The Citadel DLC for Mass Effect 3, was, by far, the most fun I've had in this series. I have never laughed so hard at the banter before, nor did I ship this pair as firmly as I do now. That being said, as much as the characters fit (depending on how Shepard is played, of course), they don't really get that physical satisfaction the other pairings do. Which left me wondering: "What exactly did Garrus mean by never running out of places to be on his woman?" This fic hopefully satisfies that query to anyone else who may have had the same thing. The fic is a combination of my actual reactions and Shepard's. Hope you enjoy it!
"What sort of party are you hoping to have tonight, Commander? I could set things up for quiet conversation, or would you prefer a more energetic evening?"
I still couldn't believe my crew had talked me into doing this. Then again, in the past few years, I had been progressively doing things I never would have before. Especially not after Torfan. I grinned, knowing just what they all would want. "I think it's time to blow off some steam." The phrase meant more than I intended, but if Glyph had that little information in his databanks, he didn't say anything.
"Excellent choice, Commander. Allow me to cue up a series of popular nightclub tracks and drink lists. I will also modify my appearance to be more festive."
How he planned on doing so I had no idea, but I allowed him to finish his preparations while I changed for the night. That little black number had very little use for me normally, and if it got the attention of who I meant it for, it was worth the struggle to remain upright in heels. I mean, he walked like that all the time, though I suppose the years of evolution helped with his balance.
Evolution wasn't helping me any time soon. I pulled the dress from the back of the closet I had filled earlier, naughty thoughts entering my mind as I remembered just how much leg it showed. I shook my head and tossed it on the black sheets of my bed. Almost three years ago, I would have only worn something like that to a formal event, and even then I'd find some way to wear more professional dresses. They were hard to find. Most I could find had large portions of fabric removed from the navel and hips, and I didn't find it appealing. Kasumi had somehow found the perfect one for me to wear to that infiltration mission, turning me on to this sort of cut.
I frowned as I got changed. When I really thought about it, three years ago I would never have agreed to host something like this. I was too strict. Too willing to do anything to complete a mission. Even if it meant many causalities. I still accepted the fact there would always be innocents who die, that much was proving itself with the Reapers, but I also accepted that there were sometimes nothing that could be done otherwise. Hell, I let the whole Council die so I could take down Sovereign.
"Ten million die over here, so twenty million can live over there."
I shook my head and reached for the complicated zipper on the back of my dress. Before, I never smiled or laughed. I had no reason to. Joining N7 kept me off the streets, kept me in line. I was there to be a soldier. It was what I knew would get me away from the slums of Earth. I hadn't smiled once the whole time I was chasing down Sovereign with my crew. I got to know each of them, and grew to accept them as my ship family. But then…
Dying has a funny way of fucking with your social life.
Time also passes very quickly. I had no idea two years of my life had been stripped of me, leaving me alone in the world again. No, not alone. Jacob and Miranda stuck it through, even into the Omega 4 Relay. Miranda had been a grade-A cunt when we first met, but that had changed. I suppose rescuing her sister had something to do with it. And Jacob had been alright from day one. He only wanted to help.
I was never the relationship guru before. I wouldn't have hesitated to say Joker was an idiot for his urges in the beginning, but now, well after accepting EDI in and out of her android body, girl talk seemed more… natural. As natural as it could be for talking about the subject with an AI. Good thing I had stepped in a few times as well. I don't think Joker's frail limbs could handle the things EDI had thought were proper human customs.
I smoothed out the dress and felt surprised to feel a spark of nerves in my gut. I chanced a glance at my reflection in the bathroom, tracing the scars made from the cybernetics. Dr. Chakwas had told me eliminating stress would heal them, and keep the glow from my eyes. I never held my breath with being able to handle stress. I was too willing to shoot someone in the face if they deserved it, or throw them into the airlock, idea courtesy of Javik.
So, with my charming personality, I had to think hard of when I first truly smiled in ages.
"Shepard. I thought you were dead."
Ah yes. That was it. That damned flanging voice. Quite honestly, he had been the one I was most anxious to find out of my whole old squad. Through the Sovereign mission, he had been the only one I found easy to talk to. I didn't have to be cautious of saying the wrong thing around him. Truth be told, and as he had said before, I acted more turian in my choices than I did human. Probably why I would seek him out more than the others to talk to. He would tell me what he thought without much fear of consequences. I didn't have to say the right thing to keep him trusting me.
"Commander, your guests have started to arrive."
I nodded and took another breath. I was not a social person. Large groups made me nervous. Yes, laugh it up. I could annihilate Saren, I could destroy Sovereign, I could take down the Collectors and survive, with everyone making it out with me, but social gatherings… Even with people I knew. Dancing in the bar before the party was something that threw me so far out of my comfort zone, and he had known it. But, I suppose I had to thank him for cracking that last shell, showing me I could in fact dance in public. With his lead, at least.
There was no taking back the relationships I had made with all of my crew. No, not just my crew. My friends. I clasped the edge of my bathroom counter, looking into the bedroom. This was a place to stay. A place to eventually retire to, either alone or… not. And, despite all the shit I went through in my younger years, I wouldn't take back anything I had done in the past three years. Not even dying. I went downstairs, seeing a few people had already trickled in. I met Jacob at the door, glad to see him again after six months of other arrangements.
I did my best to talk to everyone over the night, and even suggested a group photo before everyone got too drunk and scattered. I had also filled my quota of pinching the bridge of my nose in exasperation and hiding my face in my hands at some of the things Zaeed, Javik, and Wrex were getting in to. It didn't help that over the night, Zaeed and Garrus had decided to make my apartment "safer". Though alcohol didn't exactly give the two clear thoughts.
"What if I want to use the hot tub?"
"Covered that. It's keyed to your DNA."
I rolled my eyes. It was time I had a drink myself. An asari one to catch up. "But a clone would have the same DNA as me."
I watched the realization settle in on Zaeed's face. The realization turned to anger at himself. "Goddamned clone." He tapped his comm. "So Garrus, scratch the hot tub. I got a few ideas about that coffeemaker downstairs though." He laughed and I threw my hands up, completely done. Though I had to check on Zaeed a few times to make sure he was fixing my hot tub and not tinkering with the coffeemaker. I also had to go back downstairs to slap Garrus away from the machine himself.
"If you want me to not bite your head off in the morning, I suggest you leave it alone," I said as I pushed on his back to move him from the thing.
"Fine, dear. I was only looking out for you."
"You're drunk and thinking of turning my coffeemaker into a time bomb. You were going to ruin a perfectly good hot tub for me."
I could see confusion on his face. Their expressions were hard to read, but I was getting the hang of it. "If you could still use it, how would it ruin it?"
I had forgotten he didn't know many things of human… ideas just yet. "Those things are generally a lot more fun to use when you're not alone." I dropped my voice for only him to hear. "And they're a lot more fun when there is no chance of being seen by anyone else."
"Oh… oh!" He looked a bit furious with himself as well. "I almost threw out a chance to see you wet and naked? Why the hell did I even think that was a good idea?"
I couldn't stop the laugh that escaped through my restraint. "You're drunk, sweetie."
"And you're not."
I held up a glass of shimmering purple liquid. "I'm catching up with this."
"Asari liquor? Color me impressed. I see you can handle it."
I smirked. "That's not all I can handle, big boy."
His mandibles flared slightly and he glanced around, only seeing Grunt nearby laughing and telling people to go away. "You'll have to show me later."
"I could show you now."
"As much as I want to be selfish and lock us in your new bedroom, you still owe your crew some time."
I groaned and felt my posture relax as my last few sips of alcohol from in the kitchen started to gradually build up with the rest of the intoxication. "Fine."
As we took a few steps back to the kitchen, Kaidan stopped us. "Commander, could we talk for a minute. One on one?"
I nodded and Garrus immediately allowed us privacy. "What's on your mind, Alenko?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's been bugging me for awhile now. Something that happened on the first Normandy. I wanted to apologize."
I frowned. "For what exactly?"
"I…" He blew out a breath I assumed was from nerves. "I may have jumped the gun in thinking you liked me. I mean, I liked you. I respected you. But… I needed that verbal slap to the face to realize you were only being nice." He chuckled. "It took me awhile to figure out why I mixed up the signals. I never stood a chance. Not against him."
It took me a second, but I recalled the incident he talked about.
"I'm sorry, Commander. I must have gotten mixed signals on my comm."
"I probably didn't have to be so nasty about it. It was still a transitioning time for me." I crossed my arms. "But why say you never stood a chance?"
"We all saw it." He shifted a bit, drawing my attention to his features, noting a bit of pain hidden in there. "We noticed you down in the storage area a lot more. We also noticed a shift in your mood every time you talked to him. With the rest of the crew, you were warming up to us, but for him, you were already melted, so to say." He crossed his arms as well and grinned. "Doesn't surprise me. You're more turian than human as it is."
I wasn't sure what to say. I thought that misunderstanding had been buried for years. It was why I never dwelled on it. "So I've been told. I should also apologize if it seems like I led you on. I was still new to being… friendly with my team. I might have said the wrong thing."
"Shepard! Get your fucking ass over here!"
I looked over to see Jack climbing up on my tactical table, dancing like the girls do in the clubs. I shook my head and grinned a bit. "I'm being summoned."
"Before you go… truce?" He held out his hand and I took it.
"Truce." I gave him a short salute and headed over to the others dancing to the music.
"Hell yeah!"
"Go for it," Tali said as I got in the middle. I finished the rest of my fruity drink and set it on the table before joining the dancing, or really, my pathetic excuse of moves. For once, I managed to ignore them and still have some fun. It was all harmless teasing, something I was slowly starting to accept. One thing that seemed to be universal was the trash talk between friends.
"Shepard!"
I looked over at Wrex, seeing his slight stumbling gait. "What's up, Wrex?"
"You've seen Grunt? Was going to go another round of headbutting with the whelp," he said around a hearty laugh.
"I'll go have a look." I left the circle, relieved that I had at least let loose a little bit. Before I could leave the kitchen, my arm was grabbed lightly.
Garrus leaned close to my ear, using that damned seductive voice of his. "Shepard, is it just the alcohol talking, or do you have vids running in your head of us mostly naked, completely alone, and shamelessly rolling all over a couch?"
"Smooth talker. I didn't, but now I do. Thanks for that mental image."
"I may not be able to keep from being selfish for much longer," he growled, letting me watch his gaze flick over my body. "You wore that thing on purpose."
I smirked. "I may have." I kissed him, feeling him press back as he usually did. "Let me check on Grunt first."
"Don't keep me waiting."
I purred, feeling the initial shocks of arousal from his gravelly voice. "What if I do?"
"I may not have the patience to show you exactly how those dance moves can be even better in bed."
"Ooh, consider me booked for the rest of the night then, Vakarian." I flicked my own gaze over him. "Why did you have to wear your damned armor?"
He chuckled. "To keep you from doing what I know you're thinking."
I arched a brow, noting the others were trying to listen over the music. "And how do you know what I'm thinking?"
"Because you're such a naughty little thing. And you've already proved you don't give a damn where we fuck. Or if you make me hard in public. At least the armor hides it, like now."
I hummed in amusement. "I suppose that's a perk to being a female human. I don't show anything when I'm turned on in public."
I saw his pupils shift and his nose and mandibles twitched. "Not physically, but you have no idea how intoxicating you smell right now."
If he wasn't going to be my undoing, I didn't know what would. He knew how to play just as dirty as I did. "And you'll be able to see whatever you want just as soon as I check on Grunt."
He let go of my arm finally. "As I said, don't keep me waiting."
The rest of this story is continued in chapter two, the nsfw portion!
