#turian/human relationship

[sol-consort]

I could've fixed Saren, any human could've fixed him it would've been like super easy

[socialpermadeath]

BioWare's attention to detail is driving me insane. You can overhear a human/Salarian couple outside of purgatory and the Salarian is discussing how someone recently donated a really fancy set of armor to his crew and he feels safer than ever before and his girlfriend is pleased. Later, he asks her where she parked her car which he notes is a very high end model with a custom paint job. She admits she sold it. He asks why. She doesn't answer.

Sold the fuckin car to buy her Salarian boyfriend some better armor because she cares about him deeply. She knows his short lifespan will take him from her but she can at least make sure he makes it to his 30s without getting merced by Cerberus but she doesn't want him to know that she just gave up a prized possession to insure his safety for just a little longer.

[wafflesrock16]

N7 Day Ficlet!

Just a little something to celebrate N7 Day. Below a cut because longish. Featuring two NPCs I always found entertaining . . .

Canus was having a bad day. He’d overslept, then tripped when leaving the shower and banged his left leg spur on the vanity. Hard. 

On his way to the shuttle terminal, he’d spilled boiling hot kava all over his favorite tunic when a flustered looking asari had shouldered past him. He’d tried to staunch the kava with a few flimsy napkins from a cafe table, but the result was a brownish stain down his front. To top it off, he’d arrived at the shuttle station just as his shuttle had pulled out into Citadel traffic.

Growling in frustration, he stalked over to the information terminal. Great, just great. His entire family was probably already waiting for him and here he was, the grandson entrusted to bring his grandmother’s ceremonial military dagger to the memorial, and he was going to be late. 

Uncle Aulus is never going to let me hear the end of this, he fumed. It didn’t take much to set the old man off these days and Canus’ tardiness promised to produce an epic conniption.

“When’s the next shuttle?” he demanded from the human working the terminal.

“In ten minutes,” she responded without glancing up. 

“I can’t wait that long!”

Tired looking hazel eyes met his before zeroing in on the dagger sheathed at his waist. 

“Sir, I can’t let you bring that on board the shuttle.”

“What?” Canus gawked, momentarily too stunned to think. “But this is a ceremonial item of my people!”

“Sir, it’s a fifteen centimeter serrated blade.”

“It’s ceremonial and I need it!” Canus couldn’t show up at the memorial without the dagger. Was this human insane? You had to have a khopash blade for a Digeris memorial!

Not insane, he considered darkly as the human closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She just hates turians. Yeah, that had to be it.

“Sir—“

“You humans are all racist!” he exploded. “I need this! You don’t know what it’s for! It’s not a weapon, it’s a khopash blade that needs to be incinerated to honor the spirit of my grandmother per her final wishes!” 

The human stared at him. She was similar enough to an asari for Canus to understand her expression was unimpressed. Well, he was unimpressed with her. And now that he was examining her, her brown hair looked messy and unkempt. Her uniform was rumpled, too. Probably just back from a roll in the sheets with her boyfriend, he decided. Doesn’t take anything seriously, her job or the cultural needs of others—me, in this case.

“Sir, you’re going to have to go through security. They can decide whether or not you can take that . . . ceremonial dagger on the shuttle.”

Canus sputtered in outrage. “I can’t be late,” he growled under his breath. “Do you have any idea how much trouble I’m already in?”

“I’m sorry, Sir. But if I don’t send you through security, I’ll be the one in huge trouble.” She let out a long sigh, entire body sagging with the action.

“This!” he seethed, even as another turian and an asari security guard came to stand on either side of him, “this is racism! Racism!”

He didn’t imagine the pair of volus shaking their heads or the salarian rolling his eyes at him as he was escorted away. 

“Step this way please,” the asari security guard intoned. 

Canus was then subjected to the sort of pat-down and full body scan he’d previously thought only reserved for suspected mercs. He was livid by the time he returned to the terminal—just in time to see his shuttle disappearing into a stream of traffic. Again.

“You made me miss my shuttle!” he shrieked at the human who was still manning the terminal.

“You were trying to bring a fifteen centimeter serrated blade onto the shuttle,” she snapped, professionalism gone. “I notice that security took it and it’s probably being held in the transport locker to be shipped to wherever you’re going, so Calm. Down. Sir.”

“You’re a horrible racist with hideous hair,” he snarled. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he stormed over to a nearby bench and sat down with a huff, golden eyes fixed on his human tormentor. 

She ignored his glowering, face glued to her terminal screen. 

At long last the shuttle arrived and Canus boarded, already dreading the criticism and snide remarks he knew awaited him at the memorial. Stupid racist human, making me late. 

Uncle Aulus was just as irritable as he’d presumed. There were comments and scornful vocals directed at him. Nobody cared that his tardiness wasn’t his fault, the point was that he was late and it was disrespectful to the memory of his grandmother. 

When the ceremony mercifully ended, Canus fled to the nearest bar. He needed a stiff drink—maybe three. 

“Another,” he called to the turian bartender. The other man clicked his mandibles, subvocals whirring with judgment as he removed the empty glass he’d barely set down a moment before.

Canus let out a growling sigh, running a hand down his face. Fuck today, he thought wearily.

“Vodka tonic, heavy on the booze.” The flat human voice was familiar.

Canus turned his head, mandibles flaring in shock as the racist human collapsed onto the bar stool next him. She buried her face in her hands, posture radiating defeat.

Shit. Should he leave? Should he call her out again for his shoddy treatment?

Before he could make up his mind, she lifted her head and caught his eye.

“You!” she hissed, brows pinching and lips curling up in a sneer. 

“You yourself!” Canus spat back, subvocals vibrating with annoyance. She had no right to be mad at him—he was the victim here! He was the one who’d had the shitty morning and ended up late to the memorial which only gave his relatives something else to criticize. “I’ve had a miserable day that you made worse!”

“You intergalactic asshole! You have no right, no right to act self righteous after how you treated me!” A slender finger was jabbed at Canus’ nose as she continued “having a bad day doesn’t give you license to treat people just doing their jobs like garbage. And you want to hear something mind-blowing? I had a shitty day too—before you even entered the picture!”

“Vodka tonic,” the bartender intoned, setting down a tall glass. “Horisk, straight up,” he said to Canus, sliding the drink over. 

The bartender’s gaze flickered between Canus and the human. “Trouble in paradise? Drinking won’t fix that, but it’ll make the make-up sex more enjoyable.” He turned away to attend to a group of asari before Canus could respond.

“Like I’d ever be caught dead with a racist,” the human muttered before seizing her drink and throwing back half of it. 

Canus’ jaw dropped. He was the racist? “I’m the racist?” 

“Let’s rethink the day,” the human said, fixing him with an angry glare. “You yelled at me, you singled me out based on my species, yeah, you’re the racist.”

“No I’m not!” he defended. Though, she had a point. Had she mentioned him being a turian or his behavior being based on his species? Crap.

“Could have fooled me and the rest of the people at the terminal.” The human snorted. “The irony is, my last boyfriend was a turian. I’m not a racist, and not all humans are either.”

“You dated a turian?” He wasn’t sure why he was so intrigued. Probably all the alcohol in his system.

“For two years. He was a great guy.” She took another swig of her drink but with less enthusiasm than before.

“Recent break-up?” Canus offered. That’d explain her bad day.

“Not that recent,” she replied, shaking her head.

Her hair reflected the ambient colored lights in varying shades of mahogany and chestnut. Pretty.

Canus wondered why her day had been terrible. He found himself feeling guilty over making it worse. She was only doing her job. 

“Look, about the stuff I said this morning,” he started, struggling to find the right words. “You’re right. I was an asshole. I took my frustrations out on you and that wasn’t fair.” He sighed, swallowing his pride. “I’m sorry.”

She regarded him quietly before nodding her head. “All right.”

“Can I buy you a drink?” Canus asked. “As an apology?”

The human finished her beverage and gave him another nod.

Canus signaled the bartender. “Another horisk for me and a, um . . .” He glanced at his companion.

“Sex on the beach,” she supplied. 

Canus turned fully toward her. “My name’s Canus,” he introduced. He dipped his head, an interested purr slipping into his vocals. “What’s your name?”

“Elise,” she replied, extending a hand. 

Canus gave it a shake, like he’d seen other humans do in greeting. “A pleasure.” She gave him a dazzling, gorgeous smile. His heart lurched against his ribs. Oh.

Somewhere along the way, his evening had taken a turn. He now sensed, with almost near certainty, that for how terrible his day had been, his night was about to be spectacular. 

[shadowrun-effect]

Varius & Samuel

Was bored and played around with some filters.

[gloryofdawn]

Pretty much everybody on Tumblr seems to look at Garrus and be like, "Hm, yes, the optimal love interest." And that's fair! Garrus is great. Date him if you want.

But goddamn, have I just always had brainrot for Shepard and Garrus platonically. Their dynamic is just so flawless. I have never believed a game more when it has told me "These two people are best friends." They are the most found family siblings I've ever seen.

Every party member in Mass Effect 1 (who lives) goes on to achieve greatness above and beyond pretty much any party member introduced in subsequent games (except that I do specifically think the human party members are outstripped by Mordin), but you get to watch it happen with Garrus and Tali because they never leave you. Garrus starts off as "That loose cannon cop who signed on to help get Saren." After Shepard dies, he decides he's just going to casually end organized crime and is alarmingly successful. When Shepard shows up again, Garrus' reaction is to fucking shoot them and then joke about it when they finally make it to him. Shepard deflects Garrus' near death experience by calling him ugly. During his loyalty mission, you have the opportunity to have some absolutely raw conversations with him about ethics and morality that you don't really ever see with another companion except Jack, and she basically completely ignores everything you say until you see her in 3. With Garrus, he'll resist what you're saying, but you can see him trying to find the line between justice and revenge, law and chaos. If you put him in charge of the second team during the suicide mission, you can see how much he's grown with you as he effortlessly coordinates his team with yours. And all that is just in Mass Effect 2.

Once you get to 3, you really start seeing it. Garrus has made his way up in the Hierarchy and is leading their efforts against the Reapers, just like Shepard. When you ask him about it, he immediately starts talking about it as the shared work you've had since the first game. No other companion identifies themselves with you through this struggle. Sure, other companions will mention the previous games and what you did with them, but there's always something else. Liara is the Shadow Broker now. Tali has the Geth to worry about. The Virmire Survivor is bound up in the Alliance and becoming a Spectre. Wrex has the Krogan. But Garrus? Garrus is here with you. He's standing right next to you, giving the Reapers his full attention. And as you go throughout the game, he's consistently the one there for you. When you're struggling to get the Council Races to work together, he's there. When things go tits up on Thessia, he's there. Even you're going into the final run, he's there. When the two of you die, if Turian heaven is the same as human heaven, he'll meet you at the bar.

There is no Vakarian without Shepard. There is no Shepard without Vakarian. These two soldiers are bound together with blood, sweat, and the sheer Terminator-grade determination to save the galaxy, no matter how much it kicks and screams. There is no fire they won't jump into for the other one, and they'll make fun of each other the whole way. There's no other relationship like it.

I'm Glory of Dawn, and this is my favorite platonic ship on the Citadel.

[madamedramatics]

I think of Mass Effect, and the brain train reroutes me to Shakarian thoughts. I don't make the rules. I just follow them.

Now then,

Hear me out. Plz. I'll only be a second of your time.🩷

Turians are sort of a homogeneous society that likes predictability, rationale, integrity, honesty, and all that jazz. Since they have to be selfless, always putting the whole before one's self, they are more than likely not very materialistic meaning whenever they do give or receive gifts, it's a rare moment and probably something that reflects quality or some sort of sentimentality.

Now imagine the beginning of Shakarian's relationship. We have Garrus reading up on human cultures where a large chunk of human societies have gift giving sometimes all year round, which varies in price and other factors. Then imagine Shepard being stumped on what to get Garrus as a gift because she doesn't want to cross cultural boundaries and get something that isn't meaningful to him. The first date happens, and Garrus gets Shepard something super sweet and cost efficient, like a handmade card, so he doesn't come off as desperate (according to the forums he's read) and Shepard gets Garrus the most expensive gun money can buy. Neither knows the other has done their research. Garrus thinks he looks like an asshole by not sticking to his values, and Shepard thinks she looks desperate for such a new and budding relationship since Garrus got her something small but sweet.

They both loved the gifts they received, but they felt internal turmoil about the gifts they bought. Then it comes down to the awkward confession that they both looked up what to do when it comes to gift giving. They both decide they should probably just ask each other from now on about any questions they have since their relationship is neither strictly turian nor human. It's human AND turian, meaning they should just do what feels right for each other and no one else ❤️

[thatwildwolfwrites]

Title: Sentinel

Word count: 6K+

Fandom: Mass Effect

Relationship(s): Shakarian

Summary:

Sentinel species - organisms, often animals, used to detect risk to humans by providing advance warning of a danger, most often environmental hazards. Examples include domestic canaries, historically used to detect gas in coal mines. Some species can act as sentinels because they may be more susceptible or have greater exposure to a particular hazard than humans in the same environment. –Wikipedia

Turians don't like the cold. –Garrus Vakarian

Excerpt:

The snow that was ankle deep when they landed here comes up to her knees now, and even Garrus is starting to have trouble wading through it. Shepard doesn't know how much time passes as they walk. Maybe hours. Maybe minutes. She can't tell. She can barely see her own feet when the looks down. The wind blows the snow around, masking their footprints as soon as they're gone. If they stopped, they would probably be lost forever. No one would find them underneath meters of thick snow cover.

Shepard looks around, searching for... something. She's not sure what. Anything that could help them out in this situation. Something feels off, but she can't tell what, so she just pushes on. Then she realises what's missing. It's been a long time since she heard as much as a single complaint. “...Garrus?” Silence. She looks back over her shoulder, momentarily afraid he might not be there anymore.  Her heart calms down a bit once she sees he's following her, albeit starting to lag behind. Blinking rapidly, sight unfocused, arms limply down his sides. He doesn't look good. He's shivering. He's wearing heavy combat armor lined with additional padding and he's still visibly shivering. “Garrus, are you okay?” He quickly shakes his head. “Crap, I… Did I fall asleep?” Shepard wrinkles her forehead. This is not good. She won't be able to find shelter if she also has to take care of a drowsy turian on top of that. A worst-case scenario passes in front of her eyes: he passes out and she has to physically carry him. An almost guaranteed death sentence. Unless she would be willing to leave him behind to save herself, the only way to ensure at least one of them has a chance to make it out. And that's when she realises: that's the worst-case scenario.

You know the drill — full thing is on AO3 <3

[lilmissnatcat24]

Out of Eden Masterpost!!!

A Mass Effect fanfiction trilogy. The events of the games had Shepard not been on Eden Prime.

Book One: Turn Left (completed)

Delia Shepard, traumatized and addicted to red sand after Torfan, has found a quiet-- albeit boring-- life on the Citadel as a Drugs and Trafficking Officer. When one of her informants is found dead in an alley, she's forced to team up with Detective Garrus Vakarian: an unfeeling, stiff, full of himself douche. But as they work together, they find that a dead mole is the least of their issues. Trouble is brewing, enemies are at every turn. And to top it all off, Shepard has sworn off friendships completely after the Alliance. So why can she barely function without Vakarian?

In another dark corner of the Citadel, Archangel has decided to sign up for an anonymous sex club. What's the worst that can happen? He's matched with a human he knows only as the Commander, someone who he can demand to obey his every rule and whim. As their meetings progress, Archangel finds himself getting closer and closer to the Commander. Can lust turn into something more substantial?

TAGS:

Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Detective Noir, Sex Club, Anonymous Sex, Canon Temporary Character Death, Murder Mystery, Drug Use, Dom Garrus Vakarian, Whump, Smut, Heavy Angst, Alien SexAlien/Human Relationships, Dual POV, an overly sexual elcor named candy, Earthborn (Mass Effect), Ruthless (Mass Effect). Fake/Pretend Relationship, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Identity Porn, Minor Character Death, Torture, Blood and Gore, the dove is so dead i brought it back to life and then drowned it in its own piss, i wrote this with a diet dr pepper and a dream

Fic Link: x

BOOK TWO: Electric Sheep (ongoing, updates Saturdays)

Two years after the death of Garrus Vakarian, Delia Shepard finds herself stationed on Horizon when the Collectors attack and kidnap Kaidan Alenko. When a mysterious shadow corporation by the name of Cerberus comes to her rescue, she sees is as not only a way to save Kaidan, but to possibly do some good in the universe. But there's a mysterious turian who follows her at every step, one that may be more than he seems on the surface.

Garrus Vakarian is alive. He's 30% cybernetics, embedded with a control chip and surveillance devices that track his every move, and doesn't care about anything anymore-- but alive. He has one sole mission: to destroy Cerberus from the inside out. But when Shepard happens back into his life, he's forced to make the harrowing decision of whether to complete his mission, or to risk it all for the woman he once thought he couldn't live without.

TAGS:

Lovers to Enemies to Lovers Again, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Alternate Universe- Canon Divergence, Minor Character Death, Gore, Torture, Blood, Lots of Disturbing Imagery, Dual POV, Earthborn (Mass Effect), Ruthless (Mass Effect), Whump, Eventual Smut, Heavy Angst, Unrequited Love That's Actually Very Much Requited, Mind Control, So Much Pining Even I'm a Little Disturbed, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, A Children's Show Called the Electromenon That Teaches Shepard About Basic Physics, Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, OC Central, Yet Another Cliffhanger Ending (Sorry About That)

Fic Link: x

Fic Cover: x done by the absolutely stunning @milkywayes!!!

[dispatchwithlove]

I'll have you know that I talked with friends ages ago about Shepard resting her cheek in his palm about how much trust you have to have bc god turians could rip you(a human) apart!

Then you put it in writing and I nearly combusted. I have to take some floor time.

I can tell that the fic is gunna destroy me in the best way

Dude, don't get me started on the topic of physical vulnerability in romance/sex! You already have though, so here goes, sorry (I'm not).

As an unashamed monster fucker/monster romancer, this is what it's all about! There is something so moving, so entrancing about a character finding safety, comfort, and pleasure from a character that possesses traits that frighten others, especially physically. Scenes where Belle softened her nerves and touched Beast tenderly shook me as a child! The bravery, vulnerability, and kindness it took is so touching. His huge mits that just swipe wolves away, the sharp claws on his thick fingers...and she just puts her tiny little hand in his, trusting him to be gentle with her! UGH! My heart.

Have you watched or read The Ancient Magus Bride? It's probably my favorite monster themed story. There's this scene where Elias (who looks scary even in his "normal" form) busts out into full scary monster mode and just SHREDS something that hurts Chise, and when it's over he's self conscious and ashamed, not wanting her to see him like that, and her reaction is so beautiful! She accepts him as is, and offers him assurance and kindness. UGH! My heart!

Monster fucking/romancing, to me at least, is all about accepting someone who's different, but it's also about finding comfort and safety in something you're supposed to fear. It's about finding beauty and attraction in features you're supposed to fear, like sharp claws/talons, sharp teeth, etc. It's about a character allowing themself to be vulnerable and trust that the other character is going to be tender. Because that's what love really is, right? Exposing your vulnerabilities to someone and trusting that they'll treat you with tenderness. That you'll open yourself up to someone, letting them see all of your imperfections and insecurities, and they'll still love you, protect you, be gentle with you. Portraying this emotional vulnerability through literal physical vulnerability just works so beautifully. It's a literal "you could hurt me right now, but I'm going to trust you and give myself to you anyway."

Ok, and there's also a lot of great play between pleasure and pain in sex scenes, if you're into that. Talons pinching into thighs, teeth raking across skin, etc.

So yes I will jump at any chance to depict this. Garrus and Shepard fit this so well because turians are apex predators, their teeth and talons are sharp, they look fast and agile, and god damn are they beautiful. And they're tall and have huge hands! They're ripe for monster fucking/romancing themes. In this fic in particular (it was titled Invisible String originally but the rewritten version will be titled and posted as Singularity) vulnerability and trust will play important roles in Shepard and Garrus's relationship, so of course I had to bust out some displays of trust juxtaposed with scary anatomy. Garrus in Archangel mode is a threatening sight (which I effing love), so having Shepard meet him and find comfort and safety in his presence gets my heart beating.

I'm so happy you enjoyed that little bit where she rests her cheek in his palm! There will be lots of Shepard seeking comfort from a dom-leaning Garrus in that fic.

I hope to post soon, but my silly brain is telling me it's not good enough yet so I keep poking at it. Crossing my fingers that the rest of the chapter makes you combust too 😊

Thanks for sending me this! I'll always get up on a podium to talk Shepard/Garrus, romance writing, and monster loving ❤️

[melanie-ohara]

Weapons Training: A Liara/Shepard Drabble

Time to post a Mass Effect drabble! There may be more of these for other relationships or other series at some point, depending on how this does - so if you like it, please share!

“So you have been in a fight then?” the human Commander asked, leading Liara into the elevator. She leaned against the wall and regarded her with folded arms.

Liara nodded. “Mostly wild animals. And a few pirates, trying to steal artifacts from dig sites.” She could feel a blush rising in her cheeks and looked at her feet. “My biotics are quite good, but I’m afraid I’m not much use with weapons.”

The lift shuddered to a halt and the bay door slid down. Shepard shot her a disarming smile. “It’s okay, you’ll learn. If you’re coming out into the field with me you’ll need more than just your biotics. Come on.” Liara followed the human out of the lift and across the cargo bay. She wasn’t sure what Shepard had in mind, but she was more than happy to trail her around the ship and watch her flame red hair bounce ever so slightly as she walked. Everything from her steady gait to her broad shoulders and the hard muscles of her arms breathed the kind of easy confidence Liara had never had.

She shook herself as Shepard brought her to a halt next to Garrus Vakarian’s makeshift workbench. She exchanged what sounded like a grim in-joke with him - something about organs that would probably make Liara a little queasy if she heard any more of it - and the turian laughed.

The human picked up a pistol from his desk. “This one?”

“Yep,” Garrus said without looking up. “Charged and locked, I checked it myself.”

“Thanks, Vakarian.” As far as Liara had heard, Shepard called almost everyone by their surname. Never Kaidan, Ashley, Garrus, Karin; always Alenko, Williams, Vakarian and Chakwas. Not her though. She was always Liara to Shepard. She forced herself to try not to read into it.

“This,” Shepard was saying, holding the pistol up to Liara with her pale pink finger pressed along the side of the barrel, “is an M-3 Predator heavy pistol. The heat sink can take 15 shots before it hits critical. It’s lightweight, fast-firing, and accurate at short to medium range. Take it.”

Liara shuddered a little as Shepard laid it almost delicately in her palm. Liara’s fingers curled around the grip and Shepard quickly pinched her index finger and moved it away from the trigger. “Careful, Doc. Fingers away from the trigger until you’re ready to put a hole in something.”

Liara felt heat rising to her cheeks again. “Right, of course. Sorry, Commander.” She let the weight of it sit for a moment. “It’s lighter than I thought it would be,” she said. Shepard smiled.

“Precision engineering,” she said. “Vakarian and I have fiddled around with it a bit. Lightweight materials, disruptor ammo, that sort of thing.” Liara could feel Shepard’s penetrating, almost luminous green eyes following her every move as she passed the gun from hand to hand. The intensity of it, of her, made her want to lie down. She steadied herself with a long breath.

“Comfortable?” the human asked, arms folded across her chest again. Liara wished she wouldn’t do that. The way it made the muscles in her forearms stand out made it very difficult for her to focus on anything else. “Great,” Shepard said with an encouraging smile. “Now shoot Wrex.”

“What?”

“He won’t mind.”

Liara looked over the bay at the massive hulking krogan in the corner, who was currently slurping down an entire pack of nutrient paste.

“Commander, I - ”

Liara didn’t even process Shepard moving until after it happened. The human wheeled around her in a blur, and she felt the pistol leave her hand as Shepard twirled past. There was no force, no snatching - she didn’t even feel her grip as she stole the gun away. Shepard’s little manoeuvre left her with her back to Liara, their shoulders lightly touching. The human brought her gun arm up and nearly deafened Liara with two blasts from the pistol. She yelped involuntarily, immediately feeling extremely silly when nobody else in the room even reacted.

Liara looked over at Wrex. For someone who’d just been shot twice in the chest, he seemed remarkably calm.

“Shepard.”

“Wrex.”

Liara could just picture the infuriating grin on the human’s face as she lowered the gun. Liara tried to put on an indignant face to cover how rattled she was as she turned to face the other woman.

“I’m sorry, Liara, that was a bit cruel,” Shepard said, entirely failing to look bashful as she held the Predator out for her to take. “Practice rounds,” she said by way of explanation. “They’ll still kick like the real thing, but they’ll only sting your target.”

“Or tickle, in Wrex’s case,” Garrus commented. He still hadn’t looked up from the sniper rifle he was calibrating on the desk. Liara took the gun back from the human and took extreme care to keep her finger away from the trigger.

“Nice,” Shepard observed of her trigger discipline, and Liara cursed how the human’s approval made her feel. The Commander wasn’t even three decades old yet! She knew it didn’t mean the same thing for other races, but she couldn’t understand why someone less than a third her age could make her feel like a schoolgirl with a silly crush on a teacher.

“Now then,” Shepard said, all brisk manners as she stepped right up to Liara and took her gun hand in hers, rudely oblivious to the effect it had. “This button under your thumb retracts the firing mechanism and engages the mag hook for holstering to your armour. Try not to get your finger caught in the trigger array when you hit it, I used to do that all the time.”

Shepard’s thumb guided hers to the switch and the pistol whirred and folded up, then unfurled with a satisfying click when she pressed it again. Liara couldn’t help a giddy, breathless smile coming to her face when Shepard manipulated her digits. It felt so… intimate.

“These lights here show that you’re shooting disruptor rounds. You know what that means?”

“Yes, it - ” she stopped to clear her throat, far too aware of the slight warmth and weight of Shepard’s body so close to her own. “It means there’s an electrical field that charges the ammunition as it passes through the barrel. On contact with a kinetic barrier it disperses the charge, overloading the capacitors and weakening their integrity.”

“Top of the class.” Shepard’s voice was low, appreciative, and made sweat bead on Liara’s brow. Images of the commander mumbling compliments like that to her under silk sheets burst into her mind and she felt heat rising into her face as the human gave her another of those damnable smiles.

“Alright,” Shepard said, stepping away. Liara immediately missed the absence of her form in her personal space. “That’s the basics out of the way. Weapon up.”

Liara lifted the gun, stabilising it with the other hand and lowering her centre of gravity, the way she’d seen Shepard do on Therum.

“Not bad at all,” Shepard mused. Achingly slowly, she circled Liara to check her form. After a second, Liara felt Shepard against her and couldn’t stop a gasp as those strong arms snaked along her own. “Sorry,” the commander whispered in her ear as she made fine adjustments to the position of her arms. “Didn’t mean to spook you.” Liara could almost feel the Commander’s lips on her ear as her breath tickled along her skin. Shepard’s hand settled on Liara’s as the asari fought to control her breathing. The human must be able to tell, surely. The idea was mortifying.

“It’s okay,” Shepard reassured her, mistaking her shaking arousal for nerves. “Just slip your finger up against the trigger and slowly squeeze.” The Commander guided Liara’s fingers with her own as she talked her through it. “Take all the time you need, just feel it glide back.”

Shepard’s low voice flowed like liquor. The dark, rich asari wine she had shared with a colleague. A prelude to faltering touches, soft lips on her own, fingers on her bare back…

“You feel that?”

“Yes, Shepard,” Liara breathed instinctively and blushed bright pink when she heard the pure need in her voice. The trigger had settled, almost imperceptibly, under their pressed-together fingertips.

“Any more pressure and the mechanism will shave a millimetre of metal from the ammunition block, lower its mass to near nothing, and accelerate it out of the barrel at nine hundred metres per second.” Shepard’s voice made everything else disappear until all that was left was her and the weight of the pistol they were holding.

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

Liara squeezed the trigger a fraction of a centimetre more and the shot burst from the barrel. The world rushed back as the gun bucked against her palm and sent a shockwave up her arm. She felt Shepard take most of the recoil for her, and then suddenly her arms slipped away. Her body left Liara’s.

“Great!” Shepard cheered. “Right in the chest.”

Wrex rolled his eyes. “Yeah, good shot kid,” he rumbled. Liara smiled, shaking herself out of whatever strange haze always seemed to fall over her when Shepard touched her. She looked over at the Commander, hoping the human wasn’t totally oblivious to what she was doing to her.

“Okay, take a few more shots. On your own this time.” Shepard settled into that oh so familiar, oh so appealing pose with her arms folded across her chest and her weight on her back foot. She blew a stray strand of red out of her eyes and watched as Liara settled back into the position Shepard had moved her into.

“Very good,” Shepard commented.

“I’m not likely to forget it, Commander,” Liara murmured. She took aim at Wrex, who theatrically rolled his eyes and waited. She squeezed the trigger slowly, trying to forget about the warmth of Shepard’s arms around her for now. The kick was much worse without Shepard to stabilise her, but the bullet still found her target and she grinned at Shepard. She smiled back.

“Again. Five rounds, centre mass.”

It took her a few attempts and one embarrassing overheat, but she managed to hit Wrex five consecutive times. The krogan sighed and rolled his shoulders.

“Why don’t you make the turian target practice instead?” he growled at Shepard.

“Because you’re my favourite,” the Commander shot back. The massive krogan growled and stomped into the lift. Shepard waved him off as Liara laid the pistol back on Garrus’ workbench.

“Well done, Liara,” Shepard said, stepping close to her again. Liara thought she was slightly too close to be entirely innocent, but maybe humans had different expectations. She suddenly worried Shepard thought she was being aloof when she maintained a respectful distance.

“When we’re in the field, I want you to hold back, okay?” Shepard’s hand found her shoulder and gripped just enough for Liara to feel it through her uniform. “Stay behind me, use your biotics, and only worry about stripping shields with the pistol. And if anyone drops your shields, you put up your barrier and I’ll shoot them full of so many holes their mother will feel it, alright?”

Liara would have laughed at the joke if Shepard didn’t seem so intense, so instead she just nodded. The human lightly squeezed her shoulder again and let go of her.

“Okay, tomorrow we’ll start hand-to-hand practice.”

“Oh goddess,” Liara muttered.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you,” Shepard reassured, completely unaware of what the thought of the beautiful human woman grappling her and tossing her on the floor so she could straddle her actually did for the nervous asari scientist in front of her, though Liara’s daydreams usually involved fewer clothes, more soft beds, and definitely much fewer people standing around working on weapons nearby.

“I’ll see you later, Liara.” Shepard nodded to Garrus once before striding towards the lift, leaving Liara flushed and flustered in her wake.

[sol-consort]

The human military completely forbids fraternization amidst ranks. Meanwhile, the turian military encourages "blowing off steam" albeit in private.

Then, there is the Angara forces who don't bat an eye at the lovely dovey soldiers making out a room away from their commanding officer. Walking into a base, a couple hugging or professing their intimate feelings is a common sight.

[mushroommanchanterelle]

Part 2 of the Shakarian fic I'm playing around with

The sound of whirring gears floods the vehicle bay as the elevator makes its slow descent. The door opens to reveal Garrus Vakarian, mandibles slacked to the sides of his face. He holds a warm thermos in his hand, and staggers out of the vehicle bay. The former detective takes up his usual position beside the Mako and slumps onto the ground, taking a long sip of whatever fluid resided within the insulated walls of his metallic cup. Across the room from him, Urdnot Wrex chuckles to himself.

“You look more like shit than usual, Garrus.”

The turian groans and looks up from his drink, locking eyes with the krogan warrior.

“Not now, Wrex. I’ve got enough to think about already. I don’t need extra commentary.”

“Suit yourself. Haven’t seen you this bent out of shape since we recruited your sorry ass.”

Garrus props himself up against the Mako’s tire, sitting up straight instead of slumping over.

“Wrex, if I wanted your opinion, I would have asked. Besides, it’s not something you’d know a damn thing about anyways.”

As Wrex opens his mouth to speak, the door to the engineering bay opens. Tali’Zorah hurriedly steps out of the room, looking between the two disgruntled men.

“Are you two fighting again? Why is it that the moment I turn my back, you’re at odds? Doesn’t Shepard take you along with her enough to form… I don’t know, some sort of combat bond?”

Garrus twinges at the sound of Shepard’s name, looking back down at his thermos. Wrex, taking note, gives a hearty belly laugh.

“Ahh that’s what’s bothering you. What did Shepard do this time? You mad she took Kaiden and Tali out instead of us?”

“It’s not that it’s… It’s…”

Beneath the mask, Tali’s face lights up.

“I know that look. I’ve seen enough vids to know where this is going. You’ve got feelings about her, don’t you?”

The quarian mechanic walks over to Garrus and sits beside him, offering a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Come on, Garrus, out with it. You know you can talk to us. Or…at least me.”

Wrex crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the wall.

“What, don’t trust me, turian?”

Garrus sighs, lowering his mandibles. He looks down, then between Tali and Wrex.

“It’s just… I heard Shepard talking with Kaiden this morning.”

Tali gently pats his shoulder.

“I take it you didn’t like what you heard? I didn’t think Kaiden was the sort to go after a woman like Shepard…they always seemed more like siblings to me.”

“No, it’s not like that. They were talking about ME.”

Wrex stretches his neck. “So they were gossiping. Hardly enough to warrant a reaction like this.”

Tali shoots him a look that permeates through the thick shielding of her helmet, then returns her gaze to Garrus. Immediately, Wrex puts his hands up and leans back against the wall.

“What were they saying, Garrus?”

“It was a little hard to make out from the elevator, but it sounded like Kaiden was teasing Shepard. I think I heard him say that she was up late thinking about me, but she pulled rank to shut him down. I… I think Shepard might have some feelings that I’m not sure I know how to handle.”

Wrex sighs and shakes his head. “I don’t know what’s so difficult about it. Just send a breeding request and be done with it.”

Tali shakes her head and retorts with fire in her voice, “Quiet Wrex. This is a delicate matter! Romance is an art form and needs to be handled with tact.” She returns to Garrus once again, having silenced their krogan counterpart. “Garrus, if you don’t want any advances, you don’t have to take them. You don’t need to entertain Shepard if you don’t feel the same way.”

“That’s the thing, Tali. I DO feel the same way. It’s…complicated. I’ve had relations before, but never a true relationship. I don’t even know how compatible turians and humans are. Tensions are still fairly high between our peoples and…”

Tali gently cups Garrus’s cheek, offering a reassuring smile just barely visible through the purple glass. “Garrus, love always finds a way. If you really feel that way, why not talk to her about it?”

Wrex lets out a disgruntled huff, looking off to the side indignantly. 

“I don’t see the fuss about it. You like her, she likes you. It sounds to me like a done deal. Quit your whining and get it over with already.”

“As much as I’d love to, I don’t even know that much about Shepard. I don’t know if we have the same interests, or hobbies… I don’t even really have any hobbies. I think this requires some careful research…”

Tali chuckles and relaxes beside him.

“If anyone can figure it out, it’s you. Don’t think too hard about it. The best way to get to know someone is to talk to them. Maybe get her a present. Every woman I know loves getting presents.”

“Alright, that sounds like a good place to start. But…what sort of gift do I even get? And where? Shepard doesn’t seem like the chocolate kind of person, and we hardly go anywhere pleasant enough to pick up something soft and cuddly.”

Wrex thinks a minute, remembering a conversation he had with their illustrious commander. At the same time, in near perfect unison, Tali joins in. 

“Shotguns,” the two say at the same time.

Wrex chuckles softly to himself.

“Shepard loves big shotguns. The bigger the better. Get her something with some kick to it.”

“Shotguns? Really? You’d think something like that would topple her over. She’s barely above five foot! Well…if you say so. I’ll keep my eyes open. Thanks, the both of you.”

Tali looks over to the elevator and nods her head.

“We’re your friends, Garrus. Of course we’ll help you through things.”

“Yeah yeah whatever,” Wrex shoots back, “whatever quiets your bellyaching.”

The elevator ascends, a clear indicator that someone was planning on coming down to the cargo bay. Garrus stands up again, patting himself off, then turns to the Mako to begin maintenance. He had a lot to think about.

[temperqnce]

Shakarian Heist-Fic

This is a small piece of a ridiculously long ME2 fic I've been keeping close to my chest and working on-and-off on for like. Ten years. This comes right after Garrus said something stupid on Purgatory (the for-profit ransom jail, not the club) that was insensitive considering her slavery-related PTSD (she has the colony background.) They worked it out. Next thing he knows, he's on a heist-date on Bekenstein, orchestrated by Kasumi. Shep's determined to mess with him a little while they're out. This is pre-relationship.

Please be nice, I have NEVER posted work publicly before!!!

Port Observation Deck

The door to the observation deck slid open and Garrus stepped inside. In front of him, the vastness of space glimmered with sparkling stars. To his right was a small, self-service bar and lounge - a civilian ship luxury, stocked with liquors of all colors in mostly regulation space-travel friendly cylinders. They were mostly levo drinks, friendly for most non-turian species, but a few were carefully separated and labeled dextro. He had come here once or twice before, to break the ice with some of the crew. Since Kasumi had moved in, she had taken over the left half of the room with tasteful displays of (mostly stolen) art and other personal effects, but there was still plenty of space to lounge and watch the stars go by. 

On the black corner couch in the middle of the room, Kasumi and the commander were chatting and having a few drinks. Shepard was on the half of the couch that faced the door. She was dressed down in some comfortable-looking civvies, and the two women seemed relaxed. Shepard had been intently listening to whatever Kasumi had been saying before Garrus entered the room. The two looked up at him and Shepard smiled brightly and stood. 

“Garrus! Thank you for coming by. We have a favor to ask of you. Come sit. I’ll get you a drink.”

“Anything for you, Commander,” he said, and obeyed, sitting next to Kasumi on the side of the couch facing the bar. 

Shepard came back shortly with an unfamiliar midnight-dark concoction that bubbled on the sides of a narrow-topped, spouted glass. “Jane. What is this?”

“Try it. I’ve been experimenting,” She said, looking a little devious as she sat back down.

“...Are you trying to kill me, Shepard? Is this revenge?”

“Of course not! Look, it’s just xin and Drossix, but with a sort of… Quarian twist. Trust me, okay?”

“Trust you? You haven’t even tried it. You couldn’t. This could actually kill you.”

“That’s an exaggeration,” Kasumi cut in. “She’d get indigestion, at worst. You know when they say ‘Drossix Blue makes human stomachs explode’ they just mean drunk assholes shitting themselves, right?” 

“...Right. Well, here goes nothing,” he said, and tossed back the drink in one gulp. Shepard’s eyes lit up, watching his face. The base of the cocktail was richly bitter and strong, but the bubbles popped tart and almost sweet on his tongue. The carbonation was dense, but the beverage went down smooth. He felt a light pleasant buzz hit the back of his brain. 

“Wow,” he said, setting the glass on the table. “That’s nice. When did you develop an interest in dextro bartending?” 

“Two of my closest friends are dextro, Garrus, it’s called cultural competence.” 

“Only one of those friends is a dextro that drinks.”

“Well… consider it me plying you for that favor.” 

“Right. You’ve liquored me up, now what do you two want with me?”

Kasumi and Shepard shared a conspiratorial look, and Kasumi nodded. The commander grinned at Garrus and asked,

“Do you wanna be my date on a heist?” 

Bekenstein

The self-driving cab descended, hovering ever closer to a huge compound taking up the edge of a dramatic cliff. The mansion at the center was made of tall glass walls and sweeping white curves. Spreading out around it were several warehouse facilities patterned almost like waves breaking away from the centerpiece. It was an incredible sight to behold as the sun crept towards the horizon and tinted the sky pink. The sunlight played gently on the mist that gathered over a vast and rocky canyon. Shepard was taking it in when Garrus grunted next to her. 

“Nice digs.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“Paid for in blood,” Kasumi darkly added in the seat behind them. “The rest of the compound is an arms manufacturing facility.” 

Kasumi had asked Shepard to help her infiltrate a party of high-class criminals. Hoarders of culture and art, elite mercenary bosses, corrupt politicians, arms dealers, the works. Their mission was to break into the vault belonging to the host and retrieve a greybox belonging to a fellow thief. From what Shepard could tell, Keiji had been Kasumi’s partner in crime as well as in life. The greybox contained his memories, and as if that weren’t precious enough, encrypted within them was some damning intelligence that could cause serious upheaval in the Alliance. Keiji had been killed and his memories stolen by the criminal and art mogul Donovan Hock. Shepard was going undercover as Alison Gunn, a mercenary alter ego designed and made almost real by Kasumi’s expert work online. 

“I still don’t know why you aren’t doing this with Jacob,” Garrus complained. “The two of you would probably make a more… believable couple.”

Kasumi snorted. “HAH. Doubt it. At best they would think he was her employee. At worst his domineering mother-in-law. Come on bud, you were a detective. Crime in Citadel Space is your thing.” 

The cab touched down in an empty roundabout in front of the main hall of the mansion. They were a tad late. The cab opened up, and Kasumi lithely hopped out. 

“Hey, I’m not old enough to be anybody’s mother-in-law!” Shepard called after her, adjusting the one bracelet she owned, a simple silver chain. She started to stand. “Trust me Garrus, this is better. Kasumi’s right, you have experience dealing with these types.” She climbed out of the cab the best she could in the dress Kasumi picked out for her. It was a black halter-top dress that showed off her muscular shoulders and back. It was entirely too clingy for ease of movement, accentuating the difference between her toned waist and her bulky thighs. “It also helps that you’re not borderline afraid of me.” 

Garrus laughed, climbing out after her. “Oh, but I am.”

“Are you?” She asked, amused. She turned to offer him a hand, and he took it, but with his long legs he was already out of the car. Instead he linked their elbows and gave her a wink. 

“Oh yes. You’re terrifying. Squishy, but terrifying.” 

“Squishy?”

“Let’s move, lovebirds!” Kasumi called. The art thief was standing next to a second car fiddling with her omni-tool. As she worked, the car opened and a large gold statue of the turian spectre and infamous legend Saren Arterius slid out on a hoverplate. “We still have to go over the plan one last time.” 

They huddled together around the gaudy statue. “This really is tasteless. I can’t believe he’s taking it,” Garrus commented. 

“After a certain point, wealth actually makes your taste infinitely worse,” Kasumi said matter-of-factly. “The richest of the rich have houses full of garbage. You’ll see once we get inside.” She grimaced. “Can’t put a price on your soul.” 

“So, Garrus and I go in as merc leader Alison Gunn and…” Shepard trailed off, at a loss. “What’s Garrus’ cover? He’s famous in his own right these days. And as cool as it would be to bring Archangel, he’s supposed to be dead.” 

“Oh, I’ve got a name for the big guy,” said Kasumi. “You’ll be attending as Altus Avaros. No cool background, you’re just a wife guy. Pure arm candy.” 

“I can do that,” said Garrus, addressing Kasumi but staring at Jane, who had doubled over in silent giggles, covering her mouth with her free hand. Kasumi grinned knowingly at Garrus’ confused stare. 

“Let’s just hope there aren’t a lot of guests like our girl that know both Palaven Standard and Latin.” 

“Do I wanna know?” Garrus asked while Shepard pulled herself together. Big bird. BIG BIRD. She wanted to tell him but she knew it would ruin it. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Kasumi smiled innocently. “You two are going to go in. Schmooze a little, but not too much. We don’t want people asking you too many questions or your aliases will fall apart. Then we locate the vault, find its weaknesses, and I’ll guide you through exploiting them. I’ll be with you, and scouting around the house unseen. The statue will smuggle our weapons and armor for when we get into the vault. You can keep your sidearms. They’ll probably expect you to.” 

After briefing, Kasumi vanished, leaving the pair to start up a set of stone stairs, hovering Saren statue in tow. 

“I still can’t believe you called me squishy,” Shepard jabbed, elbowing her date as they walked.

“Speaking of squishy, where are you hiding your pistol in a dress that tight?” 

She snorted. “I could show you, but then I’d have to kill you.” 

The interior of the mansion had an incredible view of the sunset given that the entire western wall was made of glass and crystal. The center of the main room had a water feature, a large but gentle fountain with benches nearby for sitting. To either side, roped off sets of spiral stairs, and beyond those, alcoves of priceless paintings and art. The host hadn’t shown himself yet and Kasumi was scoping out the vault entrance, so Garrus and Shepard browsed the exhibits. 

The two made thoughtful noises here and there as they walked slowly through the displays. Eventually, Shepard sighed.

“Is it just me,” she whispered, “or is this…?”

“The most bored you’ve ever been in your life?” Garrus leaned over to rumble in her ear. 

“Oh thank God. It’s not that I don’t like art, it’s just-”

“Hey, you don’t have to pretend to be cultured around me.” 

“Really though! Kas was right, this stuff is uniquely bad!” 

“You know, I bet it’s better with booze. Everything’s better with booze.” 

“Garrus, we shouldn’t. We’re on a-”

“My name is Altus, thank you, and I’m already walking away. Don’t go anywhere,” he said, and he was around the corner and out of sight. 

Shepard grumbled and sat down on a bench by a small fireplace. The fire was set into the wall opposite the paintings they were looking at, which also hosted shelves upon shelves of books and knick knacks. She was about to pick up a book when a pale human male with a jar-shaped head and the worst facial hair she’d ever seen sat down next to her. 

“Alison Gunn, I presume?” he said in a bizarre accent she couldn’t place, holding out his hand. Jane took it and smiled politely. 

“Yes, good to meet you, Mr…?”

“Hock. I am your host tonight,” He said smoothly. Instead of shaking her hand, Donovan Hock lifted her hand delicately and pressed it to his lips. Shepard’s stomach soured. “Are you enjoying the party thus far?” 

“I am, Mr. Hock. You have a breathtaking home,” Shepard did her best to maintain a level countenance as she took her hand back. If she could be cool under gunfire, this should be easy. Right?

“Please, call me Donovan, Ms. Gunn. And thank you for the compliment. I paid the architect three times his usual fee for his undivided attention and for dealing with participation on my part. I wanted it to reflect my tastes well,” He smiled slyly at Shepard. She felt her face start to traitorously wrinkle with disgust, and schooled it into something more like vague interest. “Come with me across the gallery for a moment, will you?” Hock continued. “I would like to show you something.” 

“This is good,” Kasumi chimed in Shepard’s earpiece. “I need a voice sample from him, it’s one of the keys to the vault. Keep him talking.” 

“Alright,” Jane said in reply to both, and she stood to follow Hock. 

Hock took her out of the northern gallery alcove and around to one of its outer walls facing the back windows. On a pedestal against the wall, was that… an old Earth optical disc? It was huge. Wider than Hock’s own massive head. 

“I admire your work, Ms. Gunn,” The man began, stepping uncomfortably close. “You keep the barbarians at bay. Those backward-thinkers that try - and always fail - to stop people like me from doing what is necessary to keep the world turning. You understand the value of my work. I appreciate that.” He gestured to the disc. “You see this? A relic of a bygone age. If it weren’t for people like us, making the right moves, making the difficult choices, doing the galaxy’s dirty work… humanity would be stuck in the dark ages. Swinging clubs and writhing in the mud.” He stepped aside and let the colorful, sparkling gradient of sunset light behind them shine on the reflective surface of the disc. 

“That was… an enlightening speech, Mr. Hock,” Shepard managed to say, turning back to the host. “And of course I agree. I appreciate that we, uh, share that understanding.” She forced herself to smile. 

“There is much I have to share with beautiful women, Ms. Gunn,” Hock said smoothly, sliding back into her personal space. Shepard felt her biotics flicker, her hand twitching and the back of her neck getting warm. She clenched her fist and-

“Heyyyy, honey, I got that drink you wanted!” Garrus said cheerfully, sliding one arm around Shepard’s waist and putting a champagne flute in her hand with the other. The maneuver effectively created a barrier on all sides of her body for a moment, and forced Hock to back up. Jane felt her building rage and tension soften. Trust Garrus to be a smooth operator, she thought, relieved. 

“Sorry, Shep,” Kasumi said in her ear. “I had to hold him back for just a second while I got the recording. But we’re good, so you guys can feel free to get Hock out of your hair.” 

The art mogul scowled, then schooled his expression and tilted his head up slightly as if to look down at the pair. If that were possible, given that Garrus was at least a whole head taller than him. 

“Mr. Hock, I appreciate you inviting my wife and I into your home tonight,” Garrus said warmly, pulling Shepard a little tighter into his side. “It’s a gorgeous place. We were just talking about how captivating the view is. You wouldn’t mind if I stole her away for a moment on the balcony…?” 

“Of course, please. I have other guests to attend,” Hock said coolly. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Gunn.” 

Shepard smiled as sweetly as she could at him, not trusting herself to speak, and let Garrus lead her down the hall and out the glass door to the wide balcony overlooking the canyon. An air highway crossing the canyon led directly into the sweeping skyline of Milgram, Bekenstein’s capital city. The buildings there were some of the tallest she’d ever seen outside of the Citadel.

Garrus let go of her waist once they reached the edge. They stood next to each other, not touching anymore but still close, resting their glasses and their arms on the thick balcony railing. They were quiet, taking in the view. Then,

“Sorry. For grabbing your waist.” 

Jane was surprised. “No need. It’s fine.” 

“No, I mean. It’s more normal for humans than it is for turians,” Garrus explained, an edge of nervousness to his voice. “We don’t really do… public displays of affection, even with partners or family. I had to sort of code-switch for a minute, and it’s fine surrounded by mostly humans. But… I would have been slapped, doing that back home. So. I feel like I need to apologize out of respect for you, even though… it doesn’t mean much to you. As a human.”

“Hmm,” Shepard said, thoughtful. It was endearing of Garrus to think so much about their cultural differences. He seemed to know a lot more about what was normal for her than she did for him. She would have to catch up. “I’m not sure what I should say.”

“You don’t have to say anything.” 

“I appreciate you. For stepping in. It was good timing.” 

Garrus chuckled softly. “Well… again, normally I wouldn’t do something like that. I know you’re capable of handling yourself. But normally you’d be able to hand a guy his ass with very few consequences.” 

“Yeah,” Shepard sighed. “I really wanted to do it.”

“Kick his ass?”

“Yeah.” 

“Me too,” he admitted ruefully. “Did you know I was top of my class for hand-to-hand combat in the academy? I bet he doesn’t know that.”

“Maybe he’ll get to find out later,” Shepard mused. “The night isn’t over yet.” 

“You’re right,” Garrus sighed. He tapped his glass with a talon. “You should drink this. It’s good.” 

“Your drink?”

“No. Our drink. We’re drinking the same thing.” Shepard had failed to notice that the pale, icy-green colored liquid was in both of their glasses.

“How is that-”

“It’s a newer kind of dual-chirality wine,” He explained. “Asari-made. Levo and dextro friendly, without the weird taste. I’ve been wanting to try it for a while, but it’s expensive, and, well, I didn’t want to do it alone. There was never a right moment.”

“But now, on this rich asshole’s dime…”

“Exactly.” 

Shepard touched her glass to his, a pleasant chime ringing over the vast canyon in front of them, then she took a slow sip, savoring the moment. It hit her tongue tart but settled dry, somehow both intense and impossibly light, like someone had taken an Earthen white wine and hit it with a particle accelerator. Whatever undoubtedly alien ingredients they used reminded her more of lychee and pear than of grapes. 

“Wow,” she said. “This is nice. I like it a lot.” 

“I’m glad. I’ll have to find some on the Citadel the next time we go.” 

“Thank you, Garrus. For this, and for earlier.”

“You know I’ve always got your back.” 

Static buzzed in Shepard’s ear. 

“You guys are gross. Married for all of five minutes and already making me puke,” Kasumi teased in their ears. “Get back inside, I got everything we need to get in the vault. It’s time to get suited up.” 

Jane felt a blush coming on. She left her glass on the balcony and grabbed Garrus’ hand, doing her best to twine their mismatched fingers together and pull him back indoors. They descended the stairs to the long hallway that led to the vault. 

“Hold on,” Garrus started, and they froze on the last step. “Guards coming down the other side.” Sure enough, Shepard saw the shadows of two armored men lingering at the top of the stairs at the other end of the hallway. A wicked idea fixed in her mind and she flashed a wide grin at her partner. 

“Oh, that’s easy,” she said, and with her left arm she tugged him down the last step while with her right she shoved him up against the wall. She got a rush of satisfaction at witnessing his shock and nervousness, his eyes wide and his hands up in disarmed surrender. “I know you just said turians don’t like PDA, but…”

“I’m sure I’ll survive,” he replied quickly with an urgent glance down the hall.  

How does one kiss a turian? Shepard mused, pressing up against him and elbowing his arms down. The guy doesn’t have lips. She supposed she’d have to improvise. Garrus settled his hands on her hips tentatively and she wrapped hers around the back of his neck, gently craning his neck so she could reach him. A mandible is like a jaw, right? A sensitive, more expressive part of a jaw? She placed soft kisses down the uninjured side, smiling at the panicked heartbeat she felt reverberating in his chest. What happened to Mr. Suave? She wondered, before finally pressing the first of a series of exploratory kisses on his mouthplates. Kissing turians won’t be necessary, she heard her own voice in the back of her mind say to Ashley in the Cargo Bay all those years ago. She was okay with being wrong. Not because she was into it, or anything, of course. Just to get under the usually cool and confident sniper’s skin. And by his reaction… shallow breathing, tightly fluttering mandibles, a high timbre in his chest that she could only describe as acute distress… she had succeeded. That was pure satisfaction. 

She was lost in figuring out how to describe what his very foreign mouth tasted like when she heard a cough from behind her. Garrus had apparently forgotten what they were doing all of this for, because he jumped a little and let go of her quickly, like a teen having been caught under the bleachers. That was fitting enough, though, and Jane stepped back, making a show of fixing herself up though he hadn’t done anything other than attempt to kiss her back and clamp onto her hips for dear life. 

The two Eclipse guards looked some combination of embarrassed and dumbstruck. Turian-human couples weren’t very common, for good reason. “Sorry for the uh, interruption, ma’am,” one of them said, flushing and not meeting her eyes. “Just - well. This hallway isn’t off-limits, per-se, but it’s not private, either. You might wanna… I mean. Mr. Hock’s estate is extensive, I’m sure staff could find you and your, uh, friend a room if you wanted.” 

Shepard gave the men her most devastating smile. “Thanks, boys. We’ll finish up here and probably head home.”

“Of course, ma’am,” the guard said, and quickly moved along, elbowing his partner to follow him.

When they were out of sight, Shepard turned back to Garrus, whose blue-flushed neck was slowly returning to normal along with his steady breathing. He glowered at her. 

“You enjoyed that a little too much, Commander.”

“Aww, was it really that bad?” Shepard pouted. 

The blush returned. “No! No, I, uh, well, it was, uh. Just. New,” he spluttered. “Different.”

“Calm down, big guy, I’m only teasing,” she laughed, and grabbed him by the elbow to pull him down to the vault door. 

She was going to have to thank Kasumi later. This was the most fun she’d had on a mission in a while. 

--------

Kasumi flipped backwards off Hock’s gunship and back down onto some shipping containers in the coolest feat of acrobatics Jane had ever seen.

“I do love a professional,” Garrus buzzed in her ear. She could hear the smile in his voice through the radio. Having disabled the ship’s shields, the only thing left to do was blow it out of the sky. 

Shepard pulled out her grenade launcher and crouched to load it. High on the landing pad but behind some crates, Kasumi made quick and precise shots with her pistol at the windows of the gunship, clearly going for Hock’s head. Garrus popped up from his spot on the opposite side of the platform from Shepard, shot a few strategically-aimed high-caliber rounds, then disappeared to reload. Shepard could hear them both muttering to themselves over the radio. 

“Take that, you bastard. I hope one of these lobotomizes you but keeps you alive so I can shoot you a few more times you sick fuck-”

“-turian design, weak points in the armor… here, here, and… here-”

Shepard looked up and hefted the grenade launcher to her shoulder. She waited for Hock to pause between his hail of bullets and the next round of pummeling rockets. She charged her shields, hoping to draw Hock’s attention. She popped up and rapid-fired, three grenades at once. She figured one or two of them might interrupt the barrage while the other snuck past. Garrus also popped up. Hock fired his missiles. But not at Shepard. 

“Shit-” Jane heard, and then Garrus’ radio cut out. 

-----

Garrus hit the ground. Hard. Something buzzed on the screen of his visor and his radio cut. Diagnostics told him he’d cracked a tiny part of the receiver - no big deal, he could weld that back together with his omni-tool. 

His combat HUD told him all three grenades Shepard sent off had hit the gunship square on. Kasumi cheered, loud enough that he’d picked it up without the aid of his radio. Safe now from rocket fire (thank the spirits) he sat up to take his visor off and quickly zap it back into shape. He thought he heard the commander yelling from pretty far away. Then suddenly she was right in his face. 

She’d lept over his cover and landed haphazardly beside him, then grabbed his shoulders with force that would have completely fucked his welding if he hadn’t had the presence of mind to stop. Her eyes were wild and her hands were shaking. Concerned, Garrus wrapped his hands around her elbows in what he hoped was a comforting grip. 

“Jane? What’s wrong?” He asked, thoroughly confused. 

“Rocket,” she said between heavy breaths from the dead sprint she must have been in. “You didn’t pop back up.”

Oh. 

“I’m fine,” he said, his subvocals coming out low and warm, the emotion stronger than he expected. He squeezed at the joint of her arms. “Just broke the receiver in my visor. I was fixing it.” 

She shoved him a little, clearly miffed, and knocked a fist against his armor. “You have at least two backup radios. What did I get you this stupid suit for? You and that damned visor.” She shook her head, but smiled as he pulled it out to finish the quick weld. 

“Guys! The Kodiak is almost here,” Kasumi called from above, leaning over the railing of the landing pad. “We probably want to get out as soon as we can.”

“Got it,” Shepard said while Garrus gave an affirmative hand signal, and the thief disappeared.

Garrus replaced his patched-up visor and re-connected to their combat frequency, then caught Jane’s arm before she started vaulting over the concrete barrier between them and the stairs. The playing-pretend part of the evening might have been long-since over, but he couldn’t forgive himself if he didn’t see the bit all the way through. 

“Before we go,” he said quickly to her surprised face, “I just… wanted to say thanks. This was fun.” 

The commander’s expression was caught between amusement and confusion, a small, open smile showing while her brows furrowed. She looked away from him, blinked a few times, then said, “Uh, yeah, it was, wasn’t it? I’m… glad.” She seemed to gather herself, then looked at him again, smiling in a more relaxed way this time. “I’d say we should do it again sometime, but…”

“What, get invited to a high-class criminal soiree, drink their booze, steal their shit, and blow it up? I’m game if you are.” 

“It’s a date,” she said, winking at him, then she slung herself over the concrete divider and hurried up the landing pad stairs. 

His heart was hammering, all of the sudden. 

It was just a joke. Wasn’t it? 

Shit. 

-------- 

Garrus found himself back where all of this had started, staring at the Normandy’s meager selection of dextro liquor and mixers in the starboard lounge. He was alone, thank the spirits. Shepard and Kasumi were debriefing in the commander’s cabin, deciding the fate of the greybox. 

He thought about trying to mix up what Jane had made for him before the mission, but he didn’t really have the presence of mind to recreate it properly. He poured himself a glass of straight xin and sat on the couch with a huff. 

Over and over again, his mind was replaying that moment on the stairs, right before they broke into the vault. He’d frozen up completely, as nervous as a fledgling boy. He was damned near thirty years old, he should have been able to do something. Anything at all. Shit, he’d wanted to. Run a hand through her hair. Pull one of her legs over his hip. Try to find where she’d hidden that gun… Just to be convincing. To the mercs who were watching. The patrolling mercs that he had forgotten about as soon as she started kissing him. 

The door behind him slid open and Kasumi walked in, silent as the grave. She placed her greybox on her desk gently and sat on the couch on her side of the room, pulling her legs up to her chest and resting her head on her knees. 

“You don’t have to leave,” she said as he started to get up. Her voice was calm. He rose to his feet anyway.

“I was going to ask if you wanted a drink,” he said, gesturing to his cup. She looked up at him and smiled faintly. 

“Pour me half a glass of that blue bottle up top, and fill the rest with the red juice in the fridge. I’m feeling like a party girl,” she said with a hiccuping laugh. Garrus couldn’t see her eyes under her hood, but he’d wager high creds that she was crying. 

He did as she asked and brought it to her, sitting down on the other side of the same couch. 

“Are you… alright?” he asked slowly. She took a few small sips from her glass before answering. 

“Yes. And no,” she said. “I’m keeping the greybox. It’s all I have left of Keiji. But… I don’t think the commander approves. It was a hard conversation.” 

Garrus nodded, staying quiet. He watched her wipe tears out from under her eyes. 

“She said it was my decision. But that Keiji wouldn’t have wanted me to have a target on my back for the rest of my life. That he’d have wanted me to live in reality and not in the past. She was right.” 

“She has a way of being right about things,” Garrus grumbled. “It’s pretty annoying.” 

Kasumi laughed again, sniffled a little. “I got pissed at her anyway. I yelled. What does she know about what Keiji would have wanted? She doesn’t know him like I do. Nobody does,” she shook her head. “But she didn’t even get mad. She just gave me a hug and let me cry. She said she wouldn’t judge my choices. But I don’t know, Gare. It just… feels so wrong, to disappoint her. She’s so…” she trailed off, at a loss for words. 

“I know,” Garrus said, setting his glass on the table. He leaned towards her a little, trying to see if he could catch the shine of her eyes. “Look, I’m not the best guy for this kind of advice. You know where loss sent me. But it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. That’s something I’m… learning lately,” he admitted gruffly. “Give yourself some time. Keep it for now. But with the intention of saying goodbye,” he watched her nod slowly, clutching her glass with two hands and rubbing her knuckles for comfort. “Work your way towards being able to let it go, and then… I dunno. Blow it up over an ocean, or something. Jettison it into a star. Make it special.” 

Kasumi smiled at him warmly. “Thanks Garrus. That sounds… nice. I’ll think about it.” She swung her legs to the floor and set her glass on the low table in front of her. 

“No thanks necessary. A turian lives to serve.”

She snorted and leaned back, crossing her arms. “Right, sure. If we’re keeping score, you owed me, anyway.” 

“How so?” Garrus asked, tilting his head curiously.

“Who do you think suggested you come with us?” She grinned devilishly. “After you shoved your foot in your mouth on Purgatory I thought maybe you could use a chance to get back in the lady’s good graces.” 

Garrus’ jaw dropped. “Uh,” he scrambled, “Kas, we’re not, I’m not, uh,” Shit. Fuck. Shit.

“Could you hear the noises the giant bug orchestra in your chest was making when Hock was all over her? And when she was all over you?” 

“You could hear that?” He asked, panicked. Most humans could tell something was playing underneath a turian’s primary vocals, but rarely could discern the difference between one tone and another. Their hearing was simply not sharp enough, their brains untrained to identify the nuances. It was something turians could often use to their advantage in interspecies engagement: a facade of emotional detachment was useful in negotiations of all kinds. 

“I’m the best thief in the galaxy, Vakarian. I’ve got a few upgrades. Understanding how people feel is important in any kind of undercover work… as you know, detective.” There was an impish sparkle to her countenance that Garrus resented. There went the one advantage to being the only turian on this ship. 

“The commander has a… a partner,” Garrus insisted, echoing the language Shepard used in their conversation on the Citadel. “He’s my friend, too. I’m not interested in getting mixed up in that. You can read whatever you want into my interactions with her, but we’re just friends. She’s important to me. I’m loyal to her. She’s… frustrating, sometimes. That’s all.” He hoped that was convincing enough. He wasn’t sure which one of them he was trying to convince the most. 

“Sure, Gare,” Kasumi said slyly. “Whatever you say. I’ll keep your little secret. But I don’t think it needs to be kept.” 

Garrus was about to ask what she meant when the door to the room slid open and Shepard stumbled in out of breath. He stood quickly, almost dropping his drink. 

“Jane. What’s happening?” 

“Another colony is being hit. Now. I just set a course,” she gasped for breath, then locked gazes with him, her eyes filled with fear. “Garrus. It’s Kaidan.”

~~~~~~~~~ That's the end folks. Someday maybe in another ten years I'll post more lmao

[that-wildwolf]

how does fanon get Shakarian wrong? 👀👀

*inhales*

I'm gonna start off by saying that I'm a turianfucker too and turians are hot and I get the thirst I get y'all

BUT

too many people are attracted to turians and want a turian romance so badly that they ignore Garrus's entire character for the sake of getting a turian romance and just basically strip him down to nothing but his species. People who are into turians and have a primal kink or something, which like. I also get I'm a monsterfucker too that's fun. are also projecting too much of that kink onto turians and Garrus specifically because Garrus is just unlucky enough to be the romance option. People write a generic alien/human relationship while ignoring most of what the Shakarian dynamic looks like in canon because. Well I actually don't know why. But the amount of turian/human fics, and yes, Shakarian too, that include some kind of "turians are a bit feral or actually aggressive/possessive" take is terrifying. Have we played the same games? Turians are literally described over and over as uptight having a stick in their ass sticklers for the rules. Garrus is an awkward nerd who doesn't know how to flirt with his girlfriend. Even when he he does the evil he does it in the most rule-obedient way possible. He's a mess and he relies on Shepard a bit too much especially in the first two games. This man is NOT the growly dominant alien character insert you want him to be I'm sorry. Turians have 15,000 more years of civilisation than humans. They are not going to be feral creatures just because they have sharper teeth. The human would be the primitive uncivilised alien in a turian/human relationship if you need someone to fill that role (also, why would you?).

Not to mention Shepard being treated as a self-insert which is. well it is a lot more forgivable in my eyes, but even as an RPG PC, Shepard still has a lot of distinct character. I think this is the first time since playing The Walking Dead that I've seen a player character with such a strong personality despite the genre forcing her to be different things.

To be fair I think a lot of the problems with fanon characterization of not only Shakarian but pretty much everyone who gets commonly mischaracterized (look at the woobification of Tali) could be fixed by regularly checking back in with the source material instead of, which I understand and can also be guilty of sometimes, immersing yourself in more and more layers of fanfic until you can't tell apart the fanon Shakarian from the canon Shakarian.

Dishonourable mentions (things that aren't common bad fandom practice but bother me personally): sub Shepard and actually worse yet dom Garrus, any AU where Garrus is a human (like??? lmao. his entire personality and conflict is driven by him being a turian, that is so central to his character that I can't imagine why you would take that away and think that's the same person), Shakarian retiring to the beach (Garrus said tropical. He didn't say beach. He hates swimming he would drown save him)

Also obviously this should go without saying, but there are TONS of great fanfics about Shakarian out there. This is just a list of what people get wrong that I wrote in like ten minutes on my phone sitting on the floor in my kitchen. It's not some magic truth scroll of fandom transgressions. Also obviously everyone is free to interpret fictional characters however they want even if it's different from the source material. Sometimes ignoring canon is better, trust me. Do whatever you want and don't let me spoil your fandom experience for you.

But yeah

TL;DR: I think that Shakarian and Garrus in particular suffers a lot from Garrus being the only turian romance in the games.

[mlm-writer]

Survival First, Mourning Later (Tiran Kandros x GN!Reader)

Pairing:  Tiran Kandros x Gender Neutral Reader (relationship unspecified) Rating: Mature Words: 1753 POV: Second Summary: The Big Tober Day 15 - Last Words Note: Ssshhh I am totally not behind. Also all other characters are my OCs. Enjoy them. Tags: Major character death, explicit violence, action, gunfights with the Remnant and reader and Kandros are at least on physical touch level comfortable with each other.

You had a bad feeling the moment you stepped into the Renmant building, like a bug crawling over your bones. The metal vibrated under your feet, making you feel like the whole structure was alive. Maybe it was; you never knew with these damned robots. It had been eerily quiet, like there was no life after all. Kandros led the team of 6, including you and himself. You expected to find the scientists you were looking for dead, but director Tann was hopeful. Well, he pretended to be hopeful. You all knew he just did not want to admit he sent some scientists to their death.

“Can’t we just kill the fuckers above ground and steal their batteries? The things are ancient, so I bet we could power the Nexus with them for decades,” Logus Daemus whispered over the comm. It was a funny idea, but no one laughed, because no one was sure if Logus was serious or not. The Turian was a great shot, but his brawn was with a 100% certainty meant to compensate for his brain.

“And if we manage to find out what they charge those batteries with, the Nexus could be set forever,” Lalia Daemus mused. Being his sister, she really was the only one who could talk logic into the man without angering him.

“Quiet,” Kandros hissed. He was not against chatter, so when he said it, everyone froze. Surely, in the distance, one could hear the tell tale sounds of Remnant at work. Your grip on your weapon tightened. “Let’s try to avoid a fight,” Kandros whispered as he put a hand on your arm, making you relax. You couldn’t see his face well through his visor, but even without his eyes, he could make you feel more at ease. Kandros nodded towards a smaller hallway that led away from where the Remnant could be heard.

You followed Kandros close by, the rest of your team tailing behind you. Dai Lian was almost fused with your rear. You wondered why he was brought along. He was comfortable fighting exiles and Kett, but you knew the Remnant freaked him out. It was not like his biotics didn’t work against the Remnant, but you supposed he had some history with the Geth.

All went well, the hallway quiet, until Yalona, who was the tail of your group, stepped on something. She could feel it shift under her foot. Immediately, red lights surrounded you and a deep sound that reminded you of an alarm echoed through the hallway. “Get to cover!” Kandros hollered. There were some metal half-walls in the hallway. You took Dai Lian’s hand and dragged him with you to the shortest one. Being the only humans, you two were the smallest ones in the squad. To your left, Logus and Lalia were hiding behind a slightly taller half-wall. Behind you, Kandros and Yalona were watching your six. You heard Kandros shoot, before you saw the first Assembler turn around the corner from where you just came.

Your assault rifle vibrated in your hands as you fought - quite literally - for your life. Dai Lian made sure they didn’t get close, pushing them away or slowing them down with his biotics. “Need some backup over here,” Kandros’ voice came over the com.

“Logus, Lalia, I’m leaving Dai Lian here for support. Gonna help Kandros and Yalona.” The Turian siblings confirmed they heard you and you bolted out of cover to Kandros’ little half-wall. You didn’t really fit behind it with Yalona there too, especially not now the Salarian’s tech armour was making her bulkier. The way you were going got swarmed by Remnant. You shot the Breachers out of the air, the continuous stream leaving very little room to actually attack the Assemblers creating them.

“Running out of heatclips here,” Logus warned over the com. One moment you heard him. The next moment, there was a heavy explosion behind you. You allowed yourself a quick look over your shoulder. There were three Nullifiers lined up. Logus and Lalia would’ve been dead, were it not for Dai Lian’s quick reflexes. Lalia demanded Kandros to call for a retreat. You knew he knew, but just like everyone else, you were aware that you were surrounded.

“Yalona, do you see any shafts leading away from here?” Kandros yelled over the com as he finally managed to get rid of one of the Assemblers. Yalona had barely a word out, when she got interrupted by another heavy explosion behind you. You heard a brief scream over the com, but it was cut short. It was followed by a woeful cry from Dai Lian.

You turned your head just far enough to see the gaping hole in the floor where once Logus and Lalia were hiding. “Kandros, five ‘o clock, the Nullifiers shot a hole through the floor,” you called as you focused your gaze forward again to quickly shoot an Observer down.

“We escape through it, now!” You did not need to be told twice. You were bolting, picking up Dai Lian on the way and tumbling down the hole face first. You rolled onto your back and pointed your assault rifle up. Kandros was right behind you, dragging Yalona in much the same way you had dragged Dai Lian with you. Behind Kandros, you could see a Breacher trying to follow him. You shot it down, before it could hurt anyone. “Get up, we gotta run.” Kandros ordered as he pulled you to your feet. Dai Lian was already on his feet, moving a large crate with his biotics. He plugged the hole with it. You ran right behind Kandros, a second later realising Yalona was not catching up.

“Kandros! Yalona is injured.” The Turian paused and then ran back past you. He swung the Salarian over his shoulders with ease. Yalona muttered some thank yous, but did not say much else. That should’ve been a bad sign, but you were too occupied with finding a safe haven to think about it. “If the rest of the structure is like this, let’s count our scientists as dead. We already lost two people…”

“I know!” Kandros snapped at you. “We get out and we’ll retrieve the bodies, when we got backup.” You were unsure if he meant those of the scientists or those of the siblings. The latter were destroyed to nothing but ash, but Kandros probably could not accept that right away. You noticed how quiet Dai Lian was. When you looked over, he had tears in his eyes.

Kandros paused when he heard more Remnant approaching ahead of you. You spotted a side room and signalled everyone to get in. Yalona managed to hack the door in time and lock it behind you. She leaned against the wall next to the door, where Kandros was listening to what was going on in the hallway. You were in the back with Dai Lian; he sat on a crate, while you were crouched in front of him, one of your hands rubbing his knee. “I couldn’t protect them,” the other human whispered. He was trying hard not to cry, but even you couldn’t imagine the survivor's guilt he was feeling. “If I was just…”

You shushed him and leaned up to give him a hug. “We can’t have you spiralling right now. Survival first, mourning later,” you whispered to him. He sniffed into your shoulder, before giving you a small hum that indicated that he understood. After a brief moment, you let go of your fellow agent. You looked over your shoulder at Kandros and Yalona. You narrowed your eyes at the Salarian. She was slumped over, but no longer gasping for breath. “Yalona?” You closed the distance between you, but before you could touch her, Kandros had caught your wrist midair.

“She’s gone,” he whispered, ear still against the door and eyes avoiding yours. You swallowed a lump in your throat. You sighed and pulled your hand free, repeating the word you just told Dai Lian in your head for yourself. Survival first, mourning later.

You put Yalona in what looked like a more comfortable position; it was all you could do for her now. You made her a promise in your head. You would come back for her body. When you had the manpower, she would get her proper funeral. You were pulled from your thoughts by Dai Lian calling out your name. You got to your feet and turned to him. “Think we can make it through here?” Dai Lian asked as he revealed a grid that was hidden behind the crate he sat on earlier. With his biotics, he ripped the grid off. You crouched down next to him, looking at the shaft behind the grid.

“We will, but no way a full-grown Turian would fit thr…” You were cut off by the sound of lasers and explosions. The door rattled, the metal creaking under the onslaught.

“Go! I will hold them off your back for as long as I can.” Kandros ordered as he made sure his weapon had a fresh heatclip inside. You tried to argue with him, but even you knew the options were all dying here or you and Dai Lian possibly making it out of here alive. When the door started to crumble, you pushed Dai Lian into the shaft, following close by. “See you in the next adventure!” Kandros called after you. You liked to pretend those words were the last thing you heard from him. Everything you heard after that made you wanna turn around, but you couldn’t. Survival first, mourning later.

You and Dai Lian made it out, barely. You ran to the shuttle covered in machine fluid and blood from both you and Dai Lian. When you came back, some other big shot took over for Kandros, but no amount of respectable record could replace the man you trusted with your life. Especially not when said big shot refused to dispatch an APEX squad to retrieve the bodies. ‘Waste of resources’ your ass.

Eventually it was Ryder who went back in with a horde of volunteers from the APEX squads and their own team. Kandros just meant that much to the people he led. They found Kandros and Yalona, but there was nothing left of the Daemus siblings. Seeing his body was hard, but it was thanks to him that you were even there to see it. You survived that day and now came the time of later…

—————

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[rp-partnerfinder]

💫 22nb looking for a 20+ partner! i’m interested in an oc+oc monster and/or alien romance role-play, preferably with queer themes [queer by human standards, at least]. we’d both play non-human characters of two different species, inexplicably drawn together and trying to make a relationship work despite their differences.

★ discord only. ★ semi-literate to literate length. ★ okay with nsfw but not required. i prefer writing as submissive-leaning characters. ★ okay with some dead dove themes [ask]. ★ can do multiple pairings/plot lines if we come up with more than one that we want to do. ★ some examples of monsters/aliens i’m interested in [none of the characters have to be any of these specifically, just want to give an idea of what kinds i like]: turians and salarians from mass effect, mind flayers from dnd, venom from marvel, clown monsters, eldritch beings, demons, vampires, werecreatures, robots, and angels. ★ while it would be a romance-centered plot, i tend to prefer there to be an overarching story of some kind, to keep things moving consistently. themes i enjoy include action, horror, sci-fi, and fantasy.

if you’d like, check out the pinned post my profile to view further details about me as a role-player. dm me if you’re interested!

.