Shepard pressed Liara tightly against the wall, using her entire body to hold her in place. Liara's hands were locked in a vice grip over her head and Shepard bit hard on her neck, leaving purple marks. Liara gasped loudly.
Shepard sneaked her hand in so that she could squeeze Liara's ass. She took a breath before giving Liara's neck a gentle kiss and leaned back to press their mouths together. Liara's eyes were closed tightly as she met Shepard in their forceful kiss. Shepard leaned back slightly to catch her breath and she could feel Liara's harsh breathing against her face. Liara whimpered and her lips quivered lightly. Shepard pressed their lips together again and released Liara's arms. Shepard grabbed her ass and hoisted her up, pain shot through her leg but for the first time in years, she didn't care.
The bed was a standard low budget hotel bed but when Shepard dropped Liara on it, nothing else mattered. She pushed Liara further up and crawled between her legs and again caught her arms in a vice grip over her head and pressed their lips together. The burning sensation in her stomach was incredible, it had been so long, Liara was so beautiful and feeling Liara's body against her own made Shepard burn with desire. She wanted to feel every part of Liara, to touch her everywhere.
When she slid her hand under Liara's dress, Liara broke the kiss and turned away. Her cheeks were purple in embarrassment and she didn't meet Shepard's eyes. "Could you slow down a bit, I've never-" Liara swallowed deeply and didn't finish her sentence.
It took less than a second for Shepard to go from burning hot to ice cold when she realised Liara's implications. She let go of Liara's arms and pushed away. "Never what? No answer. "Never what, Liara?
Liara's lips trembled again and she swallowed hard in mortification. "I've never been with someone like this before."
"You're a virgin?"
She gave a small nod and Shepard's brain stopped working, going blank. The desire was completely gone and complete horror took its place. Every interaction she had re-played between herself and Liara had played through her mind and disgust grew in her stomach when she realised that not once had Liara indicated that she had wanted anything but a conversation. Shepard felt sick to her stomach. How the fuck could she have been so blind, that she would bring a virgin to a hotel room and treat her like a hooker.
Shepard hadn't moved. When Liara reached out to touch her face, the reaction was so violent that Shepard fell off the bed.
"Shepard, are you alright?" Liara cried out.
Shepard struggled to get back on the bed, Liara offered help but she refused. When she finally got up, she sat down on the bed and rubbed her right knee hard. It was hurting badly and no amount of rubbing helped. After several minutes of silence, Shepard finally spoke up.
" I am so so sorry Liara, I shouldn't have brought you here."
Liara didn't answer as she sat up in the bed. Shepard continued to rub her knee, almost in desperation.
"Why didn't you tell me Liara? Why even follow me up here? I made it pretty clear what my intentions were?"
Liara looked hesitant as she took a deep breath. "I wanted you to like me, and I didn't realise at first."
"When did you?"
"When you kissed me in the elevator. "
"Why didn't you stop me?"
"I wanted to get to know you, I wanted to spend time with you, I wanted you to enjoy spending time with me. Other Asari my age have always considered me dull and I didn't want you to feel the same." Shepard could barely hear her. "I wanted you to like me."
Shepard put her face in her hands, rubbed her temples and turned around to look Liara in the eyes. "Liara, you are both beautiful and intelligent, you make me laugh, something I haven't done in years. The Asari who call you dull are probably shaking their asses in a sleazy bar somewhere or are getting their faces blown off in a mercenary gang.
"You should never do something you are uncomfortable with just to make someone like you. You want your first time to be with someone who loves you for who you are, not because you put out."
Liara looked confused at this.
"What I'm trying to say is, your first time shouldn't be with a stupid depressed drunk like me, it should be with someone who loves you, someone you love. "
"I'm sorry Shepard, I should have told you". The guilt in Liara's voice was evident. "I've wanted to meet you for so long and I was so happy when I was able to talk to you the other day, I just wanted to spend time with you."
Shepard sighed heavily. "We humans have a saying, never meet your heroes, they will undoubtedly disappoint." Before Liara could answer Shepard said. "Come on, let's get out of here, I'll tell you all about Javik, he is a stupid asshole but he is great to make fun of."
Liara nodded sadly
Shepard rose and offered her hand to Liara and she was gently pulled of the bed. Hand in hand they made to leave the room.
At the first step Shepard collapsed head first on the floor.
"SHEPARD!" Liara screamed out as she dropped to the floor to make sure that Shepard wasn't injured.
Shepard rolled over and sat up, rubbing her knee. "I'm fine Liara, it's alright."
"It's not alright, you fell, something must be wrong."
The look of complete sadness on Shepard's face took Liara by surprise. Her knuckles were white in frustration and she rubbed her eyes of unshed tears. "Could you get me my cane?"
"Shepard what is wrong? Please tell me."
"My cane, please. "
"Shepard, please."
Shepard took a deep breath and waited for several seconds before speaking. "I guess it's only fair that I'm honest too." She said as she rolled up the pant of her right leg.
It was a leg made almost completely of metal, with a shoe draped over the metal foot. It reached all the way to Shepard's knee where the prosthetic was poorly attached to her knee. "I kinda hoped you wouldn't notice earlier, but I figured you wouldn't be too judgemental considering how you reacted to my scar and all."
Liara just looked at her, mouth open in pure disbelief.
Shepard took one look at her before getting up, without the help of her right leg. She jumped on her good leg towards her cane.
Liara came to her feet in an instant and reached out to offer support. "Let me help."
Shepard just shrugged her arm off her and turned around to face Liara. "You know the look you just gave me is exactly what I didn't want to see. I don't want, or need your fucking pity. And I most definitely don't need your fucking help." Shepard almost screamed at Liara.
She limped towards the door and Liara sprung into action and blocked the door. Shepard's eyes narrowed. "Move Liara." She said threateningly.
"No! I don't pity you." Liara said softly. She hesitantly reached out to touch Shepard's scar. "Your scar is beautiful."
When Shepard didn't protest, Liara stepped in closer and ran her fingertips over the scar. "Every scar you have, every injury, is a testament to the sacrifices you had to make for others."
Shepard tried to interrupt but Liara put her fingers over Shepard's lips. "Let me finish. They are beautiful because you got them sacrificing for others, they are beautiful because no matter how hurt you were, you never quit, even when so many others did." Liara stepped in so close, they were touching. "I will always be grateful for everything you did, I don't even know half of what actually happened during the war but I'm grateful."
"Liara, I am broken, I'm nothing, I can't walk a block without pain and every time someone looks at me, for a second they see a hero they think I am, before they actually see the crumbling mess that I actually am and they, they look away because seeing the real me takes away from the hero they made up in their head.
Liara put their foreheads together and put her arms over Shepard's shoulders in an embrace. "Oh Shepard, why can't you see what I see?"
"There is nothing to see Liara." She said sadly.
Liara held Shepard close, so their bodies were tightly pressed against each other in a warm hug. "You will see what I see one day, maybe not tomorrow but you will see because I will be there to tell you every day if I have to."
Shepard didn't respond but she pulled Liara even tighter towards her.
Seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours and neither let go.
The earliest signs of dawn lit the room. Shepard, embarrassed, pulled away from Liara, Liara refused to let her go and pulled her back.
"Eh Liara we really should get home. I think the sun is rising."
"Oh I didn't notice, I will walk you home. "
Shepard winced slightly. Liara just looked at her questionably. "My place is a real dump, I don't really invite people so cleaning isn't really a priority."
It was a complete disaster. Shepard's face was completely red from embarrassment as Liara looked into her small apartment in absolute horror. "Shepard, what, I, what?"
The sink was completely full of unwashed dishes, the floor was covered with everything imaginable. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned for years. Liara could barely get a word out.
Shepard rubbed her neck. "I told you it was a mess."
Liara just looked at her like she was insane. "We are cleaning." She said with a fierce determination.
"Ugh."
"Now Shepard." She said harshly as she pulled Shepard into the apartment.
It had taken hours to clean the apartment but Shepard hadn't had this much fun in years. Liara truly was the embodiment of intelligence, curiosity and joy. There hasn't been a quiet moment as Liara asked question after question, she truly wanted to know everything.