As a lifelong soldier, Adrien Victus' forte had never been personnel analysis.

Enemy analysis, equipment analysis, formation analysis, and intelligence analysis were all areas of expertise.

But how to read the body language of others, especially that of another species? That was something entirely new to him.

It was exactly why he had no idea how to react to Commander Shepard's extremely odd behaviour.

Shepard and Garrus had entered a partnership, that he could see in their quiet moments of celebration after a success or mourning after a failure. They were carrying each other through this mess of a war, of that he was certain.

Yet when that was the case, why did she send sly smiles at Victus when no one else was watching? Why did she touch his arm when she was laughing at something he said? Why did she flush when he met her eyes? Why could he smell something musky, something sweet, when she sat between Garrus and he at a meeting?

Why did these strange reactions of hers leave him flushed beneath his carapace?

He could see why Garrus had fallen for her, so hard and so quickly. She had many traits considered desirable to the turians: she had a strength of will exemplary to the human race, she worked ceaselessly, she understood the need for sacrifice in winning the war, and her duty to her people was her priority.

Her curly, wild head of jet black hair, flawless ebony skin, and dark, mysterious gaze couldn't help but draw the eye, either.

Yet she belonged to Garrus, that much was clear; he had seen the scar on her from his bite. It wasn't obvious to anyone but a turian, just a circle of lighter skin on the crook between her neck and shoulder.

On a quiet evening on the ship when they had docked on the Citadel and most of the crew had shore leave, he stayed on ship, researching human body language on his extranet terminal.

To say that he was surprised that all signs pointed to her attraction, and even arousal, was an understatement.

Shepard? Commander Shepard? Attracted to him, when she already had a man as young and virile as Garrus as her partner? Spirits, why?

He was a noble man, though. Never would he express an inkling of interest in another man's woman... Regardless of how attractive that she happened to be.

From that day forth, Adrien restricted his conversations with Shepard to strictly professional ones. He ate in the mess hall when she was out, and he utilized the ship's AI to send her messages in lieu of delivering them personally to her quarters.

Quickly, however, matters grew even stranger.

He was in the mess in the small hours, reading over a series of reports regarding the dire situation in Palaven.

Another million soldiers lost. Two frigates. One cruiser. Spirits, help us.

"Judging by your expression, things on Palaven are ugly?"

Adrien's golden eyes met Garrus' blue ones. His subvocals had been soothing; spending so much time away from turians, it felt like a slice of home hearing it.

Adrien shook his head, throwing the datapad on the table and rubbing his eyes. "Yes. We need to resolve this krogan dispute, and quickly, or we aren't going to have a world to save."

Garrus swept into the seat beside Adrien, resting a warm and comforting hand on his shoulder. "Shepard can do this. You can do this. There's a damn good reason they chose you as Primarch."

"I appreciate your vote of confidence, Garrus, but the odds are less and less in our favour with each passing day. Look at this." He pulled out his omni-tool and opened the roster of soldiers on Menae.

Over ninety-five percent of the soldiers that Adrien and Garrus had fought beside were dead.

"I left them," Adrien whispered, his subvocals agonizing. "I left them, and now they're all dead."

Without a word of warning, Garrus pulled Adrien to face him and wrapped his arms around his Primarch's shoulders, embracing him. Garrus' subvocals thrummed in a wordless, soothing tone, something Adrien hadn't heard since his wife was holding Tarquin in her arms so many years ago.

Adrien hadn't had any idea of how badly he had needed the comforting until he felt it. It was a distinctly human gesture, but letting go of his pride, he returned the embrace, digging his talons into the hide on Garrus's back. "Thank you," he whispered into Garrus' ear.

They slowly pulled apart, their eyes locking, and for a lingering moment, neither of them seemed able to let go. Garrus' grip was burning into his hide, and even as he felt his hands lift he was resisting the movement, wishing that the touch could linger for one more moment.

As they discussed the war further, the air between them seemed so static that Adrien had to excuse himself.

He avoided both Shepard and Garrus after that.

Although the war was far from over, the alliance between krogans and turians had been secured. It was time for Adrien to return to the Citadel. He was eager to enact change, but in spite of the fact that he had only been seeking Shepard and Garrus for professional matters, he would miss them both, as well as their enigmatic team.

He was in his office, packing his minimalist possessions, when he heard a tentative knock at the door.

"Come in," he called out, without turning around.

It was Shepard. She had tied her curly hair in a loose knot at the back of her neck, drawing attention to her prominent cheekbones and luscious lips. She wore no cosmetics, although he believed that she didn't need them. "Primarch, sir." She snapped off a speedy salute.

"Don't you think we can dispose of the formalities at this point?" he asked wryly.

She shrugged. He had never noticed how broad her shoulders were without her armour; as a soldier, she was a force to be reckoned with. "Don't want to offend anyone."

"Takes a great deal more than that to offend me."

"I was hoping..." She began to rub the back of her neck; she was nervous. "Would you care to... Fuck it. Want to have a drink in my quarters with Garrus and I?"

Adrien couldn't help it; his jaw fell open at her request. It wasn't exactly unexpected, but from the way her chest and cheeks flushed and the fact that she wouldn't meet his eyes suggested that she had more than just a drink on her mind.

Yet, he felt himself not entirely opposed to the idea.

This was the end of the galaxy, after all. At worst, he would likely see Shepard and Garrus infrequently from hereon in. At best, he was in for an exceptional evening.

"I have the finest turian brandy. Garrus highly recommends it. If you're-"

"I'd be delighted."

"Oh!" Her thick lips fell into an 'o' of surprise. It quickly slid away to be replaced by a broad smile. "Excellent! Come up whenever you're ready." She brazenly winked. "I'll be waiting."

The evening had gone far better than Shepard could have dreamed.

Adrien had arrived shortly after his invitation. Bottle after bottle after bottle of brandy was shared until quite a pile had developed on her table. At first, she and Garrus had shared a couch and Adrien took the chair, but as their inhibitions slipped, he had joined them on the couch, leaving Shepard between two devilishly handsome turians. Currently she had her head on Garrus' lap while he ran his fingers along her scalp, and her feet were on Adrien's while he massaged them.

It was bliss.

"Garrus." Her words were slurred. "If you could do one thing before the end of the galaxy, what would it be?"

He tapped his talon on her head, pretending to ponder over his answer. Shepard knew, however, that they had planned his answer weeks ago. "Shepard," he growled, low. "We've discussed this."

"Come on, Garrus. I think Adrien might be game."

"Doing that with the Primarch..."

"...Makes it even sexier."

Adrien's eyes darted between them. What in the Spirits could they be talking about? They acted as if he wasn't there. He nearly started when Shepard's bare toe began rubbing circles on his thigh.

"But-"

"No buts. We both agreed that if the opportunity came up, we should take it."

Adrien interrupted their banter. "Care to bring me up to speed?"

Shepard sighed reluctantly. "Garrus and I... have a fantasy we've always wanted to try."

Adrien attempted - and failed - to keep the huskiness from his subvocals. "And what is that?"

"A threesome."

A noise resembling "ah" made its way out of his mouth as he felt the flash of heat straight to his core.

Him?

With Shepard and Vakarian?

Both intrigue and pleasure filled him at the thought.

Never before had he been with another man. He wasn't opposed to the thought, however, and if he were to choose a man, he would choose Garrus. His talents with both a sniper rifle and omni-tool made him an excellent fighter, his dry wit made him a good companion, and even his scarred visage gave him an attractive rough-and-tumble quality.

And Shepard? One would have to be a blind fool to turn her down, especially with the heat in her eyes as she watched him, anticipating his response.

Unwittingly, he began to trace circles with his talon along Shepard's foot. When he reached her ankle, he spread his hand wide, covering it, feeling her heat beneath his palm.

Would this chance ever again arise?

Would he be an utter fool not to take it?

Over her uniform his hand began to travel up her leg. Spirits, she felt wonderful; he could feel the outline of every powerful muscle, like a coiled spring beneath her skin. She wasn't nearly as squishy and malleable as he had expected.

As he reached past her knee, he watched her throw her head back and let out a languid sigh. Garrus took Adrien's cue and ran his talons along her arm, her collarbone, between her small but perky breasts.

"Should I take that as a yes?" she breathed, lifting her hips to push Adrien's hand even closer to the center of heat between her legs. He laughed huskily, deep in his throat, in response.

"Should we move somewhere more comfortable?" Garrus asked, eyeing Shepard's spacious bed. Adrien and Shepard nodded in unison. Shepard sat up and pressed her lips to the thin hide on Adrien's throat, smiling at the groan that escaped his mouth. Her lips traced a line up his neck and to his cheek before she rested them on his mouth plates.

He was shocked by the sensation at first, but after feeling how soft and gentle her lips were he closed his eyes and welcomed the feel of her hot tongue inside his mouth. He followed her lead and his tongue danced with hers; she tasted smoky from the brandy, and smelled faintly of gunpowder, metal, and fruity soap. He ran his hands along her waist and supple hips, and he felt the pressure on his plates as he began to grow hard.

"Get a room, you two," Garrus joked. Shepard peeled away from Adrien, shooting him a tantalizing smile before turning to Garrus and kissing him. Their chemistry and practice was clear; there was heat in their kiss, their hands roaming over each other's bodies like hormonal teenagers. They finally pulled apart, their breath heavy, and turned to gaze at Adrien in unison.

Wordlessly, Shepard stood, holding her hands out for both men. They both grasped them and she pulled them with her to the bed, falling onto her back. She teased, "You're both overdressed for the situation, don't you think?"

Adrien reached down to begin to unbuckle his civvies but Garrus' hand on his stopped him. Their eyes met, and Garrus insisted, "Let me."

The blue in Garrus' eyes was truly magnificent; both bright and curious, with a touch of a deeper hue that hinted how dangerous he could be when the need arose. His hands on Adrien's chest were surprisingly gentle as his talons skid down his body, their eyes locked, sea blue burning into amber. Garrus surprised him by leaning forward and locking his mouth onto Adrien's exposed throat, sending a jolt of pleasure straight from Adrien's neck to somewhere in the region of his stomach, before he pulled his top off his shoulders.

While Garrus's mouth lingered on Adrien's neck, close to his throat, he muttered in a deep tone, "Shepard?"

For a fleeting moment, Garrus had enthralled Adrien so much that he had nearly forgotten about her presence. "Yes?" she purred.

While Garrus' hands roamed over Adrien's bare chest, Shepard's found the waistband of his pants. She ran a finger along the edge, lingering patiently. The new feeling of two sets of hands on his body was overwhelming and he had to lock his knees to prevent them from buckling.

"I think we need to show Adrien what humans like to do with their mouths."

Adrien's curiosity was piqued. "Oh?" he choked out. She moistened her lips with her pink tongue, and he remembered how soft it had felt in his mouth. What could Garrus be talking about?

It couldn't be...

Could it?

Her fingers began to trail lower and lower beneath his waistband, her eyes hungry, and when she licked her lips while staring at his groin, the pressure on his plates reached an almost unbearable level.

He had heard tales of this technique from turians who had mated with asari.

Most of them had said that they couldn't go back to turians after the experience.

He was surprisingly willing to take that risk.

Just as Shepard's wandering fingers found his sheath, nearly bursting with the pressure, he managed to choke out, "Wait."

Both Shepard and Garrus stopped their ministrations. Neither of them wanted to overstep the unknown boundaries with Adrien. Shepard knew that this moment, the moment that had been in her dreams for months, was tenuous.

"You're both overdressed," Adrien commented, his mandibles flickering. Shepard and Garrus exchanged a shy smile and, once again with practiced precision, began to undress each other. Garrus unzipped Shepard's hoodie, revealing a torso hardened by battle. Wiry muscles flowed from her arms to her chest to her stomach to her hips, marred by the scars inevitable from a life in the front lines. Shepard did the same for Garrus and he, too, had the wiry muscles of a soldier accompanied by a myriad of scars, the most prominent being the one that stretched from his face down his neck and across his chest.

They were both beautiful in their own way.

Even as they shared the private moment of undressing each other, they always made sure that Adrien was a guest and not a voyeur. Garrus would turn his gaze to Adrien, making a noise of arousal too deep in his subvocals for Shepard to hear. Shepard grabbed one of his hands and clasped it over her bra-covered breast, closing her eyes. Her wild mane of hair was a halo around her face, darkened by the flush of desire.

With a swift movement of her hand, Adrien's pants joined Garrus' and Shepard's on the floor and they were all left in naught but their underclothes. Shepard pushed him by his chest onto the bed and crawled over him on all fours, her dark eyes eager. Her hot mouth began to trace a trail of electricity down his body, her tongue and teeth making occasional appearances to lick or nibble. When she had reached the level of his groin, Garrus kneeled on the bed behind her, running his hands over her waist and hips, his eyes hungry for the woman before him. He reached up to cup her breasts, sliding his hands beneath her bra, letting out a languid sigh when he felt their softness beneath his hands.

Shepard's deft hands pulled Adrien's underclothes down his legs and she kissed up them, stopping at his plates. She could see how tense he was: his talons gripped the sheets so tightly that she knew there would be holes in them, and every muscle was coiled. "Relax," she murmured, her breath hot on his plates, and without pause he begged her, "Please."

No further preamble was required; Shepard knew exactly what he wanted. She ran her tongue along his plates and they opened while he moaned, growing wild with the need for freedom. His plates spread and his smooth sheath slipped out. He was so aroused that his cock quickly slid out of the protective sheath, hard as a rock. She grasped the base in her hand and ran her tongue from the bottom to the top.

Adrien's vision went white as Shepard pulled more of his cock into her mouth, swirling her tongue along the underside, her hand working in small and slow pumps. Spirits, he had no idea that a mouth could provide such bliss. Turian mouths were filled with unforgiving sharp teeth; on the contrary, Shepard was able to use her teeth to lightly brush against his cock, sending jolts of sensation throughout his body.

As Shepard patiently licked and sucked Adrien's cock, Garrus began to tease her from behind. He slipped her underclothes down her legs, resting them at her knees, and ran his hands along the inside of her voluptuous thighs, groaning at the feel of her silken soft skin. While one hand palmed her ass - he had quickly found it to be one of his favourite parts of her body, soft and round with the right amount of firmness - the other circled her womanhood, and he found that she was more wet than he could ever remember. One blunted talon slipped in side of her and she moaned around Adrien's cock, the sound turning Garrus on immensely. Slowly rocking his finger in and out of Shepard's wetness, Garrus lowered his face so he could kiss down her spine, ending at her tailbone. While one finger reached out to circle her clitoris - the pearly bundle of nerves had been practically pulsing with need - his kisses lowered until he reached the sweet spot between her ass. With his long tongue he began to dart in and out, and he felt Shepard tremble and moan while he did.

"Wait." Shepard's command, directed at Adrien, was more of a moan than a word. Between her rapid gasps and tightening wetness, Garrus knew she was close; he pushed his tongue deeper inside of her while his finger worked her wetness, faster and faster, his plates unbearably tight as he pulled an orgasm out of her. She threw her head back and cried out to the heavens, her body riding through the waves of pleasure.

Momentarily spent, Shepard spent a moment gasping. She collapsed on her back beside Adrien, pulling off her bra so that he could massage her breasts. Brazenly Adrien gestured for Garrus to come closer; remaining on his knees, Garrus climbed beside him and Adrien slipped his underclothes down, running his finger along his plate to release his cock. Garrus threw his head back as Adrien worked him in slow strokes, marvelling at how incredible another cock felt in his hand.

He had a feeling that, if he had his way, this wouldn't be his last sexual encounter with another man.

"Garrus," she whispered. He attempted to respond, but only a groan came out.

He knew what she wanted though.

He knew she wanted to finally fulfill her fantasy.

"Adrien," he breathed. "Are you an ass man or a pussy man?"

Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he'd be in this position; Shepard's breast in one hand, Garrus' cock in the other. The thought of fucking her was almost too much to process. He turned to face Shepard and muttered, "I enjoy either."

Garrus smiled. He was, and always would be, an ass man. "Switch with me, then," he instructed.

Shepard's chest rose and fell quickly as she thought of what was to come. She watched Garrus and Adrien switch spots, Garrus grabbing a bottle of lube from the nightside table in the process. He lied down on his back, lathering a generous squirt of lube over his aching cock; Shepard crouched over him, facing towards Adrien, a grin on her face. Her grin slipped away and her eyes closed as she lowered her ass over Garrus's cock, a throaty cry escaping her lips as he filled her.

"I want you to fuck me together," She gasped. "Fill me."

Every ounce of his hard fought self-restraint disappeared at Shepard's words. Kneeling before her, his hands trembling with sheer need, he grasped Shepard's hips and, while Garrus paused, he lined his cock up with her wetness and slipped in, slowly at first but increasing in urgency while he plunged deeper and deeper.

He let out a shivering sigh, his thoughts a blur, as he felt not only the tight wetness of Shepard's walls around him but the reassuring and sensual presence of Garrus's cock only a wall away from his own.

Then Garrus began to move, and Adrien could feel not only the highs and lows of Shepard but those of Garrus, as well. Once he reached a state of basic comprehension he moved with Garrus, moving in when Garrus moved out and out when he moved in.

It was bliss unlike anything he had felt, or even imagined, before. Why was it that, in every threesome fantasy he had, it was him being fawned on by two women? What they had now, the three of them at the peak of their pleasure simultaneously, was what every fantasy should be crafted of. Watching Garrus' closed eyes and bared teeth as he lost himself in the raw lust, hearing Shepard's indistinguishable cries, by far was the most erotic thing he had ever experienced.

Shepard was in heaven. Being filled by two men at once had been a fantasy of hers for as long as she could remember and here she was, with two attractive turians, her mind escalated to the highest form of bliss. Every nerve ending was electrified, every touch, every thrust, amplified to the greatest proportions. She was at their mercy as Garrus' talons sunk deep into her hips and as Adrien's teeth sought her nipples and clamped down, hard.

"I... fuck... I..." She was getting close, feeling the wound up ball in her centre begin to unravel, but the sensations were so great, every nerve ending so on end, that her brain had turned into a pile of mush and she couldn't articulate her need; but Garrus could feel her tighten and he began to thrust faster, his cock harder than she had ever felt it, and with a groan Adrien began to speed up, all three of them losing every ounce of control, and when Garrus bit her left shoulder and Adrien leaned down to bite her right the room turned black as she came, she came with more force than she had ever believed imaginable, coming out of every part of her body and she shook like a leaf caught in a wind storm, her mind stars and her body sparks. After her, Adrien came, growling ferally to the stars above her bed, spilling his sweet seed inside of her spent wetness. The sound of Adrien's raw sexuality sent Garrus over the edge; he gripped her and his cock pulsed as he gasped, his stickiness filling her, the sweet fantasy coming to an even sweeter end.

After an eternity of recovering, their respective manhoods slowly slipping out of her and back inside their protective sheaths, Shepard managed to gasp, "Fuck."

And the three of them laughed together, for one blissful moment unrestrained and free.

They shared Shepard's bed that night, falling asleep quickly after their escapade, but Adrien slipped out in the small hours to protect the privacy of two wonderful people that the Spirits had seen fit to guide him to, that had both surprised him and awoke him from a slumber he hadn't realized he had been in.

They looked so peaceful as he left, Shepard wrapped in Garrus' embrace. He was pleased - more than pleased, really - that he had been able to help them forget their woes for one night, but that did not mean that the war was over.

Today he would return to his duties, and Shepard and Garrus would depart to resolve another ageless conflict.

Yet never would any of them forget their night together.