No matter how hard she tried, Shepard couldn't focus. Victus was saying something about turian hierarchy and all Shepard could think about was Garrus. When she set course for Menae, she had never expected to see him, and retrospectively, she realised how stupid that was. Of course, he was going to be here.
He had practically swaggered towards her when she'd seen him, and god it should not have been as hot as it was. For all she knew, Garrus had moved on. The handshake he'd given her was clearly platonic, but that didn't mean anything. They had been surrounded by turians, and it had been a time to be professional.
She still worried though. What if he had moved on? Maybe he'd found some turian woman, who was biologically suited to him. She should move on too...
But she couldn't. Every time she looked at him, she thought of his talons on her skin, his hot breath on her shoulder, his hips between her thighs. She felt heat rush up her neck, and focused on Victus. He was telling a story about the war, and Shepard wasn't sure how she should be reacting, but getting turned on probably wasn't the desired response. She nodded, and tried to ignore Garrus, stood next to her, their armour clicking together when they shifted.
Shepard thought back to the first night her and Garrus had been together. How they'd started off as nervous as teenagers losing their virginity, and how they'd ended up acting like experienced consorts. She thought of how well she'd slept that night, and how badly she'd slept ever since.
"Lola?" Vega asked, bringing Shepard back to reality.
With a rush of embarrassment, Shepard realised everyone was looking at her. Victus, Garrus, Vega, and Liara all stared at her in confusion, and in Garrus's case, amusement. She cleared her throat and tried to remember what was said last. Had someone asked her a question? Had she accidentally moaned Garrus's name? Why was everyone staring at her?
"Yeah?" She asked.
"The shuttle's here." Liara said, knitting her brow in confusion. She gestured to the right, and Shepard saw the shuttle waiting. She wondered how long it'd been there.
"Oh, right." Shepard said. She heard Garrus let out a breathy laugh, and she shot a glare at him. He looked away, pretending he wasn't laughing at her idiocy, and she said, "Let's go then."
She ushered Victus and her crew towards the shuttle. Liara was shooting suspicious looks between Garrus and Shepard, and Shepard pretended not to notice. Victus got on first, followed by Liara and Vega. Shepard stepped up to the shuttle.
Garrus caught her arm, sending a shock of electricity even through the armour. She spun to face him, and his mandibles moved outwards. She admired the way the sun shone on his scars, they were healing slightly.
She'd missed him.
"Shepard." He said, and a shiver ran down her spine. She'd never get over the way he said her name.
"Uh, yeah?" She asked, as eloquent as ever.
"I have, uh, some data about the reapers. Thought you might want to see it before we leave." Garrus said. There was something in his voice she couldn't quite place. Like he was trying to tell her something, without saying it aloud.
"Data on the reapers?" She asked, arching one eyebrow.
"Yes." Garrus said, slightly tightening his grip on her arm. He jerked his head to one side, "It's back at my terminal."
In that moment, Shepard realised just what Garrus was saying, and a smile crept across her face. She cleared her throat, and nodded, trying to look as professional as possible. He released her arm, his mandibles flaring in a smile.
She turned back to the shuttle, "Cortez, get them back to the Normandy. We'll be back soon."
Victus was watching her, and Shepard wondered if he knew. He was more adept at reading turian body language than she was, could he tell what Garrus was hinting at? She met his eyes confidently. If he knew, he didn't say anything.
"Yes, Commander. When should I come back for you?" Cortez asked.
"Twenty minutes." Garrus said.
"Make it thirty." Shepard said, shooting a look at Garrus.
She tapped the side of the shuttle, and stepped away from the door when it began to close. Garrus and Shepard stood still while the shuttle left. As soon as it was out of sight, Garrus grabbed Shepard's arm and pulled her away. She laughed at his eagerness, and allowed herself to be pulled along.
He dropped his hand when they passed a group of turians. They all saluted to Garrus, and Shepard looked at him in question. He shrugged, "I told you I was the reaper expert."
"And as humble as ever." Shepard said.
"Well, I'm no Commander Shepard." Garrus said.
"There's only one of me." Shepard said, stepping close enough to Garrus to hit her shoulder into his.
"Yes, there is." Garrus said, glancing down at her.
They arrived at the barracks, and Garrus unlocked the door with his omnitool. The two of them walked in, and Shepard was so grateful it was empty. She paid no attention to the rows of turian beds, or the way the sunlight filtered in the windows, or the terminal she was supposed to be looking at, all she focused on was Garrus.
"So, I'm not sure what the protocol is here." Garrus said, taking a step closer to Shepard, "You haven't... Not that I would mind, but you haven't found someone else, have you? My scars are beginning to heal, but I could get more if you asked."
"I haven't found anyone else." Shepard said with a smile. She took a step closer to Garrus, and ran a finger down his scarred mandible, "What about you? Have any turian women come to usurp me?"
"Really, Shepard? Who could possibly compare to you?" Garrus asked, taking her hand.
His hand was warm and solid, and she desperately wanted to get his armour off. They'd already lost enough time getting to the barracks. At this rate, Cortez would come back before they even kissed. Sure, they could continue this meeting in her cabin, but out here, in the field, it was a lot more thrilling. Plus the ride from Menae to the Normandy was too long for her to wait.
"That's what a girl wants to hear." Shepard said. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, and Garrus leaned down catching her mouth with his.
It started out tentative. As though they were both testing the water, seeing how far the other wanted to go. Shepard wanted to go all the way, and she didn't want to wait any longer. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, arching her body into his. There was far too much armour between them.
A low growl started in the back of Garrus's throat, and his hands gripped her waist tightly, pulling her closer, crushing her against him. Shepard ran kisses along his scarred mandible, tasting his skin. All of a sudden, it was too much. She shoved him away, and his hip bumped against the side of a bed.
"Take off your armour." Shepard ordered, already fiddling with the clasp of her armour.
"How much time do we have?" Garrus asked.
"Cortez will wait." She said, chucking her armour to the floor unceremoniously, "I won't."
"That's what a guy wants to hear." Garrus said, closing the distance between them in a matter of steps.
They were out of their armour, just wearing the underclothes, and Shepard wondered if anyone would need the barracks soon. Then Garrus lifted her with ease and propped her up on the terminal, and all thoughts left her head. She pulled her shirt over her head. He shoved down his pants, and then yanked hers down too, brushing her skin with the back of his talons.
A smile lifted her lips, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, dragging him closer. She ran a finger down his chest, down his stomach, and over the guard plates on his crotch. They were loose already, and when she pressed harder they opened wider, allowing her to touch the tip of his cock. He was breathing heavily now, and he dug his talons into her thighs.
She coaxed his cock out, wrapping her fingers around the shaft, making him growl. His hips bucked, when she ran her hand up and down. His hand left her thigh, and he circled his talon around her nipple. He knew how hot she was, how wet she was, how badly she wanted him. His hand left her breast and found her clitoris, rubbing with just enough pressure to make her thighs tighten around him.
She gasped when he made contact, and arched her hips up as best she could. She let go of his cock, and his hips bucked again, a whine escaping his throat. He used his hand to guide himself inside her, not able to wait another second. He went slowly, getting the right angle.
He stopped when the tip was inside, and Shepard breathed hard, heart pounding against her chest. The terminal was cold beneath her, and Garrus was so hot. He looked into her eyes, and thrust the rest of the way in, in one go, making Shepard gasp. He bent forward and sunk his teeth into her shoulders, forcing a moan from her lips.
She didn't care how loud she was being, she didn't care that Cortez was probably waiting for her, all she cared about was getting Garrus deeper inside her, allowing him to fill her up completely.
His mouth plates pressed against her neck. His mandibles ghosted across her skin, sending shivers down her spine. He pulled out of her, halfway, and shoved back inside. He got into a rhythm, rough and hard, making her gasp and moan. He growled, groaned her name, nipped at her neck.
Garrus gripped Shepard's hips and pulled her closer, forcing her to lean further back so she didn't slip off the terminal. The angle provided friction against her clitoris, pushing her closer to her orgasm. She held onto his waist with her legs, and dug her nails into his neck, under his fringe.
Shepard's thighs were chafing against Garrus's rough skin, her arse was moving up and down the terminal with every thrust. She didn't care though. She just wanted to get off, she wanted to get closer to Garrus, impossibly close.
She braced herself against the terminal, thrusting her hips back into him. They were being ridiculously loud, and Shepard hoped so badly her comm wasn't broadcasting this to her entire crew. Then again, she and Garrus weren't exactly known for their silence, the crew had all been there before the Collector Base.
"Fuck, Garrus." She said, sounding breathless.
"Shepard." Garrus said, hot breath in her ear, "Spirits, Shepard, you're so hot."
He entwined his talons in her hair, pulling gently but firmly on the roots. She moved enough to smash their mouths together in a kiss that was all hot breath, and teeth, and desperation. She kissed her way along his jaw, along his mandibles, and down to the softer part of his neck.
"I missed you, Garrus." She said, nipping at his neck, and it was enough to send him over the edge.
He jerked against her, reaching the peak of his orgasm. Garrus was so beautiful when he came. Shepard thrust her hips faster, locking her ankles behind him. Her orgasm came all at once, and she called his name, but it fell away into a series of mumbled moans. He was still growling and the sound sent her heart rocketing in her chest.
She rode him, savouring every last second of her orgasm. When she was done, exhaustion washed over her. She lay back, flat against the terminal, and Garrus slid out of her. He leaned over her, trailing his talon down her chest, leaving a pink line on her skin.
"I missed you too, Shepard." Garrus said softly.
"I know." She grinned.
He pressed his forehead to hers, then leaned back and offered his hand to her. She accepted it, and allowed him to pull her up off the terminal. She leaned against him. He smelt so familiar, like home. She was about to lean up and kiss him for the hundredth time, when a buzz came from across the room.
Together, her and Garrus turned to her armour helmet, where her comm was buzzing. They shared a guilty look and she ran over and scooped up her helmet. Garrus began to quickly redress, while Shepard clicked on her comm, only half dressed.
"Commander? Come in, Commander." Cortez's voice begged, he sounded desperate and really worried. Guilt flooded Shepard's chest, she wondered just how worried her crew was.
"Cortez, we're on our way." Shepard said.
"Oh thank god! What happened?" Cortez asked. Shepard glanced at Garrus, who was scooping up her armour.
"I'll tell you when we get back." Shepard said, wondering what exactly she was going to tell Cortez.
She clicked off the comm, and redressed in record time. She looked around the barracks, and tried to see if there was any sign of her and Garrus's reunion. There was nothing immediately obvious. Satisfied their little romp would remain a secret, Shepard and Garrus left the room and headed back to the extraction point.
"So," Garrus said, his mandibles flaring in a smirk, "What took us so long?"
"Uh... husks?" Shepard asked, laughing.
Garrus shook his head, "It'll never work. No one would believe Shepard and Vakarian got waylaid by husks."
"The data was really hard to decipher." Shepard said.
"It was really hard." Garrus let out a breathy laugh.
The turians saluted to Garrus again as he walked past, and shot suspicious looks between the two of them. Shepard wondered how messy her hair was, and how red her lips were. Garrus laughed, and brushed his hand against hers.
"Do you think they heard?" He asked.
"Oh god, I hope not. That is the last thing I need in this war." Shepard said.
"I don't know, it might rally the troops. Give them a reason to fight." Garrus mused.
"Hearing me orgasm gives them a reason to fight?" Shepard asked, arching one eyebrow at him.
Garrus shrugged, "Works for me."
Shepard shoved her shoulder into Garrus, clacking their armour together. The shuttle came into view, and the two of them picked up speed. They boarded the shuttle with a quick greeting to Cortez, and they set off back to the Normandy.
Cortez, Vega, and Liara stopped them in the shuttle bay. Shepard had been hoping to head back to her cabin with Garrus for round two, but it didn't look like she'd get a chance. All three of them looked worried, and once again Shepard worried her post-orgasm glow would give her away.
"What happened!" Liara asked in a shrill voice.
"We were five minutes away from coming after you two." Vega said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"We..." Shepard trailed off, glancing nervously at Garrus. She was usually so good at lying, what had happened to her?
"The data was bigger than expected." Garrus said, and Shepard narrowed her eyes at him. How the hell was he keeping a straight face?
Liara looked at Shepard and Garrus, suspicion evident on her face. Shepard realised she knew. Whether it was because she was so adept at reading human and turian body signals, or just because she knew Shepard and Garrus well, she knew. Shepard smiled innocently at her, and Liara just shook her head.
Vega looked between Liara and Shepard. He glanced at Garrus, then over to Cortez, "What'd I miss?"
"Hey Garrus is back!" Joker's voice buzzed over the intercom, momentarily saving Shepard from the questioning.
"Miss me, Joker?" Garrus asked.
"Not as much as the Commander missed you, I'll bet. Didn't think you'd last that long after six months." Joker broadcasted to the entire ship.
Heat flooded Shepard's neck, she was going to kill Joker. Liara put her hand over her face. Garrus coughed and looked away from Shepard, off towards the elevator, as though he was considering making a run for it. Vega looked between Garrus and Shepard with a dawning realisation.
"You two..." Vega let out a low whistle, "Jesus, Lola, didn't know you had it in you."
"She's had it in-"
"Right. Back to work." Shepard said, interrupting Garrus, before this situation got even worse for her. She glanced up at the ceiling, "Joker, it's about time we had a talk about what is and isn't appropriate."
"You're right, Commander, it's about time you learn that too." Joker shot back.
"I... deserved that." Shepard muttered.
She sidestepped Liara, and headed for the elevator, wondering how she was ever going to face her crew again. Then Garrus joined her in the elevator, and her thoughts turned to her cabin. She slipped her hand into his when the doors closed, and smiled up at him.
"It's nice to have you back on the ship, Vakarian." Shepard said.
"It's nice to be back, Shepard." Garrus said, squeezing her hand.
