Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any Mass Effect or Bioware intellectual property. Please also note that this story contains some profanity and sexuality. Spoilers present for the games and the DLC.
Post Shadow Broker mission and Normandy tour, pre ME3 with a more emotionally renegade Shepard(F) and Liara than my Aftereffects pair. Liara visits Shepard's cabin, still unsatisfied with Shepard's answer the night she toured the Normandy.
One Shot #1: The Promise or Damn it Shepard
"What should we watch?" Liara asked Shepard, skimming through vid files on the spectre's terminal. She heard Shepard chuckle from the couch and added, "If you say Vaenia, you and Joker will be spending the night together instead of you and me."
She took Shepard's silence as a concession for her to choose. Finding something she believed might actually hold her attention long enough for her to make it through it without pulling out a datapad to work on her brokering, she descended the steps to join the Normandy's captain. She joined Shepard on the couch as the fish tank became opaque to protect the fish from the video now projected in one of the tank's panes.
Shepard arched a brow as the prothean documentary began to play, but remained silent. She wasn't in this for the video anyway. It was an excuse to invite Liara up to her cabin and get her off of that damn Hagalaz ship. The salarian narrator explained the significance of an artifact recently found on a planet in a remote system and Liara scoffed. "What?" Shepard asked as the documentary continued to play.
"Nothing," Liara sighed.
"What's nothing," Shepard was unconvinced and if Liara wasn't enjoying this, she sure as shit wasn't going to continue watching it.
"He has it completely wrong. Prothean artifacts can't be read that way."
"Ah," Shepard nodded.
"You aren't enjoying this are you?" Liara asked her.
Shepard smiled and turned her head to meet Liara's eyes. "I'm enjoying myself just fine," she patted Liara's knee.
"Please, Shepard, I chose this video at random, thinking it might hold my interest. With such an obvious error at the start, I doubt it will entertain me. We can change it."
"Or," Shepard grinned. "We make it fun."
Liara raised a brow. "How so?"
"Drinking game."
"You just want to take advantage of me," Liara turned back to watching the documentary, or at least pretended to as she crossed a leg over the other, a smirk playing on her lips as she raised an elbow to rest on the backboard of the couch casually.
"Perhaps," Shepard mirrored her by crossing one leg over the other.
Liara continued to watch the vid and Shepard, noting this, turned her attention to it again as well. Liara scoffed again.
"What now?" Shepard asked.
"Nothing," Liara repeated.
Shepard rolled her eyes and uncrossed her legs, standing up. She went to her cabinet beside her bed and pulled out a bottle of elassa and a tumbler while Liara watched her in her periphery.
Shepard placed the tumbler on the coffee table in front of them and poured a generous drink for herself and took two large swigs before hissing a breath out at the strength of the alcohol. Liara pursed her lips as she continued watching. She let out another involuntary scoff once more and Shepard took another swig.
Liara raised a brow again. "Are you playing your own drinking game?"
"Perhaps," Shepard was vague again. A mischievous smile claimed her lips.
"The rules?" Liara asked her though she could've guessed.
"Only one so far: drink when you scoff at something in the vid."
Liara forced a smirk down from showing. "Glad to provide your entertainment at least, Shepard."
Shepard put the tumbler down and though it would have taken about ten times the amount she had consumed so far, she used the alcohol as an excuse to rest her hand on Liara's thigh. She saw Liara glance at it from the corner of her eye and a slight flush barely noticeable found itself on Liara's cheeks. "We don't have to keep watching, Liara. I can think of better ways to entertain myself with you in my cabin."
"Shepard," Liara reprimanded her in a whisper.
Shepard rolled her eyes. "What? When are you going to forgive me for dying? I came back didn't I?"
"Maybe when you stop trying to kill yourself again," Liara said a little bitterly, just audible enough for Shepard to hear. She sighed. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."
"Yeah, well, so was what I said. Sorry, too." Shepard took another swig of the alcohol and let her head fall back so she could watch the stars, exasperated at how the evening was playing out. Why was this so hard? Hadn't they been through enough for all this to be easier by now? She sighed to herself. "We're a mess, aren't we, Li?"
Liara mimicked her, laying her head on the couch's headboard as well to look up at the stars with Shepard. "Maybe a little."
"The great Dr. T'Soni making a speculation. As I live and breathe," Shepard chuckled.
"Part of being a scientist is speculation grounded in observations, Shepard. Based on tonight, it may be that we are a mess, as you put it," Liara chuckled in return.
"I don't really care," Shepard rocked her head in Liara's direction.
Liara met her gaze and was surprised to see the usually reserved captain's expression so naked with emotion. She didn't realize it until she felt Shepard's warmth on her fingers that she'd raised a hand to stroke her cheek. Shepard seemed to have that effect on her. Her body did things without her mind collaborating on it. "I don't care either," she whispered to her.
"Then come here." Shepard commanded. She sat up to place the tumbler down again and leaned her head on Liara's crest as Liara rested herself on Shepard's chest. She breathed more easily now. Just knowing Liara was willing to do this, to be close, was enough for now. They hadn't slept together since the first time she'd invited Liara up to her cabin after besting the yahg shadow broker. Liara had become distant again, largely, Shepard suspected, in order to cope with the idea that she may lose Shepard again any day. After the meld that night, Shepard realized the depth of Liara's grief for her after her death two years ago and she couldn't blame Liara for her attempt at self-preservation. Still, she wanted her back. Wanted to be able to call her up and not talk about business the whole time before Liara cut her off, telling her she had other things to attend to.
She stroked Liara's shoulder and let out a breath she'd been holding in another sigh to relax. Liara looked up at her and sat up slightly. She cupped Shepard's jaw in one hand and brought her forward in a kiss. Shepard felt herself melt in relief as she kissed Liara in return. Liara pushed her down so that she lay on the couch and hovered over her in the kiss. "Damn it, Shepard," Liara breathed as she parted them.
Shepard remained still, waiting for Liara to make the next move, not wanting to scare her off. Liara sat up and took a swig from the tumbler that Shepard had been abusing. She leaned back on the couch again and closed her eyes. Shepard's heart pounded though her more cynical side was already tossing in the towel for the night. She could only take so much of Liara's rejection in one sitting. She stared up at the stars again, trying not to think about what was going on in Liara's mind right then. Finally, she closed her eyes, surrendering to a sickening gloom that she couldn't wait to take out on one of the crewmen in a sparring session when Liara left as she surely was about to. She felt herself tingling and opened her eyes as she floated toward the bed, enveloped in Liara's biotics.
Liara followed her there and crawled over her. "Here's the deal, Shepard." Liara paused over her. "You are not going to die. You are going to promise me that you'll always come back. None of this 'That's a pretty big promise' deflection." She narrowed her eyes at Shepard. "And I'm going to believe you. I'm going to ignore the fact that you go on impossible missions on a daily basis. I'm going to reconcile that by also demanding that after you've turned yourself in to the Alliance when you come back from destroying the Collectors, that you will make me your XO when the Reapers finally start invading as they surely will, so that I can at least be here as you risk your neck every day. So that every time you board the Normandy again, safe, alive, I can confirm it, I can feel it, I can do this." Liara bent to kiss her and melded with her without warning.
Shepard staggered inwardly, but thought with all her conviction: I promise.