For @inconocible. I was your @masseffectholidaycheer holiday husk this year! You should be getting a couple of little gifties in the mail, but I also wanted to bestow upon you the gift of fluff <3 (Because fluff!!) Hopefully I did not mangle your Colleen Shepard too much.
The Water’s Fine
A breeze blew through the open doors, warm against Garrus’ plates. Pleasant. Perfect.
It was always pleasant here, always perfect. A little dull sometimes, if he was honest, but after all the not-dull he’d experienced, he wasn’t complaining. Not really. His old injuries never ached here; his dreams were softer, less dark. He laughed a lot. Was always well-rested.
Outside, the wind rustled the leaves in the trees and he could hear the rhythmic pulse of the waves against the shore. He finished mixing the drink and stabbed a few pieces of fruit onto the pointy end of a little paper umbrella before dropping it into the cocktail. A bird sang and was answered by its mate. He hummed under his breath, an old song his mother had sometimes sung to him when he woke in the night and couldn’t sleep. It made him smile.
The door to the patio was ajar, letting in more of the fresh air. Bugs, too, but they never bothered him. A pair of little green lizards chased each other up the back of one of the lounge chairs. Beyond them, the extravagantly large infinity-edged swimming pool stretched out toward the horizon and the beach, water glittering in the sun.
As someone who Did Not Swim, he hadn’t really understood why both pool and ocean were necessary. A few more meters and the ocean stretched out as far as he could see. Plenty of water. Nice to look at. Soothing to listen to in the dark of the night with the windows open and the night birds chirping.
Shepard, however, had been adamant about the pool. She’d designed the thing herself, grinning like a maniac the entire time. He’d been so happy to see that grin, he’d have given her any damn thing she wanted to keep it on her face.
He saw the grin a lot, now. Another thing worth the periods of dullness.
And he did like the hot tub.
Standing in the shade for a few moments, he watched Shepard move through the water, precise as a bullet shot by someone with perfect aim. He huffed a private laugh. His aim. Scoped and dropped.
Strange, how he didn’t miss the weight of a gun in his arms. He’d thought he would. He’d thought it would feel like a missing organ, an amputated appendage. He’d spent his whole life either waiting to be judged worthy of one or armed to the teeth.
Now he liked carrying drinks. He liked dancing with Shepard under the stars. Holding her was superior even to cradling his trusty old Mantis, or the Spectre-grade Black Widow. He liked that his hands were always free to reach for hers. He liked that he was starting to forget the smell of blood and death.
He liked that no one shot at them, these days. He supposed one day their location would get leaked and they’d have to deal with the inevitable fallout, but for now, they had their privacy. Their quiet. Their hard-won, albeit likely-temporary, retirement.
“I know you’re there,” Shepard called out. “Come on in, the water’s fine.”
Garrus chuckled. “Not gonna happen, Shepard.”
“I could teach you, you know,” she offered, not for the first time. “And if you drown, I can probably manage to bring you back.”
“Funny.”
“You know it.”
He sat on the edge of the pool, dangling his feet in the water. Pleasant. Perfect. Just the right temperature to offer a little relief from the blazing sun.
“It’s even better if you get all the way in.”
“I will dump out this drink, Shepard. Watch me.”
She floated lazily on her back, kicking herself slowly toward him, making it look so damn easy. She looked as comfortable in the water as she’d ever looked on the battlefield. The swimsuit was nice, too. He couldn’t help admiring the sleek, muscular lines of her; the strong shoulders; the way her hair floated around her face like a halo.
“You’re staring, Vakarian.”
“You’re worth staring at.”
“Flatterer.”
“Is it working?”
She drew next to him, resting her arms on the edge of the pool, flicking her hair out of her face. “Don’t know. What’re you angling for?”
He set the drinks down and ran the palm of his hand down her wet hair. It was longer now, past her shoulders, and darker because of the water. All this time, and he still couldn’t get over how weird human hair was. She laughed as though she knew the tenor of his thoughts—she probably did—and leaned into his touch. “I’m getting tired, anyway.”
“Not too tired, I hope.”
Her eyes widened in mock affront. “Why, Mr. Vakarian what are you suggesting?”
“Vids and junk food, obviously. You’re clearly the one with the filthy mind.”
Still half-submerged in the pool, she reached for her drink. Her eyes fluttered shut and she hummed her pleasure as she took her first sip. “You know, if this whole war-hero retirement thing doesn’t work out for you, I think you could absolutely go the bartending route.”
He snorted. “Does that make you the entertainment? At this fictional bar?”
Her eyes crinkled with mirth. “Bouncer.”
“Literally, if you use your biotics just right.”
She flicked droplets of water into his face. His mandibles flicked. “Or maybe I could just be a swim instructor.” She waggled her brows. “If only I had some way to practice my skills.”
Sighing, he scooted a little closer to the edge of the pool, until the water lapped past spurs, then knees, then thighs. “I’d better not die, Shepard.”
She pressed her wet, warm body up against his side. Speaking of nice things. Speaking of filthy minds. “You know that’s not going to happen. I’d never risk losing… vids and junk food.”
“And things that make us tired?”
The kiss she pressed against his arm was enough to get him the rest of the way into the pool, if only so he could give her access to the more sensitive hide at his throat. She obliged, and it was his turn to sigh and have his eyes flutter shut. “See? Not that bad.”
inconocible asked for a reading for her Colleen Shepard
~
The Past - The Four of Cups - Upright - Time to re-evaluate an all too familiar environment, dissatisfaction and boredom. The need to search for a more stimulating way of life. Apathy, dwelling on past experience. Love that turns to familiarity. Happiness that has reached its peak.
Obstacles in your Path - The Chariot - Ill Dignified or Reversed - Loss of control and chaos in one's personal life possibly due to personal flaws. Imbalance. Destruction. A warning against overwhelming ambition and high expectations. The continuation of outdated ideas and traditions.
Influences in your Favor - The Ten of Cups - Upright - Good reputation and honor. True friendship. A peaceful and secure environment.
The Near Future - The Five of Pentacles - Upright - Redundancy, loss of financial stability, material worries, poverty. A warning of money troubles lying ahead, however there is a suggestion that restriction in certain areas may open doors in others. Avenues yet to be explored, a message of not being too despondent.
The Long-term Future - The King of Wands - Upright - A charming, responsible, loyal, entertaining, witty, honest, conscientious and generous person. A lover of the home and family life. A very passionate and virile man who is good at moral support and encouragement. When pushed or provoked he acts without hesitation, but can sometimes find this hard as he can often see both sides of an argument.
The Eventual Outcome - The Ace of Swords - Upright - Total and complete change of mind. In its purest form the ace is symbolic of strongly constituted authority, and pursuit of ultimate truth. Triumph, victory and success, a rebirth and a new beginning.
