I don't negotiate

   As the door opened to the cockpit, Garrus looked up at Cortez and flared his mandibles in a grin. When he glanced at Shepard he noticed that she had a rather mischievous grin on her face like they had been up to something. They hadn’t done more than make out a little bit, but they could let Cortez use his imagination. It wouldn’t be the first time they got down and dirty in the back of a vehicle after all.

    She smirked at Garrus, letting him know that when she took his hand, she was doing so to be polite. She hopped down from the shuttle, boots landing in the damp sand by the shore. She waved to Cortez, and nodded when he mentioned her communicator, and that he was a five minute shuttle ride away if they needed exfil. Exfil on a garden world. That would be the day.

   But then again, they did get into all sorts of trouble didn't they?

   She stepped back and shielded her eyes as Cortez lifted off, and then turned toward Garrus. Where he belonged. At her side. Even when she had first met him, it felt so natural to keep him there, a sniper to compliment her brute force soldier style of fighting. But in those early days, Wrex had also been there to absorb the damage.

   Garrus felt the shuttle shake the way it did when it began to descend, meaning that they’d be on the ground shortly, thankfully. With Shepard in his lap like this, he was already a little excited, and he couldn’t wait to put up a tent and be with her inside of it. No matter what they did together, he always enjoyed it, even if it was something as simple as cuddling. He loved holding her, loved feeling her breath on his chest while he slowly ran his talons through her hair. It was relaxing, first and foremost, but it also showed him that he was truly loved by her. They didn’t need to speak to be intimate in the most subtle ways, and in fact, talking almost took away from it. Silence was golden, as they say.

    Once her final check was complete, she turned to Garrus and smiled, cupping his face and kissing him one last time as Cortez settled the shuttle down. The door between the cockpit and the hold opened, and he cleared his throat. "We've landed."

    Elrika threw him a lascivious grin and shifted her gear into place, like she and Garrus had just had a quick, dirty bout of hot sex. "Hi Cortez."

   He stared back at her flatly. "Nice try, Commander. Do you need me to get the door, or can you manage?"

     Part of him wanted to tear through her clothes with his talons and have his way with her right then, but the sane part of him reminded him that they were in the back of the shuttle, ready to arrive at their destination at any given time. That didn’t mean that he couldn’t fool around with her a little bit, though. He’d never turn down a chance to fool around with her if given it.

     ”I love you too,” he whispered softly, mandible-formed grin widening as he looked into her eyes. It seemed like he told her a hundred times a day every day, but he didn’t care if she didn’t care. She told him just as often. It seemed that ever since he talked her into reality that her love for him grew stronger and he could say that his feelings had grown as well. Garrus loved her more now than he ever did in the past, and it wasn’t just because she finally believed that he was real and so was she, but because of all they’d been through together. It had been a rough journey, but one that he didn’t regret and would never change a bit of, and he loved her more because of it.

    She cupped his face in her hand stroked the scarring lightly, kissing him one last time. "As hilarious as I think being caught would be, I suppose we can hold off. Let it never be said that I am not a woman who is capable of controlling her reactions. As... passionate as they might be."

   She glanced up when the shuttle made a distinct noise, indicating that it had exited atmospheric entry and begun a normal descent. Immediately it began to slow down. The landing site was not far away from where the Normandy was floating against a backdrop of stars. Shepard had told Joker not to hang around if the crew had business, but she doubted they would go far. After the Citadel and Earth, no one seemed happy to let Elrika leave their side for too long.

    "Honestly?" she murmured. "I just want to fall asleep in your arms for one night surrounded by the noise of life. Not the distant hum of the Mass Reactor Core, or the sound of the Normandy's recycling systems. Just... wind. And water. And your breathing."

     Relaxing sounded good, especially now since there was no longer a war hanging over their heads. They could actually breathe now, actually sit down and let the world turn without worrying about another life-threatening mission. It felt good, more than good, and Garrus couldn’t wait to spend this time with her. No matter what they did, a little shootout, some swimming, some cuddling beneath the stars, he’d be happy. Just spending time with her made him happy, no matter what they were doing. It’s several decades since he’s been able to just sit around and do nothing, and it would be nice to be able to do such a thing again, especially with Elrika. They both deserved it after all they’ve been through together. They deserved a little break.

     As her hand moved up his leg, he shuddered, though he stiffened up as much as he could to keep her from noticing. How long was this shuttle ride again? Did he have time to mess around with her? No, probably not. Knowing his luck, they’d arrive at their destination the moment he got started and they’d have to scramble to get dressed before that door opened and revealed them. He could, however, tease her back. She only made it worse by licking his neck, and at that he shuddered again, unable to contain himself this time.

    She climbed up to sit on his lap, knees on either side of his, to allow for ease of contact. She liked sitting atop him. She loved feeling his chin lift to kiss her, knowing the aesthetic profile that would create.

    Honestly, Elrika knew that the origin of the turian race as a predatory species was probably more exciting for her than it should have been. Maybe it was her warrior's instinct and upbringing. Or maybe it was just an aspect of her. But she couldn't deny whenever Garrus was staring intently at a target, body motionless, prepared to strike and kill, she was pretty turned on by the end of it all.

    So maybe she was offering to go hunting a bit for her own benefit...

     ”Me?” He used his free hand to point at himself. “Turians can’t swim, Shepard.” Honestly, he’s never tried to swim, but he’s been told since he was a child that his species and water didn’t get along. When he was little, older kids would say that they had gone swimming and that it was no big deal, but none of them had any proof. They were all talk and Garrus knew it. “I don’t think I’ll be able to do it.” Hell, Garrus is weary of deep water as it is, much less a body of water like a lake or a pool. If she wanted him to try it, he would, but he’d be terrified the entire time. He’s never been in water deeper than his knees and he had planned on keeping it that way. Maybe it was silly to be so scared of something as docile as water, but when you’re told your entire life that you can’t swim, can you really help it?

     ”Besides swimming and…other things,” he began, raising a brow plate. “What else did you have planned for us?’ She already mentioned them having a little rematch, but surely that wasn’t the only thing she had planned for this trip. Maybe she’d keep it a surprise. When it came to her, he liked surprises. She never disappointed, ever.

    "Relaxing, Garrus. I have relaxing planned. And maybe a bit of exploring. But mostly relaxing. No shooting, no slavers or mercs, no husks, Reapers, Collectors." She swiped her hand through the air. "Nothin' but sun and sand and quiet for a week. It'll be great." She blinked. "Or it'll be boring and we shuttle out after two days." Elrika laughed and spread her hands, smirking up at him. "However it goes."

    Honestly, Elrika had no plans, and that was... freeing for her. So many strategies, so many stresses and pressures. She wanted a time where she would roll with the punches that weren't actually punches. When the galaxy didn't rest on her pulling something magical out of her ass. And she wanted to share that with him.

    She glanced over when he spoke again, and a light twinkled in her emerald eyes. Oh, Garrus. There was no way you could hide it from her that well.

    "Mmm. I will definitely enjoy the rematch. And if I lose, well." She ran her fingers up his knee. "I'm sure you can remind me again what I'm good at..." She turned her head and got up on her knees in her seat, grinning as she pressed her nose under his jawbone and licked the skin there.

     Garrus’ mandibles fluttered when Elrika mentioned sex, his hand moving to rest on her thigh as he scooted in as close as he could get to her. “Oh, I don’t know. Depends on how much you want.” He winked at her, even though he rarely winked, just to be playful. Hell, they could get away with having sex in this shuttle if they really wanted to, but Garrus wasn’t sure about the length of their ride, and he didn’t want to risk being caught. They’d be alone with a tent and plenty of free time to do whatever they pleased, and things would probably get intimate at least once. He was certainly fine with that.

     He didn’t know much about this planet, other than the fact that it was mostly uncharted and levo-amino based. Other than that, he knew nothing of it. Going onto an unknown planet with his lover was definitely thrilling in a certain way, though he didn’t really know how to explain it. They had been on lots of planets back in the SR-1 days, most of which had groups of Geth on them or other hostiles. Of course, the Geth weren’t an issue now, thankfully, so it’s not like they had to worry about being bothered by them.

     It was weird to be on the shuttle with just Shepard and no one else, as he was used to riding in it to go on missions. Now there were no missions, no obligations, no reason for them to use the shuttle. At least Steve was still around to drive them places. Lord knows that man is certainly attached to the damn thing. Garrus wondered briefly how Cortez would handle the Mako, if he would drive it as badly as Shepard did. He always wondered if that vehicle was just hard to drive or if Elrika was just a really bad driver. Either way, he hated being in that thing, but he’d never tell her that.

    She was still a Spectre. And she knew, quietly, that someone, some day, would ask Garrus to be one. Or, God alone knew, he might be asked to be a Councillor. But she knew he would refuse. He would never leave her side. It was selfish of her to be comfortable with that, but she was.

    Her hand fell on his at her thigh as she smiled up at him. No one else could have convinced her she was real. No one else could have chased away her doubt and breathed such sweet relief into her heart. Only Garrus.

    "I want you," she said honestly. Sex was a part of their relationship, a result of their love, not the cause of it. She had no doubt that they would have sex many times, but at the same time she was also sure they would enjoy one another's company and bodies in wholly different ways.

    She really wanted to see if no turian could actually swim. She believed it, but she still wanted to see it.

     He hadn’t ever been hunting, as he wasn’t really old enough to be on his own with a rifle before he went to the military, and he didn’t have an opportunity to go while he was in. He had wanted to go sometime after he got out, but he immediately went to work at C-Sec and never got his chance. This planet was mostly uncharted, so he didn’t know if they’d run into any animals to hunt here or not, but it was definitely something they could engage in in the future. Elrika was always very forward-thinking.

     At the tugging on his clothing he said, “Thanks,” and allowed his mandibles to move away from his jaw to create a small grin. She had seen him with armor on, with civilian clothes on, and naked, so he wasn’t worried about what he was wearing in front of her. She seemed to like all of his looks, no matter what he was wearing, and that’s all that really mattered to him. He thought the same of her; no matter what she wore, she looked good. She was sporting a simple sweatshirt in lieu of armor, which was probably more comfortable in reality, though less safe. They had each other and that was all the safety either of them needed.

    She kissed his scarred cheek, smiling up at him. "We have our communicators. But no one should contact us. I told them it had to be Reaper-level threat, or I'd shoot whoever made the call." She chuckled as she sat back. Having her hero status was... bizarre. She said she wanted something, and they got it for her. She made sure never to abuse it, though. In fact, the vacation was the first thing she had asked for since realising the power she now held.

   And she trusted Garrus to keep her honest.

   Elrika thumped the door to let Cortez know that they were ready. Then she winked at Garrus. "So. How much sex do you think we're gonna have on this planet?" She had packed plenty of antihistamine shots, for both of them, just in case. Garrus might need them more, however, since the planet was levo-amino based.

    Silly turians and their evolutionary line.