It started off as a typical afternoon. Irkiah was in her workshop, trying to cut into her queue. The deadline on a big order was quickly approaching and she was way behind schedule thanks to a certain young sere.

They'd met by chance after she'd unintentionally impeded his work, and now, with his frequent and often unannounced visits, he was paying her back in kind.

He had so many questions about civilian life and so many criticisms. Irkiah sensed he was coming for more than just talk. But Irikah entertained him all the same. She was, after all, as curious about life inside the Compact as he was about life outside.

She could tell he hadn't spent a lot of time refining the most basic social interactions. He pulled no punches and almost always said what was on his mind without a second thought. He'd come a long way since they'd first started talking. If he could hone them with her, well that was alright.
Irkiah had come to enjoy his company. He didn't mind her working while they talked, and aside from his harsh appraisal of her nonexistent security, he was the politest drell she'd ever met, and also, one of the nicest to look at.

Looks hadn't been the first thing she noticed about Thane Krios when he'd stopped her in the street, mumbling entreaties to Arashu. At first she'd thought him ill. But as time passed by, and she spent more and more time with him, certain things became noticeable.

He was intelligent and incredibly well read. He even delved into the works from far beyond Kahje, of turian authors and even the occasional human. He often read to her as she worked.

Yet for all the time they spent together, she couldn't' help but feel there an underlying coldness to him. It wasn't that that he looked down on her, or didn't enjoy spending time with her. He just didn't know how to show that he did.

Irkiah was wrists deep in clay, wondering where her sere was today, when her private terminal chimed with an incoming message. It was an audio file from none other than the very sere in question.

"I need to see you." He sounded strained and tired, two things she'd never heard before. It was rare for him to call ahead. She fired off a quick reply giving her assent. She hoped he was alright.
As much as she disagreed with his line of work, Irikah always prayed, perhaps hypocritically for his success. A failure on his part could mean death… and she would rather he came back to her.
Minutes later, her doorbell rang. She was cleaning up, so she shouted for her caller to let himself in. She came into the living room, wiping her hand on her smock and found Thane just where she expected, standing in front of the window overlooking the square below. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he didn't turn to face her, even though she was sure he knew she was there.

"Why do you always do that?" The weariness Irikah heard in his message was only a hint of what she heard now. He didn't sound at all like himself. "I've told you so many times how dangerous it is for you to leave your door unlocked, but you keep doing it! Why?"

"I don't leave it unlocked. I knew you were coming, so I just unlocked it for you." It was a lie. It was a terrible habit she was struggling to break. Despite all he'd her, she still found it hard to believe that evil lurked in every dark corner of their city.

"Don't leave it open at all. Anyone could just break and here and try to hurt you. Someone could be watching how often I come here-"

"Now you're being paranoid." She walked beside him, staring down at the square. Dusk was settling in, bathing everything in soft oranges and pinks. Thane usually enjoyed this time of day, watching the people as they passed, musing about who there were, whether they were coming or going. But tonight, he just stared solemnly outward. "Why in the world would someone be watching me? I'm no one important..."

"Because you're someone important to me. This isn't a game, Irikah." Thane turned to her then, his face set in hard, unyielding lines. His eyes were cold and flat. He wasn't just annoyed with her forgetfulness. This was something far more distressing than that. She tried to ignore the flutter in her chest at what he'd just said and tried to focus on the matter at hand. She took his face between her hands, and Thane closed his eyes, leaning into the caress. "What happened?"

His brow plates pinched together but he kept his eyes closed. "I completed an assignment today." He never called it by its name when he was here. Irikah had told him that her sensibilities weren't so fragile, but he persisted. "The target… he preyed on women, women who were unsuspecting, and didn't realize what sort of world we live in." He couldn't go on, but Irikah got his meaning: Women like you. "He kept trophies, pictures. It was…" He shook his head, trying to banish the memory before it could start. "There were so many..."

He put a hand over hers modestly; as if afraid she'd knock him away. He gently rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. "I… I thought of you. How I'd feel if something happened to you…"

He was worried about it, probably as much as she worried about him. "It didn't feel very good, did it?" He didn't answer, but he didn't have to. "That's the downside of taking a moment to care for someone. You never know what's going to happen from one moment to the next." She slid her hands from his cheek, to his jaw, to his shoulders. "But you can't live your life in fear." He opened his eyes and she was acutely aware of how much he focused on her mouth as she spoke. He leaned steadily closer to her. She didn't even thing he was aware he was doing it. "You just have to make the most of the time you have."

Irikah met him halfway, pulling his mouth down to hers. He stiffened, but he didn't pull away, unsure of how to proceed. It had never crossed her mind to think that he might not have dallied with women who shared his fate. This was probably his first kiss. Gradually he warmed up to the idea, being so bold as to drop his hands to her waist but he kept them there, too frightened to move. He kept their hips inches apart, trying to hide his apparent arousal. She grinned against his mouth, catching her cheek between her back teeth to suppress a giggle.

She pulled back from him, but looped her arms around his neck, and pressed herself against him. She fought to not sound as amused as she felt. "Is this your first-"

"Ah. Yes…" he answered quickly before she could even finish the question.

She could feel him pressing hard against her thigh. His throat flushed, embarrassed, looking away from her.

"Relax," she cooed. She smoothed her hand along the back of his neck earning her an appreciative rumble. "You don't have to worry about doing anything you don't want to."

"You have no idea of what I want to do." His eyes drifted close as he reveled in her touch. "If you could read my mind, you might reconsider our association."

Irikah chuckled. "Try me."

~oOo~

"Are you alright?"

"Yes…" It was the fifth time he'd asked her as he hovered over her, his weight supported on his elbows. His green face as he peered down at her, pensive. She tried for an encouraging smile as she kissed the corner of his mouth. "It's okay. Really… We don't have to go any further if you aren't ready."

He hummed his frustration as he shifted over her again. "I'm ready. I just wanted to be sure you were."

This was supposed to be fun, He was taking this, like everything else far too seriously. She ran her hands up his sides, thinking that a more favorable answer than the retort that tickled her tongue.

He flinched, a small gasp leaving his lips. "I'm going to… go ahead, okay?"

Irkiah nodded as he shifted again. She knew his pride wouldn't let him ask him for guidance, and she wasn't about to offer him any. This was his idea in the first place. He'd have to see it through to—

A sigh escaped her parted lips as thin teal fingers tightened against a broad back Thane stilled, a grunt in his voice. "Are you..."

Eyes pressed tightly closed, she nodded again. It wasn't exactly what she'd been expecting, it was more, and it had been awhile. Her head was starting to spin as he moved with extra care, afraid she might break, and she very well might.

"Irikah…" Her name was barely more than a whisper on his lips, uttered between groans. She though it nothing more than things said in the heat of the moment. She ignored it until he called out to her again.

Irkiah opened her eyes to find Thane staring down at her, his gaze fixed on her. When their eyes met, his mouth tugged into a shy grin. Heat licked up her stomach as she felt his weight pressing her into. She hadn't expected that. She didn't know what she'd expected.

She wasn't sure why she'd brought them this far. Sure, she found Thane attractive. She wanted this, and knew that he did, too. They were just friends, she tried to tell herself, but she still felt the nervousness in her stomach and her heart leapt whenever he was over, the way his eyes never left her. Why he was the only thing on her mind when he was away. It was more than just sex to both of them.

Thane.

She tried to say it, but it just came out as a sob. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her fingers running over the back of his head as she pulled him down to her, wanting to memorize ever subtle bump and curve and ridge.

His pace quickened, as he laid small kisses against her neck. He gripped her shoulders tightly as his breath warmed her frill. His lips brushed her throat, moving silently. He didn't have to use words for her to know what he wanted to say. She was glad he couldn't.

A few more strokes and it was over. He came, burying his face in her shoulder. It wasn't bad for a first time. With time he would get better, and she would teach him.

They lay there on their sides facing each other, happy and relatively content as they tried to catch their breath. He draped an arm across her chest. The fingers of his other hand gently traced along her lips as he brandished a sleepy grin. She couldn't deny what was staring her in the face.

"I love you," he said before covering a yawn. She knew that he meant it, and it wasn't just some post coital after affect. He didn't know about that kind of subterfuge. She curled up against him, drawing the covers over them both. She lay looking at him for a long while. His eyes closed, his face open and peaceful.

"I love you, too," she said, but he was already asleep.