#isooto

“Mmh,” Garrus rumbled in amusement when she seemed bemused by his words. “Listen, I just like to have a little background music when I work. That includes on the field. The fact that some of that music comes from musicals . . . just means I have good taste. Clearly.” 

The sudden brightness in her eyes both interests and alarms him. He knows that look. Mischievous thoughts were rolling in her head. Yet when she suggests that they trade some culture with regards to music, he’s . . . oddly excited. Especially when she suggests wine. “You know . . . “ he looks her over, considering, “that sounds like one of the best damn ideas I’ve heard in awhile.” 

The fact that she doesn’t mention bringing in others also makes him stomach flutter in a very uncomfortable way. “I’ll bring the wine. I’ve been stashing some good stuff for a special occasion. Culture-sharing sounds pretty damn special to me.” Not to mention the company . . . “You grab your music and we’ll meet at the battery in say . . . an hour?” 

“Cadets! Be on your best behaviour - General Shaak Ti is inspecting the troops today!”

Inspection day. It was the first time Ace’s batch had been inspected, and he knew he wasn’t alone in being more than a little nervous about it. They all had to look good in front of the Jedi; had to prove themselves to be good soldiers in the making, clever and fierce and loyal. His squad was doing a battle sim to show off their new skills with blasters, a simple simulator for the still-growing troopers-to-be to test their skills in battle and hone their aim.

His squad and an opposing groups took their places on opposite sides of the arena, trying not to jitter out their anxiety over their important guest today. Ace was nervous, though he had little reason to be; the reason he was even called Ace was because he was an ace shot, the first of his batch to earn a name. This exercise was just an exercise, and they could perform their duty just as well as if the General wasn’t overseeing them.

The exercise started without a hitch, and Ace began to relax. He felt it then - a whisper of a warning, a voice whose words he could not make out and yet knew instinctively were telling him, ‘Beware! Beware!’. Ace… was no stranger to this voice, that whispered to him in simulators in warning and guided his aim to be as true as it was, a companion for as long as he could remember. Danger… a brother was in danger…! And in that split second afterward, he didn’t even think, flinging out his hands to push.

His batchmate went one direction, and his batchmate’s blaster went in another - before there was a loud, high-pitched whine, and in another split second the blaster exploded into a ball of fire and plasma.

Send ⚠ and a name, and i will make a bad presentation slide about that muse || Accepting

Horror grips him when he sees the blood similar to his own staining her hand, clothes, and skin. It’s rare for him to see her wounded. Especially wounded like this. So caught off guard by her literal sacrifice of her body for his own that he doesn’t react in time to permanently take down the one who had fired in the first place. She does though and damn if that isn’t one of the biggest reasons why he admires her. A warrior to the core. 

“Can you blame me?” Garrus grunts, deflecting the emotional turmoil he’s in with humor. “If I watched my six, it’d be all I want to look at. It’s a fine six.” A mandible lifts in a smirk, but it quickly lowers afterwards as concern fills him. “Hey, hey,” he says sharply once he notices her eyes glazing, “stay right here. Come on. Time to get you patched up.” 

Scooping her up in his arms, Garrus remains ducked, allowing the rest of the squad to handle the remaining force. Making it back to the Normandy, he rushes into the infirmary where Chakwas is immediately on hand to help. Medi-Gel is coated into her wound to stabilize her while Chakwas goes to work. Garrus remains close, his two fingers and thumb curled around her hand. 

“You’ve been talking to someone. Was it Joker? The whole Archangel thing is supposed to be under wraps. I didn’t come up with the name,” he said in his defense. “So, that’s just Garrus to you, General,” he hummed, mostly trying to keep her mind engaged, so she didn’t pass out. Chakwas was busy on her other side, stopping the blood and regenerating the skin as quickly as she could. Garrus just hoped she didn’t need more . . . he wasn’t sure they carried her type. 

“Should have known you’d be with us for a month and already upstaging me.”

A laugh rumbles up his throat at her extremely smooth gesture. “You need to teach me a few of those lines,” he told her, his fingers happily wrapping around her hand. His thumb brushes against the top of her hand, lifting it afterward to his mandible to give her an affectionate caress. “Though I hope you realize . . . you’ve fallen right into my trap, because now I can do this.”

A quick tug of her hand pulls her against him, and he anchors her against his body--sans armor--with his arm wrapping around her waist. “I’ve got you now,” he purrs, eyes warm on her. Leaning in, he presses his forehead to hers and breathes in her wild scent with great satisfaction. “How is it that something as simple as being close to you can make me feel . . . so damn happy?” he murmured softly. 

you just like the new blue because it’s real close to vakarian blue~ :P

“No, no. I just meant it looks strange.” He shook his head. There he was again, saying things without giving half a mind of his words before they leave his mouth, feeling like he wanted to kick himself in the moment. Damn it. Way to go, idiot.