Mass Effect 1. Habits are Hard to Break

_Shakarian - A promt from masskink. Shepard gets into the habit of using Garrus hips as an armrest. Complete. Short oneshot._

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**_EDIT: _**_Due to popular demands (lets face it, I'm a pushover. Ask and you shall receive!) There is a part 2. All smut. (**Warning:** Chapter 2 contains **Explicit +18 Sexual Content.** If that is not your cup of tea then stay clear of that chapter. Chapter 1 stands well on it's own either way.)**  
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There was this thing. It wasn't really a big deal, not really, but still, it was weird. Or at least he thought so. Maybe it wasn't so strange among humans? He had never seen anyone else do it, but he hadn't seen _that_ many humans. Okay so he had been working on the Citadel for a few years. Working with and around the soft skinned species every day. Still though, maybe it was something they did back on earth?

Or maybe it was just Shepard. He had noticed she was kind of special, even for a human.

The first time it happened he almost jumped out of his skin. It was right after a particularly bad battle before they left Menae. They were all out of sorts, their armor smudged with dirt and blood, their breath labored. Shepard had taken a bad beating in one of her sides when a tank were torn asunder from a Reaper beam and some of the scraps had knocked her flat on her back. It had taken both Garrus, Vega and two krogan soldiers that happened to pass by to get the thing off her. They had tried to convince her to retreat to base, but Shepard was Shepard and wouldn't hear of it.

That was the only reason Garrus didn't recoil when he felt her elbow shift in and fit snugly on top of his right hip bone. His armor pressed on his under suit below her arm and the soft fabric rubbed deliciously against his sensitive skin there. It sent pleasant tingles throughout his body and he forced down a very turian sounding rumble in his throat. His commander needed to relieve the pressure on her torso, no doubt. He wouldn't be the man to deny her something that would make her hard life a little easier, however temporary.

Still, it was awkward. Even Vega gave him a look. So maybe it was just Shepard being weird after all. The weird did not reach really bad levels until the newly appointed Primarch Victus entered the small prefab they were gathered in.

He stopped flat when he saw them, his eyes expanding slightly, a huff escaping his nose. Maybe humans weren't aware of the... sensitive nature of turian hips, but he was. Garrus crossed his arms in front of his chest and coughed awkwardly.

"So..." he started, trying to play it off as no big deal. "How are things going out there?" His lower vocals only vibrated a little off key as he tried to implore the turian leader to not comment on this strange human behavior.

To his relief the dark turian quickly collected his cool and started to brief them on the situation since they had left the battle field.

Garrus didn't think much more about it for the longest time. Brushing it off as one of those once in a lifetime strange occurrences. He joined his long lost Commander on the Normandy and together they continued their strife against the Reapers, just like old times. He got to know the new crew and squad as they traveled between the stars and despite the war they fell into a comfortable rhythm on the ship.

But then it happened again.

The Normandy was taking another travel in FTL speed across the 'verse and there wasn't much to do for the squad when they had taken care of their daily chores. They got into the habit of gathering in the mess. Some drinking coffee, tea or what have they, while talking, trying to get the hours to go by before their next brush with death. Some would play cards while others bragged about their different adventures. Anything to take their mind off the war.

Garrus just laughed at one of Vega's alleged escapades while he poured himself another cup of dextro-coffee. As he stood behind Tali's chair listening to the rest of the preposterous story an arm snuck in and placed itself in the crook where his hip met his waist. He was completely unprepared for it this time and a deep rumble you wouldn't hear outside a turian couple's bedroom rose from his chest as he started. His fringe blew up slightly and the mug with hot liquid slipped out of his grip and fell, shattering to the floor.

The room quieted for a moment as every pair of alien eyes turned to look at him. He was glad turians couldn't blush.

"How's it going there, Vakarian?" Vega wondered as Garrus bent down on the floor to pick up the pieces of his broken mug. He tried his damnedest to ignore the smug hint in his voice.

"I'm sorry Garrus," Shepard said and went down with him to help with the cleanup. "I didn't mean to startle you. I didn't even know turians could be startled. Aren't they supposed to be some kind of apex predator or something?" There was a laugh somewhere there under her breath.

"No I..." Garrus stuttered but didn't have any clue how to explain it to her. "I..." Then he just gruffed out some air through his nose as some of his gathered comrades laughed at him. Yeah, he was definitively glad turians couldn't blush.

When the mess on the floor was cleaned up he retreated back to his guns. Muttering under his breath about calibrations. He had noticed no one argued or tried to follow him when he used that word.

What the hell? Once could have been an accident, two was suspicious... He shook his head and pushed the thought of the pleasant feeling out of his mind. Garrus had no reason to think the Commander had any idea how the turian pleasure points worked. Filling his head with numbers and algorithms he went back to work.

Third time's the charm they say. If two times was suspicious, three times was a pattern. The third time was also a time were Garrus didn't exactly have all of his faculties accounted for.

They spent a short shore leave between missions on the Citadel and almost all of the crewmen on Normandy had taken their escape to Purgatory, the popular dance club. Garrus was leaning against the wall next to the bar, peacefully minding his own business. Watching the people writhe around the dance floor while sipping his third drink of the evening. When his red headed Commander decides this to be a good time to strut over to him and lean in on his hip once again.

He knew it was an easily available spot to place your elbow for the shorter human, and his jutting hips might look almost made to lounge against. But it didn't make him any favors. It had been long, way to long, since he had seen any action with a woman. He'd been busy dodging bullets and kicking ass the last couple of years to really have time for any such thing. Especially since he seemed to end up around humans with their strict rules about fraternization.

So maybe he was a bit more sensitive than he should have been. Maybe he was a bit too long gone into his drinks to think clearly. Maybe his long time friend smelled a little too good to resist. Whatever the case he let out a rumbling moan when she rubbed her elbow over his hip and looked down at her, a fire building in his gut.

"Only do that if you mean it," he said, casting his voice even lower than usual.

She gave him a confounded look. But before she had the time to object or say anything at all he had gripped her arm and dragged her out onto the dance floor. Shepard must have been a bit into her own drinks since she didn't give up much of a struggle. His big stature made it easy to force their way through the sea of people and when he found a good spot he pulled her close, placing his hands on her waist.

Her finely defined muscles moved tauntingly under her snugly fitted dress and made Garrus rumble deep in his chest. She smiled up at him, her thin fingers tracing his collar and the heat from her body only threw more kindle to the fire in his belly. He felt her heart start to beat a bit faster as he leaned in and, without actually touching her, nuzzled her neck. A delicious scent started to drift up from her impossibly thin, pale skin. So she was responding to him, Garrus had been around humans long enough to know the signs of arousal. The thought of the strong woman, Commander and friend being turned on by him made his own plates start to loosen.

He danced with her, tightly gripping her hips, enjoying her slow movements against his body, for as long as he could stand it. Gradually he started to push her through the crowd again. Back, always back, until they were met with a wall. The breath caught in Shepard's throat and her body tensed for a moment. Garrus was way past the point of caring. All he could feel or hear was her racing heart and her fingers snaking around his neck. He pressed himself against her, pinning her to the wall. Letting his hands explore her alien curves. When his course fingers met the naked skin on her thigh he lingered. He could never have imagined it being so soft. He had never touched her without his gloves on before, and then only to pull her out of the way of a bullet to the head. Or to drag her body into cover when she had taken a particularly bad hit. This was totally different.

Garrus nuzzled her neck again, this time letting his mouth plates scrape her skin. He drew a deep breath of her hair. She smelled fantastic. Like warm summer days on Palaven after rain.

Two small hands pressed against his chest. It forced him to come back from the land of Shepard and it's uninterrupted smooth valleys and hills for a moment.

Green, questing eyes met him.

"What... uhm... Garrus?" Shepard's cheeks took on a rose red hue and he couldn't resist thinking she looked even more appealing now.

"Yeah?" he said, the back of a sharp talon traveling down the flushed cheek, trailing along her jaw and continuing down over her neck. She shivered and closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying his touch.

"What are you..." she continued when she opened her eyes again. He read confusion in them, confusion but also desire, maybe insecurity. He would assure her.

"Well, you started it," he rumbled next to her head, light as a feather he let his nose touch the curve of her ear.

"What do you mean?" Shepard's voice sounded distracted. He took that as a good sign.

Garrus gripped her arms and ran his hands down to her wrists. He placed her hands on his waist and squeezed them slightly, enjoying the feel of her five fingers massaging him. The slightest of moans escaped him that she probably would have missed if they hadn't been so close.

A grin spread on his lips as comprehension slowly dawned in her face.

"But... so you mean... That... You... But..." Her eyes were blown wide, her mouth slightly agape.

Garrus had never seen her stuttering before. He found he liked it.

"You're such a tease," he said meeting her green forest dreams. Letting the fire inside of him pour down in her.

"I didn't know..." she started, still a bit befuddled, but she had started to gather her wits again. Nothing kept her unbalanced for long. Not Shepard.

"I know," Garrus grinned. "Still though..." He tilted his head to one side, going for an innocent look. "If you wanted to take this party somewhere... less public." He deepened his lower harmonics and squeezed her thigh almost unnoticeable. Shepard let out a short gasp. "I wouldn't complain."

"I'm not sure if..." she mumbled hesitantly, but Garrus interrupted her by leaning in on her again, one elbow against the wall behind her. He would have none of that.

Somewhere far back in his head the voice of reason, the voice that wasn't intoxicated with her smell or alcohol. Suggested that maybe she was right. That tomorrow would be very awkward if he slept with his closest friend and Commanding Officer.

That voice was but a distant buzz as his entire focus lay on her lips inches from his own. Her bated breath came in short puffs between her slightly parted lips and her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. Or maybe it was his heart? He couldn't tell any longer. When her wet, red tongue darted out for a fraction of a second he felt the fragile wall still between them break and he captured her mouth with his.

Shepard's lips were so, so soft against his and when he carefully touched his tongue against hers he managed to draw a moan out of her. His body burned. Yeah, this would not end here tonight.


	2. In the Light of His Visor

**_Warning_**_: The following chapter contains **Explicit +18 Sexual Content**. So if that is not your cup of tea, stay clear!_

.-oOo-.

There had been a consensus, he was sure of it. There had been... right? Yes, there must have been. The way Shepard was tugging and tearing at his clothes spoke volumes.

The kiss had sped this up two notches, and when they finally came up for air none of them wanted to wait any longer. Absolutely not all the way back to the ship. It had ended in Garrus hacking one of the doors in the back corridor. The lock clicked and the woman almost threw herself at him. They tumbled into the room, limbs tangled in each other, when the door opened. His brain only vaguely acknowledged that it was some kind of storage room. On any other day he would have laughed at the notion that he would find himself in a red light bar ready to all but ravage his Commander. If someone then had told him that it would happen in a equipments shed to boot... A wrinkled nose would have been the least of his reactions. It would probably have ended up with the one suggesting it leaving with a bloody nose too. Right now, though, he didn't care. Oh Spirits he didn't care.

Not when she smelled so good and her soft, but at the same time strong hands was quickly undoing his tunic. He reluctantly tore his mouth from her lips for a second to look down to find the sipper on her dress, desperate for more skin contact. When the door shut behind them the only light source in the room was his visor and her pale skin looked almost luminescent in the blue sheen. He could clearly make out the blue veins under it. It reminded him of a fruit back on Palaven with so delicate skin the fruit would pop open and pour out its abundant juices from the slightest prick. Would she? The thought made him moan as his body shuddered in anticipation. Somehow her deceptive frailty only made him want her more.

His tunic was thrown somewhere into the dark where he probably would never find it again. Her hands trailed down his chest, taking in the thick skin and plates through touch alone. Thin fingertips digging into strong muscle and as they found his waist he captured her mouth again and forced her into the nearest wall. He finally got her dress down from her shoulders.

Humans might not have been a part of the galactic community for long. But Garrus had served on a human ship long enough to know the basics of their anatomy. It wasn't as though he had never seen her body before. Combat situations didn't allow for timidity among comrades. He had seen her skin torn up and bloodied. He had wrapped her torso in bandages and compresses enough times to know what to expect. Besides, the first Normandy had been a small military issued vessel and men and women alike had shared the showers.

He had however never caressed her breast before. Her breath had never hitched and sent a vibrating moan into his mouth, and Shepard had certainly never gripped him like her life depended on it and pressed her chest into his hand.

It did things for him, to him. His hands almost shook in urgency as he dipped one of them down to her thigh. There Garrus quickly found the dress hem and snaked in under the tightly fitted fabric, enjoying the trembling of her muscles as he went. His plates were splayed wide by now and when he found her want there between her legs he felt himself emerge. There was no thought to it, only primal instinct. Hiking her up with strong arms, pushing himself against her. Tugging her dress up and letting it gather around her waist. Her legs wrapped around his middle, putting delicious preasure on his soft skin.

A high pitched cry left her lips and she trailed them down his cheek, over his mandible, sliding that soft tongue out as she went. His hips started rubbing against her on their own accord, his pants uncomfortably tight. Garrus almost went to open them on his own when her hands dipped down and did it for him. Finally it was free and now only her flimsy underwear stood between them.

There was a groan and a rumble when her lips found the sensitive skin just beneath his jawbone. Confident in Shepard's strong legs around him he dared a hand into her panties. Wet, glorious and soft and she cried out again when his fingers started to explore her, her voice trembling. Taking the out most care with his talons he watched her face closely as she tilted her head back against the wall. A long, slender neck with almost translucent skin, her pulse beating rapidly. Yeah, there was no way he could resist that.

Tongue, lips and teeth nipped and caressed up and down it, pulling more whimpering sounds from her. He loved her like this, all at his mercy, begging with her body for him. He wanted to bite down, wanted to pierce her tender skin and feel her red juice against his tongue. Just like the fruit back on his home planet. But he wasn't sure she would appreciate it and he'd be damned if he screwed this up now.

His body was all hot and instinct and he needed her. Needed her like he couldn't remember ever needing anyone before. He must have, right? Must have wanted someone like this before. But no occurrence came to mind. Not that he put much energy into remembering. Not when he had her, Shepard, the hero of the Citadel and the bane of all Reapers at his fingertips. Bent and pliable and willing...

Spirits he needed her, right now. The hand he had down her trousers bent around and a sharp talon ripped the offending fabric like it was water. That drew a laughter out of her, no... it was more of a giggle. A giggle! From the Commander. That was something new. Apparently this evening was full of surprises.

"Damn it, Garrus," she said, grabbed his neck and made him look at her. The mischievous look in her eyes obvious. "Now I have to go back to the ship without underwear." A grin hinted on her lips.

"Are you complaining?" he asked huskily. He knew his voice could drive the ladies crazy, he had used it successfully before. As he spoke he dipped one of his fingers carefully into her.

Eyelids closed around green forests for a moment and a needy moan danced over red soft lips. When she opened them there was a fire burning in them.

"No," she said, her voice no louder than a whisper.

Mandibles were flexing as Garrus grinned and without breaking eye contact he guided himself to her willing body. A thrust with his hips later and they were both made undone.

"Fuck," he moaned, holding himself in. Spirits she felt so good. All warm and tight and molding against him. He almost didn't know what to do with himself. So he held still for a moment, breathing heavily. If it kept up like this, this wouldn't last long. Why had he never been with a human before? This was amazing.

"Yeah, you're not saying," Shepard joined in and caught up to his speeding breaths.

Garrus buried his face into the crook of her neck and slowly started to move against her. It was all he could do to not fall over the edge. He felt her strong fingers trace the scales on his neck, scratching now and then with her silly little nails down over them. Her ragged breaths rasped through her throat right next to his ear and he dared to push a little deeper into her. He felt her pulse quicken again against his cheek, so he repeated his movements.

Fingers found the thick plating on the back of his neck. They trailed up, up and he felt his body tense in anticipation. He had no reason to think that she would know how sensitive the underside of the turian fringe was by the root. But perhaps it was an instinctual thing. He had seen human couples run their fingers through their beloved's hair on the Citadel. Now Shepard was doing the same to the turian equivalency and he had to put his teeth against her throat to not call out aloud. Sure they hadn't exactly been quiet so far, but why push their luck?

"You like that?" she breathed in his ear and her breath rushed warm over his skin. She dragged her nails against that glorious spot.

When Garrus picked up his pace and slammed into her hard once the smugness in her voice was mixed with pleasure.

"Harder," he grunted and repeated the motion. She did too.

The urgency in his body built again and at one point he was almost afraid he was hurting her. His talons digging into her thighs, holding her up against the wall. His hips slamming into her again and again to draw more pleasure from the friction he found within her. By the look and sound of her, she wasn't objecting though. Her fingers kept massaging that spot, now and again digging her small nails into it. Her body rocking back to meet his every thrust. Her red hair was moving with their movement and she was breathing hard between gritted teeth. But he wanted more.

Between one forceful push and the next, one of his hands gripped her knee. He bent her leg in against her body, giving him even better opportunity to go in deep. With the next thrust she screamed. Shepard threw her head back, her eyes and mouth open. Her fingers dug into that spot beneath his fringe pulling a gravely groan that ended in a roar from him. Fucking hell! He had found something in there that pushed just right at his tip. His muscles trembled with pleasure as he repeated the motion, the fire in his gut building into an inferno. He felt it move and spread up through him and a few thrusts later all the muscles in his body cramped down. Garrus wasn't sure any longer where they were or even if up was down. His body seemed to float somewhere undesignated and indescribable. A violent buzz in his head. Then he felt Shepard convulse around him and the sound coming out of him wasn't turian any more. It came from some primal part of him. From the time before civilization and coherent thought.

He twitched again and again, pouring into her until he wasn't sure if he could take it any longer. Slowly, oh so slowly, they both came back down. His heart was hammering in his chest and his head was pounding. How long had he neglected to breath? He was catching up now though. Panting heavily to try to get more oxygen into his body.

Shepard's chest was heaving against him as she tried to do the same. Eyes meeting his, an incredulous look in them.

"Holy hell," she panted.

That brought a grin to his lips.

"Yeah," was all he could force his muddled brain to articulate. "Wow." He swallowed, trying to remedy his dry mouth.

With trembling arms and legs from exhaustion he slipped out of her and released her.

"Sorry about the..." Garrus swallowed again. "The euhm... I think I broke your skin." Still out of breath he gestured towards her thighs where small rivulets of red blood had started to form.

Shepard pulled up her dress over her shoulders again before inspecting the small wounds in the near to no light. She let out a small laugh.

"That's okay. If this is what takes me in, well... then it was worth it." Her grin was wide when she turned to look at him again.

He laughed too as he pulled his pants up and locked the buckles. Heck, he hadn't even gotten his pants off properly.

As the post-coital high started to come back down it left him with an unwelcome soberness. The silence stretched between them as they righted their clothes. Garrus had finally found his tunic after some awkward scuffling in the dark. As he pulled the hem down to stretch the fabric he wasn't exactly sure what to say to her. By the looks of it, neither was she.

"So we should probably..." Shepard gestured towards the door.

"Yeah, yeah sure." He could hear how lame and weird his own voice sounded.

His eyes stung when she opened the door and the light flooded into the room again. The corridor outside might not have been very bright. But after the almost pitch black in the equipment shed it felt like in the middle of a sunny day. He exited behind her thinking that tomorrow might become one of the most awkward days he ever would spend on the Normandy.

.-oOo-.

_The End_


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