retorted, grin still intact.
“Fine, fine,” Shepard replied with a chuckle. “Enjoy, alright? And try to eat some of that cake before it goes stale. That I did have to pay a lot for.”
The young woman looked up from her new book finally, cocking her head to the side. “You should join me then, Shep.” Kasumi smiled again, a different smile, and reached for the Commander’s hand. “I can’t eat that all by myself. Eat and read with me.”
Shepard raised an eyebrow, looking at the hand outreached to her, but the offer didn’t bother her. And Kasumi’s smile was infectious. “You sure?”
“Of course,” Kasumi replied, and the grin returned. She handed the book to the Commander before taking her hand and grabbing the cake. She then pulled her onto the couch with her, folding her legs and hugging her knees to her chest. “It’ll be fun,” she reasoned, her eyes brightly shining under her hood as she looked at Shepard once more.
The Commander conceded, the smile still tugging at her own lips, and squeezed Kasumi’s hand before letting go of it. She took out the utensils she had brought with her from her pockets, then handed them to Kasumi before opening the book.
“I’m assuming I’m the one reading?”
“Such a smart one, Shep.”
The redhead shot the other woman a look, then laughed softly under her breath.
“It’s my birthday, after all,” Kasumi added, scooping up a small bite of cake. “I get to decide the rules.”
After taking a bite, the thief rested her head on the Commander’s shoulder. Unperturbed, Shepard began reading, crossing her legs after accepting a forkful of cake offered to her.
Despite their differences, they both had the same thought: I could get used to this.