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Shepard was startled awake by another nightmare. More often than not, her sleep was anything but restful as nightmares refused to let her forget the things and people she’s lost in this reaper war. She threw the covers off, sat up, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. As she covered her hands with her eyes, something hard tapped her eyebrow. Pulling her hands away, she opened her eyes to find a ring on her left ring finger.
“What the hell?” she mumbled to herself. Shepard instinctively turned around seeking Garrus, but he was not in bed. She brought her hand close to her face to examine the ring. It was not something she’d have picked for herself, but it was absolutely stunning. * Gorgeous multifaceted blue stones lined the band which led to a twist that wrapped around four crystal clear diamonds surrounded by a large onyx gemstone. “Holy shit,” she said aloud as she got to her feet.
Before she took a step, she noticed a champagne flute, filled with a medium gold bubbly spirit. She picked up the glass and began to make her way out of the bedroom when she heard something in the bathroom. She strolled over to the bathroom, taking sips of champagne along the way. It was still cold! How in the world could Garrus have timed that so perfectly?
She slid the door open to find him submerged in the hot tub, leaning back with his elbows on the ledge. “Good morning,” he called cheerily over his shoulder without turning around. There was a blue glass sitting on the floor within arm’s reach of where he was sitting. Without bothering to take her pajamas off, Shepard stepped into the water and sat down next to him.
“Craziest thing happened to me this morning,” she began, waiting for Garrus to turn toward her.
“Oh?” he asked.
“Yea, I woke up and had this weird growth on my finger,” she held out her hand for him to see the ring.
“You might want to have someone take a look at that, Shepard.”
“You’re right. Perhaps I’ll get Mordin to have a look when we’re back on the ship,” she continued to play his game. She heaved a deep sigh before continuing, “I just wish I knew what these materials were so that I could stop panicking.”
“Hmm…” Garrus teased as he pulled her onto his lap. “If I had to guess,” he started by bringing her hand to his mouth and laying a gentle kiss onto the ring, “I’d say these blue stones are called thulium, irradiated, of course. It’s a mineral native to Palaven and trace amounts of it can be found in turian carapaces. The clear stones look like diamonds. Rumor has it those are a girl’s best friend. The big black stone is onyx and is native to earth, but also, strangely enough, can be mined on Mindoir as well. I would guess that the band is a compound metal composed of platinum and palladium.”
Shepard could not stop her voice from quivering, “you sure seem to know a lot about this thing on my finger.”
“I’m no expert, but if I had to describe this unique shape, I would say it reminds me of the galaxy and your place in it. You see, this beautiful, bold, and rare black stone is the center of the ring just as you are the center of the entire galaxy. This stone is surrounded by other, admittedly, lesser beings that all serve to make sure this centerpiece can shine. While they are gorgeous in their own right, they pale in comparison to the strength and beauty of the onyx.” Garrus paused to reach for his blue glass. He held it toward Shepard who tipped hers toward him as well.
“You have to ask,” she said, unable to contain the smile she was fighting.
“I’ve always wondered if our sparkling wine tastes any different than yours?” he pondered, ignoring her completely.
“Garrus…”
“...This isn’t the brand I’d normally buy for myself…”
“Garrus…”
“...But it’s not half bad…”
“Garrus Vakarian,” Shepard raised her voice as she placed her fingers over his mouth to keep him from speaking. “You still have to ask.”
He gently moved her hand from his face and held it delicately in his, thumb grazing the ring as he looked into her eyes.
“Jessie Shepard, I have loved you for two lifetimes. I have fought beside you, supported you when you needed it, and cleared a path every time you’ve asked. I love you from the Citadel to the galactic core to the Perseus Veil and back again. You are the center of my universe, and I want to spend the rest of my days with you. Will you marry me?”
She could not stop the tears as they fell in a steady stream down her cheeks. “Yes, of course I will,” she answered, trying not to (and failing to) completely fall to pieces in front of him. They lightly clinked their glasses together before ungracefully gulping down their contents. Shepard threw her glass into the water and pulled Garrus’s face to her, locking him into a deep and passionate kiss.
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"Garrus, that tickles," Shepard mumbled into the pillow as she tried to scoot out of Garrus' reach.
"I can't help it," he replied as he reached out to place an arm around her waist and pull her back to his chest. "I don't know what to call it, but I like your scent."
"It probably has more to do with my soap than me."
He gently dragged his mandibles across her exposed back as he inhaled. She wriggled at the touch again. Untangling their limbs, he began to trace phantom lines between her shoulder blades. "Remember ** Feros?" he asked.
"To this day, Feros is still the most disgusting mission I've ever endured," she replied with a shudder.
"Worse than reaper abominations?"
"I've never seen anything else like those damn thorian creepers. Why?" she asked as she craned her neck to see his face. "Ah," she smiled, having caught a glimpse of his expression. "You miss my scars," she teased as she turned away and nestled deeper into his chest.
"What can I say," he hummed, leaning closer to her ear. "It's because of Feros that I saw you naked for the first time."
"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you, Vakarian," she laughed as she rolled over and sat up in bed. Shepard leaned over, carefully draping her torso over his in such a way that she could still maintain eye contact. "Is that when you knew?"
"Knew what?"
"That you were madly in love with a human," she added with a smirk.
He looked at her so sincerely then, all humor falling from his face. He placed his palm to her cheek and Shepard leaned into the touch. He reached up with his other hand and gently dragged a talon over the phantom scar on her brow.
"That's a loaded question," he finally said.
She held up her left hand, thumbing the ring that was just placed on it not a few hours ago. "Then today must be your day for loaded questions."
"Damn, that thing looks so good on you!" He removed his hand from her brow and took her hand in his. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, though it took a bit of work for the two to untangle themselves from each other's grasp. Shepard repositioned herself so they were facing each other.
"I knew I loved you after you went down with the Normandy," he began. Shepard raised her eyebrows, surprised at the straightforward response. Garrus continued, "I was in the middle of an interrogation when I got the alert that the ship had issued a mayday. My partner, Ridgefield, took over and I went straight to the Presidium to see Anderson. By the time I got to his office, reports said that escape pods had been launched and an Alliance vessel was en route to pick up the survivors."
Garrus looked away from her, as if chasing his old memories before he went on. "It was hours before anyone was able to confirm survivors in the pods. When they found Kaidan, he didn't know whether you had made it or not. But I got a call from my boss that my investigation had just caught a break and I had to leave. I should have ignored him, but my body was on auto-pilot at that point."
"Ridgefield and I were in pursuit of another suspect when a station wide burst confirmed that Commander Shepard had gone down with her ship. I lost it. When I caught up with the perp we were chasing, I nearly killed him. I got suspended, indefinitely, and I remember being angry for a long time."
Shepard began to stroke his scarred mandible, which brought him back to the present. "There was this inexplicable pain in my chest that was unlike anything I'd ever felt," he continued. "I tried to shake it, but every time I thought of you, the pain came flooding back. And after weeks of not making any headway with the Council or Anderson, I took my anger to Omega hoping I could channel it and make myself useful once again."
Shepard inhaled deeply and released it slowly before responding. "Wow," was her simple reply. She felt the heat rising in her cheeks and wondered if the feeling was shame. "I didn't expect that answer," she tried to laugh and make light of the situation, but the sound escaped her lips as more of a huff than anything else.
"Ah, bet you didn't know I could be serious," Garrus teased. She smiled, relief immediate in her demeanor. "That was when I knew I loved you," he added. "I knew I was in love with you after you came back from *** Alchera. When you were cold and carrying all of those dogtags. You had this look that said you didn't need any help, and all I could think about was how much I wanted to be with you no matter where you went. Just to be there whether you needed me or not."
Her smile widened before she leaned in to place her forehead against his. "Garrus Vakarian, all this time I never pegged you for a hopeless romantic. I'm glad I'm the only person that gets to see this side of you."
He cleared his throat and pulled away from her. "Don't tell anyone," he said. "I've got to keep up Archangel's bad boy reputation."
"Uh huh," she teased, rolling her eyes and hitting him in the chest.