Angels Losing Sleep

A/N:: -sigh- It seems I may need to clarify something very important about this story, depressing as the thought may be. Firstly, the cussing is severe, I know.
Normally I avoid using excessive foul language because I feel uncomfortable writing it in high volume. However, most of the obsenities are coming from one particular person, Jack. Jack is blunt, crude, and from what I've gathered of her, thinks in sailor speak. Also the fact that she is currently experiencing things that she is extremely uncomfortable with makes her cuss even more. It's the only way she currently knows how to protect herself from her own emotions and from the realization that she is actually starting to care for the others. This will change, just give it time. Shepard thinks bad terrible words because she is stressed and in
a situation that has her feeling uncomfortable. I don't know about you, but when I am upset, annoyed, and stuck in a situation that I do not really want to be in, my language gets a little rough. Also, if this story seems to be moving quickly, deal with it. Why? Because it is being done on purpose. It will slow down very soon, in fact beginning part way through this chapter due to the magical thing called the plot making its appearance once again.

Sorry for those of you that don't like how things are going thus far, but hang with me. Have a little faith. I just may surprise you. ^_-


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"Garrus, stop trying to kill Jacob with your eyes, it didn't work ten minutes ago, it isn't going to work now," Miranda drawled out from her perch in the seat that
Grunt had previously occupied. The Krogan had left with Mordin just moments before when the Salarian had decided to go and pay his former apprentice a visit. Grunt had reasoned that it was too boring sitting around getting drunk. Also seeing his battlemaster like that had him feeling slightly ill. She was too...female for him to handle in that moment and to preserve his respect for her, he'd volunteered to accompany the Salarian. Miranda only hoped that the unlikely duo didn't get into too much trouble. Garrus turned his murderous glare upon the human woman, snorting softly.

"If you have a problem with him dancing with her, then go and cut in. Sitting here moping obviously isn't helping you any," She reasoned, knowing that with just the right amount of prodding, the Turian should act favorably. Should was the primary word in that statement.

"You seem to forget the part where I make myself look like fool because I can't dance to save my life," He replied evenly as he took another swig from the glass
he held. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Iguana, don't tell me you're afraid?" Jack teased, leaning forward so that she could look at him from where she sat on the other side of Thane. The drell that sat
between Jack and Garrus remained silent as he observed the situation. Those women were down right deadly when they worked together. Garrus sighed softly, rubbing the back of his neck out of frustration.

"Not afraid, I just...what if she doesn't react well to me just butting in like that? And then there's the fact that I'd just stand out there looking like a moron," He stated finally. Thane smiled faintly, finding it slightly amusing that both the Commander and the Turian were being held back by similar insecurities. If they only
knew.

"You sound like a chicken-shit to me!" Jack all but sang, dropping back into her seat and lacing her fingers behind her head. She grinned knowingly, swinging her legs back and forth in an almost child-like manner.

"How will you know how she will react unless you try?" Thane asked, casting the bald headed female a reproving glance, "Besides, did she not ask you first?"

Garrus hadn't thought about that. True, she had wanted to dance with him, not Jacob, a fact that warmed his insides more than the alcohol had. The drell wondered at his own interference. Hadn't he decided to stay out of it? A look at Jack answered his question. She wanted to help Garrus and the commander along. She was determined to assist them. Thane had a feeling that this was something she would not be able to rush, but at the same time, he wanted to support the human woman. This was one of the few non-violent goals she had focused on and he wanted her to succeed. Also, he was aware of how much Shepard cared for Garrus. Surely it wouldn't cause any harm for him give the turian a push in the right direction. Jacob was not compatible to the unpredictable Commander. He was too nice for her, too entangled within the organization and the Drell knew all too well that she did not approve of that in the least. Garrus was much like Shepard, headstrong, cunning, and a bit of a renegade, willing to take charge and stand for himself and for what he knew was right. In a way, Thane envied Garrus. Envied the man's ability to act upon his emotions so freely. He watched in mild humor as the Turian downed the remainder of his beverage.

"Ugh... I am not drunk enough for this," The reptilian man remarked, earning a snicker from the convict and a snort from Miranda.

"What is there to fear? It's only dancing. You've fought many much more daunting foes in the past, have you not?" Krios asked. The slightly nervous laugh that left the turian had the drell smiling softly.

"You have apparently never seen me dance before," Garrus replied in good humor, standing with a sigh. Mentally, he was trying to get up his courage. 'Just go out there and sweep her off her feet,' He thought, weaving his way through the dancers. His blue green gaze wandered over the dance floor that was packed with Normandy soldiers, Omega regulars, and the occasional drunk. The Turian ignored the hopeful females that danced around him, admiring his battle worn armor and features. Anyone could tell that the tall male wasn't your average Turian, the light catching on the soft scales that lined his throat as he craned his neck to spot Shepard. And then he spotted her again between the writhing bodies. He felt like throwing up. Or finding the nearest hole to hide in. He couldn't do this. And then his gaze landed on Jacob, or rather, Jacob's hands which had found their way to the woman's hips. A possessive growl rushed from Garrus and nerves forgotten, he strode over to them. Shepard spotted him first, and her face seemed to light up. It made his chest flutter strangely.

"I think you've hogged her enough for now, Jacob. You mind if I make an ass of myself for a bit?" He half joked, the dark skinned human cocking an eyebrow as he regarded the taller male. Taylor was silent for a long moment, his eyes watching the Turian critically to the point that Garrus was having a had time preventing himself from figetting. Finally, a sad sort of resignation flickered in the human's dark eyes and he gave Garrus a rueful smile. The Turian suddenly felt like an jerk.

"Yeah, it's cool, but you better handle her right, or I may just have to take her back from you," Jacob stated then, clapping the turian hard enough on the back to make him lurch forward. A sort of strange understanding had passed between the two of them in that moment and Garrus had a feeling that they would need to speak later. The last thing he wanted was for the other man to turn into some mopey sod because of this. Jacob grasped Shepard's hand lightly in his and gave her a rare smile from his usually stern features, pressing a kiss to her knuckles, " Thanks for the dance Commander. Go easy on him."

Confused and certain that she had missed something important, Shepard blinked owlishly and nodded, watching the human male stride off. Garrus chuckled weakly, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked anywhere but at Shepard.

"So... here I am. What do I do now?" He asked lamely. Rize smiled warmly up at him, knowing that he was extremely uncomfortable and doing this for her benefit. Though, why, she didn't really know. Part of her hoped that perhaps he was interested in her, but the rest was too afraid of optimism to form much of an opinion.

"How about we go for a walk or something?" She asked over the music finally, earning a relieved sigh from the other.

"Walking I can do," He replied readily. The Turian smiled when she looped an arm through his and curled her hand around the curve of his bicep, the strange fluttering returning again. No one really took notice of them as they slipped out through the other entrance, the team focused on chatting and laughing among
themselves. Their strides were leisurely and despite the rapid beating of her heart, the commander felt strangely at peace walking at his side in such a way. The streets were empty, as one would expect considering how late it was, which suited the pair fine. They'd both had enough of crowds for the evening.

Garrus on the other hand was becoming more and more nervous with each step. But he had to hear it from her, had to know the thruth from her lips and not someone else to his face and not through a door.

"Rize," He began, earning a curious glance from the redhead. Her heart skipped at the sound of her first name, a sudden flare of nervous anticipation building in her gut, " I...I wanted to ask you about something before, but it just didn't seem appropriate at the time."

"Ask away?" She replied with a little hesitation. What if he wanted to tell her that he didn't want her in that way? Ugh. The commander wasn't really sure what she would do if that were the case. She swallowed hard as he drew them to a stop on one of the balconies that looked down upon the aparment complexs that sprawled along the lower floors.

"I, I don't even really know how to ask this without sounding stupid, so bear with me." He began when she released his arm in favor of resting her hands on the low wall, her curious gaze on him. Garrus took a deep breath, pacing back and forth. He'd gone over how he would say things again and again in his head but all of the words left him in that moment. "I...care for you very deeply and, well, I was wondering...argh, never mind, this is stupid, forget I said anything, Shepard."

She watched his nervous pacing, the tenseness in his form, the way his jaw appendages flared again and again. Unable to take his helpless floudering, the red haired woman mustered her courage and pushed off of the wall to cross the distance between them. He watched her as she took one of his clawed hands in both of hers, swallowing hard as his throat threatened to close up. Shepard brought his hand up to rest against her cheek, her eyes fluttering shut as she nuzzled into the covered hand gently.

"I care for you too, Garrus," She murmured. His stomach felt as though it had done a backflip, heat rolling through his face, his chest. The Turian felt a deep sense of protectiveness and need coiling within him. It wasn't anything sexual or anything, rather a profound desire to simply be as close to her as possible. His free hand moved to run along her bare shoulder, noting the shiver the rolled through her beneath the faint touch. And gently, with more care than he'd ever shown anything, the Turian encircled her within that arm, pulling her flush against the smooth surface of his armor. Inhaling sharply, Shepard released his hand, her own arms moving to cling to the Turian's waist. A relieved sigh washed all of his tension away, leaving him feeling slightly giddy, "You aren't creeped out by me being human?"

"I'm not a very good Turian, if you haven't noticed. I am pretty convinced that you could have been a Krogan and I'd still want you, Shepard," He answered with a chuckle, "Although, I am very glad that you aren't one, the back hump thing would be a little hard to handle."

She laughed, the sound causing the man to grin in triumph.

"Well, that's good because I'm not very good at being human," She murmured after a moment, her thoughts drifting to the fact that she felt no real attraction to her own species. How much of a freak did that make her? The feel of his large hand on her cheek had her blinking out of her thoughts, a sheepish smile gracing her lips. His eyes, a strange hue she'd never seen on any human male, like someone had loosed a single drop of deep forest green into a pool of cerulean, gazed down upon her. The colors were so distinct, even in the dim lighting of the area. Her lips parted slightly, her own bloody stare glinting with a sudden vulnerability he'd never seen in their depths before. Even after being with her through so much, there were still so many facets of her that he'd never encountered. It was...fascinating that one creature could contain such an array of emotion, such a wide spread personality. He suddenly felt as though he held the most fragile person in his arms, as though one false move would break her, despite his knowledge that she was far stronger than anyone he had ever met. The strong need to possess every inch of her, to hold her close and protect her from the horrible destiny that none of them seemed capible of escaping. The human pressed her palms against his chest plate and almost timidly, she lifted up onto the balls of her feet to nuzzle the underside of his chin in an almost animalistic fashion.

Garrus let out a soft rumble from within his chest at the action, his hand sliding to run through her thick, unruly tresses. Not really knowing if it would work or not with a Turian, Shepard trailed her hands up to glide across the soft, sensitive scales of his neck, causing the man to shiver and let out that rumble again, this time louder. Her questing fingers moved to the back of his neck where the pale, luminescent scales became thick armor, using a bit of pressure to encourage him to lean down to her. Curious to see what she would do, Garrus complied, unable to quell the rising anticipation in his gut. A little hesitantly, Rize leaned in to close the distance between their mouths, her's fitting neatly between his mandibles, much to her surprise. She half expected them to stab her cheeks. The Turian's eyes widened in surprise as the feel of soft, pliable lips pressed against his smooth, reptilian mouth. And electric sort of flutter danced through his chest despite the unusual action. Shepard wound her arms about his neck, a soft moan laced sigh sounding from her when Garrus tightened his hold on her. Her eyes fluttered shut, lips parting slightly against the hard surface to allow her tongue to run along the ridge of his mouth. Garrus hadn't been aware that the plates of his mouth were sensitive in such a way, hadn't really understood why humans and a few other races kissed. Now it was beginning to make a little more sense.

She pulled back slightly, just enough that her lips barely brushed against him.

"Open for me, Garrus," She commanded in a voice that was soft, dark, and far too intoxicating for him to resist. He did as she wished, his mouth plates opening slightly and before he had time to contemplate what she was up to, her warm, curious tongue had slipped inside to lap at the roof of his mouth in a single inquisitive stroke. It were as though she were tasting something to see if she liked it. He tasted so...alien, a unusual combination of something rich, yet tangy, like dark chocolate and hot sauce or cinnamon. Garrus made a soft, surprised noise in the back of his throat against the strangely pleasant feeling, his eyes growing heavy for some unnamable reason. Shepard gave him another light taste, this time letting her tongue linger to run along the deadly, sharp teeth experimentally. A louder, pleased sound left her and humming her acceptance, she fell into the kiss fully. If Garrus had been stunned by the experience before, now he was drowning. She parted her lips farther, tongue delving deeper into his mouth to seek out his own. The appendage was long, far longer than her own and forked, she noted. A dark growl filled her ears, heat spiking through her as his hands gripped her hair, the Turian finally starting to get the gist of what she was doing. He caressed the foreign muscle with his own reptilian tongue, enjoying her sweet taste that he could not place aside from the faint traces of mint.

Shepard smiled against his mouth, almost playfully batting at the edge of his tongue as her own retreated back into her own mouth, daring him to follow and return the favor. And despite the awkwardness that still lingered in his movements, the Turian did, his own curiosity overcoming his inexperience. She hummed in pleasure, delighting in the little thrills of electricity that tickled down her spine as she rolled her tongue along the underside of his as he explored. Growing more bold and a little mischievous, she watched his features as she sucked lightly at his appendage. A strangled, confused, and utterly startled sound erupted from him and he pulled back. Shepard laughed, unable to hold back the amusement at his reaction as his tongue flicked out to run over his mouth plates. He tilted his head with a rueful, accusing expression, a small smirk tugging at his mandibles.

"Now I get why humans are sought after as toys by much of the universe," He mused, willing his heart rate to slow. The sinful look she gave him, lined in a playful light had a certain part of his anatomy once again pressing at the sheath that concealed it.

"You haven't seen anything yet," She replied in a breathy voice earning an appreciative growl from the Turian. Now, Shepard had kissed quite a few times, had even played around a little once or twice when she had been a teen on Earth with one of the other gang members, but she'd always tensed up and stopped the moment that the guy had tried to touch her womanhood under her clothes. And no she'd never really used her mouth on anyone before. The act had always seemed...nasty. But for some reason, the thought of doing that for Garrus didn't gross her out as much as it should have. Did Turians even have penises? That was a curious thought indeed. She'd never really looked into Turian anatomy, even in military academy. She wasn't a medic so knowing that sort of thing hadn't been part of her curriculum. There was no way in hell that she was asking him about it. Her face flushed faintly and she looked down at her feet almost shyly. "So...now what?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," He chuckled, one of his hands moving to cup the side of her cheek, his thumb tracing her lower lip gently. The human sighed softly, a sudden worry growing in her chest and noticing the change in her eyes as she looked up at him, Garrus asked," What's bothering you?"

"I...okay, if...If we are going to do this, I need to know that it's not just for fun. I don't think I could handle that," She admitted after a moment of gathering her nerve. Despite her nerves, she managed to look determined and fairly serious. Garrus chuckled softly, earning a dark look from her. He lowered his forehead to hers, the human blinking up at him in confusion.

"Shepard, do you honestly think that I would ever toy with you like that?" Was his question, his voice rough with possession, causing a shudder to work through her, "I have far too much respect for you to want you only for this sort of thing. You are the only thing in this Universe that gives me direction, that guides my sights and the closest friend I've ever had. I've already lost you once to death, I am damn sure not going to lose you because of something as stupid as me reacting to hormones."

He was surprised to see a misting of tears building in her eyes, the red head biting her lower lip as she attempted to process what she'd heard. With a relieved noise, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug, ignoring the bite of his armor against her unprotected body. Garrus sighed in relief, his arms wrapping about her in a loose hug to prevent from damaging her.

"Good, because I'd shoot you if you did," She replied finally, her voice muffled by his neck. He laughed outright then, setting her back on her feet and pulling back enough to look down into her glowing eyes.

"It's a deal, Commander."

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A/n:: xD I feel slightly dirty after writing this for some reason.