The next morning, Aster woke still nestled against Garrus. A small smile graced her lips. She traced the line of his jaw. Garrus shifted and slowly opened his eyes.
"Morning," he mumbled.
Aster leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his temple. "Morning."
Garrus pulled her closer and kissed her. Their lips met. Their movements were slow, deliberate. Every creak of the bedsprings was met with a shared, almost imperceptible flinch, a glance towards the thin wall separating them from Garrus's sleeping parents.
There was no rush, no urgency beyond the quiet, desperate need to feel each other. Aster's capture, the attack of the Citadel, and now the abduction of a 10-year-old child had taken an emotional toll on them both. Their bodies moved together with a quiet grace, a soft murmur of breath, a whisper of skin against plates.
Afterward, Aster and Garrus lay, entwined, the sheets a tangled mess around them.
"No pamphlet this time?" SAM questioned. "I was hoping to experience a demonstration."
Aster ignored him.
"Breakfast?" Garrus whispered, his voice still hoarse.
Aster gave him a tired smile.
"A shower then breakfast," she murmured. "I'm getting hungry."
Garrus pushed himself up slightly, his mandibles twitching in a familiar grin.
Before Aster could fully process his words, he was moving. With a fluid grace, Garrus scooped her into his arms. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt the powerful flex of his muscles as he lifted her effortlessly, her feet dangling a few inches off the floor.
"Shower first, then breakfast," he repeated, already striding towards the bathroom, his steps soft yet purposeful.
The bathroom air was already steamy, a result of Garrus's preference for scalding hot water, which Aster had yet to tolerate. He set her down gently on the cool tiles, then reached past her to adjust the nozzle, testing the temperature with a turian hand. The spray hissed, a comforting white noise.
As the hot water enveloped them, washing away the last remnants of sleep and intimacy, Aster leaned back against Garrus's chest. His hands moved with practice, lathering soap over her shoulders.
When they emerged, they quickly got dressed and softly walked to the kitchen. Garrus started the pot of coffee, the scent already filling the kitchen within seconds.
Garrus retrieved the pan for their traditional breakfast. Aster began to chop vegetables.
"Pancakes?" Garrus murmured, his voice barely audible.
Aster chuckled and looked over her shoulder at him. "Definitely pancakes. And extra chocolate chips for Galvus."
They moved around the kitchen. Shortly after, they heard one of the bedroom doors open. Two sets of feet walked toward the kitchen.
"Good morning," Camelea greeted softly. "Did you get any sleep?"
"As much as we could," Garrus replied softly.
"The transport is leaving in three hours," Castis added.
"I'll go speak to Galvus," Aster said, putting down the knife and going to wash her hands.
"We'll get breakfast ready," Camelea said, taking over.
Aster nodded and made her way over to Galvus's room. She mentally prepared herself. Aster knocked and waited for an answer.
"Galvus?" Aster asked softly. "Are you awake?"
No answer.
"Galvus?"
"He's awake," SAM said. "The door is unlocked."
Aster knocked again before opening the door slowly. The room was dim, but not dark enough to obscure the figure curled on the floor beside the bed. Aster let her eyes adjust to the darkness.
Galvus wasn't asleep. His shoulders were shaking, and a choked, guttural sound tore from his throat.
"Galvus," Aster said softly. She knelt beside him.
"She left me," a small voice whispered. "Why did she leave me?"
"But why, Auntie?"
Aster felt a cold knot tighten in her stomach. How could she possibly answer that? She didn't have the answers.
"I don't know," Aster finally replied. "The police are investigating."
Aster heard Galvus sniffle. "I'm sorry, Galvus."
Aster pulled Galvus into her arms and held him as he cried. He eventually fell asleep on her. Garrus knocked softly on the frame.
"Breakfast is ready," he whispered. "How is he doing?"
Aster shook her head and grabbed a nearby blanket to wrap around Galvus.
"We need to get ready to leave," Garrus continued. "I'll bring you two a plate of food."
Galvus stirred, and his stomach rumbled.
"I- I didn't mean to fall asleep," Galvus mumbled, straightening up.
"It's ok," Aster assured him. "Garrus is making a plate of food. Why don't you hop in the shower and come join us when you're ready?"
Galvus rubbed his face and nodded.
"We'll be heading to Palaven," Aster explained as Galvus, and she stood up. "Castis thinks we might be able to find your relatives. Maybe they know where your mom went."
"I don't care where she went," Galvus said angrily. "She left me."
Gavlus grabbed some nearby clothes and rushed out the door, almost bumping into Garrus.
"What was that about?" Garrus asked, balancing a plate of food.
"He's angry," Aster replied, taking the plate and shoving food in her mouth.
Garrus nodded. "That's understandable."
"We should get ready to go," he continued. "Mom and Dad have our bags by the door. I packed you a bag, but you may want to check. I don't know if I got everything."
Aster nodded and finished the food. While Garrus took the plate to the kitchen, Aster checked her bag and added a few more things. Once she was packed, Aster grabbed her bag and went to leave it by the door, with the rest of the luggage. Gavlus joined them in the kitchen after his quick shower. A plate of chocolate chip pancakes was waiting for him.
"How is my grandson this morning?" Camelea asked, taking a seat next to him. "We're going to visit family on Palaven. Your Aunt Solana is waiting for us."
Galvus gave her a small smile and took a few bites of the pancakes. It appeared as though he didn't have much of an appetite.
"I'm going to get our bags checked in," Castis said, walking into the kitchen. "Garrus, grab the bags."
"I'll be back," Garrus said, planting a quick kiss on Aster's forehead.
"We'll come and meet you when we're done," Aster called after them.
"Auntie, I'm not really hungry," Galvus said softly when Castis and Garrus headed out.
"That's fine," Aster said, grabbing his plate and putting the pancake in a container. "I'll save it for later, just in case you get hungry again. I'm sure we packed snacks for the trip."
"Camelea, why don't you take Galvus with you to the docking bay?" Aster suggested. "I'll take a quick look around and lock everything up."
"Come on, Gavlus," Camelea said, taking his hand. "Let's go see what granddad and dad are up to."
Aster washed the plate and put it in the drying rack. She quickly looked through the whole apartment, making sure nothing important was being left behind before locking the apartment and going to meet up with everyone else.