N/B: This series of prompts follows a different Shepard than any of my other stories - Myra Shepard, renegade and Garrus as the romance potential - generally sticking to the Mass Effect 2 & Post ME2 timeline. Other details will come out in the story! They aren't in chronological order, but they all deal with the same 'story' of people as it were. They'll be of varying length, but generally be shorter than longer. Hope you enjoy!

As always, Mass Effect is the property of Bioware, as are all its characters - this is just me having fun with them, cuz they're too awesome.

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SPAR

"Sure you don't want any armour?"

Stretching her hamstring, Shepard's head popped up to look at Garrus, "Always so cocksure."

Garrus was stripped down to a pair of shorts that hugged to his knees. With anyone else, he might have felt naked. It was only the two of them on the mats in the hold.

Shepard had set up the sparring ring almost the day after he'd mentioned the turian practise, encouraging the crew to help themselves. Seeing Jacob have his ass handed to him by the drell had been more than worth it - but when she summoned him down in the wee hours of the morning, he was as anxious as he was excited by it.

"Just doing my part to keep my commanding officer from harm." Garrus grinned in his turian way, eyes sparkling as he slipped his gloves on.

Hands on her lower back, Shepard's voice changed with her stretch, "Sure you don't want any armour?"

"I'm built with it, thanks."

Finally taking off her omni-tool, Shepard set it to play some music. She nodded her head in time with the beat as she stepped up to the mat.

"Agh, what is that crap?"

The music echoed through the space of the cargo hold, and Shepard sauntered to the centre of the mat, bobbing from foot to foot as she mentally prepared, "Just something to annoy you."

Garrus sunk into a stance opposite her and said, "Pretty sad you need that to try and beat me."

They paced around one another, eyes darting to track subtleties, predators sizing up the competition. Shepard slowly grinned through closed lips as they moved, evading but never pouncing. She gave her head a light shake, which Garrus mirrored, his mandibles flexing with his own amusement.

Exhaling out, Shepard hopped forward and sparked with a few snap kicks that Garrus easily deflected, catching the last. Talons a vice on her calf, he tried to force her direction, but she used the momentum to swing up into a wide crescent kick that caught him across the face.

Garrus swore as he let her go, and Shepard only smiled a moment as she flitted back on the balls of her feet, ever moving. His legs tensing, he answered in an attack, and keeping his balance low, caught her around the waist. Oofing with a puff of air as she hit the ground, they grappled, Shepard's knee caught between them, dug in against one of his plates.

Trying to gain upper body momentum, Shepard repelled Garrus, and his long leg braced across the matt, talons ripping in. Her free leg came with a snap into the vulnerable spot at his waist, and he rolled back.

Coughing, they were both on their feet in a second, parrying one another.

Chin up, Shepard asked, "Think the Alliance didn't instruct on turian vulnerabilities anymore?"

"Wishful thinking maybe," Garrus said, voice husky and quiet. "Can't use what they teach about humans in the turian military - you'd be dead."

A soft laugh clipped from Shepard as she went, "Yeah."

There was only the sound of their breathing, subsequent punches and kicks that snapped back and forth between them, the connect of force to muscle as they darted, and the 'thuck' of hits against Garrus' plating. Growling lightly, the turian swept and caught Shepard's legs, forcing his other foot down on her chest and pinning her under him.

"Fuck Garrus, my tit!"

"Huh?" In his moment's distraction, Shepard caught the spar on the back of his leg and pulled it with a quick jerk, and the turian buckled with a bark of pain. The woman rolled and kept it in her hand as she straddled his leg and pinned one of his arms too.

His breathing constricted, Garrus hissed, "Come on, fight fair."

"Why?" Shepard jostled with him as he tried to pull free, her muscles straining against his superior strength, but she pried the spur again and he near grovelled.

"I'm winning, what am I doing wrong?" Shepard leant her body into him, tensing her arm twined with his to keep him pinned, and she nipped at his cheek bone.

Grumbling again, Garrus tugged from her grasp, and Shepard got up onto her feet, shaking her limbs out. There was a slight glisten on her skin as she turned, large shoulders rolling. The turian's body ran hot, but it was a state they were accustomed too, and he regarded her with hawk's eyes as they moved against. He was favouring the leg she'd abused.

"Poor thing." Shepard whispered, dart from one of his advances and swinging a kick, which he blocked with matched ease. Emerging, a rivulet of blood dripped from a cut low over her breastplate.

"See? Should have some flex-weave or something, Shepard." Garrus shook his head as his arms dropped down, legs still tensed.

Faking a thrust kick, Shepard spun and jabbed towards the turian's abdomen, only to be caught in the roll of his arms and flipped to the ground. Receiving a mouthful of mat, the woman whined a bit, trying to manoeuvre her hips.

Anticipating the movement, Garrus kept a knee on her ass, pinning her leg down as he pulled her arm higher. Her blood smeared over the matt, and the turian's eyes sparkled.

"Come on, think every crook in C-sec didn't try some punch like that." Garrus twisted her arm more, weight leaning into her, keeping her immobilized. He snapped a talon over her kidney, and Shepard twitched with a groan. "Aren't you suddenly glad I fight fair."

"You shouldn't." Shepard tested her arm, words mangled from her cheek smushed against the ground. She tried to move her hips again, and Garrus pre-empted it, and she found both her legs restrained, arms neatly folded together behind her, still pinned down.

"There," Garrus said in a breath, "A neat little package."

"That's a compromising position if I've ever seen one." Kasumi's voice came from the ringside, and there was the pronounced click of a holo-recorder. Glancing the direction it came from, Garrus saw she was already gone, but it weakened his hold.

Tugging free of Garrus' grasp, Shepard was up on a knee, the other kicking up into his diaphragm, and he sharply coughed. Turning again, she planted a hand and vaulted to catch the good side of his face with the flattened edge of her foot. There was a smack and he grunted as he was knocked down.

"Thanks."

Staying on the ground, Garrus couldn't help but smirk, "Any time."