Carpe Diem 1/?
anonymous
September 13 2012, 00:39:35 UTC
A/N: I'm not a native English speaker and this has not been beta read, so I apologize for any mistakes. I hope it will still be enjoyable.
Also, sorry for all the in-game dialogue in the first chapter, but I needed them to set up the scene.
******
Garrus was in a good mood. A great mood, in fact, compared to how he'd been feeling for the last few weeks. Sidonis had been dealt with, and - though he would never forget his betrayal and the death of his teammates - he could finally put the past behind him and concentrate on the present. He had Shepard to thank for that: this amazing human, who was not only his commander but also his best friend - just about the only friend he had left at this moment. Just the fact that she was alive made him feel like maybe the galaxy's goal wasn't to crush his soul and spirit, chew him up and spit him out in a broken mess after all. He'd even finished all the gun calibrations he could do and was just running some firing algorithms for fun - he had to occupy all that free time he had at his disposal now somehow.
Life was good.
So when Shepard came to see him and asked if they could talk he was more than happy to oblige her.
"I wanted to thank you again for your help with Sidonis," he said, his voice calmer and smoother than it had been for a very long time. "Whatever happens with the Collectors or the Reapers or whatever comes after us, I know you'll get the job done."
"I couldn't do this without you, Garrus," she replied matter-of-factly, putting her hands behind her back.
"Sure you could. Not as stylishly, of course," he smirked and followed her with his eyes as she walked over to a crate in the corner to sit down. "It's strange going into a suicide mission on a human ship. Your people don't prepare for high-risk operations the way turians do."
"How do turian crews get ready for high-risk missions?" she asked, putting an elbow on her knee and leaning forward as she watched him move around and gesture as he talked. She was glad to see him calm and relaxed again; she'd been worrying about his state of mind and what his time on Omega had done to him.
"With violence, usually. Turian ships have more operational discipline than your Alliance, but fewer personal restrictions. Our commanders run us tight, and they know we need to blow off steam. Turian ships have training rooms for exercise," he explained, "combat sims, even full-contact sparring. Whatever lets people work off stress."
"You mean turian ships have crewmen fight each other before a mission?" This was something new and she wasn't sure if it was such a good idea.
"It's supervised, of course," he shrugged. "Nobody is going to risk an injury that interferes with the mission. And it's a good way to settle grudges amicably. I remember right before one mission we were about to hit a batarian pirate squad. Very risky." He started to pace again as the memories came rushing back. He hadn't thought about this in a very long time. "This recon scout and I had been at each other's throats. Nerves, mostly. She suggested we settle it in the ring."
"I assume you took her down gently?" she asked with a smile. She couldn't imagine anybody beating Garrus in contact sparring. She'd seen him in battle many times before; handling a sniper rifle wasn't the only thing he was good at.
"Actually, she and I were the top-ranked hand-to-hand specialists on the ship. I had reach, but she had flexibility. It was brutal. After nine rounds, the judge called it a draw. There were a lot of unhappy betters in the training room. We, ah, ended up holding a tiebreaker in her quarters," he added, his heart beating a little faster at his recollections. "I had reach, but she had flexibility. More than one way to work off stress, I guess," he spread his mandibles wide in a mischievous grin.
Carpe Diem 2/?
anonymous
September 13 2012, 00:43:31 UTC
He was lost in the memory of that night for a few seconds, as long-forgotten feelings and desires threatened to resurface again, making his plates shift a tiny bit. He could use some tension release right now.
It wasn't like him, however, to share such intimate details of his life with somebody. Why now? Of course, Shepard wasn't just anybody: there was a strong connection between them even before she died and came back to life to reclaim their friendship and give him a chance for maybe something more.
He turned towards her and searched her face, trying to decipher what she'd thought of his revelations, worrying that maybe humans didn't view these kinds of liaisons the same way as turians did. She shook her head, but she was smiling, and his stomach released the knot that had started to build.
Maybe he could risk taking this one step further.
"I've noticed that you carry a lot of tension yourself," he started, trying to sound as casual as he could. "I think I could help you with that."
"You want to do sparring with me?" she asked, her eyes opened wide in surprise. She did not expect to be challenged to a sparring match when she came in to talk to him this evening.
"Ah, no," he chuckled. "I meant the other way of blowing off steam." He leveled his gaze at her, his piercing blue eyes burning with intense heat as he waited for her answer.
"Oh." Her heart jumped into her throat and her blood rushed to her face, painting her cheeks bright red when she realized what exactly he meant. He had a lot of affection for him, and there was nobody she trusted more, but this was totally unexpected. She'd never considered him more than a friend - she'd never considered an inter-species relationship before, period. But... Why not? They both had a dangerous profession and they never knew what fate would throw at them on their next mission. She remembered a sign she saw once when she was in basic training: "Carpe Diem" - seize the day. She decided then that it was wise words to live by.
"Well... Why not?" she said out loud, standing up from her sitting position on the crate and looking him straight in the eye. "If we can figure out how to make this work..." She wasn't sure about that, to tell the truth - they were two different species, after all. Maybe this would all be just talk in the end. Just some light banter that they could tease each other with.
"I'm pretty sure we can make it work," Garrus replied with a grin, remembering his time with that asari dancer on Omega. Before that, he would have had his doubts, too, but, since humans and asari were so similar, he knew things would go well. Really well. "But we can do some research first if you wish," he added encouragingly, trying to put her mind at ease.
"Oh... okay," she said, her voice trembling a little bit. Maybe this was actually going to happen. "I... didn't know you had a thing for humans," she smirked, trying to sound her usual confident self again.
"No, I don't have a thing for humans," he replied, stepping a little closer and looking deep into her eyes. "Just for you."
Her eyelashes fluttered and she let out an almost inaudible gasp in surprise.
"Well...Okay then..." she finally said, swallowing hard, as she backed away towards the door, "I... I'll do some research... and... ah... you know... let you know when... umm... you know..."
"Okay," Garrus flared his mandibles in a smile.
Then she was gone, leaving him staring after her with a happy grin on his face.
Carpe Diem 3/?
anonymous
September 14 2012, 17:42:58 UTC
Shepard stood on the other side of the door, her cheeks burning, heart racing, and it took her quite a while to collect herself and calm down. His eyes... His voice... They awakened a primal hunger in her that she hadn't felt in a very long time. Her days were spent fighting enemies and getting things done for others; her own needs had taken a back seat. Until now. She took a deep breath, straightened her back, and eventually managed to stroll through Mess Hall without giving away any hint about the raging fire that was burning inside her.
She needed even more self-control the next day, when she took Garrus and Thane with her to a Blood Pack base on Zada Ban. Every time Garrus looked at her or his hand brushed against hers she felt a jolt of electricity rush through her veins. Thane raised a puzzled eyebrow when her concentration slipped for a moment and she almost had her head blown off after she'd ducked out of cover a little too soon.
"Are you okay?" Garrus asked in a concerned voice, turning towards her after he'd picked the sniper off with one efficient headshot.
"Yeah. Sorry - I was just distracted for a second," she said, rubbing the back of her neck with her gloved fingers. She mentally kicked herself for being so careless, called on her strict training, and managed to block out Garrus's charm for the rest of the mission.
She finally let herself relax on their way back to the Normandy. She sat in the shuttle leaning against the wall with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Thane and Garrus were seated on the bench on the opposite side, facing her. Thane's eyes were closed - he was probably meditating -, but when she looked at Garrus she found that he was watching her intently. Their eyes locked onto each other and he flashed her a toothy grin. Her stomach trembled and she blushed, but she returned his smile with her own.
When they were back on the ship Garrus let Thane board the elevator alone, staying behind and lightly touching Shepard on the elbow, letting her know that he wanted to talk to her. The drell gave them a small bow and entered the cabin, and when the door closed behind him Garrus bent down and wispered in her ear, "Do you have a minute?"
"Umm... Sure. I'll come and see you in a little while," she replied in a low voice, the hair standing up on the back of her neck at the sensation of his hot breath against her skin.
He nodded and walked into the elevator to go to the crew deck, punched the button, then turned around and kept his gaze on her as the door closed.
Carpe Diem 4/?
anonymous
September 14 2012, 17:46:12 UTC
She checked her messages then went to talk to Mordin about the state of his experiments on the Collector samples. She found him at his workstation, as usual, buried in work.
" Shepard. How can I help?" he greeted her without looking up.
"Have you got a minute to talk?" she asked as she watched his nimble fingers fly over the console, rapidly entering some data that probably only made sense to him.
"Perhaps later. Trying to determine how scale-itch got onto Normandy. Sexually-transmitted disease." He inhaled sharply. "Only carried by varren. Implications unpleasant."
She was about to turn around and leave when he spoke again.
"Actually," his fingers stopped their dance and he straigtened up, cupping his chin with one hand while he supported his elbow with the other, "might be good to talk."
"Okay," she looked at him expectantly.
"Cerberus crew not used to close contact with aliens. May explain problem with scale-itch." He waved his hand at the console, as if that nasty medical condition was hiding right there. "Might be good idea to put together information packet."
"Umm... What?" She wasn't sure she understood where he was going with all this.
"Ship has drell, turian on board," he explained. "Crew might also meet other races on shore leave. Aware that mission is dangerous," he took a deep breath and his eyelids closed for a second. "Different species react differently to stress. Sexual activity normal stress release for humans and some other species. Still, want to recommend caution to crew. Warn of chafing with turians, possible rash from prolonged skin contact with drell. Ingestion of turian's tissues may result in allergic reaction, oral contact with drell may cause mild hallucinations."
She stared at him, wondering how this conversation could have veered in this direction. All she had wanted was to ask how his work with the Collector samples was progressing. But he calmly continued, as if they were discussing something totally ordinary, like next day's duty roster.
"Want to let crew know that can supply oils or ointments to reduce discomfort. Can also provide diagrams and brochures about erogenous zones, comfortable positions for different species."
He looked at her intently, as if he was waiting for her to say something. "So?" he finally asked.
"Yes?" she asked back, confused. She wasn't sure what exactly he wanted from her after this speech.
"Agree about putting together informational packet and distributing to crew?" he tilted his head and raised his left arm, his right hand hovering over his omni-tool.
"Umm... Sure," she nodded, and watched with amusement as he immediately went to work pulling up all that data and material and assembling them into one folder.
She started to leave, but a thought occurred to her and she turned back, the corner of her lips curving into a smirk.
"What about salarians? Is there anything people should be aware about?"
"Hmm?" he looked up. "Oh. No issues with salarians. Low sex drive," he said matter-of-factly, and turned back to his omni-tool.
She stood there, gaping at him for a few seconds, but finally decided that she'd had heard enough, strolled through the door with a chuckle and headed to Main Battery.
Re: Carpe Diem 4/?
anonymous
September 14 2012, 19:01:48 UTC
OP here thinks this is perfect. Especially the part about Shepard getting distracted by Garrus on the mission. And I really liked how you included Mordin, but changed the conversation a bit, it felt more fresh and funny.
Overall I love the story so far and can't wait for more!
Also, sorry for all the in-game dialogue in the first chapter, but I needed them to set up the scene.
******
Garrus was in a good mood. A great mood, in fact, compared to how he'd been feeling for the last few weeks. Sidonis had been dealt with, and - though he would never forget his betrayal and the death of his teammates - he could finally put the past behind him and concentrate on the present. He had Shepard to thank for that: this amazing human, who was not only his commander but also his best friend - just about the only friend he had left at this moment. Just the fact that she was alive made him feel like maybe the galaxy's goal wasn't to crush his soul and spirit, chew him up and spit him out in a broken mess after all. He'd even finished all the gun calibrations he could do and was just running some firing algorithms for fun - he had to occupy all that free time he had at his disposal now somehow.
Life was good.
So when Shepard came to see him and asked if they could talk he was more than happy to oblige her.
"I wanted to thank you again for your help with Sidonis," he said, his voice calmer and smoother than it had been for a very long time. "Whatever happens with the Collectors or the Reapers or whatever comes after us, I know you'll get the job done."
"I couldn't do this without you, Garrus," she replied matter-of-factly, putting her hands behind her back.
"Sure you could. Not as stylishly, of course," he smirked and followed her with his eyes as she walked over to a crate in the corner to sit down. "It's strange going into a suicide mission on a human ship. Your people don't prepare for high-risk operations the way turians do."
"How do turian crews get ready for high-risk missions?" she asked, putting an elbow on her knee and leaning forward as she watched him move around and gesture as he talked. She was glad to see him calm and relaxed again; she'd been worrying about his state of mind and what his time on Omega had done to him.
"With violence, usually. Turian ships have more operational discipline than your Alliance, but fewer personal restrictions. Our commanders run us tight, and they know we need to blow off steam. Turian ships have training rooms for exercise," he explained, "combat sims, even full-contact sparring. Whatever lets people work off stress."
"You mean turian ships have crewmen fight each other before a mission?" This was something new and she wasn't sure if it was such a good idea.
"It's supervised, of course," he shrugged. "Nobody is going to risk an injury that interferes with the mission. And it's a good way to settle grudges amicably. I remember right before one mission we were about to hit a batarian pirate squad. Very risky." He started to pace again as the memories came rushing back. He hadn't thought about this in a very long time. "This recon scout and I had been at each other's throats. Nerves, mostly. She suggested we settle it in the ring."
"I assume you took her down gently?" she asked with a smile. She couldn't imagine anybody beating Garrus in contact sparring. She'd seen him in battle many times before; handling a sniper rifle wasn't the only thing he was good at.
"Actually, she and I were the top-ranked hand-to-hand specialists on the ship. I had reach, but she had flexibility. It was brutal. After nine rounds, the judge called it a draw. There were a lot of unhappy betters in the training room. We, ah, ended up holding a tiebreaker in her quarters," he added, his heart beating a little faster at his recollections. "I had reach, but she had flexibility. More than one way to work off stress, I guess," he spread his mandibles wide in a mischievous grin.
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It wasn't like him, however, to share such intimate details of his life with somebody. Why now? Of course, Shepard wasn't just anybody: there was a strong connection between them even before she died and came back to life to reclaim their friendship and give him a chance for maybe something more.
He turned towards her and searched her face, trying to decipher what she'd thought of his revelations, worrying that maybe humans didn't view these kinds of liaisons the same way as turians did. She shook her head, but she was smiling, and his stomach released the knot that had started to build.
Maybe he could risk taking this one step further.
"I've noticed that you carry a lot of tension yourself," he started, trying to sound as casual as he could. "I think I could help you with that."
"You want to do sparring with me?" she asked, her eyes opened wide in surprise. She did not expect to be challenged to a sparring match when she came in to talk to him this evening.
"Ah, no," he chuckled. "I meant the other way of blowing off steam." He leveled his gaze at her, his piercing blue eyes burning with intense heat as he waited for her answer.
"Oh." Her heart jumped into her throat and her blood rushed to her face, painting her cheeks bright red when she realized what exactly he meant. He had a lot of affection for him, and there was nobody she trusted more, but this was totally unexpected. She'd never considered him more than a friend - she'd never considered an inter-species relationship before, period. But... Why not? They both had a dangerous profession and they never knew what fate would throw at them on their next mission. She remembered a sign she saw once when she was in basic training: "Carpe Diem" - seize the day. She decided then that it was wise words to live by.
"Well... Why not?" she said out loud, standing up from her sitting position on the crate and looking him straight in the eye. "If we can figure out how to make this work..." She wasn't sure about that, to tell the truth - they were two different species, after all. Maybe this would all be just talk in the end. Just some light banter that they could tease each other with.
"I'm pretty sure we can make it work," Garrus replied with a grin, remembering his time with that asari dancer on Omega. Before that, he would have had his doubts, too, but, since humans and asari were so similar, he knew things would go well. Really well. "But we can do some research first if you wish," he added encouragingly, trying to put her mind at ease.
"Oh... okay," she said, her voice trembling a little bit. Maybe this was actually going to happen. "I... didn't know you had a thing for humans," she smirked, trying to sound her usual confident self again.
"No, I don't have a thing for humans," he replied, stepping a little closer and looking deep into her eyes. "Just for you."
Her eyelashes fluttered and she let out an almost inaudible gasp in surprise.
"Well...Okay then..." she finally said, swallowing hard, as she backed away towards the door, "I... I'll do some research... and... ah... you know... let you know when... umm... you know..."
"Okay," Garrus flared his mandibles in a smile.
Then she was gone, leaving him staring after her with a happy grin on his face.
Yep, life was good.
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Captcha says: CONTROLLER theflun. Yeah, Garrus as the controller can be fun. ;)
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She needed even more self-control the next day, when she took Garrus and Thane with her to a Blood Pack base on Zada Ban. Every time Garrus looked at her or his hand brushed against hers she felt a jolt of electricity rush through her veins. Thane raised a puzzled eyebrow when her concentration slipped for a moment and she almost had her head blown off after she'd ducked out of cover a little too soon.
"Are you okay?" Garrus asked in a concerned voice, turning towards her after he'd picked the sniper off with one efficient headshot.
"Yeah. Sorry - I was just distracted for a second," she said, rubbing the back of her neck with her gloved fingers. She mentally kicked herself for being so careless, called on her strict training, and managed to block out Garrus's charm for the rest of the mission.
She finally let herself relax on their way back to the Normandy. She sat in the shuttle leaning against the wall with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Thane and Garrus were seated on the bench on the opposite side, facing her. Thane's eyes were closed - he was probably meditating -, but when she looked at Garrus she found that he was watching her intently. Their eyes locked onto each other and he flashed her a toothy grin. Her stomach trembled and she blushed, but she returned his smile with her own.
When they were back on the ship Garrus let Thane board the elevator alone, staying behind and lightly touching Shepard on the elbow, letting her know that he wanted to talk to her. The drell gave them a small bow and entered the cabin, and when the door closed behind him Garrus bent down and wispered in her ear, "Do you have a minute?"
"Umm... Sure. I'll come and see you in a little while," she replied in a low voice, the hair standing up on the back of her neck at the sensation of his hot breath against her skin.
He nodded and walked into the elevator to go to the crew deck, punched the button, then turned around and kept his gaze on her as the door closed.
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" Shepard. How can I help?" he greeted her without looking up.
"Have you got a minute to talk?" she asked as she watched his nimble fingers fly over the console, rapidly entering some data that probably only made sense to him.
"Perhaps later. Trying to determine how scale-itch got onto Normandy. Sexually-transmitted disease." He inhaled sharply. "Only carried by varren. Implications unpleasant."
She was about to turn around and leave when he spoke again.
"Actually," his fingers stopped their dance and he straigtened up, cupping his chin with one hand while he supported his elbow with the other, "might be good to talk."
"Okay," she looked at him expectantly.
"Cerberus crew not used to close contact with aliens. May explain problem with scale-itch." He waved his hand at the console, as if that nasty medical condition was hiding right there. "Might be good idea to put together information packet."
"Umm... What?" She wasn't sure she understood where he was going with all this.
"Ship has drell, turian on board," he explained. "Crew might also meet other races on shore leave. Aware that mission is dangerous," he took a deep breath and his eyelids closed for a second. "Different species react differently to stress. Sexual activity normal stress release for humans and some other species. Still, want to recommend caution to crew. Warn of chafing with turians, possible rash from prolonged skin contact with drell. Ingestion of turian's tissues may result in allergic reaction, oral contact with drell may cause mild hallucinations."
She stared at him, wondering how this conversation could have veered in this direction. All she had wanted was to ask how his work with the Collector samples was progressing. But he calmly continued, as if they were discussing something totally ordinary, like next day's duty roster.
"Want to let crew know that can supply oils or ointments to reduce discomfort. Can also provide diagrams and brochures about erogenous zones, comfortable positions for different species."
He looked at her intently, as if he was waiting for her to say something. "So?" he finally asked.
"Yes?" she asked back, confused. She wasn't sure what exactly he wanted from her after this speech.
"Agree about putting together informational packet and distributing to crew?" he tilted his head and raised his left arm, his right hand hovering over his omni-tool.
"Umm... Sure," she nodded, and watched with amusement as he immediately went to work pulling up all that data and material and assembling them into one folder.
She started to leave, but a thought occurred to her and she turned back, the corner of her lips curving into a smirk.
"What about salarians? Is there anything people should be aware about?"
"Hmm?" he looked up. "Oh. No issues with salarians. Low sex drive," he said matter-of-factly, and turned back to his omni-tool.
She stood there, gaping at him for a few seconds, but finally decided that she'd had heard enough, strolled through the door with a chuckle and headed to Main Battery.
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Overall I love the story so far and can't wait for more!
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Your prompt was really unique and interesting and it let me play with some aspects of the usual story. :)
The next chapters might take a few days, but I'll do my best not to take too long.
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