Who: Shepard and Callisto What: Deep discussion turns interesting when the Mistletoe strikes and there are unexpected feels when: Just before Christmas Where: A bar, then Shepard's place Status: complete Rating: High eventually
It was the holidays again, and Callisto didn’t feel particularly in the holiday spirit. Not that she ever really did, but that was besides the point. Callisto hadn’t been much into holidays since her family had died. She’d get something for Xena each year, but that was about it. She was kind of a Scrooge in that way.
So in attempting to get out, Callisto headed to a bar, attempting to avoid holiday cheer. She wasn’t in the mood for it. And for once she wasn’t looking to pick a fight either. She just wanted to drink in peace.
Walking into a bar, she got several looks upon entering, some of the regular crowd wondering if she’d start something. Which she didn’t she moved up to the bar, ordered a beer and set herself down on a stool. She did give a look around the place, which led to her noticing a redhead, but she didn’t make any move one way or another as she waited for her beer.
Holidays weren’t too kind to Shepard either. The thing she wanted most she didn’t have, couldn’t have. She watched as the people closest to her got to have families, and felt like she didn’t belong anymore. So it was the time for drinking and if she was lucky getting lucky. Not that it ever meant anything.
She nodded at the blonde next to her, then turned her attention back to her drink. She was wearing a tank top, a military jacket folded over the back of her stool. It revealed muscular arms, with freckles and noticeable scars on them, as well as a marine tattoo and an interesting looking tattoo with “N7” on it. Her face also had a very subtle network of crisscross of almost glowy scars on her face. Clearly, she’d been through some shit.
She gave a nod in return, shrugging out of her leather jacket and setting it on the back of her chair. Her sleeveless shirt showed off her own tattoos on her arms. She didn’t seem to have much wear and tear, at least not that showed outwardly. She had one notable scar that was not in a place she tended to show off to people. Callisto’s damage was by and large the internal, unseen kind.
“Nice tattoos,” she commented as the bartender delivered her beer. Her own visible tattoos were an interesting mish-mash. She had thorns wrapped around one arm with the appearance of blood and digging into her skin. The other had a far less intricate design on it, this one looking more primal in a black band around her bicep.
Shepard checked her out, nodding again before knocking back her drink and holding the glass out for a refill. “Thanks. Like yours too.” They looked like the kind that had meaning. Maybe she’d get it out of the woman, maybe she wouldn’t. She supposed that depended on how friendly they were both feeling.
“Thanks.” It was easy enough to tell the Marine tattoo. Callisto had seen some before. But the N7 one was rather mysterious and seemed to have a story behind it. Of course, most tattoos had stories behind them. Callisto’s certainly did. Though it was probably best that her gang tattoo was not visible currently. “One of those days to lose yourself in the bottom of a glass?” Callisto was feeling somewhat lonely, but she didn’t want to hover around Xena too much. And she also didn’t want to hear Xena telling her to go hang out with Yang or something, so she came out to find her own kind of socializing.
“One of those years.” Shepard lifted her refilled glass in a mock toast. Between Reapers and the general shithole that had been 2016, Shepard was ready for 2017. Maybe she’d at least get a relationship to last. Or she’d die in fiery glory. That would be good too. “Too busy to keep it up all the time.”
“I hear you on that one.” She raised her glass in return before taking a drink. Callisto never should have come to Orange County. She should’ve stayed back with the rest of the gang and let Xena come here with someone else. “As they say, life sucks and then you die. Gotta find what little fun we can along the way.” Or find what made one feel alive.
“That bad for you too, huh? Sorry to hear that. You look like you’ve been in a few rough scrapes, or am I pegging you wrong?” Shepard had plenty of reasons to keep fighting. Sometimes they were personal, but more often than not it was the principle of the thing. She was pretty sure she kicked Reaper ass out of spite by the end.
Something made a chiming sound, and she looked around, then shrugged.
“I’ve been many, yeah.” Callisto shrugged a shoulder slightly. It was neither here nor there for her. It had become the theme of her life, and it was tiring. Where did it end? With her death was the obvious answer. And now that she was transitioning back to being mortal, it would be far easier for her to die now. “Suppose someone’s gotta draw the short end of the stick.”
She heard the chime, but didn’t really pay it much heed. Even if it was her phone, she didn’t feel like answering it right now.
“Sometimes the short end of the stick is where you want to be. At least where you should be.” Sometimes it meant doing bad things for good reasons, because the other options were worse. Shepard had accepted that she wasn’t a good person.
The chime sounded again, and she looked more closely at Callisto. Like she was someone that needed some comfort and god knew Jane needed some of the same. “I’m Shepard.”
“It’s not necessarily where I want to be, but it doesn’t really matter anymore.” Callisto wasn’t a good person, so it was probably just her karma coming back to bite her in the ass. Which was fine, someone’s life needed to suck. She’d just use that as fuel to go out in as big of a blaze as possible.
Fitting considering her family had died in a fire. Perhaps she should die in one, too.
She looked at Shepard. “I’m Callisto.”
“Whatever you’re having, I’ll buy you one. No catch.” Shepard grinned at her. At least she didn’t have to drink alone. For some reason she wanted to get closer to Callisto. Thread her fingers in her hair and kiss her. Taste her lips and her tongue, like an unseen forth was pushing them together.
“I appreciate it. I can always use a drink.” Callisto was glad to have a no catch clause tied to the drink. Though for some inexplicable reason, she felt like getting closer to Shepard. She gave a smile in response. “Good drinks and good company. Can’t get much better than that.”
“Not in any lifetime,” Shepard agreed. She and Garrus had a deal to reserve a seat at that bar in heaven. Not that she expected to make it to heaven. But it was a good thought.
Callisto took a long drink of her beer. “So, what shall we drink to?” Despite what the dreams said, Callisto knew she wasn’t going to be going to heaven either. The only reason she got to heaven in the dreams was because Xena had given up her grace to redeem her. She didn’t see that sort of thing happening here.
“That the people never find out just how close to armageddon they are.” There was a wry note to Shepard’s voice. She took a sip of her drink, then reached over to trace Callisto’s tattoo with a finger. She didn’t know what was coming over her. But she wanted to pin Callisto to the bar and kiss her.
“I can drink to that.” Callisto said with a bit of a smirk before taking a drink. It was definitely something to be ignorant of such things. As Shepard started tracing her tattoo, she looked down at it. That was...actually kind of hot, and it made her feel something she rarely felt. Which was why she didn’t try to stop Shepard from doing it. In fact, it just increased her urge to kiss her that much more.
Markings, tattooes, scars, tracing them was always hot. Blondes weren't even really her type but Jane lifted her hand to Callisto's face and pulled her into a kiss. This could get her stabbed, or not, but something was shoving her into it and she wasn't quite sober enough to try to resist.
Callisto had several tattoos, and she had one scar, but that was a bit beside the point. As Shepard kissed her, she returned it with some gusto. It felt as though something had pushed her into it, but she found it pleasant. At least until whatever caused the push seemed to fade. She broke the kiss after some moments and blinked in confusion. “What the…” She saw something out of the corner of her eye and she looked over to see a blur of green and red float away and disappear.
Shepard liked the gusto. She was a little dazed when the kiss ended, and then she snapped out of it. Her eyes followed what Callisto had seen and she damn near drew her sidearm to shoot at it before she caught herself. “What the hell was that?”
“I’m not positive, but I thought it was green and red.” Callisto’s eyes narrowed a bit. She shook her head slightly, but the thing was gone now so she turned her attention back to Shepard. She had to admit the kiss had been good regardless of what had caused it.
“Oh. Oh.” Shepard secured her weapon and rubbed her face. “I remember now. Happened last year too. Some kind of sadistic mistletoe. Though that depends on your preference and opinion.” She gave Callisto a wicked smile.
“Of course the mistletoe has to be sadistic as well,” she quipped. She eyed Shepard, a little spark in her dark eyes. “Gotta say I seem to prefer women. So maybe it’s not so sadistic.” After all, Callisto didn’t stab or otherwise attack Shepard for kissing her. That alone was a miracle.
Jane’s preferences tended to run towards ‘yes’ with few exceptions. She was always fond of aliens, after all. It was hard to resist touching those tattoos again, too. “Well, good thing I was the one sitting next to you. I’d hate to see what would’ve happened if you’d been over by that guy.” She nodded towards a gruff looking man sitting alone alone at the other end of the bar.
Logan just grunted at them and resumed his drinking.
It was extremely rare to get Callisto to feel something even remotely sexual. She had to look down at her arm, almost able to still feel Shepard’s finger tracing the thorny tattoo. She then looked over at the guy she indicated and Callisto had to chuckle. “It wouldn’t have been pretty. You got the best case scenario there.”
Not that she’d had Logan. Nope. Not at all. Though stabbing him would work out well. Shepard winked at her. “Used to use the mistletoe trick on purpose. First time it’s ever happened on accident. I’m not complaining.”
“I’ll take that as a complement.” Callisto smirked as she took another drink. “Never did much with mistletoe myself. Tended to avoid the stuff.” Along with most other things related to the holiday.
Unable to help herself, Jane traced a finger down one of Callisto’s thorns, following the pattern with a light touch. “Got a story for this one?” She could appreciate a strong woman, and she hadn’t forgotten the shiver she’d gotten out of Callisto the last time she’d touched a tattoo.
Maybe it wasn’t playing fair, but until Callisto shut her down, she was gonna play.
A shiver ran through Callisto again. She hadn’t noticed that she was that sensitive to touch. “Pain and blood are the only things that make me feel alive. This is a reminder of that.” It had been even more potent of late when she hadn’t been able to bleed or even feel pain.
“I get that. I’ve been there. Blood, pain. Excitement.” She moved her finger along another one of the vines as it curved up along Callisto’s bicep. “Took me years to find other things and in the end it didn’t really matter.”
She looked at Shepard, taking some solace in the fact someone else understood that feeling. “A friend keeps telling to keep looking, that there are better things out there. People like me don’t get better things.” As the finger traced up to her bicep, she felt a tingling sensation run through her body. Callisto found she both liked and disliked it. But she didn’t dislike it enough to tell Shepard to stop.
"Your friend might be both right and wrong. I think there are better things out there but some people end up with the short straw. Long as you do something with what you have at least there's a point." Shepard's smile was a little sad. Her dreams had made her fatalistic and while she often put a cheerful face on it she sometimes felt like everything she fought for was for nothing.
But if she let that consume her then the galaxy would end. So she kept pushing forward if for nothing else than spite. "At least that's what I always tell myself. That it's worth it because there's something at the end of the tunnel. Maybe not for me, but for everyone else."
Callisto's skin was soft, and a little cold, but this bar didn't really spring for a decent heater system. Jane got the impression Callisto wasn’t used to touch, so she resisted the urge to let her hand wander further. Though it did caress Callisto’s shoulder before resuming a trail down a different vine. "And better things mean different things to different people."
“There’s nothing at the end of the tunnel for me. I don’t see why I should bother trying when there’s no point to it. We all die in the end, and from personal experience, the afterlife is just as bad, if not worse. Some of us are just bad people like that.” Sure Callisto had been molded by experience. The girl she’d once been had died in the fire along with the rest of her family.
“It’s difficult to care when I don’t feel much of anything besides anger and rage.” Callisto wasn’t a loving person. She was cold and distant more often than not, isolating herself because she didn’t get along with people. And yet here she was being more open with someone she’d just met than she was to most people she’d known for an extended period of time. “I’m not exactly people friendly.”
So said the woman who was letting Shepard touch her. It was getting harder to not lean into the touch, and she found she was starting to want more of it.
“Reminds me of someone I know,” Jane replied. Even if that person was a giant alien turtle who’s idea of ‘hello’ was a headbutt. “What about this one?”
She leaned over to touch the tattoo on Callisto’s other arm, trying to avoid going entirely into her personal space.
To her credit, Callisto didn’t flinch or try to punch Shepard as she leaned over and touched the tattoo on her other arm. “I tend to act on a more primal level more often than not. It felt fitting to me.”
“Primal, I like that.” Shepard’s voice was almost a purr. She could dig primal. She was the tank, the one that lept into the fray and beat things bloody with her fists and her biotics. Combat, sex, survival, her whole life was primal. “You follow where your instincts lead you.”
“I do. It tends to get me in trouble, but that’s when I feel the most alive.” Being in the middle of a fight was one of the best feelings to her, even if she was taking several hits along the way. Sex could get her to the same space, but the only time sex had made her feel anything had been with Xena. “Do you do that? Follow your instincts?” Callisto could guess Shepard did.
“I’m a marine, it’s what's kept me alive all this time.” It was interesting how they were talking about instinct and trouble and primal fights and here she was caressing Callisto’s skin like it some kind of precious art. But then Shepard was a closet romantic and that wasn’t mutually exclusive.
“That explains that,” she responded. Being under the conditions that marines typically found themselves in, it made sense. Callisto could respect that much of it. Shepard’s touch was doing a number on her, one that she was starting to want more of. So she decided to act on that for once. Maybe it could lead her to feeling something other than the dead emptiness inside of her. She set a hand on Shepard’s forearm, fingers lightly tracing along the skin, taking in the sensation of it.
It was an unexpectedly light touch, the kind that gave Shepard goosebumps and felt like a little jolt of electricity across her skin. She smiled, twirling her finger in a circle around the tribal pattern. She wondered what other tattoos Callisto had. Shepard certainly had more than was visible. Scars too. “Other than the tattoo, what else gave it away?”
Callisto was in uncharted territory. This was not something she’d ever done before, so she had to feel a little awkward about it, but she didn’t pull away. Instead she kept tracing her fingers along Shepard’s skin. “The look in your eyes. When you know what you’re looking for, it’s easy to spot.” The look in Callisto’s eyes seemed to be a little more lively now than they had been before. So that was something, at least.
She then slid a finger to the N7 tattoo and lightly traced it. “What’s the story behind this?” It was only fair that she got to ask. And Callisto certainly had more tattoos under her clothes. She wondered if Shepard had any other tattoos.
Marines did have a certain look about them, especially those that had seen combat. A shadow in the eyes. Some of them even dealt with it via sarcasm. “You’re just seeing one too many nights under the bar in them.”
Jane could respond to the liveliness, though she shivered in turn, looking down at the finger on her tattoo and hoping Callisto didn’t decide to break the contact. If she were flirting with anyone else she’d already have pulled her into her lap, but she didn’t think that would be welcome. Yet. “It’s a.. Rank of sorts. For special forces. Think of N1 as being one step above the Navy SEALs. You can get promoted up to rank 6, but to be an N7 you have to work your way to it. Earn it.”
She might be bragging just a little. She also had tattoo on her back that signified her SPECTRE status and even if neither organization existed in this world, she’d still earned it. It was a very small, very exclusive club. And Spectres were even rarer. Human Spectres? There were only two, and she’d been the first.
“Now that you say it, you’re right,” Callisto quipped in response with a smile. She did have a sense of humor, it had just been largely missing of late. She hadn’t realized just when it had gotten buried under everything she’d been dealing with, but it seemed to be coming back out now. Shepard was getting it out of her.
“Ultra special rank, huh?” Callisto tilted her head to one side as she eyed the tattoo while a fingertip traced over it again. “Good on you for earning it. Must mean that you’re one hell of a fighter.” That was something Callisto could respect, being a good fighter. Even in the dreams she could respect when someone could stand toe-to-toe with her. She wondered what it would be like to spar with Shepard.
“Ultra special rank for an ultra badass. Knew this guy. Big and beefy, could probably bench a car. He went 150 pull ups, I went 151.” Shepard assured her. She flexed, though she still had her hands on Callisto’s arms. There were still parts of those tattoos she hadn’t touched yet. “You should hear my squad in an actual battle. Sometimes I think there’s a bet on who has the best quip.”
Oh, but she loved her squad, her family. Maybe she’d never get those little blue babies she wanted, but she had her team. That mattered.
But Shepard could spar, she liked to spar. She also wanted to kiss, nibble and lick those tattoos but that was getting ahead of herself. If Callisto had anything on her back…
“So clearly you one upped him.” Callisto couldn’t help that well placed pun. She even smirked about it. Then she looked at the flexing and she brushed fingertips over the muscle. “I definitely believe it.” Callisto may look like a rail, but she had some muscle to her. Her muscles just weren’t overly big and they suited her slender frame. She used the fact people tended to take her being skinny as being weak to her advantage.
Oh Callisto definitely had tattoos on her back. She did wonder what Shepard would think of the gang tattoo she had. Somehow she didn’t think that would be a deal breaker with Shepard despite the fact she was a marine. Or maybe she was getting ahead of herself in that matter. It was possible because she found herself wanting to kiss the marine again.
Shepard laughed, a nice deep one. “It’s only fair, every time I went to talk to him he was working out. It’s a good thing he’s both pretty and a good shot. Though maybe not as pretty as present company.”
She could tell Callisto was lean muscle. She reminded her of a marine named Vasquez in her unit here on Earth, and she had a similar built to Jack from her dreams. Though a lot more top heavy, and much less covered in tattoos.
Either way Callisto was probably deceptively strong, but wouldn’t likely be able to beat Shepard arm wrestling. She squeezed Callisto’s bicep. Callisto was giving her mixed signals, like she was conflicted or confused so Shepard caressed the skin of her arm suggestively. “Most guys would have been pissed, but Vega just laughed and promised to beat me next time.”
Callisto wasn’t the only one wanting to kiss again. Shepard stroked the tribal tat again. “You know, we should see what it’s like without a magical prompt.”
Callisto was a little taken aback at the compliment. She wasn’t used to being called pretty. Hot and crazy she was used to, along with less flattering versions of being hot. She wasn’t sure how to react because Shepard didn’t seem to be just saying it to say it.
She licked her lips a bit when her bicep was squeezed, and then the way Shepard caressed her skin made her want to seek more that closeness. “At least he was good about it.” Most of the guys Callisto knew would’ve been pissed and started a fight over something like that.
The fact that Shepard had asked made Callisto more inclined to agree, not that she would have really said no otherwise. “I think we should, yeah.” With that said, Callisto took the initiative and leaned in to kiss Shepard again.
Callisto was pretty, Shepard thought so. There wasn’t really anything past that except the compliment itself.
Shepard brought her hand up to Callisto’s hair, guiding her into the second kiss. There was a little less gusto this time. Callisto felt a little uncertain against her. Shepard didn’t think she was inexperienced, but she certainly seemed out of her element. So she kissed her like she was a person and deserving of kisses. More importantly, she kissed her like kissing was supposed to be fun.
She was way out of her element, especially when kissed like that. Callisto really didn’t know what to do with that on a conscious or emotional level, but she just went with it. She was used to a more primal approach to kissing than she was with this approach. Following the lead, she eased into the kiss, hand trailing up Shepard’s arm to rest on her shoulder. It needed to be said that she was getting into this instead of resisting it.
That mistletoe seemed to have been good for something after all!
Jane moved her other hand down Callisto’s arm, covering her tattoo briefly as it slid slowly down. She took it from her arm, then slid it around Callisto’s waist so they could get closer. Somehow she managed to not fall off of the stool. Shepard hummed, her fingers massaging into Callisto’s scalp ever so slightly. She was really enjoying this.
Callisto was no longer certain what was going on in her brain. It was as though her thoughts had stopped being coherent and she could only think in gibberish. Or the mental equivalent of keysmashing. As Shepard pulled her closer, she felt another shiver run through her. The hand on Shepard’s shoulder shifted and that arm circled around her neck. She added a little depth to the kiss, mostly out of instinct but also a little out of curiosity.
Taking that as permission, Shepard pulled Callisto fully into her lap, looping her arm around her and rubbing her hand carefully up Callisto’s back. Tilting her head back, she let the kiss deepen, giving up some control of it to Callisto as she did so.
This was entirely unexpected, and the way Callisto’s body was responding to Shepard was a bit alarming. She’d never quite generated an attraction to someone quite this quickly before, but it was happening and it was definitely making her feel things. She tangled her free hand into Shepard’s hair, more than happy to take the control that was given to her. Becoming more bold and confident, Callisto’s kiss became stronger and more confident.
They were probably a few seconds from getting kicked out, but she didn’t care. Callisto never was one for rules anyway.
The sudden surge in strength and confidence made Shepard groan. She dug her fingers into Callisto’s back, holding her until their bodies were flush with each other, the other hand still on the side of her head.
The bartender, meanwhile, just ended up with six more drink orders he probably wouldn’t have had otherwise, but he really should kick them out.
Callisto groaned as she felt the nails dig into her back. Her back arched and she pressed tighter against Shepard. She twisted her fingers in Shepard’s hair and pulled it taught. There was an intense need now running through her. Her other hand slid down Shepard’s back, nails trailing their way down. She wanted more. More that shouldn’t be done on a stool in a bar with an audience.
Shepard was going to have to be the responsible one, though the way Callisto moved in her lap was starting to shut down higher functions. The hair tugging hurt, but the good kind of pain that transcended ouch straight to 'oooh.' Tugging Callisto's head back with her hair, Jane looked at Callisto with hungry, hungry eyes.
It wasn't like she could either fuck Callisto into the ground in public, or kiss every inch of her either. And she wanted to do both. She felt like the latter especially was needed by Callisto and Shepard had the general patience to draw such a thing out. Besides, it wasn't often she met someone who could look past the scars on her face.
"Maybe we should stop giving people a free show." Even then, she gave Callisto an out. Shepard didn’t generally back down from anything but she also knew some people needed a rabbit hole.
Tugging her head back by her hair was rather a turn on. Callisto was definitely an animal between the sheets when someone got her going. She didn’t mind pain mixed with pleasure. Hell, she didn’t mind if someone drew blood from her during sex. At least she could currently bleed. It might’ve been awkward if Shepard decided to sink nails into her skin that should break it but leaving no trace behind.
As for the scars on Shepard’s face, they didn’t bother Callisto. Considering she’d once had quite the ugly scar on her own face from fire, she didn’t mind them on others.
“That would be a good idea,” she responded, her own dark and hungry gaze fixed on Shepard’s. She didn’t take the out. She didn’t want to take the out. Callisto was feeling something and she wanted to feel more of it.
Pain and pleasure were two sides of the same coin, whether it was a little spanking or nails just a little too long. Though there was too long and Jane kept her nails short for that among other reasons. She didn’t know how experienced the blonde was, so she was erring on the side of caution. Reluctantly, she pushed Callisto out of her lap so she could get up, then slapped money down on the bar and took her hand to pull her out. At least outside she could touch Callisto more, and touch more of her. It was just a matter of who’s place they went to. Shepard wasn’t picky on which.
Callisto’s nails tended to be on the shorter end of things. It tended to be difficult getting in fights and having long nails that would break. They were long enough where she could claw someone if she really wanted to. Once they were outside, she pulled Shepard close to her again. “Mind if we go to your place? I have a roommate that would make my life unbearable if she found out I brought someone home.” Xena would make it unbearable if she caught wind that Callisto was getting laid, but she’d rather not have the added bringing someone home on top of it all.
"Sounds like my best friend." Jane pushed her fingers through the hair on either side of Callisto's hair, stroking lightly and fondly, a big grin on her face before she leaned in and kissed her. It was quick, with the promise of passion behind it. She murmured the next words against Callisto's mouth. "My place then."
“Clearly we’re both screwed,” Callisto quipped. And yes it was a pun while also being the truth. Xena would eventually find out this happened and give her shit for it. She returned the kiss, putting her own promise into it. “Lead the way,” she murmured back.
It made Shepard’s grin grow wider. She drew the kiss out, spinning them around a bit until she had Callisto pinned against the wall. Leaning in, she nipped at Callisto's lips, then moved her head to kiss her neck and shoulder, and planted a single solitary kiss on one thorn.
Then she pulled away, fishing for her keys. She hadn't bothered to put her jacket, too warm and worked up from the kissing. "Fuck..." Was she sober enough to drive? She might actually drive normally while tipsy. "How does a cab sound?"
She groaned as she was pinned against the wall. Another shiver ran through her at the kiss to her neck, shoulder and one of the thorns of her tattoo. Callisto licked her lips a bit and gazed at Shepard when she pulled away. Oh. Right. Driving might be an issue. “Sounds fine to me.” Callisto was one who liked to tempt fate, but at this point in time, she’d prefer to get laid ahead of risking death by car accident.
Shepard called a cab, which was a little difficult as she kept Callisto pinned, but she got the location out between kisses, before shoving her phone in her pocket and tugging on Callisto’s hair so she could force a deeper, longer kiss. The worse thing about waiting for a ride was the mood cooling, or nerves going and Shepard was feeling such a strong draw and connection to Callisto that she didn’t want to risk losing out on… something. She didn’t know what yet.
So she kept kissing Callisto, touching her arms and her back with special attention to her tattoos, stroking her neck, throat and hair. And when the cab came, she pulled her in and broke the contact only long enough to give the driver her address.
Callisto groaned and returned the deeper, longer kiss as one hand tangled back into Shepard’s hair and her other arm went around her back and pulled her close. The more Shepard touched her, the more she didn’t want to pull away. Whatever was happening, Callisto didn’t understand it beyond the attraction, even though the attraction was also a bit alien to her. Still, she didn’t pull away and she wanted to keep it going, to not quite lose the feeling.
It was possibly accurate to say that Callisto was a bit enthralled by the fact someone had made her feel like this in such a short period of time. Typically she needed to know someone for a period of time before attraction followed. Maybe it had been the mistletoe. Maybe it was how Shepard had kept touching her. It was hard to tell.
Once in the cab, Callisto pressed close to Shepard, hands trailing along her back. She leaned in and nipped at her jaw as she gave the address. For the first time in a while, Callisto could hear her heartbeat echoing through her head and pounding in her chest. She was alive.
Shepard knew exactly what she was doing when she was touching Callisto like this. Did that make it manipulation, or more of a kind of understanding. A reading of body language and subtle cues that Callisto had given her, about what she needed even if Callisto had maybe not known that it was something she wanted.
She moved her head, inviting Callisto's lips and teeth to explore further. She was also exposing her throat.
Callisto was taking it as more of an understanding. She hadn’t realized she’d needed the touch. And the simple fact that Shepard was taking extra time and care to touch her, to trace the tattoos, only made it resonate within Callisto that much more. It hit her at her core in a way that no one else had really been able to accomplish before.
She trailed her mouth down and nipped at Shepard’s neck, interspersing her tongue as well. Callisto both needed and wanted more. She hoped the drive to Shepard’s place was a quick one because her hands were starting to wander.
It was quick, and also infuriating long. Between the kissing and Callisto's wandering hands Shepard barely noticed the passage of time until they got there. She gave the cabbie more money that was required, mostly so he'd keep quiet, and pulled Callisto out of the cab.
Shepard's apartment was roomy, with a large living area. It had all the things one normally needed, with Marine related decor and awards on display. She also had a penchant for model ships and airplanes, and one interesting looking space-ship on prominant display. The rest of her space-ship models were on the Normandy but the model of the Normandy she wanted to keep on Earth.
Pulling Callisto past a fish tank, Jane threw her jacket onto the couch and tugged her hard against her body. "Commere, beautiful..."
Upon entering the apartment, Callisto did get a quick scan of the area. She noted the decor and awards and the model ships and airplanes. It wasn’t unexpected considering Shepard was a Marine. However, she didn’t pick up much more detail than that because Shepard pulled her close. Callisto dropped her own jacket and tangled one hand into Shepard’s hair at the back of her head, and her other arm slid around her lower back.
“Much better,” she commented before she leaned in and kissed Shepard deep and hard, a fire behind the kiss. The strength of the fire surprised her, but she was more than willing to burn and be engulfed by them. She wasn’t afraid of fire anymore.
She liked this. Callisto fit against her in a way she’d missed for a long time now. Shepard kissed her back, deep and fiery with one hand on her face and the other pressing into the small of her back. Shepard knew fire too. The fire of worlds burning, of her own body burning on re-entry. To die and then to live again, it was such a small club.
Callisto well knew what it was to die and live again. She’d died twice. Technically she might’ve died once in this life as well when she’d dreamt of suffocating in the quicksand. She’d since traded in her pyrophobia for claustrophobia. Callisto definitely liked the way Shepard felt against her. She let go of her hair and her hands started wandering her back, and then they slid down to Shepard’s ass where they slid into the pockets there and she pulled her hips forward against her own.
Laughing, Shepard ground her hips against Callisto's in response. She'd noticed the kind of pants that Callisto had painted onto her body, and would need to take care of that, but first she slid her hands under the back of Callisto's top, calloused fingers stroking up sensitive skin. "Do you like this shirt?"
She groaned, then smirked a bit at the question. “Not in particular. I have several like it.” Meaning it was easily replaceable and wouldn’t be missed and Callisto was perfectly fine if Shepard wanted to tear it off of her. She squeezed Shepard’s ass and rolled her hips against hers before she slid her hands up and inside of her shirt, fingers brushing against skin.
“Good.” Jane dug her fingers into the fabric and tore it right off of Callisto’s frame with surprising strength and accuracy. She crashed her lips against Callisto’s again and though she could have gone for a breast, she instead cupped the side of her neck. Her other hand tossed the shredded shirt aside and rested on Callisto’s arm, fingers tracing the pattern of her tattoo.
The ripping of the fabric was a turn on for her. She returned the kiss a bit hungrily, wanting more. Callisto pulled Shepard’s shirt off of her, then she lightly grazed her nails down her back as she pressed herself flush against her, skin touching skin in a way that sent electricity through her much the same way that the way Shepard traced her tattoo did.
Shepard made a sound partway between 'nnn' and 'unng' rubbing herself against Callisto, feeling the same kind of shock on her skin. The contact even gave her little goosepimples.
Callisto's skin was a lot smoother than she expected. Shepard had lived two lives as a soldier, and her body showed it in imperfections large and small.
She stroked at her skin in a way that was kind of reverent and yet not. Callisto was someone worthy of touch and affection, but she was also human. A very attractive, very sexy human who probably wasn’t the only touch-starved woman in this apartment.
It was perhaps strange that Callisto dreamt of being a warrior yet she didn’t really have scars to show for it. She had one very telling scar. It was beneath her left breast, directly over her heart, the scar the width of a dagger blade. It was testimony to one of her deaths.
She groaned at the way Shepard stroked her skin, and she felt as though her body was being set on fire. Callisto wanted nothing more than to be consumed by the flames. She caressed Shepard’s skin, feeling the imperfections and not minding them. She also felt the contour of the muscles beneath the skin, the tattoos she felt. Her fingers traced along tattoos as she dipped her head and flicked her tongue against Shepard’s neck.
The hand on Callisto's neck slid around to the back of her head, encouraging her to explore Shepard with her mouth and tongue. Every little lick and touch made her skin ignite.
Two fingers trailed up Callisto's spine, and she started to guide her towards the bedroom. It was neat, like one would expect from a military woman. Futuristic armor was mounted on a dummy in the corner. She'd forgotten about that, oops. She was still forgetting about it, too eager to feel Callisto's lean muscle under her warm skin, too eager to kiss and caress at tattoos and that interesting scar. Shepard could recognize a killing blow.
Callisto moved wherever Shepard guided her. She did briefly note the suit of armor, but didn’t pay it anymore attention as she was otherwise occupied. She definitely began exploring, trailing some nips and flicks of her tongue along Shepard’s neck. She shivered at the fingers sliding along her spine. Her own fingers trailed up along that strong back, then came down her sides. There was a hunger, desire and a need mixed into the way she touched Shepard. She needed this more than she’d ever realized.
It was easy to respond to. There were lovers, then there were people who made her light up like a pyre, and Callisto had edged into the latter category the moment their skin had first touched. The more Callisto touched her, the harder she found it to think and the way their chests were pressed together Shepard didn’t think she’d survive.
Shepard sat on the bed, pulling Callisto close to her. Then she spun her around and kissed her tailbone. She could enjoy the look of Callisto’s breasts in a moment, there was something else she needed to do first. Shepard kissed at the tailbone again, then a little bit higher along her spine. She started to kiss and nip at the nearest tattoo in reach, gentle and fire all in one. Guiding her hands down to Callisto’s hips, she rubbed them in a circle before sliding them around to her stomach. She touched the scar below Callisto’s left breast, a curious touch. Her other hand came back around, joining her lips and now her tongue on Callisto’s tattoo and spine.
It was like this had all started with this kind of touch and Shepard was determined to come through with an unsaid promise.
Callisto groaned at the kisses to her tailbone, then the ones trailing up her spine. The tattoo that Shepard was paying special attention to at the moment was the Godslayers logo. There was a tattoo on the opposite side that stretched around her side and onto her front. It comprised of three large dead flowers, the wilted petals having fallen and congregated around where they sprouted from.
The touch to the scar over her heart caused her breath to hitch. Sometimes she forgot that it was even there. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back a bit as she groaned. The way that Shepard was stoking the fire within her, along with stirring emotion, amazed her. She trailed her hands along Shepard’s arms, fingertips lightly trailing over her skin.
The flowers were interesting. There was probably a story to them. Shepard would have to give them attention too, but she was a little pre-occupied with Callisto’s response to what she was touching and kissing now. Her own skin ignited in the wake of Callisto’s fingers and she groaned against her back.
It had been awhile and she did feel rusty, but she didn’t think Callisto noticed.
She shivered again, fire burning beneath her skin wherever Shepard touched her. Rusty or not, Callisto didn’t really notice or care. It wasn’t as though she herself was extremely sexually active. The time Shepard was taking to kiss and caress her like this was out of her comfort zone, but it was desperately needed to make this experience all the more pleasurable. She continued running her fingertips along Shepard’s arms, simply letting her do what she wanted to her back.
She bit. A nip, really. A grazing of teeth across skin from her spine to the base of the flowers before she pulled Callisto down into her lap and kissed the nape of her neck. Shepard took her right hand and placed it over Callisto's breast and her left hand moved in circles around Callisto's abs and then her thigh. She could do this all night. Touch her, kiss and bite her. Lay her out on her stomach on the bed and turn her back into a canvas.
Draw it out until Callisto burned up and then and only then give her release. But her hands were greedy and needy and Shepard moaned against Callisto's shoulder. She might not have the patience for it herself. "I want to taste every inch of you."
She groaned at the feeling of teeth grazing along her skin. This was going to prove to be one hell of a night. And to think she could’ve simply not gone out tonight and missed out on this. On some level, this seemed crazy to her, that maybe she was just dreaming or hallucinating it. Yet if it was either scenario, she didn’t care. She’d indulge in it.
Moaning, Callisto arched into Shepard’s touch, craving more of her, more of it all. “Fuck,” she groaned out. “You can do anything you like,” she responded. And to emphasize her statement, she grazed her nails along the outside of Shepard’s thighs.
“I’ll ask first before I break out the kinky stuff.” The pants were too nice to rip off, so Shepard, unbuttoned them enough so she could tease a finger inside Callisto’s panties. If she could wear any with those pants. This was always kind of a thrilling part for Jane. What kind of bottoms, shaved or trimmed or a hedge. Men were boring and easy to guess. Women could always surprise her.
While she had Callisto distracted by her pants, she squeezed her breast and then rolled her nipple between two fingers. She kissed the back of her ear and growled, “Just so you know, I don’t have any neighbors right now.”
Smirking, Callisto liked the sound of that. Though as Shepard’s finger slipped into her panties, she tilted her head back and moaned, rolling her hips into the touch, and then back against Shepard’s. Despite the lack of a sex life, Callisto did keep herself trimmed. And the panties she had on was a g-string. It was about all that fit under the pants.
She let out a loud moan and pressed into Shepard’s hand on her breast. At the growl, Callisto laughed huskily, reaching back and tangling a hand into Shepard’s hair. “Good because I like to scream,” she said before turning her head and kissing Shepard hard.
The panties might end up being a lost cause. Actually, Jane's panties were already a lost cause and that kiss didn't help. She groaned into it, stroking and squeezing Callisto's breast earnestly as she pushed the blonde's pants down off of her hips.
Callisto was relatively light, though dense, most of her weight in muscle much like Jane was. But she was still easy enough to lift and move around and Jane wasn't above subtly showing off like that. She got Callisto’s pants down to her knees then started to caress and stroke her thigh. She liked the muscle and the feel of the tendon there and if it was possible she only got hornier.
Callisto’s panties were definitely a lost cause, especially with the way Shepard stroked her breast. She lifted her hips a bit, allowing Shepard to get her pants down a bit easier. The muscle of her thigh quivered under the touch to it, and the touch sent a bolt of fire straight to the pit of her stomach. She was getting hornier and was pretty ready to be screwed into the floor. And then return the favor.
Her fingers twisted in Shepard’s hair, pulling it tight in her fist. She broke the kiss only to capture Shepard’s bottom lip between her teeth and lightly bit it. Her tongue then flicked over the area she’d bitten as though to soothe it.
It hurt, but the good kind of hurt. If Shepard herself wasn't a lost cause already, the hair pulling and biting would have clinched it. She stood suddenly, turning and laying Callisto on the bed and tugging her pants off the rest of the way. Her boots had to go too but that didn't take long at all, before she started to undo her jean. Her fingers actually fumbled this time and she cursed a little before getting them open, and off.
Crawling onto the bed and over Callisto, Jane leaned down and seized her lips in a burning kiss.
Callisto had a playful grin on her face as Shepard laid her down on the bed and tugged her boots and pants off. She watched with a hunger and desire in her eyes as Shepard got her own pants off. She groaned into the kiss, promptly being seared by it, and she gave it right back to Shepard as she slid her arms around her. Having this level of skin to skin contact was a huge turn on to her.
Her hands slid along Shepard’s back, caressing every bit of skin that she could touch. She arched her back a bit and pressed herself tighter against her. She shifted one of her legs between Shepard’s and she bent her knee, pressing her thigh upwards.
That look was helping in so many ways. Jane grinned into the kiss, stroking Callisto’s hair and then tugging on it lightly when Callisto’s leg went between her legs. She groaned lowly, breaking the kiss and tilting her head back. “Oh..fuck me…”
She loved the tug to her hair. Callisto was one who really didn’t mind roughness or a little pain during sex. Not that she’d really explored that sort of thing much, but it was definitely something she wouldn’t shy away from. She had to smirk at the statement. “Don’t mind if I do,” she commented as she then promptly flipped them over so she was on top of Shepard. Her hands slid up her sides and to her breasts, squeezing and caressing them as she nipped along her neck.
Jane didn’t know why she hadn’t expected that, but she laughed, arching her back and craning her head to expose her neck again. “I wasn’t done with you yet.”
It was a complaint that wasn’t really a complaint. Callisto felt amazing on top of her, from the hair brushing across her skin to the contact between them.
Callisto chuckled huskily. “I suppose you’ll just need to finish later,” she quipped as she nipped along her neck. Her hands massaged Shepard’s breasts as her mouth worked its way over her collarbone. “Besides, we’ve got all night.” She was anticipating them both going at it until they physically couldn’t any longer with the build up they were currently mustering up.
“Bet your cute ass I will,” Shepard breathed. She dug her fingers into Callisto’s hair, tugging and digging and nudging as she moved her chest around in ecstasy. Something about Callisto’s touch made it a little more intense than usual. Maybe it was just the whole touch thing that surrounded Callisto like a haze.
Some of Shepard’s scars were from bullets, others seemed to be cuts or slashes. There were some that were incisions like implants, and especially along her spine and the back of her neck were little bumps. There was the tattoo of a tiger on her hip, and another on her shoulder of some worm-like creature Callisto had probably never seen before. Shepard had gotten that one after the Thresher Maw with Grunt.
“Don’t hold back, I can take it.” She paused, groaning in delirium. “And call me Jane.’
Callisto chuckled softly. She was looking forward to that. It was hard for her to gauge how much she could take these days when she was somewhere between immortal and mortal. She knew she could bleed now, and she seemed to feel some amount of pain again. But in just being with Shepard here, she could feel her heart beating again. How long had it been beating for? Had it continued to beat while she’d been a god? She hadn’t noticed.
She trailed nips across Jane’s chest, hands caressing her breasts, then they began to wander. Her fingers touched on those scars, but didn’t pull away from them. Scars didn’t bother her in the slightest. Jane had clearly been in many battles. She caught a glimpse of the tattoo on her shoulder. It definitely looked weird, but she didn’t stop to ponder it beyond thinking it was some kind of worm.
Her mouth trailed down to one of Jane’s breasts. Her tongue flicked against her nipple before she squeezed it between her teeth. “Jane,” she repeated. “I’ll try not to hold back too much. I’m not exactly fully human currently.” At a guess, Callisto thought she was probably more like a demigod now, something like Hercules. She didn’t want to accidentally break Jane just because she wasn’t watching her strength.
Callisto needed to chuckle more, it sent little twitches throughout Jane's body and she wasn't sure which of their hearts were beating louder. Of course she had no idea that Callisto many not have been human for awhile, but that wouldn't have mattered anyway.
Jane groaned, watching her with heat in her eyes and pushing her head down hard when she bit her nipple. That too sent twitches through her body, this time right to between her legs.
A soft blue glow briefly flowed over Shepard's body, ending in her eyes before fading away. "I'll be fine."
Biotics could be described as space-wizards, though there was a scientific explanation for their abilities. And Shepard's were less 'wizard' and more 'tank'. She could take a beating.
She smirked at the way her head was pushed down and she grazed her nails down Jane’s side. Callisto also noted the blue glow that washed over Jane’s body and it intrigued her. She then grazed her nails over Jane’s hips as she trailed nips along her skin, moving to nip at her other nipple before she trailed those nips down along her stomach.
“I’ll take you at your word,” she murmured, eyes glittering and darkened by lust.
“Just take me,” Shepard told her. Callisto was nothing if not enthusiastic. By the time they were done with each other, Shepard couldn’t move. They’d busted out toys and taken turns and Shepard was certain that Callisto had tried to kill her in the process. Her legs were locked around Callisto and Callisto was locked into her. Which might be a problem in a few moments but for now she was perfectly content to hang there, impaled, and kiss Callisto. Or try to anyway.
If Callisto didn’t still have part of her god state of being, she’d probably have collapsed quite a while ago. As it was, her muscles were starting to protest being used, and exhaustion was hitting her. However, for the moment she remained where she was with Jane, and she did manage to return the kiss.
Stroking Callisto's soft hair, Jane moaned again. She let the kiss linger and then fade, and leaned her head back against the wall. "Holy shit."
That about summed up the last few however many hours. And she hadn't even noticed the crack that was running up the wall behind her back.
Holy shit was about right. After taking a few moments to catch her breath, Callisto slid the toy out of Jane, then kept hold of her as she stepped away from the wall and carried her over to the bed. She set her down on it and took the toy off before she finally collapsed onto the bed.
“Holy shit indeed,” she agreed. Callisto hair was messy and wild, and her body was covered in a layer of sweat. Her entire body was tingling and in various amounts of pain or strain. She’d forgotten about the nail marks on her back that had left bloody trails.
Shepard reached down, pulling Callisto up a bit further. She liked the feel of their skin together, the way Callisto’s hair tickled her skin. She didn’t have much energy for much else, though her fingers found the wild tattoo on Callisto’s arm again and very lazily traced them.
Snuggling was not something Callisto had ever done or had wanted to do, but she couldn’t find it within her to protest. Besides, Jane was tracing one of her tattoos again and she really liked that touch. Also the feeling of Jane’s skin against hers was a pleasant one. Her own fingers slid lazily over Jane’s skin.
Jane liked to snuggle. This could maybe be a problem, but she couldn’t care too much. This wasn’t really snuggling, so much as laying in a bed in after glow and gently touching each other. That wasn’t snuggling. Not like Callisto would need that kind of language. “Don’t got the energy to kick you out.”
An invitation.
It could be a problem if this wasn’t a one time thing. But Callisto wasn’t thinking that far ahead right now. She was still focused on the present and the afterglow. “Good because I don’t have the energy to leave.” And Callisto didn’t think she could teleport anymore either. Otherwise leaving would be made a lot easier.
“Mm..” Shepard brushed back some of Callisto’s hair, moving her head just enough to brush her lips against her forehead. She felt like she was floating. An aching, sore kind of floating, but a floating no less. “...Mmm.”
Callisto was definitely feeling sore already, but she didn’t care. Right now all she cared about was resting. Perhaps she’d even sleep peacefully instead of fitfully. The OC-induced dreams aside, Callisto tended to have a lot of nightmares about her family. But perhaps the past few hours with Jane had exhausted her enough that she’d actually sleep well. Though for now she just lightly trailed her fingers over Jane’s skin, tracing a tattoo.
It was a nice way to end the night. Sort of how it started, with fingers on tattoos and the gentle electricity that followed in their wake.