hey guys! this should be the second to last chapter of this fic. I hope you're enjoying it so far! I haven't gotten many comments/reviews yet though but I hope to finish this soon. thanks for your kudos and support.

xoxo

THR

Chapter 4 - Cerulean

"There are five hundred million results for your Extranet search query 'human turian relationships'."

There were times when Garrus was thankful that he had his visor. Other than his guns and armor, it was the most expensive thing he owned. After saving his salary for way too many weeks, he had been able to make the purchase while still at C-Sec. It was custom, primarily made for targeting and could do everything from showing vital signs and auto-align his aim (he didn't need to do that often, though) to syncing with his omni-tool for his own browsing privacy.

Considering the delicate topic he was trying to address, the sync option was coming in handy.

The visor's blue light reflected in his eyes as he scrolled through the text with simple movements of his iris. He had tried other queries before this one; most of them turned up with results that consisted of nothing more than fetish porn and shoddy forums that didn't offer up much useable advice.

He was nervous now. Deep down, he wanted some sort of affirmation that he could understand from the woman who had stormed out about an hour ago. Unfortunately for him, he was no expert on humans. Sure, he might have a great understanding of his commander and her feelings, but romance was different. It was complicated with members of his own species to begin with; humans just made it worse.

They didn't have bond markings or clan insignias on their faces. Their lack of subharmonics made it impossible to understand what they were really saying. Hell, he couldn't even figure out if she was kidding or not half the time.

Someone had to write a manual for these kinds of subjects. Of course, such a thing wasn't so easy to find. For both humans and turians, the First Contact War was still fresh in their minds. Some considered the other race an enemy. He didn't want to think that this was holding him back in his personal relationship, yet it did make finding something or someone to consult quite difficult.

Even during his time at C-Sec, he hadn't seen a lot of human and turian couples on the Citadel. They all looked enamored with each other, and looking back, he envied how easy it was for them.

Now that he thought about them, maybe he was making a big deal out of this.

Links to sites scrolled past his eyes as fast as he could read them. If other interspecies relationships could work, there was no reason he couldn't pursue someone he cared about. Granted, their circumstances were a bit more complicated.

He tried not to think about that.

"A Guide to Human Body Language: What Turians Should Know"

Garrus settled for that one. The source seemed reputable and it didn't look like a fetish site, so by those standards, he had to be onto something.

He clicked it, and as he began to read, things began making sense.

It had started off as a joke at first.

Joking with her now felt good; they were close enough so it didn't seem disrespectful or awkward and he sure as hell wasn't scared of how she would respond to him. The small bit of apprehension that was left made him feel good, though. It kept things exciting.

They had been in the cargo bay just as they always were, doing everything from talking about Saren to discussing what living in space long term felt like. Their conversations weren't linear, but they sure as hell were interesting.

Right now, they happened to be discussing the layout of the Normandy.

"As much as I love this ship, there's nowhere to practice." Shepard said. Her back curved against the Mako, forcing Garrus to take in how she was able to fit right against it. Human spines curved more than his own and he couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

"I mean target practice." she elaborated. "Turian ships have places for that, right?"

He adjusted his posture and looked up from what he was doing. If he was being honest, he was supposed to be focusing on the terminal in front of him. As usual, Celeste had put the vehicle through its paces when they had landed on Amaranthine a few days ago. He had fixed it and was checking repairs until three hours prior; that was when she had come down to chat.

She always had his full attention. They both knew this, but he didn't want to seem like he was neglecting his responsibilities.

"Yeah," he said, stepping back and taking a break. He had done this a few times already; what made this occurrence different was that he didn't plan on stepping back towards the terminal to work. She was so distracting that he was making mistakes, anyway.

"We don't always have spaces for practicing long range-sniper work is usually done in specialization training or on the field. Small arms are easier to stop and control in a contained space. The last thing we need is a hull breach because of someone's bad aim. You can imagine the hell that ensued the first time that happened on one of our ships."

A laugh fell from Shepard's lips as she crossed her arms. The Alliance had too many regulations to allow target practice on its vessels; even if the Normandy was a human and turian design, it wasn't feasible.

"I didn't get a lot of weapons training in the Alliance," she mused. "I had to have pistol and assault proficiency, but everything else was just for different classes. They wanted me to focus more on biotics."

Garrus cocked his head. He couldn't imagine not being able to use most weapons that were at his disposal.

"So you've never handled a sniper?"

"I never said that I didn't." Celeste replied. "I'm just not as good with them as I feel like I should be. That's why I always wanted a place to practice that wasn't on a foreign planet or an Earth training center. It would make things more convenient."

"And here I was thinking that you were good at everything you did."

"Hey, I never said that either."

Garrus' legs creaked while he shifted, his armor clanging on the grated metal flooring. He knew for a fact that a good chunk of the crew saw their commander as untouchable. She could do what she wanted and seemed perfect. This untouchable persona didn't last when he was near her, though. She made mistakes and cracked just like everyone else; she merely handled it better than others.

"If you're really as interested as you say, I can teach you some things." Garrus proposed. Never had he expected to be the one that was the teacher in their friendship. He wasn't aware of everything that she had learned from him; most of the time it felt like he was soaking her words up like a sponge. This was something that he could offer her. The idea of sharing his most prized skill made a smile appear on his face, forcing his sharp teeth to come into view.

Celeste, on the other hand, was getting more excited than she should have been.

She too was grinning from ear to ear. Without any sort of consideration, she grabbed the turian's wrist as he walked past her. Her grip was solid yet inviting, and as he stopped in his tracks, their eyes met and he could feel her excitement.

"Are you serious?" she asked. Garrus saw the glint in her eye and didn't know what to do at first. He hadn't been lying; teaching her would be fun.

"Sure. As long as you don't become my rival, then I'd be happy to. I don't need someone else taking my long range shots."

"No promises, Vakarian."

With a flick of her hand, his wrist was at his side again. Seeing her elated over something so little gave him relief; the toll of the mission was starting to close in on her. Why she was so thrilled over a minuscule thing eluded him, but who was he to judge? They were both happy and that was what mattered.

Celeste had resigned herself to sitting against the Mako now. Her legs ached from constant standing and activity and she welcomed an opportunity to relax. For a moment, she wondered if her reaction had been too extreme; even if it was, her emotions weren't an exaggeration. Had she not been given biotic abilities, she would have started soldier specialization training as soon as possible. The fact that the Alliance invested in biotics was one that she loathed and was thankful for. It meant that all of her expenses were paid. Advanced weapons training was an afterthought, though. She had tried to teach herself back when she was still becoming an N1. However, lack of sleep and time got the best of her. Most of the skills she picked up herself were insignificant.

She had seen some things during her time in the military and she could say without a doubt that Garrus was the best sniper she had met. Even she envied his skill; he could make his rifle dance without any sort of effort. The recoil didn't make him flinch, and to her amazement, he was always on target. The sheer grace he had was something else, too. In her opinion, he didn't get the attention he deserved. When she could, she complimented him and could feel her insides fluttering at every word.

He downplayed her remarks every time. This wasn't surprising.

As Shepard sat there analyzing the time they had spent together, her eyebrows furrowed when she saw what her comrade was doing. He had disappeared over to his locker on the other side of the cargo bay, only to come back with that damned rifle in his hands. It was an extension of his own hands just as the visor was part of his face; it was natural for Garrus, almost too distinct. The way he was handling it now was informal, and as if to continue with this demeanor, he held a three fingered hand out to help her up.

"Come on. We don't need ammo to start. It'll be easy."

The ridges on his nose flared out, almost as if he didn't think she would accept his hand. Luckily for him, she didn't pick up on his nervousness. They made contact, and with an easy pull, she was up beside him.

"Now?"

"Do you trust me?"

She still hadn't let go of him.

"Of course I do."

Garrus glanced down at their interlocked hands and realized how awkward they felt. While Celeste had a sizeable amount of strength, her digits were dwarfed compared to his. The woman that he admired somehow looked small and soft; his hand and talons made most of her tan skin invisible. Seconds ticked on, and when neither of them let go, they settled. Her palm and fingers found the right spots and he didn't dig into her anymore. Both of them knew that the sensation was foreign. It was a pleasant kind of foreign, though, and as they stood there for a few seconds, it began to feel a little more normal than it should have.

"I'm waiting, Vakarian."

There was that teasing tone again. Garrus adored it, but now it forced him to snap out of it and do as he promised. He had lost track of time again, his head fully in the clouds. Shepard had been no different, and unsurprisingly, she waited for him to let go first.

Without even noticing, Celeste had flirted without stumbling. Her heart stammered in her chest and she could feel her breaths becoming uneven, yet there were no falters. When she didn't overthink things, the reward was amazing.

When their hands were separated, Garrus handed the rifle to his commander. Just as she trusted him to show her how to use it, he trusted her to take care of it. She knew how expensive it had been and how much it meant to him. The tips of her fingers moved over the frigid metal, making her admire the gun's tenacity and quality.

"Step out here." he said, walking away from his station and out into the far end of the cargo bay. "You know how to hold it, right?"

Her feet shuffled across the grated metal flooring and she took her place next to Garrus' side. Much to her own dismay, she was nervous; she was well aware of how to hold a gun, but the thought of not being able to impress him seemed to suppress her abilities. With all the power she could muster, her hands barely shook while she mounted the gun. It was different to hold such a heavy weapon. Like her biotics, it wielded a great power. This rifle, however, wasn't weightless or powered by eezo.

"Most people like to shoot prone or crouched. They say it increases accuracy, but for lack of a better term, it's bullshit. Standing challenges you and you're a good enough shot that it won't be a problem."

Through his visor, Garrus could see all of Shepard's vitals. This hadn't been something he paid close attention to outside of the battlefield. Now, though, her numbers blinked more than they should have. Her heart rate was much higher than normal, and as he moved behind her to adjust her positioning, he could hear her every breath.

She was nervous.

His hands were on her again now in a much more intimate fashion. His hands were on hers, his body hovering near her own as he tried his best to help. This was the closest they had ever been since they had met.

"Shepard, you're-"

"Apprehensive because I'm being taught by the best sniper I know? I guess that's accurate."

"This isn't the time for compliments. Your grip is rusty."

Celeste scoffed but allowed him to get her hands into place. It had been forever since she had handled something so large and precise, and without his direction, she tilted so that she could look straight into the scope.

"You got a target?" he asked. She nodded back at him, her eyes fixated on the small storage locker that was the furthest away.

"That locker over there. It's the only thing I can get."

"Don't move. You're not at the right angle yet."

His hands shifted to her hips now, pointing her body in that direction. Her feet soon moved with his guidance.

"Now, if this were a moving target, you'd follow it through the scope and wouldn't let it leave your sight. It's not just point and shoot, though. You need a finesse, a kind of patience, almost...you have to know when to take the shot and when not to. That's the drawback of a sniper-they overheat too quickly for you to not be cautious. Any bullet could be the last one you shoot, Shepard. Pretend like that locker is Saren or anyone else who's ever wronged you."

She was silent up until then, and even though he advised against it, she moved so she could look him in the eye. The instructions that he gave her weren't as tactical as she had been expecting; they were logical and emotional.

"And what if you're in a firefight?" she asked. "You need to be quick."

His breath tickled her neck as he sighed, and with reluctance, he stepped back and took his hands off of her. The lack of his touch left a void for a few moments, and when she realized what was happening, she shifted up and tried her best to brush it off.

"You can be quick and patient. How else do you think I watch your six?"

"You're funny."

"I'm being serious. You move so erratically sometimes. Creates a hell of a challenge to keep up with, but it's fun. It's a test of whether or not I should take a shot. Timing is everything."

Timing really was everything. Whether it was the right moment to fire or the time to make a move, timing hadn't been on neither Celeste nor Garrus' side. Their encounters were near misses, hardly as on point as the turian's shots. Now, though, it was different.

She mounted the gun again, putting it into the position he had perfected for her. With his body hovering close, she assumed the target that had been in the crosshairs before she had shifted.

Patience, she told herself. If that was Garrus' way, then it would be hers.

"Steady," he whispered.

She did as he said, and instinctively, her finger pulled the trigger back. The locker was Saren, the geth, the Council, the never ending stress that weighed her down so badly that she couldn't even breathe anymore.

There was no sound, no shot; just a click.

She was well aware that the safety was still on; it was a miracle that such advanced weaponry hadn't evolved into a more advanced system of preventing accidents. The system worked and was effective enough, which worked for the galactic community.

"Next time we go out and bust a band of mercs, I want to try a moving target." Celeste claimed as she thrusted the sniper rifle into her friend's hand. "I want a challenge."

With his hands still on her, Garrus' voice dropped down to a tone that enhanced his subharmonics.

"Don't get so eager." he purred. "You aren't even used to the recurring recoil yet."

"The recoil of biotics can be bad enough."

After her retort, the two fell silent for a moment, lost in the position they were in. It was then that they realize how up close and personal they were. They were breaking protocol entirely, and once this revelation hit Garrus, he slinked away from his commander and took his gun from her hand.

"I don't know if that helped you at all...but if it means anything, I liked being the teacher for once."

The sound of Garrus' locker closing made Shepard turn around to look at him. When they made eye contact, she couldn't help but feel that he was looking at her more intently than usual. From his perspective, he was taking in everything that made her not like a turian-her softness, her height, her fringe-hair, he meant-even her complexion was different. However, she did have a hell of a waist and a beautiful face, regardless of the fact that it lacked plates or ridges. She was too human yet so enticing, yet as he let his mind wander-

"Thanks, Garrus." she interrupted. "And if you're offering, I want to learn more."

"Give me a time and a place and I'll be all yours, Commander."