The Beginning of All His Problems

"Loving someone isn't wrong, Garrus. Whether you think it's right or wrong is irrelevant. If you feel it, you feel it. Don't try to calibrate your way out of it. Let yourself have something good, something you really want, for once. Okay?" Solana's voice floated through his ears softly, the way their mother's always had.

"Okay," he answered, his undertones giving away his annoyance.

"Garrus Vakarian! You're not listening to me!" she shrieked, shouting his name just like their mother did when he took apart something he shouldn't have.

"Spirits, Sol, yes I am! I heard you. The first six times, and I'm going to hear you the seventh, too. I get it! Now stop--"

"Who you talking to, Vakarian?" Shepard asked, leaning over his shoulder, trying to get a peek at the console.

"Oh, is that...looks like I gotta go, Garrus. Talk to you soon. Love you, Garbear. Bye."

Suddenly the screen went blank except for a general Other user has logged off message.

Garrus rolled his eyes and turned to face Shepard. "You needed something, Shepard?" he asked, praying she'd only heard him shouting at his sister.

"Who's Sol? She your girlfriend back on Palaven?" she blurted, sounding more jealous than just generally curious.

Garrus gave a turian chuckle. "Spirits, no, and I don't envy the one who is. Solana is my sister. She was giving me one of those sister-advice talks. Where your sister acts like your mother simply because she's trying to get a point across." Why was he telling her this? Why did he feel the need to share this information with her?

She smiled, blatantly satisfied with his answer. "What kind of sister-advice talk?"

"Just general sister-to-brother stuff," he lied.

Shepard's lips curled into a pout. "Oh, c'mon, Vakarian. I don't have a sister, so don't deprive me of this. I'm curious," she pleaded, placing her hand on his arm.

Instantly he froze, all attention suddenly turned to her hand. She was touching him. Him. Him of all people. Did that mean she liked him? Or was she simply trying to get him to tell her what him and Solana had just been discussing?

You're over thinking this, Vakarian. Stop thinking about it. It's just a touch, nothing more. How could something so simple, so seemingly innocent invoke such strange feelings in him?

"I have a problem. Nothing severe. I was just asking her for some advice about a girl I have feelings for. A non-turian girl. She told me to act, but I'm not such a good listener." He again found himself just pouring out information he probably should've kept to himself, but he couldn't seem to help it.

Shepard smiled and let her hand slide down his arm, slowly reaching his own hand. She gripped it tightly in hers. "Well, Ashley's not into aliens. Tali's much too focused on her pilgrimage to really notice much else. And Liara's...well...not your type. Rest of the crew's either male or human, or both." She paused a moment, her beautiful emerald eyes watching him. "I say you act."

He squeezed her hand. "I'll take what you've said into consideration, Commander. But you never answered my question; You need something, Shepard?"

"No. Just came by to see you."

They stared into each other's eyes for a while, not speaking, not moving, just staring and holding hands.

Shepard suddenly let go. "I've got some important things to take care of. We'll talk later...Garbear."

Garrus watched her leave, now left with more questions than he'd ever had before. There was something about his commander that he couldn't help but be attracted to. Now was not the time to think about that. Now was the time to get back to repairing the Mako before he was interrupted again.