A/N: This is not a rape fantasy. There's nothing funny about rape; it's always traumatising. I want to make that crystal clear before I get nasty comments about glorifying rape etc. I've tried to write the very opposite.
This story began as an anonymous MassKink prompt. At first it was a way to try out my writing skills on something unusual and difficult, something I'd not think of writing myself, but it hit me deeper as the plot evolved in my head. I have friends who've been physically assaulted for being gay, for kissing their loved ones in public. The kind of "punishment" rape that this fic deals with is reality to some people whose sexual orientation is unacceptable by societal norms of the country they live in. That's why I decided to publish this fic under my pen name. I noticed I'm actually writing about those people via Shepard's and Garrus' controversial xeno-love affair. I'd like to make a point, though, that this particular story is a work of fiction and not based on a true story (as if the fact it has aliens and spaceships wasn't a clue, but you get the point).
That said, these Shepard and Garrus have nothing to do with the characters from Like Only Lovers Can. Any OCs belong to me (though anyone is free to use them for non-profit stuff), characters you recognise probably belong to BioWare. The original prompt (that chapter one deals with) belongs to anon on MassKink.
Any readers uncomfortable with extreme NON-CON (in plain language: rape) should hit the "Back" button now. There's also heavy language and other mature themes present.
Others, continue reading. Feedback welcome, but if your feedback is negativity about sexual minorities (since I mentioned the reasons I published this with a pen name), I'd appreciate that you don't start a flame war or anything.
Omega. The shithole of the galaxy. This is where the scum of the universe gathered. He'd once attempted to fight that scum, but looking at the chaotic station now, all his efforts hadn't even caused a dent to the depravity and crime that was ever-present here. His team's wasted lives were just ten more to the thousands, if not millions, this monstrosity had swallowed alive through the centuries. Nobody escaped Omega unscratched, even if they managed to stay alive.
Shepard had some business with Aria, and that's why they were now in the Afterlife. Garrus hated the place. Hated. He'd manage to tolerate it for an hour or two, though, for Shepard's sake. She liked to mix business with casual, so they'd stayed for drinks and dancing after the meeting was finished.
He enjoyed watching her enjoy herself, and that's what she was doing now. Dancing, laughing, trying to pull him on the dance floor. He settled for bobbing his head to the music and shifting his feet around a bit, and let her do the proper dancing.
They got off the dance floor to collect some refreshments and she leaned to kiss him, hands sneaking up to his fringe. He returned the gesture, caressing her neck and shoulder blades. Someone pushed him hard, almost toppling his balance. Garrus turned around and saw a barefaced turian snarling at him.
"What do you want?" he spat.
"What kind of a turian touches a dirty human?" the barefaced shouted over the music.
"What did you say?" Garrus growled.
"You're a traitor to your own kind," the barefaced turian barked and pushed Garrus again. "Your kind of filth is the reason our species is in decline."
"Garrus, don't even think about it. It's not worth it." She pulled him closer.
"Look at yourself! You gonna listen to that filthy whore give you commands?"
"Just ignore it, and let's go. I saw an available private room on the other side. We can continue the party with just the two of us." Shepard squeezed his hand.
He nodded to Shepard, then turned to the bareface. "Just leave us alone and mind your own business."
They moved to the quiet backroom, and Garrus locked the door. Shepard's hands ran over his shoulders, and down to his waist. Her sweet mouth was on his, her tongue probing between his mouthplates urging him to return the kiss. And he did, to the best of his ability. His tongue slipped into her mouth and he savoured her taste.
"I hope you don't think I'm dirty..."
"You are. But in a good way. I like the good kind of dirty." He pushed her towards the couch, talons running up and down her back, slipping under her shirt.
The door opened and they turned around in surprise. Six turians stood there, armed and pointing their pistols right at Shepard and Garrus. The male in the middle, the barefaced one who pushed Garrus earlier, smirked at them. He had an omni-tool activated, and Garrus guessed he'd hacked the lock.
"Well, well. Look what we have here. A traitor with his little human pet. You both need to learn your places, and you're lucky I'm here to teach you."
Garrus moved to defend Shepard, to protect her with his body. A turian with red markings quickly aimed his gun at him and shot, hitting Garrus' shoulder. Their barefaced leader took advantage of his surprise and pushed him down to the floor, giving him a kick in the belly for good measure. Garrus groaned in pain and from the corner of his eye saw two turians wrestling with Shepard. He wrapped arms around his abdomen for protection. Someone delivered another kick to his lower back.
He heard Shepard shout his name and then his vision darkened momentarily. He felt a boot connect with his head, his own blood warming his skin. Someone pulled him up on his knees and clicked on a pair of handcuffs to tie his hands behind his back. Another pair of hands stuffed a cloth into his mouth to gag him, twisting his mandibles apart painfully as the cloth was tied behind his fringe. He could taste Shepard on it. His eyes darted to her, finding her now shirtless. She trashed her arms and legs, screaming, but the two turians holding her down were stronger.
"Nnnnnn! Ehhard!" he tried to shout.
He watched them pull her pants down her kicking legs and tried to get up. He'd have to get to her, now. He got a swift kick to the chest from the turian who had restrained him and felt the muzzle of a gun pressed to his forehead.
"Don't move a muscle, or your little bitch gets to watch you bleed to death."
Her objections grew muffled now. They'd gagged her, too. She was held down on a table by two armed turians and the leader of the group pushed himself between her legs.
"Little human whore likes turian cock?" he smacked her face hard and forced a talon into her, drawing blood. "All slick and wanting, aren't you? That piece of shit you call 'boyfriend' gets you hot." He pulled his hand back up and smacked her again, leaving a trail of her juices and blood on her face.
Garrus saw her head loll back at the impact and tried to shout abuse at the male, in vain. The cloth between his teeth turned words unintelligible. Shepard opened her eyes and looked around wildly, searching for him. He saw she was on the verge of crying, eyes reddened and gleaming with tears. But no, she didn't cry. She merely screamed against her gag.
"Don't worry, sweetie. You're gonna get all the turian cock you want, and more." He forced himself into her and she screamed a muffled scream again.
Garrus struggled against his own restraints, wanting nothing but to comfort her. To take her pain away. To avenge the horrors these shameful lowlifes, who shouldn't even call themselves turian, were inflicting on her. But he was helpless, bleeding and held at gunpoint. Unable to do anything else, he howled his rage into the shirt in his mouth.
He was so focused on Shepard that he vaguely noticed the bastard turians swap places. Yet another spreading her legs open with force. Blood and turian fluids all over Shepard... his Shepard. The stink of other males filling the room. He felt bile rise up in his throat and retched, only to have the contents of his stomach remain in his mouth thanks to the gag.
He lifted his head to look at Shepard. She'd stopped screaming, stopped trashing. Her body was limp, shaking only to the rhythm of the turians abusing and beating her. Her eyes found his, pleading.
Help me.
Don't leave me.
Even the strongest warriors had their breaking points.
He felt a blow to the back of his head and then the world went dark.
He woke up feeling groggy and cold, laying on a metal floor in complete darkness. His head was throbbing with pain and his neck and chest were covered in sticky blood. A female voice sobbed quietly somewhere nearby.
Shepard.
He had to find her. He tried to speak, only managing to croak. His throat was sore and dry from the bile and screaming.
"Shep... Shepard?"
"Stay away from me!" she shrieked and continued sobbing.
"Shepard, it's only me. Where are you?"
He crawled towards the sobbing on all fours and finally felt her skin brush against his hand. She was naked and frigid to the touch. He reached to pull her into his arms, to comfort and to protect her.
Not that I could protect her from... Spirits, I did nothing to stop it from happening!
She was shaking from shock and cold, but didn't object to his presence. She coughed and her sobbing broke into a flood of tears and wails. All he could do now was to hold her. Hold her close and never let go. He nuzzled her cheek, her hair sticking to his bloody skin.
"It's over, they're gone. I'm sorry... Oh spirits, I'm so sorry, Shepard..."
How exactly they'd managed to get back to the Normandy wasn't clear to him. He'd found a sheet or a towel (perhaps it was a sack or just rags from a trash bin) and wrapped her into it, carrying her through the streets of Omega. Or so he thought. It'd been late in the evening so their entrance didn't attract the attention of the crew. It was just another shore leave, as far as most of them were concerned.
She'd been covered in his blood and her own. Blue and red, mixed together in random patterns. Garrus hadn't gotten her to respond. She'd been barely conscious of what was happening and shaking violently; blood loss, hypothermia and shock all taking over at once.
Chakwas had fallen asleep to her research and had been startled awake by Garrus barging in to the medbay, carrying Shepard. He'd warned her not to comment anything, just examine her and patch her up. There'd be time for questions later, he'd told her, what mattered now was to make sure Shepard was okay. Truth be told, he could not have given answers to any of the good doctor's questions at that time. He still wasn't sure himself if he was about to wake up from a very realistic nightmare soon, or if it was all real.
Now she was sleeping in the medbay and Garrus lay on the bed next to her bed, drowsy from medicines but unable to sleep. He ached in too many places to think of, and he didn't have Shepard's self-healing cybernetics to speed up recovery. He had to rely on medi-gel and extra painkillers.
The same scene kept repeating in his mind, over and over again. He couldn't get the bareface's ugly mug out of his head. His stomach twisted and he felt the burning bile rise up again. He jumped up and reached for the nearest kidney dish, vomiting until he saw drops of blue in the bowl. Seeing his own blood brought him back to reality. It was no nightmare.
Now he knew what he had to do. He would locate each and every one of the turians responsible, and kill them one by one. He had contacts on Omega who would know something, and Liara's new information network would fill in the blanks. He crashed down on his cot again. Relieved by the feeling of finding a resolution, he allowed himself to drift away to deep sleep.