The Show Must Go On (Rise)
Chapter rated for Tali's racy thoughts, which got out of hand. Might have tempted Garrus a bit. Yup, blaming it all on Tali.
It was by chance that Tali was with Adrian when her brother got the call from Garrus about Jane. Naturally she didn't let her brother go off alone to pick them up in his skycar. Yes, she was still peeved at Garrus for the lack of 'them' time and truth be told she was hurt by it. She'd really thought they were making steady progress towards... Well making steady progress all the same. But then everything when pear shaped and she had seen him for a total of 4 hours, 2 minutes and 36 second. A single afternoon in a 4 month period. To be fair he wasn't even on the Citadel for 2 months. And one month he was in rehab undergoing a mandatory detox program due to his week of being hopped up on combat stims. Still that last month he had been on the Citadel. And he'd made no effort to see her.
Supposedly, he was busy catching up on work. Supposedly he was working from artificial dawn to well past artificial dusk every day of the last 4 weeks. And supposedly he also had something big going on which had him sleeping on the common room couch. Whatever it was, it was going on in his bedroom. She knew that much because of what Solana told her. Between being mad at him, and wanting him to come to her for the answer to his question, Tali kept out of the Vakarian residence for the duration of the month. It had to be some sort of record. Usually the time she spent out of the Vakarian's place was measured in hours. The long absence really made her miss Garrus even more than she already way.
So it was only natural that she invited herself along when Garrus called Adrian for a pick up. She was going to get some quiet time with her turian one way or the other. She was in desperate need of a hug from her turian. And a good make out session. And a night or ten curled into his side sleeping with his arm weighing comfortably across her body. And she wouldn't turn down a nice firm caress of her, well, just about anywhere he touched would do.
Tali had been sleeping with one of his pillows that Solana had pilfered for her. It did help trick her brain every night to thinking he was close by and she slept better because of it. But every morning she would wake up to the sad truth that she was tightly gripping a pillow, and not the scarred torso of Garrus. Was it normal that she liked the he smelled? And that his smell could both put her mind at ease and get her riled up enough that she couldn't sleep without taking care of herself first?
Even with their new found 'talking about relationships' thing Tali hadn't broached the question to Solana. That might have been a little too much information, even between sisters. Friends though... What had Jane said? 'You pester your friends with all sorts of embarrassing topics of discussion.' So Tali took a leaf out of Jane's book and asked Liara. Liara was a friend and probably the smartest person Tali knew. The asari maiden had 2 PhDs for crying out loud. And was thinking of getting a 3rd one for fun. Seriously who gets a PhD in ancient turian history for fun? Liara, apparently, was the answer.
Liara also did have an answer for Tali. And mercifully the asari was very clinical about it all. That didn't stop Liara from being a darker shade of blue during the whole conversation. Which didn't help Tali in her quest to be a less dark shade of purple.
"It's not uncommon for someone of almost any race to associate smells with certain things. Everyone does it with sounds and sights as well. It makes more sense that you are a little more attached to the smell though. Quarians have a sense of smell that is above galactic average. For you, Garrus represents both a sense of security and is someone you are attracted to leading to your... frustration, over him."
Liara was a lot more technical and there was a lot said before and after that, but was more or less the gist of it. It did make Tali feel better about herself. It didn't help her with her problem though and it was getting worse. At least Tali thought it was getting worse. Every morning she woke up both well rested and horny as hell. Long showers were now a mandatory part of her morning routine. Otherwise she was liable to bite someone's head off before lunch.
Maybe some time in the arms of her turian might calm things down a little. Or probably make things worse. What she wanted to do was tie him down to a bed and have her way with him. Which was a pretty bold and brazen idea coming from her. Fortunately several things stopped her from going down to C-Sec and throwing Garrus over her shoulder so she could do just as she planned.
One was the fact that Tali doubted she would get very far carrying Garrus. Sure she was fit and in great shape but Garrus was one tall turian. Big and built too, so he'd be heavy. Secondly she'd have to get him to lie still long enough to actually tie him to anything. Third was the fact she was deathly afraid he would split her in half. Once again, he was a HUGE by turian standards. Granted she was practically a giantess herself by quarian standards. Even so, she was seriously worried about being able to accommodate him. Fourth, she wasn't sure she could endure the pain long enough to please him. Assuming he fit of course.
It was when her thoughts normally roamed down these particular tracks, which was becoming an increasingly common occurrence, that Tali lamented that fact that she was a good girl. Having a few real boyfriends during her apprentice years might have helped her out now. But she was set on Garrus and she was going to stick with him, no matter her own doubts and insecurities. She just didn't see the appeal for girls though. She did have her one turian toy she'd bought ages ago. And she'd used it all of once. And it quite possibly might have been the single most painful experience of her life. Tali supposed it was a trade off of sorts. Oral sex was supposed to be amazing from what she'd heard. Tali guessed that was for the girls. The boys got sex in exchange and girls just had to endure it. That would explain all the loud groaning and moaning she heard from her brother's room.
The last thing though, was the fact that Tali had had time to think on what little Garrus had told her about his relationship with Ceto. All the more reason to talk to Jane before anything progressed with Garrus. And Tali planning on doing just that, which is why she tagged along with her brother on the late night pick up.
Whatever her motives though Tali did shelve them when she caught sight of Garrus and Jane. Jane looked like a real mess. Her hair, though never neat, looked even more disheveled than what had been her normal. Her eyes had craters under them and she looked a lot skinnier than Tali remembered. And she was dressed in a thin dress that really didn't hide much or keep in any warmth. Fortunately, Garrus had surrendered his jacket to Jane, which kept her shivering to a minimum.
The reunion was a silent one. Tali took Jane's hand and guided her into the back of the skycar while Garrus took the front. They drove in silence to the Vakarian residence, Jane keeping a death grip on Tali's hand the whole way.
The reunion at the Vakarian residence was a loud one. It started off with an exclamation, then sobs of joy and kisses. Solana and Liara both managed to get a piece of Jane to grab onto while Jane did her best to hug both of them at the same time. The reunion was only broken up with the arrival of Dr. Michelle, a friend that Garrus had called earlier. The good doctor took Jane into the guest room for a quick examination. She cleared Jane to stay the night provided there was no hanky panky, but stressed that she wanted to see the redhead at her clinic in the morning for a much more through exam. With that, Dr. Michelle left with Adrian who was giving her a ride home.
"Let's leave them be and have our own reunion." Garrus whispered into Tali's ear causing a shiver to run down her spine. Oh the places her imagination went with that wording. "I haven't seen you in a while."
"Whose fault is that?" Tali shot back at him even as she turned to give him a smile.
"Paper work doesn't stop just because I had to go on a little trip. Spent all of this last month catching up on paper work." Garrus said as he lead Tali towards his room. He gave one last glance over his shoulder to see his sister leading Liara and Jane into her room. Good thing Solana recently changed the size of her bed.
"And I had my reasons for keeping my distance. Didn't want to interfere with your thinking process."
"You really think that I have slept around?" Tali asked stopping them at his door. Tali wasn't sure which hurt more; the idea that he thought she slept around before now. Or the idea that he might have done the same.
Garrus took both of her hands in his and gave them what he hoped was an encouraging squeeze. "Natalia, I can't know what you do every minute of every day. I only know what you tell me and when I get to spend time with you. I just hope that I'm enough for you to settle for."
"For the record, I'm not settling. And I don't sleep around either, unlike my brother. I'm a one turian kind of gal." No sooner were the words out of her mouth, then Garrus' shot out of his mouth and flipped her veil up. A split second later his mouth came crashing down over hers and his tongue was reacquainting itself with hers.
Tali let out a squeak of surprise before throwing her arms around his neck to pulled down even closer. Stupid sexy tall turian. Why did she have to take off her shoes at the door? He still had his boots on so he really had to crane his neck to get down to her. Finally they parted, taking in deep gulps of air. It'd been a while since they had kissed like that and it was getting Tali all worked up. If they kept at it she would not be held responsible for her actions. Or so her libido tried to tell her brain.
Fortunately Garrus spoke first, which was a good thing. Tali wasn't sure if she had regained the power of speech yet. "I also needed the month to do a little remodeling. In case you said yes."
"Is that why you've been sleeping on the couch?" Tali asked, earning herself a surprised look. "Solana told me."
"Ah. I want my pillow back by the way." That comment instantly made Tali flush deep purple and look down at her hands. Anything to avoid the smug look of satisfaction on his face. And to hide her own embarrassment.
"Hey." Garrus gently but firmly used a talon to bring Tali's gaze back to his. "It's sweet. Really it is." Garrus cut off anything Tali was going to say with a chaste kiss. "Want to see my new apartment?"
Garrus opened his door and gave Tali the grand tour. It wasn't anything fancy since he spent the majority of his money on floor space, but he had managed to get enough furniture to make things presentable. The foyer had a little shoe rack and a mirror on one wall. Opposite the mirror was a framed picture that looked to be hand drawn. It depicted a buff and shirtless turian, in shorts, with long flowing fringe feathers as the flames lick up all around him, but dare not touch him. It was a silly picture, but he thought the artwork was rather nice.
"Keelah, you kept it."
"Kept what?" Garrus asked as he took off his boots.
"My drawing." Tali replied touching the framed picture.
"You drew that?!"
"I was very young. And very grateful to be alive." Tali explained. "I can't believe you kept this."
Garrus came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands on her lower stomach. That was certainly new and sent bolts to a place more decidedly south than Tali's stomach. He usually kept things firmly around her stomach.
"It was the best of all the pictures I've gotten. And the only one on actual paper." The pair of them stared at the picture for another few moments. Tali was swept up in her childhood fantasy of what she thought Garrus was like. Garrus, unfortunately was dwelling on that night itself.
Tali caught his falling expression in the reflection of the glass. "Hey, show me the rest of you new place." Tali made to leave his embrace but he held firm. Together they slowly, if a little awkwardly, migrated into the office. It was what one would expect. There was a small TV on one wall, a desk, chairs, the usual bland office fanfare. Here the few pictures scattered around were of family. His father, mother, sister, son and step-mother. At least Tali assumed the enormous woman standing next to his father was Garrus' mother. It would certainly explain a lot. Tali had to hold in a laugh. Executor Vakarian looked a little silly being dwarfed by such a big lady.
The office's doorway lead into the dining room, and kitchen area. Tali honestly questioned why he even bothered with such a room. He ate with the rest of the family and Mrs. Vakarian was a fine cook who ran a great kitchen. Everyone had to pitch in if they wanted to eat. The boys got away with cleaning up, which was no small chore. The girls had to help cook. Feeding Garrus was a daunting task in itself. At least in Tali's opinion. She'd seen him out eat Wrex once.
And it was in that kitchen that Tali had learned her very basic cooking skills. She certainly never cooked at home. In fact she wasn't even sure where the kitchen was in her familial home. Still, the set up was nice and cozy. The pictures in here were more about friends than family. Adrian starred in a few, as did some people Tali knew worked with Garrus. There were a couple of pictures of people from Mass Effect, including a very nice one of everyone at the fishing hole on the Presidium. Garrus seemed very proud of the dining area so Tali kept her mouth shut. She wasn't going to ruin the first them time they had in months.
From the kitchen/dining room, it was into the bedroom. A much bigger bedroom than he had before. There was still lots of empty space, even with two additional dressers that Tali had never seen before. And there was a very nice vanity table to go with the new dressers. And a modest, but still nonetheless a, walk in closet.
The pictures in here really made Tali's heart do its best to beat its way out of her chest. All the pictures were of her. Sometimes he'd be in them too, but by and large they were single shots of her. Usually dressed up, so Tali figured he had to have taken them while she was distracted at some party or event. Her favorite one had to be the one of both of them dancing her First Dance. Tali reached out to touch the statuesque figure that Garrus had cut that night and the picture sprang to life. It was a recording of their entire dance, not just a single frame.
"Oh Garrus." Tali breathed earning herself a comforting squeeze.
"You approve of the decorating then?"
"I love it." Tali said referring to the one piece in particular.
"You can have a copy if you want. Solana shot that for us." Garrus told Tali. Of course Solana had been the one to shoot the recording. She could be quite the romantic, when she wanted to be.
After watching the entire recording, Garrus turned Tali so that her gaze fell upon the bed. He'd gone up a size just to have a little more room for two people. And maybe because this model had certain features his old bed didn't. Primarily the fact that the foot of the bed could be lowered down to become a step to make getting into bed easier. It also just to happened to lend itself to other activities.
"Staying tonight?" Garrus whispered into her ear. He hadn't expected her to be with Adrian when he had called his protégé to pick him up, but the evening was turning out so well. If she stayed it would cap off a great evening. She might have taken one of his pillows, but he had nothing to be a stand in for her. Of course years of sleeping in every imaginable condition meant he could sleep when he needed to, but Garrus did have his preferences. And on the top of that list was being in his own bed with a certain quarian snuggled against him.
"Yes." The reply was just as quiet, but in the stillness of the room Garrus heard it. He gently pressed against one side of her lower abdomen, a little bit of an unusual gesture, but she got the message.
Tali turned in his arms to face him and gasped when she felt his hands drift down and give her rear a playful squeeze. He certainly was being very bold tonight, but she wasn't going to stop him. His hands usually never left her hips and she was thrilled that his hands were finally wandering a bit.
Following his lead and emboldened by his behavior, Tali reached up to the golden metal band that held her veil in place. Garrus was usually very insistent that a certain distance and propriety be maintained between them, especially when it came to her veil. But Tali was willing to take the sum of what had happened so far this evening a definite shift in their relationship. And a positive one at that. What male of any species bought a vanity table? If Tali was reading things correctly, that vanity table was for her. As where those dressers and most of the walk in closet. Sweet merciful ancestors, he'd kicked her out so he could build something of a proper home for her to move back into.
The realization of what he'd done made Tali's hands falter on their trip up to the crown of her head. Garrus saw this and his hands left her rear to reach up for her own.
"You don't have to do that." Garrus said softly, his eyes lingering a moment on the golden band on her head.
Tali captured his hands and put them right back where they had been, which put a smirk on Garrus' face and a devilish twinkle in his eyes. She smiled back and held onto his hands for a moment to keep from melting under his heated gaze.
"I just realized why you built all this. It's a very sweet gesture. I'm still mad at you for staying away for a month, though."
"Hmm. I told you, paperwork. And now I'm all caught up. So I'd say the month was worth the wait."
Tali let go of his hands and reached up for her headband once more.
"Natalia." Garrus chided.
"Shh you. I've been waiting nearly 8 years to do this." And with that Tali took off her veil.
The view that greeted Garrus' sight was a familiar yet exotic one all the same. He knew her features of course, but without the sheer material obscuring them, it was as if he was seeing her for the first time. And spirits she was beautiful.
Tali blushed under Garrus' intense stare, but she was drinking him in just as he was feasting on the sight of her. The veil, for all of its spiritual importance, was also bit of a burden. Tali had to view the world through a fine mesh, cutting herself off from the universe. But she'd finally found a place she could see things clearly.
Garrus broke their impromptu staring contest by leaning in and kissing Tali in seemingly at random locations. A cheek, an eyebrow, the tip of her nose, the middle of her forehead. He'd done it all before, but with the veil in the way. The absence of that thin barrier made it all so new and erotic in its innocence. The devilish jolts it sent down to Tali's core urged her to escalate things, or else she wouldn't be getting any sleep that night.
Tali reciprocated his earlier ass grab with one of her own, pulling his hips to hers. Despite their turians touted self control, Tali could most definitely feel a bulge there. A very large one at that. That dampened her fire just a little bit, but maybe that was a good thing. He'd just started touching boundaries, crossing all of them in one night might be a little too much.
Her actions had a cooling effect on Garrus as well. It was almost as if he didn't realize just how fired up she had gotten him until that very moment.
"Natalia." Garrus panted. When had his breathing picked up?
"Yes?" Tali panted back. When had her breathing picked up? Most surely time to step back a little. Before things got too far out of hand.
"Maybe we should stop."
Yeah." Tali reluctantly agreed and eased her pelvis back away from his. That didn't stop her from giving him a nice long kiss while doing so. By the time they came up for air they were both breathing harder.
"We'd better get to bed." Garrus said as he slowly removed himself from her arms. Tali could only nod in agreement and watch as Garrus started to go about his nightly routine. She'd never seen him perform it before. On date nights, around the time he started his routine, Tali would go down the hall to Solana's room to start hers. That's where she kept her things that stayed at the Vakarian residence. Given recent events however, Tali knew she'd have to move her things out of Solana's room. There just wouldn't be space for 4 women's things in one bedroom. Three was a big enough stretch as it was already.
Tai allowed herself to enjoy the show. It wasn't anything extravagant and Garrus didn't look like he was drawing the process out any. One day she knew it would be blasé for her, but right now she reveled in the newness of it all.
As expected Garrus stripped down to his skin. It was a good thing Tali was mildly desensitized to a naked Garrus or she might have jumped him. Her imagination certainly was doing just that. Instead, Tali settled on just biting her lower lip and admiring her turian. It was a good thing his work armor covered so much up. If the ladies of the Citadel only knew what they were missing out on Tali was sure she'd have to fend off challengers hourly.
"Are you coming to bed like that?" Garrus' question jolted Tali out of her own thoughts. He had gotten in bed already and was eying her still dressed state. Under normal circumstances she'd have stripped down to her panties and worn a nightie. The only problem was said nightie was in Solana's room. And despite the doctor's orders, Tali didn't want to risk walking in on something she could never unsee.
Despite her nervousness, Tali decided to steal a leaf from Garrus' book and acted nonchalant as she unbuttoned her jeans. Never mind that he'd never seen her change clothes before. Or strip out of them. But, to his credit, he kept his eyes on hers as Tali shimmied out of her jeans. If he had bothered to look down he would have gotten an eyeful of plain white panties. Having not planned on being here this particular evening Tali hadn't exactly had time to dress up.
Tali did make a big show of stepping out of her jeans, turning around and bending over to pick up her pants. This of course gave Garrus a nice long look at her legs and rear, the two features Tali was confident about.
Tali neatly folded her jeans and walked over to the vanity table, depositing her jeans on it. She could still see Garrus starring at her in the reflection of the mirror. She gave him a warm smile which he returned. Tali took the small boost of courage that smile gave her and made quick work of taking off her t-shirt. She busied herself with folding it and adding the article of clothing to her jeans. Stealing a glance at the vanity's mirror Tali could see that Garrus had a fistful of blanket in each hand, something he didn't have before she took off her shirt.
Garrus was fairly sure his eyes were going to fall out of their sockets. At least it felt like they were. Despite how wide his eyes got, he was diligent to keep them trained on Natalia's face. If he let his eyes wander he might do something stupid they both would regret in the morning. Still Natalia wasn't making it easy on him. Taking off her bra had nearly done him in. Granted, braless was how she normally slept next to him. Except he'd never seen her breasts. She always had on a nightie which kept everything covered up.
Thankfully, his resolve held and he kept his focus on her face. And Natalia was kind enough to blush and cross her arms over her chest, hiding it from his direct gaze. Garrus waited until she was next to the bed before he turned out the lights and collapsed back onto the bed. He felt the bed sag and heard the rustling of sheets as she slipped under the covers. A moment later he felt her nudge his arm. He lifted it up obediently and placed it bad down around her. Though the amount of skin to skin contact was certainly new and electrifying, their sleeping positions weren't. Still, Garrus found he didn't mind a mostly naked Natalia cuddled into his side.
"Take your ears out." Tali's voice cut through the darkness of the room. Garrus groaned. Yup, just like old times. He did, however, do as he was told and took out his hearing aids, placing them in their charger that rested on the headboard.
It took a while before Tali could fall asleep. The dose of uncertainty and nerves that came with her impromptu strip show, plain as it was, had managed to quench some of the fire in her loins. That fire was stoked up again when she pressed her body next to his. Being able to feel so much of him at once was amazing. Especially being able to rest her cheek against his arm without any material in the way. Yes, she never wore her veil to bed because that would be uncomfortable and silly to boot. However the knowledge that she would never have to put it on while she was in this room practically set her body ablaze. And that did not help her find sleep. So she settled on listening to Garrus' even breathing as he slept.
Part of her was disheartened and simultaneously jealous that he fell asleep so quickly. And she had thought she was doing really well all things considered. Okay, maybe he hadn't shown anything, but his reactions sure were encouraging. She'd ask him in the morning. If they were going to do this. Be 'exclusive,' then they should have a little chat in the morning. They were honest with each other up to this point, but Tali wanted to reinforce that point. And she wanted to know his secret for falling asleep so fast. It just wasn't fair.
The next morning was magical. That's the only way Tali could every describe waking up next to Garrus. It meant that all was right in the universe and it was going to be a great day. Thus far each time she woke up next to Garrus the day had been a great one. The fact that on each of those occasions she went home and took a long shower had nothing to do with it. The massive flood of endorphins that accompanied those long showers were, of course, caused by Garrus. So in a twisted way Garrus was the reason she was in a such a good mood on those days.
The morning after was another routine they had established. Garrus always got up first and showered. Tali would slide over onto his side of the bed and bask in the warm spot he left. Usually by the time the shower turned off Tali would drag herself from bed and waltz down the hall to change clothes. Today, however, Tali just lay there enjoying not having to wear her veil that much longer.
Garrus was a bit surprise and pleased with the view that met him when he walked out of the walk-in closet. He'd designed it so that the bathroom connected to the closet as well as the bedroom so all three were connected. After all, it made sense since one generally put on clothes after a shower. The sight before him was a glorious one indeed. It's not every day a mostly naked girl is laying on your bed. Natalia might have had a blanket covering everything from view, but Garrus could still her clothes piled on the vanity table. The sight of her red hair fanned out against his pillow put a grin on his face. The thought of it would probably put a grin on his face for days to come. The guys at the prescient were going to want way more details than he was going to give. This would result in endless teasing. Totally worth it in his opinion.
Garrus sauntered over to his sleeping beauty and gave her a kiss on the forehead as he reached for his hearing aids.
"I don't want to go to work today." Tali groaned. She still kept her eyes closed but Garrus' kiss had alerted her to his presence in the room.
"Then don't. You're the boss of everything. Plus you have four assistants."Garrus answered. He ran his hand through her hair. Or as much as he could. He ended up settling for giving her a one handed head massage.
"I am the boss of everything and don't you forget it. And I have five personal assistants. The show is very demanding on the girls so I decided they needed some more help." Tali tried to sound sassy, but it was very hard to do when Garrus' hand was making her feel this good. She'd never had a head massage before what with the whole veil thing. She decided Garrus was going to give her a head massage often.
"Well, I have to go to work. And I'm sorry in advance. Solana and Liara, and probably you, won't like me very much by this evening. But rules are rules." Garrus ended his massage earning a groan in protest and the creasing of Tali's brow. He soothed her with another kiss on the forehead.
"Do you have a few minutes? We should talk." Tali asked.
"No. I really have to go. I'll come pick you up for dinner. How does that sound?"
"Are we coming back here after?"
"If you like. Or I can drop you off at home."
"Here. Now go to work. And I guess I should go too." Tali pulled Garrus down for a proper goodbye kiss. It wasn't anything heated like their kisses last night had been, but it wasn't a quick little peck either. It was just the right sort of kiss to carry them through the day.
A/N: In honor of Single's Awareness Day, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Edits of older chapters and life in general is causing a delay in my writing.