A/N: This took a really weird turn.


"What do you think you're doing here?"

"It's not your problem, Chief Williams."

"This is a mission—an Alliance ship. There are regs like you wouldn't believe."

"We're both aware I'm not part of the Alliance military. I'm here under—"

"You're here by the grace of God and Shepard liking your hand with a rifle, Vakarian."

"The Commander doesn't need to be involved in this."

"He does if you screwing the LT is going to get in the way of stopping Saren."

Kaidan Alenko wanted nothing more than to sink into the deck, and vanish from sight. Instead, he was resigned to sitting on the edge of the drop ramp in the engineering bay. In his opinion, it should be him over there getting his ass chewed out by the Chief, and not Garrus, considering she was probably more likely to listen to a member of her own species than a turian. Then again, she'd seemed perfectly willing to tear his head off. But when Garrus had stepped up, she'd actually holstered her rifle. Skilled soldier or no, there was just something a little more intimidating about a tall, spiky alien staring you down than a fellow human being.

They were standing at Williams' station, out of earshot of most of the lower deck, except the anxious lieutenant. As soon as she'd discovered them, she'd started up her tirade, and for a moment, both men had been struck dumb. Then, like a man used to dealing with confrontations, Garrus had taken her aside, somewhat more forcefully than Alenko had been expecting. But, to his credit, Garrus was so far keeping his head, his voice pitched quiet metallic over Williams' heated one. He wasn't missing anything that Alenko could see, and his counterarguments were perfectly rational ones. There was a sudden, unexpected surge of pride. So much for the hothead described by his co-worker, Alenko thought, a faint, pleasant smirk on his face. He just wished they weren't having this discussion at all.

"She's got no room to talk."

Distracted by eavesdropping, the sudden, rumbling voice nearly sent him jumping straight out of his skin. He turned, trying to recover from the surprise, and was met with a gravely chuckle. "Wrex," he all but groaned, massaging aching temples. A migraine was all he needed…

"Alenko," replied the krogan amiably enough. His massive bulk was reclined comfortably up against one of the support beams, and red eyes flicked between the argument, and the biotic. The expression on his face was either a snarl or a smirk—but how any expression with so many teeth showing could be anything but threatening, Alenko didn't know. "How the hell do you people keep missing me? Am I really that stealthy?"

He shook his head. "About as stealthy as the mako when the Commander's having a bad day," he answered, in a similar tone.

That same grating laugh. Wrex was in a good mood, apparently. Alenko suddenly wondered whose broken legs he had to thank for that. "I like you, Alenko," the krogan rumbled. "You got a sense of humor in there. Sometimes. Could almost get used to having you around."

"Yeah, well don't get too comfortable," the lieutenant sighed. He was rubbing his temples, trying to stave off the tension and frustration as Williams' voice rose in volume from the corner.

Wrex only grunted, tilting his huge head to regard the human. "Because you got laid?" he asked. "I can kind of understand where she's coming from on this, Alenko. I mean, really. He's a turian." When this failed to elicit any sort of favorable response from Alenko, Wrex sighed, the sound uncomfortably loud in the small space. He prodded the lieutenant with a foot, muttering under his breath.

Not in the mood, Alenko made a half-hearted attempt to shove the foot away, only to be hauled bodily to his feet. He blinked, unsettled by the huge krogan so close to him. Once he was standing, Wrex released him, stepping back to eye him with a predatory stare.

"You're letting her get to you."

Typical Wrex. He never asked questions. Just made statements. Before Alenko could respond, he forged on in an uncharacteristic display of verbosity.

"You're worried she's right. You're going to put the mission in jeopardy by sleeping with a crewman," Wrex continued. He stressed the last syllable only slightly, watching Alenko for a reaction. And when human cheeks colored faintly, he snorted, dismissing it. "So long as you don't pop up in my bunk at night, isn't my business who you want." Heavy arms folded, considering.

The silence stretched between them so long, Alenko wondered if their conversation was finished. Judging from the volume in the corner, the argument, at least, was winding down. He turned his attention back in that direction, unable to see either of their faces. Williams' was obscured by the Mako, and Garrus' broad back was to him. What was Wrex trying to say here? Sure, he being attracted to another man, an alien man at that, was something completely unexpected, and probably wouldn't go over too well back home but, honestly, he hadn't thought that far ahead. There was just the mission, just stopping Saren.

Just Garrus…

"My point is," Wrex broke in, speaking up again finally. His voice was in the background, like someone narrating. "You want to know how far duty goes with the turians? With your turian?"

Said turian was currently nodding in assent to something Williams was saying, his posture all deference. After a moment, he turned to face them again, heading in their direction, relief and triumph and something like affection in his pale eyes.

"If Shepard told him to, he'd shoot you," said Wrex. "In the back of the head if he had to. That's the kind of crap that's been drilled into his spiky head."

It was hard to believe. Even when he'd seen Garrus, back in the clinic, coolly shoot a man straight in the eye. When he'd seen how ruthless the turian was against the geth. He was a soldier first. They both were. And if necessary, Alenko realized, he'd do the same damn thing. Still though… As much as he could picture those talon-tipped hands firing round after round into advancing geth troops, he still saw them as he had earlier, trailing gentle lines across fragile human skin. As much as he had seen those pale eyes gone hard with hatred, just as easily, he saw them half-closed, expressing more affection than any face.

"Still wanna screw him?" the krogan continued, and Alenko heard, rather than saw the smirk on that big face. "Then go do it, and ignore Williams."

The whole exchange had taken only seconds. By the time Garrus reached them, Wrex had retired to his usual pose of titanic nonchalance. "I convinced her to stand down," Garrus said, his shoulders suddenly sagging. He looked exhausted, and Alenko didn't blame him. As much as he liked Williams as a fellow soldier, she could be a little trying on patience. Which was something he knew Garrus didn't exactly have to spare. "We're in the clear. But, it was like talking to a hanar… I've never been fed that much dogma and military regulations in my life…"

"I guess this means I owe you," Alenko said, grinning, despite himself. It wasn't much of a resolution… but it was something they'd have to live with. He'd tell Garrus in time. If they had it.

Garrus acted like he was about to say something, bending his head to have a better word with the lieutenant—or something else, even, but someone else cut him off.

"When you make it up to him, Alenko, make sure you do it where I can't hear him scream. It sounds like you've got two of them in there, and that's not something even I want to think about."

Face flaming, Alenko barely had the presence of mind to haul the stunned turian back to the relative safety of the elevator. Wrex's grating laugh followed them all the way.