Neross: Oh god I am so sorry. First of all this took forever. Second of all I left this alone for WAY too long. I am so sorry. I have had…how long has it been? Well whatever the last couple years have been awful. This last year in particular has been really terrible. But you guys don't want to know about that. You want to read some awesome turian/human romance shenanigans.
SO LET'S GET RIGHT TO THAT.
Warning: This fanfiction contains foul language, violence, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!
…
Maria woke up the next day to a wonderful thing. A smiling Turian grinning down at her. Her dreams had been troubled and the sudden, unexpected, and glorious image threw her. Her face bloomed red and Jaksus laughed even as he wrapped his clawed hands into her hair and pulled her into a heated kiss. Maria melted, smiled, and laughed into her bodyguard's embrace. His hands worked themselves down, created little shivers in their wake and ignited something deep within the tiny human that she'd never really felt before.
She'd had sex, true, but it hadn't been anything like this. That had been gentle, fun, and soft. This made her feel as if she were being devoured. She trailed her fingers across the flesh of his neck and delighted in the way the muscles fluttered under her touch. She kneaded the tender area just beneath Jaksus' fringe and felt him falter as he groaned against her mouth.
She loved it, the very sound of him, the knowledge that she was driving him as crazy as she felt he was driving her. It was the best feeling Maria had ever known. And it ended all too soon. Reluctantly Jaksus pulled away, though he smiled down at her as he stood. "Come on Maria, as much as I'd like to spend all day in bed, we should probably go get something to eat." He told her, his voice amused…but husky and strained.
Maria almost felt like pouting. She wanted to kiss him some more. Still she let herself smile as she sat up and wrapped her arms around her calves to study him with curious eyes. "Will you take me to Zaebarrs?" she asked, innocently, wondering if he'd take the bait and whisk her off to her favorite breakfast café.
Jaksus' reply was to flash his mandibles and smirk, throwing the red-headed woman off completely. "Actually…I was thinking we'd go someplace new. Now come on." he told her, pulling her out of bed, holding her aloft and kissing her once more. He denied her of breath all the way to the bathroom where he plopped her down and grinned. "I'd join you in the shower but then we wouldn't get anywhere. Be quick."
He'd left before Maria could properly formulate a response. She stared at the space where he'd been and wondered if somehow she was still dreaming…or else if someone had drugged Jaksus when she hadn't been looking. She shook the thoughts away…and jumped into the shower.
….
Jaksus wanted to make things up to Maria. That's what he had decided the moment he'd woken up. He'd hurt her, for stupid reasons, and he was going to fix that. Everything else didn't matter. Or at least that's what he kept telling himself. The truth was he had just about lost his mind. All he wanted was to devour her…but honestly he was too afraid he'd hurt her. She was softer than any of the other women (or species) that he'd been with…and she was emotionally fragile as well.
What's more Jaksus got the sneaking suspicion that Maria's time with him might be a first for her. And that could always be traumatic for a female…regardless of species. So the Turian found himself in a panic, even more so because the damn human knew just where to touch him to send every nerve in his body on fire. If he were truly honest he'd have to admit that really what he wanted to do was to throw everything to the wind and just have her as she was in the shower. But he was afraid…and despite how loud the cry of 'coward' rang in his head he just couldn't push himself to finally take what he wanted. And there was nothing anyone could do to make him take her by force.
He dressed while Maria was busy in the shower and banged his head against the wall in frustration when he realized that he'd been trying to put his shirt on the wrong way in his hurry. He called himself an idiot and got it together before going through Maria's things and picking out an outfit for her. Not that she needed his help, but he'd come to realize that if he picked out something for her she didn't spend an hour or more agonizing over the decision herself. It had become part of a routine for them. A routine he had interrupted and was now glad to get back to.
He was more than a little surprised when he opened the first drawer he came across and found a tiny package tied up in blue ribbon with a tag within. Jaksus snuck a peek at the tag and frowned before shaking his head in laughter. 'Wear this when you want that Turian of yours to drool. -L.S.'
"Meddling again." Jaksus muttered to himself, pulling the package out and gently untying it to reveal its contents. The ruddy turian found his brow plates shooting up in surprise and reverent appreciation. Apparently Maria's distant relation knew a thing or two about cross-species fashion. Hastily Jaksus re-packaged the outfit and set it out where Maria would clearly see it before beating a quick retreat to the living room.
He shut the door behind him and had to admit he was more than a little excited to see Maria in the outfit Linda had left for her. Although how he'd keep his hands off of her Spirits only knew.
…..
Maria showered as quickly as she could, brushed out her hair, performed her normal morning hygiene technique and then wrapped herself in the biggest towel she could find. She had no intention of strolling out naked in front of Jaksus…that would just be…much too much for her at this moment. Although it did offer some unique scenarios to the scene in her head. She turned red straight to her roots at the thought and definitely settled on the towel as she made her way hesitantly out of the bathroom.
Jaksus was gone however. Maria fought back the little ounce of disappointment and tried not to let it get to her. She was about to start actually pouting when she spotted a lumpy package sitting upon their bed.
Curious Maria took a peek at the tag, and then made a strangled sound in the back of her throat. "Oh…damn." Maria swore unsure whether to glare at the tag or burst out laughing. She chose to simply ignore it instead and focused on unwrapping the package. Only when she did she found herself confused. Inside was a very casual, sleeveless, short dress with a high-collar that had none of the glamor or sex appeal of the dress she'd worn the night before. How was she supposed to make Jaksus drool over her in this?
She let out a sigh however and pulled the deep blue and black dress from the package and quickly changed into it, hoping that it might make more sense once she'd tried it on. Once she'd put it on and had got a good look at it she found that she still didn't understand. Sure it clung to her and had the trendy hip to upper-waist cut-out panels that were popular, but it was hardly overtly sexual. Maria sighed as she stared at herself in the mirror and glared at the offending asymmetrical colors of the dress. It even had sleeves…though they were detachable.
Maria put them on anyway, as she felt…off…without them and then slipped into her favorite pair of shoes. She took one last look at herself at the mirror, frowned and then threw up her hands in defeat before she strode out of the bedroom to find her missing bodyguard.
She didn't need to look far, she found him sitting on the couch in the living room, datapad in hand. He looked up as she entered and Maria was surprised when Jaksus just sat there…staring at her. Wondering if, somehow, her bra were showing Maria did a little turn, looking for something wrong. Until she felt Jaksus' hands around her hips, holding her still. His grip was strong but hesitant and Maria looked up at him curiously and felt her spine turn to jelly at the intensity in the turian's gaze.
"Clearly, " her bodyguard murmured, " I made a poor choice in letting you leave that bed."
Maria wasn't sure…but she could have sworn that even the tips of her toes went red after Jaksus' little proclamation. Regardless of what actually happened something must have shown on Maria's face because Jaksus' face shifted and he laughed. "Come on…let's get out of here while we both still can."
"Can't," Maria told him, cursing herself as her voice wavered, "I think my legs are stuck."
…
Maria's legs eventually were able to move and Jaksus happily dragged them both out of the apartment. He led them down to the wards, a surprise for Maria since Jaksus always liked to claim they were a bit too dangerous to go explore. Nonetheless he took her down to Zakera ward, to a little shop…run by Hanar of all things. But the part that really made Maria perk up and squeal with delight was the pack of Drell waiters.
Maria was delighted and Jaksus found it almost hilarious the way she gazed in wide-eyed wonder at those who worked and ate just around them. She was as excited as he'd be if he were presented with a room full of steaks. He could see it was an extreme effort for the poor girl to restrain herself from giving every waiter the third degree on every bit of their culture. Still her bubbly excitement seemed to be contagious as their waiters started to actually joke around with them both and laugh at Maria's half-veiled curiosity.
They ordered their meal, a couple of drinks, and sat back and waited. Maria seemed to be on the edge of her seat, completely enraptured by the sights around her. So Jaksus had decided to leave her alone. He turned his attention to the large glass window that stared out at the foot-traffic outside. And found himself frowning as he noticed a human loitering about outside. It shouldn't have been strange…but the turian could have sworn he looked…familiar.
When their meal came Jaksus wrote it off, forcing away the paranoia to shoot Maria a smile. He didn't want to ruin anything for her after all. Jaksus found his own meal to be a bit bland…but pleasant, the unfortunate side-effect of ordering a dextro entree at a restaurant that didn't specialize in them. Inevitably you always wound up with a rip-off of the other guy's meal. Still, Jaksus couldn't complain too much. It wasn't terrible and Maria had stars in her eyes from devouring her own meal. Which Jaksus was more than happy for. She needed it.
She needed it because he'd been a complete ass to her. And he wanted, more than anything, to make it up to her. He wanted her to go back to being that bright and shining creature who had bounded into his life and turned everything upside down. In a good way.
He payed for their lunch and led them both out, Maria chatting endlessly happily upon his arm about the similarities in Asari and Salarian dishes. He wasn't getting all of it but it sounded interesting the way she said it. He smiled at her as he led her up the streets of the Citadel. He took her in an elevator up to the Persidium and led her out through the gardens to the lake. As the light of the Persidium rose up to meet them Maria slowly went quiet. She wrapped her both of her arms around one of his and clung to him, her eyes darting about, her mouth opened in the tiniest little 'o' of surprise.
Jaksus could hardly keep his eyes off of her. She was so enraptured and so taken by the sights that he found himself breathless at the look of her enraptured as she was. He took her to the foot of the Krogan monument and watched as she eagerly listened to the Avina VI's short blurb of history about it. "This …is wonderful." Maria told him, turning to look at him with a smile that filled her entire face.
And Jaksus felt the floor fall out from beneath his feet. He knew, in that instant, that he loved her. It was such a simple moment, such an average and mundane time to come to such a conclusion…but there it was. Smacking him dead in the face. "Your right…it really is wonderful." he told her, reaching out to take her hand in his. It was a devastating revelation to learn that he loved her, his chest squeezed painfully and he felt like he could fall straight over. It was wonderful too and although he wondered how he'd ever survive now, knowing what he knew, he was looking forward to indulging in the feeling. If at least for a little while.
Maria looked down at his hand, and then back up at him and was about to comment when an abrupt sound caught their attention. Turning Jaksus caught sight of something, or rather, someone, he never thought he'd see again. In fact, he'd been hoping never to see this particular person again until the mess with Maria was over…at the very least. But as usual, Jaksus' timing was awful…and Atrius' was perfect.
Atrius was a turian, one with dark scales, nearly tribal red clan markings, and the brightest golden eyes that any turian could ever boast of. He was tall and broad and his fringe was attractively long. And he had been the absolute bane of Jaksus' existence back in basic training when they'd both been fifteen. Although it had been for none of the obvious reasons. Atrius was hardly a bully, he could pull a prank or too and although his build might suggest he'd pick you up and hurl you across the room he was more likely to be pushed over by a five year old. No it wasn't because he'd been bullied by Atrius that Jaksus couldn't stand him…but because Atrius was the most notorious, and consequentially the best, flirt his entire devision had ever seen. The backwood's brat had a golden tongue and enjoyed using it…on everyone. Including Jaksus on occasion.
Jaksus groaned and couldn't help the way he placed himself between Maria and the incoming bulky turian with the surprisingly chipper stride. " Oi! Vikil! Ah though' tha' was ye! Ah've been callin' ou' t'ye fer awhile bu' ah guess ye didn' 'ear me…wha' wit your makin' moon-eyes wit t'lovely lady an' all." the red-marked turian commented, his slurring speech already grating on Jaksus' nerves.
"I wasn't…Look this isn't what- Oh shut up Imperius!" Jaksus growled, his mandibles fluttering about like the wings of an agitated bird.
The other turian just grinned. "Aww ye missed me. Ah can tell." he commented, seeming even more amused by the officer's clear irritation.
"Weren't you supposed to be dead somewhere? Last I heard of you, you didn't return with your squad. And that was close to ten years ago." Jaksus ground out, trying to ignore the way Maria laughed into his side.
"Well tha' was jus' 'cuz ah wen' an' go' m'fine ass captured by t'humans. Ah was held on Shanxi fer awhile. Fun times. Made a few frien's outta m'captures. Did ye know tha' humans can die t'eir hair? Yah…all colors ye can t'ink o'. 'Course non o' 'em looked as good as t'one in orange clinging' ta yer side." Atrius commented, his golden gaze sliding from his old army pal to the human stuck to his side.
Maria poked her head out shyly and smiled at the other turian. Jaksus felt something like a lump of jealousy settle in his gut and tried not to look as the petite woman demurely walked over to shake Atrius' offered hand. "Maria St. George, it's a pleasure to meet you-"
"Atrius Imperius. T'name soun's impressive ah know bu' i' really ain't. " he told her, interrupting her with his deep accent and rich voice. Maria blushed and Jaksus felt himself bristle. He walked over and wrapped an arm around Maria's waist before Atrius could get the idea to pull something. Atrius wasn't blind to the move and shot Jaksus a knowing smirk. As if to defy him the big red turian bent over and placed a kiss to Maria's forehead.
Maria turned completely red and Jaksus began developing a twitch in his left mandible. "Don't you have someone else to rub up on?" Jaksus growled.
Atrius threw his head back in a laugh and then rose a brow-plate speculatively and stepped closer to Jaksus. "Jealous Jaksus? Ah don' be, yer still m'favorite private."
Maria let out a sharp sound and then clapped her hands over her mouth, but Jaksus could feel her shaking in laughter. Jaksus was beginning to shake with something else. He opened his mouth to tell the other turian off…completely missing the quick look Atrius shot Maria…and wound up with a mouthful of the other turian's tongue. Atrius was big and as much as Jaksus liked to brag, the other turian easily overpowered, pulling him into some sort of dip and kissing him completely senseless. And the worst thing was Jaksus couldn't even say it was terrible because, Spirits damn him, Atrius' golden tongue wasn't just good at talking. After about a good ten seconds of being snogged Jaksus was dumped on his ass. He took in a gasp of air and wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand, shooting murder at Atrius with his eyes the entire time. The bigger turian was grinning from ear to ear and Maria was staring at Jaksus in a way that had his expression falling.
"Maria…" he began, feeling dread settling at the base of his spine.
Oh no. No…Spirits please no.
"I've never seen two turians kiss before." she murmured, her face surprisingly still and calm despite the red coloring her cheeks. She looked up at Atrius and then (fucking) grinned in that slightly manic way that always preceded a long stream of words that would impress a salarian. Jaksus could see it coming, the intake of breath the way she opened her mouth, and then the widening of her eyes right as she's about to speak and.
Boom! Somewhere in the distance an explosion rocked the presidium. Jaksus was on his feet instantly and Atrius' smile vanished, his hand reaching for what Jaksus assumed was a concealed weapon. He was concerned until he saw the way the turian was focused on the explosion in the distance…and thankfully not Maria. Maria's smile was gone as well. She was gazing in horror at the plume of smoke and flame that rose up from the merchant quarter of the presidium. Siren's began to blare overhead, people ran by screaming. Jaksus reached for Maria, pulling her to him by her hand, keeping her close.
Then, as suddenly as the first, a second explosion rang out. This time from the opposite direction, near the C-SEC academy. Jaksus turned to look as flames burst up and the Persidium's chaos became near to absolute. Atrius was tensing beside him, the big turian swearing under his breath and his hands clenching. He finally pulled out his concealed pistol and armed it but thankfully pointed it at the ground, although his entire large body was on alert. Jaksus reached for his own pistol, a very uncomfortable feeling gripping his spin. A terrible fear he wasn't sure he understood making him want to run. He turned to Maria an order to run for safety forming …when she was suddenly ripped from his grasp.
…
Maria stared in horror as the flames erupted at the other end of the presidium, she could feel the ground shaking underneath her feet. She wasn't sure, but she was sure she could feel the heat from the flames even from this far away distance. Jaksus' hand gripped hers and she was thankful for it, people ran past them, bumping into them, jostling them both. She turned and kept her eyes on her turian bodyguard, Atrius completely forgotten in the background. She was shaking, unsure how to act or what to do. She wanted to help but her entire being was paralyzed in fear. Jaksus reached for something, it must have been his pistol and turned to her. His mouth opened and Maria strained to hear him, when there was suddenly an arm around her waist, grabbing her and pulling her away. Almost immediately the crowd swallowed her up and the only thing anchoring her was the large, powerful, harsh arms around her middle.
She was lifted and thrown over a shoulder. A turian shoulder. Maria frowned, this wasn't her turian or even Atrius. It was some heavily armored individual who reeked of alcohol, drugs, and something else Maria couldn't place. the grip on her was painful and after a turn she couldn't see Jaksus anymore through the crowd. Another turn and the crowd was suddenly gone and she was alone with her capture, flying down a stairwell. She knew this should have scared her. But for some reason, it just infuriated her. A turian. A damn turian had his hands on her without her permission and was intent on carrying her off like…like some sack of potatoes! She let out a high-pitched shriek of fury and began to claw at her captor and when this didn't work, she squirmed. She shifted in her attacker's grasp and then, in one swift move, kneed him in the face. Her captor let out a sharp sound of pain and dropped her.
It hurt and Maria groaned but she was on her feet in an instant, running back to the stairwell entrance. She grasped the edge of the wall and was about to sprint back out into the crowd when she grabbed from behind again. He had her by the hair this time and she hissed in pain as he dragged her back and slammed her to the floor. Her world spun and black dots swam before her eyes as she tried to recover her bearings. He was on her before she could so much as roll over, a rough hand at her throat, choking her. She scratched at his hand but couldn't so much as scuff the surface of his armored gloves. He flashed a knife into her field of vision and she felt her blood go cold. She stopped moving, fear finally winning out and pulling her down into a deep icy pit.
The turian above her growled and gave a flicker of his mandibles in what Maria assumed was some sort of acknowledgement or acceptance that it was understood she wouldn't fight back. He let go of her throat and grabbed her roughly by the arm instead, hauling her to her feet so swiftly her shoulder strained painfully. He pulled her arm behind her and then locked it together with her other wrist in a pair of kinetic cuffs. The process made her joints ache in protest. Jaksus was always gentle with her but this turian almost seemed to make a point out of treating her as roughly as possible. Every place he touched her bruised.
With her arms locked in place he pocketed his knife and pulled out a gun instead, grabbing her by her upper arm and dragging her along with him back down the stairwell. Maria couldn't have dragged her feet if she wished too, he was practically lifting her off them. When they took a sharp turn she cried out in pain as he yanked on her arm again. He turned to growl at her and suddenly his eyes went wide as something caught his attention behind her. Her attacker was thrown backward by some sort of unseen force and Maria tumbled to the ground, curling up and getting out of the way as Jaksus dived onto her attacker.
Jaksus was taller than him and Maria watched as her bodyguard used his height to his advantage, flipping the other turian over his shoulder and then placing his foot at the back of his neck. He pressed a gun to the turian's head and had him in cuffs in seconds. Maria watched, open-mouthed and astonished until she felt someone else gently lift her. She turned to see Atrius, the large turian (taller than Jaksus even and much wider in the chest) carrying her almost as if she were a doll and setting her carefully on one of the upper stairs. He sat behind her and within moments had her hands free. She began to rub out the discomfort in them and gave him a shaky smile.
Atrius gave her an encouraging one in return and patted her lightly on the shoulder before he stood up and turned toward Jaksus. Her bodyguard was holding her attacker up by the edge of his armor, pressing him against the wall, snarling into his face. "I'm not going to ask you again." he threatened, snarling, "Why were you after Maria?"
…
Jaksus nearly panicked when he lost sight of Maria in the crowd, he pushed people out of his way but only got shoved into a wall for his efforts. It was Atrius that ended up proving to be the biggest help, he grabbed him, pulled him to his feet and barreled his way through the crowd with surprising ease. Apparently his old training partner had become quite good at moving through crowds. He had no idea why by Jaksus thought that it suited the bigger turian. They'd made it nearly to the entrance to the wards when Jaksus heard something over the din of screams and roar of the sirens passing by overhead. A scream. Maria's scream.
His head whipped around and he spotted her, her body flailing and viciously beating back a rough-looking turian as he tried to drag her down the stairwell and away from the presidium. Jaksus felt a surge of emotions not the least of which pure, blind, fury. He ignored the rest of them. He didn't need them. He needed to be angry. He motioned for Atrius and the large turian cleared a path for him. It took them longer than Jaksus would've liked but they cleared the screaming crowd and sprinted for the stairwell. Jaksus beat Atrius there and practically flew down the steps, drawing up his biotics as he went as he could hear the other turian struggling to drag Maria away. He turned the corner and spotted them as the bastard gave a hard pull on Maria's arm, hurting her.
Jaksus vision went black with rage, he lashed out with his biotics, flinging the other turian into the nearest wall. Jaksus was on him in an instant, grabbing him and throwing him end over end, taking no small amount of delight in the resounding crack as the other turian's head and fringe bounced on the floor. He had his foot at the base of the other turian's skull in an instant and cuffed him with the sort of ruthless efficiency that comes from being a cop for years. The other turian groaned in pain but otherwise didn't seem to comment, and instead chose to silently glare at Jaksus from the floor. He returned it with one filled with barely restrained murderous intent and he could see the other turian falter. "Why were you after Maria?" he growled.
The turian's mandibles flickered and he turned his eyes to floor in a glare, but otherwise remained silent. A harsh roar erupted from the back of Jaksus' throat and he lifted the other male and slammed him into the wall, making the other turian's head bounce with the force. "I'm not going to ask you again. Why were you after Maria?"
The roughish turian coughed, and had enough pride to look indignant. "Go fuck yourself race traitor." he muttered his voice surprisingly quiet.
Jaksus sneered in return. "I don't think that's what I was looking for." he ground back before using his biotics to crush the other turian's left hand.
The caught turian howled in pain and gagged. Jaksus stepped away just enough to let him breathe and recover from the pain before grabbing him by the shoulder and lifting him again. "Talk you son of a bitch. Or do you want to lose the other hand too?"
A surprisingly gentle hand landed on Jaksus' shoulder and the C-SEC officer turned with a snarl to face Atrius. The taller turian held a cold and surprisingly distant look on his face. Something Jaksus had never seen. As long as he'd known Atrius the other turian had always had that stupid smile on his face. Slightly lop-sided and disarming. He made you want to open up to him. But the way he looked now? Jaksus could feel ice speeding through him where the other turian's hand rested on his shoulder. He released the whimpering and cuffed brute and stepped back.
"If ye do tha' he'll be in too much pain. Better t'start chippin' off his fringe or diggin' under his plates than t'crush his hand." he stated in a surprisingly and eerily calm voice.
Jaksus could swear he saw Maria's assailant see his life pass before his eyes. He sputtered and then stared up at them both. "I was paid to okay?! Group of mercenaries, bunch of ex-military types. They're still real pissed off that the Council sided with sparing the humans on Shanxi, wanted to send a message that humans don't belong on the Citadel. They said they'd set off a distraction so I could grab the girl. I supposed to take her-"
There was a sudden sound like a soft whistling and then the back of the hired grunt's head exploded. Jaksus jumped back and immediately turned to Maria, grabbing her and pulling her out of the line of fire. Atrius had his back and was staring up the staircase at a human dressed all in black like some sort of commando, a strange white and orange symbol emblazoned on his chest. Before either of the other turians could react the assassin had vanished back up the stairs and was gone. Jaksus looked to Atrius and the larger turian squared his shoulders and shot Jaksus one last lop-sided grin before bolting up the stairs after the assassin. Jaksus let him go, he had other things to worry about at the moment. Like getting Maria someplace safe. He turned to her and found her clinging to his side and shaking in fear.
He could hardly blame her, he looked at her, glanced around him and then sighed and bit the bullet, there was no way she'd be able to keep up in this condition. He lifted her and cradled her gently against his chest as he began to take her at a run down the stairs. He slipped out past a C-SEC blockade and grabbed an emergency transport back to their neighborhood. He tried to hold on to Maria as much as he could, thankful that there was an officer ready to drive the transport for them. By the time they got back to their neighborhood he was about as worried and fearful as she was. He practically ran to their apartment, locking them in without a second thought and securing it so no one would be able to get in. And he didn't set his precious charge down until he had her safely locked in their shared room, tucked in his arms on their bed.
He was panting but he didn't care, he kept his eye on the door and held her. Until he felt her shift and glance up at him.
"Jaksus…you're tearing my dress…"
…..
A silent scream of terror ripped through Maria's throat at the sight of her attacker's head exploding. She'd been sitting quietly, uncomfortable and wincing with every blow and harsh word said, but she'd understood that. This? This explosion of blood and flesh was beyond her comprehension. Vaguely she was aware of Jaksus grabbing her around the waist and diving with her behind the cover of the next wall. But it all seemed very far away. She didn't want him to let her go though, there was nothing left in her to fight or flee now. She clung to him instead, hoping that if she closed her eyes all of this would have been a bad dream. That she was still up on the Persidium with Jaksus, his hand in hers. He'd been looking at her so strangely and it had made her heart flutter in her chest.
Her heart was fluttering now too, beating a hundred miles a minute, because terrible things had happened. She couldn't get her legs to move. She was thankful when Jaksus picked her up and she dug her hands in and held on to him as if he were a pillar to anchor herself to during an earthquake. He moved quickly with her down the stairs, everything seeming to fly by in heartbeat with the madness of the explosions still ringing in the background. C-SEC had set up a barricade and they were there to meet them. Jaksus met up with another officer and explained the situation, then they were moving again.
Somehow there was a car waiting, an officer already waiting behind the wheel. Evacuation precautions apparently although Maria couldn't for the life of her grasp the entirety of the situation. She tried not to think about C-SEC shuttling people out of the area. There own apartment was safe apparently. It was higher up on the Persidium, away from the main thorough fare. When they got there the streets were empty though. No one was out on the street but them and Jaksus ran with her to quickly join the other people who were no doubt hiding in their homes.
Maria tried to focus on Jaksus instead of how scared she was. The sound of his breathing, the beating of his heart against her ear, the feel of his arms around her as he held her to his chest. He shifted her for a moment to get the door to their apartment open and then lock it behind them. Briefly Maria worried about Nava coming back and finding he'd been locked out. But then she remembered that he'd started to sleep at work.
Jaksus took her to his room and locked that door behind them as well. He sat on the bed and cradled her in his lap and Maria wondered if he was beginning to calm down…until she felt his claws clenching and then slowly releasing their grasp on her shoulder and waist. It was as if he couldn't focus on whether or not to let her go or to hold her. And he'd begun to tear into her dress. Maria hesitated a moment before finally she wiggled in his grasp so she could look up at him properly.
"Jaksus…you're tearing my dress…" she murmured.
He gave a small jolt, as if suddenly waking up from a dream and released her slowly. He let out a deep breath and leaned against the headboard of the bed behind them. He ran a hand over his fringe and then slowly stared down at where he'd frayed her dress with his claws. "I'm…I'm sorry Maria."
She thought about it a moment and then slowly shook her head. She curled up in his lap and leaned against his wide chest. She listened to his heart beat as it finally began to slow. She didn't need to say anything. She didn't care much about the dress, she doubt she'd ever really want to wear it again after what had happened. And there was very little that Jaksus needed to be forgiven for. He'd protected her, tried to get information on who was after her. And it was hardly his fault that the man had died…or that those bombs had gone off. Abruptly she sat up and brought up her omintool. She needed to see.
She began looking for newscasts until Jaksus placed his hand over her wrist and shut down her search. "Maria…don't. You won't want to hear what they're saying."
"Why not? It's important. What if…what if those bombs hurt people?" She insisted, her face stubbornly set.
"Then you'll only for guilty for something you had no control over. You didn't set off those bombs someone else did. A group of angry, terrible people without a sense of empathy or remorse did that. Not you." He replied, his tone more patient but just as stubborn.
Maria hesitated and then finally dropped her arm in assent. She stared at her empty hands for a moment, just lying in Jaksus' arms as he held her and they sat in the quiet of their room. It lasted for a least a half an hour before Maria shifted again. She drew herself up and turned so she sat in Jaksus' lap facing him. She wasn't sure, but she could almost swear the skin at the base of his neck turned a light shade of blue.
"Do you need to send in a report?" She asked, cocking her head, her wild hair dipping slightly into her face.
He reached up and brushed it back behind her ear. "It can wait. My boss is aware you're alright and that I got you back here safely…that's all that matters."
Maria pursed her lips, "What about Atrius? He ran after that sniper shouldn't-"
Jaksus' mandibles gave an irritated flicker. She knew this because she'd been on the receiving end of those many times herself. "Atrius is fine. He can take care of himself. …And if he does get shot at least I'll have one less annoyance in my life."
Maria gave a sharp and furious gasp and then smacked Jaksus hard in the arm, drawing herself up in protest. "Jaksus Vikil! That's an awful thing to say!"
Jaksus flinched from the blow, "Ow! Hey! Look I'm sure he's fine, Atrius probably tackled the guy and talked him into submission or something or else the sniper got away and he's nursing a wounded ego."
She pouted. "That's still not a nice way to talk about your friend."
Atrius groaned, "We're not friends. He's a jerk I know from basic training who never knew when to quit flirting."
Maria paused for a second and then turned a bit pink before she clasped both hands over her mouth and her shoulders shook a little in laughter. Jaksus gave her a concerned glance. "Maria? Maria what's wro-…. Oh no. Stop that. It isn't funny."
Maria slowly pulled her fingers away from her mouth but she was still giggling a bit. "He kissed you." she managed to squeak out between little spurts of laughter.
Jaksus' brow plates lowered and then he glanced away in a grumpy way, the color at the base of his neck spreading. "It's not like I liked it."
Maria's giggling intensified. "Yes it is! You got so into it!" she blurted, practically bouncing in Jaksus' lap from the amount of laughter pouring out of her.
Jaksus looked back, his expression embarrassed and furious. "I, did not!" he snapped, "He- he just shoved his tongue in my mouth!"
Maria nearly lost it, she leaned backward and fell over in a fit of laughter. "Oh my god! He turned you on! Didn't he?! Oh that is so good!"
She felt, more than heard, his growling through the bed and then suddenly she had a large turian poised just above her. She quickly stifled her laughter as she stared up at him. Jaksus' expression was serious…and held a touch of a challenge if not anger. But the second her laughter died he opened his mouth in something very close to a smirk. "I'll show you what turns me on…" he purred, leaning over to nibble and lick up the side of her neck.
Maria gasped and then lost almost all feeling in her body as she went limp in his hands. Her face turned bright red and she gave a soft moan as his mouth moved up to press against hers.
…
He had no idea what had gotten into him. Well, alright, he knew exactly what had gotten into him. It was that way she'd sat herself in his lap and wiggled. It was the way she'd brought up Atrius' attack on his mouth and the way she'd laughed at his discomfort. He wanted a little revenge. To have her as caught off guard as he'd been with Atrius earlier. He loved the feel of her pulse just underneath her skin. He could taste her on the tip of his tongue when he traced his tongue under her chin.
When he kissed her he did it with all the hunger he felt and was ecstatic to feel her just as eager to return it. Soft moans were uttered against his mouth and she breathed out against his mandibles. He pulled away from her and smiled down at the flush of her face. "So…other than the explosions, and the near kidnapping … I think that date went rather well."
Maria stared at him a moment and then chuckled and nodded, slipping her hands around his shoulders. "Yeah. Very well. Are all turian dates like that?"
Jaksus blinked and then shook his head, "I dunno Maria, I'm just one turian. I'm sure there are a dozen different ways for- look stop that. We had fun, you looked amazing, and I'm going to get to sleep with you on the first date so there's that."
Maria blushed as red as her hair and stared up at him with wide, surprised eyes. Her mouth fell open as she gaped at him like a fish.
He studied her for a moment before chuckling and kissing her on the brow. "Your mind went straight to the gutter didn't it? I meant sleeping Maria. Like we have been for weeks now."
Maria blinked and then covered her face with her hands. From behind them came the sound of a muffled, "Oh my god! You are so terrible!"
He chuckled at her embarrassment and wrapped her in his arms. He rolled over and covered them both in the sheets and blankets of their bed. "Say that all you like. You're still the one who thought we were gonna get busy."
She gave a little laugh but couldn't seem to pull her face away from his chest. Her ears were burning and he could feel the heat of her face straight through his shirt and plating.
...
Neross: Okay. That's all I've got for now. Go ahead and check my profile for other stories or updates and... I just want to say. To anyone out there who is also going through the loss of a loved one or depression or having to watch someone go through cancer and chemo...or all three at once. Just know. You're not alone. It's awful, life is terrible and hard and it beats you down. But there are little things, little beautiful things that make life worth living. Making new friends, discovering new fans you didn't even know you had. These sort of things are beautiful and it may not seem like it but they help and if you ever feel like something is harder than you can handle...just think of the little things that make you smile or the things you've yet to do. Hell, think about the stories you've yet to finish. And you'll get through it. We'll get through it together.
Stay strong.
And keep on rocking out. See you next time.