AN: Mass kink meme fill, as per usual. M rating for the obvious reason.

This is just a little something to get me back into writing my favorite pairing. This took me way longer than it should have to finish because (sigh) I got some writer's block midway through. Admittedly not my best work, but I wanted to get it done before moving on to some of the stuff I've already been working on (Infinite Regress and Partners – both have chapters coming at some point in the future, I just need to get back in a Mass Effect mindset first).

Enjoy.

Night in the Wards

Hotels sucked. Especially cheap hotels in the Wards that were an hourly rate away from being motels. No matter what room you ended up with, it was always dirtier than it appeared and had a faintly foul smell. Shepard sighed dramatically in dismay as she pulled back the bed sheets. No visible stains, but she damn well new better.

I'm Commander Fucking Shepard, and goddamnit I deserve clean sheets.

Shepard was still not thrilled about this. She'd taken Garrus with her (more like he insisted on coming and playing bodyguard) as she went for supplies. Pretty fucking routine. Until the Council started snooping around the Normandy's landing pad. Reluctantly, she'd given Joker the okay to take off for now to avoid their agents. She was still playing dead (little that it helped her ever-increasing inbox), and while the Council might suspectshe was back, she didn't really want to announce that fact to the known galaxy just yet.

And she fucking hated dealing with the Council.

Cue her and her gunnery chief having to spend the night in some godforsaken hotel. And of course, because her luck obviously was running high at the moment, the only rooms they had available were singles. And oh, she had just iloved/i the suggestive smirk and wink the clerk at the desk had given them.

Not that she wouldn't be willing to-

"Something wrong, Shepard?"

"Hmm?" Oh right, the damn sheets."Nothing I want to think about." She was still more than willing to go to a more up-scale place... except that would, of course, draw the Council's attention. So seedy hotel that would make her want to scrape off the outer layer of her skin, or have to listen to that damn Turian councilor tell her she was crazy and end up telling him where and how to shove it.

Wait, what was the problem with that last option?

She'd almost worked up the courage to get in the bed when her attention was turned to Garrus attempts to drag a cot out of the closet. "Vakarian, whatare you doing?"

He gave another jerk to cot. No luck. "Don't worry, Shepard, you can have the bed."

Her hands automatically flew to her hips as she tried to decide if he was patronizing her or deferring to her position. Either way, she already felt terrible enough for getting them stranded on the Citadel. Last thing she needed was to feel guilty that she'd ialso/i taken the most comfortable sleeping arrangement. "Garrus, get in the damn bed."

Garrus looked at her with what she expected was a certain degree of surprise and confusion. "Really, Shepard, I don't mind. I sleep on a cot anyway. It doesn't bother me-"

"Garrus. Bed. Now."

He sighed, recognizing her "I'm Commander Shepard and I'll fuck you up if you don't do what I say" voice, and abandoned his efforts with the cot. "Yes, ma'am," he mumbled as he made his way over.

They each put in their best effort not to watch the other undress. Shepard couldn't speak for Garrus, but she managed to get a few peaks in. Not that there was much for either to see. Shepard stripped down to her panties and undershirt, and Garrus apparently felt most comfortable in his under armor. At least until she called him a prude and some other colorful words, He was blushing by the time he finally gave in, leaving nothing but what appeared to be the turian equivalent of boxers.

Okay, so he wasn't blushing. But he totally would be every time she told this story.

Hmm, or maybe she could change it so he was going commando and that's why he wouldn't take off the armor...

Thoughts of teasing / torturing her temporary bunk mate helped her ease under the covers. They were softer than she expected and smelled vaguely of some cleaning agent. It was slightly comforting to her sudden case of germaphobia. She settled in facing the window, her back to Garrus. This whole sleeping arrangement was awkward enough without facing each other.

Garrus tossed and turned before settling down. She felt his back briefly against hers before he instantly withdrew. "Comfy yet?" she asked while suppressing a yawn.

"This bed was clearly not designed with turians in mind," he grumbled.

"Anything I can do?"

"A back rub would be great."

"That's too bad, because my sympathy falls just sort of massages."

"Pity," he mumbled into the pillow before finally going still.

She knew exactly when he had passed out. He went completely limp and the bed seemed to sink even more.

Lucky bastard, she thought before settling down for what would probably be a long night.

Garrus had lost track of Shepard somewhere in the Wards. He should've been more worried but for once no one had been shooting at them, so he let it go. If she wanted to wander off on her own, he could do the same.

And it's a good thing you're not bitter about it, either, he thought to himself.

He didn't even remembering walking into the bar. Sure as hell didn't remember taking a seat or drinking what must have been a couple beers because his head was spinning. It was hard to focus but he didn't care as he ordered another drink and watched the dancers.

Asari. He'd never had an eye for them. He understood their aesthetic appeal, but had never been attracted to them. Too soft and curvy. He was used to the more angular lines of turian women. But right now, looking at their soft curves and the way they moved, all he could do was think of what it'd look like to watch Shepard-

Stop, he commanded himself. But he was too buzzed. His mind was too far from his control that he couldn't help but continue on with that fantasy.

Desperate to stop that train of thought, he desperately searched the crowd for a distraction. Anything to stop his mind from going down that path.

And there she was, at the end of the bar. Red and white tattoos that must be some colony markings. Earrings in her fringe that gave her an aggressive edge. Clothes that were just short of indecent.

He finished his drink and walked over before he could change his mind. Thankfully he didn't trip on his way there and almost managed to gracefully sit down on the empty stool next to her. Almost.

"Mind if I buy you a drink?" Too forward, but hell, where did being shy ever get you in a bar?

The woman turned to look at him. Her eyes were the exact same shade of grey as Shepard's. Garrus felt his cock twitch slightly at the thought. She gave him a once over with those eyes before shrugging. He tried not to read anything into the overly human gesture. "Why not?"

Shepard had been drifting in and out of sleep. It was the uneasy sleep of someone unused to their surroundings and not able to let go of the day's events. She hadn't even realized she had passed out again until she awoke with a start as Garrus' body immediately tensed. She froze instantly, trying to find a cause.

But all she heard was their combined breathing and the occasional grunt from the sleeping turian.

Must be dreaming. She rolled onto her back, arms crossed behind her head as she stared at the ceiling instead of the window. A small yawn escaped and she tried to use Garrus' heat and breathing to lull her back under.

He was too drunk to remember how they found their way to the back room, but there they were. He didn't really remember how they lost so many layers of clothes so quickly, but he wasn't really complaining when he had a warm, willing woman on his lap. One that he swore smelled a lot like-

Concentrate, Vakarian, he commanded himself. Not that thinking about his Commander wouldn't help loosen his plates a little faster, but it seemed indecent to think about one woman while sleeping with another.

A sudden, deeper need filled him. To hell with being gentle, he thought. If he was going to sleep with a turian woman, he damn well was going to take advantage of it. And with that, he flipped her so she was pinned beneath him on the couch. Her startled cry was drowned out as he started nipping on her mandibles.

Shepard was not sure what had happened, but she was pretty sure of the end result. There was a very large turian pinning her arms above her head and biting her lower lip.

Her first instinct would have been to headbutt the asshole before biotic blasting his ass through a wall. Luckily for Garrus, she was awake enough to know it was him and stopped herself.

"Garrus," she said, though it came out more like 'Gaw-ris.' "Whaa arrr yoo dewwng?"

"Garrus."

He hesitated slightly, but then resumed his fevered nipping. She sounded too much like Shepard, even with the double-toned inflection, but that was hardly a turnoff.

Without breaking away from her mandibles, one talon began stroking her fringe. The other moved down and tore a long gash down her dress, and he quickly removed. Soon their plates were flush against each other, and he moaned at the surprising feel of it.

Shepard shrieked slightly as she felt the cold air hit her skin as her shirt and shorts came off, and she arched into the warmth of his bare chest. The sudden movement caused his teeth to finally draw blood and his talon increased its hold on her hair as he moaned into her lips.

Until then, she was pretty undecided about how she felt. Getting felt up in a motel by one of her crew wasn't high on her list of priorities, and she certainly didn't like surprises (most of the "surprises" she got to deal with lead to her being dead, or not dead, or almost imprisoned, or avoiding thresher maws, or something equally unpleasant). But her answering moan gave away just how welcome these surprise advances were.

It wasn't like she hadn't… entertained the thought of being with Garrus. It was just the whole… interspecies/friends/colleagues awkwardness that she wanted to avoid. But if he was going to keep doing this, well, she might have to re-think her position on the matter.

He could taste her blood. It was oddly metallic and sweet and made his tongue slightly numb. He moaned in response, some latent predatory instinct triggered at the thought and causing his plates to shift even more.

His talons left her fringe long enough to pull off his lower armor. He couldn't help but grind slightly into her hip as she ran her tongue along his unscarred mandible and bit gently at the tip.

He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or if it had just been too long since he'd been with a woman, but she was turning him on in all the right ways.

Spirits, he needed to take her now.

Garrus had been a little sloppy removing his boxers. Shepard wondered just how tired he really was, if those long nights on the ship and the constant missions were finally getting to him, but lost the thought when she realized

She licked and nipped at his mandibles each in turn, trying to mirror what he'd done earlier, and moved her fingers along his cowl and under the back of his fringe. She was rewarded by a low moan and the feel of his lower plates completely loosening against her soft flesh. While she was no expert on turian anatomy, she was pretty sure she knew enough about male anatomy in general to know this was a good sign…

He didn't want to play nice. He just needed her as soon as possible. Just to relieve some stress…

His arms quickly pinned hers behind her back. He knew he caught her off guard because she let out a breathy "Ohhh!" and didn't stop him. She arched slightly in an attempt to free herself, but he used his weight to keep her down, laughing slightly.

She might be resisting, but they both knew she wanted this…

He bit down on her left shoulder to hold her in place as he spread her legs and positioned himself between them. It wasn't uncommon to bite your partner, especially as a show of dominance. It was something turians had been doing since Spirits knew when. What was uncommon, however, was for your partner to give in. To just accept the display of dominance.

He shivered slightly as he thought about having a woman like Shepard give in to him like that…

He forced himself back to the present. This was not Shepard, no matter how much he might want it to be…

He'd taken her off guard when he'd pinned her, and again when he'd bitten her. Luckily he'd managed to miss any major arteries, though she'd sure she'd have a rather nasty mark to try and explain to Chakwas.

Seeing Garrus be this aggressive was admittedly a turn-on. She'd seen him get like that in a fire fight, but he'd never turned all that turian muscle on her. The idea made her a little dizzy and more than a little excited.

Garrus Vakarian, dominant in bed. Yeah, that could work for her.

Garrus made a point of entering slowly at first. Just the tip, then a little more, slowly stretching her walls… and then suddenly forced his way as far in as he could go. He was rewarded by a started moan, the loudest he'd earned yet.

As he started moving, alternating between gentle and then demandingly rough, he became more and more worried about how much he'd had to drink. This turian, she felt… soft and wet and too cold against his chest but too wrapped too warm around him. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, just strange. It pulled at his senses and made it hard for him to concentrate, but his body found a rhythm on its own.

She kept bucking up to meet his thrusts. Even without the use of her arms and with his teeth buried in her shoulder, she was easily matching his pace. It was like she was daring him to increase the pace, and his masculine pride wouldn't let him do anything but…

He risked letting one of her arms go and forced her right leg onto his shoulder. He moaned into the new position, briefly surprised at how flexible she was as her ankle curled around his neck.

"Harder, Garrus," she whimpered. The way she sounded nearly broke him as he kept going, doing his best to satisfy them both.

Part of him knew this wasn't real. He'd had this dream before. He always went along with it. Better to get off in a dream than have to explain to his Commander that he was heading out with the sole purpose of getting laid. Not that he didn't need it, but he wasn't sure this was a fantasy he was willing to indulge in just yet.

They were getting closer. So close. But he could feel the world dissolving around him. Reality was coming into focus, pulling him out and away from his dream. He needed to finish before the fantasy ended. Find at least some relief so he could go back to facing Shepard each day…

His partner was tightening around him…

Consciousness exploded into being around him. He let go of his partner's neck in startled shock, his body keeping the rhythm it had built up. The low cries of his partner became higher pitched and less subtly toned. More human…

In startled realization, he looked into the pleasure filled eyes of Shepard, took in the way she was whispering his name over and over like a prayer.

Of course, that's when his own climax tore through him, his body gasping and shuddering all at once as the intensity of it hit and almost paralyzed him.

When the feeling had passed and he was finally able to think again, all he could do was to look at her face with nothing less a stunned look.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey…" he said awkwardly.

"Usually you have to buy a girl a couple drinks before rocking her world in a hotel room."

Yes, that is usually how the dream goes… "Uh, sorry?"

She nudged him back onto his side and rolled to face him. "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that about?"

"I… have no idea," he said honestly.

Shepard yawned before cuddling up next to him. "Since you tore my clothes, you're going to have to keep me warm until the morning." His arms reflexively closed around her, though Garrus was not quite sure he was awake yet. He could barely hear her as she mumbled into his chest plates. "We'll talk about this then, m'kay?"

"Suuurre." Spirits, I do not want to have to explain this…

"Or," she said with a playful and almost knowing tone, "we could just skip to round two."

He smiled and pulled her in tightly. "Yes. That."