A touch up on something I uploaded a while ago. Hope you enjoy!
Edit: Er, I didn't think so many people would be upset with the story! I'm really sorry if I struck any chords. I was honestly just poking fun at a concept. I love Tali, just like I like all the other characters in the Mass Effect universe. I hope I didn't come off as being a basher, because that's the last thing I'd want to do. Again, sorry!
I Should Go
The sound of air pressurizing through his door – it could only mean that someone was entering his room. Shepard lifted his head and blinked. He could hardly believe who was there in front of him. "Tali…?" he whispered smoothly.
His eyes focused on the reflective purple visor she wore. He tossed his codex to aside and approached her in staggered strides. He wrapped his hands around her body to embrace the quarian lovingly. "What're you doing here, Tali?"
"Ah… hello there Shepard…" she began nervously, her elbows locking to her sides as she felt Shepard's gentle hug. Tali let out a soft squeal when she felt his hands travel toward the small of her back, forcing her own back to arch forward. She pressed her chest into his, causing him to pull her closer. She could feel the warmth of his body against hers.
"So… I uh… I considered what we talked about… and I've taken some antibiotics, as well as some herbal supplements that should, um, bolster my immune system… ahem. I was going to bring music, but I uh… didn't know what you liked… and I'm babbling like an idiot," she sighed. Her neck loosened, her gaze fixed firmly on the ground. She didn't want to look into his eye. She'd only feel more uncomfortable.
He quirked an eyebrow with interest, a smile stretching over his face. She was cute when she was flustered. He ran his hands up her back and planted them on her shoulders. "Do you really want to do this?" he asked affectionately. He placed a comforting hand on her cheek. He smoothed it across the cold frame of her glass until it reached her chin. He slowly picked her head up. "Tali… don't look down, don't be embarrassed. Your eyes are beautiful. You're beautiful."
"Shepard…" Her heart fluttered with joy and her chest tightened. It didn't help that they were so close to one another to the point she found it difficult to breathe. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead to his.
"This mask… this suit…" she murmured "I hate it. I hate everything about it. The closest I can come to actual contact is linking a suit with another quarian. I don't want to live like this. I want to touch things, feel things, with my own hands. I want to touch you. I want to feel you. I want you to touch me. I want you to see me with your eyes, and I want to see you with my own eyes, not behind a piece of glass…"
She sighed again, breaking away from his tender hug. She held onto her arms and continued, "I just don't want to… I want this to work. I've thought it over. I've minimized the risks, but I'm still nervous. And that always makes me talk too much. It's a defense mechanism, and it's stupid and… People who just see the helmet can't see my expressions so, I have to make it clear what I'm…" she managed to say in one breath.
Shepard snuck up from behind and wrapped his hands around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. She reached back, her arm craning around his neck. She tilted her head back and looked dreamily into his lustrous eyes. She nuzzled the side of her helmet against his cheek. The two seated themselves on the edge of his bed. Her gaze never loosened its passionate focus.
"What I'm…"
"Sh…" he soothed reassuringly. He placed his hands on the sides of her face gear, slowly pulling the front visor off. Tali's hands instinctively stuck to the back of his.
"What I'm…" Her voice dissipated beneath the subtle hum of the ship. "Shepard..."
He removed her mask.
Silence.
"I should go."
