The artifical light from the presidium made her dress glow. It was a strange custom, wearing such an elaborate dress for their bonding. He had heard that the white had meant to symbolise purity, something which the Turian thought must have an entirely different meaning to humans.
This park had been one of the first to be rebuilt, the keepers had seen to it straight away. The fountains were sending a light spray across her when she walked too close to the edge of the water. The small beads of water trickling down her skin reminded him of how her skin looked, late at night, when she dozed in his arms, the sheets she insisted on introducing into their bed tangled around their legs.
It also reminded him of how her skin looked that night, almost a year ago. He noticed it as they sat, cramped and silent, in the shipping container, with a dozen other refugees. But that night, the salty sheen came from fear and anxiety, instead of passion and lust. She had held onto him, with her face in his neck, pleading with her god to not let the monsters find them. He had never admitted it, but he was silently praying to the spirits for the same thing.
He brought himself out of his flashback, and his small eyes scoured the crowed that had gathered. He recognised some of the faces. Her co workers from the Gift shop were there, The Asari maidens in the group were gleefully adhering to the occasions need for fancy dresses. Many of his friends from the wards had shown up, mainly single Turians, strutting around and trying to show off for the females. He smirked, noticing that one or two had, once upon a time, scoffed at the idea of courting a female of a different race. Yet here they were, displaying themselves for the Asari and the Human women.
He noticed some had gathered around as strangers, eager to see the bonding of two species, once considered enemies. They were not the first, and they would damn well not be the last. The famed Commander Shepard and the worst kept secret in the galaxy that she was in love with her Turian Officer had made the Human and Turian coupling somewhat fashionable. Not quite a spectacle, but it did seem to pique everyone's interest these days.
Some older, more traditional Turians told him his bonding would not last, and he would be another statistic in the absurd human divorce rates. But he knew this was different.
When he saw her on the citadel, she was so...different. He had seen alot of grief in those months. Refugees poured in, always missing someone that had to be left behind. They were either silent and stoic or wailing in despair.
But there she was. Standing patiently, observing shuttle after shuttle, scouring the influx of fresh refugees. Leaving at the end of each cycle, never finding those familiar faces.
However, she would always come back the next day. Stand by herself, keeping out of the way of bustling medics and support staff. Just waiting. He knew they were gone. Everyone had lost someone, but this poor human had damn well lost everyone. Occasionally she was a welcome distraction from a staggering list of refugees or an inadequate inventory of supplies. Her voice had a spark, like she still had it in her to cheer him up. He knew she was alone, that her family was not comming in on any shuttle. It might not have been attraction or romance at first, but her was going to keep her safe.
Back on the presidium, the wedding was about to get started. Humans and Turians had completely different customs when it came to bonding. The Turians preferred small, serious gatherings while the Humans went all out decorating a whole park and almost going broke buying the clothes alone. They had settled on a middle ground, a small gathering, but with fancy clothes and food. He thought he was depriving her of something important, but she soon let it slip that it was not uncommon for humans to have subdued weddings.
She stood at the edge of the artificial lake, her dress hugging and fitting around all the places he had come to love. The guests stood around in a semi circle, slowly beginning to quiet down as they came to the serious side of the day's proceedings. She set her eyes expectantly on him as the guests parted and made a small path for him to approach her. She was flanked on each side, by a Human priest and a Turian official, neither of who looked comfortable with each other's company. At the last whisper from the crowd, he began his slow journey to her.
Exactly a year ago, he knew this moment was going to happen. He was headed back to his cramped unit after his shift at the docks. She had spent the afternoon with him, even though she had long since stopped waiting for that shuttle to arrive. He assumed part of her grieving process involved distracting herself from waiting for her dead parent's shuttle, and he was glad to be part of that distraction. She seemed to be getting better, and she even made him laugh with an extremely crass joke she heard an alliance soldier tell earlier that day. She had told him it was her 18th birthday, and he made a mental note to bring her something tomorrow. He couldn't afford anything flashy, just something small to cheer her up.
He made it halfway back to the Turian occupied ward when it happened. The red blasts, the deafening trumpet and that shrill, haunting shrieking. He had never heard one before, but they all knew what had finally made it to the citadel.
He ran back to towards the docks. At first he was just passing other frantic civilians, desperately trying to find their loved ones so they could hide or flee. His stomach jumped into his throat when he realized he was doing the exact same thing. He steeled himself and picked up his pace. He had to make sure she would be safe.
The docks were chaos. People of all species were running around frantically while husks and other abominations began swarming in, seemingly out of nowhere. He drew his sidearm and took out whatever was in his way as he ran further to the back of the docks, where he knew she was staying. The husks began to thin out the further back he went, but there were also less people. He heard a commotion coming from a small bay of shipping containers and immediately ran towards it, praying that she would be there.
And there she was. Huddled with a group of her fellow refugees. They were hunched in a container with its entrance facing the back of the docks, the closest they could get to hiding. He growled as he remembered that the containers were locked open with a security code, the idiocy of that decision only now becoming apparent. Thankfully, he knew the code. Her eyes widened when she saw him. Was it surprise? Happiness? Fear? He couldn't tell. She stood up and ran to him, grabbing the front of his armor and pulling him into the container. He let her lead him into the dark, steel box and activated the lock behind them. She hugged herself to his chest, weeping quietly into his neck.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he looked around at the other refugees locked in with them. A batarian, three other humans and four Asari, two of whom were embracing similar to him and this small human girl. He looked down and ran one hand through her golden hair, while the other readied his pistol to kill anything that broke through that door.
The human priest had begun his dialogue as the Turian took his place beside his bride. The humans voice was soft and calm but managed to carry over the ambient sounds of the fountain and the chattering of the onlookers. The Turian official stood motionless, waiting for his turn to preside over the cross species union.
The Priest was speaking of loving and caring for each other for the remained of their lives. He spoke of staying together through hardships and despair. Through thick and thin. Till death do they part. He had never realized how uncompromising a human wedding can sound, and he loved it.
Behind them, he heard the muffled sniffling of her Asari boss. A quiet, refined woman, who had lost a bond mate to the ugly reaper war. She had grown to be a big part in the young girl's life over the past year, and she had doted over their blossoming relationship. She was not the only one in the crowd shedding tears, but anyone who could read the Asari knew that it was not all out of happiness.
The Turian official had taken over, speaking of their unwavering duty to each other. His clear, dignified voice dispelled any thought that he was uncomfortable with the union. She had perked up when the Turian began his speech. Her back straightened and she stood almost at attention. She wanted to be accepted by his kind. She wanted them to think she was good enough. The Official had finished the traditional Turian custom as he shot a sideways glance at the priest. The old man nodded serenely and requested that the couple exchange vows.
The Turian cleared his throat as he turned to face his bride. He took her hands into his and lingered momentarily at the difference of their skin. His eyes met hers, and he told her how she changed his life. He told her how she was the bright spark that made living through the war worth it. He told her how working that thankless, spirit crushing job herding refugees was the best job in the world when she was there to stop by and say hello.
The human priest smiled a warm, fatherly smile and turned his attention to the girl. She glanced down at their linked hands, still smiling at his vows. She kept her eyes on their linked hands as she began to speak.
She told him how she felt her fist night on the citadel. She told him how alone and frightened she was, being a young human girl from the colonies, thrown into an unknown place by the horrid war. She told him how he made her felt safe and at home. Despite their differences he made her feel like a normal girl, lucky and in love.
The Turian official clicked his mandibles and nodded at the couple. The Priest smiled warmly and announced them man and wife. They leaned in to kiss, an act they had perfected over the last year of their lives. Her soft lips exploring his mouth, his tongue darting out to meet hers. The crowed behind them erupted and they turned to cheer with them. Her Asari boss had visible tear stains down her face, but her applause was robust. It was lucky for them to find so much in a war that took away so many.
Their first kiss had taken place a year earlier in that cramped space, terrified for their lives. No one had moved since he had locked the door. The weeping and uneven breaths of the people around them was intermittently drowned out by screaming, pounding footsteps and gunfire. He sat in the dark, gun still drawn and eyes on the entrance. A human girl was curled up on his lap, her head resting on his chest, but her eyes were watching the entrance with fearful intensity. The end of your life has a cruel way of showing you what you missed out on.
The two Asari bond mates were the furthest away from them. They were holding each other and whispering frantically, trying to fit hundreds of years of love into their remaining minutes. He lost track of how long they sat there, but eventually the commotion outside died down. At one point, he was sure he felt the ward arms close, and it gave him a faint glimmer of hope as he thought maybe they were keeping some of the reapers out. They could still hear the shrieking and shuffling of the reaper creatures. They were getting further and further away, but there was an absence of any other life form. He started to think that the arms were closed to keep help from coming.
She had finally taken her eyes off the door and positioned herself so she could face him. She suddenly seemed very conscious of how close they were, with her legs straddling his lap and her hands gripping onto his collar. He tore his eyes away from the door to look at her face, his spare hand still cradling the back of her head.
"You came back for me..."She whispered. It was so quiet but it echoed in his head. He wanted to answer, but his words disappeared as she leaned in closer. Her breath hitched as she hesitated briefly, but she closed her eyes kissed him. An alien concept for a Turian, but he knew what it was. Knew what it meant. Her lips lingered on his hard, rough faceplate before she began to explore, pushing her lips closer, parting and pursing them and leaving a slight tingle over his mouth. There was a degree of awkwardness at first as she got herself used to how he felt. She seemed to relax in his arms as he gently scratched the back of her head and opened his mouth just a fraction. Her tongue darted out of her mouth and traced his lips. The Turian reciprocated by gently pushing her tongue with his own, not in a gesture of banishment, but affection.
They sat there in the dark, stealing moments of passion and intimacy as the galaxy crumbled around them. They were still embracing when the citadel arms reopened and allowed the super weapon to dock. They stayed in each other's arms until the beam erupted and their whole world went black.
They pulled away from the kiss and turned to face the thunderous audience. The crowd cheered louder as the couple raised their linked hands above their heads and walked back through the crowd. Small bits of paper were thrown at them - confetti, he had been warned about it - and the occasional person clapped him on the shoulder, congratulating him on making such a momentous step forward.
Wine bottles were already being opened as the newly married couple got into a waiting skycar, which made a show of circling around the crowd before speeding off up to the sky lanes.
The reception had gone on a while. Some of the younger Asari had taken over the stage and were putting on a hilariously inept impromptu dance show. A few humans had joined, as well as one completely inebriated Turian. The respectful refinement of the wedding was lost several rounds ago.
A Salarian guest, a merchant from the presidium, had taken over the bar of the Dark Star and was mixing his own concoctions, handing them out to anyone who was game enough to try them. Some groups sat huddled, enveloped by their private conversation. A lot had happened in the galaxy over the past year, and there were many talking points that some people could not let go for even one night. The lights had gotten progressively darker as the cycle came to an end. The people had gotten drunker and the mood had gotten lighter.
The bride and groom had slipped out, unnoticed. Some of the inhabitants of the lower wards had witnessed a young woman wearing a white dress and a smartly dressed Turian walking hand in hand along the back alleys.
No one was working on the docks that night save for the keepers. They had recently finished repairs that had the docks back exactly how they were when it was full of refugees fleeing the Reapers. But if the keepers ever took note of the organic inhabitants, they would have seen the passionate embrace of a lone couple, whispering their thanks for each other and for the life they never though they would get to live.
He awoke in a one man tent in a field, just outside of the charred remains of London. The combined military had set up a refugee station for those that had been rescued from the remnants of the Citadel. He quickly noticed that he was surrounded by Turians. He recognized some of the faces and he was glad most of them were alive. Overhearing a conversation outside of the tents, he learned they were keeping the refugee sectors species specific for the time being. He marched off to search for the human area.
He found himself in a large crowd huddled around one of the larger tents in a more official looking area. Soldiers of various races were keeping the onlookers away from the figures darting in and out of the tent, clicking their omni tools and locked in heated debate with each other. Curious voices from the crowd said that there was a rumor Commander Shepard was being kept in there.
He caught a glimpse of the inside of the tent as a dark haired woman roughly pushed open the flap and marched outside. She would have been beautiful if she didn't look so worn down. As tired as she looked, she confidently approached a group of doctors and instantly commanded their attention. She tapped her omni tool and a hologram of a cybernetic implant hovered above her wrist. The doctors stared and nodded intently as the dark haired woman briefed them.
A panicked voice was heard just before the flap closed. He recognized the voice from one of her many advertisements on the Citadel. It was Commander Shepard and she was frantically demanding that someone send out a search party for her lost vessel. She sounded delirious. He thought she sounded like she was in pain. The soldiers began to disperse the crowd, and he wandered off in search of his Human.
He picked up pieces of information as he wandered around the camp. The Citadel was in ruins. Earth was in ruins. The fleets were in ruins. The relays were in ruins.
But the reapers were dead. No one seemed to know how or why. But there were many confirmed sightings of reaper corpses. Techs were already being briefed to approach the dormant machines and salvage whatever tech they could find.
He eventually found her. He had found the human section, the furthest from the Turian. She sat outside her tent, staying out of the way. Just like she did at the citadel. He felt for her as he realized she was already used to being displaced. He stopped walking towards her as their eyes met. He could not read her face. Was she ashamed? People did things they regret when they are scared. She stared at him for a moment longer, than rose to her feet and half limped towards him. Realizing her injury, the doubled his pace to her, only to be noticed by the Human forces and asked politely to leave. There was an information tent he could go to if he wanted to know of any possible survivors, but for now they had to keep the areas species specific.
He stole a look back in her direction. She had retreated back to her tent, and she stood in the door way with one hand holding the tent flap open. She gave him a lingering look of unmistakable demand before disappeared inside. He made a mental note of where her tent was situated, and let himself be led out of the sector.
He went to her that night. He didn't think of what he would say if he was caught, he didn't even think of what he would do if he managed to reach her. He just kept picturing the look on her face as he was being led away. The scared girl had been replaced with a woman who needed to feel comfort.
He got used to the strange sounds of Earth at night. He learnt that day that there were insects that were noisy at night, and sometimes birds that called out to each other. They were lucky, he thought. He had to be quiet when all he wanted to do was call out her name and let her know he was coming.
The Human sector was almost silent aside from group of refugees sat huddled around a fire in one of the open areas. He snuck past them and went straight for her tent. Third row in, second from the northern end. He steeled himself as he pushed open the heavy canvas flap, half ready to be greeted by an unfamiliar face.
She was still awake, sitting up on the small cot. He closed the tent and sat before her on the bed. Her knees were drawn up to her chest and she was biting her nails. Neither dared to speak but she took his hand in hers as a gesture of acceptance. He gently grasped the back of her head with his other hand and leaned in touching their foreheads is a Turian gesture of intimacy. With his face as close as he could get to hers, he summoned up the courage to whisper.
"I had to come back for you..."
Her breath hitched and she brought her lips up to his. She leaned back into the cot, pulling him towards her and extended her legs. He had never seen her in such a state of undress. An alliance issue shirt and what he assumed was the human equivalent of underwear. Her skin almost lit up the darkened tent. He stood up and silently removed his own clothing. Carefully studying her face, trying unsuccessfully to read her reaction to his alien body.
He knew from lock room talk that his equipment was different from a human male's. He made the smart choice to keep his pants on until he felt his plates fully loosen. As unavoidable as it sounded, now was not the time for an awkward chat on Turian physiology.
She shuffled over in the narrow cot and he laid down next to her. She eagerly returned to the frontier of his lips, but she seemed unsure of where to put her hands, resting them awkwardly on the outside of his collar. He gently guided her to the underside of his fringe and the back of his neck. Her fingers lightly brushed and tickled the sensitive area, and the ridge in his crotch instantly widened in response.
He left her mouth and let his tongue gently trace down her neck. She let out the softest moan into his ear and intensified the touch on the back of his head. She broke away from him and shrugged off her shirt. He leaned back and propped himself up on his elbow to look at her. He had seen the Asari dancers, and he knew the Human females were similar. But instead of the luminescent blue she was pale and milky. The bumps on her chest were smaller than any Asari he had seen, but he decided he loved that. She was laying on her back, exposed to him with a look of anxiety. Just as he tried to read her reaction earlier, she was desperately searching for his feelings on her naked form.
He raised his hand to touch her, eager feel her smooth skin. He hesitated briefly, and she reached out to his hand and pulled it to her chest. His hand cupped around her breast and gently stroked. He had never touched anything so soft. Her nipple had grown hard against his hand, and he experimentally ran a talon over it. She gasped and reached for his arm, not quite pushing him away, but warning him to be careful. He carefully resumed his touch as her hand snaked down and began to trace the ridges between his chest plates.
His talons gently scraped across her skin as he ran his hand down towards her hip bone. She bucked up towards him and he noticed a new scent coming from her. It was warm and inviting, coming from further down her body. He tugged at her underwear, and she raised her hips and let him remove them. He was greeted with that delicious new scent, and a small patch of hair that he was not quite prepared for. He ran his talons through it the same way he would with the hair on her head. She bucked violently into his hand and her back snapped into an arch.
It was an honor for a female to choose you to take their maidenhood. Almost impossible to give them pleasure at first, it was a male's duty to ensure his lover's orgasm before he entered her. He looked at her intently with his hand hovering above her sex. He was not sure how to achieve this on a human. She slowly slid a free hand down her body, stopping with her finger touching right at the apex of her legs. Her finger briefly stroked up and down and she reacted to her own touch with a slight moan. His plates had fully loosened and he took a moment to quickly undo his buckles to relieve the pressure on his hardening manhood.
His talon joined her finger and he mimicked her movements, sure to use the same care as he did with her nipple. Her finger moved further down and traced the outline of her entrance, his finger followed hers and returned to the small bud at the top, tracing circles around it, completely enamored by the reaction she gave. His talons explored her, finding the spots that made her moan and gasp, but always returning to that special spot at the top. Her hips began to move on their own accord. Her hand reached up to her face and she bit down onto one of her fingers to stop herself from crying out. Her other hand gripped his arm for leverage as she rode out her orgasm. He felt her juices moisten his talons. She was ready for him.
As she caught her breath and let herself float back down, he stood up and removed the remainder of his clothes. There was no apprehension anymore. She settled back into the middle of the cot and slightly parted her legs. He climbed over her and positioned himself, licking her neck and gently biting into her soft flesh. Her hands were no longer awkward, instead she explored him enthusiastically, finding the soft hide amongst his plates. He positioned himself at her entrance, ready to start gently pushing into her.
She gripped him nervously as he carefully pushed past the threshold, the faintest of whimpers caught in her throat. He lost control for a brief moment and plunged into her, completely burying himself. She felt unlike anything he could ever imagine. Warm, frictionless and incredibly tight. Her teeth found his neck to bite down through the pain and he briefly fought with the desire to just violently thrust into her like he would with a Turian woman. He stayed still, feeling her tight muscles contract around him, every tiny movement liquefying his brain but reminding him of how fragile she was right now.
When her teeth released his neck he pulled his hips back and resumed a steady pace. He knew there were other ways he differed from a human male, and he could damage her if he lost control again.
She squirmed underneath him, wrapping her legs around his and putting one hand on his hips, helping him choose a pace. Her lips explored whatever part of him was closest as he continued his delicious thrusting. It was impossible to keep quiet. He assumed the guards could not be surprised to hear Humans mating after a near death experience, and as long as he did not make any distinctly Turian sounds they should be left alone. He gradually swapped his long, hard strokes for a quicker pace which soon turned into a grinding as he felt a black hole form in his head. Every part of him was keenly aware of her presence, the tight feel of her encasing him, her hands scratching down his carapace, her lips nipping at his mandible, her legs tangled around his.
The black hole in his brain exploded into a white hot star that shot out and reached every part of his body. In the midst of being assaulted by his own pleasure, he heard a guttural growl and the faint tearing of the pillow as he fought to grip anything that wasn't her soft, delicate flesh. He grinded his hips against hers as he came back down, riding the waves back as they got fainter and fainter, until there was nothing left but the warm satisfaction as she held him against her chest.
She fell asleep in his arms, and he lay there with her for what felt like hours. As some of the birds got louder outside, he knew he couldn't stay for much longer. He gently settled her back onto the bed as he slowly got up. He inspected the bed for evidence of their act, and felt like scum for leaving her to explain to anyone who noticed. It was cold out of the bed, and he was getting tired. He wanted nothing more than to curl up into her and sleep for the next few days.
He reluctantly put his clothes back on and peeked out of the flap. He couldn't hear any sign of another person. He looked back at his lovers sleeping form, smiling contently at whatever she dreamed about. His mandibles twitched and he quickly exited the tent.
He did not return to the Turian sector right away. Instead he wandered out of the refugee camp, towards what was left of London. It felt like a dream. He felt the nagging urge to see a dead reaper for himself. Maybe seeing it for himself would convince him that it was real.