Mass Effect

Shenko

Kaidan Alenko/Shepard

The biotic lieutenant from the original Normandy crew is one of Mass Effect's first romances and its most fraught: Horizon's confrontation, the accusation on Mars, and the gunpoint standoff at the Citadel coup all test the bond before it can heal. Kaidan's trilogy-long arc from subordinate to equal gives the romance real scar tissue. His male Shepard option in ME3 made Shenko an M/M cornerstone too.

5,000 works

What is Shenko?

Shenko is the fan-given name for the romantic pairing of Kaidan Alenko and Shepard from Mass Effect. With over 5,000 works on Archive of Our Own, it's one of the most popular ships in the fandom.

Why fans love Shenko

Three games of doubt, betrayal, and one rooftop sanity check later, he still says you make him feel human.

Most Popular Shenko Fanfics

The highest-rated Shenko stories on AO3, ranked by kudos.

1

Four Years Later

Complete

by orphan_account

Four years after the events of Mass Effect 3, Kaidan finds Shepard at the Citadel, brushing dust off of his sleeves and carefully stacking a box of fish food on the shelves above him.

1,925 kudos 45,127 words ~181 min read Explicit
Fix-It
2

You've Got Mail!

Complete

by Loethlin

In the aftermath of Horizon, Shepard is stressed out and sad. Normandy's crew is trying to take care of her, in quite a roundabout way.

1,732 kudos 745 words ~3 min read Mature
Humor Epistolary Kink Meme
3

Downtown Eastside

Complete

by Lemon (lemon_sprinkles)

There are three rules to a one-night stand: Wear a condom, don't stay longer than necessary, and most importantly, don't get attached. Too bad Shepard was never one for following all the rules. In fair Vancouver, where we lay our scene... Featuring artwork from the amazing Dakotaliar! (Chapter 1)Fea

1,507 kudos 176,163 words ~705 min read Explicit
Romance Canon Gay Relationship Alternate Universe - Modern Setting
4

Shepard Sees the Sky

Complete

by orangeflavor

"'Garrus…' 'You can't tell me you haven't thought about it before. Getting her back.'" - Garrus and Kaidan finally get down to the barebones of loving Commander Shepard when they think she isn't listening. Hint: she is.

1,504 kudos 2,252 words ~10 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Romance Angst present Shakarian
5

WARM UP

Complete

by spicyshimmy

Set during Mass Effect 1. Kaidan and Shepard get snowed in on Noveria, and biotics run hot. When the carburetor started failing them, it was only a matter of time before the planet’s unfriendly temperature—just one of the hostiles they were dealing with—started to freeze the fuel.

1,481 kudos 7,383 words ~30 min read Explicit
Sharing Body Heat Slash
6

HEAVY FIRE

Complete

by spicyshimmy

Actually based on the merc!Shepard and Spectre!Alenko prompt on the kinkmeme. Earthborn Shepard never makes it into the Alliance. Merc life suits him just fine, as does teaming up with C-Sec officer Garrus Vakarian every now and then. And then he meets Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, poster boy for doing

1,412 kudos 58,955 words ~236 min read Mature
Alternate Universe Alternate Universe - Canon Alternate Reality
7

THE STEPS AND THE SHORE

Complete

by spicyshimmy

When Shepard died the first time, Cerberus specialists implanted a graybox in his brain—and, when it was destroyed by the blast on the Citadel, his memories of the year since his resurrection were destroyed along with it. Kaidan keeps his distance in order to keep Shepard from feeling trapped by the

1,164 kudos 54,785 words ~220 min read Mature
Angst Post-Game(s) Memory Loss
8

30 Day Pairing Porn Challenge

Complete

by DashRenders (Cydney)

A challenge taken on Tumblr; a 30 Day OTP NSFW challenge. Only, because I'm cruel to myself, I decided to make it 30 different pairings instead. Updated as they're produced.

1,139 kudos 26,093 words ~105 min read Explicit
30 day challenge Smut
9

Break of Dawn

Complete

by comefeedtherainn

When Kaidan Alenko met John Shepard, he'd like to say that their eyes met and it was all inevitable from there. The thing was, John was kind of an ass. And Kaidan was kind of stubborn.

994 kudos 230,485 words ~922 min read Explicit
Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Canonical Character Death Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism
10

She Who Walks Alone

by skyelyr_shepard

Love is a pleasure Shepard has denied herself, for her sake and the sake of those closest to her. This doesn't stop them from loving her anyway. "She Who Walks Alone" is a collection of thoughts from those who knew her the best and—more importantly—loved her the most. Currently featuring Garrus, Lia

921 kudos 5,752 words ~24 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Unrequited Love love in all its manifestations Pining
11

The Difference between the Sea and the Sky

Complete

by bagog

Commander Shepard is a legend: First Human Spectre, Hero of the Citadel, Savior of the Galaxy. In the middle of the war, he finds he'd rather be less legend and more human. Stealing time between missions to build a relationship, neither he nor Kaidan can imagine how much their time together will aff

912 kudos 311,989 words ~1248 min read Not Rated
Custom Commander Shepard Angst and Fluff and Smut Fluff
12

Sonata

Complete

by swaps55

After the Battle of the Citadel, the Alliance calls the Normandy home to Vancouver to face an inquest. Things get...complicated. On every possible level. Especially when Kaidan discovers an unfortunate misunderstanding with his parents. ~“Have to admit though,” Shepard says, swallowing the rest of h

910 kudos 77,970 words ~312 min read Mature
Fake/Pretend Relationship there's only one bed Mutual Pining
13

Aftermath

Complete

by Scutter

The galaxy tries to find the way forward, in the wake of the destruction of the reapers.Post-ME3, destroy ending, but completely ignores the whole ‘destroy all synthetics’ thing. Basically, the reapers are destroyed and everyone else lives. Also assumes that Kaidan and Male Shepard had a romantic re

883 kudos 46,362 words ~186 min read Explicit
post-ME3 Destroy Ending Angst
14

Your mama’s got plans and your daddy’s aim is true

Complete

by storm_petrel

There was no Alliance manual for trying to drag two trillion people fighting and screaming through absolute certain death, and there was nothing about what to do when you unexpectedly got spat out on the other side, either. And there was *definitely* nothing about what to do if your hot, older-than-

880 kudos 6,539 words ~27 min read Mature
Destroy Ending Post-Mass Effect 3 Accidental Pregnancy
15

Sentinel

by Tovaras

Kaidan’s life has never been easy. BAaT nearly drove him to madness, life after was a struggle, but now… Now he is ready. For whatever life tosses at him. Or so he thinks.

876 kudos 189,316 words ~758 min read Mature
First Love Friendship/Love Friends to Lovers
16

A Land Not Mine

Complete

by theprosefool

After being dead for two years, there’s only one person Shepard wants to see. So he writes a letter.

873 kudos 30,443 words ~122 min read Explicit
Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Sexual Content Violence
17

forged in blue fire

by Lunarflare14

You would think having your soul mate's name appear on your body on your eighteenth birthday would make it simple and clear cut.Nothing in John's life has ever been that simple.

856 kudos 25,824 words ~104 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Soul Bond Alternate Universe - Canon Mass Effect 1
18

A Mess You'd Wear With Pride

Complete

by wook77

Desperate times call for desperate measures and there isn't much more desperate than a Reaper Invasion. Anderson does what he has to and so does Kaidan.

853 kudos 30,936 words ~124 min read Explicit
19

Long Train Runnin'

Complete

by captainshakespear

Shepard is just some guy Kaidan sees sometimes on the subway home from work, all the way up until he isn't.

848 kudos 60,584 words ~243 min read Explicit
Alternate Universe Slow Build Slow Burn
20

Let Your Mercy Spill

Complete

by Niki

I think I was just hit with some sort of... alien aphrodisiac. And that's how Major Kaidan Alenko found himself on a medically sanctioned mission to fuck the Commander's brains out. Literally.

842 kudos 6,156 words ~25 min read Explicit
First Time First Kiss Sex Pollen

Shenko Fanfics by Length

Pick a reading commitment — from one-sitting one-shots to 100k+ epics:

Characters

Kaidan Alenko
Shepard

Common Shenko Tropes

Browse curated Shenko fic recs by trope:

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Shenko mean?

Shenko is the ship name (portmanteau or nickname) for the pairing of Kaidan Alenko and Shepard. It's used by fans to tag and search for fanfiction featuring this relationship.

How many Shenko fics are on AO3?

There are over 5,000 Shenko fanfiction works on Archive of Our Own.

How can I read Shenko fanfiction on my phone?

Download Fanfict Reader for iOS to browse and read Shenko fanfiction with a beautiful mobile interface, offline reading, and custom themes.

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Fanfict Reader is the best way to browse, search, and read AO3 fanfiction on your iPhone. Download for free and start reading your favorite Shenko fics today.

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