Chapter 35

Anya read the email from Victus with a growing knot of unease in her stomach. A bomb on Tuchanka was definitely going to cause trouble.

"Hey," murmured a familiar voice, and she glanced back.

"Hey. Did the Primarch give you a head's up about this yet?" she asked quietly, and she waited a beat as Garrus skimmed over her shoulder.

"I found out about ten minutes ago," he admitted.

"What the hell was the Hierarchy thinking?" she muttered, and she saw his shoulders sag in the periphery of her vision.

"I don't know, Shepard." He sounded drained.

"Damn politics and paranoia, I would bet my last credit on it. Now we get to clean up someone else's mess again."

"I'm sorry," he replied.

"For what? You didn't put this bad boy on Tuchanka while I was in holding, did you?" she asked, feigning a scrutinous glance, and he snorted.

"Of course not, but it's still my people doing...spirits."

"Hey. Everyone has things that their people do that make them uncomfortable. I am never going to judge you for what other people have done."

"I just...hate that I get why people don't trust us," he said after a beat.

"I definitely empathize. But, Garrus?"

"Yeah, Shep?"

"I trust you, for what it's worth." She bumped his shoulder with hers, and he let out a soft noise.

"That's good to hear." After a beat, he cleared his throat. "So, how are we handling this? I know you wanted to get the cure dispersed tomorrow."

"Well, our options are to hold off on taking care of the bomb until after the cure has been released, which I'm not comfortable with, push the cure back a day, which Wrex will be livid about, or take care of this before nightfall, because I am not risking us or our people in night ops on Tuchanka if there is literally any other option."

"What do you think you'll do?"

"Honestly? I think…" she gnawed on her lip for a beat before continuing, "if we can get boots on the ground in the next hour, it's doable."

"Are you pushing yourself too much if we go forward with this right now?"

"I feel fine, honey. Really," she assured him, bumping his shoulder with hers.

"Okay. Well, who is coming with us?"

"Are you sure that you're up for another mission? You know I was planning on dragging you with me tomorrow."

"I'm sure. We go together. There's no Vakarian without Shepard," he reminded her.

"And there's no Shepard without Vakarian," she answered, torn between being pleased and being worried. "I just wanted to make sure you have a chance to rest, too."

"I'll sleep when you sleep. If all goes according to plan, we might even be back in time for dinner."

"When was the last time things went according to plan?" she asked ruefully, and he laughed.

"There's a first time for everything," he murmured. "Besides, this gives us a chance to enjoy that scenic countryside that Tuchanka is known for. The semi-radioactive acid rain clouds are lovely this time of year."

She had to choke back a laugh. "Maybe we'll get to fight through something more fun than a hospital this time."

"Shepard, I swear, if you find a classy antique shop on this planet for us to fight in, I will lose my mind."

"I'll keep it in mind. We might have better luck keeping an eye out for a garden or an electronics shop, though."

"A man can dream," he said, feigning seriousness, and she nearly giggled.

"I will help you keep an eye out. Your dreams are my dreams, honey."

"In that case, I apologize."

"For what?"

"My dreams heavily feature you, and I think you know why," he teased, letting out a little rumble at the end, and she felt herself blushing.

"You're incorrigible. Also, you should tell me more, but after the mission," she murmured. "At least one of us needs to be focused on something other than getting naked."

"Does that mean I'm allowed to think about you naked while we're working?"

"First off, you're an adult, you don't need permission to think about anything," she countered. "Secondly, I think we both know that the reason that you're so eager to provide overwatch is your desire to stare at my ass between firefights."

"Of course, that goes without saying. I get to save your ass while I ogle, it's perfect," he said cooly, and she snorted.

"Maybe you should take this time to take a cold shower," she joked.

"We both know I'm not doing that," he said, shaking his head with a grin, and she glanced back down at her console. "Wait, was there a third thing?"

"Ah...damn. I feel like there was, but I don't remember it now. You've been making me laugh too much," she accused, a mock scowl on her face.

"There are worse problems to have than your boyfriend being funny," he pointed out, looking pleased with himself.

"Like my boyfriend thinking he's funny?" she fired back and he chuckled.

"You've been talking to Wrex too much," he said playfully.

"I dunno. I'd think you'd be a fan."

"Oh? And what makes you think that?"

"The other day when we were talking, he mentioned that he thought I should listen to you more." Garrus perked up at that.

"Did he now?"

"Mhmm. Especially about taking better care of myself."

"See! Wait, was that why you were finally willing to go to Chakwas?"

"Yep. Just shutting you all up," she muttered.

"Spirits, now I know how Vega felt when you wouldn't let him touch your gun," he dead-panned, and she snickered.

"Not even close to the same. I let you touch all of my stuff."

"I've never touched your model ships," he corrected, and she struggled not to roll her eyes.

"I mean, you could."

"No, I couldn't. You spent a lot of time on those, what if I broke one?" he asked, shaking his head.

"And that's how I know I can trust you if you ever did hold one. You appreciate and respect that time and effort that went into them," she pointed out.

"How could I not? You very clearly love those ships."

She moved her mouth as if to speak, but the first reply that came to mind made her heart start slamming in her chest. After a moment, she finally forced out, "I, uh...I get it. It'd be like if I made a mistake handling your gun. You love that gun."

He seemed to have a similar reaction, visibly floundering before he managed, "I...I do. Um, love...my gun."

"Well, there we are, then," she said, swallowing, unsure if she was more relieved or disappointed that he hadn't redirected the conversation either.

"Anya, wait, I was...I had wanted to tell you something."

"What is it, honey?"

"I was...I wanted to tell you that...I…" He seemed to struggle with his words.

"Garrus, honey, it's fine, okay?" she reassured him.

"No, look, it's...very important that I tell you what I'm feeling, right?"

"It is, but it's okay to wait until you're ready before you say or ask anything," she murmured, letting her head fall onto his shoulder. "And struggling to put something into words doesn't mean that it isn't real, or valid, okay? Sometimes the big stuff takes a little while. I absolutely get it. It's fine. We're fine."

"It's just...important for me to make sure that you know," he said softly.

"I do know," she whispered.

"And what if we don't have as much time as you think we do?" he asked.

"We'll make time," she answered, sounding sure. "Just be patient with yourself."

"I'll try," he murmured, nudging her temple with his. "I'm sorry for not…"

"Stop. I chickened out, too. We will get there. Now, are we ready to take care of a bomb?"

"As long as you're around, I'm ready for anything," he answered.

"Good. I'm going to grab James, I told him he'd be stretching his legs at some point on Tuchanka."

"Sounds good. Try not to be too long. The sooner we're squared up and geared out, the better."

"Agreed," she murmured with a sigh before turning and starting away. "I'll see you in five."

He quickly murmured, "Don't be late."

"Of course not, I would never be late for one of our dates," she called back.

"But you're bringing Vega? This is why we need a sitter," he complained before cracking a grin, and she couldn't help laughing as she rounded the corner. She couldn't help feeling optimistic as she made her way across the ship.

(We've got this.)