Re: Laugh (Garrus + Shepard, minor Shep/Kaidan) pt 2disalaeApril 4 2012, 21:43:06 UTC
A month or so later he was back in the armory when a voice popped up behind him, and he would have jumped if he were anyone else. He turned to find Shepard, peeking around him at the workbench.
“That’s Legion’s Widow, right?” Her voice is full of self deprecation. “Think I could shoot it?”
Garrus nods his head. “Sure. But, this thing isn’t really your style, is it?”
She gave a conceding look as her gaze began to wander, drifting over the racks of shotguns lining the back wall. “Nah, you know me. I wanna smell their last breath.”
Garrus laughed. “Well, we haven’t got any banshees for you to get up close and personal with, but I’m pretty sure I heard that bottle over there say something unpleasant about your mother’s,” he searched for something appropriate, “ah, girth.”
Shepard’s face fell, and she shook her head. “I can barely hold a damn gun, Garrus.”
“When’s the last time you tried?”
Her face was petulant and defeated and it didn’t look anything like the Shepard he knew, so Garrus turned and grabbed the lightest shotgun he had off the rack and shoved it into her hands. "Garrus..."
He put a hand up to quiet her. “The Shepard I know wouldn’t let a little thing like getting her hand blown off stop her from what she loves most.”
“Oh yeah, and what do I love most, Garrus?”
Like it or not, he knew she loved lots of things. She loved looking at the stars at night like she hadn’t been stuck among them for years. Loved getting drunk and making an ass out of herself. Loved Alenko. Loved her whole damn crew.
Oh right, and: “Making things go boom.”
Garrus saw a look in her eye, and could tell she agreed. He could also see determination and stubborness in her gaze, and he didn’t realize until now but it’d been a long time since he’d seen that.
He also saw hesitation, still. Damn. He was going to have to bring out the big guns.
“But that’s all in the past, of course,” he said with a shrug. "Say, what do human war veterans do once they get too soft for battle? It’s not something that happens on Palaven, so call it a cultural curiosity.”
Shepard set her jaw and looked at Garrus with a look that, frankly, scared him a little. Then just like that she turned, put the gun to her shoulder, and with only the faintest hint of hesitation, fired.
Of course the recoil nearly knocked her off her feet, and the sound she made when it kicked back into her shoulder wasn’t extremely dignified. And she missed, of course, but that would have happened anyway. She was always a crap shot unless she was a foot in front of something.
But she pulled the trigger, and what came from her after she did was a laugh; a real one, even if it was still a little rough around the edges.
Re: Laugh (Garrus + Shepard, minor Shep/Kaidan) pt 2disalaeApril 4 2012, 22:36:11 UTC
Ah, Garrus and my mainShep were like besties forever for life, so it was fun to write this. Glad he was IC, always a fear of mine when I write for a character for the first time.
Re: Laugh (Garrus + Shepard, minor Shep/Kaidan) pt 2disalaeApril 4 2012, 22:43:00 UTC
Yay back! And yeah, Garrus had to fight a little dirty. Shepard would understand ;)
I know :( But I mean, she...fell from orbit, right? If she indeed was back on earth in the breathe ending. I think I made her come out of it pretty well considering, ha!
Re: Laugh (Garrus + Shepard, minor Shep/Kaidan) pt 2disalaeApril 4 2012, 22:51:00 UTC
BROGARRUS FOR LIFE.
Oh man, if you guys knew how long I sat thinking "okay, what kind of burn would Garrus make right now to piss her off enough to try and shoot that gun" you would probably laugh at me.
“That’s Legion’s Widow, right?” Her voice is full of self deprecation. “Think I could shoot it?”
Garrus nods his head. “Sure. But, this thing isn’t really your style, is it?”
She gave a conceding look as her gaze began to wander, drifting over the racks of shotguns lining the back wall. “Nah, you know me. I wanna smell their last breath.”
Garrus laughed. “Well, we haven’t got any banshees for you to get up close and personal with, but I’m pretty sure I heard that bottle over there say something unpleasant about your mother’s,” he searched for something appropriate, “ah, girth.”
Shepard’s face fell, and she shook her head. “I can barely hold a damn gun, Garrus.”
“When’s the last time you tried?”
Her face was petulant and defeated and it didn’t look anything like the Shepard he knew, so Garrus turned and grabbed the lightest shotgun he had off the rack and shoved it into her hands. "Garrus..."
He put a hand up to quiet her. “The Shepard I know wouldn’t let a little thing like getting her hand blown off stop her from what she loves most.”
“Oh yeah, and what do I love most, Garrus?”
Like it or not, he knew she loved lots of things. She loved looking at the stars at night like she hadn’t been stuck among them for years. Loved getting drunk and making an ass out of herself. Loved Alenko. Loved her whole damn crew.
Oh right, and: “Making things go boom.”
Garrus saw a look in her eye, and could tell she agreed. He could also see determination and stubborness in her gaze, and he didn’t realize until now but it’d been a long time since he’d seen that.
He also saw hesitation, still. Damn. He was going to have to bring out the big guns.
“But that’s all in the past, of course,” he said with a shrug. "Say, what do human war veterans do once they get too soft for battle? It’s not something that happens on Palaven, so call it a cultural curiosity.”
Shepard set her jaw and looked at Garrus with a look that, frankly, scared him a little. Then just like that she turned, put the gun to her shoulder, and with only the faintest hint of hesitation, fired.
Of course the recoil nearly knocked her off her feet, and the sound she made when it kicked back into her shoulder wasn’t extremely dignified. And she missed, of course, but that would have happened anyway. She was always a crap shot unless she was a foot in front of something.
But she pulled the trigger, and what came from her after she did was a laugh; a real one, even if it was still a little rough around the edges.
Might not be much, but it was a start.
-
Prompts:
I'd rather go blind
Sweet talk
Sleeping lesson
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Thank you for reading and commenting :D
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I'm a huge fan of Shepard having to deal with the messy, messy realities of post-war life instead of cleanly and tragically dying.
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Also, ouch.
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I know :( But I mean, she...fell from orbit, right? If she indeed was back on earth in the breathe ending. I think I made her come out of it pretty well considering, ha!
Thanks for reading and for the comment!
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And like arysani said: I could hear the 'war veteran' line in Garrus's off-hand, deprecating tone. That was great. :)
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Oh man, if you guys knew how long I sat thinking "okay, what kind of burn would Garrus make right now to piss her off enough to try and shoot that gun" you would probably laugh at me.
Thanks for reading and for the lovely comment <3
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