The subtle realities of consciousness swam amidst his fleeting dreams. The feel of cool air against exposed scales. The warmth radiating from the form beside him, fingers twitching in slumber against his waist. Soft puffs of air against his face as she dreamed.
He let himself wake slowly, indulging in the feel of sleep dancing with the softness of the reality before him. Shepard, his commander, his siha, was a goddess at rest. Her pale skin lined with faint scars, her dark hair sprawling about the pillow behind her beautiful face. She was perfection and his breath hitched at just the thought that she was his.
He brought a hand up to brush the wayward strands away from her face, safely tucking it behind her ear. His touch was soft enough to not disturb her and he smiled as he watched the twitch of her eyes behind their lids. Humans dreamed so differently from drell, their subconscious breaking the dam it erected against the waking world, allowing her to see both her wildest fantasies and her greatest fears.
Too often, when their coupling was new, she had woken him with the sound of her whimpers, her gasps of struggled breath as she relived her death, night after night. She called out the names of those she'd lost and all he could do was shake her awake and hold her as she trembled, her mind fighting valiantly to once again build her defenses against her memories.
Since they'd made it through the Omega-4 relay, her dreams seemed less violent, more peaceful, and the scene before him seemed like a gift from the Gods themselves; his siha was smiling in her slumber.
He let his eyes take in everything about her in that moment. The peace she felt was a tangible force surrounding them and he wanted more than anything to let her live in this moment for the rest of their lives; happy, content, at peace. It was more than he deserved, but a fitting gift for his siha.
He startled as her hand moved from his waist, falling slightly and brushing against his soft cock and he inhaled sharply, almost chuckling at the immediate response his body had to her touch.
It didn't matter that she was of a different species. Every cell of his body thrummed in her presence, and Thane was convinced that his body had been designed to fit with hers, to seek her out no matter where she was. It was so attuned to her that even this, the simple, unintentional touch in her sleep, was enough to send a flash of heat through him, his body humming in response.
No one had ever had such an effect on him.
When he was married, he loved his wife, and he always held her in a regard that she was better than he, that she deserved to be pampered and taken care of. His affection for her was borne of her compassion, her softness and he took great care to protect that softness, that fierce innocence, to never taint her with the things he considered a part of his other life, the primal, baser instincts that took over when he was on the hunt.
After Irikah… Sex was simply a release. He had no trouble finding outlets for his frustrations, burying himself in many faceless asari in the back alleys of Omega and Illium, not even bothering to remove his coat. He left them as quickly as he could zip up, their drunken and sated expressions a disgusting memory he wished he could discard just as easily.
But with Shepard, it was different. She lit every part of him on fire and seared his flesh, overwhelming him with the dichotomy of her ferocity and compassion. The first time he took her hand in his, felt the warmth of her skin, the soft pulse beneath her wrist, he felt every scale on his body shift with some unseen magnetism, his heart quickening until he could feel it in his throat. Just to touch her was like touching the sun, an unachievable dream that had somehow come to fruition right in front of him.
She was a goddess, an angel. His siha. She had saved so many, stood in the path of so much bloodshed to prevent it from touching the innocent. She hauled the woes of the world onto her shoulders and bore the weight with no complaint. Only when they were alone, when she bared herself to him like she had just hours before, breaking down all the walls and defenses she was so good at building, only then could he see her soul; the fear, the guilt, the responsibility. And only then, in the dim light of the loft, could he take some of that weight onto himself and relieve her burden, if only for a few hours. With every kiss, with every touch, he told her how much he loved her, how he was there and would always be, there to protect her and help her and love her. Not even death would tear him away.
She would stare into his eyes as he took her, her cries for more echoing in the loft like prayers. Everything she could never say was written in her green eyes, and when she clenched them shut, body bowing beneath him, he held her tighter, never letting her go, never letting her fall. She broke apart in his arms, shivering as the moans flowed from her with each wave of sensation, letting herself get lost in him because he was there to pull her back together, to catch every broken piece and keep it safe.
Having slowed his pace to ride the waves with her, he waited until she came back to him to start it all again. It would be hours before he would let her go, before he would allow himself to spill his seed inside her and relish the feel of her body pulling him closer and closer as she came right along with him.
Lost in memories, Thane startled at the warm hand on his chest, his eyes coming to rest on the green orbs staring back at him sleepily. "Siha, I hope I did not wake you."
Her lips curled into a soft smile as she shook her head against her pillow. "No…" She closed the small distance between them and kissed him so very gently, Thane's chest swelling with unbridled emotion at the simple touch. He wrapped his hand around hers on his chest, thumb rubbing a line across her palm.
"I had the most amazing dream," she whispered against his lips as she pulled away, settling back on her pillow, eyes seeming to twinkle as she spoke, "We were at the desert on Earth, just… there. Everyone was there. There were no monsters, no mercs, no conflict. We were all guests at some sort of resort or hotel." She paused as her face contorted, "I'm pretty sure Grunt was wearing a dress at one point."
Thane snorted, the surprise imagery causing a laugh to erupt from his chest. He squeezed her hand. "I hope we can make that dream a reality one day, siha." He chuckled, "The resort, I mean. Not Grunt. I would perhaps pay to not see that." Shepard's laugh rolled over him like silk, loud and happy and he couldn't help but join in.
Sheets swayed and rustled as she sat up, swinging her leg over him to straddle him. She planted her hands on either side of his head and she looked down at him, her brow cocked wickedly, her hair falling in chaotic waves as she licked her lips. "There were some really good parts of the dream, too."
He smiled as he lay back on his pillow, eyes meeting the fire in hers, hands coming to hold onto the bend of her hips, thumbs tracing the pale, freckled flesh before squeezing. "Is that so?" he asked with a smirk. "And what exactly transpired during these 'good parts'?"
She bit her lip distractedly, lust blowing her pupils wide as she stared at him. "I think I'd rather show than tell," she replied and his hands tightened on her as she flicked her hips just slightly, her ass grazing his cock in such a glorious but fleeting way, shooting sensation through Thane's body like a battery.
"You could not possibly understand what you do to me, Shepard," he said, his voice low, his throat letting loose a low rumble as she moved against him again.
Her smile was scandalous as she sat up and pushed her hair over her shoulder. She traced invisible lines down his chest, nails dragging along the scales of his stomach and she rocked forward again, this time the contact against his cock not so fleeting and Thane groaned. "I think I have a pretty good idea."
As she bent down to take his lips, he felt himself consumed once again. All that he had was hers to take. And she would. She would take all of it and more and leave him breathless and warm, filling in every missing space with parts of herself, her soul, her heart, her love and her pain. And here in this moment, with her, the two of them coming together as one, he realized that he was truly, finally and completely awake. And he never wished to sleep again because no dream could ever possibly compare to this.