Chapter Eleven:
Aria woke up with a sharp jerk of her hips, and tightened her grip on the crest that she hadn't realized she had been holding. She smiled at the familiar sight of Tevos's head between her legs. Slowly, the warm lips that had been wrapped around her pulled away, and Tevos rested her cheek against Aria's right thigh. Her fingers took the place of her mouth, rubbing in slow, firm circles.
"Good morning," Tevos murmured once she noticed Aria looking down at her.
"Have I mentioned how much I love it when you wake me up this way?" Aria asked. Her abdominal muscles tensed as she began to sit up, but Tevos pressed down on her lower belly with her free hand, keeping her in place.
The nonverbal request was obvious, and Aria reclined back against the pillows, letting out a long, relaxed sigh and spreading her legs further apart. "Well, are you going to finish what you started?"
Tevos sank her teeth into the firm thigh she had been using as a pillow. "Not with that attitude," she teased as she admired the bite mark she had left behind.
Sensing that Tevos wanted this encounter to be relaxed instead of a strenuous battle of wills, Aria gave in. "What if I said please?" she asked, reaching down to stroke Tevos's cheek. She felt the side of her bondmate's face move as she smiled.
"'Please' isn't a word I get to hear very often from you."
"Just don't spread it around." Aria removed her hands from Tevos's crest and crossed her wrists above her head, giving her lover free rein. "Please." The request was soft, but sincere.
Tevos sighed contentedly and cupped both of Aria's knees in her hands, spreading them even further as she lowered her head. Instead of focusing her attention in one place, she took a more selfish and leisurely approach, using broad strokes of her tongue to cover every inch of warm, slick flesh available to her.
Aria didn't object. For once, she was content to let Tevos take her time. When she reached down to caress the back of Tevos's crest again, it wasn't to push or offer direction. She simply wanted to touch her, to deepen their connection through that small act.
Eventually, Tevos let her tongue press against Aria's entrance. It was one of Tevos's favorite sensations, and although Aria was usually too impatient to appreciate it for long herself, she responded this time, letting out a low groan and flexing the muscles in her thighs.
"I love the way you sound," Tevos sighed, only breaking away for a moment before slipping her tongue back inside of Aria, pushing as deep as she could.
"Stop teasing," Aria growled, but her hands were still gentle as they rubbed Tevos's neck folds. When Tevos pulled away a second time, Aria actually let out a whimper at the loss.
"I love the way you taste," she continued, running her tongue over her shimmering lips.
Aria's breathing sped up, and she lifted her hips, seeking the warmth of Tevos's mouth. Slowly, Tevos let her hands slide up Aria's thighs. "But most of all..." She spread Aria's folds with her fingertips. "I love you. Just you."
When Tevos felt Aria's mind call out for hers, she accepted the meld instantly, letting the warmth and familiar comfort of Aria burrow within her and surround her. 'I love you, too.'
The words themselves were treasures, but the feelings behind them were worth even more.
Even though the heightened sensations of the meld were distracting, Tevos managed to slide her tongue back inside, letting it slip past the tight ring of muscle at Aria's entrance. She was rewarded with a choked gasp and a fresh pulse of wetness as Aria struggled not to grind against her mouth. Tevos was already intimately familiar with Aria's body and her preferences, but the meld allowed her to share each sensation, to find every sensitive spot, to use the perfect amount of pressure.
Normally, Aria would have considered her lover's slow, thorough exploration to be torturous, or at least a cruel tease, but this morning, there was something relaxing about letting Tevos take her time. She stroked the back of Tevos's neck lazily with her hand instead of gripping or tugging.
Tevos pushed into the gentle touch, and she dragged her tongue upwards in one long, firm swipe, fastening her lips around Aria's clit. When she flicked the tip of her tongue over the hard ridge, Aria's body stiffened, and the spike of pleasure echoed so strongly through the meld that Tevos's hips jerked in response, rubbing against the mattress. She slowed the movement of her tongue, but didn't release her hold on Aria's clit, trying to coax as many soft shudders and low sighs from her bondmate as she could. She opened her eyes and gazed up, taking pride in the sight of Aria's flexing stomach muscles and rapid breaths.
Aria's head fell to one side and she let out a shaky breath, rubbing her cheek against a warm pillow. Watching Tevos's head move between her thighs was too much, especially when she looked up with large, bright green eyes. But even when she didn't watch, Aria still struggled to keep her responses in check. She wanted to stretch things out, to hold on to the sensations just a little longer. A few more moments on this blissful plateau seemed much better than facing the reality of the day. She moaned as her lover's tongue pressed down on her clit and dragged upward, catching the most sensitive spot before sucking in harshly.
Tevos sensed Aria's resistance and pulled back a few inches, staring at the swollen, wet flash spread before her. 'Don't hold back. Let go... For me.'
Aria let out a loud groan and arched her back, pressing up against the air and searching for Tevos's mouth. When she felt warmth surround her again, her inner muscles pulsed. She gasped, digging her heels into the bed.
'Close – please, just...' An image of joined hands pushed its way into Tevos's brain, and she reached out, groping for Aria's fingers and tightening the seal of her lips in the same moment. She didn't register any pain as Aria squeezed her hand, and both of them came together, biotics sparking and crackling over their bare flesh, especially in the places where they touched. Aria's hips twitched several times, and Tevos moved with her, letting out a low sigh of satisfaction as her own inner walls pulsed. Finally, both of them relaxed with a deep shiver, their bodies going limp against the mattress. They breathed heavily, fingers still laced together.
After a long minute, Tevos rested her cheek on Aria's lower abdomen, adjusting when she felt the slightly uncomfortable jab of her own chin through the meld. Every inch of her body felt heavy and sleepy, but she suspected those feelings were coming from Aria as well. Slowly, she began withdrawing from the meld, separating from Aria as gently as she could.
Aria looked down with slightly blurry eyes, smiling and stroking her cheek with the back of one hand. A very thin layer of sweat had formed in the places where their warm bodies were pressed together, but she didn't appear to mind.
"Welcome back," Tevos murmured as the last of the meld began to fade.
"Hey," Aria said, her voice cracking a little. "Guess you're feeling better, huh?"
"Some." Tevos rolled to one side and shifted higher up on the mattress so that their faces were level again. Before she could say anything else, Aria lifted her head and offered her lips for a kiss. Tevos was happy to accept – she had earned it. Eventually, they broke apart and Aria's head settled on her chest. "I have three weeks to convince the matriarchs and the public at large that I am perfectly capable of maintaining my position. I gave myself one night to be upset, but I'm not going to waste the rest of my time wallowing because of mistakes I've made in the past, or a disagreement with my mother."
"And Amytis?"
With a sigh, Tevos shoved Aria's head off of her and rolled over, pouting slightly. "I don't want to think about her right now. Thank you for completely ruining the post-orgasm afterglow, by the way."
Aria snorted and settled back into the pillows. "Well, she ruins everything else."
"You know, something or someone has interrupted every single sexual encounter we've had in the past few days. First there was Liara, then Khalisah. Now, Amytis..."
"Come on, you can't count Amytis. She isn't even here!"
"That's how irritating she is. She can ruin sex even when she's not there."
Aria pressed a kiss to Tevos's shoulder and flung a warm arm around her waist, brushing the covers aside so they could cool off. "You mentioned the matriarchs, and you mentioned your mother. That meant the afterglow was officially over. So technically, we weren't interrupted."
Tevos sat up in bed, dislodging Aria's arm and swinging her legs over the side of the mattress. However, she did turn to press a kiss to Aria's temple before standing up. "I'm not going to argue the semantics of interrupted sex with you. I have more important things to do."
"Like what?" Aria asked, sitting up as well and letting the covers drape artfully around her legs. Unfortunately, her plan to recapture Tevos's attention proved unsuccessful.
"Organize favorable news coverage, arrange strategic appearances with some of my more popular supporters –"
"Shepard," Aria interrupted.
Tevos walked toward the desk, where her Omnitool was currently resting near the edge. "Among others. A press conference is also in order. I was thinking tomorrow morning."
Aria frowned. The idea didn't appeal to her – al-Jilani wasn't the only reporter with boundary issues. "If you think it will help your case... but I'm coming with you."
Tevos picked up her Omnitool and switched it on, groaning as she saw the number of unread messages in her mail client. Apparently, they had multiplied during the night and erased the dent she had attempted to make. "I'm not sure that's wise."
"Why not?" Aria asked, and her tone made it clear that she was prepared to argue with whatever explanation Tevos gave.
"I want everyone to listen to what I have to say instead of treating this like a photo opportunity. Besides, plenty of the matriarchs are already convinced that I'm in your back pocket. Holding a press conference with you hovering over my shoulder will only give credence to their opinions." Aria still didn't look convinced, so Tevos called upon her diplomatic skills and offered a compromise. "I'll take Grizz with me if it will make you feel better, but I need to do this without you."
Aria sighed and stood up, leaving the sheets in a crumpled heap on top of the bed. For once, Tevos didn't chastise her. "Give me something else to do for the next two days, then. If you don't, I'll probably end up blasting your mother through one of those fucking ugly columns downstairs."
"Don't you have a criminal empire to run? Surely there's someone you need to terrorize."
"Are you kidding? After I got back from our honeymoon, I personally culled about a quarter of the Blue Suns over a bad weapon shipment. Omega is pretty quiet right now... relatively speaking."
Tevos wrinkled her nose in distaste. "And by personally, you mean..."
"Why did you think I was eating that huge plate of sandwiches when you called me later? Biotics don't come from thin air."
"Well, if you get bored while I'm working, you can take one of the skycars and go pester Liara. She's only a short drive away. I might even meet you there. Shepard is one of the people I was planning on visiting today."
An evil smile spread across Aria's face, and she laughed. "That's an interesting suggestion."
Tevos sighed and shook her head, walking over to the laundry door built into the wall. Neither of them had bothered to bring their bags upstairs, and Tevos had a feeling that her mother wouldn't appreciate the view if Aria wandered the halls completely naked. She pulled out yesterday's freshly cleaned clothes and tossed Aria's leather pants somewhere in the direction of her head.
"Hey!" Aria swiped at the black material covering her eyes, sitting back onto the bed so that she could smooth out the leather over her bare legs. She wasn't fastidious about many things, but her clothes were an exception. "My pants don't deserve this kind of treatment."
Tevos slipped her own dress over her head, sliding her arms through the long sleeves. Then, she dug through the rest of the pile. "Do you still have my underwear in your pocket?" she asked.
With a sigh, Aria reached into her pocket and pulled out the underwear. "You'll have to go without for a little bit longer. They didn't get clean." She stood up and dropped the underwear on top of the messy pile of sheets before shimmying into her pants.
Tevos took a moment to appreciate Aria's hips as she adjusted herself in the tight leather. Somehow, she managed to make even that awkward action seem sexy. "I..." She blinked, trying to refocus her slightly glazed eyes. "I need to make some calls on my Omni. Why don't you get us some breakfast?"
Aria smirked and stood up to find her corset. "I thought my contract stated sexual services only," she said, sliding her jacket over her shoulders. "But I guess I can make an exception this once."
. . .
"Damn, kid. You can really pack it away, can't you? Leave some for the rest of us, huh?"
Liara gave Aethyta a disapproving look, but she also folded a protective arm around her box of cereal. Since the war, Liara had learned a lot of things about her father, and not all of them were good. For example, she was a notorious food stealer.
"Didn't even bother with a bowl, huh? Sure you're not carrying a krogan in there?"
"Father, if I need dietary advice, I'll be sure to ask Karin Chakwas," she said, noticing that Aethyta was still eyeing the box of cereal. "Besides, you wouldn't like this. It's human."
Aethyta snorted. "So? They eat our food all the time. Why shouldn't I eat theirs?"
"Because stealing is wrong," Shepard said from the doorway. "Isn't it, Liara?"
Guiltily, Liara produced the box of cereal and offered it to her bondmate, who had extended her hand. "I'm sorry. I was hungry..." she mumbled, patting the empty space on the couch next to her so that Shepard would sit down. Aethyta shifted on her other side, and Liara had a moment of intense self-awareness. This was exactly what she had longed for during the war – the life she had imagined during the darkest hours in order to draw strength and keep going. She was here, with her family, and she was eternally grateful.
"Here," Shepard said, gently drawing Liara out of her moment of inward reflection. "Share with me."
Happily, Liara stuffed her hand back in the box, not caring if she contaminated the cereal or dropped a few pieces on the couch. That was what cleaning drones were for. Just as she was about to erase the last shreds of her dignity by shoving the handful of cereal into her mouth, she heard Glyph float in from the next room and hover beside her. "Dr. T'Soni," it said in its usual monotone, "you have a visitor."
"Activate external video feeds," Liara ordered through a mouthful of cereal, although she tried to keep her lips as close together as possible.
"Of course, Dr. T'Soni," Glyph said, projecting the image in front of them. The sight of Aria T'Loak standing at her front door with her arms folded over her chest nearly made Liara spit out the rest of her cereal. She swallowed instead and stood up, still clutching the box.
"I wonder why Tevos isn't with her? Oh well... I suppose we will find out."
"This should be good," Aethyta muttered, nudging Shepard's shoulder.
"We should go with her," Shepard told her father-in-law in a noisy whisper as they watched Liara exit the room, cereal in hand. "You know how those two get. They probably need a referee."
Aethyta let out a loud, unrefined bark of laughter and followed Liara out through the door. "I've never seen 'em in action, but I can imagine. If I didn't know better, I'd think they had some unresolved sexual tension going on."
Shepard coughed nervously, taking several quick steps forward and leading the way so that Aethyta couldn't see the expression on her face. "Come on, let's move."
They arrived at the front door just as Liara was opening it, and Aria stepped past her without being invited inside. She narrowed her eyes when she spotted Glyph floating up and down a yard away, and her fists flared briefly. "Don't," Liara blurted out, sounding only a little panicked. "I haven't backed up the latest updates to his operating system..."
"I currently operate with .05 percent more efficiency, Dr. T'Soni," Glyph announced, sounding as close to proud as a drone could.
"Goddess, I hate that thing," Aria muttered, deliberately turning her back on Glyph so that she wouldn't be tempted to make it explode. Then, she noticed the box of cereal tucked under Liara's arm. "Oh, cereal! Thanks."
Liara didn't even have time to register that Aria had actually said 'thanks' before the box was snatched away from her. Aria's frown turned into a smile as she popped open the top and shoved her hand in. "Mm... Second breakfast."
Shepard sighed and slapped her forehead. She suspected that she would be making an emergency trip to the grocery store later.
"Aria!"
"Mm?" Aria asked around her first mouthful. Her hand returned to the depths of the box.
"That was mine!" Liara shouted.
"Actually, it was mine," Shepard reminded her, but Liara didn't seem to hear, and Aria didn't seem to care.
Aria swallowed and started on her next handful, tucking the box beneath her own arm protectively. "This is good. Where'd you get it?"
Liara's scowl was positively icy, and Shepard couldn't help but shiver in sympathy even though Aria seemed unfazed. "From my pantry, in my kitchen, in my house, for my breakfast."
Aethyta poked Shepard in the side again, and the human flinched. She really needed to have a talk with Aethyta about her 'friendly' physical gestures one of these days. "Damn. You were right about these two, Shepard."
Aria looked up, seeming to notice Aethyta for the first time. "Oh. Hey, Aethyta." She glanced down at the box of cereal in her hand, at Liara's furious expression, and then back at Aethyta. "Want some?"
The elder matriarch grunted in approval and took the cereal box from Aria's outstretched hand. "At least you know how to share," she said, violating the box yet again as Liara looked on in distress.
"Father! Aria stole the cereal from me!"
"So? You stole it from Shepard."
"I'm not getting any, am I?" Shepard said, mostly to herself. No one paid attention.
Resigning herself to her hungry fate, Liara forced herself not to watch as Aethyta began demolishing what was supposed to be her breakfast. Instead, she sighed and turned to face Aria. "What are you doing here? Aside from pestering me, that is."
Aria answered Liara's question with one of her own. "Did you ever feel helpless when Shepard was trying to stop the Reapers?" Whatever explanation Liara had expected Aria to offer, that wasn't it. Her brow furrowed, and she gave Aria a searching look.
"Think we all felt pretty fucking helpless about the Reapers," Aethyta said, spraying a few bits of chewed cereal from her mouth. Shepard averted her gaze, Liara hid her eyes behind one hand, and Aria ignored her. "Hanging bare-assed out in space against giant talking monster ships."
"Not like that," Aria clarified. "I mean... how did you stay sane, watching her try and solve a huge problem that you couldn't help her fix?"
Liara was shocked that Aria – stubborn, arrogant Aria, who was well over five hundred years her senior – was asking for her advice at all. It was even more surprising than when several of the matriarchs had begun deferring to her shortly after the end of the war. She was still unaccustomed to her new status in society – apparently, helping Commander Shepard save all sentient life in the galaxy was enough to get an obscure, shy archaeologist noticed.
"This is about Tevos, isn't it? You want to help her, but you're afraid that you're only making her problems worse." Aria nodded her head slightly, although her expression remained blank. In a surprisingly friendly gesture, Liara took Aria's hand and gave it a brief squeeze. "Perhaps we should sit down."
"Fair enough. Lead the way."
As they followed Liara back to the couch where she had been sitting before Aria's arrival, Aethyta glanced down at the box of cereal in her hand. When Aria passed her, she shoved the box into the pirate queen's chest. "Here," she barked. Then, without another word, she headed in the direction of the kitchen. Aria could only pray that she was going to put her bartending experience to good use and mix them some drinks. Tevos wasn't much of an early-morning drinker, and Aria's alcohol consumption during the first half of the day had decreased noticeably since the start of their relationship.
Munching on a fresh handful of cereal, Aria allowed herself to be escorted to the living room. She eyed the various chairs, but eventually settled on the couch, draping herself over it and taking up more space than necessary. It wasn't leather like her treasured couch on Omega, but for the moment, it was acceptable. Liara chose the nearest chair, and Shepard perched on one of its stuffed arms, resting her hands on her thighs.
Once they were seated, Aria didn't waste any time. She stretched out even further, somehow managing to look regal even with a box of cereal propped against her leg. "So, how did you deal with it?"
Liara thought for a moment, idly stroking Shepard's upper thigh through her pants. "It wasn't particularly easy, but I started by focusing on my circle of influence." Aria looked at her skeptically, but to her credit, she didn't interrupt. "Everyone has a circle of influence – actions they can take, things they can control. You're frustrated because Tevos's problems are outside your circle of influence. You can't wave your hand and make her problems disappear."
"Not unless I disappear," Aria grumbled. When she saw the nervous look on Liara's face, she held up her hands with her palms facing out. "What? I wouldn't run out on her. I just need a way to deal with this."
"Find the parts of Tevos's problems that exist within your sphere of influence. Focus on those."
Aria thought for a moment, her brow furrowing as she considered what Liara had said. "I guess I could... gently discourage the vermin that have been following us around. I'm sure they aren't helping her mood." She seemed to forget about the cereal, and the half-open box nearly tipped over as she leaned further back into the couch. Liara's fingers dug in to Shepard's thigh, trying to resist the impulse to stand up and retrieve her purloined breakfast.
"Murdering paparazzi," Shepard drawled, reaching down to loosen Liara's almost painful grip below her knee. "That's right up your alley, isn't it?"
Aria frowned in slight confusion at the human idiom, and then noticed the precarious position of the cereal box. She closed the top and set it on the floor. Beside Shepard, Liara let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Did you miss the part where I said I would gently discourage them? Thea could use a little room to breathe while she figures out how she wants to handle this."
"You know, Liara helped support me just by making sure I always had food in my belly and got a decent night's sleep. It made a world of difference... and so did the sex," Shepard added as an afterthought.
Aria narrowed her eyes and fixed them on Liara. "I've got that part covered."
"I don't doubt it," said Liara, squirming slightly under Aria's uncomfortably seductive gaze. "But that's beside the point. Is there anything else besides the confidence vote that is causing Tevos unnecessary stress?"
"Her mother," Aria answered immediately. In a flash, the sex was gone from her face. "I suppose I could try and make nice. Doubt it will change her opinion, but it couldn't hurt. And then there are all the messages... She's been glued to her Omnitool for the past few days." Suddenly, Aria's eyes widened, and she stood up from the couch, tipping over the box of cereal. She didn't seem to notice, but Liara let out a wistful sigh. "Hey, T'Soni, how attached are you to that drone of yours?"
"Glyph?" Liara asked, tearing her eyes away from the cereal to glance nervously over at the drone. "What did you have in mind?"
Aria's mouth twisted in an uncomfortable version of a smile for a moment as she swallowed back her pride. "Could I borrow him? Even if he could just prioritize her messages so that she would know what to respond to first..."
Liara pressed her lips together, deliberately looking at Glyph instead of Aria so that the traces of smugness that threatened to overtake her face wouldn't be visible. "I'm afraid you can't borrow Glyph... but thanks to your endearing habit of destroying him during nearly all of your visits, I have several backup copies of his interface saved. I suppose I could wipe one of them and download it into a different drone."
Aria's expression was torn between extreme displeasure and hope, and Shepard couldn't hold back her laughter. "Oh God, really? Liara, I'll bet you a hundred credits that Aria destroys that thing before tomorrow."
"I will not," Aria said coldly, folding her arms over her chest and tapping the toe of her black leather boot.
This time, Liara didn't bother hiding her smirk. "I'll take that bet." She stood up and righted the overturned box of cereal, which had fortunately remained closed after it tipped over. "Why don't you go and see what Aethyta is doing in the kitchen while I program your drone?" she asked, backing away with her prize.
Before Liara could make her escape, Aria snatched the box back out of her hands and tucked it under her arm. "Good plan. I'll need a fucking drink if I'm going to bring a copy of that annoying little bastard home with me," she muttered as she strode towards the kitchen, ignoring the way her disappointed hostess glared at the back of her head.