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"I don't want someone closer to home. I want you. I want someone I can trust."
He stared at her for a second, still unsure that any of this was...well, real. He struggled to find his voice, "I...I can do that. Let me just do a little...research to see how this will all work out."
"I'm not trying to pressure you Garrus. If I'm making you uncomfortable, we don't have to do this."
She touched his shoulder while smiling up at him, and he rumbled, shaking his head, "Shepard you're the best friend I have in this whole damn universe. You may make me...nervous, but never uncomfortable."
She chuckled and instead of making an abrupt exit, she circled around him to lean against his console.
Shepard had done it before, of course, but with the recent conversations they'd had, he had to fight down the sudden image of her being propped on the console for completely different reasons.
He'd done his research the first time Shepard had brought it up, and he knew they operated in more or less the same way, but there were so many damn nuances to it. It didn't help that Shepard was unlike any woman he'd ever met before.
"Garrus? This is Commander Shepard of the Normandy to a Garrus Vakarian, code name, 'Archangel'? Is there a vigilante in there?"
She smirked at him, spreading her legs as she adjusted her stance.
His gaze flickered to her thighs pressed against the console, then up to her.
She was giving him that smirk - she smirked a lot, but this one seemed different - another human thing he didn't immediately understand.
Her eyes moved down to the console, the back to him, and her grin grew wider.
He suddenly had an idea what her smirk was about. She'd taken to teasing him like this. A brush here, a loaded word there, always standing a little too close, and that maddening perusal of her eyes over his body whenever she was sure no one else was looking.
"Uh...s-sorry. What?"
She shook her head, eyes rolling, "I said if you were so nervous we could get together sometimes and...practice?"
That smirk returned to her face, her lips exposing a thin line of her teeth, head cocked to the side, eyes steadily gazing at him with lowered lids.
"Pr...." he huffed and hummed as he sought out the words, but he couldn't find them. "Practice, Shepard?"
Her eyes, dark when she was angry but almost yellow now in the light of the Main Battery, unflinchingly stared at him. It was something about the shape of her eyes, her high cheekbones, the way her white teeth contrasted with her skin...she looked downright predatory at times.
"I'm more of a hands-on learner. You said you wanted us to wait until we have one last shot at saving the world, and I agree, but that doesn't mean we go into this blind."
Her smile disappeared as her gaze turned into a glare, "And if I hear Joker tell me about the messed up vids he sent you one more time I may cut his extranet privileges."
Garrus snorted, "I know not to believe everything I see in those, Shepard."
He considered her, eyes roaming over her form, clad in her civvies.
"Although I am curious about some of the...acrobatics your kind seem to get into."
"It doesn't need to be anything too exciting Garrus. Do a little scouting. Just to make sure we know more or less what to expect.
Touching, what not to touch. Nothing to get too hot and bothered about."
He swore her gaze was a physical entity, a wave of heat washed over him as those yellow eyes focused on him again, "You don't get bothered easily, do you, Garrus?"
He shifted nervously, watching Shepard's fingers slowly drum on the side of the console, "Er...sounds...good..."
She let out a low, slow chuckle that he'd never heard before, and walked past him towards the door.
"Anytime, Garrus. Think of it as more research."
She winked at him as she left the Battery, walking backwards until the doors closed and cut her out of view.
He felt now, more than ever that Shepard was messing with him. She had to know what she was doing. How little conversations like that weighed on his mind. How, when she drew a little too close than necessary for a normal conversation when they were on the field, acting as if she didn't notice that she was doing it, all he could think about was practice.
The only thing he'd clung to to justify not making a move sooner had been not knowing whether or not they'd actually work. His worry that he'd do something wrong, grievously wrong in human social standards, and be unable to fix it. That she'd find him repulsive.
It seemed like an obvious set up to finally spring her joke on him.
Not that Shepard had that type of humor, but it was a nagging thought that never really went away.
After entering the incorrect algorithm for the cannon a third time, he shut the console down and huffed. He remembered how she'd sat on the console, how she looked at him.
Dammit, he won't get rid of the nervous flutter in his stomach by ignoring it, ignoring Shepard. He'd rather not make a complete and utter fool of himself on the one night that mattered.
He sighed and sent Shepard a message on his Omnitool;
'Think I might be up for some target practice. You in?'
He only had to wait a few minutes for her to reply,
'I've got some free time. Come on up.'
He honestly didn't know what to expect at this...practice session. When the door opened and he entered her cabin she was laying on the edge of the bed staring at the ceiling.
As he walked down into her room she sat up and greeted him, "Hey Garrus."
She waved him over, and after seeing his hesitation, she laughed, moving from the bed to the couch, motioning for him to sit.
He did, reclining and resting his feet on her table.
"I'm not exactly sure what to do for this..." He tilted his head, "Did Mordin send you more reading materials? Am I going to be tested on this later?"
She smirked, punching his arm playfully before leaning back next to him on the couch.
"That's the point of these. No expectations, no judgement. We could sit here for hours talking about the climate in Noveria. Or we could spend it getting to know each others landscape."
He snorted, fixing her with a critical gaze, "Then what's the point of calling it practice?"
Her face flushed, but by the set of her lips he could tell it wasn't embarrassment. "Look, Garrus, even when I need to blow off steam I don't let just anybody touch me."
Her anger lessened a bit and she chuckled, "I picked up a fellow N-7 recruit once, actually, for...stress relief. We spent the night together. The next morning he hugged me from behind...and I broke three of his ribs. Outside of combat, when I can see and prepare for it, things are fine. Surprises? Not so much. "
"Is that how Kaidan mysteriously broke one of his fingers on the SR1?"
Seeing her grin turn vicious he held up his had in front of her face, waiting until her eyes locked on it, before brushing her hair off of her forehead and drawing his claws lightly down the side of her face.
She smiled softly at him, "I'd rather be used to you before blowing off steam. Enough so I don't throw you across the room because I didn't expect something."
Her tone became dry as she added, "Plus there'll be less inter-species awkwardness."
"Can't argue with that. Where do you want to start?"
She nodded her head to his hand, which had slid down to her neck and his fingers were drawing small circles on the back of her neck, "That's nice."
She raised her hands, giving him a questioning look, waiting for his consent before placing her hands on the sides of his face. Her fingers explored, running the pads of her thumbs over his plates. She leaned closer to him, fingers tracing his fringe. When her fingers skimmed over the area under his fringe he let out a purr, leaning into her.
It felt nice...it took some getting used to, all her fingers, but he didn't find it too distracting.
She flashed him a smile and continued exploring his neck, glancing at him every time he hummed or purred when she touched the right spots. Her fingers scratched under his mandibles and he leaned into the touch, realizing with a start that he was inches from pressing his forehead to hers.
As he gazed into her eyes, chest rumbling in that sub vocal purr, he slowly closed the gap between them using the hand he had on her neck.
Her eyes widened as they gazed at each other, face flushing as the moment carried on. Finally, when he pulled away she asked,
"That's a Turian sign of affection, isn't it? That was nice."
He nodded, tangling his fingers in her hair and drawing his talons through her strands. So very soft. He stared at it as the light highlighted traces of gold in her hair.
She hummed as he ran his fingers through her short wavy hair, and he felt her hands slide up his neck to press at the soft skin she could find there.
"Can I show you human signs of affection?"
He tilted his head, "Depends which ones...from what I've seen from Joker's vids, humans are very enthusiastic."
She laughed, "Clothes don't need to come off for this."
He nudged her side, mandibles flaring wide as he leered, "Aw, well another time then."
Shepard narrowed her eyes at him but slid closer to him on the couch, her leg connecting with his armored one.
She reached up and around, her fingers grabbing hold of his back as she pressed her body against him in a hug.
Garrus let out a long sigh, "I know what a hug is, Shepard."
When she nuzzled into his neck his faux-aggravated growl turned into a purr, "I know what that is, too."
He felt her breath play over his skin, and then her lips pressed to his warm hide.
It felt...odd. Warmth, wet, the tickling of her breath.
She pulled away, looking at him nervously, and he ruffled the hair on her head, something he'd seen another crewman do often enough.
"A kiss, Shepard? What type of prude do you think Joker is?"
She scowled, yellow eyes burning into his as she grumbled, sliding closer. He put his arm on the top of the couch, angling his body towards her.
"You've never been properly kissed, have you, Garrus? Didn't want to blow your mind all at once."
She gave him that heavily lidded look, eyebrows wriggling up and down, a gesture he didn't recognize in the slightest. "That's for later."
He chuckled. "Does it feel that good for you?"
Her hands were at that spot under his mandibles again, causing him to lean into her touch, "You know us humans. We like to put our mouths on just about anything."
"Really? Sorry to say I can't exactly kiss back."
She ran fingers through her hair, other hand still massaging the skin under his mandible. He watched her tug on her hair for a second before she asked, "You'd be surprised how adaptable we are to differences. Can I try a real kiss this time?"
He nodded, wrapping one arm around her waist to pull her close and leaning down to her level.
Both her hands pulled him to her, and he felt her lips press against his plates.
More warmth, wetness, slight suction, that was something new. He pressed into her, urging her on.
She rubbed her lips against his plates, letting out a hot breath over his face. Her fingers slid over his neck, pressing into his skin and pulling her closer.
Her tongue lapped at his upper plate, startling him. Before she could pull back and apologize he tangled his fingers in her hair and held her to him. He licked her own lips, making note of her gasp.
Her mouth closed over one of the points of his top plate, and he felt that suction again.
She finally pulled away just enough to catch her breath, looking at him. Her face was flushed, pupils wide, breath coming in short huffs.
"How was that?"
"It wasn't unpleasant." He blinked as he looked down, realizing she'd slung one leg over him and was now firmly seated in his lap.
Unsatisfied, her expression turned thoughtful. "How about..."
She leaned in to nuzzle his neck, and he purred a little louder. Her lips connected with his skin again, and she licked him. The purr stuttered in his chest, his hands tightened on her waist.
He felt her trail kisses along his neck, punctuating them with a brush of her tongue or suckling on the skin. This he could appreciate, and he purred louder with the more force she used.
When he felt her blunt teeth nipping at his skin he rumbled lowly, hands squeezing her waist, head tilting back to give her more access.
She giggled, giving him one last nip before pulling back.
To return the favor he nuzzled into her neck, breathing in her scent. Warmth, the scent of her skin, a touch of oil from her constant vigilance over her equipment, some human chemical he didn't recognize. His tongue flickered out, licking a long stripe up her neck. Her answering gasp and the way she clutched to him reassured him, and he gave her similar treatment, dragging his mouth plates over her skin, lapping at her neck, nipping at her with his plates. She pressed herself to him, hips rocking slightly as he tugged her skin, careful not to damage it, but encouraging more of those gasps. He hoped she bruised over her collar.
Her fingers went to work on the area under his fringe, and he felt a growl building in his chest as he nibbled his way to her jaw, giving her one last swipe before pulling back and giving her waist another squeeze.
"That was..." He caught her squirming and cocked his head, "What?"
She wriggled urgently, trying to eject herself from his grasp, and he released her. She laughed, shivering as she leaned away from him.
"Sorry, you were just..."
She seemed reluctant to meet his eyes, but she finally met his gaze with hers, "Your hands. I'm ticklish right there."
"Ticklish?"
He looked at her waist. She didn't look like she was hurt, but her face was red and the way she'd squirmed out of his grip had been pretty violent.
"It's...it's hard to explain." She placed his hands on her waist again, holding them to her sides. "Like this it's fine. But too much pressure, too much...movement..."
He dug his fingers into her sides, scratching at her lightly, and watched in wonder as she burst out laughing, hands tugging at him trying to get him off.
"You...enormous...dick!" She cried out between her fits of giggles. Her entire body was shaking. The image before him did not fit the Commander at all, and he was fascinated by how quickly she lost control. He'd be more thrilled to see her composure slip if he wasn't worried about what he'd done wrong.
"This doesn't hurt you?"
She pried his hands off and gasped for breath, glaring at him, "No. It doesn't exactly feel good either. It's a weird human thing?"
Her uncertainty didn't help. But he shrugged, "So no pressure here. Where can I...?"
She moved his hands downwards to the flare of her hips. "Squeeze as much as you want here."
He did so, looking up at her expression. Seeing her remain more or less impassive he looked down at her hips.
"This doesn't feel any nicer than anywhere else does it?"
Shepard shook her head, "Not really an erogenous zone, sorry. It's intimate, though."
To demonstrate she pressed her body to him, arms wrapped around his neck, and wiggled her hips.
It seemed like what'd been happening for the past several minutes finally crashed down on him, and he swallowed nervously, body stiffening as he realized he had the Commander in a very compromising position.
"Need some space?"
"Uh..."
She got off of him at the sound of hesitance in his voice. He cringed, avoiding her gaze. There it was. Inter-species awkwardness.
"Hey."
He slowly brought his gaze up to hers, seeing not derision or anger but a small smile,
"We got at whatever pace we need. No expectations. No judgement."
Just like that, she sat next to him, pulling her feet up to rest on the coffee table next to his.
"That felt...wow, though."
His arm slid from the couch around her shoulders. He squeezed her shoulder. "Yeah. I learned a lot...so if I did that during a mission would you...collapse laughing?"
Her glare could freeze a krogan in their tracks, but he gave her a wide turian grin.
"I'd probably punch you in the face and make some very undignified noises."
He sighed, "Well, a man can hope...I like your noises, dignified or not."
"I'm serious don't do that in front of the crew. You I can control myself around but if Chambers thinks it'd be funny to tickle me she's gonna end up in Med Bay." Her expression softened, and she caressed his face, the side with the scars.
He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to hers, taking a few quiet moments to just enjoy her company. He was still nervous, but the feeling wasn't so overpowering. He felt more relaxed, in some ways. In others, not so much.
He coughed, after a while. "Well...er...thank you for...the practice..."
Shepard stretched and relaxed into the couch, stifling a yawn. "Anytime, Garrus. I mean it."
She smiled up at him. He wondered when it'd reached this point. She never let her guard down around the crew. To them she was the awe-inspiring Shep. Terrifying, but awe inspiring. More often than not she had an impassive mask on, shedding it only when she socialized and made her rounds on the ship. He'd seen her as she shot merc after merc down gaze unwavering, expression blank, he'd seen her beat a man viciously without breaking a sweat for the information they needed. Hell, she'd stared Wrex down on more than one occasion. Seeing her so open, so warm...he was used to her breaking character, but it was another to see so much emotion in so little time. He saw past the Commander persona. Maybe that's when he'd started looking at her as more than her fame.
His eyes drifted downwards.
Shepard was most certainly going to bruise. Thanks to the high collar of the civvies, she was going to be sporting those bruises above her armor.
When her eyes caught his gaze he looked away innocently, coughing again and getting to his feet.
"Well...I should get back to work..."
And get the hell out of here before she saw what he'd done.
She nodded, tilting her head back and closing her eyes as he made his retreat.
"I look forward to more practice in the future, Garrus."
It sounded more like an order or a reminder than an invitation.
"As do I."