Tender Lovin'

Shepard had never been this nervous about a date with someone after she'd already slept with him, but then nothing about this relationship had gone along traditional lines. She shook her head as she realized how even thinking about this date was making her pulse race. What was it about Garrus that made her feel like she was an anxious teenager all over again?

She opened her travel bag and considered her options. Shepard was a woman who was familiar with her body and not ashamed of it. There were times when gentle probing and stroking, taking her time to build up to a mind-shattering series of orgasms was called for, but this was not one of those times. For one thing, it would make her late. She took out the old reliable big, black vibrator. One of her first boyfriends had bought it for her and had quickly become so jealous of the its ability to make her cum in less than a minute, through her uniform no less, that he'd demanded she get rid of it. She'd dumped the boyfriend and kept the toy instead.

Shepard turned on the shower and tested the vibe to make sure the batteries were still alive while she waited for the water to reach the right temperature. Her robe fell to the floor as she slipped into the shower and took her time lathering up. The heft of her breasts, slippery and wet in her hands was always a turn on, and as memories of past lovers flashed in her mind her hands lazily down her body past the curve of her hip and up the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. Again and again she returned to that first time with Garrus, remembering the awkward discovery of each other's body both as both slightly embarrassing and highly erotic. Her fingers stroked her lower lips as she remembered the first time she'd heard that fierce cry as he came inside her and suddenly she was ready.

Laying the rubber cock lengthwise down her slit, she flicked it on. The vibrator was so powerful she didn't even need direct contact with her clit for her eyes to roll back and her knees to go weak. Her hips moved with a mind of their own, grinding against the vibe as she leaned on the wall of the shower. She moaned and writhed, wanting both to press the vibe harder to her sex and wanting to jerk away from it because the pleasure was too intense. Moments later she saw stars exploding behind her eyes as she came fiercely, biting her lip to keep from crying out as she dropped the vibe and slid down to the floor of the shower. She panted as she smiled, her tension and anxiety melting away in the aftermath.

Now satisfied and much calmer, Shepard got ready with military efficiency. She left her hair loose and slipped on the dress she'd bought just for this night. It'd taken what felt like forever to decide, but she had settled on a deep crimson number that draped nicely across her curves, softening the effect of a body made hard through combat and training. The shape of the low neckline with its raised, braided detailing had struck her as vaguely turian.

She capped off the outfit with some strappy black heels and a cuff bracelet before making her way to the meeting place; a private dining room -- a rather posh one in soothing cool tones and dreamy lighting. She'd saved the owners' two sons from Batarian slavers a couple of years back and they had been begging her to come stay at their resort ever since and promised her as much privacy as she wanted. So when she declared a week of shore leave a couple of months after going through the Omega Relay, it'd seemed the perfect place to get away to with Garrus.

Shepard stood by the fountain, appreciating the sound that helped drown out the sound of chatter from the rest of the restaurant. She heard the door open behind her and waited a moment for him to enter before turning to greet him. She could feel his gaze drinking her in before he moved to her. "Very nice, Shepard, you look... very nice," he said bashfully. She reached up to stroke the side of his face. "Thank you, you're looking quite handsome yourself," she teased gently. He wore formal turian attire in shades of blue and grey and she admired the way it hugged his form. His mandibles twitched in a way she had learned meant that he was pleased. “You sure about that? I couldn't find a matching med-patch,” he joked. Shepard gave him a wry look and he chuckled.

"I like that about you," he said as they moved to the table and he pulled out her chair, "When I'm around others all they see are the scars and the missing pieces, even when they try not to. When you look at me, you just see Garrus.” He affectionately squeezed her shoulder before taking his seat.

They raised a glass of wine to the Normandy-2 and started in on their appetizers; a light seafood dish for Shepard and some sort of near-raw meat presentation for Garrus. Compliments towards the cook were made by both parties and they engaged in some light small talk; notes on their surroundings, gossip about Kelly's sexual activities, speculation on the increasingly obvious relationship between Joker and EDI. Glasses were refilled and main courses served as time slipped by, barely noticed as the two partners enjoyed an unguarded evening with no imminent threats.

Maybe the wine was hitting her a little faster than she was used to, but as Garrus talked earnestly and in too much detail about his latest batch of calibrations she was overtaken by the urge to tease him. She put on a look of rapt attention and leaned forward, one hand under her chin and the other arm under her breasts, pushing them up until they threatened to spring free. It didn't take long before she noticed him take a quick glance. Then another.

"You know, you used to think they were weird," she interrupted. He jerked up in surprise and then sputtered with laughter. "They are weird, but they're also fun. Bouncy." They grinned at once another before returning their attention to the meal. The companionable silence stretched into minutes and began to turn awkward before Garrus cleared his throat.

Garrus looked at his plate for several long seconds. "I told you before that I don't have a human fetish, and that's still true. When I look at someone, I am looking for clean, sharp angles and proud lines that speak of strength of will and body. You are all softness and curves." He paused again and Shepard was unwilling to speak for fear that she might shatter the fragile moment.

"But I've found there is a certain beauty in that, beauty that I don't see anywhere but when I look at you. You always move with graceful purpose, your posture speaks of your pride and will. Watching you in motion sometimes takes my breath away." He finally brought his eyes up to meet Shepard's and she could see the honesty in their blue depths. "You are an incredibly stunning creature."

Shepard was aware that her mouth had gone dry, and her hand wavered a bit as she raised her glass of wine for a sip. His eyes remained locked on hers, wanting an answer. "This thing between us means a lot to me, Shepard. I can't pretend it doesn't. I don't want to treat it lightly, and I don't want it to end. But if you don't want to get serious then we need to end it now before I get too invest--"

"I don't want it to end either," she interjected, cutting him off.

"I was dead, Garrus. I can remember realizing that I was spaced, I died pissed off that I was going to have to leave the fight unfinished. Then I was back. But two years were gone. They told me all my old crew had moved on and I had to fight the Reapers with a crew of Cerberus spies and sociopaths instead of the team I built, the team I trusted." Shepard looked away, her eyes distant with memory. "And then I found you. The years hadn't been easy for you, but you were still the man I remembered as the best friend I'd ever had. Almost losing you again that quickly was horrible," she shook her head, a hitch in her voice, "just horrible. But you made it and that brought back my confidence, let me be a real leader again."

"I feel at ease when you're by my side. The galaxy is a lonely, boring place without you," she finished. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and she could tell from the way his mandibles lay slack that he was surprised.

"Shepard, I never knew--" "Of course not," she turned to him with a half smile. "I was figuring out what that meant. I still am. But then you told me that damn story and I just couldn't help myself." She laughed and after a moment Garrus started to chuckle. "You were adorable, you know," she grinned, grabbing his his hand across the table for a small squeeze. "Whatever happens, I have no regrets about taking that chance with you."

"Are you sure, Shepard? There are things I can't give you," he spoke slowly, as if the words were being torn from him unwillingly and she could read the doubt in his posture. "I hope you don't mean children," her voice was firm, her brow furrowed. "If I do decide I want kids, there's a lot of ways around it that don't mean leaving you, and there's is no guarantee that I'll ever want them. I've never been domestic."

Garrus shook his head, "I was thinking more about little, every day things. Like kissing."

"Look, kissing is a learned behavior. It's only so widespread among humans because the cultures that embraced it were also conquerors. There are still a few isolated human cultures that don't practice it, it's not an intrinsic part of life as a human." She could see that history wasn't the right way to reach him, so she changed her angle of attack. "What all humans need, what I need, is intimacy, closeness and touch. A partner to rely on during good times and bad. You give that to me.” She grabbed his hand again, firmly, willing him to hear her conviction and believe her. “Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good, Garrus. In human relationships there is no such thing as perfect and what we have is very, very good.”

Before he could reply, the door hissed open quietly and the servers arrived to deliver desserts, but she could see in his eyes and his posture that she had made her point.

“What I worry about, Garrus, is the privacy,” Shepard sighed and rubbed spot between her eyes that tended to furrow when she was frustrated. “I don't want you to be a secret, but I also know the potential costs. I weigh them every day. I think the crew would adapt, most of them like you and hell, most of them will accept any eccentricity on my part as long as I keep winning. But this becoming public,” she shook her head angrily, “could cost us support.”

Garrus snorted. “Not that the Council is giving us any support right now.”

Shepard grinned ruefully. “Not right now they aren't, but eventually the Reapers are going to enter occupied space, and we're the only ones who have any knowledge of how to hit them. But they might be short-sighted enough to play politics with my personal life instead of getting things done, and we both know it.” He could practically feel the agitation rolling off of Shepard in waves. “I don't like asking this of you, I know it's not fair. It's stupid and petty. But if we defeat the Reapers,” she stopped and corrected herself in a more firm voice, “when we defeat the Reapers, I am prepared to tell the Council to go screw themselves if they make an issue of it and go spend some time cleaning up the Terminus systems until they come to their senses.”

She growled under her breath, a sound Garrus found incredibly alluring, while running a hand through her hair before looking him in the eyes. “Is that– can you live with that for now? If you say no, I understand and I won't ask again but--”

“When the mission is on this scale, Shepard, I know that it comes first,” he replied in soothing tones. “It's good knowing that you aren't ashamed of this, I can wait,” his good mandible twitched into a full smile, the damaged one only making it halfway. “It gives me time to figure out how I'm going to prepare for things on my end,” he finished, thinking of his father. He was rewarded with a beatific smile and Shepard's relief was tangible. They spent the rest of the dinner speaking of lighter matters. When they finally quit the table they walked hand in hand, not caring who among the anonymous guests might see them.

There were multiple paths through the exotic garden on the way back to Shepard's hotel room and they chose one of the longer paths. The night air was fragrant and the bio-luminescent blooms of the native trees cast just enough light to navigate by. They walked mostly in silence, Garrus's arm draped over Shepard's shoulders and hers wound around his narrow waist, her head resting in the crook of his shoulder. The weight of words unspoken hung over them.

As they rounded a bend in the path they could hear the faint chords of music playing in the distance. “Sounds like a turian wedding party,” Garrus commented. “Those high notes are certainly something,” Shepard smirked, “But the rhythm is nice.” He suddenly swept her into his arms and began to dance. “It's considered bad luck if a couple doesn't dance at your wedding.”

Shepard had to laugh. “We aren't at their wedding.”

He spun Shepard out and her free hand brushed against the branch of one of the flowering trees, bringing down a shower of faintly glowing petals around the pair. His eyes crinkled with good humor and his mandibles twitched mischievously. “Did I remember to tell you that you are beautiful?”

“Yes you di--” he cut her off mid-sentence, spinning her back in where he closed his arms around her gently and swayed in time to the music. “Good,” he murmured as he nuzzled her hair, his breath hot on her scalp. Shepard wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer to him, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the closeness until the song came to an end. As they parted, she ran her fingertips lightly over the bare, sensitive skin of his neck and she could see the fire in his eyes as they briefly pressed their foreheads together.

“You know, you're becoming very good at being seductive,” she said in a husky voice as they stepped back on to the path. As she wrapped one arm around his waist, she very gently pinched his side between the plates there and rolled the soft flesh between her fingers and was rewarded with a growl of arousal from Garrus. She'd discovered that turians had erogenous zones in all sorts of unexpected places.

“I've had a very patient subject to experiment with,” he returned, running his long fingers through her hair. She had to laugh but pulled him closer as she did it. “You're getting there.”

The room was dim as they entered, the only light coming from the three moons that hung low in the sky outside. The distance between them closed as he stroked her back and she rubbed his hips. Garrus felt his mouth go dry as he opened it to speak. “I know you said that you don't mind, ah, a little roughness. But tonight,” he turned his head away shyly, overcome with the impact of recently confessed emotions, “I really don't want to hurt you.”

Shepard felt herself flush with affection for her lover and turned his face back to hers, brushing her lips across his mouth. “It's ok, I have some of those oils that Mordin's always pushing on me, we can try those.” She crossed the room to her travel bag and took out a tube and tossed it to Garrus. He turned it over in his hands, “So, how's this supposed to work?”

Shepard took a step towards him and lowered the straps of her dress off her shoulders. With a shrug it slid to the ground. Garrus's mandibles twitched as his eyes traveled her nude figure. “You apply it anywhere there's going to be,” she smirked lasciviously, “contact.”

He started at her shoulders, then slid his oil-slick hands down her back. The oil felt cool on her skin next to the heat of the turian and the contrasting temperatures made her skin even more sensitive. He pulled her close as his hands traveled down to her buttocks and she could feel the hard line of his growing erection against her stomach. She gave a throaty laugh as he fondled each cheek, squeezing them as he explored her body. Then his hands were circling around her, oiling up her belly, slipping up between her breasts before engulfing them. He took his time, pouring the oil directly on her breasts before massaging them. Shepard moaned as he tried to pinch her nipples, the feel of slick skin on skin driving her wild.

“Garrus, I--” “Wait, have to make sure we get your thighs,” he cut her off with heated look and he slowly sank down to his knees. He started at the knees, ever so slowly working his way up each leg. Halfway up he gently spread Shepard's legs so he could better attack her inner thighs and he rubbed them slowly, enjoying her torment. She could feel his hot breath on her sex and the sensation was slowly making her lose her mind. Finally he reached the apex and swiped one of his slender fingers against her slit. “Seems we don't need any oil there,” he teased.

“Garrus--” Shepard started, voice hoarse with need.

“But I better make sure,” he finished, as he spread her labia with one hand. He stroked her softly, his two fingers running along both sides of her hood, rubbing the clit hid within without exposing it. He was rewarded with a chorus of moans and groans from Shepard, sounds that made his cock almost painfully erect. He could tell from her pitch, from the way she couldn't keep from moving her hips in time with his motions, that Shepard was close, so he slipped one long digit inside her. Another pulled back her hood and an oily finger began rubbing small circles on and around her clit. He still marveled at how her sex could squeeze around him as he crooked his finger inside her, pressing against her g-spot. Shepard could no longer contain herself and she grabbed his shoulders to brace herself, pistoning her hips against his hand before shuddering and calling out wordlessly as she orgasmed hard.

As she recovered, he guided her to the bed and sat her down, then hurriedly shed his own clothes, his cock grateful to be freed from confinement. When he turned back to Shepard, she was watching him with hungry eyes and patting the bed beside her. “Get over here, sexy,” her voice was almost a growl and his body visibly reacted to it, which only made her grin wider. As soon as he sat down, she shoved his shoulders back on to the bed.

Her skin gleamed wetly in the moonlight as she pulled herself up his body until her sex was poised above his erect cock. Steadying herself with one hand on his collar plate, she lowered herself slowly, moaning as he filled her and ridge after ridge on his alien phallus rubbed her in all the right places until he finally hit her depth. She looked down at her lover with lust-filled eyes and murmured “Oh Garrus,” as she started to move, a slow and sinuous grind against that amazing cock that seemed to jump and writhe inside her.

His hands found her hips and he started to thrust in time with her motions, growling lowly as he felt her contracting around his throbbing cock. He couldn't imagine how something could be so tight and so wet simultaneously and had to fight his instincts to keep his grasp loose, his pace gentle. As his growling intensified, Shepard could feel the vibrations and she picked up the pace, grabbing his collar with both hands to keep upright as she rode him through wave after wave of ecstasy. She could feel the tension building as the ridges on his cock ground against her clit and massaged her from the inside and she couldn't hold back any longer.

“Oh Gar--” she cut herself off with a shriek of pleasure, her sex gripping him as she threw her head back, her body shivering with the intensity of her orgasm. Instead of waiting for it to pass, Garrus held on to her hips and bucked under her, riding the wave of her pleasure as he felt his own time approaching. She began to enthusiastically ride him again, calling out “Don't stop! For the love of--” and she went wild, tossing her head and grabbing his arms and grinding hard against him as she came again. Her arms were shaking and it was all she could do to stay upright as he plunged into her over and over. She moaned his name and could feel his reaction inside her. She moaned it again and took his hands from her hips, entwining her fingers with his as she started to move again, rotating her hips in circles that drove him crazy.

She looked down at her lover and their eyes met as she called his name again and he answered her with an alien roar as his cock suddenly thrashed inside her and began to pump his turian seed deep into her. That drove her over the edge a last time and she screamed wordlessly as the world receded and all that existed was the point where they were joined and the exquisite euphoria of their oneness.

After what felt like an eternity, Shepard realized she had collapsed next to Garrus. They both breathed heavily and lay there for several more moments before she slowly raised her head to look him in the eyes.

“I really do love you,” she said with a tender smile.

Part of him felt like he should be shocked, but what Garrus really felt was relief. Now he could say what had been on the tip of his tongue for far too long.

“I love you, Shepard.”

His fingers slipped between hers and they lay facing each other in silence for a long time, the world outside the room far away.