She was too nervous to try and approach him in his own bedroom, so she made do with the spare bed downstairs. Stripping down to her t-shirt and shorts, she slipped onto the hard bed and attempted to sleep but slept awfully until it was late in the night, sweating the bed. Why was his apartment always searing with heat? She knew that turians had evolved on a planet with radiation, but did they really have to live in humid temperatures? Perhaps this turian didn't like the cold whatsoever, which was completely opposite to her, who'd grown up during bitterly cold, wet and windy seasons. Laurel found the sofa instead, which was far more comfortable than the strange turian bed. She didn't dream, but she fell in and out of consciousness thinking about what he'd asked from her. Sex.

She tried to imagine what he looked like under all that armour and underclothing, which always covered him from neck to toe. His skin looked hard and leathery. What would be the consequences of having sex with a different species? Laurel couldn't help but feel astounded by his attraction to her. It'd been a long, long time since she'd had sex with anyone. The opportunity during prison wasn't there. She drank for a bit after her release and inevitably had a disappointing short-term relationship that resulted in her being stranded on Omega. For a long time she wasn't interested or yearning. Recently she'd begun to feel those desires again, but felt too afraid to pleasure herself - to make herself want something more. And the disturbing fact that Marik's face seemed to pop up if she tried, making her feel dirty. Pleasuring herself hadn't really been something she'd do on a regular basis. Maybe Marik was right; perhaps she was a bit prim. Then there was the only factor about turian customs: did they look at sexual and romantic relationships differently to humans? Were they monogamous? Or more open with that sort of thing? Her cheeks blossomed with colour thinking about the prospect of showing her naked body to a turban. And seeing his naked body. They were so different in many ways – perhaps he'd find her ugly? She also felt slight humiliation knowing she'd never properly orgasmed. Her racing thoughts suddenly made her feel sleepy again and she slept until the early morning.

Her eyes fluttered open when she heard him clattering in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Laurel," he said, glancing briefly at her when she entered the room. He was dressed, though something more relaxed this time. Maybe he's given this a second thought. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, feeling the back of her shirt cling to her sticky skin.

"Hey," she managed. The lack of sleep was felt in her head, her back, her shoulders and from her dry, rabid-smelling (probably) mouth. She felt like she'd swallowed a skunk in her sleep.

"Did you sleep well?" came his voice again. That voice. It was no secret that she might've had a teeny, tiny crush on the voice. She stretched her limbs and got up to walk over to him.

"It was fine." She saw him making breakfast, one for him and her.

"Was it? It hasn't escaped my notice that you sweat a lot in your sleep," he said.

"Enjoyed the view did you?" she said before she realised that perhaps this could count as 'flirting'. His voice made a sound that sounded like a whirr, out of embarrassment or approval she wasn't sure. Laurel began to grow vastly aware of the fact that she was standing in just a pair of tiny shorts and a thin t-shirt that did little to hide the fact her tits looked like peaked mountains.

"I can smell your sweat on the sheets," he replied. Was he being alluring on purpose? Her neck began to prickle with heat.

He finished frying the eggs and slid them onto her plate. Turning round with the plates, he skirted round her and then stopped to brush her arm with his, temptingly. He set them on the table. She could barely eat from anticipation.

"Do you sleep well?" she asked. He scrutinised her with those sharp eyes, barely touching his food.

"Not really, Laurel. Not when I knew you were downstairs. I wanted you with me." She made some sort of half choke in her throat as she attempted to swallow the food. So forward. Her eyes became fixated on the plate, her skin aflame with embarrassment. I've never been like this all my life. With sex it was casual, never filled with awkwardness. She felt like a schoolgirl, afraid to think what he would look like, afraid to allow herself to imagine it. All the while feeling terribly self-conscious.

"Laurel?" came his voice. Her mouth opened and closed several times.

"I – I don't know," she confessed. "How would it…?" He looked amused.

"Why so concerned with the details?" His plate was still full.

"Because you're a turian!" she spluttered in indignation. He got up slowly and laid a careful hand on her arm.

"So?" he said to her, towering over her at this point. "I can smell the desire on you, Laurel." He tugged slightly on her t-shirt's hem. At this point he made her feel like he'd already undressed her. She felt stunned at this declaration. Oh great, he can smell me? That's both embarrassing and alarming.

"What happens if-"

"I get the impression you were never like this with sex beforehand," he said, smiling at her.

"Well no because they happened to be all flipping human!" she said, feeling incredibly flustered now.

"It's a problem if you want to get pregnant. Because you won't," he replied.

"I don't want to get pregnant!" she snapped.

"I will use protection, Laurel," he told her.

"Didn't you just say you can't make me pregnant?" she said. Her nipples had pebbled underneath her t-shirt and she crossed her legs tightly, trying to stifle the desire felt in her groin. His mandibles flexed in a smirk.

"Different species should use protection..." he remarked. Ah, yeah, she thought. Stupid me...Marik suddenly held his large, three-fingered hand out in front of her. She stared at it for a while. Those talons looked very sharp. She wasn't averse to liking it a bit rough, but sharp talons were where she drew the line.

"Do you trust me?" his voice rumbled.

"I'm finding it hard to believe you want sex with me," she said. God, she didn't know herself why she was making it this difficult. She was filled with so much longing the inside of her thighs ached and a hot desire pulsed from her groin to the back of her eyes. Marik bent down to face her at eye-level, bringing his arms round her tightly and pulled her close to him. Involuntarily she turned her head away.

"I thought of you when I fucked Kyra. Every time, every position. I imagined it was you underneath me," he said, squeezing her at the last sentence as if for emphasis. "I want you , Laurel." She bit her lip, pondering, caged in by his embrace. Too close to his face for comfort. Admitting that she wanted him too (mostly) was going to hurt her pride. So she nodded instead.

He carried her upstairs. Her heart was pounding. Cradled against him she could hear his heart too, like a hammer on cloth. His bedroom was light, airy. Although sparse, she loved the large window looking out onto the Presidium.

"You're not as light as I thought you were," he said, when he finally plopped her down on the mattress.

"That's a bit of an insult, Marik," she said warningly, making him baulk in worry. Just for a minute.

"I, uh, spirits …" She laughed, enchanted by his sudden meekness.

"I'll let you go on that one. Just once."

"I don't see how it's an insult," he said, shrugging at her. "You are… delightfully squishy."

She wasn't sure if she was pleased by this comment either but seeing as he was a turian …. They were sitting on the bed, suddenly quiet. He seemed hesitant now, as if he'd been dreaming about this moment for ages but never thought it'd happen. She felt a sense of boldness and pulled the t-shirt up and over her head, baring her naked torso to him. His eyes slowly drifted down from her familiar face to her chest riddled with freckles and moles, her breasts with large areolas, her rolled stomach and wide hips. Although it wasn't cold, her nipples hardened again and goosebumps erupted along her arms. His mouth quirked upwards slightly in longing. He moved forward to touch her breast, but she stopped him.

"Take your gloves off," she said.

"I might hurt you. These talons are sharp," he told her.

"Are you suggesting you like it rough?" she said. He raised a brow-plate.

"Turians always like it rough," he replied, moving his other hand powerfully up her thigh. He slipped his gloves off slowly, her eyes widening. How could he make that look so...sexy? He then gently skimmed his talons over her breasts, circling her hardened nipples. She watched him in slight fascination, at those powerful talons that could probably sink deep into her skin. Yet his touch was feather light. She wasn't sure how to proceed. This felt slow – sex for her in the past had been incredibly quick.

"Human women like these being caressed?" he asked her, looking at her intently. She gave a small nod, her mouth pulling into a smirk. He cupped them gently, keeping his eyes on her, testing her reaction. Her mouth parted, unconsciously, her eyes fluttering.

"And kissed," she added. He hadn't any lips, but her eyes drifted to his mouth anyway.

His fingers drifted down from her breasts, smoothing over her not-so-slim stomach, testing its elasticity. Marik had moved closer to her on the bed, so that she could feel his warm breath on the top of her head. He hooked a talon into the waistband of her shorts, tugging lightly, his legs almost straddling her.

"Lay down," he gently commanded, leaning over her so she didn't have much choice but to lie down. She didn't lie down completely, sitting herself up on her elbows.

"Laurel?" she heard him say, sliding the material off her. The shorts were soon off, leaving her only in a pair of pants. She wasn't comfortable lying down in front of him like this.

"We can stop at any time," he said, looking at her with his stern face. She swallowed, heart beating in her throat.

"I… Marik I'm just nervous. Also I don't know how to… touch you." His mandibles moved in amusement.

"How you would with a human?" He stopped hovering over her predatorily and moved to face her as his fingers tantalisingly skimmed over the skin of her stomach, her hips, her breasts. The bony edges of her hips were sensitive as he began to press down harder, moving towards the core of her. She could hear his subharmonics vibrating in approval as he caressed her soft body.

"No pants off yet," she said, and tugged at his long-sleeved top. Obligingly they both sat up and she tugged off his top to reveal a very broad dark chest. Without his clothes he seemed no smaller. Laurel was surprised to see the hood of his back was in fact genuine and not part of his clothing. His plated skin rose and sank in undulating waves as he breathed heavily. It was of several deep russet colours that caught the light as he breathed. Gingerly, she pressed her hand against his chest, feeling the supple, leathery skin underneath. She didn't expect his lithe body, normal for a turian, to be so muscled, not how she imagined. She could feel and see the wiry strength he carried in his shoulders and upper arms. Despite his alienness, she found this very attractive.

"Where are your soft spots?" she asked him. He took both of her wrists and pressed them against his very slim waist. Gently, she kneaded the skin around his waist, which in some places felt softer than others. Marik pressed his face into her hair, and she could feel him purring deeply as her fingers moved along his skin that felt like suede. Becoming more confident, she began sweeping her fingers higher up his waist, kneading hard before moving down.

"Ungh, Laur… Laurel…" She pulled away immediately.

"Sorry, is that-?" He carefully took her hands in his own.

"I didn't anticipate how skillful these fingers are," he hummed, and to her astonishment, lifted her fingers to his mouth. He sucked on them gently, letting his sharp teeth graze them slightly. She watched him in fascination, and he moved her fingers down to her pubic area.

"Show me," he purred. Her heart was thumping hard in her throat, and her cheeks were warm. His pupils looked blown out, the yellow irises not quite as vivid. He pushed her down to a laying position again, caressing the inside of her thighs, trailing his talons slowly further up her leg. There was a steady, pulsing desire in-between her legs, yet he took his sweet time. And he knows it. Hooking a couple of talons inside the waistband, he drew off her pants with a slowness that was agonising.

"Your skin is exquisite," he said, tickling her legs with his mandibles as she lifted her feet in order for him to tug her pants off. His voice was so low she quivered with excitement. He pulled away from his ministrations to look at the dark cluster of hair, seemingly enraptured. Yet as she threaded her fingers through the delicate curls of her pubic hair, she was shy to pleasure herself in front of him. His careful attention was somewhat torturous.

"Not all of it," she said, gingerly pressing the tips of her fingers against the entrance of her vagina. To her astonishment, she felt an incredible amount of wetness.

"You're being modest, pleasure yourself like you mean it, Laurel," he said, pulling up his body against hers and leaning down to nip her earlobe. Oh God. She spread the wetness upwards towards her clit, rubbing the nub that was throbbing with unbridled want. Laurel couldn't help but let out a small whimper of satisfaction. His body was incredibly warm, almost as warm as a radiator, and her eyes closed as she began to lose a sense of where she was. Her other hand drifted towards his waist, hoping to throw him off guard, or make sure he was still there. He seized her wrist before she could touch him, pressing her hand onto her breast.

"Is this what you made Kyra do?" she asked. It was hard to keep her attention span up however, not when she felt this nervous.

"With Kyra it was quick and satisfactory," he replied, beginning to lightly draw circles on her stomach with a single sharp talon. She pushed her legs further apart, anticipating his answer. "Now I want to savour every last moment… is sex usually so rushed for you?" She was positioned between longing, desire and doubt.

"It… yeah, always," she said, opening her eyes to look into his. His face was so stern, so alien… yet her desire to equally consume him was overwhelming. He was suddenly preoccupied with her belly button as he caressed her stomach.

"What is this? I've noticed asari have it as well," he said. She felt his unfamiliarity was almost appealing.

"The navel…" she said, squirming slightly as he boldly dipped his tongue into the small hollow. "It's where the umbilical cord used to be." He put a hand on her hip steadying her squirming body as he licked and nipped.

"I've never properly…. you know," she bit out, somewhat carelessly, desperate to get it off her chest.

"What?" he said, looking like he genuinely didn't understand. She felt like a teenager, unable to say the right words to him.

"I've never had a proper orgasm," she eventually huffed, annoyed that she had to say it anyway. He paused, considering her, his mandibles twitching slightly. His talons lightly scraped across her stomach looking as if he was seriously contemplating what she told him.

"What would help?" he said nuzzling the side of her face. She wanted to kiss him, for him to kiss her, she wanted…

"Let go, Laurel," he mumbled, nipping her earlobe again, moving his face into her hair, and tickling her nose with his long mandibles.

His hand fondled her breast, the roughness of his skin hardening her nipples again pleasurably. He brought his head lower, gently grazing his teeth on each nipple so expertly that her back arched. His other hand drifted down and cupped her core hard, digging his talons into her somewhat painfully. She was suddenly aware of his erection pressing against her thigh through the fabric of his skin-tight trousers. Being fully unclothed while he wasn't, coupled already with this sensation made her shudder with want. Her hands kept drifting to touch him, unsure of where to go but desperate to have him all the same. She heard the lower notes in his deep voice hum with approval yet it was clear he wanted to lavish attention on her. He suddenly moved both her arms above her head, pinioning her wrists down deep into the mattress. He gently kicked her legs as far apart as they could go with his knees. A human probably wouldn't have the reach to do this, as she watched him move his head down. Christ above. He was studying her features in fasciation before gently spreading the inner lips of her labia open. She nearly cried out in shock, feeling his warm tongue caress the most intimate part of her body.

"Marik…" she found herself moaning, wrists straining against his firm hold, skin rubbing against his.

"A human ever make you as wet as you are now, Laurel?" he said, pressing harder on her wrists as if for emphasis. In reaction she arched her back and involuntarily pushed herself further onto him. He growled in response and flicked the tip of her clit, before circling the hood tantalisingly. His voice, continually purring in desire, reverberated through her each time he paused for breath. Sensing that the engorged nub of her clitoris was extremely sensitive, his tongue moved agonisingly swiftly across the skin of the hood and around it.

"Keep talking…" she found herself saying breathlessly. He hummed in approval, the movements of his tongue becoming faster as he began to build up to a crescendo.

"You have no idea what you do to me, Laurel," he moaned, arousing her further. His tongue moved down towards her entrance tantalisingly. She gritted her teeth, inadvertently filthy words of her own drifted into her head. He let go of one wrist to tenderly insert his finger gently into her, then another. His talons were thicker than human fingers and he stretched the inside of her vagina as he moved up and down slowly.

"You're delicious," he breathed, fanning his hot breath over her.

She could feel it, the building up of an itching and engulfing feeling that made her forget about their surroundings. All she could focus on was his continuing tongue, her writhing, naked body beneath his, his incredibly scratchy low voice humming while he mercilessly drove her to an edge she thought she'd never feel. She tightened the muscles in her vagina, hoping to earn that all-pleasurable, all-consuming sensation.

"Come for me, Laurel," he breathed over her, letting go of her wrists to smooth his hands down her body. That had done it. Every muscle in her body clenched tightly as she felt her body shake through her orgasm. Her back arched and she couldn't help but let out a brief cry of pleasure. It surprised her; she didn't realise how much his talking had driven her to this. He knew just when to stop, for he'd dragged his mouth away as he let her climax. Modesty was forgotten in the moment. All she had was pure bliss. Coming down from this all-too-brief ecstasy, she sat up on her elbows with a flushed face and pupils blown wide. Marik, still half clothed, was lying on his side scrutinising her with a knowing look. A turian made me climax. I don't believe it.

"How striking you are," he said, face becoming more serious now.

"You old smoothie," she said, sitting up. She couldn't quite repay the compliment, gazing at his unfamiliar yet simultaneously fascinating body. He looked like he was still hard, although it had receded somewhat.

"What about…." He held his talons up.

"There's plenty of time," he told her, smoothing a single talon over one of her fingers. "I want to take my time with you."

"Isn't that going to… well, drive you crazy ?" she laughed. To be honest, she was already pooped and wanted a bath. Also the smell of herself on him, her, and the sheets was a bit distracting.

"I want to. But don't worry, it won't be long before I'll have fucked you on each and every available surface in this apartment," he said, craning his head in a predacious way.

"Oh?" she teased, rolling onto her stomach, eyeing him flirtatiously.

"Keep teasing and you won't be able to walk for a week," he snarled.

"You nearly broke my wrists," she teased, batting her large eyes at him. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at the raw marks on her skin.

"Oh spirits...Forgive me-"

"I'm going to end up with awful bruises and everything …"

"Oh, you're just…. you're so soft I didn't realise…" He was babbling like a teenager. It was pleasurable to have this much power over him for now. She leaned upwards and kissed him on the mandible. It had missed slightly, as he'd turned his head in surprise. She had planned for the mouth (a little bold, she decided) and it had landed on his lower mandible. The brief taste of him was earthy.

"You pinning me down like that… felt pretty erotic," she reassured him.

"Is that so?" he rumbled, pulling her up against his body. She felt like she could go through with it all over again as his warm body encased hers. They hugged each other in an embrace lying down on the bed, until they both surprisingly fell asleep.