Author Note: Shortish chapter as we gear up for the beginning of the end. Enjoy!
I do not own Mass Effect.
Shepard doesn't know where Garrus has gone. It's Archangel she spends the most time with. A mania has taken hold of him, apparent in the strict way he drills her in shooting, in the way he's killing Mercs without hesitation.
When they trade watches the seventh night, she finds him kneeling by the window. He clutches the visor, reciting their names one by one. Like a prayer. Shepard has to take hold of his shoulders and lead him to the mat, tucking him in with their single ratty blanket. She holds the visor that night, tracing the names.
There's a bad run-in with Eclipse on the tenth day. They cut her off from Garrus and she holds a weakening position, running through her ammo. Her pistol, her assault rifle, her sniper rifle: all depleted. There's a cloaking device on her omni-tool and she uses it, making a run for freedom.
A helmeted Asari catches her, slamming her fist into Shepard's stomach. The cloak disappears as she falls to the ground and the Merc shoves the barrel of her hand-cannon against Shepard's helmet. Shepard shoots off an incinerating blast from her omni-tool and rolls away before the Asari fires in a panic.
She hears the Asari curse and knows the voice. Her heart feels like a cold stone. "Kela!"
Kela raises the gun. Her hand trembles as she recognizes her opponent's voice. "…Shepard? So it's true."
Shepard needs time for her cloaking device to recharge. And Kela's finger is still on the trigger. She stands, hands raised, palms facing the Asari. "Yeah. Yeah, I went rogue. Don't tell me you're surprised. I was always-"
"Shepard." Kela's voice is cold. Calm. "Just this one time…go. Get out of here."
"Kela-
"Now." Kela waves her gun, motioning towards the one route to safety. Her other squad members are advancing. The only reason they haven't descended on Shepard is that they expect Kela to make the kill. "Next time I see you, I'm shooting."
Shepard runs and Kela throws up a biotic field as the other Mercs start firing. She doesn't look back.
On the fourteenth day, the three Merc groups actually band together. They start pushing, forcing Shepard and her Turian to keep moving. They want to corner the two. So the duo picks their own corner—a warehouse with one main bridge that funnels opponents for them to pick off. There are other routes inside but they lock shutters in place to block them off.
The lucky ones that make it through Shepard and Garrus' sniper rifles are taken down by Shepard's assault rifle, with Garrus aiding once the main runway is clear. She goes cloaked after and strips all the bodies of clips, gels and rations.
They get her good once. A Krogan makes it in and charges her. Shepard lands in a daze, fumbling for the incinerate command on her omni-tool. Then a rain of bullets falls from above and fills the Krogan. Her opponent pitches forward and Shepard jerks out of the way.
Garrus hurries down and picks her up, carrying her back upstairs. Shepard protests. She's fine, she was about to burn that guy up. It doesn't stop him. Even when he sets her on the bench upstairs, his hands remain tense on her waist.
"I told you to watch for charging Krogan," he grunts. She hates getting a lecture but it's worse with Garrus' helmet is on. It's so damn impersonal. "You have to stay aware."
"I will. I am." She takes off her helmet, balancing it on her lap. "Everyone gets knocked down once in a while."
"We can't afford once it awhile." Garrus also removes his helmet, wrenching it off and letting it drop to the ground. "It's just us against hundreds of them."
"Hey. We'll get out of this mess." She's not much of an optimist but the raw fear in his eyes pushes her to platitudes.
"I can't…" His breath shudders. Leaning forward, he cups her face. Stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. "I can't lose you Shepard. You're the only good thing left in this galaxy."
Of all the things she's been called, "good" has never been one of the. Not in the way he means it: right, noble, true. She's never felt like those adjectives suit her. But he says it like it's fact.
"Oh hell, Garrus." Shepard turns her head to press a kiss into his palm. Her right hand rests on his knuckles. "You trust me, right?"
"It's not about that," he murmurs. "I've led you to your death."
"No." She holds up her free hand. "I volunteered. And did the leading that day. So don't even. Now, do you trust me?"
He exhales and presses his forehead to hers. "Yes. I do."
"Then trust me to be capable. Trust me to live." Shepard shifts to her knees and kisses his mandible. "I'm not going anywhere. We're partners."
Garrus puts his arms around her, jerking her onto his lap and against his chest. He nuzzles her as if he can't get close enough to her, cupping the back of her neck. Shepard hitches a leg around his waist and lies down on her back, pulling him with her. Her hands fumble to remove the armor around his groin.
Their coupling is quick this time. No telling when the next wave of Mercs will come. It's not enough to get her off but his touch is welcome after days without. He ends it with sinking his teeth into her neck. Branding her. Behavior that she charged clients extra for but with him…she'll let him mark all of her if he wants. Devour her. And if his plates weren't so tough, she'd return the favor.
He has to do a quick patrol soon after. Shepard keeps watch, calibrating her guns the way he taught her. When she's finishing up the assault rifle, her omni-tool pings. Someone wants to establish a comm. link with her. The readout displays the name. Definitely a secure channel.
"Shepard." Aria's voice comes in clear. "I understand you've got yourself into a mess with the Mercs."
"Yeah." Shepard checks the sight on the gun. "You could say that."
"My offer from before still stands. Though if I went through the trouble of extracting you, I'd expect your usual rate to drop dramatically."
Shepard's heart slams up into her throat. She'd accept a deal from the devil himself if it got them to safety. It takes extra effort to keep her voice calm. Business-like. "How dramatically?"
"By at least 80%. I would need serious incentive to risk pissing off the Mercs."
"Right. And if I wanted you to also extract my friend-"
"That's not on the table. If I robbed the gangs of killing Archangel…well it's not something I'm willing to deal with."
The hope rising in her disappears. Of course. It can never be that simple. "I understand. But we're a package deal. Where I go, he goes."
"…Sorry to hear that Shepard. I'm surprised you've gone and given your heart to a dead man." Aria continues before Shepard can protest. "Then again, you've demonstrated a shit survival instinct these past few months. Good luck, you'll need it."
"Right. Thanks." She shuts off the comm. link. Turns around to aim her gun at the intruder standing at the doorframe. "…Oh. How much did you hear?"
"Enough," Garrus says. He lifts his chin. She bets he's got his teeth flashing behind the helmet. "And no, you can't have your heart back."
"Keep it," she mumbles. Looks away, embarrassed. "Never used it much anyway."
"You can have mine." He strides over and sits beside her, hand resting on hers. Their fingers lace tight together. "You've had it so long, there's no point in giving it back now."
"You know, I almost missed your bad lines." Shepard sighs, leaning against him. "Maybe I was wrong."
"No you weren't." He squeezes her hand. "It's what makes me so appealing."
The sounds of gunshots disrupt their conversation. They leave it behind and pick up their guns.