Oh the joys of technically two chapters in one week. I feel bad for not being on time last week and this one is short and full of just what I guess you could call fluff because I wasn't in the mood for action and crazy. Sorry guys.

Songs: Mass Effect Complete Series Soundtrack, I Caught Fire - The Used

Disclaimer: Bioware blah blah blah. You know how it goes.

She sat on the floor of the main battery, watching Garrus do his crazy calibrating thing while she played with Felix. She'd made her rounds, got all her other crazy shit done and currently, she just wanted to sit around for awhile. Yes, she still needed to go see Liara, but her day had been just too exciting so she was putting it off, with loving affection. Liara was her friend after all and she'd just wanted to have a break from everything. Her life was go-go-go anymore and sitting down on the cold floor of the battery was just the cool off she needed.

"You're muttering." She spoke the words softly as she rolled the ball across the floor for Felix, keeping it away from the opening that could cause him to injure himself. The small puppy was all too happy to rush after it and then bring it back to her once he'd gotten it and it put a smile on her face.

Garrus huffed at her and narrowed a look on her, "I mutter all the time, you just usually aren't here to hear it."

Reaching out with a foot, she tapped the boot against the side of his leg, "Oh really? Well, I hope you don't mutter in your sleep. I might use it against you one of these days."

That got a reaction out of him. He looked at her with surprise clear all over his face, it didn't matter that he was a turian; in any species it would have been easy to see it. She raised an eyebrow and chuckled at him when he swiftly turned away to continue muttering at his calibrations. Astra could easily admit that his muttering was pretty damn adorable and when Felix came back this time, she picked up the gray and white ball of fluff to cuddle him close, peering over the dog's head at the wonderful man at the consol.

Placing Felix back on the ground she held her hands up, "Hey, Vakarian, help me up."

He turned his blue gaze towards her and chuckled, "What? The great Commander Shepard needs help getting up?" Even though he was taunting her, he moved towards her and lightly clasped her hands in his, pulling her gently to her feet. She stood chest to, well, chest with him and gazed up into his eyes before she frowned and narrowed a look on him.

"You know, you're too tall." Her words caused him to snort and he shook his head, not dignifying her with an answer, "Fine, don't answer me. Let's go get some grub." She lightly bumped her hip against his as she linked her arm through his and snapped her fingers, causing Felix to step in beside her. God, that puppy was so smart. It had taken her a matter of hours to get him to figure out he needed to stay close or end up lost in this giant ass ship.

They sat in the mess, her feet resting in his lap and Felix laying on her out stretched legs, munching on a bone he'd been given. Shepard idly popped the chips she'd snuck onto the ship into her mouth while Garrus ate something that looked pretty damn close to purple-ish vomit. Astra chose not to say anything about it. She was too busy enjoying the junk food, the warmth of the dog in her lap and the idly stroking of Garrus' free hand on her lower leg. It was quiet at this time, only because everyone was either working or off on shore leave since she'd decided to do a five hour rotation of who could go wonder around Illium when.

Filled up on junk food, Shepard shifted, dropping Felix down to the ground where he groaned at her like it was the worst thing possible for him to have to walk around on his own while she went and hid away the last of her chips before she stretched her arms over her head.

"We need to find something to do, on the ship obviously, because I didn't give myself shore leave and well, I would very much like to not have to deal with people other than you and Felix." She mumbled to herself, just loud enough for Garrus to hear which caused him to tilt his head and look at her, making a quizzical sound that she didn't understand when they'd originally met, but now it was common knowledge for them to understand each others' strange inter-species noises, "I'm serious. We should get some of the crew together to do something. Maybe have a movie night or a game night, something besides sitting around being lazy bums till I decide I want to move out."

"I'm not sure how I feel about this idea." He said, a thoughtful sound coming from him as she moved back towards him, fingers laced behind her head.

"Oh whatever; it'll be fun! We can have people pick out a movie, make a list and do one a week or something or do the same thing with games, though I figure most of them will be gambling and if we have no money it will be clothes and I don't really want to take my clothes off." She unlaced her fingers and tapped a finger to her lower lip.

Making a disgruntled noise, Garrus crossed his arms, "Let's stick to movies then. I don't think there are many of us that want to take our clothes off."

Nodding, she sat back down, reaching down to scratch Felix's head where he laid on the ground by her feet, "When should we start all this?" It wasn't common that Shepard wanted to be friendly with everyone, but hey, she thought she should at least try and make nice, they'd all been friendly enough with her.

"I'd say the night cycle after we leave here since by then we'll all be bored out of our minds." He drawled lightly, shaking his head and chuckling.

Throwing her arms in the air, she wrapped them around his neck and slapped a sloppy kiss to his unscarred mandible, "You are brilliant. It will be perfect and fun and I'm sure I can find snack items here on Illium that all of us can agree on." Her grin was broad and bright and Garrus couldn't resist returning a turian one. Shepard seemed to always be out to please everyone.