Shepard's New Look (sketch + drabble)

Vega was helping Cortez fixing up the Kodiak when they heard Shepard's familiar footfall exist the elevator.

The commander still insisted on doing his daily round of checking in with the crew despite the fact that the Normandy was currently undergoing repairs and that he himself was still technically on sick leave.

Many of the crew opted to return to the Normandy after they had checked in with their family and friends following Victory Day. It had surprised Vega himself how quickly the Normandy became home, even for him.

"Steve, James, how are you doing," Shepard called out.

Cortez wiped his hands on a rag before turning around to salute the commander. "Commander Shep--," he never finished his sentence.

Vega ducked out of the hold to see what was up.

Oh.

Standing in front of him was not the familiar battle-hardened figure of the old commander. The commander had traded in his uniform for a pair of jeans and a comfortable worn leather jacket. And while the sharp blue gaze remained the same, his overall appearance was dramatically different.

Vega whistled, "you look good, Loco."

Shepard rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Kaidan suggested that if I look a bit different, then I'll have a better chance getting around the Citadel without having a vid cam shoved into my face every minute. Anyway, I want to know if you two need anything since I'm going out."

"We're good here. Esteban?" Vega looked over at Cortez who managed to shake his head.

"Ok. Carry on then." And with that, Shepard walked away.

Vega grabbed a socket wrench from the bench when he noticed that Esteban was still staring at the empty spot where Shepard had stood.

"Hey Esteban!" He snapped his fingers quickly in succession. "Snap out of it and get back to work, you're drooling," he teased.