Green Eyes - Coldplay
Shepard sat in her private quarters, letting out a long sigh as she gazed at her mission reports. She was absolutely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of missions that needed completion before she could even think of approaching the Omega-4 relay. Her focus was on ensuring that her team was at their best, and she hoped that the foray to Palaven had achieved the required rest for many, Garrus included. But she still could feel tension among most of the team, primarily those with unresolved issues that they wanted to address before they made the jump. Her primary concern when organizing the trip to Palaven was to make sure that Garrus was ready, but now she was concerned that no one else would be.
She pulled up a small galaxy map on her omni tool to chart their most efficient route. Today they had travelled back to the Citadel to assist Thane with Kolyat, and she could see that Tuchanka was the next logical step. Perhaps Pragia after, and then onwards to the fleet? What about helping Liara with the Shadow Broker? And when would they go to the derelict Reaper to collect the IFF?
Her train of thought was interrupted by a ping from her omni-tool.
Z,
You busy?
G.
That was interesting. It was exceedingly late in the evening, 0130 hours to be exact, and Shepard had expected herself to be the only ground crew member awake. Her night terrors were coming with more frequency and intensity, and she was beginning to fear sleep with the knowledge of their inevitability. So she would often stay up late into the evening, either working, training, or exercising.
Perhaps she wasn't the only one with nightmares.
G.,
Never busy for you. What are you doing up, anyways?
Z.
His response took longer than expected, so she returned to her work. After fifteen minutes when she assumed he fell asleep, her omni-tool let out another blissful ping.
Z,
Do you want the honest answer or the soldier's answer?
G.
She laughed gently as she punched in her response.
G,
Honest one!
Z.
For reasons she couldn't describe, she had a very good feeling about this. She decided to abandon her work for the moment and lied down in bed, staring at her omni-tool and waiting for the incoming message.
Z,
It's about to get really honest here. You sure you're ready for it?
G.
G,
You're killing me, just hurry up and tell me!
Z.
Another long break before the next message. The normally patient woman was growing extremely impatient.
Was this how it felt to have real feelings for someone? To be so eager to hear from them?
Z,
I have a gift for you. I know your cabin is pretty strictly off limits, but can I come up to give it to you?
G.
G,
Give me five, and then come right up.
Z.
She sat up quickly. She looked awful; she was in her most tattered civvies, her hair was a mess, and she hadn't brushed her teeth yet. She quickly ran to the bathroom to run her hair under the tap, wash her face, and brush her teeth. She then ran out of the bathroom, changed quickly, and sat back at her desk, trying to give the appearance of being busy at work.
Exactly five minutes later, her stomach performed a back flip when she heard a buzz at her door.
"Come in," she said, startled to find her voice shaking.
"The door's locked."
She laughed at herself for her obvious oversight. She jogged to the door, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened it.
Garrus stood before her, looking so effortlessly handsome that it took her breath away. She loved his imposing height and the way that he looked down at her with his steely blue eyes, the way that his mandibles fluttered into a smile. He was holding a rather large brown box firmly in his gloved hands. She realized that she had never seen him without his gloves, but she was aware of the turian taloned fingers.
In fact, it was one of the few things about turian physiology that she knew. She was familiar with some of the basics, but she felt a pang at the pit of her stomach at the realization that she didn't even know if the two of them would be compatible.
Didn't mean that she wouldn't damn well try.
"May I come in?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"Yes, please, make yourself at home. I have to admit I don't have any dextro-friendly drinks at the moment, but I'd be happy to run to the mess to grab you something."
"Don't be silly. And stop worrying so much, it's not a bomb in the box, I promise."
"Why did you think I was worrying?" she asked as she shut the door and followed him down to the couches in her quarters.
He tapped his visor with one of his talons. "The visor tells all. Vitals included. I could see your heart rate rising."
"Right." She felt foolish for even asking. "So, if it's not a bomb, what is in the box?"
He held it out to her, a wry smile on his face. "Open it and find out."
She raised an eyebrow at him before taking it from his hands, their fingers brushing in the process. She placed it tenderly on her lap, finding it to be surprisingly light for its size, and began to slowly open it.
When she realized what it was she let out a gasp, covering her mouth with her hands, and almost dropped it.
"How did you find this?" she whispered breathlessly. She was shaking like a leaf when she pulled it slowly from the box.
"After you... died..." he sighed. "After I found out that the Normandy had crashed on Alchera, I put out some feelers to see if any of your effects were found with your body. A drell by the name of Feron returned my transmission, saying that he and an unnamed asari found this.
"As soon as he told me what it was, I knew I had to have it. Do you remember on the SR-1 how you had that tiny office with just a cot in it?"
"How could I forget?"
"I remember, whenever I'd go up to the mess, I'd see you in that office and I'd hear the most beautiful music coming from it. On one occasion, I saw you use this to control the music. It seemed so archaic to watch you pick up those large black disks and turn them over, but you looked so happy when you did it."
"Humans call it a record player," she said, running her fingers over it tenderly. "The technology is archaic - from the twentieth century, to be precise - but I always loved it for that reason. It was the original method that people used to bring music into their lives. My dad handed it down to me when I went off to basic, along with all of these records. It's one of my most prized possessions, and you found it for me." Her throat became constricted and her eyes burned, but she refused to allow herself to cry. "This means so much to me. I can't thank you enough."
"Can we test it?"
She grinned at him. "I'd love to. Let me show you how it works."
She set it up on her small table beside her bed. It was miraculous that her record player and collection had survived the crash, but her quarters had been close to the central area of the ship and could have avoided damaged accordingly.
"Put on this one, please."
She was surprised to see him pick a particular record, but accepted his request. "It's pretty easy to use," she explained. "You gently hold the sides of the record - not the middle - and place it right in the centre. You then start spinning the record - press that switch there - and then making sure the cover is off the needle, you place the arm over the very outer part of the record, and then lower the arm."
Only the sound of crackling was heard briefly before a melodic guitar began to play, and the slow beat filled and warmed up the room.
"Oops," she giggled. "It's been so long since I've used this I started the wrong side."
"Wait, I like this song." He felt his heart pounding in his chest. "Zoey, I know we've danced together before, and it may not have been the prettiest sight, but..." He held his hand out for her. "Will you dance with me again?"
Now Shepard's heart was the one which was pounding as she took his hand, feeling the warmth radiate underneath the gloves. "I'd love to, but perhaps we can be classier this time."
He pulled her close to him, resting his hand on her waist. Spirits, he couldn't imagine how soft her skin would feel. Her muscles were strong but her curves felt delicate, and he craved to feel more of her body.
She rested her hand on his shoulder, sending a spike of electricity through his body.
Honey you are a rock, upon which I stand.
A girlish giggle escaped Shepard's lips that this was the song that played. A song about a man who found a woman, and she took away so many of his worries.
"I have to ask, Garrus. Why did you search for my personal effects after I died?"
He paused for a long moment, contemplating what would be appropriate for him to reveal. "When you died, Zoey, I was very lost. Following you was the first time in a long time I had made a decision for myself; and here you were, this woman who was so strong and sure of herself, I knew that being on your ship was the right thing to do. Leaving it to pursue abject dreams of becoming a Spectre was an absolutely foolish decision.
"Tali was the one who got me on the right track. She told me that you would have wanted to see me helping those in need, so that's what I did. But I felt like I needed part of you there for guidance, and you always seemed so sure of yourself after you listened to music.
"So, after Feron found that for me, I listened to each of the records whenever I could. This music... it affects the soul in ways I can't explain, and it helped me through a lot of difficult times. Certain records - such as this one - stood out to me more than others, and reminded me of you more than others, which is why I wanted you to play it."
"You knew how to play it the whole time, you scoundrel!"
"You caught me. I just enjoy listening to you talk."
I came here with a load, and it feels so much lighter since I've met you.
All of her barriers fell at that moment. No longer was she concerned about the fact that he was a turian and she was a human, nor the fact that she was a commander and he a soldier. Nothing mattered but the fact that she cared about him, deeply, and she needed him to know.
She stopped, grabbed his face in her hands, and pressed her lips to his hard plates.
As soon as she did, it felt like fireworks were going off in her heart. He felt wonderful - hard, but warm, and he wrapped both of his arms around her to pull her in close to his body.
He had never been kissed before, but her soft lips felt sublime. He wanted to hold her tight and kiss her for every moment for the rest of his life. He had no idea humans could feel so perfect, so soft and warm and wonderful.
After what felt like an eternity, Garrus finally pulled away from the kiss and rested his forehead on hers, closing his eyes.
"I've wanted this for a very long time, Zoey." His subvocals purred, sending shivers up her spine.
"I did too, Garrus, it just took me a long time to admit it to myself."
He chuckled gently, once again sending a shock of electricity down her body. She had never heard his subvocals reflect such absolute content, and it sounded better than any music she had ever heard.
They embraced each other for a long time, just enjoying the warmth. Garrus ran his talons slowly up and down her back, loving the feel of the curve of her spine.
As the quiet ba-dump of a record side ending resonated, Zoey said, "I hate to end this, Garrus, but we should both get some rest. We have a lot of work ahead of us."
"Zoey, we need to do everything we can for these people. They're a great crew, and deserve your help with closure."
"I couldn't agree more. Get some sleep, I'm going to have EDI set course for Tuchanka, and we need to rest to face the krogans."
He closed his eyes and pressed his mouth plates to her forehead, breathing her in. She smelled perfect: sweet and floral, but deep down he could detect gasoline and a metallic smell. The smell of a woman who worked hard.
He gave her hand a squeeze before he left. "I'll see you tomorrow."
As soon as the door shut behind him, Zoey fell backwards onto her bed and let out a long, happy sigh. The way she felt when he kissed her made her indescribably happy. It was like there was a part of her that had remained dormant until that moment, and now it had woken up, and was hungry for more.
As she changed into more comfortable clothes, her omni-tool pinged.
Z,
I was just thinking. I feel no need to make everyone on the ship incredibly jealous, so I think we should keep this on the down low for now. Don't need anyone murdering me in my sleep.
Sleep well.
G.
G,
Good idea. Except I'm sure that I'm the one who would have to be wary of murder.
Sweet dreams.
Z.
A/N: I've been looking forward to this chapter for a long time, so I hope you enjoy it as well! The song I chose is very sweet and romantic and I would highly recommend listening to it.
Thank you for reading, see you on Monday!