Unseen: Mass Effect FanFiction (ReWritten)

Chapter 34

Sunlight filtered through the window, casting a warm glow across the rumpled sheets. Mina stirred awake. Garrus stirred beside her.

"Morning," he rumbled, his voice still thick with sleep, a low vibration against her temple.

She hummed. "Good Morning."

Mina kept her eyes closed, feeling the tiredness behind them. "What time is it?"

"Too early," Garrus muttered.

"I still can't believe we had your parents over," Mina commented.

Garrus knew exactly what she meant. "No heated debates. No accidents."

He paused. "I call that success."

Mina hummed in agreement. "It would have been worse."

She shifted, opened her eyes, and propped herself up on an elbow. "Garrus, your father... he's intimidating."

"He is," Garrus agreed. "He did call you efficient. That's basically a compliment."

Mina snorted. "I'll take it. And your mother. She kept him distracted with stories of your childhood shenanigans."

Mina was pulled in closer by Garrus. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"So," she murmured, nuzzling into his neck, "what's on the agenda for the first day of the new year?"

Garrus tightened his embrace. "Sleep. Coffee. And not leaving this bed until we absolutely have to."

Mina closed her eyes once more and felt herself drift back to sleep.

*

The next time she woke, Mina was feeling well rested. She checked the time; it was just past noon. Garrus laid awake beside her.

"Have you been awake long?" Mina asked, taking a deep breath.

"A few minutes," he replied.

Eventually, Mina's stomach grumbled with hunger. With a shared sigh, they untangled themselves from the sheets. Garrus stretched before reaching for his discarded shirt. Mina, meanwhile, padded to the bathroom, splashing cool water on her face.

They met in the kitchen, both looking delightfully disheveled. Garrus, still in his rumpled clothes, surveyed the wreckage of their living room. "So, this is what 'starting the new year fresh' looks like, huh?"

Mina laughed, pulling out a cleaning spray from the kitchen. "That was all Wrex. He got too friendly with that bottle he brought over."

"We should have him clean up his mess," Garrus muttered, looking around once more.

"He's probably passed out somewhere," Mina said, chuckling.

Garrus leaned against the counter. "I'll start taking down the decorations."

"Are we keeping any of the decorations for next year?" Garrus asked.

Mina looked around. "We can keep the ones that aren't too damaged."

"I'll put them aside for you, and you can decide."

As they began to clean, a comfortable silence settled between them. Garrus started cleaning up the living room, and Mina worked on cleaning up the kitchen. Leftovers were put away, trash was picked up, and dishes were put in the sink.

Mina rinsed the dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher. She worked on cleaning the counters, tying the full trash bags, and setting them by the door.

"Mina," Garrus called out. "I have the decorations ready for inspection."

"I'll be right over," Mina replied.