The Flux club was alive and kicking, the music in full swing, thrumming and pulsing to an electric beat that fed the bodies swaying and grinding on the dance floor. Alliance soldiers on shore leave looking for some R&R, civilians that made their home on the Citadel, and others that were not much more than tourists.
Shepard was grateful herself for the much needed shore leave. The Normandy was in good hands with its technicians, making repairs and upgrades where necessary, despite any second guessing or minor grumbling Joker might have had about them getting their greasy hands all over 'his baby'.
Up there on the dance floor, swaying her hips to the beat as her frosty cold bottle of amber comfort sat in her hands, she was glad she had managed to convince at least most of her crew to join her for the night out of fun. She was just as comfortable here in the excitement and liveliness of the club as she was on the field putting bullets in the heads of Geth.
There was a hum in the air as bodies moved about her, and she was acutely aware of eyes on her from all corners of the room. This was something she was used to; in all of her life she was constantly reminded of just how striking her beauty was, her pale grey eyes like finely polished silverware that made promises underneath long dark lashes. Porcelain skin lighting up the fine features and feminine jawline of her face, a perfect narrow nose and rosy pink lips that gave way to bubbling laughter.
Her ochre black hair swayed around her, teased into gentle waves, looking appreciative to finally be let out of the restrictive ponytail that usually adorned Shepard's head.
A chuckle chimed from her throat as an energetic Garrus danced over to her, holding out a talon with the twitch of his mandibles, his own beady little eyes twinkling like a child meeting their hero for the first time. Shepard simply nodded and found a spot to put her almost finished beer bottle, returning quickly to enjoy being spun by her Turian friend.
Long ago, Shepard's mother had once told her that the eyes were the window to the soul, and she had spent years teaching her daughter the very ways of reading others by their expressions and their eyes. You see how Mister Duncan's apprentice always looks over his work with a steely gaze? You can see how he wants to impress his teacher, and fears to make mistakes that might disappoint him or anger him. Her mother's laughter came back to her as she remembered another story of Mister Duncan getting into a fight with a customer who accused him of cutting corners in his work; it hadn't ended well for the customer.
Using this gift, Shepard could see that Garrus respected her, but also looked up to her in hopes that perhaps- one day- he could grow up big and strong to be a SpecTRe just like her. Young eyes that contained will and determination to fight to the end, in the name of justice. It reminded her of herself when she was but a little child with big dreams.
"Daddy, when I grow up I wanna' be big and strong and fight the bad guys, just like you!" a young Shepard announced, clinging to the military issue pant leg of her father, eyes dancing with excitement. She had squealed with surprise as he had lifted her up into his strong, caring arms, missing her after a long tour of duty away from her and her Mother.
"You gonna' be my big strong soldier girl?" his laughter had followed as little Shepard had nodded with enthusiasm, wrapping her arms around his neck and rubbing her cheeks against the prickly beard that later on, Mother would tell him to shave off.
Together they bopped to the music before along came Kaidan, still wearing his casual military cargoes and shirt. Playfully bumping into the Turian's shoulder, he made way so that he could join in the fun, the three of them jiving about like a bunch of old friends. Shepard couldn't help herself but to almost double over in laughter as Kaidan began performing a cheesy dance move from the classic Saturday Night Fever, pointing one finger out into the crowd, other hand on his side as he thrust his hips.
His eyes were honest and kind, however when she pretended not to look, Shepard could see he was just like all the other men who fell over their feet just to catch a glimpse of her beauty. She knew he harboured deeper feelings than friendship for her, and she was flattered as she always was by such things, but she had no interest in him as more than a good friend. She knew he would respect and honour that; this made her smile, and made it easier for her to enjoy herself as he picked her up around the waist and swung her in a circle. It took her alcohol fuelled giggling and weak fist-pounding on his chest before she felt her feet back on the ground.
Holding her hands up in surrender, she made her way over to the bar to get herself another drink; hers had suspiciously gone missing from where she'd left it. Nodding at the bartender, a beer slid her way and she smiled her thanks, tipping the drink up to her lips before sparing a glance around the club to try and find her other companions.
Spotting a table a few metres from the dance floor, she saw Joker, Ashley and Liara sitting down and chatting as they enjoyed the company of each other. Noticing how the lovely blue Asari seemed to simply smile and nod as the other two shared stories, she decided now was as good a time as any to go over and check up on the shy and introverted young archaeologist.
Sliding through the crowds, she tried to ignore as she felt an over enthusiastic patron let his hand pass across her rear, clad in black leather pants. An icy glare was all he received, pulling his hand back as he saw the warning and fury behind her gaze.
Continuing to her destination, she grinned brightly as the three turned to her, Joker and Ashley raising their drinks and talking over each other in a tipsy haze while they greeted her. Waving them off, the Commander pulled a seat out, making sure to scoot it closer to Liara as she settled herself down.
"Thanks Commander, I really needed this. Good to be off ship for a while," Ashley sighed through a wide smile, taking another swig from her tumbler.
"No problem. Am I gonna' see you out on the dance floor there tonight?" Shepard asked, taking a pull from her beer and swaying softly side to side in time with the music as if hypnotised. She couldn't help but snicker to herself at the look of flagrant disgust that crossed Ashley's face.
"Please, the only dancing you'll see me doing is in the ring, right before I put you on your ass!"
Ashley's eyes told a story of strength, will, and of unshakeable character. She was one of the best soldiers that Shepard had ever seen, with a fire that rose up in her gut that she used to fight honourably. That same fire burnt strongly and defensively when it came to her beliefs in her religion and with her sisters, something that Shepard respected about her immensely. Shepard didn't believe in God herself, but her Mother had ingrained in her the need to respect others and their need to hold such beliefs close to their hearts, that it meant they had conviction even in the face of adversity.
Shepard couldn't help but laugh loudly at Ashley's teasing, sparing a moment to look over at Liara, those shifting blue eyes peering back at her in wonder and amusement from behind her glass of elasa.
"What about horizontal dancing?" she couldn't help the tease, knowing that her words were more directed at the innocent young Asari than they were Ashley, the gentle wink that followed making the poor girl nearly choke on her drink.
The whole table erupted into a tipsy symphony of laughter, and the Commander couldn't help but feel herself grow warmer. Though she was willing to blame it on the alcohol making its way through her system, that was more an excuse for the way the dark blush now covering Liara's cheeks was making her feel.
When she looked at Liara, her eyes told her that she saw her as a mathematics problem that she wanted to solve, and it unnerved the Commander. Not because she was afraid, but because of how Shepard would more than gladly let the Asari peel away her layers, formulate an answer to everything that was Shepard and keep the secret all to herself. There was so much behind that shy gaze, something so incredibly intimate and mysterious that it set her nerves on edge whenever she was near her. She was the one person that Shepard couldn't instantly figure out, but she wanted desperately to unearth everything Liara.
Sensing the Asari's nervousness, Shepard allowed a small smile to cross her lips, leaning over and delicately pulling the drink from her wonderful blue hands to place on the table next to her bottle of beer.
"Come on, dance with me!" she didn't so much request as she did demand, pushing away from her chair and holding out a hand as she awaited the other to accept it.
Looking up almost in a state of panic, Liara's eyes widened and the blush now began creeping down her slender neck where it disappeared beneath the low cut black shirt that Shepard had leant her for the evening out. It matched well with the form hugging lab pants that she had insisted she would prefer to wear, despite Shepard offering her one of her favourite skirts to compliment the outfit.
"Commander?" her voice was almost a squeak in response, her hand tentatively reaching out to curl around Shepard's palm, steeling herself as the imposing woman pulled her with ease onto her feet and began dragging her away from the table.
"It'll be fun!" Shepard sang back, her intoxicating laugh following a soothing gaze as she allowed herself to turn back and see that the Asari was smiling softly back at her.
Thankfully she managed to get Liara all the way onto the dance floor without either of them being groped or manhandled, and no tripping over their own feet either. Things were certainly looking up. Trying to put the reserved young Asari at ease, the Commander began bouncing up and down with the music, fist raised high in the air, as the crowd began to chant along with the lyrics of the upbeat Shine on Me, loving the way that the Asari giggled at her exuberant behaviour although her wild hair was whipping about in all directions.
Shepard took Liara by the hands and beamed brightly as she joined in on singing the lyrics, though she wasn't the greatest when it came to being in tune, her enthusiasm and efforts paid off as Liara grinned back at her.
Sparing a glance around, Shepard managed to make out the forms of Kaidan and Garrus in a heated battle at the back of the game room, going head to head in a game of Speed Shuttle IV. Laughing and shaking her head, testosterone fuelled competitions she was certainly no stranger to baring witness to.
It seemed she had put Liara at ease, her body now moving- if somewhat a little strained- in time to the beat. Biting her lower lip, Shepard couldn't help but appreciate the way her curvaceous form looked beneath her skin hugging clothes, feeling her chest tighten and her own body being drawn to her, the other dancers surrounding them drowned out.
Taking the bull by the horns- or maybe it was alcohol induced bravery- the raven haired woman slipped closer and pressed a hand against the Asari's hip, both of them jolting at the contact but not wanting to pull away. Shepard felt a fierce burning in her chest as their eyes locked, and she found her hips rolling in a suggestive manner against the shy girl's despite the flags waving desperately in her mind that she was going to make Liara have a heart attack from the display.
"S-Shepard..." Liara's words came out in a tight voice, her pupil's dilating and her cheeks turning a deep shade, her body moving on its own in a broken rhythm against her. It warmed the Commander's heart to see the Asari letting go of her inhibitions, but not wanting to put pressure on her she moved away with a small wink to give her some breathing room.
Liara smiled back at the Commander, her blush receding just a touch but her face still retaining some colour as the two continued to dance around each other.
Not long after their little moment, the song changed to a slower number- Shepard recognised it as a cover of Te Amo- the two stopping stock still in the middle of the floor, their heads looking around as everyone paired off and began slow dancing together. Mouth agape and her own cheeks heating up, Shepard looked around and spotted a hobbling Joker, hurrying away from the DJ's station as fast as he could manage on his weak little legs.
"Joker." Shepard narrowed her gaze, jaw tightening, following his every move back to the table where Ashley was watching them both with an incredibly satisfied smirk on her face.
"Joker?" Liara queried, looking around quickly, not realising that Shepard was implying he had requested a slow song just to provoke further interaction between herself and the Commander.
"You know what? Let's give them something to stare at," Shepard said firmly, ignoring how Liara still appeared confused and somewhat disoriented, reaching out to the young woman and taking both her hands in her own. Liara's eyes snapped up to the Commander's, those wonderful smoky blue eyes full of hidden desire, and for a moment Shepard could see how something inside the girl was begging her to pull her close in that instant.
"Here, put your arms around my shoulders, just like this," she told her softly, guiding the blue hands up and over her collarbone. Not wanting to push too far, she let Liara set the pace for how far around her she did wrap her arms, letting her own fall to the Asari's hips.
With a gentle press, she pulled Liara in just a little closer, not breaking the gaze they shared for a single second as she began to move their bodies slowly together in time with the song. Oh, she was nervous. Sweet Jesus was she ever nervous and for the first time that she could remember Shepard felt completely out of her element and had no clue how to move forward.
Chewing on her lower lip, her feet shuffling nervously with Liara's, she inhaled a deep breath and shifted her hands against the other's hips. Her palms were sweating and her heart was thumping in her chest. Dear God she had seduced her fair share of women but this was proving to be close to her undoing.
"So, uh, you've had fun tonight?" Shepard finally broke the silence between them, exhaling a soft breath as she watched Liara smile up at her with a warmth that almost made her turn into a weak kneed fool.
"Yes, I have. Thank you for inviting me out, Shepard," Liara replied sincerely, her arms sliding just a little further over her companions shoulders, forearms now resting against the Commander's neck. The tension between them eased enough that Shepard felt her own lips curling into a smile, one of genuine happiness.
"You look beautiful," Shepard complimented with a softness in her tone, letting her own hands slide a little more around Liara's hips and closer to her lower back. She felt the woman arch into her touch, barely noticeable, if not for the fact that she was absolutely focussed on nothing but the Asari in her arms.
Liara looked down, her cheeks darkening again but the smile on her lips remaining, her reply coming out in almost a whisper. "Thank you."
An overwhelming feeling came over Shepard, and as she argued it over in her head as to whether she could do it or not, she was unaware that Liara had looked back up and was staring at her intently as if waiting for something to happen. While the Commander was chewing on her lip and looking out somewhere over the sea of people but not really seeing them, a soft hand came to her cheek and guided her gaze back down again.
Shepard met with Liara's eyes, saw them dancing with expectation and perhaps a single drop of concern. Her plump lips creased delicately in their corners as her pupils flicked back and forth between each of Shepard's own silver-grey orbs.
"Shepard? Are you alright?" Liara inquired in a calming voice, letting her arm return to curling around the neck of the woman before her, not even coming to notice that she had allowed herself to draw even closer to the human.
Lost in the sea of blue, Shepard found her breath caught in her throat, amazed at the simple beauty and radiance of the woman before her. It caught her off guard and threw everything she knew about seduction out the window; she was reduced to nothing more than a teenager at her first prom, dancing with her date and sweating from nervousness.
"I like you," the words had left her lips before she could catch herself, and she felt her cheeks burning with a rush of blood as her feet failed her, stumbling a touch and almost losing rhythm with her admission.
"I like you too," Liara replied, her lips curling into a wonderful smile, and for a moment Shepard was terrified that she had completely missed what she had meant by 'liking' her. Letting her feet catch up again, she looked away nervously, her hands clammy as they sat at Liara's lower back.
"No, I mean I uh, I like like you, not like a friend. No, wait, that isn't to say that I don't want to be your friend, but I just mean... uh... I like you as more than a friend!" her rambling was endearing to the Asari, and she found herself frowning as she looked back to Liara, her lips turning down into a slight pout. It was when she gave a moment to notice the twinkle behind her dance partner's eyes that she realised she'd been had; her brow crinkled.
"You knew what I meant, didn't you?" she groaned, her suspicions confirmed as the cheeky woman giggled in reply, batting her eyes in feigned ignorance.
"Why Commander, are you suggesting that I would 'pull the cotton over your eyes'?" Liara replied in mock offence, being just a little bit brave in allowing one of her hands to brush through the silken locks of hair that sat against her skin. Shepard chuckled at her mixing up the words 'cotton' and 'wool', gaining back some of her confidence.
"It's wool," Shepard teased gently, a wicked smile plastering her face as she leaned in, closing the distance between them and pressing a soft and chaste kiss to Liara's lips. "And you're adorable."
The tables were turned yet again, now Liara becoming the blushing and incoherent one as she struggled to find a reply to the Commander's words and also to the wonderful sign of affection that had just been planted on her. Then, to add insult to injury, there was a bright white flash that went off which caused them both to jump and turn to the culprit.
One Ashley Williams, her face flushed from alcohol consumption and a cocky grin on her lips, had snapped a candid shot on her omni-tool camera of the pair and was now making a hasty retreat away from the storm that she knew was about to hit. Shepard growled playfully in her throat, excusing herself from her blushing and awkward partner with a quick peck on the forehead, before taking off after the insubordinate.
"Ash! You get back here! Give me that!"
"You'll have to beat it out of me!"
"I'll throw you in the brig, Williams!"
Some ten minutes, a wrestling match and being thrown out of Flux later, the group began making their way back to the Normandy. Everyone was rather inebriated, but the atmosphere was jovial as they all said their good nights and headed to their respective sleeping areas.
Once it was only Liara and Shepard left, the two walked slowly over to the entrance to the med-bay, standing before one another. Shepard felt like a teenager who was dropping her date off at the door of their parents home, and she couldn't help but smile at the thought. God Shepard, you are a hopeless case.
Their fingers intertwined slowly together, pulling and playing, soft touches and grazes against palms and digits.
"I guess this is your stop huh?" Shepard interrupted the silence casually, watching Liara's eyes light up and the way the corners of her lips crinkled as she smiled sincerely.
"I had a wonderful time tonight Shepard, thank you," her reply was quiet and straight from the heart, and it took all of her effort not to turn into a bumbling fool as she pulled the six foot tall woman's face down closer to hers so that she could plant a gentle kiss to her cheek.
"We'll uh, have to do this stuff together more often. When we're on shore leave. I mean, we've got a few days before shore leave is over, maybe... dinner?" the Commander used every ounce of her strength to sound coherent and very adult like. Where's that commanding military bravado when you need it?
Liara nodded in reply, her fingers touching the bony knuckles on the backs of Shepard's hands. "I would like that. Maybe tomorrow?"
Shepard nodded as quickly as was humanly possible, her cheeks warming from Liara's gentle ministrations, trying with all her might to calm her pounding heart. "Tomorrow."
"Goodnight, Shepard." Liara pulled her fingers away, much to her and Shepard's disappointment, touching the interface to open the med-bay door as she moved towards it.
"Night Liara," the Commander replied quietly, watching as the blue beauty disappeared behind the door, the hiss and click sounding as it closed. With a heavy sigh, she retreated as quickly as she possibly could to the Captain's quarters.
She kicked off her boots, letting them fling across the room and smack against the base of her bed. With a heavy groan she crossed the room and threw herself face first down onto the mattress, staying like that until she found it difficult to get fresh air, rolling onto her back and staring up at the ceiling.
"You're a well and truly hopeless case, Shepard," she grumbled to herself, but was unable to suppress an immature chuckle and the starry eyed expression on her face as her mind swam with the image of one very wonderful- and very blue- lady.