Title: Trust

Pairing: F!Shepard x Thane

Warnings: Artistic nudity, established relationship, implied intercourse at the end, but nothing explicit.

Summary: Thane agrees to let Shepard sketch him as a means to relax between missions as their relationship deepens.

Word Count: 675

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Siha?" Thane asked, from his seated position on a sheet covered crate, perched atop the coffee table. He positioned himself such that his naked body was casually posed but also not flagrantly in display.

"We can stop if you're uncomfortable." Shepard replied from the couch, her eyes darting from her page to him and back again as her hand moved in quick, deliberate motions.

"It isn't a matter of discomfort, I'm quite comfortable with my body. It's more that I am unaccustomed to having my likeness taken to paper."

She smirked from behind the sketch board in her lap. "I suppose assassins aren't fond of being someone's muse."

"We are not." He replied with a light chuckle.

"No one else will see this. I promise." She reassured.

"I trust you, Shepard."

A shiver chased down her spine. His velvety voice always had that effect on her. She placed her focus on her sketch, concentrating on the contours of his compact but densely muscular form. As she worked, she felt his eyes watching her. It made her shift in her seat. Her past experiences with being watched that way were not positive ones, but as their relationship developed, she came to trust that there were only kind, loving thoughts behind his ebony eyes.

They fell silent. The only sound in the room was the gently rasp of vine charcoal across thick paper as Shepard adjusted the rough outline of Thane. The cellophane package crinkled as she replaced the supply, followed by the hollow clacking of charcoal pieces in a box. Once she found the right one, she resumed, applying dark layers and smudging it with her fingers to develop shadows and texture.

"Perhaps you will allow me to sketch you in your natural form sometime." He said after an extended pause.

Shepard arched a brow at him playfully. "The Hanar made you an artist of more than one craft, did they? If you want to get me naked all you have to is say so. There no need for pretext anymore, Thane."

An amused chuckle rumbled in his chest, knowing full well the voracity of her amorous appetite. "Actually, as part of training in the compact, the Hanar encouraged the development of the arts as method for balance. As an assassin, I took life but found release in capturing beauty to the page. It was as calming as meditation at times. Though it has been many years since I've practiced."

Her hand stilled on the page as she listened to him. Setting the board aside after turning to a fresh page, she wiped her hands clean in a damp rag and stood. Without prompt, she shucked her clothes until she stood naked before him. He watched her confident movements with a measure of awe.

"I want to see how you see me." She said.

Thane stepped down from his perch and helped her up. He quickly dressed in his shorts and took her place on the couch, collecting the supplies for easy access. When he looked up at her, he was entranced by her beauty.

"How do you want me?" She purred seductively.

The suggestion behind the tone of her voice made his blood surge. Part of him truly did want to commit her to the page, but his body was compelling him in a different direction. He knew he could exercise restraint and keep to the task, he was certainly a disciplined man.

Yet, as she gazed at him with dusky eyes, one leg extended the other bent toward the crate, spine tall and curving, shoulders relaxed and open, he wasn't interested in art anymore. He thoughtfully gathered her tools, returned them to the box in which she kept them, and carefully set the board and pad aside. He saw the grin curl at the edges of her lips.

"Change your mind?" She mused as she stood.

He took her hand and pulled a leg to his waist, easily lifting her and walking to the bed. "I think I need to study my subject more intimately first."