It was then that he asked her to teach him the new, human created biotic skills. In return, whatever she wanted to learn about the craft of being a Spectre from him, he would endeavor with all effort to teach her. She startled, but then looked thoughtful, considering what she should say.
"May I consider your offer?" she finally asked.
"Please, do."
She thinks as she eats. Her victory over him was impressive. If he had not intended to kill her that first day, at the least he meant real harm. And unlike others, he was one used to the freedom to do as he wished, to execute whoever he wanted by his own hand. She cannot put all faith in the idea that her skill alone would be worth so much to him that he would take her on as a student in exchange. It would mean traveling together on missions, if his status as Spectre was not revoked. Was he as serious as that? Once, it would be easy to say no, that he could not possibly tolerate that, let alone welcome it. Now, after living with him, the conclusions did not come immediately. It was a puzzle.
He goes to the workout room with her. While she jogs, he walks a circle around the room, resting often. She keeps alert, ready to assist in any way. He makes no indication that he is in more pain from the exercise.
During lunch, he goes to the pantry. He comes back with a bag in his hands and he looks smug. Shepard realizes that somehow she has ceased to find that particular expression from him very annoying.
"What do you have there?"
He opens the bag and places it on the counter.
"It's chocolate. Levo chocolate."
"Now how did I miss those?"
She reaches for one and is surprised when he stops her by putting his hand over the bag.
"I found it. It's mine."
She raises a brow at him.
"Yours, huh?"
"Yes. But if you want one, I could reconsider, if-"
Oh. Back to asshole time, Shepard crossed her arms, waiting.
"you pay the toll," Saren concluded.
"A toll, you say?"
"I did."
"What's the toll?"
"Give me a kiss."
Shepard sputtered.
"Seriously?"
Saren's mandibles flared. Smugly.
"Well. Maybe I don't feel like any chocolate. How about that?" she resumed putting together a burrito for herself.
"It's good chocolate," Saren asserted.
"And how would you know?"
"Everything else here has been good. You want some. I have it, and I just ask for a little, insignificant thing from you."
He must have found her giving him the gimlet eye amusing, as he actually made a little laugh. Shepard looked at the bag of chocolates. She looked at him. The idea that after whipping him in a biotic duel and literally running him to the ground, that THIS was where he beat her was ridiculous. Impossible.
So she put her completed burrito on a plate, poured herself a drink, and stepped up to him, tilting her head back to stare at him, her expression mutinous.
She was surprised to see that as nonchalant as he tried to look, his mandibles were quivering. Aha. So he didn't expect her to rise to the challenge! She stood there, letting him stew for a little longer.
"I do like chocolate," she finally said.
She rises up on her toes, puts her hands on his shoulders. She feels his hands coming up and resting on her back. She sees him blinking rapidly right before she kisses him quickly on the upper lip plates.
"Mwah!"
He looks... well. Not happy, not unhappy, just... confused. Shepard laughs and picks up a piece of chocolate wrapped in tin foil.
"I paid the toll after all," she grins.
"Are you just going to settle for one?" he finally says.
Shepard shrugs and the way that he's actually flushing light blue at the neck was fascinating. Was that all because of her? Wow. She didn't see that coming.
"I wouldn't want to spoil my appetite," she hedged, still smiling.
His wordless mandible flutter was hopeful. Adorable, even, and that was weird because this is Saren. The Terminus Executioner.
"I'll have this," she held up the chocolate. "for dessert. I'll let you know if I want more."
"That's not unreasonable."
His hands remain on her back, though. She quirked her eyebrows. That smug expression was back on his face. Oh. He's waiting for me to make a fuss about the touching, she thought.
"So..."
Some inspired impulse caused her to smooth her palms on his bare shoulders, before running the tips of her fingers along the rim of his cowl, and ending with her just barely holding on, framing his keel. She wasn't sure of exactly what kind of response she was looking for, but more mandible shivering and a deeper vibrating noise from his chest was pretty gratifying.
"... Yes?" he was staring at her hands.
"I'd like to have my lunch," Shepard pushed on his cowl and stepped back. "You should have yours too, before it gets cold."
Saren looks at the offered plate like that's the last thing he wants, and about to reject it out of pique, but he simply cannot refuse any of her cooking efforts. He takes it to the table. His presence distracts Shepard from really analyzing what just happened, what it even was that they were doing. He voices approval and appreciation for her making him lunch for the first time and she likes it. It's a statement about how normally remote and forbidding Saren is that the simple act of being polite makes him charming.
She finally unwraps the chocolate from the tin foil, moving very slowly to find out his reaction; he only makes a scoffing noise of impatience when she meticulously smoothed the wrapping flat on the table. She pops chocolate in her mouth and instead of chewing it into pieces, decides to go with slowness again and to let it melt on her tongue.
It was a revelation.
Nobody had ever told her that there was a right way to eat chocolate. She treated it like any other candy before. But here, dark flavor was blooming, the melting created a thick, luxurious texture, and she discovered a nougat center and that was yum... She swallowed, eyes closed.
"Hmm," she said.
"Hmm...?" Saren tilted his head, anxious about her verdict.
She didn't answer directly, instead, she looked over her shoulder at the bag of chocolate on the counter. Saren didn't do fetching. However, if she wanted more and it would please her... He made an arcing gesture in the air with his fingers and levitated the bag, bringing it to the table.
"You approve."
"Yep."
Shepard got up and went to him. She put a hand out, lightly touching his cheek. His mandibles started shivering again. She bent down, close to an ear.
"Definitely worth a kiss. A proper one."
Blame it on the chocolate. Temporary insanity. She brushed her lips slowly over the hard line of his lip plates, a firmer press than before. His hide warmed noticeably under her hand and he made a low, helpless sound, so out of character, as he tried to follow her, to kiss her back. Shepard didn't think she would really enjoy kissing Saren. Besides the whole, not a regular practice with his species, the man wasn't the most welcoming character in her acquaintance.
But this was really good. She had to step back before she escalated by introducing her tongue into the equation. She wasn't ready for finding out how she would respond if he turned out to have knack for that.
Saren swallowed, willing his mandibles still. He had understood theoretically that kisses were affectionate. Intimate, under certain circumstances. The first kiss left him feeling nothing like he had hoped it would. But this last one had him warm from eagerness and the difference between the two was as vast as a mother's love tap on her child's forehead to the purposeful slide and press between lovers.
He had no more words. He could only pick up a chocolate and offer it to her.
She took it, made a breathy murmur of thanks that had him squirming and tested his patience again by unwrapping it as if it were a bomb about to go off. She was once again transported off in a moment of silent pleasure. He waited.
She smiled at him and left him sitting alone. Saren sighed. He wanted to follow her, to further press his suit. Patience wasn't usual practice for him. But he had promised to let her think. And he was going to keep his word.
Shepard had only one person to turn to with her questions. She called Nihlus.
tbc