Bianca Shepard took in the breathtaking sight before her. They had finally managed to get back to Hagalaz, and Liara had been convinced to join Shepard in her cabin. They had been through so much together, been apart for so long, that the desire for each other was at fever pitch. Now her blue beauty was lying naked on her bead, beads of moisture still glistening on her skin from her recent shower.
Shepard took the few steps down to join her naked lover, bearing the tray with assorted deserts to help them recover from their first extended lovemaking session, and to get some energy for the rest of the night. As they had eaten their fill of various sweet berries and chocolate, mixed generously with gentle kisses and loving touches of their bodies, they put the tray to the side. Liara help Bianca to slip out of the clothes she had thrown on to go to the ship mess for the food, and then gently but insistently pushed her back onto the bed, straddling her human. She took in the luscious curves of her breasts, the strong line of her jaw leading to a small but sharp chin, the high cheekbones, the short raven locks that she brushed away from glowing auburn eyes. She let her blue fingers trail down her honey-coloured skin until they met her caramel lips. Bianca kissed and sucked on the blue intruders while she reached up to grab something she had hidden under her pillow just for tonight.
Just as her fingers circled around their target, there was a knock on the cabin door. Bianca had made sure she locked it, and most of the crew knew that when Shepard locked her door, she was not to be disturbed unless it was an emergency, and you had better be on fire if you dared to ask what constituted an emergency. Shepard was about to ignore it when it came again, the hard clanging sound of metal being struck. Both of the lovers looked annoyed, but they both slipped into robes, Liara lounging on the bed and Shepard getting up.
"Why am I the one getting up?" she asked her reclined asari girlfriend.
"Because it's your ship, so it's your problem," came the coy response with an even coyer smile. "If it helps, just remember that while you're dealing with, whatever the problem may be, I'll be here, all alone, finding ways to... entertain myself while you're gone." The smile went straight from coy to teasing, with a brief stop at seductive, as her hands roamed over the red silk covering her lithe blue form to illustrate her point.
Shepard had a hard time concentrating on what she was doing as she walked up the stairs and over to the locked door. She grumbled under her breath, silently cursing whoever it was and hoping that they were at least on fire right now. She unlocked the door and opened it; only to be greeted by a sight that completely jarred her awake from thoughts of asari-driven lust. It was Grunt, dressed in what could only be called sleep-armour, because calling it pyjamas was a terminal abuse of any language.
It looked vaguely like his battle armour, though in place of hardened metal and ceramics, it was made from what looked like canvas with foam-padded sections where his armour would have external plates. It was in a shade of red that could hopefully be called bronze, but was probably meant to be something more along the lines of arid sanguine. The biggest difference between his armour and this outfit were the skippers designed to look like turian heads. There were a standard grey colour, though Shepard couldn't help but notice that someone had painstakingly added a few details, like some scarring on the right-side and navy-blue markings. She wasn't about to ask why. Completing the outfit was something held tightly to his massive chest by his left hand. Bianca took a second to lean closer to learn that it was in fact a plushie Blasto, complete with assorted felt weaponry and biotic glow. Shepard tore her eyes away from his odd appearance to look him in the eye and ask what was going on.
"What is it Grunt?" she asked bluntly. If there was one thing she had learned from Wrex, it was that all krogan were warriors, and if you addressed them as such, it would make it easier in the long run.
"Mom... can I sleep with you tonight? I had a nightmare and can't get back to sleep." Grunt's voice, never quiet at the best times, carried easily to the supine asari out of sight on the bed, who immediately clamped both her hands to her mouth to stop herself laughing out loud. Shepard just stood there, jaw hanging loosely, a small part of her brain silently cursing the universe for conspiring against her.
She had accepted it a while ago. She had woken Grunt from his tank, trained him to fight as a team, was his krantt and battlemaster as she helped him take down a Thresher Maw during his Rite, earning him name and clan. But she'd also been there to talk to when he asked the awkward questions he didn't ask anyone else, or they wouldn't answer. She'd seen the child-like light in his eyes as he talked about his extranet searches for dinosaurs. She'd felt like a bit of a heel as she told him that they'd gone extinct millions of years ago, but it came back entirely as she told him sharks and crocodiles still lived on earth. She'd been the one who had to give him The Talk when he found himself at a loss on how to deal with the breeding requests in the wake of his Rite. She'd been the one who'd given him the Claymore shotgun they'd found on the Collector Ship. She was his mother, there was no escaping it. And until now, she had managed to escape this particular aspect of motherhood, comforting the child from the night.
She shook herself back to the present, taking in the pitiable look in Grunt's pale blue eyes. Eyes that would never show any weakness, except to her. A jaw she had actually seen bite through a varren, was now ever so slightly quivering. She lasted about two seconds before she gave in, stepping aside to allow the eight-foot krogan to come in.
"Ok, I'll allow it tonight Grunt," she said as she fell into step behind him and approached the bed. Liara was standing now, and had gathered all her possessions into her bag. If Grunt had noticed her, or paid any thought as to why she was here, he didn't show it. "Make yourself comfortable Grunt," she said to the krogan, before turning to her asari lover and closing the distance to hug her.
"I'm sorry Liara, please don't take this the wrong way," she whispered. She looked into the deep blue eyes of her lover, and saw the light and laughter dancing within them.
"Don't worry Bianca, I know this means a lot to you." They both stared silently into each other's eyes, neither needing nor wanting to mention out loud the secret they both knew, that the human would never have child of her own. "And I'll keep it a secret, for now..." Liara's control over her face was impressive, but even she couldn't stop the slight hint of mischief that crept into her voice and smile. Shepard blanched at the possibilities, running through the scenarios of who might try and get it out of Liara. None of them were good.
Liara was already halfway to the door before Shepard stopped the horrible images and regained control of her body. She took the steps to close the distance quickly, grabbing and pinning Liara's arms to her sides, a desperate look on her face.
"Liara, I'll do anything, just please, don't tell anyone, especially Garrus... or Kasumi... or Joker... or Jack... or Jacob..." Bianca only stopped when a blue finger was placed delicately over her lips and pressed gently. The finger was soon replaced by a set of violet lips, a soft lingering kiss between departing lovers.
"I love you Shepard, I'll keep this between us. Though I might take you up on your offer of anything later..." she said the last in a seductive whisper, before kissing her human girlfriend one last time. "I'll go and see what sort of quarters are available down below. I'll see you in the morning Bianca." With one last kiss, the asari turned and left, Shepard reluctantly locking the door behind her.
Shepard took off the blue robe and got into her sleepwear, before getting into the bed that was now more than half occupied by Grunt's bulk. He faced away from the fish tank towards the far wall, so Shepard got in behind him, placing a comforting arm over his waist. There was a soft sound from Grunt, nothing as gentle as a sign, but not as harsh as his usual grunting, as her arm came over him. There was a warm silence for a few moments, the only sound was the breath of the two bedmates, before it was broken by a whisper from Grunt.
"Mom,"
"Yes Grunt?"
"Can you tell me a story?" He awkwardly turned around to face the smaller human female, who propped herself up on one elbow. Though it seems impossible, Grunt seemed smaller somehow, perhaps it's the expectant light in his eyes or the way he is so tightly cuddling his Blasto plushie.
"Alright, but only one. I'll tell you about the Battle of Virmire, you'll like that one. Its got lots of geth, krogan, and even an appearance by the Dread Spectre Saren. So, our story begins when..."
A/N: So, credit for the inspiration for this story comes from two places:
1) The story 'Mother's Tears' by LogicalPremise. Sad and dark, but is beautiful in it's own way.
2) Two Spectres: Ressurection by CoronaJTV, who gave me the idea about Grunt considering Shepard to be his mother in a more lighthearted way.
Also for those wondering, arid sanguine is the colour of dried blood (red-brown for human blood)
Anyway, Read and Review, and you might get more stories about Grunt and his mother, Shepard.
