A small bird-like creature whizzed by Shepard's head, the force of it's wings so powerful that it swept a few tendrils of dark hair from her tight bun that rested against the back of her neck. She looked perplexed for a few moments, caught off-guard from the sudden momentum of it's wings that she subconsciously glanced over her shoulder at her trusted companion and honorary crew member Garrus Vakarian. If he had eyebrows, she knew he'd have raised one as he stared at her expression. Shepard sighed as she looked away, a small grin uplifting the corners of her lips.
Damn, he really was sexy.
Garrus' mandibles flared as he caught the familiar heady scent - faint, but undeniably there. He knew the smell from when he'd come to her quarters unannounced to bring her information about the new calibrations he'd been doing on the Normandy's weaponry. He'd knocked politely, hearing EDI's muffled robotic voice informing Shepard through the door that he had arrived.
After their late-night talks by the Mako, Garrus was used to the casual level of fraternization they'd both experienced and he knew Shepard always kept an open door policy when it came to news concerning their mission. So he didn't think it was too forward and strange that he would come to her quarters; turians didn't really consider what humans called "personal space" as a legitimate concern, anyways.
But once the door opened a few moments later and Garrus saw the heated pink flush on Shepard's usually fair (yet slightly freckled) cheeks, he knew he should have called first. The smell hit him the same time he saw her; it wasn't unpleasant, nor was he disgusted by it like he'd figured he would be, seeing as he'd never been interested in a human before. It was sweet and a tad bit spicy, his small nostrils flaring as his body acted instinctively to an aroused female that he was interested in. But it was her voice that gave everything away and confirmed what the signs he was picking up on were.
"Garrus." She breathed his name, stating it as if she had taken a bite of something delicious and satisfying that she wanted more of. Her voice was deep and husky, a light pant leaving her lips after she spoke. "Need me for something, hmm?" Her gaze was lazy and playful, blue eyes not holding the usual command they naturally carried.
He cleared his throat, not trusting his speech due to his throat thickening with desire. "I-I wanted to talk with you about some upgrades I have regarding the Normandy's weapon systems, but I can come back-"
"Come on in," she waved him in and he stepped in cautiously, taking in the sight of ruffled bedsheets and a lone datapad that rested on her bedside table. He shifted awkwardly in his armor as his plates shifted around his groin - had he interrupted her while she was...?
"So, what kind of upgrades did you have in mind that can help us against the Collectors?" She asked, and he started slightly as he then noticed what she was wearing: a fluffy white bathrobe with a Cerberus emblem on the left upper arm. The white material went about to her mid-knee and the sleeves were three-quarter in nature. Her cheeks were still slightly pink and she was so relaxed that the turian couldn't help himself; the sight was adorable to him.
"Did I say something funny, Vakarian?" The Commander demanded as her turian companion let out a string of deep chuckles that rumbled from his chest and grew more entertained when she placed her hands on her hips in a mock-angry fashion.
"Shepard, I'm sorry, you just look so..." He paused when he fumbled for the right word between laughs, "... cute."
She blinked. "You think your Commanding Officer is cute, Vakarian?"
"Well, with your robe and... stuff, you do seem a little less intimidating than usual, yeah."
"I don't wear this to seem... cute. It's a nice change from having to wear armor 24/7."
Her choice of words made him sober up quickly, her tone sending the warning of "oh spirits, no you didn't" through him at the thought of crossing the line with his superior. But then she smiled slowly, and his heart was filled with relief.
"I'll have to wear this robe more often, then, since you seem to like it so much."
Garrus didn't have much time to evaluate her comment before her commanding presence was back to normal and she was all business, asking him again what kind of upgrades he could contribute. Their discussion lasted well into the night, and Garrus found himself yawning alongside his human Commander after a while.
When he left her quarters that night, his mind was reeling with the thought of what she looked like beneath that robe. And the thought hadn't left him since then, a few days later when they stopped at the Citadel for the first time since Shepard was brought back to life. Sure, he'd always found her to be a great companion and sexier than any turian female he'd ever been with, but he'd never actually considered she would be interested in him, nor would either of them have the time to set aside for anything of that nature. When Alenko and the asari scientist showed interest in Shepard on the old Normandy, she had assured both of them that she didn't have the time for romance in her life. And Garrus took that more seriously now than previously, knowing all too well what impending destruction was waiting for them in dark space.
But the way she was acting lately... the sidelong glances, hidden grins and the small, barely noticeable twinkle that manifested itself in her perceptive, yet coldly precise eyes told him that there may be a chance. A chance he hadn't taken because of his damned nerves getting the better of him.
But those physical signs weren't the only things that he'd taken note of when it came to changes in his Commanding Officer. There was something different in the way she lived life. No longer was she so keen on taking life just because it was her last choice; perhaps it was because she had died once before, on that fateful day over two years ago. Garrus masked the dark expression that threatened to overwhelm his face as he was reminded of the utter emptiness he'd experienced when he got the news of Shepard's death. The loss he'd felt was enough to make him turn vigilante; although he'd always hated the boundaries and police tape that came with being apart of C-Sec, he'd previously lacked the edge of taking leadership for a higher cause. But once he realized that there wasn't a place for him amongst the petty crime and high-stake politics of a life on the Citadel, he felt he had no other choice than to live the rest of his life as something Shepard would be proud of. The thought of disappointing her, even in after her death, was a disturbing thought to him.
"You with us, Vakarian?" Shepard's voice permeated his musings. He came back to the present, noticing the Commander regarding him with a slight tilt to her head and the asari Justicar staring him down silently. He noted that sometime while he thought she had fixed her hair to it's usual pristine condition.
"Don't worry about me, Commander. Just got lost for a little while," he answered, scratching the back of his fringe absentmindedly.
"Stay focused, Garrus. I need you to back me up when I lose my fuzzy robe." She winked and laughed, the statement causing Samara to stare even more deeply into the turian's small, bright eyes.
"Heh, uh... ahem," he cleared his throat as the Commander's laughter subsided, catching the questioning glance from the Justicar.
"Let's get moving," Shepard commanded lightly, her cheeks lightly flushed from embarrassment. A sight Garrus couldn't get enough of, it seemed.
He would follow her to the ends of the galaxy and back. Anything to hear her laughter again, to see her, share time with her. Hell, especially to find out what her skin looked like beneath that ridiculous fuzzy robe.