Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect, it belongs to Bioware. Just borrowing the characters, and I promise I'll give them back when I'm done.

Notes: Takes place one week after the end of Mass Effect 2. No big spoilers, so don't worry about that.

Assumes a mostly Paragon female Shepard, Spacer and War Hero background. Based her on my Shepard, who while being a hard-ass and getting the job done was still able to laugh and have fun and enjoy herself along the way, and that comes through in the story. My Shepard isn't afraid to let her hair down and have some fun, and there's a bit of innocence about her as well.

Specifically did not describe her physically more than I had to, imagine your own looks.

Extra Note: Holy crap, there were a lot of formatting errors and typos! I edited this, and it should read much more smoothly now. Let me know if you find anything out of order.

Tongue in Cheek

March 28 2010

"Officer Vakarian, Commander Shepard requests your presence in her cabin immediately."

The blue glow from the AI interface flashed across the control panel in time to the synthesized voice, and Garrus looked up with a wry twitch of his mandibles.

"Work, work work…" he grumbled, before pushing away from the light board and leaving the main battery, a little jaunt to his step.

He arrived at the elevator without incident, and quickly pushed the button for the commander's quarters. He bounced on his feet a bit, clearly nervous, yet excited as well. A week after they had blown up the Collector base - a week's worth of private encounters - and something inside of Garrus still thrilled with nervous exhilaration at the thought of being alone with Shepard.

The elevator glided to a stop, and the whoosh of hydraulics and puff of compressed air as the doors slid open prompted Garrus to take a deep breath, mandibles flaring as he tasted the air - and tasted Shepard on it.

He stopped at her door and hesitated just a moment, talons poised over the control, before giving a decisive nod and letting himself in. They were past knocking by now, surely?

His gaze landed on Shepard, dressed in her casual overalls as she stood in front of the fish tank. The dull light made her look strange, luminescent, and he cleared his throat quietly, not wanting to startle the commander in a moment of relative peace.

She turned, and her strange, pliable human lips turned up in a genuine smile. There had been a time - not all that long ago, really - when human facial expressions were a mystery to him. He had trouble identifying individuals when among several humans at once, and he could never tell what they might be thinking or feeling.

That had all changed on this mission, though. He could read Shepard's looks and body language just as well as he could any turians.

And right now, Shepard's body language definitely had his interest.

"Garrus," she murmured, and moved toward him eagerly, "just the sexy turian I wanted to see." Her eyes twinkled, and Garrus's mandibles twitched into a smile.

"Happy to be of service, commander." he drawled, and she laughed, reaching out to trace her fingers against the chest piece of his body armor.

"You know, you really don't have to wear this on board, Vakarian." she teased, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

He snorted.

"You just want me walking around the ship half-naked." he scolded, and she grinned, the quirk of her lips and the barely banked fire in her eyes enough to make his stomach knot pleasantly.

"Damn, you discovered my naughty plot." she pouted, then reached around him in search of the clasps for his armor.

"Was there anything you needed, commander, or is this just a … what is it called? Bottom call?"

Shepard laughed out loud, eyes crinkling in a way that Garrus found most endearing.

"Booty call." she corrected, and he nodded thoughtfully, committing the term to memory. Somehow, he had a feeling he'd be needing it again very soon.

"And would you be disappointed if I told you that I missed you and wanted your company?" she grinned, and Garrus reached out to carefully let her hair out of its pony tail.

"Eh, I'd get over it," he said with a shrug, "I missed you too."

Shepard reached up to stroke along his cheek and over one mandible gently, and he purred, pushing his face more firmly into her hand.

"Strip down, soldier." she stated, taking a step back, and Garrus felt his lower plates shift just a bit at the sensual command of her voice.

"Yes, ma'am." he saluted with a roguish twitch of his mandibles, and began to remove his armor, tossing the pieces aside until he stood in just his underclothes and visor.

"Did you, uh… take your pill?" he asked, always a little embarrassed to ask, and she nodded.

"Good."

"Dressed in just his civvies and bare-footed, Garrus stepped forward and placed his talons gently on Shepard's shoulders, easing the straps of her overalls so that they fell down her arms.

His plates shifted further, and this time there wasn't any armor covering it up.

Shepard quirked her eyebrow at him, then helped to ease off the rest of her clothes, until she stood naked before him.

Garrus had to admit, if she were anyone else, he would fail to find her appealing, but there was something about her that made him unable to look away. Her wide hips, delicate wrists and ankles, even her breasts - something he had no experience with before Shepard - inflamed him.

This time the shifting was more pronounced, and he groaned when she reached out to boldly press her palm against his growing erection.

"Mmmmm…" she hummed, looking up at him with lust-darkened eyes.

"Tease." he growled, and she threw her head back, laughing richly.

"You know you like it," she whispered, leaning up to place a few small kisses along his left mandible, "and I know what else you like."

She drew back with a grin, and he nodded slowly.

"Is that so?" he challenged, folding his arms across his chest.

"Mmm hmmm. Why don't you get undressed and I'll show you just how much I know."

He laughed. "You don't have to tell me twice!" he stated, and quickly worked his shirt off.

Shepard smiled, watching the plates of his chest and stomach move, and admired the muted gleam of them in the soft light cast by the fish tank. He had looked strange at first, but she had quickly grown fond of his physique.

His pants came off next, and she sucked in a breath unconsciously. He wasn't even fully erect, and still he was immense.

He wasn't so different here, except that when not aroused, his manhood was withdrawn internally, hard plates covering the delicate region. When stimulated, the plates shifted aside and he was able to emerge. Shepard found it fascinating.

"Done staring?" she snapped her gaze up, cheeks pink, and she knew from his expression that if he had eyebrows, one would be arched in amusement.

"For now." she demured, reaching for his waist. He met her half-way, and sighed with delight as she molded her soft form against his harder one. Their foreheads met, and he growled low in his throat.

"I wanted to try something a little different this time." she said softly, taking his talons carefully into her hands and drawing him backwards to the bed.

"Try me." he said with a shrug, than sat down on the edge of the bed.

Shepard moved to stand between his legs, resting one hand on his shoulder, and the other against his fringe, fingers gently stroking.

His eyes fluttered closed for a moment as he moaned softly, then looked back up at her with a hot gaze.

"Talk fast." he rasped, painfully aroused.

She swallowed thickly, and Garrus was shocked by the realization that Shepard was actually nervous. Unsure, even.

"I don't even think there's a turian equivalent… nothing I could find information on, at least. I… I know that our amino acids aren't compatible and all, but I think I'm the only one at risk of an allergic reaction… and I have the pills Mordin gave me, so as long as we're careful, and you don't…"

She trailed off, blushing, and Garrus found her bashful behavior, while strange, to be quite appealing.

"Tell me what you want." he murmured, very gently stroking the tips of his talons across her cheek.

She met his gaze again, and spoke.

"I want to use my mouth." He blinked, but otherwise had no reaction. She continued,

"And I want you to use yours."

Still nothing.

"Down there." she gestured between his legs, then her own.

Silence for a few moments, save for an almost audible click from Garrus's brain as he suddenly understood.

"I… humans do that? I thought Jacob was trying to scare me…" he was clearly taken aback, and she rushed to interrupt.

"Never mind Garrus, it's probably gross to you. Forget I said it. Please." she begged, anxiety clouding her voice and causing it to raise several octaves.

"No no, Shepard - I just hadn't - well, this doesn't see like a safe thing to put near such a sensitive, delicate uh… area." he gestured to his mandibles and sharp teeth with obvious concern.

"I-"

"No, if you want to, we can try," he insisted gently, taking her face in his talons and lowering his head to meet her eyes, "you'll uh… just have to show me what to do."

She nodded, and pushed against his chest.

"Lay down." she whispered.

Silently he did so, and watched as Shepard settled in at his side, sitting in the position she laughingly called "Indian style". She reached out slowly to take him in her hand, and he gave a pleased murmur.

Shepard could feel the callous-like ridges along his manhood brush her fingers and palm as she stroked him gently, and she met his gaze, eyes hot.

Garrus watched as she licked her lips, and he tried to imagine what she was going to do with her soft, hot mouth.

Then she was bent over him, and her lips brushed his tip, followed by a cautious pass of her tongue, and all of a sudden thinking was not Garrus's first priority. He jerked in surprise and half sat up, mandibles flaring in shock.

Shepard quickly sat away and looked at him, eyes wide.

"Is it okay?" she squeaked, and Garrus groaned as he flopped back down to lay flat.

"Yes." he rasped, and she grinned, than leaned over him again, this time taking the tip of his erection into her mouth and giving a gentle suck. She thrilled in his harsh moan, and the heavy, musky scent and taste of him, vaguely reminiscent of well-oiled leather and cedar wood.

"Shepard… how-?" but he was unable to elaborate, as she had begun to move her mouth on him, taking him deep inside before letting him slide almost all the way out.

"Ohhh…" what followed were several low-pitched gravelly words that the translator had no idea on, and she trembled, feeling the heat between her legs intensifying at the passionate sound of his native turian tongue.

She worked her hand along with her mouth, using her saliva to help her fingers glide against him quickly. He made another deep, rumbling sound of pleasure, and she could feel the ridges along his shaft swell, the precursor to his impending release. Upon completion the ridges would expand fully, forcing the male to stay inside of the female, completely unable to withdraw for several minutes to prevent the seed from spilling.

Shepard had yet to experience this phenomena, as after an unfortunate incident that left her in the med bay for a day, Mordin advised that "ejaculation not take place with still engaged sexually".

"Shepard, don't you dare stop." Garrus hissed, and she smiled against him, continuing her quick pace and flicking him with her tip of her tongue.

With a bellow his ridges expanded fully, and she removed her lips from him with an audible 'pop' just as the first wave of release burst forth.

She grinned, gently squeezing and rubbing him as she watched the throbbing and pulsing that announced each surge of his release.

Slowly, he came back to himself, and looked first at Shepard's face, then her hand, still fondling him gently. He took in the whole image - Shepard, face flushed, his seed spilled across his stomach, her hands, her thighs…

"That," he rasped, "was unbelievable."

Shepard beamed, letting go of his half-turgid member in favor of flinging herself into his arms, peppering kisses across his face.

He laughed weakly, and brought his arms - feeling as though they were made of lead - up to wrap around her body gently, stroking the tips of his talons along her spine.

"I don't know how I'll be able to return the favor." he murmured, and she drew back to smile at him.

"Just don't impale me and we'll be just fine. Use your tongue."

He looked thoughtful, than stuck out the muscle in question.

Harder than the human equivalent, cylindrical in shape, and almost bird-like, his silver tongue was poked out from between his teeth and his eyes crossed as he tried to look at it.

"I don't know…" he said misgiving, "it isn't like yours at all."

Shepard leaned forward to brush her tongue to his, and he jumped a little when she moaned.

"No, it will work perfectly." she insisted, and Garrus nodded, an unsure expression crossing his features.

"I'll give it a try."

TBC