Title: Sickness and Health

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Bioware.

Beta Reader: Marie-Fanwriter

Summary: Shepard is in bed sick with a fever and Garrus ends up taking care of her. He doesn't mind, she's his friend after all, but the experience leaves him with some new feelings he wasn't prepared for. When Garrus falls ill himself, it is Shepard's turn to care for him and get a crash course in what he really means to her.

Part I: Sickness

Chapter One

The Love Bug

It was late on the Normandy as Garrus Vakarian entered the Mess Hall. The bulk of the crew had already retired to bed, with only a few personnel milling around on night shift sparing him halfhearted glances as he passed. He was dressed in the only pair of civilian clothes he had and—for a rare moment—was without his visor, he had just come out to grab a quick bite to eat before going to bed.

Considering how late it was, it was odd to hear someone talking so loudly.

"Oh come on!" Kasumi Goto was standing near the med-bay doors, shoulders hunched and holding a sliver tray tight in her small hands. "I'll get sick too!" she complained. "Why not send Thane or Samara or—Garrus!" The thief happily chirped as she spotted him looking at her from near the kitchen.

In the doorway, just out of Garrus' view, someone shifted and gave a long—clearly annoyed—sigh. "Doesn't matter who. Just needs to be done," Mordin Solus' voice scolded.

Kasumi looked back at the doctor and lightly stomped her foot. "But I'll get sick." She all but whined. "I hate being sick."

Garrus, against his better judgment and reason, walked over to the two.

"Who's sick?" He asked, eyeing the contents of the tray. There was a bowl of hot soup and a bottle of some orange liquid.

Mordin was glaring at the thief. "You're completely health. Her immune system is still not recovered. Needs to be cared for. You are familiar with human care and what she needs."

"Then send Miranda," Kasumi argued, but sighed after a second. "Okay, not Miranda. How 'bout… no not Jack or Zaeed… or Jacob… or Kelly… she would kill us for sending Kelly… Joker?" Kasumi sighed again. "I don't wanna get sick."

"Who's sick?" Garrus repeated, but had a good idea after hearing the list. He just wanted to be sure first before rushing off to check on her.

Mordin looked at him and answered, "The commander has caught a common human flu. Should work its way out of her system naturally. Needs the experience. Her body has been in a sterile environment for two years. Needs to fight off virus herself."

"But someone has to take care of her," Kasumi added. "Nothing much. Just make sure she eats and is comfortable." She slowly scooted closer to him. "And if you have any problems I'm just two floors down." She was pushing the tray into his reluctant hands. "It'll be a piece of cake," Kasumi assured as she grinned up at him, eyes shining in the shadows of her hood.

"Right…" Garrus drawled. He didn't believe her for a second.

Garrus nearly dropped the metal tray as he entered Commander Shepard's room. EDI had let him in without any trouble, but it was so dark in her room that he tripped over something. "EDI, lights," Garrus called, looking around the dark room only lit by the fish tank and skylight.

The room flared with light and he saw it was a discarded piece of clothing that had caught his foot. A pained cry from the commander's bed made him trip and almost drop the tray again. Once steady on his feet, Garrus saw the commander was curled into a ball with a puffy pillow pulled over her head.

Shepard let out long groan. "EDI," she weakly called with a hoarse voice. "Lights; turn them back off."

"Officer Vakarian is here to assist you in your current state. Light is advised." EDI's reply was in her normal even tone, but Garrus swore there was some humor mixed into the AI's voice.

"Garrus?" Shepard called out confused as she pushed the pillow away from her face. Her eyes were cloudy and her skin looked flushed, but she still smiled when she saw him. Garrus returned it and made his way to her side.

"EDI, you can dim them a bit, and turn down your speakers too." Garrus had noticed Shepard flinch at the volume the AI spoke with. The lights dimmed and EDI logged them out.

"Soup?" Shepard propped her pillows behind her and leaned back heavily on them. "You brought me soup?"

Garrus, seeing no other choice, sat next to her on the bed and Shepard slid over to give him ample space. "And orange stuff too," he said as he grinned at her. "So how sick are you? Kasumi caused a real fuss when Mordin tried to send her up here."

Shepard chuckled as she rubbed her bare arms. She was in a white tank top and the covers were pooling at her hips. "Just a fever, sore throat, and a headache. Could be worse," she said with a small shrug.

"Fever?" Garrus placed the tray on her nightstand and pressed his palm to her head and, sure enough, she was hot. He may not be an expert on humans but, from the few times he had touched them, they'd never been that hot. It worried him.

Shepard shied away from his prolonged touch and Garrus pulled away, slightly embarrassed as he was lost in thought. Things had been odd between them since she helped him deal with Sidonis. It was just sometimes—more now than before— he would forget that she was his captain, all he saw was his friend.

"Here," he reached for the tray and placed it gently on her lap. "Eat then rest up. I'll be back later to get the dishes." Her hand was on his arm before he could move to stand.

"Stay," she asked. "I can use the company. Or are you really going to leave a sick woman all alone?" She teased at the end with a weak smile and Garrus playfully gave an exaggerated sigh.

"I'll stay for a bit then."

Garrus blinked. He must have fallen asleep at some point, as his head felt muddy with sleep and his body was painfully stiff. In his hand was the data-pad he was using to review the cannons specs. He was still sitting on Shepard's bed; leaning back on the headboard with one leg off the side. Garrus moved to leave but the pressure on his hips stopped him.

Looking down, Garrus saw Shepard was curled at his side, arms around his waist and her face buried into his stomach. She was shivering lightly and somehow both of her legs were tangled with his. The covers were kicked away and he saw she was wearing pajama bottoms.

Garrus sat the data-pad on her nightstand and reached down to pull the covers around her shoulders. He presses his palm to her head and noted she felt hotter than before. Worried, Garrus pinged Kasumi and messaged her; her fever's up.

Garrus tried not to move much as he waited for Kasumi's reply, as he didn't want to risk waking Shepard. Thankfully it didn't take long for the thief to answer him.

Kasumi Goto: Get a cold, wet rag and put it on her forehead. Did she eat?

She ate. She's asleep right now.

Kasumi Goto: How long she's been sleep?

…Don't know. I kinda feel asleep too…

Kasumi Goto: …You do know I'm gonna want details later?

For some reason Garrus ducked his head and his mandibles fluttered.

It's… not like that. I'm just keeping her company.

Kasumi Goto: Company my ass, but whatever. Since you're staying with her make sure the rag stays cool. If she gets worse call Mordin or Chakwas.

All right.

Garrus pulled away from Shepard's grip and eased her onto her back. She moved without resistance and he headed to her restroom once she was settled. He got a clean rag and wet it with cold water. Feeling that maybe it wasn't cold enough he let the water run for a bit longer before wetting the rag again. He rung it out and noticed it now felt too cold, but figured he could always let it warm up if need be. Leaving the bathroom he wondered if he was over thinking things… but shrugged it off as he returned to his commander.

Back at Shepard's side, Garrus placed the cloth on her head and he was surprised when she sighed out almost happily in her sleep. He fixed the sheets around her again and settled down on the couch with his data-pad in hand. But he ended up jumping up and checking on the temperature of both the cloth and Shepard so much that he ended up sitting on the floor, back against her bed.

Once the cloth cooled he wetted again and resumed monitoring the cannons, until he grew bored.

How long until her fever breaks?

Turian fevers never lasted more than a day and he wondered if humans were the same.

Kasumi Goto: You're still up?

You said keep the rag cool, so that's what I'm doing.

Her response took longer than normal.

Kasumi Goto: Hopefully she'll be better by morning. Don't worry.

Garrus sighed before changing the rag again. He took a moment to feed her fish and the little furry thing Shepard named Blasto before sitting back by her bed. No wonder Kasumi didn't want to do this, it was boring as hell. A ping on his tool surprised him.

Kasumi Goto: You still up there? Has she woken up?

Still here. Still asleep.

Kasumi Goto: I'll come up and keep an eye on her for a bit, if you want.

Garrus thought about it.

It's fine. I'm already here and it's not like it's any trouble. Plus, weren't you just complaining about getting sick?

Kasumi Goto: You sure? You know she'll be alright by herself for a bit if you needed to come down and eat or something.

Garrus felt embarrassed. He didn't need to stay in her room the whole time. He knew that, it was just… he wasn't sure what it was. He just knew he wanted to make sure she was okay, no matter how long it took.

I know.

So he went down and grabbed him something to eat, like he was originally trying to do when he left the battery hours ago. He ate then cleaned his dishes before making his way back to the elevator, but was stopped by an annoyingly chipper voice.

"So," Kasumi grinned from across the mess, clearly still trying not to get sick from any human germs that might be clinging to him. "How's your sleeping beauty?"

"My what?" Garrus' voice came out choppy and Kasumi chuckled.

"Chill, it's an expression."

Garrus sighed and shook his head as he made his way to the elevator.

"Garrus, wait a sec," Kasumi stopped him and rushed into the kitchen. She heated some water and poured it into a mug with a tea bag. She let it sit for a minute before removing the bag, adding some other ingredients he wasn't sure about, and covered the mug. She handed it to him. "Wake her up and make sure she drinks all of it."

Garrus took that mug and nodded as he left. Back up at the loft Garrus looks around puzzled as he sat the mug down on Shepard's desk.

"Shepard?" he called.

She wasn't in bed and her covers seemed to be in a ball on the floor….

"Shepard?" He tried again. "Did you… fall?"

He heard a muffled reply and the ball shifted a few helpless times. Chuckling, he knelt down next to the pile of covers and pulled Shepard free. She looked at him, eyes red and cloudy, and smiled.

"Garrus," she reached out and wrapped her arms weakly around him. "You're so awesome."

Garrus lifted her into his arms and laughed. "Damn, I should have recorded that." He laid her gently on the bed and shook apart the covers. "It's not often you admit it." He draped the sheets over her and went to get her tea.

"No," she whispered, suddenly sad. Garrus froze at her odd tone and looked back. "Don't go." Her eyes started to close and a tear drifted down her cheek. "Don't go."

Not sure what the hell just happened, Garrus shrugged it off and retrieved her tea. Then, seeing that she had fallen back asleep, he gently nudged her awake.

"Garrus," she smiled and this time his heart gave a strange flutter. Did she always smile when she saw him? Why didn't he notice it before? "What's that?" She questioned as her hazy eyes fell onto the mug in his hands.

"Tea," he answered as he pulled her up to lean on his chest. He opened the top of the mug and blew on it until it was safe for her to drink. "Here, Kasumi made it."

Shepard took a small sip and made a face, but Garrus made her drink until it was all gone. He sat the empty mug on the nightstand and laid her back down. He looked around for her rag and re-wetted it. She was looking at him as he returned, eyes alert for the moment.

"I see the tea helped," he said as he placed the rag on her head. He tucked her in more securely, not wanting her to end up on the floor again. "Go back to sleep. I'll be here if you need anything."

He sat down, back on the floor, and near jumped as Shepard wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank-you," she whispered, firmly kissing his cheek.

"F-For what?" Blood rushed to his face and his heart jumped from the strange contact.

"For staying with me. For taking care of me. You're a good friend Garrus." She kissed him again. "And I'm lucky to have you."

Garrus slipped from her grip, eased her back under the sheets, and replaced the rag on her head. "Yes, you are," he agreed with a half-grin. "You can flatter me when you're better, Shepard." She gave a weak smile before closing her eyes.

Once he was sure she was sleep he watched her for a bit as he touched a finger to his cheek.

'Friend….'

Garrus woke to the sound of Shepard breathing hard. She had kicked the covers away in her sleep and she was covered in sweat. Her hair was clinging to her head and her tank top was molded to her body. He reached out and pulled her shirt down from where it had risen to show a good deal of her flat stomach.

She's sweating a lot.

When he didn't get a response quick enough he was ready to pick Shepard up and take her to the med-bay, but luckily Kasumi answered just as he was reaching down for her.

Kasumi Goto: She's sweating the fever out. It will pass.

Are you sure?

Kasumi Goto: Yes, I'm sure. Just sit with her.

Garrus got a dry rag and used it to mop up her sweat. He dabbed at her face and neck and got a wet one to place on her head. Her face turned and nuzzled his palm just as he was pulling his hand away. Garrus jerked back at the strange bolt of… something that shot through him at her touch.

"Don't go," she called softly. Her eyes cracked open and she looked at him with a dazed expression. "You left." Tears pooled in her eyes.

Garrus gently rubbed her neck with the cloth. "I'm right here," he assured.

"No." She was breathing harder. "You left and I died."

Garrus froze.

"You left. Why did you leave?"

"I… had to…" he said weakly. He asked himself that same question for two years.

"C-Sec? You hate C-Sec," she mumbled as she looked away. "Do you think I would have lived if you stayed?"

"I…."

"Liara let me go to save Joker… would you have?"

Garrus felt his mouth flop open a few useless times before he was able to answer. That was something he had thought about too. "No. I… I would have dragged you back, kicking and screaming if I had to, and radioed Joker to move his ass."

"Joker would have died…" She looked back at him. "So it's good you left." Her eyes closed before he could say anything else.

She was asleep in a heartbeat and Garrus placed the cloth on her head before he slipped off her bed onto the floor. He leaned back to stare at the stars above them.

'Don't go.'

He wasn't going anywhere.

Never again.

When Shepard woke next her fever was gone. Her throat was still sore but her head felt better.

"Thanks, Garrus." Shepard was sipping more of Kasumi's tea. Her eyes were bright but her skin was still a little flushed. "Never had anyone take care of me like that. I'll make sure to add nursemaid to your list of special skills," she teased with a smile he was oddly aware of; like it was the only thing in the room that mattered.

Garrus laughed. He made sure to laugh and smile at all the right moments as he tried to tell how much she remembered from last night. But either she didn't remember or she was skillfully pretending she didn't.

"I should go get some rest," Garrus stood to leave after letting out another long yawn and Shepard's smile fell a bit.

"Alright, I'll see you later."

Garrus watched her for a second before leaning down and pressing his mouth to her forehead in an imitation of a human kiss. "I'm glad you're better," he mumbled against her skin before pulling away and quickly leaving her room.

In the elevator he touched his tingling mouth, confused by what made him do that and why his heart was racing. Why his arms and legs felt weak and shaky?

Why his commander's smile was stuck in his head?

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A/N: Originally I planned on writing this alongside Archangel, since Archangel is not really friendly to all readers and this is nothing but romance and fluff. But things… didn't workout like that.

I had sent this to a new beta to edit (this was during finals/midterm season and I didn't want to bug one person to much with my crazy) and then didn't hear back from that person for a full month. I was concerned that something had happened to them (didn't know them, but the oddness of no response for so long bugged me) and when they finally answered they said the story was too bad to finish editing.

Okay, I get that. Sometimes you hit, sometimes you miss. But why not tell me? For a full month? Did they think I was going to forget? I just don't get it.

Well, enough ranting. I reworked it and thanks a million to Marie-Fanwriter, who is always a lifesaver. There are a few more chapters written, I'm just second guessing everything right now -.-