Jane
It's not that she was worried of the trouble her mate could be getting into or, more like, bringing another in his irritation from both the shit Kaidan pulled and being dismissed before things went bad fast. She mostly felt sympathy for whatever poor fool was tricked into helping ease that tension built up that they couldn't burn off together thanks to having to deal with the damn Council first thing after returning to the ship off Omega.
Hell, she didn't even have the chance to change out of her soot covered armor before her sense got the better of her and made her trek to the Comm Room. Better to get it out of the way first thing, she had thought, and now she's wondering if she shouldn't consider some sparing of her own after the annoyance that call turned out to be.
Humming, she uncrosses her impatient arms and runs her glove over her knowingly disheveled hair. The move does nothing to the curls that have sprung out of her bun and she wonders how, even with her thirty-one years with it, her husband manages to tame the mess of fiery curls and, to her, tangles. She just doesn't have the patience for anything more than either pulling back in a messy bun or tying it up.
She taps her foot at the extremely slow lift and wonders why it always seems to move slower when she needs to be somewhere as she whispers in rhythm to the music in her head. "... gimme shelter, or I'm gonna fade away...," falls from her lips just as the elevator doors slide open to admit her into the - very busy - Cargo Bay full of many of the off duty, or maybe still on duty, crew gathered around for the apparent show.
Some duck their heads in guilt as she walks towards them, parting at her approach to the mats. She can look the other way for now considering they are in transit and not being pursued by Reapers, mercs, pirates, or anything of the many others that may have beef with the Normandy.
True to Traynor's words, Garrus is, in fact, sparring, but his opponent isn't exactly who she'd have expected, Lantar Sidonis. In fact, she wasn't even sure she'd see her husband anywhere near the man, let alone in the same ring as him, but, then again, this may be the most logical place to take out whatever is building between the two of them.
It's obvious which of the fighters is more adept at close quarters as Garrus barely seems to have broken a sweat, or the equivalent for turians, and Sidonis' mouth is silently parted to get the chilled air to cool his body temperature. Still, he hasn't given up, which is either a good sign to his skills or a bad one to his common sense. Her hopes that the two can come to a mutual agreement could actually take fruit seeing as how her mate either hasn't performed an injuring move, but, then again, not taking him down might just be a predator playing with his food.
Sidonis throws a punch that Garrus uses a forearm to both block and push aside, opening his opponent to a knee to the gut. The younger turian grunts and takes a step back to feign right before hooking from the left. That actually lands, though not entirely solid, against Garrus' jaw and he returns with a side step and punch to Lantar's back, directly below his rib plates.
"Your husband is good," she hears from her side, the female turian pilot finding her way through the crowd to her side with the quiet Jane knows her species to be capable of should they see the need.
"He is the best on the ship, but don't let him know I said that," Jane says with a chuckle, crossing her arms with a relaxed lean to watch the show. "He already has a big ego."
Aelia chuckles and nods. "Yes, I bet he does. Most males his age do when they've risen as fast as he has." She goes quiet for a moment as Garrus loops an arm under Sidonis' punch to throw him over his shoulder and to the ground, but doesn't go for a pin. "He has earned it though. What he did for our people was paramount to how many survived. He'd make a good leader in the rebuilding."
Jane snorts and lifts a brow in a side glance to the dark plated woman, the resemblance to her cousin remarkable. "I don't think you've spent enough time with him. He'd make a horrible politician."
A rumbling chuckle sounds from beside her as she shrugs to the sound of plates hitting plates. "Perhaps, but even I can tell he would never agree to it. Not with the circumstances." Another red brow rises in question and Aelia finally looks to her, smiling softly. "I'd like to meet your children one day. Perhaps I can gain your trust to be given that honor."
"My… what?"
"The great and outspoken Shepard without words?" Victus laughs with a deep, amused rumble, causing some of the onlookers to glance their way before quickly returning to the sparring match. "Really, it's not too hard to put one and one together. You smell of babies." Jane can't help the unconscious sniff of her air before the woman chuckles again, shaking her head. "Don't worry, it is not an easy scent to pick up on. I only know it as well as I do because I have played midwife to my sister many times."
"Still, you picked up on that almost instantly."
A shrug is all she gets before the woman gives her a smirk. "I also watch the news."
Sometimes Jane still forgets the massive media storm that must have been released when the news of their 'adoption' reached whatever asshole couldn't keep their mouth shut between Procris or the Council. She wouldn't put it past any of those involved to have let the juicy rumors slip for some underhanded credits. She can only imagine what's being said about her, her mate, and their children from the Terra Firma assholes to the opposing 'every species is just a piece of the whole, spiritual universe' nut jobs, but at least her busy work keeps her from having to watch the shitstorm of accusations and rumors.
"You shouldn't always trust what you see on the extranet, Aelia," she says with a smirk, turning back to the mats just as Garrus pins Lantar down with a knee to his spine and arm bent uncomfortably behind his back to discourage any struggle.
Sidonis taps with his free hand, panting as the older, bigger turian releases him. Climbing to his feet, the younger man offers Garrus a hand that, despite everything they've been through, takes it with a firm grip. Whatever feelings they have for the other outside this moment, she is proud to say that they can put it away to at least have a friendly, clean spar. Well, as clean as fighting a mix of Hierarchy and Omega styles of combat can be.
The shake ends probably quicker than it should and Jane is probably the only one that sees Sidonis' mandibles twitch into a frown when her husband releases his hand and turns to come to her. When she first came face to face with the man, she had tried to kill him, tried to toss him over the ledge and to his death, but now?
Now she feels sort of sorry for the man, forever scarred with his mistake - of which she doesn't think he shouldn't have paid for - but still without forgiveness. Knowing the reasoning behind Garrus' distrust and anger makes it worse for she knows his hate for the younger man is more of distrust and disgust than anger and pain over the loss of the Archangel team. She knows that Garrus was, as bad as it sounds, as unaffected by the death of the team as he would be the death of strangers. To him, the revenge was that of a vigilante making right a crime and bringing justice for those who could not do it themselves.
Also, she has a pretty positive feeling that Sidonis will turn out to be their best squad member because he's smart enough to realize that Garrus will just look for a reason to kill him. Hell, if he's smart, which she thinks he is to have survived a life on Omega, he probably knows that he'd be the first to be blamed for any mishap and, with that respect, will go above and beyond to ensure that doesn't happen. Plus, even if she isn't sure she's still okay with the fact, there's no reason Sidonis will betray the man he has an unrequited love for, as proven when he betrayed his friends.
"Enjoy the show?" The man who has her heart as his own lays in her hands purrs as he pants softly, cupping her chin to turn her head to look up at his smirk.
She snorts at his ego and wraps her fingers around his wrist. "I'm surprised."
"Why?" She motions Sidonis walking to the lift with a few of the crew, a shocked look on his face that must be from the fact that most aren't outright avoiding him after that little tantrum Garrus made in calling him a traitor. Garrus sighs when his eyes follow hers and he says, "I am trying, Jane. I really am, but part of me still wants to watch him closely."
"I know. And it's better than wanting to kill him every time you look at him." Smiling up to him, she cups his face and pulls him down to press her forehead to his. His breath is warm as it fans over her face and she says, "I asked you to give him a chance and you are trying, so I thank you. Plus, I know you could've killed him right then and there before anyone could have stopped you."
"I… I actually didn't think of it," he admits with a rumble and slight frown of confusion. "I more wanted an actual spar than a chance to kill a man. Even if his moves were easy to predict, it eased away some of the tension from the entire thing with Kaidan." He narrows his eyes as he stands straight and looks down over his clothed chest at her. Must have taken off his armor here to spar in his undersuit. "We still need to talk about this whole dismissing me thing."
Shrugging, she motions the lift. "You were about to have a beat down in the middle of the CIC. Plus, you might have seriously gotten hurt. Kaidan's biotics without an implant can be dangerous because they aren't always controllable. And I know you burned your hand passing through them."
"It's not as bad as some of the burns I got from you during your nightmares."
"It's been a long time since then, Garrus. Years."
"You saying I'm old?" he asks with an affronted trill.
She smirks teasingly. "Turians certainly don't age backwards, do they?"
He hums as they step into the elevator, looking down to her. "Well, this 'old man' still has what it takes to, what's the saying, give you a run for your credits?"
"Oh?" Raising a brow, she stands before him and crosses her arms to examine him, measuring him up. "You care to back that statement up?"
At that, he lowers his vocals to that gravely growl that has only gotten more irresistible since the scarring on his neck that must have at least touched his chords. Her blood heats with his step closer and she sighs out when his arms snap forward to pin her against the cool wall. His head dips down as he purrs heavily. "Oh, I can do more than that?"
Just as she opens her mouth to give him some witty retort, the doors open to the small hallway of their deck, the lift pinging at their arrival. Instead of speak, she smirks and lays a hand on his chest to push him from her. Hips swaying - having no clue if she accomplishes it in her heavy armor or just looks ridiculous - she heads to the door and hears him growl as his footsteps follow her own.
They have a moment before the Cabin's doors open where he lays a hand over the back of her neck and the touch is like electricity, making her all too aware of how hot her armor and undersuit already is as her body flushes beneath. Oh, she knows he knows what he does as she is as readable to him and he is to her and he knows just how teasing the removal of that touch is when he pulls away.
He chuckles at her heavy, frustrated sigh that is barely hidden behind the hiss of the opening doors. She'll get him back one day. When she isn't keyed up from battle. When she also isn't turned on by seeing his lithe bulk moving over the sparring mats. Hell, she'll face it, when she isn't so easy for him to wrap around his finger. Kinky choice of words.
Entering brings the sounds of a lullaby to their ears, Gabby Daniels taking up the baby watching duty by her own request before the mission. The upper study has already been cleared of the massive desk and terminal to be replaced by the double crib they had lucked out in finding on Omega the first time they scrambled for supplies. All that's really left is to cut a hole in the wall of the bathroom directly by the entrance for a new door and putting up the wall for privacy.
Daniels sings some soft song Jane hasn't heard before, but, then again, she didn't hear very many - none, actually - when she was a child. "Sleep, pretty darlings. Do not cry, and I will sing a lullaby," she whispers as she looks over her shoulder and hums, smiling at their entrance.
The children must be asleep as they don't make any of their signature babbles or attempts at words, merely the soft, occasional soft purrs that one wouldn't hear unless used to listening for the sound. Jane is pretty sure it's just their uncalled for panic that she and her mate often stay up late listening for those listen sounds. Sometimes they come just a moment too late and it sends the two of them jumping out of bed and to check in on them only to find them still fast asleep and unsuspecting. Sometimes she wonders how two hardened soldiers like them ever manage to be parents.
"Hey," Gabby says softly as she comes to them, smiling. "I just got them to sleep. They've been fed and changed."
"Thank you, Gabby." Jane motions to the crib. "We know they can be a handful-"
"And they aren't even walking and talking yet," Garrus adds with an amused rumble as the woman shakes her head, waving them off.
"It's nothing. They're just so cute how could I not want to babysit them?" Heading for the door, she stops and quirks her lip in thought. "I heard about the batarian thing and, I just want you to know, Kenneth and I are with you guys no matter what."
Jane looks to her mate with a smile forming before nodding. "That's great to hear. We'd be dead in the water without engineers and we trust you with the Normandy."
"We wouldn't trust just any engineers with the ship," her husband agrees with a rumbling chuckle. "Plus, I don't think the Normandy could stand it without Donnelly's expert observations of the entire female crew."
The woman snorts as she heads out of the Cabin, giving them their privacy. It isn't a moment after the door is closed that Jane sighs and reaches up to pop the first seal of her armor. "Jesus, I can't wait to get this off and take a hot shower."
"Just a shower?" Garrus holds a hand to his chest with a trill of mock hurt. "I guess I'll just go down to the Lounge to drink away the sorrow you just brought me."
"You probably should. Last thing I want is a mopey turian in my bed."
"Your bed? I do believe that's a turian bed, so, if anything, you're in my bed," he responds with an offer to take her chest plate from her and set it on the floor despite their good natured bickering.
"What makes you think that's not my and my suitor's bed? I could be seeing a turian. Wouldn't want him to be uncomfortable when he's railing me."
His hum of thought nearly makes her drop the act and chuckle as he looks off to consider that. "Well, wouldn't want to get in the way of you and your suitor. Just know that he'd never be as good as Archangel and Praetor of the Hierarchy."
She smirks and she sets aside the last of her armor to just her black undersuit. Humming, she steps closer to him and runs her fingers down his clothed keel. "It takes more than a fancy title to impress a girl like me."
His deep throated growl and dark smirk sends shivers down her spine as he grabs her hand and slowly uses his body to back her into the open bathroom and under the shower. Releasing her hand, he hooks a talon in the zipper of her undersuit and slowly pulls his down, the chilled air and anticipation prickling her skin. He likes that, she knows, because his growl rolls and free hand runs its metal fingers along the crease between her breasts up to slide behind her neck to pull her hair free from its tie.
"You smell good."
She can't help the snort and raised brow, asking for affirmation. "Like sweat?"
All she gets is a shrug as his hands push the undersuit from her shoulders and down her arms to bunch at her hips. She is unable to stop her hands from sliding to the closures of his own undersuit and she slowly snaps them open as his hands slide along scarred flesh and cups her breasts. "You're making it hard to concentrate," she sighs out and lets her eyes flutter when a talon ghosts over each nipple.
"Then try harder," he rumbles with a smirk, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "Or take your time. There's no rush."
"Maybe for you." Her hands finally get the catches open and she slides her hands over his jagged and scarred plates, not caring at how the years have taken their toll on his once smooth and flawless body. "That's better."
His chuckle is dark and deep, mouth moving to let her hear his gravelly growl of growing arousal as a noticeable bulge begins to form in his suit. She gets the silent clue and pushes his suit over his unhelpful arms and down to his jutting hips, continuing over them and down his thighs. Avoiding his erection in tease, she kneels and pulls the suit up and over each spur before tossing it aside and out of the shower.
Standing, she lets him undress her in return. His hands are warm and rough - at least the real one is, the artificial is the exact opposite in an exhilarating contrast - from the calluses of life and battle as they slide down her legs with underwear and undersuit in tow. He lets her use his shoulders to balance as she steps out of the black weave, watching as he tosses it aside.
Her hands slide down over his body as he stands and palms the controls to send water cascading down over their battle covered bodies. She yelps at the chill and presses closer to his warmth, not knowing how the hell he didn't jump or yelp at the near icy temperature as he chuckles and wraps his arms around her. The embrace quickly turns from the need of warmth to the tender need of closeness, of the touch of the other, as the water begins to heat up to a more comfortable steaming stream.
Looking up to her husband, she smiles and feels him bend to press his plated forehead to hers, nuzzling before shifting to press their mouths together. Years of practicing to get this right results in their mouths fitting perfectly in a way nature and evolution hadn't intended. With their heads just slightly tilted away, her lips can fit against his as they both open to deepen the action. Even tongues so different from the other manage to work in harmony as each makes up for what the other lacks. His longer, rougher and slightly drier tongue can move and flex in ways she could never imagine while her flatter, softer and wetter tongue can let their individual tastes mix and tangle together.
His hands caress her cheeks and down her neck and chest to her waist to pull her against him as best as their position can. She smirks against his plates and drops a hand to his length, running her palm and fingers over the slick heat she finds there. He groans softly and stands up, pulling her completely against his angular body to trap her hand and his erection between their bodies.
"Turn around," he says softly with thumbs stroking her waist. It's more a request than order, but she loves that dark look in his eyes that tells of his desire that matches her own.
Removing his hands from her waist, she does as he asks and turns, leaning against the cold wall. He doesn't leaving her wanting long as she soon feels him between her legs, situating himself before sliding home with a smooth stretch of her walls. The pleasure is like coming home as she sighs and closes her eyes, leaning her head against the wall.
Garrus doesn't immediately move, leaning against her until she feels his keel between her shoulder blades and feels his hands caress her own before pressing to the wall above them. Then, as if testing the fit, he grinds and pulls out slowly, waiting.
Just as she starts to grow impatient and debates whether to push back, she feels him slowly slide back in, repeating the slow movements as the two of them are given the chance to just reacquaint themselves with the shape and feel of the other. His face presses to her neck and she feels the roughness of his tongue over her skin as he licks her softly, in time with his loving movements.
"Garrus," she says breathlessly, dropping her hand to his waist to squeeze and chuckle at his resulting buck of his hips. "What brought this on? I thought you'd want to fuck away your stress. Our stress."
"Maybe later," he whispers with a hint of amusement to his voice, but speeds up slightly and dropping his hand between her legs to circle that nub of nerves. She gasps and moans, but he cuts her off with a kiss. "Right now I want to take advantage of the two of us making out of today."
She understands completely what he means, knowing that pain and panic she felt when he hadn't immediately answered her call when she couldn't see him. Not that she expected such an insignificant, compared to all the shit they've been through, explosion to take him down, but the fact remains the same that they did lose someone. It could very well have been them whose luck had run out.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Jane."
Just having him here, feeling his finger over her folds, and ridged length teasing every nerve in her body through their connection is enough to send shocks through her body that pulls her muscles tighter with each thrust until everything reaches a peak. She has enough sense to stifle her sounds as she presses to his mouth at the last moment of her whining moan, universe crashing around her as her knees immediately try to give out.
She distantly hears and feels his growl as he follows her, sliding out of her at the last minute so as not to leave them stranded in the shower without the ability to move without pain. They have an entire day cycle to repeat this and actually knot, but, right now, she takes a different sort of pleasure in his arms wrapping around her and muzzle pressing to the top of her head as her holds her in the aftermath.