Well, here you go The Emerald Commander. Its not exactly what you asked for, but the majority of the prompt is intact here. Enjoy.

It had all started with that damn shirt.

Yes, a shirt.

It had been a simple day, all things considered...well, as simple as things could be on a ship embarking on a suicide mission. She had been working in engineering, the quarian finding herself right at home when she was tinkering around within the stealth frigate's high-tech contours. She was still finding it a bit hard to believe she was working on a Cerberus vessel, but the crew had been nice enough to her, and Donnelly and Daniels hadn't said a word of criticism regarding her de facto leadership of the engine room. For that, she was thankful. It certainly made her job easier.

Of course, she was only here because of Shepard.

The last few weeks had seen quite the change in Tali, mostly for the better. In the two years since Shepard's death, Tali had never felt so alone. His death had affected her more deeply than she thought, tearing her apart like an emotional maelstrom. A parasite that constantly gnawed away at her emotional core, consuming her in its ubiquitous spread. She had tried everything to move on: seperating herself from her friends, returning to the Migrant Fleet and burying herself in work, dedicating her life to the Fleet...nothing had worked. For the first few weeks, she cried herself to sleep every night. But as the months crawled on, tears turned into nightmares and nightmares into sleeplessness. And all of that before Shepard had admitted his feelings for her.

So when he finally did, only a few weeks ago, the floodgates had come crashing open. The possibilities were now endless: Tali wasn't alone in her feelings anymore. She could finally let him know how she felt without fear of being rejected. Out of all the people he could have chosen, he chose her. To say she was both excited, nervous and terrified all at once would be grossly understating how she felt at the moment. As far as she was concerned, she was the happiest woman in the galaxy right now. And the luckiest. The great Commander Shepard, Lion of Elysium, Butcher of Torfan, Survivor of Akuze and Hero of the Citadel...chose a quarian for his girlfriend.

Which is why it was all the more ridiculous that her happiness, her bouts of giddiness, had to be stalled by something as simple as a shirt.

She was in his...their...cabin, having just finished her shift in engineering. His shift wouldn't be over for at least another half an hour, so she decided to simply open her omni-tool and a play a game of solitaire: it was a human game that Shepard had introduced her to, and she had found herself more than a little addicted to it. She had never been particularly great at card games, but considering her recent loss of a game of poker to Shepard, Donnelly and Daniels, she was eager to get good at it. Solitaire was a good start.

He had arrived half an hour later, just as he had promised. And that's when it happened.

He had walked through the door, wearing his usual attire: a simple black shirt with N7 embroidened on the left breast, with a pair of fatigues held up by a belt buckle. He wore a blue and black cap on his forehead, the logo of the SAMC implanted upon it. His beard was clean shaven to remain within Alliance regulations, despite technically not being in the Alliance military anymore. He had refused to wear the Cerberus officer's uniform provided for him upon getting the Normandy, confiding in Tali and Garrus (pretty much the only people from the original Normandy he could trust implicitly, a fact Tali took great pride in) that he refused to allow Cerberus to dress him in their uniform and 'parade him around like their poster child.' Tali had offered to loan him a grenade for when he chose to blow up Cerberus, and he had jokingly told her 'keep it handy.'

Right off the bat, as Tali turned to him with a warm smile on her face, she knew something was wrong. He was awkwardly batting at his shirt, groaning in annoyance as he held a black steel mug in one hand, piping hot steam wafting from the cup. Tali immediately recognized as 'coffee', a human drink that had apparently taken the galaxy by storm when it was introduced to the community following the First Contact War. And it just happened to be Commander Shepard's preferred poison.

Raising an eyebrow at his rather odd predicament, she stood up from the sofa and ascended the three small steps into the cabin's atrium, "Are you okay, John?"

She liked calling him by his first name. It was a priviledge he had practically enforced upon her, as he felt that it was wrong for her to continue calling him 'Shepard' when they were openly in a relationship. Besides, he insisted that his name sounded good in her voice, something she had been reluctant to object to.

He looked up at her, smiling as her suited form came into view. Her presence seemed to have that calming effect on him, something she had never failed to take notice of, "Nah...its fine, Tali. Just split my coffee all over my shirt. Its stupid. I'll...I'll just go get changed."

And just like that, he placed the half empty cup of coffee on the edge of his desk, reached up under his shirt, and pulled it off. He crumbled it into a ball and tossed it aside, allowing Tali a full, unobstructed view of his well defined chest. Shepard was by no means a monster when it came to muscles, but being an N7 and someone who liked to exercise constantly, he had enough to make any woman drool at the sight of him. Most of the time, Tali would be doing just that, biting back her urge to reach forward and explore his abdomen, with her three-fingered hands tracing along the lines of muscle rippling his chest.

But this time, she found, for some stupid reason, that all she could focus on was just how easily and carelessly Shepard had exposed himself. He tore his shirt off and tossed it away, as if it was a non-issue. He simply plucked another one from his wardrobe, letting it fall past his neck and wrap neatly around his torso, stealing her view of his chest away from her. It had been done with such ease...so non-chalantly. It was a simple act, but it resonated within her.

The thought hit her mind before she could stop it. I wish I could take off my suit that easily.

"Tali?" John's thoughts penetrated the cloud in her mind, causing her to violently cast them aside as she refocused on reality, finding his eyes gazing into hers as he continued to smile, believing he had found her oggling him again, "Am I really that distracting?"

No, not at all. Unless you count flaunting your freedom infront of me 'distracting', of course.

She meekly shook her head, slowly turning to walk back down the stairs, suddenly unable to face him. Her mind raced through a million different thoughts, but found that one was now nagging at her, refusing to withdraw until its underlying purpose was fullfilled. She suddenly became very self-aware, realizing just how stupid she had been.

I'm wearing a suit. I can't so much as show off a fragment of skin or I could die. A single kiss could put me in the hospital. I can't eat or drink without it first being sterilized. And yet this human, this hero, wants to waste his time with a quarian whose face he can't even see and whose skin he can't even touch. He deserves to be with someone who can fullfill him. Besides, how could he possibly understand what it's like to be a quarian? He doesn't understand the struggle. He can remove his clothing without a problem. He doesn't have to worry about dying by simply removing a shirt. A single, damn shirt.

"Tali?" his tone was less playful this time around, concern laced throughout his voice. She ignored him, plopping herself down on the couch as she dropped her hands into her lap, fingers interlacing and twisting together nervously. She felt a stray tear fall down her cheek before she could control herself, eyes beginning to water up painfully, the salty liquid stinging her eyelids. Of course, Shepard couldn't see that because of her stupid, opaque mask, her building sorrow hidden carefully away, allowing her to bask in her own misery, her commander entirely oblivious. Its not...fair...

A shadow fell over her, but she didn't look up. The couch indented on her right as Shepard placed himself next to her. To his credit, he didn't wrap his arm around her like she had expected him to, apparently having realized that something was wrong but knowing enough to restrict himself until he knew she was ready.

He cleared his throat quietly, clearly confused as to what had gone wrong. Tali felt for him: after all, it wasn't his fault. Well, technically it was because he was the source of her doubt, but at the same time, he wasn't at fault because he hadn't known what he was doing to her, "What's wrong? Was it something I said?"

She lifted her head from aimlessly staring at her lap, finally garnering enough courage to look him in the eyes, "I...k-know, its...its...not your fault. John...I'm sorry. But this...we can't..."

He nodded in confirmation, sighing as he removed his cap, placing it gently next to him, but he never so much as took his eyes off of her. He adopted a serious tone as he cautiously placed a hand on her thigh, testing the waters. She allowed it, secretly closing her eyes and relishing the feel of his warm hand through the suit. How she wished it could be touching her actual skin. For now however, the gesture was comforting. It was already beginning to make her feel slightly better, although not by much.

"We can't what, Tali?" he asked, sounding very worried now, "You can tell me."

"My suit," she blurted out, taking him by surprise with her immediate, sudden response, "Watching you take off that shirt like it was nothing...it made me realize something. I can never give you what you want. You get a coffee stain on your shirt and you can simply switch it for another one. No problem for you. But if that was to happen to my suit...I'd have to bear with it, or hope my realk is the one that gets stained...at least I can remove that."

"And?" he asked, frowning at her, "And you getting a stained suit means you can't give me what I want?"

"Yes!" she nearly shouted, finding herself pivoting on the couch to face him, "I'm..." she waved her hands down her form, indicating to him that he was referring to her suit, "...trapped! I'll never be able to leave this suit no matter how much I want to...and you deserve more than that. More than what I can give you. I was being stupid and selfish to ever suggest we could...have something more. You shouldn't feel guilt-tripped into being with me," more tears travelled down her cheek, and she fought back the urge to sob.

This is the for the best.

Before she could say anything else, he...began to laugh.

That surprised her. How...how could he be laughing? Is this just a joke to him? How could he possibly find this funny?

She waited for him to finish laughing, glaring at him with incredulosity. Suddenly however, and to her shock, he reached up and grasped her shoulders sturdily. Her tears stopped flowing as he fixed her with a firm gaze, all mirth gone from his face as he seemed to study her astutely. All she could do was meet his warm, welcoming blue stare, finding herself sinking away into his sweet gaze. She quickly paid full attention to him, finding herself unable to turn away.

"Tali, that is the most ridiculous reason for self doubt I've ever heard," he stated, John fading away to be replaced temporarily by Commander Shepard, her human captain, "I don't care that you're stuck in a suit. What, do you think I haven't noticed you were in a suit? Do you think I'm stupid?"

She opened her lips to mouth a response, but her voice and mind yielded none. She stuttered for a moment, trying to form a proper, coherent sentence, "Well I...no, I don't think you're stupid, I-I just..."

One of his hands was rubbing her arm, causing her shuddering to crawl to a stop, although she didn't know if he had been doing it intentionally, or if it was something more subconscious, "Then why, Tali? Why this sudden doubt? I laughed because of all the things to make you question where you stand, it had to be taking my shirt off. Do you honestly think I'd be with you if I was looking for someone I just wanted to have sex with?"

Well, at least he was blatant about it. He certainly held nothing back. Such was the propensity of the statement that she couldn't even stutter a word of retaliation, simply sitting there pathetically as she listened to him berate her.

"I want to be with you because I care about you. Because I feel the same about you," the hand rubbing her shoulder lifted, cupping her cheek gently. Despite herself, her self-restraint slipped just enough for her to lean into the gesture, nudging his hand as she seemingly tried to dive into the warmth radiating off of it, "Do I really seem the kind of person to be pathetic enough to be with you out of guilt? Do you really think so low of me that its easy for you to believe that bullshit?"

"I..." she knew this was an argument she couldn't win. She'd dug her own grave, as the human saying went, and now she had to lie in it. No response she tried to form was good enough, her analytical mind picking them apart before she could even think of wording them. In the end, her shoulders slumped, letting John know he had won. But it hardly felt like a victory, "...no. Of course. You're the most wonderful, caring man I've ever known. And...well, I just want you to be happy..."

He smiled, hand on her cheek reaching around to gently stroke the back of her hood, Tali letting out a low coo at the commiseration, leaning forward slightly as she desperately wanted to give into his assurances. Luckily for her, he didn't give her much of a choice, taking note of her movement and calmly and tenderly bringing her into his arms. She surrendered willfully, and he tucked her head against his chest, arms wrapping around her and holding her benignly.

He continued to idly stroke her hood, whispering sweet certitudes into her auditory emulators as he simply held her, letting the silence between them do the talking. A few minutes must have passed, but they felt like hours that they just cuddled. After a while, he stopped whispering altogether, respecting her need for quiet. She had closed her eyes, simply listening to his steady heartbeat thumping through his chest, the feeling like miniature tapping. The sound made her tired, and she swore she could have fallen asleep here, all tucked up against his chest, nothing but the sound of his heartbeat and light breathing to sustain her.

Suddenly, John spoke, Commander Shepard put to sleep as the man she loved emerged, cradling her as if he was afraid letting her go would cause her to disappear, his voice soft and polite, "You make me happy...that's why I chose you. Not Ashley. Not Liara. Not Miranda. You. I've only ever loved you, Tali. I'm...just glad to know you feel the same."

She tugged at his new shirt, this one a cobalt blue Alliance themed tee, with one of her fingers, smoothing her palm over the soft material. She took a deep breath, eyes still closed, before opening them, rolling herself over so she could place her head in his lap, looking up at him while her body was oriented away from him. She folded her hands in her lap, letting a low smile crease her lips, "I...I know. Thank you, John...I was being so stupid. I just...keelah, I hate this suit." She picked at one of her suit straps, emphasizing her point.

To her surprise, John didn't answer immediately, cocking his head at her. He opened his mouth, but closed it again as he thought through what he was going to say. A few seconds later, after he had composed himself, he spoke again, "Tali...tell me about your suit."

Now that caught her attention. She simply hadn't expected him to ask such an out-of-the-blue question, "My...my suit? W-what d-d-do you mean?" She wished she could stop stuttering, but the question had come completely out of left field.

He shrugged, a small smile licking at the right side of his mouth, "I guess...it just seems like your society places a lot of emphasis on your suits. When we were at the Migrant Fleet to help with your trial, I noticed Shala'Raan mentioned placing your children in environmental bubbles...that you only got your suits when you're of adolesence."

The quarian in his arms continued to fiddle with one of the straps on her suit, finding herself frowning underneath her mask as she considered her next words carefully, "The suits...they practically are us. Our suits are like a second skin...in the three hundred years we've been wearing them, I don't think my generation or the generation before me could remember a time where we haven't worn them."

"That...sounds sad," John mumbled, fixing her with a somewhat melancholic stare, "I mean...it sounds like your lives are pretty much defined by them. You make it seem like you're nothing without it."

That just caused Tali to laugh slightly, although she found no humor in what he said, her only amusement stemming from the bitter truth of what he said, "Because we're not. If I take off this suit, even for a bit, I'll die. Everything that you take for granted...touching flowers with bare fingers, kissing someone you love, eating something without having to sterilize it, feel another's body pressed against yours...I can't do that. Everything I do has to be..." she held up her hands in the air, sighing wistfully, "...within this. My prison, my sanctuary."

"Its also keeping you alive," he pointed out, squeezing her arms ever so carefully.

"But can't you see why I can't be with you?" the quarian whimpered, feeling her chest tighten once more as she felt tears begin to form in her eyes once more, stinging them with their presence, "This suit...it will always be between us. The only way for us to be together...its...keelah, its risky. I could get sick, and jeopardize the mission. A single kiss and I could be in the infirmary for the rest of the mission."

A stray finger ghosted across her visor, before landing on her left cheek, cupping it upside down as he craned her head to look up at him. He spoke, his tone a gentle caress that could have lulled her to sleep on its existence alone, "...but there is a way?"

She slowly nodded, gulping, "I...I can speak with Mordin...get some herbal supplements, antibiotics and antihistamines that...could temporarily bolster my immune system. It would...allow me to be with you...no suit. But I would still get sick. How sick, I don't know..."

He frowned, although it looked to be more out of concern for her wellbeing than frustration, "That sounds awfully risky. Are you sure you want that? I wouldn't mind if we...just had this. I don't care about your damn suit. If it meant I wasn't jeopardizing your health or your safety, then I would gladly set aside my-"

Tali just scoffed, waving a dismissive hand, "Keelah John, you think I'm doing all of this just for you?" she reached up, her gloved palm grazing past his naked cheek and causing him to hum pleasantly. She smiled warmly, glad she could impart some comfort upon him just from a simple touch, "I...want this to be real. I don't want some stupid nerve stim program. I want to feel your skin on mine...and if I have to risk sickness for that, I will. I just don't know if you-"

A finger landed on her vocalizer, and she fell quiet. She knew he couldn't actually silence her through that method, but it was the principle that counted, "Tali, you know me. I want to be with you. If this is what you want...I'll wait as long as I need to. I may not understand what its like to live your whole life in a suit, but if I can help you explore all that you've been missing, then I will. All those things I take for granted? I want you to have that. I want to see your face...and that's something well worth fighting for, and waiting for."

Keelah...now I remember why I love this man.

What was I afraid of again?

He chuckled slightly, a grin gracing his lips, "But when the time comes, please don't ask me to make a sculpture out of my...well, main gun."

It took her a few seconds for her innocent mind to figure out exactly what he meant.

There was a gasp, followed by a loud slapping sound as John shouted.

"Ow!"

"You bosh'tet!"

...but he can also be insufferable sometimes!

Well, its not the best thing ever, but I'm hoping to get better as we go along. I'm not great at this one-shot thing, but I'm definitely liking it thus far. Feels thoroughly less stressful. I fullfilled your request to the best of my ability Emerald Commander. I hope you enjoyed what I wrote. :)