"Drinks all around!" A reasonably inebriated Marine had taken up a stand on the bar counter as he announced his plans, arms spread. A cheer rang through the bar, which was mostly filled with other Marines or their dates, and what Marine didn't enjoy a free drink.
Valerie herself continued to nurse at her drink, a fruity mixture she'd gotten no shortage of shit for. But she wasn't in the mood for heavy drinking, and her biotic metabolism burned it off far too quickly to begin with. A towering figure with a torso like a mac truck took up the seat next to her, motioning to the bartender. He was far too comfortable with the bar to be anything but military, but his uniform was more relaxed, and his hair was shaved into a short mohawk.
"Oh, sorry, chica," he said, glancing over to her, and he shuffled slightly to balance a bit more on the center of his stool. Val waved a dismissive hand at him, unperturbed by his presence. "So," he glanced over her, "you know what's going on here?"
"Mhm," she said through a sip. "He," she pointed to the man still on the bar, leading a few other men in a chant, "and a few others just came back from Rio. N-School all finished."
"Oh," the man turned to glance over at the other man on the bar. "Wonder what it was like. You know, what it was really like."
"No sleep, lots of visits to other planets, lots of shouting, lots of being fucking cold, lots of being low on rations," Valerie gave a shrug, and the man turned back to her, respect clear in his eyes. Not that she didn't deserve it. "Wait a second," she pointed to him. "I recognize you."
"You do?" He gripped the drink that had been placed in front of him.
"You were on Fehl Prime, right? My old squad stopped there for a refuel. Weren't there for long." She squinted as she tried to remember his name. "Vega, right? You didn't have the-" she motioned to the scar on his face. "Looks good, though. Roguish charm."
Vega let out a low huff of laughter, apparently amazed at her memory. "Yeah, yeah, that was me." He turned back to his drink and the subject dropped. "So, you... You're N7, then?"
"Yup. Hot off the press, so to speak."
"Huh. Got a recommendation for the school a while back. Haven't really thought about it for a bit."I really
Valerie lifted her brows, curious. "Oh?" But Vega just shrugged, clearly not wanting to go into detail. "It's a challenge. Mentally, physically. In ways that you wouldn't even imagine. But it shows you what you're made of, that's for sure."
"And what are you made of?" Valerie wasn't sure if that was a come on.
"Mostly hunger, as it turns out," she shrugged. "It happens to biotics. We use a lot of calories. What are you doing on Earth now, anyway?"
Vega threw back the amber liquid in his glass before answering. "I'm guarding Commander Shepard these days. Not exactly Fehl Prime, but that wasn't really all that thrilling, either."
"At least it's Commander Shepard. That's more exciting than a Terminus colony, right?"
Vega gave a shrug, rolling the glass between his palms. "Listen, I'm not good at this," he looked over to her, and she gave a low laugh.
"I hadn't noticed," she threw back what was left of her drink, regretting it just a touch as the cold and sugar hit her all at once, and then nodded toward the door. "So, you want to get out of here, that's what you're saying, right?"
"Yeah," he perked up as he stood and they wove their way through the drunken crowd out into the refreshing evening air. A taxi stand wasn't far off, and when they were in the hovercar, he punched in his address. "So, uhh," he started, staring down at his hands.
Valerie suppressed a snicker. "Oh, come here," she reached over, pulling his face to hers and kissing him, certain that she feel the heat of a bush from his cheeks. She nipped at his lip before leaning back to give him his space.
"Hey, hey," he protested, leaning back in and kissing her, this time much more earnest. Val grinned under his lips and unbuckled herself, thanking all the engineers in the world for self-piloting cars as she straddled him. Vega let out a low laugh, hands on her waist. "This isn't safe, you know."
"That means it's your job to keep me from flying through the window," she murmured against his lips before kissing along his jawline and down to his neck. Her hands tugged at his shirt until she found the hem and then finally his body, hard and muscular from his training. He let out a low sound of pleasure as she sucked and nibbled at his neck, and his own hands found their way under her shirt, up her abdomen to her chest. She sighed against his neck as his large hands moved over her breasts, sensitive even through her bra.
The cab finally settled outside of an apartment, and the two stepped out, Valerie tugging on his wrist to encourage him, but he didn't seem to need much, grinning like a high schooler with a dirty magazine. The trip up was short before they were in his apartment, and she pulled him back down, hands on his neck. Unwilling to stop, Vega stooped, cupping her ass and lifting her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist.
"Impressive," Valerie laughed as he carried her, and he shrugged, still grinning.
"Gotta impress the ladies, you know?" He managed between fervent kisses. He lowered her when they were back to the bedroom. He tugged off his shirt as she did the same, and stepped forward to help her with her pants.
"Ohh, a gentleman," she teased, her hands sliding over his arms before she stepped out of them.
"Always," he said as she dropped to the bed, leaning back and beckoning him closer. "I try to avoid fraternizing, but I think a little special congratulations is in order, you know?" Vega smirked, and Valerie quirked an eyebrow as Vega leaned over her.
"Yeah, I think so," she agreed, her head tilting in curiosity before he eased himself down between her legs. His fingers hooked into the top of her panties and he slipped them down, watching as she pulled her legs to help him. "Have you ever even-?" She questioned, teasing as she leaned on her arms to watch.
He grinned, "Shit, yeah," he laughed a deep, throaty chuckle, "Don't make it weird."
"You're making it weird," she watched as he leaned forward, spreading her as she allowed her legs to rest on his shoulders. She took in a sharp breath as he finally made contact, his tongue making a lazy pass. It wasn't exactly adventurous, but it was a good start, and she allowed herself to lay back. His tongue moved to her clit, teasing and becoming more earnest as she let out small noises of pleasures. One hand moved to his head as her other gripped at the sheets, her toes curling. Her back arched as she urged him on with heavy breaths and soft moans until finally, she came, body relaxing in a matter of moments.
"Told you," he growled, having leaned back for a second. Valerie looked at him, framed between her thighs, eyebrows lifted.
"You did," she said, lifting herself up again. "Now c'mon," she beckoned him with one finger.
Vega stood, undoing his pants as Val moved back across the bed to make room for him. He moved over her once he was done, hand trailing up from her abdomen toward her chest as he leaned down for a kiss. Her hands came up to cup the back of his neck, pulling him for more as his hands unhooked her bra. His mouth moved to her jaw, and down her neck, slipping over her collarbone as she released him to drop her bra over the side of the bed. One of his hands moved to her breasts, and he took her nipple into his mouth, nipping gently.
Valerie let out a soft moan and pulled him back up to her lips, kissing him more before pressing on his side, flipping them over and straddling his waist. She smirked down at him, her hands on his abs. He reached up, stroking her sides as she took his member in her hand, slowly sliding her hand from the head down toward the base. She felt him shiver beneath her, and his head fell back, eyes closed. "Ayye," he moaned.
She shuffled slightly as she positioned herself above him, smirking at the way his head popped back up, eyes taking her in, fingers tightening on her hips. She lowered herself onto him, savoring the soft sounds she was eliciting from his lips. She bit her own lip as she took him in. Reaching his base, she paused for a moment, savoring the look of anticipation on his face before she started to move, up and down, his fingers never once leaving her hips as they rolled.
Her lips parted as her pace quickened and Vega started moving his own hips to match her movements. She leaned forward, a hand on his chest, toes curling again as they both moaned, "Not yet, not yet," she huffed, and he let out a groan of disagreement. After a few more thrusts, and one last groan, she finished again, and with an affirmative nod, so did he.
She lowered herself next to him, pressing her face into his neck as they separated. "Damn," he huffed out as he reached over, stroking her back. "Hell of a congratulations, huh?"
Valerie let out a soft noise of confirmation, clearly not interested in an extended conversation.
Vega woke the next morning, slow and sleepy, to an empty bed, but the smell of coffee wafting from his kitchen. Finding his boxers amongst the other clothes, most of them still strewn about the room, he made his way out to find Valerie leaning against his counter, a steaming mug clutched in her hands. "Morning," she lifted her eyebrows and held the cup out. "I didn't drink yet, don't worry. Not that your mouth hasn't been in worse places recently... I'm Valerie Byron, by the way."
Vega gave a snort, taking the cup as he looked her over, half-exposed in his shirt and her underwear. He felt a pang of what might have been regret for not pursuing relationships. He wouldn't admit that it could have been loneliness. "Nice to meet you." He took a sip and wet his lips, looking down into the dark liquid. "Black, huh?"
"Yeah, saves time when everyone else is trying to get to the sugar," she shrugged, dismissive, as she turned to pour another cup.
"So, listen," he said after another long moment. "You don't mind... Keeping this private, right?"
Valerie frowned for a second as she considered, but shook her head. "No, I thought that was part of the deal."
Vega let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in a sigh of relief, lifting his eyes again. "Not that it's, you know-"
"Yeah," she interrupted, appearing almost amused, and he let out a bark of embarrassed laughter, looking back down to his cup. "I know. It's fine. I'm shipping out to the Citadel in a few hours, anyway." She gave him a wink as she took a sip of her own coffee. "Speaking of, though..." she trailed off as she moved around him, back to the bedroom in order to gather up her clothes.
Finally dressed again, she paused at the door, "Let's do this again sometime, hm?" She teased before giving one last wave.