Re: "Returning the Favor"4/?
anonymous
December 3 2014, 08:53:36 UTC
Garrus looked away.
“Ah, I don't blame you, young one.” He chuckled. “She was spectacular, rare to see a fire like that outside of our own.”
“Yeah.”
“Good?” He raised a brow-plate, and his sub-vocals left little doubt as to what type of skill Oraka was asking him to evaluate.
“Not your business.”
“Never been with a human. A bit too close to Shanxi, for me. For your generation, of course, it must be different.” He sipped a bit of his drink. Between them, Garrus was relatively sure they'd drank half the bottle now. “However did you deal with the pink?”
Garrus snorted. “How did you deal with the blue?”
Oraka laughed, hard, and slammed his hand on the bar. “Good point. Neither is quite the same as home, though...I've heard they're...similar, in ways.”
“...I'm not talking about this.” No, he was definitively not going to talk to Oraka about any similarities between Shepard and turian women.
“Fair enough.” Oraka motioned for another drink. “I thought to cheer you up by dredging up better memories for you.”
“Your pep talks need work.” Garrus noted, then signaled the bar-keeper for another drink for both him and Oraka. The older turian raised a brow plate in salute.
“You're not the first to tell me that. Fedorian was always going on and on to me about it. A pity your Shepard isn't here - she's good at the military pep talk.”
Garrus chuckled, trying his best to ignore the stab of pain in his chest. “Yeah, she is.”
“It is an injustice, what they're doing to her.” Oraka raised his glass in a salute.
“Tell me about it.” Garrus returned the gesture, raising his glass before throwing back the amber liquid inside. He wasn't surprised Oraka knew about it; the general had a reputation for dealing in gossip almost as much as the Shadow Broker.
“They'll release her, eventually.” Oraka patted his shoulder, and he stiffened, uncomfortable with the contact. “They'll have to, if what she claims is true.”
“Doesn't make it any easier.” Knowing that the reapers were coming, any day now, made it worse. To know he might never again be able to feel her writhing underneath him, her fingers wildly touching every part of him as she screamed his name hurt. To know that they might both die worlds apart when they should die together, still clinging to one another in the face of all opposition - that was unbearable.
“No, a cold bed is never pleasant.”
“It's...” He growled. “She's more than that.”
“Ah.” Oraka raised a brow-plate. “Not just the sex, then.”
“No.” His sub-vocals choked, and Oraka raised an eyebrow.
“Do you love her?”
It was an honest question, but it hit too close to home.
“What the fuck do you think?” He snarled. Of course he loved her. Just because he could not say it did not mean that he did not feel it.
“Ah.” Oraka raised up a hand in apology. “I'm sorry.”
“Yeah, well...” He looked away. “No offense, but I don't give a damn right now.”
Oraka nodded and for a moment, they were both silent. Good.
Then Oraka turned toward him again, and he was just sober enough to stifle a groan. “So you think your lover would be proud of you, young cub? Getting drunk in some pisshole?”
Garrus slammed his glass down on the table. “Do you have a better?”
“Do you believe the...information... that Commander Shepard told the council? That the only reason that she destroyed that relay was to stop a worse threat from coming through?”
“Yes.” Garrus shook his head, and wondered how exactly Oraka had gotten that information. He'd only known it because he'd been with her as she wrote it.
Re: "Returning the Favor"4/?
anonymous
January 14 2015, 18:59:52 UTC
I'm so happy that I persistently, or is that 'doggedly' check for 'Shakarian' stories on here. When one such as this is written, the pay off feels huge. Thanks for writing this A!A and thank you to the Anon for wanting it written!
“Ah, I don't blame you, young one.” He chuckled. “She was spectacular, rare to see a fire like that outside of our own.”
“Yeah.”
“Good?” He raised a brow-plate, and his sub-vocals left little doubt as to what type of skill Oraka was asking him to evaluate.
“Not your business.”
“Never been with a human. A bit too close to Shanxi, for me. For your generation, of course, it must be different.” He sipped a bit of his drink. Between them, Garrus was relatively sure they'd drank half the bottle now. “However did you deal with the pink?”
Garrus snorted. “How did you deal with the blue?”
Oraka laughed, hard, and slammed his hand on the bar. “Good point. Neither is quite the same as home, though...I've heard they're...similar, in ways.”
“...I'm not talking about this.” No, he was definitively not going to talk to Oraka about any similarities between Shepard and turian women.
“Fair enough.” Oraka motioned for another drink. “I thought to cheer you up by dredging up better memories for you.”
“Your pep talks need work.” Garrus noted, then signaled the bar-keeper for another drink for both him and Oraka. The older turian raised a brow plate in salute.
“You're not the first to tell me that. Fedorian was always going on and on to me about it. A pity your Shepard isn't here - she's good at the military pep talk.”
Garrus chuckled, trying his best to ignore the stab of pain in his chest. “Yeah, she is.”
“It is an injustice, what they're doing to her.” Oraka raised his glass in a salute.
“Tell me about it.” Garrus returned the gesture, raising his glass before throwing back the amber liquid inside. He wasn't surprised Oraka knew about it; the general had a reputation for dealing in gossip almost as much as the Shadow Broker.
“They'll release her, eventually.” Oraka patted his shoulder, and he stiffened, uncomfortable with the contact. “They'll have to, if what she claims is true.”
“Doesn't make it any easier.” Knowing that the reapers were coming, any day now, made it worse. To know he might never again be able to feel her writhing underneath him, her fingers wildly touching every part of him as she screamed his name hurt. To know that they might both die worlds apart when they should die together, still clinging to one another in the face of all opposition - that was unbearable.
“No, a cold bed is never pleasant.”
“It's...” He growled. “She's more than that.”
“Ah.” Oraka raised a brow-plate. “Not just the sex, then.”
“No.” His sub-vocals choked, and Oraka raised an eyebrow.
“Do you love her?”
It was an honest question, but it hit too close to home.
“What the fuck do you think?” He snarled. Of course he loved her. Just because he could not say it did not mean that he did not feel it.
“Ah.” Oraka raised up a hand in apology. “I'm sorry.”
“Yeah, well...” He looked away. “No offense, but I don't give a damn right now.”
Oraka nodded and for a moment, they were both silent. Good.
Then Oraka turned toward him again, and he was just sober enough to stifle a groan. “So you think your lover would be proud of you, young cub? Getting drunk in some pisshole?”
Garrus slammed his glass down on the table. “Do you have a better?”
“Do you believe the...information... that Commander Shepard told the council? That the only reason that she destroyed that relay was to stop a worse threat from coming through?”
“Yes.” Garrus shook his head, and wondered how exactly Oraka had gotten that information. He'd only known it because he'd been with her as she wrote it.
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