Note: A song called "Duet" by Penny and Sparrow heavily influenced this chapter.
Also, rating R- you've been warned.
Thalassa had spent the next day in bed with a nasty hangover. Garrus of course, to her utter frustration and dismay, was no where to be found. She felt the room spinning, and couldn't get up without dry heaving. It was miserable.
Her body had ached even after taking the medication Chakwas had given her.
She slept for hours. Time wasn't of the essennce for once. Eventually, her pounding headache subsided. A quick check of the time revealed that it was late in the evening, just past midnight. She still wasn't used to letting the hours pass without concern.
Her main focus was the fact that Garrus wasn't back from working yet- something must have come up.
She spent some time reading reports in the dimly lit room, frequently checking the time. Chakwas had brought her soup and she ate it reluctantly. She sent Garrus a message asking what he was doing, but he didn't reply.
As Shepard rubbed her temples, hunched over the desk as the pace of time slid by like a snail; there was a knock at the door.
Though, she thought she was hearing things, so she ignored it until there was another knock. It must be Chakwas.
She got up to put on her robe since she was only in a thin tank and underwear. The ship was kept quite warm, but Garrus willingly kept the temperature in the room cooler for her even if it was still warmer than she was used to.
Standing at the door was the Turian doctor. Her brow furrowed a bit, processing this odd visit.
"Dr. Klarkin? What can I do for you?"
She finished tying off her robe, crossing her arms in a subtle act of defense.
"I'm sorry, Miss Shepard. Did I wake you?"
The human woman narrowed her gaze at the man in front of her- politely shaking her head.
"No, I was just reading."
Klarkin shifted on his feet upon her answer, her gaze was hard and scrutinizing, yet he didn't seem deterred by it. Thalassa couldn't pinpoint Klarkin. He seemed thoroughly aware of his surroundings, as if the external environment had a bearing on his behavior. His cool eyes held hers for a densely prolonged moment, almost challenging her passively.
"I came to check in on you. Dr. Chakwas asked me to see if you needed anything."
His subharmonics gave an inflection of friendliness, similar to how Garrus sounded when he spoke to civillians. Suddenly, she felt thrust into a game- and she knew how to play it. Shepard managed a feigned polite smile before shaking her head.
"No, but thank you."
The Turian didn't seem to take a hint from her short responses and passive body language, he even stepped toward her- his eyes still fixed on her. It was his turn to play after all.
"If there's anything I can do, please let me know."
He lifted his omni-tool for a link, giving her his contact information. A vibration paired with a bright light startled her out of deep thought. Her omni-tool had an incoming call.
Perfect timing.
"Good night, Klarkin."
She said with finality, smiling, she turned away and the door closed behind her.
Curious. Why would he bother to come at such an hour... she shook her head to dismiss the uneasy feeling. She didn't have the energy to put stock into her instincts.
"Did you eat?"
A voice asked calmly the moment she answered the call, a smile spread across her face. The subharmonic tone soothed her, his voice was music to her ears.
"Mmh. Is that all you called me for?"
The woman joked lightly, stretching her arms and chest as she listened to his voice hum. In her mind it was playing like a song, a song just for her.
"Thalassa, did you eat the soup?"
"Yes, babe. I ate the soup- well, half of it."
She glanced over briefly at the half-eaten bowl of cold soup on the nightstand. Approaching the bed to sit on the end of it.
"Well, I suppose that's better than nothing."
"So, where are you, big guy? It's past our bed time. You want me to come find you? I'm just in my robe."
His mandibles flared amusedly at her cheeky comments, she could sense it; envisioning his face in her mind. Her tone playful, seeing no wrong in painting a picture for him.
"As much as I would enjoy that, you need to stay in bed."
"You tore up my black lingerie that last night we were together, so I could just wear the blue set."
A memory of his talons ripping through the waistband of the underwear flashed through her mind, paired with the unapologetic smirk he had given her. He bought her lingerie on the Citadel during the war to replace them. When he'd presented the gift to her, she'd pointed out that the shade of blue matched his clan markings. Causing him to ramble dorkishly, claiming that he had planned them to match all along.
He subconsciously wanted her dressed in anything that remotely related to him. Shepard had come to realize that this was an element of Garrus' love for her, claiming her as his own. She loved it.
Her relentless teasing left him chuckling on the other end of her omni-tool. She smirked, knowing she was getting a rise out of him. Little did she know that he was calculating how much time it would take for him to get to the ship from his office.
"That is really tempting, my love. You know, I'll be finished in a couple of hours."
The woman sighed pitifully in defeat. Even though he knew she was exaggerating, he could sense her true feelings. She really wanted to be with him, he couldn't deny that he felt terrible about leaving her alone for such extended periods of time. Plus, he longed for her.
"Well, damn. Nevermind then- don't worry, I suppose we'll just wait. But if you change your mind..."
She bit her lip while waiting for a reply, but she sat in an excruciating moment of silence.
"Okay, I'm hanging up now."
She warned, but recieved nothing. Then she hung up, sighing loudly in frustration and dropping back against the mattress. She ached to be near him.
Tired of sitting around alone. Plus, she was definitely hormonal. They had agreed that letting her body continue to heal would be the best course of action.
Due to Dr. Chakwas' recommendations, Garrus was set on obeying the doctor's orders. But that time had allotted and gone and Shepard was hot and bothered, just thinking about him made her heart flutter. Her mood changed swiftly, continuously. Karin suspected that the hormonal imbalance was causing her to be irritable.
Thalassa shifted in bed anxiously before getting up to check the mail at their terminal. Searching logs for current and upcoming news, but all she could get was local information. Not a single report about Earth came up on the limited extranet feed.
Shepard typed out a message to Liara, but suspected that it wouldn't go through; yet it didn't hurt to try.
Only minutes later the door opened, she looked up mostly in paranoia. A blur of blue from Garrus' visor came at her like a fly drawn to a bright light in the dim room.
"You came."
Was all she could breathlessly muster before being swiftly snatched up by her Turian with little effort. A wave of excitement and contentment filled her, clinging to him with what strength she had.
His presence silenced the chaos in her mind.
His eyes bore into her with such intensity and desire. It made her heart skip a beat whilst her legs wrapped around his waist.
"You really think I could resist you? Especially after teasing me like that."
She giggled softly, her hands run along the sides of his neck before caressing his crest and sharp horns- her fingers dancing along the sensitive areas affectionately. A deep purr of approval emanating from his chest.
"Seems like I've perfected the art of seducing you, Vakarian."
The proud look in his mate's eyes made his mandibles flutter into a smile. He nuzzled his face against hers, closing his eyes
"Or I've finally charmed you with my improved romancing skills."
He muttered lowly. She belly-laughed, smiling with her teeth. Head tossing back briefly as it did when she laughed heartily. Her eyes disappeared as a smile invaded her face. Garrus' heart leapt and pounded in awe of her pure joy. The smell of her arousal through the sweet scent of shampoo, soap, and her natural musk drove him wild. He moved toward the bed slowly while kissing her a couple of times- his tongue running along her lips before slipping into her mouth.
A moan came from her as she invited his advances- encouraging him by hooking her arms around his neck. Attempting to keep him close by sucking on his tongue as it thoroughly explored her mouth, rewarding her with sensual growls.
Eventually they ended up on the bed with Garrus on top of her as he untangled the robe from her body- brushing his hands against her breasts. The thin material of her tank exposing her pert nipples, he stripped her with care. Slowly, methodically- seemingly annoyed that the clothes were there in the first place.
"You told me you were just in your robe."
He growled in annoyance as he tossed both articles off to the side.
She managed to slip his uniform off with a bit of help. Having already unclasped and dropped his armor pieces onto the floor beside the bed.
He lifted a hand to run it along her scarred cheek, her green eyes beaming happily.
She took his visor off, setting it aside gently- cupping his face with tenderness.
Soon she ran her hands along his chest and then across the sensitive skin of his hips, sparks flying between them as their eyes met in such close proximity. The woman traced his V line with a featherike touch while peppering kisses against his neck.
His pleased humming could have easily resembled purring. He grabbed her love handles roughly and pinned her back against the mattress.
He interuppted her to run his tongue along her neck, leaving a wet trail behind, easily earning him a restless moan. Her back arching, aching to be pressed against him. Fingers finally discovering what they were looking for, Garrus' breath hitched the second she touched his long erection.
There wasn't much foreplay between them because of how eager they were to feel each other; to become connected in the deepest most intimate way they physically could.
What proceeded was a careful, methodical, and pleasurable evening of love making. She knew he wasn't going to allow anything overly rough due to her still-fragile state. Could she have taken it? Probably. Was it worth the risk? Debatable.
But even though they paced themselves slowly, it was even sweeter than any other intimate time they'd experienced. They'd almost lost each other for a time- finally able to release the worry and stress of maybe never seeing each other again.
He was gentle- and his thoughtfulness tore her apart in the most romantic of ways.
Amazed by how deeply she could feel how much she loved him and his own deep love for her- it was almost overwhelming.
She felt the tears burn her eyes- she attempted to blink them away, but it was in vain. Garrus was too attentive to miss it, he slowed his pace to nuzzle his mate's face.
"Does it hurt? Should I be more gentle?"
She smiled, paired with a little laugh that made her arms tighten around his torso. Kissing his face lovingly, hips moving sensually against him with a hum.
"No, this is perfect. I'm just thankful... Garrus, you could have died.. I might not have ever seen you again. It's hard to imagine what would have happened to me if that'd happened."
"But it didn't. And you're here with me. Spirits, I don't think you realize how lucky I am. You're the only thing that makes the shambles of this galaxy a bearable."
He said pointedly with a thrust of his hips and a bite to her shoulder. He'd given her a traditional Turian mating mark before, but it was long gone underneath her many scars and procedures.
She cried out as her body shuddered under him, plastered to his warmth.
"I love you so damn much, Garrus."
She said, voice quivering, hiding her face against his neck. Clinging to the love of her life as if her survival depended on it.
Noticing her sudden desperation- he comforted her in the way he knew he could. Lightly letting his body weight rest against her small frame, laying them to the side to relieve some of the weight.
Enveloping her in his embrace, his warmth, taking in a breath of gladness.
Safe and sound.
A phrase that Shepard would never considered possible until Garrus came into her life.
When they came together that first night on their way to the Omega 4 Relay, she felt safe. Morinth's words floated through her mind.
Safety is an illusion.
A lie.
No one is ever really safe.
Shepard knew this to be true logically, but her soul rested in the feeling of safety that Garrus cultivated within her.
Their relationship was safety- it was real safety. Even if they were to die in an explosion lying together, her heart and soul were safe with him.