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Neither Shepard nor Garrus know how it started, and at some point, both of them have stopped caring. None of it matters anymore, after all: Shepard is right there, staring right into his soul, and, not for the first time, he blinks first, losing their secret staring contest.
Right then and there, Shepard’s lips curve into one of the warmest, most genuine smiles Garrus has seen in some time, and Garrus can’t help but find himself smiling as well, his mandible doing most of the job for him. When he’s around her, it’s almost as if he can never get his subvocals and mandibles under control.
These days, more often than not, he doesn’t even remember what Shepard’s smiles even look like, and he finds himself missing it more often than not.
“Commander,” From the cockpit, Cortez says, and in that moment, it’s almost as if the spell that surrounds both of them is over. The mask that comes with Commander Shepard slipping into place, it’s almost as if the atmosphere in the shuttle changes completely. “We’re here.”
“Thanks, Cortez,” Shepard says, and as soon as the doors of the shuttle open, Liara gets out of it, leaving both of them alone for the first time in the trip.
Outside, she checked her weapons once again, and without moving even as much as an inch, Garrus and Liara found themselves doing the same thing. None of them pay any attention to the movements of their hands, the action being routine by now, and it isn’t until then that Shepard finds herself saying, “Stand by, Cortez. We’ll be in and out.”
Turning to Garrus and Liara this time around, she continues speaking, “I’m not hoping to find anything here.”
“Famous last words,” Garrus says, and at that, Shepard can’t help but scoff as Cortez’s laughter comes from the cockpit. At this point, this sort of mission should be business as usual, routine, really: infiltrate the Cerberus’ base, get their hands on some intel, and get out. Easy, the sort of thing all of them used to doing these days.
But then again: there is something about Shepard and things never going according to plan, and before she can say something else, Garrus is adding, “You’ve jinxed us, Shepard.”
“Shut up,” Shepard says, but there isn’t any bite to it, and at that, Garrus can’t help but chuckle.
With the weapons out of the way, it isn’t until then that Garrus’s attention is on her. Waiting for her, for her sign, and it isn’t until Shepard’s done with it herself that the sign comes. Stepping out of the shuttle, Liara leaves both of them to it, and it isn’t until then that their eyes meet, that it clicks.
“Babe, c’mere,” Right before Garrus gets up to leave, Shepard says, and, right then and there, his attention is on her and her only, and not for the first time, he can’t resist it, can’t resist her. Walking up to Shepard, she steps on her tiptoes before pressing one, two, three kisses on his face.
First, on one of mandibles, and then another one on his cheek, before finding his mouth plates and, at that, Garrus doesn’t waste any time deepening it for a brief moment, before both of them pull away from each other.
“Good luck.”
“Good luck,” He repeats after her, even if part of him doesn’t understand it: nothing about this has anything to do with luck, but, in the end, he can’t resist it, and this time around, he’s the one that’s pressing his mouth plate against her, in hopes to steal at least one more peck from her, Shepard’s face and neck becoming red as she gives into him.
And, for a brief moment, it’s almost as if it’s just both of them in the shuttle, in the whole galaxy, really.
“Love you,” Shepard mumbles against his mouth plates, not being able to resist pressing yet another kiss there.
Nodding against Shepard’s mouth, Garrus says, “You too.”
And it isn’t until then, until this one moment, that Shepard finds the strength to pull away from him, that both of them find the strength to pull away from each other. She doesn’t do much of anything other than nod right back at him, understanding. At that moment, it’s enough for both of them.
And, just like that, the Commander mask is, once again, put back into place.
“Alright,” Taking a deep breath, Shepard says. “Let’s do this.”
It isn’t until then that part of it clicks for him: Garrus is never going to have her. At least, not all of her. But these moments? These moments are his, theirs, and nothing and no one can take that away.