"They have turian dating sites?" I laughed in surprise, practically shoving Garrus out of the way of my terminal.

It was quiet up here in my cabin. With him inside, the place felt less empty, more comforting. But the only reason he was here was to use my terminal and check up on his emails. Apparently nothing was working for him, though I had my doubts. But, still, I knew he wasn't as good with computers as I was, which was why he had probably requested for my help of all people.

"Commander, I asked to used your terminal…This doesn't mean you can look through all my mail," he sighed with slight embarrassment, not bothered by my intrusion too much otherwise he probably would have shut his account down before I could see any more.

His flanging voice had my metaphorical hackles on-edge, chills running up and down my spine as happy goose bumps formed along the skin of my limbs.

"Why do you get all of this stuff anyway?" I wondered absentmindedly, scrolling through the multiple-species dating website. "Are you looking for a girlfriend?"

"Junk mail," he coughed uncomfortably, clearing his throat with his talons in front of his mouth. "Anyway, could I—"

"Oh, you can register here!" I interjected and madly began to fill out the questions the site provided in Garrus' name.

He was thrown by how much I truly knew about him. Even I was surprised. Every question was too easy – almost as though I were answering questions about myself. This didn't worry me, though; Garrus was practically my best friend. I couldn't have lived without him and I knew that he felt the same way.

"Favourite food…favourite colour…" I paused momentarily before glancing up at Garrus curiously, tilting my head back to gaze at him. "Have you ever noticed that my eyes are your favourite colour?"

"All the time," he admitted shamelessly, moving away from the desk's post he was leaning against. "Bright, electric green…Perhaps you're the reason it is my favourite colour...Have you ever noticed—"

"That I love the colour blue?" I finished for him. "And that it just so happens to be the colour of your eyes? All the time."

Though mimicking him, I was only toying and clicked the send button with a friendly smile. As soon as his profile found a match, his omni-tool would buzz – almost like an alarm.

Garrus suddenly slipped his arms in around my waist, his armour digging into my sides. Surprisingly enough, it was quite comfortable. I momentarily lingered in the warmth of his hard chest before concentrating on what he was doing. Creating an account for me. Every detail was filled out perfectly and he sent the results off without a single word. Almost as though he knew that he had them right without even needing to second-guess.

Our omni-tools suddenly beeped simultaneously. I laughed aloud, surprised by how quick this website worked. Pressing down on the correct button, I opened up the results. But they must have been a mistake. A holo of Garrus was staring right back at me. I glanced back towards Garrus to check his omni-tool and – no mistake – there was an image of me. The awkward tension grew more obvious as we stared at each other's photos in confusion.

Suddenly, my omni-tool lit up and announced, "Congratulations on finding your flawless mate! If you wish to meet your perfect partner, dial the—"

I shut the voice down and held the silence for a moment longer. Knowing that I had been keeping a very close eye on my behaviour around Garrus for so long, it felt strange to finally understand why I had felt so attracted to him in the first place. All those moments, though – those laughable or emotional or sweet moments – that had me twitching in my chair, just begging to let out the savage beast from within me, suddenly made sense. Because we were the perfect couple…only he was a turian and I was a human, he was my subordinate and I was his commander. Though I had always preferred his race over mine, surprisingly enough, I knew that people would look upon us strangely if we had merely wandered onto the Citadel with our hands entwined, our bodies joined constantly at the hip. Just picturing had my heart pounding faster, my hands fidgeting to refrain from any rash actions.

To hell with it, I thought excitably and swung my chair around to face him completely. The extranet has never lied to me before

Garrus watched me unsurely as I wheeled myself closer to him, my legs on either side of his. He didn't speak either, watching as I reached up and gently traced down along his right mandible. It had healed well over time, which meant I didn't have to be as gentle as I usually had been forced to be in the past. Without wanting to hold the suspense any longer, I gripped onto him firmly and gradually brought him down to my height, wondering if he was uncomfortable with having to lean over me in such a way. But, at the exact moment my mouth touched his, he fell to his knees before me and held onto my waist with a desperate grasp. He had obviously never done this before. Admittedly, neither had I – not even with a human. Still, I couldn't have helped but believed that this was better than any human kiss. The roughness was exciting, the taste even better. Unique and exhilarating. Focussing on the softer part of his mouth, I tilted my head forward to position myself over him still, the power lying with me. Somehow, it didn't appear to bother him that, as the woman, I was in control. Normally I would have pictured that the role would have fallen to him. Removing that from my mind, I savoured the moment to the best of my abilities, listening as my heart sped on and feeling my skin grow hot against his as the sensations from within me overpowered my rationality.

I left one more kiss upon his mouth, nuzzling his nose affectionately with mine, before releasing my grip and studying the look in his eyes. That enjoyment was fading as he realised what had just happened and that it was over. Not knowing what to do with myself, I rose from the chair and left Garrus to his thoughts. As soon as I had shut the door behind me, I realised that I had just locked myself out of my own room and covered my face in my hands with the embarrassment. Disappearing, I made a dash for the elevator and hit the third floor, aiming for the mess hall.

All eyes were on me as I flitted through. At the time I hadn't really been aware of the fact that I was shaking, trembling with delight and eagerness. It was shocking to see myself in such a weak position. Anyone could have shot me in the back; I wouldn't have been aware that they had even reached for their weapon.

"Shepard," Thane suddenly greeted, acknowledging me when I sat down beside him.

His voice had shocked me, warping me back into reality. Confused on how much I had missed in the amount of minutes I had been on this floor, I managed to mutter a greeting before lowering my gaze and focussing on the meal before me. It was difficult to define what it was, which left me at a disadvantage. The fact that it tasted like chicken didn't exactly help either since everything supposedly tasted like that.

"You appear to be distracted," Thane noted, once again intruding on my thoughts.

Not only was he staring at me, but the entire table's contents had their eyes pinned to my face. Each pair was confused, curious. Including the eyes poking out of Jack's pasta…I assumed it was pasta…

"I'm fine," I told them convincingly, wondering how obvious the sound of my pounding heart was.

It was cold without that turian warmth, the familiar touch of rough plating. Desiring to feel it just once more, I knew I had grown addicted. Just like that, with the click of my fingers. Disgraceful for a commanding officer. Having just made out with a subordinate officer, I assumed I would be extradited if the information ever surfaced. Though who would tell?

The question had been asked too soon. It wouldn't have been long before EDI told Joker and Joker told everyone. Zaeed would have loved this, holding it against me as well as praising my sudden disrespect for military law. How the others would have reacted was completely up to them.

In the meantime, I had to make the choice. Ignore Garrus and pretend it never happened…or quickly find him and lock him in my room again. I knew which option I was leaning towards, but I also knew that it was probably the wrong choice. Either way, I only had a few minutes before I was to be groundside. In that time, I couldn't afford to think about my heart and what it wanted most. All I had to worry about was keeping my team alive.

"Joker, call Legion and...and Garrus…," I called hesitantly over the intercom and rose from my seat. "Tell them I want to meet them at the shuttle."

Garrus…I couldn't leave without him. He came on every mission – as if that wasn't an obvious sign enough. It was no secret that others eyed us closely and thought whatever they wanted to think within the recesses of their mind about us. But I hadn't really considered until that moment.

"Aye, aye," he replied as though nothing were wrong.

Perhaps he didn't know yet. Deep down, I was hoping he didn't. On top, I couldn't have cared less at that very moment. It was only a matter of time before we would be shooting down a whole swarm of mercenaries.

After pulling on my armour, I neared the bay and climbed onto the shuttle. Sitting there, I prayed that Legion would arrive first. My wish coming true, he climbed into the shuttle and sat down across from me. As quickly as I could, I grabbed his hand and pulled him to sit beside me, ridding any space on this side in case Garrus sat down beside me. But then I realised I would have to face him for the entire trip and practically threw Legion back across the shuttle.

"We question your actions, Shepard-Commander," he suddenly bleeped, his robotic voice setting me on edge.

"Just go with it," I told him and crammed myself against the side of the shuttle.

Garrus casually sat down beside me, that cool confidence causing me to wonder whether or not he had thought anything of my actions. If not, we would probably resume our close-knit friendship. If I was wrong about assuming we would do so…I couldn't imagine what he was thinking. He made it perfectly clear that he hadn't thought humans were very attractive. It wasn't his fault; he was a turian. Born and bred to hate us. Though it hadn't been that way for a while now, I knew very well that there were still turians who hated us – including his father, to a degree. Garrus just so happened to be the worst turian ever, which was exactly why I loved him. Having said it like that, I knew that the subconscious rebelliousness was another fraction of himself that only attracted me to him more.

My skin grew hot as I remembered that the very reason for my suddenly exposed desire was sitting right beside me. He appeared to notice, shifting to match my movements. Legion observed silently, watching the two of us as though staring was something normal. His evaluation wouldn't be announced at that very moment, though. He must have been saving his questions for later, storing them away in his memory core.

"So…bad weather," I commented as casually as I could, staring out of the window.

Garrus cleared his throat and nodded in agreement, replying with a simple, "Yeah…"

There was silence for the majority of the trip now. Up until the shuttle landed, of course. I dropped to the ground lightly, smiling slightly when Garrus touched my waist to offer assistance. My side was tingling, my heart throbbing.

"We're on the ground," I told Joker and watched the shuttle rise from the grass.

It appeared that no one was home, but EDI had warned us about life signs before landing. As we neared the small, shack-like structure, its doors beeped open and men emerged from the building.

"Get down!" I shouted and threw myself to the ground, scrambling towards the nearest rock for cover.

Leaning around the pillar, I lined up my shots and fired without hesitation, watching the mercenaries drop like flies. When there were only a few left, I lunged forward, using my biotic abilities to pull one of them towards me. He shrieked, attempting to aim his weapon towards me. I knocked the pistol from his hands and beat my fist down against his neck to break it. Twirling to the left, I kicked a second merc to the ground and back-bended to avoid a punch to the face. Shooting the last four easily enough, I stood up straight and waited for my team to catch up. Having heard the sniper rifle firing from behind me, I knew that Garrus had been swatting the other men around me like the insects they were. Always protecting me, no matter what. Though I had noticed before, it meant more now than it ever had.

We approached the building via the front door and slipped inside. There wasn't much to report – just a lot of damage. Whatever we were looking for had probably been taken already. No one had really been specific about this mission. All we had been told to do was find a hard drive of some sort and eliminate all mercenary participants. Which we had done far too easily. I suspected ambush, but nothing emerged. That hard drive did show up, though, and EDI assured me that there was nothing living nearby. Returning to the shuttle successful, with the hard drive stored away safely, I sighed with relief and sat down closest to the window. Garrus seated himself across from me this time, his eyes also gazing outside of the glass.

That night, I was awake until extremely late. It was hard to tell what time it was before I had opted for a shower. Drying my thick, fleece blonde hair and brushing it out, dabbing the water away from my fair skin, I ruffled it messily until I was comfortable. Alone like always, I sat down by my terminal and closed my eyes. Not long afterwards, my computer rang out into the piercing silence. Opening up my emails, I smiled at the familiar name and clicked on the flashing message.

Are you awake?

Of course I was. If Garrus was up, too, that must have meant he felt that same way. It was just wishful thinking, but I figured there was no harm in simply playing along with my emotions.

Yes…Come see me?

It was a longshot, but I was delighted when a knock came from the other side of the door only moments later. I jumped up and hit the console, grabbing onto the front of Garrus' armour and pulling him inside. His mouth was just as welcoming as mine, only he moved differently to the way I did. Not actually able to kiss, he responded with playful and seductive submission, listening to every plea that my body gave him. That warmth completely enveloped me, the both of us unsteady as we rocked, unbalanced, into the room.

Not knowing what to do after releasing him, I realised that he had a bottle of wine in his left hand. Wondering whether or not he could drink it, I collected up his other hand and led him towards the couches. There were glasses already sitting there. Happily drunk with the taste of turian in my mouth, I pushed him back onto the couch and climbed comfortably into his lap.

"I hope I didn't…upset you…," I started unsurely, wondering whether or not he exactly wanted me this close. "I mean…with earlier on and…well…"

Garrus just shook his head and smiled in the charming way that only he could manage to perfect.

"No, I just…Well, I guess I assumed you felt the same way that I did…Awkward…afterwards, at least. You humans do the strangest things…"

He must have been referring to the kiss. I knew enough about turians to understand how they displayed their affection. Pressing my forehead lightly to his, I watched as he responded automatically without needing any prompting. It was difficult to see whether or not he preferred this to my strange ways. That expression was still on his face, though; he was melting on the inside, his heart pounding rapidly beneath the palm of my hand.

"You know…," he began playfully and leant his nose lightly against my temple when I pulled away, "you're quite attractive for a human…just thought you should know…"

I blushed lightly, feeling my cheeks sizzle with his surprising compliment. It appeared he had read my mind after I had considered he didn't like humankind's exterior. Perhaps the interior wasn't a favourite either.

"Yeah, right," I doubtfully sighed and poured two glasses of wine, knowing that he wouldn't have brought it if only one of us could consume it. "You've told me before that I look funny."

"Of course," he told me, completely aware of what he had confessed to me in the past, "you are funny looking…but in comparison to other humans. You don't look like the rest of them…You look…beautiful."

Beautiful? That was the nicest thing he had ever said to me.

"Have you always thought that?" I curiously murmured, shyly brushing my hair back behind my ear. "I mean…do you really think I'm—"

There was no need to answer. He lightly pressed his mouth against mine, parting his lips for me. Tongue-to-tongue, I moaned softly and placed my hand against his cheek to hold him close. His skin rubbed against mine, but I found enjoyment out of what would probably show up as a mark that chafing left.

"I'b amwayth loeth 'or finde," I managed to groan against him, gasping softly when he pulled away.

"What?" he chuckled, brushing his talons through my hair and breathing in at the scent of my shampoo curiously.

"I've always loved your fringe," I confessed to him timidly, curiously trailing my fingertips along it until reaching the base of his neck. "It's very…sharp…"

"Sharp?" he laughed and shook his head at me, trembling each time I touched the soft skin behind his head, below his fringe. "Thanks, Commander."

"Commander?" I questioned in surprise, wondering why he was still calling me that. "I kind of thought we could get past this…I mean, I call you 'Garrus' all the time…so…call me 'Blaire'…or 'Shepard'."

"Blaire…," he repeated softly, whispering it to himself a few times before nodding. "I like it. Blaire Shepard…"

The night escalated faster than I had expected. Before we knew it, the entire bottle had gone and three more just like it. I was standing beside the sound system when Garrus returned with, yet, another bottle of wine. Finally, my fumbling fingers had the music playing and I was swaying side-to-side distractedly.

"Come dance with me!" I whined when I saw him stumbling near. "Come dance!"

Garrus shook his head uncoordinatedly and set the bottle down on the table awkwardly, mumbling, "I don't dance, Shepard…Ever."

"Sure you do!" I giggled and skipped over to him, taking up his hand and pulling him towards me.

He tripped over the leg of the table and almost fell on me, welcoming me into his chest when we were standing upright again. Somewhere along the way, he had taken his armour off. Though still plated, he was softer now somehow in just civilian clothes. I, too, was wearing just a pair of shorts and a loose, woollen jumper. Never this vulnerable to anyone, he must have realised that I was putting all of my faith into him.

"Please?" I whispered, staring into his piercing – but wonderfully gentle – baby blue eyes. "Just one song?"

Garrus sighed and put his arms around my waist, pulling me in tight. He was so much taller than me and, though his waist was quite slender, he was still a bigger width. That vulnerability was growing too comfortable, but I liked being able to let my guard down around someone – especially Garrus.

Neither of us could dance. It was ridiculous how horrible we were. Garrus was swaying at first, but then the music sped up and we were throwing ourselves around the room. Happier than I had ever been with having uncontrollable fun and laughter, I couldn't have imagined sharing this with anyone else.

Garrus suddenly gripped onto my arm and pulled me towards him, his forehead against mine. The music was loud enough to wake the entire ship, but we didn't bother turning it off. A slow song ended up playing anyway, the last song on the track.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" I asked him quietly, suddenly. "If you felt like this before, why didn't you say anything?"

Garrus knew how to reply exactly. He had the perfect answer.

"For the same reason that you didn't."

Of course. And the rules, as well. He didn't want to break all of them. As a turian, it was his instinct to follow the rules, but he was battling with his independence, and it was hurting him.

That stumbling and bumping we called 'dancing' soon turned into playful nudging and smacking. Before we knew it, we were sparring in the middle of the room. It was all harmless, perfectly safe. He wouldn't dare hit me, no matter how much I tempted him to try. It was worrisome that I actually wanted him to, wondering what in my right mind could have caused a thought like this.

Garrus suddenly pushed me back onto the bed, pinning me there. It took him a long moment to realise what he had done, the smile on his face beginning to fade. Then he stood and cleared his throat, briefly apologising.

"Sorry, Commander, I…"

I reached up and moved my hand down along his waist, sitting up slightly in order to reel him in closer. He eagerly followed, though obviously reluctant to give into what he wanted.

"If you're so sorry…just leave," I murmured, slightly smiling as I watched him consider...