The Changes in You
Bring you Closer to Me. 4/?
Shepard arched and thrashed under her lover, his larger hands encompassing her wrists, holding her down. She could flip him off her if she really tried, but the fight had gone out of her as soon as he had gained the upper hand moments before. Now she just wanted him, no more fighting, no more proving he was worthy – she wanted him in her, on her, around and near her.
They snarled and growled at each other. Kisses bruised, teeth cut at the delicate skin, tongues lapped the pain away. A lone hand explored her body, felt the weight of her modest breasts, pinched at the nipples, brushed down her sides. His hips were already aligned with hers, his position on that kept her still, open, maddeningly close but far enough so any touch was teasing.
It left Desiree at his mercy, something that the vanguard wasn't used to. She ached, wanted, cursed him for making her wait, for besting her in a show of strength. The light touches of his surprisingly soft but roughly skinned hands did nothing to assuage the fire.
"Ez aurre egiten, Javik." The words are thick on her tongue, the language usually harsh to her ears now sensual as she rolls her hips in askance.
"Patience." A single word rumbling against her lips before they are taken again by his.
"Shepard? Desiree – we're approaching the landing zone specified by Primarch Victus." EDI's voice broke through the haze of sleep and Shepard cursed this heat, the changes that beacon had wrought on her over these last few years. So caught in her thoughts, the Commander missed the fact Garrus was sharing her bed until she went to roll out of the side she usually slept on. Instead of the cabin floor, her foot connected with his stomach.
"Spirits, Shepard!" Garrus yelped, his eyes blinking blearily, half alert as the jab woke him. "If you wanted me up, you could have just shook me, ya know."
Desiree felt her cheeks heat up and she scooted away. "Oh damn, I'm sorry Garrus. You must have carried me up here last night and I didn't even feel you next to me when I woke up - "
"Des, it's fine. Yesterday was tough, you fell asleep as soon as the conversation didn't directly engage you."
Shepard sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as her other hand tugged the hair tie from her bun. A mess of curls fell around her shoulders and her hands moved to massage her scalp. "I know. This is all so crazy. Me, a prothean? In heat? I feel like I'm in the twilight zone."
"There are worse things that could have happened, that have happened to you in the last few years, Des." Pain laced the turian's voice and she knew he was talking about her death.
"I know. I know. I'm sorry. This is all just driving me insane. The politics, the frantic scramble to find an army when the god damn universe had known this was coming for years and didn't want to admit it. Add finding a prothean in stasis with a superiority complex and then apparently becoming his only viable option to rebuild a whole damn species and it's too much. I don't know him and yet my body wants him. I'm still drawn to you, ya know, but it's like a whisper and I keep grasping it like a lifeline."
"Des. Hush." Garrus curled his arm around her shoulders and brought the light caramel colored woman to his chest, his face burying itself in her mass of curls. "I'm not going to lay down and watch you go to Javik just because your body is telling you to make a baby, but I'm not going to force you to stay with me either. We'll always be Shepard and Vakarian because we were friends first."
Shepard gave a hitched, slightly wet laugh against his plates. "You've got to be the most easy going male in the whole universe."
"I took my frustration and anger out on Vega."
"Is the poor kid still alive?"
"He can take a hell of a beating – gives a pretty good one, too."
And just like that Desiree was emotionally better. Garrus had always provided that for her – emotional stability when the rest of the world wouldn't give her any. He was her best friend, second in command and lover – for however long they'd be allowed such a luxury. Her heat wasn't getting any easier to deal with, she could already feel the hunger growing and it annoyed her to no end.
She knew how heat worked with animals – it signaled being ready to become pregnant, drew in males, sometimes those males fought for the right to mount the female and then a baby would be made by the victor. Mordin hadn't had to say that the base instincts flaring in the commander lent to the theory that if she relented, slept with someone, she'd get pregnant should the biology allow for it. The Commander had pieced that together herself and wasn't having any of it. They were at war, for ancestor's sake! It would be madness to allow such a thing.
Garrus nuzzled her hair, combing his blunted talons through it, twitching his mandibles into a wide smile when Desiree hummed her approval. They cuddled close, enjoying the other's presence until EDI chimed.
"Yeah, EDI?"
"We're at the co-ordinates the Primarch specified, Commander."
"Be right down – tell Cortez to ready the shuttle. Tell Liara and Vega to suit up." She replied, not looking at the glare she could feel Garrus directing at her.
"Remember the easing going thing you said?"
"Gar-"
"Shepard, I'm going with you." The words were barely audible as he growled them out.
"No. Until this heat subsides, you and any other male that can smell my "jump me now" pheromones are staying on the boat."
"You're being unreasonable."
"You're being chauvinistic." Shepard shot back, zipping up her under armor suit and heading for the door.
"Desiree."
"Love you, Gar. Try not to rip the Thanix cannon off from the hinges and do not go down to engineering."
Desiree was shooting down a Harvester before it hit her that she'd told the rebel she loved him. The rest of the mission it was all that filled her mind over the rapport of her gun, the cheer of living soldiers. She kept the Lieutenant from losing his honor in front of the men, agreeing to meet him at the bomb site before returning to the ship.
"Hey, Lola."
"James."
"You've been pretty quiet lately. No visits, no banter. Guy starts to wonder when his girl doesn't come around anymore."
Shepard laughed, tilting her head against her hands to look at Vega as the shuttle returned to the Normandy. "Sorry – lot of shit going on, James."
"So you're prothean now. Big whoop. You're still Shepard, still my C.O., and you still distract me like no bodies business in armor or a uniform."
"Keep flirting, Lieutenant and I might start thinking you're actually interested."
"I'll stop flirting when the Reapers leave and you retire." The boisterous soldier laughed, and slapped the Commander's shoulder in good spirits, lifting the older woman's in the process. The kid was right though – she was still Shepard, prothean bits or no.
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End Note: Yay Vega! I knew you'd pipe up at some point. Also thanks everyone for your comments. Every time I see one in my inbox I get all happy. I also swear to you Javik gets the girl! I promise. I 3 you guys! :)
