Domestic Bliss - Chapter One
It was a bright and sunny morning; the trees were still outside the windows. It was beautifully quiet in the cabin, just the sound of the fire crackling in the main room cut through the silence. Shepard took a deep breath and rolled up her sleeves, "These dishes won't do themselves…" she muttered before getting to work. She wished they'd rented the upgraded cabin now but at the time it seemed like enough to have electricity, running hot water and high speed extranet.
Half way through the affair she looked down at herself and smiled; N7 sweatshirt with a black tank underneath, jeans and bare feet. Her hair was tied into a loose pony tail, strands falling into her face as she worked. The great Commander Shepard reduced to the dishwasher, she laughed.
"What's so funny?" Her partner asked as he strolled into the kitchen, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. His mandible fluttered against her cheek. Shepard sighed and turned around to face Garrus.
"What the hell happened to us?" She gestured all-encompassing the room.
He chuckled, "Well that's a long story. The short version is you attempted to cook." Shepard huffed and playfully backhanded his chest, "Ok, ok. You successfully cooked." He pulled her into a tight hug, "Did you want to go out to look for a tree today?"
"You remembered." She smiled and he nodded against her shoulder murmuring an affirmation. "Just let me finish up here then we'll go. You had better start getting dressed now; it looks like a chilly one today."
Not ten minutes later were the two of them leaving the cabin in search of their first Christmas tree. They walked hand in hand through the snow, snow shoes helping to keep them on top of the near three feet below them. They'd borrowed the cabin from the Alenko family for a week. It was their second vacation together; the first had been to someplace tropical during their recovery.
The Reaper War had been devastating physically to the both of them. Numerous broken bones and cracked plates, third degree burns, and for Shepard the loss of a leg. Modern medicine and cybernetic implants, once reactivated, helped the process immensely. Doctor Chakwas with Miranda's help was able to build Shepard a new leg about six months after the war. But recovery was a bitch; she still had a slight limp even after a full year with it.
Garrus' injuries weren't quite as apparent as Shepard's, he still had the massive scarring from the gunship which had only been added to in the war but it was the internal damage that really hit hard. In the final push, when the Mako all but landed on top of him and Liara he'd taken shrapnel to the chest and punctured a lung. Combined with the smoke inhalation he had never healed properly.
Sedentary wasn't a good word to describe their lifestyle now but it was close enough compared to their old lives. They still worked out daily but that was nothing in comparison with years of toting heavy armour and weaponry. Shepard had finished her workouts on occasion by collapsing. Garrus had similarly done so but with greater consequences. Where ice and a day or two off her leg would be enough, Garrus' collapse tended to result in a day or two in the ICU.
They walked through the snow covered forest silently. Snow crunching beneath their boots, birds chirping overhead. The pace was slow; neither of them had ever worn snowshoes before. Not five minutes out Garrus pointed to a large pine tree that must have been thirty feet tall, "How about that?"
Shepard laughed, "And how will we get that back to the cottage? Let alone fit it inside?"
He turned to look at her, "Says the women who has never had a Christmas tree. We'll just cut the top off!" They laughed together.
"I may have been raised on a colony without evergreens but I do know what a Christmas tree looks like, Garrus. Plus! You've never had one either, or do turians celebrate Christmas now?" Garrus shook his head. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along, "Come on, we will find one eventually."
Garrus allowed himself to be dragged along, "I'm still not entirely sure about this tradition Shepard. Aren't trees meant to be outdoors?"
She pouted, "I've always wanted to have a traditional Christmas Garrus. Plus once we get back we can have hot drinks by the fire and well… I'm sure you remember how much fun last night was."
Suddenly Garrus took off, jogging a few steps before turning around, "Well then what are we standing around here for?" Shepard laughed and darted after him. After a few minutes they slowed to a walk again, Garrus panting in the cold air.
Shepard reached a hand up to cup his mandible, "Deep breaths hun." She took a few steadying breaths herself, "The air up here is thinner than the ship air we're used to."
He shivered, "Colder too." Shepard wrapped an arm around his waist as they walked, sharing her body heat with him.
"I'm sorry Garrus. We can go back and pick up a tree in town tomorrow…"
"No. We are going to do this right." He huffed. He straightened and looked around. Pointing to a tree on top of a small hill he asked, "What about that one?"
Shepard couldn't help but grin, it was the same tree that she'd shown him when Garrus had asked about Christmas, a Douglas fir. The tree was about seven feet tall, nearly half a foot taller than Garrus. "It's perfect."
Garrus grabbed the saw from the sled they had been dragging. "So… I've never done this before."
The human laughed, "Neither have I. I guess we should get some of the snow off before we start hacking away, right?"
"You can have that honour," he gave her a turian grin. "I'm cold enough as it is. And I don't think you hack with a saw…."
The walk back to the cabin was slow and uneventful. They trudged back with their first Christmas tree on the sled that Shepard pulled along. Garrus had tried to pull it on his own but Shepard had intervened under the guise of, 'this is my tradition, on turian Christmas you can pull the tree home.' He had given in without much of a fight this time, he hated feeling useless but if he overdid it he would ruin their vacation.
Snow was just starting to fall as they arrived back. Together they carried the tree inside and stood it up in the main room by the fireplace. The Alenko's had left a box of Christmas decorations at the cabin, in which there was a tree stand. After some fumbling around they managed to make it work and the tree was ready to rest. Next began the arduous task of getting out of their outdoor clothing. Shepard stripped off her jacket, hat, mitts, boots and scarf in a matter of seconds, Garrus on the other hand? Not so much. "Need some help big guy?" she asked.
Garrus grunted as he pulled off his second boot, "I'm fine."
She gave him a sidelong look and raised a brow, "right..." Instead of backing off she smoothed a hand across his fringe effectively pushing off his hood. As she pressed her forehead to his her hands worked their way down his chest, unlatching the clasps as she went. He melted in into her touch, his hands wrapping around her waist and pulling her into his chest. Without missing a beat she continued their intimate moment by kissing him deeply.
Garrus moaned into her mouth as their tongues danced. Continuing her trek up his chest she was able to push the thick jacket down her lover's arms. He only broke the embrace for a second to divest himself of it. When he wrapped her up again he pulled her into his lap, her knees hitting the bench on either side of his lap. The thermal layer was the next to go, both sets of hands worked at the other's sweatshirts. The zipper of Shepard's N7 sweater came down easily and the clasps on Garrus' popped open just as fast. It was a frantic game to reach skin now.
Shepard shivered as a cold taloned hand snuck under her tank top and bra to caress her breasts. She broke the kiss with a throaty moan, her head falling back and she pressed her chest into his hand. Garrus smiled and tweaked a nipple between his talons. His other hand snaked its way around her lower back and lightly scratched up her spine.
She always looked beautiful to him but with her head lolled back and eyes closed in bliss he felt his heart melt a little. It wasn't long before her hips ground forward into his and she found the sensitive spot under his fringe with her talented hands. Garrus' hand had reached the back of her head under Shepard's shirt and he pulled it off swiftly, throwing it to the side with the rest of their clothing. His last two layers followed her shirt and as skin pressed against skin they both relaxed completely.
The last few years had been the toughest the galaxy had ever known; Saren, the Collectors, the reapers, recovery and rebuilding. Not to mention Shepard dying and Garrus falling into his other persona, Archangel. It wasn't as though either of them had had it easy before that either, turians started military service at 15 years-old and Shepard had her fair share of problems with the batarians both on Mindoir and during the Blitz. No… life was never easy for this pair but finally they could let it all go.
Lips met plates and wandering hands started to move further south. Shepard ran her hands over her lover's shoulders and chest, smoothing away the tension. Garrus had other ideas though, one hand still massaged Shepard's breasts but the other efficiently unfastened her belt and pants before a long taloned finger was able to ghost its way over her bud. He couldn't help but smirk when he heard the tiny intake of breath, "A little excited, love?" He chuckled, the rumble setting off another moan from Shepard.
She ventured from his mouth to kiss her way down his jawline. "Only as much as you," she murmured in between kisses before grinding her hips into his and into his hand. That got a groan out of him.
"Not fair. You've got the vantage point."
"Well then, you'll just have to take the advantage then. Won't you?" She teased before gently nipping at his neck. His groan lowered to a more constant rumble of pleasure and instead of flipping her like she thought he might Garrus stayed put.
"I think I can make this position work," he pulled back from her slightly. "Just need these off?" He tugged at her waist band. She stood and obliged him, pulling her jeans and panties off in one go. While she was busy he raised his hips and pulled his own pants and long johns off. The turian was quick to pull his lover back onto of his lap. "Much better," he said as he kissed and nipped her neck, stopping to bite lightly in the junction between her shoulder and neck. That got a hearty moan out of her.
Again her hips moved against his, this time his cock wasn't restricted by his clothing and it came forth from his slit. Deft fingers played across the velvet skin and he relished the feeling. One of his hands kept her steady on top of him, his other found its way back to her bud and he drew lazy circles over it with his knuckle, ever mindful of the sharp talon tipping his finger.
As their breathing quickened in time with each other they moved again to allow Shepard to seat herself over Garrus' member. It was larger than a human males' but not impossible if she was prepared, and slick as she was he slid right in to the hilt. Both parties gasped and held onto one another for support. It didn't seem to matter how many times they coupled, it was always breathtaking. When Shepard was ready she rocked her hips against his and started to move herself in slow deliberate strokes over him.
Garrus guided her with his hands on her hips, keeping her motion steady and deliberately slow. There was time for aggressive, quick love but not today. Today was for each smooth motion, every little hitch of breath, every sigh and moan. Today was for them.
When Shepard neared completion her movements became jerky and uneven as always, Garrus held her hips fast and thrust up into her instead. The thrusts were shallow but the angle was perfect to hit that glorious little spot inside her every time. In a matter of five thrusts she was whining for her release, "Garrus… please… just a little more… oh right there! Oh don't stop! OHHHH!"
He winced as her tunnel constricted around his shaft, the pleasure of her moist heat almost making him tumble over the edge. But her words kept him from coming just yet, "That's it. Let it go. Come for me Jane…." At the sound of him purring into her ear she came, long and hard. Her hands tightened almost painfully against his shoulders, her hips ground forward into his, and she constricted tightly around his cock as she finally released. Another half thrust and Garrus was dragged over the edge as well, pulling his love tightly against his chest and roaring his own release.
After a minute of panting against each other Shepard pulled her head up enough to press her forehead against his. They embraced listening to nothing but the silence of the forest and the crackling of the wood stove.
This was truly domestic bliss.
-Hope you enjoyed it!