Liara had rehearsed the conversation in her head at least twenty-three times. Each time it sounded a little more awkward than the last. As soon as the elevator had creaked towards its stop, she had decided to just wing it.

Not exactly something she was used to.

Her feet felt heavy as she stepped towards the port cargo hold. She knew all too well this path by now, walking it countless times to either...

a) argue

or

b) study

Javik was used to it by now. He was used to her frequent forays into the underbelly of the Normandy. He minded once, always wary of her prescense, but it became so frequent that he learned to just tune it out.

Today was different.

The door slid open, and Liara was left to her own devices. Javik blinked before turning his neck to see who it was. As usual, Liara's little, blue body stood in the doorframe.

"Dr. T'soni." Javik greeted. Neither of them were quite used to it yet. Respecting each other, that is. Liara could only be so kind to someone who wanted nothing to do with her until she snapped, and Javik didn't really care for primitives. The asari wasn't so bad however, nor was the turian or the Commander. He didn't mind them as much as he used to.

"I have a question about the protheans," Liara wrang her hands out as she spoke. "One that the books don't talk about."

"What is your question?" Javik asked still refusing to look at her.

"It's about prothean reproduction." Liara shook her head. She stopped, unsure of his reaction. It was nothing personal. Just a simple academic question. But, for some reason, asking Javik how he mated was just a tad uncomfortable. Especially considering Liara's and his past friction.

Oh she hated that word.

"I will answer it to the best of my abilities." Javik turned around, and looked Liara in the eyes. She froze at the spot refusing to step forward. He could have just stayed where he was the whole conversation, and it probably would have been much easier.

Of course he had to complicate things.

"How do you..." Liara stopped speaking. She avoided his eyes carefully, adjusting her gaze on the panels above his left shoulder-plate. Javik noticed, but didn't point this out. The asari's small gestures and twitches were her own business, not his. It wasn't his fault he noticed them more often than not.

"I could show you." Javik nodded.

Liara blinked a couple of times with wide eyes before realizing that yes, she did just hear Javik say that. It was like the beginning of one of those utterly tacky stories that Joker had laughed and shown Liara. She would frown at him, call him ridiculous, then shove the books back towards him.

She tried to speak, but could only open and close her mouth like an idiot.

"Or not." Javik sensed her confusion, and leaned back against the water basin. Liara took a moment to calm herself down with two short breaths before closing her eyes. Visions that had not previously existed ever in Liara's head were now dancing behind her closed eyelids.

"You're asking me if I want to...?"

"Ah, I see." Javik closed his eyes quickly in understanding before opening them once more. "Sexual intercourse is intimate for your species. Foolish of me to forget."

"Well-"

"You should have spoken up." Javik interupted her.

"Well it was foolish of me to forget that protheans only reproduced for the sake of procreation." Liara said. She placed a hand to her forehead, and rubbed, thankful for the first time in her life, for a misunderstanding.

"Yes, it was." Javik nodded as he spoke, defiant and stubborn. "It brings pleasure to you, does it not?" Javik asked, genuinely curious.

Oh this was so not a discussion Liara ever wanted to be having with anybody, ever. Especially not him.

"Yes," Liara responded. "I mean, I wouldn't know personally. But yes. For others."

"I see." Javik nodded, and returned to his basin. Liara was unsure about what he did at that stupid sink all day. Wash his hands? Really? Was that it? Who washed their hands for that long? What could you possibly gain from washing your hands that much?

She was beginning to derail, quickly. She needed to get her mind back on task.

Curiosity gnawed in Liara's gut, "You wouldn't have actually..."

Javik's neck cocked towards her direction, but he did not turn it fully. A moment of pregnant silence passed, and Liara could feel the sweat on the back of her neck. Bad question.

"No," Javik answered.

Liara was somewhat relieved.

"I would have." Javik nodded, signaling the conversation to be over. Liara stopped breathing for two seconds too long, and began to back up out the room. She shouldn't have asked.

Garrus was enjoying a nice warm glass of dextro-amino hot chocolate when Liara's wide-eyed face traipsed into the mess hall. He stared at her for a moment, before she took a seat across from him and placed her elbows on the table.

"That's impolite you know..."

"I was just propositioned for sex..." Liara concluded quietly. She stared into Garrus' eyes, and watched for his reaction.

"Oh," Garrus placed his cup down. "Are you...uh, are you okay?" He asked awkwardly.

"By a prothean." Liara finished.

Garrus couldn't help but chuckle.

"I always knew you had a type out there," Garrus nodded. "Turns out he's 50,000 years early, but that's okay. Love takes time."

Liara glared at him through narrowed eyes before standing up, and leaving the mess once more.

Two weeks later, Javik and Liara had been discovered in the med-bay looking at what they called 'sexual education pamphlets'. Joker had a different name for them.


(a/n) : Sometimes I just think of the shenanigans that these two could get in to, and I just laugh. Everything(my soul included) belongs to Bioware.