Busted
Shepard, Tali and Garrus were working in the engine room, still trying to get it cleaned up after they returned from the suicide mission. Donnell and Daniels had been on the earlier shift, trying to sort out the power fluctuations they'd been having since their jump away from the exploding collector base. Now, they were passed out in the crew quarters, resting up before their next shift.
The place was a wreck, and that was putting it mildly. It was a damn good thing they had so much help to do the clean-up.
Shepard stretched, then winced and swore softly, hand clamping down on her shoulder. "Shit, that hurts."
Garrus glanced over at her out of the corner of his eyes. "I already apologized," he complained, his eyes going back to the calibrations he was working on.
She nudged easily under one of his arms, wrapping one of hers around his waist as she checked the power dampeners and engine balance. "And I already forgave you," she replied back. "Doesn't make it stop hurting." Not that it had bothered her at the time...
"Are you injured, Shepard," Tali's genuine concern snapped her back into the present and her lover coughed softly, putting some space between them.
"Ah, it's nothing. Just a...pulled muscle, I think."
Tali looked at her like she didn't believe a word that Shepard had just said. She then turned back to her own work, and within a few moments of silence and console beeps, the engine's faint hiccup had been cured and Tali stepped back. "I'm going to go get some sleep before dinner," she said, moving towards the exit to engineering.
Once there, Tali stopped, turning towards Shepard and Garrus, who were both watching her go. "You know, Garrus, you should be more careful. Most humans wouldn't be able to handle receiving turian dominance displays." With those words, Tali turned and left the room.
Shepard snorted softly, putting a hand over her nose, then glanced up at him. He looked uncomfortable, and the expression had always made her smile. "So..."
Garrus put a hand on his face and shook his head. "You think all of them know?"
She put her other hand over her mouth, smothering her giggles. "Oh, yeah. I'm pretty sure that every member of the crew knows what's really going on when we're 'cleaning' my quarters."
A groan. "Who do you think told them?"
That stopped her. Slowly, she turned towards the small platform that EDI usually popped up at. The glowing sphere seemed to whistle in innocence and Shepard arched an eyebrow. "You are SO busted."