10!!!! Please 10!!! Your choice of characters!
Staring at each other's lips, trying not to kiss them, before giving in.
(Spoilers. Kind of. A little. I mean, you kinda knew the story was going there.)
(Also, it got a bit long.)
Shepard hummed as her bare toes broke the surface. "The water's nice."
Before Garrus could say anything, she'd already pulled her undershirt off, balled them in her hands, and tossed the cream heap unceremoniously to the grass. The late evening made the sweat on her bare chest sparkle gold under the sunlight. Her trousers came next along with her drawers, leaving her completely naked.
She undid her ribbon and ran fingers through her hair, shaking it loose. Tattoos long since faded from work and time twisted as the muscles under her skin worked--the star on her wrist, the dagger on her right bicep, the pierced heart on her left upper arm, and the crude yet hilarious FUCK YOU 🖤 on her knuckles.
Garrus felt his chest get hot. He'd always seen her in trousers and shirts, always in something meant to hide her silhouette and confuse whomever they met. What she wore was her business, not his, and it hadn't stopped him from feeling drawn to her.
But seeing her bare hit him in a way he hadn't expected.
One final smirk was all he got before Shepard turned around and ran into the water, waist-length curls bouncing around her shapely frame. As soon as it hit her waist, she dove forward and ducked under the surface, hair slicked back straight as she emerged seven feet ahead. Her mouth fell open once she ran her hands over her face, and Garrus' heart did something stupid in his chest.
Her lips curled maliciously. "What's wrong, Garrus?"
He finally remembered to breathe. "Nothing."
"Oh, yeah? Why aren't you in the water, then?"
His mouth opened. Nothing came out.
"Aww, what's wrong, cowboy?" she crooned, tilting her head. "Where's that famous courage of yours hiding?"
Garrus' jaw tightened. A low laugh escaped her and she nodded backward once.
"Ándale. I promise I won't look."
Liar...
With a sigh, he pulled off his shirts and flung them with Shepard's. As he hooked his thumbs into his trousers and drawers, he made a point to look her in the eye while he pulled them down to the ground.
Hers never dropped once. But her smile grew wider.
"See? Wasn't that hard, was it?"
Garrus grumbled under his breath and toed the water's edge. Not so cold he'd start shivering in a minute, but not so warm he'd want to stay for hours. Shepard watched him from the deeper end, brown eyes still locked on his face. One foot in front of the other, he walked calmly into the water, slowing down as it threatened to reach his hips.
A deep breath. Just enough to brace for the inevitable shock that would travel up his spine. But just as he was about to--
Splash!
A sharp inhale sounded through his mouth and his spine went rigid. His skin prickled immediately under the spread-out drops that'd landed all over him.
"Don't--"
Another splash, this one bigger. He growled.
"Goddamn it, Dani!"
Shepard laughed. "You should see your face right now, cabrón! You look like I--"
Splash!
A palmful of water hit her square in the face. Shaking the worst of it out from her face, she dropped her mouth open and cocked a brow. She hit him back with more water.
Garrus retaliated. An indignant huff escaped her.
"Oh, you wanna do this, huh? Let's go."
She pounced on him, but he sidestepped just in time and swam away sideways, snorting while she cursed him out in Spanish. He grabbed her arm and pulled her close, lifted her sideways with ease, and listened to her shriek as he tossed her into the water. She ducked underwater and his shoulders shook with laughter.
"...Dani?"
She didn't emerge. The water was too dark to see through, muddied by their movements.
His eyes narrowed. "Dani, are you--"
Garrus made an undignified sound as cold hands wrapped around his ankles and lifted them up, making him wave his arms and fall backward below the surface. Laughter met him when he emerged and swiped a hand over his face.
"Oh, you're gonna get it now," he promised.
"No! No, please!" Shepard said, words faltering with every chuckle.
His hand wrapped around her bicep and he pulled himself close to her while she squirmed like an eel. Some struggling later, and he was behind her with his arms locked around her waist. Fingers dug into his, trying to pry them off, but she couldn't get free.
She turned her head and watched him over her shoulder. Both their laughter slowed steadily. Her fingers softened around his, gliding instead of tugging.
God... he'd never seen her like this. Free of any burdens on her shoulder, existing instead of surviving. It suited her better than he'd suspected it would. It suited her so much he couldn't take his eyes off her.
His chest tightened. His eyes dropped to her lips and he watched her tongue dart out to wet them. As he raised his gaze back to her eyes, her lingered on his lips a second longer before meeting his again, now softer than he'd ever seen them.
Her breathing deepened. So did his.
A final glance down to her lips. She returned it.
A hand lifted and settled on his cheek. He pressed into it automatically, eyes sliding shut.
When he opened them again, her soft lips were already on his.
