"The captain said we should be taking off in a few minutes," Garrus reported as he entered the room. (Starboard observation. He found it curious that of all the places on the ship, this was the one Shepard had chosen to stay in, but he didn't comment on it.)

"That's good." She looked at him when he entered, a small blush spreading over her cheeks as she did so. "You... look different without armor on."

He'd changed into his simple military fatigues—mostly on the assumption that she'd probably do the same. She hadn't.

He nervously adjusted his visor over his eye. "Thanks?" He wasn't sure if he could count 'different' as a compliment.

Shepard smiled but didn't say anything aloud.

Garrus walked over to the observation deck. The window was covered, so he really had no idea why she would hang out here.

Shepard was sitting down by the table. Someone had given her a cup of some hot liquid to drink, but she'd barely touched it.

"What comes next?" She asked quietly.

Garrus put his hands on the railing. "I imagine, cleaning up after the war. Not the literal one like back on Shanxi, but political. And..." He hesitated. She knew this, of course, but he still wasn't sure if it was appropriate for him, as a turian, to discuss with her. "...introducing a new species into the workings of galactic politics. That one will be difficult... Especially since your first contact was a war. For most species, it goes peacefully enough. But having your first impression be a conflict—and with a Council race, at that—is bound to make it much more difficult. Delicacy will be of essence."

Shepard looked up at him and he almost took a step back when he saw the spark in her eye.

"It's not entirely our fault that it was a war, you know," she said. Her tone was surprisingly unemotional. "They just attacked without explanation."

"They?" Garrus didn't miss that particular phrasing.

"Turians," Shepard explained as if it was obvious that she didn't count him as one. "They attacked us, so of course we defended ourselves."

"To be fair, you did attack first."

"That's different. We had no idea you were an intelligent species. Imagine all your life, you lived in a world where yours is the only single sapient race in the entire universe. Faced with an unknown quantity, you'd automatically assume the status quo hasn't changed." She looked down. "Shooting down that patrol was... a mistake." She was being very deliberate with her words now and Garrus suddenly realized that he hadn't even tried to filter himself around her. All the while, she'd probably been very careful not to offend him in any way. "A very... unfortunate mistake that's since proven..." She paused, searching for a word. "...costly. But by the time we realized it, it was far too late to turn back."

"Here's something you'll want to know about turians. When it comes to the militaristic, they get extremely intense." Garrus exhaled through his nose, fighting a second-hand amusement. "The Hierarchy is regarded as the strongest military force in the galaxy. Can't exactly lose out to a primitive species."

"Primitive?" Shepard wrinkled her nose. "That's a bit harsh."

Garrus looked at her. He didn't answer.

She raised an eyebrow. "Alright then, space man. Show me what the future's like."

Garrus input a few commands into the control panel, revealing the view outside the large window on this part of the ship.

"Whoa," Shepard whispered—against her better judgment, it seemed.

"This is the real reason for the whole... thing. You people were poking around it, trying to get it to work, and that alerted the Council. A small turian patrol was sent to investigate what's going on, the humans shot them down, and... the rest is history."

Shepard was still looking out the window.

"...What is it?" she asked.

"A mass relay. You'll get more than used to the sight of them soon enough." Garrus leaned on the railing behind him, facing her as opposed to the view outside the window. "You know how your spaceships or your armor sometimes use a mass effect field? A relay generates one just like that, only millions of times bigger."

Shepard waved a hand. "And this is what allows, um, the..."

"Faster than light travel? Yes."

She looked at him, then back at the relay. "That's... a lot."

"I suppose for you, it would be... You'll get used to it."

She nodded hesitantly. "And activating a dormant mass relay—that's illegal, then."

"Pretty much so. I..." Garrus tensed. "I don't actually know... I never thought to take an interest in those things. I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I shouldn't be here. I'm not—This is well above my paygrade. I'm just a footsoldier, I'm not cut out for this... diplomatic stuff."

"Hey." Shepard snapped her fingers, immediately getting his attention with it. "You're here because I asked for you. And you being a soldier actually helps. I can get an unbiased opinion, unlike if you were a politician or something like that."

"Commander?" A young human soldier walked in without knocking and immediately stood to attention, saluting. Garrus didn't fail to notice that. The way the other humans were treating Shepard... He was beginning to suspect there was more in play than just her rank. "We're ready for the jump."

"Good." She joined her hands behind her back. "Let's get this over with quickly."

"Yes, ma'am." He slightly nodded his head and quickly walked away.

"So. Your first relay jump and all you have to say is 'let's get this over with'?" Garrus crossed his arms. "You'll be the first human in history to set foot on the Citadel. Doesn't that make you nervous?"

Shepard glanced at him. "Are you trying to say that you're nervous?"

"Ha. Never." He looked ahead, trying to mimic her stance.

He was incredibly nervous.

He stirred, surprised, when he felt the warmth of Shepard's hand on his. Should he be concerned that she'd managed to get the jump on him so easily? He hadn't heard her moving.

"Garrus?"

He looked down at her and she was— Spirits, she was smiling. She was smiling and it was such a wonderful sight that even if his visor didn't immediately display the change, Garrus could have felt his heart rate get faster.

How could something so alien be so soothing? The way her eyes narrowed just a little bit from the smile, and those little brown spots on her cheeks (he had to ask her about them one of these days, they were fascinating) getting all clustered and wrinkled, it was all so very human... So undeniably alien... And yet her smile was enough to make his heart beat faster. And knowing that this smile was meant for him and no one else? Garrus could barely believe he got to be so lucky.

"...Garrus?" She repeated, seeing how he hadn't responded.

"You're beautiful," he blurted out without even thinking.

"Oh." Shepard blinked. "Um... Thanks. You're beautiful too." She laughed nervously. "Sorry. I wasn't ready for that. You caught me by surprise."

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable—!" Mentally, he was punching himself. Think before you speak, idiot!

"It's fine!" Shepard laughed. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "It was cute. You're cute."

Cute. Not exactly the word he would use when comparing a turian and a human. Her species was the cute one. They were all soft and round and squishy... But himself, a big pointy predator, cute? He honestly had no idea how she'd gotten to this conclusion.

"You, uh... had something to say?" He had to clear his throat to keep his voice, especially the treacherous subvocals, from revealing his emotional state.

"I wanted to tell you not to be nervous, but now that I see all it takes is a kiss on the cheek..." She trailed off into laughter. Garrus joined in not because he found any part of what she'd said amusing, but because he was happy to see her happy (as ridiculously cheesy as that sounded.)

She did have a point, though - he'd forgotten all about his fears and concerns as soon as he looked at her. One smile from her and he was a fumbling mess. When had it gotten to this point? He'd just been scared of her at first... When had it turned into attraction and then enamorment so strong it could turn him into this lovesick idiot?

"We'll be okay," Shepard said. At this point, he didn't fully understand what she was even referring to, but he found comfort in those words from her. Spoken by a natural leader like her, they were bracing and warm. He didn't know what it was about Shepard, but she always sounded like she knew what she was talking about, like she believed every word that left her mouth. Maybe that was why she'd ended up in command. She could inspire people with just a few words...

She would make an excellent diplomat.

And he would be there beside her, of course. Every step of the way if he had to. He wouldn't really mind, either... Even if it meant a career in politics, he would probably be satisfied with it as long as he got to spend more time with her...

It still sometimes felt like a dream. He kept having to remind himself that their relationship actually did have a future now, that he didn't have to think of it as impossible.

And to think that just two weeks earlier, he'd been certain they'd never see each other again.

Being wrong had never felt so good.

"Anything else I might need?" Shepard was checking her weapons for what had to be at least the fourth time. Garrus couldn't help but be endeared by that nervous habit of hers; she was just as much of a soldier as he was.

"You're alright," he assured her yet again. "The atmosphere on the Citadel is mostly oxygen and the gravity's not much weaker than on Shanxi. Unless humans are allergic to artificial sunlight, you shouldn't have any problems."

She nodded her head.

Oh! He'd almost forgotten. If she was using their own jury-rigged translator, she only understood the most basic turian languages at the moment. Better to rectify that mistake.

"Show me that omnitool of yours."

She obediently held out an arm.

"Let's see. You're going to need at least the very basic asari languages packs... There's a lot of salarian dialects on the Citadel alone, so that's a must. Elcor, hanar, volus... It's always better to understand krogan, too... I don't think you'd meet any quarians, but— Are you okay?"

Shepard's skin was very pale.

"I'm fine," she said. Her voice sounded weird. "I never thought... I'm sorry. I— I have to sit down."

Garrus nervously pulled up a chair from the table.

"Here, um..." He had no idea what to say now.

Shepard more fell than sat down on the chair, her armor rattling a bit as she did.

She buried her head in her hands.

"I don't think I can prepare myself for this...! I barely ever assumed there'd be more than one alien species out there, I... I'm still getting used to the idea of turians. I... I somehow never really thought there'd be more different aliens out there. You're saying that... How many?"

Garrus didn't answer. He felt very very very much like an intruder, like he shouldn't be here right now. He was really contemplating leaving, but then where would he go? In the end he just stood there awkwardly, not saying a word while Jane Shepard had an existential crisis right next to him.

"This is hard for you," he noticed eventually.

Shepard laughed hysterically. "What gave it away?" She looked down. " ...I'm not a diplomat. Shouldn't they have sent someone else—anyone else?"

"Jane, you made out with a turian in front of several Alliance officers. I can see why they'd assume you'll be the most open-minded towards other species."

"That's different," she mumbled. A rosy blush spread to her cheeks.

"How so?"

"Well, it's you. I know you. It's different. You're more or less the only turian I've ever talked to—the only alien. Who's to say it'll be as easy with others?"

"Shepard, I can assure you I'm not an easygoing person. Take it from me: if you've won me over, you can easily win over the Council."

Shepard smiled. She put a hand on his cheek.

"Thanks," she said softly.

Garrus barely stifled a purr when their eyes met. He leaned down and pressed his mouth plates to her forehead. He took in a deep breath, taking in the scent of her hair. Always so exhilaratingly alien, and yet always with that familiar undertone of metal and armor grease. A soldier, but undoubtedly a human soldier.

He closed his eyes. "You'll do just fine. And hey, once this whole thing is over, we can..."

"You do owe me a drink." She smirked as she pulled away from the half-hug. "Thanks, Garrus."

She walked away. Left the room without even turning back even though Garrus's eyes never left her.

"You're welcome," he said quietly.