#shepard x wrex

[tuanishere]

some new and old doodles of my shep and my fav guys <3

Here's a design sheet for my shepard if you're interested!

[angstyastro]

Commission for @/caboosewaffles on twit of their Shepard and Wrex having some fun 😏❤️❤️

[catsharky]

[Wrex voice]: Shepard wants to f-ck you so bad it makes her look stupid

Part 2

Comic Masterpost

[sol-consort]

Early morning Cuddling

[Fluff, suggestive, shepards reader, nb!reader]

[Ashley, Kaidan, Joker, Garrus, Wrex, Tali, Liara]

Ashley

Safety is a feeling you'll never lack in her strong arms. Securing you close to her chest so you can feel the drum of her heartbeat, slowly picking up speed as she stirs awake from her slumber.

And she smiles at you, sleep in her eyes and all, the first thing she ever thinks to do is express her happiness at you being by her side.

Tightening her hold for a moment so she could give your forehead a tender kiss. She looks at you as if you were something fragile, as if it was her duty to protect you. No matter how strong you might be, at that moment, you have no doubt she'll take a bullet for you and more.

The two of you have to get up soon before Joker's announcement calls for your required presence. But Ashley can't help but linger on you, steal a few more moments of peacefulness before the blaring of shotguns is all that she may hear for the rest of her day.

Her hair is a mess, black strands sprawled on the pillow below her. Framing her face and giving her a more gentle look than her usual tight bun hairstyle does. Her upper body bare with her chest pressed against yours. She smells like that one soap she keeps stocked on the Normandy since she has joined your crew.

You feel lucky being one of the few able to see her in this intimate state.

☆

Kaidan

He has an alarm that he ignores, preferring to cling more into your body and bury his face against your neck and shoulder. Leaving the alarm annoying beeping.

With a sigh, you reach over and turn it off. Except it's one of those alarms that require you to solve a simple equation to turn off, simple by Alenko's standards. The same one cuddling into your body and refusing to let go from the warmth.

So the poor alarm ends up thrown across the room, or stuffed under the bed with a pillow to muffle its sound. You wonder why does he keep buying them when he keeps ignoring them.

Running your fingers through his hair gently, you pry him off of your neck in an attempt to get him to wake up. He's always groggy in the morning as he attempts to blink the tiredness away from his eyes.

A clear contrast to his usual disciplined self, freshly out of sleep, Kaidan is not someone you want to come across on the Normandy. The morning is around the time when he needs to take his required medication for L2 implants and migraines since he'll not be granted another opportunity of free time until the day is over.

Your presence during it has been helping him in more ways that he cares to admit, your warmth chasing away the stray nightmares that used to plague his mind each night.

☆

Joker

The two of make it work, with a lot of patience and being mindful of his osteogenesis.

While cuddling, he is the one on top to avoid any pressure on his bones. He's the one hugging into you with his head resting on your strong arms. He tries to lighten the mood whenever he notices how careful you're being, a part of him hates his hugs not being reciprocated but he understands why.

Still, this is vastly better than sleeping alone on his bed. Feeling you underneath him, listening to your calming heartbeat. It almost makes everything worth it, every sleepless night spent studying during the academy, every day spent alone, every empty bed.

He trusts you with himself, with his genuine vulnerability hidden under his witty jokes and sharp mind. He is aware of how much effort you're putting in. How you truly see him as a person and not a charity cases.

He's usually the one waking up first, pilot training and all. Quietly leaving the bed to not disturb you as he goes and checks to the helm to check on the ship's states. Him and Dr.Chakwas are the first early birds aboard the ship and they've grown into a comfortable routine of doing the opening shift as the rest of the crew stirs awake one by one.

By the time he's done, he makes sure to prepare a hot morning drink for you and take it back to your quarters. Sitting on the edge of the bed.

His smirking face behind the steam from the hot cup is the first sight you see in the morning. His voice telling you an awful pun that has you almost choking on your drink with a groan is the first thing you hear.

And you wouldn't have it any other way.

☆

Garrus

He's unsure of this arrangement at first, of if this is who you really want to cuddle up to.

Human skin is squishy, fragile and soft, unbelievably so when compared to Turians' hard plated shells. Humans are just bare with nothing to protect them whilst having fuller bodies than other aliens with soft skin. Yet somehow, Turians are supposed to believe these soft creatures are the apex of their own planet, evolving from predators with their forward facing eyes rather than prey.

Garrus has always wanted to feel a human up close, their soft fragile throats that any Turian could squeeze so easily in their large clawed hands. Break with their talons like an eggshell.

Yet this race was incredible resilient, quickly stealing the Turian's reputation of being the most hostile race in the galaxy, the humans and their temper and fight or flight adrenaline responses were quickly making a name for themselves.

That's why he almost can't believe it when he gets to hold you in bed. Allowing him to almost pin you down so easily, to wrap his large claws and long arms around you. Nuzzle your bare neck with his sharp mouth and enhale your scent.

Turians would battle for dominance amongst themselves, a play pretend sort of fight that comes from deep natural urges to top the other even in relationships. So from his view, you allowing him to hold you so close and sleep next your defenceless form is you surrendering to him.

Garrus has never been the aggressive type, even by Turian standards he was too nice at times. Yet something about you is digging at these buried ancient instincts of his, the low deep growls each morning when you try to pull away, the tighten of his sharp claws around you.

It comes so naturally that he does it unconsciously, not realising the growling sound is coming from the back of his throat in the morning until he clears his throat in embassment. Unaware of the soft squecks and caws he lets out each night when you scatch behind his neck and he melts into your touch before falling asleep.

☆

Wrex

He prefers short naps throughout the day so he may stay alert even through the night, it comes naturally for his species to be on their gaurd through most hours, that's what makes them such great fighers.

But you're a bad influence on him, coaxing him with you into this bundle of soft sheets and blankets that you humans call a bed. Making him lay on his back, a position so intimate for Krogans to be in, and cuddling to his side.

You're...warm. the skin and meat seperating your heart from his hand is so thin in comparison to his. Are humans not afraid? How could they have evolved to have their heart at such an exposed location for all to see and touch.

And to think you were supposed to be the predetor and him the prey, so why does he get this urge to protect you. To keep your bones intact and never allow any harm your way.

A wolf in sheep clothings, that's what humans are. He has to remind himself constantly not to get tricked by your seemingly harmless appearance. Tantalising lips or mesmerising eyes. That you're as dangerous as him if not more from what he has seen of you throughout the years. Terrifyingly cunningly at times and overrun by basic rage instincts at others, a volcano of emotions that's constantly erupting.

That's why laying next to you in the early morning is such a strain on his instincts. He can feel himself changing, his body relaxing around you and his mind resting for once. He can feel his gaurd lowering and he hates it, hates not being on his toes, not being on constant alert.

But you hug him so sweetly, cuddle his arm so tenderly and tell him to stay by your side. How could he refuse, is he even strong enough to refuse when your touches are the most intimate thing he has had during his whole life? When the feeling of a human sleeping next to him made him feel more safe than he ever did in the best of armours, and here he was supposed to be the one protecting you.

Wrex remains by your side until it's time to wake up, until it's time to start the routine he grew so familiar of.

☆

Tali

The hum of the engine used to be what lulled her to sleep, and with how eerily silent the Normandy gets around this time, it leaves her restless.

The early morning is her respite, when the chatter and clinking of soldiers outside getting ready for the day is audible through the walls. Tali finds herself drifting off to a comfortable sleep, reassured that she is safe and alive with the sound of life around her.

She becomes incredibly cuddly in the early morning, as much as her restrictive suit allows. It's not the same one as her shore one, yet it is still as effective in protecting her immune system.

She wants to feel your warmth, your soft human skin and run feel your hair. But both of you know it's not possible yet. So you settle for hugging her waist closer to you, running a hand down her covered back and hoping it will make her feel something.

That maybe, just maybe, a sliver of your warmth will slip through.

By the time she is dozing off to dreamland, it's your turn to walk out the door and face your responsibilities. Leave the wamrth of your bed and ready your team for another survey of a freezing cold planet in the vast empty space of the universe.

☆

Liara

Her fingers are soothing as they run over your body, encouraging your muscles to relax and your eyelids to flutter open. Her melodic voice humming in your mind.

She manages to wake you up as peacefully as she can, eyes wide and full of wonder as she is ready to greet a new day with all the discoveries it may bring.

You wonder where she gets all this energy from, and why isn't it infectious. She seems the most awake of everyone in the morning, and yet she stays by your side in bed until you get all the rest you need.

You never had to tell her to stay either, she did it by herself. Claiming it feels like the right thing to do, how doting she can be on her loved one at times.

Liara is always curious about any dreams you may have, admitting how sometimes they can be like a window into a person's inner psyche. How much she wants to understand you better, on a deeper level than anyone before her ever did.

As if she wants to merge her soul with yours, and maybe to her own kind that's what true love is like. To liara, the mornings you share together remain the highlight of her day until nightime when she gets to feel your embrace again, hear your voice and listen as you tell her about how your day went.

There's so much to admire about her curious nature, her genuine love for knowledge and exploration. The way she likes her coffee especially sweet and the way she hums each morning to stirr you awake.

[hanasnx]

“ COLLIDE LIKE TWO STARS FOR A WHILE ” — shakarian.

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ NOTES: during ME1, pre-romance. WARNINGS: fem shepard | spacer backstory, if you squint | established relationship as friends | slow burn romance themes | regular romance themes | friends to lovers and this is the precursor, the friends bit, so to speak.

It’s unlikely but not impossible that extraction fails, and night falls quickly. Out in the middle of nowhere, under the stars, SHEPARD and her team of GARRUS VAKARIAN and URDNOT WREX are stranded until early next morning. They adapt, as survivalists do, and make camp with limited supplies. Communications are on the fritz, but she’s not worried yet, right now they should get some rest. “You two get a head-start, I’ll keep first watch.” she’d said. It had been a while since then, the fire’s low, and she yawns into her hand. At least it’s a hell of a view, she hasn’t been somewhere without light pollution in years. She sees stars outside the windows of the Normandy all the time, but nothing like this. Perhaps there’s some ancient human in her after all, the kind that once-in-a-while needs solid ground under her feet while she gazes into the sparkling canopy of the skies. She draws in a deep, calming breath. This mission didn’t go her way, it’s been nothing but tough choices and rushed half-baked ideas trying to catch up to Saren. Now they’re stuck, waiting here until their retrieval.

Some rustling, then footsteps sound behind her, and she pivots her head in the direction at attention until she recognizes them. Garrus comes to stand aside her, the curves of his armor illuminated in the dull light. “Any action, Commander?”

Shepard is reminded of herself, sitting straighter at the sight of her subordinate. Elbows rest on her propped up knees, and her gloved fingers fiddle to get the blood flowing. Through her exhaustion, she musters a weak “heh.” cocking her head to reach the back of her neck to her hand and give it a rub. With a tired quirk to her lips she responds, “Not yet, Vakarian, but the night’s still young.”

Garrus aligns himself, and slowly seats next to her releasing a sigh on the way down. “I came to relieve you.”

"Yeah, I'll turn in in a minute." she replies, facing forward. He mirrors her position. Through lids not yet heavy, she watches the horizon, the long stretch of flatland curtained by the blue night. A thought occurs, and her brows quirk, glancing at him slyly. "It hasn't been that long. Couldn't sleep?"

"You could say that." he concedes, and pivots his body in the direction of the lumpy sleeping bag confining Wrex. "He snores, you know."

Something about Garrus's skill with subtle comedic timing has her scoff through her nose, curling her lips a second time that night. "Didn't notice." she audibly realizes, downturning her mouth with a discreet shrug. "At least one of us will be well-rested tomorrow."

"He'll have to carry us to the Normandy." he says it like it's a warning, but it passes over her head.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll love that." she quips, but she's far too drained to come up with anything clever to sustain the banter—not that she could outrun Garrus's mouth on a good day.

It's quiet for a moment. The noises of night fill the space from lack of conversation, and the dimmest of embers retreat into the centers of the wood from the fire.

Sheepishly, he studies her. "Commander?" His gaze shifts to his wrists resting on his propped up knees. "About today..." His fist forms as it hangs off the precipice, and he wishes he had a blade of grass to rip up between his fingers—anything to ease the churn in his stomach over bringing this up.

"Don't mention it, Garrus. Shit happens." A plainly informal response so abrupt it takes him aback. He's never known Shepard to be a shining example of professionalism, but the wall that's usually between them feels a little thinner right now. "Whatever went wrong it's my fault anyway."

Taking responsibility like a leader... he thinks. Against his judgment—quick to fight her for accountability and insist there's nothing she could've done—he seals his mandibles and waits.

"I've never been the Commander of my own ship before." she observes it like it's just now sinking in, and Garrus senses the beginning of an anecdotal explanation. It's an exceedingly rare thing, knowing next to nothing about Shepard's personal life that she supplied herself, he dares not move lest he break the miraculous trance she's in. "I've led units, sure, but I was always going home on someone else's orders. Now, it's different." She leans her weight to one side, lifting her foot to kick at a rock in front of her boot. The jagged edges of it draw a swirling picture in the loose sandy dirt. "I can't call the Council every time I need help." She settles into her seat, crossing her arms in a lax hug of her knees as she curls forward. It's... child-like.

Garrus is at a loss. This shade of vulnerability on his commanding officer is unseen and it's an understatement to say it's difficult to navigate. If he says the wrong thing, she'll remember who she's talking to, who she is, and the last thing she wants is to be pitied—that much he does know. He clenches his jaw. This is some freak combination of a mission gone sideways, the night air, her exhaustion, and his chance presence—it must be. There won't be another moment like this, and he doesn't want to screw up her opinion of him.

It's quiet again. "I can be your help." dies on his lips. A heavy weight presses into his chest, like he let her down.

"You're from Palaven, right?" The inquiry catches him off guard, and he perks up.

"Palaven?" his tone conveys his confusion about the abrupt shift, as if it's irrelevant where he hails from. "Er, yes. Cipritine, to be exact." After supplying the answer, he wears a shade of embarrassment on his neck for forgetting to address her properly. The question of whether or not he should've added a "sir" irks him, and his claws through his gloves scrape over the armor at his knee.

"What's it like there?"

If he was crossing the line, she made no show of it. Instead he saw the reflection of the stars in her eyes, and he wondered if she was trying to imagine his birthplace, or see it from where she sits now, thousands of lightyears away.

He hasn't given it much thought since he left, but for her sake, he'll make an exception. Glancing at his lap, he tries to remember what was so special about it other than a place to live, a place to be proud of simply because it sired him. He has respect for where he came from, but does he have love? He's unsure facing it head-on now. Regardless, he tries to describe it objectively. "It's... nice- I think. Warm... and- and safe."

After those few words, he gauges her reaction uneasily, but she's unfazed. Hundreds of twinkling lights in her gaze as she focuses on each one, pupils darting side-to-side as if she's counting them. Her body language relaxes, releasing her legs to let them fall apart, as her hands fix behind her, leaning on them.

Her comfort, it instills him. "Tall, silver spires reaching for the skies. It's... not like here." The surrounding flat land is nothing but sparse withered palmed trees and dry dirt. As he takes it all in, his eyes land on the back of her hand within reach of him. His heart rate picks up, and for one lapse he envisions placing his own there—like it's the right time for it. However, such a deeply inappropriate idea crazes him, sharply whipping his head away from the view of it to avoid considering it for another second. Considering it was a mistake, accidentally born out of these special circumstances and nothing more. To change the subject of his own mind, he adds, "Uh, well, what about you? Where are you from?" His words come out a little too quick for his tastes, falling clumsily out of his mouth as he nervously gestures towards her.

Shepard shrugs. "Never spent enough time in one place to know, really."

Within that small sentence, Garrus begins to feel a new appreciation for his home, one he may have took for granted before. "Oh." He star-gazes with her, and for a moment he wonders if he can see Palaven from here.

"It's alright. Cipritine sounds nice." she says, sincerely. It eases him.

"Maybe you'll visit it one day." he offers this suggestion hopefully as if in attempt to lift her spirits.

Her brows furrow, and a smile of disbelief stretches onto her features, spotlighted by starshine. "Yeah, as soon as I grow some Turian hide. Right."

"Heh. Right."

A loud and obnoxious groan of frustration alerts the pair, pivoting their necks in its direction, but exchanging eye contact with each other instead. "Will you kids keep it down? Some of us are trying to get some sleep over here." the throaty voice of Wrex scolds them, yanking them back into reality. Both of their bodies suddenly feel a little heavier.

"Speaking of which," Shepard gets up, and dusts herself off. "I should, uh, get some sleep." She jabs her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the sleeping bags, ignoring the way Wrex rolls over, grumbling to himself.

"You do that." Garrus nods to her.

"Take it easy." she tells him, and the sound of her footsteps distance themselves from his ear.

Just like that, the wall is back up... but it's a little thinner than before.

[minamoreh]

now who are your parents, child?

[sziroi]

Mass Effect doodles

Mean girls squad

Grunt is so grown up now

+ bonus

[madamedramatics]

Canon wise, it doesn't make sense for Shepard to have any sort of bug phobia. She's the captain of the Normandy, the first human spectre, an N7, ect....but fanon, Oh ma GAWD, let me tell yall the scenarios my mind wandered off too.

Scen 1. Shep's okay with regular bugs but bugs the same size as her is where she draws the line. When one pops up on her, her trigger finger takes care of it instantly as she shrieks. Realizing it's dead, she is relieved, but she doesn't remember being this tall. She somehow has managed to jump into Garrus' or Wrex's arms. Garrus would ask, "Are you okay?" but Wrex would definitely drop her😂

Scen 2. Shep doesn't care how big or small they are. They all must die, specifically by fire or nuke, as far as she's concerned. Her, Tali, and random 3rd squad member (l'll slot Liara in for this one) go on a mission. You'd think Liara was made to lead since her friends' legs can barely stop shaking. They scream everytime a spider pops up, using full clips on already dead specimens. Liara tries to reassure but can't stop herself from touching the creatures for study. The two scaredy cats are just as uncomfortable watching Liara touch the bugs. They stumble across one of the largest bugs nest they'd ever seen and Shep has had enough. She radios her emotional support turian and says he needs to come get her right now. Tali tells him to bring Chakwas too because her heart won't make it back to ship at this rate. Garrus gives them words of encouragement. Grunt tells them to grow a pair....and to stop screaming because he can hear them from 20 cave tunnels over😂 After the mission is over, Garrus sees a crater in the planets surface. When he asks what happened, all Liara can say is Shepard found the nuke.

Scen 3. Bugs like the Rachni queen do little to Shepard but bugs the size of her pinky nail just make her skin crawl. It's her off day, one she didn't even wanna take, but after falling asleep in the middle of a gunfight, she realized she was putting her team in danger with her lack of sleep. After a nice shower, she steps out to dry her hair, but she doesn't expect a visitor to descend in front of her. As the miniscule spider swings in front of her, she absolutely loses it. She is screaming, in a full blown panic. She tells Edi to get some help and tell someone she's trapped. Garrus damn near teleports to the cabin with everyone hot on his trails, so save the commander from an unknown enemy. When the crew arrives and she's telling them to "kill that bastard," they are confused. They see no one. She says, "THE SPIDER DAMMIT" and everyone's faces drop. They all look at Garrus and says this is his problem and single file their way back out to the elevator. Garrus sees the bug and decides it doesn't look too bad, so he flicks his tongue and eats it. He didn't expect that to make Shepard pass out...still ass naked on the floor.

If you read all of this, thank you for entertaining this post and please feel free to add funny uncanon like scenarios of your own😂

[tealenko]

It's getting bigger...

Tea's MELE Collection (current state, now that I added Miranda):

And bonus:

Eventually I'd like to make all the ships to be placed as the 2nd one (Now shenko it's the only option... best one if you ask me, but I'd like to do the others so that everyone has their favorite romance in this <3)

Happy N7 Day!!!! ~~tea

[tuanishere]

Sorry if someone did this already but I just need to let out some silliness for my shep and my besties whom I desperately want to romance

Original meme:

My shepard character sheet for your reference

[lilmissnatcat24]

a lil brevity in the soul punching heartbreak in the next few chapters of turn left

“If I end up dying in this fucking tunnel, I’m going to kill you,” Wrex grumbled in Garrus’ earpiece. He didn’t have the room to look back, but if Garrus was having troubles inside of the vents, he could only imagine how Wrex was faring. 

“Sorry to say, I don’t think turian heaven is the same as krogan,” Garrus mumbled back. 

“Then I’ll haunt you for the rest of your short, puny life.” 

“What will you do?” Shepard whispered, her voice bouncing off the walls. “Turn on his taps when he’s out of his apartment? Run up his electric bill? Flicker the lights when he’s trying to sleep?” 

“I was thinking more along the lines of punching him in the face from the astral plane. Repeatedly.” 

[totallynotasimp67]

Mass Effect Prompt

Featuring Garrus

I’ll start this by saying, I am not that far into ME3, I have completed the first 2 and I do plan on multiple play throughs. The character I have currently romanced is Garrus, so I’ll be using his name, however feel free use any character you see fit

So, we all know Shepherd has a nightmare about the child they couldn’t save, now the scenario is as follows,

It had been a long day, Shepherd/you were tired, the entire crew was tired but

Shep/you: “Their isn’t any rest for the wicked, Garrus”

Garrus: “all the more reason for you to sleep, we need you on your A game to fight the Reapers, now sleep, Shepherd”

Shep/you: “you drive a hard bargain Vakarian, fine”

Now Shepherd/you had been asleep for a bit, maybe an hour at most when the nightmare started, meanwhile Garrus could tell something just wasn’t right and goes to check on Shepherd/you, his hunch being confirmed seeing you squirming in bed, obviously having a very intense dream

Alternate Dialogue

If you decide to time it after the War against the Reapers

Shep/You: “There isn’t any rest for the wicked, Garrus, you and I know that better than anyone.”

Garrus: “True, but there isn’t any galaxy ending threat knocking at our door, now is there, and I don’t think you getting some sleep will magically make one appear”

Shep/You: “you drive a hard bargain Vakarian, but you’re right, I’ll try and get some sleep”

Now don’t forget to tag me if you use this prompt, thank you and have a good day

[anka1794]

So I decided to replay my favorite mass effect because I really want that n7 elite trophy😎

So first game wasn’t as hard as I thought it’ll be. I chose engineer class because of AI hacking and yes that was useful as hell. I mostly took Garrus and Ashley, because of sniper rifles and Ashley can equip heavy armor.

I will continue in next posts😊

[sol-consort]

Do you see Wrex and shepard together? Because I low-key think they have like sexual chemistry

OH BOY DO I!

It starts as enemies to firends to lovers, but then quickly spirals into forbidden love territory once he acquires the throne.

Remember that first meeting scene in ME1?

When the Citadel C-sec were too intimidated by Wrex to even dare and hold him down? The krogan assumes all humans tend to cower in front of someone his size.

How Shepard literally marches in there, calls him by his first name, then offers to shake his hand so casually? Full of confidence and poise? Not afraid to meet his eyes.

Yeah, that scene? Every single pixel is flooded with sexual and romantic tension.

Both Paragon and Renegade Shepard have the best chemistry with Wrex full stop.

The scene after it where Wrex deliberately disobeys Paragon Shep command to spare this guy's life, shooting him in the head because "he had a contract" Testing the limit to what this human allows him to get away with, pushing boundaries.

How Shep immediately snaps at him, addressing him down as a commander still despite him disrespecting your authority.

Showing him that this isn't the way things work around here, you won't tolerate this act from him a second time. He already used his one chance, and he better be on his best behaviour going forward.

Genuinely catching Wrex off-guard, he never expected the humans to have barks, let alone the power to follow it with bite. A part of him is even a little ashamed of his action, but he'd rather die than apologise to a human he just met, so he just gives a vague promise not to do it again.

Which might seem small, but to a contractual killer krogan who never trusted a single soul ever since he left his planet young, it's so much more.

The first building blocks to the long bridge of trust being established between them was set by Wrex.

And if you finish his target alone without bringing him along, what does Wrex do? He pays you. He hands you what he views as your rightful share for aiding with his job.

It's established early on that Wrex has honour, he has pride and more self-awareness that anyone would ever expect of him. He keeps his temper in control, is more cunning and logical than people expect of a "krogan"

How he doesn't hesitate to leave a situation when something feels off, his intuition and gut feeling had saved his life countless times.

-

You keep trying to have small talks with him whenever you come down to the dock of your ship, and he just doesn't understand why.

What are your intentions? Is it just curiosity from him being the first Korgan you see? Or are you just digging for information out of mistrust, doubting his abilities as a capable mercenary.

He always hated the employers who kept peering over his shoulders, poking their nose into things that do not concer them.

The job you assigned him will get done, stop bothering him.

In fact, that's why he shares the story about his previous employers. The various times he was ruthless just to get a job done, even when he had to face a friend in combat. Painting himself as a hardened soul.

...so why are you looking at him like that?

See? He has no heart, in fact, despite the three pumping in his chest. So are you convinced yet?

Yes, he is the epitome of the big, strong scary Korgan. The same one all the other species warned you so much about.

Instead of being impressed, intimidated, or both. You look at him with concern, as if he's a bird with broken wings that fell into your palm.

You inquire about his homeplanet.

The usual bitterness that threaten to come out in a pile upwards his throat each time he retells this story...is less severe this time around. It's easier to get out, to go more into details around you.

You never interrupt him, you let him talk. Thoughtfully listening, only speaking when it's your turn.

He doesn't know what to say.

By the end, you...apologise.

For someone to finally acknowledge the wrongs that have been done against his own kind, the injustice the krogans continue to suffer to this day.

A salarian would've gone into a long tangent about why it was a necessary evil, an asari would've offered faux pity before reminding him of the shiny statue in the citadel as if that makes up for the billions of krogan stillborns every year. A turian would've acted as this was a righteous punishment, that krogans should never be trusted until they prove they're capable of civility.

But you, human...Shepard, apologised.

Next time you stop by, he doesn't know why he even brings up the family crest. The rotten armour has been buzzing at the back of his mind like an annoying fly.

Wrex just blurted it out, his tongue loose around you for some reason, something he noticed but was still in denial about–either way, you make a promise to retrieve it.

He snorts.

Okay, he'll believe it when he sees it, Shep.

...

..

.

Standing there in front of the platinum wall locker, Wrex claws tremble as he opens the door. The urge to dislodge the thing from its hinges gnaws at the back of his mind, but he resists it. He knows better than to risk damaging the container of what's supposed to be a centuries old piece of armour.

He can't fucking believe his eyes.

It's there, in his hand. As ugly and vile smelling as he imagined.

And you by his side, you pawny little human who invaded this base like a storm, what a deadly force you are.

For the first time in decades, Wrex is hopeful again. Shepard reignited the flame of determination that always were inside him, the same snuffed out so cruelly by his father that forsaken day.

-

He followed you to Virmire, fully ready to risk his life for your cause. Not out of some obligation or contractual work, but because he believed in it, he believed in you, commander.

So why can't you extend him the same courtesy? Why must you oppose him when a cure is practically at the tip of his fingers?

It pains him as he raises the gun, the same sting he felt the day he drove the knife into his father's chest, the same despair wrangling his heart the day he put a bullet through his only friend's skull.

You expressed your sympathy for the tragedy of his people, didn't you? Or was it just a game of pretend to gain his trust?

So why can't you understand!

You of all people! He thought you would understand better than anyone.

But he doesn't pull the trigger.

You raise your gun, both of you know it won't do shit against him. A krogan shell can endure many bullets before any real damage is done, your squishy skin however? Yeah, not so much so.

No. The gun was akin to a flare instead. Gives a good reason for your crew to come running to your aid, for the salarian special unit to herald a shower of bullets upon him under the guise of "defending the human soldiers"

It will spell his doom in a much more painful way than the simple bullet he planned to plant directly into your heart ever could've.

The singular delicate human heart, how small it must be inside your chest. Yet this one fragile organ infected his three sturdy hearts with its determination.

How you risked your one heart for him that day you helped him retrieve his family crest.

Wrex...

is tried.

Beyond anything, he is so tried and sick of constantly fighting all the time.

He lowers his gun.

Yet the soldiers around you don't lower theirs until you do.

He tries not to let it get under his skin.

He fails.

Swallowing his pride, Wrex recollects the remains of his dignity. He must be in control of his emotions, never show too much fury, otherwise the world will weaponise it against him, claiming this is exactly why krogans don't deserve to join the rest of the galaxy yet.

They can choke on his dick.

-

There are just so many other scenes! I can go on forever.

The biggest one of them all, Grunt and how his whole mission could be interpreted as the best romance subplot between Wrex and Shepard.

Shep finds a Krogan teen who's going through puberty and what's your next course of action? Take him to his homeplanet and visit your ex the Krogan you may or may not have had a situationship with, the one you inspired to change his entire life, to go make a difference in the world.

Shep is Wrex's biggest muse, a nymph from the woods that flipped his world upside down. More deadly and dangerous than all the other warriors he has ever seen, as determined and inspiring as the greatest leaders. The krogan equivalent of a warrior angel.

And what does he do when this Valkyrie whom he thought had died walks back into his life so casually?

He is absolutely rejoiced. Couldn't give less of a shit about Cerberus or anything. Shepard is still Shepard, and you're here, alive, well, in front of him. As gorgeous as the day he lost you.

Not only that, but you came with a child. And you're asking him for guidance and help on raising him? Shepard, you shouldn't toy with a man's heart this much. Otherwise, he'll get the wrong impression.

Wrex practically treats Grunt as his own son and adopts him by the end of the mission. Not only that, but there is a big chance the "mating request" sent in for Shepard afterwards was actually Wrex's.

You get to play family for a day. Your son is just as powerful as you are. Wrex gets a glimpse of what it would've been like to raise him by your side, the life he could've had with Shepard.

But he cannot, he has obligations, ones he actually likes this time around. The krogans need a leader, the planet needs restoration. It's time to take responsibility for the state of his homeworld and not just chalk it up to "how krogans always were" Because that's simply not true.

The women remember it, their art, history, and beautiful complex culture. The men have gone senile with the war, Wrex needs to beat some sense into them. He'll drag all the clans with him to a better life whether they like it or not

And part of him...well. He knows you're the one he wants most, but is he the one you really want? Everyone in your crew is already drooling over you, Wrex is more dignified than to be just another obnoxious suiter chasing after you.

Not to mention, it's part of his job to get married to a krogan so the clans get another leader. You're a human, it will never work out. You have your own life, your own obligations and mission to save the galaxy.

It makes his dream to restore his planet pale in comparison, but Wrex isn't so fragile in his security that he'd get intimidated by that. If anything, it makes him yearn for you even more, admire you whole, impressed by your every achievements that outweigh his, rather than trying to dampen your blinding brightness.

Maybe, in the–hopefully near–future, your children and his can play together on this very same land. But instead of rubble, it will be grassy fields, you and Wrex taking a stroll in the gardens nearby while watching over both of your kids.

And for a moment, Wrex can close his eyes and pretend the ring pressing gainst his skin as he holds your hand, is a one that he gave you.

Would it be Wrex Shepard or would you prefer the Urdnot lastname?

Don't tell him.

He'd rather dream.

He earned it, after all that he sacrificed and everything gave in order to restore the glory to his people, he earned the right to dream.

[pani-artz]

Color Wheel Challenge but make it Mass Effect part 2

[melanie-ohara]

Weapons Training: A Liara/Shepard Drabble

Time to post a Mass Effect drabble! There may be more of these for other relationships or other series at some point, depending on how this does - so if you like it, please share!

“So you have been in a fight then?” the human Commander asked, leading Liara into the elevator. She leaned against the wall and regarded her with folded arms.

Liara nodded. “Mostly wild animals. And a few pirates, trying to steal artifacts from dig sites.” She could feel a blush rising in her cheeks and looked at her feet. “My biotics are quite good, but I’m afraid I’m not much use with weapons.”

The lift shuddered to a halt and the bay door slid down. Shepard shot her a disarming smile. “It’s okay, you’ll learn. If you’re coming out into the field with me you’ll need more than just your biotics. Come on.” Liara followed the human out of the lift and across the cargo bay. She wasn’t sure what Shepard had in mind, but she was more than happy to trail her around the ship and watch her flame red hair bounce ever so slightly as she walked. Everything from her steady gait to her broad shoulders and the hard muscles of her arms breathed the kind of easy confidence Liara had never had.

She shook herself as Shepard brought her to a halt next to Garrus Vakarian’s makeshift workbench. She exchanged what sounded like a grim in-joke with him - something about organs that would probably make Liara a little queasy if she heard any more of it - and the turian laughed.

The human picked up a pistol from his desk. “This one?”

“Yep,” Garrus said without looking up. “Charged and locked, I checked it myself.”

“Thanks, Vakarian.” As far as Liara had heard, Shepard called almost everyone by their surname. Never Kaidan, Ashley, Garrus, Karin; always Alenko, Williams, Vakarian and Chakwas. Not her though. She was always Liara to Shepard. She forced herself to try not to read into it.

“This,” Shepard was saying, holding the pistol up to Liara with her pale pink finger pressed along the side of the barrel, “is an M-3 Predator heavy pistol. The heat sink can take 15 shots before it hits critical. It’s lightweight, fast-firing, and accurate at short to medium range. Take it.”

Liara shuddered a little as Shepard laid it almost delicately in her palm. Liara’s fingers curled around the grip and Shepard quickly pinched her index finger and moved it away from the trigger. “Careful, Doc. Fingers away from the trigger until you’re ready to put a hole in something.”

Liara felt heat rising to her cheeks again. “Right, of course. Sorry, Commander.” She let the weight of it sit for a moment. “It’s lighter than I thought it would be,” she said. Shepard smiled.

“Precision engineering,” she said. “Vakarian and I have fiddled around with it a bit. Lightweight materials, disruptor ammo, that sort of thing.” Liara could feel Shepard’s penetrating, almost luminous green eyes following her every move as she passed the gun from hand to hand. The intensity of it, of her, made her want to lie down. She steadied herself with a long breath.

“Comfortable?” the human asked, arms folded across her chest again. Liara wished she wouldn’t do that. The way it made the muscles in her forearms stand out made it very difficult for her to focus on anything else. “Great,” Shepard said with an encouraging smile. “Now shoot Wrex.”

“What?”

“He won’t mind.”

Liara looked over the bay at the massive hulking krogan in the corner, who was currently slurping down an entire pack of nutrient paste.

“Commander, I - ”

Liara didn’t even process Shepard moving until after it happened. The human wheeled around her in a blur, and she felt the pistol leave her hand as Shepard twirled past. There was no force, no snatching - she didn’t even feel her grip as she stole the gun away. Shepard’s little manoeuvre left her with her back to Liara, their shoulders lightly touching. The human brought her gun arm up and nearly deafened Liara with two blasts from the pistol. She yelped involuntarily, immediately feeling extremely silly when nobody else in the room even reacted.

Liara looked over at Wrex. For someone who’d just been shot twice in the chest, he seemed remarkably calm.

“Shepard.”

“Wrex.”

Liara could just picture the infuriating grin on the human’s face as she lowered the gun. Liara tried to put on an indignant face to cover how rattled she was as she turned to face the other woman.

“I’m sorry, Liara, that was a bit cruel,” Shepard said, entirely failing to look bashful as she held the Predator out for her to take. “Practice rounds,” she said by way of explanation. “They’ll still kick like the real thing, but they’ll only sting your target.”

“Or tickle, in Wrex’s case,” Garrus commented. He still hadn’t looked up from the sniper rifle he was calibrating on the desk. Liara took the gun back from the human and took extreme care to keep her finger away from the trigger.

“Nice,” Shepard observed of her trigger discipline, and Liara cursed how the human’s approval made her feel. The Commander wasn’t even three decades old yet! She knew it didn’t mean the same thing for other races, but she couldn’t understand why someone less than a third her age could make her feel like a schoolgirl with a silly crush on a teacher.

“Now then,” Shepard said, all brisk manners as she stepped right up to Liara and took her gun hand in hers, rudely oblivious to the effect it had. “This button under your thumb retracts the firing mechanism and engages the mag hook for holstering to your armour. Try not to get your finger caught in the trigger array when you hit it, I used to do that all the time.”

Shepard’s thumb guided hers to the switch and the pistol whirred and folded up, then unfurled with a satisfying click when she pressed it again. Liara couldn’t help a giddy, breathless smile coming to her face when Shepard manipulated her digits. It felt so… intimate.

“These lights here show that you’re shooting disruptor rounds. You know what that means?”

“Yes, it - ” she stopped to clear her throat, far too aware of the slight warmth and weight of Shepard’s body so close to her own. “It means there’s an electrical field that charges the ammunition as it passes through the barrel. On contact with a kinetic barrier it disperses the charge, overloading the capacitors and weakening their integrity.”

“Top of the class.” Shepard’s voice was low, appreciative, and made sweat bead on Liara’s brow. Images of the commander mumbling compliments like that to her under silk sheets burst into her mind and she felt heat rising into her face as the human gave her another of those damnable smiles.

“Alright,” Shepard said, stepping away. Liara immediately missed the absence of her form in her personal space. “That’s the basics out of the way. Weapon up.”

Liara lifted the gun, stabilising it with the other hand and lowering her centre of gravity, the way she’d seen Shepard do on Therum.

“Not bad at all,” Shepard mused. Achingly slowly, she circled Liara to check her form. After a second, Liara felt Shepard against her and couldn’t stop a gasp as those strong arms snaked along her own. “Sorry,” the commander whispered in her ear as she made fine adjustments to the position of her arms. “Didn’t mean to spook you.” Liara could almost feel the Commander’s lips on her ear as her breath tickled along her skin. Shepard’s hand settled on Liara’s as the asari fought to control her breathing. The human must be able to tell, surely. The idea was mortifying.

“It’s okay,” Shepard reassured her, mistaking her shaking arousal for nerves. “Just slip your finger up against the trigger and slowly squeeze.” The Commander guided Liara’s fingers with her own as she talked her through it. “Take all the time you need, just feel it glide back.”

Shepard’s low voice flowed like liquor. The dark, rich asari wine she had shared with a colleague. A prelude to faltering touches, soft lips on her own, fingers on her bare back…

“You feel that?”

“Yes, Shepard,” Liara breathed instinctively and blushed bright pink when she heard the pure need in her voice. The trigger had settled, almost imperceptibly, under their pressed-together fingertips.

“Any more pressure and the mechanism will shave a millimetre of metal from the ammunition block, lower its mass to near nothing, and accelerate it out of the barrel at nine hundred metres per second.” Shepard’s voice made everything else disappear until all that was left was her and the weight of the pistol they were holding.

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

Liara squeezed the trigger a fraction of a centimetre more and the shot burst from the barrel. The world rushed back as the gun bucked against her palm and sent a shockwave up her arm. She felt Shepard take most of the recoil for her, and then suddenly her arms slipped away. Her body left Liara’s.

“Great!” Shepard cheered. “Right in the chest.”

Wrex rolled his eyes. “Yeah, good shot kid,” he rumbled. Liara smiled, shaking herself out of whatever strange haze always seemed to fall over her when Shepard touched her. She looked over at the Commander, hoping the human wasn’t totally oblivious to what she was doing to her.

“Okay, take a few more shots. On your own this time.” Shepard settled into that oh so familiar, oh so appealing pose with her arms folded across her chest and her weight on her back foot. She blew a stray strand of red out of her eyes and watched as Liara settled back into the position Shepard had moved her into.

“Very good,” Shepard commented.

“I’m not likely to forget it, Commander,” Liara murmured. She took aim at Wrex, who theatrically rolled his eyes and waited. She squeezed the trigger slowly, trying to forget about the warmth of Shepard’s arms around her for now. The kick was much worse without Shepard to stabilise her, but the bullet still found her target and she grinned at Shepard. She smiled back.

“Again. Five rounds, centre mass.”

It took her a few attempts and one embarrassing overheat, but she managed to hit Wrex five consecutive times. The krogan sighed and rolled his shoulders.

“Why don’t you make the turian target practice instead?” he growled at Shepard.

“Because you’re my favourite,” the Commander shot back. The massive krogan growled and stomped into the lift. Shepard waved him off as Liara laid the pistol back on Garrus’ workbench.

“Well done, Liara,” Shepard said, stepping close to her again. Liara thought she was slightly too close to be entirely innocent, but maybe humans had different expectations. She suddenly worried Shepard thought she was being aloof when she maintained a respectful distance.

“When we’re in the field, I want you to hold back, okay?” Shepard’s hand found her shoulder and gripped just enough for Liara to feel it through her uniform. “Stay behind me, use your biotics, and only worry about stripping shields with the pistol. And if anyone drops your shields, you put up your barrier and I’ll shoot them full of so many holes their mother will feel it, alright?”

Liara would have laughed at the joke if Shepard didn’t seem so intense, so instead she just nodded. The human lightly squeezed her shoulder again and let go of her.

“Okay, tomorrow we’ll start hand-to-hand practice.”

“Oh goddess,” Liara muttered.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you,” Shepard reassured, completely unaware of what the thought of the beautiful human woman grappling her and tossing her on the floor so she could straddle her actually did for the nervous asari scientist in front of her, though Liara’s daydreams usually involved fewer clothes, more soft beds, and definitely much fewer people standing around working on weapons nearby.

“I’ll see you later, Liara.” Shepard nodded to Garrus once before striding towards the lift, leaving Liara flushed and flustered in her wake.